Names of the colporteurs, with the time that they have served and the number of books they have circulated during the year 1891:

Proceeds, Total. Arg. Cur. 2,347 $1,937 25

CENTRAL AGENCY.

Months. Bibles. Test's. Portions.

12

473 323

11

1,154 481

4

120 25

10

591 227

8

240 117

The number of volumes distributed by this Agency from its commencing to the end of 1891, is 323,028, and the proceeds of sales, in United States gold, were $62,413 40.

BRAZIL.

Mr. Tucker's report gives an account of what has been accomplished in that part of Brazil which is committed to his care:

In sending the Annual Report from the Brazil Agency I have nothing of a very startling character to report. The work has gone

forward throughout the year with much the same degree of interest, encountering much the same difficulties as have been reported in previous years.

The political changes in Brazil during the last two years have been generally in the direction of liberty and freedom. A growing desire for both civil and religious liberty has led to strong efforts upon the part of the leaders to break loose from old political and religious institutions. With these efforts has come a spirit of investigation. The people are more and more inclined to read. The political leaders have been strongly opposed by the priesthood, and priests are the strongest opponents of the circulation of the Scriptures to be found in all the country. Many times the people seeing this opposition, are incited by it to buy and read the book. They often ask why the priests do not want them to read the Bible, and say they are determined to see what there is in it to which the priests object. Actuated by such motives some become deeply impressed, and are led to seek the salvation therein offered to men. Many political leaders, who have no personal interest in the Bible, encourage its circulation among the people, because they say it helps to enlighten them and makes them more liberal. The desire for freedom now so strikingly manifested in politics, is no doubt due in part to the circulation of the Scriptures and the preaching of the gospel.

Our colporteurs have kept at work in the large towns and cities, and along the railroads, where the people are better educated, and where this spirit of freedom is most strongly manifested; but we have followed out former plans for extending the work into the interior, where the Bible has never yet been circulated. There being few railroads, we have to depend on pack mules for transportation, and where the towns, villages, and settlements are far apart, the cost of circulation is greatly increased. But we hope that our expenses will be reduced as the country is opened by railroads and river navigation, and the population increases. In every community we encounter illiteracy; so very few persons can read at all, that the number to whom we have access with the written word is very small, and it grows smaller as we get farther away from the seacoast and the railroads. In almost every place we encounter the opposition excited by the priests. Many are afraid to buy a Bible lest they should be excommunicated, or meet some great calamity. Again we meet with poverty, and the complaint of the people that they have no money. Unless they manifest a strong desire to read the Bible, it is unwise to give it to them, as copies carelessly given away are likely to fall into the hands of the priests and be destroyed.

In revisiting places where the Scriptures have formerly been sold, we meet with very encouraging signs. Many who have been reading are seeking for further light, and others around them have become anxious to possess a copy of God's word. We have met with several striking instances of persons who have been diligently reading the Bible and trying to follow its truths-persons who had never listened to a gospel sermon or heard a word in explanation of the Scriptures.

During the five years I have been in Brazil, I have never heard of a Romish priest reading the word of God to his congregation.

About the close of 1890 a German colporteur, Sr. Augusto Hoehne, was employed to devote his time entirely to the German colonists in three or four different States. He has been diligent and successful. I suppose more German Scriptures have been circulated this year than in any previous year of our work in Brazil. He has distributed Bibles at less expense than any other man in our employ. He has yet many colonies to visit.

For the first six or seven months of the year we had no Italian colporteur at work among the Italian colonists in the State of Sao Paulo. Sr. Pedro Degiovanni is now devoting a part of his time to this large class, and is meeting with encouraging success. Sr. Bartholomeu Chica, a converted Italian, has also devoted one month principally to these colonists. I am fully convinced of the wisdom of keeping regularly at work one German and one Italian colporteur.

Sr. Lourenco d'Almeida has been located at Bogagem, in the State of Minas Geraes, for the purpose of carrying forward our work in that large interior section, extending into the State of Goyaz. Sr. André Cayret has spent almost the entire year in the State of Parana. Sr. Bernardino R. da Veiga has given us only a part of his time and has been in the State of Rio de Janeiro. He is now located at an important point on the railroad, and has an opportunity of offering the Scriptures to large numbers of passengers and railroad employees. All the trains stop at this point from ten to twenty minutes. A new man, Sr. Joao Pereira da Silva, has been employed in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where he meets with unusual success. Sr. Luiz Duarte worked several months in parts of Minas Geraes, where some Bible distribution had previously been made, and visited a few new places. Sr. Leopoldino da Costa has made perhaps one of the most interesting journeys of the year, extending from Rio de Janeiro to the city of Bahia, by land on mule back. The Agent and Sr. Antonio Marques, a new man, made the first half of the journey with him, and Sr. Bartholomeu Chica made the latter half. The sales were good, although in consequence of a heavy drought, his expenses were large. Many towns, villages, and settlements were visited, where the Bible had never before been circulated. Sr. José Clementina da Silva has been at work in the interior of the State of Bahia. Sr. José Domingues and Sr. Dyonizio Oliveira have at different times done work in and around the city of Bahia. Sr. Guilherme Telles has re-visited a number of places in Sergipe. Sr. Lucas Martins did a few months' work in the State of Ceará.

