"IN the name of God, Amen. "I, David Stuart, of the City. road, in the parish of St. Luke, and county of Middlesex, being weak in body, but of sound mind, memory, and understanding, (praised be Almighty God for the same !) do make and declare this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following

"

First, I humbly resign my soul to God my Maker, beseeching his gracious acceptance of the same, through the all-sufficient merits and mediation of my most compassionate Redeemer Jesus Christ. My body I give to the earth, from whence it was taken, in full assurance of its resurrection from thence at the last day. As to my burial, I desire that it may be decent, with out pomp, at the discretion of my dear and well-beloved wife, Sarah Stuart. And as to all my worldly estate and effects, I give and be queath the same in manner and form following; that is to say,-I give and bequeath unto my said wife, Sarah Stuart, during the term of her natural life, the interest of ten thousand two hundred pounds, three per cent. Consolidated Annuities; three thousand two hundred pounds of which I have transferred in the books of the Bank of England to the Trustees of the new chapel in the City-road aforesaid, for the purpose of paying the rent of the said chapel and chapelground, after the demise of me and my said wife: the interest of the said three thousand two hundred pounds being secured payable to me and my said wife, during our natural lives, by the bond of the aforesaid Trustees. And the other seven thousand pounds, three per cent. Consolidated Annuities, part of my property now standing in my name in the books of the Bank of England, I give and bequeath (after the death of my said wife, should she outlive me) as a Fund for the benefit of the Superannuated Preachers in connexion with the Conference of the people called Methodists, as declared and established by a Deed-Poll of the Rev. John Wesley deceased, and enrolled in His Ma

jesty's High Court of Chancery; the interest of which to be annually applied to the support of the aforesaid Superannuated Preachers, according to the Rules of a Benefit Society established by them, and known by the name of 'Itinerant Methodist Preachers' Annuity.' And I hereby empower my Executors to secure the above sum of seven thousand pounds in the strongest possible manner, so that the principal shall remain as a Fund for the above purpose; the interest alone be annually applied as before mentioned.

"And I give and bequeath to Mrs. Mary Ann Claxton, of Kingston, in the island of St. Vincent, in the West Indies, the sum of six hundred pounds. Also to William Marriott, the younger, of Hoxton, in the parish of St. Leonard, Shoreditch, stock-broker, the sum of one hundred pounds. Also to Matthew Lumb, now resident at Douglass, in the Isle of Man, Methodist Preacher, the sum of one hundred pounds. Also to my late Negro servants, now residing in the island of St. Vincent aforesaid, the following pecuniary legacies:-to Frank, the sum of one hundred pounds; to Clinker, the sum of fifty pounds; and to Frederick, Harry, Rodney, Joe, Jenny, Nancy, Frances, Mary Ann, Sunderland, and Diana, the sum of twenty pounds each. All which my said legacies, my will is, shall be paid within one year after my death. And my will is, that the money for paying the said pecuniary legacies to my said Negro servants shall be remitted by my Executors to the said Mary Ann Claxton, and by her paid to such of my said Negro servants as shall survive me. But if any or either of them shall happen to die before me, I give and bequeath what is so given to him, her, or them, that shall die before me, unto the said Mary Ann Claxton. All the rest, residue, and remainder of my money, securities for money, goods, chattels, estate, and effects, of what nature or kind soever, and wheresoever the same shall be at the time of my death, I give, devise, and bequeath to my

said dear and beloved wife, Sarah Stuart, subject to the payment of my debts, the above-mentioned legacies, my funeral expenses, and the expense of proving this my Will. And I do nominate, constitute, and appoint my said wife Executrix, and the said William Marriott and Matthew Lumb Executors, of this my last Will and Testament; hereby revoking and making void all other Will and Wills, Testament and Testaments, at any time heretofore by me made; and do declare this to be my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six.

"Signed, sealed, published, and declared, by the above-named David Stuart, as and for his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, who at his request, and in his presence, have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses, "Signed,

CHARLES B. LEATHAM, "SAMUEL PRATT,

"ADAM CLARKE."

