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to undermine the same superstitions in them. From the very limited expe. rience I have myself acquired in this country, I can speak with confidence to the fact, that the Scriptures, and other Christian books, even in places the most contradictory to the whole system of idolatry, may be read in Heathen schools, where the Brahmin pundits are the hearers and teachers, with out exciting any alarm or offence whatsoever.".

The following communications relate to the Society's missions in North America.

In reference to Newfoundland, the Society have determined, that in the several out-harbours, where any con siderable number of Protestant Episcopalian inhabitants are resident, catechists or schoolmasters shall be appointed, under the direction of the resident missionary. Each catechist or schoolmaster is to assemble the inhabitants on the Sunday, and to read to them the service of the Established Church and a sermon, and to open a Sundayschool, and instruct the children of the poor gratuitously.

From Nova Scotia, the friends of the Society report, that the National School at Halifax is very popular and flou rishing, and that the rich, as well as the poor, eagerly avail themselves of its advantages. Since its establishment 881 children have been received into the school: of whom 505 have attended the church; 157 the Catholic chapel; 114 the Presbyterian meeting-honses; 175 the Methodists; and 30 the Baptists. Thirty-three schoolmasters and seven schoolmistresses have been instructed in the system, and are now feaching in various parts of the diocese, and the whole system is gaining ground in the public estimation.

Several of the communications from the missionaries are very interesting. We select the following specimen.

The missionary at Rawdon, upon his return from Quebec, traversed the tract of country which lies between the river St. Lawrence and St. John's, New Brunswick. On reaching the river De Verd, about nine miles from the St. Lawrence, he found a small settlement of eight or nine families, consisting of disbanded soldiers, who had received from the Provisional Government grants of the lands they occupied, and had been encouraged to cultivate them by an allowance of provisions to assist them CHRIST. OBSERV. No, 248.

at the commencement of their labours, Upon inquiry, he found, with much concern, that there was only one person among them who could read: this was a female. He immediately went to see her, and was highly pleased to discover in her not only a sound understanding, but apparently a mind piously disposed. She informed him that she took as much pains as the little time she could afford would allow (her husband was extremely poor, and she was obliged to work very hard with him on the farm), in educating her children, and instilling into their minds the principles of reli gion. She professed a firm attachment to the Church of England. Her library consisted of a Bible and Prayer-book. The missionary, who could not but deplore the wretched state of these families, thus ignorant of religion, and with nothing to distinguish the Sabbath from any other day, requested this poor woman to assemble as many of her neighbours as would attend at her tent on Sundays, and to read to them the Holy Scriptures, and to offer up some of the prayers in the Liturgy. He also gave her a volume of sermons, and urged her to read one of them on these occasions. She seemed much pleased with the proposal, which was most acceptable to many others in the settlement. This simple mode of instruction, where no other way could be provided for their spiritual improvement, might, the missionary trusted, through the blessing of God, be the means of leading some of these ignorant beings to the knowledge of Divine truth, and that the Father of mercies might, even by the instrumentality of this solitary individual, raise up children to himself in the wilderness.

The Rev. J. Burnyeat, the visiting missionary in the diocese of Nova Scotia, gives the following pleasing particulars of a Negro congregation.

"It was extremely gratifying to me to find that the Black population of Tracadie are objects of the Society's consideration. The pecuniary allowance made to Demsy Jourdie is the means of greatly benefiting the settlement. Persons of all ages are punctual attendants on the performance of the services of this catechist. Several of them have the Book of Common Prayer, and are able to join in reading the Liturgy. I administered the Sacrament of Baptism to some of their children. The sponsors, from memory, made the

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answers prescribed by the Rubric with promptitude and correctness. In short, a great part of the congregation are well acquainted with the Church Ser, vice. Their familiarity with it is to be attributed, in a great degree, to the provision made for their instruction by the Society. Demsy Jourdie is well qualified for the trust which he holds, and is faithful in the discharge of its duties.

“The room which forms the scene of their weekly devotions, is not large enough to contain the whole of them; and to remedy this inconvenience, they are about to build a small church, the timber for the frame of which is already prepared. The dimensions will be thirty-five feet by twenty-five. One John Devoyce has allotted an acre and a half of land for the site. They begged of me to make the Society acquainted with what they are doing, and to implore for them a little assistance. 251. will be sufficient to enable them to pur chase all the necessary materials that can only be obtained for money, which is a scarce article among them. The Society have, in innumerable instances, assisted people of European descent in building churches; but this is probably the first time they have been applied to for aid for a similar undertaking in behalf of any part of the African race in the diocese."

