The largest work issued last year has been the "Assembly's Digest," by the Rev. Samuel J. Baird, a volume of 856 pages, which has received much commendation. The Board has also issued an edition of the "Life of Dr. A. Alexander," by Dr. J. W. Alexander. Several additions have also been made to the Board's list of German tracts.

Much attention has been given to the judicious increase of its Sabbath-school Library. An anxious desire is expressed for its enlargement, and suitable manuscripts are invited from ministers and laymen in every part of the Church.

Periodicals.-Circulation of the Home and Foreign Record, 17,500 copies, being an increase within the year of 500 copies. Sabbath-School Visitor 43,000 copies, increase 2000 copies.

II. Distribution.-There are three distinct channels through which the publications of the Board reach the hands of the people.

1. Distribution by sales from the publishing-house to private individuals and booksellers. These have amounted during the eleven months now reported on, to 171,516 volumes, besides tracts, pamphlets, and periodicals. The value of these sales (including the Sabbath-School Visitor, but not the Record), has been $70,702 28.

2. Distribution by Colportage. In this department there has been great enlargement and encouragement during the past year.

The number of colporters commissioned within these eleven months has been 210, an increase of 37 over those of the preceding twelvemonth. These have been distributed throughout 28 States and Territories, as well as through all the British Provinces, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Lake Superior. They have also begun to occupy Oregon, California, Kansas, Nebraska, the Lake Superior mining region, and hitherto unoccupied portions of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Florida.

These colporters have sold 125,700 volumes, an increase of 27,940 volumes sold. They have gratuitously distributed 13,913 volumes, an increase of 3133 volumes. They have also distributed gratuitously 1,046,964 pages of tracts. And they have visited 91,734 families, an increase of 12,642 families visited.

There is much evidence that the colporters have also increased in qualifications and efficiency during the past year, and that the Spirit of God has largely attended and blessed their labours.

3. Distribution by Donation of Executive Committee. This has amounted to 3269 volumes and 111,873 pages of tracts, which have been chiefly given to Sabbathschools, feeble churches, needy ministers, and to individuals for gratuitous distribution.

The total distributions of the eleven months have been as follows:

III.-Sustentation.-There has been so gratifying an increase in the receipts of the Board from every source this year, that for eleven months only they exceed those of the preceding twelve months. They have been as follows:

Total receipts from sales of books, tracts, and Sabbath

$88,596 20

86,039 03

70,702 28

14,497 28

17,033 96

2,852 67

Agencies. Not a single collecting agent has been commissioned during the past year. There is an evidently growing disposition on the part of pastors themselves to instruct and train their people in habits of benevolence, a tendency in which the Board greatly rejoices. During the past year the income of the Board has been derived from a larger number of Presbyteries and churches than ever before, although there has been no collecting agent in the field.

The whole aspect of the work committed to this Board is one of progress and encouragement, such as it rejoices to be able to spread before the General Assembly, and as encourages it to new and enlarged exertions for the time to

come.

The Rev. Dr. Hewit gave the history of what he supposed was the first colporter in this country. There was a converted Irishman by the name of Burke, who had been a soldier in the Revolution. He was supplied with tracts, Bibles, psalm-books, and Confessions of Faith by Colonel Vanck, Divie Bethune, and Robert Lenox, and was sent off by them to Rhode Island. He travelled on to New London, where he met General Jedediah Huntington, who gave him Hannah More's tracts, reprinted for the purpose, and sent him onward upon his journey. Dr. Hewit believed that this man was the grandfather of all the colporters who have since spread over the land. (Laughter.)

The Rev. Dr. Bowman, chairman of the Committee on the Report of the Board of Publication, then presented, on behalf of the Committee, a series of resolutions, which were afterwards adopted, and of which the following is an abstract:

Resolution 1, declares the increasing importance of this department of the Church's work, the enlarged extent of the field, and unprecedented prosperity as exhibited in the annual report, calling for thanksgiving to God.

Resolution 2. In view of the difficulty and delicacy frequently involved in determining as to the expediency of publishing particular books, the Assembly, relying on the wisdom and knowledge of the Board, commits the matter, in general, to their sound discretion; and as it regards the publication of an "Abridged edition of the Psalmodist," mentioned in their report, the Assembly recommends to them to do whatever, in their judgment, is best adapted to supply the wants of the Church.

Resolution 3, expresses gratification at the number of Sabbath school books, recommends additions to the number as fast as practicable, and calls on writers, male and female, to exercise their talents in preparing such works.

Resolution 4, expresses gratification at the increase of the funds without the employment of agents-especially as it indicates the good effects of the scheme for Systematic Benevolence.

