Bible Society Meeting. — On the even ing of Wednesday, April 8, the Rev. B. i Backhouse, representative of the British and I Foreign Bible Society, gave a lecLuro m the j Presbyterian Church, Timaru, on the Bible |m India and China. After singing, and a j prayer by the Rev. W. Lee, the Rev. W. R. Campbell iatrodueed the lecturer. After re marking on the benefit the churches derive from taking an interest m missionary efforts, and not limit ing their view to their own con gregational affairs, Mr Backhouse stated the claims of the Bible Society. He desired to get some men, however few, to work earnestly for the Soicety. The number of copies of the Scriptures circulated directly or indirectly through the efforts of the Bible Society^ had risen to upwards of one hundred and twenty millions. The Bible Society was different from all other societies. The " Society for the Propagation of tho Gospel m Foreign Parts," was the oldest, but had only given the Bible m twelve languages, and was deeply in debted to the Bible Society for help, receiving from it the versions used m India and Japan. ! As to the Church Missionary Society, they gave to that noble institution the word of God m nearly thirty different languages. The Seotish Bible Society was limited m its opera tions, it was merely a rivulet from tho Bible Society. Its great mission was colportage. The system of sending forth copies of the Scriptures by colporteurs had been worked for about forty years. In the Franco-German war the Bible Society showed its wonderful adaptation to meet every emergeucy. On the proclamation of war, 200,000 copies of the Gospels were ready within twenty-four hours, French and German speaking colporteurs were brought together to the scene of war, and a million aud a-half of copies of the Scriptures were thus put into circulation. About sixty years ago the language of China was virtually unkuown m Britain. Robert Morrison, a raw youth, devoted himself to the work of introducing tho Gospel into China. When he went out with Dr Milne, they were refused admission into the country. After twenty-three years continuous labor he suc ceeded m mastering the language, and trans lating the Scriptures into Chinese. Thirty years ago, war broke out, issuing m the ceding of Hongkong, &c. 