was introduced to the assembly. It would be quite impossible to describe the effect of his powerful address. For fully an hour did he, alternately, by scathing satire, keen wit, touching pathos, appropriate illustration, and burning eloquence, advocate the claims of our poor and aged brethren. The influence of his address will not soon be forgotten by those who were privileged to listen to it, and permanent benefit to the Association will accrue. The collection, considering the sparse attendance, was a very good one. New honorary members have been obtained, and one present has promised to double his subscription.

THERE is no doubt that the present session may be counted among the best and most successful. The attendance has been large-over one hundred. Delegates have been present from places never before represented; as far west as Kansas, and also from North Carolina and Virginia, representing the M. E. Church, South. The presence of foreign delegates-Bro. Wm. Jameson, from England, and Bro. Henry Skinner, from Canadais an interesting feature at the convention. They preached on Sunday with very great acceptability.

The love feast on Sunday afternoon was a characteristic one-having the zeal and fire of primitive Methodism. The general expression was, at its conclusion," Did not our hearts burn within us?"

On Monday morning the Association settled down to business and to work. The Business Committee laid before the convention the fruit of their labours. They recommended the passage of a very stringent resolution on temperance and the liquor traffic; also that the Secretary be instructed to enter into correspondence, by circular, with the presiding elders of the various annual conferences, asking for the names of active Local Preachers within their bounds, to the end that

representatives from all the conferences be enrolled as members of this association: both of which were adopted.

A very hearty invitation was received from the official board of the Metropolitan M. E. Church, in Washington, D. C., that the Association should hold its next session, in 1881, in that church, which was unanimously accepted, and the time was fixed for the third Saturday of October of that year.

I want to say that THE METHODIST is very popular with the members of the Association, and especially since Dr. Wheeler, its editor, has been the presiding officer of the Association for three consecutive years. The columns' of THE METHODIST have been very cordially open for communications from Local Preachers, and forwarding all their legitimate interests. The course which it has pursued, in this respect, should be appreciated by every Local Preacher. Brother Pond very ably represented the claims of THE METHODIST.

The Finance Committee reported a plan for securing sufficient funds to defray the incidental expenses of the Association, such as printing the proceedings, &c. They recommend that each member contribute annually $1: which was adopted.

At the afternoon session two excellent essays were read, one by Brother B. Schofield, Jun., of Philadelphia, on "The Relation of the Local Ministry to the Churches;" and the other by Dr. W. R. Monroe, of Baltimore, on "The Status of Local Preachers and their importance to the Church."

Among the introductions of visitors to the convention this afternoon was that of the Rev. Thos. McCormick, now in his eighty-ninth year, and one of the pallbearers of Bishop Asbury, and the only one now living. He was licensed to preach in 1817, and has been a member of the M. E. Church for seventy years.

The following officers for the ensuing year were unanimously elected:-President, Isaac P. Cook, of Baltimore Conference; Vice-Presidents-T. T. Tasker, of Philadelphia Conference; W. R. Monroe, M. D.,

of Baltimore Conference; M. T. Winton, of Wyoming Conference; H. E. Sutherland, of Central Pennsylvania Conference; N. U. Walker, of East Ohio Conference; E. Davies, of New England Conference; W. H. Knapp, of Kansas Conference; Secretary, W. H. Kincaid, of Pittsburg Conference; Assistant Secretary, D. T. Macfarlan, of New York Conference; Corresponding Secretary, C. C. Leigh, of New York East Conference; Treasurer, B. Schofield, Jun., of Philadelphia Conference.

The evening session was a very important and interesting occasion. It was set apart for addresses from the foreign delegates. Bro. William Jameson, delegate from England, spoke of the warm reception he had received from the brethren in the local ministry since he had been in this country. He had travelled

thousands of miles since he had been here, and was astonished with the rapid progress which had been made in so short a space of time, and with the vastness and beauty of our land, the like of which he had never beheld before. He gave a succinct account of the effective work of the local ministers in England.

