not be more than a hundred persons present in that large Gothic pile.

There was another remarkable occurrence respecting the time of Dr. Thomas's arrival in this country. At that very time, Mr. Pearce, of Birmingham; Fuller, of Kettering; Sutcliff, of Olney; Carey, of ditto; and other Baptist ministers, were actually holding meetings to devise a plan for forming a society for the very purpose of sending missionaries to India, —indeed it is probable that this scheme arose in their minds about the very time that Dr. T. stepped on board of ship at Calcutta to sail to this country with the view of stirring them up to do this very thing. The Spirit of God was seemingly exciting him and them at the same time to effect the same object. Wonderful are the ways of God!

As you can easily suppose, Dr. Thomas and our tea party were anxious to know how I, who was then a stranger, on a visit to London, was so well acquainted with the history of Dr. T., which led me to relate the following circumstances:

A gentleman in an Edinburgh bank had a mother in Montrose, whom he visited every summer, On one occasion, while there, he called upon the nonjurant* bishop of that town. During the interview, the bishop was called out of the room; while absent this gentleman, who was near-sighted, observing something white lying upon the table, rose and looked to see what it was, and found it to be a letter from India. On the bishop's return he remarked, "I see you have got an Indian correspondent!" "Oh yes," said he, “it is an enthusiastic relation of mine who sends me a long letter every year, about revivals of religion there, though I never answer one of them." On this, my friend asked him if he would favour him with a reading of them. "Oh yes," said he, "if you will not read them here, but take them with you," which was exactly what he wanted liberty to do. He then gave him three letters, which were all he had received.

On returning to Edinburgh, he showed them to me and several other friends, who were all delighted at the intelligence they contained. In one of the letters he

• Nonjurants were those who would not swear allegiance to the Hanoverian family, judging that the Stuart dynasty had a divine right to the British throne. The death of Cardinal York at Rome put an end to this episcopalian denomination in the north. I remember they went by the name of Jacobites.

says that, as he left Scotland when he was a thoughtless young man, he knew nothing of the different religious denomi nations which existed in his own country, and requested the bishop to favour him with an account of them, evidently sup posing, from his office, that the bishop was a pious man and well acquainted with all such matters.

In the same letter, he gave a pretty full account of Dr. Thomas's history, the outlines of which are mentioned in the former part of this paper. Either in those letters or somewhere else, I met with an interesting anecdote of him, during the time he resided at Malda, which was the following.

A native, much higher up the country than Malda, had become very uneasy in his mind about the consequences of death, who went frequently to the Brahmins to inquire how he could obtain peace. They recommended, like blinded Catholics, various kinds of penances, which he uniformly performed, but he assured the Brahmins that they did him no good, for he felt as unhappy as ever. Finding he was becoming troublesome, the priests told him if he would put spikes in his sandals, and walk in them to the temple of Juggernaut, which was two or three hundred miles off, he would be perfectly relieved. The poor man, in the hope of finding that it would be as they said, set off on the journey, thus accoutred. On coming opposite to Malda, Dr. Thomas was preaching, under the shade of a tree, to a company of natives. The pilgrim walked to them and sat down, listening to what was spoken. Dr. T. was preaching on the substitutional sufferings of the Son of God for miserable sinners. God enabled the pilgrim to understand and believe the truth of what was stated, on which he said, "This is what I want!" and untying his sandals, covered with blood and gore, he threw them away.

Now, about the letters. Some of the friends who had seen them thought it a pity that the writer's inquiries should not be answered, and I was asked to do that, which I did. Two years after, a letter came from the gentleman of Malda, expressing thankfulness that his letters had so strangely fallen into my hands. His letter had come by the same ship which had brought Dr. Thomas to London, for I found it lying for me on my return to Edinburgh, and a correspond

these hallowed occasions, I have seen hundreds of our Roman Catholic brethren meeting with their Protestant friends of almost all denominations, and, looking each other in the face, have reciprocated the rich smile of patriotism, and the bland recognition of social affection, for which Ireland is so distinguished. I have seen them delightfully forgetful of their names and distinctions, under a deep sense of their common value as intelligent, immortal and responsible beings. When the melting narrative of the overflowings of a Saviour's heart toward men, has been the missionary's theme, I have seen the big tear of penitence roll down the flushed cheek of the hardy-looking Irishman, and a scene has been presented which no heart susceptible of feeling could possibly resist. I have seen them, on these interesting jubilee occasions, crowding around the ambassador of peace, to pour upon his heart the warmest and best blessing their gratitude could suggest. With avidity they would receive the tract from his hands, or especially any thing written in Irish, which is the language of their country, and their feeling. I have seen them crowding upon the shore, or in the street, or into some adjacent demesne, to listen to the glad tidings of salvation. Hundreds in our larger and more benighted towns, who, perhaps, had never heard the gospel before, flocked to listen to its sound; nor were they at all mindful to suppress their feeling on the matter. On one occasion they exclaimed, "We have nothing to say against that!" and on another a poor Romanist observed, "And sure that's the religion that is to spread all over the world."

