ONE of my Visitors calling on a poor woman in her district, who was prevented from attending at church on the previous Sunday, found that she had been informed by a neighbour that a collection had been made there, which she understood was for Irish Children. A collection had been made; but for a merely local purpose. This the Visitor explained, and accounted for the mistake from the circumstance that a subscription was then going forward in the place for the Irish Clergy, whose distresses the Visitor explained. On hearing the statement, the poor woman would give something, nor would she allow the Visitor to depart without receiving a shilling; and thus it came to pass that the next number of the provincial paper announced from one donor 250%., from another ls., perhaps the more munificent gift of the two.

A Visitor, calling on a poor school mistress in her district, proposed to her to become a free contributor to the Bible Society, when she not only expressed her readiness (as several other individuals had done) to bestow her weekly penny; but also, kindly addressing her little pupils, advised them to put their pence into the Visitor's hands that they might obtain a Bible or Testament. A few signified their desire of doing so, of whom two are now possessed of Testaments.

Another Visitor writes thus-" Another instance has occurred which shows the benefit of district visiting in bringing cases of sickness into notice. On Monday I found very dangerously ill. She appears seriously concerned about her soul. I have read and prayed with her twice, and hope she is really looking to Jesus. She is by profession a Roman Catholic, but, notwithstanding, tolerably well acquainted with Scripture. She died on Monday.

I had often visited her during her illness, and she paid great attention to the portions of Scripture which I read. After her death her husband thanked me most particularly for my attention to his wife. It is worthy of remark that this attention was to her spiritual wants. I but seldom relieved her temporal necessities, and never till after my more important message had been well received. In this respect it is of the greatest advantage to the District Visitors, that they go as the almoners of no public fund. They visit the poor in the higher character of Christian Friends."

Another writes-"The other day

had a longconversation with me about her baby, who had died the week before. A man had been persuading her that infants were not saved; and she seemed much comforted to find that I was of her own opinion. I took occasion to remark that I hoped the little one, who, I had no doubt, was safe in the arms of Jesus, would be the first fruits of a blessed family in: heaven."

An instance of good feeling, highly creditable when found among the poor, presented itself in the course of my own late ministrations. The wife of a poor weaver was taken ill; their infant child was obliged to be put out to nurse at the expense of 3s. per week, and he was constrained to leave his work that he might attend on his wife. Thus, having two other children, they were in great straits. He not being an Englishman had no parish; but his wife had a claim on a parish a few miles distant, which claim, while her husband lived with her, was dormant. It was therefore very improperly suggested that he should leave her, in which case the claim could be sustained. But he generously replied, that to do so was contrary to his marriage vow-that he would stand by her as long as he had a rag that he could pledge.

I have often been pleased with the great kindness which the poor show to each other, tending the sick bed of a neighbour, and often sharing their scanty morsel with one more needy than themselves. But, alas! what is man? If a poor family get more than what is thought their due share of attention, jealousy is excited, and manifested by evil speaking. To mention an instance-A District Visitor had been kind to a poor family whom she found honest and well-intentioned. They had left the place, and a report was raised that they had borrowed of her 1., and gone without returning it a report entirely without foundation, except that the man had borrowed of the Visitor two shillings, which he faithfully paid. I have made a change in my plan of accompanying my Visitors, which I think will be an advantageous one. Instead of taking two or four months for it, I have now proposed to go on the proper visiting-day. For this purpose at our last meeting (the 7th Jan.) I gave to each Visitor a ticket, with the month and day marked on which I might be expected.AMICUS.

"THE Visitors very seldom meet with an unwelcome reception; and are often hailed with much gratitude. The thankfulness with which timely assistance and advice has been received, in many instances, under pressing and critical circumstances, is exceedingly encouraging; as well as the gratification frequently manifested by the poor at the opportunity afforded them for religious conversation with the Visitors.

"Several poor women, who are now in comparatively comfortable employ, by the recommendation of District Visitors, acknowledge the great blessing of the Visiting Society, without which they would probably have remained friendless, and destitute of the means of livelihood.

66 "A poor woman, very ill-treated by her husband at the period of her confinement, would have probably perished by cold and hunger, but for the timely interposition of a Visitor.

