Thus leaving the "Association" minus between £50 and £60, with nothing for the "funds." Does this look very inviting?

But it will be objected, that, in the foregoing list of expenses, the "loan" to the Magazine has been repeated, when there is no intima

tion that such "loan" will be required. To this we reply, that we regard £150 as rather less than the sum which will be needed for that purpose. And we prove it thus: when the "Association" met in October last, the Magazine, which had been only ten months in existence, had already drawn for its support the sum of £224. 19s. 6d. ; that is, £150 from the funds of the "Association," and £74. 19s. 6d. "raised by donations from individuals, and collections in the Branches." (See Report.) Now, if, in the first ten months of its existence, the Magazine required £224. 19s. 6d. to support it, in addition to all the money which accrued from sales and advertisements, we think it a very moderate calculation to say, that, in the next twelve months, it will need £150.

We put it to our brethren, the Local Preachers of our Connexion, whether such an "Association" is worthy of their countenance and support. We have seen, that it is utterly anti-Wesleyan in its intentions and practice; and that it gives direct countenance to men who assail our common and much-loved Methodism. We have shown, moreover, that a very small portion of its funds goes to the support and relief of those for whose benefit it was professedly established. And we would ask, whether it is right or just for such an "Association," with so small an income, to support a Secretary at £70 a year, an Editor at £150 a year, besides paying £70 a year for printing and stationery, and taking another £150 to support its Magazine. We know of another Annuitant Society in Methodism, which, though much more important, in the yearly amount of its funds, makes no pecuniary allowance to its agents.

We know that some of those who are desirous of leaving the "Association," only hesitate, because they have already paid their "entrance-fee and subscription." But we remind them, that there is such a thing as "throwing good money after bad;" and we think, that it is hardly worth while, for the sake of a few shillings, to compromise one's reputation, and, perhaps, sacrifice one's peace of mind.

CIRCULATION OF KAYE'S "TIMES."

DEAR MR. EDITOR.-In your last "Vindicator" is an article entitled, << Reform, an Imposition and a Failure," which, I perceive, the Wesleyan Chartists, who assembled in Exeter-Hall, on Wednesday, November 12th, tried to disprove, though without success.

I think, however, that it would be an easy matter to bring additional proof to show, that "the agitation is rapidly receding into the past ;" and with your permission, Mr. Editor, I will refer to one fact, which is not mentioned in the article above referred to: I mean the diminished and diminishing circulation of the organ of the faction, Mr. Kaye's "Times."

The would-be revolutionists of our Methodism attribute great part of their success to the scurrilous productions of this most infamous and libellous journal; and it is some consolation, therefore, to know, that many of the people who used to read it have grown weary of its slanders, and now turn with a sickening disgust from its pages. In my own neighbourhood, the newsman who supplies me with my "Watchman," and who, at the commencement of this outbreak, used to order regularly no less than forty copies of the (Anti) "Wesleyan Times," now orders but two; and in an adjoining neighbourhood, where formerly a hundred copies were taken by certain parties, now not one is taken.

But we have no need to refer to such cases; for Mr. Kaye has, unluckily for himself, published his own decreasing numbers. For weeks and months in succession, as you will, doubtless, remember, Mr. Editor, his paper told us that its circulation from August, 1849, to August, 1850, was 10,009 weekly. Now, the same authority has published a list of the Stamp returns, by which it appears, that the number of stamps issued to the "Wesleyan Times" for the year 1850, was only 466,900, which number, if actually printed within the year, when fairly divided among the regular and supplement issues, gives us an average circulation of barely 8,000, or two thousand copies weekly less than were circulated from August, 1849, to August, 1850. How many copies are sold for waste paper, or are given away, because they cannot be sold, we cannot tell; but this we know, that a cab, or a vehicle of considerable size, has had to be sent, at times, to the London Post-Office for the newspapers returned by parties refusing to take them into their houses, to whom they had been sent gratuitously. We also observe a pleasant little item in the Reform-Fund account, which is worthy of a passing notice :—

"1,000 copies of the Wesleyan Times' for distribution,

This is doing business on a large scale: one thousand copies for distribution, to be paid for by only one fund out of the five. Your readers will draw their own inferences, as to how many more have been distributed and paid for out of the other "Reform" funds.

