The Chronicles of Early Melbourne/Volume 1/Chapter 12
CHAPTER XII.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS: THEIR FOUNDATION AND FIRST CELEBRATIONS.
SYNOPSIS: —Rev. Joseph Orton. —Divine Service on Batman's Hill. —First Wesleyan Service. —J. J. Peers, Builder of the First Chapel. —William Wilton and Jas. Dredge. —The First Organist. —The Church's Early Struggles. —The Buntingdale Mission Station. —Mr. C. Stone's Arrival. —The First Chapel in Collins Street. —Laying the Foundation Stone of the New Church. —A Comprehensive Inscription. —Wesleyan Population in 1841. —Church Representatives. —Rev. S. Wilkinson, First Resident Minister. —A Ludicrous Incident. —A Minister's Hasty Retreat. —An M.L.C.'s Predicament. —Opening of the New Wesleyan Chapel. —Mr. J. A. Marsden. —Foundation of Chapel at Brunswick. —Rev. Mr. Wilkinson's Departure. —Rev. Mr. Schofield's Arrival. —Rev. Mr. Orton's Death. —The First Bazaar in Melbourne. —Mr. Jas. Croke, the First Purchaser. —Mrs. Marsden a "Trafficking Angel." —Foundation of Chapel at Brighton. — Rev. Mr. Schofield's Departure. —Rev. Mr. Sweet man. —Bazaar, No. 2. —"The Man at the Wheel." Opening of Church at Little Brighton. —Foundation of Chapel at Richmond. —Death of the Rev. J. Dredge. —Opening of the Geelong Chapel. —Rev. Mr. Boyce's Visit. —Foundation of Chapel at Belfast. —Brunswick Street Chapel. —Sacrilege at Geelong. —Enlargement of Collins Street Chapel. —Wesleyan Population, 1851 and 1881, and 1886-7. —Foundation of Methodist Missionary Society.
The Wesleyan Methodists.
OF all the Christian denominations, the Wesleyans, who were first in the field in Melbourne, commenced on a wider basis of operations, though in a very small way. The first clergyman to set foot in Port Phillip was the Rev. Joseph Orton, a Hobartown divine. Hearing of the wonderful discoveries over the Straits, and anxious to see and judge for himself, he came across; and he it was who read the Church of England service at the She-oak Gathering on Batman's Hill. Proceeding to the Geelong country, he selected a suitable site on the Barwon, which was afterwards known as the Buntingdale Missionary Station. He paid special attention to the condition of the aborigines, and to his Society in England communicated some very interesting facts about them. Through his exertions the Rev. Messrs. Hurst, Tuckfield, and Skeavington were commissioned from home, and arrived in the colony in 1839. Mr. Orton returned to Van Diemen's Land and came to Melbourne again in 1838, but did not remain. Of the first Wesleyan service in the colony Mr. Orton was the celebrant in the tent of Dr. Thomson by the banks of. the Yarra. This was in May, 1836, and after that class-meetings were held by some religiously disposed laymen, the earliest of these pioneers being a Mr. James Jennings, and the first assembly took place in the cheerless "bothie" of a tailor named George Worthy (no inappropriate name) who lived, or existed, somewhere about the site of the Australian wharf. Willliam Witton, a carpenter, occupied a dwelling (the site of the now White Hart Inn) in Little Bourke Street, which was more commodious and convenient than the "Worthy" mansion, and on his invitation the class-meetings moved from the vicinity of the brackish water and came more inward. Mr. John Jones Peers a philharmonic building contractor, had secured the allotment at the north-west corner of Swanston and Little Flinders Streets, where the Queen's Arms Hotel has been making money for ever so many years; and, being an ardent Wesleyan, he offered to put up, free gratis, on this land, a diminutive brick-built chapel, on condition that he should be paid the building expenses in the event of the congregation going away to any other place. This was agreed to. The chapel was built, capable of holding 150 persons. The congregation left, but whether Peers was refunded his building money history or tradition sayeth not. It is a pity that the little chapel did not "go off" somewhere when the class-readers bade it good-bye, for it remained to be put to the ignoble use of kitchen to the hotel, and as such remained for several years. On looking at a rough sketch of it now before me, one wonders how it could have ever held 150 church-goers, for so many persons must have had very close quarters, and packing them "like herrings in a cask" would seem little or no figure of speech. The chapel, by some freak of fortune, passed into the possession of Mr. Thomas Monahan, who converted it into a couple of cottage residences.
