meet in that world where adieus and inkstand, valued at eight guineas, with farewells are sounds unknown! an inscription to the minister. "Dear Sir,-We beg your acceptance of this little testimonial, not only of our esteem for you personally, but also of gratitude for your long and faithful services, deeply regretting that they are so soon to terminate. At the same time, dear Sir, allow us to add our most cordial and earnest wishes for your future happiness, and that the Divine blessing may attend you, and your beloved companion, wherever you may dwell, "Believe us, dear Sir, "Very affectionately yours, "THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF ABBEY-LANE." The latter testimonial consisted of an elegant and beautifully wrought silver Mr. Pollard replied, at some length, in grateful acknowledgment of the addresses and presentations; and preached his farewell sermon to a crowded and attentive audience on Lord's day evening, the 25th instant. Saffron Walden, Dec. 28, 1853. CALLS ACCEPTED. THE Rev. Chas. Bateman, for many years minister over the Independent church, Abbotts Roothing, Essex, and subsequently at Newland Chapel, Lincoln, has accepted a very cordial invitation from the church and congregation at Charlesworth, Derbyshire, and commenced his pastorate there on the 19th of February. THE Rev. P. Aspinall Hampson, late of Wycliff Chapel, Warrington, has accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate of Princes-street Chapel, Devonport, and will commence his labours on the Lord's day, 5th instant. AN General Chronicle. ASCENT OF VESUVIUS IN 1846.EXTRACTED FROM A MS. JOURNAL. We left our carriage at Portici, and walked to Resina, about a mile distant, where the ascent of Vesuvius commences, and mounted on horseback. It is always better to make the ascent by night, not only because it is cooler, but because you receive in the dark a more vivid impression of a burning mountain. When there is no moon torches are used, but as the moon was nearly full, we arranged our ascent so as to get to the top by sunset, which to behold from the summit of Vesuvius is very fine, as gleaming across the ripples of the magnificent bay its long level beams light up Naples, and gild its neighbouring mountain tops with effulgent splendour; then, as the twilight is short, and it is rapidly dark, we purposed to have the full effect of the volcano, and to descend by moonlight. We had three capital horses, and two guides; and after an hour's most terrible riding over little mountains of lava and rock, redeemed, however, by overhanging festoons of delicious lachrymæ grapes, we arrived at the hermitage, presided over by a most sinister-looking monk; there, after partaking of some genuine "lachrymæ Christi" wine, grown on the spot, with bread and cheese and fruit, we mounted again for another half hour's ride over immense clinkers of lava, and without any redeeming vegetation, which at the hermitage suddenly and singularly ceases. You pass by a footpath from the utmost exuberance of nature to the utmost sterility-as if the mountain had an extinguisher put upon it: this, of course, is owing to the lava, which ordinarily descends thus far. Our ride brought us to the foot of the great cone; here we dismounted and left our horses; and here begins the real tug of climbing. For three quarters of an hour the ascent is almost perpendicular, over a surface of huge fragments of lava, imbedded in fine ashes like sand, so that you may sometimes set your foot upon a block of lava, and congratulate yourself upon your stepping-stone, when away it goes rolling to the bottom, and unless very careful you go with it; sometimes indeed you do thus slip five or ten feet. In some places the ashes are unmixed, and you are up to your knees at every step, and seem to get no higher. So long as it lasted it was the intensest toil that can be imagined: once or twice I thought that I must have given in; and to aggravate my mortification, a little sturdy rogue, not more than sixteen years of age, put a belt round his shoulders, and skipping past me with perfect ease, proffered the end of it to pull me up. This is a very common expedient of the guides with ladies or effeminate gentlemen, and had he been a man instead of the urchin that he was, even I should gladly have laid hold; but a little laughing rogue, not higher than my middle-I could have kicked him into the bay below; it was "the unkindest cut of all." I contrived, however, at last to reach the edge of the large crater, and a more terrific and desolate scene cannot well be imagined. It is about three miles in circumference, and is filled to nearly a level with enormous masses of lava, which have been heaved up in a semi-molten state, and which are therefore twisted and wreathed in a most fantastic manner, -something like dough of a good consistency, when it is torn asunder. A cone, which constitutes the existing and active crater, rises from the centre of this immense and terrific mer de fer, to the foot of which we crossed. The surface that we traversed was broken into huge gaping fissures, red hot as you looked into them, in the dark quite lurid, and emitting sulphureous matter almost to suffocation. Some of the fissures have one side much higher than the other, like an overhanging wave; the higher side glowing with red heat, even to the very top. We stood before them as before a huge kitchen fire. Our guides cooked some eggs, and produced some "lachrymæ," of which we very gladly partook. Our position was, however, in nowise comfortable; it was difficult to find a seat that was not too hot, and the tremor of the labouring mountain in no degree tended to inspire a sense of security; the burning scoria, after falling like hail upon the cone of the active crater, rolled to our feet at its bottom; and the surface over which we had passed gradually assumed a disquieting aspect as the darkness increased; the curl of the lava waves grew more and more lurid, withering at the top to a kind of white ash, which might well be imagined the spray of this molten sea. I had not been seated more than half a minute before I started up in dismay. I had