strength, the Presbyterians have considerable organizations in other parts of Ireland, including the presbytery of Dublin, with more than 25 congregations, and the presbyteries of Cork and Connaught, with 10 or 12 congregations each. Previous to the disestablishment of the Episcopal Church in Ireland each minister of the General Assembly received from the Government an annual sum amounting to about £30, called Regium Donum. This having been discontinued in connection with the disestablishment, the ministers are supported by their congregations, with the aid, in case the congregations are not able to afford a full support, of grants from the Sustentation fund. The contributions to this fund in 1895 were about £26,600.

XIII. Presbyterian Church in England.The statistics presented at the annual meeting of the Synod of this Church, in April, showed that the whole number of members in the 305 congregations was 70,639, an increase over the previous year of 1,007; of teachers in Sunday schools 5,216, and of pupils 51,058, besides 2,316 teachers and 28,975 children in the mission schools. During the past twenty years the number of sittings provided in the places of worship had been increased by 26,561, and the number of communicants by 19,626. The revenue of the Church during the past year had been nearly £30,000 in excess of that of the previous year, the increase being partly due to the special gifts to Church extension. The church property was valued at £1,781,032. It was hoped that the new college in course of erection at Cambridge, expected to cost about £30,000, would be completed in time to be occupied for the session of

1898-'99.

The prominent feature of the meeting of the Synod, which began April 26, was the celebration of the jubilee of the mission in China. In view of this fact the Synod met in Sunderland, where it had met fifty years before, and where William Burns had offered himself to be the pioneer missionary to China, and in the same church. The Rev. H. L. Mackenzie, the senior missionary of the Church, who had labored in China for thirty-seven years, was chosen moderator. The moderator in his opening address reviewed the history of the missionary work in China, saying that thousands of the people had been converted; four theological colleges, boarding schools for boys and girls at the chief centers, and elementary schools at the out stations were in operation; the medical missionaries had accomplished a benevolent, far-reaching work; and other missionaries had done much in translating the Bible into the vernacular languages of Amoy and Swatow, besides taking some share in its translation into the classical language. Progress was reported by the Board of Home Missions in the effort to raise a church-building fund of £50,000. Objection being made during the discussion of the report to a rule laid down by the board denying a grant to any church in which the plans provided for the pulpit being placed on one side, it was contended that side pulpits were a first step toward sacerdotalism, and a motion to cancel the restriction was lost by a large majority. A petition was presented asking for an inquiry into the orthodoxy of the Rev. John Watson, D. D., pastor of the Sefton Park Church, Liverpool. who is known to readers of his books as Ian Maclaren. The Business Committee reported concerning it that, after considering the petition, they had decided not to transmit it to the Synod. It was irregular in not having come through the presbytery, and instead of presenting specific allegations on the part of the petitioners, it asked the Church, in dealing with writings open to their examination, to proceed upon statements alleged to have been made in various

quarters outside. A motion rejecting the petition was carried by a very large majority. The synod afterward appointed Dr. Watson's church as the place for holding its meeting in 1898. The declaration of interest in the Council of Free Churches was reiterated; congregations were urged to associate themselves with the movement; and a committee to act in co-operation with the council in seeking from the railway companies ample facilities in traveling to religious assemblies was renewed. The issue was directed of a circular to the managers of the 25 denominational day schools, urging them to form a presbyterial association for the purposes of the voluntary schools act. In discussing the subject of the oversight of Presbyterian soldiers and sailors, complaint was made that Presbyterian chaplains were brought from Scotland to look after troops in England, simply because such chaplains belonged to the Established Church. The Synod decided to ask the War Office to appoint the Wesleyan chaplain at Hong-Kong to be the officiating minister to the Presbyterian soldiers and sailors at that station.

The mission in China recorded 5,000 communicants in the native church. It had 30 missionaries, 10 of them medical, and besides missionaries' wives 20 lady missionaries laboring among the women of the country. The native pastors and evangelists outnumbered the European staff by 2 to 1. Besides the theological college, there were 10 hospitals, in which 30,000 persons who sought bodily healing had been brought since the hospitals were established within reach of the Gospel. A native Church was being built up and was becoming selfgoverning, self-supporting, and self-propagating. Some of the church members were the third generation of Christians. Three of their native ministers were grandsons of the first convert of William Burns, the pioneer missionary of the Church.

