1,685

20,606,478

272

17,165

2,485

28,098

The thirty-fourth anniversary of the American Missionary Association was held at Norwich, Connecticut, October 12th. The receipts of the Association for the year had been $187,480, and its expenditures $188,172, of which $12,000 were appropriated to the mission in Africa. The following is a summary of the statistics of the missionary work of the Association:

Missionaries.-Among the freedmen in the South, 84; among the Indians, 1; in Africa, 8; total, 93.

Teachers. In the South, 180; among the Chinese, 22; among the Indians, 6; native helpers in Africa, 5; total, 213: matrons, 11; persons employed in the business department, 13; whole number of workers, 330.

Churches. In the South, 73; among the Indians, 1; in Africa, 2; total, 76.

Church members. In the South, 4,961; among the Indians, 36; in Africa, 87; total, 5,084. Whole number of Sunday-school scholars, 8,073.

Schools. In the South, 51; among the Chinese, 12; among the Indians, 5; in Africa, 3; total, 71.

Pupils.-In the South, 8,052; among the Chinese, 1,556; among the Indians, 233; in Africa, 179; total, 10,020.

The high-schools at Atlanta, Georgia, and Tongaloo, Mississippi, were aided by the States within whose territories they are situated. Sixteen young ministers from Howard University had gone South to labor among the freedmen. The experiment of educating Indian youth at the schools at Hampton, Virginia, and Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, was pronounced a con

The fourth triennial National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States met at St. Louis, Missouri, November 11th. The Rev. H. M. Dexter, D. D., was chosen moderator. A statistical report was presented showing that a net gain had accrued to the denomination, during the three years past, of 165 churches and 17,325 members. A committee appointed by the previous Council to consider and report upon ministerial responsibility and standing and the means of maintaining them, presented a report reviewing the usages of the Congregational churches on the subject, and proposing a system of measures consistent with those usages, to be submitted to the churches and adopted by them, if approved by them. As amended and agreed to by the Council, the proposed plan provides: "1. That a pro re rata council is the origin of ministerial standing in our fellowship, and the last resort in all cases of question. 2. That the continued certification of ministerial standing can well be left to ministerial associations or the organizations of churches. 3. That the body of churches in any locality have an inalienable right of extending ministerial fellowship or withholding it from any person within its bounds, no matter what his relations may be in church-membership or ecclesiastical affiliations, the proceedings to be commenced by any church, and due regard being had to equity in the method of proceedings." It further recommends that the name be indicated in the minutes of the State Associations of the local organization to which each associated minister may belong, and that this information be added, together with a list of the names of the scribes or registrars of the said organizations, to the lists heretofore given in the " Year-Book," and suggests a course of proceedings to be adopted in reference to ministers charged with heresy or immorality. The subject of proposing a statement of articles of belief was brought before the Council in memorials from State Associations and Conferences, in an elaborate paper reviewing the whole subject by Professor H. Mead, and in a favorable report of a committee to which the subject was referred. It was generally agreed that a creed could not be imposed on the churches by any kind of authority, but that the object of the proposed statement should be to obtain a doctrinal declaration which all the churches might judge worthy of adoption. The Council decided to appoint a committee of seven persons, who should as soon as practicable select twenty-five persons of ability and piety, representing all

the different modes of theological thought in the Congregational body, and willing to cooperate with each other in the production of an acceptable symbol of faith-a creed or catechism, or both-who should, without specific instructions and with full liberty of time, report the result of their labors to the churches, to be judged by them. A resolution was adopt ed approving the erection of a memorial tablet to John Robinson, pastor of the Leyden Pilgrims, in the Cathedral of St. Peter's, at Leyden, where he is buried. A report was presented by a Committee on Pastorless Churches and Churchless Pastors, which declared that the principal cause of the evil of vacancies was the smallness, weakness, and poverty of a large number of the churches, 1,272 of them not having more than fifty members each. The Council resolved to address a memorial to the President and Congress asking for the enforcement of the law against polygamy, and to endeavor to procure from the Government a modification of rulings which have led to the restriction and curtailment of missionary work among the Indians. The continued existence of the Council on its present plan was objected to in resolutions sent up by several State Congregational bodies. Answer was returned to these objections that the Council as it is was generally approved by the churches as a safe and useful bond between them, but that suggestions looking toward improvement would be welcomed. Statements were made concerning the work of the American Missionary Association among the freedmen, of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, of the Congregational Publishing Society, of the American Home Missionary Society, of the American Congregational Union, of the College and Educational Society, and of the measures that had been taken in different States for the relief of disabled ministers and their families. A delegation of twenty-five representatives was appointed to attend the Jubilee Meeting of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1881.

II. BRITISH DOMINIONS.-The following is a summary of the statistics of the Congregational Churches in Great Britain and the colonies, as given in the "Congregational Year-Book for 1880:

Islands of the British Seas.-Churches, 17; vacant churches, 2.

Canada and Newfoundland.-Churches, 121; vacant churches, 30.

Australia.-Churches, 172; preaching-stations, 115; vacant stations, 15.

New Zealand.-Churches, 19; vacant church es, 7.

Natal.-Churches, 2; preaching-stations, 10. Congregational Union in South Africa.Churches, 27.

Jamaica.-Churches, 14.

British Guiana.-Churches, 16; churches aided by the London Missionary Society, India.-Churches, 14; churches aided by the London Missionary Society, 9; native churches, 17.

China.-Churches independent of the London Missionary Society, 2.

MINISTERS.--English ministers in England and Wales, 2,119; Welsh ministers, 453; Scotland, 121; Ireland, 20; Channel Islands, 5; English ministers on the Continent, 7; ministers in colonies, 333; inissionaries of London Missionary Society, 137; native ordained missionaries, 357; total, 3,552, of whom 672 were without pastorates.

