BX 5720 .B36 C69 1888 
 Cowper, William M. 
 Episcopate of the Right 
 Reverend Frederic Barker, 
 
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EPISCOPATE OF THE 
 
 RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 FREDERIC BARKER, D.D. 
 
JAN 23 1964 
 
 ^ gglCAL tf fffc 
 EPISCOPATE OF THE 
 
 RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 FREDERIC BARKER, D.D. 
 
 BISHOP OF SYDNEY 
 AND METROPOLITAN OF AUSTRALIA. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 WILLIAM M. COWPER, M.A. 
 
 DEAN OF SYDNEY. 
 
 afllftj) Portrait and ^ap. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY. 
 1888. 
 
LONDON: 
 Printed by Strangeways and Sons, 
 Tower St., Cambridge Circus. 
 
THE CLERGY AND LAITY 
 OF THE DIOCESE OF SYDNEY 
 
 %W ©olume 
 
 IS DEDICATED. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A very few words may suffice to introduce the 
 memoir contained in this volume to the reader. 
 
 It was undertaken at the solicitation of the 
 friends of the late Bishop. They were of opinion 
 that his episcopate had been of such a character, 
 and had been so connected with the progress and 
 organization of the Church in Australia, that it was 
 worthy of public remembrance. And they thought 
 that one who had been brought into somewhat 
 close official connexion with him soon after his 
 entrance into his see, and whose privilege it was 
 to enjoy his friendship from that time until the 
 termination of his course, would be able to give a 
 true record of his work and of its character. 
 
 Yielding to these solicitations, the Editor re- 
 solved to apply himself to the task, which has 
 been to him both congenial and deeply interesting. 
 Whatever may be the imperfections in the mode 
 
vni 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of its fulfilment, he claims for himself two things : 
 honesty of purpose and fidelity to truth. He has 
 striven to present the Bishop to the reader as he 
 was and as he acted, by letting him speak for 
 himself as much as possible, and by exhibiting him 
 as he appeared in the discharge of the duties of his 
 exalted and responsible office. 
 
 The sources of information from which the 
 narrative has been compiled, were partly private 
 journals lent for the purpose by Mrs. Frederic 
 Barker, and partly public records of which the 
 Editor has been able to avail himself during a 
 visit to England. He is also under special ob- 
 ligations to the Rev. Henry A. Barker for infor- 
 mation concerning his uncle's family relations and 
 early life, and to Alexander Gordon, Esq., who 
 for many years held the office of Chancellor to 
 the Diocese of Sydney, for the loan of printed 
 documents, and for other valuable assistance kindly 
 and cordially rendered. 
 
 The materials thus supplied might, in more 
 skilful hands, have sufficed to bring out a more 
 perfect portraiture of the man and the Bishop ; but 
 he trusts that the sketch given will nevertheless 
 present to many a truer and juster view of him than 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 they have hitherto possessed, and that even those 
 who knew and honoured him during his life will 
 perhaps be led to form a higher estimate of his 
 work when they view it as a whole, and mark its 
 effects in the Church over which he presided as 
 Bishop and Metropolitan. 
 
 The Editor hopes further that, by the blessing 
 of God, it will tend to advance the cause of truth 
 and godliness, and to increase the interest which 
 is felt by so many in the Church at home in the 
 progress and unity of the Church in the Australian 
 Colonies. 
 
 London, 
 
 December, 1887. 
 
CO NTE NTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Introductory, i 808-1 854. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Object of Memoir — Family and Early Life— Entrance into 
 Ministry — Irish Home Mission — St. Mary's, Edgehill — 
 Marriage — Illness — Protestant Feeling in Liverpool — Church 
 for Poor — Scripture Readers' Society — Death of his Brother 
 Auriol — Removal to Baslow — Reminiscences of Ministry at 
 Edgehill . 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 1854, 1855. 
 
 Offer and Acceptance of Bishopric — Liverpool Mail on Appoint- 
 ment — Consecration — Departure from Liverpool — Voyage — 
 Arrival in Sydney — Installation — Extracts from Journal and 
 Speech — Search for Residence — Extent of Diocese — Clergy 
 and Churches — Pressing Wants — The University — St. Paul's 
 College — King's School — Moore College — Bishopthorpe 
 Estate — British and Foreign Bible Society . . . .26 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 1855. 
 
 Bishop's First Tour 
 
 5i 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 1856. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Mr. Synge'sTour — Church Society formed — School for Daughters 
 of Clergy — Bishop's Second Tour— Third Tour . . .70 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 1857, 1858. 
 
 Moore College— Cathedral — Bishop's Speech — Visit to Melbourne 
 — Meetings of Clergy — Broughton Chapel, Bishop's Sermon 
 — Preparation of Synod Bill — Episcopal Residence, Bishops- 
 court— Opening of Year 1858 — Visit to Monaro — Illness and 
 Death of Archdeacon Cowper — Appointment of Dean of 
 Sydney 91 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 1858, 1859. 
 
 Primary Visitation — Conference on Synod Bill — Subsequent 
 Proceedings— Withdrawal of Bill— Church Progress— Educa- 
 tional Difficulties — State Aid withdrawn from Goldfields' 
 Chaplains — Voluntary Efforts — Bishop's Letter on Offertory . 107 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 i860. 
 
 Metropolitan Visitation — Tasmania — Adelaide — Melbourne — 
 Special Address on Church of England in Australia— Return 
 to Sydney— Arrival of Bishop of Brisbane — Visitation of New- 
 castle—Trouble with a Presbyter — Visit to Western District 
 — Mr. Comrie, of Northfield 129 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 1861-1864. 
 
 Prayer Meetings — Address from Clergy — Clerical Meetings — 
 Southern Tour, Proposed New Diocese — Public Meeting at 
 Goulburn — Second Visitation of Clergy — Review of Church 
 Progress — Departure for England — Bishop in England — 
 Abolition of State Aid— Return to the Colony, 1864— Arrival 
 of Bishop of Goulburn — Bishop Patteson — Ordination for 
 Bishop of Melbourne 149 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xiii 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 1 864- 1 867. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Visitation of Brisbane Diocese — Free Church of England — Visit 
 to the West — Renewed Efforts for Synodical Action — Duke 
 of Newcastle's Despatch — Conferences — Final Result — 
 Efforts to complete Cathedral — Another Visit to the West — 
 Day of Humiliation and Prayer for Rain — First Meeting of 
 Synod, 1866 — Mr. Card well's Bill, Resolution of Synod — 
 Meeting on Western Bishopric — Visit to Western District, 
 1867 — Public Meeting in Bathurst— Session of Synod, 1867 — 
 Arrival of Bishop of Grafton and Armidale . . . .172 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 1868. 
 
 Departure of Rev. W. Hodgson — Earl of Belmore's Arrival — 
 Duke of Edinburgh — Attempt upon Duke's Life — Death of 
 Bishop of Grafton and Armidale — Revival of King's School — 
 Visitation, Important Charge— Session of Synod, 1868 — 
 Visit of Bishop Selwyn — Consecration of Cathedral — 
 Episcopal Conference — Christ Church Reredos — Appendix 
 to Visitation Charge 200 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 1 869 -1 872. 
 
 Encouragements and Difficulties — Diocesan Synod, 1869 — 
 Proposed General Synod — First Provincial Synod, 1869. — 
 Bathurst Bishopric — Arrival of Second Bishop of Grafton and 
 Armidale — St. Andrew's Day at Bishopscourt — Visit to 
 Melbourne and Tasmania, 1870 — Arrival of Bishop of 
 Bathurst — Rural Deans — Preparation for Visit to England — 
 Bishop in England, 187 1 — Consultations about Tribunal of 
 Appeal — Letter to Archbishop of Canterbury — Controversy 
 arising out of Letter — Appointment of Colonial Bishops — 
 Correspondence with Lord Kimberley — Questions sub- 
 mitted to Archbishop of Canterbury and Answer — Bishop's 
 Return to Sydney — Communication to Standing Committee — 
 Bishop's View of state of Church of England — Church Con- 
 gress at Nottingham 233 
 
xiv 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 1 872- 1 874. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Visitation, Bishop's Charge — Diocesan Synod, 1872 — General 
 Conference — General Synod — Determinations passed — 
 Congratulatory Resolution— Review of Year's Work — Tem- 
 porary Rest — Church Society — Diocesan Synod, 1873 — 
 Bishop's Remarks on Athanasian Creed — Morality Associa- 
 tion — Meeting of Rural Deans, Religious Instruction, Tem- 
 perance — Retreat in Country — Serious Accident — Diocesan 
 Synod, 1874 — C. E.T. Society — Anxiety about Religious Con- 
 dition of Masses — North Queensland Bishopric — Visit to 
 Brisbane — Agitation regarding Primary Education — Public 
 Meetings — Addresses by Bishop — Defence Association — 
 Eight Days' Mission — Review of Year 1874 .... 272 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 1875, 1876. 
 
 Summer Retreat at Bowenfels — Visitation — Diocesan Synod, 
 1875 — Presentation Ordinance — Important Controversy — 
 Provincial Synod, 1875 — Designation of Church in the 
 Colony — Uniformity Act Amendment Act — Confirmation 
 and Election of Bishops — Appointment of Bishop of Brisbane 
 — Lay Readers' Association — Important Question of Church 
 Discipline — Illness and Death of Mrs. Barker — General 
 sympathy with Bishop — Meeting and Resolutions of Clergy 
 
 — Bishop's Sermon in Cathedral 310 
 
 • 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 1876-1879. 
 
 Diocesan Synod, 1876— Visit to North Queensland— Prepara- 
 tions for General Synod — General Synod, 1876 — Week of 
 Prayer — Diocesan Synod, 1877 — Departure for England — 
 British Syrian Schools — Tour in Syria and Palestine— Arrival 
 in England — Appointment of Principal of Moore College — 
 Bishop of North Queensland — Marriage of Bishop of Sydney 
 —Return to Sydney — Diocesan Synod, 1878 — Religious 
 Instruction in Public Schools — Arrival of Bishop of North - 
 Queensland — Diocesan Synod, 1879 — Primary Education, 
 Bishop's Views— Resolutions of Provincial Synod, 1879— New 
 Public Education Act 333 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XV 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 1 879-1881. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Twenty-fifth Year of Episcopate — Address of Clergy — Memorial 
 Fund established — Excessive work and anxiety — Church 
 and School Lands — Tokens of Progress in Diocese — License 
 refused to a Clergyman — Diocesan Synod, 1880 — Report on 
 Sunday Schools — Report ordered on Progress of Diocese in 
 Twenty-five Years — Raikes' Centenary — Arrival of Bishop of 
 Newcastle — Twenty-sixth Anniversary — Serious illness, 
 Partial recovery — Departure for England, 1881 — Letter to 
 Clergy — Voyage and Arrival in England — San Remo — 
 General Synod in Sydney, 1881 — Letter from Members of 
 General Synod and Bishop's Reply 371 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 1882. 
 
 Second attack of Paralysis — Last Illness and Death — Burial at 
 Baslow — Address of Bishop Perry — Testimony of Sydney 
 Morning Herald — Service in Cathedral — Resolutions of 
 Sydney and other Synods — Concluding Remarks . . . 399 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Report on Progress of Diocese during Twenty-five Years . .421 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 Introductory, i 808-1 854. 
 
 Object of Memoir — Family, and Early Life — Entrance into 
 Ministry — Irish Home Mission — St. Mary's, Edgehill — Marriage — 
 , Illness — Protestant Feeling in Liverpool — Church for Poor — 
 Scripture Readers' Society — Death of his Brother Auriol — Re- 
 moval to Baslow— Reminiscences of Ministry at Edgehill. 
 
 It is not the object of this memoir to furnish any- 
 thing like a complete biography of the late Bishop 
 Barker, but rather to present such a picture of his 
 work as a Bishop of the Church of England in the 
 province of Australia as may enable those who read 
 the story to form a just estimate of its nature and 
 character. It is much to be regretted that no such 
 narrative has hitherto been given to the Church of 
 the work accomplished by his predecessor, Dr. 
 William Grant Broughton, the first Bishop of 
 Australia. His noble and self-denying character and 
 labours were specially referred to on different occa- 
 sions by Bishop Barker, as entitling him to grateful 
 remembrance and imitation. And when the latter 
 entered upon the practical duties of his office, it was 
 his expressed desire to build upon the foundations 
 which Bishop Broughton had already laid. 
 
2 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The Church of England in Australia is under 
 deep obligations to both these prelates. Though in 
 some respects widely differing from each other, they 
 were nevertheless of one mind in desiring to lay the 
 foundations of the Church firmly and securely in that 
 southern land, to ensure its practical efficiency, and 
 to provide for its expansion and growth in union 
 with the Church in England. 
 
 It will be seen in the following pages what were 
 the methods by which Bishop Barker aimed at the 
 accomplishment of these ends, and with what result 
 they were attended. And if the sketch which is here 
 attempted shall enable those who may give it their 
 attention to form anything like a correct estimate of 
 the work which was carried on by him for upwards 
 of a quarter of a century, the design of this memoir 
 will be aXtained. 
 
 By way of introduction, and as leading up to the 
 larger sphere of labour to which, in the providence of 
 God, Bishop Barker was called, some account is now 
 to be given of his early life and ministry, by the aid 
 of such materials as are available. But so many of 
 his contemporaries have passed away from whom in- 
 formation might have been obtained, especially with 
 regard to his Liverpool life and ministry, that the 
 account is of necessity much briefer than could have 
 been desired. Enough, however, has been gathered 
 to show how highly he was esteemed as a parochial 
 clergyman by his brethren in the ministry, and how 
 zealous and indefatigable he was in his endeavours to 
 bring all classes of his parishioners to a participation 
 in the blessings of the Gospel, and to build them up 
 in the true faith. And not only so, his Christian 
 
INTRODUCTORY) 1808-1832. 
 
 3 
 
 energies took a wider scope, embracing objects which 
 aimed at the spiritual welfare of the masses in the 
 great commercial city of Liverpool. And such 
 were the tact and judgment by which he was dis- 
 tinguished in dealing with difficulties, that he was 
 often somewhat playfully designated ' Frederic the 
 Wise.' 
 
 Frederic Barker, whose episcopate forms the 
 subject of this memoir, was born in the Vicarage of 
 Baslow, in Derbyshire, on the 17th of March, 1808. 
 He was the fourth son of the Rev. John Barker, 
 who was for thirty years Vicar of Baslow, one of a 
 family which came from Dore, in Yorkshire, in the 
 seventeenth century, and whose heads had been 
 agents to the successive Dukes of Devonshire. His 
 grandfather had accompanied one of the Dukes to 
 Ireland, as Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant, and, 
 according to the fashion of that day, had been re- 
 warded with the Deanery of Raphoe. Of the five 
 sons of the Rev. John Barker, two entered the army, 
 two took Holy Orders, and the youngest, Richard, 
 adopted the profession of a civil engineer — he died, 
 however, at the early age of twenty-three. Of the 
 other four sons three were over six feet in height, 
 Frederic being facile princcps. On one occasion 
 the Duke of York, then Commander-in-Chief of the 
 army, while on a shooting excursion with the Dukes 
 of Devonshire and Rutland, attended Divine Service 
 in Baslow Church, and was struck with the sight of 
 four tall youths standing in the front pew. ' Who 
 are these ? ' he inquired. ' These are my Chaplain's 
 four sons,' was the reply. And before many clays 
 had passed a commission arrived* with the Com- 
 
4 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 mander-in-Chiefs compliments, for the Vicar's best- 
 looking son. 
 
 Their mother's influence was strongly felt by all 
 the sons, but by none more than by Frederic. Her 
 life was characterised by strong religious principle, 
 the practical effect of which was seen in a con- 
 scientious and careful attention to all her duties. 
 And, through the grace of God, Frederic imbibed 
 much of the same spirit. In his youth he had become 
 a decided Christian. His school life was spent at 
 Grantham, after which he entered at Jesus College, 
 Cambridge, and pursued the usual course of study 
 for the B.A. degree. He was distinguished as an 
 athlete, as several of our Church dignitaries have 
 since been. 
 
 Canon Norman, rector of Bottesford, who main- 
 tained a lifelong friendship with him, writing of him 
 since his death, says : — 
 
 My earliest recollection of him was when he was at 
 college, and I was just going to school. His parents were 
 dead, and he lived, when at home, with his brother Auriol, 
 who had succeeded to the living of Baslow. During the 
 long vacation of 1827 (when he was nineteen years old) I 
 frequently met him, and joined in expeditions to different 
 dales in the neighbourhood of Bakewell and Baslow. On 
 these occasions he always introduced subjects of profit, and 
 he was, to my mind as a schoolboy, a very holy and 
 spiritual man. Everybody looked up to him — even his 
 brother, who was older than he, looked up to him — as living 
 much in the presence of GOD, and in near communion with 
 Him. The affection which I felt for him was never cooled 
 by long absence from England. 
 
 This brief glimpse into the social life of his earl)- 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1808-1832. 
 
 5 
 
 years shows more clearly than many words could do 
 what manner of man he was. And amongst the in- 
 fluences which helped to form his character, ' it is 
 not improbable,' says one who knew him intimately 
 from his youth, ' that the situation and surroundings 
 of the Baslow home may have been one. Situated 
 on the banks of the Derwent, which breaks into 
 music over a slight fall, the quiet beauty and the 
 murmurs of the river may have had no slight 
 influence in moulding the character of one whose 
 restfulness was evinced even by the tone of his 
 voice.' 
 
 Such a youth could hardly fail to make a useful 
 clergyman. In the year 1832 he was admitted to 
 Deacons' Orders by the Bishop of Chester, Dr. John 
 Bird Sumner, and appointed by him at once to the 
 charge of the Perpetual Curacy of Upton, in Cheshire, 
 not far from Liverpool. In after life he used often to 
 say that he had never been a curate, in the ordinary 
 sense of the term, not having been placed as assistant 
 to the incumbent of a parish, but put in charge of 
 Upton as sole minister. ' This pretty village,' writes 
 a friend who knows the place well, ' stands on a hill 
 near the end of the broad tongue of land which juts 
 out into the sea between the estuaries of the Dee and 
 the Mersey. From the breezy heath of Bidton, im- 
 mediately behind it, can be seen the Mersey and all 
 its shipping, with the town of Liverpool rising up to 
 Edgehill. On the west the Dee and the Welsh hills 
 beyond, while far to the north, on a clear day, the 
 outline of Black Coombe seems to rise out of the sea, 
 the western outlier of those lake mountains which 
 were to be so closely linked with his future life. The 
 
6 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 little church in which he ministered still stands 
 amongst the mouldering graves, an unpicturesque 
 ruin used only for funerals.' 
 
 Here, with a salary of 40/. per annum and a 
 house, he found himself in sole charge of a cure of 
 souls. And here we first meet with that deep sense 
 of ministerial responsibility which grew with his 
 years, and the experience which taught him how to 
 support it. Many passages in his journal show how 
 deeply he deplored his own unworthiness, and how 
 entirely he felt himself to be, like the Apostle Paul, 
 ' less than the least of all saints,' at a time when his 
 character for piety and zeal stood high with all who 
 knew him. As a faithful minister he was even then 
 trusted by his people, and was called to give advice 
 and assistance in many sad cases of family sorrow and 
 distress. From the first he set himself to reach the 
 poor who did not, or would not, come to church, by 
 giving expository lectures in the schoolroom, barns, 
 or cottages. During his residence in Upton he 
 formed a resolution, from which he found much help 
 and comfort — viz., that he would speak to some of his 
 people about their souls' welfare every day — thus 
 forcing himself to overcome a natural reluctance, and 
 forming a habit which brought great blessing to him- 
 self as well as to his parishioners. 
 
 Upton being within four miles of Liverpool, he 
 was frequently to be seen at clerical and missionary 
 meetings in that town. From the first he took a 
 warm interest in Ireland, and in missions to Roman 
 Catholics, as well as in the home missions to Pro- 
 testants in that country. 
 
 At the meetings held in connexion with the 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1832-1835. 
 
 7 
 
 Home Mission Society, he became so deeply in- 
 terested in the work that he often felt a longing to 
 be engaged in it more actively. As this desire was 
 welcomed by those with whom the matter rested, he 
 accepted a short engagement, and this proved so ac- 
 ceptable to the people that he was urged to join the 
 staff as one of the regular mission preachers of the 
 Society. This post, after some consideration, he 
 accepted, and, having secured a successor after his 
 own mind for Upton, he resigned the charge of that 
 parish, but not before he had received from the 
 bishop of the diocese the offer of St. Matthew's, 
 Liverpool, which he declined. On September 28, 
 1834, he preached his last sermon at Upton, and the 
 next day sailed for Dublin. 
 
 The Home Mission Society to which he now 
 attached himself, had been formed to counteract the 
 deadness of spiritual life which prevailed in the 
 Protestant churches of Ireland. They claimed to 
 have as members two millions out of a total popula- 
 tion then estimated at eight millions. But, in both 
 the Episcopal and Presbyterian communions, 
 formality and lifelessness were the rule rather than 
 the exception. Six years before., some half-dozen 
 clergymen had met, and agreed to form a Home 
 Missionary Society; and, the idea being gladly re- 
 ceived, in a short time its numbers were largely in- 
 creased, and the sanction and countenance of the 
 Archbishop of Dublin were obtained for it. In the 
 meantime the Rev. F. F. Trench had set on foot a 
 mission of a similar character, which, however, was 
 worked by laymen — a proceeding which, in those 
 days, even good men characterised as highly 
 
3 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 irregular. Mr. Trench nevertheless managed to 
 secure the services of many earnest and godly men, 
 some of whom were captains in the army. In the 
 course of time, however, seeing that his desires were 
 being accomplished in another way, he declared him- 
 self willing to hand over his mission to the Home 
 Mission Society upon condition that they would 
 supply the districts with clergymen. From that time 
 the work was carried on regularly by clergymen. 
 Eighty enrolled themselves as mission preachers, 
 each giving four fortnights to the circuits, during 
 which he travelled about three hundred miles, and 
 preached twice a-day in some of the one hundred and 
 sixty-nine stations of the Society. The results were 
 most happy and encouraging. 
 
 The congregations varied from a dozen to some 
 hundreds, and were composed of persons of all 
 classes and religious denominations. The Mission 
 told not only upon the people, but upon the clergy 
 also, at whose firesides the mission preacher often 
 left a deeper sense of spiritual things, and roused 
 them to greater earnestness in their vocation. Far 
 from promoting dissent, the testimony of the clergy 
 was that their congregations were greatly increased, 
 and reality and zeal became visible in a Church 
 wherein coldness or lukewarmness had prevailed, 
 and many waverers rallied to her standard. 
 
 Into this work Mr. Barker threw himself 
 with much enthusiasm. In his first circuit he 
 traversed the Counties of Down, Antrim, Armagh, 
 Tyrone, Donegal, and Derry, covering eight hun- 
 dred miles, and preaching fifty-two times in the 
 course of a month. On his return to Dublin, he 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1832-1835. 
 
 9 
 
 accepted the post of missionary, but held it only for 
 a short period. Already he had refused the living 
 of Stony Middleton, when a request came to him to 
 undertake the curacy of Rathkeale and build a 
 church. But he had not known how strong a hold 
 England had upon him until he was urged to make 
 the separation permanent, and it will now be seen 
 how the Lord ordered his way otherwise. 
 
 On the 1 6th November, 1834, he received a 
 letter from the Rev. C. Swainson offering him the 
 charge of St. Mary's, Edgehill, then one of the 
 most important churches in Liverpool. Having 
 finished his mission work of three months, he went 
 over to Liverpool to confer with Mr. Swainson 
 about this offer, and after two or three days of 
 careful inquiry and conference with him, he deter- 
 mined to accept the living. In his diary (1834) he 
 writes thus about it : 4 Decided this day, after prayer 
 and meditation, to accept. Lord, Thou alone knowest 
 how far I have been right. I know nothing, am 
 nothing, make use of me nevertheless.' And at 
 Dublin he thus sums up his connexion with the 
 missions : ' December 26th. Settled with the 
 Committee. Thus ends my connexion with the 
 Home Mission, which has been pleasant to me in 
 many ways, and I trust useful. I pray that the 
 effects may continue in myself and others. In 
 eleven weeks I have been on three missions, and 
 one journey of superintendence, of which eight 
 weeks were spent in travelling.' 
 
 The life of Frederic Barker is so fully identified 
 with the Diocese of Sydney, that the twenty-seven 
 years of his episcopate might seem to include its 
 
IO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 whole story. But there is no doubt that his earlier 
 life and work were a preparation for the higher 
 office and work to which he was called in the Church 
 of God. In the limited sphere of Edgehill, in which 
 he was now to spend nineteen years, he found scope 
 for that power which he possessed, and which was 
 afterwards so conspicuously displayed, of organizing 
 and leading men to work in combined action in his 
 Australian diocese, while the affection which he 
 inspired in his parishioners and friends by his 
 personal qualities, was the prelude to the time when 
 he should become the individual friend of all sorts 
 and conditions of men, not only in his own diocese, 
 but in the province of which he was Metropolitan. 
 
 It is well known in these days of high pressure, 
 and too often of feverish Church work, how great is 
 the strain of the varied labours of a large town 
 parish. In 1835 parochial activity was far from 
 being common, although where the will existed the 
 way, perhaps more deliberate and solid, was found. 
 There were then, it has been remarked, fewer 
 Committees, but they dealt with wider interests ; 
 there were not so many 1 Associations/ 1 Branches,' 
 'Guilds,' 'Societies;' books were fewer, but they 
 were more carefully read and digested. If sermons 
 were longer, they were more carefully prepared. 
 The minister of the Gospel had more time for study, 
 meditation, and prayer, and thus found himself better 
 able to instruct and console his flock. And there 
 were always the sick and the poor and the sorrow- 
 ful who needed consolation. This, then, was the 
 work in which nineteen years of quiet labour, 
 uneventful except for the infinite variety of small 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1832-1835. 
 
 events which each day brought with it, were 
 spent. 
 
 At this time Mr. Barker had no longer the 
 appearance of a young man. Those, indeed, who 
 remember him, say that he never looked very young. 
 Gravity and thoughtfulness, combined with a certain 
 ease and stateliness of manner, made him the 
 companion and friend of those who were much older 
 than himself. And his going to Liverpool was 
 looked for with great interest, both on account of 
 the reputation for decided piety which preceded him 
 and for other qualities by which he was known to be 
 distinguished. His personal appearance was striking, 
 his height being over six feet five inches. 
 
 It is said that his religious character was such 
 that it never failed to inspire respect and confidence. 
 It was marked by firmness and decision, as might 
 be expected from his early training. But to some it 
 seemed occasionally to savour of hardness. It is 
 true that being naturally inclined to satire, his speech 
 and manner would sometimes display that tendency. 
 But the constant struggle against it, combined with 
 a very loving and affectionate disposition, developed 
 by degrees that extraordinary gentleness which all 
 who saw him loved in him. And when the people 
 of Edgehill observed his entire devotedness and 
 singleness of purpose, they without hesitation gave 
 their full confidence to their new pastor. 
 
 St. Mary s was in many ways more like a country 
 parish than a suburban district. There was a small 
 circle of the upper class, for the most part closely 
 knit together by friendship and common interests, 
 and decidedly above the average of intellectual 
 
I 2 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 activity. There was also a considerable number of 
 poor, Church people generally, but amongst them 
 many living in misery and sin. For these the Parish 
 Church made no provision, the old-fashioned high 
 pews being chiefly occupied by merchants and trades- 
 people. The church was a large oblong building, 
 without a chancel, and containing spacious galleries, 
 the pulpit, reading - desk, and seat for the parish 
 clerk being of that ancient type which is sometimes 
 likened to one of the old ships of war. A few 
 residences of the higher class clustered round the 
 church on the summit of the hill, and. green fields 
 stretched away down the slopes, where a chaos of 
 mean-looking houses now stands. The growth of 
 the place may be realised from the fact that seven 
 or eight parochial districts have been formed out of 
 the original parish of St. Mary, and almost all the 
 upper classes have left their former abodes. 
 
