Art. V. Diary of a Tour through Southern India, Egypt, and Palestine, in the Years 1821 and 1822. By a Field Officer of Cavalry. 8vo. PP. 372. Price 10s. 6d. London, 1823.

ALTHOUGH this volume does not contribute much informa tion of a topographical kind, nor, as a book of travels, is it distinguished by merit of the highest order, yet, it cannot be read without pleasure, or, we might say, without instruction, and the pious spirit which pervades it, must inspire in every one a high esteem for the Writer. He states himself, indeed, to be anxious that his readers should understand, that his 'efforts have been mostly directed to the collection of informa'tion connected with the exertions of those Societies which 'have been instituted for the conversion and instruction of 'Pagan nations; and that if any profits shall arise from the sale of the work, they are intended to be entirely devoted to the promotion of Christian Missions in general.'

'Circumstances of a private nature having led me to determine on passing a few years in India, I planned at an early period the tour I was afterwards enabled to execute, through the southern province of that country. A visit to the Syrian churches in the neighbourhood of Travancore being the principal object I had in view, with the additional intention of inquiring into the state of the Christian Missions of various denominations, now existing on the coasts of Coromandel and Malabar, and of learning whether the progress made in the great work of converting the native heathen to Christianity, jus tified the pecuniary sacrifices made by the English nation to that effect; as well as whether the reports of the Missionaries themselves were sufficiently accurate to admit of my own future reliance on their judgement and truth.'

On the 1st of December 1820, the Author left Bangalore for Madras. The road, on the first day, lay through a flat, uninteresting tract without wood, and the country continues to wear a wild and uncultivated aspect as far as the Pedanaigdoorgum Pass through the Ghauts. About half way, however, between Colar, a tolerably large Mahommedan town, and Baitmungalum, the last town in the territories of the Mysore Rajah, is a village presenting a singularly romantic appearance. It is built in the midst of huge masses of granite, from which the rudely formed cottages are scarcely discernible. The traveller is altogether surprised at seeing a wild rocky desert suddenly peopled, and swarming with natives in all 'directions, eyeing him over the summits and through the 'crevices of these primeval mansions.'

The road through the pass is in a totally neglected and ruinous state; but the scenery almost makes amends for it even in the

eyes

of the luxurious inhabitant of India. Successive rocks covered with verdure, and intersected by deep, narrow ravines, through which the road winds, conforming its direction to the course that Nature herself seems to have traced out, and in some few places indebted to art only in its rudest state, afford an agreeable contrast to that unvarying sameness of feature which the Mysore almost every where pre

sents.'

The route on the fifth day led through the valley of Amboor;' a tract where, for the first time in India, the Author beheld the richest cultivation extending for many miles on both sides of the road. Beyond this, a low marshy country stretches to Arcot, where the Author passed the sabbath, and then pushed on for Madras. Here he remained three weeks, awaiting the cessation of the periodical rains, and then proceeded southward along the coast to Tranquebar. The road in many places was under water, and scarcely passable. At Pondicherry, the ocean is rapidly undermining the beach, as at Madras: the custom-house and warehouses have been already washed away and buried in the deep.'

At Tranquebar, the Author was much satisfied, as well as highly interested, by an interview with a Protestant native catechist, John Dewasagayam, a scholar of the late Dr. John. He has in charge thirty-one schools of various denominations, containing 1,630 children. A class under his immediate superintendence are preparing for the Christian ministry.

In these few hours,' he says, I have become acquainted with that which is quite sufficient to convince me that those pious men who bestow labour and money on the maintenance of missions among the heathen, neither labour nor spend in vain. The harvest may be delayed, but it will come, and the sower shall reap the fruits of his seed.'......' I had almost forgotten to mention, that John shewed me a letter from an English gentleman at Jaffna in Ceylon, dated in February last, and mentioning that the natives there had of themselves formed a Tamul Bible Association, and that there was not a single European member on the committee.'

At Tanjore, the schools of the mission are considerable, and have many others dependent on them in several parts of the territory. The present Rajah, who is one of the richest native princes in the South of India, (his income amounting to 140,0007.) was educated by Swartz, and is a liberal benefactor to the native Christians, who are numerous in his dominions. His eldest son, a youth of thirteen, has been brought up under the care of Mr. Kolhoff, the worthy successor of Swartz. From the bequest of that admirable Missionary and the munificence of the Rajah, the mission is rich; and they were en

deavouring to establish a silk manufactory for the employment of the children.

In the church is a grave-stone inscribed to the memory of Swartz. Some lines of bad poetry are engraved upon it, which are remarkable only as a testimony of affection, and in that they are supposed to have come actually from the pen of the present Rajah of Tanjore. The last two lines, if I remember accurately, run thus:

"May I, my father, be worthy of thee,
Wishes and prays thy Serbojee!"

From Tanjore to Tritchinopoly, a distance of thirty-seven miles, the country is an almost uninterrupted desert waste, with but one village, Serringapattah,-celebrated for the dexterity of its thieves, of which the following amusing instance is given on the authority of an English colonel.

