more and more convinced that the magistrate should be a keeper of both tables of the law, and is bound to endow and protect the Church of Christ. May the Lord hasten this in his time. With God nothing shall be impossible. I am yours with much esteem, The Rev. Thomas Chalmers, Edinburgh.]

JOHN CRAIG.

No. CCCLII.-To MR. JOHN CRAIG.

BURNTISLAND, 16th May, 1846.

DEAR SIR-Accept of my grateful regards for your expressions of kindness to myself. I am very glad to observe what your opinion is in regard to the duty of the magistrate, to endow and protect the Church of Christ.

I have all along said that once our Church were sufficiently extended by means of adequate funds, that I saw no reason why we should not have as many collegiate institutions as ever the Establishment had. I am, dear sir, yours truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

[The following letter was in an answer to a very interesting communication from Mr. Barclay, in which he proposed that, instead of annual payments into the Sustentation Fund, an endowment of £100 per annum should at once be secured for every minister of the Free Church. Tables and calculations were offered for Dr. Chalmers's consideration, from which it appeared that, if all the members of the Free Church were to give a tithe of their income for a single year, a capital sum would be realized sufficient to yield such an endowment.]

No. CCCLIII.-To J. BARCLAY, ESQ., TONGUE.

EDINBURGH, 6th June, 1846. DEAR SIR-I received your valuable packet from Mr. Mackenzie of Farr. I appreciate very highly the zeal, intelligence, and labor in behalf of the Free Church, of which these documents give such abundant evidence. I shall lodge them with the convener of our Sustentation Committee, to be kept by him in retentis till it shall be judged expedient to act upon them. Meanwhile, our great effort is to bring up the associations; and we are fearful of every new subscription for a new object, lest it should distract the attention of the

Free-Church public from the necessary means for upholding and augmenting the Sustentation Fund. After the habit of supporting it is sufficiently established and elevated, then, I think, will be the time for giving effect to your magnificent proposal. I have no doubt of the capabilities of our people. They are equal to a ten-fold greater achievement than all that has yet been done by them.

Allow me to say that I doubt the expediency of ministers being employed in the work of estimating the resources of their people.

I have again to thank you for your noble suggestions, which I trust you in good time will find are not to be thrown away upon us. I ever am, my dear sir, yours truly,

THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCCLIV.

EDINBURGH, 17th September, 1846. SIR-I received both your letters. The first I laid aside, because of my great aversion to any direct application for my autograph; and in virtue of which it is my general practice to leave all such requests unanswered.

Your second letter, of May 6th, I placed among the letters to which I might reply; because I felt a wish at the time to let you know the grounds of my antipathy to a practice which I think is not in accordance with good taste.

I find, however, that I have not time for the full statement of these grounds; and shall only say in the general, that I feel as if, on the one side, the making of such a request implies a certain degree of indelicacy; and on the other side, that in the granting of it there must be a certain sense of awkwardness, as the very act involves at least the semblance of vanity.

And yet the desire of having autographs is legitimate and natural; but the right way to go about the formation of a collection is to seek, and not from the person himself, but from any of his correspondents, such letters or fragments of

his handwriting as can any where be found. I should imagine that to every man who feels as he ought, a naked request for his autograph must be extremely distasteful. In sending you this autograph, it is a relief that I should have something to write about; and all the more so, that along with the autograph you have my testimony against the method in which they are sometimes sought after both by individuals and by such public bodies as you represent. With best wishes for the prosperity of your museum, I have the honor to be, sir, yours truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

