After seven years' toil, the retranslation of the Holy Scriptures into the Chinese language was completed early this year at Shanghai, by the Rev. Dr. Medhurst and Messrs. Stronach and Milne, of the London Missionary Society. The American Missionaries have another translation in progress. Dr. Bradley of the mission to Siam has recently been called to attend upon the sick and dying bed of the queen, and in his professional visits was invited "to speak of Jesus Christ and tell of his power and love. Some five or six of the highest princes of the kingdom were present, as well as several of the chief rulers and many others of inferior rank." The Methodists of Santa Cruz held a campmeeting near that place a short time since. A correspondent of the San Francisco Herald gives the following pleasing account of it: "It was numerously attended, and in point of talent displayed by the preachers, and decorum observed by the audience, might compare favorably with a meeting of a similar nature in any of the older States, and certainly reflected great credit on a State that has acquired, justly or unjustly, a widespread reputation for depravity and lawlessness. A marked and agreeable feature was the number of ladies that attended. But a very short time since we were almost entirely destitute of female society; now we have quite a number of ladies, whose bright eyes and modest deportment might well attract attention in the aristocratic circles of the Eastern States, and who are looked upon here as flowers in a barren waste-dearer from their scarcity, and for the cheering, beautifying influence they exert on the otherwise sterile heart of man." Throughout our Pacific possessions, the Methodists appear to be dayly gaining ground. A camp-meeting was held at Mormon Island on the third of June, and another in the Santa Clara Valley on the same day. At Bodega, on the third of July, another meeting was holden. This speaks well for the future. Great excitement had been experienced by the arrival at Port au Prince of his lordship Vincent Spaccapietra, Bishop of Arcadcopoles, and Apostolic Delegate from His Holiness Pope Pius IX. to the Court of Faustin the First. He was received with the most imposing demonstrations. On entering the city he was met by a religious procession, numbering some three or four thousand, by which he was escorted to the Catholic Church, where he was met by the Vicar-General in full canonicals. A few days after, he had an audience with the emperor, who received him, seated on his throne; when he made an address, in which he pronounced Faustin to be the Napoleon of the Antilles," &c. Surely we live in strange times. M. de Pressensè states, in a letter to London, that on an average each colporteur in France disposes of one hundred copies of the Scriptures per month. A remarkable change is said to be in progress among the Jews. Rabbinism is rapidly losing its influence over them, and multitudes are throwing aside the Mishna and the Talmud, and turning to the study of Moses and the prophets. There is a great demand for copies of the Old Testament among the Jews in London. Their attention is also extensively turned to the subject of their restoration to Palestine. Elder Pratt claims for Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, the honor of introducing the spiritual philosophy of the present age to the modern world-and that in so doing an important victory has been gained. The Ladies' Tract Society, Alleghany, Penn., reports that during the year they have distributed thirty-six thousand five hundred tracts, one-sixth of which were German; and have circulated ten thousand five hundred American Messengers, one-seventh of which were German. Of these, eight thousand three hundred and fifty-one were subscribed for; showing the desire to read them. Hundreds were given to Roman Catholics, and thousands to families who care little about religion. Many persons have been induced to attend places of worship, and a large number of children have been brought into the Sabbath school. The Winnebago County Bible Society, Wis., has recently withdrawn from the Northern Wisconsin Bible Society, and become auxiliary to the Parent Institution at New-York. The Protestants of Holland have protested against the reëstablishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in that country, which the pope has decided to do. Strong remonstrances have been made to the pope, and the Dutch ambassador has been withdrawn from Rome. The recent ministers have resigned, and a new ministry has been formed, strongly Protestant. At the recent annual meeting of the Baptist Home Missionary Society, an Indian was ordained to the work of the ministry, who walked six hundred miles in snow-shoes, with his wife and child, in order to attend the meeting. There are eight distinct branches of Presby terians in the United States: the Old School, the New School, the Associate, the Associate Reformed, the Reformed Presbyterian, the Reformed Dutch, the German Reformed, and the Cumberland. These all hold to a common form of Church government, to the parity of ministers, and to the order of "ruling elders;" but wide differences exist among them in relation to theological doctrines. They are very unequal in point of numbers and influence: the first two mentioned, embrace together not less than three thousand seven hundred ordained ministers, five thousand churches, about three hundred and seventy-five thousand communicants, and one million five hundred thousand members of congregation; and they have no less than ten theological seminaries, and double the number of colleges. The other branches are prosperous and influential, though smaller; and contain, it is believed, not less than three hundred thousand communicants. In Amherst