vonshire, during the last summer, by Mr. Smethurst of Moreton-Hampstead. Additional interest was given to the abstract of Mr. Smethurst's journal, by information extracted from letters just received from Mr. Wright, who was, at the time of the meeting, actively employed in the same district. It appeared that the successive visits of the missionaries had excited an increasing attention to religious subjects, and disposition for inquiry, and that the prospects were such as to render Cornwall especially deserving of the attention of those to whom the interests of the Society may in future be entrusted. 4 The Report then stated the separate cases in which grants of money had been made for the introduction or support of Unitarian worship, and the progress of the cause in those congregations which have been raised or cherished by the Unitarian Fund. Under this head some interesting information was communicated relative to the congregations at Colchester, Woolwich, Lutton, Reading, Iluddersfield, &c. The Com mittee also informed the Society, that in consequence of the increased expense of travelling to Mr. Wright, from his not being able to take such long journeys on foot as formerly; and also of his being deprived of some additions to his income by the relinquishment of the character of a stated minister, in order to devote him self wholly to the service of the Unitarian Fund, they had voted an addition to his salary, and at the same time suggested the expediency of his residing, when not engaged in missionary journeys, in or near London, that he might assist in the introduction of Unitarian preaching into the villages about the metropolis, and in di recting the operations of such persons as should be found properly qualified to act as local preachers. This resolution met with the cordial concurrence of the meeting. Allusion was made in the Report to some instances in which the Fund, without deviating from the pursuit of its main objects, has incidentally been very useful to the Unitarian cause. Great numbers of valuable tracts are every year distributed, under circumstances most favourable to their being read with advantage. By the exertions of its Committee, in conjunction with several subscribers to the Fund, who solicited their co-operation, the Association for Protecting the Civil Rights of Unitarians was formed, an acCount of whose proceedings will be found in our present Number [pp. 377-386]. Benefactions, of £50. each, were_acknowledged from the Rev. Charles Toogood, of Sherborne; from Joseph Liddell, Esq., of Moore-Park; and from E. John. ston, Esq., the Rev. W. Johnston, and the : Rev. T. Jervis, as executors of the late Swan Downer, Esq. a vote of thanks to those gentlemen, was unanimously passed, and they were elected honorary members of the Society. In consequence of these very liberal donations, the balance in the Treasurer's hands is not yet annihilated, although it has been found necessary, for the two or three past years, to apply a part of it to the current expenditure. The very usefulness of the Society, by extending the sphere of its operations, increasing the number of small congregations partly depending upon its assistance, and creating opportunities for further diffusion of its principles, imposes the necessity for augmented exertion for its support. Some aid, though but little, has been derived from Fellowship Funds and congregational collections, and the annual contribution of the Rev. T. Broadbent's congregation at Warrington, is especially entitled to notice and thanks: to these sources, in connexion with individual subscriptions, it is hoped the Unitarian Fund may look with confidence for the means of future and wider usefulness. The Rev. Russel Scott, of Portsmouth, was announced as preacher at the next anniversary. into office for the ensuing year: J. CHRISTIE, Esq. Treasurer. Street, To whom it is requested that those ministers and gentlemen in the country who have consented to receive subscriptions for the Fund, will forward the sums collected by them. As a corrected list of subscribers will speedily be printed, it is desirable at the same time that any changes of abode, new subscriptions, &c., should be particularly noticed. In the afternoon about three hundred members and friends of the Society dined together at the London Tavern, W. Frend, Esq. in the Chair. There were not so many ministers from the country as usual, and we had to regret the absence, from unavoidable circumstances, of many friends to our cause, who have frequently shared in the pleasure of these annual meetings. On the other hand, it was highly gratifying to observe a large accession of new friends We and subscribers to the Institution. lament our inability to offer some account of the many interesting observations with which the Chairman prefaced the toasts usually given on these occasions, or which they elicited from those whom he called up to address the company. The number of persons who dined has been only twice exceeded since the formation of the Society; and as a day of elevated enjoyment to those who were present, and of cheering promise for the future prosperity of the Unitarian Fund, it has not been surpassed, if equalled, by any former anniversary. Fellowship Funds. established Taunton-Rev. Henry