of Presbyterians (not very large) a small one of Anabaptists, a smaller yet of Quakers, and he fears infidelity spreads among them by a denial or corruption of the great principles of Christianity, and by a disregard to revelation, with too much of a wilful captiousness, and criticism upon the sacred text, cherished in private cabals, and by the use of bad books in great number brought over to them." The Society say "They have launched out so far as to have established ministers, catechists and schoolmasters in our colonies, to the certain amount of £3090 per annum upon only the certain income of £638 7s.

1739. The annual subscriptions of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, amount to but little above £600, and two-thirds of this sum are subscribed by the clergy.

1740. In the sermon by Bishop Secker, he says—“The success of catechists, among the negroes, where it was least has not been inconsiderable; and so great in the plantation belonging to the Society, that out of two hundred and thirty, at least seventy are now believers in Christ. In one considerable province, the members of our Church lie under peculiar burdens. In New-England they are rated to the support of what the Independants, who are the greater part, call the Established Church. And the goods of many have been seized, and their bodies imprisoned for non-payment. The Anabaptists, on their petition, were exempted from paying the rate, and the Quakers without petitioning; but the petition of the members of our Church was rejected." Rev. Mr. Arnold writes, that at West-Haven, some have been sufferers for their religion, having been fined for not going to meetings, and others thrown into jail for not paying contributions to the Independent teachers. The fund for the instruction of negroes consists, at present, of about £2500. In South-Carolina, the Society had, says Dr. Chandler, ten missionaries at an expense of £450 per annum. This year a large number of congregations appear to have been

formed, and churches erected in various parts of Connecticut. Previously, notwithstanding the interest that must have been felt when Dr. Cutler, president of Yale College, Dr. Johnson, and others in high repute changed their sentiments, there were not more than three or four congregations. The accession to the Church at this time is easily accounted for. The boisterous and theatrical manner of preaching of Whitfield, attempted to be imitated by his followers, who were far inferior in genius, disgusted many persons of sober intellect, who looked rather for the still small voice heard by the prophet, than the thunder and storm of enthusiasm. The strange and almost frantic actions frequently exhibited at their evening lectures, put them upon inquiry. And this terminated in a conviction. that even the calmer but rigid doctrines of Calvin, concerning predestination, in which they had been instructed, were not founded on the word of God.

1741. The Rev. Mr. Johnson, missionary at Stratford, writes, "that a variety of travelling, enthusiastical and antinomian teachers so affrighted the people with their dismal outcries, that their bodies have been frequently affected with surprizing convulsions; and these convulsions have sometimes seized on those who came as mere spectators, and are no friends to the new methods, even without their minds being at all infected; but the Church hath rather gained than suffered by these commotions, and three or four families in the parish have already come over to it upon these distractions."

1742. Commissary Price, dated Boston, writes, "that the assembly of Massachusetts, under the influence of their new governor, Shirley, passed a law which frees the members of the Church of England, in that province, from paying to the support of what the Independants there call the established religion." But by the letters from Connecticut, it appears, that the magistrates of it continue their former violent methods, especially against our new conformists, and not long since committed four of them,

contributors towards building a Church, to jail, for not contributing towards building a meeting-house, at the same time that the province was much disturbed through the extravagances of enthusiastic teachers, more especially of one Davenport. Not only teachers, but tailors, shoemakers, and other mechanics, and even women, boys, and girls, were become (as their term is) exhorters. The Rev. Mr. Roe, at Boston, writes-"that he attended a conference with the indians about one hundred and fifty miles from Boston, and that most of the indians (about four hundred in all) had small brazen crucifixes about their necks, but in all other respects appeared true savages, and upon his talking to them about their crucifixes, one of their young men smartly replied in French, 'let every one take care of his own religion.' The Rev. Mr. Backhouse, Chester, Pennsylvania, writes" that for want of Episcopal ministers, many join with the dissenters. in worship, and that one of their teachers being asked how his congregation stood affected in these unsettled times, answered, he was happy in having his congregation chiefly consisting of Church of England people, who gave themselves up to none of those wild notions, and enthusiastic ravings, which some people practised so much, and were so fond of.

