Zuterivan Vrtobtitrian
ion rangetiot.
THURSDAY. JANUARY 3, 1130/.
JOHN W. YEARS, EDITOR.
ASSOCIATED WITK
r ALDERT BARNES, GEORGE DIIFFIELDJa.,
THOMAS BRAINERD, JOHN JENKINS,
4 HENRY DARLING, THOMAS J. SHEPHERD.
THE HEW YEAR.
Eighteen hundred and sixty has gone—eigh
teen hundred and sixty-one has come. The
one has already made an epoch in the world's
history; the other is likely to make a mark
equally lasting and significant. We pass from
the old to the new year in the midst' of un
wonted excitements. Events are 'taking place
io the old world, such as, the disturbances in
Syria; the reconstruction of dismembered Italy;
the revolutionary movements in the Anstrian
provinces; the liberal concessions of the French
Emperor, and the capture of Pekin by the allied
armies, tiny one of which would , be sufficient to
rivet the attentitin of the merest spectator, as
well as the Ch s tistiaa student of huthan affairs;
but here, they are treated with comfarative in
difference, because of . the great crisis through
which our own domestic affairs are passing.
The moral and political question of slavery has
come up for solution in this country, and has
involved the peace, if not the very existence of
the nation, in its solution. Here the supposed
discovery has been made, that the perpetual en
slavement, even of such an inferior race as the
African, is impossible without such guarantees
and privileges to the slave-bolder as the en
lightened conscience of the people refuses to
allow; end hence those who prefer the perpetu
ation of the system of slavery to the perpetua
tion of our union, are resolved, if possible, to
destroy this government, and set up an inde
pendent one which shall yield to that system all
the protection it demands. It is in the midst
of such a remarkable struggle, that we pass
from the old to the new year, and One of the
first acts which the public is called on to per
form in the year 1861, is, to unite in a solemn
fast, and an appeal to Heaven to avert the
threatened dissolution of the confederacy.
Shall we not then wish our friends and read-'
I
ers a HAPPY NEW YEAR? Or shall we do it
only as a form, without faith or courage to ex
pect the realization of the wish ? Has "hope"
indeed so "deserted the minds of men" that the
New Year's greeting shall lose its vivacity, and
drop from doubting lips and pens? We do
not believe it,. At least from this office shall
go forth the cordial,
,hopeful, believing wish
that each and every one of our readers may
enjoy a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Yet, we believe
in God, in the right, and in our country. Yet,
we believe we have all the inward elements of
peace and tranquillity assured to us through
Christianity, and many of those which are dear
to the patriot's heart still remaining, and, un
der God, assured to us for the future. As
in this high age of Christian light
and progress, in this land—the very home of
Christian Light and liberty—'-it'vrere inexcusable
criminality to despair. No 'I lei us greet the
coming year as destined to play its great part
in the unfolding of the plan of God, which has
become so manifest in these latter days, to re
deem mankind frum sin, and gradually to ele
rate
them in the enjoyment of,all their rights
as men, and all the real elements of their wel
fare in this world, and the next.
A. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all, friends
May you be happy in the inestimable possession
of a heart at peace with God in Christ. May '
you be happy in a conscious growth of the
principle of grace within you. May yon be
happy as the means of salvation to your friends,
to your households, to your congregations.
May you be happy in witnessing, and promoting
the revival of the work of God, in your circle
and vicinity. May you be happy as the liberal
promoters of every good work at home and
abroad, in your own church, and in the Chris
tian world. May you be happy in discerning,
maintaining, and upholding the right; in the
,enjoyment of a spirit of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind; in nobly espousing the truth'
at any sacrifice, and in a manly independence
which will never be ashamed to avow it, under
all proper circumstances.
Our Union may be dissolved. God may suf
fer it even so to be. He may suffer a blind
and revolutionary fanaticism to hurry good and
bad alike, to the desperate work of tearing
apart this Union, even when every concession
that can reasonably be asked, is made to the
disorganizers. We trust and believe that every
such 'concession will be offered. We hope
those who are determined to adhere to, and up
hold the government, will show a truly Chris
tian spirit in yielding every thing that princi-
ple does not reserve, to those who, from sheer
attachment to slavery, are discontented with
it. We wish to be set right on this point, as
we believe we are, and shall be. Then let the
worst come. We believe it will result, what
ever be the 'event, in furthering the true inte
rests of humanity by a long stride in advance.
A people who are willing, for the sake of
Christian principle, to suffer loss, and to sub
mit to the sacrifice of their political boast and
grandeur, have the smile of God upon them,
and need neither to fear nor to despair. Such
endurance is already a proof of true progress.
We believe, if need be, it will be given. We
believe the year 1861 will, in this new world,
be distinguished for a real upward movement
in public opinion, and in the realization of
truly Christian ideas of society, and of govern
ment. A HAPPY NEW YEAR will it be to you,
reader, if you are found partaking in this move
ment.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PAST DAY.
In pursuance of the recommendation of the
chief executive of the nation, the churches of
our denomination will observe Friday, the 4th
of January, as a day of fasting and prayer. It
is proposed that the churches be opened for
preaching in the morning at half-past 10
o'clock! In the afternoon at half-past 3 o'clock,
union piayer-meetings will be held at the First
Church, Mr. Barnes'; Buttonwood street, Mr.
Shepherd's, and I.osgan Square, Mr. Patton's.
The evening will be appropriated to prayer
meetings in the different churches, commencing
at the regular hour of service. There will be
preaching in the morning at the Third Church,
Dr. Brainerd's; at the Clinton St., Dr. Dar
ling's; at the Coates St., Mr. Duffield's; at the
Independent Church, Mr. Chambers', and per
haps some others. • •
LARGE RESULTS FROM SMALL LABORS
The following narrative will cheer our Christian
readers. It is a ray of light falling upon the gloom
that overhangs our churches and our country.
Hopeful is it, also, as a record of a few days' labor,
prosecuted by two of our candidates for the mi
nistry. One of ithe'se brethren is a licentiate of
the Fourth Presbytery of Philadelphia; the other
is under the care of our Third Presbytery, pre
paring for the ministry of the gospel. This is t he
kind of education for the ministry which is a lank
in the churches. May we not hope that other
ministerial candidates will be induced, by the read
ing of this simple statement, to go and do likewise?
