The China Inland mission. Mr. J. Hudson Taylor having been for several years in China, returned to England Impressed with the immensity of the Chinese population, their deep spiritual needs. and the utter insufficiency of existing agencies for their evan gelization. He sought without interfering with other enterprises to devise some way by which more could be accomplished. The Chinese inland mission was inaugurated by the sending of Mr. James Meadows from England to China in 1862. The principle adopted was that the missionary should go out without guaranteed support, trusting in God for what he might send. Mr. Meadows was followed by several others, and in May, 1866, by Mr. Taylor himself, taking his wife and four children, and accompanied by a party of thirteen new missionaries, " means havingcome unsolicited sufficient to meet the heavy expenses involved." They reached Chin-Kiang, a free port on the Yangtse-Kiang, in May, 1868, hut were driven away by a mob, and their defeat became the "laugh of tea-house and restaurant." They removed to Yang Chau, a city of 300,000 people, reach ing there June 1, and after a few weeks the whole party were near being burned alive in their own hired house by an infuriated mob, instigated by the literary class. Yet they were wonderfully preserved, notwithstanding the authorities of the town failed to succor them, and a few months later were in quiet possession of their premises in Yang Chau, " mobs and mandarins having found that they were ruled by principles more potent than the fefir of mobs." These missionaries, accompanied by native helpers, and preaching and distribating• Seriptirig7sind tract.% have leaver :fed 30,000•"Miles through new provim et-a. They number now 600 church members, occupying 60 stations, and have about 90 native laborers engaged as colporteurs, evangelists, pastors. and Bible-readers. For the past 14 years the work was performed by unsalaried officers, but as correspondence became heavy, in 1875 one salaried assistant secretary was employed, and in 1876 another. In July, 1837, Mr. King, of the house of Oliphant 85 Co., American merchants in Canton, accompanied by his wife and by Dr. Parker and Mr. Williams of the Ameri can mission, and taking with him 7 ship-wrecked Japanese sailors, whom he wished to restore to their country, sailed for Yeddo. Approaching the town they were fired upon by the Japanese and obliged to retreat. The same reception met them at another port, and they relinquished for that time the attempt to open intercourse with Japan. The commercial treaties of 1854 and 1838 between Japan and England and America having prepared the way, and other societies of America, England, and Scotland having already entered some parts of Japan, the American board sent missionaries hi 1869 to that field, and has now in and around Osaka, Kioto, Kobe, and Okoyama, " 4 principal and 14 out-stations, 16 churches, 12 of them self-supporting, with 500 communicants. Twelve missionaries, 3 physicians, 30 female missionaries, 8 native pas tors, 18 evangelists, 14 teachers, and 7 Bible-women are at work." A native mission ary society is formed, and is very useful, and the native Bible-women do much good among the native women. The American board in 1880 had 17 missions, '75 stations, 012 out-stations, 156 American ordained missionaries, 6 physicians unordained, 254 American assistants, male and female, 138 native pastors, 327 native preachers and cate chists, in school teachers, 232 native helpers, 273 churches, 16,992 church members, 1185 pupils in training and theological schools, 1356 girls in boarding schools, 1096 other adults under instruction, 27,056 pupils in common schools. The whole number of pupils is 30,693. The board has 66 seminaries and colleges.
