PRESIIYTYRIAN _ .L..I.,':ANN.,Ett..--.."k: --...A1)V-.5.-fATE
Presbyterial* liaimmuirs VAL. Vllgits. as.
proslivitimisaa Advasate. 111, 22.23
DAVID MeKINNEY and JAMES ALLISON, Editors.
CERNS.-IN ADVANCE.
Original Vottrg.
At Spruce Creek; Pa., ANNA IVIA - Dr?LiWoWILITATAtts,
died January, 28, 1859 ; DALvID D: MOWIL
. merits, died January 23, 1869 t ADA FLORRNOM
MOWzradAms, died January. 31, 1859—children
of. William and Elizabeth J.
Look np Christian parents in hope and, in trust,
Tho' your three precious lambs now sleep in ,the
dust; . .
And their absence your home has made desolate
here,
Lookup, sad, bereaved ones, and "be of good
cheer,"
Look up to that Saviour who watehed o'er their
birth,
'Who=loved little children while here upon earth;
And him by the eye of truelaith will you see,
Saying "Suffer your children to come unto me.".
To him did you give them by faith and by prayer,
0 leave them then now, in the good Shepherd's
Dare;
In bright and green pastures he'll cause them to
. feed.
And by oryetal streams, their young footsteps
will lead,
Where Spring is eternal, where bloom fadeless
&aware, , •
And fruit too b plucked from celestial bowers.
The need not the sun, for i 4 there is no night,",
In that Meseed land 64 the Lord is their light."..
'Tie sweet after seeing their suffering% here,.
To think that they dwell in a bappler"spbere ;
Yea pain is a strange; and death is unknown,
'ln that land unto whioh their spirits have flown,
Think too as you wipe that•heart gushing tear,
What sin and what sorrow , awaited them hero.
No sin has e'er stained"their home in the skies,
And 0, God" too "shall wipe all tears from their
eyes."
, .
Think not of the grave, with horror and 0001 M,
For Jesus bath blessed, and-hoth sweetened the
tomb ;
He rose, and their bodies again toe shall rise,
In beauty celestial, and soar to.the skies.
Who knows but their 'spirits may guard you while
here,
And when you shall enter that bright, sinless
sphere,
As nal pearly gates open, be the first that you
meet,
With heaven tuned harps, your welcome to greet.
E.W.H.
( P. Abruary, 1969
From the Presbyterian.
t Board of Domestic Missions.
PHILADELPHIA., March 21, 11559
MOMS. EDIT_R_:-4 am obligee to, you
for your kind remarks respecting me per
sonally, in your editorial of last week, There
are some statements, however, appended"to
them, which seem to me to require a brief
notice.
Ist. The aggregate receipts of the Board
during the year just closed, is ' 'compared`
with the year preceding, were less by
$5,604.49, and not $6,63669, as stated by
ywu. The receipts from , the churches :were ,
less by only $3,419 96 than the year pre.
'ions. While the receipts of the past year
fell off $5,604 49, as compared with those
if the year preceding, they were GREATER .
than the average receipts of the preceding
five years by $11,110.35.
2d. Yon state truly that the receipts
of 1857-8 exceeded those of 1856 7 7 by
$12,000; and you say that "instead of a
corresponding increase," during the year'
just closed, " of at least $12,000, we are
met with a falling off of near $7OOO, mak.
ng virtually a diminution of near $19,000."
The unfairness of such a comparison and
inference, must be obvious to all wbo are
acquainted with the receipts of the Beard
for years past. For example, While the
receipts of 1857-8 were $12,000 larger than
those 0(.1856-7, the receipts of 1856-7 fell
short ,of the year 1855-6 nearly $4OOO, If
the receipts of the , year preceding that of
1857-8 had merely equalled those of
1856-7, the comparative exeesa of the re
ceipts of 1857-8 would have been $B,OOO
instead of $12,000 ; and if, instead of being
merely equal, there bad been the average
increase of $7OOO during that year, the com
parative excess of 1857-8 would have been
hut $lOOO instead of $12,000. You inti
mate that, according to the analogy of the
past years, the receipts during the last year,
instead of felling short, ought to have •in
creased 12,000; whereas the average in•
crease in the receipts of the Board from
1852-3 t 0.1857-8, a period of five years,
instead of being upwards of $12,000, was
but a little over $7OOO. •
Fluctuations in the receipts of the Board
are not uncommon. - For example, the re
ceipts of 1853-4 fell short of those of the
preceding year, 86,247.53;
the receipts of
1864-5 fell short of those of 1858-4, .
83,878 83; and the receipts of 1858-9 fell
short of 1857-8,. 45,604.49. Thus it
pears that out of , the lest six years, the
receipts of three of them fell short of the'
receipts of the years Immediately preceding
them.
3d. You intimate that the diminution
was owing to the want of an Assistant
Secretary. If the fallacy of this inference
is not sufficiently clear from the' foregoing
statements, it will surely appear when .it is
recalleCied that this 'diminution in our re
ceipts the past year,.CO,etirred•whi/e we haik.
an Associate Secretary. 'For• example, the
cffice of Associate ,Secretary was aboliehe'd
in the month of November, and at the
close of that month the deficiency was over
$lO,OOO, as compared with the correspond
ing period of the previous year. Toward the .
elm of the year, and when we had no As
sociate Secretary, our receipts inoreased•re
latively, so as to leave finally a deftoientiy of
only about half that sum. That the agita
tion growing out of the action of the. Gren
cral Assembly respecting the Aesociate•See-,
retaryship, had nothing to do with the dimi
nution of the receipts of• the Board, is
evident from the fact that the receipts of
the first two months of the fiscal year, viz.,
111lireh and April, before there was any agi
tation on this subject, fell short of those of
the corresponding two months of the year
previous between six and seven thousand
dollars—a larger stun than the final defi
ciency of the year.
