ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF PERMANENT AND UNIVERSAL PEACE, FOR 1818. ESTABLISHED JUNE 14, 1816. LONDON: PRINTED BY BENSLEY AND SONS, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. J. HATCHARD, BOOKSELLER to the SOCIETY, ROBERT MARSDEN, Esq. CHAIRMAN, WILLIAM ALLEN, Plough Court, Lombard Street. THOMAS BELL, Esq. 17, Fenchurch Street. THOMAS CLARKSON, Esq. M. A. Playford Hall, Suffolk. JOHN CLARKSON, Esq. Purfleet, and 16, Earl Street. WILLIAM CRAWFORD, Esq. 7, Devonshire Sq. Bishopsgate Street. CHARLES STOKES DUDLEY, Croydon. THOMAS FURLY FORSTER, Esq. 7 St. Helen's Place, Bishops gate Street. BENJAMIN MEGGOT FORSTER, Esq. REV. THOMAS HARPER, East Street, Walworth. JOHN ROBERTS, Inner Temple. JOHN SCOTT, Esq. Islington. FREDERICK SMITH, Croydon. REV. WILLIAM STEPHENSON, West Thurrock, Essex. Collector, Mr. ISAIAH JONES, 16, Earl Street. SOCIETY'S TRACTS. Price 2d, each. No. 1. A Solemn Review of the Custom of War. 2. War inconsistent with the Doctrine and Example of Jesus Christ, by John Scott, Esq. 3. An Essay on the Doctrines and Practice of the early Christians as they relate to War, by Thos. Clarkson, Esq. M.A. 4. Extracts from Erasmus. 5. Sketches of the Horrors of War, by Evan Rees. Every annual Subscriber of 10s. 6d. and upwards, may, within the year, receive in return, Tracts to the amount of one half of his Subscription, on application at No. 16, Earl Street. Subscriptions are received by the Members of the Committee, or by JOHN CLARKSON, Esq. Treasurer, No. 16, Earl Street, Blackfriars, London, where all the meetings are held, and where all communications for the Society may be addressed. Country Subscribers, who wish to be regularly supplied with new Publications, are requested to give the Address of some person in London, to whom they may be sent. SECOND REPORT. YOUR OUR COMMITTEE have derived additional confidence in taking a retrospective view of their operations since the last Report; and whilst they look back with satisfaction to the result of their past exertions, they look forward with increasing hope to the prospect of a brighter and more auspicious day. A general statement of facts will best prove the beneficial effects which have resulted from an extensive distribution of your Tracts.-The spirit of inquiry has been excited, and in the consequent search after truth, the bias of early impressions, strengthened by education, and confirmed by the prejudices of popular opinion, has yielded to the convictions of deliberate investigation. One new Tract, designed to exhibit the horrors of war, has been added to the list of the Society's publications. The interesting correspondence of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Peace Society, with the Emperor Alexander and Prince Galitzen, has also been published.-Editions of 10,000 each of Nos. I, II, III, IV, V, and the Correspondence; 15,000 Reports, and 5000 Addresses, have been printed. To these may be added 2000 of the Solemn Review, which have been purchased; making a grand total of 128,000, printed since the formation of the Society. Your Committee have hitherto been prevented by the limited state of their funds from printing any of their Tracts in foreign languages. Nos. I, II, III, have been translated into German, and arrangements are making for printing No. 1, at Pyrmont, under the superintendence of a gentleman who has facilities for distributing them in the principal towns in Europe. Tracts have been gratuitously distributed amongst persons of character in various parts of the continent, and a number have been placed at the disposal of some intelligent and judicious persons for the same purpose during their travels. The amount of Subscriptions and Donations, with the sale of Tracts, received this year, is £367 11s. 7d. making the total amount of the Society's receipts £579 7s. 5d. Upwards of two hundred and fifty new Subscribers have been added to the Society since last year.-Five Auxiliary Societies have been established, at Swansea and Neath, Tavistock, Darlington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Hertford; and some others are formed, but their complete organization has not yet been reported. The Society is indebted to the Editors of several periodical publications and newspapers for the favourable manner in which they have noticed its objects, and for the disposition which they have manifested to forward its views. Through these channels the principles of Peace may be extensively diffused; and there is perhaps no way in which individuals can more effectually promote the interests of the Society than by procuring the insertion of articles favourable to its principles in the public journals. Your Committee wish to stimulate those friends who may feel disposed to advocate their cause, to this highly important means of drawing the public attention to the question. Your Committee regret that much of the valuable and interesting information contained in their original correspondence, has been necessarily lost to the individual Subscribers, from the want of a suitable medium through which it might be conveyed to them. This will be obviated by a cheap Monthly Work, devoted to the service of Peace Societies generally, which is announced for publication on the first of January 1819. They hope that it will meet with encouragement from the Friends of Peace, and they entertain no doubt but that it will prove worthy of their patronage. The progress of the Friends of Peace in the United States of America, is very encouraging. Numerous Societies have been established in different States, and they appear to be rapidly increasing. Your Committee is in correspondence with the Societies of Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island Providence Plantations. The former consists of upwards of 400 members; amongst whom are one of the former Presidents of the United States, several members of the State legislature, and respectable Judges of their Courts; the Chief Justice of their Supreme Court, two of the former Governors, and about ninety Ministers of religion; the Lieutenant Governor of the State is the President of their Society. The Society at New York contains about sixty members; and that of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, about forty. In the State of Ohio a Society has been formed, which is divided into four branches, containing one hundred Subscribers. Copies of most of the American publications have been received; amongst which are eleven numbers of the Friend of Peace," (a periodical publication, conducted by the Author of the "Solemn Review,") and "Letters addressed to Caleb Strong, Esq. late Governor of Massachusetts," by the late Rev. S. Whelpley, A.M. of New York, under the signature of Philadelphus. An edition of the latter has been published in this country by a few private individuals, who have placed a considerable number of copies of this masterly production at the disposal of the Committee, by whom they will be circulated amongst the Auxiliaries and Correspondents of the Society. When we take into consideration the extended field of operations which is contemplated by the Society, it will be obvious that the resources of your Committee are very inadequate, and that they need a very considerable increase of Subscriptions to enable them to make much progress in circulating their Tracts both at home and abroad. With regard to the ultimate success of the Society, they feel pleasure in uniting with their American brethren in the following sentiment: "Although the elements of War are seated in the depravity of human nature, and cannot be thoroughly destroyed till the hearts of men are transformed by the powerful influence of the Gospel, yet we are assured the light of truth will eventually dispel human ignorance and prejudice, and cause the folly and wickedness of War, and the blessings of Peace, to appear evident and convincing to the whole world,” |