comprising several new settlements, thus forming a very laborious pastoral charge for two preachers not less than thiry-five miles in length.

At this arduous and toilsome field of labour he arrived on the evening of June the 30th-having spent the preceding Sabbath in Toronto, were he preached twice-so much in request were his ministrations in all places at all times, and so willingly was he to respond to every call inviting him to the performance of that work to which he felt he was Divinely designated. The day after his arrival in London, which was Sabbath, July the 1st, he opened his commission in that town, by delivering two impressive sermons from the two following texts of Holy Scripture: namely, in the morning, from 1 Peter, ii. 9., “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; and in the evening, from Ephesians, ii. 13., "But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ." These sermons, the writer is inclined to think, were unwritten; for, although they were considered very able and made a deep impression, yet he has not been able to find even a skeleton of either among Mr. BYRNE's papers.

As the superintendency devolved on the writer, and as he had been the year preceding in London, he left Mr. B. in the town for the next Sabbath also, and employed this fortnight in the country organizing the Circuit. "A fortnight in, and a fornight out, constituted the plan of interchange for the rest of the year. The superintendent, on his return to town, found that his young colleague had, in the short space of two weeks, won for himself golden opinions. Indeed, his reception and popularity,

allowing for the difference of population, reminded him of what he had heard and read of the multitudes who flocked to hear the lamented SUMMERFIELD in New York. Nor did those golden opinions ever become tarnished at any subsequent period of his stay; but wore brighter and brighter. This was eviaced by the fact, that the announcement of his name for any special service would procure for us a larger congregation and collection, than the services of any living man we could get, however celebrated.

And it must be admitted, that he was fully entitled to all the love and esteem which were accorded to him. He was modest and unassuming in his demeanour; condescending to the poorest; and very thorough and methodical in pastoral visitations, both to sick and well: spending nearly every week-day afternoon, when at leisure, in this delightful and important employment-economizing the time and travel, by proceeding regularly up one side of a street and down the other, "going into every house," of hearer or member, "in order." He was truly studious: though not wedded to books, like some intellectual men, but perfectly accessible to any person at any time; and seemed to act on the maxim of our excellent discipline, that "Gaining knowledge is a good work, but saving souls is a better." Notwithstanding the exquisite sensibility and refinement of his nature made him to shrink from many things he had to meet with in the country, yet he cheerfully bore it as his cross; and was most assiduously faithful to his appointments and to every thing connected with the thorough working of the Circuit. A more obedient junior preacher never existed; as he made conscience of fulfilling the requisitions of his superintendent to very letter. Nor were his labours in vain in the Lord;

the

but there was a steady, progressive work of God, both in town and country, throughout the year, which resulted in a very improved state of religious feeling, and a very considerable net increase in the number of members. No less than three new classes were formed in previously neglected neighbourhoods.

His boarding was provided for, by three pious families, taking him as an inmate each of them a proportionate part of the year, without any outlay of money by the Circuit Stewards. To this arrangement he submitted in a spirit and manner which might be instructive to many young preachers of much inferior calibre. But this humility and alacrity in accommodating himself to circumstances was not unappreciated by the people in the Circuit; for though the Steward's accou its showed a deficiency of a few pounds on his salary at the District Meeting, this was more than made up, and sent to him after he had removed from the Circuit. Besides this, many other private acts and tokens of friendship showed the high estimation in which he was held.

During the winter of this Conference year he went to a number of places to preach Missionary Sermons; and he was one of the Deputatation to hold Missionary Meetings in several Circuits. In all of which instances, his ministrations were listened to with the most admiring attention, and attended with the richest unction from above. the platform, he was able, eloquent, and very effective.

On

It is, however, a mournful consideration, that in one of these towns he met with a damp bed, which, it is supposed, was the originating cause of his early death. Although few persons knew it, so uncomplaining was his manner, yet he was never after perfectly well. It is to be hoped, that the addition of this precious victim to the deadly ten

dencies of a long unoccupied bed, when not thoroughly dried, will remind those who "entertain strangers" of the necessity of taking proper precautions to prevent the recurrence of any more such lamentable fatalities in the future.

The last Sabbath of this year, before the District Meeting, he spent among the truly amiable Methodist people of St. Thomas, when he preached one of the anniversary sermons in behalf of the flourishing Wesleyan Sabbath School which then existed in that interesting town. He had preached several times during the year to the friends in that place; and always with unbounded pleasure and ap proval on their part; but never more so than on the occasion referred to, although he was labouring even then under the depressing, prostrating, incipient attacks of that disease which afterwards laid him low. The Meeting of the District taking place during the course of that week in St. Thomas, he consequently continued throughout the intervening time; and was treated with the greatest hospitality and kindness by the considerate Wesleyan people of that place. At the examinations preparatory to the meeting referred to, which took place the day before, he so acquitted himself, in the accomplishment of his yearly course, indisposed as he was, as to excite astonishment and produce delight in the minds of his senior brethren. His responses exhibited, not only study and correctness, but originality and grasp of mind.

In that delicate state of health he remained at his post in London, while his superintendent was absent at the ensuing Conference, never once pleading his infirmities, as most young men would have done, as a reason for spending the interval with his friends; and continued during the period of Conference session to preach no less than seven times. Indeed, he seemed incapable of rest, while he was at all

able to labour, and any thing was to be done in his Masters's work. During the very few days he spent with his friends in Brantford, we find him occupying the pulpit

once.

The writer had the pleasure of seeing him in that town on his return to London for the third year, on the 28th of June, having been detained in the lower part of the Province about two weeks after the rise of Conference. Mr. BYRNE had anticipated the pleasure of spending several days longer in the society of his parents and friends; but a summons from the Superintendent of the East Toronto City Circuit, to which Mr. B. had been appointed by the recent Conference, urging the necessity of his being there the following Sabbath, was promptly responded to by this ever willing servant of the Lord. The last sight of him the writer ever had, was that afternoon, in the coach, in which he was rolling away towards what proved to be his last Circuit.

verse.

TORONTO CITY EAST CIRCUIT.

Three days after his departure from Brantford, we find from his "Remembrancer of Preaching," that he opened his commission in the Toronto East Circuit, by bespeaking the people's prayers, from that appropriate text, Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, third chapter, and the first The delivery of this sermon, in the Adelaide Street Church, was attended, we are told by an intelligent and pious gentleman who was present on the occasion, by a large concourse of persons, and among the rest, several members of the Legislature, then in session in Toronto; all of whom listened to it with that fixed and admiring attention its merits, both as to matter and delivery, so justly deserved. It might be a matter of lawful curiosity to