DEPARTURE OF BISHOP SELWYN.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3515, 21 October 1868, Page 4

DEPARTURE OF BISHOP SELWYN.

.YmtmdjLT Auckland parted with one of her oldest and greateit colonists, Bishop Selvryn, who, if not the founder, is the chief builder of the Church in New Zealand. Side by Bide with Samuel Maroden, the father of missionary labour in the Southern Pacific, and Archdeacon Williams, the indomitable missionary and pioneer of civilisation, stands the name of George Augustus Selwyn, the model of a great successful missionary, endowed with a powerful intellect, possessing a mind stored with all the erudition and high mental oulture of the greatest •eat of learning in Europe, with broad, clear, and comprehensive views, keen business capacities, marvellous ingenuity and capacity to master the minutite of everyday life in all its various phases, an untiring energy and perseverance, an indomitable will, a fearlessness of danger, great bodily vigour and powers of endurance, and above and through all that Christian piety and steadfast faith in His aid and support without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy. What he has accomplished in the past, great as it is, cannot be measured by the prelent; and the ultimate result of his labours cannot be calculated by that measure of success with which as yet they have been blessed. His master mind ha,s left its imprint upon the Church that he loved to elevate and extend,and his indomitable perseverance and fearlessness are indissolubly interwoven with the history of colonisation and civilisation in New Zealand during the past twenty-six years. By the clergy of nil own denomination he is regarded as indeed a father in God, and by the ministers of every other denomination he is respected: and esteemed as a high and liberalminded fellow-worker in the cause of Christianity. By the great body of the laity, notwithstanding that there have been differences of opinion on political grounds, he is admired and respected for his nigh and noble character, both as a Churchman and as a private citizen. Now, however, that he has left us to labour in a new sphere, all those minor differences and misunderstandings that have existed between him and some of his fellow-colonists — those amenities that seem to be inseparable from the career of a great man-— have been merged in the universal and spontaneous desire to show respect to an old colonist and a great missionary. Amongst the Maoris, " Herewini " is known from the North Cape to the southernmost kainga ; and though his popularity and influence may have somewhat declined with the war (as indeed is the case with all Christian missionaries), he is still respected and esteemed by the great majority of thenatives as a benefactor, a guide, and a counsellor ; as an upright, conscientious Christian; and no less for that courage and physical endurance which so eminently fitted him for missionary labour in New Zealand. He was born on April sth, 1809, and is thus 69 years of age, nearly half of which has been ■pent in New Zealand. He was educated at St.' John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated second in the first-class classical tripos, and junior optime, and shortly afterwards he became fellow of his college. It was in these early days of his career that he distinguished himself in those athletic pastimes which are the glory of Englishmen, and by his proficiency in rowing,and the cultivation of that blessing of " a sound mind in a sound body," he invigorated his constitution, and prepared himself for the hardships and privations of missionary labour. He was one of the champions of the Cambridge boat which rowed against Oxford at Henley, in the year 1529, when, however, Cambridge was worsted. Subsequently, he was private tutor to the present Lord Fowis, at Eton, and about the year 1835 he was appointed curate of Windsor, where he remained until the year 1841. In this year he was appointed Bishop of New Zealand, was consecrated on October 17th, and in the following November left the shores of England for his future field of labour. If his departure from New Zealand at the present day to share in the difficulties and trials of the mother Church is, as he himself expressed it, " like going out of a tranquil harbour into a troubled sea," what must have been his thoughts on embarking twenty-six years ago for this obscure and distant island, whose position on the map was then known only to schoolboys and geographical savans, and which was associated in the minds of people at home with cannibalism, heathenism, and savage barbarianism ! Indeed it may be said that in those days the idea of the character of the New Zealanders was chiefly dorived (.from the narratives of adven'frurousmariners,or the inspection of the