labourer, or deficiency of employment render him incapable of earning his daily bread, instead of having a little fund to which he might have recourse in the time of distress, he is obliged (to use a vulgar phrase) to come upon the Parish, which is compelled to repay the sums expended on these itinerant Preachers. Many, too, of these poor people, whilst actually receiving relief from their Parish, are regularly devoting a portion of it towards the support of their Religious Establishments. Thus, in fact, the Poor-rates, instead of being calculated for the relief of the Poor, are nothing less than contributions, levied for the support of the Invaders of our Religion; and every member of the Church, who is called upon by the Overseer to make his contribution, is, as it were, committing suicide, by furnishing the weapons, and supporting the hands means for checking the intrusions of the Dissenter, whose constant and sole aim is, to destroy that Church, from the emoluments of which they (the Bishops) are clothed in purple and fine linen, and fare sumptuously every day! What would be our condition, if there were no future state, in which our labours will be rewarded by the Great Bishop of Souls? then should we, of all men, be most miserable: persecuted, not only by our enemies, but even by our familiar friends, with whom we have walked in the house of God, and to whom we are taught to look up as the promoters of our temporal and eternal interests. From such Apostles, O ye Ministers of State, defend the Church. which are to wield them, against the W foundation of his venerable structure. Now, Mr. Urban, though I am far from wishing to deprive the Pobr of any of their privileges, or in any way to oppress them; yet, surely, it is but common prudence to take care that our money is not expended upon them either rashly, or without discretion. With this idea, therefore, I have ventured to make this communication to you; in hopes that, through the medium of the Gentleman's Magazine, it nay meet the eye of some person who may be more competent to discuss the point than myself, and that one day or other it will become the subject of parliamentary inquiry. Might I be allowed to suggest a remedy, I should advise that the Dissenters be obliged to maintain their own poor; and that in no case parochial relief should be afforded to a pauper, who can be proved to have expended his money in aid of any other Religious Establishment than the Church. By this means, the growth of fanaticism would be checked, the Poor-rates greatly diminished, the interests of the Established Church promoted, and, consequently, the State at large materially strengthened. What a happy thing would it be, not merely for the Ecclesiastical, but also for the Civil World, if the Bench of Bishops, instead of forming plans for curtailing the rights and privileges, and for depressing and degrading the characters, of the Established Clergy, would contrive some A CAMBRIAN VICAR. Mr. URBAN, July 3. TRITS of Array for arming the Clergy occurred in ancient times; but the following is modern, and much more curious, being an authentic account of a Review and Sham-fight of the Clergy, which was intended this year, but, from circumstances, is postponed to the next. The Clergy are to be marshalled in two distinct Armies, and commence action in the manner below described. Each Army will have distinct appellations; one High Church, the other Low Church. The field will be taken first by the High Church Army: a band of Parish Clerks, singing the psalm "How sweet it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," will announce the arrival of the Commander in Chief, who will be mounted upon a fine charger, furnished by General who has given notice of a Bill to regulate the conduct of all future Clerical Troops, by Parliamentary Authority. The main body of Infantry will consist of the resident Incumbents, who will be armed with sixty rounds a man of written Sermons; and they will be drilled every day, for a long time preceding, in reading them vehemently and loudly, so as to present a formidable front to the enemy, and keep up a heavy fire. The Dignitaries will form a fine Brigade of heavy Cavalry. They will be uniformly attired in full black, cauliflower. wigs, and shovel-shaped hats. Their military appearance has already attracted the admiration of the the ladies, who, with a view to the terror they will excite, have exclaimed "What frights they are!" whereas no female ever gave such a truly military denomination to our redcoated gentry. The Artillery will be composed of a fine regiment of Clerical Members of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. The Universities will furnish a Troop of Flying Artillery, composed of Junior Fellows, who are accustomed to ride hard every Sunday morning, to serve distant Curacies. The Main Body of the Low-Church Infantry will consist of the Welsh and Somersetshire Dissentients, whose ranks will be strengthened by many ousted Lecturers and Curates. Being deprived of their farms, their ploughshares and pruning-hooks will be converted into pikes: for, not being provided with the musquets of good livings, and having no ammunition, they rely upon the Charge. The Artillery will be composed of Clerical Members of the Bible Societies. Much dependance is placed upon a body of Grenadiers, called GospelPreachers, whose entrance into the field will be announced by seven Trumpeters, playing "Blow ye the Trumpet in Zion." The Cavalry will consist of Clergymen, who are eminent in