 On the 25th of January, 1835, Mr. Barker entered 
 upon his duties with much fear and trembling, but 
 soon showed himself equal to them. The Sunday 
 services in the church were morning and afternoon, 
 but the practical exclusion of the poor led him from 
 the first to hold a schoolroom service in the evening, 
 with which they were much pleased. The large, 
 comfortable, and well-lighted room was always filled, 
 and the service, which was of a very simple 
 character — short, with extempore prayer and a 
 plain address — was what the poor (and some also 
 of the richer class) enjoyed. 
 
 He came to Edgehill an unmarried man, but on 
 the 15th October, 1840, he was married to Jane 
 Sophia, daughter of John Harden, Esq., of Field- 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 13 
 
 head, near Ambleside. Mr. Harden was a man of 
 artistic and literary tastes, who had travelled much 
 and enjoyed the society of the distinguished men 
 who then flourished in the English lake district. 
 Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey, Arnold, and 
 Professor Wilson (Christopher North), were among 
 his friends.-' To the full enjoyment of all that was 
 good and beautiful in nature and art, Miss Harden 
 added deep and settled religious convictions and 
 undoubted piety. To her husband she brought 
 what afterwards proved an inestimable treasure — a 
 charming manner, a heart full of ready and lasting 
 sympathy, and a quick perception of character, which 
 made her an invaluable counsellor in times of trial and 
 difficulty. Much as she was esteemed and valued by 
 the people of New South Wales in after times, no 
 one probably is fully aware to what an extent the 
 Bishop was assisted by her tact and judgment. 
 
 The climate of Liverpool did not agree with 
 Mr. Barker's health, and he was obliged from time 
 to time to withdraw from his work, and seek restora- 
 tion abroad. In 1846, upon his return from a holi- 
 day spent in France, he was met by a deputation, 
 who were authorised to say that the congregation 
 would be glad to provide him with help towards his 
 recovery by paying an additional curate for a year, 
 upon condition that he would not undertake so much 
 work. But before the end of the year he was 
 ordered away by his medical attendant for six 
 months' complete rest. He then went abroad with 
 Mrs. Barker, and travelled about the Mediterranean, 
 visiting also Rome, Florence, and the Italian lakes. 
 He returned, however, not much better, and was 
 
EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 again invalided in 1849; an d finally, in 1852, after 
 six months of most depressing illness, he was 
 • driven 1 to Kissengen once again. But he did 
 not regard this as an unmixed evil. 1 Times of 
 sickness,' he said, ' are quite necessary for busy 
 people, lest they should be so much occupied about 
 others' concerns as to neglect the care of their own 
 souls, and for this reason we find it good to be 
 afflicted.' 
 
 The city of Liverpool, apparently from its close 
 connexion with Ireland, has always been a strong- 
 hold of Protestantism, and in the year 1851 the 
 Tractarian movement and the increase of Romanism 
 aroused the feelings of the people. Sermons upon 
 the errors of the Romish Church were preached 
 throughout the city, and Mr. Barker entered into this 
 movement with zeal and earnestness. His senti- 
 ments may be gathered from a letter which he wrote 
 at this time to his sister-in-law in India, in reply to 
 an inquiry which she had made of him : — 
 
 Your theological difficulties about the Romish School 
 are rather serious affairs in this country. If I were the 
 Chaplain of the regiment I c^uld only act as I should 
 here — i.e., I should have nothing to do with the school 
 unless permitted to teach all thdt the Church of England 
 teaches, such as that the doctrine of purgatory is a fable, 
 the worship of the Virgin Mary is\idolatry, and the mass a 
 'blasphemous fable* and a 'dangerous deceit' But, if I 
 were in your place, I should do as yctu have been asked to 
 do — go into the school and examine the children, and ask 
 them questions upon all subjects whicK do not involve con- 
 troversy. And you might easily ask questions which would 
 not only exercise their minds, but direct their hearts to God, 
 the unworthiness of man, the love of God, the need of a 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 '5 
 
 Mediator and of the Holy Spirit, and the evil of sin. I 
 think, in short, that you might do much good. 
 
 The rapid increase of population in the parish, 
 and the practical 'exclusion of the poor by the pew 
 system, led him to attempt to provide for their 
 spiritual welfare by erecting a church specially for 
 them. Once the scheme was undertaken, the money 
 for carrying it into effect was rapidly raised, at the 
 rate of iod/. per week. His method of obtaining it 
 was this. At the beginning of each week he used to 
 write five or six letters to persons who were likely 
 to help, and before the next Sunday he called upon 
 them to receive their answers in person, a method 
 which proved eminently successful. In 1850 the 
 Church of St. Stephen the Martyr was opened free 
 of debt, and was soon crowded by the poorer classes, 
 who flocked to it in great numbers. The visitation 
 from house to house, which was impossible for the 
 clergyman, was carried on by Scripture readers. And 
 here it may be conveniently mentioned that Mr. 
 Barker was one of a small committee of five by 
 whom the Liverpool Scripture Readers' Society was 
 organized in the year 1852. The Committee con- 
 sisted of the two Rectors, the Rev. Dr. McNeile, the 
 Rev. F. Barker, and the Rev. W. Pollock. They 
 did not belong to the same school in the Church, but, 
 through the wise and conciliatory spirit of Mr. 
 Barker, and the confidence which they all alike re- 
 posed in him, they were led to unite in this object, 
 and to work harmoniously together in carrying out 
 the design. The object of the Society was to pro- 
 mote the diffusion of Scriptural knowledge through- 
 out the city of Liverpool and its neighbourhood. 
 
i6 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The principal means for the attainment of this object 
 were the employment of Scripture readers under the 
 superintendence of the clergyman licensed by the 
 bishop, the issue of suitable publications, and the 
 arrangement of sermons, lectures, and classes for in- 
 struction. The readers were to be placed under the 
 control of the clergy of the districts in which they 
 laboured. The concluding paragraph of the Thirty- 
 fifth Report is an echo of the views and aims of the 
 founders of the Society : — ' The peculiar difficulties 
 and dangers of the times — social, moral, and political — 
 can only be met by the widest diffusion of the Word 
 of God, which it is the aim of the Society to carry 
 amidst the rapidly-shifting population of our crowded 
 parishes.' 
 
 But Mr. Barker was not content with even this 
 assistance in bringing the Word of God and its saving 
 truths to the knowledge of his parishioners. There 
 were many still to be reached in another way, and, 
 longing for their salvation, he began a plan of 
 preaching in the open air, and large and deeply- 
 interested congregations gathered together to hear 
 him. It soon also became necessary to build another 
 church to provide the means of grace for the growing 
 population. But just as the first steps with regard 
 to it were about to be taken, the sudden decease of 
 his dearly-loved brother Auriol, Vicar of Baslow, 
 interfered with the prosecution of the design. 
 
 On Sunday, the 20th December, 1853, Mr. 
 Auriol Barker had taken his usual morning service, 
 in the afternoon had held a second service 
 in a mill-room at Calver, and in the evening 
 preached again at Baslow. On the next day he 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 17 
 
 was called into the joy of . his Lord. The year 
 before this he had restored Baslow Church, and 
 made the seats free to all. And as his parishioners 
 wept for him they said, ' We have lost one who was 
 a father to us.' He had ministered to them for 
 nearly thirty years. And it is worthy of grateful re- 
 membrance that his last sermon was blessed by God 
 to the conversion of at least one soul. 
 
 His loss was greatly felt in the neighbourhood, and 
 the shock to the family was very severe. A bond 
 of no common character united the two brothers, 
 Auriol and Frederic. When separated, not a day 
 elapsed which did not carry a letter from one to the 
 other. Both being engaged in the work of the 
 ministry, they had common interests, and great was 
 the joy when Frederic was enabled to snatch a 
 few days and visit the old home. The brothers, 
 full of spirits, and both possessing a keen sense 
 of humour, were like schoolboys again. And now 
 that the elder was taken, Frederic writes : — ' For 
 sixty years our names have been connected with 
 this dear spot ; I suppose the place will know us no 
 more.' 
 
 But this was not to be, for the Duke of Devon- 
 shire wrote immediately to offer him the vacant 
 living. This caused him much perplexity, especially 
 as he knew not who would be his successor at 
 Edgehill if he should leave it. How much he felt 
 the difficulty may be learned from his own words : — 
 ' I feel that it is so very solemn a step that I am 
 awed by it. If the great end and purpose of the 
 ministry is served, I shall be happy and satisfied. 
 At Edgehill, amidst so large a population, and with 
 
 c 
 
i8 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a sort of selected congregation, there has always been 
 something of an encouraging nature going forward, 
 while the vast amount of evil was less felt, because it 
 was so entirely beyond my control. But in a country 
 parish one feels as it were answerable for all the 
 evil, whilst the good is, amongst so few, less ob- 
 servable.' These words probably find an echo in 
 the heart of many a village pastor. 
 
 The difficulty about a successor was overcome by 
 a satisfactory arrangement being made with regard 
 to the next presentation. But so strong was the 
 attachment of his people that they offered to build a 
 new church and parsonage somewhat further out of 
 the town,* if they might thereby retain their beloved 
 pastor. 4 We would rather,' they said, 'give double 
 the amount to retain you.' The demonstrations of 
 affection were almost overwhelming. ' At every 
 place I go to,' writes Mrs. Barker, ' I have to en- 
 counter fresh tears and demonstrations of affection, 
 though they are at the same time so kind and for- 
 bearing, and say he is right to go. It is a sorrowful 
 time indeed, but the great original sorrow (Auriol's 
 death) swallows up all.' 
 
 He did not hastily decide this important question ; 
 but after looking at it, as he was wont to look at any 
 important matter, on all sides, he resolved to accept 
 the offer of the Duke, and to devote himself to the 
 less trying, but to him peculiarly interesting, duties 
 of a parish with which his family had been so long 
 associated. 
 
 His departure from the parish with which he had 
 been for so many years connected was marked by 
 the presentation of a touching and affectionate 
 
INTRODUCTORY,- 1835-1854. 
 
 19 
 
 address from the congregation of St. Mary's, Edge- 
 hill, expressive of their deep regret at the termina- 
 tion of his ministry amongst them, and, at the same 
 time, ' recording their high appreciation of the un- 
 tiring zeal, the devoted piety, the fidelity, and the 
 affectionate care which he had always manifested in 
 the discharge of his sacred duties as their beloved 
 pastor.' 
 
 The following reminiscences of that ministry, 
 written after the Bishop's death by two of those who 
 were then his intimate friends, will be read with 
 interest. One of them writes thus : — 
 
 There is one part of the Bishop's character upon which 
 I should like to say a few words, and that is his personal 
 influence and his power, quiet almost imperceptible, of 
 drawing men around him. The period to which I chiefly 
 refer is that of the last ten years of his residence at 
 Edgehill. 
 
 When he first came to Edgehill it was a suburban 
 village within the borough as settled in the year 1832, but 
 not within the parish of Liverpool. It contained a great 
 many well-to-do, but not many rich, inhabitants, and there 
 were a number of really poor streets and courts on the 
 southern slope of the hill, stretching away towards the 
 Railway. Goods Station in Crown Street. The church was 
 plain and most unecclesiastical, both internally and ex- 
 ternally. Its one good feature was its commanding site. 
 And there was a schoolroom, ' the old schoolroom ' recently 
 pulled down, which was then used for a Sunday evening 
 service. There was nothing about either the place or the 
 church to distinguish Edgehill from the other suburbs of 
 Liverpool. 
 
 The nearest church, St. Jude's, was occupied by one of 
 a far more conspicuous character, the Rev. Hugh McNeile, 
 a leader and a king among men, who exercised no small 
 
20 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 sway not merely in the town but in the country at large. 
 The aims of the two incumbents were the same, and they 
 strove to carry them out by the same means in a brotherly 
 spirit. Amongst the Liverpool clergy of that day were 
 John Jones, of St. Andrew's, who, from the weight of years, 
 has just resigned the Archdeaconry of Liverpool ; Dr. 
 Tattershall, of St. Augustine's, a man of learning and of 
 Evangelical sentiments ; Ewbank, who afterwards died in the 
 desert, was at Everton ; Charles Lawrence, the dear friend 
 of Mr. Barker, was at St. Luke's ; Henry Carpenter was at 
 St. Michael's — his son is now the Bishop of Ripon ; 
 Pollock, afterwards Archdeacon, was at St. Mark's ; 
 Fielding Ould at Christ Church ; and Nolan at St. 
 Barnabas. Such were some of the band of Evangelical 
 clergymen in unison with whom Mr. Barker laboured 
 whilst he was an incumbent at Liverpool. 
 
 For his own immediate work in the district of St. Mary's, 
 Edgehill, he presently obtained the assistance of several 
 men of no ordinary character. About the year 1845 the 
 Rev. E. J. Nixon became his curate. He brought to his 
 work not only an enthusiastic spirit, but a wide experience 
 of men and manners, and great power for parochial 
 organization, derived no doubt from his former military 
 training. Through his influence the Rev. V. W. Ryan was 
 induced to leave his parish in Alderney and take part in the 
 clerical duty at Edgehill. I will not say more of Bishop 
 Ryan,but a friendship and a union in labour then commenced 
 between two whose career in life was to be curiously 
 blended — a friendship and a union ever maintained, though 
 wide tracts of ocean often rolled between them. 
 
 At the close of 1844 the R ev - J- S. Howson, then the 
 second master at the Collegiate Institution, was ordained on 
 the nomination of Mr. Barker, though not as a stipendiary 
 curate. Mr. Barker had taken a warm interest in the 
 foundation of the Collegiate Institution, which supplied a 
 want by providing an education in accordance with the 
 principles of the Church of England, and he had contributed 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 21 
 
 to its funds liberally according to his means, which were far 
 from large, the income from the church being only 170/. to 
 200/. a-year, supplemented by an annual present of 100/. 
 from the congregation. The first Principal of the 
 Collegiate Institution, the Rev. W. J. Conybeare, the son 
 of the Dean of St. Asaph, for a time attended St. Mary's, 
 and his successor, Mr. Howson, resided at Edgehill, and 
 was more or less connected with 'the church for a good 
 many years. During these years Mr. Barker had round 
 him a band of clergy of unusual ability, in some ways no 
 doubt of ability superior to his own. Still he was their 
 leader, and it was a time of training to fit him for the higher 
 post he was destined to fill, when he presided over larger 
 assemblies of the Church with rarely equalled tact and 
 power. 
 
 Those were days when education was in its infancy ; 
 but the religious training of the young was warmly pro- 
 moted by Mr. Barker, not only in his own schools but also 
 in those of the Church of England School Society, situated 
 in the poorer districts of the town. He watched with 
 tender care over his Sunday Schools, and presently saw 
 fruits from his labour, several of his teachers entering into 
 the ministry of the Church. Two of these went with him 
 when he sailed for Sydney in 1855 ; one, Edward Synge, a 
 member of a well-known Irish family, the Synges of 
 Wicklow ; the other, Walter Richardson, son of the 
 manager of the District Bank. Nor must I omit another 
 link between the Diocese of Sydney and the Bishop's old 
 congregation at Edgehill. E. J. Nixon, after leaving St. 
 Mary's, went to the East of London, where he laboured 
 with untiring zeal and devotion. But he, too, in the course 
 of a short time, joined his former incumbent in Sydney. 
 Mr. Barker had also in his congregation many very 
 valuable lay coadjutors. 
 
 About the year 1840 his duties were somewhat reduced 
 by the erection of the Church of St. Clement's, Windsor. 
 He took some part in this work, which was largely helped 
 
22 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 by his friends, the Misses Colquett, of Greenbank. Some 
 ten years later he engaged in the erection of St. Stephen 
 the Martyr on the side of Edgehill, which was rapidly 
 becoming a part of the town, and he was so much struck 
 with the spirit in which the Committee carried on their 
 work that he requested them to allow him to take the 
 minute-book to Sydney as an example for similar under- 
 takings. 
 
 But other interests arose at Edgehill besides those im- 
 mediately at their doors ; among them the various Irish 
 Societies. In the famine year, 1846-7, the congregation 
 undertook to provide for the wants of a destitute parish in 
 the county of Cork. There was a monthly remittance, and 
 also a sale of such work as the peasantry could produce. 
 
 Quarterly meetings for the Church Missionary Society 
 were held by Mr. Barker in the old school. They were 
 always interesting, and the information about the various 
 stations was well arranged and suggestive. About this time 
 a young pastor came to plead for the work he had com- 
 menced for young Protestant girls at La Force. It was 
 then on a small scale, not the great institution with seven 
 branches for the afflicted and the desolate which John Bost 
 lived to erect, sanctioned and commended by the Govern- 
 ment of France, but the famille-Evangelique. This work 
 of a foreign Protestant Church received the aid and warm 
 sympathy of Frederic Barker, and of his friends, Hugh 
 McNeile and Charles Lawrence. 
 
 There was only one charitable institution in his district 
 belonging to the town generally — the County Refuge, 
 established through the labours of Mrs. Fry for the re- 
 formation of female prisoners. In this he always took an 
 interest, and performed the duties of Chaplain. 
 
 During the many years which elapsed after Mr. Barker 
 left Edgehill, the connexion with his old people was main- 
 tained. There came letters of sympathy in the various 
 changes which took place, and sometimes contributions 
 when new undertakings were commenced. The sympathy 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 23 
 
 was mutual. When the Bishop returned in 1863 an d asked 
 for funds for his diocese, his friends in Liverpool con- 
 tributed nearly 2000/., and there was a response, though 
 not to the same amount, in 1872 and 1878. 
 
 Each visit showed many changes in the old circle of 
 friends : some were dead, some had left the neighbourhood, 
 some had become rich, and some had become poor ; some 
 of his clerical brethren filled higher positions in the Church, 
 and some younger men occupied the pulpits of his friends 
 of earlier days. But the bond with Liverpool and Edgehill 
 was never broken. 
 
 Sydney and her Bishop had some share in the last 
 great Church work in Liverpool — the erection of the 
 bishopric. It was the work almost entirely of one man, 
 her member, John Torr. And I have heard him say 
 more than once that he was induced to undertake this 
 work, and to face the endless trouble-which it involved, from 
 seeing the great results which had been accomplished by 
 Bishop Barker and other colonial prelates. 
 
 The influence of Bishop Barker was quiet and unobtru- 
 sive, but it possessed a permanence, a certain continuity. 
 More eloquent, more impressive preachers have passed 
 away. And sometimes, looking at the altered condition 
 of their churches and parishes, the question may have been 
 put : ' What results have they left behind ? ' In his case 
 the answer could easily be given. His schools, not indeed 
 the same buildings, but larger and much more commodious, 
 have an average attendance — though with several Board 
 Schools around — of nine hundred and sixty children, and 
 are almost maintained by the Government grant and the 
 children's pence. They have large and efficient Sunday 
 Schools with a zealous band of teachers, and are the centre 
 of other agencies which Board Schools have not. There 
 have been changes in abundance in the neighbourhood, but 
 more than one of the daughter churches gives striking 
 proofs of vigorous life. 1 Cast thy bread upon the waters, 
 and thou shalt find it after many days.' 
 
24 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The other friend gives the following recollec- 
 tions : — 
 
 For the first few years of his ministry at Edgehill the 
 services in the church were Sunday mornings and after- 
 noons, while he continued the ' lectures,' as they were 
 called, in the schoolroom, commenced by his predecessor, 
 the Rev. C. L. Swainson, intended chiefly for the poor, for 
 whom but little accommodation was provided in the 
 church. The service was an informal one, consisting of 
 extempore prayer, the singing of several hymns, and the 
 exposition of a passage of Scripture. On these occasions 
 he expounded the parables and some of the prophetical 
 Psalms, and I remember that he used to give notice each 
 Sunday evening of the subject he intended to take on the 
 following, in the hope that his hearers would make it the 
 subject of their thoughtful study during the week. I think 
 it was about the year 1840 that he commenced the exposi- 
 tion of the Book of Genesis. After a few years the 'school- 
 room lectures ' gave place to ordinary services in the 
 church on Sunday evenings ; but the expositions of the 
 early books of the Old Testament were continued until he 
 left Edgehill in 1854. 
 
 The expository style of preaching was one of the chief 
 features of his ministry in those years. At different times 
 he went through the Epistle of St. James, the Acts of the 
 Apostles, and the Book of Job. 
 
 Besides the Sunday services, a Wednesday evening 
 service was added after a few years, and there was 
 generally a course of lectures on some special subject on 
 the mornings of Wednesday or Friday during the weeks 
 of Lent. And I think even after he had the assistance of 
 a curate, he used to preach every evening during Passion 
 Week, as well as on the mornings of Palm Sunday and 
 Good Friday and Easter Day. The subjects for these dis- 
 courses were generally the events of the days in our Lord's 
 Passion, as related by the Evangelists, or sometimes as 
 foretold by the Prophets. 
 
INTRODUCTORY, 1835-1854. 
 
 25 
 
 It is strange to think how few are left of those who 
 loved to search the Scriptures under his guidance, but we 
 are well assured that heaven is the richer for them, and 
 that he has met many there who were helped by the earnest, 
 loving words of counsel and instruction spoken week by 
 week from that pulpit. I suppose it was their intense, 
 quiet earnestness and the conviction of truth with which 
 they were spoken, which gave those words their living 
 power, and carried them like winged words from his own 
 heart to the hearts of his hearers. Perhaps he was not 
 eloquent, yet those who heard him often must remember 
 how the deep pathos of his voice responded to the tender- 
 ness of his own emotions. But it seems to me on looking 
 back that his ministry owed its power most of all to his 
 own waiting upon God, and the way in which he asked for 
 and depended upon God's blessing, on his preaching. 
 There was an unusual solemnity, a heartfelt solemnity in 
 the services of St. Mary's in those days. 
 
 I wish there were some one who could tell of the 
 solicitude with which he prepared the young people 
 for Confirmation, and gathered them afterwards in Bible 
 Classes for further instruction ; of the sick and the aged 
 to whom he tenderly ministered ; of the little children 
 whose hearts he won by gentle, winning ways and smiles ; 
 and of the very many to whom a few of his kind words 
 kindly spoken became a possession to be treasured up 
 for years — or a lifetime. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 1854, 1855. 
 
 Offer and Acceptance of Bishopric — Liverpool Mail on Appoint- 
 ment — Consecration — Departure from Liverpool — Voyage — 
 Arrival in Sydney — Installation — Extracts from Journal and Speech 
 — Search for Residence— Extent of Diocese — Clergy and Churches 
 — Pressing Wants — The University — St. Paul's College — King's 
 School — Moore College — Bishopthorpe Estate — Bible Society. 
 
 In the month of April, 1854, Baslow received Mr. 
 Barker as its new vicar, and there he looked for- 
 ward to the enjoyment of comparative rest, in a 
 quiet and less trying field of labour than that which 
 he had left. But he soon found that another and 
 far more important change awaited him. He had 
 not been more than a month in that pleasant spot, 
 soothed by its tranquillity and sacred associations, 
 when a call came to him from the Master whom he 
 served, to leave it, and enter upon a new and higher 
 sphere of duty. The Diocese of Sydney was 
 without a bishop. The see had fallen vacant on 
 the 20th February in the previous year by the 
 death of its first distinguished occupant, William 
 Grant Broughton, D.D., and although fourteen 
 months had elapsed since that event, a successor 
 had not yet been found. 
 
APPOINTMENT TO BISHOPRIC. 27 
 
 The appointment rested with the Secretary of 
 State for the Colonies, who was at that time Sir 
 George Grey. By him the Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury had been requested to recommend a clergy- 
 man suited to fill so important a position, and the 
 Archbishop was now anxiously endeavouring to 
 find one whom he could propose with confidence. 
 Amongst those who suggested themselves to him, 
 or were suggested, was Mr. Barker, who was well 
 known to him as one of the most valuable of his 
 clergy when he presided over the See of Chester, 
 and he was fully aware of the high estimation in 
 which he was held by the clergy and laity of Liver- 
 pool. The suggestion of Mr. Barker came to him 
 in this way. Two friends, who alike felt a deep 
 interest in the appointment and were anxious that a 
 wise choice should be made, having met and taken 
 counsel together, with earnest prayer, agreed that 
 Mr. Barker was well qualified in every way for the 
 post, and they resolved to bring his name before the 
 Archbishop. One of them called upon his Grace, 
 and met him leaving the palace, so that he could 
 do no more than suggest the name as worthy of 
 his consideration. The result, however, was that 
 very shortly after Mr. Barker received a letter 
 from the Archbishop making him an offer of the 
 bishopric. 
 
 To himself the offer came as a great surprise. 
 No such thought had presented itself to his mind, 
 nor had he the remotest idea that he had been 
 thought of by others for such a position. The pro- 
 posal fell upon both him and Mrs. Barker almost 
 as a blow. But coming as it did from the highest 
 
28 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 authority in the Church, and to whom in former 
 years he had been accustomed to look up with the 
 deepest respect and deference as his diocesan, hei 
 felt that it demanded his most serious consideration, i 
 Was it a call from God ? Was it a summons from] 
 the Great Head of the Church to resign that occij 
 pation at home in so many ways endeared to hinB 
 and to go forth to a distant land, and help tfl 
 build up His Church which had been planted there! 
 to undertake new kinds of labour, and to make still 
 higher proof of his ministry ? If it were, then hi " 
 duty was clear. ' Follow Me,' is the Master's 
 command. 
 
 One of the first questions to be settled had 
 reference to his bodily health. If Edgehill had 
 been too great a strain upon his strength, would 
 not Sydney be a greater ? Sir H. Holland was 
 consulted, and he strongly advised his going. 
 'Speaking medically,' he said, 'there are no reasons 
 against it. The climate is a very fine one, and, as 
 to the question of greater or less labour, the balance 
 is in favour of Sydney. There will not be so much 
 personal labour, no such perpetual call upon your 
 time and thought as in a large town. I have, there- 
 fore, no doubt, for my own part, that the labour 
 question may be regarded from a very favourable 
 point of view.' Although one may be permitted to 
 smile at Sir H. Hollands idea of the comparative 
 leisure of a Bishop of Sydney, nevertheless his 
 advice proved to be entirely sound. Whether it 
 was the climate, or the frequent change of scene 
 and air, or both combined, Australia gave the 
 Bishop a new lease, as it were, of life, and, for the 
 
EXTRACT FROM 'LIVERPOOL MAIL.' 29 
 
 space of twenty-six years of great labour and 
 activity, almost total immunity from serious illness, 
 with much elasticity and energy. 
 
 All other important considerations were passed 
 in review, and fully and prayerfully examined, and 
 2-t length the die was cast. The offer was accepted, 
 freing regarded as a call from the Divine Head of 
 Jie Church. It fell in with his own earnest and 
 adventurous spirit. But as regarded his brother's 
 children, it was a great trial and conflict. She also 
 who was the partner of all his cares and labours, 
 almost shrunk from the great undertaking. To 
 himself this was the light in which it was presented : 
 * I believe that "he that saveth his life shall lose it," 
 and ten years of useful labour in the young world 
 may give a character to our future history which 
 nothing shall hereafter efface. I am but an instru- 
 ment in the Lord's hand, and all I desire is to offer 
 no resistance to His design, but be able to put 
 myself at His disposal.' 
 
