"No. 60. We are well off for Bibles,' said the Captain; and we hope it is no vain thing to possess them; and I am glad to hear, from time to time, what is doing among seamen: they certainly are an altered people: I do not hear those dreadful oaths, or witness those drunken frolics among them, I formerly did."" "No. 217. The chief officer, a very respectable man, the son of a clergyman, invited all the crew to purchase. 'I am happy,' said he, to find that most of you have the inclination, although few of you have got the ability, to purchase. Ah! I was in a ship once, where we lost by sickness twenty hands. Our sick seamen never thought of the Bible till death stared them in the face. Then the Bible was consulted.' 6 "No. 170. Observing this ship to be paying, I went on board and sold four Bibles. This is the best thing ever thought of for sailors,' said one of the crew; for some sailors would be ashamed to buy a Bible on shore, but when they are brought to them in this manner, they are glad of the opportunity of getting one; and having never heard but very little of its contents, when they come to read, their eyes are, in a measure, opened; and they begin to think it is an excellent thing indeed."" EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM A MISSIONARY. MY DEAR FRIEND, I HAVE none of your much valued letters unanswered; yet gladly do I devote a portion of this sacred day to speak with you of the mercies of our common Lord. The way in which the former part of it has been spent, forcibly brings to my recollection days and seasons that are past. O! let us together praise the Lord for his goodness, that in such a manner they are brought to remembrance. In the morning before service, crossing the Park and Green, I went to our native place of worship, and shortly found myself seated in the midst of a hundred and fifty Hindoo scholars, a third of whom are taught in the place, and the rest in two other schools in different parts of the town. The head scholars being ranged in front, the exercise was gone over of hearing them repeat in order the Catechism. Some had committed nearly the whole to memory, and many read with great fluency. What the Catechism contains, most likely you are aware, as I suppose copies of it may be at the Missionary rooms. However, it is purely Christian. And to hear these children read and repeat it on the sabbath day, in the midst of the town, surrounded by their heathen parents and others as spectators, you may be sure was an employment which filled my heart with gratitude and joy; REFUGE FOR A GENERAL Court of the Governors of this extensive and useful Institution was held at the City of London Tavern, on Thursday the 25th of July, Edward Forster, Esq. the Treasurer, in the chair. It is well known to be the object of this benevolent Society, to provide a place of refuge for persons discharged from prisons or the hulks; for criminals or deserted females; and for others who, though willing to work, are, from loss of character, often unable to procure an honest maintenance. especially when we consider how impro- My dear friend, we want more prayer; To many such unhappy persons an asylum has been afforded, work has been found for them, and on conducting themselves well, situations suitable to their respective abilities have been provided. The Report was read by the Treasurer and it stated, that 289 persons had been under the protection of the Committee in the various branches of the Institutiou during the last six months; and that of these, 140 had been provided for by sending them to sea, by placing them under the care of their relatives or friends, by apprenticing them out to respectable trades, or by providing for them suitable situations. It proceeded to enumerate many cases of persons of both sexes who have been recommended as servants or apprentices, who conduct themselves in a most exemplary and creditable manner. And the Committee conceive it to be one of the most favourable testimonials that can be adduced in behalf of the Institution, that its objects are in succession received into respectable families. It seems to be usual, especially at the Female Establishment, to hold an annual festival, to which all the young women who have received the benefits of the Institution, and have been restored to virtuous society, are invited. This entertainment was held at the beginning of the last month; when thirty-six young women visited the Refuge, all of whom acknowledged that Asylum as the sole instrument of their present well-being and of their future expectations. The whole of them were known to be living in honest An interesting account was also given of the benefits conferred on many of the other sex, some of whom have been taught useful trades and placed out in the world, wherein they are now earning an honest subsistence; and several sent into foreign countries, to the West Indies, to the Cape of Good Hope, to Algoa Bay, and to Van Diemen's Land; concerning the whole of whom a very favourable account was read. In reviewing the general result of their endeavours to carry into effect the salutary provisions of the Institution, the Committee congratulated the General Court upon its success. They still, however, lamented a deficiency of pecuniary resources, appealing to a humane and discerning public for that generous aid which may enable them (if not to open wider the path of restoration to the penitent criminal) to save them at least from the mortification of contracting the present compass of their efforts. SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.