country. Could not the City Mission' effect much by exposing the villainy and brutality of our great men,' and debauched nobility? whose money and influence alone could protect or support this dreadful evil.

"I am, my dear Sir, very sincerely yours," &c.

EXTRACTS FROM MISSIONARIES' JOURNALS.

CONVERSATION WITH A SOCIALIST.

WHILE visiting in I met with a young man, a Deist and an abettor of Mr. Owen's system; while conversing with him, a friend of his came in who said, "I am a member of the Community Fund, and I believe we shall do much good. What good does Christianity do?" I replied, "It makes the drunkard sober; the unclean chaste; the miserable happy." He said, "How does it effect this?" I answered, "By infusing into the sinner's heart principles divine in their nature, whose benign influence overcomes man's propensity to sin, and hushes to silence the angry passions of the natural heart, which, without this restraint, are the cause of all the evil we feel within us, or see around us. Besides all this, it gives consolation in affliction, support in trouble, and is an antidote to the fear of death, for it points to a glorious immortality beyond the grave." He replied, "Christianity do this! Indeed it ever has been and still is the cause of all the crime and misery under which this country labours; it was the origin of slavery." Having set him right on this point, he said, "Well, Sir, we are about to establish a new state of society on new and improved principles. We do not believe man to be a responsible being; he is not the author of his own actions. Circumstances over which he has no control form his character." I said, "My friend, if your principles were generally embraced, they would overturn the social fabric of society and make men worse than brutes.”" He replied, "You have said rightly enough that we mean to overturn the present state of society, for we know that while you Christians possess the hold you do now upon the public mind, that men must be slaves. Suppose," said he, "I saw a man going down the street with a considerable sum of money in his pocket, and I was to take it from him, if you saw me do it, how would you act?" I replied, "Then,' "I would cause you to be apprehended and punished." said he, "you would be a villain, you ought to blame society, and not to punish me, if the money was not used, I should not have been tempted to take it."

INTEMPERANCE.-IGNORANCE.

Mrs. of-9 was respectably brought up; her husband was once in business for himself, but having failed, partly through neglect, they were reduced to abject poverty; still they might have

recovered had it not been for their drunken habits. The children were covered with filth, they had no bed or bedding, a little table, and one chair. Mrs. was sadly addicted to swearing. I reproved her for this vice, urged her to repentance, and often read to her from the Scriptures, praying with her occasionally. She was taken suddenly ill, and I went to see her; I found her in the corner of an empty room laying on a few rags. The tale of woe she told me was pitiable in the extreme. I pointed her to Christ, prayed with her, and left, promising to call again, which I did the next day, when I again conversed and prayed with her. She said, "I am much better;" this was on the Saturday. On the next day she was deprived of the use of reason, and so she died. All she heard about the Saviour was from the lips of the missionary in the district.

Mr. and Mrs.

-, being seized with fever, Mr. was taken to the Fever Hospital, but Mrs. could not be removed. I had often seen Mrs. before, but she now seemed awakened to the concerns of her soul. I visited her from time to time, read, conversed, and prayed with her, I also found a Christian friend to visit her. Her afflictions, she says, led her to reflection, and the visits of your Missionary and friend appear to have been useful. Mrs. says she has ever since with her husband followed the Lord. The loan Testament was very useful to Mr. in the hospital.

while

Mrs. was brought up a Papist, she could not read, neglected public worship, was given to drink, and accustomed to swearing. The first time I saw her, however, she welcomed me in, listened to the reading of the Scripture, and was glad to kneel down to pray.

She appeared declining in her health. In the autumn of the past year she became worse, and requested I would visit her more frequently, which I did. Several Christian friends also visited her. They all bore testimony to her sincerity, but lamented her great ignorance of spiritual things.

She often shed tears when referring to her past life, bitterly lamented her folly in neglecting to attend public worship. Her mode of expressing herself was, "I am very ignorant, I am a great sinner, the chief of sinners. I have done every thing that is bad. Do you think Christ will be merciful to me? I hope he, will. I do pray to him, I do trust to him. God be merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus Christ have mercy upon me!"

On Wednesday, January 22, when I called, I found her much worse in body. She was glad to see me. I read and prayed with her. On Thursday, 23d, I was informed she was much worse. I hastened to see her, but when I reached the house, she was no more, having died a few moments before.

Several other Roman Catholic families receive my visits kindly,

and I am often allowed to read the Scriptures, and occasionally to engage in prayer.

Mrs. regularly attends the Romish chapel, yet when I visit her and her son, they lay down their work, listen with intense earnestness to the reading of the Scriptures, and then join with me in prayer.

EXTRACTS FROM THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NORWICH CITY MISSION.

"AT no time since the establishment of the Society, have the Committee had more reason to glorify God with thanksgiving, than at the present, because of the abundant blessing He has been pleased to bestow upon their efforts: for whether they refer to reading of the Scriptures and religious conversation in the families of the poor, to the distribution of tracts, to the visiting of the sick and dying, or to the meetings for prayer in the cottage rooms-in each and all of these departments of their labour, fact upon fact might be adduced, which fully prove that the Lord of Hosts has been with our respected Missionaries, most graciously to own and bless their endeavours to promote His glory in the salvation of immortal souls.

