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Irogen, extracted from vegetable matter. Some the yellow rivers, however, properly class with ite waters. The yellow (flavus) or tawny Tiber, instance, is of a whitish colour, leaving a conerable deposite on the vegetation on some part its banks, and occasionally producing singular refactions: its waters are very impure and ddy; so are those of the sulphureous Nar, to ich Virgil gives the epithet white:

'Sulfured Nar albus aquâ.'

st of the white waters are charged with a itish clay or calcareous matter. This is the case h the Bahr el Abiad or White River of Sennaar,

ich meets the Blue River of Abyssinia nearly a right angle; and for many miles below the fluence, the eastern part of the Nile is black,

d the western white. The turbid water of the hite River, however, is said to be very sweet d agreeable, as is that of the Nile itself. The ter, notwithstanding the mud with which it is pregnated, is one of the purest waters known. contains the carbonates of magnesia, lime, and n, the muriate of soda, and a small portion of ex and alumine. The addition of pounded alonds causes it to precipitate the substances it Ids in imperfect solution, and it is then extremely

tar.

Its natural colour undergoes a singular riation at different seasons of the year. When e waters begin to rise, they first assume a green1 colour, and are then corrupt and unwholesome. thirty or forty days, they change to a brownish d, and become very turbid. This continues till e waters subside, when the river resumes its tural muddy appearance. The ancients styled waters black, from the slime which it depoted:

'Et viridem Egyptum nigrâ fæcundat arenâ.' ut it can scarcely be classed with black rivers. ivers which run over limestone, have been oberved to have a green colour: and the snow waters the Swiss Alps are sometimes of an emerald olour, approaching to grass-green. Several lakes Savoy have a brown colour, approaching to Hack; and both white and black waters occur mong its streams. The green waters are geneally pure, if at the same time clear, but not if arbid. Some rivers, for instance the Rhone, near eneva, have a decidedly blue colour. The subect of the coloration of rivers is, however, involved great obscurity, the colouring principle seeming O elude all chemical analysis. The Greeks were ruck with the blue waters of Thermopylæ, the ed waters of Joppa, and the black waters of the ot baths of Astyra, opposite Lesbos. The various ints of different seas present a not less striking henomenon."-p. 78 to 80.

REVIEW.-The Value of Money. By Mrs. Barwell, Author of "Little Lessons for Little Learners," "Sunday Lessons," &c. Westley and Davis, London, 1834.

THIS is a pleasant little book, intended to ach the young what many persons never orrectly understand through their whole

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THE gratification which the friends of humanity and religion experience at this season of the year, either in assisting in those proceedings of the societies which are now taking place, or in observing the progress of that spirit, which, under the influence of Divine love, is increasing the benefits of instruction and charity among mankind, calls us to the pleasing task of adapting the accounts of the several meetings to the pages of the Imperial Magazine. Early in the career of these institutions, we ventured to anticipate in our notices of them, the great blessings of which they have been the prolific sources, and we earnestly strove to silence the apprehensions of those who looked upon them only as the temporary manifestations of good intentions in their warm-hearted promoters. The public movements of society, however beneficent and sacred the impulse by which they are actuated, are certain of alarming the timid, and of incurring the disapprobation of the irresolute; but society, now in the enjoyment of the earliest fruits of these meetings and establishments, is awakened to a full sense of their importance, and seeks to possess, by means of the press, a record of transactions so deeply influential in the present pursuits and future prospects of mankind. Under such impressions, we have felt it to be our duty to give as full an abstract of these meetings, as the nature of our publication will permit; and while we regret that we are compelled to be very succinct in our abridgments, we assure our readers, we spare no pains in selecting those particular points and passages, which appear to us to be most replete with interest and information. The meetings of this spring have been numerous, and their proceedings long and important; hence, we feel all the difficulty of satisfying either ourselves or our friends, in the execution of the task to

which it is the more imperative, we should immediately proceed without wasting any more time in apologies.

BRITISH REFORMATION SOCIETY.

The Seventh Anniversary of this Society was held at Exeter Hall, on May 2d, George Finch, Esq. M.P. in the chair.

