History of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel

The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (S.P.G) was founded in 1701 as an overseas missionary organisation of the church of England. Georgiana Forde provides us with a short history of the mission in which 15,000 men and women served. The Wikipedia article provides a useful summary here. My thanks to Redcliffe College for providing me with a copy to scan. This book is in the public domain.

Georgiana M. Forde [1849/50-1923/1934], Missionary Adventures. A Simple History of the S.P.G. London: Skeffington & Son, 1911. Hbk. pp.205. [Click to download complete book in PDF]

Contents

1. The Great Commission – Founding of the S.P.G. – The Discovery of America – The English Settlers in North America in 1607 – Princess Pocahontas – The Pilgrim Fathers – Slavery in the New World – The Rev. George Keith, the first S.P.G. Missionary – Perils of a Sea Voyage – Treatment of Negro Slaves
2. The Rev. T. Barclay, Missionary to the Red Indians – Queen Anne visited by Red Indian Chiefs – Savage Warfare-War between the French and English in North America – The English victorious under Wolfe in 1759 – The Rev. J. Wesley an S.P.G. Missionary – The American Church asks in vain for Bishops – Revolution in the United States – Independence declared July 4th, 1776.
3. 40,000 “United Empire Loyalists” settle in Canada and the S.P.G. Missionaries accompany them – Bishops consecrated for the United States – Rev. Charles Inglis in 1787 consecrated Bishop of Nova Scotia: our first Colonial Bishop – Travelling in Canada – The Story of the Shepherd Lad
4. Newfoundland – The Bermuda Islands – West Indian Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes – Barbados and Codrington College – Jamaica – Diocese of Nassau – Confirmations in the West Indies-Diocese of Antigua – Trinidad – The Asphalte Lake – List of West Indian and South American Dioceses
5. The. Panama Canal-Vasco Nuneo de Balboa – British Honduras – The Mosquito Indians – The Mahogany Cutters – British Guiana – The Rev. W. H. Brett – S.P.G. Missions to Redmen, East Indians, and Chinese
6. The First Missionary to Africa, the Rev. Thomas Thompson – The First Black Clergyman, the Rev. Philip Quaque – The West India Church Mission to West Africa – The Rev. W. H. Leacock founds the Rio Pongo Mission – Mohammedanism – Chief Richard Wilkinson’s Story – Foundation Stone laid of Fallangia Church – Rev. W.L. Neville’s Ministry – Conversion of the Devil-man and the greatest Slave-dealer
7. South Africa – Cape Town and the Rev. Henry Martyn – The first Bishop for South Africa consecrated in 1847 – Bishop Gray’s Visitations and Death – The Wreck of the “Birkenhead,” 1852 – The Bishoprics or Grahamstown and Natal founded – Mother Cecile-The Railway Mission – The Church Order of Ethiopia – Colenso, First Bishop of Natal, 1854 – Bloemfontein made a Bishopric, 1863. A diocese without a single church
8. Chaka and the Zulu Nation – Bishop Colenso and King Panda – Persecution – The Zulu War: Defeat at Isandhlwana – St. Augustine’s, Rorke’s Drift – Archdeacon Waters, founder of the Church in Kaffraria – Bishop Key of Kaffraria – A Missionary’s Letter – Diocese of Pretoria – The Rand, and the Community of the Resurrection – The Diocese of Mashonaland-Diocese of Lebombo – The Cape de Verde Islands – St. Helena-Ascension – Tristan d’Acunha – Madagascar and Mauritius
9. The East India Company – St. Thomas and the Syrian Church – The Five Chaplains-Parliament grants W. Wilberforce’s Request for Bishops – Calcutta and her first Bishops – Caste – Bishopric of Madras and Alfred Basil Wood – Bishopric of Bombay-Father Goreh – Lahore and Bishop French – Delhi and its first Christian Church – Burmah and Dr. Marks – The Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Chota Nagpur and the Kols – Tinnevelly and Nazareth – Ceylon
10. Siam – The Malay Peninsula and Singapore – Borneo, Mr. James Brooke, and Dr. McDougall – The Story of Igoh – China – The Boxer Rising and the S.P.G. Martyrs – Corea: How Christianity first reached Corea – Japan – The Day of Intercession for Foreign Missions, 1872 – The Six Japanese Dioceses – The “Nippon Sei Ko Kwai,” or the Holy Catholic Church of Japan
11. The first European Peopling of Australia – Bishop Broughton – 1851, the Golden Year – Towns, Bush, Back Country, “Never, Never, Land” – Tasmania – New Guinea – New Zealand and its first Bishop
12. John Coleridge Patteson, first Bishop of Melanesia – Norfolk Island – Pitcairn Island – Bishop Patteson martyred – Commander Goodenough murdered – Memorial Cross to Bishop Patteson – Bishop John Selwyn and the little Savage – Fiji and the Bishop of Polynesia – The Hawaiian Islands and American Missionaries – Henry Obookiah – Queen Kapiolane and the Goddess of Fire – S.P.G. Mission to the Chinese – Bishop Selwyn’s Diocese sub-divided into Nine