for the ordinances of the sanctuary. Very little help have they needed from the mission fund beyond the salary of their pastor. "The brethren begin to see," says Mr. Williams, "that it is their duty to bear their own expenses, and contribute towards religious matters." The services of the week are numerous, for beside the usual Sunday and weekday services, the brethren meet every morning to offer prayer to God previous to their going forth to their daily toil. The general conduct of the members is good, and some of them delight much in reading the word of God.

The visits of the missionaries and their native helpers to the more distant stations are as frequent as circumstances will allow. On these occasions they preach everywhere that they can, and with very cheering results. A recent visit to Secunderabad gave Mr. Smith much pleasure. The excitement in the bazaar was great. Crowds gathered wherever the missionaries appeared, and with several inquirers they enjoyed very interesting conversations. One of these was a Brahmin, one Chunder Muni, pretty well educated, a grain merchant and tolerably rich. The Gospel he has thoroughly mastered. Wherever he goes Christianity is his theme, so that the Brahmins in the district are stirred up tremendously. Thoroughly independent, he stands on a vantage ground with his countrymen, and promises to be of great use in the spread of the Gospel. Mr. Smith supplies him with books, which he returns after perusal. "I hear of him everywhere," says Mr. Smith, "and he is not disposed to put his light under a bushel. He proposes calling an assembly in the town, to discuss the merits of Christianity. He will bear all the expenses himself." Such cases as this are of great interest, and display the power which the Gospel is assuming in the land. Occasionally the native brethren go out alone to preach to their countrymen. Three of the Delhi preachers have furnished us with a brief record of one of their itineracies, from which we will extract the following passages. The names of there native brethren are Imam Masih, Kurim Buksh, and Prubhu Das.

"April last we three visited the Goorgaon mela, where we remained two days, preaching both morning and evening to crowds of people, who hearkened heedfully to our message. Many questions were asked us respecting the motives which induced us to give up our old religion and join the Christian community, which we answered according to our abilities, and the people seemed satisfied with our replies. Most of our hearers manifested good feelings towards us, and many candidly confessed the superiority of Christ's religion over their own.

"At Rewari we enjoyed the presence of about six hundred people, who were exceedingly anxious to hear the glad tidings. We preached to them Christ and Him crucified. Almost all of them were delighted with the good news, and expressed their approval of the religion we proclaimed. When leaving, they earnestly begged of us to send somebody there, to teach them the will of the Lord, and to point out the way of life, so that they might know God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. In reply we told them that we would inform the Sahibs of the matter, and they doubtless would make some arrangement. We were greatly satisfied with the people and the attention they gave us.

The

"We marched to Patandi, and had the pleasure of seeing about two hundred people assembling to hear us. Gospel was soberly and attentively hearkened to, and many of those present were delighted in hearing of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Some of the more learned appeared exceedingly satisfied with the good news of redeeming love, and confessed in the presence of the multitude that the God of the English was purer and much more powerful than their own gods, as they would flee away when He would make His appearance. Most of the inhabitants of this village are truly convinced of the falsehood of their own religion and the truth of Christianity; but their caste keeps them back.

"At Gari we preached to about three hundred individuals. Many of the villagers requested us to send them a catechist, for, as they said, 'Mr.

Thompson used to keep one here.' 'Our sincere conviction is that many of the people of this village are very favourable to Christianity, and are anxious to get some one to teach them more accurately the ways of God.

"We revisited Goorgaon, and got good attendance both morning and evening. Not less than eight hundred were assembled together to hearken to us, among whom were present a great number of munshis and Government chuprassis, (pleaders and police officers), most of whom gave us their sincere attention. At the close of our address we had a short discussion with two or three of these munshis respecting the Divinity of our Saviour. It turned out well, so that good impressions were left on the minds of those that heard us, and the munshis were satisfied with our replies.

