part of the phrase. The practice of Gutzlaff to employ the term Shangte for God by way of eminence, has been followed throughout in the insurgent books, while his practice of using Shin for gods,' when the Almighty was not designated, as in Gen. iii. 5, has been imitated in the pamphlets brought from Nanking, so that they may be said to have made Gutzlaff's translation of Genesis their text-book.

It also appears from an article by the Rev. Dr. Legge, of Hong-Kong, quoted in the English Presbyterian Messenger' for Dec. 1853, that Hung Sew-tseuen, the chief leader of the insurgents, has long been under the instruction of Christian teachers. The history,' says Dr. Legge, of his own acquaintance with the Scriptural truths, which he now publishes under an imperial seal, may be traced as follows:-In 1837, it is stated in one of the works which I have been analyzing, he was taken up to heaven, and fully instructed in divine matters. Before that time, however, his mind had been excited about the great truths which are contained in our Scriptures. There is evidence that he was for some months in 1846 residing, for the purpose of receiving religious instruction, with Mr. Roberts, an American missionary in Canton. On his first application to that gentleman, he informed him that the thing which first aroused his mind was a tract with the title "Good Words to Admonish the Age," which was given him several years before at one of the literary examinations. The statements of that tract were subsequently, we learn from another document given last year by a relative of his to a Swedish missionary in Hong-Kong, confirmed to him by a vision which he had in a time of sickness, and during which occurred his visit to heaven. Thus we are carried back, beyond 1837, to the point when this religious movement commenced, and we want to find a tract entitled- "Good Words to Admonish the Age," given to Sew-tseuen, then a literary student, at one of the triennial examinations. Now we have the tract, and we have the record of its distribution on one of those occasions.

"Good Words to Admonish the Age" was a tract well known to missionaries some ten or twelve years ago, but it has latterly been out of print. I had the old blocks sought out, however, during the present week, and have had a few copies struck off. No one can look into it without seeing at once that its phraseology and modes of presenting the truth are repeated in the publications obtained at Nankin. It is rather a misnomer to call it a tract. It is a compilation of tracts, or short sermons on passages of Scripture and the general principles of religion, in four pretty large Chinese volumes. The different volumes, however, used to be distributed separately, each with the general title, and, perhaps, Sew-tseuen only received one of them, and not the entire set. So then, as the oak is in the acorn, the present great movement lay in one or more of the volumes of this compilation" Good Words to Admonish the Age." The writer is still alive, a Chinese, named Leang A-fah, who was baptized at Malacca in 1816, by Dr. Milne, and still continues abundant in labours, in connection with Dr. Hobson's operations in Canton. And now for the fact of the distribution of this tract at the literary examinations in Canton. This I shall give in the words of A-făh, in a letter written in the end of 1834:-" For three or four years I have been in the habit of circulating the Scripture lessons [another name for "Good Words to Admonish the Age"] which have been joyfully received by many. This year the triennial examination of literary candidates was held in Canton, and I desired to distribute books among the candidates. On the 20th of August, therefore, accompanied by Woo A-chan, Chow A-san, and Leang A-san, we distributed 5000, which were gladly received without the least disturbance. The next day we distributed 5000 more." My space will not allow me to quote more of A-făh's letter. His good endeavour soon brought the attention of the mandarins upon him, and the end was the severe punishment of one of his friends, the death of a second, and the flight of himself to Singapore. The detail which I have given shows you the book by which, the individual by whom, and the manner in which the head of this formidable rebellion was first brought into contact with scriptural truth. The connection between him and A-făh will greatly interest those who wisely like, in their study of Providence, to put this and that together. A-fäh was the first convert made by Protestant Missions, and by him is communicated an influence to the mind of this remarkable individual, which has already ex

tended to tens of thousands, and may by-and-by spread over the whole of this vast and thickly peopled territory.'

The following hymn, extracted from the Thae-ping dynasty,' proves very clearly that features been received by the insurgents:

Book of Religious Precepts of the Christian doctrine has in its leading

'How different are the true doctrines from the doctrines of the world!
They save the souls of men and lead to the enjoyment of endless bliss:
The wise receive them with exultation, as the source of their happiness:
The foolish, when awakened, understand thereby the way to heaven.
Our heavenly Father, of his great mercy and unbounded goodness,
Spared not his first-born Son, but sent Him down into the world
To give his life for the redemption of all our transgressions,

The knowledge of which, coupled with repentance, saves the souls of men.'

