he Indians of the North-West
Territories, in which his Excellency expressed his solicitude for the
welfare and happiness of the aboriginal tribes of red men, he made some
inquiries in reference to missionary work among them, and seemed much
pleased with the answers I was able to give. In mentioning the help I
had in my work, I showed him my Cree Indian Testament printed in Evans'
Syllabic Characters, and explained the invention to him. At once his
curiosity was excited, and, jumping up, he hurried off for pen and ink,
and got me to write out the whole alphabet for him; and then, with that
glee and vivacity for which his lordship was so noted, he constituted me
his teacher, and commenced at once to master them.

As their simplicity, and yet wonderful adaptation for their designed
work, became evident to him--for in a short time he was able to read a
portion of the Lord's Prayer--Lord Dufferin was much excited, and,
getting up from his chair and holding up the Testament in his hand,
exclaimed, "Why, Mr Young, what a blessing to humanity the man was who
invented that alphabet!" Then he added, "I profess to be a kind of a
literary man myself, and try to keep posted up in my reading of what is
going on, but I never heard of this before. The fact is, the nation has
given many a man a title, and a pension, and then a resting-place and a
monument in Westminster Abbey, who never did half so much for his
fellow-creatures."

Then again he asked, "Who did you say was the author or inventor of
these characters?"

"The Reverend James Evans," I replied.

"Well, why is it I never heard of him before, I wonder?"

My reply was, "My lord, perhaps the reason why you never heard of him
before was because he was a humble, modest Methodist preacher."

With a laugh he replied, "That may have been it," and then the
conversation changed.

Mr Evans was ever anxious that the Indian converts should at once be
made to understand all the duties and responsibilities of the new life
on which they were entering, he was a fearless man, and boldly declared
unto them the whole counsel of God. Knowing the blighting, destroying
influences of the "fire water" upon the poor Indian race, he made the
Church a total abstinence society, and, as all missionaries should, he
set them the example of his own life. Then, as regards the keeping of
the Sabbath, he took his stand on the Word of God, and preached the
absolute necessity of the one day's rest in