Religious Intelligence. TOUR TO CHOULE. [Concluded from page 106.] October 30, 1818.-People came in the morning for books. I read one of the tracts to them, addressed them, and gave them a few books. After breakfast I passed over in a ferry boat to the opposite side of the bay, and visited a small village called Boarlee. Here I found the meagre remnant of that Roman Catholic population, which once must have been extremely numerous, opulent, and powerful, in this region. I first called on the only Catholic clergyman in the district, who very courteously received me. He was a native of Goa, and spoke the language of the Concan so imperfectly, that we could interchange but few ideas. His apartments, as is usual, were in a small building adjoining the church, and they bore every mark of extreme solitude and indigence. In mournful accents he told me, that the whole number of Catholies, including two or three families in Rawadunda, did not exceed two hundred souls. In reply to my inquiries, he said, that no exertions were now made to gain proselytes from among the natives. At my desire he accompanied me into the church, which is the only one in the region that has not fallen in the common desolation of Portuguese grandeur. And indeed, a part of the roof of this church has fallen in, and it is but meagerly furnished with that superstitious trumpery, and that ridiculous finery, which I have been accustomed to see in other Catholic churches. I gave to the priest the Acts of the Apostles and two tracts, which he said he would cause to be read to him; for though he understood something of the language, he could speak it but very imperfectly, and could not read it at all. On taking my leave of the priest, I walked a short distance to the Hindoo village. As I entered it, a principal man of the place invited me to his house, and desired me to take some refreshment. I thanked him for his kindness, but declined his proffered hospitality, as I wanted nothing but a draught of water. Here I conversed VOL. 2-No. IV. with a number of people, and gave my host two tracts, which he accepted with apparent gratitude. I learned that there was no school in the place, but that twenty-five or thirty boys might easily be collected into a school, At a small distance I saw a miserable looking temple, and a large collection of people, and heard abundance of music and noise. I advanced to the spot, and found a large number of the villagers, men, women, and children, assembled for religious worship, it be ing the great Hindoo festival called Dewally. The occasion was extraordinary, but the worship in which these people were engaged was such as I had never before seen. The object of their ceremonies was to bring the devil into a certain man, who would thereby become the guardian deity of the place, and defend its inhabitants from the ravages and assaults of disease. To such strange expedients these people seemed to impute their preservation from the ravages of the Cholera Morbus, which has been so destructive throughout the country generally, but which, they boastingly said, had not attacked a single living thing in their village. The man who was thus to be deified, or rather demonified, was placed in the midst of the temple, covered with ashes and filth, reclining on the ground, with his head supported on the lap of another man, who was jingling a little bell over it, while several persons were striking up their barbarous music, and others employed in making burnt offerings to the misshapen idols. At a little distance from the temple I saw a kid, whose head was severed from the body. This was the only one I had noticed in the place, and it had been offered in sacrifice to the idol. I greatly wished to address this poor deluded multitude; but perceiving that I could not do it without violence to their religious ceremony, I made a few observations to some people, who were standing a little aside, and then proceeded to the old Portuguese fortifications, on a lofty height at a short distance. In these fortifications I found the ruins of one spacious Catholic church, some very old and very heavy pieces 27 of ordnance, and some native soldiers, I remained with them more than an hour, conversed with them on a variety of subjects, and gave them christian instruction. Not one of them could read, and I therefore left no books with them. On descending from the sum mit, I returned to the house where I had been so hospitably received. The assembly at the temple was entirely dispersed. My host again invited me to take some refreshment, and now feeling the want of it, I gratefully accepted his invitation, and regaled my self on some unleavened cake, a cocoanut, and some toddy.* A few people came round and I read part of one of the tracts, and spoke briefly to them. We then took a very friendly leave, and returned back. I should have observed, that I gave books to several other persons, among whom were two men, belonging and returning to Hopsee Seedee's territory, who is a petty sovereign residing about thirty miles distant from Choule. $1.