The diminution in the receipts of the
Board during the past year were, no doubt,
occasioned by the immense pecuniary losses
incurred in consequence of the financial,
crisis in the Fall of 1857; by the! continued
stagnation of business generally, and the
failure of the crops in various sections of
our country. In the Annual • Statistical
Reports of our missionaries, very many of
the brethren expressly assign the unusual
severity of the times, in the sections from
which they write, as the reason either why
they have not taken up any collection for
the )3oard, or why the collections have been
diminished in amount. And, unless we are
mistaken, the receipts of moetof our Benev
olent Societies will, from • the causes we
have intimated, show a considerable reduc
tion. Our wonder is that, during such .
t 4 hard times," the receipts of the Board of
Domestic Missions should have fallen off so
little ; , •
4th. The decrease in the expenditures of
the Board during the past year Was produced
by several causesnombined,.. (Ist.) Because
there was a slight diminution of the number
of our missionaries. (2d.) Because .the
sums due the missionaries were:not as fully
paid up to the close of. the year as at the
close of the year_preceding, the missionaries
not having so punctually reported. Every
-Pap who reported' was promptly 'and fully
paid. (3d.) Because the aggregate =MIA'
asked for by the Presbyteries during the
past year, was less than that asked for the
year preceding. This action on the part of
the Presbyteries was, we *presume, in re
sponse to the earnest advice apA .recommen
dation of the laet General' Assembly. So
fir as I can recollect, every application for
an appointment, duly made, Was granted by
the Board, and so far from any systematic
attempt having been made by the Board to
reduce the salaries of the missionaries, the
appropriations,
,asked for,. were more :.uni
formly made than during any previous,-year
of the present , administration,. - Finding .
that the receipts during the first two months
of,the fiscal year had greatly fallen off, the
Board; so far as they judiciously aould, ab
stained from origioating distant and expen
sive missions. By this means the necessity
for any general reduction of the salaries of
the missionaries was avoided, and the ex.
penditures of the Board were prevented from
being 'unduly augmbnted.
sth. You intimate that in consequence
of the onerous duties of the office, the pres
ent Seeretary and his piedeeessor have been
broken down in health. This result could
not have been produced by 'the want of an
Assistant Secretary, for the former had ouch
an Assistant during the whole of his official
term,, and the latter. Until within a feW
months past Are not the Secretaries, the
best judges of what help they need My
predeeesier. Steely ,expressed the opinion
that the office-of Assistant Secretary could
well be dispensed,Wftl2,.and 'in this Opinion'
I have fully"concurred. 'Fri:lM your !state
ment of the: case, your readers might infer
that the health of the present Corresponding
Secretary cf the Board has been entirely,
broken down: , It may be gratifying to my
•feiends to , ; learn that my gene,ral health was
neier.lietter. My vision was impaired, by
indiscreetly writing at night, while my eyes
were in an inflamed state, occasioned by a
severe ()old. Thus much oonceining niYself
I may be excused for saying,'urider the pe
culiar,cireumstances of the case.
In the Annual Report, whieb will soon
be presented to the General Assembly, the
operations of the Board for the 'past' year
wilt be more minutely and fyilly exhibited.
In the meantime all I desire is, as, stated in
myL recent Circular, that , the Presbyteries
iniiht be informed that we have commenced
the new fiscal* year with a good working
Wince, arid that the missionaries might'he,
relieved, of the anxieties which may have
been excited by the previously published
statements of the falling off of our receipts.
Since the publication of the Circular, we
have heard from all the independent Pres.
byterial Treasuries, and I am gratified in
being able to state that'the balance on hand
March. lit, 1859, was greater by over $BOOO
than the balance on hand Marchlet, 1858.
Having thus availed myself of your cone•
terms invitation to correct any error in the
statements made by you, I remain yours re.
speotfully, G. W. Musortma..
For the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate.
A.Kind People. ,
MESSRS. ' EDITORS:=The
people or my
charge are 'Presbyterians of the good, old
stamp. They love the doctrines of that old
Confession of 'Faith, which their fathers
held to be dear, but which many have moat
ignorantly abused.
They love the ordinances and order of
the Presbyterian Church, and we believe
they'leve •their pastor. A few 'days since,
the ladies gave a dinner at, the church ed
ifice, at which a very large company par.
took. After dinner, the ladies"Tiesented to
the pastor f a purse of Sixty-eight
This was done in their behalf, by a int:Miter
of the congregation, in a short put very, sp.
propriate address, which was remponded to
in a few remarks by the pastor. The Rev.
.141kThonias, of the 'Cumberland Presbyte-
I:iin 'Church, being present, by invitation,
made a, pertinent address on Christian fel
lowship and kindness. The whole was con
eluded witirprayir, singing, and thts bane. ,
diction.
On the return of the pastor and his fami-
ly to the parsonage, they found provisions of
all kinds, left by members of the oongrega
,tion, which, at the 'common market _price,
'would amount to a little over $BO,OO. To
gether r. the whole present was $150,00. '
Slidh, kindness and generosity are worthy of
record' and imitation by other congregations.
Such, exhibitions of kindness tend to bind
pastor and people more closely together.
