Year: 1869

An English paper says of the Assembly:


From files of New Zealand papers which
we have received by the last mail uia Pana.
ma, we learn that the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
held their annual meeting in Wellington, the
seat of Government, in November last. 1t
was spread over several days. Our readers
will be glad to learn that the Rev. James
Paterson, late of Everton Valley church,
Liverpool, was one of the members, and
took leading part in the deliberations
The retiring Moderator was the Rev. Pat
rick Calder, of Nelson, and his successor in
office the Rev. Thomas Norrie, of Papakura.
Mr.. Norrie, in his opening address, alluded
to the Importance of the field of labor which
God had assigned to the brethren in the
colony; to the rapid Increase of the ministers
of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand,
now numbering nearly seventy; and to the
affecting hand of God experienced by the
Church in the lamentable war now raging.
He stated that in 1910 the first Presbyterian
minister in the colony arrived in that city.
A good deal of the business had reference
to the mapping out of work which Church
situated like that of theirs had to give itself
to. There was deputation from the Synod
of Otago and Southland; and after an ad-
dress had been delivered by the Moderator,
the Rev. Andrew H. Stobbo, the Assembly
adopted resolution expressive of their graf
itude for the measure of prosperity enjoyed
by that Church and their earnest desire for
continued and closer cooperation in the
work of Christ. The Assembly further
agreed to send deputation to the Synod at
their meeting in Dunedin in January, 1870
After some conversation, it was resolved
that, in the present circumstances of the
Church, the meetings of the Assembly ought
to be biennial. The Assembly took up the
subject of the report of a committee on the
hymnal, and, after some discussion, resolved
to enjoin on all congregations that, where
hymns are employed in divine worship, tht
collection sanctioned by the English Pres
byterian Church be adopted. The question
of providing religious ordinances in place.
where minister's services could not be OBJ
tanned was under consideration; and it wa
proposed in an overture from the Presbytery
of Hake's Bay that the Assembly authoris'
Presbyteries to appoint and exercise super
intendence over readers or catechists in dis
tricts where the services of an ordained
minister cannot be regularly maintained
that the desirability and practicability o
appointing superintendent or superinten
dents be remitted to a committee. The AS
sembly, however, after good deal of dis
cussion, disapproved the latter part of tn
proposal; but remitted to the Church Ex
tension Committee to consider whether, o.
in what way, the services of readers or cat
echists might be made more largely availa
BILE in the Church. The proposal to estab
lish Sustentation Fund for the support o
the ministry also gave rise to considerabl
discussion. The subject was RENTED to


committee, of which the Rev. James Pater
son was convener, to consider; and a repor
was submitted at subsequent meeting ap
proving of the proposal in the abstract, bu
finding it impracticable in existing circum
stances to initiate a general Sustentatiol
Fund The report was on division adopted
a counter motion having been lost, suggest
ing that in the meantime local funds shoul
be raised in the several Presbyteries for th
purpose of aiding weak congregations, an
then to be afterwards welded into one gene
raj Sustentation Fund for the whole Church
Sabbath the 9th December, was appointe
to be observed by the congregations as


day of humiliation and prayer on accoun
of the native war.


HE IMAGINARY TROUBLES are to us lik
the dissolving views of camera; sometime