-Conversed with a number of people at my lodgings before breakfast. After breakfast I walked round the town, stopped in several places, preached to a considerable number of people, and distributed soine books. In the afternoon, I walked, in company with the Jewish schoolmaster and several others, through Rawadunda, Derwajabahare, Kaup, Taronda, and Aglawea-cheewanda. In all these places I stopped occasionally, addressed many of the people, and distributed a few books. This was my last walk among the villages. I had engaged to go on board the same night, and embark for Bombay. As I returned to my quarters I had more applications for books, and further opportunities to impart christian justruction to the people. But my stock of books was now quite exhausted, and I could only tell the applicants, that I would endeavor soon to send more from Bombay. Among others, who came to the place, was a military officer of Angrea, and to him I gave the only book I had reserved for my own use to read to the people as occasion might offer. This officer was on horseback, and his was the only A juice drawn from various kinds of palms, by cutting off the branch intended by nature to produce fruit, and receiving trom the wounded branch the sap. horse I saw in the place, and besides which, I saw no means for conveyance whatever, in all the places I visited. Now, on the eve of my departure, I was invited to dine with a Jew, a money changer, and one of the principal Jewish inhabitants of the place. The invitation was quite unexpected, as I anticipated no communion with the still ceremonious children of Abraham. Nothing very interesting occurred on the occasion, except that the Jewish schoolmaster, sometime before we resorted to the place of entertainment, told me that he must first go and kill the fowl on which we were to dine, as there was no other person in the place who could draw the blood in a Levitical manner. Only two Jews sat down to eat with me; and as we finished, the same schoolmaster, who seemed to be the acting Levite, said he would pronounce the blessing according to their custom. I told him we were bound to receive our daily bread with thankful hearts. Then, as we remained sitting, he pronounced two or three Hebrew sentences. Shortly after, about 10 o'clock P. M. we repaired to the boat, in which we had taken pas. sage for Bombay. But how hard is it to turn away from a field already so white for the harvest! And how desirable that laborers should be speedily sent forth, before the nodding harvest drop into the dust and is lost. In all the towns I have visited I have not seen one school, and am told that there is not one. Formerly there were several, but the increasing poverty of the people, as they said, had dispersed these schools. They appeared desir ous of having them revived; and sev eral, who had once been school teachers, desired to be employed by us. should we establish any charity schools. In the towns I visited there is ample room for ten schools. How vastly important that an adequate number should be established; and who can tell to what an extent it might subserve the cause of Christ, to have the principles of his everlasting gospel taught in such a number of schools. I found the Jews at Choule in a more indigent and obscure condition than I had expected. According to the best information I could obtain, there are not more than forty-five fam lies of Jews in the immediate vicinity of Choule. They have no synagogue, but hold their worship in a private house. They appear to have but little regard for the Sabbath, and there is not a well informed man among them. The number of books which I distributed, was about two hundred. Nov. 2.-Arrived in Bombay, crowned with rich experience of divine goodness, and found my family and fellow laborers all well. The distance of Choule from Bombay is not more than twenty-five or thirty miles. We immediately consulted on the expediency of establishing schools at Choule, and agreed to fix one in the great town of Rawadunda, to be taught by the Jew who accompanied me there; and one in the town of Kaup. The former school is designed to receive all the Jewish boys that can be obtained, and more or less Hindoo boys. 17. The schoolmaster left us for Choule, furnished with four hundred and thirty-four books, chiefly for distribution. 30.-A letter from the Jewish schoolmaster informs us, that he has begun his school, and has thirty boys;-that a school is opened in Kaup, and has twenty boys, and in both schools the number of boys is increasing. [Mr. Hall, in a letter to the Rev. Dr. Worcester, dated Bombay, March, 1819, states that during that month he had made another tour to Choule, and that he found the two schools which were commenced there about the middle of November, in good order. There were about one hun dred and thirty boys in the schools, about two-thirds of whom were usually present at a time. In one school there are fifteen Jewish boys, and in the other seven. The other boys are chiefly Hindoos, some are Mussulmanns, and two in one school are Roman Catholics, the first that have ever joined any of our schools. More than twenty of the boys in these schools have already learnt to read with considerable propriety, and to repeat more or less of the ten commandments. These schools are increasing in their numbers.'] without injury to some one; as those who assisted were entirely unacquainted with putting up a