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DEATH OF MRS. MARSHMAN.

dren, unless therein they are taught some trade, or are put to some employment, will effectually swamp the morals of any christian community in this land. Unless they are taught some trade, they must become menial servants, or labourers, and for these employ. ments their easy habits contracted at school will generally unfit them. To obviate this evil our schools and asylums should have attached to them an institution to teach the boys those trades by which they might obtain their bread; if this be not done, they had better remain with their friends or parents, where at least they would learn to farm, and acquire habits of industry.

(To be continued.)

DEATH OF MRS. MARSHMAN.

MRS. MARSHMAN, widow of the Rev. Dr. Marshman, died at Serampore, March 5th, in her eightieth year. She was the last of

that noble and honoured band whose names will ever be conspicuous in the annals of Indian missions. The writer of this brief notice had not the pleasure of being acquainted with this excellent woman, but he has heard his brethren and sisters, some of whom have been indebted to her christian kindness, speak of her as a mother in Israel. She came to India at a comparatively advanced period of life, being more than thirty years of age; but she was permitted by the Supreme Disposer of events, to labour for a much longer period than is usually allotted to his servants. Prior to leaving England, she was a member of the church at Broadmead, Bristol, then under the pastoral superintendance of Dr. Ryland: and when her husband decided on becoming a missionary, she was at first reluctant. We cannot wonder at this; for she was the mother of two children, and missionaries had then to encounter various difficulties to which their successors are happily strangers. But after serious deliberation and prayer for Divine guidance, she cheerfully acquiesced and gave herself to the work with undivided affection. Her companions on the voyage were-her husband, Mr. Ward, Mr. and Mrs. Grant, Mr. and Mrs. Brunsdon, and Miss Tidd, who was engaged to Mr. Fountain, already in India. They reached Serampore a happy and united party, at break of day, Oct. 13th, 1799. But deeply affecting reverses soon followed: Grant died in less than a month; Miss Tidd, who changed her name shortly after landing, was a weeping widow before twelve short months had rolled away; Brunsdon, in less than two years, finished his course. It may be added, that Mrs. Fountain subsequently became the wife of Mr. Ward; and Mrs. Grant, after remaining in the state of widowhood five or six years,

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was married to the devoted Chamberlain. Eight months after marriage she died under peculiar trying circunstances. The excel. lent woman whose virtues are the subject of this brief memorial, had much affliction at the commencement of her missionary career; and once or twice fears were entertained of her recovery: but it pleased God, not only to raise her up, but graciously to fulfil in her the promise Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season.' A few of her letters are inserted in the periodical accounts, and they exhibit to a very pleasing extent, an humble mind, a cheerful disposition, and an affectionate heart. Mrs. Marshman had, for many years, the superintendance of a ladies' school at Serampore; and, as it was eminently successful, she was able to contribute largely to the support of the mission. The following description of her character and of the peaceful termination of her protracted pilgrimage is extracted from the Friend of India,' a paper under the able editorial superintendance of her son, J. C. Marshman, Esq. Of those christian virtues which gave so bright a lustre to her character, it is scarcely possible for the writer of this article to speak in adequate terms, without appearing to transgress the bounds of modesty; and a feeling of delicacy restrains him from dwelling on that happy conjugal union which subsisted for forty-six years, with unabated confidence, and on the affectionate discharge of those maternal duties which render her memory so dear to the objects of her solicitude. Still it may be permitted us to affirm, that never has any one in this town been followed to the grave with such deep and universal regret. There were few of its inhabitants who had not grown up amidst the influence of her benevolence. In every emergency, the poor and the distressed, resorted to her, in the first instance, with the certainty of obtaining advice and relief. She appeared indeed to be intimately acquainted with the condition of every poor family in the settlement, of whom there were few who could not advance an hereditary claim on her kindness. Her time and her purse were at the command of every suitor; and the great object and delight of her life was, to promote the welfare of others. Her deep piety and nnaffected humility, thus combined with the utmost activity of benevolence, exhibited the christian character in its most attractive form. In connection with these virtues, if not indeed as springing from them, she exhibited the greatest sweetness of disposition, and a perpetual smile of cheerfulness. She was blessed with the full use of her mental faculties to the very last stage of existence, and it was only within the last two months of her life that her bodily strength appeared to be seriously affected. It was then that she began to real

