gospel, as held and practiced by the Orthodox Congregational and Presbyterian churches in New England, or does not practically favor the cause of temperance. No appropriation will be made retrospectively to feeble churches, to defray the expenses of ministers not in commission, nor for the support of ministers who do not devote their whole time to the work of the ministry. for the benefit of the people to whom they minister. No missionary can receive his order on the Treasurer until he makes a return of service for the full time of labor specified in his commission. Every missionary who shall neglect to make his annual statistical report by the first of July, without satisfactory reasons, shall forfeit his appropriation.

Every feeble church must renew its application for aid according to the above rules, so long as aid shall be needed.

It is very desirable that all churches receiving aid should so arrange their ministerial contracts that the year may commence with the year of the Missionary Society, which is the 15th day of August, so that all applications for renewals of grants may be made at that time, as the trustees can then act on all such applications at their annual meeting.

Every renewed application for aid must report every particular above required, and not make any such references as, "the same as last year," &c. The failure to state all required particulars occasions great inconvenience, and often expense and delay.

No church shall receive aid that does not pay at least one and one-quarter per cent. on the dollar of its ratable property, that is $12.50 on $1,000. The trustees, however, will exercise discretionary power to vary this, where circumstances shall seem to demand it. As the salaries of our missionaries are inadequate to their support, the trustees will co-operate with those churches in increasing their ministers' salaries, which will increase their own subscription for his support to 1 1-2 per cent. on their ratable property.

As the Missionary Society is a party concerned, no church under its patronage shall dismiss its pastor without the knowledge and consent of the trustees or the Executive Committee.

The trustees, at their annual meeting in Manchester, in 1864, raised the percentage rule from one per cent. to one and onequarter per cent. on the dollar of ratable property. They also added, as a standing rule to the above, not to appropriate aid separately to churches so situated that they might conveniently unite in the support of one minister.

RULES FOR MISSIONARY RETURNS.

Missionaries to transmit their statistical returns to the Secretary annually by the first of July. Those who report quarterly shall be entitled to quarterly drafts on the Treasurer. Semiannual reports shall have semi-annual drafts. Those who fail

to render an annual report on or before the first of July, shall thereby forfeit the patronage of the society, unless sufficient excuse can be rendered.

In the annual report, definite answers to the following questions are required: namely,

1. What the number of ratable polls; also, families in your society?

2. What is the amount of your society's valuation in the town assessor's books?

3. What proportion of it belongs to church members?

4. What aid from persons in your congregation not connected with your society?

5. What productive funds has your society?

6. What your stipulated salary?

7. How raised-by tax or subscription?

8. Is it promptly paid?

9. What the average number of your congregation.

10. What the population of your town?

11. What the number of hopeful conversions in your congregation?

12. What the number of your church members-male and female?

13. What additions during the year ending July 1-by profession? by letter?

14. What the number of baptisms-infant and adult?

15. What the number of removals during the year-by death, dismission, or exclusion?

16. What the number in your Sabbath School?

17. What progress made in the temperance cause?

18. What the amount of contribution to the New-Hampshire Missionary Society?

19. What the amount to all other religious charities?

20. What special encouragement or discouragement in your labors?

[In replying to these inguiries you need refer only to their numerical designation, without transcribing them.]

NOTICES.

All communications intended for the trustees, and any correspondence relating to the general interests of the society, may be addressed to Rev. Wm. Clark, D. D., Amherst, N. H.

All remittances of money, and whatever communications relate to the pecuniary concerns of the society, may be made to Hon. Lyman D. Stevens, Concord, N. H.

The Home Missionary, published monthly by the American Home Mission Society, Bible House, Astor Place, New-York, is sent gratuitously to life members, missionaries, and auxiliary associations of either society; to all pastors whose congregation contributes any sum annually to either treasury; to all persons who serve as collectors, and to each donor of $10 annually, who signifies a wish to receive it. Applications may be made to the Treasurer, who is agent for the distribution of The Home Missionary for New-Hampshire.

