Iuiustrious as the present century will appear in history, from the advance the West of every thing that constitutes civilization, and the freeing of the East, the increase of Protestant missions in all parts of the world will be noticed ae one of its greatest distinctions. Men and women have gone forth to all parts of the world, in numbers never before approached, to enlighten the dark places of the earth and to quicken those that lie in the slamper of indifferentism, Most of these missionaries were animated by enthui surrendered their ambition up all that is desirable in home life to labour in distant parts of the world, among people alien to them in blood, and feeling, and thought, Previous to the nineteenth ceutary the number of Protestant missionaries the Enst was emall, The Datch an the Danes had a few missionaries in India, the latter nation maintained ministers in the Moluccasalmost fromthe time of their taking these islands, and during the period of their occupation of a part of Formosa they had ministers wan, one of whom has left an honourable memory for the faithfulness with which he redeemed his promise to the savage Koxingn, But the Dutel ministers in the national possession: the Enat wore there more for n political purpose Linn as missionaries, und the conversion of the Formosans was discouraged by the Butavin Government lest it whould displonse the Jupanese, whose favour they then lavishly cultivated. In India the policy of the Great Company repressed the efforts of all Governors-General them men whose undirected enthusiasm might inflame the natives and even cause the overthrow of the British Power, But at the end of the last century Carey and Marehman and Ward by their almost un. nided exert drew around them uuuber of converte in Bengal, and afterwards, by thole indomitable zen), so animated their friends in England that the House of Commons was compelled in 1813 to insert clauses in the Charter of the Company, which recognized the right of missionaries to preach Christinnity in India, The bat. tle in Parlinment was a hard ove, The Company employed all its influence to keep India closed. Old officials exerted their eloquence in the debates, describing all the horrors which po: sion to extend missions was certain to bring on India, and extolling the wisdom of the policy of exclusion which lind hitherto prevailed. But even in 1813 there were new forces coming into play; the religious lethargy of the preceding century was gone; men and women were no longer ashamed to make known their sympathy with movements that a few years before would have been received with ridicule. The friends vf missions bestirred themselves in the country, and from every part peti in favour of the missionaries being allowed to work in India were poured into the House of Commons, The House rejected the amendments to the Missionary clauses the Charter whioh had been moved by the friends of the Company, It is worthy of note that the intolerant spirit towards missions was not shown in the House of Lorde, where the Marquis Wellesley delivered an eloquent eulogium on the members of the Serampore mi who had been exposed to virulent! abuse in the other House.
It appears by the Missionary Direotory for China which has been lately published that Dr. Marshman arrived in Canton in 1799. He is the firat Missionary to China whose name is given. As Canton was the only plice at which missionaries could reside, at that time and for over forty years after. wards, their progress was necessarily greatly retarded. It will serve to show how rapid has been the extension of Protestant missions in Obine, to mention that the Directory gives the names of only nineteen members of various missionary bodies arriv. ing in this country between 1799 and 1831, when the trade monopoly of the Enst India Company ceased at Canton, Between the latter year and the opening of new ports under the Trenty of 1842 a large increase took place, and the same occurred, but to a mach greater extent, after the 'l'reaty of 1860. There are now in the list of missionaries in the Directory 589 men and women Inbouring in all parte of this Empire, of whom 317 are Bri and 238 American; 3 are connected with the Rhenish, 19 with Basel, 10 with Beri and 7 others are une connected with any Church, Some of those who are still in this country have spent nearly half a contrary inthe work. One has been 48, and four have been 47 years in the country; these are the veterans of the small army, and there are others who have been thirty years in the service. Ihe stations are scuttered all over the Ewpire, and are yearly iv creasing in numbers. Six or 60 years ago there were Protestant mis. sionaries in only nine of the pro vincer, but we see from the Directory that there are now missionaries in all the eighteen provinces, besides others in the countries outside Eh proper, and in places like Bhamo, In the list of the names of missionaries who have died are several to whom foreigners owe deep debt of gratitude for the patience with which they applied themselves to the study of the Chinese language, and for their know. ledge of the people and the oonutry whioh they collected. Noone who has paid any attention to the interconras between foreigners and natives during the early part of this century can have fulled to be struck by the labours of such men as Dr, Morrison and Dr. Medhurst, of Mr, Gutzleff and Mr. Abed, They, and others, by the light which they threw on Chinese affaire, had a very large share in streugthouing the bands of those who overthrow the monopoly of the East India Company at Canton, What was known of hina to the average Englishman sixty to eighty years ago, were gleanings from the histories of Jesuit priests, the stories of afew adventurers and master matinee, reports to Parliament and other boke and documents bid
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.