It will give you pleasure to learn, that our minds have lately been cheered by witnessing greater anxiety, on the part of many, to make their "calling and election sure," and an increase of brotherly kindness among the members of the society generally. At our English prayer-meeting, on Monday evening last, a soldier found peace with God; and three or four persons have this week begun to meet in class. Mr. Hodgson conducted love-feasts at Rondebosch and Wesley chapel last week, which were felt, I believe, by all present, to be seasons of "refreshing from the presence of the Lord." I held one for the Dutch members last night, in Sydney-street chapel: it was a deeply-interesting occasion; and, as one and another rose to testify of the grace of God, I felt much encouraged to persevere in preaching repentance and remission of sins in the name of Jesus. One man, present at a love-feast for the first time, said, he must tell of the Lord's goodness. He had been brought up in the Lutheran doctrine, baptized and confirmed in that church; but, for thirty-eight years after his confirmation, continued to be a slave of Satan. About two years ago, during an attack of illness induced by indulgence in intoxicating liquors, he was brought to see the wickedness and danger of his conduct; he repented of his sin, and determined to serve the Lord. By the grace of God, he has been faithful to his vow. 1 remember having seen him occasionally, previous to that time, when visiting his friends in Cape-Town; who, having then faithfully warned him, and prayed for his conversion, now rejoice over him as a brand plucked from the burning." I may venture to add a few particulars concerning this individual. He resided many years in the neighbourhood of the Moravian Institution, Groene-Kloof; when it was his constant practice, though enslaved by sin, to read the Bible through twice a year. When convinced of sin, as alluded to, he retired daily to pray amid the rocks and bushes. His anguish of mind only seemed to increase, and he was ready to despair; when it occurred to him, that he had heard the excellent Missionaries at the Institution say, that those who seek the Lord must never cease to pray. The hour of his deliverance drew near: the pains of hell gat hold upon him, and he hastened to his accustomed place of prayer upon the mountain-side. He knelt him down, and called upon God: there was no voice,

nor any that regarded. Hour after hour passed, and still he prayed. The hea vens became dark with gathering clouds ; but he minded not the coming storm. Heedless of the rain which began to pour down, he pleaded and wrestled with the Lord: conscious only of his spiritual danger, he felt no bodily discomfort. He did not pray in vain: he found, in the midst of the storm, the Lord whom he sought, and "went down to his house justified." Henceforth he followed on to know the Lord, though his experience was of a fluctuating character, having none to counsel or encourage him. His friends in Cape-Town, anxious for his spiritual welfare, desired him to remove from the country, and reside with them, where he would have the benefit of the ordinances of religion and Christian fellowship. He did so a few months ago, joined our society, and now rejoices in God.

I cannot forbear mentioning another instance of the grace of God. At the close of the meeting there stood up a Scotchman, who, after forty years' residence in this country, speaks Dutch with the fluency of a native.

"A man whose aged step
Seem'd weary, worn with care;
His face was furrow'd o'er with years,

And hoary was his hair."

He said, "When I look around me, I see that I am the eldest in years, and the eldest in sin. I have been a wicked sinner, the chief of sinners; but in my seventieth year I found salvation. Is not this mercy unspeakably great? Yes, my friends, God receives sinners at the eleventh hour; nay, he saves after the eleventh hour. Bless the Lord, O my soul! My friends, help me, help me to praise the Lord!" The old man's eyes filled with tears of grateful joy, and he sat down weeping. "Yes, brother," said I, "we will help you to give thanks unto God;" and with one heart and

voice we sang, "Praise ye the Lord: Hallelujah!" The conduct of this aged sinner, since his conversion, has been most exemplary. His regular attendance at the means of grace would put many to shame. It is now eighteen months since he joined the society; and though residing at a distance of four miles, he has only been absent from class once. Whether the fierce south-east or boisterous north-west wind blow, in summer or in winter, John Smith is always present.

Are not these brands plucked from the burning?

in receiving me. The next morning, Sunday, I preached to them, and had a good congregation, some of whom came, I suppose, to see the stranger white man. Mr. Grant, native Teacher, took the afternoon service, as my legs were so bruised in landing, that it was with diffculty that I could stand.

I feel at home in my station, and trust I am in the place where God would have me be.

I am thankful to state, that I have never doubted my being in the way of Providence, in being sent to this part of the world, though I have thought that the Committee might have found many more suitable for carrying out their plans in preaching the Gospel here: yet I have always believed them to be under the guidance of the Divine Spirit, and therefore take the appointment as from God; and, with this impression resting on my mind, I could not repine even in the darkest seasons of gloom; and when I have regretted most my own inadequacy for the great work, I have been consoled by the reflection, that as long as I perform my own part, however small that may be, Jehovah will require no more. May I be faithful to my trust! I see a great work before me, in which, were it the work of man merely, I should despair of success; but as it is the work of God, I feel assured of its ultimate accomplishment; and that the success will, in the end, be more than commensurate to the labour bestowed. The Gospel, I remember, is compared to leaven, hid in meal, the operations of which may be slow and unseen, but still they are sure; and effects appear after being long waited for at times; and effects will appear, most glorious in their nature, on many barren scenes over which the faithful Missionary mourns at present, because he sees so little fruit of his labours.

