Chapter 5

I have heard, that after we left Petersburgh, some of those, from whom we had experienced peculiar kindness, had become very active in visiting the poor in the neighbourhood of that city, and in circulating tracts and the Scriptures, till at last they attracted the notice of the governors of one of these villages, who arrested and examined them. Dr. W. was ordered to leave St. Petersburgh in twenty-four hours, and the Russian dominions in three weeks. Dear young Mr. ----, being an officer, was put into confinement, and ----, whose mother has often visited Africa, has since left her charge, and is returned to England for her health, but hopes with increased prospects of usefulness, to return to her former sphere of labour. They felt the cause of God had gained ground during their trials, and that their own souls had greatly rejoiced in the Lord.

_Oct. 7._--We have just heard that a German watchmaker in this place has turned Mohammedan. This unprincipled man had a wife and children in Germany, yet wished to marry a Roman Catholic Armenian here; but knowing that the Bishop here would not marry them, he then went to the Musruff, (the chief officer of the Pasha,) and promised him that if he would get him this woman he would become a Mohammedan, and this he has now done, and he is using all his endeavours to compel the young woman he has married to follow his steps. This, at present, she resists, but she has little principle, as she knew before of his being married. The more I see of this people, the more I am struck with the necessity of our being made acquainted with the deep wickedness and corruption of the human heart, that we may never be hopeless as to these people, and think them some peculiarly iniquitous race; and on the other hand, we need a deep sense of the omnipotence of God's Holy Spirit, that we may never be discouraged; for the bones are indeed very, very dry. We hear this wretched man has been beating the woman, finding his entreaties failed.

_Oct. 10._--The Lord has blessed us with a little girl, and every thing has been ordered by him most happily, so that we have wanted nothing that the luxury or wealth of England could supply. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name; for indeed he daily loadeth us with benefits.

_Oct. 14._--The news of the state of things in France, and of the Revolution there, has led us to look up to our Lord to see what the end will be of these movements. That they will help on the coming kingdom of our Lord we know, but how we cannot yet see. We have also heard not only that France has taken possession of Algiers, but is marching towards Tunis. Thus, step by step, Turkey is being dismembered; and although by infidel principles and by infidel hands, yet perhaps preparing the way for the publication of the Lord's love to man. We have also understood that an English force of 4,000 men, in 200 ships, are assembled at Malta with the view of attacking Egypt; but this we do not believe, but regard it as French news, calculated to bring us, in the eyes of the Turks, as guilty alike with them in attacking the Turkish dominions. However, all these things render our situation here very profitable, for we know not what a day may bring forth, and are therefore obliged to look solely to our Lord. Not that this Pasha cares much, perhaps, about the taking of Egypt by the English, or the general reduction of the empire, for such is the state of this country, that the security of every little despot depends on the weakness of the supreme power. Yet notwithstanding this there may break out paroxysms of popular fury, that however short are terrible. But the Lord is our secure and sufficient refuge, and when he has a people to save--his chosen ones--he will put a fear into the hearts of their enemies. The Revolution in France seems to be the Infidel against the Jesuit, or ultra-Papistical party, which may lead to the removal of the Archbishop of Babylon from his consular authority, though his ecclesiastical influence would not, perhaps, be lessened by this.

_Oct. 17._--The value of the English protection is beginning here to be so fully understood and felt, that the first merchant in Bagdad came to Major T. begging to be taken under it, and when Major T. declined, he requested that his son might; and the Seyd, our landlord, in explaining the reason of his wish for the Resident to take up his cause, stated, that it was not so much in order to obtain any present benefit, as that the government might see that he interested himself about him; as this, he said, would prevent him being subject to those oppressions he had been exposed to before. In fact, I do not believe, that during the late heavy exactions that have been made from all degrees and kinds of people, one individual under English protection has suffered, or that an attempt has been made to oppress one. I do not now, or on any other occasion, mention these events as pieces of political intelligence, but as necessary to give a view of the signs of the times. This consideration for the English does not arise from love, as the most intense hatred is manifested when it may with safety, as well as the most unconquerable and haughty contempt of Christianity and Christians; it seems with this people of God's curse, as with the mystical whore, they are consuming away in preparation for final destruction by the brightness of his coming.

Mr. Pfander's Persian Moolah has altogether refused to translate Persian with him. He says he will read and converse with him, but not translate; so great is their contempt of Christians, that though it is only the Gulistan of Sadi, and therefore no religious book, they will not teach it. In fact, the difficulty of getting teachers here is very great. The Christians know nothing--the Mohammedans very little, and what they do know they will not communicate to a Christian. But all this is ceasing and must come down.

