The pioneers : a narrative of facts connected with early Christian missions in Bengal, chiefly relating to the operations of the London Missionary Society

Front matter

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Chapter XXIV. List Of Illustrations

Pioneers of the Bengal Mission . . . Frontispiece

Government House, Calcutta .

View on the Hooghly ....

The Monobrotee .....

Brahmin and Soodra ....

Marriage Procession . . . .

Dancing Girls ......

“ The Tree ”

Banyans

Camping out in the Jungle

Brahmin Bull ......

Hastings Church

Jain Temple ......

Native Village Scenery ....

Native Chapel, Rammakal Choke Palanquin Travelling ....

Cingalese ......

Palm-tree Climbers .....

Hindoo Mother .....

The Hindoo Triad

Serpent Charmers .....

Combat between Tiger and Alligator .

The Banks of the Hooghly Bhowanipore Christian Institution Churruck Poojah, or Swinging Festival Brahmin Consecrating Instruments of the Thugs Native Dooley ......

Ghaut at Benares .....

Brahmin Chanting the Ramayan Capture of a Tiger .....

The Alligator

Union Chapel, Calcutta ....

Encounter with a Boa Constrictor Preaching in India .....

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PRIHCETQIT

THE PIONEERS

Chapter I. Madras

Arrival in Madras Roads — Good Mr. Loveless — First Public Service in India— First sight of Idolatry — Madras Cathedral — Monuments of Swartz and Gericke — Missionary operations in Madras — Arrival in Calcutta.

It was midnight of the 22nd August, 1819, that I stood on the deck of the ship “Surrey,” then riding at anchor in the Madras Roads. The boatswain’s shrill whistle had just sounded, and his hoarse voice calling, “ All the larboard watch, hoy !” had scarcely died away, when other and stranger sounds fell upon my ear. Four months had elapsed since I left the shores of England, during which time my thoughts had been busily engaged on the great work before me, of conveying to the various castes of India the knowledge of salvation through a crucified Saviour. I was now in sight of the land where that work was to be carried on. Not one of its inhabitants had I yet seen, and the dim outlines of the shore could only be discerned by the bright blaze from the lighthouse ahead. Two hours before, all was confusion on board, but now all was still; the sails were furled, the crew and passengers had retired to rest, and, with the exception of

MADRAS.

the officer of the watch, I stood alone on the quarter-deck. The sea breeze had died away, and the little air that stirred came from off the land. The night was still and sultry, and an unusual feeling of solemnity gradually crept over my mind. Before me was the land of idolatry, concerning which I had heard and read so much ; and I was now to come in contact with that mighty system of superstition and cruelty which was holding millions enslaved in its bonds ; to see its hateful rites, and, by the exhibition of the Truth, to contend with its dreadful power. I felt my insufficiency for this great work. Of the language I knew nothing, and but little of the character of the people to whom I was sent; but I knew they were “without God and without hope,” and praying for that assistance which could alone aid, I resolved by its strength to live, and if necessary to die for their good.

With these thoughts my mind was occupied, when I was suddenly aroused from my meditations by a long, low, wailing sound proceeding from the shore. Wafted by the land breeze, in fitful cadence it rose and fell. At times it appeared like a long drawn sigh — then as a cry of grief — now like the sound of prayer — and at last, in female voices, the loud shriek of agony or despair was distinctly heard. It then gradually died away, and all again was still, except the noise of the surf dashing against the unprotected shore.

Greatly excited by these sounds, as well as by my former train of thought, I continued to pace the deck

CATAMARANS.

till the morning watch was called, and the active duties of the day commenced; then, with an aching head and an anxious heart, I retired to my cabin, to prepare for my entrance on Missionary life in India.

At the dawn of day we, who had never been in India before, were astonished at seeing a number of natives approaching the vessel, apparently walking on the water. When, however, they came nearer, we found they were standing on “catamarans,” — a kind of boat formed of three planks of wood, fastened together by ropes made of the outer husks of the cocoa-nut, the centre plank being about six inches lower than the two side ones. In these frail vessels, if they may be so called, the natives carry on constant communication with the shipping in the Roads, carrying letters, or any small articles which they can deposit in their turbans ; for the body of the catamaran being always under water, nothing that can be injured by the sea water is able to be placed upon it. By these men letters were brought on board ; among which I received instructions how to proceed to V epery, some little distance from the shore.

