REMITTANCES From the following Auxiliary Societies and others, (omitting those for books,) to the American and Foreign Bible Society, ending with April 30th, 1853. The augmented amount received from churches and individual contributors the past year, viz.: $27,905, or about $5,000 more than in any previous year from this source, becomes, therefore, a most cheering and satisfactory proof of continued and increasing confidence and coöperation. In another aspect the above amount may indicate the success of our indefatigable agents, toiling on in their respective spheres, often greatly impeded by having laboriously and repeatedly to remove misconceptions from the minds of our friends. Such obstacles have, no doubt, increased the labors and expensiveness of our agency in some parts of the country greatly. Hence the more praise is justly due to those indefatigable servants of this good cause, who through evil and good report, have patiently and successfully persevered. The health of some. of them or of their families has suffered considerably during the year, and one of their number, the Rev. Joseph Wilson, of Maine, for many previous years a successful agent of the Baptist Missionary Union, has died, after being for some eight or nine months in our employ. We commend all these laborious and selfdenying men to the sympathy and cooperation of the churches. We know that in many, indeed in almost all instances, they have been cordially welcomed, and have well approved themselves, and successfully advocated the cause of Christ's Word committed to their hands. It can excite no especial wonder that frequent changes take place in this agency corps. Our sedulous efforts will not be spared to secure the utmost practicable amount of permanency and efficiency as well as true economy in this important branch of the service. The special attention of our General Agent is expected to be unremittingly turned to this part of his duties. After much and successful experience in such labors himself, he will be able more wisely, and with a truly fraternal spirit, to superintend them in all parts of the widely extended field; while both he and the Corresponding Secretary as far as his engrossing duties at the rooms will allow, may be expected to aid this agency' labor by coöperating with the brethren employed in it more or less fully as circumstances require in all parts of the country. Total receipts, including the small balance on hand at the beginning of the year, from all sources, have reached the gratifying amount of $44,845.11. Disbursements $45,230.35. Had considerably more been received, it could have been wisely appropriated. Had any less come into our treasury, the painful necessity would almost for the first time in our history have been imposed on us of denying the aid urgently solicited of us, in giving to the perishing the bread of life. Four hundred and nine Life Members and Life Directors have this year been added to our lists. RECEIPTS AND ISSUES OF BIBLES AND TESTAMENTS. Bibles received into the depository, bound-------- Testaments 66 Bibles issued the last year. Total... Total.. Bound Books on hand, April 30th, 1853, (Bibles.)-- Total..... 9,869 22,652 32,521 7,761 21,968 29,729 6,692 7,227 13,919 Those on hand, mentioned above, consist of the following kinds, viz: English, 10,131; German, 2,094; Welsh, 1,368; French and Italian, 320; Sweedish, 6. Unbound Bibles on hand at the close of the Year- 7,791 9,689 17,480 Of the above number 1,904 are German, and 1,250 copies are French. DISBURSEMENTS. In dispensing the bounty comprised in the aggregate of these contributions, an unusually large number of interesting and important cases of destitution, have received requisite supplies of the divine word. In the home work, something more than sixty distinct grants have been made, besides what has been done by APPROPRIATIONS OF BIBLES AND TESTAMENTS. "Rev. W. N. Judd, of Purto Prince. Hayti, through the Am. Bible Society "Rev. W. N. Judd, of Purto Prince, Hayti- "Rev. Jesse Elliott, of Almond, N. Y.. "Rev. H. H. Hawkins, of Chatham, C. W. "Hoboken Baptist Church, N. J... "Wakefield Baptist Church, R. I. "Charles, T. Child, for Seamen in Warren, R. I... "John L. Hirschen, of New York... For U. S. Troops, stationed at Fort Meade, Tampe Bay, Florida "Free Will Baptist Church, New York. "Second Baptist Church, Williamsburgh. To Rev. Aaron Potter, Albion, Mich. "Rev. W. G. Johnson, of Yorkville, Mich "Rev. Eli Gunn, of Keokuk, Iowa.. "Rev. E. M. Miles, of Davenport, Iowa.. "S. S. at Chillicothe, Ill... "Rev. G. M. Slaysman, York, Pa.. "Wyantsville Baptist Church, N. Y.. "S. S. in Portsmouth, Ohio... Otsego Ass. Bible Society, N. Y... "Madison Baptist Church, Wisconsin.- "German Sunday Mission School, in New York City, 38th street- "Moses H. Jackson, for Liberia, Africa, Colonization Society. "Rev. W. J. Chapin, of Aztalon, Wisconsin... For Distribution in New York and vicinity, by the City Bible Society, 1105 "Life Members and Directors during the year, for gratuitous distribution] 60 15 00 "S. S. in Ocean Co., N. J. 4 "Distribution at Rock Island, Ill.. 21 "Distribution at Neenah, Wis. "S. S. and Distribution at Sheboyagan, Wis.. "Distribution in Scott, Wis. Total.... 