Your Committee, having thus detailed the proceedings now carrying on in India, for promoting the diffusion of the Scriptures, have only further to add, that they have considered it their duty to aid them by pecuniary supplies, commensurate to their extent and importance. They have accordingly, in addition to the 50007. granted for the disbursements of the preceding five years in translating and printing the Scriptures in India, voted 2000, annually, for the three successive years.

Your Committee cannot conclude their report respecting India, without observing, that in all the proceedings of the Corresponding Committee at Calcutta, the fundamental principle of the Society, to circulate the Holy Scriptures exclusively, without note or comment, has been distinctly recognised. In strict conformity to this principle, the Corresponding Committee have excluded from admission into the Bibliotheca Biblica, Bibles with comments, for sale; nor will they allow religious books or tracts of any kind to be sold, excepting the Reports of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

It remains only to notice under this head, that the Hon. Sir Alexander Johnson, Chief Justice of Ceylon, who is returning to that station, has obligingly undertaken the charge of a large supply of English, Dutch, and Portuguese Bibles and Testaments for the use of that Island, together with a supply of paper for the purpose of printing 1000 copies of the New Testament in the Cingalese language.

Your Committee will next advert to America; and they are happy to observe, that the zeal excited in that country, for the diffusion of the Holy Scriptures, continues to operate with increasing energy and activity. Ten new Bible Societies, in addition to the six mentioned in your Committee's last Report, have been established within the United States: The specification of the whole is as follows:

Philadelphia, 1; New-York, New-York Bible Society, New-York Bible and Common Prayer-Book Society, Albany Bible Society, 3; New-Hamp shire, 1; Massachusetts, Boston, Salem, Merimack, 3; Connecticut, 1; New-Jersey, 1; Baltimore, 1; South Carolina, Charleston, Beaufort, 2; Savannah, 1; Kentucky, 1; Maine, 1. All these associations may be considered as emanations from the British and Foreign Bible Society: of which the greater number have been assisted from its funds; and the remainder will receive proportionable aid, as soon as they shall have been regularly brought under the cognizance of the Committee. It must be gratifying to the Members of the Institution to see such an ample recognition of its principles on the new Continent: and to contemplate the beneficial effects which may be expected from the aggregate zeal and efforts of so many Societies directed to one object-the circulation of the Bible.

To the above intelligence, it may be added, that a Bible Society having been formed, on the recommendation of your Committee, at Truro, for the eastern part of Nova-Scotia, your Committee, desirous of encouraging the efforts of its Members for promoting the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, have presented them with 250 Bibles, and 1000 New Testaments.

Your Committee will now proceed to report briefly, the most material occurrences of the last year, within the United Kingdom, in connexion with the British and Foreign Bible Society.

The editions of the New Testament in Modern Greek, with the Ancient in parallel columns; in Irish; and in Mauks; mentioned in the last Report as then in progress, have all been printed, and are now in circulation.

The Right Rev. the Bishop of Sodor and Mau, having recommended to his Clergy to ascertain the want of the Scriptures in their respective parishes, and returns having been made in compliance with that recommendation, 1326 opies of the Manks Testament, together with some English Bibles and Tes

taments, charged at reduced prices, have been sent to the Bishop, for the ascommodation of the inhabitants of the Island.

A large supply of the Modern Greek Testaments has been sent to the Mediterranean, and of the Irish Testaments to Ireland. The price of the latter has been fixed at a rate particularly low, with a view to encourage the greater circulation.

Your Committee have the pleasure to report, that a stereotype edition of the French Bible is nearly completed; a similar edition of the Italian Tes tament is in progress;, a large impression of the Dutch Bible is also in the press; and that the printing of 5000 German Testaments has advanced to the Acts of the Apostles.

Your Committee, excited by a representation transmitted to them from the Edinburgh Bible Society, and encouraged by the intelligence recently detailed to them by Mr. Salte, have concluded to print an Ethiopic version of the Book of Psalms, for the use of the natives of Abyssinia; and they are endesvouring to procure a version of one of the Gospels in that language, with a view to the same object.

As nothing can prove more decisively the interest excited in the country for the diffusion of the Scriptures, and the approbation with which your Institution is regarded with a view to that object, than the increase of Auxiliary Societies, your Committee have great satisfaction in reporting the following addition to their number since the enumeration given at the last General Meeting.

1. "The Swansea Auxiliary Bible Society." The Rt. Rev. the Lord Bishop of St. David's, President.

2. "The Uttoxeter Bible Society." A. Rhudde, Esq. President.

