





OP THE 

Theological Seminary, 

PRINCETON, N. J. 

BV 3269 .B8 P4 
Pearson, Hugh, 1777-1856. 
Memoir of Rev. Claudius 
Buchanan, D.D. 



^' .i? 



REV. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D, 



77 

BY REV. HUGH PEARSON, M. A. 

or ST. John's college, oxford. 



IN SOME PARTS CONSIDERABLY ABRIDGED; 
AND, IN OTHERS, MUCH ENLARGED BY EXTRACTS FROM 

DR. Buchanan's 
Christian Researches in Asia. 



PUBLISHED BY 



THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW-yOKK< 



D. Faiisbdw, Primer. 



The Memoir of Dr. Buchanan here presented 
to the christian public is that by Dr. Pearson, much 
abridged in parts which cannot be of permanent 
interest in this country; with the insertion, in the 
order of time, of the most valuable portions of Dr. 
Buchanan's " Christian Researches in Asia," pub- 
lished by himself, which Dr. Pearson felt con- 
strained to omit. AVhat is retained from Dr. Pear- 
son is given in his own words ; except that the 
narrative of Dr. Buchanan's life after his return to 
England is condensed by the American editor into 
one short chapter, with the addition of some con- 
cluding remaiks; and, in a few instances, con- 
necting sentences have been inserted. The divi- 
sion of the book into parts has been dropped, and 
the whole included in consecutive chapters. It is 
believed that every thing of permanent value in 
the Memoir by Pearson is retained, and that the 
additions from the " Researches in Asia " will ren- 
der this volume more valuable than the original ; 
and indeed, in relation to Eastern missions, one of 
the most instructive and useful works that have 
been written. 

3 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Chap. I. — Early life and education of Mr. Buchanan in 
Scotland— His singular tour in England— Employ- 
ment in the law, and serious change in his religious 
views'— Introduction to Mr. Newton — From 1766 
to 1791,' 9 

Chap. II. — Mr. Buchanan's wish t3 enter the ministry 
— His introduction to Mr. H. Thornton, and ad- 
mission at Glueen's College, Cambridge— From Fe- 
bruary to September, 1791, 36 

Chap. III. — Commencement ol' Mr. Buchanan's resi- 
dence at Cambridf^e — Elis studies and correspon- 
dence—His ordination and appointment to India — 
From October, 1791, to March. 1796, 54 

Chap. IV. — Mr. Buchanan's voyage to India — His ar- 
rival at Calcutta in March, 1797— Appointment as 
chaplain at Barcackpore, and residence there till 
November, 1799— Marriage of Mr. Buchanan in 
the spring of that year — Appointment as one of the 
chaplains of the Presidency — Institution of the Col- 
lege of Fort William, and appointment of Mr. Bu- 
chanan as viceprovost, and professor of classics, 
in the year 1800, 103 

CnAP. v.— Progress of the College — Official and cleri- 
cal engagements of Mr. Buchanan — Voyage of 
Mrs. Buchanan to England— College disputations 
1* 



b CONTENTS. 

Page. 

and examinations — Orders of the Court of Direc- 
tors for its abolition— Defence of that Institution 
by the Marquis Weilesley ; and by Mr. Bucha- 
nan—Return of Mrs. Buchanan to Bengal— Mr. 
Obeck— His character and death — First series of 
prizes offered by Mr. Buchanan to the Universi- 
ties and public schools of the United Kingdom — 
Mr, Buchanan's Sermons at the PresidencyChurch, 
on the Evidences of Christianity — From January, 
1801, to December, 1S03, 158 

Chap. VI. — Order for the continuance of the College — 
Annual disputations— Translation of the Scrip- 
tures at the College — Prejudices against the mea- 
sure — Institution of a fund for widows and or- 
phans — Salutary influence of the College — Mrs. 
Buchanan's second voyage to England — " Memoir 
of the Expedience of an Ecclesiastical Establish- 
ment in India" — Character of the prize discourses 
produced by his donations — Mr. Lassar — Literary 
and moral excellence of the College— Proposal of 
two prizes of £500 — Dangerous illness — Death of 
Mrs. Buchanan — Exertions for the translation of 
the Scriptures, 211 

Chap. VII. — Departure of Dr. Buchanan from Calcutta 
to the coast of Malabar — Objects of the journey — 
Approach to Juggernaut — A disaster — Sight of 
Juggernaut — The temple — English residents — Fes- 
tival — Description of the idol — Worshippers — A 
voluntary human sacrifice — Expenses of the idol, 257 

Chap. VIII. — Tranquebar mission — Ziegenbalg — Tan- 
jore — Swartz — Kohlhoff— Rajah of Tanjore — Hin- 
doo temples — Sunday in Tanjore — Order of wor- 
ship — Sattianaden — His sermon — Second visit to 
therajah— Presents— Tritchinopoly^—Pohle— Want 
of Bibles— Madura— Ceylon—Cinnamon groves, 280 



CONTENTS. 7 

Page. 

Chap. IX. — Syrian Christians — Their origin — Condi- 
tion at the arrival of the Portuguese — Persecution 
by the Portuguese — Constancy of the churches 
in the interior — Travancore — Chinganoor — Ca- 
thedral — Other churches — Syrian clergy — Inte- 
resting conference — Scriptures — Versions — Litur- 
gy of the Syrian churches — Doctrines — Metropoli- 
tan—Letter to Henry Thornton, Esq. 304 

Chap. X. — Prophecies respecting the Jews — Jerusa- 
lem, or White Jews — Ancient record on a brass 
plate — Black Jews — Ten Tribes — Want of the 
Scriptures, especially the Prophets, among the 
Jews of the East, 329 

Chap. XI. — Romish church in the East — Its corrup- 
tions — Journey to Goa — Visit to the Inquisitor — 
Conversation respecting the Inquisition — Dr. Bu- 
chanan insists on seeing the interior of the prison 
— Gains permission— Escapes without injury, 352 

Chap. XII.— Dr. Buchanan's return to Calcutta— State 
of the college — Prepares a paper of " intelligence," 
which is refused a place in the public newspaper 
— Plan of "the Christian Institution in the East 
for translating the Holy Scriptures" — Prepares to 
return to England— Letter to Lord Minto — Sub- 
stance of his Memorial to Government — Farewell 
Sermon— Letter to Major Sandys — Visits Ceylon 
— Crosses over to Cochin — Arrives at Bombay — 
Malayalim Gospels— Elephanta— Sails for Eng- 
land, 384 

Chap. XIII.— Dr. Buchanan's arrival in England — 
Seeks for Mr. Newton, but finds him dead— 'Dis- 
appointed at not finding his "Christian Institu- 
tion" published— Account of the adjudication of 
his university prizes— Character of the sermons 
and discourses— Their eflfect— Efi^ect of his " Me- 



8 CONTENTS. 

Page, 
moir" of an ecclesiastical establishment— Pamph- 
lets occasioned by it — Finds his daughters well 
— Visits his mother iii Scotland— Good news from 
India— "Star in the Eas-t " — Visit to Oxford— Se- 
cond marriage — Life of Swartz — Sermon before 
the Church Missionary Society— Two sermons at 
Cambridge on commencement Sunday — Health 
fails — Plan of a journey to Palestine — Death of 
his wife — Effect of this bereavement on his own 
mind, 424 

Ciup XIV.— Death of TIenry Thornton, Esq.— Dr. 
Buchanan's death — Burial — Monumental inscrip- 
tion — Religious character— Clnalifications as a 
writer and a speaker — Official fidelity— Social 
virtues, - 445 

Conclusion. — Remarks on certain traits of Dr. Bu- 
chanan's character, by the American editor, 464 



siisKi®itia» 



CHAPTER I. 



Early JUatory, — Conversion, 

It is by no means uncommon in the history of 
those who have in any manner distinguished them- 
selves among their contemporaries, to find them 
deriving no peculiar honor from their ancestors, 
but rather reflecting it upon them. Of the truth of 
this observation, an instance is afforded by the sub- 
ject of the following memoirs. But if the biogra- 
pher of this excellent man is unable to deduce his 
descent from the possessors of worldly rank or 
talent, an honor which may be unjustly depre- 
ciated as it is sometimes unduly prized, he may at 
least assert, that his immediate progenitors were 
endowed with more than an ordinary share of 
christian piety ; an honor, in his estimation, of a 
higher nature ; and a blessing, which, as he pecu- 
liarly valued it, was not only a source of pleasing 
and grateful recollection, but might not improbably 
form one link in the chain of causes which led to 
his own distinguished worth and usefulness. 

Claudius Buchanan was born at Carabuslang, 



10 MEMCIR OF DH. DUCIIANAN. 

near Glasgow, on the 12lh of Mardi, 17G6. He 
was the son of Mr. Alexandor Eiicliaiiaii, a man of 
respectable learning and of excellent character, 
wlio was highly esteemed in various parts of Scot- 
land as a hiborious and faithful teacher, and who 
a few mf)nths previous to liis death wa* appointed 
rector of the o^rammar-school of Falkiik. 

His mother was the dauo^hter of Mr, Claudius 
Soniers, one of the elders of the church at Cam- 
buslang about the period of the extraordinary oc- 
currences which t<jok place in that valley, in con- 
sequence of the preaching of the celebrated Air. 
Whitfield, in the year 1742, by which, it is un- 
questionable, that many were excited to a deep 
and lasting sense of real religion. Among this 
number was the grandfather of the subject of this 
memoir, whose piety was happily exemplified by 
bis daughter, the mother of Buchanan. By both 
these excellent persons he appears to have been 
carefully trained, from his earliest years, in reli- 
gious principles and habits. He is described, by 
one of his surviving relatives, as having been dis- 
tinguished from bis youth by a lively and engaging 
disposition. He is said also to have recollected the 
serious impressions which were sometimes made 
upon his mind by the devotions of the paternal 
roof, and by the admonitions which his grandfa- 
ther^, from whom he derived his name, and who 
seems to have regarded him with peculiar afiec- 



EARLT niSTonr. 11 

lion, was accustomed to address to him occasion- 
ally in iiis study. And though, as it will afteivvaids 
appear, the instructions an.d example of these 
pious relatives were not immediately pi'oductive 
of any deciJed and permanent effect, he must be 
added to the numl)er of those who ultimately deri- 
ved essential benefit from having been brought up 
"in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" 
and consequently, as aftbrding fresh encouragement 
to religious parents to pursue a course which has 
been so frequently crowned with success, and 
which is seldom, it may be hoped, altogether in 
vain. 

In the year 1773, at the age of seven years, 
young Buchanan was sent to a grammar-school at 
Inverary in Argyleshire, where he received the 
rudiments of his education, and is said to have 
made considerable proficiency in the Latin and 
Greek languages. He continued at Inverary till 
some time in the year 1779, when he was invited 
to spend the vacation with his school-fellow, John 
Campbell, of Airds, near the island of Mull ; and 
in the following year he received an appointment 
as tutor to the two sons of Mr. Campbell of Dun- 
Btafnage, one of whom was, in the year 1S03, cap- 
tain of the East India Company's ship United 
Kingdom. As he had then only just completed his 
fourteenth year, the very appointment to such an 
office is in itself honorable to his character, and 



12 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

his continuance in it during nearly two years may 
suffice to show that his conduct proved satisfac- 
tory to his employer. About this time he was 
again under considerable impressions of a reli- 
gious nature, which he communicated to his ex- 
cellent grandfather, who carefully cherished them, 
and assured him of his prayers. For a few months 
he continued in this promising course, spending 
much time in devotion amidst the rocks on the 
sea-shore near which he was then residing : but 
at length his serious thoughts were dissipated by 
the society of an irreligious companion, and his 
goodness, like that of many a hopeful youth, van- 
ished " as a morning cloud, and as the early dew;" 
nor was it till many years afterwards, that pain- 
ful and salutary convictions led him to seek that 
God whose early invitations he had ungratefully 
refused. 

The residence of Buchanan atDunstafTiage might 
probably have been longer, had it not interfered 
with a necessary attention to the progress of his 
own education. In the year 17S2 he therefore left 
the family of Mr. Campbell, and proceeded to the 
university of Glasgow; where he remained during 
that and the following year, diligently pursuing the 
various studies of the place. Whether his academi- 
cal course was interrupted by the failure of his pe- 
cuniary resources, or was the result of deliberation 
and choice, is uncertain. It appears only that he 



EARLY HISTORY. 13 

left Glasgow in the year 1784, and went to the 
island of Islay, for the purpose of becoming tutor 
to the sons of Mr. Campbell of Knockmelly. In the 
following year, from some cause, obviously not un- 
favorable to his character, we find him removed to 
Carradell in Kintyre, and performing the same of- 
fice to the sons of Mr. Campbell of that place. In 
the year 17S6, however, Buchanan returned to the 
college at Glasgow; and a certificate in that year, 
from the Professor of Logic, testifies not only that 
he had regularly attended upon the public lectures 
of that class, but that, in the usual examination and 
exercises, he had given commendable proofs of at- 
tention, diligence, and success in the prosecution 
of his studies ; and that he had behaved v/ith all suit- 
able propriety of conduct and manners. At the 
conclusion of the academical session he returned 
to Carradell, and resumed his employment as a tu- 
tor ; in which capacity it is presumed that he con- 
tinued until the commencement of the autumn in 
the following year; when he quitted his native 
country, under very singular circumstances, and 
entered upon a project, on which, as it afterwards 
appeared, depended the future tenor of his life. 

It was the desire of the parents of Mr, Buchanan, 
from his earliest years, that he should be prepared 
for the ministry in the church of Scotland : but be- 
ing naturally of an ardent and excursive turn of 
mind, he, at the age of seventeen, during his first 

Buchanan. <» 



14 MEMum OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

residence in the university of Glasgow, conceived 
the design of making the tour of Europe on fool ; 
that being the only method of traveling, upon which 
his slender finances would allow him to calculate. 
His chief view in this romantic project was, doubt- 
less, to see the world ; yet not, as he afterwards de- 
clared, without some vague and undefined inten- 
tion of applying the information which he might 
collect during his tour to some useful purpose. It 
was not, however, till nearly four years afterwards^, 
during which, as we have seen, he was diligently 
employed in acquiring and imparting knowledge, 
that a circumstance occurred, which, though it did 
not originally suggest this design, certainly tended 
to hasten his departure from Scotland. This was 
an imprudent attachment to a young lady, who 
happened to be on a visit to the family in which he 
was then residing, and who was superior to him- 
self in birth and fortune. The aftection was mutual, 
but the disparity of their rank and station seemed 
to form an insuperable barrier to their union. Mr. 
Buchanan became in consequence very unhappy, 
and in the height of his passion recurred to his fa- 
vorite and long-cherished plan of a foreign tour ; in 
the course of which, with all the sanguine expec- 
tation and the inexperience incident to his feelings 
and his age, he hoped to advance his fortune, and 
returning to his native country, to obtain the object 
of his wishes. Strange and unpromising as this pro- 



EARLY HISTORY. lo 

ject undoubtedly was, he was eager to accomplish 
it. But though his thoughtless ardor reconciled 
him to. the culpable expedient of deceiving his pa- 
rents, he was unwilling to leave them clandestine- 
ly. For the purpose, therefore, both of avoiding 
any opposition to his scheme, and of relieving them 
from uneasiness, he invented a story, which, en- 
gaged as he had long been in tuition, seemed by 
no means improbable. He pretended that he had 
been invited by an English gentleman to accom- 
pany his son upon a tour to the continent ; and as 
this engagement not only offered some present ad- 
vantages, but held out flattering hopes of his future 
advancement in life, not inconsistent with their ori- 
ginal intentions, his friends consented to the pro- 
posal, and permitted him to leave Scotland. 

Of this singular expedition, and of his subsequent 
history during several years, Mr. Buchanan long 
afterwards gave several distinct but consistent nar- 
ratives, from which the following account is ex- 
tracted : After briefly mentioning the circumstances 
which have been previously stated respecting his 
education and studies, and the schemes which he 
had devised for effecting his departure from his 
native country and friends, and his intended travels 
upon the continent, Mr. Buchanan suggests the ob- 
vious question, how he was to accomplish such a 
plan, destitute as he was of pecuniary resources. 
To this he replies, that tl^e greater his difficulties 



16 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

were, the more romantic would his tour appear ; 
and then proceeds as follows. 

" I had the example of the celebrated Dr. Gold- 
smith before me, who travelled through Euroj^e on 
foot, and supported himself by playing on his flute. 
I could play a little on the vi»)lin, and on this I 
relied for occasional support during my long and 
various travels. 

" In August, 17S7, having put on plain clothes 
becoming my apparent situation, I left Edinburgh 
on foot with the intention of travelling to London, 
and thence to the continent : that very violin 
which I now have, and the case which contains it, 
I had under my arm, and thus I travelled onward. 
After I had proceeded some days on my journey, 
and had arrived at a part of the country where I 
thought I could not be known, I called at gentle- 
men's houses, and farm-houses, where I was in 
general kindly lodged. They were very well 
pleased with my playing reels to them, (for I 
played them better than I can now,) and I some- 
times received five shilHngs, sometimes half a 
crown, and sometimes nothing but my dinner. 
Wherever I went, people seemed to be struck a 
little by my appearance, particularly if they en- 
tered into conversation with me. They were often 
very inquisitive, and I was sometimes at a loss 
what to say. I professed to be a musician travelling 



EARLY HISTORY. 17 

through the country for his subsistence : but this 
appeared very strange to some, and they wished 
to know where I obtained my learning ; for some- 
times pride, and sometimes accident would call 
forth expressions, in the course of conversation, 
which excliited their surprise. I was often invited 
to stay for some time at a particular place ; but 
this I was afraid of, lest I might be discovered. It 
was near a month, I believe, before I arrived on 
the borders of England, and in that time many 
singular occurrences befel me. I once or twice 
met persons whom I had known, and narrowly es- 
caped discovery. Sometimes I had nothing to eat, 
and had no where to rest at night ; but, notwith- 
standing, I kept steady to my purpose, and pur- 
sued my journey. 

" Before, however, I reached the borders of 
England, I would gladly have returned; but I 
could not : the die was cast ; ray pride would have 
impelled me to suffer death, I think, rather than to 
have exposed my folly; and I pressed forward. 

" When I arrived at Newcastle I felt tired of 
my long journey, and found that it was indeed 
hard to live on the benevolence of others : I there- 
fore resolved to proceed to London by water ; for 
I did not want to travel in my own country, but 
on the continent. 

" I accordingly embark etl in a collier at North 
Shields, and sailed for London. On the third night 
2* 



IS MEMOIR OF DR. EUCHANAN. 

of the voyage wc were in danger of being cast 
away during a gale of wind ; and then, for the first 
time, I began to reflect seriously on my situation." 

During the violence of the storm, as he after- 
wards acknowledged to a friend, Mr. Buchanan 
felt as if the judgment of God, as in the case of 
Jonah, was overtaking him ; but, unlike the re- 
penting prophet, no sooner had the tempest of the 
elements subsided, than the agitation of his mind 
also passed away. He arrived safely in London on 
the second of September. 

'' But by this time," he continues, in one of his 
letters referred to, " my spirits were nearly ex- 
hausted by distress and poverty. I now relin- 
quished every idea of going abroad. I saw such a 
visionary scheme in its true light, and resolved, if 
possible, to procure some situation, as an usher, or 
clerk, or any employment, whereby I might derive 
a subsistence : but I was unsuccessful. I lived 
some time, in obscure lodgings, by selling my 
clothes and books ; for I did not attempt to obtain 
any assistance by my skill in music, lest I should 
be discovered by some persons who might know 
me or my family. I was in a short time reduced to 
the lowest extreme of wretchedness and want. 
Alas ! I had not sometimes bread to eat. Little 
did my mother think, when she dreamt that she 



EARLY HISTORY. 19 

saw her son fatigued with his wanderings, and op- 
pressed with a load of wo, glad to lie down and 
sleep away his cares on a little straw, that her 
dream was so near the truth ! What a reverse of 
fortune was this ! A few months before I had lived 
in splendor and happiness ! But even in this ex- 
tremity of misery my eyes were not opened. I saw 
indeed my folly, but 1 saw not ray sin ; my pride, 
even then, was unsubdued, and I was constantly 
anticipating scenes of future grandeur, and indulg- 
ing myself in the pleasures of the imagination. 

"' After I had worn out many months in this mi- 
sery, observing one da}' an advertisement in a 
news-paper for a ' clerk to an attorney,' I oflered 
myself and was accepted. I was much liked, and 
soon made fiiends. I then obtained a better situa- 
tion with another gentleman in the law, and, lastly, 
engaged with a solicitor of respectable character 
and connections in the city, with whom I remained 
nearly three years. During all this time I had suf- 
ficient allowance to appear as a gentleman ; my 
desire for going abroad gradually abated, and I be- 
gan to think that I should make the law my profes- 
sion for life. But, during a great part of this time I 
corresponded with my friends in Scotland, as from 
abroad, writing very rarely, but always giving my 
mother pleasing accounts of my health and situation.' 

Notwithstanding the preceding brief observation 



20 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

that his allowance from his employers enabled him 
to make a genteel appearance, there are various 
intimations, in a memorandum-book kept by Mr. 
Buchanan, during a part of this period, that he was 
frequently a sufferer from the pressure of poverty ; 
nor is this to be wondered at, when it is known that 
the utmost salary which he received amounted only 
to forty pounds per annum. Accordingly, it ap- 
pears, from several notes in the account-book 
which has been referred to, that he was sometimes 
under the necessity of pledging articles of clothing, 
and in one instance his watch, for the purpose of 
procuring a little ready money ; and even this 
painful expedient did not always afford him such a 
supply as to prevent him from occasionally record- 
ing that he had been obliged to go without a break- 
fast or a supper ; and once that he had neither 
breakfasted nor dined. It must, however, be ac- 
knowledged, that while this humble cash account 
is chiefly made up of his expenditure upon the ne- 
cessaries of life, Mr. Buchanan seems to have 
wasted not a little of his scanty allowance on pub- 
lic amusements ; amongst which the theatre fre- 
quently occurs, and sometimes debating societies. 
From one of the brief memoranda contained in 
a pocket-book, from which the preceding circum- 
stances are derived, and which are chiefly written 
in Latin, it appears that Mr. Buchanan's father died 
on the 24th of August, 178S, precisely a twelve- 



EARLY HISTORY. 21 

month after his own departure from Scotland. 
This event was probably communicated to him by 
his excellent mother, and must, it may be reasona- 
bly supposed, have awakened some peculiarly dis- 
tressing feelings in the mind of her absent son, 
conscious as he must have been of the deception 
which he was practising upon their unsuspecting 
confidence. No symptom, however, of the inge- 
nuous shame, which, it maybe hoped, he could not 
but occasionally feel for such misconduct, is appa- 
rent in his diary. He merely mentions that his 
widowed parent had written to him in the spring 
of 17S9, upon the mournful subject of a monument 
to his late father; to which he replied by a letter 
dated the 12th of May, from Florence, which he 
despatched on the 25th following. A subsequent 
entry notices his disappointment in not again hear- 
ing from his mother, whom, amidst all his wander- 
ings from the path of integrity and virtue, he evi- 
dently regarded with unfeigned reverence and 
affection ; while another states the arrival of an 
answer from her to a recent letter of inquiry from 
himself, which, either from the favorable account 
of his parent's welfare, or its salutary influence 
upon his own mind, appears to have afforded him 
much pleasure. 

It cannot, however, be a matter of surprise to 
any one who considers the imprudent manner in 
which Mr. Buchanan had left his native country, 



22 MEMOIR OF DR. RUCIIAXAr;. 

the deceit which he was practising upon his friends, 
the faint prospect which he could reasonably en- 
tertain of any considerable success in the world, 
and, above all, the pious education which he had 
received, to find that the memoranda in question 
exhibit frequent marks of his inward perplexity 
and unhappiness. Thus, on the 10th of May, 1789, 
he records, in Latin, with an emphasis of expres- 
sion which evidently proves the depth and sinceri- 
ty of the feelings with which he wrote : " I have 
lived, I know not how — in a state of forgetful n ess, 
or intoxication — to this day !" And on the 15th of 
July following, he briefly extends the same painful 
confession to that time. Within three days after the 
first of these dates, Mr. Buchanan was seized with 
a severe attack of fever, during which he observes 
that he had experienced, as might very naturally 
be expected, most uncomfortable reflections on his 
present situation. These, however, appear to have 
made no deep or lasting impression upon him, but, 
as in too many similar instances, to have vanished 
with the temporary alarm which occasioned them. 
Accordingly he soon afterwards states that lie had 
on that morning written part of a letter to his mo- 
ther, and with the careless levity which in irreli- 
gious and impenitent minds returns, when they are 
relieved from the immediate fear of punishment, 
had altered his " plan of death and misfortune, to 
that of fortune and festivity." 



EARLY HISTORY. 23 

He laments also, that on his recovery he had 
broken some salutary resolutions which he had 
made during his illness, and adds, with that fretful 
and impotent violence which characterizes those 
who are irritated rather than humbled by the con- 
sciousness of their weakness, and are ignorant of 
its only effectual remedy, " I sivear I'll do so no 
more. O ! that I knew how to persevere in good 
resolutions, as well as to make them ! This has 
been my failing from my infancy." Who has not 
been compelled to make the same humiliating re- 
flection, until acquainted with Him of whom the 
subject of these memoirs was as yet practically ig- 
norant I without whom we can do nothing, but by 
whose gracious assistance the christian can do all 
things ! 

Amon^ the various notices of his feelinors and 
engagements, which occur in these memoranda, 
there are several, which prove that, amidst the in- 
cessant labor of an employment which occupied 
nearly twelve hours of each day, Mr. Buchanan oc- 
casionally contrived to devote, a part of his scanty 
leisure to literary pursuits. Unhappily, indeed, he 
was at this period so little under the influence of 
i-eligion, that the Sabbath was too often spent in 
the study of Virgil and Horace ; though at other 
times his reading on that sacred day appears to 
have been of a graver nature. But the latter hours 
of his evenings, which were not dedicated to amuse- 



24 MEMOTR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ment, seem to have been laudabW employed in 
storirjg his mind witli classical and geneial know- 
ledge, and occasionally in improving his memory 
by artificial rules and practice. 

Though the irreligious state, in which Mr. Bu- 
chanan was at this time livinsr, led him too TCneral 
ly to neglect public worship, his early habits still 
induced him sometimes to enter the house of God. 
Upon one of these occasions he appeals to have 
been much struck with the conduct of a young 
friend, who was so deeply alarmed while the 
preacher was displaying the terrors of the Lord in 
the future punishment of the wicked, that he rose 
up, leaving his hat behind him, and walked out of 
the church. It is understood that Mr. Buchanan 
considere'd this person as having been afterwards 
made spiritually useful to him. 

Two short notes in the summer of the year 17S9 
indicate that there were, even at that period, sea- 
sons in which he thought much and seriously upon 
his own state, and upon religious subjects; during 
which his reflections were sometimes gloomy and 
desponding, and resembling " the sighing of the 
prisoner" for deliverance; and at others cheered 
by a faint and distant hope of one day enjoying, 
through the infinite grace of God, the comforts of 
religion. 

In the following year some traces occur, in the 
brief journal from which the preceding circum- 



EARLY HISTORY. 25 

Stances are extracted, of seriousness in Lis mind. 
He notices a religious conversation witli a friend, 
and adds, that he had in consequence thought se- 
riously of a reformation. He mentions emphatical- 
ly a season of private prayer, and his intention of 
purchasing a new Bible, when he could afford it ; 
and while he confesses, on one occasion, with evi* 
dent regret, his disinclination to religion, and al- 
leges as one of the immediate causes, or symptoms, 
of this evil, the indulgence of morning slumbers, he 
observes, on another, that he had declined the in- 
vitation of a friend to a visit in the country on the 
following Sunday, upon religious principle, though 
he did not at the moment distinctly avow it. All 
these are circumstances indicative of a mind awak- 
ing from the deadly sleep of sin to the life of 
righteousness, and introductory to that important 
chano'e of sentiment and conduct which was now 
approaching. 

It is possible, indeed, that some may be at a loss 
to understand the meaning of this language, or to 
conceive the necessity of any other alteration in the 
religious character of Mr. Buchanan, than the cor- 
rection of a few venial errors and triflinsf irresfu- 
larities, or the supply of certain obvious omissions 
in his conduct. The determination of this question 
must undoubtedly depend upon the general views 
of those who consider it. In proportion as the 
standard of practical religion is either elevated or 

Buchanan. «^ 



2S MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

depressed, will be the judgment of every one as to 
the actual state, at this period of his life, of the 
suV)ject oi^ these memoirs. If slight views are en- 
tertained of the evil of sin, of the guilt, misery, arid 
danger of a sensual and worldly life ; and of the 
nature and extent of christian faith and holiness; 
the moral and religious deficiencies of Mi-. Bu- 
chanan will certainly appear trivial and unimpor- 
tant. But if, as the Scriptures unequivocally assert, 
to live in the habitual neglect of God, though a 
formal acknowledgment of his being and attributes 
may be professed, is virtual impiety ; to avow the 
name of christian, but to refuse the homage of the 
heart to Jesus Christ as a Saviour, is real unbelief; 
and occasionally to indulge in wilful sin, though 
the external manners may be decent and correct, 
is practical ungodliness ; then was it evidently ne- 
cessary that a great and ?'adical cliavge should be 
effected in Mr. Buchanan's dispositions and con- 
duct ; then was it essential to his present and fu- 
ture happiness that he should " repent and believe 
the Gospel." 

That this was the conviction of Mr. Buchanan 
himself, plainly appears from his own declarations 
in the letters from which some preceding extracts 
have been made. " Since my coming to London," 
he observes, " until June last, I led a very dissi- 
pated, irreligious life. Some gross sins I avoided; 
but pride was in my heart ; I profaned the Lord's 



EARLY HISTORY. 27 

day without rcstVcaint, and never tlioiight of any re- 
ligious duty. Thus I lived till within these few 
inontlis, exactly three years since my voluntary 
banisliment from my native country ; three tedious 
years ; and for any thing I couhl have done my- 
self, 1 might have remained in the same state for 
tliirty years longer. But the period was now ar- 
rived when the mercy of God, which had always 
accompanied me, was to be manifested in a singu- 
lar manner. I had a very strong sense of religion 
wheji I was about the age of fourteen ; and I used 
often to reflect on that period; but I had not, I 
believe, the least idea of the nature of the Gospel. 
It was in the year 1790 that my heart was first 
effectually impressed, in consequence of an ac- 
quaintance with a religious young man." 

Of the person thus briefly mentioned, and of the 
important effects which resulted from one remark- 
able meeting with him, the following is a more 
distinct and detailed account : 

" In the month of June last," observes Mr. Bu- 
chanan, writing in February, 1791, " on a Sunday 
evening, a gentleman of my acquaintance called 
upon me. I knew him to be a serious young man, 
and out of complaisance to him I gave the conver- 
sation a religious turn. Among other things, I 
asked him whether he believe4 that there was 



28 



MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



such a thing as divine grace ; whether or not it 
was a fiction imposed by grave and austere per- 
sons from their own fancies. He took occasion 
from this inquiry to enlarge much upon the sub- 
ject; he spoke with zeal and earnestness, and 
chiefly in scripture language, and concluded with 
a very affecting address to the conscience and the 
heart. I had not the least desire, that I recollect, 
of being benefited by this conversation ; but while 
he spoke, I listened to him with earnestness ; and 
before I was aware, a most powerful impression 
was made upon my mind, and I conceived the in- 
stant resolution of reforming my life. 

" On that evenincr I had an encjaoement which I 
could not now approve : notwithstanding what had 
passed, however, I resolved to go ; but as I went 
along, and had time to reflect on what I had heard, 
I half wished that it might not be kept. It turned 
out as I desired : I hurried home, and locked my- 
self up in my chamber; I fell on my knees, and 
endeavored to pray ; but I could not. I tried agaiii, 
but I was not able ; I thought it was an insult to 
God for me to pray ; I reflected on my past sins 
with horror, and spent the night I know not how. 
The next day ray fears wore off a little, but they 
soon returned. I anxiously awaited the arrival of 
Sunday; but when it came I found no relief. 
After some time I communicated my situation to 
my religious friend : he prayed with me, and next 



EARLY HISTORY. 29 

Sunday I went with him to liear an eminent mi- 
nister. This was a great lelief to me ; I thought I 
had found a physician : but, alas! though I prayed 
often every day, and often at night, listlessness and 
languor seized me. Sometimes hope, sometimes 
fear presented itself, and I became very uncom- 
fortable. 

" Going one morning to a bath, I found on a 
shelf Doddtidge's Rise and Progress of Religion 
in the Soul. This bo«)k I thought just suited me. I 
accordingly read it with deep attention, and prayed 
over it. I next procured Alleine's Alarm to the 
Unconverted, and dwelt on it for some lime. My 
religious friend then gave me Boston's Fourfold 
Slate. This I read carefully, and I hope it did me 
some good. I now secluded myself entirely from 
my companions on Sunday ; and during the week, 
the moment business was done, I went home to 
my studies ; and have since wholly withdiavvn my- 
self fr(»m pleasure and amusement. In this man- 
ner have I passed the seven last months, continu- 
ally praying for a new heart, and a more perfect 
discovery of my sins. Sometimes I think I am ad- 
vancing a little, at others I fear I am farther from 
heaven than ever. O the prevalence of habit! It 
is not without reason that it has been sometimes 
called a second nature. Nothing but the hand of 
the Almighty who created me can change my 
heart." 

2* 



30 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" About two months ago I wrote my mother 
some particulars of my state, and requested her 
prayei's, for she is a pious woman. In her answer, 
written by my sister, is tlie following passage, 
* My mother has heard much of Mr. Newton, 
Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, and wishes 
that you would cultivate an acquaintance with him, 
if it is in your power.' " 

It was, in fact, to this venerable man that the 
letter, from which these as well as some preceding 
extracts have been mado, was addressed. Nor 
must the occasion be omitted of paying a passing 
tribute of respect to the memory of that eminently 
pious and useful minister of Jesus Christ. The 
chosen and highly valued friend of Cowper could 
not indeed have been a common or uninteresting 
character. He was, in truth, far otherwise. How- 
ever a world, incapalile of appreciating spiiitual 
excellence, may be disposed to treat his faith as a 
delusion, and his character as enthusiastic, the his- 
tory of Mr. Newton will convince the candid in- 
quirer that the Gospel is still " the power of God " 
to the conversion and salvation even of the chief 
of sinners ; while the urtblemi.shed purity, the ac- 
tive benevolence, the exemplary fidelity, and the 
undeviating consistency of a course of more than 
forty years, sufficiently illustrate the holy and prac- 
tical tendency of the doctrines which he embra 



EARLY HISTORY. 31 

ced ; and prove that the grace which brought peace 
to his conscience, and hope to his soul, at the 
same time effectually taught him " to live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in the world." 

The lively and substantial interest which Mr. 
Newton took in the situation and welfare of Mr. 
Buchanan, is one amongst many other instances of 
the christian kindness which habitually warmed 
his heart. The person who was thus addressing 
him was at that time an utter stranger. After men- 
tioning, therefore, some of the particulars respect- 
ing his family, and his early history, which have 
been already stated, Mr. Buchanan thus proceeds : 

" On the receipt of my mother's letter I imme- 
diately reflected that I had heard there was a 
crowded audience at a church in Lombard-street. 
Thither I accordingly went the next Sunday even 
ing; and when you spoke, I thought I heard the 
words of eternal life : I listened with avidity, and 
wished that you had preached till midnight." Mr. 
Buchanan laments, however, that this pleasing im- 
pression was too soon effaced ; and that, although 
he constantly attended Mr. Newton's sermons with 
raised expectations and sanguine hopes that he 
should one day be relieved from the burthen which 
then oppressed his mind, he had hitherto been dis- 
appointed. " But," he adds, with genuine humi- 
lity, " I have now learned how unreasonable was 



32 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

such an early expectation : I have been taught to 
wait ■patmitly upon God, who wailed so long 
for 7?ie." 

" You say," he continues, " many things that 
touch my heart deeply, and I trust your ministry 
has been in some degree Ijlessed to me ; but your 
subjects are generally addressed to those who are 
already established in the faith, or to those who 
have not sought God at all. Will you then drop 
one word to me % If there is any comfort in the 
word of life for such as I am, O shed a little of it 
on my heart. And yet I am sensible that I am not 
prepared to receive that comfort. My sins do not 
affect me as I wish. All that I can speak of is a 
strong desire to be converted to my God. O sir, 
what shall I do to inherit eternal life ] I see clearly 
that I cannot be happy in any degree, even in this 
life, until I make my peace with God : but how 
shall I m?ke that peace % If the world were my 
inheritance, I would sell it to purchase that pearl 
of great price. 

" How I weep when I read of the prodigal son 
as descmbed by our Lord ! I would walk many 
miles to hear a sermon from the 12th and 13th 
verses of the thirty-third chapter of the second 
book of Chronicles."* 

* The following are the affecting: verses alluded to by 
Mr. Buchanan : " And when he was in affliction, he besought 
the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the 



EARLY HISTORV. 33 

After apologizing for thus intruding upon one 
to whose attention he had no personal claim, Mr. 
Buchanan concludes as follows : 

" My heart is overburthened with grief, and 
greatly does it distress me, that I must impart my 
sorrows to him who has so much himself to bear.* 
My frequent prayer to God is, that he would grant 
you strong consolation. To-morrow is the day you 
have appointed for a sermon to young people. 
"Will you remember mc, and speak some suitable 
word, that, by the aid of the blessed Spirit, may 
reach my heart % Whatever becomes of me, or of 
my labors, T pray God that you may prove success- 
ful in your ministry, and that your labors may be 
abundantly blessed." 

The preceding letter was addressed to Mr. New- 
ton anonymously ; but so simply, yet so forcibly 
does it describe the state of a penitent, awakened 
to a just apprehension of his sin and folly, and 
earnestly desiring relief, that it could not fail to 
excite in the mind of a man of so much christian 
benevolence, a degree of lively sympathy with the 
feelings, and of interest in the welfare, of the 

God of his fathers, and prayed unto hitn : and he was en- 
treated of him, and heard his supplication." 

♦ Mr. Newton was at this time suffering under one of the 
severest domestic calamities. 



34 MEMOIR OF DR. KUCIIANAN. 

writer. His letter, however, being not only without 
any signature, but without any reference to the 
place of his residence, the only method which oc- 
curred to Mr. Newton of conveying any reply to 
him was, by giving notice in his church, that if the 
person who had written to him anonymously on 
such a day were present, and would call upon him, 
he should be happy to converse with him on the 
subject of his communication. This intimati(m Mr. 
Newton accordingly gave, and an early interview 
in consequence took [dace between them. 

" I called on him," says Mr. Buchanan, in a let- 
ter to his mother, " on the Tuesday following, and 
experienced such a happy hour as I ought not to 
forget. If he had been my father, he could not 
have expressed more solicitude for my welfare. 

" Mr. Newton encouraged me much. He put 
into my hands the naiiative of his life, and s(^me 
of his letters; begged my careful perusal of them 
before I saw him again, and gave me a general in- 
vitation to breakfast with him when and as often 
as I could." 

Of the meeting immediately subsequent to this 
first interview no account has been ]ueserved. 
That it was mutually pleasing and satisfactory, is 
evident from the intercourse which afterwards 
took place between them, and which was ultimate- 
ly productive of such important consequences. 



EARLY HISTORY. 35 

" I cultivated," says Mr. Buchanan, " a close ac- 
f]uaintance with Mi-. Newton, and he soon pro- 
fessed a o^reat rea^aid for me." 

The grand subject, wliich would of course imme- 
dialely occupy the attention of both, was the reali- 
ty and the completion of the recent change in the 
moral and religi^.us character of Mr. Buchanan. 
Though the public and piivate instructions of Mr. 
Newton would, from his well known views of chris- 
tian doctrine, incline him to exhibit to the awaken- 
ed and trembling penitent the free and full forgive- 
ness of the Gospel, he would doubtless urge with 
equal solemnity and earnestness the necessity of 
ascertaining the sincerity of his repentance, the 
genuineness of his faith, and the stability of liis re- 
solutions of obedience to the divine precepts. That 
sucli was the general tenor of the counsel which 
was impaited ujjon these occasions, plainly appears 
from several succeeding letters of Mr. Buchanan ; 
and though it is to be lamented tiiat those of his 
pious C(»nespfmdent to which he refers are not now 
to be found, it is evident, from various traces of 
their contents, that they were admirably calculated 
to lemove the difficulties, and to direct the conduct 
of his new disciple. 

Tlius, in the venerable person to whom the pro- 
vidence of God had introduced him. Mi'. Buchanan 
found an enlightened and experienced guide, a 



36 MEMOIR OF DR. UUCIIANAN. 

wise and faithful counsellor, and at length a steady 
and affectionate friend ; while the latter discovered 
in the stranger who had been so remarkably made 
known to him, one who displayed talents and dis- 
positions which appeared to him capable of being 
beneficially employed in the service of their com- 
mon Lord and Master. 

The change in Mr. Buchanan was radical. It 
not only redeemed him from a sinful and worldly 
course, but gradually introduced him to a state of 
" righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost." It rendered him, in short, " a new crea- 
ture." He felt the powerful influence of the love 
of Christ ; and cordially acquiescing in the unan- 
swerable reasoning of the great Apostle, '' that if 
one died for all, then were all dead," he resolved 
no longer to live unto himself, '' but unto Him that 
died for him, and rose again." 



CHAPTER 11. 



Preparation for the Jflinistrj/ — ^id of Rev* Jflr, 
^"ewton and ^Ir. Tliorntcn, 

About a fortnight after the date of his first letter, 
Mr. Buchanan again wrote to Mr. Newton, for the 



PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 37 

Durposc of communicating to him a strong inclina- 
tion, which he had lately felt, to devote himself to 
the ministry. 

" Yesterday morning," he observes, " I went to 

hear Dr. S . Near the conclusion of the service 

I was insensibly led to admire this passage of the 
prophet Isaiah, ' How beautiful are the feet of 
them that preach the Gospel of peace !' It occur- 
red to me, that that enviable office was once de- 
jsigned for mc ; that I was called to the ministry, as 
it were, from my infancy. For ray pious giand- 
father chose me from among my mother's children 
to live with himself. He adopted me as his own 
child, and took great pleasure in forming my young 
mind to the love of God. He warmly encouraged 
my parents' design of bringing me up for the minis- 
try. I particularly recollect the last memorable oc- 
casion of my seeing this good grandfather. The 
first season of my being at college I paid him a 
visit. He lived but five miles from Glasgow. After 
asking me some particulars relating to my studies, 
he put the following question to me ; ' What end 
I had in view in becoming a minister of the Gos- 
pel V I hesitated a moment, thinking, I suppose, 
of some temporal blessing. But he put an answer 
into my mouth. ' With a view, no doubt,' said he, 
' to the glory of God.' I recollect no other particu- 
lar of the conversation but this. It made a strong 

Buchanau. 4 



38 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCllANAX. 

impression on my mind, and even oflcn recuiTCtl 
to my thoughts in the midst of ray unhappy years ; 
and lastly, I thought of my present profession and 
prospect in life. It suddenly came into ray mind 
that I might yet be a preacher of the Gospel. I 
began to consider tlie obstacles that had hitherto 
deterred me from attempting it ; but they appeared 
to have vanished. 

** These things passed rapidly through ray mind.. 
I wondered that 1 had not thought of them before. 
Your suggestion occurred to me, and I seemed 
clearly to perceive the hand of providence in my 
not having been articled to the law. I now beheld 
it as an unkindly and unprofitable study ; a pro- 
fession I never cordially liked, and was thankful 
that I might shake it oft" when I pleased. These 
reflections filled me with delight, and, as I walked 
home, the sensation increased ; so that by the time 
I entered my chamber, my spirits were overpower- 
ed, and I fell on my knees before God, and wept. 
What shall I say to these things 1 At first 1 feared 
this change of sentiment might be some idle whim 
that would soon vanish. But when I began to de- 
liberate calmly, reason pleaded that the plan wa» 
j)0ssible ; and the wisdom and power of God, and 
my love to him, pleaded that it was probable. I 
thought that I, who had experienced so much of 
the divine mercy, was peculiarly engaged to de- 
clare it to others. After fervent prayer, I endeavor- 



PREPARES FOR MIMSTRY. 39 

ed to commit myself and my services into llie bands 
of Him who alone is able to direct me. 

" This day I still cberish the idea with delight. 
But I am much discouraged when I rellect on my 
weak abilities, my slender knowledge, my defective 
expression, and my advanced age. I am now f(jui - 
and-tvventy, and if I prosecute this new desire, I 
must return to the studies of fourteen." 

At the close of this letter Mr. Buchanan express- 
es the lively interest with which he had read Mr. 
Newton's narrative of his own life. " I am the per- 
son," he says, " out often thousand, who can read 
it aright ; for I can read it with self-application. 
What a balm to a wounded conscience are your 
healing leaves ! To-day I have felt a tranquillity 
of mind to which I have been lono; a stranger. I 
trust this peace has a right foundation." 

It appears, that upon an early interview with 
Mr. Newton, in consequence of the preceding let- 
ter, he warmly approved the rising disposition of 
his young friend to change his profession, and to 
devote himself to the ministry of the Gospel. 

*' He received me," says Mr. Buchanan, " with 
open arms; and in his family worship remember- 
ed me in a very aflecting manner, and prayed for 
the divine direction in his counsels to mo. We thou 



40 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAIV. 

passed a considerable time together. He obsen'ed 
that this was a remarkable season with me, but 
that I must leave every thing with God ; that I 
must use the means which he had appointed for 
those who aspire to his service ; that 1 must devote 
the principal part of my leisure hours to medita- 
tion and prayer, and the remainder to the study of 
the languages ; that I must persevere in this course 
for a considerable time, and then, if it pleased 
God, he would open a door to me. ' In the mean- 
time,' added Mr. Newton, ' I would advise you to 
acquaint your mother with every circumstance of 
your situation, and to request, in the first instance, 
her advice and approbation.' " 

To this suggestion Mr. Buchanan yielded with- 
out hesitation, and employed a great part of seve- 
ral nights in communicating to his affectionate pa- 
rent an ingenuous narrative of his proceedings 
from the period of his departure from Scotland to 
the present time. At the close of this varied his- 
tory, in which he strongly condemns himself for his 
past misconduct, he thus expresses himself: 

" And now, my dear mother, how are you affect- 
ed by this account ] Is your heart ready to wel- 
come the return of your long lost son, or does it le- 
ject, with just indignation, so much unworthiness ? 
Whatever may be your emotions, I pray God, who 



rTlEPAIirS FOR MIMRTRT, 41 

lins been so gracious to me, to bless this dispensa- 
lion to you. The veil whicli was between us is at 
length rent, and I am now in peace ; for, believe 
nie, I have not enjoyed a day of peace since I left 
my father's house. I once tiiought I would rather 
sjiffer torture than betray my secret ; but ray ' si- 
news of iron ' are now become like those of a child. 
Nothing less than what I have suffered could have 
softened so hard a heart as mine ; and not even 
that, unless accompanied by the power of God." 

Mr. Buchanan had no sooner made this disclo- 
sure to his excellent mother, than he communicated 
the result to Mr. Newton in a letter, which closes 
in the following terms : 

" My desires of entering the ministry still con- 
tinue, and I think increase. Blackstone says some- 
where, that to have a competent knowledge of the 
lawre'quires ' the lucubrations of twenty years.' I 
once had the low ambition of being such a lawyer, 
but I am now so impressed with the dignity and 
importance of the office of the ministry, that I 
would with pleasure sit down to-morrow and de- 
vote, not the lucubrations of twenty years alone, 
but all my life to it. But, alas ! my present situa- 
tion militates much against my wishes. O that He, 
who has led me thus far, would graciously direct 
mv steps !'* 

4* 



42 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

During the three following months Mr. Bu- 
chanan continued his employment in the law ; di- 
ligently and devoutly cultivating the spirit of real 
religion, and anxiously revolving in his mind the 
practicability of accomplishing his wishes respect- 
ing the change of his profession. In the month of 
July, however, he addressed another letter to Mr. 
Newton, who was then absent from London, in 
which he laments, with much humility and feeling, 
the painful discoveries which he had been making 
in self-knowledge, and the slowness of his progres? 
in his christian course. " I have but sipped," he 
modestly observes, " at Salem's spring — nee f ante 
labra prolviy He then informs his kind corres- 
pondent and friend, that his late letters from Scot- 
land had afforded him much comfort. " My mo 
ther," he says, " writes thus : 

" The hint you gave me in your last, of your 
probably joining the church of England, causeJ 
me, at first, some uneasiness. I hope you will for 
give this. I find now that the difference betweeu 
the two churches consists in discipline only, not in 
doctrine. I am, the?-ef()i-e, easy in mind, which- 
ever way the providence of God may see fit to 
{Tuide you. I am happy that you consulted your 
Bible, and sought the Lord's direction upon this 
occasion. If you cast your buiden upon him, he 
will direct you aright. Since you were a boy, if 
was impressed upon my min^l that some time or 



PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 43 

Other you would be a good man. I own, of late 
years, I was beginning to lose my hope, particu- 
larly on the supposition of your going abroad. I 
thought, this is not God's usual way of bringing 
sinners to himself. But the word of consolation 
often came in remembrance, that God is a God 
' afar oft? O how merciful has he been to you, and 
how merciful to us, in concealing youi- miserable 
situation till srrace brouj^ht it to lis^ht ! I do believe 
the discovery a year ago would .... but these 
recollections are painful ; therefore I forbear. 
What comforting letters have you sent us ! Could 
a thousand pounds a-year have afforded an equal 
consolation 1 Impossible. It might, indeed, have 
tied us down faster to the earth, but it could not 
have set our hearts upon the unsearchable riches 
that are in Christ Jesus. Your friends in Glasgow 
are rejoicing with us : some of them saying, ' Had 
the good old people (meaning his grandfather and 
mother) been alive, how would this have revived 
them !' Among your grandfather's papers I find 
the enchased letter, written by Mr. Maculloch to 
him in a time of distress, when the sins of his 
youth oppressed him. Read it with care, and may 
God grai:t a blessing in the perusal." 

It was surely with good reason that Mr. Bucha- 
nan adderl, " It is not the smallest of my comfnts 
that I have such a mother as this ;" who, though 



44 MHMOIR OF DR. DUCIIAN'AN. 

evidently grieved at his past misconduct, was, a.s 
lie afterwards expressed it, " overwhelmed with 
joy, that her son, who was lost, had been found." 
It appears, by the subsequent part of this letter^ 
that Mr. Buchanan had a short time before been 
introduced, by the kindness of liis friend, to the 
notice of a gentleman to whose munificent patron- 
age he was afterwards indebted for the means of 
accomplishing the prevailing desire of his heart, in 
entering upon the ministry of the Gospel in the 
cimrch of England. This was the late Mr. Henry 
Thornton ; who, to talents of a superior order, 
and to various and extensive acquirements, devo- 
ted durinof a laborious and honorable course to the 
most important duties of public life, united a warm 
and enlightened attachment to genuine Christian- 
ity ; which, while it formed the basis of his reli- 
gious character, not only supplied the rule and the 
motives of his general conduct, but prompted him, 
in an especial manner, to support with calm and 
steady zeal whatever a remarkably sound and vi- 
gorous understanding deemed calculated to pro- 
mote the glory of God and the present and future 
happiness of his fellow-creatures. It was to this 
distinguished person that Mr. Buchanan, happily 
for himself and for others, was now made known 
and recommended. Mr. Newton had been laree- 
ly indebted to the friendship and patronage of 
the excellent father of this gentleman ; and justly 



PREPARES FOR MIMSTRY. 45 

thouglit tliat he couUl not render a more import- 
ant service to his young friend, or one which might 
eventually be more useful to the world, than by 
introducing him to the son ; who, with higher 
mental powers, inherited that enlarged and gene- 
rous spirit of benevolence which had associated, 
in almost every mind, the name of Thornton* 
with that of philanthropy and christian charity. 

The liberal education which Mr. Buchanan had 
already received, and his advanced age a.s a stu- 
dent, naturally led his friends to wish that it might 
be practicable for him to obtain ordination without 
so long a preparation as a residence at an English 
university for a degree would require. The bishop, 
however, to whom an application was made for 
this purpose, discouraged any such plan, and it 
was accordingly abandoned. It was afterwards 
thought that holy orders might be procured for 
Mr. Buchanan at an early period, on the condition 
of his going abroad ; and Mr. Thornton desired 
him to consider whether his health would allow 
him to accept the chaplaincy of the colony at 
Sierra Leone. To this proposal Mr. Buchanan, 
after requesting Mr. Newton's advice, signified his 
cordial assent ; but, for reasons which do not ap- 
pear, this design was also relinquished. For a 
short time the mind of Mr. Buchanan seems to 
have been somewhat depressed by the failure of 
these attempts. 

* See Cowper'a " Charity." 



46 MEMOIR or DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Notwithstanding," he says, at the close of tha 
letter last quoted, " your endeavors in my behalf, 
I have little expectation that you will succeed. 
Providence, I think, has a few more trials and dif- 
ficulties for me to encounter before I am led into 
so pleasant a path ; and 1 know that they are need- 
ful to make me more humble." 

He felt, too, the absence of his paternal friend 
and guide, and looked around among his acquain- 
tance for a companion in vain. " I have but one 
.serious friend," he observes, " and him I only see 
once in a week or fortnight. Next to the blessing 
of communion with God on eailh, must surely be 
the society of his children. Yet I shall not com- 
plain if I can enjoy the former privilege ; for then, 
llle solus turba erity^ 

Amidst these discouraging circumstances, how- 
ever, Mr. Buchanan assures his venerable corres- 
pondent that he was never so truly happy in his 
life, having been guided into " the way of peace," 
relying on the direction of divine providence, and 
being animated " by ' the hope set before him.' " 

But it was not long before the kindness of the 
generous patron to whom he had been introduced 
opened to him a prospect which his most sanguine 
expectations had never ventured to anticipate : in- 
stead of any further attempt to obtain ordination 

♦ God shall be my all in all. 



rKKTARLS rt)R MI.MSTKY. 47 

for him under his present circumstances, Mr. Thorn- 
ton determined to send him to the University of 
Cambridge at his o\tri expense ; that he might thus 
enter the churcli witli every possible advantage, 
ind be prepared for a liigher and more extensive 
sphere of usefulness than any for which he could 
otherwise be qualified. This resolution was scarce- 
ly less honorable to the character of Mr. Buchanan 
than to the liberality of his patron, whose discrimi- 
nating judgment aftbrded no slight presumption in 
favor of any one to whom his protection was ex- 
tended, and whose penetration was, in the present 
instance, amply justified by the event. 

Early in the month of September Mr. Buchanan 
communicated to his mother, and his friend Mr. 
Newton, who was still in the country, the joyful 
news of Mr. Thornton's munificent intention. He 
had been so much depressed by the failure of for- 
mer plans, and the present offer so far exceeded 
any hopes which he had indulged, that he was at 
first almost tempted to think it a delusion ; but on 
Mr. Thornton's assuring him personally of the reali- 
ty of the proposal, which he appears to have orisri- 
nally made to him by letter, he received it with 
those mingled feelings of gratitude and humility 
which were the surest pledges that the benevolent 
exertions of his patron would not be made in vain. 

" I was emancipated," he writes to Mr. Newton, 



48 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCHANAN. 

" from the law a few days ago, and am now will- 
ing to enter into the eternal bonds of the Gospel. 
I have been endeavoring to arrange my studies, in 
some measure, preparatory to my going to Cam- 
bridge ; but I find so much to do, that I know not 
where to begin. I wish to devote my greatest at- 
tention to the Bible, and am desirous of adopting 
some regular plan in studying it; but I cannot 
please myself, and I am a perfect stranger to the 
system which is usually followed. The Bible ap- 
pears to me like a confused heap of polished stones 
prepared for a building, which must be brought 
together, and each of them fitted to its place be- 
fore the proportion and symmetry of the temple 
appear. I would fain hope that the foundation- 
stone is laid with me ; but the raising of the super- 
structure appears an arduous undertaking, and the 
pinnacle of the temple is quite out of sight, even 
in idea. I conjectured that probably the articles 
and creeds of the church contain the first principles 
of the oracles of God ; and on this presumption I 
have begun to prove all the articles of my faith by 
Scripture. Whether I am right in this mode of 
study I know not. 

" I never felt myself in more need of divine di- 
rection than now. When I consider myself so evi- 
dently called forth on the Lord's side, my heart is 
lUint ; and I am apt to say, ' Who is sufficient for 
these things V I find I am unable to go through 



rRCPAUES rOR MIMSTRY. 49 

the important studies before me, unless I am led 
<5very step. At present it appears to me that my 
sole business at the university is contained in one 
line of St. Paul, ' to be enriched with all utterance, 
»nd all knowledge ;' or in other words, ' to be elo- 
quent, and mighty in the Scriptures;' which are 
isaid to have been the accomplishments of the 
preacher ApoUos. But I find that 1 must attend to 
various branches of human learning, for which at 
present I have no relish. Alas ! sir, if St. Paul had 
«ent Timothy and Titus to such a college as this, 
ihey would have complained to him of such a plan. 
But he would perhaps have answered, as he does 
Bomevvhere, ' Till I come, give attendance to read- 
ing' — ' that ye may know how ye ought to answer 
every man.' " 

The sentiment expressed in the latter part of the 
preceding extract will not appear extraordinary to 
ihose who consider the state of Mr. Buchanan's 
mind at this period, and the one great object which 
&e had in view in accepting Mr. Thornton's offer of 
i, university education. The same train of thought 
occurs in his next letter to Mr. Newt(m ; and al- 
though he afterwards acquiesced, upon principle, in 
the usual course of university studies, it may not 
De without its use to develope somewhat more fully 
nis present dispositions and feelings. 

Bucbauan. ^ 



50 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCIIAAAN, 

•' Permit me," he observes to bis first excellent 
friend, " to thank yoii for your letter. It is a mark 
of your regard, of which I am unworthy, and has 
affixed a seal to the truth of your interest in my 
welfare, which I hope will never be broken. Liko 
Hezekiah, I spread it before the Lord, but with a 
different purpose ; not to avert a curse, but to im- 
prove a blessing. The words in Hezckiali's letter 
were * to reproach the living God ;' but the words 
in ray letter were to assure me that his name is 
hve ; that he is very gracious, and that I should 
serve him with a cheerful heart. I have prayed that 
I may be enabled to do so. Your letter is a silent 
monitor, wdiich I hope at the university often to 
consult. It will, I trust, serve as a counterpoise to 
the parade of worldly wisdom, and teach me to re- 
verse the motto of the schools, Ubi fldlosophus 
cessat, illic incipit theologus* Chrysostom was of 
your opinion ; he says, Owcv a-apia, Geow, cvkcti xi^'^ 
aod-i^coTTivusA 1 think' SO too ; but I also think that the 
fault is not in the studies, but in the manner of 
pursuing them. If a student could wed himself to 
the Bible, and court the sciences merely as hand- 
maids to her, I think this would do very well ; but 
when we are seized by the cacocthes philosojyhandiX 

* Where the philo;?opher ends, the theologian begins. 
t Where the wisdom of God L>«, human wisdom will nor 
be wantingf, 
X Thirst of philosophy. 



PREPARE! FOR IIINISTRT. 61 

and devote ourselves to what Luther calls the idohi 
carnalium studiorum* our taste becomes vitiated. 
Since I received your letter 1 have seeu something 
of this. 

" I was introduced yesterday to the acquaintance 
of a clergyman's son, who has been two years at 

• college, Cambridge. His father, I understand, 

sent him to that college that he might be under the 
care of religious tutors. From this account I hoped 
to find him a suitable companion ; but I soon dis- 
covered that he had no inclination to talic of divi- 
nity, or of any thing that bore relation to it. His 
whole conversation turned on experimental philo- 
sophy and mathematics. I have not seen a young 
man so mathematic-mad in my life. During the 
whole evening I spent with him, his head was (as 
Omicron expresses it) continually wool-gathering 
after rhomboids and parallelograms. He assures 
me that if I do not study mathematics very dili- 
gently, I shall have no chance, at the end of my 
course, of obtaining * the honors.' I told him than 
I had heard college fame was very intoxicating ; 
that perhaps it might be prudent to sip gently of 
it ; and that, as for myself, if I could pass my ex- 
amination with a mediocrity of applause, I should 
be content. He observed that seven hours a day 
studying mathematics would be sufficient for t/iat. 

* Idolatry of science. 



52 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" How much reason is there for that ' double 
guard of prayer and close walking with God ' 
which you mention, in order that I may be ena- 
bled to pass through this fire unhurt ! It is happy 
for me that I am not under my own guidance. It 
seems it is necessary for me to be somewhat, 
' learned in the wisdom of the Egyptians ;' but I 
trust it is that I may be able to see and set forth 
' the wisdom that is from above ' in a more trans- 
cendent light. 

" The method you propose for my studying the 
Bible approves itself much to my judgment, and 
I desire to follow it. I have begun it this day in a 
solemn manner. O that my ardor for contemplating 
the truths of Scripture may never abate ! 

" What you say of a daily retrospect of my past 
life is an instructive lesson. Is it possible that for 
forty years it should have been so with you ] 1 
fear I shall come far short of this ; and yet how 
much reason have I to sing of the mercies of the 
Lord all the day long 1 Is there any one of hi? 
children who is more indebted to him as the God 
of providence and of grace than I am 1 Who can 
' sing of mercy and of judgment ' as I can, when 
I remember him from the land of my nativity, al^ 
the way by which I have been led 1 How few ar<» 
there who would believe that a man could be found 
capable of displaying so extraordinary an act of 
munificence as that with which Mr. Thornton is 



FREPARES FOR MiriSTRT. ;5.1 

now honoring rne ? "Were I possessed of both th« 
Indies I could scarcely do more for myself than ho 
is now doing. And how unworthy I am of all this ] 
When I think of these things, it is the grief of my 
heart that I cannot more admire and love that gra- 
cious Saviour, who has so highly favored me. As 
yet I have a very imperfect view of what I have 
passed through ; but I trust these things will be 
shown me as I shall be able to bear them. 

" Mr. Thornton intends that I shall go to Queen's 
college ; chiefly, I believe, because he is acquaint- 
ed with the President, Rev. Isaac Milner, D. D. 
and thinks that circumstance may be advantageous 
to me. I am happy to hear so favorable an account 
of Cambridge. It will be an encouragement for 
me to maintain my ground when I see some around 
me who dare to be singular. It shall be my endea- 
vor to attend to your advice with respect to my 
conduct to my superiors. I shall often pray to be 
endued with a meek and quiet spirit ; and endea- 
vor implicitly to comply with every rule and every 
injunction in the university, for the Lord's sake.'* 



6« 



54; MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



CHAPTER III. 



Residence at Cambridge Iniversity, 

Such were the views with which, in the autumn 
of 1791, Mr. Buchanan was admitted a member of 
Queen's college, Cambridge. " The day of my 
leaving London," he observes in a letter to his 
brother, " was very solemn. It was on Monday, 
the 24th of October, exactly four years and two 
months since my entering that city. But with 
what a different spirit did I leave it, compared 
with that with which I entered it ! Had 1 seen at 
that time, in the book of providence, all that I was 
about to do and to suffer in that city, I suppose I 
should hardly have dared to approach it : but God 
wisely conceals from us a knowledge of the future. 

" On the morning and evening preceding my 
leaving London, I was earnest in prayer for a 
blessing on my intended journey and its conse- 
quences. One request in particular was, that I 
might be favored with the acquaintance of some 
pious companions in my studies. To this prayer I 
had an early answer. A gentleman set out with 
me from London in the same coach for Cambridge. 
He studied two seasons at Glasgow, as I did; 
then, like me, passed some years in vanity ; and 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 55 

now comes to the university to qualify himself for 
preacliing Clirist, as I hope I do. This singular 
similarity in our circumstances occasioned a liap- 
piness of which none but ourselves could partake." 
With a modesty and regard to frugality which 
reflect upon him much credit. Mr. Buchanan was 
at first disposed to enter as a sizer ; but upon the 
representations of the tutors, and of the friends to 
whom he had been recommended, he determined 
on being admitted as a pensioner. In a letter to 
Mr. Newton, written soon after his arrival at Cam- 
bridge, he very feelingly describes the perplexity 
which he had anticipated from the contrariety of 
the studies to which he was called, to the prevail- 
ing dispositions of his mind. Until he was actually 
at college he cherished the hope of being permit- 
ted to devote his chief attention to divinity, and to 
the mathematics only secondarily. But he found 
that the reverse was expected from him ; and that 
the excellent friends, to whom his patron had in- 
troduced him, were quite as strenuous as his tutors 
in representing to him the necessity of complying 
with the established course of study in the uni- 
versity. Independently of the repugnance which 
Mr. Buchanan felt to this plan from the ])eculiarly 
serious frame of his mind at this period, he feared 
that by yielding to it he should disappoint the ex- 
pectations of the friends who had sent him tf) 
Cambridge, and eventually frustrate the great ob- 



56 MEMOIR OF DR. nUCnAXAN. 

ject which he and they mutually had in view. The 
comparatively advanced age, too, at w^hich he en- 
tered, the university, would naturally tend to 
strengthen this apprehension, and to dispose him 
to dedicate his time exclusively to theological pur- 
suits. The state of doubt and uneasiness produced 
by these circumstances affected both his spirits 
and his health ; but after stating the reasonings of 
his Cambridge friends, and his own feelings and. 
inclinations, he expressed to his respected corres- 
pondent his resolution to follow that course of con- 
duct, which, after mature deliberation, should ap- 
pear to him to be the path of duty. 

In the case of students in general, entering at 
the usual period at either university with a view to 
the clerical office, however religiously they may 
be disposed, there can be no doubt either as to 
the duty or the wisdom of devoting their chief 
attention to the prescribed studies of the place. A 
competent acquaintance with the learned langua- 
ges, and with the stores of historical and ethical 
knowledge which they contain ; the principles of 
sound reasoning, and the elements, at least, of 
seneral science, are essential to the formation of 
an enlightened and able theologian. The basis of 
such a character must, indeed, be deeply laid in ar». 
experimental acquaintance with real religion ; and 
it were devoutly to be wished that this wera 
always considered an indispensable qualificatior 



XT CAMDRIDUE. 57 

in the candidate for the ministry, and that more 
effectual encouragements and facilities were af- 
forded in our universities for its attainment. But 
if to the spirit of piety be not added tlie advanta- 
ges which are to be derived from the wise and 
temperate pursuit of human learning, there is 
great danger that religion itself will suffer in the 
hands of those who are thus unprepared to teach, 
to defend, and to adorn it. In the present instance, 
Mr. Buchanan was already possessed of such a 
share of learning as might have been sufficient to 
qualify him for the discharge of the ordinary du- 
ties of a christian minister ; but it was obviously 
desirable that this should be strengthened and en- 
larged by fresh accessions at the seat of science, to 
which the providence of God had so remarkably 
conducted him. Nor was it long before his judg- 
ment was convinced by the arguments of his 
friends, that the very honor of religion required 
his acquiescence in such a measure ; and that, 
however the a]>pointed studies of the university 
might appear to be foreign to the important pur- 
pose for which he had entered it, they would ulti- 
mately tend in the most effectual manner to pro- 
mote it. Among those who concurred in this sa- 
lutary advice was Mr. Newton himself; and to 
him Mr. Buchanan early in the following year an- 
nounced his disposition to yield to their sugges- 
tions. 



6S MEMOIR or DR. BUCHANAN. 

" I think," he observes, " that ray way is clearer 
than it was, and I hope soon to have little doubt of 
my path of duty at college. Your letter helped to 
pave the way for me. I have now taken up the 
study of the mathematics ex animo, that is, from a 
persuasion that God wills it. And for them I have 
made a sacrifice of some other studies truly dear 
to me. I tried, for a time, to continue them both, 
but I found it impossible ; so that now, that por- 
tion of the day which I have set apart for divine 
things is extremely short, compared with what I 
once thought it would be ; and yet I dare not tell 
some of my friends here that it is so long." 

It will be readily imagined that Mr. Buchanan 
had various difficulties to encounter on commencing 
his academical course. He had indeed been re- 
ceived by the Vice-President, in the absence of 
Dr. Milner, and by the tutors, with much attention 
and kindness ; but having been entirely unacquaint- 
ed with the mathematics before his entrance at col- 
lege, it was only by hard study that he could con- 
trive to keep pace with the lectures. " I once 
thought," he says, " that I should have been oblig- 
ed to acknowledge my inability, and to have fallen 
behind, and was wishing for the last day of term 
as eagerly as ever truant did for a holiday. How 
ever, I was enabled to keep my ground, and my 
difficulties were never known, even to my tutor 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 5Q 

This vacation will give me room to have some lit- 
tle beforehand ; so that I hope to pass with more 
ease and credit through the succeeding terms." 

From the time of his coming to college, accord- 
•ng to the information of a contemporary friend, 
Mr. Buchanan was exceedingly regular and studi- 
ous, keeping but little company, for the sake, he 
supposes, of economy, both as to expense and time. 

His situation, too, was at first peculiarly unplea- 
eant, from finding scarcely a single companion 
whose sentiments and habits were cong^enial with 
his own. His indisposition to general visits even 
rendered him the subject of much animadversion. 
But from this trial he was shortly relieved by the 
praise which he received from his tutor for a Latin 
theme, the composition of which, though he had 
written nothing in that language for some years, 
was pronounced to be superior to that of any other 
student. He was in consequence treated with much 
additional respect by his fellow-collegians, was al- 
lowed to visit them upon his own terms, and even 
received several applications to assist them in their 
studies, which served as a stimulus to his own ex- 
ertions. 

No sooner, however, had Mr. Buchanan deter- 
mined on the diligent pursuit of his academical 
studies, than the wakeful spirit of piety by which 
he was animated made him anxious to o:i5ard 



60 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAxNAN. 

against the possible dangers to vvbich such a plan 
might expose hira. For this purpose he cultivated 
the acquaintance of the more serious students at 
different colleges ; and at his solicitation they 
agreed to meet regularly for the purpose of read- 
ing the New Testament, and conversing practical- 
ly upon some chapter which had been selected. 
Their meetings were begun and ended with prayer. 
Mr. Buchanan was also invited to spend an hour 
on Sunday evenings at the rooms of one excellent 
person,* who has been distinguished during many 
years for his active and zealous support of religion 
in Cambridge, and to whom a numerous body of 
clerical and other students have been successively 
indebted for the most important instruction and 
encouragement during their academical progress. 
Of the kindness of this gentleman, and of the be- 
nefit which he derived from his conversation and 
example, Mr. Buchanan wrote to more than one 
of his friends in terms of the highest respect and 
gratitude. 

" These engagements," he says to one of them, 
*' prove something of a counterbalance to the ef- 
fects of human learning, and preserve my mind 
from being wholly absorbed in philosophy and me- 
taphysics. Besides," and the remark affords a strik- 
ing proof of the sobriety as well as fervor of his 

* The late Rev. Charles Simeon. 



AT cAMnRincr. 61 

piety, " I have the opport unity, every morning and 
t^vening, of attending chapel prayers, which, of it- 
fcelf, I consider a great blessing." 

" I often meditate," he adds, " on the vanity of 
life, and the insufficiency of the world to confer 
iiappiness. Were I assured of my interest in the 
Kedeemer, I should long for my departure. What 
is there to detain me here ? I have no tie to this 
world, no earthly possession, no person, if I except 
my mother, for whose sake I desiie to live, no idol 
of any hind. What then should induce me to lin- 
ger here, groaning, as I do daily, with sin, and 
combating a powerful spiritual enemy ] Nothing 
ought to urge me to stay, but a desire to promote 
the glory of God among men. But this desire is 
with me so weak at present, as scarcely to deserve 
the name. It is but a spark. This is my unhappi- 
ness. Yet the goodness of God may, in his own 
ume, fan it into a flame." 

Such was the resolution with which Mr. Bu- 
chanan engaged in the study of the mathematics, 
that at the close of his second term he found him- 
self inferior to none in the lecture-room. He had, 
at the same time, though contrary to the usual cus- 
tom, paid equal attention to the classical and logical 
lectures ; but very reasonably doubted whether he 
should be able to continue the same application to 
so many different objects. 

Buchanan. ^ 



62 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Your good sense," he says to one of his cor- 
respondents, " will show you, when reflecting on 
my present situation, that I have much need of that 
wisdom which is profitable to direct. Weak in spi- 
rit, weak in body, and beset by hard study, which 
I know by experience to be a weariness to the 
flesh, what can I do but commit myself and all my 
cares to Him who hath hitherto cared for me, and 
will lead me, though blind, by a way I know not % 
By such a way is he now leading me. I know not 
whither his goodness is conducting me : I trust it 
is to his service : and yet there is such an ocean of 
mathematics and abstruse study which intervenes 
between me and usefulness in the ministry, that, 
like the Israelites, I stand on the sea-shore think- 
ing it impossible to get over ; but I think also that 
I hear the Lord by his providence, which introdu- 
ced me to the studies of this place, say, ' Go for- 
ward.' This I am resolved to do till his goodness 
illuminate my mind, so that I shall be enabled to 
discover the errors (if any) of my path. If any, 
did I say 1 I know that there are many ; but I 
need grace to abandon them when I see them ; I 
hope Cambridge University will prove a good 
school of Christ to me. I knew little of myself till 
1 came here." 