Resolution 5, directs attention to the fact that this Board has two distinct departments, one that of publishing and selling, and the other the colporter enterprise, a charitable and missionary enterprise. For the sustentation of the latter the Board is dependent upon donations from the churches, a large increase of which is needed. The churches are earnestly entreated to exercise greater liberality in this thing. The Assembly is pleased that the two departments are to be kept separate.

Resolution 6, expresses gratification at the energy and economy with which the affairs of the Board have been conducted; but regrets that so many of the churches have failed to contribute to this Board, and that so many of our families do not take the Home and Foreign Record and the Sabbath School Visitor. Ministers and ruling elders are urged to endeavour to circulate these papers more extensively.

The Committee also recommended that the sermon before the Assembly for the Board of Publication be preached by Rev. J. B. Stratton, and that Rev. Dr. Hewit be his alternate. Adopted. They further recommended that the election of members of the Board be made the third order of the day for Thursday. Adopted.

Rev. Mr. Baird esteemed this Board as one of the most important. He would mention some remarkable facts. All must have observed that great changes are going forward in the country. The old political parties. are dissolved. So is it in moral reform movements. One remarkable

fact is, that amidst all this the Presbyterian Church, of which this Assembly is the representative head, stands firm and unchanged. Again, there is a tendency in some denominations towards error, while others are returning towards the truth. And when there was this wish to return to the old orthodox views, there was an evident drawing towards the longmaintained doctrines of this Church. In this view he had listened with great delight to the remarks of the delegates from corresponding bodies. These were very striking facts in the history of the country. But where are the means to leaven all this mass of mind with the truth? The ministry is too limited in number. But this defect is eminently supplied by the Board. We may send these publications where the ministry would be starved or be driven out. There is no publishing institution in the land that so possesses the confidence of the people as this Board. It is a widely felt persuasion that we want no expurgated editions-no emasculated theology. They feel that a book cannot be so purged as to speak neither Calvinism nor Arminianism. It is indeed said that objection is not made to our spreading the distinctive features of Calvinism, but it is only desired that after we have done this we should then leave it to other institutions to spread the common evangelical doctrines. But what part of divine truth is there that is not intimately connected with the whole body of that truth? and how can truth be presented in dissevered portions? He had been sometimes asked whether the Presbyterian Church had been as aggressive as it ought to be? He would reply, No, certainly, not as it ought to be; and yet, after examination of the statistics of other denominations, he found there was no other denomination which had so added to her strength, or so clearly made progress. Objection had been made to the contributions to foreign missions by this Church, but it ought to be remembered that the whole of this vast country is under her care, and the contributions to both these fields should be taken into view. He referred to the welcome a few years ago given to the representative of the Waldensian Synod. Their past history (the history of a Presbyterian body like ourselves) shows the value of the spread of the Gospel as this Board spreads it. In the spirit of Missions, they had in former days carried the tract containing the Gospel everywhere in their mountains and valleys, and the blessed results are known. He hoped that these Boards would be fondly cherished, and that with earnest effort this Church would spread those leaves which are for the healing of the nations. The resolutions of the Committee were then, on motion, adopted.

CONFESSION OF FAITH IN GERMAN.

The Rev. Mr. Phelps of the Presbytery of Dubuque, offered the following:

Resolved, That in view of the rapidly increasing German population of our country-the opening God, in his providence, has given to our Church to labour for their evangelization-the success which he has already granted to the feeble efforts that have been made, and the importance and necessity of having the standards of our Church in a language which can be understood by the churches organized on these standards, the Board of Publication be instructed to issue, as speedily as possible, an edition of the Confession of Faith in German, and to have the same bound and published, with the English and German on alternate leaves, so that the German and English shall be on opposite pages.

Mr. Phelps remarked that all are aware of the numbers of Germans which emigrate to our shores. For the most part they go west. There

they cluster together by themselves in small communities-often no American resides among them. It is to get our standards among these people that the Western brethren wish a German edition of our standards. Within the four adjoining Presbyteries in his own section, at least 25,000 speak only the German. Efforts had been made to evangelize them. These efforts had resulted in forming a number of German churches. They now had eight such churches-all gathered within two years—and containing, perhaps, five hundred members. They had also six excellent German ministers, all thoroughly Calvinistic, and wholly with us in their views of Church order. They needed much the Confession of Faith. The German Shorter Catechism had been a great help. By having the German and

The Moderator-What is the object of the proposal to put the English on the page opposite to the German?

