in our December Number, page 945, respecting the Rev. Henry Wilkinson, of the Gambia Mission, have been sadly confirmed. Intelligence has been received from the Rev. W. Fox, by way of America, dated St. Mary's, September 30th, that Mr. Wilkinson's removal to his heavenly rest took place, after three days' sickness, on the 24th of August. He was an eminently devoted and laborious servant of Christ. CANADA. THE relatives and friends of our Missionaries in Canada will be glad to learn, that letters have been received from the Rev. W. M. Harvard, dated Toronto, from the Rev. Robert L. Lusher, dated Montreal, January 15th, from the Rev. W. Squire, dated Philipsburgh, St. Armand, January 12th, and from the Rev. Joseph Stinson, dated Kingston, January 2d. It is matter of gratitude to Almighty God, that, amidst all the alarms and perils occasioned by rebellion and civil war, the Missionaries of the Society, in both provinces, appear to have been hitherto universally preserved from actual injury, and are calmly prosecuting, as far as the disturbed state of the country, and the trying circumstances in which they are placed, will permit, their evangelical labours, in the true spirit of Christian Ministers, and of loyal subjects of the British crown. A circular letter has been forwarded to each of the thirty-one Missionaries now labouring in Upper and Lower Canada, in connexion with this Society, intended to afford them such consolation and counsel as their peculiar situation seemed to render expedient. We earnestly commend our brethren, and the societies under their pastoral care, to the continued and earnest prayers of our friends in England. We trust that they will be suitably remembered both in the intercessions of the public congregations, and in those of the monthly Missionary prayer-meetings. brief extract : From Mr. Squire's letter we subjoin one "WE have had probably the most to suffer of any of the Preachers in this District. The place where we reside is within one mile of the province line, and in the winter, the high road from Montreal to Burlington, New-York, &c., runs through it; while to the north the French settlements come within eight miles of us. Immediately, therefore, upon the opening of the war, some of the principal rebels retired to Highgate and Swanton, townships immediately adjoining us in the United States, where they found great sympathy in the Americans. Here they openly held meetings to slander the British Government, raised volunteers, and obtained arms and ammunition for carrying on the conflict. As most of our neighbours of British origin were loyal, and succeeded in capturing some of the rebels in passing to and from the States, this village was condemned to be burnt, and men, women, and children to be massacred. We were defenceless, and kept in a state of constant alarm by threatenings, so that twice we removed our furni ture and luggage, burying some in the ground, hiding some in the woods, and removing other portions to less exposed situations; thrice we fled with our little ones to the woods for protection, in the frost and snow of December, when, at last, by a singular train of providential circumstances, at the very hour the rebels came, armed with two pieces of cannon, and abundance of ammunition, aided and assisted with the presence of a goodly number of our American neighbours, a quantity of muskets and ammunition, on their way to Shefford county, arrived in our village. A considerable number of militiamen were assembled, they seized upon the muskets, and advanced to meet the foe, when, by the providence of God, they succeeded, after a short but severe conflict, in capturing nearly the whole of their ammunition, their two pieces of cannon, two stands of colours, and about seventy rifles and pikes. The rebels then returned to the States, very much to the annoyance of the Americans, on account of their ill success. My dear family was within sight of the struggle, had it been daylight; and within range of the balls, had the ground been sufficiently level. It was truly a narrow escape. "The effect of all this upon our societies may be easily imagined: many of our people are scattered, some doing militia duty, many falling by temptation; and every way we are tried by the dangerous and melancholy condition in which we are placed. We trust our heavenly Father will dispose the nations to peace, and speedily remove this heavy curse from us, or, I fear, this exposed situation will have to be abandoned, as there appears very little probability of doing any good by living here in case of a war. "I am persuaded we shall have your sympathies and prayers, and trust that God will appear for us in this evil hour." ENLARGEMENT OF THE FEGEE MISSION. THE effect already produced by the powerful " Appeal" on behalf of this Mission, inserted in our Number for February, has been such as we anticipated. We have received communications from several parts of the country, which show that, wherever it has been read or heard, it has excited a feeling of intense interest and compassion. In one county, two families nobly agreed, after listening to the "Appeal " in their monthly Missionary prayer-meeting, to give the sum of £120, and to augment it, by the aid of their friends, to £200, if the more affluent friends of the cause in other counties will make up their £200 into £2000, by sums of £10 and upwards, so as to provide at once for the outfit and passage of six Missionaries and their wives, to be sent