It affords us the most heartfelt pleasure to be permitted to state, that, in accordance with the pre-existing arrangement, to sustain the expense of which a special appropriation was several years ago made by this Society, brother Goddard has been transferred to China, where he is expected to devote his attention to biblical translation, and revision. The following is a letter from the Foreign Secretary of the Missionary Union upon this subject:

WM. H. WYCкoff, Esq.

BAP. MISS. ROOMS, Boston, Feb. 22, 1849.

Cor. Sec. of American & Foreign Bible Society:

MY DEAR BROTHER,-You are perfectly right as to the arrangement made by your Board with the Acting Board for the transfer of Mr. Goddard to China. From its date to the present time, the important object contemplated in the proposed transfer has been kept steadily in view; and, divine providence favoring the past year, Mr. Goddard has removed to China, and is expected to reside there permanently.

The Executive Committee, I am happy to state, adopted a resolution at their late meeting, attaching him to the station at Ningpo.

Mr. Goddard's labors at Ningpo, as contemplated in his original appointment, and subsequently in the arrangement with your Board, will be devoted pre-eminently to the work of translating the Chinese scriptures, a work for which by his natural endowments, and an extended and thorough course of classical and biblical study he has rare qualifications. Some progress you are aware, has already been made in the translation of the New Testament, and several books, including those prepared by Mr. Dean, whose scholarship and intimate knowledge of the Chinese entitle him to equal participation in the work, if other engagements permitted, are soon to be put in circulation. I am reluctant, indeed, to admit that time has been lost, (although it must be admitted that time has been lost since the days of Marshman,) except from the temporary failure of health; inasmuch as Mr. Goddard has, from the beginning, had in view a thorough revision of the existing versions, and the preparation of a new and improved translation, and has applied himself with the utmost assiduity to the requisite preliminary study.

With much respect and affection,

Truly your brother,

S. PECK, Cor. Secretary.

Whilst Dr. Devan was in China, he acted as treasurer for this Society, and it was customary to remit to him money for scripture operations, which he expended in printing, and furnishing copies of the sacred word to Baptist missionaries, and in paying the salaries of colporteurs acting under their direction. His orders were to supply alike the wants in this department of the Missionaries of the

American Baptist Missionary Union, and of the Southern Baptist Triennial Convention. When about to return to this country, he transferred the small balance on hand to brother Dean. In the meantime our Society, in conformity to the expressed wishes of the missionary bodies, had transferred to each the colporteurs in our employ acting under the direction of their respective missionaries and had intimated their intention to make appropriations for the use of the missionaries upon the direct application of the boards by which they are sustained. The Missionary Union has, within the year, applied for $2000 for the translation and publication of Chinese scriptures, which sum has been cheerfully appropriated by the Board. Although our willingness to appropriate according to our means, has been expressed, in correspondence, to the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Convention, no application has hitherto been received from that quarter. It is understood that the expenses of their scripture operations, which are necessarily limited in the early years of missionary labor, are fully met by the amount of contributions specially designated for that object.

When brother Devan left Hong Kong, as may be seen in his letter of Oct. 18, 1847, published with our last Report, an edition of about 12,500 copies of Matthew was passing through the press, the greater part of which were to be furnished at our expense to the missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since then we learn by communications from brother Dean, that he has prepared blocks for John and the Acts, and has printed 7700 of the former, and 3000 of the latter, and has also printed 3000 copies of Matthew.

Brother Dean is also prosecuting the enterprise of publishing portions of the New Testament with notes, similar to those of Ripley, an enterprise which, without expressing an opinion on its expediency, your Board is not prepared to sustain by the expenditure of funds contributed for the general objects of the Society.

In the letter of brother Devan, already referred to, it is stated that "the Missionaries of the American Baptist Missionary Union have unanimously signed and forwarded to the Secretary" of the Committee on Revision at Shanghae, "a formal protest in the name of the Union and of the American and Foreign Bible Society against

any publication of the Chinese scriptures purporting to be the united work of the Evangelical Missionaries to that great empire." We receive from this Committee periodical accounts of the progress of their labors, but for the latest information upon the subject we are indebted to a letter of brother Dean, under date of Dec. 18, 1848, from which we make the following extract:

"The Committee of Revision at Shanghae have advanced to the 7th chapter of John. When the New Testament will be printed is not easy to say, and it is not determined whether they may pubish the Gospels when John is closed, or wait for the completion of the New Testament. How far we may be able to avail ourselves of the result of their labors, remains to be seen. We hope they may make some important advance in the work of Chinese translations. The committee is now composed of Drs. Medhurst and Bridgman, and Messrs. Stronach and Milne. Bishop Boone is not able to meet with them, but is giving some time to a "Fu Pa," or local translation of the New Testament, in which the members of his Mission are engaged.