tattooed heads which at that time formed the staple export from New Zealand. We have heard an anecdote of his landing in Auckland, which we give here, inasmuch as it foreshadowed the character of the man whose indomitable will and energy were to build up the Church in this colony. The wife of one who now ranks amongst our old and greatest colonists came out under the guardianship of Bishop Selwyn, and when the vessel cast anchor the eyes of friends gathered on the beach were eagerly turned towards the sea to catch a i''inr>sc of the new Bishop. A boat was seen i i.i ("•" -'-Brti. having in it a lady and a - > • .. j w..j .tin, m.'io propelled the boat with u vigour and finish of stroke that excited the genuine admiration of the whalers and natives who were watching the vessel. As the boat neared the shore, encomiums were freely passed with all the force of nautical phraseology upon the oarsman ; but from some circumstance, either of dress or general appearance, it was believed that he was not the Bishop, and general disappointment was felt. Who ever ■aw a Bishop that could pull an oar like that! There was amongst the bystanders, however, a college friend of Bishop Selwyns, and, turning round, he said to those near, "That's Bishop Selwyn. There's no mistaking the stroke of those oars." We have also been supplied with another anecdote of the same character, respecting the Bishop's landing at the Bay of Islands. When the boat neared the shore, h» was seen steering at the stern^ and, as she grounded on the beach, out jumped the Bishop, waded ashore, with the painter in his hand, and assisted the crew to haul up the boat. A gentleman who now holds a very high position in the colony has told us of the impressions which that light produced in his mind. He contrasted the hardy missionary before him with the effeminate, dandified chaplains he had seen at home, and the appearance of the Bishop, laying violent hands upon the boat,with his kid-gloved, walking-caned antitype. He felt immediately convinced that " the right man had been sent to the right place." Shortly after his arrival Bishop Selwyn •It a tnrou g h the Northern Island ; and the "i8 rude nafcive churches, and the favourable reception of the Gospel by the natives, failed him with hope for the future-success of his mission. The one clear definite thought in his mind, as he said himself in public afew days ago, was that it was possible, out of such materials as he saw ready to his hand, to civilise and elevate the natives, and by degrees to train up a band of native pastors, who should in time to come supply the place of the missionaries. And though the agitation and anarchy of the war and the revival of superstition and heathenism in many parts of the island have overshadowed the native Church with a gloomy cloud, he who has laboured so perseveringly and devotedly to build it up, is yet full of hope in the triumph of Christianity at no far' distant day. " The tabernacle of the native Church has fallen down," he says, "but I leave it to you as a precious legacy to build up again. There is still life in the native Church, The

grace of God has not been poured upon it in vain ; ' God hath not cast away Hie people.' At this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace." His Lordship remained some time at Waimate, which was then the head-quarters of the New Zealand Mission ; but, shortly after Hekes war, he removed the head -quarters to St. John's College, Auckland. In 1848 the Melanesian Mission was founded, and in 1854 Bishop Selwyn went home to make arrangements for extending the operations of missionary enterprise throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific. His wisdom and foresight were shown in the judicious choice of a Bishop of Melanesia ; and, if any proof were required of his fitness to choose a successor for this diocese, it could be furnished by the excellent choice he then made. It would be difficult, indeed, if not impossible, to find a man so peculiarly fitted for the work as Bishop Patteson, " with his marvellous power of acquiring languages, in his diocese of a hundred isles." Bishop Selwyn returned to New Zealand, in company with Bishop Patteson, in the year 1855. His Lordship was the only Bishop in New Zealand until the year 1856, when, on the 10th of August of that year, Bishop Harper was consecrated, landing in Christchurch on the 2nd of December in the same year. Since that time Bishop Selwyn has been constantly engaged in his great work, founding schools and churches, traversing the. country, and preaching the gospel in the very heart of Maoridom ; establishing and organising the synodical system of Church government in New Zealand ; and spreading the glad tidings of Christianity to the islands of the Pacific. During the war in the