Notwithstanding his complaint as to the unfa- 
vorable eflect of his studies upon his devotional 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 6j 

feelings, he occasionally experienced very different 
and more pleasing impressions. 

" I ought," he observes, writing to Mr. Newton 
not long afterwards, " to thank you for your letter. 
There is an indescribable something which per- 
vades the whole of it, and seems to intimate that 
all is peace and tranquillity within the mind of the 
writer. What an enviable frame of spirit does lie 
possess who walks with God ! About a fortnight 
ago a dawn of that light, with which I suppose the 
Lord irradiates the souls of those that walk with 
him, shone upon my mind, and by its lustre showed 
me some things I had not seen before. I prayed 
often that this impression of love might not leave 
me. But, alas ! it did leave me ; no doubt it was 
my own fault. I would walk three times round the 
globe to attain it again : but no such great thing is 
required of me ; I have only to believe : n/s-Tjya, 

" After what you have said on the subject of dis 
appointment, I am resolved never to be disappoint- 
ed. But it is a resolution which I fear I cannot keep. 
Let me pray for grace. If I possessed this foun- 
tain, all the streams would be mine ; and among 
the rest, the christian grace of considering nothing 
in the providence of God a disappointment." 

• Lord, I believe, help thou my uabelief." 



64 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCUAXAX. 

On the approacli of the long vacation, Mr. Bu- 
chanan had some thoughts of spending a few weeks 
at Lynn, in Norfolk, for the benefit of his health, 
which had been impaired by his close application 
to study. 

Mr. Newton had also invited hiin to pass a part 
of the vacation in London ; and in the letter which 
conveyed this invitation, an extract from which 
Mr. Buchanan communicated to his brother, his 
kind friend expressed himself as follows : 

" Our acquaintance was providential indeed ! 
but it is a providence for which I hope ever to be 
thankful ; and to account it one of the chief honors 
and pleasures of my life, to have been made in- 
strumental in bringing you forward. May you be 
kept in the mind you express, to prefer ' a grain 
of humility to a mountain of gold ;* and you will 
be like the tree described in the first Psalm, and 
Jeremiah 17, when my head is laid in the dust. I 
hear well of you from all quarters." 

The relaxation, however, thus proposed, both in 
Norfolk and London, as well as the offer of an ex- 
cursion with a Cambridge friend, Mr. Buchanan, 
with commendable self-denial, thought it most ex- 
pedient to decline, and determined on accepting 
the indulgence granted him of remaining in college 
during the whole vacation. 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 65 

" It would be very pleasing," lie says, '* to make 
a short tour with a proper companion ; but I think 
I could not do it without danger to myself. If I 
were somewhat advanced in the christian life, and 
more stable in the way of truth, I perhaps might ; 
but at present I cannot, I dare not trust the deceit- 
fulness of my own heart. In the retirement of a 
college I am unable to suppress evil thoughts and 
vain wishes ; how then must it be abroad 1 Besides, 
I find that the art of study is difficult to attain. I 
must serve a long apprenticeship to it ere I am a 
good proficient. The greatest danger lies in break- 
ing the thread of attention. On whatever study my 
mind is fixed, that study I can with pleasure re- 
sume ; but if an interval of a. day intervene, my at- 
tention is disengaged. I am conscious that I have 
lost a day as to that study, and find it irksome to 
begin de novo. But if instead of a day, an interval 
of a week or month should intervene, it would be 
a herculean labor to resume it j and nothing could 
smooth the way but a conviction that the interrup- 
tion was from necessity ; then, indeed, my duty 
would remove the obstacle. 

" That you may have some idea of the nature of 
my present studies, I shall subjoin the calendar 
of a day. 

i after 4 to 8, Devotional Studies. 

8 to 9, Breakfast and Recreation. 

6* 



66 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

9 to 2, Mathematics. 

2 to 4, Dinner and Recreation. 

4 to G, Classics. 

6 to 7, Enji^agements, or Recreation. 

7 to 9, Classics, or Logic, &c. 
9 to 10, Devotional Studies. 

10 to i after 4, Sleep." 

Few persons would be disposed to think, on 
reviewing the preceding distribution of his time, 
that Mr. Buchanan had, at this early period of his 
academical course, assigned too small a portion to 
studies directly connected with his future profes- 
sion. This is, however, the reflection which he im- 
mediately suggests to his friend ; expressing his 
fears, which were certainly groundless, lest his pa- 
tron should say that he had not sent him to Cam- 
bridge to learn geometry; and, above all, lest the 
science which he was thus diligently pursuing 
should not ultimately reward him. It would, in- 
deed, he says, be distressing to him to appear un- 
qualified for his office as a preacher; " but then I 
hope," he adds, " I sliall make more commendable 
proficiency in my divine studies when I undertake 
them. This hope alone enables me to persevere in 
my present course." 

*' I apprehend," continues he, " that a student 
should lahor as for his daily broad ; not choosing 
the study he may like best, for then it would be no 
labor^ but learning the great lesson of self-denial 



AT CAMHRIDCE. 67 

by taking up the study he likes least, if it be best 
for him. If I can by nine hours' study a day serve 
my heavenly Master as faithfully as I served Mr. 
D , I think he will give me my hire." 

Having received a paternal reply from Rev. Mr. 
Newton, he again thus writes to his venerable 
friend : 

" Rather than you should have a moment's un- 
easiness lest the purity of my heart should be taint- 
ed by mathematics, I would throw every mathe- 
matical book I have into the fire. For, compared 
with the word of truth, they are as dross to fine 
gold. In a certain degree they may be useful, and 
to that degree I would desire them ; and I hope to 
be led so far, and no farther. At first I disliked 
them ; but considering them as a nauseous medicine 
which might do me some good, I took them up. 
You, too, bade me. After a while they became 
more palatable, and at length a pleasing study. 
For this I was exceedingly thankful, as they were 
in the way of my duty. But now, as I have arrived 
at a certain length in them, and have in view very 
soon to enter on an important office which requires 
much preparation, 1 think it will be right — not to 
relinquish them wholly — but so to circumscribe 
them, and my other academical exercises, as to 
afford me a considerable proportion of the day (the 



68 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

half, if possible) for ' the preparation of the Gospel 
of peace/ 

" I do not mean to put this sudden resolution 
into practice till I know whether it be right. From 
some experience, I know myself to be weak, inju- 
dicious, inconstant, changeable. I shall therefore 
prosecute my studies as usual, till I hear from you. 
Having acquired somewhat of a reputation for my 
attention to college studies, if I can preserve it, it 
will be a desirable thing ; if not, I cannot help it ; 
I willingly sacrifice it to 'a better name.' 

" You do me great honor in the proposal you 
have made. I would rather serve you in your old 
age than a sceptre-bearing king. But I much fear 
that my services at so early a period will be weak 
and inadequate. It is like taking a babe out of his 
cradle to support the steps of his aged parent. 
But I am in God's hands : whatever he sees fit for 
me to do, I hope he will incline my heart and 
enable me to do it. But as I cannot expect that 
he will work a miracle by qualifying me for his 
service at once, it is certainly my duty to resort to 
the means noiVy and i:>ray for his blessing on his 
own studies. Surely I ought not to procrastinate. 

*' You ask me whether I would prefer preach- 
ing the Gospel to the fame of learning % Ay, that 
would I, gladly. Were I convinced it was the will 
of God that I should depart this night for Nova 
Zembla, or the antipodes, to testify of Him, I 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 



^i 



would not wait for an audit, or a college exit. 
There is nothing to be found here to satisfy my 
mind. There are indeed many gaudy vanities of 
specious appearance, pleasing to my fleshly eye ; 
but if 1 know my own heart, the Lord Jesus is at 
this moment more lovely to me than the loveliest 
object which the eye can see or fancy paint. And 
though I know him not as I could wish, yet is ho 
precious. He is that pearl which I would willingly 
buy at the price of all the laurels which science 
ever bore. But I speak this in his strength. I 
wish not to be tried with wealth, honor, or the 
applause of men. A laurel even in preaching the 
Gospel might intoxicate my brain, and drown ray 
humble dependence on God in Lethe. Then, like 
Lucifer, should 1 preach humility ! Lord, ray af- 
fections are ?iow in thy possession. O, keep them 
there ! 

"You ask me what are my views ? Dear sir, 
what views can I have 1 God has his views con- 
cerning me : I have none. Tie best knows why he 
brought me hither : I know not. Once I used to 
think, that as he had wrought so wondrously for 
me, he surely meant me for an eminent preacher 
of the Gospel. Pride dictated this. I now have no 
such high thoughts of myself. 1 am in some de- 
gree sensible, that if I ever serve the Lord at all, 
I shall be one of his weakest servants. Nor are 
these mere disqualifying speeches. 1 have reason 



70 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAXAJC. 

to fear that I am much more deficient than you 
apprehend. Nevertheless, with all my defects, I 
know the divine power. I have laid my hand to 
the plough ; he can make me useful! 

" You desire to know whether I would accept 
ordination before I take my degree, if it could be 
procured 1 Yes, without any hesitation, if I thought 
it was the will of God. Were I to submit it to our 
friends here, they would unanimously dissuade it ; 
but I do not feel myself at liberty to consult them. 
In order to have it in my power to assist you as 
soon as possible, I would gladly receive ordination 
before the prescribed time ; but in that case I should 
desire immediately to alter my plan of study, and 
prepare myself a little, who need so much prepa- 
ration. 

" If my purpose of beginning the studies of di- 
vinity be proper and practicable, could you give 
me the outline of what you conceive to be best 
worthy my attention m primordio ?* Mr. S. I 
know, will also be glad to lend me every assist- 
ance. 

" A new desire of preaching the Gospel has cer- 
tainly sprung up in my heart, accompanied by 
ideas I do not recollect to have had before. I 
hope it is no delusion. As yet it has produced 
noble effects on my heart and views. But in a 

♦ As first in order. 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 7l 

month's time I shall be better able to say whether 
it be of God or no." 

Though it can scarcely be doubted that con- 
tinued and exclusive efforts would have rendered 
Mr. Buchanan successful in the competition for 
academical honors ; there are but few, perhap?, 
who, under all the circumstances of his case, will 
not consider him as having piously, if not wisely 
judged, in abandoning that flattering pursuit; and 
in resolving to devote a larger proportion of his 
time to studies more congenial to his taste and 
feelings, and more directly subservient to his 
ultimate destination. 

At the close of the long vacation, Mr. Buchanan 
accordingly communicated this determination to 
Mr. Newton. 

" I fear, however," he says, " that it will be dif- 
ficult for me to conceal the change, as I must un- 
dergo two examinations next year, which will 
abundantly scrutinize my proficiency ; besides, I 
have many competitors, who will exult when they 
see me halt. But I tnjst I shall be enabled to make 
every necessary sacrifice. What is my fame com- 
pared with that of the Gospel % My desire is, that 
my light may so shine before men, that they seeing 
my good works, may glorify my Father who is in 
heaven." 



72 MEMOIR or PR. BUCHANAN', 

The continuation of tliis letter shows the since- 
rity of this profession, and the anxiety which Mr. 
Buchanan felt to fulfil it. 

" How happy should I be, did I always know 
what these good works are. It is strange that I 
should err when I have the Bible to direct me ; 
but I find that it requires much of divine teaching 
to apply the general rules of Scripture to particu- 
lar cases. For instance, I would gladly know 
whether it is the will of God that I should asso- 
ciate with my fellow-students more than I do. 
Whether I ought to separate myself, or mingle 
with them, endeavor to obtain some weight among 
them, and correct their manners, and seek oppor- 
tunities of speaking for God. Some of them, per- 
haps, never heard the terms of the Gospel in their 
lives. If I were * wise as a serpent,' I might possi- 
bly, under God, entwine some of them in the net of 
the Gospel. Of late this subject has been much on 
my mind, and I have been earnest in prayer that I 
may be made useful to some of them. At my rooms 
they have always acted with the strictest decorum ; 
scarcely a faulty word has .been spoken ; and I 
know not but I might have been a restraint upon 
them at their own. My principal reason for resist- 
ing their frequent invitations, is a fear lest I should 
lose time in idle conversation, or be unawares led 
into undue compliances. This latter operated much 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 73 

"Witli me. I have been surprised that my conduct 
did not draw upon me their opon reproach. But 
the Lord ' tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.* 
Last year I was extremely weak, ill-grounded in 
the truth, arfd perhaps should have sunk under 
much opposition. During- this vacation I trust I have 
obtained more spiritual strength ; and perhaps 1 
shall soon have occasion to exercise it." 

Li compliance with his request, Mr. Newton 
had recommended several books to Mr. Buchanan 
for the commencement of his theoloojical studies. 
To this point he therefore next refers. 

" I propose to confine myself to three branches 
of divinity during the following year ; namely, the 
Bible, Bishop Pearson on the Creed, and Mr. Si- 
meon's Lectures on Revealed Religion. He went 
through a course of natural religion last year. My 
reason for beginning with Pearson is, because Dr. 
Hey gives public lectures on that author, which I 
wish to attend, if my college avocations permit.'* 

• 
In addition to the motives which have been al- 
ready stated for relaxation in his mathematical 
studies, Mr. Buchanan again mentions in this let- 
ter the importance of health. '^^ I see," he observes, 
" many around me Vv^hose usefulness is abridged 
by the want of it. Mr. L. and Mr. R. men of abi- 

Buclianaii. » 



74 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAXA.\', 

lity, are both lying hy. I begin to think, that if, at 
the expiration of my academic course, I have good 
health, some knowledge of the Bible, and some 
zeal, I may prove as useful as some who have 
great abilities, great eloquence, and — an asthma !" 

The paragraph immediately following contains 
the first specific intimation of the important and 
interesting sphere of ministerial labor to which 
the providence of God was conducting him. 

'' Mr. and Mrs. G. passed through Cambridge 
lately. Mr. S. and I dined and supped with them. 
I hope the conversation of that evening was useful 
to me. From hearing various accounts of the apos- 
tolic spirit of some missionaries to the Indies, and 
of the extensive field for preaching the Gospel 
there, I was led to desire that I might be well 
qualified for such a department, in case God should 
intend me for it. Hence the origin of my three de- 
siderata above mentioned — scripture knowledge, 
some zeal, and srood health." 

The subject of elocution is that to which Mr. 
Buchanan next adverts in this letter : 

I have read many codicils in my time, but I 
never read any one with such pleasure as that an- 
nexed to your letter. Do you think it possible that 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 75 

I ever shall be able to preach extempore from the 
pulpit 1 You know my defect in conversation. 1 
scarcely know a person of any education who is so 
much at a loss in ordinary expression as I am. My 
fault is not that of Demosthenes, else there might 
be hope of amendment. I have no natural defect 
in the organs of speech ; but I can never find apt 
words to express my ideas without much premedi- 
tation. I have a pretty large stock of words in my 
head, but they are seldom used : so that when I 
am able to draw some of them out, they appear 
quite strange to me. I fancy I have some hundreds 
which I never used in my life. This partly arises 
from our Scottish mode of education — reading 
much and speaking little ; but chiefly, I suppose, 
from my being secluded from society for so many 
years. During my residence in London, I lived, 
like the Spectator, in silence. My business was to 
write, not to speak. Since my coming to Cam- 
bridge, I have passed most of my time in silent 
study. On an average I suppose I have not spoken 
half an hour a day, including both lectures and 
conversation. So you see that taciturnity is a dis- 
ease in me ; an evil habit of five years' standing. 
When a boy I could scold well enough, but 1 do 
not think I could scold now. In conversation I am 
naturally cheerful, and therefore I must speak, 
whether I can do it well or ill : but I ascribe the pa- 
tience of my company to my cheerfulness, not to 
my diction. 



76 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Though I never mentioned it to you, there 
has scarcely been a subject more on my mind, 
since providence opened to me a view of the 
pulpit, than this of public speaking. I was in hopes 
that I should have had some opportunity of im- 
provement at Cambridge, but I have none. Mr. S. 
regrets that there is no person in Cambridge who 
teaches elocution, and he regrets it much on my 
account. He has kindly proposed to me to read to 
him once a fortnight. This is my only resource at 
present. I have little advantage from my college 
companions. Most of them speak ill, and read 
worse. All I can do is to read aloud by myself oc- 
casionally. I am persuaded that it would be worth 
a student's while to spend two or three hours a 
day, for iome years previous to his entering into 
the ministry, in the attainment of that accomplish- 
ment which distinguished the preacher Apollos. I 
have often thought how glad I should be if oratory 
were introduced into my college-course instead of 
mathematics. Mr. Thornton's desires on this head 
should be an additional inducement to me to ap- 
ply diligently to this study." 

Though the peculiar circumstances of Mr. Bu- 
chanan's birth and education may account for hia 
complaint and anxiety upon the subject of elocu* 
tion, it is but too notorious, that those who do not 
labor under his disadvantages are frequently as de- 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 77 

ficient, and not seldom much more so, in this im- 
portant accomphshment. 

He soon after says to Mr. Newton, " I have been 
indulging myself a little in writing a sermon. It is 

for Mr. S 's perusal ; that he may be able to 

judge of my improvement, if I am spared to write 
another next year. It is on the matter and manner 
of a preacher of the Gospel : ' And he spake bold- 
ly in the name of Jesus.' Acts, 9 : 29. I have just 

delivered it to Mr. S . I fear he will think it 

a rhapsody ; and what makes it worse, it is twenty- 
seven pages long. I fancy that youthful sermon- 
writers are generally at a loss how to begin, and 
when they do begin, they know not where to stop." 

At the close of the term he again writes : " I 
have now done with all our lectures, and I am glad 
of it. Though I found some things here and there 
which flattered the earthly mind, and pleased vain- 
glorious reason, yet in all my researches have I 
found nothing like — ' Come unto me all ye that la- 
bor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' 
Perhaps your good memory will remind you that 
I stole this idea from Archbishop Leighton. Agree- 
ably to your recommendation, I am now reading 
the Praelections of that good man : and I must say 
that I have seldom met with such genuine Chris- 
tianity in such a classical dress. 

" The college have lately appointed me their 
librarian. This is an office rather of trust than of 
7* 



78 MEMOIR OF Dll. BUCHANAN. 

emolument. My business is easily done, as I am 
only required to give in an account of the state of 
the library once a year. Many good divines of the 
last century have found a place in it. Halyburton's 
life has engaged my attention for a few days past. 
His work on the Spirit" (which had probably 
been recommended to him by Mr. Newton) " I 
cannot find." 

The following letter to Mr. Newton, dated May 
30, 1793, conveys sentiments and consolations too 
interesting to be omitted : 

" It gives me great pleasure to hear that you 
are still supported in health and strength sufficient 
for the discharge of your ministerial labors. I hope 
that you will continue to be refreshed abundantly 
with the divine presence ; and I pray, that as your 
body yields to weakness and the infirmities of age, 
your spirit may derive new strength from our Re- 
deemer's fulness. 

" I sometimes find myself indulging a wish that 
your experience in your evening hour may be sin- 
gularly joyful to you ; and that your death may 
preach as powerfully as your life has done. But I 
believe self prompts us sometimes to too sanguine 
expectations respecting our friends. Let us not 
dictate, but wait and see the salvation of the Lord. 
He will conduct you in the path n^ost suitable to 
his own glory, your good, and our edification. 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 79 

" We have lately had an illustrious instance of 
God's goodness to his children at the hour of death. 

Mrs. , of this place, was a woman of eminent 

piety, cheerful in disposition, and of elegant man- 
ners. She was but twenty-five years of age. I was 
introduced to her family about a twelvemonth ago, 
and have diligently cultivated her acquaintance 
ever since. Soon after her rising from her confine- 
ment, she discovered that she was in a rapid con- 
sumption ; and in a few weeks the strength of the 
malady seemed to forbid all hope of life. Her bo- 
dily pains were extreme, so that she frequently 
expressed a desire to be with the Lord ; but she 
had yet two ties to earth — her husband and her 
child. The child she was soon enabled to give up, 
but the husband — this she confessed to be a trial 
indeed. However, after strong cries and tears, she 
obtained a victory here also. She afterwards re- 
covered from a trial of another kind with an ani- 
mating faith in her Redeemer's love, and an assur- 
ance of the joy about to be revealed. This was on 
Sunday morning at five o'clock. In half an hour 
after, she intimated that her departure was at 
hand. It was now that she experienced the truth 
of the promise of dying strength for a dying hour. 
For, though unable to speak, yet she discovered 
her inward joy by such animation of countenance 
as delighted her surrounding friends. And when 
her mother and sister spoke to her of her approach- 



80 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ing happiness, her eyes seemed to glisten with 
new fire. ' What a joyful Sabbath you will have 
to-day,' said her sister. Her looks seemed to reply, 
* A joyful Sabbath indeed; an eternal Sabbath!* 
In a few minutes afterwards she waved her hand 
in token of her abundant entrance into the joy of 
her Lord. And like your dear E. C* she met 
death with a smile, which kept possession of her 
features until she was consigned to the grave. 

" I would not have dwelt so long on this subject, 
were it not that my esteem for the deceased was 
great. 

" Perhaps you would call it affectation, if I did 
not tell you that the college have adjudged to me 
the first prize for the best Latin declamation on 
' the stage.' 

" I believe I must pass this summer out of Cam- 
bridge. I think of going to London about the be- 
ginning of July, that I may have a few lessons in 
English pronunciation, in compliance with Mr. 
Thornton's desire. 

" I have been assaulted of late from various 
quarters, both from without and from within ; but 
I bless God, that while I pray over the Bible I 
am enabled to triumph over my enemies. I delight 
in the Bible. When my heart is melted within me< 
and my soul sick with the combat between the 

• Eliza Cunningham. See American Tract No. 83. 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 81 

contempt of the ungodly and the remains of my 
own pride, then the Bible affords a comfort no 
other book can give." 

In a similar strain as to his increasing love of 
the Holy Scriptures, and in peculiarly strong and 
lively terms as to the general state of his mind 
concerning religion, he thus writes to the same 
correspondent in the month of June following : 

" I see you still have a godly jealousy over me, 
respecting the bent of my studies. I must make 
you easy on that head. I can now inform you that 
the attention I pay to the classics or mathematics 
is comparatively very little ; so little, that I some- 
times fear that (in my present place) I neglect 
them too much. And I can further inform you, and 
I thank God for enabling me, that the cause of my 
being thus lukewarm in these studies, is, that I 
may redeem time for studying the Scriptures, the 
value of which knowledge I see more and more. 
At present I can read the Bible when I can read 
nothing else. Some of my other studies are truly a 
cross to me." 

What an unquestionable proof of a spiritual 
mind in an academical student is such a declara. 
tion as this ! He thus continues : 

" I dare not tell you what I am, but I can tell 
you what I pray for. 



82 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

" I pray that I may be content to be of no re- 
putation among men, knowing that if I am truly 
wise, I must become a fool among the ungodly ; 
that I may patiently submit to indignity and re- 
proach for Christ's sake, and that my whole life 
may be devoted to his service ; that for this pur- 
pose I may diligently improve the talent commit- 
ted to me, however little it may be ; and that 
when I go forth into the ministry, I may not seek 
self, but Christ ; content to be unnoticed, dead to 
the censure or applause of men, alive to God and 
his concerns, and chiefly solicitous that my preach- 
ing (however rude I may be in speech) may be 
powerful in awakening souls. 

" These are my prayers in 1793, as to the event 
of my studies. I trust the Lord that he will keep 
me ; that he will put his fear in my heart, that I 
may not depart from him. 

'* You talk to me of academical reputation and 
dignity. If I were Regius Professor of Divinity 
to-morrow, I would resign the dignity to any man 
for a little brokenness of heart. The summit of 
my ambition (if I know my own mind) is, to be 
daily more conformed to Christ, to be enabled to 
follow that great Sufferer, and to rejoice to be 
counted worthy to suffer shame for his sake. 

" As to my future situation in the ministry, to 
which you allude at the close of your letter, that 
subject is very little in my thoughts. God has done 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 88 

the greater ; shall he not do the less ? If he means 
me to preach his Gospel, then is the pulpit pre- 
pared, and the flock which I must tend. At present 
I feel ready to go wherever he pleases to send 
me ; whether to India, America, New Holland, or 
if there be any other land more remote. I have al- 
ready seen life in various shapes ; and if I have 
been enabled to bear with difficulties when without 
God in the world, much more when engaged in his 
service, aided by his Spirit and supported by his 
presence. 

" If the Lord will, I should be well pleased to 
enter his service under your advice and example. 
I hope that the first year I stay with you I shall 
learn humility ; the second, humility ; the third, 
humility. 

" Mr. S. and Mrs. M. beg their love to you ; and 
so does he, who is, with great respect and affec- 
tion, yours." 

The note inscribed by Mr. Newton on the pre- 
ceding letter, strongly attests the pleasure with 
which he perused it ; nor can it be generally read 
without a lively impression of the glowing and de- 
voted piety of its author. Two months afterwards 
we find him in London, replying to a letter from 
Mr. Newton, then in the country, in which his aged 
friend, under the painful remembrance of the tran- 
sitory nature of eaithly enjoyments, though by no 



84 MEMOIR OF DR. RfCHANAN. 

means in the spirit of disappointment and conrl* 
plaint, had declared that of a happiness which had 
subsisted forty years, nothing then remained but 
the recollection ; that the years he had passed, 
blessed as they had been by the sunshine of pro- 
vidence and grace, might be numbered with the 
years before the flood. After dwelling on the war- 
fare which he found it necessary to wage between 
^^ spiritual self and carnal self," he says : 

" Co7iiinunion tvith God, in private prayer, is, I 
conceive, the best strengthener of the soul ; and 
communion with the world is its greatest weakener. 
The result, then, appears to be this t To dedicate 
as much time as possible to acts of communion 
with God. But Archbishop Leighton says, that the 
desire of this sacred communion grows with its 
exercise. Every encouragement, therefore, is held 
out to this mode of attack and defence, since plea- 
sure Und profit conspire to recommend it. Prayer, 
then, I must consider as the christian's palladium, 
and as a present reward. 

" Surely an hour iu the morning, and an hour in 
the evening, is not too much for communion with 
God. But as to the season of prayer, I do not 
think that some manage this weU. They pray early 
in the morning, and laic at night. This may be ne- 
cessary in families engaged in business ; but I 
speak of ministers. Do you not tliink that an hour 



At CAMBRtDOS. S5 

of devotion before we engage in company in the 
afternoon, -^vould have a tendency to correct and 
animate an evening's conversation 1 

'* Pardon this dissertation on prayer. I really 
had no design to trouble you with it when I began 
the letter.** 

To reflections such as the preceding, as solid 
and judicious as they are spiritual and instructive, 
no serious reader will object. Nor will the follow- 
ing account of the death of one of Mr. Buchan- 
an's sisters, v/hich occurs in a letter to Mr. New- 
ton, from Cambridge, at the close of his second 
long vacation, be deemed uninteresting : 

'' It was about a year and a half ago, on her re- 
turn .from boarding-school, that her piety first ap- 
peared, though on her death-bed she confessed that 
her heart had been inclining to God nearly two years 
before that time. About three months since she was 
seized by a consumption, which has now given her 
a happy release from all sin and all sorrow.'* 

A letter still remains, written by Mr. Buchanan 
from Cambridge to his dying sister, for the pur- 
jiose of cheering and supporting her under her 
early departure from the world, the piety and fra- 
ternal affection of which will sufficiently recom* 
mend the following extracts : 

Buchanan S 



6^ MExMom OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

*' I rejoice to hear that you are about to chtef 
into the joy of your Lord ; to behold the Saviour 
whom you love, face to face ; to be clothed by 
him in a spotless robe, and presented to the Father 
as an heir of everlasting glory. 

" Let me encourage you to pass over Jordan's 
iiood with a resolute step, undismayed ; let me re- 
mind you of the promise of Him to whom the 
death of his saints is precious. Let me enforce the 
immutable love of your God, and proclaim to you 
the truth of your Redeemer. You have already 
known him as the ivaij ; on your death-bed you 
will find him the truth ; and he will quickly wel- 
come you to the gate of Zion as the eternal life. 

" My dear sister, be of good cheer; lay hold of 
Jesus as the anchor of your soul. Was it ever 
heard that any one who fled to him for refuge was 
deserted in a tiying hour % Was it ever known that 
he suffered one of his sheep to be plucked out of 
his hand ] Has he not said, * I will never leave 
thee nor forsake thee V ' When thou passest 
through the waters, I will be with thee ;' * Fear 
not, thou art mine.' These are exceeding great and 
precious promises, on which you may safely rest. 
If your faith be weak, yet waver not. The pro- 
raise is to the weak as well as to the strong ; yea, 
to all those who can say, * Thou knowest, Lord, 
that I love thee.' 

" While you have life, magnify the praises of 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 87 

Him who hath called you with such a holy calling. 
Evince to the world that the Bible is not a cun- 
ningly-devised fable. Seek to glorify God in your 
death, and assuredly he will give you faith to do 
it. Sjieak from your dying bed of the things of the 
kingdom to which you are hastening ; impart your 
views of the vanities of life, for the benefit of those 
who survive you. Pray that a double portion of 
your spirit may rest upon your brother, that he may 
gladden your eyes at the last day with a view of 
many souls whom he has brought with him to glory. 
Leave him such exhortations, encouragements, and 
reproofs, as an immediate prospect of heaven may 
inspire you to give. 

'' And now let me conduct you as far as I can, 
even to the gates of Jerusalem. Many a song will 
be sung, many a harp be strung, on your entrance 
into the kingdom of heaven. Who is this that I see 
foremost to welcome you 1 Is it not your grand- 
father or your father 1 My dear sister, what joy is 
this ! They, accompanied by a heavenly host, con- 
duct you to your Saviour, your King, and your 
God. Then your glory begins ; you are crowned 
with honor and immortality. You join in the never- 
ending song of ' Worthy the Lamb, 'and drink of 
; the pleasures which are at God's right hand for 
evermore." 

i The preceding pious and animated address did 



88 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

not arrive until the relative, for whose consolation 
it was intended, was beyond the reach of human 
joy or sorrow. 

The account, however, which Mr. Buchanan, in 
the words of another sister, gives to Mr. Newton 
of the last trying scene, is peaceful aud encouraging: 

" She now," he says, " in faith looked forward 
to her rest, and spent much of her time in reading 
the Scriptures, and in prayer. 

'' On the evening of the day she died, she said 
to her mother, ' I think that my hour is now come.' 
Her mother was surprised at this, as there appear- 
ed no visible change in her countenance. She im- 
mediately began to pray, and prayed long. Her 
mother overheard some of her words. She prayed 
* that she might be found in Christ ; that she might 
have a title to that covenant which is well-ordered 
and sure.' About the conclusion of her prayer 
death appeared to be fast approaching. She begged 
that the family might come round her bed ; and 
then began to exhort them, and to speak to them 
of the kingdom of God. Her mother, observing 
that her last moment was now at hand, asked her 
if she had any thing to say to her brother at Cam- 
bridge. * Yes,' said she ; ' tell him, be sure you tell 
him,' (repeating it emphatically,) * that I die trust- 
ing in the Lord Jesus Christ.' She then lifted up 
both her hands, and looking up to heaven, commit 



AT CAMIJIIIDGE. 89 

ted herself to the Lord, her eyes streaming with 
joy ; which, having done, she sunk on the pillow 
and expired. 

" The manner of her death," continues Mr. 
Buchanan, " has given my mother a comfort in- 
expressible. 

" I know nothing which has had a jjreater ten- 
dency to animate me in my christian course than 
this triumph of my sister. O were the work done 
which my Father hath given me to do, how gladly 
should I accompany her ! 

" I hope you are at present a large partaker of 
the consolations of the Spirit. Though I am young, 
I know thus much, that without those consolations 
there is no happiness. What a blessing, that the 
pleasures of holiness begin on this side the grave !" 

Early in the year 1794 Mr. Newton made the 
first direct proposal to Mr. Buchanan of a voyage 
to India. His leply was as follows : 

" I request you to accept my thanks for the af- 
fectionate letter which I have just now read. I 
have only time to say, that with respect to my go- 
ing to India, I must decline giving any opinion. 
It would argue a mind ill-instructed in the school 
of Christ, to pretend to decide on an event so 
important and unexpected ; an event which will 
doubtless give a complexion to the happiness and 
usefulness of every hour of my future life. 
8* 



90 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

" It is with great pleasure I submit this matter 
to the determination of yourself, Mr. Thornton, and 
Mr. Grant. All I wish to ascertain is the will of 
God. I hope that the result of your deliberations 
will prove to be his will. Were I required to say 
something, I should observe that I feel myself very 
ill qualified for the arduous situation in question. 
My intimate friends know that my plan of college 
study was, to attend more immediately to acade- 
mical learning the two first years, and to prepara- 
tion for the ministry in the third and last, upon 
which I am but now entering. I think that our re- 
gard for the glory of God requires us to endeavor 
to find a person of acknowledged ability in things 
both human and divine, who has already approved 
himself such an one as might successfully resist 
gainsayers, and prosecute his mission with energy. 
A beginner, particularly if he be of slender capa- 
city and attainments, will naturally shrink from 
such a situation, fearing lest he should tarnish the 
honor of his embassy by an unskilful or ungraceful 
negotiation. 

" On the contrary, if the Lord does with me as 
with Jeremiah, and bids a child go and teach a 
great nation, it would be vain to plead my incapa- 
city, since, if he sends me, he will certainly ' touch 
my mouth.' Only I would observe, that in the pre- 
sent state of Christianity it would appear that as 
strict attention ought to be paid to human means in 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 91 

our endeavors to promote the success of the Gos- 
pel, as if it were merely a human dispensation. 

" I trust that every word of the above is dictated 
by a regard to God's honor, and not my own. 

" That his honor may be greatly promoted by 
the result of your deliberations is the prayer of 

" C B ." . 

The judgment as well as the piety of Mr. Bu- 
chanan's reply to this proposal desen'es to be no- 
ticed, and affords a satisfactory indication of his 
qualifications for the important station to which it 
refers. The following sentiments expressed in a 
subsequent letter are equally pleasing : 

" With respect to my going to India, I am still 
in a strait between two. Some considerations in- 
cline me to stay ; others persuade me to go, as be- 
ing far better. Being unable to judge for myself, I 
submit it to the divine direction with perfect re- 
signation. So gracious is He who ' careth for me* 
in this respect, that your determination, whether 
for or against my going, will be alike agieeable to 
me. I am equally ready to preach the Gospel in 
the next village, or at the ends of the earth." 

Such was the elevated spirit of piety which ac- 
tuated Mr. Buchanan eaily in this year. As it ad- 
vanced, he wrote thus to Mr. Newton : 



92 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" We have had Mrs. U and Mr. C 's fa- 
mily at Cambridge for a few days. It gives me 
great pleasure to see piety gladden with its pre- 
sence our learned walls. Pride and superstition 
have doubtless built most of our colleges ; but I am 
inclined to think that genuine piety founded some 
of them. A solitary walk in such places has a ten- 
dency to excite elevated tlioughts of God, and of 
his goodness to man through successive ages. 

** My purpose in troubling you with this letter 
was to say that I bear that affection for you a child 
beareth to his father, a desire to conceal his faults, 
(if he has any) and to magnify his virtues ; that I 
hope to be preserved from the snares and cares of 
this world, and thereby enabled to adorn that Gos- 
pel which you first wished me to profess. 

" That you are blessed with health, and stayed 
by the comforts of the Gospel in your declining 
years, is to me a frequent theme of praise. In phi- 
losophy and human science the mind loses its vi- 
gor by old age ; but in religion, in divine science, 
we are taught to believe that youth will be restored, 
and new attainments acquired. Fortunatus ille se- 
nex, qui codicola vivity* 

It is probable that Mr. Buchanan passed the 
greater part of the long vacation of this year at 

♦ Happy the aged man who lives as already an inha. 
bitant of heaven. 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 93 

Cambridsre. No letter, indeed, occurs in liis cor- 
respondence with Mr. Newton from the com- 
mencement to the close of that period ; but the 
following interesting communication from one of 
his most valued friends and relatives seems to con- 
firm this conjecture : 

" I first became acquainted with him," observes 
this gentleman, " at Cambridge, in the summer of 
the year 1794. We were almost the only two re- 
sidents in our respective colleges of Queen's and 
St. John's ; he being engaged in studying for or- 
ders, and I in prepaiing for my bachelor's degree. 
1 had often heard of him from a common friend, 
as being a very distinguished member of a debat- 
ing society, called the Speculative, or quaintly 
the Spec, consisting of a number of under-gradu- 
ates from different colleges, especially Trinity and 
Queen's, who used to meet at each other's rooms 
to discuss various moral, political, and sometimes 
religious questions. He was represented to me as 
eminent among the speakers for acuteness and flu- 
ency, and for piety of sentiment ; but as a retired 
character, who scarcely ever mixed with any other 
persons at such social meetings as were usual in 
the college. 

'* We met accidentally in our solitary walks, and 
entered into conversation ; which brought on an 
interchange of visits. We often walked together 



94 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

during the short time after our first meeting that 
he continued at Cambridge. I well remember to 
this moment a particular conversation which took 
place in one of our walks on a fine summer's eve- 
ning, and can trace in my recollection some of the 
fields through which we rambled, little thinking 
that we should ever be so closely united in the 
bonds of domestic affection, or that if I survived 
him, I should have to drop the tear of hallowed 
regi'et over the grave of a brother. 

" He greatly surprised me on that occasion by 
strongly condemning the vanity of the pursuits of 
ambition, in which I was then hotly engaged, co- 
veting too earnestly university honors. I defended 
my side, in which self was so deeply concerned, 
with much warmth and positiveness ; but when I 
was left alone, I could not altogether shake off the 
impression which his serious, solemn, and scrip- 
tural mode of argumentation had left upon my 
mind." 

The same learned and excellent person adds, 
with reference to this period of Mr. Buchanan's 
life : ** I remember, in a letter to a common friend, 
some remarks on the necessity and efficacy of 
faith in the blood of Christ ; and of his hopes that 
he had experienced something of it, which were in 
a great measure new to us both, and affected me 
considerably." 



AT CAMBRIDOB. 95 

It is pleasing to reflect, that the writer of the 
preceding passages, after having succeeded in the 
attainment of the highest of those academical ho- 
nors of which he was then so ardently in pursuit, 
should at no distant period have been led to adopt 
the religious views which he once combated ; and 
after the lapse of many years, have been permit- 
ted again to hold " sweet converse" with him to 
whom he first became known under such interest- 
ing circumstances, and to contribute to do honor to 
his memory as a friend and brother. 

We are now approaching the termination of 
Mr. Buchanan's academical course. On the 30th 
of November in this year he wrote to Mr. Newton 
us follows : 

** I have just finished my mathematical career. 
Previous to taking our degrees, an examination is 
held in our respective colleges for the purpose of 
ascertaining our success in science, and a prize of 
five guineas awarded to the best proficient. This 
j)rize has been adjudged to me. I take no public 
honor in mathematics." 

He was evidently intent upon an object which 
he deemed of far higher importance than the ho- 
nors of the university, as the following conclusion 
of the letter sufficiently testifies : 

"It is said that those who travel heavenwards 



96 MEMOIR O? Dft. BtCHANAM* 

acquire new strength from the toil of the way i 
Iter instaurahit vires. I wish I found it so. I clani' 
ber up hill with difficulty. It may be I have not laid 
aside every weight ; or, perhaps, I have not used 
the proper * lamp to my path.' If so, it is a 
great happiness that the weariness of the way re- 
proves me. 

" To . ♦ . . i I wish to be remembered, as to 
fellow-pilgrims, who in their journey to the holy 
land have learned to sympathise with those whose 
knees are feeble, and who travel slowly. Perhaps 
to some of them, or to you, * the delectable moun- 
tains ' are already in view ; if so, ' the shining 
ones ' are at hand, to conduct you to the holy city ; 
where, I hope, ere long, you will meet 

" Your very affectionate son, C. B." 

In the month of May, 1795, Mr. Buchanan in- 
formed Mr. Newton, who was now anxiously look- 
ing forward to his ordination, that he ^vas to take 
his degree at the ensuing commencement, that is, 
on the 8th of July, and that his ordination studies 
would engage his attention for the next two months. 
These anticipations were fulfilled ; and on the se- 
cond week in September he wrote to his excellent 
friend, under whose experienced guidance he was 
about shortly to enter upon the important work of 
the ministry, in the following terms : 

" I had a letter from the Bishop's secretary this 



AT CAMBRIDGE. 97 

morning. His lordship approves of my credentials. 
Thursday next is appointed for the examination, 
and Lord's day following for the ordination. I 
propose to leave Cambridge on Tuesday evening 
by the mail, which will be in town early next morn- 
ing ; and I shall j^roceed to Fulham without stop- 
ping, that I may have the remainder of the day 
and next morning to myself. So it is not probable 
that I shall see you till Monday following. 

*' I demand your prayers for one who is about to 
enter on the ministry. Fray, that when the bishop 
lays his hands upon my head, I may devote myself 
a martyr for Him who hung upon the cross for me." 

In this strong and affecting language did Mr. 
Buchanan express the feelings with which he was 
about to dedicate himself to the service of his Re- 
deemer. It is not often, perhaps, that so deep an 
impression of the love of Christ is felt by the can- 
didate for the sacred office ; but, though the dis- 
position of every one ought to be similar, the case 
of Mr. Buchanan was doubtless somewhat pecu- 
liar. The steps by which he had been led to the 
ministry of the Gospel, and the hints which had 
more than once been given of his probable em- 
ployment in a foreign country, tended to inspire 
him with the purpose and the resolution which he 
thus briefly but forcibly described. It can scarcely 
be doubted that the diary, in which he had been 

BucbauaQ, « ^ 



G8 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

accustomed, from the year 1790, to record both the 
events of his life and his private reflections, con- 
tained a more detailed account of his feelings and 
sentiments upon this interesting occasion ; but the 
loss of that valuable memorial deprives us of any 
farther particulars respecting it, and compels us to 
be contented with the simple fact, that after an ex- 
amination, which appears to have been more than 
ordinarily satisfactory, Mr. Buchanan was ordain- 
ed a deacon, on Lord's day, the 20th of September, 
1795, at Fulham, by the late pious and excellent 
Bishop Porteus. Immediately after this admission 
into holy orders, he entered upon his engagement 
as curate to Mr. Newton, and continued, during a 
few succeeding months, to discharge the humble 
and unobtrusive duties which he had previously so 
well described. 

Early, however, in the year 1796, the friends by 
whose christian kindness and liberality he had 
been introduced into the ministry, conceiving that 
his talents might be more advantageously employ- 
ed abroad, recurred to the plan which had for some 
time been more or less in their view, and resolved 
to endeavor to obtain for him the appointment of a 
chaplain in the service of the East India Com- 
pany. Application was accordingly made to a dis- 
tinguished director, Charles Grant, Esq. accompa- 
nied by such testimonials as amply certified the 
qualifications of Mr. Buchanan for the office to 
which he was recommended. 



APPOINTED TO INDIA. 99 

The certifitate of the President and Fellows of 
Queen's College was transmitted to Mr. Gi ant by 
Dr. Milner, with the following letter, in which the 
learned president took the opportunity of bearing 
a more particular and decisive testimony to the 
merits of Mr. Buchanan : 

" CIueen's Collkgk, Cambridge, March 8, 1796. 

" Dear Sir, — I enclose you the college's testimo- 
nial of Mr. Buchanan's good behavior, which is 
expressed in general temis : but if it were needful 
to be more particular, I could add a great deal. 
In my judgment, much may be expected from his 
ability, industry, and discretion. He has an un- 
common zeal for every thing that is praiseworthy, 
and this zeal is tempered and directed by a sound 
and well-informed understandins^. His orood sense 
and attainments must procure him respect every- 
where. He will be certainly on the watch for op- 
portunities to do good. Mr. Buchanan obtained 
both classical and mathematical prizes at college. 

" I am, dear sir, yours, Isaac Milnek. 

" To Charles Grant, Esq. London." 

In consequence of the various testimonies to his 
abilities as a scholar, his attainments as a divine, 
and his general character for temperate and well- 
directed zeal for the honor of God and the welfare 
of mankind, Mr. Buchanan was appointed one of 



100 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the chaplains lo the East India Company, on Wed- 
nesday, March 30, 1796. When introduced to the 
Court of Directors, for the purpose of taking the 
.oaths usual upon similar occasions, he was address- 
ed by the chairman, the late Sir Stephen Lushing- 
ton, on the importance of his office, and on the du- 
ties imposed on a minister of religion in India ; and 
so lively a recollection did he retain of this unex- 
pected but very laudable charge, that he more than 
once referred to it in the course of his future life. 
He thus mentions the address of the honorable 
chairman many years after it had been delivered : 

" The venerable baronet observed, that French 
principles w^ere sapping the foundation of Chris- 
tianity and of social order ; and he earnestly incul- 
cated on me the duty of defending and promoting 
the principles of the christian religion by every 
proper means. I was much affected by the solem- 
nity of the occasion, and by the energy and feeling 
with which the address was delivered : and the 
subject of the charge itself made a great impres- 
sion on my mind, particularly when meditating on 
it afterwards, during my voyage." 

Soon after the appointment of Mr. Buchanan to 
India, he received priest's orders from the Bishop 
of London ; and in the month of May went down 
to Scotland, in order at once to revisit his family 



APPOINTED TO INDIA. 101 

and again take leave of tbem previously to his ap- 
proaching voyage to India. 

The feelings of both parties upon this meeting 
were, it may be readily imagined, of a mixed but 
very interesting nature. Nearly nine years had 
elapsed since Mr. Buchanan, partly impelled bj 
disappointed affection, and partly by the flattering 
visions of a youthful imagination, had left his native 
country and sojourned in a strange land. During 
that long interval many remarkable events had oc- 
curred. One of his earthly parents was no more; 
but he had, like the prodigal, returned to his hea- 
venly Father, and by him he had been distinguished 
by peculiar marks of kindness and favor. After 
having suffered many external hardships and much 
inward distress, he had been relieved in no ordi- 
r.ary manner from both, by the providence and 
grace of God. Opportunities had been afforded 
him, which he had diligently improved, of acquir- 
ing the treasures of human science and learning ; 
and with a mind thus richly stored, and a heart 
deeply impressed with the inestimable value of the 
Gospel, he had been called to the work of the mi- 
nistry, and had now the prospect of being permit- 
ted " to preach among the gentiles the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ." The emotions of Mr. Bu- 
chanan during his journey to Scotland, under these 
remarkable circumstances, must have been pecu- 
liarly affecting. While a " new song" had been put 
9* 



102 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

into his mouth, of joy and thanksgiving, it would 
be somewhat damped by the recollection of past 
sorrows, the pain of his approaching departure 
from his kindred and country, and the anticipation 
of future labors and trials. The feelings of his wi- 
dowed mother and surviving brethren would be 
scarcely less chequered by joy and sorrow. De- 
lighted as they must have been by the return of 
their beloved relative, enriched with divine and 
human knowledge, and honored by an appointment 
which more than realized their highest wishes and 
expectations, the pleasure of their intercourse with 
him would be not a little clouded by the thought 
of its transient nature, and the prospect of a long, 
perhaps, as to this world, a final separation in a far 
distant land. Such, we may justly suppose, were 
the mutual feelings and reflections of Mr. Buchanan 
and his family during his short abode with them at 
this interesting period.. He appears to have re- 
mained in Scotland till the first week in June, 
when he returned to London to complete the pre- 
parations for his voyage. On the 3d of July he 
preached for Mr. Newton at St. Mary Woolnoth ; 
and terminated, by a pious and affectionate fare- 
well, his short connection with the congregation 
of his dear and venerable friend. 



VOYAGK TO INDIA. 103 



CHAPTER IV. 



First four years in India, 

Mr. Buclianan left London for Portsmouth on 
Saturday the 30th of July, and on the 11th of Au- 
gust following embarked on board the Busbridge, 
East-Indiaman, commanded by Capt. Dobree, and 
sailed for Bengal. During the course of his exten- 
sive voyage he was diligently employed in acquir- 
ing useful knowledge, and in endeavoring to pro- 
mote the improvement of his various companions 
and fellow-passengers. 

The principal subjects of his studies were, pro- 
bably, such as bore an immediate reference to the 
work of the ministry, and to his peculiar destina- 
tion in India ; but the only traces of them which 
now remain, consist of some common-place books, 
one of which is dated at sea, in January, 1797, 
near the island of St. Paul, containing abridg- 
ments of chemistry, from Lavoisier ; of botany, 
from Rousseau and Martin ; of the history of Den- 
mark and Sweden, and miscellaneous observations, 
chiefly of an historical nature. 

Of his employments, views, and feelings, in the 
early part of his voyage, the following letter to 
Mr. Newton presents an interesting account : 



104 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

** BUSBRIDGE, EaST-Tn'DUMAN, t 

" At sea, off the Canaries, Aug. 27, 1796. J 

" My dear Sir, — I take the opportunity of 
wi'iting to you by the Polyphemus, a 64 gun ship, 
which, after convoying us safely to this latitude, 
returns now to England. We have had a monsoon 
all the way. We took our departure from the 
Lizard, and in eight days made the island of Ma- 
deira ; a shorter passage than the East-India fleet 
has ever had. In two days we hope to arrive at 
the trade-winds ; indeed, the captain thinks we 
have them already. About the end of September 
we expect to reach the Cape, from which place 
you will probably hear from me. I enjoy good 
health on board. I was sea-sick for about a week. 
Every body pays me much attention. I am in- 
structing some in science, some in classical know- 
ledge, some in the belles-lettres, and all, I hope, 
in christian truth. I do not expect to be so useful 
in preaching sermons to them as in conversation. 
The captain supports a very consistent character. 
He is the friend of virtue, and I doubt not but he 
will continue to arm my endeavors with his power. 
All his officers are in proper subjection to him, 
and exert their authority in the ship in accommo- 
dating me. 

" We have more than a dozen officers of the 
army going out as passengers. I have some weight 
with them ; but there are many divisions among 



VOYAGE TO INDIA. 106 

themselves. They have been challenging already, 
and probably duels may follow. 

" We are now about twenty sail. The frigate 
L'Oiseau accompanies us to the Cape, and will 
probably carry home our letters. 

" One day lately an enemy appeared in sight, 
and we began to think of an engagement. Then 
was the time for examining myself, and learning 
what was my object in a voyage to India. Indeed, 
unless we have some confidence that the Lord is 
with us, our hearts must sink in despair on such 
occasions. But where we can believe that He is 
leading us out on his oxen service, we have nothing 
to fear from an enemy, or from the dangers of the 
sea. On the contrary, the faithful ser\'ant must 
rejoice that his Lord will come so soon, and lead 
him to that rest which he seeks for in vain on 
earth, 

" When the enemy came nearer they discover- 
ed that we had a superior force, and bore away. 
" I hope Miss C. and the rest of your house are 
happy. They have great advantages, which I trust 
they improve. They live in the house of peace and 
instruction. They, with you, will, I hope, shortly 
inherit your mansion in the skies. 

" It is with me as I expected. I feel little differ- 
ence in mind, whether navigating the ocean or 
sitting quietly in Coleraan-street. It would appear 
as if I had lost all relish for earthly pleasure. No 



106 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

novelty excites my attention. My countenance is 
acquiring a grave settled cast. I feel as if nothing 
could give joy to my soul but freedom from the 
body. And yet being sensible that I may remain 
long on duty here, I often inquire of myself how 
I am to pass the heavy hours. Perhaps a closer 
walk with God, greater activity in his service, and 
some species of affliction hitherto unfelt, may at 
length unloose my bonds, and give me that en- 
joyment of life to which I have so long been a 
stranger. I have great hopes indeed from enter- 
prising a little in my Master's service, and fighting 
with courage for his honor. I shall write to you 
from time to time, and acquaint you how it is 
with me. 

" It will be a remarkable day when you and I 
meet in heaven. I dare not say, Sero redeas ;* be- 
cause I trust that you are ' ready.' I fear you will 
have learnt many a song in heaven before I come. 
But let me not despond. What saith the Scripture 1 
Ui dies, sic rohii,r.\ 

" May you be preserved in your old age, so that 
your Lord may be glorified in the ending, as in the 
beginning of your christian life. 

" Forgive me all my faults, and believe me to 
be, my dear sir, your affectionate son, 

•• C. Buchanan." 

• May your arrival be long delayed. 
t As thy day is, so shall thy strength be. 



AT BARRACKPORE. 107 

On the ISth of November, some weeks later 
than he had expected, the fleet arrived at the Cape 
of Good Hope. On the 1 0th of December it again 
sailed, and readied Madras on the 17th of Febru- 
ary ; and on the 10th of March Mr. Buchanan 
landed at Calcutta, two days before the completion 
of the 31st year of his age. 

On his arrival at the capital of the British pos- 
.•^essions in India, he was hospitably received by the 
Rev. David Brown, and resided for a short time in 
his family. He then took a house in DuiTumlollah, 
where, however, he continued but two months, 
being at the end of that time appointed chaplain at 
Barrackpore, a military station about sixteen miles 
above Calcutta. 

By this arrangement, which, however usual ac- 
cording to the rules of the East India service, he 
does not appear to have anticipated, Mr. Buchanan 
found himself placed in a situation by no means 
congenial with his taste and feelings, and affording 
but few opportunities for the exercise of his mi- 
nistry. Barrackpore possessed no place for public 
worship ; and divine service was never required 
by the military staff to which he was attached. 

This unexpected seclusion from active duty, 
combined with the influence of an enervating cli- 
mate, which he very soon began to feel, and of so- 
ciety for the most part unfriendly to religion, pro- 
duced in Mr. Buchanan a considerable depression 



108 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN'. 

of spirits, and even gave occasion to some of his 
friends in Europe to attribute his comparative in- 
activity on his arrival in India to abatement of zeal 
rather than, as the truth required, to causes over 
which he could exercise no control. 

When Mr. Buchanan arrived at Calcutta Mn 
I^rown w^as one of the two chaplains of the presi- 
dency. He held also the chaplaincy of the garri- 
son. Some of Mr. Buchanan's friends in England 
conceived that the latter appointment might have 
been transferred to him ; or that he might have 
officiated at the mission church. As to the garrison, 
it appears that motives of delicacy and kindness 
towards Mr. Brown, with whom he lived from the 
first on the most friendly and affectionate terms, 
prevented him from soliciting such an arrange- 
ment ; and the mission church was then occupied 
by the Rev. Mr. Ringeltaube, a clergyman of the 
Lutheran church, who had been sent to India un- 
der the patronage of the Society for promoting 
Christian Knowledge. No sooner, however, had 
Mr. Ringeltaube abandoned this post, as he shortly 
afterwards did, than Mr, Buchanan participated 
with Mr. Brown the gratuitous labor of the mission 
church. It appears also that he occasionally per- 
formed divine service in his house at Barrackpore ; 
probably as often as he could obtain an audience. 
The following letter will explain the confidential 
nature of Mr. Buchanan's intercourse with Mr. 



AT BARRACKPORE. 109 

Brown. The former part of it relates to a proposed 
measure respecting an evening lecture at one of 
the churches in Calcutta, and to the chaplaincy of 
Fort William : the latter will exhibit a most inte- 
resting and instructive picture of the mind of the 
writer, and will throw considerable light on some 
of the preceding observations. 

" Barkackpore, June 9, 1797. 

" My dear Sir, — 1 have just received yours. I 
understood your last very well. I meant to say in 
answer, that to levy a contribution for the current 
expenses of the lecture would be very painful to 
me ; equally so as a contribution for personal sup- 
port. 

" When I mentioned my idea of gratuity for pro- 
fessional duties, it was to explain my delicacy about 
pecuniary subscription. I had no allusion to the sen- 
timents of others. If I were in your situation, it is 
probable that I should do as you do. 

" I think the justice you owe your family in an 
expensive situation, demands that you be very well 
satisfied with the propriety of giving up the chap- 
laincy of the Fort, as long as it is agreeable to the 
rules of the service that you should retain it ; and 
as long as you can perform the service it requires 
as well as any other. 

" Let us now talk on the subject of your former 
letter a little. 

Buchanan. J-^ 



IJO MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAxV. 

" I tliirik you speak of yourself with more difli- 
(lence, or rather despondency, than you ought. 
How do you know that your Thursday evening lec- 
ture is not the most useful of all your ministrations 1 
And with respect to industry, have you not much 
reason to be thankful, that, after a ten years' resi- 
dence in this deteriorating country, you feel your- 
self so much alive to the ministry of Christ ] And 
is it not another reason for thankfulness, that you 
have been preserved from seeking great things for 
yourself? I think you very happy indeed, that you 
have nothing to do with this world ; but that your 
chief work is to make proof of your ministry, as the 
Lord shall prosper it. As splendid a crown awaits 
him who shall do a little in this country, as him 
Avho shall do much at home. 

" It is not probable that you or I shall live long. 
What seek we then ? There is no fame for us here. 
There is some reproach, whether we he faitliful or 
not. So that we lose nothing by being faithful. I 
am so young in these things that I do not know 
any thing about them. I have only entered the wil- 
derness. But I apprehend much. I would gladly 
enter Canaan without encountering ^ the greatness 
of the v/ay.' Were it the will of God, and were he 
to give me faith and strength for it, I would to- 
7)wrTow, with great joy, leave this world and all it 
offers. Were I sure it would not entangle and de- 
stroy me at last, I would rather stay and endeavor 



AT BARRACK rORE. Ill 

to do soraelhing for God ; but I am not sure of that. 

" I often compare myself, in my present exile, to 
John, in the island of Patmos. Would that, like 
him, I had finished my course, and had only to con- 
template ' the new heavens !* But I am a stranger 
to suffering ' for the word of God, and the testimo- 
ny of Jesus Christ,' 

" I sigh much for that singleness of mind and 
purity of heart, and love to God, which distinguish 
the disciple of Christ. And I often wonder whether 
it is to be effected by keen affliction in body and 
spirit, or by the ' power of the word of God, divid- 
ing asunder like a two-edged sword,' or by long 
fighting and sorrowful experience slowly teaching, 
and endiniT with a doubt whether I am tauirht. 

" Amidst the multitude of my thoughts, ' the 
Lamb that was slain ' is my only hope ! 

" How frequent is the character of a semi-serious 
christian ! There is a state, in which some have 
been held for many years : a state, whose nature 
was never rightly understood by those around them, 
nor by themselves ; sometimes looking to the word 
of God, and sometimes to the world; sometimes 
animated by a zeal to live holily, and sometimes 
sinking under a particular sin. From such a state 
they have at length emerged ; and shone, in the 
evening of life, with a splendor which has dazzled 
all around. 

" I hope that Mr3. Brown is in good health and 



112 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

spirits. Buxtorf came safe up the river. I am sor- 
ry to find that that silent critic, the white ant, has 
perused almost every page. 

" I remain, dear sir, yours very affectionately,. 

" C. Buchanan.'^ 

The preceding letter scarcely requires a com- 
ment. Who can avoid perceiving in it evident 
traces of a generous, a spiritual, and a heavenly 
mind 1 Who can help lamenting that such a man 
should, for a time, have been placed in circum- 
stances so unfavorable to the attainment of the 
great object which he had in view in accepting an 
appointment in India; or indulging a hope that a 
time would come when the providence of God 
would open to him a way to greater exertions and 
more extensive usefulness 1 

Though Mr. Buchanan's retirement at Barrack- 
pore did not, however, admit of very active em- 
ployment in the duties of his ministry, it afforded 
him a valuable opportunity for private study, 
which he diligently and successfully improved. 

His common-place books, at this period, evince 
the same laudable desire of increasing his store of 
useful knowledge which we have already wit- 
nessed. Some remarks in one of them prove his 
anxiety to fortify himself against the dangers of 
worldly society, to which he was then considera- 
bly exposed, and to attain the important art of 



AT BARRACKPORE. 113 

living " in and out of the world at the same time ;" 
of " using this world as not abusing it." Upon 
this point he quotes a passage from Mr. Addison, 
which appears to express the object he was him- 
self endeavoring to attain. " We shall never bo 
able," observes that sensible and elegant writer, 
" to live to our satisfaction in the deepest retire- 
ment, until we learn to live, in some measure, to our 
satisfaction amidst the noise and business of life." 

Other parts of the same book contain reflections 
on the Persian language ; on the improvement of 
time ; on the value of christian friendship; on pu- 
rity of conscience ; on the propagation of the Go.s- 
pel, and on the happiness of heaven. 

The following extract of a letter to Mr. Henry 
Thornton, dated the 25th of July, 1797, gives a 
pleasing view of one important branch of jMr. Bu- 
chanan's studies at Barrackpore : 

" As the friend of ray hcghming studies, you will 
naturally be desirous to know in what way they 
have been continued since my arrival in India. I 
am now proceeding in a work which I began when 
I last enjoyed retirement, namely, a serious, and, I 
may say, laborious examination of the Scriptures 
in the original tongues. My inquiries are not so 
much philological as practical. The meaning of the 
Holy Spirit in Scripture is the 'one thing need- 
ful' for the student, and I hope it will be tlie sub- 
10* 



114 MEMOIR OF DR. RUCHANAN\ 

ject of many a joyful ivf»,x'jL* to me. This severity 
of investigation reminds me of my mathematical 
vigils. Some have considered that interval at col- 
lege as the most useful era in the history of the 
mind. It shows what powers of application the 
soul possesses on a subject it loves ; even such ap- 
plication as Paul recommends to Timothy, wha 
was engaged in my present studies — iv tstcjc t<rBu 
' Exist, or live in them.* 

" This, sir, is a climate which tries the mind like- 
a furnace. Deteiioration seems inherent in Indian 
existence. Were God to grant me a peculiar bless- 
ing, it v/ould be the habit of industry whilst I re- 
main in this country. I have observed, in reading 
the lives of the good, that the most eminent were 
inen famed for their industry. I have observed^ 
too, that few of them had to encounter what Boi- 
leau calls the dangerous career of wit and genius. 
The wisdom of God is shown in choosing for them 
that disposition of mind which is best suited to a 
sedulous and bumble perusal of his eternal word ; 
for genius hath ever been a foe to industry. 

" I have aMoonshee in the house to instruct me 
in the Hindostanee and Persian languages. Not 
knowing what may be the purpose of God con- 
cerning me, I have thought it my duty to attend 
early to the languages of the country, and to the 

* " I have found it I" 



AT BARRACKPORE. ll^* 

constitution^ civil and religious, of the mixed peo' 
pic in it." 

Amidst this diligent improvement of his retire^ 
nient at Barrackpore, Mr, Buchanan, however, en- 
tered with lively interest into every thing around 
him connected with real religion, and embraced 
Avith much warmth of feeling every occasion which 
presented itself, either of kindness or of service. 

Of this the following extract from a letter to a 
lady at Edinburgh, on the death of her son, fs a- 
pleasing and satisfactory proof. It is dated from 
Calcutta, December 4, 1797, and was enclosed in 
another, in which she was kindly requested, before 
she opened it, to prepare her mind for intelligence 
which would, at first, deeply affect her, but which 
she would afterwai'ds acknowledge had given her 
such a theme for rejoicing as she had never before 
possessed : 

" I had no thoughts of writing to you at this 
time ; but I have news for you from heaven. Your 
beloved E. has 'fought the good fight; he has 
finished his course ; he has kept the faith.' His 
spirit took its flight at 12 o'clock. About' three 
weeks ago he visited me at Barrackpore, where he 
stayed a day or two. He was then in good health. 
Our conversation was much on spiritual subjects. 
He told me his heart felt the first powerful impres- 



116 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

sion of religion when on his passage to this coun- 
try ; and that since his arrival God had been very 
gracious to him. Finding this country not only un- 
favorable to health, but to holiness of life, he had 
lono; deliberated whether he ought not to return to 
Europe, and had at length resolved to do so, be- 
lieving it to be the will of God. He anticipated 
the joy of conversing with those amongst his friends 
at Edinburgh who knew the Lord, and wondered 
that he had not ' made more of them ' while among 
them. But he has now a better society. 

" Next day he returned to Calcutta, and on the 
Sabbath following I went down to preach. My 
subject was, ' The triumph of the christian in be- 
ing able to submit his soul to the darkest dispen- 
sations of God.' On that day your son took the sa- 
crament for the second time in this country. On 
the evening of the same day the Rev. Mr. Brown 
preached, ' On the consolations of the soul which 
cordially assents to being justified by faith.' This 
was the last sermon your beloved child ever heard ; 
and he told me it was sweet to the ear, and inex- 
pressibly rich to his soul. On the next day he was 
taken ill. Our most able physician here. Dr. Hare, 
from Edinburgh, attended him. During that week 
we had no aj)prehensions of his fever being dan- 
gerous. Before my return to Bariackpore on Mon- 
day last, I passed the morning with him. We then 
conceived hopes of his soon being well. He sat by 



AT BARRACKPORE. 117 

me on the sofa for an hour. We talked about his 
passage to his native country ; for the ship was 
now ready to sail ; but I perceived that his mind 
was dwelling on his passage to the lieanenly coun- 
try. He spoke much of the consolations arising 
from converse with God during sickness. * How 
amazing is it,' said he, * that the Lord should have 
called me to such knowledge and to such grace 
before I die ! India has been a happy land to me.' 
When I left him, he said he hoped he should be 
able to come to church next Sunday. Not hearing 
from his brother of his being worse, I did not re- 
turn to Calcutta till yesterday. In the evening I 
preached, but did not see him in his usual seat. 
When I called this morning I found that he had 
just entered into rest. His countenance is placid 
and serene in death, like the state of his mind be- 
fore his dissolution. 

" Such^ my dear madam, has been the happy 
death of your son. You are a happy mother, to 
have had such a son ! He has left a noble testimony 
to the Gospel in this place ; and his memory will 
be long cherished by many. His brother loved him 
affectionately, and is inconsolable at his loss. His 
conversation and example have been of use to 
many. He preached to them in his life, and he 
preached to them by his death. Admire therefore 
the dispensation of God in leading him to this 
country. It was not for evil, but for much good." 



lis MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Tuesday, 5. — This morning, at eight o'clock, I 
committed to the earth the remains of your dear 
son. It was a solemn occasion. I was much affected 
at seeing so many persons attend it. Most of them 
were only acquainted with his character ; but they 
wished to show some respect to the memory of one 
of those few who ' wear white garments in this 
Sardis.' The Rev. Mr. Brown was chief mourner ; 
but yet he rejoiced that the Lord had lent your 
child so long to us, and that now ' he had taken 
him from the evil to come.' " 

Early in the ensuing year he wrote to Mr. Grant 
in the following terms : 

" Calcutta, Feb. 6, 1798. 

" My dear Sir, — I have now been near a year 
in this country, and have not yet had the satisfac- 
tion of hearing from you. I wish to know what 
you think of my voyage to the East. I seem to 
have come out under rather unfavorable auspices. 
No feature of my mission is very agreeable. But I 
view the whole as the counsel of the Almighty; 
and I know that in his plan there is great beauty, 
though I may not perceive it. 

" I have passed this last year in military society, 
or in solitude. And as I shall shortly be station- 
ed up the country, I cannot expect any material 
change during life. But if I rightly improve the 



AT n4KKACKI>ORE. 119 

Opportunities I may have, I shall do well. What I 
lament most is the effect this inactive life has on 
my mind. You will not be surprised if both my 
moral and intellectual powers suffer by it. The 
climate no doubt has its effect in this hebetatiou 
of the soul ; and I hope I shall recover from it 
in time. 

" I suflfered a long struggle before I could resign 
myself passively to my unexpected destination. 
But the struggle is now over ; and I view myself 
as one who has run his race ; to whom little more 
is left to do. I have known some, who, in such a 
case, would have extricated themselves with vio- 
lence, and sought other labors in the Gospel. But 
ijt will require a very evident interposition of God 
indeed to bring me out of this Egypt, now that he 
has placed me in it : I shall esteem myself high- 
ly favored if I be enabled to pass my days in it 
with a pure conscience, endeavoring to do a little 
where much cannot be done. 

'■ I take the liberty of enclosing a bill for fifty 
pounds for my mother, which I request you will be 
BO good as to send to her after it is accepted. 

" I beg to be remembered to all your family, and 
to Mr, and Mrs. Thornton, and remain, dear sir, 

" Yours, with much respect and gratitude, 

" C. BUCHAVAN." 

Besides the unfavorable inlluence of the climate 



120 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

tiponhis heallh, Mr, Buchanan was, doubtless, dis* 
appointed in the silence and obscurity to which his 
station at Barrackpore had consigned him, and 
which he imagined would be shortly rendered still 
more hopeless by his removal to a greater distance 
from Calcutta, in the interior of the country. It is 
certain, also, that he felt the want of sympathy and 
encouragement from some of his friends in Eng-* 
land. They had very reasonably formed conside- 
rable expectations of his exertions to promote the 
cause of religion in India; and their distance from 
the scene prevented them from being fully aware 
of the circumstances which had hitherto retarded 
them. Yet, amidst it all, his calm submission to 
what he believed to be the will of God, his refusal 
to step beyond the prescribed limits of his duty as 
a military chaplain, and his pious reference of him- 
self and his services to the divine disposal, prove, 
that whatever might be his discouragements, his 
heart was " right with Grod," and that he was faith- 
fully employing the " talent" at that time commit- 
ted to his trust. 

The history of Mr. Buchanan's first appointment 
in India will not be in vain, if it serve to check in 
any who may be similarly situated, either abroad 
or at home, the too natural disposition to despon- 
dency or haste ; and to lead them, in the conscien- 
tious improvement of present opportunities, to wait 
patiently for farther openings, and in the mean- 



AT BARRACKPORr. 121 

time to *' hope in God ;" and if it tend to abate in 
those who may be observing them, any impatience 
of their backwardness in fulfilling even just expec- 
tations ; and lo teach them that chaiity, which, con- 
cerning the substantially ])i()us and sincere, " hopeth 
all things." 

In July following, by the overland despatch, 
Mr. Buchanan wrote shortly to Mr. Grant to the 
following effect : 

" Lord Mornington has been here near six weeks. 
As yet he maintains much dignity in his govern- 
ment. He goes regularly to church, and professes 
a regard for religion. He has been at Bariackpore 
for ten days past. He was surprised when I told 
him that we never had divine service there, or at 
any other station. He was still more surprised 
when he heard there were horse-races here on 
Sunday morning. 

" The apostolic Obeck is well, and affectionately 
remembers all your family. He succeeds to Swartz 
in the title to our reverence and esteem. Remem- 
ber me to Mr. Thornton, the friend of my studies." 

Mr. Obeck, thus favorably introduced, and whose 
name frequently occurs in Mr. Buchanan's letters, 
was a native of Germany, for many years employ- 
ed as steward in Mr. Grant's family during his re- 
sidence in India. The piety and fidelity of this good 

Buchanan. H 



122 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

man were rewarded by the liberal support and 
fiiendly regard of his patron to the day of his death. 
Under the same cover he thus wrote to Mr. Si-' 
meon, of Cambridge : 

" I thought to have passed my life near you ; but, 
thus it is. You first, I think, proposed a voyage to 
me ; but you did not mean to consign me to si- 
lence, or to a camp ! We may yet see the wisdom 
of God in showing me a path through the mighty 
waters. As my health returns, my services may be 
called for. 

" Remember me to Mrs. B. She alone opposed 
my coming to India. Tell her not to triumph. She 
has not seen to the encV 

Three months after the despatch just detailed, 
Mr. Buchanan again wrote at some length to Mr. 
Newton. In the former part of his letter he re- 
peats, with some additional circumstances, what he 
had before communicated respecting his situation 
and prospects, chiefly with a view to convince his 
friends hi England, tnat however desirous he might 
be of more effective services in the ministry, the 
attempt was, at that time, impracticable. In proof 
of this he mentions, that before Sir John Shore, 
now Lord Teignmouth, left India, Mr. Brown pro- 
cured an order of council that the military in the 
garrison should attend at the Presidency church 



AT DARRACKPORE. 123 

every Sunday morning at six o'clock, there bcinir 
no chapel or service in the gariison itself. Strong 
opposition was made to this order, on the ground 
that the troops would suffer in their health by 
marching in tlie sun. They attended a few Sundays, 
hut at last the clamor became so violent that the 
order was revoked, and the triumph over religion 
considered complete. Mr. Buchanan states this cir- 
cumstance in order to show how unavailing any 
transfer of the chaplaincy of the ganison to him- 
self, could it with propriety have been effected, 
would have proved as to the great object of his in- 
creased usefulness. He adds, however, that when 
he was in Calcutta on a Lord's day, he usually 
performed service at th.e hospital ; where, though 
there was no regular audience, there was always a 
succession of hearers. It appears also by this letter, 
that as Pvlr. Buchanan had no immediate prospect 
of being himself placed in Calcutta, he was endea- 
voring, and with some success, to improve the reli- 
gious views of one of the chaplains of the Presi- 
dency, who seemed desirous of dischai-ging his 
duty with fidelity. 

