nuated Ministers' Widows' and Orphans' fund had supported 315 annuitants, widows, and orphans, and returned an income for the year of £8,511. The Local Preachers' Aid fund reported an income of £1,139, showing an increase of £249, with 133 pensioners on the permanent list.

The annual meeting of the Primitive Methodist Missionary Society was held in London, May 12, the Rev. Thomas Whitehead presiding. The net income for the General fund had been £13,168, and the expenditure £13,649. The net income of the African fund had been £6,160, and the expenditure £7,772. The home missions returned a net increase of 224 members. Since the union of the Methodist Churches in Australia, the only colonial stations remaining in direct association with the English Conference were in New Zealand. The churches there exhibited a healthy and vigorous life. Reports were made of foreign mission stations in West Africa, where one of the centers had been disturbed by the declaration of the district as German territory; South Africa, where the station at Aliwal North, which had been seriously injured by the war, was regaining its normal conditions, and, with 1,173 members, constituted the largest church in the connection; and Central Africa, where the work was just in its beginning. The institution of the Church Extension fund had led to the creation of a number of new causes in suburban places, and the fund was cooperating in the erection of nearly 50 new buildings. The Sustentation fund had come under partial review during the year, and the inquiry was not yet complete.

The eighty-third annual Conference met in Hull, in June. The Rev. Thomas Mitchell was chosen president. The statistical returns showed the largest connectional increase the Church had known for many years. The committee which had been engaged in codifying the connectional regulations made an ad interim report, and was reappointed, with the addition of two new members. In the case of an appeal of a minister for compensation because he had been removed from one circuit to another without notice, while some hardship was admitted, the Conference insisted that it must maintain its absolute right to place its ministers where it will. A question arising concerning the recognition to be given to degrees conferred by colleges of no reputation, the matter was referred to the General Committee for inquiry, and it was determined that in the published Conference minutes there should be entered after each degree inserted the name of the institution from which it came. The organization of the Missionary Committee was modified; and instead of there being two committees, one meeting fortnightly in London, and the other quarterly at various centers, the quarterly meeting was made the General Missionary Committee, and an Executive Committee was constituted, of 19 persons, 8 of whom must be laymen, to meet monthly in London, and to be directly responsible to the quarterly committee. The unit of representation in the Conference was changed, to be in the future 1,000 members, instead of 3.000, as in the past, with no district to have less than 3 delegates. A petition was adopted for presentation to the House of Commons, showing that the members of the Conference were strongly of the opinion that the education bill before Parliament was fraught with great injustice to Free Churchmen and detrimental to the best interests of education and of the nation.

IX. Methodist New Connection. From the reports made to the Conference it appeared that there had been an increase of about 1,200 memVOL. XLI.-26 A

bers at home, but a decrease in China brought down the net increase in the membership of the Church to 1,081. Through the Boxer troubles in China 288 candidates had been lost to the Church. A gain of 717 pupils in Sunday-schools was shown, and an increase of 278 pupils who are members of the Church.

The income of the Loan fund for the year had been £305, showing an increase of £38. Its capital had risen from £10,441 to £10,721. During the year 10 new loans had been issued to the amount of £1,450, and others to the amount of £2,570 had been sanctioned. Nearly £12,000 had been lent without interest in the last seven years. The Chapel Committee returned an income of £747.

The one hundred and sixth Conference met at Stockport, June 9. The Rev. Martin J. Birks was chosen president. The Committee on Church Union reported that the result of negotiations with the Irish Wesleyan Church with reference to union had been unsatisfactory. In response to the resolution concerning Methodist Union passed by the Methodist Ecumenical Council of 1901, the Conference declared that believing that_union among the Methodist Churches in Great Britain would be of great advantage to the kingdom of Christ, it would be prepared to consider any practicable proposals for promoting that object'; and authorized its Annual Committee to receive any communications that might be addressed to it from Methodist conferences or from committees especially directed to deal with the subject, to consider them, and to report to the Conference. The institution of a "Forward Movement" mission was approved of. The establishment of an order of deaconesses, with a training home, if it is found practicable, was sanctioned, and the Home Mission Committee was authorized to frame a workable scheme and suggest means for its support. An agreement with the Wesleyan BookRoom respecting the publication of a new hymnal adapted to the use of both Churches was approved.

