Meeting by apologizing for his own unpreparedness, and by eulogizing the character of Mr. Butterworth, as a Christian gentleman and British statesman. Col. S. then adverted to the signs of the times, and to the state of India; and concluded by reading a letter from the Rev. H. Davis, of Bombay, describing the deplorable state of the heathen, as "without God and without hope." Rev. Mr. Watson, one of the secretaries of the Society, then read the Annual Report, which stated, that 150 Missionaries were now employed under the direction of their Committee, in about 100 important foreign stations, wherein were 27,000 members of their Society; besides which, many extensive and prosperous Schools were established in the East and West Indies. In the Island of Ceylon itself, nearly 5000 native children are under daily instruction; and many thousand children of the Negroes attend the Sunday Schools established by this Society in the West India Islands. Rev. Wm. Griffiths, of Bath, moved the acceptance and printing of the Report, which was seconded by Jn. Poynder, Esq. who urged generally the necessity of Missionary exertions. W. H. Trant, Esq. Col. Munro, Col. Sandys, the Chairman, and the Rev. Mr. Ward, from Serampore, all spoke particularly on the state of India, where they had all resided for considerable periods: Mr. Ward, in particular, enlarged upon the miserable and cruel superstitions of the natives-on the favourable prospect of now planting Christianity in that country and on the encouragement given to it by the present Government in India. The other Resolutions were moved and seconded by the Rev. H. F. Burder, T. Lessey, J. Bunting, and R. Newton; and by S. Armstrong, B. Shaw, J. Carne, J. Vandersmisson, Esqrs.; and Mr. Scarth, of Leeds, concluded, by strongly urging the necessity of earnest prayer for divine influence, to render effective all their Missionary labours. PRAYER BOOK AND HOMILY SOCIETY. ON Thursday, May 4th, was held the 9th Annual Meeting of this Society, at Stationers' Hall. Jos. Wilson, Esq. Treasurer, in the Chair. The Rev. C. R. Pritchett, the Secretary, read the Report; from which it appears that the Committee have distributed 8982 Prayer Books, Psalters, and bound Homilies; and 49,022 Homilies, &c. in Tracts. The receipts of the year amounted to 19931. 13s. 10d., and the expenditure to 2170l. 5s. 10d. The extension of their operations to Foreign nations having caused a defi. ciency of 1767. 12s. The Prayer Book had met with much acceptance in the Irish language and character-it had also been circulated in Welsh, and 2000 (at considerable expense) had been printed in Chinese, as translated by Dr. Morrison. The various motions adopted were moved and seconded by the following gentlemen and clergymen :Z. Macaulay, and J. Poynder, Esqrs. ; Hon. and Rev. Mr. Noel; Rev. Messrs. Jowett, Simeon, D. Wilson, Marsh, Burn, Dealtry, and Bickersteth. The latter, in moving thanks to the Chairman, held up to the view of the Meeting, a Chinese Prayer Book, and Homilies in French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Modern Greek, Arabic, Welsh, and Manks; and called upon the persons assembled to remember that, just in proportion to their liberality, these publications would be circulated. LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE JEWS. THE 13th Anniversary of this Society was held at the King's Concert Room in the Haymarket, on Friday May 4th. The meeting was numerously and respectably attended, and the business was commenced by the children educated in the Jewish School, who were stationed on the platform, singing some verses in Hebrew and in English. After this, the Rev. Basil Wood gave a short address, which was followed by Sir THOMAS BARING taking the Chair, who opened the business by explaining the objects of the Society, and by stating the encouragement held forth in the sacred Scriptures, to use means for the restoration of God's ancient people, the Jews. The Report was then read by the Rev. C. S. Hawtrey, and was of considerable length, embracing the Society's domestic proceedings in Eng land, Scotland, and Ireland; the Jews' School in London, now containing 41 boys, and 48 girls, (one of the parents of whom had lately died in the faith of Christ), and a Seminary just established under the superintendence of the Rev. E. Jacob, M.A. for the instruction of Missionaries to the Jews, in which four Missionaries have already been received, besides two students at Berlin, who are shortly to be removed to 248 London. The New Testament had been printed and circulated in German and Biblical Hebrew, and a translation was now undertaken for the Polish Jews, by the Rev. N. Solomon, whe had, on the Sunday preceding the Meeting, been ordained a Minister of the Church of England, and was about to return to Poland. 