missionaries in various districts, the Report stated that the number of central stations was 105; the number of subordinate and tributary stations, 98. During the year, 401 persons were added to the missionary churches. The entire number of members was 4,208. There were 98 Sunday-schools, with 1,095 teachers and 8,309 scholars. The Society commenced its financial year with a debt of £240, which had been increased by the sum of £130. The Hon. and Rev. B. Noel, Revs. J. W. Best, C. Vince, Paxton Hood, C. Short, and S. J. Davis addressed the Meeting, which concluded with singing and prayer. HOME AND IRISH EVANGELICAL MISSIONS. THE Annual Meeting of these Societies was held in the Poultry Chapel, on Tuesday evening, May 11th. The chair was taken by John Cheetham, Esq., M.P. After the meeting had been opened with devotional exercises, the chairman made a few introductory remarks. Dr. Massie then read the Report of the Home Missionary Society, from which we find that the services of its agents are employed among 538,000 people. There are 113 stations, diffusing their influence among 633 parishes, villages, and towns; 358 chapels and rooms are occupied for worship, while the adult hearers average 30,000. There are 170 Sunday-schools in operation, in which 13,797 scholars are taught by 1,808 male and female teachers. There are 52 missionaries and students, and 63 grantees, associated with 172 lay coadjutors. During the year, 62,000 magazines, 150,000 religious tracts, and 1,565 copies of the Bible have been sold or distributed. The Report of the Irish Evangelical Society alluded to a handsome gift of books, received from Dr. Campbell, to the value of £100. We regret to learn that the proportion of British Mission collections appropriated for Ireland, this year, has been £111 less than last year. HOME AND COLONIAL SCHOOL SOCIETY. THE Annual Examination and Meeting of this Society was held at the Institution, Gray's Inn-road, on Monday afternoon, May 3rd. In the unavoidable absence of the Earl of Chichester, who was expected to take the chair, Mr. Labouchere presided. The examination of the children gave the greatest satisfaction to all present. The Report read by the Secretary was a very lengthy document, and furnished an interesting account of the operations of the Society, and the educational movement generally. After quoting the reports of the government inspectors, it went on to give a summary of the work of the training department during the year, and set forth the number of teachers, schools, and children. The Treasurer's balance-sheet showed the receipts to have been £7,307 10s. 11d., and after all the expenses had been met, there was a balance of £10 3s. 5d. in hand. The Report was unanimously adopted, and several addresses delivered in favour of the objects of this useful Institution. YOUNG MEN'S MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION. THE Annual Fraternal Meeting of this Association was held at the Regent'spark College, on Tuesday evening, May tial attendance, over which Dr. Angus 11th, when there was a large and influenwas called to preside. offered by the Rev. I. Vale Muminery. The After singing a hymn, prayer was Chairman then briefly explained the object of the meeting. Addresses were delivered on missions-Home, Irish, and Foreignby the Revs. J. Harcourt, A. M. Henderson, and J. P. Chown. The Rev. W. Mead, the senior student in the College, Howieson, Mr. Templeton, and Mr. J. also took part in the engagements of the evening, which were deeply interesting. LONDON JEWS' SOCIETY. THE Jubilee Meeting of this very useful Society was held at Exeter Hall, on Friday morning, May 7th; the Earl of The Revs. A. Reed, Dr. Morton Brown, Mr. Payton, H. P. Bowen, T. Ball, and Paxton Hood spoke to the various reso-Shaftesbury presiding. The proceedings lutions. having been commenced by prayer and reading the Scriptures, the noble Chair- | land and Wales, but also in the West man offered a few remarks. The Rev. C. J. Goodhart, the Secretary, then read the Report, which stated that the gross receipts of the Society, exclusive of the Jubilee Fund, amounted to £31,368, and the expenditure to £35,150. The Jubilee Fund, on the 31st of March, amounted to £1,018. The Report gave an interesting account of the operations of the Society during the year, and referred with devout gratitude to the large measure of success with which the God of Israel had crowned their labours during the past fifty years. The Bishop of London ably moved the first resolution, and suggested the desirableness of educating young men of the Hebrew persuasion, who had embraced Christianity, to go abroad as missionaries. The Rev. Dr. Marsh seconded the resolution, and called on the assembly to aid the Society, not only with their purses, but by their prayers. The Rev. Dr. M'Neile supported the resolution, in an energetic speech; after which it was passed unanimously. Other resolutions, urging