i ,,./ aaa mm : ':.- : ".' - ' CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA NOTES ON THE SETTLEMENT AND PKOGBESS OF THE COLONIES BY JAMES BICKFORD. TWENTY-TWO YEARS RESIDENT IN NEW SOUTH WALES, VICTORIA, AND SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ' Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee : . . . a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and hills ; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig- trees, and pomegranates ; a land of oil, olive, and honey ; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it ; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.' Bonbon : PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOE AT THE WESLEYAN CONFEEENCE OFFICE, 2, CASTLE-ST., CITY-ROAD, AND 66, PATEENOSTEE-EOW. WESLEYAN BOOK DEPOTS- SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES; ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA; MELBOURNE, VICTORIA; CHKISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND. KAYMAN BROTHERS AND LILLY, PRINTERS, HATTON HOUSE, FAKRINODON ROAD, LONDON, E.G. PREFACE. AFTER labouring for many years as a Christian Mission- ary in distant lands, in 1876 the Author revisited his native country ; when, in the course of his travels and intercourse with different classes of people, he was forcibly struck with the amount of ignorance which prevailed in reference to the Australasian colonies, where the best part of his life had been spent. He endea- voured to remedy this in some measure by giving as much information as possible in his lectures and speeches at public meetings ; but it was suggested to him that he might do this still more effectually by publishing a portable volume on the subject. He has accordingly spent all his available leisure time in acting upon this suggestion, the result of which appears in the following pages. 1404300 INTRODUCTION. It is proposed in the following work, To give a brief history of the discovery and colonisa- tion of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and Fiji. To supply a short account of the beginning of the Wesley an Methodist Mission in 1815 and of its progress to 1878. To make such references to other Christian Churches as their numerical importance seems to demand. To show that in the absence of State Churches the people have, upon the voluntary principle, provided for the due support of the ordinances of religion and of pastoral oversight. To prove that the educational wants of the rising gene- ration have been generously provided for by the respective colonial parliaments, so that all children of school age shall be taught the elementary branches of a sound English education. To show that the free political condition and happy social life of the colonists must, under Divine Providence, be attributed to the absence of a feeling of caste and to the establishment of the principle of perfect religious equality. INTRODUCTION. To bring oat the gratifying fact that the voluntaryism of the Australian Christian people, after providing for their own spiritual wants, has founded several important Missions, established primary and middle-class schools and excellent colleges in Polynesia. And, lastly, to direct the steps of those who are sighing for an opportunity to settle their families in lands which THE LORD HAS SO GREATLY BLESSED. In pursuance of these objects, the Author will strive to avoid what others have written, and give mainly the facts which he has gathered from conversations with old settlers, the earlier Missionaries' letters, and his own observations. But, as much as possible, the Mis- sionaries themselves are made their own historians. He has only to add, that for the phraseology he has employed and for the opinions he has expressed he alone is responsible. J. B. LONDON, July IQth, 1878. CONTE NTS CHAPTZB PAO * I. AUSTRALIA GENERALLY 1 ill. NEW SOUTH WALES .... III. QUEENSLAND 67 IV. VICTORIA ... ... .85 V. SOUTH AUSTRALIA 133 VI. WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1 75 VII. TASMANIA 199 VIII. NEW ZEALAND 257 IX. POLYNESIA 303 X. ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT 335 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Frontispiece. DAIRY FARM, ILLEWAHKA Loss OF THE ' LONDON.' PORTRAITS OF REV. D. J. AND MRS. DRAPER 49 BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND 66 WESLEY CHURCH, MELBOURNE 84 A CATTLE STATION IN THE NORTH-WEST .... 101 ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, IN 1852 132 POST OFFICE AND TOWN HALL, KING WILLIAM STREET, ADELAIDE, 1878 166 WESLEYAN MISSION PREMISES, PERTH, SWAN RIVER 174 A SQUATTING STATION THE SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK 190 HOBART TOWN AND MOUNT WELLINGTON .... 198 CORDON OF DOGS GUARDING PORT ARTHUR PENAL SETTLEMENT 220 WESLEYAN MISSION PREMISES, TANGATERORIA, WAIROA RIVER, NEW ZEALAND 256 PORTRAITS OF TE WETERE AND REV. TE KOTE . . 278 PORTRAIT OF JOEL BULU 302 THE HEATHEN TOWN OF BAU, FIJI 320 MORIALTA FALLS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 334 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA, CHAPTER I. AUSTRALIA GENERALLY. USTRALIA is an island-continent lying between 115 and 153 east longitude and 10 and 40 south latitude. Its width, from Cape Moreton on the eastern sea- board to Dirk Hartog's Island on the western side, is 2,445 miles ; and its length, from Cape York in the north to Wilson's Promontory in the south, is about 1,800 miles. Its coast-line is computed at 7,750 miles; and its area, at 2,984,827 square miles, or 1,910,289,280 acres. But figures of such magnitude cannot be grasped ; hence the need of comparison with other and more familiar countries to aid us in our estimate of the vast extent of this. It is six times larger than British India, twenty-six times larger than Great Britain, and only one-fifth smaller than the whole European continent. It is bounded on the north by Torres Straits, on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the south by Bass' Straits, and on the east by the Pacific Ocean. Though in the 16th and 17th centuries Dutch, Portuguese, and French navigators sighted various B 2 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. portions of this vast continent, then called New Hol- land, yet it was not until the visit of Captain Cook in 1770 that it came to be generally known. A white pillar erected high up on the beach at Botany Bay marks the spot where he landed and took possession of the country for the English Crown. This pillar is still an object of deep interest to many a voyager as he sails up and down the eastern coast of Australia. For many years after the formation of the British settlements in New South Wales very little was known of the interior of the country. More recently, how- ever, exploring expeditions, headed by intrepid men, have been sent forth by the provincial governments. The results of these explorations will be noticed in due course in connection with the colonies to which they respectively belong. In a country of such vast extent, as might be expected, the climate varies considerably. Between the parallels of 10 and 40 south latitude, there are the tropical, semi-tropical, and temperate zones. The seasons are tolerably regular; frost and snow are almost unknown; and, consequently, the winters are never extremely cold. The summer heat is sometimes oppressive, but it is not of long continuance, whilst the greater part of the year is a perpetual spring. Taking the average climate of the respective Austra- lian colonies, it may be safely affirmed to be healthy for Europeans ; and some localities, through the dry- ness of the atmosphere, being entirely free from fogs and malaria, are especially suitable for persons of weak chests. The month of January is the hottest, when the sun is in his southern solstice ; and July is the coldest, when he is in the northern. The soil of Australia is as diversified as its climate. AUSTRALIA GENERALLY. Whilst on the one hand there are to be found extensive, arid, sandy deserts, where a blade of grass, a vestige of foliage, or a spring of water is scarcely to be seen ; yet, on the other hand, splendid tracts of fertile land abound in every direction. In some districts the soil is a deep, rich loam ; in others it is more light and sandy, but still suited for select cultivation. There are millions of acres of rich pastures where stock can be raised to almost any extent. The earlier settle- ments, generally, have been established in localities where harbour accommodation, a productive soil, and a good supply of water are characteristics. The arid and sterile land is chiefly in the interior. Australia does not boast of grand and imposing mountain scenery, like that of Switzerland or the eastern part of South America ; still, it does present to the view of the observant traveller many lovely and striking landscapes. There are some parts where the land is gently undulating, and where beautiful grassy slopes, studded with clumps of trees of richest foliage, remind us of a well-kept gentleman's park in the ' old country/ Nor are there wanting scenes of a more rugged and romantic type. A range of mountains of considerable altitude runs parallel with the eastern coast, the wildness of which would satisfy the most enthusiastic lover of rugged scenery. In some places the solid rock appears to have been rent by subter- ranean upheavings, and deep and frightful gullies have been extensively formed. At one time it might have been thought that certain natural barriers to further exploration were insurmountable ; but even these have been scaled, and enormous tracts of arable and auri- ferous lands have been opened. The rivers of Australia are not numerous. The B2 \ CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. principal are the Brisbane, the Hawkesbury, the Lachlan, the Macquarie, the Parramatta, the Hunter, the Murrumbidgee, the Edward, the Murray, the Yarra-Yarra, and the Swan. There are numerous streams, which flow with the rapidity of torrents when swollen by heavy rains ; but many of these are dry when the wet season has passed. In the neighbour- hood of the rivers are to be found, here and there, patches of woodland, or forests on a small scale, in which the majestic gum-tree predominates. The vege- tation of the eastern coast is moderately rich ; but into a description of its numerous plants and flora our limited space forbids us entering. "\Vith a climate so genial and a soil in many parts so favourable, it might have been expected that the natural productions of the country would be very abundant. But when Australia was taken possession of in 1770 by Cook, not the slightest signs of cultiva- tion were to be seen. Wild fruits and roots indigenous to the soil were to be met with ; but the capabilities and resources of the land awaited the hand of industry for their development. The appropriate means were no sooner employed than rich returns rewarded the husbandman for his toil. Mineral deposits of almost fabulous extent have been discovered in each of the colonies, which will be duly noticed under their respective chapters. There is an absence of large animals in Australia. Neither lion, nor tiger, nor leopard, nor elephant, nor other savage beast roams throughout its deserts or glens. And all the herds of horned cattle, the flocks of sheep and goats, found grazing on its extensive pastures to-day have been introduced since its discovery. Rats, bats, and mice are both numerous and troublesome. AUSTRALIA GENERALLY. The birds are of great variety and of beautiful plumage. The wedge-tailed eagle, the great sucker, the owl, and some others, of the vulture species, are rapacious. Cockatoos, parrots, and paraquets of various kinds and of great beauty are exceedingly numerous. There are a few species of small birds ; but the little warblers so common in our hedgerows and fields in England are entirely wanting in Australia. In the Indian Ocean on the one hand, and in the Pacific on the other, whales and seals are frequently seen ; and several whaling stations have been estab- lished. Fish of various kinds and of excellent quality are found in the rivers, harbours, bays, and lag'oons, and are extensively used for food. It has been stated, but certainly never proven, that when Australia came into the possession of the English there were some 100,000 natives in the country. It is more than probable that this estimate is very exces- sive. However that may be, the fact of their rapid disappearance cannot but attract the notice and excite the sympathy of the genuine friends of humanity. The origin and history of these degraded people are of an uncertain and melancholy character. Several theories as to their origin have been suggested. The question, however, can never go beyond the lines of surmise, for as a people they have no traditions, and no reliable information can ever be obtained from them. Poor creatures ! They have struggled on against cruel odds ; but now they are few in number. Like many of the towering trees of their once unexplored forests, which, having lived their time, begin to die at the root, when trunk and branches also die, and they return to the parent earth ; even so the native tribes of Australia bear evident marks of decay, and appear 6 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA . destined to perish parents and offspring till all shall have passed from off the land. Brief notices will be given of the humane and Christian efforts which have been made by the colonial governments, by Christian Churches, and by benevolent individuals to raise these perishing ones in the scale of being. But we cannot refrain from saying here, that there is a loud call for something more to be done to shed the light of Divine truth upon the dark minds of these, who so soon will be beyond the reach of the salutary influence of any efforts which may in future be made for their benefit. Notes on the penal establishments and the cha- racter and influence of the convicts on the colonies will appear in the course of our work. The accounts which reached England in the earlier days of Australian colonisation were of an interesting but diversified character. Many of the settlers repre- sented the moral and social condition of the people as most appalling; nevertheless, they presented also an encouraging view of the country and of the facilities afforded for obtaining a comfortable livelihood by the industrious and persevering. Hence it is not sur- prising that a spirit of emigration should have been fostered ; and that, in the early part of the present century, emigrants from the United Kingdom went to New South Wales in considerable numbers- A few also went from some of the continental states. Some of these settlers, by dint of sobriety and persevering industry, succeeded well, and rose to positions of com- parative affluence; whilst the irresolute and the in- temperate necessarily continued as poor and abject as they had been in their own country. The discovery of extensive gold-fields in 1851 gave AUSTRALIA GENERALLY. a great impetus to emigration. As a consequence, several cities, towns, and villages sprang up with, unparalleled rapidity. With the influx of population there came a proportionate advancement in the general progress of trade and commerce. Agriculture and cattle grazing were largely entered upon. In a com- paratively short space of time 5,000,000 acres were reported as under cultivation ; and now there are pro- bably not fewer than 1,000,000 horses, 6,000,000 horned cattle, 65,000,000 sheep, and 700,000 pigs in the pos- session of the settlers. The construction of railways is being carried on with vigour, and already thousands of miles have been opened, whilst new lines are being planned and constructed every year. The colonies are linked to each other and to Europe by 25,000 miles of telegraphic communi- cation. The postal arrangements are, in many places, as complete as in England ; and money-orders can be obtained at almost every post-office. Coinage, weights, and measures are after the English standard and value. Mints for coining gold in Sydney and Melbourne are in full operation; and the Australian sovereign is a legal tender in every part of the British empire. In bringing to a close this brief introductory chapter on Australia in general, it may be sufficient to add that this vast island-continent is divided into five distinct colonies ; viz., New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia ; each having its own parliament. A general view of each colony will be given in the main body of the work. A short account of Christian work in Polynesia will be given, and also a brief history of the steps taken for giving the Australasian Churches independent action and self-government. CHAPTER II. NEW SOUTH WALES. [Area, 325,000 square miles, or 208,000,000 acres. Population, 662,212. Revenue, 5,751,879. Expenditure, 5,530,056. Public Debt, 11,759,519. Imports, 13,672,776. Exports, 13,003,941.] name was given to the colony by Captain Cook in 1770. Its first governor was Captain Arthur Philip, who sailed from England with a fleet of eleven ships on the 13th May, 1787, and safely anchored - v all in Botany Bay on the 20th January, 1788. Between that time and 1810, a period of twenty- two years, the young colony had no less than seven governors. In that year, Major-general Macquarie was appointed to the office, and held it twelve years. He established a firm administration, and permanently secured the prosperity of the new colony. Wesleyan Methodism in New South Wales must date from 1812, when the first Society Classes were formed ; one in Sydney of twelve members, and one at Windsor of six. In the Methodist Magazine of that year an earnest letter is printed from a SETTLER, in which he describes the fearfully immoral condition of the population (which was then about 20,000), and urgently appeals for Missionary help. This appeal was followed by another in 1814 from Messrs. Bowden 10 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. and Hosking, two influential Christian gentlemen, who were members and leaders in the Society. These excellent men urged their case with much feeling, and besought, with tears and prayers, the help so distress- ingly needed. The English Conference responded by sending out the Rev. Samuel Leigh. Mr. Leigh had received a classical and theological training at the Congregational Seminary established at Gosport by the Rev. David Bogue, D.D. Becoming Arminian in his views, he left the college, joined the Methodist Church in the Portsmouth Circuit, and became the assistant of the Rev. Joseph Sutcliffe, M.A., who was the superintendent Minister. Subsequently, he was accepted by the Conference, and appointed to an English Circuit. On the 28th February, 1815, Mr. Leigh, in tho good ship Hebe, sailed for his distant field of labour. Calling at Madeira, March 30th, he wrote the Com- mittee a long and beautiful letter. He had, he said, heard the words, ' Go on : the Lord is with thee;' and he asked for their prayers in his behalf. Modest and unobtrusive, at first he was not much at home on shipboard. Beside which, he was much exercised in mind as to how he could spiritually benefit his fellow-voyagers. Whilst in his cabin, pondering over his difficult mission and the weighty responsi- bilities he had undertaken, the captain knocked at the door, and requested him to perform ministerial duties. These were to say grace at table, read prayers and preach on the Sabbath, instruct the children, and perform pastoral work among the sick. The Hebe entered Port Jackson on the 10th of August, 1815, after a voyage of about one hundred and sixty days. The example of the young Missionary NEW SOUTH WALES. 11 had produced a good effect upon the captain ; for when the ship reached port he said to him : ' Mr. Leigh, you have no doubt observed the fidelity with which I have kept my promise to you to abstain from swearing. I have not uttered an oath for the last four months/ The Missionary replied : ( I am sure that your mind must reflect with satisfaction upon the victory you have achieved over a sinful and inveterate habit/ The final passage of this conversation embodies a high testimony to the Christian conduct of Mr. Leigh : ' I have been/ said the captain, ' at sea for the last thirty years ; but no previous voyage has yielded the gratifi- cation to my own mind that this has done/ 1 Let go the anchor ! ' are cheering words to the wearied passenger and tempest-tossed mariner at most times at the end of a voyage ; but never more so than when heard after a five months' imprisonment on ship- board, as it used to be in a sailing vessel from London to Sydney. 'Then are they glad because they be quiet ; so He bringeth them to their desired haven/ Besides the name of Mr. Bowden, whose house he first visited, Mr. Leigh had that of a Mr. E(agar), from whom he had a right to expect a brotherly welcome. Frank and open as was his nature, he approached the house of this gentleman, and finding him in the doorway, he took him by the hand, and said, ' I am a Wesleyan Missionary just arrived from England by the ship Hebe.' The reply was not en- couraging. ' Indeed/ said Mr. E., 'I am sorry to inform you that it is now doubtful whether the governor will allow you to remain in the country in that capacity. You had better, however, walk in, and remain in my house until that question is settled/ It would appear that the letters before referred to, through 12 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. having been printed in the Magazine, obtained a wide circulation in the colony, and gave huge offence in some quarters. However, the next day after his arrival, Mr. Leigh, as was the custom in the early days of our colonies, waited upon his Excellency to pay his respects to him as the representative of the Crown, and to show him his credentials. Some yours ago the formalities of this little ceremony were some- what amusing. Governors, sometimes, would surround themselves with a show of official importance more forbidding than anything exhibited in Downing Street itself. After waiting a short time, an aide-de-camp ushered Mr. Leigh into the presence of the vice-roard with despair. A feather bed was thrust into the aperture, and served through the whole of that dreadful night as the only barrier between us and death. The next day we were favoured with fine weather, which enabled our carpenter to repair the damage. All con- cur in saying that had the hole been only three inches lower, nothing could have saved us from destruction. Bless the Lord for all His singular mercies ! ' In 1820 Mr. Leigh visited England for the benefit of his health, and for submitting suggestions to the Committee relative to the work in New Zealand and the South Seas. In the statement he laid before them he says : ' For nearly four years I was enabled to prosecute the duties of my mission without leaving vacant one appointment; nevertheless, the mission being new, I had my way to make. I had many difficulties, such as long rides and but indifferent lodgings, having to lie on boards, or on the ground, with a topcoat for my covering, and saddle-bags for my pillow. But a sense of duty compelled me to per- severe ; and, blessed be God ! I have seen happy effects, for where at first I had such accommodations con- gregations are now raised up. Six good chapels have been erected, and many converted to God, who are become a new people. Although I have suffered in health, I have rejoiced in spirit, in hearing the name of my Saviour adored in a strange land.' NEW SOUTH WALES. 19 Mr. Leigh recommended to the Committee the immediate appointment of three Missionaries for the New South Wales station, and the division of the work into three Circuits, to be called, Sydney, Parra- matta, and Windsor Circuits. Referring particularly to Windsor, he remarked, that the Missionary could carry the Gospel to the settlers who lived beyond the Blue Mountains, who had hitherto been without it, and who would remain in that awful siate until a Missionary were sent to them. 'I feel/ he said, ' the souls of this people upon my heart, therefore pray you to send them help. If they continue in their present state, without the "Word of life'' and religious instruction, they will soon be on a level with the natives of the colony.' God raised up an invaluable friend to Mr. Leigh in the person of a Mr. John Lees, of Castlereagh. ' When I first knew him/ wrote the Missionary, ' he was very poor, and much afflicted, but, of late, God has blessed him with health. Religion has made him happy, and heaven has crowned his labours a hundred- fold. He is determined to render unto God the things that are God's, and is very useful. The first of his offerings was an acre of freehold land, which, for the last five years, he has ploughed with his own team, sowed with his own seed, reaped and prepared the grain, sold the same, and brought the whole of the amount to the Missionary fund. In addition, he has built two neat little chapels, given a horse for the use of the Circuit, and has frequently supplied the Missionary's table with a supply of food. If he who " gives a cup of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple, shall in no wise lose his reward/' surely our brother "shall in no wise lose the reward" of his great liberality. Since our coming to this colony, c2 20 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. Providence has greatly blessed him in his circum- stances, and by these acts of pious gratitude he acknowledges the hand of his God.' Mr. Leigh whilst in England went up and down the country pleading in behalf of his loved work. His earnest appeals affected all hearts, and secured liberal responses. Useful articles were sent to the Mission House from all parts of the country in the greatest profusion; and this successful advocate was enabled to return to his former scenes of labour with grateful feelings, taking with him four additional Missionaries, for whose support he had thus provided. The Missionary Notices for 1820 and 1821 have much space occupied with acknowledgments of gifts of cutlery, drapery, books, hats, &c., &c., presented to Mr. Leigh in aid of the Society's mission in the Southern World. A moderate sized vessel was required f jr their conveyance to the scenes of Christian enter- prise, and their worth was probably three thousand iive hundred pounds. The convict population was to the Missionaries an element of the social body of acute trial, causing many bitter tears, and involving the most delicate and diffi- cult duties. It was not by ' command ' of the govern- ment that they sought to recover some of these wretched 'outcasts' of Great Britain to the pursuit of a reformed and better life, but solely by the con- straining 'love of Christ,' and in obedience to His high authority. ' Botany Bay ' was, at that time, the synonym for all that was imperious in administration, and base and brutal and devilish in the subjected prisoners. Reformation or destruction were the stern, conditions of their miserable lives. The Newgate of the Southern World was Sydney itself. The deep NEW SOUTH WALES. 21 sorrows and torturing agonies through which the con- victs passed can never be known until the revelations which await the impartial scrutinies of the last great day shall bring them to light. O ! it was a mercy for many of them to be released from their sevenfold punishment even at the hands of generally a drunken 'Jack Ketch/ and the barbarous instrument of a public gibbet. Hanging was too often the order of the day; but a merciful God, it may be fervently hoped, extended His golden sceptre and whispered, ' To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise/ to many a penitent convict before his 'legal' strangulation was effected. As a sample, we give the following extract from Mr. Lawry's journal : 'On Friday last, I attended three men to their execution : they astonished everybody, so contrary was their end to that of most others who have been hanged at Sydney. About a week before the day appointed for their death, they discovered very little contrition for sin. I paid sedulous attention to them, and so did several of our Society. The poor culprits appeared to become truly penitent. Many thousands of persons witnessed their death, whom they addressed with con- siderable energy, and at some length. Before they ascended the platform, we sang a hymn together, which produced considerable effect. Thousands of tears were shed; six thousand convicts were present. After kneeling down upon the grass in the midst of this crowd, and spending a few minutes in prayer, the doomed men mounted the awful scaffold and sang a hymn ; after which the drop fell. They all entreated the multitude to pay serious attention to the instruc- tions of the Ministers of Christ in this land.' 22 CHIilSTIAN iro//A' IX Al'XTRALAZIA. Wonderful indeed are the ways of God to men ! We find thousands of our countrymen who refused to ' hear the Word of the Lord/ and to ' live soberly, righteously, and godly/ banished for their offences to ' the ends of the earth/ gratefully listening to God's servants, and inquiring, ' What must I do to be saved ? ; By such acts of ministerial effort the broad- hearted Committee that originated them, and the devoted Missionaries who performed them, have estab- lished strong and enduring claims upon the sympathy and generous aid of English speaking people in all succeeding time. Never was there a ' charity ' so groat, nor a spiritual work more evidently owned of God, than was this. The Minutes of Conference for 1821 gave as the appointments for New South Wales the following : ' Sydney, Parramatta, and Windsor, George Erskine, Ralph Mansfield, William Horton; also William Walker, who is to devote his labours entirely to the natives. N.B. George Erskine is the General Super- intendent of the New South Wales Mission/ We append an extract from a letter of Mr. Mansfield to the Committee : 'In the Sydney Circuit we have four Sunday- schools, which we denominate, "The Wesleyan Sydney Sunday-school Union." The first is held in Princes Street, the second in Macquarie Street, the third in one of the prisoners' barracks, and the fourth at a cloth manufactory at Botany Bay. At the barracks are upwards of 100 convict boys, many of whom could not read at all before the school was formed. They were zealously instructed by Mr. Thomas Hyndes, one of our Class-leaders. He first commenced the good work NEW SOUTH WALES. '23 Mhile they were stationed at Grove Foundry, three miles out of town, whither this useful brother went every Lord's day morning with a perseverance which does him the highest credit. The work was, however, more than his individual efforts could accomplish, and two or three volunteered their assistance ; the teachers' meeting likewise voted him the services of some of their number, who, alternately, devote their labours to that truly Missionary employment. Their exertions have, however, been recently superseded by the zeal of a gentleman of high office in the government, who has himself entered upon the laborious work, and instructs the youth according to the national system. The school at Botany Bay is conducted by two per- sons who were members of our Society in Yorkshire, and who appear well qualified for the office. There are nearly twenty boys who receive instruction from th*in. The total number of scholars in the union is 180. 'I will now say something of the Auxiliary Mis- sionary Society. I much lament the report is not yet printed. The colonial press is so limited, and so full of public work, that it is difficult to get anything published. The collectors assiduously persevere in the honourable work, and meet with encouraging success. The young ladies, especially, exhibit a zeal which reminds us of female exertion at home. They have imbibed the missionary spirit, which animates them in their toilsome and self-denying work. At the first meeting of the ladies' committee the amount paid in was 24 13s. 3d. ; the male collectors produced at the same time 7 9s. 4d. This is surely creditable to our young friends, to the local committee, and to the colony/ 24 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A US TEA LAST A. To this letter there were appended extracts from Mr. Mansfield's ' journal/ These show the heavy toils which the early Missionaries endured in fulfilling their 'holy calling/ and the gradual yet unmistakable impressions their successful labours were producing in the high places of the colony. There is a moral grandeur, with a fine touch of the chivalrous, in these unvarnished tales of Missionary sympathy, brotherly affection, and undaunted courage; and, especially, is the going forth of the heroic Mr. Leigh, with his no less heroic wife, with the prayers and benedictions of those ' holy men of God ' from the quiet of Sydney Cove on the memorable 31st December, 1821, on a mission of ' peace and goodwill' to the warring, bloody, and ferocious tribes of New Zealand a glorious exhibition of Christ-like pity for perishing souls. Mr. Mansfield, many years ago, retired from The itinerant Missionary ministry. He has, however, con- tinued to render invaluable service to our Church and to the best interests of truth and morality in the colony by his sound theological discourses, his sincere sympathy with temperance reformatory movements, and by his sedate and sanctified manners. As might be expected from the untiring exertions of such men as Erskine, Lawry, Carvosso, Mansfield, and the pioneer preacher Leigh, the Gospel, which they preached from the first, permeated the under stratum of society, and worked its way upwards, until all the upper strata were sensibly impressed, if not certainly reformed. The opportune visit of Mr. Leigh to England had the effect of calling the attention of the English people to the neglected condition of the aborigines of NEW SOUTH WALES. 25 Australia. Indeed, the Committee, through his earnest representations, became so impressed that the time had already come to do something for the spiritual welfare of these poor creatures, that they appointed a Missionary for their special behoof. And whilst the Missionary was thus engaged in his native land, there was a kindred spirit and a powerful writer similarly engaged in New South Wales in stirring up the people there. This excellent man, who signed himself ' Philanthropist/ wrote in the Sydney Gazette, in touching and pungent terms, 'on behalf of the aborigines of the land who were without habitation, without clothing, without food, without comfort, with- out hope, without God/ This appointment produced a favourable impression amongst the natives ; so that the Missionary entered upon his herculean task with some encouragement, and with the best wishes and prayers of pious colonists for his success. The Quarterly Paper for September, 1822, deals with this new Mission in such terms as might be expected from a great Missionary Society, having for its secretaries the Eevs. Jabez Bunting, D.D., Joseph Taylor, and Eichard Watson. The following short account of the customs and superstitions of these aborigines is full of historic value, and cannot fail deeply to interest all who feel that the ' black/ quite as much as the white race, inalienably belongs to the common stock. 'The natives of New South Wales are far from being a stout people ; they are of the middle stature, and their limbs are very slender. The cause of this deficiency in muscular strength is their great want of food. Those who live on the coast by fishing are, 20 CHRIS TIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . however, much better in their appearance than the natives who live in the interior by hunting; the supply of the former is more to be depended upon, the food of the latter is always casual and uncertain. 1 The features of these natives are very unpleasant to a European. Their eyes are sunk in their head ; their eyebrows project much; their noses are flat, with very wide nostrils, and thick lips ; their teeth are wide, sound, and even. The women have more pleasing features than the men ; and some of them have the ap- pearance of modesty. The men are much disfigured by their bushy, black beards, and a reed is thrust through the cartilage of the nose of many of the young men. ' The women undergo, when children, the operation of losing two joints of the little finger on the left hand. This is performed by tying a hair round the joint, which stops the circulation, when the part falls off in consequence of mortification. All those who have not suffered this loss are treated with contempt. ' The native men have a ceremony amongst them of extracting the right front tooth. The persons who perform this work come from a distance, armed with shields, clubs, and throwing sticks, and painted according to the custom of their respective tribes. ' Numbers of the natives have no habitation what- ever. Some have dwellings made of one piece of bark, bent in the middle and placed upon the end. Those who have been accustomed to reside among Europeans wear some clothing; but all in the interior are without any clothing whatever. ' They are afraid of apparitions, and they describe them as coming with a great noise, to seize the first person they approach by the throat. Their remedy is to sleep one night at the grave of a deceased person. NEW SOUTH WALES. 27 ' Under these impressions they are much afraid to move in the dark, few having the coui'age to sleep at a grave, although they would afterwards be held in high estimation. 'When a star shoots something of great moment is expected to come to pass. They are much terrified by thunder and lightning, and instantly begin to repeat a form of words, and to breathe with all their might, to prevent injury and to drive away the storrn. ' They dress no kind of food after the light of the sun is withdrawn, believing that the winds would prove contrary and hinder their fishing the following day. ' They think, too, that if any one whistles while they remain under the rock where they have retired to sleep, it will fall upon them.' The funeral of an aboi^igine is thus described by Mr. Mansfield : ' Early this morning I went to witness the funeral of one of our degraded aborigines. I first visited the low bark hut in which lay the corpse. A rude coffin, composed of slips of bark tied round the body, leaving the feet visible, lay upon the ground, surrounded by a number of men, women, and children, who poured forth their lamentations. When I said he would come to life again at a future great day, they hang down their heads in incredulity and dejection. From the hut I walked to the spot selected for the burial ground, which was in the centre of a small copse of low trees and wild creeping shrubs. Here I found two blacks busily engaged in digging the grave, whilst another was carefully tending a fire at the head of the cavity. They diligently persevered in digging till they had descended to the depth of about five feet, when they proceeded to hollow the grave on either side ; this they 28 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. told me was to keep him from being hurt " when any- body passed over him." When the grave was entirely finished, they threw in several withered branches of trees and dried leaves, to which they set fire ; and when these were consumed they jumped in to feel if it was warm enough; but not being satisfied, they continued to add fuel till the arrival of the corpse. I inquired, " What for you make fire ? " " To keep poor dead black man warm," they replied. The body was carried to the place of interment by two men, and followed by a train of women and children, weeping and crying aloud. It was committed to the earth, and the grave filled up, with no remarkable ceremony. But when this was accomplished, they looked at the sun, and having traced the particular direction of his beams, cut away the trees and shrubs which intercepted them from the grave, that they might communicate their full warmth to the deceased. During this process, I put many questions to them relating to the soul of the deceased, and the resurrection of his body ; but they were excessively reserved, and would scarcely reply to any remark. They seemed, however, to have some notion of his coming back. It was formerly a custom, when any of their number died, to receive a challenge from another tribe to go to war, to vindicate themselves from the imputation of having been the cause of his death ; but now they usually attribute their visitations from death to the influence of white men. However unjust this notion may be to their white neighbours, it is certainly well for themselves, as it saves them from many a desperate and bloody conflict. I should before have observed, that, during the interment, they expressed deep despair at the frequent deaths which occur in their ranks : " Black man die fast, since white NEW SOUTH WALES. 29 man come." " Old black men nigh all gone." " Soon no black man, all white man ! " Indeed, it is generally thought, that in this gloomy presentiment they are borne out by fact, their numbers seeming evidently on the decline. How loudly does their moral and social degradation call for Missionary help ! ' ' Honour all men ' was the text wisely chosen by the philosophic and humane Richard Watson, when he came forward in his full might, about half a century ago, to vindicate the claims of the negro race to be descended from Adam, and through him to be related to the common Father GOD. Never was a subject more ably handled, nor the negro's case more trium- phantly made out. Those who have carefully read that masterly discourse, and have marked its Scriptural statements, its broad philosophy, and its massive logic, will not fail to recognise the same head and heart and hand in the Quarterly Paper before referred to, which might be aptly called A BILL OF RIGHTS for the black races everywhere. It was published under the authority of the Mission House, and widely circulated. ' Such is the condition of this race of people, and it is surely one that ought to excite the deepest sympathy. Scarcely could it have been supposed that man was capable of sinking so low. To behold him in the image of God, the head of this lower creation, communing with his Maker, but a little lower than the angels in intellect, rich in rightly directed feeling, and displaying the noblest faculties; and then to contem- plate him in the person of a native of New South AVales, without any knowledge of his Maker, ignorant of almost all useful arts ; abandoned to gross and brutal passions when roused; slothful and improvident when 30 CHRISTIAN WORK IX AUSTRALASIA. the impulse ceases; buried in dirt; shivering with cold; and prowling, associated with hunger, over the soil which would supply his wants, had he the inclination or the skill to cultivate it; thinking only, when thought is present, in the vainest and most puerile imaginations ; oppressed with gloom, hearing an angry spirit in every breeze; gathering omens of ill from every meteor; without laws; herding together only on the principle which unites gregarious animals; without the comforts which the lowest degree of religious knowledge, when substantially true, supplies in life ; and without hope in death this contrast marks in the strongest manner the effects of sin and the evils it has spread throughout the whole family of man. Yet even here, in these prostrate ruins of our race, man is still discoverable, though, in feeble traces : some powers of observation, comparison, and deduction, though applied to mean and trifling things; some touches, though transient, of natural affection ; some notion of spirit distinct from matter; some anticipation of existence, however gloomy, beyond the grave ; a sensibility, too, of kindness, and a respect to instruction. To combine from these feeble and scattered materials a moral agent, acknow- ledging a law higher than the impulses of the appetite, and influenced by those motives which lay the founda- tion of the social state, and at once give it strength and derive strength from it, is out of the power of any man to effect, but those which are connected with religion. The principle of imitation is in them evidently too weak to lead them to attempt improvements in their own condition; for many of the tribes, in the neighbour- hood of European settlements, have had the daily opportunity of witnessing the cultivation of the land, the exercise of useful arts, and all the effects thus NEW SOUTH WALES. . 31 produced upon human comfort ; but all this they have beheld unmoved and unbenefited. Left to themselves, the probability is that they would, in the course of no long period, become extinct the animals on which they subsist becoming scarce in proportion to the spread of settlements, whilst fishing yields them but a precarious supply. Should the stronger principle of religion be brought into operation, this may be prevented, and tribes in the progress of extinction, not only preserved, but preserved to be the subjects and the witnesses of the power of the Gospel. Missionary operations alone can reach their case. Who will give himself up to reside among them, and to struggle with the vexations, the sluggishness, the ignorant prejudices of such a race, but the man who is constrained by the love of Christ, animated by the inspiring object of saving souls from death, and who thinks one soul thus saved an abundant reward for a life spent in even such a service ? Who but Missionaries will follow these tribes to their different haunts, patiently instruct their children in letters, implant in them the principles of religion, open their eyes to the advantages of industry, supply them with useful tools, overlook their first operations, and en- courage their labours ? This is the work of the Missionaries ; and by them alone will it, and can it, be effected/ The mission in the colony was now strongly established. The confidence of the governor and of the public had been secured. On every side the mission was taking root ; and the prospect of growth and increasing fruitfulness was apparent and highly encouraging. His Excellency had become a sincere and generous friend. The following letter to the 32 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . Missionary Lawry in proof of this fact will be read with interest : ' 1 have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date relative to an allotment of land in the town of Parramatta for the purpose of erecting a chapel on it. As the vacant piece of ground iu Macquarie Street, which you prefer, is still unappropriated, I am happy to have it in my power to give it you for so pious and praiseworthy a purpose, and I shall direct the deputy- survey or general to locate it to you accordingly. ' The tribute of respect your pious and respectable Society has been pleased to pay me by naming your chapels in the three towns of Sydney, Parramatta, and Windsor, after me, cannot but be highly gratifying to my feelings. And I beg to return my best thanks to yourself and your reverend brethren for the honour thus conferred; assuring you that the Wesleyan mission in this colony may always depend on my firmest support/ The year 1823 witnessed the first efforts for the spiritual improvement of the numerous seamen who visited Port Jackson. The originator of these was the Missionary Carvosso, who began holding distinct religious services on board the brig Lynx, by permission of Captain Siddons. He and Mr. Erskiue alternately preached on the Sabbath on board the vessels to atten- tive audiences. The friends to the movement sub- scribed 200 for fitting up a floating chapel, Captain Wrangles, of the brig Anne, from Scarborough, nobly assisting in this good work. In this year also the first fruits of the work among the natives were gathered into the heavenly garner. Two native youths had died. One of them was the son of the famous BEN-IL-LONG, who had been baptized XEW SOUTH WALES. 