the life of william carey-第62章

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n　founts　of　Oriental　types；　new　supplies　of　Hebrew；　Greek；　and　English　types；　a　vast　stock　of　paper　from　the　Bible　Society；　presses；　priceless　manuscripts　of　dictionaries；　grammars；　and　translations；　and；　above　all；　the　steel　punches　of　the　Eastern　lettersall　were　there；　with　the　deeds　and　account…books　of　the　property；　and　the　iron　safe　containing　notes　and　rupees。　　Suffocating　smoke　burst　from　the　long　type…room　into　the　office。　　Rushing　through　it　to　observe　the　source　of　the　fire；　he　was　arrested　at　the　southern　rooms　by　the　paper　store。　　Returning　with　difficulty　and　joined　by　Marshman　and　the　natives；　he　had　every　door　and　window　closed；　and　then　mounting　the　south　roof；　he　had　water　poured　through　it　upon　the　burning　mass　for　four　hours；　with　the　most　hopeful　prospect　of　arresting　the　ruin。　　While　he　was　busy　with　Marshman　in　removing　the　papers　in　the　north　end　some　one　opened　a　window；　when　the　air　set　the　entire　building　on　flame。　　By　midnight　the　roof　fell　in　along　its　whole　length；　and　the　column　of　fire　leapt　up　towards　heaven。　　With　〃solemn　serenity〃　the　members　of　the　mission　family　remained　seated　in　front　of　the　desolation。

The　ruins　were　still　smoking　when　next　evening　Dr。　Carey　arrived　from　Calcutta；　which　was　ringing　with　the　sad　news。　　The　venerable　scholar　had　suffered　most；　for　his　were　the　manuscripts；　the　steel　punches　were　found　uninjured。　　The　Sikh　and　Telugoo　grammars　and　ten　Bible　versions　in　the　press　were　gone。　　Second　editions　of　Confucius。　　A　Dissertation　on　the　Chinese　Language；　and　of　Ward　on　the　Hindoos；　and　smaller　works　were　destroyed。　　The　translation　of　the　Ramayana；　on　which　he　and　Marshman　had　been　busy　for　a　year；　was　stopped　for　ever；　fifty　years　after　the　present　writer　came　upon　some　charred　sheets　of　the　fourth　volume；　which　had　been　on　the　press　and　rescued。　　The　Circular　Letter　for　April　1812　is　printed　on　paper　scorched　at　the　edge。　　Worst　of　all　was　the　loss　of　that　polyglot　dictionary　of　all　the　languages　derived　from　the　Sanskrit　which；　if　Carey　had　felt　any　of　this　world's　ambition；　would　have　perpetuated　his　name　in　the　first　rank　of　philologists。

With　the　delicacy　which　always　marked　him　Dr。　Marshman　had　himself　gone　down　to　Calcutta　next　morning　to　break　the　news　to　Carey；　who　received　it　with　choking　utterance。　　The　two　then　called　on　the　friendly　chaplain；　Thomason；　who　burst　into　tears。　　When　the　afternoon　tide　enabled　the　three　to　reach　Serampore；　after　a　two　hours'　hard　pull　at　the　flood；　they　found　Ward　rejoicing。　　He　had　been　all　day　clearing　away　the　rubbish；　and　had　just　discovered　the　punches　and　matrices　unharmed。　　The　five　presses　too　were　untouched。　He　had　already　opened　out　a　long　warehouse　nearer　the　river…shore；　the　lease　of　which　had　fallen　in　to　them；　and　he　had　already　planned　the　occupation　of　that　uninviting　place　in　which　the　famous　press　of　Serampore　and；　at　the　last；　the　Friend　of　India　weekly　newspaper　found　a　home　till　1875。　　The　description　of　the　scene　and　of　its　effect　on　Carey　by　an　eye…witness　like　Thomason　has　a　value　of　its　own：

〃The　year　1812　was　ushered　in　by　an　earthquake　which　was　preceded　by　a　loud　noise；　the　house　shook；　the　oil　in　the　lamps　on　the　walls　was　thrown　out；　the　birds　made　a　frightful　noise；　the　natives　ran　from　their　houses；　calling　on　the　names　of　their　gods；　the　sensation　is　most　awful；　we　read　the　forty…sixth　Psalm。　　This　fearful　prodigy　was　succeeded　by　that　desolating　disaster；　the　Serampore　fire。　　I　could　scarcely　believe　the　report；　it　was　like　a　blow　on　the　head　which　stupefies。　　I　flew　to　Serampore　to　witness　the　desolation。　　The　scene　was　indeed　affecting。　　The　immense　printing…office；　two　hundred　feet　long　and　fifty　broad；　reduced　to　a　mere　shell。　　The　yard　covered　with　burnt　quires　of　paper；　the　loss　in　which　article　was　immense。　　Carey　walked　with　me　over　the　smoking　ruins。　　The　tears　stood　in　his　eyes。　'In　one　short　evening；'　said　he；　'the　labours　of　years　are　consumed。　　How　unsearchable　are　the　ways　of　God！　　I　had　lately　brought　some　things　to　the　utmost　perfection　of　which　they　seemed　capable；　and　contemplated　the　missionary　establishment　with　perhaps　too　much　self…congratulation。　　The　Lord　has　laid　me　low；　that　I　may　look　more　simply　to　Him。'　Who　could　stand　in　such　a　place；　at　such　a　time；　with　such　a　man；　without　feelings　of　sharp　regret　and　solemn　exercise　of　mind。　　I　saw　the　ground　strewed　with　half…consumed　paper；　on　which　in　the　course　of　a　very　few　months　the　words　of　life　would　have　been　printed。　　The　metal　under　our　feet　amidst　the　ruins　was　melted　into　misshapen　lumpsthe　sad　remains　of　beautiful　types　consecrated　to　the　service　of　the　sanctuary。　　All　was　smiling　and　promising　a　few　hours　beforenow　all　is　vanished　into　smoke　or　converted　into　rubbish！　Return　now　to　thy　books；　regard　God　in　all　thou　doest。　　Learn　Arabic　with　humility。　　Let　God　be　exalted　in　all　thy　plans；　and　purposes；　and　labours；　He　can　do　without　thee。〃