In the contemplation of such marked tendencies towards Christianity, and of the measures actively taken by the insurgents for the suppression of the existing idolatries, it is gratifying to learn that the proposal to print a million of copies of the New Testament in Chinese, is obtaining extensive sympathy and support. Subscriptions have been already received towards 130,000 copies. The Testaments are to be printed in China, at the cost of 4d. each, by the British and Foreign Bible Society. It appears that the printing establishments of the London Missionary Society at Hong-Kong and Shanghae are abundantly supplied with Chinese type for printing the whole Bible, and will doubtless be of eminent service at this important crisis. Some of the missionaries of the Society referred to were, by the last advices, engaged in revising the Chinese translation of the Scriptures by Morrison and Milne.

Hindostan.-The reports of the various Missionary Societies, and all other accounts, concur in their testimony to the rapid downfall of the influence of the various systems of idolatry in India, and the eagerness of the people to receive the Scriptures. It seems indeed evident that the fields are white already to harvest,' and that little more is required now than labourers to gather it in. The Scriptures are happily being presented in most of the dialects of India. The Baptist missionaries have been honourably distinguished in this work.

But other agencies more extended than those of the Baptist missions are engaged in placing the Word of God before the numerous tribes of this vast country in their native dialects. Amongst the most recent efforts of this description, in connection with the British and Foreign Bible Society, we may enumerate the following.

The missionaries of the Church Missionary Society at Kishnagur have translated into Bengali the Gospel of St. John, and the Epistle to the Galatians, which are being printed and circulated, together with Mr. Wenger's edition of Dr. Yates's version, in order to obtain the opinions of competent judges as to their fitness for circulation amongst the people.

The

An edition of the Gospel of St. Luke, in Mussulman-Bengali, has been completed by the Rev. J. Patterson, and has been ordered to be printed at the Baptist Mission press. A version of the Acts of the Apostles, in the Nepalee language, by the Rev. W. Start, in continuation of a version of St. Luke's Gospel by the same gentleman, has also been sent to press. The Rev. W. Lewis, of Cherraponjee, has translated the Four Gospels and Acts into the Khassia language. first volume of the Hindi Bible was completed last year. The Rev. Mr. Owen, the principal reviser of the work, states that the second volume is in progress, the book of Job being in the press. The Rev. Mr. Scheider, of the Church Mission at Agra, had been engaged in this work as one of the revisers of the translation. An edition of the Psalms in the Panjabi language is about to appear. A new edition of the Malayalim Bible having been called for, a revision has taken place, which has already extended to the Book of Genesis, and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; and the New Testament is being printed. A revision of the Canarese version has also taken place, and a large edition of the Gospels, as far as to the end of St. Luke, has been prepared. The Telugu Old Testament, slightly revised as to the more prominent names and to orthography, has also been printed

for the use of missionaries. Revisions and new editions of the Bible in the Marathi, and the New Testament in the Guzerathi language, are also in progress. These various works, which are at present in the course of completion, or which have been recently brought to a close, indicate the extent of the agencies now in operation for the evangelization of Hindostan. In connection with this subject, the following summary of the chief translations into the languages of India since the days of Ziegenbulg, will be read with interest. It is comprised in The Bible in India' (Dalton), and is taken from a report of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society:

At that time the Bible had not been translated into any language of India, and many years passed before the Tamil Bible of Fabricius and the Telugu Bible of Schultze were published Then followod Dr. Carey's Bengali Bible, his Marathi Bible, and his Uriya Bible; Hunter's Hindustani, and Colebrooke's Persian Gospels; Henry Martyn's Hindustani and Persian New Testament; the other versions from Serampore, including the Sanscrit Bible; the labours of Dr. Buchanan and Professor Lee, with the Syriac Scriptures; Mr. Thomason's commencement of the Hindustani Bible; Mr. Bowley's Hindui Bible; Archdeacon Robinson's Persian Pentateuch; the Malayalim Bible; the Telugu Scriptures, prepared at Vizagapatam; the labours of Rhenius with the Tamil version; the Bombay translations of the Bible into Marathi aud Guzerathi; the Canarese Bible completed at Bellary; the publication of the entire Hindustani Old Testament by Mr. Schurman and Mr. Hawkins; the labours of Dr. Yates and Mr. Wenger in a new version of the Sanscrit and of the Bengali Bible; Dr. Glen's Persian Bible; the Punjabee Scriptures, and the Burmese Scriptures, prepared by the American missionaries; Dr. Sutton's Uriya Bible; and all the various labours of other missionaries in preparing new editions of some of these works; and the translation of separate portions for minor tribes or nations, as the Nepalee, Lepcha, Khasia, Scindee, and Cutchee.'

