Page:The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey.djvu/114

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THE CHINESE EMPIRE

were baptized by the Rev. W. S. Swanson of Amoy, who had come across on a visit. On that occasion there were four men baptized. Of these four, one was very soon made a preacher of the Gospel, which office he continued to fill until 1905, when he resigned. He is still active as a voluntary worker, preaching nearly every Lord's Day. Shortly after these baptisms took place the disputes between the merchants of South Formosa and the Tao-tai came to a head, and riots occurred, in which the Church was involved; a chapel was destroyed and several Christians assaulted. The authorities refused to arrange the matter, whereupon a naval force was landed and the port of Anping was captured. When this was done the Chinese became thoroughly alarmed, and the whole trouble was soon satisfactorily settled. The news of what had taken place spread all over the island, and in the eyes of the people exalted both England and the Church. During the next few years the Church grew rapidly in numbers, too often by the accession of those who joined from unworthy motives, though there were not wanting cases of interesting conversions. As the people found that their expectations of worldly gain were not realised, there followed, not unnaturally, a period of coldness till things were settled on a more satisfactory basis; since which time more real, if not quite so rapid, progress has been made.

In 1869 Dr. Maxwell returned to Taiwanfu, leaving his colleague, Rev. H. Ritchie, at Takow. From Taiwanfu the work soon spread rapidly among the civilised Chinese-speaking aborigines, both in the district directly east from Taiwanfu and in a region about 100 miles to the north. The work among these tribes has in some respects been less satisfactory; the people seem to move towards the Gospel by whole villages rather than from personal conviction. Some years later the work spread more among the towns and villages of the Chinese resident on the plains; among them continuous progress has been made up to the present day.

In 1872 the Canadian Presbyterian Church sent out