2. The foreign relations of the Society were traced from Amsterdam, where the Society has a Missionary, through various parts of Germany, even to India, America, and New South Wales. Various instances of conversion to the Christian faith were mentioned; and in the latter place, about 30 Jews meet weekly, or oftener, to hear the Hebrew scriptures and prayers read to them by their own Levite, who confesses himself a convert to the Christian faith. After the Report was concluded, the Right Hon. Lord Calthorpe moved its adoption; and the meeting was also successively addressed by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Gloucester, and by the Rev. Messrs. Simeon, Richmond, Way, Burn, Jowett, Solomon; C. Grant, Esq. and Alderman Sir C. S. Hunter. LONDON HIBERNIAN SOCIETY. Ar the City of London Tavern, Saturday, May 5th, the Right Hon. Lord Viscount LORTON, Vice-President, being called to the Chair, opened the business by stating, that this was the 15th Anniversary of an Institution which had already done great good in Ireland; and, he was persuaded, was calculated to do much more. At first it proceeded silently and unobserved; but lately it had been called into public notice, as its benefits became more conspicuous. As a native of Ireland himself, he felt the more deeply interested, and he really thought it a duty from this country to Ireland (which was itself once the seat of learning,)to instruct the lower classes, who are still in a great degree of ignorance, which ignorance often made them perverse and refractory. His Lordship here read some extracts, lately published on the subject of Education in Ireland, and then called on the Rev. John Morison, of Chelsea, who read the Report. The Report commenced with the pleasing information, that the funds of the Society, so deeply in arrears at the last Anniversary, had been happily, replenished by collections, donations, and legacies, to a considerable amount. Amoug the former, we noticed 2,3947collected in Scotland, by Mr. Steven; 1521. by Mr. Dealtry at Clapham Church; and, among the latter, a legacy, to the amount of more than 60001. stock. The Schools at present assisted by the Society, are stated at 534, and the pupils at 54,520; a much less reduction than might have been expected, from the opposition they have met with. The Hon. C. Shore, the Rev. J. Owen, the Rev. W. Bushe, (of Dublin,)_Sir Claud. S. Hunter, Rev. Dr. Thorpe, Rev. Dr. Collyer, Hon. and Rev. G. Noel, Rev. J. A. Coombes, J. O'Drescol, Esq. of Cork, Rev. L. Way, B. Richings, E. Burn, D. Wilson, W. Dealtry, and G. Sandford, moved and seconded the several resolutions, and the noble Chairman concluded. LONDON FEMALE PENITENTIARY. THE 14th Anniversary of this Institu tion was held on Monday, May 7, at Stationers-hall Ludgate-hill; W. Alers Hankey, Esq. presided. The meeting was well attended. The Report stated that there had been about 170 applications, from May 1820, to 31 March last; 77 of which had been received: that within the same period, 22 had been placed out in service, 30 reconciled to their friends, 14 had been dismissed for bad behaviour, or at their own request, and one had been married. The letters from some of the former inmates and their parents, were read, expressive of their grateful feelings to the Committees and the Matrons, for the benefits received; and other very inte resting details are contained in the Report and its valuable Appendix. The meeting was severally addressed by Rev. L. Richmond, E. Burn, of Birmingham, T. Webster, Dr. Winter, J. Innes, J. Jackson, Rowland Hill, J. Townsend, Mr. Meganel, and by J. Haldane, Esq, and others. The average of the ages of the applicants, since the last Report, is only 17 years: the increasing usefulness of the Institution was fully established by the Report of its proceedings. PORT OF LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOT- THE Annual General Meeting of this At twelve o'clock, the Right Hon. Lord Gambier took the Chair, supported by the Hon. and Rev. Gerard Noel, the Rev. Legh Richmond, and the Rev. Rowland Hill; and the Noble Chairman, in a brief but able speech, opened the business of the day by calling the attention of the Meeting to the Report, which was then read by the Secretary. It detailed the proceedings of the Committee during the last year, and the receipts and expenditure of the Society, by which it appeared that an extensive field of religious knowledge had been opened to the seamen on the Thames, and at other places, and had been eagerly and thankfully received by that useful class of men. The Report instanced several interesting cases of the great good that had been accomplished by the circulation of religious books, and by the sermons preached on board the Floating Chapel established on the Thames. After noticing the operations of the Society in different parts of England, the Report concluded by calling upon the Meeting for additional aid and co-ope ration. E. Phillips, Esq. moved that the Report be received; and Sir G. M. Keith, in seconding the Resolution, said, that when he first entered the King's service, seamen were a very different body of men to what they are in the present day. He was sent when very young to an East India station for three years, and during that period he never once entered a place of worship, and 500 persons, by whom he was surrounded, were in the same condition; so that, notwithstanding the principles of religion which had been instilled into his mind by his excellent parents, it was with difficulty that he escaped the contagion of bad example; and he had to bless God that he had so escaped. The gallant officer stated-when he first had the honour of commanding a ship, it was his custom, on the morning of every Sabbath, when circumstances did not render it impracticable, to assemble his crew upon deck, to make the binnacle his reading desk, and there to read to them the service of the Church of England.-(Hear.)-He always found them attentive listeners, and he soon had the satisfaction of seeing a great improvement in the general conduct of his men; they became different persons altogether.