the following was the order in which the several services were conducted: Mr. Davies, of Enfield, commenced with prayer; Mr. Halley delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Philip proposed the usual questions, and received Mr. Thompson's replies; Mr. Blackburn offered up the designation prayer; Dr. Morison gave the charge; Mr. Campbell, of the Tabernacle, addressed the people; and Mr. Davies (Baptist), of Tottenham, closed the interesting service with suitable acknowledgments to God for the tokens of his presence vouchsafed. May prosperity attend our beloved friend and brother in his work of faith and labour of love!

On the 5th of December, the Rev. Luke Forster (late of Blackburn) was publicly recognized as pastor of the Independent church and congregation assembling in Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden. The service was commenced by the Rev. Josiah Wilkinson, Baptist minister in the same town; the Rev. R. Frost, of Dunmow, proposed the usual inquiries, and offered the intercessory prayer; the Rev. John Ely, of Rochdale, gave a most impressive charge to the minister, founded on 2 Tim. i. 6; the Rev. W. Chaplain, of Bishop's Stortford, preached to the people from Isaiah lx. 1; and the Rev. Peter Sibree, of Wethersfield, concluded with prayer.

In the evening, after prayer by the Rev. Mr. Stowe, of Buntingford, the Rev. Walter Scott, of Rowell, preached to a numerous congregation from Haggai ii. 19" From this day will I bless you." The Rev. Wm. Foster, of Hadham, closed the highly interesting services of the day with prayer. The Rev. Messrs. J. H. Hopkins, H. Bromley, R. May, and Tyler, gave out the hymns.

The public recognition of the Rev. J. Dean as pastor of the Independent chapel, Baddow Lane, Chelmsford, took place on Thursday, the 6th of December, 1832. The Rev. Mr. Gray, of Chelmsford, commenced by reading the Scriptures and prayer; the Rev. Mr. Morell, of Little Baddow, described the nature of a Christian church, and asked the usual questions; the Rev. Mr. Craig, of Bocking, offered up the general prayer; the Rev. Dr. Fletcher, of Stepney, gave the charge; the Rev. Mr. Binney, of London, preached to the people; and the Rev. Mr. Carter, of Braintree, concluded. The service was deeply interesting, and will long be remembered by the persons present.

SCOTLAND.

PRESBYTERY, EDINBURGH.

Ir will hardly be credited, in the south, that the Presbytery of Edinburgh have, on a recent occasion, negatived a decision which

had been come to by the Rev. Henry Grey and his Kirk Session, "that it would be for edification to have the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper celebrated once in three months instead of once in six months." The proposition thus negatived in the Presbytery is referred to the Synod, and in all probability it will be carried from thence to the General Assembly. Surely the people of Scotland are not so much in the novitiate of Christianity as tamely to allow the highest privileges of their holy faith to be denied to them. We venture to predict that public opinion will set the matter right, even though certain Ecclesiastics may be lagging far behind their generation.

FOREIGN.

CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE SUFFERERS AT CARLSHULD.

A Friend, by Dr. J. Pye Smith..
Mr. George Parker, Hackney
Mrs. Moore and Friends.....
Rev. Dr. Pye Sinith .......

At Messrs. Hankeys' and Co.W. A. Hankey...

Two Young Ladies, by ditto..
John Jones, Upper Norton Street....
Thomas Hankey...

J. C. Hailes....

Per Kev. J. Arundel

S. Robinson

S. Davenport

Miss Wilson, Highbury Grove..

Miss Mary M'Neil, from a few Female Friends...

W. Cox, of Wolton..

Mrs. Walker, of Ponder's End,
Miss Walker, ditto......

SINCE LAST MONTH.

T. G........
W. Hale, Esq.......
G. A..
S. D..

Dr. Conquest, per Dr. Morison.
Rev. J. A. James, Birmingham.
A Friend, per W. Underhill..
Mrs. Casterton, Kingsland.
Mrs. Holdsworth, Hackney
Collected at Totteridge and Whetstone...
A Mite for the Distressed at Carlshuld, on
the Danube Moss-per Dr. Morison....
Mrs. Selman, Brompton-per ditto.....
James Hill, Esq.-per ditto

Rev. J. Burder, Stroud-per Dr. Smith.. 1 0 0

RECENT DEATH.

