GRANTS IN AID OF BELGIAN PROTESTANT CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES. Foreign Aid Society, £150; Irish Presbyterian, £150; Evangelical Continental Society, £236; American Presbyterian, £110; United Presbyterian, £200. BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETIES. 1. HOLLAND. The British and Foreign Bible Society has circulated 27,237 copies of Scriptures and portions, with cost of Colporteurs, £3,692. The National Bible Society of Scotland has Colporteurs, and circulated 4,421 Scriptures and portions, cost £305. The Religious Tract Society has granted in money and books £14. 2. BELGIUM. The British and Foreign Bible Society has circulated 12,887 Scriptures and portions, and has Colporteurs, cost £2,733. The National Bible Society, Scotland, has circulated 6,281 Scriptures and portions, and has Colporteurs, cost £122. The Religious Tract Society has granted in money and books £113. EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1. The British and Foreign Bible Society has published the entire Bible in two versions in Dutch, also in Flemish. HOME RELIGIOUS STATISTICS OF FRANCE. Population, 36,102,931, according to the census of May, 1872, of which 45,050 are Jews, and 511,621 Protestants. The accuracy of these returns, so far as the Protestants are concerned, is questioned, as the various Synods estimate 630,000 of the Reformed (Calvinistic) Church, and 305,000 Lutherans. 1. The Roman Catholics have 17 Archbishops, 69 Bishops, 192 VicarsGeneral, and 35,100 Clergy. The entire income of the Church from State grants and other sources is supposed to be £4,000,000. 2. The Reformed Church (Presbyterian) has 1,180 Congregations, 661 Ministers, 1,304 Day Schools, receives from the State £39,488. 3. The Lutheran Church (Augsburg Confession, Presbyterian) has 331 Congregations, 303 Ministers, 658 Day Schools. Received from the State, £17,970. These Churches estimated to receive about £150,000 from State grants and other voluntary Sources. 4. The Union of Evangelical Churches (Presbyterian) is the Free Protestant Church of France, and is self-supporting. 42 Churches, 43 Ministers, 71 Places of Worship, 2,686 Church Members, 38 Day Schools. 5. The Evangelical Church of Lyons, an Independent Church, with 4 Pastors, and 5 Places of Worship, with Evangelists and others on out-stations. Connected with the Reformed Church are the Central Protestant Evangelization Society, which has 95 Agents in about 200 localities, and the Protestant Committee of Lyons. The Evangelical Society of France is connected with the Union of Evangelical Churches. The French Baptists have a chapel in Paris, and are prospering. There is also an important work in Paris carried on by Mr. M'All among the workmen. There are three Bible Societies in France, with Auxiliaries: also a Deaconess Institute, and several local Home Missionary and Philanthropic Societies. The Missionary Society, Société des Missions Evangéliques, is undenominational. Education is a state affair in France: 36,499 communes out of 37,548 are provided with 82,135 schools, in which 3,771,597 pupils are taught. Most of these schools are under the influence of the clergy, and "religious" sisters and "laics," and the instruc tion is very defective. Thirty per cent of the population can neither read nor write; but the want of education is greater in the centre and south of France than in the north. HOME RELIGIOUS STATISTICS OF SWITZERLAND. Population, 2,669,147, of whom 1,084,369 are Roman Catholics, 6,996 Jews, the rest nominally Protestant. 1. The Reformed Church, 1,566,347, about 1,036 parishes, and as many or a few more Clergy. It is supported by the State in the Protestant cantons of Vaud, Neufchatel, Basle, Schaffhausen, Zurich, and Glarus, and in some of the mixed cantons. 2. The Free Churches of Geneva and Vaud have 48 schools, 52 Ministers, 5,544 Members. 3. Independent Churches are found in Neufchatel and Berne; 14 churches, 4 pastors. 4. The Baptists are found in Zurich and the vicinity; about 292 Members. 5. The Moravians in Zurich, Berne, &c.; 9 Ministers. Darbyites, Plymouth Brethren, and other sects, are found also in Switzerland. 6. French Methodists at Lausanne, &c., see France. 7. The Roman Catholics have 5 Bishops, and about 6,000 priests. There are 11 Bible Societies in Switzerland. The Basle Evangelical Missionary Society, and the Crischona or Pilgrim Missionary Society, are Swiss Societies. With the latter is connected the Syrian Orphan Home at Jerusalem. There are several other valuable Societies, chiefly employed in Home Missions and education. The Evangelical Society of Neufchatel and that of Geneva chiefly labour in France, and support a Theological College at Geneva, and furnish assistance to Protestantism in Spain. Education in Switzerland, especially in the Protestant Cantons, is almost universal. There are 3 Universities with 205 Professors, and 815 Students. It is estimated that about 30 per cent of the population are unable to read. CHAPLAINS. 