THE MONTH.

The

The great event of the month, up to the time of our writing, is Lord John Russell's New Reform Bill. No one, of course, expected from his Lordship anything but a sneer at the idea of equal right to the suffrage. We only looked for as little as would suffice to give the family cabinet of Bedfords and Greys a little longer lease of power. The bill is avowedly one to preserve the existing balance of parties, while the Whigs are to receive public support, as interest for their liberality. It is a measure which we should think Tories will hardly dislike, it does them so little harm. A measure, which real Liberals cannot refuse, because the suffrage is, after all, extended. £10 qualification in boroughs is reduced to a £5 rating one, but the nuisance of rate-paying clauses retained. £20 tenants at will for land or houses have the county franchise; also, leaseholders and copyholders of £5, and all who pay £2 direct taxes (the latter class are, however, almost always included in the preceding). Here, the good doings of the Whigs stop. The ballot, without which the above enlargements of the county franchise give yet more power to the landlords, and even make the increased borough franchise of questionable value, is entirely withheld. This renders the whole bill, in our judgment, little better than a fraud; we should have advised, could we have written in time, that the whole country should rise and demand it as one man. Practically, we think the BALLOT the most needful of reforms; and the plan just adopted by the Massachussets legislature, of the voter putting his voting ticket or paper into an adhesive envelope, perfect. No rest should be allowed to any ministry, till this safeguard of liberty be won. Lord John retains no less than sixty-seven boroughs, having less, generally very much less, than five hundred voters. Of these, 29 send 58 members! They are to be made up to five hundred voters, by additions of other paltry towns and villages, equally in slavery to the neighbouring landlords; meantime, the Daily News gives a list of twentysix towns, with populations varying from 70,000 to 30,000, to be left without even a single member, that the favoured twentynine may have not merely one, but two members each! Will these towns endure this? Will they not forthwith petition to go halves, at least, with such paltry places as Thetford or Andover? What will be the fate of either the bill, or the ministry who bring it forward, we cannot predict at present; certainly, if carried, it can only be a temporary settlement of the question.

The disgraceful Caffir War still continues, the only change being, that poor Sir Harry Smith is recalled by a very insulting despatch from Lord Grey, the latter being the real cause of all the mischief.

The French President perseveres in a course worthy of the atrocious cruelty and perjury with which he commenced, confiscating the property of the Orleans princes, silencing discussion, even in conversation, nominating, himself, the candidates of his mock Electoral Legislature, and imprisoning and banishing the disaffected by thousands; it is calculated that he has, at this moment, 100.000 political prisoners. Yet, Lord John Russell, even Mr. Hume, and some Tories, have the folly and impudence to take in hand to read a lecture to the press of this country,-the only free press in the Old World,-because it has all but unanimously condemned the villanies of the new despot. We are thankful to be numbered amongst the censured. It is with some little surprise, we have seen the Eclectic Review, and even the Baptist Magazine, touched strongly with the popular invasion mania. We are amongst the disbelievers. Of one thing, however, we are fully confident, that for £17,000,000 per annum, this country ought to be prepared to send to the bottom all the ships of war in Europe, before they had got half way across the channel. If we need defence, it is not because the people have not been fleeced of enormous sums of money. Lord John Russell, however, has just announced the provisions of his Militia Bill, which is, in fact, a conscription from amongst all males, of from twenty to twenty-three years of age. While revising our proof we learn that the ministry has resigned, being beaten on an amendment, by Lord Palmerston, to convert the local militia into a general one; i. e., to render the conscripts liable to service, not only in their own county, but throughout the kingdom. We cannot enumerate all our objections. One is sufficient; conscription means compulsory demoralization.

Of domestic occurrences, the most notable is the much talked of Holmfirth catastrophe, in which, by the sudden bursting of a large reservoir, a great part of a village, and the inhabitants of a valley for miles, have been swept down, one hundred and twenty lives lost, and several hundred thousand pounds' worth of property destroyed! The writer of this has had an opportunity of visiting the scene of this sad catastrophe, and the aspect it presents is perfectly overwhelming. Cottages, and even houses, and large mills, torn from their foundations, and carried away by the torrent,-trees torn up,--machinery and large iron boilers laid about,-bridges carried down,-graveyards desecrated, gravestones being carried from their places hundreds of yards down the stream (several bodies had also been torn from what had been intended for their last resting place),— the interior of a church laid in ruins,-and a beautiful country, for miles in the course

of the flood, made one scene of desolation and ruin, such is the aspect which the spot, even yet, presents to the eye of the thousands who are daily visiting it. In the church, we were much affected by seeing the holly, and other reminders of the joy of Christmas, still hanging upon the walls, beneath which the destroyer had been rioting. So does sorrow come after feasting: we none of us know, even in the hours of our gladness, "what a day may bring forth!" We rejoice to learn that great efforts are being made in all parts of the country, to raise a sum for the relief of the surviving sufferers, many of whom, though in comfort and even affluence before, are now completely destitute.

