fare. Having been much refreshed and edified in our own souls, by the tidings which are brought from a distance, and circulated at home, of the progress of Christ's kingdom upon the earth, we are not a little desirous that you should be partakers of our joy and thanksgiving-therefore, we have resolved, after prayer for the divine blessing, to procure for you a regular supply of religious intelligence from all quarters, and, by your help, to spread it abroad to every corner, and every family of the parish, that no one may be ignorant of the great work which the Lord is working among the nations. And in pursuance of this resolution, we now come forward to explain to you the method we have adopted for carrying this our plan into effect.

The parish is divided into 25 proportions, over each of which one Elder, one Deacon, and generally two Sabbath-School Teachers preside. These will, with your aid and approbation, choose from amongst you, such as are willing and able to take a charge in this matter, and into their hands the whole management within their bounds will be committed. The managers will be supplied each month with the last religious intelligence, which they will hand round amongst your houses, and to which, when thus brought to your door, we crave, in the name of Jesus, your earnest attention. It were truly a heartsome task, and well worthy a Christian father, to gather his family around him once a month, and read in their hearing the good news of the Redeemer's kingdom; and, when they wonder at the ignorance and barbarity of heathen lands, to impress their minds with the blessings which Christians hold of the Gospel; and, when they see the knowledge and improvement which follow the footsteps of the messengers of peace, to unfold to them the order and beauty which will overspread their own lives if they will walk in the ways of God. Thus, brethren, might you minister a monthly feast to the souls of your household, while, at the same time, you made them acquainted with the moral and political conduct of every country under heaven. For we do not hesitate to say (knowing the truth of what we aver) that within the same compass, you shall not find so much accurate and impressive information about foreign parts, as in those journals which we shall submit to your perusal. So that, were we not watching for your souls, but merely ministering to your knowledge and entertainment, we know not a better method. Let us hope then, brethren, that, once a-month at least, the labours of the day being over, before you commit yourselves to the Lord for the night, you will yourselves, or your children for you, give to the ears of all your house, this Christian recreation, of which we shall take care to supply you with the materials. From such a supply of food for Christian joy, thanksgiving and charity, we fondly anticipate in you the same fellowship of heart and hand, in the Bible and Missionary cause, which, by the same means, we have felt to grow within ourselves; and not only to grow, but likewise to bless and edify us as it grew. We disclaim, and will not have it said, that our object is to press heavily upon the hard earnings of the laborious, or to pinch the poverty of the poor still more. To you, before whom, for two years, we have gone in and out, we appeal, whether it is your silver and gold, or your edification in the Gospel, and your worldly comfort, which we covet. But, shall our own backwardness in a cause which we believe the best---shall our fear of being misinterpreted, hin

Scotland.--Parish Associations.

215

der us from declaring, that we hope as well of you, brethren, as of the other members of the church of Christ! Why should we not hope as well when we know that this our city, hath been renowned for its faith and knowledge, over almost every city in the realm, and that its zeal has been spoken of for centuries, as widely as its industry and commerce? Therefore, we hope and are assured, that when you shall behold the zeal of these religious institutions, their wisdom and economy, and, most of all, their blessed fruits, you will not be behind others in your attachment and support.

Το

Think not, because you may have only a mite to give, that a mite given with a cheerful heart, will not be both accepted and blessed. the poor the gospel is preached, and it may be said, likewise, that by the means of the poor the Gospel is preached. For it is to the contributions of the poor in Great Britain, that these Societies chiefly look, and, for years, have not looked in vain. Subscriptions of one penny a week, are the chief stay of religious exertions, all the world over. God hath chosen the weak things of this world, to confound the things which are mighty. Such a contribution from every family in our parish, would amount to nearly £400, ($1,800.) Four hundred pounds would support twenty native preachers in India,or circulate some thousand Bible; so that, all trifling as one penny may seem in the expenses of a week, one penny from each family may edify many a soul. Brethren, can it be expended so well? To give to every one an opportunity, but to dun no one, the managers of each proportion, chosen from among yourselves, as above, will make a weekly round every Monday, and what pious contributions they may receive within their districts, they will enter into books, furnished for the purpose. The subscribers in the districts will be called together once a quarter, to vote away these contributions to the Society or Societies, they may judge most deserving; and the Secretary shall transmit the same according to your destination. At these quarterly meetings, the parochial office-bearers of the district will assemble along with you, and each contributor will have an opportunity to deliver his sentiments upon the whole concern; then, to crown and cement all, we shall meet with you, the people of our charge, once a year, in the church, to hold the anniversary of the St. John's Parish Religious Association.

