arous magnificent court, with many
gradations of dignitaries, sending out Viceroys to the different
provinces and towns.

When in 1807 strong opposition was made by Sir George Barlow's government
to the landing of the two Baptist missionaries, Robinson and Chater, the
former obtained forbearance on account of his wife's health, but the
latter was obliged to embark; and, rather than return to England, he
chose a vessel bound for Rangoon, a city at the mouth of the river
Irrawaddy, the nearest Burmese harbour. His was to be a reconnoitring
expedition to discover the condition of the Burmese Empire, the progress
that Roman Catholic missions were making there, and the possibility of
undertaking anything from the centre of Serampore. Another missionary,
named Mardon, went with him. They were well received by the European
merchants resident at Rangoon, and returned with an encouraging report.
It was decided that the attempt should be made; and as Mr. Mardon did not
feel equal to the undertaking, fifteen days were set apart as a time of
private prayer for direction who should be chosen in his stead.

It was Felix Carey, then nearly twenty-two, who volunteered to go with
Mr. Chater, of whom he was very fond. His father was unwilling to send
him, not only on account of his youth, but because he was very valuable
in the printers' work, and had an unusual amount of acquaintance with
Sanskrit and Bengalee, so that he could hardly be spared from the
translations; but the majority of the council at Serampore were in favour
of his going, and after a long delay, in consequence of the danger
British trading vessels were incurring from French privateers from the
Isle of France, they set sail and arrived at Rangoon early in the year
1808.

There they built themselves a house, and obtained a good deal of favour
from the gentleness and amiability of Mr. Chater, and from young Carey's
usefulness. He had regularly studied medicine for some years in the
hospital at Calcutta, and his skill was soon in great request, especially
for vaccination, which he was the first to introduce. His real turn was,
however, for philology, and he was delighted to discover that the Pali,
the sacred and learned language of Burmah, was really a variety of the
Sanskrit, cut down into agreement with the Mongolian monosyllabic speech.
He began, with the assistance of a pundit, to compile a grammar, and to
make a rough beginning of a translation of the Scriptur