extracts. The consequence is, that our children are acquiring a taste for the perusal of the Scriptures." (pp. 266-295.)

"In Mexico, the first Lancasterian School was opened on the 22d of August, 1822; and by one of those singular occurrences in revolutions, the halls of the Inquisition, so inimical to this Institution, were converted into a public school, into a nursery of free men, into a true temple of reason. Three hundred children are taught to read in this school according to this new system of education, a system which will lead to the moral perfection of the world, as the mariner's compass led to the geographical perfection of the globe. This first school was called Escuela del Sol.

"Some time afterwards the Government granted to the Lancasterian Association of Mexico the large and beautiful convent of Bethlehem, and a second school was formed there. This establishment is divided into three departments, and directed by two professors well acquainted with the system; one of them is a Frenchman, who went purposely for that object from Paris to Mexico.

"The first department is calculated for six hundred and sixty children; they learn to read, write, and cipher; they are also instructed in the political and religious catechism, orthography, arithmetic, and Spanish grammar. The parents of the scholars who can pay, give a dollar a month, which is about two pounds ten shillings a year; the children of the poor pay nothing.

The second department will contain four hundred scholars, who pay two dollars per month, or nearly five pounds a year. It is a model or central school for forming teachers and good professors; and these are afterwards to be sent into the different provinces, in order to fulfil the desire of our Government, which is, to place in every village throughout Mexico a Lancasterian school, a printing-press, and a chapel.

"The third department will contain three hundred scholars; and these pay three dollars a month, or seven pounds a year. The object intended in this department is, to teach Latin, French, Geography, and Drawing, on the principles of the Lancasterian system. This trial has been made, but I am not sure whether it has answered or not.

"In 1823, there were introduced into the Lancasterian school of Mexico, the lessons used in your school in London, taken from the Bible, without note or comment. Some old priests opposed the introduction of these, stating that it was prohibited to read extracts from the Bible without notes. The Secretary of the Lancasterian Association, Mr. Gandera, a very enlightened clergyman, and distinguished for his virtue and zeal in the cause of religion, supported the opposite opinion, and succeeded

2. THE CIRCULATION OF THE SCRIPTURES We select the following interesting notices, according to the years in which the letters were

written:

Buenos Ayres, 1821.-" In my letters to you, from time to time, when in Buenos Ayres, Í related to you the state of the circulation of the Scriptures in that place. I am happy to say, that at my leaving it, the prospects regarding this important matter were more favourable than at any former period. I do not mean to say by this, that there was any particular stir about the word of God, or great demand for it; but I mean to convey to you this encouraging truth, that the Scriptures are occasionally bought, and more so than formerly, and that they are increasingly read from year to year. I consider the word of God to have fairly got an entrance into Buenos Ayres; and that its prohibition, or any material hinderance to its circulation, is not only unlikely, but, one might say, impossible. I give you this as my opinion, after a residence in that place of more than two years and a half, and an intercourse with various classes of society during that time.

"I shall now mention some things not formerly noticed, regarding the circulation of the Scriptures in Buenos Ayres, and in the surrounding country. A military officer, commanding on a station a short distance from the city, has been greatly delighted with the New Testament, and in consequence, very anxious to make others acquainted with it. He recommended the reading of it to several poor people, who were unable to purchase it, and requested to have copies to give them, which he obtained. In this way he has distributed a number of copies. Besides those given to the poor, some have been sold by him to those able to pay for them. He used to take me very cordially by the hand when we met, and to speak with pleasure on the beneficence of the Bible Society, and of the great advantages that would arise to his countrymen by a general reading of the Holy Scriptures. I told him I hoped soon to have the whole Bible in Spanish, and in consequence he is all expectation for it. On my leaving Buenos Ayres, I gave twenty-four New Testaments to this gentleman, in the confidence of their being distributed in the most judicious

manner.

"There is a military station and a small town on the coast of Patagonia, called Rio Negro, in about 42° south latitude. To this place some copies of the New Testament have been sent. One individual, a native of that place, was so pleased with the copy he got, that he requested the person who brought it, to bring several copies on his return for his family and friends.'

