The Assembly then adjourned till two o'clock, to attend the meeting of the Colonial Missionary Society.

THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COLONIAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Was held in Finsbury Chapel, on Friday morning, May 15th. J. R. Mills, Esq. took the chair at eleven o'clock.

Rev. A. Wells read the Report, from which it appears that, besides sustaining the Missionaries already on the field, they have added four additional labourers to their list of agents, amongst whom Dr. Ross, appointed to Sydney, deserves special notice. The receipts of the year were £3600. 18s, and the expenditure £3076. 15s. 3d., so that the debt of last year was reduced from £760. 17s. to £236. 15s. 3d.

The meeting was then addressed in the support of the several resolutions by the Rev. Drs. Urwick, Dublin; Vaughan, Kensington; and Redford, Worcester; and by the Rev. Messrs. Pullar, Glasgow; Soper, Grantham; Kidd, Macclesfield; Jukes, Bedford; and Townley, London.

THE DINNER.

The brethren re-assembled in the Library at two o'clock, and sat down to a cold repast, which had been prepared by the Committee, at which Dr. Bennett, as chairman, presided, and was supported by the officers of the Congregational

Union.

After dinner the Rev. J. A. JAMES, of Birmingham, moved "That the thanks of the meeting be given to the venerable Chairman, with an expression of great thankfulness that God has permitted him to live so long as to preside over the meeting." (Loud cheers.)

The Chairman, in returning thanks, spoke as follows:-My brethren, it would be quite unnecessary for me to say that I have received your kind acceptance of my imperfect services with a sense of unworthiness which I know not how to express. But it has afforded me great delight, approaching almost, perhaps, to a father of the Congregational ministers-I don't know whether I have a senior in the room-(Several voices, "No,")-then I suppose I have not. It has, I say, afforded me great pleasure to see many who are rising up, and many who are now filling honourable stations whom I saw enter into the work. (Cheers.) And if I should never meet my brethren again on such an occasion as this, it will have afforded me great pleasure at the close of my life, to have seen so delightful an assembly for the promotion of that cause which is so dear to our hearts. (Cheers.) I am quite sure that when we look back to the time when 1 entered on the work, the change is most delightful. We have great reason to adore God for what his goodness has done for us. In the early part of my ministry an attempt was made to form such a Union; but we were not ripe for or else we were not in circumstances to justify the Union. Now it appears to me, that our having taken up the Home Missionary Society, and the Irish Evangelical Society, has stamped such importance on this Union, that really I am overwhelmed when I think of the weight of responsibility that lies upon you to cultivate the large field of usefulness which is now open before you. I can only say that as you have kindly encouraged me by your acceptance of my presidency on this occasion, I do most earnestly recommend our friends to perfect their own work and sustain that which they have began at this meeting. I am sure it is of great consequence that a brother whom I am now delighted to see (Dr. Matheson,) has been fixed upon to work one part of the machinery. (Cheers.) I am satisfied that he will give a very happy tone to that Society. It is necessary, from the laws of mind, that he should attract the minds of many intellect and worth, and I am sure that if we do not support him we shall have We are very glad that we have one who will do this by the force of

to himself.

done him great injustice, for we have placed him in a position in which he will require our united co-operations. (Hear.) To see, then, our principles carried out to full operation, and our churches multiplied all over the kingdom, is a most delightful sight when about to close our eyes on this world, and open them on a better. (Cheers.) That God may spare you, my dear and honoured brethren to see many years of usefulness in the Congregational Union when those of us who are about to finish our labour shall have gone to our rest, and that you may see the little one, which has already become, not one thousand, but two, multiplied into a strong nation, is my most ardent prayer. (Loud Cheers.)

The Derbyshire Association was admitted into the Union, as were also twelve other churches in Hants, Beds, and Cambridgeshire, by the unanimous vote of the meeting. The flourishing church formed at George Town, Demerara, under the care of the Rev. Joseph Ketley, was also admitted.

JOSIAH CONDER, Esq. moved, and the Rev. Dr. VAUGHAN seconded, that a petition be prepared by the Committee, to be signed by the officers, against church extension. Passed unanimously.

