India negro took their stand. The voice thus raised was echoed loud and deep through the land. The time was now gone by when the missionary preacher, who look for his text, "If Christ shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed,” was liable to be punished with death, and when even the instructions of the gospel were looked upon in the light of treason. (Hear, hear.) All this had passed away. The British public, united almost to a man, had declared itself against slavery, and a measure had received the sanction of Parliament which, in these short words, "that from and after the first day of August, 1834, slavery should be at once and for ever abolished in the British colonies," put an end for ever to that mighty mass of cruelty and oppression. (Applanse.) It might be said, that this was the completion of the work for which they had so long struggled ; but no, the work was still to be finished, one of its most important parts still remained to be accomplished. We had freed the negro from bodily slavery. We had now so to educate and instruct him, as to put him in possession of all those advantages which, as a free man, he ought to enjoy. This part of the work might be considered as yet but in its commencement. Did he ask them then for twenty millions more to complete the work, which the unexampled liberality of the nation so well commenced? He was afraid the Right Rev. Prelate who had last addressed the meeting, would look upon him as a sturdy beggar at the bare mention of another contribution for the slaves, con. sidering the very great modesty of his (the Bishop of Ohio's) own request; however, he (Mr. Buxton) would not ask anything like the one-twentieth of that sum; but he would put it to the meeting, whether this second object—that of improving the moral condition of the negro population-was not worthy of some great effort, corresponding at least in its object with the extraordinary liberality of the British public, to which he had before referred. That great effort had given to the negro the freedom for which he long thirsted. He now had an equal thirst for knowledge-for that knowledge which led to salvation. Would they deny him that knowledge? He would mention another claim which the negroes had upon our consideration. Let them look to the manner in which they (the negroes) had spent their first moments of freedom. These ignorant uninstructed savages, as they were represented to be-how, he repeated, did they spend their first moments of liberty? was it in excess of joy, in revelling, or in rioting? No; they spent them on their knees in prayer. (Would that Christians might imitate their example!) They flocked in multitudes to the house of God, humbly to thank and to praise him for the marvellous deliverance which he had wrought for them. (Applause.) Then, again, how had their liberty affected their mode of spending the Sabbath? It would be in the recollection of the meeting, that Sunday markets, so long a disgrace to Christianity in our colonies, had been defended, on the ground that they were useful and necessary to the slave population, and that they (the slaves) would be quite dissatisfied at their abolition; but the very first Sabbath which they could call their own, those markets were generally abolished. (Applause.) If he were not afraid of detaining the meeting to too great a length, he could show, by extracts from many communications which he had received upon the subject, the earnest desire of the negro population to receive moral and religious instruction. The Hon. Gentleman then read several extracts from correspondents, showing the great eagerness of the negroes for religious instruction; that they had offered their money and manual labour to build schools-that they were preparing to purchase the apprenticeships of their children, in order that they might be sent to school-and, that in short, nothing could exceed their eagerness for being instructed (applause); that they were greedy for books, greedy for Christian instruction, aud greedy for religious education in general. It was well known that slavery had long stood upon the shores of our colonies as the most fierce enemy to Christian education; that slavery was now defunct, the great obstacles which heretofore stood in the way of Christian education were now happily removed; and the negroes themselves were loudly calling for that instruction of which they stood so much in need. Under these circumstances, then, he would ask the question, for the purpose of putting which, he had risen-Should that Society be the only one in England which did not answer the appeal thus made to them from the colonies? (Hear, hear.) Let him also observe, that though the slave-trade and slavery were abolished by this country, they both still existed, and in their worst form, under the Spanish, Portuguese, and the French governments. And even in America, there were five millions of human beings in slavery. These