ing those hopes of fuccefs, with which fo many were animated, when they firft turned their attention towards the coaft of Africa.

Finding that the labours of their only remaining Miffionary, Mr. Duncan Campbell, were not likely to be productive of any advantage to the cause in which they were engaged, they have renewed their injunction on him to return without delay; and their Secretary has corresponded for this purpose, both with Mr. Hardcaftle of London, and with Mr. Ludlam, Governor of Sierra Leone. The laft letter received from Mr. Campbell was dated the 16th of laft January, at which time he had not received the order of the Directors, recalling him; it was brought to this country by his daughter Harriot, whom the Directors confidered it their duty to board and educate, from the funds of the Society, till their engagement with her father shall be finally clofed.

Although the Directors have no immediate profpect of being able to renew their exertions in Africa, nor indeed of being directly useful in promoting the knowledge of the gospel among the Heathen, by Miffionaries of their own, they regard themselves as called upon, by the very conftitution of the Society, to co-operate with any other body of men, who have engaged in the fame defign, and who ftand in need of pecuniary aid: they have, therefore, in the course of this year, given fifty pounds to the Moravian miffions, which are ftill carried on with a peculiar degree of zeal and fuccefs; with the fame view, they have alfo proposed to support an inftitution in the neighbourhood of London, formed by perfons of great refpectability, for the inftruction of young perfons, natives of Africa, in all those branches of knowledge, by which they may be qualified, in due time, for communicating the bleffings of civilization and Chriftianity to their countrymen.

They have alfo made an offer of their co-operation with the Miffionary Society of Edinburgh, in conducting the miffion to Jamaica, which hath been cordially embraced; the failure of that miffion, for the prefent,

in confequence of the lamented deaths of Meffrs. Bethune and Clark, affords another inftance of the mysterioufnefs of the ways of God-another call to ferious thought and felf-examination. We trust that this, and fimilar events, will not be interpreted by any as a bar to our proceeding in that truly honourable fervice to which we have devoted ourselves.

From the above detail it will appear, that the Directors have had no opportunity of forming the establishment of a Miffionary Seminary; yet they truft that the Society will have this important object fteadily in their

view.

In conclufion, they report to the Society, that they have declined calling, as in former years, for payment of the annual fubfcription-money, on account of their having no immediate occafion to beftow any confiderable part of their funds on Miffionary undertakings, and the manifold calls on the benevolence of the public in confequence of the preffing neceffities of the poor at home. They reft affured, however, that all the fubfcribers will be ready, when called upon, to bestow a part of their fubftance, for the regular fupport of an inftitution, which hath for its object the more extenfive communication of "that which endureth unto eternal life."

SOME ACCOUNT OF HAMBURGH. In a Letter to the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. DEAR SIR, October 10, 1800.

H

WAVING been fome time fince at Hamburgh, I was much struck, confidering the largeness of the place, and the number of the inhabitants, that there have been no attempts to bring the Gospel into this populous and depraved city. I now take the liberty to fend you fome account of it, and the dreadful wickednefs which prevails there. Perhaps God may put it into the heart of fome to devife means to enlighten that benighted fpot; or at least it may teach us, in this country,

to fet a higher value on the privileges we enjoy; which effect I hope it has already had in fome measure on your fincere friend, A. B.

HAMBURGH, to a ferious perfon, and one who has been favoured with the light of the Gofpel, is, perhaps, of all places the moft awfully wicked in its manners and cuftoms. Here all forts of vice and immorality are tolerated and even encouraged. Open lewdnefs of every defcription is thought no crime. Moft of the fervant-girls are fupposed to be common proftitutes; and from the hours of fix to nine in the evening, you will fee fome hundreds of them parading the ftreets, with a basket under their arms. You may alfo fee youths of not more than twelve years old enter the billiard-rooms, and play with the company, without any discountenance whatever; and they will practice every vice the fame as men, without attracting any particular notice. The Sabbath feems a day chofen by them more for finning publicly than any of the week-days. Moft of the mechanics are at work, and nearly all the fhops are open, as are also the theatres and places of amufement. Card-parties, which are very numerous, play with their window-fhutters down, and their rooms lighted with wax-candles, to make them as confpicuous as poffible; and various parties of mufic go about the town playing all manner of tunes. They have feveral large churches, though but thinly attended, where many refort in the morning, who attend the theatre and card-table in the evening; and religion feems the smallest of their concerns.

