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willing to be put on our trial; and all we require is, that they who judge us would not forget the injunction—to ‘judge righteous judgment. To all who oppose us with decency and temper, I trust we shall know how to reply in the spirit of meekness. If they have misunderstood us, we will explain; if they have convicted us of error, we will concede; if they have accused us wrongfully, we will endeavour to confute them: exercising throughout that courtesy and forbearance, which no controversy should be permitted to banish, and least of all that controversy in which we are engaged. But if among our opponents there should be an individual, whom no explanations can satisfy, no concessions can soften, no forbearance can conciliate, no confutation can silence; if, in the restless prosecution of his purpose of hostility, he should be found to spare neither our private nor our professional character; if, not content with a life-interest in episcopal opposition, he should snatch the mitre from the hand of death, and tax the very see to furnish a contingent towards the war of extermination against the Bible Society; with such an individual we will have no communication: we will retire from him, as Michael did from his opponent, in a memo rable controversy of old, not bringing against him any railing accusation, but saying The Lord rebuke thee!'

"Sir, I have spoken thus explicitly on the several topics to which I have considered it zny duty to advert, because I think the measures pursued by our opponents have reached that crisis in which plain dealing is become an imperious duty; and because it is not probable, from my many avocations, that I may have another opportunity of delivering my sentiments among you. I confess, for my own part, I feel a growing attachment to the cause, under all the circumstances of fatigue, perplexity, and sacrifice, to which it exposes me; and I am desirous to promote its interest, both locally and generally, by all the exertions which it is in my power to command. I owe this zeal and constancy, not more to the intrinsical excellence of the Institution itself, than to the solemn injunc tions of that amiable prelate, now united with the spirits of just men made perfect; under whose auspices I entered, and for more than five years continued in its service. I will not presume to say what would be the sentiments of that enlightened prelate, were he now upon earth; but I very well know what his sentiments were while he was upon earth, and in the moments which nearly preceded his removal to heaven. With his CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 149.

dying accents, and, with a glow in his countenance which I shall never forget, he admonished me to give to the plans of the Society the widest possible circulation; and I should be unworthy of the confidence with which he honoured me while living, and of the satisfaction with which I cherish his image now that he is no more, if I did not derive from such a memorial an additioual motive for adherence to a cause in which I have had the honour to labour for nearly ten years, and in the service of which I hope, by the blessing of God, to be found faithful unto death.

To those whom I have now the pleasure to address, I have nothing to offer on behalf of the Bible Society with which the notoriety of its principles and its effects must not already have rendered them familiar. After all that has been said to depreciate its character, and all that has been done to prevent its success, it enjoys at this moment a larger measure of public estimation than any religious society has ever acquired; and it is adding continually to the stability of its reputation and the means of its usefulness, by fresh accessions of patronage and support, from the rank, the talent, and the opulence of the country.

But

"For yourselves-when you have found an object more worthy of your affections, your contributions, and your exertions, than that which the Bible Society proposes, transfer them all to that better object. When you have discovered, in any human composition, a surer guide, a wiser counsellor, and a more effectual comforter than the Bible, then take that better composition to your heart, and circulate it instead of the Bible. if, as will I am persuaded be the case, you should find no object of superior or of comparable value: if, on every repeated perusal of the Bible, you should discover still more to admire in the majesty of its doctrines, the wisdom of its precepts, and the efficiency of its consolations, then let your zeal for its propagation keep pace with your discoveries of its excellence; and testify your gratitude for such a possession, by co-operating with those who, on so grand a scale and with such a prospect of success, are occupied in imparting it to others. Your attachment to the cause, and your exertions in its behalf, may expose you for a season to opposition and strife; but these difficulties will be ouly of temporary duration. We believe the cause in which we are engaged-and we do so, with some of the brightest ornaments of this country,both living and deceased-to be the cause of righteousness; and we believe, on tho authority of the sure word of prophecy, tha 2 X

* the work of it shall be peace, and the effect
of it quietness and assurance for ever.""

LEICESTER AUXILIARY BIBLE
SOCIETY.

On Thursday, April 14th, 1814, was held the fourth anniversary of the Leicester Auxiliary Bible Society, at the Guildhall, in Leicester. The attendance was unusually numerous and splendid. The Hon. and Very Rev. Henry Ryder, D. D. Dean of Wells, in the chair. The Report was read by the Rev. Mr. Vaughan. Encouraging and animated addresses were delivered by the Rev. Messrs. Owen and Steinkopff, two of the London Secretaries. The Rev. Mr. Paterson, just returned from Russia, gratified the company with an interesting detail of his labours in Russia, of the increasing circulation of the Word of God in that empire, and the warm patronage it receives from the Emperor. Various motions were put and seconded, accompanied with suitable and impressive speeches, by the Rev. Messrs. G.B. Mitchell, A. Macaulay, R. Hall, Fry, Story, Hartley, E. Philips, T.Mitchell, Ryley, Messrs. Wood, &c. The zeal which was manifested, and the harmony which prevailed, will render it a day lung to be remembered.

NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE
SOCIETY:

Instituted in 1780.

On Tuesday, the 10th May, the first public anniversary meeting of this Society was held at the New London Tavern, Cheapside. A very numerous and highly-respectable company was assembled upon the occasion. His Royal Highness the Duke of York, patron of the Society, took the chair: supported by the Duke of Gloucester; Admiral Lord Gambier; Vice-Admiral Earl Northesk; Lord Calthorpe; the Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean of Wells; T. R. Kemp, Esq., Henry Thornton, Esq, and Win. WilberLieut.force, Esq., members of parliament; General Calvert, adjutant-general of the forces; with several general officers, and other naval and military officers of rank.

The scene displayed on this occasion was most gratifying to all, who felt the importance of affording religious knowledge to our valiant defenders. Every part of the room vas crowded; and it is understood that above 500 ladies and gentlemen were unable to obtain admittance.

The object of the meeting was first briefly stated from the chair. A highly-interesting Report was then read by Major Close, one

The Secretaries. It was replete with en

couraging facts, manifesting the earnest desire of our brave sailors and soldiers to possess the Word of God, and stating many instances of small contributions from associations formed in their private circles, to purchase copies at reduced prices. Many letters were also read, from officers of various ranks, proving the beneficial effects arising from the distribution of the Holy Bible.

It appeared from the Report, that the Society had distributed above 9,000 copies of the Scriptures, Bibles and Testaments included, during the last year; and about 100,000 copies, in the course of 34 years, since its formation.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Glou cester brought forward the first motion, and was successively followed by Admirals the Earl Northesk and Lord Gambier, Lord Calthorpe, the Dean of Wells, Mr. Kemp, Mr. H. Thornton, Mr. Wilberforce, Generals Borthwick and Neville, Colonels Burgess and Handfield. The following ministers also took part in the business of the day: the Rev. Dr. Thorpe, of Dublin; the Rev. J. Griffin, of Portsea; the Rev. J. Saunders, and Basil Woodd, of London. Every heart seemed deeply impressed with ' the importance of the Society, and highly gratified in contemplating the Commanderin-chief of the British forces and his Royal Relative countenancing, by their patronage and presence, its truly Christian objects. The royal visitors were pleased to express their entire approbation of the proceedings' of the Society, their earnest wishes for its future prosperity, and their determination to continue to afford it their warmest support.

May every returning anniversary have to record the increasing success of the Society; and may all military and naval commanders throughout the world labour strenuously, after the illustrious example of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, to promote the distribution of the Word of God among those whom they command!

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

On the 3d of May was held the fourteenth anniversary of this Society. The annual sermon, preached by the Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean of Wells, was eloquent and devout,and made a most fervent and effectual appeal on behalf of the great objects of the Society. A collection was afterwards made,

which amounted to 501. 15s.

At two o'clock the annual general meeting was hekl: the Right Hon. Lord Gainbier, president, in the chair; attended by Lord Calthorpe, the Dean of Wells, Mr. H. Thornton, ·

Mr. Kemp, Mr. L. Way, upwards of fifty clergymen, and above a thousand members and friends of the Society. The proceedings at this meeting were particularly interesting; and we regret that our limits prevent us from doing more, in this Number, than express our satisfaction, that this Society is daily attracting such an increased share of the pub

lic attention and support that the incomewhich averaged 2,000l. for the preceding 18 years, and was only 3,000l. in the thirteenth

has amounted, in the fourteenth year, to between 11,000l. and 12,000l.; an income still very inadequate to the extensive means of usefulness now opened to them.

VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

We had the satisfaction of announcing in our last Number the occupation of Paris by the callied sovereigns, and the disposition in favour of the Bourbon Family which had been manifested by the Senate and the People in the metropolis. We also mentioned the abdication of Bonaparte, and his intended destination. We have now the pleasing task of conducting through another month the brief history of these great foreign transactions.

Louis XVIII, having left London on the 20th of April, arrived at Paris in about a fortnight, after a slow progress from Calais. On his entry into the capital of his forefathers, he was preceded by his provisional ministers and by the Archbishop of Rheims, his grand almoner, &c. &c. In his majesty's own carriage were seated the King, the Duchess d'Angouleme his niece, the only surviving child of the late Louis XVI., the Prince de Condé, and the Duke de Bourbon. By the right door of the coach rode Monsieur, and by the left the Duke de Berri. The Marshals and Generals of France accompanied them. A suit of carriages filled with ladies was then seen. The Prefect of the Scine presented to Louis the keys of the capital, and was handsomely complimented on the occasion. "Domine salvum fac Regem" was solemnly chaunted at the cathedral of Notre Dame. His majesty reached the Thuilleries about six, and the crowd filled the Carousal and the court of the palace. The King, Duchess J'Angoulême, and Princes shewed themselves at the windows. The day was fine, and the people of the king's "good city of Paris" shone forth in all their native gaiety. An illumination took place at night.

