einteopiitlafitrt.
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONEENT,
LONDON, May 18, 18G4.
SIR :-I begin to write on the anni
versary of the famous disruption in
Scotland in 1843. The assembly of
that year met on the 18th of May. This
year the Assemblies of the Free and
Established churches meet on- the same
day, for they each still continue the old
rule to meet on the third Thursday of
May. Dr. Begg, as I told you, is chosen
moderator of the Free Church Assembly,
and Dr. Macfarlane, of Duddingstone, is
moderator of the Established Church
Assembly. Dr. Begg has very, nearly
made a complete • recovery ''from the
effects of his railway accident. I shall
hope in my next letter to give you some
account of " the actions and proceedings"
of the Ecclesiastical Courts in Scotland,
specially with regard to union. Mean
while the news presses from this side
the border. And, first of all, I ought to
say that in regard to American affairs
the excitement is not now nearly so
great as it was. The feeling of society
was stirred and roused up to fever heat
by the horrible assasination of• your
right royal President. I never knew
any foreign event which so stirred the
heart of this nation. Everybody that
could meet did meet and draw up some
sort of a resolution' of sympathy. It
was the talk every where, in public and
in private. At the May meetings nearly
every preacher referred to it, and the re
sult was ever the same, a wide, and
deep, and hearty response to every ex
pression of sincere sympathy in your
sorrow. A great many of the relolu
tions passed at the May meetings had
special clauses added to this same pur
port, and I, myself, had the task set me
by a committee, of which I am a mem
ber, of drawing up a special resolution,
embodying our feelings in this matter.
Bat, as I think, one of the most touch
ing of all the utterances of all public
bodies was that of "Punch." Some of
your readers will not know what and
who Punch is; and so I may tell them
in a word that Punch is a weekly illus
trated paper, carried on by all the wit
tiest
of the wits of London. Punch is
read every where, by all classes. All
through your late struggle he took the
side of the Southerners in hid waggish,
witty way ; and certainly his caricatures
of your late noble President were often
times very- funny. But Punch knows
how to make the amende honorable ; and
so, on the news, spreading through town
that President Lincoln had succumbed
to the pistol-shot of a vile assassin, Punch
appeared with a serious poem, which I
beg to enclose ; and which I hope you
will find room for. I think there is
nothing so noble- as to confess wrong
when we find that one -is wrong'; and 1
am sure this noble confession , 6f L Piinch.
may make amends for many a harmless
joke to which he gave utterance in the
past. I may add that Punch's poem
has been transcribed into every news
paper I have seen; and that Punch's
example has been followed by a great
many newspapers, who have, like him,
confessed themselves in the wrong in
the judgment they had formed in regard
to the late struggle between the North
and the South. This confession is not
confined to newspapers, it is very gene
rally made by individuals in society.
In fact, the whole tone of public feeling
is undergoing a change ; and it is my
own decided opinion that the martyrdom
of President Lincoln was a great means
of confirming and settling these convic
tions. The Times newspaper, which all
through took the part of the South with
undeviating pertinacity, has also turned
round. The Times always does try hard
to represent the majority of the public
on all public questions ; and it was
quick enough to see the change, and like
Punch ; the Times now eats its leek with
the best face it can.
