their regular circuit expenditure; and we shall feel crippled in a good many ways until the burden is considerably reduced. Our sale this year has proved quite a success, having cleared the sum of £50 after paying expenses. Besides this, three youthful collectors -Miss Whitehead, Master Soulsby, and Master Wilkinson-have collected, in weekly pence during the past year, the handsome sum of about £10. In addition to these measures for reducing our debt, the Ladies' Monthly Sewing Meeting continues its regular work. They had £50 in a building society -the result of previous work and last year's sale. They have added to this during the past year, in monthly contributions, £12 or £13 more; so that in reality we possess £120 towards the £800. This is very encouraging, and our friends seem determined not to rest until the debt is extinguished, or at least reduced to more commodious limits. In the meantime we earnestly pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, for we invariably find that the constant ARDSLEY, BARNSLEY CIRCUIT. AT this spirited little village the Miscellaneous Articles, Anecdotes, &c. MONTHLY RETROSPECT. FOREIGN.-We remember that one, who would be esteemed "a prophet of the latter days," some time ago predicted that Rome, the city of the Popes, would be destroyed by fire, probably by the outburst of one or more volcanoes in the midst of its seven hills. We are very dubious about the prophecy; but it is a fact that, a few weeks ago, this famous city was under water. In the midst of the grand religious ceremonials and festivities of Christmas time, on the 27th of December, old Tiber began to overflow his banks; and on the following morning the waters were five or six feet high on the Corso, the principal thoroughfare; the like of which has not been seen in modern times. The bridge of St. Angelo, built by the Emperor Hadrian, upwards of 1,700 years ago, and very shortly after the time of Christ, gave unmistakable proof of the able engineering of the old Romans in withstanding the terrific surging of the wild waters of this inundation. Its massiveness and stability held the fierce torrent in check, and, indeed, flung back the deluge upon the city. The flood came at midnight. The authorities had been warned by the Prefect of Terni, by telegraph, of the sudden melting of the mountain snows, and the consequent rise of the tributaries of the Tiber; but the inhabitants of Rome did not expect that danger was so imminent. It found most of them in bed, and unprepared for the terrible emergency. Those residing in the lower part of the town had to rush to the upper storeys of their houses, and wait the arrival of boats for their rescue. For three or four days the flood continued; much suffering was endured for want of provisions, and many lost their lives, the flood overtaking them before they had time to reach a place of safety. In the adjoining country, lives were lost, and much property destroyed. The superstitious Romans are taught by the priests that this is a judgment upon them for having welcomed the Italians and thrown off the yoke of the Pope. Victor Emanuel, the King of Italy, has contributed 20,000 francs to mitigate the distress occasioned by this great disaster which has befallen his newlyacquired capital. It is no doubt true that the judgments of God are falling upon both Rome and Paris, but, nevertheless, we decline to accept the interpretations of the Romish priests. We are glad to hear that the Rev. H. J. Pigott (Wesleyan Missionary), who has long and successfully laboured in Italy, has gone to Rome, and, with other Protestant ministers, is proclaiming that Gospel of which, in the same city, the Apostle Paul was "not ashamed." The Irish Presbyterian Church is putting forth energetic efforts for the evangelization of Spain. Signor Corrasco has already organized three Presbyterian Churches in Madrid; the Rev. Mr. Somerville (Free Church Minister, of Glasgow) has drawn up a Confession of Faith; and the Rev. W. Moore has been sent to assist in the glorious work now going on. We think that Methodism should not be the last to enter this new, extensive, and promising field of Christian enterprise. Our divisions weaken us, and render us incompetent to avail ourselves, promptly and efficiently, of such Providential openings. King Amadeus I. has made his entry into Madrid, and has been cordially welcomed by all classes, except the extreme Republicans. His inauguration has been gloomed by the assassination, a day or two before his arrival, of General Prim, who, more than any other man, had been instrumental in securing for the new king his crown, and who had most ably and unselfishly guided the helm of national affairs in the troublous times since the deposition of Queen Isabella. The outlook is not very encouraging for the permanent establishment of the House of Savoy. The Lutherans in the Russian provinces on the Baltic-Livonia, Esthonia, and Courland-are suffering severe persecutions from the authorities, at the instigation of the Greek Church. These Baltic provinces have been in the possession of Russia for the last 150 years. The inhabitants, for the most part, speak the German language, and hold the Lutheran faith. We should think that Von Bismarck has his eye upon them, for German unity can scarcely be complete without their annexation. To these provinces Russia has been much indebted for all the higher advances in her civilization; her ablest statesmen have been natives of one or other of these provinces; the royal family itself has had a thoroughly German shoot grafted on the old Muscovite stock. They were once an appanage of Sweden, won for his country by that great Protestant hero, Gustavus Adolphus; and when they passed into Russian hands, a special clause in the treaty guaranteed their liberties, language, and religion, to the people. But Russia proper, under the mania of Panslavism, aims at a complete fusion of all the races under her autocratic sway. This attempt in Poland led to a rebellion, the defeat of which has reduced the Poles to a more grievous bondage. But though there has been no insurrectionary outbreak in the Baltic