GREAT BRITAIN.

The Protestant Churches.-THE MISSIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND are evidently advancing; an interest in the missionary cause is on the increase. The report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, for 1859, gives a list of four hundred and fourteen ordained missionaries, supported wholly or in part by the society, in addition to upward of seven hundred lay teachers, students, and catechists. The receipts of the last year were £90,701 for general purposes, and £12,521 for special funds. The colonial episcopate has been extended by the erection of the new sees of British Columbia, (which was endowed at the sole cost of Miss Burdett Coutts,) St. Helena, Brisbane, (Australia,) and Waiapu, (New Zealand,) making a total at present of thirty-eight colonial bishoprics. According to a recent decision of the colonial secretary, the colonial bishops will be in future at liberty to consecrate missionary bishops for countries not within the boundaries of the English dominion. One of the first missionary bishops of this kind will be selected for Central Africa, where the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge will conjointly establish a mission, in behalf of which a numerously attended meeting was held at Cambridge on November 1. THE DOGMATIC CONTROVERSIES IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF SCOTLAND still continue. A synod was held at Edinburgh in October, when the appeal of the Rev. Mr. Cheyne against the judgment of the Bishop of Aberdeen, which suspends him from all ecclesiastical functions, and the appeal of the Dean of Moray against the revocation of his appointment by his diocese, came up. A decision on both was postponed to November. A new complaint will be brought forward against the Bishop of Brechin for false doctrines on the Eucharist. On the whole, the High Church party seems continually to lose ground in Scotland. THE RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND has continued to extend during the past months, and has embraced many districts not before visited. Many cases of extraordinary

physical phenomena, as spasms, swoons, and trances have occurred, causing much excitement. The movement has not only been noticed by the most popular and widely-circulated papers of the United Kingdom, but the press teems also with pamphlets on the subject. The meeting

of the BRITISH BRANCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE at Belfast showed a great harmony among the Protestant Churches of Ireland. Bishop Knox, of Belfast, presided not only in the business meetings, but also in those of devotion. The meeting entered a decided protest against the claims of the Roman Catholic bishops of Ireland to a new organization of public instruction on a strictly denominational basis. At the WESLEYAN CONFERENCE an interesting discussion took place in reference to the modification of itinerancy. The novel aspects of modern preaching occupied the chief attention in this discussion. The net increase of members in the Wesleyan Societies in England was officially reported as 15,706, and in Ireland as 325. The total number of members in Great Britain is now 292,797.

The Roman Catholic Church.A MEETING OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF IRELAND was held at Dublin in August. Several resolutions were agreed to, and the whole of them embodied in a pastoral address, to be read from every pulpit. and altar. The bishops demand among other points that the schools for Catholic youth should be so subordinated to bishops in their respective diocoses, as that no book may be used in them for secular instruction to which the ordinary shall object. They refer to the concession of grants for exclusively Catholic schools in Great Britain and in the British Colonies as conclusive evidence of the fairness of their claim. THE THIRD PROVINCIAL SYNOD of the Ecclesiastical Province of Westminster, which comprises all the bishoprics of England, was opened on July 13th with the usual solemnities, and presided over by Cardinal Wiseman. All the bishops were present, as well as the representatives of the chapters, the theologians of the bishops, and the provincials of the monastic orders.

GERMANY.

The Protestant Churches.-THE REFORMED CHURCH of Germany has been more successful than either the Lutherans or Roman Catholics in effecting a national organization, and has held annually, since 1857, a General Conference, attended by deputies from all parts of Germany. The conference of the present year met, in June, at Enden, Hanover, and was attended by about ninety members and several guests from Holland. It is hoped that these annual conferences will gradually prepare the way for a closer union of the Reformed Church of Germany with the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches of Switzerland, France, Holland, Great Britain, and America. THE GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS ASSOCIATION, the most popular among all the religious societies of Germany, has had no general assembly during the present year. The revenues of this association are more and more assuming a dimension equaling that of the leading religious societies of Great Britain and America. In 1857 they amounted to 101,000 thalers, in 1858 to 107,000; during the financial year just closed to 130,000. As the Austrian government has recently given the permission, so often refused in former years, that in all the Protestant Churches of the empire an annual collection may be taken up for the purposes of the Gustavus Adolphus Association, it is likely that the year now entered upon will witness a still greater increase of its receipts. The partial in fluence which the Church of Rome has gained over the courts of several German princes, has occasioned, on the part of the bishops, some ATTACKS ON THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF PROTESTANTISM, which have made a deep sensation among the Protestant population, as indicating the intentions of the Catholic hierarchy. In two Protestant States, Hesse Darmstadt and Baden, Protestant authors have had civil suits brought against them for articles against doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome. In Hesse Darmstadt two lower courts, consisting mainly of Catholic judges, found the defendant guilty, but the Supreme Court at Darmstadt acquitted him. The long-expected decree of the Austrian emperor on the reorganization of the PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN HUNGARY and the adjacent countries, has at length been published. Some of the grievances are redressed by this decree, which concedes in general to the Churches for which it is given a

