take advantage of the opening, and they preach, for a time, in some farmhouses in the neighbourhood where the population is greatest. And the inhabitants, finding the conveniency of hearing the word of God almost at home, instead of going miles to their parish church, resolve to erect a chapel. But is such chapel erected by dissenters alone? By no means. The ground is generally given by some landed proprietor, and he a churchman; and almost all the friends of the establishment in the neighbourhood contribute towards the building. They contribute, not because they dislike the church, but because of the conveniency. Will Mr. Wilks inform the public how many of the 1500 chapels stand upon ground freely given by decided friends of the church? Perhaps the church people have contributed as much towards the erection of these 1500 chapels as the dissenters themselves. Could there be half that number in Wales now did none subscribe but dissenters? And will Mr. Wilks inform the public also, how many of these 1500 chapels are wholly free from debt? I firmly maintain that hundreds go regularly to dissenting chapels in the country for conveniency; in towns, because there is no room, or they have no pews in the church, who yet are not dissenters from principle. If the Welsh are so fond of decided dissent, and have such a dislike to the establishment, as Mr. Wilks would persuade the public, how happens it that so many of the Welsh clergy are sons of dissenters? Again, how can Mr. Wilks congratulate his hearers on the superiority of his voluntary system, when he ought to know that the greater part of dissenting ministers in Wales are either actual farmers or tradesmen; and most of those who are not so employed, are assisted annually from the Dissenters' Fund in London. Few, if any, are wholly supported by their own congregation. Mr. Wilks must not gather his arguments from Wales to suppost the voluntary system. With respect to the want of hearers for the due publication of banns, Mr. Wilks ought to name the parishes where it occurred: his assertion is worth nothing. I am, Sir, yours, &c., A BRECONSHIRE CLERGYMAN. THE violence of the dissenters, for the last few weeks, seems to have manifested itself in local displays rather than in public exhibitions, against which they have been cautioned. The abuse with which they have assailed Mr. Clarke, Curate of Frome, and son of Dr. Adam Clarke, and a pamphlet published at Yarmouth against a very excellent and temperate sermon of the Rev. W. Harvey, the Curate, in defence of the church, are tolerable specimens of the temper of the body, and should be read and diligently considered. THE Home Missionary Society has held an anniversary meeting; and, strange to tell, if the Patriot reports correctly, there was some attention both to facts and to decency of language; at least neither were openly violated. A Voluntary Church Society (adjourned) meeting was held at Finsbury Chapel, on May 26. The speaking was duil beyond all measure. What do the members of this Society propose to do? A SECESSION has recently taken place from the congregation worshipping at the Independent Chapel, Horsham, of which the Rev. J. Harm is the minister. The seceders have licensed a house at the top of the North-street for the present, where they are supplied by various preachers. They are Baptists, and have withdrawn in consequence of the non-observance of the ordinance in the old chapel.-Brighton Herald. DOCUMENTS. DISSENTERS' SUBSCRIPTIONS TO CHARITIES. "WHILE it (dissent) has done this, it has been made to contribute its proportion towards the support of an endowed church; and yet it has, as if refreshed by its exertions, greatly surpassed that church in its contributions of service and money to those greater efforts of Christian benevolence which are not of a sectarian, but of a general character.”—(“ Case of the Dissenters.") DEAR SIR,-Subjoined I send you an abstract of the Reports of such Charities of the city of Hereford as I have been able to collect. They will, I hope, not be thought unworthy of a place in your Magazine, with the other gratifying returns which you have been enabled to lay before the public. N.B. There are three dissenting schools in the city of Hereford, held in the chapels, and managed by the members of the respective denominations of dissenters, who teach the children themselves,-consequently the expenses are trifling, and are met by collections after service at the chapels. II. BRIGHTON CHARITIES. SUSSEX COUNTY HOSPITAL.-(Vide last Report.) Members of the Established Church 1393 12 0 Dissenters £299 5 0 190 1 0 Members of the Established Church £258 9 0 Dissenters Total Amount of Congregational Subscriptions, from 1810 to 1826 exclusive. Established Church (Copied from last Report.) Annual Subscribers. PROVIDENT AND DISTRICT SOCIETY.-(Last Report.) Members of the Established Church £358 8 6 | Dissenters ORPHAN ASYLUM.-(Last Report.) Annual Subscribers. Members of the Established Church £168 8 0 | Dissenters DORCAS SOCIETY.-(Last Report.) Annual Subscribers. Members of the Established Church £70 15 0 Dissenters MATERNAL SOCIETY.-(Last Report.) Members of the Established Church £147 11 0 Dissenters £47 15 6 We believe the above statement to be correct to the letter, since it has been carefully compiled from the authentic Reports of the various charities; but if an error has inadvertently been committed, we shall be most happy to receive the correction. Should any such error, however, be found to exist, we are satisfied that it will prove to be in favour of the dissenters; for wherever a doubt arose as to the religious denomination of a subscriber, we have deemed it right to give dissenters the benefit of such doubt. The schools we have passed over, because it cannot be expected that churchmen should either support dissenters' schools, or the dissenters the schools of the established church; but our central national school, one of the most beautiful in the kingdom, together with the branch and two infant schools, shew that the ministers of the established church, in this particular also, have done something for Brighton. If an analysis of the subscribers to the Bible and Missionary Societies were made, we doubt not that the result would be the same; and it should also be borne in mind that a Branch Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge and for the Propagation of the Gospel is entirely supported in this place by members of the church establishment.