| as follows: ON Tuesday evening, March 2nd, 1852, February has just come to hand. The first the Rev. John Greener was set apart to the article in it is a short Address to the Friends pastorate of the Independent Church at Shank- of Evangelization, the substance of which I lin, Isle of Wight. The Rev. W. Warden, beg you will be so good as to place before the M.A., of Ventnor, commenced the service by readers of the EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE. It reading the Scriptures and Prayer; the Rev. refers to the financial state of the Belgian R. Ferguson, LL.D., of Ryde, delivered an Evangelical Society-a Society worthy of Introductory Discourse; the minister's con- hearty assistance—and this appeal on its befession of faith was received and the designa-half will not, I trust, be made in vain. It is tion prayer offered by the Rev. T. Mann, of West Cowes. An address was then delivered to the pastor and people, by the Rev. W. Froggatt, of Newport; and the exercises were closed by the Rev. J. Basley, of East Cowes. As the members of this church and congregation are exerting themselves to obtain a new and more commodious chapel, which is much wanted, it is hoped they will be kindly assisted by Christian visitors. HAMPSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGA- THE half-yearly meeting of this Association will be held at East Cowes, on Wednesday, April 21st, 1852, when the Rev. W. Bone, of Basingstoke, will preach on the subject of Inspiration. On the preceding evening, the Rev. F. W. Heathcote, of Andover, will preach, and on the evening of Wednesday the Rev. T. Cousins, of Portsea. STAND, NEAR MANCHESTER. Mr. A. Anderson, B.A., of Cheshunt College, has accepted a call from the church and congregation worshipping in the above place, and commenced his labours on Lord's-day, Feb. 22nd. On the following Tuesday a tea-meeting was held in connexion with the settlement of the new pastor. The Rev. Messrs. Roseman and Hardacre, Mr. James Rae, B.A., and other gentlemen took part in the proceedings of the evening. REMOVAL. THE Rev. B. H. Cowper, of Morton-inMarsh, to the chapel at Millwall, Poplar. Mr. C. leaves a faithful and attached people, induced by the necessities of his new sphere, which is one of growing importance and interest. EVANGELICAL CONTINENTAL SOCIETY. March 4, 1852. To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. DEAR SIR, Our Christian brethren in Belgium publish a monthly periodical, called Le Chrétien Belge. It is issued on the fifteenth of every month, and the Number for "The pecuniary position of the Belgian Evangelical Society has been always a source of anxiety. Now, its very existence even is threatened unless the friends of Divine truth should relieve it from its embarrassment. The salary of the agents for the quarter ending December (1851), we have not been able yet to pay in full. We have, for several successive quarters, moreover, deducted ten per cent. We know several agents are suffering much on account of this measure. One of them has lately written to us:-'It is impossible for me to bear the reduction of ten per cent. without getting into debt, for it was with a good deal of trouble I could manage with my full allowance. I owe money to the amount of the reduction that has been made. If you are not able to do anything for me, I shall be under the necessity of quitting your service and seek some other employment to gain my daily bread. I hope, dear brethren, you will have compassion on me. * * * * * It is better for me to retire than to dishonour the gospel by incurrring debts.' "Such letters fill us with sadness. We feel for our poor agents, who are devoted to their work, but are, nevertheless, constrained to use such language. "We particularly intreat our English brethren, into whose hands these lines may fall, to be so good as to give them all publicity possible, and we hope that many among them will be disposed to speak and act in our favour." They conclude by stating that the debt of the Society, at the close of this month, will amount to about 18,500 francs; this for a community of such comparatively limited means and numbers as our Belgian brethren, is a very heavy weight. I will leave this simple statement to make its own impression, and will only add, that we shall be most thankful to remit any money that may be intrusted to us in aid of our faithful brethren in Belgium. Most truly yours, EVAN DAVIES, Sec. 7, Blomfield-street, London. INDIA. OPENING OF A NEW CHAPEL AT BANGALORE. THE Canarese language is very extensively employed in the provinces of Southern India, being spoken by a population of probably upwards of ten millions. From the commencement of the Bangalore Mission in the year 1820, the attention of our Missionary brethren in that field of labour has been directed to two distinct branches, comprising the Tamil and the Canarese portions of the population. In each of these departments the Lord of the vineyard has vouchsafed to his servants many gracious tokens of his favour; and in the patience of hope, they anticipate the day when the fruits of their toil shall become yet more signally manifest. With a view to the extension of the Canarese department at this Station, a new and commodious place of worship has recently been erected in the Native Town, and we have the pleasure to furnish the subjoined particulars, given in a joint communication from the Rev. Messrs. Campbell, Rice, and Sewell, under date 9th December ult. "We have the pleasure