Davies, minister. Whitchurch, Shropshire : January 10, 1819. Object, "to promote Unitarianism by the distribution of tracts; by presenting occasional contributions to Unitarian chapels about to be erected and to Unitarian Academies, and by other means that may be thought proper by the subscribers to the Fund." President, Rev. Joseph Marriott (the minister); Treasurer, Mr. John Edwards, Jun. 66 Established Stockton (upon Tees). March 9 and 12, 1819, under the name of the "Stockton Christian Fellowship So. ciety." Object, to afford assistance to small and indigent congregations, and to promote generally the diffusion of those great principles of religious truth which, as it appears to the Society, were taught by Christ and his apostles." Monthly meetings to be held for religious conference. Any member of the Society may be excluded by the majority, after due admonition, for immoral conduct. President, Mr. James Crowe; Treasurer and Secretary, Mr. Thomas Richmond. Somerset and Dorset Half-Yearly Meeting of Ministers. On Wednesday the 14th of April, was held at Bridgwater, the Second HalfYearly Meeting of Ministers and Friends residing in Somersetshire and part of Dorsetshire, who are united on the important principle that God the Father is alone the object of worship. The Rev. Samuel Fawcett, of Yeovil, delivered in the morning a very interesting and impressive discourse on "the Mutual Duties of Ministers and People," and the Rev. R. Wright preached in the evening. The friends at Bridgwater heard not in vain the exhortation of the apostle: "Use hospitality one to another," and the day was spent in a manner which appeared very much to realize the object of the meeting. What that object is, will best appear from the Resolutions which were proposed and unanimously adopted at the first meeting, held at Yeovil in September last, and which were sent for insertion to the Mouthly Repository, but which miscarried. Resolved 1, That the want of intercourse and co-operation between the Unitarian ministers and congregations in the Western part of England, who are agreed in the important principle that God the Father is alone the object of worship, has long been a subject of regret. 2. That such a meeting, consisting of ministers and friends, held alternately in neighbouring places, is calculated to che rish that interest in each other's welfare which ought to distinguish the disciples of Jesus Christ; to animate each other to the performance of their respective duties, and of those especially which are connected with the comfort and prosperity of their congregations, and the promotion of what they deem true evangelical doctrine and practice. 3. That in order to accomplish these valuable purposes a meeting be held halfyearly at the following places-viz. at. Yeovil, Dorchester, Bridport, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Taunton and Bridgwater. 4. That in the morning of the day on which the meeting is held there be a public service; the preacher and the place of meeting to be appointed at the preceding meeting. An economical dinner to be provided at an inn. 5. That Dr. Southwood Smith be re quested to accept the office of Secretary to the Association, &c. &c. At the meeting at Bridgwater, it was resolved, That for the future the meetings shall be held on the Tuesday in Easterweek, and the first Tuesday in October : and alternately, according to the following rotation, viz. Yeovil, Bridgwater, Crewkerne, Dorchester, Ilminster, Bridport and Taunton. Accordingly, the next meeting will be held at Crewkerne, and the Rev. Mr. Tingcombe, of Bridgwater, is appointed to preach. S. S., Secretary. Western Unitarian Society. THE Annual Meeting of the Western Unitarian Society will be held at Bath, on Wednesday the 14th of July, when the Rev. T. Madge, of Norwich, is expected to preach. Agreeably to the resolutions of the Ge neral Meeting of 1818, it will be referred to the ensuing Meeting, to consider the propriety of altering that part of the Preamble which relates to the doctrinal principles on which the Society is founded, so as to open it to all who worship the Father as the only true God, and worship him alone. The part of the Preamble referred to is as follows: "declaring it to be the fun-, damental principle of the Society, in which we all agree, that there is but one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, without an equal or a vicegerent, the only proper object of religious worship; and that Jesus Christ was the most eminent of those messengers which he has employed to reveal his will to mankind, possessing extraordinary powers similar to those received by other prophets, but in a much higher degree." On my way down the Channel, I had an opportunity of taking a pleasant farewell view of my country. The ship tided it down Channel with but little wind, but that so direct as kept us steady as a steamboat in fair weather; in consequence, we had a fine view of many beautiful towns and villages. We sailed by none of importance in which I had not the pleasure to reflect that my labours had been hailed, one time or another, with patriotic and Christian regard, and crowned with suc-. cess in the establishment of schools and the education of hundreds of children. This was pleasant, and I do not know of any man