-Sir George enlogized the Port of London Society, as one calculated to produce the most beneficial effects, and spoke of the esta THIS Society held its first Anniversary Meeting on Thursday evening, May 17th, at the Albion Chapel, Moorfields, R. H. Marten, Esq. in the Chair. The Rev. Mr. Davis commenced by prayer. From the Report was learned that this Society owed its origin to the example set by the "Port of London Society for Promoting Religion among Seamen." It was stated, that there were always from 20 to 30 Welsh ships in the River Thames, most of the crews of which (from 200 to 300 persons) understood so little of the English, that instruction could not be received by them from public discourses in that language. Some pious masters of vessels, aided by some serious Welsh persons on shore, took therefore into consideration how greatly the lads, who had been shipped at an early age in Wales, and who had no other opportunity to obtain religious knowledge, were bereft of all instruction from preaching; and perceived that it might easily be accomplished, by fol lowing the example of their English brethren, associated for this purpose.Many Welsh sailors attended, and addressed the meeting with animation in their own language. The meeting concluded by the Lord's Prayer in the English language, and was altogether interesting. A collection was made. LONDON ITINERANT SOCIETY. ON Monday Evening the 7th of May, this Society held their 24th Annual Meeting at the City of London Tavern, when the attendance was numerous and respectable; -S. Robinson, Esq. the Treasurer, presided. The Secretary, the Rev. W. F. Platt, (who had faithfully filled the office since the formation of the Society) and the Assistant Secretary Mr. J. Peachey, having during the past year resigned, the Report was read by Mr. Wm. Beams, who has accepted the office of Assistant Secretary; and it was announced, that the Rev. W. Broadfoot, (successor of the late Dr. Jerment) had accepted that of Secretary. The Report stated some pleasing instances of the Lord's gracious sanction, of the patient and persevering efforts of his servants, in testifying of his truth among the congregations and children, in some of the villages in the neighbourhood of London; though, in others, there were rather discouraging appearances. At two or three of the villages, arrangements are expected to be made shortly, for the inhabitants to take the work into their own hands; this will enable the Committee to turn their attention to other places, which they have been long anxious to do. The Ministers and other friends who addressed the assembly, were the Rev. Messrs. Thomas, Watson, Irons, Coombs, Edwards, Evans, C. Hyatt, a student from Gosport (recently from India, and to whom the Society's once highly valued labourer the Rev. W. C. Loveless had been rendered a blessing) two students from Hackney, and Mr. John Neale. Several ministers were prevented attending, by reason of the Missionary Prayer Meetings in various parts of the town on that evening. The debt of the Society, it appears, exceeds 600l. It has partly arisen by the purchase or erection of 2 or 3 places of worship on this head the representations of some of the speakers were powerfully made, and the friends of Christ present, attached to itinerant labours, appeared heartily disposed to unite to do their utmost by the next anniversary, in order to free the Society from its burden, and to furnish the Committee with means to warrant their attention to various calls for the services of the active agents of the Society in new stations. Several ladies pledged themselves to raise 57. each among their respective friends, toward the liquidation of the Society's debt; and it is humbly hoped that the Lord will incline the hearts of many more of the female sex, who may peruse this short statement, to follow so laudable an example. The donations, new subscriptions, and collection at the doors, were nearly 60 pounds. : The Committee will in future meet at the Home Missionary Rooms, 18, Aldermanbury, on the third Wednesday in every month, at 6 o'clock in the evening. SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION. THE Annual Meeting was held at the City of London Tavern, on the morning of May the 9th, and was attended by a very numerous company to breakfast; after which, the chair was taken at 6 o'clock by W. B. Gurney, Esq. The meeting was addressed by Rev. Joseph Ivimey, Dr. Smith, S. Curwen, J. A. Coombs, Jenkin Thomas, Sherman, Geo. Marsden, T. S. Brittan, Scott, G. Thom; and by Messrs. W. Marriott, W. F. Lloyd, G. Offor, and J. Barfield. The cause of Sunday School Unions, and the religious instruction of the young, inte rested all persons present; and we trust the effects of this delightful Meeting will be long exhibited in the increased and united exertions of all the friends of Christian education. MERCHANT SEAMEN'S AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY. ON Monday, May 14th, the Third Anniversary of this Society was held at the City of London Tavern. The great room was filled by a numerous assem blage of ladies and gentlemen. Lord Viscount EXMOUTH, who was unanimously called to the Chair, opened the business of the day. The Report was read by the Secretary, and gave an encouraging outline of the proceedings of the Committee during the last year, and of the support which they had received in their exertions from several corporate bodies: the testimonies to the ameliorated habits and conduct of that interesting class of society, the Merchant Seamen, were every day accumulating; and the steady course pursued by this Institution in