pressed; and where the immortal Bunyan has provoked a smile, by some quaint yet simple pleasantry, the translator has caught the exact meaning, and given a life-like reproduction of the original.' Having had to keep a stock of Kaffir books in his study at Queenstown for the supply of the whole district, the present writer can add his testimony to the continued popularity amongst the natives of this work. Other works were projected which would have been deeply interesting if he had lived to finish them, particularly one, for which he was so peculiarly adapted that it is not likely any other person will be able to complete his unfinished task, namely, a collection of Kaffir fables, legends and proverbs, fragments of Kaffir history, rugged utterances of native bards, the ancient habits and customs of his countymen, and the genealogy of Kaffir chiefs, with striking incidents in their lives. About the time of his removal from the Mgwali, at the suggestion of the British and Foreign Bible Society, a Board of Revisers was formed, consisting of a representative from each denomination labouring amongst the Kaffirs, to prepare a new version of the Kaffir Bible. The existing one was the work of our highly-esteemed Missionary, the late Rev. J. W. Appleyard (assisted by some of his brethren). Tiyo Soga was very naturally appointed the Presbyterian representative on this Board, and if he had been set apart entirely to this work instead of being sent to wear out his frail life in the wilds of Galekaland, the advantage would have been immense. His end came by the time the four Gospels were finished. The New Testament has since been completed and published. How far it is an improvement on Mr. Appleyard's version, the present writer is incompetent to pronounce; but he may state his experience that it was exceedingly difficult to get it into circula tion in the upper districts of Kaffir land. 'Dat no good, massa,' was the remark with which it was invariably greeted by the most intelligent natives at Queenstown. Tiyo Soga expressed the hope that the new version would be pure Kaffir. The Tambookies say that, instead of being pure Kaffir, it is full of Gaika provincialisms; and the present writer has heard very competent authorities pronounce some of its expressions to be slang rather than pure Kaffir. But possibly all this is only an exemplification of the reception which any new version of the Scriptures is likely to have from those who have formed a strong attachment to the old one. It remains for us only to cull from the biography some testimonies which shall serve to present a more vivid portrait of the remarkable man whose career we have so briefly and imperfectly sketched. We are told by one who was a fellow-student at Glasgow University, that his disposition was so affectionate, his manners so agreeable, his judgments so charitable, and his actions so considerate, that his friends might readily enough forget he was a Kaffir, but could not well forget that he was a gentleman.' In connection with his visit to Cape Town, the Rev. W. Thompson, at whose house he stayed, says: 'During the fortnight he was with us, his quiet, unassuming manners, combined with his intelligence and piety, marked him out as a Christian gentleman, differing in nothing but colour from the most cultured and refined of our personal friends.' To the same point, the testimony of a little girl three years old has a value of its own. She was asked, 'Was Mr. Soga a white man?' Her reply was, 'He was black, but he was a gentleman.' Mrs. Brownlee, wife of the late Secretary for Native Affairs, who was closely associated with him during the whole of his residence at the Mgwali, tells us, amongst other in teresting incidents, that An official at the top of the Kaffrarian Executive, and a good judge of men and manners, said, when he heard of a white lady having honoured a Kaffir with her hand and heart, that she showed a strange taste. After seeing the man he did not at all wonder, as any girl might fall in love with Tiyo Soga, adding that "there were few men fit to hold a candle to him." The same lady thus speaks of his power as a Preacher: 'I shall never forget the feeling of pleasure which possessed me when first I heard him preach. The classic English, in wellturned sentences, melodiously flowing from his lips, was indeed surprising; but as the discourse proceeded, and the heart and mind became enthralled, the thought would unconsciously arise: Is this possible?' His biographer says: 'As a friend, a more faithful man never lived. There was an irresistible something about him difficult to define, which drew one closer to him in proportion to the knowledge of his inner life. There was a strange fascination about him, which made one feel that he was a true man, worthy of all love and confidence. He could always be trusted. Although humble and retiring, he exercised an influence over others which can never be lost. The secret of his greatness and goodness, which made him the highest of his countrymen, and the representative man of his race, was that he was a true Christian. The fact showed itself at all times, in conversation, in the tones of his voice, in the gentleness of his nature, in his blameless conduct, in his warm shake of the hand at meeting and on parting, in his hospitality, in his unwillingness to offend, in his home-life, in his contact with men of all grades and colour, in his preaching, in his prayers, in his unwearied labours which taxed to the very utmost the failing strength of his fragile frame. Tiyo Soga was a Kaffir, an educated man, a Missionary, a gentleman; but the one feature of his character which towered far above the rest, and which showed itself in every look and gesture, was that he was a CHRISTIAN.' This man was, in the concluding words of the tablet erected to his memory in his church at the Mgwali, 'A MODEL KAFFIR.' His history strikingly shows the capabilities of his race; for it is a noteworthy fact that he always held the opinion himself that he was intellectually inferior to many of his countrymen, saying that he knew men who, with the same advantages, would have achieved more as scholars than he had done. THE WESLEYAN-METHODIST CONFERENCE, BIRMINGHAM,1879.