to every man's hand in the world, the word of God, without note or comment. This is a point of great moment, and provides for the unity of those who have been so long separated from each other. It is a bond, which has brought this assembly together; it is a bond in which I see one of the most venerable friends of my country united with the humble individual who to-day addresses you. 'My Lord, I revere this Society for its extraordinary powers. The gift of tongues is no more: it has pleased Almighty Providence to withdraw that special endowment, which was bestowed upon the apostolic church, but is not transmitted to modern times. But, though God has not continued to his church these extraordinary, these supernatural means of preaching the gospel to every creature under heaven, he has, through the medium of your Society, by an almost second miracle, provided an instrument for commu. nicating the knowledge of the gospel to every kingdom and people under heaven; so that every man may read, in his own tongue, the wonderful works of God..... My Lord, I revere this Institution for one reason more: the Bible is a book which speaks to the heart; and when the virtues enjoined in that book, are implanted in the human heart, they become feeling and active virtues. [Here Mr Wood adverted to the pleasing effect of the Bible on the heart of a young Russian, who had become acquainted with its contents, for the first time, in this country.] "May I be permitted for one mo. ment, to consider the great object of this Institution, and the means by which that object is to be obtained? The object to be accomplished, is to enlighten the world. And by what means? Is it by following the ignis fatuus of infidelity? or is it by lighting the taper of reason, at the expiring embers of paganish philosophy? No, nor is it by stealing fire from heaven; for what the sun is in the system of nature, the Bible is in the system of grace. The rays of that sun have shone gloriously upon the world, and the people that sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death light is sprung up and I will add, that that light shall go forth as the morning, and righteousness as the sun in his strength, till the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. I am glad that the Pagan nations have been enlightened; I am happy that the children of Africa have heard the voice of salvation; and I rejoice that the day is ap proaching, when the moral chain shall be broken from the neck of every victim of oppression. I trust that he will live to see that day, who has been the instrument of breaking My chain of tyranny from the neck of the sons of Africa, till he beholds a nation born to God, and the generations of Africa hailing the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Lord, I am happy that the Gospel is gone into other countries; yet I must deplore, that a considerable portion of moral ignorance and moral darkness now overspreads my own. I would not make an unpleasant reflection, or such as might, for a moment, bear on the feelings of modern politics; but, my Lord, I must not hesitate to say, that there is a considerable portion of the vast population of Ireland, to whom the word of this Gospel has never yet come. Why is it that this Gospel has not come to them? O! my Lord, I will not now make the painful inquiry. It is indeed a painful inquiry, and whoever casts his eye over that country must close it while he weeps over it.' Mr Wood then described, in very animated terms, the character of his country, as ardent, generous, and capable of unfolding itself to great advantage, under the means of moral cultivation: he adverted to the benefits already conferred upon Ireland, by the establishment of schools and Bible Societies; and, remark ed that his country had done something for the Institution, alluding to a legacy of three thousand pounds from an Irish lady; and concluded by stating, that he had been called upon to second a Motion of thanks to the worthy Treasurer, and that he should beg leave to do so by presenting to his Lordship L. 1500 as a moiety of that legacy, and hoped, by the next Anniversary, to be able to transmit to the Society L.1500 more. Rev. JOHN OWEN.-' ........... Having been deputed by the Committee of your Society to visit a portion of the Continent, I consider it my duty to bear my public testimony to the friendship, the zeal, and the affection, with which your cause is espoused, and your agents are generally received. The Society may have enemies in France, (she is not without them in England), but certain it is, that they are not to be found among the liberal and enlightened part of her population; and the work which has this day been laid upon your table, and the hands by which it has been deposited, sufficiently prove, that, from the Government of that country, it has nothing like discountenance or hostility to fear. How warmly its object is cherished by Protestant communities, I need not say: but I cannot forbear adducing, as an instance of its approbation by certain Catholics, at least, the memorable language of the Catholic Pro-Vicar General of Constance; when, on taking my leave of this venerable ecclesiastic, I desired to be informed what message I should bear to the Members of the British and Foreign Bible Society, "Tell them," he replied, "we are one." With regard to the character of the Institution itself, whose Fif teenth Anniversary we are this day commemorating, I will not attempt to eulogize it by showing how wise, and excellent, and useful, it appears, under