1. The Free Church of Scotland grants for Chaplains in France, £200; the Colonial and Continental Society makes grants also to 6 Chaplains; the Church of Scotland £262 in France. 2. The Free Church of Scotland grants for Chaplains in Switzerland £171; and the Church of Scotland, £63. BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETIES. 1. FRANCE. The British and Foreign Bible Society has circulated 88,312 copies of Scriptures and portions, with colporteurs, cost £5,732; the American Bible Society, 3,277 copies of Scriptures and portions, with grants, cost £400; the Religious Tract Society, in money and books, £1,692; the National Bible Society of Scotland has 55 agents, and circulates 20,420 Scriptures and portions, cost £1,121. 2. SWITZERLAND.-The American Bible Society has granted £100 to Switzerland; National Bible Society of Scotland circulated 316 copies of the Scriptures, and has 1 colporteur, cost £22; the Religious Tract Society has granted in money and books, £219. EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1. In FRANCE, the British and Foreign Bible Society has printed the Bible in three Versions,-two Versions of the Breton New Testament, and a Basque New Testament for Navarre. 2. In SWITZERLAND, the British and Foreign Bible Society has published the entire Bible in Romanesc, Oberland, and Enghadine dialects. HOME RELIGIOUS STATISTICS OF ITALY AND MALTA. Population, 26,796,253, all of whom, except a small fraction, are nominally Roman Catholics, 33,000 Protestants, 30,000 Jews, 2,000 Greek Church. Malta has a population of 149,000, with a few exceptions Roman Catholics. 1. The Roman Catholic Church in Italy has 45 Archbishops, and 198 Bishops, besides the Pope, and the college of 45 Cardinals. In 1869 there were 7 priests for every thousand of the population, 115,000, besides Monks, &c. 2. The Waldensian Church (called, also, Vaudois) has 22,000 adherents in Piedmont and Italy proper. 3. The (so-called) Free Christian Church of Italy was formed in June, 1870, by the union of Churches which had been raised by the efforts of various foreign Missionary Societies. In common with the Waldensian Church they are mainly dependent upon the grants received from the English and American Churches. The assumption of a title which implies an exclusive claim is a mistake into which these Churches, as well as the Evangelical Church of Spain, have fallen, through a natural wish to avoid the appearance of sectarianism. Unfortunately, it is impossible for any new Church organization to escape from sectarian appellations. It would be well to be indifferent on this point, and to be mainly careful to avoid sectarian narrowness. 4. An Evangelist and Schoolmaster are employed in Sardinia by the Nice Committee, which is assisted by the Evangelical Continental Society in this and in other evangelistic move D ments in Italy. 5. The Churches raised by the Wesleyan Missionary Society are called in Italy the "Methodist Evangelical Church," but, like the other Churches to which reference has been made, they are as yet simply congregations dependent upon the Missionary Society, by whose efforts they were brought over to Protestantism. 6. A Bible Society has been formed at Rome, and a Waldensian Bible Society has been established many years. There are various independent agents in Italy not connected with any particular denomination, of whose operations we have no information. The Waldensian, the Free Christian Church, and the Wesleyan Italian Church, have institutions for training men for the ministry. About 64 per cent. of the population of Italy can neither write nor read! as education is yet in its infancy in Italy, though great efforts are being made by the new Government to remove the popular ignorance. 33 model schools have been established. There were 22 Universities and 10,524 students in 1871. Grammars, &c.-A Maltese Grammar has been written by the Rev. Mr. Badger, C.M.S. A CHAPLAIN By the Colonial and Continental Church Society. GRANTS IN AID OF THE ITALIAN FREE CHRISTIAN 1. The British and Foreign Bible Society has circulated in Italy 35,240 copies of Scriptures and portions, at a cost of £2,981; and in Malta 108 copies. 2. The National Bible Society of Scotland employs 12 to 16 colporteurs, and circulates 2,935 Scriptures and portions; cost, £476; and has granted 500 Bibles for British soldiers in Malta. 3. The Religious Tract Society has granted, in money and books, to Italy, £880. EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1. The British and Foreign Bible Society has published the entire Bible in Diodati and Martini's Versions; also the Piedmontese New Testament, Psalms, and Gospels; the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John in Vaudois, with French opposite; and the Gospel of St. Matthew in Maltese. |
