ble judgment and effect, and that in his view, as the result of long observation, our missionaries, in making large establishments among the nation in the interior, and in giving instruction to them in science, in connexion with religion, were pursuing the only course that can ever succeed. The people, he says, have the highest respect for those who possess superior knowledge, and who use and communicate it for the benefit of the nation. Such men they are willing to hear on religious subjects; to such men they will confide their children, and while they sought only the blessing of earth, God in many instances has made them wise unto eternal life. Dr. Foot is studying Persian with the celebrated De Sacy, and means to establish himself as a physician and surgeon in the heart of Persia for the sole purpose of gaining that influence which

may enable him gradually to insinuate the gospel among them. He hopes to form a large scientific establishment for this purpose; and to this object he has devoted his life and what property he possesses."

DONATIONS TO RELIGIOUS AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

In the month of February.

To the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, $3913.22, exclusive of legacies.

To the American Bible Society, $5901.63.

To the American Education Society, $280.74.

To the United Foreign Missionary Society, in January, $3303.04.

Jan. 18.--The Rev. OVA P. HOUGH was installed Pastor of the First Presbyterian church at Pottsdam, N. Y. Sermon by the Rev. Asahel Parmelee, of Malone.

Feb. 5.-The Rev. JOHN BERRY MEACHAM, a coloured man of the Baptist denomination, was ordained to the work of the ministry at St. Louis, Mississippi. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Halbert.

Feb. 8.-The Rev. MOSES INGALLS over the Congregational church at Barnard. Sermon by the Rev. Ammi Nicols, of Braintree. The Rev. PRESTON TAYLOR was at the same time ordained as an Evangelist.

Feb. 12.-The Rev. GEORGE H. FISHER was ordained Pastor of a Dutch Reformed Church recently established near Somerville, N. J.

Feb. 12.-The Rev. H. M. MASON was admitted to the order of Priests, at Fayetteville, N. C. by Bishop Ravenscroft.

Feb. 14.-The Rev. JARVIS GILBERT was ordained as an Evangelist at Fair haven, Vt. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Drewry.

Feb. 15.-The Rev. CHARLES BENT

LEY was ordained Pastor of the church at Middle Haddam, Conn.

Feb. 16.-The Rev. H. NORTON was ordained at Utica as an Evangelist. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Finney.

Feb. 19.-The Rev. RICHARD D. VAN KLEEK was ordained Pastor of the church at Somerville, N. J. Sermon

by the Rev. Mr. Zabriskic, of Mill

stone.

Feb. 22.-The Rev. LUKE A. SPOFFORD (installed) over the Congregational church and society in Brentwood, N. H. Sermon by the Rev. Abraham Burnham.

Feb. 25.-The Rev. MOSES CHASE was installed Pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Plattsburgh, N. Ÿ. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Smith, of Burlington.

March 1.-The Rev. REUBEN MASON was installed Pastor of the church at Glover, Vt. Sermon by the Rev. Drury Fairbank, of Littleton.

March 2.-The Rev. BENJAMIN DEAN, at Swanzey, N. H. as an Evangelist. Sermon by the Rev. Elijah Willard, of Dublin.

March 8.-The Rev. OREN Brown was installed Pastor of the second con

gregational church in Hardwick, Vt. Sermon by the Rev. Leonard Worcester, of Peacham.

March 22.-The Rev. LYMAN BEECH

ER, D. D. was installed Pastor of the new church in Hanover-street, Boston. Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Humphrey, President of Amherst College.

FOREIGN.

RUSSIA. We mentioned in our last number, that there had been numerous contradictory statements respecting the succession to the throne, but that the latest accounts seemed to have settled the question in favour of Constantine. It is however now clear that the crown is placed upon the head of Nicholas. The right of Constantine had been renounced during the life of Alexander, and according to a mutual understanding among the members of the imperial family. The new emperor accordingly, on the 26th of December, published at St. Petersburgh his manifesto, giving a full account of the renunciation of his brother, with the acts which set it forth. This manifesto, upon the publication of which the troops were to have taken the oath of allegiance, occasioned serious disturbances in the capital. Some of the troops hesitated, and two companies of the Moscow regiment' marched out of their barracks with their colours, and proclaimed Constantine I. In this they were joined by some of the populace. General Miloradovitch, in an attempt to harangue the rebels, was shot. The Emperor himself, appearing unarmed, endeavoured to quell the mutiny; but his efforts proving ineffectual, troops and cannon were brought forward, and the refractory companies were quickly dispersed. About 200 were said to have been killed. The disaffection was confined chiefly to the Moscow regiment, and the conduct of this regiment is attributed to the circumstance of their being a part of Constantine's own troops.