Waikato he shared in all the hardships and dangers of the forces under General Cameron ; and, after the fight at Rangiaohia, he was seen in his shirtsleeves, toiling in the heat of the sun, collecting and interring the Maori dead, over whose graves, when the spade had done its work, he read the burial service for the dead. In the year 1867 he again visited England to attend the Lambeth Conference ; and on the 2nd of December in the same year he was appointed Bishop of Lichfield, which he accepted in compliance with the expressed wishes of her Majesty the Queen. He left England again on the 2nd July, arriving in New Zealand in August. The truth of that line— There's * Divinity that shapes our ends, — has never been better illustrated than in the life of Bishop Selwyn. When he came out to this colony he found a branch of the Church of England existing without any direct connection with the State, or aid from it, and yet destitute of that voluntary organisation which the Wesley an and other dissenting bodies have developed and perfected by experience of its working. With a wise forethought he devised a system of Diocesan Synods, governed by a General Synod sitting tricnnially. In this, however, he received the assistance of two eminent lawyers and legislators, whose experience was invaluable 'in drafting the necessary statutes and the rules and forms of procedure. Gradually the system was extended, developed, and stabilitated, and that spirit of buoyant self-reliance and enterprise was promoted and stimulated, which now renders the Church of New Zealand independent of the State. It is a remarkable fact that just before the death of the late Bishop of Lichfield there was a growing feeling among the clergy and laity of that diocese in favour of the Synodical system, and it is still more remarkable that the Bishop of New Zealand, with his long and extensive experience of the working of that system, should have been selected to the same see at the very time when the disestablishment of the Irish Church (and, as manybelieve, the impending disestablishment of the Englisn Church also), the dissensions and schisms within the Church itself, the spread of infidelity, and the revival of Romanism in England, had threatened the very existence of the Church, and had rendered urgently needful some system containing within itself the elements of unity, strength, and effective organisation. All this, it is believed and hoped, the Synodical system will supply, and the Bishop goes Uome with an earnest desire to respond to the wishes of his new diocese by establishing within it the same system that has worked so successfully in New Zealand. Should his work prosper, who shall tell what grand results may not follow ? This much is certain, that, should the Synodical system once obtain a footing in England, it will not be confined to one diocese. In the present condition of the Church its advantages will be too obvious to be ignored ; and thus, in the wise providence of God, the humble missionary of New Zealand may return again into a far wider sphere of missionary labour, and to a far grander and nobler work — the regeneration of the great Church of England. Of this we may be sure, that his example will, for future ages, be a model for all Christian missionaries and pioneers of civilisation throughout this and other colonies, and his name will be handed down to posterity as the great apostle of the Church of England in the South Pacific. It having become known that his Lordship had made arrangements to leave by the s.s. ' Hero' yesterday afternoon, preparations were made to bid him adieu in a becoming manner. A requisition was sent to the Deputy-Superin-tendent, requesting him to proclaim the day a public holiday, to which his Honor at once assented, and long before noon yesterday the principal places of business were closed, and the houses and shipping gaily decorated with bunting. Advantage was taken of the comparatively fine weather, and the citizens thronged the main thoroughfares, anxious to bid farewell to one so universally respected and beloved. Towards three o'clock a large concourse of people assembled about St. Paul's Church, and when the hour for divine service arrived the building was soon filled with a congregation, consisting mainly of members of the Church of England, but sl.ill including a considerable number of members of other denominations, amongst whom we noticed the Rev. J. Buller, and several other ministers of dissenting bodies. The Bishop of Christchurch (Primate elect), Bishop of Wellington, Bishop of Nelson, Bishop of Waiapu, Bishop of Melanesia, and the following members of the General Synod were present : H. Jacobs, M.A., Dean of Christchurch ; Yen. Archdeacon Butt, Wairau ; Yen. Archdeacon Brown, Tauranga; Yen. Archdeacon Govett, New