on another occasion, a Brahmin affirmed that as God was everywhere, He was in their idols; and therefore it was right to worship idols. We told him, that God was certainly everywhere, but He was not everything: He differs from all creatures. He is present every where in a way that we cannot fully comprehend.

We are certain that He is everywhere by His knowledge, and by His power. He knows all things: He upholds all things. He pervades the universe.

During the year we have distributed a large number of tracts, which will, we trust, be carefully read by some who have received them.

WE left Uitenhage on the 8th of August, and, by dint of very hard travel. ling, reached Somerset (East) on Saturday evening, the 10th. From Uitenhage we proceeded to the great ford at the Sunday's River, and, thence turning off due north, travelled upon a new road, which the Government is now cutting through the Zuur-Berg Mountains. This work is effected by a party of some three hundred convicts, chiefly Hottentots and Kaffirs, &c. The work reflects the highest credit on the skill of the English engineers and other functionaries who direct it. We were struck with admiration to see how "the mountains" were cut through and "made low," and "the valleys" filled up and "exalted." If a way for waggons can be made over such mountains and precipices as these, then a road may be made by the skill and industry of man anywhere. And surely in the moral world wonders may also be expected to be wrought under the guiding skill and active power and influence of "Him" who is "Head over all things to His church." I regretted very much that I could not stay and preach to the convicts, as I was engaged to be at Somerset for the following Sunday.

At one time, one of our Missionaries, supported by Government on the convict establishment, was stationed amongst these poor people, and much good was done; for they are very willing to listen

to and receive instruction. I was, however, obliged to withdraw the Missionary, and send him to fill up a vacancy on another station; and although the Secretary of Government applied to me to send a successor, I was unable to accede to the request. We have been so much reduced in number, and receive so rarely any reinforcement from England, owing to your limited resources, that I could not spare a man for this service. At present, and for a long time past, therefore, these poor people have had none to care for their souls, although the Government would very readily pay all the expenses required for the support of a resident Chaplain. I believe, however, that at length a suitable person will be obtained from one of the German Missionary Societies.

As I could not stay to preach, I talked with some of the convicts as long as circumstances would allow; and Mrs. Shaw scattered a number of tracts among them, which were eagerly and thankfully received. It would be well if some kind friend would occasionally send me a few bundles of tracts for distribution on my journeys. We should "sow beside all waters."

Somerset, East, is a beautifully situated village, the seat of magistracy, &c., for the surrounding pastoral and agricultural district. I first visited it in 1821, at which time it was a Government farm, under the direction of R. Hart, Esq., who still

survives, and is a Scottish Presbyterian, but has ever evinced a kind regard for our Mission. We have a very handsome small chapel, and Minister's house, with garden and orchard attached, in this town. We were delighted to meet our old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, in excellent health. I preached twice in the chapel on Sunday, August 11th, on behalf of the Sundayschools, which here consist of an English and Native branch. In the afternoon I addressed the natives, chiefly Kaffirs and Fingoes, in the school-room, which is also used as a Native chapel. The Native Teacher and Interpreter is a pious and zealous man. Not a few of the natives have, at various times, been converted at this place; but it is discouraging, both to the Missionary and the Teacher, that circumstances frequently compel the people to remove from the village, and go to remote places where they can obtain no religious instruction: and thus, much of the good effected is, for a season at least, counteracted. The friends held their Sunday-school anniversary. I was much pleased with the examination of the scholars, both in the English and Native school. Much very valuable religious instruction has been imparted, and a fair proportion of the natives can read the Kaffir New Testament. The tea-meeting was held in the evening; there was a large attendance. C. L. Stretch, Esq., occupied the chair, and the Rev. Mr. Pears, of the Dutch Reformed Church, rendered assistance at the meeting. I delivered an address appropriate to the occasion. The debt on this chapel is already all paid off, and the debt remaining on the Minister's house will soon be liquidated, when we shall also effect a saving of house-rent, and thus the Mission funds will at this place also be considerably relieved in another year or so.

