of equivalent amounts monthly or annually, will receive the Quarterly Papers,

THE PUBLICATIONS HERE SPOKEN OF

ARE AS FOLLOWS:

The Quarterly Papers contain Tracts and Anecdotes, with Addresses and Exhortations, adapted to the Labouring Class and the Young, and are illustrated by Engravings on Wood. The Monthly Papers will contain Extracts of Communications re. cently received from the different Missions of the Society, with an account of the Proceedings of the various Associations in connection with it, and Lists of the Contributions of the Month. The Missionary Register, published monthly, contains a digest of the Principal Transactions of the various Institutions for Propagating the Gospel, with the Proceedings, at large, of the Society itself. The Annual Publication contains a Sermon preached annually before the Society, with the Report delivered at the Annual Meeting, and a List of Contributors to the Society.

The different Contributors are all entitled to receive these respective Publications, if they wish to do so: but the Committee beg to suggest, that they would serve the interests of the Society by exercising a judicious economy in requiring these Publications; more particularly in not mul. tiplying copies in the same family where different members of the fa. mily may be entitled to them, further than the wish to possess copies for their personal and future use may lead them. The Committee would venture further to suggest, that such Members as may be disposed to purchase the different Publications at the low prices fixed on them, instead of receiving them gratuitously, would assist in relieving the expense of Pub

lications, which must unavoidably be heavy. In no case, however, would the Committee suggest any measure which should tend to withdraw attention from the Society's Publications; on the contrary, they beg ear. nestly to press on all the Members the importance of a diligent perusal of them, for the cherishing of an intelligent interest in support of that great object in which the Society is engaged in proportion as they become conversant with the awful state of the Heathen World, and the measures which are in progress for bringing it to the saving knowledge of Christ, the Prayer of Faith is likely to be quickened, and the promised blessing to be consequently bestowed.

Some other arrangements are in progress in reference to the Society's Publications, which will contribute, it is hoped, to render them more efficient in its support: in particular, it is intended to issue the Annual Publication very soon after the An. niversary. This will be effected by closing the Accounts of the Associa. tions, in future, on the 31st of December, instead of the 31st of March: by which means the Lists of Contributors, which have always hitherto delayed the publication of the An. nual Volume, will have been printed by the time the Report can be carried through the press.

The Committee must depend very much on the kindness of the Secretaries of the respective Associations for carrying these arrangements relative to Publications into full effect: and it is hoped and believed, that those friends of the Society will co. operate zealously with the Committee in making the most economical, and yet efficient use of its Publica-. tions, by taking care that full returns of contribution be made for them.

Mr.Haensel's taking up his temporary residence at the latter place, and officiating as Minister there; while the Ministerial Duties of all the Liberated African Villages devolved upon the Rev. J. G. Wilhelm and the Rev. G. W. E. Metzger.

The very small number of Labourers then remaining was still further reduced by several of them being rendered, for a considerable time, quite inefficient for service by severe illness. The Rev. Mr. Wilhelm, Mrs. Weeks, and the Rev. Mr. Haensel, are of that number.

In the beginning of September, the Rev. Thomas Davey arrived in the Colony; and, after having for some weeks performed the duties in Freetown for Mr. Haensel, then a convalescent, entered upon the Ministe. rial Charge of the Mountain Villages.

One Native Teacher having been accepted on probation during the early part of the year, the abovenamed Clergymen in charge of the Villages were assisted by four Natives, until the month of October, when the painful necessity occurred of suspending one of the number.

We are excited to grateful and admiring praise to God, who has increased the number of the Society's Servants, by the recent arrival of the Rev. John Gerber and the Rev. W. K. Betts, with Messrs. Heighway and Boston; thus enabling us to look forward to the approaching year with hopes of a somewhat more adequate fulfilment of our duties to the people under our spiritual charge.

