PRESBYTERIANS. 



757 



to prove that the autonomy already decreed 

 for the Kingdom of Poland, and the application 

 of which has not been suspended, but obstruct- 

 ed, by the revolution, satisfies the obligations 

 contracted by Russia toward Europe. It con- 

 cludes with asserting that the Emperor of 

 Russia is decided to maintain the engagements 

 of 1815 in all their extent. 



Thus ended one of the most memorable dip- 

 lomatic negotiations of modern times. The 

 most prominent part in it was taken by the 

 Government of France, which induced all the 

 second-rate Powers of Europe to participate. 

 Throughout the progress of the negotiation, 

 and, especially, after the last reply of Russia, 

 declining any further discussion of the subject, 

 the semi-official press of France were crying 

 for war, and most of the other papers were 

 joining in this cry. But England refused posi- 

 tively to make any warlike demonstration, and 

 Austria associated herself with England. Thus 

 left alone, the French Emperor deemed it inex- 

 pedient to pursue any longer a warlike policy. 

 He gave, quite unexpectedly, a new turn to the 

 whole negotiation, by proposing, on the open- 

 ing of the French Chambers on November 7th, 

 the assembling of a European Congress for set- 

 tling not only the Polish but all national com- 

 plications. (See COSTGKESS, EUROPEAN.) 



PRESBYTERIANS. The statistics of the 

 Old School Presbyterian Church, in 1863, were 

 reported as follows : synods in connection with 

 the General Assembly, 35; presbyteries, 172; 

 licentiates, 288 ; candidates for the ministry, 

 399; ministers, 2,205; churches, 2,541 ; licen- 

 sures, 82 ; ordinations, 91 ; installations, 100 ; 

 pastoral relations dissolved, 94 ; churches or- 

 ganized, 29 ; ministers received from other de- 

 nominations, 10 ; ministers dismissed to other 

 denominations, 11 ; churches received from 

 other denominations, 6 ; churches dismissed to 

 other denominations, 8; ministers deceased, 

 27 ; churches dissolved, 13 ; members added 

 on examination, 8,781 ; members added on cer- 

 tificate, 6,535 ; total number of communicants 

 reported, 227,575 ; adults baptized, 2,165 ; in- 

 fants baptized, 10,194; amount contributed for 

 congregational purposes, $1,294,785; amount 

 contributed for the boards, $346,448 ; amount 

 contributed for disabled ministers' fund, $10,- 

 973 ; amount contributed for miscellaneous 

 purposes, $150,444 ; whole amount contributed, 

 $1,802,650. The large decrease in these statis- 

 tics, as compared with those of the preceding 

 year, arises from the circumstance, that the 

 Presbyterians of the Southern States, who 

 in December, 1861, formed an independent 

 church organization, were, last year, for the 

 first time omitted from the statistical rec- 

 ords of the Church. The General Assembly 

 of the Church met at Peoria, Illinois, on 

 May 21st. An animated debate sprung up 

 in this meeting, on a motion to hoist the na- 

 tional flag on the church in which it held its 

 sessions. A large portion of the Assembly 

 were opposed to this demonstration, as being 



of a political character, but a motion to lay 

 the proposed resolution on the table was re- 

 jected: yeas,,90; nays, 130. As the trustees 

 of the church, on the ensuing Sunday, had, 

 of their own accord, hoisted the flag on 

 the church, the Assembly disposed of the 

 question on the next day, by adopting the re- 

 port of the committee, which, while making 

 strong avowals of loyalty, recommended no 

 further action upon the resolution, together with, 

 an amendment, offered by Dr. Delancy, stat- 

 ing that " the trustees of this church concur in 

 the desire expressed by many members of this 

 Assembly to have displayed from this edifice 

 the American flag, the beautiful symbol of na- 

 tional protection, unity, and liberty." The 

 vote on this motion was 176 ayes, and 20 

 noes. 



An important resolution was passed upon a 

 request from the Presbytery of Saline, that the 

 General Assembly reaffirm the testimony of 

 the Assembly of 1818 in regard to slavery. In 

 accordance with the report of the committee, 

 the following declaration was adopted : 



The Assembly has from the first uttered its senti- 

 ments on the subject of slavery, in substantially the 

 same language. The action of 1818 was taken with 

 more care, and made more clear, full and explicit, and 

 was adopted unanimously. It has since remained that 

 true ana scriptural deliverance on this important sub- 

 ject by which our Church is determined to abide. It 

 has never been repealed, amended, or modified, but 

 has frequently been referred to and reiterated in sub- 

 sequent assemblies ; and when some persons fancied 

 that the action of 1845 in some way interfered with it, 

 the Assembly of 1846 declared, with much unanimity, 

 that the action of 1845 was not intended to deny or re- 

 scind the testimony on this subject previously uttered 

 by General Assemblies ; and by these deliverances wo 

 still abide. 



An amendment proposed by Dr. Humphrey 

 to insert before the words, "these deliver- 

 ances," the word " all," was laid on the table. 



The attitude which the General Assemblies 

 of 1861, 1862, and 1863, had assumed, with re- 

 gard to loyalty and the slavery question, pro- 

 duced a great dissatisfaction among a portion 

 of the Kentucky Presbyterians, who entertain- 

 ed different views on slavery. The organ of 

 this portion of the Church, the " True Presby- 

 terian," of Louisville, expressed itself as follows 

 on the Assembly of 1863 : 



We are free to say that our chief comfort in reading 

 them has arisen from the reflection that, in this As- 

 sembly, the Presbyterian Church must have reached 

 her lowest point of humiliation, and therefore it may 

 be expected that from this time she must begin to as- 

 cend to higher and more Scriptural views that is, if 

 the Lord in his anger has not given her over to irre- 

 deemable apostasy. 



In December, 1862, Rev. Dr. McPheeters, 

 pastor of the Pine street Presbyterian church, 

 in St. Louis, was removed from his duties by 

 the provost-marshal. The following letter 

 from President Lincoln refers to it : 



EXECUTIVE MAITBION, WASHINGTON, ) 

 Dec. 23d, 186a f 



I have just looked over a petition signed by some 

 three dozen citizens of St. Louis, and their accompany- 

 ing letters, one by yourself, one by a Mr. Nathan Ran- 



