The CHAIRMAN said: Christian Friends,-In the words of one of the founders of this great Society, I ought to tremble when putting forth my hand to such a fabric as this. And, in point of fact, I do tremble. But I am sustained by the confident assurance that we are met to-day

the name of the Master, to promote a work which is very near His heart, and which has His smile and benediction in every quarter of the habitable globe. And what is the work of this Society? It is to send forth its living agents to carry the blessings of the Gospel of Christ to the nations sitting in darkness, and we have again this year to record with profound gratitude that He has continued to bless every department of the work of this Society. I like to recall the strong faith which animated the founders of this and kindred societies. They took their stand upon the word and promise of God, and in spite of obstacles and opposition from the coldness and the indifference of the Christians of their time they went forward in strong faith, and we are representing to-day the glorious results. God raised up among them many highly gifted men, noblehearted men, consecrated men, to go forth to the chosen fields of labour -the South Seas, Africa, China, India-and to-day their number has greatly increased, and there is not a land in which the missionary of the Cross does not now proclaim the everlasting Gospel. Among the honoured names of those who were raised up in the early days of this Society we cannot fail to mention to-day that of the venerated and beloved Dr. Moffat, who was called home to his everlasting rest in the autumn of last year. No church, no missionary society, ever had a more consecrated, more self-denying, more devout missionary. Most of us have doubtless listened at one time or another to the graphic narrations which he used to make of his work among the sable sons of Bechwanaland, and none of us who had the privilege of being present when his blessed remains were laid in the dust can ever forget the solemn feeling that surrounded the occasion, and the words which were then addressed to us by some of our honoured brethren. It would be a congenial theme to refer to other names bright in the history of the London Missionary Society, many of them fellow-countrymen of my own-and let me say that that fact was very influential in the formation of these important Scottish missions which have taken their place in the mission-fields of the East, and which are not unknown here. But I will not pursue that subject, particularly as there are great reasons to-day why I should be exceedingly brief. One of these is personal to myself; the other is that we are in the happy position of welcoming among us the Rev. Mr. Wardlaw Thompson, the Foreign Secretary of the Society, who has just returned from that intensely interesting missionary journey which he has been making over the world. It was my lot many years ago to take a journey also to the East; and among the happiest moments connected with that journey were those when I had the privilege of visiting some of the mission-stations of this and other societies, then much fewer than they are now, and occupying places barely opened to the reception of the Gospel. And you will perhaps be surprised to hear that when I had the privilege of being in

China and meeting with your missionaries there-Dr. Medhurst and Dr. Lockhart-happily spared to us-the converts to Protestant missions in the whole of China were only six, but now there are about 30,000 persons in full communion with the various churches there, and a large nominal accession to the ranks of those bearing the name of Christians. The growth of missions in the East and in other lands has not been less remarkable, and we can now go forward in the work of this Society full of hope. Although we have had happy and blessed results, we must continue to lean upon the same God who has been our stay in times past, and to exercise the same strong faith if we are to do anything in the mission-field. The enemy is strong, but greater is He that is with us than all who can be against us. And now, I will only add that I rejoice exceedingly in the opportunity given me of being among you to-day, that I love and honour the Society, and count it a distinguished honour to be associated with it in any possible way.

THE FIRST RESOLUTION.

The Rev. R. WARDLAW THOMPSON (Foreign Secretary of the Society) said, I am asked to move the following resolution:—

"That the Report, an abstract of which has been distributed in the Hall, be adopted and circulated."

Since I last stood on this platform I have had the pleasure of travelling upwards of 40,000 miles in the interest of this Society, and of visiting forty-two of its principal stations in India, China, and Africa, as well as twelve other places which were once stations, but in which the people are now maintaining the ordinances of religion for themselves, and only retain a kind of honorary connection with our Society. I have also had the privilege and the great advantage of meeting and having close personal intercourse with the missionaries of this Society-an incident in my work which I have valued, perhaps, more than any other part of it, because I have found, during my short experience in the Mission House, that it is exceedingly difficult to write business letters in a sympathetic and brotherly spirit to men and women whom I do not personally know. I trust that our intercourse with each other has drawn us nearer to each other in heart. Time has not permitted me to visit many of the stations of other missionary societies, yet I have been privileged to drop in here and there, and have had the opportunity of seeing how wonderfully the mission field brings out unity of spirit in Christian men amongst whom diversity of work and government exists. I have in this way made the acquaintance of many brethren connected with the Baptist Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society, the English Presbyterian Mission, the Free Church of Scotland, the United Presbyterian Church, the Wesleyan Missionary Society, the American Presbyterian Churches, the American Southern Baptist Mission, the American

Methodist Episcopal Mission, and others whose names I cannot now recollect, so long is the list of the societies whose agents are working together in the mission field. It is wonderful how we forget our home difficulties in the presence of the foe. I am thankful to say that by the mercy of God I have enjoyed good health during the whole of my trip, and I have come home with a wholly different idea of the world of men and of work from that with which I went out. I find I am expected to-day to give details of this trip, and I have been allowed an hour in which to tell you what I have seen and done during twenty months! Of course it is hopeless to attempt to do so, but it is desirable that I should tell you something of what I have witnessed. The first part of my journey was undertaken in the companionship of one whom I am thankful to call my dear friend, Mr. Albert Spicer. I shall not venture in Mr. Spicer's presence to say what I feel about my friend and companion, but I thanked God many a time that he was with me, both for his warm-hearted friendship, and for his true sympathy shown on every occasion to missionaries and their work. And I thank God, too, that Mr. Spicer is only a noble representative of a noble class of men to be found in every section of the Church of Christ-men whom we call laymen, but who are true ministers of Christ, and who devote wealth, and intellect, and heart to their Master's service. If I might venture to make a suggestion, it would be that some of the Christian gentlemen on this platform should undertake a similar tour to my own.

