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5. We, the undersigned, further agree to place ourselves under the ministry of the said Rev. David Aitchison, and do humbly beg to be admitted into communion with, and to be recognized as members of, the Scottish Episcopal Church; and we do promise to render all canonical obedience to our diocesan, the Right Rev. the Bishop of United Dioceses of Edinburgh, Fife, and Glasgow.

W. ROUTLEDGE, St. Andrew's chapel, Chairman.

William Scott, weaver, Bridgeton; William McGovern, weaver, Bridgeton; James Rowan, weaver; James Mc Cormick, labourer, Bridgeton; Alexander Porter, potter, Calton; Hugh Adams, weaver, Glasgow; Charles Mc Connell, shoe maker, Main-street: James Knights, weaver, Calton; George Spence, labourer, Claythorne-street; Hugh Donnald, labourer, Main-street, Calton; William Graham, weaver, Calton; Robert Wright, weaver, Bridgeton; Thomas Kerr, 57, Gallowgate; George Gray, weaver, Main-street, Bridgeton; William Morison, labourer, Dalmarnock Road; David Mc Williams, tailor, Calton; Thomas Hull, Havannah-street.

N. B. The congregation for whom the chapel is required amounts to 1000 persons, and there are still above 7000 episcopalians without any place of religious worship.

Having duly considered the foregoing resolutions, I hereby formally approve and sanction them; and while I appreciate as I ought the valuable GRATUITOUS services of the Rev. David Aitchison, it is with peculiar satisfaction that I grant him my episcopal licence, praying most fervently that the blessing of God may accompany and prosper his labours. Done at Edinburgh, this 3d of Nov. 1835. JAMES WALKER, D.D., Bishop, &c.

Mr. Aitchison states, in a private letter dated 6, Somerville-place, Glasgow, that he came here on the 19th of July, by the permission of the Bishop of Edinburgh, to endeavour to assemble a congregation, and that, on every successive evening, the number of the congregation gradually increased, and the room, which holds nearly 300, is quite filled. In consequence of not being able to obtain the use of the school-room during the day, he opens another room for a school and morning service. In the school he has eighty-two children, and expects a considerable increase, as the school was only commenced three weeks ago. These poor people are almost all of them Irish, quiet, industrious, and intelligent; and so desirous are they to have a chapel, that they have already subscribed (in small sums varying from 1s. to 17.) 321. 98., but without aid from the public they cannot hope for a speedy accomplishment of their wishes. He asks nothing for himself, but only for funds to erect a place of worship for the poor, and a school and books for the education of their children; and if this object can be attained, he is quite willing to devote his services to them. His letter concludes thus :

Pray, sir, can you inform me whether the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge would make us a grant of books? I have distributed a great many prayer-books, but the demand is still more than I can supply. In the hope (if you will be good enough to publish the above resolutions) of obtaining a chapel for my poor flock, I remain, Sir, your faithful servant,

6, Somerville-place, Glasgow, Nov. 7, 1835.

DAVID AITCHISON.

III.

AN APPEAL TO PROTESTANTS.-The township of Eccleston, in the parish of Prescot, Lancashire, containing upwards of six thousand souls, has no place of worship, either of the established church, or of any denomination of protestant

dissenters. About one-fourth of the inhabitants consists of Roman catholics, who have two chapels, fully and constantly attended. For the remaining 4500 protestants there is no place of worship, or resident clergyman! The population has doubled itself in the last ten years, and increases rapidly. A resident gentleman liberally offers 1200l. as an endowment for a resident clergyman, on condition that an episcopal place of worship is erected. The estimated expense of the church is 20007. With a donation of 500l. from the Chester Church Diocesan Society, 1300l. are raised. For the remaining sum of 700l., this appeal is made to the Christian public. Donations may be paid to the "Eccleston Church Fund," at the Bank of Messrs. Jones, Lloyd, and Co., and at Messrs. Hatchard and Sons, 187, Piccadilly, London.

CHURCH MATTERS.

