THE WESLEY AN METHODIST CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 244, 24 August 1864, Page 6

THE WESLEY AN METHODIST CONFERENCE.

The proceedings at die annual eonfcrehcO of ministers belonging to this extensive religious organization," about to lie held at in Yorkshire, art* likely to be of an unusually interesting ami important character. The conference proper is usually preceded by (lie deliberative and consultative meetings of' the cornhiitlecs to whom Jirc severally referred lor legislative and administrative 'purposes the various departments of connexional operation and management. These are composed of both ministers and influential laymen, but are not open to the public, and the .subjects with which this year they have to deal are weighty- and of great moment, as all'ecting the cccumenical prosperity of the denomination, and as being connected with important, public a Hairs which have either a direct or indirect inlluence upon them. The government policy in reference to Ashantee, the i antce tribes, and the other nationalities oil the Gold Coast, lor instance, will demand the especial consideration of the Committee of .Review, who liave not fewer than eight central mission stations in that interesting part of the world, nnd it is understood that the conference will make some representation to the Government with the view to procure a cessation ot hostilities. The aspect of allairs in Jiuvope, in America, and in JNew .Zealand will form prominent subjects to be dealt with, while at home the ell'ect of the substitution by the Government ot a new basis of aid to training schools, &c., for the previous payments, and which the committee expected would render the annual grants always contingent and uncertain, will be specially considered by the .liducational-Committee. The reports to be presented by the secretaries of the committees arc Ibis year increasingly satisfactory and encouraging. In the General Missionary Committee of .lieview, the report of the jubilee fund will be a cause of great rejoicing, it having exceeded the whole annual ordinary income of the society for the previous year ; the growth ot the atliliated conferences, such as those in the Friendly Islands and .Fiji, Canada, and .British Columbia, the favourable commencement of the mission in Bengal, the increase of

t hat iii China, wlicrc there Trre~n<rw seven "Wesley un. missionaries, (at Canton, Fatslian, Shinliing, Ilankovr, Pckiu, and Ticnsin), and eleven more arc,requested, and other to"kens of success will l>e regarded as encouragements to increasing prayer ai.d cfl'oit. The Home Mission movement has been widely extended -, and beside five army chaplains, stationed at Aldcrshott and Shornelille c»mps, Chatham garrison, and Portsmouth garrison, and ministrations among tlie Militia regiments while in training (2,000 of whom have •returned themselves as Wesleyans), 63 " Home. Missionary Ministers" arc now engaged in thiclflj'-populated districts, including Spit all! elds, Yietorit-doclis, Liverpool, Bradford, Sheffield, Wigan, Preston, Oldham, Manchester, jNewcas-tle-on-Tync, &c. T lie attendance of "soldiers' on the Weshyim ministrations was reported last year to lie 4,<109, and of members 280. There has been nil encouraging increase in the total number of .members in the various districts of the connexion, both " full and accredited," and '• those on probation," as well as in the number of scholars in the day and Sunday schools throughout the kingdom. At the approaching conference there will not be fewer than 1)4-young ministers to be ordained to the full ministry of the "Wesleynn society, having served each a term of four years on probation and a certain cou.ise of study—viz, (;0 for designation to circuits in England, six for Ireland, and 28 for the foreign missions, of which last there are several natives of Ceylon, Bangalore, Mysore, &e. Several eminent ministers have been named as likely to be elected to the presidency of the conference on the opening day. this year so ably filled bj r the l!ev. iU. Osborn, D.D. ; but nothing has as yet authoritatively or officially transpired in reference to this much looked-for event. —Times, June lOfli.