THE BISHOP OF WELLINGTON'S ADDRESS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1376, 1 November 1859, Page 6

THE BISHOP OF WELLINGTON'S ADDRESS.

; Ou ihe Opening "f the Diocesan Synod. | \ Ii is with mingle! feelings of thankfulness, of hone, mnlof fi'iir. tlni' I st'e yon. my dear lin-ilircn, assembled for the first time in 11 duly constituted Svno.l nf 'liis Dio-'i'-e. li. is wiih fi'o'iiiss of thankfulness to Aliniiilitv Goil. vrlio has lie pel ns this fur, ai-d answered our nrny.'ra. and hlessiH our efforts io realise, nt least in snm» fiiiiit outline, tie Men of « Cburcli Polity in rorpect of consultation, ilis.iipline. nml aovernment, tho«o nti'er walls nnd fences tn tlie inheritance, we have received nml nil .lions' enjovet in tlie Catholic doctrine inn! worship of our Chirrh. It is wiili 'ec'ing-. of hope that we shn.ll be enabled io work wsethor in a spirit of goil'y union anil concord fur the dory nf Ond, and tile well being of tliii Branch of Flis Church. Anl yet I suppos: • lint we can hardly l""k buck upon our pusi blessings or look on to fnnne successes, without feelihg somewhat of fear also, lest we full short of the piiviiegi'i vouchsafed to us. and m all damage the caiiie we are engaged in. by any lack of Christian charily in our deUheriilionn, or auy rashness in our legislation, Foi" herein, I couceiv.i, lie the npccial dangers on oue limit], and blessings on the other, arising from combined Svnodical action, that men who have not schooled themselves iv habits of selfcontrol and forbearance, find themselves brunfrht into contact, and perhaps collision, with others who view important questions in a difTei-fnt light from themselves; and there is great risk of their not sufficiently considering oth-r men's feelings and opiniuns, while they aro freely expressing their own convictions. Nevertheless there is also a blessing proportionate to the difficii'tv ofthe aeliievemeut; for our Lord has (riven special promises lo two or three who s'mll agr-e together tiuchiii;' anything that they shail nsk in His niinie: and St. Pail in his Epistle lo the Corinthians, niter liavin.tr fully developed the idea of Church actiin, and hiving illustrated it hy the cooperating members of the proceeds to state the only principle or soul that can animate that body, and maintain i's integrity, and thut principle is charity or love. Now we, T trust, are come together prepared tn acii:i tliis spirit of forbearance and charity, "s well as sc)f-re : p u -X; and then our counsels will lie blessed to the edification of ourselves anil our Diocese. And here T cannot help expressing my deep regret . Unit neither the Archdeacon of Ka|>iii nor tnvself were present nt the chief proceedings of ilie General Synod that met here in March last. Most of us, lierefiirn. come as uovics to the wor'i. anl I must claim your forbearance if I am not ablo to conduct the proceedings nf the Synod :is your President with the confidence that experience and knowledge would have given me. If anything, however, could supply the want of that personal knowledge, it would be lhe advantage of having read the valuable ad.ircsses of my Hight Rev. Urethral, lhat of the ".fet-opolitau to the General Si nod, and ihose ofthe Hishops of Chria'cliurch and Nelson io their Diocesan Synods; from all of which mny be learnt most important princip'cs, as well as details of church logislatiorand action We have also to acknowledge the courtesy of t!i« Diocesan Synod of Tasmania, in seudiut; us a copy of their Journal of Proceedings, which I now lav on the table; and f presume iltnt you wid rondilv comply with the wish expressed by that Synod to have a copy of our Journal of P.O. cecrlinus whin published. I li.y on the table a copy of the Church Constiunion, nml a copy of the journal of the Proceedings of the C.encral Synod. I will now pro,.cod to set liefo c you what appear to me to be the subjects nf deliberation and legislation Hint are oitlie" enjoined upon us by the General Synod, or are almost essential to our future wellbeing. I will inks the Statutes of the General . Synod in order, and comment upon them so fur as ihsy require any legislation nt the hands of the i Diocesan -'ynods. 'I'll"!! T will ileal iv Ihe same maniier wHi the Ilfrsm.uTioN-s of the General Syno.l that apply tons in our Diicccan capacity; and afterwards I sh ill bring forward some other siibj.'cis lliat on till i to be mo- led will discussed. 1. Httitute for organising the General Synod. — I'lie fioi.eral Svnol'in future is to consist of all ihe Bislior.s of t'i,.'i-:ccl.'sinstic:il Province of New Zen. liind aod nf not. less than three clerical and four lav repii's"iif.i'iv("< for each Diocese. That is the nii'-'i- I ninin for any Diocese; but this Diocese may send four clerical a..il six lay members to the General Svnnil. The four e'erical aro io bo elected by the who'e hodv of cler.'