PROSPERITY OF RELIGION IN SEVERAL CIRCUITS. HELSTON, Cornwall-Extract of a Letter, dated August 14, 1823.-"In the Helston Circuit, for the two years past, the pleasure of the LORD hath prospered in the hands of his servants; and more than four hundred persons have, we believe, become the subjects of a work of grace in their hearts, leading them to make a public profession of religion. The number in the Society in 1821 was 880; it is now 1110, and about 160 are on trial. There is scarcely a Society in the Circuit, where the Leaders have heartily co-operated with the Preachers, in which the work of grace has not prospered. In Helston, the Leaders met together once a week, at five o'clock in the morning, for prayer and communion with each other; which was made a great blessing to them. Some indescribably affecting scenes have occurred, during this revival of religion; parents with open arms embracing their once disobedient children, who were turned to the wisdom of the just ;-some whole and large families brought into the household of faith, and rejoicing together in hope of the glory of God ;others, hoary-headed sinners, deeply and powerfully convinced of sin, and obtain ing mercy in the mines where they pursued their daily occupation;-and persons at the plough so blessed, during their labour, with a sense of the pardoning love of GOD, that the lanes and fields resounded with the praises of the LORD. This has not been the work of a week or a month, but has proceeded gradually through the last two years; and still the glory is not departed from us.' May all the praise be given to Him who thus accomplishes the work of faith with power.' WOLSINGHAM, Durham.-Extract of a Letter, dated January 20th, 1824. "The LORD is carrying on a gracious work in this Circuit. Our congregations are much increased in almost every place; and our number of members in Society is nearly doubled since the last Conference. In one place, the number then was twenty-two; now it is upwards of fifty. In another, there were twenty-two Members; there are now 119. In another, only about three miles from the former, there were 148; but there are now upwards of 350. In other parts of the Circuit, the LORD is pouring out his SPIRIT upon the people, and they are both growing in grace, and increasing in number. Many of the oldest members, who have witnessed several gracious visitations from the LORD, say, that they never saw any thing equal to this. It is evidently a work of GoD, with but little of that noise and confusion, which are some times connected with extraordinary revivals. The good work is still going on, and we hope will not stop until the inhabitants of the whole dale are converted to God." REDRUTH, Cornwall.-Extract of a Letter, dated January 21st.—" The LORD has made bare his holy arm in this Circuit. About two hundred persons profess to have been brought to GOD within a very short time. The work is still going on. Sinners of all ages, from ten years to seventy, are asking, "What must I do to be saved?' Glory be to GOD in the highest!" : We have also the pleasure to report, that from several other Circuits we hear good tidings of increased prosperity, as the result of special visitations of the HOLY SPIRIT; and that in various places where nothing peculiar or uncommon has appeared in the manner of the divine operation, the work of GoD is nevertheless making a blessed progress, in the gradual but steady and very considerable increase of the Societies, by the accession of persons, many of whom, there is reason to believe, have "joined themselves unto the LORD," as well as "to his people, by his will."-In the London North and East Circuit, the net increase of Members in the last quarter only was upwards of 100 and an addition of like amount was found in the London South Circuit. The net increase in the Three London Circuits during the last year was 553. This is one instance, out of many, of the extension of God's Work among us, which sooner or later results, by the divine blessing, from judicious and well-timed Divisions of Circuits. That some Circuits have been divided improperly and prematurely, we admit and lament. But we equally lament the sweeping declamations in which some have indulged against all Divisions, however called for by the large numbers and improving resources of the existing Societies; which ought, on every rational and scriptural ground, to receive an addition of pastoral care for themselves, and to undertake additional enterprises for the spiritual benefit of their respective vicinities,-on a scale proportioned, in some tolerable degree, to their augmented numbers and means of pecuniary exertion. Such prejudiced opposition to the tried and instituted methods of doing and getting good, is, in our opinion, however well-meant, as erroneous in principle, as it is unquestionably mischievous in policy and effect,-if we are to judge of what is likely to be beneficial in future by our general and almost unvarying experience of the past. Relating principally to the FOREIGN MISSIONS carried on under the direction of the METHODIST CONFERENCE. CEYLON