The Southland Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1866.

Southland Times, Issue 609, 24 December 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1866.

We are precluded from publishing our usual shipping telegrams in this issue, in consequence of an accident to the wires, whereby communication with Duredin was Buspended during the whole of Saturday. As showin? the benefit that the Railway is likely to confer on the community, when open for public traffic, we may mention that, on the arrival of the English mail at the Bluff, permission was asked of the contractors, Messrs Smyth, | Hoyt and Co., to allow their engine to proceed to Campbelltown to bring up the mails and passengers. Those gentlemen generously placed their engine at the disposal of the mail contractors, and conveyed the mails to town 'OJjether with about two dozen passengers. The trip was performed in an hour and five minutes. There was quite a bustle and business activity evinced at the station on ita arrival that was most gratifying, and we trust the presage of future prosperity. By this act of courtesy on the part of Messrs Smyth, Hoyt and Co., the mercantile community, ani general public were placed in possession of their English letters some hours sooner than would otherwise have been the case had the mail been brought by the ordinary conveyance. We are deaired to call attention to an advertisement in our other columns annoucing that Mr Wm. Todd's sale of new crop Sugars, ex Prospector, from the Mauritius, postponed from the 18th inst., will take place this day, Monday, 2 Ith December, at the jetty sheds, at 12 o'clock, sharp. . The TuapeJco Becorder says : — " "We regret to say that pleuro pneumonia is now acclimatised in the Lawrence District. A meeting of stock-owners should be at once convenced, and active measures taken in the matter. We must also be careful in the selection of our meat, and the Town Council will doubtless see to this phase of the question. Jn saying this, we refer merely to possibilities. At present the beef in this locality gives evidence of excellent pasture and general i good treatment."

CBTUROH OF E*MLAND TEA MEETING O a Wednesday evening, the 20th inst., the members of the Church of England met in St. Paul's Schoolroom, for a social ; evening, when some members of most of ihe families of that communion were present. . The tables were tastefully arranged and " groaned " under the weight of the delicacies provided by the ladies of the congregation. After tea Cumiaidge's Sanctus was sung by the choir, on the conclusion of which the Eev. W. P. Tanner opened the proceeding, telling the company that they were met together in that social way to take a pleasant view of Church matters. He said that the debt upon the Church was now reduced to £550, and there was a good prospect of reducing it still further during the ensuing year, if only the members of the Church would take a more individual interest in the Church's financial affairs, and by punctually paying their subscriptions when due, relieve the churchwardens of some of the odium of collection. He said that a few persons had always given very liberally, but the time was come when something more might be done, that the few need not give less, but that if the many would give more, it would be found that without the Church being a burden to anybody, not only would the necessary expenses be met, but many desirable im- j provements might be made. He con- j eluded by calling upon the Rev. W. E. l Oldham to address the meeting. j The Rev. W. E. Oldham said he was sorry no Invercargill gentlemen had been called upon to speak before him, as the assembled company would naturally wish to hear as much as possible about local Church matters in the first place, and this was just what he was not able to enlighten them upon until he had been enlightened himself. lie thought, however, that no man could find any want of mntter to speak upon when the Church of his fathers was the subject proposed to him. He liked to look upon the Church of England not as a sect of Christendom of a few years or a few hundred years standing, but as a branch of the Church of Christ which was planted in the world in the days of the Apostles themselves. He thought we were not without genuine historical grounds for believing that the great St. Paul himself had, among others, visited and preached the Gospel in the British Isles. Certain it was that in the days of Caractacus and Boadicea the Christian reb'gion had reached the British shores, and "was only revived in greater vigor by the mission of St Augustine. Erom those earliest days, through the Reformation struggles, the history of the Church of England was nnbroken to the present day. He then glanced at the munificence of our forefather.s who had bespangled the land with bright memorials of their faith and devotion which had in time become the parish churches and cathedrals of the country, endowed with rich endowments. Those days he said were past, though that munificence was not altogether a thing of theprist: and the principle upon which the Church of England had now generally to depend for future developments was the simple one of co-operation and voluntary efforts. Now how had tiie old Church adapted herself so far to that new state of things. Take the Church at home for example. There were numbers of people living who thought that she must utterly collapse as populationincreased, and parliamentary aid was less to be counted upon. Eact3 however did not lead to that conclusion. He instanced the rebuilding of the beautiful spire of Chichester Cathedral, lately blown down, and the full restoration of the Cathedral, at a cost of £50,000, all raised by voluntary subscriptions in the country ; the successful movement in Bradford to build ten new churches for the increasing population; the similar movement in Leeds to raise £50,000, which produced a very much larger sum than asked for ; also the movements on a similar or much larger scale, in Liverpool, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, &c, all culminating in the grand scheme of the Bishop of London to raise by voluntary subscriptions a million of money in ten years for Church I extension, and the evangelisation of | the human deserts of London. The speaker stated that people could not dream of accomplishing such works [ in young and poor communities, but that much might be done by co-operation, and much more than had yet been done. He pointed out, as a hopeful sign, the great freedom of enquiry allowed within tht Anglecian communion, and although it was to be expected that there would be men who would run into extremes of ritualism on the one hand and of rationalism on the other still he had no fear and had f^ith enough to believe that nothing but good would come of it. He then proceeded to show that every individual member of the Church from the highest to the humblest had a work to do within her communion were it only to attend her services regular and to take a hearty and devotional part in the portions of the seryice which are intended for the congregation, and by all taking an audible part in which, such heartiness and spiritual life was imparted to the worship. Some, however where able, if only willing, to assist in the Sunday School, while all were able to combine, and to give their mite to the good cause, and that too without any great self-denial — much with a little. He alluded as a matter of local interest to the consecration by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the ninety-fifth successor of St. Augustine, of a new Bishop of Dunedin, under whose jurisdiction the church in Southland would soon probably be, and said that though there were doubts as to whether a new Bishop were yet required, he looked upon it as a decided mark of progress. It was, moreover, an event full of interest as linking the reformed church of the present day with so remote an antiquity. No doubt many throughout the country would regret losing Bishop Harper, who has always been warmly welcomed among us.