At noon I landed, and was welcomed by good Mr. Loveless, who gave me a most loving welcome, and with whom I remained during my short stay in Madras. The same evening I accompanied Mr. Loveless to Fort St. Gieorge, where, in a room adjoining the barraeks, between fifty and sixty British soldiers were met together for the worship of Almighty God.

It was exceedingly refreshing thus to meet in this distant land, on the first day of my arrival, such a

MADRAS.

number of pious men, many of whom had left their homes as irreligious characters, but who, in this heathen country, had been brought to the knowledge of the truth by the preaching of the missionaries. To this interesting congregation I spoke of the love of God, and “exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” We continued conversing with these simple-minded Christians till the gun fired, and the tattoo began to beat ; when, after singing together, we separated — they to prepare for the roll-call, and we to return to Yepery, about two miles distant.

It was the rainy season; and when we left the barracks we were exposed to a most pelting shower. Siekness was then prevailing to an alarming extent, and the cholera morbus, for the first time in that part of India, was committing most fearful ravages ; the number of deaths among the natives every day being so numerous that a panic had seized the public mind, and many of the wealthy class had removed to more healthy places. We had proceeded some distance on the road, when the same mournful sounds I had heard the preceding night on board the ship, rose shrill and clear from a village which we were approaching; and soon a procession of about one hundred persons, principally women and children, carrying with them certain offerings, was seen proceeding towards an ancient temple, containing the image of an idol newly discovered by some holy Brahmin. These people I found to be the widows, orphans, and other relatives of the victims of cholera. They were smiting their breasts, tearing

FIRST SIGHT OF IDOLATRY.

their hair, and giving vent to their sorrows in strong cries and tears. Approaching the temple, their cries became louder, till, apparently frantic with grief, they cast themselves down before the door where the idol could be seen, and, striking their heads on the ground, vehemently cried for mercy, and implored that the dreadful cholera might be removed from their midst. Poor creatures ! they knew no better — they had never heard of Him who “maketh sore and bindeth up ; who woundeth and his hands make whole;” nor of that blessed Saviour who was anointed to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort the mourner, and to give the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

This was my first view of idolatry in India,, and truly dreadful did it appear. I had read and heard much of idol worship, but the frantic cries and earnest prayers presented to this dumb idol, produced a feeling in my heart altogether different to what I had hitherto experienced. I had now come in actual contact with the monster Hindooism ; and I saw at once how fearfully powerful it was, and how unable in my own strength I was to contend with so formidable a system — the enemy both of God and man.

Returning to the house of the excellent missionary, a scene of calm devotion presented itself, which appeared in wondrous contrast to that which we had just witnessed. All the members of his family, together with several Christian friends who had come to welcome the strangers, joined in the evening worship. Sweet was the song of praise then sung, and earnest the supplications which were presented at the throne

MADRAS.

of Grace ; and a feeling of gratitude to God for His unspeakable gift filled every heart, as we retired to rest in the enjoyment of that peace which passeth all understanding. Thus ended my first day’s residence in India.

On the following day I was taken to see some of the principal objects of attraction in the place. First to St. Mary’s Church, in the Fort, where are the marble monuments erected by the East India Company in memory of those two devoted missionaries, Swartz and Gericke, the pioneers of the South Indian missions.

The former laboured in Tanjore for fifty years, and obtained the confidence and esteem of all who knew him, both among Europeans and natives. Even Hyder Ali, the determined enemy of the British, entertained such an exalted opinion of this devoted missionary that he would not permit his troops to molest him; but, in the instructions to his officers, gave special commands that they were to “permit the venerable Father Swartz to pass unmolested, and show him respect and kindness, for he is a holy man and means no harm to my government.”

Although greatly opposed to the introduction of missionaries to any part of India, yet convinced of the benefits conferred upon the South of India by the labours of these excellent men, the East India Company prepared and sent to Madras the two marble monuments referred to; the inscriptions on which testify to the general respect in which they were held by all classes, and to the holy and blameless character of their lives.