Carey　himself　thus　wrote　of　the　disaster　to　Dr。　Ryland：〃25th　March　1812。The　loss　is　very　great；　and　will　long　be　severely　felt；　yet　I　can　think　of　a　hundred　circumstances　which　would　have　made　it　much　more　difficult　to　bear。　　The　Lord　has　smitten　us；　he　had　a　right　to　do　so；　and　we　deserve　his　corrections。　　I　wish　to　submit　to　His　sovereign　will；　nay；　cordially　to　acquiesce　therein；　and　to　examine　myself　rigidly　to　see　what　in　me　has　contributed　to　this　evil。

〃I　now；　however；　turn　to　the　bright　side；　and　here　I　might　mention　what　still　remains　to　us；　and　the　merciful　circumstances　which　attend　even　this　stroke　of　God's　rod；　but　I　will　principally　notice　what　will　tend　to　cheer　the　heart　of　every　one　who　feels　for　the　cause　of　God。　Our　loss；　so　far　as　I　can　see；　is　reparable　in　a　much　shorter　time　than　I　should　at　first　have　supposed。　　The　Tamil　fount　of　types　was　the　first　that　we　began　to　recast。　　I　expect　it　will　be　finished　by　the　end　of　this　week；　just　a　fortnight　after　it　was　begun。　　The　next　will　be　the　small　Devanagari；　for　the　Hindostani　Scriptures；　and　next　the　larger　for　the　Sanskrit。　　I　hope　this　will　be　completed　in　another　month。　　The　other　founts；　viz。；　Bengali；　Orissa；　Sikh；　Telinga；　Singhalese；　Mahratta；　Burman；　Kashmeerian；　Arabic；　Persian；　and　Chinese；　will　follow　in　order；　and　will　probably　be　finished　in　six　or　seven　months；　except　the　Chinese；　which　will　take　more　than　a　year　to　replace　it。　　I　trust；　therefore；　that　we　shall　not　be　greatly　delayed。　　Our　English　works　will　be　delayed　the　longest；　but　in　general　they　are　of　the　least　importance。　　Of　MSS。　burnt　I　have　suffered　the　most；　that　is；　what　was　actually　prepared　by　me；　and　what　owes　its　whole　revision　for　the　press　to　me；　comprise　the　principal　part　of　the　MSS。　consumed。　The　ground　must　be　trodden　over　again；　but　no　delay　in　printing　need　arise　from　that。　　The　translations　are　all　written　out　first　by　pundits　in　the　different　languages；　except　the　Sanskrit　which　is　dictated　by　me　to　an　amanuensis。　　The　Sikh；　Mahratta；　Hindostani；　Orissa；　Telinga；　Assam；　and　Kurnata　are　re…translating　in　rough　by　pundits　who　have　been　long　accustomed　to　their　work；　and　have　gone　over　the　ground　before。　　I　follow　them　in　revise；　the　chief　part　of　which　is　done　as　the　sheets　pass　through　the　press；　and　is　by　far　the　heaviest　part　of　the　work。　　Of　the　Sanskrit　only　the　second　book　of　Samuel　and　the　first　book　of　Kings　were　lost。　　Scarcely　any　of　the　Orissa；　and　none　of　the　Kashmeerian　or　of　the　Burman　MSS。　were　lostcopy　for　about　thirty　pages　of　my　Bengali　dictionary；　the　whole　copy　of　a　Telinga　grammar；　part　of　the　copy　of　the　grammar　of　Punjabi　or　Sikh　language；　and　all　the　materials　which　I　had　been　long　collecting　for　a　dictionary　of　all　the　languages　derived　from　the　Sanskrit。　　I　hope；　however；　to　be　enabled　to　repair　the　loss；　and　to　complete　my　favourite　scheme；　if　my　life　be　prolonged。〃

Little　did　these　simple　scholars；　all　absorbed　in　their　work；　dream　that　this　fire　would　prove　to　be　the　means　of　making　them　and　their　work　famous　all　over　Europe　and　America　as　well　as　India。　　Men　of　every　Christian　school；　and　men　interested　only　in　the　literary　and　secular　side　of　their　enterprise；　had　their　active　sympathy　called　out。　　The　mere　money　loss；　at　the　exchange　of　the　day；　was　not　under　ten　thousand　poun