(TOBAGO.-1790-RENEWED 1826.) 1 STATION.-Montgomery. 4 MISSIONARIES.-Married, Eberman and Zetsche. CONVERTS.-Five hundred and seventy-two negroes. The missionaries bestow much attention on the work of negro education; and the schools increase in number and usefulness. In Jamaica, a new settlement has been begun in St. Elizabeth's parish, called New Fulnec; and the mission at Mesopotamia, in Westmoreland, has been renewed. In Antigua, many changes have taken place among the missionaries, owing to the lamented decease of brother Johansen: there are five settlements in that island. At St. John's, the spiritual charge of nearly seven thousand negroes is attended with much labor and not a few difficulties, arising from various causes. In St. Kitt's and Barbadoes, the meetings in the church and schools are well attended. In the island of Tobago, where a mission was renewed three years ago, from five hundred to six hundred negroes attend the brethren's ministry. VII. SOUTH AFRICA.-1736. After being relinquished for nearly fifty years, the mission was renewed in 1792. 6 SETTLEMENTS.-Gnadenthal, Groenekloof, Enon, Hemel-en-Arde, Elim, and Shiloh (on the Klipplaat.) 36 MISSIONARIES.-Married, Clemens, Fritsch, Hallbeck, Halter, Hoffman, Hornig, Lehman, Lemmertz, Luttringshausen, Meyer, Nauhaus, Sonderman, Stein, Teutsch, Tietze, and Genth. Unmarried, Shoppman and Bonatz. Widows, Kohrhammer and Scultz. CONVERTS.-Two thousand seven hundred and thirty-two, chiefly Hottentots, a few Caffrees, and Tambookies. We have here six settlements. The missionaries are diligently employed, and God's grace prevails among them and their congregations. At Gnadenthal, the schools flourish more and more. At Hem-el-en-Arde, brother and sister Tietze were eagerly received by the poor lepers, as successors to brother and sister Leitner; and their labor is not in vain. At Elim, the number of converts, as well as of residents, is on the increase. The great and destructive drought throughout the cape colony did great injury to Enon. The mission among the Tambookies, at Shiloh, affords the means of instruction to many savages of different tribes; and numbered one hundred and thirteen inhabitants at the close of the year, whose spiritual and temporal welfare the brethren seek to promote, by every possible means. Brother Hallbeck's visit was productive of many useful arrangements. TOTAL.-Seven missions, forty-one stations, two hundred and nine missionaries, and about forty-three thousand and six hundred converts." VI. BOOK SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE AMONG THE POOR.-In 1750, the "Book Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor" was formed by several benevolent persons, both Dissenters and Churchmen. The design of this society was to circulate, at the lowest possible price, Bibles, hymn-books, catechisms, and tracts, and the standard writings of the most eminent authors of different denominations of Christians, excluding their peculiarities of church policy or modes of worship. The revered names of Doddridge and Hervey are found in the early annals of this society, as some of its most active and liberal supporters, affording a pledge of a still more extensive union between Churchmen and Dissenters in the work of God. The operations of this institution have been incalculably beneficial in circulating the best religious works among the poor, at the lowest prices; and although its labors have been partly superseded by the Bible, Tract, and Sundayschool Societies, it deserves universal support, as the means of diffusing sound scriptural knowledge, particularly to furnish libraries for the cottage, village, or vestry. Notwithstanding other societies, the issues of its valuable publications are greater now than at any former period of its existence. The receipts of this society, for the year ending December, 1829, as reported, were sixteen hundred and fifty-three pounds, nine shillings, and one penny, and from its commencement up to that period, sixty-seven thousand one hundred and fifty-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and one penny. VII. NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE SOCIETY.-In 1780, the "Naval and Military Bible Society" was formed. In that year, a military camp was pitched in Hyde Park, on account of the riots in London; when "a very few plain Christians," affected with the profaneness of the soldiers, introduced the Gospel among them by conversation and prayer, and suggested the propriety of an attempt to supply them with Bibles. The noble idea was cherished by a few pious officers, and the plan was framed to furnish the whole army and navy with the blessed Word of God. This society has progressively advanced from "the day of small things," and has greatly increased. For several years it has included, in its benevolent regards, the seamen of the merchant-service, with "all descriptions of watermen," and the naval and military servants of the East India Company. From its commencement to the year 1830, there have been issued two hundred and forty-four thousand four hundred and seventy-seven copies of the Holy Scriptures, by the Naval and Military Bible Society! VIII. METHODIST MISSIONS.-In 1783, the "Methodist Missions" originated, when Mr. Wesley, at the Conference held at Leeds, declared his intention of sending Dr. Coke, and some other preachers, to America, after the independence of that country had been acknowledged. Mr Wesley says, in a letter, dated Bristol, September 10, 1784, "I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke, and Mr. Francis Asbury, to be joint superintendents over our brethren in North America; as also Richard Whatcoat, and Thomas Vasey, to act as elders among them, by baptizing and administering the Lord's Supper." In 1787, Dr. Coke sailed for Nova Scotia with three missionaries, but they were driven by contrary winds among the West India islands, and landed at Antigua, December 25. Here in 1760, Mr. Nathaniel Gilbert, speaker of the house of assembly, had labored in preaching the Gospel; and nearly twenty years after his death, in 1778, Mr. John Baxter, a shipwright, a Methodist from England, with much success. The devoted Moravians also had been the happy instruments of infinite benefits to the negroes; and the door was opened to the Methodists to prosecute their work of mercy. Dr. Coke took other laborers to St. Vincent, St. Christopher's, St. Eustathius. In 1788, he extended the work to Barbadoes, Nevis, and Tortola; in 1789, to Jamaica; in 1790, to Grenada and Dominica. This zealous and laborious man continued to superintend and to direct the missionary affairs of the Methodists during thirty years, with