ize the approach of that change for which she had been long prepared. It was then that the christian hope of immortality, through the merits of the Redeemer's sacrifice, not only sustained her mind, but enabled her to exult in the prospect of the dissolution of her mortal frame, which would unite her spirit with those who had shared in her earthly labours, and preceded her to the haven of rest. While lying on her couch, and expecting her immediate departure, she repeated without hesitation or omission, six stanzas of a sublime ode, descriptive of the triumphant feelings of the soul on the verge of eternity, which she had treasured up in her memory sixty-two years before. Thus was she enabled to close a life of extraordinary duration, activity, and usefulness, by bearing her dying testimony to the value of christian truth and the vitality of the christian's hope.' J. B.

MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARIES.

LONDON, Enon Chapel.-On Lord's-day, April 18th, three sermons were preached on behalf of the Foreign Mission. In the morn. ing by the Rev. J. G. Pike, of Derby; the afternoon by Rev. H. Wilkinson, missionary from Orissa; and in the evening by our esteemed pastor. The services were all well attended and liberally supported. The afternoon's discourse was principally addressed to the children of the Sabbath school, urging them to persevere in their youthful efforts for the furtherance of the gospel. We rejoice to state respecting these juvenile collectors, that, although the past year has been a year of universal depression; yet amid all discouragements they have continued their exertions, and with God's blessing attending are enabled to add to the mission funds between fifty and sixty pounds. Still, like the busy bee, un wearied, they have recom menced to labour for another year, and are anxiously looking to their kind friends to encourage them in their work of faith and labour of love. J. G.

TICKNALL.-On Lord's-day, Feb. 28th, 1847, a sermon was preached in the Baptist chapel Ticknall, on behalf, of the Foreign Mission, by the Rev T. Gill, (late of Burnley,) and on Wednesday evening, March 3rd, a missionary meeting was held in the same place. Mr. Wood of Melbourne presided; Revds. T. Gill, J. Young, Indep., of Melbourne; J. Peggs, of Burton; and H. Wilkinson, missionary from Orissa, addressed the meeting. Collections £3. 14s. 3 d. Two little boys from Repton, (William Thorpe, aged eight years, and John, his brother, aged six,) brought their bags to the meeting; the bag of the former containing £1. 12s. 1d.,

and that belonging to the latter, 17s. 6d. On Thursday evening a meeting was held in the new Baptist chapel Hartshorne; J. Brooks presided. Revds. Gill, Peggs, and Wilkinson, addressed the meeting. Amount of collections, £2. Os. 11ąd, making a total of £8. 4s. 10 d. J. B.

CASTLEACRE.-On Thursday evening, May 27th, a missionary meeting was held in the General Baptist chapel in this village, which was comfortably filled. Mr. John Wherry in the chair. The meeting was addressed by our beloved missionary the Rev. H. Wilkinson, and the Revds. T. Scott, of Norwich; J. C. Smith, of Magdalen; J. Love, (Wesleyan) and J. Stutterd. Collection £2.

BARNEY.-A missionary meeting was held at Barney on Wednesday, May 26th. Mr. Wilkinson preached in the afternoon, and the missionary meeting was held in the Evening. Collections £5.

CONINGSBY.-On Lord's day, April 4th, the Rev. H. Wilkinson preached two appro. priate sermons on behalf of the Foreign Mission. On Monday afternoon the Rev. J. Stevenson, M. A., preached, and in the evening a crowded missionary meeting was held, which was addressed by the brethren above mentioned, assisted by the Revds. J. H. Norton, (Wesleyan) J. Watts, (Primitive Methodist) J. Starbuck, and others. Collections &c, with a legacy of £10, a little more than £30.

