mulgating official edicts, and which is distributed by couriers to all the officers of the empire. English journals are likewise published at Canton, Singapore, and other towns, but they are all of recent origin. A French newspaper was established in Constantinople in 1795, but it existed but a short period. In 1825 Alexandre Blacque began the publication of the "Spectateur d'Orient," at Smyrna. Other papers in Turkish, French, and English followed in different parts of the empire; but the principal ones now in existence in the Turkish capital are the "Journal de Constantinople," in French, and the "Djeridei Havodis," in the native tongue. At Smyrna there are thirty daily papers in the Armenian, English, French, German, and Italian languages, the majority in the first. Journals in a portion or all of these tongues are in existence in Alexandria, Cairo, and Beyrout. These are all of very modern origin. The independence of Greece was succeeded by the simultaneous publication of a number of journals in modern Greek, their center being the famous city of Athens. The number of papers in the entire kingdom now exceeds one hundred, and they maintain a high tone, and will do much to revive literature in that land, so long associated with the names of the ablest philosophers and historians, and sweetest poets of the ancient world. In all of the Pacific islands, colonized by or under the protection of the English and French, there are local journals; but their influence is not great, and none of them deserves special mention. The following table, compiled from authentic sources, is very nearly a correct statement of the number of periodicals of all descriptions now in existence: ..... France Prussia.. United States. 3,200 Sweden & Norway. 113 488 111 say London is the center of British, Paris of French, and New York of American daily journals, and in the first named there is no provincial opposition of consequence; indeed, we might almost that the "Times" had the whole field to itself, its circulation being 51,000, while that of all other dailies in the United Kingdom does not exceed 26,000. The three leading dailies of Paris are the "Presse," the "Siecle," and the "Constitutionnel," which circulated 41,000, 36,000, and 26,000 respectively. None of their competitors, either metropolitan or provincial, have more than 10,000 subscribers. These exhibits are not flattering when we compare them with those of our New York city papers, the "Herald," the "Tribune," the "Times," and the "Sun," which circulate respectively 80,000, 60,000, 50,000, and 65,000 copies; and in the mean time it must be recollected that we have numerous provincial dailies, distributing from 30,000 to 45,000 each. ABT. VIII.-FOREIGN RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. GREAT BRITAIN. THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES.-The controversy respecting the "Essays and Reviews" still engrosses the attention of the Established Church. The proceedings against two of the essayists, Dr. Williams and Rev. Mr. Wilson, have commenced, and have rekindled the general interest in the entire controversy. The pleadings in the case of Dr. Williams were opened January 19, and the defense took the ground that many of the criminated views of the author on the inspiration of the Scriptures were only reported by him as opinions of Baron Bunsen, while those professed as his own did not trespass on the liberty of thought allowed to clergymen of the Established Church. The Rev. Mr. Wilson, the author of the essay entitled, "Séances Historiques de Geneve-The National Church," has been proceeded against also, in the Court of Arches, by the Rev. James Fendall, the charges referring to the origin of the human race, the doubt thrown upon the narrative of the tempter, of the speaking of Balaam's ass, and other wonders of the Old Testament. The ablest among the essayists, Professor Jowett, of Oxford, has received from a number of friends, among whom are the Marquis of Lansdowne, Earl Russell, the Earl of Carlisle, Earl Granville, Sir Cornwall Lewis, and Canon Stanley, a present of £2,000. Mr. Goodwin, the author of the sixth essay on Mosaic Cosmogony, has undertaken the editorship of the Literary Gazette. | and Moray, and Mr. Gladstone, the Numerous replies to the essays are still forthcoming. Among the most important publications of the kind are two volumes, which may be regarded as the manifestoes of the two other great schools of the Established Church, the Evangelical and the High Church, the one (High Church) being entitled "Replies to the Essays and Reviews," with a preface by the Bishop of Oxford; the other, "Aids to Faith," prepared by Dr. Thomson, Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, and Dr. M'Caul, Dr. Mansel, Rev. Mr. Cook, Dr. Rawlinson, Dr. Browne, and Dr. Ellicott. The Church of England is rapidly advancing toward a recovery of self-gov. ernment. In the Convocation of Canterbury, which met again on February 11, and was most numerously attended, motions of great importance have been carried. In the Upper House, the Bishop of Oxford presented a petition in favor of the resumption of synodical action through the queen's dominions, and moved that the subject be referred to a committee. The motion, which was seconded by the Bishop of Chichester, was unanimously adopted after the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops of London, Salisbury, and Winchester, had expressed their high sense of the services, which had been rendered to the Church by Mr. Hoare, the originator and president of the Society for the Restoration of the Convocations. On motion of the Bishop of Oxford, it was also resolved to request the Archbishop of Canterbury to address to the Archbishop of York an earnest desire that measures might be devised by which both provinces might act together harmoniously, and with concurrent deliberation, especially with regard to the action which had been taken in reference to the twenty-ninth canon. The Bishop of Lincoln presented a petition