82 TlMEHRI. 
who set themselves up as teachers of new systems of 
religion, who were far more criminal than medical quacks. 
Playter offered to publish by subscription, " The Horn 
Book of the new light in the Seventy Ancient Galileans, 
and the Elders and Office-Bearers of the Wisdom of the 
Holy Gospel." It was to contain the origin and meaning 
of signs, hieroglyphics, letters and numbers, and the 
analogies between ancient mythologies, yEsop's fables, 
and the bible. It does not appear that the book was 
ever written, much less published, but PLAYTER gave 
leclures explaining his doftrines, one of which is des- 
cribed in the Courier as a " farrago of incoherent absur- 
dity." His society appears to have been very small 
and became dispersed at his death. He met with great 
opposition, his meetings being often interrupted by mobs 
of young men and boys. 
In January 1835, a meeting was held to discuss the 
desirability of establishing a Public News Room and 
Exchange in Georgetown. The Agricultural Society 
having invited the mercantile body to unite with them, 
the merchants held this meeting, but on account of some 
difficulties could not come to a decision , On the 17th of 
February following, however, the matter was arranged 
(without the planters) and in December the " Public 
News Room" was in working order. The subscription 
was foFty-four guilders per annum, every respectable per- 
son being eligible, while strangers could be introduced, 
and military and naval officers admitted free. Whether 
the Agricultural Society carried out its project for a 
second Reading Room does not appear. 
After the apprenticeship system had come into opera- 
tion the necessity for Friendly Societies became apparent, 