An esteemed friend, to whom I am specially indebted for suggestions as to the early Methodism of Port Phillip, has favoured me with a memorandum so interesting that I append it without abbreviation:—
"Methodism in the early days of the colony owed much to William Witton and James Dredge. J. J. Peers was liberal in money, and took much interest in forming a choir. Mr. P. Hurleston was the first organist. On Mr. C. Stone's arrival in 1838, about a dozen persons of the Methodism persuasion met on one or two evenings in the week in a wattle-and-daub skillion in Bourke Street West, a few doors from Elizabeth Street. On the Sundays they attended the services of the Scotch Church, conducted by the Rev. James Forbes, and in the evening the ministrations of the Rev. W . Waterfield, the Independent minister, who held service in Fawkner's Hotel. The Rev. Francis Tuckfield, Wesleyan minister to the aborigines, arrived in July, and often preached. Mr. Witton collected those who had been members of the Society in Sydney and Van Diemen's Land, and formed them into a class. They were seven persons, and he became their leader. C. Stone had brought from Hobartown authority from the Rev. Mr. Orton to conduct services, and he and Witton, who had been a local preacher at Launceston, commenced to preach. Peers, Witton, and others at length set about the erection of a chapel, and one was built upon some ground belonging to Peers, at the Swanston Street and Flinders Lane corner. Before the chapel was completed, Messrs. Dredge and Parker arrived as Assistant-Protectors to the aborigines, and being men of education and ability, services were now regularly organised. The staff of local preachers wras strengthened by the arrival of Messrs. James Smith, from Hobartown, and Thomas Wilkinson, from Launceston, and this enabled the formation of stations at Newtown (Fitzroy), Williamstown, Brunswick, Pentridge, and other places. The Rev. Benjamin Hurst joined the Buntingdale Mission Station, and things went on until the Rev. Mr. Orton, in October 1840, took temporary charge of the circuit, which he held until the appointment of the Rev. S. Wilkinson in 1841. Mr. Wilkinson was assisted by several lay-preachers, of whom some are dead, and some are deacons preaching in various places. The first chapel at Newtown was a wooden structure at the corner of Brunswick and Moor Streets, and this was afterwards removed to Richmond Flat. Mr. Hurleston, the first organist, built a flour-mill at Brighton, and is now dead."
At one of the first Government land sales, a Melbourne speculator purchased the valuable corner allotment in Collins Street, upon portion of which the Bank of Australasia is built. It was knocked down to him for £40, and a deposit of £4 or ten per cent, paid; but he was one of those cute fellows who often overdo things, and feeling some doubt as to the reproductions of his investment, made himself safe by forfeiting the deposit. The Government then had some notion of reserving the land for a post-office, but it was finally granted to the Wesleyans as a site for a chapel and school. This was their first regular temple of worship erected; though, in after years, when the value of land enormously increased in Collins Street, the Congregational authorities considered it desirable to sell the allotment and appropriate the proceeds to providing for the extension of the religious accommodation so urgently required. The necessary legal authorisation for the transfer was obtained, and the free gift of the Executive passed away for the sum of £40,000, portion of which was expended on the land and building of the now Wesley Church in East Lonsdale Street—an architectural ornament, beside which the original uncouth chapel would blush: that is, if its unplastered brick walls rendered such a process possible. The residue of the purchase-money was expended to advantage by those who were doubtless the best judges as to what ought to be done with it.
