BAPTISTS. 



of persons actively engaged in Sunday-school 

 work, were present from 23 States of the Union, 

 the Dominion of Canada, and Burmah. The 

 Kev. Warren Randolph, D. D., of Indiana, was 

 chosen president. The sessions of the con- 

 vention continued through three days, and 

 were devoted mainly to the reading of papers 

 and discussion of subjects connected with Sun- 

 day-school work. 



The 28th anniversary of the American Bible 

 Union was held in New York City, November 

 14th. The Kev. Thomas Armitage, D. D., pre- 

 sided. The treasurer reported that his receipts 

 for the year had been $16,299, and his dis- 

 bursements $16,213. The indebtedness of the 

 Union, which amounted to about $50,000, had 

 been reduced by the amount of $1,800. More 

 than 31,000 Bibles had been distributed in va- 

 rious parts of the world. 



The Southern Baptist Convention met at 

 New Orleans, La., May 10th. The Rev. 

 James P. Boyce, D. D., was elected president. 

 The report on Foreign Missions showed that 

 the receipts of the treasurer for the year had 

 been $32,276, against $45,646 received in the 

 previous year. Reports were received from 

 the missions in Africa, China, and Italy. The 

 African mission embraced stations at Abbeo- 

 kuta, Lagos, and Ozbomosho, with 2 mission- 

 aries, 1 native preacher, and 4 native assist- 

 ants. A brick chapel had been completed at 

 Lagos, and the church numbered 58 mem- 

 bers. A chapel had been begun at Abbeokuta. 

 Mission stations were established in China at 

 Tung-Chow, Shanghai, and Canton, with 8 

 missionaries, 4 native ministers, and 14 native 

 assistants and Bible-women. Several works 

 had been issued from the Mission press at 

 Shanghai. In Italy, stations at Rome, Torre 

 Pellice, Milan, Modena, and Carpi, the island 

 of Sardinia, Bari, Naples, and Venice, were 

 supplied by 1 American and 8 Italian mission- 

 aries. The mission at Rome, founded by the 

 Rev. Mr. Van Meter, had been transferred by 

 the American Baptist Publication Society to 

 the Southern Convention. The treasurer of 

 the Home Mission Board reported that its re- 

 ceipts had been $16,816, and its expenditures 

 $15,805. A reduction had been made hi the 

 expenses of the board and of its work. The 

 work of this board was conducted among the 

 destitute churches, the freedmen, and the In- 

 dians. Endeavors, not as yet attended with 

 much success, had been made to establish 

 schools in connection with the Indian mis- 

 sions. The Creeks had proposed, in consider- 

 ation of the instruction of 50 boys and 50 girls 

 annually, to give 160 acres of land for the es- 

 tablishment of a school, and $6,000 annually 

 to defray the expenses of tuition and board. 

 The board had desired to appoint evangelists 

 to laber^among the freedmen, but had been 

 prevented by want of means from doing more 

 than instruct the missionaries to give special at- 

 tention to their spiritual wants, as they should 

 have opportunity. On the subject of the mis- 

 sions in Africa, resolutions were adopted : 



1. That the Foreign Mission Board be instructed 

 to increase the number of missionaries in Africa as 

 soon as practicable.- 



2. That measures be taken to interest in this work 

 the colored churches of this country. 



3. That young colored ministers be preferred for 

 this work, all other things being equal. 



The Consolidated American Baptist Mission- 

 ary Convention represents the colored Bap- 

 tists in the United States, who are estimated 

 to number 600,000 members. The 37th an- 

 nual meeting of the society was held at Rich- 

 mond, Va., October llth. The Rev. Amos 

 Johnson, of Macon City, Mo., was elected 

 president of the convention. Delegates were 

 present from 20 States of the Union. Reports 

 were made and adopted on missions, temper- 

 ance, colportage, and the state of the country. 

 The Convention, having adopted the policy of 

 bringing its work to the notice and securing 

 the confidence of the Southern people, among 

 whom is its largest field of operations, deter- 

 mined upon the removal of its Executive Board 

 from New York to Washington City, or to 

 Richmond, Vs., as soon as suitable charter 

 provisions could be obtained. 



II. FEEE-WILL BAPTISTS. The following is a 

 summary of the statistics of the Free-Will 

 Baptist Church, as they are given in the Free- 

 Will Baptist Register for 1878: 



