CONNEXIONAL DEPARTMENT.

EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION CONFERENCE OF 1851.

ACCORDING to the appointment of the last Conference, held at Leeds, the Ministers, Lay-Representatives, and Guardian-Representatives, assembled in Stamford-street Chapel, Ashton-under-Lyne, on Monday, June 9th, and after the worship of God, proceeded to the transaction of business.

Question. 1. Who compose the present Conference?

Answer. William Mills, Joseph Tipping, for Ashton.

William Baggaly, James Northwood, for Birmingham.
Josiah Howard, for Blyth.

John Hall, for Boston.

Andrew Lynn, Isaac Bottomley, for Bradford.
William Tomkinson, for Burslem.

Thomas Ridge, William Roberts, for Chester.

William Reynolds, John Morgan, for Dawley Green.
Thomas Waterhouse, William Bradbury, for Derby.
James Henshaw, H. Nelson Yeomans, for Dewsbury.
William Burrows, John Raybould, for Dudley.
William Cocker, for Gateshead.

T. W. Ridley, James Moore, for Halifax.
P. T. Gilton, George Yearsley, for Hanley.
Samuel Smith, Thomas Astbury, for Hawarden.
James Stacey, William Sykes, for Huddersfield.
Thomas Scattergood, John Stather, for Hull.
William Ford, J. G. Heaps, for Leeds.
John Davies, for Liverpool.

George Hallatt, Josiah Bates, for London.

P. J. Wright, George L. Robinson, for Longton.
John Addyman, Thomas Maddock, for Macclesfield.
John Flather, Joseph Pember, for Manchester.
Simeon Woodhouse, James Cooper, for Mossley.
Thomas Boycott, J. F. Grant, for Newcastle.

John Bensley, Joseph D. Welch, for North Shields.
John Hudston, John Woollatt, for Nottingham.
Christopher Atkinson, for Ripon.

James Howarth, for Rochdale.

John Poxon, George B. Fox, for Sheffield (North).

J. H. Robinson, Joseph Fenton, for Sheffield (South)
John Hilton, William Davies, for Shrewsbury.

H. Watts, for Stafford.

George Goodall, Torworth Davis, for Staley bridge.
Samuel Jones, George Chapman, for Stockport.

Charles Hibbert, Jeremiah Skidmore, for Stourbridge.

William Pacey, Dixon Hutchinson, for Sunderland.
James Curtis, Robert Curtis, for Thorne.

John Graham, for Truro.

John Ramsden, Thomas Rose, for Wolverhampton.
Joseph Simon, for Yarmouth.

Anthony M'Intyre, for Ireland.

James Dean, Treasurer of Yearly Collection and Paternal Fund.

Thomas Mills, Superintendent of the Irish Mission.

Benjamin Fowler, Treasurer of the Missions.

Thomas Allin, Secretary to the Missions.

William Cooke, Editor and Book Steward.

John Ridgway, William Makinson, Richard Sutton, Richard Barford,

Guardian-Representatives.

Q. 2. What Circuits have sent letters and not representatives?

A. Alnwick, Barnsley, Guernsey.

* 104 Members transferred last Conference to the new Circuit of Stafford.

TOTAL IN THE WHOLE CONNEXION.-CHAPELS, 359; CIRCUIT PREACHERS, 143; LOCAL PREACHERS, 882; MEMBERS, 21,590; SUNDAY SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND, 266; TEACHERS, 7,180; SCHOLARS, 42,933. The School Returns for the Missions are not complete."

*Downpatrick Station, with 41 members, is given up this year.

Q. 3. What Chapels have been opened or enlarged during the year?

A. Built and opened: Salem Chapel, Manchester; Teams, Gateshead; Handford, Stockport; Cradley Forge, Stourbridge. Chapels enlarged: Basford, Nottingham; Netherton, Old Hill; Tividale, Dudley; Westwoodside, Thorne; and Lumley, Sunderland.

Q. 4. What Chapels are now being built?

4. Park, Sheffield (South); Swan Village, Dudley.
Q. 5. What Preacher is received into full Connexion?
A. Alexander M'Curdy.

Q. 6. What Preachers remain on trial?

A. Henry Piggin (who is continued on probation solely on account of his health), William Wilshaw, Charles Mann, Thomas Rudge, C. Y. Potts, T. Cartwright, and J. Maughan, who have travelled three years; W. N. Hall, who has travelled two years; and Thomas Gutteridge, Clement Lindley, Charles Ward, and Thomas Clifton, who have travelled one year.