X. United Methodist Free Churches.The whole number of members of this body was reported at the Annual Assembly of 1902 to be 83,803, an increase of 2,555 from the previous year; number of ministers and missionaries, 381; of local preachers, 3,302; of leaders, 3,522; of teachers in Sunday-schools, 24,832; and of pupils, 192,572; showing an increase of 810 teachers and 2,602 pupils. The report of the book-room showed a profit of £310 on £5,678 of sales. The income of the Chapel fund had amounted to £521. The capital of the Loan fund stood at £13,836, and its outstanding loans amounted to £11,227. The subscriptions to the Superannuated and Beneficient fund had amounted to £526 from the churches and £1,124 from ministers. The demands on the fund were rapidly growing. The Fire Insurance Association had made a profit of £532, bringing up the capital to £3,910.

The Annual Assembly met at Leeds, July 8. The Rev. William Redfern was chosen president. Communications were read relating to the Methodist Union effected in Australia, and resolutions giving sanction to the measure, and which were needed to make it valid, were passed. The Charity Commissioners having in some instances claimed a degree of control over connectional property, the persons in charge were authorized to obtain the opinion of counsel if necessary. The education

bill of the Government was condemned by a unanimous vote. The report of the Twentieth Century fund showed that the total amount promised was 104,516 guineas, a sum to which

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increase by further contributions from foreign stations was anticipated. The committee of this fund and the Connectional Committee had jointly considered a scheme for Church extension which as adopted by the Assembly contemplates the allotment of one-third of the missionary income to this work; the appointment of a subcommittee of the Connectional Committee acting under its supervision for administering the money allotted for home mission work; the determining of grants for ministerial purposes to home mission churches, dependent circuits, and extensions; and the oversight of stations receiving help. The portion of the Twentieth Century fund allotted for Church Extension purposes is to be administered by the Chapel Committee in conjunction with the treasurers and secretary of the Twentieth Century fund, who will be ex officio members of the committee. An Advisory Committee was constituted to consult with churches intending to erect new buildings. In view of the expressions of the Ecumenical Methodist Conference of 1901 in favor of Methodist union, the Assembly again expressed unanimously, as on former occasions, its strong conviction that such union is greatly to be desired. As our denomination is a practical illustration of the advantages of union, this Assembly can not be otherwise than favorable to the increased unification of the Methodist Churches. It, however, realizes that to secure so desirable an end mutual concessions must be made, and that such concessions should be consistent with ecclesiastical freedom and representative government. Should the present state of opinion on church government make it impracticable for all sections of Methodism to unite, those that are nearest to each other in their foundation principles might make, as a first step, approaches, in the hope that in the future the people called Methodists' may form one organization. With this view the Assembly is prepared to consider any practicable proposals in favor of union." A scheme for carrying out evangelical education and industrial work in East Africa was adopted. XI. Bible Christian Church.-The Bible Christian Conference met in Forest Hill, London, July 30. The Rev. John Dale was chosen president. It was remarked on comparing the statistical tables that the numbers in the Church were no larger than fourteen years ago, but rather less. The failure to advance was satisfactorily accounted for by reference to the deductions which necessarily followed the setting off of the colonial conferences that they might enter the union of the Methodist Churches in their respective colonies; thus the Churches of New Zealand had united with the Wesleyan Methodists in 1897; those of South Australia with other Methodists in 1900'01; and those of Victoria during the past year. The deductions to be made in consequence of the transfer of churches aggregated 77 ministers, 400 local preachers, 370 chapels and preaching places, 7,530 members of society, 1,848 teachers, and 15,576 pupils in Sunday-schools. The steady advance at home, however, would at the present rate carry the total in each department of the tables beyond the figures of 1896, the year before the New Zealand loss. The New Century fund had been brought within £500 or £600 of the amount of £25,000 contemplated at the outset. A resolution was passed denouncing the education bill and warning the Government that "a large number of our people will not consider the bill, if carried into law, as entailing any moral obligation upon them to obey it." Concerning Methodist union, the Conference declared its judgment "that the union of all the Methodist