provinces of which we write, yet we learn from a pamphlet just published by the Rev. Dr. Steane, that the inhabitants have been, and are still suffering, a bitter persecution on account of their loyalty to the religion of their fathers. Shortly after their cession to Russia, an army of Greek priests were sent into the provinces. Had they prosecuted their mission fairly, there could have been no great ground for complaint. But, instead of endeavouring, by honest argument and pure and earnest lives, to convince the Lutherans of the superiority of the Greek Church, they offered material advantages-freedom from taxes, exemption from military conscription, &c. These bribes failing, more nefarious stratagems were adopted. An agent of the Government persuaded the inhabitants of one village that they required a larger place of worship, and a petition to the Czar was drawn up in the Russian language for them to sign; it was afterwards discovered that the petition was a prayer to be received into the Greek Church, and every one who signed the paper was forced to conform. In another case, the villagers met in a Greek church by the invitation of the Governor, in order to receive some relief in the time of famine; once assembled, they were told that their presence there was an act of conformity, and every one was henceforth returned an adherent to the Greek Church. The present Minister of Public Works in Russia, Count Bobrinski, paid a visit to this district six years ago, and laid an official report before the Emperor. Everywhere crowds waited upon him, complaining of intolerance and persecution. One or two sentences from his report reveals the whole state of the case: "Everywhere the peasants implored with tears that I would present to your Majesty their request that they, or at least their children, might be permitted to confess the Lutheran faith. When I dismissed the peasants, I communicated to them that the existing laws concerning orthodoxy could not be changed; that the Greek-Orthodox could not return to Lutheranism, and that the children of mixed marriages must be baptized according to the Greek rite. They heard that with deep and unconcealed grief, but with full submission. They implored me again on their knees to present to your Majesty their hopes of your imperial clemency." By a law of the Empire, a person who is once a member of the Greek Church cannot secede without incurring the severest penalties, including even banishment to Siberia. It matters not how he may have been tricked into his new faith; once a Greek, always a Greek, and his posterity also. Hence it happens that for upwards of 100,000 persons in these Baltic provinces who, by means more or less fraudulent, have been inveigled into the predominant faith, there is no remedy whatever, unless by pressure from without. Earl Russell has written to an influential friend in the interest of these oppressed Lutherans, and a deputation from the Evangelical Alliance is about to wait upon the Emperor on their behalf. A Russian princess, hearing the other day of this contemplated mission to St. Petersburg, remarked, "What a singular society that Evangelical Alliance is! It went to Florence to intercede for the Madiai-soon after the Grand Duke lost his throne. It went to Sweden to intercede for the persecuted Roman Catholics-soon after the Government of Sweden underwent a total change. It went to Spain to intercede for Matamoros-and, since then, the Queen of Spain has been driven from the country. Now they are coming to St. Petersburg. I hope nothing is going to happen to the Emperor." Progress! seems to be the motto of young Italy. Three hundred years ago, Florence, the city of Savonarola, which had just proclaimed herself a republic, owning no mastership but Jesus Christ, was besieged by the combined Papal and Spanish forces. A few weeks ago, that same Spain, which crushed the newly-founded republic, sent a deputation of her foremost men to Florence to accept a constitutional king from her hands; and, as if in remembrance of the past, the leader of the embassy gave 1,000 francs towards the monument in erection in that city in honour of Savonarola, the Luther of Italy. It was a proud day for Italy. The king, Victor Emanuel, gave way to deep emotion when confiding beloved son to the loyalty of the Spaniards. The first really Italian Parliament has been opened; including, as it does, the deputies from the Eternal City and the provinces of Rome. The entire separation of Church and State, and "gratuitous instruction for children of six years of age and upwards, compulsory in every township," is the noble programme of the Government. HOME. If crowned heads are proverbially uneasy, we should think that Prime Ministers have even a less share of repose. At any rate, Mr. Gladstone must have had a full share of mental disquietude of late. His well-meant but unfortunate letter to Mr. Dease, in which he declared that the spiritual dignity and independence of the Pope were matters demanding the attention of the British Government, has elicited deprecatory comment from Protestants of all denominations in the three kingdoms. Scotch Presbyteries, Irish Orangemen, and English Protestant associations, have strongly denounced the principle laid down by the Premier. Many ministers of considerable eminence, such as the Revs. Dr. Candlish and Donald Fraser, have spoken out very decidedly. Indeed, Dr. Candlish has written to Mr. Gladstone, and received a reply to the effect that the words to which such general and strong exception have been taken, are susceptible of a more favourable interpretation than that placed upon them popularly, but Mr. Gladstone deemed it prudent to reserve his explanation until called upon in his place in Parliament. We cannot help feeling that this noble statesman has made a blunder, not to be explained away by the ambiguity of language. No one knows better than he the force of words. No one selects them more cautiously, or uses them more distinctly. He has evidently meant to conciliate the Catholic subjects of Her Majesty by a show of solicitude for the head of their Church at a critical juncture, and