will those interpreters of Christianity whom we have sent to India venture to assert that the Americans had no right to the name of Christians until the close of the late war?  Slavery was driven out at length, or at least in a great measure driven out, by Christianity; but Christianity, remember, had first of all to be introduced; and taking into consideration the acts of the apostles, the way in which they yielded to the customs and prejudices of their converts, and the resolution they came to “not to trouble those of the Gentiles who were turning to God,” on what grounds do our missionaries rest their claim to debar from the advantages of Christianity those people who, wishing to retain their place in society, desire to become Christians?  This is not the first time that these questions have been asked.  They were asked at great length by Mr. Irving in his “Theory and Practice of Caste.”  Hitherto they have been asked in vain; and owing to the indifference of people in this country, and to the slavish submission of the laity to the opinion of the missionaries, a system of attempting to propagate Christianity has been allowed to exist which has been of incalculable mischief.  But I think we may even go further than this.  I think it may be asserted that the line taken up, as regards caste, by our missionaries has acted more prejudicially to the interests of Christianity than if we had deliberately dispatched emissaries to India with the view of preventing the people from adopting the religion of Christ.  These may seem harsh, and I have no doubt they will prove to be unwelcome, expressions of opinion.  They will hurt, and I am afraid will shock, the feelings of many a good and worthy man.  I regret that this should be so, but I cannot help it.  In any case good must arise.  If I am right, as I firmly believe myself to be, the cause of enlightenment and Christianity will be advanced; and if I am wrong, and it can be proved that the missionaries are right, they will have as great, and it may even be a greater claim to public support than they ever had before.  But it must be clearly understood that, as an individual desirous of propagating truth, I have a right to demand an answer.  If that answer is satisfactory, well and good.  If it is not satisfactory, or if no answer be supplied at all, I would then propose to ask the public here to consider whether it would not be better to withhold all their subscriptions from our English, or at least transfer them to such missions as will consent to attempt to propagate Christianity on the widest possible base.

In considering this important subject I shall, in the first place, glance at Bishop Heber’s “Letter on Caste;” Bishop Wilson’s “Circular;” the “Report” of the Madras Commissioners; and the “Statement” of the Tanjore German missionaries.  This may seem a formidable list of documents to commence with, but it is my intention to make only the most cursory allusion to each, as to consider these papers at any length would occupy