The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-30 00:00:00

SUN,

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGA-
TION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS.
A meeting in furtherance of the objects of this Society was
held on Tuesday in the Hanover-square Rooms, his Grace the
Duke of Buccleueh in the chair. Amongst others on the
platform we observed the Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop
of St. David's, the Bishop of Jamaica, Lord Glenelg, Lord
Sandon, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Dean of Wait-
minster, Archdeacon Manning, and the Rector of St. George's,
Hanover-square. The room was crowded in every part.
The Noble CHAIRMAN opened the proceedings by reading
letters of apology for non-attendance from the Bishop of
London, the Bishop of Oxford, the Speaker of the House of
Commons, Lord Chief Justice Tindal, Mr. E. Denison, and
others. He then proceeded briefly to state the objects of the
Society, and in doing so observed, that in the last year alone
no less than 63,000 individuals emigrated from this country
to foreign parts, and he called upon all true Christians to
assist in affording the benefits of the Gospel to the millions
in the colonies, who were so destitute of those blessings. The
Society was founded in 1701, and if it was then found neces-
sary to contribute to its success, how much more incumbent
was it upon us to do so now ? Multitudes of our own coun-
trymen were daily going down to the grave without the con-
sclation afforded by a minister of the Gospel. He concluded
by making an earnest appeal on behalf of the Society, and
expressing the joy he felt at the increased means of spiritual
comfort which was now afforded to the convicts in the penal
colonies —(Applause).
that
emi-
grants and colonists, in behalf of whom they had met, heard
h
mfidovenedceththeatfiwrshtenretsholoneuti ,
Tathitneh
edßoimisnhegop etsionogefxh Wpa
d
b joy would almost be unbounded.—(Applause.) The reso-
lution which he had to move was to the following effect:
L:ssceled in
been presided confidence
over by his Grace, their

"That the emigrants from this country to the
British colonies, amounting to forty thousand annually,
and the colonists already settled there, require a
much more ample provision for their spiritual wants than
they are at present able, with all the efforts they are making,
to provide for themselves." Those emigrants arrived in the
colonies very generally in a most destitute condition, and the
clergymen were called upon to afford them temporal as well
as Spiritual comforts. His Lordship then read a long
extract from a letter of the Bishop of Calcutta, to prove
the destitute state of the colonists in a spiritual sense.
The resolution which he had read referred to the efforts of the
colonists themselves. He rejoiced to say that those efforts
had been great and very successful. In Calcutta, for in-
stance, the Legislature there had voted during the last year
3,0001. for the support of the Church, and 3001. for the in
struction of the young. The local dependencies were also
enabled to supply the ministry in a great measure from the
natives, who, under God, would be the means of spreading
the Gospel far and wide. But after all, in the words of the
resolution, " a much more ample provision was required."
—(Applause.) He had that morning received a letter from
a merchant, who was a member of a large emigration com-
pany, who had instructed him to say that they were willing
to give every asssistance in their power to the agents and
friends of this Society in carrying out their Roble objects.—
(Applause.) His Lordship then referred to the recent glo-
rious victories in India, and remarked that a wide and exten-
sive field had been opened amongst the heathens for the
furtherance of the Gospel.—(Applause.)
Lord GLENELG most eloquently seconded the resolution.
Mr. BYNG supported the resolution. He felt convinced
that the late wars in India, although they had not added to
the possessions of the British Sovereign, they would add to
the possessions of the Great Sovereign of all, by the con-
version of the heathen to his cause.—(Applause.) He con-
cluded by handing in, amidst loud applause, a cheque for
100/. as his mite to the funds of the Society.
Lord R. GROSVENOR also spoke in support of the resolution,
and said that it was a crying shame to this wealthy country
to suffer the colonies to remain in their present destitution

with regard to spiritual instruction.
The resolution was then pat and passed.
The Bishop of St. DAvses moved the next resolution—
"That the connexion into which this country has been brought
for its commercial and political relations with vast numbers
of the heathens imposes upon it the duty of imparting to
them the blessings of the Gospel." If it was necessary to
adopt the first resolution, which related to emigrants from
this country, who had in their infancy imbibed the principles,
surely this which referred to the case of the poor benighted
heathen, on whom the light of the Gospel had not yet shone,
ought more especially to be adopted and earnestly carried
out.—(Applause.) There was an impression abroad that the
gigantic work which this Society had undertaken could not
be accomplished by it. That impression, in his opinion, was
not founded on fact. No doubt if the Government had as
sisted them the work would have been easier—(Applause)—
but if the work were rigorously carried on the difficulties
which were, by some, represented to be greater than they
actually were, would vanish. The colonists themselves
contributed largely, perhaps more largely in proportion to
their wealth and numbers, than the people of this country,