May we not hope, too, that some good Christian
men and women will be encouraged to follow the
example of her, whose prayers and efforts have been
so greatly prospered? The Lord is still present
with his people, and there is yet power in the
simple proclamation of gospel truth.—[Eps.]
There resides, in a little village at the, foot of
the Allegheny Mountains, a few miles from Al
toona, a good old mother in Israel, who' delights
in nothing SO much as in following in the footsteps
of her Divine ,Redeemer,—" Going about doing
good,"—and-in such a quiet unostentatious man
ner as to excite the admiration and love of all who
know her. It seems as though it was the business
of her life' to endeavor, by all the means in her
power, to extend the knowledge of the SaViour, to'
those who are periiihing. Seeing the place in
which she resides so full of such gross wicked
ness, her soul was stirred within her, and she re
solved to mate an effort to awaken the people of
that village to a consideration of the subject of re
ligion. For this purpose she obtained consent to
use the Presbyterian Church in which to hold a
series of religious meetings, and then wrote tqta
brother in the Lord in this eity—a licentiate of
the Fourth Presbytery—inviting him and the
writer to go there to address the people on the
"thins that wake for their peace." On 31onday,
the 10th inst., we started together, praying ear
nestly to God, that he would use us for his glory,
not only.,in the conversion of sinners, but also in
.awakening those who professed to love the Lord
Jesus, to greater activity and diligence in the work
of the Lord. Far beyond our most sanguine ex
pectations, the Lord has blessed.our labors, making
us, instrumental in leading many, who were lately
in darkness, into the light and liberty of the gos
pel. . .
We held our first meeting on last Tuesday week,
at which there was a fair attendance. Much
solemnity. prevailed. We felt, indeed, that' wo
had occasion for encouragement; and we. thanked
God who had put it into the hearts of so many to
come out and hear the gospel. We told them that
we did not come there to build up any particular
sect or denomination, but had determined to
"know nothing amongst them but Jesus Christ
and him crucified." Night after night, our meet
ings increased in interest and numbers, until there
was not sitting room in the church for all who
came. One of the elders of the church, at whose
house we stayed, told us that the church had 'never
been so full since it was built. The meetings were
characterized by a calm, deep solemnity, such as
I have never seen surpassed. It was the Lord's
doing, and was marvellous in our eyes. God was
indeed blessing our labors. We naturally desired
to speak with those who were anxious about their
souls;, and with this object, invited all-who.desired
to converse with us on the subject of religion, to
remain after the rest had left the church. We felt
hopeful that some few would remain, but we were
unprepared for the scene which followed our invi
tation. Solna forty or fifty persons remained 'in
their places, the greater part of them with bowed
heads, weeping bitterly. We stayed till about 11
o'clock alright, talking to them about Jesus and
bis great work on behalf of sinners. No thought
of time{ ved through our minds until our bodies
tir, - y:
grew
In the day-time we visited the people from
house to house, and we scarcely entered a house
without finding in it persons anxious about their
souls. The writer went into one house in 'com
pany with a gentleman, (who was brought to a
knowledge of the truth through our instrumenta
lity, and who at once set about working for the
Master,) and sat di:4n, speaking to the man Of the
house on the great subject. We asked him if he
had been attending 'the meetings? He said,
"Yes." We then asked him what he thought of
them? To which he answered, "I have never been
so troubled in my life as I have been since we have
been there." Delighted to hear this, we at once
endeavored to point him to that only Hope for
those who are in trouble, and show him that in
Jesus alone could peace be found. We- left him
rejoicing in Jesus. ' One thing that impressed us
more than aught else was, that we had only to present
the simple truth in the simplest manner, and the
work was done. The Spirit of God seemed to
carry it directly to the hearts of those with whom
we spoke, and it was received almost immediately.
No argument was needed, and never did we un
derstand so fully, or realize the power of this simple
word: that "Jesus Christ came into the world to
save sinners."
At first we - visited in, company, but at length,
our time being nhort, we foutld that we had too
many to visit to go together, so that one went in
one direction,. and the other in another. Thus
did we spend our time, not being able to find op
portunity to study our addresses for the evening,
excepting as we walked about and spoke of Jesus
to the people; but when we stood up to speak at
the meetings, the Lord always gave us what to say,
and it seemed easy to talk of the love of Jesus.
What wonder! Our.minds were full of it •it was
the subject of our daily conversation at the table,
as we walked, and as we retired to rest.
One most touching incident we will - relate in
detail—an incident which drew tears from all who
witnessed it. A little boy about twelve years of
age, the grandson of the good lady at whose
invi
tation we were there, had been attending the meet
ings. One evening after returning home from
church, as we were sitting in his father's house
talking of what the Lord was doing, one of the
ladies coming into the parlor, informed us that the
dear boy who had gone to bed, was weeping very
much, and desired. that Mr. M. should go up stairs
and pray for him. We all went up to his room,
and knelt around his bed. We prayed through
our tears for the little fellow, and there is hopeful.
evidence that he was brought to a saving know
ledge of the truth' as it is in Jesus.
Another instance was that of a little girl of
about the same age. While the writer was talking
in one of the houses which. he visited, she.was ob
served listening attentively to all that was said,
and after a chapter had been read from the Bible
and prayer offered, we called her to us and spoke
to her about Jesus. She swept much. We in
quired if she would like to ask God, for Christ's
sake, to pardon her sins? She answered in the
affirmative; so we knelt down together and prayed
that God would grant to her that she - might be-
Amtriran t?ttollgteriatt 6tittott grangtliot,
come a lamb in the Saviour's fold. "From ease.;
quent conversations with her, from her intelligent
and feeling answers, we doubt not that; she too was
brought into the fold of the good Shepherd.
Besides these .instances, we could supply other
instances of hopeful conversions to God, of the
most intelligent and influential men . of the place.