College, during the last thirty years, there have been nine powerful revivals, occurring at intervals of from one to four years, and numbering from thirty to fifty-five converts each. No year has passed without its individual conversions, and the aggregate has, probably, been not less than three hundred. Upward of one hundred of these have, probably, entered the ministry. The Jews of Leipsic have obtained permission to build a synagogue in that city. Art Intelligence. Ar a recent sale in London of the Spanish collection of pictures owned by the late Louis Philippe, ex-King of the French, many of the works brought the highest prices. The portrait, by Velasquez, of the Minister of Olivarez, was sold for $1,550. A portrait of Philip IV., of Spain, also said to be by Velasquez, copied from the celebrated original of the Madrid Museum, in the third or vague manner of the painter, sold for $1,250. The finest Murillo in the collection was the much-injured canvass which once represented, in all the splendor of color and expression, "St. Joseph and the Infant Christ;" but damaged as it was, it sold for $2,200. The "Conception," in life size, though deprived in many places of its glazings, brought the sum of $4,050. It is a composition in the second manner of Murillo. A smaller "Conception" by Murillo, in which the characteristics of the master were also distinguishable, was knocked down for $1,350. The "Virgin and Child" brought $7,750. Another "St. Joseph and Infant Christ," though not a favorable specimen of the master, brought $1,500. A picture of "Jesus and St. John on the banks of Jordan, brought $3,300. The "Conception," by Murillo, sold in Paris last year, brought over $100,000. It was purchased by the French government in the face of a strong competition. M. Charles Kloss, one of the most accomplished organists in Germany, died suddenly at Riga, during a concert which he gave at St. Peter's Church, at the moment when he was seating himself at the organ to execute a fantasia composed expressly for the occasion. Kloss was a native of Berlin, and in his sixtysecond year. M. Queen of England, shortly to be erected in Glasgow, which, from its artistic beauty and finish, commands universal admiration. The paintings on glass, which are to be placed in St. Peter's Chapel, Cambridge, England, as memorials of the late Professor Smyth, have just been finished at Munich, and are said to be masterpieces in the art of glass-painting. They are seven feet broad and thirteen feet high, and represent the birth and resurrection of Christ, after the picture of Claudius Schrendolph. A committee had undertaken to have Baron is dead. The second edition of the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, England, which is to be opened to visitors in May next, is nearly three thousand feet in length. The history of art may be learned in a very complete manner from the chronological arrangement that has been adopted with reference to ancient sculpture and architecture. Thus, for instance, the spectator will commence with Egypt, finding himself in the midst of a palace like Luxor, with its lotus pillars, lilyshaped capitals, &c., and will be able to contemplate Memnon and the enormous specimens of Egyptian sculpture; after which he can visit the palaces and marbles of Nineveh-thence Louis Napoleon has contributed two thou- passing into the classical times of Greece, sand francs toward the erection at Weimar of a monument in honor of Schiller, Göthe, and Wieland. It is a curious fact, that the author of "The Robbers," and "Don Carlos," and "William Tell," is a favorite writer with Louis Napoleon. The Dublin Exhibition in fine arts appears to have excelled its London predecessor. Sir Thomas Lawrence is represented by his great portrait of Kemble as "Coriolanus." Hogarth by that extraordinary work, "The Gates of Calais," so full of tragic force; and "The Last Stake," one in the series of "The Harlot's Progress." At the end of the hall hangs Danby's sublime painting of "The Deluge," with its terrible but rather painful details of execution. There are three or four Mul ready's "The Wolf and the Lamb" included, some of them contributed by the queen, and all displaying that mastery of details and refinement of execution for which he is distinguished. Maclise's "Weird Sisters" forms a splendid feature of the collection. To enumerate the works of the different distinguished artists represented would occupy more space than we can possibly devote to them. Since writing the above, we learn that Baron Marochetti has sent to the same exhibition a bronze statue of the which will be admirably illustrated by a model of the Parthenon, and an admirable collection of casts from all the extant marbles of the un equaled models of Greece. Thence, again, he may pass into the arched courts of the Augustan age of Rome, wander through halls of the Byzantine era, examine the gothic architecture of all ages and countries, change the scene once more for the magic halls of the Alhambra-the Court of Embassadors, &c.; and come finally to our own times, so beautifully illustrated by the works of Canova, Thorwalsden, Schwanthaler, and several other distinguished artists. From the will of the great Spanish painter, Murillo, lately published at Madrid, we perceive that his pictures, which now sell for twenty, dollars, were originally painted at prices varythirty, fifty, and even a hundred thousand ing from thirty dollars to a hundred and fifty. Murray, of London, has issued, in a magnificent volume, seventy lithographed drawings of the bass-reliefs and other Monuments of Nineveh, which have been the result of Mr. Layard's second expedition to the buried city. The objects are on the scale of an inch and a half or two inches to the foot, and are not mere