The number of Scotch chapels by the census return was 82, of which 65 were open in the morning, 31 only in the afternoon, and 64 in the evening ; the attendance was 8937 in the morning, 2563 in the after noon, and 9516 in the evening; but there is accommodation for 22,441. The separation of the Wesleyan reformers, however, in 1850 and 1851, reduced the number of communicants in England and Wales to 270,265. In 1860 the returns to Conference shave the members in society in Great Britain to be 277,589, with 26,683 members on trial, and 121,760 scholars.
In 1793 great dissensions existed about the sacraments, whether they should or should not be administered by the ministers, in the chapels, to the members of the society who required them as a part of Chris tianity. This led to secessions at Bristol and elsewhere. In 1795 many influential societies chose delegates, and sent them to the Conference then held at Manchester, for the purpose of claiming some share in the government of Methodism. This led to concessions as they may be found in the Plan of Pacification,— the Bill of Rights of the Methodists.
With these concessions many were not satisfied, and, being led prin cipally by the Rev. Alexander Kilham, they seceded in 1797, and formed the New Connexion, a truly respectable body, who, in 1853, had 301 chapels, 95 circuits, 814 local preachers, and 16,070 members. In the report of the Conference of 1860, the total number of chapels, including Ireland and Canada, is stated as 473, preachers, 189 ; local preachers, 1204 ; members, 29,331; on probation, 2562 ; there were also 60,753 scholars attending their schools. Mr. O'Bryan, of the North Cornwall district, was the founder of the Bible Christian Methodists ; they are sometimes called Bryanites. They were not seceders from the Wesleyan stock, but an independent sect, that gradually adopted the Wesleyan tenets. In 1852 they had 403 chapels, 113 itinerant ministers, 1059 local preachers, and 13,862 members. The Primitive Methodists, who are sometimes known as Ranters, originated in Staf fordshire : their professed object is to recall the Wesleyans to the ancient spirit and fervour with which their fathers met rude and un civilised mobs. By the census return the attendance on March 31, 1851, was, in the morning, 98,001 ; afternoon, 172,684 ; evening, 229,646 : and in 1853, the return gave 1789 chapels. By their own report, of June 1860, they have 2267 chapels, and 3268 rented chapels and rooms, 675 travelling preachers, and 132,114 members in society. They have also 167,533 Sunday scholars, with 30,988 teachers. The report claims a considerable extension of the sect in every branch. Dissension in Leeds, in 1829, gave birth to the Protestant Methodists, who declared that the Wesleyans had violated their own laws by the erection of an organ in one of the chapels in that town, contrary to the decision of a leaders' meeting. In 1835, the establishment of the Theological Institution, the expulsion of Dr. Samuel Warren, and con
tentions on the rights of leaders' meetings, gave existence to the Asso ciation Methodists. In 1852 the Association had 329 chapels, and 171 rooms and other places for preaching, 90 itinerant ministers, 1016 local preachers, 1353 class leaders, and 19,411 members. Attendance on Census Sunday : morning, 32,308 ; afternoon, '21,140; evening, 40,565.
W The ealeyan'Reformers separated formally in March, 1850, in con sequence of tho expulsion, by the Conference, of certain ministers, accused only of anonymous writings against the powers claimed by the Conference. At a meeting of delegates, in the month named, meteors, the preelection of which is the first visible result of the ex• plosion, own as 1-rejected upon the tail of the parent meteor ; either because, as is erklently the fact in many instances, they were really envelope.] in the flame. compoelng it. or on account of the blending upon the retina of the observer of past and actual appearances. The fiery sword dipped in blood is the meteor in its normal form, at the middle of its visible course, the distant part of the tail shining with rod light, being cooled down to the temperature of simple ignition, as already Indicated. In a similar manner, the heads. flying eagles. and other monstrous appearances, may be consistently explained. ears being taken, when the authorities permit, to identify theta with the actual meteor otherwise recorded. The blazing and intetlacod serpents moving in the air may be explained by reforance to tho actual pheno. mena of the psrsietent tracks or trails already described, as witnessed in various c esea ty Pictet and others, as well as by the published representations of the meteor of January 7th. 1350. One instance may be cited, in which a large And beautiful luminous serpentine train continued fur some minutes after the disappearance of a meteor which threw down a atone at Angers.. in 182'2. The ensinguined tresses attached to blaring stars are evidently the trails under another phase, and in their later condition, emitting red light only-, but retaining their linear or band-like form. The Lc:agn ies rulantes and Drarones r denies of former ages may be similarly understood, by reference to other character. and phenomena of meteors; one of the contemporary figures of the fire-ball seen in London on November 18th, 1803 (described under other phases by Dr. Firminger, in the ' Philosophical Magazine' for the following year). the particular configuration of the meteors to which the latter appellation was given : it is contained in Nicholson's ' Philosophical Journal' for 1801.
31F. rtiloNIC ACID 0 ,„. 2H0 ), DisulpbomethoIie Acid. This acid is obtained by heating cyanide of methyl with concentrated sulphuric acid : C,11,Cy 110) = 2110 + + N11,0 Cy.mide of McIllionle acid. Sulphate of methyl. nalmonls.
It is only of theoretical importance.