action,-"seemed to him a speculative question of law, which was in no manner a practical question." It was urged in reply, and most justly, that it was the very urgency of practical grievances that led the Bishop of Tasmania to send his Archdeacon to England, in order to press them upon the attention of the government. Still his Lordship urged, and laid great stress upon the fact, that "neither the prelates, nor the members of the Church of England in any of the Colonies, had brought under the notice of Her Majesty's Government any grievance of any kind under which they were at present labouring, which was not capable of being removed by the colonial legislature.” Certainly this is a point which deserves attention; and we venture very strongly to press it upon the notice of the spiritual rulers, and of the rest of the Clergy and Laity of the Colonial churches. It may, indeed, fairly be asked how it is that no representation of the undoubted anomalies, by which they are fettered in their action, has been made to the Imperial Government? How is it that no effort has been made to test the real strength or weakness of those bonds, which are supposed to withhold from them the necessary freedom of action and extension? We venture to hope that they will be led, ere long, to realize their position; that they cannot look to the mother Church for support; that their strength is in themselves; that the Bishop, and Clergy, and their flocks must be united by sympathy, and by a well-understood and approved system of ecclesiastical regulation. In fact, there must be an organization and a system of Canons suited to independent branches of the Church Catholic, in which the authority, rights, responsibilities, and duties of all are recognised and adjusted. Let something of this sort be attempted, whether in the way of making a Canon, or enforcing a sentence of spiritual discipline, and the question will soon arise, whether or not a grievance exists; and if it do exist, the expression of it will soon be heard at home; and it will soon be ascertained whether the anomalous relations between the Mother and Daughter Churches be a cause of the grievance remaining unredressed. The action must, however, commence from the Colonies; we must look to them to enforce their claims; and we trust that the brotherly conference held by the Australasian Prelates may not only be the commencement of some such movement, but may also be considered an example which other groups of Colonial Bishops may think it expedient to follow. But we turn now to the only act resulting from the meeting at Sydney with which we are yet acquainted. It was the formation, on a plan of wise and extended operation, of a Board of Missions, for the conversion of heathen races in the South Pacific. Each of the bishops addressed a large assembly of Church-people, by whom the plan was cordially accepted, and adopted. It is gratifying to observe the tone in which the laity spoke of the meeting of the bishops; for by it (said Mr. Lowe), "they had the opportunity of witnessing a full and complete representation of the provincial church of Australasia; they thus saw her placed before them in innate power and union; occupying in the eyes of Christendom a position of prominence second to none of the daughters of the Mother Church of England, each bishop independent, but all united." The constitution of the Board itself is such as strongly to recommend the plan proposed. It has the combined advantages of unity and diversity. The General Board concentrates the united action of all the dioceses. It is to be presided over by the governors of the separate colonies. The united bench of suffragan bishops, under the Metropolitan as President, together with two clerical and two lay treasures and secretaries, will form the executive committee for the conduct and direction of foreign missions. Each diocese will also have its auxiliary board, consisting of the Bishop, Archdeacon, and a committee composed of equal numbers of the clergy and laity. There is a breadth and order in this plan, which, we trust, will secure the harmonious cooperation of all members of the Church. The diocesan distribution of subordinate labour will have the effect of bringing before all the members of the Church the extension of the Gospel among the heathen, as a duty incumbent upon every baptized person. This is, we are convinced, the true estimate of the matter; and until we can secure the same recognition of the duty amongst ourselves, to be urged, as a part of the parochial ininistrations of the clergy, upon their flocks, we cannot expect to rise to the due execution of this great work. The field in which this labour is to be plied, occupied a large portion of the speeches of two of the prelates, who are the most conversant with the subject. As we should expect, the Bishop of New Zealand's address was full of the most lively interest. He has personally visited many islands in the groups nearest to the eastern coast of Australia, to which these missionary efforts are to be directed, viz.: New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, the New Hebrides, Solomon's Islands, New Hanover, New Britain, and the other islands in the Western Pacific. We cannot forbear from extracting some passages from the Bishop's address, in reference to these islands: "The Chatham Islands," he said, "are brought within the influence of the Gospel; and when he visited that place, he found there no less than 300 candidates for baptism. The islands of the Western Pa cific, lying in the closest vicinity to the equator, such as New Britain, New Hanover, the large island of New Guinea, might, he hoped, in the end, become the field of missionary enterprise. At present, as far as he could ascertain, there was not a Christian among them. The Church of Rome had made some attempts to convert these islanders, but had been compelled to abandon these attempts in consequence of the savage nature of the people. At present, however, he proposed to direct their attention to the islands lying in nearer proximity to the eastern coast of Australia. His attention was first more particularly directed to this subject during a voyage which he made in the 'Dido' man-of-war, touching at the Samoas, at Tonga, at the Friendly Islands, and at Rotumah. Bearing in mind what he had himself become acquainted with as to the almost miraculous manner in which religious knowledge had spread throughout New Zealand, he came to the conclusion that it was the solemn duty of all Christians, and more particularly of himself, to do as far as practicable for these islanders, what had been done in former times for the aboriginal natives of his own diocese. He remembered that mercantile men in New South Wales had been able to induce persons belonging to these islands to go with them, in order to obtain employment, and he did not doubt that he should be able to procure in the same way pupils whom he might instruct and return to their parent lands. The result shows that he was right in this. He procured a small vessel, and in his very first voyage he met with so much success and encouragement, as determined him to adopt some definite plan upon which he might pursue the work. He saw plainly that he could not contemplate the establishment of Christian ministers