The Secretary and the Rev. Mr. Huntington were appointed a Committee to receive and examine the testimonials of the Lay Delegates. The Convention then adjourned to meet in St. Paul's Chapel, at 3 o'clock, P. M. ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL, 3 O'CLOCK, P. M. The Convention met pursuant to adjournment. The Committee who were appointed to receive and examine the testimonials of the Lay Delegates, reported that the following persons were entitled to seats according to the Canon: Wm. W. Fowler, St. Andrew's Church, Northford. Oliver Warner, *M. Bartlett Wright, Eleazer Peck, } St. Stephen's Church, East Haddam. St. James' Church, Derby. Samuel G. Cornell, Christ Church, Greenwich. Samuel French, Frederick Sill, *Jos. Barratt, M. D. } St. John's Church, Stamford. Lloyd Moss, Ambrose R. Barnes, } St. Peter's Church, Cheshire. John H. Smith, St. Mark's Church, New Canaan. James Williams, Christ Church, East Haven. Joel W. White, *Gideon Bingham, St. Paul's Church, Windham. Joseph C. Sistare, St. James' Church, New London. Abraham Marks, St. George's Church, Milford. *Leavitt Pardee, St. Matthew's Church, East Plymouth. Ira Hyde, Geo. A. Flagg, Christ Church, Quakers' Farms, (Oxford.) Thomas S. Shelton, St. Paul's Church, Huntington. Joseph L. Isbel, St. Michael's Church, Naugatuck. Burritt S. Judd, Eli F. Rogers, Trinity Church, Branford. St. John's Church, Waterbury. St. Peter's Church, Hebron. St. Andrew's Church, Meriden. Newel Johnson, St. James' Church, Westville. Alexander Hamilton, St. John's Church, Bridgeport. Luzon W. Clark, *Dr. Elijah Middlebrook, Christ Church, Trumbull. Dunning Babbit, St. Mark's Church, Bridgewater. Horace Marshall, St. James' Church, Sherman Ferry, and St. Thomas' Chapel, Danbury *Francis H. Nichols, Edwards Johnson, Joseph N. Clark, Enos A. Prescott, Emanuel Henriques, Christ Church, Stratford. Trinity Parish, New Haven. Christ Church, Norwich. Levi L. Bigelow, St. John's Church, North Haven. David Blakesley, *Samuel G. Braman, Joseph Backus, } Chester Hollister, St. Luke's Church, Glastenbury. Grace Church, Hamden. Jesse Tuttle, Jr. Joseph Gleason, Trinity Church, Chatham. Elijah E. Shelton, Trinity Church, Bristol. Philo Hard, Henry B. Skilton, Christ Church, Watertown. Christ Church, Hartford.* Wm. K. Keeler, St. Stephen's Church, Ridgefield. Wm. T. Lee, Edwin Hunt, St. Andrew's Church, New Preston. This Report being accepted, the roll of Lay Delegates was called, wher a quorum was found to be present. Those with this mark (*) prefixed to their names, were absent. Mr. Levi N. Marks, from Christ Church, Bethany, having been duly elected, but appearing without the proper certificate, was on motion of the Pastor of that Church, admitted to a seat in the Convention. The Rev. E. E. BEARDSLEY, was re-elected Secretary. On motion of the Rev. Dr. Holcomb, Resolved, That visiting Clergymen from other Dioceses, and the Clergy of our own not Canonically entitled to seats, be admitted to honorary seats in this Convention. Whereupon the following Clergymen took their seats as honorary mem Rev. Alfred Louderback, from the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Joseph H. Nichols, do. do. Connecticut. The Bishop then delivered his Annual Address, agreeably to the 51st Canon of the General Convention. ADDRESS. MY BRETHREN OF THE CLERGY, AND OF THE Laity: Through the abundance of that divine goodness, which will rest upon the Church till the end of the world, we are once more permitted to meet together in our Annual Convention. These marked periods in our ecclesiastical progress, are like landmarks on the current of time. They admonish us to reflect on the advancement we have made; they incite us to self-examination; they call our attention to our future course, and they demand the tribute of our grateful acknowledgments to that divine Being, whose good providence has conducted us on our way. During the past year, the Church in this Diocese has been blessed with a good degree of prosperity. None of its Clergy have been removed by death. A remarkable degree of peace and union exists, throughout the several Parishes, and pervades the great body of the Clergy and Laity. There are no such diversities in regard to doctrine as should cause uneasiness, and