which has long laboured to destroy the natural connexion between reason and faith, and has hence led to the idea, that the more wonderful a doctrine is, the more worthy it is of belief. If the Ministers of the gospel would teach their hearers to expect evidence before they gave assent,

Christian Tract Society. THE sixth anniversary of this Society

was holden on Wednesday the 16th of November last, at the old London Tavern Bishopsgate Steet. At the meeting for business Willian Frend Esq. was called to the chair. The Report of the Committee was read by the Secretary. It commenced by stating the continued prosperity of the Society during the last year; though owing to some circumstances which were explained, neither the number of New tracts published, nor the total number circulated during that interval had been so great as in the former year. Only one New tract had been printed and two of the former tracts reprinted,making altogether 9000 copies. The Committee stated however, that they had left two Manuscript Tracts to be published by their successors, and intimated that it was likely a new volume would be completed against the annual distribution of the Tracts to the subscribers. It appeared that up to this time the Society had printed in all about 200,000 Tracts, of which about 140,000, have already been circulated. The Society's property was stated as fol

lows:

Estimated value of the stock in

JAMES ESDAILE Esq. Treasurer. Rev. THOMAS REES Secretary. COMMITTEE. Rev. R. Aspland, Mr. Foster, Mr. Silver, Mr. Spyring, Mr. Parker, Mr. Hart, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Titford, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Parkes, Mr. Hall.

AUDITORS. Mr. E. L. Mackmurdo, Mr. W. Frend. Mr. John Taylor.

The subscribers and other friends to the Society afterwards dined together to the number of Eighty. John Christie Esq. in the Chair. The evening was spent in a manner highly to the satisfaction of all present. Among the gentlemen who addressed the meeting were the Treasurer, (James Esdaile Esq.) Mr. Alderman Wood, Mr. Alderman Goodbehere, Mr. Frend, Mr. Rutt and Mr. Gibson. We rejoice to be able to add that a considerable addition was made to the list of subscribers.

Manchester, Dec. 31, 1814. THE Quarterly Meeting of Ministers,

generally denominated Presbyterian, in Manchester and its vicinity, was held on Dec. 28. 1814. Twenty-one ministers present. The Rev. Mr. Parker performed the devotional services, and the Rev. D. Jones preached from Eccles. vii. 10. Two new members were added to the associa 'tion. The next meeting will be at Rochdale on Good Friday. Mr. Parker will be the preacher, and Mr. Whitelegg his supporter. The dinner, at which forty-two Gentlemen were present, was at the Bridgewater Arms, Among other topics of less importance, the circumstances of our Unitarian brethren at Oldham were pressed upon the attention of the meeting, and about fifty pounds was immediately subscribed for the purpose of erecting an

be improper here, perhaps, to inform our Unitarian brethren in general, that contributions for the above purpose are to be transmitted to the Rev. Wm. Harrison, Manchester. In the course of the fternoon, the Treasurer of the Manchester New College, York, (to whom our great obligation can never be forgotten) gave information respecting that valuable Institution highly interesting to the meeting. Our Dissenting brethren throughout the United Kingdom cannot be too much impressed with the value and advantages of such an Institution, and they doubtless will never suffer it to languish for want of

tries. She has in a much greater degree enjoyed the liberty of the press and personal independence. Has she availed herself in a suitable manner of these advantages? Has she improved her laws, corrected erroneous notions of religion, attained to the true standard of morality, which such advantages, for upwards of two centuries, ought to have produced? Is there less of murder, forgery, debanchery, immorality of every kind than in other States less favoured: and if less, in what degree? We have possessed, it is certain, greater advantages than other nations, but have we turned these advantages to the best account?

The Congress at Vienna continues its labours, and we are told, with indefatitigable industry. There is bustle enough with Emperors, Kings, Embassadors and Princes; and the newspapers of different Countries continue to amuse the public with surmises on the projected changes in the state of Europe. We cannot find fault with the obscurity that hangs over the deliberations of the Congress. The subjects under discussion are doubtless of the highest importance, and we are content to wait in patience for the final result, which is to shew us what improvement has been made in political wisdom, and whether the Princes of the Earth have been taught, by past experience, to entertain proper notions of justice and the true method of governing nations, not by arbitrary caprice, but by religion and equity. In the mean time, we cannot but observe, that one principle alone seems to guide the political writers: namely, that mankind were made for sovereigns---not sovereigns for mankind. Hence their thoughts are tarned only to paper schemes; to plans, which may be formed easily by a set of men with maps before them, and scissors to cut ont portions as suits their fancy. The good of the people is the last thing that enters the mind of these sagacious politicians. They sit down with the notion, that the congregated Sovereigns are little better than a set of banditti met together to divide their plunders, where each man is ready to quarrel with his neighbour on the size of his portion, and the whole are kept together only on sordid views of self-interest, without the least regard to honour, morality or religion. But let us hope better things of the Sovereigns themselves; and if we are disappointed, at least let us repose confidently in the great truth, that there is a God, who judgeth the earth, and will make every measure conducive to an end far different from that of the worldly politician.

France is gradually recovering from its distresses, and is much indebted to the Sovereign for the improvement in its situation. The great question relative to the emigrants is set at rest, by which the pre

sent possessors are secured in the posses sion of their property, and means are taking to indemnify the emigrants for the losses they have sustained. The rumours of conspiracy have subsided, and the king is received, when he goes to public places, with increasing marks of attachment. Difficulties will of course arise, where he has such claims of gratitude for attachment from one party, while at the same time, the state of things requires that a great degree of confidence should be placed in those who have had the management of affairs during his absence. In all this he seems to have been guided by a spirit of wisdom and prudence; and among his virtues he possesses one which cannot be too strongly recommended to a prince, and by which a state is soon recovered---economy.

Spain, on the other hand, exhibits a most disgraceful picture. Arrests continue to take place every day. The Inquisition and the prisons are filled. Past services are forgotten. All are indiscriminately seized. The affrighted Spaniard looks on, and no man knows, whether the next night will find him in his bed or a dungeon. In this state of confusion an armament is prepared, of ten thousand men, to bring back the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres to their allegiance. We are too little acquainted with the state of South America to anticipate the result of this contest; but as the arms of Britain were so disgracefully foiled when the South Americans were less prepared, we cannot doubt that they are capable of resisting this force, or any other that the mother country can bring against them. Perhaps they may detach no small number of the troops sent against them by similar grants of territory to that which the United States has offered to all who deserted the standard of the invader.

After much anxiety on the subject of America, the pleasing news was suddenly announced, that the Commissioners at Ghent had come to an agreement. Articles of peace were entered into, were soon signed by the Regent here, and sent forward to America for the ratification of the President. We have only to wish that it will be lasting, and that both parties will be impressed with the folly of settling their differences by the destruction of their fellow-creatures, The United States have enough to do in conquering the vast extent of waste land that lies behind them, and the noblest trophies they can rear are those which arise from converting a desert into a fruitful field, instead of that miserable and wretched triumph which arises from the destruction of human life, laying waste the lands of the industrious, and destroying the mansions of civilised life. Whilst they are engaged in these real triumphs, Great Britain will be no less usefully employed in

supplying them with her manufactures; and thus both countries will be acting the true part, which seems to be allotted to them by providence. Different sentiments have been expressed by some of our politicians, who, notwithstanding the vigour shewn by France after the ruin of her finances, conceived that America was from the same cause incapable of prolonged resistance. But what could war do but injure both countries, which by peace are capable of rendering each other incalculable good services. We trust that the return of peace will give to the lovers of peace many advantages in their future arguments with the advocates for war.

The employment of the faculties of man in making the elements subservient to his use and for public convenience, is in agreement with the magna charta granted to him at his creation. When he abuses these powers in the destruction of his fellow-creatures, whatever glory may be thrown over military exploits, he only proves what a degraded being he is, and how unworthy of the high character with which he was invested by the God of natare. Steam is now applied to passageboats and to the draft of waggons; but little was it thought that it would become serviceable to literature. With great satisfaction we record it, and we esteem the author of the invention higher than all the generals of the age, that a printing press has been put in action by steam, which entirely supersedes the labour of the press-men, and brings the whole of their work within the compass of children. A steam-engine of two-horse power, puts in motion certain cylinders and the form on which the types are placed, so that the whole work of distributing the ink and pressing the paper, is performed by machinery. Man has nothing else to do but to put the paper on the cylinder, and to take it off again when it is printed. The benefits of this discovery are incalculable, and relieve the mind, depressed by the scenes of bloodshed and slaughter, which it will be the busiress of the historian to record of this wicked age.

The property tax and the price of coru have excited a great deal of the public attention, and meetings have been held on these subjects; and on the former very generally. The tax itself is assuredly liable to great objections, and the mode of raising it, to many more; and it may deserve remark, that in the account of Poor Richard's aphorisms on economy, he enters upon them, by comparing the folly of people's taxing themselves by their own extravagance, with the cruelty of a government, if it could be supposed to exist, that should exact a tenth of every man's industry. The tax made no difference between a man whose five hundred a-year was derived without exertion, and was permanent, and that which was precarious, and arose from labour. It is true, that the best mode of taxing a people is to do it according to the means which each man possesses of paying the tax, or in other words, that all men should pay in proportion to the advantages which they derive from the community for whose support the taxes are raised; and to regulate taxatiou in this manner is not so difficult as is generally imagined. But then society must be on a different plan from its present state, and a principle of honour must exist, which would, instead of each man's endeavouring to throw the burthen from his own shoulder on that of his neighbours, urge him not only to bear his own but to cadeavour to alleviate that of those around him. The contrary principle is, however, the prevailing one, and marches forward with unblusing face in most companies, where the idle laugh to scorn the industrious. In such a state, however, the aggravations of the property tax will be felt, and the inquisitorial scheme has a natural tendency to break down the spirit of a people. This has been very generally felt, and is plainly expressed in the petitions to Parliament; so that most probably the tax will expire at the appointed time, and the funding system affords sufficient means of compensating for its loss.

The diminution in the price of corn has excited an alarm among the farmers and landholders far beyond what such an advantage to the community at large could be expected to produce among the most self-interested. It is said, that the farmer cannot exist, if the corn continues at the present price; or in other words that the landlord must diminish his rents. But is

there a reason why the landlord should not diminish his rents, and not the interest of the consumer to be considered as well as that of the grower? The question was tried in a part of Wiltshire in an extraordinary manner, when a meeting was holden to petition the legislature on the subject, and the landholders who called it, very injudiciously introduced into their petition the interest of the tradesman, the manufacturer and the labourer, which very early in the debate appeared to be untenable ground, and the interests of the growers was only retained. But even with this emendation the landholders' point was not carried, for one, who seemed to have entered more deeply into the question than the others, put some close questions on the increase of

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