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WESLEYAN MISSIONARY NOTICES, &c.

AUGUST, 1849.

MISSIONS IN EUROPE.

GERMANY.

We have pleasure in giving insertion to a few pithy, characteristic, and affecting sentences from a Letter lately received respecting our Wirtemberg Mission. They are written by our esteemed agent, MR. MULLER, of Winnenden. Brief as they are, they will excite deep sympathy and fervent prayer for him and his suffering flock.

I SEND a short account of our Würtemberg Station.

Our work is still more extending. Every week we can go out further. The walls of our spiritual Jerusalem are raised more and more, although we never had such troublous times. Not only nations, hut towns, are set against one another. The very idea of God is extensively extirpated out of our parts of Europe. We hear frequently that man is God, and that those that believe must be rooted out, together with the Bible :-No prayer, no more grace of God! But great Babel is fallen; she is at least falling. Fear asks, "What will be next?" I am surrounded with revolution and bloodshed. Who will be master? JESUS! Faithful prayer is needed.

This is the time for my urging the pious people to pray; and there are here not a few more, blessed be God, than were in Sodom. All the blessing we had was liberty of speech; and preaching had free course, and it did run; but I fear it will be lost. Many are ready for flight; but this must not be the case with us: we are in the hands of the Lord, and he is ever near to save. O how good it is to know, "God, the Almighty God, is mine!" I seldom come off quite safely; for stones and sticks are flying against me; so that I do sometimes think I shall one day fall in the work. What from the threatenings of plunderings at home, and the setting our houses on fire, (for the daring of the people is beyond telling,) our danger is great.

MISSIONS IN NEW-ZEALAND.

EARTHQUAKE AT WELLINGTON.

WHILE in many respects our recent intelligence from this important Colony has justly called for lively gratitude, and authorized our hope of future triumphs for the Gospel still more cheering and extensive, it has pleased God to visit us with afflictions, and to permit a severe trial of our Christian faith and patience. We refer to the EARTHQUAKE which has occurred in the southern portion of the Colony, and has been the occasion of a heavy loss of Mission-property, as well as of great pecuniary suffering and distressing alarm to some of our people, in common with others. Of that calamity most of our Readers have been apprized through the medium of the Public Journals. Still, we feel it right that our Missionary Notices should record something on the subject. Our first account of it was very brief, and contained in the hurried Postscript of a Letter from the Rev. Samuel Ironside, dated October 13th, 1818, of which Postscript, written on October 15th, the following is a copy :

"I open my letter, to state that we were last night, October 14th, visited with a most fearful shock, or succession of shocks, of an earthquake, VOL. VII. NEW SERIES.

realizing all my conceptions of a WestIndian one. No lives are lost. The damage done to property is immense. Our beautiful chapel is much injured. AUGUST, 1849. K

The front wall, and part of each side, must come down. The cost of repairing it will be great; and where is the money

to come from?
in building it.
Society nothing."

The people did nobly

It has cost the Parent

Subsequent Letters furnish a still more sad and melancholy account The following is an

of this awful event.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Samuel Ironside, dated Wellington,
October 21st, 1848.

IN a postscript of my letter of the
13th and 15th instant, I reported an awful
visitation from the Almighty,-an earth-
quake, which had thrown down many
buildings, &c. The day following, the
earth was seldom quiet; but in the after-
noon, about twenty minutes past three,
a shock, much more violent and long-
continued than the previous one, was
felt. The brick and clay buildings
which had withstood the previous one,
were by this so shattered, that they were
rendered untenable. Scarcely a brick
chimney in the town was standing. The
Tuesday-afternoon class was meeting in
the Mission-house, all secure, as they
thought, in a room, within fifteen feet of
our large chapel, which had been pre-
viously injured, and the east wall of
which was vibrating over their heads in
a most fearful manner. Through God's
mercy, it remained standing, though
perilous to the passenger. I was never
so impressed with the almighty power
of God as when standing in the streets,
and beholding the large, heavy brick
buildings toppling over in every direc-
tion. This shock did not pass without
fatal accident. Barrack-Sergeant Lovell,
who has for many years been a Local
Preacher and Class-Leader among us,
and, though resident in Wellington
scarcely a twelvemonth, universally re-
spected, was walking past the stores or
which he has charge, with two of his
little children playing about him, when
the earthquake came, and they were
buried in the ruins of the walls on both
sides the streets. They were dug out
immediately. One little child was killed
on the spot, and the other fearfully in-
jured, so much so that he died in five or
six hours after. The poor father's left
leg was very severely contused; and, at
his advanced age, (fifty-seven,) the pros-
pect was doubtful. He died yesterday,
happy in God; and his afflicted widow
bears her very heavy losses like a Chris-
tian as she is. May God be according to
His promise, a Husband to the widow,
and a Father to the fatherless!
most singular that, at the time this se-
cond shock came, I had just finished
writing a paragraph in the newspaper
office, inviting the people to worship

