sequence of Mr. Ayerst's necessary absence on account of illness, he is about shortly to leave England, in the view of resuming his labours at that station.

your Committee, to reside in an Institution about to be formed for furnishing employment to destitute Christian Jews, in order to give spiritual instruction to its inmates, in the hope that his means of usefulness may be rather increased than diminished by such a step.

The Rev. M. S. Alexander arrived in England, from Dantzic, a short time before the last Anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are both of them Converts from the Jewish Religion; in the public ministration of which, Mr. Alexander was for some years engaged in the capacity of Reader in the Synagogue: his return, therefore, to this country, after a few years' absence, as a Minister of Christ, naturally excited considerable attention among the Jews. The Lectures, regularly addressed to them at the Episcopal Chapel, afforded him an opportunity of a public testimony to them of the Truth as it is in Jesus. They have sometimes attended in great numbers, and listened to the Gospel as preached to them by one of their own Nation; and conferences were held with them on such occasions, after Evening Service, at which from twenty to fifty have been present. Some have heard without feeling or emotion: some have gone away evidently filled with indignation; or, perhaps, pricked to the heart, and convinced of sin: some have remained, to oppose infidel objections to the doctrines both of Moses and of Christ; and a few have come to inquire further, What shall we do to be saved?... During the year, Mr. Alexander has visited his Brethren at Plymouth, Bristol, and other places, and had many opportunities of bearing his testimony before them. That in many instances he has met with contempt and scorn-that he has been the object of misrepresentation and malicethat his very name has been cast out with indignation, and his person viewed with abhorrence by many former friends and associates-and that these things should often have been a source of severe trial-will be no more than what every follower of Christ was prepared to expect would take place, under such circumstances. If reproach has been borne for Christ's sake, your Committee rejoice; and they believe that the testimony which has been given will not have been in vain, through the Lord's blessing. The present exigencies of the Mission in Dantzic having seemed to require Mr. Alexander's return, in con

RELIGIOUS-TRACT SOCIETY.

THIRTY-SECOND REPORT.

Issue of Publications.

THE Publications circulated during the year amount to 11,090,259; being an INCREASE beyond any preceding year, of 520,322, without including the numerous Tracts published in Foreign Countries at the Society's expense.

The Total Circulation of the Society, at home and abroad, in about SEVENTY different Languages, amounts to nearly ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR MILLIONS of Publications.

Grants for Great Britain and Ireland.

The Grants made during the year amount to more than SEVEN HUNDRED in number. The increasing neglect of the Divine Precept, Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy, induced the Committee to devote 26,325 Tracts and 347,800 Hand-Bills, for circulation on the Lord's Day.

A variety of Small Works have been issued, to oppose the Infidel Errors which have been industriously diffused; and upward of 140,000 Anti-Infidel Tracts and Hand-Bills granted to various persons, for general circulation. For the depraved and ignorant people that crowd many of the courts and alleys of the Metropolis, 20,225 Tracts and 83,400 Hand-Bills have been devoted: 11,500 Tracts and Hand-Bills have been distributed among the crowds present at the execution of criminals; and about 19,300 Tracts and 139,000 Hand-Bills to the frequenters of the Pleasure Fairs in London and its vicinity. The inmates of different Workhouses, Hospitals, and Prisons have received nearly 12,000 Tracts and small Children's Books. About 20,000 suitable Hand-Bills were given to Sunday-School Children, on the Sabbath preceding Bartholomew Fair. A grant of 11,800 Tracts and Hand-Bills has been devoted to the Houseless Poor in London. The Committee also granted about 8200 for circulation among Foreigners found in the different parts of Britain; and 36,200 Tracts and 74,000 Hand-Bills were also placed at the disposal of friends who feel a lively interest in the promotion of Religious Truth among Soldiers, Sailors, Boatmen, and others.

These efforts have not been confined to the Metropolis. The great excitement produced in different parts of the country, by the proceedings of the Special Commissions in the disturbed districts, induced the Committee to send about 10,000 of their publications to Winchester, Horsham, Reading, Aylesbury, Salisbury, and Dorchester, for circulation among the persons who were then assembled together. The Committee have made large grants for circulation in places where the Gospel was not known and the situation peculiar: the Agents of the Home Missionary Society received 11,525 Tracts and 16,800 Hand-Bills; and the District Visiting Societies at Devonport, Plymouth, and other places, and Societies in Lancashire and Lincolnshire, received about 20,000 Tracts and 11,000 Hand-Bills for circulation by their Agents.