had no friends, no advocates, to address Christian meetings on their behalf; no prospect of millions being raised for their emancipation; in short, no hope, but from the exertions which migh be made by societies like the present. It was not then, for the 800,000 negroes in our own colonies, but for the five millions who existed in slavery elsewhere, and who had no prospect of ever seeing liberty, if this experiment should fail, that they were called upon now to exert themselves. It was in their name, then, in the name of that illused and unfortunate portion of the human race, that he now made his appeal ; an appeal, which he was sure, from what had hitherto taken place, would not be made in vain. (Applause.) The Right Rev. Prelate, Bishop of Ohio, had alluded to the greatness of England. It was true she had wealth almost unbounded. Her commerce extended to the ends of the earth. She had a power in war, which raised her to the highest pinnacle of human glory. But had she not a glory still higher than any which she could obtain from wealth, or commerce, or learning, or martial success? She had. That which redounded more to her honour than all the other elements of her greatness which he had noticed, might be summed up in these few words, "Great Britain abolished the slave-trade-Great Britain abolished slavery. She was the first country to interfere with other nations for the amelioration of that class. She was the first to mediate between state and state, for the sake of promoting right and justice." Her power had been well described by the poet in these words, "Wide is her empire, absolute her power, Then let him say, that if Africa shall hail her as the abolisher of slavery-if Asia shall hail her as the source from which she is to receive a flood of light and knowledge -if the distressed and afflicted of all nations shall look to her for succour and for justice, then shall Great Britain stand, in the attributes of mercy and peace, higher, not alone in the estimation of man, but in His who made man, than she ever could by the force of genius, or science, or victory. (Applause.) Let him, then, he repeated, not have to make in vain this appeal in favour of the negro population-an appeal, that while its object was in the first instance to be directed to those of our own colonies, would in its results extend to those of the other nations of the earth. Our own negroes had been freed from slavery, let them now be freed from ignorance and, as the subject was one which did not admit of delay, he hoped that that very day they would commence a subscription for the promotion of the moral and religious instruction of those who had been so long destitute, and whose destitution had been caused by our acts, and not theirs. (Applause.) The Resolution was then put and carried. 2.-BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. The Forty-third Anniversary of the Society was held at Finsbury Chapel, on June 18th, when the attendance was numerous and highly respectable. At 11 o'clock, T. F. BUXTON, Esq., M. P., appeared on the platform, and took the chair. The services were commenced by singing "From all that dwell below the skies, After which, the Rev. J. STATHAM, of Amersham, offered up prayer for the Divine blessing on the Meeting and the Society. The Chairman then rose, and after some introductory remarks, called upon the Secretary to read the Report. The Rev. JOHN DYER read the Report accordingly; after which W. B. GURNEY, Esq. presented his accounts, as Treasurer, from which it appeared, that there was a balance against the Society of £324. 7s. 3d. The Rev. SAMUEL NICHOLSON, of Plymouth, after expressing the unfeigned pleasure he felt in seeing the chair occupied by Mr. Buxton, and congratulating the honorable gentleman on the success of his labours, moved "That this Meeting receives, with unfeigned thankfulness to the Father of all mercies, the account which has now been furnished of the successful labours of our Missionary brethren in the East and West Indies; and that the Report be adopted, and distributed, under the direction of the Committee." which was seconded by R. FOSTER, Esq. and carried. The Rev. JAMES SPRIGG, of Ipswich, rose to move "That this Meeting contemplates with lively gratification the auspicious change which took place on the 1st of August last, in the civil condition of our negro brethren in the West Indies; and that their highly satisfactory conduct since that period has signally demonstrated the power of Christianity to elevate the character and improve the condition of the most degraded of mankind, and supplies a powerful motive for more vigorous evangelical efforts on their behalf, especially under the sufferings and oppression which, it is feared, multitudes of them still endure." Which was seconded by the Rev. J. WATTS, of Maze Pond. The CHAIRMAN said, that before the Resolution was put, he trusted the meeting would excuse him for saying a