up during the last century, it is curious to remark in what period "Let us not then shrink from our pursuit; let us be convinced that, in diffusing the Scriptures, we consult not merely the passing gratification of a moment, but the deepest, the most permanent, and the most comprehensive interests of human nature." The Hon. CHARLES SHORE, Son of the President.-"What intervenes to damp those feelings of joy with which we are inspired -to stifle those ardent hopes which have pervaded this Assembly? Must we listen to the prophetic bodings of those who proclaim, that, at some future period, this Institution must decline and fall? My Lord, if these events take place, they must be produced by the operation, either of external, or of internal causes. The external cause resolves itself wholly, as far as I can perceive, into the opposition which the Society is likely to encounter. Of this we hear, it is true, in particular districts; but upon an occasion like the present, our views must extend much further than to partial and temporary effects; we must adopt a scale of measurement corresponding with your Institution in magnitude and grandeur according to this criterion, the only opposition which appears to me at all worthy of being thrown into the opposite scale to that which contains the amount of your successes, is that which nature has provided in the pathless desert,-the impervious forest, the icy mountain, and the frozen sea;-opposition with which industry and civilization have in vain contended, and by which the march of discovery itself has been arrested; and I express with confidence the hope, that wherever discovery shall transgress those vast primeval limits with which nature. seems to have circumscribed the sphere of civilized society, this Institution will be foremost in its train to dispense the light of revelation to the new regions which may thus, in a manner, be summoned into existence. But, perhaps, artificial, unaided by physical causes, may produce the predicted catastrophe: it may be brought about by the instrumentality of the powers and principalities of the earth :-I admit that it may. But so widely has the Society spread, and so deeply have its roots struck, that I must at least expect a counter-admission, that the event cannot occur, till a sort of universal crusade (forgive the perversion of the 1 term) is proclaimed against it; a crusade in which the cross of Christ, the crescent of Mahomet, and all the various symbols of diversified idolatry, shall have met in barbarous and unnatural conjunction; an event scarcely less to be expected, than that light should become associated with darkness. "But is the Bible Society destined to decline, from the operation of internal causes,-from the action of some internal principle of decay, which these prophets (false may they prove!) pretend to have detected? Present appearances, assuredly, portend not any such event. The Institution, it is true, may have remained stationary in countries which have attained to, or fallen from, the climax of empire and prosperity; but in others which are rising in the scale, its progress has been rapid, and irresisti ble. If it has felt something of the paralyzing influence of that deadly calm, and fatal slumber, in which the states of Spain and Italy, once lordly and triumphant, now repose; I see it sailing down that stream of power and population which imparts life and fertility, under the auspices of the Russian monarch, to the deserts of Siberia, or the perambulations of the Tartar; and, under the fostering sway of other dynasties, to the unmeasured regions of the western world. If even Great Britain should decline, (and no event appears more distant or improbable) this Society would not share its fallen fortunes its independence on local support is now established; religion is now so generally dif fused, that other states will arise to prolong the bright succession, and to occupy that central station from whence, at present, this kingdom dispenses light and glory to the social system. The ruling planet must eventually wane, because its light is only borrowed, and must return to the source from whence it emanated : it will wane, but it will be before the dawn of that brighter day on which the Sun of promise shall pour the full stream of his essential splendour." (To be continued.) MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. INDIA. Mr. Knill, in a letter to a gentleman in India, dated 4th Jan. 1819, says, Since my return from Quilon I have been much with the people, halting for two or three days at a place the great numbers of people who attended, and the seriousness with which they listened to the gospel, with the simple unadorned conversation of many, have proved highly gratifying to my mind. With the full concurrence of Mr. Mead, I have established five new schools, in places where new christians dwell. The people will meet in these schools every evening, when the mas ter is to read a chapter, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, &c. the Catechist to attend once a-week, and give them a sermon; thus we hope the light of the gospel will gradually enter into every village, and make the darkness flee before it. Some of the old schools have made a pleasing progress. At Tamaracoolum the boys repeated to me more than 1100 verses of the Bible; the Pittalum boys, 878. They received small rewards. 'On New Year's day I had the felicity to lay the foundation stone of the new church. May the building rise under the auspices of heaven! On the same day I agreed with a man to superintend a weaving concern-the profits to be appropriated to the erection and repairs of churches-also bargained with a person for a flock of sheep, the profits to assist in the support of schools. I have laid down a plan by which, if it succeed, we shall have more than thirty schools or nurseries, belonging to this mission by the end of the year. 