I had fully purposed entering much more largely into the subject of Ragged Schools and Dormitories, and detailing a night's visit with the Earl of Shaftesbury (then Lord Ashley) to some of the dens of London, which led to the formation of the Field Lane Dormitory by my brother Missionary, Mr. Tomkins, aided by the writer, and which institution was afterwards taken under the wing of the Field Lane Ragged Schools ;*

This institution was founded by the first City Missionary appointed to the Field Lane District by our Society. An occasional paper, entitled, "A Brief History of the Field Lane Ragged School," which was read at a public meeting, held at the New School Room, Victoria Street, Holborn Bridge, on Monday evening, August 7th, 1848, by Mr. Ware, the Secretary, and afterwards printed by the Committee, contains the following statement :

"This being a special, and not the annual meeting, it is not the time for your Committee to present their yearly account of operations, but they considered it might be interesting to the friends present to spend a few minutes in giving a little history of the schools from the commencement. ... This school was called the Field Lane School from the fact of its being first opened in Caroline Court, near Field Lane. It was opened on the first Sunday in November, 1841, in an apartment in this court, by the City Missionary of the district," etc.

Forty-five children only assembled on the first occasion. Missiles were showered down on the Missionary and his aged housekeeper, for some time his only assistant, and one of his fingers was broken in forcibly preventing the ingress of improper characters, who came to blow out the lights and

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but this volume will, apart from these details, be quite as large as it appears on the whole desirable it should be the histories of the youths found by his Lordship sleeping under dry arches and in ruins, which I have by me, form a little volume in themselves.

I desire to add, let spiritual men and women of wealth and influence visit the districts of our Missionaries, and these institutions--to nearly all of which their efforts have given birth*-and the

break up the school, prompted, no doubt, by Satan, as well as their own wicked hearts. They ran up stairs, jumped out of the window, up stairs again, and so on-called by them "Winding the chain,” and “ Keeping the pot boiling,”—hordes of ruffians-men and boys. The police were accustomed to go in pairs here, and were, I believe, allowed cutlasses.

By perseverance and prayer, in the order of Providence, this opposition was ultimately overcome, and several of the very characters who mutilated the Missionary for life, were afterwards, there is reason to believe, much benefited by Lis efforts.

*The Earl of Shaftesbury, at the annual meeting of the Field Lane Schools, in December, 1846, said:" At first he feared he should have been unable to be present, but when he recollected that this school was the one that drew his attention to the subject in the first instance, he felt it his duty to come." To how many blessed results has the attention given by Lord S. to this subject given rise!

The following is an extract from this nobleman's speech in the House of Commons, June 6th, 1848, which led to a temporary grant by Government towards emigrating youths

more they visit, increasingly will they become interested in them.

They will say the half had not been told them. They will feel a monition within the heart to aid

from Ragged Schools :-"Till very recently, the few children that came under our notice in the streets and places of public traffic were considered to be chance vagrants. It has only of late been discovered that they constitute a numerous class, having habits, pursuits, feelings, manners, customs, and interests of their own, living as a class, (etc. etc.) For the knowledge of these details, we are mainly indebted to the London City Mission. It is owing to their deep, anxious, and constant research," etc. At the annual meeting of the London City Mission, May, 1848, Lord S. said :-" Whenever you enter a Ragged School, remember this-we are indebted for nine-tenths of them to the pious (etc. etc.) City Missionary."

We have every encouragement, and much of our success is hid from us. It came to my knowledge quite in an unexpected manner, that at a Gipsey party on Banstead Downs an appeal for a certain benevolent object was produced, in which my name appeared. One of the party, a lady, and a munificent donor of houses and money to Ragged Schools, said, "What name is that ?" On its being repeated, she replied, "Oh! you may put down my name for so much; it was reading Mr. V.'s letters in the Record that first drew my attention to Ragged Schools."

The London City Mission is also well known to have stimulated the formation of the Church Pastoral Aid Society, and Scripture Readers' Association. These are exclusively Episcopalian.

Two Sabbaths since, I heard Cardinal Wiseman lecture for nearly two hours on Monastic Establishments.

The service (at Moorfields) commenced as usual, at half-past

such efforts, both by prayer and by pecuniary aid, without which such efforts could not, of course, be continued, much less, as is so very needful, be greatly extended.

An Eastern nation* has an account of a thief,

six, and ended at a quarter to ten. I feel persuaded that Roman Catholics possessing and using any considerable rea soning powers, must have laughed in their hearts at the tissue of sophisms uttered. No wonder the Cardinal should refuse discussion with Dr. Cumming. Dressed with a kind of head dress covered with pink bows, and a silk cape and silk sleeves, in addition to gown, I was very forcibly reminded of some old nurse, repeating some nursery tale to the dear children; but I mention this matter on account of allusion made to the office of City Missionaries. One reason given why monastic orders should be cherished was, that in "the Church of England and elsewhere," a class of ministers, distinct from the regular priesthood, had been found needful, and an engine of great power. The Cardinal glowingly described the access they obtained to the population, and the manner in which their office enabled them to act upon it. His estimate of the office was correct.

"A magnificent seed-time," to borrow a phrase from the late Mr. Bickersteth, is certainly being slighted, or two hundi ed and fifty districts, urgently needing Missionaries, would not be left unoccupied.

*The London City Mission has proved a blessing even to the East. A kindred Society is in existence in one of the three principal Anglo-Indian cities, Madras, which not only supports its own Missionaries, but remits several hundred pounds annually for London. The Rev. Mr. Lugard, Secretary, with whom I am personally unacquainted, will please to accept my best thanks for the perusal of his

who having been detected in criminality, and condemned to die, thought upon an expedient by which he might possibly escape death.

He sent for the jailor, and told him he had an important secret to disclose to the king, adding, that when he had done so he would be ready to die. The king commanded him to be brought into the royal presence. He informed the monarch that he was acquainted with a cabalistic secret of producing trees that would bear gold, and craved a trial of his art.

The king consented, and accompanied by his prime minister, courtiers, and priest, came with the prisoner to a certain spot which he had indicated, who commenced his incantations. He then produced a piece of gold, declaring that if sown it would produce a tree, every branch of which should bear gold. "But," he added, "this, O king! must be buried in the earth by a person perfectly honest. I, alas! am not so, and therefore I humbly pass it to your majesty."

The countenance of the monarch was troubled, who at length replied, "When I was a boy, I remember purloining something from my father, which, although a trifle, prevents my being the proper person. I pass it, therefore, to my prime minister."

The prime minister received the piece of gold with many prostrations, and said, "On my eyes be it, may the king live for ever!" with many other expressions of devotion; but

encouraging letter, received last spring by our Mission, which was handed to me on the occasion of my being offered the superintendence of the Madras Mission-a second invitation to India within a few years.

Probably the issue of the present work prevented the pleasure of my having much and loving personal acquaintance with Mr. L. I beg he will be pleased to accept my prayers, and to afford me an interest in his.