The payment of the salary is a matter of
duty ; this the spontaneous feeling of kind
hearts, and ^consequently will strengthen
that ti tta chmont, which has been constantly
increasing since my settlement among them
May Heaven's rich blessing rest upon them
veery one. ' J. R. DUNCAN.
Ournberlaricl, Ohio, March 18,1859.
THERE ii not a spider. hanging on the
king's wall, but hath its errand; there is
not a nettle that °groweth in 'the corner of
the churchyard but bath its purpose ; there
is not a , single insect fluttering in the breeze
but accomplisheth some Divine decree; and
I will never have it that God created any
man, especially any Christian an, to be a
blank, and to be a nothing.—Spurgeon.
"ONE THING , IS NEEDFUL:" "ONE THING HAVE I DESIRED OF THE LORD:" "THIS ONE THING X DO."
PUBLICATION OFFICE, i I :, I : , : : I P, 'BURGH, PA.
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1559.
For the Presbyterian Banner and
Presbytery of Council Bluffs.
PAO.IIIO CITY, IOWA; March Bth,, 1869
•
MUMS. EDITORS am happy to be.able to
seed you an outline of the minutes of the Pres
bytery of Council Bluffs, at its late sitting.. It
was a pleasant meeting. " Hope deferred maketh
the heartsick ; but when the desire con:tali, it is
a tree of life."
Inasmuch as this Presbytery was providentially
hindered from meeting at Pacific City, on thl
third Tuesday of July, 1868, as directed by the
General - Assembly i at the call of the Moderator,
it met on Thursday last, March 3d, at seven
o'clock P. - M., at Sidney, Freemont County, lowa.
It was opened with an, interesting and, touching
sermon' by the Moderator, the Rev. John Ran
'cock, from Hub. iv: 9, "There remaineth there
fore, a rest for the people of God," in which be
impressed upon our minds that toil and trial
awaited. us on earth, but , joy and triumph, in,
heaven. After sermon, Presbytery was consti
tuted with prayer. Ministers present: Messrs.
L. G. Bell, John Hancock, and D. L. Hughes.
Ministers absent: Rev. H. M. Giltner, who is
now on a tour , to the Eastern churches, laboring,
zealously in behalf of that portion of Zion es
pecially entrusted to hie care in this widely ex
tended but promising field, and Rev. 0. J. King,
who has, removed to the. Eastern part of this
State.
Rev. D. L. Hughes was chosen clerk pro. tem.
The minutes of last meeting were then read and
approved. Messrs. , John Hancock and D. L.
Hughes, ministers, and Thomas Officer, a Ruling
Elder, were appointed a Committee on Missions.
Rev. Mr. Bell reported that he had organized the
following ohurehes since the last meeting of Pres-•
bytery, viz.::" The church of .Twelve Miles," in
Union County, composed of thirteen members;
" The church of One Hundred and Two," in
Taylor County, composed of eleven mem
bers; and "The church of. Pleasant Val
ley," in Montgomery County, composed of eleven
members, and two elders elected, of whom one
has since died, and.the other is not yet ordained
and installed. Rev. Mr. Hughes reported that
in addition to the organization of an interesting
church of sixteen members, at Plattsmoutb, N.
T., he had gathered a church of twelve members
at Glenwood and vicinity, and that an elder had
been elected,; iit from providential hinderanpes,
he had not yet' been ordained and installed.
Father. Bell was appointed to supply the vacant
churches that he had organized, to complete the
organization of the oliuroh of. Pleasant Valley,
and to administer the Lord's Supper to them all
at his discretion.
Rev. H. M. Giltner was appointed as-Principal
Commissioner to the next General Assembly, and
Rev. John Ilaimock his alternate; and J. B. Rae,
a Ruling Elder from the congregation of Council
Bluffs, as pincipal, and Thomas Officer of the'same
congregation as his alternate. Rev. 0. J. King,the
former Stated Clerk, having removed without our
bounds, Rev. D. L. Hughes was appointed his
successor. It was resolved that the next stated
meeting of Presbytery be held at Glenwood, on
Thursday, the 15th of September next, at seven
o'clock, P. M.
While we have had our privations and hinder
ances during the past year, we have each had
also our encouragements and minsolations in our
"work of faith, and labor of love." rour hopes,
too, are, brighter for the. future. ~We are also
expecting, soon some reinforcement of our nu-
merical stiength, to share with us our toils and
trintuihs. Years in "the Lord, '
D. L. HUGHES.
Soy the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate
To Unemployed Christians of . all Denom-
inations, in the Older State!.
DEAR BRETHREN i—We need and greatly
desire the aid of your labors in building up
the cause,iof Christ in . Texas. , Will. you
come over and aid us . ?
We make our appeal, pit. To ministers
of the Gospel. Are there none Well, unem 7
ployed, or not folly employed in the direct
work of the ministry? I fear there are
many such in all denominations.. Brethren
it is to you we now. ,address ourselves.
Col= over and aid di Notirithstanding
the large number of faithful and• efficient
members of different churches who are
laboring in various parts of our country,
there are yet "regions beyond," needing
the Gospel, and you may have the privilege
in which Paul rejoiced; of preaching where
Christ is not,yet named—of "not building
upon another man's. foundation." It may
be that where you are, you are surrounded,
by ministers who can preach, and who would
preach, to the very same people you now do,
if you were, not there. Well, , here you scan
find congregations glad to hear you, and
who' would otherwise be without any preach
ing. Will you come 9 Will you spread,
this matter before the Master, and ask,
" Lord,'what wilt thou have me to doin
.. , .
reference to Texas ?"