After prayers, by the Rev. Mr. Thelwall, the chairman, in addressing the meeting, combated the idea, that the world could not be evangelized by societies; and expressed his regret, that the support of this Society had so much diminished, that it was £700 in debt. The Society was not exclusively episcopolitan, but the dissenters did not support it as a body. Its want of general patronage, was on account of its being opposed to the popery of the human heart, as well as to that of Rome. Persecution and political agitation, though apparently opposed to their efforts in Ireland, were in reality favourable to their endeavours, for as they set men's minds at work, they would lead them, under the Divine blessing, to the adoption of truth. He concluded by urging the Society to make strenuous exertions for the abolition of popery.

The Rev. Mr. Farrell, the acting secretary, read the report. It stated, that there are about 500 Roman Catholic chapels in Great Britain, 8 colleges, and 30 preparatory schools. In the large towns the Roman Catholic population is considerable, amounting sometimes to a fourth or a third of the whole. There are great accessions to the Catholic church. The adult converts publicly received into the bosom of the papal church, by Dr. Walsh and other apostolic vicars, amount to nearly 300. The Secretary then gave an interesting account of a controversy at the Roman Catholic College, Bath, between the advocates of protestantism and popery. In Scotland the Society was making successful exertions, but in Ireland they had been able to accomplish but little. The income of the Society during the last year, had exceeded £2000, and the rev. gentleman concluded by anticipating the downfall of popery.

The Marquess of Cholmondeley moved that the Report be adopted and printed.

The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth seconded the motion. He viewed the Society as a protest against the church of Rome: the national protest was lost, and the Society stood forward in place of that protest. was glad to see all classes of protestants engaged in this union.

He

The Rev. John Cumming of the Scotch church, moved the second resolution, which referred to the increase of popery in these kingdoms.

Captain Gordon seconded the resolution. He said there were 8,000,000 persons in

these kingdoms professing soul-destroying doctrines. It was difficult to convince Protestants of the rapid spread of popery; and he must, therefore, in the Catholic fashion, address them through the senses. He held

a map of England in his hand, prepared so as to show its state of moral ulceration. He found it covered with chapels for the spread of popery. In England and Wales there were 423 chapels, and in Scotland 74, and, adding some recently erected, they exceeded 500. In 1796, there were but two Catholic chapels in London, exclusive of those belonging to the ambassadors; and only 24 throughout Great Britain, without a single college. They had now 9 colleges. Even in Scotland, where such struggles had been made for the preservation of the reformed religion, the Catholic church was rising rapidly. When he was last in Edinburgh, he found that a nunnery was about to be established; and Scotch provosts and magis. trates were actually patronising the oratorios in Catholic chapels. The gallant Captain then noticed the spread of liberalism in parliament, in measures actively in progress against the interests of the Protestant church. The liberals had proposed the endowments of the Catholic Colleges: £8000 a year had been settled on the college of Maynooth, to let loose upon unhappy Ire land swarms of Catholic priests; and an act had authorised the payment of the Catholic clergy in the colonies. Every principle of protestantism had been silently swept away. Infidels, Socinians, and Catholics were united in their attacks on the established church; even protestants had madly contributed for the erection of Catholic chapels. There was great danger of this bias to papal superstition sinking into infidelity, as in France, and of infidelity leading to sanguinary revolution. To avert this, the friends of Christianity should contribute to the support of the Reformation Society.

The Right Hon. Lord Mountsandford moved a resolution, relative to the unchanging and dangerous tendency of popery, which was seconded by the Rev. E. Tottenham, who, in a long speech, rebutted the assumptions and misrepresentations of the Catholic Magazine, and referred to the Bible as the palladium of our liberties.

The other speakers were the Rev. J. R. Brown, of the Scotch church, the Rev. T. Myers, the Rev. G. W. Phillips, and the Rev. A. S. Thelwall. The chairman, on retiring, gave a cheque for £50 as his subscription.

CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION SOCIETY. THE Ninth Anniversary was held at Finsbury Chapel, on the 6th of May, T. F. Burton in the chair. The proceedings were begun by prayer and a psalm.

The Chairman then opened the business, stating that the Secretary would read the port.

