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INTELLIGENCE.

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RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Ecclesiastical Record. Without any special manifestation of religious zeal, our churches appear to maintain the institutions of worship with an increasing rather than declining interest. Many of them enjoy visible prosperity, and all, we believe, internal harmony. If some are feeble, others exhibit a growing strength. The religious societies in the immediate neighbourhood of this city, particularly, are in a good condition. Among our younger ministers are men of fine gifts and a right spirit. The causes of disquiet and separation, which have resulted in the removal of so many ministers within the last few years, are not, we apprehend, so active as they have been. A portion of our people carry their disinclination to doctrinal discussion, both in and out of the pulpit, beyond the bounds of a just regard to truth or charity; and but few discover that warmth or earnestness of the religious life which is not less essential to the stability of a denomination than to the welfare of an individual; but we doubt not that direct, strong, fervent preaching, united with faithful (and by faithful we mean both abundant and spiritual) pastoral intercourse, would be accepted as a response to wants of which the people are conscious, and would secure a large return for the labor bestowed. Of such preaching and such intercourse many examples may be found among us. Let there be more. Let all our ministers preach as if they felt the unutterable majesty, beauty, and authority of the truths which they deliver, with man's need of those truths for his proper enjoyment of life here and his preparation for a life to come; let them use their opportunities of close approach to the conscience and heart in private communication as if they understood at once the privilege and the responsibleness of holding a relation which gives them such opportunities; and the result will show that we have no reason for distrusting either the acceptableness or the efficacy of the views which we entertain on religious subjects.

On looking over our record of the last year, we find that within this period we have taken notice of twelve dedications, fourteen ordinations, and twelve installations. When compared with the whole number of our religious societies, this enumeration must appear large, and indicates either great readiness on the part of our people to provide themselves with regular religious services, or singular ease in transferring their affections from one spiritual teacher to another, or, perhaps, - both.

Rev. Dr. Abbot of Peterboro', N. H., who some time since retired from the pulpit on account of his bodily infirmities, has, upon the settlement of another minister, relinquished his pastoral relation to the people. -The connection of Rev. Dr. Dewey with the " Church of the Messiah" in New York has been dissolved, from his inability to take the whole charge of the pulpit. Rev. Mr. Fisher having resigned his office as minister of the Irish Protestant congregation in this city, religious services have been suspended, and the society will probably cease to exist.

Rev. Mr. Perkins of Cincinnati has resigned his care of the pulpit of the First Unitarian society in that city. Rev. Mr. Everett of Northfield will close his ministry in that place on the 1st of February. - Rev. Mr. Stetson, formerly of Medford, has become the pastor of the church in South Scituate. Rev. Dr. Thompson of Barre will preach to the Unitarian society in Lincoln through the winter. Mr. N. O. Chaffee, from the Meadville Theological School, has taken charge of the pulpit at Montague for one year. Mr. G. G. Channing of Boston has renewed his connection with the people at Mendon for another year. Mr. D. W. Stevens, of the class last graduated at the Cambridge Divinity School, has accepted an engagement to preach at Somerville for six months.

Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Indians and Others in North America. The Annual Report of the Select Committee of this Society, presented November 2, 1848, contains copious extracts from the correspondence of the missionaries employed in its service. "At no period within the remembrance of the Committee, or, they believe, since the commencement of the Society, have its operations been more varied or extended than during the past year." The whole amount of funds at the present time, the income of which is devoted to the furtherance of the objects of the Society, exceeds $51,000, having, "by skilful management and a late munificent bequest," increased within the last four years nearly $14,000. The charter limits the number of members to fifty; the present number is forty-five, - Edward Wigglesworth, Esq., of Boston, and Rev. William J. Buddington of Charlestown, having being chosen at the late meeting in place of Hon. Samuel Hubbard and Rev. John Codman, who died the last year. The missionaries now" in the employment of the Society are Rev. W. G. Eliot,- St. Louis, and destitute vicinity, Mo.; Rev. Mordecai De Lange, Quincy, etc., Ill.; Rev. A. H. Conant, ― Geneva, etc., Ill.; Rev. G. W. Woodward,- Galena, etc., Ill.; Rev. W. T. Huntington, Milwaukie, etc., Wis.; Rev. T. C. Adam, Manchester, etc., Mich.; Rev. Henry Emmons,- Vernon, etc., N. Y.; Rev. E. T. Gerry, Me.; Rev. Addison Brown, and Rev. A. M. Bridge, Rev. L. D. Blodget, - Isle of Shoals, N. H.; Rev.

Standish, etc., Vernon, etc., Vt.; Abraham Plumer,

- Island of Matinicus, Me.; Rev. Phineas Fish, Indians of Marshpee and Herring Pond, Mass.