Great and persistent efforts were made, by the small but enthusiastic band of religionists, to raise funds necessary to procure State aid as given in days of yore to such of the Christian denominations as chose to apply for it under the prescribed conditions; and the Melbourne Wesleyans succeeded so far that they were enabled, in the early part of 1840, to make a good beginning. There was a large concourse of people present at the foundation ceremonial, and surrounded with all the prayerful auxiliaries befitting such an eventful occasion, the stone was laid by the Rev. Mr. Hurst, who had previously deposited in a cavity of the understone a brass plate, on which was engraved the following comprehensive Inscription:
The
FOUNDATION STONE
Of this Chapel for the use of the
WESLEYAN METHODISTS,
WAS LAID BY
The Rev. Benjamin Hurst,
On the eleventh day of May, In the year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty,
Being the Third Year of the Reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty,
Queen Victoria,
The Fourth Year of the Colonization of Port Phillip,
The One Hundredth and First Year of the Existence of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection,
And the Seventy-first Year of the Existence of
The Wesleyan Methodist Mission.
His Excellency, Sir George Gipps,
Governor-in-Chief of the Colony of New South Wales.
His Honor Charles Joseph Latrobe, Esquire,
Superintendent of the District of Port Phillip.
The Rev. Theophilus Lessey,
President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference, and the
Rev. Robert Newton, Secretary.
The Rev. Jabez Bunting, D.D., Rev. John Buchan, Rev. Robert Alde, D.D., and the Rev. Elijah Heole,
General Secretaries of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society.
The Rev. John Waterhouse,
General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Missions in Australia and Polynesia.
The Rev. Nathaniel Turner,
Chairman of the Van Diemen's Land District.
And the Rev. John M'Kenny,
Chairman of the District of New South Wales.
Missionaries on the Port Phillip Station,
The Rev. Benjamin Hurst, Superintendent, and the Rev. Francis Tuckfield.
Number of ordained Ministers employed by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society: Three hundred andfifty-six. Total Wesleyan Ministers throughout the world: Three thousand four hundred and twelve. Number of members or communicants belonging to the Wesleyan Society in Melbourne, sixty; on the Mission Stations, seventy-two thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven; throughout the world, one million one hundred and twelve thousand five hundred and nineteen.
Provisional Trustees of this Chapel:
Messrs. John J. Peers, George Lilley, William Witton, Thomas Jennings, and William Willoughby.
On the 3rd October, 1840, the Rev. Joseph Orton arrived to assume ministerial charge. This is the reverend gentleman already referred to as having visited Melbourne, from Launceston, in 1836.
In May, 1841, there were only 599 Wesleyans in the town of Melbourne, and the county of Bourke, but they must have worked with a wonderful will in the prosecution of their good work, for during 1840 the new building made a large advance towards completion, and a subscription library containing about one hundred volumes had been procured. On the 1st January, 1841, the Wesleyan Church was thus officially represented in Melbourne.
Minister. — Rev. Joseph Orton.
Trustees. — Messrs. G. Lilley, J. J. Peers, W. Willoughby, Thomas Jennings, W . Witton.
Building Committee. — Messrs. G. Lilley, J. J. Peers, E. S. Parker, R. Bourne, J. Dredge, W. Witton, W. Willoughby, T. AVilkinson, R. Crockett, T. Forster, T. Jennings, and W. Overton.
The first resident minister was the Rev. S. Wilkinson who arrived from England via Sydney early in 1841, replaced Mr. Orton (temporarily acting) and grew into high appreciation for his divers good qualities. A zealous, pious, charitable man, he was remarkable for the frequency of his visits to the Immigrant ships then frequently coming into port, and the deep interest he manifested in the welfare of the new-comers. He was also courteous, cheerful, could in season be jovial, and had no objection to a joke at the proper time, even though, as occasionally happened, obliged to laugh at himself. He often narrated the following ludicrous accident that befel him, and thoroughly enjoyed the laugh that followed:— When the Collins Street Chapel was approaching completion, a temporary pulpit was put up, but in a loose and hurried manner, and here, at an evening service, the reverend gentleman intended preaching a sermon on "The Heavenly World as the Christian's future Home." As a befitting prelude, he fancied that nothing would tell better than the chanting of a suitable hymn, and forthwith proceeded to give out in the most sonorous of voices, the following verse:—
"Nothing on earth I call my own—
A stranger to the world unknown
I all their goods despise—
I trample on their whole delight,
And seek a country out of sight—
A country in the skies."
