all the dear, good friends in Rochdale. Tell them I have, not a photograph likeness, but a thorough steel engraving of them all, and of all their kindnesses rivetted on my heart. I hope, dear Mr. Petrie is better. Remember me to him and to Mr. Kirsop and Mr. Hands. Good-bye, my dear Sir, Rev. S. S. Barton. THE following note is from the Rev. W. Griffith, of Kingston, Jamaica. It reports the progress made during the last three years in the Kingston Society. It will be seen that our brother has not laboured in vain. Indeed, to those who know all the circumstances connected with that station at the time of Mr. Griffith's appointment the success is most cheering and hopeful. Let us pray that his health may be restored, and his life long spared to labour in the Church and the world. Three years ago this day we landed in Jamaica. Since then, amid many things to discourage and some to cheer, I have been labouring to bring sinners to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. Although I have not seen all the success desirable, yet some have been persuaded to turn to God, and are now adorning the doctrine of God their Saviour in a holy life. I have an unshaken confidence in the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, and desire no higher honour on earth than to be permitted to proclaim it unto dying men. Upon my arrival here, owing to circumstances not now necessary to name, our Kingston Society was in a state of chronic disorganization. It was difficult to say who were and who were not members of the society. After the lapse of three months, at our Christmas Quarterly Meeting, we reported ninety members. Since then we have been steadily progressing; we have now one hundred and sixty members. Financially, matters have scarcely gone on so well; yet the average contributions of our members, as class pence alone, amount to one shilling and three pence per member per quarter. The real average of those who contribute is even greater, as we have over sixty members whose ages are from sixty to ninety years,and who from their extreme poverty can give nothing. This fact will also prevent us having any cɔn. siderable increase of members for some time to come, as many of them must in the inevitable course of events be shortly removed from us by death. We have now a number of young members, some of whom will we hope ultimately occupy positions of usefulness in the Church. Our efforts in the past have been mainly directed to the consolidation of the Church rather than to its numerical increase, with the desire of fitting it for future aggressive efforts upon the masses without. We have done this, believing that the work of a minister is not so much to labour in place of the Church, as to labour with it and direct its energies. The Christian Church can never be fully equal to all the demands upon it until it can command and direct every atom of mental and spiritual power within its circle. Since I last wrote to you, the health of Mrs. Griffith is much improved, though suffering from excessive debility. Recovery after a severe illness in tropical climates appears to be a slow process. I have myself, for the past three weeks, been very ill and under medical treatment. I got a very severe wetting three times in succession, whilst visiting Mr. Hyam's station. I did not feel much the worse for them at the time, but they brought on a sharp attack of fever, with other unfavourable symp toms, which kept me an unwilling prisoner at home two Sabbaths, Brother Penrose kindly taking my place. I am just now beginning to take my regular work, and with a little care all I trust will be well. Business in the island is very dull, and the severe drought of the past few months will I fear entail a great amount of suffering. The pimento crop is almost all lost, and the coffee crop has also suffered very much. It is upon these that the majority of the people depend. Many also of the sugar estates have been much injured. There is some prospect of cotton being cultivated here extensively, if two Yours very truly, Rev. S. S. BARTON. AUSTRALIA. We have received intelligence of the safe arrival of the Rev. J. Cromack and family at Melbourne, Victoria. They seem to have had a remarkable quick and pleasant voyage, having left Liverpool on the 8th of May, and landed at Melbourne on the 29th of July, being only eighty-one days from Liverpool. He was most kindly received by Mr. Bayley and the friends of the Melbourne Circuit, and after a short stay he left for Geelong, where he was met by the friends of that Circuit, who gave him a hearty welcome, and conducted him to a neat little house they had taken and furnished, after hearing of his arrival. He expresses himself as much pleased with the arrangements for his comfort, and has entered upon his work in full confidence of success. In a subsequent letter received from Mr. Cromack, dated September 25th, he says, "Since I wrote last we have been making some little progress. We have been extending our borders. When we came to Geelong there were only two places on the plan, one in Preston St. Ashby, the other at Kildare, both in the suburbs. We had no place in Geelong proper. But I am glad to inform you that a very good opening has presented itself. The Lessee of the People's Institute in Geelong has offered the use of that place on the Sabbath-day free of rent. But we told him we should prefer giving him a moderate rent, and to have a proper agreement. One has been drawn up containing the following points. 1st. That we have the sole and exclusive use of the place during each Sabbath-day. 2nd. That we pay as rent the sum of £1 per quarter for the first year; £1. 10s. for the second and third year: £2 10s. for the fourth and every succeeding year. 3rd. That we be at liberty to leave it at any time on giving one quarter's notice. It is a very neat place, having a platform and a gallery, and will seat about 400 per. sons. It is in a good situation. We opened it last Sunday, and had an excellent congregation. On Saturday afternoon I took about 150 small bills, announcing the opening of the place for Divine Worship, and distributed them from house to house in the immediate neighbourhood. We are now in the heart of the town, and intend to com. mence a Sunday School on next Lord's day. We have opened a new place at High. ton, about three miles from Geelong. We had a Tea Meeting there on a Mon day night, in connection with the opening services. All passed off very well, and several have been converted to God. We have service every Sunday afternoon on the wharf of the Geelong Bay, We have always a good company, and sometimes hundreds are present. It is the resort of all kinds of people, and these services have been of great use to our cause. We intend to bring it on the Plan as a permanent preaching place. Perhaps you are aware that we have a chapel at Moolap, about five or six miles from Geelong. It