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1743. Teachers were appointed for the college at Barbadoes, founded by Gen. Codrington.

1744. The Rev. Dr. Cutler of Boston, writes" that endeavours were by no means wanting for the spreading of infidelity, and so large a number of books for that purpose had been lately imported to Boston from London, that the freight came to £45, that currency. At Derby, all such justices of the peace are put out of commission as conform to the Church of England. The Rev. Mr. Backhouse, Chester, Pennsylvania, writes-"that he hath been constrained to teach school, to prevent the children of his congregation from going for education to such as might pervert them in their religious principles."

· 1745. Dr. Cutler writes" that scarce a Sunday passes without the company, at his Church, of some dissenters, multitudes being now inclined to examine and look into both sides of a question, which few comparatively could be persuaded to do heretofore, till the late revival of enthusiasm among them, and some hundreds have thereupon been added to the Church."

1746. The Society received a valuable collection of books, from the Rev. William Dehaire, for a parochial library in some part of America-it is ordered to be placed at Christ Church, Boston. At Newport, the congregation is said to be very large, not of whites only, but of blacks also. Mr. Wetmore writes-" that he had the satisfaction to find at Yale College five bachelors of arts of this year openly professing themselves of the Church of England.”

1748. Whitefield, Tenant, and other warm preachers, came through Connecticut, and fired the people with enthusiasm, which occasioned one of the most wealthy, and intelligent, and zealous Congregationalists at Stratford (Col. Burr) to join the Episcopalians, and assist in building the Church at that town.

1749. In New-England, even the ignorant negroes and indians have set up preaching and praying by the spirit, and they have their meeting-houses, in which such of them as can neither write nor read, hold forth in their turns. This hath brought many serious-thinking dissenters to consider more attentively the decency and order in the Church of England, and to join themselves to it. The Society (the Bishop of Cloyne furnishing the means) having sent some valuable theological books to Harvard College, a letter of thanks was sent them by President Holyoke.

1749-50. The Bishop of London (Sherlock) presented a memorial in favour of having bishops in America. It came from him with great propriety, as having the spiritual jurisdiction of the Church in these provinces. He recommends the appointment, not for Pennsylvania or

New-England, but only for those colonies in which the Church was established; and proves, by quotations from public acts, that it was so in Maryland, Virginia, North and South-Carolina. For their maintenance, he suggests private contributions, as the crown could not afford to maintain them, and a tax might raise opposition to their settlement, and cause the bishops to be regarded as excisemen. He attributes the prejudices which existed in some degree against bishops, to the people having been destitute of them for so many years. Bishop Butler drew up a plan for having bishops in America, and Archbishop Secker addressed a letter on the same subject to an American clergyman, setting forth the arrangements determined on to remove prejudices, &c. As Moravian bishops were authorized by act of parliament, he complains that as much was not done for the American Episcopal Church. The Society return thanks to the Rev.. Mr. Bacon, rector of St. Peter's, Talbot County, Maryland, for twenty-five copies of his sermon preached to a congregation of black slaves, and twenty-five copies of his four sermons preached there upon the great and indispensable duty of all Christian masters and mistresses to bring up their negro slaves in the knowledge and fear of God. The Rev. (now Bishop) Meade had these admirable sermons reprinted about 1816, and they have been since republished in Charleston. Mr. Ogilvie, missionary to the Mohawk Indians, reports, that he administered the sacrament to thirteen indians, but that too many others are so far degenerated into drunkards, that his chief hopes are placed on the rising generation, the children being universally disposed to learn.

1752. The commissioners for building the Church of St. Michael, Charleston, having waited on his Excellency the Governor, to desire that he would be pleased to lay the first stone; on Monday last (February 20) his Excellency (Governor James Glen) attended by several of the members of his Majesty's honorable council, and of the