elementary schools are so well maintained by the identical class of persons which is educated in them."

"There is another subject of congratulation which I must mention. It was the privilege of my immediate predecessor, during the brief period of his earnest and active administration of theEpiscopate, to admit to Holy Orders several of our African brethren, so that, on the present occasion, onehalf of the little band of Christ's ordained ministers I am permitted to address are natives of Africa-the children of the Mission church-the representatives of a future church, we hope, which will strike deep its roots into the vantage ground which has here been vouchsafed, and which will extend far its branches to embrace the neighbouring and more distant nations. And not only have we here the ordained ministers of the church of this part of Africa, but many of our fellow-helpers in the work, who, though not yet admitted to Holy Orders, are nevertheless discharging most important and solemn functions in watch ing over and instructing large and important congregations."

"There is, too, another cause for thankfulness, and especially so to myself, called now, for the first time, to address officially my assembled brethren, which I will not pass without notice. It is this. Here, whatever other evils we may labour under, we are free from those controversies which agitate and impede the action of the church at home, and in some of its more distant dioceses."

"Our best safeguard against these divisions is the deep conviction of the supreme authority and necessary sufficiency of the Word of God, and, at the same time, a conviction of the reality and power of the Spirit's work as a living agent in the spiritual state of man, and a personal experience of the power of saving grace in our own hearts-being on our guard against the yearning of the religious instinct of the natural man, which easily seeks and finds satisfaction in forms and ceremonies of various kinds, suited to act merely on the senses, and is ever prone to substitute formal religion for vital godliness."

"And not only are we spared the pain of these controversies within our Zion, but a friendly and charitable spirit is maintained with those other bodies of Protestant Christians who are, according to their views, labouring to promote the spiritual welfare of the people of this colony and on the coast."

"In the internal work of the church, then, the first duty that claims our attention is the building up of the people in their most holy faith. It is evident that much attention is necessary to the spiritual edification of the people. In some of the districts the large number of communicants (in one village amounting to 518, while in ten others the numbers vary from 100 to 400) requires the constant attention of the minister and catechist. The small knowledge many of these poorer people possess of the English language renders their instruction peculiarly difficult, and a work of much patience and care; while, from their number, it is difficult for the minister to have that personal knowledge of each which is especially needed in their actual state. To watch over and instruct each and all, from the dawning of their faith, or professed submission to the Christian religion, until they come to something of the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, is indeed a work requiring much grace, wisdom, and self-denial; and for the ultimate carrying on of this great work, the Church Missionary Society is beginning anxiously to look to the children of the church as planted here; and to the native ministry, as the agents in carrying on this work, the church in general will look, both as a proof of the reality of their Christian life, and for setting the mother church at liberty to make fresh advances on the kingdom of Satan. But in order to be well done, this matter must be cautiously proceeded with."

"It is a cause for thankfulness that the church is stirring itself to take up new fields of usefulness, and her doors are continually opening to us. The Mission to the Timnehş will be strengthened, and, I trust, an extensive system of itineration commenced. new detachment of pioneers is going forth to the Yoruba country."

A

they listened to the glad tidings of a Saviour. Many portions of God's word had found their way amongst them. There were native Christians to be met with here and there; and everywhere these wanderers, who had left their idols, and temples, and priests behind them, were more open to the preaching of the Gospel than in their own land, where they had been surrounded by all their superstitions. The good Bishop of Mauritius, who had but just arrived, was ready to give every help to the work; and we were soon able to send two Missionaries there from India, whose health had failed in that country, but who soon began to recover under the pleasant breezes of the little island in the sea. They have found the field of labour full of promise, of which their letters bear abundant evidence.

Take, for example, the following account of the welcome one of them received

I met," he says, "great encouragement in my recent tour in Savanne; but my progress was too hurried for me to make the most of the opening. At one estate I had a delighted audience, who would not let me leave. They brought me a stool, and sat round on the ground, listening eagerly, and now and then interrupting me with inquiries. One of them fetched a rupee from his house, and begged me to take it, and seemed quite grieved that I would not. He told me not to mind if it got dark, saying, We will carry you home on our shoulders. I found one Christian there with his wife and child. He had some small portions of Scripture, which he had brought with him."

Here, again, is an extract from a letter of the other Missionary labouring

there

"I find the means for getting at the people everywhere far greater than I expected, and it is a very rare thing to find any of them objecting to what is said.. My hope is to get schools supported by the planters, which could be done without any great sacrifice to them. In my own neighbourhood I still find the same good feeling in the camps I visit, but no other result as yet. I have not been able to visit each so frequently as I wish, or as I should if my attention were not called to other matters. The prison I still find a very promising field, and I go there as nearly as I can once in each week. I cannot say I have seen any deep impression made as yet upon the prisoners; but they sit round and listen to a lecture, or a Scripture history, and comments upon it, with riveted attention."

Let us give another peep at the Missionary at his work

"Walked in the morning to an adjoining estate, and explained my object to the manager, and afterwards passed to the camp. Found only a few stragglers They told there, and talked with them. me there were a great number of children, and that four or five of them were being taught by a schoolmaster after work in the evenings. The teacher was not present. One man asked me, in a low voice, if I would step into his house, and, when there, lifted a cloth from the ground, and showed me the body of a dead infant a few days old. He told me this was the third that had been born and died within a month of their birth. The mother was sitting on a high cot, in silent grief. This was a touching appeal for sympathy, and I said what I could to console them, telling them that we all had afflictions of this kind to suffer, because we are all sinners against God; but believers in the true religion, when they look upon the lifeless bodies of their babes, are comforted, and even rejoice in the midst of their sorrow, by remembering some precious words of the Gospel, which assure them that the soul of their beloved babe is happy with that Saviour who died for us all."

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How ought we to pity the poor idola ter! He has the same sorrows as our selves, but no sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life" to help him to bear them. What a striking contrast is presented to us in the following passage

"I visited some Hindus in the neighbourhood. I met some people from the north of Bengal, who were busy in loading a cart with wood. When I addressed them in their language, they stopped awhile their work, and after several questions were answered, I had an opportunity to tell them something of Jesus. I went a little further, and spoke with another Hindu, who said that he had, close to his house, his god. He led me to a house, in front of which I saw a long bamboo with a flag and a common plant of the jungles, which is generally worshipped by the Hindus, under the name of Tulshee-jar, so called in honour of the goddess Tulshee. The house itself had not the appearance of a a temple. As I was going towards the door the Hindu who had led me to this place said, "Sir, don't go nearer, the Brahmin who serves my god is inside." The Brahmin was ill with fever, but still he came out. I heard from hin that he was from Benares. His appear

ance was that of a Hindu fakir. Whilst I was speaking to him he opened the door of a small apartment in his verandah. I observed there three idols and a small brazen lamp, with the image of the goddess Lachmini. The wall around was covered with red cloth, so as to make it look well. As another proof of those people's ignorance