openness of ritualists indicated that the tendencies of the times were operating to hasten the termination of the existing connection between the civil power and ecclesiastical bodies. As Parliament was asked to relieve the clergy in connection with local taxation, it might become necessary to resist financial charges which would practically further endow the established Church at public expense. During the past year a Churchman's Liberation League had been established. A resolution was adopted calling upon the friends of religious liberty to decide without delay on an educational policy to be pressed upon the constituencies and upon the next Liberal administration. The year's income of the society had been £4,836, and the expenditure £4,402.

The Church Reform League. The first report of the Church Reform League, which was presented at the annual meeting, May 10, covers only six months. It represented that substantial progress had been made in advancing the purposes of the organization. The membership was increasing rapidly, and nearly half of the present 800 members were clergymen. As to future action the council advised the concentration of all efforts on getting a short enabling act through Parliament which would "set the Church free to exercise her inherent right of constitutional self-government, subject to the control of the Crown, and in all matters of legislation subject also to the veto of Parliament." The Church could thus gradually effect all needful reforms itself, especially those connected with the position of the laity, discipline, patronage, and finance. A letter was read at the public meeting of the league from Mr. Gladstone expressing his sympathy and approval in the tentative efforts for the gradual enlargement of self-governing power in the Church, and adding: "I am far from sorry to have belonged in 1853 to the Cabinet of Lord Aberdeen which gave to Convocation its first installment of free action, a gift which had been refused by Mr. Walpole on behalf of the Government of Lord Derby in 1852. Viewing this, with other Church matters, as a whole, I am astonished at the progress made in the last fifty years, and am confident that many a 'convert' would have been arrested on the brink of his change could he have been endowed with a prophetic vision of what was to come. It also excites a lively thankfulness to observe that all this progress has been attended with a marked improvement of feeling as between Churchmen and nonconformists."

The Church Association.-The chief proposals of the scheme of Church reform recommended by the council of the Church Association contemplate, the readjustment of the incomes of the dignitaries and inferior clergy on a fairer basis than at present, and amendment of the mode of appointment of the bishops; that the Church should take part in the election of its chief pastors, and the bishop's veto should be abolished. The scheme aims at securing deprivation instead of imprisonment of clergy for disobedience, greater equality in incomes, with compulsory retirement for gross scandal, immorality, or incapacity, and provision of liberal pensions for long service and old age. It advises that the election of church wardens be restored to the parishioners and their number increased according to the size of the parish. All requisites for services should be provided by them alone. And either of them should have power to remove ornaments introduced without a faculty. It proposes that parishioners should have a veto on all appointments of parochial clergy, and the laity should have a legal franchise secured to them; that power to form parochial councils be given to the parishioners; that no change be made in the services without approval

of the parochial council; that sales of benefices by auction and sales of next presentation be abolished; that a diocesan patronage board be formed and all Crown patronage be exercised by and with its advice; that parishioners should have power to purchase advowsons of their own parish; that the freehold of the fabrics be vested in the incumbent and church wardens for the time being, but only as trustees for the parish, dereliction of duty to be a violation of trust; that the finances be controlled by the incumbent and the church wardens jointly under the direction of the parochial council; that convocation be reformed so as to secure a true representation of both clergy and laity, thus constituting a national council; and that the ecclesiastical courts be fused into the high court of justice and their procedure be assimilated to that of the civil courts.

A memorial addressed by this association to the Queen, bearing the signatures of 86,876 women, asked her Majesty when selecting future bishops to confer her patronage on those who are opposed to the efforts being made to revive the confessional and to restore the sacrifice of the mass, which her Majesty on her accession to the throne publicly declared to be both "superstitious and idolatrous." Church Defense.-The Church Committee for Church Defense and Church Instruction was formed in the autumn of 1896 by the amalgamation of the Church Defense Institution and the Central Church Committee. The work of education and organization performed previous to the union by these two bodies is now continued and carried on by the amalgamated body, which, with the assistance of the diocesan and other local committees, is endeavoring to extend the field of its operations throughout the whole of England and Wales. The receipts of the two bodies during 1896 amounted, including two special gifts of £2,000 and £1,200 respectively, to £12,548, while the expenditure was 13,289. The work of the societies proceeded without interruption through the negotiations for union during the whole year. The general committee, at its annual meeting, April 6, by resolution, reaffirmed the necessity for continued and extensive organization in defense of the Church and of the dissemination of information among all classes as to its origin, history, and work. The Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the meeting in reference to methods in which boys could be taught and encouraged to learn concerning Church matters.

