DISSENTERS.-The Dissenters are always telling us (but it is not a whit more true because they tell us the story) that they constitute a great majority of the kingdom. M'Culloch, who is good authority even with them, states, in his recent "Statistical Account of Great Britain," that the entire number of Dissenters in England and Wales does not exceed two millions seven hundred thousand; or at most three millions; and of these, from five hundred to six hundred thousand may be Roman Catholics. Mr. M'Culloch also gives as the population of England and Wales 13,897,187, or almost fourteen millions! After this, we hope the Dissenters will be more cautious how they boast of a majority, at least before any one who reads this paragraph, for majority they have none in reality, although for years they have claimed one.

CHURCH IN AMERICA.- The Episcopal Church in the United States of America consists at present of eighteen bishops, and nearly nine hundred clergymen, who support five times more papers and periodicals to advocate their cause than we do.

THE INDEPENDENT WAY.-Three things I do not like in the Independent way:-1. That they unchurch the nation. 2. That they pluck up the edge of parish order. 3. That they throw the ministry common, and

allow persons to preach that are unordained. In two things they are to be commended:1. That they keep up discipline amongst them. 2. That they love and correspond one with another.-Philip Henry.

PRINCIPLES.-One of the marked characteristics of our day is a reckless neglect of principles, and a rigid adherence to their semblance.-Lady Blessington.

THE CHURCH IN CANADA.-The popula tion of the city of Toronto is stated at 12,138, of whom 5702 belong to the Church of England. It is also stated as a fact, established by returns, that in all the towns and townships of the province where the ministrations of the church have, for any length of time, been regularly supplied, its members form a very large majority over any other single sect, and in many places constitute nearly a moiety of all the inhabitants. We need not advert to the evidence which these returns have already furnished in disproof of the assertion so recklessly made, that the members of the Church of England in Upper Canada formed but "a fraction of the population;" but they establish a fortiori the truth of what we have so often expressed, that place her upon the foundation which her obvious wants require, and she would very soon be the church of a majority of the people.-Church.

NOTICES TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.

A few copies of the last Number of The Church Magazine contained two sheets alike, and were without the Index. If those numbers be returned through the Bookseller, they will readily be exchanged for perfect copies, and the error of the binder thus remedied.

The First Volume of The Church Magazine, neatly bound in cloth, may now be had complete.

The alteration in the expense of postage renders it much more easy for our friends to forward us communications, which the previous high rate of postage would often prevent them from sending us.

Many of our readers and subscribers have written to us to request us to send the Magazine regularly; but this we cannot do without a cost much greater than the price of the Magazine itself. The best way for our subscribers is at once to order any bookseller to send them the Magazine regularly every month as it is published.

"J.T." and "D. M." must have patience. We hope soon to find room for their communications.-Mr. Sharple's Sermon has been sometime in type, but shall appear in our next.-The Article on Baptism by Dissenting Teachers, and whether it be right to use the Burial Service over the dead thus baptized, shall also then be given.-The Articles on Popery and on Mr. Irons's Dissenting Tract, are also deferred, with many others, for want of room.-Mr. Bull's letter is in type.

We really cannot tell Mr. Vernon who has had, or has now, a hermit; nor do we know of any nobleman or gentleman who wishes to engage a person to live that eccentric life.

Mr. Madan's Letter has come to hand. We like the spirit of it, but we still think that all is not quite right, though we doubt not that time and further reading and thought in the line in question, will make it so.-The Letter of " a Protestant" is under consideration.-O'Connell said, at a late Meeting in London, that a student of Maynooth was about to edit a London Paper, in advocacy of the Romish imposture, and the Atlas may be that paper, except that it appears too ignorant and too stupid; but that may be feigned for the present by way of introduction.

The communications of " E. H.," "T. F.," " A Rector" (a new name for an old friend), "H.,” “A Disciple of Dr. Hook," "Thomas Phillips, Jun.," "Montague," "A Young Churchman," "C. C. C.," and some others, have been received with thanks.

"Fidelis" will probably appear: and we shall be glad to receive further communications from him, but of course without pledging ourselves to their insertion. We have not yet seen the result of the trial of the Queen v. Price, to which our Birmingham friend refers. We are watching for it, and hope that the Registration Act will be thereby rendered" mere waste paper," as it ought to be.-Our friend "Scotus," will oblige us by not again sending to us through the same medium.-"An Undergraduate " has our best thanks for his kind Letter. Our explanation is, that our pages are considered to be at present occupied with matter of more general interest, especially as almost all see Newspapers, and there get the information. We shall be obliged to our correspondent for his name, as we wish to address him privately." W.W." has our respectful thanks, and we shall be happy to receive other communications from him similar to the one sent, which shall be inserted as soon as convenient.

"Clerk" should have sent his name, as his communication is comparatively worthless without it, and may be a hoax. A Lay Member of the Church of England, who inquires about Baxter's Comprehensive Bible, should have given us his name.-The Guiana Chronicle was very acceptable.-We again return thanks for the old Newspapers, which our friends send, and which are very useful.

All communications to be addressed (post paid) “To the Editor of The Church Magazine, 53, Paternosterrow, London.".

