Testimonials of respect have lately been presented to the following Clergymen :

Beard, W. D., late cur. South Henningfield, Essex.
Hall, T. H., late cur. Edmonton, Middlesex.
Hollins, J., chap. mariners' chapel, Gloucester.
Jones, H. P., late cur. St. Olave's, York.

Murley, C. H., late cur, Walton-with-Weston-in-Gordans, Somersetshire.

Newman, J., late cur. Bromyard, Herefordshire.

Wilkinson, E., late cur. Erchfont and Stert, Wiltshire. Wilson, M., p. c. Edenfield, Lancashire.

Wright, R., late cur. Lidney and Aylburton, Gloucestersh.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

67, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Tuesday, May 8th, 1855.-The bishop of St. Asaph in the chair.

The undermentioned members of the society having been proposed by the standing committee as the tract committee for the year ensuing, were elected: Rev. R. W. Brown, rev. C. W. Edmonstone, rev. J. H. Gurney, rev. Richard Harvey, rev. W. G. Humphry, rev. Dr. Jelf, rev. John Thomas.

The bishop of Melbourne addressed the meeting on the subject of church matters in his diocese:

I. As to Church-buildings.

His lordship acknowledged several grants which had been made by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in various churches, schools, &c., referring especially to the grant by the society of an iron church and parsonage-house which had been sent out from England. After some delay, arising from difficulties in putting the parts together, the church and parsonagehouse had been erected at Williamstown, the port of Melbourne; and the former had been consecrated shortly after his departure. He also described the comparative position of the church, in respect of buildings, on his arrival in the colony and at the present time, with reference to Melbourne, the chief city, and Geelong, the next largest principal town. On his arrival there were only two unfinished churches (St. James's and St. Peter's) at Melbourne, and a small neat church at Geelong. There was no parsonage at Melbourne; but there was one at Geelong, a substantial brick building. There was also a neat brick school-building at Geelong. At Melbourne there was nothing but a miserable weather-board building. Since that time the number and the character of the churches, parsonages, and schools, though far from adequate to the wants of a rapidly-increasing population, had been such as to indicate no small measure of zeal and liberality on the part of the people.

11. As to Prayer-books and Religious Books. The bishop stated that he had on his arrival established a book depôt, and had made arrangements for the disposal of the books furnished by the society, at such prices as would cover the cost, and, to a certain extent, prove remunerative. III. As to the Character of the People, and their power to provide Church-building for themselves.

As to the Educated Class: 1. A general respect was entertained for religion. They took great interest in the welfare of the church, and had a strong sense of heir responsibility and of their duty to make such provision according to their means. 2. A great libeality had been shown by many individuals of that class. As an instance, the bishop stated that, a stipend board having been established, with the object of -aising, by voluntary contributions, a general fund, out of which all deficiencies in local contributions might be made up, and thus a certain stipend secured or every clergyman, by means of this board, in the ear 1852 alone, the large amount of £1,652 12s. has raised (chiefly in the parishes of St. James and been Peter, in Melbourne), in addition to local subSt. criptions for individual parochial ministers.

As to the Uneducated Class: 1. The mass of this class the bishop stated to be ignorant, and indifferent to spiritual things. 2. Their means were small, and they were unaccustomed to give. They were chiefly labourers, and resembled the labouring class in England. 3. A few of them were, however, godly and liberal. IV. As to the principles by which the Bishop had regulated his own conduct in the administration of his Diocese.

1. He had endeavoured to commend his actions to the judgment of all, both clergy and laity, by the most perfect openness. 2. He had sought to obtain the cooperation of the laity by consulting them, and showing a deference to their opinion on ecclesiastical questions. He had held two conferences of the clergy and laity to consider the affairs of the church, which were attended by some of the principal officers of government, and by many of the chief bankers, merchants, and other commercial men, whose time was extremely valuable to them, but who gave up their time for several days, and several hours each day, to the discussion of the topics submitted to their consideration. 3. While maintaining the closest connexion with the church in England, he had aimed, from the commencement of his episcopate, to cherish a feeling of independence in the colony, which might make the members of the church trust to themselves rather than to foreign assistance for its support.

V. As to the Necessities of the Church in the Colony, and its Claims for help.

As to its Necessities: The bishop referred to certain returns made by the clergy in answer to printed inquiries circulated by him. These returns showed an inadequate provision for the members of the church of England in comparison with other religious bodies.