"We are glad to be able to inform our Christian brethren in England, that almost all the inhabitants of the above villages begin to open their eyes, see the absurdities of their own religion, and feel their need of a better one than what their pundits and moulvies teach them. Our desire and prayer is that the period may soon arrive when our fellowcountrymen will thoroughly and for ever cast away their idols, and turn unto Him who is mighty to save."

These native Christian brethren are themselves the firstfruits of the harvest they desire to see, and by their example and loving words contribute greatly to hasten its coming. May their number daily multiply, until great, indeed, is the company of them that publish the good tidings of peace.

GENERAL.

ONCE more Parliament is sitting, and the dull time of the year ought to be over. Thus far, however, the proceedings have been as uninteresting as possible, and there does not appear to be much probability of their being anything else. Even the Queen's Speech, which is seldom a very interesting document, was this year little better than a form-a form, too, that might have been easily dispensed with, especially as it was delivered again by Commissioners and not by the Queen. The sooner this Parliament is dissolved the better; nothing more, apparently, can be got from it. According to all the probabilities the dissolution will not be delayed beyond the summer of this year.

Glorious news has come from Americanews that goes far to reconcile us even to the war. Both Houses of Congress have passed a resolution, recommending to the legislatures of the several states an amendment of the constitution, by which slavery shall be for ever destroyed. The alteration proposed is to the effect that henceforth "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This article, when ratified by three-fourths of the

legislatures, will become a part of the con stitution, and no doubt is entertained that the requisite ratification will be agreed to. Meantime, the armies of the North continue to make rapid progress, and hopes begin to be entertained that the war is approaching its termination.

We are glad to mention that the persecu tion of the missionaries in the South Seas, to which we referred in our last number, has been disowned by the French Government. In reply to an appeal to the Emperor, addressed to him by the representatives of the various Missionary Societies, the following letter has been received:-"Gentlemen,-I have received the complaints which you have addressed to me relative to the recent proceedings of the Governor of New Caledonia in the Loyalty Islands. I have caused a letter to be written to Commandant Guillain, condemning any measure which might impede the free exercise of your ministry in those distant countries. I am certain that, far from raising difficulties in the way of the representatives of the French authority, the Protestant missions, like the Catholic, will aid it in spreading amongst the aborigines of that archipelago the benefits of Christianity and civilization. Receive, gentlemen, the assurance of my distinguished sentiments. -NAPOLEON."

We are glad to state that the response of the churches to the appeal of the Baptist Missionary Society on behalf of Jamaica is thus far gratifying. Considerable help has been already afforded, though not yet enough to meet the urgency of the case. We hope that the sufferings of our brethren in the West will not be forgotten in England, but that the officers of the Mission will soon be enabled to send out all the aid that is required.

The

Our readers will deeply regret to hear that the proposal of Sir Morton Peto to erect four chapels in the Metropolis, defraying one-half the cost himself, on condition that special subscriptions to the Baptist Building Fund were made for the other half, has met with so imperfect a response that Sir Morton has been induced to withdraw his offer. proposal has been before the denomination for two years, but only about £900 has been contributed towards £7,000, the sum required, so that there seemed but little probability of the remainder being subscribed. Under these circumstances the Committee have had no alternative but to consult the subscribers as to the disposal of the several sums contributed. They are now prepared, therefore, either to refund the amounts contributed for the special purpose of meeting Sir Morton Peto's proposal, or to appropriate them, under the direction of the subscribers, to the special or general objects of the Fund. We confess that this result is to us deeply mortifying, and only our confidence in the executive induces us to believe that the decision they have arrived at has not been reached too

soon.

DOMESTIC.

DRAKE-STREET, ROCHDALE.-The inaugural services in connection with the opening of the new and commodious schoolrooms in connection with Drake-street Chapel, Rochdale, have been just held. For many years the children belonging to the Sabbath-school have met in the chapel, but when, a short time since, the galleries were added to the building to meet the demand for increased accommodation, it was felt that it was impossible to conduct the school in an efficient manner, and various suggestions were made with a view to meet the difficulty. The most feasible of these was to shorten the chapel a little by making four class-rooms, but there was a serious objection raised to this, viz., that the increasing congregation would soon necessitate the alteration of the chapel to its original form. The matter was submitted to Henry Kelsall, Esq., for his opinion, and with a characteristic munificence that gentleman said, "By no means spoil the beauty of the chapel by destroying its proportion; I will build you a schoolroom which will meet all the difficulties of the case.

