American Board of Commissioners
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OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS; COMPILED FBOM DOCUMENTS LAID BEFORE THE BOARD AT THE TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING, W H IC H W A S Held at Springfield, Mass. Sept. 19, & 20, 1821. BOSTON: CHOCKEE AMI BREWSTEE, SO. 50, COB^IIILL. 1 8 2 1 . All communications relating to the concerns o f the Board may be addressed to JEREMIAH EVARTS, Missionary Rooms, No. 69, Market Street, BOSTON. The Missionary Booms are open daily, during the hours of business. DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS Will be received at the Missionary Rooms, and by the following gentlemen; who, beside many others, have obligingly consented to act as agents of the Board, viz. Dr. Wm. G. Hooker, Middlebury, ? Vermont. Dea. Nathan Coolidge, Windsor, 5 M r. D. S. W hitney, Northampton, > l>lassachusetts. Mr. Samuel Tenney, Newburyport, 3 Henry Hudson, Esq. Hartford, } Connecticut. Timothy Dwight,Esq. New Haven, j Mr. John Sayre, City of New York, ^ Rev. David Porter, D. D. Catskill, > New York. Rev. John Frost, Whitesboro’, ^ Robert Ralston, Esq. Philadelphia. Rev. Samuel P. Robbins, Marietta, Ohio. M r. Charles B King, Louisville, Kentucky. Samuel Postlethwaite, Esq. Natchez, Mississippi. Mr. S. C Schenk, Savannah, Georgia. Donations will also be received by any member of the Board. W hen a considerable sum is to be remitted from a distance, one of the follow ing modes is recommended;—either to deposit the money in the United States Bank, any of its branches, the Mechanics’ and Farmers B a n k at Albany, the Eagle Bank at New Haven, or the Hartford Bank, to the credit of J e r e m i a h E v a r t s ; or, in the second place, to obtain a draft from some bank, or respon sible individual, payable to the order of J e r e m i a h E v a r t s . When money is deposited, the Treasurer should be immediately informed of the deposit, with the name of the depositor. If drafts on Boston cannot couvenieutly be obtained, those on other large towns will be equally acceptable. TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF TH E AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOB FOREIGN MISSIONS. The twelth annual meeting of the American Board of Commission ers for Foreign Missions, was held in Springfield, Mass. at Masons*' Hall, Sept. 19th, and 20th, 1821.— Present, T he Hon. J o h n T r e a d w e l l , LL. D. Rev. J o s e p h L y m a n , D. D. Hon. J o h n H o o k e r , Hon. J o h n C. S m it h , Rev. J e d id ia h M o r s e , D. D. Rev. A l e x a n d e r P r o u d f i t , D. D. Hon. W il l ia m R e e d , Rev. L e o n a r d W o o d s , D. D. Rev. J e r e m ia h Day, D. D. LL. D. Rev. H e n r y D avis, D . D . J e r e m ia h E v a r t s , Esq. Rev. W il l ia m A l l e n , D. D. The session was opened with prayer by the Vice President; andt on the second day, by the Rev. Dr. Woods. A letter was communicated from the Rev. Dr. Miller, of Prince ton, N. J. expressing his regret, that he was unable to attend the meeting; and, also, letters from the Rev. Josiah Pratt, of London, the Rev. Dr. Care}', of Serampore, and the Rev. T. Thomason, of Calcutta, expressing an acceptance of their appointment as Cor responding Members. The Recording Secretary being absent, Mr. Hooker was choses Recording Secretar}-, pro tern. The report of the Treasurer, for the last year, was exhibited. At 2 o’clock, P. M. the Board attended public worship, when a sermon was delivered to a numerous and highly respectable au dience, by the Rev. Dr. Morse, from Ps. ii, 8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee ihe heathen fo r thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth fo r thy possession. T he first prayer was offered by President Allen, and the concluding prayer by the Rev. Dr. Woods. T he Rev. Dr. Lyman, Mr. Reed, imd President Allen, were ap pointed a committee to present the thanks of the Board to the Rev. Dr. Morse for his sermon delivered this day, and to request a copy for the press. 