feeling of the present rulers, in accordance with the general character of its leaders in the House of Commons, will be remote from party. England does not now require to be governed by faction; and nothing, we are convinced, is necessary to the commencement of a pacification even of Ireland, but a steady and uncompromising view of it through a medium purified from party politics. A motion to thank the British Admiral for the victory at Navarino has been negatived, apparently on just grounds; while the character of Sir E. Coddrington received from both sides of the House every tribute of applause and approbation which so gallant an officer could wish for. In other respects, our foreign relations remain as they were.We have not recently heard of any dissatisfaction in Canada; but we hope the present session will enable us to state some decisive measures of Government, sanctioned by Parliament, on the subof West India slavery. No one who has read Mr. Huskisson's admirable letter, and the West Indian comments on it; or who has remarked the singular circumstances connected with the affair of the Rev. Mr. Hart, but must see that nothing short of the powerful interference of the British Legislature can compel the West Indians to any measures according with European notions of justice and humanity. We hope to call our readers' attention more fully to the subject. We regret to find by the latest accounts, that the probability of a peaceful termination to the Greek struggle is diminished. If this report be confirmed, we fear it may involve Great Britain in a war. POETRY. IMITATED FROM JEREMIAH, xxxi. 15. "Thus saith the LORD, a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachael weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children because they were not." Hark! the voice of loud lament Sounds thro' Ramah's sadden'd plain, There cherished grief, there pining discontent, There, amid her weeping train- The comforter she will not hear, And from his soothing strains, she hopeless turns her ear. Daughter of affliction, peace, Let at last thy sorrows cease, Smile at all thy former pain; Joy shall with thy children come, And all thy gladden'd bowers shall bloom. W. M. THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS-(a Sermon by Rev. Matthew Henry).. 248 LETTERS ON EPISCOPACY-No. 1.. BIBLICAL CRITICISM, John xxi. 15-17.. Ditto Acts xi. 26... ON THE WANT OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY 254 259 260 261 301 305 OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORMATION OF A FUND FOR THE WIDOWS AND FOREIGN RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.. RUSSIA-Imperial Ukase against the Jews. AUSTRIA, HUNGARY AND GERMANY-Hindoo Literature. ITALY-Periodical Journals-Schools of Mutual Instruction. THE SWEDEN SWITZERLAND Jubilee of the Reformation-Liberty of the Press. AMERICA-Newfoundland Schools. DOMESTIC RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE..... REFORMATION MEETING AT OMAGH-Ditto at Derry. IRISH SOCIETY VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS 307 312 314 WILLIAM CURRY, JUN. AND CO. DUBLIN AND HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. LONDON: SOLD ALSO BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. TO CORRESPONDENTS. We have received " X."-" Politelos"-two articles signed "B."- Derensis Alumnus"-" A.P."—" D, Socinians not Unitarians." All of these merit insertion, and shall appear as soon as our space will admit. A Letter on Baxter's Bible, has been handed to us by our Publishers; with the Author's permission we shall insert the substance of it in our next. "W." on Poor Rates shall be inserted: we would be glad if the Author could diminish its bulk in time for our next. "R.R." on the Greek Optative shall appear in our next. The following articles are under consideration :-" A Friendly Memento to the Ministers of the Church of Ireland." "A Country Curate."—“ T.”—“ H.” "M.N-ll.” We regret that "K." and " Viator" are inadmissible. We have to apologize to our correspondents " I.D.S." and "Senex" for the delay that has occurred in the insertion of their articles. It has been occasioned principally by our pages being pre-occupied, from the necessity of inserting com. munications on subjects which, from their nature, would not admit of postponement. They shall be inserted as soon as we can find room.. "F.G." will perceive that his communication had been anticipated by an article upon the same subject in the present Number. It will therefore be impossible to insert it in the form of a Review: but as we are of opinion that it highly merits publication, we shall be happy to give it a place next month, in any other form that he may suggest.-Should he wish to make any alterations or additions, he can have his paper by application to our publishers. To our Poetical Friends we have to acknowledge the receipt of " R.G.M.”— "W.T."-" L.M." and "F.K."-their favours shall obtain a place as soon as we have room. We should have acknowledged before this the poetry by " E.M."—but from some accident it did not reach us till the present month: the only objection is its length. We have received from the respective authors the following works, for which we return them our thanks : "Peckson's Chart of the Patriarchs from Adam to Moses. ' "A Discourse on Justification by Faith," by the Rev. Edward Bickersteth." "No Emigration." *.