the Baltimore session, to carry out the direction of the Central Board.

The third Sabbath of November was appointed for our communio. Rev. W. P. Johnston came over and preached for us on Thursday evening, from the words, "Lovest thou me?" and on Friday from the text, "Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" Mr. H. Smith, elder, was with us during the service. On Saturday session was constituted, and four applicants were examined and received into communion of the church. Their examination was thorough, and, in some points, rigid, but in all highly satisfactory and encouraging to us. Their names are Benjamin Ellis, and his two sisters, Lucy and Lizzie Ellis, who have been connected with our schools since their commencement. These had never been baptized; and John Washington, who has also been in our Sabbath school from the first. There were others whom we expected to unite, but did not; yet we feel confident that their hearts are with us, and will soon unite with us, if opportunity is afforded them.

It is Saturday evening! We are all anxious about to-morrow. Shall the Lord be with us? Will he bless us? Will he cause his face to shine upon us and give us peace? Will he, indeed, encourage us in this first attempt to keep our New Testament feast here? And will the heavens smile upon us, or will they gather clouds and frown upon us? Such were some of the thoughts passing in our minds as we plead with the Lord to favor us. The Sabbath da vns in all the glories and beauties of a Southern autumn day. We are glad. We go to our house of worship, humble though it be, yet we expect the Lord will be there. We find many friends assembled-if not to sit down with us-to join in our worship and cheer us with their presence. Many members of the U. P. Church, and all the members of the Reformed Presbyterian Mission (N. S.), of Alexandria, were present, and all the external circumstances were truly cheering and refreshing; and thus far we were constrained to feel that the Lord had heard our prayer and sent us good cheer. Our brother, W. P. Johnston, had returned to his congregation on Saturday, and the work of the day devolved entirely upon me. Our exercises were much the same as in all our congregations. After explaining a part of the 63d Psalm, I preached from Rev. 1: 5, "Jesus Christ the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth," treating it in the natural order of the text, exhibiting Christ in his three-fold office of Prophet, Priest and King. After the sermon, the three candidates for baptism were called forward to be baptized, who, after answering the usual queries and taking the usual vows, were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. During this part of the exercises all were affected to tears-tears of joy that three persons so young, and amid such discouraging circumstances, had joined themselves to the Lord; and I feel confident there was joy in heaven over these three, as they took up their line of march under the Captain of our salvation. The next part of the day's service was to debar and invite, after which our little table was filled with fifteen communicants, Brig. Gen. Ekin kindly leading us in singing a part of the 24th Psalm.

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I then saw what I had long wished for, not only a mingling together of white and colored in praising one God, but a union of interest and feeling around the sacramental board, and a solemn profession, over the symbols of Christ's body and blood, of our faith and trust in one common and loving Saviour. But enhancing our interest on this occasion, was the fact that these were persons whom we had taken by the hand and led all the way up till they had taken refuge in Jesus. May they be continually with Him. May He hold them by the right hand, guide them with his counsel, and afterward receive them to glory. After reading and explaining the words of institution, &c., the elements were distributed and the closing exercises finished, when the congregation dispersed, all feeling glad in heart, and many saying as well as feeling, "It was good for me to be there.". Oh, it is sweet to have such a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, in the midst of our toils, trials and discouragements. We feel stronger and fresher for duty, whatever that may be-whether to stay here longer, or go elsewhere to labor for our "good Master." Some may be discouraged that we had not a larger increase or addition to the church; but, my dear friends, you must consider the material we have to work upon, and the degradation from which they are to be raised, and then you may not wonder that we have only four. But do our congregations do more who have almost every advantage over us? It may, indeed, be a small recompense for our toil and the church's money and prayers; but I trust this is not all our harvest. The seed is growing; some has just fallen into the ground, other has just begun to germinate. Again, some have grown and are developing the fruit of the word, and others, we feel, are nearly ready to be gathered into the church. Let us not despair. I do not, nor will I, so long as I can claim the promise, "Lo, I am with you alway." I do not expect large accessions yet; it is not time, nor do I think that Covenanters, in general, need expect large accessions to our church. It is our duty to act as out-posts-to watch and wait, and pray for "the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord."

