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SOCIETY.

The Society in their last Report, after a variety of observations connected with the nature of their institution, proceed to the following statement respecting the funds.

semination of Christian Knowledge. CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRACT The plan and exertions of Dr. John had awakened their attention; and had, at the same time, strongly impressed the Board in America. The Board, in consequence, gave a wide circulation to the statements of Dr. John; and opened a Special Fund for the instruction of heathen children and youth. By the last accounts, the schools had increased to twelve, and the children to between 700 and 800. In Ceylon, also, the American Missionaries are establishing schools.

Wesleyan Missions.

In Ceylon, the Wesleyau Missionaries are carrying on schools on an extensive scale. Soon after their arrival, in 1814, they received an intimation that the Government wished them to pay particular attention to Native Education. They immediately engaged in this work with zeal; and on the anniversary of his Majesty's birth-day, in 1815, opened at Colombo, with 250 children and twenty gratuitous teachers, the first Sunday school established in that quarter of the world.

The Missionaries have since extended their day and Sunday schools into all the parts of the island occupied by them. The last return of the scholars, was 3800; and, of these, 300 were girls.

Hindoo College at Calcutta.

In our volume for 1817, p. 686, we gave some account of this remarkable institution-projected, superintended, and supported by Hindoos themselves, for the education of their own sons in the English and Indian Languages, and in the Literature and Science of Europe and Asia. This institution will probably prove a powerful means of enlight ening the minds of the natives.

Calcuttu School-book Society. The objects of this Society, which was formed for the purpose of assisting the operations of all other institutions engaged in native education, are the preparation, publication, and cheap or gratuitous supply of works useful in schools and seminaries of learning.

The Society is vigorously proceeding in the preparation of elementary tables and books, in Bengalee, Hindoostanee, Persian, Arabic,Sanscrit, and English. Though the labours of the Society assume an humble appearance, yet, considering the remote consequences of promoting education in so many languages, they are of no slight importance.

At the last anniversary, the Com mittee adverted in a particular manner to the debt which they had been under the necessity of contracting in order to lay in a stock of tracts, sufficient to answer the demands which are coutinually made from various quarters of our own land, and which were also then beginping to be made from distant countries. Since that period, two life-subscriptions of 101. each, and several smaller donations, have been added to the funds of the Society; a considerable number of new names, and in particular of country clergymen, has increased the list of their annual subscribers; in addition to which they have received donations from several public charities of a similar description to their own in testimony of cordial approbation of their object. Their corresponding members at Oxford. Nottingham, Leicester, Rugby, and other places, have raised considerable subscriptions by their exertions. And, lastly, they report, that the proceeds of tracts, disposed of this year at their depositories in Bristol and London, are greater than those of any preceding year since the commencement of their institution.

This increase of their funds has ena. bled the Society to liquidate a moiety of the debt, which remained from the former year; but though the funds have been enlarged, the demands upon them have also been extended in almost a proportionate degree.

In consequence of the debt which the Society had contracted, they had refrained in a great measure from proceeding in the publication of new tracts. But as their resources increased, they have been enabled to proceed as usual; and have added to their list of publica tions five new English tracts, namely, four of the larger series, and one of the smaller kind for children and Sundayschools: and also translations of four of their tracts into the Welsh language. The new tracts in the larger series are the following:

52. An Address to the Members of the Church of England on the Duty of studying the Bible.

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53. Some Account of the Life and Martyrdom of the Rev. John Bradford, Prebendary of St. Paul's, London, and Chaplain to King Edward VI., who was burnt in Smithfield on the 1st day of July, 1555.

51. A Selection from the New Version of the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer, with an Index, in which they are arranged for the Sundays and other holidays throughout the year.

55. The Trinity in Unity: a Discourse delivered in the Cathedral Church of Canterbury, on Trinity Sunday, 1786, by the Right Rev. George Horne, D.D. late Lord Bishop of Norwich.

56. In the Press:-Some Account of the Life and Martyrdom of the Right Reverend Dr. Farrar, Lord Bishop of St. David's, who was burnt at Carmarthen, on Saturday, the 30th day of March, 1555.

Tract for Children and Sunday Schools. 6. The Festivals of the United Church of England and Ireland, or a short and plain Explanation of her Services for those occasions.

Welch Tracts.

