MISSIONARY MEETING.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2781, 16 January 1872, Page 2

MISSIONARY MEETING.

Tfte annual missionary meeting in connection witty fhe Ppesbyi»ria'n Synod of Otago and Southland was'held in the First Church last evening. The moderator, the Rev. J. Kirkland, presided, and tliere was a large attendance of members of Synod aqd the general public. Thp r-enprt of ttye missions committee was resd qy ttye Rev, J)f Copland. Reference was made in it to the hindrance tq mission \yor]t throughout the Ne%y Hebrides arising- from the trathe in labour j that since the rcotipt of the last letter from Mr MiJne intelligence had been

received that the mission premises had been entered and ransacked during his absence by a party of slavers who had gqie to the island to take revenge for injuries inflicted by the natives in another slave ship. After referring to a memorial from the *ew Hebrides Mission to the Synod, requesting their earnest efforts to stop the labor traltic in the islands of the Southern Seas, the Committee in their report state that “ they deeply regretted to learn that two devoted missionaries—Bishop Pattoson, and the Rev. Mr Atkin, were among the victims, and desired to express their sympathy with the Me'auesiau Mission under the severe loss which it had thus sustained, and their admiration of the eminent qualifications and zealous and disinterested consecration to the work which especially characterised Bishop Patteson.” With reference to the Chinese Mission,, the report stated “The missionary, Pawl Ah Chin, has labored with fidelity.. zeal, and success among his countrymen in the Tuapeka district. He has preached every Sabbath afternoon to a small congregation, numbering usually about--twenty, and already three have given up their heathen idkos and practices, and been received by baptism into the church of Christ. Another has applied to be baptised, and good hopes are entertained of others who are under instruction.” The contributions which had been received for the General Mission Fund amounted to L 475 Ss 1 Ul; Maori Mission, L 4 Ids ; Chinese, L2O 10s ; Native Teachers, L 5 ; in all L 519 ISs lid, in addition to the donation of L3O for a second missionary to the New Hebrides. The disbursement were For the Maori Mission, L2fil 18s ; Chinese, L3OO 6s 9d; New Hebrides, LIG4 14s; sundry expenses, L 9 13s; paid balance of debt to R. P. Church, L7i 4s 6d ; all L 732 16s 3d. The balance in the Treasurer’s hands is (besides LSO donation) L 94 13s od. A number of gentlemen, including the Chinese missionary (Paul Ah Chin), who delivered an instructive account of his labors on the goldfields, addressed the meeting; after which the Synod agreed to a deliverance, which thanked the committee for its report; expressed regret that from the state of Airs Blake’s health, Mr Blake was obliged to retire from his present nrssion field, and agreeing to his transference to another sphere ; recording deep regret at the cruel death of Bishop Patteson and its cause, the evils of the labor traffic so iaimntably prevalent throughout Polynesia, ami its sympathy with the Church represented by Bishop Patteson under the loss sustained by it tnrqugh his murder, and that of its other missionary labors there; urging on the part of the members of the Chur hj increased liberality, in order that missionary work might be prosecuted with increasing vigor and success; and more especially the providing of a second missionary for the Chinese, recommending the circulation of the report throughout the district, and the establishment of missionary a-sociafioiis in connection with the several congregations.