One more only will I mention now; that of a noble
young man, of great intelligence; who, before our
visit, was inclined to skepticism. Of his conver
sion to a knowledge and experience of the truth,
he remarked, that he used to think, with his know
ledge of the Scriptures, if he ever became a con
verted man, he should be full grown in Christ
Jesus,—,—" But," said he, " Lfeel like the veriest
babe now." • •
We hAd our last evening meeting, (after staying
several days longer than we had arranged for,) on
Wednesday last. The church was crowded. As
we desired that the good work which the Lord had
only begun, great as that beginning was, should
go on, and believing that the most effectual way
for accomplishing this, was in letting those who
loved the Lord feel that we were all battling for
the same purpose; and that, hOweVer much we
might love the particular branch of, the'ehurch of
Christ, with which we were each connected, that
after all, it was in the united effort of .the whole
church that the great power for good lay, we threw
open the meeting, with the intention of inaugu
rating a ..fhtioa - .Pruyer Meeting* ; Simi) a- meeting
was it,' that it is.beyond the poWer of this pen• to
describe. Few were in that large audience that
were not melted to tears as we talked of the love
Aof Gcd. As we listened to the touching remarks
of those whom the Lord had brought to a know
ledge of the truth, through our instrumentality,
we too wept with joy.
We gave notice that we should hold our fare
well meeting between 1) and 10 o'clock the next
morning. A, goodly number were present, most
of ihom seemed anxious'about their souls. We
shall not attempt a full description of this meeting.
Suffice 'it to say, that when we got up to speak, our
voices got very husky, and tears would come. We
sang,—" Glory, glory, glory be to God on high," -
for we felt that it was indeed ALL His doing.
Surely the Lord was in that place. Sinca our re
turn we have heard from the good lady at whose
invitation we went there. She informs us• that
after our departure, feeling weary, she went tdlier
room' to rest, but was soon summoned to speak
with several persons who had called upon ber for
counsel, so exceedingly. anxious had they become
about their eternal welfare. '
And, now, if we look at the commencement of
this glorious work, we perceive that it began with,
and was the result of, that good old saint's earnest
prayers to God. How encouraged then .should
Christians be to pray and work when they read_or
hear of such great results! We have not told the
half. God grant that the work, which be has so
graciously begun, may go on, until all who are out
of Christ in that village may be brought to bow
down at the feet of Jesus! S.
Philadelphia, Dec. 25, 1860.
SINGAPORE AND ITS MISSION.
Prepared for the American Presbyterian, by Rev. V. D. Collins.
The perusal of several letters from Malay youth,
and a recent visit to the city of Singapore ; suggest
to me several topics of interest to American Christ
.
.It, ie )zty presenting thclAmanY.:l443. of.pro
mise, that, the vast needs of the heathen world are
more fully felt. 4
THE ISLAND AND ITS INHABITANTS. -
The island of Singapore •is so situated at the
southern extremity of Asia, that to, and past it,
sweep the great tides of travel, traffic, and immi
gration, leaving the rich deposits of wealth, re
ligion, civilization, and soon to become the great
eetrepot of the East. The Malayisirates long ago
understood its pivotal position, and occupied it as
the centre of their operations. It was not until
1824, when the island was selected and purchased
from the Sultan of Johore, by Sir Stamford Raffles,
for the British Government, that it really became
the seat of legitimate commerce and prosperity.
Singapore, some twenty four miles long, and twelve
wide, 'is one of those lovely islands of the Indian
Archipelago, where perpetual summer reigns, and
where Nature is most prodigal in tropical fruits,
11,wers, and vegetation; and grows, as artistes of
commerce, nutmegs, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, pep
per, &c., Sze. Although only seventy-six miles
north of the equator, yet owing to the peculiar.
conditions of the atmosphere, caused, by latitude,
clouds, daily showers, &c., the temperature—ave
raging 84 degrees in summer, and 76 degrees in
winter—is not oppressive, nor the climate un
healthy: The population of the island is now over
one hundred thousand, and rapidly increasing—
the plurality being Chinese, who came td- better
their condition. In fact, on all the islands of the
Indian Archipelago, the Chinese are fast becoming
the real working force—industrious, orderly, and
frugal. The island of Singapore is quite undu
lating in surface, and affords many elevated build
ing,sites, Which are being occupied by the foreign
residents; while the Chinese are penetrating the
jungle, and subduing - the wealth of tropical vege
tation, for the habitation of man. Scareely a day
passes, without the loss of a Chinaman, carried off
by tigers which swim the narrow straits from Ma
laces, and wfitch in the jungle for human prey.
THE CITY.
Since the occupation of Singapore by the Eng
lish, who established it' a free port, without export
or import charges, or harbor, anchorage and light
dues, it has rapidly grown in wealth, size, heatity
and importance. It contains about ninety thou.:
sand inhabitants, almost all eastern races being
represented, and presents, at all times, a scene , of
strange and busy industry, unsurpassed in the
world. In the harbor are ships or steamers from
nearly all the great maritime nations of the West,
while numbers of junks, prom, and other strange
looking crafts from China, Borneo, Java, Celebes,
Bugis, Rhio, Balii, Lombock, Sumbawa, the coasts
of. Sumatra, Siam, Burmah, Malacca, Coromandel
and Malabar, add novelty to the scene. Though
many vessels touch at Singapore simply to receive
orders--since Singapore is rapidly becoming united
with EUrope, India, China, Java, and Australia,
by telegraph, yet the trade is immense. The im
ports consist chiefly of woollens, piece-goods, cotton
twist, blue and yellow nankeens, iron, arms, gun
powder,wi nes, Malt liquors, salt provisions, tobaceo,
and various manufactures; while there are received
for export, from all directions, among other things,
tea, camphor, coffee, sugar, cassia, catechu, ben
zoin, bees-wax, antimony, tin, gold-dust, raw silk,
hides, ivory, tortoise shells, mother of pearl, rice,
opium, sappan wood, Mexican dollars, &c.,
THE MISSION-MR. KEASBERRY
With the increased commercial' importance of
Singapore, but little attention has been paid to its,
moral,and religious.eondition and future; and on
•
this subject, I desire to O'er a few remarks. It is
; 4- 4 e,'considerable attention has been paid to seen-
lar educatiot on the pint of the, British Govern
ment, and one or, two fOreign societies; but there
has been no yoaitive religions effort made to reach
the masses, except by one Individual.