_Oct. 18._--Our hearts have been deeply affected by a conversation which Mr. Pfander has had with the Mohammedan Moolah, who teaches our boys Arabic. He was telling Mr. P. that he was greatly struck by our Lord's precept, not when you make a feast, to invite the rich or those who can invite you again, but the poor who cannot; and that from these considerations he had been led to invite to an entertainment he had provided, all the poor persons he knew, to the surprise of his friends, to whom he explained his reasons. He also told Mr. Pfander he had often wished he were an animal rather than a man. There appears altogether a degree of uneasiness in his mind that may lead further. Thus God is making his holy and blessed word a testimony to the hearts of some; oh! may every success here be such as bears only the mark of God's workmanship by his word and his Spirit. That there are many souls here which will feel the power of God's omnipotent word, I can never doubt, when it comes fully and clearly before them.

The German Jew, whom I have several times before mentioned, seems determined to become a professing Christian. His mind is convinced, but his heart I fear little, if at all, affected. He abhors the lying abominations of Judaism, which he finds among his brethren. He has certainly come thus far without being induced by any worldly motives, for had he continued, or would he now return to live by begging for Jerusalem and writing lying amulets, he might easily do it. He wishes to go to Bombay, and there become a Christian.

We have just heard that one of the boys of the school and his mother, who took him away from us, have both become Roman Catholics. The inducement to these Armenians is, generally, the pecuniary relief they obtain from the bishop here, who has the administration of some funds entrusted to him for religious uses, which he exclusively gives to Roman Catholics, and with this he bribes those who can have no other attachment to their system beyond that which is hereditary, for in all other things, and in practice, it would be difficult to say whether of the two were most corrupt. But we trust, by the good hand of our God upon us, one day to have different systems of judgment than that of one corrupt system against another, even the holy, pure, unadulterated word of God against the corruptions of all men and all nominal churches.

We have heard, to our great sorrow, that the plague has returned again to Tabreez, and that all have again left it; and also that the cholera has again returned to Kerkook, and committed dreadful ravages. Thus the Lord seems visiting the kingdoms of the false prophet with his sore judgments and plagues.

_Oct. 21._--There has just been acting here a scene of duplicity, falsehood, and bloodshed, which appears strange to us, but is not uncommon in this land of misrule and cruelty. A Capidji (or Ambassador) from the Porte to the Pasha has been long expected, and with evident anxiety by him and those immediately about him, which was increased to the highest pitch, when by a messenger from Aleppo, the Pasha received the intelligence, that this man's intention was to supersede him, and of course to destroy him. It then became the object of the Pasha to endeavour to get him into his hands, which was the more difficult, as it is usual for the Capidji to read publicly his firman, and proclaim the successor at Mousul, or some place near, who, collecting the Arabs, marches to lay siege to this place, till the head of the Pasha is delivered to him. To prevent this, therefore, the Pasha made the Imrahor, or Master of the Horse, who has the whole arrangement of the military force, to write a letter to the Capidji, begging him to come here at once, and that he would, without a struggle, give the head of Daoud Pasha into his hand, whereas if he remained at Mousul, there must be an open contention about it.

By this he was allured to approach the city, and the Pasha sent out 700 or 800 men under pretence of showing him honour, to meet him and secure him in case any accounts of the true state of the case should reach him, that he might have no possibility of flight. Thus he was brought into the city, and his quarters appointed in the house of the Musruff; when, after the Pasha had obtained from him the declaration of his object, a Divan was called, and it was determined to put him to death. This event has thrown the city into great consternation, and every one who can, is buying corn in expectation of what is to follow. For the tragedy will not end here, as a friend of the Capidji is left behind at Mousul, and another Capidji is at Diarbekr, waiting the result of this negociation. So it appears that the Sultan is determined to act at once and decidedly against this Pasha. We are now, therefore to expect a siege, and a state of anxiety and fear in this city for some months; but the Lord, who sitteth in the heavens, is ordering all for his own glory, and for our safety, and he will provide for us.

_Oct. 22._--We have this day heard that the Syrian Patriarch of Merdin has recovered one of his churches from the Roman Catholics, and is, on the whole, making, in a certain sense, a more successful stand against them; but not in the spirit of Christ, I fear. He has two of his priests who had turned Roman Catholics in prison.