Farewell, Fellow-Christians! and, as you often welcome our persons and offices when we come amongst you, for which we render you the thanks of our hearts, and the fellowship of our prayers: so now, accept this, the device and offering of our common love, with a willing mind, and promote it with all your might; and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amnen.

Signed in the name of the Elders, Deacons, and Sabbath-School Teachers.

THOMAS CHALMERS.*

Regulations of the St. John's Parish Association for Religious Purposes.

1st, That we, the agents of this parish, defray, by equal contribution, all the expenses that may be incurred in procuring the monthly intelligence or otherwise, so that the parochial gift may go to its destination uncurtailed.

2dly, That our Pastor be our President, and to relieve him of the load of management, vice-presidents be chosen under him to art for the year, or longer.

UNITED STATES.-INDIAN MISSIONS.

THE REV. WILLIAM GOODELL, agent of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, arrived in this city on the 27th of last month, accompanied by William Kirkpatrick, a Cherokee youth on his way to the Foreign Mission School, at Cornwall, Conn. Mr. Goodell has visited the missionary stations under the care of the A. B. C. F. M. and gave a pleasing account of the success which has attended the efforts to evangelize and civilize the Indians. He is destined to the Palestine Mission, and will be set apart, we understand, to that important field of labour on the 4th of September next, at New-Haven, Conn.

On Monday the 5th inst. at the request of the Managers of the United Foreign Missionary Society, he attended a meeting of the Board, and gave some account of the missions he had visited, the substance of which we copy from the Missionary Register.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions have three schools among the Choctaws, and three also among the Cherokees, and are now making preparation for a fourth school in each of those tribes. The children connected with those schools, not only receive the ordinary instructions of a school, but they are taught all the arts of civilized life. Indeed, to instruct them in all the arts of civilized life is deemed a very important part of their education. In both these tribes, much more good has been already accomplished by the Missionaries, and much greater advances have been made by the natives towards civilization, than we should naturally suppose from reading the public journals. The Missionaries have been exceedingly careful not to state things too favourably. Many of the Cherokees and some of the Choctaws cultivate their lands with much regularity and industry; and, in regard to their dress, their manner of cooking food, their style of building, the furniture of their houses, &c. &c. they have adopted our customs throughout. Twenty Cherokees have united with the churches under the direction of the American Board, and about twenty have united with the Moravian and Baptist churches; making forty in the whole, besides some white men, who have Cherokee families, and besides, also, some people of colour, who live in the nation. I was told that, among these forty Cherokee Converts, there had not been a single instance of intemperance, immorality, or any thing which required discipline or reproof. A large proportion of them are adults. Some of them are supposed to be more than seventy years of age. Two of them are Cherokee chiefs, one of whom signalized himself at the battle of the Horse Shoe, and for his bravery received from Congress a rifle with a very handsome inscription on it; and the other is a man of great authority in his tribe. I spent a night with him. In the evening he called his family together, brought forward his family Bible, read a chapter himself in English, sung a hymn, in which we all joined, and offered the prayer himself; and in the morning called upon one of the brethren present to lead in the devotions of the family. Those of the professors of religion who can read, and many who are not professors, take some religious publication, and appear to know more about the religious state of our world-about our Sabbath Schools, our revivals of religion, our Bible, Missionary, Education and Tract Socieif re-elected. Our committee to consist of three elders, three deacons, three Sabbath-school teachers, with one representative from each proportion chosen by the contributors, and a treasurer and secretary chosen by the committee.