Mr. Buchanan next adverts to Rev. Dr. Carey, 
Baptist missionary, of whom he speaks in terms of 
much commendation. His own expectations re- 
specting the conversion of the Hindoos were, at 
this period, by no means sanguine. Of Dr. Carey, 
therefore, he remarks, that he was then chiefly em- 



124 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

ployed ill laying the foundation of future useful- 
ness. '' He is," says Mr. Buchanan, '' translating 
the Bible into the Bengal tongue. This, like 
Wickliff's first translation, may prove the father of 
many versions." How extensively this anticipation 
has been realized, it vi^ould be unnecessary to in- 
terrupt this narrative particularly to state. 

" But," continues Mr. Buchanan, '' a rapid spread 
of the Gospel is not to be expected in India. You 
have heard that Mr. Swartz was useful in the 
southern part of Hindostan. It is true. But Mr. 
sSwartz entered upon the labors of others. The 
Gospel has been preached in that quarter for near 
a hundred years past. We may begin here now, as 
the Danes began there a century ago. Zeal, and 
labor, and the lapse of years, will no doubt produce 
the usual fruit. In the revolution of this century 
' the dawn^ of the Gospel has appeared in India. 
After many centuries have revolved, there may be 
a general light. 

'' But I wish not that any prudential considera- 
tions from what lias been, or from what m^iy proha- 
hly be, should check the missionary ardor of the 
day. Nothing great since the beginning of the 
world has been done, it is said, without enthusiasm. 
I am, therefore, well pleased to see multitudes of 
serious persons,* big with, hope, and apt to com- 

* This probably referred to the London Missionary So-- 
ciety. 



AT BARRACKPORE, 125 

municate; fori think it will fiirtlicr tlie Gospel. 
Instead of thirty missionaries, I wish they coukl 
transport three hundred. liut let them remember 
that no man turned of thirty can learn to speak a 
new lanouai^e n-dl. No Ene;lishman turned (tf 
twenty, who is only acquainted with the labials 
and dentals of his mother tongue, can ever acquire 
an easy and natural use of the nasals and gutturals 
of the Bengal language. 

" Mr. Swartz, the apostle of the East, is dead. I 
wrote him a Latin letter a short time before his 
death. I wished to write his life, but they refuse 
to send me materials.* Have you heard of the an- 
cient Obeck, in Calcutta'? IMr. Grant will tell you 
about him, Mr. Obeck in Calcutta, is like Lot in 
Sodom. I asked him one day if he could produce 
ten righteous to save the city ? He said he was 
not sure he could produce ten, but thought he 
could produce five." 

It cannot be doubted that both these excellent 
men partook too largely of the spirit of the prophet, 
who thought that he was the only true worshipper 
of Jehovah in a corrupt and degenerate age. It is 
at least certain that Calcutta has added greatly, 

* Some years afterwards Mr. Buchanan procured tlie do- 
cuments he at this time requested; though other circum- 
stances prevented him from ma];in^' use cf them as he had 
intended, 

11* 



126 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

within the last few years, to the' number of itr 
* righteous ' inhabitants ; and not a few in conse- 
quence of the labors and example of the subject of 
these memoirs. 

" My last fever," Mr. Buchanan continues, " pro'- 
duced a deafness, which is not yet gone. It is very 
inconvenient to me ; and Dr. Hare says that it 
may remain a long time. The schoolmen say, the' 
loss of all the senses is death. By the loss of hear- 
ing, I certainly feel the loss of the fifth part of life. 
Wlien nature takes away one sense, they say, she" 
adds to the rest. But when disease takes away one, 
it injures the rest. At least I think so. I feel that 
a sense of infirmity cows the mental powers, and 
thereby hinders their exertion. 

" When you see Mr. Thornton, tell him I often 
think that he has great need of faith to believe the 
Scripture, which says, ' Cast thy bread upon the 
waters, and thou shalt find it after many days.^ 
Many days have elapsed, and yet the bread he 
threw to me is not returned. Adieu. 

" C. Buchanan." 

The admirable friend and patron to whom Mr. 
Buchanan thus alludes, was the reverse of any 
thing impatient or unreasonable in his expectations 
from others ; and his habit of scattering his benefi- 
cence widely and liberally was combined "v/ith a 



AT BARRACKPORE. 12'7 

Spirit of faith which could wait long for the promis- 
ed fruit, and in many cases be satisfied with leav- 
ing his various work with God. In the present in- 
stance, however, he lived to reap, after ''not many 
days," a nch reward of his labor. 

In writing to Mr. Grant, in January, 1799, the 
following passage occurs, which, though brief, 
shows both Mr. Buchanan's anxiety to promote 
the interests of religion in India, and his lively sa- 
tisfaction at any public regulations which promised" 
to be auxiliary to that important object : 

" I wrote to Mr. H. Thornton by the Montrose, 
on the Sth instant. In that letter I ventured to say 
in what way you might probably be of service ta 
us here. But you will be the best judge of the pro- 
priety of the measure ; though perhaps circum- 
stances have now a complexion rather different 
from what they had when you left the country. 

" Your moral regulations of May last are come,* 
and not before they were wanted ; they have been 
just published, and are well received. I ought not 
to say published. Lord M.'s delicacy induced him 
to communicate them by circular letter. They 
ought to have been proclaimed from the house-top." 

* Referring chiefly to a proclamation against Sunday 
horse-racing, and to the erectioQ of chapels at some of the 
military stations. 



128 BfEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

On the 1st of February, Mr. Buchanan, after in- 
forming Mr. Elliott of the arrival of his eldest son 
in India, thus intimates the commencement of the 
system which the Governor General was now con- 
templating with respect to the junior servants of 
the Company : 

'' Lord JMornington aids us here. He no longer 
leaves it at the option of the young men whether 
they will study or not. An examination at the ex- 
piration of three years hence is to decide on all 
pretensions to new appointments. 

" I hope you received the letter in which I 
expressed a wish that you would send out all the 
periodical works issued in the style of literary re- 
views. These are necessary for me. Without them 
I know not what books to order for this country. I 
am constantly applied to by families, religious, mo- 
ral, and dissipated, to name books for them. I have 
already inundated them with Barruel, Paley, Wat- 
son, Wilberforce, and the Pursuits of Literature. 
I sit here in secret, and do what I can. A few of 
the reviews will not do ; but all will tell me the 
truth. Watch the press for me. You cannot do me 
a greater favor, or perhaps your sons here more 
good. I want both annual reviews from 17S9, the 
era of the new philosophy in operation^ 

A few days after the date of the preceding let- 
ter, he wrote to one of his Camhndge frkvAn upon 



AT BARItACKPORE. 129 

a variety of topics connected with their mutual 
pursuits, and interspersed witli remarks on India. 
Tiiis letter exhibits the impressive sense which the 
writer entertained of the paramount importance of 
Christianity, and of the duty of active exertions to 
])romote tlie moral and religious welfare of man- 
kind on the part of himself and such men as the 
college friends to whom he refers. Many of his ob- 
servations display both acuteness and elevation of 
thouG^ht, and much knowledQ;-e of the world. 

" CArxcTTA, Feb. 4, 1799. 

After rallying his friend on his remaining at 
college instead of marrying, he expresses himself 
thus : " A man advances, perhaps, till he becomefi 
Bachelor of Arts ; but after that he is retrograde 
for ever. Is not this generally true ? You may per- 
haps continue to advance in verbiage, but you will 
go back in life. Your endeavors to fulfil the great 
purposes for which you were sent into the world 
will grow daily more feeble, and your view of those 
purposes will at length be utterly lost. 

" But whither then shall we go, if you divorce 
us from our learned ease ? Why, go to London. 
Take a curacy, or take a chapel. Call forth your 
leaming and put your eloquence to use. Sluice the 
fountain so long embanked at college stagnant and 
green, and permit the waters to rush abroad, to 
fertilize many a plant and gladden the vale. Go 



130 MEMOIR OF DR, BUCIIANAxV. 

fortli and stem the torrent of infidelity with a re- 
sistless eloquence ; and let rne hear your voice on 
the banks of the Granges. To what purpose have 
you labored at Quinctilian, if you do not now lift 
up your voice and proclaim the glad tidings of the 
everlasting Gospel '? At present I see you and D. 
lisping with pel^bles in your mouths on the banks 
of the Cam. But I hope one day to hear your 
thunder from the rostrum. I hope to see you * wield- 
ing at will' your awful assemblies, and exciting 
them v/ith a more than Demosthenic power to re- 
sist the invading foe, the new philosophy. I hope 
to see you do more. In the more grateful and co- 
pious manner of the Roman orator, you will, like 
scribes well instructed in the kingdom, bring forth 
things new and old to confirm the believing, con- 
vince the doubtful, and heal the wounded spirit ; 
ever displaying this your great and endless theme, 
the power of grace in awakening to life the torpid 
soul ; and, in your previous studies, ever sitting by 
the fountain of truth, ot-«^j» pi^a-ci ?ru^iviy that 'foun- 
tain flowing with persuasives,' the Bible : so will 
your orations have less of the lamp^ and more of 
that heavenly fire which alone can make tliem 
profitable to your hearers. 

" How astonished you will be that my first pages 
to you from Milton's ' remote Bengala ' should be 
on such subjects as these ! You, no doubt, expect- 
ed to hear 



AT BARRACKPORE, 131 

" Of moving accident by flood and field ; 
" And of the cannil)al.s that each olher eat, 
" The anthropophagi ." 

*' But I have not patience with all these subjects. 
You must send out some of those fellows who can 
write a tour through AValcs, or Gogmagog Hills. 
They will so astonish you ! Besides, I am not writing 
to freshmen. I am writing to the learned. And all 
the mirahiUa^ I could describe to you are already 
described in Queen's College library. But I must 
make some allowance for the different eifects of an 
absolute and a partial view of tinners. The truth \?, 
that the traveller who sees new things every day, 
sees new things with indifference. The passion of 
curiosity is so constantly excited that it loses its 
power. The ' nil admirari 'f seizes us much sooner 
with respect to objects of sense than objects of re- 
flection. J3eside?, where all is new, the mind knows 
not where to rest. It cannot embrace all, and it 
studies none. This is particularly the case with 
many young men just arrived in India. They are 
wonder-struck ; they suffer a kind of mental pa- 
roxysm ; they ask questions for a while ; but they 
find there is no end of subjects of wonder ; and at 
length they arc tired with wondering. The man of 
reflection will examine these subjects at his lei- 

* Wonders. 

t JN'olhing more to be adiriired. 



130 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCHANAN. 

sure, but the 0/ jrowoi* would no longer wonder, if 
the moon were to fall ; they would suppose it was 
the way with the Bengal moons. 

'* The most useful lesson I have learnt from tra- 
vel is, that the world, or all that is in it, cannot sa- 
tisfy the soul of man. Many years ago, my chief 
ambition, as you know, was to make the tour of 
Europe, But how liUle does this idea appear ! As 
a village is the world to a child, so Europe was the 
world to me. But Europe is now become a village ; 
and the globe itself, which seems to have revolved 
under my eye, has no longer its former extent, no- 
velty, or importance. My ambition seeks now to 
explore new worlds. And were the Deity to gratify 
my wish, and permit me to traverse the planetary 
globes around us, yet how circumscribed would be 
my view, how limited my knowledge ! The solar 
system is but a point in the universe ! What then 
is natural knowledge '{ Like space, it has no limit. 
Let us return then to our village, and view its in- 
habitant ; 

His knowledge suited to his state and place, 
His time, a nioment; and a point, his space. 

And this is equally true, whether you live but a 
few years, confined to your native spot, or live 
three ages, and traverse the world around. /■ 

♦ The niuhitude. 



AT D-MIRACKPORE. 133 

" This thought casts a trarisient gloom over sci- 
ence and all human knowledge. It is confined and 
uncertain, and therefore unsatisfying. It is now 
that the mind turns with pleasure from the works 
of God to his word. The works of God indeed de- 
clare his glory ; but the mind cannot comprehend 
them, nor be satisfied with surveying them. But 
the word of God quenches the thirst. It is that 
fountain which can alone satisfy the capacious soul 
of man. 

" Infidelity raged here with great violence for- 
merly, but it is rather on the d(fcnsive now. It was 
fashionable for a time to allege that oriental re- 
search was not favorable to the truth of Christiani- 
ty ; but the contrary is found to be the case. As far 
as my own inquiries have gone I can truly say, ' I 
have seen the star, and worshipped in the East.' In 
the study of eastern history and learning there is 
endless proof of the truth of both the Old and New 
Testaments. 

" I suppose you have heard of the grandeur of 
English life in India. To live in the first circle in 
India is to live at court. There is nearly the same 
dignity of etiquette, elegance of equipage, and va- 
riety of entertainment. Every lady is handed to 
table according to her rank ; and — no grace is said ! 

'* What chiefly astonishes an Englishman (I 
should have said a Scotchman) is the profusion of 
meat on the tables. We sit down to hecatombaean 

Buchnnaa, A* 



134 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

feasts. But you will not wonder at this, when you 
hear that the price of a sheep is but half a crown* 
We have no drinJdng here ; no bacchanalian feasts. 
"Wine is a drug. AVherever we go, we expect to 
find plenty of claret and Madeira; and he who 
would think it a compliment to urge another to 
drink, would be accounted a vulgar fellow, just im- 
ported from a military mess-room, or a literary 
combination-room. 

" Must I say something of the natives ] Their 
general character is imbecility of body, and imbe- 
cility of mind. Their moral powers are and have 
been for ages in a profound stupor ; and there is 
seldom an instance of their being awakened. A 
partial attempt, or rather experiment, is now mak- 
ing on them by some christian teachers. The Hin- 
doo mind seems at present to be bound by a satanic 
spell ; and it v/ill require the co-operation of a more 
than human power to break it. But divine co-ope- 
i-ation implies human endeavor. Many ages must 
then elapse before the conversion of India is ac- 
complished. 

" With respect to moral action, the Hindoos pay 
as little attention to their own religion as a rule of 
life, as the English do to theirs ! Your profession 
of the christian religion is a proverbial jest through- 
out the world. 

" The Hindoo is born blind ; but you put out 
your own eyes. Loose piinciples and sensual in- 



AT BARKACKPORE. 135 

diligence first dim them, and then the ' drop serene* 
of the new philosophy quenches the orb. 

" A residence in this country adds much to the 
personal dignity of the European. Here the labor 
of a multitude is demanded for the comfort of one : 
and it is not so much demanded as voluntarily 
given. In no other country can we so well see the 
homage which matter gives to mind. Generally, 
however, it is but the homage which black pays to 
white. This is the grand argument for keeping the 
Hindoos in a state of mental depression. The hy- 
perborean Scotchman, broiling under a perpendi- 
cular sun, needs some leramina labor um ;* and the 
state of the Hindoo minds is admirably calculated 
to take care of our bodies. 

" You know the character of the Hindoo super- 
stition. It is lascivious and bloody. I know n-o epi- 
thet that embraces so much of it as either of these 
two. Of the first I shall say nothing : I shall not 
pollute the page with a description of their caprine 
orgies in the interior of their temples, nor the em- 
blems engraved on the exterior. 

" Their scenes of blood are not less revolting 
to the human mind. Human sacrifice is not quite 
abolished. The burning of women is common ; 1 
have witnessed it more than once. 

" This power of self-sacrifice is given thera from 

♦ Relaxation. 



136 MEMOIR OF Oli. nUCHANAN'. 

insensibility of mind, and from that alone. Just as 
a child may be persuaded to plunge into danger 
which infant reason cannot see, so the Hindoo, of 
childish capacity, is persuaded to destroy his exist- 
ence ; he views neither death nor life in their 
true light. 

" All comparison, therefore, between the forti- 
tude of the christian martyr and the madness of 
the Hindoo is nugatory and absurd." 

Some hints in the preceding letter respecting 
marriage, imply that Mr. Buchanan was not, at 
this time, indifferent to that subject. He had hith- 
erto been too much occupied with study, and with 
his entrance upon his professional career, to in- 
dulge any thoughts respecting it ; but his affection- 
ate and social disposition, and the comparative so- 
litude in which he was compelled to live, convinced 
him of the expediency of entering into the married 
state. This important change in his condition took 
place on the 3d of April, 1799, on which day Mr. 
Buchanan married Miss Mary Whish, third daugh- 
ter of the Rev. Richard Whish, then rector of 
!^orthvvold, in Norfolk. 

Upon this interesting event it may be best to 
allow Mr. Buchanan to speak, as usual, for himself. 
He thus writes to Mr. Newton about two months 
after his marriage : 

" Miss Majy V/hish and her elder sister (after- 



AT BARRACKrORE. 137 

^vards married ta Major Pnole) came ont to India 
about five months ago with their aunt, Mrs. San- 
dys, wife of Captain Sandys, Commissary of stores 
in Calcutta. The younger of these ladies was so 
much disgusted with the dissipation of India, that 
she would gladly have returned single to England. 
I did not see her till two months after her arrivaL 
But we had not lx?en loag acquainted before she 
confessed that she had found a friend who could 
reconcile lier to India. I did not expect that I 
should have ever found in this country a young 
woman whom I could so much approve. Mrs. Bu- 
chanan is not yet nineteen. She has had a very 
proper education for my wife. She has docility of 
disposition, sweetness of temper,, and a strong pas- 
sion for retired life. 

" She is religious, as far as her knowledge goes ;; 
and her knowledge is as great as, I suppose, yours 
or mine was at her age. Our marriage was sanc- 
tioned by the approbation of all who knew her and 
who knew me. 

" I have now been married two months, and 
every successive day adds something to confirm the 
felicity of my choice, and the goodness of God in, 
directing it. 

" Mrs. Buchanan has read many of your letters to 
me, and hopes you will mention her name in your 
next. She is now reading the ' Christian Character 
12* 



I3» JfEMOin OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Exemplified,' published by you, and aspires to the 
spirit and piety of the lady whose character it is. 
" I still reside at-Barrackpore, where it is now 
probable I shall remain some years. But I must 
take no thought for to-morrow. Years, days, and- 
hours are not mine. Moments, how sacred !" 

In replying to some inquiries of his correspond- 
ent, Mr. Buchanan proceeds to mention, what, in 
the prospect of continuing at Barrackpore, must 
have been peculiarly painful to him, that it was 
thought no chapel would be built there, under the 
new arrangement relative to that subject, as no 
European regiment was, at any time, ordered to- 
that station. Under these circumstances he men- 
tions that he was anxious to take every opportu- 
nity of assisting Mr. Brown at Calcutta. 

" You will have heard, by this time," he con- 
tinues, " the fate of the expedition to Otaheite. 
The missionaries, banished by the natives, fled tO' 
Botany Bay. One of them, I hear, is lately arrived 
in Calcutta, from Port Jackson. I hope this South- 
sea scheme will not discourage the missionary so- 
cieties. They have done no harm : and if they 
send out their next mission with less carnal eclat, 
and more Moravian diffidence, they may, perhaps, 
do some good. Their chief fault was in the selec- 
tion of the men. 



AT BARRACKPORE. 139 

" Lord Morningtoii is taking measures to send 
home all Frenchmen and republicans. I was ap- 
plied to lately, in a kind of official way, to give 
some account of the Baptist missionaries. It was 
asked, What was their object ] How supported 'i 
Whether they were not of republican principles ? 
As I had some good data for speaking favorably 
of Mr. Carey, I confined myself to him. I stated 
the origin of the Tranquebar mission, and its suc- 
cess under Swartz, and I represented Carey as en- 
deavoring to do in Bengal, what Swartz did in the 
Deccan. He called upon me lately in his way to 
Calcutta. He considers himself as sowing a seed 
which haply may grow up and bear fruit. He is 
prosecuting his translation of the Scriptures. This 
is a good work. It will be useful to those Hindoos 
who are somewhat influenced by christian instruc- 
tion, and particularly useful to Hindoo children 
biought up in christian schools. 1 told Mr. Carey 
that I thought he could not emph^y his time better 
than in translating the Scriptures. I explained to 
him, from sources with which he seemed unac- 
quainted, the plan and progress of the Tamulian 
Scriptures, and the circumstances attending the 
publication. 

" And now, my dear sir, pray for us. Under my 
Mary's care, I improve in health and spirits." 

In the autumn of this year Mr. Buchanan in- 



140 MEMOm OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

formed Mr. Grant that he had been recommended 
to accept a vacant chaplaincy at Bombay. '' Being 
altogether ignomnt," says he, "of the particulars,. 
I wrote to Mr. Fawcett, the accountant general 
there, (who v/ishes me to go,) to explain fully to me 
the nature of the situation. If it be the chaplaincy 
to the Presidency, I shall accept it." He adds :. 
" There is to be a relief of staff this ensuing Novem- 
ber. "Whether I shall be included in it, I know not." 
It is probable that Mr. Buchanan's inquiry re- 
specting the chaplaincy at Bombay proved unsatis- 
factory. However this may have been, the provi- 
dence of God shortly afterwards introduced him; 
to a sphere of labor in Calcutta which was equally 
adapted to his talents and his wishes.- Towards 
the close of the year Lord Mornington appointed' 
him a third chaplain to the Presidency, and he im- 
mediately entered upon the duties^ of that office. 

One of the earliest occasions of public service to- 
which Mr. Buchanan was called after this appoint- 
ment, was in February, ISOOj when he preached 
a sermon at the new church, before Lord Morn- 
ington and the principal officers of the government^ 
on a day appointed for " a general thanksgiving 
for the late signal successes obtained by the naval 
and military forces of his Majesty and of his allies ; 
and for the ultimate and happy establishment of 
the tranquillity and security of the British posses- 
sions in India.^^ 



AT CALCUTTA. 141 

This sermori was so highly approved that Mr. 
Buchanan received the thanks of the Governor Ge- 
neral in council, with a direction that it should be 
printed ; and it was undoubtedly a production which 
well deserved that honor. It was founded on the 
11th verse of the 2Jst Psalm : " For they intended 
mischief against Tiiee ; and imagined such a de- 
vice, as they are not able to perform :" and con- 
tains a luminous and impressive view of the prin- 
ciples, progress, and effects of the new French phi- 
losophy, to which Mr. Buchanan justly attributed 
the awful struggle in which this country was then 
engaged. The following j)assages from this dis- 
course show the ability and judgment, as well as 
the piety of its author : 

" The contest in which our country has' been so 
long engaged has, in one particular, been of essen- 
tial service to her. It has excited a greater respect 
for christian institutions and christian principles* 
A long period of internal tranquillity and security 
had induced an indifference about religion which 
was rapidly gaining ground, and was making room 
for that infidelity which our enemies wished to sub- 
stitute. But the critical situation in which the na- 
tion was placed, and the dangers that threatened 
her, led men to review their principles, and to con- 
sider seriously by what means she might be saved. 
Hence there is now a growing regard for christian 



142 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCIIANA??. 

ordinances. Tliere Is now a more general acknow- 
ledgment of the providence of God ; more attention 
is paid to moral character ; more care is taken in 
forming the minds of youth ; and more ample means 
of instruction are afforded to the common people.. 

" In tlie anxiety that prevails in the mother- 
country about the principles of all who are con- 
nected with her, she will naturally be interested to 
know what is the state of religion amongst lis, 
' How/ she will ask, ' amidst all this revolution of 
opinion and practice which agitates the world, is 
that distant society affected ? Are they altogether 
free from infidel principles % And does the public 
spirit of the people show itself in combating these 
principles, and in maintaining a respect for chris- 
tian institutions V 

'' However this subject might have been over- 
looked in the infancy of our settlements, it becomes^ 
now a matter of public consequence. The import- 
ance we are daily acquiring in the eyes of the 
world, and the destructive effects of irreligion in 
other countries, make it proper that we should 
show that we yet profess the faith of our country, 
and that we are yet willing to be accounted a chris- 
tian community. 

" On this subject we think there can be but one 
sentiment. Men of sense and of responsible situa- 
tion, who love their country, and who know the 
danger of the new principles, will not, we are per- 



At CALCUTTA. 143 

Suaded, be averse to sliow this countenance to the 
christian religion. Such example is of the more 
consequence, on account of the great number of 
young persons who are yearly added to our socie- 
ty. These persons are denied those opportunities 
of instruction they enjoyed at home ; and they ar- 
rive at so early au age, that, in general, their prin- 
ciples are formed and fixed hert. And when it is 
considered that they are hereafter to fill the offices 
in the govei'nment of the country, and are to be 
themselves the guardians of the public principles, 
it will certainly appear of consequence that their 
minds should be impressed with a respect for those 
religious and moral observances on which the fu- 
ture safety and happiness of the country depend. 

" Scepticism and infidelity are not now so well 
received in society as they once were. It was for- 
merly thought a mark of superior understanding to 
})rofess infidelity. It was thought a proof of some 
learning to think differently from others on reli- 
gious subjects. 

" Eut we have now seen, that the most illiterate 
and most abandoned of the human race can be 
infidels. 

" We have also seen, that there is no supersti- 
tion more irrational in its effects, no fanaticism 
more degrading to the human mind, than the fana- 
ticism of infidelity. 

" We have further seen the moral effects of in* 



144 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN, 

fidelity ; effects flowing directly from it, acknow- 
ledging no other source. And after what we have 
seen of these effects, we think no man can add to 
his respectability in society, either for understand- 
ing or for moral character, by avowing himself to 
be an advocate for infidelity. 

" But we trust that the great body of our socie- 
ty is yet animated by christian principles, and that 
they are ready to make common cause with their 
country in defending these principles to the utter- 
most, 

" Some will doubt, and some will disbelieve, but 
it is an eternal truth, that the christian religion is 
the rock on which rests our existence as a civilizecj 
nation ; on which rest our social blessings, and our 
individual happiness. Take away this rock, and 
you give your country to convulsion and endies:? 
disgrace. Built on this rock, she has withstood the 
violence of the storms that have so long assailed 
her. Secure and tranquil in the midst of the tem- 
pest, she stands at this hour firm and impregnable, 
while those w-ho built on the ' sands of infidelity * 
have been overthrown." 

Copies of Mr. Buchanan's thanksgiving sermon 
were distributed by order of goveirnment in every 
part of British India, and sent home to the direc- 
tors of the East India Company. 

^* You may easily conceive," says Mr. Buchanan, 



AT CALCUTTA. 145 

writing- to a friend in England, well acquainted 
with the prevalence of sceptical piinciples at tliat 
period in India, "the astonisluTient of men at these 
religious proceedings. However, all was silence 
and decei!t ac(juiescence. It became fashionable to 
say that religion was a very proper thing, that no 
civilized state could subsist without it; and it was 
reckoned much tlie same thing to piaise the French 
as to praise inlidelity." 

The importance of this public recognition of 
Christianity as the only basis of civil prosperity, 
was soon perceived in the increasing attention to 
personal religion : 

" Our christian society," adds Mr. Buchanan to 
the same friend, " flourishes. Merit is patronized, 
immoral characters are marked ; and young men of 
good inclinations have the best opportunities of im- 
provement." 

The same happy effects were thus distinctly sta- 
ted by Mr. Brown, in a memorial on the general 
state of society in Calcutta, drawn up some years 
afterwards for the information of the Society for 
promoting Christian Knowledge. 

" These solemn acts," observes that excellent 
man, " and the public thanksoivings, which took 
place for the fust time under Marquis Wellesley's 

*> 



146 MEMOIR OF* DR. BUCHANAN. 

government, awakened a religious sense of thing?! 
in many ; and led to an open and general acknow- 
ledgment of the divine providence, which has been 
highly beneficial to the interests of true religion 
and virtue." 

On Mr. Buchanan's removal to Calcutta^ he thus 
resumed the account of his studies and proceed- 
ings, in a letter to Mr, Henry Thornton : 

'' The plan of study I formed about two years 
and a half ago has not suffered any material altera- 
tion since. I soon, however, discovered the small 
value of the Persian and Hindostanee languages to 
me, and was contented with a superficial acquaint- 
ance with them. My scriptural studies I pursue 
with my first purpose, and I hope I shall continue 
to pursue them to the day of my death. My gene- 
ral studies have been much diversified by corres- 
pondence in different parts of India, on subjects 
classical, mathematical, and theological. The latter 
has been the most laborious and generally the most 
pleasant. This subject is often forced upon me. 
But I have seldom permitted myself to defend 
Christianity. 1 have usually acted on the offensive, 
and attacked infidelity. This is a very unpleasant 
mode to the infidel. During the last year I received 
many anonymous letters, particularly from young 
persons, on polemical divinity ; but the correspond- 



AT CALCUTTA. 147 

ence has generally ended in real names. In conse- 
quence, I am often applied to for books, and have 
expended much in purchasing valuable works at 
our dear market. Small religious tracts are of little 
service to those with whom I have to do. 

" My public ministrations have been rare, but 
perhaps not so rare as from my situation might be 
expected. Of the three years I have been in India, 
including the number of times I have officiated at 
the hospital in Calcutta, and in ray own house at 
Barrackpore, I have preached on an average once 
a fortnight. 

'* My great affliction since I came to India has 
been had health. I feel a languor of constitution, 
and a difficulty of respiration, which no medical 
aid has yet been able to remove. This I sometimes 
think has taken away one-half of the energy and 
usefulness I might have preserved or acquired in a 
cooler region. But this also is the dispensation of 
God ; and it has added to me that, which else- 
where I might not have found." 

In a letter, however, to Mr. Newton, about the 
same time, Mr. Buchanan observes, " I have en- 
joyed better health this year than in any former ; 
and I trust that I shall be strengthened and spared 
for some service." 

During the first six months of the year ISOO, the 
plan of a collegiate institution had been formed by 



148 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Lord Mornington, (who, in consequence of the 
splendid successes of liis policy in the Mysore, had 
been created Marquis Wellesley,) for the purpose 
of promoting the literary improvement of the 
you!)ger civil servants of the Company. This im- 
portant measure, in the arrangement and conduct 
of which Mr. Buchanan was so essentially concern- 
ed, he thus mentioned in the month of June, in a 
letter to Mr. Grant : 

*' Lord Wellesley is at present engaged in foand- 
ino- a coUeofe for the instruction of the young: civil 
servants in eastern literature and general learning. 
He desired me to draw out a sketch of the consti- 
tution of the college, which I did. And now Mr. 
Barlow has instructed me to draw up a minute as 
a justification of the measure. Lord Wellesley 
proposes that Mr. Brown should be the provost of 
the college ; and he is certainly the fittest man in 
Calcutta for that office. I had him in my mind 
when drawing up the duties of provost. There 
will be about eight or ten professors. No promo- 
tion in the service, but through the medium of this 
institution. The students to remain at college for 
three or five years. Prizes and honors to be propos- 
ed for those who distinguish themselves, and de- 
grees to be taken to qualify for certain offices." 

Some allusion is made to the subject introduced 



AT CALCUTTA. 149 

in the preceding extract, in the two following let- 
ters from Mrs. Buchanan, which, as they exhibit a 
pleasing and faithful picture of a most amiable 
woman very early removed from this world, it may 
not be uninteresting to insert before we proceed 
to a more enlarged view of the college of Fort 
William, or Calcutta. 

The first is addressed to Mr. Newton, and is da- 
ted Calcutta, June 24, ISOO : 

" Dear Sir, — Mr. Buchanan assures me that 
you will excuse the liberty I take in writing to you. 
I have long wished to acknowledge the debt I owe 
you for your valuable works. They have been 
blessed to many, and I trust will be also blessed to 
me. But I believe I am still more indebted to you 
as the friend, father, and instructer of my beloved 
husband ; as such, I must consider you as the in- 
strument, under God, of my present happiness. 

" You will be glad to hear that Mr. B.'s health 
is of late much improved ; but I am alarmed lest 
his approaching labors should be too much for him. 
We have reason to believe that he will be appoint- 
ed a professor in the new college. He himself 
wishes to decline it, but his friends do not see how 
it is possible, as he has taken an active part in the 
institution. It is supposed that he may have his 
choice of three professorships. Classics, Mathema- 
tics, or the Belles-lettres. I believe his intention is 
13* . 



t 150 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

to accept of a situation in college, if it be easy; 
but if not, to decline it on the plea of health. 

*' Dear sir, I cannot expect to see you in this 
world, may I therefore request you to send your 
blessing to me and my little girl. 

" I desire my love to your niece, and remain, 
my dear sir, yours, with christian affection, 

" Mary Buchanan." 

The second of these letters is to Mr. Elliott ; 
and- while it expresses with equal simplicity the 
advancing piety of her own mind, it recognizes the 
support which Lord Wellesley was then affording 
to reHgion in Calcutta. It is of the same date with 
the former. 

" Dear Sir, — Your letter to Mr. Buchanan, in 
which you mention our marriage, gave me real 
pleasure. And as you expressed a wish that I 
should write to you, I take this opportunity to thank 
you for your affectionate congratulations. You 
have reason indeed to congratulate me. It is the 
happiest circumstance in my life that I ever came 
to India, where I have been united to one whose 
endeavors God has been pleased to bless, in lead- 
ing me to some knowledge of the everlasting Gos- 
pel. It is a new Gospel to me, and I seem to live 
in a new world, differing far more from my old 
world than India differs from England. May I re- 



AT CALCUTTA. 151 

quest your prayers tliat this good work may be 
carried on in my lieart, and tliat it may issue in 
honor to my beloved husband, and to his ministry 
here 1 He lias mucli to encourage him in the work 
of llie Gospel. There is an evident change in the 
face of the society here, even in the short time 
since I aroved ifi the country. Lord Wellesley 
seems inclined to support the christian religion by 
cccnj means. Vital religion also is incieasing. It 
seems to be fostered under the wing of that gene- 
ral sanction to Christianity which has lately been 
given. This is the only place in India where reli- 
gion is countenanced. We have now many respec- 
table families here in which piety meets with real 
encouragement. I remain, dear sir, yours, with 
much esteem, Mary Buchanan." 

By the despatch which conveyed the two pre- 
ceding letters, Mr. Buchanan sent another remit- 
tance to his mother, to the comfort of whose de- 
clining years he was afterwards enabled still more 
largely to contribute. 

On the ISth of August, ISOO, the College of 
Fort WdHaiu, which had been virtually in opera- 
tion since the 4th of May, was formally establish- 
ed by a minute in council,* in which the Governor 

* See " The College of Fort William, in Bengal," pub- 
lished by Mr. Buchanan in 1805. 



152 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

General detailed at length his reasons for such an 
institution. Tlie important part which Mr. Bu- 
chanan took in the conduct of that establishment 
will sufficiently justify the following brief abstract 
of the able and interesting document referred to. 
The British possessions in India, said his lord- 
ship, now constitute one of the most extensive and 
populous empires in the world. The immediate 
administration of the government of the various 
provinces and nations composing this empire is 
principally confided to the European civil servants 
of the East India Company. Upon them, in con- 
sequence, devolve the duties of dispensing justice 
to millions of people of various languages, manners, 
usages, and religions ; of administering a vast and 
complicated system of revenue throughout districts 
equal in extent to some of the most considerable 
kingdoms in Europe ; and of maintaining civil 
order in one of the most populous and litigious 
regions of the world. They can, therefore, no 
loncrer be considered as the aofents of a commer- 
cial concern ; they are, in fact, the ministers and 
officers of a powerful sovereign, and must be view- 
ed in that capacity, with a reference, not to their 
nominal, but to their real occupations. Their edu- 
cation should consequently be founded in a general 
knowledge of those branches of literature and 
science which form the basis of the education of 
persons destined to similar offices in Europe. To 



AT CALCUTTA. 153 

this fouTidation should be added an intimate ac- 
quaintance vvitli the history, languages, customs, 
and manners of the people of India, with the Mo- 
hammedan and Hindoo codes of law and religion, 
and with the political inteiests and relations uf 
Great Jjritain in Asia. They should be regularly 
instructed in the principles and system which con- 
stitute the foundation of that wise code of regula- 
tions and laws enacted by the Governor General 
in council, for the purpose of securing to the people 
of this empire the benefit of the ancient and esta- 
blished laws of the country, administered in the 
spirit of the British constitution. Finally, their 
early habits should be so formed as to establish in 
their minds such solid foundations of industry, 
prudence, integrity, and religion, as should effec- 
tually guard them against those temptations and 
corruptions with which the nature of the climate 
and the peculiar depravity of the people of India 
will surround and assail them in every station, es- 
pecially upon their first arrival in India. The early 
discipline of the service should be calculated to 
counteract the defects of the climate and the vices 
of the people, and to form a natural barrier aoainst 
habitual indolence, dissipation, and licentious indul- 
gence : the spirit of emulation in honorable and 
useful pursuits should be kindled and kept alive 
by the continual prospect of distinction and reward, 
of profit and honor ; nor should any precaution be 



154 



MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 



relaxed in India which is deemed necessary in 
England to furnish a sufficient supply of men 
qualified to fill the high offices of the state with 
credit to themselves and with advantage to the 
public. 

An additional motive for such an institution as 
was then meditated, was derived from the acknow- 
ledged fact, that at this period the erroneous and 
pestilent principles of the French revolutionary 
school had reached the minds of some individuals 
in the service of the Company in India ; and that 
the state, as well of political as religious opinions, 
had been in some degree unsettled. An institu- 
tion, therefore, tending to fix and establish sound 
and correct principles of religion and government 
in the minds of the junior servants of the Com- 
pany at an early period of life, was the best secu- 
rity that could be ])rovided for the stability of the 
British power in India. 

After discussing the practicability of forming 
any adequate establishment in England for the 
purpose of duly educating such a body of men as 
had been described, and determining that it could 
not be obtained otherwise than in India, the Go- 
vernor General concluded by declaring, that a col 
lege was by this minute in council founded at For' 
William, for the better instruction of the junioi 
civil servants of the Company in such branches of 
literature, science, and knowledge, as might be 



AT CALCUTTA. 155 

deemed necessary to qualify them for the discharge 
of the duties of the different offices constituted for 
the administration of the government of the British 
possessions in the East Indies. 

Tlie general reasons upon which the Marquis 
Wellesley proceeded in the formation of this im- 
portant institution, must be admitted to be charac- 
terized by the soundest views of a liberal arid en- 
lightened jDolicy. Whatevej: diflerence of opinion 
may exist as to the extent or detailed arrangement 
of the establishment, there can scarcely be any as 
to the principles upon which it was founded. The 
success, too, of the institution, as will be hereafter 
seen, fully justified the wisdom of the original plan, 
and reflects the hidiest honor on its distinsfuished 
author. 

The immediate government of the college was 
vested in a Provost and Vice-Provost, and three 
other oflicers, to whose notice every part of the pri- 
vate conduct of the students, their expenses, their 
connections, their manners, and morals, were to be 
subject. Professorships were established in the lan- 
guages chiefly spoken and used in the different pro- 
vinces of India, in Hindoo and Mohammedan law, 
in the regulations and laws enacted at the several 
presidencies for the civil government of the British 
territories, in political economy, and particularly 
the commercial institutions and interests of the 
East India Company, and in various branches of 



156 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

literature and science. There was also to be a con- 
siderable establishment of learned natives attached 
to the college; some of whom were to be employ- 
ed in teaching the students, others in making trans- 
lations, and others in composing original works in 
the oriental tongues. 

The excitements to exertion in the college of 
Fort William were of the highest and most effec- 
tive nature ; and its nfloral, economical, and reli- 
gious discipline, such as was admirably calculated 
to promote all that is virtuous, dignified, and use- 
ful in civil society. This latter most important 
branch of the institution was, in an especial man- 
ner, confided to the provost and vice provost, who 
were thus honorably introduced to the public no- 
tice b}'^ its noble founder. 

" Fortunately," observes his lordship, *' for the 
objects of the institution, the Governor General has 
found at Calcutta two cleigymen of the church of 
England eminently qualified to discharge the du- 
ties of ])ruvost and vice-provost. To the former 
office he has appointed Mr. Brown, the Company's 
first chaplain, and to the latter, Mr. Buchanan. 
Mr. Brown's character must be well known in Eng- 
land, and particularly so to some members of the 
Court of Directors ; it is in every respect such as to 
satisfy the Governor General that his views, in this 
nomination, will not be disappointed. He has also 
formed the highest expectations from the abilities, 



AT CALCUTTA. 157 

learning, temper, and morals of Mr. Budianan, 
^vhose characler is also well known in England, 
and particularly to Dr. Porteus, Bishop of London, 
and to Dr. Milner, Master of Queen's College in 
the University of Cambridge." 

A body of statutes was afterwards compiled and 
promulgated by Marquis Wellesley, which regu- 
lated the admission of students and professois, the 
lectures, exercises, examinations, and public dis- 
putations, and every other branch of the college 
business. The office of the provost, and, virtually, 
of the vice provost, was expressed in the follow- 
in sr terms ; 

** It shall be the peculiar province and sacred 
duty of the provost governing the college at Fort 
William, to guard the moral and religious interests 
of the institution, and vigilantly to superintend the 
conduct and principles of all its members. 

" Divine service shall be performed in the col- 
lege chapel at such times as the provost shall ap- 
point." 

Provision was also made Ly the statutes for ap- 
plying the internal authority of the superior officers 
of the college, to strengthen and confirm within 
our eastern possessions the attaclunent of the civil 
servants of the Company to the laws and coustitu- 

Buchanan. 14 



158 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

tion of Great Britain, and to maintain and uphold 
the christian religion in that quarter of the globe. 

The appointment of the superior officers of the 
college was notified in a Calcutta gazette extraor- 
dinary on the 20th of September, ISOO, though 
they were not formally admitted to their offices 
till the 24th of April following. Towards the close 
of the former year an advertisement was publish- 
ed in different parts of India, announcing the esta- 
blishment of the colleoe, and invitinor men of learn- 
ing and knowledge, moulvies, pundits, and moon- 
shees, to Calcutta, for the purpose of submitting 
to an examination, with a view to the choice of 
some as teachers in the college. About fifty na- 
tives, and subsequently a larger number, were in 
consequence attached to it. . 

Lectures in the Arabic, Hindostanee, and Per- 
sian languages, commenced in the month of No- 
vember, 1800 ; and the first regular term opened 
on the 6th of February following. 



CHAPTER V. 



Two years in Calcutta — Collfge of Fort W*illiam — Pub- 
lic engagements and plans. 

With the commencement of the year ISOl Mr. 
Buchanan entered upon his important and labori- 



AT CALCUTTA. l.')9 

ous duties as vice-provost and professor of classics 
in the college of Fort William. His health and spi- 
rits had hitherto been more or less depressed ; nor 
was the former likely to be improved by the vari- 
ous weighty engagements which now devolved 
upon him. A work, however, had at length been 
assigned to him, both in the college and as one of 
the chaplains of the Presidency ; which, while it 
demanded his utmost talents and exertions, deep- 
ly interested his feelings, and animated him with 
the hope of becoming extensively useful in India. 
Early in this year he thus wrote to Mr. Grant : 

" Since my last to you nothing of importance 
has occurred here. The resfulation concerninsf the 
college has been carried into effect, and the insti- 
tution has already acquired energy and tranquillity. 
We have about a hundred students ; the greater 
part of whom promise to distinguish themselves. 
There are as remarkable instances of application 
here, as I have known at Cambridge. 

" Both the churches are generally full, particu- 
larly in the cold weather. The college chapel has 
punkas, which will probably draw a great number 
of the townspeople during the hot season. Lord 
Wellesley has fitted up a pew for himself in chapel- 

" Mr. Obeck breakfasted with Mrs. Buchanan 
this morning, and pleased her much with the ac- 
count he gave of you and your family for a series 



160 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of years in this country. The old man still retaias 
his faculties in vigor, and is sti-ong in body. His 
office at present is the distribution of four or five 
hundred rupees a month to the poor. The cold 
meat of college suppoits a great number of poor 
Portuguese and English. 

" Some of the college students have already 
made most distinguished proficiency in the oriental 
languages. By the statutes they must be able to 
hold public disputations in these languages on a 
given subject. Ten of the first proficients go out 
the first year, and twenty the second. The spirit of 
emulation, of interest, and of fame, is excited in a 
very remarkable degree. No impropriety of con- 
duct is known. All is silence, and study, and deco- 
rum. They all dine in the college hall, in the pre- 
sence of the professors. 

" There are some instances of a serious spirit of 
religious inquiry among the students. 

" Lord AVellesley wants some persons of distin- 
guished ability in science and classics to superin- 
tend in college, and thinks, properly, that they 
should, if possible, be clerical men. 

'' Mr. Brown is in a precarious state of health at 
present ; and I have never been strong. No such 
field is any where to be found for learning and 
piety as that which Calcutta at this time exhibits." 

In the month of June follov/ing Mr. Buchanan 



AT CALCUTTA. 161 

thus resumes his. account of the two subjects of 
Indian intelligence most interesting to himself, the 
church and the college, in a letter to Mr. Grant, 
and announces Mrs. Buchanan's approaching re- 
turn to England. 

" Our church continues in much the same slate 
in which I described it to be in my last. We have 
had an addition of some communicants, chiefly 
from college. The church thins a little always in 
the hot months of May and June. Lord W. has 
proposed to use punkas and tatties ; and it is pro- 
bable that we shall have recourse to them next 
season. 

" The college still goes on with spirit and ener- 
gy. Some of the students will leave it, and enter 
on the service in December, 1801, (this year.) I 
see clearly that all our future professors and ex- 
aminers will be taken from among those who have 
been students. It is with the greatest difficulty 
that we can find in the whole service examiners in 
the various languages who have confidence to face 
the students. So that we have been obliged to take 
our examiners from among the professors, which is 
rather contrary to the statutes." 

Mr. Buchanan appears to have detained this let- 
ter till after the 3d of July, on which day the first 
public examination of the college students took 
14* 



162 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

place. The name of liis young friend, Mr. William 
Elliott, appeared at the head of the first class in 
the Persian and Hindostanee languages, and in 
Nagree writing, and in the first class of Arabic. 
Mr. Buchanan speaks also of the good conduct and 
distinguished proficiency in the languages of some 
other young men as being above all praise. He 
then adverts to the health of Mrs. Buchanan, who 
since her return from Pulo Penang had experien- 
ced a return of her consumptive complaint, which 
made it necessary for her to try the efiect of her 
native air. " Should her health," he adds, " be re- 
stored, she will return to India, after a short resi- 
dence with her family." 

Accordingly on the 25th of July, ISOl, Mrs. Bu- 
chanan embarked for England, taking with her 
their eldest daughter, Charlotte, and leaving the 
youngest, Augusta, then not quite six months old, 
with Mr. Buchanan. Her voyage was stormy, and 
otherwise perilous and painful ; but she reached 
her native country in safety on the eighteenth of 
February, 1S02. 

She was the bearer of a letter to one of Mr. Bu- 
chanan's friends, in which he mentions that the re- 
gular attendance of the greater number of the stu- 
dents on divine worship, and still more decisive 
proofs of serious impressions amongst them, had 
given him new ardor and new hope that the col- 
lege of Fort William would prove a religious as 
well as a literary blessing to many of them. 



AT CALCUTTA. 163 

Mr. "Buchanan then observes in reply to a sug- 
geslion of Ijis correspondent, whether he might not 
have attempted to preach to tlie Hindoos, that, m- 
de])endent]y of various other impediments, it was 
inconsistent with the lulcs prescribed to him as a 
chaplain of the Company;* but that, altliough he 
had not converted any natives, he had been honor- 
ed as the instrument of the conveision of souls in 
India, and had seen some of them die in the faith. 

The fiiend to whom Mr, Buchanan was writing 
had also hinted tliat some of his English corres- 
pondents were disappointed at so seldom hearing 
from him. To this he thus satisfactorily replies : 

" I had such a numerous body of friends and ac- 
quaintances, literary and religious, in Scotland and 
in England, that I found it was in vain to attempt 
a correspondence with them all in my infirm state 
of health. 1 have therefore scarcely written to any 
one but to yourself, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Grant. 
I have less time now than ever ; and even my let- 
ters to you will be less frequent. The chief labor 
of the churches is devolving fast upon me. My re- 
ligious correspondence in India is greater than at 



♦ It must be remembered that a considerable change with 
respect to religion has taken place in India since the period 
to which this observation refers, and that what was then a 
subject of the most jealous suspicion. ii> now regarded with 
more liberal and chrisliau feelings. 



164 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

any former time. The whole direction of the col- 
lege lies with me ; every paper is drawn up by me ; 
and every thing that is printed is revised by me. 
In addition to this, I give Greek and Latin lectures 
four days in the week during term ; and I must 
visit and receive visits on an average twice a day. 
" You desired me to say something in self-de- 
fence, else I should not have given you the above. 
I am yet an unprofitable servant, very unworthy 
the lowest place in my Master's vineyard ; and I 
am supported chiefly at times by the feeble hope 
that the Lord, who works by any means, will be 
pleased to work even by rae." 

From the time that Mr. Buchanan removed to 
the presidency he generally preached at one or 
other of the churches in Calcutta once, and some- 
times twice, on the Sabbath. It appears also, from 
a book of memoranda, in which he briefly noticed 
his engagements during the five most active years 
of his residence in India, that he occasionally 
preached the weekly evening lecture, which had 
been established by Mr. Brown. In writing to a 
friend at Cambridge, Mr. Buchanan observed that 
the consrregations at the new church were more 
numerous than those at St. Mary's, more elegant, 
equally critical, and perhaps not less intelligent. 
To address such audiences with acceptance and 
effect must consequently have demanded much la- 



AT CALCUTTA. 1G5 

boric. US preparation. At tlie mission cl-.urcli the 
congregations were chiefly composed of those who 
simply sought christian instruction and edification. 

Of tlie general tenor of liis discourses at bolli 
places, some idea may be formed from tlie preced- 
ing view of his character and sentiments. A few 
notices of tlie sul)jects of liis pleaching occur 
amongst the memoranda just referred to. The fol- 
lowing are some of tliem : " The inward witness to 
Christianity," from 1 John, 5:10. '' The barren 
fig-tree," at the close of the year ISOl. " In Adam 
all die," on tlie Easter following. " The second 
Adam." •' Jairus." " On knowledge." " We 
preach Christ crucified." " The second advent." 
*' Abraham seeking a country." '' St. Paul at 
Athens." '"If then ye be risen with Christ, seek 
those things which are above." 'Jliese are indeed 
but scanty memorials of Mr. Buchanan's labors in 
Calcutta as a preacher. Some specimens, however, 
of his sermons will hereafter be adduced. 

Scarcely more numerous or detailed traces re- 
main of the other great branch of his employment, 
as vice provost and classical professor in the col- 
lege of Fort William. Although Mr. Brown, as the 
senior chaplain of the presidency, accepted the 
office of provost, and in both capacities was zealous 
and indefatigable in his endeavors to promote the 
interests of religion in Calcutta, the superinten- 
dence and practical government of the college rest- 



166 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

ed upon Mr. Buchanan. Occasional notices occur 
in these imperfect records, of the books in which 
he lectured during different terms, as well as of his 
sermons. Homer and Virgil, Longinus and Demos- 
thenes, Terence and Juvenal, Livy, Horace, and 
Xenophon, are among the authors enumerated as 
occupying the attention of the students of Fort 
WilHam. Independently of his lectures in these 
and other classical writers, Mr. Buchanan's me- 
moranda notice frequent communications with 
Lord Wellesley and the council of the college 
upon points of internal discipline and arrangement, 
the composition of various public orders, letters, 
and other papers and documents, the revision of 
college essays and books connected with the insti- 
tution, and attendances at the terminal examina- 
tions, disputations, and subsequent distribution into 
classes of the students. 

The time necessarily employed in these multi- 
plied labors, in maintaining a correspondence in 
India and Europe, and in visits of ceremony, friend- 
ship, or charity, and amongst the latter some are 
mentioned to the orphan and other schools in and 
near Calcutta, will suffice to prove, that no sooner 
were these opportunities of active service and use- 
fulness presented to Mr. Buchanan, than he em- 
braced them with a des:ree of ardor, dilig^ence, 
and perseverance, which reflects the highest honor 
on his principles and his practice. 



AT CALCUTTA. 1G7 

It will not, however, be a subject of surprise to 
those who are aware of the high standard by which 
such men as Mr. Brown and Mr. Buchanan are ac- 
customed to measure their obligations, to find that 
neither of them was satisfied with his endeavors to 
fulfil them. We have already had proof of their 
mutual anxiety upon these important points. And 
we have now to witness another of a still more in- 
teresting nature, in a reply of Mr. Buchanan to a 
communication from Mr. Brown, who was then at 
Chanderna2:ore, where he had been residino^ some 
months for the benefit of his health. This valu- 
able testimony to the pastoral feelins:s of both is 
as follows : 

" Calcutta, Nov. 29, 1801, 
" My dear Sir, — I received your letter last night. 
I envy much the zealous affection which animates 
your mind, and would gladly go up to Chanderna- 
gore also, to obtain the same. Old Mr. Newton, 
Avhen in the country, used to think that London 
was Sardis ; but when he came up to tcnvn, he 
found there a great assembly walking in white ; and 
so he joined them. I have thought more seriously 
in Calcutta than ever I did at Barrackpore. But 
what I have been (at any period of my life) is so 
little like what I would wish to be, that I cannot 
contemplate it without remorse. I do not know 
that I ever had what christians call ' zeal.' I recol- 



163 MEMOIR OP DH. EirciIANAN*. 

lect lliat I expected it won]d grow when I entered 
the ministry ; but I had scarcely entered the minis- 
try, and preached a few times, when I was sent to 
this country. 

** I never knew, as you do, what it was to preach 
profitably and zealously for a season. That is u 
work I have to begin ; and how to begin it I l;now 
not. I need an unction from on high, which I 
anxiously look for ; and yet in looking for this, I 
look for that which I never knew as most have 
known it. 

'^ One thing urges me sometimes to press for- 
ward with hope ; and that is, that all I hear and 
all I say appears to rae to be so very unlike what 
it ought to be, that I imagine something belter 
might be attempted. And yet were the Spirit in- 
deed to descend, we cannot expect that God, who 
v/orkcth by natural means, should suddenly add 
the eloquent mouth and new powers of memory 
and understanding. The holy skill of preaching ap- 
pears to be the fruit of long experience and con- 
verse among God's people. And in Calcutta, as in 
every other place, the able minister of the New 
Testament can only be made by nightly and wake- 
ful meditation, patient study, and prayer producing 
self-denial. 

'' It appears to rae that it was never intended 
that the Gospel should flourish in the heart and 
mouth of any minister who did not make it the 



AT CALCUTTA. 169 

* one thin?,' the sole point of heartfelt recurrence. 
But when it is made so, I can easily conceive how 
the tender plant grows a great tree with spreading 
branches and refreshing fruit. Then, no doubt, 
even a mind naturally barren bears exuberant 
ideas, and is constantly forming lively images ; and, 
though the mouth be rude in speech, the full heart 
becomes vocal, and utters the ' word in season.' 

*' Whether either of us will be able thus to make 
the Gospel the ' one thing,' time will show. ' He 
that warreth,' ought not to ' entangle himself with 
the affairs of this life.' But do we 2var ? Time 
enough for the soldier to disencumber himself 
when he begins to fight. It is easy to throw off a 
college; but it is very difficult to take up the 
church. But when the church spirit appears, it will 
soon conquer the college. 

" The grand question is, ought not means to be 
used to mature that spirit which we desire % We 
read ' that a good soldier of Jesus Christ entangleth 
himself not with the affairs of this life, that he may 
please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier ;' 
or, as Guyse explains it, * he must not follow any 
civil calling, unprofitable reading, or unnecessary 
relaxation, to entangle his thoughts and swallow 
up his time ;' (superintending a college is a civil 
calling, Latin and Greek is unprofitable reading, 
and lying in bed after five in the morning is unne- 
cessary relaxation ;) * but his whole lime, words, 

Buchanan. 15 



170 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

thoughts, and actions must be employed, like a 
soldier's, on his calling, that he may please Him 
who hath chosen and authorized him to fight.' 

" How far, in what manncM-, and in what particu- 
lars, St. Paul would obey the spirit of this passage, 
were he in your situation or mine, I really cannot 
tell. Were he here, he would be warring. After 
we have warred for some time, we also shall know. 
* O that I knew the will of God in this matter/ 
.saith Augustine ; ' but I am not worthy to know 
his will. This ignorance is the fruit of my back- 
sliding.' 

" One thing seems probable, that no sudden suc- 
cess will appear from any sudden change of our 
style of address or manner of preaching. It arises 
usually from the impression of private character 
and manner of life. Private character alone will 
confirm the public sermon. The holy life of the 
minister is the good alterative among men. 

"* As to myself, it is my only desire to be of some 
service to the church of Christ before I die ; and 
I would gladly seize any means, by change of situ- 
ation or otherwise, which would enable me to do 
so. As to this world, there is no object (if I know 
my own heart at all) which I have in view ; nei- 
ther of family, of fortune, of situation, of leavii^g 
this country, or continuing in it. I have chiefly to 
complain of a languid and heartless constitution, 
both in body and mind, which makes me to bear 



AT CALCUTTA. 171 

easily with all things, and to have little pleasure in 
any thing. This loss of energy and life has been 
occasioned paitly by a continued course of ill 
health, partly by the untowaid circumstances in 
my situation since I arrived in the country, but 
chiefly by the natural contagion of unchristian 
manners. 

" I am, however, at this time more independent 
of society I dislike, than at any former period since 
my arrival in India; and I liope to be yet more so. 
Whether by resigning college appointments, se- 
cluding myself from the world, and preaching 
twice a week, I should be of more service than by 
maintaining a public situation, is a question I can- 
not answer. What may be impossible and impro- 
per now, may be possible and proper hereafter. 

" However, the chief consideration at present is 
the state of the heart. How is the soul with God 1 
I endeavor by prayer to restore it daily, relying 
(though feebly) on the aid of the Mediator, won- 
dering sometimes that I am not worse, oppressed in 
spirit at a view of the past, and hoping for better 
days. 

" I shall ever be ready to accede to any plan you 
can suggest for the furtherance of our ministry. 
You say you ' long to launch out into the fulness 
of Christ.' So do I. But these words are too apos- 
tolic for me at present. In order to launch forth 
like * * ♦ I should need not only a new effusion 



172 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of the Holy Spirit, hut those natural abilities which 
generally accompany such an effusion, in order to 
make it useful. Circumstances seem to admonish 
me, that the ' still small voice,' and not ' the rush- 
ing mighty wind,' is my province in the Gospel. 
What another school than Calcutta would have 
produced, I know not. But I shall be blessed, if 
o^race be griven unto me to do what o^ood I can, 
consistently and steadily in my various situations. 
Unhappily, collegiate avocations usurp much of my 
time. But let us beware of repining at the neces- 
sity of spending time in this way, till we become 
confident that, were all our time at our own dispo- 
sal, we should spend it in a better. 

" I earnestly pray that we may both be rightly 
directed in our labors in this vineyard, that we may 
see some fruit in others, and enjoy the comfort 
ourselves of faithful ministers of the Gospel. I think 
better days are at hand. 

" In this hope I remain, my dear sir, very affec- 
tionately yours, C. Buchanan.'* 

It is not among the least interesting circum- 
stances relative to this exquisite letter, that it ex- 
hibits both its author and the friend to whom it 
was addressed, in a country which at that time pos- 
sessed no ecclesiastical superior, amidst multiplied 
engagements of the most honorable and useful na- 
ture, and under the pressure of infirm health in an 



AT CALCUTTA. 173 

enervating climate, earnestly occupied, not in de- 
vising some method of relieving themselves from 
the burthen of their employments, in framing plau- 
sible apologies for the indulgence of case and in- 
dolence, or in schemes for the attainment of wealth ; 
but affording mutual examples of self-inquiry, re- 
proaching themselves with the lukewarmness of 
exertions which some, perhaps, had already ac- 
counted excessive ; and exciting each other to more 
animated and abundant labors in the service of 
their Lord and Master. Yet such is the impressive 
sense which every faithful minister of the Gospel 
entertains of his obligations and his duties, of the 
love of Christ and the value of souls, of the uncer- 
tainty of opportunity and life, and the approach of 
an eternal world, that while many who observe 
him may imaa:ine that he is indul^ins: in selfcom- 
placency and satisfaction in the review of his ex- 
ertions, he is in fact humbling himself before God, 
and in the confidence of private friendship, at the 
recollection of his numerous deficiencies. 

How well Mr. Buchanan understood the nature 
of true pastoral zeal, together with what he justly 
calls ' the holy skill of preaching;* how highly he 
estimated both, and how perfectly he was acquaint- 
ed with the means by which they may be cultivated 
and beneficially exercised, is evident from his dig- 
nified and eloquent observations upon those im- 
portant points. They can scarcely be read without 
15* 



174 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

producing a powerful conviction that personal pie- 
ty, of a vigorous and exalted character, must form 
the basis of any reasonable hope of success as a 
preacher of the Gospel ; that it is " the heart of the 
wise," which must communicate persuasion to his 
lips ; and that it is the " doctrine and the life coin- 
cident," which can alone be expected to constitute 
the divine art of wiiming souls to God. 

The humility which breathes throughout the 
whole letter, the disinterestedness of the writer's 
views, the ardent desire which he expresses of 
more decisive usefulness, and the obscure intima- 
tion of a purpose, which was gradually becoming 
more definite and mature, of endeavoring more 
effectually to promote the extension of the Re- 
deemer's kingdom in the East, cannot fail to be 
observed by every thoughtful reader ; and while 
they serve to illustrate the character of Mr. Bucha- 
nan, and the principles which he professed, are 
well calculated to excite others to the imitation of 
such an example. 

A few days after the date of the preceding letter, 
Mr. Buchanan wrote to Mr. Grant as follows : 

" Mr. Brown and his family have been on the 
river for their health for five or six weeks past. 
Our churches during this cold season are more 
crowded than I ever saw them before. Even on 
Wednesday evening there are a great number. 



AT CALCUTTA. 175 

and craod is done. Some of the students attend on 

o 

that evening. Their presence warms the heart of 
old Mr. Obeck. They know and visit him. ' How 
would Mr. Grant rejoice,'* he sometimes says, 'to 
see these things !' The pillars are removed, and a 
number of additional seats made, to accommodate 
the many who come." 

On the 20th of January, 1S02, it appears, by a 
brief memorandum, that Mr. Buchanan, in taking 
liis usual evening's exercise, suffered a severe fall 
from his horse. " He came down," he says, " at 
full gallop, and I was thrown over his head and 
stunned. He seemed to tumble over me. Mercy ! 
mercy !" 

Though Mr. Buchanan complained for several 
weeks of the effects of his fall, he was sufficiently 
recovered to preach, yet not without much weak- 
ness and pain, the next evening. 

During the whole of this month Mr. Buchanan 
was employed in making various arrangements 
preparatory to the anniversary of the commence- 
ment of the college on the 6th of February. On 
that day public disputations were held in the Per- 

* For the history of the mission church, and of the pecu- 
liar interest which Mr. Grant would feel in its prosperity, 
the reader is referred to the " Memorial Sketches " of Mr. 
Brown. 



176 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sian, Bengalee, and Hindostanee languages, in the 
presence of the supreme council and many other 
distinguished persons ; the jirizes and honorary re- 
wards adjudged at the preceding examinations 
were distributed, and a speech was delivered by 
Sir George Barlow, the acting visiter in the ab- 
sence of Marquis Wellesley ; in which, after ex- 
pressing his satisfaction at the zeal and ability of 
the officers and professors of the college in ihedis- 
charcre of their public duties, and at the dislin- 
guished proficiency of many of the students, as 
well as their exemplary conduct, he observed that 
the establishment of the college had already excited 
a general and most beneficial attention to oriental 
languages, literature, and knowledge ; and avowed 
his conviction, that by diligently availing them- 
selves of the advantages afforded by the institution, 
the students would enjoy the animating prospect 
of being eminently useful to their country, by aid- 
ing it in fulfilling the high moral obligations attend- 
ant on the possession of its Indian empire ; on the 
discharge of which the prosperity and permanence 
of that empire must equally depend. 

The various occupations, however, of Mr. Bu- 
chanan did not induce him to forget his friends in 
Europe. Early in the year 1S02 his income being 
now considerably augmented, he, with that filial 
piety which marked his character, authorized his 
mother to draw upon his agents for the sum of 
three hundred pounds annually. 



AT CALCUTTA. 177 

With Mrs. Biiclianan, whose arrival in England 
has been mentioned, he maintained a frequent cor- 
respondence. In one of his letters he gave lier an 
interesting sketch of his early life, some circum- 
stances of which he does not appear to have pre- 
viously communicated to her, and which he observ- 
ed might form a good commentary on Isaiah 42 : IG. 
" I will bring the blind by a way that they knew 
not, I will lead them in paths that they have not 
known : I will make darkness light before them, 
and crooked things straight. These things will I 
do unto them, and not forsake them." 

Having brought down his history to the time at 
which he was writing, he concludes with the fol- 
lowing reflections on his present views and pur- 
poses, the piety, beauty, and affection of which can- 
not but be generally admired : 

" Such, my dearest Mary, has been my varied 
life, and such the wonderful providence which has 
watched over me during so long a period. I pray 
that, now I am settled, I may be enabled to show a 
heart fixed on my Saviour, and on the ministration 
of his word. I feel that nothing in this world can 
afford me any delight equal to what I hope to find 
in the labor of the everlasting Gospel. No fortune 
or rank in life can ever, I think, give any solid 
comfort to my soul : nothing but heavenly draughts 
can quench my thirst. 



178 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" My infirm constitution aclmonislies me not to 
expect to enjoy life, as some speak, and I am 
thankful for every barrier vvliich God erects against 
my taking up my lest in this wilderness. Let U9 
then, my dear Mary, live for the day, seeking that 
heavenly peace which is always attainable. We 
have learnt from our past experience, that * our 
times are in his hands,' and we shall confess at the 
end that ' He hath done all things well.' 

" I feel a deep sense of the importance of my 
present situation, and of the necessity of using the 
tabnt committed to my charge ; the uncertainty of 
having such an useful sphere of action much long- 
er, or my health continued, or my reputation sup- 
ported ; these things excite me to greater exertions 
while it is called ' to-day.' 

** The society of religious people here pray that 
I may be enabled to do something for the Gospel. 
I am now in better health than formerly. My spi- 
rits are more alive. My desires after a regular life 
increase, and I trust my hopes in the Gospel will 
be fulfilled. You, my beloved wife, can now pray in 
faith : a sense of religion has visited you. Che- 
rish it as the life of your soul. Esteem it the pearl 
of great price, far exceeding in value the joys of 
your family, or the wealth of the Indies. I know 
that gay society at home will impede your progress 
for awhile, but these difficulties are useful in prov- 
ing and trying us, and bringing us forth like gold 



AT CALCUTTA. 179 

purified in the fiie. It is not precisciiess of exter- 
nal c<tiiclnct, but communion with God in prayer 
which forms the christian's character. If you con- 
tinue to approach tlie throne of grace witli as much 
earnestness as you used when on the great waters, 
you will gradually arrive at a holy state of mind, 
pui^ satisfaction of soul, and inexpressible delight 
in the contemplation of the Gospel. Christ will be 
formed in you, and you will begin to learn the 
breadth, and length, and height, and depth of his 
unsearchable riches, 

'* All you have to do is to give your testimony to 
the truth of real religion, when opportunities shall 
be afforded, in modesty and simplicity; alleging 
that the Gospel is not m form, but in power ; and 
that we must all suffer a change of heart before 
we can enter the kingdom of God. This is the 
truth which I maintain in my preaching, and it is 
found to be the only effectual doctrine to reach the 
hearts of men." 

The close of this truly interesting letter affords 
a most substantial proof of the practical infiuence 
of Mr. Buchanan's principles, and of the sincerity 
of the religious professions and purposes which 
precede it : 

" By the last ships I s^t four hundred pounds 
to Mr. H. Thornton, being the amount of his ex- 
pense on my own account at college for four years, 



180 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

at one hundred pounds per annum. He never ex* 
pected that I should repay him, but God has put it 
in my power, and therefore it is my duty. 

" I told him I only sent it back to the fountain 
from whence it would probably soon flow again iu 
some act of benevolence. 

" I also sold him that I meant to devote five hun- 
dred pounds for the support of a young man at the 
university, of religious character and good ability, 
who might be in poor circumstances, and whom 
he, or Mr. Newton, or Dr. Milner, president of 
Queen's college, should select. At the same time 
I remitted an order on Messrs. Boehm & Co. to 
Mr. T. for paying the sum of 6£125 per annum, by 
half yearly instalments, for this purpose : and I ex- 
pressed a wish that the young man might prove an 
honor to the Gospel, and become an useful laborer 
in his Master's vineyard. 

'' While it is in my power, I wish to do some 
good thing for the Gospel of my blessed Lord. 1 
may soon be called hence. May I be able to de- 
vote my heart to his glory while I stay ! 

" May we be grateful stewards of God's bless- 
ings, so abundant and unlooked for ! And may we 
continue daily to remember the wonderful way in 
which we have been led from our early years to 
this day !" • 

Various motives might have suggested to many 



AT CALCUTTA. ISl 

men, possessed of lucrative appointments, the pro- 
priety of restoring to a patron the sum which might 
have been expended in preparing them for their 
stations. Such a step, however, might not have 
Deen distinguished by promptness, and still less by 
any act of spontaneous liberality. In both these 
respects the conduct of Mr. Buchanan was of a 
very elevated and generous character. It was but 
a short time that he had enjoyed an abundant in- 
come ; he had already two children, for whom he 
could as yet have made but very little provision; 
he was affording a liberal allowance to his mother; 
his own health was precarious, and that of his 
wife was subjecting him to the expense of a voy- 
age to England, with a view to her return to In- 
dia ; the principal source of his emoluments was of 
an uncertain nature, and had, in fact, though then 
unknown to him, been already considerably dimi- 
nished. Gratitude, however, to his earthly bene- 
factor, and love to his divine Lord and Master, in- 
duced him, notvv'ithstanding many plausible mo- 
tives at least to defer his purpose, at once to dis- 
charge a debt of kindness, and to fulfil a truly 
christian design ; and under these impressions he 

communicated to Mr. Thornton the arrancrement 

o 

which has been already detailed. The sense which 
that gentleman entertained of Mr. Buchanan's con- 
duct was probably expressed in a letter to him- 

Buchanan. 16 



182 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

self: but the only memorial of it which remains is 
in the following letter to a mutual friend : 

" London, Dec. 24, 1802. 

" Dear Sir, — I called at your house the other 
day, and if I had met with you I should have in- 
formed you of the letter which I have received 
from Mr. Buchanan. He remits in it iive hundred 
and twenty pounds ; of which four hundred is in- 
tended as a repayment to myself of the four years* 
allowance which I made to him at college, and the 
remaining sum is to be applied in a manner which 
he directs. He moreover gives me a letter to a 
house in London, desiring them to pay me an an- 
nual sum for four years, for the education of such 
young man for the ministry as I, Mr. Newton, and 
Dr. Milner may select. 

'' I am not quite clear whether Mr. Buchanan, at 
the time of writing the letter, was apprised of all 
that diminution of his income v/hich the orders sent 
out from hence for suspending the institution of the 
college will produce *, and I feel some doubt, on 
this account, whether either to take or to keep the 
four hundred pounds. I shall thank you for any in- 
formation on this point which you may possess; as 
well as for the mention of any promising young 
man for education at college, with a view to the 
ministiy of the church. I would also request you 
to take some occasion of expressing to Mr. Bu- 



AT CALCUTTA. 183 

clianaii tlie satisfaction which 1 felt at tliis mark of 
integrity, or of something more than integrity, as I 
ouglit to temi it, in his conduct. It has raised him 
in the opinion both of myself and others, and it will 
not, as I am persuaded, be one of the acts of which 
he will repent whenever he may come to die. For 
my own part I shall always hold that his children 
will have some claim upon me in consequence of 
the return of this money, in the event of their fall- 
ing into pecuniary difficulties ; and Pioyidence, I 
am well persuaded, is wont to provide for those 
who, without robbing or neglecting their own 
household, avoid the common eagerness to lay up 
for them. 

" I am, dear sir, yours sincerely, 

" H. Thornton." 

It may be satisfactory to add to the preceding 
letter, that Mr. Buchanan's liberal offer was ac- 
cepted ; and that a young man, approved by the 
three friends to whom the selection was referred, 
was aftenvards supported during the usual term 
of residence at the University of Cambridge; who 
is now filling with ability and credit a very useful 
station in the church. 

While the members of the college of Fort Wil- 
liam were zealously and successfully occupied in 
the prosecution of their labors, the Governor Ge- 
neral in council, on the 15th of June, 1802, receiv- 



1S4 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN 

ed with the utmost concern the commands of the 
Court of Directors for the immediate aholition of that 
important institution. On the 22d following, Lord 
Wellesley communicated this despatch to Mr. Bu- 
chanan, who, in common with every other friend 
of the college, deeply lamented this unexpected 
determination ; and directed him to consider of a 
reply to the reasons upon which it was professedly 
orrounded. The Governor General was at all times 

o 

fully competent to the defence of his own measures, 
though he might, and probably did, avail himself of 
the talents and information of those around him 
upon every great question. It is sufficient to ob- 
serve that, in a letter* to the chairman of the Court 
of Directors, dated the 5th of August, 1802, cha- 
racterized by the same ability which had distin- 
guished his minute in council, Marquis Wellesley 
submitted to the Court a general view of the prin- 
ciples by which his conduct had been regulated re- 
lative to the establishment of the college, and of 
the measures which he had pursued on, what his 
lordship termed, the present '' most painful and 
afflicting occasion." 

