ships of the line, one 64, and six heavy frigates, had arrived in England from Cronstadt: of these, four ships of the line, four frigates, and one corvette, sailed for the Mediterranean on the 20th of August; the remainder of the fleet was in a few days to return to Cronstadt. The ships gone to the Mediterranean, compose the Russian contingent to the naval armament of Britain, France, and Russia, for enforcing the treaty of peace prescribed to the Turks and Greeks.

FRANCE.-France appears to be calm and quiet. The report of Mr. Canning's death produced a temporary excitement, which speedily ceased, on its being known that his decease would not change the policy of the British court. We presume that assurances were given to that effect; as an article in a French paper, believed to be official, had this for its drift, and was remarkably well written. The liberals tried to get up a subscription, in favour of some honourable and publick testimonial of Mr. Canning's worth, but the attempt proved abortive-On Assumption day, the 16th of August, the king and whole court, with all the dignified clergy and military officers of distinction in Paris, walked in procession, and assisted in a religious service, in fulfilment of a vow made by Louis XIII. The nature of the vow we are not told. The Gazette de France says, "The statue of the mother of God was carried by the Deacons." This is language familiar to Romanists, but in our ears it sounds like blasphemy. It is remarkable that our Divine Saviour never called her, from whom he descended according to the flesh, mother. But great efforts are made in France to restore Popery with all its appendages-There is a considerable French fleet in the Mediterranean, and a pretty powerful naval force blockades the port of Algiers.

SPAIN.-Spain is a volcano.-Amidst its combustible and heterogeneous materials, the fires of discord and angry discontent have been glowing and rumbling, for three years past. When this political Vesuvius will make an eruption, we cannot tell. We have expected it before now, and but for the pressure of the French army, we are persuaded it would have taken place. That it will at last boil over, in despite of any superincumbent weight, we think probable-In the provinces of Catalonia and AndaJusia, something like civil war actually exists; and every part of the kingdom is torn with dissentions. Still the king and his ministers pursue their course of proscription and punishment, and they have at their command military and ecclesiastical power of a formidable kind. Frequent changes of men in high office take place, and this creates new parties and discontents. We have not space to detail the particulars, and indeed we loath the subject.

PORTUGAL.-Great agitations still exist in this kingdom. It appears that although the armed insurgents are quelled, there are two great parties at strife, in the bosom of the state-both powerful, and neither disposed to yield or to compromise-The one the constitutional party, desirous to carry into complete effect the provisions of the constitution granted to the kingdom by Don Pedro-the other, the party of the old queen and of Don Miguel, who are hostile to the new constitution, and desirous that the old system of arbitrary government should be restored and perpetuated. It is believed, likewise, that these parties are severally countenanced by foreign powers-the former by Britain and France; the latter by Austria and Spain, and perhaps by Russia. The queen regent appears to have lost a part of her popularity, and has, it is said, "requested a squadron of English lancers for her personal guard." The return of Don Pedro to Portugal is earnestly wished for by many; but we perceive it has lately been made a question by the friends of the old regime, whether he is the legal heir to the throne. How these differences are to terminate we pretend not to conjecture.

The Pope.-It appears that the pope is likely to have some very serious business with his hitherto most dutiful son, the king of Spain. His misnamed Holiness was reduced to the dilemma, either of losing his influence in Mexico, by refusing to consecrate bishops, at the request of the Mexican government, or of giving mortal offence to the king of Spain, by complying with that request. He has at last consented to make the bishops, and the king of Spain has refused to receive his nuncio, or even to permit him to pass the Spanish frontier. How this family quarrel will terminate, time will disclose.

GERMANY. A synod was lately held at Hanau, at which all the clergy of the Lutheran and Calvinist churches attended. It resulted in the union of the two churches in one body.

PRUSSIA. The king of Prussia has ordered the prosecution of every Protestant or Roman Catholick clergyman who shall preach, in any church in his dominions, any sermon of a controversial nature.

