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Q. What is your worship?

A. I am of the Reformed denomination; our ceremonies, our creed are the same as those of the established church in the pay of the State; the only difference is that we are not in the pay of the State. Our society, the Evangelical Society, has an equal right with the Catholic Society for propagating the faith.

Q. Why did you not perform the formalities required by the decree of March, 25, 1852 ?

A. I could not suppose that decree to be applicable to a peaceful worship;-to us, who preach the submission to laws, the respect for the authorities,-to us who preach a religion of peace and charity.

Q. Then, you ought to have submitted to the conditions required by the authorities, to police enactments. The same law is binding upon the Catholic religion: a Catholic chapel cannot be erected without that license which you refuse to ask for you are a minority: you cannot pretend to a greater amount of liberty than the Catholic church.

A. We do not pretend to a greater, but to an equal amount of liberty. We beg to be at liberty to preach the Gospel, to perform our worship peacefully in a chapel,-to awaken sinners from their deadly sleep. From what I have witnessed I have been enabled to ascertain the profound religious indifference in which the greater part of the population of this place lived.

Q. Do you meddle with politics?

A. Never; when I came to this place I felt assured that my duties were to be of a purely religious character. For these three years I have strictly adhered to the character of my calling, when in the midst of difficult circumstances which would have made it impossible for me to dissemble if I had had something to conceal. Both in public and in private, I have always exhorted men to "render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." The decision of the court was as favourable as could be anticipated. Pastor Porchat was condemned as being the leader of an illegal association. An appeal has been lodged to the superior

court at Le Mans.
known.

The result is not yet

At Fouqueure the religious worship has been prohibited from motives of public morality. Our Evangelist must be tried at Ruffe on the 20th of July.

The seriousness of our situation may be easily perceived; if the supreme tribunal (la Cour de Cassation) pronounces against us, we shall be as outlaws, so far as religious matters are concerned. Let our friends pour out incessant prayers, so that He who has dispensed us these trials may bestow deliverance upon us. State of the Work.

In the midst of these difficulties, the spiritual condition of our Missionary ststions is highly encouraging. Let us first mention the stations which have been most severely tried. Our Evangelists in the Haute-Vienne speak of a cheering progress. The bond of union between the pastors and the people has been drawn closer. There is more frequent, more intimate intercourse. Public worship is well attended. At Limoges, some 500 hearers are in attendance. At Villefavard, at Thiat, the temple is crowded. Such an abundance of good seed cannot but produce fruits. Is it not a cheering result to witness the steadiness of the heads of families whose children attend our Schools, and the sacrifices which they have made towards maintaining the wor ship? Is not that a beginning of faith?

At

Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes, the work is on the advance, notwithstanding the many difficulties. We have appointed a new pastor there, in order that the bread of the Word may be distributed to those friends, though the temple is closed. There are at that place several Christians full of life and courage. The trial of their faith cannot but be beneficial to them. A recent occurrence has convinced us that, if we were at liberty to evangelize as we formerly did, we could multiply the scenes of Christian interest. A Protestant gendarme died at SaintFlorentin, a small place near Joigny. Pastor Trivier was called upon to perform the funeral. The religious ceremonies were performed in the presence of nearly all the inhabitants, who had thronged to

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At Auxerre, public worship is well attended; but there is need of a residing pastor.

At another of our stations, in the midst of trials and difficulties, the results are highly encouraging. "On Whitsunday," our evangelist says, "we, all of us, partook of the holy supper. I held three private meetings. Some other friends did the same, and our Sunday passed away very peacefully. Great blessing has been poured upon us. Our enemies have been astonished at our patience, resignation, and peace. Not a word of complaint. Confiding in the Lord, we expect everything from Him.

