Notes of the Month. ECCLESIASTICAL. OUR Papist neighbours across the channel are really very kind to us. The latest instance is-what do our readers think? the opening by them of an Establishment in England for 'mortifying the flesh' in the most approved continental fashion. Whips and other instruments are supplied, and even duplicates of some used in the Inquisition. The terms vary according to the nature of the sins to be expiated! We shall not be surprized after this if a veritable Tetzel makes his appearance in our streets, and in his offers of indulgences outstorms the noisy green-grocer on the weekday, and the proselyting Mormon missionary on the Sunday. The same 'neighbours' have an emperor who is also a reverend. As eldest son of the Church' Louis Napoleon is canon of the Patriarchal Church of St. John Lateran at Rome, and has recently shown his good wishes towards his reverend colleagues by granting the Chapter an annual allowance of 24,000 francs. Of course the Canons have expressed their profound sense of his munificence in the most sonorous Latin. Jobbery is still rife in the Anglican church. A canonry at Canterbury became vacant by the death of Dr. Russell, described as a man of mark, and the stall is at once offered by the Premier to a Mr. Drinkwater Bourne, whose only qualification for the post seems to be that he was the son-in-law of a Tiverton lawyer. 'If canonries of Canterbury,' says an indignant church organ, are to be bestowed, like tide waiterships up and post office clerkships, upon the distant friends and relations of the hungry clients of a Prime Minister's local constituents, the sooner the canonries and stalls are swept away the better.' The Bishop of London's Fund has already reached £70,000. Its object is, the extension of the parochial system throughout his diocese. He is sanguine of raising £1,000,000 in three years! This is voluntarism with a witness. The large sums given to the Fund by various gentlemen in London is at once an honour to their liberality and an incentive to Nonconformists to go and do likewise. Colenso is still dribbling out his heresy. In his last instalment of hashed scepticism he defends his nonuse of some portion of the Prayer Book by appealing to the recent avowal of the Primate in the House of Lords that he would incur any risk rather than use the burial service indiscriminately.'The Wesleyans held their Conference this year in Sheffield. More than forty circuits are said to be clamouring for Punshon, whom Palmerston has dubbed 'the emperor of preachers.' There candidates for admission into the Wesleyan ministry, and the fiftyeight who were on probations of three years have been received.— The Primitive Methodists have added nearly two thousand to their society during the past year, and still continue building chapels at the rate of more than one per week.-Dr. Ackworth has resigned the presidency of Rawdon College, and the classical tutor, Mr. Green, were 130 Notes of the Month-General. 311 has accepted the vacant chair. One Germany.-France has at last rejoiced over the subjugation of Mexico. One ominous thing occurred on the entrance of the French army into that city-the clerical party openly fraternised with the soldiers. We fear, from past experience, that this bodes ill for the liberties of the people.-Madagascar has strangled her King, Radama. He seems to have become the victim of the grossest intemperance and profligacy. The 'first' queen has ascended the throne, and has promised full liberty of worship to all Europeans in the country. The proposal to make Mr. Ellis first bishop of the island of the first of four new Baptist chapels to be built in London has been opened. Sir Morton Peto offers to give £5,000, half the amount which the four chapels will costproviding the Baptist Building Fund will advance the rest. It is greatly to be wished that we had other men among us likeminded with the worthy baronet.-The sixth Triennial Conference of the German Baptists has recently held its sittings, but the particulars have not yet been published in this country. GENERAL. Bishop of Cape Town.-The latest news from America reports what appears like a decided gain to the Federal arms. THE chief topic of the hour is originated, we now learn, with the what reply will the Three PowersEngland, France, and Austria-send to the Russian note? Gortschakoff has refused point-blank their joint request that an armistice be granted. Political seers consider that the increase in the Russian army to its standard before the Crimean war, the unusual activity in Cronstadt and other ports, the prohibition of corn exports, and the hasty expulsion from Russia of Frenchmen employed on railways all or public works, together with the tone of the Russian note, and its effect upon the English money market-forbode war. The Polish National Government derisively reject the 'six points.' Rumour says that the astute and imperturbable Emperor of the French, on reading the Russian reply, broke out into the most petulant and even angry exclamations. While wishing well to the Poles, we ardently pray that Europe may be saved from a general war. Parliament is to be prorogued at the end of this month (July), previous to the Queen's visit to general appointed since the outbreak Meade, the sixth of the civil war two years ago, has shown himself to be a man of deeds rather than of words. Three days after he succeeded Hooker he encountered the Southern army under General Lee, at Gettysburg. The worsted, but on the third day first two days left the Federals General Lee retired in good order toward the Potomac, which he has since re-crossed. The losses on both sides were enormous. 