But just as he uttered the words ending the fifth line, "a country out of sight," the planking under his feet gave way, and like a criminal turned off when the drop falls, down "dropped" the preacher to a region the reverse of "in the skies," though certainly "out of sight." For a time he was absolutely invisible to the congregation, and the utmost alarm prevailed, for it was not known whether he was dead or alive. Several friends rushed forward to extricate their dearly beloved minister, and to their great joy it was ascertained that he had not suffered injury. "Pray don't speak now or I must laugh aloud," he said, and the service was resumed.
A similar occurrence happened in a very dissimilar place, and on a very dissimilar occasion, fifteen years after. At the general election for Melbourne in 1856, Chief-Justice Stawell, (then Attorney-General) contested Melbourne as a candidate for election to the Legislative Assembly. Party feeling ran high, and Mr. Stawell was addressing a meeting at the old Princess Theatre in Spring Street. The candidate was surrounded by a strong body-guard of enthusiastic friends, and in the midst of one of his most vehement denunciations of "the other side," the stage gave way, falling outwards, and precipitating, as if into a huge rat trap, the candidate, the supporters, and a half-dozen of the "recording angels" told off for the performance of the terrestrial work of the evening. No lives were lost, no limbs were broken, and like the preacher, the orator got off without a scrape. The meeting was adjourned to the open air, the corner window of an adjoining hotel was taken out, and there, mounted on a window-sill, with one leg in the room, and the other dancing outside on nothing, the Attorney-General concluded his address, and the pluck so shown had something to do in winning him the election. My excuse for dove-tailing a political digression with a notice of Wesleyan Methodism, is simply to show how events repeat themselves under conditions curiously and amusingly different.
The Wesleyan Chapel was formally opened on the 24th June, 1841, with a morning service, whereat the Rev. S. Wilkinson read the Liturgy, and the Rev. William Waterfield (an Independent Minister) preached an eloquent sermon from Matthew, 6 chap. 10 verse, " Thy Kingdom Come, &c." The Rev. J. Orton conducted the evening service. The Chapel, designed by Mr. J. J. Peers, was of the modern Gothic style of architecture. The portion finished measured 60 feet by 50 feet outside, and it was intended to extend the building to 80 feet.
In the course of this year there arrived in Melbourne a gentleman, still amongst us, who not only rendered services of no ordinary kind to the Wesleyan community, of which he was a member, but made himself conspicuous by his efforts to promote the welfare of the colony. He is essentially such an old colonist, and such a universally known man that a brief notice of him cannot be out of place in any book written about the Melbourne of the past.
Mr. Joseph Ankers Marsden is every inch a Yorkshireman, and was born at Leeds in August, 1811. On reaching man's estate he was accepted by the Wesleyan Conference as a probationer of the ministry, and ordained in 1836. At his own request he was appointed to a mission station on one of the West Indian Islands (St. Vincent) whither he proceeded, but was obliged to return to Europe in 1839, in consequence of the severe illness of himself and family, and a fear that Yellow Jack (the yellow fever) which was eating up many Europeans, would make a meal of him. He subsequently declined an offer of a station in Van Diemen's Land, and continued ill-health necessitated his retirement from the ministry. However, he emigrated to Melbourne in 1841, where he engaged in commercial pursuits, frequently appearing in the Wesleyan pulpit, Collins Street, and so far as his health and advancing years permit, may still be heard as a very effective lay-preacher. He will appear again in this résumé, and also be heard of in other chapters.
A grandson of this gentleman, the Rev. T. E. Marsden, D.D. (the first Australian Native appointed to the Episcopal office) was the first Bishop of Bathurst. After labouring zealously for some years he removed to England and took part in the consecration of Dr. Goe, the present Bishop of Melbourne.