In the year 183,9, the American and British So
cieties established- Nissionn at Singapore; but as,
their attention was irected chiefly to• China, when
that'vast Empire Nfoks opened, the missions were
broken up, mid the men sent to China. All the
missionaries left , except the Rev. B.P.' Keasberry,
who preferred to remain and devote himself to the.
Malays, thougb without any promised support.
From small beginniilas and amid many diffmnities,
he has gradually bail i up a fine, self-Sustaining,
model mission, and Made himself the most accom
plished scholar in India in the Malay and kindred
tongues. Having finished his Theological studies,
and married in A.Merica Mr. K. welcomes Ameri-_
cans with great kindness to his Mount Zion, and
extends to all'foreigners a generous hosidtality.
MISSION SCHOOLS--LETTERS OF NATIVE MALAYS,
On the, mission premises, there are two native
scheols—male and female. I have incorporated .
two verbaqm leiters4 rare penmanship, addiesSed
to the Secretary of the American Tract SobietY;
givinga descrtPtion, of these, schools, one of which
is under.the chat* of two accomplished daughters
of the MissioniGy.t. 'The first , letter is tom a na
tive Malay girl, some seventeen years old, who,
speaks * and writeklpglisb, very well •
trp; May 25th, 1860.
'141 0 A 3 h
' °hoot- ellows unite wit me
in thanking your:SOLety for their great'kindness
in Sending us so 'many nice 'books. We will all
endeavor' to make good use of them, and profit by
their instiuCtions., And TWi'sli also to inform you
about, our school.. is getting on pretty well,
and we have, twenty 'girls, and, some of them are
very attentive and:obedient, and wish very. much
to hear about our Saviour. I hope, by, the ,bless
inA of God, that what is taught, them may work
in their hearts;and soon they will turn from dark
ness to the light, aM happy to say some of them
have been reeelied'inio the Cbureh. And now I
will tell you about myself, how I was 'taught to
knowlhe Lord.' before my heart was so dark,
and far from His way; bUt now, by God's Holy
Spirit working in my, heart, I have learnt to know
and love 'Jesus. Hoping that, the Society may
long continue to prosper in its;good work, and with
kind regards ; a .1... •
,
I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully,
ItACHEVAPREL." „
The other letteris from a Malay hoy fifteen years
of age.'
"Affigapoife l , Slat of May, 1860.
DEAR SIR thrtioiaoftti vreient a short
account of our MISSiOISChOOrat, •Singapore. Per
haps, sir,.you knoW, or have heard concerning our
dear teacher, thetßev. Mr: Keasberry, Missionary
to the Malays, who has `been laboring now up
wards of twenty-one years amongst - the Malays,
and has taken 'aiireat deal of trouble, that we, his
scholars, may, become useful to our fellow country
men. Our teacher's school. has been built near
twenty-one years, at . i. place near Singapore, called
Mount Zion, and eotitains 'about forty boys under
instruction: think ; sir, you would" like to know
how=we
. employour time during. the day. In the
morning we all rise at half past=five, and bathe,
and then go to Our wdrk, suCh'is binding honks,
lithographic and, press-prihting;, while .the girls
are employed witli.,their needle-work. At, about
b e alf-Iniat-t Jeff tfehilleVreatifasr,lfter - Whitlithe
schoelssare opened With: morning prityer-end sing
ing. Each pupil reads a portion of Scripture, and
then our teacher exPlaiirsitiii us. Every Stinday
morning we - go .to r Chapet i and thin our teacher
preaches to the peciple 4 'Once a month
we haVea[MiaSidriary Prayer Meeting in The Bathe
' Chapel. There are also "a) be fonnd“some Eurd
.peans, whd attend our serviee. The boys' school
is now superintended` by'a young gentleman named
Ince ; who came'frotri *lreland for the purpose of
tiding good to our nation. -
And now, sir,"having finished my Short' account,
I have the pleadure iniender my best thanks to
your Society fin'', their excellent act of kindness,
by sending- to us soiree useful books, which 'will
improve our minds.. I pray to Almighty God*that
He may shoritlja i richest blesSings on the Soci
efy ricta
I ate yoar grateful servant,
.oLassarr.”
THE PUPILS' MAijAZINE-rTHE GRADUATES.
These schools aim to gwe the pupils a thorough
knowledge of Christianity and
,a fair education
especially in their, own "
tongue. The leisure hours
of the lads are employed in useful :occupations,
such as gardening, bciok-binding, lithographing,
type-setting,und printing. The pupils publish a
Monthly periodical in Malay, called the Eye Glass,
beautifully, lithographed and embellished in . the
Arabic style of art, made up of original and trans
lated articles on-History; Poetry, Travels, Biogra
phy, Science and Art.",
,It is 'a really fine Magazine;
and when we ;Cruet:ober that it is the product of
Maiay youth, it is a;thonderful fact, and unnoticed,
I believe, in, any other Mission in the world.
The graduates of this School become teachers,
printers, book-binders, lithographers, and servants
to the English; and though they do not all become
profeafing thiiitiins, Yet a - 4 kite* uiuchrof it as
a system, and af t miide better and more useful
men. , e.
releived 'many testimonials in
regard to Air. ooaiAtatiility Of lids who hive
left the Mission.s. Let" me cite but one. A Colo
nel in the :British'army wrote to the Missionary,
ani extremely' obliged to you for yew kindness
to a stringer.. I tiust that ,
you will not find youf
self' inconvenienced by allowing the lad to come
to me; and I hope you will permit me to subscribe
something towards , your school, which, as rearing
honest men in -M community like this, merits pub
lic support, if for no higher grounds." The lad
was taken to Australia. The Colonel and the ser
vant write together to Mount Zion. The former
says, " Shakier Continues to please me much. He
is an honest, willing, humble-minded lad, and I feel
quite a regard for him." The latter writes, " I
often think of you tny master and my school-mates
on, Moun t Zion, who are living so comfortably, and
talking daily about Jesus Christ."
OTHER; LABORS OP MIL IKBASBERICY.
