“But these were not his only labours at Trichinopoly. He found there a large English garrison without a chaplain, and to these also he sought to be of service by every means in his power. The kindness of his heart and the unaffected simplicity of his manners soon procured him a civil reception among them and he improved this into an opportunity of gaining a knowledge of the English language, with which he was unacquainted at his first arriving. After he had made, however, but a small proficiency in English, he undertook to read the lessons to the garrison on Sundays and at the same time read them sermons from those of our English divines in whose writings he discovered an evangelical spirit. But since he has attained a more perfect acquaintance with our language he has proceeded to preach extempore, which I am told he still continues and is enabled to command the utmost attention in his auditory. It is indeed astonishing, if we consider the manners of our troops to India, how he has been able to persuade whole garrisons. “At first he prevailed upon them to meet in a large apartment in the old Gentoo building, but in time the garrison resolved to subscribe to erect themselves a church, and the money which would have been thought by contractors a very inadequate sum has been so well husbanded, and the materials and work, in consequence of Mr. Schwartz’s knowledge of the country and its language, were procured so exceedingly cheap that a very handsome, lofty and roomy structure was raised out of it.” At this point this fragment from the pen of Mr. Chambers comes to an abrupt close, but enough has been written to throw an interesting side light on the character and work of Mr. Schwartz at this period. The building referred to was duly completed as Christ’s Church, capable of holding from fifteen hundred to two thousand persons, with mission house and school adjoining, to complete which he gladly devoted the whole of his salary of £100, given to him by the government at Madras as chaplain to the garrison. Its dedication was on 18th May, 1766, a very impressive scene, when Schwartz, overflowing with thankfulness, in company with his good friends Col. and Mrs. Wood, acknowledged in prayer the goodness of God in bringing all this to pass. Some of the expressions of his earnest petition are still preserved. After the description from the memory of Mr. Chambers it is not difficult to imagine Schwartz standing reverently in this house of God for the first time, a crowd of Europeans and natives, especially the soldiers of the garrison, filling every seat. His prayer was:-- “Most gracious God, we humbly rejoice in the assurance of Thy holy word, that though Thou dwelledst not in temples made with hands, yet Thou delightest in the children of men, who as brethren meet together to confess their sins, to beg Thy Divine forgiveness, to implore Thy goodness and to praise Thy Holy Name.