a view to advise and lead them by degrees into more order, cleanliness, and regularity of living, we thought we would now begin to give them an opportunity of speaking with us individually, concerning the state of their souls, and made a regulation with that view." "Most of them confessed themselves sinners, and seemed desirous of being saved. A few, however, boasted of their having very good hearts, and others, of their having made good resolutions." 17th.-Eight women came to ask permission to attend the school, seven of whom were admitted, and on the following day, we began our instructions, in the name of the Lord, hoping for His blessing. This school will be kept four times in the week.' “19th.-Old Pitt Jaeger, a candidate for baptism, came to a Missionary, and said: I come to ask a question of you. First, what is to be done with me now, and, secondly, what is to become of me.' The missionary answered: You think, because you have been admitted as a candidate for baptism, that you are now soon to be baptized; but let me tell you, you must first know Him who instituted baptism, and what is meant by that holy ordinance; for Jesus says not only: He that is baptized, but, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Are you acquainted by faith with Him, as a Saviour, who has redecined lost sinners by His precious blood, and has power to forgive your sins? Are you willing to forsake your wicked life, and to devote yourself to your righ ful Lord and Master? If you are, then the, fruits of your faith will be seen, and as to what will become of you, you will be reconeiled to God, and through the merits of Jesus, be delivered from the power of sin and Satan: you will know God as your gracious Friend and Father, and that you are a pardoned sinner. Then as to what will be done with you, you will be numbered with God's people, and every good gift will be imparted unto you.' He began to weep, and said: 'I have no more any words to make;' and went home in deep thought." "28. In the afternoon, a man arrived here, who pretended to be an English naval officer, and that he had narrowly escaped from a horde of run-away slaves, who were in open rebellion against the government. He showed a forged certificate to that purpose, containing a request to all persons to furnish him with horses, to prosecute his journey to Cape-town. However, by God's merry, he was overtaken about half-way between Gruenekloof and the Cape, and arsted, being a chief in a rebellion plotted against our excellent government, of which we may say with truth, that every thing is done by it for the welfare of the inhabitants of this colony. Lord Caledon, on discovery of the plot, sent dragoons in every direc tion for safety, but as it always happens in such cases, one dreadful report after the other assailed us, and the whole country was thrown into the greatest confusion and terror. Mr. Van Blerk came to us at midnight, and brought all his family with him, that, as he expressed himself, the few Christians in the land might all be together. We did every thing in our power to accommodate our neighbours, their children, and slaves; and having distributed our fire-arms, as directed, to our Hottentots, kept strict watch. Though the night was spent in continual alarm, yet the Lord averted all danger; and on the 19th, we were informed that God in mercy had blessed the means adopted by our worthy Governor, and that by the dragoons, some hundreds of rebellious slaves had been made prisoners, and thus the wicked designs of the evil-minded frustrated. Much mischief had however been already done, many places were plundered, and the men bound and carried away captives." " 31st.—In these days, a Hottentot woman came to us, and after declaring how wretched and forlorn she felt herself when she thought of the many sins she had committed, she added: O for God's sake deliver me from the burden of my sins.' We told her, that we could do nothing towards relieving her, but advise her to turn to Jesus, the Saviour of sinners; that as long as she only stood looking at her sins and transgressions, she would remain a miserable creature; but she should go and seek help from Him, who alone can give rest to the troubled soul. The Missionary added, What I have myself experienced, that I recommend to you; I have found Jesus to be a Redeemer in truth; turn to Him in faith, and you will experience the same.' She expressed her thanks with folded and uplifted hands." November-Having, during the preceding days, experienced so much terror and distress on account of the rebellion of the negroes, we felt the more thankful, that on the 13th we could sit down in peace, at the feet of Jesus, and thank Him for all his mercy and faithfuluess towards us. We celebrated this memorial-day in our Church, by partaking together of the Lord's Supper, which proved a divine repast unto our hungry and thirsty souls." Of the Hottentots at this new settlement leading them to a better acquaintance with it appears, by a letter dated in December themselves, as depraved creatures who stand last, that fourteen were baptized, five can- in daily need of the saving grace of our didates for the holy communion, and eleven Almighty Saviour. They are earnest in candidates for baptism. They are, it is ad- prayer to Him, that He would preserve ded, remarkably attentive and deeply im- them from falling back into their former pressed with the importance of obtaining superstitious and wicked course. With many acceptance with God before they leave the tears they declare their fervent wish, that world. they may only live to Him; and their resolution, to seek happiness in nothing else. The enemy of souls is meanwhile going about, seeking whom he may devour, but has not obtained his aim to seduce any of them to forsake the Lord and His people. Young and old have very diligently attended our public worship, and the presence of the Lord has been powerfully felt among us, especially by occasion of administering the Holy Sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper.” At Gnadenthall, another settlement of the Brethren, "the work of the Lord," it is said," is on the increase." The following account of the Earthquake which took place at the Cape in December last, is contained in a letter from one of the Missionaries. "Conceive our surprise, when on Monday, the 4th, after ten o'clock at night, we were all suddenly roused from sleep by a terrible earthquake. At Gruenekloof there were thirteen separate shocks, of which the first, second, and eleventh were very violent, and lasted a long while. We could not know, what it might please the Lord to do with us on this occasion, but we were supported by His grace, and quietly resigned to His boly will. "On the 5th, we left Gruenekloof for Capetown. On the road we saw many sin gular appearances, occasioned by the earthquake. In some places there were chasms in the ground, into which we could put our hands. In others, fountains had burst forth, where formerly no water had been found. These had thrown up a quantity of white sand. "At Capetown, they had only five shocks, but they were the more terrible. We found every body in great consternation and dread. Many walls of houses are cracked, and in one of the vaults of the castle, where the wall is six feet thick, there is a large rent made. No one remained in the house, but the people ran about, seeking protection and comfort from each other. Most of them put up tents in the open places. We have not heard, how they have fared on the other side of the mountains, and at Gnadenthall, but the earthquake extended beyond them. Last night, there were three more shocks, not so violent, and without doing any damage; but every one is in the utmost dread of a repetition of them." LABRADOR. The whole number of inhabitants at Hopedale is 136. The accounts from Nain are no less gra. tifying. "We may truly say, for your and our comfort and encouragement, that the Holy Spirit has also in the year past continued to influence and guide our people into all truth. Our communicants have made perceptible advance, both in the knowledge of themselves as sinners, and of Jesus as their Saviour. They have been taught to know, how needful constant dependence on, and communion with Him is, if they would walk worthy of their heavenly calling. The baptized and candidates for baptism, show genuine hunger and thirst after the word of life. They wish to attain to more privi leges, and are ashamed that they feel themselves so much behind. In short, we can declare with truth, that in our people, very few excepted, there has been during the last winter, a great desire to be truly converted, and made partakers of all those blessings which the Lord confers on his people. The children, however, have rather been wanting, in not being as alive to the things of God as we could have wished. "The schools have been kept in regular order, and attended with the Lord's blessing, especially to the adults. "At the close of the year 1808, our Esquimaux congregation consisted of seventeen communicants; twenty-eight baptized adults, (not yet communicants); twenty-two From Hopedale the Missionaries write baptized children; and nine candidates for (August 1809): "Concerning our dear Esquimaux congregation, we pay truly and thankfully dedare, that we have perceived a continued work of the Holy Spirit within their souls, baptism. In all, of 102 persous. "January 21, 1809, and for some days after, we perceived some shocks of earthquakes, which seemed to be felt, as far as we could learn, all down the coast." "As to our internal state, we have great reason to praise God that, amidst all our weaknesses and wants, He gave us to enjoy the blessing of brotherly love and harmony of spirit. We felt His presence with us in our daily meetings, both public and private, or when we appeared before Him in our chambers. He laid a blessing upon our weak testimony of His love to sinners, and gave to the Esquimaux open ears for the Gospel. For this, and innumerable other mercies, we render unfeigned thanks, and wish to be entirely devoted to Him, that all His thoughts of peace concerning ns and onr Esquimaux may be fulfilled. We desire to know nothing among them save Jesus and Him crucified, and to preach no other doctrine but that of the atonement made by His bitter sufferings and death. It is this that kindles in the hearts of the heathen. May He grant, that our hearts may be filled with His love, that from our own experience, we may testity of the power of His blood to cleanse from all sin." The Missionaries at Okkuk, the remaining settlement of the Brethren in Labrador, do not state the total number of inhabitants, but it appears that fourteen persons had been baptized and twelve added to the candidates for baptism in the course of the year. "God," they observe, "has graciously ..been with us and often blessed our feeble testimony of His incarnation, life, sufferings, and death on the cross, with demonstration of the Spirit in the hearts of the hearers. The Esquimaux came diligently to the meetings, and their attention and eagerness was very encouraging. The work of the Holy Ghost among them was manifest, both in general, and in some of the individuals more particularly. The communicants give us much satisfaction, and are growing in the love and knowledge of our Saviour. They truly wish to live for Him, who loved them, and gave Himself for them. A deep sense of His love is with them the constraining principle. But lately they have celebrated with us the memorable 13th of August, when we partook of the Holy Communion together. On speaking with them previous thereto, their expressions concerning the state of their souls filled us with comfort and hope, for they declared, one and all, that they were made daily more aware, that they could not live without daily looking up to Jesus by faith. They added, that their desire to partake of the Holy Communion was always great; and they rejoiced