In my next, I will address laymen.
MAGErioNrit.
Nor the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate.
' Lawencebnig, Pa:
The church in this place is called Eben
ezer. It has been visited with a
_time of re
freshing from the
. presence of -the' : Lord.
"The Lord lath done great things for it,
whereof we are glad.' He .'« :has come
down upon it as dew, so that it has growed
like the lily, and spread forth its roots like
Lebanon ;.reviving as the corn, and growing
like the vine." The Lord's Sapper was
administered in it, on last Sabbath. The
meetings,commenced, in it on the Monday
previous, and, continued Until the evening
of the following 'Monday. Thirty persons
were received on examination to member
ship in the — chrirch,.and - others were in-'
quiring for the way `of .salvation. Some of
these were in the evening of life, while
others were Middle-aged; and some in the
morning of life. Brother M'Oay aided the
undersigned in the services of the occasion,
and we hope he will be abundantly rewarded
for his labor of love. I ha,vnbeen laboring
in this church, for near two years. The
first year., I labored.n it one,third of my
time, and .the, next year it employed me
half of my time, During, this• time,, be
tween forty and fifty members have been
added to it.
Yours, ,in the Gospel,
OHN V. MILLER
For the Presbyterian Fanner and Advocate
Dedication.
The Presbyterian congregation of George's
Creek, erected a neat and commodious house
of worship on Mt. Moriah, near New
Geneva, Pa., which, free of debt, was dedi
cated on the third inst. Several ministe
rial brethren were present. Rev. J. Mo•
Clintock pre'aohed a very appropriate ser
mon from Haggai ii :9. Rev. H. W.
Biggs, Rev. J. K. Mellhorn, and the pas.
tor, conducted the other exercises of the
oceasion.
During these exercises, an. interesting
bistorioal narrative, prepared by A. G.
Fairchild, D D., whose feeble health pre
vented - his presence, was read. In which
it was stated that the lot of ground, con
sisting of four acres, on which that building
stands, was conveyed to tie Presbyterians
in 1773, eighty six years ago, by Joseph
Caldwell.. The same year a small log church
was commenced, which was the first house
of worship erected by any denomination
within the limits of what is now Fayette
County, Pa. In that house,Dr. 'McMillan
preached his first sermon Wst of the Alle
ghenies, on the first Sabbath ; of August,
1785. • May the new house he, the birth
place of souls, the ,house, of G-od and the
gate of heaven. H.O.R.
Silent Prayer.
At one of the first player-meetings in
Jaynes' Hall, a merchant froni the South,
noted for his profanity/. and infidel senti
ments, finding that the young salesman was
going there to the meeting, 'determined to
aecompany him. Turning to the other 01.113-
toincirs, he said that he wished it to be dis
tinctly understood that he went merely out
of,, i
curiosity, to report what he saw, when he
returned home. For a while the scene
seemed to make little or no impression upon
him ; but toward the close of the services,
Rev. Dudley. A. Tyng proposed to engage,
for fire minutes in silent prayer. For a
tine the great, congregation was as still as
the chamber of death, and afterwarlds the
Merchant' was observed to be weeping.
"Let us go," said he to the. young man.
"No," he replied, " the, services will, soma,
be over." When they left ,the_ hall, both
walked some distance in perfect silence,
which was at length broken by the merchant.
" I nevefbefore felt," said he, "as I did
to-day, in that prayer-meeting. I do not
knowiwhat came over me at the moment of
silent prayer. I was, against my will, con
vinced that these people were worshipping
God sincerely, and that their -religion was
true. I have been a scoffer, at religion; a.
member of an infidel club, have bought and
sold infidel books. , Bat henceforth, by the
help of that God whom I have hitherto re
jected and defied, I am resolved to seek that
religion with, all my heart." Subsequent
information has been received as to his union
with the Church, and also of the conversion
of a brother in consequence of his own.
"Old Htmdred."
If it be true that Luther composed that
tune, and if the worship of mortals is car
ried on the wings of angels to heaven how
often has he heard the declaration,' "They
are singing Old Hundred, now."
The -solemn-strain carries us' back. to the
times of the Reformers—linther and his de
voted band. He,•doubtless, was the first to
strike the grand old chords. in the public
sanctuary of his own Germany.
From his stentorian, lungs they rolled, vi
braling, not through van*, d cathedral roof,
but along t asrander arch, th6terlial• hew':
ens'. ' He '
.wrought into each note - his own
sublime faith; and with it that faith's immor
tality. Hence it cannot die 1' Neither merl•
nor angels,will let it pass WO oblivion.
,
The blue-eyed, girls of .
the old ." father
land" sang, those, same strains with all the
enthusiasm of a new and holier religion.
They had been bound down to priests,
prayer book and rosary. They had raised
adoring eyes to the spangled image of the
Virgin, and bent tinblushinglY before We
carved resemblance =lref .Christ: First the
mother heard, and then the ;midi ; they
went to listen, and • remained to .pray; aye,
to sing with throbbing;
. hearts and , tearful
eyes, "Praise God frbm whom all blessings,
flow."
Can you find a tomb, in th'e land where
sealed lips lay that hive not sung thaktitufs ?
If they . were gray old men, they
,hs:d heard
or sung "Old .111ihdred." If they - were
babes, they smiled as their mailers rocked
them to sleep, singing "Old`'Hundred "
Sinner and saint have joined with the end
less congregations, wilerp it has, with or
without, the pealing. organ, sounded on the
'sacred air ; .