*

"But amidst all that is encouraging and delightful, there is also an accumulating mass of evidence, of the moral degradation and iniquity existing in the densely populated lanes and yards of our city, truly appalling to the Christian's feelings, which calls loudly on all to come to the help of the Lord against the mighty, both by personal effort, and by supporting this and similar important Institutions. * It is amongst those of our fellow-citizens, sunk in depravity and destitute of religious instruction, that the seven Missionaries employed by this Society, have been labouring most assiduously during the past year. They visit about 3,500 families, and have paid 24,221 visits in the last twelvemonths, of which 3,296 were made to the sick and dying; they have held in the same time 1,324 meetings in the cottages of the poor, for the purpose of prayer and religious instruction, and distributed 36,216 tracts. They have also induced 203 children to go to daily or Sabbath schools, and 118 copies of the Scriptures have been lent to some who are so poor that they cannot purchase them for themselves.

"This will make a total since the commencement, of 54,507 visits, and 5,999 to the sick; 2,661 meetings held; 190 copies of the Scriptures lent; 86,373 tracts distributed; and 498 children induced to attend daily or Sabbath-schools.

"The Meetings which have been held, 1,324 in number, or twentyfive in every week, have been a great blessing and assistance in this great work. They are convened for the most part in cottage-rooms, in two or three different parts of each district, and have been

attended in larger numbers than formerly, and evidently with an increased anxiety on the part of those who were altogether ignorant of Christianity, to hear what they must do to be saved. Many who are so badly clothed that they feel ashamed to enter the more public sanctuaries of God, have been induced to come to these rooms, and hear of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and many more have been led to value the privilege and to see the duty of public worship, and by these means have become regular attendants at the various churches and chapels in the city."

EXTRACTS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE LEEDS

TOWN MISSION.

"THE experience of another year has confirmed the opinion, that it is both practicable and delightful for Christians of various names amongst men, to act together in the great work of instructing the ignorant and reforming the vicious. Through the goodness of the Lord, harmony and brotherly kindness have uniformly prevailed, in the deliberations of the Managers, as well as in the more active duties of the missionaries. By the former, plans have been concerted, regulations made, candidates examined,* and the missionaries superintended in their work; and by the latter, many have been induced to attend public worship who had never before frequented the house of prayer, or had long neglected that privilege-abandoned drunkards and degraded females have been reclaimed-hardened sinners have been led to the foot of the cross, where they have found peace in believing-and many a trembling disciple has been strengthened, and many a dying believer comforted, by Christian conversation and prayer, without, so far as they know, any infringement of the catholic basis of the Mission, or any violation of the motto inscribed on the title-page- Not to proselyte, but to evangelize.'

"Five missionaries were at work at the period of the last anniversary. During the present year, six others, besides the superintending missionary, have been engaged, the whole number now employed being eleven. These are all stationed in the East, North, North-East, and Kirkgate divisions of the town, except one, who is on the South side of the river. It will be seen from the map, that to cover those parts of the town inhabited chiefly by the working classes, including Hunslet and Holbeck, at least as many more missionaries would be required.

The Managers having been frequently asked to what denomination of the Christian Church the missionaries belong, take this opportunity of stating, that they are selected without reference to sect or party, according to the scriptural qualifications they appear to possess. About fifty candidates have been before the Managers, and those at present employed belong, respectively, to the Established Church, the Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Baptist, and Independent Churches.

"The aggregate returns of the operations of the mission show, that in the year ending November 30, 1839, 14,134 hours were spent by the Missionaries in visiting and holding meetings; 24,951 visits were paid, of which 5,060 were to the sick and dying. 85 Bibles and Testaments have been lent to those who were destitute of the Scriptures, but desirous of having them, and a number have become subscribers for Bibles. 17,730 tracts have been distributed. 1,493 meetings for prayer and exhortation have been held in schoolrooms, in cottages, and in the open air, at which the aggregate attendance has been upwards of 36,000. Twenty-two females have been rescued from the paths of vice, of whom two are in the Probationary-house, nine in the Guardian Asylum, one is married, two have died happily, two are in good situations, and six are restored to their friends. Two houses of ill-fame have been given up by the persons who kept them. It is impossible to state precisely the number of persons who have received spiritual good from the instructions of the Missionaries, but there is good reason to hope that a considerable number have been thus benefited, and not fewer than fifty have given evidence of conversion. May He, who alone is able to keep them from falling, accomplish his own blessed work, and in the end present them faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy! Nearly seven thousand families, containing upwards of 32,000 individuals, have been regularly visited in the course of the past year; and of this large number, it appears, after a careful investigation, that, exclusive of Romanists, there are not more than 1,200 in communion with Christian churches, nor more than about 2,000 families even professing to attend a place of worship. There are 1,100 families destitute of the Scriptures, of whom above 600 are Irish Roman Catholics. The proportion of the adult population unable to read, varies from one-sixth to one-third, in the several districts."

After enumerating the different means of usefulness employed by the Leeds Mission, the Committee say—

"It is, however, in the regular visitation from house to house, (which they consider by far the most important department of their missionary work,) that the managers place their chief hopes of doing good; an expectation which, by the Divine blessing, has not been disappointed. Abundant encouragement to persevere through all difficulties, is daily furnished by the large number of persons now welcoming the Missionary joyfully, who received him at first with coldness, or repelled him with scorn; by the many cases of permanent reformation of the dissolute, and by the consistent Christian deportment of some who have been brought to the Saviour through the agency of the mission."

We sincerely pray for the prosperity of these, and of all kindred Institutions, so much needed by the long neglected state of our city and town populations.

Macintosh, Printer, 20, Great New-street, London.