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the Vestry, the Chancellor of the Diocese, and a Magistrate to be nominated by his Excellency the Governor as the representative of our most gracious Queen; and every member of the Board to be necessarily a communicant of the Church. The resolutions or decisions of such a body could not (as the Bishop stated) be in any way binding upon the Rectors or Vestries, yet as matters would be discussed affecting the vigour and usefulness of our Ecclesiastical Establishment, we were glad to find the Laity as well as the Clergy of the Church fully represented; it being of the last importance that every sincere churchman should be interested in such questions. We are happy to learn that, on the strength of this proposal,two half-yearly meetings have been held by the Board so constituted, one in February last, and a second in the beginning of this month. On the occasion of the former, the Board first assembled at the Cathedral, and a sermon was preached by the Bishop; at the last meeting, the Cathedral being under repair, Divine Service was held at St. Paul's Chapel, and the sermon preached by the Archdeacon.

It gives us great pleasure to hear that at both these meetings a deep interest in the proceedings of the Church was evinced by the lay no less than the clerical members of the Board; much animated and useful discussion taking place on the several questions raised; but as the good which is to result from such consultations must necessarily depend on the general sympathy and co-operation of our congregations, we are very happy to have been informed of the substance of what passed on both occasions, for which we are indebted to a member of the Board.

At the meeting in February, a melancholy interest was imparted to the commencement of its proceedings by the Bishop's mention of the death of Bishop Coleridge, the tidings of which had reached Barbados but a few weeks before. An address of condolence to Mrs. Coleridge was unanimously adopted on the motion of the Rural Dean, seconded by the Hon. and Rev. J. II. Gittens, a copy of which, with Mrs. Coleridge's reply, has already appeared in our columns.

The Bishop also informed the Board that it was in comtemplation to testify the general respect and affection for the memory of Bishop Coleridge in two ways::

1st. By the erection of a suitable monument in the Cathedral Church through local contributions.

2d. By founding one or more Theological Scholarships at Codrington College, to be called the Coleridge Scholarships, through contributions from all the Colonies included in the former Diocese of Barbados and the Leeward Islands, and from other parts of the Church, should any be offered.

The Board then entered into the discussion of the education of the poor and labouring classes in connexion with the Church; the supply of good teachers and the provision for them, the description of the education to be given and the terms of payment by the parents, the furnishing of the schools with books and other materials and the repairs of the buildings, each in its turn occupying the attention of the meeting. The remarks elicited in the course of the discussion were embodied, at the close of it, in the following resolutions, which were agreed to:

1. That our schools in general require improvement, retaining their present basis of religious and moral instruction and training.

2. That masters of superior qualifications are needed for such improvement, and that the Board hails with satisfaction the employment of the central school as a training school for teachers under the proposed modification of its system.

3. That the fixed salaries of the masters ought to be increased.

4. That the greatest strictness should be observed in enforcing pay

ments from the scholars, so as to add to the allowance thus made to the master, and to meet other expenses.

5. That the number of first class primary schools for the elder children should be diminished, and the number of infant schools increased, in which girls might also be instructed: the instruction of infants under eight years to be gratuitous.

6. That for these purposes greater means are required, either from Legislative or Parochial grants, or from benevolent contributions.

7. That it is very desirable that there should be a Committee formed in each Parish or District, to assist the Clergyman in his schools, in the relief of the poor, in district visiting, and other works of charity or piety.

The foregoing proceedings necessarily occupied so much time that other subjects which had been noted by the Bishop for discussion were unavoidably postponed. His Lordship mentioned especially the questions of Church-extension, the Church Society, Pew Rates, and Cemeteries, into each of which he briefly entered, and commended them to the consideration of the members of the Board.

