ed families that the Church can claim are diligently looked after without fee or reward, by one of our most tried and faithful presbyters, as a voluntary missionary. With the extreme discour agement of having no place of worship provided for him except at his own expense, or prepared for use except with the labor of his own hands, and of seeing the ruins of the places which the piety of our forefathers erected to the honor of the LORD lying desolate and daily wasting under the dilapidations of the weather and wanton depredation, this true hearted servant of our Master goes on his way unwearied, teaching and praying with and for the one or two whom he can gather now and then to join in the long disused and well nigh forgotten strains of devotion which once made vocal the now tottering ruins of the noble church of St. John's and the grass-grown site of the still nobler church that was sacrilegiously destroyed at Hunting Creck. Under the guidance of Mr. Goldsborough, I officiated once at Denton in the Lyceum; at Hillsborough once in the Academy, and once in the Methodist meeting house and once in the Presbyterian meeting house. On the latter occasion it was my privilege to admit to the holy rite of confirmation and to his first participation of the Supper of his LORD a venerable son of the Church, who after having borne a stainless character among his neighbors and associates and filled the highest representative offices in their gift, has been called to his rest full of days, not long after his earnest hopes and desires of many years had been crowned by receiving the scals of the communion of the Catholic Church, in which, as well as in the confidence of a certain faith, the comfort of a reasonable, religious and holy hope, and perfect charity with the world, he had longed to be gathered to his fathers, when his hour should

come.

In Carrol county, I have visited the Parishes of the Holy Trinity and the Ascension; in Cecil county, St. Augustine's, St. Mary Anne's and St. Stephen's Parishes and Trinity Church, Elkton; in Charles county, Durham, Port Tobacco, Trinity, and William

ADDRESS OF THE BISHOP.

and Mary Parishes; in the District of Columbia, the Parishes of John's, the Epiphany, and the Ascension, Washington; and St. John's Parish, and Christ Church, Georgetown; in Dorchester county, Great Choptank and Vienna Parishes; in Harford county, St. John's and St. George's Parishes, and Christ Church, Rock Spring; in Kent county, Chester, St. Paul's and Shrewsbury Par ishes; in Prince George's county, St. John's, St. Matthew's, St. Paul's, Queen Anne's and Zion Parishes, the Parish of the Holy Trinity, and Trinity Church, Upper Marlborough; in Queen Anne county, Christ Church, St. Luke's, and St. Paul's Parishes; in St. Mary's county, All Faith, King and Queen, St. Andrew's, and William and Mary Parishes; in Somerset county, Coventry, Somerset, Spring Hill and Stepney Parishes, and Grace Church, Hungary Neek; in Talbot county, St. Michael's and St. Peter's Parishes; in Washington county, St. John's Parish, St. Andrew's Church, Clear Spring, St. Paul's Church, Sharpsburg, and St. Thomas's Church, Hancock; and in Worcester county, All Hallows', St. John's, and Worcester Parishes.

From this inspection of nine-tenths of the diocese, made under circumstances greatly varying, in quite a large proportion of instances made more than once at intervals sufficient for recollec tion and recognition of points most worthy of observation, I have derived the general impressions concerning the prosperity of the Church among us that have been already stated. As I am disposed to claim that prosperity as, under the benignant Providence of God, mainly the result of the system pursued in the administration of the diocese, it may not be improper to state a few particulars of the comparison of its present condition with that which it exhibited seven years ago.

In 1840 seventy-three clergymen were reported as belonging to the diocese; on my taking charge I found seventy-two; there are now one hundred and seventeen, an addition of very nearly five-sevenths. At the opening of the Convention of 1840, there were five candidates for Orders in the diocese, there are now sev

