district-ministers on the imprudence of incurring liabilities that might involve themselves and their families in serious embarrassment, or, perhaps, even expose them to utter ruin. The answer always has been, that without a school every effort to reclaim the people was unavailing.

"If the lay members of the Church would only profit by the experience of parochial and district-ministers living in daily intercourse with the people, and thoroughly acquainted with their sentiments and habits, they would see how absolutely necessary it is, not only to the well-being and good order, but to the safety of the country, that the education of the poor upon sound principles should be maintained and extended. But, let it be repeated, the time is short. If the Church delays much longer this duty to the young; if her influential, and wealthier, and more responsible members much longer hesitate to provide sound instruction for the people, the disastrous consequences of such neglect may be easily foreseen. When we begin to feel them, we may repent; we may be ready to re-purchase with millions the precious opportunity we wantonly suffered to escape us-an opportunity which even common sense and prudence, independently of higher considerations, would have disposed us to secure, and which a few thousands timely and wisely spent would have enabled us to improve. W. CANTUAR."

The reply to the above address was a subscription of 106,0007. within three months, a sum unquestionably large, but still quite inadequate to the great work which the Society has undertaken. The Collection now amounts to £120,000.

BIBLE SOCIETY IN FRANCE.

THE year 1843 is now brought to a close; and, thanks be to God! it has been abundantly blessed for your Society in the wide field opened for your increasing activity. To confine myself, however, only to that portion of it respecting which I can speak with most certainty, I am bound to own, that the Lord has prospered your labours in a manner truly marvellous, inasmuch as, between the 1st of January, 1843, and the 31st of December, there have been issued from your dépôt in this city 14,540 Bibles and 127,369 New Testaments, making together 141,909 copies of the Sacred Volume. Yes, I repeat, the result is truly wonderful, and demands our warmest adoration and gratitude.

The following fact will clearly shew that the influence which the colporteurs exercise is often of great blessing to those among whom they are sent. The colporteur I now allude to had formed an acquaintance with a family in the Commune where he had taken up his temporary residence, consisting of a father and his daughter. The father, who was an interesting old man, had received salutary impressions from reading a copy of the New Testament which he had purchased. He opened himself to the colporteur, and told him that he should be much pleased if his daughter could be induced to read it also, in order to imbibe more favourable sentiments towards her husband, from whom she had long been separated in consequence of serious misunderstandings on both sides. They had in fact sworn

never to see each other again; and as their mutual hatred led to continual bickerings, the husband left her, to reside in another Commune. On learning this lamentable state of things, the colporteur had frequent conversations with the daughter, and at length prevailed upon her to commence reading the New Testament. Being informed, also, of the Commune in which the husband lived, he went to see him; and without stating that he knew any thing of his family, sold him a New Testament; taking care, in the sequel, to visit him whenever his route lay that way. Nor did the colporteur omit to entreat the blessing of the Lord upon the copies of His word which had thus been put into the hands of two persons who had sworn an eternal hatred against each other. His prayer was mercifully heard; as the following letter addressed to him by the husband, and literally copied here, will sufficiently shew:

"I must tell you, my dear friend, that the Lord has re-united me to my poor wife; and it is the Gospel which has effected this great change in us. Yes; what I have read in that precious Book, the New Testament, has caused a complete alteration in my sentiments, and the Lord disposed me to make the first proposal for a reconciliation. I expected to meet with a repulse on the part of my wife; but so far from that, on seeing me, she at once said, 'If we expect that God will pardon us, it is our duty to forgive one another, even though we may both have sworn never to do so.' Ah, now I see that God inclines the hearts of men by His powerful word; and this it is which has restored peace to our family; which has made all things new to us; and which will enable us, as disciples of the Gospel, to bring up our children properly, whom we had before abandoned."

Such are some of the good effects produced by the mild demeanour of the colporteurs in the midst of the opposition which they have to encounter, and by their fidelity in upholding the cause of the Sacred Scriptures.

