were the same, and its Ministers were bound by the same rules as those who were the early labourers in the Missionfield. He observed, that they had been gathered from the world by its ministry; and, now that they were gathered, gratitude, and everything honourable in principle and character, demanded that they should still continue with us. After singing and prayer, God save the Queen was sung by hundreds of voices, the next day (Sunday) being the anniversary of the 1st of August, 1834; and the Meeting separated, pleased and delighted with the day's proceedings. TRINIDAD.—The recent migrations of Negroes to Trinidad from other islands of the West Indies, and from Sierra-Leone, have rendered it one of the most populous and important islands in the Western hemisphere. Most gladly would the Committee increase the number of Wesleyan Missionaries in Trinidad, had they the means of doing so : meantime, they are happy to record the efforts made by the inhabitants for their own spiritual advantage. A considerable addition to our schools in this island has become absolutely necessary, to meet the case of the rapidly-increasing population. Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Henry Hurd, dated San-Fernando, Trinidad, August 2d, 1841. : THE painful circumstances of financial deficiency in which the Committee are placed, have not escaped our notice and consideration, or that of the dear people committed to our charge. On receiving your circular, I mentioned at the Leaders'-Meeting the embarrassed state of the Society's funds; and was delighted with the kind and sympathizing spirit which was evinced by the Leaders on the occasion. As a proof that they feel for the millions of wretched Heathens, I will mention the efforts of one class it is the small class on the Palmiste estate. This class, which consists of thirty persons, has subscribed towards the funds of the Wesleyan Missionary Society upwards of eighty dollars, being about £16 sterling. Now, these persons are Negroes, who were formerly slaves, and are at present employed in the cultivation of the sugar-cane. In addition to this, they subscribe on the average 24d. per week as class-money, and 1s. Od. per quarter at the renewal of their society-tickets, besides pew-rent, and miscellaneous collections. When these several items are taken into the account, you will, I think, readily acknowledge, that they have done what they could. Indeed, our people give to the utmost of their ability; and when the annual Missionary collection is made, it is not from a mere sprinkling of the society, but from one and all; all, from the youngest to the oldest, cast in their mite. Since I last wrote to you, a large number of emigrants have arrived from SierraLeone, many of whom were members of our society there, and others in the habit of attending our chapel. Twenty-two of these emigrants (besides children) are settled at Woodford-Dale, where we have a small native chapel and a society; and are, I am happy to say, doing well. Soon after their arrival, I visited them, and, in a conversation which I had with them, detected the fact that several were of late living together unmarried. I pointed out the wickedness of such conduct, and the consequences which would follow, if they persisted in pursuing it; when three couples gave in their names, and wished to have their banns published; two of which I have since married. Last Sabbath, I preached there in the afternoon, when eight adults came forward, whom I admitted into our society as probationers. The Governor is about to send back to Sierra-Leone two of these Africans, with the view of their inducing others to emigrate; and as several of them state that they were members of our society at Sierra-Leone, I am induced to furnish the Committee with a few particulars which will enable them to judge of the circumstances of the emigrants. Each family is provided with a neat and comfortable boarded and shingled cottage, to which a small garden is attached. Each person is paid 2s. Id. sterling per task, which can be executed in five hours; so that if he be industrious, he can perform two tasks a day, and earn 4s. 2d. I have known persons do three tasks per day. To each task there is an allowance of salt-fish, rice, flour, &c. Medicine and medical attendance are procured at the expense of the colony, or of the estate on which they reside. They have also as much provision-ground as they choose, to cultivate. By this statement you will see, that the pecuniary circumstances of the Africans will probably be benefited by emigrating to Trinidad; and their religious advantages, you are aware, will be the same. The emissaries of Rome are always on the alert, of which I can give an instance. Many of the Africans were located on an estate near Couva, and were visited by the Clergyman on their arrival, who ascertained that several were not baptized. He con sulted the proprietor of the estate; and it was agreed that they should be brought to church on the following Sabbath for the purpose. In the mean time, the Romish Priest called to see them; and on the Sunday succeeded in getting them to his church, where he baptized them; and they are now called Catholics. My dear wife has commenced a dayschool for the children, which will, I think, be well attended. She has also two classes, which meet on Sunday and Tuesday; so that her time will be well occupied. May our labours be successful in bringing sinners to Jesus Christ! MISSIONS IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. THE publication of the following letter from Mr. Knight has been delayed for some months by the press of other matter. The Missions among the colonists of North America maintain their efficiency and usefulness; and, it will be seen, are diligently providing the means for relieving the funds of the Parent Society from a considerable part of the cost of their support. The Society will thus be at liberty to "turn their attention more exclusively "to the" (heathen) "Gentiles." " NOVA-SCOTIA.-Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Richard Knight, dated Horton, June 14th, 1841. THANKFUL to the Great Head of the church for the blessings bestowed upon us during the past year, and the special manifestations of his presence vouchsafed to us, while met together at our Annual District-Meeting, we take this occasion of addressing you on matters connected with the Mission in which we have the honour and responsibility of being engaged. Our meetings for praise, prayer, and the preaching of the word during the time of our assembling, have been well attended, and a hallowing influence was generally felt. The Lord be praised, that, for another year, we and our families have been preserved in life and health. There has been, however, one exception;-but for this we were prepared ; that is, the removal of Mr. Wheelock, the excellent young man whom we took out as an Assistant Missionary on trial, some few years ago, but who was compelled, amidst the regrets of his brethren, and of the people to whom he was known, to desist from ministerial labour, owing to ill health. He died, as he lived from the time of his conversion, giving glory to the God of all grace. There are two young men who have offered themselves for our work, whom, from the urgency of our case as regards a further supply, we have been compelled to employ as temporary Assistants for the present. We feel thankful to God, that the past year has been, as was the former, one of considerable success. Above three hundred have been added to us in full membership, and above one hundred more are yet on trial for that privilege. We trust the next year will also be one of great good. Mr. Strong has been labouring among us for the last six months with much acceptance. Our having no supply for the Bedeque Circuit put us to much inconvenience, and, financially, (connecting the expense incurred by the Chairman's visit to NewBrunswick, on that business, with the lessening of receipts in that Circuit,) proved to us a loss of from £70 to £80. The Committee's remarks upon the embarrassed state of the funds have produced in our minds feelings of sympathy and pain. We are sorry to find, that our drafts on the Committee are so large; but we are conscious of this, that we have pursued the strictest economy; and it affords us gratification to find, that for this the Financial SubCommittee give us credit. The receipts of the Circuits would be more above those of last year than they are, but for two causes, the dreadful storm which ravaged the coast during the last fall, and the unpropitious state of the weather with regard to the lumber-trade. During the autumn, the mills could but seldom work, for want of water; and in the fall and spring they were hindered, from an excessive flow. The Committee will perceive an increase in the Missionary contributions; and we hope, that the next year's proceeds will be still better. With regard to your grant for the ensuing year, the brethren clearly see, that, unless there be considerable increase in the Circuit local receipts, there will be a deficiency of means to meet the claims of the Mission. We need not labour for arguments to convince the Committee, that all shall be done on our parts that the nature of our circumstances will admit. Any reduction in the ordinaries we conceive to be impracticable. Much management is necessary to enable us to meet our wants, as it is. All possible means to diminish the amount of our extraordinaries shall be resorted to: such as, obtaining furniture and fuel from our people, as distinct from the ordinary contributions to our Circuit income. The expense of removals is unavoidably heavy. The facilities for removal are not, by far, so favourable with us as in New-Brunswick, owing to their better roads, and steam-communi. cation. And now we must, in conclusion, present to the Father of mercies our ardent supplication, that he, as the God of all grace, may direct and sustain you in the performance of your very weighty duties, soon relieve you from the financial difficulties in which you are at present placed, render the Missions under your charge increasingly successful, and, finally, crown you with the triumphs of endless glory. In the meantime, we claim an interest in your prayers, and shall ever feel ourselves bound to submit to your instructions. RECENT MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. NEW-ZEALAND. "Having safely arrived at our destination, I write a few lines to you, acknowledging the goodness of God towards us. At our last District-Meeting, as you perceive from official documents, I was appointed to Taranaki, to commence a new station. We left Mangungu, Hokianga, on January 7th, and, after a