gent view of its advance in the important elements of national prosperity, especially through religious and moral influences.

At the commencement of its publication, it was sent gratuitously to the Life Members and Life Directors of the Society, but the list of such became numerous, increasing the expense of publication much beyond what was originally contemplated, and absorbing too large a share of funds contributed for missionary purposes. In view of these facts the free list was suspended with the January number of the present year, and the support of the publication made to depend on its own income from subscribers. In the adoption of this policy the Board were encouraged by friends of the Society, and a somewhat increased subscription list has followed. But it is very important that the list should be still further increased, so that it shall be distributed in every church, carrying everywhere its rich illustrations of the grace of God in the salvation of souls, and the advance of the Redeemer's kingdom among men. For this purpose the Board invite the prompt and active co-operation of all their friends, especially those in the pastoral office.

TRACT AND BIBLE DISTRIBUTION.

The missionaries of the Society are instructed to interest themselves in the distribution of the Sacred Scriptures, and of religious tracts and books within their respective fields. This duty is performed efficiently by all, but especially by those who itinerate in large frontier districts, of whom there are many.

With great pleasure the Board acknowledge the continuance of the kind offices of the American Tract Society in gratuitously supplying each of the missionaries who have made application, with five thousand pages of ex

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cellent tracts for distribution, besides much larger and more extensive appropriations of Spanish tracts and books for those who labor in New Mexico. These have proved almost indispensable aids to those missionaries. With the same kindness the American and Foreign Bible Society have supplied them with Spanish Bibles and Testaments.

FINANCIAL AFFAIRS.

It is well known that the political troubles of the country have unfavorably affected all branches of mercantile. business, and that the effects of general mercantile embarrassment are usually felt very soon by benevolent societies in their diminished revenues. Such has been the effect upon this Society the past year. The receipts into its treasury from ordinary donations for missionary purposes have fallen below those of the previous year, and during the last half of it to a degree that excited serious apprehension of necessity to recall appointments of missionaries actually on the field. Fortunately, the business system and policy of the Board proved their preservation from such or any other seriously troublesome consequences. By immediately contracting their appropriations in every way consistent with sound policy, they have been able, with the exception of a few weeks, to promptly pay the salaries of the missionaries, and to close. the accounts of the fiscal year in a more hopeful condition than was anticipated. It is a mortifying reflection arising from such a state of things, that less has been done in giving the Gospel to the destitute than was contemplated at the beginning of the year; but that mortification is lessened by the fact that there is no debt to embarrass future operations.

The following is a general statement of the financial condition of the Society on the 31st of March:

Of the total amount received, there were, in ordinary contributions

The amount received for Church-edifice Fund, including a Loan for

The amount of Receipts this year includes for sufferers in Kansas...

CHURCH-EDIFICE FUND.

452 90

Since the last anniversary, facts have been communicated to the Board which confirm their opinion, heretofore expressed, relative to the necessity of a Churchedifice Fund, and that confirmation is strengthened by favorable notice of the subject in various periodicals, and the correspondence of judicious friends, showing the advantage which would accrue to the missionary cause, and especially to the Home Mission Society, by aiding young churches in early providing places of public worship. So far as such churches in the new Western States and Territories are concerned, their dependence upon the pecuniary liberalities of the older Eastern States during a few

of the first years of their efforts to establish the institutions of the Gospel needs no argument. The only question really remaining is, whether the people will provide missionary funds for a series of years to support preachers on fields where they have no convenient houses of worship, or supply a sufficiency for the building of such houses, with a certainty that self-sustaining churches will be raised up in them in a much shorter period. The latter effect, it is believed, would, as a general rule, follow the early building of church edifices, leaving a much larger portion of our annual receipts to be used in a more extended diffusion of the Gospel among the destitute. With a view to such an object the plan of the Churchedifice Fund has been modified. It proposes to aid chiefly the incipient efforts of churches in new and growing villages, by loans of small sums for a few years; and when refunded, to be reloaned in the same way to others. In such houses, the churches will, with the blessing of God, gather strength to provide for themselves more spacious and expensive accommodations for public worship with their own means.

It is not intended to make heavy drafts upon the friends of the measure for its accomplishment. This can be done easily, if each person possessed of only moderate pecuniary ability will contribute one dollar; and, if churches, when making contributions for any particular applicant for aid, will pass the amount collected for the purpose through the treasury of the Society, to be used on the foregoing principles.

The Board wish it clearly understood, that it is not their intention to accumulate and invest a large amount of money, the interest of which only is to be expended, but that the entire amount shall be employed in building church edifices.

We are happy to state that a number of individuals and churches have patronized the plan, and there is reason to believe that, but for the specially embarrassed condition of financial interests in the country generally, very considerable additions would have been made to the amount already received for the purpose.

Accompanying this report will be published various documents, showing more in detail the practical importance and working of the plan. To these we invite attention; and for the success of the measure, ask the co-operation of all its friends.

MISSIONARY OPERATIONS.

The past fiscal year opened with the most encouraging prospects. The treasury had been liberally supplied during the previous year, especially in the last month of it, and important fields of usefulness invited the introduction of missionaries. With the hope that, at least, the usual amount of monthly supplies would promptly reach the treasury, a considerable expansion of missionary operations was commenced, chiefly in the newer and more distant portions of the country. An additional missionary was sent to California, whose designation was providentially changed to Oregon; two others, residents of California, and two in Oregon and Washington Territory, would have been added to the number there, and still others would have been appointed to occupy other important stations, but our hope was soon disappointed. The receipts from the beginning of the year, were insufficient to justify large appropriations, and during the last half of it, nothing more could be done than to meet the claims of missionaries already on the field, as their salaries became due, from month to month. With the exception of a few weeks this has been done, and all the missionaries have been retaine