XIV. Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church.— The statistical reports of this Church, made to the General Assembly in May, showed considerable increase in the more important items. The number of preaching stations was 1,536; of churches, 1,330; and of communicants, 150,442 (increase 3,145). Seventeen new Sunday schools had been established, and the number of members of Sunday schools had increased 4,466. The total amount of all the contributions was £228,416, showing an increase of £5,169.

The receipts for the foreign missions had been £10,796, an increase for the year of £2,883. The missions included 281 preaching stations, 2,926 communicants, 9,762 adherents, and 10,540 pupils in Sunday schools. One thousand and eighty persons had been received into the churches during the year. Three new missionaries are to be sent into the field.

The General Assembly met at Rhyl, May 25. The Rev. J. Morgan Jones was moderator. On the subject of the incorporation of the Assembly, it was found that the objects aimed at could be effected by so altering the constitutional deed as to arm the body with the powers of a quarterly association. The committee on the subject was authorized to formulate the proposal in order that it might be submitted to the consideration of the quarterly associations. Upon the presentation of a report upon the number of Welshmen living in other countries than Wales, and the need of provisional oversight for those residing in America, Patagonia, and South Africa, a deputation was appointed to visit the Welsh colonies in South Africa and arrange for the maintenance of a minister or ministers among them. Another committee was appointed to carry out the arrangements necessary for the establishment of a South African mission.

balance of $36,854.52. The salary of the bishops and the stipends of the missionaries in 19 missionary jurisdictions were paid, and, in addition, assistance was given to 41 dioceses. The whole number of missionaries, clerical and lay, male and female, receiving salaries or stipends was 1,007, and the amount appropriated for the work was $268,023.

The gross receipts for foreign missions (including a balance from 1896 of $31,238.72) were $313,249.65. The expenditures were: On account of mission work, $184,305.45; specials, $32,879.60; legacy expenses (one half), $162.28; contributions returned (one half), $269.40; one half of cost of administration and collection, $13,700.44; printing “Spirit of Missions," reports, etc., $10,476.69; legacies for investment, $1.000; paid to an annuitant, $150; returned to Standing Committee on Trust Funds, $32.189.48; loan returned (one half), $12,500; transfers, $367.45; balance for foreign missions and specials at close of fiscal year, $25,248.86.

The totals of statistics of the result of Church work among colored people vary but little from those reported last year. There are 116 stations ministered to by 65 colored clergymen. More than 60 white clergymen are engaged in the work. The church and school buildings number 146, the estimated value of which is about $460,000. There are about 7,500 communicants. In the year 1,183 were baptized and 882 confirmed. There are 5,645 Sunday-school pupils and 4,381 parish pupils.

The mission to the Indians and Eskimos in Alaska reports about 100 communicants and about 1,400 enrolled baptized natives. Other Indian mission work has been carried on with gratifying results.

The condition of the Mexican Church is encouraging. It has 7 priests, 4 deacons, 5 candidates for orders, 3 other readers, 27 congregations, 10 day schools, 10 teachers, and about 300 scholars. Two priests of the American Church also are working for the Mexican Church. In the foreign field there has been steady progress.

Statistics of the West African mission for the year show that the clergy numbered 15, the mission stations 73, baptisms 210, confirmations 90, communicants 1,297, and total of contributions $1, 638.07. The ten-year rebellion of the Half-Cavalla tribe against the Government of Liberia was this year ended, and on the restoration of peace the principal Church station at Cavalla was reopened, the king and the chiefs of the tribes expressing their joy at having the work resumed among them. A grant of 500 acres of land for a girl's graded Church school was made by the Legislature of Liberia.

The conditions of the missionary work of the Church in China have been profoundly affected by the radical changes in the material prosperity of the country since the close of the China-Japan War. There is an increased demand for foreign education, and in the newly established Government college at Tientsin, over which an American presides, students are being secured from the Christian schools by order of Li-Hung-Chang, because "there he would find the best material." This attitude of the Government, recognizing the scholarship and intellectual power of men from Christian countries and placing them at the head of, or as teachers in their own Government schools and colleges, marks a wonderful change that is full of promise and responsibility.

A three-days conference of the English and American bishops in China and the Bishop of Korea was held in Shanghai in April.

The Church Training School for Women, organized in Shanghai in 1896, has passed out of the stage of experiment, and may be said to have solved

the question of the training of women for the China mission.

