SOCIETY are labouring with great success, though in the midst of it two of them, Mr. Tissier, a preacher advanced in years, and too feeble to travel, but yet useful at his post; and Mr. Bicknell, the first person who offered his services to the society, have been summoned from their labours to their rest. At Otaheite the work of the Lord still prospers in the hands of his servants, and many of its savage inhabitants, but lately fierce in spirit as the tiger, have, under the influence of Divine grace, put on the meekness of the lamb. In the district of Atohuru, one of the two principal divisions of the people whom the missionaries agreed to supply on the Sabbath, have, of their own accord, removed nearer to the new settlement of Burder's-point, for the express purpose of enjoying the means of instruction on the week days also. Their chief has of late become very attentive, and is a promising candidate for baptism. The gospel of St. Matthew has been printed at this station, and the people received it in their native tongue with great eagerness; many of them, who could not obtain a copy, being much disappointed at their loss. In the island of Huaheine, an edition of 2000 copies of the gospel of St. Matthew has been distributed amongst the natives, who sought it with avidity, and received it with gratitude. The gospels of Mark and John, and the Acts of the Apostles, are also translated, and the Psalms are in band. The first printed report of the proceedings of the mission established in this island has recently been received, and gives the encouraging intelligence of the congregation at Fare, where the missionaries reside, having considerably increased. It now amounts to between 3 and 400 persons. The number of scholars is proportionably augmented; those at three stations on the island amounting to between 12 and 13,000. A place of worship has since been finished, reported to be the best, neatest, and most commodious of any on the islands of the South Sea; and from fourteen to sixteen hundred persons have been collected in it at one time, without its being nearly full. Of these 55 have been baptized, and amongst them the two principal chiefs of the island; whilst 570 were, at the time of despatching the last accounts, candidates for that initiatory rite. Fourteen only had then been received into the full membership of the church, due and commendable caution being observed in admitting to the table of the Lord. The work of education still continued to prosper; so completely so, indeed, that in June of the last year, there were few persons on the island who could not read. Advances in civilization, proportionate to the spread of the Gospel, and the diffusion of education, were also daily made. Several of the natives have built for themselves very neat plastered dwellings, with doors and windows, and ere this have boarded their bed-rooms. Many aeres of ground are enclosed, and stocked with articles of food of various kinds. Tools, paper, and writing utensils, are in great demand amongst them. The females especially are much improved in their habits and appearance; the cloth which they procure, instead of being bound negligently round them, is regularly made up into gowns; the wives of the missionaries having successfully bestowed great pains upon their instruction in needle-work, in which several of them have made considerable proficiency. In Eimeo, the congregation gradually increases; during the quarter immediately preceding the last communication to England, 192 adults, and 137 children, had been baptized; the former having also been formed into a church. The mis sionaries had recently taken a tour round the island, and were every where received with the most cordial expressions of delight; the people of the 'district to which they were advancing coming out to meet them, whilst those of the districts through which they had passed accompanied them through one or two others on their journey; so that their congregations were generally composed of the inhabitants of two or three districts at

a time. Every where the natives seemed to be very anxious in their inquiries as to the meaning of different parts of Scripture-the conduct which they ought to pursue-and in procuring the solution of cases of conscience. Two natives have been sent forth as catechists, and were gladly received at every place which they visited. In January of the last year, one of the missionaries accompanied these native teachers in a tour round the island, in which the gratifying scene was repeatedly exhibited of their closing the services by prayer for, and affecting addresses to their brethren. Two other native members of the church at Eimeo have offered their services as missionaries to Raivavai, whither the king purposes sending them as soon as a conveyance can be obtained. Mr. Marsden has lately spent two months in New Zealand, visiting its different tribes, both on the western and eastern sides of the Northern island; and, on his return to Paramatta, he reports that he found the natives every where hospitable and kind. He expresses, indeed, a sanguine hope, that the Gospel will soon dawn upon these benighted regions -a hope to which who will not respond Amen? From the interior of Africa intelligence has recently been received of a nixed nature. At Griqua town the church appears to be in a low state, no accessions having been lately made; whilst, on the other hand, some members have been necessarily excluded from its communion. Nothing, indeed, but the special outpouring of the Spirit, for which the friends of missions to the heathens incessantly should pray, seems, humanly speaking, likely to avail in the extensive diffusion of the Gospel amongst so wild and barbarous a race as the Bushmen; who, exhibiting in a most striking manner, that scriptural proof of being in a state of sin, that they are "without natural affection;" consider their parents, when unable to work, as unworthy to live; and, therefore, leave them without food in the bushes turn them on a wild ox into the woodsor drag them into the fields to leave them there to be the prey of wolves. Civilization is, however, making some advances even amongst them, and agriculture is more and more cultivated. At Pacalts Dorp, this is still more strikingly the case; more wheat having been sown by the Hottentots than ever: though we regret to add, that drought, and storms, and blasts, have nearly destroyed their crops, and plants, and fruits; and reduced the congregation to a very destitute state, as far as temporal comforts are concerned. In spiritual things they appear, however, notwithstanding these untoward circumstances, to be making progress; several Hottentots, on whom for some years no impression seemed to be made, now exhibiting evident proofs of genuine conversion. In Lattakoo, pleasing indications of the commencement of the work of civilization, and, we hope, of that of religion in the heart, have lately presented themselves. A visit has been paid to that populous city by the Landdrost, of Graaf Ruscet; and since his return, Mateetbe, the king of that place, has given orders to his Bostschuanna subjects, when they go a hunting, not to hurt the Bushmen, except those who came to take their cattle; and both he, and many of his chiefs, have desired Mr. Hamilton, the missionary resident amongst them, to inform the Landdrost, that in obe dience to his wishes, they have determined to kill no more women or children of that race. In proof of the sincerity of their intention, he relates, that shortly after the visit of this officer, a party of Mateetbe's people went out in pursuit of cattle stolen by some Bushmen, whom they found, but did not kill one of them. They took, indeed, a woman prisoner; and, instead of killing her, as had been their practice in similar cases, they brought her to town; kept her for two days, and then sent her home with several presents. Her tribe, surprised at this unwonted generosity in their deadly enemies, sent word that they would not take any more cattle from the Bostsch