greater amount of self-government than any European State Church, except those of Scotland and Holland, enjoy. Yet the Hungarians fear, by an unconditioned acceptance of the imperial decrees, to forfeit the claims of the Church to autonomy, and they demand as a right what the govthanking the government, therefore, for ernment offers to them as a gift. While its good intentions to improve the situation of the Protestant Church, they have General Synod may be convoked as soon resolved to petition the emperor that a as possible, and the imperial decrees submitted to it, in order that thus, by a compromise between the wishes of the Church and the proposals of the government, a Church constitution may be formed that will give general satisfaction.

Roman Catholic Church.-The eleventh GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION met at Freiburg in September, and was attended by deputies from all parts of Germany and Austria, and guests from France and Switzerland. This assembly has now the character of a diet of all the various associations established for religious purposes. The proceedings consist mostly in reports on the progress of the several religious associa tions and on the condition of public opinion among the Catholic population; and the main advantage expected from them, is to awaken a new interest in religious associations, especially in the district in which the General Assembly is held. The place for holding the assembly changes therefore every year. For next year

Prague is chosen, and in case of any hinderances, the capital of Bavaria, in which Country no General Assembly has been held as yet, as it was feared that the government would refuse permission. The assembly of the present year received letters of approbation from the pope and a considerable number of the German bishops. A marked progress of some of the religious associations was reported from Prussia, where, for example, in the archdiocese of Cologne the Society of St. Boniface has seen its income raised from 3,000 thalers to 22,000 thalers. THE CONCORDATS with some of the states in southwestern Germany still occupy the public attention to a high degree. That with Baden has not yet been published, but the general expectation is, that the concessions made by the government to the Church are very large, and that, for example, all the faculties of the state university of Freiburg will be placed under

the control of the archbishop. A rumor prevails that the concordat with Baden, as soon as officially published, will be adopted also by the Duchy of Nassau, whose Catholic population belong to the same ecclesiastical province with Baden. The government of Wurtemberg has commenced to carry out a part of the provisions of the concordat, without heeding the very decided opposition of the Chambers to it. THE REFORMATION OF THE MONASTIC ORDERS in Austria had at length been brought to a close, and the resistance of a majority of the monks to a reinforcing of the old discipline has, after a struggle of seven years, succumbed. All the orders will be gradually brought back to their old rules, by introducing the reformation into the novitiates and successively in every convent in which the monks pledged to the reform shall have a majority. An important point in this reformation is the restoration of the connection between the Austrian convents and the Superiors General and General Assemblies in Rome. The cardinal archbishop of Gran, in Hungary, informs the clergy of his diocese that a part of the reformatory decrees will be obligatory for all the members of the religious orders, expressing however at the same time his regret that the sharp iron has been made use of, instead of pouring the oil of mercy into the wounds.

SWITZERLAND.

Protestant Churches.- THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF BASEL reported at the last General Assembly the income of the past year as amounting to 642,000 francs, a sum considerably exceeding that of

any preceding year. All the missions except one have made progress, and the number of baptized pagans has increased to four thousand seven hundred and nine

teen. At the annual meeting of the EVANGELICAL SOCIETY OF GENEVA, at which usually the foreign attendance is more comprehensive than at the meetings of Basel, there was this year a great want of visitors from abroad. There was, however, no lack of interest, and the meetings received an additional interest from the circumstance of the ordination of four young ministers, prepared in the theological school, and one of whom will soon be employed in Canada, his native country. The School of Theology, which was founded and is still controlled by the Evangelical Society, continues to prosper under the presidency of Merle d'Aubigne.

This year seven young ministers have been licensed, making up for the last three years sixteen ministers. At the same time the number of students has increased, and ranges now between thirty and forty, who belong, as formerly, to various countries and Churches. The school tends in particular to become more and more the theological seminary of the Protestant French Churches in Canada. THE RATIONALISTIC PARTY is improving its organization, and thereby gaining ground in a number of cantons, especially among the younger clergy. In the Canton of Berne the members of this party have formed a "Theologic Ecclesiastical Society," whose meetings have been attended by about thirty clergymen. At the twentieth annual meeting of the General Preachers' Society, held at St. Gallen, in August, the influence of the party made itself felt more strongly than in any preceding year. Some of its representatives avowed their disbelief in a personal God and the immortality of the soul. They display a great literary activity, and some of their works, as a "System of Christian Doctrines," by H. Lang, the editor of their central organ, and a "Manual of Religious Instruction for the higher Classes of Colleges," by Professor Biederman, of Zurich, are attracting some attention both in Switzerland and Germany. It is believed that a hard contest between the Rationalistic and the Orthodox parties throughout Switzerland is approaching. As yet, it seems, greater forbearance is shown to the Rationalists within the State Church than to the FREE EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONS. After the precedence of several other cantons, the Synod of Berne recently resolved, with thirty-two votes against twenty-four, to petition the Grand Council of the Canton for a new law, protecting the State Church against the progress of the Free Churches.

