The name of Joy Narain will be remembered, as that of the rich native at Benares, who, some years ago, sent a letter and a benefaction to the Bible Society.[105] It appears that the same benevolent individual had at that time formed, also, the design of building and endowing a free-school, by means of which the poorer classes of his countrymen might receive education.[106] He seems to have gone so far as to have himself drawn up a plan of the institution, to have commenced building a suitable house, and to have offered to pay for the support of a schoolmaster and assistants; but, from some cause or other, nothing had been definitely settled up to the time that Mr. Corrie was appointed chaplain at Benares, after his return from England. Soon after Mr. C.’s arrival at that station, however, Joy Narain brought the subject of the free-school before him; and the following extract from a letter addressed by Mr. C. to the committee of the Church Missionary Society, gives the substance of what passed between Joy Narain and himself:-- “He proposes giving a large house in the city for a school, endowing it with 200 Rs. a month, (about £300. a year,) Mr. Adlington to be the teacher. I suggested to him to let us have the house on Mr. Adlington’s arrival [from Agra,] to begin operations; and that for the present Mr. A should derive his support from the Church Missionary Society, whilst he (Joy Narain,) should pay for books and incidental expenses. This seemed to delight him. I proposed that he should make the Church Missionary Society’s committee trustees of his endowment; reserving to himself the approval of their agent, who, if approved of at the end of one year, should be confirmed for life; or, during conformity with the rules of the endowment; which, I proposed, should be for general learning: our Missionary to be at liberty to receive enquirers after truth, in his private apartments, after school-hours.” To these several propositions, Joy Narain cordially assented, and although at the date of the foregoing letter to Mr. Simeon, the property was not legally made over, yet the school-house had been put into the possession of the Church Missionary Society. The school itself was opened on Monday, July 17, 1818, under the superintendence of Mr. Adlington; the second master being a young man, country-born, but educated in England, and intimately acquainted with the colloquial language and manners of the natives. Mr. Corrie observes, however, to the Committee of the Church Missionary Society:-- “To give full effect to this gift of Joy Narain, you must send us one or two men of as good education as possible, and as soon as you can find them. The disposition to hear and receive the word, is increasing daily among the natives. Many of the rich and learned Hindoos, especially of this city, seem ready to welcome the gospel.”