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a noble offer was, of course, readily accepted, and Mr. Kelsall at once gave directions for the commencement of the work which has just been so auspiciously completed. No cost has been spared in adapting the edifice to the purposes for which it is required. The whole of the outlay has been between £1,100 and £1,200. The inaugural services were held on Monday and Tuesday, January 16th and 17th. On the Sunday two sermons were preached by the Rev. Alexander Pitt. In the afternoon of the same day, Henry Kelsall, Esq., gave a highly practical and interesting address. On the following Tuesday a public tea was held in the large schoolroom, the trays being gratuitously provided by the ladies of the congregation. An interesting meeting was held afterwards, over which G. T. Kemp, Esq., presided, and which he opened with kind and very appropriate remarks. An address expressive of gratitude and esteem was presented to Mr. Kelsall, who was present, and who suitably responded. Addresses were also delivered by the Revs. S. Sugden, E. C. Pike, B.A., A. Pitt, and other ministers and gentlemen. A very interesting meeting was closed by singing the Doxology.

SHIPLEY, YORKSHIRE.-The foundationstone of a new Baptist chapel was laid in this place on the afternoon of January 21st, by Thomas Aked, Esq., in the presence of a large concourse of spectators. The present chapel and schoolroom, the third on the same site, have been erected about twenty-eight years, and by the blessing of God the congregation and school have so increased, that the building has become much too small. The new chapel is to accommodate upwards of a thousand persons, to have a schoolroom for five hundred scholars, and, in addition, a large select class-room, four other class-rooms, an infant class-room, three vestries, and a house for the chapel-keeper. The estimated cost of the whole is upwards of £5,000. The proceedings connected with laying the foundation-stone commenced by singing a hymn composed for the occasion, after which the Rev. H. M. Stallybrass, the minister of the Independent church at Saltaire, offered prayer. Suitable portions of Scripture were then read by the Rev. J. P. Campbell, of Sheffield. The Rev. R. Green, the pastor of the church, placed underneath the stone a sealed bottle, containing a copy of the last issue of The Freeman and other papers; also a document stating the circumstances which led to the building of the new chapel, having the names of the pastor and committee appended. Mr. John Hall then presented to Thomas Aked, Esq., a very handsome silver trowel, requesting him therewith to lay the foundationstone, to which Mr. Aked replied, and afterwards commenced and completed his interesting task. A history of the Baptist cause in Shipley was most ably given by the Rev. H Dowson, of Bradford. The venerable D

Godwin offered the dedicatory prayer. The Rev. J. P. Chown, of Bradford, delivered a most powerful and eloquent dedicatory address. Another hymn was sung, the benediction pronounced, and the vast assembly separated. At five o'clock, about 700 persons took tea in the schoolroom of the present chapel, after which a crowded meeting was held under the presidency of the pastor, when addresses were delivered by the Revs. T. Pottenger, H. J. Betts, of Bradford, S. G. Green, B.A., President of Rawdon College, J. P. Campbell, of Sheffield, John Cooke, Esq., and W. S. Glyde, Esq.

