recommended, under all these circumstances, to summon the Sub-committee already appointed, to meet leading friends of Italy, say for June 24, to lay the above facts before such preliminary meeting, with a view to seeing whether the efforts of British Christians cannot, at the present crisis, be concentrated on Italy." The above recommendation was complied with by the Committee of Council, and a meeting appointed, Lord Shaftesbury having consented to take the chair.

NEXT ANNUAL CONFERENCE.-The subject of the next Annual Conference at Belfast having come under consideration, it was Resolved, "That a respectful application be made to the friends in that city, proposing to hold the Conference there in September next." BERLIN CONFERENCE VOLUME.-Dr. Steane

laid on the table the volume of the Berlin Conference. Resolved, "That copies be presented, under the direction of the Subcommittee for General Purposes, to such eminent persons as they judge fit."

CARLISLE SUB-DIVISION.-The first monthly prayer meeting was held in the Town Hall, on May 7, by permission of the Mayor, the Dean of Carlisle presiding, who made some excellent remarks upon the principles and objects of the Alliance, and called on several ministers of various denominations and on a layman to engage in prayer. About seventy persons attended. The meetings are intended (D.V.) to be held the first Tuesday in each month, and will be presided over by ministers of various denominations in turn.

France, June, 1859.

THE ROMISH QUESTION BY M. EDMOND ABOUT. Public attention continues to be especially directed towards the situation of the Pontifical States. It is certain that the war commenced in Italy will, in many respects, modify the institutions and acts of the Papal Government. The subjects of Pius IX. at Rome, Bologna, and elsewhere, have already clearly manifested their sympathies in favour of Italian independence; and were they not restrained by the advice of the French Ambassador and General, they would have raised the standard of revolt, like the people of Tuscany.

In such circumstances, the book of M. Edmond About, entitled "The Romish Question," has met with great success. M. About is a young literary man, who was sent to the city of the Vatican last year on a special mission by our Government. He consequently possessed the best means of information, having seen all with his own eyes. He has conversed with the most eminent personages. On arriving in Rome, M. About entertained no prejudices against the Pope and Cardinals; far from that, when having to send regular letters to the Monitour Officiel, he was charmed at being able

to praise the Pontifical Court. But his intelligence and his conscience revolted at some things which passed under his notice, and he preferred breaking his correspondence with the Moniteur to disguising his convictions.

The pamphlet of M. About is written in a lively and ingenuous style. It contains many just and striking remarks. Perhaps the author indulges sometimes in too acrimonious a tone; his legitimate indignation inspires him with keen epigrams. He draws, for example, a most satirical portrait of Cardinal Antonelli, the First Secretary of State. He relates that this personage was born in a village of bandits, on the frontiers of the kingdom of Naples-that he studied in a seminary without having any serious calling for the duties of the altar-that he by turns flattered the Popes Gregory XVI. and Pius IX., sometimes extolling Absolutism, sometimes Liberalism, in order to obtain a scarlet hat-that by good or bad means he has amassed a colossal fortunethat his private conduct is too little conformed to his character-and so on. Cardinal Antonelli is universally detested and despised by the Romanists.

The most remarkable thing in M. Ed

mond About's book is the demonstration that the interests of the ecclesiastics are entirely opposed in all things to those of the laity. No possible point of union between the one and the other-the antagonism is radical. The laity wish to live and advance conformably with the ideas of modern civilisation; they desire to sec agriculture and industry developed; they wish for the progress of public instruction; they demand reforms in the judicial laws, in the system of taxes, and the expenses of the State, &c. But the priests are obstinately opposed to all these changes; they are determined on maintaining the old abuses, ignorance and inertia of the people, the bad administration of justice and finances, because the conservation of sacerdotal authority is closely connected with the present state of things. How are these difficulties to be met? M. About believes thère is only one efficacious remedy-the suppression of the temporal power of the Pope and the priests. Transactions will issue in nothing; laymen must be the masters in civil and political matters, or they will continue to be slaves.

This book has produced a great sensation in France. The Univers and the Jesuits have violently attacked the author as an impious person, a liar, a miscreant, an enemy of God and men. Their clamours have been so violent that the Government, in order to give some kind of satisfaction to the clerical party, has forbidden the sale of M. About's pamphlet. This measure, how ever has augmented rather than diminished the number of readers, and the work of M. About circulates on all hands.

French. The Government itself endeavours to preserve friendly relations with the Popish clergy, fearing the influence of their discontent on the country population. It results from this, that the respective position of our statesmen and bishops is full of reticence and after-thoughts. Neither the one nor the other explicitly declare their feelings and views.

