a work, by any plausible offers of aid, from a quarter that, even when bringing gifts, may well be suspected and feared. We do not, in saying this, blame particularly any particular government; and we cannot find much fault with statesmen who find themselves at a loss to solve the problem of uniting education with religion in a divided nation. It is the misfortune of their position, rather than their own will, that creates the difficulty. But the difficulty exists. Government cannot educate religiously itself, or limit its countenance to those who do. Let not churches, therefore, engaged in this work be drawn aside or diverted by promises of help. Let them go forward in faith, relying on their great and only Head.

We think it may be interesting to our readers to peruse the following startling statement, showing the real designs of its advocates, from a paper in the Patriot-a topic which, we conceive, cannot be put too prominently before the public:

"We are not alarmists; but we regard the present organized attack upon the voluntary education of the country, as neither more nor less than a political conspiracy against the liberties and the religion of the people. One main object of Sir James Graham's bill was, to break up the Sabbath-school system. The Rev. Mr Harness has avowed, that this "Puritanical contrivance is the object of special abhorrence. Dr Hook would exclude the Bible from all secular schools by law. In the schools of Holland, which are held up to admiration, the Bible is not read. The British and foreign schools are the

object of unceasing calumny and abuse, because the Holy Scriptures are made, in them, the instrument of teaching. These are facts which speak loud warnings. The object of the State educationists, let our readers be well assured, is not the extension of education, but a substitutional process. Under the pretext of rendering it more efficient, it is sought to de-popularize it and to de-Protestantize it. Mr Kay has revealed the ultimate design of those who are at the bottom of the State education movement; and we thank Mr Edward Baines for recalling our attention to his language: "What I mean is," says Mr Kay, "that none but the lowest forms of Protestantism” (that is, Methodism and Dissent) “will ever affect an ignorant multitude, but that Catholicism is particularly designed for such a multitude; and what I do wish is, that, if we may not have an educational system whereby to fit our people for the reception of Protestantism, we might again have Roman Catholicism for the people." That is to say, if we cannot put down popular Protestantism and religious dissent by state-craft, let us fall back upon the old priest-craft. Mr Kay thinks the condition of the people in Ireland, Naples, the Swiss Catholic Cantons, and Austria, infinitely better than it is in Protestant Scotland and his native Lancashire. An intense hatred of Evangelical Protestantism is, we have good reason to believe, the mainspring of the zeal affected by many of the advocates of Government education for the improvement of secular instruction. In this warfare Papists and Latitudinarians go hand in hand."

It is upwards of four centuries since the island of Maderia was first peopled with Portuguese colonists, whose religion being that of Rome, has been transmitted to their descendants. The island is at present overspread with a population of about 120,000 souls. It has forty-five churches, nine of which are collegiate, besides a considerable number of public and private chapels, and its religious services are administered by a bishop and a hundred and forty priests. The Jesuits' college, an old, dark, massive building, situated in the centre of the city of Funchal, and now used as a barracks, bears silent testimony to the former domination of the disciples of Loyola, and, could its testimony only become vocal, we have too good ground afforded us by the analogy of history for believing that it would reveal deeds of oppression and cruelty, that now are buried in oblivion. The island is well-adapted by its natural advantages, the grandeur of its scenery, the sulubrity of its climate, and the excellence of its soil, to be the home of an elevated, well-conditioned, and happy people. But, labouring under the iron despotism of Antichrist, the great mass of its population are in a state alike of intellectual, moral, and economic depression. Their character and condition exhibit a striking as well as painful contrast to the magnificence and beauty of the mountains and valleys, on the slopes of which many of them have their humble dwell ings.

That this is attributable to the malignant influence of Popery, is manifest from the rapid development and elevation of mind which have been effected of late, in the case of not a few, by the benign operation of grace and truth. Popery, as usual, has reclaimed against the introduction of bible-light into the island, and branded those who have been instrumental in God's hand, for promoting the beneficial change alluded to, as disturbers of the peace. The murderer of souls endeavoured to cast suspicion on the character even of

Jesus, by crying out, "Art thou come to destroy us?" He conveyed the lying insinuation by means of a human voice, and it is little to be wondered at, that he should employ the voice of the man of sin in similarly aspersing the character of the servants of Christ.

