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PROTESTANTS IN FRANCE. Measures adopted by the Ministers in London on behalf of the French Pro.

testants.

WILLIAMS'S LIBRARY, Red
Cross Street,

London, Nov. 28, 1815. SIR, Alarmed and afflicted as we have been for several months past, by reports of the revival of religious intolerance and Catholic persecution against the professors of the Reformed Religion in France, we are persuaded that you must have participated all our sentiments and emotions, to the full extent of your information,

We have, however, thought it due to ourselves, and to the general interests of Truth, that we should neither communicate with you, nor adopt any public proceeding, without mature reflection, and after a careful investigation of the reality and extent of those evils, the existence of which we had too much reason to apprehend. During the present month, we have been occupied in collecting intelligence from numerous private sources, and in authenticating the details which have appeared in the journals, and other minor publications. The result is melancholy indeed ;-since we have ascertained, with a precision too accurate for our wishes and hopes, that for a long period our Protes tant Brethren have been exposed to merciless persecution, by the agents of a despotic and cruel fanaticism.

With such facts before us, as Protestant Dissenters, and the descendants of men who atchieved the liberties of Britain, and diffused through Europe the most enlightened principles, we could not mistake in deciding, that it was our duty to give a distinct and public expression of our sentiments-to use our influence with the government of our own country-and to demonstrate to our distressed brethren in France our sympathy and regard, by contributing, according to our ability, for their temporal relief.

Under this conviction, an extraordinary General Meeting of the Mi

nisters of the Three Denominations was convened on Tuesday, Novem ber 21st, at the Library in Red Cross Street. On this occasion nearly one hundred Ministers assembled ; and, after long and solemn deliberation, they determined unanimously to adopt the Resolutions which are annexed; and to appoint a Deputa→ tion, consisting of the Rev. Robert Aspland, the Rev. Mark Wilks, the Rev. William Newman, and the Rev. Thomas Morgan, the Librarian and Secretary, to confer with his Majesty's Government, and to request their good offices with the Court of France for the liberty and protection of the Reformed. The Conference was obtained on Saturday, November 25; and the strongest assurances were given by the Earl of Liverpool of the deep regret experienced by the Ministers of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, at the horrid scenes which have been lately witnessed in France, and of their disposition to use their utmost efforts for the support of the freedom of religious faith and worship.

The Report of the Deputation was communicated at a Meeting summoned for this day, November 28; and the satisfaction it afforded, you

will learn from the Resolutions which followed. It was also intimated, that since the former Meeting, an Ordonnance had been issued by the French King, occasioned by an assault on a Catholic Officer at Nismes, which we hope will be obeyed, and prove the commencement of vigorous measures on the part of the French Government, for the punishment of those who have so long massacred the Protestants with impunity.

While, however, the churches and habitations of our fellow Protestants are ravaged and destroyed-while many pastors are without asylumand without bread-and others, long in arrears for their salaries, are doubtful whether they shall not be compelled, for mere subsistence, to quit their country, or to exchange the ministry for some secular and

less offensive profession-and, while many wandering relicts of the victims of an infuriate bigotry, are destitute of the most common alleviation to their complicated miseries, we feel that we should be equally unworthy of the inheritance of our fathers' name of the esteem of Christians of all denominations-of the respect of posterity-and of the favour of the Almighty; were we not to contribute ourselves, and to request your contributions also, as early as convenient, for the relief and support of those, of whose offences we are guilty, but whose calamities we have happily escaped.

We do not doubt that our prompt and decisive efforts will meet your approbation; and that you and your congregation will feel that in inviting you to remit to the Committee the amount of your collection, we have acted with propriety and respect.

We hope, also, that the early, liberal, and firm conduct of the Protestant Dissenters, will excite the efforts of others- will arrest the

progress of superstition and tyranny will alleviate the sufferings, and secure the liberties of a large proportion of the human race; and will preserve for future generations the example of our principles and char

acter.