In 1858 the Reformed church, which till that time had co-operated with the American board. organized for itself the board of foreign missions of the Reformed church in America. It has very successful missions in China, India, and Japan; and in 1880 had 14 stations, 101 out-stations, 16 ordained American missionaries, 21 assistant American missiouaries; 49 native ministers and catechists, 1719 pupils in day schools, 12 theologi cal students, 2,341 communicants, The American Baptist union was formed in 1814, and at once assumed the support of Dr. Judson, who had been laboring in Rangoon, Burmah, since July, 1813. The early work in Burinali was greatly hindered by war, and the missionaries were inhumanly treated; but Dr. Judson was spared to do a great work among the Bur
mese and Kareus, and Mr. and Mrs. Wade and many other earnest laborers have con tinued the mission with great success. The mission to the Telugus, begun in 1830, for many years alternated between success and failure, and again and again its relinquish ment was proposed. In 1867a remarkable work of prosperity commenced. The first church of Christ was organized by rev. Mr. Clough with 8 members, and in 8 years the number increased to 3,300. In 1876 came famine and afterward cholera, and again famine, terrible, widespread, and long continued. The missionaries were made almoners of the government, and thus gained access to many hundreds of persons, to whom they spoke of Christ. In 1878, within a few months, 9,147 were baptized.—The mission to Siam was begun in Bangkok in 1833. In 1877 there were 6 churches, 418 members (mostly Chinese), 7 chapels, 2 ordained and 6 unordained native preachers. The Siamese government has not only proclaimed toleration, but decreed that no master or relative shall compel any Christian to do acts contrary to his religion, as worshiping spirits, feasting spirits, laboring on Sundays, only excepting the case of war and public busi ness of importance. The Baptist union has missions in Greece, Africa, Arracan, Assam, China, and Japan, besides some countries of Europe. It had in 1880 30 stations, 162 American missionaries, 616 native preachers, 475 churches, 40,087 church members. Income, V14,860.
The Methodist Episcopal missionary society was formed in 1819. It has successful missions in India, China, Japan, Africa, Bulgaria, Mexico, South America, and some countries of Europe. It had in 18S0 97 American ordained missionaries, 63 female American missionaries, 138 native ordained preachers, 185 native unordained preachers, 197 local preachers, 390 teachers, 10,252 day scholars, 26;702 church members.
The Protestant Episcopal missionary society was organized in 1820. For some rea son no mission was established till 1830, when the revs. J. J. Robertson and J. W. Hill, and Mr. Bingham, a printer, were sent to Greece. It has now missions in Greece, Western Africa, China, Japan, Hayti, and Mexico. In 1850 it had 141 stations, 5 American and 2 native bishops, 43 American and native priests and deacons, 4 physi cians, 24 foreign lay workers, 161 native helpers, 2,500 pupils in boarding and day schools, 4,549 communicants.
The Presbyterians had since 1741 done missionary work, mostly among the Indians, under different organizations, which in 1831 were merged in the board of foreign mis sions of the Presbyterian church. Its first mission was to Liberia, where unusual obsta cles presented themselves in climate and the diameter of the people. It is still con tinued; also the missions at Gaboon arid Coriseo. In 1833 the rev. Messrs. Reid and Lowrie were sent to Lodiana, in tire far interior of India.. Sid4ness and heath weakened the mission, but it WO reinforced, and useful native laborers have beep. raised up. That mission has now 10 stations. Their mission to Furruckabad, where Freeman and Campbell, with their wives, were murdered in the Sepoy rebellion, was commenced in 1838, and has 7 stations. The Kolapore mission, which was begun as independent by the rev. it. G. Wilder, and has passed into their hands, has 3 stations. The converts 31 ohammedans, Sikhs, and Hindus—have in some instances suffered great privet kill and persecutions. On occasion of the reuniting of the 01(1 School and New School general assemblies, the Presbyterian board received an accession to its membership of the New School members of the American board (thus left entirely to the Congregational churches), and at the same time, in amicable transfers, the missions of that board in Syria, Persia, West Africa, and among the Seneca Indians of New York. Those mis sinus have since been reinforced by the Presbyterian board. It has missions also in Siam, China, Japan, Brazil, Chili, the United States of Colombia, among the Indian tribes, and the Chinese of this country. In 18S0 it had: ordained American mission aries, 125; ordained native missionaries, 83; licensed native missionaries, 147; American lay missionaries, male and female, 2S0; Dative lay missionaries, 516; communicants, 12,607; pupils in boarding and day schools, 17,791.