upon the islands, and he, therefore, brought the young men to New Zealand, where, after a residence of eight months, they acquired a sufficient knowledge of the English tongue, and communicated to the teachers a sufficient knowledge of their own language, to enable them to understand each other. They were then returned to their native place, to exercise upon those people such influence for good as the knowledge which they had acquired would give them. This plan had succeeded so well, that in every place where there were persons who had been subjected to this slight training, masters might land as freely, and might reside with the natives as confidently, as in any part of New Zealand. It was this plan which he should propose now to follow." Of another of these districts visited by the Bishop, he givesthe following hopeful account : "Of New Caledonia they, like himself, have doubtless heard many evil reports. Captain Cook, who was generally an accurate observer, spoke well, seventy years ago, of the people inhabiting this large island, preferring them even to those of the group generally known as the Friendly Islands. But no two opinions could be more at variance than those of Captain Cook and of the traders who had made this island a place of resort. As far as his own observation went, he was happy He that it was confirmatory of the report of Captain Cook. to say visited a beautiful district in the island, over which a chief who had been in Sydney-and who, as was not often the case, had been improved by his visit was the ruler. When he was last there, this chief had erected a good house for him (the Bishop) upon the banks of a river, and would be very glad doubtless if he could get him there to occupy it. He believed, therefore, that the inhabitants of this island were by no means so bad as had been generally stated, although he doubted whether Captain Cook was quite correct in thinking them superior to the Friendly Islanders. At this latter group he had witnessed one of the most interesting sights he ever beheld. About 200 children, who were at school, dispersed at the word of the teacher, and returning immediately afterwards, each with some little trinket or curiosity as an offering, which they laid at his feet. They subsequently followed him to the boat, which was almost filled by these offerings." The above extracts are merely samples of the encouraging and interesting details mentioned by the bishop;' and they certainly prove that a field of unusual hopefulness is open, into which a board of missions, constituted like that in Australia, if duly supported, may confidently send forth its reapers secure of a plentiful harvest. The Bishop of Adelaide, the other prelate on whom it devolved chiefly to enlarge upon the condition of the aboriginal populations of the south, entered at length on the state of the Australian natives, of whose civilization and conversion we have been taught almost to despair. But on this point we gladly transcribe the testimony of this admirable prelate : "Even his own experience, however limited as it was, in the diocese over which he presided, had shown him how much might be done toward training the savage, and how much therefore might be expected if zealous and well-arranged efforts were made to ensure his eternal welfare. At the school in his diocese they had children from the most distant tribes, from Lake Bonny and Lake Rufus, and they found that in these regions, and indeed along the whole course of the Murray within the colony of South Australia, the traveller might pass with perfect safety. He believed that even an unprotected female might traverse these regions without risk of injury. Quite recently a poor shepherd had been lost in the bush near the Murray, and having been met with by a party of the natives, they played the part of the good Samaritan, and conducted him to Wellington. It was clear, then, that the savage might be tamed. As regarded the capacity of these people for receiving instruction, he was sure that up to a 1 The account of this meeting, and a Report of the speeches delivered by the Australian Prelates, has been published by Bell, 186, Fleet Street, under the auspices, we believe, of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel; we earnestly recommend it to our readers. certain point, at least, there was no want of this capacity. Between native children and the generality of white children of the same age he had been able to discern no difference. But when the children who had been taught and trained in their school verged upon manhood and womanhood, then it was found that the want of an adaptation of means to the end in view seriously impeded their chance of success." Alluding to one particular station (Perth), occupied, we believe, by Wesleyans, he adds― "The zealous Missionaries at this station had succeeded in bringing many aboriginal natives under the strong influence of Christianity, and several of them who had died, had, he verily believed, expired with a full confidence in the Lord's mercy, and with a full knowledge of his power. The establishment at this place consisted principally of married persons; and it was a most pleasing thing to observe the progress which had been made by these people in the cultivation of the earth and other arts of civilization. He could give them also the testimony of one of their own clergymen, the Rev. Mr. King, who was stationed at Freemantle, and had a school, in which some twelve or fifteen children of the aboriginal race were educated and trained in the way of truth. During his stay at this place he had himself joined four couples of this race in the holy bands of matrimony, and he must say that he had never seen a more complete attention to the services, or a more perfect comprehension of its sacredness, than was exhibited by those people. After the termination of the marriage ceremonies, the newly married couples all subscribed their names to the parish register, writing far more legibly than very many of those whose marriages he had been a party to in favoured England." But we must draw to a conclusion. It is impossible not to be struck by the zeal and wisdom with which this great Christian effort has been commenced in this newly colonized quarter of the world. We have read and admired the devotion of the Moravians, who, immediately on their being settled in peace, and formed into a community after their severe persecutions, vowed as a thank-offering the attempt to Christianize the regions of the West Indies. It is a spectacle of scarcely less interest and beauty that we have here before us. Young-nay, infant-communities, hardly yet settled down into the security of civilized life, hardly themselves provided with the means of worshipping God according to the decent solemnities of their faith, yet at the bidding, and under the lead, of their spiritual Fathers the Bishops, combine in a holy resolve to let the light with which they are blessed shine abroad, and to fulfil their destined mission in the new land of their adoption. In these her children thus scattered to the ends of the earth, thus forming fresh centres of Christian action and Missionary enterprise, our Country and our Church may see the special work which it is given them to do, perpetuated, and the fruits of their own |