METHODISTS. 



MEXICO. 



491 



Kin- Insurance fund had amounted to 823, and 

 I In' expenditure to i'JM'J. The contributions 

 Inward I lie Superannuation and Hencncent fund 

 amounted to 476, and the capital of the fund 

 si ixiil at 40,000. Tin 1 ministerial subscriptions 

 reached 1,070. Nine thousand t\v<> hundred 

 pounds had been promised, and 4,125 hud been 

 paid toward the Wesley Memorial fund. The 

 sides from the Book itoom had amounted to 

 7,431, or nearly 200 less than in 1892. 



A resolution was adopted in favor of estab- 

 lishing branchesof the Young People's Society of 

 ( 'lirist ian Kndeavor in all parts of the Connection. 

 XII. Hible Christians. The Bible Chris- 

 tian Conference met at St. Austell in August. 

 The Rev. J. Woodcock was chosen president. 

 The statistical reports showed that the number 

 of members in Connection had risen to 32,335, 

 an increase of 1,101 having been returned during 

 the last twelve months, while the number of 

 pupils in Sunday schools was 55,264, showing an 

 increase of 1,581. Other items were : Number of 

 (Impels belonging to the Conference, 858; of 

 local preachers, 1,880; of ministers working 

 under the Conference, 278. In the English cir- 

 cuits the amount received for Sunday-school pur- 

 poses was 4,788, which left a net surplus of 

 808. The income of the Chapel fund for the 

 last year had been 28,808, of which a balance 

 was left over expenditures of 2,248. During 

 thirty years 369,734 had been expended on new 

 buildings and rebuilding and enlarging, while 

 the debt was only 93,407 more than in 1863. 

 The sum of 11,100 had been contributed for 

 ministerial support. Notwithstanding a previous 

 Conference had definitely fixed the time limit of 

 the successive appointments of ministers to the 

 same station at four years, all the three applica- 

 t ions made for special exemptions from the opera- 

 tiori of the rule were granted. The formation of 

 Christian Endeavor societies in connection with 

 all the congregations was recommended. A res- 

 olution was adopted in favor of an arrangement 

 for the training of local preachers during their 

 period of trial in parliamentary subjects and in 

 preaching, and the matter was referred to the 

 committee for the examination of candidates. 

 A seheme was submitted for paying all the 

 debts of the Connection by the time of the cen- 

 tenary of its formation, which will occur in 1915, 

 and estimates were presented showing that if 

 the average of contributions and payments that 

 had prevailed during the past twelve years were 

 continued till then, this would be done. 



Methodist Union in Australia. Negotia- 

 tions have been in progress between the differ- 

 ent Methodist churches of the several branches 

 in Australia and New Zealand, with a view to 

 agree upon a basis of union, and the general 

 subject has been submitted to vote in the quar- 

 terly meetings. The results of the voting are re- 

 garded as showing the predominance of a feeling 

 in favor of union in tne abstract, accompanied 

 by the opinion that the time has not yet come 

 for it. The Victoria Conference (Wesleyan) ap- 

 proved of proposals contemplating, rather than 

 dose organic union, a kind of federation, includ- 

 ing a general interchange of pulpits and the 

 holding of united meetings for Christian fellow- 

 ship; the appointment of a federal Methodist 

 council, to arrange for periodical pulpit ex- 



changes and for holding conventions to promote 

 .spiritual, social, and fraternal inten-oi. 

 well as to prevent overlapping of interests and 

 injurious denominational competition ; the coun- 

 cil to consider and report whether it would be 

 possible to take common action in establishing a 

 common book depot, a common Methodist jour- 

 nal, a common Sunday-school union, and a 

 joint central examination committee, by which 

 all candidates for the ministry of the several 

 Methodist churches shall be examined and ap- 

 proved ; the council also to have power to take 

 common action on all questions affecting the 

 civic or religious privileges of the churches 

 represented. The Primitive Methodist quarterly 

 meetings generally expressed approval of union, 

 if on a " satisfactory basis," that term being in- 

 tended to include recognition of the equal rights 

 and privileges of laity and ministry. 



MEXICO, a federal republic in North Amer- 

 ica, composed of 27 States, 3 Territories, and a 

 Federal District. The Constitution was last 

 amended on Dec. 27, 1890. The Senate consists 

 of 56 members, 2 from each State and 2 from 

 the Federal District, elected for four years by 

 indirect suffrage, one half retiring every two 

 years. The Chamber of Deputies has 227 mem- 

 bers, elected every two years by direct suffrage. 

 The President is elected for four years by direct 

 universal suffrage and secret ballot. The Presi- 

 dent for the term ending Dec. 1, 1896. is (Jen. 

 Porfirio Diaz, now serving his third consecutive 

 term, his fourth altogether. The Cabinet at the 

 beginning of 1893 was composed of the follow- 

 ing Secretaries of State : Foreign Affairs, .1. 

 Mariscal ; Interior, M. R. Rubio; Justice and 

 Education, J. Baranda; Finance and Commerce, 

 L. M. Romero; War and Marine, Gen. P. Ilino- 

 josa; Treasury, F. Espinosa; Communications 

 and Public Works, M. Gonzalez Cosio. After- 

 ward J. J. Limantour succeeded Romero as 

 Minister of Finance. 



Commerce and Production. The value of 

 the imports for the financial year 1891 was $50,- 

 018,658, and of the exports" $63,276,395. The 

 exports comprised $27,020,023 of merchandise, 

 and $36,256,372 of precious metals. In 1892 

 $26,330,411 worth of merchandise were exported, 

 and $49,137,304 worth of specie and bullion. Of 

 the total exports for 1892 the United States re- 

 ceived $49,932,000, Great Britain $15,267,000, 

 France $4,644,000, Germany $4,344,000, Spain 

 $661,000, and other countries $620,000. The 

 following were the principal exports of merchan- 

 dise : Heniquen, $6,358,000 ; coffee, $5,814,000 ; 

 lead, $2.363,000; tobacco, $1,756,000; woods, 

 $1,676,000; vanilla. $969.000; copper, $860,000. 

 Of the hemquen fiber nine tenths goes to the 

 United States. The commercial marine consists 

 of 260 vessels, of which 47 are steamers. There 

 are 98 cotton and 16 woolen factories in Mexico. 

 The duties on cotton and woolen goods, though 

 not protective in their original purpose, are 

 about 100 per cent. Various other manufac- 

 tures, favored by a high tariff, have been estab- 

 lished. Wine-growing is a new industry which 

 promises well. In 1891 there were 38 companies 

 formed for various operations, with $70,535,000 

 of American capital. 



Communications. There were 6,950 miles 

 of railroad open to traffic in September, 1893. 



