in the West of England. The hope is cherished by those who have been engaged in its erection, that to the inhabitants of this important country town it will prove, under God, a lasting blessing. Tuxford, Notts. An elegant and commodious chapel at Tuxford, Notts, was opened for Divine worship on May 27. The Rev. J. Gilbert, of Nottingham, preached in the morning, and the Rev. Dr. Alliott in the afternoon and evening of the day. The other parts of the services were conducted by the Revds. H. L. Adams, of Newark; Weaver, of Mansfield; Johnson, of Retford; Ash, of Laxton; Robinson, of Carlton; Moreton, Home Missionary, of Tuxford. Opening services were also continued on the Lord's-day following, the Rev. H. L. Adams preaching in the morning and evening, and the Rev. J. Moreton in the after were On Thursday, May 20, 1841, a neat Home Missionary chapel was opened in Great Gonerby, when two sermons preached on the occasion by the Rev. H. L. Adams, of Newark. The devotional parts of the services were conducted by the Rev. Messrs. Amos, Haigh, and Wilkinson. At five in the afternoon a public tea took place in the large club-room of the Rutland Arms, at which near one hundred and fifty friends attended. The happy excitement produced collected together a larger number than the new chapel could contain, but by the kindness of the Wesleyan friends in the town, the larger Methodist Chapel was offered, and a most delightful feeling was produced, it is to be hoped not soon to be forgotten. Waterditch. On Friday, May 28, there was opened at Waterditch, near Christchurch, Hants, a respectable Independent place of worship. At nine o'clock in the morning, a prayermeeting was held, and at eleven o'clock two discourses were delivered by the Rev. D. Gunn, of Christchurch, and the Rev. A. Newth, of Ripley. At three o'clock another prayer meeting was held, and at half-past six o'clock two discourses were delivered by the Rev. Mr. Boway, of Throop, and the Rev. H. Gunn. The day was fine, and the congregations were very large. This chapel is in connexion with the Independent church in Christchurch, by which the expense of the building was defrayed. There is a day and also a Sunday-school well attended, which have been for some time maintained in the village. SOHAM, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. A new Independent chapel, capable of accommodating about six hundred persons, is in course of erection at Soham, Cambridgeshire, for the use of the church and congregation under the pastoral care of the Rev. F. R. Moore. The foundation-stone was laid on Thursday, the 27th of May, when the church met for special prayer, and Mr. Moore delivered an address embodying a clear and candid exposition of their principles as Independent or Congregational Dissenters, and a variety of important considerations suggested by the interesting occasion. The publication of the address has been requested. SUTTON-UPON-TRENT. On the 9th of April, (Good Friday,) the foundation-stone of a new Congregational Home Missionary chapel was laid in the populous village of Sutton-upon-Trent, Nottinghamshire. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. H. L. Adams, of Newark, who, together with the Rev. B. Ash, of Laxton, addressed the numerous spectators on the ground. A public tea was afterwards taken, the proceeds of which went to aid the building fund; and in the evening, a truly delightful meeting was held, at which Mr. Seale, of Newark, presided; addresses were delivered by Messrs. Adams, Ash, Davison, Hunt, Crease, and Moreton, the Home Missionary. THE NEGRO'S OFFERING. THE MISSIONARY MAGAZINE "Ah, massa,' he replied, God's work must be done, and I may be dead;' and with that he plunged his hand into another pocket, and took out another handful of silver."-See page 358. WEST-INDIA MISSION. BERBICE.-NEW AMSTERDAM. (Extract of a letter from Rev. E. Davies, December 31, 1840.) "You will perceive a considerable increase in the income of the station during the past year. That increase has been chiefly owing to a great effort which the people are now making towards a new chapel. In many instances I was obliged to restrain their liberality. One incident occurred which I shall never forget. In calling over the names, to ascertain how much they could give, I happened to call the name of Fitzgerald Matthew.' 'I am here, sir,' he instantly replied; and at the same time I saw him hobbling with his wooden leg out of the crowd, to come up to the table-pew, where I was standing. I wondered what he meant, for the others answered to their names without moving from their places. I was, however, forcibly struck with his apparent earnestness. On coming up, he put his hand into one pocket and took out a handful of silver wrapped in paper, and said with a lovely kind of abruptness, 'That's for me, massa.' 'Oh,' I said, 'keep your money at present, I don't want it now; I only wanted to know how much you could afford to give; I will come for the money another time.' 