118 



CHKISTIAN CHURCHES. 



CITIES, AMERICAN. (ALLENTOWN.) 



French trade, instead of two, and that the cus- 

 toms tariff, which by the previous treaty was 

 one third less than at the coast-ports, should 

 be further reduced. 



A treaty of friendship between Portugal and 

 China has been under discussion for twenty- 

 five years, without a definite result, until a 

 protocol was signed at Lisbon in March, 1887, 

 and a treaty was concluded at Pekin in June. 

 By this treaty the Chinese secured the co- 

 operation of the Portuguese authorities in the 

 suppression of opium-smuggling. In accord- 

 ance with the provisional treaty, the Governor 

 of Macao, on April 1, 1887, put into force the 

 same measures in regard to the opium-trade 

 that were established at Hong-Kong. 



Retrocession of Port Hamilton. In January, 

 1887, negotiations were concluded for the 

 transfer of Port Hamilton, which the English 

 had seized upon during the Russian war scare, 

 to China, and shortly afterward the British 

 naval commander formally surrendered the 

 place to Chinese occupation. 



Frontier Negotiations with Russia. After the 

 conclusion of the boundary treaty with Russia 

 in relation to the Amoor region, on Nov. 4, 

 1800, the boundary was marked off, and since 

 it followed the course of rivers for the most 

 part, there have since arisen few difficulties. 

 At the coast the bank of the river Tiumen 

 formed the Russian boundary for seven miles, 

 the opposite bank being Corean territory. The 

 Russian Government requested recently a de- 

 limitation of the frontier, and Chinese and 

 Russian commissioners were appointed, and a 

 protocol has been signed which, besides some 

 trifling changes, declares the mouth of the 

 Tiumen and the Gashkiavetch Gulf, which is 

 an inlet of the estuary, to be Russian, and in- 

 cludes an arrangement for the navigation of 

 the river, according to which vessels under the 

 Chinese, Corean, and Russian flags have the 

 exclusive right to ascend the river, unless the 

 contracting powers agree to extend the right 

 to other nations. 



CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. The <; Quadrennial 

 Book " of the American Christian Convention 

 gives as connected with that body 1,327 or- 

 dained and 209 unordained ministers, with 1,6(52 

 churches. The entire number of members is 

 about 122,000. Eight colleges, institutes, and 

 seminaries are under the charge of the Con- 

 vention or of churches affiliated with it. 



The Christian Church, a body in the South- 

 ern States, holding principles similar to those 

 of the American Christian Convention, has 75 

 churches, 127 ministers, and 18,000 members. 



The Christian Union Churches, which exist 

 chiefly in Ohio and States west of it, comprise 

 15,000 churches, with 500 ministers and 120,- 

 000 members. 



A joint Committee on Union of the Ameri- 

 can Christian Convention and the Christian 

 Union Churches met in Covington, Ohio, July 

 26th. Dr. N. Summerbell was elected chair- 

 man. The following report, drafted by a sub- 



committee appointed for the purpose, was 

 unanimously adopted : 



The Committee on Union from the " General Coun- 

 cil of the Christian Union," and from the " American 

 Christian Convention," met at Covington, Ohio, July 

 26, 1887. After full and frank discussion of the reso- 

 lutions on union, passed by both bodies, it appeared 

 plain to all that we in aim and spirit practically are 

 one people; and we find no valid reason \vh'y we 

 should be separate. In the discussion^ and in this re- 

 port, it is unanimously agreed that it is a fundament- 

 al principle of Protcs'tantism, and a well-established 

 questions of biblical interpretation, that " the Church 

 and the State should be separate," and that true lib- 

 erty and efficiency of service in the Church are best 

 obtained by a congregational form of government ; 

 and, therefore, in the absolute independency of the 

 local church that all matters of business, service, and 

 worship, shall be decided by each local church for 

 itself. 



Therefore, your committees in joint session agree 

 and recommend the union of the two bodies upon the 

 following principles : 



The lioly Bible our only rule of faith and practice. 



Christ the only Head of the Church. 



Christian character the only test of fellowship. 



Individual interpretation of Scripture the privilege 

 and duty of all. 



The union of all the followers of Christ without 

 controversy. 



Each local church absolutely independent in gov- 

 ernment. 



And, further, we agree and recommend that in the 

 united body the individual believer be known as " a 

 Christian " ; that all the churches retain their present 

 local names ; conferences and councils be known here- 

 after as assemblies of Christians, and that the general 

 body, head and representative of the union herein 

 sought, shall be " The General Assembly of Chris- 

 tians in America." 



And, lastly, we agree that this basis be presented 

 to the various conferences and councils, and through 

 them to the local churches for their ratification and 

 adoption. 



CITIES, AMERICAN, RECENT GROWTH OF. This 

 subject is continued from the " Annual Cyclo- 

 paedia " for 1886, and will be further continued, 

 with other cities, in the volume for 1888. 



Allentown, a city, and the capital of Lehigh 

 County, Pa., on the west bank of Lehigh river, 

 18 miles above its confluence with the Dela- 

 ware. In relation to the surrounding cities, it 

 is almost the mathematical center, Wilkes- 

 barre and Scranton lying 85 miles to the north, 

 New York 90 miles to the east, Philadelphia 

 60 miles to the south, and Ilarrisburg 85 miles 

 to the west. Transportation to the north, 

 south, east, and west is amply afforded by the 

 Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh and Susquehanna, 

 the Philadelphia and Reading, and the Perkio- 

 men railroads, and the Lehigh Coal and Navi- 

 gation Company's canal. Allentown dates 

 from the middle of the eighteenth century. The 

 first house was erected by William Allen in 

 1753, and nine years later the town was found- 

 ed by him upon a grant of 3,000 acres from 

 Joseph Turner, to whom it had been assigned 

 by Thomas Penn. In 1838 its former name, 

 Northampton, was changed to Allen's Town, 

 in honor of its founder. The population, num- 

 bering 25,000, is composed mainly of Pennsyl- 

 vania Germans and natives of German and 

 Irish descent. The Lutheran and Reformed 