Mr. Burnyeat writes again, June 21, 1821:

"To reach Sheet Harbour, which had never been visited by a clergyman of our Church, I have been under the necessity of travelling ninety miles,through a dreary forest, wherein but few houses are scattered. There is no occasion to lament here, as at Country Harbour, the neglect of all public observance of religion. A person of the name of John Jackson reads the service of the Church of England successively at the different houses in the place, which are in number between twenty and thirty. He has continued this pious employment about eleven years, from the time that the Society's school became vacant. The sermons which he uses are broken sets of Tillotson's and Sherlock's; he has read them so frequently, that they are quite familiar to his audience. A few volumes of fresh, authors would tend much to their instruction. He expressed to me an earnest desire to be furmished with such a supply. His labours are not confined to the reading of the

Church Service on Sundays: in the interment of the dead he reads the Funeral Service. The only remunera tion he has received for this dedication of his time, has been a few potatoes for the last two years, to the value of about forty or fifty shillings. He is piteously straitened in his circumstances, and is faradvanced in years, being sixty-three; he has a wife and a numerous family of young children. If the Society, in any instance, make any allowance to lay. readers, this man may, with the utmost propriety, be pointed out as deserving their countenance."

The great dearth of religious ordinances in some parts of the colony may be inferred from the following circum

stance.

"An Irish emigrant," remarks Mr. Burnyeat, " was at a funeral which I attended; and perceiving, from the prayers that were used, that I belonged to the Established Church, came up to me to give vent to his feelings, on first hearing, after five years' absence from his native land, any one of the services of the United Church read, either in public or in private. He had not brought a Prayer-book with him from Ireland, an omission which he could not cease to lament. Having a small family of children, some of whom were not baptized, he was anxious to avail himself of the opportunity that then offered, to have the rite of baptism administered to them. I readily complied with his wishes, and proceeded forthwith to his house. When I took my leave of him, I could not but reflect, that, notwithstanding the distresses of the mother country, and the plenty of this colony, the privations are greater in the latter than in the former; and that, did the venerable Society know the real condition of the poorer parts of Nova Scotia, they would be induced to make even greater exertions, if possible, than at present, for their spiritual welfare.”

The Society's recently appointed missionary at the Cape of Good Hope, writes:

"I have the pleasure of being able to inform the Society, that the National School is daily increasing in numbers, and I have every reason to be satisfied with the progress and diligence of the children, as well as the attention of the masters. When I first visited the school, the number of scholars in the English department was 45, of whom`nine were

slaves. In the Dutch department the number attending was 194, of whom about 24 were slaves. The number of those at present attending, is, in the English department, 60, seven of whom are slaves; and, in the Dutch, 235, of whom 36 are slaves, and 199 free. Of these latter, 138 are of the Reformed Church, which is the old established religion of the colony, and 12 are Lutherans. Of the remaining 54, two are Hottentots, seveu the children of Mohammedan parents, and the remainder are generally the children of Slaves who have obtained their freedom; but,though instructed at the school in the principles of the Christian religion, none of the latter have been baptized."

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. To the particulars in our Number for May, from the Society's last Report, we add the following relative to its proceedings in India.

At Calcutta, a translation into Hindostanuée, of "Sellon's Abridgment of the Holy Scriptures," was advancing under the superintendance and revision of the Rev. D. Corrie. The Committee anticipate the means of very extensive good in the department of translating and printing from the Mission College, The circle to the southward of Calentta has been completed by the addition of two schools, one at Russapugly, and the other at Ballygunge; both were filled almost as soon as opened; and the attendance of the children has continued undiminished. Other schools are in contemplation.

The District Committee at Madras continue to promote the designs of the Society. The establishment of local deposits of books at the principal stations of this presidency, under the superintendance of the resident Chaplain, has been attended with success; and the distribution of Bibles, Prayer-books, and religious Tracts, has increased. The

Vipery Mission Press has been success. fully re established; and various works approved by the Society, have lately issued from it.

