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Address was in a high degree animating, fulfilling all the hopes which his former public appearances have awakened. Long may he be spared to adorn and bless the denomination of which he is so distinguished an ornament!

We long to hear the result of the Lectures of the Rev. A. Reed, and the Rev. B. Grant, to the Working Classes. No greater benefit could accrue to our churches than any such movement as should generally bring the operatives of our country into sympathy with the principles and fellowships of Congregational Independency. We hope that this good beginning, at Bradford, will be followed out, with vigour and earnestness, in the length and breadth of the land. It is a subject on which it would be impossible to expend an undue amount of care.

DUNMOW, ESSEX.

ON Tuesday, 21st September, the Rev.
Henry Gammidge, late of Hackney College,
was ordained in the Congregational chapel in
the above town, as co-pastor with the Rev.
R. Frost. The Rev. J. Carter, of Braintree,
opened the solemnities of the day by reading
the Scriptures and prayer; the Rev. S. Ran-
som, classical and Hebrew tutor of Hackney
College, delivered a forcible and excellent
exposition of the principles of Nonconformity;
the Rev. T. Craig, of Bocking, proposed the
usual questions to the minister and church;
the Rev. R. Frost offered a very solemn and
affectionate designation prayer; the Rev. J.
Watson, resident tutor of Hackney College,
gave a very instructive and faithful charge;
and the Rev. C. Berry, of Hatfield Heath,
closed the engagements of the morning with
prayer.

The evening service was commenced with
reading and prayer by the Rev. J. C. Rook,
of Thaxted, after which the Rev. R. Bow-
man, of Chelmsford, delivered a highly ap-
propriate, earnest and stirring sermon to the
people, from 1 Thess. v. 12, 13; and the Rev.
T. Gammidge, of Ketton, Rutland, closed the
Several
services of the day with prayer.
other ministers were present, of whom Revs.
Kluht, Corbishley, Duffy, Hicks, Taylor,
Carey, and Morris (Baptist, of Dunmow,)
took part in the services.

At three o'clock more than a hundred
ladies and gentlemen dined together at the
White Lion Inn, when speeches were deli-
vered by Rev. Messrs. Carter, Watson, Frost,
Ransom, and others.

The chapel, during both services, notwithstanding the very wet morning, was well filled by most attentive and interested audiences. Many will, it is hoped, long remember the day with gratitude and satisfaction for

the holy impressions and excitements then
"O Lord, send now prosperity."
produced.

ON Tuesday, September 21st, 1852, at three o'clock P.M., the foundation-stone of a new Independent chapel was laid at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, by the Rev. Thomas Adkins, of Southampton, who delivered an excellent address. Afterwards there was a public tea party, which was well attended.

The style of this new place of worship is Gothic; the dimensions, 50 ft. by 25 ft. 6 in., and accommodation will be provided for about 250 persons.

A vestry will be attached. The whole Towards this sum abcut cost will be £500. £250 have been raised. As a new and improved edifice is imperatively required, particularly in summer, and as it is, principally, for the convenience of visitors, it is sincerely hoped they will aid in its erection.

While the church and congregation would have already assisted them, they would reexpress their gratitude to those friends who spectfully state, that any additional contributions will be thankfully received by the Rev. John Greener, minister.

CHURCHTOWN, LANCASHIRE.

ON Tuesday, September 7, 1852, the Rev James Lee, B.A., late of Broseley, was publicly ordained as pastor over the Independent church, Churchtown, North Meols.

The Rev. G. Greatbatch, of Southport, the first minister of the place, opened the services of the day by reading the Scriptures and prayer; and also, in the absence of the Rev. J. L. Poore, proposed the usual questions.

The Rev. J. E. Millson, of Southport, presented a very lucid delineation of the nature of a Christian church, in a discourse, founded on Rom. xvi. 16, "The churches of Christ salute you."

The venerable and Rev. W. Alexander, of Southport, the second minister of the place, and now in his 90th year, offered up "the ordination prayer."

A charge, full of tenderness and power, was delivered to the pastor by the Rev. T. Raffles, D.D. LL.D., of Liverpool, from the words, "A good minister of Jesus Christ," 1 Tim. iv. 6.

