As compared with the receipts of last year, these figures show $191,698.35 collections and donations this year, as against $164,056.77 last; legacies, $41,501.66 this year, as against $64,559.42 last; a gain in contributions from the living of $27,641.58, a loss from legacies of $23,057.76. The receipts from all sources for the past year, notwithstanding the heavy loss in legacies, are in excess over the receipts of the preceding year $3,299.87. The expenditures for the year have been $306,345.93, leaving a debt on the year just closed of $15,451.87. This, added to the deficit of the previous year, leaves us with a total indebtedness of $29,237.73. But over against this and in close connection with it, should be stated the fact that in both years the indebtedness has been owing to an increase of appropriations to meet the absolutely necessary demands of the new Indian missions transferred to us by the American Board. In 1883-4, we expended on these missions, including $11,495.19 received from the U. S. Government, $33,204.95. In 1884-5, including $9,458.13 from the Government, we spent $41,283.75. The churches had laid this work upon us, and we could not avoid these expenditures. We began the year with a debt of $13,785.86. The task before us, therefore, if our work was to be kept to its former scale, was to increase our receipts over the previous year $27,571.72, or twice the deficit. We have made that increase in donations from the living, with $69.86 to spare, and that, too, in the face of the stringency of the times. Had the legacies remained the same as the preceding year (which were $61,807.31 less than the legacies of the year preceding that), we should have closed this year without a debt, and had $7,605.89 on hand to apply on the debt with which we started out. * * * * * CONCLUSION. In conclusion, this review of the year inspires first of all songs of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for His manifold blessings upon the work and workers, and then our heartfelt gratitude to the pastors, churches and friends that have so nobly and generously, many of them at great self-sacrifice, contributed to sustain the work. With such evidence from heaven that the work is God's, with such evidence from earth that it rests upon the hearts and consciences of His people as a sacred trust, we cannot but feel that in it all Providence is saying unto us, _Go forward_. But what say our constituents? We present them our report. We await their answer. * * * * * RECEIPTS FOR SEPTEMBER, 1885. * * * * * MAINE, $1,078.85.