DUNEDIN

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 402, 17 January 1872, Page 5

DUNEDIN

tFfoni diir 6\vri cdrrespdnderit.^

. OA Monday the annual meeting wnk held '.',; .f dr.. the election of a school committee and. the transiictidi?. of other business cdrineiitijil V therewith. .There was a larger attendance than T have ever seed at d liite iiieetiii^. r The beat possible spirit Was manifested By at' present; and the retiring coiiiniifctee vr'6ra . all re-elected except Thdhifis I)icki ,who,s(S lilace Wais filled by Gaorjfe Tiinibull. I have good reason for believing that the niore in* telligerit portion, of. tile. Ca"thc)nc liity aro nluch dissatisfied with tlie action. , \vliicli lits beeri M ken , iri the matter of eddcjitioii 1 by tlieir Bishop arid his subordinates. , the .'advent of Bislidp Morari, the religious difficulty never. csLm'd... lip flere. :Cathdlid and Profcestaiit co-operated iri thai schdol Oonitnitbein the uiost fraternal Spirit; and I knd\v that ori one Occasion; not ldng ago; when an aisistatnt teacher was yirstrited in drie of tn^ DUriediriscHbola; arid a Oathdlid applied "dthe'rs fdr the' appointment; it carrte out, incideritally; \vhen fcudsideriiij thd ' fecbrriiriefldatiori of tHe .headniatster that he ' Ha;d expressed Hiniself| adversely 1 t6 l the atppdintinerit of aCa'thdlic; «ii Suy "tetntts"-} Whereupon Lthe/bdiniriitW- Serit the! \^Koly cWse back' ? again - to Vthß ; Jiead ' jriast^r Vriiik -■

"distinct instructions, that. he. was to select the , best teacher whb r had<as_;-*^. without respect ' to the. religiq-is .ppinioiis/ professed-. 'The nomination; : of all assistant/ teachers is with "the-; head master, the com-; mitteej haying only a : veto';. had .the Catholic been "recommended .by the; tieadTniasteciii' this instance/l have "not the'small est doubt but that the", committee Would 'ha vb at once;; and without a moment's hesitation, i*riade ' the appointment. "Sevieral. riieWibers of tiie; : school' committee- with! wlidnl I am personally acquainted, expressed themselves, oh that occasion as determined to maintain, the unseclarian character, of the Danediri schools, and a_ being 1 very much dissatisfied with the • sentiments giy en, utterance to by the master. : This sliowslipw the religious question?stood here before, the/advent of. Bishop Moran, ,1 *think,,,his ..reverence would have donei-well; had lie let .sleeping dogs- lie. I told.you some time ago of the Saturday; "evening preaching by _Vfr Alfred Br vmtoh in the Octagons . On 'on^or'twO-Occasiohs lately lie has had opposition in the^person of J. G. ; S. G^ant, j who 'has thought- it' well to en- ; lighten' the lieges on the; errors of the -Plymouth BretKfenism. On,'these occasions Mr Brui-tton has takeni.' his.' stand, pn the higherjpart of tHe Octagon, while Grant took his place at... fp monument. These .two • speaking, within sound of each other'- voice, and hotivalmost c_x>w*necL occasionally ,by the : shouting of the rival butchers in the market, if they didnot exactly make night, hideous, -certainly made evening discordant.- I fear neither the preaching: of; M-Brunton* nor the antidote y thereto,presented by Mr Grant, was for 'the edification 1 or the enlightenment ' of thoir hearers. Mr Bmntonj not satisfied "Tvith 'the of his .Saturday -fe'velnrig ministrations, \6r' wishing to be instant in : season and. 'out/of -season, has, taken tp the Octagon on Sabbath 'evenings, and after <leaving ihe hall where his folloSvers worship.' 'he clcises the, public services \ of , -he ("'day with :an address at the Cargill 'monu ment , to ..all 'who choose 'to. stand, and hear. „ ; , ' ..-/ : , . Mr Reeves, the resident minister of Works : and Immigration for the .JViiddle Island^ is: 'now in Dunedin on Government business. Mr Haughton is also here ; he has, I under-' : stand,: "taken up diis: quarters in Dunedin, • having got offices in the Custom' house; -This iis another' faithful supporter of the i- Vogel ■ ministry , : -who has • obtain ed , his reward. Ot will bean the recollection of those' who, 'take any -iitef est' in these mattersj t that..Mr. Haughton ; Was u Varrh adherent' 'of ' an d "Jone •of the wtiippers-in for ''tiie "Sta'ffpra ministry for sOnle short .tim e," an d , "virile r . the . continue . - ance in oflice of : th'e, Fo.x-cumrYogel Goverri--ment was not. yeiy much- to be. depended on, -"and while the Reid ministry jkept their seats •as the^Prpvincial Gpvernment, .Haughton <vas still counted on .as in the ; Opposition, ' but since; the: general election, '^resulting in the return of a majority for theft-present-ministry, and notably sincethe r turning out -of the : Gar-gill : ministry froni tiie' Provincial Treasury^ Haughton .has goney oyer -to'''theother side j and diiringthe last session of the Assembly he' was- whipper-ih : for the FoxGovernment as he had formerly been for the Stafford'.' Bpth : niinistries' gave him his reward :; 4n 'the 'former c'a's'e it .wasih the --shape of ay prison commission and the like... Now, for haying, renounced his former aller ; giance, and^f or going oyer to the support of old antagonists, he has received his prer -•-sen bm.pre [permanent, and it is to be pre--'Sumed'-more, lucrative Appointment in connection with the water supply lon the-igold-££elds.< :' ; ' .••.■-•' •

