have been effected; the Sunday-school has increased, and i now contains about fifty children; the Fellowship Fund is steadily kept up, and annually subscribes a guinea to the Asse ciation, and notwithstanding several discouraging circumstances, the congregation gradually improves. In July, Mr. Martin preached the first annual sermon for the Sunday-school, when the chapel was well filled, and the amount of the collection more than had been anticipated.

In April, Mr. Harding, (who was employed for a short time as a Missionary by your Committee,) accompanied by Mr. Martin and the Secretary, visited Nailsworth, a small town in the midst of a populous manufacturing district in Gloucestershire. This was entirely new ground, no previous attempts having been made there to introduce Unitarian Christianity. A room was with difficulty procured, and Mr. Harding preached three times to respectable and attentive audiences. Since then, Messrs. Wright, Clarke and H. Hawkes have visited Nailsworth, who have not only preached, but had much conversation with some of those who came to hear. A number of pamphlets were distributed among them, and the result of these labours is, that a small Unitarian society is already formed there, who meet together every Lord's-day in a room to worship the one God, and improve each other by reading the Scriptures, and doing what they can for mutual edification. They are assisted with occasional services by the ministers of the Association The success in this important neighbourhood is highly encouraging, and in it we have reason to rejoice.

In the other congregations connected with the Association, no material alteration has taken place during the past year. The Committee are happy to hear that at Calne, Mr. Davis, who has for so many years served the cause by his labours, and done honour to it by his character, is still capable, notwithis great age, of officiating once on a Lord's-day, and that the attendance is good. They will willingly assist him and his congregation as far as may be in their power. It also gives them pleasure to learn that a Fellowship Fund is formed at Calne.

Atandin~ 1.

At Trowbridge and Bradford, things are much as usual; it is hoped that on the whole the cause advances in those places. Your Committee consider it important to put into circulation as many small tracts as may be practicable. To this object they have not been inattentive. Through the medium of Mr. Edward Nias one hundred tracts were presented by the Birmingham Tract Society for this purpose. [Since this Report was drawn up, the Committee have received from Mr. William Browne, of Bristol, a donation of a hundred copies of the Rev. Michael Maurice's interesting "Account of the Life and Reli

* This was accomplished by a private subscription.

gious Opinions of John Bawn, of Frenchay."] Your Committee had two thousand copies printed of the interesting account of Sally Thorn"; 1300 of which have been sold, and the remainder distributed; it is intended to publish a new edition of it in a short time.

B

Mr. Davidson and Mr. H. E. Howse, Jun., having been ap pointed your representatives for this attended the annual meeting of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association; the report they made of our proceedings was received by them with pleasure; since which their Committee have proposed to assist us in supporting a regular missionary in this district; but as our finances will not at present admit of our bearing a share in the expense of supporting such a missionary, we have been under the painful necessity We hope, however, the time of declining their kind proposal. distant when we shall be enabled to carry it into effect; and the Committee of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association have voted us twentyfive pounds, to be advanced whenever our future exertions may require it.

Nottingham Fellowship Fund.

ON Sunday, September 10th, after the service of the afternoon, the members of the Fellowship Fund belonging to the religious society of Christian Unitarians on the High-Pavement, Nottingham, assembled in their girls' school-room for the purpose of holding their Anniversary Meeting, when a wish being expressed that the Annual Meetings should have more of a social quality to increase their interest, which, it was observed is in some societies promoted by the members and friends of the Fund taking tea together, it was moved by the Rev. B. Carpenter, and seconded by Mr. Olive Moore, that the Anniversary Meeting of the High-Pavement Fellowship Fund should be adjourned to Monday the 18th instant, and that the members and friends of the Institution should be invited to tea on the evening of that day. The motion was agreed to unanimously, and the business of the Fund was deferred.

On the evening of Monday, September 18th, a respectable party (about ninety in number) of the subscribers and friends of the High-Pavement Fellowship Fund, met in the girls' schoolroom attached to the High-Pavement Chapel to commemorate their Annual Meeting. After tea, the Rev. James Tayler was called to the Chair, who read an interesting report of the proceedings for the past year, as well as stated the objects which the society had in view. The funds were appropriated to the erection or repairs of different chapels, to the education of students at Manchester College, York, and for disseminating religious instruction in different parts of the kingdom.

Three pounds having been voted toward the discharge of a debt on the building of the Unitarian Chapel in Salford, Manchester, (of which the Rev. J. R. Beard is minister,) it was pro

posed by a member, and seconded, and carried unanimously, that the grant should be four pounds; and a general wish expressed, that every Fellowship Fund in the kingdom would come forward in aid of a society whose minister has shewn himself to be so able an advocate in the cause of truth by his Four Letters to Taylor and Carlile on their denial that Jesus Christ ever existed.

The proceedings of the society were closed with singing and prayer; and from the unanimity which prevailed, and the perfect satisfaction which was manifested, it is expected that the newlyintroduced practice of taking tea together at the Annual Meeting will be repeated by the members of the Fund.

The Wesleyan Methodist Conference.

(From the Congregational Magazine.

