152 APPENDIX. [sect. 



with the operations of this Society in Sierra Leone is of sig- 

 nificant interest, as being thus stated in one of their papers : 

 "But the chief importance of Sierra Leone consists in its 

 being the basis op Missionary Operations in the interior 

 of Africa. Already two missions have been commenced in the 

 interior — one among the Timnehs, east of the Colon)', the 

 other, above 1,000 miles south-eastward in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Niger, in the Bight of Benin ; a third is about 

 to be established on the banks of that important river 1 ." 



This may become a valuable radiating centre for such 

 operations. The negro population of the Colony is now 

 45,000, speaking 151 different African languages. 



Conjointly with these facts, the very curse of the slave- 

 trade will help to work its own cure. Thousands of central 

 Africans, captured by our cruisers on board the slavers, and 

 set on shore in this colony, are here taught Christianity ; 

 an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on persons of divers tongues 

 and nationalities, so kidnapped and released, may — some- 

 what after the manner of the spiritual effusion at Pentecost 

 — impel them to return to their native wilds, and help them 

 there to teach their sable brothers and sisters the wonderful 

 words and works of God. Hence the morning-star of the 

 Gospel dawns on central Africa from the east, from the west 

 and from the south. 



With reference to the good influences of Christianity in- 

 sensibly exercised on a people, our traveller says : " Many 

 hundreds of both Griquas and Bechuanas have become 

 Christians and partially civilized through the teaching of 

 English missionaries. My first impressions of the progress 

 made were, that the accounts of the effects of the Gospel 

 among them had been too highly coloured. I expected a 

 higher degree of Christian simplicity and purity than exists 

 either among them or among ourselves. I was not anxious 



1 A Brief View of the Principles and Proceedings of the Church Mis- 

 sionary Society, &c. Sept. 1857, pp. 7 — 8. 