once

Churches in this country on a just and honorable basis is a consummation eminently desirable in itself, and an important step toward the closer union of all the evangelical churches in this country, and we therefore resolve to embrace every opportunity afforded us for interdenominational fellowship and mutual cooperation. This Conference is further of opinion that in the meantime it ought to be possible for the Methodist Churches which hold substantially the same views of the pastoral office and the mutual rights and relations of ministers and laymen to at unite for the sake of economy and greater efficieney in working, and in the event of any proposals to this end being received from any one or more of these Churches, we once more affirm our willingness to seriously consider them, following in due course with corresponding action, provided, as an essential condition, preliminary inquiries show that a satisfactory basis of union is likely to be formulated, and that there is a determination, if negotiations be once commenced, that they shall, if possible, be conducted to a successful issue." Further, the Conference unanimously directed, that in the event of any overtures being received from the Connectional Committee or Conference of any Methodist Church in the country on the subject of union, the Connectional Committee be authorized to consider the same, 'taking care not to commit the Connection in any way to organic union until the whole matter has been reported to the annual conference and a decision has been taken to that effect." The Conference also acted favorably upon a proposal of the Joint Committee of the Methodist Churches for concerted action suggesting the designation of a deputation to visit each Methodist conference or assembly.

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The annual meetings of the Bible Christian Missionary Society were held in London, May 6. The report showed that 52 ministers were engaged in the home work, with 250 local preachers, 4,512 church-members, 331 junior members, 931 teachers, and 3,046 scholars, and that 72 members had been added during the year. In the foreign field there were in China 11 missionaries, 28 full members, 22 on trial, and 150 scholars. The treasurer's report showed that the society was £835 in debt. Three-quarters of the Century fund had been paid in.

XII. Wesleyan Reform Union.-The fiftyfourth annual Conference of the Wesleyan Reform Union met in High Wycombe, Aug. 2. The Rev. Edmund Bromage was chosen president. The statistical report showed that there were connected with the Union 192 chapels and preaching places with 45,111 sittings, 406 preachers, 73 preachers on trial, 347 class-leaders, 7,374 members, and 475 members on probation. An increase of 5 Sunday-schools was reported. The conneetional Endeavor Societies returned 2,440 members. The sum of £3,931 had been spent in chapel improvement. The Jubilee Thanksgiving fund had been brought up to a total of more than £1,750, or within £250 of the amount of £2,000 aimed at. A resolution condemning the education bill was carried unanimously. The Conference by resolution expressing the opinion that the time had now arrived when some definite action should be taken to ascertain the opinion of the various branches of the Church upon the subject of Methodist Union, a commission was appointed "to attend any joint conference for the purpose of a frank and friendly discussion, and, if possible, for the finding of some basis of action." A report was made that the Union had now a sum of £139 subscribed for missions, and that a general in

try are armed with Mauser rifles of 7 millimeters caliber, the cavalry with carbines of the same system, the artillery with Bange field-pieces of 7.9 centimeters caliber and Gruson mountain guns. The war strength is estimated at 60 generals, 3,400 other officers, 120,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, and 6,000 artillery. Every Mexican between the ages of twenty and fifty is liable to military service in case of war.

The naval force consisted in 1901 of the despatch steamers Democrata and Mexico, of 450 tons each, dating from 1875; the gunboat Independencia and Libertad, each of 425 tons, about as old; and the school-ship Zaragosa, of 1,200 tons, built in 1891. An armored river gunboat has been ordered; and 5 first-class torpedo-boats, an armor-clad vessel, 2 cruisers, 4 gunboats, and 2 transports were authorized to be built. The Tampico and Vera Cruz, small gunboats, were launched at Elizabeth, N. J., in 1901, and work was begun on 2 cruisers of 1,800 tons.

