Bible Society was formed May 26, 1817, became highly important as the station for supplying the Scriptures to various people, from the Isles of the Archipelago to the banks of the Euphrates. These objects were promoted by the travels of the Revds. Messrs. Jowett, Connor, and Burckhardt.

The Calcutta Bible Society was this year distinguished by the completion of two editions of the New Testament, in three Asiatic languages, besides the Gospel of St. Matthew in a fourth—the Armenian, the Malay, the Hindoostanee, and the Bengalee. In the mean time, the Baptist missionaries of Serampore proceeded with their translations; and, having stated their estimate of the expense of the first 1,000 copies of each New Testament, at £500, W. Hey, Esq., of Leeds, formed the design of raising the amount for such an edition in twenty-six dialects in India; his death, however, prevented his making provision for more than three versions.

Drs. Morrison and Milne persevered in their labours, distributing copies of the Chinese New Testament among the millions of those Pagans, who had never before heard of the Holy Scriptures.

New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land continued to interest the friends of the Bible; and Tahiti now began to attract attention; as portions of the New Testament were translated by the missionaries for the converts on that island.

South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Abyssinia engaged the attention of the Society, to obtain for their people translations of the Scriptures.

America, from the coast of Labrador to the Bay

of Honduras and the West Indies, was favoured with many Bible Societies, and preparations were making to supply the people with the Word of God.

The American Bible Society proceeded with vigour, aided, now in its third year, by 192 auxiliaries; and it had already printed 105,270 Bibles and Testaments. The Philadelphia Bible Society acted independently, and had, in ten years, printed 87,825 copies of the Scriptures. The American Indians were not overlooked; for parts of the New Testament were now published in the Mohawk and Delaware languages, in hope that the "Indians would soon speak to their brother Indians, in their own tongue wherein they were born, the wonderful works of God." "

Contemplating the extensive progress of their blessed course, the Bible Society held its fifteenth anniversary meeting, reporting its receipts of £94,306 17s. 10d., of which £56,604 3s. 3d. were from the auxiliaries. The joyful assembly was addressed by his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and other eminent friends of the Bible, anticipating the period when " every knee shall bow to Christ, and every tongue confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

THE SIXTEENTH YEAR OF THE SOCIETY, 1819-1820.

EVERY year the British and Foreign Bible Society made progress both at home and abroad. Its auxiliaries in the united Kingdom, and its affiliated

Societies in other countries, continued to increase; its effects, therefore, were great and wonderful in every land. To give a history of them would require many volumes. We can notice, therefore, only the heads of the mighty organization.

The Societies in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Malta, proceeded with increased efficiency, aided by numerous auxiliaries. These blessed their several countries.

In the East, the Calcutta Bible Society and the Societies at Madras, Bombay, and Ceylon, advanced also in their useful career. The Baptist Missionaries at Serampore persevered with extraordinary zeal, in the translating and printing of the Scriptures.

In China, Drs. Morrison and Milne were silently progressing in their work of translating and distributing of the Scriptures in the Chinese. Their labours were rewarded.

New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land were opening important fields for the Bible Society; and the work of translating the Sacred Book was going forward in the South Sea Islands, where the converts to Christ had become numerous.

British America opened large fields of labour for the Society, especially New Brunswick and Upper Canada.

The American Bible Society proceeded with great vigour and efficiency, aided by 207 auxiliaries, and with funds so ample, as to decline the grant of £500 offered by the Parent Society in London. This was done with the warmest expressions of Christian

affection for the Committee, by the Secretary, Dr. Mason.

The West Indies offered openings for the circulation of the Scriptures among British colonists and those of other nations.

Domestic proceedings, as reported by the Auxiliary and Branch Societies and Associations, though the state of the country, commercially and politically, was not satisfactory, were such as to inspire confidence and to encourage hope; while the funds were ample, the receipts being £92,733 6s. 7d., the grants were £22,887 1s. 2d. and the copies of the Scriptures issued from the Repository, in the year, were

Among the more remarkable occurrences of this year may be noticed the continued opposition of the Court of Rome to the circulation of the Catholic Scriptures in Bavaria and part of Switzerland. But Professor Van Ess persevered, so that in less than four years, he and his agents distributed, chiefly in Switzerland and Germany, 350,414 copies of the Scriptures.

For a more detailed account of these benevolent operations in the service of Christ, inquirers must refer to the Report of the Parent Society, with the Appendix.

The sixteenth annual meeting was held on the 3rd

of May, addressed by the President, by his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, the Bishop of Salisbury, Earl Harrowby, the Rev. W. Ward, one of the Baptist Missionaries of Serampore, presenting to the Society translations of different parts of the Scriptures, in various languages, by the Rev. Dr. Adam Clark, Admiral Lord Gambier, and other well-known friends of the Bible, all rejoicing in the favour of God to this honoured Institution.

THE SEVENTEENTH YEAR OF THE SOCIETY, 1820-1821.

INCESSANT labour appears in the progress of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The various affiliated Societies in Europe also maintained a steady devotedness to the noble work. Auxiliary Societies in France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Prussia, and Russia, especially the latter two, were numerous, and the effects of them were highly serviceable to the cause of the Scriptures.

In the islands of the Mediterranean and the Levant, there was much to encourage Christian effort; as the Scriptures were called for in Italian, Modern Greek, Arabic, and other languages.

The Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras Bible Societies appeared every year more interesting, especially the two former, publishing revised editions of many versions of the Scriptures in various dialects of the East. The Serampore Missionaries, in their "Seventh Memoir of Translations," published December 1, 1820, state: