imasol, containing more than a thousand families and a
population of more than five thousand, only sixty-seven, besides the
priests, could read at all, and the priests not fluently. Among the
reasons assigned for this were the burdensome taxes imposed upon the
people, and especially on boys at the early age of twelve years, and
the general poverty of the parents, constraining them to employ
their sons on their farms, or in their oil-mills or wine-presses.
Considering that not a place had yet been found, which was
salubrious all the year round, and that the people were scattered in
eight or nine villages, the missionaries began to despair of a
vigorous concentration of their labors, and came to the conclusion,
in the year 1837, that it was expedient to go to some more
manageable field. The opposition from Constantinople made it
expedient to disconnect the schools from the mission. There was,
however, from the beginning, a friendly intercourse between the
people, including the ecclesiastics, and the missionaries and books
and tracts were received without hesitation. This with other
considerations induced the missionaries to delay their departure.
The funeral of a child of Mr. Pease was attended in one of the Greek
churches, and the Greek priests led the way in the procession,
chanting the funeral dirge, in which there was nothing exceptionable;
leaving at home, out of deference to the father, the cross, the
cherubim, and the incense.

In August, 1839, in consequence of remaining too long at Larnica,
Mr. Pease was suddenly prostrated by fever, and soon closed his
earthly career, at the early age of twenty-nine. He had made great
proficiency in the modern Greek language, and looked forward with
delight to its use in proclaiming the Gospel to the Greek people.
Every month had raised him in the estimation of his brethren, and
given new promise of his usefulness. Mrs. Pease returned to the
United States, with her two children, in the spring of 1841. Mr.
Thompson also returned at the close of the same year. Mr. and Mrs.
Ladd were transferred to Broosa, in Turkey, where a large number of
people spoke the Greek language.

Dr. King and Mr. Benjamin were the only remaining members of the
mission in Greece in 1842, and they were residing at Athens. Though
for some time without schools, the missionaries were usefully
employed. The former preached regularly to a congregation of from
thirty to one hundred attentive hearers, with a r