MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARY, STAFFORD.-At Stafford, on Sunday, April 28th, two sermons were preached in aid of our missions, by the Rev. T. Boycott, from Burslem.

On the Monday evening following, an excellent missionary meeting was held at the same place, presided over by our esteemed friend, Mr. J. Lawley. Interesting addresses were delivered by the Revs. P. J. Wright, T. Boycott, J. Speers, J. Martyn, (Presbyterian,) T. Cartwright, and Mr. J. Nixon.

On the Sunday evening a sermon was preached at Stone, by Mr J. Repton, of Longton; and on the Tuesday evening following, a missionary meeting was held. Mr. J. Aston was called to the chair, and the meeting was addressed by the chairman, the Revs. T. Boycott, P. J. Wright, T. Cartwright, and Messrs. C. Cooper and J. Cartwright. Our anniversary has been one of much interest. The attendance at the services was good; and at Stafford the collections and subscriptions exceeded by more than £10 the amount raised last year. Stafford.

T. C.

CHESTER BAZAAR.-Dear Brother,I have the pleasure to inform you and the numerous friends who have come forward so willingly to our assistance, that the bazaar on behalf of our Chester chapel was held on the 29th, 30th, and 31st ult., and on the 1st inst. There

being, however, many valuable goods still unsold, of which it is intended to dispose as early as possible, I shall not at present enter into a particular statement of what relates to the bazaar effort, but reserve it for a communication which I purpose sending you in the early part of next month. It will, no doubt, be gratifying to you and many other friends to know that the receipts at the bazaar amounted to nearly £240, to which if we add donations to the amount of £40 already received, we have

a sum little short of £280. A detailed list of donations, &c., will be furnished in my next. I hope that before I have to write to you again we shall realize by the present effort at least £400. Our grateful acknowledgments are due and are tendered to you, and to all those friends who have assisted us in any way and to any extent; but above all, our thanks are due and are devoutly offered to that Being who has graciously disposed them to help us.-Yours affectionately, THOS. RIDGE.

Chester, June 17, 1850.

RESOLUTION OF THE LONDON QUARTERLY MEETING.-The following resolution has reference to the Rev. Robert Eckett, and others who have recently distinguished themselves as virulent opponents and assailants of our Connexion. Seventh Resolution. "That while this meeting would rejoice in seeing the New Connexion on terms of cordial and Christian amity with other denominations, and while it would not feel justified to interfere with any dissensions that may exist in other communities, it cannot allow the unjustifiable attacks that have been made on the New Connexion, by different parties, to pass without expressing its opinion that those attacks are perfectly uncalled for, false in the statements involved, and highly discreditable in every sense to their authors. That this meeting, anxious to vindicate the principles of the New Connexion, and to uphold the defenders of our Church polity, feels bound to express its unqualified approval of the manly and Christian defence put forth by the Rev. W. Cooke; and deeply impressed with the vigilance, zeal, and holy jealousy manifested by him, in defence of the New Connexion, hereby declares its opinion that the Connexion, and the friends of religious freedom at large, are deeply indebted to him for his prompt, able, and triumphant vindication of our principles against the calumnies that have been disseminated, which are not only false in relation to the New Connexion, but equally inimical to the harmony of the Christian church and the liberties of all God's people."

N. B. The resolution was passed unanimously.

H. WEBBER, Circuit Steward. [If the editor of the "Wesleyan Times" refuse to admit our reply to Mr. Eckett's verbose and ill-natured letter, we shall insert the reply in the next number of our Magazine.]

CESSATION OF POST OFFICE LABOUR ON THE LORD'S DAY.-An important measure has just passed through parliament and received the sanction of Her Majesty, to the effect that "In future the collection and delivery of letters shall entirely cease on Sundays; and also that an inquiry be made as to how far, without injury to the public service, the transmission of the mails on the Lord's day may be diminished or entirely suspended."

THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.— This denomination has just closed the session of its annual assembly. The unanimity and interest of this assembly, (says the Guardian,) will rank it in the recollections of all who attended its meetings, as one of the most delightful they ever enjoyed.

The Witness remarks, "All admit that there had been no such Assembly since that preceding the disruption; it has given a second youth to the Free Church of Scotland, and we expect to see her going forward with greater zeal, energy, and success, than ever in her great work of reformation at home and Christianization abroad.

The Free Church of Scotland, since the disruption, has raised for its various purposes no less a sum than £2,171,659, and the contributions to its entire funds during the past year have exceeded those of the previous year by £31,154.

THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONFERENCE. This energetic and useful body of Christians held their Conference in Nottingham, commencing June 5th. Great unanimity and peace characterized its sittings, and the increase in England is 9,205. The total number of members is 104,762. We sincerely rejoice in their prosperity, and pray for their continued success.

AN AMBASSADOR FROM NEPAUL.The Rajah of Nepaul, a kingdom on the frontier of India, and which may not not be improperly called the Switzerland of India, has sent over ambassadors to this country, bearing costly presents for the Queen, amounting it is said to a quarter of a million in value. Nepaul is a long narrow parallelogram, some five or six hundred miles in length, and scarcely one hundred in breadth. Towards the north it is bounded by the Himalayas and Thibet; to the south, by that portion of Oude assigned to our ally on the close of the last Ghoorka war, and by those portions of our own possessions which lie within the Chum

bul and the Ganges, and contain some of the finest indigo districts; to the east it is separated from the almost unknown regions of Bhotan by the little narrow slip of country which, until lately, belonged to the Rajah of Sikhim, but which is now, either actually or about to be, annexed to our territories; and on the west it is separated from the Punjaub by the districts of country principally taken from, or ceded by, the Ghoorkas during or after the Nepaulese war of 1814-15. In temperature Nepaul is, from its great elevation, cool and healthy.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.-The arrival of the hippopotamus in this country is quite an event in natural history, every attempt, for the last twenty years, to import a living specimen of this great amphibious animal having failed. The quadruped now being exhibited in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's-park, is a present from the Viceroy of Egypt to the Zoological Society of London. It was captured in the course of last autumn, in the Island of Obaysch, distant some 1,800 miles above Cairo; and, despite the difficulties encountered in maintaining it for five months at Cairo, in getting it down to Alexandria, placing it on board the Ripon, supplying it with sufficient quantities of fresh water for its bath, and then transferring it from the steamer to the railway, and thence to its final resting-place, every arrangement resulted successfully, and conduced to the perfecting of an enterprize at once the most important and interesting in which the Society have yet embarked. The triumphant issue of the enterprize is best attested by the fact that an offer of 50004, from an American agent in Alexandria, for an animal of this species to be delivered to him in that city, failed to induce any speculator to encounter the risk and labour of an expedition to the White Nile. And now a word about the animal itself. It is now in its infancy, not having yet reached its first year; but its huge proportions indicate the enormous bulk and power at which it will arrive when at its full growth. At present the contour of the animal is calculated to excite a sentiment the very reverse of terror. The expression, upon features the most ugly that can be conceived, is ludicrous in the extreme. The animal is on excellent terms with its Arab attendant, who, in excellent English, very civilly and intelligently answers queries as to its nature and habits.