him special encouragement, who promise to be suitable for the training institution, and who may be usefully employed at a future time in teaching their own country people to read the word of God. While some parents manifest indifference as to the education of their children, there are others who much desire it, for they say it makes them wise, that it is useful for them as they grow up, and enables them to converse with Europeans. One man said to the missionary, "he wished his son to go to the school, and he hoped the god of the school would eat him up," or keep him. That this man's desire may be rightly understood it may be proper to state that the Sherbro people, who, with many other African tribes, are totally ignorant of the true God, entertain the notion that some spirit or god, of which some idol or thing is the representative, exercises a power over a certain place, and therefore by the phrase, "eat him up," the man meant to say, that he wished the spirit which rules over the school would keep his son there until he should be grown up a man. Can any one living in this highly favoured country, and professing the religion of Christ, refrain from pitying these poor benighted people and their children? And who will not most heartily join in the pious wish with which our missionary brother closes this part of his report, May the time come when the root of superstition shall be plucked up, and when nothing but the knowledge of the Most High shall prevail in every part of benighted Africa!" 66 EXAMINATION OF THE SCHOOL CHILDREN. On New Year's day, by the request of King Canray Bah, our missionary, his wife, who is also school mistress, with all the children of the school, visited him at his residence at Cankama, when an examination of the children took place in the presence of the King and several of his friends. The interesting engagement was commenced by singing a hymn, when prayer was offered in the Sherbro language by the assistant missionary. Two competent persons having been appointed examiners by the King, the examination was proceeded with, and the children did credit to their teachers by the general correctness of their answers. At the close of the examination the friends expressed their great delight at the improvement visible in the children. The King appeared to feel very great pleasure at what he witnessed, and after the African manner exclaimed, "Oh me!" and added, "Since I have put my hand to this work I will, by God's help, hold it as my life." "The Spirit of God," says the missionary, "attended us in such a measure that it made our hearts warm.' After the examination had been concluded the children, at the request of the King, sung several hymns, with which he was much pleased. Soon after they took leave of the King and left on their return to Bompey, where they arrived in safety on the following day. OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH. Referring to the improved conduct of the people, the missionary remarks that, although the Sabbath day is not kept as he could wish, yet there is a manifest difference from what it was two years ago. At that time the Sabbath was a day for festivals, dancing, and all evil practices, and when reproved they would reply, "Sunday for white man, not for Sherbro people. Now they listened to advice given them respecting the observance of the Lord's day, and promise to attend to it, of which some instances are mentioned. One Sabbath, says the missionary, I observed a man plaiting a hat, but when I told him that God required that day to be kept holy, he acknowledged he had done wrong, thanked me for telling him, and promised not to do so again. Some women going to work in their gardens were told it was the Lord's day, that they ought not to Work, and they returned home. another Sabbath some men who were cutting posts for their huts, when reproved by the missionary replied, they did not know it was Sunday, for he had not told them on the preceding day, as he used to do. This he was prevented doing in consequence of having gone to visit some people at a distance, and did not return until late in the evening. He, however, engaged that, in future, the chapel bell should be rung for a much longer time on Saturday nights than on any other day, by which all the people of the neighbourhood might know that the next day would be the Sabbath. The missionary then expresses his deep solicitude lest, after he had endeavoured to teach the people, and notwithstanding the law of God had been repeatedly read in their hearing, they should be On found at the bar of God among those | used to be. We have not had for a very who had disregarded the Divine commands, and should meet with that eternal punishment which awaits the wicked in another world. PLEASING INTELLIGENCE. Freetown, Sierra Leone, East Street, March 19, 1857. Rev. J. Trotter, My dear Sir,-Yours in reply to ours was duly received on the 17th instant, in which I am glad to find that you are decided about visiting our shores, we were only disappointed that you have deferred the time until after our next rainy season, we were in full expectation of seeing you next month, We are, however, not despaired in consequence of the disappointment, but believe that all things work together for good to them that love God. It is true we have not had the pleasure of meeting with each other in your highly favoured land, but this, I hope, does not lessen our christian friendship, but will, I hope, much tend to strengthen it, ever since I heard your name mentioned for coming out to Africa, with your very kind lady, I have had new comfort and joy which I never recollect experiencing on a similar occasion. I must repeat it is the Lord who has put it in both your hearts to visit poor benighted Africa. You already have our best wishes and prayers, and hope that your coming among us will be productive of much good. The field is large but there are labourers to be had through God's assistance. You are coming in answer to prayers that have been offered up many years past. You need not dread our climate, it is one hundred per cent. more healthy than it long time the death of a resident European; our streets and roads are improving daily through the orders of our Governor. We hope to take every possible care of you and Mrs. Trotter, and shall make you as comfortable as we can, although, perhaps, not to the extent as your kind people can in England, from whom I received the greatest kindness and attention. I shall never forget happy and highly favoured England. To prevent unnecessary expenses you will please inform us, through Brother Gideon, what quantity of furniture you think you will bring out with you, that we may know what to provide. Our rainy season commences about the latter part of April or the beginning of May, and begins to cease about September and October; if you leave England in the former and arrive in the latter month it will not be amiss. If you come out by a sailing vessel you can bring with you any quantity of furniture, &c., without charge: but by the mail there is a specified quantity you are allowed to take. But as we have now a new line of packets I believe the terms will be more reasonable. Your very kindly address under cover to brother Gideon was read before the Elders, and will be read throughout the churches as directed; when opportunity offers we shall be delighted to receive such from you always until we shall see you face to face. And now my dear Pastor I must close this short but well-meant epistle with myself, wife, family, and friends' christian regards to yourself and Mrs. Trotter, and all the kind friends, and Rev. Mr. Reay. Yours very sincerly, J. B. ELLIOT. NOTICE TO OUR READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. Communications have been received from Rev. J. Thomas, B.A.