ADDRESS TO THE BISHOP OF AUCKLAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3890, 9 February 1870, Page 4

ADDRESS TO THE BISHOP OF AUCKLAND.

At 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the mem" hers of the Standing Committee of the Diocesan Synod, and the clerical "and lay members of the Synod, met at the bishop's Library; ParneU, for the purpose of presenting *n address of congratulation to the Right Itev. Dr. Cowie, Bishop of Auckland. There was a large attendance, and amongst; those present were many ladies. The following were* the names of members of the Synod who were present on the occasion : — Clergy : Bey, Messrs. Benjamin Y. Ashwell, Edward H. Bree, Thomas Chapman, B. Thornton Dudley, Frank Gould, Thomas S, Grace, Edward H. Heywood, David Jones, John Kinder, Vicesimus Lush, Dr. Maunsell, George Maunsell, Arthur Guyon Purchaa, J. Bates, Robert Bun-ows, P, obert Kiddy Laity : Thomas Connell, Esq., St. Matthew's, Auckland ; Theo. Kisslmg, Esq., St. Mary's, Auckland ; Sir William Martin, Onehunga ; Qeo. Patrick Pierce, Esq., Holy Sepulchre's ; A. Boardman, Esq., All Saints' j ! William Atkin, Esq.. Benjamin Maclean, Esq., Tamaki and Panmure ; John C> Buckland, Esq., Frederick Duke Yonge, Esq., Otahnhu, &c. ; John Gordon, Esq., Eobert B. Lusk, Esq., Papakura, &c. ; Charles Heapby, Esq., Thames ; Shirley W. Hill, ; Esq., Port Waikato, "Raglan, &c; Hugh Hart Lusk, Esq., H. S. McKellar> Esq , Kaitaia, Mangonui, &c. ; James Farmer, Esq., James H. Home, Esq., Charles P. Goldsbro', Esq., Taranaki. The ladies present were — Lady Martin ; Mesdames Cowie, Burrows, Grace, Heywood, Chapman, Kenny, J. Buckland, Kisslmg, Kinder, Cadman, S. Hill ; the Misses Bell, [ Brock, Cole, Lusk, Lush, Maunsell. I Amongst the visitors were — The Hon. 1 Colonel Kenny ; the Hon. W. Swainson ; Mr. H. Ki&sling, Mr. Kempthorne, and Mr. Qumtall. The Piev. J. Kinder, senior, clerical member of the Standing Committee, said : My Lord, in presenting to you this address, from the members of tlie Diocesan Synod, I cannot help saying how much I regret that it is through the departure of Archdeacon Lloyd that I have been called upon to do so ; how much I wish he had been here to read it himself. I am sure we all deeply feel the loss which the diocese has sustained by his removal ; to-day, especially, when we miss his presence here on the first public occasion since his departure, This iceling, I think you, my Loid, will in some degree share with, us, losing aa you do in him I one to whom, from his long experience of the Church in this colony, you might have looked for much valuable information and assistance on first coming among us. His | great woitk is known more or less to us all, I whether in the Synod, the Standing Committee, the meetings of the clergy, the Orphan Home, the parish, the school, or in his own family. Those who know him best, will, I believe, acknowledge that he approached in character, as nearly as is given to any man, to that highest Christian grace which seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinkcth no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the tiuth, beareth all things, beheveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. He has now left us. May God's blessing go with him. His memory and example remain to us, and will I trus.t not soon bo forgotten. I will now, with your permission, read the address, which he has signed in the name of the membeis of the Diocesan Synod, — Mr. Kinder then read the following address ;—; — " To the Mghtßev ,the Bishop of Auckland. "Eight Uev. ►Sir,— "The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Auckland and othev members of the Diocesan Synod, deane to welcome you with cordial congratulations on your ai rival in this land to enter upon the duties of your sacred office. "The Church in this colony, as yon are doubtless avsaie, has been fully organised upon <i system of synod) en] action-mainly by t,\xq effoi ts oi your "predecessor. Every year s experience only serves to strengthen our convictions of the soundness of the basis on which it has been established, and of the wisdom with which the provisions of its constitution have l^een drawn up "Your attention will no doubt be soon called to the present lack of clergy in the outskhfoof this diocese ; withtlie inciease of population and spread of settlements comes an increased demand for the Church's ministrations It will become her duty to provide f r tins increased and constantly mci easing claim upon her, to &cc that the necessaiy provision is made for the effective mmistiation of her ordinances, and the religions education of her children throughout the diocese. We, as members of the Synod, beg to assuio you of our very earnest and hearty desire to co-operate with you in the working of the constitution which we enjoy, and in all your efforts for the advancement of religion in. this diocese, "As regaids the native Church, although the onlwaid profession of the faith is abandoned by many of her members, who chose to give themselves up to a gi oss supeistition, yet there arc not wanting &igns> of a return to a better slate of things, and in many districts which have been undisturbed by war, the natives have steadily adhered to the Christian faith We- look forward with hope to the future, and trust that the native Church may yet be restored, by the blessing of God, to her former position. " In conclusion, it is our earnest pi ay er to Almighty God that He will give you the spnit of wisdom, and of counsel to guide you in the dischar. c of the duties of your high office, and that he will bless your efforts for the promotion of his glory and the increase of his kingdom m this pait of the worl' 1 . 'j rx Frederick Lloyd. ' ' Chairman of the Standing Committee "

