galleries, approached by staircases at each end, for the use of the scholars and the choir. The roof internally will be open to the collar, the carved principals, and other roof timbers in the woodwork of the chapel being finished in light oak, stammed and varnished. The chapel is intended to seat about 600. The style of the building will be Italian, with slightly Gothic treatment. It is expected that the entire cost of the chapel, including the site, will be about £2500. The Architects are Messrs. T. Horsfield and Son, of Halifax. A large number of persons attended, at one time between 1000 and 1500 being present, among whom were the following:-Mr. A. Illingworth, M.P., Mr. Angus Holden, J.P., Revs. Dr. Ingham and Isaac Preston; Rev. T. Gill, Rev. J. Taylor, Rev. B. Wood. The proceedings commenced about three o'clock with the singing of a hymn by the scholars, after which prayer was offered by the Rev. Isaac Preston. Rev. T. Gill gave an historical address. Another hymn was sung, and then Mr. Thomas Middlebrook presented a mallet and silver trowel to Mr. Illingworth, the stone was lowered into its place and declared to be duly laid. After tea a public meeting was held in the Wesleyan chapel, Mr. Illingworth presiding. Addresses were given by A. Holden, Esq., Revs. Dr. Ingham, J. Lockwood, I. Preston, &c. £125 were collected, £60 being given by the chairman, and £25 by Mr. Holden, making a total received towards the cost, of £1106 3s. 1d.

BIRCHCLIFFE.-The annual tea meeting was held on Good Friday. The special object being, this time, to raise £40 to pay for the gas put into the chapel. The price of a tray was ten shillings, and 120 were given by our own friends, with the exception of six or eight which were offered and accepted from others who sympathized with us. The proceeds realized £77 10s. The public meeting was most enthusiastic. The pastor presided, and addresses were given by our own friends. Altogether it was the most successful meeting we ever held.

GOODNA, near Ipswich, Queensland.Dec. 31st, 1871, the new chapel was opened by services conducted by J. C. Foote, Esq., Rev. T. S. Gerrard, Mr. T. Wooley, and Rev. B. G. Wilson. T. Swan, Esq., of Brisbane, presided at the public meeting on the following day, and addresses were given by Revs. T. Robey, T. Voller, T. S. Gerrard, and others.

LEICESTER, Dover Street.-The annual meeting of the church and congregation was held on Easter Monday, when there was the largest gathering of friends that has met on similar occasions for many years. About 240 persons sat down to a

very pleasant tea, the whole of which was gratuitously provided. A public meeting was afterwards held in the school-room, which was crowded to excess. Amongst those present were the pastor (the Rev. W. Evans), the Revs. T. Stevenson, J. C. Pike, T. Bateman, and Messrs. Wilford, Harvey, Wellingham, Tyler, &c. A very gratifying report of the past year's progress was read by the secretary, showing amongst other interesting particulars an addition of 32, which, deducting removals and loss of members by death, &c., left a net gain of 26. It was also stated that the seat holders had increased 20 per cent, and the congregation generally in similar proportion. Hearty applause was elicited at the statement that next year was the jubilee of the church (it having been established in 1823), upon which occasion it was hoped a new and worthier building would stand in place of the present one. The treasurer's reports showed a very en. couraging state of the finances. The weekly offering system having contributed for the first quarter of its existance upwards of £62. The proceeds of the anniversary services, including that meeting, were announced as being over £40, being the largest sum on record. Some very encouraging reports of the school, tract, and benevolent societies were read.

MACCLESFIELD.-Our chapel anniversary sermons were preached on March 10, by our pastor, the Rev. Isaac Watts. The congregations, both afternoon and evening, were good, and the collections realized £12 13s. 11d.