-Brighton Gaz. BRIGHTON DISTRICT VISITING SOCIETY. The number of churchmen who are contributors to the District Society is 229; of dissenters, 16. The total receipts of the District Society, for the past year, were 3851. 148. 6d. Of this sum the subscriptions of dissenters amounted to, we believe, 181. 4s. 6d.―in other words, to about 114d. in the pound; the collection at the doors, after the annual meeting of the Society, to 87. 11s. 6d. ;-consequently, even supposing no portion of the latter sum to have been given by churchmen-a supposition too violent, we should think, for the dissenters themselves there remains no less than 3581. 8s. 6d., out of the total annual receipts, as the subscriptions of churchmen.-Brighton Gazette. III. DERBY CHARITIES. SIR,-May I request the insertion, in your journal, of the subjoined statement of Charities in Derby. It may perhaps enable some to form a juster notion of the boasted" great wealth, power, numbers, and respectability," of the dissenters, as contrasted with that establishment which they would fain lay prostrate in the dust. The "greater efforts of Christian benevolence" in Derby we will assume to be the Lancastrian School, the Benevolent Society, the selfsupporting, charitable, and parochial Dispensary, the General Infirmary,—we will say nothing of "the National School," which is supported solely by churchmen, and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, as they may be regarded, in a certain quarter, as "efforts" not " of a general," but " of a sectarian character." The last printed Reports of these several institutions furnish the data of the appended result. A great desire has been felt, and much pains taken to arrive at accuracy in the calculations; and, if there be any error, it is believed that it will be found in favour of the dissenters, and against the church. Under the term " Dissenter" has been comprehended all who are not, in the strictest sense, members of the church-Roman Catholics, Methodists, Independents, Socinians, Quakers, et id genus omne. Collections through the County, in 1833, for the last Charity : £595 11 1 59 8 0 180 14 3 210 O 0 0 0 0 £33,205 7 5 Dissenters .... Total of Church Subscribers, 1094 Church Subscriptions, Donations, and Legacies, £35,161 3 6 VOL. VI.-July, 1834. 1,432 16 0 L 256 IV. Cambridge, June 1, 1834. MR. EDITOR,—Much has been said of the numbers and influence of the dissenters of this place. Whatever may be their numbers, their influence ought not to be considerable, at least with my poorer fellow-townsmen, when they know how small is the proportion subscribed by them to the support of that excellent charity, Addingbrooke's Hospital. At Michaelmas, 1832, the list of contributors included the names of 522 persons; of these, 34 only were dissenters. The following is a correct abstract of the Account : This account does not include the benefactions and legacies of 50l. and upwards from the building of the hospital, which alone amount to upwards of 20,000l., not one shilling of which, I believe, can be shewn to be the gift of à dissenter; nor does it contain, in the number of annual subscribers, the name of any parish or college subscribing as a body, every one of which might fairly have been added to the churchmen's list, which it would have increased by 89. These facts require no comment; it is only to be hoped that the objects of this and such like charities will learn from them who are the truly liberal amongst their more fortunate fellow-countrymen-who are their real benefactors. Your's, A TOWNSMAN. HURSTPIERPOINT SOCIETY FOR ENCOURAGING INDUSTRY, &c. I HOPE I shall do some service by pointing out to the clergy and inhabitants of country parishes the plan and story of a small but very useful and successful benevolent society, which is now before me. It has a distinct and combined object, that of deferring the age of marriage among the labourers till some provision has been made for independence and comfort; but that object, though confined, is one of first-rate importance, and of more importance just now than at any other time, because it comes powerfully in aid of the efforts which the government is making to counteract some of the untoward effects of the poor laws. The plan originated with and has been successfully carried into execution by Mr. J. C. Tufnell, the curate of Hurstpierpoint-one of the many instances of Englishmen bestowing the time and talents which an independent fortune and a liberal education have placed at their disposal in the service of the poorer classes of a large country parish, for a professional remuneration which to them must be as nothing. There is abundant reason for fervently praying that no hasty measures, however well meant, may make the number of such labourers in the church for the future less. I have procured a few copies of the little tract from which the following extracts are taken, to be deposited for sale at Messrs. Rivingtons, in case any of your readers should think it desirable to distribute them in their own neighbourhood. Rules and Regulations of the Hurstpierpoint Society for the Encouragement of Industry and Prudence, with the Premiums offered to the Benefit Members; Tables shewing the accumulation of the several rates of deposit required by the rules of the Society; and the First Annual Report. This Society has been formed in the parish of Hurstpierpoint, for the encouragement of industry and prudence among the young unmarried men in the labouring and working classes. The end which the Society has in view is, to restore, if possible, those habits of |