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which purpose Mr. Paterson promoted the formation. of a Society at Stockholm, aided by a grant of £300 from the British Society. Reports of the most pleasing kind were received from the German colonies on the Wolga, to whom 400 Bibles and 200 Testaments had been sent by the Society in England. These were prized as invaluable treasures.

While the Society was required to proceed with caution among the nations subject to the policy of the French despot, large editions of the English and Welsh Scriptures were printed off for our own people, and editions were issued in the Portugese, the Italian, the ancient and modern Greek, the Dutch, and the Danish. The latter was especially designed for 2,782 Danish prisoners of war in England; and both were intended to supply the wants of many in the Dutch and Danish colonies, both in the East and West Indies, which had now all fallen under the dominion of Britain. The Spanish prisoners of war also, when released to join the patriot standard against the French, were supplied, on embarking for their native land, each with a copy of the New Testament, to the number of 775. With like liberality, in January, 1802, when part of Junot's army was driven by foul weather into Penzance, French Testaments were distributed among the soldiers by one of the Committee, W. H. Hoare, Esq.

Joyful information was now received by the Committee that American Christians had entered into this godlike labour by the establishment of a Bible Society in Philadelphia, December 12th, 1808. The origin of this institution its first address ascribes "to

the example offered, and the efforts made, by the British and Foreign Bible Society."

Since to Great Britain belongs the honour of producing the Philadelphia Bible Society, Philadelphia may claim the honour of having set the first example of a Bible Society in the United States. The Committee in London immediately voted the sum of £200 to this transatlantic auxiliary, to urge its directors onward in their great work, urging them to "hold out the Sacred Scriptures in their naked simplicity, as a rallying point to the several denominations of Christians in the American Union; and to reckon, in the prosecution of this glorious work, upon the blessing of God, the prayers of all good men, and the cordial co-operation of the British and Foreign Bible Society."

Glasgow, London and Birmingham, had already formed "Associations" in aid of the funds of the Bible Society; but now, the town of Reading gave the first example of a regular "Auxiliary Bible Society." This was formed at a public meeting in the Town Hall, March 28, 1809, chiefly through the influence of the Rev. Dr. Valpy and the Rev. Archdeacon Nares, with the Bishop of Salisbury as President. On the 30th of the same month another Auxiliary was formed in "the Bible Society of Nottingham and its Vicinity."

These important movements indicating the growing disposition of the community to increase the resources of the Bible Society, it was deemed proper to notice them in the General Report. This states:"Your Committee are so deeply impressed with the

advantage which must result to the interests and usefulness of the British and Foreign Bible Society from such establishments, that they earnestly recommend the precedents furnished by the 'Birmingham Association,'' the Reading Auxiliary Society,' and 'the Bible Society of Nottingham and its Vicinity,' to the consideration of such towns throughout the kingdom as may be disposed to promote the object of the Institution.""

This cause had been taken up in Ireland; but its two Bible Societies, at Dublin and at Cork, could be auxiliaries only in the distribution of the Scriptures. They needed aid from England. In the Report of the Hibernian Bible Society, read at the General Meeting in Dublin, November 14, 1808, the Committee say, "A very general desire to purchase and read the Bible prevails in Ireland; and yet in several parts of the country, the Bible cannot be obtained, at least, by the lower classes. A letter from a clergyman, in a very populous district of the North of Ireland, stated, that in his neighbourhood, the Bible could not be procured for any money."

The Cork Report states, "The amount of subscriptions and donations has been very considerable; among which is most thankfully acknowledged the liberal grant of £100, voted in aid of our funds by the British and Foreign Bible Society. Since the beginning of July last, your Committee have procured from the Repository in London, 618 Bibles, and 1,108 New Testaments; and an ample supply of large Bibles and Testaments, for which there seems to be a great demand, has been ordered from London

and Edinburgh, A number of Bibles and Testaments have been given, by a vote of the Committee, to the unhappy convicts who sailed in the last fleet for Botany Bay.

Several noble contributions were this year added to the funds of the Bible Society. "The liberality displayed by the Presbytery of Glasgow in 1806, when a sum of £888 1s. 6d. was poured into the treasure of the Institution was again roused into action; and the Presbytery unanimously appointed an ANNUAL collection to be made in all the churches and chapels within its bounds, on or before the last Sabbath of July." A splendid offering was also presented of £1,300, the aggregate of collections made in the several congregations in the connection of the late Rev. John Wesley. This munificent donation was made through the Rev. Dr. Adam Clarke, who rendered essential literary services to the Bible Society.

Along the tide of extraordinary prosperity, the Bible Society was carried in triumph to the celebration of its Fifth Anniversary, with gratifying prospects of contributing to advance the welfare of mankind in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

THE SIXTH YEAR OF THE SOCIETY, 1809-1810. HITHERTO, during five years, the Bible Society had steadily progressed, supported chiefly by individuals, zealous to disseminate the Holy Scriptures. But in this year, a new era dawned upon it, in the forma

tion of Auxiliary Associations, in different parts of kingdom.

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne Auxiliary to the British and Foreign Bible Society" arose March 30th, 1809; "Edinburgh Bible Society was instituted July 31st; "East Lothian" on the 4th of October; and "Leeds on the 25th. "Exeter" arose on the 8th of December, and closed the list of Auxiliaries for 1809. "Manchester and Salford" stood forth on the 4th of January, 1810; and "Kendal" was formed on the 5th of the same month. "Bristol' was signalized on the 1st of February; on the 5th, that of "Sheffield ;" and on the 19th, that of "Leicester." "Hull," on the 4th of April, made the eleventh Auxiliary Society formed previously to the sixth Anniversary of the Parent Society.

Various influences led to the formation of these Associations: but they were all agreed in the rule of each, thus generally expressed,-"That the object, the constitution, and proceedings of the British and Foreign Bible Society, have the cordial approbation of this meeting."

Referring to the operations of the Bible Society, that of Bâsle may be first noticed. By the aid

.which its directors derived from the Parent Committee, they printed a second and third edition of the German Bible, and stocked their depository with Bibles and Testaments, for which there was an increasing demand in the Southern provinces of France, by Catholics, as well as Protestants. This Society printed also an edition, early in 1810, of the New Testament in Romanese, for the mountaineers

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