São Paulo, 16 December, 1865.
Dr. Gaston:
Dear Friend:—In satisfying your request for information in regard to our missionary work in Brazil, I am compelled to-day to be very brief.
In August of 1859, the Rev. A. G. Simonton arrived in Rio de Janeiro. In July of 1860, myself and wife arrived. In May, 1861, Mr. Simonton began preaching in Portuguese to three or four persons. The number of hearers slowly increased the first year to twenty-five or thirty.
In December of 1861, the Rev. F. J. C. Schneider arrived in Rio de Janeiro, destined to labor among the German colonists of this province. He resides in Rio Claro, (São João de,) and has devoted himself to this special work, amid many discouragements, and seeing but little fruit as yet of his labors.
In January of 1862, a church was organized in Rio de Janeiro, when one American and one Portuguese were received on profession, as the first fruits of our mission. Our church there now numbers forty-nine members, nearly all natives and Portuguese, and converts from Romanism. Hundreds have heard the word of God preached. The present average attendance is nearly one hundred, and would doubtless be much larger, but from the difficulty of getting a suitable hall for preaching. During most of the years of 1861, ’62, ’63 and ’64, preaching was held in English in Rio de Janeiro.
In October of 1863, I came to São Paulo, to begin a new station in this city. In March of the present year, 1865, we organized a church here, receiving as our first fruits six persons on profession, all natives, and Portuguese, and converts from Romanism. The attendance here ranges from fifteen to thirty.
In October of 1864, we received on profession to the church in Rio de Janeiro, O. Senor José Manoel de Conceicão, formerly a priest of the Roman Catholic church, and vicar of Brotas in this province. He is a man of fine talents, education, extensive information, and very eloquent. We expect (D. V.) to ordain him on to-morrow, to the full work of the gospel ministry. In his former parish of Brotas a church was organized on the 13th November of the present year, with eleven members, converts from Romanism. No missionary resides there, and the work has been done so far by visits from time to time of the persons above-named.
Since 1855, a Scotch physician has been preaching in Rio de Janeiro. The result is a church, with a membership of more than one hundred, and an attendance of from two to three hundred.
About a dozen colporteurs are at work in Rio de Janeiro, and in various parts of the empire, circulating the Bible and other books.