.v of the Diocese, whose names are icninied to tlie Kogisti'ur-Geiicral in accordance witn the provisions of the Marriage \ct I8"'l; and tli- six lav rciip'sentaiives are to be elected by the Inym.'ii of the Diocese, who shall be 21 years of age nnd ilin'l s : pn a d-claratio'i tluu tl.ey me members ■ if ilm united Church of Kiiglnnd nnd Ireland in New Zealand. S ich are the respective qualifications for ihe K'c-tors clerical uud lay. As regards tile Hi'prcsenlnlivc-.. every clergyman entitled to be au elector, is qualified lo be a representative ; nnd every human being a ''omninnioaiit, mm qua'illed us au elector is qualified to lie elected as a lay. re nese.unlive. wlich'T h-* resides in lhe District for which lie is elected, or not. These nre t*;c piovi- , sions nf tb i General Synod for its own fuiurc or.;n- , niziition ; nnd by ciniis's 13 ao.l 1-1, it ih provided . thai the next election shall take place in September IHlil; so thut no action need ho taken by us during the Session of this Diocesan Synod in reference to this Statute. Hut in the next Diocesan Synod we shall have to divide our Diocese into Electoral Dist ids, niul we *hall further havo to provide for the ' registration and revision of lists ..f persons qualified to v.ite f.r olevical and liv rcprasinimives rispoeI lively ; for ihe npnninimenl of neinrning Officers, f for ilie mole of voli<i*r, and gciiera'W for enstti ring ihe nrdeily, effective, and impartial coni duct, of such elections. In requiring tho Diocesan Synod to make provision for the registration and , revision of lists of persons qua'ified to yon: ! for the clericnl representatives, whereas before in the and clause, ihe Gciuunl Synod bad mnde the official list of clergy, sent to '.he Registrar. General of .Mnrriuges, to be the Hcgis er of eleciing clergy T understand that tbe General Synod to imply thaiii.c Hishop who is limine by the law ofthe land tn seu.i in that return every December, shall send in such n list as the Diocesan Synod shad determine; so thut '.be clerical list may not ho, an heretofore, in the .li-.crcti-.il of the llishop alone. And so with resaid to iho registration of lay elect,rs. the 4th sretiou of lh.: Sib clause of the 4th General 1 Statute, makes provision for the due registration;

ot lay electors in duly constilut.id P-ristios, bn: not • otherwise. Therefore provi inns will have to bo : made for the registration of lay electors in other Districts. lI.—STATUTE VOlt nnOAXIZISO lUOCESAN SYNODS. We me come to a snl.juct on which it will be necessary to legislate nt mice. The present Diocesan Synod may be looked upon more as a Constituent Assembly, summoned specially for the purpose ol couipl'-ling the organization, and settling tin. dn. ration of future Synods, determining ih e number of lay Syiiodsmen. and apportioning tln-rn to the elcc toral Districts iluif slia'l be defined hy ihe Svn.ul, and Heiieral'y c'suntig :be orderly election of its members. The General Synod bus limi'pil tlie duration of this Svod to the period of o.e year, lint bus left ii 9 free to determine the dura'ior of fu'itri! Synods according to our judgment, l prmmne that a Bill on lhe subject will I c laid before the Synod by some tnember.'atul that we shall have nn early opportunity of discussing ilie measure. I will only add that wlierens the Renernl Smo.l lias imposed upon the Bishop of the Diocese the doty of prcsciibinir the time and place of our annual meeiiii'.'s. 1 ..hall be glad to receive any sngges inns fr.im ihe DiweSKii Synod, that will unable me lo cull ir o-.-ethci-I nextyeir at tho time and place most generally con. veuient. 11l STATUTE Ton OPG.'.NISIVO AnCtIOEACOXIIY AND BUBAL nUAXKEY wur.ns. "The General Svn..di.ives the Districts of Aim iri mil Wanganui (»s being t"0 remote from tlieceturc nf the Diocese for the convenient aticn.laiice oftheir Church members al ibe Dince-.au Synod) a power t.. claim local self- giveninieut so far as the Diocesun Synod (nr. in default of ih"ir taking action, so far as the Bishop) shall thiol; fit; and il co'.sri'utrs for tlnm Archdeaconry or llural Deanery Boards on rx-.ctly the same footing, in respect of qua ilhiiti.m for electors and representatives, as the Diocesan Synod. I have not beevi nble to visit Wanganui at all ; and 1 only paid a busty passing visit to Ahuriri in the month of .March. I am not prepared, therefore, t.< express any opinion as yet on the nature ofthe powers io be granted them ; and I sh ,uld prefer hearing what the clergy an.i laity of those districts s«y on the subject before I recommend any notion being taken by the Synod iv this direction. 1 avai; mys?;f however, of this opportunity of stating tluu I iiavc appointed the Bey. 11. Taylor llural Dean of Wan ganui; and the ficv. S. WiMiains. Rural Donu of Ahuriri; and, in default of Archdeacon Ha.lfielil i.r myself attending the meetings ofthe Boards, I slinll osk them to net as my Couimis-ari.'s. 4 Statute for Regulating the Formation of Parishes —lt will, I conceive, he necessary for lhe Diocesan Synod at or.cc to appoint a Committee to receive applications from district churches wishing to be duly constituted into Ecclesiastical Parishes according to this srntute, to report on the same, and to suggest the terms, covenants, anl res-riction* on which the Diocesan Synod should give their as-ent to the application. More particular.