| Description | The bishop [of Calcutta] is about to depart after primary visitation; Mr. Mortlock, a member of the Corresponding Committee, has sailed for England and Pratt will obtain much first-hand information from him; Schnarre and Rhenius have begun to preach in Tamil to Dr. Rottler's congregation; Rhenius is beginning to learn Gentoo; Christian has been taken on as a reader; the committee goes on slowly; Mr. G. Casamaijor has become a member; £200 has been raised during the past year; Rhenius' fiancee is only 15; as Norton is still delayed in Ceylon he has been told to proceed directly to Quilon, not calling at Madras; is sending the letters and copies of papers from Major Munro; the papers on Syrian Christianity [21-22] might profitably be compared with 'Buchanan's Christian Researches' "for I strongly suspect, something is at work to impugn his correctness and injure his fame"; the bishop arrived at Madras 26 Dec and will leave 29 Jan; has had much converse with him about missions, missionaries and Syrians; in conversation he appeared to support the Society most strongly, but in his acts he would have nothing to do with them; at a meeting of the SPCK he was as silent over the missionary part of the society's activities as the archdeacon had been; when taxed by T., who wished to see a select missionary committee formed from the main committee the bishop replied that if he suggested such a thing it would lose him at once one third or two thirds of the committee; nevertheless the choice of bishop might have been worse "a Randolph or a Dampier". |