Plymouth; Yen. Archdeacon Hadfield, Otaki, Wellington; Yen. Archdeacon Harper, Westland ; Yen. Archdeacon Lloyd, St. Paul's, Auckland; Yen. Archdeacon Williams, Poverty Bay ; Rev. J. Atkin, Melanesia ; Rev. S. Blackburn, St, John's College; Rev. R. Burrows, Waimate; Eev. Canon G. Cotterill, 8.A., Christchurch ; Rev. A. Gilford, Oamaru and Hampton ; Rev. Y. Lush, M..A ., outlying districts ; Rev. Dr. Maunsell, LL.D., St. Mark's ; Rev. J. Palmer, Melanesia ; Rev. S.Poole, 8.A., Motueka ; Revs. Dr. Kidd, LL.B., Principal of the College; E. N. Bree, All Saints ; J. Kinder, Epsom ; B. Y. Ash well, E. H. Hey wood, Remuera ; B. T. Dudley, St. Sepulchre ; and others. Also, the following lay members :—: — Messrs. T. Beckham, R.M.; C. H. Brown, T. Connell, E. S. Braithwaite, J. A. Gilfillan, P. D. Fenton, R. B. Lusk, Sir W. Martin, D.C.L. ; H. S. McKellar, J. R. Selwyn, Hon. W. Swainson, Bishop's Chancellor, &c. The service commenced with the singing of the Psalms specially appointed for the occasion, viz., 122 nd, 133 rd, 134fch, and 150 th, which were chanted by a full choir, from Mercer's Book ; Mr. Livingstone presiding at the organ. The Litany was then read in an impressive manner by the incumbent of the parish, the Venerable Archdeacon Lloyd ; after which the 182 nd hymn (Nevr Zealand Hymnal) was sune to the beautiful tune " Melita"— 0 hear us, when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the ae*.

The hymn being ended, His Lordship came [forward, and addressing the bishops, clergy, and assembled congregation, said : My dear brethren in the Lord, Ido not intend to address many words to you— my heart is too full for that. When I look back upon the experience of the past 26 years, I have abundant cause for thanking God, when I think of those who worshipped with me in this place, even before the Church in which we are now assembled was built ; when I remember your faithful pastor whose monument is erected outside to bear testimony to the esteem in which he was held by all classes ; when I look upon the growth which God has granted to the Church in this place, and the number of clergymen now present, who were ordained to the ministry in this church ; when I see by my side one who was consecrated here, and of whom I may speak as Paul did of Timothy, as "my own son in the faith," and of course you will know that I refer to the Bishop of the Isles of the Sea to whom I have committed my work there ;— when I see all these blessings, surely I have abundant cause for gratitude for the past and hope for the future. All these things make me feel that I would rather work on here amidst those scenes in which I have laboured for the past six-and-twenty years, with those who have been fellow-workers with me, and amongst the faces I know so well. But it is God's will that it should be otherwise ; it has pleased *him to call me to another sphere of labour. lam to be separated from you, but I part from you in the assured hope of joining you again in a happier meeting hereafter, where no separation can take place. I invite all those who are prepared to partake with me of the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, instituted in commemoration of the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which is an earnest of the great feast prepared for those who, though they may now be separated, will, we believe, be reassembled together at the resurrection of all flesh. And those who are not prepared to come now, I would exhort to come soon — to prepare themselves, so that when the great feast is ready they may be able to come and sit down thereat. It would be a sad thing that any of this large congregation should be amongst those who refuse to come where they are invited guests. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen. The Bishop then spoke to the natives, who were present in the church in considerable numbers. He addressed them as his Maori children ; bade them an affectionate farewell and asked them to carry that farewell to their relatives and friends throughout the island. He longed io see'them living in tranquillity and peace, and returning again to the religion oi Christ. During the deliveryof these words, the whole of the congregation was visibly affected. The Holy Sacrament was then administered to a large number of communicants, exceeding 350. The ceremony, which occupied fully an hour, was performed by their Lordships present the Bishops of New Zealand and Melanesia remaining at the altar, while the rest of the Bishops carried the elements to the congregation arranged through the body of the Church. The Doxology and the Gloria were sung by the choir to a simple and appropriate setting, which comprised Gibbons's renowned 'Sanctus, It was noticeable that the last recipient of the sacrament at the Bishop's