PRESBYTERIANS. 



PRINCE EDWAUD ISLAND. 



559 



The General Assembly met at Aberystwith, 

 May 21. The Rev. T. J. Wheldon was chosen 

 moderator. It appeared from the reports that of 

 the 18 new churches which had been planted dur- 

 ing the yar, 11 were English. Welsh Wales had 

 been abundantly supplied, and it was urged that 

 the home missionary efforts of the Connection 

 must now be brought to bear upon English Wales. 

 The Welsh churches had increased 1.04 per cent, 

 during the year, and the English churches 3.58 per 

 cent. The committee having the care of provision 

 for the spiritual wants of Welsh people in other 

 countries reported that there were 5,000 Welsh in 

 Australia, and that while 4,000 persons left Wales 

 every year for London, the Welsh churches of all 

 denominations in the metropolis could account 

 for no more than 1,000 of this number. The for- 

 eign mission report showed an increase of 413 

 communicants in the Indian mission (Khassia, 

 Jaintia, and Sylhet), with 15,048 adherents, 19,- 

 335 hearers, and 13,878 members of Sunday- 

 schools, while the collections in the native 

 churches amounted to 1,440. The native 

 churches had started a century collection. An- 

 other mission of the denomination is in Brittany. 

 The receipts for missions from all sources had 

 been 7,978, and the expenditures 13,397. The 

 report on temperance called attention to laxity in 

 practise by many members of the Church. A 

 handbook containing all the connectional rules 

 was ordered prepared for publication. 



XIII. Presbyterian Church of Australia. 

 The Presbyterian Church of Australia, formed by 

 the organic union of the Presbyterian Churches 

 of the six states of the commonwealth, was con- 

 stituted, and the first General Assembly met July 

 24. The drawing together of the Presbyterian 

 churches in the Australasian colonies began as far 

 back as 1865, when the three branches of Presby- 

 terianism in New South Wales united. The move- 

 ment that has culminated in the present general 

 union began about twenty years ago, when a 

 federation of the churches was established, and 

 a Federal Assembly was constituted, which has 

 met regularly since. But this was a body with- 

 out powers. In the meantime the disposition to 

 unite organically has been developed, and the 

 steps necessary to effect a legal union have been 

 taken. Among them was the obtaining of legisla- 

 tion in the several states, permitting and confirm- 

 ing the adjustments of property which would 

 have to be made. The Federal Assembly met for 

 the last time on the evening of the day preceding 

 the meeting of the United Assembly, July 23. The 

 final report of the Committee on Union was sub- 

 mitted by the Rev. John Meiklejohn, setting forth 

 that the scheme of union had been unanimously 

 agreed to by all the state assemblies, and that the 

 necessary parliamentary legislation had been ob- 

 tained in all the states except West Australia, 

 which would also shortly pass the necessary act. 

 The moderators of each of the several local as- 

 semblies in turn made a declaration in behalf 

 of their assemblies of the adhesion of those bod- 

 ies to the deed of union, and of their authoriza- 

 tion to affix their official signatures to the paper. 

 The balance-sheet was read, showing a handsome 

 balance, which was passed on to the United 

 Church. After the completion of these acts the 

 Federal Assembly' was declared dissolved. At the 

 meeting of the new General Assembly the Rev. 

 James Cameron, moderator of the General Assem- 

 bly of the Presbyterian Church of New South 

 Wales, was appointed temporary chairman. The 

 basis and articles of union were adopted, and the 

 deed of union was signed by all the moderators, 

 when the union was declared consummated, and 



the present meeting wan con-ii! uLc<i I he first Gen- 

 eral Assembly of the new Clmirli. T!,, : |;,. v . .John 

 Meiklejohn, of Melbourne, wa-, cli<,-< n modi rator. 

 At an evening public meeting (ld< 

 congratulatory greetings were )!< 

 evangelical churches of Australia 

 land, and the Presbyterian Churehes oi Sen! \-,\\\>[ 

 and England. A resolution wus adoplc-l t-xpre- 

 ing a desire for closer relations with oilier evan- 

 gelical churches, and inviting steps toward a 

 federation. 



The union embraces the Presbyterian Churches 

 of the six states of Australia, viz., New South 

 Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, 

 West Australia, and Tasmania. The basis of 

 union consists of the Westminster Confession 

 with an annexed declaratory statement, and may 

 be amended upon agreement of a majority of the 

 local assemblies, three-fifths of the presbyteries, 

 and three-fifths of the members of the General 

 Assembly. The articles of agreement, contain- 

 ing the rest of the constitution of the Church, can 

 be altered or added to from time to time with the 

 consent of simple majorities of the local assem- 

 blies, the presbyteries, and the General Assem- 

 bly. 



XIV. Presbyterian Churches in New Zea- 

 land. The Presbyterian churches of New Zea- 

 land have not entered the Australian union. The 

 two bodies, however the Presbyterian Church of 

 New Zealand and the Presbyterian Church of Ota- 

 go have taken steps toward forming a union of 

 their own. A bill dealing with their property has 

 been introduced into the colonial Parliament, and 

 the subject is under consideration by the assem- 

 blies. 



PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, a province of 

 the Dominion of Canada; area, 2,133 square miles; 

 population in 1901, 103,258. Capital, Charlotte- 

 town. 



Government. The ministry was practically a 

 continuation of the Liberal Government formed 

 by Hon. Frederick Peters in 1891, succeeded by 

 that of the Hon. A. B. Warburton in October, 

 1897, and replaced by that of the Hon. Donald 

 Farquharson, which was formed in August, 1898. 

 The elections were held on Dec. 12, and the prin- 

 cipal point at issue was the financial condition 

 of the province. It was declared by the Oppo- 

 sition that the public debt had increased from 

 $500,000 to $620,000 in the preceding year, and 

 that revenue and expenditure would not meet. 

 The result of the polling was that the Govern- 

 ment's very slight majority was greatly increased, 

 the new house showing 23 Liberals and 7 Con- 

 servatives. Mr. Gordon was reelected, and the 

 Government was reorganized on Dec. 28, as fol- 

 lows: Prime Minister, Donald Farquharson; At- 

 torney-General, Arthur Peters, K. C.; Provincial 

 Secretary-Treasurer and Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, Benjamin Rogers; Commissioner of Pub- 

 lic Works, J. H. Cummiskey; ministers without 

 office, J. W. Richards, Peter McNutt, George 

 Forbes, R. C. McLeod, and M. McDonald. 



On Jan. 29 the Hon. Benjamin Rogers, who 

 had recently been appointed to the new post of 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, was reelected to the 

 Legislature over Mr. Dalton by 681 votes to 587. 



Legislation. The first session of the Legis- 

 lature was opened on March 19 by Lieut.-Gov. 

 P. A. Mclntyre, after the members had taken the 

 oath of allegiance to the King and Samuel Ed- 

 ward Reid had been elected Speaker. The speech 

 from the throne contained the following passages: 



" I am pleased to state that this province .has 

 shared in the general prosperity of the Dominion, 

 consequent to a great extent upon the abundant 



