To His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VI, Issue 153, 26 January 1854, Page 2

To His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand.

Christmas, 1853. Auckland, New Zealand. May it please your Excellency,— The Clergy of the Church of England, at present in the neighbourhood of Auckland, wish to express to your Excellency, on the occasion of your departure for England, their sincere respect for you personally, and their grateful sense of the truly Christian and enlightened principles which you have always advocated and acted upon in your intercourse with aboriginal raee9 generally, »nd the Native population of this country in particular. It would 1)0 out of place in us as Ministers of 'religion to express any opinion about your Excellency's political government of the colony, further than to ncl'.nm* ledge the prosperous state in which you leave the colony as contrasted with that in T.h'cb you found it. But we wish to recognise with thankfulness the principle of Erpiality on which your Excellency lias acted towards every denomination of Christians in matters connected with education. Relieving as we do that the only sound and fair principle consists in aiding each Body according to its numbers, wants, and exertions, we are glad to he allowed this opportunity of thanking your Excellency for having successfully pursued that policy in this portion of the British Empire. And in conformity with this prineiple, we would ilso thank you (or the efforts you have made asnn niHvidtml anil private member of the Church of England, to obtain for our Church the same freclom of deliberation and administration of its own ■flairs as is enjoyed by every other denomination 11 the colony. We would only further pray that Almighty God pay grant you a favourable voyoge home, and fcstow all temporal and spiritual blessings on iady Grey and yourself. And we rejoice to hink that whatever post of duty your Excellency nay hereafter be called to, you will exercise the uthority entrusted to you, for the glory of God, be furtherance of the Gospel of Peace (which bis holy season more peculiarly reminds us of) nd the social, moral, and religious improvement • f the people committed to your charge. G. A. New Zealand, Octavius lladfield, Archdeacon of Kapiti,. CiuntEs John Adbaiiam, Archdeacon of Waitemata, G. A. Kissling, Minister, St. Barnaba3, Auckland, Willi!m Ciiables Duiu.et, Clerk, John Frederick Alinister of St. Paul's, Auckland,

VicrsiMfH Li'sii, Minister of All Saints, Howiek, FaEDKnicK Tii.vTciiKß, Minister of St. Matthew's, Auckland, Jons MonoAN, Otawhao, WVikuto, Abtiiuii Guyo.n Pl'Rciias, Minister of St. Peter's. Ouchunga, William Leoxaiid Williams, Tiuirang.i, J. A. Wii.sox, Missionary, Auckland, A. Stock, Ciiari.es Hakkii, Waiapn, Kdwaiui IT. Hkvwood, St. John's College, 11. W. St. Hill, Minister, of St. Mark's, Kenmcra.

Yot'ii Lordship, axi> Rkvkreno C!i:xti.emkn', — That you should address me in siiehafl'eclinnnte terms upon llie occasion of iny return to Europe cannot but be highly gratifying to mo a3 liu-vcrnor-in-C'hiefof these Islands. Such expulsions of esteem from the liishop of Xew Zealand and the clergy of his diocese arc most honourable to me, as n friend of youis they are very valuable to me, nnd ns n lay member of the Church of England, I regard them as constituting one of the highest rewards I could receive. I have long believed that if, as an Empire spread to almost boundless limits, it rested its control over the nations, successively adopted into it, upon their fears or compelled obedience, it became but weaker uml weaker as it spread, nnd that before long n time must ntrivc when from its very vastness it must fall into I'ragnicnU ; whilst upon the other huml I believed, that it", as it spread its dominion, it spread also equal laws, the Christian faith, Christian knowledge, and Christian virtues, it would link (irmly to itself by the lies of love and gratitude each nation it adopted, thus strengthening as it spread, and rendering its dominion an object rather sought for than impatiently submitted to. I further believed if an attempt was made in New /calami to deal with n Native Kaco upon purely Christian principles, that instead of finding myself a single man, governing with doubt nnd dillieully a great ami turbulent country, I should find myself one of ft large body of Christian men all united in ihu bunds of a, common friendship, ami nil earnestly and zealously labouring for a common en 1, the means to which were so clearly understood by all, that hardly a direction became necessary, each one knowing almost instinctively what vras his share in the common task, and doing it with all his heart and will.

11l these expectations I was nnt mistaken, ami it is with pleasure I remember that it was ii> ••lose a nd friendly co-operation with so many other men that all my duties in New Zealand have been perfurmed. Ueiug a member of the Church of England, I 'ear to appear to boast of what its exertions in this part of the world have been, but I cannot bnt believe that the exertions anil labours of the Hishop and Clergy of the Church of England, in New Zealand, in the early stapes of its existence will, when contemplated by the future historian, be regarded with love and veneration, and thai I shall be thought, as I undoubtedly have been, fortunate and happy in the extreme to have had the pleasure and advantage of eonrtant intercourse with, and of never ceasing ass'stiucc from such men. In my nbsence from this country I will do my utmost in nil respects to promote the interests of the branch of the Church of England established in New Zealand, labouring ns one who would if he could repay the vast debt of aft'ection and gratitude which he owes to you. Lady Grey bog 3mo to assure you that she unites with me in feelings of fond and respect fill attachment to the Church of England,, to its Hishops ami Clergy, and in feelings of warm gratitude to you for the prayers you have oH'ered up, and for the wishes you have expressed in our behalf. G. Ghf.v. Government House, Auckland, December 19, 1053.