"A Patagonian chief, called Cualli Piachepolon, in the very centre of Patagonia, is in possession of one of your Testaments. This man has been in the habit of visiting Buenos Ayres for some years, in order to exchange the few commodities which his country at present produces, for those of Europe. He has hence

office in this place. Translated into English it runs thus: To be sold in (a) the New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ, in one volume, well printed, and neatly bound, at the low price of eight rials. This sale will conti nue for (b) days only, and it is expected that those who wish to procure for themselves this sacred code of our Holy Religion, will improve the occasion now offered them.' As this advertisement was intended not for this place alone, but for others also, I left the blank (a) to be filled up with the pen to suit each place, and the blank (b) I leave for the number one, two, or three, as my time will permit, and as the importance of the town visited may require. When these notices were finished, I caused some to be put up in this place, saying that the sale would be for three days only. In a few minutes after putting them up, I enjoyed the great satisfaction of seeing it produce much better effects than I had anticipated. At noon the notices were put up, and at one o'clock I had sold fifteen copies. In the next hour I sold forty-seven. In the course of an hour and a half during the time the store was open in the afternoon, I sold 112. Next day I sold 202 copies. The day following, which was also one of the three days of sale, happened to be a festival day held to celebrate the declaration of independence in this town four years ago. The stores in consequence were all shut, and public business suspended. Nevertheless there were eleven copies sold during a few minutes before breakfast, when the store was open for some particular purpose.

"The whole number disposed of in this place is 615, and for these I have received 542 dollars two rials. The greater part were sold one by one at eight rials each, but sometimes I sold a dozen or two together, and in that case sold them somewhat cheaper. To the number of copies already mentioned, I add the thirty disposed of, as noticed in my last, and three copies sold in Truxillo of those in superior binding, making in all 648 copies since the commencement of my tour."-(pp. 177-179.) Similar accounts are scattered through the volume.

3. RELIGIOUS TOLERATION. This is the last great change, and the slowest in a Roman Catholic country. In some of the states the triumph has been attained, in others it is pleasant to see the working of men's minds towards it. The following is an interesting sketch, dated from Lima, 1822 :

"Some weeks ago a Committee of the Congress was entrusted to draw up the outlines of å political constitution for the country. This has been accomplished, has been presented to Congress, and ordered to be printed. The Congress is just now engaged in discussing it, article by article. A good deal of interest is thus excited and kept up regarding the subject; and, in consequence, the Congress hall is daily well attended by all classes. The discussion of the article on the form of government, and that on religion, has excited the most attention. The form of government has been unanimously declared to be republican, agreeably to what I hinted to you in one of my late letters. In the outlines, the article on religion runs thus: The religion of the state is Rel. Mag.-No. 2. .

the Catholic Apostolic Church of Rome.' One of the members of the committee wished to add the word only or exclusive, but the rest not agreeing to it, he entered his protest. On this account, as well as from the general interest of the subject, the matter was keenly discussed. I went, as you may well suppose, to hear what should be said on both sides, and to see the result. The first who ascended the tribune to speak was a clergyman, carrying in his hand a book about the size of a New Testament. He began by stating, that it was his sincere desire that all men might be of the Roman Catholic Church. He then stated that the only proper way, in his opinion, of bringing men into the church was, not by force, nor by persecution in any shape, but solely by persuasion, by the force of reason. After speaking a few minutes to this effect, he went on to treat of the article as stated in the outlines.' He regretted the divisions among Christians, and the distinctive names one body and another had taken. He then opened the book he had in his hand, which I now found to be one of the Bible Society's New Testaments, in Spanish. He read the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the first chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, and proceeded to make some remarks upon the passage, and apply it to the article in question. It appeared to him, he said, very like the divisions censured by the Apostle Paul, to see the article stated in the words, Roman, Catholic, Apostolic. Having done this, he proposed that the article should be stated in this manner: The religion of Jesus Christ, is the religion of the state.' He then made some observations upon the propriety of stating it in this way, in preference to the way in which it stands in the outlines, and so concluded. As might have been expected, this alteration or amendment was opposed. My memory is not so faithful as to give you the various speeches upon the subject, but a great deal was said upon both sides of the question. In particular, the member of the committee who had protested, defended what he had done in a long speech, in which he paid but little respect and fewer compliments to us foreigners. He concluded his long story by saying, that he was so full of matter upon this subject, and felt so much interest in it, that he could still speak four whole days upon it. Another speaker got up with a volume of the Bible in his hand. He turned to two passages in the law of Moses, where the children of Israel were admonished to deal kindly towards strangers and foreigners, and concluded by a short comment upon the passages in reference to the subject in hand. In a country like this, where all the natives are of the Roman Catholic Church, every thing that is said upon toleration has a direct reference to foreigners, for it is never for a moment supposed that any of the natives will leave the Roman Catholic Church to become Protestants. The introduction of foreigners into the country, and the consequent advantages and disadvantages of it, entered deeply into the debate. I shall refer only to one speech more upon the subject. An aged member, and a clergyman, rose up and said, 'Gentlemen, this is the first time I have risen to speak in this house, and it is not my inten