forthwith to the help of the Rev. Messrs. Cross and Cargill. In another small family, in or near London, when the "Appeal" was read, two of the members immediately doubled their subscriptions to the general fund of the Society. A letter from Hertfordshire encloses £5, with the brief and pithy sentence, "I am sent in answer to the Appeal, 'Pity, O pity, poor Fegee.' An old and very generous friend has remitted £30. Several other sums, and intimations of intended contributions, for the same object, have been received, and will be acknowledged in due time. These, we trust, are but the first-fruits of an effort, which ought to be general, for a case so urgent. We earnestly recommend that the "Appeal," together with the letters of Messrs. Cross and Cargill, should be read once more in every chapel, either at the next monthly prayermeeting, or otherwise, as may be most convenient; and at every Missionary Anniversary during the ensuing spring and summer. Facts, such as the "Appeal" contains, are above all other things influential and impressive. Three circumstances should be particularly remembered : 1. By a friendly arrangement with the Directors of the London Missionary Society, dictated, on both sides, by principles of Christian prudence and catholic generosity, the work of evangelizing and thereby civilizing the large population of the Fegee Islands is wholly and exclusively assigned to the Wesleyan Missionary Society. On that Society, therefore, a solemn responsibility now devolves; and it must be efficiently met by suitable exertions, so that "the blessing of them that are ready to perish may come upon us," or assuredly the curse of Meroz will overtake us for neglecting to come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." 2. Although there is good reason to hope that when the accounts of the Society's income for 1837 shall be finally made up, they will exhibit no signs of declension in the zeal or liberality of its friends; it is, however, unquestionable that its expenditure has been very much increased, as was to be expected from the great extension of its operations during the few last years. There are therefore no means whatever at its disposal for the re-inforcement of the Fegee Mission, or for any new object whatsoever, without a still further augmentation of its resources by new or increased contributions. 3. While the Committee earnestly solicit, and will most gratefully acknowledge, any special and occasional donations, in aid of any particular Mission, (as, for instance, towards the outfit and passage of additional Missionaries to the Fegee group,) they respectfully remind their friends that they have to look with anxiety to the augmentation of their regular and stated income by annual subscriptions, as the only consideration which can warrant any material enlargement of their pecuniary responsibilities. Missionaries may, with comparative facility, be furnished with the means of proceeding to heathen lands; but, when arrived at their destinations, and engaged in their pious toils, they and their families have a further and continued claim, on those who send them, for their permanent support. The example, above-mentioned, of the family who resolved forthwith to double their annual subscriptions, is therefore eminently worthy of imitation. And those persons who cannot themselves give twice their former subscriptions, may yet, in many cases, practically double their own contributions, by using their time and influence in soliciting and collecting new annual subscriptions from their friends, and from the benevolent public. He "twice gives" to this cause, who not merely gives himself, but is at the pains, for Christ's sake, to collect for the Society. The Committee have fully participated in the general feeling which has been produced in favour of the Fegees. And, at a special Meeting, held on the 14th of February, they unanimously resolved, "That the number of Mis. sionaries among that people shall be immediately increased to six." Mr. Cross and Mr. Cargill will, if mercifully spared in health and life, remain ;-two other brethren, now in Polynesia, are directed to join them forthwith;-Mr. Jaggar, with a printing-press, &c., is expected to sail for the same station in a few weeks;-and with him the Committee have now resolved to send a sixth Missionary, Mr. Hunt, a student from the Wesleyan Theological Institution, who is judged to be well qualified for the work. We bespeak for them all the fervent prayers of the Christian public. Messrs. Cross and Cargill ask for ten more fellow-labourers. The Committee have ventured to meet their wishes, and the demands of the case, in part. Further re-inforcements must depend on the promptitude and extent of the pecuniary efforts which may be made by the Auxiliary and Branch Societies to augment the general funds of the Society. CONTRIBUTIONS. THE amount of Contributions received by the General Treasurers of the Wesleyan-Methodist Missionary Society, from the 16th of January last, to Feb. 16th, is £18,990. 3s. 3d. AUG. 6th. 1837.