-

Dedications. The Second Congregational Society in MARSHFIELD, Mass., having remodelled their meeting-house, it was dedicated anew by religious services October 24, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Leonard of Marshfield, from Genesis xxviii. 17; the Dedicatory Prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Kendall of Plymouth; and the other services were conducted by Rev. Messrs. Moore of Duxbury, Bradford of Bridgewater, and Smith of Pembroke.

The meeting-house erected by the First Congregational Society in BROOKLINE, Mass., in place of one which they had found inconvenient for the purposes of public worship, was dedicated December 1, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Knapp of Brookline, from 1 Chronicles xvi. 29, and 1 Corinthians iii. 16; the Prayer of Dedication was offered by Rev. Dr. Pierce of Brookline; and the other ser

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vices were conducted by Rev. Dr. Putnam of Roxbury, and Messrs. Hill of Waltham, and Reynolds of Roxbury.

The meeting-house erected by the First Unitarian Society in UPTON, Mass., was dedicated December 14, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Tenney of Upton, from Matthew v. 17; the Prayer of Dedication was offered by Rev. Mr. Hill of Worcester; and the other services were conducted by Rev. Messrs. Willson of Grafton, Stacy of Milford, and Hale of Worcester.

Ordinations and Installations. Rev. LIBERTY BILLINGS, of Augusta, Me., a graduate of the Meadville Theological School, was ordained as Pastor of the First Congregational Church and Society in PETERBORO', N. H., October 25, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Peabody of Boston, from John xvii. 17; the Ordaining Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Leonard of Dublin, N. H.; the Charge, and Right Hand of Fellowship, were given by Rev. Mr. Morison of Milton; the Address to the People, by Rev. Mr. Whitwell of Wilton, N. H.; and the other services by Rev. Messrs. Whitwell, and Clarke of Jaffrey, N. H. Rev. WILLIAM CUSHING of Hingham, a graduate of the Meadville Theological School, was ordained as an Evangelist, at Sherburne, Mass., October 25, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Stone of Chelmsford, from Mark xvi. 15; the Ordaining Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Robinson of Medfield; the Charge was given by Rev. Mr. Richardson of Hingham; the Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Hill of Hubbardston; and the other services, by Rev. Messrs. Stone of Sharon, and Hill of Hubbardston.

Rev. JAMES FRANCIS BROWN, of Quincy, a graduate of the Cambridge Divinity School, was ordained as Pastor of the First Church and Society in WEST CAMBRIDGE, Mass., November 1, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Robbins of Boston, from Matthew vi. 6; the Ordaining Prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Walker of Cambridge; the Charge was given by Rev. Mr. Hall of Dorchester; the Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Appleton of Danvers; the Address to the People, by Rev. Dr. Francis of Cambridge; and the other services, by Rev. Dr. Ingersol, and Rev. Mr. Muzzey, of Cambridge, and Rev. Mr. Gray of Boston.

Rev. JOSEPH HOBSON PHIPPS, of Weare, N. H., a graduate of the Cambridge Divinity School, was ordained as Minister of the First Parish in FRAMINGHAM, Mass., November 16, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Hall of Dorchester, from Matthew xxii. 40; the Ordaining Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Muzzey of Cambridge; the Charge was given by Rev. Mr. Gray of Boston; the Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Alger of Roxbury; the Address to the People, by Rev. Mr. Barry of Lowell; and the other services, by Rev. Messrs. Fox of Boston, Reynolds of Roxbury, and Dr. Allen of Northboro'.

Rev. WILLIAM ORNE WHITE, of Salem, a graduate of the Cambridge Divinity School, was ordained as Pastor of the First Unitarian Society in WEST NEWTON, Mass., November 22, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Morison of Milton, from 2 Corinthians iv. 18; the Ordaining Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Stone of Salem; the Charge was given by Rev. Dr. Walker of Cambridge; the Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Bond of Barre; the Address to the People,

by Rev. Mr. Simmons of Springfield; and the other services, by Rev. Messrs. Hale of Worcester, Knapp of Brookline, and Hill of Waltham. Rev. AMOS SMITH, late of Boston, was installed as Pastor of the First Congregational Church and Society in LEOMINSTER, Mass., on Sunday, November 26, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Gannett of Boston, from John vi. 68; the Prayer of Installation was offered by Rev. Mr. Lincoln of Fitchburg; the Charge, and Address to the People, were given by Rev. Dr. Parkman of Boston; the Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Willson of Grafton; and the other services, by Rev. Mr. Smith and Dr. Parkman.