increased exertions on the part of the meeting, having been adopted, a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the business of the day. VOLUNTARY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION. THE Annual Soirée and Meeting of this Association was held on Monday, May 3rd, at the Milton Club, when G. W. Alexander, Esq., was called to the chair. The assembly having adjourned to the large room, the Chairman commenced the business of the evening, by offering a few remarks upon the necessity that existed for more vigorous efforts to promote the voluntary education of the people. The Secretary read the Report, from which it appeared, that in the normal institutions connected with the Association upwards of 100 young persons had been trained for teaching, a considerable portion of whom were now engaged in the work. The Association had contributed liberal sums towards the establishment and support of schools, not only in Eng Indies, where it has aided many of the schools connected with the London, Moravian, and Baptist Missionary Societies. The receipts for the past year, with a balance in hand of £272 13s. at the former audit, amounted to £731 2s. 6d., which, after all expenses being paid, left a balance of £282 14s. 2d. in the hands of the Treasurer. The claims of this valuable Association upon the friends of voluntary education were very efficiently urged upon the audience by the Revs. D. Katterns, J. Curwen, H. Richards, A. Reed, J. H. Hinton, and W. Brock. COLONIAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY. THE Twenty-second Anniversary Meeting of this Society was held in the Poultry Chapel, on Monday evening, May 17th, the Earl of Shaftesbury in the chair. A hymn having been sung, the Rev. Dr. Spence offered up prayer. The Rev. T. James read the Report, which gave a sketch of the Society's operations at Toronto, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Natal, Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney, Adelaide, &c. &c. The receipts for the year were stated to have exceeded those of any former year, the total amount being £6,544 13s. 6d., and the expenditure £5,569; leaving a balance in favour of the Society of £974 18s. 1d., which is absorbed by the amount due to the fund raised to meet the expenses of the outfit of the sixteen missionaries whom Mr. Poore came to England to obtain. The noble Chairman then delivered one of the most admirable opening speeches out of the many we have had the pleasure of hearing from his Lordship, in which he bore distinct testimony to the importance and efficiency of the voluntary principle, set forth the necessity and value of providing for the spiritual instruction of of our colonial dependencies, and expressed the satisfaction it afforded him to co-operate with his Nonconformist brethren in carrying on the cause of God, whether at home or abroad. A.M., of Halifax, preached from 1 Cor. vi. chap. 19th (last clause) and 20th verses. Rev. S. BOWDITCH, of Bristol, presented the concluding prayer. Tabernacle.-Rev. J. H. GwYTHER, of Manchester, read the Scriptures and prayed. Rev. W. M. PUNSHON, of Leeds, preached from 1 Kings iv. 29. Rev. A. MCMILLAN, of Taunton, offered the concluding prayer. FRIDAY, MAY 14th. SACRAMENTAL SERVICES. Sion Chapel.-Rev. JOHN SIBREE presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. J. BOWREY, S. MCALL, W. TYLER, JAS. SIBREE, and J. E. RICHARDS. Falcon Square Chapel.-Rev. J. SPENCE, D.D., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. S. GOODALL, E. STORROW, and J. BARTLETT. Union Chapel, Islington.-Hon. and Rev. B. W. NOEL presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. J. T. BEIGHTON, R. BIRT, W. CLARKSON, A. M. HENDERSON, and W. SPENCER. St. Thomas's Square, Hackney.-Rev. J. R. CAMPBELL, A.M., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. W. BURGESS, J. BEDELL, and H. ADDISCOTT. Kingsland Chapel.-Rev. P. THOMSON, A.M., presided. Addresses by the Revs. C. HARDIE and J. H. MUIR. Hanover Chapel, Peckham.-Rev. A. FLETCHER, D.D., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. D. HEWITT, T. MANN, E. BEWLEY, J. BROWN, S. A. DAVIS, D. J. EVANS, J. H. HITCHENS, P. Kent, D. NIMMO, S. THODEY, W. P. TIDDY, P. J. TURquand, T. RAY, G. ROGERS, G. ROSE, and R. W. BETTS. Trevor Chapel, Brompton.-Rev. A. M. BROWN, LL.D., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. C. H. BATEMAN, A. MCMILLAN, T. ALEXANDER, R. MACBETH, and W. M. STATHAM. Westminster Chapel.-Rev. T. ARCHER, D.D., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. B. PRICE, J. RAWLINSON, R. C. MATHER, R. BRUCE, and J. S. PEARSALL. Greenwich Road Chapel.—Rev. A. THOMSON, A.M., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. W. DAWSON, S. HEBDITCH, J. O. WHITEHOUSE, and T. TIMPSON. Paddington Chapel.-Rev. S. MARTIN presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. R. BALGARNIE, A. HAMPSON, H. B. INGRAM, and J. STRATTEN. New Tabernacle Chapel.