}, it will be necessary for the Synod to pass some Regulations : about the scale of ministers' stipends, in a-cordaiice with the 6ih clause of this statute. For my o'.vn part, I am at present disposed to maintain th» Diocpsau Scale established originally by the Primage when he was sole Bishop of this Ecclesiastical Province; unless I hear good grounds of objection to that scale and ihe general principles of toe minister's corresponding objections. The system as developed by the Primate may be.found in auy of the earlier New Zealand Church Almanicks, (one of whicli is now laid on the table,) and may be described m a few words as eniicti'g that a clergyman's salary should begin at £140 for the first year of his ordination, and should go on increasing £tl> per annum up to MOO; that a house, if possible, should be provided for him ; and that he siiould perform all the dti'ies eouiicct'd Willi his church and locality, and devote all his time to ihnse dv ies. The ouly ultcraliou occurs to me us desirable, considering the increased exn<>iiS9 nf living now as compared with the earlier days of the Colony, is that tbe salary uf he first year should be i'lso in•stccd of £100, ami so it should go on increasing £10 per annum to the mv.ur.tun "f £ : .00. V.—STATUTE SOP. THE .'.PPOIXTMF.-T OF TASTOSS. I To understand this Statute, it is necessary that j the Report of the Committee of the General Synod (to be found in the ban! and following parres of their Journal of Proceedings) should be read care fully, and 'aken as the key lo the Statute. The principles of this Act will he found to be. Ist. the "securing to the Laity of lhe several Parishes a certain voice in the appoint.nent oftheir own Pustors, and this through Nominators ; 2ndly, the providing a cheok on the independent and purely voluntary system, by giving the Diocesan Synod another voice in the matter through their nominators: and 3rdly, lhe referring iho selection of one out of several nominees to the Bishop; and still further, leaving in tlie hauls of the Bishop the duty of limitation or rejection, subject to appeal. The General Synod requires the Diocesan Synod lo determine the number of the Board of Nomina tori, both Diocesan and Parochial; and also to fix the time and manner ofthe parochial election of nominators. The General Synod has also passed a resolution (to be found p. fl-l) euab.ir.g the board of nominators lo delegalo their trns. to one nominator, or to lhe Diocesan Synod. But it has nintle no provision for the case of a f >y parishes omitting to choose their nominators; nor fir a fresh noini nation in caso no appeal against the Bishop's rejection is lodged within the two months ivlowctl. This -)nod will have to repair those omissions as far as our own Diocese is concerned,' and a'so ti make provision for the first election of nnmina tors when there is as yet no vestry duly constituted according to the provisions of liie "2nd nnd 3rd Clauses of the-lib Statine, and ihe -ml Clause of tho Oth Statute. In regard io the principles that «lii:i!d guide us in deteimining the relative numbers oi'ihe Diocesan and the I'arochinl Nominators, it is evidently the iv cation of the General -ynoil 11 trive the particular parish thai sit, ports the c'.ngyta.m nnl its own church services a full veto on any appointment; 2ndly, to give the Diocesan Synod a positive veto ; and Srd.y, tn give il.c Bishop a conaitinnal snd suspensive veto. The Church of l-'uglmul has always upheld the iinnoriani principal that tho clergy should hnve a distinct voire in ihe admission of any one into their order, and after.rard, in his various changes of loca.ion ; as if they wro naturally and reasonably interested in ihe purity and ellicieucy of ihcir body Vo one can be ordained Deacon wi hoiu producing testimonials from three beneficed clergyman ; no one can lie ordained Priest without similar testimonials; no one can bo licensed to a Curacy, no one can be instituted to a lipuefico unless he can procure testimonials from three of his brethren Now the clergy of our Ecclesiastical Pmvinc-' will express thtir minds in this way through lhe Synodical Nominators, But the laity of the Diocese independently of lhe particular parish, timet also express ihcir mind through lhe sam« channel. The efore I conclude that the number of the Diocesan nominators ought to exceed lhat of the Parochial, yet not so much as to override tliem altogether. There is an obiter remark that I wou'd miko on the 7th Clause of this statue, by which the TrusI tees and Churchwardens of any Church are iiihin- | ited from allowing t'uc use nf ihe Church, during a vacancy, to any one thai is