Meetings, but also from the Yearly Meeting being open to all its members, who have an equal opportunity of placing their own views before their brethren and of influencing opinion on any subject brought before it. The personal knowledge which so largely obtains amongst us, and an acquaintance with each other's religious status and services, have doubtless materially conduced to this unique condition of affairs, and enabled the various Clerks of the Yearly Meeting to arrive at a decision concerning what is the "mind of the meeting" in a way far more satisfactory and sound than could be done by a mere counting of heads. This mode gives by common assent a greater weight to the voice of the experienced Christian than of the inexperienced, and affords some opportunity of estimating the relative importance of the views of those who speak, without in any way preventing freedom of discussion.

There is also the " unspoken sentiment" of the meeting which has to be estimated. It is clear that all cannot find opportunity to speak on each question, and that a large preponderance of those present must be prevented from publicly expressing their views; yet so accurately are these silent influences gauged and valued by the presiding Clerk, that only on very rare occasions has his decision been questioned. How far this condition will remain amongst us unchanged by the increased facilities for speaking and the increased disposition to self-assertion displayed in this age may be doubtful; but so long as the desire exists to respect the opinions of others who are more advanced in religious life than ourselves, and who have greater experience and calmer judgment-so long as "the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets," and each preferreth other better than himself-we can conceive of no wiser or safer or more Christian method of conducting a religious conference, The

late Yearly Meeting, although often deliberating on questions of deep moment, has formed no exception to the fraternal condescension exercised by its members one towards another.

THE MEETINGS ON MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT held previously to the Yearly Meeting were largely attended, and the subjects introduced embraced many of the most interesting points in relation to our body; the reports brought up from its different Quarterly Meetings were confirmatory of the increased care and zeal manifested by its members towards the flock. The individual priesthood of believers under the one Head, even Christ; and the principle on which our meetings for worship are held, without limiting the ministry to one man, were largely dwelt upon; whilst the spiritual character of the Christian faith, and its freedom from all that partakes of type or shadow, was forcibly urged. These meetings were of a very earnest character, and formed a fitting prelude to those of the Yearly Meeting at large which commenced on the day following.

The feeling of strippedness which is ever present in annual gatherings of this kind, when we look around and see the vacant seats of beloved Friends whose place henceforth on earth shall know them no more, was markedly manifest at the first sittings; and the absence of American ministers this year contributed to the somewhat deserted aspect of the meeting, although this deficiency became less obvious when, in the after-sittings, the upper benches became occupied by many who had hitherto been accustomed to take the lower seats. The appearance of a meeting-house is often unpleasantly affected by this indisposition in the middle ranks to fill up the seats of those who have gone before, and it needs repeated invitation to overcome the natural diffidence of Friends who can hardly realise that as time has rolled along they

have become the appointed occupants-literally as well as spiritually-of the places of the honoured Friends to whose age or experience they had looked for direction and counsel. It is a truth hard to realise that we ourselves are now regarded by the younger members as the successors of those who twenty or thirty years ago bore the burden and heat of the day, and that as the ranks below us are filling up with a younger generation we are out of place unless we also move onwards and upwards in the race set before us, endeavouring to the best of our ability to uphold the standard which our forefathers have only relinquished by age or by death.

After the calling over of the names of the Representatives, a cordial invitation was given to several Friends from Syria and other places, whose presence gave a pleasant feeling of the expansiveness of the Gospel faith, and evidently increased the interest with which the documents relating to Syria, Norway, &c., were listened to during subsequent sittings.

THE EPISTLES FROM IRELAND AND AMERICA usually form the first portion of the Yearly Meeting's proceedings. The one from New York created a good deal of sympathy in relation to the condition of the Indians, amongst whom many Friends are still engaged in arduous and self-denying labour, although their official connection with the Indians is now closed after ten years of anxious and careful oversight on behalf of the United States Government. It was very satisfactory to learn that, notwithstanding this break, the religious and educational work of the Society of Friends amongst some of the tribes, so far from having fallen off, had increased both in numbers and in area.

THE NORTH CAROLINA EPISTLE has always elicited a strong sympathy in the hearts of English Friends, and much interesting information was given concern

ing this body and the hardships they endured, by S. Pumphrey who had recently been amongst them. His description of their meeting- and school-houses, of which many have recently been built, gave a vivid picture of their simple mode of living; frequently these were erected by their own hands and with an actual outlay not exceeding £50 or £60. The Epistle from Indiana alluded to the existence of a body of persons in Mexico, consisting of above 100, who had become convinced of the Gospel views and practices upheld by our Society, and had formed themselves into a distinct religious community; also that in Arkansas there was a Monthly Meeting of Friends composed entirely of coloured people. In the remarks which followed allusion was also made to the small bodies of Friends in other parts, including those at Brumana and at Ramallah (near Jerusalem), and in Norway.

THE QUARTERLY MEETING REPORTS embraced a wide field of information concerning the condition of our Society in the various districts in England. In some parts the members were increasing, and in one place in Wales thirty-seven persons had been received into membership during the past year. Seven only out of the eighteen Quarterly Meetings had forwarded reports this year, and it was somewhat strongly urged that in order to place the Yearly Meeting in a right position it was very desirable that each Quarterly Meeting should respond in some way upon the subjects formerly embodied in the Queries. Some valuable remarks also followed upon the right mode of testifying to the Priesthood and Headship of Christ. Whilst some

believed this could still be done by upholding our ancient teaching and practices concerning ecclesiastical demands, it was maintained by others that this doctrine was more effectually indicated by other means, and principally by our meeting together without any appointed head but Christ.

THE TABULAR STATEMENT Succeeded the reading of the reports, and showed the following statistical results, viz:-Total number of members, 7,180 male and 7,712 female.

Admisssion by convincement

Loss by resignation or disownment

Increase

297

70

The births were 231, and the deaths 283, showing an excess of deaths over births of 52. The number of our public meetings for worship was 309, and the attenders not in membership were 5,040 (2,556 males, and 2,484 females). The number of recorded ministers in 1878 was 301 (men 173, and women 128), or in the proportion of about one to every fifty of the total number of members

A SUMMARY OF REPORTS from the Quarterly Meetings on Ministry and Oversight was then brought in, and after the reading of two or three Testimonies concerning deceased ministers, the Meeting entered upon the usual deliberation on the state of the Society in this land. The remarks made under this head we believe to have been unusually weighty on this occasion, and the Meeting was dipped into a feeling of deep religious earnestness and thoughtfulness as our various privileges and shortcomings were successively brought before us. The subject was commenced by J. B. Braithwaite, who-in commenting upon the Testimonies just read-spoke of the precious sense which their reading had afresh created in his mind of the one family both in heaven and on earth; that we are not here in the division, or cut off from the unity of the Catholic Church in all ages, but that we were one with that Church and in fellowship with the Lord's true people, and partakers of the living unity of brethren in Him, standing upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the