lecting money for a pulpit and readingdesk; eighty or ninety regularly attend on Sunday.

Hong-A.-The new chapel, which in our last Report I informed you was about to be erected, is not yet completed, but it is sufficiently far advanced to enable the Christians to hold their services in it. It looks exceedingly nice, and is a great improvement on the little dark room which they formerly used. The congregation numbers about 50 as a rule.

Ko-Sang-Che, with its dependent stations of Au-te-tie, Tong-Kang, and Seng-Iong have all advanced, and there are a number of inquirers. The lastnamed place was chosen by Dr. Taylor as his head-quarters for the last month he spent in the district. A large house, owned by a family who in times past were wealthy, and were the chief supporters of the temples in the place, was lent to him for use as a dispensary and hospital free of rent, and the six men whom I afterwards baptized were also from this house. They are the first converts at Seng-Iong, but from the number who have already given in their names as inquirers, there is every reason for hoping good work will be done there.

Sieng-Neng-Chiong, the only other place I will call your attention to, is a new station, and has made rapid progress, very much owing to the itinerating visits of a good Christian colporteur.

In

consequence of some wonderful cures in answer to his prayers, several families have thrown away their idols, and now worship the only true God and Jesus Christ His Son. Twelve were baptized during the year, and the Twai-Ku catechist has been removed here; his place being taken, as I have already informed you, by a new catechist supported by the Christians themselves, and who some years ago went through a course of training at Foo-Chow.

BOYS' BOARDING SCHOOL.

There have been sixteen under instruction, the eight senior living in our sole remaining tenement on Wu-ShihShan in the city, and the remainder in a small house we have rented at Nantai. We are still hoping and praying for the time when we can have them and our students in good suitable houses of their own, close to one of our own dwellinghouses, so that they may have the constant supervision and teaching of

the foreigner. Until this is obtained we cannot look for much good result.

GIRLS' BOARDING SCHOOL.

This year there have been twenty-two boarders and ten Christian children, who have attended as day-scholars under the charge of Miss Foster of the F.E.S. Since our last Report both this and the Bible-women's school have been moved out to Nantai, occupying native built houses erected within the "Telegraph House" premises. They each day come across and study in the large rooms on the ground-floor of the Telegraph House, and, as was anticipated, both scholars and teachers have felt the beneficial effect of the change from the city to the fresh air of the foreign settlement. Two of the girls having reached the mature age of fifteen, have been married during the year. A great deal of trouble has been spent on their singing, and the result has been such as to silence all who deny the power of the Chinese to sing correctly and sweetly; all that seems necessary is patience and perseverance on the part of the teacher, and perhaps youth on the part of the taught. Our kind friends among the foreign community have again liberally subscribed towards the support of the school, and in addition presented a harmonium to it, and some of the girls have become sufficiently acquainted with the instrument to enable them to accompany their fellows in hymns and chants. A day-school for heathen, to be taught by the elder girls of the boarding school, has just been started, but it is as yet too young an institution to say much about.

BIBLE-WOMEN.

This year the number in the Biblewomen's house has increased to thirteen; four of these are the wives, and two the widows of catechists, and another is from the far-distant city of Kiong-Ning, where all Mission work has been stopped since the destruction of our chapel. This woman, speaking of course the dialect of the place, may when she returns home be the means of making the Gospel known to her neighbours. Mrs. Stewart has been greatly assisted in the teaching of these women by Chitnio, a native of Singapore, and the widow of the Rev. Mr. Ling who died about two years ago. She is a most

excellent person, and invaluable for this work. St. Luke's Gospel was their chief subject last term, and, with the exception of two or three who had but lately come down, they answered at their examination very fairly. The kind friends at home who supply us with funds for the carrying on of this work would, I am sure, have no reason to repent of their liberality, could they but see how important this work is. Every time we itinerate we feel more and more the need of Bible-women in the interior; there are numbers of Christian women willing to be instructed, but the custom of the country forbids the catechist speaking to them except from the pulpit, and few of the catechists' wives

can read, or are able to teach the truth clearly to the women at their station; they need to be trained, just as their husbands do, before they can with any success take the part of instructors.

STATISTICS.

Clergymen European, 2; Native, 3. Lay Teachers: European, Male, 1; Native Christian, Male, 100. Native Communicants, 1251. Native Christian Adherents, 3556. Baptisms during the Year: Adults, 259; Children, 102. Schools, 14. Scholars: Boys, 178; Girls, 32; Seminarists, 20. Voluntary Unpaid Native Agents, 100. Contributions by Native Christians for religious purposes,

$1,700.

KU-CHENG DISTRICT.

The Rev. Mr. Tang has been stationed at the city of Ku-Cheng during the present year, he has visited, as far as he was able, the out-stations in the district, and his wife, who is a very intelligent woman, has also visited the women at Ku-Cheng and in the stations round, especially directing her attention to the catechists' wives, to whom she has pointed out the duty and importance of gathering together the women of their several congregations, with any heathen who will come, and teaching them verses of Scripture, hymns, &c. We hope that this may prove of great benefit.