BIRMINGHAM. On Lord's-day, March 21st, Mr. Wilkinson preached two excellent sermons on behalf of the mission, and gave an address to the children of the Sundayschool; and on the following Tuesday evening the public meeting was held, when Mr. Hammond commenced with prayer, Mr. Sivan presided, and effective addresses were delivered by Messrs. Sibree, Fisher, Pike, Wilkinson, and O'Neil. Subscriptions and collections for the year, £52. 5s. 4 d.

CHATTERIS. Our annual missionary services were held here on Sunday and Monday, June the 6th and 7th. Brother Wilkinson preached morning and afternoon at Chatteris, to large and deeply interested congrega. tions; and in the evening at Union chapel Mepal, to a crowded and delighted audience. Our missionary meeting was held on Monday, when between sixty and seventy persons took tea in the chapel, and upwards of £4. was collected at the tables for the mission. chair was taken by J. H. Wright, surgeon, and the meeting was addressed by the Revds. C. Williams, (Wesleyan) H. Wilkinson, E. J. Hartland, (Independent) J. Lyon, and J. H. Wright. The collections £5.

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At Mepal, on Tuesday the 8th, the first

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THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY held its fifty-fifth anniversary at Exeter Hall, on Thursday morning, the 29th of April. The weather proved very favourable, and a large concourse of the friends of the society was present. On the platform there was a con. siderable number of ministers and several of the principal laymen connected with the denomination. The chair was taken by Joseph Tritton, Esq. Messrs. D. Katterns, of Hackney; J. Stock, of Chatham; Birrell, of Liverpool; J. Shepherd, Esq., of Frome; J. L. Philips, Esq., of Melksham; Fraser, of Lambeth; W. H. Bond, Esq., of Truro; and Mr. Peto, moved and seconded resolutions Mr. J. Angus, the secretary, read the report: It commenced by recording the death of Messrs. Burchell and Dutton, in Jamaica; of Mr. Francis, of Hayti; and of Messrs. Thompson and Hudgrow, in Africa; and also the cessation from labour, through infirmity and sickness, of some others. Mr. and Mrs.

Mrs.

Webley have been sent to Hayti. Lewis, who sailed in 1845 for Ceylon, has been directed to proceed to the continent of India, to strengthen the hands of the brethren there. Mr. Page, from Stepney College, is about to proceed to Madras. Another missionary has also been accepted for India, on condition that the funds of the Society will allow of his being sent out. The mission in India was reported to be in a prosperous state. A larger number of volumes of scriptures have been printed than for several previous years. 3,000 volumes of Sanscrit, 69,000 in Bengalee, and 12,000 in Hindu have been issued from the press. 79,549 tracts and 40,029 portions of the scripture have been distributed at eleven stations alone. The additions to the churches in India have amounted to 331-a larger number in one year than the mission has ever known. The total number of members in India is 1,842. The children in attendance, 4,390. The financial state of the churches is also encouraging. In Africa, the last year has been one of grievous trial. In addition to the death of Messrs. Thompson and Sturgeon, four of the teachers from Jamaica have returned, and all have suffered so seriously in health, that it is feared some must retire for a season. A deputation has

visited Jamaica during the year, and the expenses incurred by the visit and an additional sum of about £2,000. to aid stations ab solutely requiring relief, has been guaranteed by one of the treasurers of the societyno part of the funds of the society being devoted to the object. The total number of stations is about seventy-five; of ministers, thirty; and members about 30,000-600 have been added to the chucrhes during the past year. The Sunday-schools have an attendance of 10,000. The total number of members added to all the churches during the past year is 1,207, the total number of members in all the churches, including Jamaica, being 36,463. There are 249 stations and sub-stations, and 233 agents, not including Jamaica. The total number of day-schools is 156; of children taught in day-schools, 8,696; and of children taught in Sabbath-schools 12,481. The total receipts for all purposes are £28,223. 11s. 7d., being an increase as compared with the last year, of £1,924. 12s. 10d.: of this amount £1,000 is a special contribution for Madras, and has been invested in the funds. The expenditure, including the above investment has amounted to £26,399. 2s.; the balance has been applied towards the reduction of the debt, which now amounts to £3,711. 9s. 11d.

