rKKSIJYTKKIANS. 



021 



tli.- charge and responsibility of apart of tho 

 us ..t' tin- Aini-rii an Board, and tho fol- 

 plun was adoptod : 



1. That, in tho judgment of this committee, it is 

 Ir as well iii iiiiimrtuiit tluit fair proportion 

 <>f t ln> American Board of Commissionure for Foreign 

 Missions cause be transferred to the United 1'n-sl.y- 

 t'hurvh. L'. Tli:it, in i>nl.-r \ :i luinnonious 

 and satisfactory transfer of any portion of these mis- 

 sion-- to the Board of the Presbyterian Church, it will 

 vssary to leave tin- missionaries now connected 

 with such- missions at liberty to sustain their present 

 ecclesiastical relations in case they should prefer to 

 do so. This liberty shall bo conceded to the Con- 

 gregational missionaries who may bo and continue in 

 such missions, and also, in case of the formation of 

 presbyteries in the foreign field, to such Presbyterian 

 missionaries as may prefer to remain members of tho 

 i-re^liytcries in this country to which they now be- 

 long. 8. That it should bo fully understood by all 

 parties that tho same liberty, thus provided for in the 

 case of Congregational missionaries to be transferred 

 to the Assembly's Board, would bo granted by the 

 American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis- 

 sions to such Presbyterian missionaries as may still 

 continue with the missions to that Board. 



Tho matter was satisfactorily arranged with 

 the American Board. The theological semi- 

 naries were differently organized in the two 

 branches. The Old School seminaries were 

 under tho care of the General Assembly ; tho 

 Now School seminaries were in tho hands of 



tnMoes, or of synod*, and independent of the 

 General Assembly. The two systems wero 

 harmonized upon a plan by which the former 

 New School seminaries, while they re-tain their 

 governing boards, are to submit their pro- 

 ceedings in the election of professors to the 

 approval of the General Assembly. The Board 

 of Freedraen's Missions was reconstructed by 

 tho appointment of a board of thirteen mem- 

 bers, so classified that the terms of one-third 

 tho members shall expire each year. Five 

 members are to constitute a quorum. This 

 board has charge of the work of the Presbyte- 

 rian Church in behalf of the colored popula- 

 tion of the South, and will keep its offices at 

 Philadelphia. A new Synod of China was 

 established; it includes all the churches in 

 China, Siam, and Japan. 



Tho first meeting of the new Synod of China 

 was held October 20th. Twenty-four mem- 

 bers were present, including nine foreign mis- 

 sionaries, seven native pastors, seven native 

 elders, and one foreign elder, representing the 

 three presbyteries of Canton. Two other 

 presbyteries were constituted. The churches 

 number eleven, the communicants more than 

 six hundred. The proceedings were conducted 

 in four dialects or languages. The reports from 

 this synod do not appear on the statistical table. 



STATISTICS OP THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, FOR THE YEAR ENDING MAY, 1870. 



The number of candidates for the ministry 

 is 541 ; of licentiates, 838 ; the total number 

 of baptisms was 26,598 ; Sunday-school mem- 

 berships, 448,857. 



The contributions to the Boards, etc., so far 

 as reported, were as follows.: Home missions, 

 $360,274; foreign missions, $328,847; educa- 

 tion, $246,898; publication, $42,040; church 

 erection, $210,939 ; ministerial relief, $53,832 ; 

 freodmen, $51,845 ; General Assembly, $82,- 

 645; Congregational, $6,416,165; Miscellane- 

 ous, $690,636. Total, $3,440,121. 



The following resolutions were offered re- 

 specting a union between tho Northern and 

 Southern Presbyterians : 



Whereas, This General Assembly believing that 

 the interests of the kingdom of our Lord throughout 

 our entire country will be gradually promoted by 

 healing all unnecessary divisions ; and 



Whereat, The General Assembly desires the speedy 

 establishment of cordial fraternal relations wiui the 

 body known as the " Southern Presbyterian Church," 

 upon terms of mutual confidence, respect, and Chris- 

 tian honor and love ; and 



Whereas, Wo believe that tho terms of reunion be- 