Rev. THOMAS STARR KING, late of Charlestown, was installed as Pastor of the Hollis Street Society in BOSTON, Mass., December 6, 1848. The Sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Dewey of New York, from Ephesians ii. 1; the Prayer of Installation was offered by Rev. Mr. Huntington of Boston; the Right Hand of Fellowship was given by Rev. Mr. Alger of Roxbury; the Charge, by Rev. Mr. Bartol of Boston; the Address to the Society, by Rev. Mr. Chapin of New York; and the other services, by Rev. Drs. Frothingham of Boston, Ballou of Medford, and Parkman of Boston.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

University at Cambridge. The internal state of this institution, we learn, was never better than at the present time. It is therefore the more to be regretted that President Everett's health is such as imposes on him the necessity, under advice of his physicians, of retiring from the office on which he entered with such auspices of success, and to which he has devoted himself with so conscientious and laborious a purpose. The choice of his successor by the Corporation and its confirmation by the Board of Overseers will not take place till the regular meeting of the Board, during the session of the Legislature which will commence on the first Wednesday in this month.

From the Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the University recently published, it appears that the number of Theological Students is 19; Law Students, 103; Students attending Medical Lectures, 139; Special Students, etc., in Scientific School, 16; Resident Graduates, 6; Undergraduates, Seniors, 75,- Juniors, 58,- Sophomores, 68, — Freshmen, 72; total, 556. The present members of the Corporation are Hon. Edward Everett, Hon. Lemuel Shaw, Charles G. Loring, Esq., Rev. James Walker, D. D., John A. Lowell, Esq., Benjamin R. Curtis, Esq., and Hon. Samuel A. Eliot. The number of persons engaged in instruction in the different departments of the University is thirty-two. The President, Librarian, and Assistant Librarian, Director of the Observatory, and Assistant Observer, four Proctors, and three Professors bearing the title of Emeritus, make the whole number of "Officers of Instruction and Government to be forty-four. Two vacancies remain to be filled. The Public Library of the College includes 54,500 volumes; to which, if the Libraries of the Theological, Medical, and Law Schools be added, the whole number of books belonging to the University will be 71,700. The necessary expenses of an undergraduate, "included in the College bills," are estimated at two hundred dollars a year. Fourteen hundred dollars, the income of various bequests

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and donations, are distributed annually, "in sums ranging from twenty to sixty dollars," to "deserving Students in narrow circumstances"; besides which, the interest of a Loan Fund, now amounting to about one thousand dollars, "is annually distributed to meritorious students desirous of receiving it, in sums ranging from twenty to eighty dollars."

From the Triennial Catalogue published this year, we learn that the whole number of persons graduated at Cambridge is 6,131, of whom 2,088 are now living. Of these graduates, 1,489, or nearly one fourth, have afterwards entered the ministry, 319 of whom are living.

A note to the Annual Catalogue refers to a very common error, and corrects it by the information which it gives:

“Harvard College' is the name given to the institution by the Charter of 1650, which still remains unaltered and in force. The legal style of the Corporation is 'The President and Fellows of Harvard College,' and their rights and privileges are confirmed to them under that name by the Constitution of the Commonwealth. The chapter of the Constitution in which this is done is entitled, The University at Cambridge and Encouragement of Literature, etc.,' and in its first section Harvard College is spoken of as 'the said University.' The name of Harvard University' prevails extensively; more so, perhaps, than either of the other designations. But 'Harvard College' and The University at Cambridge' are the only names known to the Charter, to the Constitution, and (it is believed) to the legislation of the Commonwealth."

MR. PETER MACKINTOSH died at Cambridge, Mass., July 28, 1848, aged 60 years.

Mr. Mackintosh was a native of Boston, and spent his life in laborious usefulness within the city of his birth. Educated at the public schools, he engaged in business at an early age, but met with disappointment and reverse that induced him to quit mercantile pursuits, and qualify himself to become a teacher. In 1822 he was placed at the head of the writing and mathematical department of the Hancock School, where he remained till his death, a conscientious and successful instructor, by his faithfulness securing alike the love of his pupils and the confidence of those who have the oversight of our public schools, as was shown in twenty-five successive elections to the responsible office which he held. Mr. Mackintosh was a religious man in his convictions and his habits. At the age of twenty-seven, he connected himself with the Second church, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Dr. Lathrop, and in 1824, during the ministry of Mr. Ware, was chosen deacon. By Mr. Ware he was highly esteemed as a friend and parishioner, as in everything relating to the prosperity of the church, and the interests of religion generally, he took a deep interest. Some years ago he removed his residence to Cambridge, and upon the formation of the Lee Street church, in which he took a part, was chosen one of the deacons, acting, also, as superintendent of the Sunday school. Of an ardent temperament, his benevolence was yet governed by judgment, and his life controlled by principle. In his various domestic and social relations he fulfilled the law of love. Possessing a strong faith and a patient trust, he bore a protracted illness with perfect submission, and died in the beauty of a Christian departure.

G.