MISSIONARY EFFORTS.

Notwithstanding this honourable testimony to the value of missionary labour, strange as it may appear, the same Court of Directors refused to give Protestant Missionaries leave to enter any part of India under their control. The few clergymen who went out, such as Henry Martyn, Corrie, and others, who afterward became most devoted missionaries, were sent out as military chaplains. When the Charter of the East India Company was renewed in 1813, it was proposed in the House of Commons to introduce a clause, whereby Christian missionaries might be permitted to proceed to any part of India, there to educate and evangelize the natives. The Board of Directors most strongly opposed this measure ; and their influence was so great that, although they could not prevent the clause being carried, they endeavoured to nullify it by inserting, that no captain of a vessel, under severe penalties, should convey to India any missionary without receiving from the India House a special license. Such a license, therefore, I had to obtain before I was permitted to leave England ; and I had also to find securities to the amount of £500 for my good behaviour in India, and that in my intercourse with the natives I should not utter a word to weaken the authority of the British Government among the various castes and religionists of the East.

Leaving St. Mary’s Church, my kind friends next introduced me to the Mission establishments belonging to the Church, Wesleyan, and London Missionary Societies. All were in active operation. Schools

HABEAS.

were well attended; printing-presses were sending forth translations of the Sacred Scriptures in the Tamil, Teloogoo, and Canarese languages; Christian Churches were being formed among the natives, and addresses in the vernacular tongues were delivered every day. A good spirit of brotherly love existed among the different denominations, all of which were striving to advance the glory of God in the conversion of the heathen.

Having spent a week of unalloyed happiness in Madras, and having learnt much to prepare me for my future labours in Bengal, my wife and I re-embarked on board the “ Surrey,” and soon entered the river Hooghly. On arriving at Diamond Harbour we left the ship, and proceeded in a native boat to Calcutta. During tbe short voyage we came in contact with several dead human bodies, floating down with the tide — to us a most sickening sight, but one with which the boatmen seemed quite familiar; for the horror expressed by us only called forth from them loud peals of laughter. Arriving at Champall Ghaut, then the principal landing-place in Calcutta, we found our way to the house of the Rev. H. Townley, who received us most kindly; and we at once proceeded to prepare for our work in the capital of Bengal.

Chapter II. Calcutta

The Black Hole of Calcutta— Good brought out of Evil— Battle of Plassey— State of Religion in Calcutta m 1819 — Mistaken Views of the Bengal Government respecting Missions — Voluntary Efforts in England to send the Gospel to India.

In endeavouring to state the moral condition of Calcutta at the time of which I write, and to ascertain what efforts had been made for the spiritual good of the inhabitants, allusion is needful to the painful tragedy of the “Black Hole,” as from that circumstance arose the immediate establishment of the British power in India; which, although it has been exceedingly remiss in discharging the duties connected with its responsibility, must ultimately prove to be the greatest blessing which God could bestow upon that vast empire.

The story of the “ Black Hole ” has been often told, and the facts are familiar to most readers ; still it will not be irrelevant to this brief history of the Bengal Mission to mention the leading incidents, as it shows how wonderfully Almighty God can bring lasting good out of apparent evil.

In 1756, Suraj ad Dowlah, Nawab of Moorshedabad,

CALCUTTA.

invaded the little British settlement of Calcutta with a large army of horse and foot. To resist this mighty force was impossible, and the Nawab became master of the place. The whole of the English population, men and women, amounting to 146 in number, including Mr. Holwell, the governor, were confined in the Black Hole prison. It was about eight o’clock on a close, sultry night in Bengal, when these unhappy persons, exhausted by continual exertion and fatigue, were thus crammed together in a dungeon only eighteen feet square, enclosed by dead walls to the east and south, and by a wall and close-shut door to the north ; two windows opening to the west, strongly barred with iron, being the only quarter from whence they could receive any fresh air. In this fearful prison they continued all that sultry night, experiencing agonies caused by suffocation and raging thirst such as cannot be described. By eleven o’clock most of the ladies and one-third of the whole number were dead. In vain were the guards implored for water, or urged by the wretched survivors to fire upon them and thus end their sufferings. The orders of the Nawab dared not be disobeyed. When the morning broke and the door was opened at six o’clock, by command of the Nawab, only twenty-three out of the 146 English prisoners remained alive, and these in so debilitated a state as to be scarcely able to move. The bodies of the dead were dragged out by the native soldiery, and thrown promiscuously into a ditch, which was afterwards filled up with earth.