 The following notice of his appointment appeared 
 in the Liverpool Mail at the time, and shows how 
 he was regarded even by those who thought dif- 
 ferently from himself : — 
 
 The Rev. Frederic Barker, who lately resigned one of 
 our district churches, has been appointed to the vacant 
 See of Sydney. Mr. Barker is but little above the middle 
 age. Oddly enough, the height of his stature long ago 
 caused him to be good-naturedly named by his friends, 
 'The High Priest.' We need scarcely say that we regret 
 he is not High Church. It is only fair and candid to state 
 that his parochial ministrations, extending over some 
 twenty years, in this great community, have caused him to 
 
30 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 be very favourably regarded, not only by numbers who 
 share his religious opinions, but by our townsmen generally 
 Perhaps the happiest augury of his general acceptability in 
 his future sphere may be found in the gratifying unanimity 
 with which local clergymen of varying shades of sentiment, 
 both English and Irish, to the number of between thirty 
 and forty, all joined in a cordial testimonial to him when he 
 lately left our town. In short, whatever may be his 
 private interpretations, and though many like ourselves 
 may not share his theological opinions, still most persons 
 will agree that Mr. Barker is an educated Englishman, a 
 perfect gentleman, a most painstaking parish priest, and 
 a truly good man — admirable qualifications for a Colonial 
 Bishop. 
 
 re:. 
 
 attenc 
 kndr 
 who T 
 engag 
 held, c 
 An at 
 
 The consecration of Bishop Barker took place at 
 Lambeth on November 30th, 1854. The Arch- 
 bishop was assisted by the Bishops of Chester, 
 Lichfield, and Gibraltar. At the same time his 
 very dear friend, Vincent W. Ryan, D.D., who had 
 worked so lovingly with him at Edgehill, was conse- 
 crated Bishop of Mauritius. That day was ever 
 after regarded by him as one peculiarly sacred, as the , and c 
 day when he was solemnly set apart for his high 
 and holy office. It was his custom every year 
 upon its return to read over the Consecration 
 Service, with searching of heart, and to dedicate 
 himself anew to the work unto which the Lord 
 had called him. 
 
 Soon after this, preparations were begun for r - 
 proceeding to his new sphere of duty. Arrange- g 
 ments were made for the voyage, and for the con- 
 veyance of several clergymen whom he had selected 
 to accompany or to follow him. And then came 
 many sad leavetakings, almost heartbreaking to 
 
 Live; 
 
 sphen 
 
 were 
 
 their 
 
 ton 
 
 tonvei 
 
CONSECRA TIOX — DEPARTURE. 
 
 31 
 
 such affectionate natures as those of the Bishop 
 md Mrs. Barker. 
 
 On the eve of their departure, a valedictory 
 service was held in St. Luke's Church, at the 
 request of .uany of the clergy and laity of Liver- 
 pool, the object being to take leave of the two 
 bishops, and to commend them and their fellow 
 labourers to the care and blessing of God. It was a 
 service of Holy Communion, which was largely 
 ittended, the number of communicants being two 
 hundred and forty. But there were many more 
 who were prevented from being present by special 
 engagements connected with offices which they 
 held, and from which they could not free themselves. 
 A.n address was given upon the occasion by the 
 Rev. J. Jones from the words : — ' Depart, for I will 
 send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.' In the 
 :ourse of it, he gave a brief sketch of the labours 
 of the two bishops in connexion with the city of 
 Liverpool, and then pointed to some of the trials 
 and difficulties which awaited them in their future 
 spheres of labour, as an incentive to those who 
 were there assembled to support and strengthen 
 their hands by prayer — remembering how often 
 even an Apostle craved the intercession of his 
 converts, saying, 1 Brethren, pray for us.' The 
 offertory upon the occasion was given in equal 
 portions to the two Dioceses of Sydney and 
 Mauritius. 
 
 When the service was over, large numbers of 
 friends waited to bid farewell to both bishops. 
 Many of the poor were there, and gave evident 
 proofs that in losing their pastor they felt they 
 
32 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 10 • 
 
 ltrv 
 
 were losing their best earthly friend. 1 Sad hearts 
 wrote the Bishop, ' meet us everywhere. Wha 
 a contrast are dear Auriol's joys to our changin: 
 sorrowful scenes ! ' 
 
 On the 27th February, 1855, the Bishop anct 
 Mrs. Barker took final leave of their friends, am 
 embarked in the sailing ship Mermaid for Australia 
 Her destination was Melbourne, where the Bishop 
 wished to remain for a few days with the Bishop o 
 Melbourne. He was accompanied by his Chaplain 
 the Rev. Edward Synge, M.A., 1 the Rev. P. G 
 Smith and his wife, and Mr. G. W. Richardson, j 
 candidate for the ministry. There were othei' 
 passengers on board, and amongst them a lega. 
 gentleman, who afterwards attained a high position 
 in the colony. There were a few emigrants also in 
 the steerage. 
 
 The first week was one of great discomfort. 
 Strong gales and rough seas were the cause of 
 much sea-sickness and consequent debility ; but 
 after some days the weather moderated, and the 
 passengers began to recover their spirits and their h./ 
 strength. The captain also showed himself a kind 
 friend, as well as a skilful navigator. The days^ 
 flowed on quietly and happily. Every mornin 
 and evening most of the passengers assemble 
 with the Bishop and clergy for prayers, whic 
 were always conducted by the Bishop. On three 
 mornings in the week an hour was devoted by 
 the Bishop and clergy, with the layman before 6 
 
 1 Mr. Synge had been ordained as curate to the Bishop's brother, ' 
 the Rev. Auriol Barker, at Baslow, in 1851, and remained with him ft 
 until his death. |L 
 
 Rf 
 
 On i 
 We: 
 
VO YA GE — MELBOURNE. 3 3 
 f— 
 
 ntioned, to the reading of the Greek Testament ; 
 three other mornings to other theological subjects. 
 
 Sunday there were two services, the Bishop 
 rays preaching in the morning. His Chaplain 
 d conducted other services amongst the emigrants, 
 ich were attended with salutary effects, some who 
 1 opposed them at first afterwards testifying to 
 ir value, and urging their continuance. One 
 ry in the Bishop's diary is as follows :— 
 
 This is our 55th day out. The voyage has been safe, 
 not speedy, for the ship is heavily laden, and our last 
 's work was only 267 miles. We have much enjoyment 
 :he clear nights and the changing constellations, after 
 ing passed through the great heat. 
 
 On the 19th May, 1855, tne voyage having 
 ed eighty-six days, Port Phillip was reached, and 
 Bishop and his party were safely landed at 
 lbourne. 
 
 It has been stated that the Bishop's object in 
 dng this his first destination was to see the 
 hop of Melbourne. He hoped that from the 
 erience which Bishop Perry had gained in the 
 uliar circumstances through which the Colony 
 Victoria had passed since he had entered upon 
 episcopate, he might gather information which 
 ild be helpful to himself in his own diocese ; but 
 his he was disappointed. Bishop Perry had a 
 *t time before left for England, and the diocese 
 under the charge of Dean Macartney as 
 imissary and Vicar- General. From him and the 
 jy of Melbourne, however, the Bishop of 
 ley met with a cordial reception on his landing, 
 
 D 
 
34 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and much hospitality and kindness were also shown 
 to Mrs. Barker and himself, with their companions, 
 by the laity. 
 
 On the Sunday after his arrival, he was invited to 
 preach morning and evening, and on a subsequent 
 day an address of welcome was presented to him 
 by the clergy. The advent of their new Metro- 
 politan was an event of interest to them all. 
 
 While at Melbourne he was much gratified by 
 the receipt of a letter from Archdeacon Cowper, of 
 Sydney, who had been administering the diocese 
 since the departure of Bishop Broughton, in August, 
 1852. In this letter, congratulating the Bishop 
 upon his arrival within the Province committed 
 to his oversight, the Archdeacon expressed his 
 thankfulness that the prayers which he had 
 been offering since the vacancy of the see was 
 announced, were now on the eve of being answered : 
 he wrote : ' My earnest and importunate prayer, 
 night and day, has been that God would send a 
 godly bishop and godly clergymen for this needy 
 diocese, and I rejoice exceedingly that He has been 
 pleased to send you as our chief pastor.' 
 
 The stay of the Bishop's party at Melbourne 
 extended over four days. On May 23rd they left, 
 and reached Sydney on the 25th. In those days 
 there was no electric telegraph to flash intelligence 
 between the two colonies, and it was uncertain, as 
 the steamer approached the Sydney Heads, whether 
 the Bishop was on board. Inquiry was, however, 
 made by signal from the semaphore on the South 
 Head, and an affirmative reply being given, arrange- 
 ments were forthwith made on shore for his recep- 
 
ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY — INSTALLATION. 35 
 
 tion. The Archdeacon and several of the clergy 
 proceeded co the wharf at which the steamer would 
 arrive, and going on board, welcomed him and his 
 fellow labourers in the name of the Lord. The 
 Bishop and Mrs. Barker on landing became the 
 guests of the Archdeacon and Mrs. Cowper, while 
 the rest of the party were hospitably entertained by 
 others. 
 
 Within an hour or two of their landing, the 
 Bishop proceeded with the Archdeacon to Govern- 
 ment House, to pay his respects to the Governor, 
 Sir William Denison, by whom he was very cordially 
 received. In the afternoon a service of thanks- 
 giving was held in the temporary cathedral, at which 
 the Bishop and his companions offered their humble 
 and hearty thanksgivings to Almighty God for the 
 mercies of the voyage. Following this service, 
 there was the presentation of an address signed by 
 thirteen hundred persons, lay and clerical, in St. 
 Andrew's Schoolroom, the room in which Bishop 
 Broughton had delivered his farewell address on 
 leaving the colony. 
 
 The newly arrived clergy were despatched to 
 their several destinations within a few days, one to 
 Cooma, another to the Tumut, and Mr. Synge on 
 a tour of inquiry as to the spiritual wants of the 
 people in some distant parts of the diocese. 
 
 The installation of the Bishop was fixed for the 
 31st May, and the ceremony took place on that day 
 in the temporary cathedral, a small wooden building 
 erected by permission of the Government upon a 
 vacant piece of land adjoining the site of the 
 permanent cathedral, then in course of erection, but 
 
36 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 to be removed as soon as that was completed. 
 The installation ceremonial was of a very simple char- 
 acter, and in those days probably nothing elaborate 
 was practicable. After morning prayer, the Queen's 
 Letters Patent, and the documents certifying the 
 consecration of the Bishop, were read by the 
 Registrar, James Norton, Esquire. The Bishop 
 was then led to his chair by the Archdeacon, and 
 formally inducted into the possession of the see. 
 He then preached a sermon, taking as his text 
 Eph. iv. 10, ii, which was followed by a celebration 
 of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 The Bishop was now in a position to commence 
 the duties of his episcopate, and to these he forth- 
 with applied himself. The spirit in which he entered 
 upon them may be seen in the following extract 
 from his journal written a short time afterwards : — 
 
 June 17. Went to the cathedral this afternoon, and 
 sat in the stall where I was inducted, and prayed that 
 
 the Holy Spirit might be poured out upon all 
 
 Thought much of Nehemiah building the walls of the city, 
 the spirit of humiliation, repentance, and prayer, when he 
 heard of the desolation and of what was to be done — the 
 prayerful spirit also in which he set about his work, 1 So he 
 set him a time to go and to return.' How quietly and how 
 wisely he began his survey, and took his measures. How 
 the men of the world assailed him with flatteries and 
 threatenings. What a manly and brave spirit he showed, 
 and how decided his reforms. May God give me the spirit 
 of wisdom and love and may some Ezra complete what is 
 begun : 
 
 The following extract from a speech delivered at 
 a later period may be given as a further illustration 
 
EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL AND SPEECH. 37 
 
 of his mind. The speech was delivered at the 
 annual meeting of the Sydney Diocesan Committee, 
 March nth, 1856. Sir William Denison was to 
 have presided, but was unavoidably prevented, and 
 the Bishop took his place. After apologising for Sir 
 William's absence, the Bishop said : — 
 
 I feel that the position which I occupy is a very 
 responsible one as Bishop of this diocese, and I am most 
 anxious that everything may be done by me to promote 
 the Divine glory, the peace and edification of the Church, 
 and the conversion of those who are ignorant and out of 
 the way. It is a very serious position which "I occupy. I 
 stand in the place of one who formed this Society, and foi 
 many years watched over its interests and those of the 
 Church of England in this diocese, and who left the 
 impress of his capacious mind and disinterested character 
 upon the whole of Australia, leaving six dioceses where 
 he found only one. I stand in the place of the dead. We 
 also shall be removed, and the thought which naturally 
 stirs the heart is this — 1 What impress for good or for evil 
 will be left on the generation in which we have lived ?' 
 
 There were several matters in connexion with 
 the see which called for the immediate attention of 
 the new Bishop. The first of these related to 
 making such provision for an episcopal residence, as 
 would enable him to carry on his work with some 
 comfort and the greatest efficiency. Dr. Broughton 
 had lived in a hired house, and since his death 
 no steps had been taken to provide a residence 
 for his successor. There was a site which had 
 been set apart by the Government for the 
 erection of one, but the position was not con- 
 sidered desirable, and the land had remained 
 wholly unimproved. 
 
38 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Several suggestions were offered for the Bishops 
 consideration. It was thought by some that St. 
 John's Parsonage at Parramatta, which had been the 
 residence for many years of the Rev. Samuel 
 Marsden, might be converted into a suitable house 
 for the Bishop and his family ; by others, that the 
 old Government House there, which had been the 
 country residence of former Governors of the Colony, 
 would answer the purpose. But a slight inspection 
 sufficed to show that they were both alike unsuitable. 
 It remained then to search for a house in Sydney, and 
 with great difficulty one was at length fixed on, very 
 inferior, however, and limited in capacity, incon- 
 veniently situated, and the rental very high. High 
 prices then ruled in Sydney, in this and other 
 matters, as the result of the discovery of gold, and 
 the unsettlement of society which it occasioned. In 
 this house, however, the Bishop remained until the 
 permanent residence at Bishopscourt, which he 
 took early steps for commencing on land about five 
 miles from Sydney which the Government gave in 
 exchange for the unused site, was ready, a period 
 of nearly three years. 
 
 The necessary arrangements connected with 
 providing a residence did not delay the Bishop in 
 making himself acquainted with another matter 
 which pressed for attention, namely, supplying the 
 spiritual wants of the diocese. At that time the 
 diocese included (as described in the Letters Patent) 
 the greater part of the Colony of New South Wales, 
 together with all those parts of the continent of 
 Australia which were not included within the limits 
 of any other see or diocese. There was then no other 
 
RESIDENCE — WANTS OF THE DIOCESE. 39 
 
 diocese in the colony but that of Newcastle, and 
 thus the Diocese of Sydney embraced the whole 
 territory between the limits of that diocese on the 
 south, and the colonies of Victoria and South 
 Australia on the south and west. The coast-line 
 from Broken Bay to Cape Howe was about two 
 hundred and thirty miles in length, along which 
 the population was located, though often widely 
 apart. In this vast area the members of the 
 Church of England were estimated at seventy 
 thousand, of whom about sixteen thousand five 
 hundred were sparsely scattered in pastoral pursuits 
 over the interior, the rest were occupants of towns 
 and villages and the more settled districts. The 
 population of Sydney was about twenty thousand. 
 
 There were in the diocese forty-eight licensed 
 clergymen. Of these ten were in Sydney. There 
 were five parish churches, with two schoolhouses 
 to minister in, the whole being capable of accommo- 
 dating about four thousand persons. In ten police 
 districts in the interior there were about six thousand 
 members of the Church of England, without any 
 religious ordinances of their own Church. In 
 thirteen police districts the Church had no building 
 of her own set apart for Divine worship. And there 
 were others which had not been visited by a 
 minister of any religious persuasion. 
 
 Lest, however, this statement should seem to 
 reflect upon the previous administration of the 
 diocese, it ought to be borne in mind that the see 
 had now been vacant for upwards of two years, and 
 that the progress of the Church had been greatly 
 impeded by this cause. There was also great 
 
40 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 difficulty in obtaining clergymen suitable for 
 colonial service. And it was a period when, owing 
 to the discovery of gold in the western districts 
 of the colony, and the rush of people of all sorts 
 to the goldfields, everything was in a very unsettled 
 condition. 
 
 The first matter then which called for attention 
 was to supply, as far as could be done, the more 
 immediate and pressing wants. This was to some 
 extent effected by means of the clergy who accom- 
 panied or preceded the Bishop. These were at once 
 located in places where they were most urgently 
 required, and they, with the addition of others who 
 followed or were ordained soon after, raised the 
 number of clergy in the diocese in a short time to 
 fifty-six. But not less than twelve more were 
 needed to supply the necessities of the diocese. 
 Churches also were called for in various places, 
 both in the growing city of Sydney and in the rural 
 districts. 
 
 The state of primary education was another 
 matter to which the attention of the Bishop was 
 immediately directed. With regard to this, he saw 
 that there was need of much improvement, and that 
 for effecting what was required it was desirable to 
 obtain from England teachers who had received 
 such a training as was there supplied by the Training 
 Colleges. He thought that by the aid of these the 
 more important schools in the city might be raised to 
 a higher standard, while others might be trained by 
 them for new schools, or such as might become 
 vacant. He determined also to take steps as soon 
 as possible to establish a Church of England 
 
CLERGY AND CHURCHES — 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY. 4 1 
 
 Training School and within the next two years this 
 was brought into operation. 
 
 Connected with this last subject of primary edu- 
 cation, stood that of higher education, which also 
 found in him an earnest advocate. This was no more 
 than might have been expected from one who had 
 taken an active interest in the Collegiate Institution 
 at Liverpool. But it was with much regret that he 
 discovered in the University scheme in Sydney an 
 entire absence of the most potent of all elements in 
 the true education of man — the element of religion. 
 It may have been inevitable, in consideration of the 
 great diversities in the religious beliefs of those for 
 whose benefit the University was established, and 
 of the difficulty, perhaps the insuperable diffi- 
 culty, of securing any general concurrence of opinion 
 as to the religious teaching which could be imparted. 
 It was nevertheless felt to be a serious and lament- 
 able deficiency in an institution which aimed at the 
 higher cultivation of the human mind, and was 
 founded, as expressed in the words of its Charter, 
 1 for the advancement of religion and morality.' 
 
 The Bishop, however, was one of those who 
 wisely think it their duty to make the best of cir- 
 cumstances, and to try to extract the greatest 
 amount of good out of things which do not 
 altogether commend themselves to their liking or 
 judgment. He therefore did not stand aloof from 
 the University because it was not all that he could 
 have wished. He recognised its value, and recom- 
 mended those who could to avail themselves of its 
 advantages. 
 
 St. Paul's College had been commenced before 
 
42 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the Bishop's arrival in the colony. It was founded in 
 connexion with the University, through the zealous 
 efforts and liberality, mainly, of lay members of the 
 Church of England who were desirous of providing 
 for young Churchmen, while passing through the 
 University, away from parental guidance and con- 
 trol, a home in which they would enjoy the advan- 
 tages of collegiate supervision and guardianship. 
 To this would be added tutorial aid in the pursuit 
 of their studies, and such religious instruction as 
 would suffice to make them intelligent Christians 
 and intelligent Churchmen. In such a college the 
 Bishop saw the germ of an institution which ought 
 in future years to exercise no inconsiderable influence 
 in moulding the characters of those who studied 
 within its walls. And glad would he have been 
 to take an active part in its management, but, 
 unfortunately, the constitution of the College had 
 been so framed that the bishop of the diocese 
 was placed in the position simply of 'Visitor/ 
 This gave him no opportunity to exercise his powers 
 of usefulness, or to bring his experience to bear 
 upon its working. And this was to him a serious 
 disappointment. For the reasons already stated 
 his sympathies went fully with the College. He 
 had been anxious to render it all the assistance 
 in his power, of which his attendance at the 
 meetings of its Council, when invited shortly after 
 his arrival, and his speech at the laying of the 
 foundation-stone of the College buildings afforded 
 evident proofs. But through the relation in which 
 he was placed by the constitution, he was unable 
 to do more than to maintain towards it a friendly 
 
ST. paul's college — king's school. 43 
 
 attitude, and when an occasion arose for the per- 
 formance of his visitatorial power to exercise it, as 
 he did upon one memorable occasion in extricating 
 the Council of the College from no small 
 difficulty. 
 
 Another educational institution to which he 
 attached great importance was the King's School 
 at Parramatta, a Church of England Grammar 
 School, which was founded in the year 1830, 
 through the efforts of Archdeacon (afterwards 
 Bishop) Broughton, and those who were fellow 
 workers with him. The object proposed in the 
 establishment of this School was to supply a higher 
 class education, similar to that provided in the 
 Public Schools of England. The Home Govern- 
 ment of the day gave authority for the establish- 
 ment of two such schools, one at Parramatta for 
 boarders and day scholars, the other in Sydney 
 for day scholars only. The King's School was 
 opened in the year 1832, under the Head Master- 
 ship of the Rev. Robert Forrest, M.A., who was 
 selected for the office in England. Under his able 
 management and tuition the School proved very 
 successful ; a considerable number of young men 
 who have since attained to leading positions in the 
 colony, received their education there, and did 
 credit to the Master by whom they were trained. 
 The School, however, did not retain the same 
 high position after he left ; the scholars diminished 
 and it was with great difficulty that it was kept in 
 operation. When Bishop Barker arrived, he found 
 it in a languishing condition, and it was his anxious 
 desire to see it revived. This was effected upon 
 
44 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a new Head Master coming out from England, 
 the Rev. F. Armitage, M.A., who brought back 
 the school to something like its earlier successful 
 position. This was a great gratification to the 
 Bishop, who was fully alive to the advantage of 
 such an institution in connexion with the Church 
 of England. There was, however, no endowment, 
 nor any fund to provide for the repair, improve- 
 ment, or enlargement of the buildings. This was 
 a weak point in the condition of the School, which, 
 at a later period, rendered a special effort necessary 
 in order to effect much needed alterations. 
 
 Mention has been made of the want of clergy 
 which the Bishop found existing when he entered 
 upon his work. This naturally led him to turn 
 his thoughts to the means of providing a supply 
 in the future. Almost immediately after his arrival 
 he learnt that there was a property which had been 
 bequeathed by a colonist, Mr. Thomas Moore, 
 for the purpose of founding a college in Liverpool, 
 about twenty miles from Sydney, for the educa- 
 tion of youths between the ages of sixteen and 
 three-and-twenty, in accordance with the principles 
 and doctrine of the Church of England. 1 The 
 terms were somewhat indefinite, but the Bishop 
 was informed that his predecessor had contemplated 
 bringing the College into operation for the purpose 
 of training young men for the ministry. An 
 examination of Mr. Moore's will, and consulta- 
 
 1 Besides this, Mr. Moore left other properties to the Church of 
 considerable value, to be appropriated to different objects : to the 
 cathedral, to widows of the clergy, to poor members of the Church 
 being steadfast communicants, and to poor clergymen. 
 
MOORE COLLEGE. 
 
 45 
 
 tion with those who were fully competent to advise 
 him (one of these, it is understood, was Sir William 
 Burton, a former judge of the Supreme Court, who 
 had cognisance of Mr. Moore's intentions, and was 
 also an intimate friend of Bishop Broughton), led 
 him to the conclusion that this would be a wise 
 and proper mode of carrying the trust into effect. 
 The trustees, after due deliberation, therefore 
 resolved upon this course. They were, with the 
 Bishop, Mr. Robert Campbell, of the Wharf, and 
 Mr. Charles Kemp, both practical men of business, 
 and two of the most energetic and liberal Church- 
 men in Sydney. Having resolved upon this course 
 of action, they determined as speedily as possible 
 to carry it out. The first step was to secure a 
 Principal. And the Bishop was requested to write 
 to England, and offer the position to a clergyman 
 well-known to him for many years, who, in his 
 opinion, was admirably adapted to fill it. In addi- 
 tion to the office of Principal of the College, he 
 was to have charge of the contiguous parish of 
 Holdsworthy, on the south bank of George's River. 
 The clergyman referred to was the Rev. William 
 Hodgson, M.A., of Sidney-Sussex College, Cam- 
 bridge. He had distinguished himself at the 
 University both in classics and mathematics, and 
 had been engaged for some years in preparing 
 young men for the University and, after they had 
 graduated, for Holy Orders. In his examination 
 for the B.A. degree he came out a Wrangler, 
 while various prizes fell to him during his under- 
 graduate course. He was a good Greek scholar, 
 and a well-read theologian. After some hesitation 
 
4 6 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and delay, he accepted the offer, but it was at no 
 little sacrifice to himself and his family, and in a 
 truly missionary spirit, led by the hope that, in 
 this new sphere of labour, he might help to build 
 up the Church of Christ in Australia, by training 
 some of her future ministers in soundness of faith 
 and right equipment for their work. The arrange- 
 ments requisite for leaving the position he occupied 
 detained him for some time after he had accepted 
 the appointment, so that it was not until the 
 middle of August, 1856, that he reached the colony, 
 accompanied by Mrs. Hodgson and some portion 
 of his family. Those were also days of slow com- 
 munication between England and Australia. 
 
 An intermediate step was, however, taken by 
 the trustees while waiting for the Principal. Quite 
 unexpectedly an opportunity offered of securing the 
 services of a clergyman as a temporary substitute, 
 the Rev. W. M. Cowper, M.A., of Oxford, who, 
 through family circumstances, had found it neces- 
 sary to remove from the Diocese of Newcastle 
 and enter that of Sydney. Mr. Cowper had also 
 for several years been engaged in the tuition 
 of young men, and three of his pupils, who were 
 desirous ~of studying for the ministry, had, owing to 
 his projected removal, just left him, not knowing 
 how or where they should pursue their studies with 
 that intent. The Bishop and his co-trustees being 
 made aware of these circumstances, invited Mr. 
 Cowper to undertake the office of Principal until 
 Mr. Hodgson's arrival, to which he consented, and 
 his three pupils were glad to return to him as the 
 first students of the College. 
 
BISHOPTHORPE ESTATE. 
 
 47 
 
 Such was the commencement of Moore College 
 as a theological institution. Under the able 
 administration and teaching of Mr. Hodgson, it 
 produced, during the eleven years in which he 
 presided over it, thirty-three clergymen, now for 
 the most part labouring in some of the Australian 
 dioceses, whose lives and work in their different 
 spheres of labour bear witness to the excellent 
 training which they received. 
 
 Allusion may now be made to another matter 
 which soon engaged the Bishop's attention. A 
 portion of land, comprising forty acres, situated at 
 the Glebe on the outskirts of Sydney, had been set 
 apart for many years by authority for the benefit 
 of the archdeaconry, but it had hitherto lain idle 
 and unproductive. In the meantime the arch- 
 deaconry had given place to the bishopric, and it 
 was evident that, if properly dealt with, this estate 
 might be made to produce a revenue sufficient 
 to form an endowment for the see, and to relieve 
 the State from the payment of the stipend guaranteed 
 to the Bishop. But for this purpose it was neces- 
 sary to obtain an Act from the Legislature to 
 enable the Bishop to take such action as would 
 be required. After consultation with those who 
 were most competent to advise him in the matter, 
 he determined to make application for such an 
 Act, which, after due inquiry and consideration, 
 was passed by the Legislature. It gave the Bishop 
 authority to lease the land upon building leases for 
 ninety-nine years, the rental, after paying expenses, 
 to be appropriated towards the Bishop's stipend. 
 As, however, the Bishop was entitled to the pay- 
 
43 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 ment of two thousand a-year from the Colonial 
 Treasury out of the sum reserved for religious 
 purposes under the Constitution Act of the colony, 
 an arrangement was entered into between himself 
 and the Executive Government that the nett sum 
 received annually from the leases should .be paid 
 to the Government towards recouping the Treasury 
 the amount paid to him, and that, when that amount 
 became sufficient to pay the whole salary, the 
 Bishop should retain it, and cease to receive any 
 further payments from that department, deriving 
 his income from the Bishopthorpe Estate alone. 
 The step thus taken has proved to be a wise one. 
 It has secured to the see a permanent endowment, 
 created under the authority of an Act of the 
 Legislature, which yields a nett income, from landed 
 property (not an unimportant fact), of not less than 
 two thousand a-year. 
 
