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the conveners of the conference:-"Especially we look for abundant spiritual benefits from the gathering together of so many of those who have consecrated themselves to the service of Christ among the people of China; we would hope that a high spiritual tone may be kept up through all the proceedings, and that a peculiar blessing may rest on the meetings for united prayer." God grant that it may indeed be so!

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This conference will undoubtedly be a great power. Its proceedings will affect, not merely those who attend it, but also those of our brethren who are not present, who will read the proceedings, and will share in the blessings granted in answer to united prayer. Through them it will affect the native churches. And it will also affect-we trust affect largely-the churches of our various native lands. How very important, then it is, that the blessing of the Almighty should rest upon it IN ALL ITS FULNESS! To this end the conveners of the conference have asked "on its behalf" our "constant and fervent prayers, that God, whose we are and whom we serve, may give an abundant baptism of the Holy Spirit, and bestow His enriching blessing."

The time of meeting is now drawing near. May I be permitted further to urge the great importance of much "fervent, effectual prayer," for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all of us NOW, before the meeting of the conference. If we go up thirsty we may find a blessing; but oh! if we all go up satisfied with favour, full with the blessing of the LORD,-if the living waters are welling up within, and the rivers of grace are overflowing their banks,-shall we not have a very Pentecost!

There will be many matters on which to deliberate: for the proper consideration of them, the special help and guidance of the Holy Spirit will be needed from the very outset. Those of our beloved and honoured brethren who are precluded from meeting in person (though doubtless many will be present in spirit), will likewise be needing this outpouring for the more effective prosecution of their own work. I would, therefore, suggest the desirability of

1. Missionaries meeting together wherever possible, for united prayer ;-and

2. So far as possible, calling together the members of each native church-to plead unitedly for the immediate outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the whole church in China; and also for much blessing on the approaching conference, to the glory of our adorable Saviour and LORD, and to the great good of this mighty and needy people.

"WHATSOEVER ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you......Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” "WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in My name, THAT will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask ANYTHING in My name, I will do it."

May the LORD give us all to ask in faith.

J. HUDSON TAYLOR.

In view of the approaching Missionary Conference at Shanghae next May, we beg to remind our readers of the special request contained in the circular letter issued in 1875, "that the persons who purpose

to attend the Conference as members will send their names to Mr. Muirhead before the 1st of April, 1877."

We are requested to intimate also to intending writers, that Papers to be read at the Conference should not exceed half an hour in the delivery.

In giving the tetrameter proverb from Hangchow in our last issue, we inadvertently transposed the names of that prefecture and Ningpo. The Hangchow form of the proverb is 7 CET

Puh king yin yâng, tán t'ing lûy shing; while that of Ningpo is *BT Wuh king shin ming, tán ting lay shing.

Missionary Dews.

Births and Marriages.

BIRTHS.

AT Peking, on January 16th, the wife of the Rev. D. C. McCoy of the American Presbyterian Mission,-of a daughter.

AT Ningpo, on January 20th, the wife of the Rev. J. R. GODDARD of the Baptist Missionary Union Mission,of a son.

AT Nagasaki, on February 14th, the wife of the Rev. J. C. DAVISON of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission,-of a son.

MARRIAGES. AT Hongkong, on November 30th, the Rev. G. REUSCH, of the Basel Mission, to PAULINE, daughter of the Rev. W. KELLER of Moeglingen, Wurtemberg. They now reside at Lilong.

AT Trinity Cathedral, Shanghae, on January 9th, by the Very Rev. Dean Butcher, D. D., JAMES KENNETH MCKENZIE, M.D. of the London Mission, Hankow, to AMELIA ADELAIDE TRAVERS.

Ar Christ Church, Yokohama, on February 7th, by the Right Rev. Bishop Williams, D.D. the Rev. W. B. COOPER, of the Protestant Episcopal Mission, Tokio, Japan, to ALICE MINNETTE, daughter of the Rev. R. S. Maclay, D.D. of the Methodist Episcopal Mission, Yokohama, Japan.

