Oakhampton....C. Savile, Sarum, Old..J. Alexander, Wareham..J. Calcraft, T. Aberdeenshire son A. J. Crawford Scarborough .. Right hon. C.M.Sutton, Lord Visc. Normanby Seaford C. R. Ellis, G. W. Taylor Shaftesbury..J. B. S Morritt, J. H. Shepherd Shoreham Sir C. M. Burrell bart, James Martyn Lloyd Shrewsbury R. Lister, .... .. Hon. H. G. Bennett Somersetshire. W. Dickinson, W. G. Langton Southampton W. Chamberlayne, Sir W. C. de Crespigny bart. Southwark C. Calvert, Sir R. T. Wilson knt. Staffordshire. Earl Gower, E. J. Littleton Stafford....B. Benyon, S. Homfray Stamford ... Hon. W. H. Percy, Lord T. Cecil Sir J. Aubrey bart., G. Phillips Stockbridge..J. F.Barham, G. Porter Sudbury..W. Heygate, J. Broadhurst Suffolk. T. S. Gooch, Sir W. Rowley bart. Surrey G. H. Sumner, W. J. Dennison Right hon. R. Ryder, W. Fitzhugh Denman Wenlock C. W. Forester, bart., H. Colburn Westminster. Sir S. Ro milly knt., Sir F. Burdett bart Westmoreland..Lord Visc. Louther, Hon. H. C. Louther Weymouth and Melcombe Viscount Fitzharris Wiltshire. P. Methuen, W. P. T. L. Wellesley Winchester. J. H. Leigh, P. St. John Mildmay Winchelsea. H.Brougham, G. Mills Windsor. E. Disbrowe, J. Ramsbottom jun. Woodstock Lord Spencer, Sir H. W. Dashwood Wootton-Bassett R. Ellison, W. T. Money Worcestershire. Hon. W. H.Lyttleton, Hon. H.B, Lygon Worcester..ViscountDeer. hurst, T. H. H. Davies Wycombe. Sir J. D. King bart, SirT.Baring bart, Totness. T. P. Courtenay Yarmouth,Great,Norfolk.. J. Fergu-Air, Irvine, &c... T. F. Ayrshire Lieut.-gen. J. Argyleshire. LordJ.Camp Montgomerie bell Hon. T. W. Anson, C. E. Rumbold Yarmouth, Hants.-J. Taylor, W. Mount Yorkshire.. Viscount Milton, J. A. S. Wortley York. Hon. L. Dundas, Sir M. M. Sykes ba rt Banffshire. Earl of Fife Berwickshire. Sir J. Marjoribanks Caithness-shire..G.Sinclair Cromartyshire R.Macleod, Haddingtonshire. Sir J. Peebleshire..Sir J. MontDingwall, Tain, &c. .. H. Innes Cashel Rich Pennefathe Sir U. Burgh Coleraine. Sir J. P. Beres ford bart. Cork co... Hon. R. Hare, Lord Visc.Kingsborough Cork Hon. C. H. Hutchinson, Sir N. C. Colthurst bart. Donegall co. Lt.-gen. G. V. Hart, EarlMount Charles Down co...Lord Visc. Castlereagh, Lord A. Hill Downpatrick.. Visc. Glerawley Drogheda H. M. Ogle Dublin co... R. W. Talbot Dublin. Right hon.H.Grat. tan, R. Shaw H. Hamilton, | Suttie bart. gomery bart Jedburgh, Haddington,&c. Pittenweem, Anstruther, ..D. North jun. .... Ross-shire.. T. Mackenzie Inverness-shire. Righthon. Renfrewshire.. J. Maxwell Grant Longford co...Sir T. Fea- Foster, Visc. Jocelyn Pole, Sir H. Parnell bt. Cahir, Hon M. Mathew Stewart bt. W. Stewart Proby, Wm. Paruell RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. THE general Board of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, in the abstract of its proceedings for the year 1817, notice, first, Their proceedings in connexion with the diocesan and district committtees; and, secondly, Their proceedings at large, including education and schools, distribution of tracts, benefactions, and occurrences at home, and foreign intelligence, and the state of the Society's missions. The diocesan and district committees, established at home and abroad, now amount to one hundred and ninety-five, in many of which the number of subscribers has very much increased of late. The whole number of members of the Society is 12,600. It would, of course, be impracticable to follow the Report in its home transactions through the various dioceses, with their divisions into archdeacouries, and their subdivisions into districts, including some hundred names of places. We shall en.deavour, therefore, to grasp at the general results of the Society's proceedings and the benefits with which they have been attended. The diocesan committee at Calcutta have received a very liberal supply of books transmitted for their use; a supply which they state to be far beyond any expectation that could have been formed. They appear also to have been instrumental in circulating many copies of the Society's Family Bible. It was conceived advisable to reprint at Calcutta, before the arrival of the expected books, Mrs. Trimmer's Charity-school Spelling Book, in two parts; which might be distributed to great advantage, among the children of Europeans in his Majesty's and the honourable CHRIST. OBSERV. APP. Company's service, in regimental and other military schools, in barracks, cantonments, and hospitals. As, however, the funds of the committee were at that time unequal to the expense, this design was respectfully laid before government, and pecuniary aid solicited to carry it into effect. The readiest acquiescence was given to this request of the diocesan committee, and a sum given fully equal to meet the estimated cost of the edition, which has since been printed, and largely distributed, and it is believed with no inconsiderable advantage. Besides this, the committee have, at their own charge, reprinted Woodward's Soldier's Monitor, which has been found equally acceptable. The committee state also, that there is a very increasing demand for the Society's books.-A district committee has been established at Bombay, which completes the connexion of the Society with the three presi dences of British India. The district committee at Madras inform the general Board, that previously to the arrival of the books which they had requested from the Society in London, they were supplied from the missionary stores of Messrs. Pezold, Holzburg, and Kolhoff, and had also received a supply of "the Soldier's Monitor," and the Society's books, from the committee at Calcutta. From the district committee at Bombay the general Board have received a report, which states, that the Society's Family Bible is in great request in that Archdeaconry; and that the books sent by the Society would be distributed with con siderable advantage, as Prayerbooks were very scarce.-No recent accounts had been received from the district committee at Ceylon. 