The Church is raising $30 per month on pastor’s salary, beginning from 1st of October last. I am sure you will be glad to know that we close the year with all indebtedness of every sort _paid_, and a trifling sum in the treasury. There was something of a deficiency, but we rallied last Wednesday evening and made it good. Besides, by vote of the Church at the same time, that was practically unanimous, we enrolled ourselves among the number of giving churches, pledging an annual contribution to the three missionary societies of our order, and another for church building. Our contributions may not be large; they will certainly be something. Congregation continues good. Bad weather has reduced somewhat the attendance at prayer meeting and Sunday-school; but both have been well attended and full of interest. Acting upon my suggestion at the Sunday-school concert, Christmas evening, the school brought birthday gifts to the Saviour in the form of remembrances for the poor; more than 100 packages were brought to the table; clothing, groceries, etc. It was most touching to witness the gifts brought to the Lord Jesus in this way from some of the very poorest of our children. The next morning, in a pouring rain, the pastor and deacons distributed these offerings. I hope our people gained some insight into the real meaning of the day. * * * * * AFRICA. * * * * * EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF REV. H. M. LADD. CAIRO, EGYPT, Nov. 28, 1881.—We are off at last. The delay has been inevitable. No sooner would we make a plan than the bottom would fall out of it. About sixteen bottoms have fallen out. However, we have some reason to hope that the last one will stick unless all men are liars, or unless there should be an explosion or an upheaval of the Nile, or unless there should be something else. It is never best to be too sure about anything in this country. The quarantine has also thrown all our plans into confusion. We tried all sorts of schemes to obtain a passage down the Red Sea and get landed at Souakim without quarantine, but every plan failed and we determined to go up the Nile. Then we heard by chance (everything seems to go by chance here) that the Egyptian steamboats had given up calling at Jedda, and that we could go direct to Souakim. We commenced telegraphing at once to Suez. Four times we telegraphed, and finally learned that one steamer would go direct to Souakim without quarantine, but that it would sail before we could catch it, and that there would not be another one for a month.