We, And

"Shall I find expressions to say how many times our friends have given proofs of their steadiness and prudence? every day, feel nearer to Christ. this time of difficulties is that in which the Gospel is most read and announced." The Missionary station of Vitry-leFrançais has ceased to be connected with our Society. It has formed itself into an independent church. The members have written to us a letter from which we shall quote the following lines :-"We were anxious to testify our gratitude to your committee. You will not regret that you have devoted so much time to the evangelization of Vitry, when you shall recollect that twenty souls, at least, have been brought over from darkness to the light of the Gospel, without mentioning three more brethren who died in the faith. The influence of the church has also exerted itself abroad. Prosecute your labours with faith and courage. It is difficult labour; but every thing that is great is of difficult execution."

Near Paris, we have the Missionary station of Saint-Denis. Worship is well attended the schools are in a prosperous condition. "We have established," the pastor writes, "a Sunday evening meeting,

wholly consecrated to prayers and psalm singing, a worship properly so called." It is a means of promoting the internal work, and developing religious emulation in that Missionary post.

At Paris, the work of evangelization is greatly on the advance. Although our schools in the Faubourg du Temple have ceased to be gratuitous, there has been no diminution in the number of pupils. "Owing to the small contribution which we require from our pupils, pastor Burnier says, the composition of our schools has been meliorated. We have no longer such pupils as appeared more in our lists than in the school-room. School-discipline has been improved. I have never observed that the heads of families complained of our new system."

"These

Our normal school underwent some trying difficulties last winter. difficulties," M. Vulliet says, "have not prevented such student-teachers as were to leave our school, from being successful candidates for examination wherever they presented themselves, if we except one pupil, who could not be examined, because there were no Protestants in the department where he presented himself, and no pastor having in his charge the examination of Protestant candidates. The young schoolmasters trained up in our normal school, are generally held in high estimation for their conduct and Missionary zeal. Most stations founded by our brethren connected with the official church, have their schools placed under

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the tuition of our studentteachers." We are warranted in considering our normal school as an efficient means of evangelization. The following fact will go far to prove what blessings do frequently rest upon the exertions of our schoolmaster:-"On the last day of the year," one of them writes, "I called upon to console the dying daughter of one of our brethren. She was but twenty, and was consumptive. In the winter before, she, unknown to her father, had been to a ball, and had got cold. From that time her health had been fast declining. She had been visited by the pastor, but she avoided any serious conversation. She thought she would re

cover. She had set her heart upon the | The sum which it is ne

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world; and it was to be feared that she would never give it to the Lord. We prayed much for her: the Lord seemed, as it were, not to hear our prayers; yet he granted them just when we were despairing. On the morning of her last day she underwent a violent crisis. The pastor came and asked her whether she felt ready to appear before the judgment-seat of God. No,' she said; 'I hope I may recover. I will not die.' In the afternoon I was sent for. 'Oh! it is you, M. P―, do pray for me;' when I had offered up a prayer, she spoke of her sins, which were raising a barrier between her and God. I spoke to her of the infinite love of the Saviour; I urged her to imitate the example of the thief upon the cross: and when I had done speaking, 'Mother,' she said, 'do you believe that I shall be happy near the Lord? Oh, yes! the Lord has died for my sins. Oh, Lord! receive me to-day into thy heaven.' I prayed once more: I read the 23rd Psalm. She gave her last cordial embrace to her parents, and when we were kneeling round her bed, was called from time."

This hasty sketch of our work is sufficient to prove that it is in a prosperous condition. There is, no doubt, a mixture of weaknesses and infirmities, but there are motives for encouragement, and for renewed exertions.

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cessary to collect, from this day up to April 15, 1854, amounts to 134,196 fr. 30 c. That situation, at this season of the year, is neither extraordinary nor alarm. ing. It is, however, somewhat grievous, in so far as it goes to prove that the exertions of the committee to bring the work to a more regular financial course have not been successful. As usual, the receipts of the society, during the three months following the last six weeks of the preceding exercise, have been very insignificant. The consequence is that the committee, although they feel assured that resources will be provided at last, are obliged to resort to unpleasant expedients in order to meet the expenditures which are not to be stopped.