The
The dear little children Wising With
wondering mes on this si,rattge,worid have
lisped it. , The sweet young. girl whose
tombstones toldof• sixteen slimmers, she
whose pure and • 'innocent face.-haimted you
with its mild beauty, loved." 014 Hundred,"
and as she sang it, closed, her eyes and
seemed, communing with angels who were,
soon to claim 'her. He whosi'Manhood was
deveted to' the 'service 'oo4, and,he who
With faltering feefaseei,ded the pulpit steps
with the White hand placed ever his labor
ing breinit; loved " Old' Hundred."
Arid though sometimes his lips only move,
away down:in MB\ heart, ao soon to cease its
throbs, the holy melody was sounding.
The dear white-haired -fatheri-with his trent--
ulcue voice, loved 014 Hundred. -'Do
you see him now, sitting lin4the- venerable
arm chair,,hishandtheresped4tver.the top of
his cane, his..silvery ladle ,fibating off from
his hollow templee, and a tear stealing down
his furrowed cheeks,. that thin, quivering,
falterini sound, now bursting forth, now
listened for almost in vain 7., If you do not,
we do; and from such lipa, hallowed by
four-score, yeara in service in the Master's
cause, "Old Rundred" sounds indeed a
sacred melody, , •
You may fill your ,eb.eirs 7 with Stbbath
prima donnas, whose daring notes emulate
the 'ateeplaind cost alined ;as much; but
give us the spirit-stirring notes of the Lu
theran tune, Bung by" old and young to
gether.' Martyrs have hallowed it; it has
gone up from the beds of. the saints.. "•The
old churches, where generation after gerier
ation. has worshipped, and where many
scores of the dear 'dead have been carried,
and laid before the altar, >where they gave
therselves to God, seem to breather of "'Old
Hundred ",/ from - vestibule to tower: top— .•
the air is• haunted with its spirit.
Think a moment of the assembled com
pany who have at different times and in dif
• ferent places, joined, in the familiar tune I
Throng upon throng--the strong, the . timid,
the gentle, the brave, the .beautiful, their
rapt faces all beaming with, the inspiration
of the heavenly sounds.
"Old Hundred I" king of the sacred
band of ancient' airs Never shall our ears
grow weary of hearing, or our tOngueif of
singing thee 'l' And when Ace get to heaven,'
who knows hut what the first triumphal
strain that welcomes us may be, "Be thou,
O God I exalted high." •
THE BEET fertilizer of the soil is the
spirit of industry, enterprise, and intelli
gence; without this, lime and " gypsiht=
bones" and green manure, marl,* or plaster,
will be of little use.
From. our London Correspondent,
The Ministerial Reform Bill The Scene in t he
house—D'lsraili's Speech—lts Reception—The
Main Features of the Bill—Threatened Opposi
tion and Agitation—The" Times" and its Strange
Tactics- r Will Lord John Come into ,Office,:—
Dissensions in the Cabinet—The War ,Queation--
T 4 Pope asks the Foreigners to WithdrataL-: Will
They I—lf so, Will that Settle the' Question ?
The French Press—The Navy and Expense—
Great Improvement in Trade and Commerce—
Lord Clyde and his, Final Battle—The Chinese
and the Treaty—The Opium Question and Nont•
gomery Afcirtin-The Bishop of 'Oxford and the
Working Classes at St. Paul's=il 'Concert for
Prayer—Revival Times in Aberdeen, and Moder -
atipn Tractarian Appointmenis - Agitation
Among Fatter» Christians--Mildneis'of the Sea.
LONDON, March Ist, 1859
THE MTNISTERTAL REFORM BI EL is
launched last. It was the lot of a man
who hEtS raised himself to his present , posi
tion by his own talents and, something more,
by his daring, if not unscrupulous , ambition,
to propound the nature of the new rneasure.
Amid brepthless silence, with every beneh
occupiid, and Peers filling the ekicsro ob
scu,ro places allotted them (ast spectators,)
with : the, Speakers' and and "the Strangers
Galleries both crammed, and the reporters in
great force, the Orator and statesman rose,
on Monday evening, to address ' the House
of Commons. Public ouriasiti had been
long on the stretch, but was somewhat ap
peased when, on Monday, morning, appeared
a leader in the. Times, professing to give an
outline of the new bill. And the outline
was not unfaithful; Mir was the leader un
friendly. Stranger still, when on Taesday
morning we opened its columns, while the
Phrliamentary Report told how, not only
Mr. Roebuck and Mr. Bright had denounced
the Bill as delusive, but Lord John Russel,
(no longer "finality John,") deprecated its
shortcomings, and indicated a better way,
and Lord Palmerston cautiously refused to
commit himself one way or another, .the
Times ponounced in favor of the bill. Not
that it regarded it' as perfect, but rather as
an installment to which additions could
easily be made in other ',:neasilres yet to
follow it.
But what is the :bill?:,lts-;general fee=
tures`differ widely from those suggested in
Mr. Bright's prograMme. He excited great
irritation and alarm, by the proposal of ex
tensive disfranchisement. ..gt.A.host of meth=
bins were to lose their seats by the aboli=
tiou of the boroughs 44 pocket," or very
limited population for, which they sit,
and new constituencies ,Niere • to be ere
ated. Then, again, he was for a rating
household suffrage bath for counties and
towns, and some who went not so far, asked
for a £5 suffrage.
