THE NEW PRIMATE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3511, 16 October 1868, Page 3

THE NEW PRIMATE.

I The Right Rev. H. C. Harper, D.D., Bishop of Ohristchurch, who wai yesterday elected Primate of the Church of I3»gland in New Zealand, was educated at Oxford, and entered holy orders in the year 1831, His first sphere of ministerial work "was at Eton, where, after being engaged , for some time in tuition, he was appointed chaplain of the college, and curateof the parish of Eton. Daring the ten yean that he held this post, being closely associated with Bibhop Selwyn, then curate of Windsor, he wu the chief instrument of effecting a reform in the religious state of the college' and parish of Eton, which has never ceasad to |bear fruit. At the end of this period he was preferred by Eton College to the living of Stratneld Mortimer, in Berkshire, where he carried to his work the same untiring - energy and wise discretion by- which he bti3 been always obsracteriied. After holding this living for sixteen years, the return of Bishop Selwyn to England, to obtain additional help for the Churoh in New Zealand, brought about a change in his career. The diocese of Christchurch had been so far organised that Bishop Selwyn waa enabled to invite hit old friend to undertake its charge ; and, after > all < the neoeißary preliminaries had been arranged, bishop Harper sailed for New Zealand, where he arrived at Christchurch in December, 1556. Since that time the character of his work has been well known to many in Mew Zealand. The dioces* of Christchurch has enjoyed the. blessing of a chief pastor who is not only a m*n ' of high scholarly attainments and remarkable habits of industry, but one who, by hit simple earnestness and kindly demeanour, has won the affection of all with whom ho has been brought into contact. In our yesterday's issue we reported that Bishop Harper had been elected as successor to Bishop Selwyn. We have reason to think that the expression has been misunderstood. We beg our, readers to understand that Bishop Harper succeeds Bishop Selwyn as the Primate of New Zealand, and not aa the Bishop of the diocese so long known as New Zealand, but, by arrangement in the General Synod yesterday, hereafter to be known as the diocese of Auckland. The latter post, as will be seen in our report of yesterday's proceedings, will be filled up on the return of Bishop Selwyn to England.