" Praise God in his holiness " was then sung. Mr Henry Rogers then addressed the audience He said he had expected to have seen chiefly children, but saw before him principally parents and heads of families. He would however cay what he had intended. The subject he meant to speak upon was " obedience." He thought that generally youth was not inclined to submit to legitimate authority at all times, especially it clashes with the will and inclinations, but that with a proper firmness and if necessary judicious correction, it soon became easy and had great influence in moulding the character for after life. After a solo sung with great taste, Mr W. H. Pearson said, ladies and gentlemen, the pleasant business of asking you to redouble your i exertions in support of the Church in its present emergency has been allotted to me this evening. I say pleasant business, because when I see around me so many faces, on which benevolence and Christian charity are so clearly impressed, what ordinarily is considered a disagreeable duty becomes a pleasant business. I have used the word emergency for the following reasons. As many of you will recollect some time ago there was a great want of church accommodation felt by the meubers of our congregation. To meet this, a few of the members became responsible for the money wherewith that accommodation was supplied. At that time there was certain property purchased for the church out of a common fund, and being in this district it was not unnatural to suppose it was for the benefit of the Church in the district. It was looked upon as a security by those who had made themselves responsible for the money advanced to build the Church. Some of this property has been taken from us to endow a new Bishopric, that of Otago and Southland. I heard with surprise that His Lordship of Christchurch, Dr Harper, in addressing the Synod, lately stated that the members of the English Church in Otago and > outhland earnestly desired a Bishop. I, as a member of the Church, and as one responsible for the debt, told Dr Harper that we could not afford to support a Bishop, thatit was allwecould do to support our clergyman. The Churchwardens wrote to the Rural Deanery Board of Dunedin, or whatever they call themselves, stating that we did not want to be included in the new diocese, that we could not contribute "towards the mainteuence of the new Bishop, and yet we are informed that we" earnestly desired" for one. Bishops are all very well in the abstract, but what is the use of one to us, living at Dunedin. If the Dunedin congregation vant their whistle, let them pay for it ; they shau't blow it at my expense. My principle through life has been that if I can't afford to eat plum pudding, I eat plain, if I can't afford that I eat none at all. Now, looking at the Bishop in the light of the plum pudding, I say I can't afford him ; if I do I must give, up the plain. When in early days we felt strong enough to support a clergyman, we wrote for one, and said we would support him. He came — we thus contracted a distinct obligation which we are bound to fulfil in all honor and justice. This is quite a different thing to having an obligation thrust on us whether we wish it or no. I for my part am prepared to " cut the painter ;" if you think with me you will agree to separate from the Dunedin branch of our church. They do us no good that I can see, pay us no money. This is the emergency I alluded to. We must rely on ourselves. The best way of paving off the debt on the church will be ! to "hold a Bazaar, when I have no doubt you will come forward liberally. As for the present meeting, I believe the special object is to try and. reduce an overdraft at the Bank, for current expenditure, some £50. Doubtless in so good a cause some of our fair sisters will take round the blue bag for collection. A good Christian is always anxious to assist in a good work; but when the cup of bliss is handed to us by the rosy fingers of beauty, what under other circumstances would* be considered a duty becomes a pleasure. A piece from the Winchester Choral Service and Kent's Anthem, " Blessed be the Lord G-od of Israel," sung by the choir, conducted Mr Kingsland, with Mr Martin at the harmonium, concluded the evening. Subscriptions to the amount of £76 were received in the room, including very handsome donations from two gentleman present.

I Some considerable amusement has recently been created in Melbourne bysome law proceedings, arising from the late Fancy Bazaar in aid of the funds of the General Hospital. A few days after the close of the Bazaar about thirty ladies and gentlemen who had taken an active part in it were astonished by receiving police court summonses to answer a charge of being illegally concerned in originating and promoting lotteries. It was proved that, as usual at bazaars, many of the articles had been dispos-ed of by raffle, and that, acting under information from head-quarters, policemen in plain clothes had purchased tickets for the purpose of laying informations. The Bench wisely held that to constitute the offence a beneficial interest in the lottery should be proved, and as this could not be done they dismissed the case. (Advertisement). — Hollo way's Pills. — Low Temperature. — Hot, cold, or changeable weather is very apt to undermine the health, unless the stomuch be kept up to its highest state of digestive efficiency. Hollowaj's Pills improve the appetite, and so promote digestion — that a large supply of new materials iB thrown into the blood after every meal, whereby fresh rigor and activity are bestowed on every o gan, and ability to resist disease ia conferred upon the system. These Pills thoroughly purify the blood when it has be«n tainted by fogs, unwholesome vapours, improper fiod, or other impurities. No medicine equals these Pills for removing bilious complaints, suppressing sickness of the stomach, checking datulency, and acting as mild, yet effective aperients, which are suitable for either, and any age. '