MANCHESTER AND GENERAL BAPTISTS.— For many years there has been no General Baptist church here. We wish to call the attention of the connexion, and especially of the churches in the Lancashire and Yorkshire Conference to the fact that a new cause is commenced in Hyde Road. The church consists of six members; the school of eighty scholars, in a good neighbourhood, and meets in a very comfortable room. We greatly need Bibles and Testaments for our school work. Will some friend help us? We should feel grateful to any of our G. B. brethren who have the ability to preach, if, when they are in Manchester, they would communicate with us and give us their services. We are happy to say we have just brought our work under the notice of the church at Stalybridge, and the pastor, the Rev. E. K. Everett, with one of his elders, has visited the neighbourhood and the room in which we worship. They were pleased with our work, and encouraged us. If any friend wants any further information Mr. Everett will readily give it, as also will Thomas Worsley, 19, Garnett Street, Cheetham, Manchester.

NOTTINGHAM, Stoney Street.-Re-opening sermons were preached on Lord's-day, April 7, by Rev. C. Clemance, B.A., and Rev. T. Ryder, pastor; and on Tuesday, April 9, by Rev. J. Clifford, M.A., LL B. The chapel has been completely renovated, at a considerable outlay, and the collections amounted to £53 3s.

SPALDING.-On Sunday, April 14, the annual sermons were preached by the pastor on behalf of the "Benevolent Society." Tea on the Monday, provided gratuitously, proceeds over £9.

TODMORDEN. - Erratum, page 123. The proceeds of the services were £91, not £9 4s.

WEST VALE, HALIFAX.-Reduction of Debt.-On March 23, a musical entertainment, with readings and recitations, was given by our own choir; and on April 29, a tea and public meeting was held. Rev. T. Gill presided. Addresses were delivered by Messrs. J. Taylor, J. S. Gill, Jos. Horsfall, S. Atkinson, J. Halliday, J. Horsfall, E. S. Brooke, W. Kitchen, S. Dyson, &c. An effort is being made to remove £150 from the debt this year. A kind friend promised, through our pastor, to pay the interest of our £500 debt for one year if the church would reduce the principal £100. The proposal was promptly accepted, and the above movement is the result.

SCHOOLS.

SPALDING, Pode Hole.-Sunday school anniversary, March 24. Sermons by the Rev. J. C. Jones, M.A. Tea on Good Friday. Meeting after, and addresses given by teachers and friends. The attendance and collections not so good as formerly, owing to bad weather.

MINISTERIAL.

ANDREWS.-On Easter Tuesday, April 2, services were held at Clayton, Yorks, in connection with the ordination of the Rev. James A. Andrews as pastor of the G. B. church. The services commenced at two p.m.; the Scriptures being read and prayer offered by Rev. J. Taylor. Rev. R. Hardy gave the introductory address. Rev. B. Wood put the questions to the minister and to the church; and though the whole career of the minister was well known to a large proportion of the assembly, his answers to the questions were received with considerable interest. In answer to one of the questions to the church, Mr. S. Barker, a deacon, stated that Mr. Andrews had been brought up from infancy in connection with the place, having been first a scholar in the Sunday school, then a member of the church, then a teacher in the school, afterwards a local preacher, and

was now being recognised as pastor of the church. Then followed the ordination prayer by Rev. R. Ingham, D.D., with laying on of hands. Rev. I. Preston next delivered the charge to the minister. After tea the church and congregation again assembled. The Rev. I. Preston opened the service, and the discourse to the church was delivered by Rev. T. Gill, from the words, " encourage him," Deut. i. 38. The services were very full of interest, and profitable throughout.

DR. BURNS' TOUR TO THE UNITED STATES.-Dear sir,-Please allow me space to say I expect to leave England, May 16, for America, and hope to attend the yearly meetings of our brethren in N. H., Maine, &c.; to proceed afterwards to San Francisco, and design to return about the end of August. Letters in America will find me at 107, Warren Street, New York.

J. BURNS.

STEVENSON.-Will friends please observe that the address of the Rev. John Stevenson, A.M., is not Ilkeston, nor Derby, but 82, Addison Street, Nottingham?

