Of several interesting incidents connected with this work, I will mention one. Mr. Gilmore, on his way to the settlement, called on a pious lady, who lives fourteen miles from it, and told her of the intended meeting. Her servant is the daughter of an Irish Catholic, who lives at Breadalbane. The lady told her she must go to the meeting; and directed her to ask permission for her sister, who lives in a place of service adjoining, to accompany her. Leave being granted, the lady took the girls into her room, and prayed for them most earnestly, that the means of grace they were about to enjoy might be blessed to their conversion. They attended during the meeting, and on going home from one of the services they were accompanied by one of their former associates, who had been lately converted; on their way she pressed on their minds, with much earnestness, the truths they had been hearing; and before parting with them, took them a little off the road, kneeled down on the snow, and prayed fervently for their conversion. This, to them, was an additional proof of the reality of the solemn truths they had just heard. Before leaving the settlement, they called on Mr. F., and told him the state of their minds, and he believes they returned to their places converted characters.
DOMESTIC.
PUBLIC MEETINGS.
WESLEYAN METHODIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
The annual meeting of this Society was held on Monday, May 4th, in Exeter Hall. John Hardy, Esq., M.P., in the Chair.
The business of the day was opened, with singing and prayer, by the Rev. J. Taylor, Chairman of the Conference.
The hall was crowded to excess, and hundreds sought admission in vain.
The Rev. Dr. Bunting read the Report, which, though described as an abstract, was of very great length. It commenced by stating that the society had twenty-four missionaries and six scripture-readers in Ireland. They had established schools, at which 7,000 children were receiving daily instruction, many Roman Catholic families preferring to send their children there rather than to schools of their own persuasion. In Sweden, much good has been achieved, and much more might reasonably be expected, as schools had been established. A society had also been founded for the purpose of opposing the doctrine of the heathen; this society had received the Royal sanction, as well as the support of the principal Bishops, who employed a Wesleyan Missionary as their Secretary. In Germany also much progress had been made. There was one society, consisting of 395 persons, and many others were in a state of probation. In France also the cause of true Christianity was rapidly advancing. Last year there was in one district a Wesleyan Society consisting of 268 members, but this year it had increased to 464 persons, of whom only 70 were English. In Paris seven schools had been established, and there was an ample opening for five more. There was also in Paris an Auxiliary Society, by whom 25,000 French tracts have been circulated, in addition to which 400l. had been collected there. In Spain also the circulation of the Scriptures was making considerable progress. At Gibraltar a chapel has been built on ground furnished by Government, and was fully attended by the military. A school was likewise established, at which 30 children attended daily. The missionary in Spain wrote 35 letters to the booksellers and others of the principal towns, calling upon them to become venders of the Holy Scriptures on commission. One bookseller replied that he should feel honoured by executing such a commission, not only in his own town, but on any part of the Peninsula. The missionary having travelled into Spain, described the moral condition of the great mass of the people as most deplorable, the light of the Scriptures being altogether hid from them. In Seville there were 90,000 Roman Catholics, 70,000 of whom attended neither mass nor confession. Many of these had fallen back upon infidelity and free-thinking as a refuge from the mummeries of popery. One Spanish prelate had distributed 3,000 Spanish Bibles in his district, observing that the battle was not now against Luther or Calvin, but against Antichrist. Protestants and Catholics, he said, had an equal hope of salvation, as they both professed the essential doctrines of Christianity. At Malta, the society was progressing, but at Alexandria the missionary was withdrawn for the present, it being quite hopeless for one person to make any progress, particularly when the ravages making by the plague were taken into consideration. In the South Seas, particularly in New Zealand and the Friendly Islands, the missionaries had made the most astonishing approaches to the general establishment of Christianity. Much good had also been effected both in Southern and Western Africa, and the West Indies; in the island of Ceylon they had 10 missionaries, and the Scriptures were translated and circulated, and schools were established at which 4,000 children were receiving daily instruction. The prejudices of the people had been boldly met, and idolatry had been shaken to its foundation. In the West Indies they had 76 missionaries, but it was hoped they would be increased to 100, for whose labours there was an ample field. They were preaching God's holy word to 800,000 of their fellow-creatures just emancipated from that sin and shame and curse of the country—slavery.
After some details, the Report went on to say, there were 260 missionaries divided between 170 missionary stations. There were 48,304 members, and 37,965 children were educated by the body. The amount of the year's revenue was 53,437l. 15s. 2d., being an increase on the former year to the amount of 1,204l. 8s. 2d. This did not include the splendid legacy of Horatio Cock, of Colchester, which was one-eighth of his whole fortune, amounting to 5,274l.; this, with special contributions, raised the year's revenue to 60,865l. 15s. but the average would be about 54,000l.