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LONDON HIBERNIAN SOCIETY,

THE Twenty-fifth Report of this Institution states, that the proceedings of the London Hibernian Society have, during the last year, very much resembled, in the material points, those of former periods. The schools, and the scholars, have been increased ;-the receipts have again proved unequal to the expenditure; the calls upon the Society's bounty are far more numerous than its Committee can meet ;-and the testimonies of approbation and success are most satisfactory and encouraging. The Romish priesthood have, as in former years, evinced their opposition, which has been firmly withstood by a strict adherence to the Society's scriptural plan; and difficulties have arisen in other quarters, which have compelled the Committee to feel deeply the need of Christian meekness, forbearance, wisdom, and charity.

The receipts of the year have fallen considerably below the expenditure. The whole receipts amounting to £7,330. 9s. 2d. and the expenditure has been £8,463. 14s. 5d. being an excess of £1,133. 5s. 3d. while the balance against the Society, in the last year, has increased the Society's deficiencies to the enormous amount of £1,426. 7s. 11d.

The Society has this year had 1595 Day, Sunday, or Adult Schools, in thirty different counties in Ireland, in which 85755 Scholars have been enrolled. The gross number contains all who have attended any part of the year in any of the Society's schools. The numbers of those who may be considered as attending during, either the whole year, or during that part of the year in which particular schools are held, has been estimated at 73,920.

The Day Schools have amounted to 678, in which 53452 Scholars have been enrolled; of whom 23093 were Roman Catholics, and 30359 Protestants. The Adult Schools have been 407, containing 15333 Scholars; being an increase of 133 Schools, and 4351 Scholars, while the Sunday Schools have amounted to 456, containing only 15596 Scholars, being an increase of 64 Schools but a diminution of 2245 Scholars. This diminution in the number of the Sunday School Scholars is, doubtless, to be principally attributed

to the opposition of the Romish Priesthood, which produces much more effect on Sunday Schools, than on either Day or Adult Schools. The Irish classes have, this year, amounted to 54, containing 1374 Scholars, being an increase of 22 classes, and 562 Scholars over those of the preceding year. This increase however is not so much to be attributed to any increased demand upon the Society for instruction in the Irish language, as to the means adopted for preventing the Irish Scholars in these Schools being reported to other Institutions. The Coinmittee conclude that Thirty-five or Thirty-six Thousand Roman Catholics, have, through the instrumentality of this Society, been receiving a Scriptural Education, during the last year.

An attempt has been recently made by an Irish periodical of some name to throw a suspicion on the numbers of Scholars, &c. returned by this Society in its report for 1830, and to support that insinuation by a reference to the late Dublin Committee. The fact is, the late Dublin Committee inserted the very same numbers in their own report, which was delivered at the Rotunda in Dublin some weeks before the London Report was delivered in Free Mason's Hall. The mistake of the periodical arose from imagining that the London Hibernian Society pays four shillings per annum for all Scholars who pass inspection, whereas in many cases it pays only half that sum, in others it pays nothing only supplying books and inspection to Schools supported from other sources. We fear the whole of the article above referred to arises from indignation at the exposure of some false pretences by facts elicited in a late inquiry. The proportion of the Day Scholars who pass inspection so as to entitle the teacher to be paid, is, we understand, estimated at about three fifths of the whole, so that in the year in question, there must have been somewhat more than 30000. Of those however who do not pass inspection, many exhibit considerable proficiency, learning one, two, or even three chapters of the New Testament in the quarter, the lowest requirement of the Society being FOUR CHAPTERS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

GIBRALTAR.

ALL the means which determined hostility and bigotry can conceive are used to prevent the spread of Truth in this neighbourhood. Still we have frequent opportunities of giving away copies of the Spanish New Testament and Tracts. We have disposed of more than 150 Testaments, since I last addressed you. A Portuguese young man, called bought a Spanish Bible, and said that he had been influenced to make the purchase, from having heard an Englishman reading one in English, a little of which he understood; and he resolved to buy one in Spanish; for he thought there must be something good in that Benedeto Libro (in that Blessed Book), so that he must have the Libro de Dios

(the Book of God). He went away rejoicing at having got the Bible.

FRANCE.

In the secluded glens and remote valleys of the Pyrenees, I have traced the footsteps of the British and Foreign Bible Society; and found in the shepherd's hut the precious word of God, conveyed there by your Agents.

I may take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude to the Society for the privilege granted me of spreading the Scriptures in France. Of 1000 copies, which I had the happiness of selling,

giving away, or placing for distribution, many, to my own knowledge, have been the means of enlightening the understanding, and converting the heart. Doubtless many more will be found, after many days, when the secrets of all hearts shall be laid open.

Allow me to bear my feeble testimony to the worth and efficiency of your Agent, Professor Keiffer, at Paris. During a correspondence of two years with him, I had always to rejoice in his punctuality and activity; which, indeed, as a clergyman, who has been much in France, observed, is no small excellence in the eyes of those who are accustomed to the negligence of the French in matters of business.