The Eight Hey Dr. Cowie replied : I return my hearty thanks to you, s>iv, to the members of the Standing Committee, and the other members of the Synod, for the very kind and brotherly leception you have given me on my arrival in Auckland. You can understand, I am sure, how very gratifying to me such a kind reception as you have accorded must be in the circumstances in which lam placed. Coming as I do from the work at which I was engaged in England to a great chai'ge of this kind, a charge which any man rni^lit undertake with fear and trembling, the assurances you have given me of your cordial support and sympathy are the more gratifying to me. It is a charge which I assure you, my friends, I never thought to have undertaken . In fact, after eight years of the work, in India, with much exposure to a tropical sun, and having undergone considerable hardships in the campaigns of that period, I thought, when foreign service was over, that I might look forward to a quiet Jife of work at home. So confidently did I believe in this prospect that I was in the mid9t of preparations for building a new house when Bishop Selwya asked me to go out to New Zealandto undertake the charge of this diocese. I fully sympathise .\ ith you in the loss you have sustained by the removal of your revered Bishop ; but I know so " ell how great the need is now of such a man in England as Bishop Selwyn, that I cannot think of his removal from this diocese with unmingled sorrow. On the contrary, I know that his experience must be of that kind which is so eminently required to organise the work which is going on in the diocese of Li hfield. To quote the words addressed to him by this Synod on his departure from New Zealand — "We humbly believe that by a wide and varied experience of many forms of human life, by bringing you into contact with men in every stage of barbarism and civilisation, or on lonely journeys in. the solitudes of the New Zealand forests, and on the waves of the West Pacific, God's Holy Spirit has been training you for an even greater work than any which you have hitherto accomplished, of which all that has been done may be but the preparation. The crowning work it may be of your life is that to which He ha 3 now called you. It seems as if you had been sent first to warn the most distant members here, and were called now to quicken the very heart of our dear mother Church «tt home, that bo the lifeblood may , circulate with fresh vigour throughout the body." The system of »yno» dxo*l notion, which Bishop Selwyn, touted by