The meeting sung the Doxology, and the brethren then separated, grateful to God for their happy and effective Session.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The twenty-first annual meeting of this important Society was held at Exeter Hall on Tuesday evening, May 19th, CHARLES HINDLEY, Esq. M.P. in the chair. The attendance of ministers and other gentlemen on the platform was much larger than we have seen for many years, and the hall was filled in every part.

The Report was read by the Rev. E. A. Dunn, the Secretary, which referred to the steps that had been taken for an alliance with the Congregational Union, and recommended the adoption of a revised and amended code of laws, with additional and explanatory rules. It stated that the Society has 120 missionaries and other agents, who preach amidst a vast population to about 60,000 persons: 130 Sunday schools have been established, containing about 8,500 children. The total receipts of the past year was £8,043. The disbursements £6,969, leaving a balance in favour of the Society of £1,074, which, however, is not sufficient to meet the first quarter's expenditure of the present year.

The following Resolutions were then successively proposed and agreed to:Moved by the Rev. R. SOPER, of Grantham; seconded by the Rev. T. ARCHER, M.A., of London:

1. That this Meeting offers unfeigned thanksgiving to the Author and Bestower of every good and perfect gift, that the Home Missionary Society is permitted to hold its twenty-first Anniversary under circumstances of such peculiar and lively interest as those which are detailed in the Report (an abstract of which has now been read); and this Meeting directs that the full Report be printed and widely circulated, for the benefit of those friends of the Society, who are prevented participating the hallowed satisfaction which has diffused itself in this vast Assembly, and of awakening, through the Divine blessing, in many thousands, a deep and practical interest in the spread of pure and undefiled religion at home.

Moved by the Rev. Dr. REDFORD, of Worcester; seconded by the Rev. J. A. JAMES, of Birmingham:

2. That this Meeting receives the announcement of the plan of combined efforts between this Society and the Congregational Union of England and Wales, with the same cordiality that has been strongly expressed to the Directors in special communications received from county Associations, auxiliaries, and influential friends of the Society throughout the kingdom; and as this plan appears to have been framed with much careful deliberation, and holds out the promise, under the Divine approbation, of providing extended means for promoting the Redeemer's cause by missionary operations at home,-this Meeting

now adopts the plan contained in the revised rules of the Society, bidding the officers and agents go forward in the name of the Lord.

Moved by the Rev. Dr. LEIFCHILD, of Craven Chapel, London; seconded by the Rev. A. FLETCHER, of Finsbury Chapel

3. That the persevering exertions of the Society's Auxiliaries in town and country, with the countenance and support afforded by the subscribers and contributors generally, and the unabated zeal which the ladies evince, and which has been crowned with so great success, not only by their exertions in procuring subscriptions, but by providing and superintending the sale of useful and ornamental articles, for the augmentation of the Society's funds, are all special grounds of grateful recollection and encouragement; and, that in conformity with the new arrangements, the following Gentlemen be the Officers of the Society, viz.:-Thomas Thompson, Esq., Joshua Wilson, Esq., Mr. B. Hanbury, Treasurers; Rev. E. A. Dunn, Rev. A. Wells, Rev. Dr. Matheson, Secretaries; G. F. Abraham, Esq, and H. Terrell, Esq., Honorary Solicitors; Messrs. Beams, Livesey and Whitely, Auditors: that the additional new Directors for London consist of the following persons, viz. :-Rev. R. Ainslie, Rev. R. Ashton, Rev. W. B. Leach, Rev. Dr. Reed, Messrs. Cook, T. A. Coombs, Crane, G. Knox, Mann, J. Moginie, Morley, Peachey, J. Spicer, and J. Stephenson : and that the present Directors who are eligible be re-chosen.

Moved by the Rev. J. CAMPBELL, of the Tabernacle; seconded by the Rev. J. BLACKBURN, of Pentonville:

4. That the cordial thanks of this Meeting be given to Charles Hindley, Esq., M.P., for his kindness in presiding on the present occasion.

It gives us great pleasure to assure our readers, that since the annual meeting the Directors have been engaged in making preliminary arrangements of the most systematic kind, and that the meetings of the Board have been very numerous and effective; and that we have no doubt, that if the Society be adequately sustained by the liberality of our churches, that it will become a most powerful instrument for the diffusion of the Gospel throughout our beloved country.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE IRISH EVANGELICAL SOCIETY.