week's voyage in the "Triton," we were landed at this place. Messrs. Waterhouse, Whiteley, and Wallis, accompanied us on shore. The day was favourable for landing our goods, which occupied five or six hours: our friends then returned to the vessel, and a favourable breeze soon wafted her out of our sight. Our reception among the natives was very encouraging. As soon as Mrs. Creed approached the shore in the boat, they began to cry out, E mata! E mata! that is, 'O mother! O mother!' and five or six of the females immediately ran into the sea up to their shoulders, caught her up in their arms, and carried her on shore, where she was welcomed by all in the most expressive manner. We hastened to get our goods removed to the house which the natives had built it had neither doors, windows, nor floor. We found about one hundred natives in this neighbourhood. The greater part of the people live at a distance of from sixty to one hundred miles from this part of my station. am anxious to pay them a visit as soon as possible. "About three weeks after our arrival here, a vessel from Port-Nicholson brought the Surveyor-General, and other Surveyors, of the Plymouth Company, with a few settlers. It is expected that Taranaki will be the scene of that Company's operations. However, I hope this will not prove detrimental to our great work of evangelizing the country, by bringing the natives to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and by establishing a church and people here, against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. The field of usefulness is very extensive in this District: I pray that I may have grace to be found faithful, and that I may be enabled to execute the various important duties devolving upon me as a Minister of the Gospel of Christ."-Rev. Charles Creed, Ngamotu, Taranaki, New-Zealand, Febru ary 17th, 1841. I JAMAICA. "This is the first time a Missionary Meeting has been held at Dunalva, our mountain-station, which I call (having borrowed money and bought it, and laid out about as much as the purchase-price in making it into a chapel, and thus made it Mission property) Mount-Hannah, in affectionate remembrance of the Rev. Dr. Hannah, under whose instructions it was my hap piness and privilege to be placed for two years in the Theological Institution, and whose kindness and concern for my efficiency as a Minister of the New Testament made an impression upon my mind, never to be worn off."-Rev. P. Chapman, Lucea, August 2d, 1841. "You will be pleased to learn, that our services in this Circuit on the 1st of August were of an interesting kind. Soon after day-light our chapel at this place was crowded, many of the people having come from a distance. We commenced the service by giving out the hymn on page 590, Blow ye the trumpet, blow,' &c.; after which I felt much comfort in offering to the people the salvation of the Gospel. At the close of the service we made a collection for the repairing of our chapel, which, I am sorry to say, is in a very dilapidated state, and at the same time burdened with a heavy debt. At nine A. M. I started for Watsontown; (Vere,) and, after a hot ride of sixteen miles, found a large number of people assembled together under the shade of two large mango-trees, to whom I applied the invitation given by Moses, Numbers x. 29: after which our friends gave their 'August offering' for our contemplated new chapel. On Monday, the 2d instant, I visited the most destitute part of the parish of Vere, known by the name of Milk-River. Here there is a dense population. The people are in an awful state of ignorance. After preaching, I requested all who wished to join our society to remain. I found about forty persons who were anxious to be received on trial. I believe, if the Committee could send out a man to take charge of this people, there are hundreds who would gladly receive him; and, if we do not take them under our care, I fear they will soon join themselves to some ignorant Native Teacher.' I have heard of one man professing to be a 'Native Teacher' who cannot read or write."-Rev. William Hodgson, Lime Savanna, August 18th, 1841. "ON Sabbath last, I discharged my full duty, preaching and giving tickets for about nine hours; after which I felt so exhausted, that I could scarcely speak. The labours of a Circuit at home are not to be compared to the almost endless ones in Jamaica. Since my return I have been obliged to resort to the use of strong medicine. The 1st of August was a season of great joy and gladness. We had extra services, in which Mr. Samuel and I assisted each other, which were evidently favoured with the divine blessing, and which were numerously attended. Both in Falmouth and Duncan's the people gave most liberally towards the improvements which of late we have been effecting in our chapel. The chapel at Duncan's, which is now being painted, is like a new one, and will contain about twelve or thirteen hundred people."