An event which caused a very general
grief, and which took place a week or
two ago, was the death, by his own
hand, of Admiral Robert Fitzroy. The
admiral was as well known in this coun
try as any single man in it. He had
given himself for many years to the
study of the atmosphere, and the laws
that regulate storms. Latterly he oc
cupied the chief place in a department
of the Board of Trade devoted wholly
to meteorology. Wherever the tele
graph penetrated, this department had
correspondents, and from all parts of
Great Britain and Europe telegrams
were constantly arriving, announcing the
state of the weather, and the direction
and degree of force of the wind. A map
ay before the admiral, on which all these
stations were marked, and on each of
which was a small brass pointer, which
was set in the direction of the wind; so
that, at a glance, the operator had before
him the state and condition of the atmos
phere for hundreds of miles in all direc
tions around him. Prom long study he
had marked how the currents of the air
went, and could calculate with all but
unerring certainty, what the condition of
the atmosphere would be at any given
point for at least a couple of days be
fore hand. These "foreZasts," as he
called them, were published daily in
The Times and other newspapers, and
were, as a rule, wonderful for their accu
racy. At all important shipping points,
too, a series of concerted signals were
hoisted, by telegraphic order, from day
to day, under the 'admiral's direction and
_control, and latterly sailors had begun to
consult these storm signals as regularly
as they consulted the barometer before
leaving port. And, beyond all doubt,-
within the last few years the admiral's
system has been the means of saving
thousands of lives, and property in ship
ping of an enormous value. But he
worked too hard ; the result was a
weakened, by an overwrought brain, and
he perished by his own hand. The ad
miral was widely known and greatly
beloved. His loss is mourned by a very
wide circle of friends. I had the honor
of his acquaintance, and have spent
many a pleasant evening with him, hear
ing him expound his views of the nature
of the vast sea which surrounds our
globe, with which he was as familiar as
with that other sea which floats upon it.
He was a sincere and simple Christian,
and loved all who love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity and truth.
The Queen has left for Scotland. She
goes there, since the death of her husband,
every year at the height of what is
called the London season. We are now
in the very middle of that time, and
London is more than unusually full.
Her majesty leaves all the din, racket,
and bustle, and retires to the still moun
tain solitude of Balmoral in Scotland; a
place endeared to her as 'the purchase
and property of her husband. Before
you receive this, you will have read a '
letter which we are all anxious to see
here. Sir George Grey announced in
the House of Commons that the Queen
had written a letter of condolence and
sympathy to Mrs. Lincoln with her own
hand. The Queen has a gentle and a
tender heart, and can do a thing-of that
sort well, and we doubt not our widow
will well express to your widow the sym
pathy- of iltis nation. I may mentiolit
that the public feeling is gathering
strength against her majesty for this con
tinued absence from the public affairs of
State. London tradesmen grumble, and
the grumble spreads. They say she
does well to be sorry for the death of her
husband ; but there is a limit to grief as
well as to every thing else. During the
last winter, some clever wag contrived to
,fasten a large placard over the front of
Buckingham Palace, (her niajestry'stown
residence,) "These ciimiranding premises
to let, the present: - occupant ,deelining
business.",,= When daylight appeared the
announcement - Was torn down ; but not
before it had been seen, and he'artily en,
joyed by
_a, vast early erowd,; 4 ,and de
spite the vigilance of the g.,dard - it was
3.
again put up on. e 4 following evening,
to be again torn . . ' -
Exhibitions are the order of the day.
At home and abroad, nothing but exhi
bitions. I could hardly enumerate all
the exhibitions now going forward in
Loimion alone. One lately on the south
—one for the north ; the east end and the
west end, all have had their turn. The
Crystal Palace may be called a great ex
hibition in permanence. And Dublin is
having a " great go." The Prince of
Wales went over, and formally opened
it,.to the great joy of the people of Ire
land. All the London and many of the
provincial newspapers hive " OUT own
correspondents" and weekly, or even
daily doles of news from the Dublin
Great Exhibition. The Prince of Wales
inaugurated another of these shows in
the largest hall in London last week:
the Agricultural Hall at Islington. The
exhibition there is got up by Reforma
tories and Refuges. Add to all these,
exhibitions of flowers, of flowers culti
vated by . the poor, in what is now called
window gardening, and you need not
wonder that I make this brief paragraph
serve the purpose of what might be spun
out into a very long letter.
" Convocation" is sitting. They—the
constituent members—have had permis
sion to sit - and talk for a fortnight. They
are to have leave too, I hear, to alter a
canon—and to alter it in a permitted
way, anew) other; and then to let it
lie, when altered, beside its brothel. or
sister canons, which everybody obeys
when they happen to chime in with his
humor, and breaks with the most entire
impunity when they don't. There is no
power in this world, or the other, to en
force the canons. So their lordships
will hardly expect that I should trouble
myself or your readers very much with
their talk, beyond thus recording the
fact that, at present, convocation is per
mitted to talk for a fortnight about any
thing they please, and to alter a single
canon out of a hundred and more, in a
given way—if they like, and if they like,
not.
