NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, February 19, 1853.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 788, 19 February 1853, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, February 19, 1853.

A mkbting of members of the Church of England will be held on Monday evening, at the School room, Thorndon, for the purpose of con- i sidering the proposed Church Constitution and other matters connected with the interests and welfare of the church. It is probable that during the next session of Parliament an Act may be passed which will give to -the colonial churches the necessary powers for managing their own affairs, but there are many subjects of a practical nature which demand the immediate attention of the members of the Church of England in this settlement, and which may be greatly promoted by their cordial and zealous co-operation, the consideration of which it it would be unwise indefinitely to defer. The periodical visit of the Bishop of New Zealand to Wellington therefore affords a favourable opportunity for discussing and agreeing upon some plan by which, under the sanction of his Lordship, these matters may be best carried out. The necessity of providing additional clergymen for the spiritual wants of this settlement is one of the matters likely to occupy a large share of the attention of the meeting, and this, as the settlement increases in amount of population, becomes & subject of increasing importance. But to make effectual provision to supply this want, it is obvious that the measures to be adopted must be of a permanent nature. The exertions which have been made to promote education during the past year have been attended with the most satisfactory results. The New School room at Thorndon, a large : and commodious building, has already proved insufficient to accommodate the children who attend it, and it has been enlarged by the addition of two wings, by which the amount of accommodation has been doubled. And it is not too much to assert that under its present efficient management, it may be justly regarded as superior to any school of a similar class in these colonies. But other schools are urgently wanted, both in the Town and Country Districts, and from the very nature of circumstances it follows that the necessity for providing a sound religious education for the growing wants of the population of this settlement must become every year more pressing, and that permanent arrangements must be made for this purpose if those who have begun so good a work desire to see it continue and prosper. Nor is it a matter to be lightly regarded since, even on the consideration of expediency and policy, it must be admitted that in proportion to the spread of education will the character of the settlement be elevated, and .its prosperity promoted, by the intelligence and sound principles of the rising generation. Again, if we turn to the cemetery, it must be admitted that its present unenclosed neglected state is such as ought to inspire the members of the Church of England with deep concern. Much is said, at times, of our rights and privileges as Englishmen, which we are supposed to carry with us, but there is an important class of social duties and feelings which are es•ential to, and form part of our very nature, and which ought not to be disregarded. Among these may be reckoned the reverential regard paid to the dead, 10 that the quiet order and

neatness of an English churchyard is proverbial. Much stress was laid by the founders of this settlement on the fact that it was an attempt at systematic colonization in which all the habits, tastes, and associations of an old state of society would be carefully preserved and reproduced. But is there anjr semblance of this reverence or regard for the departed in the present desolate condition of the cemetery? Are any of those tender sympathies awakened which " implore the passing tribute of a sigh," any of those associations which we are in the habit of connecting with such places in the mother country revived by its appearance ? Does not this neglect inflict on the sorrowing survivors an additional pang to the bitterness of grief occasioned by that separation, when the silver cord is loosed, and those earthly ties dissolved, which bound together the dearest relationships of life? In bringing this subject forward we have no desire to impute blame to any one, but simply state the fact in the earnest hope of drawing attention to it, in order that the proper remedy may be applied, and while we may regret as a misfortune that, from a variety of circumstances to which we need not refer, the cemetery is unenclosed, it may justly be considered a matterof reproach if it is allowed to remain much longer in its present states These are some of the topics, and doubtless others will occur to our readers, which it is desirable to bring under the consideration of the meeting on Monday evening. Hitherto, if a church was to be built or a school established, whatever, in short, was required to be done has been the object of a separateand independent effort. But instead of this separation and subdivision of interests, the time seems to have come for organising a plan for raising a general fund available for Church matters. throughout the settlement, a fund to be formed by the contributions of all the members of the Church of England, the administration of which should be entrusted to a board to be constituted of members to be elected by the subscribers. Such a voluntary association would provide the means of effecting much good, and would afford every member an opportunity of contributing to the support and extension of the Church, and induce him to feel a lively personal interest in all matters connected with its welfare.

Four Maories were brought before H. St. Hill, Esq., the Resident Magistrate, charged with having stolen from W. Hickson, Esq., fourteen geese, six turkeys, a quantity of other poultry, together with spirits, and a large quantity of potatoes: One of the prisoners had been for' the last month in the employ of Mr. Hickson as a servant, and shortly after entering his service commenced a regular system of depredation, stealing the geese and other articles, and handing them over the fence to the other Maoris who acted as his accomplices. The examination commenced on Tuesday, when the prisoners were remanded to Thuisday, and the' offence being fully proved the prisoners were! sentenced to two months imprisonment with hard labour.

The followingextract from the United Service Gazette of Sept. 4, will serve to explain the origin of the rumour alluded to in our last number referring to Mr. Daley, who, it appears, has not been knighted, and who has been appointed Governor, not of New Zealand, but of Newfoundland: — "D. Daley, Esq., has been appointed Governor of Newfoundland in succession to Colonel Sir Gaspard Le Marchant, removed to Nova Scotia as Lieut. Governor."