Mr.. Keasberry, besides preaching to Malays
and. Chinese, and teaching, translates, superintends
the presses, visass neighboring places, and distri: -
butes tracts
,aid, boas, Hp .has translated and
published.a gafiat , vatiety of religious and educe. :
tional works-lardy in-the Roman, and partly in
the Arabic cint . liaoter, such as the New Testament,
Hymn BookAlple, Dictionary, Pilgrim's Progreas,
Psalms, Tractayocabularies, Geogaphy, Natural
Philosophy, P4litieal Economy, and a series of
Reading Books: From time to time, he has sup
plied neighboring islands with reading matter from
his presses. It Will be seen from the above, that
this devoted ,raan- T unknowp to fame 7 unheeded
by any, missionary organ- r modest , almost to a fault,
has done, and' is te-day doing much to eleVate the
people•innting wheal he labors.' More than any
other man jn the East has he priserved, in stand
ard works; the grace and purity of the Malay
tongue—confessedly the 16lian'of the East. He
has demonstrated, also, the tact that missions may,
to some extent, be self-supporting; and that the
Malay race—the most fierce, bigoted. apdunteacbk
ble in the world, may be reached, edicited, and -
Christianized. I will close 'this article,, though I
have omitted much that I desired to say, by quoting
the testimony of a late;Governor Singaporain
a letter to. the, devoted Missionary.
“Your labors in behalf of the rising' imneration
have been greatly blessed, and very many of •all
classes, from the prince to the pauper, have felt
the benefit of your unremitting exertions. The
sons of his Highness, the Tumonggong (who have
been' pupils in the Mission School) in particular,
have received an impression which cannot fail to
have - a beneficial influence on the subjects of that
chieftain. Indeed, on all sides I see the advan
tages derived - from your mission, and in nothing
more than in the circulation of such publications
''as those y-ou have sent me.”
Mr. keisberry note :gettingX old, and is ex
tremely anxious that some American' Society will
occupy Singapore, and enlarge its'mission.-
A; LETTER FROM REV. DR. PATTERSON
REPRINTED BY REQUEST
Fditors of Chicaao Tribune •
-In compliance• will' you.rrequest, I-place at your
.disposal the following statement, which was pre
pared ;for, one of, the .religious jeurttals „at the East.
At the sugge,stioc of. judicious friends at the East
and the , West, I have, reluctanily concluded to
offer a few statements-:respecting:my,una,voidable
, connectien, with the celebrated "Burch Divorce
Case." The .attacks which have been made on me
in several of the secular journals have been so gross,
bitter and glaringly-false, as to reveal' the working
of a strong iniluctme from some interested interestedsource,
which is sufficiently obvious to those who knew the
lecation
,and relations of the papersreferred to, and
are avrare who are the special friends of the parties
in, the ease. But without some 'explanation, erro
neous impressions may he left on many, honest
minds. Suffer, me then to state the following facts:
Several days before the correspondence between
Mrs:' Burch and myself was called for iit the Court,
the-repekter of one of the New York papers took
from the files Of the Court - a'' part of that corre
spondence, omitting my first reply to Mrs. Burch,
and forwarded the 'first, third and fourth letters,
for ".puhlication. This broken copy of the corre
spondence, was prefaced-hy a Very unfair statement
of the -manner in which, Mr, Birch came into
possession of Mrs. Burch's first letter to me. On
the 23d of Noveniber, three dayi before the cor
respondence was produced in Court, violent attacks
were matte on me, in the Albany Time.9.anA.claye,
Whichl Was represented as havih
wantonly betrayed Mrs. B's. confidence, in order to
gill 11Ir. B..in the effort to convict her of crime.
'On the 26th of "November similar assaults were
made in the Albany Journal and Troy Arena.
This, was the same — day on which the correspon
dence was drawn out in the court, and before those
papers could haye been apprized of the facts, as
then developed by the 'testimony. These slander
ous articles were, speedily copied into, other papers.
(in 'the Ist of December several simultaneous at
tacks were again made, in papers remote, from each
other.' The same; hing occurred again on the 7th
'of DeeCniber, and the same thing still again, on the
11th and 12th of the month. I make theSe classi
ficatiOns- from the dates of the papers that have
,p M
~been sent to e. The periodical and, syste matic
aspect of these assaults could' hardly have been
accidental, and seems to point to some common
'source of i9ifluence. In several of the articles in
question, reference was made to' ." confessor and
peeitent,"'and "the secrets of the confessional," .
and a respectable paper in the city_pli New York,
indulges in iteretnerk that'"th.COnleigioniilicoUbl
sPeedils be;abolished if suck ek use of its secrets
were to beconie habitual." This seems strange
language.to appear in Protestant journals: But
it is not an effect without/a cause. I make these
`statements to• indicate that the prominence that has
,boit given to my name in' connection with this
latnentable affair; has arisen from causes whose
working has not been visibleto the public eye. I
mity add. here also thatuone of the'assaults spoken
of, have appeared in any reputable paper in Chi
cago ;`where the facts are best known.
The representations 'in the attacks to which I
have alluded, vary somewhat; but they are alladapt
.ed to create a 'very unjust impression in relation
•to the material facts involved. These facts are as
follows
:
:Mrs Burch was sent away from Chicago,-as ap
pears from the testimony, - on the 18th of January,
1850.. Mr.-Burch filed, his complaint and appli
cation for divorce on, the onto day, The first
intimation I had of the trouble I readied on the
19th of January, when Mr. Burch called me. into
his , house.and stated'to me the principal facts of
the eye' as far as then developed, including Mrs.
Burch's written confessions to him, and 'her admis
sions to other persons before she left. I made no
allusion to the difficulty, until it had been noised
abroad through,the city several days. On the 30th
'of - January, I received a letter from Mrs. Burch,
Under date of Albany, January 27th. In 'this
letter she, made strong professions of penitence for
her sin against her, husband and against God, and
requested me to write to her as soon.as convenient.
