AUCKLAND DIOCESAN SYNOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8090, 3 November 1887, Page 3

AUCKLAND DIOCESAN SYNOD.

The first session of the twelfth Synod of the Diocese of Auckland was opened yesterday. The proceedings wore commenced by ; a communion service at St. Matthew's j Church in the forenoon, at which there was a large attendance of olergy and laity. OPENING OF THE SYNOD. The Synod assembled at three o'clock in the afternoon, at the library, Bishopscourt. The Right Rev. Dr. Cowie. Bishop of the Diocese, presided, and the following members wero present:— Clergy : Von. Archdeacon Clarke, Ven. Archdeacon Dudley, Ven. Archdeacon | Maunsell, Ven. Archdeacon Willis, Aitkens, Baker, Bates, Beatty, Boler, Boyes, Bur- ; rows, Calder, Cubbitt, J. K. Davis, Du Rieu, English, Gould, Haselden, T. P. Hewlett, O. R. Hewlett, Hill, Hoete, Patterns, King, Kirkbride, Marshall, McFarland, Mulgan, Nelson, O'Callaghan, Purchas, Richards, Smalltield, Sprott, Tebbs, l'obin, Walpole, Walsh, Wilson. Laity; Messrs. Armstrong, Barstow, Batger, Beale, Boere, A. Brown, Calder, H. T. Clarke, R. M. Clark, Cochrane, Cox, Crispe, Dawson, Doonin, Evans, Hamilton, Hammond, Haselden, Haultain, Hosketb, Hills, Ireland, Jackson, Lawlor, Lodder, Luke, McMillan, Nolan, Pierce, Rawlings, Rice, Seth Smith, Skelton, Percy S. Smith, Speight, A. K. Taylor, A. Thorp. W. H. Thorp, Upton, Watts, Wells, Whitley, Wildman, Wilson, Woods, Woollams, Wright. After prayer the roll was called by the Rev. W. Calder, bishop's chaplain, and the Synod was declared duly constituted. THE ANNUAL ADDRESS. His Lordship then delivered the annual address as follows :— Dear Brbthen of the Cleroy and Laity,—We meet to-day for the first session of the Twelfth Synod of this Diocose; the first Synod having met in December, 1559, in the School-room of St. Paul's parish. Of the members of that Synod, seven are still remaining with us, entitled to sit here today, namely, five clergymen and two laymen. The members of the Synod in 1559, including thirteen licensed clergy, numbered fortythree ; whereas our number to-day is 123. Wo miss from our Assembly to day not a few brethren who havo in past years rendered valuable assistance in our deliberations ; but we have the consolation of knowing that though not now members of the Synod, thoy are still our fellow-labourers in the general work of the Church. Some of those to whom I referresidents in Auckland—represented country districts in which no suitable person was able, or willing, to accept the office of Synodsmau, on account of the long absence from home duties that attendance here involved ; and it is a token of the increasing interest that our people take in the work of this our Diocesan Council, that a larger number of country constituencies than ever before chose their representatives from their own communities at the recent general election. In connection with this matter there is, however, in our organisation one great defect, which the Synod should endeavour to rectify. I refer to tho comparatively small number of cur people who register their names in the churchwardens' books, to qualify themselves to vote at diocesan and other elections. Mr. Stephen Edward Hpghks. —Of those who were members of our lost Synod, and took an active part in its work, there was one whose absence cannot but be noticed to-day, namely, Mr. Stephen Edward Hughes. During many years no office-bearer in the Diocese gave mere time and thought to matters of importance to the well-being of the Church than did Mr, Hughes, as a churchwarden, a Synodsman, and a member of the Standing Committee. Of the ready assistance that I always received from him personally, and the kind consideration with which he at all times treated me, I shall ever retain a grateful remembrance. There are other losses that I have to record to-day —the most serious that a large section of car people have ever sustained in the course of a single year, namely, the deaths of three of our Maori clergy—the Revs. Renata Tangata, Rupene Paerata, and Hare Peka te Tana, all clergymen of the Northern Archdeaconry. They were all entitled to seats in the Diocesan Synod, but as their knowledge of the English language was very limited, they did not attend our meetings, especially as the affairs of our Maori fellow churchmen are regularly cared for at the annual sessions of the Native Church Boards of the Diocese.

The Rev. Renata Wiremu Tangata was one of our senior clergy, having been admitted to deacon's orders by Bishop Sehvyn in 1567. He was educated at Walmate and Kaitaia, where his teachers were respectively the Rev. K. Burrows and the Rev. J. Matthews, of the Church Missionary Society. In his preparation for holy orders he received much help from the late Archdeacon Kigsling and Sir William Martin, by whom ho was held in much esteem. Hia charge was the Oruru district; but from time to time lie ministered to his fellow countrymen in other parts of the diocese, especially in the southern districts ot the Waikato, where his missionary visits were greatly appreciated, and were, I believe, productive of much good among the misguided people of those parts. He was a humble-minded man, "one of nature's gentlemen," refined by genuine Christianity, an earnest preacher, and a self-denying servant of his Master. It will be long before his place can be supplied by a man of equal experience, devotion, and efficiency. The Rev. Rupena Paerata was also a pupil of the Rev. J. Matthews at Kaitaia, the Rev, R. Burrows, and Sir William Martin, He was ordained by me in 1873, and was minister of Parengarenga, and afterwards of Paihia. He was as courageous in the denunciation of evil as waß his warrior father in contending with his enemies. He was highly respected and much beloved by the congregations to whom he ministered ; and the remembrance of his consistent Christian life will continue to influence them for good. The Rev. Hare I'eka te Taua was also a pupil of the Rev. Joseph Matthews, and for a short time of the present Bishop of Waiapu. He was ordained by me in 1875, and was appointed to the charge of his fellowcountrymen living in the neighbourhood of Waimate, where he' remained, doing his work faithfully and efficiently until his unexpected death in September last. He was well known to the settlers of the Bay of Islands, and was held in great esteem by them as well as by his own people, with whom his influence was deservedly great. Ihaka te Tai Hakukkk. —The same sad occurrence that deprived us of the servioea of the two first of the Maori clergymen of whom I have spoken caused also the death of another exemplary man of the native race, namely, Ihaka to Tai Hakuere, a worthy chief of a clan of the famous Ngapuhi tribe, of the North. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the colony; and by his simplicity of character, his honesty, hia independence, and sound good sense, had won the respect of his fellow-legislators. He was for many years an efficient lay reader to his own people, and was one of the most useful lay representatives of the native Church Boards, of which he was a member. May it be long before the president of this Synod has to record the loss of so many men of highest worth—men proved, and not found wanting, in their respective stations in the Church. State ok the Diocese.—l shall now proceed to lay before you the general state of tho diocese, in order that you may be the better able to supply that which is lacking in oar organisation, and to amend that which is defective. Ordinations.—Since the last session of tho Synod I have admitted to deacon's orders: Mr. M. Kirkbride, who had been for many years one of our moat efficient lay readers ; Mr. D. Boyes and Mr. C. A. Tobin, of St. John's College; and Hone Papahia, a Maori chief of tho Hoklanga district, who had been for three years at the Church Missionary College at Gisborne. Clergy from Other Dioceses.—The Rev. T. H. Sprott, M.A., has come to us from the Dioceae of London, bringing the valuable experience gained in a populous city parish ; and the Rev. G. Aitkens from that of Manitoba, where he learned to endure hardness amidst the frost and Bnow of those regions. Home Mission.—Daring the past year seventeen clergymen resident in country districts have received small grants, varying from £40 to £20, from the Home Musion Fund. The Standing Committee, by whom the fund is administered, have been obliged to reduce the grants made in former years, and in some cases to discontinue them altogether, iu consequence of the emallness of the sum received by . them from tho Diocese. This lack of means is, doubtless, the result partly of the general commercial i depression from which the colony has [ Buffered during the last two years; but it is

