establish a chapel and school in that neighbourhood. There is, however, a small debt on the building which the promoters and the congregation are anxious to see cleared off; and for this purpose it has been proposed to hold a sale of Ladies Work, a few months hence.
Turn we now to the Congregationalists a body of professing Christians whose simple mode of worship is akin to that of the Presbyterians, and whose numbers are greatly increasing. Their place of worship at Hastings has been undergoing a considerable enlargement, and when completed sometime next month the Rev.C. H. Spurgeon, of the Tabernacle, London, is expected to conduct the re-opening service.
The St. Leonards Congregationalists continue to meet for worship in the Assembly Rooms, every Sunday and will probably so continue until their new building in the London road is sufficiently reared to admit of service being conducted in that portion of it designed for a school and lecture room. Apropos of this building, the work is proceeding rapidly and the contributions towards the expense of erection (£1000) have reached to a sum not far short of the first moiety. Subscriptions continue to be receive by Mr. Arnold, 18 Grand parade; T. Spalding Esq. Ore Place; and the Rev. A. Reed Upper Mage Hill. It will be a chaste and spacious edifice, and will form an additional attraction to that which is already presented by Christ Church, in the same locality.
The mention of Christ Church leads to another association- namely the marriage of its senior curate, the Rev. Henry Blagden. This event occurred on Wednesday last (April 6th) at a church in Paddington, bearing the same title as the one at St Leonards in which the bridegroom officiates. The name of the bride was Isabella Catherine Searight, second daughter of Jas. Searight, Esq. of Upper Hyde-park Gardens. And this, again, is a reminder of another event of equal interest and equally entitled to a brief notice in our jottings on preachers an preaching places standing in the same parish and at a few hundred yards from Christ Church is another devoted to sacred purposes, and one usually regarded as the parent church, or more precisely, the church of St. Mary Magdalen. The worthy pastor of this church had the happiness on Thursday morning (April 7th) of giving in marriage his esteemed daughter. Miss Emma Heme. The partner selected by this amiable young lady is also a spiritual pastor, doing duty at the parish church of Bexhill.
In concluding these remarks, we may intimate that according to present arrangements, the preaching of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon in the Robertson-street chapel is to be anteceded by the preaching of his brother, the Rev. J. Spurgeon, in the Wellington square chapel; the latter place of worship, like the former, being about to be re-opened after extensive alterations and repairs.
