ich is near the ancient Syriac, and that
they understand fully the Syrian Scriptures when read in their
churches. We hope, therefore, should the Lord spare our lives,
to have an opportunity of circulating some of the many copies of the
Scriptures in Syriac, which Mr. Pfander has brought from Shushee, and
some that I expect will come from Bombay for me.

The Gerba tribe of Arabs are come almost close to Bagdad, to check
whom the Pasha intends sending out the troops that have been under the
discipline of the English.

We have also heard from the Syrian, that from Mousul to Mardin the
road by the mountains of Sinjar is safer than by the plains. Among the
Yezidees and Syrians, no Mohammedan lives. It is impossible to
consider such an immense Christian population as that in Diarbekr,
without feeling a wish to pour in upon it the fountains of living
waters, which we are so abundantly blessed with. Oh, that some one
would come out, and settle down in such a place as Diarbekr--what an
abundant field of labour!

_August 14._--A young Jew was here to-day, and bought three Arabic
Bibles of Mr. Pfander, at 25 piastres of this place each, _i.e._ about
5s. sterling. This is almost the beginning. Many might perhaps have
been given away; but as we find that those of Mr. Wolff were generally
burnt, we wish them to buy them, at least, at such a price that they
would not burn them. He took away a Hebrew New Testament, but returned
it again. I should feel deeply interested in some one coming to take
charge of a Jewish school, in which the Old Testament, Hebrew, and
Arabic, might be the basis of instruction. I make no doubt, that at
once a most interesting school might be established here on a very
large scale, for they have but one school of about 150 poor boys at
their synagogue, or rather synagogues, for they have six, but all in
one place, and forming one building; they have also three rabbies, and
besides the boys which are taught at the above school, many others are
educated at home by teachers. Now, nothing can be more distinct than
their wish for a school, and their promise of supporting it on the
basis of the Old Testament being taught as a school-book, which
certainly, as a primary step, is a most important one to cause them,
by the Lord's blessing, to see that the book which they now disfigure
by monstrous interpretations, has yet in itself, by the illumination
of God's Spirit, a clear, simple, and, in all essential points, an