CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE

Section VI: Missions to India

Part 1: India General, 1811-1815 and North India Mission, 1815-1881

Part 2: North India Mission, 1844-1886

Contents of Reels - Part 1

REEL 1

Catalogue to West Asia ( Group 2) Missions Vol 2 North India pp 9-22

Calendar to India General Early Correspondence pp 193-246

India General

C I E Early Correspondence 1811-1815

The Early Correspondence contains incoming and outgoing correspondence between the Secretaries and the missionaries, agents and government officials. There are letters from Rev Daniel Corrie who arrived in India in 1806 describing the teaching of Abdul Masih, a native catechist. There are also journals written by Abdul Masih himself. Letters from Rev C T E Rhenius and Rev J C Schnarre describe their arrival in the mission. Included also are their diaries detailing their experiences. Rev W Bowley’s journal for 1814-1815 gives detail on his preaching in the mission. Information regarding schools includes an account of salaries of school teachers and a list of English and Tamil Free Schools with names of the masters and the number of scholars. Included also are the proceedings of the CMS Committee in Calcutta.

C I E 1 A-D Early Correspondence 1811-1815

A-D are four letters from: Henry Martyn to the CMS Secretary, Josiah Pratt; from Maulvie Munsoor to Rev Daniel Corrie; from Josiah Pratt to Rev T Thomason and from D Brown.

North India

REEL 2

C I 1 E 1 Early Correspondence 1815-1818

Report on the school in Calcutta; letters from Rev Thomas Thomason to the Archdeacon of Calcutta; reports of meetings of the CMS Committee in Calcutta and circular letters issued by them.

REEL 3

C I 1 E 2 Early Correspondence 1818-1820

Letters from Rev D Corrie to the Secretary; the journal of Rev W Bowley for 1818 and 1819; report of the Calcutta Diocesan Committee; some pages from “The Calcutta Journal”; a report by Rev J Adlington on the school at Benares; a letter from the inhabitants of Benares to Rev D Corrie; CMS committee minutes.

REEL 4

C I 1 L 1 Letter Book 1820-1829

The Letter Books contain copies of outgoing correspondence from the Secretary to missionaries (mainly the mission secretary). Each contains an alphabetical index of missionaries with dates and page numbers. Topics covered include: re a proposed college, grants to the bishop; concern that a box of Idols had not been received in London; discussions on who should succeed the present bishop; complaints that Annual Letters are not being sent by the missionaries; discussions on the possibility of sending a lady missionary out to educate the female children.

REEL 5

C I 1 L 2 Letter Book 1829-1842

Letter to Rev R Eteson regarding his good work preaching in the Bazaar and the surrounding villages, letter to Rev Lathy re the return of Rev M Wilkinson and his family after time spent in England; letters to Rev F Wybrow, Rev J Innes and Rev J F Osborne. There are also many letters of instructions to new missionaries going out to India such as Rev W Smith, Rev W Morse, Rev J C G Knorpp, Rev C B Leupolt, Rev J Haberlin and Rev J T Lincke. The Secretary advises self-denial and not to expect too much success in the first few years.

REEL 6

C I 1 L 3 Letter Book 1842-1851

Letters to the Bishop of Calcutta, Rev J Innes, Rev J F Osborne and Rev S Hasell. There are instructions to new missionaries such as Rev E Johnson, Rev R M Lamb advising them to acquire the native language as soon as possible. Included also are discussions re conferences to be held and travelling allowances to be paid to missionaries.

REEL 7

C I 1 L 4 Letter Book 1851-1857

Letters to Rev Henry Smith, Chaplain at Agra, to Rev R M Lamb, to the Mission Secretary re expenses of the mission; instructions to new missionaries such as Rev Robert Clark, Rev Henry Stern, Rev S Dyson, Rev W J Ball and Rev W T Storrs regarding exposure to dangers, the risk of undertaking unsuitable marriages and the importance of sending Annual Letters to London.

REEL 8

C I 1 L 5 Letter Book 1857-1862

Letters to Rev G G Cuthbert re the increase in missionary salaries and health of missionaries and the success of the Sikandra Orphan Press; instructions to new missionaries such as Rev R Clark and Rev George Yeates including a set of printed instructions for missionaries from the Committee; letters re the finance of the mission and annual estimates for the mission from the mission secretary to the Secretary in London, Henry Venn. Also included are details re the compensation fund for the destruction of the Agra printing press during the 1857 Mutiny.

REEL 9

C I 1 L 6 Letter Book 1862-1866

Letters to Rev E C Stuart and other missionaries re the ill health of missionaries and the receipt of missionary journals; a list of suggestions for the improvement of the Krishnagur mission; yearly estimates for the mission; re finance; re the opening of a new college in Calcutta; re conferences to be held; letters to the Baptist Missionary Society re the work in Mulliana; a minute on the management of the missions and proposals for enlarging the system of management in North India; a letter from the Earl of Chichester, CMS President to Sir John Lawrence.

REEL 10

C I 1 L 7 Letter Book 1866-1873

Letters to Colonel Michael Dawes, Lay Secretary and Rev E C Stuart re the ill health of missionaries; re the receipt of missionary journals with instructions that the Native Church should be free to set its own salaries; re the reduction of grants and the increase in missionary salaries; estimates for the year.

REEL 11

C I 1 L 8 Letter Book 1873-1877

Letters with instructions from the Secretary to missionaries such as Rev F Shirreff and Rev B H Skelton leaving for India; discussions on the Cathedral Mission College; regulations for Native Church Councils in North India; minutes of the Committee of Correspondence; a memo on the Trinity Church Mirzapore Endowment Fund; a circular re estimates.

