gal so effectually as the English. The work, however, must be begun in a humble way; for missionaries who preached, would not yet be admitted. But no power could prevent their talking with the natives in their own tongue, nor could anything repress the curiosity of the Portuguese on the subject of religion. Tracts and books also could be circulated. And the same might be done in Italy and Spain. A great deal might be done by the English who go to these countries for commercial purposes, and touch at their numerous ports; but in the steamer in which I went to Gibraltar, though there were a hundred and fifty English on their way to Spain, I could not find a single Spanish tract among them all. Yet the eagerness of the Spaniards for these and the Scriptures is astonishing. I would say of Spain, that I never had my heart so touched in my life, as when staying at Gibraltar. Í attended a service of one hundred and forty boys and youths connected with the Wesleyan School, to whom a young man was preaching in Spanish. This school has not been in existence more than five years, but it exerts a considerable influence. The only conditions required of the pupils are, that they shall attend a Bible class every Sunday morning, and this service in the evening, the week-days being devoted to general instruction. The priests have tried hard to prevent the people sending their children to it, but they have not succeeded. The parents reply, "Let them make our children Protestants if they can. We see enough of the effects of the school upon them, to believe it is for their good." When I passed over to Malta, I could not help thinking what an important place this is, and why God had. put it into the hands of the English? But it is the point for attacking Italy. There you have a population of a hundred thousand, who are mostly Italians. What an important field that is! it ought to be cultivated. It requires men, books, and schools. This leads me to Italy. You cannot go and preach there. But, as I said before, you can talk, and it is worth while doing that when you cannot do more. But you can do more, you can circulate tracts and books. These are read with avidity, notwithstanding the damnancios everywhere posted up; for the moment an intelligent Italian sees a book in the damnancio he goes and reads it. A physician once said to me, "When I want a prohibited book, I go to the Pope, and say that I want a book necessary to my profession, and I get it." They have printed a translation of Voltaire and the infidel French writers, and dispersed them through the country as books on medicine! But there are a great many Italians in Smyrna and Constantinople. We can begin with these, and not wait for Italy. It will be open in good time. BELGIUM. CHARLEROI is a small town, about forty miles south of Brussels, containing a poor, but thickly located population, engaged in the coal trade. It is also strongly fortified and garrisoned by Belgian troops. In the year 1842, the "Société Evangélique," hearing that there were two Protestant families at Charleroi, and also two or three individuals professing the Protestant faith, sent two of their clerical agents to make certain inquiries. They found these few Protestants living without the means of grace, neglecting the ordinances of religion, with their children either unbaptized or baptized by the Roman Catholic priests. The Society were led to place one of their ministers there ; and it has pleased God so to bless his labours, that from this little nucleus, of, perhaps, twenty persons, a congregation of about two hundred has been formed. Of these, at least four-fifths are Romish converts. The Church has now its resident pastor, a man full of zeal and Christian devotedness; a consistory of ten elders and deacons ; and eighty communicants. I had the privilege of attending a small weekly meeting, held at the hamlet about two miles from the town, where the minister was in the habit of meeting a few poor people for prayer and the exposition of a portion of Scripture. There I found myself surrounded by about twenty Belgian colliers and their wives, all of whom, with the exception of the pastor, myself, and one other, were either Roman Catholic inquirers or converts from Romanism: and seldom have I found myself among a more earnest, simple-minded, warmhearted set. They were strangers to me, and poor; but I felt that I was among beloved brethren, whose hearts sympathized with my own. But to return to the main congregation at Charleroi. From the opposition of the Roman Catholics, and from other causes, they have always found a great difficulty in providing a place for their Sunday services. They have now a tolerably-sized room fitted up for the purpose, but so low that the heat is oppressive, and also in a very bad part of the town. It is more than probable, however, that even this room will be shortly taken from them; and in this case they know not where to turn. The congregation has long desired, and at this time is very anxious, to erect a small church, where they may be undisturbed, and where their Roman Catholic neighbours may have an opportunity of witnessing the simple and Scriptural nature of their worship. But how are the funds to be raised? The "Société Evangélique" cannot help them, having other demands upon its resources. Five hundred pounds is the mini mum, and a thousand the maximum required. But how can such a sum be raised among this humble, hardworking flock? "Not many mighty, not many noble have been called" among them; and yet their hearts yearn for a building, which they may call the house of God. May I then appeal, sir, to my fellow-countrymen, through your columns, and ask them to help these brethren in their present want. Oh, if we mourn over the loss of some among our own English Protestants, let us hail with joy the ingathering of others, though it be in a foreign land. If we talk feelingly of secessions to what we consider an apostate Church, let us remember that now is the time to act now is the moment for individual energy, and for using every talent in the hope of rescuing some, at least, from the error which we deplore. Only four hundred francs have as yet been collected at Charleroi, towards the building of the church. I shall, indeed, be thankful if, by the liberality of Christian friends in England, I shall be