Proceedings of the Committee in reference to an Annual Meeting.

When the Minute Secretary calls over the list at the hour specified in the By-Laws, a blank is left in the column of the month opposite to the name of every member who does not answer; and thus the three-fourths who are eligible for re-election, by the Fifteenth General Rule, is easily ascertained.

The remainder of the book is ruled throughout, so as to leave a margin about an inch in width, for the numbers of the Minutes.

3. The following Specimen, in addition to the Minutes of the First and Second Committee Meetings, contained in the preceding Section, will sufficiently illustrate the mode of conducting this part of the business, while it explains the measures adopted in reference to the annual meeting.

It is necessary to premise, that the Minutes are those of an Auxiliary Society, with which a Ladies' Branch is connected; and that this latter institution holds its annual meeting jointly with that of the Auxiliary Society. It would be superfluous to insert those Minutes which relate to the regular business of the Committee, and which, as a matter of course, precede the adoption of the following:

430. The Minute Secretary having reminded the Committee that the annual meeting of this society falls in course, according to the Fourteenth General Rule, on the of the ensuing month; it was RESOLVED

That A.B., C.D., and E. F., be a Sub-Committee, to engage a suitable place for the annual meeting, and to see it properly prepared for the occasion.A.B. to be secretary.

431. That the Minute Secretary be requested to prepare the annual report, and to submit the same to the adjournment of this meeting.

432. It appearing that the balance in the treasurer's hands is £. and that the stock of Bibles and Testaments, and the state of the society, justify the vote; RESOLVED

That the treasurer be requested to remit the said sum of £.

to

the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society for the general objects of that institution, no return being required thereon.

as a

433. The Cash Secretary having presented the sum of £. contribution from the Ladies' Branch of this society for the general object of the Parent Institution; RESOLVED

That the said sum of £.

be paid over to the treasurer; and that he be requested to remit the same to the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, as a contribution from the Ladies' Branch, no return being required thereon.

434. That the auditors submit to the adjournment of this meeting an abstract of the treasurer's account for the year ending 31st instant, signed by them, after having been compared with the Cash Secretary's books.

435. That the Bible Secretary submit to the adjournment of this meeting a statement of the Depositary's receipts and deliveries for the year ending 31st instant, and of the stock then on hand.

This important duty does not necessarily devolve on one of the secretaries, nor is it always confided to an individual; but the plan here recommended will, generally, be found the most expedient.

Subscription Book.

436. That the Minute Secretary address a letter to the President, requesting he will take the chair at the annual meeting; and that he also invite the several Vice-Presidents to attend on the occasion.

437. That the Minute Secretary address a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Parent Society, soliciting the attendance of one or more of the Secretaries of that institution at the annual meeting; and that he also invite the following gentlemen: viz.

[Here follow the Names.]

438. That the Minute Secretary inform the Committee of the Ladies' Branch of the time fixed for the annual meeting; and request their furnishing him with their annual report, to be read immediately after that of this society, and a list of the officers and committee for the ensuing year.

439. That the Minute Secretary present to the adjournment of this meeting a list of those members who are eligible for re-election on the Committee; and that the ballot for the election of new members to be proposed to the General Meeting begin at o'clock precisely.

440. That the secretaries be a Sub-Committee, for the purpose of giving publicity to the annual meeting, by means of placards, hand-bills, and adver tisements; and that they send an adequate number of hand-bills to every District Committee for circulation.

441. That the Minute Secretary be requested to prepare an order of proceeding+ for the annual meeting, and submit the same to the adjournment of this Committee.

442. That the following gentlemen be a Sub-Committee of accommodation, to receive the president, vice-presidents, and visitors, and attend to the order and convenience of the company.-[Here follow the names of six or eight members, one of whom is nominated secretary.]

443. That G. H., I. K., L. M., and N.O., attend with plates to receive contributions at the close of the meeting.

444. That the Cash and Bible Secretaries attend to receive subscribers names at the close of the meeting.

445. That this meeting adjourn to

the

of next month, at o'clock precisely, to receive the reports of the secretaries and auditors, and finally arrange the preliminary business of the General Meeting.

NO. II. SUBSCRIPTION BOOK.

1. This book is of the same size with the Fair Minute Book, and should be strongly bound and lettered. It is designed to be a register of all the individual contributors to the society, and to save the time and space which would be required were an account opened for each in the Leger. To facilitate the reference to any particular name, it is cut in the form of an alphabetical index; from four to ten folios, or double pages, being allotted to each letter, according to order.

It may not be improper to observe, that the postage of all letters containing invitations, or relative to the business of the society, should be paid by the Cash Secretary, who includes such charges in a quarterly account of incidental expenses.

†The order of proceeding is inserted at the end of this section.

Observations thereon.-Leger.-Mode of keeping the various Accounts.

2. The following Specimen, from the portion of the book allotted to A, contains the entries on the left-hand page; and as the opposite page is ruled in like manner, omitting the columns of "name" and "residence," the whole folio exhibits the state of the subscription for five years.

3. From this book the Cash Secretary annually transcribes the list which is given to the collector, who returns an account of his receipts, with the names of all subscribers who have paid: the requisite entries are then made in the column of the year by the Cash Secretary, who includes the amount received in his Monthly Report to the Committee. When the collector finally returns his list, it is compared with the Subscription Book; and the names of those subscribers who appear to have declined are handed to the Secretaries of the Districts within which they respectively reside, pursuant to the XXIId By-Law.

NO. III.-LEGER.

1. This book should be of folio size, containing about four quires, strongly bound and lettered. Instead of being ruled in the common form-the Debit side occupying one page, and the Credit side the opposite-the whole account may be on one page, by which a considerable saving will be effected. Many Auxiliary Societies keep a Cash-Book in addition to the Leger; but this, it is submitted, is an unnecessary source of expense and trouble, as the latter may be so arranged as to answer every purpose of a Cash Book; and thus all the pecuniary transactions of the society will be concentrated in the Leger, and the reference be materially facilitated.

2. In order to exhibit the mode of keeping the various accounts, the following Specimens are supposed to be extracted from the Leger of a society, which, in addition to a Branch Society and

Specimen of Account with Treasurer.

Association, has likewise a Ladies' Branch connected with it. In opening the respective accounts, care should be taken to allot several folios to each, that the necessity of frequent reference to a distant folio may be obviated. An alphabetical index should be kept inside the cover..

The society in question is supposed to have been some time established, and to hold its annual meeting in September:-the accounts are consequently balanced on the 31st of August. The entries of the last six months will sufficiently illustrate the subject.

It will be perceived, that the plan here recommended is founded on the presumption that all the pecuniary concerns are transacted through the medium of the Treasurer, by which the greatest possible simplicity is given to the accounts.

The column headed MB. is designed to contain the numbers of the Minutes which authorise every payment to or by the Trea

surer.

The figures in the column MB., on the Debit side, denote the numbers of the Minutes which authorise the remittances; and those in the column DB., on the Credit side, the folio of the " Depositary's Book" which contains the particulars of the invoice of Bibles and Testaments received. The entries at the Credit side, under the head of "General Object," exhibit the amount annually appropriated to this purpose. Thus £.400 having been remitted on Moiety Account, in the year ending 31st of August, and the Auxiliary Society having a claim under the Ninth General Rule to a return of Bibles and Testaments to one-half this amount, the other moiety, with the sum of 4031. 8s. 5d. specifically voted, goes for the general and Foreign purposes of the Parent Institution.