778 UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. 



UNITED STATES 



the ten years of its existence. Affiliated unions 

 had been formed in all parts of the empire. 

 During the last year twenty new associations, 

 with about 1,500 members, had been organ- 

 ized, including one union, with one hundred 

 members, in Wurtemberg, where the Union 

 had hitherto been unable to obtain a foothold. 



The Hungarian Unitarian Synod met at 

 Alkos, Transylvania, August 27th and 28th. 

 Its principal business was the election of a 

 bishop, in place of Bishop Kriza, deceased*, 

 The Rev. Joseph Ferenz, minister of the con- 

 gregation at Klausenberg, was chosen the new 

 bishop, and was installed during the meeting 

 of the Synod. Bishop Ferenz studied at Ger- 

 man and French universities. He was the 

 head pastor of the church at Klausenberg dur- 

 ing the life of Bishop Kriza. He preached the 

 anniversary sermon at the tercentenary cele- 

 bration in 1868. He visited England, and 

 spent some time there. He is versed in the 

 German, French, English, and Latin languages, 

 and is said to be acknowledged as the foremost 

 preacher in the Hungarian tongue. 



UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH.* The 

 following is a summary of the statistics of the 

 United Brethren Church, as they are given in 

 the United Brethren Almanac for 1877 : 



* See ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1875 for 

 educational institutions of the Church. 

 t Statistics for 1875. 



account of the 



Total number of meeting-houses, 1,909; of 

 parsonages, 277 ; of Sunday-schools, 2,854 ; of 

 children, officers, and teachers in the same, 

 163,439 ; total benevolent contributions of the 

 Church, $669,799.21. An increase of 7,805 

 members was shown over the reports of 1875, 

 and a decrease of $113,505.61 in the 'total be- 

 nevolent contributions. 



UNITED STATES. Some changes took 

 place in the cabinet of President Grant dur- 

 ing the year. On March 7th Alphonso Taft, 

 of Cincinnati, Ohio, accepted the office of Sec- 

 retary of War, in place of William W. lielknap, 

 of Iowa, resigned. On June 20th, Benjamin 

 H. Bristow, of Kentucky, resigned the office 

 of Secretary of the Treasury, and was suc- 

 ceeded by Lot M. Morrill, of Maine. On July 

 llth, Marshall Jewell, of Connecticut, resigned 

 the office of Postmaster-General, and was suc- 

 ceeded by James N. Tyner, of Indiana. About 

 tbe 22d of May Mr. Taft accepted the office of 

 Attorney-General, and was succeeded as Sec- 

 retary of War by J. Donald Cameron, of Penn- 

 sylvania. The former office became vacant by 

 the appointment of Edwards Pierrepont, of 

 New York, as minister to England. Secretary 

 Belknap, subsequent to his resignation, was 

 impeached by the House of Representatives, 

 and tried before the Senate. (For the partic- 

 ulars of this case, see PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, in 

 this volume.) 



As the year was the first centennial anni- 

 versary of the national existence, various meas- 

 ures were taken in all parts of the country for 

 its celebration. Congratulatory letters were 

 also sent to the President by the Governments 

 of Germany, Russia, Italy, and of other na- 

 tions. The National or Centennial Exhibition 

 opened in Philadelphia was participated in by 

 citizens of all countries, and proved to be very 

 successful. (See EXHIBITION, CENTENNIAL.) 

 The following proclamation was issued by 

 President Grant : , 



Whereas, A joint resolution of the Senate and House 

 of Kepresentatives was duly approved on the 13th 

 day of March last, which resolution is as follows : 



Be it resolved, by the Senate and House of Kepre- 

 sentatives of the United States of America in Con- 

 gress assembled, that it is hereby recommended by 

 the Senate and House of Representatives to the 

 people of the several States that they assemble in 

 their several counties or towns on the approaching 

 centennial anniversary of our national indepen- 

 dence, and that they cause to be delivered on such 

 day an historical sketch of such county or town 

 from its formation ; and that a copy of the said 

 sketch may be filed in print or manuscript, in the 

 clerk's office, and an additional copy, in print or man- 

 uscript, may be filed in the office of the Librarian of 

 Congress, to the intent that a complete record may 

 thus be obtained of the progress of our institutions 

 during the first century of their existence ; and 



Whereas, It is deemed proper that such recom- 

 mendation be brought to the notice and knowledge 

 of the people of the United States : Now, therefore, 

 I, Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States, 

 do declare and make known the same, in the hope 

 that the object of the said resolution may meet the 

 approval of the people of the United States, and 

 that propnr steps may be taken to carry the same 

 into effect. 



