taxed with confessing altogether too easily under slight torture, said that he really could not help it, and that his questioner must be no better than an ox, if he did not know that when the fatal time came, to refrain from confessing was an impossibility. Perhaps after all the court served its purpose. Merciful and amusing as it might seem, most of the prisoners appeared to stand in no small awe of its decisions; and if it had the effect of punishing criminals and deterring from crime, it could not be said to be a failure. Towards sunset I had another visit from the prisoner who, the night before wanted medicine for his wounds and bracing for for his mind. How changed he seemed. He had had sixty strokes and was to be sentenced to something or other, he did not as yet know what; but he seemed happy and radiant, and smiled all over. The anxiety and uncertainty had gone, he had confessed and been condemned; but though acquitted he could not have seemed much more, relieved. Though severely beaten he had not received wounds, his mind did not now want any bracing, and it was evident that his confession had been an excellent tonic for his mental constitution.

A good many cases of theft were left untried at the close of the day, and how they were settled does, not appear. The tent was not pitched again, and next morning early the governor-general took his departure, conspicuous in his two-horse cart guided by a mounted driver, and preceeded by a horseman carrying the seals of office in a box strapped on between his shoulders. This was the signal for a general scattering. Many Mongols had returned to their homes before; those that were left now disappeared, the traders, from Peking and other places who had come for the occasion, departed to travel round the country; and the temple, which for a week had swarmed with men, and had its pastures adorned with scores of hobbled horses, resumed its normally deserted appearance, not to be again disturbed till the summer sacred festival would attract its crowds of traders and worshippers from the four quarters.

In travelling. round the country afterwards, we met several of the prisoners at their homes, and every two or three days were reminded of the court of justice by hearing our Mongol servant counting, in a mock official tone of voice, seven, ten, eleven, fourteen, nineteen, twenty-one, THIRTY, as he hammered the tent pins into the hard ground.

It turned out too that one of the prisoners at least did not get off so easily, as the trial we had seen might have led a spectator to suppose. Another prisoner had taken the whole guilt upon himself, and thus freed his neighbour, who, at that time, was allowed to get off rather easily. Some time after, the man thus freed was sent for by the governor-general, and subjected to another examination. The accused

was a man of means, and he was now charged with bribing his confederate to confess and take the blame. A severe castigation was administered to make him reveal the truth; but the man stood firm, and though there was a general feeling that he was guilty, he could not be made to confess and had to be dismissed. The story goes, that after he had received the severe infliction of over a hundred strokes, and the examination was ended, he got up with the bearing of an innocent man, shewing his unbroken skin as proof of his innocence. "You have broken several rods on me" said he; "see how I have stood it, are you satisfied now?" The Mongols have great admiration for a man who will thus dare and endure without confessing; and how.. ever objectionable the examining by torture of witnesses may be, it affords good opportunity for inflicting pretty severe punishment under pretence of questioning men who are pretty well known to be guilty, but who cannot be convicted for want of conclusive evidence.

HOINOS.

STATISTICS OF THE HONGKONG PROTESTANT MISSION.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF

PROTESTANT MISSIONS IN HONGKONG, TO JANUARY, 1875.

BY REV. A. B. HUTCHINSON.

THIS island was ceded to, and taken possession of by England in the year 1841, when it thus became part of the colonial possessions of Great Britain; and has since remained a crown colony. This was on January 25th. On February 9th, eight missionaries visited Hongkong, to consider the advisability of opening mission stations, and so claiming it, and through it the south of China, for the King of kings. In the same year, the Revs. I. J. Roberts and J. L. Shuck of the American Baptist Mission took up their residence and built a mission-house with school and chapel; and thus to America belongs the honour of commencing mission work. The Rev. C. Gutzlaff, interpreter to the government, also devoted his leisure hours to zealous prosecution of his original calling. The next step was the securing of a site for the school of the Morrison Education Society in the spring of 1842; Sir H. Pottinger the governor granting Morrison Hill for the purpose. The buildings were ready at the end of the summer, and in November a Christian boarding-school with eleven pupils was opened, under the charge of the Rev. S. R. Brown, B. A. from America. The Morrison Education Society had been founded at Canton in 1836-"to establish and support schools in China, -to teach to natives the English language, with the express proviso that the Bible and books on Christianity shall be read in the schools." At