The Minister of Worship has invited the members of the Episcopal body to offer public prayers for the success of the French army. At the same time he has addressed to them a letter, in which he says: "The prince who has given to religion so many proofs of deference and attachment, and who, after the sad days of 1848, brought back the holy Father to the Vatican, is the most firm supporter of Catholic (Roman) unity, and it is his will that the Supreme Head of the Church should be respected in all his rights of temporal sovereignty."

These words were cleverly calculated to calm the fears of the Romish clergy; but I doubt whether they have attained their end. How can Louis Napoleon be regarded by the bishops as the most firm supporter of Roman Catholic unity, when he is fighting against the Emperor of Austria, the most Popish monarch of Europe? And then, what signifies the promise that, all the rights of Pius IX., as temporal Sovereign, shall be respected? Does not all the world know that Louis Napoleon desires to introduce the Civil French Code into Rome, that is to say, to change the conditions of the Pontifical power? While the Minister of Worship has been addressing this letter to the bishops, Pius IX. himself has sent them an encyclical, wherein he exhorts them to pray publicly for the cessation of the war, after having implored the all-powerful protection of the Immaculate and Most Holy Virgin Mary, mother of God. Pius IX. promises an indulgence of three hundred days to those who shall join in these prayers for peace.

CIRCULAR LETTERS OF THE ROMISH BISHOPS.

The French prelates have felt embarrassed by these contradictory appeals. How can obedience be rendered, at the same time, to the request of the Minister of Worship to pray for the triumph of our arms, and to the Pope who desires prayers for peace? The bishops have endeavoured, by the aid of quibbles, to take an intermediate course. Their pastoral letters are for the most part, very sober in praises of Louis Napoleon, but full of emphatic panegyric of the Papacy. It is easy to see

that all their sympathies incline towards Rome, and that they feel an invincible defiance towards the Emperor of the French. If our soldiers receive any considerable check, you would hear these same bishops declare that the reverses of the French army are a punishment from Heaven! I would add, that at the moment I am writing, the Pope is really a prisoner in his palace of the Vatican. General Goyon commands the French and Romish troops. The police is directed by the French. Poor Pius IX.! Poor cardinals! They are greatly humiliated just now. Their prestige is vanished. The grand affairs of Europe are decided without them aud in spite of them. What is become of the time when the haughty Innocent III. dictated his sovereign orders to the Christian world, and saw the most powerful monarchs prostrate at his feet? This power and this glory is past but the end is not yet. The pontifical authority will experience new defeats; and religious liberty, soon triumphant in Italy as in the rest of Europe, will make a straight way for Evangelical truth.

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE ANNUAL RELIGIOUS MEETINGS IN PARIS.

My former letter contained a few details of the first annual meetings of the religious societies of Paris (Evangelical Christendom, pp. 194 and 195). I now continue these communications, taking care only to report what may be interesting to your readers.

The Religious Tract Society pursues its work with increasing activity. Last year it published seven new tracts, of which five were for children. This direction of its labours is good. Our Christian literature for youth is very poor at present. The committee has also published a new Family Library, composed of a series of volumes on religious subjects. It has opened a subscription for the Lives of Luther and Calvin. The reporter expressed regret that many of our Evangelical publications are simply translations of English books; he wishes for national Christian books. This is very just in principle. Unhappily we have not many good, pious writers; and experience has shown that works translated from the English are those which generally obtain the most readers. What can be replied to such a fact?

We have two Bible societies, the one called the Protestant Bible Society, the other the French and Foreign Bible Society. The object of the former is to provide members

of our communion with Bibles; the second, by means of colportage, addresses itself to Romanists as well as Protestants. The two committees, without being decidedly hostile, have, for a long time, been strangers to each other.

Thanks to God these mutual sentiments of coldness have now ceased. There is, in fact, room enough and work for both. These two societies might reciprocally help each other. They have distributed in the course of the year more than a hundred thousand Bibles and New Testaments. This is not much if we reckon that there are more than thirty-six millions of souls in France. But it must be remembered that the great British and Foreign Bible Society employs special agents in our country who powerfully coutribute to the dissemination of the Word. The work prospers and increases.

The Evangelical Society of France is always supported by numerous subscribers, and encouraged by much blessing. During the last year it has received 156,636 francs, and expended 154,456 francs. The number of its agents, pastors, teachers, evangelists, Bible-readers, and colporteurs, is seventy-four. "Doors are everywhere open,' ," said the reporter, M. Victor de Pressensé: "In the department of Yonne a new post has been established to satisfy the urgent demands of the inhabitants; at Tonnerre several evangelists have become necessary, and we have at last sent a pastor; at Fouqueure our brethren have redoubled their courage in the face of persecution-they have bought a piece of ground for building a new chapel; at Limoges the faithful now meet in a spacious and commodious chapel. Serious wants are felt; a breath of life blows upon us."