every view in which it can be contemplated. I am willing that the Society should be brought to the tribunal of experience, and be judged by the criterion of facts. "Give her," I would say, " of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her." If this course be adopted, I would contend, that certain points have been ascertained, which establish, in the most unanswerable manner, the claims of the British and Foreign Bible Society to the continued admiration and support of the public. It has been ascertained, beyond the possibility of doubt, or contra diction, that, not only in the world in general, but in Christendom itself, professing, as it does, a faith which is grounded on the record of the Bible, a grievous, I had almost said, a shameful want of that Bible existed the ascertainment of this fact is unquestionably to be ascribed to the investigation promoted by the British and Foreign Bible Society; and, painful as the discovery is, no ordinary thanks, it will be admitted, are due to the instrument by which it was made. It has also been ascertained, that the system of measures concerted and pursued by the British and Foreign Bible Society, is precisely adapted to draw forth the resources, both pecuniary and practical, of those whose duty it was to remedy the evil, and roll away the disgrace of so lamentable a want of the Holy Scriptures. Of these two positions no other evidence need be offered than that which appears on the face of your Report. The Continental Societies bear testimony to both; and, if such evidence as is advanced by the Sovereigns of Europe, with the aid of their highest Dignitaries in church and state, be not deemed conclusive, nothing which I might urge, could be expected to prevail. It has, finally, been ascertained, that the liberal principle on which your Institution is founded, is calculated expressly for the circumstances of those, on whose co-operation its success must instrumentally depend. It was, my Lord, in the moment of an extended and rancorous warfare, that the Bible Society first offered herself to the countenance and friendship of the nations of Christendom. Now, had she appeared before them, with the profession of designing to promote the views and the principles of any particular church, (however deserving of respect and admiration that church might have been), is it credible, that, in such a state of things at least, she would have met with a welcome reception? Nor is there réason to suppose that her reception would have been more flattering, in the crisis which followed, when that warfare had reached its termination. No, it was necessary, that, when the belligerent nations were coming out of this conflict, with all the remainder of those passions which had been kindled by protracted contention; -when they were in the state and the temper of combatants, rather separated by weakness than reconciled by peace, it was surely necessary that an Institution, which professed to unite them in one scheme of comprehensive benevolence, should assume a liberal character, and wear the aspect, and breathe the spirit of benignity, conciliation, and love. 'How far this remark is justified by fact, has appeared, among other things, in the novel and affecting transaction which has fixed your attention this day. The Interpreting Secretary of the King of France, in depositing on the altar of your Society, the first copies of the Turkish New Testament, printed at the Royal Press, and under the avowed protection of the government of that country, has given an honourable and unequivocal proof of its friendship for the object of your Institution. If, starting from this point, you pursue the inquiry along the track which is marked out by the confederate Societies, you will see the Hollander and the Belgian, the Swede and the Dane, exchanging their national jealousy for a spirit of liberal co-operation; and the Rus sian, after spreading the triumphs of the Bible to the shores of the Black Sea, preparing, through the means which you have this day provided, to carry to his natural enemy, the Turk, the gospel of peace. In such a progress towards uniting the nations of the earth in these offices of mutual good.will, we may antici pate the period, (if we do not al ready witness it), when the consecrated hostilities between nation and nation, shall cease to exist, and even French and English shall convey no other meaning than that of Christians and brethren.'... ...... The Hon. and Rev. GERARD NOEL. At the present protracted period of this Meeting, I really should be perfectly ashamed to intrude myself upon your notice, were it not absolutely necessary that the Motion which I hold in my hand should be presented for the adoption of this Meeting: but I can assure you, my Lord and Gentlemen, that, in rising to address a few words, I shall receive the first intimation of your wish, and seal my lips in silence: I feel that I have no claim upon your attention. I cannot, however, avoid giving re-utterance, at least to some of those feelings, with which my heart has swelled during the progress of the pre. sent day. O! my Lord, we have indeed met to hear tidings, which have filled the bosoms of angels with unspeakable joy. We have met to hear of the wonderful works of that God, who, by the instrumentality of this Institution, is diffusing his abundant blessings to a wretched and benighted world. I declare, that, when I consider the sort of feelings elicited from the human heart on these occasions, when I consider the range which this Institution takes through the world, I