488 



METHODISTS. 



spent in the consideration of the case of Bishop 

 Hilleny, who was charged with conduct unbe- 

 coming to a bishop. He was deprived of his 

 episcopal office, and was remanded to the an- 

 nual conference within whose jurisdiction he 

 was living for the trial of his Christian charac- 

 ter. A general financial plan was adopted, the 

 basis of which is an assessment of fifty cents a 

 year upon each member of the Church over 

 fifteen years of age and able to pay, for the 

 constitution of a general fund. The proceeds 

 of this fund are to be apportioned: 1. To the 

 payment of the salaries of the bishops and the 

 expenses incurred in their regular episcopal 

 tours. 2. To the Zion Wesley Institution. 3. 

 To the Book Concern. 4. To the periodical 

 " The Star of Zion." 5. To the superannuated 

 ministers. 6. To the payment of the salaries 

 of the general steward and secretary. Pro- 

 visions were made for the suspension by the 

 General Conference of bishops under charges 

 and for their trial by the annual conference 

 from within whose bounds the charges may 

 have come ; for the trial of local preachers and 

 exhorters ; and for the constitution of courts 

 of appeal for ministers convicted by an an- 

 nual conference. Provision was made that 

 when a church-member leaves the vicinity of 

 his church without a letter, and remains away 

 six months without communication, his name 

 shall be stricken from the roll of members and 

 placed upon the list of probationers. Female 

 members of the church were declared to have 

 all the rights and immunities of male members, 

 including the right to be licensed as evangelists, 

 except the rights to orders and the pastorate. 

 The subject of the appointment of evangelists 

 was referred to the Board of Bishops. An 

 additional course of studies to those already 

 laid down in the Discipline was recommended 

 for applicants for admission to an annual con- 

 ference. It includes a fair knowledge of or- 

 thography, reading, writing, geography, history, 

 grammar, and the study of the following books 

 in theology: Binney's Theological Compend, 

 Bible History, Primary History of Christian 

 Evidences, by Hurst, and the History of the Af- 

 rican Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The 

 Conference also recommended that the studies 

 required of an applicant for admission to an 

 annual conference be pursued by applicants for 

 local preacher's license; and that applicants 

 for exporter's license be required to read and 

 write before receiving license. The ministers 

 and people of the Church were exhorted to 

 teach the duty of abstinence from all that intoxi- 

 cates;- the use of unfermented wine in the 

 Lord's Supper was advised ; and each minister 

 was recommended to preach two temperance 

 sermons each year to his congregation. Reso- 

 lutions were passed touching the deaths of 

 John F. Slater and Wendell Phillips, benefac- 

 tors of the colored race. 



V. Weslevan Methodist Connection. The fol- 

 lowing is the " General View of the Statistics 

 of the British and Affiliated Conferences " of 



this Connection as they are presented in the 

 " Minutes of Conference for 1884 " : 



Wesleyan Missionary Society. The annual 

 meeting of the Wesleyan Missionary Society was 

 held in London, May 5 ; Mr. J. S. Sutcliffe pre- 

 sided. The entire income of the society for the 

 year, including the receipts for special objects, 

 had been 150,106, and the expenditures had 

 been 150,161. The Ladies' Committee had 

 also expended 5, 197, besides furnishing school- 

 materials, clothing, etc., to many parts of the 

 mission-field. The following is the " General 

 Summary " of the missions, as returned by the 

 secretary of the society, under the imme- 

 diate direction of the Wesleyan Missionary 

 Committee and British Conference in Europe, 

 India, China, West Africa, the Transvaal, and 

 the West Indies : 



Central or principal stations, called circuits 891 



Chapels and other preaching-places, in connection with 

 the above-mentioned central or principal stations, as 



far as ascertained 1,654 



Missionaries and assistant missionaries, including su- 

 pernumeraries 860 



Other paid agents, as catechists, interpreters, day- 

 school teachers, etc 1,748 



Unpaid agents, as local preachers. Sunday-school 



teachers, etc 5,977 



Full and accredited church-members 7 1 .904 



On trial for church -member ship 6,236 



Scholars, deducting those who attend both the day 

 and Sunday schools 79,646 



Benevolent Enterprises and Funds. The 

 Committee of the Wesleyan Home Mission and 

 Contingent Fund reported to the Conference 

 that the receipts for the fund for the year had 

 been 34,017. 



The ordinary income for the year of the 

 Chapel Fund had been 9,475. The erection of 

 111 new chapels had been sanctioned, and 143 

 new chapels, schools, etc., had been completed, 

 at a cost of 385,765. The amount of chapel 

 debts paid off during the year was returned at 

 58,679. The Fund for the Ptelief and Exten- 

 sion of Methodism in Scotland returned an in- 

 come of 469, mostly from the interest of in- 

 vested funds. The income of the Metropolitan 

 Chapel Building Fund, from all sources, had 

 been 9,602. The expenditure left a balance 

 of 2,149 in the bank on the grants account. 

 This fund was commenced in 1861, and had 

 aided in the erection of some 65 large chapels in 

 London, with seating accommodations for 65,- 

 000 persons, at a total cost, when completed, of 



* The French ministers who are employed in the Channel 

 Islands district are not included in these returns. 



