Page images
PDF
EPUB

of hope. Finding, however, that the vernacular language in that neighborhood was a dialect of the Hindostanee, and that the Bengalee translation would not be generally understood, encour

himself again surrounded by English society to whom he could preach. Before his removal he had begun to converse a little with the natives, and by the help of his moonshee, who had at length acquired English caged also by the income which nough to be his interpreter, could preach in a broken manner. He soon was able to do the latter at Mudnabatty; but he found the vernacular dialect so different from that at Calcutta and Dehatta, that the hope of conversing freely and preaching without an interpreter, was longer deferred. He began at times to speak without an interpreter in the spring of 1795, and by the next autumn his preaching was very intelligible to the higher ranks who spoke the Bengalee language in its purity.

they expected from their business, they formed a plan in January, 1795, to print the Scriptures and religious tracts both in Bengalee and Hindostanee, and to erect two schools, one at Moypaul, and the other at Mudnabatty. In each school a pundit was to be employed to teach six Mussulman and six Hindoo boys the Shanscrit, Bengalee, and Persian languages. The boys were to be kept at school seven years, and to be furnished gratuitously with tuition, food, clothing, and lodging. The BiAs soon as they were settled ble was to be introduced into the in their new employment, they schools, together with a little relinquished, agreeably to their geography and philosophy One original intention, the salaries part of this plan was so far carwhich they received from the ried into execution that two Society, and even conceived the schools were soon opened, which hope of being able to print the admitted, however, a greater Bengalee Bible, or some part number of scholars than had of it, at their own expense. Be been contemplated; and before fore this they had not thought the missionaries removed from of more than one translation, that neighborhood, about fifty and scarcely hoped to see boys had been taught to read the whole of the Scriptures and write. Since that time, a printed in the language of considerable number of schools Bengal. Missions, where other have been opened in different Janguages were spoken, they had parts of the country.* indeed contemplated. From the beginning Mr. Carey had formed the purpose of devoting his three eldest sons to the study of three separate languages, the Persian, the Chinese, and the Shanscrit, to qualify them for future missions. But that they should live to see one printed version of the Scriptures, was rather an object of desire than

To carry the other part of the plan into execution they imme

B. PA voli, p. 1-3.7 & 17,34, 35, 45 64 66,69, 73, 75, 78, 79 85-94, 121,124 125 160-171 175 177, 179183, 186 190 19-19203 211.213, 216 224,32 372 374 393.39,407 420,

436 439 470 47 48 492 27 Vol. iii, 35,72,73. QR. No. 1, p. 171. M.B.M. P 18. Nar.p 34,8,10- 13 15,35, 36, M. vol. it, p. 150,271, 350, 357. N.Y. M. M. vol. ii, p. 479.

1

diately applied to the Society to send them a printing-press, engaging if they lived to refund the expense. The plan was to employ native printers, but instead of the old types of the country, to get new types cast in London, after a specimen written by a native. The plan thus settled, they both applied themselves with new vigor to the translation, Mr Thomas assisted by Podo Loson, Mr. Carey by Ram Boshoo. The frequent avocations which Mr.Thomas experienced as a physician, left the greater part of this work to Mr. Carey, who possessing a superior relish for the employment, and the better assistant, gradually outstripped his colleague in the knowledge of the language, and at length took upon himself the whole charge of the translation. Mr. Thomas continued, however, to pursue the business with ardor till the printing was postponed in 1796.

By the first of August, 1795, having completed a rough translation of Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Mark, James, and part of Luke, and given Matthew a revisal, they grew so impatient to the the Scriptures into put hands of the Hindoos, that they abandoned the purpose of getting types from England, and determined to begin to print with the types and presses found in the country, though at a tenfold expense. They hoped at that time to get Genesis, if not Matthew and Mark, printed off by the end of the year. But a flood, which that season injured the indigo, impoverished them so much, that the design was wholly frustrated. They continved, however, translating with

unabated ardor, determined to devote all they could earn to the printing, if it was only a chapter at a time. Mr. Carey made every thing else give way to the translation, and in October pronounced Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Mark, James, and part of John, (Luke was in the hands of Mr. Thomas,) ready for the

press.

