est respect on August 31, 1821, and with the liveliest satisfactio on. He has perused it, and communicated the same to others, and will communicate it further hereafter. Allow me, however, to observe, that the term Unitarian, sanctioned by the laws of the country, is in such general use with the followers of every religious persuasion in Transylvania, that we do not even like to be addressed under any other title, such as Socinians, disciples of Servetus, &c. I am fully per suaded that the same Professor will shortly be authorized to transmit to you, Reverend Sir, by the public post, similar in formation respecting the Unitarian body in Transylvania, in conformity with the wishes and joint counsels of the principal professors of that faith." In the mean time, I, the un dersigned Unitarian of Transylvanian Hungary, (for among the Hungarians alone, with the exception of a few Saxons and Poles, whose descendants have J. Fox, Dalston, near Lon-long since become Hungarians, don; or to the Rev. R. Aspland, Hackney, near London. By the public post, through Vienna to Paris, and thence to London, from Clausenberg. Reverend Sir, and Minister of the Divine Word, The much valued and most acceptable letter, in print, dated London, April 30, 1821, which you have been pleased flourished at first, and still continues to flourish in 120 churches, comprehending 40,000 souls purely Hungarian, that holy religion which throughout the world is most appropriately termed Unitarian,) take upon my. self to transmit in this letter some such intelligence as, however im perfect, may yet seem worthy to to be laid before the English direct to the Professor of Soci- Unitarian Church, concerning the nian Theology at Clausenberg, rise and progress of our own, its brought to land, safe and sealed,, past vicissitudes and its present by the public post of Vienna, the state, as it exists in this Principublic Professor of Unitarian pality; for in the kingdom of Theology in the Unitarian Col-Hungary there is no Unitarian lege at Clausenberg, who is, moreover, a member of the ge neral Consistory of Unitarians, and a Pastor of Clausenberg, received with feelings of the great -Church. After the fate of Michael Ser vetus at Geneva, in the 16th cen tury, the Unitarian religion was introduced into Transylvania a or change of the Austrian Emperors and ruling authorities of Transylvania, an oath to the like effect is renewed not only by the states and orders, legislative, but by all the followers of every religion acknowledged or not acknowledged: for there are some religions not recognized by the laws, but only tolerat bout the year 1562, from Poland, and by some Italians, especially George Blandrata, physician and counsellor to the court by Faustus Socinus it was manfully defended; and by various inhabitants of the principality of Nationes it was propagated among their Hungarian neighbours: insomuch that two reigning Hungarian Princes of this principali-ed, as the Jewish, that of the Greek ritual, the Armenian, and others. According, then, to the fundamental laws of our country, the principality of Transylvania, the Unitarian religion enjoys equal rights and privileges with the three other religions in admissibility to all the state offices of emolument, even the highest, and of what nature soever, connected with the princes and the realm. The free exercise of the four religions is recognized by law, one of which as before stated, is the Unitarian. Nay, even with respect to those which are only to lerated, thanks to Almighty God! there is no impediment, no constraint: it is freely open for them, as for the professors of any other faith, to build their churches, steeples, academies, co!leges, gymnasia, and schools, at their own expense. There is no persecution of the Unitarian faith or of its professors under the present most glorious empire. We live with the rest, and the dissentients of every persuasion live with us in praiseworthy concord and mutual toleration. ty, namely, first, John Zapollya II. king and prince, and in later times, Moses Siculus, reigning Prince of the Electorate of Nationes, both, with many nobles, counsellors and ministers of the princes, embraced the aforesaid religion. Nay, even in subsequent times, no impediment whatever has been thrown in the way of the Unitarians by the other three religions and their adherents, viz. the Roman Catholic, the reformed Calvinistic, and the Augsburgh Lutheran, (which were already even then received and diffused through the principality,) in the free exercise of their religion, and in the lucrative functions or honourable offices of the principality. For the states and orders of the same three religions equally with the Unitarians enjoying the legislative power, by the consent of many reigning princes in the public diets of all states and orders of the kingdom, they admitted and formally confirmed, by mutual votes and counsels, the Unitarian religion as the fourth religion of the state; and a legitimate and amicable union being contracted