The documents made public by the abovementioned manifesto, were, 1. The letter of Constantine to Alexander, dated January 14th, 1822, in which he proposes to renounce his right to the succession. The motive by which he professes to be actuated in this measure, is, that "he does not lay claim to the spirit, the abilities, or the strength, which would be required, if he

should ever exercise the high dignity to which he may be entitled by birth." 2. The reply of Alexander, who, having laid the matter before the Empress Mother, says, "From the reasons which you state, we have both of us only to leave you at full liberty to follow your firm resolution, and to pray the Almighty to grant the most benign consequences to such pure sentiments.' 3. The manifesto of Alexander, dated August 1823, by which he confirms the renunciation of Constantine, and provides for the succession of Nicholas. This act was deposited in the grand cathedral church of Ascension, and with his majesty's "three highest authorities, the Holy Synod, the Senate, and the Directing Senate.” 4. A letter from Constantine to the Empress Mother, expressing his grief for the death of his imperial brother, and declaring his faithful adherence to his former act of renunciation. 5. His letter to Nicholas of the same date and to the same effect as that to the Empress Mother.

Such briefly is the history of this extraordinary affair thus far. Respecting its future results, French editors, profess still to entertain disquieting apprehensions. At the latest dates from that country it was said that Petersburgh was the only place where an attempt had yet been made to proclaim Nicholas; and there an insurrection was the consequence. Every where else Constantine was proclaimed on the first intelligence of the death of Alexander; and the oath was generally taken. Gen. Sacken had it administered to his army, which amounts 100,000 men.

AFRICA. The chiefs of the Sherbro Bulloms have voluntarily placed their country under the protection of the British government. By a formal treaty, dated September 24, they grant to his Britannic Majesty, "The full, entire, free, and unlimited, right, title, possession, and entire sovereignty of all

the territories and dominions to them belonging." They were, it seems, driven to this measure by a fierce warfare brought against them by the Kussoos, a tribe of the interior, who having successively trodden down their neighbours, had at length reached the Sherbro Bulloms, in their devastating progress, and threatened them with destruction or slavery.

The country thus unexpectedly ceded to the British, lies directly south-east of Sierra Leone and comprises a line of sea coast of 120 miles in length, and upwards of 5000 square miles of the most fertile land in this part of Africa, being watered with seven rivers of considerable extent and importance. The produce of these rivers has always been very great; and will rapidly increase in quantity, as the property of the natives is now rendered secure from plunder and devastation. The principal articles of lawful export have hitherto been ivory, palm-oil, camwood, and rice: of the latter, the Bagroo river alone furnished 600 tons in one season.

However the good people of England may be disposed to congratulate themselves on account of the commercial advantages which they will derive from this acquisition, there is another point of view in which they will deem it still more important, and on account of which the philanthropic of all countries will make them welcome to their new possession. The traffic in human flesh can no longer exist in the ceded territory. "The slave trade of the coast between Sierra Leone and the Gallinas" says the editor of the London Missionary Register." is for ever annihilated. We may fairly compute, that from 15,000 to 20,000 wretched beings were annually exported from the territory lately acquired: it was to support this horrible trade that the surrounding nations were constantly engaged in sanguinary wars; which have nearly depopulated the once rich and fertile countries of the Sherbro."

DOMESTIC.

CONGRESSIONAL.-If the comparative importance of the subjects which have occupied Congress for the last six or eight weeks, is to be estimated by the length and number of speeches they have called forth, the mission to Panama, and various resolutions, to amend the constitution must have the

precedence.

The Panama question

was discussed in the Senate chiefly with closed doors. With what political logic and foresight, therefore, our southern statesmen, so long withstood the measure, we have not been permitted to see, nor have we room, or time, to digest what we have seen. Mr. Randolph, in a very discursive speech, endeavoured to embarrass the subject by connecting it with negro emancipation: it would affect, ultimately, the condition of slavery in the United States. By what process his erratic mind reached this conclusion, we cannot tell; except that the sable skin of those who will compose the congress at Panama, the emancipation acts of the South American governments, the character of Bolivar, Cuba, Hayti, and the Colonization Society, were links in the chain. The question was finally settled by a small majority in favour of the mission. The vote was taken at two o'clock in the morning, the majority having resolved not to adjourn without a decision.