*

Future arrangements will ensure the wise and faithful application of the Funds, and furnish you with full particulars; and, requesting that all your communications, enquiries, and remittances may be forwarded to the Library, Red Cross Street, We remain your affectionate Brethren,

THE COMMITTEE.

(Signed) THOMAS MORGAN,

Librarian and Secretary.

LIBRARY, Red Cross Street,
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 1815.

At an Extraordinary Meeting of the General Body of Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the three Denominations, convened to receive the Report of their Deputation, appointed on the 21st instant to request an interview with his Majesty's Government, on the subject of the Persecution of our Protestant Brethren in France.

The Rev. A. REES, D. D. F. R. S. F. L. S. in the Chair.

It was unanimously Resolved;

1. That this Meeting receives with the highest gratification the assurances of his Majesty's Government, to the Deputation from this Body; that they feel the deepest regret at the dreadful scenes lately witnessed in France, and that they are using, and will continue to use, their best efforts in their communications with the French Government, to secure to all classes of French subjects, whether Protestant or Catholic, the full enjoyment of the advantages which the Constitutional Charter provided for them.

We purpose very speedily to supply you with authentic details of the miseries, which we request you to relieve; and, in the mean time, we 2. That deeply compassionating the shall be thankful to you for the circase of our French Protestant Brethren, culation of the contents of this letter among the ministers in your neigh- who have been despoiled of their goods, bourhood, with whose names and and deprived of their houses of prayer, we recommend it to our Brethren, and address we may possibly not be proour Congregations throughout the Unitvided, but which we should be hap-ed Kingdom, to raise pecuniary contripy to receive.

*When this information arrives, we will communicate it to our readers.

butions for the relief of these sufferers for conscience sake,

INDEX.

ANECDOTES & MIS.

CELLANEOUS.
African Institution, 140.
American Captain, noble

conduct of, 20.
Bible Associations, benefit
of, 179.
Children, Religious meet-
ings of, 97.
Conversation between an
Inspector of a Hibernian
School in Ireland and a
young man, 177.
Harland, E. W. who was

executed for forgery,
Brief account of, 394
Hervey, Anecdotes of the

late Rev. Mr. 96, 180
Paterson, Mr. Extract from
a letter to Mr. Ewing,
256
Romans xii. 21, Practical

illustration of, 394
Superstition, 465
Tracts, Good effects of some
given to Carpenters em-
ployed in launching a
merchant vessel in the
neighbourhood of Hull,

19

BIOGRAPHY.
English, Rev. Thomas,201,
243, 287
Fitzgerald, Lady Mary,

335

Fuller, Mr. Andrew, 238,

260, 327.

Robertson, Mr. John, 121,

161

Simpson, Rev. David,M.A.

1, 41, 81

Sutcliff, Rev. John, Olncy,
375
Wilson, Capt. James, of
Missionary ship Duff,
405, 445

ESSAYS, &c.
Afflicted and destitute rc.
commended to genera
sympathy, 10
Answer to Query vol. 1. p.

379, 93
ChangedCountenance, The,
a Solemn Scene, 298
Christian, The, his gain at
death, 343
Conversation, On the utili.
ty of a well ordered, 293
Corinthians, (1st,) ix, 18,
23, Remarks on, 217
David, on the fall of, 166;
On his recovery, 252;
On the sincerity of his
repentance, 351
Deuteronomy xxxiii. 1—5,
Illustration of, 210
Divine Appearances during
the Old Testament dis-
pensation, 87, 124

Revelation, Public man-
ner of its communication
to man, 47,135,212,412
Ecclesiastes vi. 12, Re-
flections on, 12, 128
Fletcher's Sermon, Re-
marks on a passage in,
51. Note from in an-
swer to the foregoing, 255
Gregory's Essays on Chris-
tian Religion, Extract
from, 46
Horsley's (Bishop) Hosea,

Extract from, 95
Ignorance, The times of,un-
der Divine limitation,417
Jesus of Nazareth, the God
of Israel, 211
Jews, Answer to Query
how they spent the Sab-
bath, 346, 451