Home Reunion Society.-The report of the Home Reunion Society, presented in June, represented that there were many signs of an advance toward that outward unity which must eventually be accomplished. Wherever social barriers had been removed a more friendly response was now assured in all communications with Nonconformists. Avoidance of overlapping in the mission field was also mentioned as a means of promoting a better understanding.

Christian Knowledge Society.-At the general meeting of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, Oct. 5, grants amounting to £4,944 were voted for the building of 39 churches and schools in Canada, British Columbia, the West Indies, South Africa, Mid-China, Australia, New Zealand, etc.; for scholarships for the training of Canadians for holy orders and for studentships for Christian girls in India; also £1,000 for an endowment fund for clergy in the poor diocese of Algoma, and £2,000 for the maintenance of the medical work of the society in India. Grants of publications were made for various institutions at home and abroad, the aggregate value of which was placed at £1,158.

Church-of-England Temperance Society.-A letter addressed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of Chichester, Chairman of the Church-of-England Temperance Society, to the clergymen of England, commended the society and the temperance cause, inviting them to form branches of the society in their several parishes, and earnestly asking them "to consider the question and see whether it may not help at any rate some of your people to a higher and better life if they can find assistance to overcome what may perchance be a besetting sin. If not an adult branch, perhaps you can establish a Band of Hope. The training of the young in habits of temperance (selfcontrol) is of the greatest importance to the future well-being of the nation, and this can be best accomplished, at any rate as regards drink, by means of the Band of Hope. We would only urge you not to pass the matter by as one of no importance. It is the experience of most parish priests who have tried it that organized temperance work is the greatest possible help to a due discharge of the spiritual functions committed to them."

Ministry of Women in the Church.—A conference on the organization of women ministries in the Church was held at the Church House, Westminster, July 21, the Bishop of St. Andrew's presiding. The chairman referred to the great influence exercised by women in the present day, and said it was recognized by thoughtful men of every school as one of the leading ideas of the nineteenth century. Canon Body gave an address on "Woman's Place in the Church," and the Bishop of Grahamstown followed with one on "The Sisterhood Life." The Bishop of Stepney said that he favored the suggestion that deaconesses should hold a high position as ministers of the Church, and he was disposed to support the taking of vows.

The Right of Public Meeting.-The Rev. H. L. Young, rector of St. John's Church, Portsea, having been advertised to take part in a public meeting in connection with the Portsmouth and South Hants Protestant Association, the Bishop of Winchester addressed him a letter deploring the fact of his choosing such an occasion and mode of action to protest against ritualism in the Church of England. Mr. Young replied, admitting his intention to participate in the meeting, and explaining that the Baptist chapel was chosen merely as a matter of convenience, and expressed surprise at the bishop's writing on such a matter, seeing that he was acting within the civil and religious liberty given him by the Crown. As regarded the lay members of the Church of England, it was a pure assumption on the part of the bishop to imagine that he could in any way restrict their liberty of public meeting. It was also surprising that the bishop could have written to him, as he not only could tolerate in the parish of Cosham, where the meeting was about to be held, the most shameful ritualistic practices and lawlessness, but similar proceedings took blace in other churches of his diocese. Recently, at a confirmation service at St. Agatha's, the bishop had taken part in a procession and was preceded by acolytes with lighted torches, thus not merely aiding lawlessness, but treating with contempt the decisions of her Majesty's judges. The writer concluded by saying that if the bishop had kept his episcopal contract with the realm to banish strange and erroneous doctrines contrary to God's word, there would be no occasion for him to address the meeting at Cosham or for the bishop to write him a letter criticising him for so doing. Mr. Young attended the meeting and addressed it, denouncing ritualistic practices in the Church. The Rev. T. Stringer, vicar of Christ Church, Potsdown, who had re

ceived a similar letter from the bishop, also attended the meeting.