that time, the Rev. C. Gutzlaff was also diligently using the opportunities afforded by his position as interpreter to the English government, for the proclamation of Gospel truth, and the translation and dissemination of the Bible and other books and tracts. But it was not until the month of September, 1843, that the missionary institutions at present existing in Hongkong fairly commenced. The mission of the London Missionary Society was then opened by the Rev. J. Legge, D. D. and Dr. Hobson, who brought with them from Macao the personnel of the Anglo-Chinese College of Malacca, and the materiel of the printingoffice, which-first established at Malacca in 1836, and afterwards removed to Macao, and thence to Hongkong,-has since done such good service to the cause of Christ. At the close of this year was established a hospital, which was placed under the care of Dr. Hobson; and Dr. Legge reported a school of thirty boys. In the school of the Morrison Education Society were twenty-two.

1844. The Rev. S. R. Brown had thirty-four pupils at Morrison Hill. The Rev. W. Gillespie arrived for the London Missionary Society.

1845.-The Hongkong Auxiliary Committee of the Religious Tract Society was formed in September of this year, the Rev. W. H. Medhurst being secretary. The London Mission house in Aberdeen Street was erected, and made the head-quarters of that mission.

1846. The Rev. S. R. Brown left China at the close of the year, and the management of the Morrison Education Society's school devolved upon Mr. Macy. During this year a number of young men were baptized by the Rev. C. Gutzlaff, many of whom have ever since remained steadfast to their profession of Christianity. Over a hundred professing Christians met daily for prayers at the temporary government offices.

1847. During this year the first missionaries of the Evangelical Missionary Society of Basel arrived, and proceeded at once to the mainland; the Rev. Th. Hamberg to the Hakkas, and the Rev. R. Lechler to the Hoklos of the Chauchow prefecture in a north-east direction. The pupils at Morrison Hill declined in number to twenty-seven.

1848. The Morrison Education Society experienced grave difficulties in raising necessary funds, owing to the opening of the five ports and consequent separation of earlier members, whose sympathies were enlisted in local efforts. This year Dr. Legge was enabled to add a theological seminary to his boys' school, with six exhibitions of $6 per month and board and clothing. The education given comprised algebra, geometry, history, ecclesiastical and general science and theology.

1849. The Morrison Education Society's school was given up, the boys being divided as follows: Dr. Legge received eight; the colonial chaplain, the Rev. V. Stanton,-who had started a school for

Chinese on his own responsibility,-received eight; and four proceeded to Canton to the Rev. Dr. Happer. The objects of the Morrison Education Society were thus newly defined to be:-"To further the work to which Dr. Morrison chiefly devoted his life, by making known to the Chinese the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and by forwarding Protestant education amongst them in such way and manner as to the society may seem fitting." In this year also was founded the Bishopric of Victoria, with an endowment of £18,000 and £2,000 for a college; the object being, "the erection of a missionary college, and the maintenance of a missionary bishop on the coasts of China." Already after six years of steady work, signs of success were to be observed. Ninety boys were receiving Christian instruction in the schools of the London Mission and the Presbyterian and Baptist churches. The baptized converts altogether amounted to sixty, with seven native preachers.

