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New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1873, 17 January 1870, Page 5

Waitbe Douqias, the self-styled evangelist, described in our (Melbourne Argus) H obart Town telegrams a few days ago, as having, whilst pretending to conduct Divine service, enacted scenes which, j ended in his being summoned for disorderly conduct, is a celebrity well known to a large number of people in the suburbs of .Melbourne. About three rear; ago, ho held services every in the Baptist Church, adjoining the Benevolent Asylum. Jiis preaching was clnrncteri.srd by great earreslness, and apputirc-d Ij_ possess a peculiar fascination for laatij , o; his admirers and followers, who, though chiefly belonging to tha softer sex, included several tradesmen and others in comfortable circumstances. Mr. Douglas is of the nervous temperament, and his style is the howling or declamatory; whilst his personal appeals to occasional hearers, singled out apparently at random, in which he told them "they were children of the evil one, and swimming towards the burning late," were I calculated to arrest and arouse tho attention of the many nervous and impulsive people who flocked to hear him. 11 iz earnestness carried him on-from seven in the evening till two or tt.rco o'clock hi . the morning, for weeks together. -At I these services it was no unusual thing for the preacher to have a number of women, j married, single, and widows, frantically crying at all hours of the raorniui: for his prayers and advice. One of the latter laid her hand and fortune of £700 a year at the apostle's feet. Thus aided, he has gone forth into tho Southern hemisphere, visiting New Zealand and Tasmania, to preach what he believes to bo the Gospel. Whilst in Victoria he also officiated on Sundays for a long time in the Presbyj terian Church, JSfapier-street, Collintr- : wood. In narrating his own career to j his hearers, he stated that he had been a great drunkard, and the son of a drunken , father, that he was born in America, went i to London, where he was in such destitu- ! tion that he Tesolved to drown himself; ! but meeting with some Christian, he was ' what he termed converted, and a short 1 time afterwards emigrated to this colony.

VOLUNTEERS FOR SERVICE. Captains Babxett, McCarroll, andFinnerty, accompanied by several volunteers of the Thames corps, having waited upon the Hon. the Defence Minister, tendering liim their services in the present, emergency, and their offer having hccn accepted, and au'hority given to enlist ns many men as eou d be got together for service nt T.aurauga, the Hauraki Bines and a numbrr of Volunteer Militia, who readily answered the call, left Shortland in the p.s Royal Alfred on Saturday morning, and nrrived during the forenoon inAuekland. The men, who locked " all there" for a brush with To Kooti, marclied up afc onee to the Drill Shed, Princes-street, where they expected to find uniform clothing, but were disappointed, ne I here wus none for them. They were marched oil* to the Governor Browne Hotel, where they dined, and subsequently, during the evening, they embarked on the p.s. Sturt, in which vessel the Defence Minister with them took his departure for Tnurunga. Captain McCarroll and Lieutenant Cnsely were the officers in charge, and the force numbered fifl.y-sevi-n rank and file, enlisted for any period and to proceed lo any locality to which they may be ordered by the Government. It is much to be regretted that no suitable clothing can be found for them As far us service- goes, doubtless, a man can fight us well in mufti as he can in regimentals, but uniform has its advantages, which must not be overlooked ; nnd we trust that something nicy yet be done to provide the Volunteer Militia with something of the kind.