A friend gave him a large folio in Dutch, and was amazed by his returning shortly after with a translation into English of one of the sermons which the book contained.
He was becoming more known, and an invitation from a congregation at Leicester, in 1789, placed him in somewhat more comfortable circumstances, and brought him into contact with persons better able to enter into his views; but it was three years more before he could either publish his pamphlet or take the very first steps towards the establishment of a Society for Promoting the Conversion of the Heathen.
The first endeavour to collect a subscription resulted in 13_l._ 2_s._ 6_d._ This was at Kettering, and at the same time Carey offered to embark for any country the Society might appoint.

The committee, however, waited to collect more means, but they found it almost impossible to awaken people's minds.

At Birmingham, indeed, 70_l._ was collected, but in London the dissenting pastors would have nothing to do with the cause; and the only minister of any denomination who showed any sympathy was the Rev.John Newton, that giant of his day, who had in his youth been captain of a slaver, and well knew what were the dark places of the earth.

The objections made at that time were perfectly astounding.

In the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, several Presbyterian ministers pronounced it to be "highly preposterous" to attempt to spread the Gospel among barbarous nations, extolled the "simple virtues" of the untutored savage, and even declared that the funds of Missionary Societies might be turned against Government.
In India itself, the endeavours of the Danish settlement at Tranquebar had little affected Bengal, but a few of the more religious men at Calcutta had begun to be shocked at the utter oblivion of all Christian faith and morality by their own countrymen, and the absolute favour shown to the grossest idolatry of the heathen.