1850.-The Rt. Rev. G. Smith, D.D. first Bishop of Victoria arrived, and occupied the disused buildings of the Morrison Education Society, whilst waiting for the erection of St. Paul's College. The statutes (framed the previous year) state the objects to be" the training of a body of native clergy and Christian teachers for the pro- . pagation of the Gospel in China, according to the principles of the United Church of England and Ireland." Freedom of admission was allowed also to other pupils, to be trained as members of the Church of England, but not for the ministry. The instruction was to be the usual branches,-languages, literature, science, divinity, sacred history, and the language and literature of China. The school commenced by the Rev. V. Stanton was absorbed in or became the nucleus of the new college. The average number in Dr. Legge's school was now forty-five, each paying $2 per month. In the course of this year, a native of Poklo, Ch'a Kim-kong,—having received some tracts, came down to the London Mission and was baptized by Dr. Legge. After instruction he returned to his native place with a supply of Scriptures and tracts. This proved to be the origin of an important branch of the mission.

1851.-On Bishop Smith leaving Morrison Hill for St. Paul's College, the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Neumann, opened in the vacated premises, a home for destitute native children-boys and girls. Mrs. Neumann came as the first agent of the Berlin Ladies' Society, founded in 1850, her husband the Rev. C. Neumann being a missionary of the Chinese Evangelization Society. St. Paul's College was opened with fifty pupils in June, the bishop being ex-officio warden. Three of these who were baptized, were the first-fruits of the Church of England in Hongkong. Dr. Legge reported fifty boys in the London Mission School. Dr. Hirschberg and Mr. Cole were his colleagues,-Mr. Cole superintending the mission press and type foundry. The American Baptist

Missionary Union, represented by the Revs. J. Johnson and W. Dean, reported a daily attendance of fifty at their four day-schools for boys speaking the Chauchow dialect. Altogether during the year, ten missionaries were labouring in Hongkong, and a hundred and sixty-five pupils were in the schools. The Rev. C. Gutzlaff died on the 9th

of August.

1852.-In May, the Rev. T. Hamberg baptized at Lilong (on the main-land), twenty Chinese, and thus laid the foundation of a prosperous church. The Rev. R. Lechler, having been repeatedly prevented by the mandarins from settling in Chauchow,-joined Mr. Hamberg in the Hakka mission. The Rev. P. Winnes arrived at Hongkong, the third missionary of the society. The Rev. E. T. R. Moncrieff, who came with Bishop Smith, and who had been assisting him at St. Paul's College, left Hongkong. The Rev. J. Chalmers, M. A. joined the London Mission.

1853. The Revs. R. Lechler and P. Winnes settled for a time at Tungpo in Mirs bay on the opposite main-land, and the Rev. Mr. Hamberg, not being able to get a house in Lilong, went to Pukak.

1854. Another agency was set on foot this year,-the Corresponding Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which met for the first time at St. Paul's College, under the presidency of Bishop Smith. The Morrison Education Society's buildings were sold, and the site returned to the government. The society made grants in aid, to different schools at the coast ports. Of those in Hongkong, St. Paul's College reported thirty pupils, and Dr. Legge forty. The Basel Mission lost by death, two members of its little band of workers,-the Rev. T. Hamberg and Mrs. Lechler. Mr. Lechler and Mr. Winnes removed to Pukak, to carry on the Lilong work. Miss Julie Poser came out to assist Mrs. Neumann, and died within a year. Miss Nagel and Miss Süsserwerth joined the mission.

1855. Mr. and Mrs. Neumann returned to Berlin, owing to the break up of their health;-Miss Nagel and Miss Süsserwerth carried on the general Foundation Hospital, but the numbers were very small. Dr. Göcking and Mr. Hanspach of the Berlin Mission assisted. Bishop Smith reported that the first class had left the college; the average number remaining being thirty. Dr. Legge had thirty-eight in his boarding-school, forty-five boys in a day-school, and there were seven girls in a boarding-school under the care of Mrs. Chalmers. Johnson had a boarding-school for girls with ten pupils. This was the beginning of girls' boarding-schools in Hongkong. The British and Foreign Bible Society sent out colporteurs in place of those formerly sent by the Rev. C. Gutzlaff.

Mrs.

1856.-Owing to the war which broke out this year between

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