BAPTIST HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY.The annual meeting of the subscribers and friends was held at Finsbury chapel, on Monday evening, April 26. The attendance was very numerous. J. Colman, Esq., Mayor of Norwich, took the chair. Messrs. F. Tucker, of Manchester; C. E. Birt, of Wantage; J. J. Brown; J. H. Hinton; J. Bigwood, of Exeter; J. Higgs, of Sudbury; J. Low, Esq.; P. Daniel, Esq.; S. J. Davis; and Mr. Bousfield, moved and seconded resolutions. Mr. E. S. Davies read an abstract of the report. After refering to the trying circumstances in which many of the missionaries had been placed, in consequence of the distress prevailing in some of the agricultural districts, it went on to state, that their chief difficulties, however, had arisen from another source. They had been made to know that there was an

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Established church in this country; that it had assumed a position of earnest antagonism to dissent; that many of its friends were wealthy, influential, and determined to promote its ascendancy at any cost of personal sacrifice; and that many more, besides possessing these or kindred advantages, were not very scrupulous in using means which every truly honourable and enlightened mind must condemn. In North Devon, the agents had laboured abundantly, and notwithstanding the discouragements arising from their peculiar position, many additions had been made to the churches. From Gloucestershire, Somersetshire, and Wiltshire, there were similar reports. the Northern Auxiliary, the principal sta tions were Carlisle, Darlington, Hamsterly, Hartlepool, Middleton, Monk Wearmouth, Stockton, and Sunderland. With few exceptions, the reports from all these stations were encouraging; and the committee were thankful to be able to state, from the observation of the Secretary who visited the station in May last, that the churches, which, through the patronage of the society, had become self-sustaining, both justified their expectations, and rewarded the efforts of their agents. The Committee have employed, during the year, ninety agents, who had laboured at about as many principal, and by the valuable assistance of many fellowhelpers to the truth' at 223 subordinate stations. They had given assistance also, both in England and Wales, to several occasional applicants, whose statistics were not included in the report. Upwards of 500 persons had been added to the churches, not as the result of special movements, but as the fruit of the ordinary, unpretending, but often toilsome, persevering, efforts of the agents. The majority of the missionaries reported a considerable number of inquirers. Instruction had been given in 111 Sabbath-schools, by 1,196 teachers, to 7,500 scholars. Partly through the operation of causes, from which all denominational institutions had suffered, the committee had been compelled to borrow £400. This, together with £200 borrowed to meet the deficiency in 1845, left the society in debt £600. The total receipts of the society during the year amounted to £5,119 1s., the expenditure to £5,118 2s. 6d., leaving a balance in hand of 18s. 6d., which deducted from the 600 that had been borrowed, left a balance against the society of £599 ls. 6d.

BIBLE TRANSLATION SOCIETY.-The annual meeting of this society was held on Wednesday evening April 28th, in New Park-street chapel, Southwark. Henry Kelsall, Esq., of Rochdale, in the chair. The speakers were, Messrs. J. Sprigg, of Margate; A. M. Stalker, of Blockley; T. Winter, of Bristol; D. Gould, of Dunstable; M. Wool