THE MAYNOOTH GRANT.

We have pleasure in inserting the following, from an admirable tract entitled "The Maynooth Grant; or, The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth," which has just been published by Miall and Cockshaw, for extensive circulation, at two shillings per hundred :

"Ought the Protestants of Great Britain to be compelled to pay for the support of Popery by grants of money out of the public funds?

"To this question tens of thousands of voices will answer emphatically-' No! the Maynooth Grant is an outrage upon our consciences,-a curse to Ireland, and a premium upon Romish arrogance and ambition;-and we will give Parliament no rest until the act of 1845 is repealed, and the grant altogether abolished.'

"But have these parties never reflected that Roman Catholics also pay taxes; and that it is equally a hardship on them to be obliged to contribute to the support of other sects, who denounce their religion as heretical and superstitious? If the Episcopalian in England, and the Presbyterian in Scotland, has his church supported by the State, in the name of fair play how can he deny to the Papist in Ireland the same privilege? They believe their systems to be true, and his false. He is of just the contrary opinion; and Parliament, which equally represents, and is, in fact, composed of all three, has no right to take upon itself to decide between them. If it already endows the English and the Scotch Churches, which are, on many points, opposed to each other, how can it object to endow a third, which differs from both? On what principle of justice can any religious denomination which puts its own hands into the pockets of the Roman Catholic, think it a shame that he should have a single shilling out of theirs?

"The truth is, that Romanists are entitled to claim from the Legislature the same advantages as Protestants. If the church of the latter should be established, so should that of the former; and if Parliamentary grants are withdrawn from one sect, they should be taken from all. Look at Ireland, with a population numbering five millions of Papists, and greatly less than one million of Episcopalian Protestants. Yet it is the church of the minority which is made dominant, and which is enriched by revenues once in the hands of the church of the majority, but now wasted on useless dignitaries and a sinecure clergy.

"The Established Church of Ireland is an anomaly to which the whole christian world supplies no parallel; unions of eight. or ten, or even more parishes, being consolidated to make up one rich living, that living without either church or manse or Protestant congregation, its incumbent enjoying, through a tithe-agent, its large emoluments, and those emoluments wrung from a population who never behold the face of their minister, or hear from his lips one word of exhortation.'* (Archdeacon Glover, in 1835.)

"How, in the face of facts like these, can any Churchman, with a good conscience, ask the Legislature to take away the few thousands a-year granted for Maynooth, without, at the same time, admitting that the Protestant endowments should be withdrawn also? And how can any Irish Presbyterian, who shares in the Regium Donum, and admires the golden rule, object to his Roman Catholic fellow-countryman dipping his hand at least a little way into the public purse?

"Let it never be forgotten, that one object which politicians had in view in increasing the endowment of Maynooth was the perpetuation of this very institution. The Irish Church,' wrote the Quarterly Review, is, we have no sort of doubt, the frontier pass where the Protestant Establishment of the empire is to be fought for, saved, or lost!—and it is with the deepest concern, and most reluctant conviction, that we avow our opinion, that, if a reasonable and honourable State-provision for the Roman Catholic_clergy of Ireland be not adopted, the Established Church of Ireland will be swept away by the irresistible pressure which our own folly and injustice will have accumulated against her.' In plain terms, it is necessary to bribe the Romish clergy with grants that the Protestant clergy may continue to receive tithes! to help to spread Popery on a small scale, in order to maintain Protestantism on a large one! to throw a few

scraps to the church which Paddy loves, that he may no longer chafe at the plethoric wealth of that which he hates !

