The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-02-07 00:00:00

RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.

On Friday last the annual meeting in connection
with this Society was held in the Townhall. M.
Deeenish, Egg. (Mayor), presided. The attendance
was rather numerous. Upon the platform were the
Rev. J. P. Saffrey (the deputation), Rev. H. .Moule,
Rev. C. Hall, Rev. E. Ludlow, and the Rev. Mr.
Miller. . .

. .....
The proceedings having been prefaced by prayer, the I
the Rev. H. Monk rest' the annual Report, which sr I
peered to be of 11 satisfactory character.
The Rev. J. P.S trYHET ,having been introduced to the
meeting by the chairman, said that the illllllell of the
Religious Tract Society during the past year were thirty-
seven millions of publications in 102 languages and
dialects ; that during the sixty years the Society had
been established they had issued about eight hundred
millions of publications in 104 languages and dialects.
And still the work, so far from having diminished, was
increasing in all parts of the world every year. He
would take China—the applications that they were re-
ceiving from that country were of the most urgent and
aolewn character. At • public meeting a short tune
ago he heard a gentleman give some extraordinary state-
inents to show the reverence of the Chinese for the
written Word. The gentleman said that if a Chinaman
sees a printed paper lying on the ground, he will remove
1 every particle of duet from it, and take it home with the
I most profound respect possible. The gentleman added
that the paper that would be called printer's waste
paper, also manuscripts that were done with, and proof
sheets that bad been cast away—these the Chinamen
treats with respect, and puts them away in places of
great security. It might he asked, what had become
of those testaments and bibles that were sent out some
. .

time ago to China, and what had become of the nume-
rous tracts and hooks sent through the Religious Tract
Society into that country? He (Mr. Saffrey) would
undertake to say that they were not destroyed, and not
even • single copy of the Chriatian Word had been des.
truyed. The Society had received letters entreating
them to increase very largely the grants to those stations
to which they had already been given, and to give
granta to places and stations which had never been sup-
plied. The applications for tracts they were now re-
ceiving from distant parts would exhaust more than ten
times the amount of their present income, if it were
possible to attend to them all. He would then look at
the continent of Europe ; and in whatever part they
turned their eyes they could see that the Lord was open-
ing to them a good and effectual dour, into which they
were anxious to enter, but from which they were en-
tirely arrested from the state of their finance. In
Sweden there was a religious " revival ;" the whole
country seemed to be moved with a " Spirit of urgent
inquiry." He saw, a few weeks ago, • merchant
who had been on business in Sweden, and he told him
that while he was there lie attended prayer meetings at
which 3,10) persons were present, who had come from
various places ; and it was a prayer meeting, he said,
never to be forgotten on account of the Spirit of Grace
and supplication that was poured oat on that occasion.
Moat fervent and earnest prayer it had ever beard had
been offered up by the Prime Minister of Sweden. Al-
though Sweden w3s one of the most thinly populated
countries on the earth, two.thirds Lad been converted to

