The Report of the Baptist Home Missionary Society exhibited some cheering features. Within ten years more than 50 churches have become self-supporting, and about 20 others are on the verge of independence. Here is a statement of a very different kind :

Several stations, assisted ten years ago, are still receiving it, which is accounted for by the great poverty of the rural districts, and the powerful influence of the High Church and Tractarian clergy, who have heartlessly taken advantage, for sectarian purposes, of that poverty which ought to have excited their deepest commiseration. They have treated attendants at the village meeting-houses with the loss of charitable gifts at their disposal, while bribery has gone hand in hand with these mean and cruel appeals to fear.'

Ireland, a thorn in the sides of politicians, and a source of equal difficulty to evangelizing Christians, is occupied by the agents of several societies, whose united labours fall far short of Ireland's deep spiritual necessities. The Baptist Irish Society has expended upon it during the year about 2,500l., the Congregationalists about 4,000l. (if we correctly read the financial statement), and the Church of England 6,7037.,-an inconsiderable sum to meet the efforts of

Four thousand clergy, regular and secular, disciplined in fraternities, and governed by dignified prelates, under the fiat of Rome, venerated and obeyed by six millions of deluded people, for whose schools and colleges a national exchequer provides a perennial endowment, and whose pride and prejudices are nurtured and confirmed by an overgorged and worldly Established Church.'*

The London City Mission continues an unchecked career of prosperity. There has been an increase in the funds of 2,7317. ; of 162,475 in the number of visits paid by missionaries; of 128,419 in the tracts; and of 835 copies of the Scriptures distributed; other operations being extended in a corresponding degree. Among other references to Popery the Rev. S. Martin asked where were the Ragged and Day Schools, and the missions, and the preaching places of Romanists? In Westminster he never heard of their making a convert, though the converts to Protestantism were numerous, and, so far as Westminster was concerned, the recent efforts of Popery had produced no results. The Christian Instruction Society, the parent of that last mentioned, has confessedly been distanced by its offspring, and has of late years failed to receive adequate support. Yet, as dealing with so vast an evil as that of metropolitan irreligion, and as working by means of voluntary labourers, and at the smallest possible cost, it should enlist the strong sympathies of the Dissenters of London; more especially as its open-air services, and lectures to the working-classes, have been marked by a special aptitude for the object they have been designed to promote. The Town Missionary and Scripture Readers' Society somewhat resembles the London City Mission, but does not confine its operations to the metropolis. It has 51 agents, who have paid 175,817 visits, read 132,163 portions of Scripture, and distributed 134,881 tracts. The income is 3,6527., being an increase of 3687.

The Church Pastoral Aid Society, and the Church of England Scripture Readers' Association, are both in prosperous and improving

* British Missions Report,

circumstances, the income of the former having increased 7317., and that of the latter 2,4007. And, verily, such prosperity is sorely needed, for the facts contained in the Reports of both, and commented upon and multiplied by the speakers, exhibit the utter failure of the Church of England in its professed mission. The aid of the first society is extended to 332 incumbents, in charge of an aggregate population giving 7,264 souls to each. The average income of these incumbents was only 2017., and 178 were without parsonage-houses. The field in which the other society labours is stated to embrace a population of upwards of a million, including 81 parishes and districts, but in which there is church accommodation for little more than 170,000!

The annual meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society was presided over by its new President, Lord Ashley, of whom we venture to say, that his unpaid and diversified labours in the cause of religion and of philanthropy, tell more powerfully on the public mind, than those of half the bench of richly-endowed and palaced bishops.* The Report exhibits an extraordinary increase of receipts, amounting to 11,6957., the result of Papal aggression.' The adoption of the colporteur system in large towns had been highly successful, one man in Liverpool having disposed of upwards of 7,000 copies of the Scriptures. Dr. Murray from America, stated that he had emigrated from this country when a boy, he having been educated in Romanism, and that the placing of a Bible in his hands on his arrival in America, had made him both a Christian and a Protestant. The Rev. Hugh Stowell spoke with characteristic eloquence, and more than characteristic charity. He wished that both Church-of-Englandism and Dissent should take their stand on the Bible, and that either should be content to perish, if its principles were found to be unscriptural. He had once thought, that the Prayer-book should be bound up with the Bible, but he now felt it to be so immeasurably inferior, that he would not place the two in juxta-position. He also asked for free-trade in the bread of life;' but if we understood him rightly, his attack was directed not against the veritable monopoly secured by law, but the restrictions imposed on the votaries of Romanism.