hunting, and keep good horses. Upon their standard will be the motto, "Pro aris et focis;" underneath it the literal English translation, "For the Hares and Foxes." If their horses are not too light, they will be able to stand a charge of the Dignitaries; and, if so, their superior practice in using the hunting-whip will give them power to withstand the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon," which the Dignitaries will wield against them. A Corps of Riflemen will be formed from the Shooting Clergy. The ground will be kept by lean Welsh Curates, mounted upon ponies, whose sallow appearance will justify the name of their regiment, the Clerical Death's Head Hussars. The Action will commence by a can The Grenadiers of Gospel Preachers will then make a grand effort to break the Centre, to which they will be animated by a loud shout of "Extempore for ever" from the multitude. The resident Incumbents will receive them by a cool fire of remonstrance, that such preaching is fit only for men of abilities; that the superior orders will not sit in a Church to hear nonsense; and that, therefore, edification, though not popularity among the vulgar, is better secured by written good sense, than parole trash. After much firing on both sides, the High Church Heavy Cavalry will charge, and compel them, because supported by only Light Horse, incapable of charging in line, to retreat. This retreat will be made, however, in perfect good order; and the Gospel Preachers will continue to retain the affections of the uneducated, from their bravery in defying their enemies. The Rifle Corps will do little or no mischief, as they will be afraid to advance close enough to take good aim. They will skulk about, and only make complaints among friends. The Main Body of Dissentients, for want of powerful Officers, will be soon obliged to give way; especially as they will not be equal in their Arms, which do not exceed the power of pens and printing types. The Field, where the Sham-Fight will be fought, will from that day be called, "The Clergy-Regulation Bill Field." The above is merely, of course, a squib, purely intended as a joke, spoken in earnest, to induce the Clergy to think in time, what injury may possibly ensue by discords in their own order; and to recommend interchanges of communication between their rulers and themselves, to settle their disputed points, without calling in the aid of exasperating resolutions and pamphlets, or making the Laity, by publications, a party in their differences. ARISTIPPUS. Mr. URBAN, July 6. nonade of Puffs and Dinner Speeches As the Readers of your Miscellany from the Bible Society Artillery; which will be answered by that of the Bartlett's Building Corps, who will reply by a heavy fire of Orthodox Pamphlets. Much execution will be done on both sides. will naturally expect me to answer the "Reasons," &c. re-published in your June Magazine, pp. 503, 593; injustice to them, as well as to myself, I beg to inform them, that my answer is inserted in the Classical Journal, No. XXVI. JOHN BELLAMY. Mr. I Mr. URBAN, W. CoXE. July 10. WISH it to be understood that, in the quotation inserted in your Magazine for last month, from my History of Cambridge, relative to the name of the Town and University, I have rather stated different opinions, than given a decided one of my own; or, perhaps, played with, aud humoured, opinions, to try the strength of each. Mr. Thomas Richards, in his Antiquæ Linguæ Britannica Thesaurus, under the article Afon, observes, "Avon is the proper name of several rivers in England; as Avon, the river of Bristol; the Avon in Northamptonshire; another in Warwickshire, where there is a town, called Stratford upon Avon, &c., for which this reason is to be assigned; viz. that the English, when they drove the Britons out of that part of Great Britain, called from them England, took the appellatives of the old inhabitants for proper names; and so, by mistaking Avon, which, with us, signifies only a river in general, it came to serve with them for the proper name of several of their rivers." The learned Edward Lhwyd, both in his Archeologia Britannica, and in his Adversaria, subjoined to Baxter's Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicarum, had preceded Richards in suchlike observations; and in his Comparative Etymology had produced copious examples of Prefixes and Postfixes to old British appellative Nouns; together with the various interchanges of Vowels and Consonants; aiming to trace thereby the original roots of many British names: and it has been thought by some, that the etymological sense of Cam, Granta, and Canta, may be ascertained in the same way. On this subject, then, I have a few more ideas, which I reserve for their proper place. Yours, &c. G. DYER. * **WE bave much satisfaction in bringing forward to the notice of our Readers the benevolent exertions of the Rev. H. BERKIN, towards raising a Fund for the erection of a new Church in the Forest of Dean; and trust, that the peculiar circumstances of a numerous class of people will excite such a degree of interest, as to render successful the object of this public appeal. "The Royal Forest of Dean, in the upwards of 20,000 acres, has no Church county of Gloucester, a waste tract of in it, nor any means of religious instruction expressly provided for the use of its inhabitants. These, consisting chiefly of Miners and Colliers, partly from their secluded situation between the Rivers Severn and Wye, partly from the nature of their employments, and partly