1872 : 



R"$ 



METHODISTS. 



MEXICO. 



529 



1872: Connectional ministers, 318; local 

 preachers, 3,418 ; leaders, 4,347 ; members, 

 66,907; chapels, 1,289; Sunday-schools, 1,222; 

 Sunday-school scholars, 158,005; Sunday- 

 school teachers, 24,064 ; day-schools, 96. 



The Assembly of the United Methodist Free 

 Churches met at Bristol, July 31st. The Con- 

 nectional Committee reported that arrange- 

 ments had been made for the commencement 

 of the theological institute. A case came up 

 early in the session which was thought to in- 

 volve the permanency of the circuit system, 

 and excited discussion for that reason. The 

 Cleckheaton Society, which is connected with 

 a circuit, had invited a minister to become its 

 pastor for the ensuing year. The Assembly 

 hesitated to give consent to the consummation 

 of this plan, fearing it might be made a prece- 

 dent which would result in the disintegration 

 of many circuits. The consent was given, and 

 a rule was passed discountenancing in future 

 such arrangements with ministers as contem- 

 plated the division of circuits, until the consent 

 of the Assembly had been first obtained. The 

 following resolution was adopted in reference 

 to the Education Act : 



That this Assembly fully recognizes the impor- 

 tance of the religious training of the young, not 

 deeming any education complete which ignores the 

 religious element ; but, as the teaching oi theologi- 

 ca^ tenets peculiar to any denomination in schools 

 assisted by public money tends to confound truth 

 and error, and is hurtful to the consciences of many 

 of her Majesty's subjects, this Assembly is strongly 

 of opinion that the Elementary Education Act should 

 be so amended as to give secular education only dur- 

 ing school-hours, and that it be left to Christian 

 churches to teach religion at their own cost, and in 

 their own places. 



XIV. BIBLE CHEISTIANS. The fifty-fourth 

 Conference of the Bible Christians met at 

 Bideford, Devon, July 31st. The statistical 

 reports show that the connection numbered 

 258 itinerant and 1,737 local preachers, and 

 26,209 full members. It had 858 chapels, 

 9,453 teachers and 48,351 scholars in its Sun- 

 day-schools. A considerable increase in all 

 departments was remarked since the previous 

 Conference. The income of the Missionary 

 Society was nearly 5,900 ; the expenditures 

 more than 7,200. Chapel debts to the 

 amount of 5,346 had been paid. 



XV. WEXSH CALVINISTIC METHODISTS. The 

 conference of the "Welsh Calvinistic Meth- 

 odists met in June. The following statistics 

 were presented : Number of churches, 1,050 ; 

 places of worship, 1,146; ministers, 449; 

 preachers, 343 ; deacons, 3,446 ; communicants, 

 93,190, an increase from the previous year of 

 365; children, 43,247; Sunday-school teach- 

 ers, 20,005; scholars, 148,044; hearers, 245,- 

 166. Total collections, 110,657. The collec- 

 tions for mission purposes were 4,449 ; tow- 

 ard payment of chapel debts, 21,087; and for 

 the poor, 2,203. Two missionaries labor in 

 Brittany at Quimper and L'Orient where 

 are reported 79 communicants, 28 candidates, 

 115 hearers, and collections of 34. Five rais- 



VOL. XII. 34 A 



sionaries labor in India (in Bengal), and report 

 400 members, and 60 schools on the hills, in 

 which 1,100 children were taught. 



MEXICO (REpfJBLiCA MEXICANA), a federa- 

 tive republic of North America, bounded on 

 the north by the United States ; on the east 

 by the Gulf of Mexico ; southeast by British 

 Honduras and the Republic of Guatemala; 

 and south and west by the Pacific Ocean. It 

 extends from latitude 15 26' to 33 32' north, 

 and from longitude 86 30' to 116 50' west. 



The republic has an estimated area of 

 1,003,442 square miles, and it is divided into 

 28 States, one Federal District, and one Terri- 

 tory, which, with their respective populations 

 and capitals, are as follows : 



Of the total number of inhabitants, about 

 one-half are computed to be Indians, some 

 1,190,000 mestizos, 6,000 negroes, and the re- 

 mainder whites. 



The population of the chief cities is shown 

 in the annexed table : 



Cities. Population. 



Mexico 200,000 



Puebla 75,500 



Guadalajara 70,000 



Guanajuato 63,000 



Queretaro 47,570 



San Luis Potosi 35,581 



Colima 31,000 



Oajaca 25,000 



Vera Cruz 10,000 



President, Don Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, 

 elected President of the republic November 2d, 

 as successor to Benito Juarez, who died July 

 18th. At the time of the death of Juarez the 

 ministry was composed as follows : Interior, 

 Gomez del Palacio ; Foreign Affairs, J. M. 

 Lafragua (June 13, 1872); Justice, R. Alcaraz 

 (March, 1871), Director; Finance, F. Mejia 

 (June 13, 1872); War and Navy, General J. 

 Mejia (July, 1867) ; Public Works, B. Balcar- 

 cel. In the office of President of the Supreme 



