people whom God has highly honored in making them in past ages the depositaries of his law and Sabbath; " and the desire was expressed, "so far as practicable, to cooperate with them in leading men to the conscientious observance of the commandments of God." A declension was noticed from both the health and dress reforms, and the people were entreated "to arouse and make these subjects matters of conscience." Increased confidence was professed in the gift of the "spirit of prophecy which God has so mercifully placed in the third angel's message; " the endeavor was resolved upon "to maintain an affectionate regard for its presence and its teachings; " and the Executive Committee were requested to prepare, or cause to be prepared, a work giving the reasons for believing the testimonies of a Sister White to be the teachings of the Holy Spirit. The Executive Committee were advised to take steps for the speedy publication of tracts and periodicals in other languages. Measures were taken to secure the consolidation of the systems of the Tract and Missionary Societies by some general organization, and for the formation of an Educational Society.

The meeting of the General Conference in August, 1874, was held in connection with the National Camp-meeting of the denomination, which continued from the 6th to the 17th of the month. The organization of the General Tract and Missionary Society was completed. Reports from about one-half of the local Tract and Missionary Societies connected with the State Conferences showed that sixteen million pages of tracts had been distributed and sold during the year. Elder J. N. Andrews was commissioned as a missionary to Europe, with instructions to look after the Swiss Mission and other points of interest on the Continent. Progress was reported in the efforts to establish a denominational school. The school had been opened, under the care of Mr. S. Brownsberger, a graduate of the Michigan University. A fine brick building for its use was nearly completed, on a lot of twelve acres' extent. The report of the Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association, made at its fourteenth annual meeting, November 17, 1873, showed the amount of its assets to have been then $119,707.51, and its debts $37,319.12, leaving $82,388.39 as the value of its net assets.

II. ADVENT CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. The National Advent Camp-meeting of the Advent Christian Association was held at Springfield, Massachusetts, August 6th to 8th. A meeting of ministers was held just before the campmeeting, to consult on topics involving the interest of the work of the Association "in spreading the knowledge of the speedy coming of the Lord," at which a congregational form of government was devised. Each organized church, with its members and officers, will remain an independent body, but the formation was recommended of quarterly, State, and

General Conferences, as "advisory and suasive bodies for the more perfect work of producing harmonious and efficient labor in all parts of the country."

The annual meeting of the American Advent Missionary Society was held in connection with the camp-meeting, August 12th. The treasurer reported his total receipts to have been $5,112.74, and his total expenditures $4,692.99. This Society was organized in 1865; since which, to the time of the present meeting, it had received and expended for its work $33,000.

III. EVANGELICAL ADVENTISTS.-The American Evangelical Advent Conference was held at the Hebron Camp - ground, Hebronville, Massachusetts, August 20th and 22d. The Committee on Worship reported an order of service. The Committee on Systematic Benevolence reported that the action of the Conference of the previous year had been carried out, and that preparations had been made to continue the prosecution of their work. The Committee on Ordinations reported that no cases for ordination had been presented.

The annual meeting of the American Millennial Association, which has charge of the business and publishing interests of the denomination, was held at Hebronville, August 20th. The treasurer reported his receipts for the year ending July 1, 1874, to have been, including the balance and cash on hand at the beginning of the year, $7,657.10, and his expenditures, $6,689.01.

IV. LIFE AND ADVENT UNION.-The annual camp-meeting of the American Life and Advent Union was held at Springfield, Massachusetts, beginning August 1st. The eleventh anniversary of the Union was held August 6th. Leonard C. Thorne, of New York, was chosen president. The treasurer reported his receipts for the year just ended to have been $4,216.37, and his expenses $4,484.31. A balance was also due him, on the previous year's account, of $1,297.32. The sum of $2,299 was pledged on an effort to raise $3,200, for the purposes of the Union for the ensuing year, to be devoted to the publication of its paper, pamphlets, and books.

AFGHANISTAN, a country in Central Asia, bounded north by Toorkistan, east by British India, south by Beloochistan, and west by Persia. In an official correspondence between the cabinets of St. Petersburg and London, especially in the dispatches of Lord Granville, dated October 17, 1872, and of Prince Gortchakoff, dated January 31, 1873, England and Russia agreed upon the regulation of the northern frontier of Afghanistan. According to this new agreement, Afghanistan is in future to embrace-1. Badakshan with the dependent district, Wakhan, from Siripul in the east as far as the confluence of the river Koktcha with the Oxus (Amu-Darya), which constitutes the northern frontier of this province in its entire extent; 2. Afghan Toorkistan, which

embraces the districts of Kunduz, Khulum, and Balkh, and is bounded north by the Oxus in its course from the mouth of the Koktcha as far as Khodja Sala, a post-station on the road from Bokhara to Balkh. The Emir of Afghanistan can claim nothing on the left bank of the Oxus below Khodja Sala; 3. The interior districts of Akhshee, Siripul, Maymene, Shibergan, and Andjai, the latter of which is the extreme possession of Afghanistan in the northwest, while the desert beyond it belongs to the independent Toorkoman tribes; 4. The west frontier of Afghanistan between the territories of Herat and the Persian province of Khorassan has not undergone any change.

