with the colors, five in the first reserve, and four in the second, to which are assigned also the conscripts not incorporated in the active army and those who are under size. The contingent for 1898 is 17,245 men, including 745 for the municipal guard, 1,000 for the fiscal guard, and 745 for the navy. The strength of the permanent army in 1894 was as follows: Staff, 219 officers; 72 battalions and 36 cadres, 1,256 officers and 16,798 men; 30 squadrons and 10 cadres, 283 officers and 3,952 men; 32 field batteries and 10 cadres and 16 companies of fortress artillery and 8 cadres, 285 officers and 1,860 and 1,599 men respectively; 8 companies of engineers, 4 cadres, and 1 torpedo company, 122 officers and 710 men; noncombatants, 368 officers and 739 men; total, 25,658 officers and men, with 3,985 horses. The municipal guard numbered 79 officers and 2,176 men; the fiscal guard, 116 officers and 4.791 men. The army on a war footing numbers about 4,000 officers and 150,000 men, of whom 120,000 have received military instruction. The infantry have the Kropatschek repeating rifle, the artillery 264 guns of different calibers, only a part breechloaders.

The navy consists of an armored corvette, a cruiser of 1,893 tons, 5 corvettes, 15 gunboats, a torpedo destroyer, and 10 torpedo boats, including a submarine boat. The cruiser "Adamastor" was built in 1896, and the "Rainha Amelia," of 1,750 tons, is building. There is also the "Dom Carlos," of 4,100 tons, on the stocks, and 10 deck-protected cruisers are contemplated in the new naval programme, and 3 more armored vessels, of which one, a cruiser of 3,500 tons, has been begun.

Commerce.-The value of the imports of merchandise in 1896 was 39,530.262 milreis, and of the exports 26,142.683 milreis. The imports of precious metals were 1,284,931 milreis ; exports, 3,737,192 milreis. The imports of cereals were 4,353,000 milreis; of animals, 2,472,000 milreis; of codfish, 2,270,000 milreis; of raw cotton, 2,105,000 milreis; of sugar, 1,917,000 milreis; of iron, 1,873,000 milreis; of cotton goods, 1,747,000 milreis; of coal, 1,743,000 milreis; of hides and skins, 1,154,000 milreis; of wool, 1,121,000 milreis; of rice, 791,000 milreis; of various textile fabrics, 720,000 milreis; of coffee, 684,000 milreis; of chemicals, 600,000 milreis; of oil seeds, 557,000 milreis; of machinery, 548,000 milreis; of petroleum, 515,000 milreis; of tobacco, 511,000 milreis; of barrel staves, 493,000 milreis; of timber, 479,000 milreis. The exports of wine were 10,983,000 milreis; of cork, 3,650,000 milreis; of animals, 2,519,000 milreis; of fish, 1,414,000 milreis; of copper, 1,092,000 milreis of cotton goods, 1,085,000 milreis; of fruits, 887,000 milreis; of olive oil, 391,000 milreis.

Navigation.-There were 1,477 sailing vessels, of 305,000 tons, and 4,286 steamers, of 6,953.000 tons, entered from distant ports in 1896, and 1,428 sailing vessels, of 298,000 tons, and 4,275 steamers, of 6,974,000 tons, cleared. In the coasting trade 3,543 sailing vessels, of 205,000 tons, and 1,017 steamers, of 3,511,000 tons, were entered, and 3,511 sailing vessels, of 194,000 tons, and 1,023 steamers, of 1,070,000 tons, cleared.

The merchant navy in 1895 consisted of 51 steamers, of 41,161 tons, and 207 sailing vessels, of 47.724 tons.

Communications.--The post office in 1895 forwarded 20,492,000 internal, 7,043,000 foreign, and 549,000 transit letters, 6,357,000 internal, 305,000 foreign, and 12.000 transit postal cards, 25,500,000 internal, 4,052,000 foreign, and 312,000 transit newspapers and circulars, and 253,000 internal and 9.000 foreign money letters, of the value of 30,442,000 and 3,730,000 francs respectively.