beforehand, when the time approached, as thereby they were anew-ex cited to ferveut love to their Redeemer, who ‘gave His body to be broken, and His blood shed, to save them from sin and death. The baptized, and candidates for baptism, earnestly request to be made partakers of greater privileges.” May the fervid piety of these poor Es quimaux make us ashamed of our own lukewarmness, and stir us up to love and to good works! (To be continued.) ROMAN CATHOLICS. The Roman Catholic Bishops of Ireland, assembled in Dublin on the 24th of Febru ary last, came to a resolution not to concede to the King a veto on the appointment of Bishops. They have disclaimed, they say, all right of the Pope to interfere in temporal concerns; and therefore an adherence to the ancient usages of the Church in this respect cannot tend to produce any injurious exercise of foreign influence. But is not this reasoning utterly fallacious? They have disclaimed, let it be admitted, the right of the Pope to interfere directly in temporal affairs. But can they, by any possibility, prevent that indirect and more mischievous interference which is exerciseł by the nomination to the episcopal office of disaffected, intriguing, factions individuals? Is not the power of doing this reserved to the Pope? Is not the Pope reduced to a -state of absolute dependence on Bonaparte? Suppose, therefore, that Bonaparte should take Arthur O'Connor into his Irish Countcil: may we not fairly doubt whether the Bishops whom that traitor would recommend, would be the most loyal and peaceble of the Roman Catholic Clergy? And whoever pretends to say that Bishops so appointed would not be disposed to exert a malign influence on the population of Ireland, or, if they were, that they would pos sess no power of doing mischief, must be equally ignorant of human nature, and of the state of society in the sister kingdom. It is impossible for any man, who regards consequences at all, to shut his eyes to the tremendous evils of such a system. BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. We are happy to perceive that another Auxiliary Bible Society has been instituted at Hull; and we doubt not that similar associations will be formed in every large town in the kingdom. The annual meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society will take place, at the London Tavern in Bishopsgate Street, on Wednesday the d of May, at 12 o'clock precisely. SUNDAY SCHOOLS. The general half-yearly meeting of the Society for the Support and Encouragement of Sunday Schools in England, Wales, Ireland, and the adjacent Islands, was held on the 11th instant. The Committee reported, that within the last half-year seventy-eight schools had been added to those which were previously upon the Society's list, and assistance repeated to thirtyseven others, formerly established. Since the commencement of this institution, the Society has distributed 285,672 Spellingbooks, 62,166 Testaments, and 7,714 Bibles, to 3,348 schools, containing upwards of 270,000 scholars. In addition to which, the sum of 4,176l. Os. 5d. has been expended in the payment of teachers in situations where they could not otherwise be obtained. Among the circumstances which mark the progress of the Society, and evince its growing utility in the several parts of the United Kingdom, the Committee particularly adverted to the effects of their assistance in the Islands, and in Ireland. In the Isle of Man alone, fourteen schools have been established, containing 1030 scholars.-A Sunday School-Society has been recently forined at Dublin, which enjoys the benefit of considerable patronage, and promises to hare a speedy and extensive operation. Proofs of the utility of Sunday Schools are multiplied. Wherever they have been vi gorously conducted, the aspect of society, among the lower orders, has been proportionally improved. In Wales this has been the case to a remarkable degree. In North Wales, not a single cause has been brought to trial at the assizes which have been just held in Merionethshire, Carnarvonshire, and Anglesey; and this unusual circumstance is attributed to the general attention to the Bible excited by means of the Sunday Schools, which have been almost universally established in those counties. In Ireland, particularly in the county of Cork, similar effects have been found to attend the institution of such Schools. A considerable proportion, however, of the popula tion of the British Isles is still uneducated, and, from the nature of their employments, and the narrowness of their circumstances, must continue to be so, unless they enjoy the benefit of instruction in Sunday Schools. This ought to be a strong reason with the public for increasing the funds of a society, the express object of which is to confer on every poor person, within the sphere of its operation, the inestimable blessing of a Christian education. --Communications relative to the Society may be addressed to Mr. Smith, the Secretary, No. 19, Little Moorfields. VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. CONTINENTAL INTELLIGENCE. On the 1st instant the marriage of Bonaparte with the Archduchess Maria Louisa, was celebrated at Paris, in the first style of pomp and magnificence. It appears to be his intention to take the new Empress to visit different parts of his dominions, and to receive the congratulations of her subjects. At Antwerp she is to be gratified with the Launching of several ships of the line, which will soon be ready to be put off the stocks. Amust the variety of projects which occupy La comucils of Bonaparte, he seems never to he sight, for one moment, of the design to reate the French marine. He not only is willing ships, but he is preparing seamen la man them. While he professes to exCode British commerce, he nevertheless ermits foreign ships, navigated by foreign wamen, to carry to Great Britain the produce of the continent. This is done, it is true, ander the sanction of a British licence; but his object