MISSION. THE following extract of a letter from MR. ENGLAND, appointed to Madras, states his arrival at the island of Ceylon. It is dated Colombo, Aug. 15th, 1823. UNDER the guardianship of a gracious Providence, I have been preserved from the dangers of the trackless deep, and was conducted to this island in safety and in health, on the 15th of July. Finding the brethren of the Southern District assembled in their special District Meeting, I was gratified by receiving from them, personally, the most affectionate congratulations; and was advised by them to remain on the island a few weeks, to visit the stations in the District. Had my own judgment disapproved of the measure, I should have felt it my duty to have yielded to that of my brethren; as their experience entitled them to deference. Brother M'KENNY kindly sacrificed his own domestic comfort, to accompany me on the journey. We left Colombo for Matura, taking in all the intermediate stations: and the encouragement I derived from seeing the triumphs of the Gospel in a heathen land, (where Heathenism was so deeply rooted as it has been in Ceylon,) with the instruction I received from marking the ability and diligence of the brethren in their work, will unitedly operate on my mind, so as to render me a more efficient Missionary than though I had been several years on any one station. Two things were deeply impressed on my mind by visiting the different stations,-the advantages of keeping up a personal intercourse with the people, and the necessity of a vigilant superintendance, especially of the schooldepartment. As far as my observation extended, in proportion as these are diligently observed, so exactly does a station prosper. I shall endeavour to make these leading principles in my Missionary labour; for which, since my appointment to it, I have had the most decided preference, a preference which has been considerably increased since my arrival in India. On Wednesday next I purpose leaving Colombo for Jaffna, taking Negombo in my road; and shall with all speed make my way to Madras. WEST INDIAN MISSIONS. BARBADOES. Of the disgraceful and unprovoked outrage which issued in the destruction of our Chapel, and Mission-House, with its furniture, and MR. SHREWSBURY'S Library, in Bridgetown, mentioned in our last, we have received additional particulars in a Letter from MR. SHREWSBURY; and also copies of certain inflammatory Hand-Bills, which, more than any thing we can say, exhibit the pitiable ignorance and violence of the unhappy men who engaged in the riot, or incited others to it. MR. SHREWSBURY's real Letter, referred to in our last, as the ostensible cause of all this blind and vindictive uproar, we find, is now disowned; and another, which never had any existence at all, but in the imagination of men deluded by their own passions, is alleged: and this rumour, it appears, from the remarks of a newspaper, has reached this country. It is there stated that a different letter from that of March 28th, 1820, was the document which produced the mischief. No letter from MR. SHREWSBURY, but that bearing the date just stated, was ever published by the Committee, or by himself, which enters at large into the moral character of the inhabitants; and this was the letter from which garbled extracts were made in one of the Barbadoes papers. It seems, however, that it was thought less troublesome, or more to their purpose, for the instigators of that riot to invent the tale of another letter, than to read the real one; and to the mob at Barbadoes the description of another mob mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles may well be applied:"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly was confused, and the most part knew not wherefore they were come together."-This only is to be excepted in the case of the Barbadoes mob, that having been summoned to meet, by a public hand-bill published the day before, to destroy the Chapel, they knew this at least, that they were come together to do mischief. The whole affair is an additional reason why that colony should have a large share in our sympathies, our prayers, and our exertions; and the return of good for this evil, which our friends will, we trust, enable us, by their liberal subscriptions, to make to these people, will be the employment of additional means to diffuse among them the spirit of the Gospel. Several respectable Gentlemen and Clergymen of that island have been exceedingly friendly to our Mission there; and they, as well as many others, we doubt not, greatly regret and loudly condemn the outrage. Even many of the active rioters themselves, led on by bad and designing men, must, if they have any right feeling or conscience, blush, upon reflection, to have been guilty of persecuting a most innocent and praise-worthy man; a man entitled, as the whole spirit of his letters will show, to their respect, and not their hostility. Letter from MR. SHREWSBURY, dated St. Vincent's, Oct. 29th, 1823. You will have probably received, by the time this reaches you, a former letter of mine sent from Barbadoes, in which I mentioned the