interesting and most important, department | stamp of professional merit from the public of the Church's work.

The number of returns obtained by the Committee, in 1853, was only 57 out of 82 churches and stations then upon the roll of Synod, presenting a deficiency of 25, or more than a fourth of the whole number due. On the present occasion the number of returns obtained amounts to 86 out of 100 churches and stations, which is now the exact number upon the Synod Roll, being a deficiency of only 14 upon the whole number due. But two-thirds of these 14 are made up of vacant churches, preaching stations, and unsanctioned charges, leaving only 5 churches from which returns might fairly have been expected, but from which they have not been received.

1. DAY SCHOOLS.

The whole number of Day Schools, in 1853, was 36; the whole number, in 1860, is 46, presenting an increase of 10. But the number of new schools originated since 1853 has really been 16; because, of the 36 returned in that year 6 have been either entirely dropped or are now temporarily suspended; so that 16 must have been added to raise the number to 46. The schools permanently dropped were those of Longhurst, Wark, Marylebone, and Hampstead. Those only temporarily suspended are Dudley and Whitehaven. The number of children attending the whole Day Schools of the Church, in 1853, was 3,434. The number has now risen to 6,072, being nearly double, and giving the goodly average of nearly 135 children to each of the 45 schools from which we have returns. In 1853 very few of our schools had certificated masters, or were in the receipt of Government aid. It was in that very year that the Government came forward with those increased encouragements and facilities to popular education which have ever since been dispensed, and with such immense results, not only in the direction of the extension, but still more in that of the improvement of the education of the country. With these liberal intentions of the Government in prospect, the School Committee remarked, in their Report of that year, that the time had surely come for new exertions to be made by our congregations to supply the deficiencies that still existed in our educational provision, and that the Church was bound, to the utmost of its ability, to cooperate with an enlightened and patriotic Government, in providing for the religious, moral, and intellectual culture of the rising generation. In particular, the Committee was anxious to see a better and more highlyqualified class of teachers introduced into our schools; men who had received the

Examiners in the form of certificates, and who, when appointed to our schools, could secure for them all the advantages of inspection, pupil teachers, and capitation grants, in addition to their own personal augmentations of stipend. The subject has been again and again pressed upon the attention of our School Managers in recent years, and the Committee are truly happy to be able to add, not without effect. The whole number of teachers now employed in our 46 Day Schools is 53; and of these the proportion of certificated teachers is 28, being more than one half of the whole number. The number of pupil teachers-for whose instruction these 28 teachers receive Government allowance-is 51, which is nearly 2 pupil teachers to each of the masters. And the amount of Government aid now dispensed to these 28 teachers and their schools has already reached the goodly sum of £1,395 198. annually, being nearly £1,100 a year more than the revenue of the Synod School Fund; so that for every pound given by the Synod for the support of its own schools, the Privy Council gives £4 138. An immense encouragement to us surely to continue to uphold this useful Church Fund, which, at so small an expenditure, is able to secure to the schools and children connected with us such liberal advantages.

These facts, obtained from the returns of the present year, are extremely gratifying. They show that, if the number of our schools has not been increasing so rapidly as we could wish, the standard of qualification in our teachers, and the efficiency of many of our schools, resulting from such qualification, have been remarkably elevated during recent years. It only remains that this success should stimulate us to supply what is still lacking, and that is still not a little. Let it be remembered that the whole number of our Day Schools is as yet only 46, or less than the half of our whole number of congregations. Can we be content that this state of things should much longer continue? Let it be remembered again, that our certificated teachers do not yet exceed 28, while the whole number of our teachers is 53. Is not the proportion which they bear to the whole number a great deal too small? Must we not aim at seeing all our teachers certificated, and all our schools aided out of the Government Funds? Let what has been gained then during these past seven years only stimulate the Church to new efforts, until we have reached the maximum of attainment in this field, till we see every church provided with a Day School, and every school taught by a certificated master, and occupying a position of thorough efficiency. When vacancies occur

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of £58 15s., and a Sabbath School, attended by 600 children, and taught by 62 teachers, 34 male and 28 female; providing also 2. separate Sabbath services for the children, which are attended by an average of 100 children.

in the masterships of our schools let our teacher certificated, and an attendance of ministers and elders be alive to the import- 210 boys and 168 girls, in all 378, and ance of filling them up with highly-qualified aided by Government Grants to the extent and certificated men; and let congregations which as yet have made no contribution in the shape of schools, to the educational interests of their own youth, and those of the general community around them, be stirred by the success of others who have been beforehand in this honourable race, to arise and do likewise. A well-served school is in connection with Canning Street congreHeath Street Mission Schools, Liverpool, only inferior in blessing to a neighbour- gation, and at present comprising a Girls' hood to a well-served pulpit; and may we Day School, with an attendance of between yet live to see the day when our Church 50 and 60; an Infant School, with an attendwill be blessed with zealous and efficient ance of 70 infants, as many as can be comteachers, as well as with zealous and suc-fortably accommodated; a Boy's, or Youth's cessful ministers, throughout all her borders.

2. SABBATH SCHOOLS.

The number of returns obtained of Sabbath Schools amounts to 82. Comparing these with the returns obtained in 1853, the following gratifying proofs of progress are brought into view.

1. That whereas in 1853 the whole number of children returned as attending our Sabbath Schools was 6,909, the whole number now reported is 12,179, exhibiting an increase in seven years, when an estimate is added of the attendance at the Schools not returned, of at least 6,000 scholars; the average attendance for the whole of our hundred churches and stations being 130 children for each school.