Defense of Anglican Orders.-The reply of the archbishops to the circular of the Pope denying the validity of Anglican orders was published as a general letter, March 8. The archbishops begin by speaking of the serious nature of the duty imposed upon them as "one which can not be discharged without a certain deep and strong emotion. But, since we firmly believe that we have been truly ordained by the Chief Shepherd to bear a part of his tremendous office in the Catholic Church, we are not at all disturbed by the opinion expressed in that letter." They then point out that, with respect to the form and matter of holy orders, "it is impossible to find any tradition on the subject coming from our Lord or his apostles, except the well-known example of prayer with laying on of hands, and that little is to be found bearing on this matter in the decrees of provincial councils, and nothing certain or decisive in those of ecumenical and general assemblies. Nor, indeed, does the Council of Trent, in which our fathers took no part, touch the subject directly." The whole judgment of the Pope, the answer continues, "hinges on two points-namely, on the practice of the court of Rome and the form of the Anglican rite, to which is attached a third question, not easy to separate from the second, on the intention of our Church. We will answer at once about the former, though it is, in our opinion, of less importance. As regards the practice of the Roman court and legate in the sixteenth century, although the Pope writes at some length, we believe he is really as uncertain as ourselves. We see that he has nothing to add to the documents which are already well known." Certain documents cited by the Pope and their bearings are reviewed, and the archbishops acknowledge with the Pope that the laying on of hands is the matter of ordination; that the form is prayer or blessing appropriate to the ministry to be conferred; "that the intention of the Church, as far as it is externally manifested, is to be ascertained, so that we may discover if it agrees with the mind of our Lord and his apostles and with the statutes of the universal Church. We do not, however," they add, "attach so much weight to the doctrine... that each of the sacraments of the Church ought to have a single form and matter exactly defined, nor do we suppose that this is a matter of faith with the Romans." Baptism stands alone as a sacrament in being quite certain both in its form and its matter; and as to confirmation, "if the doctrine about a fixed matter and form in the sacraments were admitted, the Romans have administered confirmation imperfectly, and the Greeks have none." Responding to that part of the Pope's bull that deals with the question of intention, the archbishops show and maintain that "if, according to the Pope's suggestion, our fathers of the year 1550 and after went wrong in the form by omitting the name of bishop they must have gone wrong in company of the modern Roman Church," and quote words immediately following in the ordinal which are used by St. Paul in reference, they believe, to the consecration of Timothy as bishop as sufficiently meeting the purpose. "The form of ordering a presbyter employed among us in 1550 and afterward was equally appropriate. . . . The two commissions taken together include everything essential to the Christian priesthood, and, in our opinion, exhibit it more clearly than is done in the sacramentaries and pontificals." When, in 1662, the addition for the office and work of a priest "was made, it would not seem to have been done in view of the Roman controversy, but in order to enlighten

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the Presbyterians, who were trying to find a ground for their opinions in our prayer book," the Church of England's debate then being much more severe with them and other innovators than it was with the Romans. In answer to other assertions of the Pope against the intentions of the Church, the archbishops quote the title of the ordinal of 1552, which ran, The fourme and maner of makynge and consecratynge Bishoppes, Priestes, and Deacons," and the words of the preface enlarging this phrase and emphasizing its meaning as quite clearly setting forth that intention "to keep and continue these offices which come down from the earliest times, and reverently to use and esteem them' in the sense, of course, in which they were received from the apostles, and had been up to that time in use." The argument is closed with a reiteration of the charge that in overthrowing the English orders by the denial of their validity in the shape in which he has made it the Pope "overthrows all his own, and pronounces sentence on his own Church." Finally, the archbishops declare themselves equally zealous with the Pope in their devotion to peace and unity in the Church. We acknowledge that the things which our brother Pope Leo XIII has written from time to time in other letters are sometimes very true and always written with a good will. For the difference and debate between us and him arises from a diverse interpretation of the self-same Gospel which we all believe and honor as the only true one. We also gladly declare that there is much in his own person that is worthy of love and reverence. But that error, which is inveterate in the Roman communion, of substituting the visible head for the invisible Christ will rob his good works of any fruit of peace. Join with us, then, we entreat you, most reverend brethren, in weighing patiently what Christ intended when he established the ministry of his Gospel. When this has been done more will follow as God wills in his own good time."