The Roman Catholic Church.The second GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PIUS, OR CATHOLIC ASSOCIATIONS met in August at Schwyz, under the presidency of Count Schezer. It was attended by about two hundred members, representing eighty associations. The most conspicuous part of the proceedings was a speech of the celebrated Capuchin monk, Father Theodosius, the most prominent and active man of Catholic Switzerland, on the task of the association and the duties of Catholics with regard to society. According to a work recently published on

will soon meet with an official seal and recognition from the authorities of his Church.

The Protestant Churches.-THE PERSECUTION OF PROTESTANTS still continues in many parts of France, mostly owing to the great influence of the bishops on the subaltern officers of the state. In a town of northern France a soldier has been punished with fourteen days of imprisonment, for refusing to bend his knee before the elevated host. He had previously applied in vain to his officer to be exempted from doing military service during the mass. The minister of war, however, who is a Protestant himself, has annulled the punishment. THE FRENCH BRANCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE has held an annual assembly at Lyons from October 31 to November 2. The interest of the French Churches in the objects of the alliance is still very great, and many efforts are made to establish a closer union between the several denominations. To the same end a monthly is devoted, which was established in January, 1859, under the title, La Croix, feuille mensuelle, consacree à l'union Chretienne et au develloppement de la vie dans l'eglise.

ITALY.

The Protestant Churches.-FULL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY for all Protestants has been proclaimed by the legislative assemblies of Parma, Modena, Tuscany, and the Legation. Naples, Venetia, and the Papal States remain now the only Italian States in which the free organization of Protestant congregations is still forbidden or impeded. At Florence the Italian service, began by Mr. Malan, late Moderator of the Waldensian Church, has been regularly continued. Father Gavazzi has recommenced preaching in Bologna. In Milan the necessary arrangements have been made for the establishment of a Waldensian Church.

SPAIN.

The Protestant Churches.-PERSECUTION still continues. A Spanish Protestant, Senor Escalante, has been arrested in Andalusia, at the instance of the priests, for hawking copies of the Spanish New Testament. He is an agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and said to be a native of Gibraltar, which would entitle him to British protection. He was at first put into a local prison with the first malefactors, but he has since been removed to the prison of

Cadiz, where he has been well treated and allowed to be visited by his friends.

TURKEY.

The Greek Church.-THE REORGANIZATION OF THE GREEK CHURCH has, ever since the beginning of the present year, continued to be the subject of grave deliberation. The Council of Reform, consisting of the most prominent laymen of the Church, has remained in permanent session, and is supported by the sympathies not only of the Turkish government but also by those of the Patriarch of Constantinople. A passionate resistance, on the other hand, has been made to the measures of the Council of Reform by those metropolites who are members of the Holy Synod, and who have long been accustomed to live in Constantinople. When the lay representatives resolved to abolish the taxes heretofore levied by the higher Greek clergy on the laity, and to assign to the bishops fixed salaries, they entered a solemn protest. To overcome their resistance, the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Fuad Pasha, ordered them to leave the capital, and to take their residence, in accordance with the canons of their Church, in their own dioceses. The metropolites again protested against this measure, representing it as an attack of the Mohammedan government on the immunities of the Greek Church. They communicated their protest to the Synods of St. Petersburgh and Athens, and in the latter place they met with an almost unanimous support of the press. But the Council of Reform at Constantinople have prepared a refutation, and intend to carry through the reorganization. Already the salary of the Patriarch of Constantinople has been fixed at six hundred thousand piastres. Simultaneously with these efforts of abolishing old abuses, the DECENTHE CHURCH is constantly engrossing the attention of large portions of the Church. The Bulgarians have again sent petitions, covered with more than six thousand signatures, to the government, to obtain their independence of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the appointment of a national patriarch and national bishops. Their indignation against the Greek clergy has been recently greatly increased by a decree of the patriarch to close their churches in Constantinople on account of one of their priests having failed to pay The "Presse certain customary fees. d'Orient," a French paper of Constanti

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