FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. MR. CHAIRMAN: The constitution of the Missionary Union makes it the duty of the Executive Committee annually to present to the Board of Managers an account of what has been accomplished, by themselves and the missions, "during the preceding year." But the Committee cannot lay before the Managers, assembled in the city of Philadelphia, this fortieth annual report, without alluding to events of older date than the constitution prescribes. It was just forty years from Thursday next, the day on which the Board reports to the Union as the Committee now report to the Board, that thirty-seven men, from eleven states and the District of Columbia, met in this city to "organize a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the whole denomination in one sacred effort for sending the glad tidings of salvation to the heathen, and to nations destitute of pure gospel light." The undertaking was new and vast; but with the commission of their ascended Lord before them, invested with unexpected and sublime significance by the occurrences of a preceding year, they felt that the time had come for them to put forth corresponding effort in the service of preaching the gospel to "every creature" "in all the world." A single missionary and his wife, themselves a host, had been assured that they might look to American Baptists for reinforcements and supplies; but the pledge, previously given by a few devoted men, was to be renewed on behalf of all the people. To the conflicts, the reverses, and the triumphs which constitute the history of the intervening years this is not the occasion to do more than allude. But that history speaks to this missionary organization to-day, saying, "Remember all the way the Lord thy God has led thee these forty years, to humble thee and to prove thee, and to know what was in thy heart whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no." If the blessings with which God crowns a service could be given as evidence of obedience to his commandment, we might be joyous in his presence while summing up the proofs of his abounding love. Beginning with a yearly contribution of less than $5,000, to sustain a single mission, which had neither experience nor fruit, the organization has grown until it counts its missions by tens, its laborers by hundreds, its converts by thousands, and its contributions by hundreds of thousands. Thus hath God blessed us. But if effort proportionate to the increasing ability and opportunities of a people be the evidence of a heart to obey the command with respect to the evangelization of the world, the most that we can say in his presence is, that compared with both our means and opportunities, we have sown little and brought in much. The years of our trial are yet present. Of the thirty-seven men who met here the third week of May, 1814, one only lives on earth;* and of * The Rev. Dr. Johnson, of South Carolina. the men who formed the first foreign missionary society, the February of the year before, in another city, but one survives,* the last link of a golden chain, connecting the present with the first of our foreign missionary history. But the year included within this report, the last of the forty since our organization, is made memorable by the severity of its trials. Within that period the venerated DANIEL SHARP, D. D., the first secretary of the first foreign missionary society formed among American Baptists, one of the Managers of this Board from 1817 to 1853, with the exception of two years, and the first president of the Missionary Union after the reörganization, has passed from the management of the missionary enterprise here to survey its fruits in heaven. So also has been taken ELISHA TUCKER, D. D., one of the vice presidents of the Missionary Union, and one of the sincerest friends of the enterprise which it lives to promote. Thus have we been bereaved at home. From the missions death has taken an unprecedented number of estimable men and women. The Rev. GEO. DÄUBLE, of the Assam Mission; the Rev. HERVEY E. KNAPP and Mrs. MARY C. CAMPBELL ROSE, of the Arracan Mission; Mrs. MARY C. SERRELL NISBET, of the Bassein Mission; Mrs. OLIVE C. WADSWORTH HARRIS, of the Shwaygyeen Mission; Mrs. MARY BECK CROCKER, and Mrs. MARY. J. LAWSON SHERMER, of the Bassa Mission, have entered into rest within the year. MISSIONARY ROOMS.' The Executive Committee have held their usual meetings throughout the year, and every meeting has been conducted under the influence of an eminently kind spirit. Even on subjects of greatest moment and perplexity they have been of one mind in their action. The resignation of the Rev. WILLIAM H. SHAILER, D. D., as a member of the Committee and their Recording Secretary, occasioned by change of residence, has deprived them of the personal coöperation of one who has been for nearly seven years a faithful and intelligent member. The vacancy has been filled by the election of the Rev. ROBERT W. CUSHMAN, D. D., formerly one of the Committee. The Committee have had the pleasure of welcoming the return of the Deputation to the Asiatic missions, the Rev. SOLOMON PECK, D. D., and the Rev. JAMES N. GRANGER. They reached this country, May 1, after an absence of a little less than one year and seven months. During their absence they visited the missions in France, Greece, Nellore, and several in Burmah, and Dr. Peck the mission in Assam. Much to their regret and that of the Committee, they found it impracticable to extend their tour to Siam and China. A statement, in part, of the important services rendered by them will be presented to the Board in a special paper, and the Deputation will avail themselves of such opportunities as the Managers may provide to communicate additional information. At the first meeting of the Committee with the Deputation, after their return, the following minute was unanimously adopted and placed on record: "The Executive Committee