9 2 Newport, Commercial-st. 57 2 10 Do., for W & 0 ......... 500 1 6 6

North Leith, Sunday-sch. 040

Worcester, for W & O... 2 0 0 St. Andrews, for W & 0. 1 2

The Thanks of the Committee are presented to the followingMissionary Working Society at Metropolitan Tabernacle, for a Box of Clothing, for Africa. Miss Wilson, Hastings, for a Parcel of Clothing, for Mr. Saker, Africa.

Mr. Joseph Russell, Blackheath, for a Parcel of Magazines.

Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by Joseph Tritton, Esq., Treasurer; by Edward Bean Underhill, LL.D., Secretary at the Mission House, Castle Street, Holborn, LONDON; in EDINBURGH, by the Rev. Jonathan Watson, and John MacAndrew, Esq.; in GLASGOW, by John Jackson, Esq; in CALCUTTA, by the Rev. C. B. Lewis, Baptist Mission Press. Contributions can also be paid in at Messrs. Barclay, Bevan, Tritton, Twells, and Co.'s, 54, Lombard Street, to the account of the Treasurer.

OF THE

British and Irish Baptist Home Mission.

FEBRUARY, 1871.

REPORT ON THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION AND WANTS OF SOME PARTS OF IRELAND. BY THE REV. R. M. HENRY, M.A., OF BELFAST.

AFTER Mr. Henry's return from America, last year, he was invited by the Commitee to make personal enquiries after new openings for missionary work in the south and south-west of Ireland. The results of his labours are embodied in the following able and interesting document, which furnishes a large amount of original and important information on the present state and requirements of the sister-country. The report will well repay an attentive perusal, and the Committee hopes that it will stimulate Churches, and individual Christians, to furnish a larger measure of support to the Irish Mission than it has hitherto received. "The harvest truly is great, &c." C. KIRTLAND, Secretary.

TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH AND IRISH

DEAR BRETHREN,

BAPTIST HOME MISSION.

In accordance with your suggestion I spent about a fortnight, in October, visiting some mission-fields in the south and west. I forward notes of my journey, which may furnish some help to the Committee in selecting their spheres of labour:

October 12.-Visited Drogheda, on my way to Dublin, and inquired from friends of different denominations-Episcopalian, Methodist, and Presbyterian-about the prospects for mission-work there. The united testimony was that Drogheda is such a stronghold of Romanism, that scarcely any access could be had to the people there. Preaching in the open air, they assured me, is out of the question. One said if I attempted such a thing I would be "knocked down;" another, that I would be "stoned;" a third declared that I would be "murdered on the spot." So completely is this place under Romish influence, that four years ago every civic officer-aldermen, sheriff, and councilmen-and members of Parliament who were Catholics. For twenty-eight years no Protestant had been mayor. The schools of the nuns and "Christian brothers" have swept the children under clerical control. In one convent school which I visited, I found 280 pupils under the teaching of the Sisters of St. Mary, habited in the dress of their order, with crosses dangling from their necks. They are paid teachers of the National Board. In the Ragged School of the Episcopal Mission, I found, however, a considerable number of Romanists attending, and the agents of this Society report some access to the people in visitation. Finding but little prospect here, I passed on to Dublin on the same day, and afterwards visited some of the officers of the principal Irish Mission Societies, from whom I obtained much valuable intelligence about the present condition of the south and west. I attended a deeplyinteresting meeting of the Episcopal City Missionaries, labouring among the Romanists in Dublin, and through the courtesy of the President, the Rev. Dr. McCarthy, I had an opportunity of conferring with these agents

at their weekly meeting: twenty-five were present. I give a summary of my inquiries and their replies, which will give the best idea of the popular sentiment in the metropolis, if not in Ireland, at the present time:

"What is the prevailing state of the Roman Catholics in Dublin at present-favourable or unfavourable to mission-work?"

"Decidedly favourable; 100 more missionaries might now be successfully employed in Dublin."

"What effect has the Continental war had on the people?"

"At first they were insolent, then depressed, and now more favourable to us."

"What impression has the declaration of the infallibility dogma pro

duced?"

"The great majority of the Romanists do not receive it. They had been taught, by Priest Maguire and the other clergy, that it was a calumny of Protestants to say that infallibility belonged to the Pope, and not to the Council; but now that the priests' own statement is authoritatively contradicted, they are perplexed, and many reject the dogma altogether." "What effect has the overthrow of the Temporal Power had?" "Bad; they thought Bazaine would have held out at Metz, Paris be delivered, the Emperor restored, and the Pope reinstated by him." "What is the feeling of the people in reference to the National System of Education?"