" The May meetings" are now pretty
well concluded. All the important meet
ings of the great religious bodies are
brought to an end. I have to report
that this year the interest of the public
seems quite unabated, that the meetings
have been, as a rule, far better attended
than usual, that the collections have
been larger, that the speeches have been
better, and that, on the whole, we have
reason to congratulate ourselves• on the
result. For a few years, after the dis
ruption, the Free Church of Scotland
used to hold a meeting, in Exeter Hall
to expound her missions: At first, and
so long as the novelty lasted, these
meetings were well attended. But they
were always badly managed—there was"
sure to be some hitch -or other; and
finally, more than a dozen years ago,
the thing was quietly dropped out. This
year, - the Presbyterian church in Eng
land started au annual meeting for mis
sions, too, in Freemason's Hall. It was
announced as for missions and union.
As usual, the thing was utterly misman
aged ; many of our own ministers, and
their congregations, in this busy , scene,
were left without notice of the meeting ;
it was - very imperfectly advertised, and
the wonder is that, under the circum
stances, they succeeded in getting a re-
spectable meeting ; for I am told it waia
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN; THURSDAY, JUNE It. 1865.
respectable. I say "I am told," for I
was one of those who got no notice of
the meeting ; and only knew of it after
I had taken another engagement for the
same evening, out of which I could not
get. Mr. Hugh Matheson, one of our
noble merchant princes, and a most
godly and every way worthy man, took
the chair, and the meeting was addressed
by Dr. Hamilton, Mr. Chalmers, and'
others on the English Presbyterian Mis
sion; and by Dr. King and others on
the subject of Presbyterian Union. The
meeting was altogether of such a nature
as to assure us that if we.only take heart
of grace and manage the matter better
next year, we may before long holdup
our heads in Exeter Hall and take our
place as a church among.the churches.
It is only within these few years that.
The Times has taken' any notice what
ever of the meetings in Exeter Hall.
This year, in accordance with its - now
annual custom, it has devoted a short
paragraph to each of the leading meet
ings. They give the briefest, barest,
driest summary of the facts of the report
—add possibly the names of the chair
man and one or two of the principal
speakers, and that is all.
The Saturday Review, a weekly pa
per, but of a large circulation, and ably
conducted, consists wholly of articles
and reviews. They profess to report
nothing. This year, as usual, they have
an article on the May meetings. It is
as shallow, smart, and flippant as usual.
It is of the kind of writing, however,
which does' harm. It is sharp, sarcastic,
and bitter in the extreme ; reckons up,
for example, from the statistics of a.so
ciety, how much each converted Jew
costs, and wonders' whether, when
caught, he is worth the money: ,
But, on the whole, the May meetings
have been a success. Some of them b
have teen crushed and crowded to all
but suffocation. They have all been
well attended, and, as a rule, the speak
ing has been above the average. I have
noted that there has been, less of that
unseemly jocularity of tone than has,
been usual. It Used to be marked with
great regret that many of the 'speakers
seemed to set themselves - merely to raise
a laugh ; they told for this end very
~queer, _and sometimes very questionable,
stories : and many of the soberist and
most sensible of our people were simply
disgusted.' Last year was an improve
ment on its predecessors in this respect,
and this year, again, has been an im
provement on last. - At many of these
meetings the speaker had- a special sub
ject set to them instead of the usual for
mal resolution, which resolves nothing,
and by which nobody feels bound. Some
very able addresses were thus delivered,
which must have left behind thern a
deep and lasting impressioh of good. I
am glad to be able to add that the con
tributions share in this general advance
antumprovement. In 'cal the leading
missionary and henevolent-societiek, for
the promotion of home and foreign ob
jects, the contributions show a marked
and steady increase. In some societies
the increase is large and appears of a
sort likely to be permanent.
The Edmund's scandal is closed. Lord
Brougham comes out, as. I told you he
would, with his character unstained.
