nary Society, and Bishop Heber decided
that in the fanatic population, amid the crowds of bulls, beggars, and
sacred apes, it was far wiser not to attempt it; but the missionaries
were often sent for to private houses to converse with natives of rank,
on their doctrine. One notable Hindoo, Amrut Row, who had at one time
been Peishwa of the Mahrattas, who had retired to Benares, used on the
feast of his patron god to give a portion of rice and a rupee to every
Brahmin and blind or lame person who applied between sunrise and sunset.
He had a large garden with four gates, three of which were set open for
the three classes of applicants; the fourth served himself and his
servants. As each person received his dole, he was shown into the
garden, and detained there to prevent his applying twice, but there he
enjoyed plenty of shade, water, company, and idols! This day's
distribution often amounted to above 50,000 rupees, and his charities
altogether were three times as great in the course of every year. He was
a good kind man, religious to the best of his knowledge; and just before
the Bishop's visit, he had sent a message to Mr. Morris, the clergyman at
Sealcote, to call on him in the middle of the next week as he wished to
inquire further into Christianity. Alas! before the appointed day Amrut
Row was dead, and his ashes were still smoking when the Bishop quitted
Benares.

What had become of Henry Martyn's church does not appear, for at Cawnpore
he found none, but service was alternately performed in a bungalow and in
the riding-school. He went as far north as Oude, and found at Chinear a
much larger native congregation than he expected, though the women still
retained so much of Eastern customs that they would not even raise their
veils when receiving the Holy Communion. Almost all were the converts of
the excellent Mr. Corrie, Henry Martyn's friend.

Arriving at Surat, after a journey of ten months, he there embarked for
Bombay, where his wife and eldest child came from Calcutta, by sea, to
meet him, and thence, after a stay in Ceylon for some weeks, returned to
Calcutta, where, in December, he ordained Abdul Messeh, the man who had
been won by Henry Martyn's garden preachings. It was a very remarkable
ordination, for Father Abraham, the Armenian Suffragan from the Patriarch
of Jerusalem, was present, in the black robes of his convent, and laid
his hand on the heads of the candidates, and the service was in
Hindos