33 by the name of Thomas Walker Coke. This youth had learned to read his Bible in about three months ; and he was most exemplary in his religious profession. He was in the habit of collecting the young natives of his own tribe for exhortation and prayer. He had a presentiment of his death. An old black was with him when he died. Just before he departed he said, ' Well, my brother, I shall die to-day ; good-bye/ He kissed the old man, and died in his arms. The name of the other youth was Jemmy. He also was pious, but not so gifted as was .Coke. Immediately upon being taken ill, he left the Mission premises, sought a retreat in the bush, and soon after died. The Missionary wrote : ' These providential occur- rences have greatly impeded the prosperity of the work of God among the poor blacks ; for they are so super- stitious, that they believe the place where one has died to be equally fatal to themselves, and they so fret as to become disordered, and they die in consequence. Being under this influence, and having many severe afflictions to corroborate the validity of their supersti- tions, they fled from the mission house, the ' fear that hath torment 7 adding wings to their flight. At present, I am left with two boys ; but I must go out and collect more children. One soul, however, I am happy to believe, has, out of this degraded class of human beings, by the blessing of God upon this mission, been admitted to His glory/ Mr. Walker, who had been sent from England expressly for the religious instruction of the aborigines, retired from the work in 1825. In his place one John Harper, a young man who had been for some time em- ployed in the same way, was appointed, and for a while he devoted all his energies to this most merciful mission. D 34 CHJtTS TTA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . But in 1831 the work was given up, and no efforts have since been made, except in a very casual way, for the benefit of these poor, degraded children of the Aus- tralian soil. In 1831 Messrs. Erskine and Leigh returned home, and the Rev. Joseph Orton, who had been appointed to Sydney, succeeded Mr. Erskine as Chairman of the District. In the settled districts the Missionaries continued to give their best attention to the congregations they had gathered. But the population being somewhat stationary as to number, no large increase in Church membership could be secured for many years. Still, the providing of additional accommodation engaged the ear- nest efforts of laymen and Ministers, and many suitable sanctuaries were built in localities away from Sydney. The claims of the Southern World upon the further liberality of the Committee were again responded to in 1835, when the Revs. John McKenny, Daniel James Draper, Frederick Lewis, William Brooks, Matthew Wilson, and John Spinney were sent out to New South Wales, the Friendly and Fiji Islands. It was probably at the valedictory service held before the departure of these Missionaries that Dr. Bunting expressed his belief in the coming greatness and prosperity of Australia; which, in the light of the wonderful events which have so rapidly followed since, may now be regarded as so many predictive utterances by that sagacious and large-hearted man. We have heard the late Mr. Draper frequently in his public speeches refer to the doctor's cheering address. The substance may be thus given : ' You are going to a far- off land, which appears destined in the Providence of God to become at no very distant day a great and NEW SOUTH WALES. 35 prosperous country. For a few years, judging from the character of the greater part of the population and the large area over which it is spread, you will have much hard and discouraging toil ; but the time will come when your labours shall be rewarded by the presence of a numerous and prosperous people, enjoy- ing the fullest social and religious freedom and the blessings of a pure and elevating Christianity. That time will rapidly come. Do not be discouraged whilst laying the foundations of that happiness. That time will surely come. God hath appointed it. Be of good courage. The Lord God be with you ! ' Reaching Hobart Town, Messrs. McKenny, Draper, Lewis, and Mesdames McKenny and Draper, sailed from thence for Sydney, a distance of about 600 miles. The following extract from a letter from Mr. McKenny shows the danger to which these devoted servants of God were exposed whilst on this voyage : ' We sailed from Hobart Town on the 27th of March and arrived here on the 3rd of April, all well, thank God ! Our passage round was accompanied with great danger. On the 1st instant we experienced a very heavy gale from the east, which lasted twenty-four hours, and for some time during the night it blew right on the shore ; but most providentially, our captain had kept well out, giving the land a wide berth. Yet, he told us that, if the wind had not changed, we must all have been lost in six hours, as he found he could not get the ship off, but lost distance on either tack. It was, indeed, an awful night, and brought us all carefully to examine the ground on which we hoped for heaven, having eternity in view. It was now that we felt the infinite value of the Gospel, and the exceeding preciousness of Jesus, our glorious Eedeemer. Such was the state of D2 36 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA. things from the violence of the ship's motion, and the sickness of most of the party, that we could not be together, but all were engaged in continued prayer in their own cabins; and we did not pray in vain, for about one o'clock a.m. our kind captain came round to our cabins and said, in a full voice, " The wind has changed, and is blowing us off the land, and all danger is over." Those only who have been in our condition can enter into the exquisite nature of our feelings on hearing this announcement ; an unutterable sensation filled our minds on finding that the Lord had heard our prayers and rescued us from destruction and death. Throughout the painful scene I felt the most perfect presence of mind and a power to realise the presence of God. In prayer, I felt that I could lay hold on the Divine promise. I thought of the largeness of our Missionary party, and of the thousand prayers that had been offered up for us, and felt as though we could not be lost. I rose from prayer with my mind filled with heavenly peace, and said to my wife, " You need not fear ; all will be well." During the time of our greatest danger, I could not indeed forget that other Mission- aides had been lost at sea. To this my mind replied, Well, if this be the will of God that we should now be called, and should in this way enter the heavenly world, it will be most for the Divine glory, and the light of eternity will establish that fact. Under this impression, the language of my heart was, " Thy will be done ;" and in this I felt relief and peace. On the 2nd the weather moderated so that we could again see each other. It AV;IS a delightful meeting; and when we had a con- venient opportunity, it was our pleasing task to assem- ble and offer at the mercy-seat of God the sacrifice of praise. The painful dispensation has been greatly NEW SOUTH WALES. 37 Blessed to us all; and I trust we shall be more than ever given up in the service and glory of God/ In 1839, the Rev. Joseph Orton, then invalided through ' exposure to the night-damps by sleeping in the bush at Port Philip/ visited Sydney on his way to England, when the initial meeting was held in Mac- quarie Street for celebrating the centenary of Wesleyan Methodism. The building was crowded to excess. As was proper, the venerable John McKenny presided. The speeches on the occasion roused the pious en- thusiasm of all present. Mr. Orton said: 'This feeling- passed through the meeting, every part appeared to be moved by a kind of patriotic love for Methodism; from the abundance of which liberal things were devised, and most laudably expressed. The subscriptions amounted to 1,200. It was agreed to have a local monument in the shape of a large centenary church, in an eligible part of the city.' Arrangements were also made for holding religious services in commemo- ration of 'the severe conflicts and glorious achievements of Methodism throughout the colony ; the sacred exercises and grateful festivities of which were looked forward to with delightful expectation/ The centenary church was dedicated to the wor- ship of God on the 14th February, 1844. The Rev. Walter Lawry was the officiating Minister. Many years before this, Mr. Lawry had opened the first Wes- leyan sanctuary in New South Wales ; and now, being on his way from England to New Zealand in the service of the mission, he was chosen by his brethren to con- duct the opening services of the greater ' temple/ much to the gratification of his old and numerous friends. At the evening service 1,000 persons were present, and glorious proofs of the Divine approval and blessing 38 ( IIRISTIA N WORK IX A I > Tit. \LA SI A . were manifest. The collections taken at the several services amounted to nearly 120. The Rev. James Watkin became resident in Sydney in 1839, and his labours amongst the convict popu- lation were much owned of God. Through his pious and tearful efforts several of these unfortunate ' out- Cftsts' were gathered in, and now shine as immortal irems in the Redeemer's crown. He was among the iirst of the brethren to signify to the Committee his approval of the appointment of the Rev. John Water- house as general Superintendent of our missions in Australasia and Polynesia. He says : ' I very much rejoice in the appointment of a general Superintendent of the missions in the South Seas ; and am glad that the appointment has been given to, and accepted by, a \\YslrvaH Methodist Minister well acquainted with our system/ He commenced his ministry in 18:30, laboured for eight years in the Friendly Islands, seventeen in New Zealand, and fourteen in Australia, when he be- came a supernumerary, and fixed his abode at Bal- main, Sydney. In 1862, Mr. Watkin was elect i-8 Presbyterians Independents Baptists Primitive Methodists Sundry Protestant Sects 79 IB 18 18 21 140 50 21 49 22 23,703 12,320 4,360 8,500 3,710 18,698 7,168 2,946 7,650 2,704 Totals 601 1,089 177,882 183,380 There is a feeling akin to passion for Sabbath- school work in New South Wales. Probably in no colony of the empire is it more commendably shown than there. And this remark applies to all the Churches alike, in proportion to their numerical strength and resources. This is a healthy sign, and is an omen for good all round. The work of teaching, too, is not left to pious but inexperienced and youthful persons ; individuals of middle age, of known religious character and intelligence, are engaged from Sabbath to Sabbath at this post of duty. The senior or Bible-classes are thus properly officered, and decorum is secured. Libraries, consisting of tens of thousands of volumes, are at the weekly service of the teachers and scholars ; and thus a pure and instructive literature is being circulated in the homes of the people. NEW SOUTH WALES. 57 SABBATH-SCHOOLS' RETURNS, JANUARY IST, 1876. Schools. Teachers. Children. Attendants. Episcopalian Roman Catholic . 317 240 2,264 951 25,756 14,992 19,135 11.912 Wesleyan Methodist Presbyterian Independents Primitive Methodists 223 116 44 40 1,695 738 506 326 14,100 6,666 5,113 2,900 10,692 5.099 3,652 2.400 Baptists Sundry other Sects 18 14 130 121 1,182 969 846 732 Totals 1,012 6,731 71,678 54,468 SECULAR EDUCATION, as distinguished from religious instruction in Sabbath-schools, is imparted in both public and private schools. The former have 461 schools, 796 teachers, and 58,811 scholars; the latter have 989 schools, and 18,427 scholars. There are also 62 schools of art in different parts of the colony, having 71,628 volumes in free libraries. There is in Sydney a university, a museum, and an academy of art. Thus, in part by the government, but mostly by the higher families and well-to-do persons, a generous provision of intellectual and scientific knowledge has been provided for all who choose to advance themselves in general respectability and political position. No account of New South Wales could be complete which omitted to mention its capital, Sydney, which, for certain reasons, must take priority over all the other cities of Australia. To a stranger sailing up from the south or east, or coming from the north, towards the Heads of Port Jackson, the appearance is strikingly grand. The Heads are bold and perpen- 58 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. dicular. The feeling, on seeing them for the first time, must be one of surprise and delight at the wonderful mechanism displayed by the great Creator in forming this commodious and safe inlet from the surge and roll of the Southern Sea. Thoroughly to catch the inspiration of the romantic and ever varying scene of Port Jackson Harbour, with its smaller bays, numerous islets, and miles upon miles of cheering laud- scapes, the observer should be on the deck of a gallant ship, under stretch of sail, dashing through the Heads, and ploughing her way amidst steam vessels, merchant- men, and craft of every description, to the quiet of Sydney Cove or to the bustle of Darling Harbour. Once to realise this scene is never to forget it. Every heart should swell with grateful emotions to the God of Providence, Who has provided such a country as Australia for the English people, and that its oldest province has a harbour of unsurpassed beauty and extent ; available for the shipping of every nation, and a welcome refuge for the tempest-tossed mariner from every ocean of the globe. Sydney stands at the head of this splendid harbour. There are pretty coves and miniature harbours both far and near, whilst the population has spread over inter- mediate and surrounding hill and dale, meeting those lines of water, and causing a most picturesque effect. The total area of Sydney is estimated at 2,000 acres. It has 120 miles of streets, 14,600 houses, and a population, including the suburbs, of 120,000. The city is healthy ; the people live cheaply, and generally reach a good old age. The selection of this particular spot as the first settlement in New South Wales is well recorded by Captain Collins, in his history, published in 1798. NEW SOUTH WALES. 59 'The governor/ he says, 'set off on Monday, the 21st of January, 1798, accompanied by Captain Hunter, Captain Collins, the master of the 8vriu8, with a small party of marines for their protection ; the whole being embarked in three open boats. The coast, as the boats drew near to Port Jackson, wore so unfavourable an appearance that Governor Philips' expectations reached no farther than to find what Captain Cook, as he passed by, thought might be found shelter for a boat. In this conjecture, however, he was most agreeably disappointed, by finding, not only shelter for a boat, but a harbour capable of affording security to a much larger fleet than would probably ever seek for shelter or security in it. In one of the coves of this noble and capacious harbour, equal, if not superior, to any yet known in the world, it was determined to fix the settlement. ( The spot chosen by the governor was at the head of the cove, near the run of fresh water, which stole silently along through a very thick wood, the stillness of which had then, for the first time since the creation, been interrupted by the rude sound of the labourer's axe and the downfall of its ancient inhabitants; a still- ness and tranquility which, from that day, were to give place to the voice of labour^ the confusion of camps and towns, and the busy hum of its new possessors.' The number of persons who landed upon this historic spot was 1,030. On the east side of the cove, a portable canvas house was erected for Governor Philips, which, in compliment to LOKD SYDNEY, then principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, was called SYDJTEY. It is situate in 33 51' south latitude, and 151 P 11' east longitude. The principal shipping port after Sydney is New- GO CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. castle, which is seventy-five miles distant and due north. It is situate on the south bank of the Hunter River. The coal raised in the neighbourhood in 187~> was 1,074,819 tons, valued at 680,575. It is believed that the seams now operated upon will produce at the same rate for the next 512 years. Nearly all the produce of the Hunter River district is conveyed to Newcastle for shipment. The population, including seamen, is 18,665. The entrance to the harbour is somewhat difficult, especially in stormy weather. The lighthouse, however, is a great help to mariners, having a fixed light visible at a distance of seventeen miles. It is situate in 32 P 55' south latitude and 151^ 50' 20" east longitude. TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS, TOWNSHIPS, OR DISTRICTS. Town or District. Population. Rateable Prop.-rty. Distant from Sydney. Maitlarid . 12,364 125.000 93 miles N. Bathurst . 16,826 486,558 122 , w. Goulburn . 18.786 234.614 1 :'.o , s.w. Albury '.'.I?:. 1M),000 351 , S.W. Armidale . 9,760 110,000 313 , N. Braidwood 11,629 186 , s s.w. Bourke 2.000 :.7>; , N.W. Deniliquin 2,715 112.257 4SS . S.W. Forbes 4,000 11. -.,500 240 , w. Grafton . 15,000 175,320 450 , N.E. Kiama 7,500 291,430 90 , S. Liverpool . 3.504 22 , s. Morpeth . 3,5QO 88,284 . N. Mudgee . 2,000 2(54,360 158 , N.W. Orange 263,610 154 , w. Parramatta 11,500 235.000 14 , w. Queenbeyan 4,662 1 '.15 , S.W. Richmond 3,084 84,20:. 38 , N.W. Singleton . 8,000 1)2,800 1 23 .. N.w. Taruw. rth 7,500 251 X. Tenterfield 2.357 314 N. Uiladulla . 2,200 238.447 150 ., 8. NEW SOUTH WALES. 6t TABULAR STATEMENT OP THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS, ETC. continued. Town or District. Population. Rateable Property. Distant from Sydney. Wagga Wagga 7.000 290,000 315 miles s.w. Wellington 5,942 198 N.w. Windsor . 1,732 68,994 35 N.w. Yass . 6.600 180 S.w. "ioung 8,500 250 S.W. N.B. There are over 300 towns and townships in all, in different parts of the colony. The rainfall in New South Wales varies according to the configuration of the ranges and highlands, and the distances of localities from the sea-coast. For example, Sydney and Newcastle may have, say, an average of 46 inches in the year; Eden, 26 inches; Kiandra, 60 inches ; Currajong, 65 inches ; Bathurst, 23 inches; Mudgee, even less ; Dubbo, 15 inches; and Fort Bourke, 7 inches. RANKIN, in his Dominion of Australia, says : ' The bolder the coast the less chance of rain for a low interior; but if the inland country is also a tract of highlands, particularly if it overtops the coast ranges, then its rainfall maybe equal to that upon the sea-board. The Clarence River receives about 40 inches, and the New England highlands, notwithstanding that ranges 2,000 feet or upwards interrupt the south and south- east breezes, which bear their rainfalls, of upwards of 30 inches ; for the district is of 3,000 feet elevation, and is within 100 miles of the sea. Drained by these elevations, however, the currents of air sweep inland, compressed like a sponge of their waters, unable to assist the feeble Darling tributaries to continue their courses to a junction/ It has been estimated that there are 15,000,000 of 62 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. acres of wheat-land in New South Wales awaiting pur- chase or lease. Indeed, there appears to be scarcely a limit to the growing of wheat but that which the rainfall imposes. An average fall of 20 inches pro- bably would be sufficient for raising large crops. The number of acres under cultivation may be estimated at 452,500. There have been ' granted and sold to the 31st December, 1875/ 19,249,658 acres, for which the government has received 10,235,776. The total income of land sales for 1877 amounted to 2,841,203, showing an increase of 427,128 upon that of the preceding year. In 1876, as interest on land conditionally purchased, there was paid to the government 99,329 ; pastoral occupation, 222,092 ; mining occupation, 13,206; and miscellaneous land receipts, 24,298. There are still remaining between 50,000,000 and 60,000,000 acres unoccupied and open for settlement, by lease or purchase, on accommodating terms. The latest returns of stock are : horses, 357,696 ; cattle, 3,134,086; sheep, 24,382,536; pigs, 199,950. There are of railways, completed and in course of construction, between 700 and 800 miles ; and nearly 10,000 miles of telegraph lines already erected or con- tracted for. There are at present from twenty to twenty-five gold-fields, mostly worked by companies, the working miner being provided with a weekly wage for the sup- port of his family. There are many rivers, which contribute essentially to the fertility of the soil and to the modification of the atmosphere. This is even true of the districts of New England, Deniliquin, and Albury. Whatever can be grown in England can be grown in New South NEW SOUTH WALES. 63 Wales; such as wheat, maize, barley, and potatoes. All the fruits also ; besides which, in New South Wales are grown oranges, lemons, bananas, figs, pine- apples, and the sugar-cane, without any trouble. The export trade in fruit is a source of considerable in- come to numerous families. Wool, coal, copper, tin, and iron are permanent sources of wealth to the squatter, the miner, and the merchant. The EXPLORATION of New South Wales, and of immense tracts of country north, west, and south of it, may be dated from 1823, when Captain Sturt traced the Macquarie Kiver to its junction with the magnificent Darling, which he followed to Fort Bourke. In 1824 he traced the Murrumbidgee River to the Murray. Major Mitchell was engaged in the work of explora- tion from 1831 to 1836. He opened up an enormous territory to the north of New South Wales, and also to the west as far as what is now known as Victoria. But the name of Leichhardt is imperishably interwoven with the noblest daring of Australian exploration. In 1844, he started on his first expedition from Sydney, and proceeded in a north-westerly direction, until, after months of peril and privation, he and his intrepid party succeeded in reaching Port Essington,in 132 east longitude, and 10 south latitude, when he returned by sea through Torres Straits. In 1847, he started on a second expedition from Moreton Bay, accompanied by six whites and two blacks, intending to cross the con- tinent from its eastern to its western shore. In this attempt he perished; but no one has ever known 'how' or 'where/ although several expeditions have gone in quest of information to clear away the torture of feeling this dreadful uncertainty has occasioned ; his comrades, f.4 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. it may be feared, shared the fate of their brave com- mander. Since the lamented Leichhardt's sad fate, Lands- borough, Walker, Hann, and others, have explored, either from Sydney or Brisbane, into the far north. But it must not be forgotten that to the pioneer squatters we are mainly indebted for the discovery of millions of acres which have proved to be a very Goshen for Hocks and herds. The POLITICAL CONSTITUTION may be briefly de- scribed. The Queen of England is the head of the State. The Parliament consists of a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly. Seventy-two members elected by the people form the assembly, which may remain in session for five years. The council consists of thirty-one members, who are nominated for life by the governor in council. The government consists of seven members, who are also the executive council. But to carry on the public business, the government must have the confidence of the assembly, and have a majority at its back. There is no religious or property qualification for a seat in the assembly. Every free man, or natural born or naturalised subject of Her Majesty, twenty-one years of age and resident five years in the colony, solvent, and free from the taint of crime, is eligible, and if elected, may rise to the highest offices of State. Electors must be of the full age of twenty-one years, being natural born or being naturalised subjects. They must have resided in the colony for three years ; and to be entitled to vote at any election for the electoral district in respect of which they shall be so qualified, must have resided six months in the electorate, or must own a freehold estate of the annual value of 10. The NEW SOUTH WALES. 65 disqualified persons are criminals, paupers, the insane, soldiers, and police. The ballot is in full operation, and in many ways has proved a boon. FKEE emigration, as in the case of South Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand, is not the law in New South Wales ; the principle of ASSISTED passages only obtains. Mechanics, miners, domestic servants, farmers, vine-dressers, and labourers suitable for country pur- suits may be thus sent. In all good faith, advantages of a very substantial character are held out to the intelligent, industrious, and well-behaved of the middle classes of this country to emigrate to New South Wales. There is ' yet room ' for tens of thousands of the British people ; who, in God's providence, may, in a few years, secure by their industry for themselves and their families prosperous and happy homes. Socially, as well as ecclesiastically, there is a ' fair field and no favour ; ' and there never can be any barrier to any man rising in position and comfort but that which improvidence or indolence put in the way. CHAPTER III. QUEENSLAND. [Area, 678,000 square miles, or 433,920,000 acres. Population, 187,100. Revenue, 1,263,268. Expenditure, 1,533,702. Public Debt, 6,948,586. Imports, 3,126.559. Exports, 3,875,581.] iHERE is sufficient reason for passing over the earlier history of the MOEETON BAY DISTRICT its name when a part of New South Wales our account beginning with 1842 ; whilst the independence of the colony was not proclaimed until 1859. It was a happy thought to name it QUEENSLAND, in honour of the most queenly of English sovereigns, and as an expres- sion of the heartfelt loyalty of the brave settlers to the throne and constitution of Old England. Queensland is an immense territory; bounded on the north by Torres Straits, on the west by the 141st meridian of longitude, from the 29th to the 26th parallel of latitude, and from thence by the 138th meridian of longitude to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north. On the south it is bounded by New South Wales, and on the east by the Pacific Ocean. The length of the territory from north to south is 1,300 miles, the breadth 800, and the coast-line about 2,550. The rapid increase of the population is surprising. Starting with 1842, the period when the country was P 2 68 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. thrown open to free settlers, its progress has been highly satisfactory. Four years later the population numbered 2,257. In 1851, 8,575; in 1856,18,082; in 1861, 34,367; in 1862, 45,077 ; in 1864, 74,036; in 1869, 109,897; in 1873, 146,690; in 1875,172,402; and in 1877, 187,100. The aborigines are fast dis- appearing. The first governor of Queensland was Sir G. F. Bo wen. In the true spirit of Christian enterprise and of duty to God, the Wesleyan Missionary Committee requested one of its superannuated Ministers, the Eev. George Poole, formerly a Missionary in the West Indies, to take the oversight of the infant cause at Moreton Bay. A total failure of health, accompanied by mental disease, however, soon set this arrangement aside. The Revs. W. Moore and John Watsford, probably in 1849 and 1850, or 1851, laid the foundation of what has since proved a living ' branch ' of the Church of Christ. But in 1852, the General Superintendent, the Rev. W. B. Boyce, sent the Rev. J. G. Millard to the Queensland Mission, who remained three years, and whose earnest ministry was much blessed. In 1853, the Rev. N. Turner, having become a super- numerary Minister after thirty years of zealous service in the South Sea Mission, New South Wales, and Tasmania, went to reside at Brisbane. Mr. Millard hailed the venerable man's arrival, and gave him and Mrs. Turner a hearty welcome. A more opportune or suitable arrangement for the good of the cause or for the help of the resident Minister could hardly have been made. He died in 1864 in the full triumph of faith. The high moral worth and earnest service of such a man are a precious legacy to the Australasian Connexion. QUEENSLAND. 69 At the Sydney Conference in 1855, the Eev. W. J. Killick Piddington was appointed to Brisbane, and ' one was to be sent' as his colleague. In the returns presented to the Conference it was reported that 13| acres of land had been obtained for church, school, parsonage, and burial purposes. A parsonage had been erected, and three places for Divine worship had been opened. There were 1 Sunday-school, 6 teachers, 120 Sabbath scholars, 61 members, and 600 attendants at Sabbath services. In 1865, Mr. Piddington, having received a re- appointment to Queensland, became Chairman of the District. Three months after his arrival in his ' diocese/ on the 12th of July he wrote to the Eev. W. B. Boyce, then one of the Missionary Secretaries in London, on the pressing spiritual needs of the Queensland popula- tion. For clearness of insight, for broad and generous sympathies, and for a commendable concern for the honour of his Church, it may challenge comparison with any letters of the kind ever penned to the Com- mittee by any of their perplexed and burdened chair- men, either in the foreign or colonial field. It is the commonest duty to Mr. Piddington to give his letter in full, so that it may be hereafter known how much it was in his heart to do for the best interests of the colony : 'This colony has made extraordinary progress during the interval of my absence. I am sorry to say that Methodism has not advanced proportionately. In many important respects we are being left behind. We have difficulties to contend with here far greater than those which opposed our work in the other colonies. Since "separation" there has been no State aid in this colony. We cannot even get a grant of land for any 70 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. of our purposes. The Minister of Lands evinces great reluctance to give us titles for land granted under the old regime. I need not say, the other colonies give us no help. We cannot get a young minister for our work, unless we send your Committee the money for his passage. All that we need for ministers, churches, parson- ages, Connexional Funds, etc., has to be begged from our own adherents ; none of whom, I am sorry to say, are wealthy. The preachers have to subsist upon small allowances, and live in comparatively poor houses, for we have but one parsonage (Brisbane) in this colony. The other Churches (their name is "legion") are very active; and, aided as most of them are from home, they give us plenty to do to keep abreast of them. Your knowledge of colonial Methodism and its diffi- culties will suggest to you that we have no easy task in trying to get for Methodism the place and power it ought to have in this land. 'The country is progressing at railway speed. Thousands are annually reaching us from Europe and the other colonies. Its rich and various resources are being developed; and I make no doubt but that Queens- land will become, ere many years have passed, next to Victoria, the finest of the Australian colonies. It is of the highest importance to our work that we take energetic steps for its consolidation and extension at once. The present opportunity lost, we can never take anything like first rank. But how, under the circum- stances to which I have adverted, are we possibly able to take such steps ? The case is utterly hopeless, unless we have extraneous help. Our recently formed Home Missionary Fund Committee have decided upon apply- ing to the Committee in London for a grant of, say, 1,000 from the Jubilee Fund for the extension of QUEENSLAND. 71 Methodism in the colony of Queensland. We are going to make a great effort to raise 1,000 here to form a Loan Fund, similar to your ten per cent, scheme in Sydney. We intend the income of the Home Mission Fund to aid the men sent into the new fields, and the Loan Fund will assist the people to get up the new places of worship. ' I hope you will be able to give our request your support. You can imagine our difficulties. How could New South Wales or Victoria have done without aid from the Parent Society or Parliament ? Our emigrants cannot help us for some years. They will be lost to Methodism if we do not follow them into the interior and coast townships. The Churches that rival us receive help from home both in money and men. Will not our fathers and brethren help us ? Has not this British colony claims equal to those of Italy, Jamaica, or Godaver ? Any help that you can give us will ultimately be repaid. Queensland will yet furnish men, and money too, for the furtherance of the Gospel in these seas. Do then, as you were wont to do, plead the cause of the weak and needy/ On the 18th August, Mr. Piddington wrote to the Missionary Secretaries, informing them that the Com- mittee had met and had passed the following resolution : ' Resolved, that in view of our inability to meet the numerous, pressing, and constantly increasing demands made upon us for the supply of Christian ordinances, the erection of churches, parsonages, and schools in various parts of this colony, an earnest appeal be made to the Missionary Committee in London, for a grant of, say, 1,000, from its Jubilee, or other Funds, in aid of our newly formed Loan Fund/ 72 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. The Australasian Conference of 1868 authorised and recommended that public collections should be made in the Circuits in aid of the Queensland cause. In many instances, the response was highly gratifying, the congregations showing, by their generous liberality, that colonial boundaries were no bar to the going forth of a prompt sympathy for their brethren across the northern border. This help was most gratefully received and acknowledged. During his first Presidential year, 1868, the writer received two letters from the Eev. Isaac Harding, who had succeeded to the Chairmanship of the Queensland District. As no financial help from the Missionary Committee had yet reached the Chairman, Mr. Harding brought the whole case before his own President, who was then in charge of the Geelong Circuit, Victoria. Mr. Harding' s letters were in due course forwarded to the Committee, Mr. Bickford sending to them a most urgent appeal for a Grant of 500 per annum for ten years. The appeal, in part, was successful. A monetary Grant was made in order to form the nucleus of a Home Mission Society, whose one object was to be to extend and establish the ordinances of Divine Worship through- out the land. And never was there a more just or proper appropriation from the Funds of the Parent Society than that for enabling the Queensland Ministers to follow 'the immigrant population to the northern and western portions of that vast country, and plant in the midst of those moral deserts the ' Tree of Life.' With- out the ordinances, which the seasonable help of the Committee enabled the Ministers to supply, many of those ' strangers in a strange land ' would have been ' like sheep without a shepherd/ QUEENSLAND. 73 In addition to monetary aid there has been sent out valuable ministerial help. Brethren from England, with those sent from New South Wales and Victoria, have gone far in providing for the spiritual oversight of the Methodist immigrants now settled in various parts of the colony. An Amended Constitution for working ( The Queens- land Wesleyan Home Mission Society ' was adopted by the Conference held in Sydney, in 1875. The objects of the Society were set forth as embracing the susten- tation of Ministers in Circuits where their full support could not be obtained ; the aiding in the erection of parsonages and the liquidation of debt on Methodist property; the assisting in furnishing parsonages for married Ministers ; and defraying the necessary expenses incurred in the official and Connexional working of the Wesleyan-Methodist Church in Queensland. The Committee of the Society was specially charged to ' seek information respecting localities in which there was no Gospel ministry/ and to 'recommend the appoint- ment of Ministers, where desirable and prudent/ The 'Loan Fund' was to be formed of such sums as might be voted by the ' Home Mission Society/ and ' by donations and bequests of persons desirous of promoting the cause of Evangelical and Protestant Christianity/ The objects were the liquidation of exist- ing debts of Methodist churches and parsonages, and to render assistance to new erections by loans without interest. The Statistical Returns presented to the Sydney Conference of 1878 for Queensland were : Ministers, 17; Circuits, 15; churches, 48; other preaching places, 40 ; Sabbath-school teachers, 345 ; local preachers, 69 ; Class-leaders, 45; members, 887; on trial, 88; Sab- 74 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . bath-schools, 41 ; Sabbath- school scholars, 3,252 ; at- tendants at public worship, 8,161. The EPISCOPAL CHURCH is well represented in Queensland. It commenced early in the history of the f Moreton Bay District;' and by the aid of Govern- ment grants it did much good work. In 1860, State aid to Religion was abolished. Since that period, this Church has contributed to the planting of Minis- ters and the building of places of worship in a very praiseworthy manner. The Body is governed by the Brisbane Diocesan Synod, which consists of a Bishop, of all its licensed Ministers, and of Lay representa- tives, chosen in the several parishes. This Synod is incorporated by Letters Patent under the Eeligious, Educational, and Charitable Institutions Act of 1861, by the name and style of 'The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane/ There is also a Diocesan Council or Standing Committee. Provision is made for the nomination and appointment of Minis- ters to parishes by a Presentation Board, consisting of two Ministers and one layman, giving, at the same time, each parish a voice in the nomination of its incumbent. The machinery of the body is extremely liberal; which must be regarded as the outcome of the voluntaryism of a Church free from all State control and State support. There are 1 Bishop, 1 Archdeacon, 31 Ministers, and 1 lay-helper. Those of the Ministers appointed before 1860, and who were receiving stipends from government, continue to do so as provided by the Act. The Ipswich incumbent receives 100 per annum; also the Warwick incumbent. The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH is a powerful and ener- getic body of Christians, and is exerting a great QUEENSLAND. 75 influence upon the future of the colony. It has three Presbyteries; respectively at Brisbane, Toowoomba, and Rockhampton. The General Assembly meets in May, and numbers 25 Ministers. This Church is mainly indebted for the success of its early career to the Rev. Dr. Lang, of Sydney. He it was who set going the stream of emigration to Moreton Bay, and who introduced Presbyterian ' Pastors and teachers' there. The INDEPENDENTS are a small but influential de- nomination. In the days of its earliest difficulties, it was greatly dependent upon the Pitt Street congregation in Sydney for pecuniary as well as moral support. Much of the liberal policy adopted at the foundation of the colony may be justly ascribed to this Body. There are 14 Ministers of this Church. The BAPTISTS have 6 Ministers and 12 stations. There are 2 Ministers known as ' Particular' Baptists. The PRIMITIVE METHODISTS took up Queensland as a Mission Station in 1860. The Rev. W. Colly was the first Minister. He commenced in Brisbane, and succeeded in forming two stations. A Minister has since been appointed to Rockhampton, another to Ipswich, and another at the Gympie gold-fields. The BIBLE CHRISTIANS commenced in 1866. This excellent body has done but little in Queensland as yet. In the Report for 1876, it is said, 'The past year has been with us one of hard toil and deep anxiety, with a small degree of success/ There is a Minister stationed at Brisbane. The UNITED FREE METHODISTS have 2 Ministers and a few preaching stations. The LUTHERAN CHURCH has 9 Ministers, who exercise their gifts among the German population. 76 CHRIST I A N WORK IN A US TEA LA SI A . The ROMAN CATHOLICS have Ministers stationed in almost every inhabited part of the colony. No im- pediment of heat or hardship or distance deters them from following up their people, no matter where located. There is 1 Bishop and 26 Ministers. Queensland has shown a commendable interest and courage in dealing with the question of public instruc- tion. As early as I860, being only one year after the Proclamation of the Independence of the Colony, the Legislature passed an Act for making Public Instruc- tion a special Department under the control of a Minister of Education. The system which the Act created was free and secular ; but, out of school hours, religious instruction might be given to the children by Christian Ministers and other qualified persons. The Legislature, by its sagacity and promptitude in dealing with the education of the young in an unsec- tarian and generous manner, effectually prevented the creation of numerous vested interests, which, on some future occasion, when an increased population might re- quire a more comprehensive scheme of national educa- tion, would have been embarrassing to its unfettered action. For over eighteen years this beneficent Act has been in force ; during which period thousands of native born and emigrant children have received a training in the elements of a sound, practical English education. In the Statistical Summary of the Board's opera- tions for 1874 and 1875 the following interesting particulars occur : A Grammar school may be established in any dis- trict whose inhabitants subscribe 1,000 for the erec- tion of suitable buildings. The Government supple- menting by double the amount. Brisbane, Ipswich, and Toowomba have such schools. QUEENSLAND. 77 1874. 1875. Number of Schools in operation . 203 231 New Schools opened . 43 35 Schools closed in previous year 5 8 Applications for New Schools 58 54 New Vested Schools completed 40 26 Increase of Schools in operation . 40 27 Number of Vested Schools in operation 127 157 Non-vested Schools in operation 36 28 Provisional Schools in operation 40 45 Teachers, including Pupil Teachers 590 674 Aggregate Attendance of Scholars . 29,012 33,643 Average Attendance of Scholars . 15,045 16,887 The following shows the Expenditure for Public Instruction in 1874 and 1875 ; for so young a colony it must be considered highly satisfactory. 1874. 1875. Parliamentary Vote for Education Local Subscriptions for School Build- ings, &c Salaries and Allowances for the De- 72,000 3,116 17 6 4,295 16 11 87,200 8 7 2,184 1 7 4,427 4 10 partment ..... Salaries and Allowances for Teachers 44,606 10 55,816 19 4 Buildings, Furniture, and Kepairs Total Expenditure of Parliamentary Vote 29,085 17 3 77,474 2 19,880 5 2 81,135 1 8 Ditto, out of Local Subscriptions 2,638 8 2 2,084 13 1 A NEW STATE EDUCATION ACT came into operation on the 1st of January, 1876, which provided for the discontinuance of all non-vested schools, and for bringing the whole educational machinery of the colony under another arrangement. In addition to a minister 78 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA. of the Crown, as the head of the Department, and directly responsible to Parliament, there was appointed a Council of Education. The Act also provided that this great measure, the successful administration of which is so essential to the intellectual and social advance- ment of a new country, should be completely separate from all Religious Denominations as suck. Indeed, the Parliament has left the moral and religious training of the young to their parents and to the Churches, to work out in their own way, by means of family in- fluences, Sunday-schools, Bible-classes, and pastoral oversight, as their natural and proper duty. Whilst the Parliament, on the other hand, has determined by every means in its power to make public education a wide-spread benefit on the lines of a free, compulsory, and secular basis. The success which has attended the laudable efforts of the Government in the adminis- tration of the Act for the benefit of the whole colony is peculiarly gratifying. Queensland is divided into twelve districts ; viz., Moreton Bay (including the city of Brisbane and the seat of Government, also the town of Ipswich), which has a population of 66,094 ; Darling Downs, where are thousands of acres of the finest pastoral and arable land, with a population of 6,472. Burnett and Wide Bay is an enormously rich district, where the cultivation of the sugar-cane, and mining for gold, coal, and other deposits are carried on. Maryborough is its port. Port Curtis, having important gold-fields, copper mines, and payable quarries of marble, is a rich and prosperous district. Rockhampton, situate on the Fitzroy River, is the port. Leiclihardt, so called after the lamented explorer of that name, having an abund- ance of water and grass, whilst rich deposits of gold QUEENSLAND. 79 and copper are being" worked. Maranoa, which is purely pastoral. Kennedy, specially adapted to the growth of the sugar-cane, maize, and cotton. Its chief town is Bowen. Mitchell, a dry country, entirely pastoral, and only of recent occupation. It is partially watered by the Barco and Thompson's Rivers. Burke, extending to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The electric telegraph passes through this district to the port of Burke Town. Gregory is purely pastoral, and not much known. In this district is Cooper's Creek, where the intrepid explorers Burke and Wills died from starvation in 1860. Cook contains an area of 16,320,000 acres, situate at the extreme north in Cape York Peninsula, between the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Pacific. The Palmer River gold-fields are about the centre of this immense territory. Tin and coal are also found in this district. Warrego lies to the west- ward of the Maranoa district, and is a fine pastoral country, watered by the Parro and Warrego Rivers. The number and population of colonial towns may be taken as a fair index to the wealth and prosperity of the country. BRISBANE, being the capital, may be specially noted. It is situate on the Brisbane River; but the sea-way of approach is by Moreton Bay, which is large and easy of navigation. Brisbane is in 27 23' 3" south latitude, and 153 6' 15" east longitude, and about five hundred miles north of Sydney. The population is 26,911, and the rateable property may be estimated at 1,104,100. There is weekly communica- tion with Sydney by steamers ; and with the northern ports about once a fortnight. All the institutions of a well organised English city are found in Brisbane. 80 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. TABULAR STATEMENT OP THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS AND TOWNSHIPS. Town or District. Population. Rateable Property. Distance from Brisbane. Allora 500 60,925 130 miles s.w. Beenleigh 3,000 23 s. Bowen . 1,000 725 N.w. Clermont 2,784 30,000 575 N.w. Cooktown 3,000 1,050 N.W. Dalby . 2,227 138,000 152 N.w. Georgetown 600 1,100 N.w. Gilberton 1,127 1,050 N.W. Gayndah 671 64,546 20 N.W. Gladstone 1,432 74,444 354 N.w. Gympie . 1,000 116 N. Ipswich . 10,000 334,817 25 w. Mackay . 3,813 150,000 625 N.W. Maryborough 8,608 310,000 180 N. Mount Perry 6,000 200 N.W. Palmer . 9,250 1,250 N.W. Ravenswood 750 770 N.W. Rockhampton 8,052 410,000 400 , N.W. Stanthorpe 3,037 180 , S. Toowoomba 9,496 193,401 102 , W. Townsville 2,685 119,470 570 , N.W. Warwick 4,055 213,000 100 , S.W. Yengarie 190 , N. There are about 50 towns or townships of less importance. In a country so extensive as to cover nearly twenty degrees of latitude, the climate must be varied ; the eastern coast being well watered, whilst the western interior, beyond the dividing ranges, suffers from drought. The mean temperature may be taken at 69-9. The highest stood at 105 in January in the shade ; the lowest at 35 in August, 1875. Persons who can live in Madeira or Naples can live in any part of Queensland. And as the population becomes less addicted to stimulants and the use of narcotics, so may it be expected that the climate will be less oppressive QUEENSLAND. 81 even in summer, and the average probability of life greater than at present, although the mortality is so much less than in Great Britain. The rainfall in Brisbane is probably about 50 inches in the year, and ranges between 25 and 75 inches. At Dalby, on the Darling Downs, about, 1,200 feet above the sea-level, it is about 20 to 25 inches. At Springsure, in the county of Denison, and Leichhardt District, not a hundred miles from the sea, it is not quite 20 inches, except in seasons of heavy floods, when it may be considerably more. Rockingham Bay, latitude 18, received in one year 90 inches. At Mackay, latitude 22, there are heavy rainfalls, which are favourable to the growth of the sugar-cane and maize. Severe frosts are occasionally experienced in Queensland. The sugar planters have suffered a good deal from them. The RETURNS show that 77,345 acres are under cultivation. In the settled districts 7,725,474 acres are leased to squatters; and in the unsettled districts there are 3,544 runs, containing 150,646,710 acres available as sqiiattages. The stock is enormous, including 121,497 horses, 1,812,576 cattle, and 7,227,774 sheep. There are 265 miles of completed railways, and 113 miles in course of construction; 3,956 miles of telegraph lines, and 616 miles being erected. The population upon the Queensland gold-fields is about 20,000, of whom very many are Chinese. Recently there has been amongst the English people the most determined opposition to the settlement of Chinamen in the colony. Polynesian labour has been utilised for Queensland. 