LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.-The Lord Brougham into the Upper House Directors of this Society, after much de- of Parlibment, and sanctioned and liberation, have resolved upon the pur- approved ay Mr. Wyse, Mr. Slaney, chase of a vessel, to be employed wholly and other Members of the House for the purposes and objects of the South of Commons. It was contended that Sea Mission. the system was an instrument in the hands of the Jesuits, who were "all things to all men," infidels, Socinians, &c., for the purpose of extending the baleful domination of their Roman master, and that it not only tended most materially to diminish and injure the Protestant influence and interests of the country, but to weaken and destroy the influence of Christianity itself in the land. The Directors of this Society have also just issued an important circular, announcing the afflictive intelligence of the persecution of the Christian natives in Madagascar being continued, and the martyrdom of an early female convert. Many of the native Christians have been called to suffer imprisonment, loss of liberty, and confiscation of property. Nafaravavy has the honour of being the first martyr of Madagascar. It was near her residence that the prohibited books-the Scriptures, with other publications issued from the missionary press -were found. On her the vengeance of the Queen has been inflicted, and she has fallen under the spear of the public executioner; but her spirit has joined the company of the redeemed in glory, who have come out of great tribulation. Mr. Ellis is now preparing for the press a History of Madagascar, in connection with the Protestant Mission, from its commencement in 1818, to the present time. CONVERSION FROM POPERY. The Courier Francais states, that a Romish clergyman (the canon Schneider) of Baden, and M. Hugi, the famous naturalist, had embraced the Protestant religion. POPERY AND INFANT SCHOOLS.-The Pope has forbidden infant schools within the Papal states. EARL FITZWILLIAM'S LIBERALITY TO THE CHURCH.-Earl Fitzwilliam is at the present moment most liberally assisting in the building and enlarging no less than six churches in this neighbourhood, viz.-a subscription of 500l. towards the erection of a church at Thorpe; a liberal sum for a new church at Kimberworth; BISHOP WILSON.-We hear that the 500l. in aid of the rebuilding of RawBishop of Calcutta is collecting materials marsh church; and the entire cost of for the early History of Christianity in enlarging the churches of Tinsley, India; and that he has already obtained Wentworth, and Tankersley, for the acseveral important documents respecting commodation of the poor in their resthe antiquities of the Nestorian and Ar-pective parishes. His lordship and his menian churches. PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION.-The third periodical meeting of the friends and members of this association was held on January 3rd, at Exeter Hall, Captain Gordon in the chair. The meeting was one of adjournment to consider the following subject :-" That the churches established in this country form the main bulwark of Protestantism, and that it is the duty of the State, not only to support them as the nursing mothers of the people, but to provide for the population of the empire, instruction in the principles of the Christian religion as maintained by these churches." Mr. J. Hardy, the Rev. Mr. Page, Mr. Thomas Hardly, the chairman, and others, spoke at great length and with much effect, upon the measure of education introduced by revered and venerable father have also expended many thousands of pounds in the erection of the churches of Swinton, Hoyland, and Greasbrough.-Doncaster Gazette. A general bill of the christenings and burials within the City of London, and bills of mortality, from December 13, 1836, to December 12, 1837.-In the 97 parishes within the walls-christened, 958; buried, 958. In the 17 parishes without the walls-christened, 6,363; buried, 3,863. In the 24 out parishes in Middlesex and Surrey-christened, 25,948; buried, 13,883. In the 10 parishes in the city and liberties of Westminster christened, 2,437; buried, 2,359. Christened Males, 17,701; females, 18,005; total, 35,706. Buried: Males, 10,605; females, 10,458; total 21,063. CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.-The Governors of this Hospital have presented a very handsome gold medal to their senior scholar, in testimony of their approbation of the manner in which he delivered the speech to the Queen on her visit to the City last November. THE CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL.-The Rev. William Bailey, one of the Masters of the City of London School, having recently been appointed Chaplain to the Ionian Islands, the Committee have elected the Rev. William Cook, M.A., of Trinity College, in this University, and Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, as the successor at the School. LITERATURE AND ART.-According to the Supplement to Bent's Monthly Literary Advertiser for 1887; which contains Alphabetical Lists of the New Books published in London during last year, there appears an increase of New Publications, the number of Books amounting to 1380 (1800 volumes), exclusive of New Editions, Pamphlets, or Periodicals, being 130 more than in 1836. LITERARY ANECDOTE.-One of the highest compliments ever paid to a poet was, that Wordsworth, when he first got possession of a copy of the sonnets of the Rev. W. Lisle Bowles, one morning SION CHAPEL CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION SOCIETY. Collected by MISS C. WELLS-(1 quarter), Mr. Price Mr. Davenport.. Mr. Wood.... Mr. Druit.. Mr. Groffman 026 026 0 1 6 .... Mrs. Price.. Mr. Phillips. Miss Phillips 030 020 050 0 2 2 Mr. Blatz.... Mr. Tanner.... Mr. Smart.. 0 1 3 0 1 1 012 Mr. Dryland Mr. J. Phillips. Mrs. Smart 0 1 3-0 12 6 Family BY MRS. ALLEN-(2 quarters) Mrs. Harker Mr. Allen.... 050 Miss Lawrence Miss Bays Mr. Mead Mr. Wilson Mr. Harker Mrs. Witham 0 2 0-0 18 BY MISS PHILLIPS-(2 quarters) Mr. Palmer Miss Tillingham 0 2 2 Miss. Gibson 0 2 2 Mrs. Gibson.. 0 2 2 Mrs. Cooper. Mrs. Maunder Mr. Marshal 022 022 0 5 .... Mrs. Gillman Miss C. Wells.. Miss Phillips Mrs. Allen... Miss Morley 0 3 3 0 1 1-1 12 4 MISS MORLEY (4 quarters) 0 13 7 022 0 7 0 1 1 022 03 3 0 4 4 0 0 2 TOTAL. 0 6-1 19 7 0 12 6 1 12 4 0 18 0 1 19 ........ WE feel a pleasure this month in being able to present our subscribers with an engraving of the exterior of the parish church of St. Mary's, Islington, which, for architectural beauty and simplicity, will bear a comparison with any of the metropolitan churches. A short historical account of the present Church, and also of the preceding one, will doubtless prove interesting to our readers. The parish of Islington lies within the Finsbury division of Ossulton hundred, in the county of Middlesex, and is bounded by those of Clerkenwell, St. Pancras, Hornsey, Stoke Newington, Hackney, St. Leonard, Shoreditch, and St. Luke. It is three miles two furlongs in length, from north-west to south-east; two miles one furlong in breadth, from east to west; and ten miles two furlongs eleven poles in circumference. Exclusive of the village from which it is named, the parish contains the hamlets of Holloway, Ball's Pond, Battle Bridge, the City Gardens, Kingsland Green, and the greater part of Newington Green. It is divided into six districts, named from the manors in which they are situate-viz., St.John of Jerusalem; Upper Barnesbury; Lower Barnesbury; Canonbury; The Prebend; and Highbury, or Newington Barrow. The etymology of the name of this parish has undergone a number of orthographical variations, such as, Isendune, Isendon, Iseldon, Isleton, Yseldon, and Eyseldon. The present name appears to have been generally adopted towards the close of the sixteenth century. VOL. X. N |