is no less effectually gained. CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 100. The place formerly occupied by near 3000 British ships and 40,000 British seamen, is now occupied by as many ships and more seamen belonging to powers under his control, and on whom he can make a requisition for these seamen whenever they are wanted. It is not to be credited that he would, on any other principle, permit the open and extensive intercourse which has taken place, during the last year, between this country and the ports of the Baltic. A few seizures may be occasionally made; but these, we strongly suspect, are merely to cover his real purpose, which is to make the wants of England subservient to his design of raising a navy. Even the extensive sequestration of American ships, which has lately taken place in the continental ports subjected to the dominion of France, does not invalidate this supposition: for it is obvious that Bonaparte's policy requires not that American ships, but that continental ships only, should be employed in this carrying trade. His rigid exclusion of colo 21 ! nial produce from the continent is to be explained on the same principle. It can be brought to Europe only, or chiefly, in British ships. A treaty has been concluded between France and Holland, which fully explains Bonaparte's former allusions to the sacrifices that would be required of the Dutch, on account of their selfish toleration of a smuggling trade with Great Britain. The ter ritories of Holland south of the Maeze, together with the province of Zealand, are to be ceded to France; and this cession is not to be burdened with any part of the national debt of Holland. Holland, thus curtailed, is to support a navy, consisting of nine ships of the line, six frigates, and 100 gun-boats, Which are to be at the disposal of France; and a military force of 12,000 Dutch and 6000 French troops, to be employed under the orders of French douaniers, in defending the coasts and rivers of Holland against contraband adventurers from England. All licences for foreign trade, between Holland and other countries, are to be granted only at Paris; and all American ships, with their cargoes, in the ports of Holland, are to be put under immediate sequestration. It is a curious circumstance, and we think cannot fail to affect the government and people of the United States of America, that, while they are eagerly contending that Holland ought to be considered as a neutral state, and are on this ground maintaining against us their right of freely trading thither, Bonaparte should have furnished so unequivocal an answer to their arguments. A decree of the king of Sweden has been published, expressive of his adherence to the continental system, and prohibiting the admission of any ships from Great Britain, except such as are laden with salt, into any of his harbours after the 24th instant. A similar decree has been issued by Prussia. We have already mentioned our opinion, that one object of Bonaparte's commercial policy is to prepare a continental marine. Another object of it is to supply a vent for the produce of France, without receiving in return British manufactures, or colonial produce, or any thing else which may furnish employment to British industry, excepting only medicines and what may be wanted for the use of the French manufactories. On this principle it is that he has lately issued a decree, granting licences to ships, not British, to trade with France. Such ships are bound to export three-fourths of their tonnage in produce the growth of France, half of the cargo being wine or brandy. They may not import any East or West Indian, or American produce, excepting dye woods and other substances for dyeing, and medicines. They may import, however, naval stores of all kinds. In Spain and Portugal affairs are still undecided. The French are accumulating troops on the borders of the latter country, and the latest accounts from that quarter state, that their army was within sight of that of Lord Wellington, consisting, it is said, of from 60,000 to 70,000 men, British and Portuguese. Some skirmishes have already taken place between detached bodies, in which the advantage has been on the side of the British. There is, however, this most essential difference between the two parties in this warfare, that our force is definite, and cannot be greatly increased (for it is to be feared that the population of Portugal would not add greatly to its efficiency), while that of the French may be almost indefinitely enlarged. Nothing of moment appears to have occurred in Spain. There have been partial engagements between the French and the Spaniards, in which the latter boast of having been con querors; but these have been, at best, bet very partial advantages. Ceuta is completely in our possession, GREAT BRITAIN. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. On the 50th of March, the House of Commons, after a discussion which was continued for four days, came to a decision on the expedition to the Scheldt, when, in a very full house, upwards of 500 members being present, a majority of forty-eight declared against the strong vote of censure proposed by Lord Porchester, and a majority of forty expressed their approbation of the conduct of government, both in planning and conducting the expedition. Lord Porchester's motion was to this elect:-That the conduct of his Majesty's advisers, in undertaking an expedition to the Scheldt, which, under all its circumstances, afforded no ra tional hope of adequate success, and at the precise season of the year when a malignant disease was known to prevail there; and in afterwards retaining the island of Walcheren, without any prospect of national advantage to compensate the sacrifice which it required, had rendered them deeply responsible for the heavy calamities with which its failure had been attended, and called for the severest censure of the house. The counter resolution, proposed by the friends of go |