to be attributed also to the ignorance in which many of oar people live of the importance of the work of this mission, and to the indifference of others to the spiritual state of largo districts in whioh they have no personal interest. Some of the olergy working in connection with the Mission have much more travelling and preaching to accomplish than is for their good ; but if they were to give up any part of their district, or to curtail their ministrations, many of our people would be left without Churoh teach* inc. and the clergy themselves would find it still more difficult than they do at presont to obtain the necessaries of life. Besides, the small supplementary grants made from the fund to the clergy of whom I have spoken, tho stipend of our organising clergyman is derived therefrom; and by him nearly all j the districts of the diocese at present withI out resident clergy are from time to time visited. I consider the establishment of the office of organising clergyman the most im-> portant step in advance that the Synod has taken for many years ; and the duties of the office are as zealously and efficiently discharged by the Rev. John Haselden as those most interested in the work of the Some Mission could desire. Tho result is that there were never before so few of our people in districts thinly inhabited and difficult cf access altogether unvisited by a clergyman as there are at present. Still, it is not right that wo should have no clergyman resident in the country extending from Hamilton to Bombay—distant from one another about 56 miles, and none between Paparoa and Devonport— distant from one another about 70 miles. I had hoped that the Home Mission Society, which was instituted tour years ago for the purpose of making the claims of the Mission better known throughout the Diocese, and of augmenting its funds, would have effected its object more thoroughly than it has ; but by this, as by other Churoh organisations, however good in themselves, comparatively little improvement will be accomplished, so long as the many who should interest themselves in its success leave the work to be carried out by a few, or even by one or two, as is sometimes the case. Lay Rbadeks. —The improvement that has taken place in recent years in the observance of public worship throughout the country districts, has been the result greatly of tho increase in the number and in the efficiency of our lay readers, of whom there are at present 54 holding a formal license, and 47 others, to whom 1 shall be happy to issue a license as soon as it is applied for Id the usual maimer.

During tho past year licences have been issued by me to Colonel Forbes (of Hamilton), Mr. A. W. F. Halcomlie (of Urenui), Captain Hearne (of Pokeno), Mr. C. H. Lupton (of Woodside), Mr. C. Nettleship (of Pnkete), Mr. L. A. Robin (of Parnell), Mr. J. W. Salmon (of Aucklaud), Mr. S. T. Seddon (of Hamilton), Mr. G. Small (of Port Albert), Mr. W. Sorby (of Te Awamutu), Mr. A. Swarbrick (of Hamilton), and Mr. Ivon Wansbrough (of Parnell). The Lay Readers' Association, which was formed in ISS6, will, I hope, prove very helpful to its members generally ; by bringing them into communication with one another, for mutual sympathy and counsel, and by establishing a library of suitable volumes of sermons and other theological works for their use. I have much pleasure in informing the Synod that two of our lay readers—namely, Messrs. Small and Waußbrough, have recently passed grade 1 of the theological examination. Sunday Schools.— Many of our lay readers are rendering very valuable service to the Church by superintending Sundayschools, or teaching therein. There is no department of our work about which I am more concerned at the present time than about these schools, which are much fewer in number than they ought to be, and in many cases are very inadequately supplied with teachers. If the examination for the Bishop's prizes is any test of the scriptural knowledge possessed by our children generally, the extent of that knowledge is very unsatisfactory in some of our parishes and districts. At the last annual examination, as on former occasions, the children of All Saints' School, Ponsonby, greatly distinguised thems«lves; and those of St, Matthew's and St. Sepulchre's parishes were next in order of merit. With the valuable help that is now given by the Sunday School Board, I see no reason why great improve* ment should not be effected in the management and the teaching of our Sundayschools.

Rev. P, 8. S.uallfield.—l will take this opportunity of informing the Synod that much of this help is the result of the experience and the labour of the Rev. P. S. Smallfield ; to whom wo are specially indebted for a valuable scheme of teaching by standard courses, which I hope the clergy will be able to adopt in the larger schools of the Diocese.