Commerce and Production. The production of corn in 1899 was 32,927,278 hectoliters; of wheat, 252,720 metric tons; of rice, 23,103 tons; of beans, 3,288,847 hectoliters; of sugar, 68,607,652 kilograms; of panocha, 59,189,362 kilograms; of molasses, 62,076,460 kilograms; of spirits, 1,117,877 hectoliters; of cotton, 22,487,517 kilograms; of henequen, 118,878,440 kilograms; of logwood, 45,422,946 kilograms; of cacao, 1,032,437 kilograms; of coffee, 37,609,264 kilograms; of tobacco, 7,868,767 kilograms; of fermented liquors, 6,550,206 hectoliters. In the five years from 1894 to 1898 inclusive titles of 1,818,657 hectares of land were granted to companies which surveyed and mapped public lands, receiving a third of all they surveyed; settlers from 1893 to 1898 inclusive acquired titles to 756,592 hectares, and 476,141 hectares were sold from 1894 to 1898 inclusive; colonists from 1896 to the end of 1899 received 2,360 hectares. There were 13 agricultural settlements, containing 3,926 colonists, which the Government established, and 12, with 3,926 members, were founded by colonizing companies and private individuals.

There were 1,142 mines worked in 1899, of which 84 produced gold, 278 gold and silver, 117 gold and other metals, 256 silver, 171 silver and lead, 114 silver and other metals, 34 zinc, 34 copper, 7 copper and iron, 20 lead, 6 lead with zinc and iron, 40 antimony and cinnabar, 7 sulfur, tin, and graphite, and 425 were not yet productive. The value of ores produced was $89,044,000. The number of workers was 106,536, including 1,288 women and 5,852 children. In the year ending June 30, 1899, the quantity of gold presented at the mints and assay offices was 5,986 kilograms, valued at $4,043,374; of silver, 1,417,216 kilograms, valued at $57,985,400; total value, $62,028,774. In addition to this there were exported 5.066 kilograms of gold, value $3,421,700. and 952.939 kilograms of silver, value $38.989.491; total value, $42,611,191. There were 2,211 distilleries in 1899, producing 864,858 gallons of spirits. There were 118 cotton factories, with 468,547 spindles, 13,944 looms, and 27 machines for printing calico, consuming 57,201,573 pounds of cotton and producing 3,795,446 pounds of yarn and 9.875,764 pieces of cloth. The number of tobacco factories was 721, and these worked up 5,546,567 kilograms of tobacco.

The total value of imports in the year ending June 30, 1901, was $65.083.451 in gold. The value of exports of merchandise in 1900 was $79.031,336 Mexican; of precious metals, $71.025.024; total exports, $150,056.360 Mexican in 1900 and $148.656,338 in 1901. The exports of mineral products

The imports at the port of Vera Cruz in 1901 were $22,328,154 in gold, and exports $21,892,184 Mexican; imports at the port of Tampico were $9,712,956 gold and exports $43,880,140 Mexican.

Navigation.-The number of vessels engaged in foreign commerce entered at Mexican ports during 1900 was 1,541, of 2,245,166 tons; in the coasting-trade, 7,364 vessels, of 4,425,263 tons. The merchant marine, including small coasters, consisted of 17 steamers, of 3,961 tons, and 50 sailing vessels, of 8,445 tons.

Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. — The length of railroads in operation in 1901 was 9,600 miles. The Tehuantepec Railroad from Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico to Salina Cruz, on the Pacific, 190 miles, completed as a Government undertaking in 1893 at a cost of $27,000,000 Mexican, has been operated at an annual loss of $2,500,000. In 1897 the line was leased to an English firm, which with the aid of a subsidy of $5,000,000 has improved both harbors, established a line of steamers to England, and equipped the railroad for a large interoceanic traffic.