circulating the Holy Scriptures, co-ope rating with the labours of other Societies, kindred in their object, though not in the means adapted to accomplish it, afforded a fair hope that, perhaps, the only stain that rests on this portion of our countrymen would ere long be removed, and that they would in a few years bear a comparison, in respect of morals and religion, with any other class of men in this highly famed country. The Society had distributed, during the last year, at the Gravesend station only, 816 Bibles, and 1096 Testaments. Admiral Sir JAMES SAUMAREZ, in a speech in which he gave his powerful testimony to the beneficial effects that the distribution of the Bible among sea men is calculated to produce, moved that the Report be agreed to and received; which was seconded by Mr. Barclay. Col. Monro, the Rev. G. Clayton, the Earl of Rocksavage, the Rev. Dr. Stein kopff, Col. Parry, and Mr. Stephens, Master in Chancery, also addressed the Meeting. The motion was carried unanimously, as was a vote of thanks to the Chairman; after which, a liberal collection was made. NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE SOCIETY. A MEETING of the friends and subscribers of this Society took place on Tuesday, May 8th, at the King's Concert Room in the Haymarket; Admiral Lord Gambier in the Chair. One of the Secretaries read the Report, stating that Branch Societies had been formed in various parts of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Gibraltar, and that the most salutary results were anticipated for the future from these Auxiliary Institutions. Upwards of 1,600 Bibles and Testaments had been distributed amongst the several regiments stationed in Ireland. In Scotland, 1,000 copies of the Scriptures had been supplied to persons in need of them. Upwards of 9,000 Bibles and 4,800 Testaments had been distributed by the Naval and Military Bible Society of London. Through these efforts to circulate the word of God, as well as from the daily increasing demands upon the Society, a balance of 1,000l. was against them; and an energetic appeal was now made to the liberality of this highly respectable meeting, to enable the Society to follow up their proceedings with increased vigour. HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY. THE 2d Annual Meeting of this Society was held at the City of London Tavern, on Monday evening, 14th of May; Thomas Wilson, Esq. in the chair. Previous to the commencement of business, the great room in which the meeting was to be held was so thronged, while numbers were still advancing towards it, that it was thought expedient to open the largest room on the first floor, for the accommodation of those who could not be received above. Robert Humphrey Marten, Esq. oblig. ingly consented to take the chair. The Report was read in both rooms, and various resolutions were passed by the meeting, congratulating the Society on its progress, and pledging themselves to increased exertions on its behalf. The following gentlemen addressed the meeting:-Rev. Drs. Bogue, and J. P. Smith; Rev. Messrs. Blackburn, Bristow, Brook, H. F. Burder, J. Clayton, Jun. Coombs, F. A. Cox, J. Edwards, G. Evans, Goode, Hillyard, C. Hyatt, Hooper, Hunt (of Kenning ton,) Irons, Jukes, Prankard, Rayson, Roberts, Slatterie, Jenkyn Thomas, John Thomas, G. Thom, and Wood; J. M'Kenzie, and Tho. Walker, Esqrs. The collection, including life and annual subscriptions, amounted to about 2407. affording the most gratifying evidence of the lively interest which the Meeting felt in the objects of the Society. BRITISH AND FOREIGN SCHOOL SOCIETY. ON Thursday, May 17, the Anniver. sary of the British and Foreign School Society was held at Freemasons' Hall. His Royal Highness the Duke of SUSSEX took the Chair at 20 minutes past one o'clock, and opened the meeting by a short address, apologizing for the absence of his Grace the Duke of Bed ford, who was out of town, but had sent his usual liberal subscription. The Report was then read by the Rev. G. Clayton, and contained a sketch of the present state of the Society's Schools, which embrace nearly 21,000 children of both sexes, of whom 7,000 were in London; and a brief narrative of the exertions of the Committee during the past year. It adverted to the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Society, under the immediate patronage of the Duke of Bedford; and then mentioned that on the 10th instant, the first stone had been laid of a Jews' School, to contain 600 boys and 300 girls. The Report then alluded to the encouragement of the system in Scotland, and its great utility in the Highlands, in Ireland, in British America, particularly under Mr. Bromley, at Halifax in Nova Scotia. The Report next travelled into India— noticed the Hindoo College, and the general desire of instruction among the natives the collection of 500l. for a Female School in Calcutta, and the sending out of a respectable female, fully qualified to instruct them on the plan of the British system. Upon the European Continent the Report stated the progress of Schools upon this system in France, at Brussels, in Tuscany, (where are 26 Schools) in Spain (where is a large Normal School for girls,) Sweden, Poland, Russia, Malta, and the Greek Isles:-It then referred to the United States-to South America, and the West Indies, and even Hayti, where the President Boyer is erecting schoolrooms, and gives every encouragement to this system of education. Rev. G. Burder moved the adoption of the Report, descanted on the So |