Mr. Smallfield has also done good work during the past year as Diocesan Inspector of Sunday-schools, though the stipend recommended by the Synod in 1885 for that office has not been forthcoming. Religious Instruction.—We must: not, however, allow our interest in the Sundayschools of the diocese to divert our attention from the fact that, without the regular teaching of Holy Scripture in the day sohools of the colony, a large proportion of the rising generation of New Zealanders cannot but be ignorant of the truths of the Gospel. Thousands of children in this country receive little or no Christian teaching in their own homes, or in Sunday»schools. Where, then, are they to be taught the truths of the Gospel, if not in the day school ? Instead of giving a direct answer to this question, some of our leading politicians would put us off with the assertion that it is not the function of the Civil Government to teach religion. In the same way it might be said that it is not the function of the Government to teach the science of medicine. It is, however, the duty of Government not only to put no hindrance in the way of the teaching of medicine, but to facilitate it; and, in the opinion of the great majority of the people of the colony, tho same holds true with respect to the teaching of Christian morality and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, ho long as the present regulations exist respecting the hours of teaching in our Board Schools, religious instruction cannot be efficiently given therein, before or after the ordinary school hours. How long, I would ask, are the great majority of the population tamely to submit to the tyranny of a small minority in this matter ? We recognise the right of others to act on their convictions as to the unimportance of religious teaching : are the majority not to be allowed to act; on their convictions also as to tho paramount importance of the same ?

More than 2300 years ago, Socrates, the wise man of Greece, addressing a fellowcitizen, said, " Seeing you are an Athenian, of a city the most powerful and most renowned for wisdom and strength, are you not ashamed of being careful for riches, how you may acquire them in greatest abundance, and for glory and honour, but care not to take thought ... for your soul, how it may be made moat perfect ? . • . Take no thought for the body, or for riches, prior to or so much as for the aoul, how it may be made most perfect. . . . Virtue does not spring from riches, but riches and all other human' blessings, both private and public, from virtue." We Christian people profess to care for the souls of ourselves and our children, at least as much as Socratea taught the Athenians to care for theirs ; but how inconsistent is the action of many of un, in public and in private, with this profession ! Wo too commonly urge our childr«n, directly and indirectly, to "hasten to be rich," whilst we leave to chance, so to speak, the nourishment of their souls.

If at the present time we apply the test of results to the "secular" or intellectual teaching, pure and simple, of our educational system, I would ask whether the result is altogether aatifactory. After 15 years of our present system, is it obvious that the moral tone of on' young men and women is more elevated than of ore; that our sons and daughters are more respectful and helpful to their parents ; that they r.re more careful to live within their means, and are more conscientious in the fulfilment of their engagements ? I would ask whether the number of young perron* brought before the magistrate is decidedly less ; whether one is less frequently shocked by the aspect of our streets at night, thin when our children were taught in the day aohool to Bay, " The darkness is no darkness with Thee, bat the night ia aa clear as the day—the darkness and light to Thee are both alike." Nay, can we now, as the result of our " purely secular" teaching, walk through the city at midday without being put to shame by the open flaunting of vicious children, and caused to shudder at the thought of its contaminating effect on many who witness it? And even in the case of other large sections of young men and women, ia there no Cftuse for anxiety when the religious life is pltogether unknown to them ? " The moral , sense," says one. of the most powerful

thinkers of the present day, "no longer uplifted by any Divine perfection, gradually sinks and lets the nobler inspirations die; and a »society has reason for dismay where there is an ever-widening chasm between the ' two summit levels of thought «nd oharaoter." ' And we cannot ezouse our present neglect of religious teaching by saying that we have no practical alternative to our present system of public education. In this, as in other matters of difficulty, where there is a will there is a way. What is possible in London and in Sydney, In the work of education, cannot be altogether impossible in the oity and the province of Auckland. The socalled " religious difficulty " is one of theory and not of practice. Though I have spoken in the Synod on the subject of religious instruction, during wellnigh eighteen years, till I am verily weary of speaking, as you are of hearing, about it, I will venture ouce more to statu as briefly as possible, the amendments that seem to me necessary in our present system of public education.

That the so-called "secular" teaching of our Board schools should be made as thorough as possible, and should bo free and compulsory, all will agree; bat 1. Where it is possible, g., !n our towns and larger settlements, the New South Wales system of religious instruction should be allowed; namely, that teachers authorised by the several religious bodies should have the right to teach the children of those bodies respectively, at fixed times during school hours, a consoience clause being in every case provided. '2. Where the New South Wales system would bo impracticable, eg., in the majority of country schools, selected passages of Holy Scripture should be read by the teacher, at fixed times, during school hours, a conscience clause being provided; and 3. Schools not connected with the State should receive grants in did ; provided that they satisfy the requirements of the educational authorities, in the so-oalled secular" instruction therein given, and in other respects. After this wearisome reiteration, I may now say tiberavi animam meam. Church GsAM.Mi.it School.The fate of our own Grammar School illustrates the evils of protection in the matter of education. The school has for the present been closed by the Governors, in consequence of its inability, without adequate endowments, to compete with institutions receiving a large bounty from the State. It is well that the State should foster, to the utmost of its power, the intellectual development of the people ; bat monopolies are evil in principle, whether commercial or educational, irrespective of the financial burden imposed on the people by a monopoly such as the present educational system of New Zealand. Our Church Grammar School has, as I have said, bean temporarily closed, for want of sufficient endowment for Its maintenance ; and the promises have been leased for three years, for the purposes of a school, to the present master, Mr. H. Percival, who, with the assistance of the Rev. P. S. Smalllield, is steadily increasing the number of his pupils. Br. John's College.—Our provincial college of St. John the Evangelist is not in a very much better predicament than the Grammar School. Tho endowments at present yield a net income of about £1000, to maintain scholars as well as to provide for their teaching ; so that by them a staff of teachers could not now be maintained. Fortunately the General Synod, in 18S3, approved of the temporary removal of the college from Tamaici to the neighbourhood of Auokland, according to the unanimous recommendation of the governors; in order that the students might be able to attend the lectures of the professors at the Auckland University College. All but one of the foundation students now at the college have matriculated at the University of New Zealand, or are preparing to do so ; and nearly a!l who are at our college in ISSS will, I expecr, be attending lectures at the University College. As soon, however, as the old buildings at Tamaki have been restored, the collego will be re-opened there, in accordance with a resolution of the General Synod passed in 1886. The Warden will then be expected, I suppose, to teaoh the students all the sciences ; and, as attendance at the lectures of the University College is in their case indispensable for graduating at the University of New Zealand, our students will thenceforward have to content them" selves with a lower educational status, and must not aspire to a university degree. Up to the present time the governors have only been able to carry out the first of tho resolutions passed by the General Synod at its last session, namely, to appoint a resident warden ; and, to all appearance, the college, like the Grammar School, will have to be closed before the funds necessary for the restoration of the old buildings can be accumulated. In that case we shall have a melancholy illustration of the saying, propter vitum, vivendi perdere causae ; for the sake of the college we shall have to forego the purposes for which the college was founded.