It is of the extremest importance to direct in a right channel the growing taste of the Hindoos on literary subjects. Calcutta alone, it is said, sends out from native presses annually not less than 30,000 volumes in Bengali, amongst which are upwards of twelve papers and periodicals. There are upwards of forty native presses at work to supply intellectual food to the people, much of which is unfavourable to Christianity. The existing systems of heathenism, however, appear hastening to their doom.

Polynesia. A version of the Scriptures in the Samoan language, employed by the natives of the Navigators' Islands, is being now made under the direction of the missionaries. The whole of the Pentateuch and the Psalms are in print, and other portions are in various stages of progress.

South Seas.-A version of the Bible in the Javanese has been completed, under the direction of the Netherlands Bible Society. Another translation into the Dajadi language is being made in Borneo by M. Hardeland.

Syria.-The following illustration of Oriental habits referred to in the New Testament is given by Habeeb R. A. Effendi, in his recent work 'The Thistle and Cedar of Lebanon,' p. 71. It is a description of a marriage in a native Christian family at Aleppo.

'On arriving at the residence of the bridegroom we were ushered into a long room, in which guests were seated from the door to the upper part, according to their rank in life, the chief guests being seated at the head of the divan on either side of the master of the house; others were ranged lower and lower; the poorest guests were close to the doorway, and one or two so poor that they did not even aspire to a place in the divan, but squatted themselves cross-legged on the ground. On the arrival of a fresh guest the master of the house would rise and come forward to receive him; and if, as happened on some occasions, the guest, from mock humility, would seat himself in a position lower than what his actual rank of precedence entitled him to, an absurd scuffle would ensue, in which the master of the house would endeavour to drag the other higher up into the room, and the guest, with many "stafer Allahs" (God forbid), and many false protestations, would pretend reluctantly to yield to the distinction proffered him, and so gain honour in

the sight of the assembled multitude. Such scenes brought vividly to my mind Our Lord's parable about the meek being exalted; and rendered it clearly evident that this etiquette, so strictly adhered to by the nations of all Syria to this present hour, existed in the time of the Redeemer.'

Palestine. An interesting paper was read at the Syro-Egyptian Society Nov. 8th, On the appearance of the so-called tombs of the Patriarchs at Hebron in the middle ages,' by T. Wright, Esq., F.S.A. &c. Mr. Wright referred in the first instance to the 'Itinerarium a Burdigala Hierusalem usque' (A.D. 333), which describes the tomb of Joseph as being near Neapolis (Nablúz), and those of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah, at Hebron. The next referred to was Bishop Arculf (A.D. 700), who represents the tombs of the Patriarchs, and of Adam, as being in a double cave looking towards Mamré (Hebron). The cave was inclosed with a low wall, which Mr. Wright identified with the monument in form of a square,' mentioned by the earlier writer. So wulf, who travelled in 1102, describes the monuments of the Patriarchs and Adam' of ancient workmanship,' as being surrounded by a strong castle, each monument being like a church, with two sarcophagi within, one for the man, and another for the woman. The bones of Joseph were buried more humbly than the rest, at the extremity of the castle. This castle' was supposed by Mr. Wright to be the square wall' before mentioned, or one built on its site. It is evident that alterations had taken place, probably in the time of the Crusades. Sixty-one years after this Benjamin of Tudela speaks of six sepulchres erected by the Gentiles, and it is plain from his language that he considered the tombs then shown as modern inventions. Burchard, a monk who travelled A.D. 1283, describes the Saracens as having built a fortification over against the double cave which was contained in the Cathedral Church. Maundeville, forty-years after, observed that Christians were not allowed to enter these caves, and this prohibition has continued till the present day. Mr. Wright remarked on Sandys's mistaken statement that the building over the tombs was a Christian Church erected by the Empress Helena, but now converted into a mosque. Mangles' description of an outer wall of great antiquity was referred to the square hall of the early travellers.

