was adopted, and their recommendation has been embodied in the Discipline.

The Agents of the Methodist Book Concern in New York were authorized and recommended to establish a monthly Methodist magazine in Boston, to be under the management of the Boston Wesleyan Association, provided that a satisfactory arrangement could be made between the Agents and the association, and provided that the Book Concern be guaranteed against loss. If so established, the bishops were authorized to appoint an editor.

On nomination of the bishops, the General Conference elected Boards of Managers for the Missionary, Church Extension, Sunday-school, Tract, and Freedmen's Aid Societies.

It was recommended by the Conference that the Centennial of the Independence of the United States be celebrated during the month of June, closing with July 4, 1876, by all the Churches and people of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and that collections be then made for the benefit of our local and connectional interests.

The Ladies and Pastors' Christian Union, an organization founded in Philadelphia for religious work in the homes of the people, and for the evangelization of the neglected masses in our cities, under the supervision of the regular pastorate, was sanctioned and commended by the Conference, and a Constitution was adopted for the Union. The bishops were directed to adopt the necessary measures to procure for it an act of incorporation, and the pastors of our Churches were instructed to co-operate with the society in carrying out the important work for which it was organized.

The Agents of the Methodist Book Concern were made co-ordinate, two to be elected for New York and two for Cincinnati; and it was determined that in the selection of the General Book Committee no person who had served on such committee during the last four years should be reappointed.

The presiding elders were empowered to form district conferences in their districts wherever a majority of the quarterly conferences of the circuits and stations shall have approved of the same. These district conferences were to be composed of all traveling and local preachers in the district, the exhort

ers, the district stewards, and the Sunday-school superintendents. These conferences were authorized to have a general oversight of all the temporal and spiritual affairs of the district, to license local preachers and have supervision over them, to look after benevolent contributions, inquire into the condition of the Sunday-schools, to take measures for extending the work of the Church into neglected territory, and establish mission Sunday-schools therein, and provide for religious and literary exercises during their own sessions.

In consequence of the decease of Bishops Baker, Kingsley, Thomson, and Clark since the last General Conference, the infirmities of Bishop Morris, and the enlargement of the work of the conferences, it was deemed best to elect eight men to the Episcopacy. The ballots for new bishops were taken May 20th, 21st, and 22d, and resulted in the election of Thomas Bowman, William Logan Harris, Randolph Sinks Foster, Isaac William Wiley, Stephen Mason Merrill, Edward Gayer Andrews, Gilbert Haven, and Jesse Truesdell Peck. Their consecration to the office and work of a bishop took place May 24th.

The Conference located the residences of the newly elected bishops at San Francisco, St. Louis, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Council Bluffs or vicinity, and St. Paul-the bishops selecting their place of residence according to their seniority in official position. The support of the bishops was made a direct charge upon the Church, the same as that of other ministers, the Book Committee estimating the amounts necessary for this purpose, and assessing them upon the annual conferences according to their several ability. The annual conferences were directed to apportion the amounts so assessed upon them to the several districts, and the district stewards to the several charges. The amounts collected under this provision were ordered to be paid to the Book Agents, by them to be paid to the bishops.

Arrangements were made for meeting the expenses of the next General Conference by collections in all the Churches, the amounts estimated as necessary for this purpose to be distributed by the bishops among the several conferences, which conferences were to take the necessary means to collect the same.

William L. Harris, having been chosen a bishop, resigned his place as secretary of the conference, and George W. Woodruff was elected in his stead, May 23d. They were appointed to edit the Journal of the General Conference and the new edition of the Discipline.

The appeals were heard and the action of the conferences in the various cases reviewed, and disposal of the same made, of the following persons: Richard May, of California Conference, remanded; W. G. Fowler, of Missouri, affirmed; J. S. Moore, Southern Illinois, remanded; B. D. Palmer, Newark, remanded; W. R. Hoback, North Indiana, remanded; Henry S. Shaw, Northwest Indiana, affirmed; J. B. Craig, Central Illinois, affirmed; T. B. Taylor, of Kansas, remanded; A. J. Kirkpatrick, of Iowa, reversed; Jonathan Vannote, of New Jersey, reversed, and W. M. Smith, of Colorado, laid over, as neither prosecutor nor counsel for the appellant or the appellant himself was present.