On the 27th December, 1841, the foundation of a chapel was laid on the new line of road to Sydney, about 2½ miles from Melbourne (Brunswick). Religious service was held at 3 p.m., in a tent pitched for the purpose, and there was a tea-party at 5 p.m. The Rev. Mr. Wilkinson was much appraised during his stay, and in September, 1842, he left Melbourne for Bathurst (N.S.W), to be succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Schofield. The Rev. S. Wilkinson was, until his death some years since, the sole survivor of the early ministers of religion who wrought zealously and sowed good seed in the spiritual soil of Port Phillip. The Rev. Mr. Orton left New South Wales for England in the beginning of 1842, and on the 30th April died at sea off Cape Horn, leaving a widow and eight children to sorrow over an irreparable bereavement.
The First Bazaar.
To the Wesleyans belong the merit, or otherwise, of being the first to introduce a "wind-raising machine," and the invention, not being patented, was afterwards so largely pirated in the colony, as to be resorted to whenever any movement was set on foot spiritual or temporal, to extract money by an indirect mode from private pockets. This bazaar or fancy fair was engineered by the most skilful" "bazaar-runner" in the colony, the Mr. Marsden recently noticed, who, from the bigness of his size, got to be universally known as "big Marsden," though "Preacher Marsden," was also used as a sobriquet. He was equally good at a sermon or a speech; as much at home on the platform as in the pulpit; but unsurpassable when taking round the hat on behalf of a public charity. He was good-humoured to a degree, of almost unvaried evenness of temper, though, when engaged in a Corporation election battle, he could frown. Sunshine was the usual state of weather with him in his intercourse with the public, for he participated in nearly all social, religious, and political demonstrations from 1841 to 1851. The management of this first bazaar, therefore, could not have possibly dropped into better hands, and it proved a most profitable hit. It was held at the Mechanics' Institute, and lasted two days. Its special purpose was to raise funds towards the liquidation of the debt on the Wesleyan Chapel. Dr. M'Arthur, of Heidelberg, Mr. Cole, of the Merri Creek, and Captain Foxton made suitable presents, and the commanders of the "Abberton," "Achilles," "Elora," and "Elizabeth Thompson," ships then in the Bay, kindly lent bunting to enhance the decorations. The opening was fixed for the 20th December, 1843. The stalls, five in number, were presided over by Mrs. James Webb, Miss Peers, Mrs. Jones, Miss Batman, Mrs. Sweetman, Miss Shillinglaw, Mrs. Scales, Mrs. Marsden, and Mrs. Theophilus Dredge. The first article sold was to Mr. James Croke, the old Crown Prosecutor, and a staunch Roman Catholic. Forcing his way up to where Mrs. Marsden was about to commence her duties as a ministering, or rather a trafficking, angel, he blurted out in a rough, honest way, peculiar to him, "Have you any snuff-boxes there?" To which "the angel" answered by handing him one. "Umph, ah, and what may be the price of this article, Mrs. Marsden?" "Only 3s. 6d., Mr. Croke." "Here Ma'am, that will pay you," was the rejoinder, "Old Croke" at the same time flinging a sovereign on the stand, and unceremoniously turning to depart. "Oh, please, Mr. Croke, wait for your change "—fancy a modern bazaar lady committing such an indiscretion as to even think of giving change—was sung out after him, whereupon the new proprietor of the snuff-box, with a back answer of "Oh, don't bother me," tramped off about his business. And so Mrs. Marsden sold the first article ever disposed of at a bazaar in the colony, and queer old "Jimmy Croke" was the first purchaser. Amongst the exhibits were some net bags manufactured by aboriginal women, from native grass and the fibrous substances of certain indigenous plants, presented by Mr. Parker, one of the assistant-protectors of the Blacks. Two oil-paintings of the aborigines, the gift of Mr. Thomas Napier, were faithfully executed. A very ingenious design, on paper, for a sundial, by Mr. N. Guthridge, also obtained much notice. The first day's takings netted £60, a handsome sum for the time. The second day's receipts were £30, in all £90, and as several articles remained undisposed of, Mr. J. W. Bell, a Collins Street auctioneer, brought them to the hammer, and m a d e ,£20 out of them. Mr. Marsden was assisted by Messrs. John Jones and G. Wharton, Messrs Thwaites and Sons, Roycraft, Secretary of the Mechanics' Institution, N . Guthridge, T. Dredge, Morrow, Rule, and R. Mouat. Deducting the proceeds of the " Fair," there remained .