a revenue of near £.1,000. per annum, applied to that purpose."

To this, his own account of the origin and establishment of that Society, I am enabled to add from my own personal observation and knowledge, that he not only in his capacity of President took a leading part in all its transactions, but that he was indefatigable in his efforts to promote the objects of it. With the view of rendering the Scriptures more generally useful to the Negroes, he undertook to make a selection of such parts, both of the Old and New Testament, as appeared to him best adapted to their understandings and condition. He spared no pains in procuring able and conscientious ministers to fill the office of missionaries. He corresponded frequently with them on the state of their

mission.

mission. He endeavoured by all the means in his power to conciliate the good-will of the planters, to remove the apprehensions they expressed, and to convince them of the policy as well as humanity of educating and instructing their slaves. In short, he did all that the most active and unwearied zeal could do, to advance in every possible way the great purposes of the institution. If, after all, its success fell short of his hopes, as I have heard him often lament that it did, the failure is to be ascribed, not to want of effort in him, but to difficulties, which, though in some instances overcome, he found in others insuperable. The chief of these always has been, and still continues to be, an invincible reluctance on the part of the proprietors and planters of estates in our West-India colonies, effectually to pro

mote any plan, however quietly and prudently conducted, for the Christian education of their Negro slaves. To this general assertion indeed, there are, I know, some honourable exceptions; but, on the whole, there does appear to be an increasing disposition, as far as my information and experience enable me to judge, to discountenance and impede all attempts to instruct that unfortunate part of of our fellow beings in the principles and practice of religion. I trust, however, that no obstructions, which the Society may experience, will induce them to relax their endeavours. Perseverance may gradually surmount all difficulties. It must, by God's blessing, ultimately triumph; for it stands as the recorded word of that great Being, who has said, "Have I spoken, and shall I not do it?? that the earth shall be full of the knowledge

Jom

& I

ان

knowledge of the Lord, as the waters

وو

cover the sea olduq 'io tismanobarde sut Villiy bus sbergsb of a 91During the interval which elapsed between the Bishop's first and second visitation of his diocese, the French

Revolution burst forth; overturning from its very foundation one of the most powerful governments in Europe; sub; stituting a republic in the room of an antient monarchy, and overwhelming all law and order in one wild, sanguinary scene of anarchy and confusion. In a convulsion, such as this, which threw down every barrier, that the wisdom of ages had raised for the consolidation of a great empire, it was not to be expected that Religion would pass u unmolested; and in fact it very soon appeared, that the revolutionists of France aimed at nothing less than the utter subversion of

། །

all

all moral principle, and the complete abandonment of public worship. Their object was to degrade and vilify the truths of Revelation, and to propagate in its place a blasphemous and infidel philosophy. The attempt succeeded but too effectually in their own country; and the contagion soon spread to this. No efforts were spared, which could tend to contaminate the public mind, and obliterate from it all reverence for our civil and religious establishments; and had it not been for the vigorous measures of that great Minister, who was then at the head of the administration, and to whom, under Providence, we owe our preservation, we might have witnessed here the same frightful scenes, which convulsed and desolated a neighbouring kingdom.

At a crisis such as this, in which all

that