to inclose a sketch of the new chapel lately erected at this station. You are aware that the Bangalore Mission comprises two departments of labour; the Tamil, with which is connected the European population, and the Canarese, which is spoken in what is called the Pettah (or Native town) of Bangalore, and is also the language of the surrounding country. In the Cantonment, where the Tamil language is spoken, a neat and substantial chapel was erected many years ago, in which the English and Tamil services are regularly conducted. The chapel, of which the accompanying drawing [see Engraving, page 61] is a representation, is intended for the use of the Canarese branch of the Mission. Public worship has been conducted on the same spot since the year 1837, and has been the means of making great numbers of the heathen acquainted with the nature of Christian worship, and also of spreading a knowledge of Divine truth, not only in Bangalore itself, but amongst the people some thirty or forty miles aroundfor many have been in the habit, during their visits to Bangalore, of coming to the chapel, and listening to the instructions there given. "The old building, however, which was small, and of very plain construction, was long felt to be unworthy of the object to which it was appropriated. It has, therefore, been taken down, and the present chapel erected on its site. The locality is a particularly good one for the purpose, being in the principal street of the Pettah. The chapel itself, standing, as it does, in the midst of low, mud-built native houses, is a very attractive object, and during its erection, as well as since, has drawn crowds of admiring visitors. Its internal dimensions are, in length fiftythree feet, in breadth thirty-two feet, and in height twenty feet, with a verandah outside, very conveniently situated for collecting, during the week days, a congregation of the passers-by, and addressing them in a familiar manner on the things that belong to their everlasting peace. There is also a vestry attached to the building, with a dwelling-house for a native teacher and his family. The total cost of erecting the whole has been £350. "The chapel was opened for Divine worship on Lord's-day, October 19th, when the Rev. B. Rice commenced the service by reading the Scriptures and prayer, and the Rev. D. Sanderson, of the Wesleyan Mission, preached from 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. In the afternoon, the Rev. J. Sewell opened the service, and the Rev. C. Campbell preached from Psa. lxxxvi. 8-10. The chapel was well filled on both occasions. In the morning especially, the attendance was very large, between three hundred and four hundred being present. Many of the most respectable natives in the Pettah, who probably had never been within the walls of a Christian sanctuary before, came and listened attentively during the whole of the services. Some of our European friends also, who understand the native language, favoured us with their presence. "Since then, two services have been held every Lord's-day, and one on Wednesdays. The average attendance has been above one hundred and thirty, of whom between seventy and eighty (including children) are professing Christians. "There are a few natives in the vicinity of the chapel who have for a long time past been very frequent in their attendance on the Sabbath services. Of these, two especially have declared their conviction of the truth of Christianity. One seems to be on the point of making up his mind to receive baptism. The other is of that rather numerous class who profess themselves to be disciples of Jesus, 'but secretly, for fear' of the people. "The Lord in mercy speedily give these, and many others, grace to turn unto him with purpose of heart, and publicly to consecrate themselves to his service in a perpetual covenant never to be forgotten!"" MISSIONARY ITINERANCY IN BENGAL. Rev. A. F. Lacroix's Journal-(concluded from page 48.) REVOLTING ACCOMPANIMENTS OF IDOLATRY. "January 16th, 1851.-Keerpoy. This is a considerable town, where much trade in silk and cotton-cloth is carried on, and where formerly the East India Company, when it was a trading association, had one of its commercial residences. "Early in the afternoon, we proceeded to the interior of the town. On passing through the market-place, we were much shocked by what we saw there. In the centre of it were two temples, one devoted to Vishnu and the other to the bloody goddess Kali. Near the latter, the whole apparatus used at the cruel swinging-festival was collected within a comparatively narrow space, viz., a swingingpost, an elevated broad brick-built wall, from whence the devotees throw themselves on thorns and knives; small pyramid-like altars, on which the devotees deposit their offerings previous to having their tongues and sides pierced, &c. There was also close by a pillar with the most obscene figures carved upon it. We expressed our extreme disgust at this, and remonstrated with the Brahmins of the temple and the by-standers for exhibiting such abominations to public gaze, and even connecting this with religion. They had nothing to say in reply, except' that it was the custom of the country;' that everlasting excuse which the Hindoos offer to justify even the most revolting practices." HINDOO OBJECTIONS TO FEMALE EDUCATION AND THE RE-MARRIAGE OF WIDOWS. "Mr. Weitbrecht and one of the native assistants remained in the market-place, and addressed two very attentive congregations. As