Upon the spot where this cruel tragedy took place,

PREJUDICES AGAINST MISSIONARIES.

I have frequently stood, and called to mind the text, “The wrath of man shall praise thee.” Had it not been for that event, the East India Company might never have obtained territorial possession of the land ; but might have remained, as it was, a Company of Traders, dwelling, by the sufferance of the Great Mogul, in a country where large gain could be obtained. But God had designed otherwise ; and a few months afterwards, on the field of Plassey, a fearful retribution was experienced by the Nawab, who was not only defeated and ignominiously driven from his throne, but was cruelly murdered by his own people. From that date India has gradually succumbed to British prowess; till the various peoples in that immense empire have been placed under the righteous rule of Queen Victoria, and the treasures of European science and literature have been opened out before the awakening mind of India, and the glorious Gospel of the grace of God extensively made known.

Within a few days of my arrival in Calcutta, I became acquainted with the fact that missionaries had nothing to expect in the way of encouragement, either from the Government or the European inhabitants of the place. The morality of the latter was of the most questionable character, and the presence of the missionary was a check on their conduct which they did not choose to tolerate; whilst the officers of the Government looked upon them with suspicion. Both parties did all in their power to make them appear contemptible in the eyes of the natives ; describing them as low-caste people in their own country, and quite

CALCUTTA.

unfit to hold conversation with the learned Brahmins, or even to teach the ignorant Soodras of the land.

I found that for the moral and spiritual benefit of the European residents and their country-bom descendants, there were two Episcopal churches and one Presbyterian; the ministers of which were chaplains, liberally supported by the Government. Owing to a Bishop (Dr. Middleton) having been recently appointed, one of the Episcopal churches was dignified with the title of Cathedral, whilst the other was called the old, or Mission church.

Besides these churches there was one Armenian, one Greek, and two Roman Catholic churches — the latter attended principally by Indo-Portuguese. One Dissenting chapel alone existed. It was in a crowded part of the town, called Bow Bazaar ; and twice on the Sunday one of the Baptist missionaries from Serampore preached there to a small congregation of European and country-born Christians. For the natives, either Hindoo or Mohammedan, no means of religious instruction was provided : idol temples were in almost every street, and idolatrous orgies, of the most abominable character, were seen and heard both day and night, even under the windows of the Government-house; while no effort was made, either public or private, to bring to notice the civilizing influences of the Gospel of Christ. The Christian Sabbath was publicly desecrated by the rulers ; all the Government out-door work, such as house and ship building, etc., being as regularly done on that day as on the other days of the week.

GOVERNMENT PATRONAGE OF IDOLATRY. 13

The introduction of missionaries into Bengal was looked upon as a most dangerous experiment ; since it was thought that it would excite the prejudices and alarm the fears of the Hindoos, lest their religious customs should he invaded, their caste threatened, and Christianity forced upon them. Nearly the whole of the Sepoys, or native troops, consisted of high-caste men ; the Government, therefore, knowing the irritable character of the army, trembled lest the imprudence of missionaries, in forcing the claims of Christianity on the attention of the soldiery and others, might call forth their idolatrous zeal, and lead to mutiny and to the destruction of British power in India. In consequence of this fear, no native Christian was permitted to join the ranks of the army; and when, through ignorance, such an event did actually occur, as soon as it became known, the culprit was immediately expelled : and this was done by professed Christian officers, with the sanction and advice of a professed Christian Government ! “ Leave the natives alone,”

was the language both implied and expressed ; “ we want their country, their services, and their wealth; but as it concerns their religious faith, we have nothing to do; they act according to their own shasters; we have no right or intention to interfere, and we will permit no one else to do so.” To show their sincerity in this declaration, the Government took under their special care the principal temples in the country, and administered their revenues for the payment of the priests and other officials attached thereto.