2. That whereas the number of our Sabbath School teachers in 1853 amounted to 850, that number has now risen to 1,385, showing the large average of more than 13 teachers to each of our Sabbath Schools, and giving evidence of a large increase in the number of persons connected with our congregations, who are willing, and are judged competent to devote themselves to this useful and self-denying work.

3. MISSION SCHOOLS.

These returns bring before us a small, but important, and highly interesting class of schools, which are beginning to spring up under the wing of our larger and wealthier congregations, viz., what are called Mission Schools, i. e., schools-both Day and Sabbath-which are established in poor and spiritually destitute localities of our great towns, as part of a Christian organization for recovering the lapsed population to religious and moral habits and observ

ances.

Of these institutions 3 have been reported to the Committee, viz., Somers Town Mission Schools, London, supported by Regent Square Church, including a Day School, with a male and female teacher, the male

Evening School, with an average attendance of 65, of whom 47 are between ten and twenty years of age, and 16 are above twenty, much as fifty years of age; a Sabbath Evenand 1 man, a most regular attender, is as ing School, with 250 children and 30 teachers.

The Heath Street Mission premises have an expense of £1,180, and include a Church, been purchased, repaired, and adapted, at capable of accommodating 300 people, into which the people of the neighbourhood are gathered by the labours of a missionary, who has the status of a licentiate. The buildings were opened for use at Midsummer, 1858, and operations, both evangelical and educational, have since been carried on with encouraging success.

Mission School connected with it in LanerTrinity Church, Liverpool, has also a cost Street. School, with 200 scholars and 17 teachers, It is at present only a Sabbath and has only recently come into connection with Trinity Church. But, under the fostering care of our congregation there, we may hope to see the Mission developed into a larger provision for the educational and spiritual wants of the locality.

We have thus a total of 1,623 children in these three Mission schools, taught by a staff of 116 teachers. Is not this a goodly conthe Christian education of the sons and tribution offered by three congregations to daughters of our labouring and too much neglected population? And will not this excellent example of aggressive zeal stir up others of our congregations to go and do likewise? Truly, we need missions at home almost as much as the heathen need missions abroad. Such schools are well denominated Mission schools. They are the symbols of the mission which the Church has received from her Lord, to be a blessing to all the children of need, both at home and abroad from the Lord upon all the parched places -a light to lighten all darkness, and a dew of the earth. May the spirit of missions increase and abound, and flow ever in good works among us; and may our home-heathen,

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brethren. Mr. Miller then addressed Mr. Kelly on the nature and peculiar duties of 0 15 0 the work to which he had been set apart, 180 and the people on their duties and privi3 10 7 leges in connection with the missionary 517 8 cause; and closed the services by prayer 1 10 0 and the benediction. As the people retired they had an opportunity of expressing their kindly feelings towards Mr. Kelly, and 12 2 6 the work to which he has devoted himself. Mr. Kelly having signed the Confession 4000 of Faith and Formula, the meeting was closed with prayer.

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The ordinary meeting was held in the 1 15 0 John Knox Church, Newcastle, on the 10th July, at eleven, a.m. Present: the Rev. J. 17 5 3 Jeffrey, moderator; the Revs. J. Brown, J. Black, Geo. B. Blake, Geo. Farquharson, A. Saphir, and J. Reid, with Messrs. Dods, Brewis, Freeman, Falconer, Hettle, and Hinton, elders. The meeting having been duly constituted, the minutes of former meetings were read and sustained.

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Regent Square, London, Association. : 217 6

The meeting having been duly constituted, the minute of last meeting, appointing Mr. Kelly's ordination to take place this day, was read. It was then moved and agreed that the ordination services do now proceed. Dr. Paterson then conducted public worship, preaching an excellent and appropriate sermon from Ps. ii. At the close he put to Mr. Kelly the usual questions, modified according to the circumstances, to all of which Mr. Kelly gave satisfactory answers. He was then, by solemn prayer and laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, ordained to the office of the holy ministry, and set apart to the work of a missionary in India, in connection with the English Presbyterian Church, and received the right hand of fellowship from the

A commission from the Kirk Session, at Seaton Delaval, appointing Mr. John Hardy as their representative in the Presbytery during the current year, was read and sustained, and Mr. Hardy's name added to the roll.

Reasons of absence from Messrs. Anderson, Mackenzie, and Wrightson, were laid on the table and sustained.

The clerk laid on the table extract minutes of Synod in the case of the Rev. A. Hardie, which were read and ordered to be recorded. Also a letter from the clerk of the Presbytery of London, requesting this Presbytery to transmit to the Presbytery of London the extract minutes of the Presbytery of Kingston, C.W., in the case of the Rev. A. Hardie was laid on the table and read. It was moved and agreed that the clerk be instructed to transmit said extracts as requested.

Mr. Jeffrey having left the chair, which was occupied (pro tem.) by Mr. Reid, as convener of the committee appointed to examine Session Records and Communion Rolls, reported that the following had been given to the committee and examined, viz., those of Blyth, Hexham, John Knox, Monkwearmouth, Laygate, and Seaton Delaval; also the Communion Roll of Falstone; that in general they appear to be correctly kept, and that the committee recommend them to be attested. They were attested accordingly.

Messrs. Richard Hettle, John Hedley, and Aaron R. Guthrie, appeared as commissioners from the session and congregation at Blyth, and stated that the Blyth congregation were desirous to avail themselves of the regulations at present in force for the administration of the Home Mission Fund, and were prepared in the meantime, to guarantee £120 per annum, and re

quested the Presbytery to approve of that | Rev. Mr. King, of the Elgin Settlement, sum. It was agreed to approve and re- were associated with the Presbytery during commend the application; and the clerk their sitting, and at the close delivered was instructed to transmit an extract of this interesting addresses on the objects for to the Home Mission Committee. which they have been deputed to Britain.