Inasmuch as the hearing of appeals, even though they might be referred to a committee, has always consumed a great deal of time in the General Conference, it was deemed proper to provide some other method of determining such cases; and appeals, therefore, instead of coming before the General Conference, were ordered to be made to a select number of elders, to be known as "Triers of Appeals." The several annual conferences were directed to choose annually seven judicious elders to try appeals. If any member of an annual conference is convicted after trial, for any cause, he may appeal his case to a judicial conference, to be composed of the Triers of Appeals from three conferences, conveniently near to that from which the appeal is taken, to be designated by the bishop having charge of that conference; and thirteen Triers at least must be present to constitute a quorum. One of the bishops shall preside. The judicial conference shall appoint a secretary, who shall keep a faithful record of all the proceedings, and at the close of the trial transmit the records made and the papers submitted in the case to the secretary of the preceding General Conference, to be filed and preserved with the papers of that body.

In order to place the Methodist Episcopal Church in the truly fraternal relations towards the Methodist Episcopal

Church, South, which were proposed by that Church in 1848, it was resolved by the General Conference that a delegation consisting of two ministers and one layman should be appointed to convey the fraternal greetings of this Conference to the General Conference of the Church, South, at its next ensuing session. In pursuance of this resolution, the bishops appointed Albert S. Hunt, Charles H. Fowler, and General Clinton B. Fisk.

The proposed union of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church with the Methodist Episcopal Church fell through on account of disaffection among the preachers of the former Church.

The bishops were requested to appoint a commission of six persons, three ministers and 'three laymen, to prepare a succinct code of ecclesiastical jurisprudence and procedure, embracing the general principles applicable to Church trials, and report to the next General Conference.

The following General Conference officials were elected: Book Agents, New York, Reuben Nelson, John M. Phillips; Cincinnati, Luke Hitchcock, John M. Walden. Secretaries, Missionary Society, Robert L. Dashiell, Thomas M. Eddy, John M. Reid, and John P. Durbin, honorary secretary; Church Extension Society, Alpha J. Kynett; Freedmen's Aid Society, Richard S. Rust; Board of Education, Erastus O. Haven. Editors, Methodist Quarterly Review, Daniel D. Whedon; Ladies' Repository and Golden Hours, Erastus Wentworth; Christian Advocate, New York, Daniel Curry; Western Christian Advocate, Francis S. Hoyt; Northern, Dallas D. Lore; Pittsburg, William Hunter; Northwestern, Arthur Edwards; Central, Benjamin St. James Fry; California, Henry C. Benson; Pacific, Isaac Dillon; (Atlanta) Methodist Advocate, Nelson E. Cobleigh; Christliche Apologete, William Nast; German Family Magazine (Haus und Herd) and Books, Henry Liebhart.

In the preparation of the new Discipline for 1872, the editor omits the form of question and answer, and the paragraphs are numbered consecutively throughout the volume. Other revisions and changes ordered by the General Conference are made in this edition, but none affecting the general efficiency of the Church in its economy or work.

The Conference adjourned June 4th.

THE

1876.

HE General Conference of this year was held in the city of Baltimore, commencing on Monday, May 1st. Eighty conferences were represented, and two hundred and thirty-two clerical and one hundred and thirty-three lay delegates were entitled to seats. Of these, nearly three hundred were present at the first session. According to arrangement, the Conference assembled in the Academy of Music. All the bishops were in attendance. George W. Woodruff was elected secretary, and Israel C. Pershing, David S. Monroe, William Wells, George Mather, James W. FitzGerald, William J. Paxson, and Isaac S. Bingham assistant secretaries. The city of St. Louis had been chosen by the last General Conference as the place for holding the present session; but for various reasons it was found to be impracticable to convene in that city, and on the recommendation of more than three-fourths of the annual conferences the change was made to Baltimore. As soon as the General Conference was organized, this change was ratified and confirmed.

Bishop Andrews read a Centennial Address of the Bishops. to the pastors and congregations of the Church in the United States. Rules of order were adopted, and standing committees were ordered to be chosen, to consist of one member from each of the annual conferences, as follows: on Episcopacy, Itinerancy, Missions, Education, Revisals, Sunday-schools and Tracts, Church Extension, Freedmen, State of the Church, Book Concern, and Boundaries.

Special committees were ordered and appointed on Centennial Observance, of nine members; Rules of Order, seven members; Time and Place for Receiving Fraternal Delegates, five members; Judiciary, twelve members; Lay Representation, two ministers and two laymen from each General Conference district; Expenses of the General Conference and Delegates, seven members; Reception of Fraternal Delegates, five members; Temperance, Pastoral Address, and American Bible Society, seven members each; Revisal of Hymn Book, nine