Letter will come safe to your hand by Mr. Robert Owen minister of a church in Maryland who is a very honest Gentleman. And indeed so are all the Missionarys in general, especially the English one Mr. More, the only countryman we have amongst us, a man according to my own heart, I'm sorry he's to go so far off as ye Mohocks, God knows whether we shall see him again. I had ye same call and had gone to the same place, but when I saw so many people of my own nation and tongue, I soon resolved by God's grace to seek them in ye first place, and if we could not recover those that were fallen, yet by God's help we may keep them out of ye pit of Quakers and Hereticks who have denyed ye Faith and are worse than Indians and Heathens who never knew it.

"As for a Suffragan we are all sensible of ye want we have of one, and pray God send us a man of peace, for otherwise he will do more harm than good, as proud, ambitious, covetous men used to do, troubling the State and perplexing the Church, and then they run away, and leave all in the lurch. I saw our honored friend, Coll. Nicholson, last month at Burlington, where he staid a week or ten days. I was obliged to him every way, particularly for his friendly advice in a case that was diffient to me at that time, but I shall not mention names because I am resolved, by God's grace, to take heed what I say of any man, whether good or bad.

"Coll. Nicholson took Bills of Mr. Bass for the money in hand, £70, Pensylvania money, and gave it all to the Churches in these Provinces, with Bills of Exchange to make it up £100 Sterling, besides what he subscribed to the Churches to be erected at Hopewell, Elizabeth Town, Amboy and Salem. We have made it appear that he has exhibited to the Churches in these Provinces about £1000; besides, what he has given to particular persons and the poor would amount to some hundreds more, which we did not think fit to mention. He is a man of. as much prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude as any. Governor in America, without disparagement to any, and of much more zeal for the house and service of God. I have seen four of them together at Church in Burlington, but in the afternoon their place had been empty had it not been for the Honor

able Governor Nicholson; so that I can't but observe the example of his piety in the Church, is as rare as his bounty towards it; no wonder then that all that love the Church of England are fond of Governor Nicholson, who is a true son, or rather a nursing father, of her in America. I hope you will do him all the service you can at home whereby you will oblige all the Churches abroad.

“Mr. Urquhart is well chosen for the people of Jamaica, and indeed I think none fitter than the Scotch Episcopal to deal with Whigs and Fanaticks of all sorts. Had not Stuttart been allowed to preach he had brought them all to the Church almost by this time; but now they resort most to a barn that is hard by, and will not pay Mr. Urquhart what is allowed by Law, though my Lord Cornbury has given his orders for it. Mr. John Lillingston designs, it seems, to go for England next year; he seems to be the fittest person that America affords for the office of a suffragan, and several persons, both of the Laity and Clergy, have wished he were the man; and if my Lord of London thought fit to authorize him, several of the Clergy both of this Province and of Maryland have said they would pay their tenths unto him, as my Lord of London's Vicegerent, whereby the Bishop of America might have as honorable provision as some in Europe. Ah, Mr. Keith, I have wanted you but once, that is ever since you went. I pray God supply your place with such another, who will pass through all Governments. serving the Church, without giving offence unto the State. I hope, good Sir, you will excuse this long Letter. I had not time to write a short one; therefore, amicitia nostra, I desire that you would take all in good part that comes from

"Your most faithful friend

"And humble servant,

"JOHN TALBOT."

WILLIAM BUDD AND OTHERS.

"At Burlington in West-Jersey, there is now a settled Congregation, with a fixed Minister, to wit, the Reverend Mr. John Talbot, my Fellow Labourer, where there is a large Congregation, and a considerable Number of Communicants, many of them having been formerly Quakers, and Quakerly affected, or

such as were of no particular denomination. And such of them as had not been Baptized in Infancy, have received Baptism, partly by Mr. Evans, & partly by Mr. Talbot, & some of them by me. Mr. Talbot has Baptized most of them who have been Baptized, since our Arrival among them, and particularly all the Children, both Males and Females, of William Budd, who formerly was a Quaker-Preacher, but is come over from Quakerism, to the Church, with diverse others of the Neighbourhood, in the Country about the Town of Burlington, who come usually to the Church at Burlington on the Lord's-Day; some of them, Six, Eight, and some of them Ten, or Twelve Miles, and some of them more." Keith's Journal.