Until the year 1838, nothing like a scriptural reformation of religion was ever attempted in Madeira. All was darkness and death among the deluded natives. But the Lord loved some of them "with an everlasting love," and in due time, He provided for them the means of salvation. Dr Kalley, already on the point of going out as a missionary to China, was directed from his purpose by unforseen occurrences, which obliged him to take up his abode in Madeira. Thus the Great Head of the Church moves his hand, and makes the star which he holds in it, shine in whatever part of the spiritual firmament he will.

Soon after Dr Kalley's arrival, which took place in October of the year abovementioned, his capacity as a medical man, was the occasion of unexpectedly opening up before him a wide field of evangelistic usefulness. He occupied that field with the zeal and spirit of enterprize, which he had been prevented from expending on the heathenism of China. His labours were acknowledged by God, and a spirit of inquiry was awakened which he was enabled to sustain and spread more widely by means of putting the Bible in circulation, and of establishing schools for the benefit of the poor. Old as well as young were moved to encounter the toil of learning to read, that they might themselves have direct access to the Word of God. In the very act of learning to read, some were, as we have reason to believe, savingly impressed by the truth as it is in Jesus. Dr Kalley continued to preach the Gospel daily to all who frequented his house; and, on one occasion, he had, in a remote part of the island, a congregation of 5000 persons. Every thing seemed to bid fair for an extensive change on

the religious aspect of Madeira, when Popery, that had already been showing symptoms of uneasiness, at length awoke like a mighty man out of sleep, and, not hoping to produce any impression by means of moral suasion, had recourse to its usual argument of physical force. In July of 1843, Dr Kalley was lying a prisoner in the city of Funchal. A few months afterwards it was found, on appeal to a higher court of law, that his imprisonment was illegal, and accordingly he was set at liberty. He resumed his operations with unabated ardour, and about the beginning of 1845, while there was a considerable number that had virtually abandoned the religion of Rome as contrary to the religion of the Bible, about twenty individuals declared by one of the most solemn acts of Divine worship, their renunciation of antichristian error.

In the month of October 1844, the missionary spirit of the Free Church of Scotland was, by means of a representation from one of its ministers, called forth on behalf of the natives of Madeira, and the Rev. W. Hewitson was appointed to labour amongst them for a season. After spending some time in Lisbon, during which he made himself acquainted with the Portuguese language, he arrived in Madeira to wards the close of February 1845. No time could have been more seasonable for the commencement of his ministrations. Dr Kalley had, just a few weeks before, been compelled by legal proceedings to discontinue his labours. From the date mentioned, till May 1846, Mr Hewitson alone was engaged in the work of the ministry among the Portuguese; and as no small share of the odium excited by his operations has been directed against Dr Kalley, it is right to mention that, in his ministerial capacity, he had no connection with Dr Kalley whatever.

In the month of March he began to receive such as resorted to him, instructing them more fully in the way of salvation, and examining those who were desirous of communicating according to scriptural example, Towards the end of the month, the Lord's Supper was administered to

nearly forty converts, and again to about fifty-five in the month of May. New names were continually added to the communion roll, till the beginning of May 1846, when they amounted to the number of 151. At that date, more than fifty other names stood on the list of catechumens, or candidates for admission to the Lord's table. None were received as catechumens who had not, according to the testimony of the brethren, previously evinced, by a change of outward life and manner, the operation, more or less powerful, of the truth on their hearts.