Now, as to my work among the whites. I try to preach once a week to the white people of the city, with what effect I hardly dare say, lest I might be thought vain; for a wise man said: "Let another praise thee and not thine own lips." I try to preach present truth as much as possible, and present our great principles when occasion offers. And on one occasion, when I had preached to one of the largest and most active of our city congregations, a friend came forward to congratulate me on my success, saying, "I was glad to hear you present so ably, clearly and forcibly that grandest of all grand truths, Christ's supremacy over the nations. It will no doubt do good." I would not wrong my friend by even suspecting him of flattery, who is a person of no mean capacity, and possesses a large influence in and about Washington. I never refuse an invitation to preach when it is consistent with my other duties to do so. I preach in barracks and in hovels, in the grandest churches, and not unfrequently in that grand old temple where our first parents worshiped-in the open air, under the broad canopy of the sky. A few days ago one man-a member of the U

P. Church-told me if I would stay here and continue to preach part of the time to the white population, he would pay fifty dollars annually for my support. My friends, these are some of the facts connected with our work here, stated in my plain way, for my pen is not very facile; and I could tell them with my voice much better than I can write them. I know not if you will think them encouraging, but they have served to lighten our path many a time when we were ready to give up in despair.

But my letter has grown much longer than I had intended, and I must now close by asking your earnest and unceasing prayers for us here, and if you approve of our work, a hearty and cheerful support and co-operation, and then we shall know that our labor will not be in vain in the Lord. Yours, very truly,

To the Central Board of Missions.

J. M. JOHNSTON.

P. S. There is one other thing I might mention in relation to the condition of the freedmen here, that there being but little provision yet made for their relief, there is likely to be a great deal of suffering among them, and I dread the winter on their account.

LETTER FROM MINNESOTA.

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ELLIOTA, MIN., Dec. 2d, 1867.

DEAR BROTHER WILLS-You have in all your letters intimated that some description of the great North West would interest you, and, probably, the Church at large. It is a difficult task, and I am sure its accomplishment will prove very unsatisfactory. I need not tell you that it is a very large country; and yet it is only about forty eight hours by rail from Pittsburgh to St. Paul, via Chicago and Prairie du Chien. The connection has only been completed about a month. Well, suppose you come to take that pleasure trip next summer. Buy your ticket for St. Paul, as above, but after you get across the Mississippi, ask the conductor for a stop-off check at Cresco, Iowa. The livery man will take pleasure in driving you to Elliota, fourteen miles, for

When you get there, Mr. Thos. Elliott will take us where we want to go, in a two horse wagon. Where will we go ? To see the new church first, which I hope will be nearly finished. Then, to see the few men, only two of them Covenanters yet, by whose liberality it was built. Ask any of them what the prospect is for a congregation at Elliota, and they will tell you, "It depends on how many Covenanters remove to this place, and how many of the present inhabitants embrace our principles, and of course, neither of these can be definitely predicted." As to the latter class, there is more than usual interest manifested, and less than usual difficulties exist. There is not the usual thirst for politics. The Psalms of David are their favorite songs of praise. It would be assuming too much to say how many of these persons will join us. As to emigration, it is impossible to tell anything about it. Some persons write for information, but what use they make