This day our new Armenian teacher has arrived from Sheeraz. He seems an interesting man; but our final plans with him are not yet arranged.

We have also heard that the school at Bushire, established by Mr. Wolff, is going on badly. He promised to send out a teacher and money, neither of which having arrived, the school has dwindled to seventeen, and these are neglected.

It is the common conversation to-day in the Bazaar that the Capidji was put to death last night. This man was the Accountant General of the Porte, and formerly Kiahya. Our Arabic Moolah has been buying corn, in the expectation of the present state of things here terminating in an open contest, in which he thinks the Pasha, now having no hope, will throw himself into the hands of Abbas Meerza, and that thus Bagdad will again become subject to Persia. Amidst all these wars and rumours of wars, our path is to sit still and wait the Lord's pleasure, which he will assuredly manifest to our heart's content, for they that wait upon the Lord, shall not make haste, nor be confounded, world without end.

Our schoolmaster has come to a full understanding of the principles on which we intend to conduct the school: to have nothing that is _contrary to God's word admitted_, and I think he very fully and heartily enters into this plan. But he informs us that the parents of many of the children are dissatisfied with our superseding the church prayers, called the Shanakirke, by the New Testament, and ask, "Who are these people? Are they wiser than our Bishops and ancient fathers, that we should reject what they introduced?" This is what we must expect. But we can, with a quiet heart, leave all to the Lord, to order as he will. That the schoolmaster is truly on our side I feel very thankful, and, I hope, the hearts of many of the children.

_November 10._--After having waited now several weeks for an opportunity to send letters and a parcel, and not having found any, from the extreme vigilance there is here to prevent any communications going to Constantinople, I have determined to avail myself of the offer of an Austrian merchant here, to enclose them in a bale of goods going to Aleppo, and to have them forwarded thence to Constantinople. It is a great comfort to know that all the intelligence essential to our cause, as being God's, will reach, and all that is separate from that, though it may not be against it, is of little consequence.

We have had two Armenian priests to converse with Mr. Pfander, one from Nisibin; and the other from Diarbekr. The one from Nisibin said they had no printed books among them, and that they were very anxious to go into the Russian provinces, but were afraid, since the death of the Russian Ambassador, to make any attempt to go.

The Armenians seem going from all the Mohammedan states that they can to Russia. From Erzeroum, great numbers have gone to the Karabagh, and thus they may people the desolate provinces of Georgia. The other Armenian Priest, from Diarbekr, confirmed the information we had previously obtained, that the Armenian population of that city was 5,000 houses,[17] about 25,000 of all ages, and that they have two schools there, containing about 300 children, but no one cared about them.

[17] This is the only mode in the East by which any estimate of the population can be attempted. They count the number of houses, and allow one with another, five souls to each house. Some contain many more, and few contain less, so that even thus, it can be but very imperfectly ascertained.

It is now an understood fact, that the Capidji, or messenger of the Sultan, who was left behind at Diarbekr, when his companion came on to arrange the affairs of this Pashalic, is collecting troops around Diarbekr, to attack Bagdad. This, however, will most probably be now deferred till the spring. So we may then expect a siege, unless things are arranged before. The Capidji who has been put to death appears to have been a man of great distinction, and to have rendered great services to the Sultan, both during the war and subsequent to it.

The priest of Diarbekr said, they were too far off to be helped either by the Russians or the English; but I cannot help thinking, for such a purpose as schools, or getting through their means a large body of persons acquainted with God's word, it would be a most important position. It presents, however, many difficulties, and at all events would require some time to be spent in some place preparatory to settling among them, to obtain a knowledge of the Turkish and Armenian languages, and for these preparatory studies, should there be no determining principle, perhaps Shushee would be the best position, as the brethren there all know English, and some Turkish, and some Armenian.