enabled to send them a small sum in addition, just sufficient to encourage them to go forward with their proposed work. I am, sir, your humble servant, ASHTON OXENDEN. Broome, Sep. 20. [N. B. Any sum which may be kindly sent to the Rev. Ashton Oxenden, Broome, near Canterbury, or forwarded to him through the office of the Kentish Observer, or through Mr. Ward, bookseller, will be duly appropriated to the above object.] THE SWISS REPUBLIC AND THE JESUITS. (From the Church and State Gazette.) THE social and political agitation which is now convulsing the republic of Switzerland, and the struggle which is now being maintained between the Protestant and "Catholic" cantons, have respectively assumed such an importance as to authorise us to furnish some details thereof to our readers. In our confined space we must necessarily be brief, but we trust and believe that we shall not adopt brevity at the expense of intelligibility. To come at once to the subject, we will commence by stating that Switzerland consists of twenty-two cantons; each canton is independent of the other, save in as far as each is of the other cantons." This article was brought before the notice of the Diet a few weeks ago, and thereca majority, consisting of twelve cantons and two half cantons, declared that the separate league of seven cantons, called the Sonderbund, was a contravention of the Federal Pacto the same majority directed the dissolution of the League, and threw upon the cantons composing it, the res bound by the treaty connecting the whole, and called the "Federal Pact," Each canton, moreover, possesses one vote in the Swiss Diet, whatever may be the numerical amount of its population. But three out of the twentytwo cantons, viz., Bale, Appenzell, and Unterwalden, are divided into half cantons, and each half (Protes tant or Catholic) is sovereign, independent of the other, and has a separate vote in the Diet. The mem-ponsibility of all the consequences of bers sent to the Diet are less free; for they are bound, in all cases, to speak and to vote as they have been instructed to do by the Great Council" of the cantons by whom they are deputed. 66 It will be recollected that, in 1844 and 1845, the canton of Lucerne was invaded by bands of volunteers from the other cantons, whose object it was to compel Lucerne to expel the Jesuits; and whose ulterior object, it was said to be, to overthrow the cantonal liberty, and to create a republic one and indivisible," the capital of which should be at Berne. 66 The immediate result of the invasion is well known; but it has had, remoter consequences, the most important of which is the union of seven cantons in a treaty among themselves. This separate treaty is called the Sonderbund a title explanatory of the thing itself, and implying the particular union. The seven cantons bound by this treaty are Lucerne, Unterwalden, Schwyz, Zug, Friburg, Valais, and Uri. They declare that it is simply a defensive union, and that it can only become an offensive one in the case of a repetition of the invasion on the part of what is called the "Radical Cantons." To this it is replied that the Federal Pact distinctly says that ". no alliance shall be formed among the several cantons detrimental either to the general confederacy, or to the rights 1 disobedience. The Sonderbund cantons have not only refused to obey the voice of the majority of the Diet, but they have commenced military preparations to resist by force of arms. Warlike stores and ammunition have been furnished them by Austria (the greater part of which, however, has been captured on the way); and, as the officers holding commissions in the refractory canes tons have been ordered by the Diete to renounce their service, it is very likely that Austria will furnish the "Catholic" cantons with men as well as weapons. 1 The Hitherto, the majority in the Diet have not put into execution their own decree. They have been content with explaining the law, without yet putting it in force. In the mean time they have not stood still. Diet have just passed a resolution, by the old majority, directing the expulsion of the Jesuits, not only from the canton of Lucerne, but from Switzerland generally. This decree has been met with the same angry opposition, and the same proclaimed disobedience on the part of the Son-1 derbund, as those by which it was preceded. The crisis has, therefore, come; and it is this crisis which has fixed the eyes of Europe with curiosity and interest upon the bundle of Swiss sticks tied up in the Federal:. Pact. entered the Aland group of islands, which lie in the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia. It was here we entered the dominions of the Czar of all the Rus sias, these islands belonging to the Russian empire. Thence we pursued our way through scattered islands, consisting for the most part of masses ofonaked rocks, until we approached the coast of Finland, when we entered the broad zone of granite islands and islets which form a border to that coast, similar to what we had seen on the coasts of Sweden and Norway. It is a remarkable phenomenon, un questioned now by any man of science, that these rocks, as well as the adjacent continent, are rising gradu ally out of the water-probably owing to the action of hidden fires. Finland is an extensive country;1 and, like Sweden and Norway, it abounds in rocks of the primitive portions; but it is unlike those coun tries, in the fact of its having few or rather no great mountains. A large portion of it is level; and in the other parts one sees hills rather than mountains, which seem to be the termination of the mountains of Norway and Sweden, that run round the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, and subside in Finland into low hills. Another feature of Finland is that it abounds in lakes, some of which are of considerable size; whilst many are very small. A large portion of the country is marshy, and furnishes nothing but grass for hay and pasturage. Still a good deal of grainwheat, rye, barley, oats is produced in this country, whilst beans, peas, potatoes, are among its staples. Take Finland as a whole, it is a poor country. The climate of even the southern part is severe enough, as scarcely any of it lies south of latitude 59 or 60; whilst that of the northern portion must be almost intolerable. Yet