FIRST CHURCH OF OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2007, 5 June 1868, Page 6

FIRST CHURCH OF OTAGO.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION' ST.Kt Tho foundation or cm.,-,* now, large, and hiiml.suniuUnl'.'T '/ il»First Church of 0i.,»«. - *!l> f( *th, on Church Hill, by ih/lW 1) f,? k>> the pastor who cause t., thu !• "> with the first settlors, i n isj,h r"Vla <*. The stovy of events in 0,,,," 1r .r tho«cuUin K auwn''of IWufcuh originally prevented the O , IUII Vh of the now Church in I»(i'" " r lllWlt then led to the erection of tl, '"'^ wood building now usi-d l, v th Sr>;iclOi:i! tion, has been told often" an.l S?" and n eed not I)ul . ei , e , iW!ir^-u,v; long discussion in the Svm.J.f m, c and Southland, during its l™t, £; to the amount which should I*. • l ]i" ""> ** be spent ou tho"new oin.reh ul? , fresh in the recollection „ ! SvV ■> Presbyterians. Tho f ilcls n,,! if * the contract for IJ !,00<) f,,,. t i ' f,'., ? at has not been disturhe.l ;;i ? f« guiding will, ho far as ,;„ at , t , "g inferred, bo a worthy "\r -1 Church," of the foundation of t t''[t vince, and of the venurabh- miiiisi, r > has now Laid the corner stone of d, "J mrinont edifice. ' * The Church is to be built fnu-i ~i by Mr 11. A. Laws,,,,, arcliiLci V n t' street. In Octohor last, we ]m Vli detailed description of the inkn.i.,l b,'V ing ; and we Khali now conlinu , )llr J " to a few particulars as to it. The Cliurv; will bo, in design, Hi,], century Cod.ic tho leading peculiarity of whi.-h is th, v ,! of geometrical (loriatcl tracry in £ heads of tho windows. The bui],]i n .r upc-n plan, is 150 ft. 1,,,|., ; ~f wllil .|, represents the length of the Church i.r.jiVr tho reinainder liuin;,' ocoujiioil b y th« U)wcr, towards Moray Plarc, ;u ,",i t j^ library, at tho Bay en.l. Th,, (owvr wi'li be 24ft. square, and, including thu spire and vane, the total hei-ht fnmi t|, e ground-line will be !75ft. ThuCh.ireh i t to bo built of Uamaru hluiiu, with the basement externally of linicst.,:,.- f r< , m Pleasant Valley, and internally of l!n- estone. Tho amtractors fur th,, Wwr |( Messrs D. and J. Hunter, tou!; ] ) ...g S tui w l of the site about the middle of K.^nilxr Tho foundations being wholly on r;ik' there was no more excavation th.in wss necessary for trenching out llm main lines of tho building : and, :it ]iris<?nl throughout those lines, two or thrnj courses of Milestone are in jilaco. 'fl.o stone laid yesterday by Dr Hunu, in at tho north-east angle of tiiu main tr:u:sept. The whole design will not !>„• completely oxecuteil for, probably, about live years ; but it is considered likely that the Church will bo in use within two years from tho present period. i!ut lij tho end of that time, there will k r.o ih'oro of tho tower completed than it necessary in order to the use of lie Church ; and the library, Jix. t at the Bay end of tho structure will remain t-> bo built.

Mr Lawson read a beautifully otccni-J document, with respect to the curewmy, and tho things to be clcp<iHitod undcniiAth tlio stono. Tho document -was illuminated, and tho border deeoniionj were richly architectural. Tho document »tt forth that, in tho .'Jlst year of (he rdgii'/ Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, Sir (5. F. Bowxn being Governor of tho Colony, and James Macandrow, Esq., Sujxjrintcndcnt of the Province, the foundation stoneoftbe First Church of Otago was laid, on tlie29il* Ma}', by the Rev. Tlioiuas Burns, D.D., Benior pastor of tho Church ; the design being by Mr Ji. A. Lawson, architect, who waa to supcrintund the erection ; the contractors being Messrs D. and J. Hunter ; and tho contract, for L14.0J0, having been signed on tho 2Gth Xovembcr, 1867. Mr Lawson read ;i list, and deposited the following documents, Ac, in a stout zinc case :—Li«t of the fint passengers to Olu^o, in the John Widiiffe and the Philip Uimu ; Origin m<l History of the Presbyterian Church m Otago," by the Rev. Dr. Burns; I nntol copy of the minutes of the first nieclmff of Presbytery in Dunedin; Census ot Otago, JBOB, and Agricultural Statistics, List of the present Pastors of tho I'rcßhJterian Church of Ota-'» and Southland (26 in number) ; Names of tho pmenMinistera and Office Hearers of the bit* Church(2Ministers,l2Ei<lers,l2DeawwJ. Statement of tho Contribution* ot tn<: Presbyterian Churcli, 3805, IB'i<», I*" - Photographs of the Rev. Vr linns the Ilev. G. Sutherland, Ministers ot tiw First Church ; Pliotoffßiphs of the l"r tended) Churcli and Manse ; Copy ot i-«j first newspaper published m (^'''r tlt Otago News, January, 181!); tho Wt Times May 29« i, IBCB ; Current Uim« the Realm, from a sovereign to' ikfil. rUU?' Copy of tho Programme for Laymfc v Foundation Stone. A copy of Mac«»> Almanac, 18G8, and of the hwWJ -" » May 28th, were added; .as w» <^j twopenny piece, in silver, wl'«h»n^ tho spectators conjribuied.—l»e cass hermetically closed. . ~. v itf The zinc case was.dopoMtod in » « m^ in an under stone ;. the licv. a* "j Bpread mortar; the stjno was iw^ and the Doctor declared it to w» and truly laid." , ~ p ttS p. Tho E«v. » Suthe^ul th^Bev^ Scnmgeour and tho lto'u-. ffltt ,■» addreaa«d the assemblage; » »)" )U Bang; and the Rev. Dr. Jl""* nounccd tha Benediction. Uvioff A Boiree in celebration of "^^h. the foundation atone of tlis nt » was held mthoevonina,m« 10*'I*r' wU «. Church,, Dowling Btrect. m*» iviK very large attendance, tha U>u«- (]tfr . fiUed. Alter tea, the »«»:, land took -the chaur. On.tWP. wero-His Honor the Superintend*"* Rot. R. Scrimgcour, flw Bar *fc Stewtf «, and GDliea. , v iv c Ile» The meeting ww addressed^T^ coO r t G. Sutherland R Conneg^^l, Fitohetfc, Hia Honor tho SupflWW Mr Dttucan, and others.