We confess that the professions of zeal and devotion to the cause of Louis XVIII., though less in some quarters, were also greater in others than we should have desired. The marshals, in their address to their new sovereign, declared, that they

"have been carried by all the movements of their souls to second this spring of the national will." "You have always been good Frenchmen," replied the king. It is doubtless expedient, we mean according to the ordinary principles of earthly policy, to do honour to those who are in power; but there is a certain measure of caution and moderation which, even on the worldly ground of consistency of character, would well become the mouth of various parties in France, now fairly entitled to unite in their endeavours to build up the new French Constitution. It is honesty which begets confidence, and confidence is necessary to the joint prosecution of every great work, and more especially to that of giving new stability to an empire.

Most of the great marshals have declared their adherence to the new order of things: and the abdication of their former chief enables them to rally round the throne of the present monarch of France with unimpaired honour; while the liberty infused into the Consitution may fairly be considered as a justification of the allegiance of even the more democratic surviving leaders in the French Revolution. The Marshal Duke of Dalmatia, the Prince of Esling, &c. &c. have declared their adherence. The Duke of Albufuera (Suchet) addressed his army in favour of the new order of affairs. Even Davoust, the savage defender of Hamburgh, at length yielded to the stream. We were happy to find that bẹ was superseded in his command. A few such proofs as this, of consciousness of strength as well as of moderation and love of justice and humanity in the new government, seem to us absolutely necessary.-Canlincourt has endeavoured to shew, and we conceive successfully, that he was not the real perpetrator of the murder of the Duke d'Enghien; and the Emperor of Russia has admitted the truth of his representation. “ I know," says his imperial majesty, “ from my

"

ministers in Germany, how much a stranger you were to the horrible affair in question. The papers you have communicated cannot but add to that conviction." He appears to have been content, however, to be the reputed instrument of that murder, in compliment to his murderous master, who had his political reasons for wishing to give this impression to Europe. Cambaceres, Sieyes, and Savary have resigned, or in other words retired, as well as Cardinal Maury. The king in such cases has intimated, that he can dispense with their presence in "his good city of Paris."

We are sorry to state, that while these happy events were taking place, the war, through some negligence or treachery of messengers, was protracted in one extremity of the empire. At Toulouse, a great battle was fought, in which the British lost about 400 killed and 1,700 wounded; the Spanish loss being nearly equal. It was on the day after this battle, that Col. St. Simon arrived from Paris. A loss of 150 English killed, and 400 wounded, was also sustained at Bayonne. Among the killed was Gen. Hay; and among the wounded the gallant Sir Jolin Hope, who, we are happy to understand, is likely to recover. The British army appears to have been taken by surprise; they having, perhaps, too much confided in the disposition of the French commander to abstain from further contest, in consequence of the recent events which had taken place at Paris.-Lord William Bentinck, not yet fully informed of the happy consummation of affairs, possessed himself of Genoa, by a bold military step, and with a loss extremely trifling.

Lord Wellington arrived at Paris on the 5th of May. He met Blucher for the first time at a great ball, who was there presented to him. They are said to have bowed, and looked for some time at each other, without speaking, and afterwards conversed for ten minutes. His lordship returned, after a week's stay, to his own army.

Quarrels are said to have existed between the allied and the French forces; but we conceive them to have been much exaggerated. In particular, the Austrian Grenadiers and the Royal Guard of Paris appear to have had some jealousies. A proclama tion of Prince Schwartzenberg, explaining the grounds on which the Austrians wore green leaves in their caps-a circumstance which seems to have been construed into an assumption of superiority-shews at once that there has been some real jealousy, and

that there has been a strong disposition to remove it on the part of the generals of the victorious army. This decoration had been common among the Austrian troops when in their own country.

Monsieur has been appointed ColonelGeneral of the National Guards.

A service has been performed in the metropolitan church for the late Kings Louis XVI. and XVII., for the late Queen Maria Antoinette, and for Madame Elizabeth. The King attended incognito, in a tribune prepared for him. The Duchess d'Angouleme was by his side; the Duke de Berri, and the Prince de Condé sustained the characters of chief mourners. A deputation from the Senate and the Legislative Body attended. The Marshals were present; and the Abbè Duval is said to have delivered a very impressive sermon. Thus, after the lapse of rather more than twenty years, the minds of the volatile people of France have come round to that very point of the compass from which they had departed, and the Royal Family is honoured in the very place where their names had been so signally execrated.