from a large number of clergymen in his diocese, praying that measures might be adopted for a more extended lay agency in the Church, and, on his motion, a committee was appointed to take the subject into consideration. In the Episcopal Church of Scotland a great activity is displayed in furthering the object of the Endowment Association, which held on January 11 its first annual meeting. The Duke of Buccleuch occupied the chair, and the principal speakers were the chairman, the Earl of Haddington, the Bishops of St. Andrews Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Bishop of Moray stated that there were congregations in his diocese which did not contribute more than £11 a year to the support of their minister. The Chancellor of the Exchequer took the statements of the Bishop of Moray as a text for a sharp lecture to the laity of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, who were suffering such a state of things to exist, yet was hopeful that the Association would go on prospering. Endowment Association has already been the means of greatly improving the condition of most of the lower clergy. A sum of £40,000, yielding £500 a year, has been raised, and from thirty to forty congregations are already in the way of obtaining endowments. The The cause of foreign missions is highly prosperous. The Free Church of Scotland is on the point of resuming her operations in India with new vigor. She has recently sent out two new mis. sionaries, and four more will soon follow. The missionary societies will find in India an influential ally in the Christian Vernacular Education Society, which during the past years has efficiently stimulated the zeal of the native teachers by establishing competitive prize examinations throughout many parts of the country, and which now intends to take charge of two training colleges. In China, Dr. Lockhart has arrived in Pekin, and feels confident that he can soon establish a Protestant mission in the Chinese capital, and Protestant missionaries, mostly from England and America, are now traversing the country in all directions; yet England has to mourn the loss of one of the veteran missionaries in the Chinese empire, Dr. Bridgman, who died after having spent thirty-two years in missionary labors. The contributions in aid of the home and foreign misionary operations of the United Presbyterian Church, during the year 1861, have considerably exceeded any former period, notwithstanding the depressed state of trade and commerce throughout the country. The Foreign Mission Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, following up one of the suggestions made at the recent Conference of Missions, have arranged for a series of lectures on the subject of missions, to be delivered to the students of the Free Church Colleges. The strength and prosperity of the Wesleyan body are remarkably indicated | churches, chapels, and stations, 50 comby the report of the "Chapel Communities of men, 153 convents, and 10 mittee," according to which, in the last colleges; Scotland 173 priests, 195 seven years, about £400,000 of debts on churches, chapels, and stations, 9 conchapels have been paid off. Last year vents, and 2 colleges. The increase in the amount expended on the reduction the last three years is; of bishops and of debt was £44,849, and for new build- priests, 166; of churches, chapels, and ings £97,334, making a total of £142,183. stations, 93; of communities of men, 16; The statistics furnished in the Congre- of convents, 52; of colleges, 1. gational Year-Book give the following approximate results for the year 1861: Churches in England, 1,600; Wales, 636; Scotland, 101; Ireland, 30; Colonies, 208; Islands of the British Seas, 14. Total, 2,589. This is exclusive of smaller gatherings held in rooms and small chapels. An important meeting of the English Presbyterians and United Presbyterians in London has been held in London, to promote the cause of union. It is thought that these bodies will soon unite, and thus give to Presbyterianism a more prominent position in England. In Scotland the Free Church has lost one of her leading men, Dr. Cunningham, who took an active part in the first organization of the Church.-The Baptist Handbook, for 1862, reports for England, Wales, and Ireland, 2,014 churches, 142,879 members, an increase over the preceding year of 14,334, and 1,493 stations.-The Unitarians, who have long been on the decline in Great Britain, have made an attempt to revive their association in Scotland, and have held, to this end, their first meeting in Glasgow. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.-The "Catholic Directory" of England gives this year a complete list of Roman Catholic peers, baronets, and members of parliament. The number of peers is twenty-two, among whom is one duke, (Norfolk,) five earls, (Newburgh, Fingall, Kenmare, Orford, Dunraven,) three viscounts, and thirteen barons. Nine are peers of England, four peers of the United Kingdom, two peers of Scotland, and seven peers of Ireland. There are besides some heirs-apparent of Protestant peerages. There are forty-three Roman Catholic baronets, and thirty-one Roman Catholic members of the House of Commons, of whom thirty sit for Irish, and one (Lord Howard) for English constituencies. There has been a small increase in the number of peers, but a decrease in that of members of the House of Commons, where the Roman Catholics a few years ago numbered thirty-seven. England had, in 1861, 1,215 priests, 824❘ THE MORMONS.-The Mormons are still active in England, and, if any reliance can be put on their reports, are still laboring with some success. They held on January 1, in Birmingham, a "General Council of the European Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," at which reports were given of the present condition and future prospects of Mormonism throughout the British Isles, and in some parts of the Continent of Europe. There were present three of the twelve apostles, two of the nephews of Joseph Smith the prophet, with a number of bishops, high priests, and Seventies, many of whom had traveled through more than one continent propagating their faith. Their Conferences of England and Scotland reported progress; but the Irish Mission had been attended with unfavorable results. GERMANY. THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES.-The result of the triennial elections for the Prussian House of Representatives, which took place on November 19, is another heavy blow to the system of State Churchism. The politico-religious party known as Feudal (ultra-conservative) party, which comprises the high aristocracy and high Lutheran and Romanizing element in the State Church, has suffered a defeat exceeding all expectations, as it will count only eighteen members among three hundred and forty one. The immense majority of the deputies will be willing to vote for measures restoring to the national Church a larger share of Church government. The decided Progressives, (Democrat,) who are about eighty in number, and form the second largest party in the House, will generally favor the entire separation between Church and State. In the Grand Duchy of Baden the elections for local Church councils have resulted overwhelmingly in favor of the friends of the new Church constitution, which has so considerably reduced the influence of the secular government in religious matters, and prepared the way for the full independence of the Church. The opposition, to which, unfortunately, a very large portion of the clergymen of the evangelical school belong, have not elected a single candidate in any of the larger towns. A great progress in the same direction has been made in the free city of Hamburg, where, by a new constitution, the Church is completely seperated from the State. Hitherto the Church had been more subordinate to the State than in any other state. The Senate, as chief magistrates, were ruling elders. The twenty-three parish ministers met once a month to deliberate, but had no power beyond offering suggestions to the magistracy. The new constitution leaves the Church to take care of itself, and will be a great boon, as soon as a majority of the clergy shall be of the right stamp. At present the representatives of a negative theology in the college of parish ministers number two to one, and in a population of nearly two hundred thousand there are only about seven thousand regular Church-goers; but for several years Rationalism in Hamburg has shown unmistakable signs of decline, and the severance of the connection between Church and State will undoubtedly result in strengthening the evangelical element. In Austria Protestantism is still steadily progressing. During the past year the Austrian government has called three distinguished scholars of German universities, Dr. Lipsius of Leipsic, Prof. Heppe of Marburg, and Professor Vogel of Jena, to chairs of the Protestant Faculty of Theology at Vienna, which now, at length, bids fair to be raised to a level with the other German universities. The Faculty has applied to the College of Professors of the University to be incorporated with the University, and to obtain all its rights, from which it has hitherto been excluded. It is understood that one or two of the four faculties will vote for the admission; but the Faculty of Catholic Theology is reported by a paper of Vienna to have resolved that, in case of the incorporation of the Protestant Faculty, all the Professors of Catholic Theology would resign. The Faculty of Catholie Theology itself would be declared abolished. Any professors who might accept an appointment in it would be excommunicated, no candidate for the ministry would be ordained who has studied theology at the Vienna University, and no degree of D. D. conferred by it would be acknowledged. The threats are little heeded, for if executed they would only hurt the ultramontane party itself. Next to the organization of an able Faculty of Protestant Theology, the permanent establishment of Protestant churches and schools on the soil of the intolerant Tyrol is an event of the greatest importance in the history of Austrian Protestantism. On December 29 a General Assembly of all the Protestants of Vorarlberg (the northwestern district of the Tyrol) was held for raising the means of erecting a church and schools at Bregenz. Thirty thousand florins have already been collected, and the committee feel confident that, inclusive of the contributions expected from England, Germany, and Switzerland, they can raise sixty thousand florins more, the sum required for the projected buildings. A Presbytery was to be soon elected, and a branch society of the Gustavus Adol phus Association to be organized-an immense progress in a country which, in point of intolerance, has hitherto not been exceeded even by Spain and by Rome itself. The Baptist missionaries in Germany give very painful descriptions of persecutions in different parts of Protestant Germany, especially in the States of Saxony, Hanover, Brunswick, and Mecklenburg Strelitz. Some cases are fully as bad as the treatment of the Protestants in Spain. One missionary, for example, writes from Brunswick that, while holding a Church-meeting, he was all on a sudden arrested and carried off to a lonely cell, where he was treated like common crimininals, and remained for four days without seeing a living creature; then he was passed from prison to prison until he crossed the frontier and reached his home. Notwithstanding this continuance of persecution their cause is. progressing, and their membership has. largely increased during the past year. Among the organs of the Lutheran Church quite a controversy has sprung up on the question whether it would be advisable to unite with the Roman Catholics for forming one great conservative party. Some leading men of the High or New Lutheran Party had held, in September, 1860, a conference with some Catholic priests and laymen at Erfurt to initiate the union scheme, and had even gone so far as to issue a strong FOURTH SERIES, VOL. XIV.-21 |