"A lady visiting her district at an earlier hour than usual, was made the instrument, in the hands of Providence, of rescuing an unhappy man, much addicted to drinking, from the horrid act of suicide. She found him in a very wretched and desponding state; but, after much counsel, reading of the Scriptures, and prayer, he appeared somewhat cheered; and, on her leaving his cottage, he acknowledged that had she called an hour later, he would have been a lost soul in hell, for he had resolved to drown himself in the canal, and now thanked God that he had been arrested in so unexpected a manner in proceeding to the dreadful act.”

[Extracts from the Birmingham Report.]

In going round a district with one of my Visitors I met with one woman whose delight in her tracts was shown in a manner really amusing.

She is a poor person, and goes out, as she finds employment, to wash for families. On these occasions she sometimes returns home late. Some time ago, reaching her home past midnight, she found on her table the exchanged tract. It was too late, then, she thought, to sit down and read it; but casting her eye on the last page, she read that. This interested her so much, that she must see what lead to

it, and read the preceding page; from this she was, in like manner, tempted to the page before it; and thus read backward, from page to page, till she ended at the beginning. I asked her if she did not thus lose the connexion; she said she did not, but was able to keep up the continuation of the subject in her mind.

The tracts, however, though tending to edification, are not the only, perhaps not the principal, benefit of the system. They are a card of introduction to the Visitors, between whom and the poor a friendly intercourse is thus kept up; the Visitors taking a kind interest in the concerns of the poor, sometimes giving them useful advice, sometimes comforting them under their afflictions.

What I mean may, perhaps, be best illustrated by an extract or two from the Journal of one of my Visitors :—

"Called on Mrs. J. She was busy with preparations for dinner*, which she immediately left, and received me with the cordial welcome I have ever met with from her. I told her I had been round a district to inquire how many persons in it wanted Bibles, and were disposed to furnish themselves with them; that some, who were themselves well supplied, were willing to give something to aid the general objects of the Society; and asked her if she thought she would like to contribute a little towards that good work. She replied, that she should indeed be delighted to do so, but feared it would be so little she could afford, it would not be worth taking, but she would indeed give it with a willing heart. I reminded her that, small as the offering might be, if given in a right spirit, it would be accepted, as well as a greater one from those whose means were more ample, and promised to bring her some of the Society's papers. She then told me she had been greatly pleased with viewing the eclipse on Sunday; that it had brought strongly to her mind a passage of Scripture, where the request was made, Lord show me thy glory.' She thought, how glorious must the Lord himself be when the works of his hands are so wonderful and glorious.

"Called on H. She was in great distress at the loss of her little boy, who had died a few days before. I said to her, though of course as a parent she must feel such a loss greatly, I thought there was also much to reconcile her to

• The Visitor had been prevented calling at the usual hour.

the bereavement in the consideration that he had early been removed from the evils to which he would have been exposed in this world; I trusted taken to a better. She said he was the best child that ever mother had: for if he had ever so small a bit of bread, he would always bring a part of it to her, and he always said his prayers before he went to bed. She wept much while speaking of him. I begged of her not to give way to repining over the child that God had taken from her, but to be careful of the little one he had left, and to train it up in his fear and love, that he might not be found unprepared whenever death should come."

I trust interviews such as these will be the means of creating an affectionate feeling between two classes occupying stations remote from each other.—AMICUS.

COTTAGE LECTURES, AND DISTRICT
VISITATION.

66

THERE will still, we fear, be many-indeed, we know that there are too many-who either from want of early education, or in despite of it, grow up as strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." I need not remind you, brethren, that they must not on that account be abandoned. * * * The great object is to bring religion home to them! to place the truth before their minds with all its evidences, and all its attractions, and all its consolations. Not waiting till they seek that, which nature, left to itself, will never seek whilst it is attainable, and which every year of delay has set at a greater distance from them: but embracing every practical scheme by which they may be made sensible of their grievous need, and of our readiness and anxiety to supply it, as the accredited guardians of their souls.

The two principal measures in operation for this purpose, are domestic expositions of Scripture, and an organized system of district visitation. Knowing that there are some to whom these measures appear questionable, I have carefully watched, and closely examined their effect; and experience convinces me that the benefits are substantial, the objections, from which nothing human is altogether free, comparatively inconsiderable.