CHINA.

Commenced in 1847.

CONSIDERABLE progress has been made in our work in China during the past year, as will appear in the reports from the different Missions.

Arrangements have been made to change the time of the annual meeting from fall to spring; and no episcopal visit was made to China in 1890. Bishop Foster will visit the va

rious Missions early in 1891.

The Foochow Mission has been further weakened by the return of the Rev. Timothy Donohue and wife to the United States, but has been fortunate in securing the Rev. W. N. Brewster, late of the Malaysia Mission, who was married to Miss Elizabeth M. Fisher, at Foochow, on October 28. Mr. and Mrs. Brewster will enter upon the work at Hing-hwa, and establish a missionary residence in that important center. The Rev. M. C. Wilcox and Dr. J. J. Gregory, with their families, have taken up their residence at Ku-cheng.

It is greatly to be regretted that the General Committee could not see its way clear to an appropriation for a hospital at Ku-cheng or to any enlargement of facilities for the Foochow University.

The Mission has sustained a great loss in the death of Tiong Ahok, the eminent layman who gave $10,000 to found our Anglo-Chinese College, and who has been in many ways a most efficient and earnest supporter of our work. His excellent wife, who had gone on a visit to England with an invalid missionary, did not reach Foochow until after her husband's death. His dying testimony was in accordance with his Christian life.

The Rev. Samuel L. Gracey, D.D., has been warmly wel comed by the missionaries as Consul of the United States at

Foochow. He and his devoted wife are already proving helpful in many ways to the Mission. If is not often that we find a consul who can preach and pray, and sing with spirit the songs of Zion.

In the Central China Mission the Rev. Leslie Stevens, the new superintendent, has entered upon his work with both prudence and energy. The Rev. W. C. Longden, after a protracted and very serious illness, from which at one time there seemed little hope of his recovery, returned to this country, and is now recuperating at Fredonia, N. Y., and hoping for an early return to his field. The Rev. J. R. Hykes and family have also returned for a much needed rest. The Rev. C. P. Kupfer and family started on their return to their work from San Francisco, December 18.

In the North China Mission the Rev. M. L. Taft and family have returned to the field; and, in addition, the Rev. J. T. Headland and wife, Thomas R. Jones, M.D., and Mrs. Stella B. Jones, M.D., have been sent to re-enforce the Mission. On the other hand, the Rev. O. W. Willits and family have been obliged to return to this country, and the Rev. G. B. Crews, M.D., and family are not able to go back to their work.

The West China Mission has been re-enforced by J. H. McCartney, M.D., and wife, who have entered upon their work with much encouragement.

I.

FOOCHOW.

Commenced in 1847.

Organized as a Conference in 1877.

HEAD-QUARTERS, FOOCHOW.

BISHOP FOSS, HAS EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION.

APPOINTMENTS OF MISSIONARIES.

Nathan Sites, Dean of the School of Theology, Foochow University, Missionary on Hing-hwa and Hok-chiang Districts. N. J. Plumb, Presiding Elder of Foochow District, Superintendent of Mission Press, Editor of Fohkien Christian Advocate. M. C. Wilcox, Presiding Elder of Kucheng District, Missionary on Yong-ping District. G. B. Symth, President of Foochow University, Dean of Anglo-Chinese College. W. H.

Lacy, Instructor in Anglo-Chinese College. W. N. Brewster, Missionary on Hing-hwa District. J. J. Gregory, M.D., Superintendent of Medical Work at Ku-cheng.

N. J. Plumb, P.E.

FOOCHOW DISTRICT.

The past year has been one of varied experiences. Some of the circuits. have been much blessed and encouraged, while others have shown little signs of aggressive life. The very depressing effect which the falling off in the tea trade has had on business generally will doubtless affect the contributions of the churches. I have never known so much poverty and distress as has prevailed among all classes this year. Meanwhile, the doors are abundantly open, and the opportunities for preaching and work were never better. The light is gradually dawning, and the mists are slowly being driven away by God's Spirit.

Tieng Ang Tong, the oldest and strongest charge, has had a good year, with an increase of twenty-one members and some probationers.

The pastor and assistant pastor have been entirely supported by the congregation. The attendance at the Sunday morning services has been large, and the plea grows stronger for more room.

The Sunday-school has been vigorous under the superintendency of Brother Smyth, with Sia Sek Ong as assistant. There has been a deep interest in the study of the Scriptures, and a large and regular attendance. The old organ, which had long past its days of usefulness by its more than twenty years of service, has been replaced by another, and now the new and beautiful “Estey" is a delight to the organist as well as the worshiping congregation. For its purchase $67 was contributed by the school.

Pastor Yong Mi has been very feeble and not able to preach much, but he has kept a careful oversight over his flock, and peace and harmony has prevailed. In all of his pastoral labors he has had the hearty co-operation of the students of the Biblical Institute, who have also been zealous in preaching in the adjacent villages. They have been abundant in labors, and everywhere find open doors and excellent opportunities for preaching the Gospel. During the past few weeks revival meetings have been going on, conducted by Sia Sek Ong. These commenced with an hour of prayer each evening in the school-room. The interest increased so in a short time that the church was opened for public services. The students have become greatly revived, and the neighbors attend the meetings in large numbers, and a number have given their names as probationers. We are hoping and praying that the fire may spread, and that much lasting good will be the result. At Ching Sing Tong the evening services commenced last year have been continued with much encouragement. The official interdiction of kerosene made it necessary to buy new lamps and use native oil, resulting in miserable light; but the meetings were carried on all the same. There has been quite an increase in the number of probationers, and the congregations have been large. There has also been an advance in the contributions, and there is every reason for encouragement.

At Hok-ing Tong the pastor, Hu Po Mi, has been faithful to his work, but there has been very little if any progress. The city seems to be specially hardened, and is a most difficult field of labor.

The Siu-liang Tong charge, newly organized last year, has met with a great disaster in the death of Mr. Ahok, who was the leading spirit there. Brother Donohue and his faithful wife were also there at the beginning of the year, giving enthusiasm and life to the work, and their departure, necessitated by his ill-health, has been sadly felt.

There is little to report from the Kwi-hung and the Hung Mwi Circuits. Two good day-schools on the former are the most encouraging features of the work.

In the Ming Chiang Civil District there are two circuits-namely, Lektu and Sek-ngo-tu.

At Ne-tu, on the Sek-ngo-tu Circuit, the members have done nobly in the matter of church building.

We have been waiting for years to get a church built at Lek-tu, but without success, when, unexpectedly, the small handful of members at Ne-tu proposed to erect a place of worship, and subscribed most generously for this purpose both money and work, and this, supplemented by money borrowed from the Lek-tu building fund, put them up a very neat and commodious chapel.

The boys' schools on these two circuits have improved greatly in numbers and efficiency under the new rules adopted by the Mission last winter. The amount of the teachers' wages is made dependent upon the number of pupils regularly in attendance and the character of the examinations, and this proves a helpful stimulus in securing these elements of a successful school.

MISSION PRESS AND PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT.

Of this department of work we have only to report the usual prosperity. Early in the year we had little to do, but suddenly large orders from the North China Tract Society and Rev. E. Bryant, of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and work for the American Bible Society, made it necessary to purchase a new press, which we were able to do here in Foochow. The Foochow College Bible, being published as a joint edition by the American Bible Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society, is being pushed as rapidly as possible, and we may hope for its completion early next year. During the year the binding of books in foreign style has been successfully introduced, and is proving a valuable addition to our publishing facilities. The following statistics will give some idea of the work done.

BOOKS AND SHEETS PRINTED DURING THE YEAR.