The College buildings at Tamaki ara still in the occupation of the Rev. T. F. King, who conducts therein a private school with much success, combining the imparting of sound learning with religious education, strictly in accordance with the principles which it was the object of the founder of St. John's College to cherish. Paroohial Returns.—l am unable, lam sorry to say, to refer in detail to the work of the majority of our Sunday-schools, inasmuch as I hare not yet reoeived the parochial and district returns for the year ending December 31, 1386 For the same reason 1 am unable to lay before the Synod other information that should be in its possession at our annual meeting. In ISSS the Synod direoted that the paroohial returns should be sent in to the Standing Committee every year, in time to enable the committee to publish a summary thereof in the Church Gazette before the meeting of the Synod. 1 would ask the Synod to give definite instruction?, during the present session, as to the manner and time of furnishing these returns, without which the President is obviously unablo to make a complete statement, as it is desirable that he should, of the condition of the diocese.

I must, on the present occasion, content myself with laying before you other particulars of Diocesan work with which I am more immediately concerned, or have had oppor* tunities of making myself acquainted. The Orphan Home continues to fulfil the purposes for which it was founded, namely, the maintenance, and the religious, intellectual, and industrial training of orphaus and destitute children. .Notwithstanding the additions that have been made to tho buildings in recent years, there is not at present accommodation for all the ohildren whose friends desire to obtain for them admission to the institution. We may fairly expect that every parish and district of the biocese will show its interest in the work of the Home by contributing annually to its support, and to the extension of its beneficent work. We may well congratulate Mr. Pierce, who has been honorary secretary of the Home for 16 years, on the result of his never-flagging and wise direction of its affairs; and, if it were permissible, we might envy him the privilege of having visited the fatherless of our Home during so many years, which, according to Holy Scriptures, is of the very essence of " pure religion before God and the Father." With the name of Mr. Pierce in this important diocesan work, that of Mr. Rawlings, the honorary treasurer of the Home, may rightly be associated. There are at the present time in the Home 46 boys and 22 girls, all in good health. Tho Girls' Friendly Sooioty has been carrying on its useful work in the diooese tor more than four years. 1 shall be glad to hear that there are working associates of the society not only in every parish, but in every settlement and distriot of the diocese. The Women's Home has more than fulfilled the most sanguine hopes of those by whom it was founded. Up to the present time 97 youug women have received motherly care and teaching utoder its roof. The report of the good work to the end of September is laid upon the table. The Sailor#' Home, though not the pro* perty of the Church, owes its existence to the interest taken in our seafaring population by a few of the clergy and laity of Auckland. I desire to place it on record that, in taking the part I did in establishing this institution, originally the Sailors' Rest, my primary object was to benefit the Beamen of our port spiritually, morally, and intellectually, and not only socially. It seems right to me to make this explicit declaration to the Synod, inasmuch as the bsquest of £12,150 that came to us from the late Mr. E. Costley,, was for the Sailors' Home being inaugurated or to be inaugurated by Biahop Cowie. Ac« oordingly, the articles of association provide that religious teaching shall never be excluded from the Home, and that no seafaring man shall bo denied the benefits of the institution on account of his opinions on the subject of religion, or of his nationality. I

have muoh pleasure in informing the Synod that a commodious and suitable Home, constructed of brick on a very convenient site, next to the offices of the Harbour Board, will soon be ready for use, and that it will possess an endowment yielding about £500 a year. Confirmation.-—The number of persons who have received confirmation in the diocese since the last session of the Synod is 647 ; namely, 513 settlers and their children, and 131 Maoris. New ohurches have been built during the year at Awanui, Kaitaia, Kamo, Te Hakaru, Te Pupuke, and in the Epiphany district, and three ohurohes have been enlarged. The Provincial Hospital and the Old People's Refuge have beeu regularly visited by the Venerable Archdeacon Dudley, and the Revs. E. J. Phillips and T. H. Sprott, of the parish of the Holy Sepulchre; and public worship has been regularly conducted in them on Sundays by the following laymen of the same parish, namely. Colonel Lyon, Major Lusk, and Messrs. J. Batger, T. Charter, 0. S. S. George, E. H. Hammond, A. Heather, and L. R. Robin. The Provincial Gaol has been regularly visited by tho Rev. J. S. Hill ; and, during his recent absence from the diocese, the Sunday services have been conducted by Mr Homery, of St. Sepulchre's parish. The Rev, J. S. Hill.l gladly avail myself of this opportunity to express my high sense of the value of Mr. Hill's ministrations, not only to the prisoners in the gaol, but to the very many others who have benefited by his zaal, sympathy, and effectual teaching, in Auckland and in other parts of the diocese.

The Lunatic Asylum has been visited once a week by the Rev. J. K. Davis. Bishop Skiavvn Memorial Fond. — I hoped that before now I might be able to appoint a chaplain, who should devote tho whole of his time to ministering to the sick in our Hospital, Refuge, and Asylum ; but a maintenance for such a chaplain has not yet been provided. Tho Selwyn Memorial fund, which was intended primarily to maintain a clergyman for this work, at present amounts to only £1,350, and it was ordered by the Synod, in 1884, that until the fund amounted to £1,500, the interest should be allowed to accumulate. We have not, however, any right to leave it to the clergy and laity of one Auokland parish, to provide until then for regular ministrations to the sick and infirm in our Hospital and Refuge. The pension fund of the diocese—which is also the fund of the diooeses of Melanesia and Waiapuamounts to about £10,000 ; and the total income for the past year was £1,323 8s (id. In that year no clergyman received a pension, and consequently the receipts of the special branch of the fund were addod to the capital. It is not to be expected that wo shall be able to capitalise the whole of the receipts of tho special fund in future years, and even if it were, it would still be incumbent on us to consider, without delay, how the fund is to be increased, so as to meet the claims that may bo made upon it at no distant date. This is tho only diocesan fund to which our clergy can look for help in their declining years, and in times of sickness ; and yet its importance appears to be undervalued by many of our people, from the fact that from several parishes and districts no contributions were received for the fund during the last financial year. Taranaki.—l was for a short time only in the Archdeaconry of Taranaki in the beginning of this year, and administered the rite of confirmation in two of the churches. Under ordinary circumstances I should not have been there until ISSS, at the end of which year I may still bo able to hold my ordinary visitation of the archdeaconry. Tokens of Progress.—As this is the eighteenth session at whioh it has beeu my duty to address the Synod on the state of the Diocese, and, as I am expecting shortly to leave you for a time, you will. I think, be interested in the following statistics, from which some idea may be formed of the progress that our work has made since tho year 1870.