hands was a Maori (Patuone), whom his Lordship addressed in the native language. At about 5 o'clock, his Lordship and those who had remained to partake of the Sacrameni were seen to emerge from the entrance to th'< vestry, and an eager rush was made toward! the entrance to the church grounds, near whicl Mr. W. Crowther had drawn up an open car riage for the conveyance of Bishop Selwyn anc party on board ship. His Lordship spent some time on the spot in shaking hands with hi: former flock, mingling with the crowd, anc shaking hands promiscuously with all whc were sufficiently near. Here and there th( brown hand of a Maori was thrust out, and as promptly grasped and shaken; and the sighl of people of all ranks and ages, of both races struggling to obtain a farewell smile oi ehake of the hand with the Bishop, madi up a scene not soon to be forgotten After some time spent in this way, his Lordship mounted into the carriage with Mrs. Selwyn SirW. and Lady Martin, Mr. J. R. Selwyn Mr. and Mrs. JNihill, and the Eev. B. T Dudley. The carriage was driven slowly dowr Shortland-street towards the wharf, the foot paths and windows overlooking the street being thronged with spectators, who seemed to vie with each other in their endeavours to manifesi their esteem and regard for him, under whose spiritual care they had been for so many years. At every step of the road the Bishop recognised some old friend, or some familiar faces, and cordially acknowledged the courteous salute, Still the people thronged round the carriage and a body of stalwart natives followed in the rear like a trusty body-guard. The principal business houses and the banks were decorated with ensigns and bunting, and festoons of flags were suspended across the street. As the carriage neared the wharf the crowd became more and more numerous, and the enthusiasm more intense. <>n reaching the wharf a halt tooi place, the horses were unhitched, and a crowd of Europeans and Maoris, headed by a wellknown member of the Provincial Council, seized the shafts and drew the cai'riage towards the steamer. The progress down the wharf was, however, impeded by the density of the crowd assembled, and, on arriving at the steamer, cheer after cheer resounded from the wharfand shipping. Gunswere fired from tbe'Ballarat' and the ' Excelsior,' which were gaily decorated with bunting. The ' Lalla Eookh' and ' Lady Bowen lay out in the stream, with steam up, prepared to accompany the 'Hero' to the Heads ; and the brig « Waverley,' s.s. ' Phcebe,' ship ' Siam,' brig ' Tower Hill,' the barque ' Harriet Armilage,' and the schooners 'Margaret,' ' Australia,' and 'Southern Cross,' were similarly decked. His Lordship then descended from the carriage, amidst the cheers of the assembled crowd, and proceeded on board the vessel in company with his wife and son and the members of his household. He was accompanied on board by Sir William and Lady Martin, the bishops and clergy, and a large number of private friends amongst the laity. As the vessel cast off, the cheering was renewed, and a movement was made towards the northern side of the T,in order to watch the outward progress of the ' Hero.' The ' Lalla Eookh' and 'Lady Bowen also steamed ahead, and amid the firing of guns from the ' Ballarat and ' Excelsior/ and the enthusiastic cheers of the assembled crowd, the ' Hero ' glided swiftly down the harbour. The Bishop was seen waving his handkerchief near the gangway as the increasing distance lessened the distinctness of his figure, and gradually he was lost to view. There were many things in the farewell of yesterday that seemed to be peculiarly appropriate. The natives, who were the first to -welcome Bishop Selwyn to these shores, were also the last to bid him in* farewell. Though there was none of that pomp and circumstance that usually accompany the departure of the great, there was a thorough earnestness and genuine cordiality visible that made the parting what it leally ought to have been, the parting with a friend and guide, and the sorrow of that parting relieved by the reflection that the Bishop is called to a field of Labour in which his commanding talents and force of character might be of vast benefit to the whole Church. • The 'Hero' was accompanied down the harbour by the ' Lalla Eookh,' and on passing H.M. s. 'Eosario' the 'Hero' dropped her ensign. On arriving off the North Head, the 1 Lady Bowen took on board the passengers who had accompanied the Bishop thus far, Itavetakings were made, parting cheers were siren, and the steamers returned to town.

Now that the Bishop has finally gone from amongst us the unirersal feeling is that Auckland has lost one of her best settlers, the Church in .New Zealand its great guide and controlling power, and that we shall not soon " look upon, his like again ."