The Curé of a certain Commune declared to the friend who furnishes the statement, that he was determined to do all in his power to get him expelled the Commune, and that he would expose him publicly as a dangerous person with whom no one ought to have any thing to do. The Curé was accordingly as good as his word. He preached from the pulpit against the colporteur; denounced him as a good for nothing fellow, who went about selling bad books which he had stolen; and even went himself from house to house inveighing bitterly against the poor Bible vendor. The latter, however, in humble reliance on the protection of God, set about in his turn colporting from house to house. It is, of course, useless to say that the Curé had previously made him and his object sufficiently known. The answers, full of Christian meekness and charity, which he gave to all who reported the attacks made upon his character by the Priest, gained him all hearts; and the warmth with which he descanted on the value and importance of the Holy Scriptures, so effectually worked upon them, that he sold 150 Testaments in that single Commune!

A Journal, pulished at Perigueux, under the direction of the Inspector of Primary Schools, bearing the title of the "School Review," contains, in one of its latest Numbers, the following:

[OFFICIAL]

rat† France. Academy of Bordeaux.

THE SCHOOLS OF DORDOGNE TO THE

AHSANTER OP THAT DEPARTMENT:

the Cars and their Assistants have intimated 7 se ut ter toolmasters are suffered Bibles and New TestaTPRE. TAZAKHng recents contrary to true Religion, to be introBITI 109 tear yaocis. I am aware that certain Schoolmasters Te aken hose books, only because they were deceived by the Dinorears, who pretended that tey visited them in my name. I mon you to excinde ach dangerous books from your Branni. I nail incessantly watch over your Schools, in conjunction with the Care of your parish; and we will cause all the copies which you shall have neglected to put away, to be burned.

"I wail myself of this opportunity to remind you that henceforward I shall expect to find in the Country Schools only the three following books, namely:

1. The Catechism of the Diocese.

**2. A Book of Moral Instruction for youth.
"3. A Book of Arithmetic.

"Signed,

[The remainder of the Letter contains advice relative to the manner of teaching.] L. LAFFOREST, "Officer of the University, Licentiate in Sciences, "Inspector of Primary Schools.”

In the above Letter, allusion is made to the proceedings of two of our colporteurs; but it is not true, as Mr. Lafforest pretends, that they informed the Schools that they were sent to them by the Inspector. In fact, with a view to bolster up their cause, the gentlemen who hold the same opinions as Mr. Lafforest are not very scrupulous in overstepping the limits of truth. Thus the editor of a Roman-Catholic Journal published at Paris, referring to the Circular before quoted, says, that "he approves of the conduct of the Inspector of Primary Schools in the Dordogne; and that, too, The more because no very long time ago he himself had visited the pement, and had seen with his own eyes New Testaments by coperteurs from which the sixth chapter of the Gospel Dirt 12 CPROVIous Co Protestants, had been detached." To exous known to be downright falsehoods are cause itself is a bad one.

cp mendon something as a counterpart to Dengueux, which recently occurred in a te cast of France, the name of which pruhere the Cures called upon the Inne New Testament from being novimasters refused to abide

Was the fact that it was scament, but the relatives of

eir miaren being perActuer un so cheap in price. Vaskerazie. went on to

nt soar as to proat Classes. Nor did

scertain that Jepartment here

alluded to, and the frequent opportunities he has had of calling upon a great number of the inhabitants, have tended to awaken such a respect for the Holy Scriptures, that the Priests feel that their power is shaken, and that to such a degree, that after wishing to act with violence against the Bible distributors, and against those who purchase the Scriptures, they now dare not elevate their voices so loudly, but are content to avail themselves of underhand means for gaining their ends.

*

So much good has resulted from the reading of the Sacred Volume in Schools solely attended by Roman-Catholic children, that it is our duty to endeavour to continue this mode of distribution. While on this subject, permit me to relate a very recent fact, which you will not consider as irrelevant, as it refers to a large School to which your Society furnishes from 400 to 500 copies of the Scriptures yearly.