[BOMBAY, 25th June, 1850.-DEAR DR. HANNA-I have just finished the perusal of the first volume of the "Memoirs of Dr. Chalmers," which, like his "Posthumous Works," not only maintains, but elevates the high position which his name and character occupy in the admiration and veneration of Christendom. It has suggested the propriety of sending to you a copy of a very touching and affectionate letter addressed by him to my young friend Dhanjibháí on his leaving Scotland on his return to India, and also of a copy of an introductory note to M. F. Monod, which he had intended him to deliver had he taken Paris on his way. Dr. Chalmers took a very special interest in the wellbeing of Dhanjibháí from the time of their first interview, and he was greatly attached to him. At the conclusion of the session of 1843-4, he addressed to me a note of the following tenor: "My dear Sir, I must do myself the pleasure of informing you that I have been greatly pleased with the interesting pupil whom you have brought to me from the far East. His appearances in his examinations and exercises have been of a first-rate character throughout the session." I felt much his kindness to me in voluntarily tendering to me this testimonial, which he knew would be very gratifying to my heart.

With much sympathy with all the family of Dr. Chalmers from Dhanjibháí and myself, I am, my dear Dr. Hanna, yours very truly, JOHN WILSON.]

No. CCCLV.-TO REV. DHANJIBHAI NOWROJI.

MORNINGSIDE, 14th December, 1846.

MY DEAR SIR-The three inclosed letters are to friends in Paris, which you may deliver or not, just as you find convenient. If you have not the opportunity of these being useful to you in Paris, I beg that you will keep and open them,

and an occasion may cast up when you might show these as the testimonials of my friendship and esteem for you. I wish I could recollect any of my acquaintances in Bombay to whom I might write aught that could be of service; but you will, at all events, offer my best regards to Mr. Nesbit and Mr. Hislop when you meet with them.

And now, my very dear sir, let me commend you to the providence and grace of our common Father in heaven. May He be your guide and guardian amid all the perils and perplexities of your great enterprise. He has promised that He will not suffer His faithful servants to be tried beyond what they are able to bear, but will provide a way of escape that they might be able to bear it. May the aids of His Spirit never be wanting to comfort, and strengthen, and sustain you, and richly may you experience the truth of our blessed Savior's declaration, that though in the world you shall have tribulation, in Him you shall have peace; and may you abundantly prosper in that work and labor of love upon which you have entered. May you have many souls for your hire, and the precious foretastes of that bright and happy period when the Sun of Righteousness shall arise over the face of a regenerated world. It is my earnest prayer for you, that after a life of great Christian usefulness here you may be admitted to the city that hath foundations, and obtain a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Let me entreat a part and interest in your prayers; I have great need of them, and beg that you will remember me in your intercessions at the Throne of Grace. "The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace."

With the heartfelt regards and wishes both of myself and family, ever believe me, my very dear sir, yours most tenderly and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCCLVI.-To MISS MACKEAN. EDINBURGH, 2d January, 1847. MY VERY DEAR MISS MACKEAN-I return you my most cordial thanks for your donation in behalf of the West Port.

I have great reason to bless God for the liberality which He has put into the hearts of His people in behalf of that great object, of which I am most thankful to say that hitherto it has prospered and is promising.

I had received copies of Dr. Edgar's tract, which expresses what I have long thought the only hopeful method of dealing with Ireland. What an incubus is their Popery on the territorial system and every thing that is good!

But what fearfully harrowing accounts there are of want and extreme agony in that unhappy land, to be yet aggra vated ten-fold ere the seasons come round again, and not even then, unless the Lord of the seasons shall open His liberal and ever-giving hand. Ever believe me, my dear madam, yours most gratefully and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCCLVII.—TO REV. ALEXANDER ANDERSON, ABERDEEN. EDINBURGH, 20th March, 1847.

MY DEAR SIRI shall be at all times happy to see you on the subject of your proposed gymnasium. But do come to breakfast, for it is only then that I can answer for being disengaged. Do persevere in your good work. The greatest amount of philanthropic service is secured by leaving each man to ride his own hobby. Your object is one of vital magnitude; and I would much rather that you concentrated your whole energies upon it than that you should become a man of all works-the tendency to which I look upon as a very great failing. There is little good done by your mere Universalists. Do therefore persevere, and may God prosper you. I ever am, my dear sir, yours very truly,

THOMAS CHALMERS.