METHODISTS. 





whole question and act accordingly. The 

 committee was further authorized to secure 

 the introduction of a bill to enable non-con- 

 formists to acquire sites for places for worship 

 where such sites can not be obtained otherwise 

 than by the exercise of compulsory powers. 

 The principle was approved of that all needful 

 facilities should be given for the compulsory 

 enfranchisement of chapels erected on lease- 

 hold sites. The committee was further direct- 

 ed to take the necessary steps to secure an 

 alteration of the burial laws amendment act, 

 1880, by which the length of the necessary 

 notice of intention to bury may be reduced, if 

 possible, to twelve hours. It was also author- 

 ized to seek such an amendment in the law, or 

 in its administration, as shall secure, within 

 reasonable limits, the uninterrupted right of 

 preaching in public thoroughfares and open 

 spaces. Provision was made for considering, 

 during the year, the electoral disadvant;,_ 

 which Wesleyan ministers are subject in conse- 

 quence of the itinerancy, and for taking such 

 action as may be advisable for having them re- 

 moved. A committee was appointed to con- 

 sider general legislative measures affecting Wes- 

 leyan day-school education, and to take such 

 action as may be deemed desirable. Favorable 

 reports were received from several ; ' middle- 

 class ?1 schools, aud efforts were decided upon 

 to increase the number of such schools. 



IX. Primitive Methodist Chnrfh. The statisti- 

 cal reports of this Church in 1888 give it 1,041 

 itinerant ministers, 16,219 local preachers, and 

 192,874 member-. 



The whole amount of gifts fur the year to 

 the Connectional funds, was returned to the 

 conferences as 9.000. The Book-Room re- 

 turned a year's business of nearly 41.500. with 

 clear profits of more than 9.000. The Con- 

 nectional Insurance Society had invested 12,- 

 794. 



The Primitive Methodist Conference met in 

 Liverpool, June 6. The Rev. Thomas Whitta- 

 ker was chosen president. The subject of 

 Methodist union was favorably considered, and 

 the Conference decided to inquire whether 

 organic union could not be secured with one 

 or the other Methodist bodies. The General 

 Connectional Committee was instructed to ap- 

 point representatives to assist in arranging 

 for the ''(Ecumenical Methodist Conference " 

 which it is proposed to hold in the United 

 States in 1891. The Committee of Privileges 

 reported upon the steps which it had taken 

 to arrange with other Methodist bodies to se- 

 cure co-operative action on public questions 

 in which their common rights and privileges 

 should be involved. The care of the Connec- 

 tional missionary enterprises was taken from 

 the General Connectional Committee and given 

 to a distinct committee of fifty members, which 

 will hold meetings fortnightly in London and 

 quarterly in such large towns as may be ap- 

 pointed from time to time, with local district 

 committees. Steps were taken for the prepa- 

 VOL. xxvni. 35 A 



ration of a systematic method for training na- 

 tive missionaries in Africa, and for the defini- 

 tion of their relation to the Conference. 



X. Inited Methodist FreeChnrfhes. - The follow- 

 ing isa summary of the -tatiti<-> of this Church 

 as they were reported to the Annual Assembly 

 in June, 1888 ; number of ministers, 374 ; of 

 local preachers, 3,846; of da>s-leaders, 4,014; 

 of members, 76,786 ; of persons on trial for 

 memberslii f chapels, 1,371 ; of Snn- 

 day-schools, 1.358. The income of the Chapel 

 Relief fund had been 841, and its expenditure 

 470. During the past twelve months 18 chap- 

 els had been completed. 75 enlarged, and 15 

 school-rooms has been built : while debts had 

 been reduced by 23,606. The receipts from 

 the Commemorative fund for the year had been- 

 3.723, making the total raised by this fund 

 for Connectional and local objects of 26.422. 

 The sales from the Book-Room had amounted 

 to 6,062, and its profits to 340. 



The Annual Assembly met at Manchester, 

 July 10. The Rev. Thomas Waketield was 

 chosen president. A resolution was adopted 

 expressing a desire that the question of union 

 might still engage the attention of the various 

 Methodist bodies, and that friendly feeling 

 might be cultivated in every way. The Con- 

 nectional Committee was authorized to take 

 such steps as might seem expedient to give 

 effect to the resolution. A scheme was adopt- 

 ed for the organization of a Connectional fire- 

 insurance society. A resolution bearing upon 

 the report of the Royal Commission on Educa- 

 tion deprecated sectarianism in the schools 

 supported from national funds, and expr 

 the opinion that all public elementary schools 

 should be under the control of the parents and 

 rate-payers. 



The annual meeting in behalf of the United 

 Methodist Free Churches' Home and Foreign 

 Mission was held in London, April 23. The 

 income of the missions for the year had been 

 21,876, and the expenditures. 21,498. Re- 

 port was made of the condition of the mission- 

 ary work in East and West Africa, Jamaica, 

 China, and the colonies. 



The Rev. T. "Wakefield was present, after 

 having served for twenty-five years in the East 

 African missions, and reviewed their progress 

 during the seven years since he had last visited 

 England. Three new mission-stations had been 

 opened in East Africa, and the number of ad- 

 herents had been more than doubled. A print- 

 ing-office had been established, and a book 

 containing three hundred hymns had been 

 translated into one of the African dialects. 

 The gospel of St. Matthew had been translated 

 into the Kanika language. Most important of 

 all, the original purpose of the society had 

 been carried out in the founding of a mission 

 to the Gallas. 



XI. Methodist New Connection. The stat; 

 reports of this body, as presented to the Con- 

 ference in June, show that, without the 

 tralian churches, it has 512 chapels, 189 minis- 