this country has a population of 1,600,000 souls, among whom there is but little wealth. The mass of the inhabitants are poor people, eking out a scanty subsistence by great toil. It is a singular fact, that the wild beasts of this land are one of the causes of the extreme poverty of the people. It is almost incredible how many young domestic ! -Finland was for a long time united to Sweden, having been early conquered by the Swedish monarchs. But all this country has been severed, piecemeal, from Sweden by her great neighbour, Russia. So that now, no part whatever of Finland belongs to the land over which the house of Vasa reigned for 300 years. This has been a great loss both to Sweden and Finland. Sweden drew a great many of her supplies from Finland, and the Finns depended greatly on the commerce of Sweden, with which trade is infinitely more easy by their little vessels, which, issuing from the innumerable fiords that indent the coast, can make their way over in a few hours, or a day or two, to the other side of the Gulf of Bothnia, than with Russia, which is much farther distant from the greater part of Finland, and where an unknown tongue, a strange religion, and widely different manners prevail. When the Protestant religion became established in Sweden, it also became established in Finland. And to secure the proper education of preachers of the Gospel, a university was founded at this city of Abo by the Swedish government, with ample endowments. As the same laws and customs prevailed in Finland as in Sweden for more than two centuries and a half after the Reformation, the same results followed. All the inhabitants made their first communion in the churches (which were all of the Lutheran faith and discipline, as in Sweden) at the age of 15 or 16; consequently all above that age were professors of religion. And as none were allowed to make their first communion without being able to read the Bible, or the Catechism, all were taught to read, with more or less facility, by their parents, by schoolmasters, or by the pastors. In a majority of cases, in many parts of the country at least, where the population is very sparse, the children received little or no education, save what their parents communicated to them, This morning, at nine o'clock, we called upon the Rev. Dr. Melartin, the Archbishop of Finland, who resides at Abo. The excellent prelate had been good enough to send us word last night, by a Finnish gentleman, whose acquaintance we had made on our voyage hither from Stockholm, that he would be happy to see us. We were received in the kindest manner by this worthy servant of Christ, whose zeal in the Bible cause is deserving of the highest praise. He is about sixty-five years of age, and has the appearance of not enjoying very robust health. Like most well-educated men whom one meets in these Northern countries, he speaks German and French, in addition to his vernacular tongue-or rather tongues, in his case, for he has spoken from childhood both Swedish and Finnish; the former being the language of the higher classes and of the inhabitants of the seaports; whilst the latter is spoken by the masses in the interior. There is no sort of resemblance to each other in these languages, the Finnish being Asiatic, and more kindred to the Sclavonic, whilst the Swedish is Teutonic. The Archbishop is a decided friend to temperance. He informed me that the 6000 copies of the History of the Temperance Societies, in Finnish, which I had engaged to have published when in St. Petersburgh in the fall of 1840, and which had been in due time forwarded to him, have all been distributed. He stated that whilst there probably is not as much intemperance in Finland as in Sweden and Norway, yet that brandy is the greatest curse under which the country suffers. He thinks, however, that there has been a decided improvement of late years, and that the consumption of ardent spirits, especially among the higher classes, has sensibly diminished. The account which the Archbishop gave us of the distribution of the Scriptures in this country, in Swedish and Finnish, was in the highest degree interesting. More than 40,000 copies of the New Testament have been circulated by the Swedish Bible Society within the last ten years, at the expense of the British and Fo reign Bible Society, and another edition of 10,000 copies is about to be struck off at the expense of the same society. The Archbishop says that fully 100,000 copies more will be needed, to supply every family in Finland with one New Testament a measure upon the accomplishment of which he has greatly set his heart. He told us that through the efforts of the pastors, all Finland has been explored. The statistics of this affair are not a little remarkable. I give them to your readers, for I venture to say there has been nothing like this investigation, for real exactness, in all the world. It was found that there were 47,254 Finnish, and 17,540 Swedish, families who possessed the Scriptures; 39,675 Finnish and 6284 Swedish families that were destitute, but had the means to buy them; 31,334 Finnish and 4867 Swedish families that are destitute, but not so poor that they cannot pay for them in part; and 50,442 Finnish and 7854 Swedish families that are not only destitute of the Scriptures, but too poor to pay anything for them. According to this statement, there were at the time when this investigation was made, 121,451 Finnish families and 19,025 Swedish, destitute of the sacred Scriptures in all 140,476. Forty thousand families have since been supplied. May the time soon come, when all the rest shall have the greatest of all the treasures which man can possess in this world! And may the good Archbishop live to see that blessed day! The Archbishop informed us that about 700,000 Tracts in the Swedish and Finnish languages, have been distributed in Finland during the last forty years. That God has deigned to bless the good seed which has been thus scattered abroad over this vast but poor country, there is every reason to believe as I could shew by facts, if it were necessary. The Lutheran is the established church in Finland, as in all the other Scandinavian countries. With the exception of a few Greek churches, and one Roman Catholic church, there is not one that is not Lutheran in all Finland. There are 211 pa |