20,000 were killed and wounded. More than Meanwhile Vicksburg has been taken by the Federals, and Fort Judson, and Charlestown is again threatened. The North is exultant, and predicts the speedy end of the war. God in His infinite mercy grant that this end may be hastened! A most disgraceful riot broke out in New York on the attempted enforcement of the conscription draft. The City was at the mercy of King Mob for two whole days. The in- | upon a high rope in Aston Park, near stigators were what the Times calls Birmingham; the rope broke; she fell, and was killed instantly. The saddest part of the story is—that she was enciente, and that the people, evidently brutalized by exhibitions whose chief attraction consists in their danger, went on with their dance and merrymakings as if nothing had happened! It is really time that public opinion, or Parliament, put an end to such disgraceful amusements. They are, in our judgment, not one whit better than Spanish bull fights, or ancient gladiatorial combats. Unless such scenes as the one at Aston Park come to a perpetual end, we must no longer speak exclusively of men the Peace Democrats.' Many lives have been lost, and many houses destroyed by fire. The poor Negroes have been killed like flies. More than 200 have been butchered, and one was actually hung up after his death, and roasted to a cinder! Even the orgies of the French Revolution reveal nothing so inhuman. The mob at one time numbered 15,000. Many of them were Irish. The newspapers tell us that England is now at war with Japan, but the news needs confirmation. Two deaths have occurred from imitations of Blondin during this month. The last was most shocking. A rope-dancer calling herself Madame Genieve, was walking blindfolded 'Butchered to make a Roman holiday.' Marriages and Deaths. MARRIAGES. June 25, at King-street chapel, Bristol, Rev. W. H. McMechan, missionary to North China, to Octavia, youngest daughter of J. M. Chandler, Esq., Surgeon, Bristol. June 30, at Wood-gate chapel, Loughborough, by Rev. J. J. Goadby, of Leicester, assisted by Rev. Giles Hester, of Loughborough, Mr. Richard Henry Wells, of Coventry, to Catherine Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late Rev. J. Goadby. July 1, at Union chapel, Highbury, by Rev. E. Paxton Hood, Rev. J. F. Stevenson, B.A., Reading, Berks., to Matilda Boyle, eldest daughter of G. H. Davis, LL.D., secretary of the Religious Tract Society. July 7, at the General Baptist chapel, Friar-lane, Leicester, by the Rev. J. C. Pike, Susan Fanny, youngest daughter of Mr. J. F. Winks, Rutland Street, to Mr. William Ashby, of Leicester. July 14, at St. Clement's chapel, Norwich, by Rev. J. A. Wheeler, Mr. John Glendenning, of St. Stephen's in that city, to Elizabeth Mary, younger daughter of the late Rev. Thomas Scott, of Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. July 23, at Archdeacon - lane chapel, Leicester, by the Rev. J. J. Goadby, John Broadhead, to Emma, third daughter of Mr. Russell, builder, Leicester. DEATHS. June 7, at Leicester, Mr. John Horsepool, aged 65. June 13, at Mr. Sherman's, Stretton on - Dunsmore, near Rugby, Samuel Knowles Andrews, youngest son of the late Mr. W. Andrews, of Chesham, aged four years and eleven months. June 18, at Geneva, Dr. Gaussen, an eminent Protestant writer and preacher. Missionary Observer. THE ENGLISH BIBLE IN INDIA. access in the schools? I firmly believe that if Government itself raised no objections and expressed no fears on the subject, the students would take it as a matter of course. It is not the Bible only that clashes with and flatly contradicts the hindoo shastres. Every scientific work that forms a class book in the schools is equally opposed to the science and religion of the hindoos. THE Rev. G. Taylor, writing from Pooree, says;-One Sabbath morning just as we were all about to meet for worship in the bungalow, I was visited by a Bengali youth belonging to the Government school, and a very interesting interview I had with him. He spoke English with a good degree of fluency, and appeared altogether an interesting character. One object of his coming was to obtain a copy of the English Nor is the practice of thus reading Bible. He moreover, informed me the Bible in their little gatherings that some five or six of his school- confined to a few youths of the fellows, and among them the son of Pooree Government school, as the the superintendent of police, were following related to me by Dunai, in the habit of meeting in a private will serve to show. The circumroom secretly, for the purpose of stance occurred nearly twelve months reading the Bible and preaching ago, but as it has never been reabout Jesus Christ. On my asking ported by our brethren at Cuttack, him how they conducted the service and as it bears so near a relation to which he referred, he replied, to the preceding incident, I "they begin by singing a hymn, venture to relate it here. 