The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1866. SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OF NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 223, 22 November 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1866. SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OF NELSON.

The Synod of this diocese was opened yesterday, by Bishop Sehvyn, who delivered the following address : — My Reverend Brethren of the Clergy — My Brethren of the Laity— At the request of Bishop Hobhouse, and under a special authority from him (by section 12 of the 2nd statute of the General Synod), I have convened the Synod of this diocese, which (by the 9th section of the same statute) is required to meet once at least in every year. I readily undertook to resume for a short time the office which I administered for seventeen years before his arrival, and to assist in carrying out the Synodical system upon which I held so many conferences with the clergy and laity in this city. BTSIIOP IIOBHOUSE. As a private friend of Bishop Hobhouse, I am not free to speak as I think of the loss which this diocese has suffered by his resignation. My delicacy is increased by the thought that it was on my recommendation that you accepted him as your Bishop. I would rather take your estimate of his character, after six years' acquaintance, and with you "acknowledge his past unparalleled bounty, as well as his munificent intentions with respect to the future endowment of the diocese." I would adopt as my own, your "appreciation of the spirit of untiring zeal and assiduity, of Christian courtesy and kindness, of self-sacrifice and liberality, with which he performed his duties." Above all, I desire to be united to you in the prayer that <% it may please God to renew that health and strength which he devoted unsparingly to the service of God in this diocese." niSHOP SUTER. We have every reason to believe that the interests of this diocese have been well provided for in the choice of a successor. We can accept with all confidence a Bishop nominated at your request by the ■ Bishop of London, confirmed, at the request of the General Synod, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and approved by the Crown. In compliance with the proviso of the 23rd section of the constitution, Bishop Suter has declared in writing his assent to our Church Constitution. Many letters have come from him full of expressions of interest in the work to which he has been called. He has had the advantage of personal intercourse with Bishop Hobhouse. He has taken the wise course of waiting till everything was clear ; and he has made good use of the interval by providing such supplies as he could obtain in England for the wants of the diocese. We have all heard with thankful hearts that he was consecrated with the Bishop of Dunedin on St. Bartholomew's day. Our thanksgiving will check any disposition to murmur at the delay, but the cause of it ought to be clearly understood. The recent decisions of the Privy Council have declared our letters patent to be invalid. It followed of course that no such letters patent could be issued to the new Bishops. They naturally wished to be consecrated in England, but the Archbishop of Canterbury could not consecrate them without authority from the Crown. A bill was brought in by Mr. Cardwell to remove the difficulty, but it was not carried through Parliament. "At last, on the urgent application of the Archbishop, the Government consented to issue a license for the consecration of Bishops Suter and Jenner. The license, I hear, is in very general terms, and does not profess to assign the new Bishops any jurisdiction or territorial diocese. PETITION OP THE NEW ZEALAND BISHOPS. The five Bishops of New Zealand have petitioned to be allowed to resign their patents. The fact that the new Bishops have none, will prove that letters patent are no longer held to be necessary. The At-torney-General, Sir 11. Palmer, stated in the House that "the maximum operation of tliese letters patent seems to be to incorporate tho Bishops and their successors, not as an ecclesiastical corporation within the colony, but simply as a common lay corporation, which it is in the ordinary prerogative of the Crown to create, and for which no statutory powers are required." Even this limited operation of the letters patent was called in question by the Attorney-Gene-ral of New iZealand (Mr. Sewell) in a Ministerial memorandum sent to England with the Bishops' petition. The corporate character, useful in tho early times of the colony, has been made unnecessary by the powers given to all religious bodies by the " Religious, Charitable, and Educational Trusts Act, of 1866." But our letters patent were not merely useless. They required us to administer discipline according to the ecclesiastical laws of England. But the Judicial Committee of the Trivy Council has decided that the ecclesiastical law of England cannot be treated as part of the law which the settlers carry with them from the mother country. To supply this defect, Statutes 9 and 10 were passed by the General Synod in 18G5, and have been adopted by the Synods of the dioceses of New Zealand and Nelson. "We believe that it is better for us to be governed by a known law agreed upon by all, than by a law imperfectly known even in England, and having no operation in the colony. It was impossible Ave could be governed by both. the queen's supremacy. The resignation of our patents, and the appointment of the new Bishops without patents, is thought by some to be a derogation from the Queen's supremacy. If their "maximum of operation" Avas to create a lay corporation, it is evident that the Queen's supremacy in causes ecclesiastical could be iu no Avay conveyed by them. We are not clearly