Some years ago, a detachment of the King's artillery, intending to halt there for the night, was advised of this propensity of the natives, and recommended to be well on their guard against it. The two officers in charge of the detachment, as well as the men, ridiculed and scorned the idea of these poor wretches (such they seemed to be) being able to rob the King's artillery, but took the precaution of placing sentries over all the tents, and a double one at that of the quarter-guard, with orders, rendered unnecessary by the awakened pride of the sentries themselves, to be more than usually watchful. The inhabitants, through the means of the native servants, heard that their skill in thieving was set at nought, and their vanity was proportionably piqued. Next morning, the officers rising early, missed nothing, and began to exult in their security, when one of the serjeants arrived, with shame and dismay pictured on his countenance, and informed them that the whole of the arms belonging to the main guard were missing, and that all the natives had abandoned the village. Every search, though undertaken instantly, was in vain, and the detachment was compelled to march away unarmed, and fully aware of the reception they would be likely to meet with from their corps, when their disaster became known. The manner in which this dexterous theft was atchieved, long remained unknown, but many years afterwards, when the circumstance was almost forgotten, the villagers themselves voluntarily surrendered the arms to the authorities of the country, and declared they had taken them, merely because their skill in thieving had been called in question; and observed in confirmation of this, that they had not taken a single article, with the exception of the arms which they now restored. Being asked how they had contrived to steal them from the centre of a tent, the guard sleeping around them, and two sentries outside, they gave the following account: Some of them stripped themselves quite naked, and oiled their bodies over, that, if caught, they might not be easily held; they then approached that part of the tent where the sentry in the rear was posted, who, as usual, was walking about

twenty paces backwards and forwards. The night was dark, and the most bold and dexterous among them advanced obliquely towards the tent, creeping on his belly, lying still while the sentry was pacing towards him, and only moving on, slowly and cautiously, when his back was turned. In this way he arrived at the tent, and his black body was, in the dark, invisible to the sentry. He now, with the utmost adroitness, lifted up a part of the side of the tent, having carefully removed one peg, and soon found that all the guard were asleep, relying on their double sentries. By this time the other villagers had followed their leader, and were all lying in the same posture, with the head of each touching the feet of the one who had preceded him. In this way, the arms being slowly removed, without the slightest noise, by the most advanced thief, were, with equal caution, passed along from one to another, until the whole were secured, and the thieves retired as they came, unseen and unsuspected.'

pp. 41-3. From the summit of the fortress, there is a superb view of the surrounding country, which abounds in objects characteristic and picturesque, but symbols of the horrid superstition which prevails. The distant pagodas of Tanjore are distinctly visible, with those of Seringham and Jumbakistna on the island formed by the separation of the Cauvery into two branches, Koiladdy, the Rock of Elimiseram with its pagoda, the French, Sugarloaf, Golden, and Five Rocks, and other places distinguished in the military annals of the Peninsula. The Tritchinopoly race-course runs over the very spot where the main battle between the English and the French was fought, which terminated in the important victory gained by Major Lawrence. The Author bears his testimony to the meritorious accuracy of the description given in the interesting volumes of Orme.*

No object of remarkable interest presents itself in the route from this place to Palamcottah,-a distance, apparently, of nine days, though the Author's rate of travelling varies exceedingly. At this station, our Author breakfasted with the Mis. sionaries Rhenius and Schmidt, with whom he had previously become acquainted at Madras.

They have lately been making a tour through the Eastern districts of the Tinevelly country, and discovered a considerable number of self-called Christian congregations, some Catholic and some Protestant, but most of them plunged in deplorable ignorance. However, they evinced much gratitude for the visit of the Missionaries, and so eagerly accepted a few books and tracts in their native language, that Mr. Rhenius regretted he had not brought more with him. One

*See Eclectic Review. N.S. Vol. XIII. թ. 112.

poor boy, in particular, after having several times in vain solicited a book, as the Missionaries were obliged to be somewhat sparing, brought them as his only means of purchase, a little paper full of sugar; and it was probably the sum of his earthly possessions, as the natives in those parts are wretchedly poor, and subsist entirely on the scanty produce of the palmyra tree. The poor boy's unusual earnestness could not, of course, go unrewarded; -he obtained the book he sought-and may God bless it to him! I accompanied Mr. Hough, in the evening, on a visit to his English school in the town of Tinevelly. It is yet in its infancy, and is most remarkable for the great opposition made by the Brahmins to its original establishment. It is now, however, in full action, and two or three of the Brahmins have sent their children to it; as the benefit of learning English is always a strong inducement; nor have they openly objected to the Holy Scriptures being made the medium of instruction, as they are here. The next morning after breakfast, I visited an English and Tamul school erected near Mr. Hough's own bungalow. These are further advanced than the one at Tinevelly; and I was much pleased with the result of a tolerably long examination of four Christian lads, on their progress in the knowledge of the Scriptures. A little before dinner, a native priest of our own communion called on Mr. Hough, and I had once more the delight of becoming acquainted with a ge nuine Christian among our Indian brethren. We had a long and interesting conversation, in which Mr. Hough kindly and patiently interpreted for us. He mentioned, among other things, that, some time ago, having in the course of a twelvemonth twice read over the whole New Testament with a Brahmin of Combacoonum, he declared his conviction of its truth, and that, according to it, no one may dare to worship idols: he also said, "I hope, when I die, that I shall be found with Jesus Christ." The persecution of his friends, and the so dreaded loss of caste, prevented his open reception and profession of the Gospel, and he is still, alas! a Brahmin. Mr. Hough told me that a congregation of Roman Catholics have lately quitted their priest, and come over to Tinevelly for the purpose of being admitted into the Protestant communion. The priest endeavoured to procure from the local authorities an order for their return to him; but it was refused, and justly so, and they were left to their own choice. They now profess our creed.'

The value of such converts en masse may be questioned, yet, one must rejoice at even their nominal emancipation from the yoke of the Man of Sin. Such circumstances as these, however, may serve to throw light on both the despondency and the malignity of a certain Romish assailant of Missions,-of whom more anon.

At Nagracoil in Travancore, the Author visited Mr. Meade, the principal Missionary at that station, and was invited to examine the senior boys in his central Tamul school, Mr. M. acting as interpreter. They evinced, it is stated, decidedly a