The twenty-sixth annual meeting of this Society was held at Finsbury Chapel, on Tuesday evening, May 12th, Sir CULLING EARDLEY SMITH, Bart. in the chair. This spacious chapel was densely crowded in every part, and the platform was occupied by a large body of ministers and other gentlemen from every part of the kingdom.

The Rev. Dr. Vaughan read the Report, in which occurs the following passage relating to the connection which was proposed between their Society and the Congregational Union of England and Wales.

"There is one point affecting the future operations of the Society, to which your attention will be called in the proceedings of this evening, and on which the Committee have for some time bestowed their best attention. It relates to the fact, that the Society has been left to depend, for a long time, almost entirely on the liberality of Congregationalists for its means, and to the propriety of giving it a name and a place in the public view more in agreement with these altered circumstances. It will accordingly be proposed, that the Society shall henceforth be designated, The Irish Evangelical Society in connection with the Congregational Union of England and Wales; and that its rules may be amended in accordance with this addition to its name. In venturing to recommend this course to the meeting, the Committee are influenced by feelings of the utmost charity towards Christians of all denominations, and by a full persuasion that such a step, while made incumbent upon them, on the grounds of consistency and justice, by the course of events, will be highly conducive to the great object contemplated by the devout men to whose zeal and piety the Society owes its existence."

The meeting was addressed by the Rev. George Smith, Plymouth; Rev.

James Carlisle, late of Belfast; Rev. Thos. Adkins, Southampton; Rev. John Ely, Leeds; Rev. Dr. Urwick, Dublin; and Rev. J. Blackburn, Pentonville. The following is the resolution of alliance which was unanimously adopted, including the amended rules.

"That the funds of the Irish Evangelical Society having been derived, for many years past, almost entirely from Congregationalists, and the operations of the Society having been, as the effect of circumstances, with very trivial exception, Congregational in their character, it appears to this meeting, that consistency and justice demand that the Society should be in name, what it has long been in reality; and that this meeting does accordingly hereby resolve, that the Society be henceforth designated 'The Irish Evangelical Society, in connection with the Congregational Union of England and Wales;' and that the following be its amended rules." 1. The Name. The Irish Evangelical Society, in connection with the Congregational Union for England and Wales.

2. The Object. To promote the preaching of the Gospel in Ireland, by assisting pastors of Congregational churches; by supporting missionaries, itinerant preachers and Scripture readers of the same denomination; and to aid in the education of approved candidates for the christian ministry intending to labour in that country.

3. The Members. Any minister making an annual collection, or any person sub. scribing one guinea per annum, shall be a member of this Society: and any person subscribing ten guineas at one time, shall be a member for life.

4. The Direction. The affairs of the Society to be conducted by a Treasurer, Secretary or Secretaries, together with a Committee, consisting of twelve ministers and twelve lay gentlemen, to be chosen annually from among the members of the Society, with power to fill up vacancies. And also, that forty gentlemen, not resident in the metropolis, shall be appointed Country Directors, who shall possess the right to attend and vote at all the meetings of the Committee.

5. The General Meeting. An annual meeting of the Society shall be held in the metropolis on the evening preceding the second Wednesday in May, when the state of its affairs shall be reported, its accounts audited, and its officers appointed. 6. The Union. That to render the connection influential and permanent between the Irish Evangelical Society and the Congregational Union of England and Wales, it is agreed that the officers of the Irish Evangelical Society, chosen at its general meetings, shall be ex-officio members of the Committee of the Union: and that the officers of the Union shall be in like manner members of the Com. mittee of the Irish Evangelical Society. And it is also agreed that an annual statement of the progress and affairs of the Society shall be presented by its Committee to the Assembly of the Union.

The Committee, since the Anniversary, have had large and lengthened meetings, to consider the position and prospects of the Society, and we understand that a deputation is appointed to visit the sister country, with a view to more extended and effective operations.

DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND ASSOCIATION.