It may be well to remind you, first of all, that in the beginning of that year the population of tho colony numbered about 237,000, and that in ISS6 it was 575.452. i'he European population of this diocese last year, according to an estimate oarefully made by Mr. H. ft. Seth Smith, was 130,020, of whom 57,500 were members of the Church—that is, 44 27 per cent.; the proportion for the whole colony, According to the census return of lash year having been 40'17. The territorial extent of the diocese, also according to Mr. H. G. Setb Smith's calculations, is about 20,000 square miles namely, from the .North Cape to Stratford (in tho province of Taranaki), and from the West Coast to the 17t>bh degree of East longitude, passing between Katikati and Tauranga, and through the eastern part of Lake Taupo. In 1870 there were 19 licensed clergymen ministering to our Eusopean population ; at the present time there are 44, In that year there were seven other clergymen In the diocese ministering occasionally to European congregations ; thore are now eleven such other clergymen. In 1872 there were 14 licensed lay readers to European congregations ; there are now 54, and 47 others—not holding a formal license. Since 1870, SO new churches have been built, and nine others have been enlarged ; not reckoning in either case thoss of a temporary character. In 1870, 191 Europeans of all ages, received confirmation ; during tho past year their number, as already stated, was 513. I call your attention to these statistics, not for the glorification of ourselves, but that we may, as in duty bound, humbly thank God, and take courage. Tub Maoris.l have already informed the Synod of the great loss that the Maoris of the Northern Archdeaconry have recently sustained by tho death of three of the native clergy, and of a leading lay member of their Church Board. It will be long before these vacancies in the staff of our native ministers can be filled ; but those who romain will not ba slack in their efforts to prevent the work from retrograding, under tho supervision of Archdeacon Clarko. All will be glad to see the Archdeacon in his place among us to-day, after some mouths' absence for the benefit of his health. In 1870 there were 5 Maori clergymen in the diocese. Since that timo I have ordained 13 more, including Hone Papahia, a chief of Hokianga, who was made a deacon in March last. Of the whole number, 5 have died and 2 have gone to other dioceses. A Church Board, intended to represent all the Maori districts of the diocese, met at the Thames in the month of March, when 11 native clergy were present, and 27 lay representative?. Great interest in the meeting was shown by tho Maoris of the district, and the resolutions agreed to were creditable to the Board ; namely, that the whole of the offertory collections on Epiphany Sunday be given to tho Melanesian Mission; that marriages ought not to be performed in other buildings when thore is a church within a d istance of ten miles; that Bible classes nhould be held for adults as well as for children; and that all tho tribes should interest themselves in obtaining suitable candidates for holy orders. I have appointed tho Rev. Wiki te Paa to be one of my chaplains. The number of Maoris who have received the rite of Confirmation since the last meeting of the Synod is 134.

During the same time five new churches hav« been built for native congregations; and £1200 has been contributed by them for goneral Church purposes. There are at present 49 boys at St. Stephen's School, Parnell, and throe apprentices. The muster of the school speaks in high terms of the general behaviour of the boys, and of their progress in their studies. The Maori population of the diocese, as estimated by Mr. H. G. Ssth Smith, is 18,816, out of a total of 41,828 (according to the census of 1886). Lambsth Conference.—l have already referred to my lntuntion to visit England in 1883, chiefly for the purpose of taking part in the Conference of Bishops of the Angllcau Communion, to be held there in the month of June or July, After nearly eighteen years of inoessant work in this diocese, from which I have not been absent for one day, except for other work — at our General Synods, and at the meetings of the University Senate, it might be well for me in any case to take a short holiday—well for the dioceae, and also for myself. There is no doubt that much good has resulted from these Conferences, the first of which was held, under Archbishop Longley, in 1867. The seoond was held under Archbishop Tait, in 1878, but I was unable to attend it. On the latter occasion 100 bishops were present, including 17 from the United States of America. So long as a really (Ecumenical Council —a Council of the Universal Churchcannot be assembled, it will be good that these Conferences should be held ; to take counsel for the safe keeping of the Faith •' once for

all delivered to the saints," and for the fellowship of those who bold it. The Lambeth Conference will have no legislative power, and its decisions will have the force of recommendations only, to the national and other ohurches that they may concern. The primitive and Scriptural independence ®of the Church of New Zealand is illustrated by the fact that oar bishops will attend the Lambeth Conference without having to obtain permission from any State authority, and that no decision of the Conference—whether agreed to or not by our New Zealand bishops—will be necessarily binding on the Church of New Zealand. "The essential unity of the Churoh of Christ throughout the world is consistent with the separate organisation of local or national ohurches." The Anglican Communion.The doctrine and the discipline of the Churoh of New Zealand are identical with the doctrine and the discipline of the Churoh of England ; and, as Lord Selborne says, " if the author* ised dootrine and practice of the Church of England at the present day should be com* pared with that of the Christian Churoh generally in the days of Augustin, it would require a strong application of the theologioal microscope to discover any really sub« stantial difference between them. Almost, if not absolutely, everything whioh the Church of England has since rejected as usurpation or corruption, was then un- j known." "The doctrines and practices which the Churoh of England rejected at the Reformation were mediaaval, not primitive ; they were unknown (even if germs of some of them may have existed) when the AngloSaxon Churoh was founded by Augustin, and for ages afterwards; the historical origin of most of them can be and has been traced." " Once grant that the things cut off were not good in themselves, and were not original or essential conditions of the constitution of the Churoh, and Dean Hook's saying, that a man whose face has become dirty may wash off the dirt and yet remain the same man that he was before, undeniably applies." The origin of the Church founded in England by the preaching of Augustin " mani» festly was in the spontaneous -missionary efforts of the one Church (then at all events justly called Catholic)" says the same learned writer; "which had the Apostles for its teachers, and had come down in unbroken historical succession from their days." It is sometimes asserted, in ignorance of history or for interested purposes, that the Church of England at the time of the Reformation did not preserve unbroken organic unity with the Churoh of the preceding centuries ; but, as Lord Selborne says, " the organic continuity and identity of the Churoh of England has never been interrupted from the time of Augustin to the present day." No idea could be more repugnant to the intention and understanding of King Henry the Eighth and his Parliaments (as appeared from their repeated declarations and acts) than that of either creating a new Church or 'reconstructing' the old. No evidence of the continuity and identity of the Reformed Church of England with the Church of Augustin and of all the centuries after his time could be clearer or more decisive than that afforded by those Statutes, in which some pretend to find proofs to the contrary." " When the separation actually took place in the eleventh year of Elizabeth, the seceders who obeyed the orders of the Pope were (as they have ever sinca been in England) few and insignificant, in comparison with the great mass of the clergy and lay people who still remained in the English Churoh," It may appear to some that, after all, the doctrine and the discipline of the church are but as tho bones and the flesh of the mystical body; but, even so, it must be confessed that they are essential, if there is to be a body at all, that is, if there is to be unity among the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, and any organisation of their work in the world.

