

CONGREGAT10NALISTS. 



135 



rare value, which was open to the use of the de- 

 nomination. The Union adopted a resolution 

 of congratulation over the accession of the Lib- 

 eral party to power, and of Mr. Gladstone to the 

 head of the Government, in which, while ap- 

 proving the reserve which had been maintained 

 by Nonconformists at the late elections in re- 

 gard 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 com- 

 plained, 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 chair- 

 man 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. Cornier. Resolutions were passed express- 

 ing gratification at the passage of the act re- 

 specting 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 con- 

 tinuance of a national establishment of relig- 

 ion, but that that protest was altogether inde- 

 pendent of the Church which might enjoy the 

 patronage of the state, and that it felt the high- 

 est regard for the Episcopal Church and its reli- 

 gious 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 Lon- 

 don 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 proper- 

 ty 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 Tanganyi- 

 ka) 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 execu- 

 tion 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 DISCOV- 

 ERY.) Mr. Hore crossed the lake in a small 

 vessel belonging to the Society from the mis- 

 sion-station at Ujiji, in May, 1879. He found 

 the country of Ulungu, lying between the Zinga 

 aud Lofu River, inhabited by a peaceable tribe 

 of distinct nationality, having their own pecul- 

 iar 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 ex- 

 ceedingly fertile, and native food is now abun- 

 dant. The tsetse fly, however, is common. On 

 the coast-line of Ulungu the villages are found 

 clustered together in districts, with forest- 

 clothed hills intervening. Each district seems to 

 have a separate and independent chief. Mr. 

 Hore recommends three of these districts as fa- 

 vorable 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 compara- 

 tively 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 re- 

 mote 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 mis- 

 sion in New Guinea. 



Post Moresby and the neighboring coast- 

 region has proved unhealthy, not only for Eu- 

 ropeans but for natives of eastern Polyne- 

 sia, who act as mission-teachers. Rev. James 

 Chalmers has explored the interior, in order to 

 locate a salubrious site for a station. He as- 

 cended the Goldie River and its affluent, Muni- 

 kahila 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 com- 

 posed of well-watered and fruitful valleys, sep- 

 arated by green ridges. 