The District Committee at Bombay, since their last report, have distributed 170 Bibles, 360 Testaments and Psalters, 1391 Prayer-books, and 5536 books and tracts; with 22 copies of the Family Bible, and 22 copies of the Arabic Bible; forming a total of 9679 books and tracts dispersed in three years since the institution of the Committee. Considerable progress has been made in translating and printing tracts, both for the use of schools and for general distribution among the Natives.

In Ceylon, the stock of Prayer-books and elementary works received from the Society was almost immediately dispos ed of, and the most useful tracts have been translated into the native languages.

SOCIETY FOR BUILDING AND

ENLARGING CHURCHES.

The last Report of this Society states, that during the year the aid of the Society has been applied for in sixty-eight cases, several of which are under consideration. Fifty-four grants have been made, and by the assistance of this institution, church-room has been provided for 16,891 persons. The increased accommodation furnishes 12,764 free and unappropriated sittings, being about three fourths of the whole number. The grants by the Society have amounted to 13,5517.; and there now remain in hand 11,830. Since the year 1819 the total number of applications has been 473, of which 262 are under consideration, and three were not within the rules; the remaining 208 have been favourably received, and grants made to them to the amount of 53,6331. The Report concludes by stating that the Society has contributed to furnish, in different churches and chapels, upwards of 66,000 additional seats, of which nearly 50,000 are free and unappropriated.

VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

FOREIGN.

FRANCE. The French papers have been chiefly occupied with the details and discussions arising out of the

trial of General Berton and his alleged accomplices in the conspiracy at SauNineteen persons, including the General, were accused; and four

mur.

members of the Chamber of Deputies were extra-judicially alluded to by the Attorney-General of Poictiers as indirectly implicated. The charge against the Deputies was indignantly repelled by them in the Chamber, in a debate of great warmth. The trials are of little interest, except as they evince the still-existing dislike to the Bourbons, which lurks every where in France. The particulars of the accusations are strangely incoherent, and the evidence full of contradictions. The most remarkable feature in these trials is the revolting partiality of the Judge, who seems to act as counsel against the prisoners, and who, on this account, seems to lose all respect with them.

Several circumstances, related in a debate in the Chamber of Deputies on the grant for public education, prove the increasing power of the priests, and the pertinacity of their efforts to suppress the system of mutual instruction, or at least to get the management of its machinery into their own hands. We should rejoice at their so doing, if we could venture to think they really wished to enlighten and benefit their countrymen, and not to perpetuate a monopoly of ignorance, both spiritual and secular. Wholly to prevent the circulation of the Scriptures, is, we trust, now be yond their power, as well as to restrict the ability to profit by their Divine instructions. In short, the general conduct of the present ministry seems little calculated to ensure the permanent tranquillity of the king dom. On their part especially, considering the strength of the popular prejudice entertained against them, it was highly important that, in carrying the measures which they might deem expedient for the stability of the throne and the altar, they should proceed in a spirit of conciliation. Their tone, however, has in general been outrageously opposed to conciliation; and the insults and indignities which, in the Chamber of Deputies, conscious of their numerical superiority, they take every opportunity of pouring on the popular orators, have produced an extraordinary effervescence in the minds of the latter, which shews itself in a corresponding violence of speech and manner. The feelings on either side are sometimes exasperated to such a degree as to produce almost universal elamour and tumult, during which the most unmeasured epithets of abuse

are launched against each other. And as the ministerial party exceeds its opponents in the proportion of three or four to one, the whole proceedings are thus made to wear the appearance, in the eyes of the public, of an attempt, by power, to crush the popular party, or, at least, to shackle the freedom of debate, and to prevent the voice of reason and patriotism from being heard. It cannot be that these transactions should not tend to aggravate the rooted aversion of the French population to an ultra-royalist ministry, and to increase the fears which, right or wrong, they have all along entertained of the fixed intentions of that party gradually to restore the ancient regime.