THE Reverend Henry Melvill was born on the fourteenth of September 1798, at Pendennis Castle, Cornwall; his father, Captain Philip Melvill, of the seventy-third regiment, having been appointed lieutenant-governor of that garrison, on his return from India, disabled by the wounds received in the war with Hyder Ali. This officer had belonged to Colonel Baillie's detachment, the misfortunes of which made so conspicuous a figure in the history of the times. His life presented so much of eventful incident, and his character was one of such exemplary piety, that a memoir of him, which was published soon after his decease, attracted no inconsiderable share of attention.

Mr. Melvill, as one of a numerous family deprived of its chief support by the death of its father, was debarred from many literary advantages which greater affluence would have commanded. Indeed at one time it appeared as though he must have resigned all hope of proceeding to the University; and accordingly he turned to mercantile persuits, and spent, we believe, two or three years in the counting-house of an uncle. All his leisure hours were still, however, given to study; and arrangements were at length made amongst his friends for his being entered as a sizer at St. John's College, Cambridge.

In October 1817, Mr. Melvill commenced his university residence with the largest year which had at that time been known at St. John's. His superior abilities, aided by diligence, enabled him to become what is called the first man of the year, continuing to head the lists at the college examinations, until he proceeded to his bachelor's degree in January 1821. In the Senate House examination he was bracketed with two others for the first place, and, after a fresh trial, stood as second wrangler, though within unusually few marks of the senior. The nearness of the competitors was proved, in a succeeding and higher examination-that for the Smiths' Prizes; the result of which was that Mr. Melvill obtained the first prize-a result, the parallel to which has not been of very frequent occurrence.

Immediately on taking his degree, Mr. Melvill was offered a fellowship at St. Peter's College, which he accepted on the understanding that he was to have part in the tuition. He was accordingly soon afterward appointed one of the tutors of that college, and remained in the discharge of that office for several years. Whilst thus engaged, he was also successively public examiner, proctor, examiner in Hebrew, and select preacher before the university, having been ordained on his fellowship by the Bishop of Ely. In consequence of the high character of his first sermons at St. Mary's, the Dean of Ely, who as Master of St. John's had the chief part in the appointment, most obligingly proposed to him to take the Hulsean Lectureship, and to employ its course on topics connected with popery. But Mr. Melvill was at this time in com

D

munication with the trustees of Camden Chapel, Camberwell, who had offered him the office of its minister; and as he wished for active clerical duty, and to become settled in life, he determined on quitting the University, and accordingly vacated his fellowship, by marriage, in January 1831.

Mr. Melvill had not long officiated at Camden Chapel under the licence of the Bishop of Winchester, before the fame of his superior abilities and impressive eloquence spread far and wide, and attracted such congregations as to render it necessary to enlarge the building, which is commonly thronged by persons of all ranks and from all parts. Much of Mr. Melvill's time and strength is devoted to pleading the cause of the public charities of the metropolis and its neighbourhood; and there are few which have not claimed his eloquent advocacy. In preaching for the poor, he always endeavours to shew the honourableness and usefulness of poverty, that the rich may learn not only to relieve, but to respect, those from whom they are so widely removed in external advantages. As an illustration of this, it may not be amiss to observe how he would speak on the well-known text, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts xx. 35.

"It would almost sound like a new and hard doctrine, if we should maintain that the poorer classes of society must work for the absolutely destitute, and administer from their scanty pittance to the sick and the suffering. We never think of almsgiving, without imagining the richer of our population going down with the liberal heart and the open hand, to that great mass of our fellow men whose means of subsistence are small and precarious, and distributing amongst them certain of the overflowings of their wealth. We divide, in short, society into two great departments-those who have the ability to give, and those who can do nothing but receive-and we draw our line just where men have enough for the necessaries, but are quite without share in the luxuries of life. But do you not observe, that, in thus dividing society into the givers and receivers the former being the richer classes, and the latter all the poorer-you exclude the vast bulk of mankind from the power of being charitable, and admit not the thousands of a christianized population to share the greatest blessings proposed by Christianity! And if the larger body of Christians were indeed shut out from all ability of reaching the superior blessedness of the giver, and fastened immediately to that of the receiver, wealth might be sought on the highest principles of religion, and the striving to be rich be as much recommended from our pulpits, as it is practised in our cities. But we shall not hesitate to say that the poor man may be the giver as well as the rich, though his every farthing be required to ward off starvation from his household. We take the case of the peasant, or the mechanic who rises early and late takes rest; and who, by most strenuous exertions and by submission to constant privation, just contrives to support his young family without applying to the parish, or appealing to private bounty. It is quite possible that hundreds who have no greater difficulties to struggle with, will not be content to wear themselves out by the same toil, and undergo the same hardships; and will thereforé degrade themselves into paupers, and go to the parish board, or solicit aid from the wealthy. But the high-minded man, to whom we refer, determines, and acts out the determination, that unless sickness incapacitate him for labour, or the means of procuring a virtuous sufficiency be put absolutely beyond reach, he will neither burden the poor-rate, nor take help from the charitable. Now, what we ask of you, is, does this man give away nothing in charity? Is this bold grappler with penury debarred from obtaining share in that superior blessedness which is awarded to the giver as compared with the receiver? We can never admit this. The peasant indeed must say, silver and gold have I none; and there