 Three months were spent by the Bishop in 
 Sydney in setting in order things which were 
 wanting, and making various arrangements for 
 the welfare of the diocese. During that time he 
 preached constantly in the churches, held Confirma- 
 tions, and put himself in communication with 
 persons of all orders and classes. He spared no 
 pains to make himself acquainted with the work 
 of the clergy, and by a wise and conciliatory course 
 of action, as well as by the business habits and good 
 judgment which he displayed, commended himself 
 to the confidence of the people, and won the respect 
 of all. If there were some who at first withheld 
 that confidence, they afterwards became convinced 
 that he was one who well deserved it. 
 
BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. 49 
 
 At this early period an opportunity was afforded 
 him of showing the catholicity of his spirit, and his 
 readiness to co-operate with Christians of other 
 denominations in matters relating to our common 
 Christianity. On the 8th of June a deputation from 
 the Committee of the New South Wales Auxiliary 
 to the British and Foreign Bible Society, waited 
 upon him with an invitation to accept the office 
 of Vice-Patron of the Auxiliary, and to address the 
 annual meeting which was about to be held. To 
 both these requests he gladly assented, for it was 
 a pleasure to him to unite in helping forward such 
 a cause, with all who love the Lord Jesus Christ 
 in sincerity. One or two extracts from a letter 
 written to a friend by one of the gentlemen who 
 formed the deputation, will show the impression 
 made by the Bishop's action and his conduct on this 
 occasion. 
 
 The good Bishop has arrived amongst us, and, from all we 
 have seen and heard of him in public and in private, bears 
 out your high estimation of his work and abilities. He is 
 evidently no ordinary character, and his piety bears the 
 impress of its exalted nature and enduring quality. He is 
 evidently a man of clear views and sound judgment, great 
 firmness and decision. 
 
 You would see an account of the great meeting of the 
 Bible Society which was recently held, when the Governor- 
 General presided, and the Bishop made his first appearance. 
 The largest hall in the city was filled to overflowing. The 
 Bishop's speech was a model of dignity, good taste, and 
 Christian feeling, and was listened to by the large audience 
 with breathless attention, and followed by rapturous 
 applause. As he went on, and sentence after sentence 
 fell from his lips, touching the sympathies of all, it would 
 
 E 
 
EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 have done your heart good to watch the countenance of 
 his estimable wife. I am not surprised at this, for, from 
 the little that I have yet seen of him, he is very lovable, 
 and carries an almost irresistible influence, which it is 
 difficult to withstand. I have no doubt that this feature in 
 his character will, in the course of time, induce even those 
 who are now inclined to find fault to yield themselves to 
 its sway 
 
5i 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 1855- 
 
 Bishop's First Tour. 
 
 On the 20th August, 1855, accompanied by Mrs. 
 Barker and Morgan (his faithful attendant in many 
 subsequent journeys), the Bishop set out on a tour of 
 Confirmation in the country, which occupied six or 
 seven weeks. His intention was to visit, first the 
 western portion of his diocese as it was the most 
 populous and needed his earliest attention, and 
 thence to cross over towards the south, visiting the 
 principal towns on the great southern road to 
 Sydney. On the morning of the day mentioned, 
 the journey was commenced in a light carriage 
 drawn by a pair of horses, the Bishop being the 
 driver. As it drew up at the Post Office a crowd 
 of persons gathered around, interested in seeing the 
 Bishop starting on his first journey. 
 
 Parramatta was the first destination of the party ; 
 it was reached in two hours ; and the same afternoon 
 a Confirmation was held in St. John's Church, 
 which had lately been rebuilt (with the exception of 
 the towers) in the Norman style, and was now a 
 handsome edifice. A large congregation was present. 
 
52 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BAR&R- 
 
 After the Confirmation, the Bishop visitd the King's 
 School, and found it as stated in his jounal, ' greatly 
 improved by the new master, the Re. Frederick 
 Armitage.' 
 
 Prospect, six miles distant, was visied the next 
 morning, and a few hours were spelt there in 
 inspecting the church and conferring with the 
 clergyman and some of the more influeitial laymen, 
 about the affairs of the parish. Thene the party 
 set out, rather too late in the afternoon is it proved, 
 to reach Windsor, their destination, oy daylight. 
 After driving ten miles over a bad roid, and then 
 turning into what seemed a better, they found them- 
 selves benighted, in a place where cnly a week 
 before a traveller had been robbed by )ushrangers. 
 1 We saw lights,' so writes the Bishop ir his journal, 
 \ but they turned out to be a bushfire, i huge tree 
 burning all alone. Morgan and I led tie horses for 
 four or five miles. At length more lights were seen. 
 This time, however, it was Richmond four miles 
 from Windsor. A man then put us in tie way for a 
 short distance, and partly by walking, partly by 
 driving, we reached Mr. Stiles's parsonage at 
 8.30 p.m.' 
 
 Two Confirmations were held the next day, one 
 at Windsor, the other at Pitt Town in the afternoon. 
 The day following another was held at Richmond in 
 the forenoon. Sunday, September the 2nd, found the 
 Bishop at Penrith and South Creek, at which places 
 there were two churches, which owed their erection 
 mainly to the efforts of two gentlemen, Mr. Copeland 
 Lethbridge, and Captain (afterwards Admiral) P. P. 
 King, R.N. At Penrith a Confirmation was held ; at 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 53 
 
 South Creek the Bishop preached in the afternoon. 
 On Monday he preached again for the Diocesan 
 Committee, and spoke at a public meeting, specially 
 endeavouring to incite the people to do something 
 for the spiritual welfare of the neighbouring district 
 of Castlereagh. 
 
 The journey up the mountains was next to be 
 faced, over a steep and rugged road. They 
 were, however, kindly helped up 1 Lapstone 
 Hill,' a distance of eight miles, by one of the 
 churchwardens of Penrith ; and this being the 
 worst part of the day's journey, they were 
 enabled to make the 1 Blue Mountain Inn ' in good 
 time that evening, 1 though the roads were very bad 
 and full of holes without number.' The journey 
 next day occupied twelve hours. Setting out at 
 8 a.m. from the 1 Weatherboard,' they visited the 
 remarkable waterfall in Jamieson's Valley. The 
 Bishop says of it in his journal, — ' It is a wonderful 
 subsidence of about fifty miles of forest, leaving a 
 wall of perpendicular rock all round, with only one 
 way of access.' 
 
 Passing Blackheath and descending Mount 
 Victoria, they were met by the clergyman of Kelso, 
 the Rev. YV. Lisle, at ' Colletts,' where an assembly 
 was collected with reference to a church at Hartley. 
 Here they remained an hour. Hartley was passed 
 in the dark, and ' Yeend's Inn' reached about 
 8 p.m. After a short rest, the people were 
 invited to assemble for prayers, and there was a 
 good attendance. 
 
 An earlier start was effected the next morning. 
 The party got away in time to reach Wallerawang at 
 
54 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 half-past nine. They left again in an hour, under 
 the guidance of Mr. Lisle, who showed them a 
 shorter road by Piper's Flat. This shorter road 
 cost them, however, one of the carriage springs, but 
 with a temporary repair of this, the journey was 
 pursued to Greenswamp, which was not reached 
 until long after dark. Here they spent the night, 
 and again the Bishop in the evening invited the 
 people to prayers, and a goodly number availed 
 themselves of the opportunity. 
 
 Setting out at an early hour the following day for 
 Bathurst, they were met on the way by the Rev. 
 Thomas Sharpe, the clergyman of that town, and 
 the superintendent of the mounted police, by whom 
 with a number of other Church people they were 
 escorted to the Parsonage. A Confirmation was 
 held the same morning in All Saints' Church, 
 and an address presented to the Bishop from the 
 Churchmen of the district. Many persons also 
 called to pay their respects, and to offer him their 
 welcome. 
 
 Saturday and Sunday were spent in Bathurst. 
 On Sunday the Bishop preached in the jail, and 
 afterwards in the church to large congregations. On 
 Monday he visited O'Connell Plains with the Rev. 
 H. Tingcombe, and confirmed eight persons in a 
 church built entirely of sods. On Tuesday he 
 visited the Parochial School in Bathurst, after 
 which the party set out for Mr. W. H. Suttor's, 
 where the township of Peel was just springing into 
 existence. The Bishop notes in his journal that, 
 ' this was the scene of the original gold discovery 
 by the aboriginals belonging to Dr. Kerr, and it 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 55 
 
 was sad to learn that the discoverers afterwards killed 
 themselves by drinking/ 
 
 On Wednesday the weather which had been 
 rainy, cleared a little, and the Bishop pursued his 
 journey to the Turon River Goldfields and the town 
 of Sofala, by way of Mount Wyagdon, the ascent 
 and descent of which are described as 1 fearful/ ' the 
 sideling roads, as they are called, being in and after 
 wet weather exceedingly dangerous.' The party 
 arrived at Sofala at 4 p.m., very wet, and were most 
 kindly received by the Rev. H. A. Palmer, Goldfields 
 chaplain, who had gone out to meet them, and guided 
 them safely to his residence, a building constructed 
 of wooden slabs, as was also the church. The follow- 
 ing description is given of the place by the Bishop : — 
 
 I walked out early the next morning to see the village. 
 Two streets without drainage of any kind, huts of every 
 shape, stores where anything could be bought, and an 
 immense number of public-houses. The Turon flows past 
 the town, and along the banks of the river the gold is 
 found. Four years ago two solitary sheep-farmers pos- 
 sessed the whole district. Then, in one short bend of the 
 river and its curvature, and the flat formed by the curvature, 
 five thousand cradles might be heard rocking, like the roar 
 of a distant waterfall. Now, the population is reduced to 
 about one thousand persons, and digging is a regular trade, 
 followed by men who have their wives and children with 
 them, and* make good gardens along the flats. 
 
 During his stay the Bishop consecrated the 
 churchyard, in which upwards of two hundred 
 bodies had been laid, dysentery having at one time 
 carried off many of the diggers. In company with 
 Mr. Palmer, Commissioner Cloete, and another 
 
56 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 gentleman, the Bishop visited the 4 diggings ' on 
 both sides of the river, and conversed with the 
 people, manifesting the interest which he felt in them 
 and their industry. In one part were still to be seen 
 white canvas tents, though here and there giving way 
 to the slab hut, but with the turf still green in most 
 places, and the trees unfelled. In the evening of 
 this day Divine Service was held in the church, 
 which was quite full. The Bishop preached. 
 
 A fresh start was made on the day following in 
 the direction of Mudgee. At an early hour the 
 party set out, accompanied by Mr. Palmer, 
 Commissioners Cloete and Johnson, and a mounted 
 trooper. The Bishop had provided himself with a 
 third horse for riding, and the carriage load was 
 lightened by Morgan being mounted upon him. The 
 Gold Commissioners left them after riding some 
 distance, but Mr. Palmer and the trooper accom- 
 panied them farther on the journey. It had been 
 their intention to make Mr. Bowman's station, 
 Tarrabutta, their stopping place that evening, but it 
 was found that he had sold and transferred it to a 
 Roman Catholic gentleman. They were neverthe- 
 less very kindly entertained for the night by the 
 wife of this gentleman (in his absence), and left the 
 next morning with expressions of their grateful 
 thanks for her hospitality. At four o'clock in the 
 afternoon they reached the Parsonage at Mudgee, 
 after a journey of twenty miles over a road not free 
 from difficulty. A very warm and hearty welcome 
 awaited them from the clergyman, the Rev. J. 
 Giinther, and his wife. But they were hardly ex- 
 pected, for the people of Mudgee were incredulous 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 57 
 
 as to the possibility of the Bishop's reaching their 
 town by that road. 
 
 Sunday was not a day of much rest for the 
 Bishop ; he preached morning and evening. On 
 Monday, leaving Mrs. Barker at the Parsonage, 
 he set off in company with Mr. Giinther, Mr. 
 Palmer, and some other gentlemen, to visit the 
 ' gold diggings ' at Avisford and Louisa Creek. The 
 flats or meadows about Mudgee were very extensive 
 and beautiful. The Cudgegong River flows through 
 them, and the ' orchards of peach, nectarine, and 
 plum were then full of beauty, masses of deep and 
 light pink and white, interspersed amongst the bush, 
 and set off by the pale green tendrils of the weeping 
 willow.' 
 
 A ride of fourteen miles brought the Bishop to 
 Avisford, the Commissioners camp, and five more, 
 over a very rough and steep mountain road, to 
 Louisa Creek, the residence of Mr. Spence, manager 
 of an English gold mining company, which was 
 engaged in extracting gold from the quartz at this 
 place. Besides the manager's residence there was a 
 mess-house and barracks for the officers and clerks, 
 workshops and stabling, garden and paddocks, and 
 a very neat little church, built of slabs, at a cost of 
 214/. In the evening the Bishop held a service in 
 this church, when it was quite filled with a congrega- 
 tion of eighty or ninety persons, some of whom had 
 come distances of seven or eight miles in order to be 
 present. 
 
 On Tuesday, September the 18th, the Bishop 
 and his party mounted their horses for ' Richard- 
 son's Point,' another 'diggings,' where also a 
 
58 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 slab church was partly built. Suddenly, however, 
 it had been covered with calico, the window 
 openings, too, with the same material, and in it a 
 goodly congregation was assembled. The service 
 was read by the two clergymen, and the Bishop 
 preached. A meeting was afterwards held, at which 
 it was resolved to proceed with the completion of the 
 church, and the Bishop arranged that Mr. Palmer 
 should take the general oversight of the Western 
 Goldfields, with the assistance of another clergy- 
 man whom he daily expected to arrive from England. 
 This arrangement appeared to give general satisfac- 
 tion to the people at Richardson's Point. 
 
 In returning to Mudgee the travellers, through 
 misdirection, lost sight of the right track for nearly 
 two hours, which considerably lengthened the 
 distance. A ride of thirty miles brought them, how- 
 ever, back to Mudgee by five o'clock. 
 
 On Wednesday morning, a Confirmation was held 
 by the Bishop, the principal candidates at which 
 were adults. An address to him from the Church 
 people was afterwards presented, to which he 
 replied, and then took occasion to confer with 
 the laity upon the affairs of the Church. In 
 the afternoon Mr. Palmer and Commissioner John- 
 son left for their respective homes. 
 
 While at Mudgee the Bishop availed himself of 
 the opportunity to converse with Mr. Giinther upon 
 the subject of the aborigines, and the mission to them 
 in which he had been formerly for some time engaged 
 at Wellington Valley, in conjunction with the Rev. Mr. 
 Watson. • The Mission had been partly supported by 
 the Church Missionary Society and partly by the 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 59 
 
 Government of New South Wales. It had not been 
 altogether fruitless, and Mr. Gtinther was convinced 
 that the Gospel was beginning to find its way to the 
 hearts, and to make its power felt in the lives, of some 
 of this despised race. The Church Missionary Society, 
 however, having for some reason dissolved its con- 
 nexion with Mr. Watson, and not considering itself 
 justified, under all the circumstances of the Mission, in 
 bearing the expense which it entailed, and the Colonial 
 Government also having determined to withdraw the 
 aid which they had hitherto supplied, the Mission had 
 to be abandoned. Under these circumstances Mr. 
 Gtinther had accepted an offer which was made to 
 him by Bishop Broughton, to take charge of the 
 parish and district of Mudgee, where he was then 
 labouring with unwearying Christian devotedness, 
 universally respected and esteemed. 1 
 
 1 During the time that Mr. Gtinther was employed as a 
 missionary to the Aborigines, he prepared a Grammar of their 
 language. This Grammar, a few years before his death (he was then 
 Archdeacon of Mudgee) he transferred, at their request, to the 
 Government of New South Wales for transmission to Professor Max 
 Miiller, who had applied to them for information concerning the 
 Aboriginal language. In this work there is a note which Mr. 
 Gtinther made while compiling the Grammar, upon the term 
 used by the Aborigines to express their idea of the Supreme 
 Being. That term was ' Boami,' the meaning of it being 1 Maker.' 
 His opinion was that in their natural state, before they had any 
 intercourse with Europeans, they possessed a knowledge of the 
 Deity. ' Boami, 5 they said, made everything. They could not see 
 him, but he punished bad men, and rewarded good. 
 
 A similar opinion is given by the Rev. William Ridley, a 
 Presbyterian minister, in a Grammar which he also prepared and 
 published while a missionary in an entirely different part of the 
 colony. He asserts that he found amongst them a belief in a being 
 to whom they had given the name of ' Bo-ah-mi,' which name is 
 derived from a verb signifiying to cut or make. The Kamilaroi tribe, 
 amongst whom Mr. Ridley laboured, also attributed to this being the 
 same moral qualities as those spoken of by the Wellington blacks. 
 
6o 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 From Mudgee the route was to Wellington, 
 where the Bishop intended to hold a Confirmation on 
 Sunday. Starting at midday on Thursday with 
 Mrs. Barker, Mr. Giinther, and two other com- 
 panions, he reached Guntawang, the residence of Mr. 
 Rouse, fourteen miles distant, the same evening. 
 Here they were very hospitably entertained for the 
 night, and got away early in the morning, as they 
 had a journey of forty miles to accomplish before 
 evening. Crossing a creek on the road was more 
 than disagreeable. Eighteen times this had to be 
 done, and not without a good deal of difficulty : 
 here a muddy hole with a steep descent and ascent, 
 there great stones in a hole, and the side of the 
 ascent worn away by constant use, made it not only 
 trying to the horses, but dangerous. The horses, 
 however, behaved well, and, by dint of careful 
 driving, and sometimes alighting and leading them, 
 the travellers got through. 
 
 We got on very well, writes the Bishop, until we 
 reached the Macquarie River, which must be crossed in 
 order to reach Mr. Watson's. It was very high, and at the 
 ford very strong. After sending Morgan through, I re- 
 solved, contrary to the advice of the bystanders, to make 
 the passage. We got on well enough until we were in the 
 middle of the stream, when a huge stone sent my dear 
 wife's side nearly into the stream. Vernon (one of the 
 horses) jumped over it, and we dragged through, mercifully 
 preserved from any harm. A pleasant drive of two miles 
 brought us to Mr. Watson's. 
 
 On Saturday a deputation waited upon the 
 Bishop, and presented him with an address, signed 
 by the principal Church of England residents. 
 Subsequently he drove into the township, as it was 
 called, with Mr. Giinther, and, after examining the 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 6t 
 
 place, selected a good site for a church. He also 
 offered to give half the price of eight additional acres 
 for a glebe. 
 
 The Confirmation was held on Sunday, after the 
 morning service, and the Bishop preached again in 
 the afternoon. There were present at the services 
 some residents in Dubbo, a township about thirty 
 miles north of Wellington, who applied to have a 
 clergyman appointed for their district. 
 
 Molong was the next place visited. This was 
 reached on Sunday, the 25th of September. In the 
 afternoon the Bishop held a service in the Court- 
 house, or rather outside of it, for eighty persons were 
 present, and the building could not accommodate 
 more than twenty. They therefore adjourned, at 
 the Bishop's request, to the open air. He thus 
 describes the scene : — ' Two lines of benches were 
 before me, groups on either side, leaning on or about 
 the gigs and other conveyances. The break was in 
 the distance, with sundry black fellows lounging 
 about, dogs in the centre, and horses tied to the 
 fence filled up the scene — a very curious and 
 interesting one.' Two children were baptized after 
 the service, and a meeting followed with reference 
 to the erection of a church and the settlement of a 
 resident minister. They were recommended to buy 
 land and build a house. 
 
 Very heavy rain fell that night and the next 
 morning, which rendered the creek impassable. As 
 soon as it cleared, the Bishop and Mr. J. Smith (his 
 host) drove to the township to look for a piece of land 
 as a glebe. On the 27th the rain held off, and a start 
 was made for Orange. The creek being still very 
 
62 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 high, and the ground heavy, an additional pair of 
 horses, which were kindly lent by Mr. Smith and Mr. 
 Barton, were taken, a stockman riding and leading 
 them. After sundry vain efforts the party got away, 
 and were proceeding rapidly, until, in making a short 
 cut, the horses got bogged, and one of them, having 
 cut his leg, became disabled. They succeeded, how- 
 ever, in reaching Orange, ' a thriving township,' at 
 about one o'clock. Here they were met by the clergy- 
 man from Carcoar. The Bishop held a service and 
 a Confirmation in the afternoon in the Courthouse, 
 after which they drove to Mr. Templar's, about four 
 miles from Orange, where they spent the night. The 
 following morning the Bishop returned to Orange, and 
 held another service in the Courthouse, at which there 
 was a good congregation. This was followed by a 
 meeting, at which subscriptions towards the support 
 of a resident clergyman were promised, and, relying 
 upon the fulfilment of these promises, the Bishop 
 engaged that one should, as soon as possible, be 
 provided. 
 
 On Saturday, guided by the clergyman of 
 Carcoar, the party proceeded to Mr. Icely's estate at 
 Coombing, halting on the way at King's Plains, where 
 a baptism, a short lecture, and a luncheon occupied 
 a couple of hours. Carcoar was reached at 4 p.m. 
 Here the Bishop found both a church and a 
 parsonage, with which he was well pleased. On 
 Sunday, the 30th of September, he held a Con- 
 firmation in the church, and a second service in the 
 afternoon. For such a district, however, the candi- 
 dates for confirmation were very few. 
 
 A pair of horses lent by Mr. Icely on Monday 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 63 
 
 morning were a great help, and enabled the travellers 
 to pursue their journey to Mr. Rothery's that day. On 
 the next they reached Cowra, a township on the 
 Lachlan River, but without either church or school. 
 A number of public-houses there were, and a swarm 
 of blacks waiting for the races. 1 Very dejected 
 they looked, caring for nothing but rum.' Having 
 obtained some refreshments at this prettily-situated 
 place, they left, and pursued their journey to Ben- 
 leadding, the station of Mr. Watts, who met them on 
 the way with some of his family and friends, and 
 escorted them to his house, where they were treated 
 with much hospitality and kindness. 
 
 The next point to be reached was Marengo. 
 The journey from Mr. Watts's was accomplished by 
 the evening of the following day. The Bishop 
 learnt that no clergyman had ever visited this 
 place, and that a child had just been taken to Yass, 
 a distance of fifty-five miles, for baptism. He bap- 
 tized one which was brought to him at a service 
 which he held that evening. 
 
 As early as possible the next day the party re- 
 sumed their journey for Binalong, thirty-two miles. 
 The horses were very weary, and one of them fell ill, 
 consequently the progress was very slow. No hay, 
 no corn, were to be had at the place which they had 
 fixed on for a halt : the master and mistress of the 
 house had gone to Yass nine hours before, and the 
 place was locked up. They, therefore, camped out, 
 and, after resting, started at four o'clock for their 
 destination. — 1 The poor horse could not be ridden, 
 so we tied him alongside, and Morgan took his old 
 seat inside. But the jaded animal soon gave in. 
 
64 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 " Seven miles from Binalong, and no place between," 
 said a man who had lighted his fire, hobbled his 
 horse, and was preparing his supper. Morgan led 
 the horse up a hill, and there we left him to make 
 the best of our way to Binalong, as the daylight was 
 fast vanishing and we had no guide.' 
 
 The following extract from the Bishop's journal 
 shows the dangers to which, without a guide, the 
 travellers were exposed : — 
 
 The carriage wheel marks served us for a good while, 
 but at last I was obliged to get out, and just in time to find 
 that we were going into a creek instead of over the bridge. 
 At length lights were seen. I reached a cottage where 
 six or eight children were in different stages of preparation 
 for bed. One was roused up, and sent for his father — a 
 constable — with an injunction to go to the public-house 
 and look for him. I returned to my wife in the carriage, 
 and soon voices were heard. Three men came. Two I 
 sent to Morgan's help. One, who was the chief constable, 
 guided us by many turns to the Crown Land Commis- 
 sioner's, who, however, was absent from home. 
 
 They were nevertheless quickly made welcome, 
 and accommodated for the night by this gentleman's 
 sister ; and it was not long before Morgan also re- 
 turned with the horse. The journey to Yass, 
 recommenced in the morning, was easily accom- 
 plished. And here they were glad to rest for a 
 day or two after six weeks' continuous travelling, 
 the distance accomplished being six hundred and 
 fifty-four miles. 
 
 At that time the town of Yass contained about 
 six hundred people. There was a nice stone church, 
 the tower of which was not completed, an excellent 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 65 
 
 parsonage, and a very small schoolhouse. There was 
 also a resident clergyman. On Sunday, the 7th of 
 October, after morning prayer, the Bishop held a 
 Confirmation, but the candidates were few. In the 
 afternoon a second service was held at which the 
 Bishop preached. 
 
 From Yass the route laid down was to Can- 
 berra and Queanbeyan. At Canberra the clergyman 
 was one of the Bishop's fellow-passengers from 
 England, the Rev. P. G. Smith, whom he was 
 glad to meet again, diligently fulfilling his ministry. 
 On Sunday, the 14th, the Bishop preached at 
 both the townships to large congregations, many 
 persons coming considerable distances from the 
 surrounding country. 
 
 Gundaroo, about twenty miles distant from 
 Canberra, was visited on Tuesday, October the 16th. 
 Here was a small church, and a short service was 
 held by the Bishop, after which the party proceeded 
 to Mr. Terence Murray's house, at Winderadeen, 
 beautifully situated on Lake George. Here they met 
 with an aged clergyman, the Rev. Robert Cartwright, 
 who had come from England as an assistant colonial 
 chaplain in the year 18 10, and had many interesting 
 stories to tell of those early days. Amidst very 
 adverse circumstances, he had firmly held fast and 
 maintained Evangelical truth. Although now eighty- 
 six years of age, his mind was clear and shrewd as 
 ever. 
 
 Not being well when he reached Winderadeen, 
 the Bishop was persuaded to remain there another 
 day, during which he paid a visit to Mr. Cartwright 
 at his residence in Collector. Here there was a 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 small church, which Mr. Cartwright had built on his 
 own account, and in it the Bishop confirmed ten 
 persons, one of whom had been a noted bushranger ; 
 his wife also was confirmed with him. 
 
 On the 1 8th the Bishop reached Tarago, ten 
 miles from Winderadeen, where was a small 
 church, hidden in the bush. It was attended by a 
 congregation of about forty persons, although no 
 population was apparent from the road. From this 
 place sixteen miles' journey brought the travellers to 
 Rossiville, whither they were conducted by the pro- 
 prietor, Mr. F. Rossi, and were surprised at beholding 
 what seemed to them ' like a bit of England,' the 
 trees, the shrubs, and the fruits being quite English. 
 After a short stay in this refreshing spot, they were 
 driven by Mr. Rossi into Goulburn, the principal town 
 in the south of the colony, having a population of 
 about three thousand. The church, the schools, and 
 the hospital were visited, and, lastly, the parsonage, 
 which was the residence of the Rev. W. Sowerby, 
 the clergyman of the district, of which he had been 
 in charge for eighteen years. The day following 
 the Bishop paid a visit to Bungonia, a journey of 
 twenty miles, with a view to making arrangements for 
 settling a clergyman there. It had been occupied 
 as a preaching station, and the remains of a stone 
 church which had been begun but left unfinished 
 were found. One of wood had been erected in its 
 place. There was but one Protestant family now 
 resident in this spot, all the rest being Roman 
 Catholics. It was, therefore, decided that it would 
 be sufficient to hold periodical services. 
 
 The Bishop's work in Goulburn on Sunday, the 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 67 
 
 2 1st, was as follows : In the morning at ten o'clock a 
 sermon to the prisoners in the jail ; at eleven, a 
 Confirmation after morning prayer in St. Saviour's, 
 with two addresses to the Confirmation candidates ; 
 in the evening, another sermon at St. Saviour's 
 after evening prayer. 
 