The Anniversary of this Association took place at Sunderland, on Monday, the 20th, and Tuesday, the 21st of April. The Rev. John Harrison, of Barnard Castle, preached the annual sermon on Monday evening. The pastors and delegates from the various churches met for the transaction of business on Tuesday morning. The attendance was numerous. Many matters of great importance came under consideration, and the whole proceedings were characterized by harmony and love. The public meeting took place in the evening, the Rev. J. W. Richardson in the chair. Addresses were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Morison, of London, the Rev. A. Jack, of North Shields, the Rev. J. Munro, of Bishop Auckland, the Rev. J. Anderson, of Easington Lane, and others; and the Rev. A. Reid, of Newcastle, the Secretary, read the Report of the transactions of the Association during the past year, from which we gladly extract the following passages:

"Seven stations are at present connected with the Association; five of them being under our direct superintendance, namely, Bishop Auckland, Richmond,

Ryton, Haydon Bridge, and Rothbury; and two of them, Easington Lane and Howdon, being aided by the Home Missionary Society, in consequence of which aid, the Association contributes to that Society. Occasional assistance has also been rendered, both by the Association and the Home Missionary Society, to other places, as circumstances required. *

*

"It is matter of grateful acknowledgment, that while changes have taken place, in the course of the past year, in the removal to other stations of the esteemed brethren who were settled at Staindrop, Darlington, and Gateshead, the churches at South Shields, Stockton, Felling, Framwellgate-Durham, and St. James's-Newcastle, have been blessed with pastors who will, doubtless, prove honourable and valuable accessions to the Association.

"At the various District Meetings in the course of the year, the attention of the brethren has been directed to several matters of interest and importance, especially to the engrossing subject of Revivals; a subject which appears desuned to attain a still firmer hold of the public mind-to lead to new trains of thought-to prompt to fresh efforts to induce more fervent supplications, in connexion with which God will doubtless bless the church, that the church may prove a blessing to the world.

"The great effort now making in our denomination for the promotion of Home Missions on a more extensive scale, and a better organized plan, has occupied a large measure of the attention of the brethren in the course of the year. At the Adjourned Meeting of the Congregational Union, held at Birmingham on the 9th and 10th of October, our brother, Mr. Jack, as the delegate from the Durham and Northumberland Association, participated in the important deliberations. Cherishing the hope that a new impulse will now be given to our churches and associations throughout the length and breadth of our land, which will manifest itself in the energetic prosecution of the great worksecond in importance to none which God has entrusted to us-of evangelizing our own country-and believing that the proceedings of the Congregational Union are eminently calculated to accelerate that most desirable state of thingswe would conclude our Report in the language of a recent address from the Committee of the Union to the churches at large, bearing an especial reference as it does to the great objects at which our Association has always aimed:-

"We have been anxious to bring into distinct view, and solemnly to press on the thoughtful attention of all our brethren, the consideration, too much overlooked and neglected, that it is the duty of churches of Christ to spread their Master's kingdom around them: their charge and duty as churches. That churches are Christ's own institution for the spread as well as the preservation of his Gospel. That churches cannot altogether exonerate themselves from attending to this very thing' in their corporate and church capacity, by the fact that there are other organizations, however excellent, of merely human origin, engaged in that work. One principal object, therefore, contemplated by us in the proposals now submitted to your consideration, has been to call on our churches to engage in a work, by the institution of Christ peculiarly their ownthat of evangelizing their native land."

BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ASSOCIATION.

The Half-yearly Meeting of the ministers and delegates of this Association was held at Nottingham, on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17 and 18.

On the Tuesday evening the Rev. Algernon Wells, one of the Secretaries of the Congregational Uuion, preached before the Association an excellent sermon. On Wednesday morning a meeting for business was held, when the deputation appointed to visit Tuxford and Sutton-upon-Trent reported, that Tuxford is a fine market town, containing upwards of 1200 inhabitants, and including the suburbs 4000; that there is no other place of worship than the church, a Wesleyan Chapel, and one for a few Primitive Methodists; that East Markham, in the neighbourhood of Tuxford, is a large and respectable village, containing upwards of 800 inhabitants, and is still worse supplied; and that between Tuxford 3 T

N. S. VOL. IV.