82 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. About 4,300 of the natives were introduced under Government regulations up to 1871 ; of these, 2,700 had at that time fulfilled their term of service, and had been sent back. The legislature has certainly kept faith all round with these strangers from the Pacific. The horrible stories of kidnapping among the islands did not truly apply to this young and honourable colony, but to certain unprincipled white adventurers in Fiji, although Queensland bore most of the blame. But it is now a thing of the past, and may be forgotten. The POLITICAL CONSTITUTION is, as much as pos- sible, after the English model. There are three branches of the Legislature : the Crown, represented by the Governor. The Legislative Council, consisting of twenty-nine members, and appointed by the Crown for life. It has its own president, who is elected by the members of the council from among themselves. The House of Assembly, consisting of forty-five mem- bers, who are elected by the constituencies for five years. The Assembly represents forty-three elec- torates, originates all money bills and grants supplies. It is presided over by a speaker, chosen by and from the Assembly. Manhood suffrage is not the law of the colony ; but a voter must ' possess a freehold worth 100, or pay rent for a house or land of not less than 10 per annum, or hold a pastoral license from the Crown, or be in receipt of 100 per annum as a salary, or pay 40 per annum for board and lodging, or 10 for lodging alone. He must be of the age of twenty- one years, be a natural born or naturalised subject of the Queen, and have resided in the colony six months before voting/ As an encouragement to emigrants, it should be said that the mineral resources of Queensland are QUEENSLAND. 83 almost fabulous in extent. Gold, copper, tin, coal, &c., &c., are simply awaiting the hand of industry, the further aid of the English capitalist, and reasonable incentives from the government, for astonishing and enriching by their numerous yields the older countries of Europe. And the tens of millions of acres of agri- cultural and pastoral land, notwithstanding the progress and development already witnessed, are open to the industrious and skilled emigrant from all English- speaking countries on available terms. There is ' much land' to be possessed; hence the AUTHORITIES OF QUEENSLAND have no hesitation in inviting the arrival of ' the strangers and their little ones' to come and dwell in their midst. G 2 WKSI-KI CHURCH, MELBOURNE. CHAPTER IV. VICTORIA. [Area, 88,198 square miles, or 58,446,720 acres. Population^ 840,300. Revenue, 4,512,261. Expenditure, 4,318,121.' Public Debt, 17,011,382. Imports, 15,705,354. Exports, 14,196,487.] f iHE history of Victoria, formerly known as Port Philip, is no ordinary tale. Captain Murray discovered Hobson's Bay in Feb- ruary, 1802 ; and in April, Captain Flinders sailed the good ship Investigator up its placid waters. In 1803, a Mr. Grimes, then Surveyor- General of New South Wales, discovered the river Yarra Yarra at the head of the Bay. The city of Melbourne is built on the left bank of this river. In 1803, the British Government sought to found a second convict establishment in Australia. But Cap- tain Collins, who was the commander of the expedi- tion, in the ship Calcutta, reaching the Heads of Port Philip made no attempt to find a better locality, and after three months removed to the banks of the Dor- went, founding the colony of Van Diemen's Land. Thus, by the good providence of God, this portion of fair Australia was saved from the presence and taint of convictism. After the departure of Captain Collins the land was left for many years without an attempt at settle- 86 CHRISTIAN WORK 7.V AUSTRALASIA. ment. At length, in 1834, the Messrs. Henty, of Van Diemen's Land, set up a whaling establishment at Portland Bay, on the south-western coast, and forth- with introduced into that part of the country sheep and cattle. In the same year, a company was formed in Hobart Town, called 'The Port Philip Association/ for the colonisation of the PORT PHILIP DISTRICT, as it was then called. John Batman was sent in May, 1N:>~>, to report; and he subsequently imported there both sheep and cattle. In August, John Lancy, of the schooner Enterprise, went across from Launceston to Port Philip, as the representative of another company, consisting of Mr. John Fawknerand other gentlemen.* Mr, Fawkner went over in the following October. To John Batman and Johnny Fawkner as everybody called the little, old, eccentric, but shrewd and clever man must be accorded the honour of founding the settlement on the western bank of the Yarra, which has since become an emporium of commerce for the Southern World and the largest city in all Australia. Melbourne is not ' a thing of beauty,' as is its older sister Sydney ; still, it is ' a place of habitation ' much to be desired, because of its enormous population for so young a city, its numerous palatial buildings, its amazing enterprise, the high character of most of its statesmen and merchants, the true Christian gene- At the Melbourne Conference of 185G the writer had the honour of conducting the late Rev. John Allen Manton to near the spot where the Enterprise was made fast on the Yarra Yarra. Mr. Manton then and there detailed several particulars of a special service held at Launceston the evening before the schooner sailed. John Fawkner was present, and others equally interested in the project. The Wesleyan brethren in the vestry of the old chapel commended the whole party to the Divine care. God heard their prayers. VICTORIA. 87 rousness of the majority of its burgesses, and the rare ability of its judicial functionaries. Probably, men more able for fulfilling the Divine purpose in creating a great, powerful, and prosperous Anglo-Saxon nation could hardly be found. About the year 1850, the question of colonial emigration had become one of much anxiety to the British Parliament. Earl, then Lord John, Eussell notified at the close of one of its sessions that the Government would, during the recess, give its most earnest attention to this subject, with the view of finding a practical outlet for the surplus population. But before the Parliament took any action, welcome and exciting news had reached England to the effect that at PORT PHILIP yclept 'Australia Felix ' by Sir Thomas Mitchell vast auriferous treasures had been discovered. This was the Providential solution of the perplexing matter of colonial emigration for the Government and the nation. In 1851, by virtue of an Act of Parliament, 13 and 14 Vic., C. 59, the Port Philip District was severed from New South Wales, made an independent province, and named VICTORIA, in honour of the Queen. The population attracted soon multiplied by tens of thousands, as will be seen from the following- figures : In 1835 the population num- bered ... 14 1836 224 1839 3,510 1850 76,152 1854 312,307 In 1863 the population num- bered . . 574,333 , 1868 , . . 648,316 , 1871 . . . 731,528 , 1873 . . . 790,407 , 1875 . . . 813,588 , 1877 . . . 849,300 There are included 17,935 Chinese, only 36 of whom are females, and 1,553 aborigines. 88 ( '/IRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASL I . To trace the history of ministerial effort for the moral and spiritual benefit of the settlers of Port Philip would be a pleasant and somewhat romantic task. It was fortunate for the colony to have had as early as September, 1839, Mr. La Trobe appointed as superin- tendent of Port Philip. He was a man of high Christian character 'a just m#n and a good; ' but perhaps not quite equal to the unprecedented difficulties of 1852 and 1853 : a period of the wildest excitement, the like of which was never before seen, nor since, in any part of the British dominions. On the 26th of April, 1836, the Eev. Jos. Orton, who was then stationed at Hobart Town, visited Port Philip, and held a religious service under the branches of the beautiful she-oaks on Batman's Hill, still a prominent part of West Melbourne. ' Seats were placed on the eastern slope. A considerable number of the aborigines assembled, and conducted themselves with the strictest decorum. But the dramatic feature of the scene was the entrance of ten Sydney blacks, through whose means Mr. Batman had first held friendly conference with the natives. These smart, intelligent- looking fellows were dressed in red shirts and white trousers, with black kerchiefs round their necks. But the chief of the party was decorated with a full military suit, presented to him by Governor Arthur. The costume was in excellent condition, and the cocked hat and feathers formed the crowning ornament to a dress which he wore with ease and grace. The service com- menced by the reading of the liturgy, the responses being given by Mr. James Simpson. Dr. Thompson led the singing. Mr. Orton preached from the Saviour's words to Nicodemus, ' Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5 VICTORIA. 89 Soon after this remarkable service, a small sanctuary was erected in Melbourne by the Methodist settlers and a Society was formed. The Church was thus planted; and as the population increased, and towns and villages were formed, so means were found for establishing the ordinances of religion for the benefit of the people. The following unvarnished tale of the ' early days ' of Victorian Methodism should not be omitted from this history : ' When I arrived in Port Philip in the latter part of the year 1838, 1 found a small Society of about eighteen persons, of whom Mr. William Witton, now of Port Fairy, was the leader, about twelve of whom had been members in the adjacent colonies, who had brought their Methodism with them. The others had been gathered in from the world through the blessing of God attending the exertions of this little flock. On the week day evenings we met together for worship in the residence of Mr. Witton, a wattle and daub hut ; and on the Sabbath we attended the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Waterfield, Independent Minister, and the Rev. Mr. Forbes, Presbyterian Minister. Whilst our little Society appreciated the labours of these servants of God, the members anxiously looked forward to the period when they would have a pastor of their own. The great distance of the Buntingdale Mission Station from Melbourne prevented the Missionaries from visit- ing us frequently. 'In the beginning of 1838, the late Mr. James Dredge and Mr. E. S. Parker local-preachers of con- siderable ability arrived in Melbourne under an appointment from the home Government as assistant protectors to the aborigines of Port Philip. Their 90 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASI. I . arrival was regarded by our little Society as a providential circumstance, and the preaching places were thronged with attentive hearers. This, with the arrival of the Rev. B. Hurst, gave an impetus to our little cause. On the Sabbath morning service was held in the house of Mr. Witton, and in the afternoon, by the kindness of our Presbyterian friends, we occupied their place of worship. Our members gradually increased by converts from the world and by arrivals from adjacent colonies. Through the exertions and liberal donations of the Eev. B. Hurst, Messrs. J. J. Pier, Witton, Overton, and other friends, a piece of ground was purchased, and a neat but small and substantial chapel was built. In 1839, the Rev. W. Simpson, from Launceston, spent a month with us, and preached to large congrega- tions. The eloquent discourses of Mr. Simpson were rendered still more impressive by some dreadful accidents by which several persons some of great respectability were hurried into an untimely grave ; and which he did not fail to improve. This painful providence cast a gloom over our littie community; and disposed our friends for solemn reflection on the important truths to which our attention had been so recently directed. I believe his labours were not in vain in the Lord/ The following is the melancholy accident referred to. After preaching, a gentleman (Mr. Blanch) came up to the pulpit and asked Mr. Simpson to take tea at his house next day. Mr. Simpson accepted the invita- tion. But during the Sunday night, a captain, who was a friend of his, arrived with his vessel in the Bay, and meeting him early in the morning in Melbourne, pressed him very earnestly to go on board to dine. VICTORIA. 91 Mr. Simpson agreed, on condition that Mr. Blanch acquiesced; which he, at last, reluctantly did. During the same day, two young men called at Mr. Blanch's shop to buy percussion caps. Some dispute having arisen as to their quality; one was put on the nipple of the lock and the cock was drawn. The gun being loaded, it went off; when the contents were lodged in a canister of powder, and a dreadful explosion took place. The shop was set on fire ; Mr. and Mrs. Blanch were killed, and the place was blown up. The two young men were much wounded; their faces were frightfully distorted, and they were with much difficulty removed to a temporary hospital. Had not the captain fortunately met Mr. Simpson, and pressed him to spend the day on board, he would certainly have been at the house of Mr. Blanch; and, in all probability, he, too, would have lost his life. In 1838, Mr. Orton* visited Sydney on behalf of the mission to the aborigines of Port Philip. His Excellency the Governor promised substantial help, and manifested great interest in the enterprise. In the same year the Revs. Messrs. B. Hurst and F. Tuckfield This excellent man began his ministry in Jamaica in 1826. Two years after he was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel to the black and coloured people. ' There were ' tyrants ' in the earth in those days.' His health, under this cruel treatment, utterly failed, and he returned to England. He was soon appointed by the Conference to the Australian Mission, in which he Laboured to the end of his useful and honourable career. In March, 1842, his health having again failed, he embarked at Sydney for England, via Cape Horn. Off the Horn the weather was unusually boisterous, whereby his suffer- iugs were greatly increased, and ended in his death, on the 30th April. He died trusting in that Saviour Whom he had for many years preached to others, and departed in peace, to be ' for ever with the Lord.' 92 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTJtALAfHA. were appointed to this mission. In a few years, how- ever, it was reluctantly abandoned, and the Missionaries returned to the English work. It cannot be said with truth that the apparent failure of this Christian adven- ture was in any way the fault of the honoured men, who, that they might serve this humane mission, had given up the comforts of their English homes, and the advantages of civilised and intellectual society, for a habitation in what was then a veritable wilderness, and to live amidst a race of people of the lowest type ; or from the want of a disposition on the part of the natives although at times they were strangely capri- cious and uncertain to be instructed in the right and good way. But the failure to secure a permanent estab- lishment at Buntingdale must be attributed solely to an entirely new condition of things, arising out of the open- ing up of that part of the colony for settlement, which neither the government nor Missionaries could control. Still, it was not all failure. Many years ago, as Mr. Tuckfield was amusing himself by a little work in his garden at South Geelong, a black native came up, leaned against the fence, and cried out, ' Massa Tuck- field, Massa Tuckfield, be that you ? you know, 'member me ? ' Mr. Tuckfield instantly recognised him, although so many years had elapsed since he had seen him at the station, as one of the youths who had been a scholar in the mission school. After shaking hands, a conver- sation ensued, and the old Missionary inquired of the native as to his remembrance of the many good lessons which had been taught him in his early life. Such a question was not a surprise but an evident pleasure to the native. He threw back his blanket from over his breast, and produced a copy of the New Testament, together with a portion of the Wesleyan catechisms VICTORIA. 93 translated by the Missionaries into the aborigines' tongue, which he had himself received from Mr. Tuck- field and preserved as his comforter and guide. A few passages he also read,, and showed great interest in them. This is another beautiful illustrative incident of grace, proving ' beyond ' and above ' all controversy ' . . . 'that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation, he thatfeareth Him and worketh righteous- ness is accepted with Him/ . . . ' For ye are all one in Christ Jesus/ The first Conference appointment proper to the English work in Victoria was that of the Rev. Samuel Wilkinson in .1841, who is, even now, in a remarkable degree, a young old man. This excellent and much loved minister received a well-merited acknowledgment of his untiring and unblemished years of service from his brethren by their election of him to the presidency of their Conference in Sydney in 1875. After Mr. Wilkinson came the Rev. William Scho- field, who, during a three years' term in the Melbourne Circuit, rendered much help to the infant, struggling cause. As a curiosity we give here the exact copy of a marriage license in use in 1843, which was forwarded to the Minister in charge by the ever- watchful 'head of the denomination ' at that time. WESLEYAN-METHODIST SOCIETY, NEW SOUTH WALES DISTEICT. MARRIAGE LICENSE. Sflljmas, of and of are desirous of entering into the holy estate of Matrimony ; and the said hath appeared before one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for this colony, and made affidavit that they are both unmarried, and above twenty-one years of age ; and that there is no impediment arising from consanguinity, pre-contract, or 94 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. otherwise : this is to authorise you to solemnise a marriage between the said parties without the publication of Banns ; ^Jrobibcb (hat if it ft hall appear that there is any such impediment existing at this present time, this license shall be null and void. As witness my hand and seal this day 18 O JOHN McKKNNY, The Rev. Chairman of the Distri< t. Thus, in that early stage of the colouy's growth, the principle of full religious liberty and equal minis- terial rights was accorded by the highest authorities. Indeed, in the matter of issuing marriage licenses, the Chairman of the district and the Bishop of the diocese stood upon the same footing; and the mar- riages solemnised under such licenses had the same validity, whether performed by Wesleyan, Episcopalian, or Presbyterian ministers. Between the periods of 1843 and 1849 Victorian Methodism, from a variety of circumstances, was a small and feeble thing. But the Lord did not ' break the bruised reed/ nor ' quench the smoking flax;' so that under His patient and tender administration, the Society was gathering strength the ' light' was coming, and the 'glory of the Lord' was rising upon the land. We date from September, 1851, the fuller ecclesi- astical organisation of Victorian Methodism. A wise choice had been made by the Committee and Con- ference of an experienced and well tried Minister, in the person of the Eev. William Butters, to be at the head of the District ; and, as events soon proved, to perform the duties of a travelling Bishop for superin- tending the Churches. As general financier Mr. Butters, too, had to find the necessary funds for re- plenishing a too-frequently exhausted exchequer, so as to enable it to meet the heavy demands which VICTORIA. 95 were made upon it for ministerial support, the building of churches, parsonages, and schoolrooms. Mr. Butters was a man of great sagacity, of broadest sympathies, and of manly bearing. He was in the truest sense a primus inter pares, and a ' father ' to the younger men, whose pleasure it was to regard him with respectful affection, and to follow his judicious counsels with unhesitating steps. The first regularly constituted District Meeting in Victoria was held by him in September, 1851, at which were present: WILLIAM BUTTERS, Chairman; Frederick Lewis, Secretary ; William Lightbody, John Harcourt, and Samuel Waterhouse. In anticipation of f the rush' to the recently discovered gold fields the meeting earnestly requested the Committee at home to send out two additional Ministers, at the same time undertaking all the cost of their maintenance, and also promising to raise a considerable amount towards paying their passage and outfit. Many arrangements were made for the more effectual carrying on of the work of God in the Dis- trict, and the following special minute was passed relative to the multitudes who were beginning to flock to the colony in quest of gold : ' The brethren have every reason to believe that emigration from Great Britain to Victoria will continue and increase ; and deeply lamenting the spiritual de- fection of many of our members on the voyage, and the consequent loss to our Church of those who were devoted and useful at home, respectfully suggest to the Committee the importance of adopting some measure calculated to prevent so serious an evil. If those who intend to emigrate could be induced to 96 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA . procure "tickets of removal" from their respective Circuits, and urged to present them immediately on their arrival in this country : further, if they could be visited on board the vessels in which they are to sail by one who would give them suitable counsel and advice, and who would forward a correct list of their names to the Ministers here, we are persuaded that much good would result. The brethren being im- pressed with the importance of devoting their best attention to those members of our Church and congre- gation who may arrive from home or from the colonies, resolve to do their utmost to visit any vessel with immigrants immediately on its arrival, in order to give them suitable advice, and to endeavour to bring them at once into connection with the Church/ In this, the first properly constituted District Meeting held in Victoria, the Chairman, the Rev. W. Butters, brought out fully the ' connexional ' principle, and indelibly marked its proceedings with that breadth of view which characterised the whole of his subse- quent administration of Methodist finance. Thus was our ecclesiastical and financial polity fairly launched ; and every available precaution taken for the conserva- tion of the Societies and congregations already gathered. And due steps were taken for the further extension of the work of God throughout the whole colony, which was being rapidly inundated by 'the rush' from England. The minutes of this District Meeting indicated the expectations of the brethren as to what might a from the discovery of extensive gold-fields in the interior of the province. But a hundredth part had not been surmised ! Mr. Butters, under date January 21 st, VICTORIA. 97 1852, addressed the following letter to the Committee. We give it in full, for, written under the inspiration of the circumstances, it has a freshness and earnestness which will be appreciated by every reader possessed of genuine religious feeling. ' SOME weeks ago I posted the minutes of our first annual meeting of the Victorian section of the " Aus- tralia and Van Diemen's Land District," with the reports from the Circuits. The accounts were for- warded to Mr. Boyce. Since then, however, great changes have taken place amongst us, with which, I think, you ought to be made acquainted. From other sources you will have learnt that large portions of this vast country have been proved to be immense gold- fields of surpassing richness, and that already several tons of the precious metal have been brought into Melbourne. The news of our wealth has brought thousands of persons from the adjacent colonies, who, with many of the inhabitants of our towns and villages, are now congregated where the rich deposit is found. f lt is impossible to imagine the wild excitement which has been induced, and the effects which have followed in every department of the work. At the date of the discovery everything was in a healthy and flourishing condition : our chapels were filled to over- flowing; our class and prayer-meetings were well attended ; our members in Society were steadily and rapidly increasing ; our Sunday and day-schools were in great prosperity ; our Tract Society was in vigorous and efficient operation ; and our members and office- bearers generally seemed to feel that they were called to be workers together with God, and with us, in spreading Scriptural holiness through the land. But 98 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA LA SI. 1 . the gold has, for the present, sadly deranged all our plans. Many of our members, and more than half of our local-preachers, are scattered over the length and breadth of these extensive gold-fields. Some of them have become suddenly and unexpectedly rich, while others have been greatly inconvenienced by the changes which have taken place ; and there is manifest danger lest the all-absorbing subject of the day should turn away their minds and hearts from things unseen and eternal. 'We confidently hope, however, that this state of things will soon pass away, and that the wondrous events which are transpiring around us will be made subservient to the extension and establishment of the Redeemer's kingdom. What the ultimate effects of these discoveries may be, the shrewdest amongst us dare not guess. It seems reasonable, however, to expect that an immense population will be attracted to the place. About 1,000 persons arrived from Van Diemen's Land and Adelaide yesterday ; and we are told that thousands more are coming. I suppose multitudes may be expected to come from the country which we still delight to think and speak of as home. If so, we shall require a proportionate increase of ministerial strength. 'At our September Quarterly Meeting, held before anything important in reference to the gold was known, the propriety of requesting the Committee to send out help was earnestly urged, and twelve of those who were present engaged to contribute or collect 5 each towards paying the passage and outfit of two Ministers from England, if they can be sent at once. The thousands that have been added to our population since then have rendered the case increasingly urgent ! ' We require, at least, four Ministers for this Cir- cuit, or rather, the Circuit ought to be divided into VICTORIA. 99 three, with two preachers in Melbourne, one at Colling- wood, and one at Brighton, as recommended in our last minutes. And then, at a distance of about eighty miles, is Mount Alexander, where there are between 20,000 and 30,000 persons digging for gold, amongst whom are hundreds of our members, without any Wesleyan Minister, except as they are visited from Melbourne. The brethren felt the circumstances of these persons at the mines so much, that about a fortnight ago we met together, and determined that although Melbourne itself needed additional help, yet it should send up one of its number to devote his undivided attention to that part of the country. ' Application was made to his Excellency the Governor to afford us pecuniary aid from the gold revenue towards carrying out this object; and I have just received a letter from the hon. the Colonial Secre- tary informing me that all we asked will be granted. ' Will the Committee allow me to call their special attention to the remarks in our District minutes on the subject of those members of our Church who may emigrate to these shores ? 'For myself, I may probably be allowed to say that I never felt the responsibility of my position as I do now. I need much more wisdom and grace to occupy as I ought my present position. May Almighty God greatly bless us ; and not us only, but you also ! ' The following extract from Dr. Osborn's reply to this appeal will show the spirit with which it was responded to by the Committee : have received your letter of January 21st, 1852, informing us of the transmission of the minutes of your section of the District, &c. It has given us a H2 100 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. sincere delight to hear how the work has prospered under your care; and now that the affairs of the province have taken such an unexpected turn, we are full of hope that Methodism will assume a position such as it never before has occupied. You have done well in providing a supply for Mount Alexander, how- ever inconvenient it may prove for a time, and we trust that the labourer there may see fruit of his endeavours. The population at that place is, no doubt, not in a very favourable soil for Christian truth ; but we must sow beside all waters. And amidst the various circumstances in which so large a number of persons are assembled, it may be that some will be prepared by the discipline of Divine providence to receive the Word with meekness, and bring forth fruit unto perfection. ' We hope to send out four men to your province with the least possible delay; and I wish we could double the number. Now is our opportunity. Emi- grants will be pouring in upon your land (and I suppose the more, the more welcome), and Ministers to come with them. But I fear that we cannot contemplate more than four, nor should we have gone so far but for the account you give of the spirited subscription to pay the passage of two, which was entered into (as we understand) before the gold discoveries began, and which I have no doubt will not only be completed according to promise, but exceeded/ Many expressions of sympathy accompanied this statement of the intentions of the Committee, and Drs. Diluting and Hoole, and the Rev. W. Arthur, each wrote to Mr. Butters kindly words of encouragement and counsel. The brethren appointed were the Revs. T. Hasten, R. Hart, and I. Harding. 1 02 CHRIST1A N WORK IN A USTJIA LA XI. I . It was clear that the Victorian Chairman and the London Committee fully understood each other; and l!i;it on both sides every practicable thing would be done for this new ' nation/ which had been 'born' as it were ( in a day/ As might be expected, incidents of exigency and enlargement of the work followed each other with sure and rapid steps. In the report of the Melbourne Circuit for 1852, it was said that during the year all their chapel debts, amounting to between 2,000 and 3,000, had been paid off; still the brethren were distressed. Thousands of persons came who had been members at home, but who could not be induced to meet in Class. In many instances they were utterly unknown ; and, consequently, they were unnoticed. Not having a proper place where they could lodge on their arrival, they were frequently thrown into the very worst associations, and became thoughtless of God and indifferent to the obligations of Church membership. Melbourne, if not a Sodom, certainly was a very Babel of confusion and impiety. Under these circumstances, it was determined to erect a large wooden building, to be called ' The Wesleyan Emigrants' Home/ which eventually cost between 1 1,000 and 5,000, on land which hnd been promptly given for the purpose by his Excellency Governor La Trobe. By offering the benefits of the ' Home ' to all members of our Church or congregation imme- diately on their arrival, and introducing them at once to the means of grace, the ever thoughtful Chairman and his brethren hoped to be helpful to many of God's people when they first knew the heart of ' a stranger in a strange land.' The speedily acquired treasures of many of the immigrant Methodist people had not up to this time VICTORIA. 103 been a 'temptation and a snare ; ' but, incontestable a means for enabling them to do their part in the country of their voluntary exile in supporting Christian ordinances, which they had found prepared to their hands, and of clearing the way for further extension of those ordinances for the moral and spiritual benefit of the tens of thousands who were emigrating thither. For still they came ! In 1853, the Conference appointed additional Mis- sionaries for Victoria, viz., Mr. Bickford, Mr. Waugh, Mr. Wells, Mr. Hill, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Albiston, and Mr. Akrill. These brethren, with the exception of Mr. Bickford, sailed for Melbourne in the Beulah ; it being fully understood that they went out subject to the new regulations under which the work in Australia was henceforward to be placed. Thus they became members of the Australasian Connexion, and so re- linquished all claims upon the English Conference for appointments in Great Britain. The first District Meeting, in Melbourne, which the writer attended, was in October, 1854. The business of the District having grown enormously, it was felt to be necessary that the Chairman should be released from Circuit duties, and be at liberty to generally supervise and regulate the work throughout the colony. Accordingly, the Rev. John Eggleston having been removed to Melbourne First Circuit, and the Rev. J. C. Symons placed in charge of the Second Melbourne Circuit, Mr. Butters was free to pursue his semi- episcopal tours with comfort to himself and great benefit to the cause throughout the whole province. The official connection of the Rev. William Butters with the Wesleyan Church in Victoria was terminated by the action of the first Australasian Conference, held 1 04 CHRIS TIA N WORK IN A US TRALASIA. in Sydney in 1855. He was succeeded in the chair of the District by the Rev. Daniel James Draper, who had been for many years the recognised head of our Church in South Australia. Few men have had an opportunity of stepping into a position more eminently influential, or of receiving from a predecessor a more valuable inheritance or trust. Mr. Draper found as constituting the Methodist Church of Victoria: 31 churches ; 40 other preaching places ; 1 4 schools, used as chapels; 15 Ministers; 1 catechist; 59 day-school teachers; 401 Sunday-school teachers; 151 local- preachers; 1,955 members; 84 on trial for member- ship ; 41 Sabbath-schools ; 3,507 Sabbath-school scholars ; 37 day-schools ; 3,097 day-scholars ; and 18,897 attendants on public worship. Mr. Draper soon gained the affectionate confidence of his co-workers, and laid himself out, with com- mendable zeal and fidelity, to carry on and extend the work which had been so successfully initiated by his predecessor. He had charge of the Second Melbourne Circuit ; but he soon found, as did Mr. Butters, that the care of the District, which then embraced the whole colony, was so onerously oppressive, that it was needful that he should be freed from all Circuit re- sponsibilities, and should devote his time and energies to the interests of Victorian Methodism. The ruling passion of Mr. Draper was the erection of good churches ; and to him, either as the originator, or as the ready assistant of superintendents, or as a wise counsellor of younger brethren, Victorian Metho- dism is much indebted. He gave vigorous attention also to the procuring of eligible sites for church, school, and parsonage purposes. Between 1850, the year of Mr. Butters' advent into the colony, and that VICTORIA. 105 of 1 86G, the year of Mr. Draper's melancholy death in the Bay of Biscay, the greater part of the Church lands in Victoria were obtained. So that, with the additions since made through the applications of the Revs. J. S. Waugh, J. Bickford, J. Watsford, and T. Williams, resident Presidents of the Australasian Con- ference, there is scarcely an inhabited locality in the whole colony where the Wesleyans have not a plot of land, and for which Crown grants have not been ob- tained. For some yea.rs this important department of connexional business has been in the hands of Mr. Waugh, whose assiduous attention to the legal aspects and monetary condition of the trusts has been beyond all praise. State aid, however, by grants of land, or by payments from the consolidated fund, ceased in Victoria, December 31st, 1875. The planting of the Methodist Church on the Victorian gold-fields was one of the greatest charities ever known. Governor La Trobe is reported to have said that no police agency, or physical force of any kind, could control the heterogeneous herds of men that had come together on those auriferous lands. Ministers of religion to preach to the people, and schools for the children, in his opinion, alone could modify and control the turbulent passions of the digging population. The Methodist authorities were fortunate in securing for the premier positions such excellent and zealous men as the Rev. Thomas Raston for Bendigo, the Rev. W. P. Wells for Castlemaine, and the Rev. Theophilus Taylor for Ballaarat. Each of these laboured three years in his respective sphere, and successfully laid the foundations of what has grown into many Circuits since. They were succeeded by the Rev. Joseph Dare in Bendigo, by Mr. Rastoa 10G CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. in Castlemaine, and Mr. Bickford in Ballaarat. The anxious and laborious toils, including pioneer work of every description, are now matters of history ; nor will any one of their successors ever know a tithe of what had to be patiently endured by the founders of these Circuits. Of Mr. Taylor, it may be said, that his many exposures and harassing cares laid him aside in the midst of his effective ministry, and brought him to a premature grave. But the brethren did not murmur ; for they secured by their unselfish labours the affectionate respect of their people, and ' the pleasure of the Lord prospered in their hands/ There is an inexpressible charm, as well as painful interest, in the letters from the gold-fields in 1854 and three following years. Ballaarat took a leading position from the first. Nothing can exceed in sim- plicity of statement, force, and earnestness the follow- ing letter which Mr. Taylor wrote the Committee. He says : ' Since my arrival in Ballaarat I have been much encouraged to hope for great good as the result of my labours. Our congregations are overflowing, and we have work for twenty ministers instead of one. If this infant colony the germ of a future empire is to be impregnated with God's truth, and exalted by those principles which can alone give permanency and power, we must have a much greater force of minis- terial agency than is already in the field. Take Bal- laarat for example. I believe I am the only Minister, except a Roman Catholic priest, in the midst of 20,000 people. In such a position, to attend to such vital movements as the catechumen, and many others of equal importance, is utterly impracticable. Although we have a staff of twelve noble brethren, who, at great sacrifice, assist in preaching the Gospel, yet with this VICTORIA. 107 agency, and with five preaching places crowded with hearers, anxious to hear the " healing sound," we can- not possibly reach more than 1,000, or one-twentieth part of the population. And thus 19,000 are left with- out the possibility of being reached with "the joyful news." Truly " the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few." This is a most affecting fact, especially when we remember that the major part of the many thousands around us were English, and had been accustomed from their youth up to sit under God's Ministers, have had much " good seed " sown in their hearts, and felt many drawings from above. But now, being beyond the reach of the sanctuary where those impressions would be revived and fostered the good seed is scattered, and gracious influences are choked. 1 Still more affecting, there are hundreds who at home were members of our Church, but now, allured by the golden treasures beneath, they have lost their first love, and have forsaken Christ. Had we the means and agency to meet their case, many might be saved from a backslider's perdition. But we have not. I am doing what I can at the task ; but truly it is herculean. Gracious rains of the holy influence fall upon our little hill of Zion, and much good is being done ; but, in comparison of what ought to be done, it is nothing.'' The Rev. W. P. Wells deserves especial notice, for no man on the gold-fields at the time occupied a more responsible position or had to contend with more diffi- culties than he. Mr. Wells had charge of what was then called the MOUNT ALEXANDER GOLD-FIELDS, and an enormous extent of surrounding country. His resi- dence was fixed at Castlemaine, which was central to 108 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. his work, and for three years he manfully grappled with it in all its aspects. Clear-headed, self-possessed, loving in disposition, able in counsel and in the pulpit, a constitutional Methodist ' by inheritance,' as well as by careful training 1 and intelligent choice, he, by the blessing of God, gathered a large number of persons into Christian fellowship, laid down the lines for sub- sequent operations, and left the impress of his success- ful labours on the congregations and day and Sabbath- schools, which he formed throughout that extensive district. The following letter, dated July 15th, 1857, from the Rev. James Bickford, who was appointed to the superintendency of the Ballaarat Circuit in March of that year, appeared in the Missionary Notices : ' There were reported to the last Conference 301 Church members, 35 local-preachers, 784 scholars, 10 chapels, 8 other preaching places, 3,500 attendants upon the ministry of the Word. These are results which, per- haps, can hardly be paralleled, when we consider that it is only about six years since the whole district of what is now Ballaarat was a dense forest ; a few shepherds occasionally conducted their tens of thousands of sheep along its hill-sides and through its fertile valleys, and now and then a few scores of aboriginal tribes were seen in all their native wildness, threading their soli- tary way along the banks of the Warrouee. During this period a population, numbering nearly 50,000 souls, has been gathered from various countries, who have extracted from the bowels of the earth upwards of 3,050,000 ounces of gold, and who, in addition to the foregoing, have personally conveyed to Melbourne, to England, and to America, untold amounts of the precious treasure. Amongst these thousands of people, VICTORIA. 109 and during periods of extraordinary excitement, this Circuit has been formed. ' Our Quarterly Meeting was held last week ; after the financial business was finished the usual question was proposed : " What shall be done to promote the work of God in this Circuit ? " It was resolved : 1 . To seek by earnest supplication a richer baptism of the Holy Ghost upon ourselves. 2. To pray for each other every day at 1 p.m. 3. To commence forthwith the good old Methodist custom of holding the Saturday evening prayer-meeting wherever practicable, with the view of securing the special grace and blessing of God to rest upon the preaching of the Gospel throughout the Circuit. It was a good and happy meeting. ' I have frequently thought, particularly since the breaking up of our mission in Canton, what a pity it is that we have not a European Missionary labouring amongst the Chinese in Victoria. There are, accord- ing to the census recently taken, as many as 11,000 on the Ballaarat gold-fields alone ; and, in the colony altogether, there are, it is said, upwards of 80,000. This, therefore, would be the arena for operating upon the Chinese mind ; and, especially, as there are none of those almost insurmountable barriers to be con- tended with which cross the path of the noble Piercy and his zealous helpers in China. Here, also, the Christian population sympathise with the efforts now being made for the evangelisation of these Confucians ; and more abundantly would they sympathise if a respectable European agency were employed. I have also thought, in the event of the health of any of our Missionaries in China failing, they might come over to Victoria, and not go to England, to recover the lost boon. There would then be no great interruption to 1 10 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA LAS 1. 1 . the prosecution of their work during the process of recovery, and a finer and more productive field, among the Chinese here already, spread before them for the continuous employment of their restored energy and xcal. I have not the slightest doubt but that the Wesleyans of Victoria alone would support a Mis- sionary of their own Church for the spiritual benefit of these thousands of deluded and, at present, repul- sive foreigners, if such could be forthwith sent.' The District Meeting of 1855 was held in Geeloncr, during the sittings of which the Rev. William Law- rence Binks and the Rev. George B. Richards arrived from England. On returning to Melbourne by steamer, Mr. Draper mentioned to two or three of the brethren that it had been suggested to him that the Collins Street property might be sold probably for 40,000 ; and with that sum a new and elegant church might be erected on the Reserve in Lonsdale Street, and that other churches and parsonages might be built in Mel- bourne and suburbs. This idea took fast hold upon Mr. Draper's fruitful mind, whilst the thought of doing so great a work for Methodism greatly delighted him. The Conference of 1856 appointed Mr. Binks to the superintendency of the Melbourne First Circuit, in whom Mr. Draper found a willing and able helper for accomplishing this most desirable object. Legal and other difficulties had to be overcome ; and, in due course, Wesley Church was erected and dedicated to the service of God. The first of the services was held on Thursday, the 26th of August, 1858, when the President of the Australasian Conference, the Rev. William Butters, preached a very able discourse, foundei I on the 1 1 th and 1 2 th and 1 4th verses of the fourth chap t er VICTORIA. Ill of Zechariah ; and the Rev. Adam Cairns, D.D., of the Presbyterian Church, occupied the pulpit in the even- ing. On the Sabbath, August 29th, the President again preached at 11 a.m., the Rev. Isaac New (Bap- tist) at 3 p.m., and the Rev. Joseph Dare, of Sand- hurst, at 6.30 p.m. Wesley Church ranks as one of the finest ecclesiastical edifices in Melbourne, and is not surpassed by any yet erected in any part of the Southern World. At the annual District Meeting of 1862, two impor- tant resolutions were passed. (1.) As to the desirable- ness of establishing a Grammar School and Theological Institution. (2.) Recommending to the Conference the tri-partition of the Victorian District. Both resolutions were sanctioned by the succeeding Conference. A large and eligible site was secured from the Government on the St. Kilda Road, about three miles from Melbourne. Means were taken for the erection of suitable buildings for the twofold object of impart- ing a high class education and of training candidates for the Wesleyan ministry. The appeal for funds was liberally responded to, and the result, with the amounts received from the Victoria Government for the purpose of a grammar school, enabled the energetic committee to proceed with the erection of capacious and elegant buildings, and in 1867 they were opened as a Wesleyan Collegiate Institution. In 1868 the Conference relieved the Rev. J. S. Waugh from Circuit responsibilities, and appointed him as President of the College. Although there were many difficulties at the beginning, yet, by the blessing of God, these were overcome, and now Wesley College stands out as one of the best and most effective educational institutions in the colony. The year 1870 was marked by u terrible incident. 112 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. The Rev. William Hill, after labouring with much acceptance and honour for sixteen years in some of the important Circuits in Victoria, and for six years having sustained the responsible position of Chairman of the Castlemaine and Sandhurst District, whilst on duty as Methodist chaplain in the Pentridge Stockade, was brutally murdered by a life-convict of the name of Ritson. Thus fell one of the most accomplished and scholarly of the Victorian Ministers. The wretched man (Ritson) had the benefit, after his conviction, of the assiduous attentions of the Revs. W. D. Lelean, E. I. Watkin, and F. Neale ; but whether he died a peni- tent the 'day ' alone ( will declare/ The orphan family of the martyr Minister was liberally provided for by the Victorian Government. The deepest sympathy of all classes of the people was manifested for the Hill family; who, being deprived of both parents, were cast upon the Wesleyan Church and the Parliament for their education and support. It would have been an anomaly in the Methodist organisation of Victoria had there not been a BOOK CONCERN for supplying Wesleyan literature, together with other cheap and wholesome works, for the special benefit of our young people and adherents generally. For several years this important business was done on the Wesleyan Church property, Lonsdale Street, Mel- bourne ; but, in 1872, other premises were secured in the city, where business amounting to 4,000 per annum is now transacted. The Rev. J. C. Symons has held the office cf Book Steward for fifteen years, and Editor of the Wesleyan Chronicle from 1863 to 1875, when the Chronicle was superseded by a weekly paper, The Spectator and Methodist Chronicle. To him Wesleyan Methodism in Victoria is greatly indebted VICTORIA. 