The Wen-li translation of the New Testament by Bishop Schereschewsky was this year put to press. to be followed soon by the Old Testament in Wen-li. A corrected version of his translation of the Old Testament in mandarin also will be issued, and provision has been made for printing a Shanghai, a mandarin, and a Wen-li version of the prayer book. From the mission in Japan material progress is reported. Four churches were consecrated during the year, and proof of the increasing influence of Christianity in Japan is found in the fact that a comparatively large number of Christians are being gathered in from the upper classes. One minister, two deputy ministers, the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, the president and many members of the House of Deputies are Christians, and many other men of social standing and influence are favorable to Christianity. There are signs everywhere throughout Japan of the decay of the great religions which for centuries have dominated the Japanese mind. Of the half dozen so-called great papers of Japan, two are avowedly under the guidance of Christian principles, viz., the "Nation ("Kokumin Shimbun") and the "Daily News' ("Mainichi Shimbun"). Whatever religious influence these journals may exert they are stalwart champions of Christian ethics, and discuss all moral questions from that point of view.

The Bishop of Hayti reports encouraging growth in his jurisdiction, although he declares that at least four fifths of the population of the island, in spite of the Christian baptism which was administered to them in infancy, still openly keep up the superstitions and idolatrous practices of heathenisin transferred from Africa by their enslaved ancestors.

The 10 missions or chaplaincies in Europe are in a flourishing condition.

The summary of the work accomplished in the year by the Woman's Auxiliary and its junior department in 59 dioceses and 17 missionary districts shows contributions: For domestic missions, $86,004.64; for foreign missions, $44,174.50; for diocesan missions, $50,807.79; and boxes valued at $184,898.27. Of this total of $374,514.65, the junior department gave money and boxes to the amount of $42.553.36.

The receipts of the American Church Missionary Society amounted to $34,787.15; the disbursements to $31,895.12. Reports from the 22 clergymen and 2 teachers aided by its stipends in domestic-mission work show 183 infant and 84 adult baptisms, 156 confirmations, and 198 communicants added to last year's number, which was 1,647. By the congregations in Brazil under the charge of this society contributions were made amounting to $2,394 in gold, the largest contribution toward self-support made from any foreign-mission field in our Church. Owing to the war in Cuba all mission work, except at one chapel in Havana, has been suspended. The ever-increasing congregation of exiles at West Tampa is included in Southern Florida.

The Church Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews this year expended $10,367.32. Steady but slow advance is reported. Adults as well as children attend the Church school and receive instruction in the Christian religion, but "the fear of persecution, ostracism, and loss of employment, all of which await every convert to Christianity, undoubtedly deters these from taking further steps."

The American Church Building Fund Commission reports that during the year donations to the amount of $3.847.83 were made to 23 churches, and loans amounting to $34,700 to 23 churches. The

Coadjutor of the Diocese of Virginia, was conse-crated bishop.

The Rev. David H. Greer, D. D., rector of St. Bartholomew's Church, New York, in June was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Rhode Island. The Rev. Dr. Greer declined the election, and in October the Rev. William Nielson McVickar, D. D., rector of Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, was elected to the office. In November the Rt. Rev. Ethelbert Talbot, D. D., LL. D., Missionary Bishop of Wyoming and Idaho, was elected Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, in succession to the Rt. Rev. Nelson Somerville Rulison, D. D., deceased.

The missionary district of Northern Texas became the independent diocese of Dallas, and the missionary district of Duluth made distinct progress toward the same action.

QUEBEC, a province of the Dominion of Canada; area, 228,900 square miles; population in 1891, 1,488,535.

Government.-Political feeling in this province ran high in 1896-'97, owing to the Dominion elections, when Mr. Taillon resigned his office as Premier to accept office under Sir Charles Tupper, and was succeeded by Mr. J. F. Flynn, a member of his ministry, who appealed to the province in the following year and was defeated. But when the Legislature was opened in Quebec, Nov. 17, 1896, by Lieut.-Gov. J. A. Chapleau, Mr. Taillon was still at the head of affairs. The speech from the throne contained the following significant passages:

"My Government will submit to you a bill respecting the establishment of a special fund for the more effectual diffusion of instruction in poor mu-, nicipalities and among the working classes, for improving the condition of teachers, and, generally, for the purpose of giving a further and an energetic impulse to primary education. You will also be called to legislate upon a reorganization of the public departments.

