and once they had nearly succeeded in persuading Mr. Brougham and others, that they were the only geRuine supporters of the scheme. It would have become them as a proof of their sincerity and single-minded. ness, to accept the proffered boon of Parochial Schools, though it was accompanied with a condition that strengthened the interests of the Church. And nothing could have had greater influence in checking the asperity of controversy, nothing could have produced more conciliating effects on the minds of candid Churchmen, nothing could more decidedly have raised the character of the great body of Dissenters, and increased that power and security, of which character is the base, than the sacrifice of partial interests, or rather of partial claims, to the general good of the community at large. These are the considerations on which we should have dwelt, and we should not have despaired of urging them with success, if the only objection put forward by the Dissenters had been that which rests upon the interference of the Clergy with the Schools that it is proposed to establish. But to press these arguments at present, would be a fruitless task; and, therefore, we shall conclude our observations by declaring, that if the great body of Protestant Dissenters persist in a Systematic and factious opposition to the principle of the proposed bills, the opinions of that body, large and powerful as it is, ought to be put entirely out of the question; and the legislature should proceed as if no such persons were in existence. The measure does not originate with the Bishops, or the Clergy, or with any one who is in the confidence of either. Mr.

Brougham's connections and partialities are notorious to all the country, and to call him a highchurchman would be as absurd as to call him a Chinese. He has never consulted the Episcopal Bench as a body; and we are not sure that he has taken counsel even with a single individual among them. His principal assistants in the Education Committee, were Mr. Babington and Mr. Butterworth; and it is whispered, we believe correctly, that the plan of education proposed in his Bill, is rather the plan of those gentlemen, and of their friend Mr. Wilberforce, than his own. There is nothing by which the lives of these three gentlemen have been more distinguished, than by a desire to coalesce, and cooperate with the Dissenters, and they have pursued the scheme at at risk, and by sacrifices, of which a vast majority of the Clergy disapprove; and which appear to many to endanger the very existence of the Establishment. And it is their plan of coalition and friendship, and mutual forbearance, against which Mr. Wilkes and his brethren protest. Twenty years of intimate alliance and friendship; twenty years of mutual esteem and approbation; encouragement upon encouragement, and concession after concession have all been thrown away. The moment that these three gentlemen, in coalition not with the Bishops and Clergy, but with Mr. Brougham, propose a plan for education as the product of their joint labours, they are branded as tyrants and persecutors, and bigots; their friendship is forsworn, and the whole edifice falls to the ground. This is a plain unvarnished tale, and it proves the inexpediency of courting Dissenters by concession.

ao insufficient grounds, already adopted; and thereby fortify him still more strongly agamist the false statements, arguments, the irreverent ride delive

which he may be assailed by the enemies of Christianity. It is with extreme satisfaction that the Committee proceed to report, that they have had little occasion to introduce general y Tracts of the former class. After a very minute enquiry into the state of the district, with respect to the prevalence of licentious opinions on the subject of religion, they happily found that very few of the infidel and blasphemous works which have lately disgraced the English press, have found their way into the Deanery of Lewes. Yet would the Committee respectfully, and, at the same time, earnestly suggest to the subscribers, the prudence of putting the halflearned as soon as possible on their guard, by a liberal distribution of the second description of treatises in support of the fath, P. 7.

"The National Schools which were established in the Deanery before the present year, are all thriving, and in active operation. They have severally received the ready assistance of the Committee by gift, or by sale of Books at reduced prices, according to the exigencies and the funds of the respective institutions. And the

Testaments, Bibles. Psalters, &c.

118

Committee beg leave to congratulate the General Meeting on the establishment of a large School for Girls and Boys since the last anniversary, under circumstances peculiarly interesting: whether they regard the alienation of the building from sectarian purposes, the liberality of subscription, or the unwearied patience of superintendence manifested by the most respectable part of the neighbourhood in its formation, and support. To this School, situated at Hurstpierpoint, the Committee have granted 1,202 Elementary Books of Instruction, and upon a subsequent application, 24 Common Prayer Books have been given as rewards to the most diligent and attentive of the scholars." P. 10.

Sixth Annual Report of the Alford and Spilsby District Committee. FRANCIS MEAD, D.D. in the Chair.

THE Committee, after returning thei sincere thanks to the numerous supporters of this Institution, beg leave to inform them that in the Course of the year ending December 1st, 1820, Books and Tracts to the amount stated below have been issued from their local deposit, viz.

126

208

223

2154

2829

THE Anniversary of this Society was holden, according to charter, on Friday, the 16th inst. The members assembled, as usual on this occasion, in the vestry room of Bow Church, waiting the arrival of the Lord Mayor, who came in state, about 12 o'clock, attended by the Sheriff's and several of the Aldermen. There were present of the Society, the Archbishop of Canter bury, the Bishops of London, Bangor, Carlisle, Chester, Peterborough, Salisbury, and Killaloe, the Dean of Carlisle, the Archdeacons of London, Middlesex, Essex, and Colchester, besides a much larger number of the Clergy and lay members, than has been usual on late occasions. The Sermon was preached by the Bishop of Peterborough, from Romans x. 14., and was a sketch of the operations of the Society, in discharge of the great duty for which it had made itself responsible. After Divine Service, business was entered upon, and the Board continued sitting for the dispatch of it, till four o'clock, when their Lordships the Bishops adjourned to the Mansion House pursuant to annual custom.

Church Building Society.

OUR last tabular specification of the progress of this most important institution in the truly patriotic work which it has undertaken, and has now been assiduously prosecuting for three years, will be found in the Remembrancer for January, 1820. In that number of our miscellany we had the pleasure to present our readers with the particulars of 51 cases, which had received from the Society's funds, subsequently to a former report, in grants amounting to 11,2557. such a measure of pecuniary encourage

ment as had produced in their respective Parish Churches, or in Chapels appendant to them, additional accommodation for 15,149 members of our Communion, previously excluded from the congregation; of whom, we had the satisfaction to state 10,904 as gratuitously provided for.

Since the date of this account there has been no relaxation on the

part of the committee, either in its exertions or its liberality; nor any falling off on the part of parishes standing in need of its relief. The number of applications then amounted to 214, the subsequent encrease has raised this number to 301. The cases disposed of were then 103. They are now 155. Those approved of and aided were then 97. They are now 143. The amount of its pecuniary grants was then 23,5647. it is now 36,2127. The Church room provided then furnished additional accommodation to 32,050; it now extends this benefit to 44,617; and the proportion of gratuitous sittings continues progressively upon the increase, for it then rather exceeded two-thirds, but now nearly amounts to three quarters of the whole number.

Within this period it has received occasionally both from public bodies and private individuals, sub. stantial tokens of approbation, which, though by no means keeping pace with its disbursements, have still the effect of demonstrating that it is under the observation of those, by whom the valuable institutions connected with our National Church are so liberally supported, and that it will never be permitted, for want of funds, to suspend its operations whilst there remains a parish straitened in its means of accommodation for the worship of God, and disposed to make some pecuniary sacrifices for the supply of this lamentable deficiency, if encouraged to it by the Society's relief.