CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



137 



Admiralty concerning the return of fugitive 

 slaves to those persons who claimed to own 

 them, but which were at the time of the meet- 

 ing suspended, and declared that the only 

 course which would satisfy the English nation 

 would be to withdraw them absolutely. The 

 attention of the county associations was in- 

 vited to the difficulty which was felt by the 

 Congregational churches, as well as those of 

 other denominations, in obtaining an adequate 

 supply of "competent and well-furnished" 

 ministers, and they were asked to devise means 

 of awakening increased interest on the subject. 

 With regard to a conference of the several free 

 churches which the Union has had under con- 

 sideration for several sessions, a resolution was 

 adopted, to this effect : "That the Assembly, 

 having regard to the community of interests 

 which exist between the several denominations 

 of evangelical Protestants 'not under the con- 

 trol of the state, and to the present spiritual 

 condition of the country, is of opinion that the 

 cause of evangelical truth and pure religion 

 might be greatly furthered by a conference of 

 those bodies, held to consider questions which 

 concern their common work ; and it instructs 

 the committee to take immediate steps to as- 

 certain, by correspondence with the official 

 and leading representatives of the Presbyte- 

 rian, Methodist, Baptist, and other evangelical 

 Protestant churches, whether such an under- 

 standing can be reached as shall enable them 

 to unite in summoning such a conference, and 

 in making arrangements for its meetings." 



Discussions were held during the meeting of 

 the Union on the doctrines and influence of the 

 Church (Established) congresses which had 

 been held in the two preceding years at Ox- 

 ford and Brighton, and on the exposition and 

 enforcement of Free Church principles. 



The question of exchange of pulpits as be- 

 tween Congregational ministers and clergymen 

 of the Church of England was discussed. The 

 predominance of sentiment, as expressed in the 

 debates, was, that if ministers of the Estab- 

 lished Church were to be welcomed to Con- 

 gregational pulpits, a like courtesy should be 

 extended by them to Congregational ministers. 



The eighty-first annual meeting of the Lon- 

 don Missionary Society was held in London, 

 May 13th. Mr. Alderman Me Arthur, M. P., 

 presided. The directors reported the aggre- 

 gate receipts for the year, including a balance 

 of 1,847 Is. %d. from the previous year, to 

 have been 105,401 5s. IQd. The ordinary 

 receipts, from subscriptions, donations, and 

 collections, had reached a higher amount than 

 in any previous year. For six years consecu- 

 tively the income of the society had exceeded 

 100,000. So large had been the sum placed 

 at their command during the past year, that 

 the directors had not needed to draw anything 

 from their reserves for the special outlay which 

 had been caused by the extension of the mis- 

 sions in Madagascar and to New Guinea ; and 

 they felt that the time had come to enter upon 



the increase of the society's missions in India 

 and China. 



The total number of missionaries in the ser- 

 vice of the society was 156 ; and there were 

 enrolled besides, 38 missionary students. The 

 number of English missionaries was no greater 

 than it had been ten years before ; but it was 

 remarked, in explanation of this fact, that in 

 nine cases of English churches, formerly reck- 

 oned on the society's roll, their pastors were 

 no longer regarded as missionaries of the so- 

 ciety ; and the Christian churches and stations 

 had been left to fewer English missionaries 

 and an increased number of native pastors and 

 evangelists. In this way, 27 English mission- 

 aries had been transferred to the aggressive 

 and evangelistic side of the work ; 25 new sta- 

 tions had been occupied ; and the range of the 

 society's operations had been widely extended. 

 A large part of the report was devoted to the 

 Madagascar mission, and in the relation of the 

 observations of the deputation (Dr. Mullens, 

 foreign secretary of the society, and the Rev. 

 Mr. Pillans) who had visited it the year before. 

 This deputation had gone to ascertain the ex- 

 act condition of the mission and of the native 

 Christians, and to consult with the mission- 

 aries as to the methods by which the efficiency 

 of the work could be improved. They spent 

 twelve months on the island ; made five exten- 

 sive journeys ; visited all the principal districts 

 in the centre of the island ; observed the char- 

 acter, resources, and population, of the villages 

 and towns ; and examined with care the re- 

 ligious condition of the people. They emphat- 

 ically assured the Board of Directors that the 

 religious revolution which had taken place in 

 the island was real ; that among the mass of 

 nominal Christians were many thousands of 

 true-hearted believers ; and that they had dis- 

 cerned many evidences of the solidity of the 

 Christian work accomplished among these peo- 

 ple. During the last five years the directors 

 had increased the number of English mission- 

 aries in this country from twelve to twenty- 

 three. The society's printing-press at Tana- 

 narive had done great service in the printing 

 of the Scriptures, and the preparation of a 

 Christian and general literature. The Friends 

 had also established an efficient press at the 

 capital, to which the directors had afforded 

 aid. Favorable reports were made of the mis- 

 sions in South Africa, in China, in India, and 

 in the South Seas. Complaint was made of 

 persecutions which the converts of the society 

 in the island of Urea had suffered through the 

 Roman Catholic mission in New Caledonia. 

 Representations had been made to the French 

 Government on the subject, but so far without 

 effect. Progress was reported in the establish- 

 ment of the new mission in New Guinea. Ten 

 islands were now occupied in the Papuan Gulf, 

 together with two stations on the mainland, on 

 the banks of the Katan River. Two English 

 missionaries and over twenty native evangelists 

 were engaged in the work at this point. 