Since the new regulation of the frontier, the area of Afghanistan is estimated at 278,647 square miles. The population is estimated at upward of 4,000,000. The population of the provinces into which Afghanistan is divided is given by a Russian military periodical as follows: Caboolistan, 900,000; Hasareh, 195,000; Khorassan with Herat, 1,654,000; Seistan, 280,000; Kunduz, 400,000; Khulum, 300,000; Balkh, 64,000; Andjai and Shibergan, 60,000; Aktche, 10,000; Maymene, 100,000; in all, 3,963,000. In this report, no statement is made of the population of the provinces of Badakshan and Wakhan. The population of the former is estimated by E. Schlagintweit from 100,000 to 150,000. To the territory of Maymene, Vámbéry now assigns a population of 300,000.

Afghanistan was again, in 1874, the scene of serious dynastic difficulties, which attracted great attention from the fact that both Great Britain and Russia appeared, as usual, to take a profound interest in them, and to use them with a view to establishing their ascendency in this region. Russian and English accounts of these troubles widely differ, and in many cases it is at present impossible to ascertain the truth. The recent disturbances arose in consequence of the appointment of Abdallah Jan, the younger son of Shere Ali, the present ruler, as heir-apparent to the throne, with the exclusion of Yakoob Khan, the eldest son, who for some time had been governor of the important province of Herat. The latter at once prepared to enforce his claims to the throne by a resort to arms, and to reopen the civil war among the members of the dynastic family, from which the country has already suffered so much. As all the living members of the ruling family who had taken a part in the former civil wars of the country may be expected to appear again on the scene, a brief retrospect of the former family quarrels will help to elucidate the present complication. Shere Ali, the present ruler of Afghanistan, had been preferred by his father, Dost Mohammed, in the same manner in which he now favors his youngest son. When, on the death of his father, he assumed the reins of the government, his elder brothers, Afzool and Azim, at once rose against him. Afzool placed himself at

the head of the rebellion in Balkh, while Azim fought in the east, and finally a younger brother, Emin, raised the standard of revolt in Candahar. The latter was killed in the battle of Kelat-il-Ghilzie, in which Shere Ali also lost his beloved eldest son. Soon the sons of the rivals took a prominent part in the war. The eldest surviving son of Shere Ali, Ibrahim, is a weak and insignificant man, while the second son, Yakoob, who, when a boy, had detected the disguise in which the Hungarian traveler, Vámbéry, traversed these countries, soon gained great renown for his sagacity and bravery. Rhaman Khan, the oldest son of Afzool, is likewise a brave warrior, and the two cousins fought many hotly-contested battles against each other. After many vicissitudes, Afzool Khan was overtaken by death, while advancing at the head of his victorious columns. His brother Azim, who by his misgovernment had become extremely unpopular, died soon after. The brave Rhaman, after several crushing defeats, was driven by Yakoob Khan out of the country, and Shere Ali recognized as ruler of the Afghans. But, although Shere Ali was indebted for the throne to his son Yakoob, he soon began to favor his younger son, Abdallah Jan (born in 1862), the child of his favorite wife. This preference was shown in an ostentatious manner when Shere Ali, in 1869, had an interview with the Viceroy of India. Lord Mayo by no means encouraged the plan, and, when Yakoob Khan attempted to secure his right of succession, he used his whole influence to bring about a reconciliation between Shere Ali and his disaffected son. The latter was appointed governor of the province of Herat, and until 1874 the relation between father and son continued of a peaceable nature. It was, however, expected all the time that, whenever Shere Ali should officially proclaim Abdallah Jan as his presumptive successor, Yakoob Khan would again rise in rebellion, and that in such a case Rhaman Khan would also appear on the scene. As Rhaman Khan had closely allied himself with the Russians, the British statesmen have looked forward with considerable anxiety to the time when civil war might once more reign in Afghanistan.

The province of Herat is situated in the northwestern corner of Afghanistan, and is bounded by Persia, Khiva, and Bokhara. The great distance from the capital of Afghanistan made it possible for Yakoob Khan, not only to be virtually the independent ruler, but also to prepare for another war against his father. He appears to have had secret diplomatic correspondence with the governments of the neighboring countries, but the character of the negotiations is not yet fully known. He is believed, however, to have courted the friendship of Russia, which, according to the papers of British India, has of late built two roads leading to the frontier of Afghanistan - one from Urgentsh to Herat, and the other from Urgentsh to Meshid.