persecutions and afflictions which had befallen us in that island, that the Chapel was demolish ed, and that I was obliged to flee for my life. I now purpose to give you the fullest information on these subjects, together with such additional facts as have come to my knowledge since I left the island. of them I received expressions of kindness and attention on several occasions. While every thing seemed to betoken the growing prosperity of the Mission, a storm was gathering at a distance, which has at length burst over our heads. It is well known that Methodism has never been popular in Barbadoes. From the beginning, the Mission in that colony has had to struggle with vast difficulties. But when the new and respectable Chapel was finished in 1819, there was a fair prospect of good; the congregations were large; and, when compared with the conduct of the audience in former years, their behaviour was serious, attentive, and devout. It was in February, 1820, I first went to Barbadoes; and, although I always had many enemies, and was frequently annoyed by thoughtless persons in the exercise of my ministry, yet had I much fewer trials of this kind to endure than my predecessors. The Society considerably increased; the congregations were composed of the poor, the middling class of people, and frequently of some persons of great respectability in life; a Missionary Society was formed, and its prospects were highly flattering; the Clergy were our friends, and from some Passing over the scoffs and sneers which fell to my lot daily in Barbadoes for more than three years, it is now about three months since the hatred of the carnal mind began to manifest itself in a more violent manner. In the public streets I was frequently abused as a villain in open day, not by mere rabble, but by the great vulgar, by merchants from their stores, or individuals in the garb of gen tlemen, whom I accidentally met. Nor was the press unemployed; not only were the Methodists, as a body, spoken of as a people highly dangerous to the community, but I was also particularly alluded to, by the name of Mr. Rueful, as one who was secretly undermining the West India interests, while I seemed in my preaching and my conduct to be a saint. But I was as a deaf man who heard not. I determined to regard the Apostle's words, "By well doing, put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." They had known my life upwards of three years, and they knew that I had lived "holily and unblamably amongst them;" and I hoped, by patiently and meekly bearing ill, to constrain even mine adversaries to acknowledge influence,-not to mention that several influential characters made no scruple to aid and abet the practices they would have been ashamed personally to engage in. Hence my offer of £30 reward was made a sport of; and a certain low character was employed to go singing about the streets a kind of ballad or song, turning into ridicule the whole of my efforts to bring the offenders to justice. I now clearly saw there was no chance of my bringing the guilty to legal punishment: in fact, some said, that if I found out the individuals, if they were on the jury, they would rather die than bring them in guilty. Meeting thus with general countenance, our enemies almost hourly increased both in strength and number; and many who had never wanted the inclination, but the courage, to oppose us in our worship, now came forward to swell the ranks of the ungodly. I wholly omit the vexations we met with during the week, and come to notice the proceedings of the following Sabbath, October 12th. While in my study, a brother came and forewarned me that that evening much was designed against us; and, just before I went down stairs, a second messenger came, and full of fear, informed me, that "trouble was near at hand." I felt concerned chiefly for my dear wife, as any fright or alarm might have cost her her life. Having resolved to go into the pulpit, and commit myself to the care of God, I could not persuade her to keep from the chapel; she therefore was placed in the vestry. As I came down from the dwelling-house, and entered the side-door of the chapel, the sight was really intimidating. Without the chapel, and throughout the whole length of the street, there was an immense concourse of people, some " breathing out threatenings and slaughter," and others merely lookers on: within the chapel, besides a fine congregation of my regular and serious hearers, there were planted all around the pulpit, and by the pulpit-stairs, from twenty to thirty of the gentlemen-mob, apparently ready for any mischief, when those without should make a beginning. My heart feared a little while singing the first hymn; "Thou, JESU, thou, my breast inspire," &c.; but in prayer my heart was enlarged, and my fear was gone. Just as we arose from prayer, two men, wearing masks, and having swords and pistols, came galloping down the street, and, presenting their pistols opposite the door, they fired; but only one pistol went off, and that discharged its contents, not within the door amongst the congregation, but without beside