The Southland Times. MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1867.

Southland Times, Issue 660, 22 April 1867, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1867.

Our columns this morning contain a verbatim sreport of Mr Dillon Bell's speech, at the meeting of Ms constituency, held at the Theater Royal on Wednesday evening last. There -will be a special meeting of the Fire Brigade this evening, at the rooms, Tay-street, at 8 o'clock. A full attendance is requested. A lecture on " New Zealand in the Olden Time," will be delivered by Capt. Budd at the f J!ieatre. Royal to-morrow evening. This gentleman liaß for many years resided among the " y Maories previous to Europeans visiting New Zealand. The lecture will be a most instructive and entertaining one. The. following extract relating to the Province' of Canterbury, from a private letter received by this mail fiom JUondon, ■will be read with interest:— ''You will learn by this i mail of the total failure of the Canterbury' •Loan. Of £300,000 offered, there was only £39b0 ■' allotted. It is truly a great mistake and a serious damage to attempt to float Provincial securities.. v lt ia fortunate that Southland has none to oiler." Can there be « stronger argument against Pro* vincialisin, or one more in. iavor of a strong ceu» ' trftl {government, than tiw above in.telUge.uo9?

We are requested to draw the attention of our readers to a very extensive sale of general merchandise, to take place at Mr Todd'3 Commercial Sale Rooms this day, at noon. See advertisement. • The " Home News " says :— The Free Church Presbytery of Edinburgh ha<* a nine houra' discussion a few duys ago oa the question of union ■with other Churches. Dr Bogg broaght forward •virbverture requesting the assembly to refuse to abandon or compromise, in any contemplated union, the distinctive testimony of the Church, which acknowledged the Scriptural principle requiring the" rulers of " the "nation" to support the Church of Christ. Dr Bannermaa opposed the overture with a motion for the appointment of a committee to consider the principles embodied in the Word of God that ought to regulate the duty of union a3 between separate churches, and to draw up an overture on the subject. He stated that there was no substantial difference in the Union Committee between the views held by the members of the United Presbyterian Church and those of their ow,u number in reference to : the relation between Church and State, except the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pecuniary endowniqjits ; and- the question for them to consider was whether, that being the case, they would, in entering into a union, make such a compromise of principle and surrender of duty as would involve sin. He considered that Dr Bogg was now proposing for the first time to make the principle of lawful endowments, a term of "communion in the Free Church. He was opposed to the question of the ciril magistrate being allowed to remain an open one. If it were, they might be prepared to see the extremes of Erastianisni and Voluntaryism meeting in the same Church. A third motion was proposed by Dr Blaikie ta the effect that in consideration of the instructions given to the committee by the assembly, and the suggestions already made to the Union Committee by the Presbytery it was unnecessary overture the assemble on the subject. Other two amendments did not find seconders. On a division, Dr Blaikie's motion was lost, and Dr Bannerman's was carried against Dr Begg's by a majority of 25 to 15.