Wickham D. H., New York city. Wilcox Rev Chauncey, North Greenwich, Ct. *Wilcox Loammi, Elbridge, N. Y. Wild Rev Daniel, Brookfield, Vt. Wile Rev Benjamin F., Pleasant Valley, N. Y. Wilkes Rev Henry, Montreal, L. C. Willey Rev Isaac, Goffstown, N. H. Williams Rev Aaron, Falls of Beaver, Pa. do. Williams Frank, Hartford, Ct. do. Williston Seth, D. D., Harpersfield, N. Y. Wilson Rev Alexander, Oak Hill, N. C. Wilson Rev George S., Clinton, N. Y. Wilson Rev H. N., Southampton, N. J. do. Winn Rev John, St. Mary's, Ga. Winslow Rev Hubbard, Boston, Ms. Winslow Rev Miron, Madras, India. Winslow Richard, Stuyvesant, N. Y. Winslow Robert F. Winter Rev John S., Ossipee, N. H. Wood Rev Jeremiah, Mayfield, N. Y. Woodbridge Rev Henry H., South Canaan, Ct. *Woodbridge Rev William, Hartford, Ct. Woodbridge William C., Europe. Woodbury Rev Benjamin, Plain, O. Woodbury Rev James T., Acton, Ms. Woodbury Nathaniel, Sutton, Ms. Woodbury Rev Silas, Kalamazoo, Mich. Woodhull Mrs Cornelia, Longmeadow, Ms. Woodruff Rev Horace. Woodruff Rev Richard, South Brookfield, Ms. do. Wright Rev Worthington, Woodstock, Vt. Wyckoff Isaac N., D. D., Albany, N. Y. Wyckoff Mrs Jane K., do. Wynkoop Rev Jefferson, New York city. Yeomans Rev John W., Trenton, N. J. Young Rev John K., Meredith Bridge, N. H. Younglove Rev J. L., Hillsboro', N. J. MINUTES OF THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. THE Thirty-first Annual Meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was held in the Meeting-House of the Richmond-street Congregational Church and Society, in the City of Providence, Rhode-Island, beginning on Wednesday, the ninth day of September, 1840, at 10 o'clock, A. M., and continued by adjournment till Friday, the 11th, 1 o'clock, P. M. CORPORATE MEMBERS PRESENT. CALVIN CHAPIN, D. D. CHARLES STODDARD, Esq. THEODORE FRelinghuysen, LL. D. Rev. DAVID MAGIE, JOHN CODMAN, D. D. JUSTIN EDWARDS, D. D. THOMAS DEWITT, D. D. NATHAN S. S. BEMAN, D. D. D. W. C. OLYPHANT, Esq. Rev. B. B. EDWARDS. Also of those who were elected corporate members during the meeting REUBEN H. WALWORTH, LL. D. Rev. Z. S. BARSTOW, ANSON G. PHELPS, Esq. Rev. CHAUNCEY EDDY, Maine : HONORARY MEMBERS PRESENT. Rev. Asa Cummings, Portland; New Hampshire : Rev. Archibald Burgess, Hancock; Rev. R. F. Lawrence, Claremont; Massachusetts: William Cogswell, D. D., Boston; Rev. Mark A. H. Niles, Marblehead; Rev. Elam Smalley, Worcester; Rev. Francis Horton, West Brookfield; Rev. Martyn Tupper, East Longmeadow; Rev. John R. Keep, Longmeadow; Rev. William Bushnell, Beverly; Rev. Daniel Fitz, Ipswich; Rev. James D. Farnsworth, Paxton; Rev. Calvin Durfee, Dedham; Rev. Daniel Emerson, Northborough; Rhode-Island : Rev. Thomas Shepard, Bristol; Rev. Alfred Goldsmith, Little Compton; Rev. Charles P. Grosvenor, Scituate; Rev. Alexander H. Dumont, Newport; William Guild, Esq., do. Rev. Benjamin R. Allen, Barrington. Connecticut : Rev. George A. Calhoun, Coventry; James M. McDonald, Esq., New London; David D. Field, D. D., Haddam; Rev. James P. Terry, Somers; Rev. Lent S. Hough, North Wood- Rev. Roswell Whitmore, Killingly; New York: Lyndon A. Smith, M. D., Newark; Rev. Daniel H. Johnson, Mendham; Pennsylvania: Rev. John C. Brigham, New York city; Rev. William Tobey, Bethany. Rev. C. P. Knowles, River Head, L. I. Mr. James D. Johnson, do. Rev. Edward D. Allen, Albany; Rev. Seth Smith, Genoa; Rev. William Bradford, Berkshire. New Jersey: Rev. Ansel D. Eddy, Newark; Missionaries: Rev. Eli Smith, Beyroot, Syria; ORGANIZATION. The Hon. John Cotton Smith, President of the Board, not being present, the Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, Vice