report. He could only state that the donations to this new Society amounted to 600l. and the annual subscriptions to 1007. There was not altogether that want of churches in this diocese as in other counties- still there were some cases requiring attention; and he mentioned Wymondham, where the population was 6,000, and only accommodation in the church for 600 persons. He thought that the establishment of district associations would still more further the objects of this Society; and he hoped that the bishop would be requested to accept the office of president of this and the other church Societies.

NATIONAL SCHOOLS.

The Committee of that admirably conducted and most importantly useful Society, the National Schools for educating the Poor in the Principles of the Church of England, commenced their Twenty-fifth Report, by stating that they were anxious not to make too great a demand on the attention of the friends of the Society on an occasion presenting so much interest to them; or needlessly to detain the clergy from the presence of their new diocesan, in whom they trusted to find a promoter of every good work, and whose support they hoped the present meeting would solicit as patron of the Society in the room of their late benevolent and beloved prelate.

[The Report then particularizes the schools admitted during the past year into union with the Society, and also specifies what new daily and Sunday schools have been established in different parts of the county. And after giving an abstract of annual receipts and expenditure, it thus proceeds:-]

"Your Committee are reluctant to reiterate their complaints of the diminution of their funds. But they feel, that they should not discharge their duty, if they did not lay before this meeting the fact, that their annual income is barely sufficient to meet the yearly grants to schools and other engagements; leaving but a very small and altogether inadequate balance for the important objects of promoting the erection of school-rooms and the establishment of new schools, making special grants to other schools, where the local funds prove insufficient, training masters, and supplying books. They hope, that the knowledge of this fact will be kindly extended by the members of this long-tried and useful institution; and notwithstanding the recent circulation of their published Report had availed but little to increase their means of usefulness, they still trust that the exertions of the friends of this important charity will yet revive it in greater strength and efficiency. For time, as it passes on, increases their conviction of the importance of the National Society and its branches to the stability of that portion of the church of Christ established in this kingdom. It is indeed a labour of love, in

which they are employed, to pre-engage youthful affections on the side of virtue, and pre-occupying the heart with those sanctifying principles, that will act where human laws cannot reach. It is a holy work, in which they are engaged, to train the children of our poorer brethren in the communion of a scriptural Church, and teach them with no stinted or divided affection to love those services of the sanctuary, in which we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.' And therefore your Committee will not hastily fall into despair. They will still rely most humbly on the protection of that Almighty Father, who willeth that the young should praise him. He will not forsake his Church, while she is true to him; and when the enemy shall come in like a flood,' in the appalling forms of irreligion, schism, and disloyalty, he will not fail, if she be faithful, to lift up a standard, even by the hands of babes in Christ, for her defence and preservation."

The Report having been received, it was moved and unanimously resolved, that the Lord Bishop of the Diocese be requested to accept the office of president in the room of the late beloved bishop. And that the thanks of the Society be given to those gentlemen who have visited the schools in their respective neighbourhoods during the past year.

PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL.

The Rev. C. Chapman, in bringing forward the Report for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, said that he had great satisfaction in stating that the subscriptions and donations for the present had greatly exceeded those of the past year. In 1836, the total amount of annual subscriptions and donations was 215l. 5s. 6d.

£. S. d.

For the present year the amount already) 264 5 0

received was

There were subscriptions still due to the the Society amounting to

29 9 6

£293 14 6

And giving, when all shall have been received, an increase of 781. in the receipts of the present over those of the preceding year. This increase had arisen-in part from the addition of new subscribers,-in part from the gratifying circumstance of several old subscribers having doubled the amount of their subscriptions,— and in part from two most liberal donations, one of 101. from Mrs. Elsden, of Lynn, and one of 381. from the Rev. Edward Marsham. The Rev. Secretary then proceeded to trace the course of the Society's labours in British America and the West Indies in the western hemisphere; and in Hindostan and Aus

tralia in the eastern hemisphere; and to state the grounds for the confident hope which the Society entertains of sharing largely in the glorious privilege of lighting up with the gospel torch the dark places of the earth.-Norfolk Chronicle.

At a Meeting of the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the County of York, held at Richmond on Thursday, 11th of May, 1837, the Venerable the Archdeacon in the Chair, the following Resolutions and Petition were unanimously adopted :

On the motion of the Rev. Thomas Collins, B.D. Knaresborough, seconded by the Rev. J. Barmby, Rector of Melsonby, it was resolved:

1. That in the opinion of this meeting, there is no warrant in Scripture for believing that the blessing of God will rest upon any country that does not, as a nation, acknowledge him.

2. That, as the first object of a government is the happiness of those subject to it, it is the primary duty of the Legislature to provide spiritual instruction for the whole of the people; as on that, more than any thing else, depends the happiness of mankind.

3. That this meeting thankfully acknowledges that this nation, by recognising a national Church, pays that homage to the Almighty which he requires; and also that the Legislature, by grants made from time to time for the building and endowing of churches, has given its assent to the principle, that it is incumbent upon it to provide for the spiritual wants of the people.

