048 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



apportioned among the different presbyteries 

 which were expected to respond in their several 

 amounts without diminishing their usual con- 

 tributions. The workings of the scheme of 

 stutentation had been favorable. A very largo 

 increase in the general contributions of the 

 churches had already been realized by its 

 means. Three hundred and eight ministers 

 had sought and obtained relief under its pro- 

 visions. The churches had given to this fund 

 a little more than $60,000, an amount sufficient, 

 with the previous years' surplus, to enable the 

 committee to meet all demands, and commence 

 the new year with a working capital of $12,000. 

 The income of the Committee of Ministerial 

 Relief was $81,817.47. It owed $9,387.50. 

 Three hundred and seventy-nine cases had 

 been helped. The amount of the permanent 

 fund for the relief of the disabled ministers 

 was on the 1st of April, $104,761.99. It had 

 yielded an income of $5,961.92. The receipts 

 of the standing Committee on Church Erection 

 were $110,774.88. One hundred and sixty- 

 six more churches had contributed to the fund 

 than had contributed to it the year before. 

 Help had been given to the amount of $88,- 

 091.85, to 160 churches. Three hundred and 

 twenty-two churches had contributed to the 

 Freedmen's Fund, and its receipts had increased 

 $5,000 over those of the previous year. The 

 Board of Trustees of the General Assembly re- 

 ported the receipts of their treasurer to have 

 been $72.359.03, and his expenditures $68,- 

 895.74. The receipt* of the treasurer of the 

 Presbyterian House were $8,488.48, and his 

 expenditures $7,518.19. The permanent fund 

 amounted to $67,188. 



The missions of the Church are eleven in 

 number: among the Indian tribes in the 1'ni- 

 ted States, 10 stations; in Mexico, 9 ; in Bra- 

 zil. 5 ; in the United States of Colombia, 1 ; in 

 Africa (Liberia, the Gaboon and Corisco, 11); 

 in India (Lodiana, Fnrrnkhahad, and Kola- 

 poor, 18); in Siam and Laos, 4; in China and 

 among the Chinese in California, 9 ; in Japan, 

 2 ; in Persia, 3 ; and in Syria, 6. There were 

 employed in the work of these missions, 138 

 American and 56 native ministers, and 171 

 American and 387 native assistants, by teach- 

 ers, and others. The total number of commu- 

 nicant* reported (several fields failed to re- 

 port) was 4,476 ; of scholars in the boarding 

 and day schools, 10,201. The largest of the 

 missions is that in India, where were employed 

 87 American and 12 native ministers, 50 

 American and 152 native assistants ; and 640 

 communicants and 6,884 scholars were re- 

 ported. 



On February 25, 1878, the Presbyterian Board 

 resolved to amnme, after April 1, 1873, the mis- 

 sions in Chili, formerly carried on by the Amer- 

 ican and Foreign Christian I 'num. 



II. PRMBTTUIAH Cm-urn IN TUB UNITED 

 STATM (ftnttMern). The following is a sum- 

 mary of the statistics of this body for 1878, as 

 compared with those for 1872: 



The General Assembly of the Presbyterian 

 Church in the United States (commonly known 

 as the Southern General Assembly) met at 

 Little Rdek, Ark., May 15th. The Rev. H. II. 

 Smith, of New Orleans, was chosen mode- 

 rator. The report of the Committee on Sus- 

 tentation revealed several noteworthy facts 

 relative to the condition of the Church. The 

 receipts for the year had been : For sustenta- 

 tion, $25,524.54; for the evangelUtic fund, 

 $2,671.86; for the invalid fund, $8,096.62. The 

 contributions to sustentation were $915.84, 

 those to the invalid fund were $1,460.62 more 

 than similar contributions of the previous year, 

 and the amount of the evangelistic fund was 

 wholly additional to the previous year's ac- 

 counts. Of 48 presbyteries which had contribu- 

 ted to these funds, it was shown that "some what 

 over half" the churches (outside of the Synod 

 of Kentucky) had contributed for sustenta- 

 tion, " about one-half" to evangelistic work, 

 and "somewhat over one-fourth to the inva- 

 lid fund. Appropriations had been made 

 to 144 pastors and supplies of churches, and 

 18 evangelists, and for 26 church-buildings. 

 In the 4n presbyteries from which returns were 

 received, 645 ministers were engaged in preach- 

 ing, of whom 154 had also secular rmploy- 

 iiH-ntsin part as a means of support, leaving 491 

 who were giving themselves wholly to the ser- 

 vice of the Church. Seventy-nine of the minis- 

 ters who had secular employment were willing 

 to give their whole time to the ministry if they 

 could receive a support of $800 per annum. 

 In 46 presbyteries, 866 churches and unions 

 of churches were unable to give a support of 

 that amonnt; 144 minister* in 45 presbyteries, 

 wholly engaged in ministerial work, received 

 apart from the sustentation fund, less than 

 $600; and 82 ministers received between $600 

 and $800. The average of the salaries outside 

 of cities and the large towns was less than 

 $572. The receipts of the Committee on 

 Foreign Missions from all sources were $47,- 

 875.10. Of this amount, $29,196.10 were 

 given by churches; $7,808.67 by Sunday- 



