Building Fund, you were to substitute the College revenue of last year, which, as Dr Cunningham reminds me, did not arise from any public collection at all, but was composed of private contributions for the Building Fund of the College,-if you substitute it, which happened to be £7792: 10: 1, and which will be the College revenue of this year, then we arrive at this result;-Whereas last year, for the Home Mission we received £5242:13: 10, we received for the Home Mission this year £5182: 12: 4,-£60 1: 6 of a diminution. Then, under the head of Education, we received last year from congregational collections, and the produce of the Schoolmasters' Supplementary Fund, £7453 13 10. The amount this year is £9596: 4:3-increase £2142: 10:44. Then, when I put the College revenue of last year in the place of the Building collection of last year, I find a decrease in it of £37: 89. Foreign Mission revenue last year, £7356: 14:3; present year, £8873: 19: 6,-£1517: 5: 3 of increase. Colonial Scheme last year, £4995, 9s. 8d.; present year, £5614 10: 9,-£619:1:1 of increase. Jews' Conversion Scheme last year £6156: 15:8; this year £6305: 0:11,-increase £148:5: 3. When these increases and decreases are taken into account, it turns out that the revenue of the present year, as compared with that of the past, shows a gross increase; and I hope it will be looked upon as a real and a substantial increase. Ere passing to the juvenile offerings, I may be indulged in making one remark upon the regularity,—the increased regularity, which the orders of the General Assembly have received, as shown in making the collections appointed by the authority of the Church. It is but a few years ago when it was accounted something rare, to find any one Presbytery simultaneously concurring in observing each and every appointment enjoined by the authority of the Church. But, in addition to what my friend and father Dr Makellar stated, I am delighted to be able to announce this year, that no fewer than twentytwo Presbyteries of the Church have made stated collections for each and every one of the Schemes of the Church. I shall read, if you please, the names of these Presbyteries: Edinburgh, Dalkeith, Dumfries, Forfar, Dundee, Wigton, Greenock, Ilay, Dunkeld, Perth, Dumblane, Auchterarder, Kirkaldy, Cupar, St Andrews, Arbroath, Brechin, Kincardine-O'Neil, Garioch, Turiff, Fordyce, Elgin,-22 in all. In these twenty-two Presbyteries, every minister of every congregation has made collections in favour of each and all of the six Schemes of the Church. I cannot analyse the others so well by Presbyteries. I can do it by Synods; and I think we are on the threshold of another mode of holding count and reckoning with the Church, which may, perhaps, make this notice of the Presbytery in future days superfluous. For the first time, I believe, in the history of missions, there is to be found one of the Synods of the Church, and that a very large one, on the very point of being perfect in regard to this matter. There is only one solitary collection awanting within the bounds of this Synod, which shall for the present be nameless. (Cries of name.) Well, I shall go over the Synods, and state the number of the congregations within their respective bounds that have contributed to all the Schemes, and otherwise :-Lothian and Tweeddale, seventy-three congregations contributed to all the Schemes,-five to some of them; Merse and Teviotdale, twenty-eight to all the Schemes,-four to some; Dumfries, twenty-one to all the Schemes,-three to some; Galloway, nineteen to all the Schemes,-two to some; Glasgow and Ayr, one hundred and seventeen to all the Schemes,-eighteen to some; Argyle, twenty-two to all the Schemes, twelve to some; Stirling, twenty-nine to all the Schemes,five to some; Perth, forty-three to all the Schemes,-two to some; Fife, thirtyeight, to all the Schemes,-one to some; Angus and Mearns, fifty-nine to all the Schemes,-four to some; Aberdeen, seventy to all the Schemes,-seven to some; Moray, thirty-five to all the Schemes,-ten to some; Ross, seventeen to all the Schemes,-five to some; Sutherland and Caithness, twenty to all the Schemes,ten to some; Glenelg, nine to all the Schemes,-fourteen to some; Orkney, ten to all the Schemes,-four to some; Shetland, four to all the Schemes,-two to some. Looking to the whole churches it stands thus,-178 collections are not reported; 614 congregations have contributed to all the Schemes of the Church; 108 have contributed to some of the Schemes of the Church; total number of congregations which have contributed 722. There are no congregations in the position of contributing for none of the Schemes. I had made up a statement, for the purpose of indicating the progress of the missionary schemes, and which would show that in the year 1834, when we had two schemes, the total amount raised was £3511; in 1835, when there