ati.horiscil by the Archdeacon or Uurnl Dean ; so that it might come to pass, if death or illness, or any n-ifor-u-en calamity, suddenly caused a vacancy in any consiituted cure ol souls, the Bishop ofthe Dbicfsc could not legally enter that Church, and maititaiu Divine Service, without first gaining the permission nf ihe Archdeacon or llural Deim, who not only may he, but in our case are. living some distance from the centre of the Diocesan. Hut as the same Siatutc says , that a Diocesan Synod is competent io amend this I clause fur its own purposes, I venture :o suggest tliutil he amended in our present session, I ought io add, that "Clause ri" alluded tn in ihe. iltli clause of this Statute. i>ii*lh to stand •• clause I." The fact is, tluu what is now the Ist clause was originally the vlud ; and the Committee of the General Synod, when ihey struck out the Ist clause j om.ttcJ to alter the numeration; and I .take blame

in iiiysi'T, cs ■.•no nf ill:' Priming Conimittoe for Inning overlooked it, mid not lak'cu upon myself to lint one r.f the m-.st important measures requiring the iit.i'iilion of our Synod is tlie institution of the •• Standing I'tiniinittcc " spoken of in the Oth clause o r this Statute. It is to he the representative of the S-.n0.) for certain legal and administrative purposes iv' the iircviils of its session Aino'ig other duties, 1 should conceive ilmt it would have to decile upon nnv implications ilia 1 , may be made by districts to be forme.!" into pii'islies when the Synod is not sitting. On it. in conjunction with ibe Bishop, should devolve (nt ►'nil times) ill* nomination of Trustees for property given to ihe Church, all. the financial business of the Diocese, and the .liny of seeing that the parishes fulfilled their obligations and covenants Audits tho Government of the Colony have recognised lhe Dio cestui Svnoil as the organ of communication with th"mselve« in reference to the funds appropriated for nniivc education, pe'limis ihe Standing Committee and the Bishop should be authorised to represent the Synod in all such communications. It should be expected io prepare the business nf ensuing sessions oi the Synod; nnd generally, it would act ns a Council of ii.-'iii-e to the Bishop, [tut if it is to be more dm', this, and actus an Executive Cooncii. I confess 1 sec great difficulty in carrying on the government of the Diocese. If tbe Bishop may not act without in i-vim-i cs-e eonferiiiig with the Standing Commit-

ice. uud obtaining the consent of ho tli orders in it, wh".: with ihs difficulty of briuging the members of the Council togp'her on every emergency, autl then enmin; to n deei*ion the ease requirincr actim will often have elapsed before weshall have determined on the course in be pursued, Therefore I do not pretend to s y t'nat I .".insider the dcelnpement of what isca lei! '' Responsible Oovernmr-nt" is nraciieable at present in our Diocese, even if I thought it right in principle. Of course this is rather a delicate subject for me to *pea!t on, as it might be. supposed ihai f i.m tuitions tn retain power and authority in my own hands. However, I c.uinot incur ihe responsibility of recomoietiding that the office of the Bishop in his F.vecuitve capacity, should be put in commission, for I believe that anarchy would be the certain result. I have now gone through the Statutes of lhe General Synoi*, so far as they entail upon us the doty of legislation. I proceed to bring under your n nice some of iheir Resolutions that leal to Diocesan octien. I.—TIIK NOMINATION - OF TRUSTEES. The first Hesolutions that 1 have observed are to be found in tbe 3'iib page "f the Journal oftheir proceedings, uud require the Dio'eson Synod to recommeni io thr Standing Commission of the General Synod ihe names of persons who will act es trustees of '.:liu eh property, and also to arranu-c lhe lands held for looa' uses in convenient groupes. By this, I understand that we are not to nominate sepera'e trustees for separate localities, but to group them together; for instance, to nominate the sf me trustees for the chinch and school at Te Aro, and the thorndon parsonage. II omit the land in Moles worth street, and the Thorndou school as hy some mistake the trust of the former belongs to Archdeaoon Hnilfield as «ell as to the Bishop of New Zealand, and the latter has devolved upon me; and we are not enabled, ns the Primate is, by an act of the Colonial Legislature to convey them to the General Synod ) A-tain, I should propose to have the same trustees for the t.we sites in Mulgravestreet, the one for a Church, the other for the Bishop's residence. And bo again the same trustees fur all the church property along'tbe valley of the Htif, —md once more, the same for all church lands at Featherston, Greytown. and Masterton. But all these matters will be subjects for a special committee to report on to the. Synod. When appointed, the committee will find ample information and Instructions iv rrgsiil io the Native and "English trusts in the (i.'r.h and following pages of the journal, and in the Terrier of Church La ids, copies of which I lay on the table. lI.