668 



REFORMED CHURCHES. 



RHODE ISLAND. 



their wives. The report states that the mis- 

 sionary has a class of 25 to 30 pupils. One of his 

 pupils held meetings at Jeddo on Sundays and 

 alternate week-days till disturbed by the civil 

 commotions. The missionary at Nagasaki was 

 engaged in teaching in the Government schools, 

 using such opportunities as have been afforded 

 to make known the truths of revelation, with- 

 in the regulations of the institution. He gave 

 regular instruction for many months of the 

 year to two priests. Four of the foremost 

 princes of Japan requested him to take charge 

 of a school at their capitals, carrying their 

 courtesy to the length of placing a steamer at 

 his disposal to enable him to visit their prov- 

 inces. Two imperial governors called upon 

 him to consult him in regard to educational 

 and religious matters. A large number of 

 Christian books and tracts in Chinese, and 

 publications of the mission presses, were dis- 

 tributed, and many works purchased by the 

 Japanese. 



The General Synod of the Church met at 

 Hudson, N. Y., on the 20th of June. Resolu- 

 tions were adopted, recommending a national 

 convention of Evangelical denominations of the 

 United States, for the purpose of promoting 

 concert and union in general measures, to meet 

 in October, 1869. A committee, consisting of 

 the President, Assessor, Stated Clerk, and two 

 Elders, was appointed to issue a circular letter 

 from the American Reformed Church to the 

 Synods, Assemblies, or Conferences of other 

 bodies, at their next regular meetings, inviting 

 them to unite in such a National Congress, not 

 for any obligatory legislation, but for general 

 consultation upon the unity of the Church and 

 the demands of the times. 



II. THE GERMAN REFOEMED CHURCH. This 

 Church has three synods : the Eastern Synod ; 

 the Synod of Ohio and the adjacent States ; 

 and the Northwestern Synod. The Eastern 

 Synod reports, for 1868, 286 ministers, 706 con- 

 gregations, 86,057 members, 50,391 uncon- 

 firmed members, 691 Sunday-schools, with 

 31,239 Sunday scholars, and benevolent con- 

 tributions amounting to $63,744.38. This 

 shows an increase over the preceding year of 

 8 ministers, 26 congregations, 2,927 members, 

 34 Sunday-schools, 3,212 Sunday-school schol- 

 ars, and $12,212 benevolent contributions. 

 The Synod of Ohio and the adjacent States re- 

 ported in 1868 the following statistics: num- 

 ber of ministers, 130 ; number of congrega- 

 tions, 316 ; whole number of members in the 

 bounds of the eight Classes, 31,670; baptisms, 

 2,000 ; confirmations, 1,261 ; received by cer- 

 tificate, 595 ; making whole number of admis- 

 sions, 3,856 ; dismissions by letter, 331 ; ex- 

 communications and erasures, 102; deaths, 

 535 ; Sunday-schools, 217 ; Sunday-school 

 scholars, 10,470 ; benevolent contributions, 

 $18,349.44. 



Adding the statistics reported by the North- 

 western Synod, the total statistics at the be- 

 ginning of the year 1869 were as follows: 



ministers, 505 ; congregations, 1,181 ; mem- 

 bers, 115,483 ; unconfirmed members, 68,186 ; 

 Sunday-schools, 991, with 44,435 Sunday-school 

 scholars, and benevolent contributions amount- 

 ing to $87,284.09. The figures show a general 

 increase from the previous year. 



III. REFORMED CHURCHES IN* EUROPE AND 

 AFRICA. (For statistical information on these 

 churches, see the ANNUAL AMERICAN CYCLOPAE- 

 DIA for 1867.) 



REUSS, the name of two German principal- 

 ities. 1. REUSS-GREITZ. Prince, Henry XXII., 

 born March 28, 1854; succeeded his father 

 November 8, 1859. Area, 148 square miles; 

 population in 1867, 43,889. 2. REUSS-SCHLEITZ. 

 Prince, Henry XIV., born May 28, 1832; suc- 

 ceeded his father July 11, 1867. Area, 297 

 square miles; population, in 1867, 88,097. 

 Annual revenue of Reuss-Greitz, 200,000 tha- 

 lers ; of Reuss-Schleitz (budget of 1868) 229,893 

 thalers. Public debt (exclusive of paper 

 money; of Reuss-Greitz, 75,000 thalers ; of 

 Reuss-Schleitz, 372,050 thalers. The troops of 

 both principalities (their former Federal con- 

 tingent was 1,117 men) form, in consequence 

 of a military convention concluded with Prus- 

 sia, together with the troops of Saxe-Alten- 

 burg and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, one of the 

 three regiments of the Thuringian States. 



RHODE ISLAND. The annual election for 

 State officers of Rhode Island is held on the 

 first "Wednesday in April. The Democratic 

 convention assembled at Providence and nomi- 

 nated for Governor Lyman Pierce, and for 

 Lieutenant-Governor Gideon H. Durfee. Dele- 

 gates were also appointed to the National Dem- 

 ocratic Convention, and resolutions adopted of 

 a similar tenor with those in other States. 



The Republican State Convention assembled 

 at Providence about the same time, and re-nomi- 

 nated General A. E. Burnside for reelection as 

 Governor, and Pardon W. Stevens for Lieuten- 

 ant-Governor. The election was held on April 

 1st. The whole vote cast was 15,225, and 

 General Burnside's majority was 4,309. The 

 vote was much larger than at the election 

 of the previous year, and the Republican ma- 

 jority was increased a few hundreds. This 

 vote, in connection with the result of the 

 election in New Hampshire, was regarded as 

 emphatically sustaining the congressional po- 

 licy of reconstruction, and "the wisdom and 

 justice of the impeachment of President John- 

 son." 



The Legislature chosen at this election was 

 composed of 27 Republicans and 5 Democrats 

 in the Senate ; and 62 Republicans and 28 De- 

 mocrats in the House. 



At the Presidential election in November, 

 the whole vote cast was 19,541 ; and the ma- 

 jority of General Grant was 6,443. For Con- 

 gress, in the eastern district, Thomas A. 

 Jenckes, Republican, received 7,995 votes, and 

 Olney Arnold, Democrat, 4,080. Jenckes's ma- 

 jority, 3,915. In the western district, Nathan- 

 iel F. Dixon, Republican, received 4,135 votes, 



