GERMANY-GRAND DUCHY OF BADEN.

Its Religious Condition.-In Baden, the Roman Catholics number more than twothirds of the population, or about 850,000 souls; Protestants 400,000; to which may be added 1000 Maronites, and 21,000 Jews. The upper parts of the country are chiefly inhabited by the Roman Catholics, while the other religious confessions are found lower down in the districts opposite Basle. In the cities of Carlsruhe, Manheim, and Heidelberg, the sects are about equal. About twenty years ago, all true belief seemed to be extinguished in the country. An empty love of the creature, or general belief in the being of a God, without reliance on Christ as a Redeemer -without the comfort of reconciliation through the blood of the Lamb - was preached from every pulpit. Some old ministers, indeed, remained faithful to the truth; but they died away. The light and life of christianity were again introduced into Baden by several students who enjoyed the privilege of listening to the instructions of Tholuck in Halle, and Neander in Berlin. The Lord, meanwhile, was preparing other helps for the protestants of old Baden, and, indeed, in a very wonderful manner. A popish priest appears to have been the first awakened, namely, Hernhöfer, of Mühlhusen, near Pfortzheim, where the faith had many adherents. He was brought to the knowledge of the truth through a disciple of Seiler. Afterwards, by conversing with the christians of Wirtemberg, he was led to study the bible, and to read the works of Luther, Arndt, and others. At first, Hernhöfer stood alone, but soon a legion of brethren was gathered around him, so that in 1830 he dared to protest against the catechism of the Union, which contains no acknowledgment of the divinity of Christ, nor any declaration of the doctrines of reconciliation by the blood of Jesus, or justification by faith. Seven preachers afterwards followed Hernhöfer in his work of faith, three of whom were brought to the knowledge of the Saviour by his own instrumentality,-the Rationalist Käsz, the Hegelianer Ditz, and the Vicar Hager. Through the instrumentality of Ditz, a youthful but energetic preacher, named Haag, was brought to the faith, and immediately connected himself with Hernhöfer; also another vicar, named Frommel. The last of the seven is K. Mann, who was awakened to his sinful condition by his mother. Since the death of Kasz, he is the editor of a paper called "The Kingdom of God.' It soon became apparent that the cause of the Redeemer

was growing among the people. A few of the nobility connected themselves with it. 'We have also,' says the correspondent of Evangelical Christendom, crowds of believing souls, who edify themselves in brotherly assemblies. Also a number of ministers who expound the gospel in spirit and in truth. Finally, there are many teachers faithfully serving the Lord, who are all uniting themselves to seek the means of grace and truth, to leaven the lump of the people, and to lead them to give up the false notions of freedom they have entertained, for the liberty that is in Christ.'

SWITZERLAND-CANTON DE VAUD.

New cases of persecution.-At Cottens, in the district of Cossonay, a religious meeting was dissolved, and both the minister officiating and the proprietor of the house were summoned before the tribunal. At Lussy, a meeting held by the pastor M. de Beausobre, was also dissolved. At Vallierent, the populace, excited, no doubt, by some person of influence, surrounded the quiet residence into which they had seen a minister enter, uttering loud cries and menaces, and not before midnight could tranquillity be restored, or the people persuaded to return to their homes. At Lovatteus, whither the pastor, M. Germond, had repaired, in order to introduce as his successor, in the midst of the little flock which he had gathered during the period of his exile, his own son, M. Henri Germond, settled at St Etienne, in France; the service had commenced, when the agent of police entered the house, and commanded that those assembled should disperse in compliance with the order of the Council of State. Thus this youthful pastor, who had entered the ministry since the formation of the Free Church, and who has left a flock who were much attached to him, in order to devote his energies to the evangelisation of his native country, has been met by persecution on his return to the midst of his countrymen. But he is not discouraged. It is but a seal of the divine approbation given to the ministry of my brother,' said the sister of M. Henri Germond, who, possessing remarkable piety and intelligence, has devoted herself to the work of a deaconess in the establishment founded by her father. M. Germand is now returned to Echallens, where he has been enabled to re-open, without opposition, the Deaconess Institution.

