the report of the Bible Christian Denomination, the circuit plan for the present quarter, the names of the trustees, &c. Miss E. Roberts, of Truro, laid the second. A public tea was provided in the Wesleyan school-room (kindly lent for the occasion), to which over 300 sat down. The tables were presided over by Mesdames Heard, Michell, Lobb, Yelland, and Rickard; the Misses Heard (2), Johns, Fugler, Bedellow, Davis, and Bailey. At seven o'clock a public meeting was held in the Wesleyan chapel. Mr. E. Roberts, of Truro, occupied the chair. The meeting was addressed by the Rev. T. Humphris, J. Tremelling, and Messrs. W. M. Visick, Husband, and Lashbrook. Votes of thanks were proposed to the trustees of the chapel, the ladies who presided at the tea tables, the chairman and speakers; also to Messrs. Sobey, Williams, and Roberts. The total proceeds for the day amounted to £27.-West Briton.

GRAMPOUND BAZAAR IN AID OF A NEW CHAPEL.

The Bible Christian cause at Grampound has for several years been steadily progressing. The number of members has considerably increased, and the attendance at the little chapel has of late years been such as to press heavily on the friends the necessity for a larger and more suitable place of worship. For some time the great difficulty lay in obtaining a site. Several applications were made, but without success, until recently a very eligible and desirable plot came within the reach of the committee, and was secured. Arrangements were at once started for raising a building fund, and the first effort took the form of a bazaar, which was held in the National school-room (by the kind permission of the rector), on Monday and Tuesday, December 27th and 28th, and although the weather on the first day was anything but fine, the result was quite up to expectation, the sum of £46 being the total of the two days' receipts. Besides this, over £40 has been collected, chiefly from friends out of the immediate neighbourhood, making the sum total £86. Very great kindness has been shown by several members of other churches, and from the arrangements throughout it was evident that no effort had been spared by those who acted on the committee of management. The large room was very tastefully decorated, and the ladies at the stall acquitted themselves admirably. The site of the intended new chapel is near the street on the right of the road leading to Tregony, and it is proposed to commence building early in the spring.

NEW CHAPEL.

MR. A. PENDARVES VIVIAN, M.P., LAYING A FOUNDATION-STONE. The sympathy recorded above was again shown on Monday by the numbers who attended the ceremony of laying the foundation-stones, and the sum they subscribed. The old building is at the higher end of the village, but the new one will be central; and although it will have no great architectural beauty, it will be simple and appropriate in style. It will be built principally of local stone-killas with granite quoins. There will be a semi-circular-headed window on each side of the entrance, which will be under a portico, with fluted columns. Over the entrance there will be a circle of Bath stone, in which will be cut out the words "Bible Christian Chapel, Grampound, 1881." Each side of the chapel will have three windows, and the interior will be fitted with three tiers of seats, and the rostrum will occupy the further end. The roof will be of slate, surmounted with a ridge of ornamental tiles. The work is to be finished in six months. Mr. Pedlar, of Pentewan, is the architect, and Mr. Tregunna has the contract for the carpentry work, and Mr. Bennett for the masonry work. The entire cost, it is estimated, will be about £350, and the chapel will accommodate about 150. The weather was fine for the ceremony, and flags were hung over the main street and about the site. Mr. A. P. Vivian was accompanied by Mr. John Magor, with

whom he had been staying, and there were on the platform, besides Mr. Vivian, Mr. T. Stocker, of St. Austell, who was also selected to lay a foundation-stone, the Rev. W. J. Hocking, Rev. J. Tremelling, Rev. T. Clegg (Independent minister), Grampound; Mr. E. Roberts, Truro; Mr. W. Croggan, and the Rev. S. Pollard, of Mevagissey. The proceedings commenced at three o'clock by singing and prayer. The Rev. J. Tremelling then announced that in the cavities under the stones about to be laid were bottles containing the Minutes of the Bible Christian Conference, the Reports of the Missionary Society, the plan of the circuit, the list of the members, and the various arrangements in connection with the cause of God in that place.

