objections that were presented from day to day as they offered the Scriptures from house to house. To the preparation in these evening classes I attribute much of the success that followed. Thus I felt prepared to begin the work in earnest on the first of August, and during that month we had six persons employed, five of whom gave their entire time to the work as regular colporteurs.

But the sickly season began in August, and our turn came in September. Pallazzina had a spell of the fever, and soon afterward his wife had it. Maldonado was sick more than a week, Delima more than a month, and Yepez was disabled from the effects of fever for nearly three months. Mrs. Norwood took the prevalent fever in September, Marvin on the 10th of October, and on the first of November I took my bed with a severe attack of yellow fever, the consequences of which lasted until the middle of February.

Thus it will be seen that August is the only month in which we have been able to do full work without serious interruption by slckness.

The persecutions received and the obstacles encountered have been the same as those to which we are accustomed in other Roman Catholic countries, and it is therefore unnecessary to repeat them here; but we labor under many disadvantages which are peculiar to this country. Every time a colporteur moves from one port to another, he has to spend time and money in getting a passport and other documents which have to be signed by numerous officials. In shipping books from one point to another, we have to go through all the trouble and expense of the custom-house red tape, just as if we were exporting them, and when they reach their destination, they must again go through the custom-house with trouble and expense. And worse than all, there are many ports of entry that are not ports of exit for foreign merchandise, though it may have paid the duties in the same or any other port. If I ship to a colporteur at any one of these ports more books than he succeeds in selling there, we cannot move them to any other port. We have met this trouble at both Barcelona and Cumana, having two boxes of books still detained at the latter place. With all these drawbacks it is almost indispensable that the Agent should be in the capital whenever there are colporteurs in the field, in order to attend to the oft-repeated questions which may arise at any time, since no redress or relief can be had except from the federal authorities, and that only by continuous and persevering effort.

The principal towns canvassed thus far are Caracas, Valencia, Victoria, La Guayra, Puerto Cabello, Barcelona, Cumana, Los Teques, and Petare. Various other small and intermediate towns have also been visited.

I have endeavored to do what I could as a preacher of the gospel, without neglecting my duties as Agent of the Society, and a blessing has followed my efforts. The little congregations in private houses grew so rapidly that it became necessary to rent a larger hall to accommodate the many who desired to hear preaching. A public hall, with

a seating capacity of 206, was accordingly opened on the 20th of September, and it has always been full when opened for preaching. Many of the leading citizens attend the services and prominent persons from other cities have been present when visiting the capital. The hall is nicely furnished and subscriptions have been made which more than meet the weekly expenses. Forty persons have been received into the church and a pastor from Mexico, Rev. D. F. Acosta, has come to take charge of it.

SWEDEN.

A contribution of $44 69 has been received from the churches connected with the Swedish Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Rev. J. M. Erikson, writing on behalf of the Mission, reports the sale of 1,366 Bibles and 350 Testaments during the year.

RUSSIA.

Grants in aid of the Russian Bible Society's work in Central Asia and Siberia have been expended in the employment of two colporteurs, with the resulting circulation of 18,392 copies of the Scriptures, making a total of 324,437 volumes since July, 1880. The hindrances to the work, especially in Siberia, were unusually great, and the difficulties in the way of transportation of books along highways, which for a time were closed to traffic of all kinds, caused great embarrassment. Large supplies of books have been more seasonably dispatched this year to await the arrival of Golubeff in Yakootsk and Irkootsk. In passing over a route which he had traversed two years before, this colporteur found abundant evidence that the New Testaments which had been left at wayside stations had been read by travellers. Some were so worn that they needed to be replaced by fresh copies. One person told him that in journeying from Tomsk to Irkootsk he had gone through the entire New Testament by reading a portion at each place where he stopped.

GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND.

The Rev. A. Rodemeyer, writing on behalf of the Mission Conference of Germany and Switzerland, reports the printing at the Bremen Press of 5,000 German Bibles and

10,500 New Testaments, and the distribution of 6,956 Bibles, 14,566 Testaments, and 1,163 Portions, from the sale of which $2,938 28 was received. The churches of this connection also sent $103 14 as their annual contribution to the American Bible Society.

FRANCE.

The Bible Society of France, through its General Agent, the Rev. F. Vermeil, reports the distribution, by sale and gift, at the expense of the American Bible Society, of 16,978 Bibles, Testaments, and Portions. It has also in course of printing 10,000 New Testaments in 12mo.

The Evangelical Society of Geneva has been encouraged to prosecute its work of Bible colportage in France, by the usual gift of funds to the amount of $1,500. Its operations have been extended also to Algiers. Sixtyseven colporteurs have been employed in four Departments, and the entire circulation of Scriptures by colporteurs is reported to have been 36,467, of which number 5,090 were Bibles, 22,263 New Testaments, and 9,114 Portions. This is a large advance on the work of the previous year.

