REV. J. M. WILLIAMS, of the Mendi Mission, died at Freetown, February 21. Mr. Williams was a native of British Guiana, and born in 1828. He was early impressed with a love to the Saviour and to Africa by his grandmother Christina, a native of the interior of Congo. He was educated in Ebenezer Chapel School, and studied theology with the pastor of the church; became assistant minister, then tutor in training school at Clarkson. But in his own words: “The promise of my childhood made to my grandmother that I would carry the word of God to Africa for her, when a man; this promise made with no other object than to soothe her in her tears for Africa, grew up with me, till I felt I would rather travel from town to town with my Bible, reading and publishing Christ the Saviour to my benighted brethren in Africa, than fill the most exalted and lucrative position in British Guiana or anywhere else.” In 1861 he went to Africa, and with the exception of three years spent in England remained there till the time of his death. Mr. Chase, who visited him in 1880 at Kaw Mendi, where the last five years of his life were spent, says: “For Africa Mr. Williams’ effort may be considered a success. Very few missionaries could accomplish so much in so short a time in any field in Africa.” * * * * * GENERAL NOTES. AFRICA. ——West Central Africa is to receive four missionaries from Oberlin, who will go out under appointment of the A. B. C. F. M. ——The London _Standard_ has received from Durban a dispatch announcing the return of Mr. Richards, a missionary, who has been well received by Oumzila. The King has permitted him to establish a mission in his possessions. ——Of forty physicians who offered themselves to accompany to the Gold Coast Mr. Praetorius, sub-inspector of the Basle Missions, the committee has chosen Dr. Ernest Maehli, of Swiss origin. ——A survey is to be made for a light railway from the West African Gold Coast through the mining regions of the Wassan. If this road is constructed it will open up a country rich in palm oil, India rubber and precious metals. ——John Smith Moffat has been sent to Lessouto as British representative. Born at Kourouman and brought up in England, he has still passed nearly 25 years in Africa, and exercised in the Transvaal a civil magistracy among the natives, whose interests, material and moral, he has always protected. ——Capt. Foot, commander of the ship Ruby, has accepted a call of the Sultan of Zanzibar, with a view to the suppression of the slave trade, which appeared concentrated at Bemba. The Arab bark with which Capt. Brownrigg joined combat has been captured. The French and English governments have taken up the matter.