3. "The Bible Society of Bishop Wearmouth, Sunderland, Monk Wearmouth, and their vicinity." The Rev. Dr. Grey, President.

4." The Auxiliary Bible Society of Neath, and its vicinity." The Right Hon. Lord Vernon, President.

66

5. The West Lothian Bible Society." The Rev. John Brown, President. 6. "The Rotherham Auxiliary Bible Society."

7. "The Auxiliary Bible Society of Uxbridge, and the neighbourhood.” The Rt. Hon. Lord Gambier, President. At the formation, and the first anniversary of this Society, your Secretaries attended by special invitation and witnessed a degree of harmony and zeal on both those occasions, which promise to render this Society an efficient instrument of local usefulness, as well as general support to the Parent Institution.

8. "Cornwall Auxiliary Bible Society." The Rt. Hon. Lord Viscount Falmouth, President.

9. "Weymouth Auxiliary Bible Society." The Rt. Hon. Sir James Pulteney, Bart. M. P. President.

10.

"The Liverpool Auxiliary Bible Society." The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Derby, President.

11. "

Auxiliary Bible Society at Huddersfield."

12. "The Montrose Bible Society." Andrew Thom, Esq. Provost of Montrose, President.

13. Dumfries-shire Bible Society." His Grace the Duke of Buccleugh, President.

14. "Baccup Auxiliary Bible Society."

15. "Knutsford Auxiliary Bible Society."

16. "Bury Auxiliary Bible Society."

17. Warrington Auxiliary Bible Society." The Rev. R. A Rawstone, Rector, President*.

* The 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, as Branch Societies, transmit their finds through the Manchester and Salford Auxiliary Society.

It now becomes the pleasing duty of your Committee to report, that your Secretaries, actuated by that zeal for the Society's interests which they have manifested on every occasion, accepted an invitation from the Mayor and Rectors of Liverpool, to assist personally, in forming an Auxiliary Bible So⚫iety in that populous and opulent town. The event of their attendance and exertions was such, as from the nature of the cause, their well-known qualifieations for conducting it, and the predisposition manifested in its favour by the principal inhabitants of Liverpool, might reasonably have been anticipated. Under the auspices of the Mayor, the Clergy, the Dissenting Ministers, and some of the most respectable characters among the Laity, an Auxiliary Bible Society was formed on the 25th of March: and the zeal and harmony which characterized its formation, afford a pledge of its becoming a powerful Auxiliary, both in strengthening the funds and promoting the operations of the Parent Institution.

In connexion with this object, and in compliance with the most earnest and respectful application, your Secretaries attended the first anniversary of the Manchester and Salford Auxiliary Bible Society; and special publie meetings of the friends and supporters of the Parent Institution, both at Birmingham and Sheffield. How highly their services were appreciated in each of these places, your Committee have been enabled to judge, as well from details officially transmitted, as from Reports in the provincial papers to which they have been referred and your Committee are only restrained by a feeling of delicaoy towards officers so nearly identified with themselves, from expressing, with more explicitness and detail, the sense they entertain of the value of these services to the local and general interests of the Society.

It should not be passed over in silence, that the treatment experienced by the Secretaries on visiting the places above enumerated, corresponded with the respectful terms in which their attendance had been invited, and with the character of that body which they had the honour to represent.

It would also be injustice to the Auxiliary Societies formerly reported, and to the cause in which they are united and identified with the Parent Institution, not to mention, with the commendation which it deserves, the activity of operation by which they have been generally characterized, and by which some among them have been peculiarly distinguished, in the course of the present year. As the particulars of each case will appear in the Appendix, extracted from their several Annual Reports, as presented to your Committee, it may be sufficient in this place to observe-that in raising Funds, organizing Branch Societies, and distributing to the ignorant and necessitous the Words of Eternal Life, while Bristol and Manchester have been distinguished by extraordinary exertions, the different Auxiliary Societies have, in their several degrees, and in proportion to their respective means and circumstances, established new claims to gratitude and affection from every individual member of the Aggregate Association.

Your Committee, on this division of their Report, have only farther to remark, that, finding it requisite to estal-ish some general principles, for supplying Auxiliary Societies with Bibles and Testaments, and being desirous of holding out to such Societies the greatest possible encouragement to ascertain the want of the Holy Scriptures in their respective districts, and to supply it at their discretion, have accordingly arranged a plan for these purposes, the particulars of which will be inserted in the Appendix.