The state telegraph lines have a length of 4,500 VOL. XXXVII.-44 A

miles, with 9,377 miles of wire. The number of dispatches in 1894 was 1,326,414; receipts, 2,100,146 francs.

The length of railroads in 1896 was 1,524 miles. The Government owns 921 miles and grants subventions to the companies owning the rest.

Political Affairs.-The session of the Cortes in 1897 was opened on Jan. 3. An incident that had recently occurred at Laurenço Marques, where the German consul, Count Pfeil, had been stoned by the populace because he and his Mohammedan servants had given offense by not uncovering their heads during a religious procession, was closed by an apology to Germany. The financial situation in Portugal was depicted in the royal speech as improving, although the high premium on gold had checked imports and so diminished the customhouse receipts. A revision of the tariff duties was projected. While professing to regard the financial and economic conditions as improving, the Cabinet of Senhor Hintze Ribeiro found itself unable to deal with the situation, and consequently resigned on Feb. 5. A new Cabinet was formed on Feb. 7 as follows: Premier and Minister of the Interior, José Luciano de Castro; Minister of Justice, Francisco da Veiga Beirao; Minister of Finance, Frederico Ressano Garcia; Minister of Marine, Henrique de Barros Gomes; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mathias de Carvalho Vasconcellos: Minister of War, Francisco Maria da Cunha; Minister of Public Works, Augusto José da Cunha. The Cortes were immediately dissolved, and new elections were ordered to be held on April 25, so that the new Cortes could come together on June 10.

The revised budget for 1898 presented to the Cortes on June 30 showed a deficit of 2,698 contos of reis instead of the surplus of 111 contos given in the budget presented by the preceding minister six months before. The receipts were set down as 52,865, and the expenditures as 55,563 contos. The deficit was due to the premium on gold, which the late Minister of Finance had calculated at 30 per cent., but which was now reckoned at 50 per cent. The minister proposed to cover the deficit by four internal loans which would have the effect of converting it into a surplus of 132 contos. The holders of external debt were to receive the same additional interest in 1897 as in 1895. The minister had a plan for converting the external debt without appreciably increasing the actual burdens of the state. The withdrawal of the bonds of the present debt from foreign markets was deemed necessary in order to raise the credit of the country. In order to prevent the premium on gold from mounting still higher, the minister proposed to provide by a financial operation for necessary payments in gold abroad and for the liquidation of the debt due to the Bank of Portugal, thus enabling this establishment to reduce its paper circulation and to increase its metallic reserve. The Government did not intend to increase the existing duties or to impose any new ones. The proposals for putting the finances on a sounder basis, besides the conversion of the external debt and the reorganization of the Bank of Portugal, included the leasing of the state railroads and the establishment of a monopoly of the manufacture of beet-root sugar. A company was formed for the purpose of taking over the Minho and Douro and the Southern Railroads under a seventy-five years' lease. Measures were brought in granting Government support to companies for the cultivation of waste lands, for the extension of the wine exports by the selection of types of wines and the preservation of the standard, and for extending the cultivation of wheat so as to make Portugal independent of foreign supplies.

The Progressist ministry submitted a project for

the reform of the House of Peers. A drastic press bill, inflicting severe penalties for disrespectful language toward the Portuguese royal family or toward sovereigns or chiefs of foreign states, and empowering the ministers to prohibit the introduction of foreign newspapers into Portugal, failed to pass. Of twelve ministerial measures only three were adopted before the closure of the Cortes on Sept. 3. These dealt with the reform of the Bank of Portugal, pensions and retiring allowances, and contracts for public works. The House of Peers had not yet sanctioned a measure extending the privileges of the Tobacco Company. After the Cortes reassembled in November Senhor de Carvalho resigned, in consequence of which Senhor Barros Gomez became Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senhor Diaz Costa Minister of Marine.

In 1888, after recognizing Portugal's rights to the island of Macao at the entrance of the Gulf of Canton by a treaty signed in the previous year, the Chinese Government erected a guardhouse on the dependent island of Dom João and stationed a garrison there. In 1896 Portugal as a warning stationed a battalion there, and in April, 1897, a Portuguese plenipotentiary had a conference with the Viceroy of Canton, which resulted in an agreement to remove both garrisons and return to the status quo existing before 1888. A treaty of commerce between Portugal and Japan was signed at Lisbon on Aug. 30. Several other commercial treaties were under discussion.