It was

together in the Scotch Church, in public
acknowledgment of the mercy that had
been mingled with judgment, in that
there had been no loss of life or limb.
I had written the word "limb," when the
shock came, which in a few seconds
killed one, and mortally wounded two.
But of the whole three there can be no
doubt whatever that they are happy in
heaven. On Thursday morning, the
19th instant, at four A. M. a shock of
earthquake, more severe, more lengthy,
than the two others, was felt. Our
house had been shattered by the previous
shocks, parts of the walls fallen, and it
was dangerous to remain. The family
of Mr. Watkin (who is away in Auck-
land opening the chapel there) were in
imminent danger from the shattered cha-
pel. Four or five other houseless fami-
lies came with them, and we constructed
a large tent on the flat near our house;
but the rain and wind from the south-
east were so violent, and the tent so
leaky, that some of us preferred staying
in the house, dangerous as it was, to the
exposure of the tent. The awful shock
came, and found us there; but God's
mercy allowed us again to escape. I
can give you no idea of the extent of the
damage done to property. The whole
town is desolate; the only buildings
which stand are the strongly-built wea-
ther-board; even of them the chimneys
are down, and some of the roofs destroyed
through the falling of chimneys. If the
town had been more thickly built upon,
and the houses, brick and stone, two or
three stories high, the loss of life would
have been immense. The shocks realized
all my conceptions of those I have read
of anywhere. But we will sing of
mercy and of judgment." With the ex-
ception of the one family of the Lovells,
who were well prepared, no one in
Wellington or its neighbourhood has
suffered in person. Yesterday was a fast-
day. The Independent chapel and Pri-
mitive Methodist chapel, as well as ours,
are levelled to the ground. The Scotch
Church was our only place.
But we
have an Evangelical Alliance here, in
spirit, as well as in name; and we all
joined in worship there, as you will see
by the "Gazette " enclosed. Thousands

of sincere prayers and tears were offered to God, and he is hearing prayer, as we have had no severe shock since Thursday morning. Slight shocks still are felt; but we hope the worst is past. We think the earthquake will operate as in some sense an answer to prayer for revivals of religion; for this is certainly the result. Hundreds are seeking the Lord. May the good be permanent! All our families, and four others, refugees, are in the Mission-house, which remains standing, except the tops of the chimneys. The mail is closing; I must conclude. How can the merchants and people restore their destroyed buildings? How can we build again the waste places of our Jerusalem? Lord, have mercy on us!

(COPY.)

"New-Zealand Government Gazette, Province of New Munster. Published at Wellington, Thursday, October 19th, 1848.

PROCLAMATION.

"WHEREAS it has pleased Almighty God to visit this settlement with a great and grievous calamity, and it is fitting that a public acknowledgment be made of the divine power, on whom all the operations of nature and the security of

his creatures, depend, and that prayers and supplications be offered up to Almighty God to avert the recurrence of any similar visitation :

"Now, therefore, I, Edward John Eyre, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Munster, by and with the advice of my Executive Council, do hereby proclaim and declare that to-morrow, the 20th of October, shall be held as a day of public fast, prayer, and humiliation.

"Given under my hand and seal, at Government House, Wellington, this 19th day of October, 1848. "E. EYRE."

