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    21

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    No. II.—Mr* Cooper's Annual Report of hi...

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    No. I.-—Extract <Tf A Letter Just Receiv...

    _wb _& n they might here project and execute , would secure success both with _European and Natives . I _ptedg-e myself to the Unitarian , public in England , that if _tltey wlft send out _Missionaries to India , and adequately support them in thefr labours , frtik sball not be _waatrngf . They wifl hot have ' to lofck , and long , and wait , and at last be disappointed . The fields " are white already to harvest . "' The attendance on Wr

    worship has greatly _fallen off , nor do I expect that we can do any thing * with effect in this way till the Chapel is built . The habits and' whole structure of society here forbid such an expectation . But _whence shall have a regular place of worship , t am confident of receiving- the most decided support from _g-entlemen of the first _respec-. lability for station and character . Until , therefore , we realize sufficient subscriptions for the purchase of ground and the erection of the Chapel , you may consider us as almost entirely at a stand . The amount already subscribed , principally by Native gentlemen , and most of these wealthy Brahmuns , is about four thousand Rupees . I

    have thought of undertaking- a voyage to Europe for the purpose of collecting the remainder , procuring _subscriptions for our school , and using the necessary means t ' _p interest the Unitarian community in the prosperity of this infant cause . But I am unwilling to take this step until I hear from you in reply to my former letter . If your letter should arrive ia time , and I should _theiv judge it advisable , I will leave this country for England about the beginning or middle of March . Otherwise , I shah wait till next season , when I shall also have the advantage and pleasure of Rammohun Roy ' s Company . W . ADAM .

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    No. Ii.—Mr* Cooper's Annual Report Of Hi...

    No . II . —Mr * Cooper ' s Annual Report of his Proceedings at Newcastle and its Vicinity . Dear Sir , 2 Vewcastle-under-JLine , J \ fay \ Ath , 1823 . * I find the time is come for me to acquaint you with _& f proceedings in this district during the last twelve months . My last Report was dated May 18 th , 1822 . This I shall commence with a review of what has since been done at Newcastle .

    You are aware that our society in this place is small , and I am concerned to add j that I see no great prospect of an immediate increase . Hereafter we may see better days . The town is populous , and the few friends we have are zealous . They , bowever , agree with me , that , in our present circumstances , we are called upon to give the main part of our strength to the Potteries , where a wide field for usefulness presents

    _itself aiid where it is plainly of the highest importance to get the cause well established in the first place . Atone time , we had thoughts of trying- the effect of a Sunday evening Lecture at Newcastle during the summer , but the fear of injuring * the Hanley interest induced us to relinquish the design ; the consequence has been , that _we have only been able to have service on a Sunday morning through the whole year 5 a time when we have not much ground to expect strangers .

    Hanley . Here I have preached three times a week , through the whole year : twice on a Sunday and on a Wednesday _evening . For a short time during the middle of the summer _^ our congregations were unusually small , but as this was the case , at the same period , even iii the reputed Orthodox churches , we do not look back to the circumstance with feelings of any _\ ery great surprise , and especially as we have , on the whole , much cause for thankfulness . Our numbers have increased , and there seems

    every ground to hope that this will continue to be the case . The wealthy , however , keep aloof from us , and we have good reason to believe , take measures to make their dependents do the same . In some cases they succeed , but not in all . Methodism , ia one form or other , is here the prevailiug" religion of the day , and almost every _working man is expected to be a Methodist , But , to the alarm of our opponents , a spirit o _£ inquiry is diffusing itself on every side , and cannot fail to produce important results . Clamour and misrepresentation are , as usual , employed against us ; but which I cannot

    doubt will in the end tend rather to the discomfiture of the enemy than to our disadvantage . In the course of the late winter I delivered , on a Sunday evening , a _number of lectures chiefly on doctrinal subjects , which were far better attended than we had any reason to expect . On many occasions our place was crowded to excess , and great numbers were obliged to go away unable to get into the room , and I believe that 1

    had we possessed a chapel as large as that at Parliament Court , itWould have been _well filled . Hanley does indeed afford very great ad vantages foir the delivery of lectures ; it is situated in the heart of the Potteries , and contains with ** its own limits _aot less than > fifteen thousand souls . Newcastle and the _Pttttetleft are believed to con * _^ in about _^ i _^^ _^ _o _^ _, _!^^ I mention this to shew one reason , _amongst others , for o _« r p _/ 0 C _^ _PJti _^ _tpo _^ i t further delay , a larger and more _convenient place of _worshmjArtMi _^^ _M _^ W _^ _yP _& W _^ a Cha _^ r , _fearf < f-am happy tb _^ _aVi it jl my power to _stat

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 3, 1823, page 21, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/smrp_03061823/page/5/