PRESBYTERIANS. I. Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (Northern).The following is the summary of the statistics of this Church as reported to the General Assembly in May: Number of synods, 32: of presbyteries, 229; of ministers, 7,129; of candidates, 1,433; of local evangelists, 157; of licentiates, 477; of churches, 7,631: of communicants, 960,911; of members of Sabbath schools, 1,024,462; of elders, 27,874; of deacons, 9,551; of churches organized during the year, 162; of members added on examination, 57, 011; of baptisms, 21,596 of adults and 32,956 of infants. Amount of contributions: For home missions, $1,042,768: for foreign missions, $681,459; for education, $100,231; for Sabbath-school work, $121,808; for church erection, $124,873; for the Relief fund, $85,429; for the freedmen, $105,498; for synodical aid, $71,515; for aid for colleges, $109,272; for the Anniversary Reunion fund, $57,391 for the General Assembly, etc., $187,660; congregational, $9,980,958; miscellaneous, $729.151. The year's increase in communicants was 17,195.

The contributions for ministerial relief had been $160,856, being $11,000 less than in 1896. The debt of the board was $20,911. The permanent fund amounted to $1,551,783. Eight hundred and thirty-five families had been under the care of the board, being a larger number than in any previous Among the persons receiving aid were 95 honorably retired veterans, each more than seventy years of age, who had served the Presbyterian Church as pastor, stated supply, or missionary in the aggregate more than thirty years.

year.

The Board of Education had received $78,657, including $2,225 from the Anniversary Reunion fund. Nine hundred and eleven candidates had been under its care. The board had tried to make effective, through recommendations to the several educational committees and to teachers in the institutions where candidates were pursuing their studies, the admonition given by the General Assembly of 1896 to presbyteries to exercise all due care and watchfulness in the recommending of

candidates.

The Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies had received $95,751. By reducing administrative

expenses nearly 22 per cent. and by means of generous gifts made near the close of the year, it had been able to pay all appropriations voted. The income of the Board of Church Erection had been $115,737. The appropriations and gifts had been distributed among 25 synods, 104 presbyteries, and 31 States or Territories. The largest sum had been assigned to Indian Territory and Iowa; then, successively, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri, and Washington, etc.

The total receipts of the Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work had been $113,811. The falling off in contributions from churches, Sabbath schools, and individuals was $1,429, or less than the amount anticipated, and the total reduction was $5,336. The business department showed profits of $26,367, two thirds of which, or $17,578, had been passed over to the Sunday-school and missionary department. The missionary department had distributed 163 free libraries, containing 14,057 volumes. The missionaries had organized 938 new Sabbath schools, and 3,894 Sabbath schools had been visited and otherwise aided, most of them being such as had been organized by the missionaries.

The Board of Freedmen's Relief had expended $182,292, an increase of not quite $10,000 over the previous year. It returned 175 ministers, 5 less than in 1896; 321 churches and missions, an increase of 7; 1,800 members added on examination, or 174 less than the previous year; 18,068 communicants, a decrease of 693; 315 Sunday schools, with 79,021 pupils, a decrease of 603; and 67 day schools, with 204 teachers and 9,442 pupils. The receipts of the Board of Home Missions had steadily fallen off since 1893, and were for the past exclusive of what was received from the Memorial fund, $730,000. A reduction of 10 per cent. had been made during the year in expenditures. The board returned 1,416 missionaries, 308 missionary teachers, 87.035 members, 106,368 in congregations, 8,522 added on profession of faith, 4,010 baptisms of adults and 4,637 of infants, 271 Sunday schools organized, 2,180 Sunday schools in all, with more than 129,800 members, 53 churches organized and 16 churches become self-sustaining, 81 church edifices built during the year, and 1,617 church edifices in all, valued at $3,176,917.

year,

The receipts of the Woman's Executive Committee of Home Missions had been $333,899. Of the 29 synods, 19 had made advance. The debt of $105,000 with which the year opened had been reduced to $9,649. The buildings and equipment of the committee were valued at $742,000. The receipts for freedmen's work had been $41,746, somewhat less than in 1896. The negro people had contributed $70,017 for support of Presbyterian churches and schools.

