PRESBYTERY OF AUCKLAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1317, 31 July 1860, Page 5

PRESBYTERY OF AUCKLAND.

The stated Quarterly, Meeting of this Court was held in St, Andrew's Church on the 4th inst.,'*t 11 o'clock, a.m. The, 'Rev. D. Bruce, moderator, in the chair, and the attendance of members full. n • _'TBB"greater part of the morning sederunt wasoccu? pied, in considering, various important matters relating t to,the New Zealand Home Mission. The annual collecting in behalf ofjthe Million fund was ordered to be made on all the charges and station! within the bounds of 'the Presbytery,'] before next stated meeting. The claims r 9f,sev«ria dUtrict«;were brought under the natioed

jOf tho^reibytery, andtheEoy, Y. Bruce was appointed to vjaifc these di»trict*,,and to enquire in which way the spiritual supervision of them could beat be promoted/ The Committee appointee! to correspond with the Auxiliary of the Britiih and Foreign Bible Society, reported progress. The proposal of the Committee of .that'Sooiety, that the Preibytery ihould pay a sum of money to the Society's funds, and have the use of their depository, and the services of their agent, was communicated by the Key. Mr. Macky, of Otahuhu, but upon consideration it was not deemed expedient to entertain it. The Presby tery then instructed ~their Com mittee to take steps to create a distinct organisation for the circulation of Bibles, having the metrical version of the Pialms bound up with them. The Court adjourned at half past 1 o'clock, to meet again at 4 p.m., to take Mr. John Gorrie on further trials for license. The Preibytery met again at 4 o'clock, p.m., and after discharging some routine business, proceeded with the remaining part of Mr. Gorrie'a trials. The discourses, and exerohes, and examinations were of a high order, shewing great care and good scholarship, and were sustained with much approbation. The moderator having ascertained that, upon a conjunct view of Mr. Gome's trials it was the mind of the Court that he should then be licensed to preach the Gospel, put to him the questions appointed to be put to Probationers, and these being satisfactorily answered, did in the name of the great Head of the Church, give unto him solemn license to be a Preacher of the Gospel. Mr. Gorrie then received the right hand of fellowship from the Moderator and all the members of Presbytery! all welcoming htm.as a fellow labourer, and cordially wishing him, as the first Licentiato of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, much success in whatever ministerial work he might be called to perform.— July 13.

Breach op Arms Ordinance. —On Saturday lust, Messrs. Davis aud Co. were fined in the full penalty of £500, for a breach of the above Ordinance, on the recent occasion of Anns being taken away from their Store, at Kawhia, Dr. Harsant, Eesident Magistrate, Mr. Armitage, Crown Prosecutor. — July 13. Kobbery op the Mail. — News was brought into town yesteiday morning, that the contents of the overland Mail which left for Raglan on Monday had — with the exception of the letters— been picked up in the ditch along Mr. Dilworth's farm, on the Otahuhu Road. No further information has reached us. — Ibid. Reported Gold at Bat op Islands. — By the "Annie Laurie," which arrived yesterday evening, news reached town that gold had been discovered somewhere in Keri-Keri. Mr. .Clendon is stated to have been the discoverer, or at least to be aware of the spot where it wm found. Writing at this late hour we only mention the report, not having had time to enquire into further particular!. — Ibid. Departure of the " Cordelia.''— The sailors of the '•Iris, "who went down to Taranaki by the last trip, return to-day. Besides their usual side arms — which, by the bye, the crew of the "Pelorus" do not seem to have haa at Waitara — they take down entrenching tooli, etc. — Ibid. Suicide. — A most determined case of suicide occuried on Wednesday last. A man of the name of Thomas Burrows, a discharged soldier of the 58th, who it appeared had been drinking for some tune previously, loaded the musket, which had been served out to him as a Militiaman, with ball, and sitting down in his own room on a sofa, cooly put the muzzle of the piece under his own chin, and pulled the trigger with his big toe, having previously removed his boot for the purpose. Death was, of course, instantaneous, the ball passing through the skull. Dr. McGauran was shortly in attendance. On examining the room, it was found that a fragment of the upper part of the skull which had been carried away, had lodged in the wall. An inquest was held yesterday, when the customary verdict was returned.— -July 27. Fire. — On Thursday (yesterday) mr rning at about 2 a.m., The Watchman of the Block, between Wyndhnm and West Queen-streets, discovered a Fire which had been apparently smouldering lor some lime in a Stable used by Mr, Pollock, (butchei), at the back of the Trafalgar Inn. He immediately alarmed the Police who with a few buckets of water extinguished, what ia till probability would have soon become a large Fire. It proved to be hay that was burning, perhaps ignitted by ashes from a pipe, of which tome teem so recklessly careleis.— July 27.