EVERETT.-A public recognition of the Rev. E. K Everett as minister at Wakefield Road Baptist Chapel, Staley bridge, took place on Easter Monday. The speakers included the Revs. W. Underwood, D.D., A. North, J. Hughes, and J. Williamson. Mr. J. Heap, on behalf of the church and congregation, heartily welcomed the new minister, expressing the unanimous feeling of the people. J. Cheetham Esq., J. P., ably conducted the meeting, which was of a most satisfactory and pleasing character to all present.

JOLLY.-On Monday, March 18, Rev. J. Jolly was ordained to the pastorate of the Baptist church, Boston. Rev. E. Johnson, B.A, introduced the service. Rev. J. A. Jones proposed the questions to the church, and the Rev. E. Bott the questions to the minister. Rev. J. Lawton, of Louth, offered the designatory prayer; Rev. Dr. Underwood delivered the charge to the minister; and the Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A. addressed the congregation. Revs. J. K. Chappelle, of Boston, and S. Robins, of Kirton, took part in the interesting services.

PIKE, REV. E. C.-On Sunday, Feb. 4, the Rev. E. C. Pike, B.A., commenced his duties as pastor of the Lombard St. church, Birmingham. On the following Monday a tea meeting was held, after which the church and congregation accorded to Mr. Pike a very hearty reception. The public recognition service was held on Tuesday evening, April 9, under the presidency of the Rev. Chas. Vince, who spoke in very eulogistic terms of Mr. Pike, and in the name of the Nonconformists of Birmingham gave him a very hearty welcome to their midst. Mr. Patterson, senior deacon,

detailed the history of Mr. Pike's invitation and acceptance of the pastorate. The Rev. J. C. Pike, of Leicester, gave an address on the work of the ministry, and the following ministers also addressed the meeting-The Revs. W. B. Davies, of Coventry, J. J. Brown, W. F. Callaway, W. L. Giles, and L. H. Parsons of Birmingham.

PRESENTATION.

HITCHIN.-On Monday, March 18, at the quarterly church-members' tea-meeting, at the General Baptist Chapel, Hitchin, a presentation was made to Mr. and Mrs. R. Johnson, on the occasion of their removal from Hitchin to London, of an elegant Album, containing portraits of all the members of the church. The Rev. J. H. Atkinson presided, and briefly related the circumstances connected with his settlement among them, and expressed his grateful sense of the varied and great obligations under which himself and the church had been laid, by the kind and generous aid they had received from the friends who were now about to be removed from them. Mr. Joseph Perry, gave a short review of what, by God's blessing, had been accomplished. The chapelreared by the liberality of Mr. Johnson, was opened, Oct. 9th, 1867, and enlarged in the spring of 1868, the church being formed July 2nd, 1869. In presenting the testimonial, Mr. Perry took occasion, on behalf of the church and himself, to express their wishes and prayers that God's best blessing might accompany their friends to their new sphere. Mr. Johnson replied, with much feeling, stating that the gift was as unexpected as it was appropriate and welcome. He would never forget the pleasure and profit he had experienced in connection with the good work in which his brethren and himself had been permitted to unite; and, particularly, how restful he had found the labour of the Sunday school.

NOTTINGHAM, Stoney Street.-April 17, seven, by J. Ryder, one of whom unites with an Independent church.

OLD BASFORD.-April 7, three; also for Carrington, five, by W. Dyson.

PETERBOROUGH.-Feb. 25, two; March 31, six, by T. Barrass.

SPALDING.-March 31, five, by J. C. Jones. WALSALL.-March 3, four, one of whom was the pastor's youngest son; March 31, six, one of whom was the pastor's only daughter, by W. Lees.

WEST VALE, Halifax.-April 2, five, by T. Gill.

Marriages.

DAVISON-SCOTHERN.-April 16, at the G. B. chapel, Kirkby, by Rev. C. Forth, Mr. William Davison, to Mary, eldest daughter of Mr. William Scothern, both of Kirkby.

EASTWOOD-UTTLEY.—April 20, at Birchcliffe Chapel, by Rev. W. Gray, Mr. John Eastwood, to Miss M. A. Uttley, both of Wadsworth.