were three schemes, £5128; 1836, when there were four schemes, £7941; 1837, £10,070; 1838, £13,800; 1839, £14,353; 1840, when the Scheme for the Conversion of the Jews was added, £16,156; 1841, £17,578; 1842, £20,191; 1843-44, the year of the Disruption, £23,874; 1844–45, £35,526; 1845–46, including of course, the Central Building collection as stated before, £43,310:7:81; this year £43,327, 9s. 1d. Dr Makellar has desired me, before sitting down, to say a word in regard to the missionary publications of the Church. It is known that the price of the Home and Foreign Missionary Record was, by the authority of last Assembly, reduced; but its circulation has not increased so very much as might have been anticipated from this measure. Its circulation, I believe, is now somewhere about 13,000 monthly, but it is felt by friends, that were a little labour taken by ministers and elders, and friends of missions generally, throughout the country, that publication would be made more valuable for spreading missionary information among all ranks of the people. About £200 of profit have been realised from the publication of the Home and Foreign Missionary Record, which is more than required to meet deficiencies in other missionary publications. The Children's Missionary Record has a circulation, I believe, of 40,000 monthly, and we are under the impression that it has obtained considerable favour in the eyes of the young and rising race. It has, however, for some time past been a source of considerable loss to the Church; but now an arrangement has been effected, whereby its present publisher, Mr Johnstone, takes the entire risk of its publication, the Board of Missions being bound to supply matter and wood-cuts. The accounts in connection with the missionary publications, which will be on the table to-morrow, will show a considerable deficiency as regards the Children's Missionary Record, and also a deficiency as regards the Gaelic Witness. The state of the Highlands has been such, I think, as to account in a considerable degree for the failure of its returns; and it was felt by the Board of Missions, that it would be improper on a mere question of revenue to withdraw from our suffering countrymen a publication which they much cherished, and which, by God's blessing, is fitted to do them and others unspeakable good. One word more in reference to the contributions of the young. There was reported to last General Assembly £1113, 18s. 8d. as the amount of juvenile contributions. Now this included a sum of £126, the fruit of previous gatherings, I believe, before the Children's Missionary Record became connected with the Board of Missions, and which, during the course of last year, you are aware, was handed over to the India Mission for the Orphan Refuge School in Bombay; so that the real sum gathered by the children last year was £987; 18: 8. This year there has been gathered for the missionary schemes, together with the Schoolmasters' Sustentation Fund, the India Mission Buildings, the Central Building Fund, and Continental Churches, £913: 14:10. To the Sustentation Fund, the children have sent in £11: 10: 1; to the Highland Destitution Fund, the Sabbathschool children have sent in £63: 3:03; for Female Education in India, £32:0:3; Orphan Refuge in India, £1: 12 : 8; Church at Leghorn, £3: 9:9; and since the accounts have been closed, we have received £46: 13: 7; making the total of their offerings £1801: 12: 91, thus showing an increase in the juvenile offerings over last year of £8937: 8.

