olars acted thus, as described by the
Bible Society's annalist--they, "with a liberality which does them
honour, permitted the use of their respective versions of the Bengali
Scriptures, with such alterations as were deemed needful in the
disputed word for 'baptism,' they being considered in no way parties to
such alterations." From first to last the British and Foreign Bible
Society, to use its own language, "had the privilege of aiding the
Serampore brethren by grants, amounting to not less than L13,500." Of
this L1475 had been raised by Mr. William Hey, F.R.S., a surgeon at
Leeds, who had been so moved by the translation memoir of 1816 as to
offer L500 for the publication of a thousand copies of every approved
first translation of the New Testament into any dialect of India. It
was with this assistance that most of the Hindi and the Pushtoo and
Punjabi versions were produced.

The cold season of 1811-12 was one ever to be remembered. Death
entered the home of each of the staff of seven missionaries and carried
off wife or children. An earthquake of unusual violence alarmed the
natives. Dr. Carey had buried a grandson, and was at his weekly work
in the college at Calcutta. The sun had just set on the evening of the
11th March 1812, and the native typefounders, compositors, pressmen,
binders, and writers had gone. Ward alone lingered in the waning light
at his desk settling an account with a few servants. His two rooms
formed the north end of the long printing-office. The south rooms were
filled with paper and printed materials. Close beyond was the
paper-mill. The Bible-publishing enterprise was at its height.
Fourteen founts of Oriental types, new supplies of Hebrew, Greek, and
English types, a vast stock of paper from the Bible Society, presses,
priceless manuscripts of dictionaries, grammars, and translations, and,
above all, the steel punches of the Eastern letters--all were there,
with the deeds and account-books of the property, and the iron safe
containing notes and rupees. Suffocating smoke burst from the long
type-room into the office. Rushing through it to observe the source of
the fire, he was arrested at the southern rooms by the paper store.
Returning with difficulty and joined by Marshman and the natives, he
had every door and window closed, and then mounting the south roof, he
had water poured through it upon the burning mass for four hours, with
the most hopeful prospect of arresting the