In directinsf the immediate abolition of the col- 

o 

lege of Fort William, the Governor General ob- 
served, the letter of the honorable Court appeared 
to acknowledge with approbation the liberal and 

♦ See " The College of Fort William," p. 65. 



AT CALCUTTA. 185 

e-nligbtened spirit of the institution, the just prin- 
ciples t)n wliich it was founded, and the im])oitant 
ends to wliich it was directed. The objections 
stated by the Court against the continuance of the 
establishment were apparently confined to its ex- 
pense, and to the pressure of that charge on the 
])resent circumstances of the Company's finances 
in India. The iirst object therefore of Lord Wel- 
lesley wa«, by a minute detail of facts, to convince 
the Court that the expenses already incurred on 
account of the college had not been more consider- 
able than was required by the magnitude of the 
objects proposed by the institution ; that those 
expenses had been actually defrayed by new re- 
sources destined to that express purpose ; and that 
provision had been secured for defraying the future 
current expenses of the college, without interfer- 
ing with any other branch of the public service, 
and without diminishing the scale of their com- 
mercial investments. 

It appeared, however, to be manifestly the inten- 
tion of the Court of Directors that some establish- 
ment for the better instruction of the civil sen'ants 
at each of the presidencies should subsist in India; 
the outlines of which had been traced in their let- 
ter to the Governor General. His lordship, there- 
fore, next proceeded to compare the actual ex- 
pense and ascertained benefit of the institution 
then subsisting at Fort William, with the probable 
16* 



186 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

expense and probable benefit of the seminaries by 
which the Court intended to supersede that insti- 
tution. The result of this comparison was stated 
to be, that the necessary effect of the latter plan 
would be to involve the expense of a triple esta- 
blishment for every branch of study alike requi- 
site at each of the three presidencies, which must 
equal, and would probably exceed, the total current 
charges, on the highest estimate, of the college of 
Fort Wdliam. 

The Governor General further directed the par- 
ticular attention of the court to the benefits already 
derived to their civil service from the operation 
and effect of the system of study and discipline 
constituted and enforced by the college of Fort 
William. The general progress of the students, his 
lordship declared, in the oriental languages and li- 
terature, had exceeded the most sanguine expecta- 
tions of the examiners, who had always been se- 
lected from the ablest oriental scholars actually at 
Calcutta, and whose voluntary aid had been afford- 
ed to support the discipline, and to improve the 
course of study and the mode of instruction pur- 
sued in the institution. A spirit of emulation had 
been excited among the students, as unexampled 
in its scope and ardor, as it was propitious to the 
future government of India. The institution had 
already corrected many of the defects which Lord 
Wellesley had found in the younger branches of 



AT CALCUTTA. 187 

the civil service upon his arrival in India, and had 
reclaimed to "industrious and laborious pursuits 
many of the junior servants who were disposed 
to pursue courses of a contrary tendency. That a 
general disposition to economy and regularity then 
prevailed among the students ; that principles of 
due subordination had also been established among 
them with the happiest success ; and that the 
young men then composing the body of the stu- 
dents at Fort William afforded the most auspicious 
hope that the local administration of India, for se- 
veral years to come, would be amply provided with 
instruments properly qualified to accomplish all 
the purposes of a wise, just, and benevolent go- 
vernment. 

Though these and other considerations might 
have induced the Governor General to suspend the 
execution of the order for the abolition of the col- 
lege, and to refer the question to the further plea- 
sure of the court, the peculiar character and spirit 
of its commands, and the nature of the institution, 
seemed to require their immediate execution. To 
this his lordship accordingly proceeded ; but in ful- 
filling this painful duty a most serious and difficult 
question arose with regard to the time when the 
abolition of the college should take effect. The de- 
termination of this question involved principles so 
deeply affecting the welfare, future prospects, and 
just expectations of the students, and also the con- 



188 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sideration due to the situation of tlie professors and 
teachers, and of the numerous learned natives at- 
tached to the institution, that Lord Wellesley felt 
himself compelled to declare that the abolition of 
the college of Fort William must be gradual; and 
that the institution should not terminate previously 
to the 31st of December, 1S03, when the great 
body of the students then attached to the college 
would have coinpleted the course which they had 
so successfully commenced. His loi'dship finally 
observed, that he had been partly induced to pro- 
tract the existence of the institution, from the hope 
that his preceding representation might prove the 
means of inducing the Court of Directors to review 
their late orders, and to restore to their civil ser- 
vice in India the inestimable advantages which 
must be destroyed by the destruction of the college, 
and to suffer it to remain unaltered until he should 
have the opportunity of reporting in person to the 
court the condition and elfects of the institution, 
and of submitting to them such details as might 
enable them to exercise their final judgment on 
the whole plan. 

In the spring of this year Mr. Buchanan receiv- 
ed letters from his wife, whose health appeared to 
be considerably restored by her visit to her native ' 
country, announcing her intention of leaving Eng- 
land in the month of January. " This," said he, 
in a letter to the friend in whose family she had 



AT CALCUTTA. 189 

resided some months during her visit, " was joyful 
intelHgence to me. In two or three months hence, 
I may be blessed with seeing her again. When she 
mentions her affectionate intimacy with your fa- 
mily, she writes in tears. But I see evidently that 
it is the Gospel union which so powerfully awak- 
ens her heart in speaking of the happiness of her 
residing with you. I expect that she will do good 
in Carmarthen, and I hope she will do good in 
Calcutta. She comes out to a promising scene of 
joy ; to see her little Augusta, now grown up a 
healthy and talkative girl ; calling out for mamma 
for two years past in vain. And she comes out to 
many who love and respect her, and to some who 
have learnt durino- her absence to love ' the excel- 

o 

lent of the earth.' 

" I have now a house in the country, about three 
miles from Calcutta, on the banks of the river, 
where she may sleep occasionally, and retire from 
company. I spend three or four solitary evenings 
every week in Garden Reach. The change of place 
and air refreshes me for the labors of the succeed- 
ing day. Augusta and I play together in the groves, 
and then return by water to Calcutta. A gentle- 
man leaving India sent me his boat as a present to 
Mary when she comes out. I find the river air very 
salutary and renovating, and perhaps she will find 
it so too. But our pleasures at Clapham or on the 
Ganges are transitory. May they be so tempered 



190 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCIIANAIV. 

with prayer as to prepare us both for the pleasures 
of that ' other country,' where there will be no se- 
paration, and where the inhabitants will never say, 
* I am sick !' Mrs. B, mentions the circumstances 
of your illness with a lively concern mingled with 
a sensation of pleasure. Her hours passed by your 
sick couch were delightful. Providence hath well 
ordered her steps. It may be, indeed, that I shall 
never see her ; or that I shall contemplate her de- 
parting spirit for a short time in her emaciated 
frame. But then God hath made with her a cove- 
nant well ordered and sure! Thus it is with my 
house. And this is my joy. Thus God hath blessed 
our short sojourn together ; and the end will be an 
eternal song of glory to his redeeming love !" 

Though the fears which Mr. Buchanan express- 
es with so much tenderness and piety as to the 
probably short period of his reunion with his wife 
were but too well founded, it is pleasing to reflect 
that he was gratified by again seeing her in India. 
She embarked on board the Carmarthen in the 
month of February ; and, as Mr. Buchanan had 
anticipated, the piety of her mind was displayed 
during the voyage by her endeavors to promote 
the religious improvement of two young ladies, 
one of whom had been placed under her protec- 
tion. Mrs. Buchanan had a more favorable voyage 
than in returning to Europe, and arrived safely at 
Calcutta on the 24th of August. 



AT CALCUTTA. 191 

The remainder of the letter, from which an in- 
teresting passage respecting Mrs. Buchanan has 
just been extracted, is occupied with the import- 
ant subject of the college of Fort William ; in 
wliich, though some things occur similar to those 
which have been already stated from the public 
letter of Lord Wellesley, many additional facts and 
sentiments are contained, more particularly with 
reference to Mr. Buchanan himself, which it may 
be proper to inseit. 

" You say," he continues, " that you hear the 
college is abolished. It has been long abolished in 
London, but it still exists here, in greater spirit 
and utility than ever ; and it must continue to ex- 
ist (though perhaps under a different name) as 
long as the British empire reigns in India. To 
send a young man adrift in the upper provinces, 
without any knowledge of the languages, and with- 
out any ofllicial preparation, is now utterly impos- 
sible. The good sense of young men themselves 
would deprecate it. Every one here sees that the 
body of civil servants educated these three years 
in the college of Fort William will by and by gov- 
ern India. INIany of them are already approaching 
to the most responsible situations. The body of 
juniors that follow, if left in their native ignorance, 
will be held in comparative contempt, and must 
ever feel the injustice done to them. 



192 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" The directors wish the institution to be called 
a seminary, and then they will support it. I have 
no objection to the name, provided that the young 
men are taught ; and they must be taught in future. 
You might as well think of abolisliing the schools 
in London, as abolishing schools in Calcutta. Thus 
much then has been effected by the institution of 
ihe college. Education has been proved to be use- 
ful in India. Of the students who have just left 
college, only eight out of thirty have contracted any 
debt. Many of them have saved money ; a thing 
unheard of in India, and by the old civil servants 
accounted impossible. This is the point to which 
the public attention is turned. The reign of na- 
tive money lenders is now at an end. But a school 
or seminary directed by native moonshees, and des- 
titute of the high and respectable jurisdiction of 
learned and religious men, would never be able to 
effect this desirable purpose. The authority and 
the honors of a college are alone competent to re- 
strain a body of young men of good famihes and 
flattering prospects in this luxurious and deteriora- 
ting country. That ever such an objection as that 
of expense should have been urged by the direc- 
tors appears to me unaccountable. The expense, 
whatever it has l;een, is now amply liquidated ; 
and in a manner more favorable to the interests of 
the Company than if the sum had been paid into 
their treasury ; with some advantage of health, of 



AT CALCUTTA. 193 

morals, and of learning, and with some coercion of 
the native ascendancy, which has ever been deemed 
the bane of the British administration in India. 

" Satisfied, however, with the good which has 
been done by the institution, we wait submissively 
for the period of its regular dissolution ; which 
will be in December next. Even were it to con- 
tinue in its present state, or in one yet more im- 
])roved and respectable, I should not desire to bear 
apart in it. I have weak health. My heart seeks 
to be disengaged from collegiate labors, and to find 
rest and refreshm.ent in the one spiritual work of 
the everlasting Gospel. Fortune or fame cannot 
add an hour's happiness to my present existence ; 
but they may inteiTupt it. I feel a secret pleasure 
in the purpose of the directors to abolish the col- 
lege, as it respects myself ; but I feel at the same 
time that its continuance under other men would be 
favorable to ray evangelical labors in this country. 

" In perfect confidence, therefore, that God will 
order all things aright, in time, manner, and event, 
1 implore the direction of his Spirit to improve 
' the passing day.' My chief source of despondency 
at times is the want of fellow-laborers, of learned 
and serious men, in this vineyard, where there is 
so numerous a body of well educated young men. 

" I would willingly at this moment give 50,000 
rupees for two religious and respectable young 
men established in the church of Calcutta, and ca- 

Buclianan. * ' 



194 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN". 

pable of conducting the studies of the college. Fore- 
seeing where we were likely to fail, I took early 
measures to procure such from home, both by ad- 
dressing Lord Wellesley and by writing myself. 
But we have not succeeded. But this also is direct- 
ed by an all- wise providence ; and he will accom- 
plish his glory by any means." 

The number of Mr. Buchanan's coirespondents 
was this year increased by the return to Europe 
of Major Sandys, who, in a season of severe domes- 
tic affliction, had been led to search the Scriptures 
for consolation ; and to whom the preaching of Mr. 
Brown and Mr. Buchanan had been blessed as the 
means of brins^ins^ him to the knowledge of the 
Gospel, from the proud holds of philosophical in- 
fidelity. To this gentleman, with whom Mr. Bu- 
chanan afterwards maintained an uninterrupted and 
affectionate intercourse, he wrote, in the month of 
June, as follows : 

" I suppose you will have seen all your friends 
by this time, and settled your plans. I am anxious 
to know how you find yourself after a year's resi- 
dence in England. We do as usual in Calcutta. 
Serious religion appears to increase. Mr. Obeck is 
yet alive, but declining fast. He begs his blessing 
on you, whom he calls ' a young man,' and wishes 
you a long christian life. You are quite forgotten 
by the gay world here, even , by those who used to 



AT CALCUTTA. 195 

feast with you sometimes. Those who are always 
asking me about you are the poor people who 
knew you but half a year. 

" . . . . and .... are laboring at their docks 
and accounts, thinking often of England, and some- 
times of another world. 

" The whole settlement is at present in agita- 
tion, giving Lord \V. a public entertainment. The 
hawk as usual on the steeple looks down in amaze- 
ment at the bustle. It costs sixty thousand rupees. 

" .... is sick. He has had many attacks. She 
seeks comfort at church ; and he begins to think, 
perhaps, that he can obtain it no where else. 

" But your interest in all these Calcutta matters 
will weaken every month. That the Gospel is ho- 
nored will be to you the most welcome and the 
most interesting news. Adieu, my dear Sandys." 

The followinsr is an extract from a second letter 

o 

of Mr. Buchanan to Major Sandys, dated early in 
September : 

" Your letter from St. Helena I have just re- 
ceived by Mrs. Buchanan, who arrived there the 
day after you had sailed. Mary is much improved 
in health, and greatly matured in spiritual know- 
ledge, strength, and grace, which is the chief theme 
of my happiness. Her missing you was a keen dis- 
appointment at the moment. But she soon reflected 



196 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHAXAN. 

that God had ordered it for wise and gracious pur- 
poses, and then she submitted She opened your 
letters to me which she found at Major Greentree's. 
These letters astonished her beyond measure. She 
thought that you had yet been a man of the world, 
(for she had not heard that your affliction had been 
sanctified to you,) but behold she found you to be a 
child of God ; your understanding illuminated with 
knowledge, and your heart expanding with love, 
hope, joy, zeal, and all the charities. She lamented 
that she had no christian near her to whom she 
might, in pious confidence, communicate the happy 
news. So she disburdened her heart by writing a 
letter to me. 

" I was rejoiced to find by your letters that the 
Gospel is still glorious in your view, and that the 
world and its vanities had not obscured the hea- 
venly vision. May this happy state be ever yours 
without alloy or reverse, but such as may be neces- 
sary to confirm, and strengthen, and perfect you in 
the inner man." 

By a letter of the same date as the preceding, 
Mr. Buchanan communicated to Mr. Elliott an af- 
fecting but consoling account of the death of his 
son, who, in consequence of his distinguished pro- 
ficiency in oriental learning, had been appointed by 
Marquis Wellesley secretary to an embassy to 
Arabia ; but who, after having fulfilled with great 



AT CALCUTTA. 197 

ability the duties of his mission, fell a victim to a 
fever in that country, and as a mark of peculiar 
honor, was interred in the garden of the Imam of 
Senna. 

To the same friend Mr. Buchanan again wrote 
in the course of the month, as follows : 

" Your letter by Mrs. Buchanan I received about 
a month ago, since which time no ship for Europe 
has sailed. I thank you for the ' Christian Obser- 
ver.' You wish me to furnish some papers for it. 
Mr. Thornton wrote to me on the same subject ; but 
I answered him that my present avocations will not 
permit it. A period of leisure may perhaps soon be 
granted to me. But this is not the only objection to 
my furnishing you with the life of Mr. Swartz. He 
left no papers ; and those persons are now removed 
who could give the best information. He also de- 
precated posthumous praise ; and was in constant 
dread of fame. He concealed often from Mr. Obeck 
(his only friend at one time) his favored seasons 
from on high. 

" Mrs. Buchanan is quite surprised to find so 
'much vital religion amongst us. My responsibility 
in college is greater at present than formerly ; but 
the answer of the court will determine many 
points ; and as far as relates to myself, they can- 
not help determining them to my satisfaction. 

" We are carrying on a successful war against 
17* 



198 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

the Mahrattas, fighting against them in three differ- 
ent quarters, and obtaining three victories at the 
same time. The Hindoos are happy that Jugger- 
naut, their famous place of worship, has fallen into 
our hands, for our imposts will not be so great as 
those of the former possessors of the adjoining 
district." ^ 

The occasional notices which have occurred in 
Mr. Buchanan's letters respecting the pious and 
excellent Mr. Obeck, have probably excited a wish 
in the minds of most readers to know something 
of the closing scene of his life, as well as some far- 
ther particulars of his character. In the month of 
May Mr. Buchanan thus wrote to Mr. Grant : 

" The departure of the aged Obeck appears to 
be at hand — at least he thinks so, and bids me im- 
part to you his blessing while his understanding 
remains. He was carried into church last night, 
(Wednesday's lecture,) but was so much revived 
by the service and view of his brethren that he 
walked out with assistance. His only food at pre- 
sent is bread dipped in wine. 

'' Under this decay of body his mind is more vi- 
gc»rous than ever. He has, within this last year, as- 
sumed a very intrepid tone in rebuking sin, and 
remonstrating with the lukewarm, and in defining 
a holy life in India. But he has great joy among 



AT CALCUTTA. 199 

the true disciples, and his spiritual comforts have 
of late been abundant." 

Towards the end of the month of August follow- 
ing Mr. Buchanan thus describes to the same 
friend the progress of Mr. Obeck's decline : 

" The good Obeck is yet alive ; but his loins are 
girt for the heavenly journey. He is confined to his 
room, and cannot attend church. But the church 
attends him. He listens with delight to the voice 
of praise in the adjoining building on the Sunday 
and Thursday evenings. 

" We have arranged all his temporal affairs to 
his satisfaction. He has given us his text for his 
funeral sermon ; in preaching which, I fear ray 
spirits will fail me. It is difficult to speak of the 
deceased, father to the surviving children." 

This venerable man was now very fast approach- 
ing his end. Early in September he felt a presenti- 
ment that he should not live to the close of that 
month ; and accordingly, on the 24th, Mr. Buchanan 
thus announced his death to his respected friend 
and benefactor : , 

" The aged Obeck has at last departed. For 
some weeks before, he almost daily expected his 
dismission. He had no spiritual conflict at his last 



200 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

hour, but manifested constantly peace, joy, and 
high assurance. He was sensible to the last ; and 
when he could not speak, he testified his exultation 
of soul by pressing ardently to his breast his fellow- 
saints. He left to you and your family his solemn 
blessing. I send you a paper containing some no- 
tice of his death. 

" Just before Mr. Obeck's death I preache'd his 
dying sermon in the mission church, from these 
words : ' The time of my departure is at hand. I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up 
for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord 
the righteous Judge shall give me at that day ; and 
not to me only, but unto all them also who love his 
appearing.* 

'' Mr. Brown will preach his funeral sermon next 
Sunday evening." 

Of what Mr. Buchanan styles Mr. Obeck's dy- 
ing sermon it may not be uninteresting to many 
readers to insert an extract ; both as it contains a 
pleasing and animated sketch of the life and cha- 
racter of that exemplary christian, and as it may 
afford a specimen of the spirit of Mr. Buchanan's 
preaching upon such occasions. 

** This excellent man does not speak of mani- 
festations and visions of glory, which have some- 



AT CALCUTTA. 201 

times attended the death of good men ; but he ma- 
nifests a calm, rational, and placid spirit, founded 
on the basis of an immovable faith, yet accompa- 
nied by such ardor of expression, and by such an 
assurance of hope, as would abash philosophy 
itself. • 

" He has none of those doubts which are often 
found on a death-bed. He has not those fears and 
misgivings of conscience which the unstable and 
careless christian often experiences. He has none 
of those fearful forebodings which harass the soul 
of the despiser of religion in his last hour. He is 
a stranger to that gloomy despair which often 
haunts the soul of the man who has passed through 
life the slave of ambition or the votary of pleasure. 
No, his last moments are the happiest of his life. 
His ambition through life has been to obtain * that 
honor which cometh from God;* and his pleasure 
has been, in serving God with his whole heart ; in 
loving his neighbor as himself; in forgiving his 
enemies ; and in praying for those who persecute 
and despitefully use the professor of the Gospel 
of Christ. 

" Do you inquire on wlmtjaith these good works 
and this holy disposition were founded ] Let me 
express to you his faith, collected chiefly from his 
own words : 

" * I am a sinner, saved by the mercy of God in 
Christ. By nature I am impure and unholy. Nothing 



202 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

in me, no merit of mine, could make me the object 
of God's distinguishing grace. But I believed the 
woi-d of God, and I was enabled to offer up my 
prayers at an early age, that he would open my 
understandingr and lead me to a knowledo^e of his 
truth. And his promise was fulfilled to me, (as it is 
fulfilled to every serious inquirer,) ' Ask, and it 
shall be given unto you ; seek, and ye shall find.' By 
degrees the mysteries of the Gospel were opened 
to my view. I beheld myself a lost and undone 
soul, lying with a multitude in a world of wicked- 
ness ; subject to the just wrath of God. But I at 
the same time heard of the offer made to a perish- 
ing world by the Saviour Christ. I beheld the 
whole world overwhelmed by a flood of sin and 
misery, and the ark of redemption floating on the 
waters. Every page of the Gospel showed me that 
there was no salvation but by the ark Christ ; that 
his atonement on the cross was the only atonement 
for my past and future sins ; that his gracious Spirit 
influencing my soul was the only preservative from 
my evil passions and from an ensnaring world ; and 
that his mediation alone procures our access to 
God, and warrants an answer to our prayers. 

'* ' Thus,' said he, ' the perusal of the word of 
God was blessed to my soul. I received it in its 
plain and obvious meaning ; and I have had a con- 
stant experience of its truth through my past life. 
It has been a light to my steps and a lantern to 



AT CALCUTTA. 203 

my paths. Its peculiar doctrines appear now all 
light and glory to my soul. I know tliat the denun- 
ciatioHS of God against the despisers of his Gospel 
will be expressly executed ; and I know that his 
promises of glory to the righteous will be fulfilled 
in a way that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath entered into the heart of man ;" and 
the anticipation of this glory is to me unutterable. 
My prayer at my last moments is, that this power 
of the Gospel may be felt more and more at this 
j)lace ; that the blessing of God may rest on this 
church ; that the ministers may labor in the word 
with zeal and faithfulness; and that the hearers 
may receive the word preached with meekness and 
affection ; that so the testimony of the Gospel may 
prevail, and the church of Christ may begin to 
flourish in this dark corner of the world. 

" ' I leave,' said he, ' my blessing on this church. 

" ' As to my numerous family, I leave them with 
scarcely the means of subsistence ; but I leave 
them dependent on that gracious providence which 
has supported me from youth to age, in a state of 
apparent poverty and yet possessing abundance. 
I leave my children to God as to a surviving Father, 
who will care for them as he hath cared for me, 
and will, I trust, bless my instructions to the salva- 
tion of their souls. 

" ' As to myself, my hope is in heaven. The pro- 
mises of God are in a manner already fulfilled to 



204 MEMOIR OF DPw BUCHANAN. 

me. His truth and faithfulness are demonstrated 
to my soul. By his mercy " I have fought the 
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a 
crown of righteousness, which the Lord the right- 
eous Judge shall give me at that day ; and not to 
me only, but imto all them also who love his ap- 
pearing.' 

'' Such, my brethren, are the sentiments, the ex- 
pressions, and the heavenly hope of this good man. 
He now lies on his death-bed in the house adjoin- 
ing this church, and endeavors to join the praises 
of the conofreg^ation with his feeble voice. He could 
even now confirm every sentiment respecting him 
which I have uttered ; and he could confirm them 
with an energy and eloquence of which I am in- 
capable. 

" Who is there in this assembly who is not ready 
to say, ' Let me also die the death of the righteous ; 
and let my last end be like his .?' " 

In the same month in which the preceding ser- 
mon was preached, Mr. Buchanan was called to 
perform a similar ofiice on occasion of the death of 
Mr. Archibald Edmonstone, of the board of trade, 
who left behind him a noble testimony to his faith 
in the Gospel. " His last words," says Mr. Bu- 
chanan, in mentioninsf the event in a letter to a 
friend, " were these, * Blessed be the God and Fa- 



AT CALCUTTA. 205 

iher of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his 
abundant mercy hath begotten me again unto a 
lively hope, through the resurrection of his Son 
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance in- 
corruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' 
These words his brother has directed to be en- 
graven on his tomb." 

The manner in which Mr. Edmonstone, who 
tlien filled one of the most confidential situations 
under the Presidency of Bengal, and is celebrated 
for his oriental learninof, classical taste, and culti- 
vated understanding, described Mr. Buchanan's 
funeral sermon on his brother, is too honorable to 
him to be omitted. It occurs in a note from Mr. 
Edmonstone to his friend Captain Baillie, profes- 
sor of the Arabic language and of Mohammedan law 
in the college of Fort William, and is as follows : 

" Sunday, Sept. 11, 1803. 

" My dear B , I am returned from hearing 

a most affecting and impressive discourse, delivered 
by Mr. Buchanan with a degree of feeling that 
does honor to his heart, on the occurrence of last 
week. I am anxious that Mr. B. should know how 
grateful I feel for this high tribute of respect to the 
memory and virtues of a beloved brother, and 7 
therefore entreat you to express to Mr. B. my sin- 
cere gratitude for this distinguished mark of his 
regard for him. Tell him that he has afforded to 

Buchanan. 1^ 



206 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

my mind a real consolation, and that I trust I shall 
ever after be the better for the affectinsr and forci- 
ble manner in which he has held forth to imitation 
the example of a life of true piety and virtue. Fur- 
ther, I request that you will convey to Mr. B. my 
earnest wish (if it be not improper) that he will 
allow me to transcribe his discourse, both for the 
jiurpose of retaining it for my own use and benefit, 
and of transmitting a copy of it to those in Europe 
who will indeed need the consolation for such an 
irreparable loss which so distinguished a testimony 
to the merits of a son and a brother is calculated to 
afford. Never does a clergyman appear more con- 
spicuously respectable than when he combines 
with the public duties of his calling the offices of 
humanity and consolation ; and never while I live 
will the memory of Mr. B.'s solemn and eloquent 
discourse on this melancholy occasion, nor the gra- 
titude and respect for him which it has excited, be 
obliterated from the mind of your ever affectionate 

" N. B. Edmonstone. 

" To Captain Baillie." 

It was in the summer of this year that Mr. Bu- 
chanan first thought of proposing certain subjects of 
2>rizeco??ij)ositio/i,, connected with the civilization and 
moral improvement of India, to the universities of 
the United Kingdom. With this laudable in- 
tention he waited on the Governor General, and 



AT CALCUTTA. 207 

having obtained his lordship's approbation of the 
plan, lie, on tlie 20th of October, despatched letters 
to the vice chancellors and principals of the univer- 
sities of Oxford and Cambridge, of Edinburgh, 
Glasgow, St. Andrew's, and Aberdeen, to the pro- 
vost of Trinity college, Dublin, and to the head 
masters of Eton, Westminster, and the Charter 
House schools, containing the following proposals : 
For the best essay in English prose on " the best 
means of extending the blessings of civilization 
and true religion among the sixty millions, inhabi- 
tants of Hindostan, subject to British authority ;" 
in each univeisity, one hundred pounds. For the 
best English poem on '' the revival of letters in the 
East," sixty pounds. For the best Latin ode or 
poem on " Collegium Bengalense," twenty-five 
pounds ; and the same sum for the best Greek ode 
on " lina-^aj ?»?.'"* The sum of fifty pounds each 
for the best Latin and Greek poems was offered to 
the successful candidate at each of the public 
schools. 

No less a sum than sixteen hundred and fifty 
pounds was thus appropriated by Mr. Buchanan to 
this benevolent and patriotic purpose. The unusual 
nature and munificent extent of his offers induced 
some to suppose, either that they were not made 
simply at his own suggestion and responsibility, 

, ♦ *' Let there be light." 



208 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

or that lie must have been actuated by motives of 
ostentation and vanity. With respect to the propo- 
sals themselves, they undoubtedly originated solely 
with Mr. Buchanan, and were supported exclu- 
sively by his own liberality. He was ever a man 
of a larsre and grenerous mind, fertile in devisintr 
plans of usefulness, and prompt in seizing the firsr 
opportunity of executing them. He was anxious tc 
extend in this country the knowledge of the cha 
racter and effects of the great collegiate institution 
which he had been called to superintend ; and the 
recent victories of our armies in the Peninsula 
having enlarged and confirmed our eastern empire, 
he was desirous of awakening and directing the 
minds of his countrymen at home to the duty and 
the opportunity of promoting the moral and politi- 
cal welfare of our fellow-subjects in India. Publi- 
city and inquiry were therefore his great objects ; 
publicity, not as to his own character or fame, for 
this he knew might have been far more certainly 
obtained by more obvious and less costly means, 
but as to the great and philanthropic design which 
he had in view ; and this induced him to endeavor 
to interest in his plan even the higher forms in our 
public schools. The result of his liberal proposals 
must be reserved to the period of their reception 
and success in this country. 

In the month of November following Mr. Bu- 
chanan first communicated his thousrhts on the ex- 



AT CALCUTTA. 209 

pediency of an ecclesiastical establishment f(jrBn- 
tish India, in letters to the archbishop of Canter- 
bury, and to the rest of the episcopal bench, having 
previously submitted them to Marquis Wellesley. 
The reply which he received, from the late Bishop 
Porteus confirmed and encouraged him in his de- 
termination to bring that important subject fully 
before the public. 

It was in the course of this year also that Mr. 
]]uchanan obtained the sanction of the Governor 
General to the building of a new church in Cal- 
cutta. But the extensive plans of Lord Wellesley 
respecting the college, and other political concerns, 
prevented the execution of this design. 

A few circumstances which occur in Mr. Bucha- 
nan's letters to Mr. Grant and Major Sandys to- 
wards the end of this year, may here be added. 
To the former he thus wrote in October and De- 
cember : 

'* The venerable Obeck had not been dead many 
weeks, when his old friend Mr. Gericke, that valu- 
able man, took his departure also. The church at 
Madras is in great affliction ; for there is no one to 
fill his place. Letters have come to us for help. 
But we can give none. I do not know what ac- 
quaintance you may have with that mission ; but 
attention to it appears to me highly important in 
the present state of things. If there were any mis- 
IS* 



210 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

sionary like-minded withGericke within your reach, 
we could from Calcutta add something to his sala- 
ry, if that be desirable." 

To Major Sandys Mr. Buchanan wrote as fol- 
lows : 

" We are passing through an eventful season in 
India. The order of the day is victory, and the 
Mahratta power is at length destroyed. The whole 
peninsula is now under British dominion. I have 
taken advantage of the crisis, in endeavoring to 
excite our universities at home to plead the cause 
of eastern civilization. 

'' Mary improves in health daily. She has no 
sanguine wish to return to England ; and it is a 
subject on which I never think. My health conti- 
nually bids it, but nothing else. Providence will in 
due time unlock every difficulty, and make our 
purpose and duty clear." 

The character of the audience usually assem- 
bling at the presidency church has been already 
noticed. It has also been observed that, a few years 
previous to this period, the spirit of infidelity or of 
religious indifference was lamentably general in 
our eastern capital ; and the infection still remained 
amonor some, who, from neglected education, or 
the influence of circumstances and habits peculiar- 
ly unfriendly to Christianity, were scarcely aware 
of the nature of religious sentiment and feeling. 



AT CALCUTTA. 211 

Amongst other subjects, therefore, of discourse 
more directly suited to those who acknowledged 
the great truths of the Gospel, Mr. Buchanan occa- 
sionally addressed those who doubted of its divine 
authority ; and the perspicuity and force with which 
he stated its various evidences tended materially 
to extend and confirm the conviction of its truth. 
The importance of such discourses is much height- 
ened from the consideration of their probable effect 
on the minds of the numerous young men who as 
yet continued to be assembled from the three pre- 
sidencies at the college of Fort William, and who 
might be justly expected to cany with them to 
their different stations, throughout India, those 
sound principles of christian faith and practice 
which they had heard thus ably and eloquently in- 
culcated. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Two yeartl* further residence in Calcutta — The Ccl^ 
lege — Translations of the Scriptures — Extensive <fe- 
signs of usefulness. 

The college of Fort William, according to the 
regulation of Lord Wellesley, in obedience to the 



212 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

decision of the Court of Directors, was to close on 
the 31st of December, 1S03. It was, however, a 
very gratifying circumstance to the friends of that 
institution, that on the 3d of January, 1S04, a des- 
patch announced to the Governor General the de- 
termination of the court that the college should for 
the present continue on its original footing. The 
business and examinations of the students accord- 
ingly proceeded in their usual train, or rather with 
additional spirit. 

*' An example of idleness," says Mr. Buchanan 
in a letter to a friend, " is a rare thing. The ap- 
pointments to the service continue to be made ac- 
cording to the college list, that is, according to 
merit." 

The annual disputations in the oriental languages 
were held this year on the 20th of September, in 
the presence of the Governor General, accompa- 
nied, as usual, by the principal officers of the pre- 
sidency, with the addition, on this occasion, of So- 
liman Aga, the envoy from Bagdad. The subjects 
of the disputations were, " the Shanscrit, as the pa- 
rent language of India," in Hindostanee ; " the figu- 
rative sense of the poems of Hafiz," in Persian; 
" the utility of translations of the best works extant 
in the Shanscrit into the popular languages of In- 
dia," in Bengalee j and, in Arabic, " the importance 



AT CALCUTTA. 213 

of the Arabic to a grammatical knowledge of the 
Persian language." A declamation was afterwards 
pronounced in Shanscrit, for the first time, by one 
of the students, which was followed by a speech in 
the same language by Rev. Mr. Carey, the mode- 
rator and professor. 

Prizes were at the same time awarded for thft 
best English essays on " the utility of the Persian 
language in India," on " the progress of civiliza- 
tion in India under the British government," and 
on " the decline and fall of the Mohammedan em- 
pire in India." Honorary rewards of books were 
also adjudged to the best proficients in the Greek 
aftd Latin classics, and in the French langruasre. 

The several compositions of this year were after- 
wards published in the third volume of the " Pri- 
raiticG Orientales." 

In the speech with which Marquis Wellesley 
closed the proceedings of the day, his lordship de- 
clared that in each successive year the standard of 
comparative merit had been progressive in the 
highest classes of the college, and expressed his 
cordial satisfaction at the proficiency and good con- 
duct of the students. 

" The observance of all the statutes," said his 
lordship, " is equally essential to the interests and 
honor of the students ; nor is their duty confined 
merely to the diligent pursuit of the prescribed 



214 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

course of study. The intention of the statutes is 
not only to provide instruction in the oriental lan- 
guages, and in the several branches of study im- 
mediately connected with the performance of offi- 
cial functions, but to prescribe habits of regularity 
and good order. My principal jDurpose in found- 
ing this institution w^as, to secure the junior ser- 
vants of the Company from all undue influence in 
the discharge of their official functions, and to in- 
troduce them into the public service in perfect 
freedom and independence, exempt from every 
restraint, excepting the high and sacred obligations 
of their civil, moral, and religious duty." 

In the course of the year 1S04 several circuni- 
stances occurred, connected with Mr. Buchanan 
and the college of Fort William, which will be 
best introduced by a few extracts from his letters. 
He thus wrote to Major Sandys in the month of 
February : 

" We are much the same in church, state, and 
college, as when you left us ; only, in respect to 
myself, my various labors have increased, are in- 
creasing, and, I fear, will not be diminished. 

" I am literally left alone in many matters of a 
public nature, particularly in a battle now fighting 
(the worst I have yet had) with Mussulman and 
Hindoo prejudices ag^ainst translations of the. Scrip- 
tures, Their clamor has assailed the grovernment. 



AT CALCUTTA. 215 

Lord Wellesley and INIr. Barlow are neuter; but 
the old civil servants fan the flame, A folio vo- 
lume would not detail the particulars; but I trust 
you will soon hear of the good effect. In the mean- 
time I am growing infirm in body, and long for 
more holy employ than that of hewing wood only 
for our future sanctuary in India. I know that 
wliat is doing is useful ; but spiritual comforts do 
not accompany the occupation in the degree I de- 
sire and look forward to, when I have peace from 
public conflict." 

The particular circumstance to which Mr. Bu- 
chanan probably referred in the preceding extract, 
was a memorial which about this time was ad- 
dressed to the Governor General in consequence 
of the following subject having been proposed, 
among others, for discussion by the students of the 
college, at the annual disputations which have been 
just mentioned : viz. " The advantage which the 
natives of this countiy might derive from transla- 
tions, in the vernacular tongues, of the books con- 
taining the principles of their respective religions, 
and those of the christian faith," 

There certainly appears to be no ground of of- 
fence to the natives of India in the foreofoino: thesis. 
A christian might rather have objected to it as pla- 
cing his most holy faith too much upon a level with 
heathen and Mohammedan error. A memorial 



Si6 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

was, however, addressed to the Governor General 
on the part of the Mohammedan moonshees, and of 
a number of the Mussulman inhabitants of Calcutta, 
remonstrating against this supposed infringement 
of the toleration afforded to them by the British 
government. In reply. Marquis Wellesley signi- 
fied to the memorialists that although he perceived 
no principle of an objectionable tendency in the 
foregoing thesis, yet, with a view to prevent all 
apprehension on the part of the natives, he had 
prohibited the intended disputation upon that 
subject. 

Some years afterwards this incident was ap- 
jjealed to on the part of the Bengal government in 
support of some measures tending to discourage or 
suppress the exertions of missionaries. Upon which 
occasion Mr. Buchanan observed* that the memo- 
rial probably originated in the suggestions of some 
individuals at that time connected with the govern- 
ment and the college, who appeared to entertain a 
degree of morbid tenderness for the religious feel- 
ings of the natives. 

These gentlemen had from the beginning been 
hostile to a most important work which had been 
carrying on in the college : viz. the translation of 
the Scriptures into the oriental languages by na- 

* See his " Apology for promoting Christianity in In- 
dia," p. 102. 



AT CALCUTTA. 217 

lives and Europeans. So great was their jealousy 
on this subject, that there existed a kind of com- 
promise between the friends and the opponents of 
this salutary measure, that if the Bible were print- 
ed for christians, the Koran should be printed for 
Mohammedans. It is to this honorable contest 
that Mr. Buclianan refers in the letter last quoted ; 
and, happily for the interests of Christianity, he 
was decidedly successful. Within the following 
year a commencement was made in the translation 
of the Scriptures into several languages. The first 
versions of any of the Gospels in Persian and Hin- 
dostanee which were printed in India, issued from 
the press of the college of Fort William.* 

Of these and other translations of the Scriptures 
then projected and undertaken, only a very incon- 
siderable part was executed at the public expense. 
The sole charge incurred by the college in the de- 
])artment of sacred translation was for the Grospel 
of St. Matthew in Persian and Hindostanee ; with 
this exception, the extensive biblical works succes- 
sively announced from this institution was carried 
-on at the private expense of those members of the 
college, amongst whom the provost and vice-pro- 
vost held the first rank, and others, who deemed 
it to be of the highest importance to promote the 
diffusion of sacred literature in Asia. 

* Dr. Carey's 'Ji edition was issued as early as 1803. 
Buchaaan. 19 



21S MEMOIR OF PR. BL'ClIA\Af<r, 

A second occurrence in tliis year marked an im-r 
proved state of moral feeling in Calcutta, and par' 
ticularly illustrates the salutary influence of tho 
college of Fort AVilliam. It is thus mentioned by 
Mr. Buchanan in a letter to !»Iajor Sandys, in the 
month of August ; 

" The institution of a ci\i\ /imd for widoics ami 
orphans agitates this service at present. The old 
uentlemen wish to include black illeG:itimate chil- 
dren. The junior servants, who are now or have 
been in college, almost with one voice exclaim 
against a measure which they conceive would have 
a tendency to sanction vice, and to countenance an 
illicit connection with native women. The ques- 
tion is now referred to the vote of every individual 
in the service. In the meantime one of my old. 
scholars has written a letter to the service ; in which 
he complains of their violation of the divine law, 
and requests them to revert to the principles of 

lionor and chastity. Mr. M is in the Governor 

General's office, and is supported by the young 
school, by ail the college, by the Governor Gene- 
ral, and by all the friends of revealed religion. Ca- 
ricature prints, exhibiting the mover of the subject, 
with a black child in his arms, pleading its cause 
in full assembly, while a black dye behind urges 
him forward ; and various other devices mark the 
popular question, and promise to brand the immo- 



Af C\Ltvi"tA: 219 

ral practice. It is said that the affliction and shamo 
of the ulcl service arc extreme ; and that they exe- 
crate the college and its fruits, and hope that the 
Court of Directors will now see how unfriendly it 
is to ancient institutions ! 

" What the' result aS to the fund will be I know 
not." 

This, ho^vever, Mr. Buchanan stated to the pub- 
lic in the following year, in some remarks on " The 
College of Fort William." '' The contest," he ob- 
serves, '' was maintained for a considerable time, 
by printed correspondence, and the fund was at 
length established withuvt the opprobrious clause. 
But a fe\t years ago," adds Mr. Buchanan, " any 
man who should have ventured to resist such a 
measure on the ground of religious or moral pro- 
priety, would have become the jest of the whole 
service. He must be an entire stranger to what is 
passing in Bengal, who docs not perceive that the 
ct»llege of Fort William is sensibly promoting an 
amelioration of the European chiiracter as well as 
the civilization of India." 

The activity of Mr. Buchanan^s mind respecting 
objects which he deemed imjDortant to the interests 
of morals and religion, may be collected, not only 
from the preceding circumstances, but from various 
hints in bis correspondence and diary. 



220 MEMOIR OF DR. BrClIANAN'. 

Thus, at the close of the letter from v/hich the 
foregoing extract was made, he says, " I have al- 
ways some plans relating to church or college in 
his excellency's hands; and generally in arrear. 
But when he does take them up, it is with the pro- 
per attention." A memorandum also occurs in the 
same year, in which Mr. Buchanan notices a con- 
sultation which he had lately held with Sir George 
Barlow on a jjublie thanksgiving, probably on ac- 
count of the victorious termination, of the Mahratta 
war, on the subject of a cenotaph for those who^ 
had fallen in battle, and respecting an order for the 
better observance of the Sabbath. 

Amidst his various labors, however, the domes- 
tic trial with which Mr. Buchanan had been already 
exercised, was renewed by the reappearance, early 
in the summer of this year, of alarming consump- 
tive symptoms in Mrs. Buchanan. In the course of 
the autumn she became so ill that her life was for 
a short time despaired of; and on her partial re- 
covery, being strongly urged to proceed a second 
lime to Europe, she at length very reluctantly con- 
sented. 

Preparations were accordingly made for this 
purpose, and in October Mr. Buchanan briefly 
mentions in his diary that he had been on board 
the Lady Jane Dundas to look at Mrs. B.'s cabin. 
She did not, however, leave Calcutta till the 22d of 
January following, when Mr. Buchanan accorapa- 



XT CALCUTTA. 221 

filed ^et and her youngest daughter to the ship at 
Kedgeree ; and on the 2ath the fleet sailed for 
Madras, leaving him once more to return to a soli- 
tary home, full of tender but melancholy musings, 
hoping almost " against hope " for some favorable 
effect from lier voyage, but rather endeavoring to 
prepare his mind for a contrary result. His memo- 
randa testify the warmth of afiection with which he 
again followed Mrs. J3uchanan, by frequent notices 
of the letters which he wrote to her weekly, and 
sometimes almost daily, and of whi^h it is much to 
be regretted that not a vestige remains. 

It wa.-? at the anxious period which immediately 
f)recedGd her departure from India, that Mr. Bu- 
chanan resolved to employ apart of the very limit- 
ed leisure which his ministerial and collegiate du- 
ties allowed, to prepare a work which had long 
been the subject of his thoughts, and the import- 
ance of which is now universally acknowledged. 
This was what he afterwards entitled, '' A Memoir 
of the Expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establish- 
ment for British India." 

The design of his " Memoir" was indeed, as he 
afterwards declared, first suggested to him by the 
late excellent Bishop Porteus ; wdio had, he said, 
^' attentively surveyed the state of our dominions 
in Asia," and had expressed his " conviction of the 
indispensable necessity of an ecclesiastical esta- 
blishment for our Indian empire.'' lie was encou- 
19* 



222 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCUANAN- 

raged also, as he added, " by subsequent commu- 
nications with Marquis Wellesley, to endeavor to 
lead the attention of the nation to this subject." 
The mauuscript of this work was transmitted to 
England in the spring, and jHiblished in the au- 
tumn of the year IS05. 

Before we proceed, however, with the conside- 
i-ation of his " Memoir," it will be proper to recur 
to the prizes proposed by Mr. Buchanan to the uni- 
versities and some of the public schools of the Uni- 
ted Kingdom. They were accepted in the summer 
of ISO 4 by the several bodies to which they were 
aiTered, with the exception of the univer&ity of 
Oxford ; by which they were declined, on the 
ground of certain objections in point of form. The 
prize compositions were directed to be delivered 
to the respective judges towards the end of the 
year ; and early in the following spring the prizes 
were awarded to the successful candidates. Of the 
compositions which were thus honored, the greater 
number were afterwards published, as well as a 
few others which had proved unsuccessful. In the 
university af Cambridge the prize for the Greek 
ode was adjudged to Mr. Pryme, of Trinity col- 
lege ; and at Eton to Mr. Rennell, afterwards Fel- 
low. of Kino's colleo:e. At the same distino^uished 
school Mr. Richards obtained the prize for the best 
Latin verses on the college of Fort William. 

In Seotland three Latin poems were also pub- 



AT CALCUTTA, 223 

Jished by Mr. Mac Arthur, Mr, Adamson, and Dr, 
Brown, of which the two former were thought 
worthy of the prize by the universities of Glasgow 
and Aberdeen. The composition, however, which 
reflected the highest honor on its author, and on 
the occasion which called it forth, was the English ' 
poem on " the restoration of learning in the East," 
by Charles Grant, Esq. then Fellow of Magdalen 
college, Cambridge, The poetical talents, the clas- 
sical and oriental learning, the elevated sentiments,- 
and the rich and varied command of language dis- 
played in this prize composition, attracted general 
admiration ; and tended materially to promote the- 
design which the proposer of the subject had in 
view, by directing the public attention to the revi- 
val of learning on the banks of the Ganges, and by 
exciting it to the duty and the privilege of improv- 
ing the condition of the degraded natives of Hin- 
dostan, and of spreading throughout our oriental 
empire the blessings of literature and religion. A 
second poem on this subject was published at the 
request of the examiners, by the Rev, Francis 
Wrangham, of Trinity college. 

Essays on " the best means of civilizing the sub- 
jects of the British empire in India, and of diffusing 
the lii^ht of the christian relij^ion throuo;hout the 
eastern world," were published by the Rev. Wil- 
liam Cockburn, Fellow of St. John's college, and 
Christian Advocate in the university of Cambridge, 



§24 SfEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

to' wlrom the prize was assigned ; by Mr. Wratig'- 
liam, who with laudable ze'al eiigaged" in the prose 
^s well as in the poetical competition ; by Dr. Ten- 
nant, then lately returned as a military chaplain- 
from India ; and by Messrs. Mitchell and Bryce, to 
whom the prize was respectively adjudged by the' 
ilniversities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.- 

These essays Vv'ere, with one exception, the pro- 
duction of studious and speculative men, whose at- 
tention was probably first directed to the subject 
by Mr.- Buchanan's proposal to the learned bodies^ 
of which they were members. Whilst it could 
scarcely, therefore, be expected that they should- 
sUggest any detailed practical arrangements for the 
civilization and instruction of the natives of Hin- 
dostan, they exhibited considerable historical and 
political research, together with enlightened and 
benevolent views of the dutf of Great Britain to 
promote the important objects submitted to their 
discussion, and concurred in recommending the 
adoption of certain direct means for diffusing the 
blessings of Christianity in India. They possessed 
the' additional merit of contributing to bring before 
the public inquiries tending to ameliorate the moral 
and religious condition of our oriental empire. 

The utility of the labors of missionaries, and the 
establishment of schools, was recognized by seve- 
ral of the writers last mentioned. The considera- 
tion, however, of an ecclesiastical establishment 



AT CALCUTTA. 225 

was resen'ed for Mr. Buchanan himself; whose 
" Memoir" upon that subject was intended to point 
out the expediency of such a measure, " both as 
the means of perpetuating the christian religion 
among our own countrymen, and as a foundation 
for the ultimate civilization of the natives." 

The first part of this work exhibited the very in- 
adequate state of the clerical establishment in India 
at that period, for the great purposes of the instruc- 
tion and religious communion of our resident coun- 
trymen. In the second part, after describing in just 
and forcible terms the pride, immorality, and bi- 
gotry of the Mohammedans, and the vices, enormi- 
ties, and barbarities of Hindoo superstition and 
idolatry, Mr. Buchanan discussed at some length 
the practicability and the policy of attempting to 
civilize and improve them. In tliis part of his work 
he exhibited the character of the Hindoos in a dif- 
ferent point of view from that in which they had 
been generally regarded. He asserted that their 
apathy is extreme, and that no efforts to instruct 
them, except such as partook of a compulsory na- 
ture, ought to be considered as attended with dan- 
ger to the British government ; that their prejudi- 
ces are daily weakening in every European settle- 
ment ; that they are a divided people ; that they 
are less tenacious of opinion than of custom ; and 
that to disseminate new principles among them is 
by no means so difficult as it is frequently repre- 



226 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

sented. In obviating objections founded on the 
supposed impolicy of civilizing our Indian sub- 
jects, Mr. Buchanan, however, advanced to higher 
ground : 

" The progressive civilization of India," he ob- 
serves, '' will never injure the interests of the East 
India' Company. But shall a christian people, ac- 
knowledging a providence in" the rise and fall of 
empire, regulate the policy of future times, and 
neglect a piesent duty, a solemil and imperious 
duty, exacted by their religion, by their public 
principles, and by the opinion of the christian na- 
tions around them ? Or can it be gratifying to" the 
English nation to reflect that they receive the riches 
of the East on the terms of chartering immoral su^ 
perstition ?" 

"The' appeal was unanswefable, and produced' a' 
cc)r responding- impression upon the })ublic mind. 

The third part of Sir. Buchanan's merfioir strong- 
I)' conlirmed his arguments as to the practicability 
of his proposed plan, by a view of the progress 
already made in civilizing the nations of Hindostan.- 
Many interesting facts were here stated relative to 
the existence of Christianity in India from the ear- 
liest ages, and particularly respecting the native 
christians on the coast of Malabar, who, notvvith- 
(Stamling the accounts givcii- of them by a few 



AT CALCUTTA. 227 

learned men, were 'now, for the first time, promi- 
nently introduced to tlie knowledge of the Englisli 
j)ul)lic. Tlie labors of the Danish miysionaries, 
Ziegenhalg and Grundler, and of tlie apostolic 
Swartz, were also commemorated ; and the laud- 
able and truly christian addresses of King George 
I. and Archbishop AVake to the farmer excellent 
men were exhibited as models of imitation to po- 
litical and ecclesiastical governors of the present 

An appendix to the memoir contained a variety 
of important information on tlie superstitions of the 
Hindoos, tending powerfully to correct llie erro- 
neous opinion so commonly entertained of them at 
this period, as a mild, humane, and inoffensive race. 

Such was briefly the nature of tlie novel and in- 
teresting work which Mr. Buchanan transmitted to 
England in the year 1805, for publication. It was 
calculated, from the peculiar subjects of which it 
treated, to excite general attention, and to provoke 
both discussion and animadversion. 

It had long been an object of anxiety to the su- 
perintendents of the college of Fort William to 
obtain a version of tlie Seripturcs in the Chinese lan- 
guage. After many fruitless inquiries, they in this 
year succeeded in procuring the assistance of Mr. 
Lassar, a native of China, and an Armenian chris- 
tian, whose name is now well known as a learned 



S2S MExMOiR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

professor of that language. Mr. Lassar arrived at 
Calcutta in a commercial capacity, and having met 
with some difficulties, he became know^n to Mr. 
Buchanan, who, appreciating his talents, gene- 
rously liberated him from his embarrassments, and 
engaged him at a stipend of three hundred rupees 
per month, to devote himself to the translation of 
the Scriptures, and to the instruction of a Chinese 
class, formed of one of the elder and three of the 
junior members of the missionary establishment at 
Serampore. The expected reduction of the col* 
lege rendering it inexpedient that Mr. Lassar 
should be attached to that institution, this stipend 
was afforded for about three years at the sole ex- 
pense of Mr. Buchanan. To his liberality, there- 
fore, must be chiefly ascribed the progress which 
has been made in that quarter towards supplying 
the vast empire of China with a translation of the 
sacred volume into its own extraordinary language. 
The name of Mr. Buchanan appears in the year 
1S05 in the list of members of the Asiatic Society. 
Pie had probably been elected previously to that 
period, and if he did not contribute to the curious 
and valuable '' researches " of that learned body, it 
was not so much from any want of interest in their 
labors, as from the pressure of his various employ- 
ments, which allowed him only to devote his leisure 
to inquiries which were exclusively of an ecclesi- 
astical and ielis:iou3 nature. 



AT CALCUTTA. 829 

Two letters to one of his friends in this year con- 
tain proofs of the paternal anxiety with which Mr. 
Buchanan watched over the progress of the stu- 
dents of Fort William. The weekly reports of the 
ditferent pn»fessors as to tlie proficiency of their 
classes were delivered to him every Saturday. 
Their representations, whether favorable or other- 
wise, were by him communicated to the college 
council, and ultimately through them, or himself, 
as their organ, to the Governor General. Mr. Bu- 
chanan mentions several instances of the beneficial 
effects of this watchful superintendence in stimula- 
ting even those who would otherwise have re- 
mained incorrigibly indolent to diligence and exer- 
tion. In a few cases the discipline which had been 
originally announced was firmly and impartially 
enforced ; sometimes, but very rarely, by absolute 
removal from college, and the consequent loss of 
promotion in the service ; at others, by the kind 
intervention of Mr. Buchanan with the Governor 
General, in cases which admitted of apology or 
excuse, by permission to retire, and an appoint- 
ment which sufficiently marked the circumstances 
of inferiority in which the neglect of college duties 
had issued. Upon one such occasion Mr. Bucha* 
nan thus writes : 



" It would have given me great satisfaction to have? 
been able to send you such gratifying letters as I 
Buchanan. 20 



230 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

have often written, and am now writing, to various 
families in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respect- 
ing their sons who have passed a long period in dili- 
gent study, acquired honors, and then lucrative 
appointments. But it has been ordered otherwise. 
Perhaps all will be well. Poor . . . ." (speaking 
of a student who had lately died,) "had certainly 
been cherishing solemn and serious purposes the 
fortnight before his death ; and he no doubt died 

the child of many prayers may yet prove 

himself to be the child of religious parents. Their 
case, however, speaks loudly to us who are fathers, 
leaching us to walk with humility and fear before 
God, committing our children to him in prayer 
and tears, and with much wrestling for a blessing 
on them when they depart from us. The world 
says, ' He who hath children hath given pledges 
to fortune.' The christian knows how this is to be 
translated." 

Upon the general subject of religion in Calcutta 
Mr. Buchanan srave the followinor encoura^ino^ ac- 
counts to one of his correspondents : 

*' We have had divine service at the mission 
church, lately, for the settlement. The punkas 
make it very pleasant ; but it was found to be too 
small for the auditory, many families going away 
every Sunday morning, seats being in general oc- 
cupied an hour before service. 



AT CALCUTTA. 23l 

" You will be glad to hear that still per- 

fieveres in listening to sacred things, as do many 
other young political servants whom you do not 
know. The demand for religious books, particu- 
larly of evangelical principles, has been very great 
these two last years. INIessrs. Dring told me they 
had sold an investment of fifty Svo Bibles in th(r 
course of three months " 

In a subsequent letter he says : *' On account of 
the increase of our couGTesrations we are about to 

o o 

have two morning services on Sunday, the first at 
seven o'clock, in the old church, and the second at 
the usual hour of ten, at the new. This is very 
agreeable to a great majority. Only Mr. Brown 
and myself will oillciate at the old church. We 
shall of course (at leavSt I shall) continue to offi- 
ciate as usual at the new." 

About this time Mr. Buchanan thus mentions to 
a friend and relative the mixed nature of the con- 
gregations in Calcutta : 

'' \Vc have some of all sects in our congrega- 
tions ; Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Me- 
thodists, Armenians, Grreeks, and Nestorians. And 
some of these are part of my audience at the Eng- 
lish church. 

" I must lie down awhile and dictate to an ama- 
nuensis, for it is very hot. The thermometer is to- 
day near 110. 



232 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" used in former life to prosecute all 

he took in hand with enthusiasm. He thought no- 
thing done right if" not done with all his might. So, 
perhaps, it is in his religion and private life. He i* 
actuated by a pure, genuine enthusiasm. Eternity, 
lie says, has opened to his view, and he would save 
the sQuls of men. We shall judge him by his woiks 
a few years hence. 

" When the Hindoo had laid down the pen, and 
I had got up from my couch, he asked me what 
kind of a thing a Methodist was. I told him that it 
was a christian man in the little isle of Britain, who 
prayed too much, and was ' righteous overmuch !' 
The lad stared, and said, how can that be 1 So it is, 
said I ; behold that man, (pointing to 's pic- 
ture,) who is reputed a Methodist in England, and 
is a subject of ridicule on account of his excessive 
godliness. ' Among us,' replied the Hindoo, * he 
would thereby acquire the more reverence and 
veneration.' " 

At the close of one of the preceding letters Mr. 
Buchanan expressed his fears as to the result of 
some public measures concerning which he had 
formed sanguine expectations ; but not long after- 
wards he wrote in a more animated, and, as before, 
in a prophetic strain. 

'* The war seems to be now near its close ; and 
it will probably be followed by a long reign of 



AT CAlCUtTA. 23tT 

peace \n India. Having obtained complete domi- 
nion over it, wc shall then bless it with the word 
of life ; and Christ \Vill be once more glorified in 
the East." 

The fourth armnal disputations in the oriental 
latiGToasfes in the collesfc of Fort William were held 
this year in the month of February, in the presence 
of Marquis Wellesley and the superior member.-? 
of the governntent. Upon this occasion it was main- 
tained in Hindostanee, that " the oriental languages 
are studied with more advantasrie in India than in 
England, and with greater advantage to the public 
service.'^ And in Persian, that that language is of 
more utility in the general administration of the 
British empire in India than the Hindostanee. In 
addition to declamations in Bengalee and Arabic, 
one was pronounced for the first time in the Mah- 
ratta language. In the speech which Lord Welles- 
ley delivered after the distribution of the prize."^ 
and honorary rewards, his lordship observed that 
the general zeal, industry, and spirit of study in 
the C(jllege had not declined, notwithstanding the 
contraction of the sphere of emulation and compe- 
tition by the separation which had now taken place 
of the gentlemen of the establishments of Fort St. 
George, (Madras,) and Bombay. 

" Since the last meeting," continued his lord- 
ship, " the promotion of oriental knowledge in the 
BritisV. service in India has proceeded with in- 
20* 



234 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN- 

creased success by the progress of the studies and 
labors of the gentlemen of this college. 

" The attention also of the officers and students^ 
of the college appears to have been successfully 
directed to those important objects of discipline,- 
regularity, and good order, which formed an essen- 
tial part of my recent admonitions from this place^ 

" The most eminent and brilliant success in the 
highest objects of study will prove an inadequate 
qualification for the service of the Company, and 
of our country in India, if the just application of 
those happy attainments be not secured by a so- 
lid foundation of virtuous principles and correct 
conduct." 

In consequence of the reduction in the extent of 
the college of Fort William, refeired to in the pre- 
ceding speech, the Governor General thought it 
expedient, by a minute in council, dated the 30th 
of April, 1805, to declare that the duties at present 
committed to the provost and vice-provost of the 
college might be performed in future by one offi- 
cer only, with the designation of provost. His ex- 
cellency, however, deemed it to be proper, in con- 
sideration, as he was pleased to express it, " of the 
highly meritorious and useful services rendered to 
the college by the present provost and vice-provost, 
Mr. Brown and Mr. Buchanan," to postpone the 
adoption of this arrangement until a vacancy should 



AT CALCUTTA. 235 

occur in one of those offices, provided tliat tlic ho- 
norable the Court of Directors should be pleased 
to sanction the continuance of the allowances to the 
provost and vice-provost until that time. 

By the same minute the Governor General re* 
scinded that part of the original regulation of the 
college by which pensions were to be eventually 
granted to certain of its officers, including the pro- 
vost and vice-provost, until the farther pleasure of 
the Court of Directors should have been received. 

Mr. Buchanan, believing that "good men in Eng- 
land were yet in ignorance respecting the purpose 
or effects of this institution," compiled in the spring 
of 1S05, and transmitted, together with his Eccle- 
siastical Memoir, to this country, where it was pub- 
lished towards the end of the year, a treatise enti- 
tled " The College of Fort William in Bengal." 
The volume contains the official papers and the li- 
terary proceedings of the college during its first 
four years ; the public examinations in regular se- 
ries, with a list of the students who had entered on 
service, and a register of those who had obtained 
degrees of honor ; a catalogue of works in the ori- 
ental languages and literature, published by mem- 
bers of the colles^e since its commencement ; the 
names and offices of those who had borne any part 
in the conduct of the institution ; and some remarks 
by the editor' on the primary establishment of the 
college, and on the operation of its first four years. 



236 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

In these remarks, ]\Ir. Buchanan, after noticing 
the necessity and importance of such an institution, 
which had been proved by its triumph over the 
most powerful and systematic opposition, observes 
that the j^uhlication of a hundred original volumes 
in the oriental languages and literature in the term 
of four years, is no inconsiderable proof of the 
flourishing state of th& college as a literary insti- 
tution. That was,- however^ but one of its subordi'^ 
iiate objects. 

Towards the end of the year 1804, and the com- 
mencement of the fallowing year, a considerable 
degree of opposition to the doctrines inculcated by 
Messrs. Brown and Buchanan had been manifested 
by two or three of the other chaplains of the Presi- 
dency. Mr. Buchanan was in consequence induced 
to preach a series of discoirrses on the doctrinal 
articles of the church of England. These sermons 
were of a very superior order, and were produc- 
tive of a corresponding efteet in cheeking the cla- 
mor which had given birth to them. 

In prosecution of the design which Mr, Buchan'an 
had conceived of efiectually exciting the public at- 
tention to the obligations of Great Britain to pro- 
mote the religious welfare of its oriental dominions, 
and which he had already partially executed by the 
proposal of his first series of prizes, and the publi- 
cation of his own " Memoir j" he on the fourth of 
June, 1S05, addressed to the vice-ebancellors of the 



AT CALCUTTA. 237 

universities of Oxford and Cambridge the proposal 
of the following subjects of prize composition : 

" For the best work in English prose, embracing 
the following subjects : 

" I. The 'probable design of the Divine Provi- 
dence in subjecting so large a portion of Asia to 
the British dominion. 

** ir. The duty, the means, and the conse- 
quences of translating the Scriptures into the ori- 
ental tongues, and of promoting christian know- 
ledge in Asia. 

" III. A brief historic view of the progress of the 
Gospel in different nations since its first promul- 
gation ; illustrated by maps, showing its luminous 
tract throughout the world ; with chronological no- 
tices of its duration in particular places." 

The candidates were permitted to prefix such 
title to the proposed work as they might think pro- 
per; and the munificent prize offered by Mr. Bu- 
clianan upon this occasion to each university was 
the sum of five hundred pounds. He directed that 
the prizes should be determined on the fourth of 
June, 1807, being the anniversary of the birth of 
our venerable sovereign ; " whose religious exam- 
ple," Mr. Buchanan added, *' had extended its in- 
fluence to that remote part of his empire." 

The letters conveying intelligence of these very 



238 MEMOIR OF r>R. BUCIIAXAN. 

liberal offers were received towards the close of the 
year. They were soon afterwards accepted by both 
universities ; and the spring of the year 1807 was 
appointed as the period for the delivery of the 
prize compositions to the judges who were to de- 
termine their merits. 

A few days subsequent to the date of these pro- 
posals to the English universities, and not long be- 
fore the departure of Marquis Wellesley from Ben- 
gal, Mr. Buchanan communicated to his lordship 
his wish to be absent from Calcutta during four 
months, for the benefit of his health, which his re- 
sidence and labors in India had considerably ira- 
pau ed ; and for the purpose of proceeding to the 
coast of Malabar, with a view of obtaining infor- 
mation relative to certain religious objects, which 
were particularly specified in his letter, and will be 
hereafter fully detailed. 

With this request the Governor General signi- 
fied officially his ready compliance, together with 
his entire approbation of Mr. Buchanan's intended 
journey. It was added that the governments of 
Fort St. George and Bombay would be requested 
to afford him every assistance, as well in the pro- 
gress of his journey, by the accommodation of the 
dawk bearers, or other conveyances of government, 
as in the prosecution of his inquiries on the coast 
of Malabar. 

While Mr. Buchanan was preparing for this im- 



AT CALCUTTA. 239 

)^irtant and interesting journey, lie was, for the 
])resent, prevented from fulfilling his intentions by 
a serious illness, the approach of which he first per- 
ceived on the 13th of August. He was well enough 
to meet Lord AVollesley at dinner the next day, 
and on the two following complained only of weak- 
ness and languor. On the 17th a decided attack 
of fever came on ; and on the 19th danger was ap- 
piehended by his physician. 

Of tliis alarming illness a brief but remarkable 
memorial has been preserved in the hand-writing 
of jNlr. Brown, who appears to have attended and 
watcheJ over his valued friend and coadjutor with 
fraternal anxiety and affection. The feelings and 
sentiments of Mr. Buchanan at this trying season, 
as described in the paper alluded \o, are such as, 
while they may surprise a certain class of readers, 
will appear to better judges to be the genuine effu- 
sions of a pious mind alive to the apprehended so- 
lemnities of a dying hour. 

Ou the evening of the 20th of August Mr. Bu- 
j-.hanan spoke much to his friend of his state and 
views ; said that he had been looking for his hope 
in the Bible, and that he had found it in the 51st 
Psalm, and in the history of the penitent thief upon 
the cross. He at the same time gave directions to 
Mr. Brown respecting the college, his papers, and 
his affairs. The next day Mr. Buchanan was still 
more strongly impressed with the idea that he 



240 MEMOIR or DR. BUCHANAN. 

should not recover. Under this persuasion, he men- 
tioned the place in which he wish^jd to be interred, 
made some observations respecting his books, and 
desired that his sermons might be published after 
the arrival of his "Memoir" in India. 

Mr. Buchanan next adverted to his experience 
and views as a christian ; declared his entire renun- 
ciation of his own merits as any ground of accept- 
ance with God, lamented his unprofitableness, and 
spoke of himself in terms of the deepest humility. 
He then asfain referred to the church and to the 

o 

college, and suggested various hints respecting 
both. After this he recurred to his present feelings 
and circumstances. He expressed his fear of living, 
and his desire of being received as the least and 
lowest of the servants of God. He was anxious to 
glorify him by his death, and prayed to be pre- 
served from the enemy at the last hour, that he 
might not do or say any thing to weaken the testi- 
mony he had borne to the truth in that place. 
There was nothing, he said, upon earth, for which 
he had a wish, besides his wife and children ; that 
she was much before him in experimental know- 
ledge, and had been twice on the wing to leave the 
world ; (he knew not, alas ! that she had in fact al- 
ready taken her flight !) that his children would be 
brought up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord ; that if sent to Scotland, they would be in 
the heart of Sunday-schools and of true religion ; or 



AT CALCUTTA. 241 

that ill England the . . .'s, atid other friends who 
feared God, would take care of tliem. After thus 
speaking of his children, Mr. Buchanan alluded to 
a painful letter which he had lately received from 
one (jf his correspondents ; and lamented what he 
considered his unkindness in forbearing to encou- 
] age him during the labors of the last five years. 
He then expressed a hope that his death would 
prove useful to two persons whom he particularly 
named. 

On the morning of the 22d Mr. Brown, on en- 
tering his sick chamber, found him still fixed in his 
opinion that he should die, and opening his spiri- 
tual state to another christian friend. He then took 
a review of the way in which the providence of 
God had led him from his earliest years ; and gave 
hiy friends a brief sketch of his history : the roman- 
tic project of his youth ; his residence in London ; 
his conversion to the faith and practice of a real 
christian ; his career at Cambridge ; his voyage to 
India; and his comparative banishment during the 
first three years of his residence in that country. 
At this critical period, Mr. Buchanan observed, his 
call by Lord Wellesley to the chaplaincy of the 
presidency, and the subsequent establishment of 
the college, had given him an important work to 
perform ; that his preaciiiiig, indeed, had been un- 
satisfactory to himself; but that his spiritual labors 
and opportunities in college, though desultory, had 

Euclianau. ^1 



24S MEMOIR DP DR. BUCHANAN. 

often afforded him comft)rt. He added, says Mn 
Brown, " that I must preach," probably intending 
his funeral sermon, " though he felt himself un- 
worthy to choose a text ; yet that it must be from 
these words, ' Being justified by faith, we have 
peace with God,' " 

"After praying earnestly/' continues Mr. Brown, 
** for some time, he lay quite still, and then with 
great tranquillity and satisfaction said, ' What a 
happy moment ! Now I am resigned ; now I de- 
sire not to live. I am unworthy of this.' He then 
spoke of his hope, and said that he could only be 
saved by grace." 

After this conversation Mr. Buchanan mentioned 
his wishes concerning his funeral and monument, 
and spoke of his departure from the world as a 
happy deliverance from the evils which he foresaw 
he should have to encounter if he were to return 
to Europe. Alluding to his intended journey, which 
his present illness had prevented, he said, " I am 
now about to travel, not an earthly journey, but still 
to ' unknown regions of the Gospel.* 1 sliall now 
})ass over the heads of old men laboring usefully 
for Christ ; and at this early period be advanced 
to see what 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man,' and 
behold discoveries of the glory of Christ, ' God ma- 
nifest in the flesh,' who hath come to us, and kindly 



AT CAtCUTTA, 2 13 

taken us by the hand. He will lift us out of the 
deep waters, and set us at his own right hand. I 
once saw not the things I now see ; I knew not the 
Gospel. Now I pray that the little I have known 
may be perfected, and that God would complete 
his work on my soul." 

Mr. Brown adds that hi.s apparently dying fiiend 
was almost continually praying, in a humble, sub- 
missive, patient, and fervent tone, for mercy and 
grace through Jesus Christ ; and, with the apostle^ 
that God might be glorified by his life or death. 

Such is the interesting and instructive memorial 
which remains of this alarming illness of Mr. Bu- 
chanan. While it demonstrates the excellence and 
the solidity of the principles which could thus sup- 
port him, it must surely excite in the mind of every 
reader a conviction of their value, and an earnest 
desire to possess the same eonsofetian in a seasort 
of similar trial. 

Of the progress of his recovery nothing is parti- 
cularly recorded. The fever appears gradually to 
have subsided ; and on the 4th of September he 
was so far restored as to be able to remove to Bai- 
rackpore for change of air, and afterwards to Sook- 
sagur, about forty miles above Calcutta. The re- 
membrance, however, of his illness, and the im- 
pressions which an anticipated death-bed had made 
upon his mind, instead of being obliterated, as- ir^ 
too many instances, by returning health, were- ever 



244 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

afterwards cherished and retained. The scene was, 
perhaps, intended to prepare him for the painful 
trial which was approaching; and both, as we shall 
shortly perceive, produced the happy effect of 
quickening him in his christian course, and of ren* 
dering him even more zealous and unwearied in 
the service of his heavenly Master. 

One of Mr. Buchanan's first exertions of reco- 
vered health was in writing the following reply to 
a pious man, who appears to have been known to 
him dui'ing the early part of his residence in Eng- 
land, and to have been employed as a humble 
preacher of the Gospel. It was found among the 
papers of the late Mr. Henry Thornton, to whom 
it had probably been sent by the person to whom it 
was addressed, for the purpose which the letter it- 
self will explain. The christian kindness and hu- 
mility which it breathes sufficiently authorize its 
insertion* 

CALCUTT.i, September 3d, 1805. 

'* My DEAft Friend, — I received your letter by 

Mr. B about five years ago, and in consequence 

took him into my house for some time. The young 
man is in the army, and conducts himself, I hear, 
with propriety. I am sorry to find that my answer 
to your letter on that occasion has never reach- 
ed you. 

" A few days ago I received your letter of the 



AT CALf,UTTA, 245 

4th of Nove«iber, ISOl, by Mr, Taylor, a mission- 
ary to India. In that letter you mention that you 
are still poor; and, what is better, that you preach 
the G-ospel to the poor. After so long an interval, 
it gives me great pleasure to learirthat you are yet-v 
found faithful, and that in the midst of your poverty ^ 
you have ftumd the ' unsearchable riches,' Your 
heavenly Father knoweth best what is good for 
you ; and he hath, no doubt, led you hitherto in 
that narrow and peculiar path which was suited to 
your state, and; necessary for the advancement of 
his glory. 