THE great number and interest of the Letters in "Correspondence" this month, will be a sufficient reason for this and other parts of the Magazine being curtailed.

The one point requiring particular notice is, that the Irish government have denied to the Irish clergy the aid of even the civil power to enable them to assert their just rights. This is announced in two letters from Lord Morpeth. Abstaining, as this Magazine does, from party politics, it is yet impossible not to say that this is merely an attempt to induce the clergy, by the most biting distress, to give up their recorded principles, and assent to the spoliation measures proposed in parliament. What would be thought, in daily life, of him who attempted to take advantage of the pangs of want to induce a man to give up his honesty, or a woman her virtue?

Under these circumstances, the laity have come forward-and let the clergy mark their names with the gratitude that they deserve-to supply to the clergy the means of resorting to the courts of law (their last earthly refuge) for the justice denied them by their enemies, and the protection refused to them by the government. This most excellent plan appears to be prospering; and no one can doubt that they who have relied on the poverty of the clergy to refuse the payment of their just debts, will be startled at finding that the friendless are not so wholly friendless, nor the deserted so wholly deserted, as they thought. The clergy, too, there is little doubt, will, in every case but those of absolute destitution and famine, far prefer this mode of aid to any other which can be devised, as less grating to their feelings. They have shewn, and are shewing, as every account proves, a spirit of courage, patience, and generous feeling for others, and carelessness about themselves, which can arise from one source alone. May they be enabled to draw from that source continued and increased supplies of aid and support.

It may be as well to give here, instead of under Documents, the details of this Lay Society.

IRISH LAY ASSOCIATIONS.

For aiding the Protestant Clergy in the protection of Church Property. Ár a special meeting of the Committee of this Association, on the 15th of October, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :

:

"That the session of Parliament having passed without the enactment of any effectual measures for the better regulation of church property in Ireland, and the recent determination of Government having thrown upon the Irish clergy increased difficulty in the recovery of their composition rents (which must oblige them either to abandon their rights altogether, or institute suits in the superior courts, the expense of which they would be unable to bear), the circumstances of the clergy have thus become such as to demand from our society a still greater degree of sympathy and increased exertion on their behalf.

"That we feel it, therefore, our imperative duty to call upon those, in both countries who respect the rights of property, and are desirous to support the law, to co-operate with us in extending more widely the benefits of this society; and for this purpose we deem it right to submit to them the following statement of its objects and proceedings:

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"The difficulties under which the clergy laboured in consequence of the extensive and well-organized combination against them, induced a few influential individuals (in September, 1834) to form a fund for the protection of church property, to be solely applicable to the purpose of aiding the clergy in resisting that combination, and in asserting their just rights by process of law. The fund was vested in the names of six noblemen, who consented to act as trustees; and a committee was formed, whose duty it was to investigate, consider, and decide upon the best means of forwarding the objects for which the fund was raised. It was not, however, deemed necessary to take measures for giving general publicity to the existence and proceedings of the society, whilst the efficiency of its operations remained to be proved by experience. The committee have great satisfaction in being able now to state that the results of their proceedings have fully realized the expectations entertained; no case, undertaken with their sanction, having been unsuccessful, and in most instances the opposing parties having been obliged to pay the debt with all costs. Before the accession of the late administration, it was cofidently hoped that the question of church property would have been honourably and finally settled; and the session of Parliament having been so long protracted, the committee, in the uncertain state of public affairs, did not deem it advisable to extend its operations, or to make any appeal to the public. The committee, however, feel that the time has now arrived when they are called upon to make known their readiness and fixed determination to afford every aid that their means will admit of to resist the flagrant violation of the rights of property under which the clergy are suffering; and they most earnestly invite all whose properties have not been as yet invaded, and who sympathize with those who have been deprived of the enjoyment of theirs, to furnish them with funds to carry their objects more completely into effect. By the fundamental principle of the society, the fund (which is placed, to the credit of the trustees, in the Bank of Ireland) is solely applicable to the purpose of contributing to reimburse the clergy the necessary expenses they shall have incurred in asserting their legal rights by process of law, in cases which, after due investigation, are approved of in all respects by the committee."