-Rev. J. RowLAND presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. G. L. HERMAN, I. VAUGHAN, G. GOGERLY, W. ROAF, and T. T. WATERMAN. Surrey Chapel.—Rev. J. STOUGHTON presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. E. R. W. KRAUSE, H. ALLARD, and N. HALL. Orange Street Chapel.-Rev. J. BURNETT presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. W. FAIRBROTHER, J. HALLETT, and S. MARCH. Stockwell Chapel.-Rev. E. R. CONDER, A.M., presided. Addresses and prayers by the Revs. J. GWYTHER, H. HELMORE, and D. THOMAS. The Annual Meeting was held on Thursday, May 13th, at Exeter Hall, and was very numerously attended. The chair was taken at ten o'clock by Frank Crossley, Esq., M.P. Among the gentlemen on the platform, in addition to those who took part in the proceedings, were Edward Ball, Esq., M. P.; George Hadfield, Esq., M.P.; J. Cheetham, Esq., M.P.; J. Kershaw, Esq., M.P.; Sir C. E. Eardley, Bart.; Rev. Drs. Halley, Archer, Morton Brown; Revs. G. Osborne, one of the Secretaries of the Wesleyan Missionary Society; F. Trestrail, one of the Secretaries of the Baptist Missionary Society; P. Latrobe Secretary of the Moravian Missionary Society; J. Stratten, J. Stoughton, J. C. Harrison, G. Smith, J. Sherman, J. Hall, J. Watson, J. T. Rowland, J. R. Campbell, P. Thomson, A. Thomson, R. W. Dale, E. Mellor, A. Jack, J. Parsons, J. Woodward, H. Batchelor; Messrs. G. H. Davies, one of the Secretaries of the Tract Society; E. Baines, T. Barnes, S. Job, J. Perry, E. Jupe, W. D. Wills, Eusebius Smith, H. Rutt, John Morley, Joseph East, &c., &c. The proceedings were opened with the singing of the Hundredth Psalm, which was given out by the Rev. E. Prout, and with offering of prayer by the Rev. Patrick Thompson. The CHAIRMAN: My Christian Friends,-If I had consulted my own feelings when I received the kind invitation of the Directors of this valuable Society to preside over this important meeting, I should certainly have declined to accept that invitation; for I felt then, as I feel now, that there are many gentlemen who are far better qualified to fulfil the duties of the office of chairman than I am. But I felt convinced that the invitation was not designed to be an empty compliment,-that the Directors thought that I could be of service to the cause, and for this reason, and feeling a deep interest in the Society, I endeavoured to overcome the diffidence which I experienced when asked to accept so great a responsibility. With these few explanatory remarks, I must now throw myself on the kind indulgence of the meeting, and I trust my shortcomings will be received with some clemency. Now, this is no ordinary meeting. Important meetings are occasionally held to promote the temporal welfare of man; but we have met this morning to promote a far greater object,‚—we have met to promote the spiritual as well as temporal welfare of millions of our fellow-creatures, scattered over every country on the face of the earth, and, therefore, the importance of our object can scarcely be over-estimated. I was very much struck with something which I met with in reading the Travels of Dr. Livingstone. The author said that having met with a very intelligent man, he began to explain to him how the Son of God left his seat on high, and came into this world, took upon himself our nature, and performed many miracles in order to show that he was God; how he made the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, and the blind to see; how he raised the dead to life, and walked upon the sea as though it were dry land, and that nothing was too great for him to do; and when he afterwards went on to tell him that after he had done all these things he actually gave up his life and died upon the cross that we, through his death, might live, the chief said:-"You make my very bones to shake; you make my very ears to tingle; but allow me to ask you this one question-Did your forefathers know all this? The Doctor was obliged to admit that they did. “Then," said the chief, “how is it that they did not come to tell our forefathers this, and not permit them to go stumbling in the dark, into an untimely grave, not knowing where they are going?" Let us see to it, my friends, that this question or a similar one be not put to us, not on the plains of Africa, but at the judgment-seat. Now, as many of us heard yesterday, we are "not our own," but are "bought with a price;" and men who bring earthly maxims to bear on this subject, and say, “Every man for himself, and God for us all," can know very little of the real spirit of Christianity. It is impossible for selfishness and Christianity to thrive together. You might as well attempt to put fire and water together and expect them to thrive together; for, as surely as the water would put out the fire or the fire dry up the water, so surely will selfishness dry up Christianity or Christianity burn up selfishness. God moves in a mysterious way. It has