We are now fast approaching the termination of our first year's residence in Bagdad, and the Lord's mercies towards us have been exceeding great. We have been surrounded by many things that would have been dangerous, had not the Lord checked them by bringing them to nothing, both from disease and enemies; but, as he promised, they have not come nigh us. We have borne the heat without any diminution of natural strength. We are altogether standing on a more advanced position, that on entering Bagdad we could have hoped. Things are in preparation for the knowledge of God's holy word being extended, and thus one great object of missionary labour is in the way of attainment. But still, while I feel assured of there being some choice fruit from here and there a fruitful bough, I at the same time feel no less assured, that the great harvest will be of wickedness, and that the pestilence of infidelity is the great spreading evil, not the spreading of Millennial blessedness. As it was in the days of Noah, so do I believe it will be at the coming of the Son of Man; and as it was in the days of Lot, the great mass of mankind will be taunting the Church with, "Where is the sign of his coming?" which shews plainly enough that this will be a doctrine of the Church in the latter days, or how should it be reviled; so that our Lord, in contemplating the general apostacy, said, "When the Son of Man cometh shall he find faith in the earth?" Oh, then, how happy is it to be among those who love his appearing, who long for the termination of that dispensation which witnessed the humiliation of the Church under the world, and the rise of that glorious kingdom which shall not be dissolved, and into which no sorrow or sighing can enter. I feel the languages to be a great barrier. Whether the Lord will pour down this among the other gifts of the latter days, I do not know, but at present it is a great exercise of a Missionary's patience, to ask even for the common necessaries of life; but to speak out the fulness of a full heart, so as to be understood and felt is very, very difficult. The difficulties in the way of a literary acquaintance with these languages are by no means so great, as the study may be pursued alone, but the colloquial language can only be learned by intercourse with men, and this is far more difficult to attain by an European, who may have a very good knowledge of the language of books, and still be little understood in speaking. But still the time spent in the learning of a language among a people, every thought, and purpose, and habit of whose lives are diverse from your own, has this advantage, that you become in some measure acquainted with their peculiarities before you are in a situation to offend against them.

We have heard that the Emperor of Russia has conferred some honours on the family of this Pasha, who are Armenian Christians, in Teflis. Things are beginning to look unsettled in Persia. Contentions have already arisen between the Prince of Kermanshah and the Prince of Hamadan, which seems to be but the precursor of a general state of confusion on the death of the Shah; and doubtless amidst all these commotions the Lord will move on his way, and the day of his coming advance. Oh, may we all labouring abundantly in patience, wait for that day, that when it does come we may be found watching.

We have some anxieties about our dear friends who are journeying towards us. Whether the intelligence of the state of the Pashalic may deter them, or whether they will come on, trusting in the Lord, it is our daily prayer for them, that he would guide and preserve them.

Our communications with Tabreez seem almost closed. Since we received the letter from Mrs. ----, relative to their leaving Tabreez, and going by this to India, we have neither seen them, nor heard of them. Whether, therefore, they are gone by Shiraz, or whether they are detained, we cannot tell; but the roads will soon become impassable from snow in the lofty range of mountains over which they will have to come.

I shall now conclude this portion of our little history, with assuring those we love, that the Lord has been better than all our fears and all our hopes. The more we have proved him, the more we have found him to be faithful and gracious, and that not one of the good things he has promised to faith has been wanting; but his love has abounded far beyond our faith, yea, and they will yet abound more and more. Let us then encourage one another to prove him more, that we may have deeper experience of his faithfulness. We find the prospect of the approaching coming of our Lord a corrective of the allurements of the world, and an encouragement to a simple surrender of all we have as his stewards, to him and his service, as their only legitimate and worthy object, who has redeemed us from death with his own precious blood, making us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we might shew forth his praises. Oh! may the Holy Spirit dwell in us more powerfully, that we may be ever fulfilling his great and glorious purpose.

Accounts have just come to us by letters from Tabreez, that the plague has been ravaging that devoted city till 23,000 of its inhabitants have fallen victims to it and the cholera, and that when this letter came off (Oct. 28), they were still dying eighteen of a day, and this is not confined to the city;--the villages of the surrounding country have equally suffered; half the inhabitants have been swept away, the corn has never been reaped, and the cattle were wandering about without owners. The missionaries from America had not arrived then; most probably they are deterred by the intelligence of the state of Tabreez. Our dear friends the N----'s had never enjoyed better health--thus preserved of the Lord in the midst of the general devastation: they are also for the present, at the request of the Prince, detained till an answer from the Indian government is again received respecting them. A famine seems the inevitable consequence of the plague and pestilence at Tabreez. Surely these are among the signs of the times; but the Lord's command to us is, Let not your hearts be troubled.

We have received no intelligence from Shushee, but we heard from Tartars that the plague had been in the Karabagh, which makes us additionally anxious to hear from thence: but doubtless since the plague at Tabreez, all intercourse with Russia from that side has been interdicted. Mr. Zaremba mentioned, that he had to pass through seven quarantines between Erzeroum and Shushee.