In the evening, the Rev. R. Slate, of Preston, preached a sermon of great excellence and appropriateness to the people, from 2 Cor. xi. 3.

Dinner and tea were provided in the school-room, in which a large company participated.

The proceedings of the day were marked by much deep and devout feeling, and the recollection of the solemn services, it is hcped, will not soon be obliterated.

THE CENTENARY OF THE WESTERN

COLLEGE.

THE rapidly increasing facilities of communication which are being opened between different parts of England, can never supersede the necessity for an adequate provision to meet the moral and religious requirements of each particular neighbourhood. Our public schools must be still distributed with a due regard to local wants; our educational charities should still occupy their appointed places in each town and hamlet; and our churches continue to be the fixed centres of Evangelical effort'; and, whilst their efficiency may be greatly increased by the growing intercourse between intelligent and earnest minds, the real success of each depends mainly on the fact of their appropriate and local subsistence.

For all practical purposes in the economy of religious effort, there will be the metropolis, with its great aggregate of moral influence; the north, with its vast manufacturing population, and their spirit of munificent charity; the south and east of England, befriended by the northern provinces, or resting immediately on the metropolis, and the west of England, separated from the rest, and isolated alike by its distance, and by comparative poverty.

The western district, including some of the loveliest and most attractive counties in England, bounded chiefly by a rugged coast and mainly devoted to agricultural pursuits, contains a very large but scattered population. The towns are generally small; the churches of the Congregational order, numerous, but poor and weak; and the country population too thinly scattered to form the nucleus of prosperous village churches; and, in addition to these circumstances, during a very long period, the dioceses of Exeter and of Wells have been under the influence of men whose sympathies were altogether opposed to Evangelical truth, so that in the western counties but little aid can be expected in the great work of spiritual instruction from evangelical members of the English church.

To all general rules there are some exceptions, and, in a few of the larger towns of Somerset and Devon, Congregational churches of importance may be found, guided by intelligent and zealous pastors, and actively doing the work which God has committed to their charge; and there are a few holy and devoted men amongst the clergy of the Established Church who can disregard the frown of a bishop, and lose its impression in their daily consciousness of the approving smile of Christ.

Still, after making every allowance, there remains, in the western counties, a great work for the Congregational Dissenter to accomplish, and there are not, as yet, any

1

adequate resources in the local churches to accomplish, unaided, this great object.

Connected with these Congregational churches no Institution seems to hold a more important place than the Western College, instituted for the education of young men for the Christian ministry. As early as 1718, under the ministry of Mr. Hallett and Mr. Pierce, Arianism began to prevail, at first in Exeter, and, shortly afterwards, throughout the Presbyterian and Congregational churches; and so widely did these errors extend, that, in 1751, the Congregational Fund Board resolved on the establishment of the Western Academy, with a view of checking this growing mischief: and, in 1752, just one hundred years from this time, the Rev. John Lavington was charged by the Board with the important duty of carrying into effect their pious and provident design; and the Academy, under his auspices, was instituted.

On his death, the Congregational Fund Board nominated the Rev. James Rooker, of Bideford, to the office of tutor; and he conļ tinued to discharge its duties until seized by lingering illness, which terminated his life.

The Fund Board then selected the Rev. Thomas Reader, of Taunton, to conduct the academy, which he did, with zeal and success, until his death in 1794. He was succeeded by the Rev. James Small, of Axminster, who, for thirty-three years, presided faithfully over the Institution. From the commencement of his presidency, the support of the College devolved on the churches generally, aided by the liberality of the Congregational Fund Board. For a short time, students continued their studies under the Rev. William Rooker, of Tavistock, until the appointment of the Rev. G. Payne, LL.D., (whose high and well-earned reputation is in all our churches,) to the theological professorship. With him were associated, at different times as tutors, the Rev. J. Glyde, of Bradford; the Rev. A. Pope, of Leamington; and the Rev. Dr. Orlando D. Dobbin.

