NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1190, 30 January 1864, Page 5

NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH.

The ceremony of laying the corner-stone of this building took place on Thursday last, at 4 30 p.m. The Church, which will he built of stone, stands on a section of land immediately fronting the Government Buildings. Messrs. Crouch and Co., of Melbourne, are the designers of it; Mr. S. C. Farr, of Christchurch, being the local architect. It is estimated to cost about £10,000. and the contractor has undertaken that it shall be ready for occupation bv the first week in January, 1865. It was explained at the meeting, which, as will be seen, took place in the evening, that the trustees being anxious that no unnecessary delay should take place in the work, had permitted the contractor to commence operations, so that the foundation-stone had already been laid. This was the reason why it was decided that the ceremony, Avhich took place on Thursday, was termed placing the corner-stone. Several ministers and gentlemen were present, amongst whom were the Rev. C. Fraser, T. J. Shaw, J. Aldred, and J. W. Habens, his Honor the Superintendent, and Messrs. Turner, Cowlishaw, &c. His Honor the Superintendent took a leading part in the proceedings, which were commenced by singing an appropriate hymn, after which the Rev. C. Fraser engaged in prayer. The psalm " Templa quam dilecta " was read by the Rev. J. Aldred, and another hymn sung. The corner stone, a block of white stone from the Christchurch quarry, bearing the inscription a.d. 1864, cut in plain legible characters on the face was suspended on a crane. I lis Honor, having put on a leathern apron, proceeded to spread the mortar over a cavity in one of the corner buttresses, in which was deposited a glass bottle containing copies of the ' Lyttelton Times' and 1 Press ' of the day, a number of a Wesleyan paper published in Melbourne (which gave an account of the first District Meeting held in Canterbury), a parchment containing the date of the event, the names of the Governor, Superintendent, the architects and trustees, &c., and a specimen of every coin of the realm. Mr. Bealey having finished his task, in a very workmanlike manner, the stone was lowered to its place, his Honor tapping it with a mallet and testing the accuracy of its position by means of a spiritlevel, in the usual way. He then addressed those present, remarking that although he himself belonged to the Anglican Church, and was connected with that portion of the earlier settlers, who had anticipated that. Canterbury would be a settlement regulated in an especial manner by the rules of that body, yet he had always foreseen the [jeiiutV when other denominations, and more especially the Wesleyan body, would succeed in establishing places of worship for themselves in disseminating their own tenets. Whilst he should prefer to see the Church of Christ a whole and undivided body, and lamented the schisms which prevailed in it, he felt the utmost cordiality for those who differed from him in matters of faith. These differences had existed almost from the days of the Great Founder of Christianity. The first great disruption was that between the Eastern and the Western churches, which continued in all the virulence which unfortunately almost always characterises polemical disputes, up to the present day. These denominational differences were the natural and inevitable consequence of the rights of private judgment which had been one of the great boons obtained for mankind by those who had been^ instrumental in bringing about the reformation which had proved such a benefit to the world. For his own part, he h;ul always regretted the secession from the establishment of John Wesley, who was a churchman, and he ("the speaker) might add a high churchman. The Church of England, in the day of this great and good man, had fallen into a state of deadness and apathy from which Wesley had endeavored to rouse it, but finding that he could not effectually do so, and that it was impossible for him to engage in his great work harmoniously with her members, he had reluctantly severed himself from her communion. He had. however, to a certain extent deeply lamented this necessity. He (Mr. B.) felt that although he was, as he had stated, a churchman, he by no mean? felt himself out of place in taking part in the proceedings of the day; on the contrary he had great pleasure in being present. In conclusion, he reiterated the expression of his earnest hope that in due time the dissensions which at present disturbed the harmony of the grand schf-ine of Christianity and to a certain extent marred its efficiency, would disappear, and universal concord he re-established amongst all those who professed to hold the great truths of our Holy Faith. The Rev. J. Aldred in reply, thanked His Honor for his kindness in officiating at the ceremony, and gave a brief outline of the doctrines held by the denomination of which he was a minister.