The parties on whom the brunt of the
exposure has fallen are Mr. Edmund
himself, who has lost his pension with
his character, the Brougham brothers,
and last and very least the Lord Chan
cellor himself. As I told you, his own
private personal character does not
chime in with his elevated position. He
is no sooner out of the frying-pan than
he is in the fire. Another scandal in
which he is the prime mover has arisen
at Leeds ; and a Committee of the House
of Conimons has been appointed, on gen
eral grounds, to investigate into the
matter.
I have only room to add that Bishop
Colenso has been coming out with all
but bare and naked infidelity, the other
evening, in a paper he read to a society
called " The Anthropological Society,"
which is nearly as far advanced as the
Lord. Bishop of Natal himself
AN EXCURSION UNDER GROUND.
What strange regions do you think
we have visited ? If you will listen
while I tell you of the protean shapes
we assumed before reaching the place of
our destination, and of. the unique mode
of conveyance thither, you may divine
the nature of the locality.
Will 'you, then, please follow us with
out—for the present--asking any ques
tons ?
The sight of two fashionable young
ladies with the- usual amount of crin
oline, flounces, silks, and feathers, ac
companied by ,respectaLle__ appearing
gentle Men walking, through a city in the
North of England, need certainly attract
no particular attention. But follow
them, and their movements may awake
your interest.
In the outskirts of the city they en
ter, cautiously, an old, dingy-looking
building.. Alas I its magic power to
transform all that cross its threshhold.
We all know that a very short. space of
time is often sufficient to effect great
changes in an appearance and characters
of individuals. Some of the processes
by which these changes are accomplished
are slow and imperceptible, while others
are immediate and visible. Those in the
lower ranks of life, suddenly loaded with
wealth and luxury, are not by these en
abled to exhibit at, once the_ appearance
of refinement and culture. These can
only be acquired by mingling in polished
society and by patient application of the
mental, powers. But progress in the
opposite direction is often in fearfully
rapid strides. How many can date the
commencement of their downward course
from the crossing of some fatal thresh
hold ! From that moment how percept
ible the change I The open brow,-the
glistening eye, the firm, elastic step are
'soon exchanged for the haggard look and
tottering frame
Now, if dress is any indication of char
acter, you might Infer from the appear
ance of these four individuals, as they
emerge from the above-mentioned dis
mal abode, that their downward pro
gress was becoming fearfully accelerated.
You might have taken the quondam
ladies for "Bridgets," just arrived in
New York, with their companions, Eat
and Michael, seeking employment. Mar
-
Venous rnetamorphosii'l f( Bridget"
looked indignant at " Pat," as much as
to say, You sooty wretch, do you sup
pose .L am to have any thing to do
. with
you ? And "Pat," with his eyes at
least, said tit for tat Then " Bridget"
grew suddenly lenient towards "`Pat"
as she again surveyed herself.
They now approached a curious shaped
building, not covered without with the
moss of ages, but certainly with some
thing much blacker. Here they find a
score of men who at first sight look like
so many Africans. They . all seem to
understand the object of their visitors.
Soon three black tubs ..are brought for
ward, each about half the size of a full
crinoline, such has '.I had seen about half
an hour before: You can easily judge
of the amazement of the party when told
that two of them are to be packed in
each of these small boxes, and that if
their heads - protruded above the upper
edge, they would be suddenly chopped
off. Mis Bridget, junior, was the first to
enter the tub. Pat, observing its pleni
tude, thought himself excused from offer
ing his company. But his attendant
plainly told him that he must be placed
in the same tub. How the thing was
accomplished it would be impossible to
*describe. Suffice it to say, that, two by
two, they were soon packed away as
'close as the occupants of Noah's ark.
To give a more intelligent accour4 of
the events that follow; it - will be neces
sary that the writer introduce himself as
the person aboVe-named Pat. .1-,
The three tubs, with their precious
eargo, were then placed one above an
other upon a lift. We then bade a sad
and solemn adieu to the few friends who
had gathered to witness ourlilleparture.
At the signal of our chief guide we be
gan slowly to move downward. The
motion grew more and more rapid Poor
`Bridget, from her first entrance into the
tub, bad been almost frantic with fear,
at times pleading to be let out. But she
had started on one of those journeys from
which there seems no returning. Down,
down, we go. And shall we not stop when
we reach the depth of five hundred feet ?
a: distance greater than_ the height of the
tallest steeple in the world, that of the
Cathedral of Strasburg?
