PESTH.

In Pesth, Mr Van Andel, our earnest and zealous missionary, is labouring with much success. In their last report, the Committee furnished details concerning the school under his superintendence, which they do not now repeat. At present the school is attended by 230 Jewish children (75 boys and 155 girls), and by 90 children of Christian parents: making in all, 320 children. At this time last year, the Committee stated that the most energetic efforts were being made by the Jews to increase and enlarge their own schools. These exertions have been continued under the auspices of the new chief Rabbi; and the consequence is, that the number of Jewish children attending our school is considerably diminished compared with the two preceding years. Still it is no small testimony to the excellent manner in which our school is conducted, that, in the face of such rivalry and opposition, it has been able to command the attendance of 230 Jewish children. Nor have we been able to run the race upon equal terms. Mr Van Andel has repeatedly urged upon us the necessity of improving and enlarging our premises; and he still continues of opinion that if we were to do so, we might not only recover our lost ground, but increase our numbers beyond what they have ever been, and also obtain the attendance of a higher class of children. These suggestions, however, the Committee have never been able to comply with, partly because the state of their funds would not allow them to increase their expenditure by the smallest item, and partly because the unsettled state of political affairs in Hungary rendered it unadvisable to invest any capital in buildings.

During the past year, the Committee have had the pleasure o receiving a valuable and impartial testimony to the high position of their school, and the importance of Mr Van Andel's labours, from an English gentleman long resident in the Austrian dominions, and cognizant of the history of our mission at Pesth from its commencement. A portion of his letter was published in the Home and Foreign Record for April last, in which he gives it as his opinion that no improvement could be made on the management of the schools; but that, if more capacious school-rooms were provided, the number of pupils might be doubled or trebled. He likewise refers to the happy footing of confidence on which our missionary stands with the heads of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. Perhaps it may be mentioned, as an additional testimony to the

efficacy of our schools, that the chief Rabbi lately proposed to Mr Van Andel to come to a compromise, the chief feature of which was to be, that a religious teacher of his own choosing should attend our school at certain hours to give religious lessons.

The number of Jewish converts now in connection with the mission is ten, and there is one Jew under instruction. Besides taking charge of the school, Mr Van Andel conducts two Sabbath day services-one in the forenoon, in the Reformed Church, the other in the evening, hitherto in the Lutheran Hall, but in future to be held in the largest schoolroom. The attendance on these services is from 150 to 200. There is also a class for religious instruction on the Sabbath afternoon, and one week-day evening service. All· these are principally attended by Christians, though some Jews are generally present at the Sabbath services. Our Indian missionary, Mr Murray Mitchell, was present at one of the Sabbath evening lectures, or Bibel-stunden, and has transmitted home an account of the very favourable impression made upon him, and characterizing it as one of the most delightful services he was ever present at.

It may be easily supposed that Mr Van Andel has but little leisure for household visiting, and is, therefore, not able to carry it out even to the extent to which he might easily have access to the Jews. He still continues to devote part of his time to the preparation of tracts, and of articles for religious periodicals.

CONSTANTINOPLE.

HASKIOY.-During the earlier part of the past year Mr Thomson continued to labour among the Spanish Jews at this station, having about 200 families on his roll willing to receive his visits. About the beginning of October, however, his house and furniture were entirely destroyed by fire. It is matter of thankfulness that Mr and Mrs Thomson and their family were absent at the time, the only occupants of the house being Mr and Mrs Neuman, who were temporarily taking charge of the female school supported by the Edinburgh Ladies' Association. At the very same time Mrs Thomson's health required her immediate removal to Europe, and Mr Thomson was thus left alone. These adverse circumstances compelled the Committee to take the whole question of the maintenance of the station at Haskioy into serious consideration. After bestowing much time and attention upon this subject, it appeared that the only way open, for continuing the school and missionary labours at this station, was by removing Mr and Mrs Tomory from

*

from Galata to Haskioy, so that they might receive into their house the female teacher sent out by the Ladies' Association, and finding a substitute for Mr Tomory at Galata. This plan, however, involved an increase of expenditure, in providing a successor to Mr Tomory, which the Committee did not see their way to undertake; and the result, therefore, has been, that they have resolved not to remove Mr Tomory from his present sphere of usefulness. In the mean time premises had been secured at Haskioy suitable for a school and place of worship, which were opened in the last week of 1859, and the first service was held on the first day of the present year. The school was, till very lately, conducted by Mr and Mrs Neuman; this being a temporary arrangement made in the expectation of a female teacher being sent out for this purpose. The number of children has continued remarkably steady at about thirty, of whom three only are English children who pay for their instruction, and nine of the remainder are boys mostly under nine years of age. Their progress is satisfactory. Mr Thomson, who has latterly resided at Pera, devotes at least two days in the week to giving the children religious instruction. The resolution to which the Committee have come with regard to Mr Tomory will necessarily have the effect of closing this school, an event much to be regretted, but one which is forced upon the Committee by the circumstances in which they are placed. Mr Thomson also conducts the English service on the Lord's day. The attendance on it is about thirty persons, chiefly engineers, many of them Scotchmen employed in the Turkish arsenal; and there is among them at present a very hopeful degree of attention to divine things. It were much to be regretted if this English service were to be discontinued, and the Committee were most unwilling that it should, and had written to Mr Thomson to this effect. In the mean time they have learned from Mr Thomson that, before their letter could have reached him, an offer had been made to him, on the part of the Bible Society, to make him their agent at Constantinople, which he is only waiting to accept of until his engagement with this Committee shall be honourably terminated. The Committee rejoice that, by this arrangement, the very purpose will be accomplished which they have had in view, and Mr Thomson will be placed in a sphere of usefulness for which his abilities so eminently fit him.

