my time as I have had large responsibility for revising and correcting the version, as well as for the reading of proofs.

The year has been characterized by the prevalence of cholera and by an extensive drought, both of which have retarded our work. The circulation of the year has been as follows:

Thus the total disbursements for 1891 is seen to be 11,272, viz.: English, 16; Chinese, 812; Siamo-Laos, 12; Siamese, 10,432.

The printing and circulation of Scriptures for 1890 and 1891 compared, make the following showing:

After speaking of embarrassments due to the want of sufficient clerical assistance, and the necessity of calling to his aid in Shanghai the most efficient native of the colporteur force, Mr. Wheeler speaks of interruptions occasioned by the disturbed state of the country :

In portions of the field, during the past year, our work has suffered more or less interruption on account of the disturbed state of the country. Some of the native colporteurs have suffered reproach and intimidation beyond the usual experience. We are learning as never before to sympathize with these brethren in the peculiar hardships attending their labors. A spirit of persecution is abroad in the land, augmented and intensified by the flood of anti-foreign literature which has its source in Hunan Province. The publications of the Tract Societies and our own Sacred Scriptures have an important function in meeting this tide of ignorance and fanaticism.

The missionaries in China differ in their policy of Bible distribution. Some are much disposed to give away books, and do this freely in spite

of our known rule in the premises, rendering the field occupied by them a hard one for those who traverse it on our plan of selling. Others will neither give nor sell to the uninstructed heathen, but only to converts and inquirers, under the conviction that all others are incapable of comprehending revealed truth, and are liable to pervert it unless explained by a tract or the living preacher. But the great body of Christian workers in China believe in the mission of the Bible to men of benighted minds. While it is true that there have been those who seemed not to comprehend the message of salvation as set forth in the Gospels, others among the inhabitants of this dark land are brought to a saving knowledge of our Lord through the simple reading of a portion of the Sacred Volume. Many such instances have come to my knowledge.

Indeed, there are advantages which the written word of God, under known certain circumstances, has over the living speaker-especially if he be a foreigner-in reaching the hearts of the people. The Book, as a usual thing, is received with far less suspicion than the Western exponent of it; and the silent page finds its way into many secluded places where the voice of the Christian teacher is not heard.

Aside from the direct results mentioned, I find hopeful indications that our scattering of the leaves of the tree of life is by no means in vain. A missionary writing from Shantung Province says, "Seed sown years ago is springing up." Sometimes our agents sow the precious seed in far interior regions, where the foreigner has seldom or never been. The Scriptures we provide, in various and convenient editions, are much used in schools and classes of instruction, and are more and more sought after for such purposes.

I encourage our native colporteurs to make notes of their experience in the field, and I append a few extracts from the record kept by one of them. He says: "I met two Buddhist nuns on the road, who looked through my books, and there was also a bystander who listened to our conversation with interest;" ;" "It rained directly after I started to work; so I went into a tea-shop, and there I preached and distributed books;" "I met a Yangchow man, who listened gladly to the doctrine, and was delighted in receiving the important books;" "On a Chinese junk I was asked by four different persons who Jesus was;" "There was a man by the name of Chang, who inquired of the doctrine, and bought a book and believed in the Lord." These extracts give some insight into the work carried on by our native assistants in Bible distribution.

Satisfactory advance has been made in the revision of the Shanghai vernacular Scriptures, under the united labors of Rev. Dr. Farnham and Rev. E. H. Thomson, veteran missionaries, well qualified for the task. The Soochow Colloquial Gospels and Acts are issued in excellent form, and we are proceeding with the Epistles with the prospect of completing the edition within the next few months. During the year we have

had the satisfaction of bringing out our new Mandarin Bible, the best Bible in the Mandarin dialect, all things considered, ever issued from the press in China. About the same time we published a revised edition of the Foochow Bible. The Rev. W. H. Lacy, Superintendent of the Mission Press, says of it: "The edition gives universal satisfaction. I am told by our oldest missionaries that it far surpasses their most ardent expectations, and that nothing ever before issued in China has had such a popular sale. During the past two months it has been absolutely impossible to do the binding fast enough to supply the orders." The sales, however, will, in the main, appear in our report for 1892.

The Board of Revisers charged with the duty of preparing a Union Chinese Bible in three harmonious versions, met in Shanghai, Nov. 18th, 1891. Fears had been entertained that insuperable difficulties would defeat the great enterprise at its initial stage of progress. The evil forebodings, however, came to naught, and the first meeting of the Revisers was begun, continued, and ended in a spirit of mutual concession and brotherly love. The questions fraught with possible disaster were calmly discussed, and determined, as it seemed to me, in a way becoming men of wisdom and piety.