1. The Life of Rev. William Tyndal. 2. The Churchman instructed in the Book of Common Prayer.

3. Preparation for Death, or the Churchman on a Sick-bed.

4. The Sum of the whole Scripture of the Old and New Testaments.

The Committee have re-printed, during the last year, large editions of Nos. 26, 30, 37, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52, of which last tract, entitled "An Address to the Members of the Church of England, on the Duty of Studying the Bible," a second edition has been called for and printed during the first year of its publication.

The total number which have been published, during the last year, is ninetyone thousand; the greater part of which consist of those that have been reprinted, and which are more particularly illustrative of the History, Constitution, and Discipline of the Established Church.

But it is not alone to those members of the Church of England, who live within the borders of our own shores,that the Society limit their attention. They reported, on a former occasion, the communications which have taken place between them and their correspondents at Boston and Columbo. They now add, that their attention has been attracted to the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, and CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 209.

the Isle of Man. It was in the contemplation of the Committee to publish some of their tracts in the French language, for the use of the poorer members of the Established Church in the two former islands: and, for this purpose, a faithful translation was obtained of Number xxvi. (" Preparation for Death, or the Churchman on a Sick-bed"), and was revised and prepared for the press. But having been subsequently informed, that the Society's publications had already found their way to one, at least, of these islands, and were already in circulation there, in French; they have declined to proceed in their intentions, till they can obtain more explicit information on the subject.

Specimens of the Welch and English tracts have been sent to the Isle of Man, and received with the most cordial approbation; and upon the solicitation of the Rev.Mr. Stowel, a clergyman of the island, a sum of money was voted to enable him to publish, in the Manks language, an edition of 2000 copies of the tract just referred to. (No. xxvi.)

The present stock of tracts at the depository in Bristol is 257, 358; and in the hands of agents, 127,851; the net value of which stock is estimated at 8001.

The donations of the Society have been but few in number, amounting only to 2746 tracts, and the reasons which have influenced the Committee in refraining from any larger donations, have been similar to those which were assigned in the last Report; "They did not think themselves at liberty to make large grants for gratuitous distribution, while the Society remained in debt." Of the few which have been thus disposed of, the Committee have received such pleasing acknowledgments, as to make it a subject of regret, that it was not in their power, or at least, within their limits of economy, to be more liberal of the stock of the Society. Some of the tracts in question, were sent to the Rev. Samuel Andrews, a missionary under the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, stationed at New Brunswick in North America; who remarks in reply "I think no society is more wisely calculated to lead the ignorant and thoughtless to consider and repent, and.. to give the pure religion of Jesus Christ a wider spread, than the Church of England Tract Society; especially amongst the middle and lower ranks of the community,"

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Another portion of the Society's tracts was given to the Rev. Richard Hill, for distribution amongst the convicts on their passage to New South Wales.

The Society have issued during the year, by donations, 2746 tracts; by copies sent with the Report to the Subscribers, 1808; and by sale, 118,858: making in the whole a total of one hundred and twenty-three thousand eight hundred and twelve, which exceeds the circulation of the last year, by the number of 39,016 tracts.

The Committee proceed to lament with much feeling, the loss of two highly valued friends, the Rev. John Sangar, and the Rev. Thomas Simpson. The former was one of the Secretaries of the Society from its commencement, and both had greatly promoted its benevolent objects.

FOR

SOCIETY PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. (KING's LETTER) The following is a copy of the King's Letter, authorizing contribu tions throughout the kingdom in aid of the Society for Propagating the Gospel. In the name and on the behalf of his Majesty,

GEORGE, P.R.

Most Reverend Father in God, our right trusty and right entirely beloved Councillor, We greet you well: Whereas the incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts have, by their Petition, humbly represented unto Us, That King William the Third, of glorious memory, was graciously pleased to erect the said Corporation by Letters Patent, bearing date the 16th day of June 1701, for the receiv ing, managing, and disposing of the charity of such of his loving subjects as should be induced to contribute towards the maintenance of an Orthodox Clergy, and the making such other provision as might be necessary for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

That the very great expenses necessarily attending that good work having frequently much exceeded the income of the Society, they have been obliged at several times, to make humble applications to our Royal Predecessors:-to her Majesty Queen Anne, in the years 1711 and 1714-to his Mujesty King George the First, in the Year 1718-in 1741 and 1751 to his Majesty King George the Second, our royal grandfather-and to ourselves in the year 1779, for permission to make public collections of charity; which applications were most graciously received, and permissions granted for the purposes aforesaid, by which means the Society was enabled to carry on the good designs for which they were incorporated.