113 for the efficient manner in which he has conducted its literature, also for the fearless and prompt resistance he has put forth when either the accepted doctrines we hold, or the ecclesiastical economy we have received from our fathers, has been attacked. At the Melbourne Conference, 1878, the Rev. Spencer Williams presented the Report of Connexional property, from which we find that there are in Victoria oil church sites; of these 280 were grants from the Crown, 83 were gifts, 148 were purchased. Total cost, 11,865. Present value, 77,181. The number for which deeds had been obtained was 203. Also build- ings, 639: viz., churches, 41 6 ; parsonages, 69 ; schools, 107; college, 1; other buildings, 46. The total cost of buildings was 424,075 ; present value, 329,834. Accommodation, 78,916. The capital of the loan fund is 5,004 5s. 8d. The statistical returns of 1878 were as follow : 62 Circuits; churches, 319 ; other preaching places, 181 ; Ministers, 88; Sabbath- school teachers, 3,837; local- preachers, 582 ; Class-leaders, 684 ; catechumens, 769 ; members, 10,489; on trial for membership, 1,543; Sabbath -schools, 375; Sabbath-scholars, 34,852; at- tendants on public worship, 81,274. This work of God has been performed, and these results have been reaped, by one Christian body, in the midst of many others, in the short space of about forty years. Is it not truly wonderful ? Ajad, indeed, without a parallel in the history of modern evangelism in any other colony of Britain ! Shall we not then gratefully say, ' It is the Lord's doing ; and it is mar- vellous in our eyes/ 114 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The Right Reverend Charles Perry, D.D., was con- secrated first Bishop of Melbourne on the 29th June, 1847, and on the 23rd of January, 1848, he arrived in Hobson's Bay, Port Philip. Then 1 had been pre- viously three Ministers of this Church settled in the colony. The Bishop now brought with him thivr others, the Very Reverend H. B. Macartney, D.D., the Rev. Francis Heales, and the Rev. Daniel Newham. The former of these has laboured in Victoria from 1848 to 1878, with great acceptance, and by his kind- ness of heart, his continued fervour, and his unaffected sanctity of life, has won for himself the appropriate sobriquet of the GOOD OLD DEAN. At that time, Mel- bourne had only two (unfinished) churches, a small church at Geelong, and a weather-board one at Belfast. Of schools, there was a small weather-board building in Melbourne, and there were two of brick, respect- ively at Geelong and Portland. Two parsonages also existed, one at Geelong and one at Portland. Episco- palianism, at that time, was very feeble. Bishop Perry was received in Melbourne with true Christian kindness and English hospitality. He was exceedingly pleased to find in the then Superintendent of Port Philip, C. La Trobe, Esq., a gentleman of un- blemished character, who, by his regular attendance upon the ordinances of his Church and liberality in aiding every good work, was an example to the whole community. During the first six months of Dr. Perry's oversight and labours he was mostly occupied in Mel- bourne and Geelong in endeavouring to gather congre- irntious and to establish schools, after which he made extensive tours to various parts of the province. VICTORIA. 115 Victoria opening up for emigration, the Bishop wrote: (1.) ' Those who have failed of success at home from the want of practical good sense and energy of character have no good ground to hope that they would succeed better in Victoria. (2.) Those who have ruined themselves by intemperance and profligacy are not likely there to retrieve either their characters or their fortunes ; and the sending out of such persons, which has been too common a practice with parents and other relatives, cannot be too strongly deprecated. (3.) Sober, honest, intelligent, hard-working English or Scotch labourers, and mechanics, particularly such as are employed about house-buildings, &c., as brick- makers, bricklayers, stonemasons, carpenters, plasterers, and such like, are sure to find employment. Every farmer must himself be a labourer/ Although thirty years have elapsed since the good Bishop wrote these judicious and necessary counsels, yet they are now as seasonable as when they were first written. Dr. Perry was very decided as to the kind of men he would receive into the Church of which he was the chief Minister. He accordingly appointed three emi- nent Ministers in England, viz., Professor Schofield, the Rev. H. Venn, and the Rev. J. Cooper, as Com- missaries to inquire into and judge of the qualifications of all applicants for ministerial employment in his diocese. His words are full of weight and practical value. He says : ' I am peculiarly anxious that our clergy should not only be faithful men, themselves taught of the Spirit, and thus able to teach others, but also should be duly qualified, both in body and mind, for the efficient discharge of their duties. I have always spoken of activity and energy of character as essential requisites of a successful colonist; but if they are i2 " 116 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. needful for a layman, much more are they necessary for a clergyman. No mistake can he greater than to suppose that those who are not efficient in the ministry at home may be useful here. It is just the contrary. There are many who may do much good in a quiet country village at home, but who would be worse than useless here. We must have men of more than ordi- nary zeal, and of patient, persevering diligence. We do not, indeed, so much want men of highly cultivated minds and deep learning, as men of practical good sense and warm affections, men well versed in the English Bible, and able, as a man expressed to me the other day, to read a chapter in a family, and speak to them, upon it. It is only by obtaining clergymen who shall be both earnest and effective preachers, and also diligent pastors of the flock, visiting continually among their people, and knowing how to speak a word in season to all, that we may hope, by God's blessing, to preserve and extend the influence of our Church. Its power for good, humanly speaking, depends upon the character of its individual Ministers. Hence, my purpose is, with God's help, to employ none but such as I have described. The arrival of parties who were not aware of my rule has already placed me, more than once, in a very difficult and painful position ; and I am on that account desirous that it should be gener- ally known. I may add, also, that my experience has already shown me that it is absolutely necessary.' It cannot be said that Bishop Perry has succeeded in introducing into his diocese any stars of the English Episcopal Church men of great preaching power and stirring eloquence ; but he has secured some of unques- tioned piety, of respectable scholarship, and pains- VICTORIA. 117 taking pastoral habits. Besides, he has succeeded in keeping out of the ministry in his Church men of doubt- ful orthodoxy and semi-Romanising teaching. And for his watchful care in these respects he has the warm approval of every sincere Christian in the colony; and, what is better even than that, the Divine approbation. Such was the disorganisation of society occasioned by the discovery of the gold-fields that every church, building then in the course of erection, with the ex- ception of St. Paul's, Melbourne, had to be stopped, and no new ones could be begun either in town or country. As a temporary measure only, the Legis- lature, in 1853, passed an act for appropriating 30,000 out of the public revenue for the support of the Chris- tian religion, one-half of which fell to Bishop Perry for the Episcopal Body. There was another sum of about 3,000 appropriated by the Legislature, out of which Dr. Perry received 1,000 per annum as his stipend. And for three Ministers located on the gold- fields 1,350 was provided by a distinct vote of the Legislative Council.* Still the bishop was greatly troubled for the gold-fields' population. He thought their case was almost hopeless, and it pressed heavily upon his mind. It was a grievous burden. He wrote : ' It is certain that other bodies of Christians, the Wes- leyans in particular, do succeed in making some, if not altogether an adequate, provision even for such a popu- lation as that upon the gold-fields of Victoria. Why, In 1855 the Victorian Parliament voted 50,000 per annum, without committing itself to the principle of a State Church, to be distributed according to the census returns of the respective denominations ; but the Act which provid d this aid to the voluntary bodies alike has since been repealed. There is not now, in any form, STATE AID to religion in the colony. 118 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRAL ,1 SfA. then, cannot the Church of England do so? That it does not, and practically cannot, proves that there must be a fault somewhere. And wherein does the fault lie ? Is there wanting in our ecclesiastical system a power of adapting itself to the wants of a young and rapidly growing colony ? If there be, those who truly love our Church should endeavour so to modify that system as to supply the defect/ Dr. Perry saw, a< early as 1801-, that local legisla- tion was indispensably necessary for enabling the Episcopal . Church in Victoria to regulate its own affairs. Her Majesty's authority did not confer that power. It was therefore a bold step when he invited the clergy to meet him in conference; at the same time he invited every district where there was a located Minister to send a lay representative also. The Bishop was ably assisted in this business by Sir "William Stawell (now Chief Justice), the late Sir James Palmer (then President of the Legislative Council), and the Eight Honourable H. C. E. Cbilders, who was then a member of the Victorian Government. A bill was subsequently passed through the Victorian Parlia- ment, and Dr. Perry came with it to England to secure the assent of the Crown. This was in due course given. The title of the act ran : ' To enable the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity of the United Church of England and Ireland to provide for the regulation of the affairs of the said Church/ So carefully was this important instrument drawn the MAOXA CHAIITA of Anglicanism in the colony that from the time of its becoming law, with one slight amendment, it has never had to be touched or altered. It bears date October 24, 1856. Bishop Perry, as President of the Church Assem- VICTORIA. 110 N bly in IS 70, gave the statistics of the diocese as follow : Ministers, 122 ; consecrated churches, 35 ; unconsecrated ditto, 170 ; parsonages, 81. There had been added in 19 years about 100 Ministers and 75 parsonages. The amount expended upon church build- ings since 1855, amounted to 400,000, of which 250,000 including borrowed moneys not yet paid had been raised by the Church itself. It is the merest justice to Dr. Perry to say that he did his very utmost to overtake the religious wants of the nominal Episcopalian following in his extensive diocese. He admits, however, that ' during 1852 the Church made scarcely any progress whatever. It was wholly unable to make any provision for the spiritual need of the additional 70,000, or, if we consider only those who professed to belong to its communion, 35,000 persons, who had come to claim its care. At the end of that year, therefore, the prospect was, altogether, exceedingly gloomy ; but at the beginning of the next, 1853' (the year of state aid being given) 'it began to brighten, and thenceforward we may trace a slow but gradual improvement/ Bishop Perry was elected shortly after his arrival as President of the ' Victoria Branch Association of the British and Foreign Bible Society/ and held that office up to the time of his leaving the colony for Eng- land in 1874. He was also the originator and president of the ( Society for the Promotion of Morality/ Since his departure the Melbourne diocese has been divided, Bal- laarat being made the new Episcopal seat. The best interests of the Protestantism of the colony demand that those who occupy these two great centres of influ- ence should emulate the example of their excellent predecessor in zeal, fidelity, and Christian charity. 120 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. In Port Philip, as early as 1838, the Rev. James Clow commenced the conduct of Presbyterian worship, and in the year following the Rev. James Forbes was settled there as a Presbyterian Minister, and was respected and beloved by all classes of the people. In April, 1840, the Rev. Andrew Love arrived. He settled in Geelong, and exercised his ministry there until he died a few years ago. Seven years after the arrival of Mr. Love, a Minister, who had been em- ployed at Singleton, New South Wales, came to Mel- bourne, and settled as the Minister in Collins Street. This was the Rev. Irving Hetherington, who, for many years, filled an influential position as the recognised ' Head of the Denomination ' by the Government, and as Clerk of the General Assembly. In 1 859 the Presby- terian churches in Victoria became one body ; a con- summation for which Mr. Hetherington wrought night and day. This venerable man, to whom Presbyterian- ism in Victoria owes a greater debt of obligation than to any other man for the heavy financial and governmental work which he did for many years, died at his post in 1875, in the 66th year of his age. Of manners quiet, and in character blameless, he passed away to his rest mourned and beloved by very many. The Rev. Adam Cairns, D.D., arrived in 1853, and as pastor of the church on Eastern Hill, exercised a ministry which was greatly to the spiritual benefit of his own countrymen and, collaterally, an undoubted bless- ing to the whole Church of God throughout the colony. He is now an aged man, but still preaches with his old fire, and his bow abides, in a wonderful degree, in much of its original strength. VICTORIA. 121 One of the most useful men that ever exercised his ministry in Victoria was the late Rev. George Mackay. An earnest preacher, a devoted friend of the working- classes, an enthusiastic teetotaller, and a pioneer worker in New South Wales ; also at Ballaarat, . Lake Lear- month, and at Horsham, in Victoria. He came at length to South Yarra, and finished his labours and his life. His death was very unexpected ; but his end was gloriously peaceful. Such was the profound grief felt by all classes of the community at the loss every interest of humanity and religion had sustained at Mr. Mackay's death, that the attendance at the funeral was the largest ever seen in South Melbourne, whilst even the very publicans closed their places of business as the mournful procession passed. A great worker and the truest of friends had fallen ; and great was the lamentation everywhere evinced. The Presbyterian Church in Victoria has been fortunate in having had for many years the very pick of their ranks from old Scotland. Perhaps, a superior class to them, either in ripe scholarship, theological lore, or downright preaching power, is not to be found in any British colony. In common with the Wesleyan and Episcopalian Churches, the Presbyterians have taken their full share in the work of day-school education. They also have their colleges and halls of theology for classical, mathematical, commercial, and theological teaching. Their position, therefore, is one of highest influence; and the great good resulting from their labours is being felt in every direction. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. This Church, generally known in the colony by the 1 -_"2 CIHUSTL 1 N WOKK IX A J ?S TEA LA SI. 1 . name of Independents, had, as its first Minister, the Rev. Mr. Wate-i-field. He arrived in May, 1838. The Independents have put forth unflagging energy, and have spent much money in establishing their Church. A grant of land having been secured in 1839, at the top of Great Collins Street, a handsome church, school- rooms, and lecture-room have been erected, principally through the influence and efforts of tin- late much- lamented Rev. A. H. Henderson. In due course a 'Victorian Congregational Union' was formed, and the colony was divided into the Melbourne, Geelong, Mount Alexander, Ballaarat, Beechworth, and Port- land districts. The objects of this Union were to promote evangelical religion in connection with Con- gregational principles of Church government ; the for- mation of Churches ; the introduction into the colony of accredited Congregational Ministers, and the pro- . motion of measures for educating young men for the work of the ministry ; the cultivation of brotherly affection and cordial co-operation among the associ- ated churches and Ministers ; and the maintenance and enlargement of religious liberty, rights, and privi- leges. It was also provided that the supreme control of the affairs of the Society should be vested in a body, to be called the General Council, consisting of representatives and special members. By means of this organisation, the late Rev. J. L. Poore introduced into Victoria a good number of scholarly and energetic Ministers, whose labours have told in the advancement of the best interests of the people in the centres of population. BAPTIST CHURCH. The first services connected with this Church were VICTORIA. 123 held by a layman, Mr. Peter Virtue, in a tent upon the site of the present Argus office, in Great Collins Street, E., then owned by a Baptist friend, Mr. Thomas Napier ; since when it has extended its ramifications nearly all over the colony. The churches in Albert Street and Collins Street, Melbourne, are elegant and capacious buildings, and are attended by large and more than ordinarily intelligent congregations. Under the ener- getic and very superior ministry of the Rev. Isaac New, the interest at Albert Street became the most powerful of any in the city. The PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have had their position in Victoria as an energetic evangelical force for many years, and have accomplished a large amount of good. The BIBLE CHRISTIANS established themselves in ] 855, and have done well. The ROMAN CATHOLICS are a powerful Body, and strongly opposed to the present system of public education. There are many other DENOMINATIONS numerically more or less important. The EVANGELICAL LUTHERANS are doing a good work among their own people ; and ' The Disciples of Christ/ so called, are possessed of considerable influence in some localities. ECCLESIASTICAL EETURXS, JANUARY IST, 187G. Churches. Other Buiidiugs. Sittings. Average Attendance Wesleyan Methodists 381 166 103,225 76,187 Presbyterians 279 418 73,385 62,663 Episcopalians 249 160 C>4.. ">.">."> 38,975 Horn an Catholics 189 123 61,83:5 38,486 Primitive Methodists 91 31 13,420 7,015 CongregationaliKts 61 27 15,100 8,445 BiHe Ohristians 57 24 9.769 4,350 1 24 CHRIS TIA N WORK IN A US TRALASIA . ECCLESIASTICAL RETURNS amtinved. Churches. Other Buildings. Sittings. Average Attendance. Baptists . . . 47 44 18,656 9,065 Free Methodists . 34 72 5,40.") 2,220 Lutherans . 28 13 5,000 3,500 Disciples of Christ 25 10 7,100 3,4"o Sundry Protestant Sects 21 17 4,820 1,564 Totals 1,462 1,105 377,268 255,920 All the religious bodies, not excepting the Roman Catholic, have wrought earnestly in Sabbath-school work. Buildings of an extensive character have been raised, and everything has been generously supplied for rendering the work as efficient as possible. SUNDAY-SCHOOL RETURNS, JANUARY IST, 1876. Schools. Teachers. Scholars. Wesleyan Methodists 334 3,552 23,758 Presbyterians . 816 2,310 26,268 Episcopalians . 271 2,152 1!>,685 Roman Catholics 171 901 11.745 Primitive Methodists 73 646 3.9:?9 Baptists . 59 462 5,061 Congrepationalists . 54 640 4.706 Bible Christians 45 524 3,217 Free Methodists 2r, 211 1,814 Discipl'-s of Christ 16 144 1,110 Lutherans 13 45 470 Smaller Sects . 15 64 800 Totals . 1,391 11,551 102,573 The important work of PRIMARY EDUCATION was largely carried on for many years by the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and Roman Catholic bodies. It may be truthfully affirmed that each of these spared VICTORIA. 125 neither time nor money nor energy for this object. The Government gave land and monetary grants in aid of buildings and salaries ; but the whole soul of the thing was supplied by the Churches in question. There were two Boards and two Departments the denominational and the national, both of which were set aside by parliamentary action in 1862 ; and a SYSTEM, called the f Common Schools Act/ under one Board, took the place of the former arrangement. Under this Board, existing schools, within certain distances, and having the required number of average attendants of scholars, were sustained, but purely denominational schools were discouraged. In 1872 a NATIONAL SYSTEM OP EDUCATION, embodying the free, secular, and compulsory principles, was established. To secure the education of every boy and girl in the colony the Parliament ignored the idea of a religious difficulty, and now, out of 281,876 children of school age, 205,502 were attending the state schools, whilst those who attended night-schools were some 10,000. In 1875 the educational grant asked was 523,570, but it was supposed 200,000 to 300,000 would be re- quired in addition for buildings and school appliances. Besides private schools, college and grammar schools, there is also the Melbourne University, the degrees and diplomas of which are equal to those of any University in the United Kingdom. The income is 14,516; expenditure, 16,393. The Parliament makes an annual grant of 9,000 towards its support. The CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS of Victoria are in keeping with her other arrangements for the general good. In the absence of a Poor Law, it has been found necessary to make some provision for aged, infirm, and dependent persons. The Government has, 1 26 CHRIRTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA fi 1. 1 . therefore, provided five benevolent asylums, having 158 wards, and making up 11,669 beds. There ;m- seven orphan asylums, having 65 wards and 1,106 beds. There are 32 hospitals, several of which are situate on the gold-fields; these have 230 wards and 1,987 beds. The total expenditure was, in 1875, 319,134. Besidi-- these there are four lunatic asylums, supported by Government. Victoria has three cities, of which MELBOURNE is the metropolis and seat of Government. The last census showed its population to be 191,254. It is situate in 37 49' 28" south latitude, and 144 58' 35" east longi- tude. BALLAAEAT, 104^ miles W.N.W. of Melbourne, having a population of 47,156, and a rateable pro- perty of 183,648. And SANDHURST, which is 1<>0;> miles N.N.W. from Melbourne, and a population of 25,000. The rateable property may be estimated at 175,000 to 200,000. TABULAE STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS. SHIRES, on DISTRICTS. Town, Shire, or District. Population. Distance from Melbourne. Amherst . 10,092 Ill miles x.w. Ararat 16,000 167* S.E. Avoca 7,500 120 S.K. Bacchus Marsh 2,604 84 s.w. Bairnsdale 4,428 180 E. Ballan . 7,608 49 H.W. Beaufort 2,600 124 W.H.W, Beechworth 6,222 186 N.::. Belfast . 8,404 186 w.s.w. Benalla . 10,000 122 N.E. Bright . 4,888 226 N.E. Mrijrhton 8,060 8 8. Buninyong 1G,000 87 w.hyH. Camperdown . 2,000 120 W.8.W, Carisbrook 941 101^ N.W. VICTORIA. 127 TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS, &c. continued. Town, Shire, or District. Population. Distance from Melbourne. Castlemaine . 18,941 77 miles N.w. Clunes 7.000 120 ., N.W. Colac . . 4,302 92 s.\v. Cresvvick 6,730 109 H.W. Daylesford 18,526 78 K.W. Echuca . 5,000 166 H. Geelong . 23,200 45 s.w. Hamilton 4,000 219 w. Heathcote 1,554 70 H. Inglewood 1,269 128 N.N.W. Kilraore . 7.594 39 N. Kyneton . 3,000 62 N.W. Maldon . 6,000 84* N.K.W. Maryborough . . 12,684 112 N.W. Mortlake 2,526 137 N.W. Newstead 4,000 841 N.N.W. Portland . 4.537 225 S.W. Prahran . 16,309 8 S.E. Queenscliff 948 32 S. Richmond 18,274 :-> E. Sale 22,500 140 E.S.E. Seymour . 2,557 65 N. Smythesdale . . 1,048 108 W.by N. St. Arnaud . . 10,000 164 N.W. St. Kilda 9,676 01 s. Stawell . 6,879 177* N.W. Talbot . 5,275 130 N.W. Wangaratta . 14,000 159 N.E. Warrnambool . 10,000 170 S.W. Williamstown 7,134 5 S.W. Yackandandah 5,3:i2 195 N.E. N.B. There are upwards of 390 towns and villages of large or lesser dimensions now spread over the colony, besid'es those tabu- lated. The CLIMATE of Victoria is generally delightful. The months of December, January, and February are the hottest, the thermometer occasionally standing', even in the shade, at 100 to 108. The months of June, July, and August, are the coldest, the thermo- meter standing even as low as 29. The mean tern- l->8 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. perature for these months, however, is about 48, and, taking the whole year, the mean temperature is 08. In 1875 there were 1,126,831 acres of land under cultivation, producing 4,978,914 bushels of wheat, 2,719,795 of oats, 700,665 of barley, 470,304 of other cereals, 124,377 tons of potatoes, 206,613 of hay, and 755,000 gallons of wine. There were 196,184 horses, 1,054,598 cattle, 11,749,532 sheep, and 140,765 pigs. There are now about 1,000 miles of railways, and nearly 3,000 miles of telegraph lines. The quantity of gold raised in 1875 was estimated at 1,095,787 ounces, representing, at 4 per ounce, 4,383,148. The estimated value, from the first dis- covery of gold in the colony to December 31, 1875, was 45,509,964^ ounces, representing a value of 182,039,857. Other metals and minerals than gold were exported from 1851 to 1875 amounting in value to 525,928. These included silver, tin, copper, iron, antimony, lead, coal, lignite, kaolin, flagging, slates, magnesite, diamonds, and sapphires. A mint was established in 1852. Every kind of manufacture necessary to the com- fort and prosperity of a new country has been estab- lished. A moderate protective tariff has enabled enterprising men to float numerous useful industries, which have afforded employment to thousands of young men and women, who, otherwise, it is said, would have had no other means of respectably sup- porting themselves. The shipping trade for 1875 was 'inwards' 2,171 vessels, of 840,386 tons ; and ' outwards/ 2,223 vessels of 833,499 tons. Vegetation grows in great luxuriance. Fririt of VICTORIA. 129 almost every imaginable kind abounds. The indigenous animals none of which are large are becoming less in number every year ; but birds, both large and small, are very numerous. It could not be expected that the enormous country lying between Biverina in the south and the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north would remain for long unex- plored. Accordingly, in 1861, the Victorian Govern- ment fitted out, at great expense, the Burke and Wills Expedition. After much suffering and exposure, with loss both of men and beasts, the expedition at length succeeded in reaching the Flinders River, a tributary of the gulf. They saw the flow and ebb of the tide ; but gave up all further attempts to reach the basin of the gulf. Weakened, reduced in number, with clothes and boots all worn out, and almost starved to death, Burke, Wills, and King again reached Cooper's Creek, when they had the further calamity of finding that the relief party sent up by the Government had returned home the day before, taking with them all the provi- sions and articles of clothing, in the belief that the expedition men had perished in the distant and heated north. Here Wills was the first to die ; he died alone in his mia mia, which had been improvised for his safety, whilst his wretched companions, Burke and King, had gone to seek for the natives. The next to die was Burke. From the truthful lips of King, who alone survived to tell the tale, the writer learnt of the closing hours of this brave and generous-hearted man. Burke walked until he dropped. The last night had come, and he felt it would be the last. The two men were now alone in Central Australia, without food and without a human friend. Burke addressed King, in substance, as follows : ' We are abandoned by the K I :i ) ( 'IIRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALAS1. 1 . Government, and I shall die of starvation. I can hold out no longer. Here is my pocket-book, which I commit to your care, to be given by your hands to Sir \\ illiam Stawell. You will be relieved, and will liv< to see him. You have acted nobly. King, you have been faithful to the last, and the Government will reward you. I have been a great sinner, King, although I have injured no one. Remain by me; there is some comfort in the thought that I shall have some one by me whilst I am dying. No one likes to die alone. When I am dead, lay me out, cover me over with leaves and bushes, and put my revolver in my right hand. Stay at a little distance, King, whilst I kneel down and try to make my peace with God.' King told the writer that he watched Burke, as he knelt upon his knees and bent forward, leaning upon the branch of a fallen tree, and he was thus engaged for, perhaps, half an hour. Being at last completely exhausted he lay along upon the ground ; 'and/ said King, ' he died vcn fast/ O, the solitude of that hour! Wills and Burke both fell in the service of their country, examples of manful heroism and fidelity in the discharge cf public duty. About four months after this sorrowful finale, Kinir was discovered by a second relieving party, sent up by the Government under the command of Mr. Howitt, struggling for life among the natives, a shadow of a man, but cared for by them as the white, unfortunate stranger. King died at St. Kilda in 1871. The POLITICAL CONSTITUTION of Victoria is eminently democratic. The Governor is appointed by the Crown. There is an Executive Council, and there are two Houses of Legislature. The legislative council consists of thirty members ; the qualification of a member is the owner- ship of a freehold of the value of 2,500, or property VICTORIA. 131 worth an annual rental of 250. Each, member is elected for ten years. A voter for the council must own a leasehold of 50 a year or a freehold property of the same value. The House of Assembly consists of seventy-eight members, and its sessions may continue for three years. A member must be of full age, must have been resident two years in the colony, and must be a British or natui-alised subject. Universal suffrage, under a few conditions, is the law, and all voting is by ballot. The Executive Council consists of nine mem- bers, who constitute the Government. In 1870 pay- ment of members, at the rate of 300 per annum, was agreed to by the parliament. Free emigration has been suspended for some years. Assisted emigration is, however, still in opera- tion. Some explanation perhips is necessary as to the greater length to which our account of Yictoria has extended as compared with those given of the other colonies. The writer needs only, therefore, to say, that having spent seventeen years of his life in that colony, during which time he saw it ' uplifted' from ' being an unconsidered nook in an out-of-the-way wilderness, to become a nation among nations, and a power in the world/ he desired to bring ont this fact as prominently as possible, in order that he might pay some humble tribute to the energy and ability of those who have contributed to that elevation. K2 CHAPTER V. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. [Area, 914,730 square miles ; or, 585,427,200 acres. Population, 230,000. Revenue, 1,144,401. Expenditure, i, 443,653. Imports, 4,576,183. Exports, 4,816,170. Public Debt, 4,750,000.] T surely is a misnomer to call this colony SOUTH Australia. In no sense can it be correctly so designated. Its proper name would be CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. It reaches from south to north, right through the very centre of the continent; and its eastern line, bounded by Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, and its western line, bounded by Western Australia, are about equi-distant from their respective sea-lines. It is the second largest colony of the group, its area being about 46,252,800 acres less than Western Aus- tralia, which is the largest. South Australia was discovered by Captain Flin- ders in 1802. In 1832, the ' South Australian Land Company ' was formed; and in 1834, by an ACT OF THE IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, South Australia was constituted a British province. The real work of colonisation com- menced in 1836. The ' South Australian Colonisation Association/ which had been successfully formed in England, having obtained from the HOME Government a grant of the lands then known as the colony, went CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. to work with a will. This association was subject to certain conditions ; viz., that 1 per acre should be the minimum price of all lands sold, and that the proceeds should be appropriated to the introduction of agricultural labourers. Further, that the control of the company's business should be vested in commissioners approved by the English Col<>ui;il Secretary, and that the governor for the time being should be appointed by the Crown. Many and unforeseen difficulties arose in connection with the first days of the colony ; but the indomitable energy of the adventurers in time overcame them. The progress of settlement may be thus indicated. A pioneer ship, the G*li long in my wet clothes, and sleeping on the damp ground, the rheumatism had fallen into my loins, so that I could scarcely walk at a!l. I dragged on for about five miles, when I could go no farther. I felt our situation peculiarly trying at this time; the temper of our captain was very odd, and the whole party was likely to be detained on my account. After resting for a few hours Mr. Long- bottom proposed that we should all return to the tent, SO UTIT A US TRA LI A. 139 and endeavour to gain fuller knowledge of our situa- tion, and prepare ourselves better for travelling. I believe that it was the Spirit of God that dictated this proposal, for all agreed to it, and immediately prepared to return. I walked back in much pain, and about midnight we ai-rived at the tent, and found everything just as we had left it. After a few days the captain and one of the men started again, and walked along the bush till they came to a river, over which they could not cross. About half a mile from the beach, over the sandhills, there was a lagoon, which appealed to run parallel with the beach, and which the captain supposed to be the same which he had come up to and emptied itself in the sea. Our little boat had drifted on shore, and it was determined that it should be carried over, and that the captain and two men should go in it on the lagoon. This was done ; but they returned on the third day, as there was not sufficient water to float the boat the whole distance. It was now proposed to lengthen the boat sufficiently, so as we might all go in her, and make a second trial, hoping to find a better channel. This work was therefore commenced, and had been going on about a fortnight when the captain and the crew of the Elizabeth, which had been wrecked about a hundred miles to the east- ward of us, came up to us. This circumstance was most providential for us, as well as for them; for the captain had saved his chart, and soon pointed out to us exactly where we were, which was sixty miles to the east of Cape Jervis, and about fifty miles from Encounter Bay. To know our situation was a great relief to our minds. In about ten days the boat was ready, and the poor people, having refreshed and rested themselves, the two captains and two men started on 1 40 CHRIST I A N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . t -^-v^^^^^x^^^v^-^-^^ the lagoon ; at the same time, a party of four set off to walk along the beach, with an understanding that the boat party should wait for them at the crossing- place. Three men were left with us. During the absence of the party was truly an anxious time. We felt that, should any disaster befall them or the boat so that they could not return, we had no human means left of ever getting away. However, in less than a week, two of the men returned, with the joyful intelli- gence that they had been to Encounter Bay, and that our captain would be up in two days with a large whale-boat for us. We waited several days after the time appointed ; but seeing no captain or boat, we started in the little boat, taking with us our blankets, a change of linen for each of us, and a small case with a few of my husband's most valuable papers, with a supply of provisions. We left the bush on the 7th of August, having spent forty-five days from the time of our wreck in a state of great anxiety and sus- pense. It was a beautiful day when we started ; the men rowed, Mr. Longbottom steered, and I baled out the water. Being a fine moonlight night, we kept on till midnight, when we hauled up, but could not land. We were obliged to sit in the boat all night. It was dreadfully cold, and a very heavy dew, but, mercifully, we took no cold, though without any shelter and the boat very leaky. At daybreak we set off again, and about ten o'clock met the captain with a large boat. We changed boats, and about one o'clock crossed the Murray River ; here we landed, and stayed until sun- set, when we again set sail in the boat. When we had gone about six miles we saw a large fire, which the captain thought was probably bushrangers, as he heard they were about the neighbourhood. So wu SOUTH A USTRALIA . 141 immediately landed and made our way through the bush to the beach. It was now thought advisable to walk that night to Encounter Bay, instead of sleeping in the bush as we had intended. The sailors in all were very kind, and carried our few things for us. We left the boat about nine o'clock, and walked on all night " till break of day/' when the long looked-f or Encounter Bay appeared in sight. I did not think when we started that we should have been able to hold out, having had no rest the night before. Our dear boy held up wonderfully ; he never once complained of being tired till we were within sight of the place, when he asked very pitifully if that was Counter Bay. We had come about twenty miles from the place where we left the boat, and much of the way through deep sand. When we arrived at the fishery, we were kindly and hospitably entertained by Captain and Mrs. W . They made us a good breakfast, and gave us a comfort- able bed, and, indeed, showed us every kindness in their power. We stayed just a week with them. While we were here we received a letter from Mr. S , requesting us to proceed to Adelaide by the first oppor- tunity, at the same time offering us a home and every assistance in his power. A ship touching at the bay for Adelaide, and the captain kindly offering us a pas- sage, we embraced the opportunity. We had a fine passage, and on the third day arrived at Mr. S 's house, where we have been most kindly entertained by him and his good lady ever since.' The ' hand of the Lord ' was so evidently seen in thus overruling the distressing casualties which had occurred, that all the brethren and friends concluded that God had assuredly called Mr. Longbottom ' to 142 ( IIRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA L AS/ A. preach the Gospel ' in Adelaide 'also/ In this wonder- ful manner was the first Wesleyan Missionary brought to South Australia. Dwelling ' two whole years in his own hired house, he received all that came in unto him; preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him/ The Rev. John Eggleston succeeded Mr. Long- bottom. He was appointed by the Conference of 1840. Mr. Eggleston had spent four years in English Cir- cuits before he entered upon the Australasian Mission. As a young man he took a good position from the commencement of his ministry. The laurels he had won as an energetic, soul-saving preacher did not fade when he entered upon a somewhat different field in the new countries of the south His first appoint- ment was Hobart Town, where he earned much fame by his fervid and powerful ministry. Removing to Adelaide, he entered upon his sacred duties with an oppressive sense of personal responsibility. He, how- ever, trusted to his God for success, and he was not disappointed. A blessed revival of the work of God broke out. Backsliders were reclaimed, sinners were converted, and many believers were enabled to testify to the possession and enjoyment of perfect love. One fruit of this heaven-sent revival was the formation of an Auxiliary Wesleyan-Methodist Mis- sionary Society for South Australia. The sermons were preached by Mr. Eggleston in the morning, by the Rev. T. Q. Stow (Congregationalist) in the after- noon, and by the Rev. R. Drummond in the evening. The public meeting was held next day, when his Honour, Chief Justice Cooper, took the chair. His Excellency, Governor Gawler, with great cordiality SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 143 headed the subscription list with 5 5s. , and expressed his great respect for the Wesleyan Missionaries as zealous labourers in the Lord's vineyard. As marking an era in the early organisation of the Wesleyan Church in South Australia, the following particulars, taken from the Circuit Plan for the March quarter, 1841, are given : I. PLACES. Gawler Place, North Adelaide, Franklin Street, Thebarton and Emigration Square, Isling- ton and Bowden, Payneham, Walkerville, Ouka- pariiiga Road, Carrington, Reedbeds, Ex well, New Port and Albert Town, Balhannah and Nairn, Craike, Crafer's Tiers, Longbottom, Wil- lunga, Magill, and Kensington. II. PREACHERS. Rev. J. Eggleston; Messrs. Abbot, Mincham, Sparshott, Sleep, Turner, Macdougall, Boots, Lelliot, Bray, La Vence, Ridley, Simpson, Goss, Breeze, Dalwood, Hutchins, Baker, Thorpe, Allworth, Folland, Morphett, Thomas, Dalwood ; and as exporters, Barrnden, Smith, and Shep- herdson. III. STATISTICS. Full members, 189 ; on trial, 30 ; places of worship, 4. N.B. There were Wesleyan congregations in eighteen other places. The services were held in private houses, and were attended by 250 to 300 persons. The conduct of the representative of the Crown in a distant colony is a serious matter. If it be good, then nothing but good follows ; if it be bad, it is a terrible evil. If neither good nor bad, then 144 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. he is disrespected by the better-behaved classes, and is despised by the evil doers. Of Governor Gawler, .Mr. Eggleston testified that ever since he had come to the colony he had been struck with the consistency of religious character maintained by his Excellency and by his whole establishment. There were no balls nor card-parties at Government House. The theatre and race-course were treated with decided disapproval, whilst any philanthropic, and, especially, any religious institution, secured his Excellency's warm sanction. In all his addresses on public occasions there was a distinct recognition of a superintending Providence and of religion as the basis of a community's pros- perity. But this good Governor was arbitrarily re- moved because of his disapproval of the action of the Colonial Office in attempting to force upon South Australia Sir Richard Bourke's plan for supporting a public system of religion in which the Church of Rome would be legalised in the colony as a part of the Church of Christ. His Excellency objected, as a Protestant and a Christian, to be at the head of a Government requiring him to do this wrong thing. In daily expectation of the Governor's departure from the province, the following correspondence took place : ' To His Excellency Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty'a Province of South Australia. 'MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY, ' We, the undersigned Officers and Trustees of the Wesley an Methodist Society, in the behalf of the said Society, hearing with deep regret that your Excel- lency is about to remove from the government of this SO UTH A USTRA LI A. 145 province, cannot allow you to depart from its shores without expressing our high esteem of your Excel- lency's personal character, and our sincere thanks for the beneficial exertion of that influen ce which Divine Pro- vidence entrusted to your Excellency's charge in placing you at the head of the government of this colony. 'We beg to assure your Excellency that we have viewed with deep interest the official and personal sanction which your Excellency has been pleased to afford in this colony to every institution which has had for its object the moral and spiritual improvement of its inhabitants. We have also been equally impressed with the uniform and consistent denial of your sanction to any institution or practice which directly or indi- rectly tended to lower the tone of moral and religious feeling amongst the colonists. ' Earnestly praying that the blessing of that Divine Being Whom your Excellency has thus endeavoured to serve may be ever richly bestowed upon you, and sin- cerely commending your Excellency and your Excel- lency's family to the special care of the Almighty, ' We remain, &c., &c., ' JOHN EGGLESTON, Wesleyan Missionary (and twenty-three other names). 'May 14th, 1841.' To this address the Governor sent the following reply : ' To the Officers of the Wesleyan Methodist Society, pre- senting an address at my removal from the Govern- ment and departure. ' I thank you very sincerely for the kind and warm expression of your feelings towards me. L 14G CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LAS! A. ' I long observed, with great interest, the activity and great exertions of the Wesleyan Body in Great Britain and the British provinces in America, and it has been gratifying to me, during my residence in this colony, to see that the zeal of its members was not abated here. 1 It has been deeply satisfactory to me to witness that its Missionaries in this colony have been men of sound practical piety. ' I most sincerely pray, that God in His faithful- ness and power may preserve and extend the pure and simple doctrines of His Word among yourselves and every denomination in South Australia, knowing, as I do, that there is no other permanent foundation for individual or public prosperity. ' The harmony that has hitherto subsisted among the Christian Bodies of this colony has been a most pleasing subject of contemplation. I sincerely pray also that this may long continue, and that men who hold the sound doctrines of the Gospel, without being loose to forms, may keep them in their proper places as shadows and not the substance of religion, and exercise forbearance in regard to those who, in these things, differ from them. If I were to leave a parting sentence to such men of all denominations, it should be, " See that ye fall not out by the way." 'As long as sound Christian doctrines are extensively known and practised, and harmony among those who hold them maintained, there will be no reason to fear for South Australia. 'May 19th, 1841 / 'GEORGE GAWLER.' The new Governor shortly after his arrival sent the following despatch to the Rev. John Eggleston : SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 147 Colonial Secretary's Office, 2>\st May, 1841. ' SIR, I have the honour to inform you that a despatch has been received from the Secretary of State requiring that the enclosed returns may be filled up, and transmitted to England with as little delay as possible, in order that they may be laid before the House of Commons. 'I am therefore directed by his Excellency the Governor (Captain Grey) ' to request that you will fill up the returns at your earliest convenience, and for- ward them to this office, for the purpose of being arranged and forwarded to Lord John Eussell. ' I have the honour, &c., &c., ' ROBERT GOUGER, Colonial Secretary/ In this precious ( FORM ' there were recognised as follows : ' Church of England/ ' Church of Scotland,' ' Church of Rome/ ' Wesleyans and all other Persua- sions/ -The items specified relate to lands, buildings, grants of public money, salaries, etc., of Ministers, congregations, &c. Of course, the Missionary was in a difficulty ; but a sense of duty to God and to Eng- lish Protestantism helped him triumphantly through it. He reasoned that with his views of the Romish Church, and of certain political movements to promote her ascendency in the British empire, he could not consistently, by filling up such returns to be laid before the House of Commons, give his tacit admission of the willingness of the Wesleyan people to be incor- porated with the Church of Rome in any legislative enactment for the support of religion in the colony. And he considered the schedules themselves incon- sistent with the character of the Government under L2 148 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. which they lived. The coronation oath gave a de- cidedly Protestant character to the government of the empire, and the character of that oath was outraged in the very form of the schedules. He had also for some time thought that the great design of intro- ducing the Church of Rome into legislative enactments of the colonial possessions of the empire was to secure a precedent for urging upon the Parliament at home the consistency and safety of legalising the Church of Rome as the Church of Ireland. Then efforts would be made to promote her advancement through other parts of the United Kingdom, until she acquired suffi- cient political influence to assert the supremacy of Romanism and to display its real character. With such political views, as well as from religious consider- ations, Mr. Eggleston had only one course to follow, which was to return the schedules untouched. Accord- ingly he wrote the Government Secretary as under : ' Gawler Place, Jane 3rd, 1841. ' SIE, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the circular and accompanying schedules, which his Excellency the Governor has directed you to request may be filled up at my earliest convenience, lu answer, I have to state that no grants of land or of public money have been received by the Wesleyan Society from the Government of this colony. I beg leave further to state that had any grants of land or of public money been made to the Wesleyan Society, I must respectfully but firmly have declined filling up any schedule presented by our professedly and con- stitutionally Protestant Government in which the Church of Rome is recognised indiscriminately witli the Churches of England and Scotland, and with the SOUTH A USTRA LI A . 