wannas; and, adds the missionary, in concluding this interesting narrative, "we have had peace ever since." Shortly after this occurrence, the king of the Moshows sent to Mateebe, to assist him in making a commandor, a sudden incursion, somewhat resembling the forays of our border chiefs in olden time, upon a nation to the eastward; but he and his captains returned for answer, with one consent, that they had nothing to do with commandors now, as the word of God said it was not good. With such pleasing prospects opening around them, we wonder not that the society, by whose instrumentality these good signs of better things to come have been effected, are anxious to have a permanent and suitable establishment for the superintendance of their missions in Southern Africa, at the Cape; and we, consequently, most cordially approve of their confirmation of a purchase made by Dr. ilip of a spot of land at Cape Town, for the erection of a chapel and mission house; and earnestly do we hope that the appeal which they have made to the extra exertions of Christian liberality to supply the deficiency in the funds necessary for completing the projected erection, occasioned by the prudent limitation by the committee of their building grant to £500., will not be made in vain.

A most important field for missionary exertion has recently been opened at Madagascar. By a treaty concluded there in September of the last year, by Mr. Hastie, the commissioner of governor Farquhar, on behalf of the British government, with Rudama, king of the island, the slave trade, long carried on there to a most frightful extent, has been abolished, we hope, for ever, one of the equivalents for its abolition being an engagement on the part of our government, that twenty of the subjects of the king of Madagascar should be instructed in the most useful arts; ten at the Mauritius, and ten in England—a condition on which Rudama sets a higher value than on all the rest. Mr. Jones, the missionary of the London Society, now resides at the court of Rudama, who expresses, not only the greatest willingness, but the greatest anxiety, to receive into his dominions Protestant missionaries, (for Roman Catholics he has refused permission to come,) to instruct his subjects in the truths of the Christian religion." If your government will instruct my people," said he to Mr. Hastie, "I am theirs for ever." This was a sentiment worthy of a king.

In Western Africa, the most pleasing success still continues to follow the labours of the CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. The negroes give satisfactory evidence of their having received the truth in the love of it, and of its bringing forth the fruits of a holy life. Docile, industrious-watchful of the dealings of Providence--attentive to the instructions of their teachers-fond of their Bibles, frequent in prayer, these new converts to the Gospel shame, by their conduct, many European professors, who must hereafter account for the use of a thousand times their advantages. The excellent governor of Sierra Leone, the benevolent and enlightened Mr. M'Carthy, still continues his patronage and protection to the agents of the society, and to their interesting flock; who will, we trust, be to them and to him a crown of rejoicing in the great day. The schools at the different stations are in a flourishing condition, and the children take great delight in attending them. Native teachers are now engaged in various parts in preaching the Gospel to their countrymen, and they evince great zeal in the service. The Rev. Mr. Johnson, accompanied by one of these teachers, and six native youths in the society's seminary, lately made a tour to the Banana islands, which have just been ceded to the British government by their native chiefs, of the family of the Caulkers, men possessing much superior knowledge, and views so much more enlightened than their fellows, that one of them has translated the book of Genesis, part of the Liturgy, and some hymns, into VOL. III.-No. 6.

II

the Sherboo language. The latter he has taken from the Olney collection, so that some of the pious strains of that venerable servant of God, the late Rev. John Newton, are now sung in their native tongue, by the inhabitants of those very regions in which he once assisted in carrying on the horrid traffic in human blood. The agents of the society in the East are increasingly active in the translation and distribution of the Scriptures. The New Testament is now printing at Surat, in Gujuratee, under the auspices, and with the assistance of the Bombay Bible Society. The Armenian Christians are anxiously endeavouring to supply themselves with the Scriptures in the Armenian, Arabic, and Syrian tongues; one of their archbishops, who has lately visited Bombay, not only gladly and thankfully receiving copies of them for distribution, but encouraging their perusal by the members of his church. Surat exhibited, indeed, the pleasing sight of the archdeacon and priest of that church accompanying one of the members of the Bombay committee of the Bible Society, to the house of the Armenian Christians of the city, to furnish such as were without the Scriptures at least with one copy of the New Testament, with which the Syrian churches in Travancore have also been abundantly supplied in the Syrian tongue; and the archbishop of Etz Mutzenon, on his departure from Bombay, was himself the bearer of others for the use of the Christians scattered through Persia, and the provinces of Turkey.