The Rev. James Elborough, formerly of Ware, Suffolk, and late of Leominster, Herefordshire, after a lingering illness, endured with exemplary patience, died near Hereford, October 10th, 1832, aged 35. He was buried in the ground belonging to the Independent church, Hereford. The funeral sermon was preached in Dr. Simpson's chapel, by the Rev. G. Redford, of Worcester, October 15th, from 2 Tim. i. 12-"I know in whom I have believed," &c., a text selected by the deceased a short time before his departure. Mr. Elborough has left a widow and four small children to mourn his early removal and their irreparable loss.

Extract of a Letter from the Brethren at Calcutta, dated 23 March, 1832, addressed to the Directors.

It is with feelings of unusual seriousness, mingled with sorrow and depression, that we address you on the present occasion; and we do sincerely hope that what we are about to state will receive your deliberate, serious, and prayerful consideration: nor will you blame us if we urge thus much at least with the greatest importunity; for we do not conceive that our present grief can be so intense and peculiar, or the appeal to which they have given rise so powerful and urgent, as the present circumstances of your mission in Bengal are fully calculated to produce. Be assured, also, that we are not influenced more by feeling than by conviction. We are discharging a duty, not more sacred and important than it is imperative; and this, we are satisfied, is the case, whether that duty be viewed in regard to the great Head of the Church, or in regard to the Directors and the Society in general. We therefore proceed to discharge it with much solicitude, lest our own weakness should injure the cause we wish to plead, and that too at a period which we cannot but view as a critical juncture.

By the time this communication is received you will be aware of the various methods by which God has, of late, reduced our number and weakened our strength; so that, amidst the repeated strokes of his hand, we stand paralyzed with grief and amazement, while we ask ourselves and one another, Who can expect to remain, when removals, either by death or disease, are following in such rapid succession? Indeed, we cannot avoid sometimes wondering whether God is about to sweep away your agents here with an unsparing hand, as unworthy to prosecute the work in which they are engaged. We have been visited with sorrow upon sorrow, and feel, in some degree, the importance of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God; and we are endeavouring to do so. We are saying, "O Lord, correct us, but in judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring us to nothing." For this, we are satisfied, we shall meet with your approval and co-operation. When we contemplate the ignorance, prejudice, superstition, and appalling vice; that these terrible evils exist, in the superlative degree, on every hand, and will yet require immense labour, as the means of their re

moval; and remember to how small a proportion of the vast population, for whose benefit they are intended, our present operations can possibly extend, our hands become feeble, and our spirits faint. But, however distressing this may be, it becomes more so when it is recollected that the present number of men is altogether incompetent to carry on what has already been begun; so that we are unable to go along with the progress of the work. This circumstance we wish to make as obvious as possible it is one of serious concern, and upon us it presses very heavily. Not that we think it is the only point which we could with propriety urge; but, because it is a circumstance of vast importance, and one which, we fear, is not properly understood and felt.

We are aware that your principle is to concentrate your efforts, and strengthen some very important positions, rather than to extend your sphere of operations. Of those positions Bengal is by no means one of the least. But we fear you are not aware how much has been lost, is being lost, and is likely to be lost, for the want of men ready to take up the work when others have had to leave it ; and this cannot be impressed too deeply on your minds.

Chinsurah, which was the first station occupied by your missionaries in Bengal, and is as yet unoccupied by those of any other Society, is a place of immense population, and that perhaps the most interesting that can be found amongst Hindoos. Any point, at a distance not exceeding ten miles, would be within the sphere of missionaries residing at that place; and, if you take a circle, of which that distance shall be the radius, it will include not less than three hundred thousand immortal beings. At this station there have been on some occasions several labourers; but at present there is only one, and he as yet unable to preach to the heathen. In this place there is too much reason to fear that the work is almost to commence again.