-J. TrotterT. Noyes-J. Anderson-G. Jones-R. S. Short-and G. D. S. For the purpose of publishing Mr. Elliot's letter and other Connexional Intelligence, we present our readers with four additional pages in the present number. G. R.-We cannot at all agree with him-that so much Connexional information in our pages is not wanted-the more the better. AMELIA. We recommend her first to write prose correctly, before she attempts poetry. T. A.-Thanks for his good wishes about the new Whitfield church at Glouces ter. Let him and others address their plans and suggestions to our esteemed minister there. It will encourage him in this noble project. Contribotions In Aid of the Countess of Huntingdon's Missionary Society during the month. Further Donations and Subscriptions in aid of the Turkish or African Mission will be thankfully received by Mr. F. W. Willcocks, 98, Goswell-street, London, or by any Minister of the Connexion. THE HARBINGER. JUNE, 1857. cr MEMOIR OF MRS. ELIZABETH WILLCOCKS. "A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Although the subject of this brief notice is beyond the reach of human praise, and although it would have been her wish that silence should have been maintained as to the part allotted to her in the stage of life, yet as the grace of God was so abundantly magnified in her experience, and her life was so permeated with gospel vitality, displaying the power of that grace in sustaining Christian character and consistency amidst the bustle of an unusually active and stirring life, God being acknowledged in every thing, a short account is recorded as a proof of the possibility of carrying out the apostolic injunction-"Be not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." Our departed friend resided with her parents in the city of London, and from a very early age displayed remarkable powers of memory and aptitude for active life, which she commenced very young; and being possessed of pleasing and attractive manners and frequently coming in contact with those who were lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, was often led to exclaim in reference to the past— She was accustomed to attend the established church, under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Gunn, at St. Mary Woolnoth, and Dr. Draper, at St. Antholin's, Watling-street; and when the latter was appointed Tutor of the Countess of Huntingdon's College at Cheshunt, and frequently preached at Spa Fields Chapel, she with her family followed him, and from that time continued to attend that honoured sanctuary; and it was a source of great delight to her to dwell upon and relate circumstances extending over nearly half a century, connected therewith, as to the crowds attending the place the difficulty not only of getting a seat, but even getting to a Of her seat-the different supplies who ministered with greater or less success— and the various families now scattered in different churches and congregations, whose ancestors were as pillars in this sacred edifice. conversion to God nothing is known decisively. Her heart appears, like Lydia's, to have been gradually opened; and as neither in secular nor spiritual matters would she be likely to take things for granted, doubtless she searched to see if the things she heard were so. It is believed from her lasting remembrance of and frequent quotation of texts and passages of sermons by the Rev. John Rees, of Rodborough, that he was useful in her conversion. Up to within a short time of her death her frequent mention of his pithy and powerful expressions gave evidence that his preaching had taken deep hold of her mind. She was much attached to the preaching of the supplies formerly occupying the pulpit; and many copious notes of sermons by Messrs. Sherman, Owen, Parry, and others, were carefully preserved by her. Although attached to the supply system, she was among the first to welcome and ever among the foremost to sustain the first and present settled minister. Her love for the house of God and her anxiety for its prosperity were intense. "She took pleasure in its stones," and almost counted those as "her enemies," not failing to rebuke them, who said or did any thing likely to savour even of the appearance of weakening its interests. "Here her best friends, her kindred dwelt, Here God her Saviour reigned. A favorite stanza in the original Connexion Hymn Book was— "And this I'd say, if lost I were, I loved the place, and people, where Thy dwellings used to be." and she manifested her love by her readiness to serve-by endeavouring to remove stumbling blocks out of the way-by trying to prevent the occasion of strife, or, as she would say, "treading upon a spark," and by facilitating the efforts of others to promote its welfare. While she loved the house of God, it afforded her pleasure to minister to the comfort of the servants of God. She loved them for their work's sake. She was anxious to do good, and was for many years an active visitor of the sick and poor, and ministered cheerfully and kindly to their wants. Not only they, but a large circle have lost a wise counsellor and a judicious friend : for although a woman of unflinching determination, and having her opinion fortified by considerable discrimination, and firmly maintaining that opinion, she rarely made an enemy. She was a woman of peaceappreciating its value at home, in the church, and in the world. In her more private life, she invariably manifested a thankful spirit ; an entire dependance upon God, and as entire a sense of the uselessness and the wickedness of making "an arm of flesh her trust." She felt every mercy, however ordinary, came from God. She seldom received any thing without acknowledging the source from whence it came, and that "Not more than others she deserved." She was very fearful of sin, because of offending "so good a God." Prayer was to her as a part of her existence-whether it related to |