The missionary spirit is kindled, or we should rather say rekindled, in Switzerland. The anniversary of the BASLE MISSIONARY INSTITUTION, on the 20th of June last, was numerously attended; when the students, at their public examination, gave satisfactory proof of having made great progress in the doctrines of the Christian faith, in the Greek and Hebrew languages, in the Arabic of the Koran, and in English. The public meeting was closed by an affecting appeal from that excellent man, and most devoted Christian minister, La Roche. Four promising young men were afterwards set apart to missionary labours, and are already on their way to the Black Sea; in the countries on whose borders, or in whose neighbourhood, they are to labour; one of them proceeding, however, into the interior of Armenia. A Christian nobleman sent a thousand Swiss francs to the meeting, as a purse for the departing missionaries, as did a farmer of Alsace two hundred.

POLITICAL RETROSPECT.

SINCE the appearance of our last Number, the hand of death has again wrought important changes in our domestic politics. The ex-emperor of France, and the queen of England, are no more :-they have both passed to their great account, and have left behind them but the shadow of a name. If any thing could read a lesson, that must be attended to, on the instability of all human greatness, it surely would have been read in the little interest which the death of Buonaparte excited, not only in this country, but throughout Europe; whose dynasties were once changed at his rodwhose emperors and kings anxiously sought his friendship and alliancewhose armies fled before him-and whose immense population trembled at Yet of him it might almost literally be said, that he died as the dog dieth: an exile, a prisoner, his remains were deposited in one of the wildest spots of the most barren island of the ocean; and if any feeling were excited by his death, it was that of selfish joy at the recollection, that the sum could now be saved, which had for some years been expended on

his name.

keeping him like a lion or a tiger in safe custody. Sic transit gloria mundi! Sic transit, we may again exclaim, as we revert to the sudden removal of the queen of England. In the midst of life we are, indeed, in death;--but a few days since her majesty was asserting with a determination, on which, were she now alive, we should deem it our duty to make some remarks, her right to be crowned as queen consort of these realms; surrounded by all the pomp and splendour of the most gorgeous spectacle, perhaps, that in modern times, at least, the world has seen:-a few days more, and she was a corpse. In her grave we would wish to inter her faults, and deeply do we regret that the spirit of party would not suffer her remains to be transported in peace to the mausoleum of her ancestors at Brunswick, where she wished them to be deposited; but that her funeral procession should have been the cause of bloodshed, and the origin of feuds between the military and the people, which will not soon be allayed. Two individuals have, it appears, been shot by the soldiery; and it is highly proper that a legal inquiry should be instituted into the cause of their death. That inquiry is in progress, and whilst it is so, we should deem it highly indecorous in us to offer any remarks upon the ex-parte statements which have appeared in the papers. From the queen we turn to the king, who was crowned on the 19th of July, with as little interruption to the éclat of the imposing ceremony as, under the then existing circumstances, could have been expected. Shortly afterwards he left London for Dublin, and had nearly reached the latter metropolis, when intelligence of the death of his queen converted his public and triumphal into a private entrance.

Few things could, we conceive, have a greater tendency to confer a lasting benefit upon Ireland, than a visit of the sovereign to its shores, for the first time since England has held the dominion of that country; bearing thither the olive branch of peace, and not the scourge of war. The Irish, therefore, at all times a generous aud an hospitable people, have been enthusiastic in their joy ever since it was announced that his majesty intended to honour their capital with his presence; and they have received him in a manner as gratifying to his feelings, as it has been merited by the anxiety he has evinced to render his stay amongst them, not only a source of pleasure to them for the moment, but permanently beneficial. This has been shown in the encouragement which he has afforded to their native manufactures, but still more strongly in his successful efforts to allay the animosities but too long subsisting between the Protestant and Catholic inhabitants of the country, who have joined heart and hand in giving to their common sovereign a cordial and united welcome to their land. Long, we trust, will harmony reign, where discord has so long held her triumphal sway; and that this may be the case, we would embrace the present moment of friendship, conviviality, and good humour, to urge upon our Protestant brethren the propriety and necessity of abolishing those Orange Lodges, whose processions have uniformly been the signal and the cause of the most lawless disorders, ending but too frequently in the loss of many lives; and of necessity laying the foundation of many a future, and a deadly feud. It is, we conceive, highly creditable to the duke of York, that as soon as he learned the real nature and objects of these institutions, he resolutely and deliberately resigned the office of president, which he had hastily accepted.

The sessions of parliament, brought to a close at a late period of the season, has certainly been an active one; and has embraced some topics of legislation and discussion, to which, though not the most prominently important of its proceedings, the peculiar principles which, as Christians, we advocate, induce us at least slightly to advert. The questions proposed by the bishop of Peterborough (Dr. Marsh) to the clergy of his diocese,