urasians, Carey himself, in
Calcutta, early began to care for the destitute. His efforts resulted
in the establishment of the "Benevolent Institution for the Instruction
of Indigent Children," which the contemporary Bengal civilian, Charles
Lushington, in his History extols as one of the monuments of active and
indefatigable benevolence due to Serampore. Here, on the Lancaster
system, and superintended by Carey, Mr. and Mrs. Penney had as many as
300 boys and 100 girls under Christian instruction of all ages up to
twenty-four, and of every race:--"Europeans, native Portuguese,
Armenians, Mugs, Chinese, Hindoos, Mussulmans, natives of Sumatra,
Mozambik, and Abyssinia." This official reporter states that thus more
than a thousand youths had been rescued from vice and ignorance and
advanced in usefulness to society, in a degree of opulence and
respectability. The origin of this noble charity is thus told to Dr.
Ryland by Carey himself in a letter which unconsciously reveals his own
busy life, records the missionary influence of the higher schools, and
reports the existence of the mission over a wide area. He writes from
Calcutta on 24th May 1811:--

"A year ago we opened a free school in Calcutta. This year we added to
it a school for girls. There are now in it about 140 boys and near 40
girls. One of our deacons, Mr. Leonard, a most valuable and active
man, superintends the boys, and a very pious woman, a member of the
church, is over the girls. The Institution meets with considerable
encouragement, and is conducted upon Lancaster's plan. We meditate
another for instruction of Hindoo youths in the Sanskrit language,
designing, however, to introduce the study of the Sanskrit Bible into
it; indeed it is as good as begun; it will be in Calcutta. By brother
and sister Marshman's encouragement there are two schools in our own
premises at Serampore for the gratuitous instruction of youth of both
sexes, supported and managed wholly by the male and female scholars in
our own school. These young persons appear to enter with pleasure into
the plan, contribute their money to its support, and give instruction
in turns to the children of these free schools. I trust we shall be
able to enlarge this plan, and to spread its influence far about the
country. Our brethren in the Isles of France and Bourbon seem to be
doing good; some of them are gone to Madagascar, and, as if to show
that Divine Providence watches over them, the