ASIA-INDIA.

New converts from heathenism admitted into the christian church.-In a letter from

Dr Wilson of Bombay, addressed to the convener of the Free Church Missions to India, he records the baptism of a Hindu woman, aged twenty-four years, in the mission chapel at Puna. Before the administration of the ordinance, Dr Wilson stated that she had been brought to his notice at Bombay, after his return to India, by one of the converts there, Bapu Mazda, as a distant relation of his own, who desired to be educated and instructed in the faith of Christ. In a letter from the Rev. Joseph Taylor of Belgaum, we have, in addition to the above, an account of the baptism of a young Hindu gentleman, Sabhapati, and his wife, 'The individuals baptised,' says Mr Taylor, are Sabhapati, about twenty-two years of age, belonging to a respectable family at Madras, and his wife Amani, about fifteen years, the eldest daughter of Mutu Kumarin Mudliar, a resident of this place.' 'Sabhapati, and his father-in-law,' says Dr Wilson, 'stayed with me for some weeks in Bombay, at the commencement of this year, and we were all much pleased with them. Mutu is, as far as I know, the first wealthy Hindu, not a christian, who has permitted his offspring and connections to embrace our holy faith without persecution.'

AFRICA-OLD CALABAR.

The Ten Commandments in Efik.—A chief man of the Qua people, whom I have occasionally seen at service, came up to the mission house with his followers. He could speak no English, but I asked him if he understood Efik, and heard all I spoke in the king's yard. He said he did, upon which I read to him the ten commandments in Efik which we have got printed, and he was soon able to repeat the short ones. I gave him a copy, told him to put it up in his house, and tell it to all his neighbours, which he promised to do. Pointing out to him the commandment which forbids the worship of anything but God, he said he did pray to God, using plate and water. I replied, God did not wish us to take plate and water, but to pray to him with our hearts. Young Eyo came up in the evening. I had given him a few copies of the commandments to read and distribute in the town, and inquired whether he had done so.

He

said he had. I told him to be careful to read them to any one wishing a copy to put up in his house, as those who did not know the letters could not of course read them. O yes,' he said, 'I see some men that don't know letters sabby read them,' from which it appears they have committed them to memory. 4 Some,' he said, 'make

fool of them.' He mentioned, in the course of conversation, traditions, faint and perverted, of the Trinity, which exist among the Calabar people. Some people place three plates on what is called Isu Abasse, a small mound made in the yard of every house with a tree planted in it, at which, on a certain day of the week, they pay their devotions to Abasse. One of these they call Obut Abasse, God the Creator; another, Abasse, and the name of the third he had forgot. In their Inkas, too, he said, they spoke of Ebum Abasse, God the Suppreme; Abasse Ebum, the Great God, and Ekpongyong, the Son of God.

KAFFIRLAND.

Some details of the Free Church Mission, -In a letter from the Rev. James Laing, addressed to the Rev. Dr Macfarlane of Renfrew, we are furnished with some details respecting this portion of the mission field, 'In our small native church,' he says, 'there are forty-four members, besides baptised children. Nineteen of these are Fingoes, the rest are Kaffirs, except three, who are partly of Hottentot extraction. It is satisfactory to be able to state that the church members exhibit great steadiness of conduct, so that very seldom any of them require to be brought under discipline. But while we say this, and rejoice to say it, we must at the same time allow with regret that there is a want of spirituality about the most of them, and that their growth in grace is slow, if at all perceptible. There are nineteen candidates for baptism at this place. Four of these were only re ceived to-day. Of these candidates, fourteen are Fingoes, and five are Kaffirs. Few men, comparatively, have been among the number of those who wish to be called by the name of Christ; but to-day two of the inquirers are males. Two of them are husband and wife, and the remaining female is the wife of a promising character already in the church.'

AMERICA.