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Many protests were uttered against the tenor of this letter and the point of view from which the question was regarded in it by persons and societies maintaining Protestant principles. The National Club Association and the Protestant Reformation Society issued a declaration that (1) "while holding firmly the validity of the orders of the Church of England, we yet unhesitatingly maintain that her ministers are simply presbyters and not priests; (2) that the statements put forth by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in reply to the papal bull concerning Anglican orders on the subject of the priesthood' and 'the eucharistic sacrifice,' as well as on other points, are not in harmony with the doctrine of the Church of England, as set forth in the articles, liturgy, and ordinal; and we record, therefore, our solemn and deliberate protest against these statements as being nothing more than private and unauthorized opinions of the two archbishops; (3) that, as a matter of fact, neither sacrificing priest, altar, nor propitiatory sacrifice is to be found in the legal standards of our Church, which embody only the Protestant Reformed religion established by law'; and further (4), that we deprecate any attempt on the part of individual bishops to negotiate terms of communion with foreign churches."

The Committee of the Irish Church Missions in June unanimously adopted a minute concerning the letter, in which they expressed themselves constrained, with the deepest sorrow, to declare it to be as a whole, both in matter and tone, unworthy of the Protestant and Reformed Church of England. That it should have emanated from the two archbishops of the Church is, in the opinion of the committee, a fact of solemn and portentous signifi

cance in view of the prevalence of sacramentarian and sacerdotal teaching. The committee feel it to be incumbent upon them to record their solemn protest against the unscriptural views advanced by the archbishops on the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, as well as the attempt to claim for clergymen of the English Church the position and functions of sacrificing priests-a dogma absolutely without sanction in the standards of the Church or in Scripture, and in support of which an attempt is made to minimize the significance of the changes made in the ordinal at the Reformation."

A letter addressed by the council of the National Church Union, in June, to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, expressed the reasons of that body for being unable to agree with certain statements contained in the answer. After discussion of the points of the letter in detail, the letter concludes: "The council regard it as a reason of profound regret that your lordships have not in these particulars adopted the interpretation of the formularies of the Church of England followed by the great body of her leading divines ever since the Reformation, and which would have commanded the cordial support of every loyal Churchman. The adoption, on the contrary, of an interpretation in favor only with an extreme and comparatively modern school of theologians can not but further increase our present unhappy divisions, while any attempts to render such an interpretation authoritative would rend the Church in twain. It is with the utmost regret that the council are constrained to dissent from statements publicly set forth by the archbishops of their Church; and they trust that your grace will accept their assurance that nothing but the most solemn sense of responsibility to God and the Church would have induced them to undertake this painful duty."

A petition addressed to the Queen, in July, by the Church Association, invited her Majesty's attention "to the recent public action of their Graces the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in taking upon themselves to address the heads of the corrupt Latin and Greek Churches, thereby claiming independent authority to speak in the name of the established Church of this country, and also to the fact that they have attempted to justify their action by misquoting the legalized formularies of our Church, while adducing, as authoritative, documents which have no official character." The memorialists prayed that the Queen would, in accordance with her coronation oath, be pleased to maintain the Protestant faith within the realm, and to require explanation from the archbishops as to their unauthorized action in thus encroaching upon the royal prerogative.

