Street and First African, Richmond, 37 each; and Sharon, King William, 35. There are four colored churches in this Association-two in this city, one in Williamsburg, and Elam, in Charles City County. The First African, Richmond, has 2476 members; the First Baptist, do., has the largest white membership-viz. 556. Hopeful Church is on the upper boundary line of the Association, and several of the churches were not represented. Only fifty-two delegates were present, being much below the usual number. With one exception, the committees appointed at the previous session, failed to present or forward their reports. A report on Sabbath Schools was presented by a committee appointed during the meeting, from which we learn that eighteen churches reported 19 Sabbath Schools, comprising 199 officers and teachers, and 988 scholars. Converted, 27. Five churches reported schools without giving statistics, and nineteen churches have no schools. The following resolutions were adopted:— Resolved, That this Association cordially approve of the recent action of the Virginia Baptist Sunday School and Publication Society, in opening a Depository of religious books in the city of Richmond, and earnestly recommend the churches to assist and encourage that Society in this enterprize. Resolved, That the churches be, and they are hereby most affectionately requested most earnestly to pray the Great Head of the Church to revive his work in all our borders, and to destroy, by the brightness of his coming, the Wicked One with all his power. The following query was received from Black Creek Church: Query. Is it lawful for a Deacon to make, sell, and drink intoxicating liquors? Auswer.-While we subscribe to the principles of total abstinence, we must leave each church to the management of its own discipline. The next annual meeting will be held at Beulah Church, King William county, Saturday preceding the 2d Lord's day in October, 1849. If I am properly advised, the Dover Association is the largest in America, and the largest in the world in its reported membership. Its black membership is more than twice as large as its white membership: thus demonstrating how much more accessible the Regular Baptist gospel to the black than to the white population-to the slave than to his master. There are, however, a good many free blacks belonging to the First African Richmond Church, which has a membership of 2476 persons, probably the largest enrolled membership of any Protestant church in the New World. These, with three other communities called churches, are exclusively African in their membership. That in Richmond is very respectable in appearance, in manners, dress, general demeanor.— They have a white Bishop, who is probably better paid for his services by his church than any Baptist Minister in the State. The First Baptist Church in Richmond has a white membership of 556 persons on its books-nearer one-fifth than one-fourth the size of the First African Church. If the Capitol of Virginia fairly represent the State of Virginia in this particular, the African population of Virginia, that is its slaves, are much nearer the kingdom of heaven than their masters, and much more accessible to the Baptist kingdom of heaven than are the whites of any denomination in the State. I wonder how our transatlantic and northern brethren will explain this mystery, unless by admitting that God has blessed the means of grace much more to the slave than to the master. Else, being more enthusiastic and spiritual, it suits the African ear much better than the European or American. Be this as it may, it appears not only from the data here presented, but from the general tabular views of black and white membership in the Baptist churches of the South, the proportion between black and white membership is as about two to one. If, then, the Baptists in the South report 300,000 members in full communion, they have only 100,000 white members, a number not so much greater to the white brethren of the Reformation than I had imagined. We have comparatively very few blacks in our communities. The Methodists and Baptists have long ago possessed themselves of the eyes, the ears, and the affections of the slave population above and beyond all fear of competition with the preachers and reformers of other denominations. This will be a favorable or an unfavorable omen, as every one is enlightened in the genius and spirit of Christianity and the peculiar ministrations of these denominations A. C. THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES. "THE Princeton Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) has this year 150 students. The Providence (R. I.) Journal says that this is not only the largest seminary of sacred learning in this country, but has more students than any institution in Europe of a like character-not even excepting the Propaganda at Rome-143 are graduates of colleges, 4 have never graduated, and 3 are resident licentiates. Thirty-one colleges are represented, 27 of the pupils being from the College of New Jersey, and 22 from Lafayette College; and the students are from 20 States of the Union, and from 3 of the countries under the government of England. The number of Protestant Theological Seminaries in the United States is 44. There is a general impression abroad that the Andover institution is the first Protestant Theological Seminary established in this country; but a statistical table published in the "Family Christian Almanac" for 1840, shows that this is not the case. The first established was the Theological Seminary of the Dutch Reformed Church at New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1784. 2d. The Associate Presbyterian at Canonsburg, Pa., 1792. 3d. The Associate Reformed, at Newburg, 1804. 4th. The Andover Seminary, 1807. 5th. The Princeton Seminary, 1812. The six Seminaries which seem to be the most flourishing are the following, with their present members and alumu: Andover, present members 93; alumni, 1006.. Auburn, (founded in 1821,) present members 30; alumni, 580. Union Theological Seminary, (founded in 1836,) present members 105;. alumni, 211." New York Observer. This is a valuable exhibit of the means employed for raising up a Protestant ministry in this country from 1784 to the present time. Sixty-five years have created forty-four Theological Seminaries in the United States. How many Roman Institutions Theological are there?