But a few weeks before, my head had
whirled in gazing from that giddy height,
exceeding that of the Pyramids, down
upon the Rhine and off, to the mountains
of Switzerland. Still; &pm, down,
twice five hundred feet below the sur
face ; slower, slower. Yes we can
breathe again, for we have reached the
bottom of something, at any rate ; and
we hate no longer to sit with our heads
crouched between our knees, fearing
every moment a chain might break and
unceremoniously precipitate us to the
caloric beneath the earth's crust, or
through to the heart of China. And so
we take a long breath and start up
straight once more.
- But where are we ? No time to an
swer questions, replies our guide. We
have not reached our, destination. We
are now only a quarter of a mile below
the surface, and -we have yet about a
mile to go down an inclined plane. So
we soon pack ourselves away again in
our little subs and make ready to depart
on our dismal journey. The plane was
inclined at a dip of one foot in six.
Hence the engine to let down the cars
or tubs, now properly' must be stationed
at the top. We expected that down so
'steep an inclination we would descend
very slowly and cautiously. But ‘ we
were thrown into consternation as the
train, after one or two small leaps,
plunged down that fearful descent at a
furious rate. I could but think of some
infuriated fabled monster in the mythi
cal regions of Tartarus, and the words
of Milton came into my mind :
* * "On a sudden open fly
With impetuous recoil and jarring sound
The infernal doors, and on their hinges grate
Harsh thunder."
And I thought, if this is but the en
trance, what must we find within ? Even
those gates of which Milton speaks,
grating on their hinges, could make no
more unearthly sound than the thunder
ing of those lumbering cars down the
inclined plane. I could not divest my
mind of the thought - that the machinery
had given way, and that we were Bonn_
to be dashed to pieces. It seemed to
me that I had never been driven faster
in any express train.
71e small safety lamps only made
darkness visible. Our minds were racked
with anxious fears and all the horrible
shapes of which we had ever read or
heard rose before our visions.
"The gloomy regions trembling shake so ter
ribly,
That yet with clammy dews, fear chills my
blood."
That awful vision of Dante and the
fearful
. sights he gazed upon, rashed .
through my distracted mind. Those
were truly serious moments, in which
one seems to live an age. The solemn
words of that grand old bard of Florence,
uttered more than five hundred years
ago, seemed to echo in my ears
" Here sighs with lamentation and loud moans,
Resounded through the air, pierced by no star,
Horrible languages, outcries of woe,
Accents of anger, voices deep and hoarse
Made up a tumult that forever whirls
Round through the air, with, solid darkness
stained,
Like to the sand that on the whirlwind flies."
It needed no great stretch of imagina
tion to picture all this to the mind's eye.
It is known that the somnambulist, by
a dash of cold water, is suddenly brought
back to bis•senses, and so a few drops of
water, as we passed beneath the bed - of
the river Wier, with all its shipping which
Was rolling over our heads, were suffi
cient_to remind us that we had not as
yet passed that bourne froth which no
traveller returns, but were still prisoners
of hope. t
KOLAPOOR MISSION.
BROTHERMX DEAR MEARS
you be so kind as to give the enclosed
acknowledgments.a place in the AMERI
CAN PRESBYTER? N, with our Warmest
thanks to the kind friends who have thus
remembered us, and helped us support
our mission. In ordinary times this
amount would have met the entire ex
penses of our mission. As it is, all this
and more too has gone into the work of
our new chapel • ; not that the items of
this, subscribed by Sabbath-schools and
others for specific objects, have been
diverted from those objects to our chapel ;
those items- have been used for their
specific purposes, and yet an amount
larger than this has been used on our
chapel, and still the Lord has sett us
means for all our work.
The uniformity with which supplies
come in to balance our expenses almost
startles us ; as if some unseen benefac
tor was watching the progress of our
work, and dropping sums into our hands
to meet each emergency as it arises.