As to its Claims for help: These the bishop stated to be founded, 1, on the immigration, annually, of many thousand poor persons from England, and, 2, on the return of most of the rich to England: as soon as people had made their fortunes, they went home again. Thus poverty was constantly flowing into the colony, and wealth flowing out of it. In conclusion, the bishop requested the prayers and sympathy of the society.

Several grants of books and tracts were made. Tuesday, June 5th, 1855.-The bishop of Llandaff in the chair.

The bishop of Colombo, in a letter dated "On Visitation, at Sea, 'The Rangoon,' April 3, 1855," wrote as follows: "Having just completed my visitation, embracing the eastern portion of the diocese, with Trincomalee and Batticaloa, I gladly employ my ship-board leisure to recount its gratifying circumstances to the society. The latter has lately been made a full station of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, by the transfer of the services of the rev. S. Nicholas, a native presbyter, who has been now resident nearly a twelvemonth, with a native deacon and catechist to assist him. By his activity and zeal it has been satisfactorily organized, amid difficulties which he has met in good spirit. His services, both in English and Tamil, are well attended, and the holy communion, every fortnight alternately in each

language, the average number of communicants being about twenty-five and thirty in each. On this occasion of my visit the number was more than doubled; and it was very gratifying to observe so-nearly-an entire adult congregation remaining to partake of the Lord's supper. At the early service, previously, he presented to me fifteen approved candidates for confirmation, selected from a much larger number, the greater portion of whom he judiciously required should receive further instruction before their admission to the holy rite. The confirmation was administered in the English, Portuguese, and Tamil languages. I observed in his chapel that there are no books for the English services; and, as they have newly and very neatly seated the whole chapel, and obtained lately new communion plate and a bell from England, and are about to put up a font, I shall be thankful if the society will kindly grant a 4to. bible, prayer and altar books. The summons by the metropolitan to Calcutta for the consecration of the bishop-elect of Labuan will readily be obeyed in October next, if by God's blessing my health enables me to continue so long within the tropics; but I have already obtained the secretary of state's permission to leave the diocese for a twelvemonth to recruit my enfeebled strength; and may be sent home to England at a week's notice. I shall not, however, leave Ceylon till after the consecration, unless compelled to do so. The college buildings for the divinity students are progressing satisfactorily, and we hope to get them covered in before the rains." The board granted books for the performance of divine service in the church at Batticaloa. The bishop afterwards informed the society that, on account of the state of his health, he had been advised by his medical attendants to visit England; and in a letter dated "The Indus," off Gibraltar, May 28, 1855, he wrote as follows: "We hope to reach England in about a week; and, after a short period of retirement with my family, if my health continues to improve I shall gladly avail myself of an early opportunity of being present at the meeting of the society. A full meeting of the Diocesan Committee was held at St. Thomas's college a few days before my departure, at which I was able to preside, and, after a kind address presented to me by the clergy, was deputed to convey to the society their sincere feeling of reverence and gratitude for the continued and effective aid given by them to every good work in the diocese for the extension of the church's usefulness and blessing in so many ways. Our whole voyage has been one of blessing, both vessels on either side of the Isthmus of Suez, the Bentinck' and the Indus,' being very full; and in both it has been a real comfort to assemble a congregation of fifty or more in daily service of prayer and thanksgiving every morning; and on Sundays the observance of the day has been correct and exemplary. It was the ground of, I hope, not unthankful feeling, as I went on board at Galle, on the tenth anniversary of my consecration, that with so many shortcomings I had been permitted to complete the first decennium of the episcopate without having left the

diocese or its duties."

Thomas Turner, esq., brought forward the motion of which he had given notice, and proposed the following resolution for the adoption of the board: "That the fourth rule be altered by leaving out the part beginning with the 'except' in the second line, and ending with the word 'and' in the fifth line*. R. Perry,

The fourth rule being as follows: "That a general meeting be holden at the society's house on the first Tuesday in every month, except when such Tuesday shall fall upon a holyday of the church for which an epistle and gospel are appointed in the Book of Common Prayer, and then upon the first Tuesday not such a holyday, except the months of August and September, at two o'clock." It would by the proposed alteration stand thus: "IV. That a general meeting

esq., seconded this. It having appeared, on a show of hands, that the numbers for the adoption of this rese lution and the numbers for its rejection were equ the right reverend chairman gave lais vote in faver of its adoption."