enteen. Nine parishes and eleven congregations beside those now applicants for leave to organize or for admission to union, have been formed and recognized since 1840. Of these, all in which the views and principles of the major part of the diocese. are heartily responded to and thoroughly carried out, are selfsupporting and provided with ministerial services. The weakly parishes and congregations, almost without exception, are those in which there are or have been traceable deficiences in instruction or practice as regards the nature, ministry and polity of the Church of CHRIST, and departures more or less wide from the system of faith and worship enjoined, inculcated or implied in the Book of Common Prayer. Fourteen parishes associated in pairs under seven rectors in 1840, and having, of course, only alternate Sunday Services and not always those, now enjoy the separate minis. tries and weekly ministrations of fourteen resident pastors. Fourteen churches have, since 1840, been built from the foundation, and because entirely paid for, consecrated. Two others have been restored from a state of ruin, four others from one of greater or less dilapidation. Nine in process of erection at that date, have been completed and consecrated; three having never before been consecrated, have been so after material repairs; and two, formerly consecrated, were dedicated anew after great enlargement and repair-in all thirty-four consecrations of churches in the seven years in question-about one fourth of all in the diocese. The communicants reported in 1840 were 4228, those of 1839 having been 4158. 6346 were reported to last Convention, being an increase of considerably more than half. So the adult baptisms of 1839 were 40 (those of 1837 and IS3S having been 28 and 27;) those of 1846 were 73, 1845 having reported 53. The increase of infant baptisms, as might be expected, is in smaller proportion,-from 1416 in 1839 to 1679 last year. All these comparisons prove the reality of the growth of the Church in the last seven years; it is a growth that has been steadily going

on, pervading, in a nearly equal ratio, all its various administra tions.

A review of the counties of the state would exhibit a similar result. In every county, without exception, the improvement is more or less obvious; and I give, as the product of deliberate and careful examination, with reference to that very point, my decided opinion, capable of substantiation with an abundant array of evidence, that the improvement is manifest, with few exceptions, in proportion as the distinctive principles of the Church have been brought fully out in the teaching and practice of the ministry. It is very true that reports and tables can only exhibit the surface working of the Church: and that an increase shown by figures might be the result of an increasing laxity in discipline and formalism in profession. But such I fearlessly assert, has not been the case, so far as human judgment may decide, in Maryland. There was never more strictness generally prevalent in the scrutiny of persons admitted to the ordinances, in their preparation for them, in the vigilance exercised over the members of the flock both old and young, than now. Never have the people of our parishes and congregations been more sedulously looked after, more diligently taught, more faithfully led to CHRIST, and nurtured in the Gospel, than they are at this present time. I am assured of an echo to this declaration from the hearts and voices of the laity throughout our borders. As one man they will bear me witness that the trumpet of the Gospel gives no uncertain sound in the Church in Maryland, and that her children are arrayed in battle against the spiritual foe by no traitorous, ignorant, or craven-spirited leaders. Our progress, such as it is, is real-subject to the drawbacks and allowances that are called for in all the estimates of the state and prospects of the visible Church, in any of its branches, but, to none other-outward, but, we may humbly hope, with a due proportion of the accomplishment of the inward and blessed ends to the increase of the out ward and subsidiary means.

On no feature in the improving condition of the diocese may we dwell with more fervent gratitude for what has been already attained, or more exhilarating hopes of future blessings, than on the progress of measures for the religious training of the young. We have, indeed, only begun the work. Much anxiety, much earnest labor, much willing contribution of time and money, we shall all be bound to endure and render before what has been begun can be thought to be carried out. But we have the germs of a diocesan college and diocesan schools for either sex, establised on right principles, and in a right way. To cherish and nourish them, is at once our privilege and solemn duty. That the good Providence of God has so far prospered us, as to have brought us to this stage of advancing obligations, is matter of deep thankfulness, not unmingled with earnest care to use the opportunity as we ought.

At the diocesan College of St. James I have, to my regret, been able to make only one visit during the past year: but my constant and full correspondence with its Rector and Professors, my frequent personal intercourse with many of its inmates and visiters, and the entire consent in testimony of all who have had opportunities of witnessing its condition and operations, qualify and enable me to express in the strongest terms my satisfaction with the management of the institution, with its fulfilment of the expectations entertained in its establishment, and with its promise of advantage to the diocese if adequately fostered and advanced by our united efforts. I attended the examinations of both the College and the Grammar School in July last, and was perfectly satisfied with the evidence there afforded of the thoroughness of the instruction given in every department, and of the sufficiency of the system followed for the end proposed,—to train the youth of the Church to serve GoD in their generation in any walk of life by the best use of all the faculties with which He may have been pleased to endow them. The first Commencement took place on the concluding day, and two young gentlemen