-RURUTU. THE following account of the extraordinary conversion of the island of Rurutu from idolatry to Christianity has lately been circulated. "Some natives of this island being drifted to Raiatea, after being driven from their own island by contrary winds, and in danger of perishing for want of food and fresh water, they were kindly received by the Raiateans; and being charmed with the new religion (Christianity), which they first saw at Maupity and afterwards at Raiatea, they began to learn to read, of which attainment their chief, Anura, was very ambitious; and an opportunity offering for their return home, at their request, two converted natives of Raiatea accompanied them to instruct them farther. These missionaries were in general kindly received, but some of their priests predicted the destruction of the island from the sexes eating together and on sacred ground. This was put to the test of experiment, in the following manner the brig which brought home the natives of this island, sailed again the same evening. Next day a meeting was held to receive the missionaries from Raiatea, and the day following it was agreed to put the new religion to the test. "The eating together was on the day after the meeting, and was to be the test of the truth of the word of God. If they died according to the predictions of the priests, namely, that any woman eating either hog or turtle would surely be eaten by the evil spirit; or any one eating on a sacred place would surely die, and be eaten also ;-then 6 they would not destroy their gods; but if no one sustained any injury, they would then utterly destroy all their idols. They met accordingly; and after satisfying their appetites without sustaining any injury, they arose, boldly seized the gods, set fire to three houses, residences of their godships, and then proceeded to demolish totally the maraes; which was all completely effected that day. It is worthy of remark, that when the boat first reached the shore, Ma hamene and Puna, with their party, knelt down on the spot to return thanks to God for their preservation, not knowing the spot was sacred to Oro, one of their idols; the Rurutus said immediately, This people will die.' The party also ate inadvertently on a sacred spot; when the Rurutus saw that, they said, No doubt they will die for this trespass on the sacred ground;' and looking earnestly, expecting some one to have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly; but after they had looked a considerable time, and saw no harm come to them, they changed their mind, and said, Surely theirs is the truth; but perhaps the god will come in the night and kill them: we will wait and see.' One man went in the night to the wife of the chief (Anura), who also ate a part of a hog or turtle on the sacred spot, and said, 'Are you still alive?' When the morning ar rived, and the Rurutus found that no harm had happened to any of them, they became exceedingly disgusted at their having been deceived so long by the evil spirit." NEW MARRIAGE ACT. We expressed in our last Number our satisfaction at the great principle established by this Act, that marriages once celebrated should not be vitiated or annulled on account of trifling or accidental irregularities. At the same time we cannot but deeply regret a variety of troublesome and inexpedient provisions, which the Act contains. These, indeed, are said not to have been originally in the Bill, but to have been introduced by certain opponents to ensure its rejection. How far any of our legislators have thought fit to descend to such miserable pettifogging we know not; but we are quite sure that no unnecessary impediments ought to be thrown in the way of marriage, and that the multiplication of oaths leads to perjury. By this Act no marriage whatever can be celebrated without one or more affidavits. Now it is perfectly clear, that the greater part of clandestine marriages, under the former Act, were celebrated by license, and that those licenses were always obtained by false swearing. Surely, this one circumstance shows that oaths and affidavits are very feeble barriers when a specific object is to be attained; especially, when it is remembered that clandestine marriages are usually desired by unprincipled persons. The Act indeed provides, that, in cases of perjury, the criminal shall forfeit to the Crown the property obtained by such marriage, and incur the penalty of transportation. But who is to prosecute, or who will prosecute in such cases? Suppose an unprincipled man obtains a license by perjury,, and marries a young woman of property, is there any father who would deliberately become the prosecutor? Would he not say, It is true, I may transport this villain; but I must, at the same time, reduce my daughter to a state of hopeless widowhood; or she must go with her worthless and enraged husband into perhaps perpetual banishment; and, at all events, be stripped of her property. The old Act, which merely declares such a marriage void, appears to us far more merciful than the present. The fortune-hunting adventurer, therefore, need not trouble himself about the penalty. The lady's friends will be more anxious than he to prevent any prosecution; or, should any of them be so hard-hearted or impolitic as to prosecute, the full weight of vengeance will fall on the head of his more innocent partner, while he is merely conveyed to a distant land to try some fresh experiment. We have no objection to transport a person for life who contracts a clandestine marriage. We have no objection that his fortune, if he has any, should be forfeited to the Crown, which will never be much enriched by such forfeitures. But we object to the poor woman's fortune being forfeited; to her being left to the cruel choice of following a man who has already deceived her, into banishment, or remaining at home in a state of perpetual widowhood. If the man is transported, the marriage ought to be