TAYLOR-BERRY.-March 18, at the Baptist Chapel, West Vale, by the Rev. T. Gill, Henry Ernest Taylor, son of Mr. George Taylor, to Mary Jane, youngest daughter of Mr. John Berry, both of Greetland, near Halifax. This being the first marriage in the chapel, the young couple received a very handsome copy of "Cassell's Illustrated Bible."

BULLOCK.March 25, at Southbrook House, Southampton, in her 67th year, Mary, the beloved wife of Mr. George Bullock of that town, and third daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Cooke, of Loughborough.

LILLEY.-April 15, at his residence," Retreat Villa," Wisbech, after a long illness, John Lilley, Esq., M.R.C.S., L.S.A.

SCOTT.-July 12, 1871, at Fressingfield, Suffolk, aged 66, John Scott, B.A., for many years Professor of Languages at Norwich.

YOULES.-April 10, at Whittlesey, aged 62, Sarah Youles. Baptized Jan. 1841. She met much opposition at the commencement of her Christian course, both from the family circle, and from the world. Her discipleship to Christ was true and earnest, her whole life was a shining light, and the constancy of her faith was fixed upon the sure foundation found in Job xix. 25 -27, which she wished to be made the source of comfort and improvement to the living after her decease. T. W.

ORISSA MISSION CONFERENCE.

Cuttack, Feb. 26th, 1872.

AGAIN we have met in Conference, and there have been circumstances of special interest connected with our meeting, some of which have never occurred before, and can never occur again.

We expected, as you know, the arrival of the Viceroy and GovernorGeneral during our session; and as Cuttack had never been visited by so high a functionary, he would have received a welcome which would have shown our profound respect for his exalted position, and our unfeigned and hearty loyalty to the Queen; but, alas, the scene anticipated with such lively interest was exchanged for one of deepest gloom and sadness; and on Friday the 16th, at one p.m., the very day and hour when it was expected the Viceregal party would visit the Mission Orphanages, we passed a resolution in which we expressed the deep regret with which we had heard of his assassination, and our intense abhorrence of the crime. This resolution we forwarded to the Commissioner of Orissa; and it will, I hear, be sent by him to the Government of Bengal.

Another circumstance of great interest connected with this Conference was, that on the 12th, fifty years were completed since the commencement of the work at Cuttack. February 12th, 1822, was a day that will ever be memorable in the annals of the Orissa Mission; for on that day our first missionaries, Bampton and Peggs, with their wives, reached Cuttack. We felt constrained on this memorable day to remember all the way in which the Lord our God led our fathers and has led us during this half century; and while conscious of many short-comings in ourselves, and of much to awaken anxiety and vigilance in our native christian communities, we saw very abundant reason to do as Paul did when approaching the imperial city"thank God and take courage.' 99 We commenced the day with a prayer

meeting, presided over by Mr. W. Bailey. Prayer was offered by Sebo Patra, Shem, Ghanushyam, and Anthravady, pastor of the Telegu Baptist church in the 41st Regiment Madras Infantry. It was felt by all to be a very lively, profitable service, and was numerously attended. In the evening I preached in Oriya on the establishmentof the kingdom of Christ in Orissa, and its progress during half a century, from Deut. xxxii. 7, "Remember the days of old." The congregation was very large. On the following Sabbath evening a similar sermon was preached to our English congregation from Luke xi., part of 2nd verse, "Thy kingdom come;" and I am rather ashamed to say that I was the preacher. The only excuse I can make is that the appointment to the Oriya service was made by the native brethren, and to the English by the missionaries. The jubilee missionary meeting was held on Monday evening, the 19th, and was numerously attended, Mr. Hill presided, and Mr. Miller offered the opening prayer. Addresses were delivered by Sebo Patra on the history of the Mission, by Kombho on our obligations to those who brought the gospel to Orissa, by Paul on the many blessings we enjoy from the gospel of Christ, and by Makunda Das on what we all ought to do to extend the kindom of Christ. The closing prayer was offered by Ghanu. The attendance was large. I have not time, nor have you space, for a lengthened report of these speeches; but may say that Sebo began by remarking that they had heard the history of the Mission in the jubilee sermon to which they had listened a week before, and what could he say more than they had already heard. Still he did say some things which had not been said before, especially in reference to the vernacular schools, which were established in the early years of the Mission, and by which light was communicated to his own mind and to the minds of others. briefly glanced at the conversion of Gunga, Krupasindhoo (deacon), Rama