£1500 still owing, and to further lighten this pecuniary pressure, an appeal was m a d e through the public press " to the Christian community of Melbourne," and a committee was appointed to collect through the town and neighbourhood. At the Wesleyan anniversary meeting, held on the 23rd September, 1844, it was stated that the liabilities had increased to ,£1628 3s. 5d, and upon some of this (borrowed money) 20 per cent, interest was being paid. Amongst the items of outlay were an organ, .£400 ; freight, ,£84 ; andfittingup, ,£34. T h e cost of the Wesleyan Chapel was given at ,£3648 n s . n d , and resolutions were passed indicating as the most practical m o d e of diminishing the d e b t — a lessening of the rate of interest, increasing the seat accommodation, and establishing a sinking fund. T h e foundation-stone of a chapel was laid at Brighton on the 6th April, 1845, and in August of the same year the Rev. Mr. Schofield was translated to Sydney, and succeeded by the Rev. E. Sweetman; whilst the Rev. Mr. L o w e arrived at Geelong. In September, an important gathering was held in the Wesleyan Chapel, to commemorate thefifthanniversary of its opening, when Captain M'Crae presided; and afinancialstatement was submitted, showing the ,£1500 liability still remained, notwithstanding all the efforts m a d e to curtail its proportions. A proposition was offered for its liquidation, which was spiritedly responded to by twenty-four gentlemen subscribing ,£25 each, and several others promising severally to raise £ 1 0 . T h e bazaar expedient, which had worked so well on a previous occasion, was again resorted to, and "Big Marsden" was again the " M a n at the Wheel." Bazaar N o . 2 was held at the Mechanics' Institute, on the 22nd December, 1845, and was a great success, though not so m u c h so as was expected. According to a newspaper of the day, " the attendance was numerous and highly respectable." His Honor the Superintendent, the Mayor and the Mayoress, being present. T h e articles for sale being the offerings of the " softer sex," reflected no little credit on the generosity that called them forth. O n e of the most interesting donations was the branch of a plum tree, in full bearing, contributed by M r . Wills, a mechanic, residing at Newtown, the fruit of which sold at one penny each. Dr. M'Arthur, Captain Foxton, and a gardener on the Merri Creek, m a d e extensive presents offlowers,and about ,£100 reaped as clear profit on the speculation. Mr. T h o m a s having given a chapel site at Little Brighton, a place of worship was opened there in December. There was a liberal spread of buns and tea for 120 persons in a tent pitched for the occasion, at which Mr. J. A. Marsden presided. O n the ioth February, 1846, there was to be a grand soiree in the Collins Street Chapel, but the dust swept the streets with such fury, that not more than fifty persons mustered courage enough to put in an appearance. It came off, nevertheless, under the chairmanship of the Rev. Mr. Sweetman, and though the numerical smallness of the attendance forboded a financial failure, an agreeable surprise was created by the golden fact that two hundred guineas were contributed to the Building Fund. Richmond had the satisfaction of witnessing the laying of a chapel foundation on the 16th March. In the course of the year the sad intelligence was received of the death, at sea, on the 3rd May, of the Rev. James Dredge, w h o had ministered at Geelong for between three and four years. Falling into bad health, he sailed for h o m e in the " Arab " in January, and, though living over most of the voyage, never saw the end of it. Dying only two days before the ship arrived at its destination, his body was taken to London, and buried at Globe Road, Mile End. H e had m a d e m a n y friends in the colony, and was m u c h regretted. T h e Wesleyans at Geelong were so far from idle all this time that they had erected a neat stone chapeledifice, and this was opened on Sunday, the 25th October, by the Rev. Messrs. Sweetman, Love, and Tuckfield, when the collection amounted to ,£33 u s . iod. T h e following Tuesday there was a soiree, which yielded ,£23 18s. iod. T h e total expenditure on the building was .