larly as God had given me a servant, who, while at Madras, had received a religious education, and is able to read the Malabar fluently. "Oh! when I look around, and consider the ignorance and moral degradation that every where meet the eye, the prospect is gloomy as midnight! How many ages would pass away before these people would become Christians, equal in knowledge or number to those in England, unless the influence of the Holy Spirit were more copiously bestowed than Christendom has witnessed since the Reformation! But we have every reason to believe that the period is at hand, when the heathen shall be given to the Lord Jesus for his possession, &c. Our encouragement therefore is great, and our duty obvious, earnestly to wrestle with God in prayer for the residue of the Spirit; and if the vision should tarry, to wait patiently, and work diligently, until the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." PENANG-Mr. Beighton, in a letter dated May 4, 1820, says, "The most pleasing intelligence we can now communicate is, our being able to introduce without fear the Sacred Scrip tures and Religious Tracts into the Malay schools. A year ago, if we had offered a New Testament to a Mahomedan, he would immediately have rejected it. "Some years ago, a Mahomedan, who is considered a learned man, and whose employment was to teach persons to read the Koran, made repeated applications to us, desiring to place himself at our disposal, offering to read the Law, the Psalms, and the Gospels. We have since engaged him, and he has now upwards of 50 learners, including men, women, and children. They assemble in his own house, the road to which in wet weather being almost impassable, he has made a kind of bridge of buffaloes heads. FORMATION OF READING MISSIONARY SOCIETY. On Friday, Dec. 2, 1820, a Branch Missionary Society for the Reading circuit was formed in the Methodists' Chapel, Church-street, Reading. Two excellent Sermons were preached by the President of the Conference, and the Rev. Richard Watson. The public meeting was very numerously and respectably attended. The Chair was filled by the President. Ample and most encouraging accounts from the different Stations were furnished by the Rev. Richard Watson, one of the General Secretaries. The meeting was highly interested by the novel and affecting narrations furnished by Mr. Leigh, concerning the New Zealanders. The Rev. Messrs. Douglas, Hinton, Bubier, and Watson, (Dissenting Ministers) together with Messrs. Smith, of Windsor, and Anderson and Galland, of Reading, and Charles Stoke Dudley, Esq. severally addressed the meeting; which furnished an additional instance of the growing spirit of union amongst the different denominations of Christians, and of the " exceeding grace of God bestowed upon the churches of" Britain. The Collections amounted to nearly 501. ARRIVAL OF MISSIONARIES. We are happy to state the safe arrival of the following Brethren and their Wives, at the respective places of their destination-Mr. and Mrs. Carvosso, and Mr. and Mrs. Mansfield, at New South Wales; Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, and Mr. Grimshaw, at Antigua. DEPARTURE OF MISSIONARIES. In the course of the last month the following missionaries have sailed for their respective stations-Mr. W. Squire, for Grenada, and Mr. John Morgan, for the Gambia, West Africa. Contributions to the Wesleyan Missionary Society, received by the General Trea surers, since the Account published last Month Monies received at the Mission House. A Tribute of gratitude for innumerable mercies, by H. FromJoseph Bulmer, Esq. Treasurer of the Auxi liary Society, for the London District London EAST, Kentish Town From Paul Glasford, Esq. Treasurer of the Branch Missionary Society for the Fort Wellington Circuit, Upper Canada 12 0 S 21 5 3 From Mr. George Osborn, From J. Jerram, Esq. Trea- Nottingham Circuit £ s. d. 26 2 10 15 0 0 85 0 0 The Committee present their Thanks for the following acceptable presents to the Society To Mr. Simpson, Plymouth,.some volumes of the Methodist Magazines; to a Lady, Liskeard, Cornwall, for sundries for schools in Ceylon; to Mrs. Mary Holt, sundry volumes of Magazines; to Teachers and Friends of Hare-street Sundayschool, Bethnal-Green, sundry valuable articles for South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Benjamin White, Namptwich, 12 pairs of shoes for the South-Sea Mission; to sundry friends