The trustees of the above association are, the Earls of Roden, Enniskillen, and Bandon, Viscount Lorton, and Lord Farnham; and among the committee are the Right Hon. William Saurin, Frederick Shaw, M.P., and Thomas Lefroy, M.P., the Dean of St. Patrick, George Moore, Edward Lytton, R. B. Warren, Alexander Hamilton, and James S. Scott, K.C., Serjeant Jackson, VOL. VIII. Dec.-1835.

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M.P., Sir George Rich (Treasurer), G. A. Hamilton (Secretary), &c. &c. Among the principal contributors to the funds of the society are-the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl of Winchilsea, 500l. each; and Marquis of Waterford, 400l.; the Marquis of Downshire, 350l.; Earl Roden, Earl Bandon, Viscount Lorton, and Lord Farnham, 3007.; the Earl of Longford (deceased), 250.; the Marquis of Ely, the Earl of Enniskillen, the Earl of Mayo, the Earl of Clancarty, the Earl of Clanwilliam, the Hon. Gen. Taylor, James Hans Hamilton, Esq., George Woods, Esq., and Col. Forde, 2007.; the Marquis of Hertford, the Marquis of Thomond, the Earl of Rathdowne, Earl Norbury, Viscount de Vesci, Viscount Castlemaine, Lord Fitzgerald, Lord Mountsandford, Lord Downes, Lord Clanbrook, Rt. Hon. F. Shaw, M.P., Rt. Hon. Thomas Lefroy, M.P., Sir Hugh D. Massy, Bart., Arthur Annersley, Esq., Col. Conolly, M.P., The Dublin Evening Mail, and a Friend by the Lord Primate, 1007.; the Earl of Hillsborough, Viscount Lifford, Rt. Hon. W. Saurin, Hon. R. Plunket, M.P., Sir A. Fitzgerald, Bart. (deceased). Hugh Barton, Esq., Rev. Dr. Prior, R. B. Warren, Esq., J. B. West, Esq., R. H. Eyre, Esq., Rev. M. Beresford, and J. D. Jackson, Esq., 50ẻ. each.

RELIGIOUS DESTITUTION OF GREAT TOWNS.

THE following calculations and remarks (supplied by the kindness of two friends) may appear to belong to Documents, but they are, in fact, a most impressive continuation of the "Great Cities" in

the last number.

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It may be necessary to notice here a statement respecting Brighton made by the Attorney-General at Edinburgh. He there said, that the voluntary system answered perfectly there, for within a few years seven or eight new churches and chapels have been built there, and the clergy appointed to them are of the highest character. Nothing can be more true than both these statements. But they are nihil ad rem. No one denies that rich people in great towns will always have churches or chapels for themselves; and at Brighton there have been built seven or eight new chapels on speculation, for the purpose of supplying the demand of the numerous visitors and richer inhabitants. But how has the voluntary system acted for the mass of the people? Why thus,-The inhabitants, as stated in this table, are 40,000. But the visitors are reckoned at 10 or 12,000 more when the place is full. It is for them chiefly that the 9 or 10,000 sittings are provided. What becomes of the mass of the inhabitants? First, one new church was built, to which the commissioners gave one large sum, and lent another, which the popular party is now refusing to pay! And be it remembered, that even in this new church, so far from all the sittings being free, a sufficient share of pews to be let was reserved to pay the clergyman and the expenses. This was found so wholly inadequate, that a third small church has been built more for the poor; and on the very Sunday after the Attorney-General's speech, charity sermons were to be preached in all the chapels, in order to raise money to pay off a part of the debt incurred! This, too, unless the writer is mistaken, leaves, according to the active and zealous vicar's statement, very many thousands of the poor still without church-room. Is this, then, a successful exhibition of the powers of the voluntary system?

TABLE I.

Exhibiting the Population and Church Accommodation of Parishes in England containing more than Thirty Thousand Inhabitants.

(The Metropolis and suburbs are not included in this Table.)

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