534 



METHODISTS. 



MEXICO. 



operation with circuit ministers and officers; 

 their work to be arranged under the direction 

 of the connectional committee, who should 

 appoint a secretary for the special supervision 

 of it. The evangelists are to be assured their 

 salaries. Kesolutions were passed in favor of 

 the repeal of the law prohibiting marriage 

 with a deceased wife's sister. 



VII. Methodist New Connection. The following 

 is a summary of the statistics of this body as 

 they were reported to the Conference in J une : 

 Number of chapels, 514 ; of societies, 472 ; of 

 circuit preachers, 188 ; of local preachers, 1,- 

 271; of members, 29,299; of probationers, 4,- 

 043; of members of Sunday-schools, 92,703. 

 The sum of 17,640 had been raised and ex- 

 pended on connectional property during the 

 yeer. The chapel loan fund had a capital of 

 4,500, with the additional sum of 700 nearly 

 subscribed. The Book-Room had done a busi- 

 ness of 3,500, and returned 279 of net prof- 

 its. The income of the mission fund had been 

 6,404. The committee had expended, on 

 home missions, 3,186; on the missions in 

 China, 2,446 ; on those in Ireland, 662; and 

 on those in Australia, 7,260. The income of 

 the paternal or children's fund had been 2,- 

 966, and the sum of 2,334 had been paid to 

 ministers for their children. The auxiliary 

 fund had a capital of 2,049. The investments 

 on account of the college w r ere valued at 8,- 

 700. The beneficent fund returned an income 

 of 3,257, and a capital of 22,365. The in- 

 come of the contingent fund was 1,156. 



The eighty-sixth Conference of the Meth- 

 odist New Connection met in Sheffield, June 

 llth. The Rev. Thomas Rider was chosen 

 president. The condition and prospect of the 

 missions of the Connection received attention. 

 An extension of the missions in Australia, as 

 far as practicable, through the churches there, 

 was recommended. Notice was taken of the 

 existence of betting and gambling among Sun- 

 day-school scholars, and the attention of the 

 conductors of Sunday schools was directed to 

 the importance of admonishing those under 

 their charge of the evil of such practices. A 

 memorial to the Government and a petition to 

 the House of Commons in favor of closing on 

 Sundays public-houses and clubs having li- 

 censes to sell liquor, were auhorized. 



VIII. Wesleyan Reform Union. The statistics 

 of the churches which are associated under 

 this designation were reported at the delegate 

 meeting in August as follow: Number of 

 chapels and preaching-places, 216; of preach- 

 ers, 457; of preachers on trial, 94; of minis- 

 ters, 17; of leaders, 480; of members, 7,950; 

 of persons on trial for membership, 713 ; num- 

 ber of Sunday-schools, 187, with 3,140 teach- 

 ers and 19,715 scholars. 



The annual delegate meeting was held in 

 Sheffield, beginning August 4th. The pro- 

 ceedings consisted chiefly in the examination 

 of chapel and financial affairs, and the review 

 of the mission (home) and evangelistic work. 



MEXICO, a republic of North America. Area, 

 761,640 square miles ; population, 10,025,649. 

 (For details relating to area, territorial divis- 

 ion, population, etc., see "Annual Cyclopaedia" 

 for 1882.) 



Government. The President of the Republic 

 is Gen. Manual Gonzalez, whose term of office 

 will expire on Dec. 1, 1884. His Cabinet is 

 composed of the following ministers : Secre- 

 tary of Foreign Affairs, vacant ; Interior, Sen or 

 C. Diez Gutierrez; Justice and Instruction, 

 Sefior J. Baranda; Finance, Sefior F. Fuentes 

 y Mnfiez; Public Works, Gen. C. Pacheco ; 

 War, Gen. E. Naranjo ; Supreme Court, Presi- 

 dent (and Vice-President of the Republic), 

 Sefior G. Valle, and the magistrates are : E. 

 Avila, J. M. Vasquez Palacios, C. Gonzalez 

 Urofia, Melesio Alcantara, M. Auza, M. Con- 

 treras, M. Saavedra, J. de M. Vasquez, F. 

 Vaca, M. Villalebos; with J. Soto, Attorney. 

 General, and E. Ruiz, Procurator-General. 



The Governors of the States nre elected for 

 a term of four years. The Governor of the 

 Territory of Lower California is appointed by 

 the Federal Government. 



The Minister Plenipotentiary to the United 

 States is Sefior M. Romero ; the Minister to 

 Mexico is Hon. Philip H. Morgan. The United 

 States Consul-General in the city of Mexico is 

 David H. Strother. 



Army and Navy. The army in 1883 was com- 

 posed as follows : 



The navy consists of four gunboats. 



Condition of the Country. President Gonzalez, 

 in his annual message to Congress, April 1, 

 1883, expressed himself on the general condi- 

 tion of the country as follows: 



The country at large is in a prosperous condition, 

 and the financial crises which at times have hampered 

 business will soon leave no trace behind them. Im- 

 provements in the interior have been notable, of which 

 everybody may easily convince himself. The Central 

 Kailroad Company has built over 1,500 kilometres of 

 railway, the National line over 1,100, and the Hunt- 

 ington Company 117. There have been built in the 

 republic during the year 4,800 kilometres. We have 

 been compelled to modify the contract made with 

 English bondholders, and negotiations to that end are 

 proceeding favorably. Negotiations abroad to raise a 

 $20,000.000 loan will, I trust, soon be crowned with 

 success.' The revenue of the Government during the 

 last fiscal year has reached $33,500,000, showing an 

 excess of $1,500,000 over the previous year. 



The revision of the tariff ?s nearly accomplished. 

 The new postal laws will soon be in force, and our 

 communications with the United States by land will 

 be improved. Public instruction is in a flourishing 

 state. Nothing is left undone to attract a desirable 

 class of immigrants. The army is in a state of effi- 

 ciency, and quiet reigns throughout the republic. 



