"11th May.–A large turn out of patients. Numbers important, because more hear the Gospel. This afternoon there was a dense mist over the valley.
"15th May.–Heavy rain this morning, and in consequence, a small number of patients present. At Kashmiri the most of the day. The change in the people for the better is most remarkable. God be praised.
"16th May.–Heavy work this morning, from the large number of patients. Must take the women and the men on alternate days. The pundits are greatly at a loss to account for my annual visit to the valley. Other doctors, they say, came to Kashmir for one, or at most perhaps two years; they go away and are no more heard of, but the Daktar Sahib comes every year. This is wonderful. At worship in forenoon and evening, had my heart much drawn out in prayer.
"17th May.–Astonished the people twice to-day, by quoting two of their own proverbs correctly, in their own language, and appositely. I must push on with my study of the Kashmiri proverbs."
The following particulars are from Dr. E.'s last report:–
"It is greatly to be deplored that the Medical Mission, notwithstanding its charitable and beneficent character, still unavoidably labours under great difficulties, from want of permanent and suitable hospital and dispensary buildings.
"The patients who frequent the Medical Mission Dispensary generally belong to the lower and middle classes. But last season, two of the higher officials of the valley, who had been ill for some time, and had spent considerable sums of money on their native hakims, but were nothing bettered, at last applied in their helplessness to the Medical Mission Dispensary, and, after taking appropriate remedies for a time, were both restored to perfect health, and as no fees are taken from dispensary patients, they are held perpetual debtors to the mission.
"From the 6th May, when the dispensary was opened, till the 25th of October, 169 receptions for the sick were held, and 3,902 patients received surgical and medical treatment. The average daily attendance of new patients was therefore twenty-three, and as the number of individual visits paid during the season was 15,579, the average daily attendance of old and new patients was ninety-three. Each patient, on an average, visited the dispensary four times.
"In the evangelistic branch of the mission's operations, much precious seed was sown. God grant that it may not remain fruitless. In no former season were demands for copies of the Holy Scriptures, and other religious books, so numerous and importunate. The works of the Rev. Moulvie Imad ud din, of the Amritsar Mission, were in especial request. Two Mullahs or Mussulman priests, who had heard of his well-known work, the 'Hidaiyat ul Musulmin,' came to the dispensary from a distant part of the surrounding mountains to obtain a copy.
"The Sunday afternoon meetings with the beggars and incurably blind and lame of Srinagar were held regularly, as in former seasons. Every Sunday afternoon at one o'clock, from sixty to eighty of those unfortunates assembled on the lawn behind the mission bungalow, or near to the mission tents.