An Eminent Visitor.

Southland Times, Issue 10200, 4 July 1889, Page 2

An Eminent Visitor.

, _ — . — «. For soiiie time past frequent mention has been made of the probable arrival in these colonies, and possibly in our own, of four distinguished ministers of the Presbyterian, churches of Scotland, England and Ireland. The occasion of their projected visit is the celebration of the jubilee year of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. The representatives of the latter church, having decided to mark the occasion of their having attained the. age of half a century as an organised and powerful religious body, by. a giandv congress, or; conference in Melbourne, invited the parent churches to send out delegates to represent them at the meeting. The Established Church of Scotland selected the Rev. Dr MacGregor, of St. Cuthberts, Edinburgh.; the Free Kirk chose Dr Rainy, tihe distinguished Principal of their . Edinburgh Col : lege ; the Irish Church conferred the honour, upon the Rev. Dr Lynd, of Belfast j and the English Presbyterians secured the Rev. Dr. Fraser, of London, to represent them. The first three of these eminent men are now in the colonies, but Dr Fraser found it to be out of his power to leave London when the time to start on the journey arrived. Dr MacGregor is now in Dunedin, and preached in First Church there last Sabbath, when hundreds failed to obtain admittance. He ; will arrive in In vercargill by the express on Saturday, and will preach once on Sabbath. An effort was. made to get him to conduct tvvo services, but this he has positively declined to do. His time here is very limited, as he must leave by the steamer on the 12th to reach. Melbourne in time for the congress, and in the interval, in pursuance of his. programme, will visit the lake district. Full particulars as to the servioe on. Sabbath ; evening will be found in our advertising columns.