Unity.—That there might be unity among His people, was and is the will of our Master ; and it is by the unity of Christians that the Divine Mission of the Church is to be recognised. One chief purpose of the Conference of Bishops to be held at Lambeth is the preservation of the unity of the Anglican Communion throughout the world. In the circular letter issued by the late Archbishop Tait, after the Conference of 1878, His Grace spoke of " the essential and evident unity in which the Church of England and tho Churches in visible communion with her have always been bound together. United under one Divine Head in the fellowship of the one Catholic and Apostolic Church, holding the one faith revealed in Holy Writ, defined in the Creeds and maintained by the Primitive Church, receiving the same Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary to salvation — these Churches teach the same Word of God, partake of the same divinely«ordained Sacraments, through the ministry of the same Apostolic orders, and worship one God and Father through the same Lord Jesus Christ, by the same Holy and Divine Spirit, Who is given to those that believe, to guide them into all truth." One of the ohief means whereby the unity of the Church of Christ has been maintained ! is the Apostolic order of the ministry, which has been described by the learned Bishop Lightfoofc as " tho historic backbone of the Church." It was therefore becoming that we should commemorate, as we did, the centenary of the episcopate in the colonies. August 12, of this year, was the one-hun-dredth anniversary of the consecration of the first Bishop for a British colony—namely, the Bishop of Nova Scotia, in the chapel of Lambeth Palace. At the same place seventyfive Bishops of diooesea in British colonies and dependencies have been invited to assemble in the summer of next year ; and the fact that such an assemblage is contemplated—though, doubtless, some of the seventy-live will be absent from the Conference—is itself an occasion of thankfulness to all whose hearts' desire it is that Christ's people may be one. Federation of the Empire.lt is not only the unity of the Church that will be strengthened by maintaining the continuity of the Apostolio doctrine and discipline, and by the meeting in council of the everincreasing number of Bishops from the colonies and foreign possessions of the Crown ; but, as I believe, the unification of the Empire also may be aided by the same instrumentality. The union of our National Churches may also, I believe, suggest the nature of the federation that is practicable and desirable among the component parts of the British Empire. It would not be possible now for England, even if it were desired, to treat the colonies as " possessions," from which money or other gain is to be directly obtained. As the claim to supremacy over National Churches, on the part of the Bishop of Rome, has proved fatal to the unity of Christendom, so any policy of autocratic sovereignty on the part of England over the other countries of the Empire, would speedily end in dismemberment. Tho British Parliament was constituted after the model of the early Synods of the Church ; and it will probably be found that the only federation of the Empire that is possible is one resembling the primitive union of the Churches,a combination in which England shall retain the primacy among other nations of the Empire, but not the supremaoy. The Archbishop of Canterbury holds the first place in our reverence as the Primate of the most ancient English Ecclesiastical Province ; but the provincial independence of all the sister Churches of the colonies must be preserved, after the custom of nrimitive times.

Queen's Jcbilbe.—lt may at first sight seem to some that the federation of the Kin pi re is an unsuitable topic for the address of the President of the Synod ; but it is indeed olosely connected with tbe work of the Church of Christ in the world. What greater hindrance c«n there be to the general progress of that work than the constant expectation of warfare, in which the nations of Europe at the present time are living? What frame of mind is more opposed to the mind that was in Jesus Christ" than the mutual jealousies and suspicions that are encouraged by such a condition of things? Our Master is the Prince of Peace, and the progress of His Gospel, and the growth of peace among the nations of the earth, are mutually the cause and the effect of each other. The federation of the Empire, and the close and firm alliance of the Empire with the English-speaking American nation, are the main ground of hope to many for the lasting peaoe of the world. A state of universal peace depends upon the peacefulneßS of the leading nations of the world. Notwithstanding the necessary qualifications that must be made, the British Empire has, in fact, been at peace with itself during many years; and this happy experience is doubtless to be attributed in great measure to the personal character of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and to the increasing reverence and even affactfon with which hpr people, in all parts of the Empire, , have been wont to regard her* During her

