WESLEYAN ANNUAL MISSIONARY MEETING.

Press, Volume X, Issue 1189, 29 August 1866, Page 2

WESLEYAN ANNUAL MISSIONARY MEETING.

The annual Wesleyan mi*sio«iry meeting was held last oveuingat the Wesleyan Church, Durham street. The atteri'tanee was very large, considering the unpropitious state of the weather. On the platform were the Hevs. Buddie (superintendent of the circuit), Lee, Harper, Haben?, Crump and Te Kote. The proceedings commenced by a hymn, Mr Cain kindly presiding over the harmonium ; after which a prayer was offered up by the Rev. Mr Crump. The Rev. Mr Buddie, who occupied the chair, stated that he was sorry that the gentleman who should have taken the chair was absent; probably the inclemency of the weather had led him to the conclusion that the meeting would again be postponed. Seeing, however, so many friends assembled, he saw no reason for adopting such a course, and without further preface would call upon the Rev. Mr Crump to read the annual report. The Rev. Mr Crump then read as follows — REPORT. The work of the Australian Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society extends to both islands of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, the Fijis, the Friendly Islands, the Island of I Samoa, the Island of Rotumah, and to the j Chinese population in Australia. During the past year there has been a gracious measure of success vouchsafed in carrying on missionary operations oft'times in the face of very formidable difficulties. One of the principal events of the year affecting the working of the missions, is the loss of the brig John Wesley. She was wrecked on a small island near Tongataba, on the 18th of November last. The steamship London will long be remembered as tho scene of the last, and we have good reason to hope, the very useful labors of one who watched with prayerful solicitude t he formation and growth of this society. The counsel of the Rev. D. J. Draper waa ever esteemed valuable in the working of the varied departments of the mission. It is hoped that the cheerful response made by children of our Sunday schools to the appeal of the committee, to raise funds for building a new schooner, to be employed in the Fiji Islands, will prove so far successful as to enable them to place at the service of the Fiji missionaries a vessel that will be much prized by them, without any demand upon the ordinary revenue of the society. The vessel will cost £1000, and is to be called the Jubilee NEW ZEAIiASD. The present circumstances of the Maori mission are such as greatly to try the faith of those who have so long toiled to evangelise the Native population. The unhappy war that first interrupted their peaceful labours, and that is not yet ended, has borne sad fruit. Its effects are to be seen in old mission stations abandoned, churches deserted, flocks scattered, pastors gone, and the people awfully demoralised. All however has not been lost. The missions to the north of Auckland are still existing, and our missionaries have been able to continue at their work. The Hokianga mission, where all the Natives have remained loyal, and have often during the struggle tendered their services to the Governor to aid in the suppression of rebellion, still has its missionary and schoolmaster, its congregations, and classes and schools. Our missionary reports tho Natives of the Waimu valley, where he resides, as moral, industrious, and advancing in civilisation. They have prepared, a code of regulations for promoting general improvement in their villages, and resolved on fencing all . their lands and building timber houses ; and though their spiritual condition is low, there are indications of religious improvement in many. The Kaipara mission has for some years been one of our most hopeful stations. There have been some truly good and pious men among the tribes. Some of these have lately gone home to God ; others remain, and exercise a good influence over the people generally. They live on the best terms with their European neighbors, now rather numerous in that circuit. They have contributed more liberally than any other "Maori circuit towards the support of the missionary, raising for several years a large proportion of the civil expenses. During last year they gave fifty acres of land, and sufficient timber to build a house, a chapel, and a school. The Missionary Society paid the cost of labor and fencing, and the missionary now occupies a comfortable house. The missionary complains of the spread of intemperance among the young men. The Kaglan circuit is another where the great majority of the Natives have remained loyal and friendly. Wm. Naylor, the principal chief, has been for many years a staunch friend and a member of the Wesleyan Church. He has lately died. The missionary reports four chapels built by Natives during last year, and the existence of devoted class leaders, who regularly meet their classes. He speaks of the pleasure he has had in listening to the experience of old members, who could testify they had long known Christ as their Saviour. He, too, mourns over the spread of intemperance, and speaks of the zealous labours of his native assistant, Harrison, who is doing all he can to arrest