outlines, like those of the first expedition. Scientific Items. AT a soirée given by Lord Rosse, a short time since, a large number of beautifully-executed drawings of nebula, observed by the gigantic telescope at Parsonstown Castle, Ireland, were exhibited. Some of these are of a most singular character; and it is worthy of remark, that the speculum has been so much improved as to have enabled Lord Rosse to resolve many nebule, which had, when it was less perfect, resisted all attempts at definition. Dr. Gardner, a gentleman well known to the scientific world, recommends the coffee leaf as a substitute for the berry; and that, to render the commodity marketable for consumption, it should be subjected to the same kind of manipulation as tea undergoes. The leaf, and even the twigs, have, in a minor degree, the same stimulating and exhilarating property as the berry, and they have been in habitual use by the natives of Sumatra, and other parts of the Archipelago, who find the leaf, especially when roasted, to make a wholesome and exhilarating beverage. Dr. Vogel and his companions, who started from England some time ago, have arrived at Tripoli, where they commenced their series of astronomical observations. The doctor expected to be ready to leave that place for the interior about the middle of June, and will have the good fortune to travel with a near relative of the Sultan of Bornu, whom he happened to meet at Tripoli. The route chosen will be the most direct and shortest, via Murzuk and Bilma, and Dr. Vogel hopes to reach the borders of Lake Tsad within a few months, A pedomotive carriage is being exhibited at Hungerford market, England. It is constructed for two persons, and consists of a single wheel, with a seat on either side. Owing to the small amount of friction, and the mode of suspending weights, a great speed is obtained; indeed, the inventor states that sixteen miles an hour may be attained with ease. The works for the perforation of the Tuscan Apennines, for the railway of central Italy, have been commenced. This, when completed. will be one of the longest tunnels in the world. The gold dust found in Coromandel Harbor, New-Zealand, is said to consist of flaky gold, of a pale lemon color, largely intermixed with auriferous quartz, the separation having been effected only by washing in the simplest man ner. No very accurate assay has been obtained, but it is found to be free from any alloy, except silver, of which it contains a portion. The quartz is stated to be highly auriferous, and from its great friability, may be separated by crushing, with great facility. There is an ancient doctrine in process of revival in England. The early Hindoo philosophers held that light was a material substance, and now there are speculations and deductions put forward by a Cambridge philosopher, based on the assumption of light being a viscous fluid. Professor M'Coy, whose valuable services, under Professor Sedgwick, in arranging and describing the Woodwardian fossils, are well known to geologists, has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Philosophical Society of Cambridge. The Memphis (Ala.) Inquirer contains a communication from Dr. Land, who says "his claim to the invention of the atmospheric telegraph is antecedent to either Richardson or Siebert." Dr. Land also states that he is "engaged in arranging a systematic theorem, and in drafting a sketch of a line of communication, by which the sound of words may be delivered in remote cities, in less time than it would take to write them." The Piedmontese Gazette publishes the law or dering the construction of four electro-telegraphic lines: namely, one from Genoa to the Modanese frontier, by Chiavari, Spezia, aud tier of Genoa, by Aix and Annecy; a third Sarzana; another from Chambery to the fronfrom Novara to the frontier of Switzerland, near Brissago, by Pellauza and Intra; and lastly, from Genoa to the French frontier, by Savona, Oneglia, St. Remo, and Nice. Mr. Lassell, of Liverpool, has transported his wonderful telescope (having twenty focal feet) to Malta, and under the beautiful sky of this island he has found incomparable advantages for observing his favorite planets, with whose study he has been for some years occupied, namely, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mr. Lassell has seen the first and second satellites of Saturn very distinctly. On the body of Saturn itself he has been able to observe two red-colored bands and three of a neutral or greenish-blue color. He has found also the two new satellites of Uranus. M. Forth Rouen, French Minister at Athens, has transmitted to the Minister of War a detailed report on the cultivation of herbaceous cotton in Greece, where, since its introduction, it has acquired considerable development. It results from the fact announced in the report, that herbaceous cotton may be introduced with great prospect of success in Algeria. M. Maillefert and Captain Raaslof recently renewed operations against the famous "Pot Rock," at Hell Gate, by the direction of gov ernment, and under the superintendence of Brevet Major D. Fraser, U. S. A.; and the results are as gratifying as before. As soon as Pot Rock has been reduced, M. Maillefert will proceed to New-Haven harbor, and commence similar operations against Middle Rock. The superintendency of the "Nautical Almanac," long so ably executed by Lieut. Stratford, has been offered to and accepted by the star-finder, Mr. Hind. Mr. John Taylor, at the end of Tyne Bridge, England, has got a whole mile, more or less, of tube, without a single joint, made from gutta percha. Such a pipe was never, in any former age, produced of any material whatever. THE THE FIRST METHODIST MEETING-HOUSE IN OHIO. HE places where our fathers were accustomed to worship have a hold on our affections, that time and splendid edifices cannot entirely alienate. Our thoughts go back and hover with a genuine tenderness about these rude and unadorned structures; we even sigh for the childlike faith and simple worship which was at once their charm and consecration. They are rapidly crumbling under the stern pressure of time, and will soon entirely disappear; but the souls that were born and nurtured within their walls have left an impress upon the present generation that will not soon be effaced. We are apt to forget the obligations we are under to the past, and in the rapid strides of our growth and advancement, think but little of the purity and constancy of our fathers, or the sacrifices they made for the VOL. III, No. 3.