Dr MAKELLAR again rose and said, I think the account now given must surprise and must encourage us amidst all our difficulties from various quarters. It appears that upon the whole our Mission Funds are in a satisfactory state, and we have much cause to bless God and take courage. He has been pleased to lay a large stewardship to our hands, and opened to us a great and effectual door, by which we may enter and do His work; and it is a solemn question whether we are fully sensible of the privilege we enjoy, and whether we rightly consider the obligations connected with it. May the Lord instruct and guide us with His eye; may He enlighten our minds in the knowledge of the way He would desire that we should honour and serve Him; may He lead us in the path of righteousness for his own name sake, that our every gift, talent, and opportunity may be rightly improved, and that the glory of His name may be shadowed forth, and many be added to the Church of such as he hath ordained to everlasting life. It is not the province of the Board of Missions in any way to attempt to interfere with the will of the General Assembly. It is not the province of the Board to give prominence to any of the Schemes, so as that the one may be prejudicial to another; but at the same time, we think we may venture to press on the attention of the Assembly the prominent importance of the Home Mission

B

Scheme. It must be quite manifest to us that the scene of operations of the Home Mission is the principal field of our labour; it is the place in which we are most particularly called to put forth our skill and strength, and where we most highly prize the success granted to it; and if we desire that the Church should prosper,-that it should be rich in blessings at home, and respected and useful abroad,-we must see to it that we cultivate with care our own vineyard, and that we secure and preserve for the Home Mission-the scene of the Home Mission--the services of the very best of men, and realize the highest and holiest ministrations of the gospel in the midst of us. Faithfulness and strength, and success at home, will lead to zeal, gain respect and ensure usefulness abroad. If we desire, then, that a knowledge of Christ should go forth throughout the earth, and that we should be known and acknowledged as those who desire to be faithful to our Divine Master, and be successful in His cause, let us not neglect to direct attention, in a suitable manner, to the Home Mission, and see that all things are in a proper state at home. I trust that the General Assembly will exercise indulgence towards me on this, as on former occasions; and I would fain hope also, that they will give me their sympathies when I refer to that portion of our population who dwell in the Highlands and Islands. The very mention of their case must be sufficient to awaken the tenderest sensibilities. Of all the sufferers in this country, they have the foremost place in the desolation, and in the trouble, and suffering, and therefore we are called upon to exercise towards them the greatest tenderness, and be ready to sympathise with and assist them in every way in our power. It is exceedingly soothing to those who think rightly on the subject, that these sufferers have been able to exercise a humility, patience, gentleness, and submission in their trials, which have fixed the attention of all, and have moved and melted the hearts of many. I refer to them on this occasion, for the purpose of expressing my settled conviction, that their exemplary behaviour is the fruit of faith in Christ. A large portion of them have enjoyed the privilege of being trained up in the schools of the Gaelic School Society. They so apprehended the character of these schools, as themselves to call them schools of Christ; and now, in their day of suffering, they are enabled to show that they have learned of him who was meek and lowly in heart; and take up their cross and follow Him in the time that it is needful for them to do so. Their conduct is a beautiful illustration of the real value of the Gaelic School Society; and I trust any one interested in the character of the Highlands, and disposed to admire the conduct of the inhabitants of that part of the country in the trying circumstances in which they are placed, will be led to support the Gaelic School Society by every means in their power. It is not one of the Schemes of the Church; but it is a kindred institution, which has done a great amount of good, and conferred immense blessings upon the Highlands. And now, my dear brethren, let us earnestly seek to bless and magnify the Lord for his goodness. It has pleased Him to carry us through great difficulties; and it becomes us to render thanks for all His mercies towards us in times past, and for the soundness and stability of our present condition. In regard to our state as a Church, He has not only provided the funds needful for the success of our operations, but has blessed us with so much love, energy, harmony, and peace within our own Church, and favoured us with promising appearances without. In some of our Colonies, and especially in the stations of the Committee for the Conversion of the Jews, the Colonial Committee, and the Foreign Missions, there is so much that is so satisfactory and cheering, that we have much cause to acknowledge the Lord's goodness in reference to those things. There is a breaking up of the fallow ground, and a sowing of the good seed of the kingdom. But surely it becomes us not only to sing of mercy, but of judgment. It is evident the Lord has a controversy with these lands, and his hand is stretched out still. How well may the question be addressed to us-" Are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?" If we enter upon that inquiry, it would lead to painful discoveries. "Our own heart condemns us, and God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." It cannot be denied that our prospects are in many respects dark and discouraging. The scarcity of food is sensibly felt; and we have reason to apprehend that it may not pass speedily away. There is reason to apprehend that the scarcity may yet be of long continuance; and in reference to the supply needful for our missionary schemes, it is not difficult to see that if we have had hindrances in times past, these are likely to increase many fold for the time to come. It is needful, therefore, to see that we have a waiting eye to the Lord for grace, and