'It was 'I forgot to mention to you just now what I think will be very gratifying to you :-When I was conversing with the people at Tamaracoolum, on the importance of being prepared to die, one man said, My father was prepared.' By what means? Through the merits of my Saviour' Did he live a good life? Yes, after he knew the good way.' Who made him good? God.' Did your father say much when he was dying? sentence I remember.' What? He said, O Jesus receive my spirit! I cannot describe what I felt when the poor creature told me this-and if we compare the dying expression of this man with the last verse of the Epistle of James, we shall see that the mission was not established in vain. 6 'One 'One night when I was catechising, I asked who was your former master? The Devil.' Is he a good master? Far from it.' Do you like his service? No, we like Christ's service.' Is it good to be engaged in the service of God? One of them very promptly answered, Yes, it is good-a day in thy courts is better than a thousand,' alluding to Psalm lxxxiv. 10. It was a lad from Mailady, about fifteen years old. Thus the sacred Scriptures are treasured up in his memory, and may prove a waymark in the road to life. 'Another evening, when conversing with the people at Nagracoil, a man said, I frequently beat my Sawmee when matters did not go well with me, but it was very foolish; the idol could not do me good or hurt.' No, said I, it is true; what have you done with your idol now? O, said he, I have beaten it in pieces, and God shall bruise Satan under our feet shortly; adopting the exact language of the Saviour. 'I know that some people would laugh at these sayings; but I confess they did me more good than thousands of gold or silver; and it is only from things similar to this, that missionaries must VOL. VI. 3 A look for comfort and delight. It is in this way that Christ shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied.' Isaiah, liii. 11.' MISSION COLLEGE AT CALCUTTA. The Bishop of Calcutta has lately addressed the Society for propagating the gospel in foreign parts, informing them that the sum of 5,000l. voted by that society for the promotion of christianity in India, would be applied by his lordship towards the erection of a mission college in Calcutta. On the receipt of this letter the society for promoting christian knowledge, in Bartlett's buildings, immediately voted 5,000l. more towards the intended college, and the Church Missionary Society has just made a grant of 5,000l. in addition for the same object. Thus no less a sum than 15,000l. has been voted by three societies, in connexion with the established church, for the great object of promoting christianity throughout British India. MADRAS. Mr. Loveless, in a letter dated Jan. 21, 1819, says, 'I have now to record with peculiar joy and thankfulness, the safe arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Traveller, on the 19th instant, in perfect health. They came at a time when they were much needed, and afforded a most seasonable relief to my mind, as I began to contemplate the expected return of Mr. Pritchett to Vizagapatam, with a heavy heart. es, "The female English free-school, in our chapel-garden increasand promises great usefulness, but requires much more attention than Mrs. Loveless is able to give it. We trust Mrs. Traveller will find it a field of much usefulness; for females in this country are in a most wretched state of moral degradation. We received a letter from our dear brother Knill yesterday, and rejoice to hear that he has completely recovered his health, and with brother Mead is labouring with the most pleasing prospects of usefulness. 'You will also rejoice to hear that a religious tract society has at length been established at Madras. 'The native schools promise to be highly beneficial. The natives discover an increasing disposition to send their children to schools in which christian principles are professedly taught. We have had an application lately for two new schools, near a village, in which we have had a school for several months. The use of the ground has been obtained gratis, and we opened them a few days ago. We have likewise had an application from some natives to establish a Female Native School-a rare thing in India! 'Our Bible Association has furnished a great number of the children with Bibles: and many of the boys have attained a very considerable knowledge of its sacred contents.' CANTON. Dr. Morrison, in a letter dated Jan. 24, 1819, expresses the high degree of satisfaction and delight which he felt on receiving from Malacca, a specimen of a Commentary on the New-Testament by Mr. Milne, elegantly printed, and a sermon in the Chinese language, by Mr. Medhurst. Gospel light,' says Dr. M. 'is rising in the east, glorious and exhilirating as the sun shedding his beams in the morning to illumine the earth.'-'The Chinese are a reading people, and God is providing for them books full of Christian truth.-O, that he may hasten the work still more! O that this nation may in a short time be turned from idols, and rescued from the slavery of Satan.' SURAT. Mr. Fyvie writes (20th Nov. 1818) that within the last twelve months he has distributed, principally among the soldiers, above 2,500 religious tracts, in English, which were, in all instances, thankfully received, and in several, he hopes, very useful. He mentions also some little books, such as Baxter's Call, Alleine's Alarm, Doddridge's Rise, Watt's Hymns, &c. &c. which had been sent him from London, which he has dispersed; and he says, missionaries stationed where Europeans reside ought never to be without such books; and I flatter myself that were the call which exists for such books in India made generally known among good people in England, they would soon put it into our power to be extremely useful in this way. "The Mahomedans in this place appear to be mostly infidels. We are distributing Mr. Martyn's Persian New-Testament among them, which is greatly admired for its important contents. They exclaim-'It is all true! it is all true!-every word is most excellent!' I trust it will do much good among the people. Many, since reading it, appear desirous of instruction.' AFRICA. Extract of a Letter received from the Rev. Mr. Philip, dated Cape Town, 10th March, 1819. 'The Caffre war still continues to rage. The following is an extract of a letter from Rev. Mr. Ulbricht.—It is impossible for me to describe the condition we are in. I can only state a few particulars. Nearly 800 head of cattle are taken from Theopo |