nt
Baptist divines of the day, the church under his charge increasing so
rapidly that it became the source of great uneasiness to the deacons.
Mr. Pearce took great interest in the missionary cause, preaching here
the first sermon on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society (Oct.,
1792), on which occasion L70 was handed in; he also volunteered to go to
India himself. Suffering from consumption he preached his last sermon
Dec. 2, 1798, lingering on till the 10th of October following, and dying
at the early age of 33. He was buried at the foot of the pulpit stairs.

_Slater_.--Hutton says that an apothecary named Slater made himself
Rector of St. Martin's during the days of the Commonwealth, and that
when the authorities came to turn him out he hid himself in a dark
corner. This is the individual named in Houghton's "History of Religion
in England" as being brought before the Court of Arches charged with
having forged his letters of orders, with preaching among the Quakers,
railing in the pulpit at the parishioners, swearing, gambling, and other
more scandalous offences.

_Scholefield_.--The pastor of the Old Meeting Congregation in 1787 was
named Scholefield, and he was the first to properly organise Sunday
Schools in connection with Dissenting places of worship.

_Robert Taylor_.--The horrible title of "The Devil's Chaplain" was given
the Rev. Robert Taylor, B.A., who in 1819-20 was for short periods
curate at Yardley and at St. Paul's in this town. He had been educated
for the Church, and matriculated well, but adopted such Deistical
opinions that he was ultimately expelled the Church, and more than once
after leaving here was imprisoned for blasphemy.

_Charles Vince_.--Charles Vince was the son of a carpenter, and was a
native of Surrey, being born at Farnham in 1823. For some years after
reaching manhood Mr. Vince was a Chartist lecturer, but was chosen
minister of Mount Zion Chapel in 1851, and remained with us till Oct.
22, 1874, when he was removed to the world above. His death was a loss
to the whole community, among whom he had none but friends.

_John Webb_.--The Rev. John Webb, who about 1802 was appointed Lecturer
at St. Martin's and Minister of St. Bartholomew's was an antiquarian
scholar of some celebrity; but was specially valued here (though his
stay was not long) on account of his friendship with Mendelssohn and
Neukomm, and for the valued services he rendered at several Festivals.
He wrote the Eng