550 



METHODISTS. 



a decrease of 1,413 had occurred in the num- 

 ber of members in the districts of the United 

 Kingdom. A committee was appointed to take 

 into consideration a communication from the 

 General Conference of the Metbodist Episcopal 

 Church in the United States, proposing the 

 holding in London, at as early a date as may 

 be found practicable, of a general council of 

 the Methodist churches of the world. 



The special committee appointed by the Con- 

 ference to consider the condition of the con- 

 nectional funds, the best method of relieving 

 the existing embarrassments, and of providing 

 against the recurring accumulation of debt, 

 and for other purposes, met in London during 

 the last days of October, and decided upon the 

 establishment of a comprehensive fund for the 

 relief of all the connectional departments from 

 debt, and for the initiation and furtherance of 

 religious and educational enterprises at home 

 and abroad. It then decided that the total 

 sum of 83,000, being apportioned among the 

 several enterprises according to their needs, 

 should be appropriated to the extinguishment 

 of the debts of the Foreign Missionary So- 

 ciety, the Home Mission and contingent fund, 

 the educational fund, the schools' fund, the 

 Connectional Sunday-School Union, and the 

 Children's Home, and (this sum not to exceed 

 25,000) to the erection of a new branch of 

 the Theological Institute in the midland coun- 

 ties; further, that the total sum of 121,000 

 should be applied to the strengthening and 

 increase of the enterprises of foreign missions, 

 the extension of Methodism in Great Britain, 

 home missions, the school and loan funds, and 

 a number of special enterprises. An executive 

 committee was appointed to superintend the 

 organization and collection of the fund, and 

 consult with the local committees to be organ- 

 ized to promote its interests. It was suggested 

 that the arrangements for obtaining contribu- 

 tions to the fund should embrace religious 

 services; and, finally, it was decided that the 

 fund should be entitled the Wesleyan Methodist 

 Thanksgiving Fund. 



The anniversary of the Wesleyan Missionary 

 Society was held in London, April 29th. The 

 total income and foreign receipts of the Society 

 for the year had been 146,017, and the pay- 

 ments for the same period had been 159,079. 

 From the general summary of the Society's work 

 it appeared that there were now 632 principal 

 stations or circuits occupied by its missionaries 

 in various parts of the world, with which were 

 connected 6,343 chapels and other preaching 

 places. 



The union of the Wesleyan Conference in 

 Ireland and the Primitive Wesleyan Methodist 

 Connection in the same country, which has 

 been under negotiation for several years, was 

 consummated in the Irish Wesleyan Conference 

 of 1878, in session in Dublin, June 29th, when, 

 all the particulars having been agreed upon by 

 both bodies, the Primitive Wesleyan Confer- 

 ence, which was in session in the same city at 



the same time, marched into the Wesleyan 

 Conference room, and a formal union of the 

 two bodies into one was effected. The Bishop 

 of Kilmore afcerward formed an organization 

 called the Primitive Church Methodist Society, 

 for those members of the Primitive Wesleyan 

 Society who might not wish to join the Wes- 

 leyan Connection. The first conference of 

 this body was held in Dublin in July, under 

 his direction, when he delivered an address 

 explaining the purposes of the organization. 



THE AUSTRALASIAN WESLEYAN METHODIST 

 CHURCH. The Australasian Wesleyan Method- 

 ist Church embraces all of the Australian col- 

 onies, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Wes- 

 leyan missions in the South Sea Islands, the 

 principal of which are those in the Feejee and 

 Friendly Islands, and Samoa. It is divided into 

 four annual conferences, named respectively, 

 after the parts of the colonies which they em- 

 brace, the New South Wales and Queensland 

 (which has charge of the South Sea missions), 

 Victoria and Tasmania, South Australia (em- 

 bracing also West Australia), and New Zealand 

 Conference. These conferences are associated 

 in the General Conference, which meets every 

 four years. The following is a summary of the 

 statistics of the Church for 1878, arranged so 

 as to show the distribution of members among 

 the colonial districts and the missions : 



The second General Conference of the Aus- 

 tralasian Wesleyan Methodist Church met at 

 Sydney, New South Wales, May 8th. It was 

 the first General Conference held since the 

 separation of the Church from the British Con- 

 ference, and was the first elective General Con- 

 ference. It was composed of 96 delegates, of 

 whom one half were laymen. The Rev. J. 

 Watsford was chosen President. The princi- 

 pal question discussed was concerning a propo- 

 sition to change the polity of the Church so as 

 not to make attendance upon class meetings a 

 test of membership. A decision was given 

 against the proposed change. This Church, 

 though substantially independent of the Brit- 

 ish Wesleyan Church in government, is not 

 wholly separated from it in finance and admin- 

 istration. Besides having taken charge of the 

 extensive missions built up by the British Wes- 

 leyans in the South Sea Islands, much of its 

 own home work in the colonies is mission 

 work ; and the two together require a larger 



