looked for in this generation; they "will be reaped by generations yet unborn," if they are ever reaped at all. Their progress is slow indeed. It was not till after several years that five more of these converts "made public profession of their faith in the Gospel, and most of these were foreigners." (Ib. p. 568.) In still later years, a blessing of unmentioned magnitude is said to have descended upon some villages, containing a thousand inhabitants. "Many have been added to the Church." The seed sown at Motito has also begun to spring up and promise well. On the other hand, former converts are falling back into heathenism, and becoming stumbling-blocks. The brethren also appear to be very much puzzled what to do with polygamists, of whom there is plenty. One praiseworthy Mosutu convert gave up nine out of ten wives he had,— cheerfully" gave them up, as we should do in the like case. This difficulty, however, has afforded the means of solving another of much older date,—the meaning of that text, "Let every bishop be the husband of one wife." Mr. Moffat believes that the missionaries,—among the Bechuanas at least,-are unanimous in interpreting it to mean, that every member of the church" ought to have only one wife; and, if he have several, that his first wife has the prior claim, which she may renounce if she pleases! (Ib. p. 575.)

66

66

In the town where king Mahura resided, Mr. Moffat had not one "professor," although, among its twenty thousand inhabitants, many had been disciples of the Kuruman mission, and had kept up a constant intercourse with it. But their acquaintance with the whites prevented them from throwing a deranged woman into a chasm, covering her with stones, or tying her to a tree; and Mr. Moffat considered that, so far, much had been gained. (Ib. p. 591.) We find him exulting in still more extatic fashion at the village of Moshen; and, again, it is not the "emergence of immortal beings from darkness" that gladdens him, but the "dawn" of that emergence. (Ib. p. 602.)

Mr. Moffat closes the account of the Bechuana mission, by telling us that, in 1837 and 1838, a rich blessing descended upon it. In sober English, "the church has since increased to 250." Mothibi, the king of the Batlapis, however, received baptism under auspices of no great encouragement. To use his own words, "he was an old man, great from age, but without understanding; his mind was dark, and his memory could not retain the good word." His people too viewed him as one of the past generation. In this hopeful state he was induced to accept baptism. We agree with brother Edwards that he will "not be a bright star among the believers," and may probably "go halting

the few remaining days of his life." The remaining chiefs mourn over his second childhood, shaking their heads, says Mr. Moffat, as if he were dead." Those chiefs, he adds, who know the missionaries best, are opposed to the introduction of their Gospel. Those from a distance are anxious to have them, for the sake of "the temporal benefits" they bring in their train; not knowing the price which they will be called upon to pay for them. "To us," he says, 66 this is not at all surprising," in which remark we cordially concur. (Ib. pp. 605-8.) None of the chiefs of any influence, excepting Mothibi and his family, have embraced Christianity. Many have removed to a distance from the Christian atmosphere, and some have even hesitated to drink the water that passes the missionary houses, lest an infusion from their sewers may have tainted it. (Ib. p. 576.) These are fearful signs of instability. Believe us, Mr. Moffat, much more remains to be done than to go up and take possession of the land. Your prospects are not inviting. You are not warranted to expect, from what has already occurred, great and glorious results for you or for your missions. The simple reading and study of the Bible alone will not convert the world. (Ib. p.617.) It may be very true that your Gospel exerts a salutary influence, sometimes, among those who do not receive it. The jurisprudence of such heathens may have derived the improvements, which you assert they have, from the lessons you have given them out of your Gospel. And, no doubt, the "judicial inflictions" of Knox himself would be "immense improvements" upon those of Bechuana jurisprudence. Still, these "secondary benefits," as you very properly call them, are far from being the humanising influences of Christianity. (Ib. p. 438.) Would you look for these? There will be soon among you lawful missionaries,-holy persons, the anointed ones of God. Upon them and their successors rests the blessing vouchsafed to the apostles through their prince, for they too are their successors, and they go forth in the might of St. Peter, and of his successor Gregory. To the expectations with which our minds are occupied in their regard, we have the better title to refer, inasmuch as we were among the first in Europe to direct public attention to this field of enterprise so long neglected. We flatter ourselves with the belief that our humble labours had not escaped the notice of the Sacred Congregation, when it was determined to send missionaries, to the frontiers of the Cape Colony, and beyond them. That decision leaves us nothing to wish for.

We have not space enough to do justice to Mr. Moffat, in the secular capacity of traveller. Suffice it that his twenty-three years' experience

has enabled him to present us with many a vivid picture of savage life. He certainly possesses a most graphic pen; and when unblinded by sectarianism, he wields it with taste and justice. Those who would know how live and die hundreds and thousands of the children of Africa, whom our pretended civilisation has not reached, nor our vices corrupted, must provide themselves with Mr. Moffat's work. To those who possess Burchell and Thompson's narratives, the work before us will prove an invaluable supplement. In justice to our readers as well as to Mr. Moffat,-of whom we wish no worse than that he may give up his mission to the Catholics, and enter into communion with them and us, we have transcribed the following incident from his pages. It is a fair specimen of his style, and as fair an illustration of his benign and simple nature. He is travelling in Namaqualand, and at a distance he observes a smoke, to which he hastens, not without alarm, for fresh liontracks are on his path.

