ed by the princes of India, who allowed them to preach the gospel, and to make as many converts as they could to the Christian religion." (p. 9.)

"Missionaries can do no mischief in India, if they are treated as formerly; neither encouraged, nor oppressed; but if men paid by the British government are encouraged to make converts to Christianity, our empire will be in danger." (p. 14.)

"The Missionaries now in India, or those who may go thither in future, should be treated by our government as they formerly were by the native princes. In that case, they may be as zealous as possible without doing mischief. Mr. Buchanan says that the Four Gospels have been translated, and liberally distributed. If that was done at the expense of the Bible Society in England, or of the other religious societies in Europe, the measure was laudable; but, if at the expense of the Company, and from their press, it was most impolitic, and made use of, no doubt, by the sons of Tippoo Sultaun, to excite the Seapoys to mutiny. The true line for the British government to pursue, is obvious; let Missionaries make as many converts as they can, but give them no support on the one hand, nor discouragement on the other. Let us copy the example of the native princes in allowing the Missionaries of this day to preach the gospel also, but there let us stop." (pp. 22, 23.)

"No jealousy was ever entertained, either by Mahomedan or Hindoo princes, because Missionaries were settled in their countries who now and then converted one of their subjects to Chris tianity. No jealousy will now be entertained of their having similar success, while the British government, which stands in possession of the power formerly enjoyed by the native princes, is contented merely with following their example." (p. 25.)

As I have no concern in any plan which would be expensive to government, or would require their interference in any way beyond simple protection to the Missionaries, and that no longer than their conduct is found to be deserving of it, I have no dispute with Major Scott Waring on what he has here advanced. If he suspects Mr. Carey to be paid by government, or the translations in which he is engaged to be printed or circulated at their expense, I can assure him it is without foundation. The salary which he receives

is not as a Missionary, but merely as a Professor of the Shanscrit and Bengalee languages. Government knows nothing of him, or his colleagues, as Missionaries, any farther than when mentioning certain literary works, to speak of those works as undertaken by "the Protestant Missionaries at Serampore." Mr. Carey's salary is the due reward of his labours, as a literary man. It is true, he disinterestedly devotes all his savings to the work of spreading the gospel: but the same may be said of more than one of his colleagues, who have no connexion with government, and whose avocations are productive of little, if any thing, less than his. And whatever has been done by the Missionaries in translating and circulating the scriptures, has been done at the expense of societies and individuals. Whether any translations have been printed at the Company's press, I cannot speak with certainty. I think it is highly probable they have not; of this, however, I am certain, that those which are enumerated by Mr. Carey, [in page 212 of this volume,] were printed at Serampore. When it was determined to translate the scriptures into all the Eastern languages, government permitted them to advertise in their Gazette for subscriptions to the work: but to argue from hence that they had any pecuniary concern in the undertaking, is absurd; for if so, what need was there to advertise for private subscriptions?

Upon the whole, it follows, that what has been done is, in Major Scott Waring's opinion, "laudable," and was not made use of to excite the Seapoys to mutiny. And here I might take leave of this gentleman, were it not for his preface, with the satisfaction of our labours having obtained his approbation and applause. For, as to what he says of the hopelessness of attempting to convert the Hindoos, that is to ourselves. We derive hope from a book with which he may be but little acquainted; and so long as we do "no mischief," why should we be interrupted?

But when I look into the preface, I find a new and a contradictory publication. Whether the "observations" were written at so distant a period that he had forgotten them, or whether the late "intelligence from Madras" proved so alarming to him as to produce an entire change in his principles; whatever was the

cause, there is certainly a most violent opposition between the one and the other.

Before we proceed to examine this extraordinary preface, which is nearly as large as the book itself, it may be proper to remark, that Major Scott Waring knows nothing of the effects of Christian Missions in India of late years, but from the report of their adversaries. The reader will recollect what was quoted from Mr. Carey's letter of Feb. 13, 1807, [in page 205 of this volume,] and the intimation there given, of a number of persons who were at that time preparing to embark for Europe, with a view to spread the alarm at home. These are the men from whom the author derives his intelligence. "Various private accounts," says he, "from men of sense, observation, and character, mention," &c. (p. 1.) And again, "I am assured, by a gentleman lately returned from India, that," &c. (p. xlii.). These or some other gentlemen like-minded, have been endeavouring by private letters, during the whole of 1807, to excite suspicions against us. But when told of these things, our answer has been, Let us not be judged by private letters: let our adversaries come forward and accuse the Missionaries; or, at least, give proof of their labours having been injurious.'*

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I know not who these gentlemen are, and therefore can have no personal disrespect to any of them but, whoever they be, I have no scruple in saying, that their reports, as given in the performance before me, are utterly unworthy of credit. Of this the reader will be convinced, I presume, in the course of these remarks.

