CHAPTER XVI.
CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF RELIGION.
The Conference was opened in the Town Hall, Manchester, on the morning of Tuesday, August 17th. There was an attendance of nearly seven hundred ministers, all of whom were received in the houses of members of the League, and hospitably entertained during their week's stay. The morning meetings lasted four hours, the evening meetings five; and the report of the proceedings occupied a volume more, than a third of the size of this. Of course, the history to be given here can only be a brief sketch. The Rev. Dr. Cox was appointed provisional chairman, and a provisional and an executive committee were appointed. A president for each day's conference was elected, and the Revs. W. Mc.Kerrow, Richard Fletcher, and J. W. Massie, were requested to act as secretaries. Mr. Mc.Kerrow stated that out of 1,500 replies which the committee had received, only six were decidedly opposed to the object of the meeting about an equal number expressed doubts upon the subject, and the vast remainder were decidedly in favour of the movement. Amongst those who had written expressing their concurrence were, Dr. Chalmers, Dr. Burns, of Paisley, the Rev. Mr. Bunting, Dr. Heugh, Dr. Reed, Dr. Wardlaw, and the Rev. Mr. Bulmer.
After this preliminary business, the Rev. T. Adkins, of Southampton, took the chair of the conference, and opened