Protestant Dissenters! these are truths which you ought not to suppress even to co-operate with fellow-Protestants against Rome. While remembering that you are Protestants as well as Dissenters, forget not that you are Dissenters as well as Protestants, and that your principles as such are the very 'Protestantism of the Protestant religion.' By fraternizing with you in this matter Churchmen gain much, and lose nothing; you, on the contrary, gain nothing and lose much; for you conceal your principles, which are sound, and leave unchallenged those of Churchmen, which you believe to be unsound.

"Why should you descend from an impregnable position to occupy one from which logic and common sense can immediately dislodge you? You would act with perfect fairness towards Roman Catholics, why, then, share in the reproaches which they will justly heap on those who, while hostile to their religion, wring from them their money? Your hands are clean,- HOLD THEM UP, NOT AGAINST THE MAYNOOTH GRANT ALONE, BUT AGAINST ALL GRANTS FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES. If you object only to a legislative provision for Romanism, Parliament will have a right to conclude that you are content to have a Protestant Establishment. If you confine your protests to the endowment of error, not merely do you assign to Parliament a function which, at other times, you declare it incapable of exercising; but the inference is legitimate, that if your dogmas were advantaged, you would be satisfied and silent. Even if you content yourselves with petitioning against this grant, on the designedly vague grounds that it is indefensible in principle, and at variance with sound policy,' and that you have an 'increasing repugnance to it, you will leave your real views and motives open to serious misconception, and will be regarded by the House of Commons as only swelling a cry raised by men whose principles you disown, and of whose bigotry you are ashamed!"

Resolutions, fully in accordance with the spirit of the above, have just been passed by the Committee of the Anti-State-Church Association. We are sorry that our space this month prevents our inserting them as we had intended.

THE JAMAICA MISSION.

We received the following letter last month, too late, however, to give it insertion. We have pleasure now in directing to it the devout attention of all our readers :

To the Editors of "The Church."

Thrapstone, Jan. 20th, 1852.

Dear Brethren,

Your readers are aware, from various communications which have appeared in your pages, as well as from the appeal of the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society, that help is urgently

required for some of the brethren labouring at our stations in the Island of Jamaica. Information, respecting the state of our mission is, however, greatly needed; and, as I have lately returned, for a season, from Jamaica, allow me to give a brief statement of its recent trials and progress.

About two years ago, after a long season of depression, a good work began to appear at one of our stations. A considerable number of young people came to the minister anxiously enquiring what they must do to be saved. About the same time, the churches generally set apart a season for special prayer, and at the station referred to, several meetings were held, at which prayer was offered for different classes of characters, and plain faithful addresses delivered to them, by which recent impressions seemed to be deepened, and new ones made, on the minds of many. Soon after this, fifteen persons were baptized. good work, however, progressed, and a few months after, thirty-eight more were added to the church. About the close of the year the cholera visited the neighbourhood, spreading terror, dismay, and death on every side; but the result was, that many sinners were aroused to a consciousness of their danger, and fled for refuge to the hope set before them in the gospel.

The

When the scourge was removed, one hundred and twenty persons were, in the course of a few months, baptized, making one hundred and seventy-three in little more than a year, of whom between eighty and ninety had been in the day or Sabbath schools, and more than one hundred of the children of church members.

A neighbouring church was mercifully visited about the same time. Many wanderers were restored, and a large number of young persons were led to seek for mercy.

At the stations under the care of one of our brethren, more than three hundred members and enquirers were cut down by the cholera, but greater numbers were induced to flee from the wrath to come, and five hundred persons were received on trial, many of whom have, subsequently, I believe, been received into christian fellowship.

Similar results have followed the awful visitation in almost every part of the island. Christians became more fervent in prayer, and diligent in their efforts for the salvation of their neighbours; backsliders returned from their wanderings, and sinners were brought to repentance.

While we rejoiced at these indications of revival, it was with trembling lest they should pass away like the morning cloud or early dew; but after waiting some months, and holding many conversations with the candidates, and diligently enquiring respecting their spirit and conduct, there have been large additions to most of our churches. Several brethren have had the happiness of baptizing thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty each; one has baptized seventy-five, and another nearly one hundred.

Our chapels are crowded with attentive hearers; our Sabbath-schools are well attended; and great numbers have joined the enquirers' classes.

But in the midst of this blessed work some of our brethren are scarcely able to obtain the means of support; others are oppressed by heavy responsibilities; and a few are sinking under the weight of their trials and duties, and the sickliness of the climate. More labourers are also needed to gather in the plenteous harvest.