That during the period of forty years, which have elapsed since their last applica tion, the funds of the Society have been faithfully expended in promoting the erection of Churches and Schools-in dispersbooks of devotion-in supporting and maining Bibles and Prayer-books, with other taining, within our provinces of North America and elsewhere, a constant succession of Missionaries, Catechists, and Schoolmasters, by whose means the comfort and benefit of pastoral care and instruction, of public prayer, and preaching of God's word, and the due administration of the holy sacraments, have been secured to many of our subjects in those parts, and many thousands of Indians and Negroes have been instructed and baptized in the true faith of Christ.

That induced by a variety of favourable circumstances, the Society are desirous of extending the range of their labours and of using their utmost endeavours to diffuse the light of the Gospel, and permanently to establish the Christian Faith, in such parts of the continent aud islands of Asia as are under our protection and authority; but that, owing to the state of their funds, which are altogether unequal to the expenses of such an undertaking, they are unable, without further assistance from our good subjects, to proceed in the execution of their designs: the Society, therefore, confiding in our great zeal for our holy religion, and our known affection to all our subjects, most humbly pray, that we would be most graci ously pleased to grant them our Royal Letters, directed to the Lords Archbishops of our kingdom, for a general collection of charity within their several provinces, for the good uses of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; we taking the same into our royal consideration, and being always ready to give the best encouragement and countenance to undertakings which tend so much to the promoting true piety and our holy religion, are graciously pleased to condescend to their requests, and do hereby direct you, that these our letters be communicated to the several suffragan Bishops within your province, expressly requiring them to take care that publication be made hereof on such Sundays and in such places within their respective dioceses, as the said Bishops shall appoint; and that upon this occasion the Ministers in each parish do effectually excite their parishioners to a liberal contribution, whose benevolence towards carrying on the said charitable work shall be collected in the church immediately after Divine Service, and in the course of the week following, at the dwellings of the several inhabitants, by the Churchwardens and Overseers of the poor, assisted as far as may be, by the Minister and such other respectable inhabitants as may be prevailed upon to attend for that purpose: and the Ministers of the several parishes are to cause the sums so collected to be paid immediately to the Treasurer or

Treasurers for the time being of the said Society, to be accounted for by him or them to the Society, and applied to the carrying on and promoting the above mentioned good designs; and so we bid you very heartily

farewell.

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MERCHANT SEAMAN'S AUXILI-
ARY BIBLE SOCIETY.

In our Number for January (p. 58) we gave a statement of the number of merchant ships visited at Gravesend by the Society's agent, and of the Bibles and Testaments sold and otherwise distributed among the crews. These numbers, as we learn from the First Report of the Society just published, have since greatly increased; namely, during the preceding fifty-one weeks, up to Feb. 17, 1819, the vessels visited and sup plied were 1681, having on board 24,765 men, of whom 21,671 are reported as able to read; the Bibles and Testaments gratuitously furnished, were 5773; be sides 597 copies sold to individual seamen at prime cost. It is most gratifying to find that, with very few exceptions indeed, the visits of the Society's agent have been courteously and even grate fully received.

We earnestly hope the publication of this very interesting Report will awaken a wider sympathy for this most useful institution, the funds of which are hitherto not only quite inadequate to its extensive and important objects, but so very scanty as to have involved the conductors in a heavy pecuniary respon. sibility in the discharge of their duties. We rejoice to find that Liverpool has already imitated the example of London in forming a Marine Bible Society; that the Bible Societies of Bishops-Wearmouth and Sunderland have adopted similar measures; and that other outports may be expected to come forward in this excellent design, as soon as its benefits are more extensively known.

A few extracts from Lieut. Cox's report will furnish a sample of the proceedings of the Society, and of the bene. fits likely to result from its operations.

"The seamen on board the Spanish ship, No. 528, hardly knew how to be thankful enough for the two Testaments

I left for their use; thanking me a thou-
sand times in Spanish and broken En-
glish, not only while I was on board with
in the boat."
them, but when I was at some distance

"A very poor, but clean, and apparently thoughtful, boy, came to my office in the evening; said he belonged to a fishing smack, which was, at that time, at sea; that he was about to take his passage by No. 602, a vessel in the same employ, to join the Victory; and that, before he left the shore, he hoped I would let him have a Testament upon the terms at which they are supplied to seamen, and that he would be for ever obliged to me. Of course, I found great pleasure in complying with his request.