Your Committee have the satisfaction to state, that the regulations contained in that plan have been already approved and adopted by many Auxiliary Bible Societies; and they take this public opportunity of earnestly recommending them to the attention of such other Auxiliary Bible Societies throughout the country, as have not yet become acquainted with them.

The distribution of the Scriptures is the next subject for report, in the order of arrangement. Under this head your Committee include, as usual, not only Donations, but supplies of the Bible and Testament, by the British and Foreign Bible Society, to other associations and individuals at the east, or reduced prices, and principally for the accommodation of the poorer classes and individuals.

Copies of the Scriptures, either in whole or in part, and in various langua ges, exclusively of those mentioned in the former part of the Report, have been sent abroad, as follows:

IN AMERICA.

To St. Mary's Fall, Upper Canada; to New-York, for distribution by the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, under the patronage of Bishop Moore; to a Welch Colony, at Grantham Lincoln, in Upper Canada; to Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Labrador; to the West-Indies and Newfoundland.

IN AFRICA.

To Sierra Leone, and Bashia on the Rio Pongas; to the Cape of Good Hope, for the British soldiers and poor inhabitants, and for various parts of Southern Africa; to Senegal and Goree, for the use of the inhabitants and garrison.

IN EUROPE.

To Walbach, in Alsace; to Germany,,for, distribution among Roman-Catholics; to Lisbon; to Messina and Palermo, in Sicily; to Malia; to Gurn. › sey and Alderney; to the Morea-and to the Island of Ceylon, in the EastIndies; and to Port Jackson, in New South Wales.

AT HOME,

To the Female Penitentiary at Plymouth; to the London Female Penitentiary; to the prisoners of war at the several Depots, and particularly to those who have returned to France in the Cartels, in order that they. might convey them to their respective families and connexions; to poor Danes; to Falmouth, for the crews of the post-office packets; to the poor miners in Cornwall; to the poor in Hospitals at Bath; to the poor in workhouses and parishes connected with the Uxbridge Auxiliary Society; to the Kendal Bible Society, for the poor, and school of industry; to the BishopWearmouth and Sunderland Bible Society, in consideration of the peculiar circumstances of that district; to the Hibernian Societies in London and Dublin; to poor Germans at Hull; to sundry workhouses and gaols; to various military and naval stations, for sale at reduced prices, to the soldiers and sailors.

(To be concluded in our next.)

INSTALLATIONS.

THE REV. WILLIAM BOARDMAN was installed, October 22d, 1811, to the pastoral charge of the Presbyterian Church at Newtown. Dr. Miller preached the Sermon, from 1 Tim. ül. 1. Mr. Faitoute presided, and gave the charge to the Pastor, and Dr. Romeyn gave the exhortation to the people. The Rev. MATTHEW LARUE PERRINE, was installed to the pastoral charge of the Presbyterian Church in Spring-street, New-York, on the 31st Oct. Dr. Milledoler preached the Sermon from John ii. 17. Dr. Romeyn presided and gave the charge to the Pastor, and Dr, Miller gave the exhortation to the people.

LITERARY NOTICE.-Proposals are issued for publishing a new Work, to be entitled, "Collection of American Epitaphs, and Inscriptions, with occasional Notes," by the Rev. Timothy Alden, A. M. S. H. &c. of Newark, New-Jersey.

THE

CHRISTIAN's MAGAZINE;

ON A NEW PLAN.

No. XII.]

DECEMBER, 1811.

[VOL. IV.

The Character of the celebrated John Thornton Esq. extracted from a Sermon on the occasion of his death, by the Rev. Thomas Scott.

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dispensing his bounty, it is well known that he constantly aimed to promote the knowledge and practice of the religion contained in the Bible, and to bring the careless, the ignorant, the profane, and the profligate, to attend to the concerns of their souls, "to repent and turn to God, and to do works meet for repentance." For this purpose also he was the general patron of pious, exemplary, and laborious ministers of the Gospel; frequently educating young men whom he found to be religiously disposed, and purchasing many livings, not so much with a view of benefiting the individuals to whom gave them, as for the sake of planting useful ministers of the Gospel in those parts where he supposed the people to be "perishing for lack of knowledge."

he

He also dispersed a very great number of Bibles, in different languages, in distant countries, perhaps even in all the four quarters of the globe; and with them vast quantities of such books as he thought most suited to awaken the conscience, to affect the heart with a sense of the importance of eternal things, and to lead men to repentance, faith in Christ, and holiness of life; thus labouring to renVol. IV. No. XII. 4 L