The Board of Foreign Missions had received $869,057, of which $299,115 had been contributed through the woman's societies, $28,369 through the Sabbath schools, and $25,679 through the Young People's Societies. Its expenditures had been $936,061.

General Assembly.-The General Assembly met at Winona Park, Ind., May 20. The Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D. D., was chosen moderator, and the Hon. John Wanamaker vice-moderator. The committee of eleven appointed by the previous General Assembly to examine into the subject of the "Presbyterian Building" erected in the city of New York by the Boards of Home and Foreign Missions for the accommodation of their business and for purposes of rental, reported concerning their proceedings and the conclusions they had reached. The report embodied a resolution of the General Assembly of 1894, from which it appeared that these

boards were already in possession of buildings for their offices which had been presented to the Church, and that the donors of those buildings felt aggrieved at the proposed removal from them; but the General Assembly had given its approval to the contemplated step without any complaint being made. The General Assembly of 1894 could see no adequate reason for reversing the approval of the previous Assembly and the practically unanimous judgment of the two boards concerned, and therefore approved the records of those boards relating to this subject. The matter had come up again in subsequent Assemblies, and the Assembly of 1896 (see "Annual Cyclopædia" for 1896) had appointed a committee of eleven persons to consider the subject in all its bearings. After relating the proceedings of its meetings and its examination of the buildings and the conditions, the committee gave their conclusions that "whether the property on Twentieth Street and Fifth Avenue (the Presbyterian Building '), as well as that at Fifth Avenue and Twelfth Street (the old building or Lenox Mansion), should be sold or not, are questions which under existing conditions may be properly and safely left to the determination of the two boards. The application of the money derived from the Stuart estate toward the erection of the new building was not an illegal use of such money. The committee advise urgent appeals to all the churches of our denomination to make not only the ordinary but increased contributions for home and foreign missionary operations, in the full confidence that under no circumstances will money given for current work be applied to the account of the new building, but that the debt thereon must be provided for by other contributions for that purpose." The Assembly resolved, on the recommendation of the committee, that the disposition of the two properties in question be left to the Boards of Home and Foreign Missions as agents of the churches; expressed its appreciation of the services and the liberality of the members of the boards and of others "in the conduct of these enterprises"; and approved the action of the committee. The Assembly further resolved that "when any board receives a legacy, the use of which is not indicated in the will of the testator, the funds shall either be used for current work or 'shall be invested in accordance with the laws provided for the care of trust funds in the State where the board is located; but if not so used, they shall be held until the General Assembly approves of some different use of the funds which the board may propose to make."

The special committee appointed by the previous General Assembly to confer with the Board of Home Missions respecting reductions in its expenses reported expressing the opinion that material reductions could and ought to be made in the department of administration; that division of responsibility between two or more secretaries was undesirable, and there should be but one, who should be held strictly accountable to the board, with such subordinates as might be necessary; and that increased responsibility should be put upon the treasurer by making him a member of the Executive Committee. The increase of the debt of the board was accounted for in the report as the result of financial stringency following upon large and liberal extensions of its work, to which was added the transfer of the Indian work from the Foreign to the Home Board, involving an additional outlay of $20,000 annually, and the surrender of the appropriations of the United States Government to the Indian schools, whereby a loss of $32,000 was annually incurred, which the Home Board was expected to supply. Upon the recommendation of the committee the Assembly resolved "that the Board of Home Mis