Two educational institutions had, however, just been

CALCUTTA.

established in Calcutta by the Government — one for the sons of wealthy Hindoos, called the Hindoo College, and the other for Mohammedans, called the Madrissa — in which instruction in English, Sanscrit, and Persian was given; but everything connected with Christianity was carefully excluded, and the very name of Christ was never uttered. For the great mass of the inhabitants, not in Calcutta only but throughout the country, with the exception of a few vernacular schools in Hooghly, nothing whatever was done to elevate their minds, or to improve their social or moral condition; they were suffered to live in a state of the most debasing idolatry, and of the grossest sensuality, without one effort being made to rescue them from their degraded state. This noble but thankless task the missionaries undertook, and without receiving aught from the public treasury, but sustained alone by the free-will offerings of the religious public at home, they have already accomplished a work so great, that the ultimate result will be, by God’s grace, the entire deliverance of India from ignorance, superstition, and idolatry, and the raising of it to a level with the most favoured countries of the world. This consummation may be distant, but it is sure. “ The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie ; though it tarry, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not tarry.’4

Having brought out with me from England a printing-press and a good supply of types, our office • was at once put in operation, and a variety of tracts and school books in the Bengalee and Hindostanee

NATIVE OBJECTIONS AND ARGUMENTS.

languages were soon put in circulation. Every spare moment of my time was occupied in acquiring the native language ; and after twelve months’ hard study, I was able to commence public speaking in the vernacular tongue.

No regular preaching stations were then established ; but in the evening of every day, as soon as the printing office was closed, I accompanied Mr. Townley, the senior missionary, to the quiet suburbs of the city, and there standing on some elevated spot, we spoke to the people, who soon gathered about us in large numbers, concerning “ Jesus and the resurrection.” The doctrine to them was entirely new ; the great majority of our hearers never even having heard the name of Him, who gave His “life for the world.” We changed the scene of our labours continually, and so surrounded the city, penetrating the country in every direction for four or five miles.

Objections innumerable were raised by some of our hearers, and a spirited conversation would, at times, detain us till nearly ten o’clock at night. Amongst the Hindoos, indifference to the subject of religion was constantly manifested; but amongst the Mohammedans, hatred, most bitter, against Christ characterized all their remarks. The former invariably insisted that all religions were equally good, and would all end most happily; illustrating this common dogma by saying, —-one man would come from Juggotnath in the South, another from Dacca in the East, a third from Burdwan in the West, and a fourth from Benares in the North, and each, walking in a direct line, would all meet at last before the Government House in Calcutta. Satisfying their minds with this line of argument, they would then retire, repeating the names of some of their gods. The Mohammedans, on the contrary, haters of idolatry, used towards our blessed Saviour the most opprobious epithets, and spoke of Him in the most insulting terms, adding that all who trusted in Him would assuredly be sent to hell ; they generally closed their arguments with the Mussulman’s battle cry,-— “ There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his prophet.”

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, CALCUTTA

Chapter III. Pioneeks Of The Church Mission

Rev. David Brown — “Is it Sunday?”— Dr. Claudius Buchanan — Visit to the Temple of Juggernaut — Henry Martyn — Journey to Persia — Death at Tocat — Bishop Middleton — His sudden death — Archdeacon Hawtayne — Bishop Heber — His deep interest in Missions— Bishop James — Bishop Turner — Bishop Wilson — His devotedness and piety— Bishop Cotton- Bishop Corrie — Archdeacon Dealtry.

Before proceeding with the narrative of missionary work in Bengal at the period of my arrival, it will he necessary to glance briefly at the labours of those Pioneers in the Missionary army who had already gone before ; and while this narrative records more particularly the events connected with the efforts made by the agents of the London Missionary Society, reference must he made also to those noble and heroic men, belonging to other sections of the Christian Church, who were the first to face Hindooism and other forms of heathen superstition, to the sacrifices they were called to make, and to the trials which they had to endure.

