in aid of endowments until each congregation shall have secured £100 a-year, permanent and independent income.

The sum of £490 was granted to 47 schools, and the total stipend and grants amounted to £2729.

Of the events of the past year, which have been connected with the interests of the Church Society, two have been of a very cheering and encouraging character. In the month of August a meeting was held in Aberdeen, the Right Reverend the Bishop of the Diocese in the Chair, supported by the Primus, and a large number of his clergy, and by many distinguished persons of the county. The whole proceedings were of a most gratifying character, and manifested a hearty and genial feeling on the part of all who spoke, and of all who attended. In the month of November a large and influential meeting was held at Glasgow; the Earl of Home in the chair, supported by the Right Reverend the Bishop of the Diocese, the Primus, the Bishop-Coadjutor of Edinburgh, the Bishop of London, many of the Clergy of the Diocese, and a large number of Laymen of distinction, several of whom took an active part in the proceedings. The meeting was held in the City Hall, which was crowded to excess, and the result has been a satisfactory and triumphant testimony from the west of Scotland in favour of the appeal now put forth by the Society, and a determination to push forward its operations, and to gain the object now set before it, viz., that it will secure ultimately £500 a year for each of the Bishops, £100 a year for each of the Deans, a minimum of £150 a year for each Incumbency, and £100 a year for permanent and independent Endowments.

In conclusion, the Committee would repeat the opinion which they have often given before, viz., that the surest and most expeditious mode of raising the income requisite for carrying forward the designs of the Society is to give efficiency to the Congregational Committees. They are a sure source of income. They require only a vigorous and united effort-not by collecting large sums from a few members of the congregation, but moderate sums and small sums from all its members. By strictly attending to the regulations, no difficulty need be experienced in making such Committees work for the Society in the poorest Congregations. Very small contributions produce a respectable income by accumulation.

Her

A great object lies before the Society. It has in view to elevate the social position of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, and to remove a part of that weight of poverty under which it is impossible for her to assume her due place of usefulness and of influence. Civil disabilities have been removed in regard to her relations with England. theological seminary at Trinity College, under the direction of its distinguished Warden, gives promise of elevating the standard of her divinity students and of candidates for her ministry. English Churchmen are kindly and favourably disposed towards her. Many Scottish prejudices against her services and system are wearing away. Church Society on its part comes forward as an handmaiden to the Church, and has a great office to accomplish. It now remains for the Society to receive its due support from all members of the Church, and every one, in contributing to its funds according to his means, make his offering in the spirit with which of old David made an offering to

let

The

his God—“ All things come of Thee, and of thine own have we given Thee."-1 Chron. xxix. 14.

The following were proposed as the Office-bearers for the ensuing year, in addition to those already on the list:-John Malcolm, Esq. of Poltalloch, and Alexander Morison, Esq. of Bognie, to be elected Vice-Presidents. A. D. R. Baillie, Cochrane, Esq. of Lamington; William G. Don, Esq., Broughty Ferry; Alexander Howe, Esq., W.S.; and Charles Lawson, Jun., Esq., to be members of the General Committee. Committee on Funds-James Steuart, Esq., W.S.; Hugh Blair, Esq., W.S.; Alexander Cunningham, Esq., W.S.; Alexander Forbes Irvine, Esq. of Drum; William Mitchell, Esq.; John Ronald, Esq.; Alexander James Russell, Esq., W.S.; William T. Thomson, Esq.; William S. Walker, Esq. of Bowland.

Bishop Morrell said-Before I ask the sanction of your unanimous approval to the report that has been read to you, and ask your direction that it should be printed and circulated as wide as it can be among the members of the Church, I may venture just to offer a few remarks, and they must needs be few, for our time is short, and we have a good deal of work before us-just a few general remarks upon that work which we are gathered to-day to help forward. I heartily wish some of those more influential members of the Church, whose names are widely known and honoured among us, should have been able to take that presidential chair which I have been asked to fill; but they have been prevented from coming, not from any lack of interest, not from any declining of their own sympathies with our work and with our welfare, but simply from unavoidable causes. They would gladly have been present, and their hearts, too, would have been gladdened by such a sight as this-by so large and influential a meeting gathered within this spacious room. We are gathered together to-day to hear the report of what last year's work has been, what its finance has been, what our hopes may fairly be, and what we have yet to do with all the energy of which we may be capable. Now, in taking a review of the past year, we may neither undervalue the exertions that have been made, and the advances that have been reached, neither may we boast ourselves as though we were putting off our armour, instead of putting it on for new and more vigorous exertions. Much, indeed, has been done, through the length and breadth of the land. North, south, east, and west have contributed, not merely by their subscriptions, but they have contributed by their substantial labour and help in other ways, to strengthen the operations of this Society, and by means of this Society to strengthen the position of the Church in the length and in the breadth of the land. Our clergy have been stirred up with still greater zeal, and I doubt not that they