But already there is great cause for gratitude in seeing what has been done even in this land of darkness. In CapeCoast and its vicinity, where I have been privileged with labouring for a few months when my health would permit, there have been important changes produced by "the glorious Gospel of the blessed God." Though many stand aloof from the preaching, and wonder what the white man can mean by his proceedings, and others mock the feeble efforts of the Missionary, as he tries to break down the mighty superstitions which for ages have enchained the powers of the mind; still I could not leave the different places I visited without re

joicing; for in every congregation you might find some whose understandings had been enlightened by the rays of divine truth, and whose hearts had been changed by the Spirit of God. My heart has often been cheered when I have looked on the features of those who a short time before were worshipping idols, putting their trust in objects that could do them no good, in seeing them now bowing at the feet of Jesus, and reverently pleading in prayer with the God that made them. And then you might look on others whose eyes were glistening, and the expression of whose counteLances bespoke the deepest inquiry as to what could be the meaning of the word spoken.

Could our English friends behold scenes of this nature, and observe the collateral benefits, which may be witnessed in families where nothing but disorder reigned, when the darkness of Heathenism was pervading the mind,but which are now governed with propriety, and peace continually reigns in the domestic circle, methinks none of them would regret what they had done for the Heathen.

And there is one class to which I can never look without deep interest: I refer to the youthful parts of our congrega tions it always produces pleasure in my mind to see the children of our schools drawn up under the care of their Teachers, and forming not unfrequently a very prominent part of our assemblies,-in which they are found of service in leading the singing, &c. And then to remember that these children are taken from a state of profound ignorance, and are now being taught truths which, if cherished, will not only prove blessings to themselves, but may prove the means of raising their nation! You cannot but discover in some of our small boys, that already they see the vanity of their national gods, and even despise their Fetish; for as persons make sacrifices by depositing cowries in certain places for the purpose of inducing their gods to remove diseases with which they are troubled, or to avert evils which they fear will come upon them, the boys will watch them, and, as soon as they are gone, take the cowries for themselves; which, before they were taught in our schools, they would not touch on any account, fearing Fetish would bring the evil upon them, or cause them to suffer the discase which plagued the offender. But whilst we rejoice in what has been done for Africa, we still see that little, very little, has been effected, considering the thousands, yea, tens of thousands,

that are scattered over this vast continent; the majority of whom have never heard the sound of the Gospel; whose towns would, nevertheless, be thrown open to the messengers of the cross, if men could be found to visit them, and means were provided for their support. I seem to feel, from what I have seen in the places which I have visited, which are yet destitute of a Teacher, and from what I hear concerning large towns, containing from ten to twenty thousands of inhabitants, (not many days' journey from this place,) where we have facts like these before our eyes, I feel as if we had only just begun to labour in Africa.

Still we have opposition to contend with, and that too of a most powerful kind. The slave-trade forms in some places an insuperable barrier to our operations: the Kings and Chiefs of some towns near at hand are willing to admit us into their dominions, being disconnected with the slave-trade themselves; but they are prevented by other Kings near, who are more powerful, and are engaged in the abominable traffic of buying and selling human beings, who threaten to burn their towns if they allow the white Missionary to come among them, because they know that our preaching would be inimical to their iniquitous practices, and lessen their influence.

We trust that the strong hand of England will be outstretched very soon, to aid us in this respect, by pulling down the slave-factories which lie scattered along the coast, and raising the British flag to awe the traders in their proceedings.

We

The slave-trade is still carried on to an awful extent: it is said that from this place parties are constantly going out on kidnapping expeditions; and I believe the report is not without good foundation. One can hardly conceive all the horrors that are from first to last connected with this cruel system. might picture out some of its miseries which not unfrequently take place. Imagine a peaceful little kroom, the inhabitants of which are just retiring to rest, as the shades of evening gather around them; but all at once they are aroused by the sound of muskets firing, and the smoke of powder is blowing about them: they know the awful alarm; but what can they do? They are unable to defend themselves, all is consternation; and whilst the alarm is pervading, they behold their huts in flames: those who can, immediately fly to the bush; the mother hurries her children, the father hastens for his own safety; but a great

many of them fall into the hands of the enemies; hands are laid especially on the young and healthy, who are hurried away in horrible secrecy, to become the victims of cruelty. And then in the morning another scene of grief takes place the father has lost a beloved son, the mother finds herself deprived of a daughter, who was an object of sincere affection. The Africans are not destitute of affection: they have a genuine love for their children. O, pity their wounded feelings! The oppressed turns his eye anxiously towards England for help.

It was only last Sunday week that the gong-gong was beaten through the streets of Badagry, and an announcement was made respecting a child being lost, which had no doubt been kidnapped for slavery. Persons were urged to give it up, and warned that Fetish would discover if they were going to sell or kill it; and they had better return the child, or Fetish would bring vengeance upon them. But those who engage in these practices know Fetish, and are not afraid of his power. It seems the child had been sent on an errand, and, no doubt, the parent awaited its return with deep anxiety; but, alas, the parents may no more gaze upon it in this world!

Another source of opposition is the Fetish. The Priests have houses in which they place children, and the deluded parents dare not take them out: they carry meat to them, and thus they are kept for years; are taught certain sounds and a particular walk; while, on their coming out of these places, they represent themselves as being most sacred, and as having received revelations from another world; but the Priests keep them in ignorance: yet, strange as it may seem, many of the children are dedicated to Fetish before their birth. A man came hither last Friday, from some distance, to fetch his boy, in order, he said, to clean off Fetish from him. The boy had been in our school for some time, and I was unwilling to let him go. I appealed to the man's conscience, and talked to him for some time; but still he said the boy had Fetish about him, which must be taken off; and if we objected to his going, the friends would come and take him by force; (which had been the case with one before, which had not been brought back again;) but he said, if we allowed him to take him then, he would return him in ten days. I talked to him, and then gave him his choice; but he took the boy with him. Such are the hinderances that we meet with here; but still we are getting a firm