The friends in your city have sent us
more this past year than any year be
fore, and yet we • have do surplus, and
so far as we can see, if one of them had
failed we should have., ciosed- the year
that much in debt.
Of the five years for which some of
our friends pledged us subscriptions we
have < now entered upon the fifth and
last; and yet our work here is only
begun.
The proMptness with which friends
have thus far redeemed their pledges,
deserves our sincere gratitude, and we
thank God on their behalf.
You will observe two, in the above,
list, have already sent their subscriptions
for the whole five years, and in the same
category must be placed the following,
who made good their pledges more than
a year ago, viz.:—
Manchester,
_Esq.*
Goti euriieur, N. Y.--Airs: J R
ening.*
Hopkinton, N. Y.—K. S. l Chittenden
Esq.*
Glen's Falls, N. Y.—Mrs. H. Wing,*
Miss F. E. Barry.*
Clinton, N. Y.—Rev. D. A. Hol
brook.*
Schaghticoke, N. Y.—J. W. Geddis,
Esq.* I'
Syracuse, N. Y.—Mrs. A. M. Red
field.*
These all have redeemed their pledges
for the five years, being ready " before
hand" with their gifts. (2 Cor. ix. 2,5.)
We beg these good friends not to re
gard this star as excluding thein from
sending us any more help, while we
accept their ready zeal as a pleasant
earnest that all our subscriptions will be
remitted in due time.
We beg also that these, and all the
dear friends interested in our mission,
will continue to help as with their
prayers, for we greatly need more of
God's presence and spirit in our own
hearts, and more of his " effectual work
ing" in sealing divine truth to the con
viction and salvation of these precious
souls around us. In the blessed hopes
and service of the gospel,
Yours, sincerely, -
R. G. WILDER.
KOLAPOOR, INDIA, Feb. 10, 1865.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPTS BY
REV. A. E. CAMPBELL, D.D., FROM SEP
TERMER 4, '63, TO NOVEMBER 1,'64.
Philadelphia, Pa.—
Mrs. Dr. Malin,
Thos. Roney,
Buttonwood St. Pres
Oh. S. S., 50 00
Do. for 1863, 50 00
Clinton St. Pres. Ch.
S. S., 50 00
Do. Mission S. S., 25 00
Western Pres. Ch. Mis
sion S. S., 25 . 00
Arch St. Pres. Ch. S. S., 50 00
West Arch St. Pres.
Ch. S. S., " 50 00
Tabor S. S., 29 25
M. R. Wetherell, 30 00
- Joseph IL Dulles,Esq., 50 00
F. L. Bodine, 75 00 499
Cambridge, Mass.--
J. P. Barrett,
Salem--
Rev. Dr. Worcester, . . 2 00
Springfield—
Mrs. Dr. Osgood and others, 27 00
Washington, D. C.—
Rev. W. B. Evans,
Three Rivers, Mich.—
Rev. J. A. Ranney,
Monroe, Mich.--
Rev. J. E. Boyd,
Chili, N. H.
D. M. Besu.rle,
lowa - City, loiva.
Rev. Benj. Talbot,
K.,c(yrus _l3oynton,
$lO 00
5- 00
60 00
Columbus, o.
Rev. L. Kelsey and
family, . .
Rev. Dr. Morris,
Cedarville, N. t7:—
Second Pres Ch. S. S.,
Crane-trade—
By Rev. Hallis Read,* $34 and
1862 $3O, .
Newark—
High St. Church,
Mrs. Lathrop, .
Dr. J. Ward, .
Manchester, Vt --
Miss Ellen Hawley and others, 68 00
West Rutland, Vt.—
By Deacon Chatterton,
ea,stleton, Vt.----
By Chas. H.Slason, Esq., 65
Benj. F. Adams 1862, -:10 75 00
Brattleboro, Vt.—
R. Buplit, Esq.,*
New York .City--
Miss McWhorter, . . 15
Mrs. Chister, : 5
Mrs. Sherwood, 5
Mrs. A. C. Brown, . 100
American Bible Society, 150 275 00
Syracuse, N. Y.—
Mrs. Maltbie and others,
Saratoga, N. Y.—
Dr. Rudolph, . .
