that Theiner had accepted a vocation to Berlin; but shortly after, he closed, on the 25th of July, with proposals from the congregation at Breslau, over which he now formally presides. The course which he will adopt, and of which, in the absence of the necessary documents, we cannot at present form a decided opinion, will unquestionably have very great influence in determining the turn which the whole movement will take.

Another quarter from which it is not at all improbable that there will be ere long an accession of strength to the movement, and most likely on the side of orthodoxy, is the former diocese of Constance, where the spirit of its late administrator, von Wessenberg, still continues extensively to prevail among the clergy. The Archbishop of Freiburg was incautious enough to elicit, by his pastoral of the 17th of March, on the subject of the religious disorders in the Roman Catholic Church of Germany, an expression of opinion from the Ruri-decanal chapters of that district, and the result has been an almost unanimous declaration from them all, that the late schism is to be attributed to the corruption and superstition of the Roman Church, and to the ill-judged proceedings of the ultramontane party. They are loud in their demand for ecclesiastical reform. The points on which they principally insist are1. The restoration of diocesan synods; 2. Revision of the liturgical arrangements; 3. A more enlightened system of clerical education; 4. Abolition of the compulsory celibacy of the clergy.

A very great sensation has been excited at Freiburg itself by the public renunciation of the communion of Rome on the part of Dr. Schreiber, professor of history at the university of Freiburg, a man of acknowledged erudition, of unblemished character, and high academic standing. Dr. Schreiber is in priest's orders, but has for some time past refrained from the performance of his sacerdotal functions, in order to afford the ecclesiastical authorities no opportunity of indirectly circumscribing the freedom of his academic teaching. He was pro-rector (what we should call vice-chancellor) of the university in the year 1842. His secession, announced in a letter to the archbishop on Easter-day last, has already found numerous followers.

Meanwhile Ronge, who has acquired among his adherents the unenviable title " Vernunft-Bischoff," (Bishop of Reason,) is pursuing

It appears indeed that Ronge has actually taken upon himself the exercise of episcopal functions. On the 3rd of May the congregation at Breslau held a special meeting on the subject, when it was determined that to supply the lack of ministers which has been so sensibly felt, Ronge should proceed to ordain candidates for the pastoral office, with the concurrence of other priests who have joined the "German Catholic" body. In pursuance of this determination, Ronge has since held ordinations both at Breslau and at Berlin. Czerski likewise has assumed the episcopal office, both by the ordination of two candidates at Schneidemühl on the 7th of May, and by the consecration of a building for the use of the "German Catholic" worship. Czerski thus appears to hold a middle position between Ronge, who has discarded alike the doctrine and the regimen of the Church, and the "Protestant Catholic" congregation at Berlin, which announces its determination to maintain both "evangelic truth and apostolic order."

his career, travelling from place to place, and fraternising in the abundance of his latitudinarianism at meetings and public dinners with any and every party that is willing to welcome him on "the broad basis," that of sinking minor differences "for the sake of comprehension in one universal brotherhood" of love without faith. An account of his earlier peregrinations has just been published under the title, " Ronge's erste Rundreise zu den christkatholischen Gemeinden Schlesiens, Sachsens und der Mark; Ostern 1845”—(Ronge's first Tour among the ChristianCatholic congregations of Silesia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, at Easter, 1845). It contains detailed accounts of the enthusiastic reception he met with almost every where, and of the fulsome adulation of which he suffered himself to be made the object. Since then, however, his progresses have lost in some degree the character of ovations; and the disorders which have been occasioned by his presence in several places, have, it is said, induced the government to recommend him to be for the future a keeper at home." This last statement, however, requires confirmation. At Berlin itself the rationalistic congregation under pastor Brauner is falling rapidly into a state of disorganisation; the last intelligence concerning it is the account of the monthly meeting on the 11th of August, which by the tumultuous character of its proceedings has brought indelible disgrace upon the "German Catholic" name. A letter from A. Mauritius Müller, announcing his retirement from the eldership, having been read, the president of the assembly hastily gathered up his papers and decamped, saying, “Let us be off, lest a worse thing befall us." Many of the persons present are said to have departed solemnly vowing that they would never again enter the place.

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Amidst all these movements and counter-movements of the popular mind, it is curious to observe the various attitudes assumed by the different governments of Germany. Austria and Bavaria have determined on crushing the rising spirit by main force. In the former state the very name "German Catholic" is proscribed; in the latter the movement has been denounced as treasonable," and the strictest orders have been issued for its suppression wherever it might appear. Saxony a penalty of fifty rix dollars is imposed upon the performance of any ministerial act by a "German Catholic" clergyman. In Hanover and Hesse Darmstadt the governments have refused to recognise the new congregations in any way whatever, but without interfering for their suppression. In Prussia, where a similar course had been determined on by the king, in his rescript of April 30, the ministerial order founded on it, by which the Protestant congregations were forbidden from lending their churches to the neo-catholics, has met with such determined and general resistance, that the king has withdrawn the prohibition, and so far as the public grant of a place of worship is concerned, officially recognised the existence of the new communities, by a subsequent order of July 8. It is true that the neo-catholics are still prohibited from performing ceremonies connected with civil rights, such as baptisms, marriages, and burials; but as the Romish clergy of course

refuse to officiate for the schismatics, and the Protestant clergy, to whose ministrations they are referred by the government, begin likewise to make difficulties on the subject, it is probable that this restriction also will have to be removed ere long. The only state in which the movement met with ready encouragement from the authorities, is Würtemberg; where the government, being in a state of open hostility with the court of Rome, looked at once with a favourable eye upon the schism, and granted to the "German Catholic" congregation the use of a church in the capital, formerly used for the Protestant service, on this only condition, that their proceedings should be conducted in a quiet and orderly manner.

