The weekly Bible-reading, for the benefit of proselytes, continues to be held; and one of the proselytes, a young man of promise, who has studied at the Pesth Theological College and the University of Basle, is now employed as an evangelist, with good prospect of usefulness, among the Hungarian population.

The congregational work at Pesth appears to be thorough and effective; thirty-five new members have been added to the Church during the last year. Mr Koenig's report of the various agencies employed has appeared in the May Missionary Record. It gives such a distinct account of the operations carried on that it has been thought desirable to print it in the Appendix, C. When we read of the variety and regularity of this foreign Christian congregation's means of usefulness: its bi-weekly prayer-meetings in the houses of different families; its missionary society, collecting and distributing at its fourth annual meeting £35 among several foreign and home missionary institutions; its ladies' association to work for the poor; its young men's association for mutual improvement; its fortnightly elders' meeting for prayer and conference; its deaconess or Bible-woman; its district and congregational Sabbath-schools,we see much to be commended and to be imitated, and hope and long for a rich blessing on so many works of faith and labours of love. Mr. Koenig specially directs attention to the amount annually paid by the members for congregational expenses. Of a congregation numbering about 400, there are 150 independent contributing members; and the average amount paid by them is 16s. 8d. a-head, besides what is given to the poor, to missionary associations, and to the hospital, a rate of contribution which Mr. Koenig justly observes would make a congregation in Scotland entirely independent.

Besides the regular German congregation, Mr. Moody conducts English service in the Congregational Hall, at which there is a pretty good attendance; almost always some Jews, who come for the sake of the language. He has now also acquired the Hungarian language, so as to be able to preach in it; and the advantage of this will be found, if, in connexion with the work of the mission, he may require to travel where Hungarian or German is spoken.

In last year's Report, reference was made to the hospital which had been opened at Pesth, in connexion with the Church,-the first Protestant hospital in Hungary where sick members might be received without being exposed to Roman Catholic influences. The erection of such an institution, and at such a time, has providentially proved to have provided for a much more extended want than was at first contemplated. Besides ordinary patients, several wounded soldiers have been received into the hospital; and probably through this means of usefulness a wide door has been opened for the dissemination of the Word of God, tracts, and religious books to thousands of suffering and dying men in Pesth at the period of the recent war. Fully 3000 copies of the Scriptures

were given to soldiers, and 35,000 tracts in six different languages, besides a very large number distributed through the agency of the Pesth Bible Society. Nor must it be forgotten that in the Austrian army there is a considerable number of Jews. Mr. Koenig mentions that the very first soldier he visited in his tent was a Jew from Galicia, and the corporal who accompanied him was a Jew. We direct attention to the very interesting letter of Mr. Koenig on this subject, which appeared in the Free Church Record for November, and in which he mentions the visit to the hospital by the Crown Princess of Saxony, and H.R.H.'s gratification with the arrangements made. Mr. Koenig writes to the Committee more recently that this hospital has been favoured with special blessings from Him whose cause it was designed to serve. In June 1866, two deaconesses from Kaiserswerth took charge of it; they were joined in November by a third. During the first year of its operations it has ministered to 59 in-door, and 109 out-door patients. They are attended by two medical men, who offered their gratuitous services to the institution. On the outbreak of the war, we placed our services at the disposal of the military authorities. A number of wounded and sick soldiers of various nationalities were received, and at the close of the war we received acknowledgments of our services, both from the Town Council and the military commander of the city. The entire sum collected for the hospital was £890. The success of the institution in a medical point of view is, moreover, attested by a continually increasing number of applications for admission. Entire corporations have applied for the admission of their sick, and we are already in earnest consultation as to the necessity of removing to larger premises.' While the Committee gratefully acknowledges the good that has been thus effected, they consider it not a little remarkable that their missionary should have been appointed a kind of military chaplain in this district, with access to all the hospitals and all the soldiers.

One other important branch of Christian work at Pesth remains to be mentioned, though not strictly part of the mission agency. Mr. Koenig has charge of four agents not connected with this Committee; one labouring as an evangelist, and the other three as colporteurs, of whom two are employed by the National Bible Society of Scotland; the field of labour is Hungary and Transylvania. Bibles and tracts are thus very extensively sold and circulated. Besides the translation into the language of the country of The Pilgrim's Progress,' 'The Mother at Home,' etc., 100,000 copies of seven different tracts have been printed in Hungarian, and 65,000 copies of ten different tracts in Slavonian. The co-operation of a number of ministers has been secured, and nineteen tract depots established throughout Hungary and Transylvania.

Mr. Koenig has sent to the Committee a copy of the full report of his proceedings which he has transmitted to the London Tract Society, and accompanied by a number of extracts from letters of Hungarian and Slavonian pastors, containing their testimony to the urgent call for such labours, and their grateful appreciation of them. A short extract from this will be found in Appendix D.

CONSTANTINOPLE.

