was calculated to supply the demand, you will be able to judge by the following letters. The first is written by a clergyman in the county of Cardigan, and dated Dec. 20, 1804: it runs thus. "Some time since I received a letter from the British and Foreign Bible Society. I made the contents of it known to my parishioners, who were exceeding happy to hear of the glorious undertaking. Let me inform you, that I am a minister of two extensive but poor parishes; and many a poor family here have not a Bible in their house. The last Oxford edition was disposed of before I was informed of it. I applied to Dr. Gaskin* for some quantity of Welsh Bibles; his answer was, that they were all gone; that there were only 10,000 printed, and that 20,000would not answer half the demand." The next letter is from a beneficed clergyman in Montgomeryshire, dated Feb. 6, 1805. "The representation of your correspondent from Wales I could easily corroborate, were it necessary. A large district in this neighbourhood could not obtain one of the late Oxford edition: and the expressions of regret among the people on that account were truly affecting. That Welsh Bibles are scarce, need not be wondered at, when, according to my best information, the last century produced only four editions in that language within the reach of the poor." You have seen the confession of Dr. Gaskin, that Bibles were very much wanted; I have further to state, that applications were distinctly made for a supply. Early in the year 1800, the Society was * The date of this application was in the year 1800. See Appendix A. importuned upon the subject, through the medium of Dr. Gaskin, and by an English Bishop, but in vain*. A friend of the clergyman whose letters I insert in the Appendix, called " on Dr. Gaskin, to ask if they had any intention of publishing another edition; the answer was, No, we have not.'" In 1802, the same clergyman writes, "I have repeatedly tried the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, through the medium of my friends, men of influence, and found that no further help is to be expected from them now t;" so that the clergy and the laity alike despaired of obtaining Bibles," without resorting to new and extraordinary means ‡." About this period, the Rev. Mr. Charles, of Bala, formerly, I believe, a clergyman of the Church of England, but now connected with the Dissenters, happened to be in London. In common with many of the clergy, he had deeply lamented the deplorable want of Bibles which prevailed throughout the principality; and, like them, was anxious to procure a supply. This subject, therefore, was frequently discussed among individuals connected both with the church and with Dissenters; and it was determined, since there was no hope of assistance from the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, to try what ressources could be found among themselves. The minds of men were enlarged by the frequent recurrence of the topic, and they ventured first to wish, and then to believe, that their charity ९ * See Appendix A. Lord Teignmouth, p. 11. † Appendix A. might have a more extensive operation: it was deemed practicable to establish a society, which should not exhaust its efforts merely upon Wales, but which might carry the Scriptures even into distant lands. The excellence of such an institution was obvious; and were it not for some later occurrences, I should have said undeniable. Many respectable churchmen, who had before paid little attention to the subject, were now willing to lend their assistance. In March 1804, the Society was formed; and by the recommendation of the late Bishop of London, a prelate of the most fervent zeal for the glory of God, Lord Teignmouth was prevailed upon to accept the office of President. It appears, then, that the Bible Society was not formed for the supply of Welsh Bibles: it took, almost from the very moment of its first projection, a much wider range: and the distresses of Wales were only so far connected with its history, as they led to the discussions which terminated eventually in its establishment. The supposition that the Members of the Church of England were not equally sensible of the want of Bibles with the Dissenters, is a supposition alike invidious and unfair. On the contrary, the letters already produced, are a proof that they also deeply felt and lamented their deplorable and desperate case. The Bible Society was formed, then, for the distribution of the Scriptures, not merely in Wales, but throughout every quarter of the habitable globe. The attention of its members, however, was naturally directed, in the first instance, to their own neighbourhood; and on the 9th of April, 1804, "a Sub-Committee was appointed, for the purpose of inquiring into the best means by which the Society might be supplied with the Holy Scriptures in the English, Welsh, and Irish languages." In September it was "resolved, on the recommendation of this Sub-Committee, that 20,000 Welsh Bibles, duodecimo, nonpareil type; and 5,000 Welsh Testaments, duodecimo, brevier letter, be printed; the Bibles not to exceed two shillings and three-pence in sheets, with the usual allowance; and the New Testaments not to exceed nine-pence each in sheets." The attention and zeal, displayed by Mr. Charles*, naturally led to several communications with him. about the intended edition. It was well known, that the edition, issued in 1799, by the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, contained many mistakes; and by the direction of the Committee of the Bible Society, Mr. Charles was requested to examine it carefully, and to mark, on an interleaved Bible, the corrections which he judged necessary: the Bible, thus interleaved, was to be sent up to London for the judgment of the Committee. Mr. Charles was indefatigable in his labours. "I have particularly examined," said he, "every word, every letter, and every stop: I have compared eight different impressions together in the Welsh language, and three in English, deemed correctt." He proposed some alterations in the spelling: in that he only fol * This gentleman had collected, in less than one year, one thousand nine hundred pounds for the objects of the Society; and he was commissioned by many of the Welsh, whose contributions he had received, to procure Bibles for them. + See Appendix B. lowed the example which the Society in Bartlett's Buildings had set him, as they too had introduced into the Oxford edition of 1799 several deviations from the orthography of former editions. In addition to these proposed changes in the spelling, the correction of obvious errors and certain typographical improvements were literally the only alterations ever suggested by Mr. Charles. In Appendix D, I have given a full account of them from his own statement. I must not omit to mention, that the Bishop of Bangor was all this time making great exertions in his diocese in favour of the Society; a paper, containing the plan of the institution, the Bishop had sent to the Rural Deans, and he instructed them, at the same time, to solicit benefactions for it. Towards the close of the year 1804, the report of the proposed change in the orthography having alarmed the Rev. Mr. Roberts, a Welsh clergyman, who had been employed in correcting the edition of 1799 for the Society in Bartlett's Buildings; he lost no time in stating his fears to Dr. Gaskin, the Secretary of that Society. Dr. Gaskin wrote on the subject to the Bishop of London, and a Correspondence* was opened, which immediately led, on the part of the Bible Society, to the appointment of a Sub-Committee, to whom the matter was referred. The Report of the Sub-Committee, with other communications relating to this question, you will find in Appendix C. No. 20. To the whole of that Appendix I request your particular attention. The documents contained in * See the Letters in Appendix C. |