INDIA.-Diocese of Madras.-Two important documents have been issued by the Bishop of Madras. The first of them is a pastoral to the Missionary clergy in Tinnevelly, announcing to them his intention to visit that part of his diocese in the course of [last] February. He adverts to the signal success which has lately attended the preaching of the Gospel among the heathen of the Tinnevelly districts, and while dwelling on it as a ground of encouragement to the labourers in that part of the Lord's vineyard, he bids them "rejoice with trembling," both because to bring men into outward communion with Christ's Church, is not to win souls to Christ, and because the conversions to Christianity which have been effected, bear but an infinitely small proportion to the immense mass of heathenism which still remains. The bishop has also transmitted to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, a report of the state of the Sawyerpooram mission, dated Jan. 5, 1845, from the pen of the Rev. G. U. Pope, which has been published by the Society, and which contains much interesting information. From it we learn that in that part of Tinnevelly alone the number of persons either baptized, or under instruction with a view to baptism, has increased within the last two years from 512 to 3188. This population being scattered through 77 villages, over an extent of more than 240 square miles, it is impossible for Mr. Pope and his two assistants to meet the spiritual wants of the new converts. He has 14 catechists in his employ; but he dwells strongly on the necessity of a considerable increase in the number of ordained ministers, for gathering in the promising harvest in that part of India. He anticipates the worst consequences if this call should continue to be neglected. The picture which he draws of the field in which he is labouring, is at once most encouraging, from the anxiety evinced every where by the new converts to contribute to the utmost of their means towards the support of Christian instruction and worship among them, and most distressing from the backwardness of the Christian Church at home to send forth a sufficiency of labourers. For the encouragement of those whose hearts may be inclined to devote themselves to the work, we cannot forbear quoting the following passage from the pastoral of the Bishop of Madras: "How thankful ought the missionary to be, that he is not necessarily involved, or rather that it is altogether his own

fault if he be involved, in any of those unhappy strifes by which our beloved Church, doubtless as a judgment on the many sins, negligences, and ignorances of its members, is now harassed and rent. The missionary in India has one, and but one foe to contend against. It is an open enemy,' the audacious insulter of that God who will not give his honour to another, IDOLATRY. And, far more favoured than his brethren in the ministry in professedly Christian lands, instead of being called to wrestle with those numerous powers of darkness by which professedly Christian lands are so largely occupied, the missionary to the heathen goes forth against this one enemy armed with the Word of God, and with no other weapon, as David went forth against Goliath.” The other document before alluded to, is a pastoral letter, dated Ascension-day, 1845, which the bishop was induced to address to the whole of his diocese, in consequence of "the reiterated denial of the divinity of our blessed Lord and only Saviour, which is now freely circulated, as he has reason to fear, throughout Southern India." The bishop dwells at great length on the anti-christian character of the Socinian heresy, and more particularly addressing himself to the clergy, earnestly requests them to "do their utmost, publicly and from house to house, to crush a heresy so peculiarly hateful as that must be in the sight of God, which denies the Godhead of his Son (John x. 30);" and to "make it the subject of continual prayer, that all who now sit in this darkness and shadow of death (Ps. cvii. 10) may be brought by his blessing to honour' with them the Son even as they honour the Father.' (John v. 23.)"

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Correspondence.

(From an Indian Correspondent.)

MUCH interest has been aroused of late years, with regard to the state of Religion in England and her Colonies, for which all Englishmen must feel thankful.

Many solemn appeals have been made to the hearts of all those, who conscious of their own high privileges, as Christians and Englishmen, are desirous that their blessings should be partaken, not only by the poor in their own country, but by their countrymen in our colonial possessions.

In spite of these appeals, and of the individual instances of selfsacrifice and noble generosity which have been made, much yet remains undone, and while the spiritual wants of countries more recently colonized are acknowledged and deplored, the destitution of our countrymen in India is unknown and unheeded.

I allude more particularly (as having been brought more immediately under my own observation) to the northern part of Bengal, commonly called the North-west Provinces, which are under the control of the Governor of Agra, and extend south and north, from Benares to the Himaleh mountains, and west and east, from Sangor to the Oude territories.

I wish to call attention to a few facts, of the truth of which I would there were any doubt, relating, more especially, to the state of the Delhic territory.

In 1841, the following troops were stationed at Kurnaul-H. M.'s 3d Dragoons, H. M.'s 3d Regt. (Buffs), H. E. I. Company's 1st European Regt., two troops of Horse Artillery and one company of Foot. Besides these English troops, there were three regiments Native Cavalry, one irregular ditto, two Native Infantry Regiments; numbers of ladies whose husbands were on service, and the wives and families of the soldiers of H. M.'s 44th Foot, at that time in Cabul.

At this Station there was no Chaplain !

The Church would have remained closed, but for the kindness of some few officers, who every Sunday read the Service to their countrymen'. And this is not an extraordinary circumstance, it is constantly the case; constantly does an officer in full uniform take his place in the reading-desk, and read the Prayers and the Sermon, for months

1 The church was not large enough to accommodate all the English troops; consequently, H. M.'s 3rd Dragoons and the Buffs came on alternate Sundays, as in India they never attend the evening service.