REEL 12

C I 1 L 9 Letter Book 1877-1881

Letters to the Bishop of Calcutta, to Rev D T Barry, Cathedral Mission College re his state of health; extract from a letter from Mr Rodger re the schools at Batala, Amritsar; letter re the Punjab Church Council and its relationship to CMS; translation of an address in Sanskrit sent by pandits of Nuddea to Professor Monier Williams, Oxford University; circular re estimates; letter re the setting up of the Punjab and Sind Committee of Correspondence for the area of the new Lahore diocese; a report on native catechists and readers in India.

REEL 13

C I 1 M 1 Mission Book 1820-1824

The Mission Books contain hand written copies of the Original Papers sent by the missionaries to the Secretary in London. The papers are numbered in the order they arrived in London. The letters and journals from 1820-1848 are copied out in full and a note of receipt is made for the financial and printed papers. Each volume has an alphabetical index of missionaries and some subjects.

There are letters about supplies received, progress of schools, expenses, difficulty in raising subscriptions. There are also letters from one missionary to another for example Chaplain Henry Fisher to Rev Andrew Cheap re the conversion of a Brahmin soldier of very high caste and the ensuing problems with the government; letters from the Corresponding Committee to the Bishop of Calcutta and letters from the bishop to London; news from missionaries re conversions, preaching, new churches and the learning of the language; journals by missionaries including Rev Thomas Morris and Rev William Bowley.

REEL 14

C I 1 M 2 Mission Book 1824-1827

Letters from Rev T Morris to Archdeacon D Corrie, from Rev J Maisch, Rev Deocar Schmidt and Rev J T Reichardt describing floods; balance sheets showing expenses and receipts; Committee minutes; journals of Rev W Bowley, Rev T Morris, Rev J Adlington and Rev Abdul Masih, who was one of the first Indian clergymen of the Anglican Church.

REEL 15

C I 1 M 3 Mission Book 1827-1829

Journals of Rev W Bowley, the catechist Nurpul Sing, Mr John Peters, Rev W Deerr and Rev Isaac Wilson; minutes of committee meetings; letter from Rev J Schmidt discussing whether the salaries of native catechists should be lower than those of Europeans;minutes of the Benares School Committee.

REEL 16

C I 1 M 4 Mission Book 1829-1832

Letters from Rev Henry Fisher to Archdeacon Corrie; list of schools at Burdwan with the number of students and those who had received the Gospel; journals of Rev William Bowley, Rev Thomas Morris, Rev Charles Friend, Rev Ralph Eteson and native teachers, Matthew Runjett and Mr Rutten; minutes of the Calcutta Auxiliary Committee; a list of mission stations with the number of labourers and salaries; report for Allahabad, 1828-1829; private letters from Rev Charles Friend to his relations and friends; letter from Rev T Morris re the tradition of suttee; an account of the Benares Mission in 1845 by Rev Eteson; minutes of a quarterly meeting of the Agra School Committee.

REEL 17

C I 1 M 5 Mission Book 1832-1835

Minutes of the monthly Corresponding Committee; journals of Rev Eteson, Mr Rutten ( a native teacher), Mr John MacLeod, Rev M Wilkinson; an account of the Ceremony of the Festival of Doorga Poojah; a statement of expenses for the missionaries, schoolmasters and catechists and of the mission schools.

REEL 18

C I 1 M 6 Mission Book 1835-1837

Journals of Rev H C L Kruckeberg, John MacLeod, Rev W Bowley, Rev J C G Knorpp, Rev W Smith, Rev C B Leupolt, Rev J J Weitbrecht and David Shakoor. All relate their experiences teaching and preaching in the mission. Included also are: minutes of the Calcutta Corresponding Committee and reports on the missions; annual report of the mission at Burdwan for 1833-1834 written by Rev J J Weitbrecht; a list of students at Benares School.

REEL 19

C I 1 M 7 Mission Book 1837-1839 pp 1-600

Journals of missionaries including Rev T Sandys, Rev J T Lincke, Rev J J Weitbrecht, Rev A H Alexander, Rev W Bowley, Rev W Smith, Rev C B Leupolt and Rev M Wilkinson; minutes of the Calcutta Corresponding Committee; a list of missionaries in Bengal and Hindustan since the beginning of the mission; report of the Gorakhpur Station for 1836 by Rev R Reynolds; a report of the Culna Station by Rev A H Alexander.

REEL 20

C I 1 M 7 Mission Book 1837-1839 pp 601-end

Letters from the Bishop of Calcutta to the Calcutta Corresponding Committee and to the Earl of Chichester, President of CMS; minutes of the Calcutta Correspondence Committee; letter from Rev F Wybrow to the Lay Secretary.

C I 1 M 8 Mission Book 1839-1844 pp 1-401

Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Calcutta Corresponding Committee; estimated expenditure of the North India mission for 1840; letter from the Bishop of Calcutta to the Earl of Chichester re the state of the mission; a memo from Rev J Innes re the illness and death of Mrs Innes; journals of missionaries including Rev J J Weitbrecht; a letter from Rev F Wybrow concerning his retirement; a letter from Rev T Sandys re the conduct of recent converts; from Rev C B Leupolt re the dishonesty of native workers; from the Bishop of Calcutta on his travels round the mission.

REEL 21

C I 1 M 8 Mission Book 1839-1844 pp 402-end

Letters from missionaries including a letter from Rev J Innes to the Lay Secretary.

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