at Lincoln, for various articles for South-Sea Mission, per Rev. J. Waller; to Mr. W. Thodey, 10 volumes of Christian Guardian for South African Mission; to Mr. Rusher, Reading, 500 Watts's First Catechism; to Mr. Richard Fletcher, Bolton, 5 dozen pans, and sundries from several friends there, for the South-Sea Mission; to Mr. and Mrs. Berry, sundries; to John Carr, Esq. and Mrs. Carr, Sewardstone Mills, a trunk of apparel, blankets, basket of earthenware, potatoe drill &c. for South. Sea Missions; to Miss Penny, for a missionary box, containing money; to a few young friends, sundries for South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Crockford, Chatham, pit saws for South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Watson, Ironmonger, Chatham, 24 axes for South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Gandon, Chatham, sundries for South-Sea Missions; to friends at Rochester and Chatham, sundries for South-Sea Missions, per Mr. George Osborn; to Mr. S. Wright, Hanley, Staffordshire, a large cask of valuable earthenware, for South-Sea Missions; to Mr.James Keeling, Do. for Do.; to T. Holy, Esq. Sheffield, for a cask of valuable articles for SouthSea Missions; to a friend unknown, sundry female dresses, earthenware, inkstands, &c. for South-Sea Missions; sundry female garments, per Mrs. Ware, Bridge-street, for South-Sea Missions; to Mr. and Miss Ford, sundry articles, for South-Sea Missions; to Mrs. Davies, Fore-street, one dozen of table knives and forks; to a friend, per Mr. Spence, York, a bag of garden seeds; to Mr. Edward Everest, Hartfield, near Brighton, a parcel of sundries; to Mrs. Lucinda Wilson, Chapel Town, for sundry articles of female apparel, and a small box of presents, for South-Sea Mission, per Rev. R. Reece, Leeds; to Mr. Wilder, 26 yards of printed cotton; to Mr. John Martin Lewis, for a valuable assortment of dresses for the black natives of New South Wales; to Mrs. Whitfield, Tottenbam, 12 female dresses for South-Sea Missions; to "A friend to the Redeemer's kingdom," a large parcel of valuable articles of woollen cloth, fustian, corderoys, &c. being remnants of old stock, for the Missions, where they may be useful. He suggests this as an excellent method of disposing of many articles of old stock, which might otherwise lie useless upon the shelves of a shop from year to year; to Messrs. Reading and Turner, Redditch, for two boxes of needles and fish hooks, for the South-Sea Missions; to several friends in Barnard-Castle, for sundries, per Messrs. Monkhouse and Steele, for the South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Heighton, Kettering, for a pair of patent harrows for the South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Henry Wright, Brackley, Northamptonshire, for 12 pairs of shoes, for the South-Sea Missions; to Mr. Edward Pennington, Besthorpe, Notts, for sundries, for the South. Sea Missions. POETRY. To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine. SIR, The following Lines are taken from a Collection of Poems by Bernard Barton, a Member of the Society of Friends, recently pub. lished, and sent for insertion in your Mis cellany, if you consider they possess sufficient merit to entitle them to a place. Your's, respectfully, Feb. 8, 1821. W. T. Verses to the Memory of Mary Fletcher. Enthusiast, fanatic, and fool, Many who read thy life will style thee, And others, more sedate and cool, Will pity, who dare not revile thee.. For me, who feel, on laying down The volume, neither power nor will To ape the critic's frigid frown; To flatter thee were idler still. While living, praise of man to thee Was nothing; o'er thy mouldering earth, Its empty echos now would be But mockery of thy Christian worth. Nor would I, venerable shade! Now touch such high and solemn theme, Or this poor tribute have essay'd, If thus the unthinking world shall deem. And these, perchance to shew their wit, To thee it matters not; but those And vindicate thy well-earn'd faine. Who tread the path that thou hast trod, The church, which prompted first thy prayers, Thy faith, thy Saviour, and thy God! These with united voice demand When stars of righteousness have set. Set, but to rise with holier light, Echips'd on earth-to shine in heaven; Now should the chill grave's transient night 募 'Death may arrest you with his icy hand; Adore thy God, and save thy wretched soul. Printed by T. GORDEUX, 14, City-Road, |