The difference, however, of the Cabinet
measure, is great. The most distinctive
feature isj that there is •no disfranehiee
went, - :protects existing rights,
while it professes to bestow new privileges.
It abolishes the £5O franchise for the coun
ties, and puts both counties and boroughs on
a uniform rate of £lO yearly value. The
old 40s. freeholders will retain their rights
(to : accept bribes—they are a very corrupt
class in many boroughs,) except that when
thy reside in a borough, they shall not vote
. for` a county. This last exception has a To
ry aspect and animus, inasmuch as there is
an old law by which 40s. freehold votes can
be had for counties, and in:this way Mr.
Cobden .and the. Anti-Corn Law League
hive strengthened their =position greatly in
dines pro. This part of the abolition az
cites the wrath of the Liberals. Old lease
holds and copy-holds, however, 'of £5 per
annum, have votes annexed to them.
New Franchises are created in favor of
lodgers, or occupiers of any part of a house,
at the rate, of £2O per annum; of persons
in the receipt of an income from personal
property invested in
,the funds or India
stock, of £lO per annum; of in receipt of
a public pension of £2O. Depositors in
Savings Banks of £6O, are also entitled to
vote
Education:Li Qualifications are' also recog
nised and created, including graduates of
colleges and universities, clergy and minis.
less, barristers,pleaders, Oonveyancers, so
licitors and ,proctors, medical men, and cer
tificate, schoolmasters. •
As to the mode of voting, the elector
who wishes to do it openly, can= do so. He .
who wishes to preserve his politic:al opinions
from the scrutiny of his neighbor, will re-,
ceive a voting paper.
There are to be new seats; fortned
by the reduction of as many members of
fifteen small, boroughs that have now two
representatives. One is,te be withdrawn from
each. A sort et self-acting Register is pro
vided by the assimilation of .the county and
borough franchise, and by
, every owner and
occupier pirsessing the legal qualifications,
,having his name placed without trouble, on
the electoral list. •
It is significant and remarkable to find
the - Times supporting the bill as a whole.
It is no doubt glad to find that Lord Derby's
Cabinet his refused to take Counsel with
Mr. Bright, of to adopt his views. Bat
why it should seemingly desert the Whigs
—out of whose sails this measure is intend
ed to withdraw the breeze—it is difficult to
oompreherid. The Daily News, the Morn.
ing Star, and the Daily Teleyiaph, are,
fierce against the bill, and Mr. Bright
threatens, as does Mr. Roebuck, a violent
popular agitation against it. No doubt a
large body of intelligent artisans will be
very much incensed,by their continued dig
franohisement, and that there is reason for
their anger. Lord john 'touched on this
point adroitly, and the possibility' of his be
ing Premier ere long, or at least that he
should be in office once more, and lead the
House of Commons, is 'no doubt present .to
many minds.
The reduction of the county franchise is,
however, a great matter, only ,to be wrung
from the. Squires by a Tory Cabinet. Even
as it is, it has caused dissension in the
Cabinet, and •the retirement of two of Its
members, Mr. Walpole and Mr. Hentey.
Mr. Mallen', Lord Stanley, and Sir 3.
Pakington, are the, liberal members of the
Cabinet, and no doubt would have been glad
to have brought forward a, much more lib
eral and comprehensive measure. D'ls
`iaeli's speech was very able, and was, as a
Parliamentary oration, worthy of his great
reputation.
THE WAR QUESTION is not settled. 'Lord
Cowley's mission, to Vienna was co-tempera;
meows with an announcemeqt, that the Pope
had 'requested the French and Austrian
`troops to be withdrawn 'from his dominions:
•
Philadelphia, South . West Corner of Seventh and Chestnut Streets .
Asiurances, also, were given list Friday
night, by Mr. - D'lsraeli, to the 'effect that
Austria and France had been asked to with
draw their troops; and it was also understood
that both would do so. Now, however, it
is said this must be 'necessarily a question of
time=that it could not be done in day;
and, moreover, it appears that the Pope had'
made thematne request before, bat that it
was not complied with.
Napoleon is keeping the question open ;
and as Austria once, broke the treaty of
Cracow, simply because she wanted to do ,
so for her, own purposes; so it is feared that
were the troops withdrawn from the Roman
States to-morrow, the alleged or real infra°.
tion of treaties by Austria, would Still film
ish a mina belli against her by Fiance
and Sardinia, because they wish • to force on
a eonfiiot. In confirmation of this view of,
the matter, the Nord, which is used:by the
French Government to propagate its views,
says
The measure in question, (the evacuation)
would only be a derisive concPssion ; it would not
amend in any way the "abnormal situation" of
Italy, of which it is the most significant 'symp
tom. It is probable, on the contrary; that the
mediating powers will have to propose other con
ditions, with regard to which. the Austrian Gov
ernment has already declared through its organs
that it would never. ,consent to a compromise:
These proposals refer to the exceptional position
which .Austria'has assumed in Italy by means 'of
private treaties with thti.ltalian Princes.
•
In like manner the Presse Urhieh is
• . t he•
organ of his Imperial ' Highness, Prince Na.
poledn, alluding to • the. evacuation of the
Roman States, says:
We, sincerely trust;that-this is only the com
mencement of a,general retreat, which:will,put
everybody'and everything in their place. When
Austria shall have evacuated the Papal States
she must be turned, out of Tuscany and the
Duchies, where, by Miens of private tiiiaties,,
not guarantied by Europe, she has' secured' a
permanent right of intervention, which-renders
Parma, Modena, and Tuscany de facto Austrian
possessions. The right whiciti Austria has 'usurped
of invading and oconpying these small States,
and to garrison their fortresses, although ad
mitted by sovereigns who govern in such , a way
as to have a-greater,dread of their owu subjects
than of a foreign army, cannot be bindingup i on
Europe, whose equilibrinni is thin illibirbed, or
upon France,yhose interests it interferes with.