 The Bishop's party were now on their way 
 back to Sydney. Following the great southern 
 road, they reached, on Monday, October the 22nd, 
 Marulan, another place where Divine service was 
 occasionally held. Here, also, was an unfinished 
 attempt at a ' stone church, and a small wooden 
 building near it. The curiosity of the place was a 
 very aged couple whose business it was to take care 
 of the structure, the woman being ninety-six, and 
 her husband within a few days of being one hundred 
 and one years old. They were wonderfully hale, 
 but the poor old man was blind, and his wife deaf. 
 They lamented ' the absence of the Word, and all 
 instruction for the children.' They said that no 
 service had been held there since Christmas Day. 
 The Bishop promised to send a clergyman to visit 
 the district as soon as it was possible, and left them 
 after offering up a prayer with them, and ministering 
 a little to their temporal comfort. 
 
 That evening a halt was made for the night at a 
 neat wayside inn, and the next morning a drive of 
 some miles brought them to Berrima. But such 
 was the condition of the roads in some parts of the 
 journey that three hours and a half were occupied in 
 travelling twelve miles. On the way they were met 
 by the clergyman of Berrima and another gentleman, 
 with a carriage to convey the Bishop to Sutton 
 
68 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Forest, where there were some matters requiring 
 his decision. Turning aside then to settle these, he 
 went with them, but soon returned and pursued the 
 journey to Berrima, a village containing a neat 
 stone church, a court-house, a large jail, and a 
 scattered population. The country around was 
 pleasant and salubrious. A Confirmation was held 
 here on the next day, and an address, followed by 
 a luncheon, was presented to the Bishop. 
 
 Resting that night at Rush's Inn, and setting 
 out very early the next morning, the party were able 
 to reach Picton at midday, and to proceed to Camden 
 in the afternoon, under the escort of the Rev. 
 Edward Rogers, the clergyman of that district, 
 who had gone as far as Picton to meet them. 
 They arrived at Camden Park late in the after- 
 noon, and were cordially welcomed by Mr. and 
 Mrs. James Macarthur. 
 
 The Bishop had arranged to hold a Confirma- 
 tion at Campbelltown on the day following, and, 
 therefore, left for that place immediately after 
 breakfast. He returned, however, on Saturday ; 
 and on Sunday, the 28th of October, after morning 
 service, confirmed in the Camden Church those who 
 had been duly instructed and prepared. He also 
 preached at Narellan, two or three miles distant, 
 in the afternoon. On Monday he held a Confirma- 
 tion at St. Paul's Church, Cobbitty, of which the Rev. 
 Thomas H assail was incumbent; another on Wednes- 
 day at Greendale, and another on Thursday at Mul- 
 goa — parishes under the charge of the Rev. George 
 Vidal, the clergyman of the Mulgoa district. 
 
 On Friday, the 2nd of November, the tour was 
 
bishop's first tour. 
 
 69 
 
 completed, and Miller's Point reached at 8 p.m., 
 with deep thankfulness for the many mercies, 
 both temporal and spiritual, which God in his kind 
 providence had vouchsafed in the course of it. The 
 Bishop felt that the tour had been one of a truly 
 missionary character, of sowing broadcast the good 
 seed of the kingdom, some of which it might be hoped 
 would take root and bear fruit to the glory of God. 
 
 The advantages of such a tour to the Bishop 
 himself were also of much value. Many opportu- 
 nities had been obtained of gaining information by 
 personal observation and inquiry respecting the 
 condition of the diocese. It had enabled him also 
 to make the personal acquaintance of a considerable 
 number of the clergy and laity, to ascertain, as 
 he could not otherwise have done, the religious 
 wants of the people, and how they could best be 
 supplied, and to judge of the steps which ought to 
 be taken for their moral and spiritual advancement. 
 
 If it should be thought that the narrative which 
 has thus been given is encumbered with too much 
 of detail, it may be explained that this has been done 
 with a view to enable the reader to form a more 
 lively conception of the work undertaken by the 
 Bishop, of its difficulties, and of the labour, both 
 physical and mental, which it involved. 
 
7o 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 1856. 
 
 Mr. Synge's Tour —Church Society Formed — School for Daughters 
 of Clergy — Bishop's Second Tour — Third Tour. 
 
 While the Bishop had been visiting the western 
 and some of the southern portions of his diocese, his 
 Chaplain, the Rev.* Edward Synge, had been on a 
 tour of inquiry in some of the more distant parts 
 situated in the south and south-west. His tour 
 commenced two months before that of the Bishop. 
 The route which he had been instructed to 
 take was to start from Kiama and proceed along 
 the coast to Twofold Bay, and thence to the 
 Lower Murray. His journeys on horseback 
 when he returned to Sydney at the end of six 
 months had amounted to two thousand miles ; and 
 the large amount of information which he had 
 obtained by personal investigation was most im- 
 portant, as showing the spiritual wants of the popu- 
 lation scattered throughout the regions which he had 
 visited. Details of these matters were published at 
 the time in the Church of England Chronicle, the 
 Church paper of the diocese. Two or three facts 
 may, however, be mentioned here. In his tour 
 
MR. SYNGE'S TOUR. 
 
 71 
 
 from Kiama to the Lower Murray he found only 
 one church, viz., that at Cooma in the Monaro 
 district, while at Albury, where a clergyman was 
 settled, and there were six or seven hundred mem- 
 bers of the Church of England in the town and its 
 vicinity, the court-house was the only building in 
 which they could assemble for the worship of God, 
 and that was only capable of holding about seventy 
 or eighty persons. Beyond this, there was a large 
 territory throughout which people were dispersed 
 without any public means of grace, and who yet 
 would be glad to have the missionary ministrations 
 of one or two clergymen. 
 
 The question which now occupied the Bishop's 
 mind, was how these wants were to be met 
 and supplied, and how the ministrations of the 
 Gospel and its ordinances could be extended 
 and maintained as the growth of population 
 should require. A very little consideration 
 sufficed to show that this could only be effected by 
 the voluntary and combined efforts of the Church 
 herself, and by the liberal, constant, and united 
 contributions of her members. In former days 
 the State had 'largely aided the work of church 
 building under certain conditions, and providing the 
 stipends of the clergy. But by the Constitution 
 Act of the colony the sum reserved for such pur- 
 poses was limited, and that which was available 
 for the Church of England was exhausted by the 
 grants already made. No further help was, there- 
 fore, to be looked for from that source. 
 
 This being the state of things, the Bishop took 
 counsel with the most experienced of the clergy and 
 
72 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 laity, laying the matter plainly before them, and 
 after much consultation and discussion a plan was 
 suggested which met with very general approval. 
 There were, indeed, some few, and those generous 
 and liberal men in their support of Church ordi- 
 nances, who thought that the existing machinery 
 would suffice to evoke the liberality of the members 
 of the Church for accomplishing what was required, 
 and that the Sydney Diocesan Committee of the 
 S. P. C. K. and the S. P. G. might be made effec- 
 tive for all that was wanted. But this was not 
 the opinion of the great majority of Churchmen. 
 For various reasons, which it is unnecessary 
 here to state, they were of opinion that the old 
 machinery would not accomplish the work, and that 
 it was desirable, with a view to ensure success, that 
 a society should be brought into existence which 
 should devote itself to providing the means of grace 
 for those who were in such sore need of them. 
 The question of education, which was one of the 
 foremost objects of the old Society, was one upon 
 which considerable differences of opinion existed 
 amongst even attached members of the Church, 
 and it was thought that by omitting this from the 
 objects of the new Society, and limiting them to 
 the supply of clergy, churches, and the means of 
 grace generally, it would unite a much larger 
 number of the members of the Church in its 
 operation and support. It was, therefore, deter- 
 mined to form a Society to be called the Church 
 Society of the Diocese, with the following for its 
 objects : — (i), The support, wholly or in part, of 
 clergymen, missionaries to the aborigines, and cate- 
 
CHURCH SOCIETY FORMED. 
 
 73 
 
 chists ; (2), the endowment of churches ; (3), the 
 erection of churches and parsonages ; (4), the cir- 
 culation of the Holy Scriptures, the Book of 
 Common Prayer, and other religious and useful 
 publications. 
 
 At first it was proposed to dissolve the old 
 Society or to merge it in the new. This, however, 
 was strongly objected to by those to whom allusion 
 has been already made, and it was eventually 
 determined to leave it standing, and to allow the 
 fourth of the objects of the proposed Church Society 
 to be carried out by the Diocesan Committee. A 
 committee was then appointed to frame a constitu- 
 tion for the Church Society; and this having been 
 settled, it was inaugurated at a public meeting in the 
 month of May, 1856, which was presided over by 
 the Bishop, and very largely attended by Churchmen 
 of all ranks and positions in society. His Excellency, 
 Sir William Denison, was one of the chief speakers, 
 and set an example as a donor of 100/. per annum 
 to its funds. He became also an active member of 
 its Committee, from whose monthly meetings he was 
 seldom absent, unless prevented by public duties. 
 
 Active measures were forthwith taken to bring 
 the objects of the Society under the notice of the 
 members of the Church throughout the diocese, and 
 to secure their practical sympathy and support. Much 
 zeal and liberality were evoked, and in the first eight 
 months its income amounted to 4308/. Within the 
 same period grants were made in aid of the objects 
 for which it had been brought into existence, to the 
 extent of 1800/., and in 1857 the Committee had 
 undertaken the payment of stipends to clergy and 
 
74 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 catechists amounting to 4 1 00/. Forty-four auxiliaries 
 were formed, and the number of subscribers rose 
 to 4820. 
 
 The wisdom of the measure thus adopted has 
 since been proved by the history of the Society, and 
 of the work which it has been the means of 
 accomplishing. It has been the principal means 
 of providing for the extension of the Church and its 
 ordinances, and of sustaining the weaker parishes by 
 help derived from the stronger. It has bound 
 Churchmen together in a united effort to build up 
 and strengthen their Church, and has shown them 
 how by the common fund which has been provided 
 through their liberality, they can best help to 
 establish the ministry and ordinances of the Gospel 
 in the diocese. 
 
 During their tour through the western and 
 southern districts of the diocese, the Bishop and 
 Mrs. Barker were much impressed with the diffi- 
 culties under which the clergy laboured with regard 
 to the education of their children, especially of their 
 daughters. They felt that with such limited incomes 
 as they possessed, it was not possible for them to 
 meet the cost of sending them to suitable boarding- 
 schools in Sydney, and that it was therefore most 
 desirable to do something to aid them in procuring 
 such an education as their daughters ought to receive. 
 This it appeared to them might be effected by 
 establishing a school in the neighbourhood of 
 Sydney, which should supply such an education at a 
 moderate cost, the school being aided by annual 
 contributions from the laity. After fully considering 
 the subject, it was determined to make an early 
 
SCHOOL FOR DAUGHTERS OF CLERGY. 75 
 
 commencement. Mrs. Barker threw her energies 
 into it, secured the services of a lady competent for 
 the position, hired a house, and in a short time a 
 number of pupils were gathered into it from different 
 parts of the diocese, to the great comfort of their 
 parents and their own advantage. 
 
 With the view of erecting a suitable building 
 with grounds attached, an application was made to 
 the Government for the grant of a site at Waverley, 
 which was complied with. The site thus secured 
 was not far from the future episcopal residence, 
 which was an advantage in enabling the Bishop and 
 his wife to exercise a salutary influence over the 
 institution and its inmates. An appeal was next 
 addressed to those who might be supposed to sym- 
 pathise with the object, to aid in providing the funds 
 necessary for the erection of the house. 
 
 Two thousand pounds were required in the first 
 instance, of which eleven hundred were soon 
 obtained, together with four hundred and seventy- 
 eight in annual subscriptions for the support of the 
 school. The erection of the building was, however, 
 delayed, until the funds in hand should be sufficient 
 for its completion. 
 
 While such means were provided for the 
 daughters of the clergy, the Bishop felt a desire to 
 assist them also in the education of their sons. He 
 thought that if a fund could be raised, out of which 
 half the cost of their education at the Kings School 
 might be provided, the clergy being called upon for 
 only the other half, it would be the simplest and most 
 effectual way of supplying what was needed. But 
 the idea thus entertained was not carried into effect, 
 
76 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 partly, it is believed, because it was thought desirable 
 to secure first the success of the former project, and 
 then because of other important demands upon the 
 liberality of the laity, which scarcely left an opening 
 for this to be brought forward until they were satis- 
 fied. It is known, however, from personal acquaint- 
 ance with the Bishop's views, that the subject was 
 never lost sight of by him. He mentioned it in 
 his later days, as very desirable, and implied that 
 he had it still in view. And it is probable that, if he 
 had been spared to the Church a little longer, he 
 would have brought it forward for consideration, as 
 one of his plans for the benefit of the diocese. 
 
 Early in the month of April, 1856, a second 
 tour of visitation to another part of the diocese was 
 undertaken by the Bishop. It was to the southern 
 coast from Wollongong to Ulladulla, a small seaport 
 and Government township, distant a hundred and 
 fifty-nine miles south of Sydney, and the outlet of a 
 dairy-farm district. Leaving Sydney on the night of 
 the 8th of April, Mrs. Barker being with him, in a 
 steamer trading to the different ports along the 
 coast, the Bishop reached Wollongong, sixty-four 
 miles south of Sydney, early the next morning. 
 Here he spent several days, acquainting himself with 
 the affairs of the Church in the town and district, 
 and in preaching and confirming the young at Wol- 
 longong, Dapto, and Woonoona. The scenery of the 
 district, which is sometimes called the Garden of 1 11a- 
 warra, struck the travellers as very beautiful. The 
 next town, a few miles further south, was Kiama, also 
 a dairy district. The Bishop took the overland 
 road to it, on horseback, passing through a portion 
 
bishop's second tour. 
 
 77 
 
 of the country which a traveller cannot help 
 admiring for its lovely views and picturesque 
 landscapes. Some days were occupied at Kiama, 
 but very heavy rains fell, which made the roads 
 impassable by the young people in the country who 
 were to be confirmed ; it was necessary, therefore, 
 to postpone the Confirmation until Monday the 
 2 1 st. The Bishop preached twice on Sunday. 
 
 From Kiama he proceeded to the district of 
 Shoalhaven on horseback, leaving Mrs. Barker 
 to follow by steamer in a day or two. On 
 his way a circumstance occurred which gave the 
 Bishop much pleasure. Passing through the 1 Bush,' 
 as the forest is called in Australia, he came to a 
 newly erected building, which was intended for a 
 church, and at which he saw a number of people 
 collected. Upon inquiry he learnt that they had 
 assembled there to meet their Bishop, having learnt 
 that he was to pass that way. And he was then 
 informed that some of them were persons who had 
 known him or seen him in Liverpool some years 
 before. He promised to come down and consecrate 
 this little church, erected by the settlers at their own 
 cost, when it was completed. The Shoalhaven 
 River was crossed in a punt, and the Bishop rested 
 for the night at Terrara, the hospitable abode of 
 Mrs. De Mestre. 
 
 A long journey awaited him the next day. To 
 Ulladulla from Terrara was a distance of fifty-three 
 miles, and for the most part through the wild 
 untenanted bush. Two of his clergy, however, were 
 to accompany him. At half-past 8 a.m. they 
 started, and after they had ridden twenty-five miles, 
 
78 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a halt was made to rest the horses, and partake of 
 some refreshment at a ' house of accommodation,' as 
 unlicensed houses for travellers were called. After 
 a halt of two hours they pursued their journey, and 
 for nine miles had to pass through dense bush, 
 which forced them to proceed in Indian file. At the 
 end of this they were met by a party of seven 
 gentlemen, who had come out from Ulladulla to 
 meet the Bishop, and escort him to Mr. Kendal's, 
 where dinner was prepared. Later in the evening, 
 when the moon had risen, the Bishop and his party 
 finished their journey, arriving at Mr. Mason's at 
 nine o'clock. 
 
 The visit to Ulladulla was made with a view 
 to ascertain what could be done for the spiritual wel- 
 fare of the people. There was a schoolhouse but 
 no church, a schoolmaster but no clergyman, stated 
 visits only being paid by the clergyman who resided 
 at Shoalhaven. On the day after his arrival the 
 Bishop held a service in the schoolhouse, which was 
 well attended by the people, to whom he took the 
 opportunity of explaining in clear terms the anxiety 
 which he felt for their Christian progress. An 
 address of welcome was then presented to him, and 
 he had an opportunity afterwards of further con- 
 ferring with the residents. The results were seen 
 at a later period, in the erection of a church, and the 
 settlement of a minister amongst them. 
 
 Returning to Shoalhaven on the 25th, a different 
 road, one by the seacoast, was taken. There were 
 some deep creeks which could only be crossed when 
 the tide was out, but the party were piloted by an 
 Australian black boy, who knew all the short cuts 
 
bishop's second tour. 
 
 79 
 
 and dangerous spots, and guided them safely through ; 
 he was an intelligent youth, and was under instruction 
 for baptism. Thus they arrived at the half-way 
 house three hours earlier than they had been 
 expected, and at Terrara early in the afternoon. 
 
 Saturday and Sunday were spent there. On 
 Sunday the Bishop had three services. Two of 
 these were held in a large store prepared for the 
 purpose, as the schoolhouse was much too small to 
 receive the congregations which were expected, and 
 which attended. The morning service included a 
 Confirmation. In the evening, a third service was 
 held in Mrs. De Mestre's drawing-room, at which 
 about thirty persons were present, including some of 
 the German tenantry, who expressed much pleasure 
 at being able to understand so well what was said by 
 the Bishop. And it was remarked by others, that 
 the simplicity of his teaching in country places was 
 such that it might be understood by a young child. 
 It was a pleasing feature in that day's services, that 
 the chanting and singing were nicely conducted by 
 the young ladies of the family with which the Bishop 
 and Mrs. Barker were staying, and without the aid 
 of an instrument. 
 
 Two or three more days were spent in visiting 
 other places in the Shoalhaven district. The 2nd of 
 May found the Bishop and Mrs. Barker back again 
 in Sydney. 
 
 There were, however, still portions of the 
 southern part of the diocese of which the Bishop 
 knew nothing by personal investigation, and he was 
 desirous to make himself acquainted with every part 
 as soon as possible. In the month of October, there- 
 
80 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 fore, he again left Sydney on a tour of visitation 
 in the south, which extended over five weeks. The 
 part visited lay beyond Ulladulla, and may be 
 designated as the Twofold Bay district. A very inter- 
 esting account was given of this tour by the Bishop 
 himself in three letters to the editor of the Church 
 of England Chronicle, and from these are taken such 
 particulars as are now presented to the reader. 
 
 The Bishopleft Sydney by steamer on Wednesday, 
 October the 15th, for Twofold Bay, but, in con- 
 sequence of a southerly gale, did not arrive at his 
 destination until midnight on Thursday. It was not 
 without some risk that horses and passengers were 
 landed at such an hour, no light being exhibited on 
 the jetty. The landing was, however, effected safely, 
 through the careful attention of those connected with 
 the steamer, and comfortable quarters were found at 
 the inn, to which the Bishop was conducted by the 
 clergyman of the district, the Rev. W. Allworth. 
 The next day some of the principal inhabitants were 
 visited, and arrangements were made for services on 
 the Sunday. 
 
 The district was divided into three parts — Eden, 
 Panbula, and Bega — the most southern being Eden, 
 and Boydtown on the west and south shores of the 
 Bay. Boydtown and East Boyd had been erected by 
 a gentleman named Boyd, who hoped to have formed 
 a flourishing settlement at this place. On the 
 southern shore an hotel, a store, rows of houses, and 
 one or two detached residences were to be seen. A 
 road from the Monaro Plains terminated at Boyd- 
 town. A whaling station with every requisite existed 
 at East Boyd ; and this was the only part of the 
 
bishop's third tour. 
 
 81 
 
 original design which had been carried out, al- 
 though on a very small scale. The Bishop in one of 
 his letters writes : — 
 
 During the whaling season some of the inhabitants of 
 Eden hire men ; and the two or three boats which are em- 
 ployed had captured eight whales this season. They are 
 principally manned by Australian blacks, with one or two 
 whites as head men. They appeared to be a very ignorant 
 and reckless set of savages. The season was just closing, 
 and they celebrated their separation by drunken orgies, 
 which terminated in the murder of one man of the party by 
 the others. They broke up suddenly in the night, and left 
 the place. The next day the body of the murdered man 
 was found near the village, covered with boughs. This is 
 the fourth murder of a similar kind within the last three 
 years. 
 
 Eden, on the northern side of the bay, was a 
 small township with several inns and stores. Here 
 there was a Custom House and a Courthouse ; but 
 at the time of the Bishop's visit the chief support of 
 the people was derived from the vessels which took 
 shelter in the bay, and the inland traffic from 
 Monaro. Panbula lay twelve miles north of Eden. 
 Here a rich and fertile valley was occupied by a 
 thriving agricultural population. Bega, twenty-four 
 miles north of Panbula, was also a very fertile 
 district, containing some of the finest lands and finest 
 cattle in the colony. The great want of these 
 districts was an outlet for their produce. Merimbula 
 was another part of the district. From the river or 
 lake of that name there was access to the sea, and 
 wool from the Monaro plains was thus shipped to 
 Sydney. 
 
 G 
 
82 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 Of this extensive district one clergyman had the 
 oversight, and the Bishop arranged with him that on 
 the next Sunday he should hold Divine service at 
 Panbula, and the Bishop in the morning at ' The 
 Bay.' In the afternoon the Bishop held a Confirma- 
 tion, and after it administered the Lord's Supper. 
 In the evening he held a third service in the Court- 
 house. The room had been enlarged by means of 
 an awning spread over the entrance, and about 
 seventy persons formed the congregation. On 
 Monday a meeting was held for forming a branch of 
 the Church Society, and a committee was appointed, 
 which met at the end of the week, and proceeded to 
 business. It was resolved to take measures for 
 building a new church. 
 
 On Tuesday the Bishop left Eden for Panbula 
 and the Monaro district. At Panbula Divine service 
 was held in a slab building, recently erected for a 
 church. There was a good congregation. As the 
 clergyman was in Deacons' Orders, the Bishop 
 thought it expedient to administer the Lord's 
 Supper. It was the first time that the ordinance 
 had been celebrated there. 
 
 From Panbula to Honeysuckle was fifteen miles, 
 and there the Bishop spent the night, intending to 
 make an early start in the morning. The clergyman 
 of Bombala came to meet him, but heavy rain de- 
 layed their departure. Setting out, however, at a 
 later hour than that proposed, they began, after a 
 ride of twenty miles, to ascend towards the tableland, 
 the road being directly up the face of a conical range 
 of hills. The temperature began to change rapidly, 
 and as they proceeded it felt cold enough for snow. 
 
bishop's third tour. 
 
 83 
 
 On the summit of this tableland there was a fine 
 rich country with abundant pasturage and numerous 
 flocks and herds. 
 
 The next day was spent in visiting another 
 portion of this district, not far from the Deligate 
 'gold diggings.' The clergyman who had been 
 recently appointed was in the habit of holding a 
 service at Deligate in a small church upon Miss 
 Campbell's property. Here the Bishop saw two 
 Aboriginals who had been baptized, one of them a 
 little girl, who was brought up as a member of the 
 family in which she was living, and it was hoped 
 might grow up a Christian person. His observation 
 upon this was that 1 if the persevering kindness 
 shown in her case and in that of some others had 
 been more frequently exhibited, the prospects of the 
 aboriginal race would have been more hopeful. At 
 present nothing but total extinction seems to await 
 them.' 
 
 Sunday, the 26th of October, was spent at Bom- 
 bala. There was no church, but the congregation 
 met in a new unoccupied store. The adjoining rooms 
 and the verandah were filled with about two hundred 
 and fifty persons, of whom many came from long 
 distances, and some had ridden into the town the day 
 before. A collection, which amounted to 20/., was 
 made for the Church Society; the Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper was administered; and in the afternoon 
 a second service was held, the room being again 
 filled. In the evening a third service was held at a 
 place called Maharatta. 
 
 On Monday a meeting was held in Bombala to 
 decide upon the site for the proposed church, about 
 
8 4 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 which there was a difficulty. The township was 
 divided by a river, and the Government reserve for 
 a church was on the side opposite to the farm, given 
 by Mr. Boucher, a squatter, as a glebe and residence 
 for the clergyman. After consultation, it was decided 
 to accept an offer made by a Churchman in the 
 district of a site on the same side of the river, a 
 decision with which all parties were content. The 
 sum of 250/. was subscribed, and it was resolved to 
 build the church of stone, and to apply to the Church 
 Society for assistance. 
 
 The Bishop returned to Eden by way of 
 Kameruka, Merimbula, and Panbula. At the last 
 place a branch of the Church Society was formed, 
 and it was agreed that the salary of the clergyman 
 should be paid to him through the Church Society, 
 thus in some measure avoiding one at least of the 
 objectionable features of the voluntary system. 
 Measures were also adopted for obtaining a site for 
 the clergyman's residence and a glebe. 
 
 After a rest of two days at the bay, the Bishop 
 left on Saturday morning for Bega. On Sunday 
 morning, November the 2nd, he found a temporary 
 church, 1 rigged the day before by Mr. Wren and a 
 man-o'-war's-man, who was then a servant in the 
 establishment.' It was capable of holding a hundred 
 and fifty people, and at 1 1.30 a.m. that number was 
 assembled. Morning service was held, and the 
 Holy Communion administered. The Bishop held a 
 second service at three o'clock, at which there was a 
 congregation of a hundred and twenty. There was 
 also a Sunday School at this place, and other tokens 
 were apparent of care for the religious interests of 
 
bishop's third tour. 
 
 85 
 
 the people. A meeting had been held the week be- 
 fore to determine the site for a church, and to raise 
 funds for building it. Monday was spent by the 
 Bishop in visiting various places with reference to 
 the church and a glebe. 
 
 On Tuesday a departure was made for Wogonga 
 and Botally, but the journey was difficult and 
 trying. It may be described in the Bishop's own 
 words : — 
 
 We had a fine morning for our start — five persons and 
 six horses. As it seemed impossible to get to the lake in 
 proper time, it was decided to go round the head of it. This 
 was a great extension of the ride. We crossed the fine ranges 
 of the Bega country, west and north, got into high ranges 
 full of wild cattle which from the increase of the scrub 
 cannot be driven in, and descended upon the river several 
 times. Only one station was reached in a ride of twenty- 
 two miles, and about noon we reached a second. Here we 
 had to decide whether we should endeavour to reach 
 Botally by a way known to our friend, or get a black guide 
 to Wogonga. With some difficulty we obtained the services 
 of an aboriginal, and meanwhile heavy rain came on. 
 But as it was important that I should reach Moruya on 
 Wednesday evening, it was resolved to proceed. Our black 
 guide soon became a willing one, more particularly when he 
 found that he and Mr. Wren had common friends in Victoria. 
 We soon turned off into the bush, where no track was 
 visible. The scrub became thick and thoroughly saturated 
 with wet. Our object was to reach the coast, and we had 
 occasional glimpses of the lake round which we were 
 gradually skirting, with Mount Dromedary on our other 
 hand. We at length got down the ranges to a salt water creek. 
 The water was clear and still, and surrounded by steep 
 ranges, except when the gully met the water. The gully 
 was entirely overgrown with low scrub, and had a very 
 
86 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 treacherous bottom. While the black guide was investi- 
 gating it, the dorsal fin of a large shark was seen close to 
 the shore, and a large white bull appeared on the other side 
 of the morass, and after gazing at us for a few minutes, 
 disappeared. It was a strangely wild scene, made not less 
 solemn by the roar of distant breakers, and the last rays of 
 the setting sun. We could not cross, and were obliged to 
 retrace our steps until, higher up the gully, we found a 
 place under the climbing plants and low scrub where the 
 wild cattle crossed. We could only cross by dismounting 
 and leading the horses through this avenue. We reached 
 Tilba Tilba, a station on the north of Mount Dromedary 
 about sunset. A child was baptized here. Here also our black 
 guide was left, his horse being knocked up, and one of the 
 men on the station rode part of the way to Wogonga with 
 us. There were two lagoons to cross, and twelve miles to 
 ride. But the gale had driven a bar of sand across the 
 mouth of the lagoons, and the track was good. It was 
 dark some time before we reached the hospitable roof of 
 Mr. Foster at Wogonga. The ride had been about fifty- 
 five miles, and the country very rough. 
 