frame, and most of them had perhaps never seen one of this kind. The workmen themselves had never assisted in framing or raising a barn. In procuring the timber, laying off the frame, &c. brother C. assisted as master workman; there being no mechanic to be found, who understood the business. Our reasons for attempting a frame, rather than a log barn, under such circumstances, were these: a log barn, at the best, is but a poor thing, and will soon rot down;we had put up so many log buildings on this place, that we should have been obliged to haul our logs so far, that a barn of this description would cost nearly as much as a framed one. The whole came together very well, appears to be a good frame, and was put up without injury or accident to any one, except a slight wound in one finger. 25.-Brother C. on his return reported, that he had ascertained the fact, that the Osage boy had been sold that the price was about twenty dollars-but he was not able to see the boy. 28-While we were concerting measures with Mr. John Ross and others, to rescue the Osage captive, news came that the man who first bought him had sold him to another white man for one hundred and fifty dollars. It now appeared, more than ever, that a plan was laid to take the boy into perpetual slavery; and no time was to be lost in taking measures to counteract the nefarious design. Mr. Ross agreed to apply to Mr. Hicks and the U. S. Agent, for directions and authority to rescue the boy, wherever he might be found. Sept. 17.-Mr. John Ross returned from the Agency, and shewed us a precept issued by the Agent in the name of the President of the United States, authorizing him to take the Osage boy wherever found, and place him under our care, until further orders from the President. 23.-Father Hoyt, who has had frequent ill turns for several weeks past, was this day confined to his bed with considerable fever. We have reason to be thankful that brother Butrick has recovered strength so as to be able to go out and attend to the business before this confinement. Oct. 10.-Mr. Ross brought the Osage boy and placed him under our care, according to the direction of the Agent. He is not quite so large as the Osage girl, and is thought to be under five years of age: he is quite active, and appears to have a good natural genius-has forgotten his native tongue, and speaks English only, except occasionally a Cherokee word. Mr. Ross left home with two assistants, in search of this boy, on the 24th of September, not knowing where he was. He found him within fifteen miles of the mouth of the Cahawba, about two hundred and fifty miles from Brainerd. Having ascertained where the boy was, he took the precaution, when near the place, to leave his horses behind him, and approached silently on foot. He found the boy entirely naked, in the yard before the house, and took him in his arms, before he made his business known to the family. The man disclaimed all intentions of keeping the boy in slavery, and wished Mr. Ross to leave him a short time, until they could prepare him some clothes. But he refused to leave the boy a moment, or to suffer him to sleep from him a night. The neighbors told Mr. Ross, that the man said the boy was a mulatto, and that he was born in slavery-that he had said, he was going in a few days to take him to market and sell him. It was also said, that the man had endeavored to persuade another to join him'in this business, stating, that there were a number of captives in the Cherokee nation, whom he thought he could obtain at a low price. O when will this highly favoured land, called the land of freedom, cease to traffic in human blood! 11.-The Osage boy appears delighted with his new situation. One observing to him, that he would find a father and mother here, he answered with quickness and animation, "Yes, and bread too." Sabbath, 24.-Father Hoyt attended public worship for the first time since his confinement; he has been sick about four weeks. Nov. 9.-The Rev. Abraham Steiner, of the Society of United Brethren in the southern states, made us a friendly visit. He brought an affectionate letter to us from the Directors of that Society. They desire that no sectarian differences may be known among the heathen, and propose a reciprocal communion and fellowship between their church and ours among this people, and a mutual interchange of members, if any should so alter their residence, as to render such a change convenient and expedient. They also desire, that no children dismissed for bad conduct from one school may be received to the other, except by request from the directors of the school from which they are dismissed. We replied, that these proposals were agreeable to the desires of our Directors, so far as we were acquainted with them, and were in perfect accordance with our wishes. Mr. Steiner has, for a number of years, been warmly engaged for the christianization of this tribe. In 1799 he was sent out by the Directors of that Society, to ask permisson to establish a school in the nation. He pressed the subject with great zeal in the national council, backed by the officers of government, but was utterly refused. In 1800 he came out again-renewed his application, and was again refused; but before the close