[Notices of the services to be held, in pursuance of this Proclamation, at the Episcopal church, &c., are here inserted; and then follows the interesting notice to which Mr. Ironside's letter refers: viz.,]

"The Governor having appointed tomorrow, the 20th instant, to be held as a day of public fast, prayer, and humiliation, the Ministers of the Evangelical Alliance in Wellington cordially invite all their members and congregations to meet together in the Scotch Church for religious services, at eleven A. M., and at three and six P. M."

A still later account, dated Wellington, December 22d, presents a touching appeal for help in what it justly calls " a case of great necessity, our demolished Chapel and School-House." Mr. Ironside adds,

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"One thousand pounds would hardly replace us in the circumstances in which we were before the catastrophe. The ruin is complete. It will take a considerable sum to build a chapel of sufficient dimensions at the present time, materials and labour being very high. But we are compelled to build, from the inconvenience of the place in which we

now conduct our services, and the crowded congregations which assemble.

"The late convulsions have been rendered a blessing to some. They have been led to serious thought, and, I hope, to repentance. Believers have been quickened in their religious course, and, I think, the moral tone of society in general is improved."

MISSION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Or all the Aboriginal Heathen Tribes, with whom modern discoveries have brought us acquainted, none, we believe, have been found in a condition of such deplorable ignorance, and, according to merely human calculation, so utterly hopeless, as those scattered remnants of the aboriginal population, which are met with in the vicinity of some of our Australian Colonies. Yet the following communication will show that even these are not without the pale of Divine compassion, nor beyond the reach and influence of patient evangelical labour. At our Station near the Swan River, as well as at that in Australia Felix, there are tokens for good. The incidents recorded of the Christian courtesy and kindness of the Bishop of Adelaide, will be read with

satisfaction by all "lovers of good men." O that all Christians would learn thus to bear willing testimony to the value of each others' labours; and, while retaining their own several denominational views, preferences, and attachments, would still cordially rejoice in each others' successes!

Extract of Letters from the Rev. John Smithies, dated Perth, Swan-River, January 6th, 1849.

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On the subject of our Mission to the Aboriginal Natives I trust a brighter day is dawning. His Excellency, the new Governor, Captain Fitzgerald, pleased to send for me the other day; on which occasion we had an interesting conversation on the Mission, in which he takes a lively interest, and promises me that anything he can do on its behalf he shall be happy to do.

Within the last two mouths this colony has been visited by Dr. Short, the new Bishop of Adelaide, consecrating churches, confirming the people, and discharging the duties of his vocation: he is an exceedingly affable, kindhearted, and liberally minded Bishop. He takes great interest in aboriginal improvement. I had several interviews with his Lordship; he was kind enough to honour our Native Institution at Gallillilup with a visit; he rode out with a few friends on a hot day, examined the boys and girls in reading, writing, knowledge of Scripture, Commandments, Creed, &c., &c., for more than an hour, heard them sing, &c., and expressed himself as very much gratified by their knowledge of common and divine things; in fact, he was kind enough to say that he was satisfied we had proceeded on right principles, pursued right plans, that he saw efficiency in our operations, and that we "lacked only one thing," namely, good and suitable land, to make it a self-supporting system. Our present situation he thinks will never do it; and advised us by all means to make a move somewhere, and recommended our want to the Government. On this subject I feel I can do nothing till I see or hear from Mr. Boyce. As we had several couples of natives to be united in marriage,-the church School of natives at Freemantle furnishing three brides for three of our youths, and another couple of our own,and as the Bishop had manifested so kind and liberal feelings towards us, we requested the honour of his Lordship's performing the marriage-ceremony on the day of his embarkation for Adelaide, to which he very heartily consented, and for which all things were

made ready. On the day, a few of our friends accompanied us and the natives to Freemantle, as did likewise Dr. Madden, the Colonial Secretary; at twelve o'clock the Bishop married the four couples in the church at that place; the ceremony was imposing, paternal, and likely to be long remembered. In a reply to an address presented him on his leaving, he referred to this fact with evident feelings of pleasure; as testifying hereby, he said, Christian unity between ourselves and them, and as giving a proof of our united regards for the improvement of the population, black or aboriginal. He left one guinea with Mrs. Smithies towards the expenses of the day, after which we took our leave of this truly Christian Bishop, he wishing us good speed in the name of the Lord. Would that our mother church had many sons like him! He has visited every part of this diocese within one year.