"In virtue of various acts of the Legislature, land subsidies, subsequently converted into money subsidies, were granted to certain railway companies, and represent an aggregate amount of over $3,000,000, payable when these lands shall have been allotted, sold, and paid; that is to say, after very heavy expense will have been incurred for surveys and administration. My Government, having been requested to carry this legislation into effect, proposed to the railway companies interested who might be willing to accept the same to commute their rights for amounts smaller than those mentioned in the statutes, but payable immediately, or as they become due. The principle of this arrangement has been accepted by the companies, and you will be called upon to consider a bill to allow the effecting of such commutation.

66

Emigration agents are making strenuous efforts to induce our hardy and industrious population to leave the province in order to settle in countries as far distant as Brazil. To arrest this regrettable movement, and to further promote the settlement of our wild lands, my Government will submit a measure to make a homestead of every lot hereafter conceded by the Crown, on certain conditions, and to make such conditions easier than in the past. "The constant increase of the population, and, consequently, of the unavoidable expenses for the administration of justice, the care of the insane, the providing of means of communication, and the development of public instruction and agriculture

render more and more imperative the readjustment of the Federal subsidies payable under section 118 of the British North America act.

"I placed myself in communication with the Federal authorities in reference to the delimitation of the northern boundaries of the Province of Quebec, and I am happy to say that by an order of his Excellency the Governor General in Council, dated the 8th day of July last, the rightfulness of our claim was admitted, and the territory claimed by my Government, or its equivalent, was acknowledged as forming part of the Province of Quebec."

The Legislature was prorogued on Jan. 9, 1897. Among the bills passed were these:

To incorporate the Asbestos and Dabville Railway Company.

To amend the law respecting dentists. To repeal the law imposing duties on transfers of property.

To reorganize the departments.
Respecting elementary schools.

To amend the law respecting probate of wills.
Respecting the public debt and its conversion.
To amend the Quebec election act of 1895.
To incorporate the North Shore Power Company.
To incorporate the town of Montreal West.
To incorporate the Municipal Association of
Montreal.

To incorporate the St. Hyacinthe City and Gran-by Railway Company.

To erect the Quebec Insane Asylum and its dependencies into a separate municipality.

To incorporate the Canada Stone Chinaware Company.

To incorporate the Coaticook Electric Light and Power Company.

To abolish the continuation of community creating legal usufruct in certain cases, and, for that purpose, to amend articles 1323 to 1337 inclusively of the civil code.

To prohibit indecent posters in public streets. and places.

To amend the game laws.

To amend the law respecting fisheries. To amend the act 59 Victoria, chap. xxxiv, respecting benevolent and mutual benefit associa tions and mutual insurance companies.

To amend the law respecting asylums for the in

sane.

Elections. Early in the year great preparations were made for the provincial elections. The leading issue was economy, which the Flynn Government claimed they had practiced, while the Liberal Opposition, led by Mr. F. G. Marchand, made charges of the grossest extravagance. One of their arrangements was the guaranteeing of the bonds of the Atlantic and Superior Railway for $8,270,000 on terms which were strongly denounced. The Administrator, Sir Alexander Lacoste (in the absence of Lieut.-Gov. Chapleau), disallowed the measure, and this increased the difficulties of the Government. The Opposition took high ground upon the improvement of the provincial system of education and the general question of electoral freedom from clerical domination, Incidentally, the ever-present Manitoba school problem complicated matters as between Protestants and Catholics. The elections were held in May, and the Flynn ministry was beaten by about 25 majority in the new Legislature.

The following new Liberal Government was formed May 26, 1897: G. G. Marchand, Premier and Treasurer; Horace Archambault, AttorneyGeneral; H. T. Duffy, Commissioner of Public Works; S. N. Parent, Commissioner of Crown Lands; F. G. M. Dechene, Commissioner of Agriculture; A. Turgeon, Commissioner of Mines and Fisheries; J. E. Robidoux, Provincial Secretary; George W. Stephens, J. Shehyn, and J. J. Guerin, ministers without portfolio.