INDIA

is now very near to England, and a large part of that country during the winter months is simply delightful. Only, gentlemen, do not follow the usual tourist route, or be surrounded by the accompaniments of the orthodox globe-trotter. Go as Christian men, with your eyes and ears open, and with prayer in your hearts, to see for yourselves the kind of work which the Christian Church is doing. You will gaze upon great palaces and vast temples, but let such sights be of secondary importance for once, and visit specially the scenes of Christian labour. If you will go in that spirit you will be welcomed by many weary workers; and if Dr. Dale, and others of our leading ministers, would go out there to speak and lecture, I think all Christian men in India would thank God for the visit. Last year Mr. Spicer gave you a full account of our trip to India, and of what we saw there, and I can only say that the impressions produced by that visit on my mind have not in any way become weakened by what I have since seen; indeed, the sense of our responsibility in regard to the spiritual condition of the natives has greatly increased. Slowly, yet surely, we are taking their gods from them, and none but Christ can prevent the utter anarchy, the dire confusion, which will come into their hearts when the religious bonds which now hold them shall have been destroyed. Therefore, I am of opinion that Christian Englishmen need to think very earnestly of their responsibility

Many illustrations of these statements are found in the reports of the past year's work furnished by the brethren, especially by those who systematically and widely itinerate in the districts under their charge. The report of the Rev. M. Phillips, of SALEM, in South India, who devotes much time to this form of Christian effort, while showing the strange circumstances in which this work is often carried on, gives indication of an under-current in a right direction.

The Rev. W. Robinson, in his report of the district of TRIPATOOR, which borders on that of Salem, fully confirms what has been stated respecting a change in the bearing of the people towards Christianity, and points to some of the personal and domestic obstacles which cause delay in making open profession, and call for long patience on the part of the missionary, and of those who sympathise with him.

The native catechists, who, as a class, are invaluable to the missionary in his evangelistic work, and who, as natives, have special facilities for discovering the real feeling of those of their fellowcountrymen whom they may meet, bear like testimony.

The statements of the Rev. E. P. Rice, whose chief work is that of itinerating in the large district around BANGALORE, not only agree with those of others as to the favourable bearing of the higher as well as of the lower classes of the people towards the Word of life, but also give gratifying evidence of the value of tract distribution-a form of instrumentality of which the missionary and the native agents make much use.

The town and district of BELGAUM lie far to the west of the fields from which the reports previously quoted come, yet the tone of feeling there towards Christianity is also stated to be favourable.

The itinerating missionary, meeting, as he does, with people of many grades, varying greatly in education and creed, often and unexpectedly finds very heavy demands made on his mental resources and power of argument in defence of the truth. This is very strikingly shown by the Rev. J. R. Bacon, of CUDDAPAH, in a narrative of his own experience in the town of Royachoti, visited by him in his evangelistic tours.

The missionary who, for a succession of years, goes forth widely into his district bearing precious seed, has also occasionally, through the Divine blessing, the joy of reaping a harvest for his Lord. Such was the experience during the past year of the Rev. E. Lewis, who has been abundant in itinerating labour, and who, in his report, shows that he has not laboured in vain.

In December last the evangelistic efforts of five of the missionaries in South India, with three native ministers and sixty-six other native agents, most of whom give much time to itineration, took a new form, in their holding a series of camp-meetings, which lasted four days.

The report of Jiwan Masih, a catechist in the Mirzapore Mission, in the North of India, while showing his perseverance in evangelistic work, points to a like change of bearing towards Christianity to that seen in the Southern districts of the country.

In the Travancore Mission it has for some years been the practice for the native pastors, at a suitable season of the year, to leave their own districts for a time to make an evangelistic tour in some other districts. This plan has been found to be beneficial to all concerned. Last year the Rev. S. Zechariah, who has been the native pastor of the church at Neyoor for many years, visited for evangelistic purposes the town and district of TREVANDRUM, the chief centre of Brahminism and idolatry in that native State.

The Rev. I. H. Hacker, one of the missionaries at NEYOOR, in Travancore, bears pleasing testimony to the Christian life of many of the church members of his district, and to earnest aggressive efforts put forth by female members for the enlightenment of the ignorant among their native sisters.

The efforts of the Rev. W. B. Phillips, of the BERHAMPORE Mission in Bengal, are mainly given to itineration, in which, while at times encountering difficulties and even dangers, he finds much encouragement.

The work of primary instruction in the vernacular and of advanced education in high schools has been diligently carried on during the year. A catechist of the Neyoor district reports a very remarkable instance of good impressions produced in the heart of a scholar in the day-school, which led to a harvest of subsequent blessings.

The Christian results of the work in the high schools are more frequently seen in later years than in those of school-life. But the seed is assiduously sown, and left in faith to the care and influence of the Divine Spirit.

It is highly encouraging to receive from the Rev. J. Hewlett, the principal of the London Mission College in BENARES, a statement respecting the willingness to read and study the Bible shown by many of the students under his tuition in that city and centre of idolatry.

But while the Christian sower is seeking to sow good seed in these