After serving the American Bible Society with fidelity for about eleven years, Mr. James Ware has thought it necessary to visit England, his native country; and wherever he may labor in future, he will have my hearty sympathy. Mr. Copp has also rendered a long service as colporteur and superintendent of native workers, and now, carrying out a long cherished plan, he has taken a position in one of the American Missions. The offer of his resignation was accompanied by assurances of his continued and enduring friendship. Concerning the canvass of Shanghai, in which he has lately been engaged, Mr. Copp writes as follows:

"At the beginning of the year, Dr. Wheeler proposed to me the canvassing of Shanghai, as a most desirable thing. Colporteurs have been working in Shanghai for years, but nothing very systematic had been done, as far as I know, since Mr. Ware, our Assistant Agent, did it, some nine years ago. I gladly accepted the proposition, and, with the energetic help of Rev. George Verity, then just arrived from the United States, and several native assistants, set to work to canvass the Chinese quarters of the foreign concessions. We expected that six weeks would be necessary to go through the whole of the place, but after six weeks' work found we had got hardly any appreciable distance. It was January 13th when we began, and by July 13th, just six months after, we had finished the canvassing of the concessions. The Chinese in these foreign settlements number 115,000, while the foreign population is about 5,000. During the six months we sold over 10,000 Scripture Portions to the Chinese, in our house-to-house work. We did not visit the foreigners, but only came in contact with them occasionally when visiting the

Chinese in their employ. We met with a good reception almost everywhere. A more blessed work one could scarcely wish for, and I thank God that I was permitted to stay in Shanghai long enough to take part, in it. Many people we met knew about Jesus, but had no idea who he was, save that he was some personage connected with the foreigners' religion. I believe we left the impression upon the minds of not a few that Jesus loved the Chinaman just as much as he does the foreigner. Some would not listen to a word we had to say. Many would not listen at first, but by a few dexterous thrusts, and perhaps a little coaxing, we got 'Ear Gate' open a bit, and very frequently sold the man a book."

The Rev. G. W. Verity, who came to my help from the United States early in January, entered at once with energy into the work of superintending native colporteurs. He spent the year chiefly in Shanghai and Nanking, and a narrative of many experiences incidental to the work has been forwarded for publication in the Bible Society; Record.

Mr. T. Protheroe, with the assistance of eight native colporteurs, devoted the earlier months of the year to the canvass, street by street, of the two prefectual cities of Wuchang and Hanyang, and the important commercial town of Hankow. Much attention was also given to the population living in boats, which is very large. The aggregate circulation is not quite up to the former mark, but the distribution of 33,427 copies of the Scriptures under untoward circumstances, gives ground for rejoicing. Numerous illustrations were met with of the good fruits of Bible circulation in former years.

About the middle of the year I engaged Mr. J. Aminoff, formerly for some time in the employ of the Society, to undertake an extended canvass on the island of Formosa. He appears to be doing well, and I. hear from him as follows:

"I have often met with people who have shown me books which they purchased from me more than two years ago, and once a man told me plainly that the books were very good, but hard to live up to. I could really sympathize with the fellow, as I find it the same. During the five months of my work I sold 8,746 books, of which 583 are Testaments, travelled 1,929 li (over 600 miles), and visited 189 towns and villages, besides 30 junks in the harbors of Hobe and Keelung. My mode of work is to have a good lot of books taken to some large town which I make my station for the time being, and from there I make excursions to all neighboring villages and towns on foot."

Mr. T. J. N. Gatrell, of North China, with headquarters at Peking, thus tells of his year's experience:

"The work in this province has been going on uninterruptedly during the year. Personally, I have been prevented through illness from doing a great deal that I had desired to accomplish, but still I have taken several trips to the northwest and south of Peking. At the depot;

which is a shop open to the public on one of the main streets of the city, books have been sold and the glad tidings proclaimed to many people. The native helper who is in charge while I am away in the country has proved a very reliable, earnest man. I pray that God will own and bless the work in this department, and prosper it more and more in the time to come. I have had two native colporteurs at work, one of whom has been fairly successful both in the city and country; the other is an old man, and I find that he cannot do much rough country work, although I have found him faithful and earnest. One of them has accompanied me on each journey I have made, and I have thus had the opportunity of judging his character and ability.

"In the spring I made a short journey into Mongolia, in company with a missionary from Kalgan. We preached and sold books in the villages lying just outside the border, and then journeyed on to a place called Chassa-ba, which means 'bank of snow.' We stayed with a very rich Lama priest, who treated us most kindly. He was a very intelligent man, and spoke Chinese and Thibetan fluently. I had several long, earnest conversations with the priest upon Christianity, during one of which he made a very remarkable statement. He said, 'I have been a faithful follower of Buddha all my life, and shall continue so till death; but I find that there is not the power in Buddhism to change a man's heart.' We left him a copy of Matthew in Mongol, which I trust he will read.

"At Pai Kô Hô, a long, straggling, market town, 250 li south of Peking, the resident mandarin came out to me into the street and bought several books. He asked me many questions about them, all of which I answered to the best of my ability, and in a voice loud enough for all bystanders to hear; many of whom, seeing the 'big man' buy, also bought.

"I had a very encouraging time at Hô Chien Fu. The people treated me right well, and books sold freely, many to women and children. Here, too, there is a large Catholic cathedral, which from the outside has a prison-like appearance, except that there is a cross nailed on to the door.

"In November I visited a number of temple fairs in the region south of Peking. I had good sales and splendid opportunities for preaching. I worked out from Tung-an to the villages and hamlets, meeting many country people who had never heard of the gospel. At Ku Yü Ch'eng I had no sooner got into the inn than a whole crowd of people called for books. I unpacked quickly, and soon had sold 200 Gospels. I was astonished at the number of little boys who could read. I asked one who had come to buy a book, where he had been taught, and he replied, 'In a school kept by a man named Chang,' who, he said, had told him to buy the foreign books, as they were good. At night, just as I was retiring, a knock came at the door, and immediately afterward a welldressed, intelligent-looking man, bowed and walked in. He proved to