Letter 4381

[fol. 4] Bartlet’s Buildings 1. Septr. 1731. Honoured Sir A continual hurry has oblig’d me with regret to delay obedience to you comands for some account of the Designs of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The printed Letters herewith sent will give the Reader some Account of them, but to give a general Idea of them, I am humbly to acquaint you that as they are a Voluntary Society, they are not confin’d to my part of the World, but wherever the Interest of Religion and Virtue can be sew’d by their good offices, they have readily concurr’d in the use of such means as were in their power to advance them. In Great Britain their cheif cares have been to encourage the erecting Charity Schools & Workhouses, and to disperse good Books among those who are not able to buy them. In the East Indies they have for severall years past given what assistance they could to the Protestant Missionaries Missionaries [sic] at Fort St. George and Tranquebar on the Cost of Coromandel by furnishing them with Money, Books, a Printing Press, 2. Fonts of Types, all manner of Utensils for Painting and Bookbinding, with other necessaries which might enable the Missionaries more effectually to answer the Ends of the Mission, which not being within the limits of the Charter of the Society for the propagation of the Gospel could not be an Object of their care though several Members of that Body have been liberal Benefactors to it. For the Poor Christians in Palestine, Arabia &ca. the Society have printed 6250. Psalters in Arabick, a New Font of Types having been cast in London on purpose for that service: And sure that they have caus’d an impression to be made of 10. Thousand New Testamets [sic] in the same Language to be dispersed gratis among the Christians at Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Countries adjacent, at the discretion of their Correspondents at Aleppo. The particulars of their proceedings and their success in these several Branches of their designs would be a subject too large for a letter but as any accounts are printed beside those herewith sent you may always freely Command their of Sir yr most Obedient servant Henry Newman