580 M 1 S 
liberality of private benefactors in our own country has 
been alto extended to the fupport of miffionaries among 
the Indians in America, &c. The principal miffionaries 
at this time are the Methodifts, who have endeavoured, 
though to little purpofe, to plant the gofpel in the South- 
Sea iflands, and alfo at Hindooftan; but with better fuc- 
cefs in North America and the Weft Indies. The Dif- 
fienters have lately diftinguifhed themfelves by inftituting, 
in conjunction with the Methodifts, a Miffionary Society. 
The defign of propagating the Golpel is doubtlefs highly 
commendable, and forms, in faCt, a Chriftian duty. But 
in this, as in all other great undertakings, much pru¬ 
dence, wifdom, and humility, are requifite. Whether 
thefe have been evidenced in this projeCl is a matter of 
forne queftion. Paffing by all the intermediate regions 
of barbarifm, the managers of this inftitution directed 
their firft attention to the diftant ifles of the Southern 
Ocean. The perfons lent out on this arduous work were 
moftly mechanics, and fuch as had little acquaintance 
with human nature, the various cuftoms and characters of 
mankind, and the arts of infatuating addrefs, calculated 
to effeCt a great change in the manners of the people to 
whom they were fent. 'Some difappointment attended 
this firft million; but in another which was afterwards 
undertaken among the Hottentots, by the Dutch, from 
the Cape of Good Hope (under the direction of the Lon¬ 
don Society), great fuccefs, it is faid, has been experienced, 
and there is a profpeCt of much good being done in that 
quarter. The fame zealous perfons have recently been 
Itirred up to undertake what they call miffions at home; 
and, in confequence, many itinerant preachers have gone 
into various parts of the country. This may, in tome 
cafes, do good, and the fcheme ought to put the clergy 
on their guard ; for the only way by which they can coun¬ 
teract the itinerants is to out-preach, out-live, and out- 
labour, them. 
Mr. Lichtenftein, profeffor of natural hiftory at Berlin, 
in his Travels into Southern Africa, 1803-6, fpeaks of 
two fets of milfionaries in that country, which he de- 
fcribes in very different terms. In the diftriCl of Roode- 
zand, not very far from Cape Town, he found both the 
liappinefs and the morals of the colonifts to have been 
injured not a little by the intrufion of a fwarm of mif¬ 
fionaries, and the introduction, by their means, of a 
great degree of bigotry, which has very much changed 
the franknefs of character, the cheerfulnefs, and the good 
will to one another, which were formerly fo prevalent in 
this diftriCt. Mufic and dancing are entirely banifhed ; 
and under the conduCt of his lpiritual guides, the African 
colonilt, who has fo few fources of enjoyment, has fuc- 
ceeded perfectly in cutting off a great number of them. 
Their favourite doCtrine is, that every man fliould apply 
liimfelf folely to the falvation of his own foul, which he 
is to work out, not by juflice or morality, but by faith 
and felf-abafement. Thus we fee poifon extracted from 
the humane and charitable doCtrines of Chriltianity, and 
adminiftered in full doles over all the world. 
What is faid of thefe milfionaries is agreeably contrafted 
with the fociety of the United Moravian Brethren, or Her- 
renhuters,. which foon after was vifited by Lichtenftein 
and his friends. On the banks of the river Zander-end, or 
Endlel’s River, at a place called Bavranlklooff, is the ella- 
blilhment of this molt meritorious fociety. The begin¬ 
ning of it goes back as far as 1737 ; but little feems to 
have been done till the year 1791, when three of the United 
Brethren from Holland or Germany fettled in thefe parts. 
By order of the Dutch Eaft-India Company, this fpot was 
granted for the eftablilhment of a little colony ; and in a 
Ihort time they collected together a conliderable number 
of baftards and Hottentots, whom they inftruCted in the 
Chriftian religion, at the fame time endeavouring to in- 
l'pire them with habits of induftry. At firft, the jealoufy 
of the colonifts feems to have been excited by this moll 
inoffenlive and laudable inftitution, and to have produced 
excefles highly to be reprobated. Our author admits the 
M I S 
truth of this; but contends that Barrow, who has fpoken 
of it in his Travels, has very much exaggerated the bad 
conduCt of the colonifts. He lays that they had-formed 
a confpiracy to murder the Brethren ; the Brethren them¬ 
felves allured Lichtenftein that they had never heard of 
fuch a thing. 