She alio asked me to request Mr:Enrol) "to pray
ever for her;" and desired that he and I Would
"sometimes pray together for , her,",and that
would. ".comfort her poor husband." From these
and other, indications I could not resist the convic
tion that Mrs. Buret wished me either'to show the
letter to her husband, or, at least, to make him
acquainted with its contents. 'And under the cir
cumstances no reflecting person could hare under
stood the letter otherwise than a virtual acknow
ledgment of her guilt. Still I deemed' it the wiser
to say nothing to Mr. Burch about the letter. On.
the day after the receipt of the letter, January 31st,
I answered it, putting upon it the only construction
Which.occurred, to we as pos.sible without accusing_
Mrs: Burch o£ the greatest hypoerisy, which I was
far-from , doing., In 'ray answer I gave Mrs: Burch
the best • counsel . ,l was ; Ale, assuring, her of "my
deep Sympathy. , and pointing her to Him ;Wile al-
Ways forgives the true penitent,. Two
,or three
days after this answer was mailed kr. Burch met
me'and-apoke of Mrs. - Burch's 'letters to several
different persona, and added, to my great surprise,
that he, understood that she had written to, n4e. I
asked, him hew he became aware that she had
written to me? He replied that she had so stated,
herseY, in a letter to his sister-in-law, (who was
then in his house.) He then asked if hp might
see the letter but I promptly'doclined showing it
to him.
Some time in the month of April Ithink more
than two months after the receipt, of Mrs. 13's. let
.ter, and' after it was well understood that she would
in her defence make an unqualified denial of the
truth of all her confessions, Mr. Ditch spoke to me
again about the letter and said that his counsel
would be obliged to insist on the use of it as eN;i
dence in the trial. The whole Matter had . , now
assumed a new aspect; but still I expressed, to
B. a very strong unwillingness to have the letter
used in the trial, if it could be' avoided. I inane
•diately went to a judicious 'Christian lawyer and
asked his advice in relation to the case. kle said
to me that I conld be legally obliged`' to produce
the letter, or to swear to ,my recollection of its
contents—that it would be safer, ancl more just to
ail parties, to' produce the letter itself; 'and -that
in' his judgment`l had no`moral 'right tomithhold
it.' A day or 'two after this, Mr. Burch spoke to
mg, again on the subject: I, rene.wed my expres
siOn of unwillingness, to . have the letter used in the
court, if it could be properly avoided. He said,
however, that his lawyers would feel constrained
to use it, after the turn which the case was taking.
I then partly promised, to permit his 'lawyers to
see the letter, with the understanding that they
would alloti me to, retain it, and would not call it ,
'ut in the trial if they could properly dispenie
with it. This I did, - in the hope that when the
counsel should see the letter, they would consent
to dispense with it in the trial, perceiving, as I
". - ,
thought they would, that it was lasi clear and:con
clusive than other similar letters which # l ey i , had
in 'their possession. Ik was my intention to go to
the counsel with Mr. Brand talk the matter. over
with them and show them the peculiar difficulty
of my relations to the Case. But contrary to my
expectation, and without anyAesign !xi his part,
Mr. B. called at my house ,t& Obtain the letter,
when I was not in, and my wife, after consider
able search, found it and - ga v e it,„t: ( 3Ailcu, -under
the impression that there was no further stipule-
Aion-to be made respecting it. Afterwards I called
on the counsel, and requested them not to use the
letter as evidence, if they could see it to be at all
consistent with their duty. They emiaidered the
matter, but decided that they ought not to omit
this piece of evidence; and I did not think it im
portant to insist that the letter should be,restored
to my possession, merely to have it formally called
out by order of the Court.
I heard nothing from my letter to Mrs. 8., of
January 31st, until late in the month. of May,
when I learned, while absent from home, that a
note had been received from her, under date of
May 18th. In this note Mrs. B. expressed her
surprise that a construction had been put on her
letter of January 27th, unfavorable to her; evi
dently referring to thequuue sort of construction
which had honestly given to it is mY aTI S W er
January 31st, (nearly four months before,) and of
which she had made no coceplaiut. She also asked
for a copy of the letter. Her note presented to
me a strange appeirance, and made it very pain
ful impression on my mind. Yet I would , have
sent her the copy she asked,if the letter had been
in my possession; but as it was not, and.l had
then no access to I replied, stating the fact as
it was. Bdt after this time, I expressed to Mr.
`B.'s counsel` my wish that they'would give Mrs.
B.'s counsel every, advantage; they consistently
could„ in regard to the , knowledge of the letter,
before the trial should come on; and accordingly
they put her counsel in possession of the whole
correspondence, two or three weeks before the case
came into Court. •
From these statements the, followinir facts are
plain
1. I knew nothing whatever of the trouble ,
be
tween Mr. and Mrs. Burch until after she had
made her confessions, and: had been gone from the
city about four and twenty hours. s
2. The letter of Mrs. B. was received .by me, on
the 30th of January, twelve days after Mr. B.'s
complaint was filed, and could
,not, therefore, have
had any place among his reasons for making appli.
cation for divorce.
3. The letter of Mrs. 13., which bas been so
widely represented as sacredly confidential, was
evidently not designed to be confidential at all, so
far as Mr 1.3. was concerned, but was intended, at
least, in_ part, to bring an influence to bear - ori his
mind in ;her favor.
4. Mrs. B. herself conveyed to Mr. B. through
another the first information he received of the
fact that-she had written to me. -
5. I never showed the letter.to Mr B. at all,
'and deter consented to allow his counsel to see it,
until I had taken legal advice, on the subject, and
waS fully assured that this was the only course I
could pursue with any hope of preventing the use
of the letter on the trial. Moreover, the whole
moral aspect of the matter had been changed at
this time by Mrs. B.'s revokement of her tormer
confessions, and of her professions of penitence.
6. It, was accidental that the letter passed out
of my possession as it did.
7. I used my influence successfully to secure
to Mrs. B.'s counsel a knowledge of the contents
of the letter before the trial.
Your readers can now judge for themselves how
much ground there -is for the wholesale charges
that have been so studiously and persistently made
against' me •in relation to •my unwilling connection
with this painful matter. I have done..m4ing
which I would not have done, if .Mrs. B—lnid oc
cupied Mr. B.'s position in. the case. The.inipu
tation 'that I have been actuated by a "mercenary"
consideration, is unworthy of any respectable jour
nal.. I haveinever been, end'do not expect:to. be,
• wader any special obligation--to.Mr-43urch.1
- I will only add that in a recent : meeting of
pastoral association in this city, at which ten _pas
tors and resident ministers were present, my rela
tions to this' matter were freely canvassed, and the
opinion was expressed by every- member Hof the
meeting that my course had been of entire inte
grity, and that there was no ground for just cen
sure against me in the case. The same opinion
has been expressed also by manrother clergymen
who knew as well what are the proper limits of
pastoral confidence as any men in this land.
