services regularly in future. The room that is used will seat about fifty persons, and on some occasions the adjoining room is nearly filled by standing hearers. Tracts have been distributed, and a library is in course of formation. A taste for reading the writings of Swedenborg is being created, and it is hoped that much good will result, as this new field of labour seems to be well adapted for spiritual culture.

LECTURES AT LEEDS.

To the Editor.

Dear Sir,-You sometimes solicit notices of lectures, and particulars respecting them. We have thought that the following might be nseful :

Mr. Edleston has recently been delivering a successful course, on the "Unseen World." These lectures have been better attended than any we have had in Leeds, and we have no doubt of their doing us good. The address affixed to the syllabus of the lectures has been extensively read; nearly 3,000 copies have been distributed in shops and houses in different parts of the town, and although the invitation is so explicit, no one has ventured to come and teach us 66 wherein we err;" several have been to inquire further respecting the doctrines, but there has not been the least open opposition from any quarter. Whether this arises from fear or contempt we cannot tell, it may be from both. We have reasons for believing, that the Swedenborgians have become quite a terror to the religious controversalists in Leeds, especially to the infidels, who were thoroughly overthrown through the efforts of our late lamented friend Mr. T. Wilson, and others. There were discussion classes in different parts of the town, at which our young friends attended, who were not long in making the force of the doctrines to be felt. They met at these places persons of every religious denomination, and tried their skill in controversy with them all. Perhaps truth is seldom sought for at such meetings, but they are, nevertheless, sometimes useful to young men, for there they are educated in the laws of debate, and trained to a more skilful use of the weapons of Divine Truth. It is true, there is a danger of falling into the mere love of victory, but it is hoped that the religion and good sense of our young friends will preserve them from this. The straits to which the advocates of the Old Church have been reduced, may be gathered from this coufession of one of

Last summer Mr. Edleston, at the solicitation of the Young Men's Association, delivered a course of lectures at a place called the "Bazaar," in Briggate, Leeds, which is considered as the very camp of the infidels, and which is resorted to by those noted for controversy. It was thought that many would come to hear the doctrines in this room, who would not enter either Church or Chapel, and perhaps it was so. The lectures were extremely well received. On two occasions, a leading deist of the town proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. E., after the evening's lecture, and declared on the first occasion, that "the lecturer had made the best of the worst books he knew (the Bible), of any person he had heard in his life." Discussion was allowed after each lecture, and on all occasions Mr. E. carried the sympathies of his audience with him. J. F.

DISCREPANCIES IN THE TRANSLATIONS OF "HEAVEN AND HELL."

To the Editor.

Dear Sir,- In reply to Mr. Hancock's letter, in your December number, I beg to state, that I have not questioned the competency of the Printing Society, nor that of its committee; I simply state plain facts, and ask for definite information. Now, the following are facts:-I have a list of errors, which disfigure the edition of 1843* (and my examination has not been of so exhaustive a character as at all to preclude the probability of the existence of others); of these, only six have been corrected in the stereotyped edition, and of these six, three were pointed out by "Z," in the Intellectual Repository for June. What, then, is to be understood by the statement in the Printing Society's Report, that this work was under revision?

Is this statement an error in the report? Or, did the committee engage a gentleman every way competent to revise the work, but who had not the requisite time to devote to the task?

Mr. H. asks, "Is it not necessarily mischievous to quote passages of a doubtful character, without quoting also the pas

*I have sent a list of these to the Committee of the Printing Society, agreeably with the suggestion of Mr. H.

sages in which the translators render the original well and faithfully, each in his own peculiar style?" To do this would, I apprehend, require the quotation of nearly the whole book. Besides, how is a plain unlearned man to decide where "the translators render the original well and faithfully"? This is a point upon which such are obliged to seek information from the educated and learned. Moreover, my inquiry relates to discrepancies only, since it obviously would be absurd to ask whether agreements amongst translations were warranted by the original.

Mr. H. asserts that "printers who have only to print verbatim a work in print before, very rarely succeed." I assert that respectable printers very rarely fail. It is in printing from manuscript that errors mostly occur. And in the instances called by Mr. H. "misprints," the printer appears to have faithfully followed his copy; it is the reviser who is at fault, for these identical errors occur in the previous edition, and have been left uncorrected.

