CALVERT, James

[s. 147] : Born January 3, 1813. Died March 8, 1892. The birthplace of Mr. Calvert was Pick ering, York, England; and after his early education at Malton, he was apprenticed for seven years to a printer, bookbinder and stationer. After his appointment by the Wesley an Mi ionary Society he was married in March, 1838, and Mr. and Mrs. Calvert embarked for Fiji, October of the same year, with John Hunt and T. J. Jagger as a ociates in their courageous work. During the following December they reached Lakemba, and six months later Mr. Calvert was in charge of a wide circuit, including thirteen towns, connected by no roads, besides twenty-four surrounding islands, some of which were over one hundred miles distant, with hardly a seaworthy canoe available by which to reach the savage inhabitants. He and Mrs. Calvert soon mastered the language, and they showed remarkable tact, perseverance and courage in their A printing pre was sent out with this mi ionary party, and Mr. Calvert’s thorough knowledge of printing and book-binding was now of great use to him. Soon a vocabulary and a grammar in the Lakemban dialect were ready for use. This pre was moved from one island to another, and from it were i ued you sands of helpful papers, while in 1847 a complete and well bound New Testament was ready for the natives. On the island of Oneata the work accomplished great good; a church and school were established, and, encouraged by the king of Nayau, many of the inhabwork among the Fijians. itants renounced their embraced Christianity. heathen worship and Some of these endured persecution, exile, torture, and even death rather than compromise their principles. The conversion of the daughter of the king had great influence among the natives. Mr. Calvert did much toward the abolition of killing and eating human beings, and on April 30, 1854, the chief ordered that the death-drums be hereafter used to call the people together to worship the true God. In 1857, Thakombau, the king, after dismi ing his many wives with all their wealth and influence openly accepted Christ as his Savior. One of his last acts as king was to cede Fiji to the Queen After seven of Great Britain, October, 1874. teen years of labor in Fiji, Mr. Calvert returned to England, where, in 1856, he settled at Wood bridge, revising the Old Testament translation for the British and Foreign Bible Society; but the death of the ablest worker at Fiji caused him to return to his former post, where his power for good was greater than ever. In 1865 Mr. Calvert was again in England; October, 1872, he went diamond fields, where he mi ionary work. Mr. Calvert to the South African did effective attended the Jubilee of Christianity in Fiji in 1885. At this time there was not an avowed heathen in all Fiji. He found over 1,300 churches, 10 white mi ionaries, 65 native mi ionaries, over 1,000 head teachers, nearly 30,000 church members, over 42,000 pupils in nearly 2,000 schools, and 104,585 church attendants, out of a population of 116,000. Largely through his Eersonal service he saw this people abolish eathen customs and accept the true (iod. Cambodia Caiie Coast Castle CAMBODIA: A kingdom of farther India, under the protectorate of France, and forming a part of French Indo-China. It lies southeast of Siam, and includes principally the valley and delta of the Cambodia River, one of the most fertile regions of southeastern Asia. Area, miles. Population, 1,103,000, of several indigenous races, 37,400 square chiefly composed with about 40,000 Malays and 250,000 Chinese and Ann amities. The chief towns are Pnompenh, the capital, and Kampot, the only seaport. The early history is obscure. Toward the close of the 17th century the Annamese set apart the southern portion for Chinese who had fled from their own homes for political reasons, and were a source of disturbance to the government. This became Cochin-China. In 1787 the king of Cochin-China was converted to Chris With the tianity through French mi ionaries. aid of France he then conquered Cambodia and Annam, combining all in the empire of Annam. He favored Christianity, and allowed the French many privileges. Under his sucmi ionaries ce or, however, quarrels arose with France, which occupied Cochin-China and in 1863 estabRoman lished a protectorate over Cambodia. Catholic Mi ions, only, operate in that region. 148