between the said four religions, all the states and orders of each pledged themselves by the strict-printed in Latin, which are as a est oath to the formal mainte- pole-star of religious doctrine in nance of the Unitarian and three the hands of the Unitarians of other religions above-mentioned. And even to this day, on every successive occasion of the demise Our Confession of faith, our Form of Catechizing, and also a book entitled, A General Summary of Unitarian Theology, all Transylvania, might well deserve on some occasion to be transmitted, in one copy at least, to England, for the use and information of the Unitarians there. The ecclesiastical administration and the direction of church affairs among the Unitarians of Transylvania, are managed by the Supreme and General Consistory, of which the two head curators are laymen, one ecclesiastical superintendant resident at Clausenberg, seven diocesans or archdeacons of districts, commonly termed the elders of the pastors, and a great many consistorial assessors appointed, some on the part of the clergy and others from among the laity. In the 120 Hungarian Churches there are severally pastors, schoolmasters, village schools, churches, steeples, bells, ecclesiastical buildings, and funds, internal as well asexternal. The Unitarian ministers of the divine word are not maintained by either the reigning princes or by the states and orders of the realm, but by the Unitarians themselves exclusively, who supply them with a salary, provender, and corn. The ge neral College at Clausenberg, where the youth are well taught, the gymnasia in two towns, and the village schools, are destitute of any endowments from the princes or the realm; they were at first founded and erected, and are still maintained, by the, gratuitous benefactions of the faithful.. The students have no subsidy, but support themselves in the several places where they resort to study, by their own patrimonial resources. Divine rites, prayers, adoration, invocation of the Divine Being, are performed every day, morning and evening, in the public churches by the parish priests, without reading their devotions from paper, and commence with singing au extract from the Psalms of holy David, and from the National Manual of Hymns. Ou the Lord's-day, two sermons, one in the morning, the other in the evening, are customarily preached. The prayers, sermons, hymns, with all the adorations and invocations, are performed in the native Hungarian language. In conclusion,-saluting with the most friendly affection and humble respect the very grateful intelligence which you have afforded us of the English Unitarian religion, I cordially pray, Reverend Sir, that Almighty God may long happily bless and preserve you and the associates of your faith; most humbly soliciting that accounts may in future also be transmitted to us Unitarians of Transylvania respecting the state and progress of religion in the English dominions. I remain, Reverend Sir, With the profoundest respect, Your servant and brother in Christ, LAZARUS NAGY, Member of the Unitarian Consistory. Clausenberg, in Transylvania, August 31, 1821. CALCUTTA. Commencement of Unitarian Christianity in Calcutta. In our last Number we gave an extract from a letter containing an account of the spontaneous growth of Unitarian Christianity among the natives at Madras, and of its gradual progress from the year 1795 to the present period, through the persevering exertions of a single individual, comparatively illiterate and almost entirely unaided. The following letter which we received sometime ago furnishes an account of a similar attempt, made so early as the year 1803. to form a Unitarian Society as mongst Europeans and their descendants in Calcutta. The endeavours of Mr. Walter were unsuccessful. But no effort in the cause of truth and virtue is entirely lost. The seeds which were then sown are now found springing up on every side, and the fruit thus produced will, we doubt not, when it arrives at maturity, prove both abundant in quantity and excellent in fine myself to a brief notice of the unsuccessful attempt made by him to form a Society of Christians on the Unitarian System, and to such particulars connected with that event as fell under my personal observation. "On my return to this Presidency from Prince of Wales' Is land in 1803, I was invited by Mr. Walter, with whom I had kind. The causes of Mr. Walbeen previously acquainted, to a ter's immediate failure, however, deserve to be fully weighed by weekly meeting held at his house for the purpose of read Unitarian Christians of the pre-ing the Holy Scriptures, the ob sent day, and by all who are friendly to the principles of Unitarian Christianity. We have only further to add that we lately had an opportunity of conversing with Mr. Walter's widow who was then about to proceed to Bombay; that the Calcutta Unitarian Committee purchased from her all the books remain ing in her possession that had belonged to her late husband; which she communicated it