149 other "persuasions" of the Protestant Church of Christ. As your communication was addressed to me person- ally, as the Minister of the Wesleyan Body in this place, I append my individual signature to this expres- sion of sentiment ; but in so doing, I give expression to the views and feelings of all officers of the Wesleyan Societies in South Australia.' The rejoinder was a respectful request from the secretary asking for the number of Wesleyan churches, where situated, the number of the congregations, and names of Ministers ; to which a full reply was sent. And thus ended a conflict, as between the Missionary and the Governor, in which, it must be confessed, the former had the best of it all through. Mr. Eggleston was succeeded in 1843 by the Rev. John Weatherstone, whose sympathies were soon called forth very strongly in behalf of the spiritual welfare of the degraded aborigines. As the result of an uncom- mon industry Mr. Weatherstone had collected upwards of 950 words, with their equivalents in English ; all of which were beautifully written out and alphabetically arranged. They were the words spoken by one of the large tribes located on the Murray River ; and he asked the Committee to relieve him from the English work, and permit him to go as a Missionary among the black natives. He had, he said, good evidence that this tribe was much attached to him ; and he desired, by means of the Gospel of mercy, to save them from annihilation. In this most Christian feeling Mr. Weatherstone was not alone, for in all the early correspondence of the Missionaries with the Com- mittee there are touching references to the wretched condition of these original sons of Australian soil, and ] y\ CHRIX TTA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . of tlieir ready willingness to labour among them. Had this been done forty years ago, and on a large and generous scale, probably, instead of the small remnan t now remaining, there might have been an improved native race, whose numbers might count tens of thousands. A new era in the history of Methodism in South Australia began with the appointment of the Rev. D. J. Draper, in 1846. Three years after this date, the Rev. T. X. Hull joined the staff. In 1852 the appoint- ments were : South Ail>-ln'i !'., T. X. Hull; North A 1 i'J>', D. J. Draper and John Harconrt ; Knpnnda, R. C. Flockart ; ^[<> on trial for membership, 225 communi- cants, 34-, 440 attendants on public worship. THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The unauthorised endowment of certain denomina- tions by an early governor was set aside by the South Australians as soon as they had a responsible parlia- ment. Since that auspicious time there has been perfect religious equality, and a healthful competition among the different sections of the ONE Church. The Episcopal Body had as its first chaplain the Rev. C. B. Howard, who died in 1843. The next was the Rev. James Farrell, who is also dead. The Right Reverend Augustus Short, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of Adelaide in 1847. His official life has been characterised by consistency of profession and untiring labours. The affairs of this Church are under the con- trol of a synod, consisting of the Bishop, his Ministers, and a representative laity. Baroness Burdett-Coutts has endowed this diocese very munificently; some 1 1 7,500, we believe, having been set apart by her for the support and extension of Episcopalianism in the colony. There is another endowment by Leigh ami Allen of 3,000 per annum, to which must be added an annual grant of 500 from the ' Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.' Alto- gether making a sum much larger than could have been obtained from the state upon a census principle of concurrent endowment. Dr. Short was appointed to the see of Adelaide SOUTH A USTRALIA . 159 by letters patent from the Crown. In 1860, in conse- sequence of the contest between Bishops Gray and Colenso in South Africa, the Queen was asked to re- voke the said letters, and substitute some instrument which would have the effect of recognising the funda- mental provisions and proceedings of the synod, and the forms of its trust deeds, making them valid and binding upon all parties concerned. But the Duke of Newcastle would not recommend this course to Her Majesty, and suggested that the Bishop should apply to the local Parliament for an act. A bill, therefore, for the incorporation of the ' Church of England ' was introduced into the legislative council, and was referred to a select committee. This committee, in due course, reported to the council that the promoters of the bill had failed even to prove its preamble. Petitions were presented and strong language was used for defeating this attempt at ecclesiastical legislation. It was affirmed by the petitioners that, ' No priest, prelate, or other ecclesiastical potentate hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or au- thority, temporal or ecclesiastical, within this free province of South Australia, such as is sought by this bill to be conferred upon the Bishop and synod of the Church of England/ The Episcopal Church, therefore, is simply a voluntary Body, happily free from all state control or dictation, and is left to work out its own ideas for the spiritual good of its own adherents, precisely on the same conditions as do all other religious denominations. The good Bishop has been engaged for many years in collecting funds for the erection of a cathedral church on a beautiful site between South and North Adelaide. In 1877 the building was sufficiently ad- 1(10 f'///{/sTIAN WOUK l.\ AUSTRALASIA. vanced for dedication to the service and worship of God. The Dean of Adelaide, the Rev. A. H. Russell, occupies aposition of much responsibility and influence. In addition to his ministerial uprightness, he is a genuine philanthropist, educationist, and earnest worker in all good things. To know the Dean is to love him. Like his brother Dean in Melbourne, he has a cog- nomen, ' the enthusiastic Dean; ' which he has won by kind acts to the stranger emigrants, and by a thousand humane and Christian works, known only to his God and to the numerous parties to whom he has so un- selfishly ministered. St. Peter's Collegiate Schools, and the Grammar Schools at Kooringa and Christchurch belong to this Denomination. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH was founded by the Rev. T. Q. Stow in 1837. In writing to the Colonial Missionary Society, which sent him out, he penned a delighted exclamation : ' What a land is this to which you have sent me ! The loveliness and glory of its plains and woods, its glens and hills ! But of these you will hear more from others. I cannot, however, leave it out of my estimate of God's goodness to me, that He has placed me in so fair and sweet a portion of the earth.' Many of the first settlers speak of the fine spirit of this never to be forgotten and eloquent pioneer; who, in the beginning of his colonial career, ' laboured with his own hands,' and carried on his own shoulders some of the materials which he went to the reed beds to procure for erecting a temporary ' taber- nacle' in that 'wilderness.' For twenty-five years he exercised a powerful ministry in Adelaide, and was made a great blessing to the emigrant people who had SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 1G1 come to the country to settle. He died very suddenly at Sydney on the occasion of a visit to that city. His remains were brought to Adelaide for interment, when a multitude of grateful and mourning persons followed them to their last resting place. A few years since the Stow Memorial Church was built in Flinders Street, as a suitable memento to the memory of a good colonist, a faithful Minister, and a sincere friend. This Christian body has been well represented from the beginning. And at the present time the names of the Revs. F. W. Cox, C. Manthorpe, J. C. Macmichael, J. Ferguson, and W. E. Fletcher, M.A., are much respected. The principles of old Congregationalism, as obtaining in England, have been sacredly guarded by both Ministers and people in this colony. No doubt to this fact, in great part, is to be attributed the complete religious equality which prevails in South Australia. The different branches of Presbyterianism have been united under the title of the PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OP SOUTH AUSTRALIA. There have been from the begin- ning excellent Ministers of this denomination; some of the grand, original type of the OLD kirk parson, who have laid the foundations of a prosperous and compact Church. This body has several good establishments of churches, manses, and Sunday-school buildings. The Rev. John Ly all's church in Flinders Street is a centre of light and blessed influence. The PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONNEXION numerically stands well in South Australia. The Conference has sent out some very efficient preachers to this mission from time to time. There is a 'Book Concern' in Franklyn Street, of which the Rev. John Goodwin is the Conference Steward. The number of churches, in M 162 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. 1878, was 103; supplying accommodation for 13,678 persons. The value of Church property was 49,588. The BIBLE CHRISTIANS are a numerous and pro- gressive body. The foundation of this sect was mainly laid by the Rev. James Way in 1850. Mr. Way was honoured in 1876 by the celebration of his jubilee of ministerial labours by a public brc ikfast given by his son, Mr. Chief Justice Way. The affecting story of his life and work in England, and then in South Australia, as given at that meeting, was one of the most remarkable for incident and beautiful simplicity that has ever been given on a similar occasion. On the gladsome morning of this celebration, Mr. and Mrs. Way and family were honoured with the presence of the leading members of the Government, of the Legislative Council, and House of Assembly, Ministers of different Churches, and influential persons from every other class of colonists, who lovingly and heartily testified to the high character and useful ministry of this venerable and apostolic man. This denomination has made so much progress as to have a Conference of its own, the first being held in Adelaide in 1876. The METHODIST NEW CONNEXION has a church in Adelaide, and one station in the country. THE BAPTISTS are an increasing and prosperous body. The church of the Rev. S. Mead, M.A., in Flinders Street, Adelaide, is one of the best eccle- siastical edifices in the city. C. H. Spurgeon, of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, has done good ser- vice for South Australia in sending out some of his zealous young men as Ministers. Spurgeonism is not preached ; but Spurgeon himself preaches through his sons in the ministry in all parts of Australia. This body has a fine church at North Adelaide; one at SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 163 Gawler, one at Kapunda, one at Angaston, and many others in different parts of the colony. The sect called 'THE CHRISTIAN BRETHREN' is es- tablished in Adelaide and in several places in the country. For many years the late Rev. Thomas Play- ford, formerly one of the Guards at Waterloo, was its principal Mir^ter. The present pastor is the Rev. Mr. Gore, who is said to be a scholarly and able man. The GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH has a very fine building in Adelaide, many others in the colony, and a settled pastorate. The Rev. A. KaveL, several years ago, came with his flock from Silesia ; and the Rev. Mr. Meyer succeeded to him. Pastor Nichet is exer- cising a good influence among his countrymen at Angaston. The Unitarians, the Jews, and a few other sects are represented in the colony. In connection with all the denominations vigorous and praiseworthy efforts in behalf of the Sunday- schools are put forth. ECCLESIASTICAL RETURNS, JANUARY IST, 1876. Denominations. Churches. Other Buildings. Sittings. Sabbath Schools. Teachers Scholars. Weslevan Methodists 179 97 32,296 1,725 12,615 Primitive Methodists 106 41 15,000 823 4.554 Bible Christians 87 20 14.950 670 3,600 Episcopalians . 73 38 20,726 481 4,965 Roman Catholics 42 5 ' 11,980 Congregationalists 36 10 8,800 300 3,200 Baptists 32 11 5,935 252 2,470 German Lutherans 31 8 6,124 12 520 Christian Brethren 20 5,000 54 539 Presbyterians . 19 17 6,050 140 1,100 Sundry Sects 8 3 1,845 24 165 Totals 633 250 128,706 4,481 33,728 There are also two aboriginal Mission establish- M 164 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . ments. One, supported by the Bishop of Adelaide and his friends; and the other by non-episcopal Ministers and their friends. Both are superintended by resident agents with some success. From the time of the foundation of the colony, in 1836, public education has been provided at the expense of the state. But with the commencement a few years ago of a new era in the development and prosperity of the country, additional provision had to be made. The Government therefore brought in a Bill in 1875 to repeal the Act of 1852, which was, ' To promote education by aid towards the erection of schools and the payment of stipends to teachers/ and to sub- stitute for it another measure of broader and more effective principles. This provides for the appointment of a Minister of Education, who must be a minister of the Crown, and directly responsible to Parliament. A council, having at its head a president, appointed by the governor in council, and a salaried staff of officers. The machinery for working the act is provided by a code of regulations, which has the force of law when approved by the executive Grovernment and when not objected to by either the Council or Assembly. Practically the instruction is secular and compulsory. Adelaide has followed in the wake of Sydney and Melbourne in having its own University, and has the power of conferring degrees. To Captain Hughes and Mr. Thomas Elder, well known and successful colonists, for a donation of 20,000 each in aid of the erection and endowment of such an institution, the colony is mainly indebted for this seasonable addition to its educational projects. The city of ADELAIDE differs from Sydney, it being less picturesque ; and from Melbourne, it being less SO UTH A USTRALIA . 165 palatial. Still, it is generally pronounced to be queenly; and, as a future emporium of Central Australia, to be well chosen. It is situate in 34 57' of south latitude, and -138 38' of east longitude. It is divided into South and North Adelaide, and running between when there is any water to run is the River Torrens. It is six miles inland from Port Adelaide, on a rising plateau; having an area, inclusive of streets, squares, and park-lands, of over 3,000 acres. The finest of its streets is that known as King William Street, which runs from north to south, and is 120 feet wide. As much as possible, all the streets are laid out at right angles ; which, for various reasons, is both convenient and beneficial. The Government House, the Town Hall, the Treasury, Post and Telegraph Offices, the Supreme Court House, the Local Court, and Police Offices are fine and commanding buildings. Adelaide has a popu- lation, exclusive of the suburbs, of 31,573 ; but, taking in a radius of from five to ten miles from the Post Office, it would probably be some 60,000. Through the alertness of Sir Henry Ayres, M.L.C., then chief secretary, and the Hon. J. Wentworth Cavenagh, M.P., then commissioner of public works, South Aus- tralia secured in 1872 the enviable distinction of erecting the overland telegraph line to Port Darwin, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles from Adelaide, by means of which direct communication can now be had with various parts of India, the European; continent, England, America, and the West Indies on the one hand; and with all the Eastern Australian colonies on the other. This line to Port Darwin cost 370,000. Adelaide has the advantage of receiving first the monthly budget of English news by the P. and 0. Company's steamers, and of flashing it along to Mel- SOUTH A USTRALIA . 1C7 bourne, Sydney, and other important places within a few hours after arrival at the head office in King William Street. TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS OR DISTRICTS. TOWN OK DISTRICT. Population. Distance from Adelaide. Aldinga 697 27 miles s. Angaston . 2,184 51 N.W. Auburn .... 700 74i N. Balaklava 943 eo N. Balhanna 288 18i E. Beltana .... 398 N. Blanche Town 90 88 N.E. Blinman . 500 348 N. Brighton . . . 576 10 S. Clare .... 647 89 N.N.W. Clarendon . . 1,746 18 S.E. Echunga . . . 1,600 21 S.E. Freeling ... 250 36| N. Fulham .... 100 5* W. Gawler .... 1,809 24| N.E. Glenelg .... 2,208 6* s.s.w. Goolwa .... 624 60 s. Hahndorf 500 17 E. Hamilton 1,041 59 N. Hindmarsh 4,120 2 N.W. Kadina .... ' 4,000 96 ' N.E. Kapunda 1,844 48 N.E. Kingston . . . 500 169 S.E. Kooringa 1,500 101 N. Laura .... 500 141 N. Macclesfield . 1,000 27 S.E. Magill .... 250 4 E. Mannura 52 N.E. Manoora 500 75 N.E. Meadows 2S S.E. Melrose .... 300 195 N. Meningie 290 78 S.E. Milang .... 285 48 S.E. Millicent 341 S.E. Miutaro .... 400 82* N. Modbury 500 9* N.E. Moonta .... 5,000 99 N.W. Morphet Vale 900 15J S. Mount Barker 1,900 21 E. Mount Gambier 4,874 287 , S.E. 168 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. TABULAR STATEMENT OP THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS, ETC. Continued. Town or District. Population. Distance from Adelaide. Mount Pleasant 1,000 35 miles N.E. Mount Torrens 250 30 N.E. ftairne . 2,079 -' E. Xarracoorte . 1,164 222 S.E. Noarlunga 1,100 204 , s. Norwood . 6,576 2 , N.E. Oak bank 200 20* , E. Pekina . . . 900 254 , S.E. Port Adelaide 2,885 71 , N. Port Augusta 569 240 , N.W. Port Elliott . 1,339 59 , 8. Port Lincoln . 150 210 , W. Port Macdonald 888 304 , S.E. Port Victor . 250 64 , S. Port Wakefield 300 60 , N. Redruth . 560 101 , N.N.E. Eeynella 300 13J , s. Robe Town . 600 195 S.E. Rochester 103 N.byW. Saddleworth . 1,155 674 N. Salisbury 600 12$ N.E. Strathalbyn . 1,383 35 S.E. Truro . 150 57J N.E. Two Wells 500 24 , N. Wallaroo 2,000 91 J , N.W. Wellington 1,000 69 , S.E. Willunga 680 30 , s. Wood side 2,800 23J , E. Yankalilla 1,1w^^-^--^-^-^^^ ***~^~*^*~i^^^~^~~'^^*-*~*^~*^*^~^*~^-<~~*~i~~ knew they only waited for such an opportunity to fur- nish an excuse for removing us from the place. Such an excuse I have determined they should never have, so I have dragged through my numerous duties as well as I have been able. ' The views of the Commandant have been adopted by all those who are dependent upon him for their situations, or who come under his power in any degree; and bond and free have been influenced by him. The tide of prejudice thus set in against me, and preventing my usefulness, has occasioned me much mental anguish. I ought, at the same time, to say that it has not been against me as an individual, but against my office as a Wesleyan Minister. JXoperson could have been treated with greater kindness and polite attention, and no Minister could have been treated with more contempt. I have conversed freely with Captain Booth on the subject. The only reason he can give for wishing for a change is that it is a Government station, and should be supplied by a Minister recognised by the State, and that the place is now so respectable as to require a clergy- man of the Church of England. He, however, does me the honour to say : " The duties of the station have always been performed in a zealous, spiritual, laborious, and self-denying manner ; so that, in such a change, our gain will be our loss." 'This then appears to be the secret of it. After fifteen years of hard toil among the poor, degraded prisoners at the penal settlements, we are no longer sufficiently respectable to fill the station. While I am allowed to remain here, I shall endeavour to live and labour for God, and leave all events with Him.' In dishonourable forgetfulness of the compact 236 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. entered into between the Home Government and the Missionary Committee for the services of the Brethren, the colonial Government had caused an advertisement to be inserted in the Britannia newspaper, some eighteen months before the date of Mr. Manton's letter, for an Episcopal minister for the Settlement. But there was no response ; and so the Wesleyan chaplaincy was continued until 1844, when it was finally withdrawn. The labours of the Rev. Joseph Orton in the Hobart Town Circuit from 1835 to 1838 were of the utmost importance to the cause. In addition to the ordinary work of his Circuit, he visited the infant settlement at Port Philip, and brought the case of the young Society before the Committee. Port Arthur also had the bene- fit of his presence and counsels, Launceston, and numerous other places. Uniting in his own person the offices of pastor and bishop for, practically, that was his undoubted relation to the work in Tasmania, Port Philip, and South Australia he strove, up to the ut- most limit of his strength and ability, to care for the Churches and to direct his brethren in their important mission. He saw, as had the pioneers Leigh and Lawry, that a great social and religious future awaited the Australasian populations, and wrote his thoughts and belief accordingly to the Committee. In his letter, dated Hobart Town, March 28th, 1838, he says : ' The growing importance of the numerous settle- ments of Australasia, which are rapidly increasing in number, and making great advances in general improve- ment, demands the consideration of the Committee and Conference. The rising Societies in the respective colonies and settlements with which our shores are already studded, and which must increase, will, ere long, TASMANIA. 237 be one of the most interesting departments of Wesleyan labour ; especially, taking in the adjacent islands of Tonga and New Zealand : provided that the whole be brought under a vigilant, judicious, and effective general supervision or superintendence; which, in order to secure the respective parts, and promote the well-being of the whole, must be the case at no very distant period, and is demanded by circumstances, especially by the remoteness from the mother country. A native ministry for these parts will, in the course of time, be gradually supplied from internal resources ; but the time has not yet come when this can be effi- ciently accomplished ; to force it would be inexpedient/ The Kev. H. H. Gand, who was appointed by the English Conference in 1835, laboured for many years with much acceptance in Tasmania. He was elected President of the Australasian Conference in 1867. In the autumn of 1838 two valedictory services were held in Great Queen Street and City Eoad Chapels, on the occasion of the departure of the Rev. John Water- house, as General Superintendent of the Society's Missions in Australasia and Polynesia ; the Rev. John Bumby, as Chairman of the New Zealand District ; the Revs. J. Eggleston, S. Ironside, J. Warren, and C. Creed ; Mrs. Waterhouse and family, Mrs. Eggleston, Mrs. Ironside, Mrs. Warren, Mrs. Creed, and Miss Bumby. The party safely arrived in Hobart Town on the 31st January, 1839. The Rev. J. H. Bumby the next day preached in Melville Street Church in the morning and the Rev. John Waterhouse in the evening. The General Superintendent, assisted by his co-presbyters, administered the Lord's Supper after the public service. The other Missionaries were disposed of as ' messengers 288 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. of mercy' to the several congregations in the Circuit. They brought with them a holy flame of love; which was much felt by the whole of the people. Thus the Water- house party spent their first Sabbath in Australasia. The arrival of Mr. Waterhouse released Mr. Orton from his ministerial and official responsibilities. This courageous and excellent Missionary commenced his itinerancy in the West Indies, in 1825, and ended it in 1839. He suffered much in his great Master's cause, and died at sea, off Cape Horn, in 1842. His last oflicial letter to the Committee, written in 1839, has the following beautiful passage : ' I duly appre- ciate the kind and encouraging expressions of the Committee regarding my feeble services in this part of the world. I am happy in having the commendations of those whose approbation I highly esteem ; and I am truly grateful to the great Head of the Church for the measure of success which has attended the labours of myself, in conjunction with my dear brethren, whose cordial, hearty, and arduous co-operation has mainly, under God, contributed to that prosperity/ Mr. Waterhouse held his first District Meeting late in the year 1889. It was a very harmonious meeting; a large amount of good had been done ; and a thank- offering of 500, from tne Hobart Town Circuit alone, was raised for the Centenary Fund. Mr. Waterhouse informed the Committee that the Mission in Van Diemen's Land was enriching new colonies by the almost constant emigration of pious persons, as well as benefiting vast numbers of prisoners and others, who in the absence of the Missionaries would be without the means of grace. A truer episcopus, according to the ' pattern } set forth in the New Testament, than the venerable Water- TASMANIA. 239 house, was never seen in the Southern World. His ' labours/ like those of St. Paul, were indeed ' abundant/ His first Missionary tour was to New Zealand early in 1840; and his second, which unfortunately proved to be his last, was entered upon on the 28th October of the same year. He then visited New South Wales, New Zealand, the Friendly Islands, and Fiji. Such labours as Mr. Waterhouse performed on this, his second great Missionary tour, were of the most exacting and exhausting nature. But there could not be even after his return any respite or rest for him. He at once visited the most important stations in the colony, and returned to Hobart Town to die. On his death-bed, in the presence of his family, he bore clear testimony to the preciousness of Christ, and his con- sciousness of assured communion with the founder and the leaders of the Church of his love, in the spirit- world : < Wesley \' < Wesley!' 'Wesley!' 'Smith!' ' Smith ! ' ' Clarke ! ' Heaven had opened unto him, and he looked in and saw these sainted ( servants of God' mingling in the crowd of ( spirits of just men made perfect/ . . . ( next the throne of God and the Lamb/ One last effort he made in prayer for his be- loved mission field before he ' yielded up the ghost : ' ' Missionaries ! ' ' Missionaries ! ' ' Missionaries ! ' he exclaimed in his last gasp, and died. ' A great man, and a prince in God's Israel had fallen ! ' This, to us, melancholy incident occurred March 30th, 1842. Tasmania has the honour of taking the lead of all the Australasian colonies in providing a superior class of education in connection with the Wesleyan Metho- dist Church. Captain Horton having liberally offered 1,000 and twenty acres of land towards the erection of a college at Somercotes, the brethren, at their Dis- 240 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. trict Meeting, in 1850, recorded their conviction of the necessity and importance of such an establishment, in which their sons, and the sons of their friends, might obtain a thorough Wesleyan training; and they agreed to request the Chairman and secretary to place the pro- ject fully before the Missionary Committee, and solicit their countenance and pecuniai-y aid. Such was the intense interest which Captain Horton took in this com- mendable project, that he increased his original sub- scription to 1,380. The friends throughout the colony nobly responded by adding to this amount the sum of 882 17s. 3d. The foundation stone was laid on the 6th February, 1852. Horton College was opened in 1855, and the Rev. John Allen Manton was appointed its first president. He was succeeded in 1859 by the Rev. William A. Quick, who held the office eleven years. The next appointment fell upon the Rev. George B. Richards, who is still the incumbent. The establishment of similar colleges in the Australian colonies has affected Horton College considerably; still, it is well patronised, and is both popular and useful. Several candidates for the colonial ministry and the Polynesian Missions have been educated and trained within its walls. The self-denying and godly men who exercised their ministry in the earlier days of Van Diemen's Land did a great service as the promoters of morality and religion in that island, and for the neighbouring colony of Victoria. As the frait of their pious labours, they may justly claim the conversion of many parents, whose able and earnest sons are now discharging the sacred functions of the ministry. And by the introduction of religious influences among the older settlers, as well as among the emigrant families of a later date, they TASMANIA. 241 have been the means of assisting many to acquire enviable positions of wealth and respectability. In the learned professions, in legislative halls, in mer- cantile establishments, and as squatters and agricul- turists, not only in their own Tasmania, but also in several of the Australian colonies and New Zealand, there are to be found many of her sons, who exhibit an ability and perseverance which entitle them to be regarded as among the agencies God has employed for developing the material, social, intellectual, political, and religious life and prosperity of Australasia. Tasmania, on account of its insular position, has been happily free from much of the whirl and excite- ment which followed the discovery of gold in 1851 on the northern side of Bass' Straits. Hence a quiet progress has marked the history of the island, rather than a rapid and uncertain one. For example, no event out of the ordinary course of things has contributed to the growth of any of the Churches for many years. Taking 1855, the year when the first Australasian Con- ference was held, and that of theVictorianandTasmanian Conference of 1878, the statistics of both periods will show a natural or steady progress, as under : 1855. 1878. Increase. Churches 23 62 39 Other Preaching Places 11 49 38 Ministers 6 17 11 Local Preachers 28 78 50 Sabbath-school Teachers 106 430 324 Members 694 1,529 835 On Trial 38 247 209 Sabbath Schools 13 55 42 Sabbath Scholars 1,082 3,468 2,386 Class Leaders 50 102 52 Attendants on Public Worship 3,950 9,683 5,733 242 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. All our Connexional regulations as to finance have been accepted by the Tasmanian Methodists from the beginning 1 . And a more loyal people to the doctrines and discipline of the Body could not be found in any part of our widespread Connexion. But this. is only a small part of the good results which have followed the labours of the pious and earnest men who laid the foundation of the Denomination in 1820, and who built thereupon for the quarter of a century following with so much fervency of soul and stedfastness of purpose. The Lord hath blessed their toil : it is His ' doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ; ' the whole of the grand results, however, eternity alone can show. THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. It is to the well-earned praise of this denomination that it was the first to employ ministerial agencies in Van Diemen's Land. The Rev. Robert Knopwood was the pioneer preacher. He was a clergyman of the old school, a magistrate, and a landed proprietor. He arrived with Captain Collins in 1804, in company with the original batch of convicts, and exercised his sacred functions until 1820, when, by permission of the Crown, he retired as a pensioner on the colonial treasury. Such was his friendliness and catholicity that, when the Rev. B. Carvosso, in 1820, sought permission of the Governor to preach in the streets to the perishing people of Hobart Town, Mr. Knopwood procured for the Missionary's protection a posse of constables. On the retirement of Mr. Knopwood from the chap- laincy, the Rev. William Bedford was appointed his successor. This courageous ' servant of God ' entered upon his work in the spirit of an Elijah, and very soon TASMANIA. 243 his hands were full. The universal drunkenness and unblushing sexual indecencies which everywhere pre- vailed excited in him a feeling of desperateness. He accordingly took his stand ; to conquer these terrible sins, or to die in the attempt, was his fixed resolve. His spirit and the reformation he effected have been recorded by an impartial hand : 1 He wept, he raged, he prayed. Indignation got the better of his sympathy. His righteous excitement was kindled, not against the poor outcast prisoner, but against the authorities in office. These were seen to live shamelessly in sin. Against these he thundered with a Knox-like zeal in the church which they were forced in etiquette to attend. He denounced their guilt in the language of the old seers, and uttered warnings and judgments with the energy of an Elijah. ' He rested not here. To purify the land, he appealed to the executive. If a change of heart could not be secured, at least the outward shame of sin might be removed. It would be idle for him to enforce the seventh commandment upon the convicts, when they saw its open violation by their superiors. ' He found an able seconder of his schemes of reform- ation in Governor Arthur, then recently appointed. A Government order was issued, commanding all officers, on pain of dismissal from public service, to amend their lives, and to be united in matrimony with those with whom they had been publicly living in shame, and by whom, in many instances, they had a family. ' This struck terror into the community of officials. They wished to retain their position, but not to be fettered by the marriage tie. They conjured and they blustered, they presented memorials and they con- E2 244 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA. demned the tyranny ; but all in vain : the law was intended for obedience. ' Then the malcontents turned upon the real author of this invasion of the rights of their domestic institu- tions. They sought to cajole him in private, they insulted him in public. They appealed to his generosity at one time, to his fears at another. Prayers, bribes, and threats were all in vain. The fighting Chaplain was not to be driven from his entrenchments nor from his duty. ' Gradually and sulkily the discomfited chiefs gave in. Their mistresses were made wives, and their chil- dren were legitimatised in the eyes of the law. Then, and not till then, did the champion of virtue attack those of lesser name, and bring his influence to bear upon their public conduct. ' The good man fought and conquered. Commenc- ing his warfare almost single-handed, he soon gathered around him useful auxiliaries in the field, who performed valiant service for truth under his captainship. It may be that he struck hard blows with sharp weapons ; but it was because he saw that the battle must be real and the struggle be sharp. It was not that his nature was all sternness. We know, from personal acquaintance, that the man was full of human sympathies, and that he combined the love of John with the fire of Peter. ' He has since gone to his rest. The colonial lovers of virtue will never cease to recognise with gratitude the labours of the Rev. Dr. Bedford, the venerable Chaplain of Hobart Town/* In 1842 the Rev. Dr. Nixon arrived as first Bishop * From Bonwick's Curious Facts of Old Colonial Days, pp. 239, 242. TASMANIA. 245 of Tasmania. Under his vigilance and care the Epis- copal Church received a complete organisation. He is spoken of as learned, accomplished, and benevolent. He retired on account of ill health a few years since, and was succeeded in his episcopacy by the Rev. Dr. Bromby. The history of Episcopalianism in Tasmania, like that of Wesleyanism, has been singularly free from stir- ring incident or great surprises. Since the period of Dr. Bedford's painful struggles with sin and sinners at Hobart Town, its course has been pretty even and generally reputable. It has taken its full share, with other Christian denominations, in preparing numerous Ministers, lay -helpers, schoolmasters, professional men, &c., for good service and high enterprises in the Australian colonies. The Episcopal is the leading Church in Tasmania. It has about 100 places of worship, capable of accom- modating 16,000 persons. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. It is but fair to Scotland to say that among the unfortunate persons despatched from the OLD country in 1778 and afterwards, to the distant penal settlements at Botany Bay and at the Derwent, very few came from the north of the Tweed. Scotchmen were found in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land in the earliest periods of settlement ; but then, it should be stated that they did not ' leave their country for their country's good/ but for their own, in lands remote and easy of acquirement. Yan Diemen's Land, as might be ex- pected, would have its share of the emigrant ' Scottish sons of toil;' and probably the stirring letters of the Missionary Carvosso, written in ] 820, which were pub- 246 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. lished and circulated throughout Great Britain, had something to do with unsettling many a Sandy as he enjoyed the rough comforts of his Highland home. The first Presbyterian service was held by the Rev. Archibald MacArthur on the 12th January, 1823; and the foundation stone of the first church erected by this body was laid on the 21st March, 1824. But the real founder of the Presbyterian Church in the colony was the Rev. Dr. Lillie, an ordained minister from the Old Kirk. He is spoken of as a man 'of distinguished learning and splendid pulpit power/ He did good service for thirty years, when he returned to his native land. Like Dr. Lang in Sydney, Dr. Lillie had to fight for his true national position, in opposition to the claims of Episcopacy as represented by Dr. Nixon. The con- flict was short, sharp, and decisive ; and victory crowned the laudable and courageous efforts of the Presbyterian leader. From that decisive hour, perfect religious equality has been the common right of all denomina- tions alike in Tasmania. There are attached to this body 1 2 ordained Minis- ters, 25 churches, and nearly 7,000 adherents. The FREE CHURCH OP SCOTLAND is also represented, and numbers about 2,500 adherents. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. The first Minister of this Body in Van Diemen's Land was the Rev. Frederick Miller. His attention was called to the melancholy condition of the people about 1830, and encouraged by a leading Independent in England, Mr. Thomas Wilson, he came thither to do his part for their spiritual benefit. Mr. Henry Hopkins was God's f elect servant * for giving Congre- TASMANIA. 247 gationalism a place among the ecclesiastical institutions of the colony. The first church was opened by Mr. Miller in 1832. We remember meeting the venerable man at the Wesleyan Conference of 1858 in Hobart Town, when he warmly greeted the brethren of another Christian body, and bade them ' God-speed/ He was then old and full of days, and had served his Great Master with honour and scrupulous fidelity. Other Ministers came to Mr. Miller's help. The Eev. C. Price, who settled at Launceston, the Eev. J. West, an able and ready writer ; and Messrs. Nesbitt, Beazley, Strongman, Parker, who well represented the Church of their choice. The statistics of this denomination are 1 1 Ministers, 54 churches, 4,500 attendants on public worship, 34 Sabbath- schools, 250 teachers, and 2,050 scholars. THE BAPTIST CHURCH. This denomination has probably never numbered many over 1,000 adherents in the colony. The first Minister was the Rev. Mr. Dowling, who laboured with much acceptance. The Rev. Mr. Wade came in 1841, and for many years was greatly respected for his talents and his high Christian character. THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHUKCH. For many years this body has exerted a salutary influence as an agency of Heaven for the people's good. It commenced its operations among those who specially needed the spiritual aid which its Ministers faithfully supply. By the Divine blessing upon the labours of the Missionaries there have been erected 15 sanctuaries, which are supplied by 4 itinerant and several lay- preachers; and the average attendance is about 2,000. 248 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. There are also 8 Sunday-schools, 60 teachers, and 400 scholars. The FREE METHODISTS have 1 Minister, the Rev. James Richards, who resides in Hobart Town, 3 leaders, 42 members, 1 church, 1 Sunday-school, 9 teachers, 72 Sabbath scholars, and about 250 adherents. The SOCIETY OP FRIENDS have a small cause in Hobart Town. The DISCIPLES OP CHRIST have 1 Minister, and a small congregation. The JEWS have 2 synagogues : one at Hobart Town, and one at Launceston. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. It is a remarkable fact that although the first batch of convicts were landed in Van Diemen's Land in 1804, those of them who professed to belong to this Church were left without religious instruction in their own faith until 1821, during which period they were compelled to attend the ministrations of the Protestant Chaplains appointed by the Government. The Rev. Mr. Conolly was the first of this body to enter upon the work in Hobart Town. In 1834 the Rev. J. J. Therry came to the colony. An impartial hand has thus summed up his character : ' His name was known and respected. No one who knew him could deny his devotion to his clerical duties, his self- sacrificing attention to the sick, his benevolent efforts, and his love for children. 7 For many years this Church has had a Bishop in the colony and an effective staff of Ministers. It has 32 places of worship, with 12,000 attendants, 33 Sun- day-schools, 97 teachers, and 1,560 Sabbath scholars. The census return is over 12,000 adherents. TASMANIA. 249 The churches of all denominations number 316, which gives one for every 314 persons. Probably, in no other of our colonies is the church accommodation equal to this. Sunday-schools are fully provided in every town and village in the island where necessary, and the work of teaching is well and successfully per- formed. There are over 100 of these schools, which are taught by nearly 1,200 teachers. About 15,000 children and young persons are being taught in them. Bands of Hope and Temperance Societies are vigorously worked. PRIMARY EDUCATION is UN-DENOMINATIONAL, and is sustained by annual votes of the Parliament. The attendance of children of school age is compulsory, unless it can be shown that non-attendant children are under instruction elsewhere. The funds are adminis- tered by a Board appointed by the Government. The cost of each scholar to the Treasury is 2 8s. 9d. per annum. HIGHER EDUCATION is also provided, and a Council is responsible for its due administration. From the public schools boys, by means of yearly competitive examinations, are selected for exhibitions to the higher schools. There are thirty-two of these exhibitions, which vary from 16 13s. 4d. to 20 each. In addition, there are ' Tasmanian scholarships ' open to the exhibitioners who have reached the prescribed standards, of 200 each per year, for four years, at one of the English universities. Several Tasmanian youths have attained 1 a good degree ' in scholarship, honours, and high position in the learned professions in the Australian colonies. The POLITICAL CONSTITUTION embraces a House of Assembly, consisting of thirty-two members, each of 250 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. whom must be a subject of the Queen, and not under twenty-one years of age. The seat is held for five years, except in case of the dissolution of the House, absence from the colony, or death. Every 7 house- holder or freeholder has one vote; army and navy officers, not in commission, and clerks, have each a vote also. The second branch of the Parliament is the Legislative Council of sixteen members, who are elected for six years. No member of the council must be under thirty years of age. The possession of a 30 freehold, or the having been an officer in the army or navy, the holding of a university degree, being a duly qualified medical practitioner, or in ( holy orders/ will give the right to vote for a member of the council. All elections are by ballot. The Governor, who is appointed by the Crown, is the sole executive power; whilst all legisla- tive authority is vested co-ordinately in the Assembly and Council. There is a cabinet of four or five members, who assist the Governor in the discharge of the execu- tive power. The cabinet is directly responsible to Parliament, the same as in England. The Governor is commander-in-chief and vice-admiral. His salary is 3,000 per annum, with an allowance of 1,500 for contingent expenses. There is an Executive Council of twenty- three mem- bers, who are entitled to the prefix of ' Honourable ; ' but who are not necessarily connected with the Par- liament. The TRADE KETURNS for one year, considering the smallness of the population, are very satisfactory. The total number of acres of land under cultivation may be estimated at 332,824, and distributed as follows : wheat, 42,754, producing 700,922 bushels; barley, 5,939, pro- ducing 165,357 bushels; oats, 32,556, producing 82 7,043 TASMANIA. X'V-X-^'N.^-Vj'-N^X-N.X-^X-^X' bushels; other cereals, 6, 585'producingl37,050bushels; potatoes, 6,906, producing 24,455 tons ; hay, 34,758, pro- ducing 49, 2 1 7 tons ; green forage, 1 03, 1 6 7 acres ; other tillage, 100,168 acres. Horses, 23,473 ; cattle, 118,694; sheep, 1,719,768 ; pigs, 47,664. Shipping, 1,295 vessels, of 262,209 tons. Lands granted and sold to Decem- ber 31st, 1875, 4,024,808 acres. Railways, 150 miles; and telegraph lines, 396 miles. For many years Tasmania contributed materially to the sustenance and comfort of thousands of families to the north of Bass' Straits, before the Yictorians, and some others, were able to grow produce for themselves. In 1875, the exports of jams and preserved fruit amounted to 2,851,830 Ibs., valued at 75,589. Of green fruit, 159,224 bushels, valued at 40,987. Such is the climate that cherries, plums, quinces, mulberries, figs, peaches, apricots, walnuts, filberts, almonds, gooseberries, straw- berries, raspberries, currants, pears, apples, and grapes, grow in great abundance, and without occasioning much toil or anxiety to their cultivators. Vegetables, esculents, and fish abound. Recently a flourishing industry has been established in the growth and exportation of hops. Artificial grasses, mangel-wurzel, &c., are cultivated as fodder for horses and cattle. Iron ore, tin ore, gold, but not in large quantities, bismuth, coal, limestone, freestone, and timber, includ- ing the gum tree, the pine, and many other woods of great value for furniture, buildings, and railway pur- poses, are abundant. The geographical features of Tasmania have been thus described: 'A beautiful, well-watered island, rich in harbours and inlets, traversed by high mountain chains, full of crags, glens, and ravines of commanding 252 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. appearance, the basaltic cliffs of some being several hundred feet in perpendicular height. Everywhere there are good anchorages, and many excellent har- bours. Altogether the coast offers the most manifest changes, and generally charming scenery. The interior especially is delightful, and here are united, so to speak, the climate of Italy, the beauty of the Apen- nines, and the fertility of England. Mountain and valley, hill and dale, crowned with high forests, and rich pasture grounds in the plains, afford the most pleasing variety/ There are two distinct lines of mountain ridges running right through the island, between which lie the inhabited and cultivated districts. Enormous moun- tains, between 3,000 and 5,000 feet high, dot these ridges and give a marvellous picturesqueness to the whole landscape. The island is well watered from numerous rivers, creeks, and rivulets. The rainfall varies, according to locality, from 17 to 120 inches. In one year the rain fell in Hobart Town on 120 days. The heat varies with the seasons of the year. In the spring (September, October, and November) the tem- perature is 54. In the summer (December, January, and February) it may be about 64. In the autumn (March, April, and May) it is about 55. And in the winter (June, July, and August) 47. The mean temperature for the year is 55. The death-rate is small, being about twelve per 1,000 of the general population. The zoologist may find much material upon which to exercise his skill and patience ; and the geologist may luxuriate at will in examining deposits of trap, sandstone, clay-slate, limestone, quartz, granite, meta- morphic and micaceous rocks, &c., &o. TASMANIA. 