Notwithstanding the great decrease in the circulation thus officially announced, I have recently received a circular from the "Wesleyan Times” office, requesting the favour of an advertisement in their paper, on the ground that their "weekly average circulation is upwards of 10,000!” and this circular is dated October, 1851, some considerable time after the official list of stamps had been published. Several other persons, I find, have received the same circular since I received mine. To such miserable shifts are

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these parties reduced to uphold a sinking cause. Well has their organ been called a " refuge of lies." Let me, however, express a hope, that when the income-tax papers are next left at their office, they will take care to give the larger return, that, at least, the revenue of the country may be benefited by the announcement of this weekly average circulation." And I would respectfully suggest, that, before that time arrives, good Mr. Dunn should be employed to "touch up the income" a little, as he did so successfully the Rev. John Scott's income, when reporting to his audiences in the west of England.

In conclusion, allow me to say, that, after looking carefully at the Stamp returns," I think your readers will have no difficulty in placing the "Watchman" at the head of the "religious press," with but one exception, if that exception can be allowed. Kaye's "Times" I would

not so far injure as to call a religious journal, but, classing it with such papers as the "Weekly Dispatch" and the "Sunday Times,'

WE have received the following communication from a facetious correspondent, addressed to those whom he calls "Brother Reformers." It contains some piquant remarks, which may be serviceable to them, if received in a right spirit.

November 1st, 1851.

BROTHER REFORMERS,-Allow me to bring before you our present position and prospects, and point out what ought to be our future proceedings. You may think it strange that I should send you this letter through the "Vindicator," instead of addressing you through our own public organ. I will, therefore, before I proceed, just observe, many of you are aware that some most important things that certain of us have desired to bring before the brethren, through our own "Times," have never been suffered to come to the light. I do not for a moment suppose that our "noble-minded" Editor has himself burked our excellent propositions, but that some person in the office has managed to smuggle them off, amongst the waggon-loads of waste-paper that are occasionally seen moving away from Fleet-street. I am determined, therefore, that you shall not thus lose the valuable remarks and hints which I have for you.

First, then, let us look at our present position.

Here we have now been hard at work for months; and what has been the result? Why, instead of obtaining £20,000, as we calculated, we have only obtained, in sixteen months, £1,821! Now this will never do. I fear the game we have caught, is not worth having. Upwards of fifty-six thousand members have we separated from the Methodist Societies; and only to realise £1,821 is but poor remuneration for the labour it has cost us.

We cer

Then let us look at the matter in another point of view. tainly expected by this time to have starved to death some hundreds, at least, of the tyrannical Wesleyan Ministers, and thus have compelled the adoption of our reforms in the system; but what have we effected? Why, we have not starved a single one to death! True, we have managed to harass one or two into the grave, and to break the heart of one or two of their wives, so that they have been brought prematurely to their resting-places; but, then, what good end have we accomplished? These "stubborn tyrants" appear resolved to stand out; and I believe we are as far from gaining our ends with them as ever.

Under these circumstances, then, listen to my proposition. Let us abandon the pursuit of such worthless game; and enter upon the track

of that which is far more noble, and which, certainly, we shall find much more profitable.

You are aware that the monster iniquity against which we have been exclaiming, is "the tyrannical, the inquisitorial," the everythingthat-is-bad law of 1835. You know we have all along denounced it as "un-English;" and, although we have found this was not exactly correct, still, when we began our movement, the English legal courts generally were not so "inquisitorial" as the Wesleyan courts. But what is now the fact? Here we have been toiling for months to reform this "detestable" law of Methodism; and now, as if in defiance of us, or to court our just indignation, the "tyrants" who have the rule over us, have engrafted this "monstrous" Wesleyan rule into the statute-book of our country, and it this day comes into full operation. It is enough to make every "Wesleyan Reformer's" blood boil to

think of it.

