C the Bible Society in the United States and in our own American settlements. "It having been ascertained," says the Report of the Vermont Bible Society," that. Bibles were much wanted in Canada, the directors agreed to ask of the American Bible Society a donation of two hundred Bibles, to be distributed there. This favour was very cheerfully and promptly granted, and the Bibles forwarded to the Rev. Dr. Stewart and the Rev. Mr. Reid. Letters from these gentlemen have been received, expressing their gratitude for the favour, and informing that the Bibles were mostly distributed." [p. 168.] Long, we would add, very long, may such a spirit of brotherly love and Christian kindness continue to triumph over every sinister feeling of national prejudice, and commercial jealousy. The following short sentence, from the Eighth Report of the New Hampshire Bible Society, will give us some idea of the low state of several of the American churches, as to pecuniary means, and an affecting proof of the great need of richer communities uniting to strengthen and support these feebler interests. "In distributing octavo Bibles, the Board have consulted the interest of some feeble churches in different parts of the State, by presenting to each of them one of these Bibles, for the purpose of being used in public worship. About twenty churches have been thus supplied." [p. 195.] One other instance, and it is a striking one, of the invaluable advantages of Bible Societies, and of the avidity with which the poor press to become partakers of their benefits, as afforded by the First Report of the Female Auxiliary Bible Society of Elmira; and our extracts must, for the present, close: "Many," say the managers of this infant institution," have applied for Bibles, to whom we could not give them: one man came ten miles to procure a number of Bibles to supply a Sabbath school. Having but a few on hand, and he having no money to pay for them, we thought it not proper to spare the number he wanted without some compensation, other parts around us being equally destitute. We gave him one, and agreed to let him have more, if he should bring any thing for pay which the managers could turn into money. Some time after, the old gentleman came again, bringing on his back a load of shoes, the only thing he could get to pay for the Bibles. We mention this simply to shew, that the want of the Bible is felt, its worth realized, and that honest poverty will make great exertions in order to possess it. It is very difficult, and almost impossible, for the poor in many parts of our district to obtain money to purchase a Bible with. The district of our Society is extensive. The Bath Bible Society, which is thirtysix miles distant, is the nearest. The country around, in every direction, is very destitute of the Scriptures. Perhaps it would be no exaggeration to say, there are hundreds of families in our district who do not possess them." [p. 204.] Next to Bible Societies, in the scale of Christian benevolence, we place MISSIONS TO THE HEATHEN; one of which, on an extensive plan, has now been established for ten years under the title of "The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions." The Tenth Annual Report of this valuable institution now lies before us; but as it was presented so long since as September, 1819; and as we have no authentic account of its subsequent proceedings, but have every reason to expect ample details before the publication of our next Number; we must postpone its claims to attention, powerful as they are, in favour of a more recent and more limited, yet not less interesting society, of whose history and operations one of our Philadelphia correspondents, under date of the 28th of April last, gives us the following most pleasing particulars :— "The aborigines of America have been permitted, for ages past, to go down to their graves without religious instruction from their white neighbours. We have been criminally negligent in seeking the salvation of their immortal souls, and sluggish in attempting any measures for bringing them to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. At length (alas! that it should have been so late!) the pious people in America have awoke to a sense of duty on this subject; and there are at present two flourishing missionary esta blishments at Brainerd and Elliot, on this side the Mississipi river. West of that majestic boundary of our former territory, there is a country, now belonging to the United States, greater in extent than our original domain. The Indians are at present the principal inhabitants of it. They consist of many tribes, of various languages of these the Osage is the most numerous and the most remarkable. They inhabit a territory in the same parallel of latitude with the state of Tennessee, which is called, from a large river in that region, the Arkansas. The Osage Indians are estimated at 20,000 persons. They are a tall, majestic race of people, that professedly worship the Great Spirit. Morning and evening they retire from their wigwams a little distance, into