In referring to these Grants, the Committee find that it is now needful to state to their friends, that the limited contributions, placed at their disposal for the gratuitous operations of the Society, will not allow them to attend to applications for Grants for home circulation, unless such applications contain special circumstances, and funds for the purchase of the requisite Publications cannot be locally raised. They deem it necessary to make this statement, being compelled to decline applications of a general kind, until the funds are considerably increased. During the past year, the gratuitous issues have amounted to One Thousand Pounds MORE than the subscriptions, donations, and auxiliary contributions which have been received. The Committee trust that the immense field of FOREIGN OPERATIONS, which the Society can but inadequately supply, will induce every applicant to use his utmost endeavours to obtain local assistance for local wants.

The Grants to Ireland, during the year, amount altogether to 133,800 Tracts and 45,400 Hand-Bills, calling for an expenditure of nearly 150/-a sum which the Committee have cheerfully devoted toward the alleviation of the spiritual necessities of the Sister Country.

New Publications.

These have amounted, in the year, to 263: it is remarked on them

The Committee have, during the past year, proceeded to publish several important Works, which have had an ex

tensive circulation. They find that there has been a gradual increase in the sale of their Larger Works during the last four years; and that, during the same period, there has been a like progressive increase in the issue of Tracts. It will be satisfactory, therefore, to the supporters of the Institution, to find that the numerous re-publications of small books has not interfered with, but considerably promoted, the Tract Operations of the Institution. The Committee having found that the plan of reprinting approved Standard Works has fully answered their expectations, and has promoted the interests of the Institution, have determined to continue increasing their number and variety.

The Committee consider it unnecessary to make any particular reference to many of the New Publications. The First and Narrative Series have been considerably increased; and contain several new Tracts, which are well adapted to counteract the efforts so industriously made to circulate the Principles of Infidelity. The Narrative Series has been found very useful to the numerous Loan Tract Societies.

Notices relative to different Works.

In the Re-publications of the Works of the Seventeenth Century, Selections have been made from Archbishop Usher, Bishop Hall, Bishop Reynolds, Watson, Matthew Henry, Dr. Owen, Lockyer, Baxter, Howe, Bolton, Charnock, and Flavel.

To the Select Writings of the British Reformers three volumes have been added: the Eighth contains the Writings of Cranmer, Rogers, Saunders, Taylor, and Careless, with a portrait of Cranmer; the Ninth, those of the learned and eloquent Bishop Jewell; and the Tenth, the Writings of Wickliffe and others. Most of the pieces in the Tenth Volume have hitherto only existed in Manuscripts, wholly inaccessible to general readers of the present day: the period referred to, the Dawn of the Reformation, is peculiarly important: the volume throws considerable light on the commencement and early spread of Religious Truth in our own country. The whole of the series of the British Reformers will be com

pleted in two additional volumes.

The History of the Church of Christ, and the Christian Biography, together with the Tract Magazine, Child's Companion, and Domestic Visitor, have an

the religious state of the inhabitants: in fact, he was utterly discouraged, and even determined not to go again; so great were the obstacles which he had had to encounter, in the distribution of the New Testament. No one was willing to purchase it; for, indeed, no one knew what kind of a book it was that was offered to them. Some found it too long: others thought that it differed from that of their Priest; and others, having ascertained that the Services of the Mass were not contained in it, took it for granted that it could not be a good took: besides which, very few among them were able to read. In short, it almost seemed that this delightful country was closed against the Gospel. It happened, however, that, six months afterward, the same Colporteur made another attempt; when, by dint of conversation, and visiting a great number of houses, he succeeded in disposing of a larger quantity of copies than he could venture to expect, chiefly among Families, but a few also among Schools. Family circumstances having prevented him from continuing to act as Colporteur, we lost sight, for a time, of the district in question: at length a Colporteur, from Lamotte, situated in Santerre itself, offered his services to us in distributing New Testaments; accompanied by an assurance that he could dispose of a considerable number, as they were everywhere in demand: this information, unexpected as it was, caused us no small joy. In fact, since November last, nearly 1000 copies of the New Testament, and about 5000 Religious Tracts, have been distributed in twenty villages: most of the copies have been disposed of in schools, as reading-books, where they are eagerly inquired after. A great work has evidently been begun in Santerre : the frequent visits of our Colporteurs have awakened curiosity, and attracted attention: the yoke imposed by the Priests is no longer so severely felt as formerly; and a suspicion is gone abroad, that the Sacred Scriptures do not sanction their proceedings on this account they are more generally read.

During a tour which a Colporteur made in Normandy, he entered every house in the villages through which he passed-conversed with many inmatesand left them more or less disposed to read the books with which he supplied them. If, at first, they received him uncivilly, he was generally requested,

at last, to continue his conversation: a great number of poor people went round to their neighbours to borrow a few sous, in order to purchase a Testament or some Religious Tracts-a sure sign this, that the books were valuable in their sight!