CHARLES-STREET, LEICESTER.—The anniversary services of this place of worship were held on Lord's-day, January 29th. Owing to severe domestic affliction, the Rev. Enoch Mellor, M.A., of Liverpool, was unable to fill his engagement by preaching on the occasion, but his place was ably supplied by the Rev. Johnson Barker, LL.B., who preached in the morning, and by the Rev. J. A. Picton in the evening. The collections amounted to £29. A public tea meeting was held on the following Monday evening, at which there were present the Revs. R. W. McAll, W. Ford, J. C. Smith, and J. Myers, and Messrs. R. Harris, G. Viccars, J. Bennet, J. Harrap, S. Mather, and others. The proceeds of the tea meeting amounted to £30. The treasurer (R. Harris, Esq.) read the statement of accounts for the past year. The chairman (the Rev. T. Lomas) then read the list of subscriptions for the year, and announced that only £27 were required to clear off entirely the debt of £1,600 incurred in the enlargement of the chapel in the year 1861. An interval was allowed for the friends present to send in additional contributions. These were freely and numerously given, and in about the space of ten minutes the chairman announced the entire liquidation of the amount, with a balance in hand of upwards of £5. announcement of the extinction of the debt was received by the audience with every mark of satisfaction.

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SALTER'S HALL, ISLINGTON.-On Tuesday, January 31st, a tea and public meeting were held to celebrate the completion of this commodious chapel. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather a large number of friends assembled. The chair was taken by Samuel Morley, Esq. A report of the circumstances connected with the removal of the cause from the City to Islington was read by Mr. W. Noble, one of the deacons; and the Rev. Jesse Hobson, the pastor, added that during the progress of the works, by the wise arrangement of the architect and builders, the services had not been interrupted. The Revs. A. Raleigh, of Hare-court Chapel, J. H. Hinton, M.A., Andrew Fuller, Clement Bailhache, J. S. Stanion, A. McAuslane, Reuben May, and Thomas Brain and

J. Vanner, Esqs., took part in the services of the evening. This chapel was originally purchased for £3,750, and the outlay for various improvements, alterations, the formation of a baptistry, and other expenses, it is estimated will reach £4,950.

SOUTHAMPTON.-Services in commemoration of the opening of new schoolrooms connected with the Baptist chapel in East-street, Southampton, were held on Sunday and Tuesday, the 15th and 17th of January. On the Sunday two sermons were preached by the Rev. P. Bailhache, of Hammersmith, from 2 Peter i. 16. On Tuesday there was a public tea and bazaar in the rooms, which were numerously attended. A public meeting was held in the chapel, at which W. Heaton, Esq., of London, presided; supported by the Revs. Arthur Mursell, of Manchester; T. Morris, of Whitchurch; T. Adkins, J. G. Wright, G. Gregg, H. H. Carlisle, J. Collins, C. Williams, J. Sargent, and the pastor of the congregation, the Rev. R. Caven. The school building is two stories high, containing spacious and lofty rooms, able to accommodate more than 400 persons. The entire outlay, including the cost of the land, is estimated at about £850, towards which £650 has been raised.

MINISTERIAL CHANGES.. The Rev. S. Sykes has resigned the pastorate of the Baptist church meeting in Knowsley-street, Bury, Lancashire.-Mr. Lenney, of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon's College, has accepted a cordial and unanimous invitation to become pastor of the church at Downham Market, Norfolk.-Mr. Daniel Jones, of the Baptist College, Haverfordwest, has accepted the unanimous invitation of the Baptist Church, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, to become its pastor, and has entered on his labours with cheering prospects. The Rev. G. Hester, of Loughborough, has accepted a unanimous invitation to become the pastor of Cemetery-road Chapel, Sheffield, and will enter on his new sphere of labour in a few weeks.-The Rev. G. B. Thomas, of St. Neot's, has accepted the cordial invitation of the church at Blenheim Chapel, Leeds, and will commence his ministry there on the first Sunday in March.-The Rev. H. A. Tanner, formerly of Portishead, Somerset (whose baptism at Bristol, by the Rev. R. P. Macmaster, was announced some time since), has accepted the pastorate of the church at Over Darwen, Lancashire, and has commenced his labours.-The Rev. H. V. Gill has resigned the charge of the Baptist church at Milford, which he has held for seventeen years, having accepted a cordial and unanimous invitation from the church and congregation meeting at Lockerly, Hants. -The Rev. John Lyon has resigned the pastorate of the Baptist church at Wrexham on account of ill-health.