CONGO. 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 171 



era boundary ascends the Zambesi to beyond 

 the confluence of the Shire, then follows the 

 water-shed between the Shire and Lake Nyassa 

 and the valley of the Zambesi, until it reaches 

 the water-shed between the Congo and the 

 Zambesi ; thence it coincides with the limit of 

 the geographical basin of the Congo until it 

 meets a line running eastward from the source 

 of the Loge, which line it follows to the head- 

 waters of the Loge, and then the course of 

 that river to the Atlantic Ocean. The eastern 

 littoral consists of territory subject to Portugal 

 and to the Sultan of Zanzibar. The powers 

 did not undertake to enforce the principle of 

 free trade on that coast, but to use their good 

 offices to secure the most favorable conditions 

 for the commerce of all nations. All flags, 

 without distinction, have free access to the 

 coast-line and the rivers running into the sea 

 within the boundaries thus delimitated, and to 

 the waters of the Congo and its affluents. 

 Wares of whatever origin imported into the 

 free territory shall be subject to no taxes ex- 

 cept such as are necessary to meet useful ex- 

 penditures in the interests of trade. No dif- 

 ferential dues on vessels or on commodities 

 shall be levied. No power exercising sover- 

 eignty within the free territory shall be allowed 

 to grant monopolies or favor in matters of 

 trade. All powers having rights of sovereignty 

 in the free territory bind themselves to watch 

 over the preservation of the native tribes, to 

 care for their improvement and civilization, 

 and to aid in the suppression of the slave-traffic 

 and slavery ; also to protect and favor religious, 

 charitable, and scientific institutions, to extend 

 especial protection to missionaries and explor- 

 ers, and to grant perfect freedom of conscience 

 and of worship to natives as well as to foreign- 

 ers. At the instance of France, supported by 

 Portugal, a proviso was inserted reserving the 

 right to reconsider and revoke the freedom of 

 import after the lapse of twenty years. 



During the sessions of the Congress, Great 

 Britain also recognized the International Asso- 

 ciation under the same conditions that were 

 made by Germany, with new stipulations pro- 

 viding for consular jurisdiction until an organ- 

 ized government should be established by the 

 Congo state. Italy formally recognized the 

 Association in a convention modeled after the 

 English agreement. 



On Dec. 18 the Conference adopted a navi- 

 gation act, placing the Congo under the con- 

 trol of an International Navigation Commis- 

 sion. It declared the Congo and its affluents 

 to be free to the flags and subjects of all nations 

 for commerce, transportation of goods and 

 passengers, the great and small coasting-trade 

 and boat-trade on the rivers to be on a footing 

 of perfect equality. No exclusive navigation 

 privileges can be granted to any company or 

 individual. There can be no slid ing-scale, sta- 

 tion or depot tax, charges for breaking bulk, 

 compulsory entry into port, nor any exactions 

 based merely upon the fact of navigation, nor 



any transit dues on the river, nor maritime or 

 river toll based on the sole fact of navigation, 

 nor any tax on goods on board of ships. There 

 shall only be collected taxes or duties that shall 

 be an equivalent for services rendered to navi- 

 gation, which taxes or duties shall not be liable 

 to differential treatment. Roads, railways, and 

 parallel canals, constructed to improve the river 

 route, shall have their tolls and charges calcu- 

 lated on the cost of construction and opera- 

 tion and the profits due to the investors, with- 

 out any favor or distinction in their collection. 

 Regulations to be established for the safety and 

 control of navigation shall be drawn up in 

 such way as to facilitate, as much as possible, 

 the circulation of merchant-ships. The arrange- 

 ments of the act remain in force in time of 

 war, and neutrals and belligerents shall have 

 free access to the river for purposes of com- 

 merce and transit on the roads, railways, and 

 canals, except for the transport of articles con- 

 traband of war. An act containing the same 

 provisions was passed in relation to the Niger, 

 except that in the place of a river commission 

 the British Government undertook to apply it 

 to the portion of the stream under her sover- 

 eignty or protection, and France to that part 

 subject to her authority. The Conference 

 adjourned, Dec. 22, until the second week in 

 January. 



CONGREGATIONALISMS. The following is a 

 summary of the statistics of the Congregational 

 churches in the United States, as they are com- 

 piled in the "Congregational Year-Book'' for 

 1885: Number of churches, 4,092; of minis- 

 ters, 3,889; number of church-members, 401,- 

 549 ; of persons in Sunday-schools, 478,357. 

 The number of additions returned as "by pro- 

 fession" was 17,923; number of baptisms, 

 8,290 of adults, and 5,801 of infants. The 

 whole amount of benevolent contributions re- 

 turned by 3,000 churches reporting was $1,- 

 523,924; amount of contributions for home 

 expenditures returned, by 3,000 churches, $3,- 

 884,106. The net increase of church-members 

 during the year was 5,340; increase of mem- 

 bers of Sunday-schools, 11,220; new churches, 

 177. 



The seven theological seminaries at Andover, 

 Mass ; Bangor, Maine ; Chicago, 111. ; Hartford, 

 Conn.; Oberlin, Ohio; Oakland, Cal. (Pacific) ; 

 and New Haven, Conn. (Yale), returned, in 

 1883, 47 professors, 11 instructors or lecturers, 

 9 resident licentiates, 16 in the graduating 

 classes, and 284 students. Five of these insti- 

 tutions return an aggregate of 218,000 volumes 

 in their libraries. 



American Congregational Union, The thirty-first 

 annual meeting of the American Congregational 

 Union was held in New York city, May 8th. 

 The Rev. Edwin B. Webb, D. D., of Boston, 

 Mass., was chosen president for the year. The 

 treasurer's receipts for the year had been $105,- 

 377, or $4,858 more than the receipts of the 

 previous year, which were considered unusual- 

 ly large. The number of contributing churches 



