UNITARIANS. 



743 



Pacha raised the standard of revolt in Meso- 

 potamia, having collected a considerable army 

 in the tribe of the Shamras. Both insurrec- 

 tions were promptly suppressed by Turkish 

 troops. 



On September 19th the Skuptchina (National 

 Assembly) of Servia was opened by the re- 

 gency, which referred to the consolidation of 

 constitutional rule, and to the material prog- 

 ress which the country had made during the 

 past year. To give a proof of its confidence 

 in the Skuptchina, the Government appointed 

 only eighteen members, while it possesses by 

 the constitution the right of appointing thirty- 

 two. All the ministers made reports on the 

 state of their departments during the past year. 

 The Skuptchina, which elected Krabiberovits 

 its president, thanked the Regency for its ad- 



ministration, with which an entire satisfaction 

 was expressed. 



In November a firman was published in all 

 the European provinces of Turkey, which filled 

 the rayahs with new hope. The judges are 

 strictly forbidden to accept bribes, or to post- 

 pone trials without cause. All subjects of the 

 Sultan shall enjoy equal rights before all courts 

 and authorities. Every ray ah has the right of 

 appealing from the decision of the officials to 

 the Sultan. 



The Bey of Tunis received for his family 

 the right of direct succession ; but, in exchange 

 for this right, recognized on his part the full 

 sovereignty of the Sultan, and promised to 

 regulate the financial administration of his 

 possessions, and to introduce all Turkish insti- 

 tutions into Tunis. 



U 



UNITARIANS. The Year-Boole of the Unita- 

 rian denomination for 1872 gives a list of 349 

 Unitarian churches and 393 ministers. The 

 American Unitarian Association was founded 

 in 1825, and was incorporated in 1847. Its 

 objects are, to collect and diffuse information 

 respecting Unitarian Christianity ; to produce 

 union, cooperation, and sympathy, among its 

 adherents; to publish and distribute books 

 and tracts, to supply missionaries, to aid cler- 

 gymen with insufficient salaries, to help in 

 building churches, etc. Its office is at Boston. 



The National Conference of Unitarian and 

 other Christian Churches was organized in 

 1864. It has held four meetings, the last of 

 which was in 1870 (see ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA 

 for 1870). The Unitarians have twenty-one 

 local conferences, six Sunday-school societies, 

 twelve ministerial associations, seventeen re- 

 ligious and charitable societies, and two theo- 

 logical schools. Unitarian churches are asso- 

 ciated with the New York Central Conference 

 of Liberal Christians, the Union for Christian 

 Work, Brooklyn, N. Y., the Union for Chris- 

 tian Work, Providence, R. I., and the May Min- 

 isterial Conference of Central and "Western 

 New York, organizations which are charac- 

 terized as not denominational. 



The number of Unitarian places of worship 

 in Great Britain and Ireland is 362 ; the num- 

 ber of ministers is 336, of whom 275 are set- 

 tled. Their Associations are : the British and 

 Foreign Unitarian Association; the Scotch 

 Unitarian Association; the North of Ireland 

 Unitarian Society ; the Irish Unitarian Soci- 

 ety ; the South Wales Unitarian Society ; and 

 the Sunday-school Association, London. 



In Australia there are Unitarian societies 

 at Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. 



In Hungary and Transylvania, where Uni- 

 tarianism has been known since 1568, the so- 

 cieties number 106 congregations, with 50,- 

 000 worshippers. They have a college and 



theological seminary at Klausenburg, the seat 

 of the consistory. The congregations are un- 

 der the care of a bishop, J. Kriga, who resides 

 at Klausenburg. 



The annual meeting of the American Unita- 

 rian Association was held at Boston, on the 

 30th of May. The meeting was attended by 

 the Rev. Henry lerson, who came as a repre- 

 sentative of the British and Foreign Unitarian 

 Association of England. A proposition was 

 made by prominent Unitarians of Chicago 

 looking to the establishment of a theological 

 school there. A property had been purchased 

 on the shore of the lake, which, it was thought, 

 could be readily fitted up for the purpose with 

 a very small sum of money. The considera- 

 tion of this proposal formed the principal sub- 

 ject of discussion at the meeting. It was dis- 

 posed of by the adoption of a resolution, that 

 it is, in the judgment of the Association, inex- 

 pedient to establish the school otherwise than 

 by the removal of one of the two Unitarian 

 schools in existence. 



The Association had aided during the year 

 fifty-six societies, in sums varying from $100 

 to $1,000 each. Ten missionaries were em- 

 ployed in the home work at various points 

 in the Northern States. A mission was estab- 

 lished at Wilmington, N. C. Steps had also 

 been taken to organize a mission among the 

 colored people of the South. In the mean 

 time the relations of the Association with the 

 African Methodist Episcopal Church had con- 

 tinued "gratifying in the highest degree." 

 Religious convictions were not compromised 

 on either side. Under these relations, young 

 men and women were helped at Wilherforce 

 University, near Xenia, Ohio, and instruction 

 was provided at that institution from the pro- 

 fessors at Antioch College. In addition, funds 

 were contributed for the maintenance of a 

 school for teachers and preachers in Charles- 

 ton, S. C. The Association, on invitation of 



