AMKKICA. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



21 



done with great assiduity and zeal, to the in- 

 -uranco. He was chosen Presi- 

 dent litabh- Life Assurance Society 

 at its organization in 1859, and remained in 

 tli.it olHco till his death ; and, by his com- 

 ni:m<liii intliK-nce, and his rare executive 

 ability, won for it an unprecedented success. 

 Though an elegant and forcible writer, and an 

 eloquent speaker, he had published very lit- 

 tl.' beyond occasional addresses and anru : 

 nii-nts. Ho took a deep interest in education 

 g i- IK- rally, and especially in the prosperity of 

 1'ritu'eton College. He made the address of 

 welcome to President McCosh on his inaugu- 

 ration, which was an eloquent and enthusiastic 

 gtvoting, although he had but a few hours for 

 its preparation. He received the honorary de- 

 irivo of I.L. D. from Lafayette College, Easton, 

 Pa., in 1860. 



AMERICA. The progress of affairs in the 

 States of North America was attended with 

 no unusual event. A favorable summer re- 

 sulted in large and abundant harvests. In the 

 United States some disturbances arose with 

 email parties of Indians, and in Louisiana the 

 dissatisfaction with the State government con- 

 tinued, and required the presence of a small 

 force of the United States troops. A disturb- 

 ance also arose at Vicksbnrg, between blacks 

 and whites (tee MISSISSIPPI). The question of 

 mixed schools of white and black children was 

 -ively discussed in the Southern States, in 

 anticipation of the passage of a " civil rights " 

 act by Congress. Financial affairs throughout 

 the country continued in an uncertain state, 

 and a general embarrassment prevailed. The 

 relations with foreign governments have been 

 of the most peaceful character. 



With the exception of the Plate provinces, 

 where absolute tranquillity has been unknown 

 since the Paraguayan War, the whole of South 

 America has enjoyed a year of profound peace ; 

 and it would seem as if political turmoils and 

 internecine strifes had at last ceased to be the 

 normal occupation of the people, and were 

 about to give place to the development of those 

 inexhaustible natural resources which rank 

 the South- American states among the richest 

 and most beautiful in the world. Industrial en- 

 UTjtrise is carried on with unabating energy in 

 Chili and Peru, and commercial intercourse is 

 rapidly extending between all the countries and 

 the United States and Europe. Railways and 

 telegraphs are multiplying in Brazil, Uruguay, 

 Peru, Chili, and the Argentine Republic ; and 

 a concession was granted in the course of 1874, 

 for the construction of a line of railway to 

 unite the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards, bring- 

 ing Buenos Ayres within sixty hours of Valpa- 

 raiso. The completion of the submarine cable 

 from Lisbon to Pernambuco has put almost all 

 of South America in direct connection with 

 the great telegraphic net-work of our globe ; 

 and local lines are fast extending the links to 

 every corner of the country. Education is the 

 object of much zeal in all the states ; and in 



this respect Mexico is among the foremost; 

 nor are the five Central- American states, t-j.it. j 

 of their endless international disputes, for^.-t- 

 ful of the happy results to be obtained by the 

 dill'usion of useful knowledge. Large appro* 

 priations have been made during the year for 

 the construction of school-houses, and the im- 

 portation of books and teachers, for which 

 purpose agents have already been dispatched 

 to the United States by more than one of those 

 little republics. 



An alliance between the republics of the 

 Pacific and Atlantic had been suggested for the 

 avowed purpose of protecting republican prin- 

 ciples in all of them ; but, notwithstanding 

 some diplomatic steps already taken, it is not 

 probable that the project will receive much 

 serious consideration. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. The Public 

 Worship Regulation Act. On the 20th of 

 April the Archbishop of Canterbury intro- 

 duced in the House of Lords a bill for the bet- 

 ter administration of the laws respecting the 

 regulation of public worship. He supported 

 it with a strong argument, showing the neces- 

 sity for additional legislation to suppress irregu- 

 larities in ritual, and preserve the peace and 

 harmony of the Church. The bill was long 

 and fully discussed in the House of Lords, and 

 passed its third reading toward the end of June. 

 In the House of Commons, it was again sub- 

 jected to a rigorous scrutiny. Of the speeches 

 made in this House, that of Mr. Gladstone 

 against the bill, on the 9th of July, and that of 

 Mr. Disraeli in favor of it, on tne 16th of July, 

 received the most attention. The bill passed 

 the House of Commons on the 3d of August, 

 having received some amendments which were 

 concurred in without delay by the House of 

 Lords, and it became a law on the 7th of 

 August. It is commonly cited by its shorter 

 title, as " The Public Worship Regulation Act, 

 1874." It provides that the Archbishops 

 of Canterbury and York may, with the ap- 

 proval of her Majesty, or that her Majesty 

 may, if the archbishops fail to act, appoint a 

 suitably-qualified person to be, during good 

 behavior, a judge of the Provincial Courts of 

 Canterbury and York. In case of a vacancy 

 in the office of official principal of the Arches 

 Court of Canterbury, or of official principal or 

 auditor of the Chancery Court of York, or of 

 Master of the Faculties to the Archbishop of 

 Canterbury, this judge shall become ex ojficio 

 such official, principal, auditor, or Master of the 

 Faculties. The judge, before entering upon 

 his office, must file a declaration that he is a 

 member of the Church of England. It is 

 further provided that u if the archdeacon of 

 the archdeaconry, or a church-member of the 

 parish, or any three parishioners within which 

 archdeaconry or parish any church or burial- 

 ground is situated, or for the use of any part 

 of which any burial-ground is legally provided, 

 or in case of cathedral or collegiate churches, 

 any three inhabitants of the diocese,' 1 being 