253 The islands belonging to Tasmania are fifty-five ; containing over a million of acres, not including Chappell Island, Kent's Group, Sloper, Franklin, and Heron's Island. King's Island, in the western mouth of the straits, contains 272,000 acres. The PRINCIPAL TOWN of the colony is HOBAET TOWN, situate in 42 53' south latitude, and 147 22' east longi- tude, about twelve miles from the mouth of the river Derwent. The area of the city is about 1,270 acres ; there are about 5,000 houses, and the rateable value is 99,000. OTHEE TOWNS AND DISTRICTS IN TASMANIA. Town or District. Population. Distance from Hobart Town. Avoca 400 99 miles N.N.E. Both well . 1,300 45 N.W. Bridge water 200 12 N. Bracknell 150 130 N. Burnie 470 214 N.W. Campbelltown 1,600 80 N. Carrick . 300 131 N. Deloraine 800 150 N.W. Evandale 3,260 118 N. Fingal . 450 120 N.E. Franklin 600 26 S.W. Georgetown 1,371 156 N.W. Glenorchy 1,300 5 N. Hagley . 200 136 N.W. Jerusalem 400 32 N. Kempton 1,380 29 . N. Launceston 10,688 120 , N. Longford 5,050 113 , N. Lovett 1.300 33 , S.W. New Norfolk 870 21 , N.W. Newtown 2,200 H , N. Oatlands . 50 ., N. Penguin . 210 N. Perth 110 , N. Pontville 195 16 , N. Richmond 1,629 16 , N.E. Ross 950 73 , N. St. Mary's 200 128 , N. 254 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA ,97.1. OTHER TOWNS AND DISTRICTS IN TASMANIA. contl nurd. Town or District. Population. Distance from Hobart Town. Sorell . Stanley . Swansea . 4,066 1,380 1,060 1 3 miles N.E. 2r,3 N.W. 90 N.E. Torquay . Triabunna 6,082 150 1'JO N.W. 65 N.E. Victoria . 24 s.W. Westbury Wynward 5,839 900 140 N. 234 N.W. Besides those tabulated, there are forty-five towns and villages in the colony, having all the institutions and rights peculiar to English settlements. From these have gone forth, from time to time, large num- bers of young men and young women to the Australian colonies and New Zealand. Generally, they have dis- tinguished themselves by their industry, ability, and good conduct. And this is as might have been ex- pected, because e Tasmania, from the commencement of its history, has been resorted to by settlers of un- questioned respectability, numbers of whom have been long settled on the land they occupy/ They constitute an influential and well-to-do yeomanry, and would be a credit to any country. The writer cannot close his notice of Tasmania with- out an expression of deep regret that the vast material resources of this richly-endowed land are not more generally known in Great Britain. Other colonies, the climate and advantages of which cannot be com- pared with Tasmania, have used all available means for giving such publicity to their claims as to have in- duced an influx of immigrants and considerable settle- ment on their broad acres ; whilst this much favoured TASMANIA. 255 colony has been left almost unaided to creep along in the path of progress, yea, even to struggle for an inde- pendent existence among the sisterhood of British provinces. WHEREAS, the Tasmania of to-day should be held in the same repute as New South Wales, and wield, equally with her elder sister, a mighty power for good among the younger branches of the Australian group. Perhaps it may not be too late even now for Tasmania to ' awake, and put on strength/ and there- by, under Divine Providence, achieve a prosperous and splendid destiny. CHAPTER VIII. NEW ZEALAND. ra, 104,900 square miles, or 67,136,000 acres. Population, 399,075. Revenue, 3,540,968. Expenditure, 3,431,973. Public Debt, 17,400,031. Imports, 6,905,171. Exports, 5,488,901.] D |EW ZEALAND has been aptly called the Great Britain of the south; and, as far as the climate and general configuration of several parts of the country are concerned, it is worthy of that designation. The first European, it is believed, who saw it was the Dutch captain,. Abel Tasman, in January, 1643, who gave it the name it still bears. In 1769, Captain Cook landed on the east coast of the north island -, and, before he got away again, the coxswain, who was in charge of the pinnace, in pure self-defence, unfortu- nately shot a leading chief of one of the tribes. This was an unhappy commencement of European inter- course with the Maories ; who, as has been abundantly shown since, never forget to revenge what they deem an injury when a favourable opportunity occurs. In this age of daring adventure, it could hardly be expected that such an extensive and healthy country as New Zealand, one so rich and full of resources of every kind, would long remain without some attempt 258 CHRIS TIA X WORK IX 4 1 H? TEA LAS FA. being made to colonise it. But there was one serious drawback in the number and ferocity of the nati which effectually protected their iron-bound coasts from being invaded by white adventurers ; and it was not until zealous Christian Missionaries ventured among them to civilise their untamed and cruel natures by the mild and merciful influences of the Gospel of Christ, that the lives of settlers were at all likely to be safe. In evidence of the soundness of this opinion, it may be mentioned, that for thirty-seven years after the de- parture of Captain Cook in 1777, with the exception of one solitary cast-away sailor, no Europeans are known to have settled there. It was, up to 1814, a feared, iinknoicn land to all white people, no matter from what country they hailed. The honoured pioneer of religion and civilisation in Xew Zealand was the Eev. Samuel Marsden, Govern- ment Chaplain of New South Wales, who, constm by ' the love of Christ/ and at the expense of the Church Missionary Society, in 1814 established a mission at the Bay of Islands, on the east coast of the northern island. And the second heroic pioneer Missionary to follow Mr. Marsden was the Rev. Samuel Leigh, of the Wesley an Missionary Society, who took up the work in 1818. Whaling ships between these periods, and subsequently, ventured to call at some of the outlying ports ; traders, also, from New South Wales, put in an appearance occasionally, and established agencies wherever practicable. But it was too evident that there was a strong disinclination on the part of the Crown to attempt founding a colony by the intro- duction of a few thousands of English people in this antipodean world. For example, Cook, with all the NEW ZEALAND. 259 weight of his character and experience gained by nearly a year's work in circumnavigating the coasts, could not move the Government to take a single step in that direction ; neither could Benjamin Franklin, the greatest among American statesmen, induce the English people to form an organisation for that object. In the light of subsequent events, perhaps it should be unregretted that this delay took place. In 1837, the New Zealand Land Company was formed. It had the sanction of the Government, and was clothed with considerable powers. On the 12th of May, 1839, a preliminary expedition sailed from England under the command of Colonel William Wake- field, which arrived at Port Nicholson in August following; and from that auspicious month a steady increase of the white population has been witnessed. It was distinctly provided by the Company's charter, that the natives were not to be forcibly dispossessed of their lands, but honourable purchases were to be made by the new comers, and proper securities given. Port Nicholson, in Cook's Strait, was selected for the first settlement. Besides being central to the north island and to the southern island, it was favourably situated for commercial intercourse with the principal Australian cities, being about 1,200 miles east by south of Sydney, and 1,400 miles east of Melbourne. The present city of Wellington is the developed idea of the embryo settlement first formed by Colonel Wakefield and his gallant associates. The increase of the European population is very marked from the arrival of the first emigrant ship on the 22nd of January, 1840. The following table, covering thirty-three years, shows this in the most satisfactory manner : s2 260 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. Periods. Males. Females. Totals. 1843. 7,264 5,924 13,128 1851. 16,086 11,672 26,707 1H56. 25,356 20,1S4 16,640 1861. 61,062 87,969 99,021 1866. 125,080 79,034 204,114 1871. 156,431 110,555 266,986 1874. 170,903 128,482 299,686 1875. 213,294 162,562 375,856 1876. 225,580 173,495 399,075 N.B. The Maori tribes are about 46,000. The history and success of Missionary operations in New Zealand would form an appropriate appendage to the 'Book of the Acts' in confirmation of the truth of Divine revelation. Material more discouraging than that upon which the heroic men who ' hazarded their lives' in this work had to operate upon can hardly be imagined. In the first records of CHRISTIAN MISSION WORK, in which the apostles and their imme- diate successors were engaged, we find the mention of no people among whom they laboured more fierce and cruel than were the New Zealand aborigines. And no triumphs they won can surpass those achieved by Messrs. Marsden, Leigh, and their brother Mission- aries, among the Maori tribes. That New Zealand has become an integral part of the British Empire and the adopted HOME of nearly 400,000 English-speaking people is, under God, to be ascribed to the civilising and salutary influences exerted upon the once savage chiefs and tens of thousands of natives, by the presence and labours mostly of the ' Church ' and Wesley an Missionary Societies. New Zealand to-day ranks as one of the most valuable colonies of the Crown ; but NEW ZEALAND. 261 let it never be forgotten, that for this splendid addition to the foreign possessions of our beloved Queen, the Christianity of England must have the sole credit. We now proceed to give in narrative form an ac- count of the introduction and establishment of the Wesleyan Church in New Zealand. We have before remarked that the first Wesleyan Missionary who visited New Zealand was the Rev. Samuel Leigh, in 1818. In that year the Rev. Walter Lawry arrived from England to help him in the important colony of New South Wales. But his health having suffered under the pressure of ministerial work, he was urged by his friend, the Rev. Samuel Marsden, then senior Chaplain of the penal settlement, to take a voyage to New Zealand, offering him a free passage in a vessel which he was sending thither with supplies for several pious Catechists, who, since 1814, had been under his direction. And Mr. Marsden earnestly requested Mr. Leigh whilst in New Zealand ' to aid and encourage ' those good men by his sympathy and counsel. Mr. Leigh availed himself of this providential opening j and, although his stay was but short, yet he came away with a deep conviction that the time had come when the Church he represented should enter upon this field of labour. In 1819, Mr. Leigh returned to England, and whilst at home he so stated the case of the New Zealand natives to the Missionary Committee, and, through the press to the Christian public, that means were soon found for establishing a Mission among them. The statement Mr. Leigh drew up is so full of varied interest even now, that we venture to transcribe it for our readers. He says : 1 New Zealand is situated between the latitudes of 2G2 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALAS1A. 34 and 48 south, and between the longitudes of 118 and 180 east from Greenwich. This laud was supposed -to be part of a southern continent, but it is now known to consist of two large islands, divided from each other by a strait four or five leagues broad. Every kind of European fruit, grain, and plants would flourish here in the greatest luxuriance. The winters are milder than those in Europe, and the summers not so hot, though more eojiably warm. The inhabitants of these islands are in general very stout and robust, and are equal in muscular strength to the largest men in Europe ; their number is supposed to be from one to two millions. Their colour, in general, is brown; but not much more so than that of a Spaniard who has been exposed to the sun. Both the men and women ^have good features. Their dress consists of mats made of flax, which grows in abundance in the island, and is of a very fine texture. The natives are accustomed to tattoo their bodies, and particularly their faces. They have various weapons of war, the principal of which are lances, darts, and a kind of battle-axe. ' While I was in the island, one day I was walking on the beach, conversing with a chief, when my atten- tion was arrested by a great number of people coming from the neighbouring hill. I inquired the cause of the concourse, and was told that they had killed a lad, were roasting him, and going to eat him. I immediately proceeded to the place, in order to ascertain the truth of this appalling relation. Being arrived at the village, where the people were collected, I asked to see the boy. The natives appeared much agitated at my presence, and particularly at my request, as if conscious of their guilt. It was only after a very urgent solicitation that NEW ZEALAND. 2G3 they directed me towards a large fire at some distance, where they said I should find him. As I was going to this place, I passed by the bloody spot where the head of this unhappy victim had been cut off ; and on approach- ing the fire, I was not a little startled at the sudden appearance of a savage looking man of gigantic stature, and armed with a large axe. I was a good deal intimi- dated, but mustered up as much courage as I could, and demanded to see the lad. The cook, for such was the occupation of this terrible monster, then held up the boy by his feet. He appeared to be about fourteen years of age, and was half roasted. I returned to the village, where I found a great number of natives seated in a circle with a quantity of sweet potatoes before them, waiting for the roasted body of the youth. In this company was shown to me the mother of the boy ; both were slaves through having been taken in war. "However, she would have been compelled to share in the horrid feast, had I not prevailed on them to give up the body to be interred, and thus prevented them from gratifying their unnatural appetites. But notwith- standing this melancholy incident, I believe they are capable of religious instruction and of a knowledge of arts in general. They are very ingenious and enter- prising, and discover a surprising willingness to receive information. I did not visit any one village where the principal chiefs did not strongly urge my residence among them, and I believe that God is preparing them to receive the ever-blessed Gospel of peace/ By the Conference of 1820, Mr. Leigh was appointed to the New Zealand mission. He and Mrs. Leigh accordingly sailed from England and arrived at the 2G4 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. Bay of Islands on the 22nd February, 1822. As they neared the land, a man from the mast-head announced that New Zealand was rising, to view. The following reflections were worthy of the good Missionary in prospect of both work and peril : ' When I stepped upon the deck and looked towards the shore, and then at my wife, and reflected upon the probable conse- quences of our landing, I felt as if divested of all spiritual strength. We were running in upon a nation of ferocious and bloodthirsty heathens, where there was no power to protect, and whilst the country was convulsed by war. Never shall I forget the agony of mind I endured, until reflection brought me to feel that I was surrounded by the Divine perfections, and that a hair could not fall from our heads without the concur- rence of God.' Mr. Leigh soon received as his colleague the Rev. Mr. Stack, who, in later years, transferred his services to the Church Missionary Society. A portion of land was bought, and an attempt made to form a station in the valley of Keo, through which a stream flows into the estuary of Wangaroa. It was in this place that the crew of the Boyd had been killed, cooked, and eaten by the savages. The name of Wesley Dale was given to the station thus chosen. It is now the property of the Society ; and there stands a neat wooden church for the benefit of the settlers and their families who dwell in the fertile valley. Having had the honour to initiate this mission, Mr. Leigh was not permitted to continue long in it. In less than eighteen months after his arrival, he left for New South Wales through loss of health. But before his departure other 'helpers' had come. The mission party then included the Revs. Messrs. White, Turner, Hobbs, NEW ZEALAND. 265 Stack, and Mrs. Turner, who was the only lady belong- ing to this intrepid band of Christian pioneers. Amid many ' perils by the heathen/ they did not grow 'weary in well-doing/ The Episcopalian mission also had been strength- ened by new arrivals, who were labouring under the energetic guidance of the Rev. H. Williams (afterwards Archdeacon Williams), and perfect harmony was main- tained by the brethren of both Societies. Meanwhile they had been cheered by a visit from Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman, the honoured deputation from the London Missionary Society to the South Sea Mission Churches. In the Tuscan they entered the Wangaroa harbour on July 15th, 1824, the ship remaining until the 18th. The subjoined extract from their interesting narra- tive shows the character of the natives with whom the Missionaries were located : ' This morning our little vessel was surrounded with canoes, containing several hundreds of natives of both sexes, who presently climbed up, and crowded it so much that we were obliged to put up a bar across the quarter-deck, and tupa it from intrusion. The com- merce in various articles on both sides went on pretty well for some time, till one provoking circumstance after another occurred, which had nearly led to the seizure of the ship and the loss of our lives. In the confusion occasioned by the great throng within so narrow a space, the natives began to exercise their pilfering tricks, opportunities for which were seldom permitted to slip away unimproved. Suddenly the cook cried out, "They have stolen this thing /' but scarcely had he named the thing (some kitchen article) when he called out again, " They have stolen the beef 2GG CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. out of the pot ; " and then a tliird time, " They have stolen my cooking-pans ! " Presently another voice bawled out from the forecastle, " Captain, they have- broken open your trunk, and carried away your clothes." ' Up to this time, we had been in friendly inter- course with the chiefs, rubbing noses and purchasing their personal ornaments, with other curiosities, not suspecting any mischief. But now, in the course of a few moments, without our perceiving the immediate reason, the whole scene was changed. We found afterwards that the captain (Dibbs) on hearing of the audacious theft above-mentioned had become very angry, and while he was endeavouring, rather boisterously, to clear the deck of some of the intruders, one of them, a chief, on being jostled by him, fell over the ship's side into the sea, between his own canoe and the vessel. This was seized instantaneously as a pretext for commencing hostilities. The women and the children, in the course of a few seconds, had all disappeared, leaping over- board into their canoes and taking with them the mantles of the warriors. The latter, then stripped for action, remained on deck, of which, before we were aware, they had taken complete possession. f Tremendous were the bowlings and screeching of the barbarians, while they stamped and brandished their weapons, consisting principally of clubs and spears. One chief, with his slaves, had surrounded the captain, holding their spears at his breast and his sides on the larboard side of the vessel. Mr. Tyerman, under guard of another band, stood on the starboard ; and Mr. Bennett on the same side, but aft, towards tho stern. Mr. Threlkeld and his little boy, not seven years old, were near Mr. Bennett, not under direct NEW ZEALAND. 267 manual grasp of the savages. The chief, who, with his gang, had been trafficking with Mr. Bennett, now brought his huge tattooed visage near to Mr. Bennett's, screaming in tones the most odious and horrifying, " Tangata Nir Hireni tangata ka Ttino ? " This he repeated as rapidly as his lips, tongue, and throat could utter the words, which mean, "Man of New Zealand, is lie bad man ? '' Happily Mr. Bennett understood the question (the New Zealand dialect much remembling the Tahitian) ; wherefore though convinced that inevitable death was at hand, he answered, with as much composure as could be assumed, " Kahore ka kino, tangata New Zealand, tangata pai," which means, " Not bad ; the New Zealander is a good man." And so often as the other, with indescribable ferocity of aspect and sharpness of accent, asked the same question, perhaps a hundred times, so often the same answer was returned. " But," inquired Mr. Bennett, " why is all this uproar ? Why cannot we rub noses, and buy and sell, and barter as before ? " At this moment a stout slave belonging to this chief stepped behind Mr. Bennett and pinioned his arms close to his sides. No effort was made to resist or elude the gigantic grasp. Mr. Bennett know- ing that such would only accelerate the threatened destruction. Still, therefore, he maintained his calm- ness, and asked the chief the price of a neck ornament which the other wore. Immediately another slave raised a large tree-felling axe (which with others had been brought to be sharpened by the ship's carpenter) over the head of the prisoner. This ruffian looked with demon-like eagerness and impatience towards his master for the signal to strike. And here it may be observed that our good countrymen can have no idea of the almost preternatural fury which savages can 268 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. throw into their disturbed countenances, and infuse into their deafening and appalling voices, when they are possessed by the legion-fiend of rage, cupidity, an'd revenge. 'Mr. Bennett persevered in keeping up conversa- tion with the chief, saying, " We want to buy poaka, kumara, ika," &c., &c. (hogs, potatoes, fish of you). Just then he perceived a youth stepping on deck with a large fish in his hand. He said, " What shall I give you for that fish?" "Why, so many fish-hooks." " WStl, then, put your hand into my pocket and take them." The youth did so. " Now," said Mr. Bennett, " put the fish down there, in the binnacle, and bring some more if you have any/' At once the fish which he had just bought was brought round from behind and presented to him again for sale. He took no notice of the knavery, but demanded, "What shall I give you for that fish?" So many hooks. "Take them. Have you no other fish to sell ? " A third time the same fish was offered, and the same price in hooks required, and given, or rather taken by the vendor out of his jacket pockets, which happened to be stored with this currency for traffic. A fourth time Mr. Bennett asked, "Have you never another fish?" At this the rogues could contain their scorn no longer, but burst into laughter, and cried, "We are cheating the foreigner;" supposing that their customer was not aware how often they had caught him with the same bait. ( Just then one of the slaves behind plucked off Mr. Bennett's seal's skin travelling cap. This did not give particular alarm ; on the contrary, expecting every instant to feel the strike of the axe, it slightly occurred to him that the blow falling upon his naked Lead would more likely prove effective, and need no NEW ZEALAND. 269 repetition ; at the same time, in earnest, inward prayer, commending his spirit to the mercy of God, in Whose presence he doubted not he should very soon appear; the thought of deliverance having no conscious place in his mind during this extremity. While Mr. Bennett stood there pinioned and in jeopardy, the axe gleaming over his head and catching his eye whenever he looked a little askance, he marked a few yards before him his friend and companion Mr. Tyerman, under custody of another chief and his slaves. These wretches were from time to time handling his arms, his sides, and his thighs; while from the paleness of his countenance, though he remained perfectly tranquil, it was evident that he was not unaware of the meaning of such famili- arities ; namely, that they were judging, with cannibal instinct, how well he would cut up at the feast which they anticipated, while each, like Milton' s Death " grinned horribly a ghastly smile, And blessed his man, destined to that good hour." ' The captain, hemmed in with spears, continued a close but evidently a very indignant prisoner near the larboard bow ; while Mr. Threlkeld and his son moved backward and forward a few steps, on Mr. Bennett's left hand. In the course of the scene the carpenter, who had been in these parts before, and knew the people, came aft, till he got quite close to Mr. Threlkeld, when, looking earnestly towards Mr. Bennett, he said, " Sir, we shall all be murdered and eaten up in a few minutes/' Mr. Bennett replied, " Carpenter, I believe that we shall certainly all be in eternity by that time ; but we are in the hands of God." The carpenter then crept out of his view ; but Mr. Threlkeld's little boy having heard with affright what he had so emphatically 270 CHRISTIAN WORK 2N AUSTRALASIA. predicted, grasped his father's hand, and cried out, sobbing bitterly, " Father ! father ! when they have killed us will it will it hurt us when they eat us ?" 1 The carpenter had some apprehension of the same kind as the poor child's, and, apparently, felt greater horror of being devoured than of dying ; for presently Mr. Bennett, who kept his eye as much as possible turned from the impending axe, lest the sight of it should affect his countenance, happening to glance aloft, spied the carpenter across the yard-arm, waiting the issue, with a stern determination which indicated that come what might, he had chosen his lot. On being asked by Mr. Bennett afterwards why he had been so foolish as to go aloft as though there were a better chance of escaping the expected massacre than below, he frankly answered : " I knew that I must die, but I was resolved that the savages should not eat me ; and as soon as I saw them cut you down with the axe, I would have dropped down into the sea, and only have been drowned ; for I had weights about me what would have sunk me to the bottom." 'The whole of this strange occurrence (during which the cannibals never ceased to rage and threaten destruction, which an invisible and almighty Hand stayed them from executing), lasted, as it seems to us, nearly two hours. At length deliverance came as sud- denly as the peril itself had come upon us. Several voices from different parts of the deck cried out, " A boat ! a boat ! " It sounded like, " Life ! life ! " in our ears. Happily it was our boat returning from the Wes- leyan settlement in Wangaroa Bay, with the owner of our little vessel, who had gone thither in it the night before. He brought with him Mr. White, the Methodist Missionary, and George, the powerful chief in this part NEW ZEALAND. 271 of the island. The natives immediately released us from restraint, and forbore from violence, as soon as they perceived who had come with the boat. When George got on deck, his authority at once cleared it of our enemies, who yielded implicit obedience, though reluctantly, on account of the wrong which they imagined had been wilfully done to their chief, who fell overboard at the commencement of the affray. To Mr. White also we were greatly indebted for his friendly assistance and seasonable interposition on this occasion. At his request George consented to remain on board as our protector, till we could get to the station. It is remarkable that this dreadful chief, formerly the terror of the Euro- peans, was made the Lord's instrument for preserving our lives, though but fifteen years ago, as the head of his tribe, he had captured the ship Boyd, Captain Thompson, and slaughtered and devoured the whole company of ninety persons, except a young man and a cabin-boy/ Thus providentially saved from a cruel death, the deputation visited the Mission party at ' Wesley Dale/ and ministered to their comfort in the midst of their solitude and danger. They say : ' Three hours after leaving the ship we arrived at the expected Mission station, where we were most kindly welcomed and hospitably entertained. The little family consisted of the Rev. 1ST. Turner and Mrs. Turner, the Revs. Messrs. White, Hobbs, and Stack, and a young girl as domestic servant. Hitherto the Lord had caused them to dwell in safety in this dark land, amidst savages and cannibals, whose menaces and aggressions have only been used as means to extort property occasionally from them ; but who usually dwell on fair terms, though little in- 272 CHRIS TIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . dined to hearken to the good Word of God. For tho encouragement of our Methodist brethren here we re- lated to them, as far as time would allow, what God had been pleased to do for the poor heathen in the South Sea Archipelago, and how even the Sandwich Islanders had received the Gospel. We spent the evening, till a late hour, in Christian fellowship, in- structive conversation, and prayer/ On the 18th the deputation returned to the ship, accompanied by Messrs. White and Hobbs, who re- mained on board until the vessel sailed out of the Bay. Thus these excellent men ' escaped further anxiety and apprehension lest the treacherous people should again find a pretext to assault and seize the vessel, which the captain seemed fully persuaded they would attempt/ It was no small trial for the faith and patience of a few helpless men and women to venture to live among such a people, whose ' feet were swift to shed blood/ in the hope of leading them to Christ. The more clearly was their dark character revealed, the more reason there seemed for the inquiry, ' Can the Ethiopian change his skin?' But as will be seen in the sequel, even this miracle of grace became a fact. The faith of those earnest evangelists was honoured; so that, through their tearful and persistent efforts, together with those of their brethren of the Church Missionary Society, the ' mountains' and ' valleys' which had long echoed the war-cry and the man-eater's yell became vocal with the song of praise to the living and true God. ' The wilderness and the solitary place' were ' glad for them; and the desert' did ' rejoice and blossom as the rose.' Let those who talk glibly about the poetry of Mis- sions and the luxurious ease of Missionaries, let them NEW ZEALAND. 273 we say, think of the hardships and dangers of the early Missionaries to New Zealand, and, if they have the courage, ' go and do likewise/ But their victory did not come till after they had warred ' a good warfare/ Tears and toils had endeared Wesley Dale to the hearts of those servants of God. It was becoming like an oasis in the desert ; the rude language of the natives was now familiar to them ; they had overcome, as they fondly hoped, the initial difficulties in the foundation of a new station, when suddenly all their hopes were cast to the ground. In January, 1837, a war broke out between the tribes of Wangaroa and those of the Bay of Islands, and as the result of which the mission station was plundered, the premises destroyed by fire, and the mission band barely escaped with their lives, and that through the influence of a kindly disposed chief called Patuone, of Hokianga. Reluctantly did that little party tear itself away from that sacred spot, when it was no longer safe to tarry. The thought of leaving the place, which a few months before had seemed so promising, wrote Mr. Turner, was almost more than he could bear. Though their lives appeared in danger, it was one of the greatest crosses he had ever had to take up, to give his voice that they should depart. The refugees, after a rough and perilous journey through the tangled forest, found shelter and kindness on one of the stations belonging to the Church Missionary Society, the dwellers at which also were prepared for flight, not knowing at what moment the same fate might befall them. Thus for a time was the Wesleyan Mission sus- pended, and the brethren went to Sydney; but six months afterwards Messrs. Hobbs and Stack returned. T '274 CrrKISTIAX WORK IN -1 rSTRALASTA. This time they were under the protection of Patuoue. :itral site was secured for a station. It was a piece of forest land stretching out to a point into the deep water, and commanding the several tributaries of the noble and romantic Hokianga River. There were at this time about four thousand Maories living on the banks and in the valleys between the richly- wooded mountains. In a short time, they were joined by Mr. and Mrs. White from England. The name of the new station Mangungu (broken in pieces), so called from the uneven character of the ground. The neighbouring tribes were visited in boats or canoes, and a school for young persons of both sexes was formed in the Mission house. In 1836 the Rev. X. Turner was re-appointed to the mission; he had immediately before been suc- - fully employed in the Friendly Islands. He and Mrs. Turner landed at Mangungu, in the month of April, accompanied by the Eev. James and Mrs. Buller. Before this time the Mission had undergone several changes. Mr. Hobbs had been removed to Tongatabu ; Mr. Stack had gone to England ; Mr. n had arrived from the Friendly Islands, and was in charge of the printing department at Mangungu. The Rev. John Whitely, who oned at Kawhia, and the Rev. James Wallis, at Wangaroa, had arrived from England. In the Hokianga great progress had been made. Many portions of the sacred Scriptures, including the whole of the Xew Testament, had been printed, besides catechisms, hymn books, and prayer books; and large numbers of the people had been taugi. read and write. A substantial wooden church stood on an elevation, which rendered it visible for a long distance. Large numbers of the Maori people v. NEW ZEALAND. 275 well- disposed towards Christianity, and came in their heavily-laden canoes on the Saturday afternoon to the station, where they lived in rude huts until Monday or Tuesday. It was a lively sight to look upon these swift canoes, as they emerged from the several branches of the river, which divided at the point, till they all met in the valley of Otararau, not as formerly to gloat over cannibal feasts, but to have ' expounded unto them the Word of God more perfectly/ They were ' a people prepared of the Lord.' It was enough to gladden the Missionary's heart, when on the Sab- bath day, at the ' sound of the church-going bell,' those unwashed and coarsely-clothed tribes went up c to the house of the Lord/ eagerly seeking the know- ledge of God, The wave of religious feeling had now gone over much of the land, and from many distant places it was not uncommon for deputations of chiefs to come to the Missionaries begging for books and teachers. The precious seed had taken root, and now the ' fields' were ' white already to harvest/ and f the Word of the Lord grew and multiplied.' In 1838 the Rev. Mr. Hobbs had returned to Mangungu, and by this time a new station was formed on the Wairoa River, in the Kaipara District. On Sunday, November 18th, there were admitted into the Church by baptism 138 adults and forty-eight children. An eye-witness wrote : ' Never was such a scene witnessed at Mangungu as on the last Lord's day, Few, if any, less than 1,000 natives were present, who, like the ancient Jewish tribes, had come from the east and west, from north and south, to worship God. The church was not only crowded to excess, but hundreds who could not get in came to the windows, where 276 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A. they might listen to the Word. Many of them were strangers, and some of them were chiefs of the first rank. The sight seemed to affect every heart. There was scarcely any of that noisy confusion so natural to New Zealanders in almost all our movements. The congregation worshipping at City Road could hardly ever hang with more intense interest on the lips of a Newton or a Bunting than did this assembly on those of Mr. Hobbs while he gave them a stirring sermon on, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." ' In this year Mr. Turner and his family had a narrow escape from being destroyed by fire. He wrote the Committee as follows : 'About two o'clock on Sabbath morning myself and Mrs. Turner were awakened by a roaring noise, like that of fire. I instantly arose and proceeded to the parlour, which I found so full of fire and smoke as not to allow me to enter. On attempting it a second time, I burnt my feet, and felt myself almost suffocated. I then got through a back window, and roused the people ; but before any effort could be made by way of getting water, the fire had found its way through the roof, and being built chiefly of inflammable pine, all hope of saving the house was over. The mission bell was rung, and many who had come to the station to attend the services on the Sabbath were soon on the spot, and commenced saving from the flames whatever they could. My poor afflicted wife, in attempting to save herself and her children, who were in an adjoining room, from the devouring flames, fell, and burned herself very much. She, with the assistance of her eldest daughter, succeeded in rescuing them all, though NEW ZEALAND. 277 it appears one of the little ones barely escaped. She was obliged to quit the house in her night-dress alone, and without a shoe or stocking. One of the native youths, observing her in this condition and unable to walk, threw a blanket around her, and carried her up to Mr. Hobbs' rush house, whither the children were also taken/ Mr. Turner returned to New South Wales, and the Eev. John H. Bumby, who arrived from England on the 19th of March, 1839, took charge of the New Zealand Mission. He was accompanied by the Revs. C. Creed, J. Warren, and S. Ironside. The mission staff being thus strengthened, measures were at once taken for extending operations. Messrs. Bumby and Hobbs, having chartered a small schooner, paid a visit to Cook's Straits, with a view to find openings for the promotion of new stations among the Maories. At Port Nicholson they made a conditional purchase of a piece of land for the mission, and left several native teachers among the people. Soon after news reached the island that a company had been formed in London, who were sending out a large number of settlers to that port. The Rev. J. Buller, then resident on the Kaipara, was requested by his brethren to undertake a journey for the purpose of carrying out the object of Messrs. Bumby and Hobbs' visit. There was no way but to go overland. It was a six weeks' journey on foot, for had horses been available, no roads, bridges, or other facilities were then to be found. Mr. Buller was accompanied by a party of Maories, who carried his tent, blankets, books, etc. Only for three nights did he sleep in a bed, and these were on so many mission stations on the route. But the to "a 5 * g K H es NEW ZEALAND. 279 journey, though rough and toilsome, was one of great interest, for in nearly all the villages the people were prepared for the Word, and the only danger the good Missionary met with was that of being forcibly detained in some places in order that he might teach them the doctrines and precepts of the Gospel of Christ. The foot of a white man had not before trodden some of those strange localities. Arriving at Port Nicholson, Mr. Buller found the Company's surveying ship, the Cuba, was at anchor, and in the course of a few days the first emigrant ship, the Aurora, Captain Heald, came into port with 400 passengers. Mr. Buller was received by the natives with great rejoicing. There was much excite- ment among them owing to the Company's agent, Colonel Wakefield, trying to buy up their lands. There was only one European in the harbour before this, a Mr. Todd, who was also intent on land pur- chasing. Although Mr. Buller's primary mission was to the Maories, he felt himself ' debtor both to the Jews and to the Greeks/ and resolved to offer his services to preach on board the Aurora the following Sunday. He accordingly entered a canoe, and pro- ceeded on board. The captain was ashore with some of the saloon passengers at ' Pitoni. By the chief officer he was treated very curtly ; but Captain Heald, whom he soon afterwards met ashore, received him most courteously. On the Sunday he had the pleasure of preaching the first sermon in English in the Port of Wellington, which is now the prosperous capital of the great colony of New Zealand. Mr. Buller returned by sea to the Bay of Islands in the Atlas, and after a stormy passage of six days landed at Paikia, the Episcopalian Mission station, 280 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. just in time for service in the morning, and was the guest of the late Rev. H. Williams. Before he left the Bay of Islands for his station, he was honoured with an introduction to the Lieutenant-Governor, Cap- tain Hobson, and in two days afterwards the famous ' Treaty of Waitangi ' was signed. Not many months after this, the ship Aurora was brought into the Kaipara River for some kauri spars. On going out at the Heads she was becalmed, drifted on to the beach, and became a total wreck. The Methodist Missionary had now the opportunity of showing Christian hospi- tality to the shipwrecked mariners. They came in boats to his station, ' Tangiateroria/* about 100 miles up the river. After a respite, Captain Heald and his officers, nine in all, were forwarded by the overland route to the Bay of Islands, which was the provisional seat of Government. The journey occupied one day and a half in walking, Mr. Buller finding the English party native guides. Next day the crew followed under the charge of the chief officer ; and as they had all been well housed and fed, he was asked to express the thanks of the crew, which he could not decline. Thus the Missionary had his triumph by 'heaping coals of fire upon the head } of an English officer, who at Port Nicholson little expected to come under obligation to one to whom he had shown little or no respect. As Mr. Buller was on his way to Hokianga on May llth, 1840, he met a messenger from Mr. Bumby informing him by letter that the Mission schooner, the Triton, had arrived from Hobart Town. This wretched vessel, including a short detention at the Cape, occu- pied nine months in her voyage. On her visit to New Tanyi, sound ; a te roria, of the trumpet or whale. NEW ZEALAND. 281 Zealand she had as passengers the Eev. John Water- house, with several Missionaries and their wives, for Tonga and Fiji; also the Revs. T. Buddie and H. Turton, with their wives, and the Revs. G. Buttle, G. Smales, and J. Aldred for the New Zealand work. With this accession of strength, the Missionaries were enabled to form new centres. The Hokianga had three stations; Kaipara, one; Aotea, one; Kawhia, one; Mo- kau, one; Taranaki, one; Port Nicholson, one; Nelson, one ; Cloudy Bay, one ; and Waikowaiti, one. This was Mr. Waterhouse's first official visit to New Zealand. We copy from his Journal the follow- ing highly-interesting particulars of his first Sabbath's exercises : 'Went with Mr. Buller to a group of natives, sat down on the ground and conversed a little. I then rose and addressed them ; Mr. Buller interpreted. Moses said, it was very good talk, and requested me to say on ; but the church-going bell rang, and we all hastened to the house of God. In a few minutes it was filled. I counted 600 natives, and great numbers could not get in. Mr. Woon read prayers ; the re- sponses from the natives were delightful beyond any- thing I had heard. Mr. Buller preached, Mr. Iron- side read the baptismal service, and I administered the holy ordinance ; while Mr. Bumby, in the native tongue, said, "We baptize you in the name of the Father," etc. There were ninety baptized; one was called Richard Reece, another John Waterhouse, and the names of other Missionaries were adopted. I urged on them, now that they had taken f a new name/ to seek ' a new heart/ imbibe the Spirit of Christ, and imitate His example. 2K2 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA. ' 2 p.m. We had our native love-feast, when thirty persons spoke with great fluency. Thomas Walker, a fine chief, of great influence, said : " Do not think all my sins are all forsaken by me; I have not yet power fully to overcome them. I do not love sin. I strive iiLi-ainst it, I by no means encourage it in my heart; but it is in the hour of severe temptation I am over- come. It is Satan that makes me sin, it is when he brings the sin, and lays it before me, that I take hold of it. I do not of my own choice go and fetch it. But I know that Jesus Christ is able to save me, and I desire fully to believe in Him, that I may be saved. And I say to myself and all, Be strong, very strong, in believing in Jesus Christ, the Saviour. This is all my thought." ' Moses Towlai, who once carried terror among all his enemies, said, " This is what I have to say. I was once buried in mud, I was surrounded by trees, I was full of darkness ; the eyes of my heart were closed by the dirt of sin ; they were full of evil, and could not see: but I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I prayed to Him, but I did not see the badness of my heart. One whole year I cried to Jesus Christ, ' O, Jesus, come to my heart, come to my heart ; ' but He did not come, for I did not yet see that my whole heart was full of sin. Another year I cried, and another; and then I saw how it was. I saw that my heart was desperately wicked, and I cried to Jesus to take away my old heart, and give me a new one. Then my heart became light, then I believed in Jesus Christ; and now my heart is happy in believing in Jesus, for He alone is my Saviour. And my word to all my people present is to believe strongly in Christ Jesus. Thus ends my speech/ NEW ZEALAND. 283 ' William Barton, a fine young chief in person and mind, also spoke, and many others. I addressed them at the close, and we parted at 4.30 p.m. 'At 5 p.m. the bell rang for the European congre- gation, which, with natives, was large. I preached with much freedom from Isaiah Iv. 8, etc. We then went to Mr. Bumby's house, sang at the request of the natives, read, prayed, and conversed ; each saying, " It has been an interesting Sabbath." ' Help, brethren, help ! The Lord of hosts is with us. Never did I feel more at home. Forget us not in your prayers/ Christianity, through the Divine blessing upon the labours of the Missionaries, had fully established itself in New Zealand. The ferocious character of the Maories was changed, and life and property had become secure, so that large numbers of foreigners were coming thither. In 1840, New Zealand was proclaimed as a British colony, and a new and wonderful change took place. The joys of the Missionaries received a fearful check during this year. They were, indeed, over- whelmed with a great sorrow. Mr. Bumby felt it to be his duty to accompany the General Superintendent (Mr. Waterhouse) in the Triton to the stations in the south of New Zealand ; and on returning overland, he engaged a large canoe to take him from the Frith of the Thames to Wangarie, when he would walk to the Kaipara. He had twelve natives with him. They were off Tititirangi. The day was fine, the wind was light, but the sea was rolling and agitated. It was on the 26th June, 1840, the melancholy catastrophe of Mr. Bumby's death by drowning occurred. The sad incident is thus related : 284 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. ' One of the natives standing up to set the sail, several others got up at the same instant, when the canoe (being deep from their number, nineteen in all) upset. They then righted the canoe, and endeavoured to bale her out, while some of the natives were supporting poor Mr. Bumby in the water, who, it appears, could not swim. They succeeded in getting him into the canoe ; but being only partly baled out, and the others crowding into her, she again upset, when, soon after, Mr. Bumby and a native went down, to be seen no more/ Six only of the company were saved. The tidings of Mr. Bumby's death greatly distressed Mr. Waterhouse, and caused him the utmost anxiety for the work in New Zealand. He accordingly made a second Missionary tour, leaving Hobart Town on the 28th October, and arriving at Kawhia, New Zealand, on the 29th November. Mr. Waterhouse met the District Committee, and held several deeply interesting conver- sations with the natives. In one of these, William Naylor, who was formerly a great warrior, speaking for himself and other Christian chiefs, said : ' We are greatly indebted to the Missionaries. Before they came, our delight was in killing and devouring one another ; but now we love the book (New Testament) and live in peace, cultivating our lands. We found the book to be the truth, and that the Missionaries had never deceived us ; and from that book we learn that those who have received the Gospel should contribute towards its support. From 1 Corinthians xvi. I learn ' (here he read it) ( that collections were made. But we have no money. We must, therefore, give of our sub- stance, kumeras and potatoes. What we give this way must be considered sacred, expecting nothing again. When crops are good, we must give plentifully ; when NEW ZEALAND. 