its progress. The Kawhia station had to be abandoned during the war, being in the very centre of the disaffected tribes. Here the Hau-haus collected in numbers. Even here- there are many who have not defiled their garments ; who, though they are left as sheep without a shepherd, yet read God's word, and have Christian worship every morning and evening, and summon to the House of God all who are willing to join them on the Holy sabbath. Our faithful Native teachers there have kept the mission station in Bafety, taking care of all. the mission property that was left, and kept the school in daily operation. Their steadfastne-s amid so much evil and temptation is a proof that Christian truth has a strong hold of the Maori mind. The Hau-haus have respected the mission station and chapels, and they respect the religious services that are ( held, though they may not join in them. At New Plymouth, war still rages and interferes with the labors of our missionary, though our old and faithful brother Whiteley has remained at his post, and has been the means of keeping the loyal and Christian Natives together. He says they continue to maintain their steadfastness. They have erected a new j timber chapel in which to worship, free of j debt. "Aims SCHOOLS. The Three —lings' school, which has been so j long employed as a Native training institution, has greatly changed its character. Most of the Natives left when war broke out, and their pl.ices have been filled by " City Arabs." It contains—4 Maoris. 19 Half-castes ; 51 Europeans. Waimea school, under the care of our excellent teacher, Mr Skinner, contains twenty-five Maori boarders. Tho people have erected an additional house for the boys, The Kawhia and Aotea schools have been left entirely in charge of the native teachers. When the missionary could venture to visit these schools, he found the children had made some progress in their reading easy lessons in English, taught by native teachers, and ail progressing in writing, arithmetic, and geography. He found also that attention had been paid to cleanliness and health, and not a death had occurred during the year. One of the scholars said to him, " the fire is burning all around us, but does not touch us." Tho state of these schools under tho care of native teachers, and in such a district, is very gratifying. At Waipau, in the interior, and also in the midst of the disaffection, only in fact a few miles from the very centre of the Maori King movement, we have a native school, conducted by a young native woman, daughter of your excellent native missionary, Mr Barton. She was trained at Auckland, at our Three Kings Institute, and conducts her school in the English tongue. The last time the Government Inspector paid her a visit, he reported her school as one of tho best conducted in the district. On the whole, then, we may yet even for New Zealand, thank God and tuke courage. In both the Friendly and tho Fiji Islands a pleasing feature of the work is presented in the strength and character of tho native

agency employed. Many of them (says a missionary) preach with power, and with tho demonstration of the Spirit, and have souls for their hire. They excel in local illustrations which are forcible to the native mind. I have been surprised in our love-feasts at the number who attribute their conversion to the sermons and prayers of our native preachers. Difficulties are experienced from the workings of Popery, and from attempts made by some of the young men, who take advantage of the freedom given by the operation of the new code of laws, to revive customs and practices which are opposed to the truth and which were abandoned when the light of Christianity was shed upon them. One of the missionaries with his family, has had to retire for awhile from his labours, after a service of ten years, in the hope of recruiting tho strength of himself and of his wife for further work. In the Vavan group of islands there ha 9 been a revival of God's work. Twenty chapels have been erected The Rev. Jabez B. Watkin has been added to the staff of labourera siuce the last conference. Reports from Samoa show that tho activity of the missionaries is kept at o high pitch by extensive travelling, administering medicine to the sick, baptising converts, and keeping a watchful eye over the varied agencies of a mission which includes many islands. Notwithstanding the existence of petty wars, producing a state of mind and feeling most unfavorable to the spread of the truth, there have been clear indications that the Spirit of the Lord has been graciously operating upon many, and some of the natives in their dying hours have borne testimony to their experience of that peace and joy in Christ which robs death of its sting. Though they have experienced the devastation of a fearful hurricane, whioh destroyed many of their chapels, and in whicli one of the missionaries narrowly escaped being buried beneath a falling house, yet their contributions to the funds of the society for the year amount to £233 13a 6d. IN FIJI. Besides the existence of war, of cannibalism, and of the strangling of widows, that they may be buried with their deceased husbands, there is persecution, which, however, has