the woods, and offer prayers, consisting of short sentences, every one of which is commenced with their name of God. Of any sinfulness, except that which consists in a few external actions, they have no know * Pronounced, and frequently spelt, Arkansaw. ledge; and of the way of salvation by Jesus Christ they have never heard. A society, entitled "The United Foreign Missionary Society," has been established, by the co-operation of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, the Associate Reformed Church, and the Reformed Dutch Church, in the United States. The managers of this Society sent out, last summer, two persons to explore the country west of the Mississippi, and select a suitable station for a missionary establishment. A place was chosen, which is to be called "Union," in honour of the union of three denominations of professing Christians in the establishment of this "Union Mission." One of the young missionaries, who was sent to explore, died at a military post on the Arkansas. The other, the Rev. E. Chapman, returned, to give a favourable account of the country, and of the disposition of the Osage Indians to receive instructors in the arts of civilized life, and in the Christian religion. The managers determined, therefore, without delay, to send out a mission family to these pagans; and in a few weeks after this determination was published, a family, consisting of seventeen adults and four children, were collected, and designated to this important work. The principal of this mission is the Rev. Wm. F. Vail, who has, for several years, desired to engage in such a labour of love as this, and who obtained a dismission from an affectionate people in Connecticut, that he might go to the Osages. He is the father of the four children just spoken of; and he devotes them, as well as his wife, himself, and all his talents, to this service for Christ. The other adults were drawn together as by one heart, from having long cherished a love to the souls of men, and a desire to be instrumental in diffusing the Gospel of peace. They have left fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, that they may pitch their tents in the wilderness, until they can build log houses, and consecrate their lives to the business of teaching their red brethren how they may be saved. This interesting family has just spent four days in Philadelphia, on their way to the place of their destination. The pious people of this city, and of New York, have sent them away with many tears, and prayers, and blessings. We have never before witnessed among our churches so much affection and zeal in any public enterprise. All seemed ready to give money, food, clothing, and all sorts of utensils requisite for the mission; that the two ministers of Christ, the three husbandmen, the two carpenters, the blacksmith, and the teachers of schools, might all be employed in the civilization and Christianizing of the children of the forest. The Indian children they will be obliged to feed and clothe, that they may have an opportunity of training them up for God. Our national government, I am happy to say, will defray a considerable portion of the expense of these Indian schools; without interfering, in the least, with the religious concerns of the mission. Our government pursues the same liberal policy, in relation to all the Indian schools on our borders, with a view to prepare their scholars for becoming good citizens of our great commonwealth. Of this mission I can, at present, only add, that I yesterday saw them on their journey of 2,300 miles, towards the south-west; and as I parted with them, pronounced over them the apostolical benediction." We are in possession of further interesting intelligence, as to the proceedings of this important institution; but must defer them to our next Number, when we shall in all probability resume the subject. The attention of our readers will then, however, be primarily directed to the important fact of the existence of slavery in America, and its recent extension, by the decision of her legislature on the Missouri question; points on which we have been furnished with a variety of the most authentic particulars. POETRY. ΤΟ A SPRIGHTLY LINES LITTLE GIRL, AT SCARBOROUGH, WHO, HEARING THAT THE AUTHOR WAS A POET, REQUESTED SOME VERSES FROM HIM. Margaret, we never met before, And, Margaret, we may meet no more; I dare not wish you stores of wealth, I dare not wish you beauty's prize, Of these good gifts be you possest, Just in the measure God sees best But, little Margaret, may you be All that he loves and blesses- Your hope through every future breath, Sheffield. J. M. They have hewed out unto themselves broken cisterns. This world that we so highly prize, A broken cistern all the while. Riches, that so absorb the mind In anxious care, and ceaseless toil- And what is lust, and youthful fire? Joy springing from these passions vile— A broken cistern all the while. Ambition, with her lofty theme And fame, with her recording pen, What is it?-to the wisest men, A broken cistern all the while. |