285 poor, moderately. White men have tried to deceive MS, saying, " Missionaries are to have great riches on their return to England, according to the number of converts they have made ; " but their riches are in heaven, not on earth/ In April, 1844, the Rev. Walter Lawry arrived in Auckland as the successor of Mr. Waterhouse, who died in Hobart Town in 1842. At this time a neat wooden church had been built on a commanding site in the town of Auckland, the only church yet there, excepting the Episcopalian, and it was well filled. But Mr. Lawry had not been long in his new and important charge before steps were taken for the erection of a large brick building in High Street. This proving, in a very short time, much too small, it had to be enlarged, when it was crowded from Sabbath to Sabbath. But, in course of time, that part of the city was relegated to shops and stores. The people, too, had purchased sites, and built themselves houses in a better situation. Thus it became necessary to erect a church in Pitt Street, and after the congregation at High Street had dwindled to a mere skeleton, it was sold by the trustees to the Improvement Commissioners. Auckland, from the force of circumstances, became the headquarters of our missions in the South Seas with the advent of Mr. Lawry, and so continued until the formation of the first Australasian Conference in 1855. The important subject of education for the Mis- sionaries' children pressed heavily upon their minds as there were no means yet in the country for school in- struction. Chiefly through Mr. Lawry's supervision land was purchased, and a suitable building was soon erected thereupon. The Rev. Joseph H. Fletcher, son of the Missionary Fletcher of the West Indies, and some time 286 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASL 1 . one of the masters of Kingswood School, was appointed by the English Conference to take charge of this institution, which is still known as ' Wesley College/ Here the children of all classes of the community, from those of the Governor downwards, received an education which fitted them for any station in life. Mr. Fletcher in this work was ably assisted by his brother, the Rev. W. Fletcher, B.A., and his sister, Mrs. Harding, the wife of the Rev. Isaac Harding, of Queensland, who had charge of the young ladies' section. The boys and girls were taught together in the same classes, and with excellent effect. An institution for the training of native teachers had been successfully conducted by the Rev. Thomas Buddie, in Graf ton Road. This was now transferred to the 'Three Kings/ and put on a much broader basis, under the direction of the Rev. Alexander Reid, who proved eminently successful in its management. In later days, the unhappy wars had the effect of closing this, as well as other schools which had been formed mostly for the benefit of the Maories and half-castes. It has, however, been recently resumed as a training institute for accepted candidates for the ministry ; and, under the able presidency of the Rev. T. Buddie it will probably grow into a large college for training men for both the English and the Maori work. In 1853, the Rev. Robert Young, the honoured delegate from the English Conference, and the Rev. W. B. Boyce, General Superintendent of the missions in Australia and Tasmania, visited Auckland to confer with the Ministers and laymen upon the nature and claims of the work generally in New Zealand; also for personally ascertaining from the brethren on the spot their views as to the making the New Zealand NEW ZEALAND. 287 missions an integral part of an Australasian Conference. The principles of such a scheme received the very general assent of both Ministers and friends. The first Conference was held in Sydney in 1855, and the Revs. T. Buddie and J. Whitely went as repre- sentatives. There were then in New Zealand the Auck- land District, with Mr. Buddie as its Chairman ; and the Wellington District, with the Rev. J. Buller as its Chairman. The membership was 3,578. The good work among the Maories suffered serious interruption and damage during the disastrous war between them and the English, which lasted from 1860 to 1870. By the demoralising effects upon the Maori mind, many of the best stations had to be abandoned ; and in not a few lamentable . instances they renounced Christianity and gave themselves up to a wild fanatic- ism, having more of a political than a religious object. In the course of this unhappy conflict the Rev. John Whitely lost his life. He was at the time engaged in a preaching tour along the coast. On the Saturday evening, he came to the Redoubt at the White Cliffs, with the intention of sleeping there and holding a series of short services at the several small settlements, as he would be riding back to New Plymouth the next day. Previous, however, to his arrival, the Mokau tribes had murdered the inmates, and were themselves in a state of wild excitement. When they saw the Missionary they signalled to him to go back. He, no doubt, perceived that they were bent on mischief, and, most probably, thinking he might prevent it by his presence, disregarded the warning and went on. Immediately several shots were fired, and Mr. Whitely and his horse fell dead on the spot. The murderers, who otherwise would probably have 288 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA . scoured the coast, killing all who came in their way, now, filled, it may be, with shame and remorse at what they had done, retraced their steps to their mountain fastnesses. The murdered Missionary was found on the Monday morning by a man who was seeking for his cattle. His remains were buried in the new Plymouth cemetery, and ' devout men . . . made great lamenta- tion over him.' The lamented Whitely was an indefatigable Mis- sionary. Ho laboured for thirty-eight years in pro- moting the best interests of the Maories, and rendered invaluable service to the colonial Government by the judicious manner in which he used his great influence with the hostile tribes. These services were acknow- ledged after his martyr-death by the Government, which provided an annuity of 100 for his widow, and her unmarried daughter after her, if she survived her mother. Under an amended constitution, the first New Zealand Conference was held in the Durham Street church, Christchurch, in January, 1874. The Rev. Thomas Buddie was unanimously elected to the chair ; and the business, under his sagacious guidance, was successfully transacted. The isolation of the brethren in New Zealand from the larger conferences in Australia is their danger. Being separated by so great a distance, and left so much to themselves, their 'recommendations ' will have to be carefully guarded by the Triennial General Con- ference, or a Methodism very unlike the ' old ' and well- tested pattern may possibly be brought into existence. It may be hoped, however, that the lines so distinctly laid down by the ' fathers ' and founders of the Aus- tralasian Church, and which have been worked with NEW ZEALAND. 289 **^S*^S**-'^~^S^S r ^S~v f ***ir^ Jl r*^^ so much moral and spiritual benefit to all classes of the people, will not be hastily departed from. It is greatly to the honour of the English Wesleyan Societies in New Zealand that they have undertaken the entire support of the Maori missions, thereby relieving the Sydney executive committee from all pecuniary re- sponsibility either for their support or extension ; besides which, about 170 per annum is subscribed for foreign missions. The income of the Home Mission and Church Extension Fund is about 2,000 per annum. The other Connexional funds are well sustained. Book depots and a religious periodical called the New Zealand Wesleyan are established under the direction of Con- ference Committees. The official returns presented at the Conference of 1878 were as follow: 63 Ministers, 10 catechists, 47 Circuits, 3,607 members, 195 on trial for membership, 162 churches, 175 other preaching-places, 7 day-school teachers, 1,306 Sabbath-school teachers, 228 Local- preachers, 180 Class-leaders, 867 communicants, 371 catechumens, 164 Sabbath schools, 11,724 Sabbath- school scholars, 5 day schools, 153 day-school scholars, 30,882 attendants on public worship. We close our account of the Methodist Church in New Zealand with one additional reference. The Ministers there keep up the good old loyal custom of formally presenting an address to the representative of the Crown as in former years. The remembrance of the terrible conflict and suffering endured by all classes during the ten years' Maori war, and the desirability of keeping before the great Anglo-New Zealand nation the fact that the Queen of England is also QUEEN AT THE ANTIPODES, seem to impress with a peculiar fitness this formal expression of affectionate loyalty 290 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. from the New Zealand Conference on behalf of the ' people called Methodists/ The EPISCOPAL CHURCH is fully established as an evangelistic agency in New Zealand. In its earliest history it was simply represented by Missionary Minis- ters and catechists, who were sent out and supported by the Church Missionary Society in England ; but in 1843_, Bishop Selwyn arrived as their eccelesiastical superior. He was then a young man. Combining in his own person the qualities of an athlete, an ecclesiastic, and a preacher, he threw himself at once, with character- istic energy, authority, and devotedness, into the work of his extensive diocese. The first years of his episco- pacy betrayed an ambition to establish in New Zealand a hierarchy in all its integrity ; a desire which he took no pains to conceal. A spirit of dissension was naturally evoked by the exclusive claims, which he assumed. This was productive of unhappy effects upon the minds of the native converts. As in most cases, the lessons of experience soon sobered the Bishop's views. As far as he could do so consistently with his ecclesiastical trammels he learnt to recognise the value of other Christian Churches, and to his credit, let it be said that he was never known to be guilty of an act of dis- courtesy to any of the Ministers of the non-episcopal communions. His career of twenty-six years in New Zealand was one of incessant and hard toil. His journeys, while roads and bridges were yet unknown, were performed on foot, and almost every nook and corner of the islands became familiar with his presence. His talents, his fortune, and his great powers were dedicated to the Church of his choice in this province. Free from the complexities of a state alliance, after long and patient and anxious deliberation, he sue- NEW ZEALAND. 291 ceeded in giving a permanent constitution to his Church, and in 1858 the first general assembly was held in Wellington, Bishop Selwyn, as metropolitan, presiding. This assembly is composed of three orders : bishops, presbyters, and laity; a majority of rotes by each order is necessary to the passing of any bill. At this time, the colony had been divided into five dioceses, viz., Auckland, Wellington, Napier, Nelson, and Canterbury, to which that of Otago has since been added. The diocesan synods meet annually, and the general assembly once in three years. There are thirteen Maori Ministers included in these sees. It was not possible that a man occupying the high position, exercising such great powers, and possessing such distinguished abilities as did Bishop Selwyn, should succeed in satisfying all parties. Particularly in relation to native politics he came in for unmeasured abuse. Without pretending that he made no mistakes, it is due to his memory to say, that New Zealand is greatly indebted to his self- sacrificing services for much of its prosperity ; whilst his Church is laid under an eternal obligation to him for his disinterested, persevering, and far-seeing labours. The Times of December 19th, 1849, thus faithfully describes him : ' A Christian Bishop and an accomplished scholar, standing among the rude huts, the ill-fenced orchards, and the straggling flocks of an infant colony, as the representative of learning and religion, and in- viting the generous and the adventurous to follow him across the globe. When a man of high position, wealth, or acquirements rises up on a platform or sits down in his library to urge his countrymen to go off to the colonies, he exposes himself to the objection that he is recommending to others what he will not do himself. Bishop Selwyn says, " Come ! " u2 292 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. In 1850, the Canterbury Settlement was formed under an association of that name. Before the end of the following year 2,600 colonists landed there. The block of land purchased by this Company contained 2,500,000 acres. The upset price of the land was fixed at 3 per acre ; one-third of which was to be devoted to the Episcopal Church and education, under the direction of the said Church. It was to be an exclusive 'preserve' for the Anglican body. The first batch of emigrants were of a highly respectable order, and they were accompanied, not only by presbyters and deacons, but by a bishop-designate, ' going at the head of the inhabitants of his future diocese, and inculcating per- fect reliance in their prayer-book and priest/ This was the Reverend Mr. Jackson, son of the late venerable and Reverend Thomas Jackson, S.T.P., of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in England. He did not, however, stay long. Unlike his superior, Selwyn, he had no liking for the severe simplicity of that early stage of colonial life ; and disappointed, if not disgusted, he returned to England. His place was not supplied until 1856, when Bishop Harper, the present amiable metropolitan, arrived. The charter of the Canterbury Association was set aside in 1852. It is now one of the most prosperous of the New Zealand settlements ; but instead of being the sole heritage of Episcopalianism, every denomina- tion is well represented there, and among them the Wesleyan Methodist Church holds no inferior position. As in all the Australian colonies, the Anglican body in New Zealand stands on the same platform with all other religious organisations, and is based upon a voluntary compact. It, however, according to the census, is the largest numerically of all the denominations. It holds unfortunately too much to the traditions of past ages ; NEW ZEALAND. 293 and, with few exceptions, its Ministers do not frater- nise with those of other Protestant Churches. They are, notwithstanding this, a hardworking, useful body of men. Generally ' High Church ' in their proclivities, there is little disposition in favour of modern ' ritualism/ A small number of them have made their names some- what conspicuous by introducing certain innovations ; but the good sense of their congregations rejects them. Earnest Ministers are always required in New Zealand ; but, so far as the ritualistic type is concerned, the public answer is ' not wanted/ The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH is strongly represented in New Zealand. In numbers it comes next to the Anglican Church. The first Minister of this body was the Kev. Mr. McFarlane who went out in 1841, under the auspices of the New Zealand Company. He re- mained only a short time in Wellington. After Mr. McFarlane came the Eev. Mr. Panton, to take charge of Auckland, where a sanctuary had been built. He returned after two or three years, and was succeeded by the Rev. D. Bruce, who still occupies St. Andrew's Church. In the early days of the Canterbury Settle- ment, the Rev. C. Frazer took charge of the Presby- terians in that province, and organised several congre- gations. He is, to this time, one of the leading ministers in Christchurch. But before the Canterbury Settlement was formed, a Presbyterian colony was es- tablished in Otago, in the south. In 1844 a block, of land, containing 400,000 acres, was purchased through the Government for their use. The first batch of emi- grants arrived in 1848 under the leadership of Captain William Cargill. The Rev. Dr. Burns was the first minister. The upset price was fixed at 2 per acre, and one-eighth of this amount was devoted to religion 294 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRALASIA . and education in connection with the Presbyterian body. In 1862 the discovery of gold in the province led to a rapid and great influx of people of all nation- alities and creeds. Up to that period the Presbyterian character of the community had been continued, and even to this day it has a firmer hold of the people than the Episcopalian element has in Canterbury. Owing to some disagreement between the parties, especially in relation to the use of instrumental music in Divine worship, the church in Otago keeps distinct from the rest in the colony, which have assumed the title of ' Presbyterian Church of New Zealand/ They send delegates to their respective assemblies, and are likely soon to form one united and powerful body. We have no space for particularising in detail the other Protestant denominations. These are free to originate their own plans for introducing their respec- tive institutions in every part of the province. Some very able preachers have gone from the ' Congrega- tional ' and ' Baptist ' Churches of England to exercise their ministry in this now inviting field of labour ; and other branches of the great Methodist body, beside the Wesleyan before noted, have generously supplied some of their best men for this blessed work also. Perhaps in no colony of Britain is there to be found a better representation of the piety and earnest- ness of the English Protestant ministry than is to be found in New Zealand. The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH has a complete organ- isation in every part of the land. This mission was founded in 1837. Thus the best of all civilising means have been pro- vided for the English speaking and Maori populations by the simple, unconstrained voluntaryism of the NEW ZEALAND. 295 ^^^^^X-v^ x_/~^_, ^^-sx-^^-^v^^^^^^'^_x'-^^^^^^^^^^^^X^^X^vx^X_x-> 1 _^-Vj^ Churches themselves. No greater calamity could hap- pen than to have permitted the tens of thousands of emigrants and settlers to be deprived in that far dis- tant ' land of their adoption ' of the pastoral oversight and the ordinances of religion to which they had been accustomed in their native country. But for this pro- vision also, a generous Christian forethought has been promptly exercised. And, under unerring guides and salutary influences, a powerful Anglo-New Zealand nation is already rapidly rising up, which bids fair to surpass in the exhibition of a perfect religious equality and of fervent apostolic labour some of the older countries of even Europe itself. The last census gives 243,716 as the number of the Protestants in the colony. The Roman Catholics and the Greek Church as 40,412. The Maories at 46,000. In 1875 the number of marriages was 3,209, and births 16,168. PUBLIC EDUCATION. It will be readily believed that a people who have shown so much care for the religious wants of the adult population would not be neglectful of the educational claims of the young. But as the colony is divided into provinces, each is free to act as circumstances may require. For example In the Wellington Province the schools are free. They are supported by a capitation tax of five shillings on all parents having children between five and fifteen who are not going to any private school. A property tax also of one halfpenny in the pound upon the actual value of all property ; whilst reserves of land have been made by the Government for the same object. In the provinces of Hawke's Bay and Taranaki schools are in existence, and are under the same conditions as those in the Wellington. 296 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. In Auckland Province primary education is free and secular. It is supported by a tax of 20s. on every householder, and by a tax of 10s. on every bachelor. In Otago Province the schools are wholly unsec- tarian. But it is provided that the holy Scriptures shall be read daily, either at the beginning or closing of the school, as may be fixed by the teacher ; and no child whose parents or guardians shall object shall be bound to attend at such times. No catechism or re- ligious formula can be taught during school hours. In Canterbury Province the system of elementary education comprises reading, writing, spelling, arith- metic, geography, history (sacred and secular), and English grammar. No child is compelled to be present at the teaching of sacred history whose parents or guardians object thereto. Military drill is taught. Provision is made for ministers of religion at certain times for imparting religious instruction. No fees are charged ; but every householder residing within a radius of three miles from the school has to pay 1 per annum, and a further sum of five shillings for every child he has between six and thirteen. But in no case does a householder pay more than 2 per annum towards the maintenance of the school, whatever may be the number of his children. In Westland Province the schools are supported by the revenue derived from reserves of land made by the Government for educational purposes. In Marlborough Province the instruction given is purely secular. The schools are supported by a rate of 2d. in the pound on the annual value of all property rated under the Road Board Act. In Nelson Province free public schools obtain and are supported by a rate of 1 on every householder, NEW ZEALAND. 227 and 5s. for every child attending school, and by votes from the treasury. The number of children in 1876 receiving primary instruction was 45,562, in 599 schools ; and in grammar schools and in private schools, 7,914; in all 53,476. The children of Maori parents are not overlooked; 1,401 are taught in 49 schools. There is a New Zealand University, having power to confer the same degrees as those of Oxford and Cambridge. Sunday-schools are in active operation; each Church being fully alive to the importance of these as 'nurseries ' of the ' kingdom of God/ Wherever in New Zealand population has gone to settle, there have followed the Minister, the day-school teacher, and the Sabbath- school instructor. Christianity and civilisation have gone hand in hand. New Zealand as it is approached from the sea, whether east, west, north, or south, rises to view as one extensive, irregular, precipitous, and wild-like country. The whole appearance of both islands suggests at once a volcanic origin. ' Owing to the extensive distribution of mountains and ranges throughout the islands of New Zealand, much of the formation is of the character usually allied to hilly country, namely, plutonic, meta- morphic, and volcanic rocks ; towards the seaboard the formation belongs to the sedimentary class, except on the west coast, where the rocks are mainly of igneous and volcanic origin/* The climate is everything an Englishman can desire, being neither too hot nor too cold. The country is rich in minerals. Gold, copper, coal, petroleum or rock-oil springs, iron-sand, marble, granite, and all kinds of building stone, are found in greater or less quantities. Wheat, barley, oats, and e From Australasian Handbook, 1877, page 333. 298 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A. potatoes are cultivated on a large scale. Sheep-stations, commonly called 'squattages/ when leased from the government and conducted by experienced men are sources of enormous wealth. Mills and manufactories are established. There are 80 flour mills, 110 flax mills, and 657 manufactories of various kinds. Timber of almost every description abounds, and is an article, especially the kauri pine, of considerable export to the Australian colonies. There are 2,377,402 acres of land (including sown grasses) under cultivation, 99,261 horses, 494,113 horned cattle, 11,674,863 sheep, and 123,741 pigsj gold exported, 1876, 318,367 ounces, value 1,268,559 ; silver, 33,893 ounces, value 7,596 ; wool, 59,853,454 pounds, value 3,395,816; flax, 897 tons, value 18,285; gum (kauri), 2,888 tons, value 109,234; wheat, pro- visions, tallow, timber, &c., 687,007. Telegraph lines, 3,170 miles; and railways constructed, 718 miles; under construction, 427 miles. The capital of New Zealand is WELLINGTON, which is situate in 41 16' south latitude, and 174 19' east longitude. The city boundaries include 1,200 acres, having 1,920 dwellings, valued at 1,283,210. The annual revenue is about 10,000. Wellington is the seat of government. Auckland is the largest city in the province, and situate in 36 50' south latitude, and 174 49' east longitude. The area of the borough is 665 acres, having 2,814 houses, and a rateable property of 1,222,000. The population is 23,143. Christchurch is the capital of the province of Can- terbury, and is situate on the banks of the river Avon. The area of the borough is 1,062 acres, having 1,961 dwellings, and a rateable property of 1,130,050. The NEW ZEALAND. 299 population of the city and electoral district is 13,000. Nelson is the capital of the province of that name. The borough comprises 2,761 acres, 1,125 dwellings, and rateable property of 563,000. The population, including suburbs, is about 10,000. Dunedin is the capital of the province of Otago, and is said to be ' the most important commercial city in New Zealand.' The area of the borough is 1,300 acres, having 3,623 dwellings, and a rateable property of 2,000,000. Population, including the suburbs, 27,000. PRINCIPAL TOWNS OR DISTRICTS IN NEW ZEALAND. Town or District. Population. Miles from Capital. Akaroa . 645 38 S.E. from Christchurch. Blenheim . 935 18 E. from Picton. Coromandel . 3,000 40 E. from Auckland. Cromwell 150 N.w. from Dunedin. Grahamstown 8,000 80 S.E. from Auckland. Greymouth . 2,551 51 N.E. from Wellington. Hokianga 2,796 150 N.w. from Auckland. Hokititi . 7,379 120 w.from Christchurch. Invercargill . 2,479 150 8.W. from Dunedin. Kaiapoi . . 4,642 12 N. from Christchurch. Lawrence . 697 70 s.w. from Dunedin. Lyttelton . 2,974 8 E. from Christchurch. Mauriceville . 600 79 S.E. from Wellington. Milton . 977 35 s.w. from Dunedin. Napier . 3,514 200 N.E. from Wellington. Naseby . . 552 70 N.w, from Dunedin. New Plymouth 2,500 120 8. from Auckland. Oamaru . 2,819 80 N.E. from Otago. Ouehunga 2,047 7 S.W. from Auckland. Palmerston . 510 35 N. from Dunedin. Picton . 2,816 60 E. from Nelson. Port Chalmers 1,535 8 N.E. from Dunedin. Queenstown . 705 200 N.W. from Dunedin. Rangiota 2,888 18 N. from Christchurch. Reefton . . 3,750 70 s.w. from Nelson. Riverton 1,224 170 s.w. from Dunedin. Ross 835 100 N.w. fr. Christchurch. 300 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRA LABI A . PRINCIPAL TOWNS OR DISTRICTS IN NEW ZEALAND. Continued. Town or District. Population. Allies from Capital. Shortland 3,538 40 E. from Auckland. Tauranga 579 150 8.E. from Auckland. Timaru . Waikouaiti 6.000 3,014 110 S.W. from Canterbury. :;o N.K. from Dunedin. Waitabuna 1,000 57 S.W. from Dunedin. Wanganui 7,255 134 N. from Wellington. Westport 3,000 140 N.E. from Nelson. N.B. There are about 35 towns or townships besides those above tabulated. The POLITICAL CONSTITUTION of New Zealand pro- vides for responsible government. The Governor is appointed by the Crown; and, up to the present time, the selection has been satisfactory. There is a ministry, or Government, the same as in England, which is liable to removal at any time by a vote of ' want of confidence ' in the House of Assembly. The Legislative Council consists of forty-five members appointed by the Crown for life. The Assembly has seventy-eight members, viz., thirty for the North Island, forty-four for the South Island, with four Maori members, whose seats are held for five years. The principle of ' payment of mem- bers ' obtains in a modified form, the members of both chambers receiving 100 for every session, to cover travelling and other expenses. Universal suffrage is not yet the law in New Zealand. To be able to vote for a member o^ the Assembly, or to sit therein, the person concerned must be the owner of a freehold worth 50, or tenant householder in the country at 5, in the town at 10 a year rent, and be twenty-one years of age. Each province has a separate local NEW ZEALAND. 301 X^V_X-X_^-V^^N w X-\/-S.^-^-'^_^^ ^-"- '-V^~"^^^- ^-^'V.X- f-**~S~^~- government ; but an act has been passed to abolish the provincial system. New Zealand, by reason of the postal communication established between it and England, is practically nearer than previously. There are two very convenient routes, viz., that via California, and a second via Suez. Twice, therefore, every month, an opportunity is afforded for correspondence between the old and this new world. There is a third route via Singapore. By the overland telegraph, also, messages may be flashed by the head office in London to our friends at the antipodes, and replies be received in a few days. A marvel truly ! for now literally the globe is lined by a speaking wire of fire. The Government of New Zealand makes generous provision for the introduction from Great Britain of suitable emigrants of both sexes. Free passages are granted to married and single agricultural labourers, navvies, shepherds, and mechanics. All persons to be eligible must be sober, industrious, and of good moral character. Single women, such as cooks, housemaids, general servants, dairymaids, &c., not under fifteen or over thirty-five may have free passages. We conclude our account of New Zealand by re- marking once for all, that the coming peaceably into the possession of the British Crown of this splendid appanage should call forth our most fervent gratitude to the beneficent Giver, ' the God of our fathers ; ' and our sincerest loyalty to the British Government for opening up, at length, the rich and fertile lands of so great a country as an ' inheritance' for ourselves and for our ' children and children's children/ JOFL arm. A TOXGCESK HATIVK PREACHER FOB FORTT TKARS ; TWENTY-SIX OF WHICH HE LABOURED IN FIJI. HE DIED MAT 7, 1877. CHAPTER IX. POLYNESIA. planting of Christianity in Australia has been followed by an outgrowth and ex- tension unparalleled in the history of modern Missionary operations. The FEIENDLY ISLANDS, about 180 in number, situate in the South Pacific Ocean, and having as their central latitude 21 south and longitude 180 west, were visited the first time for Missionary purposes in 1822, by the Rev. Walter Lawry, who anchored before Tonga on the 16th August, when the ship was immediately surrounded by hundreds of natives. Palau, a chief, the stoutest man Mr. Lawry ever saw ; and William Singleton, a cast-away Englishman, soon followed. In the evening Mr. Lawry returned to the ship, and was received on board with no small joy. In the singular incidents of this memorable day the Missionary had seen the hand of the Lord. On the 2 2nd were landed seven sheep, seven cows, and a bull, at Mooa, the residence of the chief. On the 27th Mr. and Mrs. Lawry went ashore at Mafangu, and met seven chiefs, to whom he opened his great errand in coming to their beautiful islands. He presented to the chiefs twenty chisels and two axes, which were well received. When Mr. and Mrs. Lawry were leaving, these friendly chiefs detained them for a purpose of 304 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASIA. hospitality; expressing great sorrow that they had nothing better to give, adding that if they had known it a few days sooner they would have killed fifty hogs for them. The old chiefs were greatly affected, and stripped off their tappas (best garments) and gave them. With tears in their eyes, they said to Singleton, ' We had almost died before we had seen anything/ ' Fightings without and fears within ' soon became the Missionary's experience. He had been fifty -two days in his exiled home, when he wrote in his Journal touching words, as follow : ( I have lately felt an unusual concern for these poor heathens, and long to impart to them some spiritual truth ; but against all I have hitherto been able to say they have always opposed this : " Your religion is very good for you, and ours is very good for us." For several weeks I have been severely tempted to look behind me upon the civilised society in Great Britain and New South Wales ; but, blessed be God ! the snare is now broken, and I feel a great deadness to the world and a melting of heart before the Lord. I clearly perceive that I must press after holiness, or I cannot be satisfied with my solitary situation, or labour with all my might for the good of the heathen. I generally feel God is with me, and this passage is constantly on my mind : " Behold, I send you forth as sheep among wolves ; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." The more I see of pagans, the more am I convinced of their depravity and danger. Were there no providential Euler in AVhom to repose confidence, I would not at this time give much for our lives ; but I am unmoved/ The so called religion of the Friendly Islanders, in 1822, Mr. Lawry describes as involving a total ignorance POLYNESIA. 305 1 V>"^-^--'^^X-.''V-.''Xx-N_^_^\>->^-*_y~.^^^ of the one true God, jet as having some confused notions of the immortality of the soul. They believed in the existence of another world, Avhich they called 'boolotoo,' where go all the dead. They considered death the greatest of all evils. Pleasure or pain awaited all the departed. The souls of their great men came from ' boolotoo,' and entered at certain times into such individuals as they choose. Any person who said the Atooa was come into him was reverenced as a god, and his words were seldom disbelieved. When any one was sick, he presented the man thus possessed with a sacrifice, such as a piece of cava, an axe, or, in great extremity, a child. Whatever these wretched impostors said was believed as if it were the oracle of a god. Treachery was the peculiar characteristic of those island- ers ; and as to chastity, it was little regarded. Their whole lives were one scene of corruption ; Romans iii. correctly describes their character. Mr. Lawry saw a child's finger cut off as a sacrifice to the god of war. English sailors had been cruelly murdered ; the life of a dog and the life of a man were held much by the same tenure. The Missionary's clothes and linen were com- monly stolen from the lines while hanging out to dry, besides carpenter's tools, saws, and spades. To remove a cough which had seized many of the natives, it was proposed to murder the mission party, and share their property among themselves. ' What a sacred security,' exclaims the Missionary, ' does Christianity throw around the mortal body ! God says, " Fear not; ye are of more value than many sparrows/' ' The visit of Lawry to the Friendly Islands was more in the light of a tentative errand than for per- manent residence. He had been on the islands fourteen months, and had learnt of the willingness of certain X 30C CHRISTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASL \ . chiefs to receive religious instruction. During this time he, assisted by Messrs. Wellard, Tindall, and Lilly, artisan ' helpers/ had erected a rough dwelling-house, and some other buildings ; had fenced in some ground, and planted fruit trees and vegetables ; thus establish- ing the germs of an incipient civilisation. On the 3rd of October, 1823, Mr. and Mrs. Lawry sailed for New South Wales. The scene of their de- parture was very affecting. Paloo wept bitterly, and vast crowds of the natives came to aid in conveying the luggage to the ship. As Mr. Lawry was about to step into the boat, the people formed a circle around him, who then appeared as the central figure. A chief thus addressed him : ' We thank you for coming among us. Before you came, it was dark night in Tonga; now it begins to be light. Your friends in the foreign lands have sent for you ; well, go, and tell them that Tonga is a foolish land, and let them send us many teachers. Our hearts are sore because you are going from us/ ' Here/ says Lawry, ' they burst into tears, and I could bear the scene no longer.' By the Conference of 1825 the Revs. John Thomas and John Hutchinson were appointed to the Friendly Islands. After many adventures the Missionaries arrived in Maria Bay on the 28th June, 1826. Their first in- terriew with the chief is thus told by Mr. Hutchinson : 'Mr. Thomas and I left the ship soon after breakfast. After a warm walk we were conducted to the great chief, and invited to sit upon the ground. A consider- able number of chiefs and inataboolies being assembled, cava was served, when our presents were laid out at his feet, which were distributed at the chief's pleasure. We then, through Tindall, proposed to them the object of our visit, and the conditions on which we would be POLYNESIA. 307 glad to dwell among them. Everything was heard with the deepest attention. Land to any extent was pro- mised ; also the protection of our persons and property ; the free and undisturbed exercise of religious worship ; that all the children of the tribe should be made to come to our school; that as many, both of the children and adults, as desired, should come to our worship ; and that, finally, the chiefs' large canoes and men should assist in the landing of our property/ Alas for Missionary experiences of the heathen ! One week had scarcely elapsed when these fair promises began to be forgotten. Hutchinson wrote : ' This has been a week of much toil and trouble; the heathen already beginning to rage, and the people to imagine a vain thing. Evidently, it appears, that it is only on account of our property that any attention is paid to us in this land of cruelty and blood. From what we already see and hear, we have strong reasons to be always ready/ The journals of these excellent men possess a deep interest, even at the present time. They show that the pioneer Missionaries in the South Seas knew what it was to be ' in perils among the heathen/ by tortuous and distressing experiences. The blood of the London Missionary Society's agents had been shed by these wretched men, and a similar fate seemed very near Thomas and Hutchinson. Every engagement had been violated by the chief, and positive interdicts to any of the people attending the religious services of the Mis- sionaries had been imperiously issued. Mr. Thomas pitifully wrote : ' Our principal object will, at present, be to acquire the language; and if, after we have conquered this difficulty, our way continues shut up x2 308 CIIRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA SI A . here, it is possible it may open to some other part of the islands ; but if not, we now begin to fear there would be very little probability of our succeeding at any of the neighbouring islands, as they are greatly influenced by Tonga/ In 1828 the Revs. Nathaniel Turner and William Cross joined the mission. God was now preparing the hearts of the chiefs for the reception of the Gospel. Finau, the king of Vavau, sent the following letter to Mr. Turner: ' Sir, I am so glad to hear that you are at Tonga - tabu, teaching my friend Tubo to know the great God ; I hope you will be so kind as to send to Port Jackson for some Missionaries to come to my island, to teach me and my people. I am tired of my spirits : they tell me so many lies that I am sick of them. Since Tubototai has come to see me I have had no sleep, being so uneasy for fear that Missionaries will be so long before they get here. But if a ship should come to your island, be so good as to send one of your Missionaries to me, so that my people may see I have turned my evil spirits away. My island, Sir, will turn to our great God, because I am the only chief on the island. I have no one to control me; when I turn they will all turn. To be sure, I did try to take a ship, but I am sorry for it ; there will be no more of that. Tubototai tells them all that their spirits all lie. Be so kind, Sir, as to go quick about Missionaries as time allow. So no more from me, a wicked sinner/ The mission was further reinforced in 1830 by the appointment of the Eev. Peter Turner; in 1831 by the appointment of the Revs. William Woon and James POLYNESIA. 309 Watkin; and from 1832 to 1836 by the appointment of the Revs. John Hobbs, Stephen Rabone, Charles Tucker, David Cargill, M.A., John Spinney, Matthew Wilson, and John Burdsall Lyth. In the meantime several conversions had taken place among the chiefs and leading natives. Tubou, king of Tongatabu, was baptized on the 18th January, 1830, in the presence of the people, thereby showing them that he had abandoned the superstitions of his ancestors and embraced the religion of Jesus Christ. He was called Josiah. He died on the 18th November, 1845. Moala, alias Mele, or Mary, wife of Tubou, was baptized on the 29th of March, 1829, and four other women at the same time. Boula, a chief, became a Christian, and died in great peace. His last words were : f l am peaceful and happy; great is the love of Jesus Christ to me ; I want not to stay here ; I want to go to heaven. ... I am happy/ Taufaahau, subsequently known as George, king of Tonga, was baptized by the Rev. John Thomas, on the 7th of November, 1830, on which occasion he publicly* renounced heathenism, and took the Lord Jehovah to be his God. But in 1834 both the king and Charlotte, his royal consort, were richly baptized with the Divine favour and unction. The Rev. C. Tucker, under date September 10th, 1834, thus refers to the incident : ' The king and queen were among the penitent seekers of salvation, and are now among the saved of the Lord. They were in great distress of soul upon their knees, with hundreds of other penitents, weeping aloud, and calling upon the Lord for mercy. Their prayer was heard; the load of guilt was taken away, and their souls were filled with peace and joy through believing. They obtained this blessing about midnight, while seeking God in their own habitation. The king has 310 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. written to Mr. Watkin a very delightful letter, giving an account of the great things the Lord hath done for him and the queen/ Our object in these notices is not to write a history of Christian Missions in the Friendly Islands, but rather to exhibit a few of the salient incidents of the grace of God, and of the merciful Providence which watched over the honoured men and their families during the first years of the work. To us the journals and letters of Lawry, Thomas, Hutchinson, N. Turner, C. Tucker, J. Watkin, P. Turner, D. Cargill, Hobbs, Rabone, Wilson, and of other brethren, are among the most romantic of incident and Missionary in spirit of any we have ever read. Christian workers of all grades and classes, if at any time they are the subjects of discouragement and unbelief as to the power of the Gospel and the pledged conversion to the faith of Jesus of all nations, may read such unvarnished records with much benefit. As showing the rapidity of the growth of the Me- thodist Church in these islands it may be noted that in 1828 there were only 5 members; in 1830, 180; in 1832, 701; in 1834, 1,744; in 1837, 8,460. No portion of the Lord's great vineyard could be more forcibly taken possession of than was this in 1834 and 1835' by the pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the heathen. Indeed, Christianity was thus inaugurated, and became the established lotn; and 'a nation ' was literally ' born in a day/ The Missionary Committee has since spared neither men nor money for preserving and extending the Mis- sion Churches in this group. It is not to be supposed that King George has been without his troubles. He had ( perils' among his 'own POLYNESIA. 311 X"X-^ 1 ^x-v_X-V^> '^^-v^'-X-^^^-' ^-s_>^s^^-v^x-v tJ ^^ J ^^x-x^-v u ^^^-^^^N_^^ countrymen/ but these he has outlived or overcome. And now he is ' old and full of years ; ' but his ' hoary head is a crown of glory/ because it is ' found in the way of righteousness/ On his coronation day he recog- nised ONE higher than himself; and in the Mission church at Hihifo he bowed his regal head in the pre- sence of that Being Who is ' King of kings and Lord of lords/ The Rev. John Thomas, who five years previously received him into the c kingdom of God' at the baptismal font, was the honoured preacher on this auspicious occasion. The text was well chosen : ' He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God/ The ceremony was simplicity itself ; but it was inexpensive and sufficient. Devoid though it was of worldly pomp, it had the solemn impress of God's sanction, and the good- will and prayers of a loyal people. King George honoured Jehovah at the threshold of his sovereignty ; since when he has reigned as a Christian king over a people fearing God and keeping His com- mandments. We recognise the year 1834, in connection with the marvellous outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Friendly Islanders, as that of King George's conversion. And now after forty-four years of his ' serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations/ before his Church and his subjects, he is found in the same 'old paths' of righteousness and goodness, a friend to the Missionaries and a father to his people. In him every devout man must glorify the grace of God. The Rev. John Waterhouse officially visited the Friendly Islands twice, in 1840 and 1841. The work of God which he saw there filled his mind with wonder and his heart with thankfulness. He visited several 312 CIIIilSTIAN WORK IN A USTRALASL 1 . of the islands, and held the annual District Meeting in April, 1841. He wrote the Committee: 'We are now coming to the close of one of the most laborious District Meetings I ever attended. So much inform- ation was needed on every subject, that my mental and physical powers have been kept on full stretch. Our hours of sitting were (after breakfast at day-dawn) from seven to twelve o'clock; from half-past one to four; and from half-past six to eight or nine o'clock daily (Sundays excepted) ; and that in the tropics. I was almost broiled; perspiration finding its way through every pore/ The mission was further strengthened by the ap- pointment of the Revs. Francis Wilson, William Webb, George Kevern, Richard Amos, Thomas Adams, and George Daniel. The three latter brethren had the great privilege of receiving the Rev. Robert Young, the able representative of the British Conference, who landed in the Friendly Islands in October, 1853. Mr. Young saw the whole exercises of one Sabbath day in Tonga, in which he took the part of preacher, Mr. Amos interpreting. Of the services of this day he wrote as ' one of light and power and glory, never to be forgotten in time or in eternity/ Christianity may be regarded as established in the Friendly Islands from 1825, when the Rev. John Thomas commenced his zealous labours. It was, there- fore, a fitting thing for King George to celebrate its jubilee by proclaiming a public holiday throughout his dominions in 1875. The name of the venerable, and now aged, John Thomas, was prominently noticed in the proclamation, whilst the day itself was religiously kept by all classes of the people, as desired by the good king. So public a recognition of the invaluable POLYNESIA. 