 On Wednesday morning, which was very wet, we were 
 not able to set off till half-past nine o'clock. The friends 
 who had been my companions returned towards Bega. . . . 
 Two miles brought us to the Wogonga River, an arm of 
 the sea in fact, with fourteen feet over the bar. We crossed 
 in a boat, the horses swimming after us, and as only three 
 could cross at a time, it was a tedious business, the river 
 being three-quarters of a mile wide. We reached Botally 
 about noon, a new and promising settlement, the land a 
 perfect garden for richness and beauty. The inhabitants are 
 highly respectable, but owing to various causes their present 
 condition is not a very flourishing one. These difficulties 
 will, however, give way before the energy likely to be 
 brought to bear upon the place. They are sixteen miles 
 from Moruya, and can be visited by the clergyman whom 
 I hope to place there. We had again to swim the horses 
 
bishop's third tour. 
 
 87 
 
 over a considerable river, the rain fell heavily, and we did 
 not reach Kiora till five o'clock, after a ride of thirty-four 
 miles. 
 
 The exposure to wet to which during the two 
 previous days the Bishop had been subjected, brought 
 on a severe attack of cold, which kept him 
 within the house for a day. But on Friday, the 7th 
 of November, he started to visit the Araluen Valley 
 and Braidwood, with the district around. The road 
 was tedious and difficult, the river had to be crossed 
 eleven times, and a creek upwards of thirty. Araluen 
 was reached after a ride of six hours. A con- 
 siderable population was settled here, chiefly 
 engaged in gold digging. Sunday services were 
 held for their benefit by the Rev. C. H. Rich, one of 
 the Goldfields' chaplains, at this as well as two other 
 stations. It was the close of the day when the 
 Bishop reached the Gold Commissioner's camp at 
 Bell's Creek. 
 
 On Saturday he was driven into Braidwood to the 
 house of the Rev. J. Allan, the clergyman of the dis- 
 trict, and on Sunday the church was consecrated. But 
 it had been so long in building that it had already 
 become too small for the increased population. Three 
 clergymen assisted the Bishop in the service, at 
 which also the Lord's Supper was administered. In 
 the afternoon thirty-six young people were confirmed 
 from Braidwood and the diggings. A third service 
 was held in the evening. Again on Monday evening 
 a service was held, and the Bishop preached to a full 
 congregation. 
 
 The National School — so called to distinguish it 
 from a Church school — was visited on Tuesday, and 
 
88 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the children read to the Bishop from the New Testa- 
 ment. They had, however, first to go home for their 
 Bibles, as they were not allowed to keep them at 
 school. They read well, and the Bishop was pleased 
 with their intelligence. 
 
 Wednesday was occupied with a visit to the ' Little 
 River diggings,' where the Bishop held a service and 
 preached. The slab church was inconveniently 
 crowded. In the evening a service was again held 
 in the Braidwood Church, and the Bishop preached 
 for the fifth time to a good congregation. 
 
 The Bishop was now anxious to ascertain the 
 state of the few members of the Church of England 
 who were located between Braidwood and Shoal- 
 haven, a distance of ninety-five miles. Many 
 dissuasions were used to prevent his attempting the 
 road, but he nevertheless resolved to do so. He 
 also wished and had arranged to spend the next 
 Sunday at Shoalhaven. A forty miles ride brought 
 him and his companions to Uaralga, where he met 
 with a hospitable reception from a gentleman named 
 Rolfe. A few small farms were scattered about, and 
 the members of the Church of England expressed 
 much thankfulness at the prospect of being visited 
 by a clergyman once in three months. A service 
 was held in the evening, and the children catechised 
 by the Bishop. He found them intelligent and fairly 
 taught. 
 
 Starting early on Friday morning, a call was 
 made at a farmhouse, where Mr. Synge, the Bishop's 
 Chaplain, had held service last year on his way from 
 Ulladulla to Braidwood. It being known that the 
 Bishop was coming by that road, a guide met him 
 
bishop's third tour. 
 
 So 
 
 from Shoalhaven, and the whole distance of fifty-five 
 miles was accomplished in eleven hours. 
 
 On Sunday two services were held in the church, 
 which had been erected since the Bishop's previous 
 visit. It was a neat brick building, provided with 
 almost every requisite for Divine service, and had 
 been thus built and furnished by the liberality of two 
 families. Though commodious enough for ordinary 
 occasions, it was on this quite insufficient, and a 
 good many sat outside. The Bishop baptized a 
 child, and in the evening had a short service in the 
 house. 
 
 The remainder of the journey may be shortly 
 told. Skirting along the coast, the Bishop rode to 
 Geringong, where a slab building for Divine service 
 had been erected by two settlers, the Messrs. Gray. 
 A service was held, and a goodly number was present. 
 At Kiama, next day, a service was held, and a collec- 
 tion made towards the cost of the new church in 
 course of erection. A meeting was also held at 
 which a branch of the Church Society was formed. 
 On Wednesday, Spring Hill School, on the way to 
 Jamberoo, was inspected. At Jamberoo a meeting 
 was held, and a branch of the Church Society 
 formed ; and on the following day a meeting was 
 held at West Dapto. Arrangements were also 
 made for sub-dividing the Kiama and West 
 Dapto districts. Taking the steamer from Wol- 
 longong on the 20th of November, he arrived in 
 Sydney the same evening. 
 
 In the last twenty days the Bishop had travelled 
 upwards of four hundred miles, and with the 
 exception of occasional colds, and one or two 
 
go EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 accidents, he had been mercifully preserved from all 
 harm, and enabled to fulfil every engagement 
 previously made. Much information had been 
 gained, and much interest awakened, which could 
 hardly fail to be productive of beneficial results. 
 And thus it was that their chief pastor grew more 
 and more in the confidence and affections of the 
 flock over which he had been called to preside. 
 
91 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 1857, 1858. 
 
 Moore College — Cathedral — Bishop's Speech — Visit to Melbourne 
 — Meetings of Clergy — Broughton Chapel, Bishop's Sermon — 
 Preparation of Synod Bill — Episcopal Residence, Bishopscourt — 
 Opening of Year 1858 — Visit to Monaro— Illness and Death of 
 Archdeacon Cowper — Appointment of Dean of Sydney. 
 
 The arrival of the Principal of Moore College from 
 England (in the month of August, 1856) had led the 
 trustees to consider the matter of the erection of such 
 buildings as were required for the reception of 
 students, and the proper working of such an institu- 
 tion. And they resolved to build a chapel, a hall, a 
 library, and twelve rooms for students, the whole to 
 form part of a quadrangle. The first stone of the 
 new buildings was laid on the 14th of January, 1857, 
 in the presence of an assemblage of clergy and laity, 
 who regarded the undertaking with great interest. 
 The views entertained by the trustees were ex- 
 pressed by the Bishop on their behalf in the speech 
 which he delivered upon the occasion. After speak- 
 ing of Mr. Moore's munificence in leaving his estate 
 for this and other objects connected with the support 
 and benefit of the Church, he said : — 
 
92 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Taking into consideration the existing educational 
 institutions and the future wants of the diocese, the trustees 
 judged that it would be wise to provide in the first instance 
 for the training of those members of the Church of England 
 who are intended for the sacred office of the ministry. With- 
 out, therefore, necessarily excluding any other students, not 
 being in connexion with any other institution, but being 
 anxious to co-operate with St. Paul's, we believe that we 
 act in accordance with the intentions of the late Mr. Moore 
 in making this a theological training college, where those 
 who desire to enter the ministry of the Church of England 
 will generally be required to reside. Such institutions are 
 in accordance with the experience and practical wisdom of 
 England. They are already established in some dioceses ; 
 they will soon exist in more. They combine the advantages 
 of that theological course which distinguishes the University 
 of Dublin from the English universities, together with that 
 
 practical training which no university can supply 
 
 In addition to the theological instruction and the com- 
 position of sermons, opportunity is afforded for practice in 
 the most useful parts of the Christian ministry. The 
 Benevolent Asylum contains within its walls many aged, 
 sick, and infirm who derive much benefit and consolation 
 from the services supplied by the Principal and the students. 
 The parish of Holdsworthy is placed under the pastoral care 
 of the Principal, while my friend, the Incumbent of Parra- 
 matta, has been materially aided by one of the students in 
 carrying on a Sunday service in the remote hamlet of 
 Smithfield. 
 
 It will thus be seen that Moore College was 
 calculated, as well as designed, to supply that combined 
 theological and pastoral training through the want of 
 which many who were in former days admitted into 
 Holy Orders found themselves unfitted to discharge 
 the office with which they were invested. And it is 
 only simple truth to say that without it the progress 
 
MOORE COLLEGE — CATHEDRAL. 93 
 
 of the Church would have been greatly hindered 
 from the want of clergymen to perform its 
 ministrations. 
 
 Amongst the churches which were in course of 
 erection at this time, the most prominent was the 
 Cathedral. But its progress had been retarded by 
 the difficulty of obtaining funds sufficient to justify 
 the Committee in pushing on the work with greater 
 vigour. Though commenced in May, 1837, the 
 walls were yet incomplete, and the building was 
 without any roof. With a view to awaken the zeal 
 of Churchmen in the diocese to more zealous efforts 
 and greater liberality, a public meeting was held on 
 February the 3rd, and a report laid before it by the 
 Building Committee of the progress made since the 
 last meeting was held in 1853. Over this meeting 
 the Bishop presided. The Committee acknowledged 
 in the report that ' since the arrival of the present 
 diocesan a new impulse had been given to all Church 
 work, and that they themselves had partaken of the 
 influence.' 
 
 This meeting, however, was but preparatory to 
 another, larger and more influential, which was held 
 within the walls of the roofless cathedral in the month 
 of May. It was presided over by the Governor- 
 General, Sir William Denison. The estimate of the 
 architect, which was read at the meeting, was that the 
 sum required to finish the building so as to render it 
 fit for public worship would be about 9500/. The 
 Bishop spoke with his usual persuasiveness, and 
 other gentlemen followed, urging their fellow 
 Churchmen to put forth fresh efforts for the 
 completion of the sacred edifice. The following 
 
94 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 passage from the Bishop's speech shows the light in 
 which he viewed the cathedral, and the grounds upon 
 which he claimed the help which was required : — 
 
 To the Bishop the cathedral must be an object of 
 peculiar interest — it is his seat, his pulpit ; there is — in 
 truth what George Herbert calls that of every pastor — his 
 ' throne.' There he can statedly minister to the people of 
 his parochia, his parish, as his diocese is termed. For as he 
 is the chief pastor, so in this the parish church of the whole 
 diocese, he can, as in the language of ancient statutes he is 
 required to do, minister and preach. 
 
 There are many aspects in which cathedral institutions 
 have presented themselves to the minds of thoughtful men 
 at home, and he who is curious in such matters may find 
 them embodied in the reports of the Cathedral Com- 
 missioners. But in this case, where so large a proportion 
 of the population of the diocese is gathered together, where 
 people from all parts of the world and of the colony resort, 
 to my mind the most attractive and useful point of view in 
 which to regard it is as a building sacred to the worship of 
 Almighty God, where two or three thousand persons, if 
 need be, may assemble together for common prayer and 
 united praise, where the immigrant, the soldier, the 
 seaman as he lands, the settler from the interior visiting 
 the metropolis with his family, and the poor who desire to 
 do so, may meet their fellow men before their Common 
 Maker, and learn the way of life and salvation through the 
 knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 
 
 The result of this meeting was that a number of 
 gentlemen came forward and offered, some their 
 money, some their services as collectors of sub- 
 scriptions, and a fresh impulse was given to the 
 building of the cathedral. More than one such 
 meeting was, however, found necessary before the 
 members of the Church were induced to supply all 
 
BISHOP S SPEECH — VISIT TO MELBOURXE. 95 
 
 that was necessary for its final completion. The sum 
 of 3800/. was contributed in the course of the year. 
 
 A few days after this meeting, the Bishop 
 found it necessary to undertake another journey 
 to the west, as far as Bathurst, for the discharge 
 of episcopal duties. The journey involved seven- 
 teen days' travelling on horseback. 
 
 There still remained a portion of the diocese 
 which he had not visited. Stretching away in 
 a south-westerly direction there were district?, 
 the most remote of which was five hundred miles 
 distant from Sydney, in which population was 
 scantily settled, and where public means of grace 
 were almost wholly unknown. He was anxious, 
 therefore, to visit this territory, that ■ he might 
 personally ascertain what could be done for the 
 people. But it was some time before he was able 
 to leave Sydney, so many and pressing were the 
 calls upon his time at headquarters. 
 
 In the month of August, however, the Bishop 
 again began his travels, accompanied on this occasion 
 by Mrs. Barker. The journey extended as far as 
 Deniliquin, a township four hundred and eighty- 
 one miles south-west of Sydney. It occupied fifty- 
 two days, during which he was constantly engaged 
 in preaching, holding Confirmations, and conferring 
 with persons in the different localities through which 
 he passed, attending meetings about churches in the 
 course of erection or needed, and taking other steps 
 for promoting the spiritual well-being of the dwellers 
 in those parts. Much of the travelling was done 
 over difficult roads, and in some cases where roads 
 were not yet formed. 
 
9 6 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 When he had finished the visitation of those 
 parts of his diocese, being now on the borders of 
 Victoria, he took the opportunity of visiting 
 Melbourne. There were two objects to be accom- 
 plished by going thither. In the first place, it was 
 by far the easier and more expeditious mode of 
 reaching Sydney, the distance from Deniliquin to 
 Melbourne being about one hundred and sixty miles, 
 and the voyage by steamer from Melbourne to 
 Sydney taking about forty-eight hours. But he was 
 also desirous of obtaining information from Bishop 
 Perry and others with reference to the Act of the 
 Legislature by which the Church Assembly of that 
 diocese was constituted. He wished further to learn 
 whether it worked beneficially, and what advantages 
 it had conferred upon the Church. In making these 
 inquiries he was actuated by the desire to proceed in 
 the best way in introducing synodical action into his 
 own diocese. 
 
 Melbourne was reached from Echuca, a border 
 town, with the aid of fresh horses, in four days. The 
 whole distance travelled since leaving Sydney was 
 about eight hundred miles. The Bishop and Mrs. 
 Barker were met and warmly welcomed on their way 
 into Melbourne by the Bishop and Mrs. Perry, and 
 were thankful to rest with them at Bishopscourt for a 
 few days. 
 
 In Melbourne, Church people also were well 
 pleased with this visit of their Metropolitan, and 
 showed him much hospitality during his stay. 
 Addresses were presented to him ; a public breakfast 
 was given by the members of the Church Assembly 
 to which he was invited ; there were two other 
 
MEETINGS OF CLERGY. 
 
 97 
 
 gatherings of a social character which were largely 
 attended; and various opportunities were afforded 
 him of meeting the clergy and laity, and learning 
 from them the religious condition of the Church. 
 He preached several times during his stay, and 
 always to large and interested congregations. On 
 the 1 2th of November this pleasant visit came to 
 an end, and the Bishop and Mrs. Barker returned 
 to Sydney. 
 
 After this absence of two months there were 
 many things which called for his attention, but 
 while dealing with them and other matters which 
 arose from day to day, he was anxious to put the 
 clergy in possession of the information which he 
 had obtained at Melbourne regarding the Church 
 Assembly of that diocese. With this view he 
 invited the city and suburban clergy to meet him 
 in Sydney that he might lay that information before 
 them. They met the Bishop accordingly on the 
 i st of December, and heard from him what he had 
 gathered as regarded the constitution of the 
 Assembly, its satisfactory working, and its prac- 
 tical usefulness. A similar meeting was held at 
 Parramatta of the clergy of that town and the sur- 
 rounding districts to receive the like information. 
 The object of both meetings was to enable the 
 clergy to form correct opinions upon the introduc- 
 tion of synodical action into their own diocese. 
 
 On the i 7th of Decemberthe newly-erected chapel 
 at Moore College was formally opened and licensed 
 by the Bishop as a place of worship, under the title 
 of 1 Broughton Chapel,' in memory of the first 
 Bishop of Australia, and of the eminent services 
 
 H 
 
98 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 which he had rendered to the Church over which 
 he had so ably presided. 
 
 On that occasion Bishop Barker preached a 
 sermon, which was afterwards published, entitled 
 ' The Sons of the Prophets,' a few paragraphs from 
 which will more fully explain the objects he had in 
 view in bringing the College into existence, and 
 the service he hoped it would render to the 
 Church : — 
 
 It is hardly possible to imagine anything more likely to 
 form the ministerial character aright than a college of this 
 kind. At the proper period of life, young men whose 
 hearts have been touched by the grace of God, are brought 
 into close and friendly relation to one able and desirous to 
 direct their studies, and to mould their characters with con- 
 tinual reference to their sacred calling. Having some 
 experience in life, having a certain amount of previous 
 instruction, actuated by a desire to engage in the highest 
 of earthly duties, these young men are placed under the 
 guidance of one to whom they look up with the confidence 
 and affection of children and the reverence of disciples. 
 
 If a young man has enjoyed the advantages of such an 
 education as may how be obtained in the colonies at our 
 public schools, has exhibited diligence and achieved success 
 in his collegiate course, and is desirous of dedicating his 
 powers and acquirements to the service of God in the 
 ministry of the Word, I know of nothing at present which, 
 humanly speaking, is better calculated to fit him for this 
 work than the course of training which awaits him here. 
 The influence of the head, the instruction of the teacher, the 
 affectionate care of the father, are found in combination with 
 opportunities for the acquisition of practical and pastoral ex- 
 perience which few other situations could afford. The school 
 for the young, the hospital for the aged and infirm, the con- 
 gregation in the bush, as well as direct theological instruc- 
 tion and the habitual composition of sermons, all supply to 
 
BROUGHTON CHAPEL, BISHOPS SERMON. 99 
 
 the earnest student invaluable means of becoming 'a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed.' And it will not be 
 the fault of this institution if the newly ordained minister 
 does not go forth to his work knowing what is to be done, 
 and animated by an earnest desire to accomplish that which 
 he has been qualified to perform. 
 
 This doubtless was the intention of those who originally 
 founded this College, the intention of the liberal donor and 
 the friends by whom he was advised. One of these, the 
 one to whom the foundation is chiefly owing, has passed 
 away. But he left friends in this colony and in England 
 who would not willingly let his memory die. He who, as 
 Bishop of Australia, did, with much foresight and great 
 disinterestedness, form five other dioceses out of his own, 
 has surely deserved to be held in grateful remembrance by 
 all who desire the extension of Christ's kingdom upon 
 earth. One of those, 1 who admired his character, and 
 loved him as he deserved, left the sum of money which 
 has served to erect that portion of the chapel which is 
 already built, and which in honour of his memory is hence- 
 forth to bear his name. 
 
 I may add one word as to the pecuniary state of the 
 College. For many years it was not possible to open it, 
 because the sum annually at the disposal of the trustees 
 did not permit them to enlarge the building, or to supply a 
 stipend for the Principal. By the liberal assistance of my 
 co-trustees, and by means of Dr. Wharneford's gift, these 
 difficulties have been, in some measure, overcome. The 
 accumulation of past years has, however, been expended 
 upon the present structure, and I regret to say that a con- 
 siderable sum will be necessary to discharge the debt and 
 to complete the buildings by adding six more rooms, a 
 hall, and a library. The expenses already incurred were 
 absolutely necessary, in order that the institution might be 
 properly established. I have no doubt of the beneficial 
 
 1 The Rev. Dr. Wharneford, who gave 1000/. to be expended on 
 some permanent memorial of Bishop Broughton. 
 
IOO 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 effects of this College. 1 I believe it will be the means of 
 conferring great blessings upon the colony, and I feel 
 assured that its advantages have only to be known to 
 secure for it that measure of public assistance which will 
 at the same time complete the present design and relieve 
 the trustees from their pecuniary responsibility. 
 
 The subject of synodical action now occupied 
 a large place in the Bishop's thoughts. He was 
 fully satisfied that a wisely constituted synod was 
 calculated to be of great advantage to the Church, 
 as it would relieve the diocesan of many cares, 
 would afford the clergy and laity alike opportunities 
 of discussing matters connected with the Church's 
 welfare, and, by the united action of Bishop, 
 clergy, and laity, would be enabled to frame such 
 regulations as were considered to be expedient 
 for its better government. Having arrived at 
 this conclusion, in which he was supported by 
 the leading members of the Church, lay and 
 clerical, he requested five gentlemen of high repute 
 as lawyers to frame a measure for attaining the 
 desired object. By three of these, Sir Alfred 
 Stephen, chief justice of the colony, Sir William 
 Westbrooke Burton, a retired Indian judge whose 
 name has been already mentioned, and Mr. 
 Alexander Gordon, a barrister recently arrived from 
 England, the work was undertaken, and much time 
 
 1 These anticipations were amply realised in the subsequent history 
 of the College. The number of students who passed through the 
 College from its foundation to the end of the year 1884, and were 
 admitted to Holy Orders, was one hundred and fifty-one. Most of 
 them were then to be found in the dioceses of Sydney, Melbourne, 
 Tasmania, Goulburn, Bathurst, and Queensland. A few had died. The 
 testimony generally given of them by the bishops of those dioceses 
 was that they were amongst the most useful and efficient of their clergy. 
 
SYNOD BILL — BISHOPSCOURT — 1858. IOI 
 
 and attention having been bestowed upon the 
 matter, a carefully prepared Bill was drawn to 
 secure legal validity for the action of the synod. 
 This Bill was, in the first place, to be laid before a 
 conference of representatives of the diocese, clerical 
 and lay, and, if approved, then to be submitted to 
 Parliament for its legislative sanction. 
 
 In the month of February, 1858, the episcopal 
 residence, which had been for some time in course 
 of erection near to Randwick, was so far completed 
 as to admit of occupation by the Bishop. It was a 
 great relief to him and Mrs. Barker to have a 
 permanent residence, away from the dust and heat 
 of Sydney, and the almost hourly interruptions 
 which residence in the town involved. But this was 
 not accomplished without considerable personal 
 sacrifice on the Bishop's part. Out of certain funds 
 which the Government held for Church purposes, the 
 sum of 3000/. was allowed towards providing a 
 residence for the Bishops of Sydney. This amount 
 was, however, far from sufficient for the purpose. 
 The price of materials, the rate of wages, and the 
 cost of everything, had so largely increased since 
 the discovery of gold in Australia, that it became 
 necessary to provide a large sum in addition. And 
 the Bishop generously devoted 2000/. of his own 
 money for carrying on the building. Even this, 
 however, did not suffice, and he found himself 
 under the necessity of borrowing 2000/. more, 
 involving on his part the annual payment of a 
 considerable sum in the shape of interest. 
 
 The year 1858 opened with pleasanter and more 
 encouraging prospects than its predecessor. A 
 
102 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 good deal had been accomplished in overcoming diffi- 
 culties, in settling additional clergy in new positions 
 which had been opened up, in the general quickening 
 of the Church, and awakening a livelier interest in the 
 extension of the ministry and the ordinances of the 
 Gospel in the diocese. The income of the Church 
 Society in the second year of its existence had risen 
 to 7400/., while, in the country districts especially, an 
 increase of energy had been infused into parochial 
 work. This was, perhaps, in great measure due to 
 the encouragement and help which had arisen from 
 the frequent visits of the Bishop, and his intercourse 
 with the members of his flock during those visits, 
 and to the kindly influence which he exerted over 
 those who came in contact with him, as well as to 
 his public ministrations. 
 
 The earlier months of the year were spent 
 chiefly in Sydney, and places near to it, in the 
 sedulous discharge of the duties of his office, and in 
 meeting the constant claims upon his time which 
 were incidental to his position in the community. In 
 the month of April, however, he was again in the 
 country, at Hartley, in the Blue Mountains, eighty- 
 five miles distant from Sydney, laying the foundation- 
 stone of a new church, and encouraging the people to 
 carry the work out to completion. This involved a 
 journey on horseback of a hundred and fifty miles. 
 
 In the end of the month of May his attention 
 was directed to the Monaro district, in the southern 
 part of the diocese. Accompanied by Mrs. Barker, 
 he set out for Cooma, distant from Sydney two 
 hundred and fifty-seven miles. During the journey, 
 as well as when he arrived at his destination, 
 
DEATH OF ARCHDEACON COWPER. 103 
 
 he was engaged in preaching, confirming, and 
 in other services. The journey occupied thirty- 
 five days. 
 
 During the Bishop's absence from Sydney on 
 this journey, the Venerable Archdeacon Cowper 
 was seized with an illness so serious that it proved 
 to be his last. When the Bishop arrived at 
 Parramatta on his return, he learnt that his aged and 
 valued friend was unlikely to continue on earth much 
 longer. Upon hearing this, he hastened to town, 
 and drove at once to St. Philip's Parsonage, that he 
 might see the Archdeacon once more, if yet alive. 
 The Archdeacon was glad of the opportunity thus 
 afforded him of hearing words of comfort from the 
 dear Bishop, but he was too weak to converse. All 
 that he could say was, ' I am waiting, at peace 
 within, my summons to depart.' That summons 
 came on the morning of the 6th of July, and 
 he went home to God, 1 full,' the Bishop said, 
 ' of faith and of good works, and left not his equal 
 behind.' His ministry in Sydney had extended over 
 forty-nine years, marked by faithfulness, unwavering 
 consistency, benevolence, self-sacrificing devotedness 
 to the service of God, and the winning of souls for 
 Christ. In his journal, the Bishop made the following 
 entry relating to his funeral : — 
 
 The estimation in which he was held was shown by the 
 fact that a public funeral was accorded to him by the 
 Government, which was attended by the Governor-General, 
 the judges and civil officers, and all the clergy, and that 
 about twenty-five thousand were present at the funeral, 
 large numbers of whom came in from the country to do 
 honour to one who had lived a blameless and devoted life 
 
104 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 amongst them for. forty-nine years, had baptized and 
 married many thousands of them, and had boldly and 
 unflinchingly set his face against every form of evil, 
 while he faithfully preached Jesus Christ and Him 
 crucified. 
 
 Shortly after the Archdeacon's death, the Bishop 
 thought fit to offer to his son, the Rev. William 
 Macquarie Cowper, M.A., the incumbency of St. 
 Philip's parish, in succession to his father, which he 
 accepted. He also, in the prospect of the early 
 completion of the cathedral, appointed him Dean of 
 the cathedral, with archidiaconal powers within the 
 city and its suburbs. The appointment was upon 
 the condition that upon such completion, he should 
 remove from St. Philip's and take charge of the 
 cathedral and the district attached thereto. This 
 union of the offices of a dean and archdeacon was in 
 accordance with the recommendation of the Cathedral 
 Commissioners in England. 
 
 The following were the duties laid down by the 
 Bishop in the instructions forwarded to the Dean with 
 the deed of his appointment : — 
 
 In the present instance the Dean invested with archi- 
 diaconal powers, ought : — 
 
 i. Privately to advise, exhort, encourage, or reprove any 
 parochial clergyman, as there may appear to him to be 
 occasion, in matters relating to the ministry ; also to suggest 
 to any parochial clergyman and (if requested) aid him in 
 the erection of a church or school, or the establishment of 
 an additional service, or the adoption of any other means 
 for promoting the spiritual welfare of a parish or district, 
 but not to control or (unless requested) actually interfere 
 with any clergyman in his parochial arrangements. 
 
