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there will be as many as 24 to each place, which makes exactly ONE for each year in each place, since the establishment of the society.

3dly, As I am now in a calculating humour, I offer the reader another statement of pounds, shillings, and pence. We are told that the first ten years, 15,000l. were only raised-and that the last year's collection alone, amounted to 35,000. Now suppose we take half of this last sum, as the average for the thirteen last year's collection, it will be found, that the money raised by the society since its first establishment, comes to the enormous sum of 242,500l. sterling. This, I am confident, is a very moderate computation, and below the reality; but taking it even so, it will thus appear, that every convert has cost them 2427. 10s. at least. If one did not know the contrary, one might be inclined to suspect, that either judgment or economy were wanting in these disbursements.

If again we compare the mighty preparations with the actual results, the same disparity will again appear. If, then, they have failed-it is not for want of support-it is not for want of money-it is not for want of missionaries-it is not for want of exertion, both at home and abroad. If human means could accomplish their object, it would have been accomplished. One only thing is chiefly wanting, Truth, and the help of the God of Truth. Man may plant, and man may water, but God must give the increase. For unless the Lord shall build up the city-in vain do they labour, who strive to build it up. Psalm cxxvi. This is the real cause of all their failures. They have forsaken the God of Truth, and he has forsaken them. They have separated themselves from the church, and endeavoured to build another for themselves, which does not prosper. They are branches cut from the parent stock, which may, for a time, prè-' serve something of their verdure, or flowers, but can never bring forth fruit, much less ripen seed which will produce future plants. Barren, desolate, and steril, will be every plant, to which the Lord has not given his blessing. Oh! that in his abundant mercies he would cast his eye again upon this blind and rejected race, and lead them back to the ways of peace, which they have forsaken. This is the kindest wish and prayer of the writer of these remarks, who, in exposing their errors,

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has no other object in view but to lead them to a safer church, a kinder mother, and a more congenial home. With this I shall, for a while, bid the society "Fare thee well!"—but not forever. It is my intention to return again some time. In the mean while let us reverse the medal, we have been sufficiently long in decyphering the achievements on one side, let us see what is impressed on the other. We have seen what the Protestants have not done, let us see what the Catholics have done, and take a short review of their missions. And here, Mr. Editor, whilst I claim the indulgence of a few pages more in your va luable Miscellany, let me appeal to the public for co-operators in this second part of my subject. There is a vast field, which would contain many labourers. Let me not bear alone the heat and burden of the day. Let each one, whom the honour of the Catholic church concerns, step forward and state what he has heard or read of her glories; the subject will then become more varied and more interesting-and the reader, will find some relief from that dull uniformity of manner and style, which have, for so long a time, exercised his patience, and must still, if no abler person will advocate the subject, make another, though unreasonable demand on a virtue, which in general is the more abused the more it gives. But before I enter upon the new subject, allow me to introduce to the reader's notice, an extract from a letter I have received upon my former one. In investigating truth from their own statements, it is some consolation to learn from external sources, that I have not been altogether mistaken.

REV. SIR,-Having promised to write you something upon the West India missionaries, . . . . I shall begin by saying in general, that whatever I have read in your monthly works can be applied to them in every respect. They have even gone so far as to persuade poor ignorant slaves, that they (the slaves) are the ministers of God, whether baptized or not. This is a fact. Two slaves on our estate at Demarara have claimed this honour. Really they do not seem to regard baptism as at all necessary for salvation. The missionaries preach, it is true; but half of the congregation do not understand English, and the other half understand it but poorly. However this does not matter. As long as they receive the gifts of these unfortunate creatures, it is sufficient, and should it ever happen that they get baptized, they must pay handsomely for their baptism. This is so known, that the English clergyman, to show that he is free from acting in this manner, generally writes gratis on his certificate of baptism. These I could produce if necessary. The consequence is that these missionaries having preached three or four sermons to the same gang of negroes, finds them exhausted in point of gifts; he then leaves them and goes to another

gang. These poor creatures then catch a few confused ideas of freedom and predestination, which render them dangerous as well as miserable, and often occasion suicides. It is now a known saying among them," Me no die before me time," and then the least reason is sufficient for them to destroy themselves! Indeed the conduct of these missionaries is such that they are the subject of complaint and even of railery. It is a well known trick of a person, who claimed the title of a missionary, to stop in the midst of his sermon, because his wardens were handing round the box for alms rather too quick, and bawl out to them, 'Don't be in such a hurry, they have tied up their money in the corner of their handkerchiefs; give them time to untie it.' I could mention many more such things; but unless they are specified and persons named, people will hardly believe it; but since parson has been so bold as to try to deceive the world in so daring a manner, I think myself authorized to name him..... He has made a fine fortune. Now, the negroes have little or nothing of their own, and cannot enrich another but by stealing, and he had hardly any other in his congregation. This is one reason why the masters of slaves do not like such preachers. He gave rum to an unbaptized slave for wine in the Lord's supper. He partook in all the unchaste and unjust proceedings of the colony. He was always met in low and ungentlemanly companies, and enjoyed the most obscene conversation as well as the rest. His conduct was publicly censured in the newspapers, and was publicly rebuked by a captain of a ship in one of his usual parties. What was my astonishment to find this man now passing for a saint in England, and active in proclaiming his glorious actions, and collecting money for missions. Truly any man of honour would quit society rather than he talked of as he is in Demarary. Perhaps he thought that while his infamies were only known there, he might deceive in Europe. But I trust that he will now be aware that such conduct will never be undetected.