J. Newland, . .
Troy, N. Y.—
By Chas. P. Hartt
, •
Moriah, N. Y., $7„ and Port
. - Henry, $1.6 55,
Plattsburgh., N. Y.—
Rev. J. R. Young, .
Malone, N. Y., Oct. 1,
Champlain, 44 less 1.50
42 50
Beekmantozvn, Oct. 1, -
'63, . . . 39 00
Hopkinton, Feb. 1, '64, 37 00
Gortveurneur, 53 00
Champlain, (fe., in all 453 53 485 OS
Subscription all paid
NOTE.—The figures are corrected ac
cording to copy. The arrangement is
in some way faulty, leading to v r rrors in
footing up..—EDs. AM. PRESB.
RELIGIOUS INTEREST IN THE ARMY.
Rev. J. W. Morrison,-of the Western
[Reformed Presbyterian,] Presbytery,
Who has'been laboring in the service of the
Christian Commission, writes as follows
to its President, Mr. Geo. H. Stuart:—. 4
SEVENTEEN= ARMY CORI'S,
NEA.E. WASHINGTON, June 2d, 1865.
MY Dm BROTHEn :—Since you left
this, our work in the army has been full
of interest. We have services each day
at 10 A. M. and 7 P. M., and on the
Sabbath also at 2P. M. Onr tent is
near Gen. , ---'s head quarters. On
the Sabbath, he was three times at Di
vine. service and gave good attention.
There seems to be a strange magic in
these large tents. When the soldiers are
told that the tent is theirs—sent as a
token of Christian regard from their pray
ing friendsat home—it seems to awaken
all the tender 'and holy sympathies of
the soul, and the spiritual electricity
finds vent in the earnest prayer—" God
bless the Christian Commission—God
bless our kind Christian friendaat home—
and God bless all these soldiers worship
ping in this tent :" and the tide of feel
ing goes on and on, till multitudes start
up at once to give utterance to hearts
overflowing with love and gratitude to
God.
Last night, some twenty arose and
asked for an interest in the prayers of
God's people, and 'expressed a determi
nation, by God's assistance, to go home
better men.
What an extensive and ripe harvest is
here now ; and yet, how few to thrust in
the sickle ! This corps is expected to re.
.move-in a few days.
Yesterday was observed as far as pos
sible, in accordance with the President's
proclamation. We had a special service
in our tent, at 10 A. M., and in the af
ternoon. I preached to the 31st Illinois
and 30th Illinois, at 3 and 5 o'clock,
respectively.
I knew we have an interest in your
prayers—l can say truly, "it is good to be
here." It does seem that the Spirit of
God is moving the hearts of men, under
the means of grace. Oh, pray for us,
that we may be faithful to the truth and
our Divine Master, and to the souls of
men. Yours in our Master's work, -
J. W. Mown - sox.
POSTSCRIPT -JUNE 3d, MonNma:—
Had a wonderful meeting last night.
Scores of men arose to be prayed for—
the most agonizing cry for mercy I ever
heard filled the tent with deep and
solemn awe. J. W.
A WONDERFUL DISCOURSE.
In the evening when I went into the
kitchen to toast the bread, Betty said :--
" What a wonderful fine discounse the
parson gave us to-day. It rolled along like
the sea."
" What was it that yon liked so much in
it, Betty ?" I asked.
"Bless your heart," said Betty; "do
you think I would make so bold as to un
derstand our parson? Why, they do say
there is not such another scholar in all the
country. But it was a wonderful fine dis
course. It rolled along like the waves of
the sea."--Kitty Trevyllyan's Diary.
AT a railway station an old lady said to
a very pompous gentleman, who was talk
ing about steam communication : " Pray,
sir, what is steam ?" "Steam, ma'am, is,
ah I—steam is, all! ahl—steam is—steam!"
"I knew that chap couldn't tell ye," 'said
a rough-looking fellow standing by, "but
steam is a bucket of water in a tremendous
perspiration."
10 23
5 00 15 23
64 00
25 148 00
79 00
70 00
20 30 00
50 00
23 55
$2,011 06