to thefunds of the Society.—(Applause.)There were some who
questioned the propriety of regarding the condition of the
heathen whilst we neglected the ignorant and depraved con-
dition of our own people at home.—(Applause.) It was true
that there was heathenism to be converted at home, but he
maintained that the causes of converting the foreign as
well as the native heathen could not be separated.—
(Applause.) There was this connexion between those two
objects—by everything that we did to enlighten the mass of
heathen ignorance and depravity at home we were lightening
the work that remained for us to do abroad.—(Hear, hear.)
The- conversion of the heathen abroad would not diminish
our efforts in the cause of Christianity at home, but rather
bring down blessings upon all our undertakings.—(Ap-
plause.) These were our palmy days of commerce and con-
nexion with the heathen, and if we failed to take advantage
of the opportunities that were now held out to us of propa-
gating the cause of the Saviour, we might hereafter have
most bitterly to regret our apathy and neglect.—(Hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCIIEQUER seconded the resolu-
tion. He said that they must all be aware that nations like
individuals had their responsibilities, and that as to indi-
viduals so to nations talents were committed, for the use or
abuse of which they would be severely called ultimately to
account.—(Hear, hear.) If we reviewed our station among
the scale of nations, to us bad been extended,
an empire great amongst the other nations of the
earth, and if to us above all other nations of
the earth had been committed the charge of an
extensive empire, comprising many millions of heathen in-
habitants, upon us rested above all the duty of providing
those millions with the knowledge of that Christian truth
and the enjoyment of those religious privileges which were
our pride as well as our consolation.—(Applause.) He did
not mean to claim for the Legislature of this country an ex-
emption from the responsibility of providing such instructions
for the heathens—(Hear, hear)—but he contended that
each and every one of us were individually responsible to
perform those duties.—(Applause.) He had been assured
by letters from parties that had been engaged in the recent
battles in India that the victory was to be attributed to the
interposition of a providential hand, and did it become us
not tofeel thankful for such divine blessing? Those conquests
had added another million of heathens to the many millions
already under the sway of the British sceptre, and were we
not now more forcibly called upon to contribute to the fund
of such societies as these, for the purpose of extending our
common faith to the benighted Pagan?—(Applause.) If
they could look forward to the melancholy period when the
greatness of this nation would have to decay, they would
leave behind them not the relics of civil or ecclesiastical
edifices, but the nations that we had blessed by conveying to
them the blessings of the truths of the everlasting Gospel.—
(Applause.) The historian that would have to record the
fate of this empire would no doubt say " this was a wise ana
an understanding people ; this was a people that had the
Lord for their guide."—(Applause.)
The Noble CamruktAx then put the resolution, which was

unanimously passed.
The Bishop of JAMAICA then moved—" That the two
fold object of providing means of spiritual improvement for
our emigrants and colonists, and making known the Gospel
to the heathen dependencies, has, under the Divine blessing,
been so long successfully pursued by the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, that it is entitled to the sympathy
and support of the present meeting." His Lordship, amidst
repeated applause, gave a cheering account of the progress of
the Gospel in foreign parts, which had been effected for the
most part by the efforts of this Society. He contended for
the responsibility of providing the people both at home and
abroad with spiritual instruction. Ought not our "kings
to be nursing fathers and our Queens to be nursing mothers
to the Church?"—(Applause.)
Lord Jon 24 MANNEas seconded the resolution, and in the
course of his speech regretted that, in this, the nineteenth
century, it should be found necessary to call such
meetings as these, and he feared that if something
more were not done by the State for the spread of
the Gospel, our foreign possessions might at no distant day
be plucked from the diadem of the British Crown.—(Hear,
hear.) He was sure that when this great meeting sepa •
rated they would not cast away the responsibility that
devolved upon them. It was well that the princes and
nobles residing in the ancient city of Westminster should
aid the noble objects of the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel abroad. He had no doubt that ere long the
churches abroad would be supported by the colonists them-
selves—they were, in fact, in some places doing that already.
—(Applause.) ut we must not forget that we were respon-
sible for the spiritual instruction of the hundreds of our
fellow-countrymen that yearly left our ports, and the best
way in which we could discharge our duty in that respect
would be by contributing to the funds of this Society, the
great supporter of the Church.—(Applause.)
The resolution was then passed.
Lord SANDON moved the next resolution, which called
upon the public for increased contributions to the funds 01
this Society.
Archdeacon MArmixo seconded the resolution, and said
that the amount which had already been raised for
the purposes of this society was most paltry, when
compared with the magnitude of the work which
they had undertaken. Shame should burn on our
cheeks and our faces be covered with tears of repentance
when we reflected on the manner in which we had
discharged our duties with respect to the evangelisation of
the heathen.—(Applause.) It appeared that 50,0001. only
was the sum which had been contributed for the purposes
of this Society during the last year. What an insignificant
sum was that to be raised for so sacred a purpose, in so
wealthy and Christianised a country as England.—(Cheers.)
The duty of evangelising our fellow-men was coeval with our
baptism ; we were clearly " our brother's keeper " in this
respect.—(Applause). He himself represented multitudes of
poor labouring men, and he rejoiced to have to, say that never
was there a gathering at his church that every one, the very
poorest of them, di l not contribute to the purpose of evan-
gelising the earth.—(Applause). Let Westminster and the
rest of England do the same.—(Applause). He hoped that
all the pastors of the Church would repeatedly and earnestly
inculcate on their hearers the duty of contributing to this
Society. England owed a vast debt to this institution ; let
them set about discharging that debt without delay.—(Ap-
plause). The Church of England at the present moment.
owed a very deep obligation to these missionary societies,
and and they appeared to be the surest ine.nes ovfitrael restoring
of
amity and strer gth.—(Applause). Th
the Church demanded an extension,not diminution.--(Ap-
plause).pl lice for a turbulent
The Church was
population, and it had no doubt been greatly extended at
a thousand churches, as
home during the last fifteen ears •
many pastors, and incalculable sch'ools having been added to
her, but it was impossible that the heart could be secure
whilst the extremities were allowed to fester.—(Applause).
The resolution seas thente put and passed, after which a vote
the Noble Chairman, which having
of thanks was passed e
been responded meeting separated.

The Marquis and Marchioness a Queen rr
sbey arrived at
Farrance's Hotel yesterday, from their gat, Annan, Dam-
frieshire.