TEENTSIN. From private sources we still hear of the prevalence of urgent distress in this large city and neighbourhood-so great indeed, that it

seems utterly beyond ordinary resources to overtake it. The missionaries are exerting themselves to the extent of their ability, and the native converts are devising plans for aiding in the good work. Consequent on the representation in our last issue, a Christian brother who desires to remain anonymous-sent us 50 taels towards the alleviation of suffering, which was gladly forwarded to Teentsin to be so applied. We are again permitted to make an extract from a private letter from that city, dated January 22nd: :

"The greatest pressure-as far as our sphere goes-is in the country; and especially in the various prefectures of Shantung, where the Methodist mission is working. Our brethren give sad accounts of things there, and Mr. H. is gone to Lauling for the winter-very largely with a view to superintend the spending of the week H. and I. went also for two or three sums collected here and in Peking. Last weeks. Besides the relief business, their work seems to have taken a new and remarkable start. At their principal station, we hear that they are obliged to have three services at once, for lack of room, and that many actually stand out in the snow to hear the Gospel. Nor are all poor, for not a few have come in conveyances from considerable distances. Our work here is I think steadily advancing, although one is ever impatient at its apparent slowness. But these large populations are by far the most difficult to move.

Shaw (Society for the Propagation

of the Gospel), G. Cochran and Mr. Eby (Canadian Wesleyan Union), and H. Faulds, M.D., R. Davidson, H. Waddell and S. G. McLaren, M. A. (United Presbyterian Mission), and Rev. J. Piper (Church of England Mission). They have com

It does not follow that less is really done. | Mission), W. B. Wright and A. C. There will come a grand movement some of these days. My chief satisfaction at present is in the evident growing soli dity of the small native church, the esprit de corps which is springing up among our staff, and the increase of action in little things, of which careless observers would take small note. Our people have baptized thirty this year in Teentsin, of whom twenty-two are adults. This is a larger number than in any previous year. A good sign is that a good portion of the additions are relatives of those before connected with us. The church has also decided on starting a Christian boys' school after the new-year. It is not to be a free schoolwill be managed by a committee they have

chosen and is intended for the families of the church. So far as I know, this is the first instance of such action in the north. You see it is quite another thing from the schools started and supported by foreigners. They will need help at first, and I have promised to back them up, but I take no control in any way. It is their own affair. Few and poor as our people are, it is a matter of principle with B. and myself to train them if possible to go alone. So far as the church is concerned, I disclaim all authority. We neither baptize nor preside at the Lord's supper, except when asked by the native pastor, and so in other matters."

AMOY.-The Rev. J. Sadler and family arrived at this station on January 4th, after an absence of nearly two years, mostly spent in England, where he went for the

benefit of his health.

**

NINGPO. The Rev. F. Galpin left
on February 27th, for a visit to
Europe, intending to sail from
Shanghae in the French mail steamer
Tigre, on March 2nd.

JAPAN, TOKIO. A committee of
missionaries was formed on October
30th, for the translation of the
Sacred Scriptures into the Japanese
language. The members of the com-
mittee are the Revs. D. Thompson
(American Presbyterian), chairman,
O. M. Green and W. Imbrie (Ameri-
can Presbyterian Mission), J. Soper
(American Methodist Episcopal

menced their labours with the Pentateuch.

YOKOHAMA.-Mr. R. Lilley arrived in September, as the agent of the National Bible Society of Scotland, intending to make this his headquarters.

The Rev. J. L. Amerman of the Dutch Reformed Church Mission has been appointed pastor of Union Chapel; in connection with the duties of which, he will still continue his mission work. Since he has taken charge, the attendance has greatly increased.

The Rev. F. Krecker, M. D. with his family, the Rev. A. Halmhuber, and Miss Hudson, arrived by the O. & O. steamer Oceanic, on November 13th, as missionaries of the Evangelical Association of North America;

but they have not yet decided where they will settle.

At the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Alliance on January 11th, a paper was read on "Pure Literature;" and during the discussion Dr. Hepburn stated, that hitherto no Japanese subject could publish any book with the name of Jesus favourably mentioned in it; but that the other day a native gentleman of his acquaintance had received permission from the government, to publish a Japanese edition of the Kih wuh t'an yuen (Dr. Williamson's work on Natural

Theology), with the diacritical and syntactical marks necessary to facilitate the Japanese construction of Chinese literature.

whose arduous labours in this region, have rendered a change necessary, left in January for a visit to Europe. He sailed from Yokohama on February 6th by the P. & O. steamer

HAKODATE.The Rev. W. Denning, Sunda, for Hongkong en route.

Notices of Recent Publications.