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There are now eighteen out-stations in the Ku-Cheng district, and our friends will readily understand that, whilst some of these stations cause us joy, others cause us sorrow, while of others again it may be said, "There is no falling off and yet no advance-things seem to be at a standstill." My own feelings when itinerating are, I suppose, much like those of every other missionary, very varied when, for instance, I reach a station where the catechist is energetic, where the people are civil, and where great interest is manifested in the Gospel of Christ, my heart is of course full of joy and thankfulness, and I forget all the troubles and anxieties which beset our work, and like the eunuch of old, I go on my way rejoicing; and then perchance my next halting-place is at a chapel where the people are very rude and boisterous and where an utter indifference on their part to the message of salvation seems to have affected the catechist. Can it be wondered at that then one's hopes sink very low, and one is ready to cry out, Why all this trouble? Why all this expense to the Church of Christ with apparently no result? But then one remembers that God's Word is still quick and powerful, and that it must accomplish that whereunto He has sent it; and one remembers too, how other missionaries have been content to labour on through long, weary years of sowing, until in God's own good time the harvest was vouchsafed; and so with a prayer that erelong the reaping-time may come, one goes on a few miles further, to find probably an earnest band of Christians waiting to give one a hearty welcome.

There has not, I am sorry to say, been much interest shown in the city of KuCheng itself during 1880; only two of its inhabitants having been baptized during the year. Preaching is regularly carried on in our church and at the Bible and Tract Depôt, but few hearers seem to be attracted now, even if a foreigner is present.

Chek-Pó.-I am able to report twentythree baptisms at this village this year, fifteen of whom belong to one family. I mentioned this family last year and I am thankful to say that they have continued steadfast in their determination to join us, although they have had to bear a good deal of ridicule in consequence. We have every reason to hope that their influence in the place will be very great, as they are well-to-do people, and it seems scarcely possible that they can be influenced by any unworthy motives in casting in their lot with the despised followers of Jesus.

Ka-Sai. At this village, which has, I think, been scarcely mentioned in former reports, an interesting work has commenced this year, the inquirers numbering between forty and fifty. Mr. Tang has visited the place and baptized four of them, and I hope soon to visit them myself, after which I shall be able to write more fully about them.

Ngu-Tu.-The work at Ngu-Tu is still progressing, eight persons having been admitted into the Church this year. I regret to have to record the death of the catechist's wife which took place somewhat suddenly a few months since; she was an earnest, good woman, and had a fair knowledge of the Bible, having studied with Miss Houston at Fuh-chow, for a year and a half, and she will be much missed.

The Bible-woman, supported by kind friends in England, is still working at Ngu-Tu, and we believe that she is doing a good work there; at all events, there is always a large number of women and girls at the services, and of the eight persons baptized this year, four were women. The house which I mentioned in my last letter we have completed the purchase of, and have removed to it: it is much more commodious and suitable than the former one.

Lau-A.-There has been a slight increase in the number of Christians at

The

this station, and four candidates for baptism have received that rite. catechist's wife, Jun, from Singapore, has still continued to teach the Christian and heathen women, but the attendance is not so good as formerly, several who had come regularly for some time, having ceased to do so. I am sorry to have to report that two of the members of this Church have had to be expelled. One for opium-smoking, and the other for bigamy. The latter

case is rather a sad one. It seems that the man, who has been baptized some years, has always been much persecuted by his wife, who has cherished a bitter hatred towards Christianity. The husband, however, still remained firm and regularly attended the services at our church. Last year this first wife, finding that no children were born to her, endeavoured (as is the custom in China) to persuade her husband to marry another wife, so that the family name might be kept up. He spoke to the catechist about it, and was of course told that such an act would be very wrong and contrary to the teaching of Christ and His apostles. The man seems to have steadily refused to listen to his wife's suggestion for a long time, but at length he gave way, and consequently we have been obliged to expel him.

Of the other stations in this district I have nothing special to write. A few of our members have left us, and others cause us much sorrow by their inconsistent conduct, but it is a matter for thankfulness that only these two men at Lau-A have been expelled during

the year.

KIONG NING FOO DISTRICT.

The Kiong Ning Foo chapel case still remains in statu quo, nothing whatever having been done by the authorities since the last Annual Report was written. The unfortunate man who sold the house to us is still in prison, and continually writes begging us to procure his release, which of course we are unable to do. I mentioned last year that we had voted a sum of money to be sent to his wife and children to keep them from starving, and we hoped that the man would be released before that money was exhausted; however, our hopes were not realized, and we have thought it best to let his wife and family come and live in one of the rooms

in our Bible-women's house, allowing her a small sum monthly to buy food, &c., while she is learning to read the New Testament, with the other women. She has been here some time, and is making fair progress.

Of the two out-stations in this district I have very little to write. There are four or five Christians at Siong Chie and two or three at Siong Pó. I trust that erelong we may be able to give a more cheering account of the Kiong Ning Foo district.

IONG PING FOO DISTRICT.

We are still unable to obtain possession of our long-closed chapel in this city; the matter is still before her Majesty's Minister at Peking, and we are hoping that erelong some definite arrangement will be made respecting it.

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Nang-Sang.-There have been baptisms at this station during 1880, and the services have for some time been a good deal interrupted by the serious illness of the catechist, Mr. Ngoi, which terminated fatally in October. He was one of the oldest men in the employ of the Mission, and had formerly been a soldier. The chief reason why he was appointed to this station was in consequence of his ability to speak the Court dialect, to which that spoken at Nang-Sang very nearly approximates.

The only other station in this district is Kang-Pwo, which has been opened quite recently. There are now baptized during our last Conference in several inquirers there, one of whom was

November.

SANG-IONG DISTRICT.

I am glad to say that there are two or three apparently sincere inquirers at Sang-Iong, who have attended our services regularly for some time past; I have not, however, yet baptized any of them as I thought it best to keep them waiting as long as possible. This place has always been a very unfruitful one, and the few Christians who have been baptized, have for the most part turned out very badly, so that one needs to be extremely careful before admitting any of the inquirers into the Church. It will be well understood that merely nominal Christians, living inconsistent lives, are a great hindrance to the spread