"QUEEN ELIZABETH."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4487, 31 March 1876, Page 2

"QUEEN ELIZABETH."

Mr. Eastwood last night delivered a lecture in the large room of the Young Men's Christian Association, upon the subject of " Queen Elizabeth, the last of the Tudors/'-—Mr. G. W. Owen iu the chair. There was only a small attendance. The proceedings were opened with a pianoforte solo, "A che la Morte," by Mr. Rowe. This was followed by a song by Mr. Ryan, " The Village Blacksmith."- The Chairman, Mr. Owen, then t introduced the lecturer.—Mr. Eastwood referred to the smallness of the audience, but said he believed those present had come forthe purpose of being instructed. He first spoke of the dominance of the religion of tho Church of Rome in England during the reign of Queen Mary, and the demonstrations o£ joy with which the succession of Queen Elizabeth was received. He next recounted the historical facts connected with- the reign of Elizabeth—the suppression of base coin and the issue of new coin; the efforts of John Knox and his compeers to suppress tho Roman Catholic religion in Scotland ; the strategy of Cecil, in diverting' 1 the attacks of Scotland from England by causing internal strife, and in obtaining the removal of Qneeh Mary. In these days toleration wasnot known, clergymen changed their religion literally as they changed their coat. Men were fined Is, equal to 10s of our money, for not attending church. Happy - would it have been had they understood the « value of toleration. Queen Elizabeth reoon- . structed the navy, and brought England to be the first maritime power of the world ; and more this, when applied to, she gave the V Dutch a refuge, and thus made England an asylum for the persecuted, and that one deed alone should hallow her name to all time. Another, the most crcditable to her, was that up to tho year 1572 not one person of high, birth suffered at the Tower, whereas during the previous reign, tho best blood of the nation was ever on the headsman's block. (Mr. Ryan here sang " Good Night.") Mr. Eastwood, iu the second part of his lecture, spoke of the personal characteristics of Queen. Elizabeth, —her love of money, her vanity o£ dress and, of person, aud her susceptibility to flattery. The circumstances which led to the execution of Queen Mary of Scots, the action of the Parliament in connection therewith ; the founding of the American na-. tion ; the defeat of the Spanish Armada; the Augustine age of English literature, when Bacon laid down the principles of modern philosophy and science, and Shakespeare and Spencer wrote ; and the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the respect shewn to her at the close of her eventful life, were fluently described.—A vote of thanks to the lecturer was cordially proposed by Mr. F. G. Ewington, and carried by acclamation.— The proceeds of the lecture are devoted to the Mount Eden Sunday-school Building Fund.