We have so repeatedly and so forcibly said all that it was possible and necessary to say, concerning a state of things so prejudicial to the conducting and promot ing of the work, that we must not revert to it again. There are only two courses left to the members of the committee. They must cither interrupt their work in order to avoid the reproof of imprudently engaging into deficits, or take upon themselves, as long as they shall be able, the burden of providing for the expenditure of the Evangelical Society,-a Society which, owing to the serious and interesting circumstances under which it is placed, ought to enjoy the constant support and the ardent sympathies of every Christian. It is needless to say that it is this latter course that the committee have determined upon. They feel convinced that far from being liable to any reproof on the part of their friends, they shall at last induce them to acknowledge that, in justice, the same persons ought not constantly to bear the burden of engagements which have been contracted for the promoting of such interests as are equally dear to every heart which loves the Saviour.

(To be concluded in our next.)

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THE SAMOAN ISLANDS.

VISIT OF A BRITISH SHIP OF WAR.

In the summer of 1819, H. M. Ship Havannah was engaged in a cruise among some of the islands of Polynesia, including the Samoan, Feejee, and Loyalty groups, and her commander, Captain Erskine, has since published a narrative of the incidents of the voyage. During his stay at Samoa, Captain Erskine visited the scenes of the Society's operations at Upolu, Tutuila, and the smaller islands of Manua, and as the testimony of an impartial observer to the value of Missionary labour can be readily appre ciated, we need offer no apology for introducing into our periodical a few extracts from the narrative.

It should be borne in mind that the war which for three or four years proved so disastrous to Samoa, was, at the time of the writer's visit, still in progress; society had become disorganized, and the Missionaries and their faithful adherents were maintaining an arduous and apparently unequal contest with the powers of evil. Captain Erskine, on the occasion of this visit, made a laudable, though abortive attempt, to reconcile the contending factions; but what could not be accomplished at that time was providentially brought about in April, 1851, and we would earnestly hope that the free course of the Gospel in those interesting islands may never again be interrupted by the calamities of war.

EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL OF A CRUISE
AMONG THE ISLANDS OF THE WESTERN

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PACIFIC, IN H. M. SHIP HAVANNAH,"
BY JOHN ELPHISTONE ERSKINE, CAP-
TAIN, R. N.

Manua.-Descriptive Notices.

"At daylight, on the 8th July (1849), Manua, a name properly applied to the small group comprising the Eastern or weathermost division of the Archipel des Navigateurs,' or Samoan Islands, was seen from the mast head. The group in question consists of the three islands of Manua-tele (Great Manua), or Tau, Ofo, and Olosinga, and is that discovered by M. de Bougainville, on the 3rd May, 1768, who sailed along the northern side, passing afterwards to the southward of Tutuila. These Islands are all lofty, marked land; Olosinga being a sharp peak, which appeared, when it bore north by west, as we approached it from the southward, to be connected with Ofo by a smaller sugar-loaf.

"We were close up to the precipitous shores of Manua-tele by noon, and ran along the coast at the distance of about a mile, ad

miring the richly wooded hills, fringed below
with occasional cocoa-nut groves, and daz-
zling sandy beach, and bounded by a shore
reef only a few yards wide, on which the
sea broke with a gentle ripple. On ap.
proaching the north-west point, the first
village was discovered, offering the enchant-
ing prospect with which all previous visiters
to Polynesia have been so impressed, an effect
we afterwards found rather increased than
diminished on a closer acquaintance. The
elliptical open habitations of the natives
were nestled among the trees, some plastered
and white-washed buildings, comprising the
church (see Engraving) and Missionary's
house, being the most conspicuous.
rounding the point, off which, at the distance
of about two hundred yards, lies a rock a few
feet above water, with apparently a passage
between it and the main land, another towa
made its appearance. The land here form
a bay, the water being smooth, with little or
no surf on the beach; so we hove to, to
communicate with the shore, where a few
quiet-looking groups of people were begin-
ning to assemble. A small canoe Was

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