are resolved, in our own minds, if enabled, to exert ourselves to meet the increasing demands, that we may be enabled to stand by our Missionary Schemes in such a way as they may not suffer any material injury. Let us then ask that God may give us courage and strength not to fail in his work. Let us ask that when our labours and difficulties abound, that our energies may much more abound; and that we may be found stedfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. (Applause).

Dr CANDLISH.-Moderator, I rise to move that our thanks be recorded to Dr Makellar, the Convener, and Mr Jaffray, the Secretary; and in doing so, I take the opportunity of expressing the satisfaction with which I have listened, and, I am sure, the Assembly has listened, to the whole statement which has now been made. The depression upon our people during the past year has been unprecedented. The calls on their liberality have, in the course of God's providence, been greatly increased. Their ability to give, in His providence, has likewise, in many parts of the country, been greatly decreased; and yet it is satisfactory to find that the missionary undertakings of the Church have suffered, as to the incoming of the funds, so little from that cause. I say, so little; because it is right and proper that the General Assembly should know that our congregational collections this year to every Scheme are less than they were during the preceding year. It is very gratifying that the defaulters in the way of making collections are becoming fewer and fewer every year,

"Small by degrees, and beautifully less."

But it is right that it should be understood, while we give God thanks, and take courage, that, notwithstanding all our difficulties and obstacles, our Schemes have so marvellously prospered during this year—it is right that it should be understood, that in every Scheme there has been on the congregational collections a slight falling away -not considerable-not more than may be fairly accounted for from the cause I have mentioned-not so much as this cause might have led us to anticipate-but still a falling off. I find that for the Home Mission the contributions for last year were £4500; for this year, £3818. Education-this is scarcely a fair criterion; because the report last year included not only these congregational collections, but the supplementary fund raised for the schoolmasters. Therefore, I pass over this, and come to the Foreign Missions, last year, £4141; this year, £3976. Colonies, last year, £3810; this year, £3710. Conversion of the Jews, last year, £4384; this year, £4157. Now, I do not mention this to cast the slightest shade of discouragement in this Assembly and this Church, but that the plain facts may be fully and clearly brought out, and especially, as I believe, in reference to some of these Schemes-particularly in reference to the Scheme for the conversion of the heathen-that most important of all our missionary undertakings-in reference to that Scheme, I greatly fear, from what I know, that the Foreign Mission Committee will have but a sad report to make of the state of their funds when they come up to this House. It is right, therefore, that we should bear in mind, that while we have cause for thankfulness that during the past year our resources have suffered so little diminution-upon the whole no diminution-yet, that at the same time, our congregational collections have not been altogether what they were during the preceding year. I am not sure that we should even regret this. I believe we should rejoice that they are so nearly what they were; and it would almost have argued that there was something wrong, as one might say, if so unprecedented a calamity should have come upon the country, so greatly impairing the ability of many of our people to give, and so greatly increasing the demand upon those who can give, to give for what is their first duty, namely, the supporting the bodies of their fellow-men,-if this should have come upon the country without in any degree appearing to affect our labours in the Lord's cause, it would almost have been argued there was something wrong. That they have affected these labours so little must be a great ground of thankfulness; for I am sure that our Christian people excepting always those whose ability to give is dried up by this calamity— our Christian people will never for a moment think of taking what they contribute for the relief of temporal destitution out of the fund that previously had been consecrated to the Lord. It is manifestly our first and primary duty to contribute to keep alive our fellow-men, perishing for lack of food; but assuredly Christian men who have the means will do so rather by diminishing their own expenditure for their personal comforts and luxuries, than by at all interfering with what they had been accustomed to give to the treasury and the cause of the Lord. I thought it right to make the statement I have done, and have done it simply that the fact might be

brought under the notice of the Assembly and of the Church; and with these few remarks I beg to move that our thanks be given to our most indefatigable friends, Dr Makellar and Mr Jaffray.