The number of Congregational colleges and institutes for ministerial training were as follows:

There are also ten institutions in heathen lands belonging to the London Missionary Society, containing about 300 native students.

The annual meeting of the Congregational Union of England and Wales was held May 10th. The Rev. Dr. Newth presided. The Executive Committee reported that much time and attention had been occupied with the question of raising the standard of education of ministers; that two conferences, representative of the colleges connected with the denomination, had been held in the south and north of England; that steps had been taken with a view to the formation of Boards of Education; and that it was anticipated that in a few years at most advantage would be taken of the opening of the colleges and universities to Nonconformists, so as to give to as many of the students of the Congregational body as possible the benefits of a university education. The political action of the committee had been chiefly directed against the proposed Census Bill in so far as it sought to inquire into the religious views and professions of the community. The Memorial Hall had been constructed at a cost of £75,520, of which not more than £2,500 was owing. Within it was a library of 8,000 volumes and 2,000 manuscripts and pamphlets, some of them of

rare value, which was open to the use of the denomination. The Union adopted a resolution of congratulation over the accession of the Liberal party to power, and of Mr. Gladstone to the head of the Government, in which, while approving the reserve which had been maintained by Nonconformists at the late elections in regard to their peculiar questions, it expressed the hope that the new Parliament would promptly grant the redress of the grievances of which Nonconformists had hitherto in vain complained, and that substantial progress would be made toward just and sound legislation on all questions affecting religion and the churches. The Rev. Henry Allon, D. D., was elected chairman of the Union for 1881-'82.

The autumnal session of the Union was held in Birmingham, beginning October 12th. The opening sermon was preached by the Rev. E. R. Conder. Resolutions were passed expressing gratification at the passage of the act respecting burials; expressing anxiety to secure the largest degree of union and cooperation with the members of the Established Church compatible with the manly assertion of the Union's own principles; explaining that the Union felt bound to protest against the continuance of a national establishment of religion, but that that protest was altogether independent of the Church which might enjoy the patronage of the state, and that it felt the highest regard for the Episcopal Church and its religious work. Inasmuch as the next year would be the fiftieth year since the organization of the Union, it was decided to celebrate it as a year of Jubilee, and for that purpose to invite the Congregational churches of other countries and the Evangelical Union of Scotland to send representatives to the autumnal meetings of 1881; also, to found a special fund for the strengthening of the church aid and home mis- sionary operations of the Congregational body, and "for such denominational uses as may seem to be most urgent." A committee was appointed to prepare a scheme for such a fund and report upon it at the meeting of the Union in May, 1881. Many papers were read during the meetings of the Union on subjects relating to religious work.

The eighty-sixth annual meeting of the London Missionary Society was held in London, May 13th. Mr. J. K. Welch presided. The contributions to the Society during the year, for special purposes, had been £93,333, and those for general objects had been £8,829, making a total of £102,162, besides which £1,700 had been received from the sale of property in South Africa. The expenditures had been £100,174. The report described the progress of the missions in China, India, and Polynesia as encouraging, but represented that the work in South Africa had been seriously checked. The mission in Central Africa (Lake Tanganyika) was being reenforced.

E. C. Hore visited the south end of Lake Tanganyika, with a view to selecting suitable

locations for mission-stations. In the execution of his commission he passed the Lukuga, and found it to be a true outlet, carrying the overflow of the lake into the Lualaba, as was reported by Cameron, but denied by Stanley. (See GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY.) Mr. Hore crossed the lake in a small vessel belonging to the Society from the mission-station at Ujiji, in May, 1879. He found the country of Ulungu, lying between the Zinga and Lofu River, inhabited by a peaceable tribe of distinct nationality, having their own peculiar customs, dress, and ornaments-not, as was supposed, by a mixed population of nomads, living in constant dread of the Watuta; these appear to have left this region. It is a most promising region for the work of evangelization and civilization, as the soil when cleared is exceedingly fertile, and native food is now abundant. The tsetse fly, however, is common. On the coast-line of Ulungu the villages are found clustered together in districts, with forestclothed hills intervening. Each district seems to have a separate and independent chief. Mr. Hore recommends three of these districts as favorable sites for missionary stations-Liemba Harbor, Sombe's country, and the Lofu River. Liemba Harbor (so named by Dr. Livingstone, though liemba is only the Kilungu word for lake) and the mouth of the Lofu River are comparatively populous districts. The advantage of Sombe's country (Stanley's Mazombe) is that it lies at the southeast corner of the lake. There is a regular highway from the south end of Tanganyika to Unyamyembe and Ujiji, so that stations planted there would be little more remote and isolated than the present one at Ujiji. The Society has established its new station at Mtowa, on the western shore, just north of the Lukuga outlet, and has given it the name of Plymouth Rock.

The Jubilee of the Missions in the South Seas, which was begun in Samoa in 1830, it was stated in the May meeting of the Society, would be celebrated during the year. The prevalence of malaria had been found to be a serious obstacle to the organization of the mission in New Guinea.

Post Moresby and the neighboring coastregion has proved unhealthy, not only for Europeans but for natives of eastern Polynesia, who act as mission-teachers. Rev. James Chalmers has explored the interior, in order to locate a salubrious site for a station. He ascended the Goldie River and its affluent, Munikahila Creek, to the Elkiri district. Here in the valleys between the foot-hills and the main ridge of the Owen Stanley range is a large population, well supplied with sugar-cane and all kinds of native food, with abundant water accessible. From Mount Astrolabe he obtained a view of the finest stretch of country which he has seen in New Guinea. This tract, which is drained by the Laloki, he described as composed of well-watered and fruitful valleys, separated by green ridges.