APPOINTMENT OF DEAN. 
 
 2. To inform the bishop of any matter relating to a 
 clergyman or to any parish or district within his jurisdiction 
 with which the bishop ought to be acquainted ; to suggest 
 to the bishop the formation of new or the subdivision of 
 existing parishes or districts, and the appointment or 
 location of additional clergymen or catechists. 
 
 3. To seek for young men suited for the ministry, or for 
 laymen willing and qualified to hold services in places in 
 which there is no clergyman available. 
 
 4. To inquire from time to time respecting the condi- 
 tion of all ecclesiastical buildings, the uses of church 
 property and the trusteeships, and to make reports to the 
 bishop as the circumstances of each case may make 
 advisable. 
 
 The Dean invested with this authority ought to be 
 regarded by the clergy within the limits of his jurisdiction 
 as the person to whom they should apply whenever they 
 stand in need of advice or assistance in any matter relating 
 to their parishes or districts. 
 
 He ought also to be regarded by the bishop as the 
 person to whom he should refer whenever he requires 
 information or counsel upon any matter relating to the 
 clergy, the arrangement of parishes and districts, the 
 location of new clergymen or catechists, and the general 
 welfare and progress of the Church. 
 
 It is essential for this efficiency that one holding so im- 
 portant an office should possess the confidence both of the 
 bishop and the clergy, and should be esteemed by them as 
 one whose Christian faithfulness, integrity, sound judgment, 
 and kindly sympathy may be thoroughly relied upon. 
 With these qualities there ought also to be combined energy 
 of mind and activity of body, a talent for arrangement and 
 organization, a power of calling forth and directing the 
 energies of others, a discrimination of character, a temper 
 not easily ruffled, a readiness in seizing favourable oppor- 
 tunities, patience in waiting for the proper time to 
 commence an undertaking, perseverance in carrying out 
 
io6 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 whatever has been commenced, and, above all, an ardent 
 missionary spirit and a strong faith in the promises of 
 God. 
 
 An influence over the clergy is to be acquired not by an 
 assumption of authority, or by a periodical official visitation, 
 but by a frequent brotherly intercourse with them, and the 
 habitual manifestation of a kindly interest in their 
 concerns. 
 
io7 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 1858, 1859. 
 
 Primary Visitation — Conference on Synod Bill — Subsequent Pro- 
 ceedings — Withdrawal of Bill — Church Progress— Educational 
 Difficulties — State Aid withdrawn from Goldfields' Chaplains — 
 Voluntary Efforts — Bishop's Letter on Offertory. 
 
 Having now visited every part of his vast diocese 
 and made himself personally acquainted with its 
 condition and wants, the Bishop summoned the 
 clergy to attend his Primary Visitation, which was held 
 in the temporary cathedral on the 23rd of Novem- 
 ber, 1858. Some of the more important districts 
 he had visited twice or thrice, and he was, there- 
 fore, able to speak with the weight acquired by 
 knowledge and experience. The number of clergy 
 in the diocese was now seventy-six, nearly double 
 the number which he had found upon his arrival. 
 Forty places of worship had also been completed 
 within that period, of which twenty-six were sub- 
 stantial stone or brick buildings ; the others were 
 some of stone and some of wood, and, being used 
 for day or Sunday schools as well as places of 
 worship, were called school-churches. 
 
 In the earlier portion of his Charge the Bishop 
 alluded with much delicacy of feeling to the changes 
 
ic8 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 which had taken place in the diocese since the last 
 visitation of his lamented predecessor, and to the 
 spirit in which he desired to continue the work 
 which Bishop Broughton had begun. He said : — 
 
 Before I proceed further, I wish to express my 
 sympathy with those of the senior clergy who were 
 accustomed to hear another voice on these occasions, 
 and to listen to the grave and affectionate counsels of 
 my revered predecessor. I am conscious that by some of 
 you, my reverend brethren, the changes which time and 
 death have made since you were last called together must 
 be painfully felt. It is my desire that nothing may be said 
 or done by me which shall needlessly increase that feeling 
 of regret. While I conscientiously maintain those opinions 
 which for more than a quarter of a century I have pub- 
 licly professed, I have that regard for the memory of the 
 late bishop, and that admiration of the catholic spirit of 
 our beloved Church, which will, I trust, prevent me from 
 promoting a spirit of party in that portion of the Church 
 of England over which, in accordance with the law of the 
 realm, I have been appointed to preside. 
 
 And he then pays the following graceful tribute 
 to the memory of Bishop Broughton : — 
 
 The memory of the late bishop may well be held in 
 honour throughout the Province of Australia. His zeal 
 and diligence, his high-minded and disinterested sacrifices, 
 the foresight displayed in the formation of new dioceses, 
 the patience with which he met the difficulties of his posi- 
 tion, are well known to me, and although it was not my 
 privilege to be numbered amongst his personal friends, the 
 opportunities I have possessed of becoming acquainted with 
 the excellencies of his character and the primitive virtues 
 of his life, have inspired me with a genuine and affectionate 
 
 regard for the first Bishop of Australia The last 
 
 words of the dying bishop evinced the predominant 
 
PRIMARY VISITATION, CHARGE. 109 
 
 feeling of his heart : — 1 The earth shall be filled with the 
 glory of the Lord.' 
 
 The religious education of the young was a 
 subject which occupied a large place in the Bishop's 
 heart, and it was one of the first topics upon which 
 he dwelt in his Charge. The following passage 
 shows the difficulties with which it was beset at 
 that time : — 
 
 The state of our primary schools is a cause of much 
 anxiety, and the subject of education in them is one which 
 ought to be settled without further delay. There has been 
 a considerable improvement in the character and attain- 
 ments of our teachers, and if the sum granted by Government 
 had been in proportion to the numbers educated in our 
 schools, there would have been no lack of funds for school 
 buildings. At present we labour under three great dis- 
 advantages. The stipends of our teachers are of less 
 amount than those given in the schools of the National 
 Board ; we are unable to supply our schools with proper 
 apparatus and furniture ; and if the members of the Church 
 of England desire to erect a school in any locality they 
 are obliged to supply the necessary funds without receiving 
 any Government assistance whatsoever. 
 
 The tendency of the public policy was against 
 denominational schools, and in favour of those which 
 were established by the Government after the model 
 of Lord Stanley's system for Ireland, and the sums 
 of money voted by the Legislature for the latter 
 were entirely out of proportion to those voted for 
 the former — considering the number of children 
 educated in them respectively. The Bishop's anxiety 
 was that the rising generation should be educated 
 in such a manner that the principles of the fear of 
 
I TO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 God and practical righteousness might be implanted 
 in them, and he believed that this could only be 
 done by inculcating in their daily course of instruc- 
 tion those Christian truths and precepts which are 
 essential to the right knowledge of God and of His 
 will. He saw large numbers of young persons 
 growing up in the interior without the means of 
 education within their reach, while in many of the 
 existing schools the Church was unable to exercise 
 any religious influence. He felt this to be 'a great 
 evil, and fraught with disastrous consequences to 
 the religious character of the rising generation,' 
 and he therefore anxiously desired a fairer adjust- 
 ment of the grants from the State, and larger 
 assistance to the Church's schools. 
 
 Passing from this topic, he turned to others 
 connected with the pastoral office — the preparation 
 of the young for Confirmation, the preaching of the 
 Word, public and private ministrations, pastoral 
 visitation, and visitation of the sick especially. 
 The following passage shows what he thought of 
 pastoral visitation and its value : — 
 
 Our opportunities of usefulness are indeed many and 
 most favourable in this colony. Wherever my duties lead 
 me I find that the visits of a clergyman who desires to 
 make full proof of his ministry are greatly valued. The 
 chief complaint in some places is that the clergy are so 
 few, in others, that their visits are so infrequent. The 
 difficulty of regular parochial visitation is indeed great, but 
 it is not insuperable, and to all of you I would affectionately 
 recommend the consideration of his example, who, day 
 and night for three years, from house to house, ceased 
 not to warn every man, and teach every man the whole 
 counsel of God. Pastoral visitation and visitation of the 
 
PRIMARY VISITATION, CHARGE. Ill 
 
 sick form as important portions of our duty as the public 
 ministrations of the sanctuary. The arrangements for 
 them should enter into our daily life. We should care- 
 fully consider the best modes of discharging them, and 
 should conscientiously adhere to them. It is not, indeed, 
 practicable, or even desirable, that your intercourse with 
 your flock should be confined to that which is strictly 
 ministerial ; visits of a friendly and social character may be 
 interchanged, but let not the pastor forget that all his 
 communications with his people should eventually lead to 
 these great ends — their own salvation, and his everlasting 
 joy in their union with the Lord. 
 
 He thus adverted to some difficulties and 
 hindrances peculiar to the colony: — 
 
 The fluctuating character of an active population, which 
 can hardly afford the time necessary to receive an impres- 
 sion ; the independence, bordering upon unwillingness to 
 yield even a reasonable submission to authority ; the want 
 of those common ties which by residence and long 
 acquaintance unite the pastor with his flock at home, 
 deprive us of many of the advantages which the parochial 
 clergyman in an older and more settled country enjoys. 
 
 It will interest the reader to observe the Bishop's 
 views upon the attitude which it seemed to him the 
 Church of England ought to maintain towards the 
 Church of Rome (this latter claiming nearly one- 
 third of the population of the colony). They are 
 thus expressed : — 
 
 The Church of England, as a faithful Protestant 
 communion, will always find itself in opposition to the 
 Church of Rome. We cannot expect that it will ever be 
 otherwise, or that our protest against the assumptions of 
 the Bishop of Rome will cease to be required. Since *the 
 days in which our forefathers cleansed the sanctuary, and 
 
I I 2 EPISCOPA TE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 returned to the old paths, preserving the ancient order and 
 rule, little change and no improvement has taken place in 
 the doctrines taught by the Church of Rome. The decrees 
 of the Council of Trent, and the recent addition to the creed 
 of the article of the Immaculate Conception, more than 
 justify the charge of corrupting and perverting the Word 
 of God brought by our reformers against the Church of 
 Rome, and unless we are prepared to exchange our 
 scriptural light for her darkness, there never can be peace 
 with Rome. 
 
 In saying this, I am by no means to be understood as 
 desiring that a war of religious controversy should be 
 commenced. And yet I would not have you lay aside your 
 weapons because there is no immediate or apparent need 
 of them. An acquaintance with the Romish controversy 
 does not imply a love of controversy, or that scriptural 
 instruction is to be superseded by the introduction of 
 polemics. But as in a painting, so in our teaching, it may 
 be desirable, and even necessary, that the light of truth 
 should be exhibited against the dark background of error. 
 
 One of the great dangers to which the Bishop 
 alluded was one which still prevails in many 
 quarters, it was indifference to distinctive Christianity 
 and consequent apathy in regard to the extension of 
 Divine truth. He thus warned the clergy respecting 
 it : — 
 
 It is a short and easy way to get rid of what 
 politicians call the religious difficulty, to treat all religions 
 alike. But persons who adopt this principle cannot be 
 expected to feel any real earnestness upon the subject of 
 religion. True Christianity drawn from the Scriptures 
 admits of no compromises. It cannot say that they who 
 deny, and they who believe the Divinity, the Incarnation, 
 and the Atonement of our Lord, are alike secure in their 
 hopes for eternity. It does not teach that one man may be 
 justified by faith only in the merits of the Redeemer and 
 
PRIMARY VISITATION. 
 
 another by his own inherent righteousness. In all matters 
 relating to the soul's salvation, its language is — ' He that is 
 not with Me is against Me.' 
 
 Our safeguard against this danger is distinctive religious 
 teaching. Our people should be taught not only why they 
 are Christians and Protestants, but why they are members 
 of the Church of England. He who has learned to love 
 the scriptural faith as exhibited in our articles, the apostolic 
 order, the devotional spirit, and the reasonable services of 
 our Church, is not likely to err from her fold. 
 
 The view which he took of the responsibilities of 
 the Church, and the energetic spirit in which he 
 wished to see her acting in the colony, may be 
 judged by the following passage : — 
 
 Considering what the Church of England and Ireland 
 is in the. United Kingdom, the vigour which she has dis- 
 played in the last half century, her rapid increase, her 
 missionary efforts, the wonderful exertions made at home, 
 her adaptation of herself to the wants of the population, 
 it must be admitted that, if we in Australia are to follow 
 the example of activity, energy, and liberality which she 
 has set, we have yet much to commence. We shall make 
 more combined and systematic efforts for the education of 
 her members in the interior, where young children are in 
 danger of growing up as ignorant as the aborigines. We 
 shall make some efforts for the aborigines themselves. 
 We shall, in imitation of other societies, seek the salvation 
 of the South Sea Islanders. We shall send our catechists 
 and missionaries into the lowest portions of the city. We 
 shall seek out the sailor in his ship and in his lodging, and 
 shall endeavour to supply the spiritual wants of every 
 foreigner, be he German or Chinese or Malay, who comes 
 to our shores. We shall revise our education scheme, and 
 include in it the blind, the deaf, and the dumb. We shall 
 take the child in the infant school, and bring him up for 
 the Lord, nor leave him at any period of his education 
 
 I 
 
114 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 without the knowledge of the Word of GOD. The influence 
 of the Church will thus be felt in every part of the colony, 
 and by every member of our communion. 
 
 He thus sought to encourage the clergy in the 
 pursuit of their sacred calling : — 
 
 My Reverend Brethren, — This is your high and glorious 
 mission. It is your privilege to persuade men to be saved. 
 You have an undoubted commission. You have faithful 
 promises of direction and help. You have the testimony 
 of your hearers' consciences, when your work is carried on 
 with the highest degree of earnestness and vigour. Let 
 me exhort you never to lose the testimony of your own 
 consciences that your work is thus carried on. Live in and 
 for your ministry, for this is indeed your happiness and 
 your life. The clergyman whose time and thoughts are 
 wholly taken up in his sacred calling is one of the happiest 
 of men, and the most useful. His is truly an angel's life — 
 unwearied service and unceasing praise. The benefits he 
 confers are of the highest value, the friendships he forms of 
 the most intimate and enduring character, while his own 
 spiritual progress is one of the means by which the Church 
 is edified. He has his sorrows, anxieties, and sufferings, it 
 is true, but they are the marks of the Lord Jesus, and lead 
 to inward conformity and closer union with Him ; while his 
 joys are heavenly, he has meat to eat of which the world 
 knoweth not, and in his way through the wilderness he 
 drinks of that river whose streams make glad the city of 
 God. 
 
 The Visitation was followed on the next day by 
 a Conference of the Bishop, the clergy, and lay 
 representatives of the several parishes throughout 
 the diocese, chosen in accordance with instructions 
 issued by the diocesan. The object of this Con- 
 ference was to consider the draft Bill which had 
 been prepared by the three gentlemen before named 
 
CONFERENCE ON SYNOD BILL. I 1 5 
 
 in consultation with the Bishop, to enable the Church 
 to meet in synod and regulate its own affairs through 
 its authorised representatives. Some measure of 
 this kind had been long- contemplated. As far back 
 as the year 1850 the metropolitan and other bishops 
 of Australia met in Sydney for consultation, and 
 agreed unanimously, 1 that there were many ques- 
 tions of great importance to the well-being of the 
 Church in that Province, which could not be settled 
 without duly constituted provincial and diocesan 
 synods.' And in 1852 Dr. Broughton, then the 
 metropolitan, before his departure for England, called 
 his clergy together, to explain his own views and to 
 ask for their counsel as to the best mode of over- 
 coming the difficulties which surrounded the subject. 
 It had also engaged the attention of Bishop Barker 
 from the time of his entrance upon the episcopal 
 office, and in some measure even before that event. 
 The steps wliich were taken by him to obtain infor- 
 mation concerning the working of the Bill by which 
 the Diocese of Melbourne was enabled to manage 
 its affairs, have been already spoken of, as also the 
 methods which he adopted to ascertain the views of 
 his clergy as to the desirability of instituting 
 synodical action. Having thus satisfied himself 
 upon these points, he resolved that the time had 
 come for definitely determining the future course of 
 action. 
 
 On the morning of the day appointed for the 
 meeting of the Conference, Divine Service was held 
 in St. James's Church for the members. The 
 service consisted of the Litany and the Holy 
 Communion. At 3 p.m. the Conference assembled 
 
Il6 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 in the Church Society's House, Phillip Street, and 
 after prayers the names of the clergy and lay 
 representatives were called over by the Bishop's 
 Registrar. One hundred and thirty responded to 
 their names. The Bishop then delivered an address 
 in which he lucidly and succinctly explained the object 
 for which he had summoned the Conference, his own 
 action with reference to the creation of a synod, and 
 the reasons why he was anxious that the synod should 
 be founded upon a firm and stable basis. He 
 reminded the Conference that there appeared to be 
 three things included in the action of a synod — its 
 constitution and powers ; the management of 
 property left in trust for the Church ; and the 
 discipline necessary for the preservation of order 
 and the punishment of offences. 
 
 It was soon evident that a considerable difference 
 of opinion prevailed amongst the members as to the 
 nature of the Bill for which application should be 
 made to the Legislature. It was thought by some 
 who, from their position in the Church, their in- 
 telligence, and their acquaintance with Church 
 history, had a right to be heard, that a simple Bill to 
 enable the Church to meet in synods was all that 
 would be necessary. But after a full discussion of 
 the matter it was resolved by a large majority — more 
 than two to one of the members — that the draft Bill 
 before the synod should be taken into consideration. 
 The Conference then proceeded to consider the Bill 
 clause by clause. It underwent some considerable 
 modifications ; there were some clauses relating to 
 Church discipline which were judiciously withdrawn, 
 and one substituted empowering the synod itself, 
 
SUBSEQUENT PROCEEDINGS. 
 
 when legally constituted, to establish a tribunal for 
 the trial of offending clergymen. The Bill thus 
 amended was adopted by the Conference, and a 
 committee appointed to take charge of it during its 
 passage through the Legislature. The Conference, 
 having thus fulfilled the purpose for which it was 
 summoned, was dismissed by the Bishop, after an 
 address from himself, with the Benediction. 
 
 The Committee appointed by the Conference 
 proceeded to take the necessary steps for submitting 
 the Bill to the Legislature. But it was not until the 
 month of October in the following year (1859) that 
 it was introduced into the Legislative Council. There 
 it underwent the careful scrutiny of a Select Com- 
 mittee, which took voluminous evidence regarding its 
 objects, its expediency, and its various provisions, 
 and recommended certain amendments. This pro- 
 ceeding was not completed until i860, shortly after 
 which the Parliament was prorogued. In the next 
 session the Bill was again taken up, and on November 
 1st, i860, the second reading was carried, four only 
 out of nineteen members voting against it. Almost 
 immediately after this the Parliament was dissolved, 
 and the progress of the Bill was again stopped. 
 During the election which followed, a cry was got up 
 by the Roman Catholics and others that the design 
 of the Bill was to obtain for the Church of England 
 in the colony the position of a dominant Church. It 
 was a very easy thing to disprove this from the Bill 
 itself, and to show from the evidence given before 
 the Select Committee, that no such idea had ever 
 been contemplated by the promoters. All that they 
 wanted was that their Church should be enabled to 
 
I 1 8 EPISCOPATE OE BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 manage its own affairs as other religious bodies in 
 the colony were enabled to manage theirs. 
 
 When the new Parliament was called together the 
 Bill came again before the Legislative Council, 
 which passed it and sent it down to the Legislative 
 Assembly. There it was read a first time, and the 
 second reading was fixed for April 12th, 1861. But 
 here an impediment occurred in consequence of a 
 difference of opinion which had arisen amongst the 
 promoters. Without consulting them an amendment 
 had been made in the Bill by the Legislative Council 
 limiting what was called the Bishop's veto, 1 and 
 forbidding its exercise in matters which were ' of 
 temporal concern only.' The Bishop of Sydney 
 was so anxious to procure the passing of the Bill 
 that, although he did not approve of this restriction, 
 he would rather have taken the Bill with that blot 
 than lose it altogether, and with him the Sydney 
 Conference Committee agreed. But the Bishop of 
 Newcastle and other members of the Church in his 
 diocese were opposed to this course. With this 
 division of opinion existing amongst those who had 
 applied for the measure, it was thought better not to 
 proceed with it any further. The member of the 
 Assembly who had charge of the Bill was therefore 
 requested to ask leave to withdraw it, which, after 
 an explanation of the circumstances, he was allowed 
 to do, instead of moving the second reading. This 
 was no small disappointment to the Bishop of 
 Sydney, after all the pains and labour which he had 
 
 1 The term 'Bishop's veto' was applied to the Bishop's assent 
 being necessary to the passing of any act of synod which was to be 
 binding on the Church. 
 
CHURCH PROGRESS — 1859. 
 
 119 
 
 bestowed upon the matter, anxiously desirous as he 
 was to be relieved of some portion of his autocratic 
 power, and to avail himself of the counsels of his 
 clergy and laity gathered together in a constitutional 
 assembly. But for the present the hope of obtaining 
 this benefit was deferred. 
 
 Meantime, however, the work of the Church was 
 going forward satisfactorily. The number of the 
 clergy was gradually increasing. New parochial or 
 missionary districts were being formed and supplied 
 with clergy. The report of the Church Society 
 stated that seven new churches had been opened for 
 Divine service, providing accommodation for three 
 thousand persons, while twelve others were com- 
 menced or in progress which would provide sittings 
 for about two thousand five hundred more, and three 
 school-churches were also in course of erection. 
 Moreover, in addition to these evidences of external 
 life, there were not wanting indications of that which 
 was spiritual in various quarters. 
 
 The year 1 859 was a year of Confirmations for the 
 city and suburbs, and for the nearer and more 
 populous country districts. The numbers confirmed 
 showed a considerable increase, evidencing probably 
 greater efforts on the part of the clergy to induce the 
 young to come forward and devote themselves to the 
 Lord's service, and a greater willingness on their 
 part to make a public profession of their baptismal 
 vows. 
 
 A mission church was opened in the district of 
 St. Barnabas, at the south end of Sydney, for the 
 special benefit of those who were denominated 1 the 
 working classes,' and the large congregation with 
 
120 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 which it was at once filled gave evidence of the 
 appreciation which they entertained of the work thus 
 undertaken for their benefit. The district had but 
 three years before been noted for moral degradation, 
 gross vice, profanation of the Sabbath, and the foulest 
 sins. A missionary had been placed there by the 
 Bishop, who was specially suited to deal with those 
 who were addicted to these evil ways. He was one 
 who knew their habits of thought, their methods of 
 acting, their special temptations, and how to approach 
 them, for he himself had once been the slave to similar 
 vices. By the grace of God, however, he had been 
 turned from darkness to light, and from being an 
 enemy of the Gospel into a devoted follower of Christ. 
 He was, therefore, able to speak to such of its power 
 from his own experience, and in many cases, through 
 the Holy Spirit's application of it to their hearts, 
 wonderful changes were wrought. The moral aspect 
 of the neighbourhood became entirely altered, and 
 men and women with their families who had lived 
 without God, and in utter opposition to His laws, 
 were found Sunday after Sunday in the house of 
 prayer and praise, and not a few of them regular and 
 devout communicants. Similar effects, though in a 
 less striking form, were produced in other parishes. 
 
 There was at this time a considerable Chinese 
 population in Sydney and at the Goldfields, and it 
 was felt strongly by the Bishop and others that some 
 effort should be made for their evangelization. The 
 subject was brought before the Committee of the 
 Church Society, and as a first step the Bishop was 
 requested to communicate with the Bishop of Hong 
 Kong with a view to obtaining a catechist from 
 
EDUCATIONAL 
 
 DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 I 2 I 
 
 thence competent to carry on missionary work 
 amongst his countrymen. He was also requested 
 to send a supply of the Gospels in Chinese, with 
 some other simple and elementary books of Christian 
 doctrine in that language. For this purpose 25/. was 
 forwarded to him by the Society. With the latter 
 request the Bishop of Hong Kong at once complied, 
 but a missionary he was not able to send. His own 
 impaired health brought him to Sydney a year after- 
 wards, and he then explained in a public meeting the 
 reasons which rendered that impracticable. These 
 facts are stated to show that, although little was done 
 for the Chinese at that time, the obligation resting 
 upon the Church to make known the Gospel to those 
 foreign brethren was at least recognised, and its 
 fulfilment attempted. 
 
 It has been already stated that one of the objects 
 which the Bishop had very much at heart was 
 the moral and religious education of the young. He 
 said he regarded it as — 'one of the first great wants of 
 a civilised community ; whether it is looked at in a 
 domestic and social point of view, or in its more 
 general bearings upon the future condition of society 
 at large, or is estimated as affecting the highest 
 interests of human nature, it was impossible to over- 
 rate its importance. Properly considered, it came 
 home to the parent, the philanthropist, the magistrate, 
 the statesman, and, above all, • to the Christian 
 minister, and demanded their most zealous efforts 
 for its advancement.' It was therefore his constant 
 aim both to extend it widely and to improve its 
 quality. But his efforts in these respects were 
 greatly impeded by the policy of the Government. 
 
122 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Primary education in the colony was at that 
 time under the direction of two distinct Boards, 
 one designated National, the other Denominational. 
 Under the former were placed the schools mentioned 
 on a previous page as established after the model of 
 the Irish National Schools ; under the latter the 
 schools aided by Government funds in connexion 
 with the Church of England, Roman Catholic, 
 Presbyterian, and Wesleyan communions. Funds 
 for administration by both these Boards were voted 
 annually by Parliament, but the amount for each was 
 placed on the estimates by the Executive. It was 
 difficult, however, if not impossible, to obtain for the 
 Denominational Board funds sufficient to meet its 
 wants, and to provide for the due extension of schools 
 of that character. The National Board, on the con- 
 trary, was more than amply provided with funds, 
 having enough and to spare when it had met all 
 claims at the close of the year. The Denominational 
 Schools had to be built and furnished and kept 
 in repair by the private liberality of those who 
 wished to have them. The National Schools 
 were built and furnished, provided with all neces- 
 sary apparatus, and repaired with funds wholly 
 supplied from the Colonial Treasury. The teachers, 
 too, in the National Schools were generally more 
 highly paid than those in the Denominational, while 
 the work required of them was no more than that 
 required of their less-favoured brethren and sisters in 
 the teaching profession. But in addition to this, it 
 became every year more evident that the policy of 
 the Government was to foster the National, and de- 
 press the Denominational Schools. The votes pro- 
 
GOLDFIELDS' CHAPLAINS. 
 
 123 
 
 posed to Parliament and passed for the National 
 system were annually increased, while those for the 
 Denominational were stinted to such a degree that 
 applications for new schools under that Board were 
 of necessity refused. In the year 1859 it is believed 
 that the grants for National Schools were, in pro- 
 portion to the numbers taught, more than three times 
 larger than the grants for Denominational. All this 
 was most discouraging and trying to the Bishop, 
 after the pains he had taken, and with success, to 
 improve the schools in his diocese. 
 
 There was also at this time a growing disposition 
 in the Legislature to withdraw pecuniary assistance 
 to the different religious denominations, although the 
 entire abolition of State aid to religion was as yet 
 only looming in the future. A step towards it was, 
 however, now taken by a resolution of the Legislative 
 Assembly to discontinue the payment of stipends to 
 the Goldfields' chaplains, and also of a supplementary 
 grant which had been made to the State-paid clergy 
 in consequence of the increased cost of living, con- 
 sequent upon the discovery of gold. These with- 
 drawals involved the necessity of devising some 
 scheme for making up the deficiency thus oc- 
 casioned. 
 
