The preaching of the missionaries, during their stay in Antigua, was full of allusions to the abolition of slavery in the West Indies, and especially to the entire emancipation in Antigua.  Indeed, we rarely attended a meeting in Antigua, of any kind, in which the late emancipation was not in some way alluded to with feelings of gratitude and exultation.  In the ordinary services of the Sabbath, this subject was almost uniformly introduced, either in the prayer or sermon.  Whenever thanksgiving was rendered to God for favors, freedom was among the number.

The meeting of the district afforded an opportunity for holding a number of anniversary meetings.  We notice them here, believing that they will present the most accurate view that can be given of the religious and moral condition of Antigua.

On the evening of the 1st of February, the first anniversary of the Antigua Temperance Society was held in the Wesleyan chapel.  We had been invited to attend and take a part in the exercises.  The chapel was crowded with a congregation of all grades and complexions.  Colored and white gentlemen appeared together on the platform.  We intimated to a member of the committee, that we could not conscientiously speak without advocating total abstinence, which doctrine, we concluded from the nature of the pledge, (which only included ardent spirits,) would not be well received.  We were assured that we might use the most perfect freedom in avowing our sentiments.

The speakers on this occasion were two planters, a Wesleyan missionary, and ourselves.  All advocated the doctrine of total abstinence.  The first speaker, a planter, concluded by saying, that it was commonly believed that wine and malt were rendered absolutely indispensable in the West Indies, by the exhausting nature of the climate.  But facts disprove the truth of this notion.  “I am happy to say that I can now present this large assembly with ocular demonstration of the fallacy of the popular opinion.  I need only point you to the worthy occupants of this platform.  Who are the healthiest among them? The cold water drinkers—­the teetotallers!  We can assure you that we have not lost a pound of flesh, by abandoning our cups.  We have tried the cold water experiment faithfully, and we can testify that since we became cold water men, we work better, we eat better, we sleep better, and we do every thing better than before.”  The next speaker, a planter also, dwelt on the inconsistency of using wine and malt, and at the same time calling upon the poor to give up ardent spirits.  He said this inconsistency had been cast in his teeth by his negroes.  He never could prevail upon them to stop drinking rum, until he threw away his wine and porter.  Now he and all his people were teetotallists.  There were two other planters who had taken the same course.  He stated, as the result of a careful calculation which he had made, that he and the two planters referred to, had been in the habit of giving to their people not less than one thousand gallons of rum annually.  The whole of this was now withheld, and molasses and sugar were given instead.  The missionary who followed them was not a whit behind in boldness and zeal, and between them, they left us little to say in our turn on the subject of total abstinence.