The

Assyria.-A paper was read Nov. 23, at the meeting of the Royal Society of Literature, communicated by Mr. Stuart Poole of the British Museum. subject was a bowl found at Nineveh by Mr. Layard, and lately cleaned, which exhibits two circles of Egyptian hieroglyphics, the one apparently a simple inscription, the other, a series of cartouches. Mr. Poole expresses his belief that the writing is genuinely Egyptian, and a transcript of Assyrian names. He has observed the constant recurrence of certain groups, as Noubu or Nebu, in one case followed by the determinative used in hieroglyphics for God; and, in another instance, a group which he would read Meret or Mered, and would, therefore, compare with the Merodach (Mars), or the Martu (Neptune) of the Babylonians. Such occurrences can hardly be considered as merely accidental. In another cartouche, he reads Mered-onkh-al or Mered onkh-bal, which bears a striking resemblance to the Merodach-baladan of the Bible; on a second, he finds the name Suther-tu, which reminds one of Sut-belherat, a king (according to Colonel Rawlinson), who was vanquished by Divanubura, the ruler, who set up the black obelisk which was found at Nimrud. A third cartouche contains a name of even greater interest. It may be read Sheneekterim; the first two syllables of the name being, in Mr. Poole's opinion, undoubtedly a correct reading, and probably too the last also. This name bears a remarkable resemblance to that of Sennacherib, who, we know, himself conquered Merodach-baladan. In the conclusion of his paper, Mr. Poole states that he is unwilling, in the present state of knowledge, to urge these readings with too great positiveness; but that he throws them out, with a view of stimulating further research on a question of great interest.

Assyrian and Babylonian Weights.-At the meeting of the Asiatic Society on Nov. 19, a paper on this subject was read by Mr. Norris, with especial reference to the weights brought to England from Nineveh by Mr. Layard, and now deposited in the British Museum. These weights are of bronze, formed in the shape of lions with handles, some of them were also of marble in the shape of ducks.

There are inscriptions on them, some in the usual cuneiform Assyrian, and others in the cursive writing occasionally found in the Nineveh relics. He was of opinion that the inscription on the largest lion weight was in the Chaldee language and Phoenician character, and that it might be ready, meaning fifteen manehs. As the talent contained fifteen manehs, and the weight in question was of 41lb. troy, the result would be a talent of 164lb., more than double the weight ascribed to the talent by Greek authority. On going through the weights (about twenty) he found the inscriptions on half of them giving results like that already obtained, but the other half represented the talent as only half the amount of the first, or 82lb. weight, several of the latter being decidedly Babylonian in their character. Mr. Wright, therefore, stated his conviction that there were two systems of weights used in the Assyrian empire; that a talent of 1641b. was used in the northern province of Assyria Proper, and one of 82lb. in the province of Babylonia. It was a subject of interest that the weight of the Babylonian talent thus inferred was very little less than that derivable from the statement of Ælian, that the Babylonian talent was equal to 72 Attic minæ.

Tomb of Ezekiel.-Mr. T. K. Lynch, in some notes recently made public, describes a visit made by him in May 1848 to Kiffel, a place where the Prophet Ezekiel is said to be buried. He visited the tomb of the Prophet, traversing first a spacious court, and on entering a large hall supported on two rows of pilastered columns, was shown in a recess at the far end a precious manuscript of the Pentateuch, written on a single scroll. Leading out of this hall, on the south side, was a little dark chamber, which contained the tomb itself. enclosed in a wooden case. Above the tomb rose a spiral dome, gilt and enamelled internally.

Africa. It is stated in the Pennsylvania Freeman that Dr. Phillips, a missionary in South Africa, has been informed by a German traveller, that he has discovered a race of negroes near the kingdom of Bambam, who are Jews in their religious rites and observances. Nearly every family, he says, has the law of Moses written on parchments. This statement furnishes a subject of interesting inquiry, but is probably much exaggerated.

Genealogy of our Lord. An interesting extract from a Journal by the Rev. F. C. Ewald, in reference to the above important subject, appears in the Jewish Intelligencer for December.' It is as follows:

In the opening of the New Testament, the genealogy of our Lord, as given by Matthew and Luke, perplexed them. In Matthew, Joseph is called the son of Jacob; in Luke, he is called the son of Eli; and both Evangelists apparently give only the genealogy of Joseph; which I explained in the following manner:According to the laws given to the Israelites, we find that if a father of a family had no sons, but daughters, the inheritance was given to the daughter; this law was established in the wilderness on the occasion when the daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses and said "Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father." Moses brought the case before the Lord, and the Lord said, "If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.' (Numbers xxvii.) However, as soon as this law was promulgated there arose a difficulty. The promised land was to be divided by lot to the children of Israel; each tribe was to have a certain portion, and each family in that tribe again their portion; if therefore a daughter became the heiress and married into another tribe, the one tribe would lose a portion, whilst the other would gain it. Therefore another law was given, namely, that such heiresses could not marry into another tribe, but their future husbands must be of their own tribe, (Numbers xxxvi.) The chief object of these laws was that the name of the man who died sonless should not be lost. (Numbers xxvii. 4.) On that account, he who married such an heiress was called after the name of his father-in-law and also of his own father, and had thus two family names. For instance, we read in 1 Chron. ii. 21-23, that Hezron married the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, and she bare him Segub.