* THE Conference which has just closed was aptly characterized by both President and ex-President as a 'fine Conference.' Never were debates conducted in a more Christian spirit; never were even mere financial matters discussed more obviously in the fear and love of God; never did business, much of it difficult and delicate, run more smoothly. The public services were seasons of rich spiritual profit; the opportunities afforded for social intercourse were edifying and enjoyable. And no visitation of Providence, like that which saddened its immediate predecessor, cast a gloom over it. It ended happily as it began. We offer a few short notes on its more salient features. It was inevitable that one of the earlier subjects assigned to, or chosen by, the Fernley Lecturer should be Entire Sanctification. Preaching in his own chapel one Sunday evening during Conference, Mr. Dale complained that Methodism had produced. no great treatise on Holiness since John Wesley's Christian Perfection, and expressed his sense of the urgent. need of such a work. The crowded audience that listened to Mr. French's exposition of Life, Light and Love:. the Principles of Holiness, testified that Methodist interest in the subject *We much regret that we have not been able to obtain an article on the Irish Conference this year, from the pen of one who was present.-EDITOR, As the has in no wise decreased. Lecture must be published, it would be premature to criticize it now; an early notice of it will be submitted to our readers. The only election into the 'Hundred' this year was by seniority, and the single vacancy was caused by the retirement of a Supernumerary. The oldest Methodist Preacher might find it difficult to tell how many years it is since death left untouched the entire Legal Conference. At present the' Hundred' consists of sixty-seven Ministers elected on the ground of nomination,' and thirtythree on the ground of seniority.' The nominees, of course, are, as a rule, at the time of election, younger than those who owe their election to 'seniority'; and as now the alternate vacancy is filled by nomination, admission into the Legal Conference will be more rare than heretofore. The Rev. R. M. Willcox has well merited his promotion by fortythree years of faithful service as a Methodist Preacher, and especially by the skill and assiduity which he has evinced as Superintendent of Circuits and Chairman of Districts. The election to the Chair of the Conference of the Editor of this Magazine, by so large a vote, must be taken as a decisive proof of the deep interest felt by the Methodist Ministry in this important department of the Work of God. The Conference Prayer-meeting was marked by as much fervour and simplicity and as rich an effusion of the spirit of grace and of supplications' as any we have ever attended. Though Death has not invaded the Legal Conference, he has, nevertheless, thinned the ranks of the Ministry. From such a roll of 'good men and true,' it is hard to select names for comment; those we perforce pass in silence are no less worthy than those over which we linger to speak a few appreciative words. The first obituary read was that of Richard Tabraham: a man noted for extreme self-denial, who got and saved all he could, that he might give the fruits of his privation to the Church of Christ. His power of personal influence grew as he neared the grave. Next followed the name of William Oliver Booth: in his younger days one of the most eloquent and effective of Methodist Preachers, always a soul-saving evangelist, a prince whose prayer had power with God; for many years a sufferer in whom' patience' had her 'perfect work.' The mention of his name reminds us of his father, John Booth, who was converted under the ministry of John Valton, and who became one of the finest types of oldfashioned Methodism. We are arrested again by the name of Henry Fish, the son of a village schoolmaster in the Doncaster Circuit, and the brother of a Local Preacher of rare power and earnestness. Thirty-two years of enforced silence have caused the present generation almost to forget his fame. But, till his voice failed him, his impassioned rhetoric and strong thought placed him near the front rank of Methodist orators; whilst, better still, the Holy Ghost confirmed his word with signs following. His pen, too, did valuable service to our literature. Now we listen to the memorial of one the date of whose birth carries us back to the later years of John Wesley. William Tranter has left us--the last Methodist Preacher who was contemporary with our founder. The friend of those holy women, Mrs. Fletcher and Lady Maxwell, he caught no small measure of their zeal. Sceptics of the pattern of Sir G. C. Lewis would be compelled to admit that William Tranter had completed his hundredth year. The year's death-roll contains also such names as Andrew Kessenwhose labours in training native Christian schoolmasters and Mis sionary students have yet to be estimated at their full worth; William Davis Tyack-among good men... distinguished for his goodness'; Edward Walker-a genuine Christian gentleman, of dignified, yet easy bearing; and amongst our hopeful rising Ministry, the sweet-spirited and saintly Charles Louis Sutcliffe -a thoroughly able and faithful Methodist Preacher and administrator. In the Missionary Obituary the name of Samuel Hardey claims special notice the scion of a fine old Methodist house, and the elder of two Missionary brothers, as indefatigable as he was meek-mannered, as free from self-assertion as from selfindulgence; and Ferdinando BosioItalian Minister, political prisoner, popish priest, and finally Methodist Preacher; a man of strong mental and moral force, who proved by sacrifices the sincerity of his evangelical convictions. All these were noble, useful men, for whom our Church is devoutly thankful; yet all belonged to the rank and file of the Ministry. Not one had passed the Chair; not one had been elected to the Legal Conference, save on the ground of seniority.' Happy is the Church that is so rich in spiritual power, administrative