reign the minds of her subjects have never been embittered by the loss of territory through conquest, or by sustaining defeat from a European enemy; no ruinous step in foreign politics has been taken by her Go* vernment, nor has any irreparable mistake baen made In Imperial legislation. If we owe the Queen a debt of gratitude " for her hearty eagerness in the work of public progress and improvemsnt, for the admirable example which her life has uniformly set, for the thorough comprehension of the true conditions of the great covenant between the Throne and the people, let us try to acknowledge that debt, as Mr. Gladstone said on a recent occasion, by remembering her In our prayers. When St. Paul enjoined that prayers should be made for all men, and gave the commanding and leading place to prayer for kings and all that were in authority, the apostle spoke the language not only of religion, but of the moat profound social justice and human common sense." The Church House. —The offerings of our Auckland people at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the day of the Queen's Jubilee, were devoted to the Church House Fund in London, in answer to an appeal from His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. That London memorial of the Jubilee will, I believe, prove a valuable means of cherishing the unity of the Church of England with the Churches of New Zealand and Melanesia and of other colonies and missions. Melanesia.:* Mission.—-I have always considered it my duty, as well as a pleasure, to inform the Synod of the progress of the work of the Church in the Melanesian Islands. Not only was that work begun by the first Bishop of this diocese ; but it has been continued, and is now being carried on, by missionaries, whose zeal and self-denial set forth the spirit of the Gospel, and stimulate the energies of ourselves in our kindred responsibilities. The condition of the Island mission stations generally is considered encouraging, especially the quiet progress and undisturbed well-doing of many of the older stations. Thore are two facts that I will mention as indicating a great deal that is satisfactory. The first is that in October of last year the Bishop thought it safe to take Mrs. Selwyn ashore with him at Santa Cruz, the island on which not long since it was considered unsafe for any white man to land; and the second is that at Florida teaohers cannot be obtained fast enough to meet applications made to the Bishop for them by the inhabitants. There are seventeen schools established there, attended by nearly 800 scholars, of whom about one-fifth can read the New Testament. Our most recent report of the Bishop himself has come by H.M.s, Diamond, the officers of which vessel saw him in good health not many weeks ago. We may expect to see the mission vessel in our harbour again by the middle of December. Cathedral. —In ISSS I informed the Synod of my intention to make arrangements with the people of St. Mary's, Parnell, for using their parish church as the Cathedral of the diocese, in accordance with a provision of the General Synod on the subject. The special arrangements with the parish have now been made, and will be submitted to you for your approval. I have had the more pleasure in entering into these arrangements with St. Mary's parish, inasmuch as the parishioners have decided to build at first only so much of their new church as they expect to be able to pay for. St. Paul' Parish.—The Synod will sympathise, as I do, with the incumbent and people of St. Paul's, in their present difficulties, which have been occasioned by the long delay that has occurred in the lowering of the land around their church site to the permanent level, and consequently by the postponement of the re-erection of their church. Auditor's Report.—Mr. Samuel Vickers, to whom we are greatly indebted for the auditing of the General Synod's accounts during many years, states that " the whole of the numerous trust accounts are in perfect order and correct, as he has always found them." Archdeacons.l »,m intending to request the Archdeacons to visit the churches of their respective archdeaconries once in three years, and to report to me, for the information of the Synod, on the state of the church buildings, and on other matters with which it is customary for Archdeacons to deal. Canons.—A digest of our Diocesan Statutes in the form of Canons has been pre* pared by the committee appointed for the purpose by the Synod at its last session, and will, I hope, be taken into consideration by the Synod without delay. Our apeoial thanks are due to the committee for the careful manner in which they have executed the important work that was entrusted to them.

The Primate.—The Synod will, I am sure, be sorry to hear that our venerable and greatly reverenced Primate has given notice of his purpose to resign the Primacy, and the charge of the Diocese of Christchurch. It is his intention that bis resignation should take effect at the end of 18S8. His Lordship informs me that his "deafness has increased much of late," and that he is "incapacitated for taking the part that he ought to take at Church committee meetings, in which so much that concerns the well-being of the diocese must necessarily be carried on." The Bishop was consecrated to the See of Christchurch on the formation of the diocese in 1856, and was elocted by the General Synod to the Primacy in 1869, on the resignation of Bishop Selwyn. His wise and fatherly administration of the affairs of his diocese, and his patient and impartial presiding at the General Synod, during six sessions, have been great blessings to the Church of New Zealand. Standing Committee.—Tn conclusion, I return my cordial thanks to the members of the Standing Committee for the help they have given me in many matters of importance to the diocese during the past year; and also to the secretary, Mr. W. S. Cochrane, who for eight years has discharged the multifarious duties of his office with an efficiency that has left nothing to be desired. The Report of the Standing Committee will now be laid on the table ; containing a summary of the proceedings of the committee since the last session of the Synod, and a list of the business to be done—of which due notice has been received. I pray that God's blessing may be with us during our meetings at this time, that in all our deliberations and proceedings, for the edifying of the Church, we may serve Him with a quiet mind. Amen, The address was listened to with earnest attention, Dr. Cowie'a remarks on the education question, and with reference to Mr. G. P. Pierce's exertions on behalf of the Orphan Home, were applauded, also His Lordship's own efforts in regard to the Sailors' Home ; and when he announced his intention of accepting the Archbishop of Canterbury's invitation, and taking a wellearned holiday after IS years' constant service in the diocese, there was a spontaneous and hearty burst of applause. Colonel Haultain moved, " That the Bishop be thanked for his address, and that he bo asked to allow it to be printed." The motion was carried, and His Lordship granted the permission asked. SECRETARIES. On the motion of Mr. S. Luke, the Rev. H. S. Daviea was appointed clerical secretary, and Mr. J. D. Jackson lay secretary of the Synod. treasurer. Mr. G. P. Piebck was elected treasurer. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. Colonel Haultain was elected chairman of committees. CONFERENCE AT LAMBETH PALACE. The President laid on the table the correspondence between His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and himself re the Conference of Anglican Bishops for 183S at Lambeth Palace, including . the invitation from His Grace and Bishop Cowie's reply, The correspondence was read. ST. mart's. The President laid on the table the ar- I rangements made with St. Mary's re the use of the church as a cathedral. EDUCATION ACT. The President laid on the table resolutions of the Synods of Wellington and Canterbury in regard to proposed alterations in the Education Act; also the copies of the petitions forwarded to the House by these Synods in regard to Bible reading in publio schools. lay readers. His Lordship laid on the table a list of lay readers whom he had appointed ; also a list of confirmations which he had held during the year. SELWVN MEMORIAL FUND. Mr. G. P. Pierce laid on the table the report of the Selwyn Memorial Fund Com-, mittee. The total receipts were £339 lis 10d. APOLOGUES. The President read apologies from a number of members who were unavoidably absent*

