, RE:p~·a·R T , "", .I.:.~ OF THE '.(. .~, ... AMERICAN CEYLON MISSION . .. "', FOR 1852. PUBLISHED Xli 1849. I;:,: . » •. "":. .~. REPORT OF THE A~IERICAN CEYLON MISSION, FOR THE YEAR 1852. 3}affna: AMERICAN MISSION PRESS-To S. BURNELL, PRINTER. Hl53. REPORT ALTHOUGH we have not been in the habit of publishing an annual report of our labors, we find an occasional review of the way in which the Lord has led us, profitable to ourselves and encouraging to those who feel an interest in the establishment of Christ's kingdom in this land. As it is now several years since such a review was taken, the following report of the operations of the past year, will contain a more extended statement of the state and progress of the work than would otherwise be necessary. Missionaries and Stations. Though we have been favored by the accession of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders to our number during the year,. yet the absence of others on account of ill-health has prevented the occupancy of vacant stations. Chavagacherry has been vacant during a part of the year by tke absence of Mr. and Mrs. Noyes on a visit to the continent. As the clima te in that region seems more favorable to the health of Mrs. Noyes, they now contemplate a permanent removal to the Madura Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Mills left for Madras in August, on account of her feeble health, expecting to be obliged to proceed to Amer­ ica. After a reside~ce of several months in Madras, they have been enabled to return to us, and resume their duties in con­ nection with the Seminary, and Mr. Sanders, who had charge of the Seminary during their absence, has been appointed to Chavagacherry. No other changes have been made during the year. The missionaries have enjoyed their usual degree of health, and we haye special cause for gratitude that three of the older brethren, who have now been in the field for more than an entire gen­ eration, are still spared with vigorous health and strength for labor. A new mission house at Oodoopitty is nearly finished, and we hope to be so reinforced during the coming year as to oc­ cupy that station. Mr. and Mrs. Lord are now on the way to join us, and Mr. Hastings expects to be with us again before the close of the year. We were hoping soon to welcome again Mr. Scudder, who with Mrs. Scudder is on his way to India, but there is now a probability of thdr joining the Arcot Mission. STATIONS. I :::--_=---=---o:-::-M.,...IS_S_I_O_N_A_RI.I:S. I ARHIVAL. TiIIipally. I Rev. B. C. Meigs. Octo'r 1816 Panditeripo. Rev. J. C. Smith and Mrs. M. S. Smith. April 1842 Batticotta. Rev. \V. W. Howland and? Mrs. S. R. Howland. ( April 1846 "Sem. Rev. C. 'l'. Mills and l\Irs. S. L. Mills. March 184f: "" Rev. M. D. Sanders and Mrs. G. Sanders. March 1852 '" S. F. Green, Esq., M. D. Octo'r 1847 Manepy. Rev. D. Poor and Mrs. A. K. Poor. Octo'r 1816 " Press. T. S. Burnell, Esq.,and Mrs. M. S. Burnell. March ]849 Oodooville. Rev. L. Spaulding and Mrs. M. Spaulding. Nov'r lI:1I9 " Miss E. Agnew. Jan'ry J~40 Chavacherry. Rev. J. T. Noyes and Mrs. E. A. Noyes. March 1849 Varany. lRev. J. T. Noyes in charge. I Oodoopitty. Rev. B. C. Meigs in charge. In the U. S. Rev. E. P Hastings. ,March 1847 " IMrs. S. M. Meigs. locto'r H:l16 ~il the wuay IRev. N. L. Lord and Mrs. L. W. Lord. I'!fom t h e . s . The following statistics of missionary life will, we trust, be found interesting to those into whose hands this report may fall : The whole number who haye been connected with the Mission from its commencement in 1816, is sixty,'*' of whom twenty­ eight were males and thirty-two were females. Eighteen of these, seven males and eleven females, have died, and what is a remarkable coincidence, eighteen more, seven males and * These statistics do not include Rev. MessrR. Hall and Todd and their wives, who spent but a few months in Jaffna and then became connected with the Madura Mission. They do, howe"\'er, include Rev. E. Cope and" wife, who, though originally members of the Madura Mission, yet spent nearly eight years in Jaffna. Rev. l\I. Winslow and Rey. J. Scudder, M. D. and ,'\'"ifc of l\ladru!:I, are also included. eleven females, liave been compelled to rfJlinquisli the l1lission­ ary work. Only one has died during the 1irst year, and OIle during the second; one fourth have died during the third year, and more than half during the third, fourth, fifth and sixth years. Eight have died of hereditary consumption; three from chol­ era; the other seven from various diseases. Of the ten who have been in the field from