Under their embarassments they were obliged to return to the former plan of getting types from England, and that autumn they sent home a Bengalee alphabet for a specimen. But it was found difficult for strangers to the language to imitate the copy with accuracy, especially to supply a press at the distance of 15,000 miles.*

Mr.

On the first day of November they formed a church of four members, (the two Missionaries, Mr. Powell, nephew to Thomas, who accompanied him from England, and died in 1802, and a Mr. Long, baptised by Mr. Thomas while in India before, and afterwards excluded;) and a year after Mr. Carey wrote to the church in Leicester for a dismission. That autumn they were much interested by a letter from Mr. Pearce stating the purpose which he had formed of joining them in the missionary work, and the manner in which that design had been defeated. The letters which they had sent home after arriving in India, had awakened in him so great a desire to follow them, that he had offered himself for a Missionary. The question was

B. P. A. vol. i, p. 125, 148, 195, 201-203 206, 207, 212, 217, 223, 227 232 295,314,480. Vol.iii, Pref. p.6. Theol. Mag. vol, i, p. 213. M. B. M. M. vol. i, p. 253.

submitted to his brethren, who in November, 1794, decided a. gainst his going, on the ground that he was more wanted at home. He lived but five years afterwards. Had he come, Mr. Thomas says they should have thought of spreading the "Gospel into all the islands below, into all the hills of Bootan above, and even into Tartary." They immediately proposed to the Society to institute a mission to Bootan. Lately they had gained some information respecting that country, and had formed a design to visit it. From that time they continued to petition for more Missionaries, alleging that they wanted two or three thousand in Hindostan, and almost that num ber in Bengal. They indulged a confident hope that by means of that mission the Gospel would extend over all Hindostan into Tartary, and be conveyed in Bengalee, Persian, Shanscirt, Bootanee, and other languages then unknown; and they pressed upon the Society to remember Thibet and Pegu, as well as the extensive regions of Hindostan to the west and north west of Bengal. Mr. Carey had written, before the end of that year, a compendious Bengalee Grammar, and had begun a Bengalee Dictionary.

Though they had relinquish ed their salaries, they were not neglected by the Society. In January, 1796, they received assurances of future support should their necessities require it, and of all the aid which the Society

B. P. A. vol. i, n. 205, 211. 217, 219-221,223-225,231 278, 312, 351. Vol. iii, Pref, Nar. p. 14. P's Mem. p.29, 140.

could possibly afford them. This was a comforting word under their existing embarrassments. They were earnestly desirous to print, but were too much impoverished to begin. "I would give," said Thomas, "a million pounds sterling, if I had it, to see a Bengal Bible." But this zeal was more generous than wise. The version which their imperfect knowledge of the language had produced, was not fit for the press. This the Society, who were in a situation to judge more coolly, perceived, and the advice received from them that year put a stop for the present to all calculations about printing.

From that time Mr. Thomas seems to have given up the translation to his colleague, who himself so far slackened his exertions, that in April he was studying Shanscrit in order to read the Shasters. He applied himself to the acquisition of a more thorough acquaintance with the Bengalee, and while he made rapid advances in the knowledge of the language, still labored abundantly at the translation. The loss of his moonshee, whom he was obliged about that time to discharge, checked the progress of the work, but with the aid of a young pundit he was still enabled to pursue it. By June almost the whole of the Pentateuch and of the New Testament was finished. Abandoning all hope of being able to print at their own expense, the Missionaries that Summer asked of the Society 100%. a year for the two-fold purpose of printing the Bible and supporting the schools. With this request the Society

the next spring voted to comply.*

In April, 1796, Mr. Fountain sailed from England, and on the 10th of October arrived at Mudnabatty. In November Mr. Carey renewed his application to the Society for types and a printing press, and requested that a missionary printer might be sent out. Confessing their inability to support the expense of printing, he strove to awaken the. English public to liberal contributions. He calculated then to be ready to print in two years. All the New Testament was translated, except Acts and the last sixteen chapters of Revelation. The epistles had been corrected by a learned pundit as far as the second of Peter: but the whole translation was to undergo several, more revisions. At the end of the year he calculated that the New Testament would be finished, and once revised in March. He was persuaded that new types, a printing press, and a missionary printer sent from England, would save 10001. in printing 10,000 copies, the number proposed. He applied to the Society at the same ume for Arabic types.