I purpose spending the summer in the South of France, more particularly the Pyrenees; and hope the Society will not withhold from me the privilege, granted on a former occasion, of ordering Testaments from Professor Kieffer, for distribution and sale. I shall in all

probability, revisit one valley where I sold 150 French Testaments, and have occasional opportunities of selling a few Spanish Testaments by means of the shepherds. I shall feel honoured by receiving the commands of the Committee, in any way that I can be useful. That he who has the hearts of all men in his keeping may overrule all discordant opinions, for his own glory and the success of the Society, is the sincere prayer of its most devoted friend.

DUSSELDORF.

In the course of our distributions of the Sacred Volume among the Barracks situated in Westphalia, having supplied the 4th Regiment of Cuirassiers, stationed at Neuhaus, near Paderborn, with copies of the Sacred Scriptures, so great was the interest soon taken in reading them, by several officers and non-commissioned officers in the regiment, that of their own accord they requested us to send them a number of Bibles and Testaments for sale.

A soldier, who, being furnished by his commanding-officer with a certificate of his inability to pay, had been supplied by us with a Bible gratis, sent us, a few months afterwards, through the corporal of the regiment, 28 silver groschen (1s. 7d.), which he had saved, in the mean time, from his scanty pay;

accompanied with an assurance of the great delight which the reading of the Bible had afforded him.

An infirm old man, in the alms-house for the aged of this city, who had long been without the word of God, but at length had obtained it from us, has frequently expressed himself very feelingly to the Clergyman who visited him, respecting the powerful refreshment and encouragement which the doctrines of the Sacred Volume afforded him; and, in order to preserve the precious jewel always at hand, he keeps it in a small bag fixed to the wall at the head of his bed, which he is now unable to leave.

The instances above-mentioned sufficiently prove that the promise of the Lord, "My word shall not return unto me void," is now fulfilling, in order to encourage us to continue to make known the Name of God according to our abilities, and to look up to him in full confidence and prayer for his divine blessing upon our endeavours.

REGISTER OF EVENTS.

PARLIAMENT assembled, agreeably to proclamation, on Tuesday, June 14, and proceeded with the usual preliminary arrangements, until Tuesday the 21st inst. when it was opened by His Majesty in person with a speech from the throne, in which he states that he had availed himself of the earliest opportunity of resorting to their advice and assistance, after the dissolution of his late Parliament. "Having had recourse to that measure for the purpose of ascertaining the sense of my people on the expediency of a reform in the representation, I have now to recommend that important question to your earliest and most attentive consideration, confident that in any measures which you may prepare for its adjustment, you will carefully adhere to the acknowledged principles of the constitution, by which the prerogatives of the Crown, the authority of both Houses of Parliament, and the rights and liberties of the people are equally

secured."

His Majesty then refers to the Estimates of the expenses of the current year; recommends economy; and adds that the late reduction of taxes has not been attended with a proportionate diminution of the public income.

An obscure reference is then made to our relations with Foreign Powers, with Belgium, Portugal, &c. and His Majesty proceeds to notice the progress of the Cholera Morbus and the distressed state of Ireland, in the following terms:

"It is with deep concern that I have to announce to you the continued progress of a formidable disease, in the Eastern parts of Europe. Information having been recently received that it had extended its ravages to ports in the Baltic, from whence there is a great commercial intercourse with my dominions, I have directed that precautions should be taken for guarding against the introduction of so dan. gerous a malady into this country.

“Great distress has unhappily prevailed in some districts, and more particularly in a part of the western counties of Ireland, to relieve which, in the most pressing cases, I have not hesitated to authorise the application of such means as were immediately available for that purpose. But assistance of this nature is necessarily limited in its amount, and can only be temporary in its effects. The possibility, therefore, of introducing any measure which, by assisting the improvement of the natural resources of the country, may tend to prevent the recurrence of such evils, must be a subject of the most anxious interest to me, and to you of the most grave and cautious consideration. Local disturbances, unconnected with any political causes, have taken place both in this part of the United Kingdom and in Ireland. In the county of Clare, and in the adjoining parts of Roscommon and Galway, a system of violence and outrage had for some time been carried on to an alarming extent, for the repression of which the constitutional authority of the law has been rigorously and successfully exerted. By these means, the necessity of enacting new laws to strengthen the Executive Government with further powers will, I trust, be prevented. To avert such a necessity has been, and ever will be, my most earnest desire; but if it should unfortunately arise, I do not doubt your firm resolution to maintain the peace and order of society by the adoption of such measures as may be required for their more effectual protection."

The speech contains no reference to Divine Providence nor any allusion to the Supreme Governor of the Universe. This omission was very justly reprehended by Sir Robert Inglis, in which censure he was supported by Mr. Briscoe, Mr. Trant, Mr. Goulburn, Mr. Estcourt, Mr. Sadler, Sir George Clerk, and Mr. W. Peel. The omission was defended by Lord Althorpe, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Warburton, Colonel Torrens, and, alas! Mr. Robert Grant.

The Earl of Shrewsbury, one of the Romish peers, presented several petitions from Ireland, for a repeal of the Union;-for a participation in the education grants;-for reform; and against the Bible Societies.-Truly the Popish party

lose no time.

Lord John Russell moved on Friday, June 24, for leave to renew the Reform Bill for England and Wales. His Lordship stated that the Bill had undergone no material alteration, but that he should not enumerate the amendments, till he moved the going into a Committee. It transpired however in the course of his speech, that Leases of Seven years, at £50. rent, instead of Fourteen, as originally proposed, should give votes for Counties.

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