from men who are advanced to literary honors, or who receive official promotion In any of the above cases, if any individual fail to agree with the ‘chief of the beggars’ of his ward and pay what is considered a sufficient amount of money (the amount varies with the importance of the occasion and the wealth of the parties), he may expect a visit from a posse of beggars, who will give him much annoyance by their continual demands.  The ‘chiefs of the beggars’ give a part of the money which they receive to the beggars under them.  My teacher thinks there are about two thousand beggars in the city of Amoy.  There is a small district belonging to the city of Amoy called ‘The Beggars’ Camp.’  The most of the inhabitants of this place are beggars.  These beggars go about the city seeking a living, clothed in rags and covered with filth and sores, the most disgusting and pitiable objects I ever saw.”

TWO NOBLE MEN SUMMONED HENCE.

On the 6th of December Rev. John Lloyd, of the American Presbyterian mission, died of typhus fever after an illness of two weeks.  Mr. Talmage makes this record of him: 

“Dec. 8, 1848.  Rev. John Lloyd was born in the State of Pennsylvania on the first of Oct., 1813, which made him thirty-five years, two months, and five days at the time of his death.  He was a man of fine abilities.  His mind was well stored with useful knowledge and was well disciplined.  He was most laborious in study, very careful to improve his time.  He was mastering the language with rapidity.  His vocabulary was not so large as that of some of the other brethren, but he had a very large number of words and phrases at his command, and was pronounced by the Chinese to speak the language more accurately than any other foreigner in the place.  They even said of him that it could not be inferred simply from his voice, unless his face was seen, that he was a foreigner.  He was a man of warm heart, very strong in his friendship, very kind in his disposition, and a universal favorite among the Chinese.  I never knew a man that improved more by close intimacy.  His modesty, which may be called his great fault, was such that it was necessary to become well acquainted with him before he could be properly appreciated.  But it has pleased the Master of the harvest to call him from the field just as he became fully qualified to be an efficient laborer.  What a lesson this, that we must not overestimate our importance in the work to which God has called us.  He can do without us.  It seems necessary that He should give the Church lesson upon lesson that she may not forget her dependence upon Him.”

Early in 1849 the brethren were called to mourn the loss of one of the most devoted pioneers of the Amoy mission, the Rev. William J. Pohlman.