Mr Thomson mentions that the directors of the Jewish communal (or Rothschild) school, which was established on the principle of ignoring altogether the Judæo-Spanish dialect, have been forced to alter their course, and to print a primer in that dialect and

orthography, which he justly regards as a valuable, because reluctant, testimony to the course adopted by our mission ten years ago, when we printed several school-books in the same language.

Since the fire, Mr Thomson's opportunities of visiting have been greatly enlarged, in consequence of his having at his disposal certain funds for the relief of sufferers. Our missionary also lends his aid to various other schemes not directly within the scope of the Jewish mission-such as the Auxiliary Bible Society, in connection with which there is an efficient colporteur and a Bible and religious book depot; the Evangelical Alliance; and the British Literary and Scientific Institution, intended, as its name implies, for the benefit of our countrymen in Constantinople.

GALATA. Our establishment in this place consists of two sets of premises—one a wooden dwelling-house, in which reside Mr Koenig and his family, Misses Whittet and Sutherland, three boarders (little girls attending the Italian school), and one of the church members, with a stone building for the female school, the chapel, and book store. The other is also a wooden building, accommodating the German school, and affording a residence to Mr and Mrs Tomory, two boarders, and the school servant.

There are at this station two services each Sabbath, attended by the church members and their families, a few unconverted Jews, and some Germans. These are conducted by Mr Koenig, Mr Tomory taking a service once a fortnight. The average attendance in the forenoon is from forty to fifty, and in the afternoon from ten to twenty. It is worthy of notice, as applying not only to this but to other Jewish stations, that, as the Jews work on our Sabbath, it is not easy to induce them to attend our services. But, at Galata at least, whenever one of the festival days occurs on the Lord's day, an increased number of Jewish hearers may always be reckoned There are in connection with the mission fourteen Jewish converts. Three new members have joined the church during the past year, one baptized in infancy, and hopefully converted some years since; another brought to the knowledge of Christ through means of the evening classes, and baptized in Jerusalem; and a third, whose case being more recent, requires a fuller notice.

upon.

"Yesterday," says Mr Koenig, writing on the 26th of March, "the solemn ordinance of baptism was administered in our mission chapel to a young man, in whose spiritual condition for several months past we have all taken a lively interest. Though it is but of recent date that his interest in the truth has been awakened, yet it is many years since the seed was first sown, and his mind im

pressed. This young brother, L. F., is a native of Pesth; and in his case the bread was cast upon the waters fourteen years ago, by one of our colporteurs, who conducted him to our venerable friend Mr Saphir, and both repeatedly conversed with him of sin and salvation through Jesus. The invitation, however, remained unheeded, and F., after having terminated his service in the Austrian army, repaired to Hamburg, in order to perfect himself in his trade as a cigar maker. There the Crimean war and the formation of the British Legion attracted his attention; he went to London, joined the Legion, and was thus brought to Constantinople, where he remained until the Legion was dissolved. Left without the means of support, and having a young wife to provide for, he accepted the offer of an English captain to act a interpreter as far as Beyrout, among a crowd of Turkish Hadjis on board. Though disappointed in his hopes of prosecuting his trade, yet it was providentially ordered that in this way he should be led to Jerusalem, and there, by a most singular coincidence, unexpectedly meet with the same individual (now in the employment of the London Jews' Society) who first in Pesth directed his attention to divine things, and again interested himself in our young friend's temporal and spiritual condition. Some time was spent by F. in Jaffa, and then, at the request of his wife, he returned to her house in Constantinople. Here he was led to engage himself as servant to our friend Mr O'Flaherty, and not long after it became evident that he was the subject of heavenly teaching. His sins were brought before him, and he found trouble and sorrow. At last the tender heart of the Good Shepherd, who had long followed him, was laid upon the wanderer, and brought him home.

"Having known him in his unconverted state, I am the more able to form an opinion in regard to the striking change which his whole man has undergone. He came frequently to converse with me and Mr Tomory during the last two months. I considered his apprehensions of spiritual truths remarkably clear, and there appeared to be an earnest desire to cast himself, as a helpless sinner, upon the Lamb of God. He was very desirous to receive the outward sign of union to Christ, and all who knew him felt great satisfaction in witnessing his admission into the Church. I had invited Dr Schauffler to conduct the services of the day, for though now labouring among the descendants of Ishmael, he still retains his warm interest in Israel's dispersed children. Our chapel was filled with an attentive audience, many of whom came forward at the