* Our Publishers have desired us to state, that a THIRD Edition of our First Number is in preparation for the convenience of Subscribers who have not com pleted their sets. In the observations that we have offered on the important subject of the Eighth Report of the Commissioners of Education, it has been rather our wish to remark on the tendency of the education furnished to the Roman Catholic Clergy, than on the detail of sentiments and opinions inculcated; rather to attempt the solution of the moral phenomena of Popish Ireland, than to trace the character of their Church in the Ecclesiastical source of its national influence. That influence must be great; religion connects itself with all the bearings of life, and we may argue from what we know of the power of a less obtrusive faith, to the multiplied efficacy of the Church of Rome. We have felt this truth in Protestantism, and after witnessing its freedom and its liberality, the restraints that in most Protestant communities are imposed by tacit convention upon the wanderings of speculation, and yet the ease with which such restraints are borne, and the mind is habituated equally to the reverential bearings of the humbled Christian, and the boldness of the "liberty with which Christ has made us free"-we have been struck by the stamp which such a religion has impressed on the moral character, has communicated to the intellect and the conduct; and have felt, that however we may have differed from some in political sentiment, and have regretted certain lines of conduct in others, Protestantism even in its aberrations, is sincere and candid, is manly and open, is consistent and regulated; while in its influence on society, the freedom of thought and action that springs from the unrestrained examination of the Word of God, pervades its dealings with their fellow-men, and gives a port and bearing that mark the independence of mind, and unfettered character of feeling. With the Roman Catholic Church and people, for they differ;* *St. Cyprian states, that "a Bishop, his clergy and laity, form one independent Church," from which canonized opinion it is unnecessary to say how far Romish divinity differs, in denying that the people form any part of the 'Church. * how striking is the contrast!-The former elevated to the rank of demigods, the latter degraded to be their subjects-the one moving under the influence of the Episcopal Aristocracy, obeying with a devotion that would be admirable if it were sincere, and for a better cause; and the latter, bold only in advancing the interests of the priesthood, or maintaining the privileges of a brawling populace; cowering before the sacerdotal aspect, and bearing even their insults and blows, with as much patience as the Roman ladies are reported to have done the consecrated stripes of the Luperci; while, if a single individual in the body presumes to think for himself, or to take the privileges of man, to assume sentiments or politics, more in accordance with the order of society than pleases the combined association of demagogues and clergy, or to examine for himself the uncertain dogmas of the infallible Church, he is treated as an enemy by the very people whose best friend he has proved himself, and by the influence of those who strip him of the honours of his caste, he is persecuted down to quiescent obedience again.We think it not unlikely that some good may be effected by the system now going forward in this country: it is impossible that the people can remain being unimpressed by the fact, that their Clergy are being called upon to defend their system of religion publicly, not in newspapers or pamphlets which may not, or perchance cannot be read, but openly and before their flocks; called upon, not by itinerant or ignorant persons, but by individuals lay and clerical, their equals in education, their superiors in birth; that they have been so summoned, and when summoned, have usually declined attendance, and when they have attended have always been covered with disgrace; it cannot be forgotten, that even in the metropolis for two days, the challenge was repeated, and the infallible Church was represented by an ignorant and petulant school-boy. Such circumstances must have an effectt-we believe that the late appearance of the clergy in Omagh was owing to the admonition of the laity, and if that laity be sincere, they must so act, they must goad their clergy to the defence of their religion, or they must judge for themselves; they must have Popery defended, or they must embrace Protestantism, for every instance of private judgment† is an advance 'to that system. We do not think that our observations are irrelevant to the heading of our article. The evils of Ireland are in a great degree attributable to the religion of the mass of its population, if they can be said to have religion; and the very evils of that religion are aggravated by the system pursued with regard to the clergy.. Some of them we have already detailed, and we feel satisfied, that to the * We allude here to the remarkable scenes that took place at Fermoy, subsequent to the Reformation meeting, and to the important letter of Mr. Lanigan, a Roman Catholic gentleman, to his tenantry. We fear the priest succeeded in the latter instance. + Our Roman Catholic friends, perhaps, are not aware that by one of the Extravagantes of John, it is excommunication against any layman, who either listens to or shares in a discussion on religion. |