Many a dear missionary, perhaps, sir, could disclose similarly important and encouraging facts. Ireland, inaccessible to the gospel! certainly not. Naturally, an Irishman is a religious being. How devoted is he to the superstitious rites and ceremonies of that system which he has so unhappily embraced. Besides, will any one say an Irish heart is incapable of feeling the power of the cross, or of admiring the excellencies of the Saviour? But, in many parts of Ireland, no access has been sought; multitudes of her children have never heard the voice of a Christian missionary; and how can they accept or believe the gospel unless it be sent them? Numbers of beautiful islands stud her coast, whereon the standard of the cross has never been

planted. Millions are perishing “because no man careth for their souls." But will England permit this? Will she restrain her almost unbounded goodness from blessing the land of her care? Shall India, and China, and Africa, participate in that goodness, and shall poor Ireland be overlooked? Besides, Ireland is her own, and "how can she bear to see the destruction of her kindred?" She cannot-she must not deny herself. Will not England, then, send us men as well as money? Ireland has not men sufficient in number to meet her pressing demands. Perhaps, in some places, England might be burdened with men, and it would be an ease to the country to spare a hundred or so of them for Ireland. Oh! what an impression a hundred men, all devoted to Christ and souls, would make in Ireland! But if there are not men already ripe for the work, how happy should we be to hail among us a goodly band of warm-hearted, intelligent, and zealous young brethren, who would devote their lives and energies to the salvation of the land; and sure I am, that any sacrifice they might make in leaving the land of their birth, their feelings, and their prayers, would be amply repaid them in the smile, in the gratitude, and affection, in which dear Christians in Ireland would destine them to live. Oh, yes! there is a feeling, a warmth, a something better experienced than explained, which exists in the Irish bosom, and which adapts itself to a certain class of an Englishman's feelings, which he does not meet with any where else. But, oh! there are motives far greater than these; and which tell more mightily upon the Christian's mindmotives which should weigh much with England on behalf of Ireland-motives which, in the first instance, cluster with imperishable tenderness around the cross of Jesus; motives which stand connected with the immense value, as well as with the solemn destinies of immortal souls; motives, which regard England's happiness, and the happiness, prosperity, and glory of the whole world. But, perhaps, many a young brother in England will inquire," How can I engage myself on Ireland's behalf? If I enter Highbury, or Coward, or Exeter, I am expected to labour at home. If I enter the ranks of the home or foreign missions, it must be on conditions that will exclude my devoting myself to Ireland." These are difficulties which I myself have felt. I

THE claims of foreign missions are imperative and solemn; and the churches of our denomination, and those of many others, have responded to them with a degree of zeal and generosity which, if not yet commensurate with the greatness of the work to be achieved, is evidently augmenting. But whilst the Christians of England have shaken off the slumber which sealed the eyes and folded the hands of past generations in most criminal apathy in reference to the spiritual destitution of heathen lands, it is painfully manifest from the extraordinary and melancholly details of the volumes now before us, that they have not yet fully awakened to the frightful amount of ignorance and moral debasement, which still pervades our home population. We have often thought that county associations and the Home Missionary Society, with its limited finances, do not, and, perhaps, could not, overtake the spiritual necessities of the rural districts, villages, and crowded manufacturing towns of England; but we are free to confess, that the picture presented to us by Jethro, of the gross ignorance, irreligion, and wretchedness of this country, far exceeds any thing we could have imagined. On reading his first chapter, which contains disclosures respecting the moral condition of the great bulk of our home population, of the most affecting and painful nature, we could not resist feelings of sadness, at once deep and oppressive, bearing a close affinity to those which we have experienced on discovering what we deemed but slight symptoms of ailment in a beloved object to be the unquestioned signs of deep-seated and fatal disease. Nor, we are persuaded, can any one, who is anxious to secure the spread and ultimate triumph of the gospel, throughout the length and breadth of this land, and who has cherished the fond hope that ignorance, infidelity, and profligacy had retired before the progress of knowledge and the light of truth, read this appalling statement of the crime, licentiousness, scepticism, and practical atheism, still so fearfully abounding among

all classes of the people, without feelings of deep disappointment and alarm. The means of instruction, the dissemination of truth, have not kept pace with the increase of population, much less with the self-generating and rapid multiplication of error and wickedness, and the consequences are, that now in this land of Bibles and Sabbaths, there are thousands as much the victims of irreligion and crime as if they were wrapped in the deepest shades of pagan doctrines; thousands, who unblushingly avow their disbelief of the being of a God, and the immortality of the soul. It is true, indeed, that the light of the gospel has shone brightly in many favoured spots throughout our native land, but it has failed to reach multitudes who have been sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, or has only shed upon them a beam cold and faint as that of a distant star, whose place in the heavens is imperfectly known. To this most melancholy and deeply distressing state of things, we would confidently hope that the valuable essays of Jethro and Dr. Matheson, together with the steps now being taken by the Congregational Union of England and Wales, will serve to open the eyes of Christians of every denomination, and especially those of evangelical Dissenters. It is truly high time that the friends of truth, and the followers of Christ of every name, were awake not only to the manifold and urgent necessities of the heathen, but also to those of their countrymen around them, who are perishing for lack of knowledge.

But whilst Jethro and Dr. Matheson strip off with a fearless hand the cerements of ignorance, prejudice, and misconception which have too long concealed from our view the deep moral wounds-the widespreading spiritual leprosy with which England is afflicted, and which, unless treated with promptitude and vigour, must issue, at no very distant time, in the most disastrous consequences, they unfold and recommend with great wisdom, argument, and eloquence, the means which are to be adopted and applied in the present painful and ominous condition of our country. They show, and that with a truth which cannot be gainsayed, that, however numerous the boasted institutions of our land, whatever the vaunted benefits of a state religion, and whatever the wholesome fruits of dissent, England is still, to a fearful extent, a whited sepulchre, having within it dust and rottenness, and dead men's bones; and that the enormous evil is to be remedied, not by the necessarily circumscribed efforts of a legal