"On reaching the spot, we beheld an object of heart-rending distress. It was a venerable-looking old woman, a living skeleton; sitting with her head leaning on her knees. She appeared terrified at our presence, and especially at me. She tried to rise; but, trembling with weakness, sunk again to the earth. I addressed her by the name which sounds sweet in every clime, and charms even the savage ear. My mother, fear not; we are friends, and will do you no harm.' I put several questions to her, but she appeared either speechless, or afraid to open her lips. I again repeated, 'Pray, mother, who are you? and how do you come to be in this situation?' to which she replied, 'I am a woman. I have been here four days. My children have left me here to die.' 'Your children!' I interrupted. "Yes!' raising her hand to her shrivelled bosom, 'my own children, three sons and two daughters. They are gone,' pointing with her finger, 'to yonder blue mountain, and have left me to die.' And pray why did they leave you?' I enquired. Spreading out her hands, I am old, you see, and I am no longer able to serve them. When they kill game, I am too feeble to help in carrying home the flesh. I am not able to gather wood to make fire. And I cannot carry their children on my back, as I used to do.' This last sentence was more than I could bear; and, though my tongue was cleaving to the roof of my mouth for want of water, this reply opened a fountain of tears. I remarked that I was surprised that she had escaped the lions, which seemed to abound, and to have approached very near the spot where she was. She took hold of the skin of her left arm with her fingers, and, raising it up as one would do a loose linen, she added, 'I hear the lions, but there is nothing on me that they would eat; I have no flesh on me for them to scent.' At this moment the wagon drew near, which greatly alarmed her, for she supposed that it was an animal. Assuring her that it would do her no harm, I said that, as I could not stay, I would put her

into the wagon, and take her with me. At this remark she became convulsed with terror. Others addressed her, but all to no effect. She replied, that if we took her and left her at another village, they would only do the same thing again. It is our custom; I am nearly dead; I do not want to die again.' The sun was now piercingly hot; the oxen were raging in the yoke, and we ourselves nearly delirious. Finding it impossible to influence the woman to move without running the risk of her dying convulsed in our hands, we collected a quantity of fuel, gave her a good supply of dry meat, some tobacco, and a knife, with some other articles; telling her we should return in two days, and stop the night, when she would be able to go with us; only she must keep up a good fire at night, as the lions would smell the dried flesh, if they did not scent her. We then pursued our course; and, after a long ride, passing a rocky ridge of hills, we came to a stagnant pool, into which men and oxen rushed precipitately, though the water was almost too muddy to go down our throats. On our return to the spot, according to promise, we found the old woman and every thing gone; but, on examination, discovered the footmarks of two men from the hills referred to, who appeared to have taken her away. Several months afterwards, I learned, from an individual who visited the station, that the sons, seeing from a distance the wagon halt at the spot where they had so unnaturally left their mother to perish, came to see, supposing the travellers had been viewing the mangled remains of their mother. Finding her alive and supplied with food, and on her telling the story of the stranger's kindness, they were alarmed, and, dreading the vengeance of the great chief, whom they supposed me to be, took her home, and were providing for her with more than usual care. I have often reasoned with the natives on this cruel practice; in reply to which they would only laugh. I have more than once handed food to a hungry mother, who appeared to have fasted for a month, when she would just taste it, and give it to her child; when perhaps that very child, instead of returning grateful service to the infancy of old age, leaves that mother to perish from hunger."-Ib. pp. 133-6.

We take leave of our author with some feeling of tenderness and regret. It is impossible not to see that, in him, a good nature has been spoiled by heresy and the false spirit of missions. Had he the grace to become a Catholic, his intelligent industry might be of incalculable value to the missionaries, whom His Holiness has destined for those heathen countries in the south of Africa. A missionary he can never be; an useful ally of missionaries he may and ought to be. It is impossible to foretell what Providence has yet in store for him. Let us hope that before many years we shall read, in the Annals of the Propagation, that his Bechuana friends are all diligent frequenters of the daily sacrifice of the mass in Kuruman church, where a chief tribune may be occupied by Mr. Moffat and his Catholic family, as leading people among

the agriculturists and merchants of that kingdom. For if he will only give us the souls, his own namely, and those of all around him,—we will confidently promise him that the rest he shall take unto himself. Whether we part from him in unkindness is to be seen. On our side we freely forgive all the uncharitable things he opines and utters respecting us. When he answers the observations which it has been our painful duty to append to our selections from his book, we trust that the tone of his reply will be such, as to show us that we had not offended or irritated him beyond the limits of our intention. And, there is one suggestion more which we can offer him, and which, if carried out by one so competent as himself, will much enhance the value of whatever reply he thinks fit to make us. In the computation of the results of Protestant missions to Southern Africa, their cost from first to last is an all-important element. Yet he has accidentally, we are sure— omitted it; nor has he even afforded us the data from which to form an estimate for ourselves. In future discussions of this disputed question, -the usefulness of the missions,-that point must not be again neglected. A tabular view of the means employed, and the results obtained,-whether year by year, or in any other chronological arrangement,-will very much facilitate a determination of the matter. short, we would wish to know what has been the sum of expenditure down to 1842? What have been the receipts, in money and souls, down to the same period? The Annual Reports furnished by the Mission Societies must notice in future both these heads of enquiry in their periodical connexion.

In