President, took the chair, and the meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. President Day. The recording secretary then read the minutes of the last annual meeting. Rev. Dr. Tucker, Rev. Messrs. William J. Armstrong, David Magie, and Chauncey Eddy were appointed a committee of arrangements. REPORT OF THE TREASURER. The Treasurer read his report as examined and approved by the auditors, which was referred to a committee, consisting of Orrin Day, Esq., Dr. Lyndon A. Smith, and S. V. S. Wilder, Esq., who afterwards recommended that it be approved and adopted, which was done. REPORT OF THE PRUDENTIAL COMMITTEE. A brief Abstract of the Annual Report of the Prudential Committee was read by the secretaries for correspondence. The several parts of the document were referred to committees for examination, as follows: The portion relating to the Home Department, to Rev. President Day, Chancellor Walworth, and Rev. A. D. Eddy ;— That part respecting missions in Africa, Greece, and Turkey, to Rev. Dr. Cogswell, Rev. E. Cheever, and R. T. Haines, Esq.;— That part on Syria and Persia, to Rev. Dr. Bates, Rev. J. D. Condit, and Walter Hubbell, Esq.; That part on South India and Ceylon, to Rev. Dr. Beman, Rev. E. Seymour, and Anson G. Phelps, Esq. ;— That part on the Mahrattas, to Rev. Dr. Tappan, Rev. J. G. Hamner, and Hon. Levi Cutter ; That part on Eastern Asia and the Archipelago, to Rev. Dr. Hawes, Hon. Charles Marsh, and Rev. Calvin Durfee; That part on the Sandwich Islands, to Rev. Drs. Thomas DeWitt and Tyler, and Rev. Asa Cummings ;— That part on the North American Indians, to Rev. Drs. Woods, Pond, and William R. De Witt. The various committees afterwards reported in favor of the adoption of the parts of the annual report respectively submitted to them, with a few alterations; they were accordingly adopted by the Board. The whole report was subsequently adopted as the report of the Board, and referred to the Prudential Committee for publication. MISSIONARY HOUSE. Some statements on the subject of the erection of the Missionary House were made by Mr. Hill, the treasurer, and were referred to the consideration of the committee which were appointed on the treasurer's report. This committee subsequently reported, that they are satisfied that the amount invested in the Missionary House in Boston, and taken from the permanent funds of the Board, is a judicious investment, combining not only great accommodation and convenience, but also security with economy; and recommend, that the same be approved by the Board, which was done. VISIT OF THE FRENCH FRIGATE L'ARTEMISE AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. The following paper on the subject of the recent visit of the French frigate L'Artemise at the Sandwich Islands was read by Dr. Anderson. On the 9th of July, 1839, the French frigate L'Artemise, captain C. Laplace, arrived at Honolulu, the seat of the Sandwich Islands government, commissioned, it was said, to settle difficulties alleged to exist between the government of France and the king of the islands. The same day captain Laplace addressed a manifesto to the government of the islands, in the name of his government, from which it appears that the offence of the islanders consisted in their having persecuted the Roman catholic religion, tarnished it with the name of idolatry, and expelled certain French papal missionaries from the islands; which, the captain said, was to offer an insult to France and its sovereign. In opposition to all this, speaking in the name of the French government, he demanded that the Hawaiian king should conform |