few words. It was a matter of deep regret to him that duties elsewhere rendered it indispensable that he should soon take his leave. A rev. gentleman in the earlier stage of the proceedings had spoken of the persons by whom the great cause had been accomplished in the West Indies, and had remarked, that it was by Britons, and not by Christians merely. In one sense that was perfectly true; yet he (Mr. B.) felt constrained to bear his testimony that the true support throughout the country had been from persons deeply impressed with Christian truth. He saw, in the experience he had had in the cause, such extraordinary manifestations of Divine direction, that it was far from him to say that it was man who had achieved the great and glorious event. There was a time when he would have been deemed quite frantic, because he did not believe that the day of emancipation, when it arrived, would be a day of universal massacre and destruction. He recollected a gentleman connected with the West Indies exhausting every argument in trying to convince him that he (Mr. B.) was doing wrong, and wound up the whole by telling him that the emancipation of the slaves would tend to the extirpation of Christianity from that country. How had the negroes received the boon? Was there ever a more tranquil or grateful spirit than they manifested on the 1st of August? But what happened on the following Sunday? They had been told that the negroes themselves would oppose the abolition of the Sunday market; but the first time that they had a day of their own in the week, they most cheerfully abolished the Sunday market. Doubts had been entertained as to their industry, but he believed, that the measure of apprenticeship was folly and delusion. The principles which he had taken were-"If you want a man to work, give him wages; if you want him to behave well, do him justice; if you want his mind to expand, give him Christian instruction." He believed there was more truth in those simple principles than in all the devices of men. There never was anything more remarkable than the industry which the negroes had displayed. Then, as to their conduct, he had received the most abundant testimony. He held in his hand 70 letters from the West Indies, which had been printed under the direction of the House of Commons, in which every phrase in the British language had been employed to illustrate their admirable conduct. He received information from a gentleman on whom he could rely, at Antigua, stating that there was only one man there who did not work, and work hard; and he was-an idiot. With regard to crime, he had seen a letter within the last few hours, from the governor of Demerara, in which he stated, that from August to April, not a white man had been struck or ill-treated, and the superintendant of police remarked, that no act of heavy crime had occurred since the 1st of August. There was the deepest anxiety for moral and religious instruction. He quite agreed with the remark of a rev. gentleman, that, having emancipated their bodies, there remained a duty quite as serious, that of pouring into their minds a flood of Christian light. It had been alleged, that great immorality would be produced by the abolition of slavery. He had received a letter, written by a gentleman high in the church, who stated, that for the last seven years he had, upon the average, solemnized 15 marriages, but since the 1st of August, he had solemnized 150. The hon. gentleman concluded by reading a letter which had been received from Bristol, in which the writer offered to subscribe £50 towards the purchase of schoolbooks, provided the Baptist Missionary Society would make it up £200. From the depressed state of the funds, it was impossible to impose the burden upon the Society; but perhaps there were those who would come forward and embrace this offer. The hon. gentleman then retired, amid long-continued applause. W. B. GURNEY, Esq., having been called to the vacant chair, submitted the Resolution for adoption, when it was unanimously carried. The Rev. J. DYER announced to the Meeting, that their late Chairman had left a check for ten guineas. The Rev. B. GODWIN rose to move "That this Meeting gratefully acknowledges the prompt and abundant liberality with which the religious public responded to the appeal made to them by the last Annual Meeting, for rebuilding the chapels and school-rooms, which had been destroyed in Jamaica; and earnestly entreats the continued and augmented efforts of Christian brethren throughout the land, to supply the silver and the gold required by the urgent and increasing demand for more labourers in every part of the Missionary field, to which the attention of the Society has been directed." This Resolution was seconded by the Rev. S. A. DUBOURG, of Clapham, who was followed by the Rev. H. TOWNLEY, and the Rev. E. HULL, of Watford, who moved and seconded the next Resolution, expressive of sorrow at the