dissolved, and the woman to be left at perfect liberty; especially as, in all such cases, the female must suffer a penalty fully adequate to her imprudence, without forfeiting her property to the Crown. All the apparatus in this Act, about oaths, and affidavits, and registered copies, and parish chests, &c. appear to us utterly inefficient. These provisions embarrass and perplex pious and well-meaning people; but their very complexity will render this part of the Act, ere long, a dead letter. The affixing of the Christian and surnames of the persons, and the house or houses of their abodes *, to the church door, is an unnecessary exposure, unless it is intended as a prelude to the abolishing of the publication of banns in service-time altogether a consummation devoutly to be wished. The requiring extracts of registers of baptism, attested upon oath, consent of parents, &c. attested upon oath, &c. must necessarily be attended with considerable trouble, expense, and often needless delay. And the enacting affidavits about banns to be sworn before a Minister or justice of peace, is, in our minds, on several grounds highly objectionable. It seems to us, indeed, that the direct and obvious effect of the Act will be to give a great deal of unnecessary trouble, in cases which every sound moralist would wish to facilitate; and that, in attempting to guard against a few cases of clandestine marriage, the whole bulk of the community are exposed to considerable annoyance. What the fate of the Act may eventually be we know not, but in the mean time we advise any of our readers, who may think of marrying, to take care and provide the license, &c. previously to the preparation of the wedding dinner, or the invitation of the wedding guests; the want of such precaution having already exposed some of our friends to no small perplexity, expense, and inconvenience. * Some of our young friends have interpreted this clause to imply the actual placing the houses at the church door:their apprehensions, however, have, in this instance, beclouded their judgment; we conceive it only means that the names or numbers of their houses are to be there affixed. 359 REGISTER OF EVENTS. HOME. On Tuesday, the 6th of August, Parliament was prorogued by the King in person. The Royal Speech contained nothing demanding particular observation. His Majesty embarked at Greenwich, on the 10th, for Scotland. He arrived at Leith on the Wednesday following, and on Thursday he landed. The city of Edinburgh, crowded with visitors from all parts of the kingdom, welcomed her Sovereign with acclamations loud and long continued. Processions, levees, and reviews, have filled up the succeeding days, with various devices for bringing the Sovereign and people into mutual contact and acquaintance. A melancholy occurrence, however, took place shortly after the King's departure from London, which must doubtless weigh upon his spirits and diminish his enjoyment of the popular gratulation. On Monday morning, the 12th of August, Lord Londonderry, the right arm of the present Administration, terminated his earthly career by his own hand. Abundant evidence was produced to a coroner's jury to warrant their verdict, that his Lordship had, for several days previous to the fatal act, "laboured under a grievous mental disease." It is said, that insanity has been exhibited in the case of more than one individual of the family; and it is perfectly clear, that the reason of Lord Londonderry had been affected for some time previous to his death. It was remarked by the King himself, on the Friday preceding; and the Duke of Wellington was so strongly impressed with the same idea, as to write to Dr. Bankhead, Lord L.'s physician, desiring him to contrive by some pretence to go down and see his Lordship. The event affords an awful lesson of the vanity of the world, and the importance of seeking better blessings than it can afford. In the death of the Marquis of Londonderry, the Administering Government has suffered a loss not easily to be repaired. Possessing, in a very unusual degree, the qualities of the most unyielding firmness of resolve, and the most conciliating mildness of demeanour; and uniting high rank and splendid distinction with great personal dignity and remarkable courtesy of manners; he was enabled to command a degree of respect, and to secure a constancy of support in the House of Commons, which many of his predecessors, even when possessed of the most resplendent talent, have found it difficult to attain. As a parliamentary speaker, he was deficient both in classical taste and in natural eloquence. Possessed, however, of great judgment and acuteness, and an easy flow of diction, he found, by frequent experience, that good sense, sincerity, and personal dignity of character, were sufficient to ensure a respectful audience, and to satisfy the minds of the auditors. On occasions of difficulty, he displayed great intrepidity-in circumstances of doubt, sagacity and decision. His private life, as far as the public can know any thing of it, appears to have been exemplary. We speak, of course, generally. In the observance of the Sabbath-unfortunately so little regarded amongst statesmen, whose want of leisure tempts them to the breach of a positive command, we could have wished that his conduct had been uniformly correct. He is said to have been an affectionate husband, a firm friend, and the benefactor of the neighbourhood in which he resided. To restore that solidity and strength to the Cabinet, of which his loss has deprived it, will be no easy task. To find any one individual who unites in himself, in an equal degree, the qualifications of an able diplomatist and a powerful parliamentary leader, will perhaps be impossible; changes, therefore, in