I now calmly commit this whole matter to the
judgment of honorable and Christian people, ,and
to the still higher judgment of Him who sits Tar
above the reach of human selfishness and passion.
Yours 7 R. W. PATTERSON.
Chicago, December 17, 1860.
CALLING NAMES.
It has become common for certain editors and
clergymen, professing to be governed by high
'principles, and-a regard to the peace of, the
country, to stigmatize men , as abolitionists and
fanatics, whose only., crime that they hold
the old doctrines of Washington ? . Jefferson,
Franklin, Wand Christendom generally, on the
.evils of slavery. Some of, these editors take' the
echo , of their own slanders, and rehaSh' it as
public sentiment, to the, irritation and-alienation
of brethren north and sonth, and the peril of the
country.'ls It not time this wickedness and
folly should cease? It is a game that two can
play at, and the..time isdistant
. notwhen men
-will,prefer the charge of fanaticism for the truth,
to the • just ,imprecation of secessionists and
traitors to their dountry. But oir hope is that
good men of all parties will frown 'on efforts
which appeal to low prejudice and loeal interest,
rather than soundlogic and-fair. argument,
For the American Presbyterian.
THAT 'CORRECTION.
MESSRS.
,EDUORS :—My " correction" in,your
hat week's issie,;of a statement in the' aristiam
Obserier, has, 'quite An my surprise, called out'
elabOradefence venerable; eater, by Pk'
H. E. I am sorry that I have disturbed the
" equanimity" of this voluminous correspondent,
hy.a stltement of incontrovertible facts; and had
I known that he feels responsible for the editional
reputation of the, paper in question, I might have
directly addressed him. lam rejoiced, however,
to know that he is a reader of the AMERICAN PRESBYTEFITAN, and can still cherish the hope that
all will be well. But lest I should be the innocent
occasion of wasting another column of a valuable
religious paper, I will leave the "correction" to
stand. G. F. W.
EDITOR'S TABLE.
STORIES OF RAINBOW AND LUCKY. Up the River.
By JACOB ABBOTT. 12mo. pp. 192..
This is one of Abbott's stories for childron,de.
riving its charm from the freshness of the style,
and the true sympathy with children in which
the author writes. His ingeniously got up situa
tions, if we may so call them, are peculiarly taking
to the juvenile lovers`of the marvellons.,. For Sale
by, Lindsay 417, -Blakistdn.
.lIALLAWS MIDDLE.AGES. View of the state of Eu
rope during 'the tliddle.Ags. By aNNEY,HALLAN,
LL. t 0..., Iu three:volumes. Boston: Crosby,
Nichols, Lea 7z. Co.; for Ana.Neittie: 12nio. pp. 484,
404, 488, with a41:11 index.
This is a beautiful and substantial library edi
tion of a work which is too well known to require
criticism. It surveys the Clients which took place
in Europe from the fifth to the fifteenth century,
in such a manner that the theme of each chapter
is independent of every other. Besides matters
strictly - histeripalov e have inquiries into the fen
dal system, the Eligrish constitution, the progress
of ithe'ecelesiastical power, and the general state
Of 'Society, including commerce, manners and li
-terstrirelii that period. It is ti rich treasure of
information to tha- student of history and of hu
.
man natare.l
It is substantially and neatlThound, it is printed
on fine tinted paper, and bears the imprimatur of
H. 0. Houghton, of the- famous Hiverside Press.
Whit more could ' be asked for ?,,IFor sale by G.
G. Brans.
THE LITTLE PILGRIMS IN 'Alt HOLY LAND. By
Rev. ;Hasal , S. °snorts. author of ~ P alestine ,Past
and.Pliseit," airt 4•Fraitss aid Flowers of the Holy
Land." Philadelphia: James Challen & Son. lGmo.
PP , q 9B . •
This is the third literary result of Mr. Osborn's
visit to Palestine, nrui. in, the happy originality of
the idea, it is bekincl- neither of the others. He
has, in fact, done 'for children very much what
Dr. Thompson did for the older people, in "the
Land and the Book," only' D. Osborn's book is
based on the moT pleasing supposition of h per
sonal. survey of the Holy Land by .a party of ob
servant, active children, belonging to a Christian
circle, who are making the usual tour of that coun
try. They are a lively, interesting; chatty group of
wide-awake young Americans, whose conversation
with the older persons, and whose impressions of
what they see, will, we are sure, prove fascinating
to all who read them, both young and old. The
volume is dedicated to our friend, Dr. J. Marshall
Paul, of Belvidere, mils abundantly illustrated.
THE PHYSICAL AND MORAL ASPECTS OF GEO
LOGY. Containing the reading facts of the Science,
and a discussion of the great Moral' Questions
growing out of Modern Geological Discoveries. By
Wm. J. acute', M. D., Principal of M. F. Institute,
Senalobia, Miss. Philadelphia: James Challen and
Son. 12mo. - /v. 411.
This' 'Volume was prepared , with a view to com
bine, in a brief compass, the scientific
_facts and
moral beasingsf of the subject of'which it treats
almost too great an undertaking to be successful_
Yet the
,book comes near enough to the desired
result, to give it real value to those seeking these
facts in 2:brief compass, and cheap form. The au
thor takes ground against the extension of "days"
to indefinite periods, and, places the great eras of
geology before - the six days of creation.
THE SKELETON MONK and otherToems. By FRAN
CIS DE HAES JAlrifirs. Philadelphia: James Cleaner:
& Son. 18mo. pp. 148.
A collection of poems, some of which are of a
fair degree of merit—particularly the first one,
which shows considerable.skill in the use of lan
guage. We also admire "Two Little Stars," as
exhibiting much "deliCacy of sentiment. As a
whole, however, we cannot : regard the volume as
giving any decided proof of poetic merit.
