Middleton.

By the statement made at the opening of the new chapel, Middleton, the account of which is inserted in the Evangelical Magazine for January of this year, it will be seen that after the donations and collections made on that day there was a debt of 1007. remaining to be liquidated. Several friends came forward and pledged the sum of 607., pro

vided I would endeavour before the anniversary to raise 407., thus getting rid of the debt. To this I agreed. Now I am in difficulty to accomplish this, as I have either been to our neighbouring towns, or parties in them are connected with the above pledge.

I am extremely anxious that the debt should be all removed at the anniversary, otherwise our efforts will be greatly crippled, if not altogether impeded. The cause is of God and for the welfare of souls. Should any person, influenced by the high and holy principles of the gospel of Christ, having the means at command, feel disposed to help the needy, to strengthen the weak, and to perpetuate the cause of God, any contributions for this purpose will be thankfully received and gratefully acknowledged by the Rev. Joseph Dear, Congregational Minister, Great Easton, near Rockingham, Northamptonshire.

CONGREGATIONAL UNION OF IRELAND.

The committee present their acknowledgments to the ministers, congregations, and individuals, who have countenanced and responded to their appeals during the year now expiring. Assurances had been given, that, were their case known to the British public, it would meet with cordial sympathy and support, and making allowance for some untoward circumstances, the result so far has justified that expectation.

Several highly respected friends in England and Scotland have become officially connected with the Union. Liberal contributions have been received, auxiliary societies have been formed, and a welcome has been given to Irish deputations, which prove, that if free access were obtained to British hearts, a response would follow worthy of British generosity and of Erin's needs. Providence has smiled on the undertaking. In humble dependence upon Divine grace, the committee hold on their way, cheered by the past-trustful for the future.

In the college department, the students are prosecuting their various branches of education with praiseworthy diligence. Two of them will shortly have completed their courses, and will then be employed in doing the work of evangelists. Due care is taken in the admission of candidates. While young men of real promise from Ireland or elsewhere are gladly received, it is judged unadvisable to encourage others.

Ten agents are employed upon the HOME MISSION. In all of them the committee have unreserved confidence, as honestly, and fully devoted to their Master's work.

They have lately engaged a minister from England, strongly recommended as a general mission agent; he is now in Kerry, and intends to direct his labours chiefly to the Roman Catholics. Proposals have been made

for the occupation of new spheres, the committee would gladly act upon these suggestions had they men and means to do so.

By the statements they receive they are confirmed in the persuasion that in most parts of the country the people are accessible for Christian instruction, when they are approached by suitable agency; and the committee are still praying the Lord of the harvest that he would send more labourers into his harvest, men of great heart combined with other qualifications, not easily discouraged, but while awake to difficulties, confiding in Omnipotence to surmount them, and prepared to say with Caleb's faith, "Let us go up and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it."

Besides sustaining, and, as circumstances allow, extending their work in the above departments, the committee, in compliance with pressing representations from various quarters, as well as from their own conviction of its high importance, have on mature and prayerful reflection unanimously resolved to commence a MISSION to the Irishspeaking population of the country.

This resolution has been adopted on the following grounds :

1st. It is ascertained that nearly three millions of the people, and according to some computations a much larger number, use the Irish language, a population far exceeding that of all Scotland. The islands of Ireland alone contain from 40,000 to 50,000 souls. Some years ago a return was obtained by which it appeared that the proportion speaking Irish was in the province of Munster as 11 to 3, and in the province of Connaught as 13 to 1 of the inhabitants.

2nd. It is the will of Christ that every man should hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God;" on this principle, the gospel is ministered in Gaelic and

in Welsh, to the inhabitants of North and South Britain, to whom those languages are vernacular. This principle is acted upon in all attempts to convert the heathen. And the reason of the case requires it to be adopted with regard to Ireland.