During Mr Hewitson's ministry, the Lord's Supper was dispensed eleven times, the average number of communicants present, on each occasion, being about thirty-five. These seasons, and especially such of them as occurred after January 1846, were seasons of joy and refreshing. The Word was on these occasions so peculiarly sweet to the taste of many, that afterwards they expressed great hungering and thirsting for fresh opportunities of sitting down at the Lord's table, Some, who were not communicants, earnestly requested to be admitted as spectators, or at least to be allowed the privilege of standing outside the closed door, that they might be able to overhear some of the words of truth spoken within. It was painful to be compelled, by considerations of prudence, to send some of them away disappointed. The persecuting spirit and constant vigilance of the authorities, and others opposed to the truth, made it necessary to hold the meetings for worship, and, most of all, those for commemorating the Lord's death; either under covert of the dark night, or if during day, in circumstances which afforded some hope of concealment.

Mr Hewitson baptized several children, the parents being communicants. One baptism took place by moonlight in the upper room of a house, which at the time was unoccupied. On another occasion, a child was presented by its mother for baptism, the father being, as he had been for some months previously, a prisoner for the word of God. Several parents seemed to surrender their children to God in baptism with

nourishment of his Church's hope, some of them were found treading in the footsteps of the Apostle's experience"I reckon not the sufferings of this present time worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

One of the means which, during the period referred to, seemed to be not a little blessed by the Lord, for "their furtherance and joy of faith," was the conveyance of regular and systematic instruction in Bible truth, to a class formed from among the ripest and most promising of their number. Mr H. organized the class in question for the purpose of training the members of it to act as catechists, and so carry home to their several neighbourhoods the whole body of truth in which they were themselves instructed. Recourse to this instrumentality was dictated by the exigencies of the place and time. Some of the localities over which the converts were distributed, were in great measure, if not wholly, inaccessible to the personal ministrations of a foreign labourer; and, besides, it was extremely probable that Mr H. would ere long be driven away altogether from the field. The instructions given to the class easily permeated the whole body of believers. There is a communicativeness natural to the Portuguese character, which, influenced by Divine grace, was of no little avail for the dissemination of religious truth. Every believer was a centre of illumination, surrounded by its little circle of light.

For several months the ordination of office-bearers had been contemplated, but the solemn act was delayed till March 1846. The nature and functions of the respective offices of the eldership and deaconship having been previously explained, seven of the brethren were at length ordained as elders, and nine as deacons. The ordination took place at the close of a communion service, when about forty of the communicants were present. The season was altogether one of rich blessing and refreshment from the presence of the Lord. From that day some of the elders and deacons manifested a very marked enlargement of heart, and increase of spiritual energy.

They commenced the discharge of their duties with alacrity, devotedness, and zeal; and the little band of separatists from what they themselves not unfrequently, in Scriptural language, denominated "the synagogue of Satan," now put into regular church order, and organized according to the divinelyinstituted model of church government, exhibited symptoms of growing prosperity and vigour. Many of them "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were edified."

It is well-known by most of Dr Kalley's friends that he is not a Presbyterian; but as his enemies have taken occasion to charge him with inconsistency, from the fact that a Presbyterian constitution has been impressed on the church of Portuguese converts in Madeira, it is here necessary to mention that that constitution was given to the church, not by Dr Kalley, but by Mr H., who, being a Presbyterian, acted in the matter simply and solely on his own views of duty. The responsibility is exclusively his-Dr Kalley was not in the slightest degree implicated. The former, before leaving the island, committed to the charge of a lady, a member of Dr Kalley's family, the statistical document containing rolls of communicants, catechumens, and office-bearers, which the violence of a lawless mob has been the means of recently putting into the hands of the civil magistrate. The document in question, though found in Dr Kalley's house, was not in his possession.

Unable, without danger to his health already affected by the heat of the climate, to continue his labours during another summer in Funchal, Mr H. resolved to leave the island, and, if there should still be an open door there, to return again at the beginning of winter. A week or two had scarcely elapsed after he came to this resolution, when the Civil Governor gave directions to proceed against him as a criminal. The chief reason for delaying the prosecution was, that Negrão, the judge within whose jurisdiction he resided, had recently demitted office, and a successor had not yet reached the island. As the vacancy continued for