several departments may probably become necessary. One supposition has been made public, which we should rejoice to see verified; namely, that Mr. Peel will succeed the late Secretary, and Lord Colchester take the seals of the Home Department. The preponderance which this would give to the Protestant division of the Cabinet, would render the Popish cause almost hopeless. It is said that the Bishop of Peterborough is altering the system of examination, which has been so much complained of. We have understood, that one of the Rev. Gentlemen who lately petitioned Parliament on this subject, has again offered as Curate of his parish, and as a Candidate for a license, a Clergyman of sound Church of England principles, and has not met with a fresh rejection. Personal examination, we have heard, was substituted for the Eighty-seven Questions; and, with these stumbling-blocks, the principal difficulties vanished. We are happy to learn, that the distresses of the Irish population timinishing. The aid given to them by Government, and by private subscription in Engiand, has considerably exceeded half a million. FOREIGN. The FRENCH Chambers have been prorogued, and nothing but political trials for conspiracy are now to be found in the Paris journals. SPAIN is not yet in a more peaceful state, nor is her course less undecided.-A ministry decidedly liberal has, however, for the first time, been appointed. Notices and Acknowledgments. RECEIVED, J. W. M.-Cambrian-Z.-Terrigena-A. T. C.-Adıλpos-J. B. M.Φιλαλήθης-J. S. We are happy in again recognizing the hand of our old Correspondent from the West Riding, and shall cheerfully insert his communication, availing ourselves of his kind permission. Our views on the point to which he refers have for many years coincided with his own; the difficulty, however, in applying any efficient remedy is exceedingly great. When men are determined to take things by the wrong handle, little benefit can be expected from the utmost exertions. is received. Biblical criticisms are not, generally speaking, agreeable to our readers, and we are therefore often induced to lay aside papers on such subjects which we have ourselves read with considerable pleasure. A. B. certainly arrived too late; we have not, however, consigned him as To Bados, but merely to our port-folio for future consideration. The miscellaneous part of our work is usually arranged in the first fortnight, and therefore there is little chance of any communication appearing which is transmitted at a later period. Aliquis begs to return thanks, in the name of the inhabitants of Btage, for articles received from P. K. Esq. through the medium of the Guardian, and to a Fellow Pilgrim, and Mrs. B. and her two Servants. -er Dell CotEditor of the The Letter of an uneducated young Woman will be forwarded the first opportunity. It is not customary to insert any Review without knowing the real name of the person by whom it is written; and it is especially important to attend to this rule, where, as in the case before us, the information communicated varies in some degree from that which we previously possessed. The substance of Agabus's communication has been sent to the Bible Society. The publication alluded to by our friend B. B. has been received, and will most probably be briefly noticed before long. A Correspondence of some length has been carried on, in the Leicester Journal, between Mr. Hall, of Leicester, and the writer of the review, which appeared in this Work for January last, of Mr. Hall's Apology for the Freedom of the Press. The whole is now published in a separate Pamphlet. We insert, as an Advertisement, another handbill of the Porteusian Bible Society, being unwilling to refuse its agents the means of vindicating themselves. Their railings are, however, utterly unworthy of notice; especially as they have not ventured to deny any of our statements. Our leading objection has ever been, that these persons have made use of the title and forms of a Society, without a public Meeting, without a Report, without a Committee, and till now without the name of a single responsible officer. Four names have at length been elicited, by our remarks, besides that of their Banker. their next publication, possibly, we may be obliged with a list of the Committee. Their next Report, also, we shall be happy to see. Just published. In A second Edition of the Life of the Rev. Phomas Scott, late Rector of Aston Sandford. In one volume, octavo. A cheap Edition of the Rev. T. Scott's Essays on the most important Subjects in Religion. In one volume, twelves. The ninth Edition of the Rev. E. Bickersteth's Scripture Help. Twelves. With Maps, &c. Sermons on important Points of Faith and Duty. By the Rev. R. P. Buddicom, M. A. F. A. S. Minister of St. George's, Everton. In two volumes, twelves. Twenty Sermons. By the Rev. Henry Martyn, late Chaplain to the Hon. East India Company's Bengal Establishment. In one volume, octavo. Select Passages from the Bible, arranged under distinct Heads, for the Use of Schools and Families. By Alexander Adam, Teacher, Edinburgh. In one volume, twelves. Sermon on the Death of the late Rev. Edward Townshend, M. A. Vicar of Bray. By the Rev. George Wellford, M. A. Curate of that Parish. Bible Stories, selected from the Old Testament, familiarized for the Use of Children. By the Author of "Ellen Webster," "Empty Loom," &c. One volume, 18mo. The History of Henry Milner, a little Boy, who was not brought up according to the Fashion of this World. By Mrs. Sherwood, Author of "Little Henry and his Bearer," &c. One volume, twelves. A Letter on the present State and future Prospects of Agriculture. Addressed to the Agriculturists of the County of Salop. By W. W. Whitmore, Esq. M. P. Octavo. |