-At Gruelthorpe, in the Bedale Circuit, Mr. John Pickard. When he was about twenty years of age he was savingly converted to God. At that time he was living with his parents, who, being strangers to the nature of true godliness, thought that their son's new mode of life, in spending some portion of his time in attending week-day means of grace, and in giving some pecuniary support to the cause of religion, would have a ruinous effect on his temporal interests. On these grounds, he was called to endure considerable opposition. But he held on his way, and found, by happy experience, that godliness is profitable to all things. In the views of his parents also, he lived to witness a great change, and had the pleasure of seeing the Wesleyan Ministers entertained in his father's house. He walked through life with great consistency, laying aside every weight, and the sin that might the more easily beset him. His affliction was painful and protracted. Nor was he altogether free from spiritual conflict; but he was more than conqueror through Him that loved him. Some of his last words were, "The Lord is my portion, therefore will I trust, and not be afraid; R. H. for God has become my salvation." Oct. 21st.-At Acton, in the Newry Circuit, John Nelson, aged seventy-six years. He was a member of the Methodist society forty-six years, and for forty-four he acted as a ClassLeader and Local Preacher. He entertained the Methodist Ministers in his house, from the time at which he became a member of the society, and continued firm in his attachment to them, and to the cause of Methodism to the end. His last sickness was short. His end was not only J. C. peaceful, but triumphant. Nov. 9th.-At Belfast, Mr. John Crawford, in his forty-ninth year. For many years he faithfully filled the office of a Leader in the Methodist society. He was awakened under the ministry of the Rev. William Stewart, in the year 1804; and soon, by the same instrumentality, he was brought to a saving knowledge of the truth. a good confession. For many years he passed through severe bodily affliction, during which, his patience, and submission to the will of his heavenly Father, were remarkably exemplified. He was a steady, upright, and From that time he witnessed consistent Christian; a lover of the doctrines and godly order of the Methodists. His communion with God seemed to be constant; his spirit and manner were deeply scrious; his confidence was unshaken; and his end was peace. The disease by which it pleased God to remove him to a better world was fever, which was attended with delirium. At short intervals, however, when his reason returned, it was evident, that although he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he feared no evil. The last words which he was heard to articulate were, "Come, Lord Jesus!" Shortly after he fell asleep. W. R. Nov. 12th.-At Lack, in the county of Fermanagh, Ireland, Mrs. Eliza Stewart, widow of the late Rev. Matthew Stewart, Wesleyan Minister, in the seventy-eighth year of her age. She was a member of the Methodist society about fifty years, and was blameless. During the latter part of her life, she was a subject of much affliction, which she bore with Christian patience. Her confidence in the blood of Christ was strong, and her end was peaceful. M. B. Nov. 17th.-At Montego-Bay, aged thirtyeight, Betsy, the beloved wife of the Rev. Wilson Lofthouse, Wesleyan Missionary. In early life she was trained in the knowledge and fear of the Lord, and in her youth was a subject of that gracious influence which alone can preserve from the follies of life, and dispose the mind to seek happiness in God. From the period of her connexion with the Wesleyan society, she walked closely and humbly with God, discharging with exemplary fidelity and meekness all the Christian and relative duties. Her affliction was unusually painful and severe, but was borne with patience, and unshrinking fortitude. Her mind was kept in perfect peace ; her faith in the atonement never wavered; and her happy spirit passed in holy triumph into the joy of her Lord. J. S. Dec. 1st.-At Islington, in the First London Circuit, Mr. James Wright, aged forty-six years, during twenty-three of which he had been a member of the Methodist society. In his last illness, which was of short duration, his mind was graciously supported by the consolations of religion. To a friend who visited him he expressed himself as being in the possession of perfect peace. Anticipating his removal from his wife and six children, he said, "I feel that I can commit my wife and family into the hands of that God who has led me all my life to the present, and whose faithfulness endureth for All the ground of my consolation is in the merits of my Advocate above. ever. "Fix'd on this ground will I remain, Tho' my heart fail, and flesh decay; This anchor shall my soul sustain, When earth's foundations melt away; Mercy's full power I then shall prove, Loved with an everlasting love." D. B. Dec. 3d.-At Portobello, Dublin, Mr. John Sturgeon, in the seventieth year of his age. He was brought to the knowledge of God in early life; and as the Methodists were the instruments of his conversion, he joined their society, and continued a zealous member of it for nearly forty years. He was enabled to stand fast in the Lord, however assailed, and found in him a never-failing source of comfort and happiness through a life of much trouble. He was regular, in his attendance on the ordinances of God, and through them received abundant supplies of the Spirit; and was ever ready and willing to speak "a word in season" for his Redeemer. His last illness was short, and his death to all but himself unexpected. But death to him had no terrors; he had long cherished a joyful hope of a blissful immortality. During his illness he was blessed with perfect recollection, and was able to declare, a few minutes before his departure, that he had no fear, and found Christ Jesus precious. His death was marked by perfect peace. C. S. Dec. 27th.