'Ah, massa,' he replied, God's work must be done, and I may be dead ;' and with that he plunged his hand into another pocket and took out another handful of silver, (p. 105) and said, 'That's for iny wife, massa.' Then he put his hand into a third pocket, and took out a somewhat smaller parcel, and said, ' That's for my child, massa ;' at the same time giving me a slip of paper, which somebody had written for him, to say how much the whole was. It was altogether near £3 sterling a large sum for a poor field negro with a wooden leg! But his expression was to me worth more than all the money in the world. I have heard eloquent preachers in England, and have felt, and felt deeply, under their ministrations, but never have I been so impressed with anything they have said, as with the simple expression of this poor negro. Let me never forget it; let it be engraved on my heart; let it be my motto in all that I take in hand for the cause of Christ' God's work must be done, and I may be dead.' Were I to tell you, dear brethren, of all the excellent speeches that I heard, and of all the interesting scenes that I witnessed, in introducing this chapel business, I should soon fill a volume. Suffice it to say, that at the beginning of last month the machinery was fairly set in motion, with a distinct understanding that it was to continue so until its object be accomplished. So far it goes on well, and brings at the rate of £150 sterling per month, independent of pew rents and other collections. Hundreds of our people are cheerfully giving the wages of one day in the week to God, and I have no doubt as to their perseverance." (Extract of a letter from Rev. E. Davies, New Amsterdam, Feb. 20, 1841.) I HAVE just spent a Sabbath of peculiar interest, the anniversary of the commencement of my ministry in this place. Anxious to turn it to some account, I announced on the previous Sabbath, that I would preach upon the subject. During the week I was greatly perplexed about a suitable text; at last my mind settled upon 2 Cor. iv. 1, 2, "We therefore having this ministry," &c. The more I thought of the passage, the more was I struck with its suitableness to give utterance to my views and feelings on that occasion. I hope the sermon was productive of good. At the close, I announced that in consequence of its being the anniversary of my coming, I should in the evening preach a sermon to young people. This was to me a new experiment in this place. I had never before preached a sermon here specifically designed for young people. However, it answered. An unusual number of young persons assembled, and the impression far exceeded my expectation. The text was Gen. xix. 16, "And while he lingered," &c. At the close, judging that the state of the congregation would justify it, I invited those who felt anxious about their souls to remain for a short time behind, not for personal conversation, but to have the subject pressed a little more plainly and closely upon their minds than I could do from the pulpit. Consequently upwards of a hundred remained in the character of inquirers. All were deeply affected; and some of them so much so, that with sobbing and weeping they followed me into the vestry, in order to have a more private and personal inter view. It was an interesting sight; many DEMERARA.-EBENEZER CHAPEL STATION. THE receipts of this station in the past In the comparative liberality of the people, individually, there are great diversities; some giving very abundantly, and others very sparingly. However, I think it right to state that, in general, our members give a much larger portion of their income to the cause of God than Christians at home. The number of our church members does not exceed 300; and among these there is not an individual above the rank of a field labourer. Many of them are old and infirm, and unable to contribute any thing; while a few stand in need of assistance from us. Yet this people raised no less than the sum of seven hundred and eighty-five pounds sterling in one year. The fact is, Christians here have a deeper sense of their obligations to rich mercy, than I have ever found common among Christians elsewhere; and they therefore give abundantly and willingly of their substance to the cause of God. Many of them say, "We give but little of our money to Him who gave his life for us." The accessions to the church during the past year have been more numerous than in any former year; amounting to 78 individuals. As the heart is deceitful above all things, I have been anxiously and prayerfully solicitous to ascertain their fitness for Christian fellowship. Most of them have been received with joy and thanksgiving as monuments of mercy, and witnesses of the grace of God; while we have ground to hope that all have passed from death to life. The circumstances of one family merit particular notice; it was on many accounts an interesting one, but so divided and distracted as to give me much pain for many years. Its unhappiness arose, principally, from the conduct of the wife and mother. A sermon, however, which she heard early last year, from the words, "The Lord knoweth them that are his," &c., made a deep impression on her mind; and has, I trust, been the means of saving her soul. She is now, along with her husband, a member of the church. A little daughter, scarce fourteen years of age, gives pleasing evidence of having become "a new creature." An adopted daughter, about the same age, is in the same happy and hopeful state. Both are among the candidates for fellowship; and both, I believe, will be admitted next church meeting. That long divided and miserable family is now united and happy. Partakers of the peace which passeth all understanding, they now live in love and peace among themselves, while