313 services of the Wesleyan Missionaries was simply their due, as they alone, with the Divine blessing, had wrought this great work of evangelisation in those islands. Re- ligious worship, and other sacred exercises, together with pecuniary offerings by a grateful people as a memento of loving acknowledgment to Mr. Thomas, and for an enlarged prosecution of the Lord's work, were not lost sight of in connection with the festivities and innocent pleasures of this now memorable day. It was the act of a whole nation honouring God, the Giver of all good, and must have been highly accept- able to Him. The mission of civilisation to the Friendly Islanders in 1 796, like the Niger Expedition of a later date, was a wretched failure. But the mission of Christianity, as we have seen, has been a glorious success. Civil- isation, of course, has followed the Gospel ; in fact, it has grown out of it, and has been sustained by its principles. We have to-day, under King George's Christian reign, a constitutional government, an elected Parliament, municipal institutions, customs, sanitary regulations, a duly appointed magistracy, a compre- hensive system of public education, repressive laws relating to the introduction and sale of intoxicating liquors, equitable land laws, a superior college for the instruction and training of the sons of the chiefs, day- school teachers, and native Missionaries ; precautions also for the protection of life and property as in older countries, and an increasing commerce with Australia and New Zealand. All these have followed upon the introduction of Christianity into these islands, and both may now be seen sweetly co-operating to pro- mote the advancement of the people in right principles and material prosperity. 314 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. The testimony of the Rev. J. Egan Moulton is too important to be omitted : ' The character of the teaching in the national schools all over the country has been raised by Christian influences, and numbers of its alumni have been called to the work of the ministry and to offices of trust in the Government. Efforts are now being made to extend the benefits of a liberal education to the females also. ' Nor did the Missionaries neglect the useful arts. The natives were up to the lips in wealth, but knew not how to turn their resources to use. The Mission- aries instructed them in the mode of manufacturing palm oil, and soon a sufficient quantity was produced to attract a considerable trade. When at last the arti- ficial wants of civilisation began to bite, the commerce of the islands made a sudden bound, rendering neces- sary the establishment of extensive stores and business premises. At the present time the Tongan group is perhaps the most productive on the South Seas. In the externals of civilisation they have made rapid pro- gress. Excellent roads pierce the bush in all direc- tions, and render carriage easy. The general condition of the people renders it probable that this state of things will be permanent. By the law of the country no land can be sold. The people are all Crown tenants. Each Tongan, on arriving at manhood, becomes a tax- payer, and can demand a farm, large or small as the case may be. Hence, there are no poor, and no accu- mulation of vast estates in the hands of a few. Next to the influences of religion, this pleasing state of things has been brought about by the exertions and example of the king good King George. Persuaded that pro- POLYNESIA. 315 gresswas impossible while slavery existed, he prevailed upon the chiefs to set their people free. It is less than twenty years since this took place, and yet the people have already shaken off the terrible sequelce of slavery, and show the vigour and energy of freemen/ These mission Churches are now self-supporting; besides which, they raise between 3,000 and 4,000 per annum in aid of the Gospel in Fiji, Samoa, and New Britain. From these Churches, too, God has ' chosen ' many an ' elect servant ' to bear His NAME to other lands, where cannibalism, idolatry, and devilry once so fearfully abounded. The Statistical Returns presented to the Sydney Conference of 1878 were as follow: 126 Churches; 5 English and 17 native Ministers; 20 catechists ; 94 head teachers; 107 day-school teachers; 765 Sabbath-schoolteachers; 1,139 local-preachers; 1,091 Class-leaders; 8,325 members; 290 on trial; 184 catechumens; 126 Sabbath schools; 5,100 Sabbath scholars; 122 day schools; 5,060 day scholars; and 17,820 attendants on public worship. The FIJI ISLANDS, 325 in number, are distant about 1,200 miles in a north-easterly line from Sydney, and situate between 15 30' and 20 south latitude, and 178 west, and 177 east longitudes. The moral and spiritual condition of the inhabitants of these islanders was brought before the ' Friendly Islands' District Meeting' in 1834, when it was determined to send the Revs. Messrs. Cross and Cargill to commence a Christian mission in this hitherto barbarous and cannibal archi- pelago. These courageous men landed at Lakembaon the 12th October, 1835, when the natives who had 316 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. gathered along the shore received them without moles- tation. They were armed with clubs and other missiles of war. The Missionaries were soon introduced to the king and to his chiefs. Fortunately his Majesty under- stood the Tongan tongue. He promised the Mission- aries at the first interview suitable reserves of land for the purposes of the mission, to protect their persons and property, and offered them one of his houses as a temporary residence until their own were erected. The last favour, for prudential reasons, was however de- clined. On the afternoon of the same day Messrs. Cross and Cargill brought their wives and children ashore. The first religious services were held in the open air on Sunday, the 18th, when about 150 were present morning and evening. They were addressed in Ton- guese; among the hearers was the king, who attended there in the morning, and listened with rapt attention. Such an ' entering in' among this people filled the Missionaries with noble purposes and cheering hopes. Cargill wrote the Committee : ' No effort shall be spared to acquaint ourselves with the language. Let me entreat you to send us a press and two active Mis- sionaries at the earliest opportunity, and I have no doubt but we shall be able to take possession of the whole land. I hope you will soon hear of its entire sur- render, and of the triumphs of the Gospel of Christ.' One year later (October 18th, 1836) Mr. Cargill wrote encouragingly of the work. Preaching was established in many places ; Classes had been formed of persons inquiring what they must do to be saved ; and the translation of the Scriptures into the Fijian tongue was rapidly carried on. Day and Sunday- schools had been instituted; the sacred rites of mar- POLYNESIA. 317 -^^^^^-^^-^^^-^ - ^> w ^'>^^-^*'-^ - ^>^->^-N_^>_X-^ riage were being observed; and heathenism, being sapped at its basis, its whole superstructure would be overturned. The Missionaries expected this result, because of the constant increase of their Societies and congregations, and the general wish of both chiefs and people for religious instruction. The changeable dis- position manifested by the king to the immediate re- ception of Christianity was, however, a great obstacle to the conversion of the natives. The Fijians had ' gods many and lords many/ They had idolatrous worship, a priesthood, rites, and ceremonies. They believed that the soul lived after the death of the body. Many of their rites were extremely cruel and demoralising. The immolation of human victims was ascociated with circumstances almost beyond all credence. ' When about to offer a human sacrifice the victim was selected from among the inhabitants of a distant territory, or was procured by negotiations from a tribe not related to the persons about to be sacrificed. The victim is kept for some time, and supplied with abundance of food that he may be fat and, in their estimation, a suitable offer- ing. When about to be immolated he is made to sit upon the ground with his feet under his thighs and his hands placed before him. He is then bound so that Ee cannot move a limb or joint. In this posture he is placed on stones heated for the occasion, and then covered with leaves and earth to be roasted alive. When cooked he is taken out of the oven, and, his face and other parts of his body being painted black, that he may resemble a living man, ornamented for a feast of war, he is carried to the temple of the gods, and, being still retained in a sitting posture, is offered as a propitiatory sacrifice. These ceremonies being concluded, 318 CHRISTIAN WORK IN A VSTRALASIA. the body is carried beyond the precincts of consecrated ground, cut into quarters, and distributed among the people, and they who were the cruel sacrificers of its life are also the beastly devourers of its flesh/ Women were strangled on the death of their husbands. Sons have assisted in despatching their own mothers. And Mr. Cargill wrote in 1837 that ' a few months ago, on this island' (Lakemba), 'the wife of a chief was buried alive with the corpse of her husband. Had we known their intention to bury the woman alive we might have expostulated with the chiefs and saved her life, but we heard nothing of the horrid action until it had been perpetrated. The aged and infirm, having exhausted the patience of their friends, are sometimes abandoned to disease and death, or buried alive/ Desperate wickedness prevailed : ( murderers of fathers and mur- derers of mothers, man-slayers, without natural affec- tion, implacable, unmerciful/ was the normal condition of the Fijian people. In the providence of God, the enormous under- taking of evangelising Fiji devolved from the begin- ning upon the Missionaries of the Wesleyan body. Accordingly, in 1837, the Committee published, An Appeal to the Sympathy of the Christian Public on Behalf of the Cannibal Fijians, which had been written by the Rev. James Watkin, whose terse and vigorous pen sounded forth a wail in Great Britain which soon bore precious fruit. The concluding portion of this appeal is extremely touching and powerful : ' Surely the set time to favour Fiji is come. Let the Gospel enter this open door, and the scene shall be changed. Peace shall be substituted for war; love and amity for hatred and variance ; the moral desert POLYNESIA. 319 shall become the garden of the Lord ; Fiji shall praise the name of our God, and pray for blessings upon the people who sent them the Gospel. Come then, ye Christians, to the help of the Lord. Think yourselves, as you really are, honoured by the invitation. The call is solemnly made to you. listen to it, supported as it is by the wailings of widows and the cries of murdered human beings, murdered to furnish the murderers with a feast ; and comply with its prayer by contributing to the Mission Fund : and the blessing of the Highest, as well as the blessing of them that were ready to perish, shall come upon you. Add to your contributions, your prayers, that the blessed state of things predicted by the prophet Isaiah (ii. 2 5) may soon be realised in reference to Fiji, and throughout the whole world. The Lord incline thy heart, reader, to pity the poor Fijians, and help accordingly to thy ability. Give, if thou art able, largely ; and if thou canst not give, pray. pray for poor cannibal Fiji, that God would pour out His Spirit upon that wilder- ness, so that it also may " be glad, and blossom as the rose " \ ' Our illustration of Bau, or godland, the capital of the kings of Fiji, represents that town as it stood in heathen times. It was truly a city of blood. Letters from the early Missionaries tell tales of horror con- cerning it. They speak of wives strangled that their spirits may still serve the ghost of their cruel lord. They record the brutal murder of children, the tyranny of chiefs, the terrors of home life. It was long before the Missionaries could gain a footing at Bau. By courage and firmness they over- came, in 1853, the will of the King Thakombau. But POLYNESIA. 321 just before this a fire had destroyed the new temple he had raised to his favourite god of war. Then came the visit of King George of Tonga to Bau, and his Christian counsels to the Fijian sovereign. The bright day approached. The first public Christian service was allowed to be held, at which Thakombau, his queen, his high priest, and many chiefs were present. The very day after, all the heathen temples of Bau were stripped of their glory. That shed, in which the true worship had been first celebrated, fronted the ovens wherein the murdered dead were cooked for the table of the warriors ; and beside it stood a tree pro- fusely notched, to mark the number of bodies cooked in those ovens. Since that time Bau has assumed quite another appearance in more civilised architecture and its Christian churches. Between the years 1838 and 1853 the Conference appointed some very able Missionaries to Fiji. The Revs. J. Calvert, John Hunt, T. Williams, R. B. Lyth, David Hazlewood, John Watsford, Joseph Waterhouse, William Moore, Samuel Waterhouse, John S. Ford- ham, and William Wilson. Fiji was to be conquered for Christ ! No friendly hand will ever be able fully to record the many scenes of sorrow and agony and hair-breadth escapes from infamous treacherous plots and cruel deaths which threatened the existence and usefulness of these honoured servants of the Most High. But these, 'the former things/ have passed away, and life there now is safe, and may be happy also. A great triumph was achieved in the conversion of Thakombau, the king of Fiji, in 1857. After that f incident of grace/ the way seemed clear for the forcing into the heavenly fold all the remaining tribes of 322 CHRISTIA N WORK IN -A USTEA LA SIA . his people. The Rev. Joseph Waterhouse, who ad- ministered the ordinance of baptism to the king, thus describes the occasion : ' In the afternoon the king was publicly baptized. In the presence of God he promised to " renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh." He engaged to believe all the articles of the Christian faith, and solemnly vowed, in the name of the holy Trinity, " to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life." 'In accordance with my request, previously con- veyed, the king then addressed the assembly. It must have cost him many a struggle to stand up before his court, his ambassadors, and the flower of his people to confess his former sins. And in times past he had considered himself a god, and had received honours, almost Divine, from his people ; now he humbles himself, and adores his great Creator and merciful Preserver. ' And what a congregation we had ! Husbands, whose wives he had dishonoured ! widows, whose hus- bands he had slain ! sisters, whose relatives had been strangled by his orders ! relatives, whose friends he had eaten ! and children, the descendants of those he had murdered, and who had vowed to avenge the wrongs inflicted on their fathers. 'A thousand stony hearts heaved with fear and astonishment as Thakombau gave utterance to the following sentiments : " I have been a bad man. I disturbed the country. The Missionaries came and invited me to embrace Christianity, but I said to them, I will continue to fight. God has singularly preserved POLYNESIA. 323 my life. At one time I thought that I had myself been the instrument of my own preservation ; but now I know that it was the Lord's doing. I desire to acknowledge Him as the only and the true God. I have scourged the world/' He was deeply affected, and spoke with great diffidence. "The king chose the name of Ebenezer as an expressive acknowledgment of the help of God vouch- safed unto him in preserving him from the hand of his enemies during the troubles of 1854 5. 1 The queen was baptized by the name of Lydia, in remembrance of Lydia Vah-ta-ah, the memoir of whose chequered life I lately sent to the Rev. Dr. Hoole. She was neatly attired in the appropriate dress and mantle furnished by the kindness of some ladies in Adelaide, South Australia. ' To God be all the glory ! Your unworthy servant greatly feels his increased responsibility. He solicits the prayers of the friends of Missions that his strength may be proportioned to his day. "Who is sufficient for these things ? " ' Fiji, in October, 1874, with the full consent of King Thakombau, the chiefs, and the people became a British colony, over which a scion of the Scottish nobility presides by appointment of the Queen. The ceremony of ceding the archipelago to the Crown is finely told by an eye-witness. On the morning of this never-to-be-forgotten day the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Hercules Robinson, and suite, King Tha- kombau, Maafu, an old warrior chief, other chiefs, and hundreds of the natives, assembled outside a public building, when at a signal given the Fijian flag was hauled down, and the British ensign was sent up in its Y2 324 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. stead. Hearty cheers were then given for the Queen, followed by cheers for Sir Hercules. The Governor explained the ceremonial to the spectators, and con- cluded by calling for cheers for Thakombau. The ex-king then turned to his Excellency, and tersely said : f Then, Sir Hercules, we are really joined to- gether, and have become one community/ Turning to Maafu, he remarked : ' Well, Maafu, it is all over now, and the end is come. We are now one for ever, and we shall have no more contentions with the whites/ Maafu replied : ' Yes ; everything now was firm/ Beautifully did Thakombau rejoin : ' The vessel is anchored. Her anchor is in good holding ground, and our future will be one of peace and rest/ Under the English flag a firm government has been esta- blished, a large and prosperous trade with Australia and other colonies has sprung up, and sugar and cotton plantations have been profitably worked. An IMPORT trade, for the year ending January 1st, 1876, at the port of Levuka alone, amounted to 109,376 11s. 3d.; and an EXPORT trade was reported of 85,680 6s. 6d. The revenue for 1877 was 49,050, and the expenditure was 59,613. Thus an incipient civilisation is apparent, and religion and education (primary and middle-class) are encouraged and supported. Such a change for the better as has been wrought in Fiji in little more than forty years is, indeed, a miracle of God's mercy. An impartial writer says : ' These results are due to Wes- leyan enterprise alone, no other Protestant denomin- ation having been present until the last five years, when a Church of England clergyman was located at Levuka. The Roman Catholics have for some time had a Mission in the islands, in the hands of the POLYNESIA. 325 French priests, but their influence and the body itself is small compared with that of the Wesleyans.'* So great a work could not be accomplished without the shedding of martyrs' blood. In 1867 the Rev. Thomas Baker, an invaluable Missionary, and a native assistant Missionary, Shadrach Seileka, together with six attendants, were barbarously murdered by a horde of savages belonging to the mountain tribes. The Statistical Returns presented to the Sydney Conference for 1878 were as follow : 769 churches, 326 other preaching places, 61 English and native Mission- aries, 3 catechists, 928 teachers, 3,054 day-school teach- ers, 3,237 Sunday-school teachers, 1,083 local-preachers, 2,714 Class-leaders, 48 English members, 20,945 na- tive members, 5,720 on trial, 1,284 Sunday schools, 45,772 Sunday scholars, 1,534 day schools, 42,028 day scholars, 101,559 attendants on public worship. The NAVIGATORS' ISLANDS. As early as 1829, Tui- na-ula, a Samoan chief, with many of his people, visited Tonga, and had intercourse with the Wesleyan Missionaries and King Tubou. They became profess- ing Christians, and on their return they set up the Tongan lotu, and up to the measure of their knowledge practised its duties. At that time there were neither European nor native teachers in Samoa. In 1832 the ' Friendly Islands District Meeting' recommended to the Committee the Navigators' Islands ' as another delightful opening for the establishment of a Mission, one of the chiefs having petitioned for a Missionary.' In this 'call' the Committee saw the hand of God ; and they accordingly replied : ' The Brethren of the District will adopt the best means * From the Australasian Handbook (Gordon & Gotch.) 326 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. their circumstances will allow for improving the favour- able opportunity which is presented for introducing Christianity into the Navigators' Islands/ The first English Missionary who laboured in this group was the Rev. Peter Turner. He was appointed in 1834, and arrived at Manono in 1835, when he was heartily welcomed. He preached the Gospel to the natives with great success, and several thousands placed themselves under his pastoral care. The Rev. Matthew Wilson was sent to Mr. Turner's help the same year. After Mr. Turner's arrival at Manono, the Rev. Mr. Pratt, of the London Missionary Society, arrived, and took up the work which had been begun by some native teachers from Rarotongo, who had been sent by the lamented Williams, better known as ' The Martyr of Erromanga.' Samoa became the head- quarters of the Wesleyan mission, and 13,000 had become connected with it. On the 23rd of May, 1839, the Wesleyan Brethren withdrew from this promising new mission field, in obedience to instructions received from the Committee. These instructions were founded upon a presumed understanding between the Rev. Nathaniel Turner, the Chairman of the Friendly Islands District, and the Rev. John Williams, Representative of the London Missionary Society, in regard to each Society having separate or distinct fields of labour, but which Mr. Turner, to the day of his death, always denied. Hence there must have been some misunderstanding between these equally good and honoured men; but, as both have since gone to their reward, and as no Christian or use- ful purpose can now be served by a repetition of the controversy, this unpleasant matter should be dropped. The * flock/ which through the labours of the Mis- POLYNESIA. 327 sionaries had been gathered into the Methodist ' fold/ was left for many years in a condition of painful eccle- siastical isolation. There were then in connection with the Mission 197 schools, 487 teachers, 6,354 scholars, 3,000 members, 13,000 adherents, and 80 places of worship. Such were the blessed results accomplished in the short space of five years. But at length the people themselves awoke to the idea of claiming their indefeasible right, as a branch of Christ's redeemed Church, to choose their own pastors. Accordingly, they applied to King George of Tonga for teachers, and the king, upon his own authority, sent a few forthwith. He also visited Samoa, and learnt upon the spot the true state of this people's hard case. In the fear of God he had but one course open to him, which was to appeal to the Australasian Conference on their behalf. The document came before the first of the Conferences, in 1855 ; and as that body was free to act as it thought best for the Polynesian Missions, which the English Conference had handed over to it, it was determined to send the veteran John Thomas on a visit to Samoa, and to report the result of his observations to the Conference of 1856. This was done; and, under the presidency of the Rev. W. B. Boyce, it was unanimously resolved to re-enter upon this mission. The honour of resuscitating the work, and putting it upon its old footing, devolved upon the Rev. Martin Dyson, who arrived at Manono on the 8th of Septem- ber, 1856. Beyond occupying the former ground, shepherding what was left of the ' flock ' of an earlier period, and caring for the education of the young of our own people, we do not think much has been done in the way of aggression, although the Brethren have 328 CHRISTIA N WORK IN A USTRA LA 81 A. been pressed to undertake it. Indeed, the great bulk of evangelising operations for the benefit of the out- lying districts, so far as we know, has been pretty much left to the agents of the London Missionary Society. Such an incident of injustice to the Samoan Metho- dist Churches cannot easily be forgotten. As recently as 1873, on the occasion of Mr. Todd's visit to the Polynesian Churches, one of the chiefs delicately said in his address to this Christian traveller : ' The stars had gone out, and left them in darkness ; but now that the Missionary had come he would drive away the gloom/ The Statistical Returns presented to the Sydney Conference of 1878 were 46 Churches, 5 Missionaries, 12 catechists, 56 teachers, 101 local-preachers, 197 Class-leaders, 1,422 members, 279 on trial, 39 cate- chumens, 29 Sabbath-schools, 918 Sabbath scholars, 931 day scholars, and 5,330 attendants on public worship. NEW BRITAIN DISTRICT. As an outcome of the Polynesian Methodist Churches must be noted the important mission which has been commenced in the Duke of York Island, New Britain, and New Ireland, situate north of Cape York, Queensland, in 7 south latitude, and lying between 134 east longitude and the coast of New Guinea. This group or circle of islands has a large pagan population, which was totally untouched by English Missionaries until 1875. The Rev. George Brown (himself the fruit of our New Zealand mission) and Mrs. Brown (the daughter of an honoured New Zealand Missionary) sailed in the brig John Wesley, from Sydney, in April, 1875 ; and, after calling at Fiji, Samoa, and Rotumah, bore away for Cape Carteret, North Island, which they reached on the 14th August. POLYNESIA. 329 The next day the anchor was dropped at Port Hunter, Duke of York Island. This island was fixed upon by Mr. Brown as the best suited to be the head-quarters of the mission establishment. The first religious worship was held on the after- noon of Sunday, August 15th, when one of the Fijians preached, and the Revs. G. Brown and W. Fletcher, B.A., concluded the service. In the evening Divine service was celebrated on board the John Wesley, and thus closed the first Sabbath the Missionaries and their party spent in this new mission field. To facilitate the journeying of Mr. Brown to the outposts of his station and adjacent islands, Mr. Henry Reed, of Launceston, Tasmania, generously gave him a small steam launch. He did some other kind acts for this mission besides. The launch Mr. Brown is able to work himself, with the help of a few natives, whom he has trained to this kind of sea-life. This extraordinary mission was begun by Mr. Brown and ten native teachers, who are the ' fruit ' of our labours in Fiji and Samoa. And an addition has since been made of one native Minister and seven teachers from Fiji. They are all married men. Five have been appointed to the Duke of York Island, with Mr. Brown in charge. To the New Britain station, Silas Naueukidi, native Minister, and seven catechists, and to New Ireland four catechists, have been sent, all of whom have been favourably received. The natives have erected six places of worship, in which the Mis- sionaries have already conducted services in the people's vernacular. Schools also have been opened ; many of the children, having taken to the teachers, are permitted to live with them for the advantages of instruction and training. 330 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. It is impossible to forecast the marvellous results which are likely to follow the introduction of Chris- tianity and education amongst this much neglected portion of the Papuan race. That they should have been overlooked so long is utterly inexplicable. But that they are a people ' prepared of the Lord ' to receive the Gospel is evident from the experiences and corre- spondence of the pioneer Brown. All glory and praise be unto ' our God, whereby the Day-spring from on high hath visited them: to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide their feet into the way of peace/ The tabulated returns of the colonial and Mission Districts of the Australasian Connexion for 1878 are as follow : Ministers and Missionaries, 403 ; churches, 2,245; other church buildings and preaching-places, 1,171; catechists, 75; head teachers, 1,078; local- preachers, 3,762 ; leaders, 5,687 ; members, 62,648 ; on trial for membership, 9,498 ; catechumens, 1,681 ; communicants, 1,114; day-schools, 1,777; dayscholars, 49,203; day-school teachers, 1,104 ; Sabbath schools, 2,478 ; Sabbath-school teachers, 13,648 ; Sabbath- school scholars, 134,183; attendants on public wor- ship, 331,862. The total cost of establishing and working the Australasian and Poly- nesian Missions from 1815 to 1878, as credited in the annual balance sheets of the Parent Society's re- s. d. ports, has amounted to . . . 772,087 911 Less by local contributions . .311,263 1 4 Balance of cost to English Methodism 400,824 8 7 POLYNESIA. 331 Since the formation, in 1855, of the Australasian and Polynesian Missions into a distinct and affiliated Connexion with the parent Body, the whole burden of sustaining its colonial work has very properly fallen upon itself. But it was nevertheless agreed between the English and Australasian Conferences that the Missionary Committee in London should, when re- quired, meet any annual deficiencies which the latter might incur through its sustaining the Polynesian and the Western Australian Missions in a state of efficiency. And this the Committee has promptly done so far ; but it is earnestly hoped that the time is at hand when the Austi-alasian Connexion may be able to forego any further help for meeting the actual working expenses of the Polynesian Mission. i The LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY is doing a great and noble work in Polynesia. In New Hebrides, the Navigators' Islands, Tabui, Hervey Islands, Savage Islands, Lagoon and Loyalty Islands, prosperous mis- sions have been established. The numerical returns may be estimated as follow : 70 stations, 100 English and native Missionaries, 520 lay agents, 15,000 mem- bers, 580 schools, 20,000 scholars, and 100,000 ad- herents. Civilisation, as in the case of Fiji, has followed upon the introduction of the Gospel in these groups of islands. It is reported, that as soon as the natives 1 were brought under the influence of Christianity, the chiefs, and even the common people, began to build neat, plastered cottages, and to manufacture bedsteads, seats, and other articles of furniture. While the natives were under the influence of their superstitions they evinced an inanity and torpor, from which no stimulus had proved powerful enough to arouse them but the new 332 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. ideas and the new principles imparted by Christianity. And, if it were not already proved, the experience of a few more years would demonstrate the fact that the Missionary enterprise is incomparably the most effective machinery that has ever been brought to bear upon the social, the civil, and the commercial, as well as the moral and spiritual interests of mankind/ The CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY has also done a mighty work in Polynesia. The late Dr. Selwyn, ' an able, energetic, and enterprising Missionary Bishop/ was the first of the Anglican order in the South Seas. It was he who originated the Melanesian mission, and during the twenty-seven years of his episcopate he watched over it with loving ' care/ Bishop Patteson, an eminently godly man, and whose soul was full of compassion for the perishing heathen, succeeded Dr. Selwyn in charge of this mission, and for many years of unwearying toil he rendered the greatest service to the cause. Indeed, it may be said that he, at length, died a martyr's death, for he was brutally clubbed by the savages in the North Pacific when engaged in his great Master's work. In 1866 the Missionary Volkner fell also from the ' Hau-hau' fanatics in New Zealand. These missions are assisted by grants from the parent societies in England. The AMERICAN BOARD OP FOREIGN MISSIONS has sent its agents to the Sandwich Islands, and great success has followed their labours. The entire population is said to be converted to Christianity. The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH has a successful mission at Aneitum, Tanna, Erromanga, and some other islands. Smaller Christian bodies have their representatives also in other portions of the great Pacific. In the prosecution of this vast evangelistic work POLYNESIA. 333 many of the Lord's most honoured servants have been called to ( suffer affliction/ and many have died at their post. And, as might be expected, these perilous mis- sions have had their ' witnesses : ' Williams at Erro- manga, Baker in Fiji, Volkner and Whitely in New Zealand, the brothers Gordon at Erromanga, and Patteson at Nupaka. The blood of these holy men speaks to-day to the compassionate and righteous God, and asks, c How long, Lord, holy and true ! dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? ' MOUIALTA rALL-i. SOUTH AUSTRALIA.. CHAPTER X. ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT. Foreign Missions of the Wesleyan Me- thodist Church may be dated from 1786; from which period, up to 1813, they chiefly embraced the West Indies and British North America. The means for sustaining this good work were raised almost entirely by the Rev. Thomas Coke, LLD., an Anglican clergyman and Minister of the English Wesleyan Conference. The soul of this distinguished man was intensely Missionary. He died at sea in 1814, whilst on his way to India with six young Ministers, and his remains were sorrowfully committed to the custody of the great deep by the bereaved band. The Wesleyan Missionary Society proper was in- augurated in 1816 under the auspices of the Rev. George Morley and the Rev. Jabez Bunting, D.D., who were then stationed in Leeds. A constitution was prepared, and by the Conference was accepted. It provided for the appointment of a managing Committee, consisting of an equal number of Ministers and laymen, and a secretariat to be resident in London. All matters, ecclesiastical and financial, affecting the working of the missions were placed under the direction of this Committee. From 1 815 to 1855 the Australasian and Polvnesian 336 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. missions were controlled by the Missionary Committee in London. But as the work extended, the Conference appointed General Superintendents (episcopoi), who were to be directly responsible to the Committee for the disciplinary government of the mission Churches, and the prudent expenditure of public moneys. The first of this order was the Rev. Samuel Leigh, who was so designated in 1820; the Rev. George Erskine in 1821, the Rev. John Waterhouse in 1838, the Rev. Walter Lawry in 1843, and the Rev. William B. Boyce in 1845. Mr. Boyce had his training in Lancashire Methodism and in South African Missionary work. It is right to say that, although somewhat brusque and off-hand in his intercourse with his ministerial brethren, he secured their confidence by his assiduous attention to every part of his duty. His thorough warmth of heart, his rare information upon every matter of ecclesiastical or public interest, and his chivalric, manly demeanour, so free from official egotism and pride of place, made him at once the choicest of companions and a ' father much beloved/ He returned to England in 1856. In December, 1851, the Missionary Committee con- sidered the subject of a new arrangement for the management and support of the Society's Missions in Australia and Van Diemen's Land. The following resolution was passed : 'The Committee are fully convinced that the Society's missions in Australia and Van Diemen's Land have so greatly risen in importance, that they cannot longer be advantageously comprised in one District; and that some important alteration is urgently required for the ecclesiastical and general management of these interest- ing missions. They further advert with great satisfac- ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT. 337 tion to the fact that the instructions which they have from year to year sent out, for the special purpose of preparing the District for such a change as is now proposed, have been so faithfully attended to by the Missionaries in the District, under the able superintend- ence of the Rev. William B. Boyce, that a contingent fund, chapel fund, and other connexional funds, have been instituted, and placed, as at home, under the direction of mixed committees ; and that, in all respects, the District has for some time been worked with the special view of its being placed, at an early period, in such circumstances as will very much relieve the Com- mittee from that pressure which necessarily results from the present mode of management. And looking at these two circumstances in combination the difficulty now experienced in advantageously managing the District in its present form, and the preparation which has been made for the introduction of an improved state of things the Committee are decidedly of opinion that the time has come for placing the Australia and Van Diemen's Land District in a position to act, to a great extent, for itself, and provide for its own support, on such a plan, however, as will afford a guarantee for the main- tenance of the great doctrinal and disciplinary principles of our Connexional Union, and for the faithful appro- priation of such pecuniary aid from our General Fund as may for a time be found necessary for the successful accomplishment of the plan/ The Rev. Robert Young visited Australia in 1853 that he might consult with the Missionaries and friends upon the spot, so as that the Committee might have their hearty co-operation in bringing the contemplated change to a successful issue. The mission of Mr. Youna: 338 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. was eminently satisfactory, and he returned to England in March, 1854, a distinguished diplomatist, who had well and faithfully fulfilled his task. The Birmingham Conference of 1854 unanimously approved of the ' Plan for forming the Wesleyan Mis- sionary Society's Australasian and Polynesian Missions into a distinct and affiliated Connexion of the parent Conference in England/ The document conveying this information, dated August llth, 1854, bore the signatures of the Revs. John Farrar, President ; John Beecham, Elijah Hoole, George Osborn, and William Arthur, General Secretaries of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. After giv- ing numerous suggestions to the Australasian brethren, the Secretaries remark : 'The erecting a new affiliated Connexion in Austral- asia has not been adopted by our Missionaiy Committee and Conference without long and prayerful delibera- tion; and the practical carrying out of the measure will be watched by them with intense solicitude. A trust more momentous than language can fully express is committed to you ; and, next to the blessing of God, the success of the undertaking will mainly depend upon the heartiness with which, as a body of Ministers, you throw yourselves into it, and each one of you in his legitimate sphere of action feels and acts as though the case were his own, and that all his own dearest interests were involved in the successful issue of the experiment. A peculiar responsibility will rest upon those who, from their standing and experience, will have to take a leading part in the affairs of the new Connexion. It will be for them to familiarise them- selves with those enlarged views, and to cherish those ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT. 339 high and holy resolves which the greatness of the occasion requires. And on them will specially devolve the endeavour to produce in others the same zeal and devotedness, to disseminate among all concerned correct information, and right and Scriptural views upon the question, to discountenance querulous complaints, to encourage the feeble and timid, and to inspire both their junior brethren and their people with the spirit of courageous effort and of cheerful sacrifice.' The spirit that breathes throughout this famous letter shows the great interest the General Secretaries took in the extension of the Methodist Church throughout the southern world. The missions which had been founded by the consecrated labours of Leigh, Lawry, Carvosso, and their successors could not be thus handed over, even to an affiliated Connexion, without producing pardonable anxiety in the mind of the Committee. It was, indeed, < a trust more momentous than language pan fully express,' which had been devolved upon the brethren. And the official epistle which committed that ' trust' to them will be valued as one of great solemnity, and a ' witness before the Lord our Gpd' of the sacredness of the transfer then completed. The first Australasian Conference was held in Sydney, New South Wales, in January, 1855 ; the Rev. W. B. Boyce, President, and the Rev. John A. Manton, Secretary. At this Conference most important resolu- tions were adopted relating to the internal working of the Church in the colonies, public education, and the pressing needs of the Australian aborigines and South Sea natives. The difficult task of legislation now really com- menced. It would be invidious to mention the names z 2 rS40 CIIRISTIA N WORK IN A TJSTRA LA SI. I . of the more prominent men upon whom mainly this work fell ; especially of those who still ' remain ' with us. But it would be ungrateful not to mention those of the revered and much esteemed John Allen Manton, Daniel James Draper, and William Hessell, who ren- dered invaluable aid by their counsels and personal efforts. In 1860 the Rev. Frederick J. Jobson, D.D., was appointed by the English Conference to visit the Aus- tralasian Conference, to consider how best to deal with the claims of several of the senior Ministers who were members of the Preachers' Annuitant Society in Eng- land. Also to arrange for the reception into the colonial work of Missionaries from Polynesia instead of their returning to England to be employed in the home cir- cuits. Both of the questions were amicably adjusted. The visit of Dr. Jobson was very welcome to the brethren. He had been entrusted with great discre- tionary powers, which he wisely exercised. His was a labour of love and a blessing to many congregations. In 1872 the Australasian Conference agreed upon an amended plan, providing for the holding of four annual Conferences, to be held simultaneously in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and New Zealand, whose functions should be purely administrative, with a triennial Conference, whose powers should be ex- clusively legislative. This plan came into operation in 1873. The TRIENNIAL or GENERAL Conference met in "Mel- bourne in May, 1875. About forty Ministers were present. As all legislative power is vested in this Conference, it has been wisely provided that the clerical and lay members shall be equal in number. The con- stitution is so guardedly drawn that there need be ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT. 341 no suspicion that the Methodist Church of Australasia will ever develop into an ecclesiastical hydra, so as to be unworthy of its true traditional ' image and super- scription/ In the address to the English Conference, the Brethren say : ' We forward for your consideration a plan for lay representation in our Conferences, on which we have bestowed much care ; and we hope it will meet with your approval. We are anxious to bring it into operation as soon as possible/ This plan is now in force. 'The Methodist Conference Act ' of 1876, passed by the Imperial Parliament, validates the action of the Australasian Conferences between the years 1855 and 1875, and sets the Australasian Connexion free to manage its own affairs, subject, nevertheless, to the conditions of Mr. Wesley's poll deed and the trusts upon which the Church estate in the several colonies is held. The English Conference of 1877 appointed theEev. Gervase Smith, D.D., as its representative to the Gene- ral Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church, and to visit the colonies comprised in that Conference. Dr. Smith, accompanied by Mrs. Smith, arrived in due course in Melbourne, and entered at once upon his official tour in the provinces, in each of which he was received with the utmost cordiality and loving esteem. At the General Conference, held in May, in Sydney, the English representative appeared in the midst of the Australian brethren, and had from them a veiy affectionate welcome. He preached the official sermon before the Conference, which has been described as ' a miracle of compactness/ His address at the open Conference also was very able and encour- 342 CERISTIA N WORK IN A US TRALA ,S7. 1 . aging. As an appropriate conclusion of the visit and success of Dr. Smith to the Australasian Connexion, the General Conference unanimously adopted the follow- ing resolution : ' This Conference desires to express its high grati- fication in having a representative of the British Con- ference present at its different sessions to aid it in its deliberations and decisions, and sincerely thanks the British Conference for this appointment, and the Rev. Gervase Smith, D.D., for accepting it. The Ministers and people in the colonies he has visited have enjoyed his presence in their midst, and have profited by his godly conversations and counsels, especially by his public evangelical ministrations/ As there are no State Churches in Australasia, the Episcopalian and Presbyterian bodies, as such, are in no way responsible for their work to the Crown or to the Colonial Governments. Like the Wesleyans, Baptists, Congregationalists, Primitive Methodists, Bible Chris- tians, &c., they have full liberty to pursue their own ' call- ing/ and to make such regulations to this end as in their own judgment and conscience are right and fitting. The Episcopalians have in each colony an annual meeting of Ministers and laymen, presided over by a Bishop, which is called ' The Church Assembly.' Matters of finance and ecclesiastical work come within the scope of its action. The Presbyterians have their ' General Assembly J once every year in each colony for the transaction of all important Church business. Baptist and Congre- gational 'Unions/ Primitive Methodist, Bible Chris- tian, and United Free Methodist ' District Meetings ' or ' Conferences ' are also held. ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT. 343 The Roman Catholic Bishops govern their own body upon orders direct from Rome. Much and varied machinery has been brought into existence for giving effect to the principles and -pre- ferences held by all the Churches respectively. There is much work to be done, and of the very best kind, for all denominations ; and there need be no friction nor clashing, for ' YET THERE is EOOM.' In the short space of ninety years about 2,500,000 of English speaking people have settled in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, who, by the blessing of Divine Providence, have created a trade of exports and imports amounting to about 100,000,000 per annum, or double the rate per head of the United Kingdom. And such are the rapid strides these colonies are now taking in settlement and progress, it may be presumed that during the next half century both the population and trade will be immensely increased. The political and social condition of the people is so free and just and prosperous, that therefrom a power- ful magnetic attraction will sensibly affect large masses of the English nation. Grod, in his inscrutable wisdom, has reserved Australasia for the special behoof of our people ! It is His own gift to them, and in due time they will subdue it, and develop its great resources. And as to the ecclesiastical condition of the people, where is there a land whose inhabitants are freer from irritants, disabilities, impertinences, and assumptions of superiority and caste than in fair Australasia ? Free religion, free education, free burial grounds, are the accepted and unchallenged right of parents and chil- dren and all classes of the people equally ! A regime of perfect religious equality obtains throughout the 344 CHRISTIAN WORK IN AUSTRALASIA. whole extent of these great colonies. Granted that tliis is simply the investiture of the admitted birthright of British subjects ; but where, it may be asked, is it so fully enjoyed as in the peerless CROWN possessions of the south ? Under these conditions we find the highest type of social and religious life, which must eventually tell upon the older populations of the globe. And further, the relation of the Australasian Churches to the extensive continents of heathenism in the north, and to the uncounted millions of the coloured races in the south eastern islands of Asia, imposes upon them a solemn duty to those outcast waifs of the human race. What Great Britain, in the order of Providence, has been permitted to do of Christian work in the northern hemisphere, Australaisia, in her turn, will perform in the southern. And as the one glorious result we shall see, in His good time, the white and sable races uniting in hallelujahs of praise to the holy, merciful God, Who 'of one blood has made all nations of men to dwell upon the face of the earth/ HAYMAN BBOTBEBS AND LILLY, FAERIKGDON EOAD, B.C. J . : University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. KHTD LD-URL SEPOoIw JUL 3 1988 158 0107;? A 000 087 740 7