The Rev. J. Blackburn read the Report, m which it appeared that the Society had zenty associations, including 1,574 visitors, 10, twice a month, entered the abodes of ,630 families, to lend religious tracts. cal prayer-meetings were maintained. ere were eighty, attended by nearly 3,000 the neighbouring poor. The visitors had stributed 545 copies of the Scriptures; d induced 2,200 children to seek admison to Sabbath and other schools; and had tained charitable assistance for nearly 500 cases of distress. The stock loan raries were 48, each containing 50 volumes practical theology. The Committee had it a lively solicitude in the behalf of the any poor foreigners who annually took up eir abode in this metropolis, and has enged Dr. Giustiniani to visit them. With spect to the funds, H. R, H. the Duchess

Kent had favoured the Society with a onation of ten guineas. Joseph Trueman id presented a second donation of £50; id £40 had been received as the produce a sermon by the Rev. J. Parsons. By the Treasurer's accounts, it appears, at there was a balance of £125. 8s. 2d. gainst the Society.

The Rev. J. Young, of Albion Chapel, in loving the first resolution, professed himself nable to comprehend the structure of that hristian's mind and heart, to whom this ociety did not at once approve itself. Whenever they thought of its simplicity, 's economy, and its efficacy-of its visitors, is tracts, its preaching stations, or its prayer meetings, they might surely defy the most aptious or cold-hearted to withhold their dmiration. He could say nothing of the learness with which the Report had been repared, but he congratulated the Society n its advance in the accomplishing so vast in amount of good. A new order of agency had been called forth and originated by this institution. It was a discovery of but a few years' standing. There was a sort of spiritual charm, of holy necromancy, connected with it. It had called into being 37,000 individuals, who were before as good as dead; as if, by the touch of some mighty magician, they had sprung forth, their slumbering energies had been awoke, and they now became a delightful band, under an illustrious leader, animated with the same zeal, and all resolved to lay prostrate the kingdom of darkness and ungodliness. The humblest disciple was elevated to the position of a fellow-worker with God, and was made an instrument in saving the ignorant and the lost. Every triumph of the Society was the nucleus of further benefits. The individuals brought to the knowledge of the truth were not only so many gained to Christ and lost to Satan, but became the 2D. SERIES, NO. 42.—VOL. IV.

means of rescuing others, and swelled the ranks of the army destined to overthrow the kingdom of darkness and establish the kingdom of Christ. The Society was unostentatious: its means might by some be deemed almost despicable; but it was in that circumstance that they had the strongest security of success. They were under the influence of God. The humble Christian visitor, with his little tract in his hand, was in himself miserably accoutred for removing the ignorance of the human heart, and making an impression on the kingdom of Satan; but he went forth, exulting in the promise,-" Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord!" It was too late to say there was no need of such a Society in this, the most religious city in the world, as it is called. The prisons, the haunts of vice, and the gin-shops gave forth another voice. Let the wicked, of all the various hues and orders, speak :-let the multitude who spent the day of sacred rest in recreations, amusements, and vice; let the hundreds of thousands who were as ignorant as the very heathen, speak-ah! let the very opposition with which the institution had often been met, speak! And what tidings would they proclaim? Wherefore was it that the blasphemer and infidel had, in several instances, attempted to interrupt the proceedings of the Society, but because they knew that there was a party standing upon the very arena that they had hitherto occupied, and were contending with them for that very class of society they had been accustomed to call their own? There was one part of the Report to which he could not help alluding. One of the most touching passages in the Old Testament was that in which the Israelites were commanded not to oppress the stranger, because they were strangers in the land of Egypt. God was the stranger's shield-the stranger's help. The meeting would sympathize with him in expressing the fulness of his heart towards the honoured individual mentioned in the Report, (Dr. Giustiniani,) who, through trials and persecutions, had been brought from the darkness of popery to the liberty of the children of God. God bless him, and cause His countenance to shine upon him, and give him peace. Dr. Giustiani was the representative of the Society to foreigners residing in this country from France, Germany, Italy, and Poland-of those who came from the birthplace of the glorious Tell, and from Hungary, the land of the more glorious martyrs, Jerome and Huss. For oppressed, mangled, bleeding Poland, there seemeth no hope but in that kingdom where the voice of the oppressor is heard no more. Their chairman knew the elevation on which Britain stood, for he had contributed to it; to his exertions it was owing that Britain had washed her hands of slavery. The Chairman's name would descend with that 2 P 186.-VOL. XVI.

of the sainted Wilberforce to the latest posterity, emblazoned with patriotism, and encircled with the gratitude of millions. (cheers.)