from the distance of great numbers of them from the Parish Churches adjoining the Forest, have hitherto been too generally living in the neglect of moral and religious duties. Few have been used to observe the Sabbath; still fewer to attend the Churches on the borders; and the ignorance naturally accompanying such a state, has not failed to produce a corresponding effect on the life and conduct. Seven years have nearly elapsed since I became Stipendiary Curate of the parish of Mitcheldean, on the North-east side of the Forest, next Herefordshire; and finding that part of the Forest adjoining me in the above/ state, I considered it a duty to attempt its improvement. Anxious to ameliorate, at least, the rising generation, I opened Children, several hundreds of whom, at a Sunday School for the Foresters' length, came to receive education and religious instruction, in a building erected for this sole purpose. For further particulars on this head, I beg to refer to the First Report of the National Society for the Education of the Poorthough fully conscious how unworthy I am of the commendation they have been pleased to bestow. My next attempt was with the Parents. Finding that few, by comparison, attended Public Worship, I visited them in their cottages, to read and explain the Bible; and I was led to adopt this plan from the particular situation of the Foresters, destitute of Churches or Ministers whom they could In these pasproperly call their own. toral visits, made on different evenings in different places, and in which I have usually spent two hours, in reading and practically explaining the Holy Scriptures, I have sometimes had 200 persons present present at one time; and calculate, on the whole, that 800, at différent times, have thus come under instruction. Many instances might be produced, certainly not less than 20 families, of reformation in both sexes, which has evinced itself in their desire to possess the Bible and Common Prayer Book, and by a total change in their moral character. At one of the places which I am accustomed to visit, where the heat and crowd have at times been almost insufferable, the Colliers, aided by two or three neighbouring Farmers, offered to build a large room, for the better accommodation of great numbers: this, for obvious reasons, was declined; but it led me earnestly to wish, that the Foresters might be more immediately brought within the pale of the Established Church; and, by regular attendance on a Church appropriated to themselves, be made habitually acquainted with that admirable Liturgy, to which too many of them are now utter strangers. With the concurrence of the Honourable and Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, a Memorial and Plan has been laid before Government, with an offer, on my part, that, if the needful fund for building a Church and Parsonage-House could be provided, I would give up my present Curacy, and serve the new Church without any further emolument than the endowment necessary for its consecration. It may, perhaps, be proper here to remark, that private circumstances obliged me last year to leave Mitcheldean for an adjoining Curacy. The Sunday School has, in consequence, been discontinued; but, in the event of a Church being built, would be resumed in the Forest with a prospect of increased success. I am now authorized to state, that the measure has the full approbation of Government, who will grant five acres of land in the Forest for this purpose, being all that is allowed by Act of Parliament; and will also give such other aid as circumstances may allow. For the completion of the Plan, I am encouraged to apply to the liberality of the Publick; in confidence that, when the case is known, the application will not be in vain. An accurate survey has been made; and from 250 to 300 cottages, containing from 1200 to 1500 souls, found on extra-parochial ground, all within a reasonable distance of the intended spot. The sum requisite for building the Church and ParsonageHouse, will not exceed 25007., the situation being very favourable for materials, and economy consulted in the plan, as far as consistent with the dignity of the Episcopal Consecration. It should be mentioned, to the credit of these people, that I have had various offers of assistance. One man, owner of a quarry, will give all the stone, with no other expence than that of raising it; while another, who labours with his own hands for a large family, has offered to contribute 201. I trust this zeal in so good a cause will be encouraged by the completion of the work; and that, by means of it, true Religion and pure Morality, may be the ornaments of the surrounding country. The important effect may already be perceived, which this measure would have in making good Christians and peaceable Subjects; nor does any other plan appear more likely to add strength in this quarter to our excellent Establishment, both in Church and State. I must here mention, that on the other extremity of the Forest, near Monmouthshire, the Rev. P. M. Procter, Vicar of Newland, has been unwearied in his endeavours to benefit the inhabitants of the Forest on that side *. By the kind assistance of Government and others, a Chapel has been built in that part of the Forest, for the double purpose of a School-room for the Children, and a place of Divine Worship for those whom age or infirmities might hinder from attending Newland Church; for which latter purpose. it was licensed by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. The