The whole defcription of this eftablilhment will be read 
with pleafure by thofe who take a delight in the improve¬ 
ment of the fpecies. The inftruCtion of the Hottentots 
is the objeCt of the inftitution, and is begun by teaching 
them fome ufeful handicraft. A houfe has been appnw 
priated to the manufacture of knives, of which one of 
the Brethren is a director ; and it begins already to be 
profitable. Four Hottentots are employed in this manu- 
faCture._ But, fays our author, in order to form a juft efti- 
mate of the worth of the excellent men who conduCt this 
inftitution, their manner of treating the Hottentots mult 
be feen. The mildnefs, yet dignity, with which they in- 
ItruCt them, and the effeCt already produced in improving 
the condition of their uncivilized brethren, are truly ad¬ 
mirable ; and the more fo, that all has been accomplilhed 
by perfuafion and exhortation, without violence, or even 
harlhnefs. No other punilhment is known, but being 
prohibited from attending divine fervice, or being ba- 
nilhed the fociety; and to. fuch feverity it has been rare¬ 
ly neceffary to have recourfe. The higheft reward of in¬ 
duftry and good behaviour is, to be baptized, and received 
into the fociety. Though the Dutch government has 
been very friendly to this inftitution, its main fupport is 
from the Moravian Brethren in Europe. This little efta¬ 
blilhment, in the eleven years that had elapfed from its 
foundation to the time when Lichtenftein vifited it, had 
received no lefs than 25,000 dollars from Europe; and 
the annual expenfe feemed rather to increafe than dimi- 
nifli. So large a fum given for a purpofe fo falutary, and 
from motives fo difinterefted, is rarely to be met with in 
the world. Of all who have attempted to teach Chrifti- 
anity to barbarous or favage nations, the Moravian Bre¬ 
thren may be fairly placed at the head. The generality 
of their efforts has been guided by a degree of judgment 
and good fenfe that are wanting in mod other milfion¬ 
aries. They begin with civilizing their pupils—-educat¬ 
ing and inltruCting them in the ufeful arts. They live 
among the people; and their lives manifeft a juftice and 
lanCtity that mult extort refpeCt, and gain affeCtion, from 
the moll rude and unenlightened. It is by this kind of 
practical inftruCtion alone, that thofe in a certain ftate of 
ignorance and barbarifm are to be gained over to the 
truth ; and, till a fimilar courle is followed, our Milfionary 
and our Bible locieties may expend thoufands and ten 
thoufands to no purpofe but to manifeft the goodnefs of 
their intentions, and their total ignorance of the means 
which ought to have been purfued. 
MISSI'QUASH, a river which feparates Nova Scotia 
from New Brunfwick. 
MISSISSIPPI, [called by the native Indians Mead 
ChaJJ'ippi, which fignifies Grand Father of all the Rivers.] 
A large and noble river of North America, which, toge¬ 
ther with its eaftern branches, waters five-eighths of the 
United States, forms their weftern boundary, and fepa¬ 
rates them from Louifiana. It riles in White Bear Lake, 
lat. 48. 15. N. Ion. 98. 30. W. and in its courfe receives 
feveral ftreams both from the eaft and weft, the largeft of 
which are the Miffouri from the weft, and the Illinois, 
Ohio, and Teneffee, from the eaft. It runs from north 
to fouth, quite from the interior parts of Canada to the 
north lhore of the Gulf of Mexico, where it difcharges 
its waters by feveral mouths or branches; an illand of 
confiderable length is formed by means of thefe mouths, 
which are lituated between the lat. of 29 and 30 0 N. and 
between the Ion. of 89 and 90 0 W. Including all the 
meanderings of this famous river, its courfe may be 
deemed at not lefs than 1600 leagues. Its width is va¬ 
riable, but generally confiderable; and, by means of its 
branches, lays-open the inmoft recedes of part of the great 
1 continent 