THE Eighty-eighth Annual Conference of the Methodist Preachers was held at Liverpool, on Wednesday, July 26, 1826, and following days. The Rev. Richard Watson was elected President, and the Rev. Jabez Bunting Secretary to the Conference.

The following particulars, from its published minutes, be acceptable to our readers.

Forty preachers were received into full connexion.
Twenty-four preachers have died during the past year.
Four preachers have ceased to travel.

will

The number of regular travelling preachers, and of supernumeraries, and superannuated preachers, is as follows, viz.

In Great Britain:

In the Foreign Stations:

Regular preachers & assistant missionaries 149
Supernumerary and superannuated

3

152

Total number of Anglican Methodist Preachers 1104 The number of members in Great Britain is 231,045, being an increase of 1378 members during the past year.-Ditto in Ireland, 22,514, being an increase of 437.-Ditto in Foreign Stations, 32,960, being an increase of 626.-General total of members under the care of the British and Irish Conferences,

286,519, making an increase in the connexion during the past year of 2,441 members.

To these must be added the returns of the several Wesleyan Conferences in the United States of America for 1825; from which it appears that the total number of regular circuit preachers, supernumerary and superannuated missionaries to the Indians, &c., is 1314; and that the number of members is as follows:

341,144

being an increase of 19,672 members during the past year. The grand total of Wesleyan Methodists through the world is 630,081 of whom 2,418 are preachers in the connexion.

There were no deputies from the United States at the Conference; but a letter was addressed to them by the Rev. Bishops George and Hedding, on behalf of their brethren of the Episcopal Board. The answer of the British Conference addressed to the Bishops of the Methodist Societies contains the following passages: "We affectionately hope that no difference of opinion which may exist amongst you on minor points of ecclesiastical government will be allowed to excite unfriendly feeling, to retard the progress of your ministerial labours, or to impair any part of the system of discipline which relates to the more essential and vital principles of our original constitution. From the peculiar distresses of the present times, many of our people have suffered considerably in their temporal circumstances, and our plans for extending and establishing the cause of God have in some degree been impeded. We cannot this year report a very large increase of numbers, but we trust that we are still favoured with a considerable degree of religious prosperity.".

A paragraph in the Liverpool Advertiser announced that it had been determined in Conference to appoint three of the leading preachers as Bishops, with an episcopal or overlooking power, and it further ventured to name the gentlemen who are to be elevated to this new episcopate. No such determination is, however, recorded in the published minutes, and we presume has not been adopted. But it is evident that the step from district to general superintendents is not great, especially after the American Conferences have made it. The absence of lay representation in the Conference may also facilitate its accomplishment whenever it is formally introduced into the British Conference.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Communications have been received from A. Y.; and R. W. W. "The Character of Alla Bhye" is also received.

To SUBSCRIBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.

It will be seen by the following PROSPECTUS, which we are requested by the Sub-Committee of the Unitarian Association to insert in the body of our work, that THE MONTHLY REPOSITORY is about to be transferred to new hands. To prevent any mistake, we take this opportunity of stating that no change will take place in THE CHRISTIAN REFORMER, except that the Editor hopes to make it more worthy of public patronage, by some Improvements in the next volume. The work will be somewhat enlarged, though the price will remain the same. It is intended to have a regular department of instructive biography. The Deaths of persons at all distinguished in the circle of THE CHRIStian Reformer will be uniformly registered. Some pages will be devoted every month to interesting religious and other Intelligence. Occasionally, accounts will be given of new and valuable books. The Editor hopes by these means to make this little work still more extensively useful to the numerous and happily increasing number of theological readers in the humbler walks of society. His views cannot, however, be realized without the co-operation of those that think THE CHRISTIAN REFORMER worthy of their support. He therefore invites their assistance, hoping that the increase of the circulation of the work will serve the cause of truth and freedom and virtue. Communications are respectfullly invited; but the Editor may be permitted to remind correspondents that to suit such a periodical as The Christian Reformer, brevity must of necessity be consulted. Newspapers or tracts relating to local religious controversy, and explanatory of the progress of the public mind, in knowledge and liberality will be gladly received; as will all authentic accounts of the growth of truth and charity abroad, and particularly in the United States of America.

In one respect the Editor has the most satisfactory proofs of the usefulness of THE CHRISTIAN REFORMER, and that is, in the detection and exposure of calumnious misrepresentations of the Unitarians by their opponents. The same object is contemplated in the ensuing numbers, and correspondents are requested to furnish the Editor with authentic statements of the false accusations that may be set up by Bigots against honest inquirers and Christian learners. The mere publication of a calumny is frequently its refutation, and is the surest way of preventing its repetition.

Although several numbers of THE CHRISTIAN REFORMER have been reprinted, many are very scarce, and some are nearly out of print: subscribers are therefore advised to make early application for back Numbers and Volumes to complete their sets.

The wide circulation of THE CHRISTIAN REFORMER constitutes it a useful channel for ADVERTISEMENTS, which will be received on moderate terms, by the Publishers or the Printer. Communications are to be addressed to the Editor at the Pubishers'.