or in one of the public school-houses, which is in general well attended. The work of teaching goes on pleasingly, though nor so rapidly as we could wish. The king's mother and her husband are chiefs of considerable influence, and are very friendly. We receive almost daily applications for books. The climate is, I think, more congenial to our constitutions than that of the Society Islands. The village in the vicinity of which we live is verypopulous,containing probably between five and six thousand inhabitants, besides foreigners, of which at times there are considerable numbers. There are about sixteen merchants, including the American consul, who resides here constantly, to transact business with the natives and with the shipping that are continually arriving. A considerable reinforcement of missionaries is almost daily expected from America, among whom there will be perhaps five preachers. The population is stated at 150,000 in all the islands, probably it exceeds a hundred thousand, to all of whom a preacher has now free access. May God in mercy stir up the churches both of England and America, to united, - fervent, special prayer, not only for this nation, but for every groupe and every solitary island upon the bosom of the vast Pacific, till they shall all become evangelized! I have, since our arrival here, had several interviews with a native of the Marquesas, with whom I could converse intelligibly. He informed me several Tahitians had occasionally visited them; that the chiefs and people were desirous missionaries should be sent to them, and that they would not molest them. It has long been a matter of deep regret to us all, that they should remain so long in the neighbourhood of the Society Islands, unvisited, degraded by idolatry and wretchedness, without a friendly guide to conduct them to the temporal and spiritual enjoyment of all those inestimable blessings which Christianity is calculated to impart."

COCHIN JEWS.

The following information has been recently obtained respecting the Cochin Jews. They consist of the White and those usually termed Black Jews, and their freed and household servants respectively. It seems that the merchandize in Hebrews among them is done away. The rules therefore laid down by Moses, which restricted them in this respect, do not now apply. (See Exod. xxi. 2-4; Levit xxv. 39-41, &c.) Indeed, neither the sabbatical year nor the year of jubilee has been

kept since the dispersion, having reference only to the holy land. The household servants now in their possession were originally purchased, as were those they have freed, from amongst the five lowest casts of the natives; namely, carpenters, workers in brass, gold and silver smiths, iron smiths, and palayen or pullee-casts; and to make proselytes from these was 'one of the privileges granted by Chesam Permaul, the Malabaric king, and recorded on the brass plate they now possess. Part of the ordinances of Moses, respecting the purchase of bond-servants, will be found in Levit. xxv. 44-46. This passage has likewise reference to the strangers that sojourned in the Holy Land, and the heathen, which then surrounded it. Since these Jews have been under the British government, they have not purchased bond-men or bond-women; they have, however, established various customs amongst themselves, in regard to the emancipation of their household sevants. The rite of circumcision (common to all Jews) was performed on the bond-servant by the master of the family, or one of the elders properly qualified, and thus they imitated the patriarchal institution as enjoined by the Almighty upon Abraham. (Gen. xvii. 12.) It does not appear that they employ circumcised people in their service. After circumcision, the servant was taken to a place where there was much water, wherein he was dipped or baptised, they using the following prayer: "Blessed be thou, O Lord our God, and king of the universe, (or everlasting king,) who hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and hast enjoined us concerning the dipping of servants." After this, the Jews say, the servant becomes, in every respect, as Eliezer. (Gen. xv. 2.) The steward of Abraham's house." Ver. 3,

one born in his house;" and ver. 34, "his servant." A female servant was dipped or baptized, they using the same prayer as above. With proselytes being natives, like ceremonies are observed as with the servant purchased for money; the only difference as concerns the baptism is a change in the prayer, to "the dipping of proselytes," instead of "the dipping of servants." There are three men of this description now at Cochin, who were originally heathens. They are termed Geerim, "strangers." Deut. x. 18: "God loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment."Ver. 19: "Love ye,therefore, the stranger, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." They are, however, looked upon by the Cochin Jews in no

the way of the free intercourse of the prisoners with their legal advisers, and which might haveinpeced the preparation of their defence. It is truly gratifying to witness the strict justice tempered with patience and mercy which so honourably distinguishes British courts of judicature. In a subsequent trial of a man of the name of Pallett, for the murder of a Mr. Mumford, the prisoner's petition for the postponement of the trial was refused, there being no substantial grounds for the application. In this case, the evidence left not a shadow of doubt of the guilt of the prisoner, who, before his execution, fully confessed it; but on reading the reply of the learned judge to the motion for the postponement of the trial, we felt appalled with the statement that hundreds of prisoners are often tried even within a few hours of their commitment. We venture to suggest, whether some specific regulation is not desirable and necessary as regards this point. This very month two innocent men, charged with highway robbery, under circumstances the most improbable, have, through the exertions of one of the sheriff's of London, most providentially escaped being executed. The man who professed to have been robbed, swore most unblenchingly to the crime and to their identity; and there being only one day between their commitment and trial for the preparation of their defence, it was impracticable to bring before the jury the mass of countervailing testimony which has since been collected, and has ended in their receiving his Majesty's full pardon. A fair, adequate, and specified space of time ought to be claimable as a matter of right by a pri

soner between his commitment and his trial. It may happen that he is ignorant, and knows not how at first to proceed; or that he is poor, and cannot instantly raise money for his defence; or that his friends and witnesses are at a distance; or that prima facie probabilities are so strong against him, that there requires considerable time and research to elicit the evidence that tends to his acquittal; or that his legal advisers themselves, in the hurry of business, do not instantly perceive the strong points of his defence. In all such cases, there is danger of hastily: condemning an innocent man, as has actually happened in the instances just alluded to; and who knows but other such instances may have occur red in the course of years? If the assizes arrive before the time allowed has expired, it should be optional with the prisoner whether to take his trial › at once, or to wait till the next jaildelivery. It is a more doubtful point, whether it would be adviseable that counsel should be allowed to plead in all cases. Their strong appeals to the feelings of a jury might sometimes in. terfere with the strict exécution of jus-:? tice, and, in case of a verdict of guilty, leave painful sensations in the minds of the jurors, which the strongest feelings of integrity could not always heal. But, doubtless, they ought to be allowed a suitable time for preparing the defence; and where this is granted, the cross-examination of the witnesses against the prisoner, the depositions of those in his favour, his own deliberate statement, the comments of an impar- ! tial judge, and the calm judgment of twelve honest men, will leave scarcely a possibility of an unjust decision.