£463 5s. 2d, and the original debt was reduced to ,£93 ios. 6d. T h e Rev. Mr. Boyce, the Superintendent of Wesleyan Missions in Australia, arrived on a visitation to Melbourne on the 6th November, and preached eloquent sermons at Melbourne and Richmond, where there were very numerously attended services and tea-meetings. After a very brief stay he left for Launceston. At Belfast the foundation stone of a Wesleyan Chapel was laid by Mr. John Chastel, on the 30th April, 1847, and an animated address delivered by Mr. W m . Witton. Mr. J. Atkinson having kindly lent a tent for the purpose, it was pitched on the ground, wherefiftymouths of all ages were regaled with tea and cakes. The Rev. Mr. Lowe left Geelong in 1847, and was the recipient of a handsome valedictory presentation. In August of the following year, Mr. James Austin gave a piece of land as a chapel site for Newtown (near Geelong). THE BRUNSWICK STREET CHAPEL. In the beginning of 1849 the Rev. Mr. Sweetman purchased a site for a chapel in Brunswick Street, with a frontage of 80 feet, and the price was 12s. per foot. This step was necessitated by the expiry, on the 3rd September, 1848, of the lease of the ground upon which the wooden chapel was put up, the south-west corner of Brunswick Street and Moor (then William) Street. It belonged to Mr. R. S. Webb, the first Sub-collector of Customs, who, in 1841, gave it to the Wesleyans at a nominal rent on a seven years' lease. A new chapel was, therefore, an urgency, and the foundation stone was laid at 4 p.m. on the 21st March. The ceremony was to have been performed by M r Sydney Stephen, barrister-at-law, who was prevented by indisposition from attending, and the Rev. Mr. Sweetman officiated in his stead. Some 200 of those present adjourned to the old chapel (at the other side of the street), and partook of the conventional tea-refreshments, supplied for the occasion by the Wesleyan ladies of Collingwood and Melbourne. It was calculated that .£350 would be required to complete the new building, and towards this the Rev. Mr. Boyce, the Superintendent of Missions, resident in Sydney, had promised ,£50. In addition to the proceeds of the tea-party, ,£80 had been subscribed in the room. The meeting was addressed by the Rev. Messrs. Sweetman, Harcourt, and Mr. E. C. Symonds, a recently received candidate for the Wesleyan ministry. A shameful sacrilege was perpetrated at Geelong on the night of the 29th May by some scoundrels, whose sin after all brought them no gain. The Wesleyan Chapel there was feloniously broken into and two money-boxes carried off. They contained nothing, and the thieves must have felt rather disappointed at having so laboured in vain. For some time the Collins Street Chapel was growing too small for the weekly increasing demands upon its space, and it was at length decided to enlarge it at a cost of ,£650. A meeting was held in May to take steps to do so, whereat the liberal sum of ,£512 was raised. This work was prosecuted with so much zeal that by the close of the year the additions were made, including the erection of an organ loft; and it was now pronounced to be the mostfinishedreligious edifice in the colony. A chapel had been opened at East Brighton since June, 1849, which was attended to by the Rev. Mr. Harcourt and occasional ministers and lay-preachers from Melbourne. It was at length found that Melbourne stood much in need of a second place of worship within what might be termed the city proper; and as a temporary convenience, a large room was put up in the eastern part of Lonsdale Street, and opened for chapel services on the 1st December, 1850, when a post meridiem sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Butters, and an evening one by the Rev. T. Hastie. Next evening there came off a tea-meeting, and the two days' collections made £100. This building was also to be used as a Sunday and a day-school. O n the last day of the year there were five Wesleyan Churches in the colony, supposed to be sufficient for the accommodation of 2700 persons, and attended by