Proceeding to deal with the Taiping Rebellion, the speaker traced its origin feom Hung Siu-tsien, who, after disappoint-cutin an examination at Canton, read a wok by anative Christixn entitled Good Wordsfor the Age state ut mind Goneeived all manner of erroneous ideas in connection with it succeeded in drawing together a large num-beret adherents, Then the whole number broke out in open rebellion, and took place fter place in their onward course to Nanking as their intended capital. Meanwhile their various books and publications came to hand, some of which were translated by che late Dr. Medhurst, and appeared in the North-China Herald of the day. In 1861, the speaker went to Nanking and Spent_three weeks in the house of the Rev, Mr. Roberts, who had been desired by the rebel chief to go thither, They frequently went thevugh various parts of the City, which was in a state of great dilapidation, they visited the so-called halls of the Father, set apart for public noticed the flags suspended on the Fridays, with the inscription that to-morrow was the Snbbath or Rest-day. The lecturer formed his impressions of the movement in the centre of it, and was compelled to write home on the spot an unfavourable opinion of it, Though the trouble was eventually put down, mainly through foreign intervention, it was the means of changing the order of things, in the circumstances tions of untold myriads of the and in the military and naval ar. Tangements of the authorities. As for the rebels, they were their own worst enemy Had they pursued their course in the way of humanity, there was for a time every likelihood of success, but such was their they did for the suppression of the gigantic evil, In it might be remarked that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.