tures; and 3,852 copies on behalf of the American Bible Society. The ecclesiastical authorities in Finland being favourable to the Bible, and the people being very poor, the Committee in London, engaged to provide for the printing of 25,000 copies of the New Testament. The agency at Stockholm persevered in circulating the Scriptures; so that 3,540 Bibles, and 9,343 Testaments were issued during the past year, in Swedish and Finnish. By the agency of Christiania in Norway, there were issued 435 Bibles, and 2,827 Testaments, besides others issued at Bergen, Christiansand, Drontheim, and Stavanger. The Danish Society issued in the year, 510 Bibles, and 3,330 Testaments; and the Sleswick Holstein, 3,189 copies of the Scriptures.

Portugal, Spain, and Italy offer but few openings for the Scriptures. Such, however, are embraced; though obstacles of every description increase in number and intensity every day.

In Malta, the Bible cause still flourishes, and the Rev. Mr. Reeves reports, that from the depôt at Athens, he had issued almost 18,000 copies of the Scriptures, of which, 16,143 were in the Greek language, and 4,824 purchased by the American Missionary, the Rev. Mr. King. Mr. Barker, of Smyrna, issued from that city and from the depôt at Constantinople, 8,247 copies of the Scriptures, besides 400 volumes in Persia, and a number of German and Russian Scriptures, in South Russia.

India still presented a vast field for sowing the word of God; and the Committee engaged Dr.

Hæberlin, as their depository at Calcutta, superintending the printing of the Scriptures in several languages.

The accounts from Madras were most encouraging. One friend had distributed 10,000 copies of the Gospels in the Tamil; and the total number issued from the depository in the year, was 50,372 copies of the Scriptures.

Encouraging reports also were received from Bombay, Colombo, Jaffna, and Singapore. From Malacca, 18,164 volumes of the Scriptures were circulated by the Rev. Messrs. Dyer and Evans; and six native Christian evangelists, educated in the College, have acted as Chinese missionaries, circulating the Scriptures among their countrymen.

Zealous efforts were still made in favour of the Bible in New South Wales, and Van Dieman's Land. The Rev. Mr. Nott having superintended the printing of his translation of the Bible in the Tahitian language, returned to the South Seas, carrying with him a supply of the Scriptures, after having been permitted to present a copy, handsomely bound, to Her Majesty.

Various Missionary Stations in South Africa indicated the fruit of their possessing the Scriptures; and progress was made in the Sechuana translation by the Rev. R. Moffat.

Western Africa was still benefited by the Scriptures; and the Rev. Mr. Ewald, Jewish Missionary at Tunis, reports the circulation of more than 5,000 copies of the Word of God in the year.

Some new openings were found for the Scriptures

in South America, especially at Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, and Honduras.

The American Bible Society held on its noble course, amid pecuniary difficulties, reporting its receipts as 85,676 dollars, and its issues as 658,298 copies of the Scriptures.

For the purpose of furthering the Bible cause in British North America, the Committee engaged the Rev. J. Thomson to visit its Auxiliaries and Branch Societies, the details of which show its importance to the Canadas, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Of equal importance was the visit to the West Indies, by Mr. Wheeler, in promoting the objects of the Bible Society.

The domestic operations are too numerous to detail, in the increase of Auxiliaries, Branches, and Associations; the reduction in the prices of Bibles and Testaments; the grants of the Scriptures to the London City Mission and to Ireland; and in the refutation of the serious charges made against the Committee by the Trinitarian Bible Society, of circulating corrupt translations of the Scriptures in French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The latter especially was selected; but, in justification of themselves, the Committee admit the imperfections of those translations, and also of the English versions; and they remark, "Great as may be the variations between the English and the Portuguese, or any other version circulated by the Society, they all teach substantially the same truth; they set forth the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost. They all

proclaim who and what the Saviour is-His proper Deity-His one great sacrifice for sin-His intercession with the Father-His coming again to judgment-man's guilt, condemnation, and helplessness -the Holy Spirit's grace, power, and work. The Pope and the whole Roman Catholic hierarchy know and feel that these various versions are the Word of God; they know and they feel that they do bring light among the people; they feel that these various versions cut like a two-edged sword.' The Bull published in 1824 cannot be forgotten; nor yet the official documents published in France and Belgium for Lent, 1838. Why were these documents issued? Why has this hostility ever raged in that quarter against the Bible Society? Why, but because the versions of Rome are equal, in the hand of God, to the task of leading men to see the errors in which they have been entangled, and to acknowledge the duty of renouncing them?"*

The Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Bible Society was held May 1, 1832, when it was reported that the receipts for the year had been to the amount of £105,255 2s. 11d.; that the grants had amounted to £39,220 18s. 5d., including 38,548 Loan Testaments, with the Psalms, to the London City Mission, &c., and 13,600 Bibles and 46,800 Testaments to the schools and the poor of Ireland; that the issues from London were 205,096 Bibles and 211,909 Testaments, total 417,015; and, on the Continent, 37,773 Bibles and 203,019 Testaments, a grand total of 658,068 copies of the Scriptures.

*Bible Society's Report for 1839,

p. cxxvii.

The assembly was addressed by the President, Lord Bexley, the Bishops of Winchester and Vermont, Marquis Cholmondeley, Lord Glenelg, Lord Mountsandford, Chevalier Bunsen, Prussian Ambassador, Rev. Dr. Patton, of New York, Rev. J. Martin, of Bordeaux, Rev. J. Jackson, Rev. J. Ely, Rev. J. Nicholson, and Rev. G. Browne.

THE THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR OF THE SOCIETY,
1839-1840.

HARMONY in the deliberations of the Committee, and increased esteem for each other, prevailed among them during this year; while the revenue was larger than in any former period, and greater were the issues of the Scriptures. Contemplating this prosperity as the gift of God, they felt constrained to exclaim, "Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within us bless his holy name."

In France the work increased, by the issue from the depôt in Paris of 137,097 copies of the Scriptures. This result was beheld with astonishment and delight, especially as 97,994 copies were sold by seventy-two colporteurs.

In Germany, Dr. Pinkerton issued 55,442 copies of the Scriptures, to places on the Continent, and their effects were an improvement in the spiritual condition of many, recovered from sin, and from popular Neology. He made three efficient journeys on behalf of the Bible Society, into Baden, the Palatinate, Nassau, Prussia, Mecklenburg, Saxony,