RUSSIA.-We have heard nothing of interest from this great power within the last

month, except what will be found under other heads-unless it be a rumour, that the troops of Russia, or rather a particular corps of them, have suffered a severe and sanguinary defeat in Persia.

TURKEY.-The accounts from Constantinople, in regard to the temper with which the Grand Seignor and his Divan have received the propositions of Britain, France, and Russia, for terminating the war with the Greeks, are in a measure discordant. One account represents the Sultan as rejecting the propositions absolutely, finally, and with disdain; another statement is, that although much opposition to the proposition was at first manifested, yet that afterwards conciliatory measures were com. menced. We think it probable that there is a degree of truth in both these statements-That haughty rejection was first tried, and that finding this would not do, an appearance of yielding succeeded. It must be no doubt grating enough to the Sultan, when on the point, as he supposed, of glutting his vengeance on the Greeks to the full, to find his bloody purposes arrested. But although it is a dose of wormwood which is proposed to him, he must take it or do worse-A destructive fire laid a third part of the city of Jafna in ashes, on the 31st of July last. About 800 houses were consumed, a considerable number of the inhabitants lost their lives, and 10,000 were left houseless.

GREECE. The state of Greece is, at this time, in the highest degree interesting. Notwithstanding the catastrophe at Athens, the Greeks have, it is stated, met and defeated a considerable corps of the Turks in the Morea; their naval operations under Lord Cochrane have been partially successful-One Turkish ship of war, it is reported, has been captured; a constitutional charter has been formed, and a president chosen. On the other hand, the sufferings of the wretched inhabitants is beyond description; and party dissentions of the most violent kind still exist—In Napoli, the adverse parties have commenced active military operations against each other; the town has been bombarded from the upper castle, and many have been killed and wounded. On the whole, taking things as they are, we think that the interference of the great European powers, even on the conditions proposed, may be considered as fortunateapparently favourable to the cause of humanity. A squadron of nine British ships of war left Lisbon, on the 31st of July, for the Mediterranean. It is stated that the dif ferent European squadrons were to assemble at the island of Milo, in the archipelago, on the 15th of September.

ASIA.

We were in error, in stating some months since, on the authority of London papers, the successor of the late lamented Bishop Heber. It now appears that the Rev. Dr. James was consecrated Bishop of Calcutta, at Lambeth, on Sunday, the 3d of June. The consecration sermon was preached by the Bishop's brother; and a valedictory address, at the departure of Dr. James, was delivered by the Bishop of Gloucester. He sailed for Calcutta on the 15th of July. Speaking of his episcopal duties, in reply to the valedictory address, we find him making this explicit declaration" While I uphold, as far as I can, that which my manifest duty, in a more especial manner requires me to do, none that cometh in the name of Christ shall ever be considered as a stranger by me." He will therefore be friendly to the missionaries of other denominations, as well as to those of his own church.-We will chronicle here, that the Wesleyan missionaries have been driven from the island of New Zealand, by the ferocious natives; and that the Church missionaries, at the last dates, were also preparing to depart.

AFRICA.

Mr. Ashmun, agent of the American Colonization Society, states, that an excursion of one of their people 140 miles into the interior, has led to the discovery of a state of African society, where the arts and manners of civilized life are practised in a high degree. The land is enclosed and in a high state of cultivation; the horse is used as a domestick animal, and all the necessaries and comforts of life are produced by the skill or industry of the inhabitants. It is also stated that the inland tribes are anxious to open a direct communication with the colony, as a large proportion of the exports of the colony are from these regions. Mr. Cary also states, that Monrovia looks like many little towns in America, with nice stone or frame buildings, and that it is as happy a little community as any of its size in Europe or America.-It is stated in the British papers, that the Ashantees are suing for peace. An article also states, that the Pacha of Egypt has actually declared himself independent.-This we think wants confirmation.

AMERICA.