The rev. R. Belcher gave notice that, at the ner meeting, he should propose that rule IV. stand thes "That a general meeting be holden at the society's house on the first Tuesday in every month, except when such Tuesday shall fall upon the Tuesday before Easter, and except the months of August and September, at two o'clock."

J. C. Meymott, esq., gave notice that he should move that the rule be restored to the state in which it stood previously to the adoption of the resolution of the meeting of this day.

A letter was read from the bishop of Rupert's-Land, dated "Bishop's Court, Red River, April 10, 1855. The following are extracts: "I have the pleasure of informing the society that I have succeeded in forming a board of trustees in accordance with what I proposed in my last letter. It will be called 'The Collegiate Board of St. John's,' and consists of the following members, the two archdeacons and myself being er officio, the others being elective in case of vacancy by death or otherwise, but always in the same proportion, three laymen and three clergymen. The first appointments have, of course, been made by myself. I have, with the permission of the society, drawn ene bill on the treasurers for £500 in favour of the Honour able Hudson's Bay Company, which will be followed by another £200 in two or three months, these both being from the £1,000 voted to me. Allow me at the same time to return my thanks for the £100 (the second sum of that amount) granted by the society to St. James's church, on the Assiniboine. The £200 furnished will form the only public aid afforded to the erection of that church. Other kind and liberal dens tions we have received from friends in England and in this country, but no other public grant. As the re sponsibility rested on myself, I feel now relieved from much anxiety through the society's gift, and I hope to consecrate it, free from all debt and incumbrance soon after Whit-Sunday. The interior is nearly finished, with the exception of the staining, which could not be done until the frost had left us. I think of another trip to our distant stations on James' Bay in the course of the summer; but I shall start for Moose with a light heart, having completed the erection of the church, which has been much on my mind for the last three years. Not that, berend anxiety of mind, I have had any labour: the rev. V. H. Taylor has, with his own hands, assisted the mea throughout, painting both the exterior and interi and superintending all the details of the carpenter work. The churchyard will not be ready in sufficient time, for want of wood to erect a suitable fence; consecration must, therefore, be deferred until the following spring. Begging a continuance of the ciety's prayers that God would graciously bless the infant work in this remote land, I am ever," &c.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS.

79, Pall Mall, June 8, 1835. the ninth bye-law of the society relating to the election Election of Members.-At the last monthly meeting of incorporated members was altered, so that for the future it will stand as follows: "That any pers being members of the church of England may be elected into the corporation, at any of the monthly meetings; notice of the intention to propose them t election having been given at a previous monthly be holden at the society's house on the first Tuesday every month, except the months of August and Septembe at two o'clock."

meeting. The following shall be eligible for election: First, any person who shall be recommended by the standing committee. Secondly, any person who shall be recommended by a member, provided that (1) he shall have subscribed to the general funds of the society not less than one guinea per annum for a period of three years last past, or (2) shall have contributed not less than £20 in a single payment, or (3) shall have acted for three years last past as secretary or treasurer of any district or parochial association, or (4), being a clergyman, shall have in his parish an association in aid of the society, or an annual sermon with a collection in its behalf; provided also that the individual recommending any such person shall certify that he is desirous of being incorporated." Kaffir Missions.-At the same meeting the society resolved to grant the sum of £1,500, requested by the bishop of Graham's-Town to enable him to accept the conditional assistance liberally offered by the governor of the Cape for the civilization and Christian instruction of the Kaffirs and Fingoes. The bishop has visited the kraals of the chiefs Umhalla, Krelli, and Sandilli; has obtained from them promises to receive missionaries and attend to their instruction, and has actually commenced missions to Umhalla's tribe and to the Fingoes. The society has pledged itself to this grant at a time when its estimated income is wholly pre-engaged; and the sum cannot be made up without the most strenuous exertions of the supporters of the society, and especially of all persons who have a peculiar interest in South Africa. At the bishop's request the society has taken this step in faith; and it appeals most earnestly to members of the church for adequate support. This is the first attempt on the part of the church of England to do the duty of a missionary church among the people of Kaffraria.

NATIONAL SOCIETY.

