No. VIII. Extract of a Letter from Stutgard. March 12, 1813. I FEEL truly happy in communicating to you a copy of the Memorial presented to His Majesty the King of Wirtemberg, together with his Majesty's answer. You will easily conceive how much our hearts were filled with gratitude to God, and respect for our King. The regulations he sent us, are very suitable: we shall now immediately make our appeal to the Christian public. (Memorial.) "We, the undersigned, have often heard with pain the regret expressed by Schoolmasters in town and country, that, owing to the poverty of Parents, by far the greater part of the Children are without the Bible. They, as well as various Parish-Ministers in the country, expressed a wish, that something might be done towards relieving these wants, deeply convinced of the beneficial effects which result from an acquaintance with the pure Word of God without note or comment. The undersigned feel disposed to make an attempt for the attainment of this beneficial object, by collecting voluntary contributions from benevolent individuals. They will gladly make a report of their measures, and the result of the same to the Supreme Consistory, and also render an account of their income and expenditure. The undersigned most humbly submit this to the gracious consideration of your Majesty, respectfully soliciting your Majesty's approbation of a Plan, the simple design of which is to furnish poor children and families with the Word of God." Stutgard, Nov. 12, 1812. (Signed) &c. (Substance of the Answer.) "His Majesty, having considered the Memorial and Plan of an Institution, intended for the distribution of Bibles among the poorer classes of the people, has most graciously resolved, "That while he by no means wishes to obstruct the benevolent views of the supplicants, he at the same time declares, that as soon as the formation of a public charity is intended, such an Institution must be placed under the inspection of such persons as shall be proposed by the Supreme Directory of all Schools and Seminaries of education. To them alone the collection and application of a fund for this purpose is to be intrusted." By a subsequent royal decree of the 16th of February, 1813, a number of Gentlemen, who had freely offered their services, were appointed by the King as a Committee of Administration; and the Rules and Regulations of the Society were finally settled. No. IX. From Cephalonia. Dec. 12, 1812. I HAVE been three years in this island, and am the only medical man here; 1100 soldiers are under my care, and from 60 to 80 in the Hospital. I cannot sufficiently thank you for the books with which you favoured me, at the time of my departure from London. They have been most gratefully received, and attentively read by a number of my patients; indeed they are almost worn out by constant use. I would therefore earnestly entreat you to apply to the Bible Society for some Bibles and Testaments in the German, Dutch, French, Italian, Modern Greek, and Latin languages. As we are deprived of a Protestant Chaplain, I have undertaken the performance of some of his duties, by visiting the Hospital, aud reading to the sick and dying. There are two Capuchin Monks in this island, who appear to me men of real worth and benevolence. They shew a very tolerant spirit, and are willing to render acts of Christian kindness to Protestants, as well as Catholics; but they do not understand the German language. No. X. Extract from an Address printed and circulated by a Bible Committee at Leipsick. Feb. 1813. ABOUT eight years ago, a considerable number of truly Christian persons, of different ranks, united together in England, for the purpose of a more general diffusion of the Holy Scriptures. This Society has already spent upwards of a million florins in promoting the translation, printing, and circulation of the Scriptures in various languages. This noble-minded Society has directed its views likewise to Germany; and thousands in the southern parts of our native country, as well as in Switzerland, have been put into possession of the Scriptures, who else, from their poverty, would have been unable to procure them. The undersigned have been honoured by its Foreign Secretary, with the commission to promote the same good cause in the northern parts of Germany, more especially in Saxony; and are desirous to furnish with a Bible or New Testament, such of the poor as are prevented by their present distresses from paying the bookseller's price, or even a part. This Society has placed a considerable number of Canstein Bibles and Testaments at the disposal of the undersigned, whose province it shall be to find out truly Christian families and individuals from whom a grateful reception, and conscientious use of such a gift, may reasonably be expected. Such of the poor as are found completely destitute of the means of payment, are to be gratuitously supplied; whilst those who can afford to pay a little, shall receive copies at reduced prices. The produce of sale is to be applied to the purchase of a fresh stock of Bibles; and an appeal is to be made to the friends of Christianity in our parts for benevolent contributions, in order that a permanent fund may be kept up, in which case the Society in London is willing further to aid our exertions. Having discovered in you a heart filled with a sound zeal for the cause of God and Christ, as well as for that of humanity aad virtue, we do not hesitate confidently to request your participation in our exertions. We intreat you therefore to inform us of such individuals and families in the circle of your acquaintance, respecting whom you may entertain a reasonable hope, that, by the gratuitous distribution, or cheap sale of the Scriptures among them, the benevolent end of the Society may be accomplished. The first attention is to be paid to those families where neither parents nor children possess a