REVISION or THE STATUTES, The Rev. C. M. Nelson brought up the report of the committee for the revision ot the Statutes, with a view to bringing them into conformity with the canons of the General Synod. PENSION FUND. Mr. Speight brought up the report of the special committee on pension funds, and it was read. The committee asked for time in which to bring up a final report until next session. ORPHAN HOME. Mr. G. P. Put roe laid on the table the report of the Orphan Home committee. THE LATE AUDITOR MR. S. VICKERS. The Yen. Archdeacon Dudley moved for the suspension of standing orders to enable him to move a special vote of thanks to Mr. S. Viokers for his services as auditor for tha past twelve years. Mr. Doonin seconded the motion! and ifa was carried. The Ven. Arcbdeaoon Dudley then moved, " That the special thanks of this Synod ba accorded to Mr. S. Vickers, for his servioea as auditor for the past twelve years, and that the President be asked to forward a copy of this resolution to Mr. Vickers." Mr. Rawlings seconded the motion, and regretted that they had lost Mr. Vickers' services by his not being now a member of the Synod. It was difficult to appraise tha work of those who took part in Church work, but in this case they could, to soma extent, appraise Mr. Vickers' services, and by doing so, they found he had given £300 ia services as auditor. ,'M The Rev. Mr. Burrows supported the motion, and thought Mr. Vickers was enti> tied to a more substantial recognition. Ha did not mean that such recognition should come from any diocesan fund, but that they should put their hands in their own pockets* The motion wss then pat and unanimously carried. BILLS. Mr. Rice obtained leave to bring in three Bills—(1) to amend statute No. 2, " election of Synodsmen(2) a Bill to amend statute No. 4, "regulation of parishesand {3} ' a Bill to amend statute No. 5, " election of lay representatives to General Synod." CODIFICATION OF STATUTES. Colonel Haultain gave notice of motion in regard to the following clause in the Standing Committee's report" The Standing Committee have bad brought under their notice a complete codification of the statutes of the diocese, prepared by the Select Com* mittee appointed at the last session of the Synod for that purpose. They would have been glad to print this dooument for the consideration of the Synod, but in face of the fact that they have no funds, that the account of the Diocesan Endowment and Loan Fund is largely overdrawn, and that several parishes have failed to pay the sums assessed on them for diocesan objects, they felt that! they could not commit the diocese to this expenditure until the funds are supplied to meet it." The President suggested that Colonel Haultain might now move that the report be printed at once, and he did so. The Rev. Mr. Nelson seconded the mo* tlon, and spoke in support of it. On the motion of Mr. Upton, the Synod went into committee of ways and means, as the cost would be about £10. Colonel Haultain then took the chair, and after some discussion Mr. Upton moved, "That the Church Gazette Fund, to whioh there was a surplus, be made re, sponsible for the cost of printing the docu<. ment." | Mr. McMillan seconded the motion, and I after considerable argument it was put and carried. The Synod resumed, and Colonel Haul-* tain reported the resolution carried ia I committee. The Rev, Mr. Calder moved as an amendment, " That the cost of printing the I statutes be paid out of the Church Gazette Funds; but that as soon as the parishes had paid their assessments the cost be refunded." The Ven. Archdeacon Govett seconded the amendment, and it was carried. BILLS. Mr. Rawlings brought in Bills to amend statutes Nos. 2 and 3, and they were read a first time. notices OP MOTION. Notices of motion were then handed in aa follows:— Mr. Speight to move, " That the recommendations contained in the report of tha Special Committee upon pension fund be given effeot to." Mr. Rice to move, "That the election of Standing Committee, the election of auditors, the election of Pension Board, and the eleotion of Sunday School Board, be made orders of the day for Monday, November 7."

Mr. Rice to move, " That the consideration of the report and accounts of the Standing Committee be made the first order of the day for to-morrow (Thursday.)" Mr. Rick to move, "That the second reading of Bill to amend Statute No. 11. (eleotian of Synodsmen) be made an order of the day for to-morrow (Thursday.") Mr. Kick to move, "That the second reading of a Bill to amend statute No. IV. (regulation of parishes) be made an order o£ the day for to-morrow (Thursday)." Mr. Rice; to move, "That the second reading of a Sill to amend statute No. V (election of lay representatives to General Synod) be made an order of the day for to* morrow (Thursday.") Colonel Haultain to move, " (1) That ft select committee be appointed to considei and report on the special arrangements agreed to between the bishop and St. Mary's parish for the use of the parish ohuroh as the cathedral of the diocese; (2) the com« mittee to consist of the incumbents of St. Mary's, St. Paul's, St. Sepulchre's, and St, Matthew's, and Messrs. Upton, Rawlings t and the mover." Mr. Rice to move, when considering tha' report of the Standing Committee, "Thai! a select committee be appointed to inquire into the arrangement proposed as to the site of St. Thomas' Church, and to report (1) why the arrangement approved by the Synod on the 21st October, ISSS, hag not been carried out; (2) what modification thereof, If any, should be made in order to effect a definite settlement of this matter; that the said com* mittee consist of the Hon. Colonel Haultain. Messrs. J. Batger, D. M. Beere, W. S.J , Cochrane, H. G. Seth Smith, J. H. Upton,'; i and the mover." Mr. H. Crispe to move, " That the Gene i ral Trust Board be authorised to pay all renb derived from St. Bride's Parsonage to the committee of St. Bride's Church, to be de* voted by them to keeping the parsonage in repair, any balance to go to the stipend fund." Mr. Rawlings to more, " That the Synod at its next sitting do consider the report of the Diocesan Pension Board." Mr. Rawlings to move, " That the Synod at its next sitting do consider the report and accounts of the General Trust Board of the' Diocese." Mr. Rick to move, when considering the report of Standing Committee, " That in the opinion of this Synod the payment of assessments due from parishes or districts for diocesan or general objects, and the payment! of sums due for interest and sinking fund, should be made a first charge upon any moneys accruing to such parishes and districts from funds under the administration of the Standing Committee." Mr. T. Wells to move "That with a view to encourage the attendance of the country representatives at the sittings of the Synod it is desirable that the opening day of the session be Monday, and that his Lordship the Bishop be requested to give effect to this motion." Archdeacon Willis to move, " That, in the opinion of this Synod, it Is highly desirable that the Education Act of the colony be amended eo as to provide for the daily reading in the publio schools of selected portions of the Scripture#, with literary and historical remarks, and with time table and conscience clause." The Synod adjourned at a quarter to sic o'clock until four o'clock this afternoon. A choral service was held in St. Matthew's Church in the evening, There was a large attendance of clergy, mombers, and choristers. Mr. Trimnell officiated as organist, the Rev. G. H. S. Walpole intoned the service, and the Rev. Mr. Marshall, of To Aroba» preached the sermon.