'As I after which they bow down their was going to the bazaar one evenheads for a little while and saying." observed Dunai, "I met a something, and then they sit up and read and discuss about Jesus Christ." He said he had not been to the place himself, nor could I induce him to discover to me their place of meeting. It is most likely that a youth who came to Shem the other night is one of this little company. One cannot of course tell by what motives these youths are actuated; still it is a most pleasing and hopeful circumstance in my opinion, that they are induced to read the Bible at all, especially in so dark a "den of iniquity as Pooree. Do not such incidents strikingly show the utter groundlessness of the fears entertained by Government as to the results of introducing into its schools the "Word of Life?" It is evident that the students who can get a copy read it with delight and interest. Why then should it not be free of Bengali youth of about fourteen years of age, who addressed me saying, 'whither are you going, for preaching?' I replied, yes friend, and what subject would you like me to preach about? He replied, 'to preach on the subject of christianity is acceptable, but to hear of Christ I dislike.' I said how is this, you love the family of a house, but not the head-the father of the family. He inquired, 'Is Christ my father? No never. I know the supreme God is my Father and Creator.' Yes I added, but He is the same, Christ and God are one, there is no difference save in the name. He then asked, 'is Christ God? What are the evidences that He is divine?' I said, 1st, the attributes ascribed to Him, as eternity, omnipotence, omnipresence, &c; these are divine attributes. 2nd, as to the works as ASTICAL ANTIQUITY. BY DR. VAUGHAN, AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. I think there is no need for me to feel any hesitation in saying that the history of our Mission in Madagascar presents one of those pictures so fraught with pathos, with beauty, and with meaning, that I scarcely know where, in the whole range of church history, to find another scene that could well be compared with it. Certainly, to find anything like it, it is needful that we should go far back into the past, and get to the very threshhold of apostolic times. When the apostle Paul dwelt, as he tells us, in his own hired house at Rome, there was a spot about two miles from Rome, on the side of what was called the Appian Way, where you might have seen a large number of slave labourers at work. These slave labourers were employed in getting sand from the vast subterranean region in that neighbourhood-sand which was to be employed in extending the buildings of Rome, or in forming cement for that purpose; for Rome was then spread cribed to Him. He is called Creator | A PICTURE FROM ECCLESIand Preserver of all things. And then in the days of His incarnation in the world, His Godhead was proved by the miracles He wrought. He healed diseases of the body with a word; He cast out devils; He raised the dead. He is absolute Lord of all the laws of nature; winds and seas obey His word. We have also further evidence, from His foretelling future events, having the power to forgive sins, His knowing and searching the hearts, &c., &c. The young man here inquired, 'where are these evidences written?' I replied, in the holy Bible. Is the Bible so creditable?' he asked, oh yes, I added, it is the Word of the great God, and holy men have written it through the inspiration of His Spirit. I read your Bible frequently, but am not convinced of this.' I remarked, ah, you read it by mouth only. No,' said he, 'I have digested it.' I said but there appears no evidence of your having digested it, I know and have experienced that the sincere reading of the Bible is not fruitless. He replied, how can this be? I don't read it alone, but many of my rich friends who are wiser and better educated in English know-ing in all directions, very much as ledge, come here frequently and read it, but they dont say the Bible is such a book.' It may be, said I, they are wiser and more proficient scholars in English knowledge; yea they might possess all worldly knowledge, and yet apart from the help of the Spirit of God, they would not be able to realize the power and preciousness of the sacred Scriptures. To which he replied, I am sorry for this, but what do you advise me to do that I may understand them?' I said when you go to read the Bible, pray God through Christ's name to give you the help of His Spirit, and if you can invite a christian, even though a poor illiterate man, and get him to teach you to understand the meaning of the Word, which he will well be able to do, it may be the means of the salvation of your soul. Farewell." London is spreading now, and had been spreading for a long time. But towards the close of the first century the city of Rome had reached her climax. Building having ceased, these sand regions were deserted. They remained open and accessible for a long period; but in process of time one access after another was covered over, and then for fully a thousand years those who passed and repassed along that Appian Way had no idea of the vast subterranean regions, mapped out in caves, and streets, and open places, that lay under the surface of that district. But about 300 years ago it chanced that a portion of the surface was broken through; one of the avenues lay exposed, persons began to explore the newly-discovered regions, and you have to picture to yourselves men going with torches through |