The post-office in 1901 handled 148,086,513 letters and postal cards; receipts, $2,135,570; expenses, $5,638,512.

The telegraphs in 1900 had 42,843 miles of line. of which the Federal Government owned 28,560 miles; number of despatches, 2,604,711. length of telephone-lines was 18,955 miles.

The

The Yaqui War.-The Mexican Government in a guerrilla warfare which has lasted twentyfour years, with only two intermissions of two years, has not yet subdued the Yaqui tribe in northern Mexico. In 1902 the war was waged more relentlessly than at any previous time. The Yaquis rebelled immediately after Mexican independence in 1821, and whenever the Mexican authorities attempted to impose their jurisdiction a war resulted. The last long war was broken by the peace signed at Ortiz in 1897, but the Indians again renewed hostilities as soon as they had repaired their strongholds, and since then 3,000 Mexican soldiers have been kept busy in a final effort to reduce the tribe to submission. The Yaquis are such brave and able fighters that a band of 40 or 50 will hold off several times as many Mexican soldiers. In 1901 they lost several hundred braves, and in the first half of 1902 their losses were still heavier. In a skirmish that occurred in July in Sonora near Turin 35 of them were killed, while the Mexicans lost only 5 men. When beaten they hide themselves in the mountains where the troops of Gen. Torres can not penetrate. Their hatred of whites dates from the time of the Spanish conquest, when they were subjected to frightful cruelties, and yet were not conquered. From 180.000, the estimate of their number at that time, they were reduced to 35,000 in 1821, five of their pueblos having been destroyed by the Spaniards during three centuries

of warfare. They fought bravely in the army of Gen. Iturbide for Mexican independence, and when left to themselves they prospered and increased, raising grain and working silver- and copper-mines. The copper-mines, the best in Mexico, in the course of the last war were seized by the Mexican Government and now belong to American companies. The cession of a part of their lands to the United States in 1848 by the peace of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the first of their grievances against the Mexican Government, and many others have arisen since. In the resulting war the property of the tribe and thousands of warriors have been sacrificed and over 20,000 Mexican soldiers have fallen in battles and skirmishes in eastern Sonora and northern Chihuahua. The women worked to earn money to provide arms and ammunition, made powder and bullets, defended the mountain passes, and sometimes fought in the regular battles. In the beginning the Yaquis were oftener successful than the Mexicans. The Yaquis formally rebelled against the Government and asserted their independence in 1878, and Gen. Cajemi, their Governor, took command of the rebel army, which for seven years held the mountain strongholds and passes against 5,000 Mexicans under Gen. Pesqueira. Two years after Cajemi was shot the defensive war was continued. When the Mexicans at last penetrated their country and cap

and Chihuahua. Before the end of 1898 the Yaquis again declared war, on the ground that the Government took away their boys and girls from the reservations to be educated in Government schools. An attempt was made in July, 1902, to surround and capture about 150 braves in the San Mateo foothills by the stealthy advance of several columns. The Indians learned of the movement, slipped into the valley before the advance, and after strangling the sentries massacred one column in the darkness, and bound the officers to trees before an alarm could be raised. Their boys become sharpshooters at sixteen and all are provided with Winchesters. In order to cut off supplies from the strongholds and prevent boys from joining the fighters the Government in August, 1902, decreed that every Yaqui of either sex, whether living in the pueblos or working on ranches, must be treated as a prisoner of war. Then men are put in chain-gangs at Hermosillo, the women and children sent to a reservation in southern Mexico, the boys placed in a military school at Vera Cruz to be trained for the Mexican army.

MICHIGAN. (See under UNITED STATES.) MINNESOTA. (See under UNITED STATES.) MISSISSIPPI. (See under UNITED STATES.) MISSOURI. (See under UNITED STATES.) MONACO. The principality of Monaco is an enclave in the department of the Alpes Maritimes,