-Rev. William Seccombe, Jamaica, August 24th, 1841. "ALL the Missions about this place have in some way suffered from the want of more ministerial help. But what is most afflicting, as it regards the future, is, that we fear some vacant stations must remain so. An appeal to the hearts of our British Christians to pity Jamaica would be perhaps regarded as seven years behind its proper time. But what are we to do? If our dear brethren die, are these societies to be left? Are all new stations that may present themselves to be neglected? I am sure, from the conversation I heard when I attended Spanish-Town Meeting a few weeks ago, that the brethren are quite concerned about the future. The British people paid a large sum to abolish slavery; but without the general diffusion of scriptural instruction, that inestimable blessing will be materially lessened in permanent value. Great things have been done for and in Jamaica; but there is yet much more to be done. Many abuse the best gifts of Heaven; and others who have recently joined the church are only babes in Christ,' and require gentleness and care."-Rev. L. Lewis, near Man, deville, Jamaica, August 25th, 1841. GRAND CAYMANAS.-"On Wednesday, the 5th of this month, about forty persons met at George-Town. Some gave very satisfactory evidence that the grace of God had renewed them in the spirit of their minds, and that they were now walking in the fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. The rest seemed to be earnestly desiring this blessing; and they expressed their gratitude for the establishment of a Wesleyan Mission amongst them."-Rer. W. Redfern, Grand-Caymanas, August 27th, 1840. ABACO.-"Lately two of our members have been removed from time to eternity. One was Mrs. Curry; a person remarkable for her piety, zeal, and use. fulness. She died in great peace, after having been an ornament to our society for twenty-six years. The other, also a white female, was Miss Albury. She had been afflicted almost from her childhood. She died very suddenly. A neighbour's child was dying; and she went to the house, where she continued till the little sufferer expired; then went home, per formed her accustomed devotions, hastened to bed, and in less than five minutes was seized with a spitting of blood, and died instantly. She was a good woman, and had been a highly respected member in our society for fourteen years.' -Rev. Thomas Pearson, Abaco, August 28th, 1841. NEWFOUNDLAND. — "The failure of Mr. Pickavant's health has awakened the just and deep sorrow of the brethren, and of our congregations and societies on every station. His thorough knowledge of things connected with the moral and religious state of Newfoundland, his experience as a Minister of thirty years' standing in the work, together with his faithful and welljudged maintenance of our doctrine and discipline, rendered him highly acceptable and useful in the office of Chairman of this District; and his departure leaves us without a brother of equal competency to discharge the duties of that important office. We have sincerely sympathized with our late Chairman, and are earnestly solicitous that you may be divinely guided in the choice of his successor. We have heard, with much pleasure and satisfaction, that the Committee designed sending one from England; for if a Preacher from the English work, possessed of experience, judgment, zeal, and very acceptable pulpit talent, were sent to supply Mr. Pickavant's place, the appointment would confer a seasonable and extensive good on Our Mission in the island particularly, and on its Protestantism generally. Besides, had Mr. Pickavant's health been continued, we should this year (for the first time) have been enabled to send a visiting Missionary to itinerate among the thousands of destitute settlers on the northern part of the coast, which we are now unable to do; and, unless we leave some portion of the work to languish and decay, unable we shall be, until the vacancy occasioned by the Chairman's retirement be filled up. Our present circumstances reasonably require the sympathy and help of the Committee, which, we trust, may be speedily rendered."Rev. William Faulkner, Carbonear, June 16th, 1841. DEPARTURE OF MISSIONARIES. ON Thursday, December 23d, Messrs. Thomas Rowland, jun., and Henry John Wyatt, proceeded to Gravesend, to embark for CapeCoast, by the "Governor Maclean." These two devoted young men have proceeded to Africa, in order to supply, in part, the vacancies occasioned by sickness and death in the Gold-Coast and Ashantee Mission; and are sent, not merely as a reinforcement of the existing Missions, but to enable one at least of the Missionaries, already acclimated in Guinea, to proceed at once to Badagry, where, as announced in the December Notices, so remarkable an opening has lately presented itself for evangelical labour;-an opportunity of conveying the Gospel to that part of Africa, which the Committee, notwithstanding their embarrassments, did not feel themselves at liberty to neglect. Mr. Rowland was publicly ordained to his office and work as a Missionary, and Mr. Wyatt solemnly received on probation, in HackneyRoad chapel, on the previous Sunday, when a numerous congregation united in commending them to the providence and grace of God, by earnest prayer in their behalf. We are persuaded, that they, and their coadjutors in the African Missions, will be affectionately remembered by our friends at the throne of grace. It affords us much pleasure to announce, that the Rev. Thompson Hesk, who recently returned from Cape-Coast, has so far recovered his health, that his medical advisers have permitted him to undertake a journey to the country, where he may enjoy the benefit of a bracing air, and of the society of his friends. |