—OLEHE HOUSES. The next Hesolutions affecting the Diocesan Svnoil arc io be found in pp. 43, 4-t. and fi* of the Journal, and have reference to ihe maintenance of parsonage houses. The subject may be conveniently referred to the same committee as will have to report on Church trusts. in.—STiTisrrcs. You wi'l find in the -Hth page of the Journal, that ilie Standing Commission of the General Synod nre requested to prepare tabular forms, and issue them to the several Diocesan Synods, with the view of obtaining fill statistical reports of every Diocese in '.his Ecclesiastical Province. I have not yet received any such forms from the Standing Commission. IV.—TIIIBtJfJAL BILL. In like manner you will find in the 50th and 51st pages of lhe Journal, that lhe standing Commissions are requested to revise the Tribunal Hill, which is given at full length in OOdi and following pages of the Journal, and to send it. when amended to the several Diocesan Syrods ; nnd leave is given to any Diocesan Synod to adopt the amended Bill. It has uot yet been forwarded to me. But I would further call your at : cntion to the latter part of -ttli resolution (p. 51). whereby the Bishops are advised to take 'be Bill at once in its un-amended form, and he guided by it as far as practicable, in the exercise of tlieir judicial authority. I deem it necesary, therefore to ask you to appoint a panel of assessors (in accordance with the provisions of tbe Oth clause), from whom a Court may be formed iv case of necessity ; quad Deits arertat. V. — MISSIONS TO THINLY PEOPLED DISTRICTS, TO THE XATIVES 07 THIS DIOCESB, AND TO TUB HEATHEN. The next resolutions of the General Synod me very important, and I earues'ly entreat your special attention to them. They are to be found in ihe .'i4ih page of the Journal, and contain a recommendation to lhe several Diocesan Synods " to take.-arly steps toward securing regular contributions from every congregation, and for apportioning the same to ihe above named objects viz., missions to settlers in thinly peopled districts, tn natives within lhe Diocese, t r the existing missionary endeavours among the heathen of the Pacific Islands, which have nitberto been (and are we trust, at this moment 110111.5) Harried on by the Bishop of New Zealand." In connection with this resolution, I would read the following extract from the lustreport ofthe Archdeaconry Board to the members of the Church in this Diocese : " Perhaps it will be found expedient and desirable to establish, by the annual subscriptions of Church members, a Dioec sun fund which will afford the means of rendering limited aid to outlying ana thinly peopled parishes, nnd provide for other general expenses ; such fund to be under the c.vitro! ofthe Bishop and Synod of the Diocese. The Archdeaconry Board caniest'y commends the careful consideration i.f this subject to those who value the consolations of religion and the ministrations of their Church, and who desire to see religion, morality, and all the fruits of a religious life abound more and more in the country of ibeir adopt'on." I rejoice indeed to bee ibis principle avowed; of course I shall rejoice much more to see it acted upon. The ( lunch in this and'iill ihe dioceses of New Zealand have freely received from the Mother Church in England during the early and trying stages of the Colony. Sn-ely now it belongs them to fulfil |our Lord's command, which follows as a necessary consequence upon the words " Freely ye have received." therefore " freely give." I believe that a Bill on thi9 subject will be brought under your con-ide.ati'.n. VI.—ADVICE ON HYMNAL Another resolution of the Ueneral Synod may hereafter coueern our Diocesan Si nod. but does inn yet apply to us. It is to be found in the !)Sih page of the Journal. After requiring the Bishops ol the Piovince to select, if possible, a Hymnal tor general use, it advises them, in case of their at erupting tr compilation, to confer with their Diocesan Synod We have been engaged in looking over - as many selerlions as have to come io hand, .arid in the course of the year I hope we shall come to some decision on tlie subject. I have no hesitation in expressing my owu opinion that the elections