Bible, and are yet desirous to obtain it. As every saving of expense increases the means of doing good, we intreat you, in the conveyance of Bibles, to make use of the kindness of merchants who trade to this city. Should it be in your power to apply to any wealthy friends of the Bible for contributions to our funds, you are fully aware how much such active aid will gladden our hearts, and promote the good cause. The pleasing consciousness of having contributed to the benefit of your fellow-creatures, and the glory of God, is, to a mind like yours, far more than all the grateful approbation of which you may rest assured, both on our part, and that of the Members of the above-mentioned excellent Society. No. XI. From one of the Parish Ministers in Leipsick. March 25, 1813. OUR Committee have taken measures to ascertain the best method of disposing of the Bibles and Testaments which you have kindly placed at our discretion. We shall begin the distribution immediately after Easter: we intend placing a number of copies as a permanent property of two of our charity schools, in which none but poor children are instructed. Our public institutions can, in these times of national calamity, scarcely afford money for the salaries of the teachers; as for books, particularly Bibles, the children are most scantily supplied with them. The temporal distress increases almost daily, and the liberality of the humane and charitable is so constantly put into requisition for the supply of the most pressing bodily wants, that few are able to minister to the spiritual necessities of their poor brethren. Some have, indeed, not been inattentive to these; but much more can hardly be expected than they have actually done. But should God favour us with a peace, I am confident that many of our citizens will gladly come forward, and by their free gifts prevent the drying up of a fountain which has been opened by the liberality of your Society. How shall I rejoice, when enabled by the goodness of God to communicate to you the pleasing intelligence of such an event. I thank you in the kindest manner for having chosen me as an instrument for promoting so glorious a work. May God grant me grace to justify the confidence you reposed in me, and prosper the works of my hands. How is my mind cheered by the consideration, that men, separated by land and by seas, are brought into friendship and unity, not only by the common interest of trade, arts, and sciences, but also by the still purer and nobler bond of Christian principle and Christian friendship. No. XII. From Zurich. March 12, 1813. OUR Bible Institution prospers wonderfully. We have gratuitously distributed many of the Bibles we purchased, and sold some at reduced prices. With regard to money contributions, we have already collected 1,400 florins, (nearly 1707.); which, considering the smallness of our Society, is a sum not to be despised. The printing of the New Testament with large types is already undertaken. As this edition has cost more than 300, this, with the purchase of the rest of the Bibles and the bookbinder's account, has quite exhausted our funds. Yet, blessed be the Lord for enabling us to do what we have actually done. If. the demand for Bibles continue in the same proportion as hitherto, we shall, in six months hence, not have one copy left. We must begin a fresh edition. The next Bible year, beginning with September, will, I confidently trust, furnish us again with considerable contributions. Yet it sometimes grieves me to think that a collection of almost ten years is required before we shall be able to defray the expense of one large edition from our own means; though the contributions, in proportion to the number of the people, are not inconsiderable. However, the Lord will provide: He knows our wants and necessities, as well as our little strength. We held through the whole winter, almost every fortnight, a committee-meeting: the pleasing charge devolved on me to be the distributor of the Bibles, and to behold heart-cheering scenes on such occasions. No. XIII. From the Rev. L. Van Ess, a Roman Catholic Clergyman. Marburg, March 9, 1813. I APPEAR before you, charged with thanksgivings of thousands of your German fellow Christians, for the gift of love you have bestowed upon them; namely, for the 200l. appropriated for the distribution of 3000 copies of my German Testament. There have now accordingly been gratuitously distributed among Catholics, in the vicinity of 256 copies. 100 150 400 100 300 200 100 Forty Catholic Schools in my neighbourhood 560 ' 300 2466 which are in my hands for the supply of the poor, and will soon be disposed of; the eagerness to read the Scriptures being very great, and the application of the indigent for New Testaments very frequent. By the blessing of God, my solicitations have prevailed upon the Bishop to allow the introduction of the New Testament in forty Catholic schools, to which purpose I devoted 560 copies, accompanying them with private letters to the parish priests and schoolmasters; and indeed the Lord crowns this work with evident blessing. In many places I have been assisted by the schoolmasters, who are encouraged by me to meet the people on Sunday evenings in their houses or chapels, for the purpose of reading the New Testaments. It is, however, a melancholy fact, that in some surrounding provinces and districts, scarcely one schoolmaster out of twenty is furnished with a Bible. In most schools the Bible is not to be met with at all. On this account, it is my most ardent wish to introduce the New Testament into all of them. The plan is practicable; its execution meets with no obstacles in the provinces of Paderborn, Halberstadt, and Hildesheim; where my cousin, as well as myself, enjoys the confidence of the Bishop. To furnish the Catholic schools in these parts with the New Testament, about 8000 copies would be required, which at four |