The School, then, to which I allude is in one of the most populous neighbourhoods in Paris, and is attended, with the exception of seven or eight individuals, by more than a thousand Roman-Catholic children. In this School they are instructed and educated on purely Evangelical principles. Four or five days ago, by occasion of distributing prizes among the children who regularly frequent the Sunday School, several foreigners of distinction were invited to attend, for the purpose of judging for themselves of the good effects produced in the establishment by the simple explanation_of_the Bible. Among the rest, were some of your countrymen, the Rev. Mr. Lovett, Sir George Denys, Mr. H. - Lambton, M. P., together with several Ladies, the Countess Roden, Fitz.James, &c.; who, after having heard the replies of the children to a brief examination on Biblical subjects, declared, that even in England, where such great pains are taken to instruct children in the truths of the Gospel, few classes would be found containing young children who displayed so much respect and interest for these sacred truths, and who gave such correct and pleasing answers as many among the 600 or 700 Roman-Catholic children who were assembled for the purpose before

mentioned.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

D'Aubigne's History of the Great Reformation. Abridged by E. DALTON. 18mo. pp. 516. London: Dalton, Cockspur Street. The Editor has rendered a very valuable service by thus bringing into more general circulation one of the most useful and interesting publications of the day. The abridgement is very judicious and satisfactorily effected. It will be found to contain all the most prominent and instructive points of the original work; and we strongly recommend it for School Libraries and School Rewards. The evil days into which we are thrown render such a work the more seasonable and important. Never can we consent to let our youth begin to be and it is well that they should learn in time what principles must support and uphold them if antichrist be permitted once more, in God's mysterious wisdom, to lay waste his heritage.

THE 66

"[OFFICIAL.]

"University of France, Academy of Bordeaux.

INSPECTOR OF THE SCHOOLS OF DORDOGNE TO THE SCHOOLMASTER OF THAT DEPARTMENT:

"SIR-Several of the Curés and their Assistants have intimated to me that their Schoolmasters have suffered Bibles and New Testaments, containing precepts contrary to true Religion, to be introduced into their Schools. I am aware that certain Schoolmasters have taken those books, only because they were deceived by the colporteurs, who pretended that they visited them in my name. now call upon you to exclude such dangerous books from your School. I shall incessantly watch over your Schools, in conjunction with the Curé of your parish; and we will cause all the copies which you shall have neglected to put away, to be burned.

I

"I avail myself of this opportunity to remind you that henceforward I shall expect to find in the Country Schools only the three following books, namely:

"1. The Catechism of the Diocese.

"2. A Book of Moral Instruction for youth.
"3. A Book of Arithmetic.

66

Signed,

[The remainder of the Letter contains advice relative to the manner of teaching.] L. LAFFOREST, "Officer of the University, Licentiate in Sciences, 'Inspector of Primary Schools."

66

In the above Letter, allusion is made to the proceedings of two of our colporteurs; but it is not true, as Mr. Lafforest pretends, that they informed the Schools that they were sent to them by the Inspector. In fact, with a view to bolster up their cause, the gentlemen who hold the same opinions as Mr. Lafforest are not very scrupulous in overstepping the limits of truth. Thus the editor of a Roman-Catholic Journal published at Paris, referring to the Circular before quoted, says, that "he approves of the conduct of the Inspector of Primary Schools in the Dordogne; and that, too, the more, because no very long time ago he himself had visited the Department, and had seen with his own eyes New Testaments selling by colporteurs from which the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, so obnoxious to Protestants, had been detached." To maintain a cause by allegations known to be downright falsehoods is, in fact, proving that the cause itself is a bad one.

And now, permit me to mention something as a counterpart to what has been related of Perigueux, which recently occurred in another Department in the east of France, the name of which prudence requires me to conceal. There the Curés called upon the Inspectors of the Schools to forbid the New Testament from being used in any of the classes; but the Schoolmasters refused to abide by his injuction. They stated-and such was the fact-that it was not they who had purchased the New Testament, but the relatives of their pupils, who laid great stress upon their children being permitted to read a book at once so excellent and so cheap in price. The Schoolmasters, whose number is very considerable, went on to say that they should lose their scholars if they went so far as to prohibit the reading of the New Testament in their classes. Nor did they exaggerate when making this statement; for it is certain that the repeated visits of one of our colporteurs in the Department here