been borne with that meekness and resignation which are evidences of the work of grace in the heart. | The mission has sustained considerable lois from severe floods, one in January, and another in March, of the present year. One of the missionaries speaks of fifteen chapels and fourteen teachers' houses being destroyed in his circuit. The same missionary, speaking .of : that formidable evil —intoxicating drink — which we hear of in almost all parts as the grand obstacle in the way of the progress of God's work, says—" I believe this will prove the greatest enemy to our good work in Fiji. Cannibalism was nothing to what this will be, numerically considered as a bodykil.ing, soul-damning evil. A large proportion of the converted natives has been led to God through reading the Scripture; and this year they rejoice in the possession of the entire Bible in the Fijian language. . , There remain very many still' who know nothing, of the Gospel message, but we have !to report with gratitude the fact that nearly 3000 have been added to the Church during the year. After a period of service extending over twenty-five years, the Rev Mr Calvert had to retire from this sphere of labor. The Rev. 1 John Robson has sinco Mr Calvert's return ! gone to Fiji In tho Island of Rotennah, the number of those who profess Christianity is greater than of those who continue heathen. It is hoped that of the young men under the care of Mr Fletcher, several will be raised up to become useful assistant missionaries. ;• l ' The testimony of six Chinese who were baptised at Castlemaine, in December last, shows that the. blessing of God has been given in connection with the labors of Mr Leary A'Torey. Since that, an interesting service has been held in the Wesleyan Church, Sandhurst, when another Chinese convert was baptised by the Rev W. Hill, and now that the light of God's Word lias broken in upon ', the superstitious prejudice of His people, we may hope that in answer to the prayers of the Church of Christ multitudes may be converted to God. The following is a general summary from the Native stations occupied by the Bociety : The returns of members in Mission districts at last conference were 27,920 persons, with 5783 on trial for membership, being a net increase for the year of 2969 members. The total expenditure of the £ s. d. Society for the year has been 15,523 2 4 Receipts... 9,550 18 7 Leaving a balance of ... ... 5,972' 3 9 To be granted by the parent society in London. This balance, though large, is less by £600 than was estimated for at the beginning of the , year, and would have been at least £1000 less than it is had the Wesley brought away the oil from the Friendly Islands. The contributions from the Christchurch Circuit" amounted last year to £136 2s 7d, besides the contributions raised by the Sabbath scholars for the Jubilee schooner, of which there is no account, which however amounted i to about £50 from the Circuit. The following resolution was then proposed by the Rev. G. S. Harper—" That the report now read be adopted, and that thanks be rendered to Almighty God for the success He has been pleased to grant to the efforts of this and of kindred institutions." The resolution was seconded by the Rev. Te Eote, who spoke in the Maori language to whom the Rev. Mr Buddie acted as interpreter. He began by giving an account of the commencement of his missionary work in the Chatham Islands in tho year 1860, and proceeded to describe the nature of his work and the success which attended him there. He then narrated his undertakings in different parts of New Zealand, and stated that though in some minor matters he should wish to see more interest exhibited, yet on the whole he considered that they had great cause to bo thankful that the aspect of missionary labor was generally bo favorable. j The Rev Mr Buddie then made a few" re- j marks. With reference to the foregoing speaker he had much pleasure in stating that Te Eote had been his pupil some years ago. j He had at one time twenty, and out of that number as many as fifteen had since died in the true faith. He then gave his various missionary experiences, illustrated by several very interesting anecdotes; and entered at some length into the present status of missionary work throughout the world, from which he came to the conclusion that the successes of this and kindred institutions at the present day were unprecdeuted since the days of the Apostles. The next resolution, proposed by the Rev Mr Habens, and seconded by Mr Crump, was " That this meeting recognises the obligation resting on the Christian churches of these colonies to send tho Gospel of Salvation to all the tribes of the Southern Pacific that are a 9 yet unevangelized, and to succour our infant churches that have already been planted by missionary agency." The last resolution, proposed by the Rev Mr Lee, and seconded by tho Rev Mr Harper, was, " That the following gentlemen be elected officers and committeemen for the ens_frjg year :—Treasurer, Mr. C. W. Turner, ; secretary, Mr D. McNicoll; committee, Messrs Gould, Garrick, King, Dewsbury, Hislop, Wilson, Philpot, Calvert, Taylor, and Rutland." After the doxology the meeting separated.