had calculated too largely on the lull in the Protestant sentiment of the country. But he has thoroughly roused Protestantism, and "protests" are "thick as autumnal leaves in Vallambrosa." The inquiry is universal: "Who is the Pope, that the British Government should extend to him the aegis of its protection? What claim has His Holiness on our respect or guardianship? Is the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, or the President of a Methodist Conference, favoured with this distinguished consideration? If not, why not?" The only safe position for a Prime Minister or Government in England, is to secure to all the subjects of the realm full religious liberty. Beyond that, not a step. In this case, Irish Romanists have been propitiated at the risk of offending British Protestants; and unless the indignation be appeased, it will create a split in the Liberal ranks, and hurl Mr. Gladstone from power. Dalliance with Popery will not be condoned by a robust Protestant people. Mr. Gladstone has nobly earned the gratitude of Great Britain and Ireland by his able, conscientious, and prescient statesmanship; but England will not, even under so brilliant a leader, bow the head to the Roman Pontiff. But at a mass meeting held at Thurles, to sympathize with the Pope, Archbishop Leahy said that the Roman Catholics would support no Government, and elect no Member of Parliament, unwilling to espouse the cause of the Pope. It is very evident that the sooner Church and State alliance, in the broadest sense, is abolished, the better. The State must take the highest ground, and say, "We will protect all, but favour none." Many serious complications would then be avoided. Meanwhile, who would envy the Prime Minister? The first attempt to carry out the threat of Archbishop Leahy has been a failure. A vacancy having occurred in the county of Meath, the Hon. George Plunkett, son of the Earl of Fingal, was brought forward by the priest party, under pledge that he would vote to restore Rome to the Pope. His father was Lord-Lieutenant of the county, and so popular and influential a Catholic, that he was selected as a visitor to Maynooth. Mr. Martin, a Presbyterian, came forward as a "Nationalist," i.e., to secure a Home Government for Ireland. He came forward unpledged further than that. His chances were regarded as at zero, and no newspaper supported him. Yet, to the surprise of all, he was returned by a majority of 456; the election not having cost him a shilling; and no violence, no intimidation, no bribery, either in money or whisky. Two things are very evident from this election, first, that there must have been a very intelligent and efficient organization; and secondly, that priest-power is waning in the sister isle. 66 A rather singular scene occurred recently at a meeting of the English Church Union (Ritualistic), in Longton. The Rev. E. L. Blenkinsopp, of Springthorpe, had been announced to deliver a lecture in the Town Hall, on The English Prayer Book." The audience assembled, but no lecturer came, and no one could explain the reason of his absence. Subsequently it was ascertained that the rev. gentleman had been afflicted with a sudden and severe attack of lumbago, rendering him utterly unable to fulfil his engagement. However, the assembly, while still expecting him, determined to improve the time. The Rev. P. M. Walker, who had attended to interrogate the rev. gentleman on his Ritualistic teachings, was requested to deliver an address. The composition of the meeting may be learnt from the fact that this proposition was carried almost unanimously, amid loud and prolonged cheering. But Mr. Walker gracefully declined, on the ground that it would be a breach of courtesy without the consent of the conveners of the meeting. This was then sought, but refused. A Mr. McDermott then arose, and eloquently denounced Ritualism. A Mr. Harrison exposed the semi-Romanism taught and acted at Sneyd Church, Burslem. He spoke fervently, as one who had seen for himself, and had been disgusted. The curate of Edensor, Longton, the Rev. Mr. Galaher, next addressed the meeting, ably reasoning against the pretensions of Ritualism, and challenging Mr. Blenkinsopp to a public discussion. It is plain that if the lecturer expected had arrived, he would have had a stormy time of it, and it is also obvious that the strong common sense of the English middle and working classes recoils from this Ritualistic aping of Popery. As one has well put it, if the adherents of the English Church Union are not Papists, they are A-pists. We see that the Rev. J. G. Wood, in a sermon at Frome, advocates intercessory prayers to the Virgin Mary. The Bishop of Bath and Wells (Lord A. Hervey) has prohibited him again officiating in his diocese, and further expressed a hope that "the good sense of clergy and laity will lead them to discountenance the proceedings of the English Church Union, which will destroy the English Church, if encouraged in its present course." This is an important declaration from so influential a quarter. We are glad to find an English prelate, in these days of compromise, brave enough to tell out his mind. Since last month, two of the most distinguished amongst Christian ministers-Dr. Albert Barnes (Presbyterian), America, and the Very Rev. Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury-have been called home. They were both eminent as Biblical scholars. Dr. Barnes' "Commentaries" have had an immense circulation, and have greatly facilitated the intelligent study of the Sacred Volume. It has been the commentary of the present generation. And what the commentaries of Barnes have been for junior ministers, local preachers, and Sabbath-school teachers, Dean Alford's edition of the New Testament, with revised text and critical notes, has been to senior ministers, and all students of the higher Biblical exegesis. Both these gifted men had deservedly achieved world-wide fame. Dr. Barnes died very suddenly at a ripe age (seventy-two), while paying a visit of condolence to a friend residing a mile from his own home. He was accompanied on this visit by his daughter. Having sat down, he |