The

We specified in our last Number, the general principles on which it was proposed to settle the French Constitution. King has, on his arrival, given only his general and qualified consent to them. He observed to his Senate, that he wished for "a liberal constitution," but one which, should also be wisely combined; that the bases of the plan of 6th of April were good; but that many articles, bearing the appearance of precipitation, could not become fundamental. The Senate and Legislative Body have been, on this account, summoned for the 10th of June, which has since been changed for the still more early period of the 31st of May.

The following are the ministers whom his majesty has appointed :

Monsieur d'Ambray, chancellor; M. Barengtine retaining the honours of that post.

All the members of the Provisional Council are Ministers of State.

The Prince of Benevento, minister and secretary of state for foreign affairs; Monsieur Abbè Montesquieu, minister and secretary of state for the interior; Count Dupont, minister and secretary at war; Baron Louis, minister and secretary of state for finance; Baron Malouet, minister and secretary of state for the marine; Count Bugnot, director-general of police; Monsieur

Ferrande, director-general of posts; Monsieur Berenger, director-general of internal

taxes.

We understand, that the department of Baron Malouet includes that of the French Colonies; and we look with anxiety to this gentleman, as one to whom the inteTests both of Africa and of the West-Indies --seem to be peculiarly committed. He is author of an extended work on West-Indian "subjects, which, though indicating knowJedge and diligence, is not conformable to 2 our own views on some points of primary importance.

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The arrival of the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, in this country, is We are now anxiously expecting to hear expected in the course of a few days. of the signature either of preliminaries or of The Duchess of Oldenburgh, sister of the -a definitive treaty of peace. In the mean · Emperor, has been for some time in our ca‹ time, a Convention has been signed, bearing ́pital.

date 23d of April, by which it has been. We have now to turn to another part of agreed, that hostilities shall every where cease, and that the allied armies shall evacuate the French Territory in fourteen days from that date; the boundary line which they are to observe being that which - constituted the limits of France on the 1st of January, 1792. Fifteen days are allowed for mutual evacuations in Piedmont, and twenty days in Spain. The fleets are to remain in their present stations; but all blockades are raised, and fisheries and -coasting trade are permitted. Ships are to ⚫be restored, if taken in the Channel or North Sea, after twelve days from the date of the Convention: in one month, if captured beyond those seas, within the Canaries and the Equator; and in five months, if in remoter parts. All prisoners are immediately to be sent back.

. It has been declared, that when Preliminaries of Peace shall be signed, only *thirteen armed ships of the line, twenty-one frigates, and twenty-seven sloops, &c. &c. shall be kept up, and that only two vice-ad-mirals shall be employed. We must wait with anxious expectation for intelligence on the momentous subject of the reduction of the French armies, upon which no sentiment has yet been expressed: the difficulties of the New Government will, probably, -consist chiefly in that part of their arrange

ments.

The terms on which a definitive treaty of peace is thought likely to be concluded -have been stated in some of the public papers, and, so far at least as Great Britain is concerned, with some appearance of truth. It has been said, that we are to retain the Mauritius and Tobago, but are to restore the other Dutch and French West-India Colonies the Cape of Good Hope and

our narrative, which forms a contrast to
that on which we have been dwelling.-
Bonaparte, after some delay and many
marks of hesitation and disquietude, has
proceeded to the little island assigned to
him. On his road, he was made to feel
some portion of that hatred of his name and
-person which has so long subsisted in every
part of Europe; and especially in the
country which he has governed. We do
'not give full credit to all the stories which
have been related respecting his reception
in the several towns through which he has
passed; but we have no doubt either of the
state of apprehension, in which he conti-
nually travelled, or of the animosity against
him which was generally manifested.
The
following account of the manner of his pass-
ing through Avignon seems worthy of no-
tice, as we have little hesitation in believing
that it is in substance true, and as it may
furnish some example of the occurrences to
which he was subject. Care, it is said, was
taken to prevent any knowledge of the
exact time and place of his arrival: his car-
riage, nevertheless, was surrounded; men
and women demanded their children. One
muan laid hold of the carriage door; where-
upon, a valet on the coach-box drew his
sabre in defence of his master. "Fellow !"
said an officer appointed to attend the car-
riage, "do not stir ;" and he gently pushed
aside the man who held the door.
parte drew down the glass, directed his va-
let to be quiet, and thanked the officer. The
people now grew more and more inflamed;
but a troop of horse came up and cleared
the way; and the postilions drove, off in
full gallop.

Bona

It has been stated, that the people of Milan demanded the heads of the ministers

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