At the meeting in the present month, (September,) the Bishop, after opening the proceedings, took a review of what had occurred since their last meeting, in several quarters and through various agencies, in furtherance of the objects which had then occupied their attention; as in the case of the collection made for a monument in the Cathedral in memory of Bishop Coleridge, and also, though not for that purpose, in the endowment of three Scholarships at Codrington College, as proposed in a Bill which had passed the Assembly. The same Bill, his Lordship stated, provided in several ways for the improvement of our schools, on their present' religious 'basis,' as contemplated in the 1st, 3d, and 6th Resolutions of the first meeting of the Board; while 'masters' from England' of superior qualifications' were already employed at the central schools, and exerting themselves with great zeal and ability, to establish there a model primary school for boys, which should also prove a 'training school' for teachers. The object of the 4th Resolution, the enforcing of payments from the scholars, had been tried in many of our schools with beneficial effect; and an increase in the number of infant schools (see Resolution 5th) had taken place, at least in one parish (St. James'), his Excellency the Governor having manifested great solicitude for the establishment of others near Government House, and elsewhere. The formation of Committees to assist the Clergy in works of piety and charity, as proposed in the concluding Resolution, though attempted and partially carried out in some instances, had not been fully accomplished in any case, and would require to be again recommended to general attention.

The subject for the day was then brought forward, viz. Church-extension, or, the provision for our people of increased facilities of attending public worship. In the course of an interesting discussion on the subject, it appeared that the accommodation in our Churches and Chapels was considerably less than the usual proportion allowed according to the population of the country, being at present a provision for scarcely a fifth of the inhabitants, whereas it ought to be for half. It was shown that there was a method of increasing very materially the opportunities of attending public worship, even with our present Church-room, by augmenting the number of the Clergy, and thus providing for additional services at those of our Chapels where now only one service is held on the Sunday. A statement was read, exhibiting the manner in which the labours of the Clergy were assigned to the different Churches, Chapels, and Chapel schools, from which it appeared that out of forty-one places of worship twenty-three had only one service each Sunday, in fact were only half-served, a deficiency

for which it was most desirable that a remedy should be provided. This was the more felt, as several members expressed strongly the great advantages which they had themselves observed to arise from the residence of the Curate in the district assigned to his Chapel. It was agreed that the deficiency ought in some measure to be supplied, by applying to the provision of a Curate the pew-rents of the several Chapels, which are however, in most cases, exceedingly small, and would therefore require to be increased; and in the case of the Parish Churches, a Curate thus maintained might be placed to assist at the Parish Church, with charge also of the nearest Chapel-school. For the accomplishment of this object, some alteration of the Acts' relating to pew-rents must be applied for. The cases of St. Jude's Chapel, in St. George's Parish, and of the united Districts of St. David's and St. Lawrence's in Christ Church, were discussed at some length, being the most urgent instances at the present moment of the want of a larger number of Clergy.

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The following resolutions were then adopted:

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1. That it appears to the Board, that it would be conducive to the best interests of the people in the several districts, that each of the Chapels, as distinguished from Chapel-schools, should have its separate Curate, and that a residence for the Curate should be attached to each Chapel.

2. That with a view to the supplying the Curacy of St. Jude's, in St. George's Parish, and St. David's with St. Lawrence's in Christ Church, the Rectors of these Parishes are requested to endeavour to obtain the cooperation of the Parishioners in such measures as they may think best calculated to accomplish these desirable objects.

3. That the attention of the Rectors be drawn to the 7th Resolution of the Board at its last meeting, on the subject of the formation of a Committee in each Parish or District, to assist the Clergy in their schools or other parochial labours.

A discussion having arisen respecting the repairs of school-houses attached to the different Churches or Chapels, it was recommended that in those cases, in which the repairs were not otherwise provided for, an appeal should be made to the congregation for their assistance towards this object, by means of annual sermons and collections.

It was also agreed, at the conclusion of the proceedings, that the months of June and December would be most convenient seasons of the year for holding the half-yearly meetings, it being left to the Bishop to convene the Board on any important matter occurring, which he would desire to lay before them."

Reviews and Notices.

The Church Review, October 1850. New Haven, Connecticut; and London, G. Putnam, Bow Lane, Cheapside.

AT the present time, when many circumstances unite in drawing the attention of English Churchmen to the proceedings of their brethren in the United States, we venture to repeat the very favourable opinion which we have more than once expressed of the merits of this quarterly organ of the American Church. Any one who desires to become acquainted with the tone of thought and feeling which prevails amongst the leading members of that Church, cannot do better than have recourse

to the pages of the Church Review. It is characterised by general ability and earnestness, uniform orthodoxy, and occasional eloquence. The subjects handled are generally such as we have a common interest in; e. g. in the present number, Archdeacon Wilberforce on the Incarnation-Ancient Ecclesiastical Architecture-the Confessional-Rome self-convicted of Error, &c.: besides which, there are some valuable contributions to the past history of the American Church, and a careful summary of Home and Foreign Intelligence.

