THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5225, 18 July 1888, Page 2

THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The report of the 84th anniversary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, held in London on May 2, is now to hand in the English papers. From the abstract of the report of the committee, which was then read, we take the following particulars. During the year ending 31st March, 1888, the total number issued of Biblea, Testaments and Portions, is the largest the Society has ever known, being. 4,206,032 — an increase beyond the issue announced last year of 273,354 copies. The gross total of receipts for the same period is £250,382 10s sd. The expenditure of the year was £224,823 9a 9d. Thus not only is the deficit of £10,021 17s 2d, announced last year, extinguished, but a balance of over £15,000 is in hand towards another^'year's expenditure. This is bo far most satisfactory ; but ib is no reason for relaxing effort. Let the fact not be forgotten that two-fifths of the gross receipts just mentioned or £102,548 5s sd, are not new income, but only a portion of old income returning in place of volumes of Scriptures sent forth to a value of at least double the amount. Of the gross receipts of the year, £147,834 5s Od represent the total fresh income during the year from all Christendom, quick and dead, to supply the world, so far as thia Society is enabled to do that, I with the living oracles of the one God and Father of all. Moreover, more than two-thirds of this new income comes from those who have gone. The surplus of the yearia simply owing to legacies, which have been the highest in the Society's history, and muoh above the average. Though the givers are departed, the gifts are valuable, and particularly in their stimulus and example to the living ; for it is in the regular contributions from year to year that an advance is especially desirable. At a meeting of the Gisborne branch of this Society, held on Monday last, it was decided that an effort should be made in thia district to obtain subscriptions, and enroll as many annual subscribers as possible. The Biblo Depot of the Gisborne branch is under the charge of Mr James East,where a supply of tho Society's Bibles is always kept in atook,