am ready to look upon this Meeting as a sort of House of Representation for the whole earth, where every nation has its Representative, and among whom we have seen the loved Representative of Africa, who has just left this room. The Motion put into my hands, proposes that the thanks of this Meeting be given to the numerous Auxiliaries in Scotland, &c. Scotland having been noticed, a string has been touched, which vibrates most pleasantly; and I cannot, in justice to that country whence I have lately returned, but give vent to a few of those feelings which my residence there produced. I attend. ed the Meeting of a Bible Society in that very town from whence you have received so many contributions from the beginning,-I mean Glasgow and it was in the very church of that respected friend, in whose house I passed many a happy hour, whose voice not long since, in this very town, delighted the ears, and gladdened the hearts, of thousands who heard him,-I allude to Dr Chalmers: in the church of that respected individual I was witness to the expansion of the same kindred and blessed feelings which have thrilled the bosoms of my fellow countrymen here. And I can bear my testimony that this Institution, wherever it is founded, elicits the same feelings, and produces the same results: binds man to man, and heart to heart, while it binds man to his God and Saviour. I found, during a residence of more than twelve months in Scotland, that a stranger is not a stranger there he has but to touch this string of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and he finds melody in every heart, and a home in every house. It strikes me, my Lord, that these are not the occasions on which we are able particularly to estimate the worth of this Institution. These are days on which so much talent is concentrated, and benevolence evinced, and such triumphant feeling flows through our hearts, that we might almost forget that the world was miserable, and death arresting so many in their march to eternity. If we would know and remember the real worth of this Society, we must go forth from these splendid walls, and take our stand VOL. VI. in the common, alas! too common, scenes of sorrow, which this chequered world produces: yes, my Lord, there are witnesses for this Society in other places than within these walls. Our respected Presi dent, who was, as it were, almost torn from his chamber on this occasion, and compelled to address us in language which went indeed to the inmost recesses of our hearts, adverted to the Divine Being looking down with approbation. But I will tell you of other witnesses, who have never been within these walls, and never heard one accent of English kindness falling upon their ear; there are those in the heavenly land now, who are witnesses for you, because they learned their lessons of penitence, and have now learned their song of high gratulation and adoring praise to that wondrous Be. ing who left the splendours of heaven to tabernacle in this world; they owe all they have to those single copies of the Bible, which came forth unadorned and unknown from the shores of England; they are in the presence of that God who looks upon the heart, and who receives its homage in every country, and in every scale of society. And, if it be true, (as has been calculated), that one immortal being quits its earthly tenement every moment of time, there are now, perhaps, I need not say perhaps, I might say confi dently, there are many gone to swell the number of those witnesses, since we were first assembled within these walls. They are gone to eternity; and I do not hesitate to say, that, whatever peace such souls now enjoy, they owe it to those blessed records that point out the way, the truth, and the life. 'I will hasten, therefore, to the close of my address, and exhort you to go on in the name of the Lord." May his presence be with us, who alone can give effect to his own blessed, word! May we go home, blessing God; not that we have heard the effusions of Christian benevolence; not that we have met so K k ty, 9 under the ladies, and 63 from their local situations had no visitors. The Catholic clergymen who had engaged in this work, it was hoped had done it from the best motives, and the Society had endeavoured to give them no just ground of jealousy; the object of the Society being to instruct the children and the lower classes in reading, to put the Scriptures into their hands, and to leave them to judge for themselves. In order to forward this work, they had printed this year 40,000 spelling books, and purchased nearly 3000 Testaments; besides which .they had received from the British and Foreign Bible Society, the libe. ral donation of 1000 Bibles, and 2000 Testaments in English; 500 Testaments in Irish, and 100 in the Celtic character. In Ireland itself, the Society is in that estimation, that one gentleman having established two schools on his estate, has put them under its care without burdening them with any of its expence; and L.800 had been collected in Ireland itself, last year, toward the expences; notwithstanding which, and the aid of Legacies, Collections and Subscriptions in England, the Society is stated to be still indebted to their Treasurer, (S. Mills, Esq.) no less than L.1342. 15s. 2d. The Right Hon. Lord CALTHORPE could not help feeling the warmest emotions for the prosperity of the Society, after hearing so interesting and impressive a Report. He was persuaded that any one who was acquainted with Ireland, would deplore her destitution of knowledge, and of |