The colonies of Portugal in Africa, Asia, etc., are merely possessions out of which the Portuguese government derives some income, as the Dutch do at Java, as hard taskmasters of the helpless native population; but commerce, as carried on between the kingdom and its dependencies, must rely for existence on protection, for Portugal has but little to sell, and its revenue is chiefly based on heavy duties levied on the produce of other countries. Portugal's colonial dominions extend over a surface of 709,469 English square miles, with a population of 3,333,700 persons. It is questionable whether there are 3000 Portuguese settlers, reckoning all of them, and of course deducting the garrisons."

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF AN INDIAN

ORPHANAGE.

UR brother, MR. REDWOOD, who left us last winter for the Mysore Territory, India, is now assisting Miss Anstey in her mission work in Colar. He had a rather stormy starting, but a pleasant voyage, subsequently reached Madras in March, and received a warm welcome from Miss Anstey on the 6th of that month.

Mr. Redwood has not of course mastered the language fully yet, but he is able to do a good share of useful work while studying.

Three hundred and fifty souls depend on the mission for food, clothes, and education, as well as for spiritual instruction, and the town of Colar contains 10,000 heathen. Mohammed is invoked, idols are worshipped, but God is not in all their thoughts.

Mr. Redwood is pleased with the spirit of prayer prevailing among the native converts. Companies of boys will be found praying together of an evening in some retired spot, and groups of girls overheard pouring out their hearts to God in their own rooms; some kneel, some lie on their faces before the Lord, and their whole being seems to go out with their requests. These are the poor fatherless and motherless famine-starved children whom a few years ago Miss Anstey rescued not only from the jaws of death, but from the horrors of a heathen upbringing.

An Indian orphanage! Groups of elder girls, with their brown skins and white garments, grinding corn in couples, sitting with their handmills on the ground; others busy at "paddy pounding," bruising that grain with heavy poles on slab stones; others spinning, sifting ragi, cleaning tamarind, etc., etc. On the boys' side carpentering, smithing, gardening, building, farm work at the farms of "Nazareth" and "Bethany"; then schoolwork half the day, and prayer or gospel meetings in the cool evenings.

The dark faces and Indian dress of the adult congregation struck Mr. Redwood as strange at first, but the ambassador for Christ soon learns to overlook outward differences in addressing himself to the souls of an audience. Sixty of the orphans are already in church fellowship, and twenty more have applied for baptism.

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Friends' Medical Mission in Constantinople.

[JUNE AND The magic lantern proves a great attraction to outsiders; and Mr. Redwood teaches English to some of the young men who have a good gift for preaching. With the care of the many meetings and Bible classes, and the study of the language, he finds his time very fully occupied, and longs for strength to do more. We are sorry to say his eyes continue delicate and give him some anxiety. He is amazed at the results of a woman's faith and devotion as seen in this Colar mission, and says if ever a good work deserved liberal help Miss Anstey's does.

We commend this dear brother and the sphere in which he is now labouring to the prayerful sympathy of our readers. May many a good native evangelist be raised up from among Miss Anstey's famine orphans, and may the Lord long sustain her in her noble but arduous work. The mission is to a certain extent self supporting. Bethany Farm met its own expenses last year, and supported nine married couples with their families, besides a dozen boy helpers. It is this year to be divided among these families, who will thus become independent. They so value their Christian privileges that they are unwilling to leave Colar and seek labour elsewhere; but, as they have no capital to start with, they will have a hard struggle at first. Thirty rupees to buy a pair of plough bullocks would give these native Christians a start in life.

NEW MISSION TO THE ARMENIANS IN
CONSTANTINOPLE.

RIENDS and visitors to the Institute will perhaps remember a young Armenian who spent several years with us, and whose marked countenance, rich complexion, and bright black eyes indicated him at once as a foreigner. His name was Gabriel S. Dobrashian, and as God had endowed him with superior abilities he quickly acquired our language, and passed very creditably through his medical course at the London Hospital.

He became a 66 Friend," and has now undertaken, on behalf of the Society, a medical mission in Constantinople, designed especially for the benefit of the Armenians. A day school in the city, and an industrial school at Bahjijig are connected with the mission, and meetings for worship and for Bible instruction are held constantly. Our brother

writes:

The Medical Mission has especially claimed my time, attention, and energy ever since I have been here. It is my life work, for which I have passed through many years of hardship, discipline, and preparation, and at last in due time it is given me. Out patients are seen twice every week, on other days patients come for treatment before twelve o'clock, so that sufferers are seen every day except Sunday, and urgent cases at any time. In the course of the last four months about 1000 patients have been treated, medically and surgically. When any one sees the utter destitution of

the people, and their joy and thankfulness for the benefits they receive, one cannot but bless God for the life and work of our Saviour, in whose footsteps we are trying to follow. While endeavouring to remedy the diseases of the body, opportunities are of course sought and seized for pointing the people to the Great Physician, "who healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds." To the soul suffering from sin and sorrow, from poverty and sickness, we say there is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there who healeth all diseases.

Visiting the patients in their own houses is found to be a blessed means of sowing the good seed in the home circle, while at the same time relieving painful bodily suffering. Upwards of five hundred visits have been paid during the last four months to patients far and near. Some are found in the most deplorable condition. I am thankful to say that words of consolation, coupled with deeds of mercy, have always produced a salutary effect upon the hearts and minds of the patients, and not unfrequently expressions of trust in, and love to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. "Oh, sir! I am reading (that is saying) blessing upon you always"; "My prayer is enough for you, sir; may God keep you from harm to lend a helping hand to many a poor sick one like myself"; "What shall I say; sir, may God reward you, I cannot "; and similar expressions are often heard. "May our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven." The school work is carried on with zeal and success. The average number in attendance during the last four months has been thirty-five, the highest number being forty-four. The school begins every morning with reading a portion of Scripture, followed by a prayer.