The policy of the British authorities with regard to the civil troubles in Afghanistan, if we are to believe their official professions, has been one of non-intervention. They claim to have been willing, all the time, to recognize the victor, whoever he might be. During the wars following the death of Dost Mohammed, both Shere Ali and Afzool Khan received letters from Lord Lawrence, who, in one of those to Afzool Khan, expressly declared that as long as Shere Ali held possession of Herat, and desired friendly relations with England, he would recognize him as Emir of Herat, while at the same time he felt no hesitation in recognizing Afzool Khan as Emir of Cabool and Candahar as long as he held those places. Toward the end of the civil war between Shere Ali and his rivals, the Government of India appears, however, to have taken a very active interest in the success of Shere Ali. After the battle of Mainmanah, in 1868, and after the victorious entrance of Shere Ali into Cabool, the Indian Government sent him £60,000 sterling, to enable him to fully conquer his opponents. At the durbah of Amballah, Lord Mayo is reported to have promised to Shere Ali an annual subsidy of £120,000. From the English Blue-Book it appears that in November, 1869, Prince Gortchakoff remarked to the British embassador in St. Petersburg that the Indian Government was supporting the Emir of Afghanistan with regular subsidies. In 1873, shortly before the proclamation of Abdallah Jan as heir to the throne, a Mohammedan was sent by the Government of India as special envoy to Cabool, and it was surmised that he was to assure Shere Ali of the approval of the proposed change in the succession by the viceroy, and to promise him support in case of war.

In September, the hostilities between Shere Ali and Yakoob Khan actually commenced. The latter was supposed to have the entire sympathy not only of Russia, but Persia, which has been hankering after Herat ever since she lost it. In November, a report was received in Calcutta that Yakoob Khan had been treacherously arrested and imprisoned in his own capital. He was charged with the design to surrender Herat to the Persians. It was expected that this arrest would be followed by serious complications.

AFRICA. The growth of Egypt stands from year to year more conspicuously forth as the prominent feature of the recent history of Africa. A new expedition under Colonel Gordon has been sent into the regions of Central Africa, which in 1873 were explored by Sir Samuel Baker, and it now appears more probable than ever that immense tracts of land extending southward to the equator may soon be permanently incorporated with Egypt. A war with the Sultan of Darfur resulted in a complete victory for Egypt, and may lead to the annexation of this country also to the dominions of the Khédive. While thus in point of

extent the country will probably become one of the largest empires of the world, great reforms continue to be introduced in all the branches of public administration. (See EGYPT.)

The war of England against the Ashantees, which began in 1873, was a brilliant success. One of the worst native governments of Africa was thoroughly humbled, another powerful blow dealt to the slave-trade, and a new road paved for the steady progress of civilization in Western Africa. (See ASHANTEE.)

A war between the English colony of Natal and the Zulus, under their chief, Langalobele, which also began in 1873, ended early in 1874, by the capture of the Zulu chief, who on February 9th was sentenced to banishment for life. An appeal against this sentence was moved by Bishop Colenso, on the complaint of several members of the tribe, and was allowed.

The new Emperor of Morocco, though just, is reported to be severe and energetic. Toward the close of the year he set out on an expedition to punish several rebellious tribes. The imposition of a gate-tax at Mogador was considered by the foreign consuls of that town as a violation of the commercial convention between Morocco, Great Britain, and Spain. (See MOROCCO.)

The trade of the eastern coast of Africa, which is chiefly in the hands of East Indians, has assumed much larger dimensions since the opening of the Suez Canal. In January, 1873, a monthly steamship-line was opened between Aden, Zanzibar, and Madagascar; the vessels belong to the British Indian Steamship Company. The revenue of the company in December, 1873, from goods shipped from Zanzibar to Aden, was about $20,000; and their vessels were not large enough to satisfy all demands.

The diamond-fields in South Africa continue to attract large crowds of natives from the interior, who find it easy to be employed by the diggers, and who returning to their homes diffuse among the native population a general acquaintance with the progress of civilization. New extensive gold-fields were discovered in September on the Blyde River.

The new British possession in South Africa, Griqualand West, which on October 27, 1871, was annexed to the Cape Colony, has been organized by a royal decree, dated February 7, 1873, and proclaimed by the governor of the Cape Colony, on July 5, 1873. It has received the official name, Province of Griqualand West, and will have a lieutenant-governor, and a Legislative Assembly, consisting of four members, elected by the three districts, Kimberleg (2), Barkly (1), and Hag (1), and four members appointed by the crown.

