Lately occupied by Mr. Bailey's family; which will serve for the residence of a Schoolmaster, and for a Central School for this Station. A great proportion of the materials, requisite for the proposed buildings of the Christian Institution, is collected.

Captain Schneider, the Colonial Engineer, was so kind as to furnish a plan of the buildings for the Institution; but the Meeting thought the plan was on too large a scale, and came to the following determination:

That it consist of a main building, of two stories, of about 150 feet long and 61 broad, including verandahs, and the main walls 32 feet high; for the purposes of a Lecture Room, Library, and the accommodation of two English Families: and that there be two ranges of low buildings capable of accommodating Thirty Students, with the necessary Native Teachers, and the requisite out-buildings for the two families.

KANDY.

The improving prospects at this Station, referred to in the last Report, were soon obscured. Mr. Browning draws an affecting picture of the state of the people: he writes, in June

It is under circumstances of a painful nature with respect to the success of my labours in this place, that I now write to you. I have long been waiting, and hoping, and praying for the dawn of a brighter day in Kandy; and, a few months ago, my expectations begun to be a little raised, by some apparent disposition on the part of the people to hear the Word of God: but now, alas! I am greatly impeded in my work, by an alarming prevalence of disease among them. For the last nine months, we have had very little rain in the interior; the consequence of which has been oppresively hot weather, and this has proved fatal to many. The mortality has been very great, among both Europeans and Natives.

It pains my heart when I reflect how many of these deluded and ignorant people are daily passing into an awful Eternity, destitute of the knowledge of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ. Oh that I could impart this saving knowledge to them! But, alas! most of them are unwilling to hear, or to receive Christian Instruction: their minds enslaved to superstitious vanities and lies, that they will not believe the blessed truths of the Gospel: a devil dance, a charm, or an incantation to their supposed gods, is far more regarded by them, than prayer to the Supreme Jehovah; and,

even among those who are Nominal Christians, many of whom reside in Kandy, some, as I have been credibly informed, daily have Buddhu's doctrines read in their houses, in order to keep away devils and to ward off sickness from their families! Their profession of Christianity appears to be entirely in name: for they neither govern their lives according to Christian Precepts, nor are they supported in sickness and death by Christian Consolations; but, having lived a life of ungodliness, dishonourable to their profession, in the time of sickness and death they fly to the delusive consolations of Buddhuism to give a quietus to their guilty consciences; and thus make it appear by their conduct that Buddhuism is, in their view, preferable to Christianity. I trust that you will still remember us at the Throne of Grace; and that you will pray especially for the conversion of Kandians, who may recommend the Gospel to their idolatrous countrymen by a holy and consistent life. I long to see the arm of the Lord made bare among this people. I long to hear them inquire how they shall obtain salvation-how they shall escape the wrath to come!

In August, he adds

My last to you was written in a season of peculiar discouragement, as it regarded the suffering state of the inhabitants of this place. I am happy now to inform you, that it has pleased God to remove the severity of the affliction; and, in a great degree, to restore health to the people. Thanks to His Holy Name, for having safely preserved me and my family in such an alarming visitation; for though we have not altogether been left without chastisement (Mrs. Browning having had two attacks of fever, and myself one, and one of the children on our establishment having died), yet the Lord has dealt mercifully with us.

To the Meeting, in September, Mr. Browning reported

The late awful visitation has greatly affected the state of our Schools and Congregations. I have not, for some time past, made any visits to the villages around; and, if I had, I should not probably have been able to obtain hearers: nor would it, perhaps, be prudent to venture, until the country becomes more healthy. I have lately circulated a great number of papers and ollas, on the leading doctrines of Christianity, both among the inhabitants of Kandy and among strangers from the country. In some instances, these have been received with pleasure, and the people have promised to read them: indeed a few persons have come to me to solicit books. But some, to whom I have offered them, have looked on them with great suspicion, as if they feared that I

had some design upon them. Very few, comparatively, know how to read; and it is desirable to put the Word of Life into the hands of those who do. Oh that we had the Scriptures in such a style of language, as would be intelligible to ordinary readers !

The regular SERVICES at my own house and at the prison, on Sundays, are continued. In these Services, I sometimes feel a degree of pleasure, in witnessing the attention of the people to the Word preached; but, at others, I am much discouraged at the few that attend, and at their apparent indifference concerning what they hear. Many, whom I invite to come and hear me, promise to come, but do not. Before the sickness came on, I regularly went out every Sunday Morning to preach in one or other of the Schools; and also established a kind of Christian Worship in them all, by appointing the Masters to teach the children on the Sunday the Litany, instead of attending to the usual course of reading &c., to which they made no objection, and the practice is still continued. But the mortality has been very great among the children: in one School, no less than 25 died within a short time!

