ANNIVERSARY RICHMOND WESLEYAN CHURCH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue v, 6 January 1870, Page 2

ANNIVERSARY RICHMOND WESLEYAN CHURCH.

o The anniversary of the Wesleyau Church, liichmond, took place on Sunday and Monday last. On the Sabbath three sermons were preached to good cougrpgatious, the ministers for the occnsion beiug the Rev. W. G. Thomas, of Motueka, and the Rev. P. Calder, of Nelson. On Monday, the tea meeting was thinly attended, owing uo doubt to the fact of their being so much hay about, aud people being anxious to get ifc in, but several friends from Nelson aud also from Stoke were present. After tea the public meeting was held, the chair beiug occupied by J. W. Barnicoat, Esq. The Chairman said, the meeting was a social and religious gathering, that they were following the home custom in celebrating the Anniversary of the Church, that the meeting together of sincere truth loving men of various persuasious to assist in the work of the church tended to destroy the spirit of sectarian difference, and to produce liberality of feeling oue towards another. Sacred music too, such as was generally discoursed at those anniversary meetings, hod a beneficial influence ou the minds of those present, and the spirit of true religion was fostered in such meetings. The chairman concluded a very neat and appropriate address by wishing them all a Happy New Year. Mr. J. T. Smith read the report and cash account for the year. From the report we learn that the Trustees have reduced the debt on the property by £75, the present debt beiug £100. Total receipts, from seat rents and special efforts, together with the balance from last year £118 Os. 6d. Total expenditure, including the £75 paid in reduction of the debt, £116 2s. 9|d. leaving a balance to credit of £1 17s. B|d. The Rev. W. G. Thomas, of Motueka, moved the adoption of the report. He said one important point in connection with the meeting was its social character; "It is not good for man to be alonp," hence they flock together in cities, towns, and villages. It was necessary for people to be social, solitude drove people mad, to get friendships we must be friendly, tea meetings developed this instinct of social gatherings, they got better tempers, sweeter dispositions, and on this grouud the meeting was desirable. Method'sm was pecularly adapted to develop the feeling of religous fellowship; class meetings, prayer meetings, &c. Power in littles — twelve pence make a shilling, twenty shillings make a pound, taxes are gathered by littles but they m:ike a mighty sum, let all give what they can and the debt will soon be paid. The Rev. J. A. Taylor seconded the adoption of tbe report. He said the miuister and people must work together; if they would realise success, there must be union of aim, union of effort, and union of sympathy, and he would remind them of their responsibility, a moral responsibility placed upon them by the highest authority. The resolution was put and carried unanimously. The Rev. J. Crump delivered an able and eloquent address on the duty of the church to support the ordinances of the Lord'shouse. Remember it wus theanniversary of this place, built and dedicated to a particular part of Divine worship. It was but fair to regard giving as an essential part of God's worship? we pray and work oughtwe not to pray and give, giving was an essential and recognised part of Divine worship, aud we need to give as an acknowledgement of our need, and as an expression of our gratitude. Mr. Rose proposed a vote of thanks to the ladies who waited at table, &c. Mr. Dartnall seconded the motion iu a very feeling, affectionate, and hopeful speech. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was, on the motion of the Rev. J. Crump, seconded by the Rev. J. A. Taylor, and warmly accorded by the audieuce. The. meeting was much enliveued by Choir singing, several anthems during the evening. —Communicated.

undertaking " the construction of the I ' Otago Southern Trunk Railway, the proposed line of which extends from Dunedin to Balclutha, a distance of about 51 rniles. luterest at a rate not exceeding 8 per cent for a period of 15 years from the commencement of the work will he auaranteed , on a capital not exceeding £50,000. Heavy Thunderstorms have lately been experienced iu the Dunstan district, doing immense damage to the fruit trees. By the European Mail we learn than Mr., Kynnersley was a passenger by the Lincolnshire, whicli sailed from Plymouth for Melbourne on the lst of November. From a Tokemairiro paper we learn that Mr. J. E. Brown of that district, lately caught in the pond in his property a trout about the size of a small herring and that shortly after he observed two others, both of which appeared to be lively aud well grown. A silver claret cup has been presented to Captain Mar-kie of the Rangitoto by the passengers, who arrived in Melbourne from New Zealand, in that vessel 17th December last, after a passage which required an unusual display of seamanship on the part of the captain. A fire broke out ou the 21st uit. in the Canadian Flax Mills near Raugiriri. It was first discovered in the dust separated by the . scutchfng process from the prepared flax and soon took such hold upon it and the tow el ose by as to defy all the efforts used to stop it. .Themillhouse was destroyed, but all the machinery and tools were saved. One Clement Saunders has been attempting a swindling game at Wairarapa. He put out bills announcing some peformance of juggliDg or legerdemain at Greytown, and gathered 40 or 50 people together. After waiting a considerable tirhe, the audience, who had paid two shillings each, found that Saunders had " sloped." He was soon taken by the police aud locked up, but no one appearing to prosecute the next morning he was discharged. The s.s. Wanganui brought to Wellington on her last trip from Wanganui 169 bales of flax, principally from the mills of Messrs Rees and Gibson of Rangitikei. The schooner Amateur of Bienhiem, on leaving Wellington the other day was compelled by stress of weather to put into Worser's Bay where she fouud two whales of 40 feet in length stranded on the beach. They were at once secured aud preparations are being made for trying out the blubber at once. Miritani — a Maori recently sentenced to pay a fiue of £30, or suffer 3 months' imprisonment for obstructing the survey of the Mauawatu block — has got tired of confinement, and written to his friends asking tbem to pay the money for him. They replied that it was not worth while, asmany of them inteuded pursuing thesame course aud would shortly join him in gaol. Great disgust is felt at the Thames, at the conduct of the Justices, iu allowing one of the participators in the election riots to go scot-free, and also at their obliging on of the police to pay a fine of £5 because he raised his truncheou in defence of his head wheu attacked by a rowdy mob. By a telegram from Alexandria, dated Nov. 10, we, Melbourne Argus, learn that the laying of the submarine cable between Bombay and Suez, aud between Suez an[d Malta, and thence via Gibraltar to Falmouth, is expected to be completed by the Ist May next, and that the extension of the line from Ceylon to Singapore j will be proceeded with iu April next. The line throughout will be under English management exclusively, and will be entirely independent of foreign control. Volunteers for New Zealand. — Lieut. J. Newton Emra has written to the Standard volunteering to raise a body of young men — probably Wiltshire men, aud at least 100 in number — to proceed to New Zealand for whatever military service they ■ may be called upon to perform, provided of course, that the expenses of voyage and outfit and regular payment be undertaken and that he ; is authorised to hold out such further inducement guaranteed by the Colonial Government, as may ensure their not being disappointed, whatever may be the result, of their joining the expedition. We saw a cowardly fellow, elaborately got up as a "gent," viciously kicking a newsboy the other day for pestering him to buy an evening paper. The lad's revenge ; wai3 ingenious and complete. He waited till, another boy accosted "the gent," and then shouted in the hearing of all the bystanders, ".It's .no use to try him, Jim, he can't read."