standing the efforts of the priests, assisted by the funds of the Catholic Defence Association, the numbers attending the schools and Church services are steadily increasing; there are over 1,500 children attending the schools in the Clifden district, and 1,200 in Achill. In the parish of Kilcommon-Erris, which is larger in extent than the county of Dublin, some years since there was only one clergyman and no church. There are now four clergymen, four churches, and eight day-schools. I think I can safely say, that now there are 6,000 children being trained up in scriptural knowledge and sound Protestant principles, who were Roman Catholics or the children of Roman Catholics, and over 7,000 converts attending the services of the missionary clergymen, twenty-six in number, in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Roscommon. "THOS. TUAM."

CLARE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION. - FIFTEENTH REPORT.-The Fifteenth Anniversary of the Clare Protestant Association was held this year on Monday, 2nd August. The chair was taken by Captain Heigham, of Houghton Hall, Cavendish. The Meeting was opened with prayer, and the Report having been read, its adoption was moved and seconded by the Rev. F. Elwes, and Rev. Dr. Wightman. The Meeting was afterwards addressed by the Rev. C. Coleman, and the Rev. Edward Bull.

Notices of Books.

Our Sabbaths in Danger. By DANIEL
MOORE, M.A., Incumbent of Cam-
den Church, Camberwell. London:
Wertheim and Macintosh, 24, Pater-
noster Row. G. W. Medes, Cam-
berwell. Pp. 31, small 8vo.
THE scriptural injunction to "work
whilst it is called to-day" is of the
deepest moment at the present time,
when an attempt is being made
to promote a great national desecra⚫
tion of the Sabbath. Mr. Moore's
Sermon proves that he is at work,
anxiously engaged in drawing public
attention to the subject, and trying to
induce those who think at all to exert
themselves to prevent such a grievous
sin as the opening of the Crystal
Palace on the Lord's-day. The text,
"The Sabbath is made for man, and
not man for the Sabbath," is one which
has been much perverted.

Mr. Moore gives a clear and faithful exposition of it, and we suggest a wide distribution of his Sermon. The extract we give appears to us to place a striking argument in favour of Sabbath observance before the notice of the working population.

"It is a principle, I fear, but too little understood by our labouring classes, that every step taken in the direction of Sabbath desecration, for purposes of voluntary pleasure, is a step in the same direction for purposes of

compulsory work. The principle of
sanctity once given up, the day
brought down to the level of a re-
spectable church usage, a master may
consistently say to his working men,
'If your conscience is lax enough to
take pleasure for your own sake, it
surely cannot task it much to do a
little work for mine.' And this prin-
ciple once recognised, that an em-
ployer may get out of his workmen a
whole or half a day's more labour
than he used to do, competition or
cupidity will soon make a correspond-
ing reduction in the rate of wages,
until the labouring man finds he gains
no more for working seven days than
he did for working six. I have the
fullest persuasion that many a poor
man is spared from compulsory Sab-
bath labour now, because employers
dare not, in the face of an almost
universal verdict of society in favour
of the sacredness of the day, force a
workman's conscience. But let society
once cancel that verdict, let the work-
man show, by his presence at the
Sydenham Fair, that he has no con-
science to force, and the master's
shame will soon depart from him; and
the labourer who refused to keep his
Sabbath rest holy, will find, as he de-
serves to find, that he will have no
Sabbath rest at all."

kings to the brightness of its shining; and more yet will; the happiest they who the most promptly and fully do so.

"From storm a shelter, and from heat a shade ;"

this rock, like a rock in the desert, gives shade from the scorching sun, or like a rock in the ocean supplies a firm anchorage, and keeps stable those who are bound to it, though the winds and tempests may roar around, and the waves may dash in tempestuous fury over them. Self-styled philosophers and statesmen too often affect to despise all this. They feel ashamed of it. Like those, of whom one of old speaks, they seem ashamed of their glory, and even to glory in their shame.

Protestantism we believe to have been the polar star of England. We had hoped, we had believed, it would still continue to be so. We trust it yet may; and most confident do we feel of this, that if it be not so, the glory of our Church and nation will soon settle in darkness which has no returning sun; in night which hath no returning day; and in a death which knows no resurrection.

We give the Royal, or, rather, the Ministerial Speech. Of the earth, it savours too much of what is earthy. Yet holy and heavenly matters have a more close and intimate relation with the safe and wise conduct of sublunary concerns than many seem disposed to imagine. The Holy Scriptures assure us of One by whom all things were made, and by whom they are upheld; who alone, amidst all the social or political divisions of the families of man, "is over all, God blessed for ever." He is "King of kings, and Lord of lords." "By Him kings reign, and princes decree justice." He upholds all things by the word of His power. The various results of peace or of war, of plenty or of famine, concord or dissension, health or sickness, and all things appertaining thereto, are known to Him, can be disposed of by Him, and in answer to the prayers of his faithful people, will be disposed of as seemeth best to his godly wisdom.

