, 1839-11-23

beers being exclusive Of those in the United
States about 0 10000. Their means and lib
crafty NAV be estimated from the fact that
for missionary purposes alone they raIsed
in 1887 about $500 600.
The principal Missionary Stations of the
English Methodists are in Western q South
ern Africa, Ceylon and Continental India,
New South Wales. Van Dieman's Land,
Zealand, Tongo or Halai Islands, Vavou and
Fejee Islands, tire west Indies, and British
North America. In manv of the places they
have printing establishments. The number
OF scholars in tile Mission Schools is 49,
e55.
The first chapel erected in this country
was in John street, New York, in 1853,
though a church was organized there in 1865,
and about the same time a society was for
med by Mr.. Strawbridge, in Maryland. The
society in New York was commenced by
Mr.. Philip Embury, 4 local preacher, and
Captain Thomas Webb, Of the British army,
also a local preacher. The first ministers
sent by Mr.. Wesley, were the Rev. Messrs.
Boardman & Fillmore, who came as missiona-
ries. and landedin Philadelphia in 1853, where
they found Webb and a society o about one
hundred members. Mr.. Boardman went to
New York and Mr.. Fillmore continued here,
where ne preached, the first Sunday evening
upon the commission; shaving" as he says in
a letter to Mr.. Wesly, "the stage appointed
for the horse race for my pulpit, who listened
with IN attention still as night" In 177l
Messrs. Asbury, Whatwat and Wright land
ed in Philadelphia on the It'll of October,
where they were most warmly welcomed.
In l771 Methodists numbered in Phila-
delphia $50 members; now they are over
1000. Then the number of the Ministers
stationed inthe respective churchesin thiscoun.
try was 10. now the number is $500, to which
may be added nearly 5000 local preachers.
Then the whole number of members in the
Colonies was 1I6O. Now there are in the
United States upwards OF 100000.
Thomas Coke. L. L. ID. of Jesus College.
Oxford, was ordained Bishop. and entered
Francis Asbury was ordained to the same
office. Bishop Coke may be deemed the
father Of the missionary institution Of the
Methodist Church. He crossed the Atlantic
on missions eighteen times and died on a voy-
age to British India in the year 1914. He
commenced the missions in Western Africa
and in the West Indies, and having spent the
whole of a large fortune in the cause, had
the hppiness Of numbering $4,000 members
in the West India missions.
Bishop Asbury, who was more exclusive
ly devoted to the care Of the church in this
country, was born near Birmingham in Eng
land, in l745. He entered the ministry at
the age Of IL. He came a missionary to
the colonies in IT'S, was ordained Bishop
in 1894, and died at Fredericksburg, Va. in
1916, in the fist year of his age.
The church in the United States having a
wider territory, and being remarkable for its
assiduous labors in the new States, cannot
be expected to accomplish as much as the
British connexion in the cause Of missions.
Still its labors are vast and efficient. Its
principal missions are among the Indiantribes,
Africa, South America Texas and the South
ern States; connectedwith these missions er
23Omissionaries.2 l 1888 church members, 2iss
being Indians, % teachers, sss scholars. For
the support Of these were collected the past
year, $4,000 dollars. The centenary occa-
sion besides being religiously observed, has
elected gratuitous offerings ir England to the
amount Of 100000 dollars. OF the sum
which will be raised in this country no es-
innate can yet he made. About 10000 dol
lars it is presumed, will be contributed from
this city alone. The Union Church in Fourth
street has collected 5000 dollars.
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