As it is obvious, from a mere glance at the Map of Sierra Leone, that such a small body of Labourers could not possibly discharge the duties of spiritual advisers and guides, and of guardians and inspectors of general education, over so large an extent of country, studded with populous Villages, most of which include Schools of Liberated Africans and Children born in the Colony, the question may present itself to the readers of this

Report, why we did not rather concentrate our small force to a li mited portion of the Colony; and relinquish the rest, until the time when we should be enabled, by a sufficient reinforcement, to re-occupy the ground thus relinquished? That course, indeed, has at times appear. ed almost forcing itself upon us; and we were, once during the year, on the point of adopting it, when the affectionate concerns of the Minister, whose flock was to be abandoned, prevented the measures, which had already been unanimously resolved upon, from being carried into effect; and determined us to bear up for another season, under all the trials, and under the discouraging circumstances in which we were placed.

Having thus stated the difficulties of the Mission arising from the reduction of the number of the Society's Labourers, we now turn to those which have sprung out of changes in those measures of Go. vernment which bear upon the So ciety's exertions in this Colony.

It has already been mentioned, that, at the beginning of the year, the Native Schoolmasters and Schoolmistresses, formerly in connection with this Society in the Villages, were taken into the service of Government. That measure was accompanied with another, by which the Servants of the Society were altogether released both from the duties of civil superintendence and from any other than spiritual authority over the inhabitants of the Villages;, and both arose out of the arrangement formed between His Majesty's Government and the Society in the year 1824.

Greatly as the Society's Servants, who had till then held the situation of Civil Superintendants, rejoiced at being relieved from a burden which had too long interfered with their proper Missionary engagements, they could not but anticipate peculiar temporary difficulties from a transfer

of the authority formerly exercised by them, to individuals whom they did not know, and whose views, as to maintenance of public order and propriety, especially on the Sabbath, and as to discountenancing Heathenish Rites, they might naturally expect to differ considerably from theirs. A new class of Public Officers, mostly Coloured Men, started into authority, under the name of Sub-Managers. How far it was the desire of the Colonial Government that these persons, as well as their superior officers, the District Managers, though alto. gether independent of the Missionaries, should co-operate, within their own sphere, with the endeavours used to evangelize the population; what sentiments the Colonial Government entertained as to the value of the Society's labours in the Colony, the character which the Society's Servants were to maintain, and the silent influence over the management of the Liberated-African Villages, which, without any official connection with it, they were to exercise; these were things not at once understood. That this transfer was a thing long contemplated, urged, and stipulated for by the Society, and that only the wishes of the Colonial Government itself had prevented it from being long before carried into effect, was not generally known, either to the population of the Villages, or to the persons who had newly come into authority. It was only known, that the Missionaries had no more civil power: and the people, feeling that the restraints formerly put upon public observance of Heathenish Rites or noisy amusements no longer existed, followed the natural leading of an evil heart. No means were possessed by those who are seeking the spiritual good of the people to stop practices which disturb the more peaceful of the inhabitants, and lead to the perpetuation of Heathenism; and in which the people will be sure to engage, if left to themselves: though

they will abstain, if checked, without any danger to the public peace; as the experience of many years has abundantly shewn.

The greatest difficulty to the Missionaries arose from that change of Government's measures which bears upon the Village Schools. These Schools had, till the beginning of the year, been altogether under the controul of the Missionaries, superintended immediately by the highest Functionary of the Liberated-African Department. The new system put the Schools at once under the authority of the Managers and Sub-Managers: and it was a question not very soon solved, what kind and extent of interference on the part of the Missionaries was expected, and would be admitted. The Missionaries readily saw, that it was hardly possible to define the extent of their interference and of the Manager's authority, until the system should have been tried: they therefore did not very strongly urge definitions, but contented themselves with inspecting the Schools during the hours of instruction; though it was undoubtedly very painful for them to be precluded from any influence over the Children out of School-hours. But it was far more painful for them to see all the Liberated-African Children, who used to be fed and clothed by Government, and were instructed in the Schools, distributed as Apprentices among the inhabitants, who adopted them from no other motive than that of profiting by the labour of these Children, and consequently never sent them to School again; to see Children, in whom perhaps a taste of divine things had begun to manifest itself, scattered about among their superstitious Countrymen, and the care bestowed on them by their Teachers to all human appearance lost. This measure was indeed, a few months afterwards, abandoned; and as many of the Children as returned were again received at School, as before. But the