tion to detain you long. I understand,' said he, that the grand and principal features of our religion are these two; to love the Lord with all our heart and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We must then take care,' continued he, 'that our zeal for the first of these two commandments does not make us overlook the second. Now I ask, whether foreigners residing among us are to be considered our neighbours or not. If they are, then we ought to love them. Gentlemen, I have nothing farther to add.' After being fully discussed, the votes were taken. First, whether the article should stand as stated in the outlines, or be altered. It was carried that it should remain as stated. The next question was, if the word exclusive should be added, and it was unfortunately carried in the affirmative. The article now stands thus:- The Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion is the religion of the state, and the exercise of every other is excluded.'

The

"We are not to be surprised that the matter has ended in this manner; perhaps we should rather wonder that there was any one of the members of the Congress disposed to speak, or even to think on the side of toleration. members who are friendly to religious liberty, may amount to one-third of the whole, or, perhaps, somewhat more than one-third, and they are men of influence and respect in the country. These made a less vigorous stand for toleration at the present time, from the consideration that what is done now in regard to the sanctioning of the basis of the constitution, is only provisional." (pp. 59-63.)

"I have hitherto been speaking of the progress of knowledge in general in South America, and its probable results. I shall now say something of the progress making in the knowledge of religion. You know, of course, that the Roman Catholic religion is the only religion professed in this continent,-as it once was the only one in Great Britain. Many are beginning to see through this system, and to find out its inconsistencies. I wish I could also say, that all those who see thus far, have attained to the knowledge of the true religion, as laid down in the New Testament. This, however, is not the case. On the contrary, I am sorry to say, that deistical principles are espoused by the greater part of those who get out of the trammels of popery. A good many in the higher ranks, particularly in the army, are of this way of thinking. This state of things need not surprise us. It is perhaps the natural result, or transition, in those places where no other religion is known than the one professed in this country. A man begins to see the absurdity of the Catholic system, and from his infancy all that is religion with him has been connected with it. In giving up this system, he gives up religion itself, as considering popery and it the same thing. From these circumstances, I conceive this to be the most favourable time for introducing, as far as can be done, the holy religion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The present is the time for labouring in this field, by introducing the Scriptures." (pp. 54, 55.)

In November, 1822, Mr. Thomson writes from Lima:

"I believe there are no remains of the Spanish arms now existing in America, except those in our neighbourhood, and about 1500 men in the isles of Chiloe. What a change, in this respect, has taken place within these few years past! And let not this revolution be considered as a small matter by the man of benevolence and the Christian. The interests of religion and of humanity are very closely connected with it. That once dreadful, now innoxious house, the inquisition, reminds me, as I daily pass it, of the happy change which has taken place. True it is, that the Spaniards have now put down the inquisition throughout their dominions; still, however, there are many inquisitorial things yet subsisting in Spain, that do not exist in the independent states of South America. Every effort has been used by Spain to retard the progress of knowledge in America. These days, however, have now gone by, and light of every kind begins to dawn on these countries. My own opinion is, that the nations of South America in a few years will far outstrip many of the nations of Europe. The people here, to a certain extent, are conscious of their ignorance, and are desirous of wiping out that stain which Spain has left upon them.

attacked with freedom and courage. The poor friars are not overlooked in these; almost every body is against them, and none seems to rise up in their defence. One of the members of Congress has made a motion for the reformation of the convents. The bill he is about to bring in, contains four articles. The first is to allow all those to leave the convents who wish to do so. The second is to allow no one in future to become a friar. The third is, that the government should take possession of all their property, and allow them out of it what is necessary for their support. The fourth article is, to make them all live in one convent, instead of occupying fourteen, as they now do. This you see is a bold proposition, and if carried into effect, will be a great step in reformation.

"I have already mentioned how freely all matters are discussed in these pamphlets. One of them has just begun to give a history of the popes. From the specimens already published, this history promises not to be very honourable to the personal character of the popes, neither does it appear intended to strengthen their pontifical authority and influence, but quite the contrary. There was a monthly magazine published in London, during the despotic reign of the present Ferdinand. In this work there was given a history of the popes, and I believe what is publishing here just now is copied from the work I have mentioned. This magazine was called El Espanol Constitucional. It was written by one of those who had fled from Ferdinand's despotic hands. He was a liberal

man, and writing in London he felt himself under no restraint in speaking of the abuses of the Church of Rome. There was another periodical work in the Spanish language published some years before it, called El Espanol. This was also printed in London, and was written with the same liberality and spirit. Both these works have reached South America, and have been a good deal read; and, as you may suppose, they have served considerably to enlighten the people of these countries." pp. (64-66.)