Bat here' is language stringer still,
eating pretty plainly the 'views of Franie
M. Thiers used to say in 1830: "We must tie
the Bourbons down to the charter in order to. ex
pel them." We say, "we cant tie the Austrians
down to Lombardy to stifle them there. °rice
driven out from the States., of ;the Church,. from
Trtsoariy, froth Modena and froth Rarnmi.--and it
is well understood that thew, return, to. those
States 'will constitute a ewes .
imposeible
that the wishes of the populations, that the exam
ple of the wise and happy liberty enjoyed by
Piedmont, that the encouragement held out -by
„Frame should not deoide. the 'rialto*: Princes, to
:utter the path of reform and „nationaliridepen-,
deuce and then, Austria; bloOkaded Lombii
dy by a movement 'which she cannot yield to
`without committing suicide,, flanked by Piedu r nt
whole influence undermines her ea, will have Ito
alternative but to withdraw across the inrinbtains;
or to commence. an aggression, the penalty of
which she. must soon bear."
Others think 'that the" Eciferor of the
Prencli is seeking by an armed parade, to
frighten Austria into submission.
Mean
while, Austrian and Sardinian outposts watch
each other like panthers eager for the prey,,
:mams riiers ; and Victor Emmanuel
xk4l,
Mess will be hearteiek (if he lick ot even
fulfill his alleged threat of abdioation) if the
;Emperor does not insist on Wilt'
The funds keep down, the continent is
not at rest, and even .thongh the French
Cabinet tell our Foreign . Minister that, their
iiuilitary " preparations are only making
iip fornrdinary deficiencies - in araty.Wants,
Very few, indeed, believe it.
Oun NAVY ie to be considerably etrength
ened. It is quite vexatious to find that a
large number of vessels built within the
last ten years, at immense cost, are practi-,
Bally useless, and would not, even pay for,
the expensenT alteration, and must be en-'
tirely abandoned. It costs this nation many
)nillions yearly, beyond ordinary necessities;
to keep pane with the steady and -threaten-,
?ng increase of :the French army and navy,
!and as long' asl despotism prevails on the
Continent, and millions of men are in arms,
pot only will Eardpe be impoverished, but
Angland itself again and again be-checked
in her Onward progress in material develep
inent. , •
THElL:BA.moN, , however, since the crisis
of 1857-58, is truly, wonderful and gratify.
ing. The, exports, "as compared with the .
corresponding 'period 'of last year, are very'
favorable; and the Opening up of freish fields
of enterprise and 'trade in• the East, are
already telling powerfully on Manchester
and manufacturing prosperity.
'Speculation, as such,..ts almost dead, and
the fear of continental ditturbance tends to
. beep,it down. Farmers are receiving leer
:prices for their wheat, but thus bread, for
the million is cheap and abundant;: wafer
other prodnee of the soil, as well as for herds
and flocks, prices still rule high.
. ,
LORD CLYDE ) by the last advices, had re.
turned to Lucknow from his last battle, aid
is coming soon to 'England. It was a fight
'with the Began and IsTena Sahib, who were
routed and - driven into the jungles: It is.
said that.the Nepaul Prince will hunt the
Nem down, and the Calcutta isorresponftent
,of the Titnes expected that in his next
communication -he would probably have tO
intimate the subside or execution of the
monster. It appears that he is an abject
coward,, .whieh cannot be said of Tantia
Tore or Feroze Shah, who were still at
large.
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT are , accused
of instigating the
." braves" of Canton to
fresh distirbances, on aceount of which
British troops have inflicted heavy chastiii
, meat upon them. It seems clear, f from in
, tercePted correspondenoe, that the high
'powers do not intend ,to observe OnTreaty
of Tiensui;eieept under compulsion.
The Opium question is still*sling on
the hearts and consciences of ;many good
,men in this country. Mr. Montgomery
Martin—a well known writer on India, and
long resident there—addressed hist week a
very able and impressive letter . on this sib
ject' to the 'Rev. James Johnson, of Glas
gow, formerly one of our English Presbyte
rian missionaries at Amoy. Mr. Martin ex
presses the warmest sympathy with the
anti•opium agitation in Glasgow and,else
where, and considers that as England; by
her love of gain and selfishness, proveked
the judgment - of OW in India, 00=zPer
sistent introduction, of this poison
into China for the sake of revenue•--she
By Mail, or at the nee, 01.50 per Year, SEE FROSPEOTt S.
Delivered in the City, 2.00 ‘i
*ROL NI N 0.840
may be visited by terrible calamities from
Continental invasion, or otherwise.
THE BISHOP OF. OXFORD was e
preacher at St Paul's, last Sabbath evening.
Re was, as usual, eloquent and powerful.
More than this, he was faithful and solertP,
and kept back all his priestly pretensions.
He is a strange protens, is a "two smiled"
Man, above almost any public man, and bki
eVidently strong convictions of what is goof
and what is true. "He went away very
sorrowful," was his theme, and his applica
tion of it to different classes, who, for
pdeasurc or profit, go away, not without
sorrow, from Christ, and so lose their souls,
was telling and searching. In one part of
hie.sermon he -pointedly referred tfa the, ac
cursed traffic in opium, as illustrating his
theme.