Major Scott Waring, as if conscious that private reports were of no use, unless to fill up the deficiencies of what is public and authentic, begins with the Proclamation from the Madras Government, on Dec. 3, 1806; that is about six months after the mutiny at Vellore. This proclamation states, that, in some late instances, an extraordinary degree of agitation had prevailed among several corps of the native army of that coast-that on inquiry into the cause, it appeared that many persons of evil intention had endea

* Private intelligence is proper on some occasions; but in cases of accusation, no man should be able to take away another's character without risking his own.

voured, for malicious purposes, to impress upon the native troops a belief that it was the wish of the British government to convert them by forcible means, to Christianity-that such malicious reports had been observed with concern to be believed by many of the native troops-and that they were utterly without foundation. (pp. i-v.)

Such is "the alarming intelligence lately received from Madras." From hence, Major Scott Waring takes occasion "humbly to submit to the consideration of his Majesty's Ministers, the East India Company and the Legislature, a plan for restoring that confidence which the natives formerly reposed in the justice and policy of the British government, as to the security of that religion, laws, and local customs." And what is it? Nothing less than " THE IMMEDIATE RECALL OF EVERY ENGLISH MISSIONARY, AND A PROHIBITION TO ALL PERSONS DEPENDANT ON THE COMPANY FROM GIVING ASSISTANCE TO THE TRANSLATION OR CIRCULATION OF OUR

HOLY SCRIPTURES." (p. xvii.) These the author thinks "the most, and, indeed, the only efficacious, measures." That they would be efficacious, there can be no doubt; and such would be the application of the guillotine for the cure of the head-ache; but whether it be just or wise, is another question.

If I had written the "observations," and had been afterwards convinced that the principles they contained were erroneous, I think I should not have sent out a new edition of them or, if justice had failed to influence me, a regard to consistency would have prevented my publishing them and their refutation in the same pamphlet, but to publish that refutation in the form of a preface, is beyond every thing. To preface his work by contradicting its leading principles, is advertising his reader that he has sold him a bad commodity. Should His Majesty's Ministers, the East India Company, or the Legislature, attend to this gentleman's performance, in what part are they to regard him? In the preface they are advised "immediately to recall every English Missionary;" but, as they read on, they are told, that "the true line for the British government to pursue is obvious; let Missionaries be as zealous as they may, and make as many converts as they can, provided they be neither encouraged on the one hand, nor discouraged on the other, they can do no mischief."

What then are they to do, unless it be to disregard the whole as nugatory

And what have these English Missionaries done, that they are to be immediately recalled; and these holy scriptures, that they are not to be translated or circulated by any one dependant on the Company? Nothing. As to the former, it is not pretended that they had any hand in the tragical event at Vellore. On the contrary, they are expressly acquitted of it. (p. xi.) And as to the latter, no accusation has yet been brought against them. But evilminded men, it seems, have taken occasion, from the increase of the one, and the gratuitous circulation of the other, to misrepresent the designs of government; and, therefore, it is necessary to proceed to this extremity. The author, it must be acknowledged, has hit upon a happy expedient for suppressing the scriptures: for if he can once get the men who are employed in translating and circulating them recalled, there is no danger of their doing any further mischief. So long as they are locked up in an unknown language, all Asia may continue from generation to generation under the dominion of imposture.

But why must the Missionaries be recalled immediately? It was said by a wise heathen, Ye ought to do nothing rashly. Permit us, at least, to ask a question or two before we are condemned.

In the first place: WHEN were these misrepresentations made? Is there any proof of their having existed before the mutiny, so as to have had any influence in producing it? None at all. But we are told, that "It is impossible, impolitic as the measure was, that the mere change in the dress of the Seapoys, could have produced a general belief, that the British government was resolved to compel them to embrace Christianity." (p. 1.) I answer, there is no proof that such a general belief existed; no not six months afterwards, when the proclamation was issued for it was then alleged to have extended only to "several corps of the uative army on the coast ;" and at the time of the mutiny there is no proof of any other belief than what arose from the impositions. With what colour of evidence can this writer pretend that "the great increase of English Missionaries of late years, and the gratuitous distribution of of our sacred scriptures throughout the whole country," were coN

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