their best endeavours, and I believe they will attend to it in a spirit of promptness and kind consideration that will comport with its delicate peculiarities. One of those ministers, for whom they will have to plead, said, not twenty-four hours ago, that the income of his family the last twelve months had been less per head than is allowed by the board of guardians.'

I remain, dear Sir,
Yours most truly,
THOS. GILL.

Shore, Todmorden,

Manchester, December 16, 1862.

a wife and one child. He is a skilled artizan, and when trade was good, he could earn £1 14s. per week. He has not had any employment at his own business for more than eighteen months. All the money he had saved is long since exhausted, and he has been obliged to dispose of some of his household furniture. At present he is a pauper on the parish, and although he has to work on the roads, his allowance is only four shillings and sixpence per week. Out of this sum he has first of all to pay two shillings per week for house rent, and then he has two shillings and sixpence left for food,

MY DEAR SIR,-Will you allow me through the medium of your Magazine to tender my unfeigned thanks to our friends in the Midland district and elsewhere for the valuable assistance they have rendered in money and clothing to the General Baptist church statedly assembling in Enon chapel, Burnley? I beg to assure them that the money which they have so generously placed at my disposal, has gladdened the hearts of many of my people who have been thrown into deep and dire distress by the loss of work consequent upon the cotton famine with which Lancashire is visited.

The church at Enon numbers 207 members. Two-thirds of these are at present dependent upon charity for bread. The relief administered by the board of guardians, is one shilling and ninepence per head, per week; and the relief administered by our Relief Committee, is two shillings per head, per week; out of the sums obtained from either of the above sources, rent and taxes have to be paid.

That your readers may be enabled to form some faint conception of the depth of the distress into which my people are plunged, permit me to state the following case:-A.B. has

for I could give you at once the names of a score who are similarly situated. Now this is the class of persons whom the benevolence of our friends in the Midland district, and in London, has enabled me to relieve. I canconscientiously say that a sight of the suffering which has been alleviated is heart-rending, and the gratitude evinced for the relief tendered would melt a heart of stone.

And permit me to add, that in the midst of all their sufferings, my people entreat me not to leave them, promise to make me comfortable when trade revives, and have resolved by liberal contributions to the institutions of the body, to repay what they have received.

Hoping that our friends whom the Lancashire calamity has not overtaken will continue, and if possible, increase their exertions on our behalf, and that they will not suffer our churches to be scattered, nor our pastors torn from their affectionate flocks.

I am, Mr. Editor,
Yours most truly,

J. ALCORN. LETTER FROM REV. W. SALTER, LINEHOLME.

To the Editor of the General Baptist
Magazine.

DEAR SIR,-I cannot refrain from expressing the warm thanks which

ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR CHURCH FELLOWSHIP. To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

DEAR SIR,-To the enquirer after truth, I believe it may be safely answered that the practice in our churches is, not to accept a candidate except unanimously. For as church membership is essentially a matter of mutual confidence, if any one were admitted in spite of expressed objections, that confidence would not only be wounded, but annihilated. At the same time, it is the manifest part of charity for some two or three brethren to ascertain, and at the next meeting testify to the church that the objecting brother has reasonable grounds for his objection, and will do his best to have those grounds removed. T. W. M.

CONFERENCES.

THE MIDLAND CONFERENCE met at Wood-gate, Loughborough, on Tuesday, December 2, 1862. Rev. J. Staddon opening the morning service, and Rev. W. Chapman, of Melbourne, preached from 1 Chron. xii. 32, And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. The attendance at the afternoon meeting was good. Rev. J. Taylor, of Kegworth, prayed, and Rev. Giles Hester presided. From the reports it appeared that fifty-six had been baptized since the last Conference, fifty-nine are now candidates for baptism, and four have been restored to fellowship. After the reading of the Minutes of the previous Conference, the following business was transacted:

1. Distress among our brethren in Lancashire. After a painfully in

this

in

teresting conversation on subject, heightened by the presence of one ministerial brother who had recently visited the suffering districts, it was unanimously agreed: (1) That this Conference, deeply sympathizing with our brethren in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, now suffering so fearfully, earnestly recommends the churches the Midland district to contribute by collections or subscriptions, weekly, such sums, according to their several ability, as will allow the Relief Committee, established by the Yorkshire Conference, to give our suffering friends occasional assistance. (2) That Revs. R. Horsfield, of Leeds, J. Stevenson, of Derby, and Mr. J. Earp, of Melbourne, be requested to act as a Committee for receiving and distributing benefactions designed especially to help our brethren in the ministry.