DBIFT-SNOODON THE SEA . OF LIFE. By WILLIE
WAVE. Plain&'Ala: James Chalon & Son. 12.m0..
pp 300
Two things alinMst protectthis - volume from the
criticism it deierves, as a needless Waste of materials
and labor, upon a collection of very light newspa
per articles: the alleged YOnth of .the writer, and
the dedication of this his first venture on the field
Of literature to, his mother. If we knew the age
of the boy, weardeit speak with more certainty of
the value and 'promise of his first performance.
STUDIES FROM LIFE. By the author of "John 11a
.
lifax„ Gentleman." New York: Harper &B!others.
12mo. pp. 290. •
These essays, on 'a great variety of 'subjects,
chiefly of 'a popular character, are full of common
sense views, expressed in simple and, feroible lan
°liege not .devoid of, cipher traits . of
times reminding us of papers,in "All the Year
Round,", sometimes appvaching the delicate 'hu
mour of, the t' Becreations,Of a Country Parson."
They will be read with interest and some profit.
For sale by Lindkay and Blakiston. '
IfEßODOTUS,.ll:eicensult.loseihni ' Williams Blakesley,
S. T. B. - Q . T. SS. Ten'. Apiid Cants*. '
4,9clas. "New York: Iraiper &113
r
the 6.
&IL pp.- vi11'.362 and 864: . L
These are two of Harper's admirible series of
Greek and Latin texts. 'With their handsome
and , clean typography, their flexible , cover, and
portable forbaSthey%not but rbe , fororites with
classical students anckatnainis. One feels almost
tempted .to go to -work and read. the greatfather
of liitery over when offered sttal'altrae
`tiie guise. • For sale .by Lindsay & Blakiston.'
THE. ODYSSEY OF 11,01NIER,,with Hymns, Epigrams,
asidßattie of the Frogs and Mice? Literidiy trans-
lated with Explanatory Notes. By inapt:wan ALOIS
- BUCKLE:2', M. D. New York: Harper and Brothe rs. l2'mo. pp. 432.
This is one of a series of repents of Bohn's
Classical 'Library. Ith is especially designed for
teahhers;“but as it is, of course, accessible to the
pupil ? it will neebssitate, a: change in the tests of
his acquaintance with, the auther applied in the
class-room. For sale by Lindsay &
DEAN MILMAN'S LATIN CifftiSTIANITY.
The third volume of this great histoty has been
promptly issued by the Messrs. Sheldon, and is
for sale at Wm. S. and A. Martien's, in= thiscity.
THE CHILDREN'S PICTURE-FABLE BOOK.
- - - -
THE CHILDREN'S PICTURE EoColibF
These two companion volumes are gotten up in
square 16mo. style, m heavy-tinted paper, and il
lustrated with. full .page wood engravings, all in
the most attractive style. For sale by Lindsay k
Illakiston.
PRIDE AND HIS PRISONERS. 0. E, au
therm of "Claremont Tales," "The Young Pilgrim,'
"The Giant IIIller," "Precepts in: Practice," etc.
New York: Robert Carter &Brothers,•No. 630 Broad
. way. From Wm. S. & Alfred Mardi!), 'No. 606 Chest
nut at, Phila.:
The :writer of this volume has already acquired
a reputation sufficient to ensure a ;favorable recep-
Mon to this new story. It inculcates, in a tale of
much power andingerinity, the fearful consequences
of pride." , The subtle workings ofthis great dis
order of our fallen nature, are skilfully traced, and
a sufficiency of .startling incident is introduced to
hold the attention of the reader. `'Nor sale by
Charles S. Luther, 1334 Chestnut'street:.
MAGAZINES AND. PAMI'IILETS.
The WAIL OF DEArn, a Sermon preaChed in
.
Southold, at the funeral of Clarence H. Tuthill,
by Epher Whitaker. , New York: Randolph. The
memorial of an affectionate pastor and afflicted
pareuts , to the worth of a beloved youth suddenly
called away. by death. We gave.an extract on our
first page last week.
THE. GOODLY HERITAGE AND ITS, anus. This
is the title of a thanksgiving p discourse of Rev. H.
Dunning, delivered in 'the st' bOnat. Charch,.l3al
- ._-- After deseribing in-% vivid; interesting,
and emphatic manner, thw , peauliar.oharacter, call
ing, and. work -a the American-man, he proceeds
to argue thel value, of
,his 'heritage, arti(Aaynestly
to deprecate, the movement on foot to Bring= it into
reproach and" rain. 'He enforces' his by quo
tations from - statesmen, living and dead, of this
country and England. Of all Southern thanks
giving sermons, we may,:excit4m, with a sigh,—
"0 si sic omnes.'?
.HARP 's. IgnNT'firor No. cxxvim
January, 1861.. i Besiiles,the usual variety of read
able articles, we find'setne 'announcements on the
cover; "as one of a tre*Story by34iackeray, to com
mence in February, mile story to be furnished,
time not stated, by. the author of "Adam Bede,"
which will secure a continuance
~ or even an in
crease of the liberal pational,ve already awarded to
`this valuable
From Cassell, Petter, Galpin Co„ we hare
Partir2Omnd.2l of CasselPs -annenteran FAMILY .
BIBLE; Parts 19 and 20 of the POPULAR ; NATT
UAL HISTOILY, and Parts 10 and lief-the ILLus-
TaaTEn f lllsTorx OF ,ENGLAyp. Eaeh 15 ets.
„ -
‘BIDINETT'S TOIL= PREPARATIONB..We have
received from our friend) , G. C.: Bower, Druggist,
corner of Sixth and Vine, a complete set of Bur
nett's -Toilet, Preparations, eneatly boxed, com
prising Choice • articles`lor-the hair, teeth, skin,
and handkerchief. We'reeemmend-those wishing
to purchase and preidtit — such 'articles to their
friends, to calt4it lfr: Bower, 'and inquire for
BUILNETT'S.
THE WEST CaterEit ACADEMT.—We are glad
to h = ear of the prosperous condition of this old
established and well-appointed seminary for boys.
At a recent` date' we learned that it Contained
over ninety Students. We have_ no doubt the
r.
excellent Principal, M W. F..Wyers, could find
room for more, itapplication were made soon.
in. 3,