-P religion of Christ. We cannot too greatly honor their memories, or too carefully preserve the records of their early efforts. Not long since I had the pleasure of visiting the spot on which stands the first Methodist meeting-house built in the State of Ohio. The occasion was of such interest to me, that I brought away a sketch of the old house in its ruins, and have procured some historical items, in connection with it, that may be of some interest. The old church is situated on a beautiful knoll, rising from a branch of Scioto Brush Creek, in Adams county, and is about fourteen miles from the city of Portsmouth. It is within the bounds of what is now known as Dunbarton mission, Ohio Annual Conference, which mission forms a small part of the original Scioto circuit. The building was twenty-four feet square, with a very small door or window on each side, and was built of "scored" logs. As will be seen from the engraving, it is now in a very dilapidated condition, several of the ground logs having rotted off, and the roof fallen in. The space inclosed about it was used as a burying-ground, and here sleep fathers and mothers in Israel, who have long since passed to their reward. ten o'clock, and Smith followed with a farewell sermon-"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God." 66 The house was used about twenty years, and the last service held in it was a twodays' meeting," conducted by Jas. Quinn and Robert O. Spencer, in the spring of 1824, they being at that time the circuit preachers. It is now contemplated to erect a new house of worship some time within the present year upon the same spot. The first itinerant Methodist preacher who visited this region was Henry Smith, still living, an honored member of the Baltimore Conference, and to whom I am indebted for most of the information contained in this article. He crossed over from Kentucky into Ohio, then called the North-Western Territory, in September, 1799. He at once proceeded to organize the members into societies, forming Scioto circuit, which included a territory now contained in some twenty circuits belong-vain. ing to the Portsmouth, Chillicothe, Hillsborough, and Xenia districts, of the Ohio and Cincinnati conferences. With more than ordinary emotion I stood within those walls that had listened to the holy eloquence of M'Kendree, Burke, Quinn, David Young, Collins, and Sale. Here, also, Bascom, Cartwright, and others, now well known in the Church, made their early efforts. Most of those who preached in it have passed from earth, and those that remain will soon be gone; but their labors have not been in The superstructure their sons in the gospel have built upon the foundations they laid in Christ has risen in magnificent proportions, and the best of all is, "God is with us." Many there are who can say: "To us there are holy associations connected with this spot. Here our fathers heard the word of life. Here they were feasted on heavenly food. Here, in infancy, they consecrated us to God; and here they wept over our waywardness, and prayed for us until our hearts were broken. We would fain preserve the ancient temple. We would love to see it standing beside the new edifice, a monument of by-gone days. We would rejoice to point our children to the place where our fathers worshiped, and where we were led in the way to heaven; but time, which carried away our sires, is also doing its work with the house which they built to the honor of Jehovah, and its dust will soon be mingling with theirs." To such it will be, indeed, a pleasing thought, that the The proposition to build a meetinghouse was broached in August, 1800; but, owing to a want of unanimity on the part of the society, it was not commenced until the following summer. The first services in this house were on the occasion of a quarterly-meeting, held on Saturday and Sunday, August 29th and 30th, 1801. "Father" Smith being unwell, he procured the assistance of Benjamin Lakin, of blessed memory, who was at that time on Limestone circuit, in Kentucky. He preached the first sermon, on Saturday morning, from Eccl. vii, 20-spot is the same, though adorned by a new "There is not a just man on earth that doeth good, and sinneth not." At night "Father" Smith preached with such power that the shout of joy, common in the wilderness in those days, was heard, mingled with cries of repentance, and one person made a profession of religion. On Sunday morning, at nine o'clock, the presence of God was felt in the sacramental service. Lakin preached from "What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?" at edifice. In more senses than one it may be hoped, "the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former." WHAT IS LOGIC ?-Logic is a large drawer, containing some useful instruments, and many more that are superfluous. But a wise man will look into it for two purposes-to avail himself of those that are useful, and to admire the ingenuity with which those that are not so are assorted and arranged. |