Brother Hudson, who is laboring at Ningpo in the employ of the General Baptist Missionary Society of England, is engaged in revising and publishing Marshman's version of the Chinese scriptures."

CHEROKEE SCRIPTURES.

Considerable progress has been made in the publication of Cherokee Scriptures. In February, 1848, there were printed at the mission press, 6,000 copies of the Epistle to the Ephesians, in 24mo, containing 144,000 pages. In October, 5,000 copies of Galatians and 1st and 2d Peter, containing 240,000 pages; in December, 5,000 copies of Philippians and Colossians, containing 120,000 pages.

We are surprised to learn that the whole New Testament in Cherokee, the translation of which was completed more than two years ago, has not yet been printed.

Domestic Operations.

These have been prosecuted with accustomed vigor. The nonpareil bible without references, and the nonpareil reference bible, both duodecimo, have been stereotyped and printed, and considerable numbers of the former have been issued from the depository. Both books are found to be highly satisfactory to our auxiliaries.

The adoption of a standard, to which allusion was made in the last report, and the determination to secure a desirable uniformity to our issues, have already led to extensive improvements. From this date, all copies printed from the stereotype plates of our small pica bible, large pica testament, small pica testament, (both testaments with, and without psalms,) nonpareil bible, and nonpareil reference bible, and our nonpareil Sunday-school testament, will precisely correspond. Our other books will be gradually brought to the same conformity.

The attention of the Board has been, to some extent, directed to the German portion of our population, and some effort has been made to meet their wants. Four colporteurs have been employed during the past year for different periods of time: brother A. Von Puttkammer at Buffalo, supported at the joint expense of the American Baptist Publication Society and this body; brother Sala at Pittsburg, jointly with the Brookline Baptist Church, Massachussetts; and bro. J. B. Schnell and S. A. Kesting exclusively sustained by this Society. These efforts are so far experimental, and the Board are not yet prepared to decide to what limit they should be extended.

Destruction of Property by Fire.

On the night of the 18th of November, 1848, it pleased the Lord to permit the devouring element to invade the premises of the Society at 350 Broome street. The compensation allowed by insurance companies for the damage sustained by us on the occasion, amounted to $1892 57. While this sum covered the bulk of onr loss, it could not be expected to meet numerous minor particulars of damage and expense incident to such an occurrence, nor to furnish an equivalent for the partial disarrangement of affairs, and procrastination of business necessarily resulting.

As one of the unavoidable consequences of such a disaster, the property destroyed, principally consisting as it did of books and printed sheets, had to be replaced. expenses of publication during the enlargement of the stock on hand.

This has largely increased the year, without any consequent Such a fact must be borne in

mind in estimating the comparative expenditure for the year upon the domestic and foreign departments of the Society.

The same circumstance has likewise increased the incidental expenses of the depository.

Domestic Appropriations.

The extraordinary call for appropriations of Scriptures to individuals and companies going to California, has been promptly met by the Board, while every possible precaution has been taken to secure the proper use and distribution of the books. The grants have been entrusted only to members of evangelical churches, and Brother O. C. Wheeler, who is now stationed at San Francisco, as Missionary of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, to whom, through that body, a considerable number of the books were appropriated, has been requested to oversee, as far as lies in his power, the distribution of those committed to others, and to take charge of any that may not be distributed. Probabilities, however, are adverse to the supposition, that the demand will be supplied, or nearly supplied, by the quantities already

sent.

The Board have also, upon application, appropriated Scriptures to the American Baptist Home Mission Society, for the use of its missionaries in Oregon; to the American Tract Society, and to the American Baptist Publication Society, for distribution by their respective colporteurs; and to various auxiliaries, churches, and Sunday School organizations for the supply of the destitute.

The whole number of books gratuitously appropriated during the year for the domestic field, is 4,522 Bibles, and 11,078 Testaments. Their aggregate value amounts to $2,824 57, of which sum $728 28 is for books drawn by life members and directors on their annual quotas.

The principal donations have been thus distributed :