Silver trowels having been presented to Mr. Vivian and to Mr. Stocker, each of these gentlemen "well and truly laid" the stone on which his name had been cut. Money was then laid on them, and a collection was made amongst the people, and the proceeds amounted altogether to £33.

Mr. Hocking then addressed the assembly, and congratulated them upon the favourable weather and on the presence of Mr. Vivian and Mr. Stocker. He congratulated them also on the progress they were making. He thought the Bible Christians had a right to exist in that neighbourhood, and because of their long standing they had a right to make an attempt in what he considered to be the right direction. Bible Christianism was part and parcel of Methodism—a section of the great Methodist family. Connected with Methodism throughout England and America he found there were now 100,000 itinerant ministers and local preachers, 5,000,000 members of society, and congregations estimated at from 20,000,000 to 25,000,000. In their own little denomination they had 307 itinerant preachers, 937 chapels, and 30,841 members of society. In the United Kingdom there were 176 itinerant preachers, 1,439 local preachers, and 572 chapels. In Cornwall there were 33 itinerant preachers, 428 local preachers, 190 chapels, and 7,175 members. From this he thought it was evident that Methodism was a power in the world, and he thought Bible Christianism was also a power in the world, though somewhat limited. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Hocking proceeded to detail what are recognised as the chief spiritual evangelical doctrines as the distinctive doctrines of the Bible Christians. These and kindred themes would engage the attention of those who worshipped in the sanctuary they now contemplated erecting, and he thought there was Divine power in these themes, and that therefore any Denomination enforcing them had a right to expect the Divine blessing. Their Denomination had existed 50 years in that neighbour. hood, and after such a lengthened existence they were now contemplating a new departure. These proceedings were, he thought, evidence of their great interest in the welfare of the community at large, and he thought he might present them as powerful reasons for their practical sympathy and for their continued regard. (Applause.)

Mr. Pendarves Vivian, M.P., then rose, and was received with applause. He said-My friends, I come amongst you to-day as your well-wisher and your neighbour. It has given me great pleasure to accept the kind invitation which was sent to me, and which was an honour to me, to take part in the good work inaugurated to-day. As you know, probably, I am a member myself of the Church of England. I was brought up in that Church, and trust I shall always belong to her. I am deeply attached to her. But I do not for one moment allow that fact to interfere with my kindly feelings towards other Denominations, in this part of the world or elsewhere. (Applause.) Indeed, I have always looked upon the matter in this light. We are all Christians—(applause)—and we all have the same great Master to serve; and we are taught from this Great Book I see before me

