the
to their watery grave in the Indian Ocean, they proceeded
to India in the trne missionary spirit, and by the blessing of God succeeded in laying the foundation of the present prosperous Wesleyan mission in Ceylon and continental India.
"The burden of superintending and collecting for the support of the early Methodist missions devolved almost entirely on the indefatigable Dr. Coke, although a nom- inal missionary committee occasionally sat in London lo transact business in his absence. But when the Confer- ence sanctioned his departure for India, it was deemed necessary to make new arrangements for carrving on the work, to which he could no longei- attend as formerlv. It is believed that the idea of forming a Methodist .Mission- ary Society originated with the laie Rev. George :\lorlev. It was not till lsl7 that the connectional socieiv was for- mally inaugurated, with a code of 'Laws anil Regula- tions,' having the express sanction and authoritv of Con- ference ; but 1S13 and the Leeds meeting are regarded as the true commencement of the society. At I his time Wes- leyan foreign missions had been siiccessfullv c;irried on for forty-four years, and upwards of one hundred mis- sionaries were usefu^N .nil 1 in foreiL'U fields of labor.
Thus it will be sell m I -t missions do not owe
their origin to tb. ^i s iciety, but that, (ni the
other hand, the ili- : -n n . s ,. iv owes its origin to the missions.
" When the Wesleyan Missionary Society had been fully organized, and auxifiaries and branches established in va- rious ])arts of the United Kingdom, the early foreign mis- sions of the connection were not only maiutained in their wonted elliciency and good working'order, but they were extended to other countries from year to year as open- ings presented themselves, and men and means were found available for the work. In Isjl a mission w:is com- menced ill Western Africa, and the work was extended to Southern Afiica in 1^11. to Au-lr.ilia in lsl.^ to Tasmania inlS21,to N' A /.111 ill :-_:_'. p. ]•:■■ I'riondlv Islands in]82G,to( 1 i ; i i , - : . ! ;- I ; , i-r.ii. In' all these countries cii;. -i . ,; nl, churches or-
ganized, scb'i"!- !-■:;. >; .■.<. u,\ |,: r •■- of wor>hii) erect- ed on a s-cale more or less extensive, according to cir- cumstances, and the Wesleyan Missionary Society has endeavored to take its lull share in the work of evan- gelizing the inhiibiiauts of those and other distant regions of the globe.
" According to the report for the year 1S71, the Wesley- an Missionary Society has now, in connection with the various fields of labor occupied by its aLrents in Europe, Africa, Asia, America, and Australia, In'i'.t oicbiined mis- sionary ministers and assistants, includim.' supernumera- ries; VT!) ceiitnl or jirincipal stations, culled circuits; 4:;GG chapels and other preachiiiL'-iilaces ; '.i.Mi-.'4 full and :ic- crec'iteil (/Imich nienibers, .-ind 144,73?. scholars receiving instriicti.in in the mi-si. m schools. The total anionnl of income fi-oni all s.mnes f.ir the year was i;i4St,707 rw. ih?. Of this M;ni, x:;'.m;;is 1n, c,./. w.is contributed by afliliated
•■ I,,,,:;, ■<• (',,,111,1 Ittr.' /,,!■ A ,11,1 iiiratinq the Condition of Il.iitii. ,1 u;>i,,, ,1. In the vear is.'.s the degraded condition ..r li.Mtli.ii \v..iiieii was"brou-ht to the notice of a few eniiii'ii Clni-t an ladies in London connected with the \\ i-li \:in .Missionary Society, who at once formed them- selves into a committee to devise the means of promoling their welfare. The first measure decided upon was to send out female teachers to assist missionaries' wives in the schools alreadv firmed, and up to the present time 27 teachers have been sent abroad: to the West Indies. :! ; continental India. 1(1; Cevlon, :i; South Africa, 7 ; China, ;!; and Italv, 1. The cnnmillee also supports nine I>il.le women in .Mvsore. liaiiLMloie, Canton, and .Jallii.i. lin- liortant a<-:~; .n..- h,- :ils.) been rendered by grants of peciiniavv a: I . r m . iN to li! schools ill continental In- dia. 17 in r. . ,..;:.:; i;, < liina, 17 in South Africa, 1 in Ita- lv, 1 in lloii.lui.i-. ,in.l :. in the Hudson's Bav Territory. In this good work about i'luno has been collected and spent annually, and Christian counsel and encouragement have often been communicated to female teachers and missionaries' wives abroad of more value than any mate-
••iVijsli'iinn Home Missions. — Methodism was professedly mis>ionaiy in its character from tin' beiriuning, and il has ev(.r son-iit to sp:. ;.l -, i|ii' li i , i . ..^ throichout the land. But oflate ^. ,,- i , W . onfereiic<. has ,,r-
LTaiiized a sv-teiii:,' i ,,, ■ •M--ion:,rv work lo
sniiply and maintain r..n:.'^' ■ n •,•- |, .,• the •benefit of the neglected iLijiulation of our biige cities ami rural dis- tricts, as well :is lo afl'ord aid to the poor, dependent cir- cuits of the United KiiiL'doin. Seventy-six missicmaiy ministers are n.iw ..iiii.i.M(vi in home mission work in England, S. - i i \\ il,-. l.e-ides ei'.'ht as chaplains to minislei' i .i ^lil. .is in the British army and
royal linvy. \;. .. :ir.' annually ciuitrilniied and
expended in ..oiym-- on thi- wuh] work, with gratifying results, an<l much more good nii'.'ht be done if funds were available for the purpose. Since the commencement of the work under its iireseni organization, lo the Confer- ence of 1^70, then' had been an increase in the home mis- sion circuits of M.Cvm; persons. In connection with that increase, and sprin._'ipg from it, the higher w.nk of sjiiril- ual conversion to God was everywhere manifested. Last