SPAIN.

Four colporteurs were employed at the expense of the Bible Society, in connection with the Spanish Mission of the American Board, who sold in the course of the year, 287 Bibles, 411 Testaments, and 2,760 Portions of the Bible. In sending this report the Rev. Wm. H. Gulick adds:

The work done has not been marked by any startling incidents, but it has been quiet and persistent and about as productive as usual. It has been carried on chiefly around the stations of Santander, Bilboa, and Zaragoza. 'Hard times" have been more felt than in other years. That fact, however, adds significance to whatever has been sold, and confirms our belief that the volumes which have been bought will be the more prized and the more carefully read. I ask that we may be authorized to carry forward this good work for the American Bible Society during 1892, on about the same scale as last year.

AUSTRIA.

In connection with the Mission of the American Board in Austria, four colporteurs were employed during the year for the distribution of Scriptures, and it appears that notwithstanding all the hindrances to the circulation of religious books which are encountered in Bohemia, they disposed of 5,574 volumes, of which 487 were Bibles, 3,037 Testaments, and 2,250 Portions. Mr. Clark testifies to the personal usefulness of the colporteurs, apart from the service which they render to the Society in bringing light and peace to the homes of the people whom they visit. The field is one of very great difficulties, but the missionaries have much to cheer them in the midst of opposition. Such incidents as the following gleaned from the reports of the Bohemian colporteurs illustrate the good results of their work :

Mrs. L―, after purchasing a Bible, began to read the Scriptures in course. When she came to the Ten Commandments, her thoughts were quickened as she turned her eyes to the many pictures of saints with which her room was adorned, and to which she had often directed her prayers. 'My devotion to these pictures (she said) is surely against the spirit of the first commandment; they shall not tempt me or any one else any longer." With these words on her lips she carried them to the stove and made an end of them. She now comes regularly to the Bible service. Mr. S was delighted to meet me, and to secure a Bible, for which he had long sought in vain. Now he comes constantly to our meetings, and urges his friends to buy what he always calls the book. Mr. R- found great joy in the Bible that he bought of me, and became a regular attendant on our public worship. A young women who had joined our free church in

W- was called before the political authorities to give an account of her leaving Romanism. "What has your family got out of the Bible and these meetings?" asked the chief examiner. She replied: “Oh! very much, very rich blessings." Plenty of money, I suppose," was the reply of the official. "No, not a penny from any one, save the comfort of pennies not wasted. Before we knew the Bible and went to these meetings, father was a drunkard and gambled away everything; now he is very kind. The Bible has entirely changed our family."

ITALY.

A grant of $750 has been made to the Committee of Evangelization of the Waldensian Church, to aid in the distribution of the Scriptures through colporteurs and the

Bible coach, but no report of the distribution made in 1891 has been received.

The Treasurer of the Italy Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church reports the purchase, with funds supplied by the Society, of 368 Bibles, 467 New Testaments, and 2,209 Portions, for use and distribution through the agency of the Mission.

LEVANT AGENCY.

The report of Mr. Bowen gives with large detail an account of the work accomplished in this extensive field, partly with the active co-operation of missionaries of various societies, and partly through colporteurs working directly under the supervision of the Agency:

TRANSLATION AND EDITORIAL WORK.—The critical work in the preparation of our edition of the Ancient Armenian Bible, has nearly completed the Book of Proverbs. There is an increasing desire on the part of Gregorian, Catholic, and Protestant Armenians, that this work may be ready at an early date. There have been some mutterings of a rival undertaking by certain Armenians in Jerusalem. But the undertaking of this Agency is regarded with marked favor by the most intelligent Armenians of the capital. The printing has begun, and the advisability of publishing a small edition of the Pentateuch is now under consideration. We have already published a small sized edition of the Testament embodying, in addition to what was contained in former editions, the marginal notes and references which the Committee of Translation have thought necessary in order to make it correspond to the whole work.

The pocket edition of the Bulgarian Bible was completed in August. It has met with a most hearty welcome from all classes of the people. Indeed, the rapid circulation of this new Bible has been the striking feature of the work in Bulgaria during the past year. The necessity of a new edition seems likely to become urgent at an early date.

The new Koordish translation of Matthew, reported as completed a year ago, has been printed in the Armenian character. We await tidings of its reception by the people, before preparing to print the same in the Arabic character. Meantime the Committee of Translation, under the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. Barton, of Harpoot, are proceeding with the translation of the other three Gospels.

ELECTROTYPING.-Plates of the New Testament of the new Ancient Armenian Bible have been completed as far as the Gospel of John, and plates of the Arabo-Turkish, 32mo Testament, as far as the Book of Acts.