The Religious Tract Society has also increased its resources and its issues, the latter to the extent of 1,600,000. The observance of the Sabbath-the religious condition of the manufacturing populationthe Great Exhibition-and the movements of the Papacy, have been the subjects to which the committee have recently directed their energies. Dr. Murray furnished some gratifying particulars relative

* We do not observe that any one of the meetings was graced by the presence of an English bishop, though apologies were offered for the absence of two or three, on the ground of indisposition. It has also struck us, in looking at the arrangements of the various meetings, that the speaking is too much in the hands of a few, whose versatility is severely tested by having to advocate several objects, varying in character, and each one requiring some study in order to produce anything laying claim to originality and power.

to the Tract Societies of America, and also expressed his belief that Popery is rapidly losing ground there.

Two societies exist for carrying on the work of conversion among the Jews; one of them (the British) being content with winning them over to Christianity, the other (the London) superadding Church-ofEnglandism also. The former has an income of about 4,0007., and the latter of 32,2341. We hardly expected to find the familiar subject of Papal aggression occupying so large a space in the speeches at these meetings, and were amazed at discovering that the Rev. Hugh Stowell relies with the utmost complacency on the aid of unconverted Jews as the antagonists of Popery, because, wherever we find a Jew, we so far find a Protestant, for he would rather lay down his life than bow to the image of the Virgin or the crucifix. We may here, in passing, refer to the meetings of the Protestant Association and the British Reformation Society, at which the same subject was the staple topic of discourse. We observe that the income of the former society, notwithstanding its somewhat clamorous pretensions, does not exceed 1,1317.

The British and Foreign Sailors' Society has shared in the prosperity of other societies, its income having been larger than in any previous year, except 1840. Its labours were stated to have been increasingly efficient, and its prospects most encouraging, but it is impossible not to feel that the British sailor has been, and still is, a grievously neglected member of the community.

Among the educational institutions, we may make a joint reference to the Voluntary School Association and the Congregational Board of Education, as being identical in principles and aim, and differing only in the denominational constitution of the latter. At the meetings of both, the proposal to amalgamate the two institutions was frequently referred to. Both parties acknowledge the desirableness of a union, but the Congregational Society fears the loss of denominational prestige, as involving facilities for obtaining funds, and is hampered by the strongly-expressed opinions of some of the leading members of the body, and the circumstance that moneys have been contributed, as is alleged, on the understanding that the denominational character of the institution would be preserved. As may be imagined, the subject of State-education, the agitation of the National Public School Association, and the scheme of Mr. Richson, of Manchester, were dealt with at length, and with not a little force and address.

The British and Foreign School Society has disappeared from the list of Exeter Hall meetings, the annual meeting this year taking place at the close of the examination of the children at the institution in the Borough-road. It is impossible to conceal that the society has lost the confidence of the Dissenting body as being the recipient of public money, and that, as the result, its annual meetings have of late been conspicuous failures. On this occasion, the Premier occupied the chair, and Mr. Binney and Mr. Clayton were among the speakers. The Report represented the society as being in a very flourishing condition, and urged the advantage of Government aid as stimulating and

not depressing voluntary effort; naïvely stating that a strong opinion in its favour had been expressed by all who had accepted it!

At the meeting of the Sunday School Union, the presence of Judge Darling and Mr. Henson, a coloured minister, from America, introduced some stirring collateral topics, in addition to which the propagandism of Rome, Sunday postal labour, and a refutation of some recent criminal statistics, bearing on the working of Sunday Schools, furnished the speakers with abundant matter for graphic descriptions, vivacious comments, and earnest appeals.

Ragged School education is invested with an air of romance which has worked wonders, the Ragged School Union reporting, that since 1845 the number of schools has increased from 20 to 95, the teachers from 200 to 1,559 (107 being paid), the 'pupils' from 2,600 to 10,900, and the receipts from 517. to 2,6587. Eighty-three boys and three girls have emigrated during the year under the auspices of the Society, and the Shoe-black Society,' its latest enterprise, has put an average of 8s. a week into the pockets of the ragged urchins, whose street avocations have been thus happily changed. Exeter-hall was, for the first time, twice filled in the same day with the Society's constituency. Dr. Cumming, with his usual point, said, that ministers of all denominations had begun to build splendid chapels in the mediæval style, but he thought that a Ragged School attached to each would be worth ten spires.'