The thought ftruck my mind while I was among them, if they might not claim the attention of the Milfionary Society, fince Hamburgh is fuppofed to contain one hundred and eighty thousand perfons,. about ten thoufand of which are English. What an awful state are they in, having no opportunity of hearing the Gofpel-no fanctuary of the Lord's for a poor fin-fick foul to fhelter in! I am aware there would be many objections to fending over Miffionaries to Hamburgh, and

other large towns in Germany; but thus far I can ven ture to fay, the English minifter, Sir James Crawford, is much refpected, and by his fanction, the English might do nearly as they pleafe. There is, indeed, the English chapel, which has duty performed in it every Sabbath morning, the church-fervice being read, and a fhort moral fermon of about fifteen minutes long; but no preacher of the pure Gospel. There is, therefore, furely great reafon for attempting to establish the truth there, where fo many thoufand fouls are going blindfolded to ruin. The diftance is alfo but short; and the plan might be put into execution at a very trifling expenfe, compared to what is incurred by long and tedious voyages. So large a body of fellow-finners claims our compaffion as much as the poor natives of the SouthSea Islands, and, in fome refpects, have the preference, as they are our neighbours, which makes the claim the ftronger. Thus much have I fuggefted from the obfervations I made while in Germany; and fhould these hints be worth inferting in your Magazine, it will oblige yours fincerely, A. B.

[TRANSLATION.]

The Netherland Miffionary Society, to the Directors of the New-York Millionary Society.

Rotterdam, O. 10, 1800.

Rev. and refpected Brethren in our Lord Jefus Chrift,

T

was, and no doubt continues to be, one of the most glorious objects of divine mercy, to gather together in one, all things in Chrift, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, by the revelation of the bleffed gofpel of peace; and thus unite men, far diffevered from each other, in the bonds of love. While the nations, through the natural confequences of fin, are destroying each other, the followers of the divine Redeemer look, with raised expectations, for the accomplishment of those promiles which afford a hope of obtaining the relation

of brethren, with multitudes of their fellow finners, and particularly of uniting themselves with all thofe who ferve their Lord in thofe exertions which tend to enlarge his kingdom of grace; exertions in which their highest privilege and happiness in this life confift.

It demands our gratitude to the Supreme Author of all goodness, that these last times, in which our lot is caft, and wherein the power of darkness has more than ever obfcured the world, and strives, if poffible, to extirpate the doctrine of falvation through grace, are alfo become a new period, in which believers are excited with renewed zeal, mutually to labour for their Lord; and for his caufe. In the midft of thefe fhakings, dear brethren, it has alfo graciously pleafed him to awaken us from that indolence and indifference, with which the most of our fellow citizens were chargeable; as you, perhaps, may already in part have been informed, by the religious periodical publications in England. The great example of our worthy brethren in your ancient mother country has ftimulated us, however feeble we at prefent are, to engage in the fame work, and participate in their miffions to Africa, as well as in other refpects to tread in their footsteps.

We have seen, with much fatisfaction, in the fame publications, that new Miffionary Societies are erected among you for fending the gospel among the heathen; by which you also express your willingness to reach the fraternal hand of fellowship to all fellow labourers in this important work. We, therefore, have concluded to poftpone no longer the liberty of communicating to you what refpects ourselves, and informing you, that in Deceinber, 1797, we have, in the name of the Lord, affociated ourselves, by the ftile or title of the NETHERLAND MISSIONARY SOCIETY, wifhing in that relation to be received as your brothers and correfpondents.

With cordial concurrence and approbation, we have read the circular letter of the worthy brethren at NewYork, and the plan of their Society, dated Novem→ ber 1, 1796, as alfo what was extracted the from NewVOL. II. No. 3. I