sions be directed so to organize its methods of administration that the executive work shall be placed in charge of one secretary, with whatever assistants may be necessary, and that he be accountable to the board for its faithful and efficient management; that the board be directed to make at the beginning of each fiscal year an estimate of the probable income for the ensuing year, by taking the average amount received from legacies, church offerings, and other sources for a period of preceding years, and that the sum thus obtained shall be considered the available amount for the work of the board during the ensuing year; that the policy of the board shall be to avoid debt. When debt has been unavoidably incurred, then allowance shall be made for the payment of the debt, as far as possible, out of the estimated receipts; that the proposed consolidation of the treasuryships in the cities of New York and Philadelphia is inexpedient; and that this committee be enlarged by the addition of four new members, and continued, with instructions to consider the best methods of promoting harmony between the Board of Home Missions and presbyteries and synods desiring to support and control their own work, and to report upon the subject at the next General Assembly." The Committee on Theological Seminaries recommended the reaffirmation of the decision of the last Assembly concerning its control over them, and reported concerning the responses of the institutions to the Assembly's action, that the directors of Lane Seminary had replied that in the case of that institution the decision was impracticable; they had no legal or moral right to consent to the alteration of its charter. The trustees of Auburn Seminary replied that the control of the institution by the presbyteries, which had been effective for the past seventy-six years amply safeguarded its teaching and property. The reply of the Board of Directors of the McCormick Seminary reiterated its loyalty to the institutions of the Church. Its charter and constitution secured the object sought by the Assembly. Its property and teaching are fully safeguarded, and it might be hazardous both to the seminary and the Assembly to make the requested changes. The directors of the German Theological Seminary, Newark, N. J., declined to make the changes sought. The Assembly declared that it accepted as sincere the repeated, positive, and explicit declarations of these seminaries that they are loyal to the Church and that their teachings and properties are in their judgment fully safeguarded to the General Assembly; but, the resolution continued, "if at any time in the future these seminaries should find that the changes could be made in their respective charters as the General Assembly has desired, it would be gratifying to the whole Church to have such changes made." The Assembly affirmed as applicable to all schools the deliverance of the General Assembly of 1806 concerning students who receive aid from the presbyteries, viz., that the presbyteries inspect their education during the course of their theological studies, choosing for them such schools, seminaries, and teachers as they may judge most proper and advantageous, so as eventually to bring them into the ministry well furnished for their work. The several synods were recommended to consider, and if it be deemed advisable and practicable, "to prepare, adopt, and set forth for use in each respective State and Territory such form of charter of the Presbyterian Church, and such provisions to be inserted in wills and in deeds of lands to Presbyterian churches as will safeguard and secure the property of our churches to this denomination, and be in accordance with the form of government of the Presbyterian Church." The Assembly declared itself ready for a union

movement with the Southern Presbyterian Church "as soon as the Lord in his providence shall open the way." Satisfaction was expressed at the action of various press and editorial associations expressing sympathy with the woman's movement for promoting purity in literature and art, and pledging themselves to the exclusion of impure matter from their journals. A committee was appointed on synodical sustentation, to report to the next General Assembly. It was decided to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Westminster Standards on the second Thursday of the next Assembly, and the synods were also urged to celebrate. A resolution was adopted appropriate to the birthday of Queen Victoria of England and the sixtieth anniversary of her reign, sending the Assembly's most cordial Christian greetings to both the illustrious Queen and the subjects of her gentle, generous, and righteous rule of the destinies of the empire, on which the sun never sets." The Assembly reaffirmed its deep interest in all legislation by which the cause of temperance and morality are wisely furthered, and commended the efforts of Christian men in the State and Federal legislatures to safeguard social purity and prevent the maintenance of liquor saloons in any Government building. It also recognized the personal duty of total abstinence and the advocacy of temperance, advised the synods to take measures to promote those objects, and appointed the third Sunday in October of each year, or some other convenient day, to be observed in the churches as Temperance Day.

II. Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern). The summary of the statistics of this Church, as reported to the General Assembly in May, 1897, gives the following footings: Number of synods, 13; of presbyteries, 77; of ministers, 1,393; of candidates, 378; of licentiates, 90; of churches, 2,816; of communicants, 211,694; of baptized noncommunicants, 37,386; of ruling elders, 8,719; of deacons, 7,279; of teachers in Sunday schools, 19,397; of pupils in the same, 143,498; of churches organized during the year, 60; of members added on examination, 10,592; of baptisms, 4,246 of adults and 5,050 of infants. Amounts of contributions: For the Assembly's home missions, $24,022; local evangelistic, $99,249; for the Invalid fund, $12,572; forforeign missions, $122,024; for education, $51,212; for publication, $7,322; for colored evangelization, $9,276; for the Bible cause, $5.391; presbyterial, $15,435; for pastors' salaries, $797,475; congregational, $564,108; miscellaneous, $124,714.