No tablet has yet been erected to the memory of this excellent man, whose remains lie in the most obscure corner of the City-road burialground. THOMAS MARRIOTT.

City-Road, April, 1844.

THE BRITISH IN INDIA, AND

We give the following extract from the last Number of a periodical publication conducted with great ability, (the "Foreign Quarterly Review,") not only because of the importance of the subject to which it refers, but because it affords an opportunity for appending a few observations on another subject not less important, and to which, we think, the attention of our readers should be directed. Gradually, Christian Missions have arrived at what is, in some respects, a new position. They have always been advocated, and by a great number of persons been supported, on the great principle of religious obligation. But, besides this, there have been, at different times, and in respect to different parts of the world, subordinate reasons, taken from the existence of temporary circumstances, which have possessed a very exciting power; and, under the influence of the feelings awakened by allusion to them, a larger degree of support has been obtained than that which statements limited to what may be termed the Missionary principle would have procured. Great interthus occasioned, nearly

est was

CHRISTIAN MISSIONS THERE. thirty years ago, by the intelligence sent from Ceylon by Dr. Coke's noble band of Missionaries; and, soon after, by the display of yellow robes, and small images of yet smaller deities, as trophies which proved at least incipient success, and afforded hopes of more extended triumphs. Mr. Leigh's appeals on behalf of cannibal New-Zealand produced, subsequently, a similar effect. Then the great slavery question arose, intimately connected, during its prolonged discussion, with Missions to the West Indies; and causing feelings so deep and strong, that contributions were often obtained from persons who would not have subscribed to Christian Missions in their ordinary character, and larger amounts from those who would. Southern Africa, whose claims were so powerfully advocated by BarnaBAS SHAW, furnished its touching anecdotes from Namacqualand, and other parts of the country. And, more recently, Western Africa and Ashanti contributed to move the public mind.

But all the power exerted by novelty, or by these accidental and secondary circumstances, is passing away; and everywhere

Missionary stations, divested of what was only temporary, are appearing as Missionary stations, whose claims are to be supported, first, by the general obligation resting on all Christians to seek the extension of Christ's kingdom; and, secondly, by the clear statement-and when can such a statement be otherwise than deeply affecting?-of the particular and various circumstances of each class of stations. And of India it may especially be said, that it requires neither novelty nor accidental circumstances to give interest to its claims on Missionary zeal and liberality. Only let the character and influence of the errors which have dominion there be duly considered in connexion with the relation to the millions of the people in which British Christians stand, and the conclusion will be irresistible, that we are bound to do all that is in our power to render the operations of Christian Missions in India as extensive and as efficient as possible. We may just add, that the following extract is from a review of a work recently published in France, with the title, L'Inde Anglaise en 1843. Par le Compte Edouard de Warren. This M. de Warren has been in India, and seems to be most completely under the influence of that hatred to "perfidious Albion" which is, unhappily, too common among certain classes of Frenchmen. We mention this to explain the allusions which occur to him in the course of the remarks which we have copied.

"And, first, for the government. One of the most unequivocal signs of oppression and misrule which society ever puts forward in any coun. try is, the affectation of poverty to which wealthy men are driven, in order to conceal their opulence. Now, during every period of the Mogul empire, as must be well known even to the most superficial student of Indian history, the rich men among the Hindus were always in the habit of secreting their treasures, or converting them into jew. ellery, for the convenience of more easy transport, in case circumstances should render it necessary for them to fly to some other coun