Mr. Phelps-By having the German and English side by side in the Confession, those grown up would be helped to learn the English language. It had been objected that there was not sufficient call for this object. What he had said would meet this objection. Again, it was objected that it would be a great expense, and but few sales would be made-perhaps not one hundred copies. He maintained that this was a mistake. The church at Dubuque itself will take fifty copies for their fifty families. The reason why the Board had failed in efforts to sell the German edition of Dr. Alexander's Religious Experience was, that it had been so poorly got up at first. As soon as it was well printed and bound, it sold readily. It was also objected that a good translation of the Confession could not be had. In reply to this he himself could offer one made by a German in the West. It might not be perfect, but it was literal enough to answer the purpose. He was surprised that in a country of so many learned institutions such an objection should be made. He supposed that a thousand copies would cost about one hundred and fifty dollars. But grant the amount to be the double of this, what is that for such a Church in such a cause? He hoped the Assembly would pass the resolution.

Rev. Dr. Prime said he thought there were objections to the measure proposed, such as to render it an impossibility. Two years ago the Assembly hastily determined on this thing, and put it into the Board's hands to carry out; last year it was brought up again to the Assembly, and on more mature deliberation, they referred it to the discretion of the Board. If there is such a demand for the work, and it can be done as cheap as Mr. Phelps thinks, it would be done at once by private hand. He himself would undertake it if there were but one-half the demand Mr. Phelps suggested. It is impracticable for an English speaking body, such as this, to bring out our standards in a foreign tongue. The gentleman (Mr. Phelps) has offered us, it is true, a translation; but who amongst us can judge how far it is to be relied upon? Why, sir, the Board of Publication tried the experiment with the Shorter Catechism, and had to suppress an edition because of the objections to it. For instance, the translator had made justification a "work" instead of an "act of God's free grace." The moment the Assembly authorizes the Board to publish the Confession in German, they have virtually organized a body under their care with symbols which the Assembly itself does not understand. How could we ever try one of the ministers accepting it for heretical

opinions? He was, moreover, apprehensive with regard to anything which tends to perpetuate foreign bodies and churches as such among us. He had no sympathy with those who would deny the full privileges of our land to foreigners, but he would certainly require that they should endeavour to assimilate themselves with our institutions and sentiments. He rejoiced that there were works in German inculcating evangelical truth published by the Board and elsewhere; but he did not think the Assembly was called upon for the step now proposed. He moved that the resolution of Mr. Phelps be referred to the Board of Publication, to act at their discretion. Agreed to.

COMMITTEE OF CHURCH EXTENSION.

The order of the day was then taken up, and the Report of the Church Extension Committee was made by the Rev. Mr. Coe, the Corresponding Secretary, of which the following is an abstract:

This new enterprise was organized in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, on the 3d July, 1855, under the appointment of the last General Assembly. The Committee elected Rev. N. L. Rice, D.D., Chairman; Archibald Gamble, Esq., Treasurer; and David H. Bishop, Esq., Recording Secretary. On the 4th day of September, 1855, Rev. H. I. Coe, of Galena, Illinois, was unanimously chosen Corresponding Secretary, and entered upon the discharge of the duties of the office on the 20th day of the same month. His salary was fixed at $1500 per annum. The valuable services of the other officers, especially of the Treasurer, have, during the past year, been rendered gratuitously.

In carrying on the work intrusted to them by the General Assembly, the Church Extension Committee have, as far as practicable, acted upon the following principles, viz. :

1. To make no appropriation to any Church under the care of a Presbytery, without the recommendation of that Presbytery or its Church Extension Committee.

2. To be guided in determining the amount to be appropriated in each case by the carefully ascertained necessities of that case, and the state of the Treasury.

3. To diffuse appropriations as widely and equitably as possible over the whole country.

4. To require, as the ordinary pre-requisite of the payment of every appropriation from the general fund, a certificate from the trustees of the church aided, that the church lot is fully secured to the Old School Presbyterian Church, and that the amount granted by the Church Extension Committee will complete their house of worship, and leave the whole property free from debt.

5. To withdraw every appropriation not properly called for within two years of its date.

6. To recognize the rite of donors to designate the recipients of their donations.

7. Inasmuch as it is frequently of the highest importance to a church to know definitely the amount of aid upon which it may rely a considerable time before the money can be drawn, the Church Extension Committee have felt at liberty to make, in anticipation of the incoming of funds, several appropriations, payable as soon after a fixed time in the future as the Churches aided comply with the conditions on which the appropriations are made.

These principles are chiefly deductions from the eleven years' experience of the Church Extension Committee of the Board of Missions, and the past has only

added to the evidences of their wisdom.

The number of new applications for aid in erecting churches, received from April 1st, 1855, to April 1st, 1856 (including thirteen applications acted upon by the late Church Extension Committee of the Board of Missions, previous to the transfer of their books, papers and funds to the present Committee of the General Assembly), is one hundred and five. These one hundred and five new appliVOL. VI. NO. 8.

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