discontinuance of the practice of singing pieces in chapels, &c. The Conference broke up, above £800 in debt.

Lord Nelson having beaten, in October, the combined fleets of France and Spain, off Cape Trafalgar, and Sir Richard Strachan having secured another victory a few days after, the English nation in the warmth of its gratitude for these glorious successes, started а "Patriotic Fund" for the relief of those widows and children whose husbands and fathers had fallen in those engagements. The Methodists collected for this benevolent object, the noble sum of £2000; the preachers exerting themselves to the utmost in raising the subscription.

1806.

On July 28th, the sixty-third Conference was begun at Leeds. Mr. Adam Clarke was chosen president, and Dr. Coke, secretary.

When Mr. Kilham and his party separated themselves from the Methodist society, they took with them a number of the chapels. The connexion being at that time much shattered, suffered this gross injustice to quietly pass over; but at this Conference it was determined to recover some, and if possible, all of them. A chapel at Brighouse, in the Halifax circuit, was chosen, principally with a view to try the general question, and the committee of privileges was directed to commence a law-suit for its recovery.

A Mr. Joseph Cook was this year expelled from the ministry, for persisting in holding erroneous opinions upon some material points of doctrine. These doctrines were Justification and the Witness

of the Spirit. His brethren were very anxious to save him to the connexion, and the ministry, but he was stubborn, and they were therefore obliged to dismiss him. His friends built a chapel for him at Rochdale, but he did not occupy it long, for he finished his earthly course in a very few years. The chapel soon afterwards became the property of the Methodist connexion.

1807. On July 27th, the sixty-fourth Conference commenced in Liverpool. Mr. John Barber was chosen president, and Dr. Coke, secretary.

In order to show its interest in the object and success of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Conference directed that a collection should be made in all the principal congregations in Great Britain in support of that excellent institution. The collection was made, and the amount, £1298 16s. Od., transmitted through Mr. Adam Clarke to the treasurer of the society.

Various minutes were adopted respecting the reception of preachers; the impropriety of what are called camp meetings; the exclusion from society of barbers, who carried on their business upon the sabbath-day, &c. The Conference also determined that "no person shall, on any account, be permitted to retain any official situation in our societies who holds opinions contrary to the total depravity of human nature, the divinity and atonement of Christ, the influence and witness of the Spirit, and christian holiness, as believed by the Methodists."

1808. On July 25th, the sixty-fifth Confer

ence was begun at Bristol. Mr. James Wood was chosen president, and Dr. Coke, secretary. Sierra Leone, in Africa, first appeared this year upon the minutes of Conference. "A preacher," it is remarked, "is to be sent as soon as the general superintendent and committe can find a suitable person."

This Conference directed that the law-suit already commenced for the recovery of Brighouse Chapel, should be continued under the direction of a committee; strongly condemned the practice of sitting during public singing and prayer; declined to give its sanction to the erection of an organ in any of our chapels; and passed various prudential regulations.

1809. On July 31st, the sixty-sixth Conference was commenced in Manchester. Mr. Thomas Taylor was chosen president, and Mr. Joseph Benson, secretary.

The state of the finances had now become as Jonathan Crowther says, "truly alarming," for it was found that in the Contingent Fund alone, there was a deficiency of £3,019 1s. 6d. The Conference took measures for the reduction of this "alarming" debt; and adopted a number of valuable minutes respecting the affairs of the society.

An edition of Mr. Wesley's Works, in octavo, was commenced this year, and finished in 1813, in sixteen volumes.

The number of members now stood as follows:

The Methodists in America, like their fathers and brethren in England, were actively engaged in spreading "pure and undefiled" religion among their fellow men. And their efforts had been crowned with abundant success. Mr. Lee, in his history of the American Methodists, remarks, "It is now (1809) just forty years since the first Methodist preachers were sent to America by Mr. Wesley; they came over in 1769. In the United States there are 324 circuits, 589 preachers, and 163,048 members."

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During the same period of forty years, more than 3,000 local preachers were raised up amongst us. In the same year, (1809) Bishop Asbury collected the names of those local preachers that were then living, and in connection with the Methodists; their numbers were 1640."

CHAPTER XIV. From the year 1810 till 1820.

1810. On March 5th, the case of Brighouse Chapel, near Halifax, was finally settled. The Kilhamites were obliged to restore it to its rightful owners; and several other chapels which had been taken away under similar circumstances, were afterwards restored to the Old Connexion, in virtue of the decision of the Master of the Rolls in this particular case.

On July 30th, the sixty-eighth Conference was begun in London. Mr. Joseph Benson was chosen president, and Dr. Coke, secretary.

Some of the brethren had very serious apprehensions that attempts would shortly be made by some eminent political men to restrict the privileges which were enjoyed by the Methodists and others, under the protection of the Act of Toleration, These apprehensions, as we shall see, were not without just foundation.

In this year's "Minutes," after the names and characters of the preachers who had died are given, the following significant remark is made, *** It is much to be desired that all our friends would take care to have the beds, in which they put the preachers, perfectly dry."

This Conference condemned quacks and im postors; determined that preachers, should not be formally admitted into" full connexion" at district meetings, but only at the Conference;