708 



REFORMED CHURCHES. 



The exports of home produce and manufact- 

 ure for the same period were as follow : 



Legislation. The first session of the Sixth 

 Legislature of the province opened on Jan. 27, 

 1887. The Government (Conservative) was 

 defeated by a vote of 36 to 27 upon a motion 

 by the Attorney-General, Mr. Taillon, that Mr. 

 Faucher de Saint Maurice be elected Speaker, 

 and Felix Gabriel Marchand was elected to that 

 office upon an amendment moved by the leader 

 of the Opposition, Mr. Mercier, who subse- 

 quently formed the ministry described at the 

 beginning of this article. On April 26, a mo- 

 tion being made to go into Committee of Sup- 

 ply, Mr. Taillon moved an amendment setting 

 forth that the House is prepared to vote the 

 supplies to her Majesty for the requirements 

 of the public service, but regrets that the Gov- 

 ernment persists in condemning the policy of 

 progress followed in this province since 1867; 

 that the House is of opinion that this policy 

 deserved and in fact obtained the approval of 

 a majority of the electors; that tliis policy has 

 brought about the construction of a vast net- 

 work of railways ; that several members of the 

 new Government are responsible for this broad 



policy, and that the House is of opinion that 

 the debt contracted in subsidizing these rail- 

 ways has been contracted in the interests of the 

 public ; that the new Government has admitted 

 that the creation of the greater part of the 

 provincial debt is due to this liberal railway 

 policy ; that the previous Government efficient- 

 ly and economically administered the affairs 

 of the province, without having recourse to a 

 permanent loan ; and, finally, that the House 

 regrets that the Honorable Treasurer has sub- 

 mitted statements that are incorrect and cal- 

 culated to injure the credit of the province. 

 This resolution was defeated by a vote of 35 

 to 27. 



Incorporation of the Jesuits. An act was passed, 

 after considerable opposition from Cardinal 

 Taschereau and other Roman Catholic bishops, 

 to incorporate the Society of Jesus, with the 

 right to acquire and hold movable and im- 

 movable property, provided that the revenue 

 from immovable property held by the society 

 for revenue in any diocese shall not exceed 

 $30,000 per annum. 



Corrupt Practices at Elections. A short but 

 stringent act was passed, providing that, if it 

 be proved upon the trial of an election peti- 

 tion that the successful candidate has employed 

 as canvasser or agent any person who has, to 

 his knowledge, been within three years proved 

 guilty of any corrupt practice, the election 

 shall be void. The act further provides for 

 the disqualification for seven years of any per- 

 son, other than a candidate, who shall be found 

 guilty of corrupt practices. 



REFORMED CHURCHES. I. Reformed Church in 

 America. The statistical reports of this Church, 

 as made to the General Synod in June, 1887, 

 give the following footings : Number of Particu- 

 lar Synods, 4; of classes, 34; of churches, 547; 

 of ministers, 547, with 8 licentiates; of families, 

 48,064 ; of persons received during the year on 

 confession, 5,524. Total number in commun- 

 ion, 85,543; number of baptisms during the 

 year, 4,669 of infants and 1,347 of adults; 

 whole number of baptized non-communicants, 

 29,623; of catechumens, 31,173; of Sabbath- 

 schools, 767, with 95,717 enrolled members. 

 Amount of contributions: for religious and 

 benevolent purposes, $232,202; for congrega- 

 tional purposes, $913,734. 



The Board of Direction returned the whole 

 amount of the funds, endowments, and invest- 

 ments in the hands of its treasurer as $746,- 

 294. The total amount of the Endowed 

 Scholarship funds of the Theological Seminary 

 at New Brunswick, N. J., was $113,109. The 

 invested funds of Hope College were $112,- 

 658, from which an income of 5 per cent, had 

 been derived. The whole amount of the Wid- 

 ows' fund was $70,399, and the receipts in its be- 



half had been $10,883. The Disabled Ministers' 

 fund amounted to $53,817; it had received $9,- 

 115, and 38 cases of beneficiaries had been assist- 

 ed from it. The Board of Publication had re- 

 ceived $16,676 from sales, and returned a cash 

 balance of $4,173. The Board of Domestic 

 Missions had received $61,378, and had ex- 

 pended $61,330. It returned 107 assisted 

 churches, with 82 missionary pastors, 4,633 

 families, 6,891 members, and 685 additions on 

 confession. Seven new Sabbath-schools had 

 been organized, making the whole number of 

 schools 101, with which 9,922 pupils were con- 

 nected. The sum of $12,357 had been con- 

 tributed to the Church-Building fund. The 

 Woman's Executive Committee of Home Mis- 

 sions returned $5,956 of collections for the 

 year. The total receipts of the Board of For- 

 eign Missions had been $86,487. The missions 

 in China, India, and Japan comprised 11 sta- 

 tions, 101 out-stations and preaching-places, 

 23 missionaries, 29 assistant missionaries, with 

 6 missionaries and assistants under appoint- 

 ment, 7 native ordained missionaries, 207 na- 

 tive helpers, 31 churches, 2,471 communi- 

 cants, 11 seminaries, with 431 pupils, 3 theo- 