2. College Bazaar. The circular issued concerning the College Bazaar at the forthcoming Association was read by Rev. J. Lewitt, the Secretary, and its claims urged upon the Conference.

3. John Arthur James. That this Conference disowns any connection with the man calling himself John Arthur James, of Leicester.

4. Congratulatory address to the Prince of Wales. That this question be recommended to the attention of the Association.

Collection for incidental expenses of Conference £2 2s.

The next Conference will be held at Kegworth, on Easter Tuesday, April 7, Rev. J. C. Smith, Leicester, to preach.

31

of

Spalding

Wisbech

A revival meeting was held in

Fleet

the evening.

J. J. GOADBY, Secretary.

THE LINCOLNSHIRE CONFERENCE was held at Long Sutton, on Thursday, December 4th, 1862.

The Secretary commenced the morning service with reading and prayer, and brother Watts preached from 1 John iii. part of verse 2. Brother Chamberlain preached in the evening.

was

In the afternoon, prayer offered by brethren Cotton and Chamberlain, and the reports from the churches were read, from which we learned that sixteen had been baptized since the last Conference, and seventeen remained candidates for baptism.

The Secretary was requested to prepare a list of the times and places at which the Conferences shall be holden during the next three years, and present it for consideration at the next Conference.

The Lancashire Distress having been referred to, it was resolved :That we rejoice to hear that some of the churches in this neighbourhood have made collections for the relief of the distress in the Cotton Districts,' and we sincerely hope the others will follow their example,

CHATTERIS, Cambs.-On Sunday, Dec. 14th, 1862, sermons in support of the General Baptist Mission were preached by the Rev. T. Wilson, of March, Rev. Field, a student from Cheshunt, taking part in the afternoon service. On the following day, the annual missionary tea and public meetings were held in the same place. Addresses were delivered by Mr. James Halford, chairman; Revs. W. Wylie, of Ramsey, H. Wilkinson, of Norwich, in his usually effective manner, and T. Wilson. The meetings were good, but not quite so well attended as usual. The proceeds about £12.

RE-OPENING.

J. L.

BRADFORD, Tetley - street. - Our chapel having been closed for several months to repair a defect in the south wall, (which rendered the building insecure), and to make extensive alterations and improvements, was re-opened on Sunday, Nov. 16th. Three sermons were preached. In the morning and evening, by the Rev. W. Underwood, president of the college; in the afternoon, by the Rev. J. G. Miall, (Independent), Bradford. On Tuesday evening, Nov. 18th, the Rev. C. Clark, of Halifax, preached. On Sunday, Nov. 23rd, the Revs. J. H. Betts, preached in the morning, H. Dowson, (Baptists), in the afternoon, and J. MacKenney, (Wesleyan), in the evening. All the services were well attended; and all parties unite in commendation of the improvements effected. The Rev. H. Dowson stated that he was at the opening of the chapel, and also on several other occasions when improvements had been made, but he thought the present improvement decidedly the

MISCELLANEOUS.

LOUTH, Walker-gate.-On Monday, the 8th inst., the friends at the above place held their annual tea meeting in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall. About 200 persons sat down to tea. In the evening there was an excellent meeting. Rev. T. Horsfield, minister of the place, presided. The meeting having been opened with prayer, the chairman delivered an appropriate introductory address, and then called upon Mr. W. Newman to give a brief sketch of the progress of the church during the year. Addresses were subsequently delivered by Revs. T. W. Mathews, of Boston; J. Taylor, of Alford; W. Orton, R. Cheesman, and T. Burton, of Louth. Altogether the meeting was of a very interesting and profitable character, and the friends felt much encouraged and delighted by the generous sympathy accorded to them on the occasion.

BURNLEY-VALLEY, Lineholme Sewing Classes. These classes are now in full operation. They meet five times a week, two hours each time, and have an average attendance of thirtynine. Under the experienced management of Mrs. Salter they present a delightful aspect of order, discipline, and propriety. Pinafores, and petticoats, 'brats' and 'bishops' are here manufactured by the dozen; and while the fingers ply the needle sweet voices sing the Sabbathschool melodies, and the listening ear drinks instruction from the books read. No wages in money are paid, but all will have sixpence per day in garments, reckoning the material at prime cost, till all are decently and warmly clad. The cost, at the present rate, is about £10 per month, supplied hitherto by private benevolence, and not from the Relief Fund.