All applications for aid, and returns of missionaries, to be made to the Secretary.

Orders on the Treasury to be drawn by the Secretary.

The semi-annual meeting of the trustees is to be at Concord, the Tuesday before the first Wednesday in June.

of

FORM OF A BEQUEST TO THE NEW-HAMPSHIRE MISSIONARY

SOCIETY.

I give to the New-Hampshire Missionary Society the sum dollars, for the purposes of said Society, and for which the receipt of the Treasurer shall be a sufficient discharge.

Important legacies have been lost to the Society through inattention to its legal name.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The Seventy-second annnal meeting of the New-Hampshire Missionary Society was held at Laconia, September 18, 1873. The President in the chair.

Prayer was offered by Rev. J. K. Young, D. D.

The Treasurer, Hon. L. D. Stevens, read his annual report, which, having been audited, was adopted.

Abstracts of the report of the Trustees were read by the Secretary, Rev. William Clark, D. D., when Rev. S. L. Blake, Concord, moved its adoption and publication, under the direction of the Trustees. Addresses were also made by Rev. S. L. Blake, Rev. Silas Ketchum, Rev. E. H. Greeley, Rev. Geo. B. Spaulding and others.

Rev. Mr. Ketchum submitted resolutions adopted by the Grafton County Conference, respecting the employment of Lay Preachers. Rev. S. L. Blake, also submitted resolutions. Both were laid on the table; as was the report of the Nominating Committee, for action at an adjourned meeting, which it was voted to hold in Concord, at the vestry of the South Church, Thursday, Oct. 23, at 4 o'clock P. M.

Adjourned.

BUSINESS MEETING.

At the adjourned meeting of, the New-Hampshire Missionary Society in the vestry of the South Congregational church, Concord, Oct. 24, 1873, the following resolutions were passed:

In view of the spiritual destitution which increases so rapidly in many parts of this State, and in view the work which yearly augments upon the New-Hampshire Missionary Society, and in view of the increased funds which are necessary to prosecute the missionary work with the increasing vigor which the growing destitution demands; therefore,

Resolved, (1.) That the trustees be encouraged to use still greater effort to bring the increasing wants of this Society to

the notice of every church, Congregational or Presbyterian, in New-Hampshire, and to impress upon them the vital importance not only of contributing to the funds of the Society, but of increasing their contributions.

Resolved, (2.) That we recommend that all money contributed for the cause of Home Missions be paid into the Treasury of the State society for its special use, that the wants of our own destitutions be met first, and that surplus money be paid to the American Home Missionary Society.

Resolved, (3.) That the salary of every missionary stationed as pastor of a church or laboring statedly with it which complies with the rules of the society, relative to giving aid, be at least equal to $800, and that the trustees be instructed to appropriate such a sum of money as, in their judgment, is absolutely necessary to secure such a salary in each case. Nothing in this resolution proposes to diminish the salary of those having more than $800, when in the opinion of the trustees that larger salary should be continued. This resolution takes effect from January 1, 1874.

Resolved, (4.) That the policy of this society be to secure a permanent pastoral relation, and that all stated supplies be encouraged and urged to enter the pastoral office at once.

Resolved, (5.) That two contiguous churches be placed under the charge of one man in all practicable cases, and that all aid be withheld from any church which refuses to enter into such an arrangement.

Resolved, (6.) That nothing in these resolutions be construed as advising the diminution of the society's itineracy work, and that the compensation paid those laboring only part of the year be as heretofore.

These were all passed unanimously.

Rev. S. L. Blake gave notice of amendments to the constitution, viz: to amend article Third, by inserting after the word "society" and before the word "a president", the clause "resident in the State," and before the word "Vice-President" the word "three," also to amend article Nine, by inserting "after his annual subscription," the clause, "or who shall have removed from the State."