Intelligence-Manchester College, York. examinations, the students are not previously apprized of any question that will be asked them, or of any passage which they will be called upon to explain, and that their orations and discourses are uncorrected, and indeed unseen by any of their tutors. Considering this, and the number of young students who were now for the first time to appear before so numerous and respectable an assembly, the result was highly satisfac tory. The examination was closed by an address from the Visitor, which, at the request of the Trustees present, is sent for insertion in the Monthly Repository. A part of it was also ordered to be separately printed, and a copy given to each student on his admission. "Gentlemen, "In commencing my annual address to you at the close of this gratifying exercise, I am naturally led to express the regret which I am sure we all feel at the absence of our late excellent and venerable president, so distinguished by his uniform attachmeat, through the course of a long life, to the promotion of virtue, truth, and science, and to the cause of religious and civil liberty; by his steady friendship and substantial countenance of some of its most eminent confess ors; and by his munificent patronage of the places of public education devoted to it, particularly of this Institution; where we have seen his cheerful and encouraging manners add a grace to the dignity and excellence of his character, and a sanction to his judicious suggestions; and, while they have commanded the esteem and respect of those of maturest age, engage the love and admiration of the young. I am sure I shall express the general wish that this may be only an occasional absence; and that though he has ceased to hold the connexion with us which it was every where our pride to avow, he will still continue to adorn our annual meetings, so long as it shall please a kind Providence to continue to him the blessing of a healthy and vigorous old age, the consequence and reward of a well spent life. "It has been usual, in taking leave of our young friends, at the close of each session, to address a few words to those, with whom our academical connexion is concluded. To both our friends who are going out to the exer 417 cise of the Christian ministry we wish the best success, the success of eminent usefulness in the promotion of truth and practical religion, the native union of which one of them has just so well described. I hope that neither of them needs to be reminded by me, that the eyes of the world will be upon them-of many with no favourable intentions; and that for whatever they do or say not only themselves, but the cause which they serve, will be made answerable. Great prudence and circumspection, therefore, will be requisite, to avoid every reasonable, and often even unreasonable cause of offence. One of our young friends will have the difficult task of maintaining high credit already obtained by. a former associate in the studies of this place, in one of the most eminent seats of learning in the sister-kingdom. The charge is a weighty and important, and in some respects an awful one: for it will subject the man who holds it to the risk of dishonour as well as honour, of evil as well as of good report. It will, of course, be an object of his constant study, that the former be in no case deservedly incurred. But into whatever situation either of our friends may be thrown, they will both of them, I hope, be careful to recollect, that great selfattention and caution will be neces sary, in the common intercourses of life, as well as in their preparations for, and conduct in the pulpit, to insure their respectability and usefulness; and the utmost care to avoid giving any handle to those who will be ready enough to take it, of perverting illconsidered expressions to the disadvantage of the speaker and his cause; of taking offence at petulant or provoking words; and setting themselves in decided hostility to whatever may border on abuse or violence.-The sun will prevail to strip off the cloak of prejudice, much sooner than the north wind. "I hope Mr. Stratton will believe he has our best wishes in the further progress of his studies, and in the course of his future life. He will excuse my reminding him, for I am persuaded he needs only to be reminded-the reflection must often have occurred to himself, while composing the excellent Essay which we have just heard of the obligation which lies upon those whom Providence has placed in easy 418 Intelligence.-Manchester College, York. circumstances, to so much superior exertion; in order that they may discharge the various additional duties which enlarged opportunities of usefulness to the world impose upon every man in proportion to his rank in life-of course I need not remind him of the necessity in this precious period of life, of a proportionally diligent preparation, for he knows that whatever we have is not our own, but lent; and we must pay an interest proportioned to the loan. To our younger friends who are to return to us, especially to the laystudents, I would also beg leave to address a few words. "As your connexion with this Institution is comparatively recent, and I have never had the pleasure of meeting you here before, perhaps it may not be uninteresting to explain to you, gentlemen, in a few words, the nature and intention of my office of Visitor, which I have now had the honour to hold for the last nine years. Such an officer was appointed, at the suggestion of my venerable predecessor in it, first, as a coadjutor to the Tutors in the enforcement of discipline and the correction of abuses, and secondly, as an assessor to the President in this annual business of examination and advice. The former branch of my oflice as has been my frequent boast, on recommending this Institution to my friends, has, happily, been a sinecure and that it may continue so, I would take advantage of my privilege in my latter capacity, to offer you a few words of advice. "What I have said to Mr. Stratton, on the necessity of exertion in order to future respectability and usefulness, you may, each, with great propriety, apply to yourselves. school; where you are necessarily placed, in several respects, under a different discipline: and it is my duty, as well as that of your parents and tutors, to represent it to you in such a light as may induce you not to abuse it. At school, your attention was chiefly confined to words, to abstract numbers, and to other things, the ultimate advantage, or even intention of which you, often, did not perceive. You had therefore compulsatory tasks assigned you; and you performed the tasks very much upon the principle of compulsion. "But here you pursue a course of study, much of