should be a comprehensive oils such as will suit tho tastes mid feelings 'of men of different schools of opinion iv die Church; and at lhe same time it should be in harmony with iho reverent and sober tone of devotion lhat pervades the Book oT Com. mou Prayer. VII. —PENSION BOARD, The. last lo'ioliiiious ofthe General Synod that 1 have t-i notice nre found in iho fillth and following pages. Tliey recommend the Diocesan Synods to form a Pension Board who shall manage a fund for providing pensions for ele'gymen. nnd pensions for their widows and orphans. It in desirable that we should appoint a Ooniniilteo of Correspondence who shall communicate during our intervals of session with the Central Committee at Auckland, and carry out as far .is pos-dhlcjllie excellent objects the General had in view. The position of the cleruyiu this Diocese beyond any other in the ecclesinstioal province is one of peculiar anxiety to all thoughtful members of our Church; and the importance of relieving the minds of the clergy of all mWne care for the temporal support of themselves and families must he thoroughly recognised; and consistently with other principles and duties, I trust that their position will be rendered cerium and iuienendent. ENDOWMENTS. And now that I have gone through. I believe, nil the resolutions of the General Synod, this last snbject naturally suggests to me to makn some few observations on a matter not actually enjoined upon us by the General Synod, yet touched upon by lhe Primate in his opening address. I mean the subject of Endowments. You will find in the 11th page of the Journal, tb-1 ihe Primate says ;—" a few fundamental principles have always been kept in view in the Diocese of New Zealand, and 7 would recommend them to your consideration, as already tested by many yea r s' experience :—I. That the maintenance of the clergy should he supplied partly from Endowment fund 9 ; and partly from voluntary contributions." I heartily concur in that principle. I understand the Primate to assert tbat on the one hand the clergy ought not to be entirely or nini-'ly dependent on their congregations for their "iiniial income, nor, on the other hand, ought tliey to be so eutirelv independent of their flocks, as is generally the case in the Mother Church. The points gained by a partially endowed and a partially voluntary system are the freedom of mind and independence of spirit that the clergy must have, if they nre to do any real good to their neople, and yet the sense of responsibility and the feeling of control that public ohinion, backed by the power of making itself felt in a material form, is sure to enforce. I am sorry to say thut in this Diocese there is no clerical endowment, anil that the voluntary svstcm prevails absolutely. lam the more anxious to see thi" state of things remedied, because the clergy of the Diocese relinquished their claim upon the Endowment of .£4OOO. which the Socielv for the Propagation of the Go=pel rad the New Zealand Company originally gave to the Diocese, and have made it over forthe establishment and Endowment of the Bishoprick. Of course I had no voice in this arrangement, and unfortunately'l was in England nt the lime it was made, and had no opportunity of conferring with the clergy or laity of the Diocese on any of the questions involved in my acceptance of the See. At all events now! feel a special obligation to impress upon the members of our Church in this Diocese the necessity of securing partial endowments fo*- the clergy. I believe grent misconception exists in the minds of many respecting the wealth of our Churoh in real and personal estate. Once for all let me state, that there are uo funds for ns to fall back upon, if we do not do our own duty. The Society for tbe propagation of the Gospel indeed gives us at present £150 per nnnum : but of this sum £50 have been for some years past apportioned io the town of Wanganui. A reference to the Church Terrier, laid upon the table, will show that if our Church is rich in Land Endowments for Native Educational purposes, it is absolutely poor for all other objects. Two hundred and forty acres represent the whole property of the Colonial Church in this Northern Island; and these are made available for Churches, Parsonages, School-houses, and Cemeteries.

1 trust, therefore, that a spirit of liberality will be exhibited throughout tbe Diocese, and that we shall build un our own Church, instead of looking to others to do the work for us. For my own part, T shall be loth to apply io our brctbcrn in England for assistance in any of the ordinary works that belong to ourselves, and I shall reserve my applications home for the oijects that may fairly be considered to reach beyond our present means or responsibilities, such as a comprehensive system of missions and schools for the Natives, or the building of a Cathedral Church. Not indeed that I could well apply to England even for these objects, unless 1 could show that we have done our full share in carrying them out. And here I must gratify my own feeling, and, I trust, yours also, by recording the history of a valuable grant of land nnd donation in money made to the Church in the Diocese, by three persons whose liberality (it is further plensant to observe) was originally stimulated by a similar act on the part ofthe Natives. The circumstances were related to me by one of the three donors, and I am glad to relieve tho necessary dulness of an address occupied so much on business mutters, by au illustration so pleasant in itself and so encouraging.

