Page:The Chinese Repository - Volume 01.djvu/30



.During a residence of almost three years in Siam, I had the high gratification of seeing the prejudices of the natives vanish; and perceived with delight, that a large field amongst the different people who inhabit Siam, was opening. As long as the junks from China stayed, most of the time was taken up by administering to the spiritual and bodily wants of large numbers of Chinese. We experienced this year the peculiar blessings of our divine Saviour. The demand for books, the inquiries after the truth, the friendship shown, were most favourable tokens of divine approbation upon our feeble endeavours. The work of translation proceeded rapidly; we were enabled to illustrate the rudiments of languages hitherto unknown to Europeans; and to embody the substance of our philological researches in small volumes, which will remain in manuscript, presuming that they may be of some advantage to other missionaries. Some individuals, either prompted by curiosity, or drawn by an interest for their own eternal welfare, applied for instruction, and one of them made an open profession of Christianity.