3dly, That the agents of each proportion have an eye to the well being of their proper ward, and hold a general meeting of it, the first Friday of every quarter, beginning from January next: the Committee shall assemble on the Friday fol lowing, to hear the general progress of the proportions. And the second week of the year, there shall be a general assembly of all concerned in St. John's church."

United States.-Indian Missions.

217

ties, than multitudes in our land, who have been connected with our churches for 20 years.

I spent several nights with a Choctaw Chief. He has learnt to read. He takes the Boston Recorder, the Missionary Herald, the Religious Intelligencer, and several political papers. He inquired with a lively interest, how I had succeeded in my agency, what states I had visited, how the people of K. felt towards civilizing the Indians; and when I had told him, he said he was glad the people of K. were becoming more civilized; and indeed the Choctaws and Cherokees generally appear to rejoice as much that we are coming to a better mind towards them, as we rejoice that they are coming to a better mind. The joy is mutual This chief made many inquiries respecting Christian experience, what faith in Christ was, how a Christian felt towards the Saviour, how a Christian felt when he had an opportunity of making a good bargain, by using a little deceit or equivocation, and many other inquiries of the like nature. Ten in the evening he brought forward, without any proposition from myself, his very elegant family Bible, and several hymn books, to have family worship, and the same again in the morning. He joined in singing, and his little girls, that were 8 and 10 years of age also joined, and I was told that on the Sabbath he would appoint lessons from the Bible and from Sabbath School hymns for his little girls to learn, and towards the close of the Sabbath he would hear them recite.

I spent a Sabbath at Huntsville, a very considerable town in the state of Alabama, where I found a large flourishing Sabbath School in operation. In this Sabbath School I saw a Cherokee youth about 18 years of age, who had formerly attended school at one of the missions in his nation, but is now living at Huntsville with a pious family, learning a trade. He was one of the teachers in this Sabbath School. He had under his care a class of white boys, and, when I was in the school, he was hearing them say their prayers, their hymns, and their Bible lessons, and was tenderly, and faithfully endeavouring to instil into their minds the principles of virtue, morality and religion. He gave me a dollar for the Palestine Mission-the first dollar, perhaps, he ever had in his life.

At Creek Path, I saw Catharine Brown, the converted Cherokee, whose name is so familiar to all the American churches. She greatly exceeded my expectations. No person, not even a Cherokee, who should enter the mission family as a stranger, would in the least suspect but that she was one of the Mission Sisters from the North. She is not darker than half of our young ladies, and possesses prudence, discretion, and apparent piety, to a degree rarely to be met with. Not five years ago, she went to Brainerd, a vain, proud, ignorant heathen girl, and used to sit on a seat with the little Cherokee girls, and try to spell "Baker," and to learn" Our Father who art in Heaven." Now she is a Christian of no ordinary attainments and usefulness; and has been the means of the conversion of her parents, two of her brothers, and three others of her near kindred. One of her brothers has since died-died in the triumphs of faith; the other brother is studying with a view to the ministry, and promises to be exceedingly useful to his nation. O, sirs, a holy joy is now lighted up in the countenances of that family, which will grow brighter and brighter through the countless rounds of infinite duration. Catharine gave me three dollars for the Palestine Mission, and her ear-rings, which she used to wear when a heathen, which cost twelve dollars. She, with good Mrs. Potter, have been instrumental in forming among the Cherokee ladies, in her neighbourhood, a Female Cent Society. They were at a loss how to dispose of their funds. Catharine was for aiding the Mission among the Osages, with whom her own nation was then at war. Others, feeling their obligations to our Churches for sending our sons and daughters to instruct them, were desirous of aiding us in the education of more pious young men for the work of the Gospel Ministry; and they accordingly paid over their funds to the Education Society in the state of Tennessee-a fact which ought to put to the blush the many thousands in our country who have as yet contributed nothing either for the education of our own pious young men, or for the conversion of any heathen tribe or nation on the face of the earth.