" 1 have, on the other hand", been led in a broader 
road and a more- dangerous way. If I have been^ 
preserved, if I am yet, in any measure, faithful iii, 
dispensing the Gospel, and in promoting by va- 
riotis means the interests of Christ's- kingdom, it is 
mercy ; far more distinguished mercy, as- it appears^ 
to me, than that which has been manifested in you.. 
The Gospel is not without its witness even in this 
place. The company of the faithful is increasing^ 
and the oppoi'tunities of publishing the good tid- 
ings are multiplying. 

" I enclose- to you a note on my agents in Lon- 
don for tifty pounds. I should send you more if I 
thought it would do you any good^ If you should 
want more, ask -Mr. Henry Thornton for ft^ and I 
will repay him. 

" I was much pleased with your account of your 
21* 



246 MEMOIR OF DTI. nrCHANAN. 

aged father. I think, on the whole, you have reason 
to be thankful that your family are so well disposed 
of in the course of years and worldly revolution, 
it seemeth good to providence to keep you all in a 
strait estate ; and that is the general dispensation-. 
to God's favored people. 

" That you may be blessed yourself, and continue 
to be a blessing to others, is the prayer of, 
" Dear sir, jour sincere friend, 

" C. Buchanan."" 

During the temporary retreat of Mr. Bachanaw 
at Sooksagur for the re-establishment of his health, 
he was diligently employed in Hebrew, Syriac, and 
Chaldaic studies, with various accompaniments of 
rabbinical and other commerjtators. In the midst,, 
however, of this occupation, he v/as interrupted by 
the aiflictinor intellio^ence of the death of Mr*. Bu- 
chanan. This distressing, though in some measure 
expected event, had taken place on the ISth »f 
June, on board the East-India ship in which she 
was returning to England, off the island of St, 
Helena. Of Mr. Buchanan'^s feelings upon this 
mournful occasion, as well as respecting his own 
late illness, the two following letters will afford an 
affecting and truly interesting picture. The first is 
to his friend Colonel Sandys : 

"SooKSAGi/R, near Calcutta, Oct. 22, 1805. 
" My dear Sandys, — I have been at this place 



AT CALCUTTA. 247 

for some time past, in the hope of getting a little 
strength. I was visited by a fever about two 
months ago, and was despaired of for a day (^r 
two. But the prayers of the righteous were oftur- 
ed up, and my days have been prolonged. It was 
with a kind of reluctance I felt myself carried back 
by tlie refluent waves to encounter again the 
storms of this life, for I had hoped the fight was 
done. Although unprofitable has been my life, and 
feeble my exerlio!is, yet I was more afraid of the 
trials to come, if I should survive, than of depart- 
ing to my rest, if it was the will of God. I had 
made a disposition of my fortune to Mary and her 
pious purposes, (for she too had undertakings in 
view,) believing that she would be much more use- 
ful than I could. My first care on my convales- 
cence was to write to her an account of that event. 
In a few days afterwards the Calcutta Indiaman 
arrived from St. Helena, and brought me the news 
of my dear Mary's decease ! Before she went away 
1 perceived that her affections were nearly wean- 
ed from this world ; and she often sr.id that she 
thought God was preparing her for his presence in 
glory. She was greatly favored in her near access 
to God in prayer; and she delighted in retirement 
and sacred meditation. She was jealous of herself 
latteily when she anticipated the happiness of our 
all meeting in England, and endeavored to chastise 
the thousht. 



248 MEMOIR. QE DR. DUSHANAX.- 

''^Her suife rings were great, but she aecGUfite<i 
Rer consolations greater ^ and she used to admire 
the goodness of God to her in bringing her to a 
knowledge of the truth at so early an age. It was 
her intention,- had she lived to reach Eaigland, to- 
have gone down with her two little girls to visit 
you ; saying, ' We shall behold each other as- two- 
new creatures.' You had been accused to her of 
being too peculiar, and she wished to see what 
was amiss. 

" When she found her dissolution drawing near^ 
she solemnly devoted her two little girls to God^. 
and prayed that he would be their Father, and 
bring them up in his holy fear, and preserve them< 
from the vanities of this evil world. She said she- 
could willingly die for the souls of her children ; 
and she did die in the confident hope of seeing 
them both in glory. 

" Having had it in ooiitemplation to follow my 
dear Mary to England next year, I had let my 
house at Garden Reach to- Sir John> D'Oyly. I 
had alsa sold my furniture, horses, &c'.- previously 
to my proceeding to Malabar.. But in the mean- 
time I fell sick.; and now that I have recovered, I 
mean to defer my journey to the coast till the new 
government be settled. Sir George Barlow is at 
present up the country ; Mr. Udny is deputy-go- 
vernor. Both of them are warm supporters of re- 
ligious improvement in India>. aad I trust they will 



AT CAt.CUTTA. 249 

cIo goo(]. They know nothing of my ' Memoii/ 
nor any one else but Mr. Brown. 

" The B.'s here are affectionately concerned in 
my recovery, and pay me every attention in their 
power. I do not know whether I shall go to Eng- 
land next year or not ; I am now a desolate old 
man, though young in years. But my path will, I 
doubt not, be made ' clear as the noon day.' 

" By your late letters I see that you are ' flour- 
ishing like a palm-tree.' How often have you 
passed the palm-tree in India, without comparing 
it to the righteous man ! 

'* My dear Mary's name and character was lat- 
terly well known among the excellent of the earth ; 
and her memory has left a fragrance for years to 
come." 

Mr. Buchanan then mentions the lamented and 
unexpected death of the Marquis Cornwallis, who 
had lately arrived to resume the government of the 
country, which had been already so signally bene- 
fited by his former administration : 

" The body," he observes, of this illustrious no- 
bleman, " had no honoiable interment ; neither a 
clergyman to reail the office, nor a coffin to put it 
in. Thus ended his earthly name and greatness. 
God promised to Jacob, as a temporal blessing, that 
his son Joseph ' should close his eyes.* It is indeed 



250 ME-.MOIP. OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

fi blessing to have a righteous son or daughter to- 
hallow our remahis in death. May you have thaf 
son, and I that daug;^hter ! 

" Yours affectionately, 

" C. Buchanan." 

The second of the two letters relative to the 
death of Mrs. Buchanan is to another friend, who 
well knew her worth, and sincerely sympathized 
with Mr., Buchanan under his loss. 

" SooKSAGUR, 24th Oct. 1805. 

•* My dear SiR,r— Your letter of March 18th, of 
this yeai', addressed to my dear Mary, arrived here 
about a month ago. A few days afterwards I re- 
ceived the account of her death. 

" You will rejoice to hear that, when she was 
preparing to leave India, she considered herself as 
preparing for another and- better country thaft 
England. 

"^ She enjoyed latterly much coram union with 
God in prayer; and often-, when she came out of 
her closet, the gleam on her countenance evinced 
her peace and acceptance. The words- of some 
kymn to her Redeemer were often on her lips.. 
You, I believe, knew enough of her to make you 
consider this portrait of her last days to be true. 
She died at the age of twenty-five. She considered 
that the period of her sufferings (only, she said^ 



AT CALCUTTA. 251 

ihi^ec or four years) was very short, and wondered 
at the goodness of God in so early calling her to 
his glory. She lamented that she could never be 
' made perfect by suffering;' and therefore viewed 
the end of her probation with great comfort, and 
latterly with joyful anticipation. She expressed 
and felt strong affection towards you and your 
family. In the last page of your letter to Mrs. Bu- 
chanan, you remind her of ihe promise, * Be thou 
faithful unto death, and 1 will give thee a crown of 
life.' These words were prophetic. You wrote 
them on the ISth of March; and on the 18th of 
June, three months after, she, I trust, received the 
crown. 

'' I have been at this place lor some weeks past, 
in the hope of acquiring a little strength after my 
late illness. I am now perfectly well, and propose 
to return to C^llcutta to resume my public duties 
in a few days. 

" During the period of my retirement I have 
been chiefly employed in researches in the He- 
brew and Syriac Scriptures. I happily met with 
some valuable Syriac volumes on my way up hi- 
ther. While I was thus enjrasfed, the news of 
Mrs. Buchanan's death arrived ! I found some con- 
solation in writing a few lines to her memory in 
the Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, and Latin languages | 
which I inscribed on a leaf of her own Bible : the 
best monument that I could erect ; for her boriy 
was buiied in the deep. 



252 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAIVAN^ 

" I sometimes think that, had I my two little 
girls to play with, I should be happy, even in this 
<lreary land. My chief solace is in a mind con- 
stantly occupied ; and this is the greatest temporal 
blessing I can expect, even unto the end. I could 
relate to you scenes of tribulation and keen perse- 
cution in regard to others and to myself: but these 
could give you no pleasure, and I wish not to think 
of them. 

" Hov/ little do you all knov/ of Calcutta, or of 
ivhat is doing or has been done here ; as little eveo 
as of the court of Pekin ! 

" Of the many letters you wrote to us during the 
tv/o last years I think we received only two. My 
next to you, if I live to write another, will proba- 
bly be from Tajrrohane. 

** I remain^ my dear sir, very affectionately yours> 

" C. Buchanan." 

The disapprobation with which the extensive 
nature of the college of Fort William had beett 
viewed by the Court of Directors, had long prepar- 
ed its superintendents to expect a reduction of it3 
establishment. Anticipating, therefore, the suspen- 
sion of that department in it which had hitherto- 
been instrumental in promoting translations of the 
Scriptures into the oriental languages, they were 
anxious to make some provision for the continua- 
tion af these important works. With this view. 



AT CALCUTTA. 253 

they resolved to encourage individuals to proceed 
with versions of the Scriptures by such means as 
they could command ; purposing, at the same time, 
jiot to confine this encouragement to Bengal, but 
to extend it to every part of the East where fit in- 
strumenls could be found. Mr. Buchanan particu- 
larly determined to devote his influence, as vice- 
provost of the college, in aid of the translations 
then in the hands of the missionaries at Seram- 
pore, and to endeavor to excite the public interest 
ill their favor. For this purpose, jcarly in the year 
1S06, he drew up " proposals for a subscription for 
translating the Holy Scriptures " into fifteen ori- 
ental languages ; containing a prospectus of Indian 
versions, and observations on the practicability of 
the general design. To these proposals, composed 
chiefly from materials furnished by the missiona- 
ries, their names were subscribed ; and in the 
month of March copies were distributed liberally in 
India and in England ; in this country to the Court 
of Directors, to the bench of Bishops, to the univer- 
sities, to Lord Teignmouth, as President of the 
British and Foreign Bible Society, and to some 
other public bodies, as well as to many private gen- 
tlemen. In India, copies were transmitted to nearly 
the whole of the principal civil and to many of the 
military officers in the Company's service, from 
Delhi to Travancore j to many of whom the mis- 
sion at Serampore was previously unknown. Mr. 

BucbaiiRD. '-'^ 



254 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Buchanan obtained permission at the same time 
to send the proposals, in his official character as 
vice-provost of the college, free of expense, to all 
parts of the empire ; and he accompanied them in 
most instances with letters, which amounted to 
about one hundred, from himself 

It was plainly implied in the proposals, that the 
undertaking would enjoy the countenance and sup- 
port of the college ; and it was doubtless on this 
ground that the concuirence of the public was 
principally obtained. That expectation was accord- 
ingly expressed in the following terms : 

" Our hope of success in this great undertaking 
depends chiefly on the patronage of the college of 
Fort William. To that institution we are much in- 
debted for the progress we have already made. 
Oriental translation has become comparatively 
easy, in consequence of our having the aid of those 
learned men from distant provinces in Asia, who 
have assembled, daring the period of the last six 
years, at that great emporium of eastern letters. 
These intdiigent strangers voluntarily engage with 
us in translating the Scriptures into their respective 
languages; and they do not conceal their admira- 
tion of the sublime doctrine, pure precept, and di- 
vine eloquence of the word of God. The plan of 
these translations was sanctioned at an early pe- 
1 iod by the most noble the Marquis Wellesley, the 



AT CALCUTTA. <,bi) 

great patron of useful learning. To give the chris- 
tian Scriptures to the inhabitants of Asia is indeed 
a work which every man who believes these Scrip- 
tures- to be from God will approve. In Hindoslan 
alone there is a great variety of religions ; and 
there are some tribes which have no certain cast or 
religion at all. To render the revealed religion ac- 
cessible to men who * desire ' it, to open its eternal 
sanctions and display its pure morals to those who 
' seek a religion,' is to fulfil the sacred duty of a 
christian people, and accords well with the humane 
and generous spirit of the English nation." 

Another passage of the document from which 
the preceding extract is taken, announced, in India 
the formation and the proffered friendship of the 
British and Foreign Bible Society, as furnishing 
material encouragement to the proposed undertak- 
ing. Thus accredited and patronized, the address 
from the missionaries at Serampore was advertised 
in the government gazettes, and published through- 
out India ; and such was the approbation with which 
it was received that in a short time the sum of six- 
teen hundred pounds was subscribed in aid of the 
intended translations. 

The communication of the proposals in question 
to the British and Foreign Bible Society was made 
by Mr. Buchanan in the month of March. He at 
the same time recommended that a sermon should 



256 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

be preached before the Society, '* on the subject of 
oriental translations;" antl with the zeal and libe- 
rality which had now so frequently marked all his 
proceedings, requested '' that the reverend preach- 
er would do him the honor to accept the sum of 
fifty pounds on delivery of a printed copy of the 
sermon to his agents in London, for the college of 
Fort Vv^illiam, in Bengal." This proposition was 
at first acceded to by the committee of the Society ; 
and the Rev. John Owen, one of its able and inde- 
fatigable secretaries, was requested to become the 
preacher. It was, however, upon reconsideration, 
unanimously agreed, that, as the measure did not 
fall strictly within the professed object of the So- 
ciety, and might open a door to practical irregula- 
rities, it would not bo expedient to sanction its 
adoption. The generous offer of Mr. Buchanan 
was, in consequence of this decision, respectfully 
declined. 

A similar proposal was transmitted by Mr. Bu- 
chanan to the Vice-Chancellors of the universities 
of Oxford and Cambridge, that two sermons should 
be preached before each of those learned bodies, 
on the translation of the Scriptures into the orien- 
tal languages, by such persons as the universities 
should appoint ; accompanied by a request that 
each of the four preachers would accept the sum of 
thirty guineas, on the similar condition of the deli- 
very to his agents of a printed copy of the sermon 



AT CALCUTTA. 257 

for the collejre of Fort Vv'illiam. These adJitional 

o 

offers to the universities were in each case accepted. 
In the course of the preceding year Mr. Buchan- 
an received from the university of Glasgow, of 
which he had been formerly a member, a diploma 
conferring upon him the degree of Doctor in Di- 
vinity, and afterwards received a similar honor from 
the university at Cambridge. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Tattr on Vie JVialabar Coaet — JTuggeniaut — JPemale 
Sacrifice. 

Dr. Buchanan was now again looking forward 
to his long projected journey to the south of the 
peninsula. On the 12th of March, 1806, he thus 
WTOte to a friend in England : 

" I proceed to Malabar in a few weeks. My 
delay has been chiefly occasioned by the difficulty 
of my resigning appointments and offices here, 
where there is no one to receive them. And even 
now, if I get off fairly, I shall wonder. 
22* 



9.5S MEMOIR OP DR. EUCUANAN. 

" I Still continue in my purpose of going home 
about the end of this year. So that I shall possi- 
bly see you and your family once more." 

On the 22d of March Dr. Buchanan obtained 
leave of absence from the government for six 
months, together with renewed assurances of the 
countenance and assistance formerly promised ; but 
his preparations for his journey were again inter- 
rupted by a return of ague and fever. This attack 
was, however, less serious and of shorter duration 
than the former; so that at the end of the month 
he was able to wait upon the Governor General, 
who kindly oiTered to accommodate him with one 
of his tents for his intended journey to the coast. 
During the month of April Dr. Buchanan conti- 
nued his preparations for his approaching absence ; 
attended an examination of the Chinese class at 
Serampore, and made arrangements for the per- 
formance of his clerical duties. His last sermon, 
previously to his departure, was from the beautiful 
address in the Revelation of St. John (chap. 3 : 7- 
13) to the church at Philadelphia, which he pro- 
bably considered as in some respects appropriate to 
that at Calcutta. Dr. Buchanan spent several of 
the days immediately preceding his journey with 
Mr. Udny, who appears to have entered with 
much interest into his views for the promotion of 
Christianity in India. The late learned and la- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 259 

mented Dr. Leyden had at one time propo.^ed to 
accompany Dr. Buchanan in his tour; but this 
plan, though it would doubtless have proved mu- 
tually agreeable and beneficial, was finally aban- 
doned. 

The design of this extensive and laborious jour- 
ney cannot be better explained than in the words 
of Dr. Buchanan, in his " Christian Researches in 
Asia :" 

" In order to obtain a distinct view of the state 
of Christianity and of superstition in Asia," he says, 
" the superintendents of the college had, before 
this period, entered into correspondence with in- 
telligent persons in different countries, and from 
every quarter (even from the confines of China) 
they received encouragement to proceed. But, as 
contradictory accounts were given by different wri- 
ters concernino' the real state of the numerous tribes 

o 

in India, both of christians and natives, the author 
conceived the design of devoting the last year or 
two of his residence in the East to purposes of lo- 
cal examination and inquiry. 

" The principal objects of this tour were to in- 
vestigate the state of superstition at the most cele- 
brated temples of the Hindoos ; to examine the 
churches and libraries of the Romish, Syrian, and 
Protestant christians ; to ascertain the present 
state and recent history of the eastern Jews ; and 



260 MEMOIR OF DR, 3UCHANAN. 

to discover what persons might be fit instruments 
for the promotion of learning in their respective 
countries, and for maintaining a future correspon- 
dence on the subject of disseminating the Scrip- 
tures in India." 

Such were the important views with which Dt. 
Buchanan entered upon his intended journey. It 
is no disparagement to travels undertaken from 
motives either of personal curiosity or of public 
utility, to assert that the tour which Dr. Buchanan 
was meditating, derived, from its disinterested and 
sacred objects, a peculiar degree of dignity and 
value. If our great philanthropist, Howard, was 
justly eulogized by a late celebrated statesman for 
his indefatigable and self-denying exertions in " tra- 
velling over land and sea," not to gratify his taste 
or to extend his fame, but " to remember the for- 
gotten, to attend the neglected, and to visit the 
forsaken," it is not too much to say, that although 
the labors of that eminent person were more vari- 
ous and continued, it required, in a man of infirm 
and precarious health, like Dr. Buchanan, a degree 
of zeal and resolution to enter upon his projected 
journey which reflects upon him the highest honor. 
And although in each case the love of God and of 
man was the prevailing motive, the object of the 
one was, in proportion to its extent, as much more 
important than the other, as inquiries into spiritual 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCUEa. 261 

wants with a view to their relief are more weighty 
than those which concern temporal necessities, and 
as interests of eternal duration are more momen- 
tous than any which are bounded by the narrow 
limits of time. It must be remembered, too, that, 
with the exception of the accommodations afforded 
him by the kindness of the Governor General, and 
the hospitality of the British residing at the different 
stations through which he passed. Dr. Buchanan's 
extensive tour was undertaken exclusively at his 
own expense. 

On the 3d of May Dr. Buchanan left Calcutta on 
his way to the south ; and on his arrival the same 
day at Fulta, forty miles below that city, he wrote 
to Colonel Sandys as follows : 

" My dear Sandys, — I am thus far on my jour- 
ney to Malabar, I propose to visit Juggernaut first, 
and hope to be there early in June, when the grand 
festival of the K.utt Jattra takes place. Sir Georgo 
Barlow has been so good as to lend me some of the 
Governor General's small tents, so that I shall tra- 
vel very comfortably. My inquiries, you know, 
have a threefold aspect, Hindoos, Jews, and Chris- 
tians. The bands of infidelity and superstition are 
loosening fast, and Calcutta is by no means the 
place it was when you were here. 

" I have heard this morning that the flpet from' 
England, which went to the Cspe, is expected at 



262 MEMOIR OF DR. EUCHANAN. 

Madras every day, as one of the ships is already 
arrived. In this fleet your friend Mr. Martyn is 
passenger. Mr. Jeffries has been appointed to act 
as my substitute In the new church in ray absence, 
which will be about six or eight months, if, indeed, 
I should ever return ; for my route is full of danger 
and difficulty to one infirm as I am. With some 
view, I trust, to the glory of God, I have purposed ; 
but it is He who must dispose of me and my ob- 
jects as shall seem to him best. 

" I remain, my dear Sandys, very affectionately 
yours, 

" C. Buchanan." 

Dr. Buchanan, from the time of his arrival at 
Juggernaut, kept a regular journal of his tour, from 
which we now extract the narrative of his visit to 
the temple of that prince of idols as given by him- 
self in his " Christian Researches." 

" BuDDnucK in Oriasa, May 30, 1806. 
"We know that we are approaching Jugger- 
naut (and yet we are more than fifty miles from 
it) by the human bones which we have seen for 
some days strewed by the way. At this place we 
have been joined by several large bodies of pil- 
grims, perhaps two thousand in number, who have 
come from various parts of northern India. Some 
of them, w^ith whom I have conversed, say that 



cnnrsTiAx researches. 263 

tliey have been two months on their march, travel- 
ling slowly, in the hottest season of the year, with 
their wives and children. Some old persons are 
among them who wish to die at Juggernaut. Num- 
bers of pilgrims die on the road, and their bodie.4 
generally remain unburied. On a plain by the river, 
near the pilgrims' caravansera at this place, there 
are more than a hundred skulls. The dogs, jackals, 
and vultures seem to live here on human prey. 
The vultures exhibit a shocking tamencss. The ()b- 
spene animals will not leave the body sometimes 
till we come close to them. This Buddruck is a 
horrid place. Wherever I turn my eyes I meet 
death in some shape or other. Surely Juggernaut 
cannot be worse than Buddruck." 

" In sight of Juggernaut, June 12. 
" Many thousands of pilgrims have accom- 
panied us for some days past. They cover the road, 
before and behind, as far as the eye can reach. At 
nine o'clock this morning the tem.ple of Jugger- 
naut appeared in view at a great distance. When 
the multitude iirst saw it they gave a shout, and fell 
to the ground and worshipped. I have heard no- 
thing to-day but shouts and acclamations by the 
Huccessive bodies of pilgrims. From the place 
where I nov/ stand T have a view of a host of peo- 
ple hke an army encamped at the outer gate of 
the town of Juggernaut, where a guard of soldiers 



204 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

is posted to prevent their entering the town until 
they have paid the pilgrim's tax. I passed a devo- 
tee to-day who laid himself down at every step, 
measuring the road to Juggernaut by the length of 
his body, as a penance of merit to please the gods." 

" Oater Gate of Juqgeknaut, June 12. 
" A disaster has just occurred. As I ap- 



proached the gate the pilgrims crowded from all 
quarters around me, and shouted, as they usually 
did when I passed them on the road, an expression 
of welcome and respect. I was a little alarmed at 
their number, and looked round for my guard. A 
guard of soldiers had accompanied me from Cut- 
tack, the last military station, but they were now 
about a quarter of a mile behind with my servants 
and the baggage. The pilgrims cried out that they 
were entitled to some indulgence; that they were 
poor, they could not pay the tax ; but I was not 
aware of their design. At this moment, when I 
was within a few yards of the gate, an old Sanyas- 
see, (or holy man,) who had travelled some days by 
the side of my horse, came up and said, ' Sir, you 
are in danger ; the people are going to rush through 
the gate when it is opened for you.' I immediately 
dismounted, and endeavored to escape to one side; 
but it was too late. The mob was now in motion, 
and with a tumultuous shout pressed violently to- 
wards the gate. The guard within seeing ray dan- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 205 

ger, opened it, and the multitude rushing through, 
carried me forward in a torrent a considerable 
space, so that I was literally borne into Jugger- 
naut by the Hindoos themselves. A distressing 
scene followed. As the number and strength of 
the mob increased, the narrow way was choked up 
by the mass of people, and I apprehended that 
many of them would have been suffocated or 
bruised to death. My horse was yet among them. 
But suddenly one of the side-posts of the gate, 
which was of wood, gave way and fell to the 
ground. And perhaps this circumstance alone pre- 
vented the loss of lives. Notice of the event was 
immediately communicated to Mr. Hunter, the su- 
perintendent of the temple, who repaired to the 
spot, and sent an additional guard to the inner 
gate, lest the people should force that also; for 
there is an outer and an inner gate to the town of 
Juggernaut ; but both of them are slightly con- 
structed. Mr. Hunter told me that similar acci- 
dents sometimes occur, and that many have been 
crushed to death by the pressure of ihe mob. He 
added, that sometimes a body of pilgrims, consist- 
ing chiefly of women and children and old men, 
triisting to the physical weight of their mass, will 
make what he called a charge on the armed guards, 
and overwhelm them ; the guards not being willing, 
in such circumstances, to oppose their bayonets." 

Buchauou. '^«^ 



266 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Juggernaut, June 14. 

" 1 have seen Jusro^ernaut. The scene at 

Buddruck is but the vestibule to Juggernaut. No 
record of ancient or modern history can give, I 
think, an adequate idea of this valley of death ; it 
may be truly compared with the ' valley of Hin- 
nom.' The idol called Juggernaut has been consi- 
dered as the moloch of the present age ; and be is 
justly so named, for the sacrifices offered up to him 
by self-devotement are not less criminal, perhaps 
not less numerous, than those recorded of the mo- 
loch of Canaan. Two other idols accompany Jug- 
gernaut, namely Boloram and Shubudra, his bro- 
ther and sister ; for there are three deities worship- 
ped here. They receive equal adoration, and sit on 
thrones of nearly equal height." 

" This morning I viewed the temple ; a stu- 
pendous fabric and truly commensurate with the 
extensive sway of * the horrid king.' As other tem- 
ples are usually adorned with figures emblematical 
of their religion, so Juggernaut has representations 
(numerous and various) of that vice which consti- 
tutes the essence of his worship. The walls and 
gates are covered with indecent emblems, in mas- 
sive and durable sculpture. I have often visited the 
sand plains by the sea, in some places whitened 
with the bones of the pilgrims ; and another place 
a little way out of the town, called by the English 
the Golgotha, where the dead bodies are usually 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 267 

cast forth, and where dogs and vultures are ever 
seen.* 

" The grand Hindoo festival of the Rutt Jattra 
takes place on the ISth inst. when the idol is to be 
brought forth to the people. I reside during my 
stay here at the house of James Hunter, Esq. the 
Company's collector of the tax on pilgrims, and su- 
perintendent of the temple, formerly a student in 
the college of Fort William ; by whom I am hos- 
pitably entertained, and also by Capt. Patton and 
Lieut. Woodcock, commanding the military force. 
Mr. Hunter distinguished himself at the college by 
his proficiency in the oriental language. He is a 
gentleman of polished manners and of classical 
taste. The agreeable society of these gentlemen is 
very refreshing to my spirits in the midst of the 
present scenes. I was surprised to see how little 
they seemed to be moved by the scenes of Jugger- 

* The vultures generally find oat the prey first, and begin 
with the intestines ; for the flesh of the body is too firm for 
their beaks immediately after death. But the dogs soon re- 
ceive notice of the circumstance, generally from seeing the 
Hurries or corpse- carriers returning from the place. On the 
approach of the dogs the vultures retire a few yards and 
wait till the body be sutficiently torn for easy deglutition. 
The vultures and dogs often feed together, and sometimes 
begin their attack before the pilgrim be quite dead. There 
are four animals which are sometimes seen about a carcass, 
the dog, the jackal, the vulture, and the hurgeela, or adju- 
tant, called by Pennant the gigantic crane. 



26S MEMOIR OF DR. U'JCIIANAN, 

naut. They said they were now so accustomed to 
them they thought little of them. They had almost 
forgot their first impressions. Their houses are on 
the sea-shore about a mile or more from the tem- 
ple. They cannot live nearer on account of the of- 
fensive effluvia of the town. For, independently ot 
the enormity of the superstition, there are other 
circumstances which render Juggernaut noisome 
in an extreme degree. The senses are assailed by 
the squalid and ghastly appearance of the famish- 
ed pilgrims, many of whom die in the streets of 
want or of disease ; while the devotees with clot- 
ted hair and painted flesh are seen practising their 
various austerities and modes of self-torture. Per- 
sons of both sexes, with little regard to conceal* 
ment, sit down on the sands close to the town in 
public view, and the sacked bulls walk about 
among them and eat the ordure^ 

" The vicinity of Juggernaut to the sea probably 
prevents the contagion which otherv/ise would be 
produced by the putrefactions of the place. There 
is scarcely any verdure to refresh the sight near 
Juggernaut ; the temple and town being nearly en- 
compassed by hills oi sandy which has been cast up 
in the lapse of ages by the surge of the ocean. All 

♦ This singular fact was pointed out to me by the gentle- 
men here. There is no vegetation for the sacred bulls on the 
fciand plains, 'i'bey are {^fS. generally with vegetal^Ies from 
the hands of the pilgrims. 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 269 

13 barren and desolate to the eye ; and in the ear 
there 13 the never-intermitting sound of the roar- 
ing sea." 

" JuaoERNAUT, June 18. 

" I have returned home from witnessing a 

scene which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock 
of this day, being the great day of the feast, the 
moloch of Hindostan was brought out of his tem- 
ple amidst the acclamations of hundreds of thou- 
sands of his worshippers. When the idol was placed 
on his throne a shout was raised by the multitude, 
such as I had never heard before. It continued 
equable for a few minutes, and then gradually died 
away. After a shoit interval of silence a murmur 
was heard at a distance ; all eyes were turned to- 
wards the place, and, behold, a grove advancing ! 
A body of men, having green branches or palms 
in their hands, approached with great celerity. The 
people opened a way for them ; and when they had 
come up to the throne they fell down before him 
that sat thereon and worshipped. And the multi- 
tude again sent forth a voice 'like the sound of a 
great thunder.' But the voices I now heard were 
not those of melody or of joyful acclamation ; for 
there is no harmony in the praise of moloch's wor- 
shippers. Their number indeed brought to my mind 
the countless multitude of the Revelations ; but 
their voices ?ave no tuneful hosannah or halleluiah ; 



270 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

but rather a yell of approbation, united with a kind 
of hissing ap;)lause.* I was at a loss how to ac- 
count for this latter noise, until I was directed to 
notice the women, who emitted a sound like that 
of whistlings with the lips circular and the tongue 
vibrating : as if a serpent would speak by their or- 
gans, uttering human sounds. 

" The throne of the idol was placed on a stupen- 
dous car or tower about sixty feet in height, rest- 
ing on wheels w4iich indented the ground deeply, 
as they turned slowly under the ponderous ma- 
chine. Attached to it were six cables, of the size 
and length of a ship's cable, by which the people 
drew it along. Upon the tower were the priests 
and satellites of the idol surrounding? his throne. 
The idol is a block of wood, having a frightful 
visage painted black, with a distended mouth of a 
bloody color. His arms are of gold, and he is 
dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols 
are of a white and yellow color. Five elephants 
preceded the three towers, bearing towering Hags, 
dressed in crimson caparisons, and having bells 
hanging to their caparisons, which sounded musi- 
cally as they moved. 

" I went on in the procession close by the tower 
of moloch, which, as it was drawn with difficulty, 
'grated on its many wheels harsh thunder.'! After 

* See Milton's Pandemonium, book x. 

t Two of the military genthmen had mounted my ele- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 271 

a few minutes it stopped ; and now the worsliip of 
the god began. A high priest mounted the car in 
front of the idol, and pronounced liis obscene stan- 
zas in the ears of the people ; who responded at in- 
tervals in the same strain. ' These songs,' said he, 
' are the delight of the god. His car can only- 
move when he is pleased with the song.' The car 
moved on a little way and then stopped. A boy of 
about twelve years was then brought forth to at- 
tempt something yet more lascivious, if peradven- 
ture the god would move. The ' child perfected 
the praise ' of his idol with such ardent expression 
and gesture, that the god was pleased, and the 
multitude, emitting a sensual yell of delight, urged 
the car along. After a few minutes it stopped 
again. An aged minister of the idol then stood 

pliant that they might witness the spectacle, and had brought 
him close to the tower ; but the moment it began to move, 
the animal, alarmed at (he unusual noise, took fright and 
ran off through the crowd till he was stopped by a wall. 
The natural fear of the elephant lest he should injure hu- 
man life was remarkably exemplified on this occasion. 
Though the crowd was very closely set, he endeavored in 
the midst of his own terror to throw the people off on both 
sides with his feet, and it was found that he had only trod 
upon one person. It was with great concern I afterwards 
learnt that this was a poor woman, and that the fleshy part 
of her leg had been torn off. There being no medical per- 
son here, Lieut. Woodcock Vv'ith great humanity endeavored 
to dress the wound, and attended her daily; and Mr. Hun- 
ter ordered her to be supplied with every thing that might 
conduce to her recovery. 



272 MEMOia OF D3.. BUCHANAN. 

up, and with a long rod in his hand, which he mov- 
ed with indecent action, completed the variety of 
this disgusting exhibition. I felt a consciousness 
of doing wrong in witnessing it. I was also some- 
what appalled at the magnitude and horror of the 
spectacle ; I felt like a guilty person on whom all 
eyes were fixed, and I was about to withdraw. 
But a scene of a different kind was now to be pre- 
sented. The characteristics of moloch's worship 
are obscenity and blood. We have seen the former ; 
now comes the blood. 

•' After the tower had proceeded some way, a 
pilgrim announced that he was ready to offer him- 
self a sacrifice to the idol. He laid himself down 
in the road before the tower as it was moving 
along, lying on his face, with his arms stretched 
forwards. The multitude passed round him, leav- 
ing the space clear, and he was crushed to death 
by the wheels of the tower. A shout of joy was 
raised to the god. He ia said to s7nile when the 
libation of the blood is made. The people threw 
cowries, or small money, on the body of the vic- 
tim, in approbation of the deed. He was left to 
view a considerable time, and then carried by the 
Hurries to the Golgotha, where I have just been 
viewing his remains. How much I wished that the 
proprietors of India stock could have attended the 
wheels of Juggernaut and^een this peculiar source 
of their revenue." 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 273 

" JooGERNiUT, June 20, 

♦' Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood 
*' Of' human isacrifice, and parents' tears," 

Milton. 

The lionid solemnities still continue. Yes- 



terday a woman devoted herself to the idol. She laid 
herself down on the road in an oblique direction, 
so that the wheel did not kill her instantaneously, 
as is generally the case, but she died in a few 
hours. This morning as I passed the place of skulls 
nothing remained of her but her bones. 

" And this, thought I, is the worship of the Brah- 
mins of Hindostan ! And their worship in its 
sublimest degree ! What then shall we think of 
their private manners and their moral principles ! 
For it is equally true of India as of Europe. If you 
would know the state of the people, look at the 
state of the temple. 

" I was surprised to see the Brahmins, with their 
heads uncovered in the open plain, falling down in 
the midst of the Sooders before ' the horrid shape,* 
and mingling so complacently with ' that polluted 
cast.' But this proved what I had before heard, 
that so great a god is this that the dignity of high 
cast disappears before him. This great king recog- 
nizes no distinction of rank among his subjects. 
All men are equal in his presence." 



274 aiExMom of dr. buchanan. 

" JcoGERNAUT, June 21: 
" The idolatrous processions continue for some 
days longer, but my spirits are so exhausted by the 
constant view of these enormities, that I mean to 
hasten away from this place sooner than I at first 
intended. I beheld another distressing scene this 
morning at the place of skulls ; a poor woman ly- 
ing dead, or nearly dead, and her two children by 
her looking at the dogs and vultures which were 
near. The people passed by without noticing the 
children. I asked them where was their home. 
They said ' they had no home but where their mo- 
ther was.' O, there is no pity at Juggernaut ! no 
mercy, no tenderness of heart in moloch's king- 
dom ! Those who support his kingdom err, I trust, 
from ignorance. ' They know not what they do.' 

'* As to the number of worshippers assembled 
here at this time no accurate calculation can be 
made. The natives themselves, when speaking of 
numbers at particular festivals, usually say that a 
lack of people (100,000) would not be missed. I 
asked a Brahmin how many he supposed were pre- 
sent at the most numerous festival he had ever wit- 
nessed. * How can I tell,* said he, * how many 
grains there are in a handful of sand ]' 

" The languages spoken here are various, as 
there are Hindoos from every country in India, but 
the two chief languages in use by those who are 
resident are the Orissa and the Telinga. The bor- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 275 

der of the Telinga country is only a few miles dis 
tant from the tower of Juggernaut." 

" Chilka Lake, June 24, 

" I felt my mind relieved and happy when 

I had passed beyond the confines of Juggernaut. 1 
certainly was not prepared for the scene. But no 
one can know what it is who has not seen it. From 
an eminence on the pleasant banks of the Chilka 
Lake (where no human bones are seen) I had a 
view of the lofty tower of Juggernaut far remote ; 
and while I viewed it, its abominations came to 
mind. It was on the morning of the Sabbath. Ru- 
minating long on the wide and extended empire 
of moloch in the heathen world, I cherished in my 
thoughts the design of some christian institution, 
which, being fostered by Britain, my christian coun- 
try, might gradually undermine this baleful idola- 
try, and put out the memory of it for ever."* 

" Before proceeding to show the happy effects 
of Christianity in those provinces of India where it 

♦ The annual expenses of the idol Juggernaut, prese^ntcd 
tc the English governmc7it, are, by the cfRcial accounts, 
69,61G rupees, or 8,702 pounds sterling; including 36,115 
rupees for expense of the table of the idol, and 10,057 for 
wages of his servants, among whom are the courtezans 
kept for the service of the temple. Mr. Hunter informed 
me that the three " state carriages" were decorated this 
year (in June, 1806) with upwards of 200 pounds sterling 
worth of Ensrlish broadcloth and baize. 



276 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

has been introduced, it may be proper," says Dr. 
Buchanan in his narrative, " to notice in this place 
that other sanguinary rite of the Hindoo supersti- 
tion, the Female Sacrijice.'' 

He proceeds to present in detail a statement of 
" the number of women burned alive on the fune- 
ral pile of their husbands within thirty miles round 
Calcutta in six months, from " April 15 to October 
15, 1S04," the total of which is " one liuiidred imd 
fficen. The following account," he adds, " will 
give the reader some idea of the flagitious circum- 
stances which sometimes attend these sacrifices : 

" Calcutta, September 30, 1807. 

" A horrid tragedy was acted on the 12th instant, 
near Barnagore (a place about three miles above 
Calcutta.) A Koolin Brahmin, of Cammar-hattie, 
by name Kristo Deb Mookerjee, died at the ad- 
vanced age of ninety-two. He had twelve wives* 
and three of them were burned alive with his dead 
body. Of these three, one was a venerable lady, 
having white locks, who had been long known in 
the neighborhood. Not being able to walk, she 
was carried in a palanquin to the place of burning, 
and was then placed by the Brahmins on the fune- 
ral pile. The two other ladies were younger; one 

* The Koolin Brahmin is Ihe purest of all Brahmins, and 
is privileged to marry as many wives as he plea?es. 



rURTSTIAN RESEARCHES. 277 

cf tlicm of a very pleasing and interesting counte- 
nance. The old iad y was placed on one side of the 
dead husband, and the two other wives laid them- 
selves down on the other side ; and then an old 
Brahmin, the eldest son of the deceast;d, ap})lied 
Ilia torch to the pile with unaverted face ! The 
})ile suddenly blazed, for it was covered with com- 
l)ustibles; and this human sacrifice was completed 
amidst the din of drums arid cymbals, and the 
shouts of Brahmins. A person present observed, 
' Surely if Lord Minto were here, who is just come 
from England, and is not used to see women burn- 
ed alive, he would have saved these three ladies. 
The Mohammedan governors saved whom they 
pleased, and suffered no deluded female to commit 
suicide without previous investigation of the cir- 
cumstances and official permission. 

" In a discussion which this event has produced 
in Calcutta, the following question has been asked, 
Who was guilty of the blood of the old lady ? 
For it was manifest that she could not destroy her- 
self. She was carried to be burned. It was also al- 
leged that the Brahmin who fired the pile was not 
guilty, because he was never informed by the Eng- 
lish government that there was any immorality in 
the action. On the contrary, he might argue that 
tlie English witnessing this scene daily, as they do, 
without remonstrance, acquiesced in its propriety. 
The government of India was exculpated, on the 

Buclianaii. ~4 



273 MEMOIR OF DPw. BUCHANAN. 

ground that the governmenl at home never sent 
any instructions on the subject ; and the Court of 
Directors were exculpated because they were the 
agents of others. It remained that the proprietors 
of India stocks, who originate and sanction all pro- 
ceedings of the Court of Directors, were remotely 
accessary to the deed. 

" The best vindication of the great body of pro- 
prietors is this : that some of them never heard of 
the female sacrifice at all ; and that few of them are 
acquainted with the full extent and frequency of 
the crime. Besides, in the above discussion it was 
taken for granted that the Court of Directors had 
done nothing towards the suppression of this enor- 
mity ; and that the Court of Proprietors have 
looked on without concern at this omission of 
duty. But this, perhaps, may not be the case. The 
question then remains to be asked, Have the Court 
of Directors, at anytime, sent instructions to their 
government in India to report on the means by 
which the frequency of the female sacrifice might 
be diminished, and the practice itself eventually 
abolished ] Or have the. propiietors of India stock, 
at any time, instructed the Court of Directors to at- 
tend to a point of so much consequence to the charac- 
ter of the Company and the honor of the nation 7 

" That the abolition is practicable has been de- 
monstrated, and that too by the most rational and 
lenient measures ; and these means have been point- 
ed out bv the Brahmins themselves. 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 279 

" Hail Marquis Wellesley remainefl m India, and 
been permitted to complete his salutary plans for 
the improvement of that distant empire, (for lie did 
not finisli one half of the civil and political regula- 
tions which he had in view, and had actually com- 
menced,) the female sacrifice would probably have 
been by this time nearly abolished. The humanity 
and intrepid spirit of that nobleman abolished a yet 
more criminal practice, which was considered by 
the Hindoos as a religious rite, and consecrated by 
custom, I mean the sacrifice of children. His 
lordship had been informed that it had been a cus- 
tom of the Hindoos to sacrifice children, in conse- 
quence of vows, by drowning them, or exposing 
them to sharks and crocodiles; and that twenty- 
three persons had perished at Saugor in one month, 
(January, 1801,) many of whom were sacrificed in 
this manner. He immediately instituted an in- 
quiry into the principle of this ancient atrocity, 
heard what natives and Europeans had to say on 
the subject, and then passed a law, ' declaring the 
practice to be murder, punishable by death.' The 
law is entitled ' A Regulation for preventing the 
Sacrifice of Children at Saugor and other places, 
passed by the Governor General in Council on the 
20th of August, 1S02.' The purpose of this regu- 
lation was completely effected. Not a murmur 
was heard on the subject, nor has any attempt of 
the kind come to our knowledge since. It is im- 



2S0 ^LEMOia OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

possible to calculate the number of human lives 
that have been saved by this humane law of Mar- 
quis Wellesley. Now it is well known that it is as 
easy to prevent the sacrifice of women as the sa- 
crifice of children. Has this fact ever been denied 
by any man who is competent to offer a judgment 
on the subject 1 Until the supreme government in 
Bengal shall declare that it is utterly impracticable 
to lessen the frequency of the immolation of fe- 
males by any means, the author will not cease 

TO CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE ENGLISH NATION 



CHAPTER Vm. 



Christian HesearcTtes — Tanjore — Ceylon, 

Dr. Buchanan proceeding towards Madras, was 
seized with a partial relapse of fever j but being 
restored by the blessing of providence on the kind 
attentions of the natives into whose hands he had 

* It is gratifying to add, that laws have since been enact- 
ed prohibiting female sacrifice in BritiiJh India, though it 
continues in other parts of India with scarcely diminished 
frequency. 



CHRISTIAN' RESr:ARCnES. i-Sl 

fallen, he an ived at that city, and the capital of that 
jjresidency, on the 31st of July. He then proceeded 
to Tranquebar, where he dates from Ziegenbalg's 
church, August 25th. Of his visit to tliis spot, con- 
seciated by the memory of the first christian mis- 
sionaries to India, and of hia subsequent arrival and 
discoveries at Tanjorc, he has given, in his " Re- 
searches," the following narrative : 

" The first protcstant mission in India was 
founded by Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, a man of 
erudition and piety, educated at the university of 
Halle, in Germany. He was ordained by the learn- 
ed Burmannus, bishop of Zealand, -in his twenty- 
third year, and sailed for India in 1705, In the se- 
cond year of his ministry he founded a christian 
church among the Hindoos, which has been ex- 
tending its limits to the present time. In 1714 he 
returned to Europe for a short time, and on that 
occasion was honored with an audience by his ma- 
jesty George I. who took much interest in the suc- 
cess of the mission. He was also patronized by the 
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, which 
was superintended by men of distinguished learn- 
ing and piety. The king and the Society encou- 
rnged the oriental missionary to proceed in his 
translation of the Scriptures into the Tamul tongue, 
whicli they designated ' the grand work.' This was 
indeed THE grand work ; for wherever the Scrip- 
24* 



232 MEMOIR 01' DR. BUCHANAN. 

tures are translated into the vernacular tongue, and 
are open and common to all, inviting inquiry and 
causing discussion, they cannot remain ' a dead let- 
ter.' When the Scriptures speak to a heathen in 
his own tongue, his conscience responds, ' This is 
the v^^ord of God.' How little is the importance of 
a version of the Bible into a new language under- 
stood by some ! The man who produces a transla- 
tion of the Bible into a new language, (like Wick- 
liif, and Luther, and Ziegenbalg, and Carey,) is a 
greater benefactor to mankind than the prince who 
founds an empire. For the ' incorruptible seed of 
the word of God ' can never die. After ages have 
revolved, it is still producing new accessions to 
truth and human liappiness. 

" In the year 1719 Ziegenbalg completed the 
Bible in the Tamul tongue, having devoted four- 
teen years to the work, and the same year entered 
into his rest. After he had finished his course, he 
was follow^ed by other learned and zealous men, 
upwards of fifty in number in the period of an hun- 
dred years, among whom were Schultz, laenicke, 
Gericke, and Swartz, whose ministry has been 
continued in succession in different provinces unto 
this time. The following are extracts from the jour- 
nal of the author's tour through these provinces : 

" TfiANauEBAR, Aug. 25, 180G. 
" Tranquebar was the first scene of the protest- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 283 

ant mission in Imlia. Tiiere are at present three 
missionaries here superintending the Hindoo con- 
gregations. Yesterday I visited the churcli built by 
ZiEGENCAT.G. His body lies on one side of the al- 
tar, and that of" his fellow- missionary, Guundlv.r, 
on the other. Above are the epitaphs of both, writ- 
ten in Latin and engraved on plates of brass. The 
church was consecrated in 17 IS, and Ziegenbalg 
and his companion died in two years after. They 
laid the foundation for evangelizing India, and then 
departed, ' haviniT finished the work which was 
given them to do.' I saw also the dwelling-house 
of Ziegenbalg, in the lower apartment of which 
the registers of the church are still kept. In these 
I found the name of the first heathen convert re- 
ceived by him, and recorded in his own hand-writ- 
ing in the year 1707. 

'' In Ziegenbalg's church, and from the pulpit 
where he stood, I first heard the Gospel preached 
to a congregation of Hindoos in their own tongue. 
The missionaries told me that religion had suffered 
much in Tranquebar of late years from European 
infidelity. French principles had corrupted the 
Danes, and rendered them indifferent to their own 
religion, and therefore hostile to the conversion 
of the Hindoos. ' Religion,' said they, ' flourishes 
more among the natives of Tanjore and in other 
provinces where there are few Europeans, than 
here or at Madras ; for we find that European ex- 



284 MEMOIR OF DR. EUCIIANAN. 

ample in the large towns is the bane of christian 
instruction.' 

'' One instance of hostility to the mission they 
mentioned as having occurred only a few weeks 
before my arrival. On the 9th of July, 1756, the 
native christians at Tranquebar celebrated r jubilee, 
in commemoration of the ffdetU year since the 
christian ministers brought the Bible from Europe. 
The present year, 1S06, being the second fiftieth, 
preparations were made at Tranquebar for the se- 
cond jubilee on the 9th of last month; but the 
French principles preponderating in the govern- 
ment, they would not give it any public support ; 
in consequence of which it was not observed with 
that solemnity which was intended. But in other 
places, where there were few Europeans, it was 
celebrated by the native christians with enthusiasm 
and every demonstration of joy. When I expressed 
my astonishment at this hostility, the aged mis- 
sionary, Dr. John, said, ' I have always remarked 
that the disciples of Voltaire are the true enemies 
of missions, and that the enemies of missions are, 
in general, the disciples of Voltaire.' " 

«' Tanjore, Aug. 30, 180G. 
" On my entering this province I stopped an 
hour at a village near the road ; and there I first 
lieard the name of Swartz pronounced by a Hin- 
doo. Y/hen I arrived at the capital I waited on 



CHRISTIAN' liESEARCHES. 2SiJ 

'Major Blackbume, the British resident at the court 
of Tanjore, who informed me that the rajah had 
appointed the next day at 12 o'clock to leceive my 
visit. On the same day I went to Swartz's gar- 
den, close to the christian village, where the Rev. 
Mr. Kohloft' resides. Mr. Kohloft' is the worthy 
successor of Mr. Swarlz ; and with him I found 
the Rev. Dr. John and Mr. Horst, two other mis- 
sionaries who were on a visit to Mr. Kohloff. 

" Next day I visited the rajah of Tanjore, in 
company with Major Blackburne. When the first 
ceremonial was over, the rajah conducted us to the 
grand saloon, which was adorned by the portraits 
of his ancestors ; and immediately led me up to the 
portrait of Mr. Swartz. He then discoursed for a 
considerable time concerning that ' good man,* 
whom he ever revered as ' his father and guardian.' 
The rajah speaks and writes English very intelli- 
gibly. I smiled to see Swartz's picture amongst 
these Hindoo kings, and thought with myself that 
there are many who would think such a combina- 
tion scarcely possible. I then addressed the rajah, 
and thanked him, in the name of the church of 
England, for his kindness to the late Mr. Swartz, 
and to his successors, and particularly for his re- 
cent acts of benevolence to the christians residing 
within his provinces. The missionaries had just 
informed me that the rajah had erected ' a college 
for Hindoos, Mohammedans, and Christians ;' in 



2S6 MEMOIR OF DR. RUCIIANAN. ^ 

which provision was made for the instruction of 
^ fifty christian children.' His highness is very de- 
sirous that I should visit this college, which is only 
about sixteen miles from the capital. Having heard 
of the fame of the iincient Shanscrit, and Mahratta 
library of the kings of Tanjore, I requested his 
highness would present a catalogue of its volumes 
to the college of Fort William ; which he was 
pleased to do. It is voluminous, and written in 
the Mahratta character ; for that is the proper lan- 
guage of the Tanjore court. 

" In the evening I dined with the resident, and 
the rajah sent his band of music, consisting of eight 
or more vinas, with other instruments. The vina, 
or hee)i, is the ancient instrument which Sir Wil- 
liam Jones has described in his interesting descant 
on the musical science of the Hindoos, in the Asi- 
atic Researches, and the sight of which, he says, 
he found it so difficult to obtain in northern India. 
The band played the English air of ' God save the 
King,' set to Mahratta words, and applied to the 
Maha Rajah, or great king of Tanjore. Two of 
the missionaries dined at the resident's house, to- 
G^ether with some English officers. Mr. KohlofF 
informed me that Major Blackburne has promoted 
the interests of the mission by every means in his 
power. Major Blackburne is a man of superior 
attainments, amiable manners, and a hospitable dis- 
position ; and is well qualified for the important 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 287 

Station he has long held as English resident at this 
court. 

" On the day following I went to view the Hin- 
doo temples, and saw the great black bull of Tan- 
jore. It is said to be of one stone hewn out of a 
rock of granite, and so large that the temple was 
built around it. While I surveyed it I reflected on 
the multitude of natives, who, during the last hun- 
dred years, had turned away their eyes from this 
idol. When I returned I sat some hours with the 
missionaries, conversing on the general state of 
Christianity in the provinces of Tanjore, Tritchino- 
poly, Madura, and Palamcottah. They want help. 
Their vineyard is increased, and their laborers are 
decreased. They have had no supply from Germa- 
ny in the room of Swartz, laenicke, and Gericke ; 
and they have no prospect of further supply, except 
from the Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
ledge ; who, they hope, will be able to send out 
English preachers to perpetuate the mission." 

" Tanjore, Sept. 2, 1806. 
" Last Sunday and Monday were interesting 
days to me at Tanjore. It being rumored that a 
friend of the late Mr. Swartz had arrived, the peo- 
ple assembled from all quarters. On Sunday three 
sermons were preached in three different langua- 
ges. At eight o'clock we proceeded to the church 
built by Mr. Swartz within the fort. From Mr. 



2SS MEMOIR OF Bti. EUCHANAX. 

Swartz's pulpit I preached in English from Mark 
13; 10, 'And the Gospel must first be published 
among all nations.* The English gentlemen here 
attended, civil and military, with tlie missionaries, 
catechists, and British soldiers. After this service 
was ended, the congregation of Hindoos assembled 
in the same church and filled the aisles and porch- 
es. The Tamul service commenced with some 
forms of prayer, in which all the congregation 
joined with loud fervor. A chapter of the Bible 
was then lead. and a hymn of Luther's suncr. After 
a short extempore prayer, during v/hich the whole 
congregation knelt on the floor, the Rev, Dr. John 
delivered an animated discourse in the Tamul 
tongue, from these words, * Jesus stood and cried, 
saying, if any man thirst, let liim come to me and 
drink.' As Mr. Whitefield, on his first "-oino' to 
Scotland, was surprised at the rustling of the leaves 
of the Bible, which took place immediately on his 
pronouncing his text, (so different from any thing 
he had seen in his own country,) so I was surpris- 
ed here at the sound of the iron pen engraving 
the palmyra leaf. Many persons had their ollas in 
their hands writing the sermon in Tamul short- 
hand. Mr. Kohloil" assured me that some of the 
elder students and catechists will not lose a word 
of the preacher if he speak deliberately.* This, 

* It is well knoTvn that natives of Tanjore and Tra- 
vancore can write llnenfly v/hat is .spoken deliberately. 



CHKISTIAN lU.SLAnCIIES. 289 

ihoujjlit I, is more than some of the students at our 
English universities can do. This aptitude of the 
people to record the words of the preacher ren- 
ders it peculiarly necessary ' that the priest's lips 
should keep knowledge.' An old rule of the mis- 
sion is, that the sermon of the morning should bo 
read to the schools in the evening, by the c'atechist, 
from his palmyra leaf. 

'' Another custom obtains among th(ini which 
pleased me much. In the midst of the discourse 
the preacher sometimes puts a question to the con- 
gregation, who answer it without hesitation, in one 
voice. The object is to keep their attention awake, 
and the minister generally prompts the answer him- 
self. Thus, suppose that he is saying, ' My dear 
brethren, it is true that your profession of the faith 
of Christ is attended with some rejDroacb, and that 
you have lost your cast with the Brahmins. But 
your case is not peculiar. The man of the world is 
tlie man of cast in Europe, and he despises the 
humble and devout disciple of Christ, even as your 
Brahmin contemns the Sooder. But, thus it hath 
been from the beginning. Every faithful christian 
must lose cast for the Gospel ; even as Christ him- 
self, the Forerunner, made himself of no reputa- 
tion, and was despised and rejected of men. In 
like manner you will be despised ; but be of good 

They do not look much at their ollas while writing. The 
fibre of the leaf guides the pen. 

DiK'ituiiun. ^^ 



200 MICMOIR or DR. CUCIIAXAN. 

cheer, and say, tliough we have lost our cast and in- 
heritance arnonfTst men, we shall receive in heaven 
a new name and a better inheritance through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. He then adds, ' What, my be- 
loved brethren, shall you obtain in heaven V They 
answer, ' A new name and a better inheritance, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord.' It is impossible 
for a stranger not to be affected with this scene. 
This custom is deduced from Ziei^enbals^, who 
proved its use by long experience. 

'* After the sermon was ended I returned with 
the missionaries into the vestry or library of the 
church. Here I was introduced to the elders and 
catechists of the conorreo^ation. Anions^ others came 
Sattianaden, the Hindoo preacher, one of wliose 
sermons was published in England some years ago 
by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 
He is now advanced in years, and his black locks 
have orrovvn ofrav. As 1 returned from the church 
I saw the christian families going back in crowds 
to the country, and the boys looking at their ollas. 
What a contrast, thought I, is this to the scene at 
Jugfaernaut ! Here there is becoming: dress, hu- 
mane affections, and rational discourse. I see here 
no skulls, no self torture, no self-murder, no dogs 
/ and vultures tearing human flesh ! Here the chris- 
tian virtues are found in exercise by the feeble- 
minded Hindoo, in a vigor and purity which will 
surprise those who have never known the native 



CnniSTIAN r.ESEARCMES. 201 

character but miJer tlin j^eatest disadvnnlat^ep., as 
in Bengal. It certainly surprised myself, and ulieii 
1 reflected on llie moral conduct, upright dealinu:, 
and decoroiis manners of the native christians (»f 
Tanjore, T found in my breast a new evidence of 
the peculiar excellence and benign influence of 
the christian faith. 

*• At four o'clock in tlie afternoon we attended 
divine service at the chapel in the mission garden 
out of the fort. The Rev. Mr. Horst preached in 
the Portuguese language. The organ here accom- 
panied the voice in singing. I sat on a granite 
stone which covered the grave ^of Swartz. The 
epitaph is in English verse, written by the present 
rajah, and signed by him, ' Serfogee.' In the even- 
ing Mr. Kohloft' presided in the exercise in the 
schools, on which occasion the Tamul sermon was 
repeated, and the boys' ollas examined. 

'■ In consequence of my having expressed a 
wish to hear Sattianaden preach, Mr. Kohlofl" had 
given notice that there would be divine service 
next day, Monday. Accordingly the chapel in 
Swartz's garden was crowded at an early hour. 
.Sattianaden delivered his discourse in the Tamul 
language, with much natural eloquence, and witii 
visible effect. His subject was the ' marvellous 
light.' He first described the pagan darkness, then 
the light of Ziegenbalg, then the light of Swartz, 
and then the heavenlv light, ' when there shall be 



292 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCITAXAN. 

no more need of the light of the sun, or of the 
moon.' In quoting a passage from Scripture, he 
desired a lower minister to read it, listening to it 
as to a record ; and then proceeded to the illustra- 
tion. The responses by the audience were more 
frequently called for than in the former sermon. 
He concluded with praying fervently for the churcli 
<»f England. After the sermon I went up to Sattiana- 
den, and the old christians who had known Swartz 
came around us. They were anxious to hear some- 
thing of the progress of Christianity in the north of 
India. They said they had heard good news from 
Bengal. I told them that the news was good, but 
that Bengal was exactly a hundred years behind 
Tanjore. 

I have had long conversations with the mission- 
aries relating to the present circumstances of the 
Tanjore mission. It is in a languishing state at this 
moment, in consequence of the war on the conti- 
nent of Europe. Two of its sources have dried up, 
the royal college at Copenhagen, and the orphan 
house at Halle, in Germany. Their remaining re- 
source from Europe is the stipend of the Society 
for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; whom they 
never mention but with emotions of gratitude rmd 
affection. But this supply is by no means comnuMi- 
surate with the increasing number of their churches 
and schools. The chief support of the mission is 
derived from itself Mr. Swartz had in his life-time 



CHRISTIAN RESi:.vnciir.s. 293 

acquired a considerable property, through the kind- 
ness of the English government and of the native 
princes. When he was dying, he said, ' Let the 
cause of Christ be my heir.' When his colleague, 
the pious Gericke, was departing, he also bequeath- 
ed his property to the mission. And now Mr. Kohl- 
of!' gives from his private funds an annual sum ; 
not that he can well afford it; but the mission is 
so extended that he gives it, he told me, to pre- 
serve the new and remote congregations in exist- 
ence. He stated that there were upwards of ten 
thousand protestant christians belonging to the 
Tanjoi'e and Tinavelly districts alone, who had 
not among them one complete copy of the 
Bible ; and that not one christian perhaps in a 
hundred had a New Testament ; and yet there are 
some copies of the Tamul Scriptures still to be sold 
at Tranquebar ; but the poor natives cannot afford 
to purchase them. When I mentioned the designs 
of the Bible Society in England, they received the 
tidings with very sensible emotions of thankfulness. 
Mr. Hoist said, * If only every tenth person were 
to obtain a copy of the Scriptures, it would be an 
event long to be remembered in Tanjore.' They 
lamented much that they were destitute of the. aid 
of a -printing- press, and represented to me that the 
progress of Christianity had been materially retard- 
ed of late years by the want of that important aux- 
iliary. They have petitioned the Society for Pro- 
2o» 



294 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

rnoting Christian Knowledge to send them one. 
They justly observed, If you can no longer send us 
missionaries to preach the G ospel, send us the means 
of printing the Gospel. The Tranquebar mission 
and the Madras mission have both possessed print- 
ing-presses for a long period ; by the means of 
which they have been extensively useful in distri- 
buting the Scriptures and religious publications in 
several languages. The mission press at Tranque- 
bar was established by Ziegenbalg. From this 
press, in conjunction with that at Halle, in Germa- 
ny, have proceeded volumes in Arabic, Syriac, 
Hindostanee, Tamul, Telinga, Portuguese, Danish, 
and English. I have in my possession the Psalms 
of David in the Hindostanee language, printed in 
the Arabic character; and the History of Christ in 
Syriac, intended probably for the Syro-Romish 
christians on the sea-coast of Travancore, whom a 
Danish missicmary once visited — both of which vo- 
lumes were edited by the missionaries of Tranque- 
bar. There is also in Swartz's library at Tanjore 
a grammar of the Hindostanee language in quarto, 
published at the same press ; an important fact 
which was not known at the college of Fort Wil- 
liam when Professor Gilchrist commenced his use- 
ful labors in that language." 

" Tanjore, September 3, 1806. 
" Before I left the capital of Tanjore the rajah 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 29o 

was pleased to honor me with a second audience. 
On this occasion he presented to me a very strik- 
ing likeness, painted by a Hindoo artist at the Tan- 
jore court. The missionary Dr. John accompanied 
me to the palace. The rajah received him with 
much kindness, and presented to him a piece of 
gold cloth. Of the resident missionary Mr. Kohloff, 
whom the rajah sees frequently, he spoke to me in 
terms of high approbation. This cainiot be very 
agreeable to the Brahmins ; but the rajah, though ho 
yet professes the Brahminical religion, is no longer 
obedient to the dictates of the Brahmins, and they 
arc compelled to admit his superior attainments in 
knowledge. I passed the chief part of this morn- 
ing in looking over Mr. Swartz's manuscripts and 
books : and when I was coming away Mr. KohlofT 
presented to me a Hebrew Psalter, which had been 
Mr. Swartz's companion for fifty years ; also a brass 
lamp which he had got first when a student at the 
college of Halle, and had used in his lucubrations 
to the time of his death ; for Mr. Svvartz seldom 
'preached to the natives without jrrevioiis study. I 
thought I saw the image of Swartz in his successor. 
Mr. Kohloff is a man of great simplicity of man- 
ners, of meek deportment, of ardent zeal in the 
cause of revealed religion and of humanity. He 
walked with me through the christian village close 
to his house ; and I was much pleased to see the 
aflectionate respect of the people towards him ; the 



296 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

young people of both sexes comini^ forward from 
the doors, on both sides, to sahite him and receive 
his benediction." 

" September 4, 1806. 

" Leaving Tanjore, I passed through the woods 
inhabited by the collaries (or thieves) now human- 
ized by Christianity. When tliey understood who 
I was, they foilov/ed me on the road, stating their 
destitute condition in regard to religious instruc- 
tion. They were damoruua for Bibles. They sup- 
plicated for teachers. 'AVe don't want bread or mo- 
ney from you,' said they, ' but we want the word 
of God.' Now, thought 1, whose duty is it to attend 
to the moral wants of this people ] Is it that of the 
English nation, or of some other nation 1" 

" Tkitchinopoly, September 5. 
" The first church built by Swartz is at this place. 
It is called Christ's church, and is a large building, 
capable of containing perhaps two thousand peo- 
ple. The aged missionary, the Rev. Mr. Pohle, 
presides over this church, and over the native con- 
gregations at this place. Christianity flourishes; but 
I found that here, as at other places, there is a 
'famine of Bibles.' The jubilee was celebrated on 
the 9th of July, being the hundredth year from the 
arrival of the messengers of the Gospel. On this 
occasion their venerable pastor preached from 



CHRISTIAN RnsEARciirs. 297 

Matt. 2S : 19 ; ' Go ye therefore, and teacli all na- 
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' At tliis 
station there are about a thousand English troops. 
Mr. Pohle being a German, does not speak Eng- 
lish very well ; but he is reverenced for his piety 
by the English ; and both officers and men are 
glad to hear the religion of their country 'preached in 
any way. 0\\ a Sunday morning I preached in 
Christ's church to a full assembly, from these 
words, * For we have seen his star in the East, and 
are come to worship him.' Indeed what I had 
seen in these provinces rendered this text the most 
appropriate I could select. Next day some of the 
Eng^lish soldiers came to me, desirins: to know 
how they might procure Bibles. ' It is a delight- 
ful thin?,' said one of them, ' to hear our own reli- 
gion preached by our own countryman,' I am in- 
formed that there are at this time above twenty 
English regiments in India, and not one of them 
has a chaplain. The men live without religion, 
and then they bury each other. O England, Eng- 
land, it is not for thine own goodness that provi- 
dence giveth thee the treasures of India ! 

" I proceed hence to visit the christian churches 
in the provinces of Madura and Tinavelly." 

" The friends of Christianity in India have had 
it in their power to afford some aid to the christian 



298 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

churches In Tanjore. On the 1st ofJanuary of the 
present year (ISiO) the Rev. Mr. l^rown preached 
a sermon at Calcutta, in whicli he represented the 
petition of the Hindoos for Bibles. A plain state- 
ment of the fact was sufficient to open the hearts of 
the public. A subscription was immediately set 
on foot, and Lieut. General Hewitt, commander in 
chief, then deputy governor in Bengal, subscribed 
c£250. The chief officers of government and the 
principal inhabitants of Calcutta raised the sub- 
scription in a few days to the sum of c£1000 ster- 
ling. Instructions were sent to Mr. Kohloff to 
buy up all the copies of the Tamul Scriptures, to 
distribute them at a small price amongst the na- 
tives, and to order a new edition to be printed off 
without loss of time." 

On the 14th of September at Madura, where 
Dr. Buchanan '' passed three days among its ruins 
and antiquities," and which he says is " aline sta- 
tion for the Gospel," he addressed a letter to Mr. 
Grant, chiefly occupied with the state of missions 
supported by the Society for Promoting Christian 
Knowledge, which he had visited. Passing through 
Ramnad Pooram, he then visited the island of 
Ramisseram, " the Ju^Qrernaut of the south," and 
from thence crossed to Ceylon. His notices of that 
island embrace passages of his journal, written at 
Columbo, eighteen months later, as he was return- 
ing from Calcutta to England. 



CItniSTIAN RCSnARCIIES. 209 

" jArFNA-PATAM, in Ceylon, Sept. 27, ISOC. 

" From the Hindoo temple of Ramisseram 1 
crossed over to Ceylon, keeping close to Adam's 
bridge. I was surprised to find that all the boatmen 
were christians of Ceylon. 1 asked the helmsman 
what religion the English piofessed who now gov- 
erned the island. He said he could not tell, only 
that they were not of the Portiiguese or Dutch re- 
ligion, I was not so much surprised at his igno- 
rance afterwards as I was at the time. 

" I have had the pleasure to meet here with 
Alexander Johnstone, Esq. of the supreme court 
of judicature, who is on the circuit; a man of large 
and liberal views, the friend of learning and of 
Christianity. He is well acquainted with the lan- 
guage of the country and with the history of the 
island ; and his professional pursuits afford him a 
particular knowledge of its present state ; so that 
his communications are truly valuable. It will be 
scarcely believed in England that there are here 
protestant churches under the king's government 
which are without ministers. 

" In the time of Baldceus, the Dutch preacher 
and historian, there were thirty-two christian church- 
es in the province of Jaffna alone. At this time 
there is not one protestant European minister in 
the whole province. I ought to except Mr. Palm, 
a solitary missionary, who has been sent out by the 
London Society, and receives some stipend from 



300 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the British government. I visited Mr. Palm at his 
residence a few miles from the town of Jaffna. He 
is prosecuting the study of the Tamul language ; 
for that is the language of this part of Ceylon, from 
its proximity to the Tamul continent. Mrs. Palm 
has made as great progress in the language as her 
husband, and is extremely active in the instruction 
of the native women and children. I asked her if 
she had no wish to return to Europe, after living 
so long among the uncivilized Cingalese. ' No/ 
she said; ' she was all the day long happy in the 
communication of knowledge.' Mr. Palm has taken 
possession of the old protestant church of Tilli- 
pally. By reference to the history, I found it was 
the church in which Baldaeus himself preached (as 
he himself mentions) to a congregation of two 
thousand natives ; for a view of the church is given 
in his work. 

'' Most of those handsome churches, of which 
views are given in the plates of Baldaeus's history, 
are now in ruins. Even in the town and fort of 
Jaftha, where there is a spacious edifice for divine 
worship, and a respectable society of English and 
Dutch inhabitants, no clergyman has yet been ap- 
]>ointed. The only protestant preacher in the town 
of .Jaffna is Christian David, a Hindoo catechist 
sent over by the mission of Tranquebar. His chief 
ministrations are in the Tamul tongue ; but he 
sometimes preaches in the English language, which 



CHRISTIAN UESEARCHES. 301 

he speaks with tolerable propriety, and the Dutch 
and English resort to him. 1 went with the rest to 
his church ; when he delivered extempore a very 
excellent discourse, which his present majesty 
George III. would not have disdained to hear. And 
this Hindoo supports the interests of the English 
church in the province of Jaffna. The Dutch mi- 
nisters who formerly officiated here have gone to 
Hatavia or to Europe. The whole district is now 
in the hands of the Romish priests from the college 
of Goa, who, perceiving the indifference of the 
English nation to their own religion, have assumed 
quiet and undisturbed possession of the land. And 
the English government, justly preferring the Ro- 
mish superstition to the worship of the idol Boodha, 
thinks it rii^ht to countenance the catholic relitrion 
in Ceylon. But whenever our church shall direct 
her attention to the promotion of Christianity in 
the East, I know of no place which is more worthy 
of her labor than the old protestant vineyard of 
.raffna-patam. The Scriptures are already prepared 
in the Tamul language. The language of the rest 
of Ceylon is the Cingalese or Ceylonese." 

" CoLUMBo, in Ceylon, March 10, 1808. 
" I find that the south part of the island is 



in much the same state as the north, in regard to 
christian instruction. There are but two Enf^lish 
clergymen in the whole island. ' What wonder,' 

Buclianuii. -t) 



I 



302 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

said a Romish priest to me, ' that your nation 
should be so little interested about the conversion 
of the pagans to Christianity, when it does not even 
give teachers to its own subjects who are already 
christians V I was not surprised to hear that great 
numbers of the protestants every year go back to 
idolatry. Being destitute of a head to take cogni- 
zance of their state, they apostatize to Boodha, as 
the Israelites turned to Baal and Ashteroth. It is 
perhaps true that the religion of Christ has never 
been so disgraced in any age of the church as it 
has been lately by our official neglect of the pro- 
lestant church in Ceylon. 

" In returning from the country I passed through 
the groves of Chmamon, which extend nearly a 
mile in length. Ceylon is believed by some of the 
easterns, both Mohammedans and Hindoos, to have 
been the residence of the first man, (for the Hin- 
doos have a first man and a garden of Eden as 
well as the christians,) because it abounds in ' trees 
pleasant to the eyes and good for food,' and is 
famous for its rare metals and precious stones. 
' There is gold, bdellium, and the onyx-stone.' 
The rocky bridge which connects this happy island 
with the main land is called Adam's Bridge ; the 
lofty mountain in the middle of the island, every 
where visible, is called Adam's Peak ; and there 
is a sepulchre of immense length which they call 
Abel's Tomb. All these names were given many 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 303 

ages before the introduction of Christianity from 
Europe. The cinnamon trees love a sandy soil. 
The surface of the ground appeared to be entirely 
sand. I thought it wonderful that the most valua- 
ble of all trees should grow in luxuriance in such 
an arid soil without human culture. I compared 
them in my mind to the Ceylon christians in their 
present state, who are left to flourish by themselves 
under the blessing of heaven, without those exter- 
nal and rational aids which have been divinely ap- 
pointed to nourish the church of Christ." 

