Free Church of Scotland. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON PUBLICATIONS. MAY 1867. No important change in method or arrangement has occurred during the past year in the department under the charge of the Publications Committee. Nevertheless, some improvements have been effected, and the ordinary business transacted has included one or two matters which deserve to be brought under the notice of the Assembly. In particular, some features of the Missionary Record have had special attention bestowed upon them. It has long been felt that to have the numbers stitched instead of merely having them pasted into the covers would be a great improvement. The obstacle in the way was the limited time intervening between the day when the matter for the Record leaves the Offices of the Church, and that on which the Record, like other monthlies, must be despatched from the publishers' premises. Neither of these limits can be altered so easily as might at first be supposed. Nevertheless, after careful consideration, it has been found possible to overcome the difficulty. Further, the quality of the paper has been in some degree improved, although, from the amount of paging given for the price, any considerable alteration in this respect is not possible. It has been resolved also to employ a larger type throughout, and thus secure greater comfort to the readers; and probably it will generally be felt that the advantage thus secured compensates for the somewhat smaller amount of printed matter which the page so printed can include. The editor has taken advantage of the opportunity afforded by these changes to introduce valuable improvements into the arrangement of the matter, with a view to make the information presented more attractive and more easy to consult. Several numbers have been issued with these new features, and it is believed they have been regarded with general satisfaction. The Committee have fresh reason, on this occasion, to acknowledge gratefully the zeal and ability with which the editor and the publishers have entered into every consultation as to the means by which the Record could be made more effective. These changes, slight perhaps, and yet of some importance, are alluded to in this specific way, in the belief that the Record as now issued deserves increasing support, and in the hope that the Church will respond to the claim for an enlarged circulation, which the Committee desire respectfully to present. The Committee have great confidence in expressing their opinion that no missionary periodical, published anywhere, can compare with our own Record, as respects the amount of matter and general getting up on the one hand, and the price upon the other. Of course, where societies or churches subsidize their periodicals with large annual payments, a periodical may be produced with which ours cannot compete. But speaking of publications sustained merely by sale, the Committee know of no case in which the Free Church Record is excelled or equalled, as value for the money expended. The Church has hitherto been of opinion that the Record ought to be published and circulated in the ordinary way, and without burdening her missionary funds; and so far as the Committee have reason to believe, the Church is not prepared to depart from this principle. All that can be done, therefore, is to secure the utmost amount of information, presented in the best form which these terms admit of; and then to rely on the office-bearers and members of the Church to promote the circulation. The circulation of the Record stands at 31,000, being an increase of 1000 above last year. This is still a most inadequate circulation for a periodical of this nature in so large a denomination as the Free Church. An increase of at least ten thousand in the course of the next year should be easily attainable. The circulation of the Children's Missionary Record stands at 43,000, being also an increase of 1000 above last year. It became necessary during this year to renew the contracts for Assembly and other printing required by the Church. The contracts previously existing, with some small amendments of detail suggested by gentlemen practically acquainted with these matters, appeared to the Committee to embody arrangements which have worked well, and may with advantage be maintained. Five years ago, Messrs. Constable and Greig & Son were preferred for the departments which they execute respectively, as the result of a competition of offers. Finding that the prices charged for printing generally have risen decidedly since that time, the Committee thought it expedient, instead of calling for fresh estimates, to offer, in the first place, to renew the contracts at the rates previously charged. This proposal was accepted, and the contracts have been renewed accordingly for five years more, with a slight modification of the contract with Messrs. Greig & Son. Reported by ROBERT RAINY, Convener. Free Church of Scotland. SPECIAL REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE ON THE CONDITION OF ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS. MAY 1867. THE General Assembly of 1866 remitted to this Committee to take charge of the inquiry into this matter, and to communicate with Presbyteries regarding it. As soon as possible after the Assembly they prepared a Schedule of Queries, embracing. (1.) The Cost of Buildings; (2.) The Condition of Buildings; and (3.) The Insurance of Buildings. A copy of this Schedule for each charge was sent to the Clerks of Presbyteries, and the whole Schedules were appointed to be returned on or before 1st February. By the 31st of March only 515 Schedules had been received by the Committee, leaving 412 Congregations which had made no return. The following is an Abstract showing the state of the Presbyteries as regards the making of this return : 28 Presbyteries made complete returns, including some where one or two 10 Presbyteries sent one half, or more, of the schedules. 71 Presbyteries. Since that date This is the state of matters as at 31st March. 118 additional Schedules have been received; but as many of these have reached the Committee quite recently, they have not been able to bring down the Abstract so as to comprehend them. In order that the valuable information contained in the whole Schedules may be put into a form for preservation and for future reference, the Committee would suggest that they be remitted back to them for that purpose, and to report to next Assembly. Although the returns are thus defective, yet they may suffice to enable us to draw an inference from them as to the state of matters generally in the Church, sufficiently accurate at the present stage of inquiry. The Committee will therefore proceed to give an Abstract of the information contained in the Schedules under the three heads of inquiry before specified. Dividing this cost among the 515 Congregations which have made the returns, there appears an average of £2191 per Congregation. Assuming this average to extend to those Congregations which have not made any return, we have the following general result. As before stated, 412 Congregations have not returned Schedules. But this number embraces 55 Preaching Stations, out of the whole number (64) of such Stations. Now, as none of these Stations are supplied with Manses, and few of them, it is supposed, with Schools, and the Churches are in many cases temporary or incomplete, it would be incorrect to apply the foregoing average to them. Leaving these therefore out of view, we have Add the total cost shown above, ascertained from the There is probably an over-statement here on the estimate of those buildings which have not been returned, because those Presbyteries which have failed to make returns are generally those which contain few or no buildings of a costly description. On the other hand, the Buildings of 55 Stations are not included at all. On the whole, the result is that the cost of the buildings belonging to the 929 Congregations of the Free Church has been about two millions, or an average of something more than £2000 per Congregation. 2. CONDITION OF PROPERTY. In the Schedule the following queries were put :-Have the buildings been duly cared for by the execution of ordinary and |