The debate on the Slave Trade has recently been renewed in the Chamber of Deputies, and ministers were called upon to explain the causes why, notwithstanding their repeated and solemn pledges, this nefarious traffic continued to be carried on so extensively by French subjects; and why the French cruizers on the African coast had been so remiss in the performance of their duty. The reply of the Minister of Marine was to this effect:-Government participates in the horror with which this infamous traffic is justly regarded; but in the case of this, as of other crimes, the repression is attended with difficulty. It has, however, done all that is in its power to prevent the infraction of the laws.-This declaration of the mi.. nister had been uttered only a few days, when there arrived in this country three French slave-ships, captured in the River Bonny, on the coast of Africa, by Commodore Sir Robert Mends. On the approach of the boats of his Majesty's squadron, these miscreants ranged themselves in order of battle, along with three Spanish slaveships, to oppose the search and capture of the latter; fired on the boats, and killed two men, wounding several others. This, however, served only to give an impulse to the advancing party, who pushed forwards, and in a few minutes had boarded and carried the whole of the slave-ships, with about 2000 slaves on board. The slaves have been landed at Sierra Leone. The Spanish ships were condemned there, under our treaties with Spain; and the French ships were sent to England, to abide the decision of our Government. The part which France may take on this occasion will be some

test of the professions of the French ministers. These ships have been caught in flagrante delicto. Their piratical attack on our boats gave us a right of seizure and detention. Their owners, and officers, and crew are known. Will the government of France complain of this as an outrage on her flag, and demand reparation? or will she renounce these profligate contemners of her own laws, and of all law human and divine, and leave them to endure all the consequences of their crimes? We wait with some anxiety the solution of this problem. SPAIN. A new ministry has been appointed, consisting of persons favourable to the new constitution. The King, however reluctantly, is obliged to sanction all their measures, even to distributing honorary medals to those who had any share in the honour of defeating the royal guards on the 7th of July. The new ministry are directing their first efforts to reform the royal household, and, which is a matter of no small difficulty in the present circumstances of Spain, to recruit the treasury. So far from being able to raise a loan at home, even the ordinary revenue is with difficulty collected, especially in those parts of the country in which the royalists are in any force; and with respect to procuring loans from abroad, the risk of a counter-revolution, and the known sentiments of the Holy Alliance, are unfavourable to the investment of property on Spanish security. If, however, the moderate party, now in power, can maintain their ground, we inay hope that all idea of foreign interference will be discouraged. At the same time, it is evident that Russia, Austria, and France are strongly inclined, if they could attempt it with safety to themselves, to produce in Spain and Portugal the same counterrevolution which has been effected in Naples. Probably one of the objects of the approaching Congress at Vienna is to deliberate on the course to he pursued with respect to the Peninsula. We trust that England will there be found most strenuously opposed to every species of aggression on the rights of independent nations.

TURKEY.-The victory over the Turkish fleet, and the death of the

Since the above was written, these Wessels have been given up to the French.

Turkish admiral, appear to have in spired the Greeks with fresh spirit, notwithstanding the compromise be tween Turkey and Russia. The intelligence from Thessaly, Albania, and Epirus is also generally favourable to the Greek arms. Confiding in their cause, they have proclaimed all the coasts in the possession of their enemies in a state of blockade ;-a measure which has been strongly remon→ strated against, by Austria in particular, on the ground that the Greek government has not been regularly acknowledged by any of the powers of Europe. In the House of Commons, however, we were happy to hear it declared by the Minister of the Crown, that instructions had been given to all our public functionaries to maintain a perfect neutrality between the belligerent parties. In this case, our ships of war will of course be as ready to respect a blockade of the Greeks as a blockade of the Turks.

DOMESTIC.

Parliament closed on the 6th of

August. The concluding business of the session related chiefly to the consummation of measures previously before the House, and which have been already noticed in our pages. Among the new motions was an important proposition of Mr. Wilberforce, for an address to his Majesty, to prevent the extension of the Slave Trade and Slavery in our colonies in South Africa, where, there seemed reason to fear, that, unless Parliament interposed, slavery might be indefinitely extended. The proposed address was carried unanimously, and we trust will be the means of preventing the occurrence of those evils, of which, at the close of our Review of Mr. Campbell's Travels, we took occasion to express our strong apprehensions. A full report of the debate which took place on this occasion has been printed in a separate pamphlet, and may be had at Hatchard's. It is worthy of the attention of all who take an interest in the amelioration and ultimate extinction of the opprobrious state of slavery throughout the British domi

nions.

The Speech from the Throne was more than usually brief and barren of precise information. It merely states in substance the continuance of peace with foreign powers; the probable adjust

See Number for May, p. 310.

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