He

Chundra, and others; then referred to the churches established at Berhampore, Choga, Khundittur, Piplee, (with the beginning of which he was intimately connected), Bonamalipore, &c. True, we did not see all we desired or hoped to see; but we need not be discouraged on this account: the splendour of the noonday sun did not immediately follow the brightness of its rising. Some of the closing remarks by Makunda Das appeared to me very weighty and important. Among other things he said that in the epistles sent by Christ to the seven churches in Asia, most of the churches were reproved; and if an epistle was sent to the church at Cuttack, would He not have somewhat against us? The speaker then pointed out the great deficiency in family instruction among native christian parents, and told them that the children in the orphanages knew the Scriptures a great deal better than their own did. He suggested the establishment of a Sunday school in each of our villages; and in closing, reminded us that "He that planteth and He that watereth is nothing, but God that giveth the increase." Such was the jubilee meeting. Now we enter on a new period; and if we do so with right views and feelings-"forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before"- -we shall see much greater things than these. Giving ourselves afresh to Christ, and desiring from "this moment to live or die" only to serve and please Him, may we enter on this new course of time strong in faith, assured of the power of the gospel, relying on the help of the Holy Ghost, and looking with calm unshaken confidence for the day when the idols of Orissa and of all other lands shall be utterly abolished.

Another circumstance of great interest and satisfaction to all of us was, that at this Conference we were favoured with the presence and counsels of our venerable brother, the Rev. Jeremiah Phillips, D. D., who represented the Northern Orissa Mission. Our brother has borne the burden and heat of the day, but "bates not a jot of heart or hope, but still bears up and steers right onward." He was one of the first two who came from the United States to Orissa on the return of the

late Dr. Sutton in 1835. He remained eighteen years without a change, and when he left the field in 1854 he had to remain a much longer time than usual in America before he was sufficiently restored to return. It was twenty years since he had visited us in Cuttack. A very small number remain of those who were members when he first came here in 1836. We had hoped that our estimable sister, Mrs. Phillips, would accompany him, but an attack of fever deprived us of the anticipated pleasure.

A review of the events of the yearmost of which have been reportedawakened as usual emotions of a mixed character. We had to sing of mercy, but we had to sing of judgment too. Your readers know the sorrow called forth by the death of Miss Guignard, and the estimate formed of her services. The serious illness of Mr. Taylor, and the necessity for his return with Mrs. Taylor to England, came on us very unexpectedly, and was felt to be a very painful and embarrassing event; but with the medical testimony before us, we were constrained to acquiesce in it as the will of the Lord. The brethren readily bore their testimony to his ability and devotedness as a missionary; and a christian friend in Her Majesty's military service who intimately knew our brother, and had seen much of his course at Berhampore, says in a letter to me, "Mr. Taylor will be much missed at Berhampore, and the Mission will lose a hardworking, consistent, and worthy man." The arrangement that commended itself to all the brethren as the best under existing circumstances, was for Mr. W. Bailey to go to Berhampore ; and he will, if the Lord permit, leave this in a few days. May the Master's presence go with him. The arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, and of Mr. and Mrs. Hill, on the evening of Dec. 2, was an occasion of great thankfulness and joy to all; and we welcomed too the young friends with them.

Mr. Thomas Bailey had by ten years of faithful service well earned his furlough of one year: it was kind and generous on the part of the committee to invite him to return it was also judicious, for the change would probably have soon been necessary if he had not taken it when he did. We trust that he will render useful service