and the slave trade Collins advocated for the abolition of African slavery, at a time when that cause was not so popular as it came to be at a later date. This brought him into contact and co-operation with William Wilberforce, Zachary Macaulay, and other champions of the emancipation of the slave. The fact that he took openly the side of the slaves, and that petitions for emancipation lay in his book shop, alienated some of his business customers, many of whom were largely interested in the West India trade. Publishing of religious works Mr Collins, published religious literature by reprinting, in a more accessible form many of the writings of the divines of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. To these volumes suitable introductions were prefixed, written by the more eminent clergymen and laymen of the day, of all denominations. Involvement in the temperance movement When the temperance cause found its way to Scotland from the United States in 1829, Mr Collins hailed it, as "throwing a ray of light," to use his own words, upon a dark problem. He was the earliest member of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Temperance Society, and he laboured to promote its object. He visited, on this errand, many of the towns of Scotland, and even extended his tours to Manchester, Liverpool, and London, in all which places he delivered addresses to large audiences. He visited the metropolis three times, and succeeded, on his third visit, in forming the British and Foreign Temperance Society. At one of its early meetings in Exeter Hall he delivered his famous lecture on the "Harmony of the Gospel and Temperance Societies". From 1829 to 1834 a large portion of his time and means were devoted to the maintenance of a cause which he regarded as very important. Glaswegian church building scheme After talking with his daughter Collins conceived of his grand enterprise of aiming to provide twenty additional parish churches for Glasgow. Many pronounced his scheme a "devout imagination;" but the very greatness of the enterprise contributed largely to its success. Christian philanthropy in those days found vent in contributions of one guinea, five guineas, and, on very extraordinary occasions, ten guineas. Here was an appeal to Christian men to unite in achieving a great object of an evangelical kind by contributions of ;£200 each, payable in five instalments. This was a novelty ; but a novelty