"The more intelligent, educated classes, and well-informed mechanics, are opposed to education being in the hands of the priests. As an evidence of this, if you go to the Marlborough Street National Schools, you will find there about 1,000 children, although the priests' schools abound in the neighbourhood."

"Do the people object to your reading the Scriptures in their houses?" "Certainly; if you read or pray with them they would have to confess it to the priest, but they will converse with us and receive our tracts." "What influence has Fenianism had?"

"Adverse to the priesthood, as seen at the reception given to Cardinal Cullen on his late return from Rome. When his pastoral was read in one of the chapels, 700 or 800 rose up and left the place."

Dr. McCarthy, speaking of the operations of this mission, said: "At first when we begin in a district there is a storm, then a calm, then progress. Some time ago we were hooted, hunted, and pelted with stones in the streets, even the police joining the mob in pelting us; but now we are seldom insulted. The priests have tried lately to raise rows in the streets, but they cannot get the people to unite with them."

I visited two of the mission schools of this Society, and found many Romanists attending. The children gave the most satisfactory answers to all the questions I asked on saving truth;-faith, the fall of man, redemption through Christ, &c., showing that they were thoroughly instructed in the Gospel. On the same day I had an opportunity of attending another deeply-interesting meeting-the anniversary of the Presbyterian Colportage Society for the south and west. I heard reports from sixteen colporteurs from the most important mission-fields. As many of these agents had been labouring for years in their several districts, I thought their experience and testimony most valuable respecting the different localities and the present condition of the country. I give some extracts of notes taken from their oral reports :

The agent from Waterford district (twenty-four miles in diameter) said he had access to about 100 Romanist families in the city, and free converse with them on religious subjects; and that Nationalism and opposition to the priesthood are increasing there.

At Cork, the war has given greater access to the intelligent Romanists, but the lower classes are more embittered. They say, "God is stronger than the devil, and no heretic State will ever conquer France." Throughout the south it is regarded as a religious war.

In Athlone district the people are more accessible lately. Some doubt their religious system; others dont believe many of the dogmas of their Church, especially purgatory and prayer to the saints.

At Tralee no change is reported; feeling hostile in some places. Visiting in a house, a woman said to me :

"Do you know the liberty we have got from the priests now, sir?" "No; what is it?"

"We have got liberty to throw scalding water on the likes of you." Yet here there is some demand for the Scriptures; the colporteur sold 300 copies last year. One poor woman told him she would sooner want her breakfast than her Bible.

In Kildare the people are more exasperated since the war. Most of them (as generally through the South) are ashamed of the Infallibility decree, and don't like to speak of it, but say, "The Church and the Pope must be right."

At Parsonstown not one in the district believes in the Infallibility. They say, "There was no call for it."

At Dundalk the spirit of Romanism is not so bitter as formerly. At the beginning of the war the people were intolerant, thought Protestanism was at an end; but nothing has cast them down so much as the defeat of the French. Many complain that the Pope is receiving so much money out of Ireland, and giving nothing in return. They think the Ecumenical Council has made a great mistake in their late decree.

At Dublin many Catholics are greatly opposed to the policy of Cardinal Cullen, especially on the Education question. The agent in the district. says, "There never was such an opening as now among the Roman Catholics of Dublin."

The Superintendent of the Assembly's Mission, in Dublin, put this general question to the colporteurs assembled:

"What is the reason that the Roman Catholics of Ireland are so inaccessible to the truth?"

One said, "Political inequality." Another, "Difference of race-the dominant spirit and assumption of superiority by the Saxons." The prevailing reply was, "They are not approached in the spirit of the Gospel. Instead of making common cause with them, as sinners on the same platform, Protestants pitch the Gospel down to them."

Having been advised by brethren, in Belfast and Dublin, to confer with a minister at T, I called with him on my way to Limerick. He stated that there is but little change in the population in his neighbourhood (Tipperary). The Land and Church Bills had excited but little interest. The majority of the people "hate Cardinal Cullen next to Garibaldi." They are strongly in favour of a National Irish Church. They don't like the idea of being governed from Rome, and say the Roman red should not be placed above the Irish green. They have adopted the language of the Mar