The annual general meeting of the society was held on Wednesday, 6th inst., in the Central School-rooms, Westminster. The lord primate presided. The chairman said they had met to receive the report of the society for the last year. There was nothing marked or peculiar in the proceedings, but he hoped they were of an useful character. At the present time the friends of education could not complain that the subject did not attract public attention. The danger seemed to be the other way-lest, in attempting too much, they should do too little. It was important, before changing any system, that they should be quite sure they knew the seat of the disorder. Undoubtedly it appeared, from some discussions that had taken place on the subject, that the real seat of the disorder was not fully understood. For instance, it was said that the uneducated population in their large towns were in a barbarous state; and that was but too true. It was proposed that the remedy should be more schools and better teaching, thus assuming that the fault at present is in the schools and not in the population. His (the chairman's) belief was, that the first attempt should have reference to the improvement of the population generally, and that without it the increase of schools would be of no effect. He remembered passing through the streets of Manchester some years ago, on a visit to one of the schools. As he went along, he saw in the streets a number of children playing about, who were more like the children of a wigwam than the children of a Christian population. When he arrived at the school, he found it to be in good order, but only one-half or one-quarter of it was filled. It appeared that nothing could persuade the parents of the children in the streets to send them to school. They were too reckless and unwilling to raise their children above the state in which they were born and bred, to think of sending them to school; and he believed that, if one-half of the sum expended on the schools were employed in im

proving the condition of the parents, double the good would be effected.

A ballot having taken place, the following gentlemen were appointed members of the committee: The right hon. J. W. Henley, M.P., Mr. R. Twining, the dean of St. Paul's, and the earl of Carnarvon. The report was then read, from which it appeared that since the last report the treasurer had been authorized to pay the sum of £8,251, voted by the committee in aid of school buildings, which have been reported as finished. By this outlay, 253 schools, providing accommodation for 29,383 scholars, together with 100 teachers' residences, have been completed. The number of schools united to the society during the past year has been 234, making the total number of such schools 10,436. It was also stated that 900 competent masters have been sent out during the year from the Westminster Training School, to take charge of schools. The receipts in the depository during the year 1854 amounted to £11,970, being an increase of £340 over those of the preceding year. It was further stated that the sale of the monthly paper had steadily increased, and now amounted to 6,000 copies.

On the motion of the rev. W. D. Willis, seconded by archdeacon Denison, the report was adopted.

The rev. W. D. Willis then moved the following resolution, "That the inquiry lately undertaken as to the alleged withholding of the catechism in schools in union with and receiving grants from this society has proved inadequate to exonerate the managers of such schools, and the society itself generally, from the charge of violating the pledge given to their supporters, of educating the children of the poor in the principles of the established church. That, therefore, a more full and efficient investigation of this charge is necessary, for the vindication of the character of the society, and for the satisfaction of its friends." The rev. John Carnegie (rector of Seaford) seconded the motion. The resolution was supported by archdeacon Denison. The bishop of London did not see how any inquiry could be carried on except through the diocesan bishops; and they had no means of coercing the bishops who had neglected to comply with the request to institute such inquiry. They should be satisfied with the returns they had received from twelve dioceses, and should not urge the bishops who had declined to make returns to do so, because they might rely upon it that the bishops who had not made returns considered they had good reasons for the course which they had taken. In the present state of the national education question, it was not desirable to stir in the matter, lest they should make it appear that there was a division amongst them at a time when they should be a compact and united body. The bishop of St. David's said he declined to institute the inquiry most deliberately and decidedly, because he was convinced it could answer no beneficial practical purpose, and that it would fail to produce correct information, while it would cause boundless confusion. If the application were renewed, he would again decline to institute such an inquiry. The bishop of Gloucester and Bristol begged to say that he had declined to institute the inquiry, because he was of an opinion that such a proceeding on his part would be entirely inexpedient. The motion was put, and negatived by a large majority, a few hands only having been held up for the resolution.

CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY.

The Church Pastoral Aid Society held its twentieth anniversary on Tuesday, May 8, under the presidency of the earl of Shaftesbury, supported on the platform by the bishops of Winchester and Melbourne, and others. According to the report, the total receipts for the year amounted to £38,173 7s., being a deficiency

on those of the former year to the extent of £401.

The expenditure for the same period had been £37,936,