BUENOS AYRES.-A treaty of peace between Buenos Ayres and the Emperor of Brazil was signed at Rio Janeiro, on the 24th of May last. A Mr. Garcia was the plenipotentiary and negotiator, on the part of Buenos Ayres. It appears he was instructed to make, as the indispensable basis of the treaty-the erection of the province of Monte Video into an independent state, to be governed by a constitution and laws freely chosen by its own inhabitants. In place of this, the treaty to which he gave his consent, not only renounced all claim to this province, on the part of Buenos Ayres, but left it to the Brazilian Emperor "to regulate its government in a manner conformable to the customs and actual necessities of its inhabitants;"-in other words, according to his own will and pleasure. These terms the government of Buenos Ayres have indignantly rejected, and the war is continued. The president, Rivadavia, has resigned his office; and it is hoped that this may have a happy influence in restoring harmony among the different provinces of this republick.

BRAZIL.-It does not appear that Don Pedro contemplates a speedy return to Portugal, as we conjectured a month ago. He seems to be busily occupied in the affairs of his American empire; and is trying, among other things, to make it believed, that our government does not approve of the manner in which our Charge des Affaires, Mr. Raguet, left his station. We hope to see this contradicted by our government, publickly and speedily. We think it is due not only to Mr. Raguet, but to the whole country.

COLOMBIA. We have lately seen the "Message of the Vice President of Colombia to the Congress of 1827." It is a very interesting paper. It gives, what appears to be a temperate and candid historical narrative of the unhappy dissentions which have lately destroyed the peace, and, as he states, jeopardized all the interests and even the independence of that great republick. He condemns the whole proceedings of General Paez, and censures freely the unconstitutional measures which in various places and provinces of the Confederation have produced the late disastrous state of affairs. But he acquits the Liberator, Bolivar, from all approval of these measures. He says, "The Liberator left Guayaquil on September 12th, and during his journey, ordered that the legal government which had been changed in the departments of the South should be re-established, rejecting with a horror worthy of the first citizen of the republick, a dictatorship conferred by popular juntas, without powers or privileges.” Then, after lauding him further, he concludes by saying-" I think he preserved the national honour and the glory of General Bolivar." We exceedingly rejoice in this testimony, and hope that the general congress, with the Liberator's authority and influence has been, and will be, able to tranquillize the Colombian Republick, and to ensure the perpetuity of its freedom and independence. The address was delivered on the 17th of January.

MEXICO.-In our last number, we had occasion to notice the intemperate proceedings of the legislature of Vera Cruz, in denouncing both our minister in Mexico, and our country. We then hoped that all this might be the work of a faction, and we still hope that the Mexican authorities, and the country at large, are not really unfriendly to us. But some publications and acts which have since appeared, wear a hostile aspect of a more general kind. We must wait to see the issue.

UNITED STATES.-We have been threatened with savage warfare from the tribe and allies of the Winnebago Indians. But the last accounts represent them as overawed by the military movements which were approaching to chastise them; and as having delivered up the chiefs who committed murder, and led the hostile bands; and as having also promised to deliver up others, concerned in murdering some of our frontier settlers. We hope therefore that war will not ensue.

We find it stated in the National Intelligencer, that two Conventions between the United States and Great Britain have been received at the Department of State, which were concluded and signed in the early part of last month, a few days before Mr. Canning's death, by Mr. Gallatin, and Messrs. Grant and Addington. By one of them the third article of the convention of 1819, which stipulates the joint occupation of the country beyond the Stony Mountains, is continued; and, by the other, the Com mercial Convention of 1815, which was continued by the abovementioned convention of 1818, is further continued. The duration of the convention of 1818, having been limited to ten years, would have expired on the 20th of October, 1828. On that day the existing Commercial Convention, and the Articles respecting the country beyond the Rocky Mountains, would have terminated, but for the recent conventions. They are now to continue indefinitely as to time, each party reserving the right to put an end to either of them, upon twelve months notice given to the other party.

THE

CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.

NOVEMBER, 1827.

Keligious Communications.

LECTURES ON THE SHORTER CATE- various; but the great agent who