Brother Henry Skinner, delegate from Canada, spoke in a very felicitous manner of his reception among the brethren of the Association, of their cordiality and fraternal feelings. He also spoke encouragingly of the work done by Local Preachers in Canada.

Brother J. Field, of Philadelphia, the delegate sent to England last year, gave an account of his visit to the Local Preachers' Association in England. The Rev. William Taylor, the self-constituted missionary, followed up these brethren with a brief but interesting account of his wonderful labours as a missionary, in the various parts of the world. He electrified his audiance.

Tuesday morning session was mostly occupied in discussing the essays read on Monday. The latter part of the morning session was devoted to suitable memorial services in remembrance of the Rev. Arthur Mooney, who died during the past year. He was an active member of the Association for many years, and

much esteemed and beloved by his brethren. Through his exertions, mainly, the local preachers of the United States are indebted for the erection of a magnificent monument in the beautiful cemetery at Cambridge, N. Y., to the memory of Philip Embury, the Local Preacher and founder of American Methodism. Just tribute was paid to the memory of Brother Mooney by the Rev. Isaac P. Cook and the Rev. D. T. Macfarlan. A good man sleeps until his body shall be raised on the resurrection morn, and fashioned like unto Christ's most glorious body; he shall see Christ as He is, for he shall be like Him.

The closing session of the Association took place on Tuesday afternoon. Brother Kincaid, the Secretary, was requested to prepare a series of papers on the Rise, progress and future plans of the organization" for the Quarterly Review, the Christian Advocate, and THE METHODIST.

Brothers Kincaid and Ingraham were elected delegates to the Local Preachers' Mutual-Aid Society of England. Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Monroe were appointed a committee on the Ecumenical Council to be held in England. On the payment of one dollar the Secretary is authorized to issue certificates of membership of the Association. A very interesting paper was read from the venerable Rev. T. T. Tasker, of Philadelphia, giving his personal experience and some excellent suggestions.

Mrs. Walker, wife of our esteemed Brother N. U. Walker, of Wellsville, Ohio, being unanimously called upon to address the Association, came forward, and in her usual interesting style, gave a neat, fitting and earnest speech. Mrs. Walker has been constituted an honorary member of the Association, and has been in attendance with her husband at many of our annual sessions. She is an earnest worker for the cause of Christ, both by personal work and by her pen.

The Association has been grandly entertained by the good Methodists of Baltimore. The stationed. inisters in the city and the prong elders have been courteous. Nearly all, if not all, have been present

during the sessions of the Association. They have done all they could to make the Local Preachers in attendance feel at home. The Rev. William F. Ward, pastor of the Fayette Street M. E. Church, where the Association meets, has been incessant in his labours to promote the comfort of the brethren. It was fitting, therefore, that resolutions of thanks should be passed, which was done unanimously, expressive of the deep appreciation felt by the members of the Association.

Dr. Wheeler, editor of THE METHODIST, at the close of the session, arose and delivered his valedictory. It was done in a few concise remarks, and then very cordially introduced the President-elect-the venerable, esteemed and much beloved Brother Isaac P. Cook, of Baltimore, who came to the chair and thanked the brethren from the depths of his heart for the honour conferred upon him. After prayer by the Rev. Wm. Taylor, the missionary, singing the doxology, and the benediction by the Rev. George Hill, the convention adjourned. During the evening Brother Cook had a reception at his residence, composed almost entirely of the early members and founders of the Association. These yearly gatherings of the Local Preachers are productive of good. It is hoped that at the next session, in 1881, a much larger representation will be present.-New York Methodist.

GENERAL COMMITTEE. THE monthly meeting was held at Brother Johnson's, 101, Long Acre, on Wednesday December 8th.

Present: Ex-President (chair), Treasurer, Honorary and General Secretaries, Durley, Parker, Johnson, Crapper, Harding, Wright, Amphlett, and Sunman.

Hymn 912 was sung, and Brother Harding offered prayer.

The minutes of last meeting were read and verified.

