METHODISTS. 



531 



an embarrassing position. It, however, would 

 not imperil the union by delaying another year, 

 as the English body had requested ; and it was 

 not probable that the English Conference would 

 make any legal demands against the church 

 property. This property was valued at nearly 

 $400,000. The subject was referred by the 

 General Conference to a committee, which re- 

 ported, on the legal aspects of the union, that 

 no doubt existed respecting the status of any 

 body except the Bible Christian Church, and 

 that even in the case of this body, if the Eng- 

 lish church refused to sanction the action of 

 the Canada Conference, all difficulties might 

 be adjusted by means of an act of Parliament. 

 At a later stage of the proceedings, an address 

 was adopted to be presented to the Bible Chris- 

 tian Conference in England, setting forth the 

 imperative necessities which existed for the 

 union of the Methodist churches in Canada, 

 and asking its sanction to the movement. The 

 Conference then proceeded to the adjustment 

 of the details of the organization of the church 

 and of discipline. The General Conference was 

 constituted to consist of ministerial and lay 

 delegates in equal numbers, upon a ratio of 

 representation of one ministerial delegate to 

 every ten ministers in the Annual Conferences. 

 It shall meet on the first Wednesday in Sep- 

 tember, 1886, and every four years thereafter. 

 It is prohibited from changing the articles of 

 religion, and from introducing new standards 

 of doctrine contrary to those already existing; 

 from destroying the plan of the itinerant sys- 

 tem ; from making changes in the general rules 

 of the society except by a " constitutional 

 vote"; and from making any change in the 

 basis of union affecting constitutional questions 

 or the rights and privileges of the ministry and 

 laity, except by a three-fourth majority of the 

 General Conference. Ten Annual Conferences 

 were constituted, viz. : the Manitoba, Nova 

 Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward 

 island, Newfoundland, London, Guelph, Bay 

 of Quinte, Niagara, Toronto, and Montreal Con- 

 ferences. They shall be composed of minis- 

 ters and laymen in equal numbers, the lay dele- 

 gates having the right to be present at all or- 

 dinary sessions of the Conference, and to speak 

 and vote on all questions except in the cases of 

 the examination of ministerial character and 

 qualification, the reception and ordination of 

 ministers in full connection, and the granting 

 of the supernumerary relation, on which min- 

 isters only will vote. Two general superin- 

 tendents were constituted, to hold office for 

 the term of eight years, one being elected every 

 four year?. It is their function to preside over 

 all the sessions of the General Conference and 

 all standing committees of the same; to pre- 

 side over the Annual Conferences in alterna- 

 tion with the presidents of the same ; and to 

 conduct the ordination services in association 

 with the president of the Annual Conference. 

 The general superintendent was made respon- 

 sible to the General Conference for all his offi- 



cial acts, and was given a general oversight of 

 the church and all its institutions, but was pro- 

 hibited from interfering with the functions of 

 ministers and other officers of the church in 

 their prescribed duties. The elections for gen- 

 eral superintendent resulted in the choice of 

 the Rev. Samuel D. Rice, D. D., for the term 

 of eight years, and the Rev. Albert Carman, 

 D.U., bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church 

 of Canada, for the term of four years. It was 

 decided that the church should be known by 

 the name of u The Methodist Church." The 

 office of district superintendent was consti- 

 tuted for the supervision of the districts into 

 which the Annual Conferences are divided for 

 convenience of administration. The district 

 superintendent is to be chosen by ballot in the 

 Annual Conferences ; his duties are to preside 

 in district meetings and in all district commit- 

 tees, to oversee the temporal and spiritual in- 

 terests of the Church, ki and, with the ministers 

 and preachers, to administer and enforce the 

 discipline on his district, being responsible 

 therefor to his Annual Conference." The 

 General Conference decided '' that in view of 

 the division and multiplication of Annual Con- 

 ferences, and the consequent restricted terri- 

 tory within the bounds of each Annual Confer- 

 ence, we deem it important that provision be 

 made for frequent interchange of ministers be- 

 tween the various conferences as a means of 

 promoting connectional feeling throughout the 

 entire church, and maintaining the itinerancy 

 in its integrity." Provisions were accordingly 

 made for the regulation -of transfers. The ad- 

 justment of the financial interests of the con- 

 nection and questions concerning church prop- 

 erty received much attention. Provisions were 

 made for participation in the celebration of the 

 centenary of organized Methodism in America, 

 appointed for 1884. 



IV. Wesleyan Methodist Church (British). The 

 following is a " general view " of the statistics 

 of the British and affiliated Conferences of this 

 Church, as tabulated in the " Minutes of Con- 

 ference " for 1883 : 



Wesleyan Missions. The total income of the 

 Wesley a'n Missionary Society for 1882 was 

 169,361, of which 135,874 were classed as 



* The apparent decrease from the returns of previous years 

 is accounted for by the formation of the South African Con- 

 ference, the members of which are represented in the next 

 line. The mission districts still in connection with the British 

 Conference show an increase of 457. 



