Benjamin Rice. By his Son, Edward P. Rice, Bangalore. (Religious
Tract Society.)—Benjamin Rice, after spending some years in secular work, which, however, did not make him forget other aims, was accepted as a student by the London Missionary Society. In 1836 he went out to Southern India. It may be mentioned as an interesting instance of change in circumstances, that the voyage occupied nearly four months. Early in 1837 he proceeded to Bangalore, and there he continued to labour for fifty years. His missionary life was, as may be supposed, not without trials. One of them is to be found in the curious story of the so-called "Christian Villftge." This was, in fact, a speci- men of eleemosynary proselytising, and ended in disaster. It was Mr. Rice's painful duty to expose the failure. But, on the whole, his work was crowned with more visible success than often falls to the lot of a missionary. The number of communicants in the Church with which he was himself connected was multiplied more than sixfold. He also did much literary work, especially taking an active part in the revision of the Canarese Bible. He died, after a very short illness, in 1887, being then in his seventy-third year. During the long period of his missionary life, he paid but one visit to England. His biographer illustrates this interesting record of a devoted life with many details drawn from missionary experiences.
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