Dr BROWN of Aberdeen said, that he had great pleasure in seconding the motion which was unanimously agreed to.

And the General Assembly in receiving this report, express their gratitude to God that the contributions of their people had been so large, considering the many other pressing demands which have been made upon them, and the great destitution prevailing in many districts of the country: And, farther, the Assembly record their thanks to Dr Makellar and Mr Jaffray for their important services.

The Assembly then called for the Report of the Committee on

CONVERSION OF THE JEWS,

which was given in and read by Dr Keith.

Only eight years have elapsed since a deputation was sent out by the Church to make inquiry where, if any where, missions might be established among the Jews, with any prospect of success. Not till half that time had elapsed was your Committee enabled, at that memorable period when the Assembly of our Church first met in this place, to report any conversions and baptisms. Beginning, as it may be said we then did, at Jerusalem, as taking up, in the first instance, the cause of the sons and daughters of the city of the great King,' to whose headship a testimony was then given, through his grace, the annual reports have ever since shewn the progress of the work, which, as that of conversion, is His own. They who are engaged in the missionary work, whether in devising means or prosecuting labours, are not taught to expect freedom from tribulation, perplexity, or trials, to which the apostles of Christ, when the gospel made its greatest progress, were severely subjected. But it is a cause of thankfulness, now as then, that the gospel has been spread abroad, and that the Lord has added to his Church such as shall be saved.

"Without the need of any special reference to the cheering details which have been communicated from month to month in the Missionary Record, and which are already known to the Church, the progress of the work, and the present state of the missions, may best be apprehended from the accounts most recently received, and furnished with this intent by those who are eye-witnesses of what the Lord has wrought.

"PESTH.-Since our last communication (says Mr Wingate), the number of the public witnesses for the truth of the gospel, from among God's ancient people, has been considerably increased. An eminent rabbinical student, a Jewish family, a young Israelitish teacher, and a young man, the brother of the first convert after the establishment of the Pesth mission, have all been baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"The first of these individuals, Mr Friereich, has often been alluded to in the earlier notices of God's work here. In 1842, Mr F. had long interviews with our dear father, Dr Duncan, and was at first mainly attracted by his knowledge of rabbinical literature. Many opportunities were in this manner presented of bringing him in contact with the great doctrines of redemption, and their relation to man's everlasting destiny. Mr F. was a Pharisee-proud of his nation, his language, and his religion. He long sought to defend the unity of the God of the Jews, the unchangeableness of the Jewish dispensation, and the efficacy of ceremonial observances, if accompanied with devotion, moral conduct, and penitence-to procure salvation, at least for all the natural descendants of Abraham. All this time he looked forward to the office of Rabbi, and his pride was further flattered by an invitation from his brethren to write in defence of the synagogue, and silence the new disturbers of the peace of Judaism. Several days elapsed before he gave any answer to their invitation. Meanwhile, hẹ had drawn out the plan of a work, in which he proposed, from the Old Testament, to demonstrate the impossibility of a further revelation, and to endeavour to set aside the divine origin of the New Testament. Full of hopes of success, he very gravely announced his purpose to us, which afforded several new opportunities of repeating more fully and solemnly the great truths of the gospel-the impossibility of the intellect of man inventing a history which should fulfil such a varied and seemingly inexplicable chain of prophecy as the Old Testament contains--the sudden destruction of the Jewish temple and Jerusalem-the dispersion of his nation throughout the world,