told Avhat is meant by the Queen's supremacy. If it means a right of appeal, beneficed clergy have a right of appeal to the Privy Council ; Curates have a right of appeal to the Archbishops ; Chaplains and Missionaries, .under the Propagation and Church Missionary Societies, have no right of appeal at all. Within Avhich of these classes the colonial clergy can be placed, it is difficult to say. The laAvs of our Synod give the same right of appeal to all. If the supremacy of the Crown means the establishment of ecclesiastical courts, there can be no such courts in this colony. The Crown cannot establish them-; our own Colonial Legislature certainly avill not. Our OAvn tribunals are in no sense courts. Without laws and Avithout courts, there can be no ecclesiastical causes in Avhich the supremacy of the CroAvn can take effect. What, then, is the bond of union which connects us Avith the mother Church ? What better bond can there be than the love Avliich children bear to a revered mother ? We are bound to her by the fundamental law of our Constitution, that we Avill make no alteration in her formularies, nor in the authorised version of the Holy Scriptures. We hold and maintain the doctrine and sacraments of Christ as the Lord hath commanded in his Holy Word, and as the United Church of England and Ireland hath received and explained the samo. The petition of the NeAV Zealand Bishops has been approved by the Archbishop, and by the late Secretary of State for the Colonies. The Archbishop Avrites thus : — " Mr. CardAvcll referred the New Zealand memorial to me for my opinion, and I told him that the scheme proposed seemed to me to be the natural corollary from the Privy Council judgment." "DIOCESAN BUSINESS. Bishop Hobhouse has conveyed the Bishopdale Estate and Clergy Replenishment Fund to Sir W. Martin, Bishop Patteson, and myself, upon trust, to reconvey the same to trustees appointed by the General Synod. The delay in the arrival of the new Bishop made this intermediate step necessary, as if Avas obviously desirable that he should be appointed one of the trustees. PENSION FUND. I have carefully read the report of the Standing Committee, and among many other subjects of interest with Avhich I am but imperfectly acquainted, I find one on the last page on Avhich I can speak with earnestness and confidence. It Avas a continued subject of regret to Chief Justice Am ey that so few of the clergy of this diocese were subscribers to the Pension Fund. This may have arisen from want of information. Avhich I shall now be most Avilling to supply. I lay upon the table tbe last report of tho Central Pension Board of the Life Insurance circular referred to in the report of your committee. I shall not noAv trouble you Avith any details, but simply quote a few of the concluding Avords : " The Board most earnestly invite the clergy, the parochial authorities, and the trustees of Endowment Funds, to support this institution, the advantages of which, even at the present time, may be seen to be great, and to be increasing so fast as to justify the hope that ample provision Avill soon he made for all our invalid clergy, and for the AvidoAvs and orphans of clergymen." CHANCELLOR AND ASSESSORS. By the 3rd section of 9th statute, it is directed that the Bishop shall from time to time appoint a fit person to preside in the Bishop's Court, who shall be called the Chancellor of the Diocese. And shall also from time to time appoint, Avith the concurrence of a majority of both orders in Synod assembled, not less than four clergymen and four laymen avlio shall be called Assessors of the Bishop's Court. Statutes S and 9 of the General Synod having been adopted in and for the diocese, it will be necessary, on the arrival of the neAv Bishop, to draAv his attention to this subject, in order that the Assessors appointed by him may be approved by the two orders in Synod assembled. It Avould obviously be most inexpedient to alloAV the appointment of Assessors to be delayed until some case should occur to require the action of the tribunal. WEST COAST. *I gather from the address of the Bishop of Christchurch to his Diocesan Synod, that he has received authority from Bishop Hobhouse to act for him over that portion of thG Nominal Diocese of Nelson ivhich is included within the Province of Canterbury. But a large population seems to be spreading northAvard Avithin the Province of Nelson, for which Ave may hope tlie new Bishop will be able to provide by engaging the services of one or more clergymen in England. APPROPRIATIONS. I entirely concur in the recommendations of your Standing Committee, that the proper distribution of the EndoAvment Fund should remain undisturbed until the arrival of Bishop Suter. CONCLUSION. I need not detain you Avith any long remarks. On most of the subjects referred to by tlie Standing Committee, I come to learn rather than to teach; and to assist rather than to guide your deliberations. One thought only I Avould suggest, that Ave are engaged in a spiritual Avork, that avc meet for a holy purpose. There must be details of business gone through; questions "will arise on Avhat have been called the temporal accidents of spiritual things : but let us take care that these secular objects, lioavever necessary, do not distract our thoughts or lead tis into Avcarisome discussions. What Ave want is a few earnest and burning Avords to tell us how souls may best be saved ; lioav the work of Christ may best be done. And then go back to our homes refreshed by the spirit of Council, to associate our neighbors Avith ourselves in Avorks of charity done for the glory of God. So, Avhen each man dresses his OAvn vineyard and Avaters abundantly his own garden bed, the incense of the progress of a godly people will go up to heaven like the smell of a field Avhich the Lord has blessed.