that we are bound as Christians and as servants of the same Great Master to help one another in this world of sin. (Hear, hear.) Now, as long as I can do so it will always be my endeavour to help those around me, and I shall always continue to have the greatest interest in all the Denominations which I am brought into contact with. (Applause.) Now it has often occurred to me to reason with myself and to ask myself—in what condition would this country have been had it not been for these chapels and their founders in byegone times? (Applause.) And I should like to know, and I have asked some who thought otherwise, and who talked loudly about it in other parts of the world-what would have been the spiritual condition of our poor miners unless we had had in those early days such men as Wesley and others, who, like him, attended to the spiritual condition of the people of that day? (Applause.) I only wish that those who think otherwise, and who have some doubts about the good of the chapels we see springing up around us, had been with me in a distant land, where places of worship are hardly ever to be seen. In the far Western States of America, to which I allude, I am sorry to say that one of the conditions which has followed the absence of these places of worship has been the non-observance of the Sabbath. Not long ago, when I was there, in the State of Utah it was attempted to break the rule of the non-observance of the Sabbath-which, I am sorry to say, is the general rule in the far West-and a mine stopped working for the Sabbath-day, in order that the day might be properly observed. The result was a fearful amount of broiling and bloodshed-so much so that the spiritual authorities came to the conclusion that it was better not to make the attempt again—at all events, until a better state of feeling prevailed. This proved to one how much we should value our places of worship and how very jealous we should be of any movement which may in any way tend to take away the quiet observance and the peace and rest of our English Sabbaths. (Applause.) That has been to me one of the great reasons why I have viewed with distrust the movement lately made to open public places of amusement to the working classes on the Sabbath. (Applause.) Now one of the great reasons which has been given by the promoters of the movement is that it would tend to take men out of the public-house and induce them to go and visit those museums. Well, I myself am very doubtful of that. I believe that men who now go to public-houses on the Sabbath-day are not the class of men you will have in your museums. I believe it is far more likely you will save these men from going to the public-house by closing the public-houses on the Sabbath-day. (Applause.) On that account I supported when in the House of Commons the Bill for the Sunday Closing of Public-houses in Ireland, and although it was said that measure would have a disastrous effect-that there would be riots and everything else that is bad all over Ireland-I am glad to be able to tell you that the effect has been to promote the quietude and good feeling existing in all those towns where the public-houses are closed, and that nothing could be more satisfactory than the working of that Act. (Applause.) Surely that is a great encouragement to us to go on and hope that in a short time, not only in Ireland, but in every portion of her Majesty's 'dominions, the public-houses will be closed on the Sabbath-day. (Applause.) There is another thing, too, I may say about the observance of the Sabbath. It may be said "You have taken us for an example to the far West, to a land until lately uninhabited." Well, but I can also point you to the continent of Europe, and tell you how the Sabbath is desecrated there. I have lived years in Germany, and for some time in France, where Sunday was the great day for going to the theatres and for horse racing. Nothing can be more lamentable than horse racing on a Sunday, for we know the concomitants of horse racing are betting, drinking, and every other vice almost, and that is the point that makes me more severe

upon any movement that tends to desecrate the Sabbath-day [as it is observed in England. (Applause.) I thank you very sincerely for asking me to come here. Most distinctly do I appreciate the compliment paid me, and I only wish that this chapel may soon be finished, that in due course the burden of debt may be removed, that it may be a blessing to those for whose use it is intended, and that it may take its place among those places of worship in this country where Scripture truth is taught, and where man's spiritual welfare is looked after. (Applause).

(To be continued.)

Brief Notices of Books.

A Methodist Pioneer: the Life and Labours of John Smith. By the Rev. CHARLES H. CROOKSHANK, M.A. Wesleyan Conference Office. (Price 1s. 6d.) THIS record of a zealous and devoted minister abounds with striking facts, and furnishes interesting glimpses of the origin and early history of Methodism in different parts of the North of Ireland. Readers of "Uncle Will Allin" will find no difficulty in giving credence to such "a remarkable and well authenticated incident" as the following: "John Smith had been engaged (on February 21st, 1760) in prayer in a barn, from which he quickly returned home, greatly agitated, saying to his wife as he entered: Mary, the French have just landed in the North.' This was repeated, and it soon spread over the town, giving rise to considerable talk. One of the local authorities, having heard the report, sent for 'the seer,' and reprimanded him for disturbing the public tranquillity by exciting a needless alarm. He was asked how he could know that such an event had taken place, the town being distant from any Northern port. John Smith replied that he was sure his statement was correct, and he was willing to remain in custody till the fact should be ascertained. A few hours after this interview intelligence arrived that the French Admiral, Thurot, had landed, at Carrickfergus, a body of soldiers, commanded by General Cavignac, who had taken possession of the town."

Thomas Chalmers, D.D., L.L.D.

Stoughton. (Price 2s. 6d.)