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-"This is the information I promised you concerning parson may make such use of it as you think proper. I am at all times ready to defend what I have written, and if necessary I am able to get the papers from Demarary, and the names of witnesses. I shall feel myself exceedingly happy if I could be of service to you, and to our divine religion, for which I shall never think any pains too much. Your's, &c. F. I. DE RIDDER."

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The reader ought to be aware that the person alluded to in this letter is a Methodist.

(To be continued.)

The Literary Life of the Rev. John Serjeant.-Written by

himself.

In the variety of our labours, we feel we are often obliged to omit many things, which, however, are very well worth the reader's attention; and this must be our apology for not having noticed sooner this very valuable little work. We are, however, somewhat astonished that it did not, at its first appear

ance, come under the review of those Catholic journals that were Contemporary with it.

The work to which we now would direct the reader's attention, appeared, at first, in detached parts, in the Catholicon, in the year 1816; and was published, in its present form, immedi ately after its appearance in that journal. Prefixed is a letter of the editor, the Rev. John Kirk, of Lichfield, a letter, which, for its elegant style and pathos, does great credit to that highly respectable ecclesiastic. We must, however, just disclaim all participation in one expression of this introductory epistle, nameły, "Those ignorant beings called college prefects," and proceed to a short account of the work we have undertaken to review.

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These memoirs, we are informed by Mr. Kirk, were written at the request of the duke of Perth, and, throughout, fully verify the remark in the above-mentioned letter, that "Mr. S. uses the language of a veteran recounting his victories." He had, indeed, contended with all the great Protestant controvertists of the age; he had, in all his contests, maintained a very high hand, and had always come off victorious. It is not, therefore, much to be wondered at, that at his period of life, (" an Octogenarian.") he should utter his sentiments in a style dictated by all these recollections. In addition to this, controversy was, among the early champions, on both sides, invariably carried on in the spirit of men engaged in the field of battle. Happily, in the present day, at least among Catholics, it has assumed a more moderate and charitable tone, a circumstance on which we congratulate both the champions themselves and religion, whose cause they vindicate. If the controvertist would reflect upon this last-mentioned circumstance, would consider that it is not his own cause, but that of religion, that he pleads, he would, we are convinced, consider it unworthy of his noble task to wander into the vindication of his own little passions. This seems to have been less thought of in the days of Serjeant, when, if the champions equal us in strength, they are certainly much inferior in courtesy, and therefore we may add, in charity. The distinguishing characteristic of this great man was zeal, of which he possessed both its virtues and its defects; and this, or rather these preliminary remarks, being taken into con

sideration, we flatter ourselves that the work will be found very interesting, and will amply repay the small trouble of its perusal. To the controvertist it will afford great pleasure to see, under the hand of the author himself, the history of all his disputes, the occasion of each of his works in succession, and the particular object which he proposed to himself in each. To the general reader also, which is more to our present purpose, it presents, on many occasions, the conclusions of a shrewd, profound, and penetrating mind, and lays down principles, which enable him not only to establish the truth, but, what is only second in importance, to detect error. We therefore earnestly recommend this little work to the perusal of the readers of the Miscellany. It has so well and closely united together its several parts, that we find it difficult to select many passages for their examination. We will content ourselves, therefore, with one, which is in itself of considerable importance, and will serve as a specimen of the style of writing, and mode of arguing, adopted by this great controvertist.

Lady Throckmorton, a Protestant, and a very religious lady, having some scruples respecting her faith, was anxious to become acquainted with the truth, and, after a disputation in her presence between certain champions of each side, being still uncertain, applied to Serjeant, or, to use his own words, "Being in this perplexity, she begged of me earnestly, to write some clear and short discourse, which was decisive of the whole controversy; and, after examining that, and the answer that the other party could give it, she was resolved, either to become a Catholic, or to remain where she was. I desired her to take pen, and paper, and I dictated to her this short discourse.

ink,

"1. God has left us some way, or some means to know, what Christ taught. 2. Therefore, this way, or this means, must be such, that they who follow it shall, by it, arrive at the end, or know what Christ taught. 3. Scripture, privately interpreted, is not such a way, since we experience that Protestants and Socinians do both of them follow that way to their power, and yet contradict one another in such fundamental points, as are the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ. 4. Therefore, they who only follow this way, cannot, by it, arrive at the end, the knowledge of Christ's faith, nor can they, consequently, have true

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