o the Edit-r of the "Nontu-Citxa Dary News."
Sm,—The opening of the first chap 1 in Changsh", the famous capital of Hunan, is an event worth recording.
Mr. Sparham and myself left Hankow for Changsha on the 27th ult. by the stem launch Tsupao, and arrive? at Coangsha early on Sunday morning, the Ist inst. Wo hoped to arrive earlier, and would have don- s+ but for stre's of weather, which conse! a delay of nearly a whole day, A very hearty welcome was waiting us from the converts, the officials and the people. Mr. Ping Lan-song had currie down from Henzchou for the occasion, and he was full "of joy. 1 The converts at Changsha were in high spi and the people round about the' Mission were, as usual, as pleasant. as they vowed well be.
Thouzh w- arrived later than expected we had no difficulty in making satisfactory arrangements fur the day. We had two services, one in the morning and ove in the afternoon. Mr, Sparham preached in the morning, and I in the afternoon. In the afternoon the missionaries and converts of the Wesleyan Mission, the Chiva Inland M'ssion, and the Mission'of the United Evangelical Church (America), joined us, and we had quite a large congregation. Ib was delightful. to see so many Christians assembled together in Changsha, a city that has bern looked up", until quite recently, as the most' anti-Christian city in China, was a great joy also to see the faces of the missionaries of other missions on this memorable oceasi nm, and to have them take a part in the so At the close of the sermon nine po sons were baptized, eight men andi one woman, making in all 19 adults baptized by me ab Changsh within the last si We are delighted with from 200 to 250 persons comfortably, and that is quite large enough to begin For style and appearance it -king building, and all ave highly ple sed with it, both natives and foreigners. The conver's of the London Mission are more than pleased with their beautiful little saietuary—they are charmed. Besides the chapel there are in the compounds, and mining the chapel, quarters for the missionary and his set vant or servants; quarters for the native evangelists; a guest room, and a room intended for a book-shop. A! the buildings are got up with marked taste and the work right through is exceedingly god. Considering that the work has been done by natives, without any foreign superintendence, it must be pronounced remarkable success. Of course Mr. Peng has had much to do with ity avd he is a genius in many directions. But for him T do not sce how we could have put up these buildings at all, especially with the smal sum of money ab our command, This is the first chapel ever erected in Changsha, and this is one of the most interesting facts connected with the opening of it. - It has been the privilege of the London Missionary Society to purchase the first land ever purchased by a for in Changsha, and it has been its privilege also to erect the first chapel ever erected there; other missions will follow, and ere long Changsha, like Wuchang and Hankow, will have many such sanctuary but this is the fir-t and as such will always have a special interest attached to it.
Tune Ast, 1902, will always be remembered by me as ove of the happiest days in missionary life. It is a day to which I have been looking forward for many years. In the opening of a chapel in Changsha the Hopes Fmany years have boon fealivel Tt has been my privilege to open not a few
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