him in his church at Morpeth. He was the author of the 'Britannia Romana,' a book on British antiquities of vast importance. The Rev. William Graham was for thirty years minister of the Close congregation, which is now represented by the Blackett Street congregation. He was the author of the work entitled A Review of the Ecclesiastical Establishments of Europe,' a work to which much attention has been drawn of late. And, lastly, let me name the Rev. James Pringle, minister of the congregation now worshipping in Westmorland Road, whose life-long labours in Newcastle have laid me and a multitude of others still living under the deepest obligations.

We may now revert to our own denominational affairs. Notwithstanding many adverse circumstances, God has blessed us as a Church during the year. The Sustentation Fund, though not without a struggle, has been brought up to the required amount. The affairs of the College have been conducted with greater efficiency than ever before, and the sum devoted to its maintenance has been increased. On the whole, we have reason to thank God and to take courage.

But we must aim at greater things. I trust that there is a great future before us as a Church; but we shall fall short of our important mission unless we one and all, whatever our position in the Church be, give ourselves unreservedly to the work of winning souls. If we are Christians, we must bear fruit.

I trust and pray that, in addition to the discharge of our ecclesiastical business, our present meeting may be the means of advancing the divine life in each of us, and that at the close of the Synod we shall return to our several spheres of duty quickened, sanctified, and made more meet for the Master's use.

One thing presses sorely upon my spirit. A great partprobably the greater part of the people of this Christian country make no profession of religion. They are either opposed to the blessed realities of divine revelation altogether, or they give no heed to them. Are we as a Church putting forth those strenuous and self-denying efforts which the exigency of the case demands? I fear not. God is as willing to bless us now as he was in the early ages of the Church. Then the poor simple followers of Jesus scattered abroad by persecution went hither and thither preaching the Word. How wonderfully they were blessed!

God is pouring out His Spirit upon the people of this land now, and He is blessing to a very large extent the labours of what I may call the irregular forces of the Christian army. I

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have watched the fruit of these efforts, and I have seen many precious souls gathered into the fold of Christ who have given witness by a holy walk and conversation to the reality of the change which has taken place upon them. These efforts, as they are not Church organisations, cannot hold their converts together. The rescued ones go hither and thither in search of sealing ordinances, and so are to a considerable extent lost sight of by their early friends.

its duty in

The Church of England is rising up to a sense of this respect, and may God bless her in her efforts. Are we to stand still, or are we to cast the net on the right side of the ship and draw to the shore a multitude of fishes?

In order to succeed in this work, it seems to be desirable to set apart to the work of evangelisation some earnest, zealous labourers, drawn from the class of people among whom they are to labour. When converts are gained, the sacraments might be dispensed among them by some duly constituted minister; and over them, when a congregation has been formed, a duly educated pastor might be placed.

According to our usual arrangements, men of the class of John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon are excluded from our pulpits. A course of study, extending over six years, is required of our preachers. It often happens that a young man who at the age of twenty or twenty-one has come under the power of religion wishes to devote himself to the work of the ministry. He is too old to commence the study of the learned languages and of philosophy, or perhaps he has not the means of maintaining himself for the required period. He is either diverted from his purpose altogether, or he betakes himself to other communities where the terms of entrance are not so severe. Surely some means might be found by which, in consistency with the maintenance of the scholarship of the ministry, this source of power might be utilised.

And now, brethren, I must draw my address to a close.

I have adverted to the troublous times of Charles the First and Second, and have asked you to observe how piteous it was that the good men of that period who were united upon essentials-the doctrinal articles of the Church of England being in perfect accordance with the Confession of Faith-could not unite in framing an order of church polity in which all could agree. Let us take warning and do what we can to heal the wounds of the poor afflicted church of Christ. As Baxter says, "All cry up unity and yet very few do anything to promote it." That good man from his own experience gives us some good

advice upon this subject. "Own no man's errors or sins," says he, "but own every man that owneth Christ and whom Christ will own. . . . Bear with those that Christ will bear with; especially learn the master-duty of self-denial; for it is self that is the greatest enemy to catholicism."

Let us encourage one another to "put on Christ”—to be "conformed" to his "image." Let us remember that the eyes of our brethren of other denominations are resting upon us hopefully, and that the eyes of an ungodly world are turned to us also, watching for our fall. May it be made evident by our holy demeanour that God is with us and is working by us for the furtherance of His kingdom. In the course of our discussions a diversity of view will necessarily be expressed, for at best we do but feel after the truth, but let us speak what we believe to be the truth in love, and may the result of our deliberations be the advancement of God's cause in this sinful world, and the hastening on of the latter-day glory.

CHAPTER XIX.

1866, ELECTED PRESIDENT OF TYNESIDE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB 1869, ENTERS HIS YOUNGER SON AT WESTMINSTER SCHOOL-1879, EXCAVATIONS AT BINCHESTER-1880, AT LINCOLN HILL DURING THE SPRING-ATTENDS MEETING OF ARCHEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE AT LINCOLN - VISIT TO ALNWICK IN NOVEMBER 1882, UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM CONFERS DEGREE OF D.C.L.-ATTENDS MEETING OF ARCHEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE AT CARLISLE-1883, APPOINTED RHIND LECTURER -VISIT TO ROME-SPEECH DURING NEWCASTLE ELECTION-CELEBRATES GOLDEN WEDDING.

DR BRUCE took an interest in the proceedings of the Natural History Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in the meetings of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club, and he was always glad when an opportunity offered to vary his literary labours by taking a run into the country with the Field Club. The following letter to his wife refers to one of these rambles :

"NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, 28th June 1867.

On Wednesday I went to Hexham with the Field Club. We had a very hard day of it. We walked about fifteen miles without stopping, chiefly in the beds and on the banks of rivers. The scenery of Dipton Burn and the Devil's Water was magnificent, but we had not time to enjoy it, for, although we raced as if we had been riding a steeplechase, we did not reach Corbridge, where dinner was ready for us at five o'clock, until six o'clock.

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None of us knew

the way or anything about the country. However, when we had had our dinner we laughed at the whole affair and thought it great fun. I never saw finer scenery or a greater profusion of wild-flowers. I confess I was glad you were not with me; we must have crossed the streams innumerable times, and sometimes we had to climb very high banks, and get through very difficult hedges, and traverse ploughed fields." He was elected President of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club for the year 1866-1867, and on the 9th of May 1867 he delivered an address as President, reviewing the various field meetings of the and year, concluding with a graceful notice of the late Mr Joshua Alder, an active member of the Natural History Society, who during his life had been a diligent student of the British mollusca, and who was justly regarded as a high authority on that branch of natural history.

In January 1869 he went to London to enter his younger son at Westminster School. He says in a letter to his wife, 23rd January 1869:

"I had a pleasant interview with Mr Marshall yesterday, the house master to whom John is to go, and arranged everything."

In the expeditions he made to examine Roman inscribed stones he often found inscriptions of value exposed to wind and weather and uncared for. In a letter written by him to Mr Clayton on 9th October 1873 he says:

"SLATERFIFLD, 9th October 1873. "There is a matter I should like to bring to Lord Lonsdale's attention. It grieves me to