At Berhampore there is a chapel for Europeans, in which there is a stated service in the English language. There is also a small native church, some native schools, and preaching stations, with an extensive sphere for itinerating. But all is left to the exertions of one man; so that every thing depends on his life and health, and, should any thing happen to him, there is not now so much as one to take his place, without aban

doning a station of equal or perhaps greater importance.

You are aware that, in connexion with the stations in and near Calcutta, churches have been formed, consisting of converts from among the heathen, and places for their stated worship have been erected. The number of native schools, and places in which the gospel is preached to the heathen, is also considerable; and those last mentioned, particularly, might be considerably multiplied; for it may be safely affirmed, that there never has been such a disposition to hear the gospel as there is at present. It is to be observed, moreover, that the openings for extensive itinerancies ought not to be neglected. But how are all these things to be carried on in the present paucity of men? The infant churches require much care and the most vigilant oversight, or, instead of maintaining their ground, and receiving increase, they will lose even their existence. The publication of the gospel on the most enlarged scale is matter of paramount obligation and importance. But our minds are distracted by the numerous objects that present themselves to our attention, and the adjustment of their claims. We feel that we are in danger of having our little strength exhausted by the mere weight of a burden which we cannot support, far less carry forward. Besides, the probability of another breach is not to be kept out of consideration; and, in case it should occur, some station on which much labour has been bestowed, and by which vast expense has been incurred, and in which some success has been attained, must be abandoned-at least for a season. But how distressing is this! Can any thing be more painful to a man than to feel that whatever he attempts must cease to be done when he ceases to do it? And we would further observe, that there are striking appearances which indicate that idolatry is not long to be the religion of India. Indeed, great numbers of the Hindoos themselves look with much anxiety on the present conflict of sentiment, and anticipate, or at least fear, a result unfavourable to their present system. But should these indications of a great revolution in religion disappear, or, as has already been the case in some striking instances, if the place of superstition should come to be occupied by infidelity, there is no ground to doubt that one reason would be, the want of men to state the nature and urge the claims of Christianity. For an extensive conversion of the heathen we are really not prepared. By such an event we should be overwhelmed; what little we might do would be neutralized by the pressure. Instead of

rejoicing we should have to weep, and to say, "This is a day of trouble and of rebuke, for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth." But can we expect that God will pour out his Spirit, while the result would be marred by the want of that agency which, according to divine appointment, is necessary to direct and secure that result? What, then, is to be done? You will, no doubt, agree with us in thinking that these stations are by no means to be given up; but languish they must, if more men cannot be sent; and we are sometimes tempted to think that it were better to give them up entirely than leave them to languish. After serious and deliberate reflection on the subject, our decided conviction is, that your mission in this part of India cannot be carried on efficiently without double the number of men to which the labourers are now reduced, and even that number would require to be kept up by an annual reinforcement, sent out to fill up the breaches which must be expected to take place every year. not this seem extravagant or impossible; but allow us, with due respect and submission, to state our firm conviction, that it is what is absolutely needed, and is what the Society can do, and will do, if the claims and the present condition of this mission are duly regarded.

Let

Extracts of a Letter from another of the Brethren, labouring in the Bengal Presidency, addressed to the Directors.

THE openings here for preaching the gos pel exceed my most sanguine expectations. One who can speak the language well has no difficulty in obtaining congregations. Mr. Lacroix, with whom I have generally gone to these services, preaches thirteen or fourteen times a week, and is almost invariably listened to with great interest. On one occasion, as Mr. Christie was about to distribute Bengalee tracts, the people pressed round him with such importunity that he was obliged to ascend the pulpit before he could succeed in giving them to those who seemed most likely to be benefited. To behold such an eager scrambling for the word of life, and the manifest disappointment of those who could not obtain a book, was to me a cheering sight in this pagan land. The temple of God has not yet been erected in this part of the world, but the mighty fabric of Hindooism is tottering, and many even of its greatest votaries are now apprehensive of its fall.