The subject is now before the House, with whom it remains to provide for the expense of the mission.

Of the multitude, we had almost said, of proposed amendments to the constitution, some have had the merit of requiring little discussion, and most have furnished evidence of the ambition, retrospective or prospective, in which they had their birth. Some may have been dictated by honest, perhaps enlightened patriotism. Those introduced by Mr. McDuffie, have been zealously supported and ably opposed. We are sorry to find Mr. Everett, in his eloquent speech on this subject, straying from the principles in which, as a citizen of a free state, he had been educated, broadly to avow his approbation of negro slavery, and justifying this avowal by arguments which would go equally to support the Holy Alliance or whatever other form of political des potism, the orator may have declaimed against on other occasions.

A project for the colonization of the aboriginees has been submitted by the Secretary of War, to the Committee on Indian affairs. In its general features it resembles the plan proposed last year by Mr. Calhoun. But we have no room, we find, for this or other topics on which we intended to remark.

is the same, therefore, as a bishop; and before there arose by the temptation of the devil, preferences in religion, and it was said among the people, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas,' the churches were governed by a common council of presbyters. But afterwards every one esteeming those whom he had baptized as his own, not Christ's; it was decreed throughout the world, that one chosen from the presbyters should be placed above the rest, to whom the care of the whole church should belong, and the source of all discord be removed. If it be supposed this is not the sense of the scriptures, but my own opinion, that bishop and presbyter are one, and that one is the name of age, the other of of fice; read again the words of the apostle to the Philippians Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons, grace to you, and peace,' &c. Philippi is a single city of Macedonia, and certainly there could not be in the one city many bishops, in the present meaning of the term. But because at that time they called the same persons bishops whom they called presbyters, on that account he spoke of bishops indifferently as of presbyters. This may still seem doubtful to some, unless it be proved by another testimony. It is written in the Acts of the Apostles, that when he had come to Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called the presbyters of that church, to whom he afterwards said, among other things, attend to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath placed you bishops, to feed the Church of the Lord, which he has gained by his blood.' And here obAnd here observe more particularly, that in

6

ut unus de presbyteris electus superponeretur cæteris, ad quem omnis ecclesiæ cura pestineret, et schismatum semina tollerenfar. Hierom. Oper. tom. VI. p. 193.

viting the presbyters of the one city, Ephesus, he afterwards calls the same bishops. If that epistle which is written to the Hebrews under the name of Paul, be received, there also the care of a church is equally divided among many; forasmuch as he writes to the people, Obey your leaders, and be in subjection, for they watch for your souls, as rendering an account, lest they may do this with sorrow ; since this is to your advantage.' And Peter, who derived his name from the firmness of his faith, speaks in his epistle, saying, Wherefore the presbyters among you I entreat, who am a co-presbyter, and witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also an associate in the glory which is hereafter to be revealed; feed the Lord's flock, which is among you, not from necessity but choice.**

"These things are recorded that we may show, that the ancient presbyters were the same as the bishops, but by little and little, that the roots of dissensions might be torn up, the whole trouble was devolved on one. Wherefore, as presbyters know that they are subjected to him who shall have been placed over them by the custom of the church, so the bishops may know that they are greater than presbyters, rather by custom than by the verity of the Lord's appointment; and that they ought to govern the church in common, imitating Moses, who, when he

* Jerom has omitted nules in 1 Pet. v. 2., but given it elsewhere.

Hæc propterea, ut ostenderemus apod veteres eosdem fuisse presbyteros quos et episcopos, paulatim vero ut dissensionum plantaria evellerentur, ad unum omnem soli

citudinem esse delatam. Sicut ergo presbyteri sciunt, se ex ecclesiæ consuetudine ei, qui sibi præpositus fuerit, esse subjectos; ita episcopi noverint, se magis consuetudine quam dispositionis dominica veritate, presbyteris esse majores, et in commune debere ecclesiam regere imitantes Moysen: qui cum haberet in potestate solus præsse popu lo Israel, septuaginta elegit cum quibus po pulum judicaret. Tom. VI. p. 199.