Convocations of Canterbury and York.-In the Convocation of Canterbury the upper and lower houses, at the meeting in January, agreed upon provisions to be recommended for enlarging the representation of the clergy by increasing the number of proctors. The upper house unanimously requested the archbishop to take such steps as were necessary for elucidating or amending the use now observed in confirming the election of bishops. The president (archbishop) on presentation of this petition to him intimated that the house had decided that it was not the business of convocation to deal with that matter, and that therefore the petition could not be received. On this subject the House of Laymen unanimously resolved that the form of confirmation of bishops as recently carried out should be altered so as, on the one hand, to prevent the scandal of calling for opponents and then refusing to hear them, and, on the other hand, to safeguard the Church of England in the appointment of fit persons to her bishop

rics. A resolution adopting the scheme of the Clergy Central Sustentation fund as the Church's memorial of the Queen's reign was adopted by both the upper and lower houses. The subject of the marriage laws, with special reference to the conflict as to some points between the civil and the ecclesiastical laws, was considered in the upper and lower houses. The House of Laymen resolved to approve any bill that would place limitations on the transfer and exercise of patronage, and would provide safeguards against the institution to benefices of men not fit to be incumbents, while it should protect both patron and presentee from possible injustice by insuring full trial before a competent and final tribunal, and which should provide against gross neglect of duty.

At the meeting of the convocation, May 11, the archbishop spoke in the upper house of the voluntary schools act, in respect, first, of the area of the association created by it. The education department were not prepared to accept a small area, and would prefer to deal with associations embracing not fewer than 200 schools. This pointed to the diocese constituting the area of the association, and it was of very grave importance that diocesan associations be established as soon as possible. The department would allow coaptation to the governing board, and that would enable them to include on the board those officers of the Church whom they would all like to see connected with the management of such associations-such, for example, as the bishop, the archdeacons, and the proctors in convocation. It would be a great gain if these associations should in time become the educational authorities of the Church. On the question of what schools should be admitted to the associations, the archbishop's opinion was very decidedly that they should be Church of England schools only. The Roman Catholics would refuse to join any such associations, even if they were invited to do so. The Wesleyans were contemplating the formation of associations, and those who preferred undenominational education would doubtless form their own. It was best they should do so. The archbishop also mentioned the formation of a secondary educational council to be constituted in accordance with the terms of a report presented to both houses in July, 1896. Had such a council been in existence before, the Welsh intermediate educational act would probably never have been passed.

Resolutions were adopted commending the formation of parish councils as a thing that would tend to quicken the life and strengthen the work of the Church; and advising that the initiative in forming such councils should rest in the incumbent, subject to the approval of the bishop, and that they should consist of the church wardens and duly appointed sidesmen, together with elected councilors. In view of legislation for enforcing retirement on the clergy, an inquiry was recommended whether a scheme of adequate pensions could not be provided which should not diminish the income of the benefices vacated, and whether the principle and organization of the Clergy Pensions Institution might not be adopted in any such scheme with advantage to the Church.

The lower house expressed its approval of the benefices bill before Parliament, with the qualification that it should be made clear that power is given in the bill to a commission to enforce the attendance of witnesses and to examine them upon oath. It asked the archbishop and the upper house to consider whether any and, if so, what steps could be taken by the Church to recognize teachers of its own communion "desirous of such recognition as holders of a spiritual calling and to create a closer bond of union among all such teachers." Another VOL. XXXVII.-2 A

resolution requested the archbishop to appoint a joint committee on special prayers and services. The House of Laymen in May adopted a vote of thanks to the archbishop" for vindicating the position and rights of the Church of England and defending the Auglican communion in the recent encyclical letter addressed by his Grace and the Archbishop of York to the bishops of the Catholic Church." A report was adopted on the increase of the episcopate proposing the foundation of four new dioceses, and in connection with it a resolution "that no arrangement of the sees in and near London can be regarded as satisfactory or final which does not fully recognize the responsibility of the metropolis for the spiritual need of those populations belonging to it but living beyond its borders." A report on the conditions under which religious instruction should be imparted to the children of Church parents recommended that action be set on foot in each diocese to charge, if possible, some existing diocesan organization with the duty of caring for the interests of Church children in reformatory and industrial schools, and that steps be taken to inform the minds and rouse the consciences of churchmen on the subject.

