The first, meeting of the West Shantung Mission of the American Presbyterian Board was held late in October in Ichoufu in Southern Shantung, there being representatives present from all the four stations comprised in the Mission. Formerly all the work in the province under the Presbyterian Board was embraced in one Mission called the Shantung Mission, but the difficulty in travelling so far to the annual meetings and the time and money consumed made it most desirable to divide, so now there are two missions in the province, the East Shanting embracing Téngichoufu. and Chefoo, and the West Shantung Chivanfa, Weihsien, Tchoufu and Chiningchou; thus no station is distant from any other more than a week's journey by cart, which makes it. possible to hold an annual' meeting without sucha tremendous loss of time. Those who have returned from Ichoufu represent this first meeting as a most harmonious and pleasant one, the Ichoufu hostesses vieing with one another in making it pleasant for the visiting delegates. These annual meetings are really the monotony and isolation of interior life quite delightful affairs, being a relief from which is welcomed by every one. Next year the mission meets in Chinanfa.
The mission meeting was followed by the meeting of presbytery, which however embraces only three stations, Weihsien being united with the eastern presbytery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.