great and progressive success, and on that account he crossed the Atlantic eighteen times! On a voyage to commence a mission in the island of Ceylon he died, in 1814. In 1817, the "Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society" was organized; and since that period its operations have increased, in many places, with most evi dent tokens of the Divine benediction in the conversion of sinners to God. The following is an abstract of the report presented at the annual meet ing of the Society, May 7, 1832. "The first station noticed was Ireland, all of whose evils were attri buted to the want of evangelical piety, which teaches men to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present world. In continental Europe, and the Mediterranean, the missions were generally prospering. In Stockholm and Sweden, there were indications of considerable good. At Wirtemburg, there had been some opposition, but there were upwards of one hundred members joined in Christian fellowship. In France, the doctrines of God our Savior were widely spreading, and various new One very openings were presenting themselves to the missionaries. At Gibraltar, the mission continued highly serviceable to the spiritual interests of many military men; and these, after imbibing the doctrines of truth there, carried them into other parts of the world. Many persons came thither from Spain to obtain copies of the Scriptures, although they were in this exposing themselves to loss of life. In this way one hundred and fifty families had been supplied with the Word of God, in the Spanish language. The stations at Malta, Zante, and Corfu, were flourishing. Ir continental India and Calcutta the Gospel was still being preached to the people, and the Scriptures and portions of them being circulated amongst them. New places of worship were being opened, and new schools erected, through which many, both adults and children, were received into the church by baptism. In the south of Ceylon, similar circumstances had occurred. At Negomboo a missionary had received under his care a whole village. He had taken possession of their church, and from the steps of the altar had preached the Gospel to five or six hundred persons. The idols had since been given to the flames. important circumstance connected with India was, that the Scriptures were being translated into the native language of the Budhists. The South Sea missions were in a very gratifying state. The recent accounts from New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land-two most important stations, in relation both to the colony and the mother country, indicated some improvement. In New Zealand, two missionaries are at present employed; one in a new district, where the people had shown themselves more friendly than at the old station. It was stated as a lamentable fact, in connection with this mission, that the increased intercourse of the natives with British shipping had greatly added to the sum of vice and crime, and interposed great difficulties in the way of the missionaries. In the Friendly Islands, the number of the members in society, at the last returns, was about six hundred. In the schools there 'were five hundred and eighty-five males, and five hundred and forty-nine females. In Tonga the Gospel had spread with glorious rapidity. The king, who had formerly been so hostile to the missionaries, had become their warm friend and patron. From the island of Arvon the accounts were still more extraordinary; upwards of one thousand of the people have turned to the true God. The chief was zealously exerting himself to suppress idolatry in every part of the island; and had, during three days, burnt to the ground all the houses of the idols, with the gods in them. In South Africa there were thirteen stations and fifteen missionaries actively employed, besides assistants, and the cause was upon the whole going on well. In the Mauritius, the state of the mission was not en couraging. One missionary had died, in the course of the year, and the other had been recalled. At Sierra Leone the state of the mission was better than it ever had before been. There are three hundred and sixteen members in society, and forty-five admitted upon trial. In the schools there are upwards of two hundred children and adults. In the West Indies the missionaries had to contend with more than ordinary difficulties, in consequence of the degrading influence and effects of slavery on the minds of the negroes and people of color. In the whole of these islands there are sixty-one missionaries employed; having under their care thirty-three thousand and twenty-one members in society, and seven thousand one hundred and ten children and adults in the various schools. In British North America the missions had been greatly blessed, and were on the increase. Since the last report, three missionaries had died; and eighteen, some of them having wives, had been sent out to foreign stations. The whole number now employed is two hundred and twenty; the number of salaried catechists one hundred and sixty, and the number of gratuitous teachers and catechists fourteen hundred. So that, including the wives of the missionaries, who were in general most efficient laborers in the field, there were now nearly two thousand agents engaged in the missionary field, under the direction of the society. The members of the foreign stations admitted into society were forty-two thousand seven hundred and forty-three, being an increase over the preceding year of fifteen hundred and fifty-seven; and the total number of children in the schools, twenty-five thousand two hundred and fifteen. The total amount of the contributions, during the year, had been fortyeight thousand two hundred and sixty-nine pounds, and thirteen shillings. including, among other sums received from foreign stations, two thousand one hundred and three pounds from the Hibernian Missionary Society; two thousand two hundred and nine pounds from Jamaica; twentynine pounds from the Shetland Islands; four hundred and eighty-eight pounds from Nova Scotia; and two hundred and sixty pounds from Van Dieman's Land." IX. SUNDAY SCHOOL SOCIETY.-In 1785, the Sunday School Society was formed, chiefly by the instrumentality of William Fox, Esq., a deacon of a Baptist Church in London. This society has continued in operation to the present time; and has been the means of establishing and of assisting in the support of many Sunday Schools throughout Great Britain and our colonies. The number of schools assisted with grants of books, during the year, 1830, is four hundred and forty, containing fifty-two thousand four hundred and thirty-four scholars, of which |