M. A. Sidney College. Tazors The Rev. Joseph Gibson Whaley, M. A. Peterhouse; the Rev. Thomas Jephson, M. A. St. John's College. Moderators The Rev. Miles Bland, M. A. St. John's College; the Rev. W. French, M. A: Pembroke Hall. Scrutator's-The Rev. Daniel Cresswell, M. A. Trinity Col. lege; the Rev. T. Dickes, M. A. Jesus College The Capit-The Vice-Chancellor.-The Rev. Wm. Chafy, D. D. Sidney, Divinity. The Rev. E. D. Clarke, LL. D. Jesus, Law.-Sir J. Pennington, M. D. F. R. S. St. John's, Physic.—The Rev. S. B. Vince, M. A. King's, Sen. Non. Reg.-The Rev. G. Haggitt, M. A: Christ, Sen. Reg.

The University of Cambridge has received from Government, during the last seven years, as a drawback for paper printed within it, the sum of 13,0871. 78. Gd.; the University of Ox ford, the sum of 18,6581. 2s. 6d. The number of Bibles printed at Cambridge, during the last seven years, was 392,000; of New Testaments, 423,000; of Prayerbooks, 194,000. At Oxford, the num ber of Bibles printed, of all kinds, was 460,500; of Testaments, 386,000; of Common Prayer Books, 400,000; of Catechsims, Psalters, &c. 200,000 What a satisfactory reply does this increased impression of Prayer-books furnish to the moanings of the enemies of the Bible Society!

The Regent's Canal, Mary-le-bone, proceeds rapidly. Workmen have been some time past employed in excavating a basin within a few yards of the Hamp stead-road, around which warehouses are to be built, and facilities afforded for landing goods of all sorts. By this arrangement the expense of land carriage, which has hitherto been so great to the villages in that neighbourhood, will be much reduced. Another basin is to be excavated near Pancras, and at various other populous districts on the line of the cut to Limehouse. There are to be several collateral cuts from the main stream to more distant villages.

MENDICITY.

"The Minutes of the Evidence taken before a Committee of the House appointed in the last Session, to inquire into the state of Mendicity and Vagrancy in the Metropolis and its Neighbour hood" have been published, and are deserving of general attention. They ⚫establish beyond the possibility of doubt the impolicy, and we may add the in

humanity, of giving money to street beggars, or to the class of mendicants, who apply by letter or petition, without a thorough investigation of each particular case. In the case of streetbeggars, indeed, it may be assumed as an unquestionable fact, however wretched may be their external appearance, that they are impostors, who beg he cause they are idle and profligate; not because they are perishing from want, but that they may riot in excess and de bauchery. This may be best exempli fied by a few extracts from the evi dence itself.

Joseph Butterworth, Esq.-" I have for several years past taken an active part on the Committee of the Strangers' Friend Society, which has led me to be acquainted with the general state of the poor throughout the metropolis. In the course of my observations I have floticed the condition of many beggars: their cases have been inquired into, and in the general way they have been found to be impostors; and I am persuaded they are the most profligate and idle description of character: I am cons vinced that very few, if any,' 'honest, industrious, and sober people' ever have recourse to begging. In the neighbourhood where I live there is a great resort for beggars; and I have made some inquiries into their condi. tion. There are two public-houses in Church-lane, St. Giles's, whose chief support depends upon beggars; one called The Beggar's Opera, which is the Rose and Crown public-house, and the other the Robin Hood. The num ber that frequent those houses at various times, are computed to be from two to three hundred. I have been credibly informed, they are divided into companies; and each company is subdivided into what are called walks, and each company has its particular walk: if this walk be considered bene. ficial, the whole company take it by turns, each person keeping it from half an hour to three or four hours: their receipts at a moderate calculation cannot be less than from three to five shillings a day each person, frequently more. They cannot be supposed to spend less at night than half-a-crown, and they generally pay sixpence for their bed. They are to be found in those houses throughout the day, but in great numbers from eight to nine o'clock in the morning, and late in the evening. It is their custom to sally