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God. From all parts Of the world they were receiving
‘Plilications for grants of tracts and money. In Con-
stantinople, hundreds of the inhabitant.. had been asking
for the New Testament, and alio for other religious books,
together with tracts, in order that they may be teachers
of them. The people had been imploring them to make
larger grants fur tracts than they had ever yet been
enabled to do. Then, Italy—all knew that Italy was
open to them. Pass from Italy to the east of Europe—
they found all Portugal was open to them. There was
such a Spirit of inquiry made by the Portuguese that
the police were powerless, and unable to restrain the
people from obtaining Christian tracts and books. They
knew this state of things from persons who had resided
in Portugal, and also by letters. The rev. gentleinan
then said he would speak about France. When the war
broke out between France and Sardinia, their friends in
l'aris applied to them for grants of money. to provide
the coloorteurs with religious tracts. This application
was complied with; and thy colporteur. went 1111.0 the
French camps, and there met with • good reception. He
would give the testimony of one colporteur in relation to
the camps, where the Emperor had sent between 8,000
and 9,000 'urn. The man said he knew it would be a
difficult thing to circulate tracts among an army on a
march, or in the tumult of a martial field, or to distribute
them to soldiers in camp. Ile entered the camp with
much anxiety and fear as to the result; and the first
day he began to distribute tracts he was observed by •
Colonel, who came to him and said, " What have you
got "I am distributing tracts," he said. "Who scut
you here?' and, "did the priest send you?"" No, Sir,"
said the colporteur. " Who did send you?" said the
Colonel again. The colporteur then explained to the
Colonel that lie had been sent by some Christian friends
in Paris who were supplied by a Christian Society in
England. The Colonel then asked if the tracts were
politic? " No," said the colporteur. The Colonel again
Are they the same sort of tracts which were circulated
in the Crimea ?" The colporteur answered, "Yes, the
same." " The same tracts" inquired the Colonel, "that
l'aptain Vicars gave away?' "No," said the colportenr,
whereupon the Colonel gave his consent. During the
ten days lie was in the :amp he had only met with one
insult. Not only had lie any obstruction, but he had
positive help. One day a captain, seeing that the col-
porteur had been much fatigued, offered to help him,
and ordered • corporal to hand • tract to each one of the
soldiers. The speaker in the course of some subsequent
remarks said he did not wish to say anything againat that
patriotic movement which bad taken place in this coun-
try, but lie was of opinion that they were doing more
to establish peace than the Rale Corps now forming.
(Laughter.) He had at present given niore to the Ride
Corps than he had to this Society. (Hear, hear.) But
it was his intention to double the amount lie had given
to the Rifle Coins and add it to the funds of this Society.
He had attended a public meeting for this Society in •
large city is short time ago, and when the meeting tenni- •
listed be stood with • few gentlemen conversing about
their Society; all the rest of the audience had left the
room with the exception of a plainly-dressed widow.
She looked towards him very anxiously, and at length
in a hesitating manner, she said she was very sorry to
intrude, hut she wished to speak with him. She told him
she had been deeply affected by the remarks he had made
to them that morning. She said she acknowledged the
claims they had upon her for the extension of the work,
and considering the exigencies of the Society, she begged
his acceptance of a E 5 note; and she regretted she could
not give more, because she lied given £2O to China the
week before. The4oonduct of this widow somewhat sur-
prised him, as she was a woman of ratherlhuited means,
And kept a small coatermonger's shop • and she had,
moreover, a short time ago given LW for the propose-
tion of the Gospel among the Jews.—The rev, gentle-
then gave several illustrations of poor people hav-
ing helped this Society ; and went on to say that they
had never had so continuous a drain as during the last
few months in consequence of the " revivals" in Scot-
land, in Wales, in Ireland, and in England. They had
been accustomed to receive letters written after
this fashion :—" Dear Sir,—Can you send by to-
morrow's train • grant of tracts; there are so many
awakened, so many anxious, that we cannot wait till
your committee meeting." The other day they had, by
one post, thirty letters written in this style. There was
not • single day passed in which they were not obliged
to make grants which the committee would be obliged
to pass at the next meeting. The applications for grants
had been so numerous that they could not attend to
them all; but they would do so if their funds would
allow them, and they would then meet the full wishes
of their friends. He did not wish to excite their feel-