Raised in the providence of Almighty God to the highest position of glory, prosperity, and exaltation amongst the nations of the earth, it devolves upon us to exhibit in a higher degree our gratitude for the past, our pious, scriptural, prayerful resolutions for the time to come.

We could wish that the Royal Speech contained more of this, and that there had been nothing of the doctrine of reserve as to upholding the Protestant Institutions of the Empire in Church and State.

But though the Royal Speech does not come up to our own views, or to those of our readers in general, still in its review of the past, in its reference to the present, or in its anticipations of the future, it does not certainly fall short of the generality

of modern Royal Speeches on the opening or the re-assembling of Parliament.

"MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

"I cannot meet you for the first time after the dissolution of Parliament without expressing my deep sorrow, in which I am sure you will participate, that your deliberations can no longer be aided by the counsels of that illustrious man, whose great achievements have exalted the name of England, and in whose loyalty and patriotism the interests of my throne and of my people ever found an unfailing support. I rely with confidence on your desire to join with me in taking such steps as may mark your sense of the irreparable loss which the country has sustained by the death of Arthur Duke of Wellington. "I am happy to acknowledge the readiness with which my subjects in general have come forward in pursuance of the Act of last Session, to join the ranks of the Militia; and I confidently trust that the force thus raised by voluntary enlistment will be calculated to give effective aid to my regular army for the protection and security of the country.

"I continue to receive from all foreign powers assurances of their anxious desire to maintain the friendly relations now happily subsisting with my Government.

"Frequent and well-founded complaints on the part of my North American Colonies, of infractions, by citizens of the United States, of the Fishery Convention of 1818, induced me to despach, for the protection of their interests, a class of vessels better adapted to the service than those which had been previously employed. This step has led to discussions with the Government of the United States, and while the rights of my subjects have been firmly maintained, the friendly spirit in which the question has been treated, induces me to hope that the result may be a mutually beneficial extension and improvement of our commercial intercourse with that great Republic.

"The Special Mission which, in concert with the Prince President of the French Republic, I deemed it right to send to the Argentine Confederation, has been received with the utmost cordiality, and the wise and enlightened policy of the Provisional Director has already opened to the commerce of the world the great rivers hitherto closed, which afford an access to the interior of the vast continent of South America.

"I have the satisfaction of announcing to you that the sincere and zealous efforts of the Government of Brazil for the suppression of the slave trade, now nearly extinguished on that coast, have enabled me to suspend the stringent measures which I had been compelled reluctantly to adopt, a recurrence to which I anxiously hope may be proved to be unnecessary.

"The Government of her Most Faithful Majesty have fully recognised the justice of the claim which my Government have long urged for the abolition of the discriminating duties on the export of wine, and have passed a decree for giving complete effect to the stipulations of the treaty on this subject.

"You will probably deem it advisable to resume the inquiries which were commenced by the late Parliament, with a view to legisla

tion on the subject of the future government of my East Indian possessions.

"GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, "The estimates for the ensuing year will in due time be laid before you.

"The advancement of the fine arts and of practical science will be readily recognised by you as worthy of the attention of a great and enlightened nation. I have directed that a comprehensive scheme shall be laid before you, having in view the promotion of these objects, towards which I invite your aid and co-operation.

"MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

"It gives me great pleasure to be enabled by the blessing of Providence to congratulate you on the generally improved condition of the country, and especially of the industrious classes. If you should be of opinion that recent legislation in contributing, with other causes, to this happy result, has at the same time inflicted unavoidable injury on certain important interests, I recommend you dispassionately to consider how far it may be practicable equitably to mitigate that injury, and to enable the industry of the country to meet successfully that unrestricted competition to which Parliament, in its wisdom, has decided that it should be subjected.

"I trust that the general improvement, notwithstanding many obstacles, has extended to Ireland; and while I rely with confidence on your aid, should it be required, to restrain that unhappy spirit of insubordination and turbulence which produces many and aggravates all of the evils which afflict that portion of my dominions, I recommend to you the adoption of such a liberal and generous policy towards Ireland, as may encourage and assist her to rally from the depression in which she has been sunk by the sufferings of late years.

"Anxious to promote the efficiency of every branch of our National Church, I have thought fit to issue a Commission to inquire and report to me, how far, in their opinion, the Capitular Institutions of the country are capable of being made more effective for the great objects of Religious Worship, Religious Education, and Ecclesiastical discipline.

"I have directed that the Reports of the Commissioners for inquiring into the system of Education pursued at Oxford and Cambridge should be communicated to the governing bodies of those Universities for their consideration, and I rely upon your readiness to remove any legal difficulties which may impede the desire of the Universities at large, or of the several Colleges, to introduce such amendments into their existing system as they may deem to be more in accordance with the requirements of the present time.

"The system of secondary punishments has usefully occupied the labours of successive Parliaments, and I shall rejoice if you shall find it possible to devise means by which, without giving encouragement to crime, transportation to Van Diemen's Land may at no distant period be altogether discontinued.

"The subject of legal reform continues to engage my anxious attention. The Acts passed in the last Session of Parliament have been followed up by the orders necessary for putting them in opera