ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 749, 6 October 1852, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Euitor of the New Zealand Spectator. Lyttelton, October Ist, 1852.

Sik, — The accompanying letter, addressed to the Editor of the Lyttelton Times on the 14th inst., I am induced to fprward you for insertion .shouU-y*u-d.sero-it^oi«t&y;~<«dffsequent upon his refusal, after having'published two letters on the same public grievances' in previous numbers, to admit it into his columns on the ground that "the subject is not adapted- for the columns of a newspiper." The refusal of. that journal to insert a letter which, from its tenor, might be deemed to be unpalatable to many of its subscribers in England, who would dread emigrating to a High church, Tractarian orPuseyite settlement, will not surprise you, inasmuch as from sundry articles in your journal I have been led to believe you are already aware that our only newspaper is the organ of a small but influential minority who role over, and are supposed to represent, the feelings and opinions of the majority of the settlers, and that it is not published for this colony's, but for home circulation — in short, that it is the organ of the Canterbury Association, established and published for the puffing up of tbis settlement and the rancorous abuse of Sir G. Grey and his Government. ! I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, ZETA.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir, — The fear that the public may be led by a further silence to believe that the letter, signed by Rev. B. W. Dudley, as chairman of the Board of Church Trustees, in refutation of the charge* made by the " Old Shagroon" in your journal of the 28tb ult., is considered by himself and friends either satisfactory or conclusive, has induced me to trouble you with the following remarks. It appears from the Rev.' gentleman's own statement that " the plan on which the Church Trustees of Lyttelton have proceeded has been to make the maintenance of the church services the {first charge on the offertory, the relief of the poor the second, Missions the third, and contributions to church building the fourth." Now, it is not my purpose at presenjytq question the propriety .of__collectii4r-,cjmtr^>iy|os6, -professedly,- as. the, sentences during their collection clearly infer, for the benefit of the poor, and of appropriating them for any other purpose ; neither do 1 deem it necessary for me to again trouble your readers with the particular case of the journeyman shoemaker who, the Rev. gentleman considers, was treated by him with much consideration — and indeed, with ''over indulgence" '-r suffice it for me to say, that I have been cognisant of several cases of great hardship and severe distress, which have existed in this Port with .the knowledge of the Church Trustees, Cjtinparatively unattended to and unrelieved, one of which I will now cite :—: — A few months since ao emaciated and weakly lad presented a petition to me, setting forth that he was anxious to raise* sufficient amount to enable him to leave the colony, headed by the Rev. B. W. Dudley's name and "small subscription. Upon enquiry, I found that. this youth having been an inmate of the hosprtpl - for some time, bad been discharged from theosse,, and that, not having received sufficient nourishment" to regain his strength and resume his labojtrs^ he hadj been forced to adopt this plan to enable him to obtain a passage from this to Sydney*, thinking that there bis condition would be bettered. I will leave the public to decide whether this was a case of" " over indulgence" or of "neglect and inhumanity." With reference to the Rev. Gentleman's supposition, that it was unnecessary that the public should be warned as to the manner in which the Offertory Funds have been expended, as the public know all about it perfectly well already and have long had the remedy in 'their own hands, if they were dissatisfied ; I would remark that I should think no one' doubts the "scrupulous accuracy " of life accounts, published quarterly, of their l expenditure, but tbat many do doubt in the first place, the propriety of collecting contributionsfi/irhich ought, and are supposed, tg b»^d^iUj£r|' in an onuSual and involuntary.. mam&iy^afta|in the second place, of appropriating the amot/Sti itb collected to the building of a Church^ for the erection of which most of us have paid twice and many thrice. In conclusion, it would: hare been as well for your reverend correspondent to have adhered to his original intention and; not have noticed" tbat portion of " The Old Shagroon's " letter, which was irrelevant to the "main subject. It matteis not whether tha days dedicated to St. Barnabas or St. Bartholomew, are fasts or feasts, or whether these same were saints of tie Roman Calendar, or Apostles of our Lord ; there are but few likely to be so well versed in such .matters as rh«tT,everend gentleman himself, and who have been unaccustomed in the mother country, to-bear of such observances and do not understand the many singular forms and ceremonies adopted in this settlement, where the utmost simplicity ought, most undoubtedly, to have been studied : who, like " The Old Shagroon," have not been pleased with lofty candlesticks and bouquets on the altar, (communion table of our early daysj with gorgeously embroidered' offertory bags, with evergreen decorated crosses on tbe communion walls, with richly laced cambric handkerchiefs over the chalice, and ' with the constant tolling of the bells. I remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, ZETA.