to them; but the first
attempt miscarried, and almost all the colonists sent thither from
Tranquebar, soon died. The Brethren, however, were not discouraged.
After some negociation with the Danish Asiatic company, having obtained
an edict, granting them necessary privileges to preach the gospel to
the heathen, and to maintain their own church-discipline and worship,
they agreed to begin the work, and several Brethren offered themselves
for this service. The names of the first missionaries were George John
Stahlman, Adam Gottlieb Voelcker, and Christopher Butler. They arrived
July 2, 1760, at Tranquebar, and were received by the Governor and all
the inhabitants, with much cordiality.

As an establishment on the coast of Coromandel, was found indispensably
necessary to support the new mission, they bought a piece of ground,
about a mile from Tranquebar, built a house, with out-houses and
work-shops, and maintained themselves by their several trades. This
settlement was called _The Brethren's Garden_.

A second company followed them in the same year. According to
directions given by the Brethren in Europe, they carefully avoided all
interference with the worthy Lutheran missionaries residing at
Tranquebar, by whose pious exertions many Malabars had been converted
to Christianity.

The Danish East India company, not being able to renew their settlement
in the Nicobar islands as soon as was expected, offers were made to the
Brethren by the English Governor of Bengal, to settle on the Ganges;
but they resolved to wait with patience for an opportunity to prosecute
their first plan, and obtain the original aim of their mission to the
East Indies. This presented itself in 1768, when the Danish government
formed a new establishment in the Nicobar islands. Six Brethren were
immediately ready to go thither. They settled on Nancauwery.

In 1769, several officers of the company, with a party of soldiers and
black servants, arrived from Tranquebar, and brought with them a
considerable quantity of merchandize. But they died so fast, that in
1771 only two European soldiers, and four Malabar servants survived.
This second failure deterred the company from repeating their attempt,
and the project of establishing a factory in the Nicobar islands was
abandoned. The four Brethren residing there were charged with the sale
of the remaining goods, and experienced no small inconvenience and
trouble from this commission.

In 1773, however,