The Rev. Dr. Heugh, of Glasgow seconded the resolution. It used to be thought here and in his own country that the ignorant, the irreligious, and the careless should be left to the attention of the ministers of the gospel, or rather to the functionaries of the Establishment; and that private members of the Christian community had nothing to do but to look on. That feeling was greatly changed. It was felt to be matter of Divine obligation, that they also must make peculiar exertions. He trusted that this feeling would become universal. There were two classes of argument that had great weight in the north, and could not fail to have influence in the south. The one was derived from general principles, the other directly from the Bible. As truly as they were bound to love the Lord their God with all their heart, they were bound to love their neighbour as themselves. They were called upon to do what they could individually for the temporal and spiritual interests of those around them. With respect to express Bible authority, he did not merely refer to the Divine approbation, but to the covenant of promise made by God to the church. The promise to which he alluded was, "They shall not teach every man his neighbour, but all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest." He saw no limit to the good which this Society was fitted to achieve.

Dr. Giustiniani seconded the resolution. When he looked around him, he felt a thrill of sacred joy pervading his own breast.

When he read in the Bible those blessed words, "Go out quickly, and bring in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind:" when he was assured that there was joy in the presence of the angels of God by the conversion of one sinner; and when he s tened to the facts contained in the Report, he must cry, with Peter, "It is good to be here!" The meeting had awakened in his heart feelings of gratitude by the sympathies they had expressed on the behalf of his countrymen who were walking in the darkness of the shadow of death. He was sur rounded by aged divines, but he hesitated not to say that the passage, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," had been incorrectly translated. The word rendered neighbour ought to be translated "fellowmen." The English word neighbour im plied some one residing near them; but the Hebrew term included the whole family of man. Still the spirit of the word had been fully exemplified. Were he a Roman Catholic, he would advocate the cause of the Christian Instruction Society, because he saw there, the true succession. He would advocate the Society, were he a Churchman, for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. The Society had not a limited jurisdiction. Their parish was the whole kingdom. They had broken the chains of the hierarchy, and they distributed the Bible freely as they received it from the Spirit of God. As an Independent he would advocate the Society, because it was to the honour of that body, that they had given the impulse. As a simple Christian, as &

Italy, his

because it was not the uniform, but the
heart, that made the soldier. As Christian
soldiers, they must watch, pray, and fight
against their common enemy.
native country, was in a state of spiritual
slavery. Civil slavery could not last for
ever, but the man under the dominion of
corruption was a slave indeed. Unless the
Christian public united in their efforts
against the common foe, it was to be feared
that infidelity would extend in England as
it had done in France. Five missionaries
of infidelity, termed St. Simonians, were
now diffusing their sentiments. In con-
clusion, he appealed to the ladies on behalf
of the Society. A distinguished lady bad
presented him with the loan of two chapels,
in which he might preach to his countrymen.

The Rev. J. E. Giles moved the second resolution. He contended that the Society had peculiar claims to support, arising from the present moral state of the public mind. There was an activity pervading that mind-soldier out of uniform, he would support it, men readily interchanged their ideas and sentiments-combination of purpose was the leading feature of the day. He saw the daring attempts to grasp the helm of opinion made by men whose design was to advance their selfish interests-but he could not hear a loud call to the exercise of Christian watchfulness-Christian prayerfulness Christian exertion! But the church of Christ must either advance or recede: if religion were to close her eyes but for a moment, that interval would be employed in tearing down the hedges, in rooting up the protection, and in taking possession of the field she occupied. They must not look backthey must not stand still-they must go on, conquering and to conquer. He had had the happiness of introducing four persons into the Christian church in consequence of the agents of this Society. One of them had been snatched from confirmed infidelity. The system of combination now existing in this country was destructive to vital godliness: he feared, that, unless they were counteracted, they would overturn the foundation of peace and order.