3rd. Until lately, only few and feeble attempts have been made by any denomination of Christians to establish missions specially for this portion of the people. It is believed that not more that twelve evangelical ministers preach in Irish. Where such missions have been commenced they have been attended, as might be expected, with results that warrant sanguine hopes of great success. The Episcopalians have proved it. The Presbyterians are following their example, and why should not the Congregationalists try?

4th. The committee have already received strong assurances of support from friends in Great Britain to the mission now to be com

menced; provision for more than one agent has been engaged.

The plan adopted by the Union committee will include, when fully carried out, the employment of Scripture-readers in the Irish language, of persons to teach the people to read the Irish Scriptures for them. selves, and of a minister or ministers to superintend this agency, who will also labour on the General Home Missions in the district or districts where it may be located. This plan will, it is hoped, sufficiently explain and commend itself to secure from the Christian public the funds required to complete it forthwith. There is reason to know that suitable agents can be had in proportion as means are obtained.

The committee submit these statements to the consideration of all who take an interest in the welfare of their country, accompanied with an earnest request for that measure of aid which their undertaking and circumstances demand. The object is great, and the case urgent; time is passing, and souls are perishing; the openings which now exist may be closed ere long. next generation will probably exhibit effects of no common magnitude from what is doing or from what may not be done in Ireland at present. The nature of those effects will depend much on the promptitude and bountifulness with which the assistance hereby

sought is afforded.

T. TURNER, Treasurer. W. URWICK,

R. N. MATHESON,

The

Secretaries.

Dublin, Dec. 3rd, 1844. Contributions for the Congregational Union of Ireland will be received in London by Messrs. Hankey and Co., Bankers, Fenchurch-street; the Rev. Dr. Pye Smith, Homerton; the Rev. Dr. Morison, Chelsea; the Rev. Dr. Leifchild, Camden-town; the Rev. Dr. Reed, Cambridge-heath; the Rev.

James Sherman, Surrey Parsonage; the Rev. Caleb Morris, Fetter-lane; the Rev. James Carlile, Hackney; and S. D'Arcy Irvine, Esq., 15, Arundel-street, Strand.

POPERY IN NEW ZEALAND.

The Roman Catholic priests in this coun

try are Frenchmen, and the Jesuitical art pursued by them in their endeavours to make proselytes, and to induce the heathen to embrace their creed, is perfectly in character with the proceedings of their brethren in other parts of the world, and the New Zealanders on every hand are invited to embrace the doctrines and customs of the Romish church, and many are recognized as converts. It is, however, a pleasing fact, that the New Testament Scriptures are extensively circulated, and there is still a continued call for them. The New Zeaand, as they must have the why and the landers are, in general, an inquiring people, wherefore for everything new proposed to them, it is hoped that with the word of God in their hands they will find out the truth, and that the truth will make them free from the Romish system of bondage. Some of the best-informed natives connected with us, who have long made the word of God their study day and night, are sometimes brought into collision with the priests, and the merits of Protestantism and Popery are discussed, and the nakedness of the latter is

exposed by the New Zealanders. A short time since the priest in Kokianga told one of the Protestant chiefs, named Raniera, that Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley were rotten branches cut off from the parent root, the Romish Church, and which is sound and flourishing! When they conversed together they were near a Karuka tree, (ecrymocarpus lævigata,) a beautiful laurel, like evergreen, and which was rotting at the root, while the branches were healthy and bearing fruit! "There," exclaimed Raniera, "is an emblem of your church! Your church is dead or dying, but the Protestant churches are alive! build upon Peter; but they build upon Christ!" Raniera on this occasion questioned him respecting his warrant for the

You

worship of images, and the priest adduced

the command of God to Moses to make a serpent of brass, as recorded in the 21st chap. of Numbers. The chief told him it was wrong-that the serpent was a type of Christ, and referred to the passage in John iii. 14: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him," &c., and he appeared confounded. This needs no comment.

(Signed) WILLIAM WOON. Wesleyan Missionary Station, Manyunyu, Kokianga, New Zealand, April 12th, 1844.