will work with yet more heart and with more vigour. Many a painstaking parish priest has gone forth beyond his own proper sphere, where his labours have been concentrated hitherto-gone forth in direct missionary work to spread our Church in places and in regions where hitherto there had been but little work, and where, perhaps, there had been but little call or little hope. And this missionary spirit-this gathering of centres for new fields of work-is not confined to one diocese alone. It is neither north nor south, but it is the whole Church, I rejoice to feel, that is putting shoulder to shoulder, and foot to foot, and joining hand in hand. I could point to six or eight different missionary centres in my own Diocese. I have just come from Dundee, where I had occasion to preach on Sunday last, and there is missionary work going on there indeed which would gladden all hearts. The large and spacious Church in which I preached on Sunday-holding 800 or 1000 persons-was filled to overflowing; and besides that, four other missionary stations, all the work of my good brother, who is now away in distant parts seeking to re-establish, if God will, his health, and then come back to his Diocese to work with new energy and new hope. I looked upon that great Diocese, and I thought of its good mission, and I felt that God indeed was on our side. And so it is with the other parts of our Church. It is not in the North only, and it is not in one Diocese alone, that missionary operations are going on. True, indeed, there is a great deal yet to be done; but still what I say is that this work is going on. The Church has taken a position in this land, by God's providence, which she never took before since the days of the Revolution; and we have the amplest hope and encouragement from our God to believe that he is with us of a truth, and so long as we are faithful-Clergy and Laity-in our several places, so long will God bless, and increase, and multiply our labours, and make this once-despised branch a name greater than it deserved. Well, then, we may fairly, I think, take courage. We may believe that there is, with all our backwardness, and with all our coldness—and I do not want to conceal the same, and I suppose it is the same throughout the world-there is the cry of "Excelsior," still higher and higher, as we climb up the mountain's side and see before us yet Alps upon Alps which are to be climbed, and from the top of which there will be indeed a blessed and a glorious view. We may take courage, but we must do more than that. We must not rest upon our oars. We are now beginning our work-beginning it in good earnest. Never was there such a time as this in which there is every facility we could reasonably expect for really advancing the interests of the Church -for making her position better. Only let us claim that position; let us not be afraid to say that we in this land are members of the true

branch of the Apostolic and Catholic Church of Christ. (Applause.) With great hearts, with faithful spirits, with hearts resting in their deep impulses upon Him who gave us our cross and has set us our work, let us be bold and prove faithful, and earnest, and enterprising in taking that position which Providence has given us to keep, and hold it in all charity, in all love, in all peace, in all faithfulness, and in all quietness of spirit; but let us not be afraid in the sight of the whole world to accept and to own our position as the Church of Christ. Well, then, one word more. One of the most valuable suggestions in this Report is this: That the real work of our finance, and the real work of Church service, is not to be done by any great spasmodic effort here or there. It is not our meetings in Aberdeen, it is not our meetings in Glasgow, it is not our meetings here in Edinburgh-in the metropolis of this fair kingdom and country-but it is by each single person-the smallest and the least, together with the highest and the greatestmaking a point of conscience to do something, and something systematically and faithfully towards upholding, and sustaining, and advancing this great work, which recollect our God has given us to uphold and do for Him. That is the real secret. Let us impress the hearts of our people with this one truth-this one master principle of action—that every single member of the Church is conscientiously bound to help forward by his own efforts, however small or insignificant they may seem, the general purposes of the Society, and let us do so, until each one will learn to say-"Well now, I have my part to do, and, God helping me, I will do it; and till we realise that I feel that we shall never make any real progress. How is it when the choir are singing an anthem? Why, each person has to look to just that which he has himself to do—to attend to his own part, not observing what the others around him are doing. So it is with ourselves. Whatever others about us are doing, let each one do his own part-let him contribute to bear up the harmony of many hearts and many voices. You know well enough how those mighty coral reefs in the Southern Pacific Ocean have grown up-how those marvellous structures are reared by means of one of the very smallest creatures that the good God has ever made. What a lesson for ourselves is the work of these tiny creatures! By working quietly, silently, separately, and yet assiduously and combined, they have raised up these mighty physical structures which are the wonder of the world. And so in our own way let us help to build up the coral reefs which shall stand up as a breakwater against the storms of the world; and as each little single insect contributes its deposit towards the general structure, so it might be ever with every single child gathered in this room to-day—so it might be with every single member of the Church making his deposit towards the general struc

ture-the penny, the halfpenny, aye, and the farthing, as well as the pounds and shillings-all contributing in their several ways, however slowly yet most surely, to build up the walls of our Zion, and to make God's name glorious. He has set down to us our great work. I would urge earnestly upon every one in this room to make it a point of conscience to do something, and something systematically, however small, according as God has blessed them-to make it a point of conscience continually, systematically, and unweariedly, to contribute towards this great work in which I believe God Himself is with us, and in the midst of us; and so shall we find that our labours are not in vain-that a strength greater than that of man is with us, upholding us when we are weak, bringing us safe, in his holy way, through this troublesome world, giving us successes which we are scarcely prepared to expect, multiplying among us his gifts, giving us energy, so helping us, so strengthening us, so bidding our labours prosper in our hands, that we may all rejoice together continually, and praise our God for all that he has done on our behalf. (Loud applause).

Mr. Don, Dundee, seconded the motion; which, having been put to the meeting, was unanimously approved of.

The Right Hon. R. A. C. Nisbet Hamilton, M.P., said-Ladies and gentlemen, a resolution has been put into my hands by the Bishop in the chair, which I have great pleasure in submitting to the meeting. The resolution is to this effect- "That this meeting desire to express their satisfaction at the commencement which has been made in the Society's extended scale of operations, and pledge themselves to give effect to the new organisation." My Lord Bishop, Ladies, and Gentlemen, this resolution, I may say, embodies in very clear and concise language the objects which this Society has in view. In reading the Report I find there are matters of very great congratulation; and in it there is also that certainly on which we may not so sincerely congratulate ourselves—as to the progress that has been made in the organization of the Society. Allow me to address to you a very few words in regard to these points. In the first place, I think that we have great reason for congratulation, not only on the financial prosperity of the Society, but also on the manner in which we now stand before the country, as no longer a despised branch of the Catholic and Apostolic Church. ("Hear, hear," and applause.) We have in former periods undergone much tribulation and much persecution; but in spite of this tribulation and persecution the Episcopal Church of Scotland has maintained its loyalty to the Sovereign, and has upheld the civil and the sacred interests of this great empire. We now are in this position, that in consequence of the removal of the civil disabilities which affected our Church-which was mainly owing, I will say, to the great exertions and to the sound sense