was shut up while Mr. Sayer was here, and has been closed about a year and a half. I have been over to see it, and have made arrangements for its reopening. Our congregations are much improved, and we shall have an increase of members this quarter, with some on trial. Things have been sadly neglected here. We ought to have a better position in Geelong than we have; but our prospects are cheering, and I have no doubt that with patient perseverance we shall soon be in a much better position. As for myself, I was never more able or more willing to work for God and our Connexion, than I am at present. All being well I am going to Ballarat to-morrow. I have to preach Anniversary Sermons there on Sunday, and lecture for the teetotalers on Monday. Our friends have a tea gathering on Tuesday, and in my next I may give you some particulars of my visit. May God bless us and prosper the work of our hands." Mr. Bayley, in a note received lately, says,— "But the best news, perhaps, is God has visited us at George Street. We hace a revival. It began last Sunday week. We had resolved to hold a week's revival services. That night I had the joy of seeing my third son come to the communion rail as a penitent, followed by ten or twelve others; and every night during the week we had as many more, or nearly so. Many it is true are very young, but it is nevertheless a great work. Last night (Monday) after our meeting at Windsor, Mr. Woods drove us back in time to take part in the Prayer Meeting, at which sixteen, mostly young, persons came to the communion rail. We cannot have had less than seventy or eighty altogether, but some belonged to other Churches; and many, as I said, are young (three of my own family among the number), but I will write you more the next month." SIERRA LEONE. Ir will be seen from the following short extract that the work is progressing in Western Africa : Mission House, Freetown, Rev. and Dear Sir, The mail arrived at this place on the 10th ultimo; but I am sorry to say we were disappointed in not receiving a letter from yourself; but, as we arrived at the conclusion that your silence arose from the pressure of business we made the best of our disappointment. I am very thankful to say, that my dear wife and myself are, at present, in very good health. We held our Circuit Quarterly Meeting on the 14th ultimo, and I am happy to report that our finances are in a very healthy con dition, considering the very long and trying wet season we have just passed through. True, we have been obliged to incur some rather heavy expenses in repairing the roofs of Samaria and Tabernacle Chapels, which will very nearly absorb the balance of last quarter; yet, considering we had at least sixty-five wet days out of the ninety, which would go to make up the quarter, I must confess I am very much gratified in finding there has been very little diminution in the amount of the class-pence received during that period. How many of our members contrived to find the money, when they were unable to do any kind of work for so many days together, I am certainly at a loss to know. During the past month I have been able to get through a good deal of hard work. What with the renewal of tickets, the holding of Love Feasts, the administration of the Lord's Supper, and the conducting of our regular Sabbath Day services, I have had some very long days. For all that, I am only too thankful that I have been able to get through them. Mrs. Our congregations are quite as numerous as they ever were. Brown, who, with the exception of an interval of nine months, has been well acquainted with their strength for four year past, is decidedly of opinion they were never, during that period, so large as they are now. We are, also, receiving additions to the number of our members. Among those who have joined us, within the past three months, has been a Mr. C. B. Bucknor, the cashier at the Custom House. Mr. B., up to the time of joining ourselves, was a member of the Maroon Church, but left that body in consequence of their being without a proper organiza tion. Mr. Thomas and myself are doing all we can towards bringing the students onward in their studies. Up to the present time, I have every reason to be satisfied with their atten tion and perseverance. Nor have I found any cause to find fault with their behaviour and conduct in other respects. We have re-commenced the work at Bethesda Chapel. Our collec tion among the members will amount, I hope, to about £120 or £130, and, if so, we shall be able to proceed with the roof, after we have finished the walls. You will be pleased to hear we are in the enjoyment of peace, and that we are not without some indication of prosperity. With kind regards to Mrs. Barton and family, in which Mrs. B. joins me, I remain, yours truly, J. BROWN. Rev. S. S. Barton. REV. S. S. BARTON, Foreign Missionary Secretary. ADAMS & KING, SEAM PRINTERS, 54, GOSWELL STREET, LONDON E.C. United Methodist Free Churches' MAGAZINE. www FEBRUARY, 1864. The Memorial-Metropolitan Chapel. TO THE MINISTERS, OFFICE BEARERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE UNITED METHODIST FREE CHURCHES. DEAR BRETHREN, In the month of November last, the Connexional Committee unanimously adopted a resolution devolving on us the making of an appeal to the United Methodist Free Churches in behalf of a Memorial Chapel in the centre of the City of London. It is, therefore, at the request of the Committee that we presume to address to you the following lines in relation to a scheme which has twice commanded the support of the Representatives of our Churches in the Annual Assembly. We need hardly state that this enlightened project has always had our warmest support. There are some enterprises which may be advocated on narrow and partial grounds, as highly expedient, that would utterly fail to command support if contemplated in their relation to more general interests. Now we believe this may be as successfully advocated on general as on local grounds. LONDON, as the grand centre of British commerce and the Metropolis of the British Empire, sustains more intimate and varied relations to mankind than any other city in the modern world. As our commerce exceeds that of any other nation, so London, as the centre of this commerce, stands unrivalled in this age of great civic communities; but after all, it is mainly from the vast Empire of which it is the Metropolis that London derives its unrivalled importance. There are a larger number of human beings, at this moment, who live under the British flag and enjoy the protection of British law, than ever before owned the sway of any civilized Power, whatever. Alexander's Empire was not so extensive, that of Cæsar Augustus had not so large and swarming a population. Since the extinction of the last sparks of mutiny in India, our "Island Queen" has been proclaimed EMPRESS over nearly two hundred millions of human |