Apolouies were made for the absence of tlie Key. James Buller, superintendent of the circuit, who is at present engaged in presiding over the Conference now sitting 1 in Melbourne; and of G. Gould, Esq., the treasurer of the building fund, who was prevented hy indisposition from attending. After some other addresses had been delivered, the national anthem was sung, and the proceedings terminated. A tea meeting 111 connection with the above ceremony was held in the schoolroom, High street, which was very numerously attended. After tea, the meeting adjourned to theWesleyan Church. On the platform were several ministers and gentlemen, whose names we have given above. After the Hundredth Psalm had been sung, the Hev. J- A hired, who occupied the chair, addressed the meeting, congratulating them on the success which had attended the efforts of those who had undertaken the building of a new place of worship for the glory of God and the good of mankind. Mr. Turner followed with an interesting statement of the establishment, rise, and progress of the Wesleyan Society, and gave an outline of the expected cost of the new Church, and the period of its completion, which has already been detailed. Mr. Jebson delivered ft humorous speech, which occasioned much amusement, At the conclusion, however, he solemnly warned his hearers whilst they rejoiced at the commencement of a new church, not to overlook the important fact that the true church was composed of persons actuated by the vital principles of true religion and godliness, fhe Kcv, T. W. Habens spoke at, some length, congratulating the Wesleyan body on their strenuous efforts to build another temple dedicated to the service of the Most High, and thanking his friends of that denomination for the personal kindness and courtesy which had been extended towards himself. He was but a new-comer, or, if they preferred the term, a new chum, and had not yet recovered from the misery and discomforts of a long sea voyage; hut he hoped soon to get used to " roughing it," and looked forward to spending many happy days in the province, and being the instrument of increasing the spiritual good of its inhabitants. Mr. Cowlishaw wag the next speaker, and advised the trustees to avail themselves of the valuable assistance and cooperation of those influential canvassers, the ladies, m raising funds for the purprse of completing the Kreat work which they had that day inaugurated. Some other gentlemen having addressed the persons present, the Benediction was pronounced by the 4*ev. J. T. Shaw, and the meeting separated.

MEETING OF ELECTORS AT TIMARU

Mr. Jollie, M.11.R. for Tiniaru, addressed his constituents at the Mechanics' Institute, on Friday evening last. B. Woollcombe, Esq., Resident Magistrate, being called to the chair, in a brief speech introduced Mr. Jollie to the meeting.

Mr. Jollie said: In being elected three years ago, it had been his main desire to assist, in settling the native difficulty. Great changes had taken place in the interval—changes of governors, ministers, and of policy—from war to peace, and then again from peace, or rather a state of armed truce, to war, on a scale unknown before. The present quarrel was the same in its main causes as the former struggle, and such would have been looked for by all sensible men as inevitable under the actual circumstances of the two races. The position of the colony is different in reference to native matters now to what it had been, in consequence of its having undertaken the chief responsibility of their management, and some awkward risks attached to the working of such a system of responsibility. Some of these they would easily divine on reading the paragraph of the Duke of Newcastle's Dispatch of February last, where he said to the Governor, " You would be bound to judge for yourself as to the justice and propriety of employing and the best mode of employing her Majesty's forces. In this matter you might, of course, justify yourself by taking the opinion of your ministers, but the responsibility would rest with yourself and the officer in command." But on the other hand, the British Government were now better acquainted with the real state of things in the colony and not disposed to shirk their own duties and responsibilities. They bad at length proved by something more than words that they really were actuated, as the Duke of Newcastle said in the same dispatch, " By an earnest desire to save both races of her Majesty's subjects from an internecine war, and to carry them by a special exercise of Imperial power through the present crisis of their history."