some of his friends, who Are present to-day, established in this dibcdse ohJy needs to be seen in dperation to commend itself aa that which our mothet Church *t home requires, to give unity to its clergy and energy io the lay members. You will, doubtless, be interested to know that the first Synod which Bishop Selwyn held at horne 1 Was held in my parish, in the town of Stafford, England, v ery grave doubts Were entertained at first by the members of our Church as to the the wisdom of introducing the synodical system under the circumstances which then existed in England. But nearly all the misgivings had disappeared, and had given way to a hearty approval of the syßtem, before the second session of the Synod was hold, in j August last, in my parish. lam Bitre you will j be glad to hear something about that second ] Synod. Bishop Sehvyn waa working, as you j know he could work, up to the very day of the ! Synod, I think he held three confirmations on the previous day. Pie arrived at Stafford Town at 11 o'clock, and at 3 he had a visitation of the clergy in the chancel in my church, where 600 clergymen were present to hear his address. After a most forcible address, delivered with such energy as you , know he could command, he went to the . hall in which the Synod was held. An in- i terval of a few minutes was alldwed for the clergy to obtain refreshment, and with great difficulty I induced Bishop Selwyn to accompany me to tfiy house to eat a crust of bread— that was all he would take. While at my house, the Bishop received a telegram stating that his brother Lord Justice Selwyn was very much worse in health. I asked Bishop Selwyn immediately to go to London, but, almost broken-hearted by such news, be forced himself to go to the Synod, and conducted himself in such a manner that none but his son, Mr. Selwyn, and myself were aware that the telegram had arrived. We who did know of it were anxious, and I thought during the sitting of the Synod that there were marks of anxiety and trouble on his face. Still the business of the Synod was so wonderfully conducted that strangers could not detect that anything extraordinary had occurred. After the Synod he was writing up to five minutes of the starting of the train. He hurried off to the station, and reached .Richmond in time to speak to his brother before he became unconscious. Canon Selwyn was there, and the two brothers administered the Holy Communion to the Lord Justice, who died at eight o'clock in the morning. On that eventful morning, with the sun shining into the room, the three brothers perfectly calm, and the dying man conscious of his state, he breathed his last. This appears to have been the last straw which broke the camel's back ; for, although Bishop Selwyn returned to the diocese, he was not the same man after that event as he had been previously. On Wednesday and Thursday I took some of hia confirmations for him, and on the Friday and Saturday he was unable to continue them. He was really and seriously ill after hia brother's death, and finally he broke down at Grlossop the day before hia brother's funeral. I was with Bishop Selwyn the day before I left England. He was then thin and weak, but was able to discharge the ordinary duties of the diocese. He had to go to Stafford two days after I left home, to introduce my successor to the parish, but the Bishop was unable to deliver the address on that occasion, and was obliged to request another to take his place. I came away assured that with God's blessing the Bishop would be able to carry on the great work in which he wasengaged, and it was hoped that he would be more cautious, and endeavour to perform his work as if he were not altogether superhuman, In the address which you have kindly read to me you refer my friends to the supply of clergy that is required m this diocese. Before I left England I spoke to Bishop Selwyn upon the subject, and his advice wag not to mvite any clergymen to come out here until I was assured that there wai provision nwifi for them I am happy to say that I have in my list several names of clergymen fitted for hard work, and possessed with powers of considerable endurance ; and that as soon as provision 13 made they will be able to come out. The clergyman who ia now on his way here, Mr, Nelson, was very highly recommended to Bishop Selwyn, who is very much pleased with him. He is a scholar, one who has distinguished himself at the Umvei sity of Oxford. In the native Church lam deeply interested. I have had a good deal to do with missionary work in India, but my chief work lay amongst the European soldiers. I had not much time to acquire a knowledge of the languages in vogue amongst the natives of India, but I was so circumstanced that I had to deal with a large body of native converts. At all events, I have had a good deal to do with native converts to Christianity in foreign countries, and I need not assure the Church Missionary Society that so far as I am able they can always count upon my most cordial sympathy and assistance, 1 beg to assure you that I am not insensible ot the great honour that has been conferred upon me in having been invited by your reverend Bishop to come out here to carry on that noble work which he so well began and developed to its present efficient state. I hope by God's help that I shall be enabled to persevere in the work, to follow in the steps which have been marked out by my predecessor, so that bjr-and-by you will regard me as a not unworthy member of the great New Zealand Church. (Applause.) This terminated the pioceedings, and subsequently the members of the Synod were introduced to the Right Rev. Bishop. The decoration and engrossing of the address to Dr. Oortie has been executed by Mr. T. Hall, of Shortland-street, and is a most beautiful piece of ornamentation. It is, iv style, different from the address prepared sometime ago by Mr. Hall for the Sons of Old Colonists, and owing to the short period that has been allowed, it is much less elaborate. Though it is not always agreeable to the artist to have to produce a piece of ornamentation at short notice, such a thing ia often inevitable. Mr. Hall has contrived in the address to Dr. Cowie to introduce a sty c of ornamentation which is original and peculiar, and devoid of any appearance of plagiarism. Though it is true that the older forms of decoration admit of an almost endless variety of elegant ornamontion, anything in the shape of originality is none the less welcome, because it ia an evidence of ability in the aitistto grasp the subject, and evinces masterly treatment where the style of it possesses a merit of its own. The decoration of the heading of the present address, though bearing evident marks of haste, is not wanting m ihat elegant conception which - so distinguishes Mr. Hall's decoration; The heading is composed of plain old English round letters elongated, and somewhat modified, the text of the address be ng iv that kind of old > nglisn black letter in which many old title deeds are engrossed. The initial T in the heading is perfectly original in form, being a very elegant modification of the ancient black letter T. The colours are most judiciously chosen, the primary ones being used in the initial letters, so that those parts of the address to which it was desired to give prominence are strikingly brought out. The intervals between the letters are filled up with elegant tracery, which has been so delineated as to preserve an appearance of perspective by overlaying one ornamentation with another. The design of the tracery has evidently been formed upon the bat's wing, a natural object familiar to many persons The border surrounding the address is plain and severe in contrast to the tracery work, A severe and unassuming border, such as this, heightens the general effect of the remainder of the tracery, while a massive and elaborate border would have detracted from the beauty of the other decorations.

Every time a man kicks a cow or pouuds her hips with, a milking-stool he knocks a portion, of milk out of hia pail. When boys run. or dog milch cows a quart or more is the same as sp Led along the road. The California Farmer thinks that the grain export of that State for 1869 could Hot ho earned away by a fltot of seven hundred, merchant *hips,