of it is more than I know. I spent almost half a day writing a letter to a man who gave me his address as Laporte, Indiana, and it returned the other day marked "not claimed." My information is usually somewhat as follows: This place can properly neither be called " a new country" nor "an old country." There is no government land, but there is plenty of unimproved land. Prices range from five to twenty dollars per acre. There are but few good houses, but the people are beginning to build. I do not know any country place where a good mechanic could do better. The farmer finds a good soil and a ready market. The wheat crop is the principal one, which is usually a very large yield. As to fruit, it is yet an experiment. There are some good apples produced in the vicinity, but they are scarce. Timber is not very plenty, but since the fire has ceased its annual ravages, young groves have sprung up with great rapidity. The peat bogs of Minnesota are a new sensation, and some of them are found near Elliota. If they prove what men hope for, they will be to Minnesota what the coal mines are to Pennsylvania. But perhaps you have had enough of Elliota. So we take the cars again at Cresco, and in eight or ten hours we are in St. Paul. We stop with Mr. John Aiten, with whom I spent a week in August. If we don't be well treated he must have forgotten something since then. His is the only Covenanter family in St. Paul, though if that field had once been cultivated properly, there is no telling but the pleasant society which existed there might have grown into a large congregation. Tell the committee on "National Reform" to send an energetic man there for a few weeks, with his mouth full of arguments and his pocket full of documents, and I am sure he will do good. Society is ripe for reformation. I believe you said you wanted to go to St. Cloud. When we are so far north we may as well stage it up the Sauk Valley, and see our friends of Lake Reno and Round Prairie. How glad they will be to see us. How warmly they will grasp our hands. It will not be long till we will have an opportunity of telling them our errand. By the way, it is very surprising that the Board can find no one to undertake this mission. I should consider it one of the most pleasant and hopeful ones in the Church. Just think of it. About thirty members in full standing to start with, and thirty miles of fresh missionary ground between the two stations. The man who could not do something there ought to have a call to a large city congregation. It is a new country, to be sure, but the people will give the minister the best bed in the house-and they all have a best bed-and they will kill one chicken, if they have but two, and they will open their last can of peaches, if, indeed, I left any. I keep it as a little green spot in my memory, and shall cherish it to my dying day, the delightful month I spent on the frontier. I expect to visit Lake Reno and Round Prairie again, but they will not then be the frontier. Two things yet remain, the climate and the health. This has been the finest autumn I ever saw. But winter has set in now. Last Saturday the thermometer stood ten degrees below zero. But the cold, somehow, does not affect one as it did in the East. I have not felt chilly since I came to Minnesota, and that is saying much for me. have every evidence that the climate is a healthy one. I would not

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advise feeble consumptives to come here in winter, but persons whose lungs are not too much diseased will almost surely receive benefit from a summer trip. Hoping this may prove satisfactory as far as it goes, I subscribe myself, Very truly, yours, JAS. S. BUCK.

INTERESTING MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

MRS. Emma G. Metheny writes from Latkiyeh, Syria, under date of October 12th :

"They are progressing well with the Mission building; but it will be some time yet before it is ready for occupancy. In the meantime Miss Crawford has several little girls who go to her to be taught. We trust it will not be long until we have the school opened, and that the attendance will be good. Miss Crawford's heart is in her work and I am sure she will be abundantly blessed in her labors. We like her so much. I find in her a pleasant friend and companion, and this helps to make more endurable my separation from friends at home. She has been exceedingly kind to us in our sickness.

"I must tell you some things about Selim Sâleh which delighted us very much, and I am sure will interest you. Selim is a lovable Christian. He would not be called a very bright boy, yet the Spirit gives him utterance, and it is astonishing how he can answer these people. We have a little book store in Latakiyeh for the sale of Bibles, Testaments, &c.; Selim attends to selling the books, and also talks to the people when he has the opportunity. One day he went to open the store, when he saw written on the door in Arabic with lead pencil, 'Here is hell, and the Protestants, Selim Sâleh and all who follow him, are going there.' He took his Testament, pen and ink, and wrote in reply, 'Peter says, But these as natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall perish in their own corruption.' Wasn't that a good answer? Again, some time since there was a man who wished to join the Protestants and made great pretensions of being good; but the root of the matter was not in him, and he soon turned aside. This man wrote a letter to Selim, and in reply Selim quoted the three last verses of the second chapter of 2d Peter. You can read them for yourself and see how appropriate they were. But I must close for this time."

Cresbyteries.

OHIO PRESBYTERY.

PRESBYTERY met at Muskingum on the 6th of November, 1867. The meeting was harmonious, and the business transacted was mostly of local interest.

Mr. H. P. M'Clurkin, who had been appointed to present the subject of Constitutional Amendment before the lower church courts of other denominations, reported that he had complied as far as opportunity