The legislature of jhe colony in the late session had proved itself equal to the crisis, and inaugurated the new system of responsibility in native affairs by the passing of several bold and vigorous measures having for their object the suppression of the present and the prevention of any future Maori rebellion. He alluded particularly to Ist. Suppression of Rebellion Act. 2nd. The New Zealand Settlements Act. 3rd. The Act for raising a Loan of Three Millions. —The two first acts give great and unusual powers to the Government; but, he thought, not more than were necessary in the exceptional state of things which existed in the colony, and he believed those powers would be exercised in a spirit of sufficient < forbearance and moderation. To the Loan Act, or rather to the manner and time in which it was proposed to apply the funds to be raised under it, he had objected, but found himself in a minority with Mr. Mantell and Mr. FitzGerald. Mr. Jollie then read Mr. Mantell's amendment, limiting the introduction of military settlers to 5,000 men, as originally proposed by the Domett Ministry and recommended by the Governor, leaving, till the war was pretty well i over, any further attempts at colonising the country conquered. He did not believe that war and coloni- i sation, both too on a great scale, could go on satisfactorily together, and he also thought it was better to wait the views of the Home Government as to the confiscation policy, before committing ourselves too far, and undertaking the introduction and settlement of so many people. At the same time, he thought the duration of the war and the preparations neces- ' sary to preclude its recurrence had been somewhat magnified, and that the end desired might be attained at a less cost and in a shorter space of time than was generally supposed. At the same time he was in < favor of taking the most prompt and vigorous measures possible, and not at all averse to the country borrowing largely for the purpose, so that the money ; was not wasted in attempting too much or in pushing on too fast, and that the expenditure really effected t-lie purpose in view—the conclusive settlement of the Maori difficulty. The Middle ; Island is making great sacrifices in agreeing to the arrangements of the Government. It was likely for some time at least to contribute nearly three-fourths of the burden charged upon the whole colony by the Loan Appropriation Act just passed, amounting to about £1,700,000 (including the loan of £500,000 authorised in the session of 1862), whilst it must necessarily also contribute in the same proportion for some time at least to the other charges of the loan which were properly of a colonizing and provincial nature, and which the act provided should be apportioned to the North and the provinces of it specially benefiting by the expenditure incurred. True, by the Settlement Act just passed, they were to be hereafter indemnified for their actual war expenditure by the sale of such of the lands confiscated as might remain after making proper provision for the natives, and satisfying the claims of the military and other settlers, compensation claims for losses, &c. f and the Colonial Treasurer in bis speech on the Budget had calculated that there would probably be available after all such demands had been met nearly two millions of acres, but he (Mr. Jollie) thought that rather a sanguine calculation on the part of Mr. Wood, and would not have them rely over much upon it as it was likely to reduce very much the liabilities of the South in the matter of the loan. The permanent as well as the immediate financial sacrifices would, he feared, be theirs. The direct advantages are all in favor of the North, in the shape of territory acquired, large sums of money spent, and a large increase of population. But he believed the people of the Middle Island would cheerfully accept the sacrifices that might fairly and unavoidably belong to them, whether they were temporary or permanent, feeling that Auckland and the North had so far during this struggle manfully done its duty and submitted cheerfully to great privations and losses in the presence of the foe. He gave Auckland every credit for the energy and self-denial which her population had shown under the many trials of their present lot, and with regard to the rest he would trust that whatever might be the result of the Ministerial plan of confiscation and settlement, Auckland and the North generally, with the great resources and the great future that was before the n, would see it only right to indemnify the South hereafter, if not by an equitable adjustment of the expenses of the war, at least by exhibiting some degree of gratitude for her exertions and sacrifices, and by more generous behaviour for the future. In reference to certain other important questions now in dispute between it and the North, viz:— The seat of Government question. Proposition of the Government to give a Lieut.Governor and Executive to the Middle Island. Mr. Cargill's announcement. Mr. Domett's resolutions. Mr. FitzGerald's address to Governor. Vote of £50,000 for necessary expenses of Commission and buildings. Time and place of next session of the Assembly. This is a question of great importance to Canterbury as well as the other Northern provinces, and we may be glad that her members, and especially Mr. FitzGerald, have contributed so materially to what he trusted might be its satisfactory settlement. If the seat of Government had been removed to the Straits, Canterbury would not have been deprived of the services of six out of its nine members, as it had been for so large a period of the late eventful session. Nor probably could it again occur with the seat of Government so near that the dispatch of writs for elections to supply vacancies in the representations occurring before a session of the Assembly was announced by the Governor, should have been delayed so long as almost to preclude the gentlemen elected even taking their seats during that session. In the Representation Bill, Mr. Jollio said he was a member of the committee, which consisted of ten: six representing Northern constituencies, and four Southern. In the first place, the committee decided that any readjustment of the representation should be laid upon an augmentation of the present number of members in order to avoid the necessity of immediate dissolution; that it was desirable that any increase to be made should not make the total members of the house exceed 70. That Otago should have an increase of seven mpmbers strictly speaking six and a half ; Auckland one; Canterbury, two and a half; and Southland Cnow with a population of at least 10,000, and customs revenue estimated for this year at 60,000) one; and that two representatives should be given to the M-ioris The question is a most difficult and mi- j practicable one at the present time, and the Government is much to blame in allowing a private member tn take it up In the committee the best result to be expected was a compromise, and like all other !£ZS» unsatisfactory. Mr. Stafford jomed Auckland, then we were in want of proper data as : to population, and the constituencies of different . provinces and districts. Out of ninee e<| tricts of Canterbury, for instance, the rolls o£ thc , present year to be found in the Government offices ! F„ T«e£,l , wore only for three, «*., C m.ot, ; m ■ s xr & ~