appeared that Mr. Walter had carried on a correspondence with some one of the principal English Unitarians, Dr. Priestley, Mr. Lindsey, or Mr. Belsham, but that none of the letters which had been received were to be found among his papers. "I have been favored with your note dated the 7th Instant, and have much pleasure in communicating to you, in compliance with your request, such information on the subject of your inquiry, as memory enables me to supply, regretting that my absence from Calcutta at the period when the Jate Mr. W. Greene Walter was first led to a serious consideration of the popular doctrine of the Trinity, necessarily obliges me to pass over an interesting passage in his life, and to con ject of which was to discover how far the doctrine maintained by the established Church of England respecting the person of Christ, was borne out by the general tenor and evidence of the Gospel History, particularly with reference to the declarations of Christ himself, and the general scope of the precepts taught by him, as well as to the conduct of his disciples after his ascension. On a to mankind, and on which such a diversity of opinions has been entertained by men eminent for learning, piety, and candour in every age, it would have been deemed the height of presumption in a few obscure and comparatively illiterate individuals, however well disposed, and sincere in the object of their research, to have attempted to arrive at any satisfactory or decisive conclusion, without having recourse to such helps as were within reach, to assist their judgments. Grotius, Clarke, Watts, Doddridge, Wakefield, Priestley, Lindsey, Enfield, &c. &c. were frequently consulted, with a sincere determination on the part of the inquirers to give way to conviction, on which side soever it might declare itself. The result confirmed Mr. Walter and a few others in the belief that the doctrine of the proper divinity of Christ was inconsistent with the accounts of his life and the general tenor of the doctrines taught by him, as recorded in the New Testament-that it was not necessary to salvation-that the more the Scriptures were made their own interpreter, the more would the fact of his simple humanity be apparent-and that he was consequently not the true God, but a being subordinate to God, to whom he himself on various occasions had solemnly, and in the most unequivocal manner, acknowledged his inferiority. These positions appearing to be incontrovertible, Mr. Walter felt himself called upon, as a man and a Christian, to abjure the faith in which he had been brought up, and unhesitatingly embraced the Creed of the Unitarians, professing their tenets to the latest period of his existence. He endeavoured to establish a Unitarian Society, and succeeded so far as to be joined by a few who had the same object at heart. They repaired on Sundays to a place selected for their meetings, where Prayers were read according to the form laid down in the Book of Common Prayer, as revised by the Reverend Mr. Belsham, concluding with a Hymn, and a Sermon. The number of persons who assembled on these occasions never amounted to more than seven or eight. A far greater number however, among Mr. Walter's friends and acquaintance did not hesitate to avow their conviction of the fallacy of the received doctrine of the Trinity; but restrained by the fear of being branded with the appellation of Socinians, by which Mr. Walter and the few who attended his meetings had " already been designated, or des titute of that firmness which should characterize those who advocate the cause of truth a gainst long established and deeprooted prejudices, they forebore taking any active part in the exertions of Mr. Walter. The meetings continued to take place, tho' not regularly, during the space of nearly a twelve-month, but declined afterwards; the few that attended dispersing one by one, owing probaby to their not having obtained any additional members to their Society, till at length Mr. Walter was compelled, from the mere want of cordial support, to dissolve the connection, contenting himself with offering his adorations where only he conceived they were due, according to the best lights which his reason afforded him, and the declaration of Christ immediately before his ascension I go to your Father and my Father, to your God and my God' T. S. The 9th of December, 1822.". Doorga Pooja-The past month has witnessed the Anniversary of the Festival in honour of the Hindoo goddess Doorga which, we learn, has been numerously attended, as on former occasions by Christians of various ranks, of both sexes, and of every age, We advert to this subject, which we are not aware has hitherto been publicly noticed, with the most painful feelings, and with an earnest desire not to be misunderstood. Notwithstanding the puerility and absur dity of idolatry, and the gross immoralities almost invariably connected with the performe ance of its rites, we fully admit that its votaries, have just as good a right to celebrate the |