hold up your hands at all. Who made Jabez Whittle your president? Am not I? He is only one of the faction.

Jabez Whittle. And who made you, James Chapman, the Independent minister of a Presbyterian chapel? Christian friends, you who are opposed to this illegal meeting, hold up your hands. This does not pledge you to vote for us or against us, but merely to decide that this meeting shall or shall not adjourn.

Mr. Chapman. Do not vote, my friends. It is only a trap laid for you by Tom Farmer.

In spite, however, of this caution, some of the truly "Independent" members, such as Mrs. Templetown and Mrs. Turnley, held up their hands, not because they thought the meeting either legal or illegal, for they knew nothing about the matter, but simply to show that, "as for them, they were neither priest-ridden, nor Palmer-ridden, but independent." So seven persons held up their hands against the adjournment.

Jabez Whittle. Thus sixteen have voted to adjourn this illegal meeting, and seven only not to adjourn; I declare the meeting adjourned.

The Senior Deacon. You may as well de

clare yourself the pastor, clerk, and congregaYou can as much do one as the

tion at once.

other.

George Palmer. Christian friends, this illegal meeting is adjourned.

The Senior Deacon. Christian friends, this legal meeting will continue its deliberations; and proceed to hear, discuss, and vote on the resolutions now to be submitted to it.

George Palmer. The meeting is adjourned. Jabez Whittle. The meeting is adjourned. [Cries of "Adjourned, adjourned," from all the other truly Independent schismatics; and the whole of the sixteen left their chairs, forms, and benches, and opened the school-room door.]

George Palmer. Take care, Mrs. Templetown, they do not drag you into their nets. Jabez Whittle. Let me advise you, Mrs. Turnley, how you listen to their falsehoods.

Job Perkins. Now, gem'men, if you're going, go, as the saying is, but none o' your disturbance in this here place, or you will find yourself where Tom Farmer is, in the cage for the night.

Betsy Smallgrass. Do you hear that, George Palmer? poor dear Mr. Farmer in the cage for the night.

George Palmer. Let those laugh who lose; those will who win, Mrs. Smallgrass.

Job Perkins. Come gem'men, move on, move on; no interruption of the public peace, if you please, or I may be obliged to show my authority.

George Palmer. Come, my friends, let us move off; for people are known by the company they keep.

Jabez Whittle. And we have been in very indifferent society for the last two hours.

So all the malcontents reached the lane, except two, who remained as spies, and the schoolroom door was shut and bolted.

Job Perkins then opened the vestry-room door; and raising his voice to something resembling a squeak, exclaimed-" They're all gone, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen and ladies, and joy go with 'em and sixpence, as the saying is," and he shut the door. The meeting, thus cleared of fourteen orators and rioters, for only two remained to listen and report, became much more calm, though the whole of THE IMPARTIAL PARTY" (seven in number) stayed, and maintained, "that there were faults on both sides;" and three Christian people, who desired that an attempt should be made at RECONCILIATION. “The IMPARTIAL party" was headed by Mrs.

66

Templetown; and the three real Christians were Mrs. MacIntyre, Mrs. Chalmers, and a Miss Fletcher, who, though of Scotch and Presbyterian origin, had remained faithful to this mixed or mongrel congregation, because within those walls they had first experienced the truth and power of the gospel.

"The CHAPMAN party, for that was the title by which the friends of the minister and of my grandfather were now called, were thirty-six at the meeting, exclusive of the minister, his wife, and the two deacons and their wives. So that, in fact, the statistics of the factions were as follows:

Schismatics who had left the meeting

Schismatics who remained to watch and report

Impartialists

Chapmanists

True Christian peace-makers

14

272318

42

Total 68

As soon as order was restored, the minister took the chair; and the candles and lamps having been snuffed and trimmed by poor Jesse Piper,

The apothecary once more rose to propose his resolutions. Mr. Chapman had introduced

the words between parenthesis after the malcontents had withdrawn.

"Resolved, 1st. That this legally convoked church-meeting (in spite of the protest of George Palmer, Betsy Smallgrass, Sarah Marshall, Nathaniel Blackmann, and Jabez Whittle, to the contrary, and their voluntary withdrawal) has learnt with the deepest regret that an attempt has been made by (the said) George Palmer, Betsy Smallgrass, Mary Marshall, Nathaniel Blackmann, and Jabez Whittle, to PROTEST illegally, and notwithstanding the decisions of the majority of two successive meetings in his favour, against the appointment of James Rawston, Esq., to the post of senior deacon; and further, that the said George Palmer, &c., did sign and deliver to Jesse Piper-"

Jesse Piper. No, only George Palmer gave

it to me.

Mr. Chapman. Silence, Jesse, silence!

The Apothecary. It's all right, Jesse; don't interrupt me. And then he continued-" on Sunday morning last, a REQUISITION, to be handed to the Rev. Mr. Chapman, the minister, to convoke a special church-meeting this day for purposes most insulting to our minister,