The Metropolitan Training Institution, the Church of England Sunday School Institute, and the Colonial Church and School Society, all worked by the evangelical party in the Church, might well form the subject of distinct remark, as showing the extent to which pious episcopalians are copying and improving upon the example of the voluntaries. The addresses at the annual meetings furnish some instructive admissions as to the present state of matters in the Establishment.

Both the council meeting and the public meeting of the Anti-statechurch Association were of a more than usually effective kind. Entire harmony, combined with deep earnestness, prevailed throughout the proceedings. The Report of the Executive Committee recorded the arduous labours of the year, and the cheering evidence which they had afforded of the growing interest of the people in the Society's principles-dwelt at length on its new publishing enterprise-called attention to those subjects more or less affecting the object in view which had come up for legislative discussion during the year, and concluded by passing under review those occurrences within the pale of the Establishment, which act as auxiliaries to prepare the public mind for that consummation which the Society's constituents so earnestly desire. Including the conference and publication funds, nearly 2,9007. had been subscribed during the year, a larger amount than had as yet been received during the same period. Among the subjects discussed by the Council was the duty of preparation for a general election, on which point there was some diversity of opinion, and an animated practical discussion. By some it was urged that, as in 1837, so now, Anti-state-churchmen should refrain from voting at all

where they cannot vote for candidates holding their sentiments. The majority, however, were of opinion that altered circumstances would render the adoption of such a pledge unwise. The public meeting was crowded and enthusiastic, and the addresses calculated to produce a powerful impression.

The meeting of the Peace Society was quite a cosmopolitan gathering. Elihu Burritt and Mr. Garnett representing America; Rev. J. J. Steinitz, Germany; Rev. M. Dombre, France; and Signor Ferretti, Italy; the last-named three speaking in the language of their respective countries. Recollections of the past, and anticipations of the coming Peace Congress, the Crystal Palace, and its lessons of peace and brotherhood, the Bornean massacre- -the discussion on which is likely to be revived by the arrival of Rajah Brooke-Mr. Cobden's motion for International Arbitration, and the war now raging in South Africa, were the subjects of speeches more than usually animated.

The Anti-Slavery Society, has held a soirée, at which the Rev. Messrs. Garnett and Henson, formerly slaves, the Rev. A. Crummell, a man of colour, and the Hon. Horace Greeley, of the New York Tribune,' were among the speakers, their addresses producing, as may be imagined, more than ordinary effect.

The meetings of the Baptist and Congregational Unions must be dismissed in our notice, with a brevity disproportionate to the interest of the proceedings. The Report of the former body stated that the clear increase on 970 churches had been no less than 11,815 members, but it had occurred chiefly in South Wales.

Resolutions relative to the Papacy (of a kind in which all could unite); the Fugitive Slave Law; the Evangelical Conference; the Great Exhibition, and international Arbitration, were adopted.

The meeting of the Congregational Union was of a far less exciting kind than that of last year. The Rev. John Kelly was the chairman; his luminous address being devoted to the increase of Romanismthe need for greater devotion to the religious interests of our industrial population, for a highly-educated pastorate, and for increased pietyand concluding with an affecting reference to Dr. Pye Smith and Mr. Wells, whose rare excellences formed the subject of many a touching and graceful allusion both at this and other meetings of the Congregational body. The proceeds of the magazines and other publications were reported to be about 1,2007.; the Hymn-Book' maintaining a steady sale, but the Year-Book' entailed a loss. The subscribers to Robinson's Works' numbered 2,400. The subject of the magazines led to a little, but only a little, characteristic sparring. The Rev. George Smith was elected to the vacant secretariat. Lay Agency,' and 'The Best Methods of calling forth the Talents of the Church for the work of the Ministry,' were the subjects of discussions confessedly by no means exhaustive. A proposal to re-open the question of a junction of the two educational societies failed to receive the support of more than a small minority; and the appearance of Mr. Chickering, an American minister, delegated to the meeting of the Union, who, in a thoroughly American speech, deprecated the harsh