in existence, unless such as have built on my foundation, that could part from his native country with the same refreshing view of his sea-coast towns: the sight almost made me forget the chicanery and intrigue, the fair face and double tongue, with which my Jesuitical enemies had driven me from a shore which, chinations, could never have ceased to be but for the impunity granted to their madear to me, at least much more endeared than it is; for, except the children to whom I have done good, and a few kind friends like thyself, what have I to thank that country for, whose children I have exalted, and whose princes I have first led forth to honour? The contrast in America speaks wonders. Here is a people of the same language, who, in spite of fame with ber thousand tongues, and systematic intrigue with a thousand lies, hails me at once as a friend of youth and citizen of the world, places me in honour, ease and comfort, and throws wide open before me her ample fields, ripe and rich for harvest, and in all which the British and Foreign School Society have had no part. [Mr. Lancaster here presents his friend. with extracts from the newspapers, relating him. He had, it appears, delivered two to the proceedings in Congress concerning lectures in Congress Hall, Washington, on Education, "before the President, Vice President, Senators, Representatives and Foreign Ambassadors, with many persons of distinction," having occupied for this purpose the Speaker's chair. The day after the last lecture, the following Resolution was passed in the House of Representatives: "Resolved, That Joseph Lancaster, the friend of learning and of man, be admitted to a seat within the Hall of the House." We regret that we cannot here insert Mr. Lancaster's letters, on this interesting occasion, to Mr. Clay, the Speaker, and Mr. Basset, a representative from Virginia, the mover of the Resolution. Mr. Lancaster adds,] When I took my seat in the House, I was introduced and surrounded by members for more than two hours: the Speaker and B. Basset, with the Philadelphia members, introduced me to members from all parts of the Union; and invitations to their houses and neighbourhoods, invitations which came from their hearts in all the warmth of patriotic feeling, were given to an extent I never received before at the same time. OBITUARY. Ox the 27th of May, at Walthamstow, Mrs. ELIZABETH SOLLY, widow of the late Isaac Solly, Esq. of that place. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Neal, Esq. an eminent solicitor in the city of London, distinguished for his piety, virtue and talents, an active and zealous supporter of the Protestant Dissenting interest, the author of "A Free and Serious Remonstrance to Protestant Dissenting Ministers," republished in 1775, by Mr. Orton; of a pamphlet addressed to the members of his own profession; and of some admirable letters, which have been published in Mr. Stedman's collection of letters to and from Dr. Doddridge, and which have been thought worthy of being selected as specimens of epistolary composition, by Dr. Knox, in his Elegant Extracts. She was grand daughter to the Rev Daniel Neal, A. M., the author of the History of the Puritans, &c. and great-niece to Dr. Nathaniel Lardner, whose laborious and erudite researches into the early history of the Christian Church, and whose cautious but free inquiry into the doctrines of Christianity, have given him a rank among the most eminent of ecclesiastical writers. From principle as well as from education she was a Protestant Dissenter; firm and inflexible in the path of duty; and religious without bigotry or party spirit. She had a very decided objection to every party denomination. "I am a Christian," she would say, "and acknowledge no other leader than Christ;" and though she agreed in sentiment with those who call themselves Unitarians, she objected to the term; for she justly observed that Jews and Mahometans were Unitarians though not Christians. She was a strenuous advocate for a regular attendance on public worship, and recommended the duty not only by precept, but also by her own example. She frequently spoke with regret of the number of empty pews observable in many places of worship in the afternoon, which are crowded in the morning. Let those Dissenters who acknowledge that an attendance on public worship is a duty, and yet neglect it, reflect on the evil effects of their example, by discouraging both ministers and heaters. As she was exemplary in her observance of the public offices of the house of prayer, so she was consistent and liberal in her support of the place of worship which she frequented regularly, as indeed she was of other places of worship which she attended occasionally. It is to be regretted that the faithful labours of many able Dissenting ministers are so ill requited, and that there are so many persons who will spend more upon one evening's amusement than they subscribe to a minister of the gospel for a year's instruction. Mrs. Solly took a great interest in the Orphan Working School in the City Road, one of the few Dissenting Institutions in which the Three Denominations unite without distinction. She was on the Ladies' Committee from the first adoption of that arrangement. Those who have been present at the annual