4 MINUTES OF THE BOARD. President Day, Gov. Smith, and Mr. Evarts were appointed a committee to consider what measures ought to be taken to testify the respect of the Board for the memory of the Rev. Dr. Worcester, late Corresponding Secretary. The Rev. Dr. Woods, the Rev. Dr. Lyman, President Davis, President Day, and Mr. Hooker, were appointed a committee upon the subject of the vacancy in the office of Corresponding Secretary. The reading of the Annual Report of the Prudential Committee occupied the greater part of the first day. On the second day, the committee on the subject of Correspond ing Secretary reported: Whereupon, Resolved, That it is not expedient at present to elect any man as Corres ponding Secretary of this Board, with a view to his being employ ed permanently in that office; and that it be recommended, that the Treasurer be chosen Corresponding Secretary for the present year, and that he be authorized, under the direction of the Pruden tial Committee, and at the expense of the Board, to engage such assistance in the offices of Secretary and Treasurer, as shall be found necessary. The Annual Report being completed, Resolved, That the R.eport of the Prudential Committee be accepted and •approved. Whereas the Missionary Herald is published at the expense of the Board, and the profits are to be disposed of in such a manner as will most promote the interests of the Board, and of the mis sionary cause: And whereas it seems proper, that a suitable com pensation should be made from these profits for the labor bestowed upon the work by that officer of the Board, under whose superin tendence it is prepared and published: Therefore, Resolved, That Samuel H. Waller, Esq. Henry Gray, Esq. the Rev. Sereno E. Dwight, William Ropes, Esq. and Thomas Vose, Esq. be a com mittee to determine what sum shall be allowed from said profits, as a just and reasonable compensation for the labor abov emention- ed; taking into view any allowances made to the same officer of the Board for his other services, so that he shall receive, in all, no more than a fair compensation for his whole time devoted to the various concerns of the Board. Resolved, That whatever profits of the Herald shall remain, after the allow ance described in the preceding resolution shall have been paid, be vested, under the direction of the Prudential Committee, as part of the permanent fund for the support of the Corresponding Secretary. T he Rev. J o s h u a B a t e s , D. D. President of Middiebury Col lege, Vermont, S a m u e l H u b b a r d , Esq. of Boston, and the Rev. W a r r e n F a y , of Charlestown, Mass. were unanimously, by ballot, elected members of the Board. The Rev. Dr. Morse having given up his charge at Charles town, Mass. and removed to N ew Haven, Con. requested not to be MINÜTES OF THE BOARD. 5 considered as a candidate for reelection as a member of the Pru dential Committee. The Board then proceeded to the choice of the following of ficers by ballot.— T he Hon. J o h n T r e a d w e l l , LL. D. President; T he Rev. J o s e p h L y m a n , D. D. Vice President; T he Hon. W il l ia m R e e d , ' j T he Rev. L e o n a r d W o o d s , D. D. j J e r e m ia h E v a r t s , Esq. > Prudential Committee. S a m u e l H u b b a r d , E s q . a n d T h e Rev. W arren Fay, J J e r e m ia h E v a r t s , Esq. Corresponding Secretary; T he Rev. C a l v in C h a p ín , D. D. Recording Secretary: J e r e m ia h E v a r t s , E s q . Treasurer; a n d A s iiu r A d a m s , Esq. Auditor. Resolved, That any clergyman, on paying Fifty Dollars, and any lay man, on paying One Hundred Dollars, at any one time, shall have the privilege of attending the meetings of the Board, and of assist ing in its deliberations as honorary members, but without the privi lege of voting; this latter privilege being restricted by the Act of Incorporation to members elected by ballot. The Rev. Dr. Proudfit being, by previous appointment, the preacher at the next annual meeting, the Rev. Dr. Moore was chosen to preach in case of his failure. The vouchers of the Treasurer’s report were presented as complete, with the certificate of the Auditor, and the report was accepted. The committee appointed to consider what measures ought to be taken to testify the respect of the Board for the memory of the Rev.