necessary repairs in due time? Where the buildings are in disrepair, has this arisen from the neglect of timely reparation, or from unavoidable decay? And Presbyteries were desired to state fully the result of their inquiries, on the report, wherever practicable, of persons qualified to judge. From the nature of this subject, the information obtained can hardly be reduced to the form of an Abstract, and it may be sufficient to state the general results as follows:-The Presbyteries generally have not thought it necessary to obtain a report by a professional person. In most of the Returns that portion of the Schedule allotted to the Presbytery's Report is left entirely blank; and in others, the Presbyteries seem to have simply endorsed the statement made on the part of the Congregations as to the condition of their property; while that statement is, in almost every case, in the briefest form, consisting merely of an affirmative answer 'yes' to the first of the queries above noted. The impression that is received from these Returns is, that the property, generally speaking, is in a good state of repair. The Committee feel bound to say, however, that the information obtained on this subject on this occasion is not of so definite a character as to be of much practical value. In order to obtain a foundation for any measure of a practical kind which may be proposed, it appears to the Committee that the General Assembly will require to adopt some more reliable mode of inquiry. The Committee do not think it necessary to make any suggestion on this point on the present occasion, believing that the General Assembly will not think it expedient to institute any more thorough process of inspection of buildings, unless in connexion with a scheme which, while it provides the means of meeting the expense of such inspection, will at the same time provide funds for extending aid to at least the poorer class of Congregations when their buildings fall, by accident or otherwise, into such a state as to require extensive reparation or entire reconstruction.

3. INSURANCE.

The Result of 506 Schedules received (omitting 9 stations) is as follows:

The sums insured on the several kinds of building are as fol

Assuming the condition of the unreported buildings to be the same in respect of insurance as those giving returns, and excluding from view the preaching stations, we arrive at the following general result:

Or, in round numbers, taking the total cost of the buildings to be about two millions, one-half of that amount, or one million, is covered by fire insurance, and one million is uninsured.' Of course this latter amount consists of two parts, viz.: 1. Those buildings which are entirely uninsured; and 2. The amount by which, in the case of insured buildings, the cost exceeds the proportion thereof covered by insurance.

The schedules do not contain the amount of premiums paid for insurance against fire; but as these are uniform and well known, it is not difficult to form an estimate on the subject. This estimate will be confined to the premiums for fire risk, leaving out of view the duty paid to Government. These premiums are generally 1s. 6d. or 2s. per cent., according to circumstances. Assuming that one-half is at the former, and one-half at the latter rate, the amount of premiums paid for insurance of one million will be £875.

This is the whole amount, according to this estimate, which is at present paid by the Congregations of the Free Church to protect their buildings from fire. The Committee request special attention to this result, as they have observed that in some quarters, in discussing the proposal to establish a scheme of Insurance of Free Church Buildings, rather exaggerated views have been taken of the amount spent on that object, or of the amount to be saved or gained by the institution of a scheme of that description. The Committee express no opinion as to the practicability or expediency of such a scheme, but they consider that the results brought out by the present investigation are important to be kept in view in relation to any plan that may be suggested.

G. MELDRUM, Convener.

Free Church of Scotland.

REPORT

OF

GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S COMMITTEE ON PARAPHRASES AND HYMNS.

MAY 1867.

THE Committee on Paraphrases and Hymns was appointed by last Assembly in the following terms:

'The General Assembly having taken into consideration the overtures relating to Paraphrases and Hymns, and having respect to the importance of the subject, and especially to the diversity of opinion which prevails regarding it, resolve to appoint a Committee to consider maturely the whole matter, enjoining said Committee to report to next General Assembly, whether, in their opinion, any such changes as those now craved should be made, and, if so, in what way this may best be done.'

At a meeting held on the 19th of June last, the Committee thus appointed met, and after due deliberation on the important subject remitted to them, resolved to nominate three Sub-Committees

The first to ascertain what has been the law and usage of the Reformed Church of Scotland' as regards the employment in public worship of Paraphrases and Hymns;

The second to inquire into the rule and practice of the Primitive Church, in so far as it can be ascertained,' on the same subject ;

The third to consider the present collection of Paraphrases and Hymns, with a view, in the event of its being resolved that a revision of that collection should be made, to recommend what portion of them should be excluded.

At a subsequent meeting of the Committee, held on the 16th October, after consultation, it was resolved, with a view to the more

effective carrying out of the object contemplated by the appointment of the Sub-Committee, that the members of each of them should be requested to transmit to their respective Conveners the results of any investigations they may have made, in the particular department remitted to them, on or before the 1st of February of the present year.

As the result of this arrangement, it was reported, at a meeting of the Committee held on the 16th April, by the several Sub-Conveners, that a certain number of papers had been received, bearing on the several branches of the subject of which the Sub-Committees had been respectively put in charge. After conference on the steps thus taken, it was agreed again to remit the papers brought up to the Sub-Committees, with instructions to continue their investigations, and that the Committee should meet again in the month of May to arrange as to the Interim Report to be made to the Assembly. The Committee met accordingly on the 23d instant, and the Sub-Committee having stated that they were not yet in a position to bring up any Report as to the result of their inquiries, it was, after consultation, unanimously resolved that the foregoing summary of the Committee's proceedings should be laid before the Assembly, and that they should further state it as their hope and expectation, that, if re-appointed, they will be able to present a final report on the whole subject remitted to them to the Assembly of next year.

ROB. BUCHANAN, Convener.

Free Church of Scotland.

REPORT

ON

DISTRIBUTION OF PROBATIONERS.

MAY 1867.

YOUR Committee have much pleasure in reporting that the Scheme for the Distribution of Probationers has, during the currency of the past year, been prosecuted with vigour and with satisfactory results.

Thirty Vacancies have been supplied by your Committee with candidates from the list of Probationers; and it is gratifying to know that wherever the scheme is known and understood, it is valued alike by congregations and preachers. The Probationers themselves are alive to this fact, and it is but justice to them to say that, very generally, they have come forward and given no small help in the way of pointing out what they considered deficient, and approving of what appeared to them satisfactory in the working of the scheme.

Your Committee would respectfully, at the outset, suggest that the 'Regulations' of the Assembly of 1864, as appended, with alterations, be rendered obligatory, in order to the effective working of the scheme. It appears also to your Committee that, while there is no desire to interfere with the rights and privileges of congregations, it would tend to good order, and very considerably simplify matters, if, instead of Congregations making their own arrangements for hearing candidates, they would hand in a list of such gentlemen as they wish to hear to the Clerk of Committee. This would suit all parties, and secure regularity. It would also secure that all Probationers go on pretty much the same footing.