UNIVERSALISTS. 



URUGUAY. 



829 



is partly accounted for by the dropping from 

 the roll, by order of one of the State conven- 

 tions, of 28 parishes which had long been in- 

 active. Gains appear of 2,136 families, 973 

 communicants, 20 church edifices, and x324.2m; 

 in valuation of church property. The twelve 

 schools four colleges and universities, three 

 theological schools and departments, and five 

 academical institutions returned 114 teachers 

 and professors. 1,284 students, and $2,716,500 

 of property. The Universalist Publishing-House 

 reports net assets of about $70,000, and pub- 

 lishes and owns the copyrights of 150 vol- 

 umes and six periodical-;. 



The funds of the General Convention, as 

 reported upon at its meeting in October, 1888, 

 amount in all to $193.539, distributed as fol- 

 lows : Murray Centenary fund (in aid of theo- 

 logical students, the distribution of Univer- 

 sal^ literature. Church extension, and mis- 

 sions), $129,549 ; Theological Scholarship fund 

 (for loans to theological students). $29.925 ; 

 Church Extension fund, $4,149; Gunn Min- 

 isterial Relief fund, $11,213; Ada Tibbetts 

 Memorial fund (valuable property over and 

 above the lien?), 9.500 ; three other special 

 funds, $13,223. The aggregate increase of 

 these funds during the convention year 18S7- 

 '88 was $15,833. 



The Chapin Home, New York, has an en- 

 dowment of $145,000, and returns 56 inmates. 



The Woman's Centenary Association re- 

 ported to the General Convention that its re- 

 ceipts for the year had been $3,147, and its 

 expenditures x-2.24'i : and that it had a perma- 

 nent fund of s 7. i .4 7. 



The Universalist General Convention met in 

 Chicago, 111., October 24. The Hon. Hosea 

 Parker presided. The resolution adopted by 

 the General Convention of 1887 providing for 

 holding the meetings of the body biennially 

 instead of annually, was ratified as required 

 by the provisions of the Constitution, to be- 

 come operative from and after 1889. In con- 

 nection with this action a proposition was 

 considered for authorizing the trustees to call 

 a Universalist Church Conference to be held 

 in the years intervening between the sessions 

 of the General Convention, for the discussion 

 of questions relating to religion, morals, and 

 education. The discussion of the creed which 

 was proposed for adoption at the General 

 Convention held in New York in 1887 was 

 continued, and the subject was referred to a 

 new committee which is expected to report 

 upon it at a subsequent session of the General 

 Convention. The publishers of the Sunday- 

 school-lesson papers were requested to furnish, 

 in connection with the ordinary papers, a 

 serial exposition of the leading features of 

 Christian doctrine as held by the Universalist 

 Church. A resolution providing for calling an 

 International Conference of Sunday - school 

 workers was referred to a committee to report 

 upon at the next meeting of the General Con- 

 vention. 



rRCGCAY, a republic in South America. 

 Area, 69,835 square miles. In 1886 the popu- 

 lation was 596,463 ; that of the city of Monte- 

 video was 115,462 in 18*5. 



Government. The President is Gen. Maximo 

 Tajes. The Cabinet is composed of the follow- 

 ing ministers: Prime Minister and Interior, 

 Dr. Herrera y Obes; Foreign Affairs, Dr. J. 

 Garcia Lagos; Finance, Dr. N. M. Marquez; 

 Justice, Public Worship, and Instruction, Dr. 

 M. Berinduague ; War and Navy, Col. P. de 

 Leon. The American Consul at Montevideo is 

 Edward J. Hill. The Uruguayan Consul-Gen- 

 eral at New York is Don Enrique Estrazulas. 



Army and Xavy. The standing army was in- 

 creased in 1887 to about 4,000 men. There is 

 also a police force of 3,200 men, and a National 

 Guard of 20,000. The navy is composed of 

 five small steamers and three gun-boats. 



Finances. On Dec. 1, 1887, the national in- 

 debtedness amounted to $71,000.000, of which 

 $17,000,000 constituted the home debt and 

 $54,000,000 the foreign debt, the latter being 

 represented by 10,865,300 five-per-cent. bonds 

 and 4,255,360 six-per-cent. bonds. The con- 

 version of the latter amount into four-per-cent. 

 bonds was effected by issuing in London $20,- 

 000,000 at 82i per cent., in August, 1888. 



South American Congress. On July 18, 1888, at 

 the invitation of the Argentine Republic and 

 Uruguay, a congress of delegates from South 

 American nations assembled at Montevideo for 

 the purpose of forming a treaty to determine 

 questions of international rights pending be- 

 tween South American nations. This con- 

 gress is the first of its kind that ever assembled 

 in South America. 



Railroads. On July 1, 1888, there were 553 

 kilometres of railway in operation. Early in 

 1888 a Government decree announced the in- 

 tention of building a railway embracing the 

 following lines: 1. From Montevideo to Ri- 

 vera, with branch lines to Paysandu and Salto. 

 2. From Montevideo to Colonia. 3. From 

 Agosto to Carmelo and Nueva Palmira. 4. 

 From Montevideo to the northern frontier and 

 Baze. 5. From Montevideo eastward to La- 

 guna and Merino. 6. From Salto to Santa 

 Rosa, with a branch line from Peballo to San 

 Eugenio. The Government offers to guarantee 

 seven per cent, interest for forty years on a 

 capital of 5,000 per kilometre. 



In October the Central Uruguayan Exten- 

 sion Railway Company (limited) was formed, 

 with a capital of 1,000,000, to build a line of 

 railway from Paso de los Toros to Rivera 

 (Santa Una) on the Brazilian frontier, 288 

 kilometres, the Government guaranteeing seven 

 per cent, interest for forty years on a capital of 

 5,000 per kilometre. 



Telegraphs. The length of lines in operation 

 in 1888 was 2,789 kilometres. The first sub- 

 marine cable for telephone use was laid be- 

 tween Montevideo and Buenos Ayres in the 

 autumn, and it does better service than the 

 overland lines. 



