William Carey, Calcutta, to John Williams, New York, 7 December 1809.

My dear Bror

         I recd yours by our Brethren who lately arrived here in safety, from America: A Letter from you is always to me a welcome treat, and I therefore hope you will not be sparing in your correspondence, even though I should prove but a poor correspondent in return; I am sure that if you rightly judge of my engagements, you will easily pardon a short letter, and if you rightly judge of my wants, you will always favour me with a long one.

         I have written, repeatedly, to different correspondents in America nearly all that concerns the present situation of the Cause of our Redeemer in India, and scarcely know what to add, as scarcely any thing new has turned up since I wrote my last letter to America. Small, and feeble as our Redeemers interest in this country now is, we have the greatest reason to rejoice in what the Lord has done I believe the number baptized this year in our churches amounts to fifty six, and by the end of the year I trust it will be about sixty. There are five churches now organized in Bengal, and one in the Burman Empire, and two stations occupied where churches are not yet formed. One of them is on the borders of Bantan [Bhutan], and formed for the express purpose of introducing the Gospel into that country. A Brother is going in a few days to carry the word of life to Oorissa [Odisha]. In short we have the utmost reason for encouragement, and for further exertion in the cause of our Lord Jesus.    

         The translation and printing of the word of God goes forward as fast as it can reasonably be expected to do. The entire Bible is printed in the Bengalee Langauge, and a second edition of the Pentateuch is in the press. In Sanskrit, the new Testament is printed, and the Old Testament, nearly to the end of Exodus. In the Oorissa Langauge, the New Testament, on Vol. of the old Testament, viz. Job – Canticles, is printed, and ^to^ about the XL Ch. of Isaiah, of the next Volume. In Hindoosthannee, the N. Test. Is printed to the I Epis. of Corinthians, and the whole Bible translated, except the Pentateuch, and from I Kings printed to Esther. In the Mahratta Language the New Testament is printed to Acts IV. and the translation of the whole Bible considerably advanced. The whole N. Test., is nearly translated into the Chinese language and I expect that the Gospel by Matthew will be printed by the end of the year. The whole of the Chinese scriptures must be printed by wood plates, and not by moveable types like other languages; of course the labour of engraving these plates is very great. We have twelve workmen constantly employed in this department alone.

         The whole of the N. Test. And part of the old are translated into the language of the Seeks, and the printing in that language is begun. The whole N. T. and part of the old are translated into the Telinga Language, and into the Thurnata [Teluga and Kannada], but the printing is not yet begun. – It is necessary for you to know, in order that you may estimate the difficulty of this work, that there is a different character used for each of these languages, except one, so that we have to cast types for all of them, and except in two or three instances our types are the first ever cast for these languages, so that we have not only the languages to acquire in a critical and grammatical manner, but we are also obliged to attend to every ^letter and even to^ the minutest stroke in each letter. We have to fix the orthography of each language on rational and grammatical principles, and to correct all the errors which copyists make, who have no rule of spelling but their own fancy.

         We began about three years ago to print the N. Test. in the Gosjeratti language, but relinquished it on account of some circumstances which then turned up. The copy lies by us, but the printing has not yet been resumed. The translation into the Burman language is begun, but the printing has not yet commenced; it probably will be soon begun, as we have cast types in that character. To these we hope soon to add the Bantan [Bhutan] language.

         My paper is expended, and my time gone, excuse my abrupt conclusion. Pray for us, and believe me to be

                     Very affecty yours,

                                 W. Carey.

Calcutta, 7 Decr 1809.

Text: John Williams Papers, RG 1207, American Baptist Historical Society Archives, Atlanta; see also Leighton and Mornay Williams, eds., Serampore Letters: Being the Unpublished Correspondence of William Carey and Others with John Williams, 180-1816 (New York and London: G. P. Putnams Sons, 1982), pp. 131-34.