Q. 7. What Preachers are now received on trial?

4. George Wood, John White, Thomas Dixon Crothers, James Wonnacott, Edwin Wright, and James Ogden.

Q. 8. What Preachers are made supernumeraries?

A. John Hilton.

Q. 9. What Preachers have died this year?

A. John Harrison and William Salt.

The Rev. J. Harrison was a native of Crosland Edge, in the vicinity of Huddersfield, and was born June 22nd, 1772. He was powerfully awakened to a sense of his wretched and falllen condition as a sinner by a sermon on Daniel, ch. 5, v. 27; "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." He earnestly sought salvation through faith in the blood of the Lamb, and found that blessing while attending the watch-night service in Bank Chapel, Huddersfield. With a clear sense of God's forgiving love, he went on his way rejoicing. When our forefathers seceded on the ground of religious liberty, in 1797, he decided at once to unite with the New Connexion, and employed his useful talents in calling sinners to repentance. In this work he was eminently owned and blessed of God, and so successful and acceptable were his labours that in 1805 he was proposed to the Conference, and accepted as a regular minister. He continued in this work until, at his own request, in consequence of increasing years and infirmities, he was placed on the supernumerary list; yet he continued to preach, as health and opportunity permitted, until a short time before his death. His frequent paralytic attacks greatly weakened him, but he was divinely supported, and continued to witness a good confession. His last words were: "I have cast anchor, and am safe." On the 17th of June, 1850, his emancipated spirit passed away from earth to heaven. In every Circuit in which this man of God laboured, he was held in high estimation for his deep piety, his zealous labours, his plain, practical, and useful sermons, and his diligence in visiting and watching over the flock of God. Many, we believe, will be found to be his crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord.

The Rev. William Salt was a native of Stanton-by-Dale, on the borders of Derbyshire, and was born February 15th, 1785. At the age of sixteen, he was savingly converted to God, and realised a satisfactory evidence of his acceptance and adoption; for the Spirit of God bore witness with his spirit that he was a child of God. He gave himself to reading and to the improvement of his mind. Attracting by his great zeal the attention of some of the ministers, he was induced to take a Circuit as a preacher among the Wesleyans. He was stationed in Lincolnshire, where he took the ague, and was obliged to return home, where he was associated with relatives and friends connected with our body. He fully approved of our Church polity, and, on his recovery, he united with our people, and was appointed to the Huddersfield Circuit, where he was considered a young man of great promise. In the various Circuits in which he laboured he was highly esteemed. His sermons were plain, pointed, and rich in Evangelical sentiment; and his ministry was honoured with many seals. At the Leeds Conference, in 1850, in consequence of his debilitated state, he was superannuated, and retired to live with his affectionate daughter at Stafford, where he continued to decline, and where, after a few months of sojourn, he finished his course. He enjoyed the assurance that the sting of death was withdrawn. His soul was in the most perfect peace, and in joyful hope he departed, February 22nd, 1851, aged 66 years.

Q. 10. How are the Ministers stationed for the ensuing year?

DUDLEY-Parkinson T. Gilton, Thomas Boycott (Tipton), John Taylor (Oldbury), Cuthbert Y. Potts; John Hillock, supernumerary. BIRMINGHAM-Henry O. Crofts, D.D., and Charles Mann.

DAWLEY GREEN-William Willan.

STOURBRIDGE-Charles Hibbert.

WOLVERHAMPTON-James Curtis and John Stokoe.

James Curtis, Chairman.

HALIFAX DISTRICT.

HALIFAX-Law Stoney, John Bensley, Thomas Smith (Brighouse); George
Wall and Joseph Livingston, superannuated.
BRADFORD-John Addyman and Thomas Gutteridge.

HUDDERSFIELD-James Stacey, Lot Saxton, Thomas D. Crothers; William
Chapman and Benjamin Earnshaw, superannuated.
Law Stoney, Chairman.

HANLEY DISTRICT.

HANLEY-Andrew Lynn, George Hallatt, and George Grundy (Newcastle).
BURSLEM-Thomas Griffiths. One to be sent.
LONGTON-Philip J. Wright and Josiah Howard.
MACCLESFIELD-Thomas Waterhouse and James Ogden.

SHREWSBURY-Joseph Simon.

STAFFORD Charles Ward; John Hilton, supernumerary.

Thomas Waterhouse, President of Conference, Chairman.

LEEDS DISTRICT.

LEEDS-William Ford, and Robert Henshaw (Hunslet); James Candelett; and William Jones, superanuated.

DEWSBURY-James Henshaw and James Maughan.
HULL-Thomas Scattergood and James Wonnacott.
RIPON-Christopher Atkinson.

Christopher Atkinson, Chairman.

LIVERPOOL DISTRICT.

LIVERPOOL-William Baggaly and Jabez Dixon. (Supply.) Samuel Hulme, without an appointment on account of ill health; James Wilson, sen., superannuated; George Bradshaw, supernumerary (Southport). CHESTER-John Nelson and David Sheldon.

HAWARDEN-Samuel Smith.

William Baggaly, Chairman.

LONDON DISTRICT.

LONDON-John Orme, and William Cooke, Editor and Book Steward.
GUERNSEY-Alexander McCurdy.

TRURO-John Graham.

YARMOUTH-Thomas Ridge.

William Cooke, Chairman.

MANCHESTER DISTRICT.

MANCHESTER-John Flather, Charles J. Donald, and Thomas Cartwright; Thomas Allin, William Shuttleworth, and Peter W. Greaves, superannuated. ASHTON-William Mills, Benjamin Turnock and Henry Piggin.

MOSSLEY-Thomas W. Ridley and George Wood.

ROCHDALE-David Round; William Seaton, supernumerary.

STALEYBRIDGE-Henry Watts.

STOCKPORT-Samuel Jones and William N. Hall.

BOLTON MISSION-James Wilson.

Henry Watts, Chairman.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE DISTRICT.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE-Thomas G. Robey.

ALNWICK-James Wright.

BLYTH-John Ramsden.

GATESHEAD-William Cocker and William Beresford.

NORTH SHIELDS-William Hughes and Edwin Wright.

SUNDERLAND-William Pacey and Thomas Clifton.

William Hughes, Chairman.