"A curious little piece in the poetic form, appeared about a fortnight ago in one of the newspapers of this city. There is a great deal of truth and force in it, and as it is but short, and will not occupy much room, I shall give you a translation of it. To do it justice it should be put in poetic dress, but as you know I am neither poet nor rhymester, you will please accept of it in plain prose. Simon possessed a fishing bark, and just a fishing bark, nothing more he left to his sons. They however were great fishers; they caught much, and grew rich, and could no longer be content with their small bark, but got a larger one. This bark afterwards became a brig, and then a ship. At last it grew into a man-of-war, and frightened the world with its thunder. How wonderfully is this ship of war now changed! how different now to what it was in former times! This great ship is now grown old, and shattered by the storms it has encountered, it now lies rotting in the harbour. A thousand times has it been repaired; but at last it must be laid aside altogether, and its owners must once more be content with Simon's fishing bark. You will find no difficulty, I dare say, in applying this little piece, and, I believe, you will join with me in wishing that the concluding part may be verified as exactly as the preceding parts have.

"There is a great revolution going forward in South America. I speak not of the revolt from under the Spanish yoke, for that in the present day may be said not to be going forward, but accomplished. The revolution I speak of is a moral one. Those who have eyes to see this goodly prospect, and those who have cars to hear the harmony of this moral change, meet on every hand with indications of its approach. You will not understand me as saying, that South America has become like the land of Eden, like the Garden of God. No. But a change has been begun, a happy change. Let us put our hand to this work. Let us bear it onward, and God Almighty will consummate it in due time." (pp. 68, 69.)

From the Amulet. THE WAKENING.

BY MRS. HEMANS.

While Day arises, that sweet hour of prime." How many thousands are wakening now! Some to the songs from the forest-bough, To the rustling of leaves at the lattice-pane, To the chiming fall of the early rain. And some, far out on the deep mid-sea, To the dash of the waves in their foaming glee,

As they break into spray on the ship's tall side,
That holds thro' the tumult her path of pride.
And some-oh! well may their hearts rejoice,
To the gentle sound of a mother's voice;
Long shall they yearn for that kindly tone,
When from the board and the hearth 'tis gone,
And some in the camp, to the bugle's breath,
And the tramp of the steed on the echoing heath,
And the sudden roar of the hostile gun,
Which tells that a field must ere night be won.
And some, in the gloomy convict-cell,
To the dull deep note of the warning bell,
As it heavily calls them forth to die,
While the bright sun mounts in the laughing sky.
And some to the peal of the hunter's horn,
And some to the sounds from the city borne;
And some to the rolling of torrent-floods,
Far 'midst old mountains, and solemn woods.
So are we roused on this chequer'd earth,
Each unto light hath a daily birth,
Tho' fearful or joyous, tho' sad or sweet,
Be the voices which first our upspringing meet.
But ONE must the sound be, and ONE the call,
Which from the dust shall awake us all!
ONE, tho' to sever'd and distant dooms-
How shall the sleepers arise from their tombs?

A VERY slight degree of reflection on the power and skill of the great Creator, which are evident in the lowest order of the productions of his hand-if, indeed, we may speak of the lowest where every thing is incomprehensible and unknown-is calculated to overwhelm us with astonishment; but when we review ourselves, we "find diviner wonders still." When we take a general survey of the various departments of creation, and the numerous classes of sentient beings with which we are surrounded, we exclaim with the psalmist, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou inade them all;" but in contemplating the nature and destination of man, the lord of the world which he inhabits, and the masterpiece, the noblest specimen of the divine workmanship with which we are conversant, we almost involuntarily express the grave convictions and the solemn feelings of our minds, by adopting the words of the same inspired writer, and saying, he is "fearfully and wonderfully made." It is not very difficult to perceive in what respects we are wonderfully made. We are so in the curious and complicated, yet nicely adjusted mechanism of the body-in the variety and strength of our intellectual powers-in the immaterial and spiritual nature of the soul-in the intimate union of soul and body--and in the mysterious influence which each has upon the other. But it is not very obvious in what respects we are "fearfully made." It may be supposed, however, that we are so, inasmuch as we are fallible-accessible by temptation-accountable-endowed with vast susceptibilities | of pleasure and pain-and made for eternity.