The total area of Africa is now estimated (see Behm and Wagner, "Bevölkerung der Erde," II., Gotha, 1874) at 11,555,855 square miles; population, 203,300,000. This includes the island of Madeira and the Canary Islands, which often are considered a part of Europe.

entire crop, and the latest returns show that not less than 854,000,000 bushels were harvested. The crop of 1873, which was not thought to exceed 870,000,000 bushels, actually turned out to be 920,000,000.

The Rye crop is about 8 per cent. below the average, but probably does not differ materially from that of last year. We should put it at 14,891,000 bushels, or 98 per cent. of the crop of 1873.

Oats are very nearly an average crop in quantity, a larger acreage than usual having been devoted to them. In New England and on the Pacific coast the yield was very large and the quality excellent. In the central and Southern States, drought, rust, the chinch-bugs, and the grasshoppers, have done extensive injury to the crop. The estimate of the Agricultural Department is 240,000,000 bushels, which is probably very near the truth.

Barley. This crop, though early in the season reported as slightly below the average, has yet, from increased acreage, been probably larger in amount than in any previous year. The Agricultural Department estimate it (probably slightly below the truth) at 32,704,000 bushels, or 1 per cent. advance on the largest previous crop.

Buckwheat is never a very large crop, and is confined to a few States.. In New England it was an average crop; in the Middle States about 8 per cent. short; in the Northwest its condition was unsatisfactory; and in portions of Kansas the grasshoppers destroyed it. It is only cultivated, in the Southern States, in West Virginia, Tennessee, and very slightly in North Carolina, and in these it was a fair crop. It is seldom grown for two successive years on the same land. The yield may possibly reach 9,000,000 bushels.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).In New England the crop was more than an average. Elsewhere drought, Colorado beetles, chinchbugs, a fly, said to be a cantharis, and, above all, the grasshoppers, made sad havoc with the crop, except on the Pacific coast, where it was an average crop. The rot was not as severe as usual. The crop is estimated at 106,000,000 bushels. The Colorado beetle (the ten-lined spearman) has appeared in considerable numbers east of the Mississippi, and a few have been seen in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Potatoes, Sweet (Batatus edulis).—Owing to the drought, the crop was from 8 to 10 per cent. below the average. It probably reached 46,000,000 bushels.

Hay. The protracted drought materially injured the pasturage, and rendered the early feeding of cattle necessary, and prevented in most sections the cutting of the aftermath, but the first growth was not affected, and the quality was, for the most part, excellent. The Agricultural Department estimate the crop at 25,500,000 tons; and later reports may show that it exceeded this amount. On the Pacific

coast, where our ordinary grasses do not succeed well, the hay is mostly from alfalfa, lu- cerne, and the wild-rice. The quantity in California was said to be one-third larger than ever before. The alfalfa is cut four or five times in a season. In the South, pea-vine hay has been found very nutritious for cattle, and in South Carolina and Georgia is largely cured.

Tobacco. The tobacco-crop in all the leading tobacco States, was almost a failure. In Kentucky the product was reported as only 24 per cent. of the usual average; in Missouri 55 per cent., and this reduced late in the season by the ravages of the chinch-bug, a new enemy; in Virginia, the product would not exceed 58 per cent.: Tennessee yields only 19 per cent., and North Carolina but 54 per cent. The seed-leaf tobacco of the Connecticut Valley did better, yielding 75 per cent.; and the Pacific coast, where it is becoming an important crop, was 2 or 3 per cent. above the average in quantity, and the quality was excellent. The entire production did not probably exceed 200,000,000 pounds.

Cotton. As usual, the aggregate amount of the cotton-crop of 1874 has been hotly and somewhat angrily discussed; one party contending that the early heavy rains, the later droughts, the ravages of the caterpillar and boll-worm had reduced the crop so much, that it would not be half that of the previous year, which slightly exceeded, according to actual returns, 4,100,000 bales; the other arguing that, notwithstanding these drawbacks, the weather, late in the season, had been so very favorable, and the cultivation of the crop so much more careful and thorough than usual, that the crop would not vary more than 8 or 10 per cent. from that of the preceding year. The views of the latter party seem to have been justified by the returns so far as they have been received, and the estimate of the crop, which places it at 3,748,000 bales, is not, probably, far from the truth. The only States in which there was any considerable falling off from the product of the preceding year were -Texas, about 12 per cent.; Arkansas, over 35 per cent; and Tennessee, about 38 per cent. On the other hand, Florida had increased her production about 7 per cent. over the previous year, while South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, were but slightly, if at all, below the previous year's production.

The following table, giving the average number of pounds of ginned cotton produced to the acre in 1870, 1871, 1873, and 1874, indicates, even in the States having the highest average, either that the cotton-land had become impoverished by the constant repetition of the same crop, or that the lack of manure and of careful tillage had reduced the yield far below its fair and legitimate amount. At the same time it is but just to say that there are some indications of a determination to improve both in the quality and quantity of the crop. Still the fact