Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/44

 Rose Street Academy, on Friday night, August 11th, 1820, and the Preachers informed them that they hadheld a meeting for the purpose of considering the present state of our Church, and that there were two grand questions put and answered at that meeting, viz.—Shall we join Bishop Alien? Answer, No. Shall we return to the white people? Answer, No—and that they therefore determined to consult with the rest of their official brethren, upon the subject of establishing a firm church government of our own, by ordinations, &c. After several of the brethren had given their opinions, it being late, the meeting was adjourned to the following Tuesday night. On Saturday morning, the 12th inst., Tobias Hawkins, William Brown and Thomas Jenkins, three of the Trustees, called upon Bishop George, at Morris Carter's, in Church Street, according to notice, where they held about two hours' conversation with the Bishop and some Elders of the white church; after which they parted with apparent friendship, the Bishop requesting only that the Trustees would grant Joshua Souls the privilege of explaining to our Society, the true state of the business in regard to the schism which had taken place in the white church, in order to clear the Preachers from some censure attached to them; which request the Trustees told him they would mention to the rest of their brethren, as they, being but three, were too small a number to decide upon it. On Tuesday night, August 15th, the official members met according to adjournment, at William Brown's, in