"The captain of No. 624 told me, that in his last long voyage, he found the benefit of giving suitable instruction to those under his orders. Every Sunday morning, it was his practice to assemble his people together, to prayers, and to hear the Scriptures read; and, in the after-part of the day, he observed, it was pleasant to see the seamen scattered about the ship, under the boats, and in other shady places, reading their Bibles. 'Great things, sir,' said he, can be done, if owners and commanders are pleased to put their hands to the good work, which I hope they will do, when they see it to be their interest, as well as their duty, to attend to the morals of their people.'

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"No. 635 was in high order. Prayer and reading the Scriptures are the constant practice on all proper occasions. The captain seems to regard his people as his own children.

"A cooper by profession, a kind of auxiliary ship's husband, on board of No. 888, felt so much delighted with the idea of a society being formed for the express purpose of furnishing merchant seamen with the Scriptures, that he presented me with a pound note towards defraying the expenses incurred. Another captain, a part owner, followed his example, and gave me a pound note also, both wishing all possible success to so good a cause. The next day the captain arrived from London, and forwarded to me, by the slop-man, a pound, with. his hearty thanks for the books."

"AH, fore and aft, in No. 1037, of Waterford,were Catholics; notwithstanding which, the Scriptures were gratefully received. I liked the appearance of the crew very much, they appeared clean, sober, and orderly."

VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

No foreign intelligence of much importance has arrived during the last month. The French papers are peculiarly barren of interest. The law on the liberty of the press has continued to be the chief subject of remark; and the people of France appear to be much pleased with escaping the censorship, and with the acknowledgment that governments have no right to suppress any work till after a legal conviction. An amendment, imposing penalties for offences against religion, which had been rejected by the chamber of deputies, afterwards passed with the substitution of the words "religious morals," for "religion."

Two persons have been tried at Paris for the attempt made some time since to assassinate the duke of Wellington, and were acquitted. The trial was conducted in that vague and desultory manner of which the French courts furnish constant examples, but which is a disgrace to public justice. Witnesses seem to choose with impunity whether or not they will attend, and what they will say, and in place of a regular technical examination, a sort of interlocutory proceeding takes place, in which the court, and witnesses, and counsel, and spectators all take a share. We earnestly hope this wretched system will not long exist; and that the French will, in this instance at least, condescend to copy the manners of their graver neighbours on this side the channel. Several persons have been tried and convicted for a wild plot to carry off the Emperor of Russia, during his journey last autumn, and to make him sign certain papers, with a view to the re-establishment of the Bonaparte family on the throne of France. They have been found guilty and adjudged to suitable imprisonment, &c.

DOMESTIC.

Another accession has been made to the royal family in the person of an infant princess of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, who was born at Kensington palace on the 23d May.

The proceedings in Parliament during the last month have embraced a variety of the most interesting topics.

In both houses motions have been made for a committee on the Catholic question, which, after long discussions, were negatived. In the House of Commons the majority was only two; namely, for the appointment of a committee, 241; against it, 243. In the House of Lords the majority was somewhat more decided; namely (including proxies), contents 106, noncontents 147.

Mr. Tierney's motion for a committee on the state of the nation has given rise to the most animated and interesting debate which has occurred since the assembling of the present Parliament. The object of his motion would probably have gone to the length of a complete change of administration. It was, however, negatived in the fullest house of commons that ever sat, by 357 to 178; total, 535, being 17 members more than were ever known to vote on any former occasion.

The humane, and, as we think, wise and politic propositions brought forward in parliament to abolish lotteries, to amend the game-laws, and to regulate the employment of climbingboys in sweeping chimneys, have, for the present, failed of success. for wholly preventing their employment had previously been rejected in the upper house.

A bill

But the subject which, both in parliament and throughout the country, seems to have monopolized the public attention, to the exclusion of almost every other, is the question of the present state of the currency. Secret committees having been appointed by both houses to investigate the affairs of the Bank, after a long and laborious inquiry, they have presented Reports substantially agreeing with each other, founded, we are happy to say, on the clearest and most indubitable principles of political economy, and strengthened by the testimony of some of the first practical merchants in the united kingdom. The statements of the committees are throughout luminous and convincing, and the course recommended by them, while it is completely remedial of the evils which affect our currency, is both safe

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