to another session for a proper revision of the representation generally. Notwithstanding that that there might be some danger of augmenting in the meantime the number of Otago representatives now in the House. Mr. Stafford's motion was for an equality of members to the two islands. At present the North Island has 29 and the South 28 members. By the Kepiesentation Bill, or, rather, bv the recommendation of the Committee, the North would have had 32, and the Middle Island 35 members. With regard to the proposition to give two members to the natives, -he (Mr. Jollie) would have opposed it in tlie House, had it come on for discussion, on the grounds that the present was an unfavourable time for entertaining the question at all, and that to give two members would only be an incentive to immediate further demands; also that there was no good reason for so small a number as two, if it meant anything but a sham, nor for denying tliem the right of having members of their own race, though this at present was obviously out of the question altogether. In referring to the Waitara affair, he considered that the reasons for relinquishing the land most unsatisfactory and untenable: — 1. The tribal arrangements existing by which King's people occupied the Ivakaltairi Pali constituting a tribal right. But this was for a specified period, and Teira did not relinquish his actual ownership of the land. 2. That more than 200 people were living on land at the time of sale, and afterwards evicted by the military, which had not been stated before. It is quite clear that their residence in that locality was known all along, but not that they were evicted by the military. In the event of the natives leaving a pah, or being driven out of it, the case is not the same as that of Europeans being dispossessed of their homes and possessions. 3. That Teira never intended selling the pahs, and that there was a question of a reserve amounting to 200 acres, which had never been maintained by the Government or understood between the parties,

But substantially Mr. Parris admits the reserve, though he says be is not aware it was fixed at 200 acres. Generally, and in point of fact and of right and justice, the case was put throughout very favorably for the Governor by the Duke of Newcastle in his dispatch of August last—that " King's" rights, whatever they were, would have been respected in the final arrangements. We may hope now to see the whole Waitara difficulty summarily solved in common with certain others by the operations of the Settlement Act in conjunction, perhaps, with the powers given to the Government by the Native Lands Bill of 1862. The Superintendents' Bill, introduced by Mr. FitzGerald, was lost on tho second reading by two votes; Mr. Jollie said he supported the Bill, and should do so again next session if again brought in. The new Provinces Amendment Act was really a repeal of the New Provinces Act; the clauses were drawn up by Mr. Bell and the speakers, for the purpose of securing to the outlying districts 25 per cent of their land fund. This was worth the consideration of the Timaru district, especially considering the recent legislation of the Provincial Council for the establishment of road boards all over the province. He (Mr. Jollie) referred to the effect of the Bill proposed by Mr. Stafford to regulate and prescribe the conditions on which the provinces should be authorised to borrow money for public purposes, and in accordance with which Bill, though not passed the General Government, are pledged to act till the next session of the Assembly. This Bill requires that a block or blocks of land, and the revenue arising therefrom, should be set apart and hypothecated for the liquidation of any loan that a province may contract, and it is worthy of consideration how far our interest may be .affected by such a measure especially in connection with the late legislation in the province as to Road Boards, and any expectation the Provincial Government might have encouraged us to entertain as to such Boards receiving periodical aid from the provincial revenue He (Mr. Jollie) then thanked the meeting for their attendance and attention, and in conclusion stated he had a large bundle of public papers with him which be intended to present to the Mechanics' Institute, Timaru, for the use of the members. Mr. LeCren thanked Mr. Jollie for his kindness in coming amongst them, and also for his useful and instructive address, and was quite sure he retained the full confidence of his constituents. A vote of thanks to that effect having been carried the meeting separated.