often happened that the most horrible occurrences that take place in the earth, even war and bloodshed, have been made by God to bring about his own designs. We cannot consider what is occurring in India and China, and the openings that are being made there, without asking ourselves what we can do to make known the truths of Christianity in those countries to a far greater extent than they have ever been made known hitherto. Let me observe that I think there is much need for reform with regard to the Government of India. Hitherto we have not as a nation served our Lord and Master in that country; but, finding it sunk in the depths of Hindoo superstition and Mohammedan delusion, we have sought to continue these things, and to let darkness pervade the land, as though our sway could not be maintained unless the people were left in utter ignorance of the Christian religion. What was said in relation to this subject by that noble Lord who has just quitted the highest office connected with India? What was said by that noble Lord in the House of Lords on the 9th of June last? After giving an extract from Lord Ellenborough's speech animadverting upon the conduct of the Governor-General of India in subscribing to societies which have for their object the conversion of the natives, the Chairman proceeded : “ Now if such things as these are said by a noble Lord who has recently filled one of the highest positions in this country, what are the poor deluded natives likely to think of the matter? It is not to be supposed, because these persons in India subscribe towards the carrying on of the Missionary work, that they wish the natives to be compelled to adopt the Christian religion." It is, as it appears to me, a most dangerous doctrine which is laid down in the speech which I have just quoted. Every man owes a duty to his sovereign; but that duty cannot be opposed to the duty which he owes to the King of kings. We all owe a duty to God, from which we cannot be released by any human law or by any earthly monarch, and there is no office in this country, or in any other, which it would be right for a Christian man to accept or retain, if by holding it he would be prevented from owning the Lord of life and glory whom he professes to serve, and also subscribing, according to his means, that others might become disciples of the same blessed Master. It happens that the nobleman to whom I have referred, was once himself the Governor-General of India. Let us, then, just consider for a moment what he did at that period. In the first place, let me say that I believe, if we were to ransack all the particulars of his previous career, we should not find him committing the unpardonable sin of subscribing a single sixpence, out of his own pocket, for any Missionary Society. But if we trace his career during his Governor-Generalship, we shall find him, not out of his own pocket, but out of the taxes of India, pandering to a considerable extent to the idolatry of the country. We shall find him sending a convoy of English troops to escort the gates of an idol temple to a certain part of India. Let me just lay before you his general orders in reference to that matter. Having read the general orders which were issued by Lord Ellenborough, from Simla, on the 16th of November, 1842, directing the formal restoration of the gates taken from the tomb of the Sultan Mahmoud, at Ghuzuee, to the temple of Somnauth, the Chairman proceeded :Now I should like to know what poor Hindoos could be expected to think of all this? If, while the Missionaries are preaching the Gospel, they find one, who formerly held the highest office in India, condemning civil servants and officers of the Army, in that country, for subscribing the smallest sum for the Missionary work,-and if they find one of the highest offices in this country held by one who, some years ago, spent, not his own money indeed, but the money of the inhabitants of India, to bring back with pompous ceremonial, gates, which were torn from a Hindoo temple eight hundred years ago, what, I ask, under such circumstances, can the natives be expected to think of Christianity? The real character of the transaction is carefully kept out of the orders which I have read; but it is well known that the real object with which it was done, was to pander to Hindoo idolatry and superstition. It was thought desirable, as a matter of policy, to endeavour by thas means to acquire increased influence over the most numerous portion of the natives. What would have been said to David and Saul, if they had acted in such a manner? Would they not have been told that they had been " weighed in the balances and found wanting?" That God, who reigns over the universe, is a jealous God, and will not let his honour be given to another with impunity. As Christians, we have no wish to see the Government doing anything to propagate the Christian religion in India, as a Government; but, on the |