Finances. The budget speech of Mr. A. W. Atwater, Provincial Treasurer, was delivered in December, 1896. His statement may be summarized briefly:

"For the fiscal year just closed our ordinary receipts have exceeded our ordinary expenditure by $286,688. Let me deal first with the accounts of the fiscal year and the receipts and expenditure connected therewith which are before you in the shape of the public accounts. Mr. Taillon, in his budget speech delivered on Dec. 21, 1894, estimated the net receipts at $4,255,499.42. We find the actual receipts to have been $4,331,196.17, or an excess of actual over estimated receipts of $75,696.75. Mr. Taillon estimated the expenditure for 1895-'96 at $4,222,110.97. In this estimate he included the amount to be repaid upon the railway guarantee deposits of $268,235.62. His estimated expenditure then, without this item, would have been $3,953,875.35. The actual expenditure, exclusive of the return railway guarantee deposits,

RAILWAY SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES. Because of the wide area of the United States, the diverse natural resources of the country, and the extent to which the territorial division of labor and localization of special forms of industry have been fostered by the prevalence of unrestricted domestic trade, facilities for cheap, rapid, and safe transportation are of the utmost importance in the economic organization. Though there are within the United States lakes vast enough to float the commerce of the world, and mighty rivers unequaled elsewhere within the domain of civilization, these natural water-ways are but auxiliaries to the general system of transportation, which, partly on account of the topography of the country and the normal trend of commercial shipment, is mainly overland. The early contest for supremacy between canals and railways demonstrated the comparative inadequacy of the former for any service other than

was $4,099,707, including extraordinary expenditure on public works and buildings, being $145,831.65 more than the estimate. This, however, included the $59,518.40 paid out of receipts by the collectors of provincial revenue and sheriffs, which amount appears in the statement of receipts. The actual excess, therefore, of expenditure over the estimates is $86,313.25. The principal increases have been in respect of agriculture, immigration, and colonization, extraordinary expenditure in connection with public buildings, and miscellaneous services."

Important arrangements were made during the session for the conversion and consolidation of the public debt and the reduction of interest from 4 and 5 per cent. to 3 and 3 per cent. The liabili ties of the province on June 30, 1897, were $37,344,310, with assets valued at $11,852,652.

The estimates for the ensuing year were as follow: Public debt, $1,524,621.53; legislation, $195,678.96; civil government, $256,572; administration of justice, $575,390: public instruction, $380,260; agriculture, etc., $288,800; public works and buildings, $183,521.79; charities, including lunatic asylums, $339,375.75; miscellaneous services, $367,700; railways, $503,240: repayment of railways, $287,693.99: Aylmer Courthouse fund, $1,574.

The following are details of the principal amounts. voted: Legislative Council, Speaker's salary, $3,000; members' indemnity and mileage, $19,865; salaries and contingent expenses, etc., $12,811.50; Legislative Assembly, Speaker's salary, $3,000; members' indemnity and mileage, $61,600; salaries and contingent expenses, etc., $54,002.45; printing and binding for the Legislature, $25,400; library of the Legislature, purchase of books, $2,000; salaries, contingent expenses, etc.. $5,800; expenses of elections, $2,500; clerk of the Crown in Chancery, salary, $200; Queen's printer-printing, binding, and distributing the laws, $5,500; civil government salaries, $205,572; contingencies, $51,000; administration of justice, $478,450; judge of the Sessions of the Peace, Quebec, police magistrates, Montreal, their salaries, those of their officers and contingencies, including salaries of high constable and his deputy, etc., Montreal, $22,940; reformatory and industrial schools, $65,000; inspection of public offices, $9,000.

One of the features of the session was a loan of $500,000, by legislative enactment, to the Sisters of St. Jean de Dieu for the rebuilding of the Long Pointe Asylum, which had been destroyed by fire.

that of feeders for the more efficient system. The railways speedily gained and have successfully maintained a paramount position in the natural transportation system, though they are still unable to compete with either natural or artificial waterways in the movement of commodities that are shipped in large quantities, the bulk and weight of which are great in proportion to value, and in the movement of which rapid service is not required.

Construction and Mileage.-During the seven decades that comprehend the period of steam-railway transportation there have been constructed throughout the world about 430.000 miles of railway, which are capitalized at nearly $35,000,000,000. Though the United States occupies approximately but per cent. of the land surface of the earth, and contains an even smaller proportion of its total population, it is traversed by 42 per cent. of this mileage, represented by 30 per cent. of the capital.