METHODISTS. 



509 



reversed its interpretation. The case being 

 referred to the conference, a decision was 

 given sustaining the interpretation of the Gen- 

 eral Committee ; but the law was considered 

 defective, and the committee were directed to 

 frame a suitable amendment during the com- 

 ing year, and submit their scheme to the next 

 conference. A letter was read from the Rev. 

 C. H. Gough, of the Wesleyan Conference, 

 suggesting that a fraternal address, and, if pos- 

 sible, a deputation, be sent to the forthcoming 

 Wesleyan Conference. Afterward an address 

 was decided upon to all the Methodist Confer- 

 ences which were about to meet. Addresses 

 were received from the Eastern Conference of 

 Primitive Methodists in the United States, and 

 from the Primitive Methodist Canadian Con- 

 ference, reporting the condition of their re- 

 spective Connections. An account was given 

 of the position of the Primitive Methodist 

 Connection in Australia, showing that it stood 

 third in respect to numbers among the Prot- 

 estant denominations. A fraternal address 

 was for the first time in the history of the Con- 

 nection received from the Society of Friends, 

 to which a suitable reply was returned. A 

 petition was adopted for presentation to the 

 House of Commons against the Government's 

 " Burials Bill ; " and a resolution was passed 

 expressing admiration of the efforts of the 

 Right Honorable W. E. Gladstone in behalf 

 of the Christians of the Turkish Empire. 



The twenty-fourth annual meeting of the 

 Primitive Methodist Conference in Canada 

 was held at Aurora, beginning May 25th. The 

 Rev. W. Bee was elected president. The fol- 

 lowing is a summary of the statistics: Number 

 of ministers, 91 ; of local preachers, 284; of 

 churches, 216; of leaders, 318; of Sunday- 

 schools, 140; of teachers in the same, 1,211; 

 of Sunday-school scholars, 8,725 ; of members, 

 8,008 ; increase of members during the year, 

 384 ; value of church property, $349,225 ; or- 

 dinary income of the stations, $30,117. 



VIII. METHODIST NEW CONNECTION. The 

 following is a summary of the statistics of this 

 body as they were reported to the conference 

 which was held at Leeds, in June : Number of 

 chapels, 458 ; of societies, 435 ; of circuit preach- 

 ers, 166 ; of local preachers, 1,156 ; of members, 

 25,324; probationers, 3,039 ; of Sunday-schools, 

 436 ; of teachers in the same, 10,770 ; of Sun- 

 day-school scholars, 74,521. The returns showed 

 an increase of 11 chapels, 10 societies, 1,161 

 members, 115 probationers, 16 Sunday-schools, 

 280 teachers, and 1,258 Sunday-school scholars. 

 The increase was shared by all the mission 

 fields, and by every district in England save 

 two. 



The Conference of the Methodist New Con- 

 nection met in Leeds, June llth. One hun- 

 dred and twenty-nine ministerial and lay dele- 

 gates were present. The Rev. J. Medicraft, 

 of Nottingham, was chosen president. The 

 total missionary income of the Connection 

 was reported to have been 12,238, and the 



expenditure 7,823. The cost of the entire 

 trust property of the denomination was 721,- 

 354 ; its estimated value, 873,371 ; and the 

 amount of debt upon it, 160,975. A letter 

 was received by the president and presented 

 to the conference from the Rev. C. H. Gough, 

 a minister of the Wesleyan Conference, invit- 

 ing the conference to send a fraternal address, 

 and, if possible, a deputation, to the latter 

 body, which would meet at Bristol on the 25th 

 of July. It was decided that a respectful and 

 fraternal reply be sent to Mr. Gough, and that 

 the Annual Committee be requested to con- 

 sider the subject of his message, and report to 

 the next conference as to what would be the 

 best course to pursue with reference to it. 

 Resolutions were adopted on temperance. It 

 was decided to present a petition to the House 

 of Commons in favor of the enactment of a 

 law embodying the principle of local option. 



IX. UNITED METHODIST FBEE CHURCHES. 

 The following is a summary of the statistics of 

 this body as they were reported to the Annual 

 Assembly in July : Number of itinerant minis- 

 ters, 374 ; of supernumeraries, 30 ; of local 

 Ereachers, 3,501 ; of leaders, 4,437 ; of mem- 

 ers, 72,997; of members on trial, 6,984; of 

 chapels, 1,311 ; of preaching-rooms, 208 ; of 

 Sunday-schools, 1,805 ; of teachers in the same, 

 26,205; of Sunday-school scholars, 183,364. 

 The figures show an increase of 24 ministers, 

 1,680 members, and 6,772 Sunday-school schol- 

 ars. 



The annual meeting of the United Meth- 

 odist Free Churches, Home and foreign Mis- 

 sions, was held in London, April 23d. Mr. T. 

 Boddington, of Manchester, presided. The 

 total income of the Society for the year had 

 been 17,042, of which sum 4,088 had been 

 contributed through the children. An increase 

 was shown of 500 in the ordinary receipts 

 over those of the previous year. The foreign 

 stations returned, including European and 

 native missionaries, 57 missionaries, 6,540 

 church members, 157 chapels and preaching- 

 rooms, and 5,943 Sunday-scholars. The total re- 

 turns of the foreign missions and the churches 

 at home were: 350 ministers, 8,485 local preach- 

 ers, 71,817 church members, 1,548 chapels and 

 preaching-rooms, and 176,592 Sunday-scholars. 



The twenty-first Annual Assembly of the 

 United Methodist Free Churches met at Louth, 

 July 25th. The Rev. Andrew Holliday was 

 elected President of the Assembly. The mis- 

 sionary report showed that the total income 

 for the year had been 17>827, a larger sum 

 than for any previous year ; of this aura, 1 1,- 

 898 had been for home missions, and 5,899 

 for foreign missions. The Chapel Committee 

 reported that 80 chapels had been built, 69 

 chapels enlarged, and 12 schools and 11 minis- 

 ters' houses built during the year, at a total 

 cost of 82,049. The total sum of 65, 1 74 had 

 been subscribed toward the expense of these 

 undertakings, and the reduction of chapel 

 debts, the amount given to the latter purpose 