THE CLERGY MEET AT BURLINGTON,

The Clergy of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, met in Burlington, Nov. 2d, 1705, when the following Address was drawn up, signed, and sent under cover to the Lord Bishop

of London:

"To the Most Reverend Fathers in God the Lord Abps., the

Right Reverend the Bishops, and others Right Honourable Members of the Society Erected for Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

"Your Missionaries being convened at Burlington esteem themselves in duty bound to lay before the Most Reverend, the Right Reverend & Right Honorable Members of the Society, what we conceive to be necessary, with God's blessing on our Labours, to promote the ends of our Mission. The presence and assistance of a Suffragan Bishop is most needful to ordain such persons as are fit to be called to serve in the sacred Ministry of the Church. We have been deprived of the advantages that might have been received of some Presbyterian & Independent Ministers that formerly were, and of others that are still willing to conform & receive the Holy Character, for want of a Bishop to give. The Baptized want to be confirmed. Their presence is necessary in the Councils of these Provinces to prevent the inconveniences which the Church labors under by the Influences which Seditious Men's Counsels have upon the public administration & the oppositions which they make to the good inclinations of well affected people. He is wanted not only to

govern and direct us, but to Cover us from the Malignant Effects of those misrepresentations that have been made by some persons impower'd to admonish and inform against us, who indeed want admonition themselves. It is our humble desire that the Custom of the Romans of not Condemning Men before they be heard may be of Force with the Most Reverend, the Right Reverend & Right Hon'ble Members of the Society, for we find to our Grief that those Characters given of us by those persons have made sad impressions on your minds, as have in some measure lessened our reputation, which is dearer to us than all Your Encouragements which we have received by Your Bounty. And it is our humble prayer that no Credit hereafter be given by the Society to any Complaints against us but such as are under the hands of three of the Clergy. The Provinces of New York, the Jerseys and Pennsylvania consist of People of several Nations, & have Preachers among them that speak to them in their own Tongues. The Dutch and the French being of the Presbiterian Perswasion And the former generally tainted with Republican Principles, it is humbly proposed that there be no preacher permitted to preach among them but in the English Tongue, or at least of Episcopal Ordination, that can preach both in English & in their own Tongues, Nor any schoolmasters to Teach any Vulgar Language, but the English, without a particular license from the Governor, till God bless us with a Bishop. This last Expedient is thought by the Governor to be a likely means of uniting the Country both in their religious ard Civil interests * -and humbly beg Your Benediction & Prayers, and crave leave to subscribe ourselves, as we are, "Most Reverend, Right Reverend

*

*

*

THE LETTER COMMENDATORY.

"To the Lord Bishop of London.

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP:

"We being convened at Burlington have drawn up an Account of the State of the Church in those parts which we think necessary to add to our last years Scheme. We have enclosed a letter to the Society which we humbly offer to your Lordships view. We have likewise drawn and signed a petition to the Queen for a Suffragan Bishop, but have sent it to Your Lordship not so much to present as to determine whether it be Convenient to be presented to her Majesty. Our inexpressible wants of one to represent your Lordship here make us use all the means we can think of towards the obtaining that blessing. Indeed our case upon that Account is very lamentable and no words are sufficient to express it. We shall have the less need to lay before your Lordship the further want of Ministers for West Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania &c., in regard our Reve" Brother Mr Talbot who has been an Itinerant Missionary is very capable of giving your Lordship a particular account of all our church affairs. We shall only desire Your Lordship to have a particular regard to what he shall say concerning the case of Mr Rudman, Mr Boudet, Mr Eburn and M Biorck whose circumstances are very pressing, and their labours have been very great and successful. We humbly beg Your Lordships blessing, and beg leave to subscribe ourselves,+

+ Some of the signers of these papers were clergy of the Church of Sweden -a beautiful instance of the Catholic intercommunion of those days.