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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 665, 18 March 1869, Page 3

Sudden Death:. —On Saturday morning, Dec. 12, a painful instauee of the uncertainty of human life occurred at the Church Missionaries Children's Home, Highbury-grove. The llcv. George Hall, principal of the institution, arose at his usual time and apparently in his accustomed health, and after taking part in the customery devotional exercises retired to his study. A short time afterwards an attendant, having occasion to speak to him, proceeded to his room, but on knocking repeatedly at the room door was surprised at receiving no answer. Becoming alarmed at this the servant pushed open the door, when Mr Hall was discovered sitting in his chair with his eyes fixed, and perfectly unconscious. Medical aid was at once summoned, but Mr Hall never recovered consciousness, and died in a very short time. The deceased had been for many many years connected with the Church Missionaries' Children's Home. Ho has left a widow and six children.

Waikato. —We believe the Resident' Minister telegraphed yesterday to the commanding in the Waikato to keep a sharp look-out during the present excited s'ate of native affairs. —Herald, March 15. SOHAPER THE "TTnIVEESAL TKAVELLKTI." —We take the following paragraph from the Melbourne Age, 16th February:—" I have no friends except when I have money," is a complaint which has been echoed by many besides the unfortunate little Q-erman pedestrian Schafer, who in despair at the unkindness of fate and the hardheartedness of the world, attempted to rid himself of an existence which had become a burden to him. After travelling over the greater part of the civilised world and coming 16,000 miles to see what the antipodes were like, he has been reduced to a state of misery, sleeping, weary and foodless, under open verandahs for two nights, until a countryman (Mr Mueller, of the Argus Hotel) compassionately took him in, and gave him shelter. The next morning he attempted to shoot himself, but luckily, in his agitation, he forgot to put a bullet in his pistol, and consequently only set his shirt and skin on fire. Brought before the city bench, he was remanded for three days for medical inquiry, and yesterday morning a medical certificate stating that he was sane and fit to be at large, was handed to the bench. When asked what he intended to do, he said he had no friends in the city, adding, "I have no friends except when I havo money. I had a few hundreds, and it's all gone. I spent it in the colony and now hare none to go to." He was ordered to find one surety in £lO to keep the peacetowards himself for three months ; in default, to go to jail for that period. He did not seem to understand why he was bound over, and left the court with a very puzzled expression on his face. When, he first came to Victoria, Schafer was- hospitably treated, and wherever he stopped was entertained free of expense; but the novelty having worn off, he is now suffered ; to remain "unnoticed and unknown," and a 1 but starving in the " metropolis of the South." Perhaps some fellow-country-men, for the sake of their common. " Vaterland " will even now bail him. out,, and give Schafer a chance of writing the book of adventurous travel which he has promised to publish when he shall have completed his great walk round the globe.

The Late Ret. John Whiteley.—The Evening Post, Bth March, says : A funeral sermon on the death of the Wesleyan missionary, the Rev. Mr. V\ hiteley, who was amongst the unhappy" victims of Maori vengeance at White Cliffs, was preached last evening, at the Wesleyan Chapel, Man-ne-s-street, by the Rev. Mr. Ward, who took for his text the twenty-fourth verse of the twenty-second chapter of the Acts " But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the-, ministry which I have received of the Lord Je u-, to testify the Grospel of the Grace of God." The preacher commenced his di * course by recalling to his hearers the awfilness of death ; the peculiar interest whi h attaches itself to the death of a minister of God ; but more particularly the regard with which all must hear of a detth like that of the Rev. Mr. Whiteley, vho was murdered, after a long life spent ia the service of the Creator in ministering to the native*, while actually on a mission of peace and goodwill on the early Sabbath morning. To us there must seem som - thii.g fearful in the sudden murder of th<* good old man in the midst of his labors j but it was so ordered in the inscrutable counsels of God, and we must acknowledge it as such. We must remember he has now reaped his reward. The preacher then alluded to his long acquaintance with the deceased, both in public and private, which had existed for many years, and it was with visible emotion that he said, " but 1 shall now see him on earth no more." lie pointed out the evident fulness of grace enjoyed by Mr Whitelt-y, and reminded his hearers (hat, while admiring this, they should remember (hat each one should strive to attain a similar blessing iu the full faith of its being within the reach of those who seek diligently. He then drew a vivid sketch of the difficulty which the early missionaries in New Zealand had to contend against. At the time when they first commenced their labors, the question as to whether civilization or Christianity should first be introduced among the savages was being discussed by men ia other places, but this the missionaries had to decide for themselves at the risk of their very lives. Sometimes the arrow struck against the hard mountain rock, and was shivered by the blow ; while sometimes again it was sharpened, and struck home, yielding blessed fruits. The self-denial necessary for the work might well have deterred men" with brave hearts and strong faith, but each early missionary could well s«y —"None of these things moved me." The danger attending their work was such that at the mission meetings, when they assembled to cheer each other with accounts of their labors, they must have sung with peculiar emphasis that beautiful hymn, "And we are yet alive." The preacher then pointed out the success which had attended the. missionary labors up to a period about tea years since ; ho painted in startling colors, the scenes enacted among the savage tribesprevious to the commencement of those labors, and the changes which had been, jroughfc about by them—changes which he himself had seen evidence of when travelling through Mr Whiteley's circuit twenty. years ago. But during the last ten years, a demon had stalked through the land,, planting the seeds of Hauhauism, and stirring up strife, rebellion, and bloodshed* one of the victims of which had been him, whose labors he had dwelt upon, and whose loss we uow deplored.