Testimonial to the Rev. John Inglis, late of Wellington.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 451, 10 August 1850, Page 2

Testimonial to the Rev. John Inglis, late of Wellington.

This esteemed minister, who has lesided here for a short time, during which he has labouied assiduously and acceptably in various ministerial exercises, being abont to leave Auckland in the Havannah, the Presbyterian Congregation resolved to present him with the following Address, which was accompanied by a purse containing forty sovereigns,

RtVERKN'D and Dear Siu, — Ai the time of your depnrtuic is drawing near, the painful yet pleasing duty now devolves upon us, of •waiting upon you with a parting token of the retard and esteem of your Auckland friends. , Your intercourse with us, flithounh brief, has j awakincd feelings which will not speedily be forgotten. Your devoted public labours, and your kind and familiar visits liave been duly appreciated, and have engendered, towards yourself, feelingß of attachment which will be cherifahed when you are far away. We trust that your efforts to promote the cause of God, duting your sojourn amongts us, will not fall to the ground; but that they will be followed by results which, like " bread cast upon the waters, shall be seen i after many days." We have be«n deputed by a number of our Christian friends, to wait upon you with a small mark of our affectionate interest. We know that your labours nmon^Bt us have been purely disinterested, and while we feel assured that you would shiink from receiving any thing offered in the bliape of a reward yet we venture to hope lhat you will not refuse to accept thispuise as an offering of affection. If you have ministered to us in spirituil tilings, it is but right that we, according as God has blessed us, should minister to you in worldly q things. T We assure you, in the name of all who have been privileged to make your acquaintance, that you will cany with you their affectionate wishes, and be followed by their leivent prayers. They will not cease to imploie, for you and yours, the constant presence of the Gieat Ileiul of the Church, wherever, in ihe course of His Providence, your future lot may be cast. With much affection, we are Ituv, and Dtar Sir,f your's, Sus., \ (Signed by the Deputation). i Auckland, August sth 1850. ! The presentation was made on Monday last ! by a Deputation consisting of Alexander. Shepherd, Esq., and Messrs. Gorrie, Hay, Forsaith, Robertson, and Clark. Mr. Inglis said, in repiy,— that, taken as he was by surprise with their unexpected kindness, be could only, return his most sincere tb inks to the deputation, and the friends whom they represented, for this su> stantial to* ken of their esteem. Ho was conscious he had done nothing to merit any special notion on their part, and he must look upon this as done to him for the sake of the Master in whose service he was engaged. He valued their kindness all themoreou thalaccount as pioceeding fiom higher and stronger motives than if it had arisen^ fr. v m any thing connected chiefly with him. From thc^ kind leception he had everywhere met with, his brief i sojourn among them had been, to himself, exceedingly pleasant ; and it his pawing services BhoulU be blessed in any degiee tor advancing the divine glory and promoting the interests of true leligiou among them, his heart's desire would be reallized. Having no prospect of being able to reciprocate the kindness by any further ministerial labours, for sometime nt least, he could only lefer ihutu in return to the promise of their common Lord. "He that recerveth a prophet in the name oft a prophet, bha'l leceivr a prophet's rt ward ;"and his" earnest prayer for them should be — "The Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another, and toward all men : to the end be may estublish your hearts unblameable in holiupss before God, even our Father, at the coming ot our Lord Jesus Chriit with all bis saints." The statement which, in willing accordance with the request of members of the Deputation, we thus insert, further informs us that on the same occasion, a deputation of the Scotch settlers from the Tamaki waited upon Mr. Inglis with an urgent application, and making a liberal offer of support, for his remaining and labouring permanently among them and their fellow countrymen, in the rural districts in the neighbourhood. But as Mr. Inglis had pre-j viously made arrangements to proceed by H.M.S. Havannah on a Missionary tour to the New Hebrides, he did not feel at liberty to entertain their proposal at present. While we confidently trust that Mr. Inglis's labours will prove valuable and prosperous wherever he goes, we cannot but regret that his previously formed arrangements did not permit his acceptance of this proposal. We should have felt unaffected pleasure in seeing^ located amongst our Presbyterian neighbours at the Tamaki, a pastor so faithful and yet so meek and affectionate ; — one, who, judging from the catholicity of spirit which he has manifested at Wellington, (especially in connection with the branch of the Evangelical I Alliance established there) would cordially exert ' his influence for the promotion of that union 1 amongst various denominationsof Christians,— agreed in fundamental truths and differing I j only on comparatively minor points, — which | is desirable everywhere, but is of the utmost importance in a missionary field such as New Zealand. .

The " Return Ball," given by a number of the inhabitants of Auckland to the " Free and Accepted Masons," by whom they hadj been so hospitably entertained on JoHN'p Day (the 24th of June), came off (as w~ briefly stated in our last) on Tuesday evening, at Hunt's Masonic Hotel, and fully realized the anticipations which we then expressed that it would prove a worthy reciprocation of the liberality and kindly feeling which it was designed to acknowledge. The subscriptions towards the Ball were large, and the Committee to whom the arrangements were entrusted carried out the intentions of the subscribers with zeal, judgment, and spirit. Beyond this gene«| ral tribute of commendation, however, there ia little to add. The room was handsomely de- 1 corated under the tasteful superintendence of Mr. Cutiibert Clarke, whose artistical skill, and willingness to lend his aid on such occasions are now well known to the public. The music presented the novelty here of the intermingling of stringed with wind instruments— the effect of which gave great satisfaction. TJ^pf company, which numbered about one hundred and fifteen, included Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard and the officers of the 58th Regiment, Captain Erskine, and the officers of the Havannahf and the elite of the town and neigh-

bourhood who are usually found enjoying and giacing such amusements. His Excellency the Governor-in-Ciiikf visited the ball room for a short time ; but, to the gencial regret, Lady Grey was prevented by indisposition from being present. The supper came in due time, and was so good as to be still spoken of by some with a gusto which proves that eaten dainties are not always soon forgotten— whatever the old proverb may say to the contrary. The Chair was filled by Colonel Huline, the Vice Chair by Adjutant Cooper — both, we need scarcely say, effectively. The principal toasts were—" The Queen"—" The Auckland Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons" (responded to by Mr. Coates, in the absence, thiough illness, of Mr. Ligar. the Master)— "Captain Erskine and the Officeis of the Ilavamiah," acknowledged by Captain Ersiune— and "The Ladies of Auckland," on whose behalf Mr. Gisborne was, as usual, earnest and eloquent. Dancing was lesumed after supper, and kept up with aidour till the approach of morning.