welcome with peculiar pleasure the return of their Deputation, the Rev. Messrs. Peck and Granger, and would * The Hon. Heman Lincoln, of Massachusetts. place upon record an expression of devout gratitude to Him who has preserved their lives, and enabled them to fulfil their mission. In the appointment of the Deputation, after much prayer to God for his guidance, and after the most mature deliberation, the Committee did not doubt that the measure had the divine approval; and the results, so far as apparent, have signally confirmed the persuasion that it was imperatively demanded by the exigencies of some of the missions, and that the brethren deputed were judiciously chosen. "And the Committee cannot forbear to acknowledge their indebtedness to the members of the Deputation, severally and jointly, for the very thorough and faithful manner in which they have executed their important trust, and for the large amount of information which they have communicated in a way to facilitate the efforts of the Committee in improving the system, and increasing the efficiency, of their missionary operations. "The Committee also regard the present as the fitting occasion to express their special satisfaction with the services rendered by the Home Secretary during the long absence of his colleague, and assure him that they highly appreciate the laboriousness and self-denial with which he has performed so many extra duties. "And the Committee would respectfully tender their grateful acknowledgments to the First Baptist Church in Providence for the very generous aid which they have given to the missionary enterprise, by consenting to release their Pastor for so lengthened a period, that he might fulfil his appointment as a member of the Deputation; and the Home Secretary is hereby requested to address a letter to said church, expressive of the grateful sentiments of the Committee. The Committee are also happy to recognize the many attentions and courtesies which their brethren of the Deputation have received in different places from missionaries of other denominations, all indicative of that fraternal spirit which is appropriate to the disciples of a common Lord, and fellow laborers in his service." The Committee having been informed that neither of the brethren appointed to preach the annual sermon, the present year, could consistently perform the service, they invited the Rev. EZEKIEL G. ROBINSON, D. D., Professor of Biblical and Pastoral Theology in the Rochester Theological Seminary, to fill the vacancy, and he has accepted the invitation. The Auditing Committee, elected by the Board at their last annual meeting, having declined the service, Messrs. J. B. WITHERBEE and CALVIN S. LANE were appoiuted in their stead. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. The expenditures of the year ending with March, 1853, have been, For purposes described in the Treasurer's Report, Civilization of the Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawanoe and Delaware Indians, Making the expenditures. * See the Treasurer's Report. $130,963 36 4,000 00 6,500 00 3,500 00 1,425 00 $146,388 36 Grants of U. S. Government, for civilization of N. A. Indians,.. 4,000 00 "American and Foreign Bible Society, for 6,500 00 Scriptures in Asia and Europe, " "Am. Tract Soc'y, for tracts in Asia and Europe, 3,500 00 Making the receipts from all sources, $136,802 42 with which the debt of April 1, 1853, has been increased to $30,712 52. Compared with the preceding year there has been an advance in the expenditures of $11,044 08, and in the receipts, from all sources, of $2,690 25. While it is to be regretted that the outlays of the year should have so far exceeded its income, especially as the outlays fell so much below the authorization of the Board, there is also occasion for congratulation in the fact that an increase in the donations of living contributors of nearly $12,000 has been realized, greater by $5,000 than in any previous year since the reörganization of the Triennial Convention; and had the avails of legacies and the grants of kindred societies been equal to those of the preceding year, the whole expenditure would have been met by its receipts. But such was not the case, and the result is a deficiency of a little more than nine thousand five hundred dollars; whereby the liabilities of the Union have been swelled to nearly thirty-one thousand dollars, within four thousand dollars of the amount at which they stood April 1, 1846. The necessity and best means of cancelling this indebtedness are commended to the consideration of the Board. When it was ascertained that the expenditures of the year would certainly fall short of the estimates covered by the authorization of the Board, the fact was published with the reasons. Chiefly owing to the use of cheap temporary buildings at the new stations in Burmah, and a change in the modes of missionary operation, the last year's expenditures in the Burmese and Karen missions, instead of being largely in advance of those of the preceding year, as was expected, have been actually less by about $2,500. In some other missions, particularly those of Siam, West Africa, and Germany, the scale of expenditure has been much larger than in any previous year. The first of these has drawn more heavily from the treasury on account of the sailing of a reinforcement, with materials for refurnishing the printing office at Bangkok ; the second because of the afflictions and bereavements with which it has been visited, and the last in order to meet a special claim to encourage and aid the churches in erecting suitable chapels. The home expenses of the past have been about $1,000 more than in the preceding year, of which upwards of $600 was paid as interest on money borrowed to meet the deficiency of receipts the first eleven months. The following table shows how much was received, in donations and legacies, from every state in the home field of the Union, in each of the |