The Rev. David Brown, who arrived in Calcutta in 1786, as a chaplain in the East India Company’s service, was one of the first pioneers of missionary

PIONEERS OF THE CHURCH MISSION.

effort in Bengal. Although principally engaged in attending to the spiritual wants of the English population, Mr. Brown had a heart filled with missionary zeal ; and having acquired a knowledge of the native language, he held frequent conversations with the more intelligent Hindoos, and exerted all his influence with his English congregation to spread abroad the knowledge of the truth.

To show the state of European society in Calcutta at that time, the following extracts from the life of this good man will be found interesting : —

“The Lord’s day, that distinguishing badge of a Christian people, was nearly as little regarded by the British as by the natives— the most noted distinction being hardly more than the waving of the flag at head-quarters; excepting as it was the well-known signal for fresh accessions of dissipation. In short, it would now hardly be believed in Calcutta how the Sunday was openly neglected at that time.

“ Some instances might be adduced that are absurd, others ludicrous. f Is it Sunday V ‘ Yes ; for I see the flag is hoisted,’ was the rather customary breakfast language, on the Lord’s day morning. A lady, on being spoken to upon her utter disregard of that day, maintained that she always religiously observed it, * for,’ said she, f every Sunday morning I read over the Church Service to myself, whilst my woman is dressing my hair !’ Another lady, being urged to attend divine service, said that although she had resided more than twelve years in Calcutta, it had been out of her power during all that time to go to church, because she had

DR. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN.

never had an offer from any beau to escort her there and hand her to a pew ! One lady, who was a great stickler for her own personal religious duties on the Sunday, judged, nevertheless, that it would he absurd to restrain her husband’s daughter from her usual employ, since she was the child of a native mother, and could be no better than the Hindoos, and therefore ought to work, the same as they, on Sundays, equally with any other day.”

Dr. Claudius Buchanan, who landed in Bengal in 1790, was another missionary pioneer in connection with the Church of England. His interesting journeys to Juggernaut, Tanjore, Goa, Cochin, and Candenad, the residence of Mar Dionysius, the Metropolitan of the Syrian Church in Malabar, are recorded in his well-known “ Christian Researches in the East.”

Earnest and indefatigable in all that he undertook, and with a keen eye to the defects of European civilization and influence on the one part, and of the degrading character of Hindoo superstition on the other, Dr. Buchanan brought a noble heart and vigorous mind to the help of the missionary enterprise. Having made himself thoroughly acquainted with Syriac and other languages, he visited all the churches of the ancient Syrian Christians of Malabar ; endeavouring to arouse their energies, from the feeble indifference into which they had fallen, to a true realization of the lifegiving influences of that blessed Gospel in which they professed to believe.

He it was, also, who first described the horrors of

PIONEERS OF THE CHURCH MISSION.

Juggernaut, then new to the British public. In order to be an eye-witness of the cruelties attendant upon the rites of that Indian Moloch, Dr. Buchanan, in 1805, paid a visit to the celebrated temple of Juggernaut, in Orissa, at the time of the annual festival. He was the first Christian minister from Bengal who had seen the abominations of the place ; and his description is so painfully interesting, and gives such a vivid ^picture of the horrors of Hindooism as openly practised at that period, that it cannot be realized better than by a few extracts from his journal.

“We know,” he writes, “that we are approaching Juggernaut (and yet we are more than fifty miles from it) by the human bones which we have seen for some days, strewed by the way. At this place we have been joined by several large bodies of pilgrims, about 2,000 in number, who have come from different parts of Northern India. Some of them, with whom I have conversed, say that they have been two months on their march ; travelling slowly, in the hottest season of the year, with their wives and children. Some old persons are among them, who wished to die at Juggernaut. Numbers of people perish on the road, and their bodies remain unburied. On a plain by the river, near the Pilgrims’ Caravansery at this place, there are more than a hundred skulls. The dogs, jackals, and vultures seem to live here on human prey. These foul, obscene animals will not leave the body till we come close to them ; the vultures exhibiting a shocking tameness. This Buddruck is a horrid place. Wherever I turn my eyes, I meet death