no such differences of sentiment and feeling as should create alarm. In many of the Parishes a very encouraging degree of amination and interest has been evinced, in regard to spiritual things; and in all of them we may trust, that the deep and silent influences of the Holy Spirit have concurred with the faithful ministration of the Word and Sacraments;-sustaining and comforting the humble believer, and inciting the cold and the careless to the necessity of repentance, and the duty of a truly Christian life. For a more detailed statement of the condition of the Diocese, I refer you to the Parochial Reports, which will presently be laid before you, and to the following brief summary of my official acts for the past year. I have administered the Holy rite of Confirmation to 422 persons in the following Parishes, viz: Glastenbury, (Two Confirmations.) 16 Danbury, New Canaan, 12 Derby, 9 Humphreysville, 16 7 9 7 7 Naugatuck, 3 Waterbury, (Two Confirmations.) 43 1 Hamden, The following Candidates for the ministry have been admitted to the Holy Order of Deacons, since the last Annual Convention, viz.: Isaac H. Tuttle, Charles Prindle, and Thos. L. Pitkin, (graduates of the General Theological Seminary,) on the 3d day of July, in Trinity Church, New Haven; Daniel Shepherd, on the 23d of August, in Christ Church, Hartford; Henry Townsend, on the 5th of October, in Union Church, Humphreysville; James R. Bayley, on the 23d of October, in Christ Church, Hartford; Sabura S. Stocking, on the 22d of December, in the same place; Sheldon Davis, on the 12th of April, in St. John's Church, Waterbury. The following Deacon's have, within the last year, been admitted to the Holy Order of the Priesthood, viz.:-The Rev. William B. Ashley, in St. Luke's Church, Glastenbury, on the 27th of August; the Rev. William Payne, in St. Michael's Church, Litchfield, on the 29th of September; the Rev. Nathaniel S. Richardson, in Christ Church, Watertown, on the 1st of October; the Rev. Robert M. Chapman, in Christ Church, Hartford, on the 22d of December; the Rev. Samuel T. Carpenter, and the Rev. Zebadiah H. Mansfield, in the same place, on the 18th of March. This morning, in the presence of the Convention, I have admitted the Rev. Abel Nichols to the Holy Order of the Priesthood, and George L. Foote, to the Holy Order of Deacons. On the 27th day of August last, the Rev. William B. Ashley was duly inducted into the Rectorship of St. Luke's Church, Glastenbury, by the Rev. George Burgess, appointed as the Institutor; and on the 1st day of October, the Rev. Nathaniel S. Richardson was inducted into the Rectorship of Christ Church, Watertown-the Rev. Frederick Holcomb, D. D., former Rector of the Parish, being the Institutor. Only one new Church has been Consecrated by me since our last meeting-St. James' Church, Westville. This is a neat and well arranged edifice-highly creditable to the zeal of the Parish, which has been recently organized in that place, under the auspices of the Rev. Stephen Jewett. A new Church in the south-east part of the Parish of Trumbull will be Consecrated within a few days; and it is understood that the new brick Church, in the Parish of Cheshire, is nearly ready for Consecration. In the Parish of Harwinton, which had been supposed to be nearly extinct, a new Church edifice is in progress, under the zealous ministrations of the Rev. Dr. Holcomb. A spacious and elegant new Church has also been commenced in the prosperous Parish of Norwalk. The Diocese of Connecticut has long been distinguished for the number of her faithful Clergy and zealous Laymen, who have removed to other States, and have there been eminently instrumental in building up the institutions of the Church. We have no means of ascertaining the number of the Laity, who are thus emigrating every year; but I have now to record the names of thirteen Clergymen who have received dimissory letters since our last Convention, viz :—The Rev. Lucius M. Purdy, the Rev, Daniel Shepherd, the Rev. Edward Ingersoll, and the Rev. Sheldon Davis, to the Diocese of New York; the Rev. Joseph D. Tyler, to the Diocese of Virginia; the Rev. Melancthon Hoyt, and the Rev. Charles Fox, to the Diocese of Michigan; the Rev. Lemuel B. Hull, the Rev. Charles