The cholera has not yet ceased its ravages. In one district there have recently been several hundred deaths, and it is spreading to others hitherto unvisited by it.

The small-pox has also broken out in some parts of the island, and is raging fearfully.

These facts will, I trust, both shew the necessity and furnish encouragement to liberal efforts to sustain our mission.

One kind friend has given a donation of £200, and promised an annual subscription of £50; another, unconnected with our denomination, who lately visited most of our stations in Jamaica, has also generously given £50; another has promised an equal amount; and others have engaged to contribute smaller sums. May God incline many to follow their example, that our brethren may be maintained at their posts, and our broken ranks be strengthened by devoted and earnest soldiers of the cross. I remain, dear Sirs,

Very sincerely yours,

JOHN CLARK, Of Brown's Town, Jamaica.

VALEDICTORY SERVICES TO THE Rev.
Ј. МАКЕРЕАСЕ.

It is now nearly eight years since our esteemed friend the Rev. Jonathan Makepeace first embarked for India. During the greatest part of this time he has laboured very successfully at Agra, Muttra, and Saugra. After six years of unremitting and devoted toil, his health began to fail; he found himself inadequate to the responsibilities of his charge; medical advice was obtained, and he was ordered to leave the sphere of his labour and return to the more congenial clime of England, or otherwise submit to a youthful martyr's grave. He returned to his native land, arriving in this country in June, 1850; but although he came back his heart was still there, and after twenty months incessant effort to awake a missionary spirit at home, he is now again on the eve of sailing for India, to resume that noble work which he was compelled two years ago to relinquish. The valedictory service in connection with this interesting event, was held on Monday, February 2nd, in Bond-Street Chapel, from which place, Mr. M. was first sent to preach the glad tidings of salvation.

After an eloquent and very appropriate address from the Rev. C. M. Birrell of Liverpool, the Rev. J. A. James addressed Mr. Makepeace from these words, "The

Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." He alluded in a very pathetic manner to the seasons of trial which he would have to contend with, to those times when even the affectionate condolence of a beloved wife would not afford the comfort he wanted, when nothing, indeed, short of the Saviour's presence, would assuage his grief. The address throughout was peculiarly encouraging and affectionate, spoken as it was in Mr. James's usual eloquent style; the tears might be seen trickling down many a sympathizing face, in various parts of the crowded assembly. Other ministers took part in the services, and the proceedings closed with prayer by the Rev. W. Landells.

On the day following (Tuesday), upwards of four hundred friends took tea with Mr. and Mrs. Makepeace. About twenty ministers were present, among whom were the Rev. J. New, chairman, Revs. C. M. Birrell, J. Taylor, W. Evans, T. Swan, J. Baker, B. Grant, Jones, E. Thomas, Jaffe (a converted Jew,) and others. Several of these, in addition to Mr. Makepeace, addressed the meeting.

On Sunday, Mr. Makepeace preached his farewell sermon, from Rev. xxi. 1. Notwithstanding the great inclemency of the weather, the chapel was filled to overflowing.

BIRMINGHAM SCHOLASTIC INSTITUTION FOR SONS OF MINISTERS.

We have been favoured with a copy of the first Annual Report of this Institution, which, at its formation, we strongly approved and recommended. We are glad to find that the Institution has thus far succeeded, quite to the extent of its founders' expectations. There are twenty boys, whose friends respectively belong to six evangelical denominations, enjoying the advantages of the Institution, which is ably superintended by the Rev. T. H. Morgan. The school is conducted at very suitable and beautiful premises at Shireland-Hall, which is situate in a healthy part of the neighbourhood of Birmingham, about two miles from the town. The pupils were examined at the close of the half-year, by the Revs. Dr. Cox and T. R. Barker, and their reports are very satisfactory. trust that the Institution will be adequately supported, and will continue to be very successful.

Obituary.

We

On

Died on January 17th, 1852, aged 65, the Rev. J. Allison, Baptist minister, Chapelfold, near Dewsbury. His end was peaceful and tranquil, for he knew "whom he had believed, and was persuaded that He was able to keep that which he had committed unto Him against that day." the morning of his death, he said that he should soon be with sweet and happy spirits whom he had known on earth-with Steadman and Fuller, and Carey and Ward, and many others who have gone before," having washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."