The house by resolution expressed its opinion that "the Church of England should, saving the supremacy of the Crown and subject to the veto of Parliament, have freedom for self-regulation by means of reformed convocations, with the assistance, in matters other than the definition or interpretation of the faith and doctrine of the Church, of a representative body or bodies of the faithful laity."

In the Convocation of York, the House of Laymen, April 27, besides various expressions respecting voluntary schools and concerning the benefices bill and the Queen Victoria Clergy Sustentation fund, unanimously passed a vote of thanks to the archbishop "for the vindication of the rights of the clergy of England and the defense of the Anglican communion, contained in the recent encyclical letter addressed by his Grace and the Archbishop of Canterbury to all the bishops of the Catholic Church."

The Convention of York, at its meeting in June, adopted a resolution urging measures to check the spread of contagious diseases among the soldiers in India; also a resolution recommending the inclusion in any measures for the compulsory retirement of incapacitated incumbents, of provisions for dealing on similar lines with incapacitated bishops, deans, archdeacons, and canons. A remedy was demanded for the injuries occasioned to tithe owners by the operation of the agricultural land-rating act, 1896.

The Lambeth Conference.-One hundred and ninety-nine bishops accepted the invitation to attend the Lambeth Conference. A reference to the numbers at former conferences shows that there has been a steady and marked increase since the first Lambeth Conference was held. Thus in 1867 76 bishops accepted the invitation of Archbishop Longley "to meet together for brotherly counsel and encouragement." The second conference was held in 1878 at the invitation of Archbishop Tait, which was accepted by 108 bishops, of whom 100 were able to attend. The third conference, which took place in 1888, was summoned by Archbishop Benson, and was attended by 145 bishops.

The devotional services which had been arranged for the opening day of the conference were held June 30, beginning with the celebration of the holy communion at Lambeth Palace Chapel. On July 1 an evening service was held at Westminster Abbey, with a sermon by the Archbishop of York. On July 3 the bishops visited Ebb's Fleet, Isle of

showed a large gain over the collections made for the year previous, the total collections for the year ended amounting to $22,000 more than the foregoing year. The following figures were given as the collections: Miscellaneous, $5,617.05; beer, $33,638.14; spirit tax, $68,718.55; cigars, manufactured tobacco, and snuff, $21,301.89; special privilege tax, $29,721.62; total collections, $159,001.23. The total gain was larger than ever before. Commerce. The annual review of the trade of the port of Mobile, published by the "Register," showed that the exports for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897, were $10,131,189, against $6,995,127 for the previous year-an increase of 45 per cent. The greatest increases were in the timber and lumber trade, and in the exports of cotton (foreign), the exports in cotton being 306,639 bales, against 209,944 the previous year. The statement was made that but for the lack of room in steamers the exports of cotton would have been very much larger. Cotton equal in amount to the above increase had to be refused by the steamship lines; but arrangements were being made for additional steamers. The total foreign exports of lumber amounted to 68,000,000 superficial feet, an increase of 10,000,000 feet, which increase was about the same as was noted the previous year. There were exported 1.066,528 cubic feet of hewed and 7,070,215 cubic feet of sawed timber, of the latter about 6,500,000 feet going to the United Kingdom. The total lumber exports, foreign and coast wise, was 71,228,574 feet; the total of lumber and timber in superficial feet was 209,738,490 against 162,403,106. In shingles and hard wood there was considerable increase. The receipts of grain at the port were 4,220,955 bushels, against 2,331,871 the previous year, and there were exported 2.807,225 bushels, showing that the exports of grain for the year were greater than the receipts of the year previous. The exports of flour were 20,451 barrels, and of cotton-seed meal 36,780 sacks. For the first time in her history Mobile exported pig iron from the Birmingham furnaces, the exports amounting to 52,000 tons. The Central American business of the port showed considerable increase, the Plant line handling 56,394 tons against 37,600 tons the previous year. There was a falling off in vegetable shipments from truck gardens of about $9,000 in value. The wool business reached 225,000 pounds, an increase of 50,000 over the previous year, and an increase in value of $15,000. There were imported 2,067,755 bunches of bananas, against 1,887,059 bunches the previous year, and the imports of cocoanuts were 3,405,425 against 3,398.714 the year before. Many improvements were made in wharf facilities during the year, representing about $150,000 in value. These improvements, made by the Mobile and Ohio and the Mobile and Birmingham Railroads, will, when fully completed, double the capacity for loading steamships. The financial condition of the city was reported better than it had been for twenty years. The amount of cash on hand to the credit of the city Aug. 1 was $55,453, an increase of $24,779 over the previous year. Industries. The output of coal in 1896 was 5,743,697 tons; in 1897, about 6,000,000 tons. The total amount of coal dug every day in Jefferson County alone amounted to about 19,000 tons.