Mongolia, the Taugut country, and the solitudes of Northern Tibet, being a Narrative of three years Travel in Eastern High Asia, by Lieut. H. Colonel N. Prejevalsky. Translated by E. Delmar Morgan F. R. G. S. with Introduction and Notes by Colonel Henry Yule, C.B. In two volumes, with maps and illustrations. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1876.

all things human, the book has its faults, and the intention of this paper is to point out and attempt to correct some of these, without professing to be a systematic review of the whole work.

One of the first things that seems to call for remark, is the description given of the journey from Kalgan to Peking. Here are the Colonel's own words: "Good inns are very difficult of access to the European, who is shown into mean caravanserais, where he is charged double, triple, and even ten times, the usual price....... In spite of the well-known liberality of Europeans, such is the hatred to the foreign devils, that we sometimes were refused a night's lodging, notwithstanding the intervention of our Chinese mule-drivers.

THIS book is mainly a record of much hard travelling and much painstaking and careful observation; performed at the instigation of the Russian government, and in the interests of geography, botany, and zoology. The main obstacles, in the way of success were, deficiency of funds, inefficient interpreters, and the hostility of the natives. The deficiency of funds was partly got over, by Col. Prejevalsky and his companion holding themselves ready at all times to assist their followers (two Russian soldiers), in performing the meanest and most laborious tasks incidental to travelling; a good interpreter with nothing to do but interpret, was a felt want throughout the whole expedition; and the hostility of the natives was either overcome by stratagem or kindness, or rendered harmless by each of the four members of the expedition being armed to the teeth. Much really good work was done, and many valuable results attained; and the whole enterprise, from beginning to end, reflects much credit on those who carried it through so successfully, But, like an idea of the relish with which

I don't know how others may like the taste of Chinese cookery; as for us, the messes in the inns were simply disgusting-the more so because we saw haunches of asses meat in the butchers' shops, and always had well-grounded suspicions that we were fed on the same. The reader can now form

Europeans, fully aware of the coarse gastronomical tastes of their hosts, partake of the dishes served in the Chinese inns." Rather an effective picture this, but surely much overdrawn. The road between Kalgan and Peking is well known, and much travelled by foreigners, and very few travellers

meet with much rudeness or suffer much discomfort. Col. Prejevalsky says, he had well-grounded suspicions that he was fed on asses flesh. Since he says so, he surely could not be mistaken; but his experience in this line must have been extraordinary. All along the road are good inns, kept by Mohammedans, where mutton can always he had; and if one has any doubt about it, he can go and see it cut from the carcase, and then go into the kitchen and see it cooked, and so have no suspicion of any kind about what he is eating. A few months before Col. Prejevalsky traversed this road, another European passed over the same route, and the good living he then enjoyed on purely Chinese food, in inns along that same road, is still far from being forgotten. A year or two later, two foreigners, who had occasion to travel a less frequented road across country, came at last upon the Kalgan road, and celebrated their arrival at this Goshen by having an extra array of dishes at the first inn they came to. The comparative luxuriance and plenty they there found, made a not-soon-to-be-forgotten contrast to what they had found during the previous fortnight. As to being refused a night's lodging on account of being foreigners, Col. Prejevalsky's experience again seems

peculiar. Many foreigners have travelled that road frequently, and never once had a similar experience. Such a thing as coming to an inn and being unable to find accommodation because the inn was full, sometimes does happen, but even this not often; and one instance at least can be quoted, in which two rich Chinese merchants allowed themselves to be persuaded to give up the best room in the inn, where they were already installed, to accommodate some foreigners who came later. This, at least, did not look very hateful. As to "foreign devil," or "devil," the traveller on the Kalgan and Peking road will doubtless hear it often. It is sometimes said with mischievous intent by boys, but seldom with bitterness by men; and in most cases perhaps means no more than if people were to call out "Chinaman" to any

Celestial who might happen to be passing along some English road. At Kalgan, on one occasion, a beggar told his blind companion to get off the door-step because the 'devil gentleman had come.' In this case it was impossible to suppose that the mendicant meant to express disrespect, much less hatred. Perhaps in many cases the term is used pretty nearly as the equivalent of our word foreigner. Be this as it may, foreigners very seldom meet with disrespect or annoyance on the Kalgan and Peking road; so much so, that on several occasions, different individual foreign maiden ladies have-accompained only by a Chinese attendant-undertaken and performed the entire journey in perfect safety and comfort. It seems strange that this road, which has impressed many foreigners so

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