At the beginning of 1797, Mr. Carey visited Calcutta and as certained that the printing could be performed with a new fount of types cast there at less expense than he had supposed. This information he communicated to the Society tire next March, about the time that the first revision of the New Testament was finished. Upon receiving this intelligence in the

B. P. A. vol. i, p. 97,151,292,299, 391-305,308,311,337,348.

Spring of 1798, the Society determined to begin the printing without delay, to send out paper for the purpose, and to apply to the Edinburgh Missionary Society for about $1100 which had been promised. But consider ing the defects which would ne cessarily attend a first edition they voted to print only 2,000 copies. In the mean time the missionaries had been apprized of a resolution of the Society to pay up their salaries from the beginning, and to assist them to the utmost of their power.

The attention of the Missionaries was not wholly confined to a single language nor a single province. Before Mr. Carey left Dehatta he had acquired a little of the colloquial Hindostanee, and by the end of 1796, he could preach in that language with tolerable ease. His sons also were soon able to speak it with fluency. In December he told the Society that with a sufficient supply of men and money the Gospel might be conveyed from that central situation through the Rajamahl hills, Hindostan, Persia, Bootan, and Assam; that all the education necessary for Missionaries might be obtained in one place; and proposed something like a college. He mentioned the same thing the next March, insisting that the Mission ought to be strengthened as much as possible, as from that situation the Gospel might eventually spread through the greater part of Asia, and almost all the necessary languages might be acquired there. Early in 1797 the Missionaries visited Bootan where they were kindly received by the Soubah of the country, who the next year sent them a

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

In

re

present, with a letter, and applied for medicines to cure a disease under which he labored. December 1797, Mr. Carey renewed his application for more Missionaries. "We are learning," said he, "Bengalee; we want others to learn Hindostanee, others Portuguese, others Persian, others Bootanee, &c." In consequence of these representations the Society, in the autumn of the next year, solved to send out a new supply of Missionaries. Mr. Carey, in the meantime still pursued the study of Shanscrit, and it soon became apparent that he was reaching forward to great proficiency in that language. By the middle of the year 1797 he had got a Shanscrit, Bengalee, and English Dictionary far advanced. The Bengalee translation how ever continued to occupy his chief attention, and by the end of November he had finished the Pentateuch and almost all the Psalms.*

Towards the close of the year, an event took place which highly gratified the Missionaries, and promised extensive good to India. ALetter Foundery for the languages of that country was established at Calcutta, not by the friends of the Missionaries, but by men who had no view to their accommodation. The hand of God was visible in making this provision for the dissemination of His word through the East, just at the time when types were wanted for the purpose. Till then Mr. Carey had never relinquish

ed the idea of getting types from England, a hope which probably never could have been realized; but it was now apparent that they could be obtained on better terms in India. He at once proposed to establish a press at Mudnabatty, the press itself to be made in the country; and had some idea, at the recommendation of Mr. U of printing, for the benefit of the higher ranks, the Persian Pentateuch and Gospels contained in the Polyglott. He still continued to cherish the hope that by means of future Missionaries the Gospel would be introduced into Bootan and all the neighboring nations.*

In the spring of 1798 the Society came to the resolution to begin to print. They had already appointed Mr. Carey their treasurer in India; and in the autumn of that year they authorized him to draw on a bankinghouse in London for the Translation and other general objects of the Mission.t

Mr. Fountain was able that spring to pray in public, and on the 10th of June, preached his first sermon to the natives. The latter part of that month a very calamitous flood, which swept away all the prospects of the year, obliged Mr. Thomas to relinquish his factory and remove from Moypaul. That circumstance, added to ill health and the death of a sister of which he had lately heard, threw him into great dejection, and in letters written about that time he complained that every prospect of usefulness and comfort had been removed, that he no more hoped

RP. A vol. i. p 1-8,309-311, 320, 328, 331, 334 315-48 35 350, (which should be 361) 368 3:0, 3:2, 379, 38, 403,408,415-4.8 429,437-ii, Pref, p. 6. 439,447,493,470,471,473,476

B. P. A. vol. i, p. 397, 437. Vol

† B. P. A. vol. i, p. 4.6, 419, 451,

« PreviousContinue »