man, and an excellent husband. She added, that they now had their lodg ings well furnished, and that they lived very comfortably; and her dress and appearance fully confirmed her testimony. I have made particular inquiry of a great number of teachers who act gratultously in Sunday Schools, and they are uniformly of opinion, that Sunday school instruction has a great tendency to prevent mendicity in the lower classes of society. One fact I beg to mention, of Henry Haidy, who, when admitted a scholar at Drury-lane School, was a common street-beggar; he continued to attend very regularly for about eight years, during which time he discontinued his former degrading habits: on leaving the school, he was rewarded, according to the custom, with a Bible, and obtained a situation at a tobacconist's, to serve behind the counter. His brother was also a scholar; afterwards became a gratuitous teacher in the same school; obtained a situation; and, up to the period of his quitting London, bore an excellent character. The visitors of the Strangers Friend Society well knew a negro beggar, who, about two years since, used to stand by Messrs. Elliott and Robinson's tea-warehouse, near Finsbury-square, who has retired to the West Indies, with a fortune, it was supposed, of about 1,5001. obtained by this mode of life."

ral Repository of History, Politics, and Literature, for the Year 1814. 12..

A new and copious English and Gaelic Vocabulary, with the different Parts of Speech, in Alphabetical Order; by P. Macfarlane. 7s. 6d.

East-India Register for 1815. 7s. 6d. A Catalogue of Books in various Languages and Classes of Literature; including one thousand Articles, ancient,

curious, and rare; by James Rusher, Reading. 2s. 6d.

Boyce's Belgian Traveller. 18mo. 98. Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, and across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean: performed by Order of the Government of the United States in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806; by Capts. Lewis and Clarke. 3 vols. 8vo. 21. 28.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

We have never been insensible to the services of those distinguished individuals who have undertaken the public vindication of the British and Foreign Bible Society from the calumnies with which it has been assailed; neither have we been backward in expressing our gratitude. They have done much to frustrate the efforts of bigotry and prejudice, and to secure the free circulation of the Word of Life in this and every land. We have, nevertheless, always felt that the most powerful plea in favour of this Society, a plea which speaks directly and forcibly to the heart, and leaves far behind the slow and more laboured deductions of argumentation, is the simple tale of its beneficence: Thus and thus has the Society done. "One thing I know," may the weakest of its friends reply to the most subtle reasoning of its most powerful adversaries—"One thing I know, that it has done, and is doing incalculable good; and is a mighty instrument in the hand of the Almighty for spreading the knowledge of his will. I should not dare to oppose such a Society, being as sure as facts can make me that I should be opposing the work of God. Even in not supporting such a Society, shall I be entirely guiltless?" The assailants of the British and Foreign Bible Society, therefore, may be assured that, how ever goodly may be their array of abstract reasoning, and prospective apprehension, and solemu warning, and epis copal denunciation-however keen their satire, and however loud their anathe mas-they will find all their opposing efforts vain, unless they can disprove the facts on which chiefly the Society CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 167.

founds its claims to the cordial support of every real friend of God and man; unless they can prove that it does not circulate to an extent unknown before the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ amongst all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues; unless it can prove either that it has not distributed upwards of fifteen hundred thousand copies of the Scriptures in little more than ten years, or that by this distribution it has done evil, and not good; unless, in short, it can prove that the light of Heaven is darkness. On this account, we hail with satisfaction every fresh record of the progress of this mighty institution, and eagerly embrace the opportunity of giving it publicity.-These obser vations suggested themselves to our minds as we perused a sheet of “ Extracts from the Correspondence of the British and Foreign Bible Society since the publication of the Eleventh Report," which has recently reached us, and the substance of which we have much plea sure in laying before our readers.

1. The first article is a letter of thanks from the Sheriff of a district in Iceland (the North Pole itself is not safe from the penetrating influence of this Society), in the name of " the whole population of the district," for the Icelandic Scriptures sent there in the summer of 1814. The letter was offi cially communicated through the Bishop of the island.

2. A letter from the Rev. J. Paters son, dated St. Petersburgh, April 24, 1815, assures the Committee, that the 2001. allowed by them for distributing Swedish Bibles among the Swedish in habitants of Finland, had produced the happiest effect in awakening a desire for the Scriptures, and that he hoped, 6F.