Prindle, the Rev. Thomas C. Pitkin, and the Rev. James Mead, to the Missionary Diocese of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Kemper; the Rev. John H. Rouse, and the Rev. Thomas G. Salter, to the Eastern Diocese: ten of the thirteen being natives of the State of Connecticut. Notwithstanding these removals, the list of our Clergy is somewhat larger than at the last Convention; owing to the ordinations which have taken place in the mean time, and the accession of five Clergymen from other Dioceses, viz: the Rev. Samuel T. Carpenter, from the Diocese of Vir ginia; the Rev. Robert M. Chapman, and the Rev. F. B. Woodward, from the Eastern Diocese; the Rev. Benjamin M. Yarrington, and the Rev. George S. Gordon, from the Diocese of New York. The Rev. Edward C. Bull, the Rev. Charles W. Bradley, now officiating in this Diocese, are ecclesiastically connected with the Diocese of New York. Fewer changes than usual have taken place in the location of the Clergy during the past year. This result is occasioned, in a good degree, by the increased strength of many of the Parishes, which has enabled them to make more permanent arrangements for the support of their Pastors.-Of the accessions to the list of the Clergy, the Rev. Samuel T. Carpenter has been appointed to the Rectorship of the Parishes of Sharon and Salisbury; the Rev. Robert M. Chapman, to that of Wallingford; the Rev. Isaac H. Tuttle, to that of Bethlem; the Rev. Henry Townsend, to the Parish of East Haven; the Rev. Sabura S. Stocking, to the Rectorship of the Parish of Meriden; the Rev. George S. Gordon, to the charge of the Parishes of New Preston and Washington; and the Rev. B. M. Yarrington, to the Parish of Greenwich. Besides these new arrangements, the Rev. Hilliard Bryant, has removed to the Rectorship of Christ Church, Westport; the Rev. L. H. Corson, has accepted the charge of the Episcopal Academy at Newtown; the Rev. Samuel C. Stratton, has resigned the charge of the Parish of Newtown, on account of ill health; the Rev. Foster Thayer, has relinquished the charge of the Parish of Huntington; and the Rev. Servilius Stocking, has removed to the Parish of Wolcott. The following persons are now Candidates for Holy Orders in this Diocese, viz: Pascal P. P. Kidder. Martin Moody, William G. French, Ephraim L. Perkins, John Riggs, William G. Morgan, William Atwill, Charles Gillet, John G. Hull, John Purves, George H. Nichols, John H. Cornish, Isaac D. Hubbard. Charles W. Everest, late a candidate in this Diocese, has been transferred to that of North Carolina. By recurring to the Journals of the Convention, you will perceive that in the years 1837 and 1838, the number of candidates for Holy Orders was 25. In 1839, the number was reduced to 18, and at present it has fallen to 13. I ascribe this diminution, in part, to the excitements of trade and speculation, during past years, which tended to give a more worldly bias to the minds of young men ; partly to the reverses of fortune which have followed that period; and partly to the small compensation which the Clergy have received for their labours, in comparison with the other professions and occupations of men. The Parochial Reports, which will shortly be laid before you, will present other interesting subjects for your consideration. I regret, however, that these reports, as we usually receive them, afford us so imperfect a view of the statistics of the Diocese. Parishes remote from the place of holding the Convention, especially the weaker Parishes, frequently omit to send either delegations or parochial reports, and many of the returns which are presented to us are found to be deficient in important particulars. It is obvious, therefore, that no very accurate estimate can be formed of the present condition of the Diocese, from these reports; nor of its comparative progress from year to year. These data, however, in connection with my personal observation, are sufficient to afford me satisfactory evidence that its increase is constant, and steady; and I trust that its spiritual advancement is not less certain than its outward prosperity. Brethren, so long as we ourselves are faithful to our duties, we may rely on the promises of God for the welfare of the portion of his Church which |