try. In the same causes originated the mean and forbidding exterior aspect of their houses, which, in Shikarpur and other Mussulman cities, still distinguishes them. They run up dull brick walls in front of their dwellings, in order to suggest the idea of gloom and wretchedness. The first exterior court corresponds in appearance with this wall; but as you penetrate farther and farther into the dwelling, additional indications of luxury and splendour meet your eye; until, in the sacred apartments of the zenana, you witness the utmost magnificence at the command of the owner. The English had not been long masters of India, before this taste began gradually to disappear. At first, as being yet uncertain of the future, the Hindus put forward, timidly and sparingly, the tokens of their riches. They could not immediately persuade themselves that the old order of things had really passed away. But when they made the discovery that men were taxed by the British Government according to just and settled principles, and not pillaged because they might happen to be rich, they gave free vent to their natural predilections, and surrounded themselves openly with a blaze of magnificence. From the erection of superb and spacious houses, the Hindùs proceeded to the formation of gardens, and the laying out of grounds. They cultivated a taste for flowers, they delighted in beautiful exotic shrubs, they created parks and plantations, and indulged their Brahminical feet with the soft turf of lawns. At present, accordingly, there are thousands of lovely gardens in Bengal, to the adorning of which the Company has supplied, gratis, innumerable specimens of costly plants and flowering shrubs from its horticultural establishments at Calcutta. Besides, if M. de Warren had inquired, he would have found that, all over India, the breeds of domestic animals have been wonderfully improved, and that the natives now apply themselves with extraordinary ardour and success to the higher and more expensive processes of agriculture, a state of

things wholly incompatible with that universal wretchedness and misery to which he fancies all India has been reduced. Again, on the subject of famines, he is either extremely ignorant, or, knowing the facts, thinks proper to misrepresent them. Under the governments of the Mogul Emperors and native Rajas, dearths were notoriously frequent; the crops failed; the people, discouraged by poverty and despotism, had not, and could not have, made provision for the evil day; and thousands, consequently, were swept to a premature grave. Such calamities happen but seldom now. First, because the country is better and more extensively cultivated; secondly, because the authorities watch more assiduously over the welfare of the people; and, thirdly, because commerce, better understood and more judiciously encouraged than formerly, is now able to relieve the distresses of one province by the superfluities of another. Had M. de Warren properly used his eyes when travelling, he would here and there have discovered the vast granaries of the Company, erected expressly to prevent the recurrence of those awful sacrifices of population which, under the Emperors whose munificence he lauds and magnifies, happened so frequently.

"Our limits absolutely forbid us to enumerate all the great benefits which the Company's government has conferred upon India; nor, in fact, is this the place to enter into minute details. We may, nevertheless, point out to our persevering detractors some few circumstances which, if properly weighed, may enable them, if they be so disposed, to acquire a more correct idea of what we have done for the Hindùs, and in what light we are consequently regarded by them. The native governments, whether Hindù or Mussulman, neither provide now, nor ever did provide, for the security of life and property. To a certain extent, the prejudices of the populace induce them, notwithstanding, to pay respect to rulers who own the same creed with themselves, or

who bow before the same idols. This is one of the most inveterate failings of human nature, if a failing it be. But time and opportunities being granted for experience, the professors of Islamism and Brahminism come at last, however reluctantly, to the conclusion, that justice and good government are better from a Christian than their contraries from Pagans and true believers. In obedience to this conviction, the inhabitants of the frontiers of all native states, gradually, one after another, migrate into our territories in search of ill-usage, according to M. de Warren, but in their own opinion to escape from it. Sometimes the turbulence and anarchy prevailing in their own country send them over the borders in droves, and urge them to appeal as supplicants to the British, to deliver the unhappy land of their birth from the tyranny that scourges and desolates it. All this happens, of course, in the case of the honest and industrious. The hordes of military adventurers that infest India tell a different story. Leading a life of idleness, and subsisting by plunder, they prefer that scheme of society which most favours them, and troop towards those unhappy sections of Hindûstan in which, by the culpable moderation of the Company, unsightly fragments of the old despotic institutions are still suffered to exist. We may instance the state of Gwalior. That, of course, as enjoying the blessings of native rule, M. de Warren and the Revue des deux Mondes would consent to reckon among happy and fortunate communities. The Prince in a state of degrading pupilage; a female Regent swayed entirely by an insolent and rapacious Minister; troops unpaid, and subsisting on the plunder of the peasantry; incessant altercations among the Chiefs; mutiny in the ranks; discontent and poverty among the people; dread of external invasion; conscious incapacity to resist it; such, to the inhabitants of Gwalior, were the recommendations of native government. Similar, in former times, was the condition of Cutch, when the English undertook