5 S The proceedings in the diocese of Nova Scotia (Halifax and Nova Scotia) and Quebec are next reported. His grace the Archbishop of Canterbury having recommended the Society to the favourable consideration of his excellency the Earl of Dalhousie, his lordship has in every way promoted its interests within his government. The Halifax diocesan committee state, that the district committees in different parts of that extensive diocese are nobly promoting the objects of the Society; and encourage the best hopes that, with the blessing of God, their endeavours are already producing important benefits. The correspondence with the committees at Fredericton, St. John's, St. Andrew's, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward's Island, and with various individuals, who are too remote from each other to form a committee, continues to encourage the hopes which were entertained when they joined the Society; and by the distribution of books they are rendering valuable services even to the remotest settlements in these colonies. In the progress of the Report, the Halifax committee further inform the Society, that the distribution of books and tracts has engaged their earnest attention, and that this part of their work is also prospering. The demand was greater than could be supplied without sending to England, which they had been obliged to do. In consequence of earnest applications, this committee has been induced to establish depôts of books in different parts of the country; and they are desirous of complying with other similar applications, as far as their means will allow. Large demands have also been made upon them for the supply of schools, and especially of those into which the National System of Education has been introduced; all of which they have gladly supplied, to the extent of their ability. They state also, that they have furnished a partial supply of books to several small and remote settlements along the shores of those provinces, whose want of the means of religious instruction was most deplorable; and that they have resolved to attempt the supply of all such places more abundantly as soon as it may be possible to distribute Bibles, Testaments, Prayer-books and tracts, through some careful agent, who may be visiting the harbours and other settlements on the coasts. The Halifax committee thankfully ac knowledge several liberal contributions at Halifax, Fredericton, St. John's, and other places.-The Society has lately received the primary resolution of a diocesan committee formed at Quebec. It has been resolved that district committees, in corespondence with this diocesan committee be promoted throughout that diocese, for the extension, as far as possible, of the objects of the Society. It is intended also that an annual charity sermon shall be preached, in recommendation of the Society's designs, in the catbedral church of the city of Quebee, Every succeeding year bears witness of the increasing importance which attaches to that branch of the Society's designs which relates to education and schools. Though returns of the number of children educated in schools, supplied wholly or in part with books from the Society, are still very imperfect; yet, from the accounts transmited by 33 only out of nearly 200 committees, it appears that 90,129 children receive the advantages of religious information. From April 24, 1817, to April 16, 1818, the following books and tracts were sold to members, or circulated gratuitously. Bibles............. Membs. Gratuit., Total. 29,852 578 30,039 New Tests. and Psalters 53,723 324 54,047 Common Prayers 86,558 577 87,135 Other bound books ..... 60,830 547 00,877 Small Tracts and Papers (835,140/242,353/1,077,493 Total-1,309,588 The Society, having taken into consideration the advantage and convenience which would accrue to the members of the Society by printing the books and tracts in an uniform size, have resolved to take on themselves any charge that may be incurred in printing an immediate edition of the whole on this plan. By this arrangement, the members are now enabled to make their own selection of the different tracts of the Society, which may be bound up in convenient volumes. It is not, however, intended to supersede the smaller and cheaper editions for the use of schools; nor, in some cases, those of a larger type, for the use of the aged. The new books admitted on the Society's catalogue this year, are as follows: History of our Blessed Saviour, extracted from the New Testament;-used in the National Schools, d. each or 48. per 100 A Help to the Unlearned in the Study of the Holy Scriptures, being an Attempt to explain the Bible in a familiar way, by the prize books for schools, and books and tracts of general instruction, combined with amusement, had for some time occupied the attention of the general Board, but had been suspended. During the course of the present year, the expediency of providing for the increasing demands of the public, for books of the above description, has again pressed upon the consideration of the Society; and a sub-committee has been appointed. It is hoped that this valuable addition to the instruction provided by the Society will shortly be obtained. It was noticed, in the last Annual Report, that a prospect had been opened to the general Board, of dispersing the edition of the Arabic Bible, to which the Society had formerly become contributors. This has now been carried into effect, in some measure; and, on the recommendation of the EastIndia Mission Committee, to whom the consideration of the subject was referred, fifty copies of the Arabic Bible, neatly bound, have been directed to be forwarded to Aleppo, to the care of Mr. Barker, late Mrs. Trimmer, in a large s. d. Consul at that place; fifty copies volume, 8vo.... Ditto, ditto, in 2 vols. Prayers and Meditations, selected from the Journal of the late Mrs. Trimmer The Claims of the Established 9 0 8 0 1 4 to Alexandria, to the care of Mr. Salt, Consul-general there; and twenty copies to Constantinople, to the care of Terrick Hamilton, Esq. Oriental Secretary. Besides these, fifty copies have also been directed to be forwarded to the Rev. the Archdeacon of Bombay, to be distributed at his discretion. On the subject of the Society's Family Bible, in two volumes quarto, the Board refer to their Report of last year: to which they add, that the first edition of this work, comprising three impressions, of 16,500 in the whole, has been completed by the publication of the Index; and that the second edition, of 6000 copies, then announced to have been arranged with the University of Oxford, has proceeded with great regularity, by the publication of a Part monthly, and will shortly be brought to a conclusion, |