AMEEICA. 



23 



ent tranquillity, and endanger the peace of the world, 

 and thus prevent the possibility of the intended con- 

 ference being held. 



3. The attitude of the Papal power toward na- 

 tions which have recently asserted the right of self- 

 government, and are in various ways breaking off 

 its yoke, and have proclaimed religious liberty to 

 their subjects, together with its vigorous activity hi 

 Protestant countries, and the growth and prevalence 

 still further of various forms of intellectual infidelity 

 and practical atheism in all nations, strongly impress 

 the Council with the conviction that evangelical 

 Christians must be more than ever united and active, 

 nor be slow to fulfil the great duties to which the 

 times so loudly call them. 



4. And, finally, the Council would be ungrateful 

 not to recognize the manifold and rich blessings by 

 which all the General Conferences of the Alliance 

 have been attended and followed, thus leading to and 

 justifying the inference, both that they are signal- 

 ized by the approbation of our Divine Redeemer, and 

 that their recurrence, as often as Providence permits, 

 is pleasing to Him and tends to advance His glory. 



For these and similar reasons, the council of 

 the English branch inquired whether the au- 

 tumn of 1869 might not be looked to, on the 

 supposition that circumstances in the United 

 States and in Europe should favor it, as the 

 probable time of holding the conference. 



The American branch, in compliance with 

 this request, resolved to hold the next General 

 Conference of the Alliance in the city of New 

 York, in the autumn of 1869. 



AMERICA. The transfer of the extensive 

 possessions of Russia in Northwestern Ameri- 

 ca to the United States, which had been pro- 

 vided for by the treaty of the 29th of March, 

 1867, was in 1868 ratified by the Senate of the 

 United States. Thus the area of the indepen- 

 dent American States has been considerably 

 enlarged. The purchase of the two Danish isl- 

 ands, St. Thomas and St. John, was ratified by 

 an almost unanimous vote of the inhabitants, 

 but no action was taken upon it by the Senate 

 of the United States. In Cuba, a war for estab- 

 lishing the independence of the island broke 

 out in September, and at the close of the year 

 the insurgents still held control of the town 

 of Bayamo, and a considerable portion of the 

 Eastern District. In Nova Scotia, the popular 

 dissatisfaction with the establishment of the Do- 

 minioa of Canada was so great that annexation 

 to the United States was generally declared to 

 be preferable to a union with Canada. 



The war of Brazil, the Argentine Republic, 

 and Uruguay against Paraguay, continued 

 throughout the year. The progress of the 

 allies was slow, and at the close of the year 

 President Lopez was still a formidable oppo- 

 nent. Imprudently, President Lopez got into 

 a serious difficulty with the minister of the 

 United States in Paraguay, Mr. Washburn; 

 but when the successor of Mr. "Washburn, Gen- 

 eral McMahon, called upon him, he guaranteed 

 full atonement for any outrage that might have 

 been committed upon the American flag. (See 

 PARAGUAY.) 



No acts of hostility took place between 

 Spain and the allied Republics of Chili, Peru, 

 Bolivia, and Ecuador, although a formal peace 



had, at the close of the year, not been con- 

 cluded. The provisional government of Spain 

 showed, however, a desire to come to an un- 

 derstanding, and it was announced that, in 

 accordance with the proposition made by the 

 Government of the United States, a peace con- 

 ference, attended by representatives of all the 

 belligerent powers, would meet, in the course 

 of the winter, in Washington. 



The number of civil wars in Spanish Ameri- 

 ca was as great as ever. The established 

 governments were overthrown in San Domin- 

 go, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, and Uruguay. 

 In the last-named state, President Flores lost 

 his life together with his office. Civil wars 

 also raged in Mexico, Hayti, and in the United 

 States of Colombia. In Ecuador, the President 

 was censured by Congress, and resigned. 



Bloody wars with the Indians had to be sus- 

 tained by the governments of the United 

 States, Mexico, the Argentine Republic, and 

 Chili ; and in neither of these states is there 

 yet a prospect of lasting peace. 



The establishment of a regular monthly 

 steamship line between the United States and 

 China and Japan, the rapid progress of the 

 Pacific Railroad, which it is thought may be 

 complete in the course of the year 1869 or 

 1870, the connection of the United States with 

 Cuba, are prominent events in the commercial 

 history of America. The importance of these 

 agencies of modern civilization is everywhere 

 recognized. All the independent governments 

 of America have directed their attention to the 

 encouragement of new steamboat and tele- 

 graph lines, and to the increase of railroads; 

 and the time seems to be very near when the 

 capitals of all the American States will be con- 

 nected by telegraph. Immigration also is en- 

 couraged by all the American states, though 

 many of the South American states cannot 

 expect to obtain any considerable results so 

 long as they are not willing to establish reli- 

 gious toleration. 



In the United States considerable agitation 

 was kept up by a diversity of opinion between 

 the President and the majority of Congress, 

 relative to the reconstruction of the Southern 

 States, and the constitutionality of some of the 

 acts passed by Congress on this subject. In 

 the progress of this conflict. President John- 

 son was impeached, but acquitted. The presi- 

 dential election resulted in the triumph of the 

 Republican party, and the choice of General 

 Grant for President. At the close of the year, 

 all the Southern States except three Virginia, 

 Mississippi, and Texas having complied with 

 the conditions demanded by the congressional 

 Acts of Reconstruction, were represented in 

 the national Congress. In December, Presi- 

 dent Johnson issued a proclamation of univer- 

 sal amnesty. At the beginning of the year 

 1869, the internal condition of the country was 

 more quiet than at any previous period since 

 the beginning of the civil war in 1861. (See 

 UNITED STATES.) 



