86 On the State of tJie Christians inhabiting 



many of higher casts would be baptized if they did no^ 

 (dread the displeasure of their governmcRts. 



It #6 well known that the Roman religion was introduced 

 by the Portuguese at the commencement of the sixteenth 

 century ; the number- converted in each year, upon an ave- 

 rage, reach to nearly 300: the. number, of course, naturally 

 diminishes. The morality of the converts is very loose ; and 

 they are generally inferior, in this respect, to the heathens 

 of the country. 



General Ohservalicms. 



Reflecting on the whole subject, several suggestions pre- 

 sent themselves to my mind; and I think I shall not be 

 considered as deviating from the line of my profession, or 

 the intention of your lordship in calling for my report, by 

 oficring some opinions to government, which, in a moral 

 and political view, seem of the highest importance. It ap- 

 pears from the foregoing statement, that pure Christianity 

 is far, very far, from being a religion for which the highest 

 cast of Hindoos have any disrespect ; and that it is the abuse 

 of the Christian name, under the form of the Romish reli- 

 gion, to which they are averse. We have, my lord, been 

 sadly detective in what we owed to God and man since we 

 have had a footing in this country, as well by departing 

 inost shamefully from our Christian profession ourselves, as 

 in withholding those sources of moral perfection from the 

 natives which true Christianity alone can establish ; and at 

 ihe same time we have allowed the Romanists to steal into 

 our territories, to occupy the ground we have neglected to 

 cultivate, and to bring an odium on our pure and honoura- 

 ble name as Christians. The evil would be less were it not 

 well known that many of the Romish priests, and their 

 people, who have thus been allov^cd to grow numerous under 

 our authority, are supposed to be far from well affected to 

 the government under which they reside : indeed, in many 

 instances the Roman clergy are the natural subjects of na- 

 tions at enmity with ourselves, at the same time that they 

 are eminentlv qualified, by their influence in their profes- 

 s'lon, to do us the greatest mischief, by spreading disaffection 



throu2;hout 