The Mission here is under the charge of Mr. Tomory. He is assisted by Mr. Leonhardt. He has another assistant in the German school, and two colporteurs; and in addition to this, Miss Whittet and Miss Ewan, under the Edinburgh Ladies' Jewish Association, take charge of the Italian school, while Miss Primrose, supported by the Glasgow Association for Instruction of Jewish Females, teaches in the German school. There are regular Sabbath services, some of which are attended by several Jews; there are prayer-meetings during the week, private meetings in Mr. Tomory's own house, and occasions of conversing with Jews, both in the coffee-houses, and by household visitation. The colporteurs have precious opportunities of dealing with many in this way. There is also an evening class for adult Jews; and further, the teachers, when visiting the families of the children who attend. their schools, and by whom they are very kindly received, have many opportunities of speaking a word for the truth as it is in Jesus. Mr. Tomory greatly laments the want of some institution where Jews who have been led to see the error of Judaism might find temporary shelter. In one of his most recent letters he says: Among the inquirers are two or three who have left us with the view of seeking admission into the visible Church at some other mission station. This is a great trial, and I am afraid it must continue, unless we get some Home established here. The pressure of the Jews, the dearness of the place, and the want of employment, make it almost impossible to retain any inquirer. As an instance, he mentions that a respectable tradesman attended the evening class for nearly a twelvemonth, as well as many of the other services, and had become fully convinced of the truth. He was well able to support himself; but his employer, for whom he had long been working, is a bigoted Jew. This man told our missionary that if he were to make a public profession, his master would take his work from him, and no other Jew would give him employment. Surely it needs great faith to forsake all for Christ's sake and for the gospel! The same difficulty is felt in dealing with Jewish teachers who depend entirely on the Jews, and were any of them to make a public profession they would at once be deprived of all occupation. Mr. Tomory accordingly states that, for want of such an institution, we see, year after year, souls slipping through our hands, and going to Jerusalem, London, etc. From the last year's Report of the

Bishop of Jerusalem, it appears that eight among their recent converts have come from here. We instructed some of them; others were here for a time attending our services. We might not have baptized all, but some of them had a saving knowledge of the truth. By joining us, they would have strengthened our little band, and we would make more impression on the Jews if our numbers were greater.'

Another subject, brought before the Committee by Mr. Tomory, was the desirableness of acquiring by purchase suitable mission premises. Rents are high in this city, and always liable to increase when a desirable tenant improves the premises; while the uncertainty of tenure under the short leases, presents another great disadvantage. The Committee would gladly have complied with Mr. Tomory's wish, but they are prevented by a deficiency of funds. They have received some contributions for this purpose, and, were these to be considerably augmented, they believe it would greatly promote the mission work here and at other stations too, were they enabled to adopt and carry out this important proposal.

The past year's history of the mission at Constantinople speaks of judgment and mercy. Of the little band, each one has their hands pretty full; but it pleased the Lord to send trial upon trial among them. Miss Ewan was obliged to leave her work in the Italian school, and to come home in the month of August. Her stay in this country has resulted in a measure of restored health, and she has only now returned to her work. It is hoped that while her visit home has been beneficial to herself, it has also been encouraging and useful to friends of the mission here. Further, when the rainy weather set in, Falk, one of the colporteurs, became quite helpless, and this zealous worker has thus been sadly hindered in rendering those services in which, during past time, he has been so useful. To aid him, Hyam Behr, recently arrived from Jerusalem, has been added to the staff as colporteur. And then occurred a serious loss to the mission, and a sad affliction to her devoted husband, when Mrs. Leonhardt, after a very short illness, was suddenly called to her rest on the 19th of December. Her death called forth very general sympathy; her dying testimony and hopes of immortality became well known among the children at the schools, and through them to their parents, and a very solemn, and, it is believed, profitable impression, was produced in many minds. She had before her illness selected the subject for examination in the German school—it was, 'life a pilgrimage,' from Ps. xxxix. 12— and as the examination took place immediately after, the instruction given was listened to with greatly increased tenderness and interest. The Committee were indeed greatly encouraged and gratified by the report recently sent home of awakening and apparent conversion, both in the Italian and German schools, and of which a short notice appeared in the Free Church Record of April. Referring to this, Mr. Tomory, in his last letter, says: In the beginning of December a peculiar earnestness began to manifest itself in the

German school-a desire for the Word of God, attending upon the instructions with peculiar solemnity, often asking private interviews with the teachers. While there were at times exciting scenes, the whole was conducted in a prayerful spirit, and with great prudence and calmness. We all rejoiced in the movement, but refrained from speaking much about it. We cannot be cautious enough with Jewish children. Children in general are so easily carried away with feelings and impressions, and while the Word is blessed to them they are completely under the influence of the teachers; but when the hostile influence of their parents is brought to bear upon them, they are either frightened into silence, or they are removed from the school. Two or three have been removed; others are under great restraint, if not persecution. Several are not permitted, as formerly, to attend our service and Sabbath-class." This awakening has been a great encouragement to all of us; the children behave well, and are fond of their Bible-lessons. Two English girls in the Italian school are hopefully converted.'

An account of the examination of the schools appeared in the Record for March; 110 were present in the German school, 60 in the Italian. The Bible-lessons were very searching and comprehensive; the whole scheme of salvation, by a crucified Saviour, being most simply explained and illustrated. The ready answers of the children, both on the Bible subjects and to the questions of the Shorter Catechism, showed how well their minds were stored with Scripture truth; and surely the good seed thus early sown, will in God's good time, bring forth much fruit to eternal life. Regarding these schools Appendix E contains short extracts from the last printed Reports of the Ladies' Jewish Associations in Glasgow and Edinburgh, to whose exertions the funds of the Jewish Mission are greatly indebted.

PRAGUE.

Mr. Van Andel gives a favourable account of the progress of the mission during the past year. At the beginning of the war, the city was strictly invested by the Prussians, preventing all intercourse with any other place. In a short time the King of Saxony, who had established his headquarters there, left it, and Prague was occupied by Prussian troops. During this whole time, however, our missionary was enabled to carry on all his labours undisturbed. Prussian soldiers, in larger or smaller numbers, attended his services; he had several opportunities of distributing New Testaments and tracts among them, as well as among the wounded, and our colporteur sold 1200 copies of the Scriptures among them. During the Prussian possession of Prague, Mr. Van Andel commenced an additional service, which has since continued, so that in two different churches he has morning and afternoon worship. At the latter his lectures have been chiefly on Old Testament subjects, and with special reference to the Jews, in which he says he has received considerable encouragement, several of them having,