me clear and
distinct in his own mind. He was hundreds of miles away from
civilisation. Very little indeed had he with which to work. Yet with
him there was no such word as failure. Obtaining, as a great favour,
the thin sheets of lead that were around the tea-chests of the fur
traders, he melted these down into little bars, and from them cut out
his first types. His ink was made out of the soot of the chimneys, and
his first paper was birch bark. After a good deal of effort, and the
exercise of much ingenuity, he made a press, and then the work began.

Great indeed was the amazement and delight of the Indians. The fact
that the bark could "talk" was to them most wonderful. Portions of the
Gospels were first printed, and then some of the beautiful hymns. The
story of this invention reached the Wesleyan Home Society. Generous
help was afforded. A good supply of these types was cast in London,
and, with a good press and all the essential requisites, including a
large quantity of paper, was sent out to that Mission, and for years it
was the great point from which considerable portions of the Word of God
were scattered among the wandering tribes, conferring unnumbered
blessings upon them. In later years the noble British and Foreign Bible
Society has taken charge of the work; and now, thanks to their
generosity, the Indians have the blessed Word scattered among them, and
thousands can read its glorious truths.

All the Churches having Missions in that great land have availed
themselves, more or less, of Mr Evans' invention. To suit other tribes
speaking different languages, the characters have been modified or have
had additions to them, to correspond with sounds in those languages
which were not in the Cree. Even in Greenland the Moravian Missionaries
are now using Evans' Syllabic Characters with great success among the
Esquimaux.

When Lord Dufferin was Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada,
hearing that a couple of Missionaries from the Indian tribes were in
Ottawa, where he resided, he sent a courteous request for us to call
upon him. With two or three friends, Mr Crosby, our successful and
energetic Missionary from British Columbia, and I, obeyed the summons.

The interview was a very pleasant and profitable one. Lord Dufferin
questioned Mr Crosby about British Columbia and his work, and was
pleased to hear of his great success. After a bright and earnest
conversation with me in reference to t