"CoLUMBo, March 11, 1808. 
" I have conversed with intelligent persons on the 
means of translating the Scriptures into the Cinga- 
lese laniruao^e. The whole of the New Testament 
has been translated, but only three books of the 
Old Testament. But even this portion has been 
translated almost in vain, for there is no supply of 
books for the use of the people. I reflected with as. 
tonishment on the fact that there are, by my com- 
putation, 500,000 natives in Ceylon professing Chris- 
tianity, and that there should not be one complete 
copy of the Holy Scriptures in the vernacular 
tongue. Samuel Tolfry, Esq. head of a civil de- 
partment in Columbo, is a good Cingalese scholar, 
and is now engaged in compiling a Cingalese dic- 
tionary. I proposed to him to undei take the com- 
pletion of the Cingalese version, which is easily 



304 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

practicable, as there are many learned Cingalese 
christians in Columbo. He professed himself ready- 
to engage in the work provided he should receive 
the sanction of the government. I mentioned to 
him a conversation I had had with General Mait- 
land, and his favorable sentiments on the subject ; 
and added, that a correspondence would be imme- 
diately commenced with him from Calcutta con- 
cerning the work, and funds apportioned for the 
execution of it. Alexander Johnstone, Esq. who is 
now in Columbo, has furnished me with his senti- 
ments on the best means of reviving and maintain- 
ing the protestant interest in Ceylon. Did his pro- 
fessional avocations permit, Mr. Johnstone is him- 
self the fit person to superintend the translation 
and printing of the Scriptures. It is a proof of the 
interest which this gentleman takes in the progress 
of christian knowledge, that he has caused Bishop 
Porteus' Evidences of Christianity to be translated 
into the Cingalee tongue, for distribution among 
the natives." 



CHAPTER IX. 

Syrian Christians in India, 

Dr. Buchanan having returned from Ceylon to 
the continent in October, lS06,his '' Christian Re- 



CHRISTIAN RESEAIICHES. 305 

searches" give the following highly interesting facts 
respecting the numerous Syrian churches in liidta : 

" The Syrian christians inhabit the interior of 
Travancore and Malabar, in the south of India ; and 
have been settled there from the early ages of 
Christianity. The first notices of this ancient people 
in recent times are to be found in the Portuguese 
histories. When Vasco de Gama arrived at Cochin, 
on the coast of Malabar, in the year 1503, he saw 
the sceptre of the christian king ; for the Syrian 
christians had formerly regal power in Malay-ala.* 
The name or title of their last king was Beliarte; 
and he dying without issue, the dominion devolved 
on the king of Cochin and Diamper. 

" When the Portuguese arrived they were agree- 
ably surprised to find upwards of a hundred chris- 
tian churches on the coast of Malabar. But when 
they became acquainted with the purity and sim- 
plicity of their worship they were offended. ' These 
churches,' said the Portuguese, ' belong to the 
pope.' ' Who is the pope V said the natives ; ' wc 
never heard of him.' The European priests were 

* Malay-ala is the proper name for the \vhole country of 
Travancore and Malabar, comprehending the territory be- 
tween the mountains and the sea, from Cape Comorin to 
Cape Illi or Dilly. The language of these extensive regions 
is called Malayalim, and sometimes Malabar. "VVe shall 
use the word Malabar, as being of easier pronunciation. 
26* 



306 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

yet more alarmed, when they found that these 
Hindoo christians maintained the order and disci- 
pline of a regular church under episcopal jurisdic- 
tion ; and that for thirteen hundred years past they 
had enjoyed a succession of bishops appointed by 
the patriarch of Antioch. ' We,' said they, ' are of 
the true faith, whatever you from the west may be ; 
for we come from the place where the followers 
of Christ were first called christians.' 

" When the power of the Portuguese became 
sufficient for their purpose, they invaded these 
tranquil churches, seized some of the clergy, and 
devoted them to the death of heretics. Then the 
inhabitants heard for the first time that there was a 
place called the inquisition ; and that its fires had 
been lately lighted at Goa, near their own land. 
But the Portuguese, finding that the people were 
resolute in defending their ancient faith, began to 
try more conciliatory measures. They seized the 
Syrian bishop Mar Joseph and sent him prisoner 
to Lisbon : and then convened a synod at one of the 
Syrian churches called Diamper, near Cochin, at 
which the Romish archbishop Menezes presided. 
At this compulsory synod one hundred and fifty 
of the Syrian clergy appeared. They were accused 
of the following practices and opinions : * That they 
had married wives ; that they owned hut two sacra- 
ments, baptism and the hordes supper; that they 
neither invoiced sai?its, nor worshipped images, no? 



CIIRISTI.W RESEARCHES. 3C7 

believed in jmrgatury : and that they had no other 
orders or names of dignity in the church than bi>liop, 
priest, and deacon.' These tenets they were called 
on to abjure, or to suffer suspension from all church 
benefices. It was also decreed that all the Syrian 
books on ecclesiastical subjects that could be found 
should be burned ; ' in order,' said the inquisitors, 
' that no pretended apostolical monuments maij re- 
main.^ 

" The churches on the sea-coast were thus com- 
pelled to acknowledge the supremacy of the pope : 
but they refused to pray in Latin, and insisted on 
retaining their own language and liturgy. This 
point they said they would only give up with their 
lives. The pope compromised with them : Menezes 
purged their liturgy of its errors : and they retain 
their Syriac language, and have a Syriac college 
unto this day. These are called the Syro-Romaii 
churches, and are principally situated on the sea- 
coast. 

" The churches in the interior would not yield 
to Rome. After a show of submission for a little 
while, they proclaimed eternal war against the in- 
quisition ; they hid their books, fled occasionally to 
the mountains, and sought the protection of the 
native princes, who had always been proud of their 
alliance. 

" Two centuries had elapsed without any parti- 
cular information concerning the Syriau christiarj3 



303 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

in the interior of India. It was doubted by many 
whether they existed at all ; but if they did exist, 
it was thought probable that they must possess some 
interesting documents of christian antiquity. The 
author conceived the design of visiting them, if prac- 
ticable, in his tour through Hindostan. He pre- 
sented a short memoir on the subject in 1805, to 
Marquis Wellesley, then Governor General of In- 
dia ; who was pleased to give orders that every fa- 
cility should be afforded to him in the prosecution 
of his inquiries. About a year after that nobleman 
had left India, the author proceeded on his tour. It 
was necessary that he should visit first the court 
of the rajah of Travancore, in whose dominions the 
Syrian christians resided, that he might obtain per- 
mission to pass to their country. The two chief ob- 
jects which he proposed to himself in exploring the 
state of this ancient people were these : First, to 
investigate their literature and history, and to col- 
lect biblical manuscripts. Secondly, if he should 
find them to be an intelligent people, and well ac- 
quainted with the Syriac Scriptures, to endeavor 
to make them instruments of illuminating the 
southern part of India, by engaging them in trans- 
lating their Scriptures into the native languages. 
He had reason to believe that this had not yet been 
done ; and he was prepared not to wonder at the 
delay, by the reflection how long it was before his 
own countrymen began to think it their duty to 



CHRISTIAN RESEAIlCIirS. ',]()0 

make versions of the Scriptures lor the use of other 
nations. 

" Palace of Travancore, Oct. 19, 180C. 
" I have been now a week at the palace of Tri- 
vanduram, where the rajah resides. A letter of in- 
troduction from Lieut. Colonel Macaulay, the Bri- 
tish resident at Travancore, procured me a proper 
reception. At my first audience his highness was 
very inquisitive as to the objects of my journey. 
As I had servants with me of different casts and 
languages, it was very easy for the Brahmins to 
discover every particular they might wish to know 
in regard to my profession, pursuits, and manner 
of life. When I told the rajah that the Syrian chris- 
tians were supposed to be of the same religion 
with the English, he said he thought that could not 
be the case, else he must have heard it before ; if 
however it was so, he considered my desire to visit 
them as being very reasonable. I assured his high- 
ness that their Shaster and ours was the same, and 
showed him a Syriac New Testament which I had 
at hand. The book being bound and gilt after the 
European manner, the rajah shook his head and 
said he was sure there was not a native in his do- 
minions who could read that book. I observed that 
this would be proved in a few days. The dewan 
(or prime minister) thought the character something 
like what he had seen sometimes in the houses of 



310 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

the Sooriani. The rajah said he would afford me 
every faciHty for my journey m his power. He put 
an emerald ring on my linger, as a mark of his 
friendship, and to secure me respect in passing 
through his country ; and he directed his dewan to 
send proper persons with me as guides. 

" I requested that the rajah would be pleased to 
present a catalogue of all the Hindoo manuscripts 
in the temples of Travancore to the college of Fort 
William in Bengal. The Brahmins were very averse 
to this; but when I showed the rajah the cata- 
logues of the books in the temples of Tanjore, 
given by the rajah of Tanjore, and those of the 
temple of Ramisseram, given me by order of the 
rannie (or queen) of Ramnad ; he desired it might 
be done : and orders have been sent to the Hindoo 
college of Trichoor for that purpose."* 

" Chinganoor, a Church of the Syrian 

Christians, Nov. 10, 1806. 

" From the palace of Travancore I proceeded 
to Mavely-car, and thence to the hills at the bottom 
of the his^h grhauts which divide the Carnatic from 
Malay-ala. The face of the country in general, in 
the vicinity of the mountains, exhibits a varied 

* These three catalogues, together with that of the rajah 
of Cochin, which the author procured afterwards, are now 
deposited in the college of Fori William, and probably 
contain all the Hindoo literature of the south of India. 



CHRISTIAN RLS£.iRCHES. 311 

Bcene of liill and dale and winding streams. These 
streams fall from the mountains and preserve the 
vallies in perpetual verdure. The woods produce 
pepper, cardamoms, and cassia, or common cinna- 
mon ; also frankincense and other aromatic gums. 
What adds much to the grandeur of the scenery in 
this country is, that the adjacent mountains of Tra- 
vancore are not barren, but covered w^ith forests of 
teak wood — the Indian oak, producing, it is said, 
the largest timber in the world. 

" The first view of the christian churches in this 
sequestered region of Hindostan, coimected with 
the idea of their tranquil duration for so many 
ages, cannot fail to excite pleasing emotions in the 
mind of the beholder. The form of the oldest 
buildings is not unlike that of some of the old pa- 
rish churches in England ; the style of building in 
both being of Saracenic origin. They have sloping 
roofs, pointed arch windows, and buttresses sup- 
porting the walls. The beam.s of the roof being 
exposed to view are ornamented, and the ceiling 
of the choir and altar is circular and fretted. In the 
cathedial churches the shrines of the deceased bi- 
shops are placed on each side of the altar. Most 
of the churches are built of a reddish stone, squar- 
ed and polished at the quarry ; and are of durable 
construction, the front wall of the largest edifices 
being six feet thick. The bells of the churches are 
cast iu the founderics of the countrv r some of 



312 MEMOIR OF Dll. BUCHANAN'. 

them arc of large dimensions, and have inscriptions 
in Syriac and Malay-alim. In approaching a towii 
in the evening, I once heard the sound of the bells 
among the hills; a circumstance which made me 
forget for a moment that I was in Hindostan, and 
reminded me of another country. 

" The first Syrian church which I saw was at 
Mavely-car : but the Syrians here are in the vici- 
nity of the Romish christians, and are not so sim- 
ple in their manners as those nearer the mountains. 
Tliey had been often visited by Romish emissaries 
in former times : and they at lirst suspected that I 
belonged to that communion. They had heard of 
the English, but strangely supposed that they be- 
longed to the church of the pope in the west. 
They had been so little accustomed to see a friend, 
that they could not believe that I was come with 
any friendly purpose. Added to this, 1 had some 
discussions with a most intelligent priest in regard 
to the original language of the four Gospels, which 
he maintained to be Syriac; and they suspected, 
fiom the complexion of my argument, that I wish- 
ed to weaken the evidences for their antiquity.* 

* ' You concede,' said the Syrian, ' that our Saviour spoke 
in our language ; how do you know it^' From Syriac ex- 
pressions in the Greek Gospels. It appears that he spoke 
Syriac when he walked by the way (Ephphatha,) and -when 
he sat in the house (Talitha Cumi,) and when he was upon 
the cross (Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani.) The Syrians were 
pleased when they heard that we had got their language in 



CHRISTIAN RKSfLirXIIES. 313 

Soon however the gluom and suspicion siibsiJed ; 
they gave ine tlie right hand of fellowship in the 
primitive manner ; and one of their number was 

ourEngHsh books. The priest observed that these last tvere 
not the exact words, but 'Ail, Ail, himono sabachthani.' T 
answered that the word must hav^e been very like Eli, fur 
one said, ' He calleth for Elian.'' '• True,' said he, ' but yet it 
■vvas more likely to be yli7, Ail, (pronounced II or Eel,) lor 
//iZ, or Uila, i.s old Syriac for vinegar ; and one thought he 
-wanted vinegar, and filled immediately a sponge with it. 
Bui our Saviour did not want the medicated drink as they 
supposed. But,' added he, • if the parables and discourses of 
our Lord were in Syriac, and the people of Jerusalem com- 
monly used it, is it not marvellous that his disciples did not 
record his parables in the Syriac language, and that they 
should have recourse to the Greek V I observed that the 
Gospel was for the world, and the Greek was then the uni- 
versal language, and therefore Providence selected it. ' It 
is very probable,' said he, ' that the Gospels were translated 
immediately afterwards into Greek, as into other langua- 
ges ; but surely there must have been a Syriac original. 
The poor people in Jerusalem could not read Greek. Had 
they no record in their hands of Christ's parables which 
they had heard, and of his sublime discourses recorded by 
St. John after his ascension V I acknowledged that it was 
generally believed by the learned that the Gospel of St. 
Matthew was written originally in Syriac. ' So you admit 
St. Matthew 7 You may as well admit St. John. Or was one 
Gospel enough for the inhabitants of Jerusalem % I con- 
tended that there were many Greek and Roman words in 
their own Syriac Gospels. ' True,' said he, ' Roman words 
for Roman things.' They wished, however, to see some of 
these words. The discussion afterwards, particularly in re- 
ference to the Gospel of St. Luke, was more in my favor, 

Buchanan. *• 



k 



314 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

deputed to accompany me to the churches in the 
interior. 

'' When we were approaching the church of 
Chinganoor, we met one of the cassanars, or Syrian 
clergy. He was dressed in a white loose vestment 
with a cap of red silk hanging down behind. Be- 
ing informed who he was, I said to him in the Sy- 
riac language, ' Peace be unto you.' He was sur- 
prised at the salutation ; but immediately answered, 
' The God of peace be with you.' He accosted the 
rajah's servants in the language of the country to 
know who I was ; and immediately returned to the 
village to announce our approach. When we ar- 
rived I was received at the door of the church by 
three kasheeshas, that is presbyters, or priests, who 
were habited in like manner in white vestments. 
Their names were Jesu, Zecharias, and Urias, 
which they wrote down in my journal, each of 
them adding to his name the title of kasheesha. 
There were also present two shumsJianas, or dea- 
cons. The elder priest was a very intelligent man, 
of reverend appearance, having a long white beard, 
and of an affable and engaging deportment. The 
three principal christians or lay elders belonging 
to the church were named Abraham, Thomas, and 
Alexandros. After some conversation with my at- 
tendants they received me with confidence and af- 
fection ; and the people of the neighboring villages 
came round, women as well as men. 



CIIRISTI;VN RESEARCHES. 315 

" The slc^ht of the women assured me tliat I was 

o 

once more (after a long absence from England) in 
a christian country. For the Hindoo women, and 
the Mohammedan women, and in short all women 
who are not christians, are accounted by the men 
an inferior race ; and, in general, are confined to 
the house for life, like irrational creatures. In every 
countenance now before me I thought -I could dis- 
cover the intelligence of Christianity. But at the 
same time I perceived, all around, symptoms of 
poverty and political depression. In the churches 
and in the people there was the air of fallen great- 
ness. I said to the senior priest, ' You appear to 
me like a people who have known better days.' 
* It is even so,* said he ; * we are in a degenerate 
state compared with our forefathers.' He noticed 
that there were two causes of their present decay. 
' About three hundred years ago an enemy came 
from the west bearing the name of Christ, but 
armed with the inquisition, and compelled us to 
seek the protection of the native princes. And the 
native princes have kept us in a state of depression 
ever since. They indeed recognize our ancient 
personal privileges, for we rank in general next to 
the nairs, the nobility of the country ; but they have 
encroached by degrees on our property, till we 
have been reduced to the humble state in which 
you find us. The glory of our church has passed 
away ; but we hope your nation will revive it again.* 



516 MEMOIR. OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" I observed that ' the glory of a cliurcli could 
never die, if it preserved the Bible.' ' We have 
preserved the Bible/ said he ; ' the Hindoo princes 
never touched our liberty of conscience. We were 
formerly on a footing with them in political power ; 
and they respect our religion. We have also con- 
verts from time to time ; but in this christian duty 
we are not so active as we once were : besides, it is 
not so creditable now to become christian in our 
low estate.' He then pointed out to me a Nam- 
boory Brahmin, (that is, a Brahmin of the highest 
cast,) who had lately become a chiistian, and as- 
sumed the white vestment of a Syrian priest. ' The 
learning too of the Bible,' he added, * is in a low 
state amongst us. Our copies are few in number, 
and that number is diminishing instead f)f increas- 
ing ; and the writing out a whole copy of the sacred 
Scriptures is a great labor where there is no profit 
and little piety.' I then produced a printed copy 
of the Syriac New Testament. There was not one 
of them who had ever seen a printed copy before. 
They admired it much ; and every priest, as it came 
into his hands, began to read a portion, which he 
did fluently, while the women came around to hear. 
I asked the old priest whether I should send them 
some copies from Europe. ' They would be worth 
their weight in silver,' said he. He asked me whe- 
ther the Old Testament was printed in Syriac as 
well as the New. I told him it was, but 1 had not 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 317 

a copy. They professed an earnest desire to obtain 
some copies of the whole Syriac Bible, and asked 
whether it would be practicable to obtain one copy 
for every church. ' I must confess to you,' said 
Zecharias, ' that we have very few copies of the 
prophetical Scriptures in the church. Our church 
languishes for want of the Scriptures.' But he add- 
ed, ' the language that is most in use among the 
people is the Malayalim, (or Malabar,) the verna- 
cular language of the country. The Syriac is now 
only the learned language and the language of the 
church : but we generally expound the Scriptures 
to the people in the vernacular tongue.' 

" I then entered on the subject of the transla- 
tion of the Scrijytia'cs. He said ' a version could 
be made with critical accuracy ; for there were 
many of the Syrian clergy who were perfect mas- 
ters of both languages, having spoken them from 
their infancy. ' But,' said he, ' our bishop will re- 
joice to see you, and to discourse with you on this 
and other subjects.' I told them that if a transla- 
tion could be prepared, I should be able to get it 
printed, and distribute copies among their fifty-five 
churches at a small price. ' That indeed would give 
joy,' said old Abraham. There was here a murmur 
of satisfaction among the people. If I understand 
you right, said I, the greatest blessing the English 
church can bestow upon you is the Bible. ' It is 
so,' said he. ' And what is the next greatest V said I. 
27* 



318 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

' Some freedom and personal consequence as a 
people :' by which he meant political liberty. ' We 
are here in bondage like Israel in Egypt.' I ob- 
served that the English nation would doubtless re- 
cognize a nation of fellow-christians, and would be 
happy to interest itself in their behalf as far as our 
political relation with the prince of the country 
would permit. They wished to know what were 
the principles of the English government, civil and 
religious. I answered that our government might 
be said to be founded generally on the principles 
of the Bible. 'Ah,' said old Zecharias, ' that must 
be a glorious government which is founded on the 
principles of the Bible.' The priests then desired 
I would give them some account of the history of 
the English nation, and of our secession from their 
enemy the church of Rome. And in return I re- 
quested they would give me some account of their 
history. 

" My communications with the Syrians are ren- 
dered very easy, by means of an interpreter whom 
I brought with me all the way from the Tanjore 
country. He is a Hindoo by descent, but is an in- 
telligent christian, and was a pupil and catechist 
of the lale Mr. Swartz. The Rev. Mr. Kohloff" re- 
commended him to me. He formerly lived in Tra- 
vancore, and is well acquainted with the vernacu- 
lar tongue. He also reads and writes English very 
well, and is as mucli interested in favor of the Sy- 



CHRISTIAN RrSEAltCIlES. 319 

rian christians as I myself. Besides Mr. Swartz's ca- 
techist, there are two natives of Travancore here, 
who speak the Hindostanee language, which is fa- 
miliar to me. My knowledge of the Syriac is suffi- 
cient to refer to texts of Scripture ; but I do not 
well understand the pronunciation of the Syrians. 
1 hope to be better acquainted with their language 
before I leave the country." 

" Rannhel, a Syrian Church, Nov. 12, 1806; 
" This church is built upon a rocky hill on the 
banks of the river, and is the most remote of all 
the churches in this quarter. The two kasheeshas 
here are Lucas and Mattai (Luke and Matthew.) 
The chief lay members are Abraham, Georgius, 
Thoma, and Philippus. Some of the priests accom- 
pany me from church to church. I have now visit- 
ed eight churches, and scarcely believe sometimes 
that I am in the land of the Hindoos, only that I 
now and then see a Hindoo temple on the banks 
of the river. I observed that the bells of most of 
the churches were within the building, and not in 
a tower. The reason they said was this. When a 
Hindoo temple happens to be near a church, the 
Hindoos do not like the bell to sound loud, for they 
say it frightens their god. I perceive that the Syri- 
an christians assimilate much to the Hindoos in the 
practice of frequent ablutions for health and clean- 
liness, and in the use of vegetables and light food 



320 MEMOIR OF DE. BUCHANAN. 

*' I attended divine service on Lord's day. Their 
liturgy is that which was formerly used in the 
churches of the patriarch of Antioch. During the 
prayers there were intervals of silence ; the priest 
praying in a low voice, and every man praying for 
himself These silent intervals add much to the so- 
lemnity and appearance of devotion. They use in- 
cense in the churches ; it grows in the woods 
around them ; and contributes much, they say, to 
health, and to the warmth and comfort of the church 
during the cold and rainy season of the year. At 
the conclusion of the service a ceremony takes 
place which pleased me much. The priest (or bi- 
shop, if he be present) comes forward, and all the 
people pass by him as they go out, receiving his 
benediction individually. If any man has been 
guilty of any immorality, he does not receive the 
blessing ; and this, in their primitive and patri- 
archal state, is accounted a severe punishment. In- 
struction by preaching is little in use among them 
now. Many of the old men lamented the decay of 
piety and religious knowledge, and spoke with 
pleasure of the record of ancient times. They have 
some ceremonies nearly allied to those of the 
Greek church. 

" The doctrines of the Syrian christians are few 
in number, but pure, and agree in essential points 
with those of the church of England : so that, al- 
though the body of the church appears to be igno- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 521 

rant, ami furmal, and dead, there are individuals 
\vho are alive to righteousness, who are distinguish- 
ed from the rest by their purity of life, and are 
sometimes censured for too rigid a piety. 

*' Tlie following are the chief doctrines of this 
ancient church : 

'' 1. They hold the doctrine of a vicarious atone- 
ment for the sins of men by the blood and merits 
of Christ, and of the justification of the soul before 
God ' by faith alone' in that atonement. 

" 2. They maintain the regeneration, or new birth 
of the soul to righteousness, by the influence of the 
Spirit of God, which change is called in their books, 
from the Greek, the metanoia, or change of mind. 

" 3. In regard to the trinity, the creed of the Sy- 
rian christians accords with that of St. Athanasius, 
but without the damnatory clause. In a written 
and official communication to the English resident 
of Travancore, the metropolitan states it to be as 
follows : 

'^ We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, three persons in one God, neither confound- 
ing the persons nor dividing the substance, one in 
three, and three in one. The Father generator, the 
Son generated, and the Holy Ghost proceeding. 
None is before or after the other; in majesty, ho- 
nor, might, and power, co-equal ; unity in trinity, 
and trinity in unity.' He then proceeds to disclaiui 
the different errors of Arius, Sabellius, Macedo- 



322 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

nius, Manes, Marcianus, Julianus, Nestoriu3, and 
the Chalcedonians ; and concludes, ' That in the 
appointed time, through the disposition of the Fa- 
ther and the Holy Ghost, the Son appeared on 
earth for the salvation of mankind ; that he was 
born of the Virgin Mary, through the means of the 
Holy Ghost, and was incarnate God and man.* 

'* In every church, and in many of the private 
houses, there are manuscripts in the Syriac lan- 
guage : and I have been successful in procuring 
some old and valuable copies of the Scriptures and 
other books, written in different ages and in dif- 
ferent characters." 

" Cande-nad, a church of the Syrian christians, 
November 23, 1806. 

" This is the residence of Mar Dionysius, the 
metropolitan of the Syrian church. A great num- 
ber of the priests from the other churches had as- 
sembled, by desire of the bishop, before my arrival. 
The bishop resides in a building attached to the 
church. I was much struck with his first appear- 
ance. He was dressed in a vestment of dark red 
silk ; a large golden cross hung from his neck, and 
his venerable beard reached below his girdle. Such, 
thought I, was the appearance of Chrysostom in 
the fourth century. On public occasions he wears 
the episcopal mitre, and a muslin robe is thrown 
over his under-garment ; and in his hand he bears 



CllttlaTlAN HESEARCUES. 323 

the crosier, or pastoral staiT. He is a man of high- 
ly respectable character in his church, eminent for 
his piety, and for the attention he devotes to his 
sacred functions. I found him to be far superior in 
general learning to any of his clergy whom I had 
yet seen. He told me that all my conversations 
with his priests since my arrival in the country had 
been communicated to him. ' You have come,' said 
he, ' to visit a declining church, and I am now an 
old man : but the hope of its seeing belter days 
cheers my old age, though I may not live to see 
them.* I submitted to the bishop my wishes in re- 
gard to the translation and printing of the Holy 
Scriptures. ' I have already fully considered the 
subject,' said he, ' and have determined to super- 
intend the work myself, and to call the most learn- 
ed of my clergy to my aid. It is a work which will 
illuminate these dark regions, and God will give 
it his blessing.' I was much pleased when I heard 
this pious resolution of the venerable man ; for I 
had now ascertained that there are upwards of 
200,000 christians in the south of India, besides 
the Syrians, who speak the Malabar language. The 
next subject of importance in my mind was the 
collection of useful manuscripts in the Chaldaic 
and Syriac languages ; and the bishop was pleased 
to say that he would assist my inquiries and add to 
my collection. He descanted with great satisfac- 
tion on the hope of seeing printed Syriac Bibles 



324 MEMOIR OP DK. EUCUANAN- 

from England, and said they would be ' a treasure 
to his church.' " 

Of the preceding account of Dr. Buchanan's first 
visit to the coast of Malabar, the following letter 
to Mr. Henry Thornton comprises a brief but ani- 
mated sketch, which, notwithstanding the repeti- 
tion of a few particulars, will not, it is presumed, 
prove uninteresting to any : 

" Cochin, December 24, 1806. 

" Dear Sir, — In August or September last I ad- 
dressed a letter to you from the pagoda of Sering- 
ham, near Tritchinopoli. Since that period I have 
visited Ceylon, and. many places in southern Coro- 
mandel and in the province of Malabar. I passed 
a week at the palace of the rajah of Travancore, 
who aids me very liberally in all my pursuits. The 
Brahmins and present minister had taught the 
young man (he is only twenty-five) to oppress the 
christians. But he promises milder treatment in 
future. This favorable change is produced by the 
exertions of Colonel Macaulay, the resident, who, 
I am happy to say, is much alive to the interests 
of religion. 

" From the sea-coast I proceeded into the inte- 
rior of the country, to visit the ancient Syrian chris- 
tians who inhabit the hills at the bottom of the great 
mountains of Malayala. The weather was cool and 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 325 

pleasant. The country is picturesque and highly 
cultivated, diversified with hill and dale and wind- 
insf streams. These streams fall from the moun- 
tains, and preserve the vallies in perpetual verdure. 
The christians received me courteousl}', seeing I 
travelled in some state, escorted by the rajah*s ser- 
vants* But when they found my object was to look 
into their books and religion, they surveyed me 
with doubtful countenance, not well understanding 
how an Englishman could have any interest in the 
christian religion. And the contrary was only prov- 
ed to them by long and serious discussion, and by 
the evidence of facts which for the first time came 
to their knowledge. But when their doubts had 
been dispelled, they sent deputies with me, who 
introduced me to all the other churches. No Eu- 
ropean, or even Romish priest, had ever, as they 
told me, visited that remote region. There are no 
Romish churches in its vicinity, and the rajah gives 
no permission to Europeans to travel into the in- 
terior of his country. 

" The Syrian is still their sacred language, and 
some of the laymen understand it; but the Malay- 
alim is the vulgar tongue. I proposed to send a 
Malayalim translation of the Bible to each of the 
churches ; and they assured me that every man 
who could wiite would be glad to make a copy for 
his own family. They also tigreed to establish 
schools in each paiish for christian instruction, 

Bychauan. *^ 



326 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

which are to be under the direction of the four 
chief elders of each parish, and in which the Bible 
in the vulgar tongue is to be a principal class-book. 

'' Their doctrines are not, in essentials, at vari- 
ance with those of the church of England. They 
desire an union, or at least such a connection ag 
may be practicable or desirable for the better ad- 
vancement of the interests of Christianity in India, 

" As to manuscripts, I have succeeded far be- 
yond my most sanguine expectations. 

" It had been supposed that the Roman Catholics 
had destroyed in 1599 all the Syrian books. But it 
appears that they did not destroy one copy of the 
Bible; and I have now in my possession some MSS. 
of the Scriptures of a high antiquity. The collation 
of these with our western copies is very interest- 
ing. There are some other MSS. which were not 
condemned by the synod of Menezes. I have also 
found some old Hebrew MSS. biblical and hisr 
torical. 

" It is sufficiently established by the concurrence 
of oral tradition with written records, that the Jews 
were on this coast before the christian era. 

" I propose to send home some Syrian youth ta 
England for education and ordination, if practica- 
ble. And I take with me to Bengal a Malayalim, a 
Syrian, and a Jewish servant. They will, however, 
be but nominal servants. I should have engaged 
them as rqqonshces ; but I see there is no college 
now in Bengral. 



CllRISTfAM ftESEARCHES. 327 

" The Roman Catholics here were at first very 
jealous of my attention to the Syrians. The Romish 
bishop, however, who is a hurt vivant* perceiving 
that my chief object was to diffuse the Scriptures 
among the people, began to think that it might be 
politic in him to circulate thern among his people 
too, and to please the English rather than the in- 
cj^uisition. Colonel Malcaulay thinks the bishop will 
adopt the measure the moment we seriously pro- 
pose it. He lives in some state, and fires a salute 
of eleven guns on occasion. 

" Cochin is rich in Hebrew literature, and I am 
purchasing what is to be sold. 

" The rajah of Cochin has followed the example 
of the rajahs of Travancore, of Tanjore, and the 
ranny of Ramnad, and Ramisseram, in giving me 
catalogues of the Shanscrit books in the temples. I 
hope the Coorga rajah will do the same. 

" This opening of the pagodas is a new scene in 
India. Mr. Swartz was the remote instrument. He 
opened the rajah of Tanjore's heart; and the rajah 
of Tanjore opened the pagodas, those chambers of 
imagery, the emblem of the heart. 

" The rajah of Tanjore wishes me to visit him 
again. If practicable, I shall open a correspondence 
^ith him. 

" I propose to leave this coast in a fortnight, and 

* Good liver. 



328 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAJT. 

proceed to Bombay, from whence I shall probably 
go across to Benares, and thence down to Calcutta 
by the Ganges. 

" Having arrived at the extreme boundary of my 
tour, and accomplished its object, I thought it 
would be acceptable to you to have some short no- 
tices of it. Be pleased to tell Mr. Newton that I 
am well. I wrote him a long letter from Tanjore. 
It is with pleasure 1 see that, amidst the agitations 
of the world, he is tranquil, and at peace, and near- 
ly arrived at the haven where he would be. Mar 
Dionysius, the bishop of the Syrians in the moun^ 
tains, has somewhat of Mr. Newton's manner and. 
appearance ; only that the bishop has a venerable 
long beard, which reaches below his girdle, an<i 
through which you may see a large gold cross beam- 
ing at intervals. He is now seventy-eight years of 
age, amiable in his temper, and devout according 
to his knowledge. 

" I read at this place, in Hayley^s third volume, 
Cowper's correspondence with Mr. Newton, and 
was pleased to see the name of the good man ho- 
nored. 

" I remain, dear sir, 

*^ Very sincerely yours, 

" C. Buchanan." 



CHRISTIAN' RESEARCHES. 329 



CHAPTER X. 



*fcic8 in India. 

We proceed to give, from the pen of Dr. Bu- 
chanan himself, the results of his " Researches " 
respecting the Jews in India. 

'* There are three remarkable prophecies con- 
cerning the Jews : 

1. '' * The children of Israel shall abide many- 
days without a king, and withoiit a prince, and 
without a sacrifice, and without an image, and 
without an ephod, and without teraphim.' Hosea, 
3 : 4. 

2. " * The Loi'd shall scatter thee amcmg all peo- 
ple, from the one end of the earth even unto the 
oilier,' Deut. 29 : 64 ; and yet 'the people shall 
dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned amongst the 
nations.' Numbers, 23 : 0. 

3. '* ' Thou shalt become an astonishment, a pro- 
verb, and a by-word among all the nations whither 
the Lord shall lead thee. Among these nations 
thou shalt find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy 
foot have rest.' Deut. 28 : 37, 65. 

" The first of these prophecies is very remarka- 
ble ; ^ox whoever heard of a nation ' abiding many 



330 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

days ^ without its civil. and religious polity, and sur- 
viving its political existence I The very assertioa 
seems to involve an absurdity. Did the Egyptians, 
Chaldeans, Greeks, or Romans survive their civil 
and religious polity i 

" The second prediction is not less singular thar> 
the former ; for if the Jews v/ere to be received 
among the nations of the earth, why should they 
not ' be reckoned with the nations ]' Would any 
man, in a remote age, venture to foretell that there 
was a certain nation which, in- the ages to come, 
would be received and tolerated by all other na- 
tions merely to be persecuted I 

"But the third prophecy is such as must afford 
a contemplation to infidelity to the- end of time* 
The Jews were to- become ' aa astonishment, and 
a proverb, and a by-word among all nations,' be- 
cause they shed the blood of the Saviour of the 
world. Now it is not surprising that christians 
should reproach them for such a crime.. But how 
should we expect that they would be * trodden 
down of the heathen world ' who never heard of 
such a Saviour 1 Behold the Hindoo at this day 
punishing the Jew without knowing the crime of 
which he has been guilty ! 

" These three prophecies have been manifestly 
fulfilled ; and if we had no other evidence, this is 
sufficient to prove ' that there is a God, and that hev 
hath made a revelation to man.* ^ 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 331 

" There- is a fourth propliecy concerning thia^ 
people whicli will shortly be accomplished. The 
prophet Hosea, after foretelling that the children of 
Israel should abide many days without a king, adds- 
these words: 'Afterward shall they return and-^ 
seek the Lord their God, and David their king;.' 
and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the lat- 
ter days." Hosea, 3 : 5. 

" Tlie question which is now in the mouth of 
every christian, is that which was asked in the vi- 
sion of the prophet Daniel on the same subject r 
' How lone: shall it be to the end of these wonders V 
Daniel, 12 : 6. AVhen shall the ' indignation against 
the holy people be accomplished 1' Daniel, 11 : 31 ; 
that they may ' return and seek the Lord their 
God, and David their king.' 

" To Daniel the prophet, and to John the evan- 
gelist, was given a revelation of the g>'eat events 
of the general church to the end of time. Daniel 
foretells that the christian church shall be oppress- 
ed by the persecuting powers for ' a time, times, 
and the dividing of a time.' Daniel, 7 : 25. The 
same f)eriod he assigns for the accomplishment of 
the indignation against the holy people Israel. 
* One said, How long shall it be to the end of these 
wonders ? And I heard the man clothed in linen, 
which was upon the waters of the river, when he 
held up his right hand and his left hand unto hea- 
ven, and sware by Hira that liveth for ever, that it 



J32 MEMOIR OP I5R. BtCUANAN. 

shall be for a ti?ne, times aiid' a half; and when he 
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of 
the holy people, all these things shall be fulfilled/ 
Daniel, 12 : 7. Now the same form of words is 
used in the Revelation of St. John to express the-- 
duration of the papal and Mohammedan powers. 
Oppressed by them, the church of Christ was to- 
remain desolate in the wilderness ' ^ov du time ^ times f 
and half of ^timeJ Rev. 12 : 14. Every one who 
is erudite in sacred prophecy will understand that 
this great period of Daniel and St. John commen-^ 
ces at the same era, namely, the rise of the perse- 
cuting powers, and that its duration is 1,260 years. 

" Here then are three great events hastening ta 
their period — the extinction of the papal dominion ; 
the subversion of the Mohammedan por/er ; and 
' the accomplishment of the divine indignation 
against the holy people,'- or the return of the people 
of Israel ' to seek the Lord their God, and David 
their king.' 

*' Our blessed Saviour has not left an event of 
this importance without notice. ' The Jews,' saitb 
he, ' shall be led away captive into all nations ; and 
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles, 
until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke, 
21: 24. What these ' times of the gentiles' are, our 
Lord has explained in his subsequent revelation to 
St. John. ' The court which is without the temple 
is given unto the gentiles ; and the holy city shall 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHED. 333 

tliey tread under foot forty and two months /' or, in 
prophetical language, at a day for a year, 12C0 
years. Rev. 1 1 ; 2. 

" The apostle Paul has also recorded this event. 
' I would not, brethren, that yc should be ignorant 
of this mystery, that blindness, in part, is happened 
to Israel, until the fulness of the gentiles be come 
in ; and so all Israel shall be saved.' Rom. II : 25. 
The fulness of time for the conversion of the gen- 
tiles will be come in, when the Mohammedan and 
papal obstructions are removed. Such events as 
the fall of the pope in the West, and of Moham- 
med in the East, both of whom persecuted the 
Jews to death, will probably be the means of 
awakening the Jews to consider the evidences of 
that religion which predicted the rise and fall of 
both. 

" But the grand prophecy of the apostle Paul 
on this subject, is that which respects the canse^ 
qucnce of the conversion of the Jews. ' The re- 
ceiving of the Jews,* saith he, ' what shall it be 
to the world but life fiom the dead V Rom. 11 : 15. 
Dispersed as they are in all countries, and speak- 
ing the languages of all countries, they will form a 
body of preachers ready prepared ; and they need 
only say, ' Behold the Scriptures of God in our 
possession ; read our history there, as foretold three- 
thousand years ago, and read the events in the an- 
nals of nations. We are witnesses to the world. 



^'34 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN\ 

And the world to us. Let the whole race 6f man- 
kind unite and examine the fact.' ' All ye inhabi- 
tants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see 
ye, when the Lord lifteth up an ensign on the moun- 
tains; and when he bloweth a trumpef, hear ye.' 
Isaiah, 18 : 3. Thus will their preaching be to the 
world ' life from the dead.' 

" But if the conversion of Israel is to take place 
when the papal and Mohammedan powers have 
fallen, (and who does not see that these events are 
near at hand 1) it might be expected that some" 
signs of conciliation between Jews and christians 
would now begin to be visible. And is not this the 
fact '? Christians in all countries bes^in to consider 
that ' the indignation' against the holy people' iS 
nearly accomplished. Many events dieclare it. The 
indignation of man is relaxing. The prophecies 
have been fulfilled regarding it. The great crime at 
Calvary has been punished by all nations ; and we 
BOW hear the words of the prophet addressing us, 
' Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your 
God ; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry 
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her 
iniquity is pardoned.' Isaiah, 40 : 1. This is the di-^ 
vine command. And behold, christians begin now, 
for the first time, to ' speak comfortably to Jeru- 
salem.' 

" While the author was in the East, the state of 
fche Jews, who are dispersed in different countries. 



CHRISTIAN nESEARClIES. 335 

frequently occuj^ied his thoughts. He had heard 
that they existed in distinct colonies in certain parts 
of India ; that some of them had arrived long be- 
fore the chiistian era, and had remained in the 
midst of llie Hindoos, to this time, a distinct and 
separate people, persecuted by the native princes, 
from age to age, and yet not destroyed ; ' burning,' 
like the bush of Moses, and * not consumed;' and 
lie had a strong desire ' to turn aside and see thi^; 
great sight.' His mind was impressed with the con- 
viction that their preservation, in such a variety of 
regions, and under such a diversity of circumstan- 
ces, could be only effected by the interposition of 
divine providence, which reserved them, thus dis- 
tinct, for some special and important purpose. And 
since the period of time for the accomplishment of 
this purpose was considered by many to be fast ap- 
proaching, he wished to hear the sentiments of the 
Jews from their own lips, and to learn their actual 
impressions as to tlieir present circumstances and 
future hopes. 

"' 111 his memorial respecting the Syrian chris- 
tians, presented to Marquis Wellesley, the author 
also noticed the existence of an ancient colony of 
Jews on the coast of Malabar, particularly at Co- 
chin ; and as this place had recently become a part 
of the British emf)ire, by conquest from the Dutch, 
Lord William Bentinck, then governor of Madras, 
who had received letters from the supreipe govern* 



336 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ment, was pleased to direct the civil officer, who 
had charge of the department of Cochin, to afford 
him every aid in the prosecution of his researches. 
His first tour to Cochin was in November, 1S06, 
and he remained in the country till February, 1807. 
He again visited it in January, 1S08. He has only 
room here to introduce a few notes from his Jour- 
nal." 

" CocHrN, Feb. 4, 1807. 
" I have now been in Cochin, or its vicinity, for 
upwards of two months, and have got well ac- 
quainted with the Jews. They do not live in the 
city of Cochin, but in a town about a mile distant 
from it, called Jews' Town. It is almost wholly in- 
habited by the Jews, who have two respectable 
synagogues. Among them are some very intelligent 
men, who are not ignorant of the present history 
of nations. There are also Jews here from remote 
parts of Asia, so that this is the fountain of intelli- 
gence concerning that people in the East; there 
being constant communication by ships with the 
Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the mouths of the 
Indus. The resident Jews are divided into two 
classes, called the Jerusalem, or White Jews, and 
the ancient, or Black Jews. The White Jews reside 
at this place. The Black Jews have also a syna- 
gogue here ; but the great body of that tribe inha- 
bit towns in the interior of the province. I have 
now seen most of both classes. My inquiries refer- 



CHRISTIAN KLSEAUCIIES. 337 

red cliiefly lo their antiqiiitf/^ theii- mnnusrript.s^ and 
their sentiments concerning the 'present state of their 
nation. 

The Jerusalent, or IV/iitc Jews. 

'* On my inquiry into the antiquity of th(3 AV^iiitc 
Jews, they first delivered to me a narrative, in the 
Hebrew lunj^uagc, of their arrival in India, which 
has been handed down to them from their fathers ; 
and then exhibited their ancient brass pb.te, con- 
taining their charter and freedom of residence 
given by a king of Malabar. The following is the 
narrative of the events relating to their first arrival : 

" * After the second temple was destroyed, 
(which may God speedily rebuild !) our fathers, 
dreading the conqueror's wrath, departed from Je- 
rusalem, a numerous body of men, women, priests, 
and Levites, and came into this land. There were 
among them men of repute for learning and wis- 
dom ; a!id God gave the people favor in the sight 
of the king who at that time reigned here, and he 
granted them a place to dwell in, called Cranga- 
nor. He allowed them a patriarchal jurisdiction 
within the district, with certain privileges of nobi- 
lity ; and the royal grant was engraved, according 
to the custom of those days, on a plate of brass. 
This was done in the year from the creation of the 

Buchanan. «•*' 



.>38 MEMOm OF DR. DUCnANAN. 

world 4250, (A. D. 190,) and this plate of brass we 
stiU liave in possession. Our forefathers continued 
at Cranganor for about a thousand years, and the 
number of heads who governed were seventy-two. 
Soon after our settlement other Jews followed us 
from Judea ; and among these came that man of 
great wisdom, Rabbi Samuel, a Levite of Jerusa- 
lem, with his son. Rabbi Jehuda Levita. They 
brought with them the silver trumpets made use of 
at the time of the Jubilee, which were saved when 
the second temple was destroyed ; and we have 
heard from our fathers that there were engraven 
upon those trumpets the letters of the ineffable 
Name. There joined us also from Spain and other 
places, from time to time, certain tribes of Jews 
who had heard of our prosperity. But, at last, dis- 
cord arising among ourselves, one of our chiefs 
called to his assistance an Indian king, who came 
upon us with a great army, destroyed our houses, 
palaces, and strong holds ; dispossessed us of Cran- 
ganor, killed part of us, and carried part into cap- 
tivity. By these massacres we were reduced to a 
small number. Some of the exiles came and dwelt 
at Cochin, where we have remained ever since, 
suffering great changes from time to time. There 
are amongst us some of the children of Israel 
(Beni-Israel,) who came from the country of Ash- 
kenaz, from Egypt, from Tsoba, and other places, 
besides those who formerly inhabited this country.* 



CHRISTIAN UESEARCHES. 339 

" Tlie native annals of Malabar confiiTn the foro- 
g(jing account in tlie princi[)al circumstances, as do 
the Moliammedan histories of the later ages; for 
the Mohammedans have been settled here in great 
numbers since the cightli century. 

" The desolation of Cranganor the Jews de- 
scribe as being like the desolation of Jerusalem in 
miniature. They were first received into the coun- 
try with some favor and confidence, agreeably to 
the tenor of the general prophecy concerning the 
Jews ; for no country was to reject them : and after 
they had obtained some wealth, and attracted the 
notice of men, they were precipitated to the lowest 
abyss of human suffering and reproach. The reci- 
tal of the sufferings of the Jews at Cranganor re- 
sembles much that of tlie Jews at Jerusalem, as 
given by Joseph us. 

" I now requested they would show me their 
brass plate. Having been given by a native king, 
it is written, of course, in the Malaharic language 
and character; and is now so old that it cannot be 
well understood. The Jews preserve a Hebrew 
translation of it, which they presented to me : but 
the Hebrew itself is very difficult, and they do not 
agree among themselves as to the meaning of some 
words. I have employed, by their permission, an 
engraver at Cochin, to execute a fac-simile of the 
original plate, on cf)pper. This ancient docuraen: 



340 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN* 

begins in the following manner, according to the 
Hebrew translation :* 

" ' In the peace of God, the King, which hatlr 
made the earth according to his pleasure. To this 
God, I AIRVl BHAHMIN, have lifted up my 
liand, and have granted by this deed, which many 

Imndred thousand years shall run, I, dwelling 

in Cranganor, have granted, in the thirty-sixth year 
of my reign, in the strength of power I have grant- 
ed, in the strength of power I have given in inhe- 
ritance, to JOSEPH RABBAN' 

'' Then follow the privileges of nobility ; such as 
permission to ride on the elephant j to have a he- 
rald to <?o before to announce the name and disTii- 
ty ; to have the lamp of the day ; to walk on carpets 
spread upon the earth > and to have trumpets and 
cymbals sound before him. King Airvi then ap- 
points Joseph Rabban to be ' chief and governor 
of the houses of congregation (the synagogues) and 
of certain districts, and of the sojourners in them.' 
What proves the importance of the Jews at the 
period when this grant was made, is, that it i^ 
signed by seven kings as witnesses. ' And to this- 
are witnesses, king Bivada Cubertin Mitadin, and 
he is king of Travmn^ore. King Airle Nada Mana 

* The original is engraved on both sides of the plate, the- 
fac-simile fonr>s two plates. These, with the Hebrew trani«- 
iation, are now deposited in the public library at the uni- 
versity of Cambridge, 



CHRMTIAN RESVrAIl^'lIES^ 241 

Vikriin, an(3 he is the Samnrin. Kinc^ ^*el()da Xada 
Archarin Shatii>, and he is king of Argot.'' Tlie 
remaining four kings are those of Palgatcheri/, Co- 
lastri, Carhinath, and Varac/ia/fgur. Tliere is no 
date in this document, further than wJiat nujy he 
collected from the reigu of the piince and the 
names of the royal witnesses. Dates are not usual 
in old Malabaric writings^ One fact is evident, that 
the Jews must have existed a considerable time in 
the country before they could have obtained such 
a grant. The tradition before mentioned assigns 
for the date of the transaction, the year of the cre- 
ation 4250, which is, in .Jewish computation, A. 1). 
490. It is well known that the famous Malabaric 
king, Ceram Fcrumal, made grants to the Jews, 
christians, and Mahommedans during his reign ; 
but that prince flourished in the eighth or ninth 
centur}'. 

The Black Jews, 

'* It IS only necessary to look at the countenance 
of the Black Jews to be satisfied that their ances- 
tors must have arrived in India many ages before 
the White Jews. Their Hindoo complexion, and 
their very imperfect resemblance to the European 
Jews, indicate that they were detached from the 
parent stock in Judeamany years before the Jews 
in the west, and that there have been intermarria- 
29* 



342 MEMOIR OF DR. BtfC IfANX'I*. 

ges with families not Israelltish. I ba-d lieTJrtd tliat 
those tribes which had passed the Indus have as- 
similated so much to the customs and habits of the 
countries in which they live, that they may be 
sometim-es seen by a traveller v/ithcmt being recog- 
nized as Jews. In the interior towns of Malabar I 
was not always able to distinguit>h the J ew froHV 
the Hindoos. I hence perceived how easy it may 
be to mistake the tribes of Jewish descent amoiig' 
the AfTghans and other nations in the northern- 
parts of Hindostan. The White Jews look upo» 
ihe Black Jews as^an inferior race, and as not of a 
'jmre cast ; which plainly demonstrates that they 
do not spring from a common stook in India.- 

" Th« Black Jews communicated to me much 
interesting intelligence concerning their brethren, 
the ancient Israelites,- in the East ;- traditional in- 
deed in its nature, but in' general illustrative of 
true history. They recounted the names of many 
other small colonies resident in northern India, 
Tartary, and China, and gave me a written list of 
sixty-jive places, I conversed with those who had 
lately visited many of these stations, and were 
about to return again. The Jews havfe a never- 
ceasing communication with each other in the East. 
Their families indeed are generally stationary, be- 
ing subject to despotic princeSybut the men move 
tnuch about in a commercial capacity, and the same 
individual will pass through many extensive coun- 



ClfftlSTIAN RESEARCHES. o W* 

tries ; so that when any thing interesting to the 
nation of the Jews takes place, tiie rumor \vil^ 
pass rapidly throihghout all Asia-. 

" I inqirired concerning their brethren, the Teni 
Tribes, They sai<l that it was- commoi'ily belicve«i 
among them, that the great body of the [sraclite.s- 
are to be ftmnd in ('haldea, and in the^onntries' 
contiguous to it, being the very places whither they 
were first carried into captivrty j that some few fa- 
milies hail migrated into regions more remote, bs 
to Cochin and Kaj^^poor, in India, and to other' 
places yet farther to the E>ast ; but that the bulk 
of the nation, thougli now much reduced in num- 
ber, had not to this day removed two tliousanc^ 
miles from Samaria. 

" Among the Black Jcavs I could not find many 
copies- of the Bible. They informed me that in 
certain places of the remote dispersion their 
brethren have but some small portions of the Scrip- 
tures, and that the i^roplmtkal books were rare ; 
but that they themselves, from their vicinity to the 
White Jews, have been supphed, from time to 
time, with thfe whole of the Old Testament. 

*' From these communications I plainly perceive 
the important duty which now devolves on chris- 
tians possessing the art of j^rbdlng, to send to the 
Jews in the East copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, 
and particularly of ihe prophctkal books. If only 
the prophecies of haialt and Daniel were publish- 



344 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCHANAN. 

ed among them, the effect might be great. They 
do not want the law so mach. But the prophetical 
books w^ould appear among them with some no- 
velty, particularly in a detached form, and could 
be easily circulated through the remotest part 
of Asia. 

*' I have had many interesting conferences with 
the Jews'^n the subject of their present state ; and 
have been much struck with two circumstances, 
their constant reference to the "DESOLATION of 
Jerusalem, and their confident hope that it will be 
one day REBUILT. The desolation of the Holy 
City is ever present to the minds of the Jews, 
when the subject is concerning themselves as a 
nation ; for, though without a king and without a 
country, they constantly speak of the uyiity of their 
nation. Distance of time and place seems to have 
no effect in obliterating the remembrance of the 
desolation. I often thought of the verse in the 
Psalms, ' If I forget thee» O Jerusalem, let my 
right hand forget her cunning.' They speak of Pa- 
lestine as being close at hand, and easily accessible. 
It is become an ordinance of their rabbins in some 
places, that when a "man builds a new house, he 
shall leave a small part of it unfinished, as an em- 
blem of ruin, and write on it these words, Zecher 
Lacliorchan, i. e. In MEMORY of the DESO- 
LATION. 

" Their hopes of rebuilding the walls of Jerusa- 



CHRISTIAN nEsr-Artcucsf. "io 

1cm llie third and /r/A/ time, under the auspices of 
tlic Messiah, or of a second Cyrus before his coui- 
ing, are always expressed with great Confidence. 
They have a general impression that the period of 
their hberation from the heathen is not very re- 
mote; and they consider the present commotions 
in the earth as gradually loosening their bonds. ' It 
is,' say they^ ' a sure sign of our appfoaching re- 
storation, that in almost all countries there is a ^e- 
nrml relaxation of the persecution against us.' I 
pressed strongly upon them the propliecies of Da- 
niel. In fofmer times that prophet was not in re- 
pute among the Jews, because he predicted the 
coming of the Messiah at the end of ' the seventy 
weeks;' and his book his been actually removed 
from the list of prophetic writings, and remains to 
this day among the Hd^iograplia, such as Job, the 
Psalms, the Proverbs, Ruth ; but he now begins to 
be popular among those who have studied him, be- 
cause he has predicted that the final ^accomplish- 
ment of the indignation against the holy people ' 
is near at hand. The strongest argument to presa 
upon the mind of a Jew, at this period, is to ex- 
]ilain to his conviction Daniel's period of 1260 
years ; and then to show the analogy which it bears 
to the pei-iod of the Evangelist John, concerning 
the papal and Mohammedan powers, with the state 
of which the Jews are well acquainted. 

" 1 passed throngh the burial ground of the 



346 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Jews the other day. Some of the tombs are hand- 
somely constructed, and have Hebrew inscriptions 
in prose and verse. This mansion of the dead is 
called by the Jews, Beth Haiim, or ' The House of 
the Living!' 

" Being much gratified with my visit to the Jews 
of Malabar, and desirous to maintain some commu- 
nication with them, I have engaged a very respect- 
able member of their community to accompany 
me with his servant to Bengal, and to remain with 
me in the capacity of Hebrew Tnoonshee, or teacher, 
nntil my return to England. Observing that in the 
houses of the White Jews there are many volumes 
of printed Hebrew, mostly of the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries, which are rarely met with in Eng- 
land, I have employed MlsraJti, that is the name of 
my moonshee, to collect some of the most va- 
luable. 

'* At the beginning of the following year, (ISOS) 
the author visited Cochin a second time, and pro- 
ceeded afterwards to Bombay, where he had an op- 
portunity of meeting with some very intelligent 
men of the Jewish nation. They had heard of his 
conferences with the Cochin Jews, and were desi- 
rous to discuss certain topics, particularly the pro- 
phecies of Isaiah ; and they engaged in them with 
far more spirit and frankness, he thought, tharf their 
brethren at Cochin had done. They told him that 
if he would take a walk to the bazar in the suburb. 



ciiRi.sTiAN RnsnARciiLa. 347 

without tlio walls of Bombay town, lie would find 
a synagogue without a Scpher Tora, or Book of'the 
Law. He (lid so, and found it to be the case. The 
minister and a few of the Jews assembled and 
showed hitn their synagogue, in which there were 
some loose leaves of prayers in manuscript^ but no 
Book of the Law. The author did not understand 
that they disapproved of the Law'; but they had 
no copy of it. They seemed to have little know- 
ledge of the Jewish Scriptures or history. This only 
proved what he had been often told, that small 
portions of the Jewish nation melt away from time 
to time, and are absorbed in the mass of the heathen 
world. Nor is this any argument against the truth 
of the prophecy, which declares that they should 
remain a separate and distinct people ; for these 
are mere exceptions. Conversions to Christianity in 
the early ages would equally militate against the 
prediction taken in an absolute sense." 

" The tribes of Israel are no longer to he inquired 
after hy name. The purpose for which they were 
once divided into tribes was accomplished when 
the genealogy of the Messiah was traced to the 
stem of David. Neither do the Israelites them- 
selves know certainly from what families they are 
descended. And this is a chief argument against 
the Jews, to which the author never heard that a 
Jew could make a sensible reply. The tribe 



34S MEMOIR OF Dll. BUCHANAN. 

of Jiulah was selected as that from which the 
Messiah should come ; and behold, the Jews do 
7Wt know which of them arc of the tribe of Judah ! 

" When the author mentioned that it was the 
opinion of some that the ten tribes had migrated 
from the Chaldean provinces, he was asked to what 
country we supposed they had gone, and whether 
we had ever heard of their moving in a great army 
on such an expedilion. 

" It will be easy perhaps to show that the great 
body of the ten tribes remain to this day in the 
countries to which they were first carried captive. 
If we can discover where they were in the first 
century of the christian era, which was seven hun- 
dred years after the carrying away to Babylon, 
and again where they were in the fifth century, we 
certainly may be able to trace them up to this 
time. 

" Joseph us, who wrote in the leign of A'^espa- 
sian, recites a speech made by king Agrippa to 
the Jews, wherein he exhorts them to submit to 
the Romans, and expostulates with them in these 
words : * What, do you stretch your hopes beyond 
the river Euphrates % Do any of you think that 
your fellow-tribes will come to your aid out of 
Adiahene ? Besides, if they would come, the Par- 
thian will not permit it.' Jos. de Bell. lib. ii. c. 28. 
We learn from this oration, delivered to the Jews 
themselves, and by a king of the Jews, that the 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES 3iO 

ten tribes were tlien captive in Media, under the 
Persian princes. 

"In tlie fifth century, Jerome, author of the Vul- 
gate, treating of the dispersed Jews, in his Notes 
upon ITosea, has these words : ' Unto this day tlie 
ten tribes are subject to the kings of the Per- 
sians, nor lias their captivity ever been loosed.* 
Tom. vi. p. 7. And again he says, * The ten 
tribes inhabit at this day the cities and mountains 
of the Medes.' Tom. ^^. p. SO. 

" There is no room left for doubt on this subject. 
Have we heard of any expedition of the Jews 
' going forth from that country, since that period, 
like the Goths and Huns, to conquer nations?* 
Have we ever heard of their rising in insurrection 
to burst the bands of their captivity ] To this day, 
both Jews and christians are generally in a state of 
captivity in these despotic countries. No family 
dares to leave the kingdom without permission of 
ihc kinjr."* 

o 

Mohammedanism reduced the number of the 
Jews exceedingly : it was presented to them at the 
point of the sword. We know that multitudes of 
christians received it ; for example, * the seven 
churches of Asia;' and we may believe that an 
equal proportion of Jews were proselyted by the 

* Joseph Emin, a christian well known in Calcutta^ 
wished to bring his family from Ispahan ; but he could not 
effect it, though our government interested itself in his 
behalf. 

Buchanan. 30 



350 BIEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

same means. In the provinces of Cashmlre and 
Aflgbanistan some of the Jews submitted to great 
sacrifices, and they remain Jews to this day : but 
the greater number yielded, in the course of ages, 
to the power of the reigning religion. Their coun- 
tenance, their language, their names, their rites 
and observances, and their history, all conspire to 
establish the fact.* We may judge, in some de- 
gree, of the number of those who would yield to 
the sword of Mohammed, and conform, in appear- 
ance at least, to what was called a sister religion^ 
from the number of those who conformed to the 
christian religion, under the influence of the inqui- 
sition in Spain and Portugal. Orobio, who was 
himself a Jew, states in his history that there were 
upwards of twenty thousand Jews in Spain alone, 
who, from fear of the inquisition, professed chris 
tianity, some of whom were priests and bishops. 
The tribes of the Affghan race are very numerous, 
and of different castes ; and it is probable that the 
proportion which is of Jewish descent is not great. 
The Affghan nations extend on both sides of the 
Indus, and inhabit the mountainous region com- 
mencing in western Persia. They differ in lan- 

* Mr. Forster was so much struck with the general ap- 
pearance, garb and manners of the Cashmirians, as to think, 
without any previous knowledge of the fact, that he had 
been suddenly transported among a nation of Jews. See 
Fonter's Travels, 



CHRIST.AN RESEARCHES. 351 

guage, customs, religion, and countenance, and 
have little knowledge of each other. Some tribes 
have the countenance of the Persian, and some of 
the Hindoo ; and some tribes are evidently of Jew- 
ish extraction, 

" Calculating then the number of Jews who now 
inhabit the provinces of ancient Chaldea, or the 
contiguous countries, and who still profess Juda- 
ism ; and the number of those who embraced Mo- 
hammedanism, or some form of it^ in the same re- 
gions ; we may be satisfied ' That the greater part 
of the ten tribes, which noiu exlat, are to be found 
in the countries of their first captivity.' 

" On the author's return to England he foun(3 
that a society had been instituted for the conversion 
of the Jews; and he was not a little surprised to 
bear that some christians had opposed its institu- 
tion. He was less surprised at this, however, when 
he was informed that objections had been brought 
against the society for the circulation of the Bible. 
It is possible to urge political arguments against 
Christianity itself. Such a spirit as this does not 
seem entitled to much courtesy; for it springs di- 
rectly from this assumption, that the Bible is not 
from God, or that there is something greater than 
truthy 



352 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 



CHAPTER XL 



Popery in India^^Inquiiition at Goa. 

In connection with the preceding results of Dr. 
Buchanan's first tour on the coast of Malabar, we 
give his own sketch of Vopery in India, and parti- 
cularly of his visit to the Inquisition at>Goa, made 
after he had left Calcutta for his native land. 

" In passing through the Romish provinces in 
the East, though the author had before heard much 
of the papal corruptions, he certainly did not ex- 
pect to see Christianity in the degraded state in 
which he found it. Of the priests it may truly be 
said that they are, in general, better acquainted 
with the Veda of Brahma than with the Gospel of 
Christ. In some places the doctrines of both are 
blended. At Aughoor, situated between Tritchino- 
poly and Madura, he witnessed (in October, 1806) 
the tower of Juggernaut employed to solemnize a 
nominally christian festival. Tlie old priest Jose- 
phus accompanied him when he surveyed the ido- 
latrous car and its painted figures, and gave him a 
particular account of the various ceremonies which 
are performed, seemingly unconscious himself of 
any impropriety in them. 



CIIRISTFAN RESEAReHES. 353 

''While the author viewed these corruptions in 
different places, and in diOerent forms, he was al- 
ways referred to the inqmsition at Goa, as the foun- 
tain-head. He had long cherished the hope that he 
should be able to visit Goa before he left India: 
His chief objects were the following : 

''' I. To ascertain whether the inquisition actual- 
ly refuse to recognize the Bible among the Romish 
churches in India. 2. To inquire into the state and 
jurisdiction of the inquisition, particularly as it 
affected British subjects. 3. To learn what was 
the system of education for the priesthood ; and 4. 
To examine the ancient church libraries in Goa, 
which were said to contain all the books of the first 
printing. 

" He will select from his journal, in this place, 
chiefly what relates to the inquisition. He had 
learnt from every quarter that this tribunal, for- 
merly so well known for its frequent burnings, was 
still in operation, though under some restrictions 
as to the jniLlicitt/ of its proceedings, and that its 
power extended to the extreme boundary of Hin- 
doatan. That, in the present civilized state of chris- 
tian nations in Europe, an inquisition should exist 
at all undsr tlieir authority, appeared strange ; but 
that a papal tribunal of this character should ex- 
ist under the implied toleration and countenance 
of the British government ; that christians, being 
subjects to the British empire; and inhabiting the 
30* 



S54 MEMOIR OF Dn, BUCHANAN. 

British territories, should be amenable to its power 
and jurisdiction, Was a statement which seemed to 
be scarcely credible i but, if true, a fact which 
demanded the most public and solemn represen- 
tation." 

" Go.4, Convent of the Augusiinians, Jan. 23-, 180&. 

" On my arrival at Goa I was received mto the 
house of Capt. Schuyler, the British resident. The 
British force here is commanded by Colonel Adams, 
of his majesfy'sr 78th regiment, with whom I was- 
formerly well acquainted in Bengal.* Next day I 
was introduced by these gentlemen to the Viceroy 
of Goa, the Count de Cabral. I intimated to his ex- 
cellency my wish to sail up the river to- old Goa,t 
(where the inquisition is,) to which he politely ac- 
ceded. Major Pareira, of the Portuguese estab-- 
iishment, who was present, and to whom I hadlet- 

* The forts in the harbor of Goa "w'ere then occupied by 
the British troops. 

t There is old and new Goa. The old city is about eisfht 
miles up the river. The viceroy and the chief Portuguese 
inhabitants reside at new Goa, which is at the mouth of the 
river, within the forts of the harbor. The old city, where 
the inquisition and the churches are, is now almost entirely 
deserted by the secular Portuguese, and is inhabited by the 
priests alone. The unhealthiness of the place, and the as- 
cendency of the priesis, are the causes assigned for aban- 
doning the ancient city. 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 355 

ters of introduction from Bengal, offered to accom- 
pany me to the city, and to introduce me to the 
archbishop of Goa, the primate of the Orient. 

" I had communicated to Colonel Adams, and to 
tlie Britisli resident, my purpose of inquiring into 
the state of the inquisition. These gentlemen in- 
ft)rmed me that I should not be able to accomplish 
my design without difficulty, since every thing re- 
lating to the inquisition was conducted in a very 
secret manner, the most respectable of the lay 
Portuguese themselves being ignorant of its pro- 
ceedings ; and that, if the priests were to discover 
my object, their excessive jealousy and alarm 
"tvould prevent their communicating with me, or 
satisfying my inquiries on any subject. 

"On receiving this intelligence I perceived that 
it would be necessary to proceed with caution. I 
was, in fact, about to visit a republic of priests ; 
whose dominion had existed for nearly three cen- 
turies; whose province it was to prosecute here- 
tics, and particularly the teachers of heresy ; and 
from whose authority and sentence there was no 
appeal in India.* 

* I u-as informed that the viceroy of Goa Ms no authority 
over the inquisition, and that he himself is liable to its cen- 
sure. Were the British government, for instance, to prefer 
a complaint against the inquisition to the Portuguese gov- 
ernment at Goa, it could obtain no redress. By the very- 
constitution of the inquisition, there is no power in India 
that can invade its jurisdiction, or even put a question to it 
on any subject. 



356 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" It happened that Lieut. Kempthorne; com- 
mander of bis majesty's brig Diana, a distant con- 
nexion of my own, was at this time in the harbor. 
On his learning that I meant to visit old Goa, he 
offered to accompany me, as did Captain Sterling, 
of his majesty's 4Sth regiment,, which is now sta- 
tioned at the forts. 

" We- proceeded up the river in the British re* 
sident'^s barge, accompanied by Major Pareira, 
who was well qualified, by a thirty years' residence, 
to oive information concernincT local circumstances. 
From him I learned that there were upwards of 
two hundred churches and chapels in the province 
of Goa, and upwards of two thousand priests. 

" On our arrival at the city* it was past twelvi 
o'clock : all the churches were shut ; and we wen 
told that they would not be opened again till twt 
o'clock. I mentioned to Major Pareira that I in 
tended to stay at old Goa some days ; and that I 

* We entered the city by the palace- gate, over which if 
the statue of ¥as'.o de Gama, who first opened India to tho 
view of Europe. I had seen at Calicut, a iev! weeks before, 
the ruins of the Samorin's palace, in which Vasco de Ga- 
ma was first received. The Samorin was the first native 
prince against whom the Europeans made war. The empire 
of the Samorin has passed away ; and the empire of hir 
conquerors has passed away ; and now imperial Britain ex 
ercises dominion. May imperial Britain be prepared to 
give a good account of her stewardship, when it shall be 
said unto her, " Thou mayest be no longer steward." 



CJURISTIAN RESEARCHES. 35? 

should be obliged to him to find me a place to 
sleep in. He seemed surprised at this intimation, 
and observed that it would be difficult for me to 
obtain a reception in any of the churches or con- 
vents, and that there were no private houses ihf||| 
which I could be admitted. I said I could sleep 
any where. I had two servants with me, and a tra- 
velling bed. When he perceived that I was serious 
in my purpose, he gave directions to a civil officer 
in that place to clear out a room in a building 
which had been long uninhabited, and which was 
then used as a warehouse fur goods. Matters at 
this time presented a very gloomy appearance ; 
and I had thoughts of returning with my compa- 
nions from this inhospitable place. In the mean- 
time we sat down in the room I have just men- 
tioned to take some refreshment, while Major 
Pareira went to call on some of his friends. During 
this interval I communicated to Lieut. Kemp- 
thorne the object of my visit. I had in my ])ocket 
' Dellon's Account of the Inquisition at Goa;'* 
and I mentioned some particulars. While \VG were 
conversing on the subject, the great bell of the ca- 

* Monsieur Dellon, a physician, was imprisoned in the 
dungeon of ihe inquisition at Goa for two )'ears, and wit- 
nessed an auto da fe, when some heretics were burned, at 
which time he waliced barefoot. After his release he wrote 
the history of his confinement. His descriptions are in ge- 
neral very accurate. 



358 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAN-AN". 

thedral began to toll ; the same which Dellon 
observes always tolls before day-light on the morn- 
ing of the Auto da Fe. I did not myself ask any 
questions of the people concerning the inquisition ; 
ft; Mr. Kempthorne made inquiries for me : and 
he soon found out that the Santa Csisa, or Holy 
Office, was close to the house where they were then 
sitting. The gentlemen went to the window to 
view the hornd' mansion ; and I could see the indig- 
nation of free and enlightened men arise in the 
countenances of the two British officers, while they 
contemplated a pkce where formerly their own 
countrymen were condemned to the flames, and in- 
to which they themselves might now suddenly be 
thrown, without the possibility of rescue. 

"At two o'clock we went out to view the churches, 
which were now open for the afternoon service ; 
for there are regular daily masses ; and the bells 
began to assail the ear in every quarter. 

" The magnificence of the churches of Goa far 
exceeded any idea I had formed from the previous 
description. Goa is properly a city of churches ; 
and the wealth of provinces seems to have been ex- 
pended in their erection. The ancient specimens 
of architecture at this place far excel any thing 
that has been attempted in modern times in any 
other part of the East, both in grandeur and in 
taste. The chapel of the palace is built after the 
plan of St. Peter's at Rome, and is said to be an 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 359 

accurate model of that paragon of architecture. 
The church of St. Dorrjinic, the founder of the in- 
quisition, is decorated with paintings of Italian 
masters. St. Francis Xavier lies enshrined in a 
monument of exquisite art, and his coffin is enchas- 
ed with silver and prt^cious stones. The cathedral 
of Goa is worthy of one of the principal cities of 
Europe ; and the church and convent of the Au- 
gustinians (in which I now reside) is a noble pile 
of building, situated on an eminence, and has a 
magnificent appearance from afar. 

" But what a contrast to all this grandeur of the 
churches is the worship offered in them ! I have 
been present at the service in one or other of the 
chapels everyday since I arrived, and I seldom see 
a single worshipper but the ecclesiastics. Two 
rows of native priests kneeling in order before the 
altar, clothed in course black garments, of sickly 
appearance and vacant countenance, perform here, 
from day to day, their laborious masses, seemingly 
unconscious of any other duty or obligation of life. 

" The day was now far spent, and my companions 
were about to leave me. Wliile I was considering 
whether I should return with them, Major Pareira 
said he would first introduce me to a priest high in 
office, and one of the most learned men in the place. 
We accordingly walked to the convent of the Au- 
gustinians, where I was presented to Josephus a 
Doloribus, a man well advanced in life, of pale vis» 



360 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

age and penetrating eye, rather of a reverend ap- 
pearance, and possessing great fluency of speech 
and urbanity of manners. At first sight he pre- 
sented the aspect of one of those acute and pru- 
dent men of the world, the learned and respectable 
Italian Jesuits, some of whom are yet found, since 
the demolition of their order, reposing in tranquil 
obscurity in diHTerent parts of the East. After half 
an hour's conversation in the Latin language, dur- 
ing which he adverted rapidly to a variety of sub' 
jects, and inquired concerning some learned men 
of his own church, whom I had visited in my tour, 
he politely invited me to take up my residence 
with him during my stay at old Goa. I was high- 
ly gi'atified by this unexpected invitation ; but 
Lieut. I&mpthorne did not approve of leaving me 
in the hands of the inquisitors. For judge of our 
sui-prise when we discovered that my learned host 
was one of the inquisitors of the holy office, the se- 
cond member of that august tribunal. in rank, but 
the first and most active agent in the business of 
the department. Apartments were assigned to me 
in the college adjoining the convent, next to the 
rooms of the inquisitor himself; and here I have 
been now four days at the very fountain-head of 
information in regard to those subjects which I 
wished to investigate. I breakfast and dine with 
the inquisitor almost every day, and he generally 
passes his evenings in my apartment. As he con- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 361 

sitlera my inquiries to be chiefly of a literary na- 
lure, he is perfectly candid atid communicative on 
all subjects. 

