UNIVERSALISTS. 



705 



Admiral Davis, who, by his extended knowl- 

 edge of the isthmus, and the different routes 

 heretofore surveyed, is specially qualified for 

 the duties assigned him. 



The commerce that will pass through the 

 Darien Ship-canal has been estimated to em- 

 brace the trade between the United States and 

 the Dutch East Indies, British Australia, and 

 New Zealand, British East Indies, French 

 East Indies, half of Mexico, half of New 

 Granada, Central America, Chili, Peru, Ecua- 

 dor, Sandwich Islands, China, other ports in 

 Asia and of the Pacific, as well as between 

 the Eastern and Western coasts of the United 

 States. The value of the exports and imports 

 between the United States and the foreign 

 ports above mentioned, in 1857, was $193,168,- 

 937, including ships aggregating 1,857,485 

 tons, and the saving in money on this amount 

 that would result from the use of the canal 

 has been estimated at $35,995,930. It is also 

 claimed that the trade of England and France 

 will pass over the new route, amounting in 

 the aggregate to about $260,000,000 annually, 

 on which the saving in money will amount to 

 about $12,000,000. The total value of the 

 commerce that will be affected by the use of 

 the canal is estimated at $467,831,130, and the 

 savings at $49,530,203. The number of miles 

 saved in distances by the route across the 

 Isthmus of Darien is shown in the following 

 table-: 



For the financial condition of the United 

 States see the article FINANCES, etc. The 

 foreign relations of the country are presented 

 under the title DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE, 

 and in the President's Message for December, 

 1869, for which see PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. For 

 the military and naval affairs of the country, 

 see AEMY and NAVY respectively ; and for the 

 progress of the restoration of the States, and 

 the general condition of internal affairs, see 

 CONGRESS and the States respectively. 



UNIVERSALISTS. The General Conven- 

 tion of Universalists in the United States of 

 America was incorporated in 1866. It is em- 

 powered to hold property to the extent of 

 $500,000, "to be devoted exclusively to the 

 diffusion of Christian knowledge, by means of 

 missionaries, publications, and other agencies." 

 VOL. ix. 45. A 



The meeting of the convention for 1869 was 

 held at Buffalo, N. Y., on the 21st of Septem- 

 ber. Two new State Conventions, those of 

 Kansas and Missouri, were recognized and 

 admitted by their delegates. The Board of 

 Trustees reported that, in accordance with a 

 resolution of the previous convention, they 

 had appointed a committee of seven from the 

 members of the Executive Board of the North- 

 western Convention, to supervise the work of 

 the convention in the West. The new commit- 

 tee are entitled " The Northwestern Board of 

 the General Convention." 



The financial receipts, including cash on 

 hand, at the beginning of the year, were $8,- 

 620.47; expenditures, $6,301.12. With this 

 sum two churches (at Washington and at Wilr 

 mington) were partially sustained, and four- 

 teen theological students aided. Arrangements 

 were made for celebrating the centenary of tho 

 first preaching of Universalism in the United 

 States, which would occur in 1870. ' Among 

 the features of the plan were : that all church 

 debts should be paid; that new churches 

 should be erected ; that liberal aid should be 

 given to education, missions, Sunday-schools, 

 and publications ; that > $200,000 should be 

 raised, to be known as the Murray Centennial 

 Fund, to be controlled by the trustees, and 

 used in the education of theological students, 

 and other appropriate purposes ; that com- 

 memoration services be held in all Universalist 

 churches on the first Sunday of 1870 ; that 

 general Sunday-school reunions be held on the 

 second Sunday ; that there be special gather- 

 ings in the cities of New York and Philadel- 

 phia ; and that reports be made at the Centen- 

 nial Convention, which should be held next 

 September at Gloucester, Mass., in the Murray 

 Universalist Church, the first of the denomi- 

 nation established in the country. 



The Northwestern Conference of Universal- 

 ist Churches is declared, by resolution of both 

 bodies, to be auxiliary to the General Conven- 

 tion, and makes annual reports of its doings to 

 the trustees of the latter body. It has labored 

 in missionary work, has furnished nine students 

 to the theological institution at Canton, N. Y., 

 and completed the raising of $100,000 for the 

 endowment of Lombard University, at Gales- 

 burg, 111. It has taken steps to establish a 

 theological department of this institution. It 

 has received bequests of large amounts in 

 trust, for the establishment of theological 

 schools. It has not yet completed its recon- 

 struction as an element of the General Conven- 

 tion. 



No statistics have been compiled of the 

 number of members in the Universalist 

 churches. The statistics in other respects, so 

 far as they have been reported, are as follows : 

 conventions, 17; associations, 81; societies, 

 844; ministers, 520. 



Thirteen periodicals are reported in the va- 

 rious States. Several of the State Conventions 

 have also missionary societies, Sunday-school 



