256 



CONGEEGATIONALISTS. 



OONGEESS, CONFEDEEATE. 



occupy a prominent place. During the year 

 1862, however, the Congregational press has 

 been reduced not less than four papers (the 

 Lewiston "Maine Evangelist," Concord, N. H., 

 " Congregational Journal," Chicago " Congre- 

 gational Herald," and Oberlin, O., "Evangel- 

 ist ") having been suspended. There remained 

 at the beginning of the year 1863, six weeklies, 

 among which, next to the "Independent," the 

 " Congregationalist," of Boston, had the largest 

 circulation, four monthlies, and three quarter- 

 lies. In California the Congregationalists are 

 united with the Old and New School Presby- 

 terians in the issue of a weekly paper. 



In Great Britain, the " Congregational Year- 

 Book" for 1860, reports 1,840 churches in 

 England, 719 in Wales, 101 in Scotland, 27 in 

 Ireland ; total in Great Britain 2,678. Of these 

 not more than 759 made a report of their mem- 

 bership. The aggregate amounted to 96,754, 

 being an average of more than 127 members to 

 each church. The number of churches in the 

 British colonies, in 1862, was as follows : The 

 Canadas 87, other British North American 

 provinces 16, British Columbia 1, Australasia 

 125, South Africa 9, Demerara 3 total 241. 

 In connection with the London Missionary So- 

 ciety, which is chiefly under the control of the 

 Congregationalists, there were 203 churches. 

 The grand total of all the Congregational 

 churches in the British dominions, in 1862, 

 was 3,131. This number does not, however, 

 include the village chapels, out stations, school 

 houses, and other places in connection with 

 the churches. The mamber of these is not re- 

 ported, but is estimated at twice the number of 

 the churches themselves, reaching a total of 

 at least 10,000 places where the preaching is 

 supplied by Congregationalist ministers and 

 helpers. 



The Congregationalists of England, in union 

 with the other dissenting denominations, cele- 

 brated in 1862, with great solemnity, the bicen- 

 tenary of the ejectment of the two thousand 

 non-conforming ministers from the English 

 State Church in 1662. Two separate societies 

 were formed with a view to encourage and di- 

 rect the movements of the year the " Bicen- 

 tenary Committee," in connection with the 

 Congregational Union, and the "United Bar- 

 tholomew Committee," composed of persons 

 of diiferent denominations. The Bicentenary 

 Committee of the Congregational Union col- 

 lected a Memorial Fund, with a view to ex- 

 tend and perpetuate the remembrance of the 

 day. This fund, of some 120,000 or more, 

 has been raised for various objects, as the erec- 

 tion of chapels and schools, the liquidation of 

 debts on chapels, the augmentation of the vari- 

 ous funds connected with the Pastors' Eetir- 

 ing Fund, the British Missions, and the erection 

 of a Memorial Hall. 



The London Missionary Society had for the 

 year 1861-'2, inclusive of some special contri- 

 butions for India, China, etc., an income of 

 79,576. In connection with it were 170 Eu- 



ropean missionaries, 40 missionary students, 800 

 native agents, catechists, etc., 203 churches, 

 23,192 communicants, 715 schools, 36,361 

 scholars. This summary does not include the 

 native Christians of Madagascar, among whom 

 the veteran missionary Ellis, together with 

 other missionaries of the London Society, re- 

 sumed during the past year their labors. 



In France, the Evangelican Church of Lyons, 

 which sustains six places of worship in the city 

 of Lyons, and two in the country, is a Congre- 

 gational body. Several other Congregational 

 churches are united with Free Presbyterian 

 churches into the "Union of Evangelical 

 Churches in France," which was formed in 1849, 

 and had in 1862 about 30 places of worship, 

 and 2,000 members. In Italy, the Free Evan- 

 gelical churches hold independent principles. 

 In Switzerland, the Free churches of Yaud, 

 now 42 in number, are Congregationalist ; and 

 small Independent churches have also been 

 formed in twelve places in other cantons. 



CON~GKESS, CONFEDERATE. The .sessions 

 of the Provisional Congress, which commenced 

 on the 18th of November, 1861, were continued 

 until the 15th of February, 1862, when its term 

 of existence expired. These sessions were almost 

 entirely held in secret, and no reports have 

 been made public. It was a body elected by 

 the State Conventions and Legislatures, and 

 more truly and unanimously a representative 

 of them than of the people. It was created 

 for the great purpose of combining the States 

 which had resolved to withdraw from the Fed- 

 eral Union, and to prepare the way for the 

 organization of a separate and independent 

 Government. These duties were boldly and 

 resolutely performed. 



On the 18th of February the Government 

 commenced its existence under the "Perma- 

 nent Constitution." On that day at noon the 

 Confederate Congress assembled at Eichmond, 

 and the Vice-President elect, Alexander H. 

 Stephens, of Georgia, took the chair in the 

 Senate, and under the authority of the Con- 

 stitution formally opened the session of that 

 body. He caused to be read the last clause of 

 the Constitution and the act of the Provisional 

 Congress putting in operation the permanent 

 Government of the Confederate States, and the 

 act supplemental to the same. All the slave- 

 holding States were represented, except Dela- 

 ware and Maryland.* 



* The following is a list of the members of both houses: 



SENATE. 



Alabama. Clement C. Clay, "Win. L. Yancey. 

 Florida. J. M. Baker, A. E. Maxwell. 

 Kentucky. Wm. E. Simms, H. C. Burnett. 

 Mississippi. .James Phelan, Albert G. Brown. 

 North Carolina. George Davis, Wm. 8. Dortch. 

 Tennessee. Gustavus O. Henry, Landon C. Haynes. 

 Arkansas. Robert W. Johnson, C. B. Mitchell. 

 Georgia. John W. Lewis, B. H. Hill. 

 Louisiana. Thos. J. Semmes, Edward Sparrow. 

 Missouri. John B. Clark, Robert L. T. Peyton. 

 South Carolina. Robert "W. Barnwell, James L. Orr. 

 Teteas. Lewis T. "Wigfall, Win. S. Oldham. 

 Virginia. Wm. B. Preston, K. M. T. Hunter. 