mugs, but only to place simple facts before them, in
order that they way take them into consideration, and
act according to the prompting of their conscience and
extent of their UIeMIL Perhaps some would send special
tributes for the demand upon their resources? He won-
dered whether Christians generally expect a "revival"
to occur to any great extent in this country without
fresh demands upon Christian liberality? Had we ever
thought of this: that the first gift that was laid on the
alttir was laid there by God himself —that that gift
was His own Son? Now he would go on to tell them
that they had never had such numerous and extraor-
dinary accounts of conversions, through the medium of
tracts, as they had had during the past twelve month*,
and especially during the past six months. God had
been using an agency, supplied by this Society, in •
remarkable way in Scotland, in Ireland, and in various
parts of Europe. He had had, • short time ago, an ac-
count given to him of the conversion of a large family
to God, through the instrumentality of tracts that he
had left in their house twelve months ago. Thinking
about a Mr. James, reminded him of a statement which
he thought would be interesting to them. They had
had no publication which God had made more useful
in the conversion of souls than "James's Anxious
Inquirer." He would give them a fact about that book,
and how they came possessed of it. When Mr. James
had written the work lie sold the copywright to a
London publisher. Shortly afterwards a Mr. Johns
asked Mr. James bow his book sold, and he said he
had great cause to be thankful that God had given him
wonderful success. Well, the London publisher said
lie had sold 3,060 copies, and was about to print 1,000
more, hut Mr. James said he was going to write to him
not to do so. Mr. James's idea was that the 3,000
copies had exhausted the sale; but since that time
the Society had sold fire hundred and forty thou-
sand two hundred and twenty copies, and the
demand was still increasing, and it now cannot
be printed fast enough. Seventy thousand copies have
within the last few months been readily dispersed.
Here the rev, gentleman made several remarks upon
the increased number of tract publications that were
given away, and said that their Society was occupying •
position, and supplying wants, which no other Societz
does or can do. He added that the "Sunday at Home
was disposed of to an extent of 10,000 copies a week
more than the " Leisure Hour." They were living, he
urged upon his Christian friends, in • very solemn time;
Gid is near us, and he is doing a great work in other
parts of our country. He asked whether the work was
going on here? In London it was going on in • most
marvellous way—two or three facts he would place be-
fore them : A few weeks ago lie went to London by
the invitation of a military officer, to meet a number of
brother officers in the officer's house, and to consult
with them as to the best means of extending the
knowledge of Christ in the army through the medium
of Christian publications. Fervent prayer was offered.
and he could but remark the earnest looks and the
anxious solicitude of these Christian officers for the
spiritual welfare of the army, and the localities in which
they resided; and all of them were giving more or less
practical proof of their sincerity. One of them asked
another how many tracts and books he had given away
in that room. The rev. gentleman replied 180 copies of
one book and several copies of other impressions, he-
sidesdracts. The officer then asked him how many he
bad given away recently, to which he replied, over
96,000 within the last six months. The meeting would
be interested to know that • work was going on,
through the inetramentality of tracts, to • great extent
among the cabmen of London, and he had reason to
believe that more than 400 of that class of men had
recently been converted to God, and had had meetings
in different parte of London for the purpose of prayer.
When lie was trowelling in London in a cab he saw •
tract in it, and he asked the cabman who had put it
there? The cabman replied that he lied; and that
whenever the tract was taken he always replaced it with
another. About ten, he said, were taken every day.
The rev. gentleman said the tract that was in the cab
was • sixteen-page one, and that it inset cost the
cabman something every day to replace the tracts he
gave away. He was much moved with the conduct of
the cabman, and hoped these statements would
increase their fervent belief in the efficacy of prayer.
A few days before lie left town lie was cros-
sing the Royal Exchange when lie met one of the
the largest merchants—one of the merchant princes of
our ronntry—and having lied a note from him a day or
two before in connection with their Society, he went to
speak to him. The merchant said he would call upon
him (the speaker) ; he was going to the prayer meeting
at Crosby Hall, and would not be behind time fur the
world. The rev. gentlemen concluded by saying that
there were 26 daily prayer meetings in Berlin, and
the work of grace that was going on there was of • re-
markable kind. The work was especially signalized in
Berlin by its manifestations kl the hearts even of little
children. While the work was going on • daily in-
creasing demand was necessarily being made upon their
resources.
The Rev. H. MouLE then offered a few remarks, after
which • collection was made, amounting to £4 13s. 7d.

PORTLAND.

SANITARY STATE OF PORTLAND.—The following
is an extract from the Registrar-General's notes for
the quarter ending Dec. 31, 1859 :
" PORTLAND.--Birtts, 55; deaths, 24. During the
last three weeks I have registered 3 deaths, which call
for soine remarks, viz., one from variola, one rubeola,
and one typhoid fever. The deceased persons were men
brought ashore from the Channel Fleet, now lying in
Portland Roads. In consequence of the great infius of
strangers brought here by the Government works, this
place is densely crowded, and the streets are filthy, there
being not even an apology for drainage of any kind
here. Men labouring under virulent contagious diseases
are now being continually brought from the ships, and
distributed in private lodginp amonpt the inhabitants.
The nuisance-committee is quite apathetic; the parish
surgeon, who is also the Admiralty surgeon and agent,
is the chief agent in thus distributing the men. I think
that it is full time the authorities should interfere, and
engage souls detached building to receive patients."