The Chairman then rose, and, after a very impressive address, retired amidst reiterated applause. The chair was then taken by Thomas Challis, Esq., and the meeting was addressed by the Rev. H. Townley, the Res. John Edwards, the Rev. J. Dyer, J. Pitman, Esq., and by Thomas Challis, Esq.

THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE

SOCIETY.

HE thirtieth anniversary of this society was ld in Exeter Hall on the 8th of May. On e platform were the Bishops of Lichfield d Coventry, Winchester, and Chester; the ean of Salisbury, the Marquess of Cholmdeley, the Earl of Chichester, Lord Visc. 'orpeth, Lord Mountsandford, J. J. Gurney, sq., and a great number of clergymen and inisters of various denominations. exley was in the chair.

Lord

His Lordship observed, that, during the venty-three years of his connexion with at society, he had never lost sight of its eat and noble objects, nor ever ceased to ray for its success. They had placed him, r the first time, in his present situation, and e trusted he should be endued with the ›irit which animated their late worthy predent. Those who remembered his manner, is amiable temper, the attitude and the emeanour he always assumed, would wish at the same spirit might devolve on his Iccessor. When he first joined the society, he whole circulation did not exceed 35,000 opies of the scriptures-it now exceeded ight millions. Then its expenditure had ot exceeded £50,000; now it was considerbly beyond two millions. Were the society o close its labours, it would have conferred he most invaluable blessings upon the world. t would leave to posterity eight millions of ibles and testaments, in 121 different lanuages and dialects, 72 of which were not before known as the vehicle of communicatng divine truth. He trusted the operations of the society would go on, with increased energy and success.

The Report was read by the Rev. A. Braniram.

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to Turkey, to China, to the West Indies, how much would they behold to vex and grieve their minds! They would behold beautiful countries, but they would perceive so much of poverty, crime, misery, and moral degradation, that their pleasure would be destroyed. But what a contrast was exhibited by the Bible Society!—there the more they examined, the more they were delighted. Could they follow a Bible in its course, they would have to tell of new hearts and right spirits created, and of thoughts loosened from things below and fixed on things above, of the sickbed comforted, and of prisoners and captives released; men and families, formerly in heathen darkness, enlightened by the word of hope and salvation; conversion spread from individuals to families, from families to districts, from districts to countries. This was the Spirit's work, and his glory he would not give to another. Had they not seen something of this in their list of donations? One was inscribed, " Thanksgiving for mercies received." What could inspire that, but the Bible? Was it not the Bible that taught the poor widow, an inmate of an almshouse, to leave the half of her little property, her £2. 10s. to the Bible Society. In speaking of other bequests, his Lordship said Mr. Hughes had bequeathed his £100, and Mrs. Hannah More her £1000.

Lord Viscount Morpeth moved the next resolution'in a very neat and elegant address.

It had

The Rev. David Abeel, American missionary, in seconding the resolution, detailed some facts in reference to China. been asserted, that China could not be entered, and that her 360 millions of souls must be left to perish. This opinion was entertained only by protestant Christians. Every sect, every religion, had found the way to enter China, except the protestant Christians. It was an opinion generally received that the world was to be converted by missionaries. He knew of but one missionary in whom he could place any confidence. That missionary he had met with in China: he was instructed in languages, made voyages from island to island, entered villages, and had dared to enter the palace of him who styled himself the " Son of Heaven." That missionary had done the speaker the honour to be his companion. The audience would desire to know who he was; he could tell them who he was not. He was not a Churchman, nor a Dissenter; he was not a Calvinist, nor an Arminian; not an American, an Englishman, a Scotchman, nor a Hollander. He hated all sects, but he loved the operations of the Bible Society. The Bible Society was that which sent him forth. The Bible! that was the name of the missionary, of whom he had spoken!

The Rev. Mr. Knill, (from Petersburg,) had been appointed to India, and afterwards to Russia, and gave some interesting particulars relative to the distribution of the Scriptures in those extensive countries.

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