Shortly after the removal of the College to Exeter, in 1828, efforts were made to purchase, or erect a building for the permanent use of the Institution. This was effected, but from causes which could not be controlled, it became necessary, in the year 1844, to remove the Western College to Plymouth, when the Rev. S. Newth, M.A., was appointed to be its classical and mathematical tutor; and, on the death of Dr. Payne, Mr. Newth undertook the entire conduct of the Institution until a successor to Dr. Payne was obtained, in the Rev. Richard Alliott, LL.D., the present zealous and able theological professor.

It is not invidious to say that no Congregational Institution in England possesses

more able and devoted professors than the Western College. At present it includes fourteen students, and is regarded with deep and growing interest by the Congregational churches.

This College, by the blessing of God, effected long since its primary purpose. Arianism was checked in the western Churches. A few of the number dwindled into Unitarianism, but the majority either retained the truth in its purity, or recurred after a little while to its profession. Since then, the College has been of the greatest advantage to many pious and devoted young men; and, by its reaction on the churches, has proved a real blessing, and is accomplishing much good. Still the College is without a permanent home. The students reside in the town, and meet for instruction at the house of the theological professor.

the students; and that for this purpose further subscriptions should be obtained, amounting in all to about £2000.

After the public meeting, Dr. Morison very beautifully, and with great energy and feeling, addressed the students of the college in the presence of the congregation; and in the evening, at seven o'clock, he preached a very admirable and appropriate centenary discourse, in aid of the College, at Norley Chapel. Such is the outline of the circumstances which seem to justify the appeal of the Western College, to the churches of Great Britain, in aid of this centenary commemoration. The committee are resolutely opposed to large expenditure, but they believe that God, in his providence, has assigned to the Western College, an important and obvious work, and they desire that, so far as that work can be aided by their own endeavour, or the assistance of the Christian church, it may not be withheld.

The College looks back on a long ancestry. It is amongst the oldest of our educational

Its

The Annual Meeting, which was held on the 8th of September last, constituted the centenary service of the Institution. In the morning, at ten o'clock, the friends of the College convened at Union Chapel in Ply-institutions-it has never swerved into error, mouth,-a handsome and commodious building, erected through the indefatigable exertions of the Rev. T. C. Hine. After the Report had been read by Mr. Alfred Rooker, the Secretary, resolutions were adopted sanctioning the special effort which had been commenced to raise a centenary fund for the purpose of erecting a building adequate to the wants of the Institution. This appeal has been already met by subscriptions to the amount of nearly £1000, of which the Congregational Fund Board have liberally contributed £100. The principles adopted in reference to this effort were, that the building should not be commenced until a fund adequate for the erection was raised, the subsrciptions in the interim being funded. That the building should not be costly or ornate, but a simple structure, fitted, if possible, as a residence for the tutors, with lecture-rooms for the use of

or grown indifferent in service-holy men of
God, who once laboured for it, are gone to
their rest and reward. Young men, full of
hope and buoyant with youthful energy
entered its walls, and went forth to live, and
labour, and die in the Master's vineyard.
tutors, whose names are still like fragrant
odour, taught faithfully the truth committed
to their charge, and they rest from their
labours, and their works follow them. It is
for us-for the churches of our common order
-for the more wealthy, or for poorer Chris-
tians, to contribute freely, lovingly, and with
a spirit of spontaneous liberality, so that this
institution may, with unimpaired efficiency,
and with increased facilities for service, enter,
with the Divine blessing, on its second cen-
tury of labour and success.

A. R.

CHINA.

General Chronicle.

LETTER FROM SUFFERERS BY THE LATE

FIRE AT HONG-KONG.

Hong-Kong, 20th July, 1852. To the Members of the Church and Congrega

tion assembling at Trevor Chapel. DEAR FRIENDS,-I enjoyed, last week, the high pleasure of paying over to our Chinese friends, who suffered by the fire last year, your generous gift of £20. Our little English church here contributed for them in January, a sum of about £15, and they were

One

taken by surprise when I first told them how
you, separated by such a distance, had yet
been having them in remembrance.
man said, "We were poor before; but we
were getting on and getting through, notwith-
standing the loss of our little all. We don't
feel it now, as we did at first. Let this
money be given to help in the rebuilding of
the chapel and hospital." Most of them
would have concurred in this suggestion, but
I said to them,-" No. This is a personal
gift, an expression from those friends of their