to myself, I repaired to a Sanscrit college, which I had observed in passing, with a view to have some conversation with its inmates. Arrived there, I found no students, but only the pundit, or professor, occupied in transcribing on yellow paper a legal opinion from one of the law-shastres. He immediately relinquished his occupation, sent for a chair for my use, and we entered into a most interesting conversation, which soon attracted a large concourse of hearers. Among other subjects, the education of females and the re-marriage of widows came on the carpet. The pundit gave it as his opinion, that attention to household duties being the only occupation proper for females, and required of them, it was of no use to educate them. On pointing out to him the great advantages which the females themselves, their children, husbands, and society in general, would derive, if they were educated, as is the case in Europe, instead of being doomed to abject ignorance, as they are in India, he admitted there was some truth in it; but with all this, insisted that the education of females was most unadvisable, seeing that they would of necessity have to be taught by men, which, he said, 'Knowing the natural disposition of my countrymen and women, could not be done without most corrupt practices being the consequence.' What a confession! and how it shows the universal depravity of the population. "As to widows being permitted to contract a second marriage, the pundit utterly condemned it, and called it a most reprehensible practice. And when I drew his attention to the great evils, moral and social, which this prohibition entails on the widows, many of whom are so young that they have never even lived with their husbands, he harshly replied, 'Let a state of widowhood be productive of ever so much suffering to these females, and let them be even led by reason of it to the practice of vice, the customs of our forefathers must not be departed from; and, moreover, if widows have to suffer in consequence of not being permitted to remarry, they richly deserve it, as a punishment of the sins they, no doubt, committed in a former birth.' This led us to consider the subject of metempsychosis, in favour of which the pundit brought forward some shrewd arguments; but which were eventually overturned by showing him how the doctrine of transmigration (seeing that the individual in the present life has no recollection of a former birth, nor of what he was and did during it), altogether militates against the wisdom, the justice, and the love of God. It was a very interesting meeting, indeed." THE PUNDITS ADDICTED TO SOPHISTRY. แ Many of these Hindoo pundits are extremely intelligent, and well versed in disputation; but it is to be lamented that they have so often recourse to (what they themselves well know to be) mere sophistry: their aim being not so much to elicit truth, as to be victors in debate. There is much resemblance in this respect between them and our European doctors of the middle ages. In justice to the Hindoo pundits, I must add, that when engaged in controversy or disputation, they generally keep their temper admirably, and might in this respect give a wholesome lesson to many a sectarian bigot in Europe. "I left a Bengali New Testament with the pundit, which he promised to study, and, it being quite dark, returned to our encampment." PREACHING CHRIST AT AN IDOLATROUS " 17th.-Chondrokonah. This is by far the largest native town we have yet visited. We were told that it contains 10,000 houses and about 40,000 inhabitants; and therefore resolved on staying here three days. We selected the place of our encampment near an old ruined fort, under a mangoe-tope, a very pretty situation; though we were told it was occasionally visited by leopards and bears from the neighbouring jungles, seen at about three miles distance. "To-day a festival was kept in honour of Regoonath, one of the deified ancestors of the god Ram, in consequence of which, multitudes of people from the surrounding country were present at Chondrokonah. This afforded us an excellent opportunity for preaching. Finding an elevated spot in one of the most public thoroughfares, we took our station there, and were speedily surrounded by a congregation, which could not be less than between eight hundred and nine hundred, to whom I preached the word of life, and was listened to with considerable attention. In accordance with the plan we had agreed upon regarding the distribution of books, we refrained from giving away any on the present occasion, but invited the people to come for them to our tent on the following day, which many promised to do. "There was an eclipse of the moon at night, which caused all the conch-shells in the town to be put in requisition; the Hindoos thinking by means of the trumpet-like sound they emit, to frighten the monster Rahoo in his attempt to swallow the moon." THE GOSPEL SCHEME EXPLAINED AND "18th. The townspeople kept their word. From early in the morning, parties of ten to twenty individuals kept flocking to our tent for books, which afforded us an excellent opportunity for oral instruction also. In the afternoon, the crowd around the tent became so dense, that, as on a former occasion, we feared for its safety. We therefore requested the people to proceed to a short distance, where about six hundred seated themselves in rows on the grass. These I addressed on the all-important subject of eternity, the moral law of God, the guilt and danger of |