translation of the Holy Scriptures into the idioms of the country, are likely to conduce to this desirable object." There are those who would tell me, that I am committing myself on the very threshold of the discussion; for that, to assert the possibility of converting the natives of India to the Christian Faith, is to betray a total ignorance of their character. I have studied their character; and could, from my own experience, give a description of their moral depravity that would afflict the Christian's soul. But I find that the Abbé, if he thought it convenient to his purpose, would not hesitate to deny the accuracy of any description, how closely soever resembling his own: p. 145, &c.-I shall not, therefore, expose myself to the charge of drawing "6 exaggerations and misrepresentations respecting the Hindoos," but will describe them in his own terms.

"The Hindoos may be divided into two classes the impostors, and the dupes. The latter include the bulk of the population of India; and the former is composed of the whole tribe of Brahmins." p. 87.

Contrasting the character of Cornelius with that of the Hindoos, he says, their "minds seem to be hermetically shut to the

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voice of truth, and to the rays of light; and their judgment is led astray by their passions, and most of their public and private institutions. I have, alas! nowhere met, among the Hindoo Brahmins, another Cornelius, whose prayers and alms are come up as a memorial before God.' I have, to this day, remarked amongst them nothing but pride, self-conceit, duplicity, lying, and every kind of unnatural and anti-Christian vices." p. 92.

"A Hindoo, and, above all, a Brahmin, by his institutions, his usages, his education and customs, must be considered as a kind of moral monster-as an individual placed in a state of continual variance and opposition with the rest of the human race," &c. &c. pp. 100, 101.

"The leading feature of the education of a Brahmin is an universal hatred and contempt towards all the human race." He "is taught, if not positively to hate his friends, and to return evil for good, at least to conduct himself through life by quite selfish considerations, and to sacrifice all, without exception, to his private interests, without distinction between friends and foes; to be entirely unmindful of the services rendered to him, and to consider them, whatever may

be their importance and value, as his strict due." "A Brahmin is, moreover, obliged, from duty, to be selfish, intolerant and proud, insolent and forbidding." p. 102.

At pp. 103 and 104, after comparing the Brahmin to "those false philosophers of whom Paul speaks (Rom. i.)," he adds, "In reading this chapter of our holy books, and the forcible style in which the Apostle treats the subject, one would fancy that he had in view the Hindoo Brahmins, when he wrote it. If one would draw up the character of this caste of Hindoos, it could not be better done, than by literally transcribing the 29th, 30th, and 31st verses of this very chapter."

"The inferiority of the Hindoo Brahmins to all other Pagan Nations, with respect to religion, is the more striking, as they have not been able to distinguish what is a virtue, and what is not; since they in general suppose it much more meritorious to render service to beasts than to men. A pious Hindoo Brahmin, who will make it his imperative duty to share his frugal meal with fishes, snakes, monkeys, and birds of prey, will, on the other hand, behold, with the coldest indifference, a poor wretch starving at his door, without thinking of assisting him."

Instead of that great leading precept of Christian Charity, Thou shalt love thy neighbour like thyself,' which is calculated to convert the whole of mankind into a community of brothers, it might be said, that the leading precept of the Brahmins is this,

Thou shalt love brutes like thyself." "To practise a virtue from quite disinterested motives, and only to enjoy the inward satisfaction of doing good, are things above their comprehension. Ask a rich Hindoo, who spends the whole or a part of his fortune in erecting or repairing places of religious worship, in building choultries, &c. &c. &c., what are his motives for so doing, his answer will almost invariably be, that he does so to be publickly praised, as a virtuous man, during his life, and to transmit his name to posterity after his death." pp. 112,

113, 114.

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Much more to the same effect might be transcribed from the Author's more elaborate work, giving "A Description of the People of India*:" but these extracts, I trust, will be sufficient to satisfy the reader,

* For an exposition of the inconsistency between the Author's description of the immoral character of the Hindoos given in his former publication, and that drawn in many parts of the present Letters, see the Eclectic Review for Oct. and Nov. 1823.

that the Hindoo is, indeed, sunk into the depths of depravity. He will know, also, what degree of credit is due to the representations of the man, who can himself at one time describe the Hindoo in such appalling characters, and, at another, affect to have his "indignation roused to a high degree," by, what he calls, "the exaggerations" &c. of the late Mr. Ward of Serampore, who nowhere represents the Hindoo as worse than a "moral monster." pp.145,149,&c.

Taking, then, the natives of India as the Abbé Dubois himself describes them—and in more terrific colours they need not be depictured! I nevertheless maintain the possibility of converting them to Christ: for the Gospel has been proclaimed to as bad a people, and that with success.

I will not fetch my proofs from Ancient Greece or Rome, Britain or Gaul, the Sarmatæ or Daci, Scandinavians, Goths, or Vandals; though all these, and many other people converted to the Faith, were, as might be easily shewn, as unpromising subjects for the Gospel as the inhabitants of Hindoostan.

The testimony of St. Paul to the character of the Corinthians, previous to their conversion, shall suffice:-" Neither fornicators,