The SCHOOLS Connected with the Station at present, are five, viz. Kandy, Embilmegama, Kurekada, Wellatte, and Pulawella; neither of which, since the sickness, has an average attendance of more than seven or eight children: the Boys' School, in Kandy, is beginning to revive. Mrs. Browning has not found any Girls willing to be instructed since our last Meeting: several who used to come were the children of Roman Catholics, but are now prevented by their parents from attending. My establishment of children in the family is reduced to two: I have made many attempts to increase their number, but have not succeeded: these two lads, though very young, make progress in their learning: two of the names sent out by the Society may be appropriated to these boys.

A School was also opened at Pollgolla, under very promising circumstances, in the Bana Maduwa, or place where the Buddhist Priests read the Bana, or Sacred Books. Here Mr. Browning was first enabled to establish Christian Worship, in a Kandian Village, on the Sabbath Day; but he was obliged, after about nine months, to discontinue this School, for want of a proper Master.

The Schools afford, as in other places, access to the adult population: but not to the extent that they do in many quarters; the people seeming

afraid to appear to countenance them. Mr. Browning writes

On inquiring of one of them the reason why his children did not attend more regularly, he said that the Priests had been persuading them not to attend; telling them that it was not good for them to hear of other religions, and that if they attended our Schools and read our books, they must hear our religion. This is almost the first instance wherein the influence of the Priests operating against us has absolutely come under my notice; but I have no doubt that it does so operate, in a great degree, and that we shall see more of it as our Schools obtain more celebrity.

Opportunities for exertion are, however, multiplying, and more Labourers are greatly needed. Major Audain, of the Sixteenth Regiment, a sincere and zealous friend of the Society, who is in command in the Kandian Provinces, urges the establishing of a Missionary at Badula, some of the Head-men having solicited that a person might be appointed to instruct their children. Mr. Mayor thus mentions another Station, where he considers that two married Missionaries might be fixed with advantage:

Next in importance to an efficient helper being sent to Kandy, would be the establishment of a Mission at Ratnapoorah, nearly in the direct line from Galle to Kandy, and at the mid distance between them. The neighbourhood is populous. A Collector, and an Officer with a few Soldiers, reside there. There are facilities for erecting the necessary buildings. It is probable that a new road will shortly be made from Galle through Baddagame to Ratnapoorah. This Station would connect us with Kandy and Cotta: in passing from hence to Cotta, it would be but four or five miles out of the direct road to go by Ratnapoorah. The whole field is promising.

In the sickness or absence of the Chaplain of the Station, Mr. Browning has continued to do the Garrison Duty; preaching on Sundays in English, and visiting the sick in the Hospital. In Kandy, among the Natives, many difficulties are opposed to the progress of the Gospel : some are prejudiced against it by Buddhuism and others by Popery. Nearly all the professed Christians openly profane

the Sabbath Day. If Mr. Browning would admit to baptism all who wish it, it would be easy to make numbers of Nominal Christians; but the conscientious strictness, with which he requires reasonable proof of adequate knowledge and a proper state of mind, soon wearies those who apply for admission to the ordinance from worldly motives. Of his proceedings on occasions of this nature, the Committee will quote an example. He writes, in reference to some Candidates for Baptism

As my time is now fully occupied on the Sunday, I appointed them to meet me two mornings in the week. This will occupy more of my time; but, while persons are ready to receive instruction, it is a pleasure to communicate it. Happy indeed should I be, if these people truly desired instruction, or if their motive in wishing to be baptized was a pure one; but this is not the case: yet I think it my duty, while they are induced by any motive to receive religious instruction, to impart it; trusting in the Lord that He will be pleased to overrule it for their good. They are all anxious to obtain baptism immediately; but this, as I have repeatedly told them, I cannot think of administering to them, till they have made some satisfactory progress in the knowledge of Christianity. I exhorted them all earnestly to pray to God for the teaching of His Holy Spirit.

These Candidates, finding this course irksome, soon left Mr. Browning, and procured baptism at other hands. Your Committee are assured that the Society will entirely approve this course of proceeding, which is adopted in all its Missions; and will wish to see no adults admitted into the Church until they give satisfactory evidence of intelligence and sincerity.

BADDAGAME.

This Station and the vicinity have continued very healthy; while much sickness, as has been already stated, prevailed in the interior. Mr. Mayor and Mr. Ward, with their wives and increasing families, have enjoyed their usual health. An affection of Mr. Ward's chest limits his exertions in public speaking; and, in the latter part of the year, rendered a temporary cessation from labour requisite. He visited Cotta, therefore, at the time of the Annual