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Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 16, 10 August 1848, Page 2

On Tuesday the second meeting of the friends of the Church of England was held at Eden crescent, the Bishop of New Zealand in the chair. His Lordship opened the proceedings by reading the minutes of the last meeting, after which he proceeded to observe that the object of the present convocation was twofold ; to make provision for the pressing wants of the toivn of Auckland, so far as ministerial assistance was cuncerned, and to enter upon the discussion of some general system of church polity to be adopted throughout the diocese. It was then proposed that Messrs. FitzGerald, Hadlow, and Newman, the committee already appjinted for the quest of contributions, should bring up their report. Mr. I'itzGerald stated that the committee had waited upon the Governor, who gave it as his opinion that the Government having a claim I upon the whole service of the Colonial Chaplain, was bound to defray the whole expense of his support, and that he would therefore enable the Bishop to dispense with the proposed c ollection, by relieving'"Him of the annual payment of £ 150, out of the funds allowed hun by the Propagation of the Gospel society, to j the Chaplain himself; which might then be devoted to the maintenance of an assistant minister. That with regard to the general subscription, he had found much difference of opinion in the town as to the mode of applying whatever funds might be raised ; some wishing to apply them to the repairs and decoration of St. Paul's Church; others being willing to contribute to an archdeaconry fund; but few being willing that the money should be applied to purposes with which the town and vicinity of Auckland was not concerned. Messrs. Hadlow aud Newman corroborated Mr. FitzGerald's observations. "f The Attorney General meeting upon the satisfactory nature of the{seport, but observed tliat the Governor's promise was not yet carried into execution, nor could it be for sometime'' yet. That he felt humiliated when he saw ho\v> much we depended upon assistance from Government, or from charitable societies at Home; being so well able to provide all necessary ministration for ourselves. He then proposed that the committee be requested to continue their exertions, and not to consider themselves precluded from following up the original intention of their appointment by the proposition of the Governor. Mr. Hallamore seconded the motion, and gave his opinion that the funds so raised should be appropriated in such a manner as to place the Ministers above the necessity of calling for annual subscriptions. Mr. Berrey objected to-the formation of an archdeaconry fund ; he thought that we ought not to monopolise spiritual aid in the town of Aucklaud, but contribute to the support of the church iu general throughout the colony. The Attorney; General thought it better first to dispose of object for which the meeting had been called; to supply the speci- ! fie want: after which generalities might Be dealt with at leisure. The Chief Justice observed that the disagreej.menl seemed merely verbal, but that he would second Mr. Berrey'a proposal. That he could | not allow that all the funds, great or small, as

they might be collected, should be appropriated of necessity to one object. He would rather see them handed over to the Bishop, contented with taking his Lordship's assurance that the ministerial aid required for the town should be supplied. < - The Attorney said that they met to relieve themselves Mi an immediate difficulty ; that the present evilshould be first remedied; but that any surplus funds might be placed at the free disposal of the Bishop, and proposed an addition to his original resolution to that effect. The Chief Justice was of opinion that the addition met the difficulty. Mr. FitzGerald could not coincide in opinion with the Attorney Geneial. He did not object to the addition on principle, but for the practical reason that it would cause much disinclination to contribute. He was sure that few would be induced to subscribe that possible surplus were appropriated to the reparation of St. Paul's Church, and thought that if the funds were placed at the Bishop's disposal, it should be at least with the clear understanding V *'iat tQ e wants of Auckland and its vicinity " ' should be first attended to. Messrs. Ttich and Hill spoke warmly about the disgraceful state into which' St. Paul's Church had been suffered to fall, adding that many persons of delicate health feared to attend divine service on that account. Mr. Berrey observed that consideration of the state of the church was not the object of the meeting. The Bishop agreed with Mr. Berrey, but thought the collateral observations valuable, if treated incidentally. With regard to those repairs, he himself had seen to the chancel, the care of which devolves upon the rector, it being supposed to belong to him, leaving the rest to the town. The proceeds of the reserved seats were applied to necessary repairs, to which a sura of £SO or £6O which he now held for that purpose should be added. After this explanation be thought that the question might be reduced again to its original extent, and that the undivided attention of the, meeting might be given to the spiritual of the congregation. He did not think that because the Governor had offered to relieve him from that annual payment of £l5O to the Colonial Chaplain, which the funds placed at his disposal by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel enabled him to make, that he should be therefore strictly bound to apply it to the maintenance of an assistant minister in St. Paul's, or that the committee should relax their endeavours to raise a sum of money in the town which should be applied to that purpose. Oa looking over the list of subscribers to the propagation Society, it would be found that the greater portion of the sum annually raised, A' 40,000, was contributed by poor curates—by the wotking clergy; lhal nine tenths in fact t f the whole amount was subscribi-tl by clergymen, much less able to be liberal than ourselves, and that it could not be right in us to suffer ourselves to f.ill back so helphssly on their assistance. This much, however, he would undertake to promise, that the £l5O when set Iree, should not be expended beyond the limits of the arehdedconry,, but among the neighbouring hamlets. The Attorney General's extended motion was then put and curried. Mr FiizCeraid moved and Mr. Hadlow seconded the motion, that tw,o other gentlemen should be nominated to, the Committee already appointed. Messrs. Berrey and Hallamore finally consented,to undertake the duties. Some desultory conversation then ensued, in the course of which the Bishop observed that as a general principle each archdeaconry, proportionately to its wealth and importance, ought to be responsible fur its own collection, while the money placed at his disposal by English societies should be employed in equalizing such revenues. He likewise suggested that a portion of the collection made by the , S committee should be thrown into a permanent endowment fund. The meetieg was then adjourned until the first Tuesday after the first Sunday in Septenber, when the subjects of establishing a general and uniform system of Church Government throughout the colony will be entered upon.