By DONALD FRASER, D.D. Hodder and

DR. CHALMERS was not a profound Theologian, or the master of a perfect style, but he was a grand man, a worthy leader of noble men, an ungraceful but most powerful pulpit orator, and a Christian of child-like simplicity and tastes, altogether perhaps the most "considerable Scotchman" of his generation. Dr. Fraser's sketch of him is very well done, and though it is only a sketch, is sufficient to give its readers a just idea of the man, his character and work. We cull one anecdote from the reminiscences of a member of his class in 1845: "He often counselled us, while stating the central doctrines of the faith in our future ministry, to speak very plainly of duty. He would say, 'If you speak plainly you will not fail to rouse some conscience. When I was at Kilmany and preached one day on honesty, and after the sermon some of the people asked me how I had heard of Mr.- -'s fowls having been stolen on Saturday night. The circumstance was quite unknown to me. I happened to preach on the next Sabbath in a neighbouring parish, and delivered the same sermon. Curiously enough, there had been some plundering of the roosts there also, of which I had heard nothing. But the rustics persisted in speaking of my discourse as 'Mr. Chalmers' hen sermon.' Make hen sermons, gentlemen."

Harold Hastings; or, the Vicar's Son. By JAMES YEAMES. National Temperance Publication Depôt.

SOME among the many who are unwilling to see the evils which inevitably result from "moderate drinking," and who will not see their own duty in relation to the drinking customs of society, on whom facts and arguments, logic and eloquence, are expended in vain, will, we hope and believe, be reached by Mr. Yeames's capital story.

The Rev. Joseph Cook's Boston Monday Lectures. Hodder and Stoughton.

We have received with pleasure the remainder of the volumes, those on Heredity, Marriage, Labour, Socialism, the two last never before published, we believe, in this country, which complete the series. These lectures are unique in character, and marvellously cheap.

The Sabbath and the Sabbath Law before and after Christ. By JAMES H. RIGG, D.D., Author of "Modern Anglican Theology," &c. Second Edition. Wesleyan Conference Office. (Price 2s.)

DR. RIGG's views on the Sabbath may be briefly indicated. He thinks there is no alternative between upholding the Sabbath of the Decalogue, as still virtually binding on Christians, and regarding the Lord's-day as merely a Church festival; that the Decalogue, according to our Lord and St. Paul, is a part of Christianity; that the Sabbath is therefore of permanent and universal obligation, but that it is the spirit of the commandment which should be kept specially in view, and which must govern the letter. These views Dr. Rigg advocates with much calmness, discrimination, and argumentative force; and his small volume therefore is a valuable contribution to a subject which all have had to deal with it have found to be in several of its aspects and in the questions it raises, one of great practical difficulty.

Dialogues on Pulpit Preparation. With Sketches of Sermons. By the Rev. GEORGE CUBITT. Fourth Edition. Wesleyan Conference Office. (Price 2s. 6d.)

MUCH sound practical advice is contained in these Dialogues, and the sketches are good examples of their kind. The author wisely exhorts preachers to let their mind be full of their subject. He justly condemns the artificial divisions which are the chief attraction of some pulpit discourses, and which jingle away "like bells sometimes attached to the harness of cart horses." Divisions that

belong to this class :-a journey to be begun,- -a pathway to be observed,-an end to be attained :—always put us on our guard, as we know that the preacher has expended his chief strength and skill on a mere paltry device to please the ear and tickle the fancy. There can be no wrestlings with the truths of their texts or the souls of their hearers in such cases.

Sunlight and Shadow; or, Gleanings from my Life-Work.

GOUGH. Hodder and Stoughton.

By JOHN B.

THIS is a very racy and humorous book. A good many old anecdotes are served up with the others, and we must say that the connection is very slight between some of them and Mr. Gough's “Life Work," but he knows a good story when he hears it almost as well as he knows how to tell it. All honour to the man who having first achieved a marvellous victory for himself and over himself has for so many years devoted his rare gift of eloquence with such indomitable energy and perseverance to the public advocacy of temperance and religion. The library edition of this work costs 7s. 6d., and the people's edition, unabridged, can be had for 3s. 6d.