4. That, notwithstanding the ancient endowments of the Church, and the munificence of Parliament and individuals in later times, the supply of churches and pastors is alarmingly inadequate to the wants of the population; inasmuch as, in the metropolis and other large towns, and in the manufacturing districts, there are large masses of poor, for whose spiritual welfare no provision whatever is made.

5. That, whether this state of things be viewed as arising from disregard to the Almighty, or inattention to the spiritual wants of our indigent brethren, it is equally criminal.

6. That we take blame to ourselves for not having aforetime attempted with more energy to abate the evil; and intend, by the help of God, to use the following means of doing so :

1. To petition the Legislature to provide at the public expense, churches and endowments where they are wanted.

2. To contribute ourselves, to the utmost of our ability, to assist the Legislature in this most necessary work, and exhort our flocks to do the same.

3. To call upon our clerical brethren in other parts of the country to cooperate with us.

Moved by the Very Rev. the Dean of Ripon, seconded by the Rev. Wm. Glaister, Vicar of Kirkby-Fleetham,

That the following Petition be adopted to both Houses of Parliament::

To the [Honourable the Commons] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled.

The humble Petition of the Archdeacon and Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Richmond in the Diocese of Ripon, in the county of York.

We the undersigned, approach with the utmost respect your House, in the hope that the Petition which we venture to offer to you will be favourably received, as being one on the success of which the stability of our National Church Establishment appears to us materially to depend.

It would be needless for us to point out to your

House, the inadequate means which our Church possesses of supplying the spiritual wants of an increasing population.

It must be known to all men, that notwithstanding the ancient endowments of the Church, and the munificence of Parliament and individuals in recent times, there are still thousands and tens of thousands in our large towns and manufacturing districts for whose religious instruction no public provision is made. We would therefore pray that your House may feel it to be a deep and national obligation to provide, from the revenues of the country, such churches as still may be wanting; and that, while our national prosperity and our taste for the Fine Arts is displayed in the noble structures which for other laudable purposes are rising in every part of the land, our rulers and legislators will consider it to be their chiefest glory and their highest honour to raise, at the public expense, such temples for the worship of God, that the humblest of our brethren may together with their families, worship the Lord after the manner of their forefathers.

We trust we need not add to this our humble petition, the assurance of our readiness to use every exertion in our power, and also to contribute according to our means individually and collectively, in aid of any measure which may be adopted by the Legislature towards effecting this necessary work.

And your Petitioners will ever pray.

Moved by the Rev. Wm. Gray, Canon of Ripon, and seconded by the Rev. C. Redshaw, D. Commissary of Richmond,

That the Petition to the House of Lords be forwarded to the Lord Bishop of Ripon for presentation; and that to the House of Commons to the Hon. Wm. Duncombe.

JOHN HEADLAM, Chairman.

Moved by the Hon. and Rev. Thomas Monson, Rector of Bedale; and seconded by the Rev. G. Price, Rector of Romaldkirk,

That the Thanks of the meeting be given to the Venerable the Archdeacon, for calling the meeting, and for his conduct in the chair.

Richmond, May 11th, 1837.

The following account of St. Thomas's Church, the new church in the capital of St. John's, Newfoundland, America, was received from one of our transatlantic correspondents:

It may be interesting to some of the readers of the Church of England Quarterly Review, to be informed that St. Thomas's Church, the new church in the capital of St. John's, Newfoundland, for which an appeal was made in Archdeacon Wix's Journal, is steadily increasing in its congregation; that there are full services performed in it three times on each Lord's-day, and once on every Wednesday evening, and on the evenings of saints'-days, besides morning prayers on each Wednesday, Friday, and saint's-day; that there is a monthly Communion therein, besides the celebration of the Communion on the great festivals; and a Sunday school, in which the attendance amounts already to sixty children; and that, among the regular attendants in the free seats, several may be seen, who, from their not having been observed for several months in any Protestant place of worship, were supposed to have been lost to our communion.

The announcement made, in the last Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, (page 33,) that "the Society is happy to state that two new missionaries have been appointed to this province, since the date of Archdeacon Wix's communication; and" that "a visiting missionary will be engaged on the southern shore, at the earliest period possible "has been received by the friends of the Church, in the island of Newfoundland, with much satisfaction. The number of Clergy will still be lamentably inadequate; yet any improvement would be hailed with lively gratitude, by the friends of the Church, in that destitute colony. It may not be amiss, however, that the friends of the Church in that colony should know that the "two new missionaries" are still due to the island, if this sentence in the Report for 1836 referred to Newfoundland at all. A perusal of the "Correspondence of the Clergy in North America," will show that there are absolutely due to the island of Newfoundland, as detailed at page 11 of the Correspondence sent, eleven clergy. To this number of eleven, stipulated to the island in 1834, there has not been a single addition made to this hour. Nathaniel Allen Coster will be found, on reference to the Society's Report for 1836, page 147, to have removed from Newfoundland to Parrsborough in Nova Scotia; and from