If the' 'authority of the 'Daily Times ' is to' 'be depended on lam wrong after all, .'as to 'the circumstances under which bur ex-Mayor has gone to England.} It is now confidently ■ stated that Mr Birch has ah aDpointment ais -' sub-agent fur the Province or the General 1 Government, m . connection with the immigration, scheme,; and that Mr Seaton has -gone home in alike position*; I am not in the -secret, of the Government, and • cannot ••' say positively , whether or not the above statements either oorr r both, of them be correct, but >I have goodreason to doubt. them both. If the Government has made an agreement with Mr .Birch, and if he has gone home: under a : j positive- engagement, it is clear that as in the ' case' of the Brugden- contract No 1, the Government are 'ashamed of their own aet3, and ! thirik the<least said; about them ;the better, "while Mr BirbTi was ; equally reticent on the subject of his appointment., and many of Tiis^ intihiate] 'f rieijds ate either ignorant of its' nature or are alike afraid or ashamed, to svij', anything about it. I believe .the.ycase to stand pretty nearly, thus,— JVlr Birch .was de- : termined to go , home for his own purposes, = and has got some arrangement with the Go- ; vernment ; who have. given him; -letters. to Dr. Peatherston, by which, if he comes to terms Tvith the -doctor, he -will be appointed as '• sub-agent, and have his expenses home along •with -other emoluments secured for' him. ' There is, I believe, some understanding -with the Governnientj'butl don't think it amfi«iits : . yetj or 'did notat ahyrate, ! when Mr Birch left Dunedin, -amourit to positive appointiment". -As to! Mr Seaton, -T believe lam in' • a position to ; : say .posrfively that| he has ho engagement/ with the Government but has ; gone to England solely on private ' I dp not; -give either of rthe above .■statements • as undpubtedly^correctj but I think they may be relied> on ; -as ipretty ;^nearly: the true case in both? instances. -I agree: with -the' Times '. in the opinion that there >is no reason why Mr! Seatoniishould not' discharge the ditties •of the sub-agent as -well as Mr Bii'ch-; indeed if either of the two gentlemen is to be pre-ferted,-'it is'the'forinfer : rather r thah the latter. ■ All 1. • will; £t preserit say is "that if ■Mr Tliofs. Bifcnvliaß ; Ido hbt Tv;6hder "that-the f/ G6vernHi'eht'is -ashamed -to ackriowr

Pledge the feet.: .'..'. ■ ' I The : Sj^d^f-tK :^resb^eria'n : ~Ohurch is presently in- session>;but'.if': I :.ern'ter on a dis- : *cussion "•of .^libjecfc, ,this -lejM;er;,.y?ill -be' .protracted to undue length. I L -will reserve, • an^r 'bbs"erva{ions'/'l ; hstye' to iiiakejaneht tfie^ ; Synod; tUliiext werik,^by t?hicH : ianiife l dare-''.; '•Bay 'the, : imsmesS^^wiU^e^omple'tedv" 7 ''''';.^;.;' *; -I : see ( -'from :; papers ijiist Hand thai; 33r' 'Gijbsbn, ;/;'bf, 'the JFree Ghurph, ; professor 6i ■ systematic- tKejqlbgy in '. tiie ' CJlnisgow- T'i'ee'. •College, died! pri ' ■Tfiursday, ttfe 2nd I^"oy';j'.' 'las'tl ' r 3Che' doctor was, : says -the paperJl' quo te, ! ••' Cfaie (! v6f tii^chiyfe'of MeSFree;Ch{irch- lie ■•wa's^ •belidVej^ --'about' 7s i years i ofa'ge^le'aves', ;a 'wido^^cine son, . : and three, J dWtigiiters',' together '^ith W-laTge -jbrrcj e l 6^f private frien ds -*to TOOurri the Separtur^ 1 nc»t' : of f ih^ pole,niic ; ibut of bne'Bf '*the 'mqst'^geriiaV -atid 1 cheerfui' ♦of-menV^^-;'';'; ;.- : y ;,'\^ :u S,]^, l^- i !' l^