PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10597, 18 February 1896, Page 4

PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

(Pjse United Peess Association.)

Wellington-, February 17.

The Presbyterian Assembly this morning carried the following resolution :—" That in the opinion of this assembly the Declaratory Act of the Church of Otago and Southland! adopted by the assembly last year as the basis of farther negotiations in tfce matter of union, should now be adopted by this church as exhibiting the seiase in which the office-bearers of this church may interpret the Confession of Faith, and that, with a view to this, the said act bs sent down to presbyteries and sessions for their consideration, ohd report thereon, in terms of section 249 of the Book of Order; and that the clerk be instructed to have said Declaratory Act printad in the proceedings of the assembly foe the use of members." Commissions were granted to Messrs Aitken and Allan (of Wellington) to attend the meetings of assemblies and synods of the Presbyterian Church at Home during their proposed visit. It was decided to hold the next meoting of the Assembly at Christchurch, beginning on the second Tuesday in February 1897.

The Scholarship Committee recommended that the scholarship given by St. John's Church, Wellington, be awarded to Mr James Thomson ; that the Whyte scholarship of £20 a year lor three years be awarded to Mills; that two Christohurch scholarships of the value of £25 per year for three years be awarded to 'W. Marshall and James Murray, on condition that one-half the scholarships should be paid to the students at the commencement ot the college session and the other on receipt of certificates that the students have been regular in attendance and havo made sufficient progress iv their studies. The committee had pleasure iia intimating that the number of men offering lor tbe work of the ministry was very large. The report was adopted.

The moderator (Key. Mr Watt), Rev. J. Patertiou, and Mr Gavin were appointed deputies to ihe Syned of Otago and Southland for this year. It wan decided to commission th« Roy. D. Borrie, of Dunedin, to represent tho assembly at the General Coanoll of the Presbyterian Church in Glasgow this year. The question of publishing a Presbyterian almanac waa referred to a committee.