The monthly abstract showed receipts £169 Os. 6d. ; payments, £133 3s. 1d. New members, 14; deaths, 5; sick, 107; annuitants, 157.

The total receipts from branches

since last audit were £1,754 8s. 10d., and the payments through them were £1,450 8s. 7d., besides working expenses.

Brother S. L., of B., aged 71, a local preacher forty-two years, applied for help. He is a ship's smith, but being now incapacitated from work, earns nothing. He has a wife and seven children; one son pays his rent; one child has been an invalid for seven years; the rest cannot help their parents. Applicant suffers from constitutional weakness and rheumatism.

The local secretary considers this to be a "model case.'

Resolved-That this brother have 5s. a week.

Brother J. H., of D., aged 72, a local preacher twenty-four years. Is an agricultural labourer, who has earned 14s. a week, but the infirmities of age have diminished his strength and rendered him unable to do a full week's work. His wife, aged 72, is a helpless invalid. He has four children, all of whom have families, and cannot help their father. Our brother suffers from heart disease. He has worked on the same farm for thirty-three years, for a master who has sympathised with him and helped him, and some help he will still afford.

Resolved-That the brother have 4s. a week, as asked for.

Brother J. C., of H., aged 69, a local preacher forty-two years. Is a framework knitter, earning only a few shillings a week. He has a wife, aged 69, in but feeble health. He has been a member of our Association thirty years. He suffers from hernia, and from chronic rheumatism, so that when at work his left arm has to be supported in a sling from the ceiling.

Resolved-That this brother have 6s. a week.

An application for an annuity for a widowed sister was deferred for further information.

A letter was read from the President, who has not found it possible to comply with the advice of his physician by taking absolute rest, stating that he was engaged at a meeting in Lancashire that evening, and so could

not be present at the Committee Meeting.

Bills for £43 7s. 7d. were ordered to be paid.

Several minor matters were discussed and settled, also Magazine affairs.

Brother Johnson reported that a meeting had been held in our behalf at Great Queen Street Chapel, at which Bro. S. D. Waddy had spoken for an hour, to the great delight of the audience, and to the pecuniary advantage of the Association.

The Chairman reported that he had visited several circuits, and advocated our cause. In one place, the oldest local preacher had just been removed from his house to the Union workhouse.

The General Secretary reported that he had received several notices of motion for the annual meeting.

The next meeting will be held at our offices, 24, Bedford Street, Strand, on Monday, January 10th, at 5.30.

NOTICES OF MOTION.

W. Garrett, Halifax Branch, proposes that each one on the Committee be responsible for the sum of £10 for the time they hold office, which would be some guarantee for the safety of our funds.

The following alterations in the proposed Trust Deed of the Local Preachers' Mutual-Aid Association, are suggested by the Manchester Branch, assembled in Quarterly Meeting, viz. :

In line 24 of the preamble, to leave out the words "or Independent."

October 31, 1880. Lawrence Hacking, Blackburn Branch, aged 64 years. No particulars. No claim.

Nov. 1, 1880. Joseph Chipchase, Spitalfields Branch, aged 73 years. His end was sudden. Was at the chapel twice on the Sunday, entering into the services with more than ordinary enjoyment; remained at the prayermeeting after the evening service, engaged in prayer, the concluding sentence of which was, When our time comes to leave this world may we clap our glad wings and tour away to mingle with the blaze of day." He then went home, conducted family worship, retired to rest, and in his sleep passed away. He had been an annuitant 134 weeks, and had received £33 58. Claim £4.

Nov. 25, 1880. Thomas Gilson, Evesham Branch, aged 63 years. No particulars. Claim £3.

Nov. 26. John Wright, Southampton Branch, aged 72 years. "In sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection." He had been an annuitant 37 weeks, and had received £5 16s. Claim £4.

Dec. 13, 1880. Rebecca Codd, Wath Branch, aged 72 years. She had been a member of the Church of God for many years, and died trusting alone in Jesus. Claim £4.

Chatteris 1st

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Sunderland