Was very sweetly impressed while on my tour with the 10th and 11th verses of the 55th chapter of Isaiah: 'My word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.'"

CHAPTER IX.

CORRESPONDENCE.

WHILE absent on these tours, a correspondence was kept up between Dr. Scudder and his wife, which served to mitigate at least the trial of separation. By it may be seen how a Christian may live in the atmosphere of heaven while yet he retains the sweetest charities of earth; how piety in its purest aspects and loftiest flights forgets not the claims of social and domestic love. Dr. Scudder was not only a self-denying missionary, but the tenderest and most devoted husband and father. We supply the proof of this in extracts from the correspondence alluded to, without burdening our pages with the whole.

'June 29th, 1837.

“MY DEAREST,—That little kettle and lamp which you put up for me is one of the finest little affairs. It affords. me a nice cup of tea. By-and-by I shall be very comfortable on my tours, that is, if I have a tent and bullock bandy long enough to stretch myself out when I lie down, and which I can close up, to be alone when I wish.

"My bread and butter are getting low; and as my man Friday has made the tea part of the way, I find my canister rather lower than it would have been had I taken the management myself; my sugar-bowl also is well lowered. Indeed, I would be called intemperate in teadrinking by many. Something hot is a great comfort to

me, and bread and butter is my staple in the eating department. I find the salt fish you put up a great relish. I quite forgot to bring my old scissors-knife-the one which Sister Winslow gave me, and which traveled with me to the Neilgherries. I have felt the need of it to snuff my lamp.

"June 4th. Hope you and the children are all well. I am far from it. However, I have much to be thankful for- thankful that I can do something for Christ. But one thing: I must travel in the best way I can. My health is too important to be sacrificed for a few rupees. Shall expect to take my tour to Tanjore with bearers throughout. Must have a set by the month, as I did last year. Then I can go comfortably. I could go in a common cart, but it is too much for my head.

“June 5th. I wrote you yesterday, and filled much of my letter with groans, lamentations, and woe. I am, through mercy, better to-day, and think I shall be able to eat my dinner, having had no appetite yesterday for my rice and curry, but made my meal on fruit-mangoes. I have not been able to get a lime in so great a place as this. The boy had but one, and this I used in water as lemonade. I have felt quite a craving after acids, and I have needed something to hide the bad taste of the water.

"I commenced giving out books myself this morning. For two days I had my own concerns to attend to; besides, it has been raining, and but few people have come for books.

"The rest-house is pleasantly situated on the borders of a large tank. It was, in the days of yore, probably quite a splendid tank. It is a great place of resort for persons to bathe, wash their clothes, and draw, or rather dip up

water. This is the water I have to drink. It does pretty well, as the water I drink is a little way removed from that portion of it where the people wash their dirty clothes.

"Hope, my love, that you can stay your mind on Jehovah Jesus while I am away from you. I have been thinking since I left you that you and I do not talk together so much of our precious Saviour as would be beneficial to us. We talk too much about the world, and too little of Him. I think we do not prove as much 'helpmeets' to each other as we might. We are apt to keep too much of our Saviour to ourselves. Do you not think so? We have Him alone in our closets, but not together enough with us. Good-by. The Lord bless you and the dear children. May our separation prepare us for a union in the better world, where sorrow and tears shall all be done away.

"The people are preparing for the ceremonies of the great idol festival of to-day and to-night. Pray that the Word scattered may not be in vain.

J. S."

"June 7th.

“MY DEAREST,—Yesterday was quite a busy day. We had large numbers of people to see us, and distributed probably not far from seven hundred books. My Almanacs were all spent last night. The demand for this is amazing; the news of it seems to fly. I regret that I have not a thousand of them. To-day many books have been given out, but less than yesterday. The only great day remaining is Sunday, when the car is to be drawn. I am not in the most favorable part of the city for distributing books, as the feast is at Little Conjeveram, as I

told you before. If I had a good rest - house there I should soon be in it; but there is nothing but open native rest-houses, and it seems not right hardly to take them from the people at such a time, and it is not pleasant to be in them; so most of what I do must be done here. I suppose we have distributed at least a thousand of our books.

"We have had a very quiet time, on the whole. Have met with several turbulent Brahmins. One got a book from some other person and tore it up. Several young Brahmins came for books yesterday afternoon. As I refused to give them books, they went off in a rage, if I may judge one for all. He stormed, and whether he got any thing to tear up from any others I do not know. The Word, however, is received by many with pleasure, and doubtless it will be carried in every direction. This morning two young men brought back books which had been received before. I took them, and gave each a whole New Testament.

"It is about a week since I left you. How rapidly time flies—and let it fly! It can not fly too fast if we are only doing our duty. I rejoice in my work as I am now doing it. I hope good may come out of it. Many hear of Jesus as well as receive his Word. Good-by for today. To-morrow, with divine leave, I will add a word before I send off this letter. Now, my dearest, may Jehovah Jesus be your stay and support. Bear up under all your trials with more than ordinary fortitude, and rejoice that you are called to suffer any thing for Christ. Did he suffer for us, and shall we not suffer for him? Good-by.

"8th. To-night will be a week since I left you. A