I had the pleasure to meet, at Somerset, with Messrs. Hobson and Robinson, formerly of Albany, and whom I have had the pleasure to know from their youth up. They are now settled in the neighbourhood of the Sunday's River, forty or fifty miles below Graaff Reinett. Mr. Hobson was the first Englishman who migrated to that part of the country. God has wonderfully prospered him by His providence since he established himself and family there. As a member of our church he acted faithfully in establishing worship both for his family and numerous native servants. Many other English families are gone to reside in that part of the coun

try, which is found to be very valuable for sheep-farming. Thus an English neighbourhood has been formed. Mr. Edwards, at a great expense of time and toil, visits them as often as possible, although these settlers are from sixty to one hundred miles distant from him, and his rides out and home on these occasions are such as not many Ministers would be found either able or willing very frequently to take. However, he has had a good reward: the results, considering the extent of the population, have been remarkably encouraging. Religious ordinances are regularly established in a district, perhaps fifty miles distant from the nearest place of worship of any denomination. Most of the English families attend: many of them are members, and there is a very considerable Society of coloured or native members, who are described as being a very respectable and well-conducted class of people. I wish we were able to appoint a Missionary to reside there: the work might then be greatly extended in a country where there is no man set apart to care for the souls of the people. The friends there have long been liberal contributors to our Mission-fund; and if a Minister could be sent to reside amongst them, a handsome sum would be contributed regularly towards his support. Meantime, steps are being taken for the erection of a chapel in a central situation, and to establish a school.

We left Somerset on the 15th of August; Mr. Edwards helping us on our way for the first day's journey. We passed through the Zwager's Hoek, crossing the winding Little Fish-River twelve times in the course of the day. Next day, which proved excessively cold on the tops of the mountains, we passed over the precipitous and all-but-impassable mountain-road called the Ganna Hoek. Mr. Green had kindly sent to one of our native members, who lives at the foot of the pass, to meet us with his welltrained oxen. By this means we got down the mountain much more easily than we otherwise should have done, To such of the colonists as never travel beyond the boundaries, this road appears terrific; but I have had to cross still more dangerous mountains in my journeys beyond the boundary, sometimes where there was no road or track whatever. However, we were deeply indebted to Mr. Green's thoughtfulness, and to our coloured friend, in providing us such efficient assistance. When at the foot of the mountain, this man invited us to spend the evening at his

place of residence: and, although it was a little out of our direct road, we thought it best to comply with his request.

In the evening I held a short Dutch service with the family. Here I learned from his wife's own lips, what I had before heard as a rumour, that a recentlyarrived Romish Priest from Belgium, named Hoendervanger, called upon her, and, having ascertained that she attended the Wesleyan ministry, assured her that in such a course she would never be saved. As the poor woman made some reference to her Dutch Bible, he took it into his hands, and, after examining two or three passages in it, and expressing great disgust and contempt at them, he held up the sacred volume, and entreated her at once and without any delay to throw it into the fire, and burn it! The fire was burning brightly on the hearth at the time. She looked at the Bible and at the Priest, and then at the fire, and, being incapable of speaking a word, shuddered with horror. Shortly afterwards the Priest went out of the house for a while, and her son, a fine youth, who had stood a silent spectator, as soon as they were alone, said, "Mother, let us hide the Bible before he returns into the house, or else I see he will burn it himself." Accordingly they secreted the precious book before the Priest returned to the house, lest he should proceed to commit such a sacrilegious outrage. Such is the method pursued by this newly-arrived Romish Missionary, Mr. Hoendervanger, whose name, being rendered into English, is, "Mr. Fowl-catcher!" Of course, this event furnished me with a topic for my exhortation. I spoke at once of the Divine authority and inestimable value of the sacred book, and of the right of all human beings to possess it, and to read it, as being God's gracious revelation to universal man; and finally I asked, "What sort of Christianity is that which denies to the people the light of God's own book? Is not this a sufficient proof to you, that such a form of Christianity is false, and is designed to keep you in darkness and ignorance rather than to bring you into the light of life?"

Next morning we proceeded on our way, and reached Cradock in the afternoon. Mr. Green had been very unwell, but was recovering; and both he and Mrs. Green, and the friends generally, received us with much affection and kindness.

Sunday, August 18th, I preached twice in the new chapel, in aid of the

trust-funds: the attendance, including several friends from the country, was very good. In the evening the chapel was quite filled with a highly respectable congregation; and the collections were very liberal indeed.