In continuing the brief account of the Native Missions, the Bishop of Adelaide's visit, &c., I have to add, that last evening one of our first aboriginal converts departed this life. About four years ago she was married to a civilian, a carpenter by trade, and has conducted herself as a wife and mother to the surprise and astonishment of all. She had not of late lived in a state of salvation, and, residing in her husband's family, not pious, her advantages had been but few; she was well and in health till, a week ago, by bathing, she took a cold, which settled in her throat, and in a few days died. Her last hours were embittered with the thought of her sins, and of her not having lived to God as before; but was very anxious for prayer, begging, "Master, good master, pray for me,' which was done again and again, and at last herself prayed, "Lord, forgive my sin, all my sin for Jesus's sake; Jesus, take away my sin." Her husband, brothers, and sisters were greatly affected at the prospect of her dying. She begged me to stay with her, requested her brother-in-law to take care of her babe, and took leave of her husband, myself, and all the family: she then looked up towards heaven, and said

with great emphasis, "God loves me, God loves me,-takes me to heaven," and I said, "Amen and amen." She lingered a day or two after this, and fell asleep in Jesus, in sure and certain hope of a resurrection to eternal life; a declaration I shall not hesitate in making at her funeral this

afternoon. The Lord be praised! We had hoped she might have been spared to be a blessing: the Lord's will be done. A more particular account of the life and death of Eliza Stokes we may forward for the "Juvenile Offering" by the next opportunity.

MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

PORT-NATAL.

THE following Letter contains a very cheering account of the grow ing prosperity and success of this comparatively new Mission. It announces, we humbly trust, the commencement, and first-fruits unto God, of a great harvest in that portion of the African continent. Here, as elsewhere, the progress of Christianity will be marked by the extension of civilization, and the improvement of the social habits and condition of the people. To our Female Friends, especially, and to benevolent Tradesmen who are engaged in the manufacture and sale of articles of clothing, we earnestly commend the case of these African Disciples of our common Saviour. The Gospel and Grace of God have brought them "to the feet of Jesus;" and surely by a general and simultaneous effort, individually small, but in the aggregate adequate to the necessity, they may be furnished with the means of being plainly "clothed," as well as brought to "their right mind." Contributions of materials or made-up garments, for this and other Stations in similar circumstances, will be thankfully received at our MissionHouse, Bishopsgate-Street-Within, London.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. W. C. Holden, dated Fort-Natal,

January 12th, 1849.

As the work of God continues to assume an encouraging aspect in this Circuit, a few particulars concerning it may not be unwelcome. On the 13th of November, 1848, I visited two of the country Stations, according to my Circuit arrangements. On my last visit I had selected ten persons for baptism, if upon further trial they were found suitable characters; and as nothing had occurred to render reproof needful in any case, I examined them carefully before the public service began, and being fully satisfied of their fitness to enter the Christian church by the administration of this divine ordinance, at ten o'clock, A. M., I preached from, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," &c., explaining the nature of Christian baptism, and enforcing the discharge of the duties incumbent upon all who bear the name of Christ. It was a season of deep and solemn interest. Five adult males and five adult females were then admitted into the fellowship of saints, by being baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity. Some of them were clothed, and the remainder partially so; four

females having clean calico about the body, and the males having shirts on : these were not in circumstances to obtain more clothing, though they greatly desired it; their cleanliness, and serious, orderly, prayerful deportment, presented a striking, happy contrast to the filthy wildness of Heathenism. These are the first baptized Natal converts within a considerable distance of Port-Natal, and I take them as the earnest and pledge of a large multitude who shall be brought to the Saviour from amongst these benighted sons of Ham.

At the close of the public service I met the class, and was glad to find that the two poor old men whom I left in deep distress for their sins on my last visit, had now entered into the liberty of God's children, and were happy in the Saviour. One of them said he had long been living among the dead-stones in Zulu-land, but God had brought him out in his old age to enjoy the life of Christ. The other was very old, but had been a tall, fine man; he is related to Panda, the present Zulu Chief; is descended from the royal family; was

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