The children of those schools make much greater progress than is common in our schools; and this for two reasons: 1st. More attention is paid to them; and 2d. They go to school on purpose to learn, and not as a matter of course. To these reasons, I may also add the fact, that many children apply for admission into the schools, and repeat the application with the most pressing and VOL. IX.

28

affecting importunity, but are rejected, because the Missionaries are not furnished with the means of supporting them; of course, the children at school feel the importance of improving their privileges, lest they should be dismissed to make room for those who will improve them better. I heard a class of little girls, at Brainerd, recite in grammar, and I have never heard a class of boys or girls, in any school, recite better, or seem to understand the subject better, than those little girls, considering the time devoted to it. I saw also, at Brainerd, six little girls under the direction of one of the Mission Sisters, engaged, when out of school, in sewing; and I have never seen any ladies, of any age, in any part of our country, whatever might be their character for industry, who would sit and sew more steadily, than those little girls. They were dressed very neatly and cleanly, and made a very interesting appearance.

All the Missionaries declare, that the children of their schools are more modest and affectionate, and are more easily managed, than is common in our schools. One of the teachers said, that when any mischief was done in school through the inattention or carelessness of the boys, and he inquired who did it, he never knew them to rise and say, "I dion't do it, I did'nt do it, John did it;" but one would rise in one part of the house, and say, very modestly, "Sir, I did it ;" another would rise in another part and say, "Sir, I helped him;" and then tell all how it was done, with as much sincerity, and honesty and penitence, as you could desire. There is much of this sort of frankness among them.

I went into the school at Elliot, and said to the boys: "Many of the children at the North are saving their money to establish schools, and procure books for the Choctaw children; I expect myself, to go to Jerusalem, to establish schools for the poor ignorant children there, and I want you should become civilized and pious, as speedily as possible, that you may not only support your own schools in the Choctaw nation, but may aid me at Jerusalem, and may aid in sending the blessings of civilization and Christianity to the Chickasaws, Creeks, and other heathen tribes, and may also yourselves be prepared to go as Missionaries, teachers, mechanics and farmers." The boys took the hint, and soon after I went out, they brought me a donation of above $13 for the Palestine Mission. They obtained the money in this way-when they are out in the field every morning in the week by such a minute, or when they have committed certain lessons in school, they are entitled to a certain premium; and when they fail, they forfeit something. There is, of course, debt and credit. Some had 50 cents placed to their credit, some more, and some less. All they had, they brought me; and some, who had recently paid away their ticket money to purchase a spelling book, or Testament, or some article of clothing, came to the instructor, and begged him to advance as much money for them, as they could earn in this premium way, in three, four, or five weeks.

1

Western Africa.-The Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the US. intend to establish a Mission School on the coast of Africa. Mr. E. Bacon, who has visited that country, has been appointed a catechist and school master, and Mrs. Bacon school mistress. It is expected they will sail in the fall, and in the mean time collections will be made for the out-fit.

Revivals of Religion.--The out-pouring of the Holy Spirit continues to bless many portions of our country, and afford us the most encouraging evidence, that "God is willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." We had prepared a summary account of these works of grace, but have room only, at present, for the following:

St. Petersburgh, Va.-An extract of a letter from this place says: "For some time past there has been a considerable excitement to Religion in this place. At our last Communion, on the first Sabbath in July, we had an addition to the church of six males and twenty-two females-all young people but one. The work of grace is progressing, and it now seems that the Lord is working pow erfully among us; principally amongst the youth from ten years and upwards. I hope I shall soon be able to say of this place, where sin abounded, and still abounds, grace much more abounds."