I have the pleasure of fully agreeing with Mr. H. in the "conviction that the public will not, eventually, tolerate the jargon of literal translations;" but how does this "conviction" harmonize with the fact, that he has again sent forth to the public," the jargon of a literal translation" of the title?

I also coincide with him in the importance of a translation being "done throughout by one author." Yet, how has it happened that in his version of the "Heaven and Hell," whole passages are given verbatim from that of Mr. Clowes, some peculiar phrases are adopted from Mr. Noble, while other portions are "done" by himself?

I have not presumed to hazard an opinion on the faithfulness of either translation, for, on this point, I must still remain an INQUIRER.

LECTURES AT NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.

To the Editor.

Dear Sir,-The society here, taking advantage of the Rev. J. Cull's stay, a few weeks ago, expressed their desire for the delivery of a course of lectures on Sunday evenings, with which Mr. Cull at once most cheerfully complied, and therefore drew up a syllabus which could not fail to attract public attention, comprising subjects universally discussed at this day.

definite information they require in reference to the two specific points, of the number of visitors to be expected, and the funds that will be available.

As most other denominations of Christions are intending to hold numerous meetings during the year, all large rooms will be in request, and will most probably be engaged some months before they are wanted to be used. Unless, therefore, the committee are enabled to adopt a similar course, much inconvenience and disappointment may ensue, especially if there should be as numerous a meeting as is anticipated by many.

The committee therefore urgently request the secretaries of the various socie

ties to take means to ascertain the requisite particulars, as far as practicable, and to forward them by the 16th of Feb. They have to acknowledge the receipt of the promised £2. from their Devonshire friend, and of 5s. from a friend in the Potteries, as evidence of the interest

he feels in the movement; and they hope

that other individuals will be induced to do likewise. H. BUTTER, Sec.

48, Cloudesley Terrace, Islington, Jan. 22nd, 1851.

THE SUPPOSED EXISTENCE OF ANGELS PRIOR TO THE CREATION OF MAN.

A correspondent at Lewes has sent us a communication in which he alludes to an article on the above subject in this Periodical for March last. The objection to that article is stated by him as follows:"You say, the only antecedent to TOUTOLS is the angels in the previous verse. Is not a nearer antecedent found in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? I appeal to any plain reader of the verse, and ask whether this inference be not more natural than the one you have adopted?"

We also respectfully appeal to our correspondent, and ask him why he has overlooked the important fact that the cities Toλes alluded to are in the femi

nine gender, whereas the term TOUTOLS is in the masculine? Now we are quite certain that we need not remind our correspondent that one of the first principles in Grammar is, that the relative must agree with its antecedent in gender and number. But the only antecedent with which TOUTOLS can agree is ayyeλovs in the previous verse. When our correspondent considers this grammatical fact, his objection will vanish. EDITOR.

THE RECENT DISCUSSIONS AT BOLTON.

To the Editor.

Dear Sir,-In the notice of the recent which appeared in the Intellectual Reposi discussions in which I took part at Bolton, tory for the present month, it is stated then discussed with either Mr. Gibson that I offered to take up the subjects or any other advocate of Mormonism, &c., but that Mr. Gibson declined, and it was from any other party connected with that presumed, from my not having heard body, that his coadjutors also declined. Since then, however, I have received a communication (dated the 6th instant) from Mr. Paul Harrison, one of the Mormonite leaders, on the subject, which renders it necessary for me to trouble you with this line.-Yours, &c.

WOODVILLE WOODMAN. Kersley, January 8th, 1851.

PROPOSAL TO PUBLISH A COURSE OF LECTURES BY THE LATE MR. T. WILSON.

In the press, and will be published in March, a course of eight lectures by the late Mr. T. Wilson, with an account of the life of this powerful advocate of truth. The volume will contain about 250 pages, bound in cloth. Price to subscribers, 3s.; non-subscribers, 4s. Parties subscribing are requested to send their names to Leon Kenworthy, publisher, Cateaton-street, Manchester. Subscription list open to the 28th of February.