the window, so that the that from my principles and practice M men planted round the pulpit were completely disappointed; for it seems the design was to have fired crackers amongst the females, to set their clothes on fire, when advantage would have been taken of 'the confusion to have wreaked their vengeance on me. It also providentially happened that evening, that two military gentlemen were at the chapel, and their servants were outside on their horses. As the masked gentlemen came riding hard down the street, one of the horses began to prance, and threw the servant right against the foremost man, whom he seized; but he instantly presented the pistol to his breast, saying, "You are a dead man, if you do not quit your hold." Of course he suffered him to escape. Meantime the second masked gentleman passed and fired, when the other officer's servant pursued him through the town; while the one who had been for a moment seized, pursued the servant, and made three blows at him with the sword, but missed every time, so that one unarmed man was between the two who were armed. Finding he could not seize the man before him, he, with great dexterity, pulled up his horse as he turned a corner, and laid hold of the bridle of the horse behind him, which threw the man who was masked from his horse, and threw the horse also, so that he rolled upon the man, and injured his side; but, while the brave servant was securing him, the other came up to his help, so that, standing no chance against two armed men, he could only lay hold of his hat, which he rode away with, and brought to me the next morning. Had it not been for this unexpected and spirited pursuit, I am persuaded those men would have returned, and others with them, and would have fired their pistols repeatedly, till they had effected their design. As it was, when the pistol which went off had discharged its powder against the jalousie-window, and caused a momentary blaze, some voices from without cried, "Fire! fire!"-but a member of Society, who was stationed at the door, with great presence of mind ran in, and said, It is only a cracker, do not be alarmed." The murmur subsided; I gave out my second hymn, and preached with considerable enlargement and freedom from 1 Cor. i. 22-24; having previously determined that, as it was doubtful how long I should be able to preach to this people,while I had the opportunity I would make the great doctrine of the Cross my frequent theme. And it affords me comfort now, to reflect that from such a text I closed my ministry in Barbadoes. The following day, Monday, the 13th, 1 received a summons from a magistrate to appear before him on the 23d, to answer for not having enrolled myself in the Island Militia. It seems to have been the opinion of some of the magi of Barbadoes that the Toleration Act did not extend to that island, as the Militia Act of the colony does not distinctly recognize it. I knew that I had right on my side, but I also knew the weakest would go to the wall. Being advised and entreated by my hearers to alter the hour of evening service, I designed to have commenced on Wednesday, the 15th, at five, and to have ended at six; but, soon after five in the afternoon, the mob began to assemble, so that my wife and I were glad to go privately to our brother's house for shelter; and early in the evening a party from the race-ground came galloping into the town, and when they found the chapel-doors closed, they exultingly cried out, "The coward is fled! the coward is fled!" No harm was done that night; a few stones were thrown; and by nine o'clock the mob had quietly dispersed. The next day, Thursday, the 16th, I thought it my indispensable duty to apply to the Governor for protection. I should have done so earlier, but there had already arisen several disputes between the Governor and the colonists; and as mine was an unpopular cause, I was unwilling that he should be further embroiled with them through succouring me, and, therefore, delayed my application to him till I could delay no longer. After the usual formalities, I stated to his Excellency,-that I was the Wesleyan Missionary residing under his government,-that in such and such instances I had been molested in the performance of my public duty,-and that as my congregation could not worship GoD in peace, I was necessitated to solicit his Excellency's interference and protection. His Excellency replied, "that I ought to apply to the Magistrates first; that if they refused to protect me, he would; but that he ought to be the dernier resort. I replied, that I was fully sensible of the extreme propriety of His Excellency's remark, but that there was no effective Magistracy, and that the Magistrates bore me personal resentment; which was manifest from this simple fact, I had been three years and a half in the colony, and had never been interfered with concerning the Militia, but now that the populace were bearing me down, the Magistrate, instead of coming forward to protect me, had sent me a summons to answer for not having enrolled myself in the Colonial Militia. His Excellency said, that he |