We are thankful for this beginning of a good work on behalf of the much suffering Armenians, and trust in due time that others from our midst will go forth to their help. Mr. Alexandrian has successfully passed his primary examination, and will, with his dear wife * and child, labour among his own people when he has obtained his diploma. Mr. Bedros Aslaynian, who has just finished his course, will also return shortly to the East, and will probably labour in Erzeroom.

PROTESTANT MISSION IN PORTUGAL.-Mr. M. A. de Menezes, who left us a few years ago to work in Lisbon under the direction of the Rev. R. Stewart, writes of a rather discouraging year. The Jesuits expelled from France have found a refuge and a welcome in Portugal. They are influencing the government to reactionary measures, such as obliging converts to bury their children as Catholics if they were baptized as such, and opposing them in every way. The government hopes that the Jesuit influence will make the people more loyal. The party of progress hate them of course with a deadly hatred, but include in their aversion, alas! all religion, so that the feeble evangelical church has a hard struggle. A young lady of good family has joined them in spite of domestic persecution, and some other young women who do good service as teachers. A blacksmith at Portalegre, the fruit of our brother's labours, is now an intelligent Bible student, and reads the word of God to the people when there is no preacher. When his friends ask him what has made him such a wonderfully changed character, he says, Christ!" and forthwith preaches to them the gospel.

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We may mention that Mrs. Alexandrian is nobly striving to support her husband during the prosecution of his studies by her own needlework and the sale of beautiful Turkish embroideries. She will be very glad if friends would give her orders for cushions, table-cloth borders, pincushions, or other articles. Her address is 3, Litchfield Road, Mile End, E.

LIVINGSTONE INLAND MISSION.

'INCE the publication of our last number we have had further intelligence from the Mission, of a somewhat mingled character. Mrs. Craven and Miss Spearing had been seriously ill, but were partially recovered; Dr. Sims and Mr. Pettersen were quietly establishing themselves at the Pool, and enjoying fairly good health; and Mr. Ingham had been seriously ill, and, though recovered from the acute attack of fever, was so far out of health that his return home is advised by several. We mentioned the fact of the completion of our chain of stations from the Atlantic to the Upper Congo in our last; but as the news only reached us just as we were going to press, we were unable to give any particulars. We append some extracts from recent letters.

STANLEY POOL STATION.

Dr. Sims reached Leopoldsville on Stanley Pool on the 27th February. Mr. Pettersen had preceded him there. On March 1st he writes of the new house which they were building:

The view from the house will be good. Directly in the front of it is the narrowing outlet of the Pool, or the wide Congo down to the first N'tamo rapids; on the righthand side you have the town of N'galiema, and a long, low, woody reach of land containing the village of Kinshasha and others, bounded on the horizon by strips of the Pool, and the white streaked mountains beyond. On the left hand is the low forest ground of M'fwa, with a grassy plateau and hills behind; in front is the way down to the beach, bounded by Zanzibarian houses and workshops, while a little to the left the gardens and gable of the house of the Belgian expedition. In the extreme background are the Dover cliffs and mountains.

These are chalk cliffs, so named from their resemblance to the cliffs at Dover, by poor Frank Pocock, who was drowned in the first descent of the Congo.

Stanley Pool covers an area of about thirty square miles, being about six miles long and four wide. The southern shore is occupied by the populous settlements of N'shasha, N'kunda, and N'kamo. The right is inhabited by the wild Bateke. A few hundred yards below the village of M'fwa the pool contracts, so that N'tamo on the south is only two thousand yards distant from the northern bank. Stanley considers the basin of the pool to be the crater of an extinct volcano. The Bateke tribes inhabit the northern shores, and fish on the sandy islands that stud the pool.

Dr. Sims says:

The natives at Stanley Pool are entirely different from those we have previously been associated with. Every care will have to be taken in our relations with them. We are told that they are unreasonable, unbelieving, and dangerous. May the Lord grant us peace of mind, and full reliance on Himself for strength and grace to do good to all these people.

The presence of not only the large Belgian party, but our own and that of the B. M. S., raises the price of provisions at Stanley Pool for the present to a high figure for Africa. This is of course unavoidable at first. Till the natives begin to estimate the demands of the European market now brought to their doors, they will not produce an adequate food supply. But each month will, we hope, improve matters in this as in most other respects. Dr. Sims thinks that board will cost about seven shillings a week per head for the time being, though if the cloth or handkerchiefs with which food is purchased be to the taste of the natives, an economy of cent. per cent. may be effected.

This cut depicts the crossing of the Cuchibi River by Major Pinto's long train of carriers, bearing a cargo of maize and beans. The ford is about eighty yards across, four to five feet deep, with a depth immediately above and below of ten to twelve feet, while the current at this point is at least sixty-five yards a minute. Only three of the party including their leader can swim, and we see these in the water, where on this occasion they remained during the two hours spent in the passage, ready to assist any of the carriers who might miss their footing.

These adventures are a common feature of African travel, and our missionaries on the Congo have many such anxious experiences in their arduous journeys up and down the country.