L-

Reflections sug-
gested by a visit to the
church-yard of, 5

Luke x. 27.-Remarks on,
464

Pastor of a church, Address
to, on his Ordination,
207, 248

Paul, Remarks on the con-
version of, 15
Romans ix. 6--24, Remarks
on, 382, 457

Sabbatical Institutions, Pa.
ley's view of, examined,
169
Scripture Texts, Notes on,
53
Solomon's Song, Observa-
tions on the nature and
design of, 174
Synagogues, Answer to a
Query respecting the an-
tiquity of, 301
Time, Fulness of the; Re-
marks on the Phrase,
391

JUVENILE DEPART-

MENT.
Brown, Ebenezer, Short
Account of, 54
Cyril, a Child, Anecdote
of, in the 3d Century,
142
Dublin, Society formed in,

for supplying the Poor
with Bibles, 305
Short, Mary, Account of
the last illness of, 257
Sunday Scholar, Account
of, 20
Wisdom of God, 98, 181,
354, 398, 422.

LITERARY INTELLI-

GENCE.
Notices of Publications and

List of Works lately
Published, 40, 120.

OBITUARIES.
Buchanan, Rev. Claudius,
D.D. 114
Fulier, Mr. Andrew, 200

QUERIES.

How the Ancient Jews
spent the Sabbath; and,
Whether there were any
Synagogues in Judea
previous to the Baby-
lonish Captivity? 218

RELIGIOUS INTELLI-

GENCE.
DOMESTIC.

Anderston Charity School,

148

Baptist Missionary Society,

Twenty Third Annual
Meeting of, 443
British and Foreign Bible
Society, Extract from the
11 h Report of, 362
Carnwath Braehead Bible
Society, 397

Deaf and Dumb Institu.

Hamburgh, Visit to by Mess.
Aikman and Dick, 472
Highlands, Good News
from, 431
Itinerancy in the North, 112
Irish New Testament, Let-
ter from a reader of the
431
Ministers, Proposals for a
Library for the use of
189

North Berwick Bible So.
ciety, 111
Ordination, Mr. Anderson
at Aberdeen, 218
Public Annual Meetings
in London, 219, 238,
273-6.

Visit of Mess. Campbell,
Fletcher, &c. to Scot-
land, 242
West Lothian Bible Socie.
ty, 197

FOREIGN.
Africa, Letter from Rev.
G. Nylander, 438
America, Extracts from
Bible Society, Reports of
Philadelphia & Lousiana,
438

Baptist Mission, 77, 117,

156. 190, 279, 403
British and Foreign Bible
Society, 39, 159, 219,
441, 480

tion, Meeting of, 113
Examination of, 398
Edinburgh Auxiliary Mis
sionary Society, 110
Gratis Sabbath School,
Society, 188. Extract
from the 18th Annual
Report of 320
Glasgow, Calton and Bridge-
ton Association for
Religious Purposes,
111
Letter from a Gentleman
North in, 112
North East District Bible
Association, Extract
from 1st Annual Re-
port of, 319
Sabbath Evening Schools
connected with Nile
and Albion Street
Churches, Extractfrom,
Committee's Sixth An-
nual Report, 316
Theological Academy,re-
solutions of Churches.
in Edinburgh to sup- London Missionary Society,
port, 368
33, 72, 115, 151, 194,
225, 276, 324, 369,398,
475

Youth's Bible Associa

tion, Report of, 319
Youth's Missionary So-
eity, Regulationsof320

Ceylon, Conversion of a
Mahometan, 437
China, Letter from Mr.
Morrison, 437
Church of England Mis
sionary Society, 28, 117,
153, 412
Edinburgh Missionary So.
ciety, 37, 196
Iceland, Letter of thanks
for the Scriptures furnish-
ed them, 435.
India, Letter from Secre-

tary to Corresponding
Committee, Bengal, 436
Java, Letter from Rev. Mr.
Supper, 437

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