the same number. W h e n the census was taken on 2nd March, 1851, the Wesleyan population of Port Phillip was returned at 4988, of w h o m 1630 were resident in Melbourne. From a report brought before a public meeting on 21st April, 1851, it appeared that for 1850 the pupils who attended at Sunday-School in Melbourne and suburbs numbered 461, and during thefirstquarter of 1851 they increased to 817, or about 77 per cent. There were 81 teachers imparting instruction. Perhaps the largest demonstration of Wesleyanism in the olden time was on the 15th September of the same year, when a tea-meeting was held in the Collins Street Chapel, with Captain M'Crae as Chairman. The specific purpose of the assemblage was to devise means for paying off certain liabilities on the building, contracted six or seven years before. The gross amount was ,£1290, viz, ,£1000 borrowed on a mortgage, and £200 balance due for the enlargement of the chapel. T h e annual income was about ,£280, and the expenditure, including interest, ,£246. T h e Rev. W . B. Boyce, Mission Superintendent at Sydney, had offered to contribute ,£500, conditional upon a like sum being raised by private liberality. T h e Rev. Mr. Hamilton, a new arrival from Scotland, was introduced by the Rev. Mr. Butters, and m a d e a powerful appeal on behalf of the church, which had the effect of opening purses to the tune of £^400. A sum of .£380 was arranged, which, with Mr. Boyce's offering added, would nearly balance matters. Another chapel (the third in the district) was opened at Brighton on the 21st September, and the Rev. W . Butters preached there. It was a smartly got up, comfortable little building of 26 feet by 30 feet, the land for which had been kindly given by Mr. J. B. Were, and the plan prepared by Mr. James W e b b , whilst Mr. James Moore supplied a quantity of bricks. It was built in a very quiet way, altogether by private contribution unostentatiously given. The year memorable for the gold discoveries was drawing to a close, and the outstanding church debt of £oo was still unpaid, and another meeting was held on the 29th December to handle the often thorny topic of "ways and means." The ,£500 promised by the Rev. Mr. Boyce was available with the amount conditionally subscribed. T h e Assembly was m u c h gratified by an announcement by the Rev. Mr. Butters, that a lucky digger had that day placed in his hands a whole pound weight of gold in ounces, but for another good purpose, and this had such an inspiriting influence upon those present that before the business closed the church was declared to be free of debt, an intimation hailed with loud cheers. The "Hallelujah Chorus" was sung, and the gathering broke up in high jubilation. In 1881 the Wesleyan population was 120,000, with 144 ministers, 912 places of worship accommodating 98,000 persons, customarily attended by 70,000, and 106,000 services annually. Mr. Hayter's tables for 1886-7 give the following numbers:—Population, 124,060;* number of ministers, 238;* number of churches, 1222*— affording accommodation for 160,850* persons; number of services, 105,123;* average attendance,76,256*. METHODIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
COMMITTEE.—Rev. B. Hurst, Messrs. E. S. Parker, J. E. Dredge, J. Fenton, J. J. Peers, W. Witton, and J. Smith. T R E A S U R E R S . — D r . A. Thomson, district of Geelong ; Mr. G Lilly, Melbourne. S E C R E T A R I E S . — R e v . F. Tuckfield and Mr. W . Willoughby. MISSION ESTABLISHMENT.—Rev. B. Hurst (superintendent), R e v F. Tuckfield and Rev. Sheavington (missionaries). This Society was founded on the 9th September, 1839, as auxiliary to the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, and established a Mission to the aborigines in the district of Geelong, near the source of the Barwon, about forty miles to the westward of the town of Geelong, on land granted for the purpose by His Excellency Sir George Gipps. T h e situation was selected chiefly because it was central to four or five considerable tribes—the Wod-dou-ro on the north-east, the Bornt-beit on the north, the Col-li-jou on the north-west, the Man-mait on the west, and the Kneer-a-Gut on the south. The Government granted annually, for the support of the Mission, a sum equal to the amount of private subscriptions.
- Including Bible Christians.