CHURCH OF ENGLAND, OTAGO.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 800, 2 April 1853, Page 3

CHURCH OF ENGLAND, OTAGO.

The annual General Meeting of the members of the Church of England, in Otago was held in the Court House, Dunedin, on Monday, March 14, at 1 1 o'clock, the Rev. J. A. Fenton, M.A., in the chair. After the Chairman had opened the meeting by prayer and had read a letter from the Bishop, stating his Lordship's inability to visit Otago at present, bat his hope to do so on the arrival of the new Bishop of Lyttelton. It was moved by F. B. Hollinshead, Esq., seconded by Hugh Robinson, Esq., J. P. — That the Chairman be requested to write to the Bishop to think hit Lordship for . bis kind letter, and to express the great regret and disappointment of the members of the Church of England in Otago, that bis Lordship has been unable to pay his promised visit to this settlement. The Chairman then read the pastoral letter of the Bishop to the members of the Church of England in New Zealand, on the Church Constitution. Walter Mantell, Esq., J.P., read to the meeting the general principles proposed by the Bishop as the basis of self-government in Church matters, which it seemed so expedient to obtain. Mr. Mantell said that understanding rrineiple 8 to mean " that the ritual and version of the bible which should from time to time be authorized and used by the Church in the Mother Country, should be binding on the branch of that Church planted in New Zealand," he should propose—That the general principle proposed by the Bishop as the basis of a Church Constitution for New Zealand, and approved of by the members of the Church in Auckland and Wellington, be cordially assented to by this Meeting. H. C. Hertslet, Esq., J.P., briefly seconded the resolution. The Treasurer proceeded to read a statement of the monies which had come into his keeping for Church objects, from which it appeared that there had been collected in Otago in the year 1 1852, for the stipend of the incumbent at the rate of £1 30 a-year, and for the other expenses of divine service £1 7. That the Treasurer had in hand £133 remaining of what he had collected in England for a Church at Dunedin. Mr. Richardson, after this statement, begged in the name of the Committee to resign their office. James Fulton, Esq., J.P. moved and Mr. Shanks seconded : — That the thanks of thit meeting be given to tbt Treasnrer and the other members of the late 1 Committee for their valuable services. W. Filleul, Esq., moved — That the following gentlemen be appointed a Committee for general Church purposes for the present year t Mr. Richardson, Mr. Williams, Mr, Moosoo, Mr. Strode, Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Hollinshead, Mr. Mantell, Mr. Mayo, Rev. J. A. Fenton, Mr. James Jones, Mr. Steele, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. R. Thompson, Mr. Fulton, Rev. H. Johnson, Mr. Milne, Mr. Dewe, Mr. Pillans, Mr. Suisted, and Mr. Mansford ; and that Mr. Strode be requested to act as Secretary, and Mr. Msntell as Treasurer of this Committee. Captain Ridley seconded the motion. The next resolution was submitted to the meeting by the Chairman, in the name of Robert Williams, Esq., J. P., who had been unexpectedly called away to the Port : — That the Committee be requested to take the necessary steps for the immediate erection of th« Church, and to commence the building of a Parsonage, so soon as there shall be funds in band for that purposed A. C. Strode, Esq., R.M., in seconding the motion, said that he fully concurred in the remarks Which had been made as to the extreme inconvenience of their having no place of their own for divine service, and the necessity of their losing no time in building a Church. He would add as an additional argument against delay, the uncertainty of the tenure by which the Court House was held ; they might be very speedily ejected, and then what would they do without a Church ? ! Mr. Mayo next proposed, and R. Thompson, Esq., seconded the following resolution : — That the subscriptions promised to the " Dunedin Episcopal Church, School, and Parsonage Fund" be collected without delay; and that additional subscriptions be sought for. The above resolutions, after various questions and explanations were unanimously adopted. The proceedings ended by a vote of thanks to the Chairman, proposed by Mr. Monson, seconded by J. Dewt, Esq. It was stated by the Committee that, in addition to the £133 brought out by Mr. Richardson, £50 had been most kindly promised by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge towards their Church, they had also received the promise of contributions in the Colony to the amount of nearly £200 towards the " Dunedin Episcopal Church, School, and Parsonage Fund," which would be immediately collected ; and in answer to the appeal for aid which they had sent to England, they hoped speedily to receive satisfactory and substantial answers. They should not, however, be able to carry out their full scheme, unless the members of the Church of England in Otago not only gave liberally, but exerted themselves still more to obtain subscriptions from their friends both in other settlements and in England. Subscriptions would be received in Wellington at the office of the Netc Zealand Spectator, and in England by the following gentlemen, F. H. Fenton, Esq., Regent's Terrace, Doncaster; Rev. H. H. Pearson, Norton Vicarage near Sheffield ; the Venerable Archdeacon Williams, Llanyassley, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire ; Admiral Sir E. Chetham i Strode, South Hill House, near Shepton Malr let, Somersetshire: John Lister, Esq., the i Heath, Putney, London ; Guilford Richardson, - Esq., 23 Cornhill, London.