-? A. C. MISCELLANEOUS SCRAPS-No. I. BIBLE CIRCULATION. THE increasing circulation of the Word of God is among the most encouraging signs of the times. The time has been when the price of the sacred volume placed it beyond the reach of the poor; now it can be had for a trifle, or, if need be, for nothing. The following statistics will prove interesting: In 1804, according to the best estimates that can be obtained, there were in existence only about 4,000,000 copies of the Bible. Now there are more than 30,000,000. In 1804, the Bible had been published in only 48 or 49 languages; in 1847, it exists in 136. In 1804, it was accessible in languages spoken by about 200,000,000;. in 1847, it existed in tongues spoken by 600,000,000. During the last year, 1,419,283 copies were issued by the British and Foreign Bible Societies alone-400,000 more than in any year before, except in 1805. In every point of view in which it can be contemplated, the Bible is worthy of extensive circulation. Sir William Jones wrote in his Bible "I have carefully and regularly perused these Holy Scriptures; and I am of opinion that volume, independently of its divine origin, contains more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, more pure morality, more important history, and finer strains both of poetry and eloquence, than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age or language they may have been written." Even Lord Byron has recorded his testimony. The following lines were written on a blank leaf of a Bible a few weeks before his death "Within this awful volume lies "The Bible for more than two thousand years has gone hand in hand with civilization, science, and law. It has never been behind the age; nay, it has always gone before it, like the pillar of fire before Israel in the wilderness. Its great principles of good order, submission, and freedom, have been the stability of States. Its very presence among them has been a saving ark, a refuge, and a rest. How far even beyond the present time, gleams the light of that wondrous book, which describes and promises true freedom and fraternity, that divine and universal brotherhood, of which the nations only dream! In a word, the Christians revelation is the true salt of the earth, the vital force of communities and states." ROMANISM. Broughton, April 10, 1848. It appears from the Roman Catholic Directory for 1848, that the total number of Roman Catholic churches and chapels in England and Wales is 545; in Scotland 85, besides 22 stations where divine service is performed; making a grand total of 630 churches and chapels. Of Catholic colleges there are in England 10, and in Scotland 1. Convents, 28, of which 12 are in the London district. Monasteries, 4. Of missionary priests in England and Wales, there are 707, including priests without any fixed mission; in Scotland, 99; making a grand total of 806 missionary priests in Great Britain, including the Bishops. This is a goodly staff, and well calculated to extend and uphold the interests of the church of Rome. IRISH BAPTIST UNION. THE annual meeting of the Baptist Union of Ireland was held in Dublin a few weeks ago. There are seventeen churches connected with this body, consisting of about eight hundred members, and the additions during the year had been one hundred and twenty-one. The decrease, occasioned chiefly by emigrations, was sixty; leaving a clear increase of sixty-one members-nearly four to each church. On the Lord's day previous to the meeting, the ordinance of baptism was administered in the river, at which several of the brethren from a distance officiated, and a large number of spectators were present. It is peculiarly desirable that in Ireland great publicity should be given to our views of baptism; they are so intimately connected with right views of Christ's kingdom, in other respects, and so admirably adapted to excite attention to personal religion, that every unobjectionable opportunity to bring them forward should be embraced. This has been done to a much greater degree of late than formerly, and the good accruing from it has been evident. The annual meeting of the Scottish Baptist Union, also, was held in August, in Edinburgh. The number of churches in it is thirteen. The clear increase for the year is 164; the total number of members, 1,044. N. Y. Baptist Recorder. ANTIQUITIES. NINEVEH was 15 miles by 9, and 40 round, with walls 100 feet high, and thick enough for three chariots abreast. Babylon was 60 miles within the walls, which were 75 feet thick and 300 feet high, with 100 brazen gates. The Temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was 425 feet high, to support the roof. It was 200 years in building. The largest of the Pyramids is 481 feet high, and 663 feet on the side. Its base covers 11 acres. The stones are about 30 feet in length, and the layers are 208. Three hundred and sixty thousand men were employed in its erection. The Labyrinth of Egypi contains three thousand chambers and twelve halls. Thebes, in Egypt, presents ruins twenty-seven miles round. It had one hundred gates. Carthage was twenty-five miles round. Athens was 25 miles round, and contained 250,000 citizens, and 400,00 slaves. The Temple of Delphos was so rich in donations, that it was once plundered of £100,000 sterling; and Nero carried from it 200 statues. The walls of Rome were thirteen miles. THE RUINS OF ANCIENT NINEVEH. THESE are now being explored by an English antiquarian named Layard. The city, once "three days journey" in extent, was located on the east bank of the Tigris, twenty miles below Mosul, and Mr. Layard finds that "the buildings were provided with a complete system of sewerage, each room having had a drain connected with a main sewer." The buildings are found to have been made of sun-dried bricks, the rooms lined with slabs of marble, covered with bas-reliefs. The earliest buildings, constructed probably twelve hundred years before Christ, were buried, and the earth which had accumulated upon them was used as a cemetery seven hundred years before Christ. TRACT OPERATIONS. THE receipts of the American Tract Society, for the six months preceding October 1st, amount to $105,097, and the amount of issues exceeded the receipts by $5,000. |