ON Monday, the General Annual Meeting was held in Exeter-Hall. The attendance was as crowded and respectable as on former occasions.

The REV. DR. ALDER gave out the 699th Hymn, beginning, "From all that dwell below the skies; after which he read the 72d Psalm, and the REV. DR. NEWTON engaged in prayer.

The REV. DR. BUNTING said,-It is once more my pleasant duty to state to you the name of the Christian friend whom the Committee have requested to preside over us at this Anniversary. At their unanimous request a very old, a very active, and a highly-valued friend of the cause, James Heald, Esq., M.P. for Stockport, has consented to take the chair.

MR. HEALD then advanced to the chair amid loud applause. He said, My Christian friends, I do not need to use many words in order to satisfy your minds, as my mind is well satisfied, that there is a great difference between your summoning a gentleman to the post I now occupy, and the acceptance of such a summons by the person to whom it is given. You will allow me to say, that in accepting the post which your kindness has assigned to me, I have had to surrender my judgment and my feelings to the judgment and wishes of those whose judgment I have long respected, and upon which I have been wont to repose very great confidence.

I hope,

however, that, on the present occasion, by the blessing of Almighty God, which blessing can fill up any void, and can make any appointment efficient, the Society will not be placed in disadvantageous circumstances by the exercise which the Committee have made of the discretion confided to them. I rejoice to see associated on this platform, on my right and on my left, many tried, distinguished, and talented advocates of Christian Missions; and I feel well persuaded that any deficiency which may arise from the want of ability in your Chairman, will be most amply supplied by those who will have the opportunity and honour of addressing you. This is an occasion, ladies and gentlemen, to which the friends and members of this Society have been wont to look with no ordinary feelings of interest and expectation; but I believe that, from the present position of this country and of the world, no Anniversary Meetings of this, or of other similar Societies, have ever been held within these walls, which ought to be

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regarded with deeper interest, or to be conducted with more solemn and religious feelings, than those which are about to be held at this time. I am perfectly satisfied that any sentiments and feelings which are not consistent with such a spirit, will prove inadequate rightly to carry out, and to sustain, the great and important objects which now press themselves on our attention. feel that this Meeting, as almost the first of a series to be held during this auspicious and distinguished month of May, is one which is accompanied by no small measure of responsibility; for though we may be one of the least of the tribes of Israel, yet, having been placed by the providence of God in the first rank, as to time, of those meetings which are held consecutively at this season of the year, I conceive that there is resting upon us, under present circumstances, a great measure of responsibility, and that an unwonted degree of importance attaches to our proceedings. Most earnestly do I trust that we are all looking up to Almighty God, that he may bestow upon us that grace which will prepare us to carry out, in the spirit of the prayer which has just been offered up, and which, I trust, embodied the sentiments of this large assembly, the operations in which we are engaged; and that, as all our help is in God, and must come from God, the Almighty will this morning arise and bless us, and make his face to shine upon us, that his "way may be known upon earth," his "saving health among all nations." And let us not forget the words which are associated in this passage of holy writ, and which, I fear, in the supposed greatness of our wisdom and might, we are sometimes apt to overlook; let us not forget that, if God should bless us, then, and only then, "the earth will yield her increase," and the influence which descends upon the church, and which is propagated by the church, will be diffused throughout the world. Let us, then, go with confidence to the throne of the heavenly grace, and let us be inspired and sustained by the confidence that "God, even our own God, will give us his blessing." I express my own sentiments, and I believe I give utterance to the sentiments of this great Meeting, when I say that I regard with intense interest the immediate object of our present assembly. The Wesleyan Missionary Society has now been in actual existence and operation, in its present form

and organization, for some thirty years and upwards; but Missions were conducted under the direction, and sustained by the support, of the Wesleyan Conference, for many years before the present organization of the Wesleyan Missionary Society was adopted and it is no small matter of rejoicing, that, as a section, though a comparatively small, and in some respects an unobserved, section of the Christian church, we have had the honour of labouring in the Missionary field for more than half a century; that the agents of our societies have entered all lands; that they have planted the standard of the cross on every soil, and in every clime; that they have gone forth in the name of the Lord to claim the kingdoms as his right; and that, although we have not seen our banner unfurled among large masses associated together on the continents of the earth, yet our Missionaries have penetrated into those continents, and have laboured in various islands of the sea. Directed, as we believe the operations of this Society have been, by the providence of God, we are looking for the coming of that time, (and it may come more speedily than we anticipate,) when "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea." We cannot tell what auspicious days these times, so momentous in their aspect, are designed in the providence of God to introduce. We see various systems unloosening; we see a preparation making for some more mighty events than the world has yet witnessed; and the Christian church is looking forward, sustained by the principles, and cheered by the faith and hope, of the Gospel, to claim for the Saviour this ransomed world. We have gone forth, like other Missionary Societies, into almost every land; our Missionaries are contending with every climate; they are labouring among many tribes of the human family; they are teaching that truth which, when applied in its own spirit and power, is found effectual for man under every circumstance, and in every situation and we anticipate the glorious period when the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God; when we shall see other lands raised from the depth of their degradation and misery, and, like ourselves, dwelling under the shadow of the Gospel, and rejoicing to participate in its saving benefits and privileges. This, then, is our object. But I recollect that this assembly is to be succeeded by a series of Meetings, to be held during the month of May, to promote the same ob