It is now six years ago that the late Governor, Sir George Grey, the Bishop of New Zealand, And a gentleman at present residing in this town (who»e iißme I forbear to mention because I believe he does not wish monstrari digito) were travelling to getber along the East Coast near Miiiriri. In the course of the-day they had been talking to the natives about lhe duty of reserving certain of their lands as educational grants for the benefit of their children and posterity. In tbe middle of the night they were woke up in their tent by a deputation of these natives, calling to Sir George Grey, and asking him, in their naive way, whether he himself acted upon the plan he recommended to them, nnd whether he gave tilhes, or any poqion of his worldly goods to the Church of God. Whatever was his answer in words, by his deeds at least he illustrated his advice, fur be bought and gave to the Church two-thirds of the piece of land in Mulgrave street " as a site for a Church where seats shall always he reserved for die patients in the adjoining hospital." The other third of that piece of land was bought and given to the Church for tho same purpose hy the Bishop of New Zealand ; and the or tier member of party has lately corap'.e.ied the symmetry of the gift and the itooil work hy making over the adjoining piece of land as a site for the Bishop's residence. Nor is that all, but, as a crowning act of bounty, the Primate hits givtm £1,000 more to tho Sec for the purpose of hull ding a residence for tbo Bishop on tbat sito. happily true is it. that ir evil is contagious, much more is good, and that as iron shnrpeneth iron, so lhe example of one good man is blessed by God to be the seed of a great-and abundant harvest. I have mentioned this one case in the hope of stirring up others to similar acts of liberality ; not that, cither tbe particular persons mentioned would otherwise, perhaps, like being singled out, or lhat they are tlie only benefactors to our Diocese. Several persons who are absentees have given land nnd tithes to the Church, nnd I trust that their example will be followed by others, whether residents or absentees. FINANCIAL ACOOUNT. I now lay on the table the la-<t Report of the Archdeaconry Hoard. I am glad to lie able to state Unit the District Churches of the town of Wellington, nod of the Hint, have paid off nearly nil the ou'stßiidiiig liabilities of £137 ids. Hd. that appear in the Uih page of that ileport, and tliey have u'nlertalten to -ettle tbe balance mill unpaid. I have no account to render of nny Idocosau funds, for the simple reason, stated before, that there are none. The curators of the several District Churches have temporarily managed their several accounts, at my request, and I have authorised their paying tW salaries so far as their funds allowed. The only' monies that I have received are .£OO from the Society Tor ihe Propagation of the Gospel, and payments from tlie congregations in tie Hutt ond'

Porirua, from Greytown aud .Masterton ; and I pro. pose that at tho end of the year all tho curators' 17-tli myself, should tender an account to the Stand! ing Committee of the Synod, to whom it is proposed to give the oversight of financial matters. After this year I moan to confide the Society's grant of £100 per annum to the Board or Committee that the Synod will charge with the maHagomtnt of the Diocesan fund I spoke of before. EDUCATION. There is only one other subject that seems to demand our attention, and that is the " still voxod Bermoothes," the Education question. I do not know that I need out' is occasion detain you long with an account of tho effort lately made by " the Church nf "England Education Commitieo" to come to some terms of agreement with other religious bodies, as to the principles on whicli they should! uniie in applying to the Provincial Government for grunts iv aid to all schools alike, whether de. nominalionai or secular, public or private, provider! that the school-fees were moderately low, uud that the ordinary secular subjects of instruction wert efficiently taught; the efficiency to be tested by an examination both of the teachers and the taught. The principles of the measure proposed were briefly, the uon-iiilerferenCH of the State in the question of religions instruction, nnd the granting aid iv proportion lo the number of scholars, and merit of the teacher. But believing, as we did that the residents in the towns were mostly able to' pay for lhe schooling of ihcir children, we specially and primarily sought to aid and encourage cduca. tiotiin the spaise settlements up the country, and we proposed lo give them the first claim on all public grants for educational purposes, and further to give th"m three limes as much money for evi'y child educated in one of their schools as we pro. posed lo give ihetown schools. However, wefailed in gaining the cooperation of the other religions bodies; and ns our motives and objects wero, 1 think, misunderstood, we have contented ourselves wiih laying the measure before the public, and trusting it to ils own merits, and the fairness ofthe community. Meanwhile our own primary schools are approv. ing themselves mo-e and more to the members of tho Church, nnd are acknowledged, I suppose,by those that differ frem us, to be so tolerant that not a ffw send their children there to be taugln. At the same time I cannot conceal from yon that wo find it very difficult to' find siiffiiiient fluids for their maintenance ; moreover, I should say that it is proposed to dissolve the Education Society, to separate the two schools of this Town, and to pui them under a different system of management. I hope there, fore that nn Education Committee will be