Why, it is only a week or two ago I read in the police reports, in one of the daily papers, of one of the Magistrates who fined a nobleminded man (I wonder if he was a Wesleyan Reformer) ten pounds for refusing to "criminate himself," by stating whether or not a certain document was in his hand-writing. Now I ask whether you think any terms could be too bad to describe the conduct of that Magistrate, or the character of the law under which he acted. Here then is one kind of work for us. Let us ferret out all "tyrant" Magistrates that are "vile” enough to enforce such "diabolical" laws, and expose them in our organ. "The Magisterial Inquisition" would make a fine striking head for the paper, and line for our weekly posting-bill. These Magistrates will, I think, not be inferior game to Wesleyan Ministers; but we may also pursue nobler game than even these. We may attack the Judges in the higher courts, and the Parliamentary Commissions and Committees, who dare to carry out the powers with which they are intrusted. And here I would just call your attention to the proceedings before the Commission appointed, by special Act of Parliament, to examine into the proceedings at the election of St. Alban's. Did not your hearts bleed for the noble witness Edwards, whilst the inquisitors" were "applying the thumb-screw" to him, until the tears started from his eyes? Surely never did the dark chambers of the Inquisition of Madrid or Rome witness so "abominable" a proceeding.

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Brother Reformers, will you not at once arouse yourselves, and resolve to "reform" these "abuses?" And whilst our organ gives "faithful" reports of all these inquisitorial proceedings, our leading "Reformers" might write leading articles, in which every member of the two Houses of Parliament, which have made such enactments the law of the land, might be held up to public contempt; and even "the little sinner upon the throne" (as you, no doubt, think our "excellent" Griffith very appropriately called a certain lady who must have given her sanction to such a "despicable" law) might furnish abundant material for denunciation in those articles.

And, now, I have only to add, that having pointed out to you, what I am sure ought to be our duty, if our leading men do not take up the matter, I shall conclude that all their talk about "reform" has been to delude, and their boasted nobleness of mind all moonshine; indeed, that they have, throughout, been acting the hypocrite.

Believe me, brother Reformers,

Yours sincerely,

A REFORMER, WHO THINKS THAT EVERYBODY

SHOULD CARRY OUT HIS PRINCIPLES.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, PRONOUNCED UPON MR. KAYE, THE PROPRIETOR OF THE "WESLEYAN TIMES," FOR LIBELS ON THE REV. W. H. CLARKSON, WESLEYAN MINISTER. THE professed Reformers of Wesleyan Methodism have long and loudly boasted of the righteousness of their proceedings, and have repeatedly, in their weekly organ, stated, that their only safe appeal would be to the law courts of the land. An appeal against their false and wicked conduct has been made for them, in the case of one of the many Ministers of the Connexion whom they have libelled and maligned; and a verdict and judgment in the case have been, at length, formally given by an English jury, and pronounced by the Judges of the courts of law; and the result is, that it has been decided, that the Rev. W. H. Clarkson has been criminally libelled in the columns of the "Wesleyan Times" newspaper, and that for the libels, Mr. Kaye, the proprietor, is committed to prison for the extended term of four months.

We, of set purpose, abstained from any notice of this case in former numbers of our periodical, lest we should seem to exhibit any vindictive feeling against the offending parties. But now that judgment on the case has been formally declared, and the sentence on Mr. Kaye has been formally pronounced, we deem it only justice to Mr. Clarkson, to record the result of his legal proceedings against the responsible parties for the "Wesleyan Times,"-though we have not time, at this late period, to give at length the particulars relating to them.

It is evident, from the course pursued by Mr. Clarkson, that the vindication of his injured character was all that was sought by him at the bar of his country. If he had chosen to proceed against Mr. Kaye, the proprietor of the "Wesleyan Times," for "damages” in a pecuniary form, there is no doubt that he would have had awarded to him a large sum of money. But character is more to an upright Wesleyan Minister than money; and, therefore, for the vindication of his character, so maliciously assailed, he proceeded in the form of a criminal information. The best advocacy that the bar could supply was obtained for the defence of Mr. Kaye,-the Attorney-General being the leading counsel in his defence; but a jury of his own countrymen declared him guilty, and left him to be dealt with by the