skill, intellectual wealth and gifts of utterance. The Open Session was occupied chiefly with Ireland, France, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church of America. Mr. W. Guard Price dwelt upon the social difficulties which Irish Methodism has to contend with, and its ever-pressing struggle with Rome. Mr. James Wilson, a former President of the Primitive WesleyanMethodist Conference, told the story of the union between it and the WesleyanMethodist Conference, showing how Providence prepared the way for it. His presence as one of the Representatives to the British Conference proved how real the union is. The necessity of saving every possible shilling pre vented the French Conference appointing one of its own body to visit England. Dr. Punshon, however, had recently inspected French Methodism, and he held a brief for it. Right well did he discharge his commission. The heart of every one that heard him throbbed in sympathy with Pastors and people, worthy successors of the Huguenots and Vaudois, who endure cheerfully for Christ's sake so great poverty and hardship. Timely, too, was his reference to Mr. Gibson's work in Paris. France is preeminently 'the nation of a great city.' Hitherto French Methodism has flourished mainly among the peasantry of the traditionally Protestant South; a successful attack upon the capital would go far to relieve the chronic impecuniosity which almost starves our Gallic Societies to death. The address of the black Bishop, Dr. Campbell, abounded with pathos, humour, and eloquence. He is unquestionably in earnest; a true leader of his long-oppressed race. Emancipation has opened the way for the elevation of the Negro, and it is doubtless wise to encourage the coloured population of the United States in their self-help and independence. Possibly the barriers between the white and the black races may vanish as the latter are uplifted and refined by the Gospel. The Bishop verged on the rather dangerous ground of politics: but the politics were American, not English, and the controversies he referred to have been dead and buried long ago. When he claimed recognition for the Church which he rules as an integral part of the Methodist family, the Conference no less cheerfully than justly allowed it, and we trust that the Revs. W. Arthur and F. W. Macdonald may be able to return the visit which Bishop Campbell has paid to English Methodism. It is only of recent years that the Conference has formally received The deputations from other ecclesiastical bodies. The two of the present year were not inferior in interest and value to any of their predecessors. The first that appeared upon the platform represented the Dissenting Ministers of Birmingham. Birmingham Nonconformity is inseparably associated with the name of R. W. Dale, and it was natural that he should clasp the President's hand as its leader. address which he read bore manifest marks of its origin; it plainly proceeded from Mr. Dale's own pen. In reply, Mr. Arthur spoke weighty words as to the true unity of Christ's Church-all its sections being alike rooted in Him; and Dr. Punshon traced the genealogy of Methodism, so as to illustrate and expand the President's phrase when he said that in himself and Mr. Dale beat the strong pulse of spiritual consanguinity.' Usually speeches from some of the deputation have preceded the replies, but Mr. Dale had not intended to address the Conference. In response to the President's request, however, he delivered a speech as seasonable as it was frank and forceful. Methodism is one of a community of SisterChurches. What is it that those Churches hold us responsible for? Mr. Dale tells us, with much of appreciation and something of warning: First, we are 'in some sort... trustees' of the institution of the Class-meeting. 'Whatever slight modifications,' urged Mr. Dale, may from time to time be necessary in that organization of yours, we do venture to ask, on behalf of the other Evangelical communities of Christendom, that you endeavour to secure it permanently for the Christian world.' And the Pastor of one of the largest Independent Churches in these islands, the successor of John Angell James, lamented the want of such a means of Christian fellowship in his own denomination. Among ourselves in certain quarters weariness of the Class meeting is springing up; and neglect of it is only too common. To permit it to die of inanition would be to break our trust, in the face of Christendom. Second, we are responsible for maintaining in its origi nal prominence 'the doctrine of the Holy Ghost.' Mr. Dale did not in so many words mention the witness of the Spirit, but that doctrine was doubtless in his thoughts. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this, not merely in our theology, but also and principally in our experience. Third, 'the doctrine of Christian perfection and complete sanctif cation is another of the great truths which we hold in trust for Christendom.' Other sections of the Church are now claiming their share in the priceless heritage, let us see to it that we lose neither the truth itself nor the form of sound words which enshrines it. We may recognize in Mr. Dale's utterances the voice of the Churches, calling upon us to be faithful to our past. As the President said, the admonition had fallen from his lips with a force with which no Methodist lips could have uttered it.' God grant that it may be heeded! The deputation from the Methodist New Connexion Conference, the first that has stood upon a WesleyanMethodist Conference platform, suggested the closer relations which the various Methodist bodies are forming with each other. The pleasure of receiving the deputation was heightened by the presence of Dr. Cooke, eminent as theologian, author and Preacher, ever the consistent friend of the parent Methodist body. The old man' proved himself still eloquent." The tone to both the conversations on the State of the Work of God was taken from the fact that the number of members in Society is now less by three thousand two hundred and sixty-four than it was last year. is only right, however, to place by the side of the decrease the return of |