The increase in the number of communicants (1,155) shown in the tables is very small as compared with the number of additions on examination. The editor of the "Christian Observer." apprehending error, has gone over some of the presbyterial reports in detail, and has found that mistakes in adding up the communicants in a few of them have made the total smaller than it should be by about 3,000.

The treasurer's report of the Executive Committee on Publication showed that the assets of the publishing house amounted to $108,246. The receipts from churches during the year had been $6,379, and the total receipts $39,124. The year closed with a balance in the treasury of $3.175. Eighteen new works had been published during the year, and large editions of other works issued. Series of topics of study for the use of the Westminster League of Young People's Societies and a supplemental course of study for Sunday schools had been published, the latter developing more fully the denominational doctrines and principles

of government; five colporteurs had visited 5,158 families and distributed books and tracts to the amount of $3,291, the expense of their operations being $2,371; and $6,896 had been applied to benevolent work.

The Executive Committee of Home Missions returned the entire sum of which they had had control during the year as having been $50,541, or $917 less than the amount in the previous year. Of this sum, $9,560 had been used for the expenses of administration, aud $42,046 paid out for the support of the several branches of the work, leaving a balance of $3,035. Two ministers and 1 church building had been aided in New Mexico, 2 ministers supported and a Bible training school assisted among the Mexicans in Texas, 98 ministers and teachers had received appropriations in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and the Indian Territory, and 8 church buildings had been aided. The work among the Mexicans in Texas had increased in five years from 1 church of 50 members to 6 churches with 300 members, more than 40 of whom had been received during the year, and with 3 young men in training for the ministry. The condition of the work among the Indians-especially of the school work—was regarded as encouraging. Thirty seven infirm ministers had been aided out of the Invalid fund. The Executive Committee of Foreign Missions reported that its receipts for the year from all sources had been $143,742, or $1,782 more than those of the previous year, and its disbursements $154,406, or $13,173 more than those of the previous year and $10,664 more than the present year's receipts. A balance in the treasury of $10,223 was returned on April 1, 1897. In ten years the missionary force had been increased from 54 to 150, and the annual receipts from $84,000 to $143,000, The average cost of the work per missionary for ten years had been about $1,250 a year. This included traveling expenses, rents, medicines, books, tracts, and other appliances used in the work. For the past three years the limit of expense had been kept by various economies at about $1,000. Eleven new missionaries had been sent out during the yearviz., 5 to China. 1 to Japan, 3 to northern Brazil, 2 to the Congo Free State-and 3 ladies had been added by marriage to the missionary force in China and Japan. Three missionaries had died and 3 had returned to the United States on account of ill health.

The missions were established at 36 stations, with 36 churches, and returned 150 missionaries from the United States, 58 of whom were ordained ministers, 36 native preachers, 98 other native helpers, and 3,156 communicant members-viz., 281 in China, 834 in southern Brazil, 550 in northern Brazil, 678 in Mexico, 720 in Japan, and 93 in the Congo, with no report of members from Korea but 10 additions during the year mentioned; 76 Sabbath schools, with 1,215 pupils; 25 day schools, with 726 pupils; 38.219 persons given medical aid; and native contributions amounting to $4,760.

General Assembly.-The General Assembly met in Charlotte, N. C., May 20. The Rev. George T. Goethius, of Rome, Ga., was chosen moderator. An overture concerning women speaking in the churches was the subject of debate for the greater part of one of the earlier days of the session. It involved two questions-whether the pulpits of the Church might be occupied by women to lecture or make addresses to mixed audiences of men and women; and whether ministers might read from their pulpits notices of such lectures and addresses to be made in other churches. The Assembly replied, referring the presbytery sending up the overture" to the clear deliverance of former Assemblies which settle the principles involved in its overture,