appointed by the Synod to report on the subject, and to pro. pose some plan for tbe liquidation of the debt on Te Aro achool-house ; and for the future conduct of both schools. Besides the maintenance of the primary schools I feel that this Diocese ought not to be vithout its own grammar and commercial school for those children, whose parents wish for a more eriended system of education than can be obtained at the primary scho-.l,—more extended, I mean, in its range of subjects, nnd therefore more extended in the length of time to bo devoted to education. There are some pe.sous who at present are desirous of procuring such advantages for iheir children; there are several others who frill require it in two or three years'time; and we ought to be prepaied with the supply to meet the demand. ' I feel that the success of this or of other matters, that I have pressed upon your notice, will depend mainly jpon the encouragement given to the plau of establishing the General Diocesan Fund. Further, it will be necessary for this Synod to make some arrangements in reference to Nativo schools receiving or applying for grants from the Colonial Government. I bo'ieve that there is good ground for thinking that this is a crisis in native affairs. There has been a simultaneous, yet probably not a connected, movement among them in various pans of the country iv the direction of religion and morality. " There ia a tide" setting in, which. " taken iv lhe flood, may lead on to for- | tune." At the Bay of Islands and "on tbe Waikato there has been, of late, a decided improvement in I respect of their morn) and religious duties. On the East Coast they have, after several years of neglect, fulfilled their engagements with their Nativo clergyman, built his house, and fenced his land, as if to show their desire to retain him and have the benefit of Church ministrations. In the Wairarapa Valley, last month, out of 400 persons, only 20 showed auy disposition to side with the Native King movement; and a considerable number, who had been led into intemperate habits, have formed themselves (like the Waikato Natives) into what may bs cai'ed a Temperance League, and enforce the disci, plino by severe penalties. Tliey are anxious to have the means of grace and education provided, and wo have received promises of substantial support for a school from some of tbe most influential ohiefs, as well as from the Governor. '• We must take this current while it serves, or lose our ventures." For I must call the attention of this Synod to a document that I lay on the table, which has been forwarded to me by the Colonial Secretary, and which treats at largo of the present physical condition of tke Natives. It would go to show that they are rapidly decreasing in numbers, nnd it invites our consid»raiion of the general condition of the Native Population, and of the best means of dealing with them in a paternal and Christian spirit. Believing as I do that Education under the eye of kind teachers, paying special regard to their physical as well as intellectual and moral traiuing, is tbo only chance of staying the evil (supposing it to be proved), or of preventing it, I have great plensurs in laving before you a letter from Air. Churton of Wanganui proposing to '-establish a Native Girl's School, nnd also a letter from the Government recommending the matter to our consideration. I hope that the Synod will appoiut a Committee to enquire into and report upon the subject of Native Education generally. BOOK DEPOSITARY AND CLEnIOAL LIBBAnt. Another subject that seems to me to require consideration, and perhaps ought to bo referred to a cemmittee, is the establishment of a Heligious and Educational Book Depot in this town, where our people mny procure Bibles and Prayer Books, snd also educational and generally entertaining and instructive books of a honlthv tone at a cheap rate. Tho Snciety for Promoting Christian Knowledge has made me a grant of Bibles and Prayer Books, and so has the British and Foreign Bible Society. But I should liiio to repay their-kindness by reuniting to them some, of the proceeds of the side. A further development of the plan will involve expense. While on this stibjoct, I may add, that « society in Kngland. called " Dr. Bray'e Associates, have offered to present the Diocese with come books . towards forming a Jlerioul Xibrarj; and privaW friends at home havo also assisted us in this very Bscful object. I feel, and 1 dare say my clcrioal brethren feel with me, that though in tlie present phase of our Church wo cannot expect to be a learned body, as in the universities and cathedral churches of England, yet we may he and ought to be a reading, as wsll aa nn active body, nnd we ought to be continually refreshing ourselves ana consequently our people with draughts of r«"j •voter from the wells of genuine piciy and snuua learning, that evor Btream forth in the Mother Church. COItOLTJSIOK. .. I should not liko to emit, but yet I neod Barmy mako the suggestion, that the Synod should express its thanks to his Honor the Superintendent for m« gracious way in which he has placed this Council Chamber at our service during lhe sosriion. I ■>•" lievo thut as an external aid to decorous °« ,,ber *" ti»n, the advantages of having such a Chamber ore considerable. With ourselves now lies the responsibility of bringing inch a spirit and temper to °» counsels as are becoming to what I may call « sacred character of our assembly, and tho deep* important matters we nre required to deal with. - In no morn suitable words can I invito V 0" ' proceed to your work than in those with wl " c " are commanded to greet one another, " Peace ■" this house, and to all that meet in it."