ject, pursued under different forms of administration; for who will say tha the object of Christian Missions, and that of the circulation of the Scriptures, are not identical? Who will say that we do not pursue the same object with Missionary institutions, when we are promoting the diffusion of religious knowledge through the medium of tracts? or when we are combining our energies, and contributing our funds, to advance the cause of scriptural education? On the Sabbath that has just passed, I dare say all the Christian friends now present have been associated directly with church institutions; and I should not augur well of any Societies similar to our own, if, more or less directly, all their operations were not so associated. I have been struck with this view of the case: Christians seem to me to have acknowledged a great principle, that every man has a duty to perform; that the religion of our Saviour demands the efforts and the support of every Christian throughout the kingdom. We see a fair representation of this feeling in every association of Christians who offer their services to supplement the Christian church, to aid its efforts, and, by such additional means as they can bring to bear, to hasten forward the glorious day when knowledge, the knowledge of the Lord, "shall be the stability of our times." I claim this principle as paramount at the present day. The religion of Christ, the Gospel of our Saviour, is the only adequate means to meet the present position of the world. I look at the present state of the continent of Europe, and then I turn with joy to my own country, and I ask myself this question, "What is there so distinctive in the character and history of Great Britain that she stands as a rock amidst the dashing of the waves, and the howling of the storm ?" I rejoice to come to this conclusion, It is because the religion of Christ is established in this land, and in the hearts of the people; because the Christianity which we profess has long been part and parcel of the constitution of our country; and the same spirit having taken possession of the minds of those who form the leading members of the great religious Societies of the day, we have brought to bear an amount of religious influence, and an extent of religious principle, that give to this country a distinction and a glory, which God grant it may ever maintain. What, I would ask, can meet the present movement of the public mind? Political legislation cannot. We have now more political legislation than,

perhaps, ever existed at any previous period of our history. No; the heart of man is depraved, and nothing that does not possess within itself a regenerating principle can meet the demands of the world, and apply a sovereign and sufficient remedy for its diseases. The Gospel of our Saviour possesses that principle; it will supply that remedy; and the world claims it at our hands. When I come to look at the entire system of means which the Christian church has yet devised to give that Gospel to the world, I ask myself, " If I were one of the outcasts in the distant regions of the earth which are full of the habitations of cruelty, what reasonable ground should I have to cherish the hope that that Gospel would be brought to me, in time to save my soul, and to deliver me from the misery and bondage of corrup tion ?" On whom, then, does this great duty devolve? It may be said that the providence of God does not require the performance of that which we have not the power to fulfil; and I fully admit that principle. But I am prepared to contend, that it would be long before we could find any scriptural justification for not doing more than we are now doing, on the ground that we have not the power to do more. The Christian church has the power. I do not speak of individuals. There are honourable exceptions, on the one hand, that come up to a noble standard. There are, on the other, numbers of our Christian brethren in circumstances of comparative destitution and suffering, who can offer little beyond their prayers. On behalf of my Saviour, and for his cause, let me ask you to lay these things specially to heart. The hopes of the world, the amelioration of our fallen race, are suspended on our giving to them the Gospel of Christ. I rejoice when I see this work in progress by any agency. The catholicity of the Gospel is always charming to my mind. I have had, for many years, the honour of being a member of several Missionary Societies; and I hail to-day the presence at our Meeting of the respected representatives of many other similar associations. I invoke them, as I invoke you, to additional exertion to extend the Gospel of Christ. Europe wants that Gospel as she never wanted it before. In the providence of God a lesson has been addressed to Europe, and with Europe to ourselves, in characters more clear, more distinct, and more luminous than any in which that lesson was ever taught before. The lesson is this, that you may try all sys