The sales reported by correspondents were principally in the States of Para, Bahia, and Sao Paulo. The work of this year has been confined chiefly to ten States; but during the coming year we hope to reach the nine other States belonging to this Agency.

We recall with gratitude the great mercies and favors of God to this small company of workers, who have been circulating his holy word among the people of this great country.

The recent revolutions, the commercial developments, and openings of the country generally, are revealing the desirability of Brazil as a country for the overcrowded populations of the East. Doubtless we shall see still larger immigration from the older countries. Our work will become more important every year.

The following is a general summary of the work done for 1891 :

BOOKS SOLD. BOOKS DONATED.—

Days of Miles

Colporteurs Employed.

service. travelled. Bibles. Test's. Parts. Total. Bibles. Test's. Parts. Total.

The circulation this year is about 3,000 copies in excess of the number reported in either of the preceding three years. The whole amount received from sales this year is $3,050 96. The value of books donated is $192 97.

The Agent and colporteurs visited 558 towns and villages, together with hundreds of intervening country settlements. A number of these places were never before visited. The colporteurs have visited 48,268 families during the year, and report that they have offered the Scriptures to 127,563 persons. Perhaps we have reached approximately 175,000 or 200,000 persons.

May God's blessings remain upon the seed thus sown.

VENEZUELA.

Mr. Norwood's report, as will be seen, covers only a part of the year 1891, and the success of his undertaking has been hindered by the unhealthiness of the country, and afterward by the prevalent civil disorder. But enough has been accomplished to encourage the expectation that, under other circumstances, a large distribution of the Scriptures will be effected:

I left San Potosi, Mexico, en route for Venezuela, on the 3d of April, 1891, visiting friends on the way, and overtaking my wife and

son who had preceded me, at Marlin, Texas. We sailed from New York on the 29th of April, and arrived at Caracas, Venezuela, on the 9th of May, having touched at Curacao, and Puerto Cabello, where we made acquaintances and laid some foundations for future work.

On our arrival at Caracas we were specially impressed with such things as these: first, the expensiveness of living and of all classes of service; second, the exceedingly free use made of the printing-press and the disposition of the people to read everything on which they can lay their hands; third, the scarcity of dwellings to rent, and the dearness of rents, which are three times as much as two years ago; and fourth, the great number of Spiritualists, Freethinkers, and Deists.

A fortnight after my arrival I was invited to preach in private houses of two of the families who had attended the services held by Dr. Patterson, and in the congregations which assembled I soon found persons whom I thought might after a little training be employed to advantage in the distribution of the Scriptures. So on the first of June I engaged Eulogio Fernandez, a youth of seventeen, to begin by selling to his acquaintances, while I sought permission from the government officials to begin the work more publicly.

I also furnished a few books to Mrs. Pallazzina, one of Mr. Penzotti's converts in Caracas, to sell on commission to her friends and such other persons as she could reach in a quiet way. My own son, twelve years old, became so enthusiastic about putting the word of God into the hands of the people, that I allowed him to start out with a little satchelful of books to sell. Early in July I added Daniel A. Yepez to the list of workers in our employ.

Of course the first thing for the Agent to do was to study the constitution of the country and such of its laws as have any bearing on the work of the Society; and as the State Church is Roman Catholic, while the laws are almost silent in respect to church privileges, it was highly important to have an understanding with the federal authorities before beginning to work publicly. As congress was in session and the president was very busy, it took me some time to get an audience; but when I succeeded, I was well prepared to lay before him the objects of the Society, what it had done in seventy-five years, what it did in 1890 in Mexico and several South American republics, and what we proposed to do for Venezuela, and what protection we desired. He assured me that I could proceed with the sale and distribution of the Scriptures with the same liberty and protection that we have had in Mexico. Meantime I was studying the country and its laws, the people and their customs and characteristics, and giving practical lessons daily to my prospective colporteurs. In fact from the beginning till I was taken sick, I worked with first one and then another during the day, and than had them all together at my house from eight to ten at night, for the purpose of familiarizing them with the volumes they were expecting to sell. In these classes I gave special attention to the character, spirit, and object of our work, and taught them much about the contents of the Bible, and how to answer