It has very frequently happened, that our Colporteurs have seen many persons who shewed the degree of importance which they attached to the New Testament, by their eagerness to procure a copy, and their opposition to the threats and even the flattery of their Priests. A Priest, belonging to a village in Artois, had secretly asked, in every house, to see the books which had been purchased, under the pretext of his wishing to read them; but he either retained or destroyed them: on one of our Colporteurs revisiting the village, the anxiety among the people to obtain new books was general; and they all declared, that, this time, the Priest should not outwit them: those who had nothing went and borrowed loaves of bread of their neighbours, which they brought with joy to exchange for a New Testament or for Tracts. A Schoolmaster had purchased a considerable number of Testaments for his pupils, without however mentioning the circumstance to the Priest, who was indignant, and came to order the master, either to consign the books to the flames, or to quit the place forthwith: so far from obeying the Priest, he proved to him the impiety of the order which he had made, and openly declared to him that he possessed the Bible. The number of Testaments distributed in Artois is great; and, in general, they have been circulated among, or for the use of, families.

The large number of Testaments which are issued from my Depôt proves to you that a great improvement has taken place in the dispositions of many. An abundant seed has been scattered abroad, and God will assuredly cause it to spring forth.

A Correspondent in the South thus confirms what was stated at p. 471 of our last Number:—

A short journey among the Pyrenees has confirmed me in the conviction which I had previously entertained, that the present are important times; and that now is the favourable moment for abundantly distributing the Bible-leaving it to the Lord to water the precious seed thus sown, and to cause it to become the

principle of an awakening, and of a renunciation of all the ceremonies and superstitions of the Roman Church. There exists much religious indifference; but, at the same time, a certain desire to examine into the Truth manifests itself, which every day becomes more general. The restriction imposed by the Clergy, not to search the Scriptures, is despised by many persons, even in the country: the respect inspired by pompous ceremonies is disappearing: sentiments of Religion manifest themselves; and whole multitudes wander to and fro in search of solid food for their souls, and a more enlightened faith: but, alas! they are without guides, exposed to delusions of every description, and in danger of becoming the victims of impiety, or of returning to their former Romish Superstitions. These multitudes have very obscure ideas; nor do they feel much desire to seek, in the Word of God, that knowledge of the Way of Salvation of which they stand so greatly in need. The Bible is to them an unknown book: on this account it is, that all our efforts ought to be directed to make them acquainted with it. At no period were large distributions so greatly wanted; and the British and Foreign Bible Society has never been appealed to in so remarkable a manner as at present, by the state of Religion in France, to exert all its energies in its behalf.

The Rev. J. J. Banga and the Rev. P. J. Oster usually reside at Strasburg, from whence they make frequent journeys through the country.

In the summer and autumn of last year, Mr. Banga made a long tour through Southern Germany: on his return to Strasburg, he found the Jews of that place very unfavourably disposed toward him they united in great numbers, to combine their efforts to get Books and Tracts by hypocritical pretensions, in order to destroy them. Notwithstand

ing, it is evident that there is, among many of the Jews, a great desire for the Word of God, especially in the neighbouring parts of Germany.

Nov. 1831.

The labours of the Rev. P. J. Oster have been more exclusively confined to the territory of France, with occasional excursions into Switzerland. On the 29th of April, 1830, he left Strasburg for Colmar; and afterward proceeded, in succession, to Montbeliard, Besançon, Lyons, Avignon, and Lourmarin: in these places he found ample employment: the Jews whom he met with were chiefly of that class, who, having imbibed the sceptical opinions of Nominal Christians, were as ignorant of Moses as of Christ, and as indifferent to the Old Testament as to the New: there were, however, some encouraging exceptions, and that especially among the poorer class. At the end of June, Mr. Oster directed his steps toward Marseilles: here he met with but little encouragement at Nismes he was better received at Montpellier he found but a few Jewish Families; and therefore proceeded to Toulouse, where so continued were the opportunities of declaring the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Jews, that Mr. Oster states that he was thereby prevented from writing in his Journal as regularly as before.

Switzerland.

The two Missionaries in France oc

casionally visit Switzerland. A Society

has been established at Geneva for the promotion of the Jewish Cause: at Bâsle, likewise, a Society has been established, under the name of the "Jews' Friends Society," the object of which is, to excite in Switzerland, France, and Southern Germany, wherever truly Christian Congregations are to be found, sincere and active love, and a spirit of prayer for the House of Israel.

Germany.

Mr. Stockfeld continues to visit the scattered Jewish Families in the country adjacent to the Lower Rhine; and, in a large sphere of labour, stirs up many Christian Co-adjutors, and introduces the Scriptures without note or comment into Jewish Schools.

It appears that the increased use of the Scriptures in Schools for Christian Children, which has been promoted by means of the British and Foreign Bible Society, has had the effect of provoking the Jews to jealousy.

In Frankfort there is ample employment for a zealous Missionary: the regular Jewish residents in the city are very numerous, and some of them are 3 Q