sixteen to thirty-six years, only one has died; and of the thirty-two who have been in the field from six to thirty-six years only six have died. Of the eighteen who have left the field, eleven have left after a service of from nine to seventeen years. Only five have left under nine years, and of these, four were females, two of whom returned to America in consequence of the death of their husbands. Six have left in health on account of the sickness of a companion, and one to superintend the education of children. So that the actual num. ber of failures in health have been only nine, or half of the whole number who have left. It is worthy of notice that only one male and one female missionary have returned to the Unit­ ed States under nine years on account of ill-health, and also that while the number of deaths has been greatest from the third to the seventh year, the number of failures has been greatest from the ninth to the fifteenth year. The average term of service of those who have died is nearly eight years, of those com· pelled to leave, ten and one half years, and of those who have been in the field six yea.rs or more, a little over twenty years. If then we include those who have d.ied, those who have left from failure of health, and those now in the field, who have been in the field six years or more, we have twelve years as the average of missionary life, which would obviously be still too low, as it includes twelve who are still in the field. Twelve persons, eight males and four females have visited America. for health and other purposes, who have either return­ ed or expect to return soon-an average of one person in three years. Of eighty-five children born in Ceylon, only twelve have died in the island, and but three or four since leaving for America. 6 l\ative Assistants. The following table includes all the educated men in mission service, except those engaged in teaching vernacular schools in the villages, and those connected with the printing office. ~ I I I .1 i i· ~ . I E ~ ~ ~ .5.'~ ~ .~ ~ ~I gig ~ .; ~ -:: .... til c: "0 1"0 c: - i: .;:: ~ 23 ~ <3 10 ~ ~ ~ I ::: 'Native P ...che", ---.-----­ I 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 01 2 Catechists, 17432235]27 ISep-uiar Agents, - 102100004 Writers and Sehool Superintendents, 1]2111007 Seminary Teaehers, - 6 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 10 English and Government School Teachers, 4 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 16 Medical Assistants, 3 ] 0 1 0 0 0 01 5 1 jTotal, One or two extracts from the reports of the different mission­ aries will show definitely how those are employed who are more directly engaged in evangelical labors among the people. Says Mr. Meigs: "My native assistants make it a part of their daily business to go among the people, from house to house, and from village to village, reading and distributing tracts and portions of the Scriptures, and also conversing with the people on the great subject of the salvation of their souls. In these various ways, many of tlIe people have obtained a knowledge of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ." Again, he says: " In the afternoon of the Sabbath we have uniformly a service in the village chapel which has usually been well attended, though the audience has varied from thirty to ninety. At this service my native assistants usually preach in turn, and I have been much interested both in the matter and manner of their preaching." Says Mr. Spaulding: "The assistants at this sta­ tion are every day among the people in some shape or other, as readers of tracts and of the Bible, exhorters, school superin­ tendents, &c. Though they distribute fewer tracts and Bibles 7 than formerly, they probably interest the people more." It is an item of encouragement that the people seem more ready to assemble to hear the gospel from one of their own countrymen than in former years. In some instances, during the past year, there have been large gatherings of the people in meetings held by our native assistants when no missionary was present. This is comparatively a new and very interesting feature of our work, and may be accounted for in part by the increasing con­ fidence of the people in these men, some of whom have estab­ lished their reputation by a long course of uprightness; and in part, by thp. gradual awakening of mind and increase of a spirit of inquiry among the mass of the population, attended with an impression, which often amounts to a strong conviction, of the superior excellence of the religion we profess and preach.