" Next day after my arrival I was introduced by 
my learned conductor to the archbishop of Goa. 
We found him reading the Latin letters of St. 
Francis Xavier. On my adverting to the long dura- 
lion of the city of Goa, while other cities of Euro- 
peans in India had suffered from war or revolution, 
the archbishop observed that the preservation of 
Goa was 'owing to the prayers of St. Francis Xa- 
vier.' The inquisitor looked at me, to see what I 
thought of this sentiment. I acknowledged that 
Xavier was considered by the learned among the 
English to have been a great man. What he wrote 
himself bespeaks him a man of learning, of origi- 
nal genius, and great fortitude of mind ; but what 
others have written for him and of him has tarnish- 
ed his fame, by making him the inventor of fables. 
The archbishop signified his assent. He afterwards 
conducted me to his private chapel, which is deco- 
rated with images of silver, and then into the archi- 
episcopal library, which possesses a valuable collec- 
tion of books. As I passed through our convent, in 
returning from the archbishop's, I observed among 
the paintings in the cloisters a portrait of the famous 
Alexis de iMenezes, archbishop of Goa, who held 
the synod of Diamper, near Cochin, in 1599, and 
burned the books of the Syrian christians. From 

Buchanan. <ji 



362 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the inscription underneath I learned that he was 
the founder of the magnificent church and convent 
in which I am now residing. 

" On the same day I received an invitation to dine 
with the chief inquisitor, at his house in the coun- 
try. The second inquisitor accompanied jne, and 
we found a respectable company of priests and a 
sumptuous entertainment. In the library of the chief 
inquisitor I saw a register, containing the present 
establishment of the inquisition at Goa, and the 
names of all the officers. On asking the chief inqui- 
sitor whether the establishment was as extensive 
as formerly, he said it was nearly the same. I had 
hitherto said little to any person concerning the in- 
quisition, but I had indirectly gleaned much infor- 
mation concerning it, not only from the inquisitors 
themselves, but from certain priests whom I visited 
at their respective convents ; particularly from a 
father in the Franciscan convent, who had himself 
repeatedly witnessed an Auto da Fe." 

" Goa, Augustinian Convent, Jan. 26, 1808. 
*' On Sunday, after divine service, which I at- 
tended, we looked over together the prayers and 
portions of Scripture for the day, v/hich led to a dis- 
cussion concerning some of the doctrines of Christi- 
anity. We then read the third chapter of St. John's 
Gospel in the Latin Vulgate. I asked the inquisitor 
whether he believed in the influence of the Spirit 



CHRISTIAN' RESEARCHES. 363 

there spoken of. He distinctly admitted it; con- 
jointly however, he thought, in some obscure sense, 
with icater. I observed that water was merely an 
emblem of the purifying effects of the Spirit, and 
could be but an emblem. We next adverted 
to the expression of St. John, in his first Epis- 
tle : ' This is he that came by ivater and hlood, 
even Jesus Christ : not by water only, but by 
water and blood:' — blood to atone for sin, and 
water to purify the heart; justification and sanctifi- 
cation : both of which were expressed at the same 
moment on the cross. The inquisitor was pleased 
with the subject. I referred to the evangelical doc- 
trines of Augustin, (we were now in the Augustin- 
ian convent,) plainly asserted by that father in a 
thousand places, and he acknowledged their truth. 
I then asked him in what important doctrine he 
differed from the protestant church ] He confessed 
that he never had a theological discussion with a 
protestant before. By an easy transition we passed 
to the importance of the Bible itself to illuminate 
the priests and people. I noticed to him, that after 
looking through the colleges and schools, there ap- 
peared to me to be a total eclipse of scriptural light. 
He acknowledged that religion and learning were 
truly in a degraded state. I had visited the theolo- 
gical schools, and at every place I expressed my 
surprise to the tutors, in presence of the pupils, at 
the absence of the Bible, and almost total want of 



364 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

reference to it. They pleaded the custom of the 
place and the scarcity of copies of the book itself. 
Some of the younger priests came to me afterwards, 
desiring to know by what means they might pro- 
cure copies. This inquiry for Bibles was like a ray 
of hope beaming on the walls of the inquisition. 

"I pass an hour sometimes in the spacious li- 
brary of the Augustinian convent. There are many 
rare volumes, but they are chiefly theological, and 
almost all of the sixteenth century. There are few 
classics, and I have not yet seen one copy of the 
original Scriptures in Hebrew or Greek." 

" GoA, Augustinian Convent, Jan. 27, 1808. 

" On the second morning after my arrival I was 
surprised by my host, the inquisitor, coming into 
my apartment clothed in black rohes from head to 
foot ; for the usual dress of his order is white. He 
said he was going to sit on the tribunal of the holy 
office. ' I presume, father^ your august office does 
not occupy much of your time.* ' Yes,' answered 
he, ' much. I sit on the tribunal three or four days 
every week.' 

" I had thought, for some days, of putting Del- 
Ion's book into the inquisitor's hands ; for if I could 
get him to advert to the facts stated in that book, I 
should be able to learn, by comparison, the exact 
state of the inquisition at the present time. In the 
evening he came in, as usual, to pass an hour iti 



CIIRISTIAX RESEARCHES. 365 

my apartment. After some conversation I took the 
pen in my hand to write a few notes in my journal ; 
and, as if to amuse him while I was writing, I took 
up Dellon's book, which was lying with some others 
on the table, and handing it across to him, asked 
him if he had ever seen it. It was in the French 
language, which he understood well. ' Relation de 
rinquisition de Goa,' pronounced he, with a slow 
articulate voice. He had never seen it before, and 
began to read with eagerness. He had not proceed- 
ed far before he betrayed evident symptoms of un- 
easiness. He turned hastily to the middle of the 
book and then to the end, and then ran over the 
table of contents at the beginning, as if to ascertain 
the full extent of the evil. He then composed him- 
self to read, while I continued to write. He turned 
over the pages with rapidity ; and when he came 
to a certain place, he exclaimed, in the broad Ita- 
lian accent, ' Mendaciura, mendacium !'* I request- 
ed he would mark those passages which were un- 
true, and we should discuss them afterwards, for 
that I had other books on the subject. ' Other 
books !' said he, and he looked with an inquiring 
eye on those on the table. He continued readiilg 
till it was time to retire to rest, and then begged to 
take the book with him. 
" It was on this night that a circumstance happen- 

• It is false. 
31» 



366 MEMOm OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ed which caused ray first alarm at Goa. My ser- 
vants slept every night at ray chamber door, in 
the long gallery which is common to all the apart- 
ments, and not far distant from the servants of the 
convent. About midnight I was waked by loud 
shrieks and expressions of terror from some per- 
son in the gallery. In the first moment of surprise 
I concluded it must be the Alguazils of the holy 
office seizing my servants to carry them to the in- 
quisition. But, on going out, I saw ray own ser- 
vants standing at the door, and the person who had 
caused the alarm (a boy of about fourteen) at a lit- 
tle distance surrounded by some of the priests, who 
had come out of their cells on hearing the noise. 
The boy said he had seen a sjjcctre, and it was a 
considerable time before the agitations of his body 
and voice subsided. Next morning at breakfast the 
inquisitor apologized for the disturbance, and said 
the boy's alarm proceeded from a ' phantasma ani- 
mi,' a phantasm of the imagination. 

"After breakfast we resumed the subject of the 
inquisition. The inquisitor admitted that Dellon's 
descriptions of the dungeons, of the torture, of the 
mode of trial, and of the Auto da Fe v/ere, in gene- 
ral, just ; but he said the writer judged untruly 
of the motives of the inquisitors, and very unchar- 
itably of the character of the holy church ; and I 
admitted that, under the pressure of his peculiar 
suffering, this raight possibly be the case. The in- 
quisitor was now anxious to know to what extent 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 3G7 

Dellon's Look had been circulated in Europe. 1 
told him that Picart had published to the world ex 
I racls from it, in his celebrated work called ' Reli- 
gious Ceremonies ;' together with plates of the sys- 
tem of torture and burnings at the Auto da Fe. I 
added that it was now generally believed in Eu- 
rope that these enormities no longer existed, and 
that the inquisition itself had been totally suppress- 
ed ; but that I was concerned to find that this was 
not the case. He now began a grave narration to 
show that the inquisition had undergone a change 
in some respects, and that its terrors were miti- 
gated.* 

♦" The following were the passages in Mr. Dellon's narra- 
tive to which I wished particularly to draw the attention of 
the inquisitor. Mr. D. had been thrown into the inquisi- 
tion at Goa and confined in a dungeon ten feet square, 
where he remained upwards of two years without seeing 
any person but the gaoler who brought him his victuals, ex- 
cept when he was brought to his trial, expecting daily to 
be brought to the stake. His alleged crime was, charging 
the inquisition with cruelty, in a conversation he had with 
a priest at Daman, another part of India. 

" ' During the months of November and December I heard 
every morning the shrieks of the unfortunate victims who 
were undergoing the question. I remembered to have heard, 
before I was cast into prison, that the Auto da Fe was gen- 
erally celebrated on the first Sunday in Advent, because on 
that day is read in the churches that part of the Gospel in 
which mention is made of the last judgment ; and the in- 
quisitors pretend by this ceremony to exhibit a lively em- 
blem of that awful event. I was likewise convinced that 
there were a great number of prisoners besides myself, the 



363 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAxX. 

" I had already discovered, from written or print- 
ed documents, that the inquisition of Goa was 
suppressed by. royal edict in the year 1775, and 

profound silence which reigned within the walls of the 
building having enabled me to count the number of doors 
which were opened at the hours of meals. However, the 
first and second Sundays of Advent passed by without my 
hearing of any thing, and I prepared to undergo another 
year of melancholy captivity, when I was aroused from my 
despair on the 11th of January by the noise of the guards 
removing the bars from the doors of my prison. The Al- 
caide presented me with a habit, which he ordered me to 
put on, and to make myself ready to attend him when he 
should come again. Thus saying, he left a lighted lamp in 
my dungeon. The guards returned about tvvo o'clock in 
the morning, and led me out into a long gallery, where I 
found a number of the companions of my fate drawn up 
in a rank against a wall. I placed myself among the rest, 
and several more soon joined the melancholy band. The 
profound silence and stillness caused them to resemble sta- 
tues more than the animated bodies of human creatures. 
The women, who were clothed in a similar manner, were 
placed in a neighboring gallery, where we could not see 
them ; but I remarked that a number of persons stood by 
themselves at some distance, attended by others who wore 
long black dresses, and who walked backwards and for- 
wards occasionally. I did not then know who these were ; 
but I was afterwards informed that the former were the 
victims who were condemned to be burned, and the others 
were their confessors. 

'"After we were all ranged against the wall of this 
gallery, we received each a large wax taper. They then 
brought us a number of dresses made of yellow cloth, with 
the cross of St. Andrew painted before and behind. This 
is called the San Benito. The relapsed heretics wear an- 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 369 

established again in 1770. The Franciscan father 
before mentioned witnessed the annual Auto da 
Fe, from 1770 to 1775. * It was the humanity 

other species of robe, called the Sarnarra, the ground cf 
which is gray. The portrait of the sufferer is painted up- 
on it, placed upon Imrning torches, with flames and de- 
mons all round. Caps were then produced called carr/7r/kZ5, 
made of pasteboard, pointed like sugar-loaves, all covered 
over with devils and flames of fire. 

•' • The great bell of the cathedral began to ring a little be- 
fore sunrise, which served as a signal to warn the people of 
Qoa to come and behold the august ceremony of the Auto 
da Fe ; and then they made us proceed from the gallery 
one by one. I remarked as we passed into the great hall, 
that the inquisitor was sitting at the door with his secretary 
by him, and that he delivered every prisoner into the hands 
of a particular person who is to be his guard to the place 
of burning. These persons are called Parrians, or god- 
fathers. My godfather was commander of a ship. I went 
forth with him, and as soon as we were in the street, I saw 
that the procession was commenced by the Dominican 
Friars ; who have this honor, because St. Dominic found- 
ed the inquisition. These are followed by the prisoners, who 
walk one after the other, each having his godfather by his 
side and a lighted taper in his hand. The least guilty go 
foremost : and as I did not pas? for one of them, there were 
many who took precedence of me. The women were mixed 
promiscuously with the men. We all walked barefoot, and 
the sharp stones of the streets of Goa wounded my tender 
feet, and caused the blood to stream ; for they made us 
march through the chief streets of the city : and we were 
regarded every where by an innumerable crowd of people, 
who had assembled from all parts of India to behold this 
spectacle ; for the inquisition takes care to announce it 
long before, in the mast remote parishes. At length we ar- 



370 MEMOIPw OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

and tender mercy of a good king,' said the old 
father, ' which abolished the inquisition.' But im- 
mediately on his death the power of the priests 

rived at the church of St. Francis, which was, for this time, 
destined for the celebration of the act of faith. On one 
side of the altar was the grand inquisitor and his counsel- 
lors, and on the other the viceroy of Goa and his court. 
All the prisoners are seated to hear a sermon. I observed 
that those prisoners who wore the horrible carrochas came 
in last in the procession. One of the Augustin monks as- 
cended the pulpit, and preached for a quarter of an hour. 
The sermon being concluded, two readers went up to the 
pulpit, one after the other, and read the sentences of the 
prisoners. My joy was extreme when I heard that my 
sentence was not to be burnt, but to be a galley slave for 
five years. After the sentences were read, they summoned 
forth those miserable victims who were destined to be im- 
molated by the holy inquisition. The images of the here- 
tics who had died in prison were brought up at the same 
time, their bones being contained in small chests covered 
with flames and demons; An officer of the secular tribu- 
nal now came forward and seized these unhappy people, 
after they had each received a slight blow upon the breast 
from the Alcaide, to intimate that they were abandoned. 
They were then led away to the bank of the river, where 
the viceroy and his court were assembled, and where the 
faggots had been prepared the preceding day. As soon as 
they arrive at this place, the condemned persons are asked 
in what religion they choose to die ; and the moment they 
have replied to this question the executioner seizes them 
and binds them to the stake in the midst of the faggots. 
The day after the execution the portraits of the dead are 
carried to the church of the Dominicans. The heads only 
are represented, (which are generally very accurately 
drawn: for the inquisition keeps excellent limners for the 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES 371 

acquired the ascendant under the queen dowa- 
ger, and the tribunal was re-established, after a 
bloodless interval of five years. It has continued 
in operation ever since. It was restored in 1779, 
subject to certain restrictions, the chief of which 
are the two following, ' that a greater number of 
witnesses should be required to cofivict a criminal 
than were before necessary ;' and ' that the Auto 
da Fe should not be held publicly as before ; but 
that the sentences of the tribunal should be execu- 
ted privately within the walls of the inquisition.' 
" In this particular the constitution of the new 
inquisition is more reprehensible than that of the 
old one ; for, as the old father expressed it, ' Nunc 
sigillum non revelat inquisitio.'* Formerly the 
friends of those unfortunate persons who were 
thrown into its prison had the melancholy satisfac- 
tion of seeing them once a year walking in the pro- 
cession of the Auto da Fe ; or, if they were con- 
demned to die, they witnessed their death, and 
mourned for the dead. But now they have no means 
of learning, for years, whether they be dead or alive. 
The policy of this new code of concealment appears 
to be this, to preserve the power of the inquisition, 
and at the same time to lessen the public odium of 
its proceedings in the presence of British dominion 

purpose,) surrounded by flames and demons ; and under' 
neath is the name and crime of the person who has been 
burned." Rr.Mion dt V Inquisition de Goa, chap. xxiv. 
♦ The inquisition is now secret. 



372 MF.MOia OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

and civilization. I asked the father his opinion con* 
cerning the nature and frequency of the punish- 
ments within the walls. He said he possessed no 
certain means of giving a satisfactory answer ; that 
every thing transacted there was declared to be 
' sacrum et secretum.'* But this he knew to be 
true, that there were continually captives in the 
dungeons ; that some of them are liberated after 
long confinement, but that they never speak after- 
wards of what passed within the place. He added, 
that, of all the persons he had known who had been 
liberated, he never knew one who did not carry 
about with him what might be called ' the mark of 
the inquisition ;' that is to say, who did not show, 
in the solemnity of his countenance, or in his pecu- 
liar demeanor, or his terror of the priests, that he 
had been in that dreadful place. 

" The chief argument of the inquisitor to prove 
-the melioration of the inquisition was the superior 
humanity of the inquisitors. I remarked that I did 
not doubt the humanity of the existing officers j but 
what availed humanity in an inquisitor 1 he must 
pronounce sentence according to the laws of the 
tribunal, which are notorious enough ; and a le- 
lapsed heretic must be burned in the flames or con« 
fined for life in a dungeon, whether the inquisitor 
be humane or not. But if, said I, you would satisfy 

• Sacred and secret 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 373 

my mind completely on this subject, ' show me the 
inquisition.' He said it was not permitted to any 
person to see the inquisition. I observed, that mine 
might be considered as a peculiar case ; that the 
character of the inquisition and the expediency of 
its longer continuance had been called in question ; 
that I had myself written on the civilization of In- 
dia, and might possibly publish something more 
upon that subject, and that it could not be expected 
that I should pass over the inquisition without no- 
tice, knowing what I did of its proceedings ; but at 
the same time I should not wish to state a single 
fact without liis authority, or at least his admission 
of its truth. I added, that he himself had been 
pleased to communicate with me very fully on the 
subject ; and that in all our discussions we had been 
actuated, I hoped, by a good purpose. The coun- 
tenance of the inquisitor evidently altered on re- 
ceiving this intimation, nor did it ever after wholly 
regain its wonted frankness and placidity. After 
some hesitation, however, he said he would take 
me with him to the inquisition the next day. I was 
a good deal surprised at this acquiescence of the 
inquisitor, but I did not know what was in his mind. 
Next morning, after breakfast, my host went to 
dress for the holy office, and soon returned in his 
inquisitorial robes. He said he would go half an 
hour before the usual time, for the purpose of show- 
ing me the inquisition. The buildings are about a 

Buchanan. ^^ 



374 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

quarter of a mile distant from the convent, and we 
proceeded thither in our manjeeU* On our arrival 
at the place, the inquisitor said to me, as we were 
ascending the steps of the outer stair, that he hoped 
I should be satisfied with a transient view of the 
inquisition, and that I would retire whenever he 
should desire it. I took this as a good omen, and 
followed my conductor with tolerable confidence. 

" He led me first to the great hall of the inquisi- 
tion. We v/ere met at the door by a number of 
well dressed persons, who, I afterwards understood, 
were the familiars and attendants of the holy office. 
They bowed very low to the inquisitor and looked 
with surprise at me. The great hall is the place in 
which the prisoners are marshalled for the proces- 
sion of the Auto da Fe. At the procession described 
by Delion, in which he himself walked barefoot, 
clothed with the painted garment, there were up- 
wards of one hundred and fifty prisoners. I tra- 
versed this hall for some time, with a slow step, re- 
flecting on its former scenes, the inquisitor walking 
by my side in silence. I thought of the fate of the 
multitude of my fellow-creatures who had passed 

* The manjeel is a kind of palankeen common at Goa; 
It is merely a sea cot suspended from a bamboo, which is 
borne on the heads of four men. Sometimes a footman runs 
before, having a staff in his hand, to which are attached 
little bells or rings, which he jingles as he runs, keeping 
lime with the motion of the bearers. 



CHRISTIAN RESEAECHES. 375 

through this place, condemned by a tribunal of their 
fellow-sinners, their bodies devoted to the flames 
and their souls to perdition ; and I could not help . 
saying to him, ' Would not the holy church wish, in 
her mercy, to have those souls back again, that she 
might allow them a little further probation V The 
inquisitor answered nothing, but beckoned me to 
go with him to a door at one end of the hall. By 
this door he conducted me to some small rooms, 
and thence to the spacious apartments of the chief 
inquisitor. Having surveyed these, he brought me 
back again to the great hall ; and I thought he 
seemed now desirous that I should depart. 

" ' Now, father,' said I, * lead me to the dungeons 
below ; I want to see the captives.' ' No,' said he, 
' that cannot be.' I now began to suspect that it 
had been in the mind of the inquisitor, from the be- 
ginning, to show me only a certain part of the in- 
quisition, in the hope of satisfying my inquiries in 
a general way. I urged him with earnestness, but 
he steadily resisted, and seemed to be offended, or 
rather agitated, by my importunity. I intimated to 
him plainly, that the only way to do justice to his 
own assertions and arguments regarding the pre- 
sent state of the inquisition, was to show me the 
prisons and the captives. I should then describe 
only what I saw ; but now the subject was left in 
awful obscurity. * Lead me down,' said I, ' to the 
inner building, and let me pass through the two 



376 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAX. 

hundred dungeons, ten feet square, described by 
your former captives. Let me count the number of 
your present captives and converse with them. I 
want to see if there be any subjects of the British 
government to whom we owe protection. I want 
to ask how long they have been here, how long it 
is since they beheld the light of the sun, and whe- 
ther they ever expect to see it again. Show me the 
chamber of torture; and declare what modes of 
execution or of punishment are now practised 
within the walls of the inquisition in lieu of the 
public Auto da Fe. If, after all that has passed, fa- 
ther, you resist this reasonable request, I shall be 
justified in believing that you are afraid of expos- 
ing the real state of the inquisition in India.' To 
these observations the inquisitor made no reply, 
but seemed impatient that I should withdraw. * My 
good father,* said I, * I am about to take my leave 
of you, and to thank you for your hospitable atten- 
tions, (it had been before understood that I should 
take my final leave at the door of the inquisition, 
after having seen the interior,) and I wish always 
to preserve on my mind a favorable sentiment of 
your kindness and candor. You cannot, you say, 
show me the captives and the dungeons ; be pleased 
then merely to answer this question, for I shall be- 
lieve your word : How many prisoners are there 
now below in the cells of the inquisition V The in- 
quisitor replied, ' That is a question which I cannot 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 377 

answer.' On his pronouncing these words I retired 
hastily towards the door, and wished him lareweU. 
We shook hands with as much cordiality as we 
could at the moment assume ; and both of us, I be- 
lieve, were sony that our parting took place with a 
clouded countenance. 

" From the inquisition I went to the place of 
burning in the Campo Santo Lazaro, on the river 
side, where the victims were brought to the stake 
at the Auto da Fe. It is close to the palace, that 
the viceroy and his court may witness the execu- 
tion ; for it has ever been the policy of the inquisi- 
tion to make these spiritual executions appear to be 
the executions of the state. An old priest accompa- 
nied me, who pointed out the place and described 
the scene. As I passed over this melancholy plain, 
I thought on the difference between the pure and 
benign doctrine which was first preached to India 
in the apostolic age, and that bloody code which, 
after a long night of darkness, was announced to it 
under the same name ! And I pondered on the 
mysterious dispensation which permitted the minis- 
ters of the inquisition, with their racks and flames, 
to visit these lands before the heralds of the Gospel 
of peace. But the most painful reflection was, that 
this tribunal should yet exist, unawed by the vici- 
nity of British humanity and dominion. I was not 
satisfied with what 1 had seen or said at the inqui- 
sition and I determined to go back again. The in- 
32* 



378 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

quisitors were now sitting on the tribunal, and I had 
some excuse for returning ; for I was to receive 
from the chief inquisitor a letter, which he said he 
would give me before I left the place, for the Bri- 
tish resident in Travancore, being an answer to a 
letter from that officer. 

" When I arrived at the inquisition, and had as- 
cended the outer stairs, the door-keepers surveyed 
me doubtingly, but suffered me to pass, supposing 
that I had returned by permission and appointment 
of the inquisitor. I entered the great hall, and went 
up directly towards the tribunal of the inquisition, 
described by Dellou, in which is the lofty crucifix. 
I sat down on a form and wrote some notes, and 
then desired one of the attendants to carry in ray 
name to the inquisitor. As I walked up the hall I 
saw a poor woman fitting by herself, on a bench by 
the wall, apparently in a disconsolate state of mind. 
She clasped her hands as I passed, and gave me a 
look expressive of her distress. This sight chilled 
ray spirits. The familiars told me she was waiting 
there to be called up before the tribunal of the in- 
quisition. While I was asking questions concerning 
her crime, the second inquisitor came out in evident 
trepidation, and was about to complain of the intru- 
sion, when I informed him I had come back for the 
letter from the chief inquisitor. He said it should 
be sent after me to Goa, and he conducted me with 
a quick step towards the door. As we passed the 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 379 

poor woman I pointed to her, and said to him, with 
some emphasis, ' Behold, father, another victim of 
the holy inquisition!' He answered nothing. When 
we anived at the head of the great stair he bowed, 
and I took my last leave of Josephus a Doloribus 
without uttering a word. 

" The foregoing particulars concerning the inqui- 
sition at Goa are detailed chiefly with this view : 
that the English nation may consider whether there 
be sufficient ground for presenting a remonstrance 
to the Portuguese government on the longer conti- 
nuance of that tribunal in India ; it being notorious 
that a great part of the Romanists are now under 
British protection. ' The Romans,' says Montesquieu, 

* deserved well of human nature, for making it an 
article in their treaty with the Carthaginians, that 
they should abstain from sacrificing their children to 
their gods.' It has been lately obser^'ed by respect- 
able writers, that the English nation ought to imi- 
tate this example, and endeavor to induce her allies 

* to abolish the human sacrifices of the inquisition;* 
and a censure is passed on our government for their 
indifference to this subject.* The indifference to the 
inquisition is attributable, we believe, to the same 
cause which has produced an indifference to the re- 
ligious principles which first organized the incjuisi- 
tion. The mighty despot who suppressed the inqui- 

♦ Edinburgh Review, No. XXXII. p. 449. 



3S0 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAXAN. 

sition in Spain was not swayed probably by very 
powerful motives of humanity, but viewed with 
jealousy a tribunal which usurped an independent 
dominion ; and he put it down on the same princi- 
ple that he put down the popedom, that he might 
remain pontiff and grand inquisitor himself. And 
so he will remain for a time, till the purposes of pro- 
vidence shall have been accomplished by him. But 
are we to look on in silence, and to expect that fur- 
ther meliorations in human society are to be effect- 
ed by despotism, or by great revolutions 1 ' If,' say 
the same authors, ' while the inquisition is destroy- 
ed in Europe by the power of despotism, we could 
entertain the hope, and it is not too much to enter- 
tain such a hope, that the power of liberty is about 
to destroy it in America ; we might even, amid the 
gloom that surrounds us, congratulate our fellow- 
creatures on one of the most remarkable periods in 
the history of the progress of human society, the 
FINAL ERASURE of the inquisitionJ'ro/71 the fact of the 
earth.^ It will indeed be an important and happy 
day to the earth, when this final erasure shall take 
place ; but the period of such an event is nearer, I 
apprehend, in Europe and America, than it is in 
Asia ; and its termination in Asia depends as much 
on Great Britain as on Portugal. And shall not 
Great Britain do her part to hasten this desirable 
time \ Do we wait, as if to see whether the power 
of infidelity will abolish the other inquisitions of the 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 381 

earth 1 Shall not we, in the meanwhile, attempt to 
do something, on Christian principles, for the honor 
of God and of humanity 1 Do we dread even to ex- 
press a sentiment on the subject in our legislative 
assemblies, or to notice it in our treaties 1 It is 
surely our duty to declare our wishes, at least, for 
the abolition of these inhuman tribunals, (since we 
take an active part in promoting the welfare of 
other nations,) and to deliver our testimony against 
them in the presence of Europe. 

" This case is not unlike that of the immolation 
of females ; with this aggravation in regard to the 
latter, that the rite is perpetrated in our own teni- 
tories. Our humanity revolts at the occasional de- 
scription of the enormity ; but the matter comes 
not to our own business and bosoms, and we fail 
even to insinuate our disapprobation of the deed. It 
may be concluded then, that while we remain silent 
and unmoved spectators of the flames of the widow's 
pile, there is no hope that we shall be justly affected 
by the reported horrors of the inquisition.* 

*' Goa will probably remain the theological school 
to a great part of India, for a long period to come. 
It is of vast importance to the interests of Chris- 
tianity in the East, that this source of instruction 
should be purified. The appointed instrument for 

* The Lord be praised, that, even before Dr. Buchanan's 
appeal reached Britain, this horrible inquisition was abo- 
lished. 



382 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

effecting this is the Bible. This is ' the salt which 
must be thrown into the fountain to heal the waters.* 
There are upwards of three thousand priests be- 
longing to Goa, who are resident at the place, or 
stationed with their cures at a distance. Let U3 
send the holy Scriptures to illuminate the priests of 
Goa. It was distinctly expressed to the author, by 
several authorities, that they would gladly receive 
copies of the Latin and Portuguese Vulgate Bible 
from the hands of the English nation. 

In concluding the narrative of his '* Christian 
Researches," Dr. Buchanan says, " the author has 
found his mind frequently drawn to consider the 
extraordinary difference of opinion which exists 
among men of learning in regard to the importance 
and obligation of communicating religious know- 
ledge to our fellow-creatures. And he has often 
heard the question asked by others. What can be 
the cause of this discrepancy of opinion 1 For that 
such a difference does exist is most evident ; and' 
is exemplified at this moment in some of the most 
illustrious characters for rank and learning in the 
nation. This is a problem of a very interesting 
character at this day, and worthy of a distinct and 
ample discussion, particularly at the seats of learn- 
ing. The problem may be thus expressed : ' What 
/power is that which produces in the minds of some 
persons a real interest and concern in the welfare 
of their fellow- creatures ; extending not only to 



CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 3S3 

the comfort of their existence in this world, but to 
their felicity hereafter ; while other men who are 
apparently in similar circumstances as to learning 
and information, do not feel inclined to move one 
step for the promotion of such objects ]' The latter, 
it may be, can speculate on the philosophy of the 
human mind, on its great powers and high dignity, 
on the sublime virtue of universal benevolence, on 
the tyranny of superstition, and the slavery of ig- 
norance : and will sometimes quote the verse of the 
poet, 

"Homo sum : huniani nil a me alienum puto :"♦ 

but they leave it to others, and generally to the 
christian in humble life, to exercise the spirit of 
that noble verse. This is a very difficult problem ; 
and it has been alleged by some that it cannot be 
solved on any known principles of philosophy. 

" It can only be solved by the practical regard 
paid to the last charge of HIM * who ascended up 
on high :' Go, teach all natimis. Hence proceeds the 
new and extended benevolence, gieatness of mind, 
and pure and heavenly charity, which distinguish 
that man whose heart has been impressed by the 
grace of God. How solemn his sense of duty ! 
How ardent to declare the glory of his Saviour ! 
His views for the good of men, how disinterested 
and enlarged ! It is but too evident that all our 

♦I am a man, and have the claims of humanity. 



384 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 



Bpeculations concerning a divine revelation, atiJ 
the obligation imposed on us to study it ourselves or 
communicate it to others, are cold and uninterest- 
ing, and excite not to action, * until, through the 
tender compassion of God, the Day-spring from on 
high visit us, to give light to them that sit in dark- 
ness ;' to humble our hearts at the remembrance 
of our sins against God, and to affect them with a 
just admiration of his pardoning mercy." 



1 



CHAPTER XII. 



€lo6ing labors in India-^Hetur-.i to JSngland* 

Dr. Buchanan, having completed his first and 
principal tour on the Malabar coast, sailed from 
Cochin on the 6th of February, 1S07, and arrived 
safely at Calcutta on the 15th of March. On his 
return he found that the College of Fort William, 
which had flourished nearly seven years, during 
which period it had been productive of the most 
important benefits both to the service of the East 
India Company and to oriental learning and reli- 
gion, had been reduced within very narrow limits 
on the first of January. The offices of Provost 
and Vice-Provost were abolished, and the profes- 
sorships restricted to three : viz. the Hindostanee, 



AT CALCUTTA. 3S5 

Bengalee, and Perso- Arabic ; it being intended 
that the students should only be attached to it, on 
an average, for a single year. 

The public letter of the Court of Directors which 
conveyed this order was dated in May, and reach- 
ed Calcutta in December, 1S06. On its arrival Mr. 
Brown, deeply impressed with the importance of 
the moral discipline which had hitherto been ex- 
ercised in the College of Fort William, and which 
was now superseded, felt it to be his duty to sub- 
mit his sentiments upon the subject to the Gover- 
nor General, and accompanied his representations 
-with the offer of continuing to superintend the in- 
stitution, and, if that were deemed necessary, to 
officiate without salary. 

In making this communication to Sir George 
Barlow, Mr. Brown referred to his highly esteemed 
colleague, Dr. Buchanan, as follows : 

" 1 particularly regret that there should be a 
necessity for any material change during the ab- 
sence of the Vice-Provost, without his concurrence 
or knowledge, from consideration of his having, 
throughout, so eminently devoted his superior ta- 
lents, with the utmost zeal and by every exertion, 
for the benefit of the public service in the success 
of the college. In his absence I take it upon me 
to communicate faithfully my thoughts, and to sub- 
mit them, with respect and deference, to the consi- 
deration of the honorable the Governor General." 

Buchanan. Ou 



386 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANANi 

Sir George Barlow, on receiving the represen- 
tation and offer of Mr. Brown just referred to, ex 
pressed himself deeply struck and gratified by his 
philanthropy and disinterestedness, and assured 
him that " he should consider of his proposal." No 
farther notice of it, however, appears to have been 
taken ; but the new modification of the college 
immediately took place, and the offices of Provost 
and Vice-Provost were accordingly abolished. 

The labors, the influence, and the income of Dr. 
Buchanan were, in consequence of this arrange- 
ment, materially diminished. The reduction of the 
former was not only grateful to his taste and incli- 
nation, but necessary to his health ; while that of 
the latter affected him only as it tended to abridge 
his means and opportunities of usefulness. The 
subject occurs but once in his various correspon- 
dence with his friends, and is then stated merely 
as a matter of information, in which he did not 
seem to be particularly interested. 

His grand object was the promotion of Christi- 
anity in India. This he had kept steadily in view 
during the period of his Vice-Provostship ; for this, 
us we have already seen, he made some provision 
when anticipating its abolition ; and it was in pur- 
suance of the same important object that he under- 
took the extensive journey through which we have 
lately accompanied him. 

During his voyage, or immediately after his re- 



AT CALCUTTA. 



387 



turn to Calcutta, Dr. Buchanan had drawn up a 
paper, under the title of " Literary Intelligence," 
containing a sketch of his proceedings on the coast 
of Malabar, which he was desirous of publishing 
both at Madras and Calcutta, for the information 
of those who were interested in the promotion of 
christian knowledge in India. To the great sur- 
prise, however, of Dr. Buchanan, and of many of 
the most learned and respectable persons' at both 
Presidencies, it was not thought expedient to per- 
mit such a publication to be inserted in the govern- 
ment gazette. It was, in consequence, printed and 
circulated in a different form ; and, without pro- 
ducing any of the ill effects which some had antici- 
pated, it conveyed intelligence which was as grati- 
fying to the friends of learning and religion in In- 
dia as the same information afterwards proved to 
persons of a similar character in England.* 

Of the several objects of Dr. Buchanan's tour, it 
was stated to be one, to discover fit instruments for 
the promotion of learning, and for the dissemina- 
tion of the Scriptures in India. It may now be ob- 
served, that it was in the course of his journey that 

* The *' Literary Intelligence " appears, however, to have 
been admitted into the Bombay Gazette, by which means it 
reached Eurooe. It was afterwards published in England 
by the late Bishop Porieus. See Dr. Buchanan's Apology 
lor Promoting Christianity in India, p. 87; and Owen's 
History of the British and Foreign Bible Societv. vol. i. 
p. 320. 



38S MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

he first thought of a plan which might effectually 
accomplish that object. The reader will probably 
recollect the meditation of Dr. Buchanan on the 
banks of the Chilka Lake, where, on the morning of 
the Sabbath, while reflecting on the painful scene 
which he had just witnessed, with the lofty tower of 
Juggernaut still in distant view, he conceived the 
design of a" Christian Institution " which might 
gradually counteract, and at length extinguish the 
idolatry of the eastern world. The historian of the 
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire informs us 
that he first conceived the thought of his elaborate 
and eloquent work amidst the ruins of the capitol. It 
was an association of a more sublime and sacred na- 
ture which suggested to Dr. Buchanan the design 
of the institution, the general plan of which he then 
briefly described. Soon after his return to Calcutta 
he employed himself in digesting and arranging its 
form and constitution : its title was, " The Christian 
Institution in the East, or the College for translat- 
ing the Holy Scriptures into the Oriental Tongues." 
It was dedicated to all good men, to be an instru- 
ment in their hands of extending the knowledge 
of revealed religion by the translation of the holy 
Scriptures, and was placed under the immediate 
patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as 
President of the Society for the Propagation of 
the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and of the Society for 
promoting Christian Knowledge. One of its sub- 



AT CALCUTTA. 3S9 

ordinate objects was to print small tracts on ceitaia 
branches of art and science, fitted for popular use 
and improvement. 

The various instruments of the institution were 
next enumerated, comprising the venerable bishop 
«jf the Syrian church in Malayala ; the British and 
Danish missionaries throughout India ; Judah Mis- 
rahi, a learned Jevi' of Cochin, engaged by Dr. Bu- 
chanan as a translator of the New Testament into 
Hebrew ; Professor Lassar for the Chinese lan- 
guage ; and the late Rev. Henry Martyn, with two 
learned coadjutors, natives of the East, for the Per- 
sian, Arabic, and Hhidostanee languages. With the 
exception of Mr. Martyn, who arrived at Calcutta 
during the absence of Dr. Buchanan, he stated that 
he had visited all the before-named persons at their 
respective residences, and had informed himself as 
to their abilities and principles. 

It was not intended to form an expensive esta- 
blishment ; but that a professor should be stationetl, 
as a literary agent of the college, in each of the prin- 
cipal provinces of the East, to study a particular lan- 
guage, to collect information, to correspond with 
the society at home, to compose and to print books, 
and to instruct the natives in printing. The literary 
agents were in general to be paid for ivorh done ; 
that is, for translations or for printing previously 
agreed for and faithfully executed. Care was also 
to be taken that, in cases where t.ranslalions of the 
33* 



390 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Scriptures should be intrusted to the members of 
any paiticular sect, their exclusive tenets should 
not find admission into the work. 

Dr. Buchanan proposed that the name of the in- 
stitution should not be derived from any church or 
sect in Europe, but from the religion itself, the 
knowledge of which it was intended to diffuse ; and 
that the instruments which it would recogjnize in 
promoting this great design should be of all nations. 

He next observed that, in order to secure its re- 
sources from failure, and that there might always 
be a copious supply of fit persons for the work, it 
was expedient that the institution should possess 
an organized body in England, and that its establish- 
ment should be sufficiently respectable to attach to 
it men of rank and learning. The college of the 
Propaganda at Rome owed its efficiency and per- 
petuity chiefly to its liberal establishment. 

Dr. Buchanan grounded the necessity and im- 
portance of this christian institution upon a view 
of the present state of the Brahminical superstition 
at the chief temples of the Hindoos, and particu- 
larly at Juggernaut ; and in order to convey to his 
readers in England some idea of the spirit and ef- 
fects of the religion of Brahma, he added some ex- 
tracts from the journal of his visit to that place. 

Provision was made for the transmission of co- 
pies of every work published by the institution in 
India to certain libraries in Great Britain; and it 



AT CALCUTTA. 391 

was stated thai thirty-one volumes had accordingly 
been forwarded by the packet which conveyed the 
work in question. It was added that Dr. Buchanan 
would for the present continue to superintend the 
affairs of the institution. 

Such is the outline of the college for oriental trans- 
latiun conceived by Dr. Buchanan. His intention, 
in short, was to establish a British Propaganda, 
which, in proportion to the extent of its objects, 
should be superior to that at Rome, the fame of 
which still survives in Asia. Objections would pro- 
bably have occurred to different persons with re- 
spect to some cf the provisions of this institution ; 
and it was obviously never considered by its author 
as incapable of alteration and improvement. Its de- 
sign and general plan were undoubtedly excellent, 
and would probably have been received with much 
approbation. 

Upon its original formation,* Dr. Buchanan pro- 
posed to the Baptist missionaries at Serampore, as 
extensively engaged in translating the Scriptures, 
that they should accordingly associate, merely in 
that character, with other fellow-laborers in differ- 
ent parts of India; that the missionary pursuits, 
properly so called, and the individual establish- 
ments of each society, should remain peculiar and 
private, as before ; but that the translators of the 

• See his Apology for promoting Christianity in India, 
p. 70. 



202 MLMOIR OF DR. nroii.WAN. 

Scriptures should act in concert, and maintain an 
amicable correspondence with each other, under 
the general direction of the superintendent, \vh<» 
would be responsible for the views and proceed- 
ings of the institution at large. The intention of 
This proposal was clearly not to supersede the me- 
ritorious labors of the Baptist missionaries; but 
to render them more effective, by incorporating 
them in one great and comprehensive plan for the 
same important object, and by rescuing their ope- 
rations from the appearance of any thing private or 
sectarian, and investing the united labors of the 
learned translators throughout India with a more 
public and national character. 

It may readily be imagined that the society at 
Serampore might feel some hesitation, and even 
reluctance, in acceding to this proposition, after the 
publicity which Dr. Buchanan had given to their 
extensive plan of oriental translation; and it was, 
perhaps, expecting too much, that they should 
voluntarily abandon the " vantage ground " which 
they were thus occupying. However this may be, 
the Baptist missionaries declined the proposal ; and 
the name of " the christian institution " was in con- 
sequence but partially assumed. The other branches 
of which it was intended to be composed, includ- 
ing, besides those already named, one of the most 
distinguished oriental scholars of the present age, 
the late learned and lamented Dr. Levden, who 



AT CALCUTTA. 393 

undertook the translation of the Scriptures into the 
several dialects of the Malayan Archipelago, were 
generally associated, after Dr. Buchanan's depart- 
ure from India, under the superintendence of the 
late Rev. Mr. Brown. 

The " Christian Institution " was, however, car- 
ried but very imperfectly into execution. On the 
arrival of the manuscript in England, though it was 
printed in pursuance of Dr. Buchanan's instruc- 
tions, some of his friends, to whom the work was 
communicated, conceived that its publication was 
inexpedient, and might even produce consequences 
injurious to the general cause of Christianity in In- 
dia. Under these impressions they took upon them- 
selves to suppress the publication of the work, more 
especially as Dr. Buchanan had announced his in- 
tention of returning to this country in the course of 
the following year. Their determination was doubt- 
less guided by a sincere desire to promote the great 
object of his labors ; and it will be seen that he 
acquiesced in their judgment. 

It is gratifying to reflect that, though this noble 
and magnificent design was never carried fully in- 
to effect, the mere proposal and publication of a 
scheme of so much benevolence, and calculated to 
effect benefits so rich and extensive for the heathen 
world, had a tendency to enlarge and elevate the 
views of christians, and was doubtless a means of 
essentially promoting the cause of Christianity in 
the East. 



391 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. , 

In the course of the ensuing month Lord Minto, 
who had long been expected, arrived as Governor 
General in Bengal. In a letter to Colonel Macau- 
lay, on the 17th of August, Dr. Buchanan notices his 
lordship's good example, and attendance on dii'ine 
worship, and his attention to himself. " He wishes 
me," be adds, " to communicate fully with him on 
all the subjects which he knows have long engaged 
my attention." 

Dr. Buchanan's next letter to Colonel Macaulay i 
is dated September 15th, and contains some inte- 
resting notices respecting his intended journey over- 
land to Europe, and the progress of the Malayalim 
translation of the Scriptures. It refers, however, 
at the close, to a painful subject, which is after- 
wards more fully explained. 

'* My DEAR Sir, — I had the pleasure to receive 
the copies of your correspondence with government 
regarding the discipline of the churches. Every 
additional letter you write on that subject is au 
additional pin to the tabernacle. 

" If I should go by Persia, I am prepared to spend 
twelve thousand rupees in presents. But I hope 
to be able to travel by the route of Bussorah, Mo- 
sul, and Aleppo. I proceed to Bombay in the 
IMetcalfe, Captain Isaacke, who will sail from this 
place about the 10th or 15th of the next month, 
October. If practicable, he will set me down at 
Cochin. If not, 1 shall first arrange mutters at Bom- 



AT CALCUTTA. ')95 

boy, and then come down to Goa (which I wish 
much to visit) and to Cochin. 

" I am greatly obliged to you for your letter of 
the 2d of August, containing Colonel Capper's sen- 
timents on a journey through Persia and Armenia. 
His remarks are highly interesting, and may be 
useful to me hereafter. I am more afraid of the 
French than of the Persians. 

"Within the last few days arrived your eight 
packets of the holy Gospels, translated into the 
Malayalim language. They have been contempla- 
ted with mingled affection and admiration by the 
missionary corps. David Grant is now employed 
in reading them through, and prefixing the titles to 
the books, and numbering the chapters in English. 
People wonder here at this rapid fruit of my visit 
to Malayala. But yours is the praise, not mine. 

" As we have po fount of Malayalim types ready 
cut in Bengal, I mean to take the MS. with me to 
Bombay, and to have it printed there under the 
superintendence of Sir James Mackintosh. 

" The translators may take their rest now for a 
little while. Until we can ascertain the accuracy 
of the translation of the Gospels, we need not pro- 
ceed to the Epistles. You may therefore settle ac- 
counts with the translators. I request you will thank 
them in my name for what has been done, and in- 
form them that I expect they will shortly resume 
their operations. 



396 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" I am on the eve, I fear, of a rupture with this 
government. The cause is the Gospel. They are 
endeavoring to restrain the exertions of the mis- 
sionaries in Bengal. I have not yet interfered ; and 
I trust it w^ill not be necessary, for I love peace 
and not war, particularly at the moment of my 
leaving the country. But I shall do my duty, and 
leave the event to God. 

"I am, my dear sir, yours sincerely, 

" C. Buchanan." 

On the 22d of September Dr. Buchanan wrote 
to his two daughters. The following passage from 
his letter alludes to their lamented mother in a pe- 
culiarly affecting manner : 

" I am now about to quit India, and to go home 
to see you. I propose to leave Calcutta in the course 
of next month. If I find it dangerous to go home 
over-land, I shall proceed from Bombay by sea. I 
shall probably sail over those waters where your 
dear mother lies. Do you not know that at the re- 
surrection of the dead she will come forth with a 
* glorious body V Though it be ' sown in dishonor, 
it is raised in glory.' Of this you may read in the 
Bible and in the burial service. Your mother will 
come forth with a * glorious body ;* for she was a 
good woman, and remembered her Creator in the 
days of her youth. Perhaps I shall die too before I 
reach England. You ought therefore to pray that 



AT CALCUTTA. 397 

God would preserve my life, if it be his will, (for I 
desire to do his will in all things,) that I may see 
you, and show you the affection of a father, and re- 
ceive the affection of daughters, and lead you on- 
ward with myself to that happy state vvhither your 
mother is gone before you." 

It is gratifying to reflect that this affectionate 
and pious father was permitted to realize the de- 
lightful prospect which he thus anticipated. The 
following extract is from a letter to Colonel Macau- 
lay, dated October 12 : 

*' The attack I announced to you in my last has 
not been yet made. I wish you v/ere at my side 
during the storm. I have friends, but they are not 
soldiers. I am tlie forlorn hope, and yet I have not 
twelve men. Nay, more, my friends tell me I shall 
certainly be killed. 

" The assault however must be made, but whe- 
ther by silent escalade at the midnight watch, or 
by heavy and hot battery at noon-day, I have not 
yet determined. I think the latter. You shall hear 
in a letter dated on or about the 1st of November, 
me vivcjite, ct Deo volcntey * 

Not long after his return from the coast of Mala- 
bar, Dr. Buchanan preached a series of discourses 

* If I live and the Lord will. 
Buchanau. ^4 



39S MKMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

in the Presidency church, on the subject of the 
christian 2^>'02)hecics ; which proved so acceptable 
to some of the congregation, that they expressed a 
wish that he would permit them to be printed ; ob- 
serving that, as he was about to return to Europe, 
they hoped he would bequeath these discourses, as 
a parting memorial, to his friends. To this request 
Dr. Buchanan acceded, and accordingly made pre- 
jDarations for their publication. These sermons re- 
lated chiefly to the divine predictions concerning 
the future universal propagation of the Gospel, and 
were intended to excite the public attention to that 
important subject, as well as to animate and encou- 
rage those who, from the purest motives, were la- 
boring to promote the knowledge of Christianity in 
India. Nothing could be more legitimate or lauda- 
ble than such a design, conducted as it was by Dr. 
Buchanan, not in the spirit of violence and fanati- 
cism, but of calm discussion and reasonable and 
benevolen-j exertion. On transmitting, however, an 
advertisement to the government gazette, announc- 
ing the intended publication of his discourses, Dr. 
Buchanan was surprised to find that the insertion 
of it was refused, and that an order had been issued 
to the printers of the other newspapers, forbidding 
them to publish the obnoxious notice. Shortly after- 
wards he received a letter from the chief secretary 
to the Presidency, desiring that he would transmit 
the manuscript of his sermons on the prophecies for 



AT CALCUTTA. 399 

the inspection of government. To this unexpected 
demand Dr. Buchanan gave no immediate answer. 
It had long been the subject of painful observa- 
tion to him, that on the departure of the Marquis 
Wellesley, during whose administration the spirit 
of promoting learning and religion in India had 
been general and ardent, a directly contrary dispo- 
sition was manifested, as if it had been previously 
restrained by his presence. This first appeared un- 
der the administration of Sir George Barlow, and 
liad been acquiring strength ever since. Lord Minto 
had now assumed the supreme government ; and 
as several measures were adopted which appeared 
to Dr. Buchanan to operate very unfavorably for 
the interests both of learnino: and relifjion, he deem- 
cd it his duty, before he quitted Bengal, to address 
a memorial to his lordship, in which he particularly 
directed his attention to the character and tendency 
of those measures ; and, in so doing, explained his 
reasons for declining to comply with the wishes of 
government respecting his sermons on the prophe- 
cies. The memorial was introduced to Lord Minto 
by the following letter : 

" To the Right Honorable Lord Minto, &c. &c. &c. 

** My Lord, — I beg leave respectfully to submit 
to your lordship some particulars regarding the pre- 
sent state of the christian relisrion in Bens^al, which 
I have thought it my duty to communicate for your 
lordship's information at this time. 



400 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" I trust you will do me the justice to believe 
that it is with the utmost reluctance I trouble your 
lordship with a letter on such a subject so soon af- 
ter your entrance on this government, when, as yet, 
few, if any of the circumstances noticed in it can 
have come to your lordship's knowledge. 

'' I have no other view in soliciting your atten- 
tion to them, but the advancement of learning and 
religion. Perhaps no one has addressed your lord- 
ship on the subject since your arrival ; and there 
are certainly many particulars, regarding their pre- 
sent state, which it is of importance your lordship 
should know. 

** Being about to leave India, I feared lest I should 
hereafter reproach myself if I withheld any thing 
at this time which I conceived might be useful, par- 
ticularly as I have been farther encouraged to ad- 
dress your lordship by your known condescension 
in receiving any communications which are honest- 
ly intended. 

" I have the honor to be, my lord, with much 
respect, your most obedient humble servant, 

" C. Buchanan. 

" Calcutta, Nov. 9, 1807." 

The memorial which accompanied the preceding 
letter, and which was published some years after- 
wards* by Dr. Buchanan, in his own vindication 

* See his Apology for Promoting Christianity in Indix 



AT CALCUTTA. 401 

and defence, evinces, as it has been well observed, 
" the temperate firmness of a man, who, knowing 
that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, 
is neither asliamed to profess nor afraid to defend 
it." It is introduced by a statement of the circum- 
stances which have been just mentioned as having 
led to this address to the Governor General. Dr. 
liuchanan gave full credit to the officers of his lord- 
ship's government, of whose conduct respecting the 
christian religion he complained, that they were 
actinnf according: to the best of their iudofment; but 

O CD JO' 

adds, with much force and propriety of expression, 
" not to promote Christianity may, in certain cir- 
cumstances, be prudent; but to repress Christian- 
ity will not, I think, in any case, be defended." 

In reference to the charge that the missionaries 
applied abusive epithets to Mohammed, Dr. Bu- 
chanan says, '' The successful method of preaching 
is by argument and affectionate address ; and I pre- 
sume this has been their general method during 
the fourteen years of their mission. At the same 
time christian teachers are not to speak with reve- 
rence or courtesy of Juggernaut or Mohammed ; 
they must speak as the Scriptures speak ; that is, 
of false gods as false gods, and of a lying prophet 
as a lying prophet. The Mohammedans apply abu- 
sive epithets and vulgar curses to the idolatry of the 
Hindoos and to the faith of Christians ; and these 
epithets are contained in books : the government 
34* 



402 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

might, on the same principle, have been assailed 
with the petitions of Christians and Hindoos against 
the Mohammedans. 

The complaint, however, of the Mohammedans 
produced various restrictions on the proceedings of 
the missionaries, w^hich were defended on the plea 
that the public faith had been pledged to leave the 
natives in the undisturbed exercise of their religions. 
If by not disturbing the natives in the exercise of 
their religion it is meant that we are to use no 
means for diffusing Christianity among them, then, 
observed Dr. Buchanan, " this pledge has been vio- 
lated by every government in India, and has been 
systematically broken by the East India Company 
from the year 1698 to the present time. The char- 
ter of 1698 expressly stipulates that they shall use 
means to instruct the Gentoos, &c. in the christian 
religion. Nor in this is there any thing at variance 
with the pledge in question. It is a very different 
thing to apply arguments to the mind and violence 
to the body ; to civilize and humanize, to address 
the understandings and affections of subjects, and 
to interfere with their superstitions by compulsory 
acts." 

As to his discourses on the prophecies, he had, at 
the opening of his memorial, professed that he would 
willingly transmit them to the perusal of the Go- 
vernor General, and that he should be happy to re- 
ceive such observations on them as his lordship's 



AT CALCUTTA. 403 

learning and candor might suggest ; but he de- 
clined submitting them to the opinion and revision 
of the officers of government, especially as "it 
would be a bad precedent. I would not," he says, 
" that it should be thought that any where in the 
British dominions there exists any thing like a civil 
inquisition into matters purely religious. 

" It is nearly two months," he adds, " since I re- 
ceived the letter from government on this matter, 
and I have not yet communicated my intentions. I 
now beg leave to inform your lordship that I do 
not wish to give government any unnecessary of- 
fence. I shall not publish the prophecies. 

'' At the same time I beg leave most respectfully 
to assure your lordship that I am not in any way 
disappointed by the interference of government on 
this occasion. The supposed suppression of the 
christian prophecies has produced the consequence 
that might be expected. The public curiosity has 
been greatly excited to see these prophecies ; and 
to draw the attention of men to the divine predic- 
tions could be the only object I had in view in no- 
ticing them in the course of my public ministry. 
Another consequence will probably be, the prophe- 
cies will be translated into the lanoruagres of the 
East, and thus pave the way, as has sometimes 
happened, for their own fulfilment." 

Dr. Buchanan closed his memorial with entreat- 
ing Lord Minto, in case any circumstance should 



404 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

afford a pretext for renewing the attr^^ •:>£ to sup- 
press the translation of the Scripturt s th??t ihe 
Chinese translation, in which he felt j)eculiai'y in- 
terested, might at least be spared ; and with ui- 
fering any farther evidence or explanation of the 
facts asserted in his letter which his lordship might 
require. This offer, however, Lord Minto did not 
condescend to accept. He did not even honor Dr. 
Buchanan with a single word of reply. Instead of 
considering the memorial as a communication in- 
tended to inform his lordship on subjects with which 
he was likely to be unacquainted, he viewed it as 
disrespectful to his government, and transmitted it, 
by the very fleet which conveyed Dr. Buchanan 
himself to England, to the Court of Directors, ac- 
companied by a commentary, of which Dr. Bucha- 
nan remained perfectly ignorant till some years af- 
terwards ; when, with many other documents rela- 
tive to Christianity in India, it was laid upon the 
table of the House of Commons, and thus at- 
tracted his notice. The Bengal government, how- 
ever, not having thought proper to pay any atten- 
tion to his memorial, Dr. Buchanan deemed it to 
be his duty to transmit a copy of it to the Court of 
Directors, which he did immediately before his de- 
parture from Calcutta, accompanied by a letter, in 
which he expressed his hope that some general 
principles on the comparative importance of reli- 
gion in political relations in India, might be estab- 



AT CALCUTTA. 405 

lished at home, and transmitted to our eastern go- 
vernment for their guidance. Dr. Buchanan con- 
cluded his address to the honorable court by re- 
calling to their notice the solemn charge which he 
had received about eleven years since from their 
chairman, the late Sir Stephen Lushington, the te- 
nor of which has been already stated. " In obedi- 
ence to these instructions," observes Dr. Buchanan, 
" I have devoted myself much to the advancement 
of the christian religion and of useful learning 
since my anival in India ; using such means as I 
was possessed of, and directing the opportunities 
which have offered to the accomplishment of that 
object. I am yet sensible that I have fulfilled very 
imperfectly the injunctions of your honorable court. 
It suffices, however, for my own satisfaction, if what 
I have done has been well done ; that is, with ho- 
nesty of purpose and with the sanction of truth.. In 
my exhibition of the religious and moral state of 
British India I might have palliated the fact, and 
presented a fair picture where there was nothing 
but deformity ; but, in so doing, I should not have 
done honor to the spirit of the admonitions of your 
venerable chairman now deceased. And however 
grateful it may be for the present moment to sup- 
press painful truths, yet as my labors had chiefly 
reference to the benefit of times to come, I should 
not, by such means, have conciliated the respect 
of your illustrious body twenty years hence." 



406 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

Under these impressions Dr. Buchanan request- 
ed that the court would be pleased to investigate 
fully his proceedings with respect to the promotion 
of Christianity in India, that the company at large 
might be enabled justly to appreciate them ; and 
that he might be encouraged (if it should appear 
that encouragement were due) to prosecute an un- 
dertaking which seemed, he said, to have com- 
manded the applause of all good men, and which 
had certainly commenced with omens of consider- 
able success. 

The preceding letter to the Court of Directors 
was not published with the memorial to the go- 
vernment at Bengal, nor does it seem to have been 
noticed by the court. Neither of those addresses, 
however, though unacknowledged at the time, was 
unproductive of effect. In Bengal a more favorable 
disposition on the part of the government towards 
the promotion of Christianity shortly afterwards 
appeared; and the reply of the Court of Directors 
to the representations of the Governor General in 
council, though not friendly to Dr. Buchanan, was 
strongly marked by those enlightened and liberal 
views which he had been so anxious to see estab- 
lished for the guidance of our Indian governments. 
The favorable change which took place in the 
conduct of the Bengal government towards the mis- 
sion at Serampore, is, however, chiefly to be as- 
cribed to the memorial presented by the mission- 



AT CALCUTTA. 407 

aries themselves to the Governor General in coun- 
cil ; which, when published a few years afterwards 
in this country, excited general admiration. 

The painful transaction which has now been 
detailed was nearly the last of a public nature in 
which Dr. Buchanan was engaged in Calcutta. The 
time was now approaching for his second and final 
departure from that city. Accordingly, in the month 
of November, he preached his farewell sermon to 
the congregation at the mission church, from the 
words of St. Paul to the Philippians, chap. 1 : 27, 
" Only let your conversation be as becometh the 
Gospel of Christ ; that whether I come and see you, 
or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that 
ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving 
together for the faith of the Gospel." From this ap- 
propriate and interesting passage Dr. Buchanan 
delivered a discourse remarkable for the import- 
ance of the practical truths which it enforced. After 
an introductory view of the origin and progress of 
the church at Philippi, Dr. Buchanan considered 
the two particulars of which the parting request of 
the apostle to his favorite converts consists. The 
first respects the holy practice which they were ex- 
horted to maintain. 

" Without a highly moral conversation," observ- 
ed Dr. Buchanan, " a congregation of christians 
cannot be said to have substance or being ; for faith 



408 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCUANAV. 

without works is dead. Unless the world see some- 
thing particular in your works, they will give you 
no credit for your faith ; or rather, they will not 
care what your faith may be. In such circumstances 
your faith will give them no trouble. But when 
' wonderful works ' appear, they will begin to ask 
what ' power hath produced them.' In this very 
epistle the apostle calls the christians at Philippi 
' the sons of God,' and the ' lights of the world ;* 
and he expresses his hope that their conduct would 
be correspondent with these noble and distinguish- 
ing appellations." 

" Now," continues Dr. Buchanan, *' when this 
light shineth to the world, even the light of a holy 
life and conversation, it will be manifested by these 
two circumstances : First, it will not be agreeable 
to some ; and, secondly, some will misrepresent 
your motives, or attach to your conduct an evil 
name, accusing you of hypocrisy or of unnecessary 
strictness. And if no man allege any thing of this 
kind against you, if the worst of men make no de- 
rogatory remark on your conduct, then may you 
doubt whether you are walking in the steps of the 
faithful servants of Christ. They all were marked 
out by the world, as being in a greater or less de- 
gree singular and peculiar in their conduct, as 
persons swayed by other principles and subject to 
other laws. If these things be so, you will perceive 
how little concerned you ought to be about the 



AT CALCUTTA. 409 

praise of man, or the honor which cometh from the 
world." 

Dr. Buchanan then proceeded to the second part 
of the apostle's exhortation ; and, in urging the 
duty of " striving for the faith of the Gospel," he 
observed, " this will appear strange to nominal 
christians, both preachers and hearers. But when 
once a man's heart comes under the influence of 
the grace of God, he will discover (perhaps in old 
age for the first time) that it is his duty, and it will 
be his pleasure, to promote the faith of the Gospel 
by every way ; by his means, by his influence, by 
his exhortation, by his example. Every tnie disci- 
ple of Christ, however humble his situation or pe- 
culiar his circumstances, will find opportunities of 
doing something for the faith of the Gospel. And, 
indeed, the poor often enjoy means of usefulness 
which, from many causes, are denied to their su- 
periors." 

Dr. Buchanan next directed the attention of his 
hearers to the apostle's rule for the successful pur- 
suit of this gieat object, '' that ye stand fast in one 
spirit, with one mind — that they should preserve 
unity, unity in the faith and in the church ; and 
then noticed the nature of that faith for which chris- 
tians ought to strive. The sermon was concluded 
by a faithful and solemn exhortation to the young 
and to the old, to those who doubted as to " the 
true way," to the sinner and the saint, to strive to 

CuchaiinD. *>0 



410 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

obtain, and, having obtained, to adorn and recom- 
mend the faith of the Gospel, " It only remains," 
added Dr. Buchanan, ** that I implore the solemn 
benediction of God on this congregation. 

" I pray that the word of Christ may 'run and 
be glorified' amongst you; that from this place, as 
from a fountain, streams of truth may flow far and 
wide ; that you may be ever blessed with wise and 
learned instructors, ' able ministers of the New 
Testament,' who shall take delight in dispensing 
the word of life and in tending the flock committed 
to their care ; and, finally, that the honor of your 
church may ever be preserved pure from any stain, 
that ye may uphold a conduct ' blameless and 
harmless,' as examples to men, as * the lights of the 
world :' striving: together, with one mind and in 
one spirit, for the faith of the Gospel." 

Such was the simple but impressive strain in 
which Dr. Buchanan took leave of the congregation 
which contained the greater proportion of religious 
persons in Calcutta. His farewell at the Presi- 
dency church was probably of a different nature, 
though characterized by the same pastoral fidelity 
and practical wisdom. There were, doubtless, some 
in each congregation from whom he would regret 
to be separated, and many who would lament his 
departure. Mr. Brown would particularly feel the 
loss of his able and affectionate coadjutor and friend, 
with whom he had taken " sweet counsel " in the 



AT CALCUTTA. 411 

house of God, and had shared the burthen and the 
heat of many a laboiious day. Of the sentiments 
entertained by this excellent man respectinrr his 
learned and valuable colleague, the following brief 
extract from a confidential letter to his brother, 
written just as Dr. Buchanan was on the eve of his 
departure from Calcutta, will be a sufficient testi- 
mony : 

" I know no man in the world who excels him 
in useful purpose, or deserves my friendship more. 
Perhaps there is no man in the world who loves 
him so much as 1 do, because no man knows him 
so well. Further, no man I believe in the world 
would do me service like him. We have lived to- 
gether in the closest intimacy ten years, without a 
shade of difference in sentiment, political or reli- 
gious. It is needless to add, without ajar in word 
or deed. He is the man to do good in the earth, 
and worthy of being metropolitan of the East." 

The private and unaffected nature of the letter 
from which the preceding passage is extracted, the 
well known simplicity and integrity of the writer's 
character, and the perfect competency of his testi- 
mony, render this warm and energetic tribute to 
the merit of his friend peculiarly valuable. To se- 
parate from such a colleague must have been a 
subject of sincere regret to him. But, with this and 
a few other exceptions, Dr. Buchanan's ties to In- 
dia were neither strong nor numerous. The society 



412 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of Calcutta is necessarily fluctuating. One of the 
most important branches of his employment no 
longer existed : he had laid the foundation of a 
great work for the promotion of Christianity in 
India, which he could in future more advantage- 
ously forward and defend in his native country ; 
and thither he felt attracted by the associations of 
early and maturer life, by filial duty, and paternal 
affection. For this return, therefore, after making^ 
a variety of arrangements to ensure the continuance 
of the works carrying on under what he considered 
to be the '' Christian Institution," more particularly 
of the Chinese class at Serampore, he at length 
prepared. 

On the 27th of November Dr. Buchanan left Cal- 
cutta, and reached Fulta the next day ; and from 
this place he wrote to Colonel Sandys as follows : 

** Dear Sandys, — I am thus far on my way to 
Europe. I sail in the Baretto to Goa, to look into 
the inquisition there and examine the libraries. 
Thence I proceed to Bombay. 

" A few days ago I received your letter of the 
28th of May, 1807, dated from Northwold, contain- 
ing the signatures of the little girls. They write 
very well, and have made a flattering progress in 
their education. I am much obliged to you for your 
particular account of the two children, which is 
very correct, I believe, and very pleasing. Being 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 413 

long estranged from them, and hearing none con- 
verse about them, I seldom think of them now com- 
23aratively ; but when we meet again I suppose we 
shall fall in love. 

" You observed, in some of your late letters, 
that you heard I was likely to be married again. It 
so happens that I have not once thought of it. It is 
possible that I may marry some time after my arri- 
val in England ; but yet I would avoid it, for some 
reasons : it is a subject I think not of. 

" Instead of love and marrias^e, 1 am eno;ag:ed in 
war and fightings. I have been obliged to address 
this government publicly on its hostility to religion 
and to its progress in India. All Calcutta wondered 
what step government would take. In the midst of 
this strange scene I paid a farewell visit to them 
all, and left every creature, from the Governor Ge- 
neral to the pilots, on good terms. 

" I have now finished my labors, and pray that 
God may bless them. 

" I have been down here for eight days, waiting 
the despatch of the ship. The Calcutta people have 
not been uninterested in my late contention with 
the government ; and I hear some of them have 
called a ship by my name since I came down here. 
The ' Christian Institution in the East ' is unknown 
in Calcutta to this hour, though active in its ope- 
ration. " Yours affectionately, 

" C. Buchanan." 
35* 



414 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

The ship in which Dr. Buchanan sailed left Sau- 
gor on the 9th of December ; but no memorial of 
his voyage occurs until the 23d of that month, when 
he wrote to Mr. Brown as follows, from Columbo, 
in the island of Ceylon : 

" Ceylon again ! In crossing the Gulf of Manaar 
we encountered a gale and put into Columbo. I 
had requested the captain to touch here when I left 
Calcutta, and now he was obliged of necessity. I 
have been well on board and well treated. Many 
causes for thankfulness as usual. The Adele was 
taken by the Russell the day before we came up to 
her, and we had parted convoy. In the Gulf of Ma- 
naar we were about to throw over our cargo when 
the gale abated. 

"On my arrival here many of the chief persons 
waited on me. From my having touched last year 
at so many Dutch settlements, I found all the fami- 
lies knew me. I have only been here three days, 
having arrived on Monday last, and the ship pro- 
ceeds on her voyage on Friday. I have some 
thoughts of letting her go, and following at my lei- 
sure ; for I find there is something for me here to 
do. What a field for English, Dutch, and Cingalese 
preachers in this fertile and renowned land ! 

*' I propose to proceed straight to Cochin from 
this place. Sir James Mackintosh is on the Malabar 
coast, I hear, with his family. Two Bombay civil 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 415 

servants now here wish me to travel by land from 
Cochin to Goa. They have been judges and collec- 
tors for fourteen years on that coast, and allege 
they know more about the christians than any other 
persons in India. Tljey complain much of the un- 
due influence of Goa, exercised sometimes cruelly 
on all christians who are not Catholics. Mr. B. car- 
ries me out to-day to his country house, to visit 
some of the Cingalese christian churches. 

" My affectionate regards to all your family." 

By the date of his next letter Dr. Buchanan ap- 
pears to have left the Baretto, in which he original- 
ly embarked from Calcutta, and to have exchanged 
that ship for the Canton ; from which, on the 26th 
of December, he thus wrote off" Cochin to Colonel 
Macaulay : 

" I had flattered myself with the hope of being 
landed here, but the commander of the ship cannot 
wait, and I am disappointed. He has engaged to 
put me down at Goa, where I propose to re- 
main some time, and from whence I shall write to 
you particularly. I left Calcutta on the Sth inst. 
and touched at Columbo, where I staid some days, 
and found flattering assurances of support in our 
evangelizing plans for that island. There is less 
prejudice there than in the Company's settlements. 
This is the third time that I have visited Ceylon ; 



416 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

SO that the people begin to think I have some seri- 
ous design against them. 

'* In my last I believe I informed you that I was 
stand'mg in the breach. I have now the pleasure to 
announce that the battle has been fought. Long 
consultations were held how to proceed : it was at 
last decreed that I should be permitted to depart 
in peace. 

" I have the copy of the Malayalim Scriptures 
with me, and mean to print when at Bombay : five 
thousand copies will suffice for a beginning, I 
suppose. 

" I hope to see you before I leave India ; but I 
do not know at this moment where or how. May all 
our resolves and purposes be acceptable to the di- 
vine will ! 

" Mr. Johnstone, judge at Columbo, will furnish 
me with some important official documents relating 
to the state of Christianity in that island. The Go- 
vernor was absent ; but Major Maitland (Lord Lau- 
derdale's son) came to inform me that he would re- 
turn in two days, if I would stay to see him. I could 
not stay ; but I communicated to him that, if he 
would give to the Cingalese translation of the 
Scriptures his countenance, I would give money ; 
and Judge Johnstone would find instruments. Mr. 
J. is an excellent Cingalese scholar himself." 

Notwithstanding the disappointment of which 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 417 

Dr. Buchanan expressed his expectation at 1*116 
commencement of the preceding letter, we find 
him two days afterwards safely landed at Cochin, 
and under the roof of his friend, Colonel Macaulay. 
He thus writes to Mr. Brown : 

•' CocuiN, Dec. 28, 18C7. 

" On the 24th, Christmas eve, we left Columbo, 
crossed the Gulf of Manaar on Christmas-day, and 
arrived here on the 27th, yesterday. I found all my 
Jews .and Christians in fine health and spirits, and 
highly gratified at my unexpected arrival. 1 reside 
with Colonel Macaulay. After passing some time 
in these regions he accompanies me up the coast, 
by land, through all the christian territories, as far 
as Cananore, perhaps Mangalore, whence I pro- 
ceeded by sea to Goa. 

" The Jews have lately had a meeting about the 
prophecies ; and I am about to call another San- 
hedrim on the subject before I go. It is a strange 
event. 

" I am happy I have visited this place a second 
time. May God direct all these things to his own 
glory and to the good of men ! I have need of 
watchfulness and prayer. Much lies before me ere 
I leave India yet, if ever I leave it. 

" Tell H. that the poor Jews, blind, lame, and 
halt, are come this morning, exclaiming, as usual, 
' Jehuda Ani.' I wish I could impart a better 



418 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

gift than silver or gold. The Rajah of Travan- 
core has desired I will visit him. I do not know 
what to do. The Rajah of Cochin has offered to 
come over to see me. Ambassadors from the Syrian 
christians are expected to-morrow." 

On the 2d of January, 180S, Dr. Buchanan left 
Cochin, accompanied by Colonel Macaulay, on a 
second tour upon the coast of Malabar. On the 14th 
he wrote to Mr. Brown, from Tellicherry, an inte- 
resting account of their progress ; and his next let- 
ter to that esteemed friend is dated " Goa, 25th 
January, from the great hall of the inquisition." It 
contains an account of his bold and interesting vi- 
sit to that metropolis of the Roman Catholic reli- 
gion in the East, similar to that already inserted 
from his " Christian Researches." 

