

MEXICO. 



631 



The 12th French Conference began in Paris 

 June 19th, 1863, and elected Rev. James Hocart, 

 of Lausanne, president. The present statistics 

 of the Conference are : Districts, 2 ; Circuits, 

 13 ; Chapels and Preachhig-rooms, 182 ; Min- 

 isters and Probationers, 24; Colporteurs and 

 Day Schoolmasters, 15; Local Preachers, 85; 

 Members, 1,522 ; on trial, 123 ; Day Schools, 

 7; Sunday Schools, 41 ; Sunday-School Teach- 

 ers, 227; Scholars, 1,821. One preacher on 

 trial was admitted into full connection. 



The progress of Methodism in Italy is en- 

 couraging. The congregation at Parma, at the 

 anniversary of the first sermon preached there, 

 numbered 91 communicants, with 30 on trial. 

 Methodist service has also been opened in the 

 city of Asola. 



The German Annual Conference reported 

 for 1863 the following summary of their sta- 

 tistics : Missionaries members of Conference, 

 18 ; missionaries probationers, 6 ; helpers not 

 yet admitted, 14; colporteurs, 2; members in 

 full connection, 2,126 ; members on trial, 1,249 ; 

 chapels with parsonages, 13 ; preaching places, 

 156 ; hearers, 12,725 ; contributions for Mis- 

 sionary Society, $1,196.77; church property, 

 real worth, with Book Concern, $47,400.00 ; 

 general contribution of all members for all 

 purposes, $8,625.73. 



The Book Concern at Bremen publishes 

 three Methodist periodicals. The Missionary 

 Institute, in the same city, had five students. 



The Scandinavian missions of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church had, in 1862, 4 churches, 

 911 members, 5 Sunday schools with 193 chil- 

 dren. In Spain (Gibraltar), the Wesleyan 

 Methodists of England had, in 1863, 2 circuits, 

 1 chapel, 1 other preaching place, 3 missiona- 

 ries, 20 subordinate agents, 40 members, 6 on 

 trial, 295 scholars in schools, 600 attendants 

 on public worship. 



MEXICO. The progress of events in Mexico 

 during 1863 having developed with unexpected 

 clearness the motives of the Church or reac- 

 tionary party in bringing about European in- 

 tervention, a few words respecting the origin 

 and history of that party seem necessary, by 

 way of preface, before proceeding to the record 

 of the year. During the long period of Span- 

 ish ascendancy Mexico was subjected to nu- 

 merous injurious and degrading restrictions, 

 and her native population systematically ex- 

 cluded from important administrative and ec- 

 clesiastical offices, which were regularly sold 

 in Madrid to the highest bidder, or filled by 

 appointment of the viceroys. This policy was 

 especially marked in the government of the 

 Mexican Church, and resulted, in the course of 

 three centuries, in rendering the clergy in 

 many respects an alien body, having few asso- 

 ciations or feelings in common with the people ; 

 and, like the majority of Spanish officials, 

 occupied with building up and perpetuating a 

 material and moral power, which, in propor- 

 tion as it became greater, became dearer to 

 them. Thus churches, chapels and religious 



houses dotted the surface of the more populous 

 and civilized provinces, and not a little of the 

 vast mineral wealth of the country was employ- 

 ed in the embellishment of these buildings, 

 until some of them, as the cathedral in the 

 city of Mexico and the Church of Our Lady of 

 Guadalupe, became the receptacles of almost 

 fabulous treasures in the precious metals and 

 gems. 



The first revolution under Hidalgo and Mo- 

 relos in 1810-'ll found the church in undisturb- 

 ed possession of its wealth, and in the enjoy- 

 ment of revenues far beyond the necessities of 

 religious culture. Neither in Mexico nor in 

 the mother country had the immunities en- 

 joyed by the clergy since the time of the in- 

 quisition been interfered with, ad the partial 

 reaction from the radical reforms inaugurated 

 by the French revolution seemed to indicate 

 the preservation of things as they were. Hence 

 the clergy, intent upon protecting their property 

 and privileges, and not displeased probably by 

 the restoration of absolute goverment and the 

 inquisition under Ferdinand VII., lent no sym- 

 pathy to the popular movement, which degen- 

 erated in a few years into a partisan contest, 

 and by the commencement of 1820 seemed 

 thoroughly repressed in all parts of the country. 

 In that year, however, the despotism of Fer- 

 dinand and the inquisition were both over- 

 thrown in Spain, and the restoration of the 

 constitution of 1812, together with the suppres- 

 sion of convents and other liberal measures, fore- 

 shadowed a policy, which, if applied to the colo- 

 nies, would inevitably lead to the sequestra- 

 tion of Church property and the decline of 

 ecclesiastical authority. Hence the Church par- 

 ty, though eminently conservative, and sympa- 

 thizing with the absolutist party of Spain, felt 

 constrained in self-defence to lend its influence 

 in favor of the revolution under Iturbide, pre- 

 ferring, after a nice calculation of probabilities, 

 to cast its lot with an independent government, 

 rather than subject itself to despoilment at 

 the hands of the Spanish Cortes. 



The revolution proving successful, it im- 

 mediately became the object of the clergy to 

 control the government which they had aided 

 in forming, and thus prevent interference with 

 their immunities. This, with the resources 

 possessed by them,was not a difficult matter, and 

 among a population made up of such conflict- 

 ing elements as the Mexican, it has always 

 been possible by a judicious expenditure of 

 money and an appeal to prejudices or class in- 

 terests, to form a strong party in favor of the 

 Church. To the efforts of this party may be 

 ascribed most of the revolutions that have dis- 

 tracted the country down to the present time, 

 and the defeat of every liberal measure ; and 

 the apparent anarchy of the last forty years, 

 which the Church party has for its own inter- 

 ests represented as incurable, has been in fact 

 a struggle between the ideas of progress inau- 

 gurated during the present century, and that 

 reactionary policy which would restore the in- 