of the council, two influential chiefs agreed to patronize the school, independently of the national council, and offered a place near the residence of one of them, on land which he had cleared. other chiefs did not, after this, press their opposition; and shortly after, the mission and school at Springplace was commenced, which has continued without suspension, though at times with great difficulty, ever since. The Mr. Steiner says, that no waggon road had ever been cut, or a waggon entered the nation, till sometime after this. The chief, on whose land the mission was established, built the first waggon, for which he was severely censured by the council, and forbidden the use of such a vehicle. But he did not regard their mandate. The objection was, "if you have a waggon, there must be waggon_roads—and if waggon roads, the whites will be in amongst us." Mr. Steiner has been absent from the nation sixteen years. The improvement since that time has been, he says, most delightful and astonishing. Having heard, that the brethren destined for this station and for the Arkansaw were near, brother Washburn 1 and Milo Hoyt went out this morning to meet them. 10.-Brother Conger arrived about three o'clock in the light waggon, and told us we might expect the rest of the company next morning. At evening after dark, one of the double waggons arrived with brother Conger's family. They left the other waggons on the opposite side of the Tennessee, expecting they would all be got over the river before dark, and come in to breakfast with us in the morning. It is a time of great rejoicing at Brainerd. We feel that the Lord has heard our prayers for help, and it is now our duty to render praise. 11.-The remainder of our brethren and sisters, with their children, arrived this morning in health. Their journey has been on the whole, prosperous, and attended with few disasters. Two horses died suddenly on the road, but were immediately replaced by fresh ones. Sister Vail was for a time sick, and unable to travel; but it was thought not best to detain the whole company on her account. Brother Vail and their two little ones, remained with her, and kept the light waggon, by means of which, he was able to overtake the company after her recovery; so that the general progress was not in the least hindered on that account. The whole journey, from NewJersey to Brainerd, was performed in six weeks. O that we could be sufficiently thankful to our gracious Saviour, for the abundant mercies which we have experienced, and the sweet consolations now afforded us. Meeting for business. Resolved, that when any brother goes out to take charge of a local school, he take with him from the original establishment, such articles as he shall think necessary, with the consent of the brethren in regular meeting; and that a list of all these articles, with their supposed val need. The chiefs and council were well pleased, that mechanics were coming to our assistance at Brainerd. [To be continued.] OSAGE MISSION. The members of this mission consist of the Rev. Wm. F. Vaill, wife, and four children, of North-Guilford, Ct.; Dr. Marcus Palmer, of Greenwich County, N. Y.; Wm. C. Requa, of Ct.; Abraham Redfield, of Orange West-Chester County, N. Y.; Alexander Woodruff, of Newark, N. J.; Stephen Spaulding, of Colchester, Ct.; Dolly E. Hoyt, of Danbury, Ct.; EliJohnson, of Colchester, Ct.; Susan za Cleaver, of Litchfield, Ct; Clarissa Lines, of Reading, Ct.; and Mary Foster of New-York. These persons assembled in New-York on the 15th inst.-On the 16th, missionary seres, and collections taken up. On Monmons were preached in several churchday evening, a solemn meeting was held in the Middle Dutch Church.The exercises commenced with prayRev. Dr. Milledoler made the address, er by the Rev. B. E. M'Leod; The and gave the charge to the Mission family; the Board of Managers and the audience were addressed by the sion; the Rev. Mr. Vaill, the superinRev. Mr. Chapman, one of the mistendant addressed the audience; the services were concluded with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Richards. On Tuesday evening, a farewell meeting was held in the brick Church, and on Friday, the Mission family left the cithis mission, great liberality, especially ty in the Steam-boat. For fitting out by the citizens of New-York, has been displayed. May the Great Head of the Church prosper this effort for the extension of its interests! VISIT TO THE SOCIETY ISLANDS. friends in Boston. "DEAR MOTHER, ue, be left at the original establishment. Letter from Mr. Charles Bowers, to his As our expected help has arrived, therefore, Resolved, that we consider brother Butrick as released from the temporal concerns of this mission, to return to the study of the Cherokee language. 12.-Brother Hicks writes, that the late council forbade their own people to employ white men to till their land, or oversee their farms; but that missionaries may employ what help they "I do not think of any thing to write you at present, which will be more pleasing, than a short account of my very pleasant visit to Tahiti. "On the 31st of October, 1818, we left the Marquesas, and in six days came to anchor in Matavai bay, in the Island of Tahiti; running a distance of |