The American and Foreign Christian Union.-The American Protestant Society,' the Foreign Evangelical Society, and the Christian Alliance societies, which contemplated substantially the same objects, have given place to a more comprehensive union under the above title. In an address to the christian public, the fields of labour, home and foreign, which the Union intends to occupy, are indicated and described. 'At home its chief object will be the evangelisation of the Roman Catholic population, and especially that portion of it which

is of foreign origin. And here it will have a great field. Last year, emigration from Europe to our shores was about a quarter of a million; this year it bids fair to go be yond three hundred thousand. What proportion of this vast addition to our population is Roman Catholic, it is not possible to say with precision. It is certain that at least four-fifths of those who come from the British Isles (almost the whole being from Ireland) are followers of Rome. On the other hand, whilst it is probable that more than half of those who come from the continent are Protestants, there is a very large portion that is Papal. Taking the most favourable estimate we may, there is an immense and rapidly-increasing population of a foreign origin among us that is Roman Catholic. It is chiefly for this class of our fellow-citizens that this society proposes to labour, so far as our own country is concerned.'

'And as to the world abroad, the field of its labours is immense. Almost everywhere the great question of freedom of conscience and of worship is to be discussed. And who have a better claim to be heard on this subject than our American churches? And as to the work of evangelisation-in Europe there are France and Belgium, embracing more than 40,000,000 of souls, and both countries are open to our efforts to impart the pure gospel. So is Germany, and to a great extent the empire of Austria, whose united papal population exceeds 40,000,000 more. There are Russia and Poland, containing 7,500,000 of Roman Catholics, and 46,000,000 of followers of the Greek Church. There are Spain and Portugal, having a population of 20,000,000, among whom something may be done to circulate God's word. There is Italy, with its population of 22,000,000, on whose neck the "man of sin" has for centuries had his iron heel, but to many of whom. the "truth," which "maketh free," has now access. And there, too, is poor Ireland, with her 7,000,000 of devoted followers of Rome, to whom American christians may and ought to do much in the way of imparting the gospel.

On our own hemisphere, the society will find much to do in Canada and Mexico, countries which border these United States on the north and on the south, and with which we are destined to maintain most intimate relatives for good or for evil. And there is Hayti, now open to judicious efforts; and the day is probably not far distant, when the other islands of the West Indian archipelago, that are now under the dominion of the Papacy, will also be accessi.

ble. And, finally, there is South America, in which much can be done, especially in the seaports, to introduce the gospel,but where, alas! the churches of our country have done almost nothing.'

THE JEWS IN EUROPE.

An interesting paper, entitled 'Statement regarding the present condition of the Jews in Europe, and the necessity of adequate measures being adopted for their christianisation in the crisis which has appeared in their history,' was read by the Rev. Mr Smith, to the committee of the Free Church for the conversion of the Jews. We select from it the following extracts:

The condition of the Jews may be viewed, first, in relation to their ancient faith; secondly, in relation to christianity; and lastly, in relation to professedly christian nations.

In the first aspect, as seen more especially in Germany, we find them in four different stages:

1st, A considerable number of the older Jews are still strict Talmudists. They are so, however, less from conviction than because they perceive the necessary consequences of deserting the old foundation. The link which binds them to Talmudism is purely of a negative character. They adhere to it not from love to that system, but from dread of a worse. If they leave traditionary ground, they know of no evidence strong enough to arrest them on this side of infidelity. Their state, therefore, may be summed up in this aphorism, that something is better than nothing, and authority is better than no ground at all.

2d, A second class of Jews having thrown off the Talmud, endeavour, perhaps vainly, yet earnestly, to find a resting-place in the Old Testament. Having left their old moorings, they endeavour to let down their anchor there; and, if it fixed, nothing would please them more. But, missing the right interpretation of the Old Testament, they can get no sure bottom. They are thus driven along, whether they will or not, by the spirit of the times. Still this is a promising class, and if taken in time, a rich harvest might be reaped among them. It is the display of the divine character in the Old Testament which fixes and attracts their regard. They can find no sufficient proof of the absolute truth of the messages of the prophets; yet they are not insensible to the wondrous holiness which breathes through the book, nor to the overflowings of divine compassion which it everywhere presents.

3d, A third class, far more numerous