distance, however, being about eight miles, no advantage can be derived from it to the population on this side, who are equally, if not more, numerous, and stand in like need of instruction. I therefore beg leave to solicit subscriptions, however small, in aid of this work, that the building may be commenced as early as circumstances will permit. I have only to add my hopes, that this intrusion of an humble individual on the Publick, will be overlooked in the importance of the Cause which he pleads; and my wishes, that the kind Contributors will feel rewarded in the reflection, that thousands, yet unborn, may have cause to bless them, for thus providing for their spiritual wants, and giving them the knowledge of those principles, which alone can make them worthy members of Society here, or lead them to provide well for their eternal welfare hereafter. HENRY BERKIN, A. M. Weston, Gloucester, April 30. OBSERVATIONS ON THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES. THE British Parliament having enacted As a step towards the emancipation, the abolition is of the highest importance; but if the Parliament, having passed a decree, shall content itself without proeeeding to that great ultimate objectthe emancipation, England will have only the unsatisfactory consolation of exhibiting to the world an honourable and ineffectual example; while she leaves other Nations to make a profit of her humanity for, so long as slavery shall be permitted to exist in our Colonies, and the African trade be continued by other countries, it may be expected that slaves will not cease to be introduced into the English settlements. Nor can the importation be prevented by any prohibitory law or regulation of the British Parliament, however wise in the enactment, or vigilant in the execution; since it will be the common interest of the Colonists to encourage adventurers in this illicit traffic. It is manifest, therefore, that, unless England proceed further, the abolition will be nugatory, or even worse; for it will not only be inadequate to its purpose, but it will be the means of throwing the trade into the hands of the merehants of other Nations; who, in condueting it, may not be governed by the same humane regulations, which the traders of this Country were compelled to observe. It cannot be supposed that any of the friends of the abolition will be adverse to the emancipation, although various opinions may be held respecting the best mode of effecting it. Considering themselves as following the genuine dictates of humanity, some may contend for an immediate enlargement; while others, with sounder policy, will plead for a more cautious and gradual liberation. An abrupt and unlimited enfranchisement might prove injurious to the slave, unjust to the master, and equally cruel to both. It would have the effect of depriving the one of his bread, without teaching the other to earn it. The dark ignorance which overclouds the minds of the slaves; the bitter remembrance of former toils and severities; their natural indolence; the debilitating lanGENT. MAG. July, 1816. guor produced by the climate; and the facility of obtaining provisions without labour, would all combine to prevent them from engaging in the settled babits of daily toil. Devoid of instruction, and without any knowledge of the benefits arising from commerce and the accumu lation of property, they would not discreetly meet the change to freedom, and assume, at once, the tranquil character of sober and industrious peasantry. It is even doubtful, whether, if they were hastily liberated, they could ever be brought to employ themselves in a constant round of labour: to expect it, as the necessary result of merely granting them their freedom, would be idly romantic. In their present stale of ignorance, both humanity and policy are opposed to a sudden emancipation; for, instead of their situation being thereby improved, it would be rendered lamentably worse. Having been governed by the whip, and held subservient to the will of others, they do not contemplate any intermediate stage between the master and the slave. Accustomed to the degrading habits of bondage only, their minds are unpre pared for freedom, and incapable of comprehending its high advantages. If their bonds were hastily broken, they would be all kings, and no subjects-all planters, and no labourers! In the gloomy imbecility of their uncultivated faculties they would be jealous of the whites, and suspicious of future chains: hence, to give them unbridled liberty would be to let loose an irritated race of beings, with a two-edged sword in their hands, which, in consequence of the many vices and infirmities arising from a life of slavery, they would either turn upon themselves, or wield to the destruction of those about them. They would be thrown into inveterate confusion; the cultivation of the Colonies would languish; commerce would die away; and the mother-country preserving no control, all would be violence, outrage, and subversion, and they would persecute or destroy those who had governed them, until every European were exterminated from the settlements. Or, it they should not be roused to energy by revengeful feelings, and a distrust of their former rulers, they would sink into the torpid state of the uncivilized Indians, or of their darker brethren of the African forests, and relapse into a state of rude and savage nature. Their wants being few, and their food easily procured, their exertions would be only commensurate to their cravings: disdaining labour, they |