chosen a clinker rather too hot; the brand of Vesuvius was imprinted at the least upon my nether garment. The volcano was exceedingly accommodating. The slight smoke which I had observed as we entered the bay two or three days before was the first that had been visible for three or four weeks, during which time the mountain had been perfectly quiet. I suppose Enceladus had been asleep. It continued puffing all the first day that I was in Naples, and the second; the emissions of smoke increasing in volume and frequency, and sometimes accompanied with discharges of hot ashes, until they were very considerable and frequent when we were there. While eating our eggs, therefore, at the foot of the cone, we were startled by a great whiz, not unlike that of a huge rocket, and looking up we beheld a discharge of red hot cinders, at least shooting up a hundred feet above the summit, which, as it was perfectly calm, fell partly into the crater again and partly down its sides, and rolling down to the place where we sat. The effect was most magnificent | of the moonlit sky, with the glorious bay Our guides told us that in a few days, probably, there would be an eruption. It did not, however, occur while we remained in Naples. I thrust my stick into one of the burning fissures, and brought it away with me as an appropriate souvenir of Vesuvius. When we reached the edge of the grand crater, the cone of which we had climbed with so much difficulty, our guide selected a place of descent, nearly all fine ash and sand even to the bottom. Having, therefore, no fear of clinkers before our eyes, away we went, fully six feet every step, simply taking care to maintain our balance. In about ten minutes we were at the bottom, where we discharged the heavy ballast of sand that we had taken into our boots, and looked somewhat ruefully at their burnt condition,-whereby our guides profited, for as a matter of course they came for them the next morning. Mounting our horses, we reached the hermitage, whence we were hurried off with all expeditiousness, as it was late, and perilous, through the number of banditti who infest the mountain. A gendarme accompanied us to the top for our protection. A little while ago a gentleman, ascending alone, was met by banditti from the opposite side, and murdered at the top. We kept, however, a vigilant look-out as we rode amongst the overhanging vines; met with no adventure, but safely reached our carriage; arrived in Naples about midnight, and after a voracious supper, went Islington. H. A. INDIA. MISSIONARY TOUR IN BENGAL, (Continued from p. 32.) OUR last Number contained notices of a Missionary tour undertaken by the Rev. A. F. Lacroix, accompanied by Mr. Samuel Hill and two native assistants, in the districts to the east of the Ganges. We now resume Mr. Lacroix's interesting narrative of the incidents of the tour, which serve to place in striking contrast the lively interest with which thousands of the "common people" listen to the message of mercy, and the unrelenting bigotry with which their blind guides-the Brahminical priests-strive to perpetuate the reign of error. It is a mournful subject of reflection that these districts, containing several millions of inhabitants, are, with the exception of one or two favoured spots, almost entirely shut out from the light of divine truth. TRAITS OF NATIVE INDEPENDENCE. "January 15th (1853).-Last evening, entered the Titsa river, which has its source in the Thibet mountains, and flows right through the Zillah of Rungpore. To-day at noon, we arrived at a place called Kamarjani-Gunge, where a large temporary bazaar had been erected. We proceeded without delay to the shore, and dividing ourselves into two parties soon collected large audiences to which the Gospel was preached. The attention was marked, and every now and then, some individual, not being able to restrain himself, cried out, Good! very good!' True!' We were exceedingly de. lighted to find that here several persons declined receiving any books gratis, but insisted on paying for them,-a thing I had not often seen before. Indeed, we soon remarked that the inhabitants of this part of the country appear to have a more independent spirit than the Bengalis of the West. The entire absence of beggars was an additional proof of this. I sincerely trust that future Missionaries who may be settled in this district will endeavour to foster this spirit of independence; the cringing, grasping, disposition of the Bengalis being one of the greatest obstacles to our native churches exhibiting that spirit of manly independence and self-reliance for support which should always characterise a Christian church wherever it may be established. A FIRST INTERVIEW WITH MISSIONARIES, AND OPINIONS RESPECTING THEM. "In the afternoon we proceeded about two miles inland to the village of Kamarjani proper, in doing which we had to cross a small but rapid river. The weekly market was just being held, and the crowd of buyers and sellers was most dense, not less, certainly, than 3000 persons being present. We found it very difficult to make our way through this mass of human beings; and having at last reached a spot a little clearer than the rest, we made a halt. Mr. Hill then read part of a tract, on which we were immediately surrounded by many hundreds, and so hemmed in that we had scarcely elbow-room. These I addressed, and it required the highest power of my voice to make myself heard by all. After calling the attention of my hearers to their sinfulness in the sight of God, to death, to judgment, and to eternity, I told them that this was a happy day for Kamarjani, inasmuch as we had come to announce to them them the appearance on earth of the true incarnation, the incarnation of mercy who, under the name of Jesus Christ, had come into the world to save men from sin and hell, and to open the gates of heaven to all those who repent and believe on him. The attention was intense; and repeated exclamations of surprise and wonder were uttered at the astounding news which, for the first time in their lives, had now struck their ears. The people never having seen Christian Missionaries before, |