-At Liverpool, Mrs. Mary Townley, aged sixty-two; having been a member of the Methodist society for about forty-eight years. She was a sister to the late Rev. William Hill, whose sudden death took place some years ago at Bradford. She was subject to severe nervous depression, under which she had ever recourse to the throne of grace; and she was heard in that she feared. Sincerity, simplicity, faithfulness, humility, and Christian love, were the most predominant characteristics of her life. Her reliance was exclusively on Christ; the witness and comfort of the Spirit were her only satisfying portion; and her end was peaceful and triumphant. During the evening which preceded her death, she was unusually cheerful, and spoke of being with those of whom she had read and heard, and whom she had known, now inheriting the promises. When asked if she now feared death, she replied, "Death! death! O, no! To die is to live for ever." With these holy feelings and anticipations, after taking leave of every member of the family present, and praying that the divine blessing might rest upon them, she sweetly realized the dying request of the Rev. Charles Wesley, "O let me catch a sinile from thee, T. L. Dec. 27th.-At Shipstone-on-Stour, in the Chipping-Norton Circuit, Martha Greenhill, the wife of Mr. John Greenhill, aged thirty-eight years. She had been a zealous member of the Wesleyan society about fourteen years. Her last affliction was painful, but short; and her end was peace and joy. J. E. Jan. 8th, 1838.-At Great-Dunham, in the Swaffham Circuit, Mrs. Hannah Reeve, widow of the late Robert Reeve, in the seventy-second year of her age. The death of her husband in July last, which she felt keenly, in connexion with the infirmities of age, prostrated her mental and physical powers. When the Wesleyan Ministers visited the village, they found a comfortable home under the roof of Mr. and Mrs. Reeve, and a willingness in them to assist by their subscriptions institutions of piety. After having been a consistent member of the Methodist society many years, she died in hope of a resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. S. B. Jan. 9th.-At Stourton, in the ChippingNorton Circuit, Mr. William Jaques, aged fifty-five years. He was a steady and consistent member of the Wesleyan society; he greatly comforted in his affliction, by the divine Spirit; and died in peace. was J. E. Jan. 17th.-At Rose, in the Shipley Circuit, Stephen Skirrow, aged eighty-three, having been a consistent member of the Wesleyan society for upwards of sixty years. His end was peace. J. W. Jan. 19th.-Near Brough, in the Appleby Circuit, Mr. Thomas Beadle, aged eighty-two. He was an old disciple, having been a consistent member of the Methodist society for nearly sixty years, during many of which he was a useful Class-Leader. Having himself tasted of the pleasures of religion, he felt anxious that others should experience the same blessedness. Hence he invited the Preachers to visit the Dale, in which he then resided, and opened his house for their entertainment. As his opportunities for hearing the word were few, he frequently travelled many miles for that purpose. His love to the house of God continued unabated till the close of life. Notwithstanding his many infirmities, his seat was never unoccupied when his attendance was practicable. As he lived, so he died, depending solely upon the atonement of Christ for acceptance and salvation. A. D. Jan. 21st.-At London, Mr. John Simon Dixon, in the eighty-third year of his age; one of the Trustees of Great Queen-street chapel, London, having been a member of the Methodist society nearly sixty years, and a Class-Leader thirty. For more than half a century he enjoyed an assurance of his acceptance with God through Christ. He loved God, and was regular in his attendance upon the house of the Lord. The renewal of the covenant, and the sacrament of the Lord's supper, were the last public religious exercises in which he was engaged. He was firmly attached to the doctrines and discipline of the Wesleyan Methodists; and having lived in the affections of his Christian friends, he died trusting in the merits of Christ, through whom he was more than a conqueror. J. W. Jan. 24th.-At New-Buildings, in the Wellington Circuit, William Houghton. About twenty years since he became concerned for his salvation, and joined the Methodist society. His convictions of his sinfulness were such as to cause him often to rise during the night, to pour out his soul to God in prayer. On one of those occasions, at midnight, he obtained a clear sense of the pardon of his sins, when he rejoiced exceedingly in God his Saviour. From that time he made the word of God the rule of his life, and endeavoured to adorn the doctrine of God by a holy conversation. He was remarkable for meekness and forbearance, for simplicity and godly sincerity; and became a faithful Class-Leader, and a zealous and useful Local Preacher. His health had for some months been on the decline; but he was unusually supported by the consolations of the Holy Spirit. For his family's sake he desired, had it pleased God, to live a little longer; but at length that desire was removed, and he exclaimed, "Glory be to God, he hath given me the victory." He greatly desired the coming of his Lord, and, lifting up his hands, he said, "Come, come!" and calmly waited his arrival. E. M. |