meetings, must recollect the impression apparently made upon the girls that were examined, by her questions and remarks. Mrs. Solly was a woman of a quick apprehension, and of a vigorous and active mind, not easily dismayed, of a cheerful temper, and from system as well as constitution, disposed to look on the bright side of every thing, and to overlook or disregard the evils, that she might enjoy better the blessings of life. She had a deep sense of justice, and displayed a dignity as well as liberality in her benefactions, which ex. cited respect as well as gratitude. As the parent of a numerous family, her conduct was exemplary, affectionate and strictly impartial. On the death of her husband, to whom she was cordially attached, and with whom she had been united thirty-five years, she expressed the wish that her latter end might be like his. Her prayer was granted; they each lived to the advanced age of 77, beloved and respected by all who had the happiness of being connected with them, in the full possession of all their faculties, and exempt from those infirmities that are commonly the lot of advanced age. They each departed this life after an illness of only a few hours, sensible nearly to the last, and apparently without pain. Well might the Psalmist say, "Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for their end is peace." But it must not be forgotten by those who wish to die the death of the righteous, that they must strive to live like them. Our deceased friend was regular in her family and closet devotions to the close of life, and enjoined the same on her children. Her remains were interred in the family vault at Walthamstow, and a sermon was preached, on occasion of her death, to her numerous family and a large assembly of friends, by the Rev. Mr. Jevons, in the Old or Presbyterian Meeting-House in that village. 1819. March 6, at the Lydiate, near Bromsgrove, Mr. JOHN CARPENTER, aged 78; also, on the third day after, at Bromsgrove, his brother, THOMAS CARPENTER, in the 64th year of his age, an extraordinary coincidence of mortality. They were descended from a family which has been very respectable in the neighbourhood of Bromsgrove for more than a cen. tury past, and rather numerous, but which, by removals and deaths, is now nearly extinct in that neighbourhood. Neither of them had been married, Mr. John Carpenter was at one time the owner of much landed property in Worcestershire. He is well known to have been a person of extraordinary generosity of temper, so much so as to have been very prejudicial to his own interest. If worldly circumstances sometimes involved him in differ ences with his fellow-men, he was always a very peaceable member of the religious society to which he belonged. * He and his brother always exercised the most perfect Christian candour and charity to all who differed never so widely from themselves in religious sentiments. That liberty The Presbyterian at Bromsgrove. with which all are made free, they had learnt to perfection, an attainment by no means universal, nor of small account in the Christian character. Mr. Thomas Carpenter was universally and most deservedly respected by all who knew him, on account of his extraordinary meekness, gentleness and kindness of temper, and his inflexible integrity and virtue. Few can contemplate bis character without learning something to meliorate their own. He was a kind and sincere friend, very good to his domestics and servants, hospitable in his house, and a father to the family to which he belonged. Till his last illness he was a constant attendant at the place of worship begun by Mr. Spilsbury, the ejected minister of Bromsgrove. His loss is very sensibly felt by the religious society with which he was connected, as well as by his other friends. The long and tedious illness with which he was afflicted, he bore with the Christian meekness and patience characteristic of himself. The last words which he spoke in this life were, (6 My trust is in the Lord." "Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust." Mr. John and Mr. Thomas Carpenter were brothers to the late Rev. Benjamin Carpenter of Stourbridge, and uncles to the Rev. Dr. Carpenter of Bristol, and the Rev. Benjamin Carpenter of Leeds. V. V. On the 19th ult. at Winchester, in the 22d year of his age, Lient. HENRY M'DERMOTT, of the 9th Regiment of Foot, second son of Lieut-Colonel M'Dermott, of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Berks. He was a young man whose placid disposition, conciliating manners, and exemplary conduct, obtained him the esteem and respect of all his acquaintance: to his disconsolate parents and immediate relatives his loss is irreparable, and his early death will be long a subject of the deepest regret to his numerous friends and brother officers, whose heartfelt concern was so conspicuously manifested at Winchester, from whence the regiment recently marched for embarkation to the West Indies, having cherished a hope, that had he been enabled to proceed, the sea voyage and change of climate might have given a favourable turn to the pulmonary complaint under which he laboured. His remains were interred in the Cathedral Church-yard of Winchester with military honours, his beloved and respected father being chief mourner. |