tems of Government to make men happy ; but if you give them not the Gospel of Christ, the religion of our Saviour, all your efforts will be vain. It is cheering to think that, at the present period, all reflecting minds are dwelling upon this view of the question more than upon any other. I believe, also, that from the circumstances which have occurred within the last three months, a stronger impression has been made in favour of increased efforts for the spread of religious truth than has ever existed since the formation of this Society; and, if I am not trespassing unduly on your attention, I would beg to say that this appears to me the time when the Christian church should arise and take its proper place. This is not a time for Christians to hide themselves in holes and corners. This is not a time when Christian men should seek to escape the laugh of the scoffer, or the point of the finger of scorn. This is not the time for Christian Ministers, and Christian men, who have put the Gospel to trial in their own case, to speak lightly of its influence, or to appear to question for a moment whether the Gospel still continues to be "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." The world is now looking to the church, not so much to see what additional efforts she is about to make, as to ascertain what note she is prepared to sound; whether she is still convinced that the principles of the Gospel are sufficient to regenerate the world, and that where they are applied peace in all its blessedness will follow until "the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God." My Christian friends, lay these few simple principles to heart; try to embody them in clearer views of your own, and then give them expression and utterance on every side. Let me entreat every man and woman to become advocates of this cause, and to declare boldly that men may seek peace and happiness everywhere else without finding it; but that if they come to the Gospel, and seek it in the way appointed by Him whose government extends over all the earth, and whose saving power is put forth in that Gospel, they shall not seek in vain. I rather expect that some discouraging notes will be sounded in the Report of this day but I confess to you, that though for the last half year, nay, for the last twelve months, I have laboured under strong feelings of discouragement; yet my views and feelings in reference to our present position, and to the present position of the Christian church at large, have of late been

greatly relieved; and I consider that we meet at this Anniversary under circumstances far more favourable to our cause than any by which our previous Anniversaries have been marked. I believe that there is, among the various members of this Society throughout the country, a strong and growing feeling of attachment to this good cause. I know instances, and perhaps you will have some proof of them to-day, of persons who, in the midst of abounding poverty, are preparing themselves to give some renewed testimony of their attachment to Christ; and I believe that, whatever other cause may suffer, this cause will not suffer. I trust that this feeling will pervade all minds, and that,

at the close of the Meeting, we shall retire from it with purposes of renewed devotedness to God's service, seeking for a spirit of enlarged zeal and Chris. tian benevolence, and determined that "whatsoever our hand findeth to do," in the performance of our individual duty, we will do it with our might," remembering that our "labour shall not be in vain in the Lord." I now beg to call upon our Reverend Secretaries to read the Report.

The REV. ELIJAH HOOLE read the Financial Report. It commenced with a statement of the expenditure and receipts for the year ending December 31st, 1847.

Committee

To this statement the appended the following explanatory observations:

The expenditure of the year was large; but not larger than might have been anticipated from the extent of the work to be supported, and the many contingencies connected with it. Some of those contingencies were of a most serious character. The Kaffir war, now happily concluded, occasioned the destruction of a vast amount of Missionproperty, in chapels, houses, furniture, and supplies: many of the Stations were entirely broken up, the Missionaries and their families were thrown back upon the Colony, and their native dependants were deprived of their usual means of support. The two Districts affected by the Kaffir war have expended upwards of £5,000 more, during the year, in consequence of that calamity, than had been anticipated in their grant. The island of Tobago has been desolated by a hurricane, the Mission-houses and chapels being involved in the common ruin. The other Missions in the West Indies, and especially those in the island of Jamaica, have been very burdensome to the funds of the Society; not, it is believed, from any failure of effort on the part of the devoted men who occupy those Missions,

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to raise the usual supplies towards their own support; but from the absolute inability of the people to contribute as they formerly did, arising from the depression of all interests in those islands, and the great poverty of the labouring classes, occasioned by the recently permitted admission, to British markets, of sugar, the produce of slave colonies. The expenditure has been considerably augmented by the return of Missionaries and their families, in consequence of the failure of their health, and other causes. The Committee are very seriously and diligently revising the system of returns which is the occasion of so large a direct cost to the funds of the Society; and of a further outlay, by the necessity of supplying the vacancies thus occasioned.

Turning from the expenditure to the income, the Committee acknowledge that they have much cause for thankfulness to Almighty God, and for gratitude to his people, for the amount of aid which the funds of the Society have received during the year under consideration. Early in the year 1847, the public at large, and ourselves in particular, were called upon to make large contributions for our famishing fellow-subjects in Ireland, as well as for the relief of the poor in our own country. This circumstance,