NEW ZEALAND IMPRESSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 299, 21 January 1911, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND IMPRESSIONS.

LETTER FROM CANON IVENS. ■ The following letter, which has been contributed by Canon C. H. Ivens (vicarelect of St. Mary's, New Plymouth) to his parish magazine, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, England, is taken from the Halifax Courier:— The Vicarage,, Dargaville, Auckland, New Zealand, Sept. 6. My Dear Friends, —I sent my last letter to you from Adelaide. We reached that city on August 13. It was curious to us to see the trees in bloom, as with us in April or May. But we are in early spring out here. Of course we made our way to the Cathedral which, like Salisbury, is more stately when viewed from without tnan from within. Like Lichfield, although on a much smaller scale, it has three spires. Inside it resembles a wellkept suburban church. Indeed, our Cathedral system has not taken very deep root in Australia or in New Zealand. Beyond the fact that the bishop has his chair there, it is much like an ordinaryparish church, Sydney, Melbourne and Christehurch, New Zealand, are, however, exceptions to this rule. In each of these churches there is a cathedral service daily. We reached Melbourne on Monday. I was met by my cousin, Rev. Alfred Priest, vicar of .St. Mary's, Caulfield, just outside Melbourne. He took me to call on the Archdeacon under his old title of Canon Lowther Clarke, vicar first of Dewsbury, then of Huddersfield. It was pleasant to see him in his new home and to TALK OF OLD TIMES and to answer his enquiries as to old friends in the diocese of Wakefield. I spent the afternoon at St. Kilda, a pretty watering place, two miles from Melbourne. The vicar of All Saints', St. Kilda, is Archdeacon Crossley, well known as a former vicar of Alriiondbury. I visited the excellent Church of England Grammar School in Melbourne, which is constructed on the English school system. Some 500 boys are educated there. The headmaster belongs to Christ Church, Oxford, and we had some interesting talk about old days. In the evening I was glad to make my way to St. Mary's vicarage, Caulfield. That Monday was the day of the monthly meeting of the Gleaners' 'Union, and it felt like old times at Sowerby Bridge to find myself standing at the desk and addressing some 25 gleaners on "God's call to the church to take up the work of foreign missions." That night I slept in a bed for the first time for six weeks. I was glad to be on land again. I have enjoyed the voyage very well, but I cordialiy agree with Dr. Johnson that a ship is A PRISON, WITH THE ADDITIONAL

RISK OF BEING DROWNED. On Tuesday, we started the last stage of our journey to Sydney, and on Thursday we found' ourselves in Sydney harbor by eight in the morning. The harbor deserves all that is said in its praise. It is of vast.extent; the coast line with its many little bays and inlets extends 400 miles. ' All through the day pleasure steamers ply their way to pretty spots. It must be a great boon to Sydney people to have such a noble expanse of water at their very doors and a temptation, I xm afraid, to many of them to spend their Sundays in sailing about instead of attending worship. Three kind friends came to greet me: the Archbishop of Sydney, whom many of us remember as Mr., afterward Canon Wright. A relation of the late Mr. J. 11. Swallow —he once spent Palm Sunday with us at Sowerby Bridge and preached on the morning of our anniversary. He is now Archoishop of Sydney and Primate of' Australia. Mr. Frank Turner, an old friend, and Mr. John Ilellawell, who years ago was in mv Friday evening Bible Class, and whose relations are still in I Sowerby Bridge, also | CAME TO WELCOME ME, ! and it was indeed a delight to me to sea them and to hear how they were prospering and to talk of Sowerby Bridge. Mr. Fairer, Mr. de Carteret and myself had lunch with the Archbishop, and afterwards went to the Cathedral to a I memorial service for Florence Nightingale. A striking sermon was preached by his Grace. The Cathedral was crowded, and I was glad to be once more in a cathedral, and to be helped by the beautiful service. Others may like a simple, plain service. I prefer one of cathedral type. It is far more helpful to me. On the Friday Mr. Frank Turner and I went out some 12 miles from Sydney to Terremanna, to visit Mr. John Hellawell. Mr. Hellawell met us at the station and drove us in his trap to his home in the bush. Mr. Hellawell has several acres of land round his home, "Mona," and grows oranges and summer fruit? We had afternoon tea with him, and ate oranges which had been just plucked from his own trees. Instead of returning to the. Orvieto I accepted the invitation of the Archbishop to itay the night at the, deanery. On the Saturday I finally left the Orvieto. and transferred to the s.s. Manuka, which sails from Sydney to Wellington. We left Mr. Bell behind in Sydney, but travelled to Wellington with the Rev. C. T. Horan, vicar of Holbrooke, Derby, another of the missioners, who ■had travelled to Sydney by way of Canada and Vancouver. We had the usual services on Sunday. I preached in the morning, and Mr. Horan at night. On the Manuka we were most comfortable. The food was excellent. On Wednesday I got my first glimpse of New Zealand. We we're in the strait between the Northern and Southern Islands. The coasts of both were bordered by ranges of mountains with the summits covered with snow. Soon we passed into the noble harbor of ellington, and saw the cit^. The view is most picturesque, as the city lies partly on the main, partly on the slopes of many hills which form its background. Before we reached the wharf we were boarded by a reporter, who asked me for my impressions of New Zealand. I told him that as I had not yet landed T' had none. He then asked me

land Parliament, to an "at home" given by the New Zealand Ministry to welcome Lord and Lady Islington, the Governor of New Zealand and his wife, and to an "at home" at Bishopscourt to meet the other missioners. On the Sunday, August 28, a very cold, wet, bleak day, J preached in the evening in the ProCathedral, a sort of introductory sermon to the mission. In spite of the bad weather the Pro-Cathedral was quite full. On August 30 several of us started the 500 miles to Auckland, in which diocese we are beginning our work. We began the day with a celebration in the private chapel of the Bishop of Wellington. After having breakfast with the "Bishop I made my way to the Diocesan Office, and found waiting for me the first letters which have reached me since July 20. It was indeed good to have news from home. You will be beginning the winter's work by the time you read this letter. May God bless and strengthen you all . I often think oE you. —Believe me, dear friends, your ever sincere friend and vicar,— * Clias. Llewelyn Ivens.