NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, August 20, 1853.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 840, 20 August 1853, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, August 20, 1853.

On Thursday his Excellency Sir George Grey left Wellington on*" his journey through the interior- to Auckland. His Excellency went on board the Government Brig which would land him on the coast road near Palliser Bay, from whence he will proceed to theWairarapa to acquire that district from, the natives for the settlers, and so with other districts on his route to the North. We fear the settlers have bid their last adieus to Sir George, it will be long before they look: upon his equal.

In the Illustrated News of the 9th April, is an interesting engraving of the interior of Otaki Church from Mr. Barnaul's drawing, which we noticed at the time previous to its being sent to England, and of which a faithful lithographic fac simile in colours has been executed.

The electors of Wellington have determined on giving a ball on Thursday evening next as the most graceful close of the bustle and ex--citement of the elections, and as the best means of bringing all parties together in a friendly and sociable reunion"! The same idea, we are glad to find, has also been adopted at the Hutt, so that however strenuously the contest may have been carried on, now that it is ended yre may hope no ill feeling oil either side will be suffered to remain, , . .

Wk were favoured the other day with a private view of a picture which Mr Barraud has just finished for his Excellency Sir George Grey of the baptism of Epuni, which Is very interesting for many reasons, and offers to the serious mind many affecting topics for reflection. It represents "the interior of the native chapel at Petoni, in which, the venerable chicf — the days of whose age are threescore years and. ten — having almost reached the term of his earthly pilgrimage, is about to become a Christian. It was a subject of congratulation to the historian Gibbon that while " his lot might have been that of a slave, a savage, or a peasant, the bounty of nature had cast his birth in a free and civilized country, and in an age of science and philosophy." And the same subjects for thankfulness to Nature's God are ours in contemplating scenes like this. _ Again, with re ference to the incident which forms ,the subject of this picture, and which is intimately connected with our colonization of the country, among the associations which it awakens in civilized minds are those connected with infant baptism; for in old Christian countries that any one should arrive at the age of maturity without being admitted by baptism into the pale of Christ anity is a most unusual occurrence. But here — in this country and in this rite — we see " old men and children praise the name of the Lord, and confess that His name alone is excellent." In the picture which has suggested the foregoing remarks are faithful portraits of Sir George and Lady Grey, Sir Godfrey Thomas, Archdeacon Hadfield, Epuni, his wife and son, and others, both Europeans and natives, well known to the settlers. We understand it is intended by Mr.. Barraud to publish in England a chromo-lithographic print which shall be a facsimile of the original painting, and which will be valuable from the numerous portraits it contains. , j