the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Give my best regards to your son whom I met at Penicuick, and of whom I entertain a very pleasant recollection. I am, my very dear sir, yours most cordially,

THOMAS CHALMERS.

What weighs with Mr. Duncan against the proposed voyis the apprehended loss of the "President.". T. C.

age

No. CCLXXXVI.-To PROFESSOR DUNCAN.

EDINBURGH, 29th December, 1842. MY VERY DEAR SIR-I am just now, at holiday time, trying to work my way through unanswered letters, among which I find two bearing the subscription of your much-loved name— the one dated the 12th of November, the other, ingrate that I am, the 12th of October.

On the subject of the first I share in the horror you express at the cruelty of slaughtering animals for amusement. I think that their being even slaughtered for food is one of the greatest enigmas of our present mysterious world. The day is coming, however, when "the mystery of God will be finished" (Rev., x.), and this, with all other difficulties, will be solved. Ever believe me, my dear sir, yours very affectionately and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCLXXXVII.-To PROFESSOR DUNCAN.

MORNINGSIDE, 7th September, 1844. MY DEAR SIR-Can you tell me of any author who treats of the properties and progression of prime numbers? The following is a curious order, observed for some time, in the proportion which the composite numbers bear to all others, and from which I had hoped that the absolute proportions of the composites to the primes throughout the whole infinity of numbers might have been ascertained within an indefinitely near approximation :

The numbers in which 2 does not enter as an aliquot part are to number at large as 1 to 2, or .

The numbers in which 2 and 3 do not enter as aliquot parts are as 1 to 3, or 2.

The numbers in which 2, 3, and 5 do not enter, as 4 to 15,

4

or 13.

The numbers in which 2, 3, 5, 7 do not enter, as 8 to 35, or 33.

8

The numbers in which 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 do not enter, as 16 to 77, or 19.

See the promise, then, I had on entering this investigation, that, if you take the primes in order, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, &c., you would arrive at the general proportion that the composites formed of them successively would so run as to leave remainders, which bore to all numbers proportions expressed by fractions, whose numerators each double its predecessor, as 2, 4, 8, 16, &c., and whose denominators were the products of the two last prime numbers that had been taken up in the prog

ress of the investigation, as 2=1×2, 6=2×3, 15=3×5, 35 5x7, and 77=11x7. Judge of my disappointment, then, when proceeding to the next prime number, 13, and expecting the result, 32. I found it very difficult, and thus has my goodly progression been most cruelly put an end to. Yours very truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCLXXXVIII.-To PROFESSOR DUNCAN.

EDINBURGH, 14th December, 1845. MY DEAR SIR-I should not have written you on Sabbath, but for the subject on which I mean to address you, and to which I shall confine myself. I have long had the utmost regard for you. There is not a human being whom, without the circle of my relationship, I like nearly so well. But, though affectionate toward you, I have not been faithful. Consider how soon both you and I will be mouldering in our coffins. Heaven grant that we may both share in a blessed resurrection, through our common interest in Him who hath

said, "I am the resurrection and the life," &c. Ever believe me, my dear sir, yours very affectionately and truly,

THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCLXXXIX.-TO PROFESSOR DUNCAN.

MORNINGSIDE, 13th September, 1846. MY DEAR SIR-It has come at last. This death falls upon your heart as if it were a new lesson which you had still to learn. Oh, that this sorrow of nature were ripened and transformed by divine grace into that godly sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation never to be repented of. Eternal life is not a thing to be got any how. There is a precise, definite, and, let me add, only and exclusive way laid down for the attainment of it—a way authoritatively pointed out and prescribed by Heaven. He who hath the Son hath life; he who hath not the Son hath not life. Christ says of Himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life-by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved;" and, "No man cometh unto the Father but by the Son." Let us not quarrel with this way, more especially as it is open to all of us: "Whosoever cometh unto me shall not be cast out;" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." It is for God, the offended party, and not for us, the offenders, to dictate the terms and the treaty of reconciliation. Heaven grant that you may be led henceforth to bestow an earnest heed on the word of His testimony till the day dawn and the day-star arise in your heart. Read the Epistle to the Romans; and if you furthermore read my printed Lectures upon them, you will have at least my views on the method and way of salvation grounded on my understanding of this portion of the Divine record. May our Father in heaven bless this exercise to your soul, and so open your understanding to understand His Scriptures that you shall become thereby wise unto salvation.

It is to me a striking coincidence that, on the day before I received the intimation of your brother's death, I attended the

funeral of Daniel Ramsay,* an inmate of Gillespie's Hospital, in my vicinity here. I go to perform family worship there this evening, when it will be my duty to improve this event to the survivors-all old persons above sixty. The reminiscences of more than half a century have been powerfully and feelingly awakened by both these events. May they tell efficiently and abidingly upon us both; for the time is fast approaching when we too shall be laid on the bed of our last agonies.

I shall not close this letter till I have returned from the evening service at the hospital.

I have returned from my household sermon to the old people. The text was, "The time is short;" but, in addition to this argument, I endeavored to press home the growing callousness of the heart to the invitations of the Gospel; yet, nevertheless, the perfect freeness of that Gospel, the benefits and immunities of which are theirs if they will; and on their acceptance of these, they will receive a new heart here, and the joys of an unfading inheritance hereafter.

It is my earnest prayer that God may thus dispose and enable you to receive that truth which is to be found in His word, and which, if gifted by the Spirit to understand it, you will find to be the power and wisdom of God unto salvation. Ever believe me, my dear sir, yours most affectionately and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

[Copy of Correspondence between the Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers, Professor of Moral Philosophy, St. Andrews, and Dr. Thomas Easton, minister of Kirriemuir, in reference to the pauperism of that parish.] No. CCXC.-DR. EASTON TO DR. CHALMERS.

KIRRIEMUIR, 26th January, 1827. REV. SIR-My parishioner, Mr. James Aitken Wylie,t hav* See Memoirs, vol. i., p. 6.

†Then a talented young man of great promise, and now the Rev. Mr. Wylie, the respected author of many learned works, and more especially of the "Papacy, its History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects."

ing incidentally mentioned that you had been pleased to speak kindly in your class of my statements relative to the pauperism of Kirriemuir, I happened to say to him that I was extremely desirous to obtain your opinion on a question of importance connected with the subject of pauperism. I then stated to him the question to which I referred; and having the utmost confidence to place in the prudence and discretion of the young man, whom I have known from his childhood, I took the liberty of stating to him that, if a suitable opportunity presented itself, he would oblige me by laying it His answer, written on his return to St. Andrews, has been received, in which he states your willingness to hear from me on the subject.

before you.

The case is this: It has been my object to meet the pauperism of this large and populous parish chiefly by collections made by my congregation in the church; and hitherto they have been such as nearly to answer the demands made on us. Now my difficulty is this. The population of the parish is rapidly increasing, and it may be expected that pauperism will increase in a like ratio; but as the church accommodates a part only of the population, being seated for 1240, there is no hope that the collections of my church will be sufficient long to meet the pauperism, that I can not but foresee is coming upon us. In point of fact, the collections are at present, as I ever expect them to be, averaging from £135 to £140 per annum, in half-pence and penny pieces. How, then, am I to meet the pauperism which must necessarily arise from an increased population? We may expect more cases of insanity, more widows and orphans.

Perhaps one or other of three schemes may be adopted. The first is, let the parish be divided into sections, and let every district provide for its own poor. I fear we are not all Christian enough to trust to this scheme. There are also

Several of our

more poor in one district than in another. paupers reside in Dundee, and in other towns and parishes. The second is, let the people add to the amount of their