130 



COXGREGATIONALISTS. 



The returns of the Bureau of Statistics for 

 the first quarter of 1877-'78 are as follows: 

 Exports domestic merchandise, $128,123,212, 

 against $122,669,372 in 1876-'77, and $97,- 

 805,742 in 1875-'76 ; foreign, $2,684,184, 

 against $2,987,679 and $2,975,723; specie 

 domestic, $8,102,696, against $12,932,609 and 

 $12,231,349 ; foreign, $1,468,357, against $1,- 

 711,674 and $1,051,530. Imports merchan- 

 dise, $114,774,783, against $97,986,372 and 

 $123,210,282; specie, $6,300,840, against $4,- 

 855,352 and $4,347,989. The increase in im- 

 ports has reduced the balance in favor of the 

 United States to $16,032,613 from $27,670,579 

 in the same quarter of 1876-'77; yet it is still 

 better by 38 million dollars than the adverse 

 balance of 22 millions in the same quarter of 

 1875-'76 ; which improvement is owing to a 

 decrease of imports of about 8 millions, and 

 an increase of exports of 30 millions, over the 

 corresponding quarter two years before. The 

 net exports of specie have declined from $9,- 

 788,931, in 1876-'77, to $3,270,213, and for the 

 month of September the rare phenomenon Oc- 

 curred of an excess of imports. 



CONGREGATIOXALISTS. The following 

 is a summary of the statistics of the Congre- 

 gational churches in the United States, as they 

 were given in the Congregational Quarterly 

 for January, 1877 : 



In addition to the regular ministers, the 

 number of licentiates was 244. Of the churches, 

 2,713 were supplied with settled or acting pas- 

 tors, and 796 were vacant. Of the ministers, 

 2,374 were engaged in pastoral work, as pastors 

 or acting pastors, and 959 were not in pastoral 

 work. The number of baptisms of adults dur- 

 ing the year was 10,466; of baptisms of in- 

 fants, 5,388 ; of additions to the churches by 

 profession, 20,844; number of persons in Sun- 

 day-schools, 415,092. The amount of benev- 

 olent contributions during the year, from 

 2,635 churches which reported the same, was 

 $1,278,252.10 ; amount of home expenditures 

 cf 1,584 churches reporting, $2,584,166.28. 

 The benevolent contributions were distributed 

 among the different objects as follows: for 

 Foreign Missions, $456,862.24 ; for Home Mis- 

 sions, $383,632.08 ; for the American Mission- 

 ary Association, $168,813.51 ; for the Ameri- 

 can Congregational Union, $46,386.11 ; for the 

 American College and Education Society, $63,- 

 154.88; for the Congregational Publishing So- 

 ciety, $5,110,05. Miscellaneous contributions 

 of 2,635 churches reporting the same, $415,- 

 183.36. The net increase of churches during 

 the year was 71 ; increase of membership, 12,- 

 345 ; increase of persons in Sunday-schools, 

 13,254; increase of benevolent contributions, 

 $37,237.71. Florida was in this year, for the 

 first time, added to the States reporting. 



The 24th annual meeting of the American 

 Congregational Union was held in Boston, 

 Mass., May 31st. The total resources of the 

 Union for the year had been $32,069.09. It 

 had made grants to the amount of $21,156.59. 

 During the 24 years of its operation, the society 

 had received $824,078, had aided 953 churches, 

 and built 981 houses; had paid to churches the 

 sum of $654,248, and had paid for pastors' sal- 

 aries $4,673. 



The anniversary of the American Home Mis- 

 sionary Society was held in Boston, Mass., May 

 31st. The receipts of the Society for the year 

 had been $293,712, and the expenditures $310,- 

 604. The receipts were $16,315 less than those 

 of the previous year. - During the year, 996 

 missionaries had preached in 32 States and Ter- 

 ritories, in the English, Welsh, German, Swed- 

 ish, and French languages, and had had in 

 charge 2,196 pulpits or stations; they had or- 

 ganized 72 Congregational churches, and 27 

 of the churches formerly organized under the 

 Association had reached a condition of self- 

 support ; the Sunday-schools numbered 86,300 

 pupils ; and 5,448 members had been added to 

 the churches on profession. 



The American Congregational Association 

 has as its object the maintenance of the Con- 

 gregational Library and Congregational Pub- 

 lishing House at Boston, Mass. Complaint wa& 

 made at its anniversary in May, of the indiffer- 

 ence of the churches to its work and purposes. 

 The contributions of the churches during the 

 year past had been less than $8,000. Help was 

 asked in discharging the second mortgage of 