aston, of Agra, missionary; Mr. Groser; J. Mills, of Kidderminster; and Dr. Burns. The report, after adverting to the arduous though important nature of the work of biblical translation, stated that, since the death of Dr. Yates, the Calcutta translations had been carried on by the Revds. J. Wenger, A. Leslie, and C. C. Aratoon, while the Mission Press remained under the management of the Rev. J. Thomas. Mr. Leslie was assiduously engaged in carrying through the press a revised edition of the Hindi Testament, while Mr. Wenger was occupied with Sanscrit and Bengali. In the Hindi, the printing had advanced to John; of Matthew 8,000 copies, and Mark 4,000 had been printed, independently of former impressions. The total number of copies of the whole or parts of the word of God sent out from the Baptist mission press, since 1831, was 387,137. In connexion with these great labours, the committee acknowledged the aid afforded by the American and Foreign Bible Society, being £412. 16s., during the past year. The society had voted £50 to the Rev. J. Clarke for a translation into the Fernandian language, and £2,000. to the Baptist Missionary Society and the Calcutta translations. The total receipts for the year were £2,125. 16s. Id., including a legacy of £213. by Mrs. Norman, of Isleham, and two donations-W. Blacklock, Esq., Colchester, £50. and D. Sinclair, Esq., Edradour, £200. In conclusion, the committee expressed a belief that the design of the society was beginning to be understood; and Dr. Steane added that one clergyman of the church of England had sent them two guineas, and another £25, intimating their intention of continuing their support, and that a missionary of the London Missionary Society was on the platform.

BAPTIST IRISH SOCIETY. The annual meeting of this institution was held at Finsbury chapel, on Tuesday evening, the 27th, of April, and was respectably attended, but not so numerously as the importance of the object demands. William Vickers, Esq., of Nottingham, took the chair. The reports consisted of communications from the agents. There are ten or twelve of these-with various readers, schools, and preaching stations. The distress in Ireland had awakened the liberality of the British churches; which had excited the gratitude of those relieved. From the treasurer it appeared that the total receipts of the society for the past year amounted to £2,283. 11s. 7d.; the expenditure to £3,913 3s. 10d.; leaving a balance against the society of £1,629. 12s. 3d. Resolutions were moved and seconded by Messrs. F. Trestrail; C Elven, Bury St. Edmunds; T. James; T. Wheeler, of Norwich; and T. F. Newman, of Shortwood.

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THE seventy-eighth annual Association of the General Baptist churches of the New Connexion, was held at Stoney-street chapel, Nottingham, on Tuesday, June 29th, and the three following days.

Nottingham being comparatively central, both to the churches of the Midland district, and to those of the whole Connexion, and having also the advantage of railway communications, besides containing in itself a a large body of members and friends, it was to be expected that this annual gathering would be unusually numer

ous.

The ties of friendship, the wellknown kindness of our Nottingham friends, as well as the interest attaching to some parts of the business of the Association, would exert their combined influence to increase the number of representatives and visiters at this annual meeting. The weather was happily propitious, and those who travelled far entered the town elated and joyful with the beauty of the scenery through which they had been rapidly whirled, and thankful to a benignant Providence for the abundance which covered the fields on every side, assured that the prospect VOL 9.-N. S.

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of a famine was thus placed at a remote distance-and therefore in the best possible disposition to unite in thanksgiving to God, as well as in cordial greetings of each other.

The proceedings of the Association commenced on Tuesday morning, at half-past ten, when the Rev. Hugh Hunter, the pastor of the church in Stoney-street, according to rule, presided. A large number of representatives and friends were present. After prayer, the states of the churches were read, and business proceeded until nearly one. The brethren reassembled at a quarter to three, when the Association elected its officers for

the present year. The Rev. Dr. Burns, of London, was appointed to be the chairman, and the Rev. E. H. Burton, of Portsea, and Mr. J. F. Winks, of Leicester, were constituted moderators. The secretaryship of the Rev. S. Wigg, of Leicester, expiring with this Association, at a subsequent period of the meeting, the Rev. W. Underwood, of London, was elected to be the secretary for the three years next ensuing. The business was proceeded with until about five, when it was adjourned until seven the follow

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