496 



METHODISTS. 



VII. THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL 

 CHURCHES. Of these there are two, generally 

 called the "African Methodist Episcopal 

 Church " and the " African Methodist Episcopal 

 Zion Church." Both have of late largely in- 

 creased in membership in the Southern States. 

 The former r in 1867, had 10 Conferences, 550 

 preachers, including 5 bishops, but exclusive of 

 1,500 local preachers, and about 200,000 mem- 

 bers, nine-tenths of whom live in the Southern 

 States. They have Church property to the 

 amount of four millions of dollars, a Book Con- 

 cern in Philadelphia, a weekly newspaper, and 

 a college in Ohio. The second organization 

 reports more than 60,000 members, with nearly 

 300 travelling and many local preachers. It has 

 a weekly paper at New York. 



VIII. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

 IN CANADA. The Canadian M. E. Church, in 

 1867, suffered a small decrease. The Niagara 

 Conference, at its late session, reported a total 

 of ministers and members of 7,294, showing an 

 increase of 62 ; the Ontario Conference reported 

 5,376, a decrease of 315 ; and the Bay of Quinte 

 Conference 6,287, an increase of 63. From the 

 foregoing it will be seen that the aggregate 

 increase in the first and last named amounts to 

 125, but the large decrease in the Ontario Con- 

 ference overbalances the increase in the other 

 two by 190. 



IX. THE WESLEYAN CONNECTION IN GREAT 

 BRITAIN. The following were the statistics of 

 this body in 1867 : 



The British " Wesleyan Conference " met at 

 Bristol, England, on July 25th. The Eev. John 

 Bedford was elected president. For the first 

 time in the history of the Conference, laymen 

 were called on to offer prayer at the opening 

 or closing of the committees. Mr. William M. 

 Punshon was deputed to attend the Canada 

 Conference. The Eev. William Arthur was, in 

 response to a request of the Irish Conference, 

 appointed principal of the new Wesleyan Col- 

 lege at Belfast. The candidates for ordination 

 were required to give pledges to abstain from 

 the use of tobacco. The case of one candidate, 

 who declined to give the pledge, was postponed 

 till next year. The Conference made an informal 

 expression against ministers wearing surplices 

 and other vestments. The Conference agreed, 

 in reply to a letter from the New Connection 



Conference in regard to a union of Methodist 

 bodies, that while it did not see the way to an 

 organic union, it repeated its desire to cherish 

 the most friendly sentiments toward kindred 

 denominations. The increasing favor which 

 total abstinence principles receive from the Con- 

 ference is subject of remark. The Conference, 

 by resolution, expressed its desire to maintain 

 and extend the practice of open-air services 

 which has existed in the denomination from its 

 origin. The Wesleyans have laid the corner- 

 stone of a theological college at Leeds, the third 

 under their control. 



X. PRIMITIVE METHODISTS IN GREAT BRITAIN 

 AND THE BRITISH COLONIES. The statistics of 

 this body, in 1867, were as follows : 



XI. UNITED METHODIST FREE CHURCHES. 

 This denomination reports the following statis- 

 tics for 1867: Ministers, 288, increase, 5; 

 local preachers, 3,388; leaders, 4,420; mem- 

 bers, 67,478, increase, 1,721; on trial, 5,962, 

 increase, 717; chapels, 1,173, increase, 33; 

 other preaching-rooms, 398; Sunday-schools, 

 1,121, increase, 46. Foreign missions are sus- 

 tained in Eastern Africa and China. At the 

 meeting of the Annual Conference of 1867, a 

 resolution approving the steps that have been 

 taken in favor of union with the New Con- 

 nection was unanimously adopted after a lively 

 discussion. This body adheres to free repre- 

 sentation and the independence of the circuits. 

 The subject was then remitted to the connec- 

 tional committee, with an express reservation in 

 favor of these principles. The assembly made 

 a decided expression in favor of total absti- 

 nence, and indorsed the principles of the United 

 Kingdom Alliance in its efforts to abolish the 

 sale of intoxicating liquors. At a conference 

 between the members of the annual committee 

 of the Methodist New Connection and of the 

 connectional committee of the United Metho- 

 dist Free Churches, held at Leeds, resolutions 

 were adopted declaring the desirability of an 

 organic union of the two denominations, and 

 recommending the appointment of a sub-com- 

 mittee of three persons from each of the con- 

 nectional committees, in order to the removal 

 of difficulties caused by the provisions of the 

 "deeds-" under which the Churches were re- 

 spectively constituted. 



XII. METHODIST NEW CONNECTION. The 

 statistics of this body show a total of 3,270 

 members. The increase in England is 85. But 

 there has been a decrease in Canada of 300, 

 making a net decrease of 215. A foreign 

 mission is sustained in China, which, in 1867, 

 had 108 members. The Annual Conference, 



