beloved master, the Rev. D. C. Scudder, your affectionate son, whom we all expected to be the firstrate literary spiritual guide in our country. No sooner he arrived at Madura, I had the privilege of being taken by him as his Tamil mûnshi and mission helper. Indeed I was very glad to place myself under the care of a worthy, good master and mistress. While in Madura he not only devoted his time to his Tamil studies, but also was very particular in examining the histories of the former Tamil kings and taking a clear view of the celebrated Meenachee's temple of Madura, and began at once in his daily ridings to converse with the Brahmans and visit the Tamil heathen schools, while he was yet unable to speak Tamil well. The Brahmans were quite astonished at his deep knowledge in their shastras, while most of them were ignorant of their own. He expected to study Sanskrit next year. Last February he removed with his family to his new field, which lies close to the mountains and rivers, where he at once adopted suitable plans to accomplish the great object for which he came, and at the same time paid especial attention to his Tamil studies, in which he made wonderful progress. He commenced to translate English and Tamil into one another, and recently preached two Tamil sermons on the first two miracles of Christ. He was much beloved by the people for his good disposition and fluent talk of the Tamil language. He and his admirable lady were very kind to their servants as well as to others. His brain was full of thoughts, that he was ever industrious. Since September last his mind was turned to discover some ancient curiosities, which he was told to be deposited into the ground. Accordingly he set out to work, dug out several places on the ground, and found out some mud vessels, &c., that the people, to whom it was very curious, created a false name every where that a white man had dug out sufficient wealth from the ground, through the means of an enchanting glass, referring to his telescope. My master has begun everything that should be done in future, and it is a sad thing that he disappeared before his works were manifested, both among his countrymen and Hindûs. We were glad that a new star appeared in a region of shadow of death, but to our loss and misfortune it disappeared so soon and so unexpectedly. No doubt, sir, if our master had lived, you will be glad to hear that great and remarkable things were done by him. It is no small thing to lose such a beautiful, young, scientific, bold, and good-natured gentleman for us all, especially for his dear consort and child, whom he loved most tenderly. We all, the native Christians as well as the American gentlemen and ladies, feel very sorry indeed for the loss of our able minister. I pray that Lord of Mercy to give consolation to the discomforted hearts of my master's parents and friends, especially my kind mistress, who is left to lament after her dear husband. With my humble salaams to you all, I remain, most venerable sir, Your very obedient and humble servant, Our father had already of his own accord written the following affectionate letter to the mûnshi, which I did not discover until it was too late to insert it in its order: [TO J. H. BRECKENRIDGE.] I notice that in very many of the letters which my beloved son sends to me from India, informing me of what he is endeavoring to do to benefit the people, he often mentions you as one of his best helpers in his work, and as I read these words respecting you, my heart is drawn out toward you in Christian love, and I feel very much like writing you a short letter. My son left a pleasant home, loving parents, brothers and sister, and everything to make life desirable and happy, that he might go to India and tell the people there of the preciousness of Christ and his salvation. He had for many years thought a great deal about India, and I believe was moved by the Holy Spirit to devote his life to laboring among your people for their good, expecting no reward but to win the approbation of his Saviour and yours, in that great day when we shall all render up our account to the judge of the quick and the dead. We, his parents, freely let him go, for we also have strong desires that the people of India may hear the message of Christ's love, and were willing that our son should obey the command of our Saviour to go "into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." And now he is in his chosen field of labor, having spent years in qualifying himself for the work, and you are with him and know him, and already I do not doubt love him as a brother; and he is worthy of your love, for you will ever find him a fast friend, as will every soul that shall listen to the message he brings, and shall come to Christ with all their heart. It rejoices me much to know that he has so kind a friend and helper as he has in you, and I pray you to confide in him in all things, for he will never disappoint you; and with your aid and sympathy and God's blessing, I have strong hopes that he will persuade many to renounce all superstition and idolatry, and to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their only Saviour. My dear Mr. Breckenridge, I am an old man, past threescore years and ten, and never expect to see again my son in the flesh, or to behold your countenance in this world. But if we bear the image of Christ on earth, we may with confidence look forward to the time when we shall bear his heavenly image in that better world to which we go. There I shall know you and you will know me, and we will sing together the song of redeeming love. I am your brother in Christ, CHARLES SCUDDER. David's catechists each wrote to Mr. Capron, giving some particulars of his life and death, the most noticeable of which have already been used in these pages. Their letters are couched in the flowing terms of an Oriental speech, but display the simplicity of their feelings and sincerity of their grief. "As I think about his death and his life," writes one, "it is a great sadness to me. If he were living I should have many blessings." Next to his mûnshi, probably Pastor Seymour, of the town church at Periakulam, had the closest intercourse with David, and from his letter, addressed to Mr. Capron, I make the following extract: "To your loving presence, my much honored and most excellent father, your servant Seymour, making salaam with much reverence, writes as follows: Ac cording to the request of the honored Mr. Noyes I was strongly desirous to write you the brief history which follows of my dear and most excellent father, the honored Mr. Scudder. Therefore to whomever you desire to write and make known these facts, I earnestly beg you to do me the favor to write and make them known in my name. "Those who knew and those who did not know our dear and excellent teacher and father, will desire to hear about the good disposition and wisdom well befitting a Christian teacher which were his, and about the way in which he performed the splendid labor of his service during the ten months that he came and lived among us. At the time he came here and began his great work, as all knew that he was recently from America, it was to be expected that both the Christians and the heathen should fasten their eyes on his disposition and his daily life. When he came he had learned to speak the Tamil somewhat; he conversed with much eagerness and benevolence, and with exceeding kindness, with the Christians and the heathen who came to see him, speaking with the hesitancy of a child, and in brief sentences, but striving to remove the errors of heathenism, and to impress upon the mind the truth of the Christian religion. Besides, in order to give instruction to the heathen, and to the members of the congregation, he used to come to Periakulam morning and evening, taking a few religious tracts in his hand, and having first seen and spoken with those of my congregation in a quarter of Periakulam, who met him, he would call me, and going into the village and seeing men of various sects, and speaking wisdom with earnestness and patience, would distribute his books and |