PREFACE.

OUR object in publishing this volume is to contribute the little that Providence has enabled us to do towards a complete history of a Church whose existence must be ascribed, under God, to the Secession Church in Scotland; whose exertions have been greatly blessed to the inhabitants of an uncommonly valuable section of our colonies, and whose present condition eminently deserves our sympathy and aid.

We must not forget what God did by our fathers in the days of old. If we do so, we shall fail in the gratitude that is due to the great Head of the Church-we shall lose the benefit of the example set before us by our predecessors, and shall, at the same time, form exaggerated notions of our own efforts, in comparison with those of former times.

The Secession has, from the beginning, been a missionary Church, not only inasmuch as, immediately on its formation, it assumed an aggressive character, and sought to extend itself in the land, but also, inasmuch as it directed its attention, from the

very commencement of its existence, to foreign fields of labour. As early as 1750, a petition was forwarded from Pennsylvania, to the General Associate Synod, for a dispensation of gospel ordinances; and, four years after, Mr. Gellatly crossed the Atlantic, and began his labours at Octarara and Oxford. Should life and health be continued, and the present work meet with acceptance, we shall, in all probability, undertake a history of the mission to Pennsylvania; in the meantime, we submit the result of our inquiries when in Nova Scotia, and of information since received, in reference to the Church in that quarter. We trust the work, however imperfect, will be found not devoid of interest, and prove opportune. Never were more urgent entreaties for help addressed to us than those which are arriving by almost every mail from New Scotland. It remains to be seen whether the theological students and preachers of the present day surpass in missionary spirit the students and preachers of a former age. We believe they do. Facts and appearances, we think, warrant the belief. Our most popular preachers are offering themselves cheerfully to the Board of Missions; while the tone of feeling that distinguishes our students of divinity justifies the conviction that, by-and-by, should duty call, words will give place to deeds—eloquent allusions to the high places of the field, to toil and conflict on these high places-glowing descriptions of the missionary's reward, to the sublime devotedness that, through grace, will insure to themselves its actual possession.

We are indebted for the materials of this history to the following sources:

Haliburton's History of Nova Scotia.

The original Minutes of the Presbyteries of Truro and Pictou.

The letters of the Rev. Hugh Graham, one of the first missionaries to Nova Scotia-communicated partly by his brother, Mr. Peter Graham, and partly by his sister, Mrs. Hamilton, through the Rev. William Millar, Whitburn.

The family of the late Dr. M'Gregor of Pictou, who most generously placed at our disposal the account of the Doctor's labours, written by himself, which is published for the first time in this volume.

The Rev. Messrs. M'Gregor, Halifax; M'Culloch, Truro; Ross, West River; Waddell, River John; and especially the Rev. Thomas Trotter, the Rev. John M'Kinlay, and the Rev. R. S. Patterson. Mr. McKinlay transmitted most of the information respecting the congregations in Pictou Presbytery, while Mr. Patterson wrote the account of the different churches in Prince Edward Island.

Mr. G. Patterson of Pictou. He is the grandson of Dr. M'Gregor, and at present in this country, prosecuting his studies. Besides various items of information, he has supplied a few notes to his grandfather's memoirs, and the materials of the last chapter of the volume, which treats of the relative number and position of the different ecclesiastical bodies in the province.

James Mitchell, Esq., Glasgow. Mr. Mitchell furnished most of the papers from which we drew up our sketch of Dr. M'Culloch, and history of the Pictou Academy.

MISSION TO NOVA SCOTIA.

CHAPTER I.

Nova Scotia-its discovery, extent, appearance, &c.

NOVA SCOTIA lies within the 43d and 46th degrees of north latitude, and the 61st and 67th degrees of west longitude, and is connected with the continent of North America by a narrow isthmus. It is bounded on the north by part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which separates it from Prince Edward Island; on the northeast, by the Gut of Canso, which separates it from the Island of Cape Breton; on the west, by the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick; and on the south and south-east, by the Atlantic Ocean. It appears to have been discovered in 1497 by John Cabot, and his son Sebastian, who had received from Henry VII. of England a commission empowering them "to sail to all countries of the east, west, and north, under English colours, on their own cost and charges, to seek and discover all the isles, regions, and provinces of heathens unknown to Christians." Leaving Bristol in the hope of meeting with no obstruction till they reach

B