4604 9260 $3,927 54 The above list of these appropriations will give some indication of the wide extent and variety of objects embraced in these grants. Among them will be found United States troops in their remote cantonments; the keepers of lighthouses and light-ships on a portion of our sea coast; the depraved and degraded in our large cities; the immigrants to Liberia; and the large colored settlements in Canada; as well as the swarms of German, Irish, and other immigrants just reaching our shores from the Old World, who have shared largely in these benefactions. So have the young both in the city and in the wilderness, wherever Sunday Schools for the destitute are required, in which they may be taught to read and understand the inspired Guide-Book. To all the 150 missionaries of the Am. Bap. Home Mission Society, and to the scores of colporteurs employed by the Am. Bap. Publication Society, the tender has been or will be made, that such grants of Bibles and Testaments as their several exigencies require, shall promptly be furnished to them on their requisition. In this way, the wilderness and the solitary place will soon be made glad for them, and with God's blessing the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. FOREIGN APPROPRIATIONS. The foreign appropriations remain now as they have been from the beginning the grand feature both of interest and importance in our operations. In other departments of our labor we are mere helpers, or we are participants with others in a great and good work, where in some cases at least, theirs is the leading and ours but a subsidiary instrumentality. But wherever we have been required to make versions into the languages of the unevangelized, from the days of Dr. Carey and his associates to this hour, all the Baptist translators have, without previous concert, found themselves constrained by an intense and uniformly operating severity of conviction, that they must give uncompromisingly the full, unveiled import of divine revelation to those expecting the oracles of God at their hands. If others choose to stand aloof, refusing their aid, and even frowning on what they call our pertinacity, we still must, as we have done, perform this work without their help, and even against their remonstrances. Hence the burthen-or the honor and privilege rather-of this vast and momentous service, which God's providence and not our devising, has thrown upon us. In India and China, to say nothing of the renewal of this work in Africa, some six or eight of the missionaries are wholly or a principal part of their time engrossed with the work of translating, revising and publishing the Scripture versions required at their hands; and of course their support to just this extent, is made a charge upon the appropriations of the Am. and For. Bible Society. Then besides this, the entire expense of paper, printing, binding and distributing these versions is also sustained by us. These expenses of course vary considerably from year to year; and by the wide door now opening in Burmah as well as among the Karens and Peguans, the prospects are that a very largely increased demand upon this department must immediately be met. As we look over the appropriations from our treasury of past years, amounting in the aggregate to $262,833 for the foreign work alone, we ought to be greatly encouraged. When, moreover, we regard the large increase of late in these operations, the view is still more cheering. In 1848, before any note of schism and dissonance in our ranks had been sounded, the entire foreign appropriations of the year amounted to only $10,130, or adding in the two previous years, the whole sum was but $26,380. They have since so rapidly increased, that for the last three years they have reached to nearly $68,000. And why should they not go on to increase in a similar ratio for years to come? The demand warrants it, and the means which a favoring providence has put into the hands of those among us, who desire, we would fain hope, to be faithful stewards for God, is amply sufficient to meet such a requisition. The following list comprises the appropriations of the year just closed, for the various portions of the foreign field: Through the Baptist Missionary Union we have devoted For revising and printing the Karen Bible--- For translating, printing and distributing Chinese Scriptures. For the purchase and distribution of Telogoo Scriptures... For translating, printing and distributing Assamese Scriptures.. For distribution of Burmese Scriptures -- For Scripture distribution in Northern France- -$3,000 00 3,500 00 1,000 00 1,500 00 500 00 500 00 For Scripture distribution by the Missionaries of the Union in Germany. 500 00 10,500 00 For Scripture distribution and evangelizing purposes through Rev. J. G. Oncken in Germany, Denmark, and adjacent places------ --8,871 00 For Scripture distribution in Southern France, through Dr. Devan.... 80 00 For Scripture publication and distribution in Orissa, through Dr. Sutton. --1,000 00 For Italian Scriptures, through Rev. O. Winslow, D.D., of England. 245 00 For support of a German colporteur in Canada West.... For Chinese Scripture distribution in Canton.---.. For publication and distribution of Bengali and Sanscrit Scriptures, through the Calcutta Additional to Rev. J. G. Oncken for Germany. Total... 176 00 500 00 -1,500 00 --1,000 00 $23,372 00 A small portion of two of the above items had not been actually paid when this report was written, but will be, probably, before it goes to press. A brief review of the progress and present state of the Biblical operations connected with the principal of the above grants, will here be presented, furnishing the latest information possible. THE KAREN BIBLE Is now rapidly approaching completion, having been nearly all printed at the last advices. How mercifully God has dealt with the mission, in allowing the translator, bro. Mason, and the printer, bro. Bennet, so nearly to complete this great and most important work. The latter seems to be tasking his diligence and enterprise to render the printed forms of the language as perfect as possible; while the former, whose extensive, varied and exact biblical scholarship is fully attested, has brought all the stores of his acquisition to bear upon the perfecting of this life-labor to which he has so long devoted himself. From a conviction that scholars especially, and indeed all classes among us who feel an interest in such subjects, need to be much more fully acquainted |