which, at least, yourselves may clearly perceive, not only to be a useful application of what you have already learned, but also to be applicable to the purposes of future life, by qualifying you for important offices in society. I trust, therefore, you will see the necessity of laying aside the principle of task-work; and that you will never set yourselves to the preparation of the exercises prescribed to you by your tutors, or to the perusal of the authors to whom they refer you, merely that you may get your work passably done, or qualify yourselves for answering questions at lecture, so as just to escape your tutor's censure; but that you will rather consider yourselves as entered on a voluntary course of studies which it is your determination to pursue with alacrity, and constantly keep in mind that though, in the prosecution of this purpose, you avail yourselves of the assistance and direction of your tutors, as to the proper sources of information, yet it must depend upon yourselves what advantage you make of them. And give me leave to assure you from pretty long experience and observation, that ac cording as you improve or neglect present advantages, in the same proportion you will look back, in future life, on the period of education with satisfaction or regret. "There is another difference between the scholastic and academical periods of life, concerning which it is necessary for me to drop a hint, and I hope I shall do it in such a way as to avoid giving offence, either to you, or to any of your parents or friends; but rather so as to deserve, and I hope obtain, your thanks. "At school you were under the entire control and management of those Intelligence.-Manchester College, York. entrusted with your education: whereas here, instead of being treated as children, and having every thing managed for you, you make a step, as it were, into the world, and are, to a certain degree, entrusted with the management of yourselves: your friends in this way making the experiment, how far you are qualified for being afterwards left more entirely to your own direction. On the use which you make of this privilege will depend its continuance and further extension. If abused, it may be necessary for your parents or other friends to recal it; particularly with regard to the article of expense. "To prevent the possibility of one particular source of abuse, in this respect, the trustees have determined to follow in future the salutary rule of both our Universities, viz. to prohibit all credit with the trades-people of the city, unless with the previous knowLedge and consent of the tutors. They think it proper that both you and your friends should be explicitly informed of this; and they assure themselves that it will meet with their cordial approbation and concurrence. At the same time your tutors de sire me expressly to state to this assembly, that, while these arrangements are adopted by the trustees as a necessary measure of precaution, there has been nothing morally wrong among you that they have observed or even suspect: on the contrary, they cheerfully bear testimony to your general good behaviour. And we trust that you will all, my young friends, in a succeeding session, join to the natural vivacity of youth, the thought and manliness of those who feel that they are approaching the period of active usefulness; and exemplify in all your future conduct the truth of the proposition so well supported by your fellowstudent, that mental cultivation has a powerful influence to promote good morals" in every individual among you. "For myself, it is always much more agreeable to me to commend than to censure, to encourage than to caution or admonish. And I assure you, that when I consider the great number of you who have now for the first time been thus publicly examined, I have been extremely pleased with the result of this week's business. I 419 only wish we could have prevailed with some of you to speak more distinctly; and I am sorry to hear from your tutors a complaint of a to general inattention, through the whole of the session, to the article of elocution. The importance of a distinct and audible utterance to persons of every rank is so obvious, that I should have expected it would be an object of prime ambition, and that you would have endeavoured to avail yourselves of the judicions directions which I had the honour to convey to you last year from my friend Dr. Thomson; and in this case I should have had better' encouragement to add to them a useful observation lately pointed out to me, by another friend, in Mr. Jones's Life of Bishop Horne. The observation is this; Every speaker wishes to be understood as well as heard; but many are deficient in this respect for want of a distinct articulation,, which might casily be acquired if they would attend to a simple rule, without the observance of which no man's delivery can be perfect. It is well known that a piece of writing may be understood if all the vowels be omitted; but if the vowels are set down, and the consonants are omitted, nothing can be made of it. It is the same in speaking as in writing; the vowels inake a noise, but they discriminate nothing. Many speakers think that they are heard if they bellow them out; and so they are, but they are not understood; because the discrimination of words depends upon a distinct articulation of their consonants; for want of considering which many speakers spend their breath to little effect. The late Bishop of Peterborough, Dr. Hinchliffe, was one of the most pleasing preachers of his time. His melodious voice was the gift of nature, and he spoke with the accent of a man of sense; but it was remarkable, and to those who did not know the cause, mysterious, that there was not a corner of the church in which he could not be heard distinctly. By watching him attentively I perceived that it was an invariable rule with him to do full justice to every consonant, knowing that the vowels would be sure to speak for themselves. And thus he became the surest and clearest of speakers; his enunciation was perfect, and never disappointed the audience. And in 420 Intelligence.-New Chapel at Thorne. this respect most speakers have it in set of queries with the view of ascertheir power to follow him." (Preface to Horne's Works, p. 143.) "The gentlemen who have most eminently distinguished themselves by their diligence, regularity, and proficiency, are Mr. John Tayler of Nottingham, and Mr. Samuel Wood of Liverpool: and I am particularly desired to state, that Mr. Tayler's name is mentioned first only as he is already in possession of the first place by his excellent conduct during the last session; in the present, the merits of these two genilemen have, been so nearly equal, that it is impossible to assign the absolute preference to either, The prize for elocution, also, is awarded to Mr. John Tayler.