who had the hearts of kings in His keeping."

The chieftain recovered, and, in token of his gratitude, made his
benefactor the present of a horse. Dr. Grant describes him as a man
of noble bearing, fine open countenance, and about thirty years of
age. This important journey was completed on the 7th of December,
1839.

The Rev. Willard Jones and wife arrived in the month previous; and
the Rev. Austin H. Wright, M. D., and wife, in the following July,
to take Dr. Grant's place as missionary physician; and Mr. Edward
Breath, a printer, in November. A press, made for the mission, to be
taken to pieces and so rendered portable, came with the printer,
much to the satisfaction of the people. A font of Syro-Chaldaic type
had previously been received from London, through the kindness of
the Rev. Joseph Jowett, editorial superintendent of the British and
Foreign Bible Society's publications. The press was the more
seasonable, because the Jesuits had commenced their characteristic
and determined efforts to get possession of the field. The vain
young bishop, Mar Gabriel, imagining himself to have been slighted
by his clerical brethren, and being strongly assailed with
flatteries and offers of money, had, in an evil hour, encouraged
them to come among his people. On reflection he repented of his
rashness, called in the aid of his Protestant friends, and wrote to
Bore, the French Jesuit, warning him to keep aloof from his people.
Bore was enraged, and replied that, having a firman from the King of
Persia permitting him to open schools, he should open one at
Ardishai. But Gabriel and the mission had already opened a school
under one of the best teachers from the Seminary, and soon opened
another,--the two containing sixty scholars; while the Jesuit's
school, commencing with nine scholars, dwindled to four or five. One
of the first works of the press was to print a tract in the Syriac
language, entitled "Twenty-two Plain Reasons for not being a Roman
Catholic." The Nestorians were exceedingly interested by the array
of Scripture texts against the corrupt doctrines and practices of
that sect. This was followed by a thousand copies of the Psalms.

The gradual revival of preaching in this ancient Church, became now
apparent. At the earnest request of the people, a circuit was formed
of seven preaching stations, at all of which the missionaries were
aided by ecclesiastics, three of them bishops.

Thus, with the hearty approval of bot