The Committee has met with obstacles through the ill-will of certain local authoritics who obey the intolerant spirit of the priests. Several schools remain closed. The teachers are obliged to instruct the children from house to house. This is to be regretted, but with zeal and perseverance barriers will at length be overturned. A country so enlightened as France cannot persist in yielding to the fanaticism of the Romish clergy.

The Central Evangelisation Society pursues a work similar to that of the Evangelical Society. Its solicitude is especially directed to scattered Protestants. It has nearly one hundred stations, several of which are in important towns. It has also a preparatory school of theology, in which

there are twenty pupils. The committee is distinguished by its prudence and zeal. It faithfully supports the Protestant National Church. Its receipts amount in round numbers to 113,000 francs, and its expenses to 112,000 francs.

The Evangelical Missionary Society has received 191,239 francs. This, I believe, is the largest sum which any of our religious societies have received. The reporter, M. Casalis, who has himself resided a long time at the south of the Cape of Good Hope, gave a very interesting picture of the labours of our missionaries in that part of the world. The war between the Dutch colonists and the native tribes has produced lamentable disasters. The station of Beersheba has been completely ruined; others have greatly suffered. But our missionaries have shown a noble courage, and the native Christians have exercised admirable patience through this bloody contest, and throughout the sufferings of the famine by which it was succeeded. Peace has now been re-established, and it is to be hoped that the evangelisation of Southern Africa will regain its former prosperity.

The Society for the Encouragement of Primary Protestant Instruction has in no way relaxed its praiseworthy efforts. It acts in accordance with the spirit of Protestantism, which demands the culture of every intellectual faculty. Count Robert de Pourtalès, who read the report, said that aid had been afforded to 164 primary schools, among which ten were new ones. The two normal schools for the training of male and female teachers are flourishing.

One word on the Sunday school Society. The committee formed the happy idea of assembling all the children, to the number of 2,200, in the Cirque Napoleon. The parents came with them, so that this vast area contained about 5,000 people. The meeting lasted more than two hours, and was extremely interesting. "It is the finest sight I have seen in my life," said an old man who was present. The twenty police agents who had been sent to keep order, were so pleased with the fête, that they refused to receive the payment due to their

services.

As a whole, the meetings of this year have been good and edifying. Charity increases with piety. Let us hope that the graces of the Lord may be poured out yet more and more on our Christian works. The French people have an earnest desire to hear the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

CELEBRATION OF THE TERCENTENARY OF THE

FRENCH REFORMATION.

At the close of last month, our churches celebrated the third jubilee of the Reformation in our country. I have already given your readers an account of this memorable solemnity. The fête at Nismes especially was very imposing. You are aware that this town is the principal centre of French Protestantism. At some distance are the mountains of the Cevennes, famed for the heroic resistance of the ancient Huguenots. The Consistory of Nismes convoked on the 25th May a meeting of all the pastors of the province. They were present to the number of 120, accompanied by some from their flocks. It was really a popular manifestation. Pastor Borel related facts which preceded and accompanied the introduction of the Reformation into the south of France.

The next morning, May 26, more than 20,000 Protestants surrounded a pulpit in the open air on the same spot where the Huguenots of the Desert celebrated their worship in the last century. The venerable pastor Tachard, President of the Consistory, prayed for the blessing of heaven to rest on the Protestant Church of France and the Church universal. Pastor Buisson, of Lyons, then showed what is the real basis of the Reformation. Everything was conducted in an orderly manner. The Roman Catholics respected this manifestation of the Protestant faith, well understanding that religious liberty ought to be the same for the members of different communions. This festival was celebrated at Paris, Montauban, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, in the midst of an immense concourse of the faithful. May it please God that this may contribute to awaken the hearts of the children to the faith and devotedness of the fathers.

PROTESTANT CHAPLAINS FOR THE ARMY IN

ITALY.

I cannot conclude this letter without saying a word on the project of sending Protestant chaplains to the army in Italy. The Government pays Roman Catholic chaplains with money from the public treasury, but decided that the number of Protestant soldiers was not sufficient to show the same liberality towards them. This work rests with us. Voluntary gifts are not wanting. Some pastors, very well qualified for such a mission, have offered themselves. Our soldiers will, therefore, have, as in the Crimea, their spiritual guides, and the Evangelical faith will advance with them on to the soil of Italy. X. X. X.