-In future years this prize will be given, as formerly, for improvement in elocution during the session. "Before I conclude, I am directed to state, that the trustees, at their last annual meeting in Manchester, agreed to propose an annual prize of five guineas in books, to those students in divinity who shall have completed a course of education in this college during the three former years, for the best essay on some subject connected with theology, to be annually prescribed by the tutors. The intention of this proposal is to encourage the continuance of a habit of theological study among the young ministers who have here received their education. The subject proposed for the first prize was "the Origin and Design of Sacrifices, and the Influence of the Jewish Institutions relating to Sacrifices on the Language of the New Testament." The persons intrusted with the adjudication of this prize have awarded it to an essay, the note bearing a motto corresponding to which is found to be the production of Mr. Henry Turner, who will believe that I have peculiar pleasure in declaring his name on such an occasion." The examination was then closed with a short devotional exercise, after which the company adjourned to dinner at Etridge's, where mach interesting conversation took place on the business of the three days. Several other interesting topics prevented auch being said on the subject of Union, proposed at the last annual meeting; but a sort of general report was made by the committee the appointed, who undertook to draw up a taining certain facts illustrative of the present state of their societies in the North of England, in the hope that if a "statistical account" of this sort can be accomplished for one district, it may easily be afterwards extended. The next session opens on Thursday the nineteenth of September, on which day it is extremely desirable that all the students should be at York, in order that the rooms may be chosen, and all the arrangements made, previous to the commencement of actual business on the Monday following. New Chapel at Thorne. V. F. The New Unitarian Chapel at Thorne, in Yorkshire, was opened on the 28th ult. The Sermon in the morning was preached by the Rev. Dr. Philipps, of Sheffield, from 1 Cor. xi. 19. "There must also be heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest." That in the evening by the Rev. William Turner of Newcastle, from Psalm xxvi. 8. "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth." The ministers engaged, besides the preachers, were the Rev. Mr. Astley of Halifax, Rev. Mr. Hutton of Nottingham, Rev. Mr. Heineken of Gainsborough, Rev Mr. Wright of Stannington, near Sheffield, Rev. Mr. Turner of Bradford, and the Rev. Mr. Kenrick of Hull: the congregations, particularly in the evening, were very large and attentive. We understand that Dr. Philipps's Sermon will be published, at the request of the hearers, and is now in the press. At half past 2 o'clock about 50 gentlemen sat down to an economical dinner at the Royal Oak Inn. Dr. Thomson, the chairman, improved this friendly cheerful meeting into an occasion of giving the newly-formed church much excellent advice, on the necessity of church-order, on their conduct towards their fellow-members in their respective families, towards their fellow-townsmen of a different persuasion, and towards the world at large. Many interesting speeches. were made by other persons, particularly by Francis Moat, "the patriarch of Thorne," who gave a circumstantial detail of the steps by which they had been led to the knowledge of the Intelligence.-West Riding Association. truth. The chairman proposed that Mr. Turner should examine the accounts and report thereon, when the certificate, of which a copy follows, was drawn up and signed :— We, whose names are underwritten, being ministers and others present at the opening of the New Unitarian Chapel at Thorne, having examined the account of monies contributed by the members of the society there, and hitherto subscribed by others, and also the sums expended by them in the building of their plain, but neat and convenient place of worship, beg leave to subunit to the Unitarian public the following general statement, and respectfully to recommend the case of their friends at Thorne to public notice; not doubting that the debt at present upon the chapel will in no long tune be liquidated. 421 and great changes in the religious views of its members. It has never altered its name, and perhaps on some accounts it may be better that it should preserve its original appellation. That appellation, however, it must be confessed, but very imperfectly delineates the real complexion of the meeting, the members of which are nearly all professedly Unitarians, as the term has been explained by Dr. Priestley. The meeting appeared to afford peculiar satisfaction to every one present: the cause of truth and religion was the predominant impression upon the mind, and it was accompanied with every kind and good-tempered feeling of the heart. If there are times when it may be said that "righteousness and peace have kissed each other," the present would seem to have been an occa sion when a salutation of a similar nature had taken place; for piety, friendliness, and cheerfulness, appeared to have met in very pleasing union. The religious services of the day were conducted by the Rev. Jeremiah Donoughue, of Lidget, and the Rev, John Gooch Robberds, of Manchester, the former taking the devotional part, the latter the Sermon. The words of the discourse were from John xiv. 15. "If ye love me, keep my commandresting, impressive, and improving ments." Nothing could be more inte than this discourse: the style of its composition was simple, elegant, manly, and forcible; the manner of the preacher solemn and impressive. It has sometimes been complained, that piety seems not in very closeunion with Unitarianism: the Sermon of Mr. Robberds would sufficiently redeem the cause from this reproach: never did there appear a anore happy and engaging alliance. To enlarge is to endanger an encroachment upon delicacy of feeling in that quarter where it is our last wish to give offence: where the eulogium is most due, it is sometimes the least desired, and that we are assured is the case in the present instance. A violation, however, would be done to our feelings not to advert to one idea upon which the preacher very beautifully enlarged — the decisive advantage which the Unitarian view of the cha racter of Christ possessed over every other system for the fulfilment of that love which is considered by all as due to the blessed Saviour. Every other |