On Tuesday evening last MrWells, M.H.R., met his constituents at Wakapuaka, aud gave an account of his conduct during the late sitting of the General Assembly. Mr Mackay occupied the chair. Mr Wells having reviewed the financial position, of the General and Provincial Governments said that the necessity for consolidating the existing loans would ultimately lead to local taxation, and that the gradual formation of municipal institutions must be looked forward to as the best means of meeting the wants of the country. He thought municipal institutions would ere long take the place of provincial ones, aud that the substitution Avould be beneficial to the colony generally. The thanks of the meeting \vere given to Mr Wells and the chairman, and the proceedings terminated.

A numerously attended meeting of persons interested in getting up a regatta iu Nelson was held last evening, at the Bank Hotel, Mr Bullard in the chair. It was resolved that a committee of seven be formed, to consist of Captain Pringle, Messrs Bullard, H. Hargreaves, Pratt, Chambers, Trask, and J. W. Taylor ; Mr John Clark, Secretary. The committee will proceed at once to issue a subscription list, and it is hoped that the public Avill warmly respond to the call that will shortly be made upon them. It was a subject of lament that no aquatic sports were provided last year, and it is greatly to be desired that the regatta this year should be a success. If the committee are well supported in the arduous task they have taken upon themselves to fulfil, Ave shall expect to realise sports that will do the toAvu credit, as Avell as furnish amusements to a great number of persons, avlio complain that Nelson is so much behind other places in sports of the kind.

The N. Z. Gazette of Nov. 6 contains a despatch from the principal Secretary of State for the colonies, informing the Governor Sir G. Grey, that the Government have considered it necessary to advise the Queen to exercise the power vested in her Majesty by the 59th clause of the Pusseng.-r Act, 1855, and to cause an Order in Council to he passed requiring that from and alter the 20th August, 1866,every passenger ship to which the said Act extends, carrying more than 50 passengers, shall have ou board a duly qualified medical practitioner, avlio shall be rated on the ship's articles. The prevalence of choleraic disease in certain parts of the United Kingdom has induced her Majesty to exercise the discretion and authority so vested iu her as aforesaid.

The Bishop of New* Zealand will lay the foundation stone of the new church of St. Michael, Waimea West, on Saturday next, at 3 p.m.

Henry Oswald, charged with assaulting his wife, was brought before the Resident Magistrate, this morning, and remanded till Saturday, the woman who is still at the hospital, being too ill to appear against him.

The monument to the late gallant Colonel Nixon, to be erected in Auckland, is now completed. The New Zealand Herald thus describes it: — It is in the form of a column, and forms a very pleasing ornament. The inscription on it tells of the respect in which the. Colonel Avas held, and Avill long testify to the gallantry of the man. It forms a conspicuous object in the laudscape, and is visible for many miles around. It is situated on a spot which commands a view of a district, than which there is none more fertile and home-like in NeAV Zealand, and will long act as an incentive to youth and manhood to nobly and gallantly perform the duties — public and private — which, may devolve upon them. The Southern papers all appear to be anxiously aAvaiting the arrival of his Excellency the Governor, and have drawn out a little programme of the places he is to visit during his stay in the Middle Island. One of the localities mentioned is the gold-fields of Otago. The following gentlemen have been appointed to constitute a Board of Medical "Officers for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Military Pensions Act, 1866, viz. : — George Chapman Brewster, M.D; ; Robert Charles Earle, M.R.S.L., L.S.A., L.M. ; and George Henry Gibson.

We (Evening Post, 10th Nov.) notice that Mr. Hackworth, of'H.M. Customs, from Nelson, is at present in Wellington, and, on dit, that his visit is in consequence of the recent notice in the Gazette of the appointment of Mr. Seed to the inspectorship of customs. The collectorship of customs at this port will probably be given to some official high up in the customs department, such as Thomas Hill, Esq., and the inferior post may possibly devolve on Mr. Hackworth ; at least, such is the rumor in wellinformed circles.

The Evening Post says : — ln the last published Victoria Police Gazette, anxious enquiries are made, at the instigation of the Maltese authorities, as to the whereabouts of one Paola Vassalo, alias James Smith, alias Lewis Smith, a seaman, who was last seen on board the barque Napier, in March, 1865, when he went from Auckland to Napier, and from thence to NeAvcastle, N.S.W. The individual so earnestly wanted, it would .seem from the Avording of the advertisement, liss large expectations.

Stephen Parrell, late a clerk in the Customs at Mongonui, Avas brought to Auckland a few days ago, from Sydney, on a charge of having committed various acts of embezzlement. He Avas remanded to Mongonui. The prize vase presented to the Auckland Rifle Volunteers for annual competition, by J. L. Campbell, Esq., was won by Mr. Evitt who scored 38 at the three distances, 300, 400, and 500 yards.

Ballarat Rush, in the Canterbury province, which is certainly not a remarkably pleasant sounding name, has been, Ave (Evening Post) suppose, officially changed iu honor of the premier. The New Zealand Gazette announces, under the signature of Mr. John Hall, that the post-office there is in future to be called the " Stafford Town " Post Offie.