PRESBYTERIANS. 



649 



schools. The remainder of the sum consist- 

 ed chiefly of special contributions for the 

 Campinas Institute (Brazil), and for the pur- 

 chase of a press for the Chinese mission ; 690 

 churches had contributed to the fund, against 

 815 which had given nothing. The receipts 

 were about $5,000 less than those of the previ- 

 ous year. Eighteen ordained missionaries were 

 employed, of whom four were natives of the 

 countries in which they were laboring. Added 

 to these were 17 male and female assistant mis- 

 sionaries, and 10 native assistants, making 

 45 laborers in all. Of the missions, 8 were 

 among the Indian tribes of the United States ; 

 1 was in Italy, 2 in the United States of Co- 

 lombia, 2 were in Brazil, and 1 was about to 

 be established in Mexico. The total receipts 

 of the Committee on Publication were $63,- 

 299.35. Of this amount the churches had con- 

 tributed $8,800 ; books, tracts, etc., had been 

 granted to the amount of $7,233. The assets 

 of the committee were $4,706. Twenty new 

 books had been published. The committee 

 were authorized to accept an act of incorpora- 

 tion which they had obtained from the Legisla- 

 ture of Virginia. The delegate who had been 

 appointed by the previous General Assembly 

 to visit the General Synod of the Reformed 

 Church in America, represented that he had 

 been cordially received, and that his official 

 salutations had been warmly responded to. 

 The resolutions passed by the General Synod 

 of the Reformed Church on the subject of the 

 delegate's visit, were laid before the Assembly. 

 The Rev. Charles II. Stitt addressed the As- 

 sembly as a corresponding delegate from the 

 General Synod of the Reformed Church, 

 speaking favorably of the project for a union 

 of the two bodies. The following were unani- 

 mously adopted : 



WAtreat, In a paper officially communicated, the 

 last General Synod of the Reformed Church in 

 America has notified this General Assembly of the 

 unanimous appointment of a committee to consider 

 carefully the desirableness and feasibility of estab- 

 lishing closer relations with our Church ; 



H'/itrmi, The Assembly regards said notification 

 as indicative of a desire on the part of that vener- 

 able synod to enter into such closer relations if the 

 way be clear; 



W/urrtat, This Assembly on its part cordially re- 

 ciprocates this feeling, and knows of no more effec- 

 tive method for ascertaining whether the two bodies 

 are prepared for a nearer connection than the method 

 of conference : therefore 



Kan/tad, That this Assembly do now appoint a 

 committee to be composed of the following-named 

 ministers and ruling elders : Rev. B. M. Palmer, 

 D. D., Rev. Joseph R. Wilson, D. D.. Rev. William 

 Brown, D. D., Rev. R. K. Sinoat, Major T. J. Kirk- 

 patrick, William Henry Smith, and General A. M. 

 Scales, whose duty it shall he to confer with a simi- 

 lar committee, if appointed by the General Synod 

 of the Reformed Church, for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining in what manner such more intimate relations 

 may be established, and what ought to be the nature 

 ana extent thereof, and report the result to the next 

 General Assembly. 



Raolved, That the stated clerk be directed to for- 

 wrd a copy of this paper to the General Synod of 



the Reformed Church, to meet in New Brunswick, 

 in June of this present year. 



A circular was received from the Rev. S. S. 

 Schmucker, D. D., proposing a confederation 

 of churches for action on certain subjects ; and 

 inviting the General Assembly to send twenty- 

 five delegates to the conference of the Evan- 

 gelical Alliance to be held in New York in 

 October. The following minute was adopted 

 in reply, to wit : 



Inasmuch as the General Assembly, at its first 

 annual session in 1861, extended its fraternal saluta- 

 tions to all evangelical churches throughout the 

 world, expressing its cordial desire to be in fellow- 

 ship with all, especially with those of similar faith 

 ana order ; by which terms and catholic spirit the 

 Assembly still abides ; yet, inasmuch as it has not 

 now before it data sufficient for the full understand- 

 ing of the character and purposes of the Evangelical 

 Alliance, and the extent of the authority claimed 

 for it and its " national branches," therefore 



Seeolued, That the General Assembly deems it 

 inexpedient to appoint delegates to attend the ap- 

 proaching meeting of the Evangelical Alliance in 

 New York, but expresses the sincere hope that the 

 spirit of grace may preside over their deliberations, 

 and that all its proceedings may redound to tho 

 glory of God in the advancement of our common 

 cause. 



In fifty-four presbyteries, 711 Sunday-schools 

 were represented, with 6,977 teachers, and 

 47,813 scholars. The contributions of the 

 Sunday-schools amounted to $25,710. Reports 

 on evangelistic labors were received from 

 thirty-three presbyteries. Thirty -two of them 

 had, eleven had not, employed evangelists. 

 Some progress had been made during the year 

 in systematic benevolence. A revision of the 

 rules of discipline submitted to the presby- 

 teries by the previous General Assembly had 

 been approved by thirty out of fifty-seven of 

 them. Ten of the presbyteries approving had, 

 however, declined to adopt the revision, while 

 fifteen presbyteries had rejected it, and three 

 had declined to vote definitely upon it. The 

 revision was placed in the archives of the 

 General Assembly for future reference. Union- 

 Theological Seminary was represented as in 

 a prosperous financial condition. Columbia 

 Theological Seminary as in a bad financial con- 

 dition. In other respects both institutions 

 were flourishing. The resolutions of the 

 Northern General Assembly respecting its re- 

 lations with the Southern Church did not 

 reach the General Assembly during its ses- 

 sion, consequently no action was taken upon 

 them. 



Tho Independent Synod of Missouri met at 

 St. Louis in October, and counseled the pres- 

 byteries under its jurisdiction to send commis- 

 sioners to the next meeting of the Southern 

 General Assembly. 



III. UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CirtTKcn OF 

 NORTH AMERICA. In the following statistics 

 of this church, by synods, are given the num- 

 ber of presbyteries, pastors, congregations, 

 communicants, and pastors without charge, as 

 reported in May, 1873 : 