The most important discovery made in the Birmingham district since it was ascertained some years ago that Alabama coal could be coked, came to light at Leeds, where a rich vein of high-grade brown iron ore was found, 10 to 40 feet below the surface and about 10 feet thick. Forty openings were made, and in all but 3 apparently continuous leads of brown ore were exposed. It had been thought that this quality of ore existed only in

pockets and small deposits in the State. This ore analyzed from 49 to 52 per cent. of pure iron and is especially easy to flux, thus rendering it equivalent to 60-per-cent. ores.

The first run of steel by the open-hearth basic process was made July 23 at the new 60-ton steel mill of the Birmingham Rolling Mill Company. The process was the same by which low silicon pig iron, made in that district, of Alabama red ore, by the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company, was converted into steel at Pittsburg and Chicago. By the middle of August the Birmingham mill began regularly to use this new steel in all its departments. Theretofore steel billets had been brought from Pittsburg to be rolled in the plate and rod mills of that company. The company found a ready sale for all its product. In August 14 furnaces were in blast in the Birmingham district, making 2,700 tons of iron daily.

In March a rich bed of lead ore was discovered in the vicinity of New Market, analysis of which showed enough silver to pay for the working, aside from the large percentage of pure lead. On another tract in the same section was found a four-foot seam of coal. A company was organized to develop these fields.

Education.-The State has established 23 institutions of learning, putting at least one in each congressional district. There appears to be evidence of a general educational revival in the State, and schools, from the lowest to the highest, are reported as having been uncommonly prosperous. The State Normal College, at Troy, reports 761 students, State appropriation $5,000, total income $11,479, value of property $22,500; the State normal school at Florence, 310 students, State appropriation $7,500, total income $14,116, value of property $55,000; the State normal school at Jacksonville, 230 students, State appropriation $2,500, total income $4,906, value of property $10,250; the Normal College for Girls, at Livingston, 138 students, State appropriation $2,500, value of property $15,000; the Girls' Industrial School, at Montevallo, 350 pupils, State appropriation $15,000, value of property $35,000. Following is a report of colored schools: Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School, 1,072 pupils; total income, $124,723; of which amount $77,114 was used for current expenses, and the remainder went into new buildings; value of property, $30,000. Normal school at Montgomery, 930 students; total income, $13,000; value of property, $30,000. Agricultural and Mechanical College at Normal, 400 students; total income, $30.896.

Railroads.-Associate Railroad Commissioner Ross C. Smith reported the mileage of railroads in active operation in the State at 3,625 miles, representing a taxable valuation of $45,496,602, and furnishing employment to 14,000 men. Less than 170 miles were in the hands of receivers, while four years prior more than half of the mileage was forced into bankruptcy. The Commissioner says that "the disappearance of receiverships, and as a result the reorganization of these once insolvent roads, establishes the confidence of capitalists in the ultimate success of our railroad property and in the further development of our State resources." The gross tonnage of railroads in the State for the year reviewed was given at 11,453,443 tons, and the sum of $2,274,215 was spent in improving the physical condition of the railroads.

Legislative Session.-One of the few important laws passed by the Legislature was that establishing a tax commission. Concerning this law, to which there was considerable opposition, the Governor is quoted as saying: “The question that confronted the General Assembly was, how to meet a