A MEETING FOE UNITED PRAYER, for
the outpouring of the Holy Spiriyhas been
resolved on in the large parish of Islington,
-London. The vicar, the son of the lute
Bishop Wilson, of Calcutta, occupied the
Chsdrat the preliminary meeting, and bith-
Churphmen and Nonconformists entered
heartily' into the proposal. It is to be a
weeklyeartd a Saturday afternoon meeting.
I trust much good will result from it.
In connexion with. revival preaching -at
Aberdeen, by, lay gentlemen—to which .
have previously referred—l find that the
Established Presbytery there,' by a large
majority, have resolved to shut the pulpits
of the:Presbytery against laymen. This is
according to the laws of the Assembly, and
Might be defended as a rule. But in re
.
"exceptio conft mat regulaiu."
The Free Church will not thus fetter her
self, nor thew, her sympathy with 01d,.0b ,
struotive moderatism. The Rev. Mr. Snaith,
an = Evangelical member of the ketablished
Presbytery of Aberdeen, sought to preserve
his liberty, and his" control over his own
pulpit, declaring that during`the whole pe
rind of his ministry ) he had not 'seen ,
so much real good effected as he had wit
nessed-daring the last twelve months. Bat
his opposition was in vain.
Traetarianisin will "look up" in. the
market ecclesiastical, if Mr. Gladstone, who
is, daily expected home from Corfu, (re
infects) be installed as Colonial Secretary.
Even as it is, I have had repeated occasion
to show you that •Lord Derby's promotions
are High Church.: Thus there is - a new
Bishop,of that school, Dr. Hills, who has
just been "consecrated," for British Colun
,,bia;' and besides Dr: Hook's appointment,
"already intimated,.`a Mr. Conrtenay, an
advanced Tractarian, has just been made a
'Canon of the Chapel Royal Windsor. " F sets
Jand Documents" as to the Diocese of de
ford,is reoent publication by a clergyman,
bringing outan alarming state of things.
The author of this pamphlet has just ap
- plied to ;the Bishop -of Chichester, under
legal advice, to issue a Commission to try
the Rector of .Lavington on the charges of
using a hymn translated from 11033i4S
*pines; whichieaches transubstantiation ;
of l eesching in the pulpit, and by his school
master, that there, are seven Sacraments, and.
tin; Lord's Supper may properly be called
the Mass; , of elevating (in the communion
offion,) the cup, and mingling water with
the wine; of crossing himself, after the
Burnish fashion, during the celebration of
Divine service, and of making the sign of
the cross on the water in baptism
If the present Cabinet be upset by polit
ical combinations, I think it would be all
the better'for the cause of. Evangelical reli
gion. lf, however, they are beaten on 'the
Reform Question, instead of resigning office,
it is possible, ley likely, • that they !bell
dissblve Parliament. This; flowever, would
certainly' insure their ultimate ejection from
officeiand a furore for more advanced con
cessions to the.people.
The CHRISTIAN ' POPULATIONS OP THE
EAer.ure beinistirred up by the Ronmain
. people, to a general revolt against Austrian
and Turkish authority. Au Envoy had
iately'arriired at Bucharest, charged with
authority to contract an alliance with the
Christian population of the East, numbering
forty millions, making Greece the federal
head of the union, under the protection of
Russia. "This news," says a writer from
'Athens, "ti Of the 'highest importance, and
confirms what I' hard already anticipated
with regard to the political condition of the
East."
XiXTRAORDINAILY MUIDNEBI3 has marked
our weather this Winter. One is ready to
say that the seasons are, changing. I have
been the country recently, and the groves
in the evening are vocal With melody. The
!. A.yr Express says : " At present may be
seen at West Banqnhari - a : sherry 'tree, car.
:tying a numb'er of beautiful blossoms."
And a writer in the Record, signing "Berk
shire," says "As a proof of.the very great
mildness of the season, -I have to day killed
a very large adder,' while sunning itself on
a innk." This state of the weather in.
Great Britain; contrasts strongly with ,what
we read about the state of the thermometer
in Canada and New England. There is
very little rain, and our skies are unusually
bright and, serene.. J.W.
Riches of the Bible
"Book of Books" is the Bible. It is a
Book of. Laws, and shois the right and
wrong;' It is a 'Book of Wisdom, ihe't
'makes the foolish Wise. It 'is a Book of
Truth,...Which. defects all human error. It
is a Book of Life, which shows how to avoid.
everlasting: death. It is the most authentic
and entertaining history ever published. It
contains' the most remote' antiquities, the
most remarkable °venni Wbuderfcd oc
currences. It is 'a complete Side Of kis.
It is a perfect body of divinity.. It i s en
, equaied narrative. It is a Book of Bi
ography. It is a Book of-Tomes. It
Book of Travels. ti is "titel beat covenant
ever made; the bestleed(iiir written; it is
the beat iWill ever executed; the best testa
ment ever it the irking man's
best compaNion ; it is the, mhoolboy's best
instructor; it is the learned i man's master
'piece; it is the ignorant Min's dictionitry,
and .every man's directory; it promises an
eternal reward to the faithful and believing.
But that whioh „crowns an is the Author.
Re is without partiality and without hypoc-,
risy; " Wrth j whom there . is no variableaen,_
neither shidOw of turning."
THAtOtitittruof -life molt happy wherein
ouperfinities are.not re.quir' ad and nonessariew
are not wonting.
CM
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