The suggestion in the published extracts from 
his journal, as to the propriety of an interference 
on the part of the British government with that of 
Portugal, for the abolition of the dreadful tribunal 
of the inquisition, had been happily anticipated, but 
did not render his animated appeal upon that sub- 
ject superfluous ; while his inquiries relative to 
the moral and religious state of the Romish and 
Syro-Romish churches on the coast of Malabar led 
to efforts to disseminate the holy Scriptures, for 
the instruction and illumination of that numerous 
and long-neglected body of Christians. 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 419 

*' In two hours after leaving the inquisition," 
says Dr. Buchanan, in his letter to Mr. Brown, " I 
reached New Goa. The alarm of ray investigations 
had gone before me. The English came to inquire 
wliat I had seen and heard, and 1 told them all. 1 
staid a day or two with them, and embarked in a 
pattamar (an open boat) for Bombay. The wind 
was contrary, and I was ten days on the voyage. 
1 touched at three different places on the Pirate 
coast; Gheria, the celebrated fort of Severndroog, 
&;c. One day we were driven out to sea, and in con- 
siderable danger. At length, however, on the 6th 
of February 1 reached Bombay." 

On his arrival at this Presidency Dr. Buchanan 
was kindly received by Governor Duncan, and 
took up his abode at the house of Mr. Forbes. He 
experienced the utmost civility from the principal 
persons of the settlement, and was particularly gra- 
tified by the attentions of Sir James Mackintosh. 
" I passed five hours," he observes, in a letter to 
Colonel Macaulay, " with Sir James in his library. 
It is uncommonly numerous and valuable. He is a 
friend to religion, and professes a desire to support 
me in all useful plans for India." 

Dr. Buchanan had taken with him to Bombay 
the manuscript translation of the four Gospels into 
the Malayalim language, which had been completed 
by the Syrian bishop and his clergy, and transmit- 
ted to Colonel Macaulay, intending to print it at 



420 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

his own expense, an excellent fount of types hav- 
ing been recently cut at that place. Governor 
Duncan, however, and others, expressing their 
wish to contribute to the design, it was left in the 
hands of Mr. Money and Mr. Forbes, with instruc- 
tions regarding the appropriation of the funds ; and 
they were authorized to pay all expenses necessa- 
rily incurred in translating the Scriptures into the 
Malayalim language. 

" It would take a fortnight," writes Dr. Buchan- 
an to Colonel Macaulay, Feb. 27, " to detail what 
passed during my fortnight at Bombay. 

" 1 have taken my passage in the Charlton, and 
have secured the first officer's cabin, which is large 
and commodious, for myself and Master Drum- 
mond. We have ten ladies on board, and Dr. Pou- 
get, of Surat, a man of information. 

" Your friend, Ribeymar, the chief inquisitor, re- 
ceived me very kindly, and made a feast on the last 
day but one of my stay, at which were present the 
whole staff' of the Santa Casa. He said he would 
answer your letter. The * thieveless errand' I had 
to visit the inquisition a second time, was to in- 
quire whether the chief inquisitor had written his 
letter. 

" I did not touch at Cananore or Mangalore. I 
was afraid of losing the inquisition and my passage. 

" On my arrival in England I shall not fail to 
give you some account of affairs, if I mix with men, 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 421 

which I much doubt ; for I am tired of fighting, 
and sigh for quiet and retirement. 

" I remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

" C. Buchanan." 

It may be satisfactory to add, that the letter 
from tlie chief inquisitor to Colonel Macaulay, above 
referred to, strongly expressed his respect for that 
gentleman, and the pleasure which he had received 
from Dr. Buchanan's visit, notwithstanding the 
freedom of his inquiries and observations. 

In another short communication to Colonel Ma- 
caulay, about the same time, Dr. Buchanan men- 
tions a pleasing mark of kindness which had been 
shown him by one of his friends at Calcutta, and 
informs him of a proposal which he had made rela- 
tive to one of the most stupendous and interesting 
objects of curiosity in India. 

" Mr. Speke has sent a beautiful large quarto 
Bible after me, as a keepsake. He had heard that I 
had complained of my sight in reading small print 
at night. And this is my last communication with 
the learned of Calcutta. Hoc Dens fecit* 

" I have put them on restoring Elephanta at 
Bombay. 1 found the cavern and figures in a state 
of progressive annual dilapidation. Mr. Money has 
taken up the subject warmly. If government does 
not execute it, I have proposed a subscription, with 

♦ This God hai> done, 
Bucbaoan. 36 



422 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

a promise of five hundred rupees as soon as the 
work shall commence under a scientific superin- 
tendent. I have left a memorandum of the subjects 
of improvement and re-edification, according to my 
idea. I have a reason for wishing that the Trinity 
in Unity at Elephanta may remain while this lower 
world exists." 

Dr. Buchanan thus adverts to the same extra- 
ordinary remains of antiquity, in writing to Mr. 
Brown : 

*' I have visited Elephanta; a more wonderful 
work than the pyramids of Egypt. But the works 
of Providence are yet more wonderful ; at least, 
so I should esteem them ; for, in every region and 
in every clime the loving-kindness of God is mag- 
nified in my experience. May his grace also be 
magnified in me ! My love to all your family.'* 

On the 13th of March the Charlton arrived ofl' 
Point de Galle, from which place Dr. Buchanan 
again wrote a few lines to Mr. Brown. 

" I had intended," he says, " to have published 
my letter to the archbishop of Goa at this place. 
But if we do not go on shore I shall have no oppoi^ 
tunity. I shall therefore publish it at home.* 

* On his arrival in England Dr. Buchanan found it un- 
necessary to publish this letter, the inquisition at Goa hav- 
ing been abolished. 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 423 

" I have extensive commissions for sending good 
books and Bibles to Bombay, Malabar, and Ceylon. 
For, it' they have no preachers, they must read. 

" All is well on board this ship, and I hope some 
good will be done. 

" With unfeigned prayers for the best of spirit- 
ual blessings on you and your family, 

" I remain my de^r sir, very affectionately yours, 

" C. Buchanan." 

To Colonel Macaulay Dr. Buchanan wrote the 
next day as follows : 

" My Dear Sir, — We have just arrived at this 
place, and see the Bengal fleet ready to sail ; so 
that I have only time to bid you farewell. We staid 
three days at Columbo, one of which I passed with 
General Maitland at Mount Lavinia. After long 
and interesting conversations he was pleased to 
promise that he would recommend to his majesty's 
government ' an ecclesiastical establishment for the 
island of Ceylon.* By the next despatch he will 
send me, under cover to the bishop of London, co- 
pies of all the papers I wanted relating to the eccle- 
siastical state of the island for the last two centu- 
ries. He has agreed to support the translation of 
the Scriptures into the Cingalese language. I re- 
sided with the honorable Mr. Twisleton, whom I 
found well disposed to second all my views. Mr. 



424 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Heywood did more. I think he is disposed to be 
zealous as a pastor to his people. I shall corres- 
pond, I hope, with both. They are surprised at 
the Governor's full acquiescence in the above im- 
portant measures. I hope he will not retract. 

" I received your letters for your brother, which 
I hope to deliver into his hands. I am much obliged 
to you for your introduction to him. 

" The fleet is now under weigh for St. Helena. 
Farewell. C. Buchanan." 

" H. C. Charlton, Point de Galle 
March 14, 1808." 



CHAPTER XHI. 



Hesidence in England after Ms Jtetttrn from India, 

When Dr. Buchanan arrived in England, as 
mitrht have been expected, he immediately direct- 
ed his steps to the dwelling of his dear friend, Mr. 
Newton ; but, alas ! this venerable man was not 
there to salute him — he had been buried for 
more than seven months. His first feelings, there- 
fore, on reaching London, were of the mournful 
kind. 



IN ExN'GLAND. 425 

Having calculated much upon the effect of the 
memoir of the " Christian Institution " which he 
had transmitted to England that it might be pub- 
lished, he made his second call to Cadell, his book- 
seller ; but here again he was disappointed ; for it 
now appeared that his friends, to whom he had 
communicated the document, had judged it inex- 
pedient, in the excited state of the public mind re- 
specting India, to publish it ; and had taken upon 
themselves the responsibility of withholding it from 
the press. Although he acquiesced in their act, yet 
it was evidently no small disappointment to Dr. Bu- 
chanan that this paper had not been put into the 
hands of the public. 

Having arrived on his native island, he could not 
repress his desire to make every consideration of 
business or friendship give way to his filial piety. 
Learning that his aged mother still lived, he has- 
tened to Scotland to perform his duty of honoring 
her who gave him birth ; and who, on account of 
her piety and good sense, was in all respects de- 
serving the affection of her son. From Glasgow, 
while on this visit, he writes, " I preached in the 
English church here to a crowded auditory. The 
Presbyterians came to hear me, notwithstanding 
the organ^ 

After his return from Scotland he visited Mr. 
Cecil, who was now in a low state of health. Dr. 
Buchanan, in giving an account of this visit, in a 
36* 



426 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

letter to a friend, says : " Notwithstanding his 
weakness, he seems to feel a singular pleasure in 
hearing me talk on oriental subjects, and the diffu- 
sion of the Gospel generally." 

He was greatly delighted with the apparent ef- 
fect which his prizes had produced. The premium 
of c£500, which he had given to the University of 
Oxford, was adjudged to Hugh Pearson, the author 
of this memoir. 

In Cambridge some circumstances occurred to 
prevent a decision. Doctors Milner, Jowett, and 
Outram, had been appointed judges ; and of all the 
compositions sent in, they were of opinion that not 
one deserved so magnificent a prize. But, a few 
days after the prescribed time had expired, t^iey 
received a piece, by the Rev. J. W. Cunningham, 
which they unanimously preferred to all the rest ; 
and to which the examiners would, without hesi- 
tation, have adjudged the prize, had it been pre- 
sented within the limited time ; but, as the matter 
stood, they did not feel authorized to do so with- 
out the special permission of Dr. Buchanan. This 
being a case of delicacy, he did not think proper 
to make any decision on the point ; but as the uni- 
versity were unwilling to resume the consideration 
of the subject, he offered to bear the expense of 
printing Mr. Cunningham's essay. 

Two sermons were preached at Cambridge, by 
the Rev. Francis Wrangham, of Trinity College, 



IN ENGLAND. 427 

and the Rev. John Dudley, of Clare Hall, pur- 
suant to the proposal of Dr. Buchanan, on the 
" Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental 
Languages." Two sermons were also preached 
on the same subject before the University of Ox- 
ford, by the Rev. Dr. Barrow, of Queen's College, 
and the Rev. Edward Nares, of Merton College ; 
all of which were published. 

The authors of all these discourses insisted on 
the duty of translating the Scriptures into the lan- 
guages of the East ; and all maintained that it was 
obligatory on Great Britain to attempt, by every 
wise and rational method, to promote the know- 
ledge of christia^nity in India. 

The " Memoir" on the expediency of an Ec- 
clesiastical Establishment in India, produced a 
powerful sensation. The subject was to many en- 
tirely new, and at the same time was regarded as 
very important. Before his return to England, a 
hostile spirit towards the author had been enkindled 
in the minds of many, who considered the whole 
enterprise as fraught with danger to the English 
possessions and power in the East. It is a remarka- 
ble coincidence, that at the very time when efforts 
were made in India to impede the translation of 
the Scriptures into the dialects of the country, and 
to restrain the efforts of missionaries there, a formi- 
dable attack, from the same spirit, was made in 
England, with a view to check the ardor which had 



428 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

been infused into the minds of multitudes in favor 
of both these interesting objects. This attack was 
commenced by a pamphlet entitled, *' A Letter to 
the Chairman of the East India Company on the 
Danger of Interfering in-the Religious Opinions of 
the Nations of India ; and on the Views of the Bri- 
tish and Foreign Bible Society as directed to India." 
This pamphlet, though published anonymously, 
was afterwards avowed by Thomas Twining, Esq. 
a senior merchant of the Bengal establishment. 
And he declared his intention of bringinor the sub> 
ject before the Court of Directors. The Bible 
Society was ^ly vindicated from the charges 
brought against it, by the Rev. John Owen, one of 
its secretaries ; and the great work of diffusing the 
Bible in India had able advocates in the lamented 
Rev. Andrew Fuller, Rev. Robert Hall, Dr. Adam 
Clarke, and others. 

The prejudice and alarm which had been excited 
by Mr. Twining's pamphlet was increased by the 
publication of two pamphlets by Major Scott War- 
ing, who inveighed with great violence of language 
against the Bible Society, the Baptist missionaries 
in Bengal, and against the '' Memoir" of Dr. Bu- 
chanan. But the friends of religion in England 
were not inactive nor unsuccessful in checking 
this rising spirit of jealousy and hostility, occa- 
sioned by these intemperate publications. 

This controversy, however, did not terminate 



IN ENGLAND. 429 

here. In the year 1808 it was renewed by the pub- 
lication of a pamphlet entitled, " A Vindication of 
the Hindoos from the Aspersions of the Rev. C. 
Buchanan, M. A. wilh a Refutation of his Argu- 
ments for an Ecclesiastical Establishment in Bri- 
tish India. By a Bengal Officer." This extraordi- 
nary publication was distinguished by the bold 
avowal, that the Hindoo system little needs the 
ameliorating hand of the christian dispensation to 
render its votaries a sufficiently correct and moral 
people for all the useful purposes of civilized so- 
ciety. This military author bent all his force to 
prove the excellence of the moral and religious 
doctrines of the Hindoos, and to defend the moral 
character of the Hindoos themselves. But with 
great pretensions, and some partial knowledge 
of the state of affairs in India, he betrayed much 
local isrnorance, and manifested a total disres^ard 
of the practical influence of the Brahminical reli- 
gion, and a total deficiency in all enlarged views 
and general reasonings. 

The friends of the propagation of Christianity in 
the East again came forward and vindicated the 
cause of Christianity and of missions. The venera- 
ble Bishop Porteus wrote some remarks on Mr. 
Twining's pamphlet, which were published anony- 
mously ; and in which, in a strain of animated and 
well-directed irony, he defended the measures of 
the British and Foreign Bible Society, and what 



430 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

the bishop termed " Dr. Buchanan's invaluable 
Memoir." 

Next appeared Mr. Cunningham's essay " On 
the duty, means, and consequences of introducing 
the Christian Religion among the native inhabit- 
ants of the British dominions in the East." This was 
a part of the work which the author had submitted 
to the University of Cambridge, as a candidate for 
Dr. Buchanan's prize ; of which some account has 
been given. The main argument of this able and 
elaborate essay was founded on the malignant and 
pernicious nature of the Hindoo superstitions. 

Mr. Cunningham's essay was followed by the 
prize dissertation of the Rev. Hugh Pearson, which 
contributed in no inconsiderable degree to enlight- 
en the public mind on this momentous question. 

One other work remains to be noticed, of singu- 
lar excellence and authority, entitled, " Considera- 
tions on the practicability, policy, and obligation 
of communicating to the nations of India the know- 
ledge of Christianity." This was the production of 
Lord Teignmouth ; who, together with the princi- 
ples of christian piety and benevolence, brought to 
the consideration of this weighty subject that cor- 
rect and extensive local knowledge and practical 
wisdom and experience which were the result of 
the high stations he had occupied in India. 

The important services of one periodical publi- 
cation, in ably and effectually pleading the cause 



IN ENGLAND. 431 

of Christianity, ought not to- pass unnoticed. It will 
be readily understood, that reference is made to 
the Christian Ohsfrver. 

Dr. Buchanan found his two daughters well, and 
so grown that he could scarcely recognize them. 

It was not long after his arrival in England be- 
fore he received some gratifying communications 
from India, in a letter from his friend. Rev. Mr. 
Brown. Governor Minto, in his speech, delivered 
at the public examination of the students of Fort 
William College, Feb. 21, 1S03, spoke in terms of 
liigh commendation of their progress in oriental 
literature ; and especially gave high praise to the 
proficiency, in the Chinese language, of the Baptist 
missionaries at Serampore. " I must not omit," said 
his lordship, " to commend the zealous and perse- 
vering labors of Mr. Lassar, and of those learned 
and pious persons associated with him, who have 
accomplished, for the future benefit, we may hope, 
of that immense and populous region, Chinese ver- 
sions, in the Chinese character, of the Gospels of 
Matthew, Mark, and Luke ; throwing open that 
precious mine, with all its religious and moral trea- 
sures, to the largest associated population in the 
world." To which Mr. Brown added, that Lord 
Minto now patronized all the translations of the 
Scriptures into the Eastern languages, and had 
himself become a subscriber to some of those which 
were then in the press at Serampore. 



432 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

In a letter to Mr. Brown he writes : " People 
imagine that I am meditating war. Nothing is far- 
ther from my thoughts. I am at present reading 
the Bible, and studying some sermons for poor peo- 
ple. [ stand remote from the world. I do not even 
know whether the Court of Directors pays my fur- 
lough allowance. But on this and other subjects I 
shall be able to say more after I have been a year 
in the country. 

'* The Chinese printing " (sent to him by Mr, 
BroWn) "is very admirable. You are cheaper too 
than I was when I gave four annas for every cha- 
racter. The arrival of Mr. Thomason will brighten 
your prospects. I told Mrs. M. her prayers would 
bring good men. 

" Mr. B. here is very useful as an evangelist. I 
shall enclose to you an account of the death of his 
daughter, aged 14. He lost four children in a year, 
and preached nobly to the hearts of his large con- 
gregation during the whole period. So you see good 
men have their trials on the banks of the Severn, 
as well as on the Ganges. 

"You will regret to hear that Henry Kirke 
White was first proposed to Mr. Thornton," (mean- 
ing for Dr. Buchanan's benefaction to some student 
at the university,) " and," for reasons which do not 
appear, " was rejected." 

On the 26th of February he jireached his sermon 



IN ENGLAND. 433 

entitled, " The Star in the East." This was tlie 
first of those well-directed and successful eflfoita 
which Dr. Buchanan made, after his arrival in 
England, to enlighten and arouse the public mind 
in regard to the great object which had so fully 
occupied his attention in India. Tiiis sermon was 
preached in the parish church of St. James, Bristol, 
for the benefit of the Church Missionary Society. 
The effect, when delivered from the pulpit, and 
when issued from the press, was great and salu- 
tary. No modern sermon, perhaps, has produced a 
greater effect. The high encomium of Sabat, alas ! 
was not verified by the event ; but none but God 
can read the heart. The most promising blossoms 
are often nipped, and the most sanguine hopes dis- 
appointed. Thus it was in the days of the apostles, 
and thus it has been ever since. 

Dr. Buchanan now paid a visit to the University 
of Oxford, and expresses himself well pleased with 
the cordial reception which he received from many. 
The object of the visit was in subservience to his 
one object of pursuit ; he wished to look into the 
public libraries, and especially to examine the ori- 
ental manuscripts deposited there. In this venera- 
ble seat of learning Dr. Buchanan spent ten days, 
receiving many civilities from the masters and fel- 
lows of colleges. 

He also paid a visit to Hertford College, insti- 
tuted by the East India Company, for the study of 

Buchanan. «>♦ 



434 ftlEMOlR OP DR. BCCHAN'APT. 

the Oriental languages. Of this institution he says, 
" I returned yesterday from Hertford College, with 
which I was much pleased. Of course it owes its 
present efficiency to a wise selection of professors. 
Dealtry alone would do honor to any institution." 

In August, 1S09, Dr. Buchanan visited Scarbo- 
rough, where he preached to crowded and admiring 
audiences; and it was earnestly desired by many, 
that as he had now relinquished all thoughts of re- 
turning to India, he should exercise his ministry in 
this place. 

It was here that he became acquainted with the 
interesting family of Mr. Thompson, of Kirby Hall, 
of which he had heard much, and with which he 
soon formed a close alliance ; for, in February, 
1810, he was united in marriage to his second wife, 
the daughter of Mr. Thompson. He was attracted 
to this lady by her eminent piety, her active bene- 
volence, and her filial duty and affection. This con- 
nection, for a while, fixed his residence in York- 
shire ; and while he remained at Moat Hall he 
performed the duties of a pastor to the parish of 
Ouseburn. His friends at Bristol, however, were 
solicitous that he should return and occupy Wel- 
beck chapel. The friend who first introduced him 
to this chapel, finding him eminently qualified to be 
a preacher in a city congregation, formed the plan 
of building a chapel for him in one of the western 
parishes of London. This scheme met with his en- 



IS ENGLAND. 435 

tire approbation ; owing, however, to some unfore- 
seen impediments, the design was not carried into 
effect. 

On occasion of the kinij havinnf reached the fifti- 
eth year of his reign, Dr. Buchanan preached seve- 
ral sermons ; which wcie published and widely 
circulated, and greatly admired. They were enti- 
tled, "Jubilee Sermons." 

In this year he received again communications 
from Rev. Mr. Brown, representing India as in a 
tranquil state, and even prosperous, Mr. Brown, in 
his letter, dwelt with delight and energy on the ex- 
ertions of Henry Martyn and his associates. 

He also received a letter from Mr. Kolhoff, at 
Tanjore, informing him that Mr, Horst had been 
engaged in collecting materials for the life of Mr. 
Swartz, agreeably to his request, and had about ten 
sheets of written notes ; which he would have de- 
spatched by this opportunity, had he not discovered 
several important omissions which he was desirous 
of supplying. He also informed him of the agree- 
able fact, that the Court of Directors had granted 
seven hundred pagodas, in addition to their for- 
mer five hundred, to aid in supporting protestant 
schools. 

It has been stated that Dr. Buchanan desired to 
write the life of Swartz ; and indeed he had it 
much at heart to exhibit to the christian commu- 
nity the character of this eminent and successful 



436 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCIIAXAN. 

missionary, and had commenced the work, when 
lie heard that another had undertaken it.* 

On the 12th of June, this year, Dr. Buchanan 
preached the anniversary sermon before the Church 
Missionary Society. It was a grand occasion ; and 
the sermon was every way suitable to such an oc- 
casion ; and something of its impression on the au- 
dience may be inferred from the fact, that the col- 
lection amounted to nearly c£400. The text was, 
" Ye are the lis^ht of the world." This sermon was 
also published and widely circulated, and read with 
interest and profit on both sides of the Atlantic. 

His next public service which deserves to be 
particularly mentioned, was his two sermons preach- 
ed, on commencement Sunday, before the Univer- 
sity of Cambridge. Speaking of them himself, in a 
letter to a friend, he says, '* I preached for three 
quarters of an hour in the morning, and above half 
an hour in the afternoon. There was the most so- 
lemn stillness. The church was crowded. 

" The Tuesday following the bishop of Bristol 
came up to me in the senate house, and thanked 
me for the discourses, and expressed a hope that 
they would be published. Others did the same. 
Dean Milner, who is vice-chancellor, informed me 
soon afterwards, that he thought himself authorized 
to grant the imjjrimatur of the university for their 

* The life of Swartz has been since written by the Rev. 
Hugh Pearson, the author of this memoir. 



I.\ ENGLAND. 437 

publlcalion; and I am preparing ihcm for the press 
accordingly. I mean to publish important matter 
as an appendix." 

These discourses were entitled, " The Euas op 
Light," founded on Gen. 1 : 3, "Let there be 
light." They arc admirable sermons, highly ani- 
mated and instructive. He makes three eras of 
Gospel light. The first, when the Gospel was pub- 
lished throughout the world by the apostles ; the 
second, the era of the reformation; and the third, 
our own times. 

In speaking of this last he says, " Christianity 
hath again, after a lapse of many ages, assumed its 
true character as the ' light of the world.' We 
now behold it animated by its original spirit, which 
was to extend its blessings to ' all nations.' The 
Scriptures are preparing in almost every language, 
and preachers are going forth into almost every 
clime. Within the period of which we speak men 
have heard the Gospel in their own tongue where- 
in they were born." In India, throughout many of 
its provinces; in different parts o^ Africa ; in the 
interior o^ Asia : in the western parts oi America ; 
in New Holland ; in the isles of the Pacific Sea; 
in the West Indies; and in the regions of G^z-re??- 
Ia?id and Labrador; Malays, Chinese, Persians, 
arjd Arabians, begin now to hear, or read in " their 
own tongues the wonderful works of God." 

Dr. Buchanan, before he concluded these dia- 
37* 



438 MEMOIR OP DB, BUCHANAN. 

courses, addressed to an audience not much accus- 
tomed to hear plain evangehcal truths, thought it 
his duty to give his emphatic testimony to the ne- 
cessity and reality of that spiritual change incul- 
cated in the Scriptures. '' This change of heart,'* 
says he, " ever carries vv^ith it its own witness ; and 
it alone exhibits the same character among men of 
every clime. It bears the fruit of righteousness ; it 
affords the highest enjoyment of life which was 
intended by God or is attainable by man. It inspires 
the soul with a sense of pardon and acceptance 
through the Redeemer. It gives peace in death, 
and sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto 
eternal life !" 

Upon his first visit to Cambridge, after his return 
from India, he presented to the public library of 
the University twenty-five valuable oriental manu- 
scripts, which he had collected on the coast of Ma- 
labar, principally biblical, written in the Hebrew, 
Syriac, and Ethiopic languages. 

In February, 1811, Dr. Buchanan had a slight 
paralytic stroke, affecting his voice and his right 
hand. As the spring approached his illness did not 
disappear but continued ; and his physicians pro- 
nounced the disease to be a nervous weakness ; for 
the removal of which a cessation from study was 
necessary. 

Not wishing to remain unoccupied and useless, 
he now projected 2, journey to Palestine; which, 



IN ENGLAND. 43'J 

while it might be a means of restoring liis health, 
would furnish the opportunity of collecting much 
important information respecting the religious state 
of that interesting country. His chief object, a.s he 
expressed it, was, to make inquiries respecting the 
churches, the Scriptures, and the translation of the 
Bible into the languages of the nations. But when 
he formed this noble plan he was not conscious of 
the debilitated state of his constitution. The jour- 
ney was therefore never undertaken. By the advice 
of his physicians he now tried the waters of Bux- 
ton ; and it was while using these waters he com- 
posed and preached his pleasing sermon, entitled, 
" The waters of Bethesda;" which was also given 
to the public through the press. 

Though Dr. Buchanan*s health continued to de- 
cline, his mental powers remained unimpaired ; and 
the following passage from a letter, dated Kirby 
Hall, April 13, 1S12, gives a delightful intimation 
of the heavenly state of his mind. " I am now seek- 
ing the comfort of the holy Scriptures and their 
promises, and love to contemplate Augustine and 
Luther. I look forward to nothing in this life but 
tliese two things, repentance icith hitter tears for jpast 
sins, and joy in tlic Holy Ghost. These two bless- 
ings I am encouraged to look for, for they are pro- 
mised to sinners ; they are the ' gifts to the rebel- 
lious.' In the meantime I pray to do the will of 
God, and to use my voice, my pen, or my feet, as 



440 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

he wishes me, while these members have any 
strength for his service." 

Thus was God evidently preparing him for an- 
other sore domestic bereavement, which, by the 
workings of his inscrutable providence, he was now 
called to endure. 

After the birth of a son, which did not live, his 
wife seemed to recover well from her confinement; 
but these favorable appearances were of short du- 
ration : she was called away by her Father in hea- 
ven. Concerning this event. Dr. Buchanan, in writ- 
ing to a friend, April 1, IS 1 3, says : 

" Long before her last illness, my dear Mary had 
frequently contemplated the probability of her dy- 
ing in early life. Her delight was to talk of things 
heavenly and spiritual ; and her studies were al- 
most entirely religious. Her spirits seemed to have 
been much chastened by personal and by domestic 
suffering ; and her affections were gradually losing 
their hold of this world. After her last confinement 
her heart appeared to be devoted to God in a par- 
ticular manner. 

" She seemed to enjoy prayer and religious con- 
verse in a high degree, notwithstanding her indis- 
])osition and high fever. We mutually expressed 
the hope of devoting ourselves to the service of 
God, for the time to come, more affectionately and 
actively than we had done in time past. She look- 



IN EN'GLAND. 441 

ed forward certainly to the comfort of eujoyirii^ 
more the life of a saint on earth, but I do not think 
she expected so early to be a saint in heaven. 

" On the night previous to her death she sat on 
the couch in my study. She begged I would 
give her the Bible, and a little table, and a candle. 
She read one of the Psalms very attentively ; the 
46th, beginning, " God is our refuge and strength, 
a very present help in trouble." And when I took 
the Bible out of her hand, finding it open at that 
Psalm. I read it to her, as a portion of our even- 
ing religious exercise. 

" On the morning of the day on which she died, 
after I had kneeled by her bed-side, as usual, and 
prayed with her, and had left her, she desired her 
maid to read a hymn to her. She began one, but 
said, ' It is a funeral hymn.' She replied, ' A fune- 
ral hymn will suit me very well.' 

'' About an hour after she was brought to my 
study, and took her seat in the arm-chair. About 
one o'clock her father and mother came to visit 
her. After her father had staid some time, he and 
I went out in the carriage for an hour, while her 
mother remained with her. On our return her mo- 
ther took her leave, and I accompanied her down 
stairs to the carriage. On my coming up, my dear 
Mary had just got up from her chair, and walked 
over to the couch with a quick step, assisted by her 
nurse. I immediately supported her in my arms. 



442 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCIIANAJf. 

Slight faintings succeeded, but they were moment- 
ary. She complained of a pain near her heart. On 
my saying, I hoped it would soon be over, she re- 
plied, " O no, it is not over yet ! — What is this that 
has come upon me 1 Send for mamma. After a few 
minutes' struggle she sat up in the couch with much 
strength ; and looking towards the window she 
uttered a loud cry that might have been heard at a 
considerable distance. She then drank a little wa- 
ter ; and immediately after drinking, without a 
groan or a sigh, fell upon my breast. 1 thought she 
had only fainted ; but her spirit that moment had 
taken its flight. 

" Thus died my beloved wife. She was ready 
for the summons. She had long lived as one who 
waited for the coming of the Lord. Her loins were 
girded, her lamp was burning, and the staff was in 
her hand ; she had nothing to do but depart." 

About this time Dr. Buchanan heard of the death 
of two of the most excellent men who ever visited 
India, Rev. Mr. Brown and Henry Martyn. His 
remark, in a letter to a friend, is : " These good 
men have ascended up on high in the vigor of age 
and life. Let us aspire to follow them, and join the 
assembly of the first-born !" His own heart was too 
much in heaven to grieve unreasonably for the de- 
parture of his pious friends. His attachment to 
his wife seems to have been very tender, but the 



IN ENGLAND. 443 

Stroke hacl no other efiect than to wean him more 
and more from the world. Among his '' Private 
Thovights " we find the following : 

" My first emotions of thankfulness (when I could 
seek subjects of thankfulness) were, that her last 
trial was so short. It was given me to witness fur 
my soul's health, I trust; and it was awful indeed, 
but it was short. 

*' I suffer chielly from the reflection, that I did 
not commune with Iter more frc(iui'ntJ]) and directly 
on the state of her .io?d. God ordained her personal 
and domestic sufferings to mature her for her ap- 
proaching change. Mature in my lieart, blessed 
Saviour! this affliction, and enable me to obey the 
new commandment, ' that ye love one another.' 
This love, exercised towards a wife or child, ac- 
quires a double force ; natural affection co-operat- 
ing with spiritual love." 

Under another date he adds: '' I am now ena- 
bled to pray three times a day ; and am not, as 
usual, drawn hastily from my knees. I have long 
prayed for a spirit of grace and supplication, and 
now the Lord hath been pleased to give it by means 
that I did not expect. 

*' The chief petitions of my heart have been : 

" That God would strike the well of my affec- 
tions, and cause the waters to flow : 

" That I might open my mouth in the cause of 
God. Hitherto my lips have been locked up in a 



444 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

torpid silence. There is indeed much that is con- 
stitutional in this taciturnity ; and my late nerv^ous 
indisposition has greatly increased it. Like Hooker, 
I can scarcely look my children or servants in the 
face. I have prayed that this unaccountable vi'eak- 
ness may be removed ; that I may become vocal 
I'or God at all times and in all places ; that I may 
look earnestly into the eyes and countenances of 
men, and seek anxiously their salvation ; that I 
may never forget the agonizing looks and pow^er- 
ful voice of my dear wife in the struggle of death. 

" That I may learn to seek the glory of God as 
the first object of my conversation in the vs^orld, 
and to pray earnestly for the conversion of all men. 
Let me look on every person whom my eyes be- 
hold with benevolence, loving my neighbor as my- 
self, and utter a mental prayer for that person, 
* May this be a vessel of mercy prepared unto 
glory!' 

" That the Spirit of grace and supplication may 
never depart from me ; and that God may hear 
rny morning, noontide, and evening supplication, 
during every day of my pilgrimage. That I may 
fix my love, hope, and affections on God, and ob- 
tain that fellowship which I learn, from Scripture, 
is attainable by men in the present state. Amen." 



FUNERAL OF Bill. THORNTON. 445 



CHAPTER XIV. 



J}r> BuchanatCs Death, — Character, — Conclusion* 

One of the last public acts of Dr. Buchanan's 
life was the sad duty of attending the funeral of 
his most excellent and highly esteemed friend, 
Henry Thornton, Esq. In the following letter to 
Cglonel Macaulay, this event is noticed : 

*' Broxjbourne, Thursday, Jan. 19. 

" My dear Friend, — On my return from York- 
shire this morning, where I have been for a fort- 
night on a visit to my family, I found your letter 
of the 11th inst. lyino: on my table. 

*' The first intimation I had of Mr. Thornton's 
illness was on Monday last at Carleton Hall Work- 
shop. On my arrival here I found your letter, and 
one from Mr. John Thornton confirming the pain- 
ful intelligence. I was just going to sit down to re- 
juest that he would communicate to his uncle my 
feelings on the occasion, and my request to go to 
town to visit him, if he had strength to see me, 
when, casually looking into the paper, I found that 
he had died on Tuesday. All I can now do is to 
attend the funeral of this good man, my earliest 
and most particular friend and benefactor. I have 
requested Mr. John Thornton to let me know on 
33 



446 MEMOIR or DR. BUCHANAN. 

what day the funeral takes place. In case of mis- 
take, will you have the goodness to mention to me 
the time and place, and I shall go out early in the 
morning and return in the evening, as my present 
work will not permit me conveniently to be abse. 
a night. 

" I desire to thank you most unfelgnedly for 
your kindness to the two Cochin Jews. 

'' With kindest regards to Mrs. M. I am very af- 
fectionately yours, C. BuciiAx\AN." 

It was upon the solemn and affecting occasion 
thus referred to, that the author of these memoirs 
met Dr. Buchanan for the last time. A crowd of 
other friends, distinguished by their talents, rank, 
and piety, united in lamenting the loss of the emi- 
nent person around whose tomb they were assem- 
bled. Amidst that mourning throng, it will readily 
be believed by those who recollect his obligations 
to Mr. Thornton, as well as his just appreciation 
of the various excellencies of his revered friend, 
that no one shed more sincere tears over his grave 
than Dr. Buchanan. Doubtless he then felt, as 
he seemed to feel, in common with a multitude 
of other persons, that another of those ties by 
which he had been linked to this world was de- 
stroyed. The writer of these pages remembers, 
with sensations of melancholy yet pleasing regret- 
the peculiarly holy and heavenly strain of conver 



FUNERAL or MR. THORNTON. 447 

eation wltli which Dr. Buchanan cheered and edi- 
fied his friends on the evening oi" that moujtiful 
day, and on the morning of his return into Hert- 
fordshire ; Jittle tliinking tliat it would be tiie last 
opportunity of their enjoying that privilege. 

Of this short and affecting visit to Clapham, the 
following interesting anecdote has been communi- 
cated by a friend at whose house Dr. Buchanan 
took up Lis abode : 

" He was relating to me," observes this gentle, 
man, " as we walked together from the church- 
yard where we had deposited the mortal remains 
of Henry Thornton, the course he was pursuing 
with respect to the ])rinting of the Syiiac Testa- 
ment. He stated that his solicitude to render it 
correct had led him to adopt a plan of revision 
which required him to read each sheet five times 
over before it went finally to the printer. The par- 
ticulars of the plan I do not very distinctly lemern- 
ber. It was, however, something of this kind : he 
first prepared the sheets for the press ; when the 
proof was sent, he read it over attentively, insti- 
tuting a comparison with the original, and looking 
into the various readings, Sec. A revise was sent 
him, which he carefully examined, making correc- 
tions. This was submitted to Mr. Yeates. AVhen 
it came from him he read it again, adopting such 
of his suggestions as he thought right. AVheu 



448 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAXAX. 

the printer had made the requisite corrections he 
sent a fresh revise, after being read, to Mr. Lee, 
and re-perused it when it came from him. A third 
revise was then procured, which he again examin- 
ed before it was finally committed to the press. 1 do 
not know that I am precisely accurate in this state- 
ment, but it was something of the above description. 
" While giving me this detail, he stopped sud- 
denly and burst into tears. I was somewhat alarm- 
ed. When he had recovered himself, he said, ' Do 
not be alarmed. I am not ill ; but I was completely 
overcome with the recollection of the delight which 
I had enjoyed in this exercise. At first I was dis- 
posed to shrink from the task as irksome, and ap- 
prehended that I should find even the Scriptures 
pall by the frequency of this critical examination ; 
but, so far from it, every fresh perusal seemed to 
throw fresh light on the word of God, and to con- 
vey additional joy and consolation to my mind.* " 

How delightful is the contemplation of a servant 
of Christ thus devoutly engaged in his heavenly 
Master's work, almost to the very moment of his 
transition to the divine source of light and truth 
itself! 

The pious and elevated frame of Dr. Buchanan's 
mind is evident from another incident which occur- 
red at this time. 

In passing through London, on his return to 



FUNERAL OP MR. THORNTON. 449 

Broxbournc, he spent a few hours with a friend 
wliom he had met upon the solemn occasion of ilie 
preceding day. In the course of their conversation 
liis friend observed, how afiecting was the conside- 
ration of the removal of so many great and good 
men, whom they liad lately had occasion to lament, 
in the prime of life and in the midst of their use- 
fulness. To this observation Dr. Buchanan replied, 
'* So long as they were still on earth, and the divirie 
will was not known, it was our duty fervently to 
pray for their recovery and lengthened life ; but, 
when once that will has been discovered by the 
event, we should rejoice and praise God that he 
has received them to himself, and hasten to follow 
them to his heavenly kingdom." It was not long 
before he himself afforded another illustration of 
this remark, which, though not unfrequently made, 
was peculiarly characteristic of that spirit of calm 
and habitual submission to the will of God, and of 
lively faith in the realities of an eternal world, by 
which he was distinafuished. 

The extreme severity of the weather had excited 
some apprehensions in the minds of many as to 
the probable ellect of Dr. Buchanan's exposure to 
it during some hours of the preceding day. He did 
not, however, appear at the time to have snfTeicd 
by it, and leached Broxbourne on the 2oih of Ja- 
nuary in safety. 

On the 1st of February he wrote to Mrs. Thomp- 



450 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

son informing her of the solemn scene at which he 
had lately been present, describing the numerous 
and respectful attendance at the funeral of Mr. 
Thornton, and expressing his earnest desire to fol- 
low him to the same blessed inheritance. 

This was the last communication of Dr. Bucha- 
nan to his distant friends. The time of his depar- 
ture was now fast approaching. He continued, how- 
ever, his christian undertaking to the last. On his 
return from Yorkshire he had proceeded with the 
preparation of the Syriac version of the Acts of 
the Apostles, and had advanced, on the day pre- 
ceding his death, to the twentieth chapter, in which 
the zealous and affectionate apostle, in his address 
to the elders of Ephesus, expresses his conviction 
of his final separation from his friends, in these re- 
markable words : " And now, behold, I know that 
ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the 
kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." The 
chapter which thus closed the labors of Dr. Bu- 
chanan, and in which he seemed to bid farewell to 
every earthly association, was but too prophetic of 
the event which was about so shortly to take place. 
Of his few remaining days, and of his sudden re- 
moval to that higher world, for which he had long 
been ripening, the following letter to the Rev. Mr. 
Kerapthorne, from his confidential servant, who 
was his only attendant in Hertfordshire, though 
unavoidably inadequate to the anxious wishes of 



ins DEATH. 4-51 

his friends, affords a minute and railhfnl ac- 
count : 

" BiiOXBouuNK, Feb. 12, 1S15. 

" Rev. Sir, — In case of your not havinc; been 
made acquainted, tlirougli the public papers, with 
the decease of Dr. Buchanan, I feel it my duty lo 
write to you on the subject. 

" The doctor's state of health, as you may liave 
understood, had improved durin'^ his residence 
here up to the time of his late visit to Yorkshire ; 
but the fatigue of that journey, probably added to 
an attendance, in a week after his return, in l)ad 
weather, at the funeral of Mr. Henry 'I hornton, 
brought on an apparently slight indisposition, which 
the doctor himself, I believe, considered merely a 
cold. On Thursday last, however, while making a 
morning's call on some of the neighbors, he was 
taken with something of a fainting fit, which passed 
off without his considering it of consequence enough 
to require medical assistance. As the sickness came 
on again towards evening, I took the liberty to dis- 
obey his orders, and to send for the medical gentle- 
man whose skill had so much appeared in the im- 
provement of the doctor's health in the preceding 
months. This gentleman was with him about nine 
o'clock in the evening, and did not express any ap- 
prehension of danger. Dr. Buclvman retired a little 
past ten, saying he was better ; and, as he expected 
to get a little sleep, wished me not to disturb him 



452 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCIIAXAN. 

to take the seconri medicine till he rung the bell. 
About half-past eleven, sitting on the watch for the 
summons, I fancied I heard something of an hic- 
cough ; which induced me to enter the chamber, 
and to inquire if he was worse. He signified he icas 
worse. On which I instantly alarmed the family 
and sent for assistance ; and then returned to the 
bedside, where he appeared laboring under a spasm 
in the breast. He intimated a wish for me to hold 
his head ; and in this posture, without struggle or 
convulsion, his breath appeared to leave him ; so 
that before twelve, by which time Mr. Watts, the 
printer, Mr. Yeates, and a few other neighbors 
were with me, we were obliged to conclude that 
our excellent friend's spirit had joined the glorified 
saints above. I should have mentioned that, on re- 
turning home in the moi'ning after the fit. Dr. Bu- 
chanan seemed lame on the left side ; but, as it 
went off, he did not think it of any consequence. 
I have reason to think it might be a third attack of 
paralysis. The medical man, on coming after his 
dissolution, said it did not surprise him. A letter 
was immediately forwarded, by express, to com- 
municate the melancholy intelligence to my mas- 
ter's family in Yorkshire ; from whence some one 
is hourly expected. Mr. JNIacaulay was also written 
to, and Mr. Simeon at Cambridge. On Saturday 
Mr. Babington, the member for Leicester, came 
down, and approved of the precaution and arrange- 



IH.S DEATH. 4.'»3 

raents taken immediately after his tleparture ; botli 
as to putting seals on the drawers, study, &:c. ike. 
" With the greatest respect, 1 beg to subscribe 
myself, Rev. Sir, your most obedient faithful ser- 
vant, T. Vaux." 

Such was the sudden summons by which, on tlie 
9th of February, 1S15, in the 49th year of his age, 
this eminent servant of God was called to his hea- 
venly rest. To himself it could scarcely be said to 
be unexpected. The debilitated constitution which 
he brought from India, and the repeated shocks it 
had subsequently sustained, led him habitually to 
regard his continuance in life as extremely uncer- 
tain and precarious ; while his various afflictions, 
personal and domestic, had tended to withdraw his 
thoughts and affections from the world, and to fix 
them on spiritual and eternal objects. We have seen 
that in fulfilling the important engagement which 
terminated his earthly course, he evidently appear- 
ed to be working while it was called " to-day," and 
to be constantly anticipating the near approach of 
"the nieht" in which he could no Ion crer work. 
Of his habitual preparation for the hour of his de- 
parture, no one can entertain a doubt who has 
marked the scriptural foundation of his faith, and 
the unquestionable evidences of its sincerity in the 
long and uniform tenor of his truly christian career. 
Jt might, perhaps, have been desirable, both fur 



454 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

himself and for others, that some interval, however 
short, had been vouchsafed ; in which this " good 
and faithful servant " of his Lord might have had 
an opportunity of renewing his repentance, of tes- 
tifying his faith, of perfecting his patience, of puri- 
fying and exalting his charity, of bidding a more 
solemn and express farewell to " things seen and 
temporal," of preparing more deliberately and de- 
voutly for an immediate entrance upon " things 
unseen and eternal." Such an interval, however, 
so precious to the generality of mankind, and usu- 
ally so important, the divine wisdom did not see fit 
to grant to the subject of these memoirs. Neither, 
indeed, can it be said to have been necessary. The 
readers of the preceding narrative have already 
observed Dr. Buchanan in India, upon what he 
believed would prove his death-bed ; and they have 
witnessed the deeply penitent, yet resigned and 
peaceful frame of mind which he then exhibited. 
Such, as we are evidently authorized to conclude, 
only of a mature and heavenly nature, would have 
been his testimony and his feelings, had he been 
allowed again to express them. In the absence, 
however, of any such opportunity, we must be con- 
tented to recur to that scene ; and, together with 
the recollection of his subsequent " work of faith, 
and labor of love, and patience of hope," endeavor 
to enter into the full meaning of the following brief 
sentence, which occurs amidst a few other '' pri- 



HI3 CHARACTER, 455 

vate thoughts," and in which its author appears 
plainly tt) have anticipated the probability of some 
final stroke, which should impede the exercise of 
his faculties, and prove the prelude to his depavt- 
ure. " If," said he, *■' my mind and memory should 
be affected by illness of body, I shall look to my 
head, Christ. I am but a member." From any 
painful infliction of this kind Dr. Euchanan was 
mercifully spared ; and, after having paid the last 
sad tribute of affection to the friend and benefactor 
of his early years, was removed almost contempo- 
raneously and reunited to him and to other kin- 
dred spirits of the "just made perfect," in regions 
where sickness and sorrow, change and separation, 
are for ever unknown. 

In consequence of a wish he had expressed to 
Mrs. Thompson, not long before his death, the re- 
mains of Dr. BuchanaTi were removed from Brox- 
bounie to Litlle Ouseburn, in Yorkshire, and depo- 
sited near those of his second lamented wife. A 
monumental inscription, written by the Rev. W. 
Kichardson, of York, records in plain but expres- 
sive language the leading particulars of his life and 
character.* 

In reviewing the history of Dr. Buchanan, our 
attention must be first directed to his religious clia- 
racter. It was this which originally introduced him 

• Sec the end of the volurac. 



456 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN. 

to our notice, and by this lie was principally dis- 
tinguished throughout his benevolent and useful 
career. The deep and solemn impression of reli- 
gion, which, through the grace of God, was made 
upon his mind in his twenty-fourth year, formed 
the commencement of a life devoted to the service 
of Christ. We have traced the effects of this great 
spiritual change in the course of his studies at the 
University of Cambridge, during his various labors 
in India, and his continued exertions after his return 
to Britain. Amidst these diversified scenes and en- 
gagements, an energetic conviction of the infinite 
importance and value of the Gospel, and a lively 
sense of his own obligations to that grace which 
had made him effectually acquainted with its bless- 
ings, were the commanding principles which actu- 
ated his conduct. 

Those who know little of real Christianity may, 
perhaps, attribute his earnestness and activity in 
religion, as they would that of the great apostle 
himself, to enthusiasm, zeal for proselytism, or the 
love of fame. But the whole tenor of this narrative 
sufl^iciently proves that no corrupt, weak, or worldly 
motives swayed his mind. The great object to 
which he devoted his life engaged him in an un- 
ceasing contest with the principles and the preju- 
dices of those whom a regard to his worldly inte- 
rest would have led him carefully to conciliate ; 
and, though his benevolent exertions undoubtedly 



m.s < iiAUAcrrn. 4,07 

procured him many valuable friends, few men of 
such sober and practical views, and of such genu- 
ine philanthropy, have gone througli a greater va- 
riety of " evil " as well as of " good report." With 
•Still less justice can the activity of Dr. Buchanan 
in the great labor of his life be ascribed to a con- 
troversial or innovating s])irit. lie was, on the con- 
trai-y, disposed, both by conslituti«)n and principle, 
to avoid rather than court opposition ; while, dur- 
ing several years, the langor of declining health 
was continually urging him to self indulgence and 
repose. 

Amidst such powerful inducements to a very dif- 
ferent line of c(mduct, it is scarcely possible not to 
perceive that Dr. Buchanan could only have been 
actuated by pure and disinterested motives. The 
love of Christ and of the souls of men, and a fer- 
vent desire to be the instrument of imparting to 
others that unspeakable blessing which he had him- 
self received, were in reality the springs both of his 
public and private exertions. These were the prin- 
ciples by which he was animated, and which sup- 
ported him with equanimity and patience amidst 
labor and reproach, infirmity and sonow, and even 
rendered him joyful in tribulation. 

Combined with these motives, Dr. Buchanan 
possessed a spirit of lively and vigorous faith, which 
substantiated " things not seen," and led him to 
think and act under a strong impression of their 

BuchaaaD. **" 



458 MEMOIR OF DR. liUClIANAN. 

truth and reality. He was therefore eminently a 
practical man. Though inclined by natural taste 
and the habits of a learned and scientific education 
to indulge in speculative pursuits and pleasures, 
the strength of his faith and the ardor of his love 
towards objects of spiritual and eternal concern, 
rescued him from their fascination, and taught 
him to account all knowledge and all occupation 
vain and unimportant, compared with that which 
tended to render himself and others " wise unto 
salvation." Hence, from the period at which the 
religious necessities of his own countrymen in India 
and the moral state of its benighted native inhabit- 
ants first impressed his mind, the life of Dr. Buchanan 
exhibits a continued series of strenuous, self-denying, 
and disinterested efforts to supply the deficiencies 
and to ameliorate the condition which he lamented. 
For the accomplishment of this great purpose 
he was admirably qualified, both by natural and 
acquired advantages. Sagacious and observant, 
calm and persevering, resolute, yet mild and cour- 
teous, he took a penetrating and extensive survey 
of the various objects around him; and, omitting 
points of inferior consideration and importance, 
fixed his attention on the grand and prominent fea- 
tures by which they were distinguished. The tem- 
per also and habits of Dr. Buchanan were pecu- 
liarly calculated to soften the asperities and to re- 
move the prejudices of opponents, to treat with 



HIS CIIARACTEH. -I-'jO 

men of every rank upon their own gnjiinds, and f<* 
engage tlicm in pronioling the great objects wliicli 
he himself had in view; vvliile the comprehensive- 
ness of his mind and the munificence of his dispo- 
sition enabled him both to conceive and execute 
designs of no ordinary difficulty and magnitude. 

AVe have accordingly seen, in the course of these 
memoirs, that, by the publication of authentic do- 
cuments and convincing statements, by the proposal 
of magnificent prizes, by the active exercise of his 
influence with those who respected and esteemed 
him, and by personal exertions, which included a 
journey of more than five thousand miles, amidst 
many difficulties and dangers, he endeavored to ex- 
tend and perpetuate among the European popula- 
tion of India the national faith and worship ; and, un- 
moved by the obloquy of opponents, and by the want 
of cordial assistance on the partof some who might 
have been expected to support and cheer him, la- 
bored unceasingly to diffuse among millions, im- 
mersed in the thickest darkness, " the light that 
leads to heaven." 

The qualifications of Dr. Buchanan, as a writer, 
were peculiarly suited to the task wiiich he had un- 
dertaken. Bold, perspicuous, and decisive ; he is 
distinguished in all his works by the accumulation 
and display of new and striking facts, connected, for 
the most part, by brief, pointed, and sententious ob* 
servations. Even in his writings which are more 



460 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAX. 

Strictly theological, be adopted a similar plan ; sel- 
dom pursuing a long train of reasoning, but laying 
down certain undoubted facts, truths, or principles, 
and arguing from them directly and practically to 
the conclusions which he had in view. The style, 
however, of Dr. Buchanan, though in general sim- 
ple and unambitious, was, as we have more than 
once had occasion to notice, frequently dignified 
and eloquent. 

His delivery was slow, but impressive, and. 
though far from being studied, was yet pleasing and 
persuasive. His sermons were often doctrinal, 
but more frequently practical and experimental ; 
and generally interesting, either from the historical 
or parabolical form, or from the simple, yet ener- 
getic and affecting style in which they were com- 
posed. So far as mere popularitj'^ of manner is 
concenied, he may not be considered as entitled to 
much distinction. But if success be admitted as 
any test of merit, he must be allowed to rank high 
as a preacher. Both in India and this country ho 
was honored as the instrument of converting many 
from " the error of their way," and of instructing 
and edifying others in the faith of the Gospel. 

Preaching was not, however, that by which Dr. 
Buchanan was chiefly distinguished. His peculiar 
excellencies, as a public character, were of another 
kind, and are to be discerned in his enlarged and 
truly christian philanthropy, in the extent and 



niS CHAKACTLK. 4G1 

acknowlodged importance, utility, and disinterest- 
edness of his plans, and in the boldness, generosity, 
and ability, with which he labored to accomplish 
them. 

Of his fidelity, diligence, and activity, in the ful- 
filment of his oflicial duties, the conduct of Dr. 
Buchanan, as Vice-Provost of the College of Foit 
William, is a striking and satisfactory instance. 
During his residence in India, independently of his 
acknowledged value as a public servant, he was, 
according: to the memorialist of his excellent col- 
league, " beloved "and admired by many of every 
rank for his fine abilities, and for the estimable 
qualities of his heart;" and, after his return to this 
country, his uninterrupted labors in the cause of 
Christianity, amidst accumulated infirmities and 
sorrows, equally secured him the respect and es- 
teem of all who are capable of appreciating pure 
and exalted virtue. 

Dr. Buchanan, however, sought not " honor from 
men." His faith enabled him to "overcome the 
world," and rendered him comparatively iiidifler- 
ent to its applauses and its frowns. He lived 

" As ever in his great Task-master's eye ;" 

an# appeared on all occasions supremely anxious to 
fulfil his appointed duties, and to hasten towards 
the heavenly prize. " He carried about with him," 
observed one of his intimate friends, " a deep sense 
39* 



462 MEMOIK OF DR. BUCnANAX. 

of the reality of vellgion, as a principle of act ion ; 
and, from various conversations which I recollect 
with him, I could strongly infer how much he la- 
bored to attain purity of heart." His last common- 
place book contains various proofs of his simple, 
devoted, and progressive piety. Observations occur, 
chiefly founded upon passages of Scripture, on the 
great doctrines of the Gospel, particularly on faith 
in the atonement, on divine grace, on holiness, on the 
love of God and of our neighbor, on humility, on 
communion with God, and on the world of spirits. 

One brief extract, entitled " A general Topic of 
Prayer," may serve to show the practical piety and 
the humble and subdued disposition of its author. 

" Let us," says this excellent man, " endeavor to 
seek happiness and contentment in our own place 
and condition, not looking abroad for it. Let us 
seek and expect it in existing circumstances ; con- 
tented with little domains, little possessions, a little 
dwelling ; that we may prepare for a less house, a 
smaller tenement under ground." 

If we descend to the more private features of his 
character, the reader of his memoirs must be struck 
by his patience under protracted weakness and suf- 
fering, and his submission to the will of God under 
frequent and severe privations of domestic iind 
personal happiness, and by his extraordinary libe- 
rality and diffusive charity. Of the more remark- 
able instances of these virtues, sufficient notice has 



HIS cifARArTra. 4C3 

been already taken ; but Dr. Buclianan was cor- 
dially and habitually generous ; and, independently 
f)f those rauiiillcent acts which were unavoidably 
public, the writer of this narrative has met with 
many other instances, scarcely less noble, of which 
the world never heard ; while, in addition to his li- 
beral support of various christian institutions which 
adorn our country, there were, no doubt, numerous 
exertions of private benevolence which were utter- 
ly unknown. 

His social virtues require only to be mentioned. 
His invariable kindness and candor, his forbear- 
ance and readiness to fors^ive, tocjether with all the 
charities of domestic life, are excellencies which, 
though happily too common to be much dwelt 
upon, will long live in the recollection and regret 
of his family and friends. And among all who can 
justly appreciate distinguished worth, geniune pie 
ty, and enlarged and active pbilanthrophy there 
can surely be but one opinion — that Dr. Buchanan 
was " a burning and a shining light," and a signal 
blessing to the nations of the East. W© may, in- 
deed, safely leave his eulogy to be pronounced by 
future generations in Great Britain and Hindostan, 
who will probably vie with each other in doing 
honor to his memory, and unite in venerating him 
as one of the best benefactors of mankind ; as hav- 
ing labored to impart to those who, in a spiritual 
sense, are " poor indeed," a treasure 



464 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



The gems of India." 



But if it were possible that men should forget or 
be insensible to their obligations to this excellent 
person, he is now far removed from human censure 
and applause ; his judgment and his work are with 
God ; his record is on high, and his witness in 
heaven. He has '' entered into peace," and will 
doubtless stand in no unenvied lot " at the end of 
the days ;" when " they that are wise shall shine as 
the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn 
many to righteousness as the stars for ever and 
ever." 



CONCLUSION. 

(by the AMERICAN EDITOR.) 

The dispensations of divine Providence towards 
Dr. Buchanan, from his youth, were very remark- 
able, and seem to have been specially directed to 
prepare and qualify him for eminent usefulness in 
propagating the Gospel in the East. 

Naturally, he was endued with a mind of uncom- 
mon vigor and fertility ; his genius was, indeed, 



COXCI-VSION. 40o 

romantic, and in some degree eccentric; but this 
very defect of character was overruled by Provi- 
dence to draw him out from his native obscurity, 
and to briiic^ him into an intimate friendship with 
those excellent men, the Kev. John Newton, and 
Henry Thornton, Esq. by whose counsel and efi'cc- 
tual aid he was prepared to occupy a very important 
place in the church. The former was, in all re- 
spects, a spiritual father to him ; and, as long as ho 
lived, acted the part of a wise and faithful friend, 
who, by his deep acquaintance with experimental 
religion, and thorough knowledge of evangelical 
truth, was qualified to be, to an ardent young man, 
a counsellor of inestimable value. And certainly 
he did watch over him with a truly paternal solici- 
tude, and no doubt bore him on his heart daily at 
the throne of grace. A young and ardent christian 
could not easily have found a safer and a more 
affectionate guide, if the whole world had been 
searched. 

The latter was disposed and qualified to be an 
efl[icient friend and helper in all things in which 
money and influence were needed. * By his liberali- 
ty and disinterested friendship, Mr. Buchanan, in 
addition to the learning which he had acquired in 
Scotland, was enabled to obtain a finished univer- 
sity education at Cambridge. It is a fact confirmed 
by experience, that a man's qualifications for use- 
fulness in high and important stations, requiring 



46G MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

much vigor of mind and large mental resources, 
must have an important relation to his early disci- 
pline and training. Had Dr. Buchanan, as he and 
his friends at first wished, entered the ministry 
without going through the university, he, no doubt, 
would have been a useful minister, and would have 
had several more years for his public work ; but he 
never could have filled the station which he did so 
honorably in India; and he never could have exer- 
cised that influence over the public mind by his 
writings which has been attended with results so 
momentous and felicitous. 

The fact that Dr. Buchanan was brought into 
the ministry in the established church of England, 
doubtless greatly enlarged the sphere of his exer- 
tions in the East. By reason of this he had access 
to a field, to which, as a dissenter, he could have 
had none ; and by reason of which he was able to 
exercise a powerful influence over the universities, 
and over even the dignitaries of the church at 
home. 

The zeal, exertion, and success with which Dr. 
Buchanan labored to awaken the attention of the 
christian public to the duty and importance of pro- 
pagating Christianity in India, have never yet been 
duly appreciated. Before his writings dispelled 
the darkness of prejudice which prevailed among 
those high in authority, it was deemed not only im- 
politic, but highly dangerous to the British posses- 



CONCLUSION*. 4G7 

sions in the East, to make tlic least attempt to dis- 
turb the inveterate prejudices of the Hindoos, 
which had been increasing lor ages. All their su- 
perstitious rites and customs, however bloody or im- 
pure, it was thought necessary to leave unmolested. 
This delusion, the writings of Dr. Buchanan, and 
other men of talents, were the principal means 
of dispelling ; and the open door at the present 
time for missions in British India, is doubtless 
owing, in no inconsiderable degree, to his exertions. 
It is, indeed, wonderful that he should have been 
able to take views, so large and comprehensive, of 
the great harvest which, by successive acts of divine 
Providence, was opening and ripening in the East. 
And not only did he perceive the work which was 
to be done, but he had the sagacity to discern the 
means and facilities requisite for its performance. 
The variety and extent of his labors show not only 
the abundant fertility of his mind and his extensive 
benevolence, but also his profound wisdom. When 
the millions of India shall become christian, and the 
other eastern nations be converted unto God, we 
believe that few names will be more highly honored 
and revered than that of Dr. Buchanan. 

If we seek to ascertain the secret of his extraor- 
dinary success, and how be was able to accomplish 
so much in so short a time, we shall find the solu- 
tion in the jmrity and elevation of his christian 
motives, and the unity and simplicity of the end to 



468 MEMOIR OF Dil. EUC'HAxN'AN'. 

which he directed all his energries. Wherever he 
is, the same zeal for the propagation of the religion 
of Christ appears to aiiimate him. This unity of 
purpose and purity of motive was remarkably dis- 
played when a student in the university. Indeed, 
it would be difficult to find in evangelical biography 
a nobler triumph of christian principle over literary 
ambition. Here was self-denial of an uncommon 
kind, and in the exercise of which he found few 
even among his christian friends disposed to en- 
courage him. The pious Newton alone approved 
his deliberate purpose to sacrifice the honors which 
he might have obtained, for the sake of making a 
thorough preparation for the sacred and important 
office for which he was a candidate. His whole 
correspondence during his residence at Cambridge, 
furnishes the most satisfactory evidence of his jea- 
lousy over himself, lest an attention to human learn- 
ing should damp his zeal, or retard his progress in 
personal religion ; and evinces the depth and purity 
of that principle of piety which had been implanted 
in his heart. 

The same disinterested spirit he carried with 
him to the ministry. His object was not where he 
might find a situation where he could spend his 
days in ease, affluence, and honor ; or how he might 
rise to a dignified station in the church ; but when 
he saw a way open for his employment in the 
East, he cheerfully resigned all his prospects of 



CONCLUSIO.V. 400 

preferment in liis Dwn cr>untry, and cmbracod the 
offer of going as a chaplain to India. And while 
resident in that country he pursued but one object. 
All his studies, and exertions, and plans of promo- 
ting learning, and the translation of the Sciiptures, 
were in exact subserviency to the grand design of 
propagating and extending Christianity in the East. 

Though his j)lans were great, and required the 
co-operation of many to accomplish them ; yet 
were they not impracticable, but devised with a 
i\i\\ Joir sight of t fie means nquisih' to carry them 
into effect. And he possessed a remarkable talent 
for bringing into re(]uisition the instruments which 
the exigence required. To fertility of invention he 
added not only energy in the execution, but great 
versatility of mind, by which he c(juld accommo- 
date himself to new and unexpected circumstances. 

That Dr. Buchanan was in some things loo san- 
guine, and saw new and important events through 
u medium somewhat discolored by an ardent mind 
and vivid imagination, cannot be denied. This led 
him sometimes to represent things in such a light 
as to excite too high expectations, which have not 
t)een fully realized. But this very ardor, and, if it 
mSiy be so called, enthusiasm, was necess:iry to the 
successful prosecution of the great objects which he 
liad in view. No man has ever achieved any thing 
\er\ irreut without some good decree of this nrdor ; 
and when it is, as in his case, guided by pure nio- 

Euchanan. ^^ 



470 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCHANAN. 

tives and elevated aims, it is a precious gift of God 
to qualify some men for great enterprises. 

Two of the most prominent traits in Dr. Buchan- 
an's character were courage and enterprise. The 
latter has already been sufficiently noticed ; and, 
as an evidence of the former, we would refer to his 
visit to Goa, and to the interior of the prison of the 
Inquisition. Perhaps there is not on record in his- 
tory an example of courage more cool, deliberate, 
and determined. It was that species of courage 
which arises from the consciousness of an upright 
intention, and confidence in the presence and over- 
ruling providence of God. 

But with all Dr. Buchanan's genius, learning, 
enterprise, and zeal, he could not have accom- 
plished what he did, if he had not been a man of 
incessant indefatigable diligence. His whole course 
was one of activity and exertion, steadily directed 
to one great object. When his health was so debi- 
litated by the climate of the east that it was neces- 
sary for him to return home to England, it might 
have been supposed that he would have ceased from 
his labors, and sought repose for his declinino;' years ; 
but no such thought occupied his benevolent mind. 
His exertions for the best interests of India were 
undiminished, and even more successful than when 
in that country. Providence seems to have directed 
his return to his native country for the very pur- 
pose of using him as an instrument to enlighten the 



coNCLUsrOiV. 471 

public mind, and to exercise an extensive influence 
ovef men of the first order of intellect, and fiilini^ 
important stations, in favor of the East. 

His public discourses before the universities, 
and that before the Church Missionary Society, not 
only produced a salutary effect when delivered, but 
were widely circulated in print, and gave an addi- 
tional impulse in favor of eastern missions, which 
has been powerfully felt on this side the Atlantic ; 
and that impulse, instead of gradually ceasing, has 
gone on accumulating force ; and will go on from 
strength to strength, until it shall bear down all op- 
position. 

Some of Dr. Buchanan's unaccomplished plans 
manifest as much wisdom and enterprise as those 
which he was enabled to carry into effect. It was 
his settled purpose to return from India by land 
for no other purpose than to collect information 
respecting the religious state of the people ; and 
especially of the remnants of oriental christian 
sects who still inhabit that extensive region. But 
he was prevented from executing his purpose by 
the belligerent state of the people through whose 
territories he must have passed. It was, however, 
with evident regret that he relintiuished this dan- 
gerous journey. And after his return to England, 
when his health had received a very serious shock 
by a paralytic stroke, he still had the courage and 
enterprise to project a journey into Palestine, 



472 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Syria, Asia Minor, &c. wliich journey was planned 
pimply with a view to the propagation of the Gospel. 
In this cherished plan he was also disappointed. 
His health was entirely too feeble for the hard- 
ships of such a journey. 

There is yet one trait in Dr. Buchanan's charac- 
ter which it would be unpardonable not to bring 
conspicuously before the public. And although it 
is fully manifested in the regular course of the pre- 
ceding narrative, yet it seems proper to turn the 
attention of the reader pointedly to it, because it 
may be considered as rare, even in the character of 
sincere christians. We refer to his extraord'inarij 
and princely munificence. Seldom has the world 
had the opportunity of contemplating a character 
so perfectly exempt from avarice, and exhibiting a 
generosity so pure and disinterested. If Dr. Bu- 
chanan had been a man of ample fortune, or had 
been in the way of acquiring enormous gains in 
India, it would not have appeared so singular that 
he should bestow so many large sums of money to 
promote the extension of Christianity in India. 
But when we consider that he went out a poor 
young man ; and while in the East had no other 
income than from his office as chaplain, and for a 
time as vice-chancellor of the College of Fort Wil- 
liam, and that he had a family of his own, for whom 
no permanent provision had been made, we can- 
not but think that his various munificent donations 
were a rare example of christian beneficence. 



CONCLUSION. 473 

Here, also, will be ihe proper j)lace to remark 
on that delicate sense of moral propriety which led 
Dr. Buchanan, at an early period after he was set- 
tled in India, to rvfund to Mr. Thornton the whole 
sum which that gentleman had so generously ex- 
pended in supporting him at the university. TIk; 
return of this money was not expected, nor desired ; 
but so nice was the sense of justice in Dr. Buchan- 
an's conscientious mind, that he felt it \.o be obliga- 
tory on him to pay this debt ; and thus has fur- 
nished an example worthy of imitation by other 
young men who have been aided in a similar man- 
ner. But not content with merely paying his debts, 
he felt it to be incumbent on him to bestow as 
much, or even, more, for the support of some pi- 
ous and promising candidate for the ministry at the 
university. 

Iriisjilial piety, also, is worthy of all praise and 
of universal imitation. Before he left his native 
country for India he took a journey to Scotland, 
to visit his aged mother. And when it was in his 
power, he remitted a considerable sum of money 
to her ; and finally, out of his moderate income, 
gave her, as long as he lived, an allowance of c£300 
per annum. Though long life in the land of Ca- 
naan is no longer the reward of filial piety ; yet 
we believe that an equivalent is still promised, and 
that God often rewards the pious son who " honors 
his father and mother," with prosperity in all his un- 
40* 



474 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

dertakirigs. Dr. Buchanan, on his return from 
India, finding that his mother still lived, undertook 
another journey to Scotiatnd, breaking away from 
all his other friends and engagements, to show his 
respect and affection for his aged surviving parent. 
Upon a review of Dr. Buchanan's life, we are of 
opinion that he may safely be recommended to 
those whom providence has called to take a lead in 
missionary efforts, as furnishing a conspicuous and 
admirable exam2)le of^dsdom, energy, industry, fer- 
severance, and disinterestedness, in the promotion of 
the kini^dom of Christ amongr the heathen. This 
volume, we trust, therefore, with the biography of 
Brainerd, Pearce, Martyn, Carey, and others, will 
be the means of elevating the views and giving 
impulse to the pious feelings of many a youthful 
mind. There is no stronger encouragement to 
benevolent effort than observi'ng the efficacy which 
God has graciously given to the example of such a 
man as David Brainerd, who spent his life in the 
deepest obscurity, in the dark bosom of the forest, 
among the untutored savages ; but his memory is 
now embalmed, and he being dead, yet speaketh. 
May some of the same blessed fruits attend the 
reading of this memoir of Buchanan ! English 
literature is now rich in evangelical biography; 
and the stock is increasing every day. How would 
Dr. Buchanan have rejoiced to behold what our 
eyes now see, of the wide-spread harvest in the 



CONCLUSION. 475 

East already white, and only waiting for the reap- 
ers to enter in and gather precious sheaves. But 
he foresaw the scene whicli is now presented ; and 
not only beheld it, but sowed an abundance of seed 
which since his death has sprung up. What more 
suitable termination, then, can we give to this 
volume than to repeat the exhortation of our Lord, 
" Pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send laborers 
into his harvest ; for the harvest is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few." 



MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS. 



Ill sure ati.l riirtain hope 

of a blessed rcsiirroclion uiilo eternal life, 

was depositiMl here the mortal liody of 

M A R 'I , 

the beloved wife of the R,!v. Dr. Claudius Buciiakan, 

of Mout Hall, 

1 youngest daughter of ilcnry Thompson, Esq. of Kirby Hall, 

who died on the '23d day of March, 1813, 

iu the SClh year of her age. 

By tho grace given unto her, this excellent woman 

adorned by her conduct the doctrine of the Gotpel. 

Sincerity, honesty, and tfimplicity 

were the charncters of her mind, and she 

delighted to serve God, 

"who desireth truth in the inward partn." 

Exercised by personal and domestic suffering, sho wai 

early weaned from the love of the world: 

Her affections were set on things which are above, 

and bbe was enabled to overcome the world ; 

for she was born of God. 

For whatsoever is born of God overcometli the world : and 

this is the victory that overcometh tho world, 

even our faith." 1 John, 5 : 4. 

Close by her side lie her two infant children, 

CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, 

aged three days, 

born 28th December, 1810. 

And his infant brother, 

who lived and died the 27th Fob. 1813. 

Thrice happy infants 1 

That saw the light, and turned their eyes aside 

From our dim regions to the eternal Sub. 



Sacred to the Memory of 
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D. 

Late Vice-Provost of the College of Fort William in Bengal, 

whose eminent character as a Christian, 

zeal for the cause of his God and Saviour, 

and unwearied endeavors to promote it in the earth, 

deserve to be had in everlasting remembrance. 

He was a native of Scotland, 

but educated at Queen's College, Cambridge. 

During the twelve years of his abode in India, 

" his spirit was stirred in hiin," 

while he beheld millions of his fellow-subjects, 

under a christian government, 

as sheep without a shepherd, and perishing 

for lack of knowledge. 

To excite the attention of the British nation to this sad spectacle, 

he devoted his time, his talents, and a 

large portion of his income. 

By his " Christian Researches," and other 

valuable publications, 

he pleaded the cause of neglected India, nor pleaded in vain; 

Britain was roused to a sense of her duty, 

and sent forth laborers to the harvest. 

Though gentle and unassuming, 

he was bold and intrepid in this work of faith and labor of lovoj 

and exhibited mental vigor to the last, 

amidst great bodily debility and severe affliction. 

In social and domestic life he was holy and exemplary, 

full of mercy and good works : 

Yet in lowliness of mind, he renounced all dependance upon 

the excellencies which others saw and admired in him, 

and looked for eternal salvation through the 

obedience unto death of Christ. 

He departed this life, February 9, 1615, aged 48, 

at Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire ; 

where he was superintending an edition of the Syriac Scriptures; 

and was buried near the remains of his amiable wife, 

whose virtues he has recorded on the adjoining stone. 

" They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, 

and in their death they were not " long " divided." 

THE END. 



DATE DUE 


iM«^' 






































































































GAYLORD 


#3523PI 


Printed in USA 



^^"—y '-^'"-^ 



/C 



x^ 



•y -Tfl^ 



Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 



1 1012 01039 0930 