This is undoubtedly the most handsome chapel which our people have yet erected in South Africa. The design was furnished by the Rev. John Wilson, of Port-Elizabeth; and the Trustees and the Rev. George Green have done themselves great credit by having had all its principal features well executed. The interior of the chapel is also comfortably fitted up. For its size, it may well serve our friends in this part of the world as a model-chapel. It cost, exclusive of the purchase of land, and some other extraneous expenses, £1,300, or, inclusive of these et cetera, about £1,500. About £1,000 had been already raised, from one source or another, towards the cost; and at the Trustee-meeting, held while I was at Cradock, I was glad to see such evident proof of the deep interest taken by our leading friends in all that concerned the trust-property, and likewise that, from various sources, including the proceeds of the present anniversary, there would be the means of further reducing the debt by £100, in the course of this year; so that I hope, at the end thereof, the debt will not exceed £400, the whole of which the Trustees will take measures to liquidate as soon as possible, that all the surplus chapel-income may be applied in aid of the support of the Missionary resident among them. The old chapel is now occupied by the coloured people, for whose benefit regular services are held in the Dutch language. We have also a small chapel and school-house for the Kaffirs and Fingoes, and a Native Teacher, who assists Mr. Green in that department. However, this part of the work has not latterly prospered, partly owing to the bad effects resulting from the unfaithfulness of a Native Teacher, whom we were obliged some time ago to dismiss from the work, and who has since relapsed into Heathenism.

On Monday evening there was a public tea-meeting in aid of the trust-funds. It was held in the Government schoolroom, which was crammed as full as it would hold; and I was told some persons were unable to get inside. It was gratifying to meet on this occasion all the Ministers of the town belonging to each of the denominations; from all of whom, including the recently-arrived Episcopalian Minister, we received ex

pressions of Christian courtesy and kind

ness.

After having been much pleased with the manifestations of zeal and love, which I witnessed while at Cradock, we took leave of our friends on Wednesday, August 21st, to proceed by the most direct route to Graham's-Town. I would have gladly fulfilled a plan which I had previously sketched in my mind, and have proceeded onwards to Haslope-Hills, Kamastone, and Lesseyton, returning via Fort-Beaufort; but the Graham's-Town friends wished me to be present at their coming Sunday. school anniversary. The Trustees of our new chapel, now rapidly approaching its completion, also wished to have me at home for a while; and many urgent matters connected with our District affairs combined to render it very inexpedient to extend my journey any further at present. I was therefore compelled to postpone my visit to those places for a future opportunity.

We called at several farms on the way, and I held five services at various places, where the opportunities are few and far between in which the people can hear the word of the Lord. We spent the Sabbath at the residence of Mr. Dennison, whose family, and those of his neighbours, are all either members of our Society, or regular hearers when they have the opportunity. There is great difficulty in establishing regular ordinances for the spiritual benefit of the settlers and farmers who follow pastoral pursuits. There are no villages, and the farms are separated by large tracts of country, rendering it extremely difficult to form country congregations; and the Missionaries can effect little more than visiting from farm to farm, and holding service with the isolated families. But this is a work involving great toil, which requires much time, and is attended with heavy horse-expenses. Sill, we must continue to do what circumstances will allow on the various Circuits, so as to keep up, and deepen, and extend true religion among the scattered farmers and settlers, with their servants and dependents. I believe my brethren are doing what they can in this respect; but until we have the means of appointing on some of the more extensive Circuits some additional labourers, I fear this department of the work will not be so efficiently conducted as its importance demands.

Having met with some detention, by

the straying of our oxen, we did not reach Graham's-Town till the morning of August 29th; having been absent about seven weeks, during which we travelled nearly five hundred miles in an ox-waggon. O for the convenience and rapidity of your English railway-travelling! How much fatigue would it save us, and, above all, how much more might we do for the cause of Christ, did we possess such power of rapid locomotion ! Perhaps our successors may see something of this kind even in Africa.

I know that you will be glad to hear that my journey proved very beneficial to my health. Being so much in the fresh air was no doubt highly advantageous, and I returned home quite well. It was, however, an affecting consideration to my own mind, that, while my last appearance in the pulpit of our Graham's-Town chapel was to preach a funeral sermon for my late respected friend, the Rev. Thomas L. Hodgson, so the very first public duty I was called to perform on my return home, was with reference to the unexpected death of one of our friends, and an active Trustee of our new chapel, who, in the vigour of his days, was suddenly arrested by disease, and in a short time called away by death from the midst of his family, having by his industry, under the blessing of God, just secured all that was requisite for their comfortable and respectable maintenance. I was glad to learn from my respected colleagues, who visited him in his illness, that he was fully prepared, by the grace of God, for admission into everlasting glory. The deceased Mr. George Lee, a son of the late Mr. W. Lee, who emigrated with the Salem party of settlers in 1820.

Was

My communication is already too long. I have, however, confined myself chiefly to fucts. Without further remark, therefore, I leave it to yourselves to draw such inferences as you may thi k the facts warrant. But I am much mistaken if you do not agree with me in opinion that the Lord is with His servants in all the Circuits which I visited, and that, so far as the work in these Circuits is concerned, He has "confirmed" their word "by signs following," alike encouraging to you and to us.