the voice of joy and rejoicing is heard in their dwelling. A class of young men, commenced by Mr. Murkland immediately after emancípation, has been continued with pleasing prospects of usefulness. The object of this class is to convey to the minds of young men, a little general knowledge, along with that which makes wise unto salvation. In this way we hope to profit them personally, and to qualify them for instructing others. Of astronomy, they had not previously a single correct idea. The earth was, in their apprehension, Jehovah's sole empire; the blue sky they regarded as a solid canopy, and the stars as luminous specks, fixed to it by some means they did not pretend to understand. The sun and moon they regarded as luminaries whose real and apparent magnitudes were the same, and of course of no other use than to give us light. I had laboured, and apparently with very little success, to give them some idea of the solar system. At length, however, by means of a dark board, with chalked circles, I succeeded beyond my expectations. On the minds of some of the more intelligent, the truth flashed instantaneously, and with mighty power. It was the first moment they had ever looked abroad on the works of God with intelligence. It was the same as if a new world had been presented to their view. The effect was indescribable. Several of them were, for some time speechless; one man, by far the most intelligent of them, cried like a child. "Well," said they, "it is marvellous! we never thought of that before! How great must God be who made all these things! If the earth be so small a thing, how little are we!" These exclamations were the first words which were uttered, but not until after a very considerable pause. I am well aware that these truths, however sublime, do not sanctify the heart of a fallen, depraved creature like man. When viewed, however, in connexion with the Cross, they cannot fail to be salutary. You will, I am persuaded, sympathise in the pleasure it affords to emancipate persons, naturally intelligent and inquisitive, from that deep and degrading ignorance in which a cruel, unrighteous, and lengthened bondage had plunged them. ULTRA GANGES.-CHINESE MEDICAL MISSION. THE warlike proceedings of our country, in relation to China, have excited generally in the minds of our Missionary brethren, situated in the Archipelago, mingled feelings of regret, anxiety, and hope. They have deeply deplored that spirit of commercial cupidity, which, by men professing Christianity, and in defiance of the imperial laws, has become the occasion of poverty and disease, idiotcy and death, to myriads of the Chinese people. At the date of their latest communication, they were waiting in prayerful dependence on Him, who doth whatsoever he will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, trusting that He would overrule the things that had happened for the speedy introduction into China of knowledge, justice, and religion. The Society's devoted agents, Drs. Lockhart and Hobson, at Macao, have found their professional science a valuable auxiliary to Missionary labour; and while, through the Divine mercy, they have, to a great extent, healed all manner of diseases, they have directed the sufferers for a nobler cure, to the balm of Gilead, and the Physician there. Dr. Lockhart proceeded, in September last, to Tinghae, the capital of Chusan, then in possession of the British forces; and in this island, multitudes of the afflicted and dying sought the exercise of his benevolence and skill, while with equal earnestness they entreated portions of the Sacred Scriptures, and religious tracts in their own language, which he distributed among them with a liberal hand. Writing from Chusan, he says,— establish myself on the main, in one of the large cities, as Hanchowfoo, or Nanking. I do not think this at all a visionary idea, or one that cannot be carried out. I have not the most distant intention of returning to Macao or Canton. Should the troops be removed, I shall still endeavour to remain and occupy this station, or Should the purpose of our friend prove practicable, the brethren at Macao will not linger there, but gladly enter China, should the door be opened. May the Angel of mercy go before his servants, and more than realise their brightest hopes! MISSION AT MALACCA. The Directors have received the following interesting application from a young Chinaman, a sincere Christian convert at Malacca, to be sent forth as a preacher of salvation to his countrymen; it was written in English, and received no alteration from our Missionary :— Anglo-Chinese College, Malacca, Jan. 16, 1841. To the Honorable Officers, the Directors of the London Missionary Society, Chin-Seen, a student of the Anglo-Chinese College, Malacca, sincerely presents this letter, inquiring after their happiness, and hoping they are richly sharing the Divine blessing. "Brethren in Christ Jesus, "I was born in Canton, province of China: when I first came here, although the Gospel was before me, yet I could not understand its meaning; at that time I considered that it was a common book. From the day when I knew the Gospel to be precious, I felt that I was a great sinner; and that when I was a heathen, whatsoever I did was contrary to the Gospel. I turned back to think about my sins; but they were as many as the sands of the sea. Though my sins we.e |