The Holy Bible, &c. in the earliest English Versions, by JOHN WYCLIFFE and his Followers. Edited by Rev. J. FORSHALL and Sir F. MADDEN. Oxford: University Press. 4 vols. 4to. THE earliest English versions of the Bible, after four or five centuries of obscurity, are, we rejoice to say, at length brought into the light of day; and they have appeared at a most appropriate time. The four goodly volumes which have just issued from the University of Oxford are altogether invaluable, whether they be regarded as a homage rendered by the harbingers of our Reformation to the truth and freedom of the Gospel, or as an imperishable monument of our noble English language. The Wycliffite Bible appears to be in every respect worthy of the Clarendon Press, and we are much deceived, if any of its previous publications will have obtained for the delegates greater favour with the British public. No considerable library should be without a work which furnishes the plainest and strongest testimony against the tyranny of the Romish system. We may perhaps revert to the subject in an ensuing number, but we cannot conclude even this brief announcement without offering our sincerest thanks to the Editors, who have devoted so much patient care and research, during upwards of twenty years, to this great national work.

A Letter to Sir John James, Bart.: written in 1741 by the Right Rev. GEORGE BERKELEY, D.D. Bishop of Cloyne, now for the first time extracted from the imperfect remains of the Bishop's MSS.; and Edited by the Rev. JAMES S. M. ANDERSON, M.A. London: Rivingtons.

WE thank Mr. Anderson cordially for this very timely publication. It may, by God's blessing, happen that the words of one of the best Christians, as well as one of the acutest philosophers that ever lived, now happily recovered from an imperfect manuscript, will have their effect on a controversy which seems to be revived with as much warmth and acrimony

as ever.

We have but small space, and instead of occupying it

with mere ordinary comment, we shall proceed to enrich our pages with a few grains of that gold-dust which Mr. Anderson has been so fortunate as to recover. First a few words on the

monstrous doctrine of the Pope's infallibility:

"There is an invisible Church, whereof Christ is the head; the members of which are linked together by faith, hope, and charity. By faith in Christ, not in the Pope. Popes are no unerring rule, for Popes have erred: witness the condemnation and suppression of Sixtus Quintus' Bible by his successor. Witness the successions of Anti-Popes for a long tract of time. . . . . In the first centuries of the Church, when heresies abounded, the expedient of a Pope, or Roman oracle, was unknown, unthought of. There was then a Bishop of Rome; but that was no hindrance or remedy of divisions. Disputes in the Catholic Church were not ended by his authority. No recourse was had to his infallibility; an evident proof they acknowledged no such thing. The date of his usurpations, and how they grew with his secular power, you may plainly see in Giannoni's History of Naples: I do not refer you to a Protestant writer."-Pp. 11, 13.

With regard to the Worship of the Blessed Virgin, is there a single continental tourist who would not add his testimony to the accuracy of the following observations?—

"And both I, and every other traveller must see (and the best men among themselves are scandalized to see it), that the Blessed Virgin is oftener prayed to and more worshipped than God himself.”—P. 25.

We add one more citation, on the subject of Auricular Confession:

"I had forgot to say a word of Confession, which you mention as an advantage in the Church of Rome, which is not to be had in ours.. But it may be had in our communion by any who please to have it ; and I admit it may be very usefully practised. But, as it is managed in the Church of Rome, I apprehend it doth infinitely more mischief than good. Their casuistry seemeth a disgrace, not only to Christianity, but even to the light of nature."-P. 27.

The whole letter is written in a spirit of candour and fairness; and we hardly know how any one can spend a shilling better than in its purchase.

"Stand fast in the Faith :" a Sermon preached in Curzon Chapel, on Sunday, Nov. 3, 1850; by REV. ERNEST HAWKINS, B.D. Published by request. London: Rivingtons. Pp. 39.

THIS timely publication is one of the fruits of that miscalculated aggression of the Pope which is now exciting all England. The immediate effect of this movement, as showing how strong and widely spread is the adherence of the mass of the population to the doctrine and discipline of our Church, is certainly

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