Died, on the 4th inst., aged 62 years, Mr. Thomas Wilson, of Woodhouses, Fails. worth, near Manchester. Our departed friend manifested, in very early life, strong indications of that ardent and persevering spirit which distinguished him throughout his future career. His course was begun and continued aecording to the maxim-"What thou doest, do it with all thy might." As a boy, scarcely any

thing besides athletic sports could engage his attention; he played and sported "with all his might," to the almost entire neglect of all scholastic duties. When, however, he had attained his 16th year, he began to experience a strong thirst for knowledge; and as the works of Paine, and others of a similar school, were then being extensively read in the neighbourhood, and in his own family circle, these

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were the first materials put into his hands to meet the cravings of his new-born mental appetite. While perusing these works with his accustomed ardour and diligence, he read, for the first time, something concerning religion, as given in Paine's Age of Reason." Under ordinary circumstances, we should be apt to say, and perhaps truly, that such a position is unfortunate for youth, just at the period when the love of acquiring knowledge begins to be developed. It was otherwise, however, with young Wilson; for although he had drunk in large potions from the above works, and appeared at this time on the high road to infidelity, there was, nevertheless, room in his mind for something wiser and better. This was made evident by the following apparently casual incident. On taking his usual Sabbath walk one morning, he met an acquaintance, a musician, who was then on his way to the New Church place of worship at Middleton, to assist in the choir; he invited Wilson to accompany him to a good musical stir;" this was agreed to, and as he heard the music, he of course heard the preacher also, the late Mr. R. Boardman. The truth of the sermon, it appears, made a deeper impression than the melody of the song, for he went again and again, without invitation, or the inducement of a "musical stir." He then inquired for books; several pamphlets, by Clowes and others, were supplied to him from the library. He next asked for one of the works of Swedenborg, and was furnished with the "Treatise on Heaven and Hell." On taking this home to read, his father, a man of strong reasoning powers, began to oppose, not authoritatively, but on what he called reasonable grounds, the reading of this book. Young Wilson, however, could not be satisfied with anything short of reading and judging for himself. The father also began to read, for the sole purpose of keeping up a mental warfare against it with his son, and they stoutly contested every page, every subject or doctrine, and thus battled on to the end of the book; the result was, both father and son became thoroughly convinced of its truth. The subject of this notice persevered in his course of reading, and soon found in the writings of Swedenborg ample materials to expose the fallacy of all the reasonings against Christianity, the truth of Revelation, and the being of God, which he had met with in the leading in

fidel writers of the day. After this, when any infidel lecturer appeared within 10 or 12 miles round the neighbourhood, he was always ready to encounter him. Having the advantage of knowing almost everything that his opponent could adduce, and being slow of speech, quick of perception, with great presence of mind, and an almost immovable temperament, he became a very successful debater; so much so, that latterly, in various instances, lecturers declined to meet him. He also frequently distinguished himself in verbal controversy on points of theology; and, although debate appeared to be his forte, he likewise rendered much good service to the Church as a Missionary preacher to various societies, during a period of twenty-five years; and on these, as well as other occasions, he was most eminently useful to young members, in private conversations with them, by clearing away doubts, removing difficulties, and correcting errors. He was also the founder and leader of the Failsworth Society. Last, though not least in importance, is the fact, that our friend endeavoured to make the doctrines and truths of the Word his rule of life, and the success of his endeavours was strikingly manifest in the fact, that neither in life nor in death had he any fear of death. In full vigour of health, he would sometimes speak to the following effect, when the subject was being named,—" Death is not worth thinking about; life is the only thing worth thinking of; if we think rightly of life, we need have no concern about death." In his last short illness (indeed the only illness of moment he ever suffered), a friend called to see him, and, while speaking of a course of lectures which Mr. W. was then engaged in delivering at Hulme, hinted that he thought he was overworking himself for the Church, and would thus shorten his days. His reply was in effect," I think much good may be done at this crisis, by making known the doctrines of the New Church by lectures, discussions, or otherwise, as there is now great agitation in the Christian world; and if, in trying to accomplish this good, I should shorten my life a few years, I do not see that it matters much." In less than two days afterwards, the final summons from his Lord and Master arrived, and then, with the most peaceful composure, he said, "Now I am just ready to go," and immediately breathed his last. D. H.