death of JOHN BROADLEY WILSON, Esq., the late Treasurer, and inviting W. B. GURNEY, Esq., to accept the vacant office, &c. The Resolution having been put and agreed to, The CHAIRMAN said, that it was with considerable feeling, and some distrust, that he accepted the office to which he had been appointed. He could not look back to the individual whose name had been brought before them by several of the speakers that day, without feeling greatly at the idea of succeeding him in any office whatever. His virtues were so conspicuous, his example was always so brilliant, that one must feel ashamed in following him in office. As the Treasurer of this Society, and the friend of Missions, they were all acquainted with his exertions. By the last act of his life, they were aware, that a large portion of his property was devoted to Christianity. He had not bequeathed any legacy to this Society; for, so far as it was concerned, he had been his own executor. This Society had lost a liberal contributor; what then was the duty devolving upon them? He wished to make one remark relative to a large legacy, which had been announced that day. It had been bequeathed subject to a life interest; that interest had dropped, and their friends might think that the amount was funded, and that the Society was now expending the interest; whereas, a great part of the principal had, in reality, already been expended in consequence of the increased disbursements, and the diminished income of the last year. It had been said, that they had last year shown what they could do; but on the present occasion, they were not contributing to build chapels, but to send out Missionaries. The congregations in the West Indies had been doubled. Many of the negroes were formerly only enabled to attend Divine worship on the alternate Sabbaths, but they now attended every Sabbath; in addition to which, fresh congregations had been formed. With respect to India, the call in all the letters was, to send out more Missionaries. The Rev. J. DYER said, that perhaps it might be right to say a word respecting the donation of their late revered friend, J. B. WILSON, Esq. The fact was, that about two years before his lamented decease, he said that he did not expect to live beyond seventy; that he had made provision for the Society to the amount of £2,000; but that, feeling how pressing its necessities were, he intended to be his own executor, and to give £1,000 each year. The total amount of his donations to the Society had been about £4,000. 3.-BENEVOLENT EFFORTS OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. In a recent Report of Dr. Chalmers to the General Assembly, on the 24th May last, he mentioned, that the whole sum actually subscribed in the past year, for new places of worship, built or in building, was £57,215 78. 9d., of which there is placed on the general fund, £2,181 15s. 10d.; and this large sum, added to the general fund, amounts to the grand total of £68,677 12s. 5d. We rejoice in this noble proof of the generosity and religious zeal of the members of the Church of Scotland. 4.-INCREASE OF RELIGION IN NORTH AMERICA. From a document published by the General Agent of the Tract Society, in January last, we find, that during the past year, the net increase of the Baptist denomination has been very large. It is stated, that of this denomination, there are now 331 Associations; 6,093 Churches; 3,244 ordained Ministers; and 737 Licentiates. Only 152 Associations sent in their minutes to the General Agent, and their net gain amounted to 37,361 members (adults baptized on a profession of faith). The same ratio for the whole number of associations (331) would give a net increase of not less than sixty thousand for the past year. We are happy to find, also, that the increase of members in other denominations of Evangelical Christians, during the year, is very considerable. Great and numerous revivals of religion have taken place, and in consequence, the Church is rapidly gaining on the world. May she continue her peaceful aggressions, till all are enclosed within her happy fold! Meteorological Register, kept at the Surveyor General's Office, Calcutta, for the Month of September, 1835. 792 81,279,8,79,2 ,606 $1,782,279,8 s. 29,538 78,7 77,9 77,1 N.,610 81,682,980, N. ,624 80, 79,379, N. ,680 85,387,684,1 5 ,680,81,4 80, 79,5 ,742 85,2 87,484, ,738 79,7 78.678, ,786,79,4 77,977,9 ,720 79,2 77,577,4 9 ,734,81,2 80, 79,9 10 ,736 81,3 79,879,8 11 ,746,80,5 78,678,8 778 78,877,8 77,5 ,752 80, 79,6,78,5 21 ,718 78,7,77, 76,8 77280,882, 80, 22 ,700 79, 77,977, 732 82, 83,5 81, ,750 83, 85,782,2 ,694 80, 83,5 81, 23 ,652 78, 77, 76,7 79, S. E.,574 81,779,679, s. E-0.30 0.27 E.,562 89,6 89, 87,1 N. E..572 57, 85,483,5 E bN. ,650 88, 88,5 84,5 E.,570 83,5 85, 81, s. E.,566 82,2 80, E.bs..706 77,877, 77, S. E.,698 79,280,5,78,7 s. 0, ,650 6,2 85, 82,7 W. E..698 78,5 78,277,9 s. E. 0.85 0.78 84,5 85,2 w.,796 84, 85,284,6 w. |