 In the case of the Goldfields' chaplains the Bishop 
 proposed to appeal to the members of the Church for 
 special contributions to a fund, of which the Church 
 Society should be requested to become treasurer. 
 He proposed also that this fund should be 
 strengthened by offertories from at least the 
 wealthier congregations, while it was expected that 
 the population upon the Goldfields, to which the 
 
t24 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 ministrations of the chaplains were extended, would 
 be able to provide one-half of the stipends. By these 
 means it became possible to sustain a reduced number 
 of clergymen on the Goldfields for a few years, so that 
 the people settled thereon might not be entirely 
 destitute of the means of grace. But it was with 
 much difficulty that this was accomplished. The 
 congregations to be helped were scattered over a very 
 wide area, and it involved a large amount of riding 
 to visit and minister to them. The state of things 
 was at a somewhat later date well described in a 
 letter to the Bishop dated Sofala, January ist, 1861, 
 by the indefatigable chaplain, the Rev. A. H. 
 Palmer, who was located in the western districts : — 
 
 I cannot conceal from myself that the effect of the 
 withdrawal of the Goldfields' stipends has been very 
 disastrous to the moral and religious interests of the mining 
 community. It has resulted, as your lordship is aware, in 
 the withdrawal of one of the two ministers of the Church of 
 England formerly resident on the western Goldfields. 
 There was always and still is ample work for three. The 
 Church services have consequently been reduced in number 
 by more than one-half. And under the present arrange- 
 ment it is absolutely impossible for the clergyman to visit 
 amongst his people. At this time there is only one minister 
 of religion besides myself of any denomination (there were 
 formerly five) resident on the western Goldfields. And the 
 ministrations of that one, so far as the Goldfields are con- 
 cerned, are constantly confined to Sofala and the immediate 
 neighbourhood. No minister of any Protestant denomina- 
 tion excepting myself now visits Tambaroora, Bald Hill, 
 Hargraves, Windeyer, or the Pyramid. Under the present 
 system I feel that all which is or can be done merely pre- 
 vents the knowledge of religion from dying away, tends 
 but little to its propagation, and, still less in a greater part 
 
VO L UNTAR Y EFFOR TS — OFFER TOR Y. 1 2 5 
 
 of the district, to bringing up the young in the nurture and 
 admonition of the Lord. 
 
 The case of the parochial clergy was dealt with 
 in the manner described in the following circular 
 addressed to the clergy throughout the diocese, 
 which the Bishop requested them to lay before their 
 congregations or their official representatives. It is 
 distinguished by that calm judgment, wise considera- 
 tion of circumstances, and tenderness in dealing with 
 prejudices, which were conspicuous traits in his 
 character. On this account, and as it led to the 
 introduction of the Offertory into general use in the 
 diocese, it is given without abridgment : — 
 
 Bishopscourt, January ^rd, i860. 
 Reverend and Dear Sir, — The pecuniary position of 
 many of the clergy has been so materially affected by the 
 withdrawal of the supplementary grant for religious worship, 
 that I feel bound to propose some mode of relieving them 
 from the very painful consequences of the diminution of 
 their income. 
 
 I am aware that in some parishes the deficiency has 
 been already made up by special contributions. In other 
 parishes nothing has been done, and a subscription for this 
 purpose would be raised with difficulty, and probably 
 would not be repeated. 
 
 Even under the most favourable circumstances such a 
 mode of supplementing the clergyman's stipend is open to 
 objection. It is uncertain and fluctuating, and may be dis- 
 continued on very insufficient grounds, and in such a way 
 as to inflict serious and permanent injury both upon the 
 clergyman and the parish. 
 
 An income fixed in amount and regularly paid is a 
 claim which the clergy may with propriety advance, in 
 order that their work may be carried on without distraction, 
 
126 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and it is my earnest desire that this advantage should, if 
 possible, be secured to them. 
 
 One mode of accomplishing this object is by making a 
 weekly collection in the church during the time of Divine 
 service, and, if no objection is raised, in the manner pre- 
 scribed by the rubric. 
 
 Such a collection is in accordance with Scripture and 
 the directions contained in the Book of Common Prayer. 
 It is easily made, and when the object of it is understood 
 to be the maintenance (in part) of the clergy, there is reason 
 to believe that the amount will be considerably increased. 
 The manner of making such a collection varies in different 
 churches. 
 
 The directions of the rubric are in some instances com- 
 plied with by reading the offertory sentences after the 
 sermon, and following the collection with prayer. In other 
 churches the sentences only are read and the collection 
 made immediately after the Nicene Creed or at the doors. 
 In others, again, the collection is made immediately after 
 the sermon without the reading of the sentences, and before 
 the concluding prayer. Elsewhere the collection is made 
 at the doors after Divine service. The authority of the 
 rubric is quoted on behalf of the first mode, custom is 
 pleaded for the others. 
 
 Those circumstances which called forth a strong feeling 
 of dislike to the 1 offertory ' have for the most part passed 
 away, and in this diocese, at least, the use of it is not 
 associated with any peculiar doctrinal views. 
 
 The introduction of the offertory might, however, in 
 some cases cause dissatisfaction, unless the necessity for its 
 use and the application of the funds to be raised by means 
 of it were carefully explained and well understood. 
 
 My object in addressing you is to suggest that you 
 should consult your churchwardens and trustees upon this 
 subject, and if in your opinion and theirs no objection is 
 likely to be raised by the congregation, the practice (where 
 it does not already exist) may at once be introduced. 
 
LETTER OX OFFERTORY. 
 
 127 
 
 It will be further desirable that you should explain to 
 the parishioners that the object of this collection is to make 
 that provision for the clergy which the State has now with- 
 drawn, and in justification of this application of the money 
 so collected, you may point to the significant fact that the 
 compilers of our Liturgy selected to be read at the offertory 
 four sentences from Holy Writ, which instruct the con- 
 gregation that the maintenance of the pastor is one of the 
 duties of the flock. 
 
 If objections are made to this particular mode of collect- 
 ing the offerings of the congregation, some other, sanctioned 
 by custom, may be used ; but the intention of the Church 
 is that the collection should be made during (and not after) 
 Divine service, and be sanctioned by the Word of God and 
 prayer. 
 
 The rubric provides that the money given at the 
 offertory shall be disposed of by the minister and church- 
 wardens, with a reference, if need be, to the ordinary. My 
 recommendation is that the fund so collected should in the 
 first instance be charged with the payment of 100/. per 
 annum towards the clergyman's stipend. In some instances 
 this sum may be as much as can be raised, but as I am of 
 opinion that in these colonies 400/. per annum and a 
 parsonage house is the least to which the clergyman is 
 entitled, I shall be thankful if by the means I now suggest, 
 or by any other, as by endowments, this amount can be 
 secured. In justice to themselves and their country, the 
 laity ought not to rest satisfied with a provision of smaller 
 amount than this for their clergy. It is a wise policy, and 
 one attended with the best consequences to the well-being 
 of the community, to place the clergy in a position to give 
 themselves wholly to the duties of their sacred calling — to 
 the Word of God and to prayer. 
 
 The proposal now made is, in the first instance, intended 
 to apply to those parishes which have been deprived of a 
 portion of the Government supplementary grant. There 
 is, however, no reason against a more general adoption of 
 
128 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the plan, so that the stipends of the clergy, paid through the 
 Church Society, should in part be raised by the same 
 means. 
 
 Moreover, it is hoped that the contributions thus ob- 
 tained will be so much larger in amount than heretofore, 
 that in some of the more populous and wealthy parishes 
 there may be a surplus for the benefit of those districts 
 where comparatively little can be raised, or where no 
 Government stipend is received, that so ' the abundance of 
 some 1 may be a supply for the want ' of others. 
 
 I pray you, my reverend Brother, to assist in carrying 
 out this object by your counsels with your churchwardens 
 and trustees, and by your prayers on behalf of the bishop 
 and clergy, that we may approve ourselves to our Heavenly 
 Master and to the congregations committed to our charge, 
 ' by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, 
 by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, 
 by the power of God, and by the armour of righteousness 
 on the right hand and on the left.' 
 
 I remain, Reverend and Dear Sir, 
 
 Your affectionate friend and Bishop, 
 
 F. Sydney. 
 
 The suggestions offered by the Bishop in this 
 letter were to a considerable extent adopted by the 
 clergy and churchwardens, and helped materially to 
 mitigate the pressure under which many of the 
 incumbents were then suffering. And the Sunday 
 morning Offertory has ever since been the rule of the 
 diocese. 
 
129 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 i860. 
 
 Metropolitan Visitation — Tasmania — Adelaide — Melbourne — Special 
 Address on Church of England in Australia — Return to Sydney 
 — Arrival of Bishop of Brisbane — Visitation of Newcastle — 
 Trouble with a Presbyter — Visit to Western District — Mr. Comrie, 
 of Northfield. 
 
 Hitherto the Bishop had been so fully occu- 
 pied with matters relating to the organization 
 and efficient working of his own diocese, that 
 he had been unable to enter upon the duty im- 
 posed upon him by his Letters Patent — 1 Once 
 in five years or oftener to visit the dioceses 
 in the Metropolitan Province.' The obligation to 
 do this had, however, not been overlooked nor for- 
 gotten. Communications upon the subject had 
 passed between himself and the bishops of the 
 Province, and it had been arranged that the first 
 visitation should be made at such time as might be 
 found most convenient in this year, i860. It was 
 finally determined to commence the Visitation in 
 Tasmania in the month of May. 
 
 The Bishop, accompanied by Mrs. Barker, 
 accordingly left Sydney on the 20th of April for 
 Hobart Town, Tasmania, where they were received 
 
 K 
 
130 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and cordially welcomed on their arrival by the Bishop 
 of Tasmania and Archdeacon Davies. 
 
 The passage had been very stormy and pro- 
 tracted, and they were glad to rest quietly for a day 
 or two. On the 1st of May the Metropolitan held 
 his Visitation of the southern division of the diocese 
 in St. David's Cathedral, at which twenty -five 
 clergymen were present ; and on the 1 7th, of the 
 northern division, in St. John's Church, Launceston, 
 the number of clergy present on that occasion 
 amounting to twenty. 
 
 The Charge delivered by the Metropolitan was 
 afterwards published at the special request of those 
 to whom it was addressed, and it needs only a care- 
 ful perusal to discover the admirable spirit in which it 
 was conceived, and the wide grasp of thought which 
 it displayed regarding the future of the Church in 
 these southern lands. The topics upon which it 
 dwelt were mainly these : — the relation of the 
 Church in Australia to the Church in England ; the 
 work which in the providence of God she is called 
 upon to undertake in the southern hemisphere, and 
 the way in which she ought to aim at its accomplish- 
 ment ; the spirit and manner in which that work 
 should be carried on ; the provision necessary for the 
 support of the clergy ; the training of young men 
 for the ministry ; the difficulties attending purely 
 voluntary support ; the duty of large hearted and 
 liberal giving ; the question of patronage ; the sub- 
 division of dioceses ; missions to the heathen races 
 in Australia and Polynesia ; the utility and value of 
 diocesan synods composed of bishops, clergy, and 
 laity ; and the obligation of Churchmen to cultivate 
 
METROPOLITAN VISITATION, TASMANIA. 131 
 
 mutual chanty as the bond of unity and the source 
 of strength. All these, together with some other 
 minor matters, were dwelt upon and ably expounded. 
 
 The Visitation was highly appreciated by the 
 bishop and clergy of Tasmania, and also by the 
 laity. In the Hobart Town Mercury of May 8th, 
 i860, it is mentioned that on the 5th of that month 
 the Metropolitan received, at Government House, 
 the bishop and clergy of the Church of England, 
 several clergymen of other denominations, and a 
 large number of the laity, and that upon that 
 occasion the bishop and clergy of the southern 
 archdeaconry 1 presented to the Metropolitan an 
 address of warm thanks and affectionate esteem,' 
 in which amongst other things they assured him that 
 1 his visit had enabled them to realise, as they had 
 not yet done, their connexion with their ecclesiastical 
 metropolis and himself.' 
 
 The Metropolitan was very much gratified by 
 the cordiality with which he was everywhere received, 
 and spoke warmly of the pleasant and profitable 
 intercourse which he had held with the bishop and 
 his clergy and many of the laity. He admired the 
 zeal and liberality which had been shown by some 
 of the more wealthy lay members of the Church, in 
 providing out of their substance for the support of 
 the ordinances of the Gospel. The Visitation was 
 concluded on the 28th of May. 
 
 The next diocese to be visited was that of 
 Adelaide. As, however, there was no direct com- 
 munication by steamers from Launceston to that 
 port, it was necessary for the Bishop to cross over 
 to Melbourne and take the steamer from thence. 
 
132 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 This involved some delay, and it was the 7th of June 
 before the Bishop and Mrs. Barker arrived at 
 Adelaide, accompanied by the Bishop of Melbourne 
 and Mrs. Perry. They met with a most hearty and 
 Christian welcome from the Bishop of Adelaide and 
 his clergy, by whom an address was presented to the 
 Metropolitan, followed by one from the laity. A ser- 
 vice of morning prayer and Holy Communion was 
 held at eleven o'clock, and as an unusual occurrence, 
 it may be mentioned that an ordination was held at 
 seven o'clock in the evening by the Bishop of Adelaide 
 for the admission of a deacon to priest's orders. It 
 was understood to have been held at that hour with 
 the view of affording an opportunity to be present 
 to those who, owing to their various avocations, 
 could not have attended a morning service. 
 
 One of the first objects of interest to which the 
 attention of the Metropolitan was drawn, was St. 
 Peter's Grammar School, which had been founded 
 by the bishop, and had proved a great success. 
 The site was good, being part of a block of thirty- 
 seven acres, upon which a fine building was erected. 
 There were then in residence fifty boarders, and an 
 attendance besides of about eighty day scholars. It 
 promised to be a great benefit both to the Church 
 and to the colony. 
 
 Another institution which seemed to him to have 
 been wisely conceived and brought into operation 
 by the laity, was a society for the endowment of the 
 Church. The scheme proposed to be carried into 
 effect by this society was to acquire and lease lands 
 which would in the course of time become valuable and 
 productive of a considerable revenue, to be appropri- 
 
METROPOLITAN VISITATION, ADELAIDE. 1 33 
 
 ated in providing endowments for the Church in the 
 diocese, thus tending to impart to it a stability 
 which it could hardly possess if it continued to be 
 dependent upon purely voluntary support. 
 
 In the following week the diocesan synod, which 
 had been called into existence in the year 1855, met 
 in annual session. From this representative body 
 of the Church an address was presented to the 
 Metropolitan, offering him a hearty welcome to the 
 diocese, and expressing the high estimation in which 
 he was held. 
 
 On the same day he delivered his Metropolitan 
 Charge in Christ Church in the presence of a large 
 congregation. The remainder of the time devoted 
 to the Visitation was spent in preaching, lecturing, 
 speaking at meetings connected with the welfare of 
 the Church, and in consultation with the two bishops 
 upon matters relating to the well-being and advance- 
 ment of the Church in Australia. Amongst the 
 subjects upon which his mind dwelt, there was one 
 with regard to which he was specially anxious — it 
 was the establishment of a provincial synod or 
 council for the whole Province of Australia and 
 Tasmania, the design of which should be to take 
 counsel for the welfare of all the dioceses in matters 
 which were of general concern, and to maintain the 
 dioceses in unity with each other and with the Church 
 at home. The matter was one of no small import- 
 ance, and with regard to it the opinions of his 
 episcopal brethren would weigh much with him in 
 arriving at definite conclusions. There will be 
 occasion to recur to the subject further on in this 
 memoir. 
 
134 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The work accomplished by the Metropolitan 
 during his stay at Adelaide was considerable, as each 
 of the parishes in the city, and within a moderate 
 distance from it, received a share of his atten- 
 tion. Both in private and in public, the clergy 
 and the laity enjoyed many opportunities of inter- 
 course with him, and of hearing his thoughts and of 
 imparting their own; and the impression produced 
 by the visit was of increased regard and esteem 
 for one who had commended himself so strongly to 
 their best feelings and judgment. 
 
 The visit was brought to a close on Monday, 
 July the 2nd, and on the following Sunday, the 8th, 
 the Metropolitan was again at work in Victoria. At 
 Geelong he preached in the morning ; in the after- 
 noon he held a Confirmation, and in the evening he 
 preached again. 
 
 Thursday was the day appointed for the delivery 
 of the Metropolitan's Charge. It was delivered in the 
 cathedral at Melbourne ; the number of the clergy 
 present was fifty. Besides these there was a large 
 congregation of the laity. This was followed by a 
 course of preaching, delivering addresses, speaking 
 at public meetings, and other engagements bearing 
 upon the interests of religion. 
 
 One address of more than ordinary interest may 
 be specially noticed. It was delivered at the request 
 of some leading members of the Church in Melbourne, 
 the subject being the state and prospects of the 
 Church of England in the Australian Colonies. In 
 this address he reviewed, as far as the limited time at 
 his disposal would allow, some particulars in the 
 condition of the several dioceses, the progress which 
 
METROPOLITAN VISITATION, MELBOURNE. 
 
 135 
 
 they had already made, and offered some suggestions 
 as to the means by which it seemed to him that pro- 
 gress might be further promoted. 
 
 The dioceses then in existence in the province 
 were seven — Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, 
 Adelaide, Newcastle, Perth, and Brisbane. In these 
 there were two hundred and fifty clergymen in charge 
 of parishes, besides others who were engaged in tui- 
 tion, or in some other clerical capacity. The opinion 
 which the Metropolitan had formed of the body of 
 the clergy at that time was thus stated by him : — 
 
 From an extensive acquaintance with them, and from 
 the fact of my having been a parochial clergyman in 
 England for upwards of twenty-five years, I believe I am 
 correct in saying that the Australian clergy will bear to be 
 compared with a like number of their brethren in any given 
 area, and that such comparison will commonly be in their 
 favour. From their position and the nature of their duties, 
 they are, for the most part, practical and active clergymen 
 rather than persons who can unite the cultivation of science, 
 philosophy, or literature with their chief pursuit. They are 
 devoted to their profession, and, amidst many difficulties, 
 discharge the duties of their calling with fidelity and 
 diligence. 
 
 With regard to the maintenance of the clergy, it 
 may be observed that in the older colonies many of 
 them were the recipients of salaries from the public 
 treasury, not sufficient indeed, and requiring to be 
 supplemented by the voluntary offerings of their 
 people. But the time had arrived when no increase 
 was to be expected from the former source, and all 
 further extension of the ordinances of religion had 
 to be provided for by voluntary contributions. Upon 
 
136 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 this subject the Metropolitan thus gave his opinion 
 of what was to be desired : — 
 
 Contributions to a common fund can alone meet this 
 difficulty, and until the different parishes feel this, and 
 contribute according to their ability, the Church can hardly 
 be said to be planted in the land. Every effort ought to 
 be used in order that a feeling of interest in the common 
 well-being of the Church may be first excited and afterwards 
 maintained. I took the liberty of suggesting in one diocese 
 that a deputation consisting of the bishop and some of the 
 principal clergy and laity should visit every parish and dis- 
 trict, in order to explain to all the parishioners the necessity 
 of contributing to a common Church fund, and that the 
 deputation should remain a few days in each place to 
 organize an association and to solicit subscriptions. The 
 idea met with approval, and if carried out will I have no 
 doubt, be successful. 
 
 But besides this common fund to be raised 
 annually, the Metropolitan strongly advocated 
 parochial endowments. Upon this subject, he ex- 
 pressed himself thus : — 
 
 Endowments and the establishment of a common fund 
 for the support of the ministry appear to be necessary, in 
 order to preserve in these colonies such an intelligent and 
 educated body of men as we desire to see engaged in the 
 service of the Church. It is by men of this description 
 that all classes of society are influenced. The lowest, as 
 well as the highest, acknowledge the power of a cultivated 
 mind, and the force of 1 right words.' Uneducated piety, 
 accompanied by fervent zeal, may be extensively useful, 
 yet cannot supply the place of learning? and of that know- 
 ledge of mankind which are among the proper fruits of 
 collegiate training. But men of education and refinement 
 are more than others painfully affected by the evils of the 
 voluntary system, and as they can avoid them by declining 
 
SPECIAL ADDRESS AT MELBOURNE, 1 37 
 
 to labour in that portion of the Church in which they exist, 
 I fear that the tendency of an unmodified system of volun- 
 tary payments will be to deter highly qualified men from 
 entering the ministry. The religious ordinances will, no 
 doubt, be maintained, but it will not be easy to secure the 
 services of such men as these colonies require. 
 
 And with reference to the state and prospects of 
 the Church, he said : — 
 
 Our object is to place the Church, that is the clergyman 
 and the people, together with the various institutions by 
 which they carry on Christ's work, in such a position that 
 by God's blessing these institutions shall be permanent, 
 and the mutual relations of the clergyman and the people 
 be that which, upon the whole, shall be best for both 
 parties. I do not think these objects can be gained without 
 endowments — endowments in land, in money, or in houses 
 — partial endowments, if you will, but still endowments of 
 some kind. I know how difficult it is to effect this at the 
 present time, how much may be said in favour of supplying 
 the wants of the day by the efforts of the day, and of 
 trusting to the liberality of Christian people to carry on 
 Christian work But in answer to these prelimi- 
 nary objections I have to say that the endowment of the 
 Church is a work which ought to be done, which has been 
 done in former times, and which may in part, at least, be 
 done now. 
 
 The Metropolitan had a high view of the position 
 which the Church of England ought to hold in the 
 Australian colonies, and upon this point he re- 
 marked : — 
 
 Two things have been especially impressed upon me 
 during my recent visitation. The immense importance of 
 the Church of England as a social and national institution, 
 as an element of stability and order, as a witness to the 
 
138 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 value of learning and higher education, and as a means of 
 preserving those principles and elevating those tastes 
 which are essential to a people's well-being and progress; 
 also, that the present is a most important period of the 
 Church's history in these colonies. The Church is now 
 upon her trial. It is to be seen whether she is capable of 
 adapting herself to this new country and to the strange 
 
 circumstances in which her children find themselves 
 
 I feel most deeply and conscientiously that the interests 
 of godliness, upon which the true prosperity of the country 
 depends, are inseparably connected with the progress of the 
 Church of England, and I therefore call upon every one 
 who values righteousness in a nation to seize the present 
 time, and to use the Church of England as a means of 
 diffusing God's best blessings through these lands. 
 
 There was another point upon which the Metro- 
 politan dwelt, and regarding which he felt much 
 anxiety, the importance of which none can doubt in 
 looking forward to the future of the Church in the 
 Australian colonies. It was whether the Church 
 shall, as in the United States of America, be the 
 Church of the wealthier and more cultured classes 
 only, or, together with them, the Church of the 
 middle and labouring classes ; or, to speak more cor- 
 rectly, the Church of all classes. He feared that the 
 operation of the voluntary system, unmodified by any 
 balancing power, might have the effect of excluding 
 the poor and those in less affluent circumstances 
 from her congregations, and leaving them practically 
 uncared for. Such a danger seemed to him to loom 
 in the future, and he, therefore, raised his warning 
 voice to prevent it. The means which he suggested 
 as likely to be effectual for that end were these : 
 ' first, the cultivation of a widely diffused missionary 
 
SPECIAL ADDRESS AT MELBOURNE. 1 39 
 
 spirit in the members of the Church, which would 
 lead the more affluent to assist their poorer brethren 
 in making provision for the supply of their spiritual 
 wants ; secondly, the preservation of the parochial 
 system, which makes the minister who is placed in 
 charge of a parish or district the minister of all the 
 members of the Church located therein, be they rich 
 or poor, or whatever their position, rank, or calling 
 may be.' 
 
 Having completed his Visitation of the three 
 dioceses of Tasmania, Adelaide, and Melbourne, he 
 returned to Sydney, accompanied by Mrs. Barker, 
 arriving there on the 4th of August, after an absence 
 of one hundred and six days. 
 
 Shortly after this Dr. Edward Tufmell, with a 
 staff of six clergymen and several lay helpers, arrived 
 from England on their way to the newly-formed 
 Diocese of Brisbane, of which Dr. Tuffnell had been 
 appointed the first bishop. They met with a cordial 
 welcome from the Bishop of Sydney and the clergy. 
 A thanksgiving service was held, and an address of 
 public welcome was presented by the Bishop, who 
 accompanied it with words of congratulation and 
 encouragement. The Bishop of Newcastle also, a 
 large portion of whose diocese had been transferred 
 to that of Brisbane, hastened to welcome the new 
 bishop, and to make arrangements for putting him 
 in possession of his see. After a short stay in 
 Sydney, the Bishop of Brisbane, with his clergy and 
 lay helpers, departed, after a valedictory service 
 and an address by the Metropolitan founded upon 
 Acts, xx. 22. 
 
 Immediately after this the Bishop of Sydney, 
 
140 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 accompanied by Mrs. Barker, resumed his Metro- 
 politan Visitation, proceeding now to the Diocese of 
 Newcastle. The seaport town of that name, situated 
 at the mouth of the River Hunter, sixty miles north 
 of Sydney, and the chief emporium of the coal trade, 
 was reached early in the morning of September the 
 4th. Here they were met and welcomed by the Bishop 
 of Newcastle and several of the laity; and the bishop 
 accompanied them up the river to Morpeth, where 
 he resided. It was afternoon when they arrived at 
 his pleasantly situated mansion, and they were glad 
 to rest quietly during the remainder of the day. On 
 Wednesday the two bishops proceeded to East 
 Maitland, where an address from the clergy and 
 laity of the diocese was presented to the Metro- 
 politan. This was followed by a luncheon, which 
 was attended by a large number of the clergy and 
 laity, and in the afternoon the Metropolitan gave 
 in St. Peter's Church an address upon the general 
 state and prospects of the Church throughout the 
 Province, as gathered from his own observation 
 and the inquiries which he had made during his 
 Visitation. 
 
 On Thursday morning the Visitation was held in 
 St. James's Church, Morpeth. Out of twenty-eight 
 clergymen, who formed the diocesan staff, eighteen 
 were present ; the distances to be travelled 
 and other circumstances prevented the remainder 
 from attending. After morning prayer the Met- 
 ropolitan Charge was delivered, which was 
 followed by a celebration of the Holy Com- 
 munion. 
 
 On Friday the foundation-stone of a new church 
 
METROPOLITAN VISITATION, NEWCASTLE. 
 
 141 
 
 was laid by the Metropolitan at West Maitland. 
 On Sunday he preached three times — at St. Peter's, 
 East Maitland, in the morning ; at St. Paul's in the 
 afternoon ; and at St. James's, Morpeth, in the 
 evening. 
 
 On Monday he proceeded to Newcastle, where 
 an address from the Church people of that place was 
 presented to him. A service was held in the church, 
 and he again preached. On Tuesday morning, 
 accompanied by Mrs. Barker, he returned to Sydney. 
 
 One other diocese, that of Brisbane, now re- 
 mained to be visited ; but as it had been so newly 
 formed, and was not yet sufficiently organized, its 
 visitation was for the present postponed. 
 
 Reference must be now made to an event which 
 occurred shortly after this, and which was a cause of 
 much sorrow to the Bishop, and tended to disturb 
 for a time the peace of the Church. The Bishop 
 was about to hold an ordination in the temporary 
 cathedral on St. Matthew's Day ; and as the building 
 used for cathedral purposes was also used as a place 
 of worship for the parishioners of St. Andrew's, the 
 clergyman officiating therein was notified of the 
 Bishop's intention, in order that the requisite 
 arrangements might be made for the ordination 
 service. In consequence, however, of a question 
 having been raised on several occasions relative to 
 the Bishop's absolute control over the building as 
 his cathedral, the Bishop, acting under advice, 
 abstained from inviting that clergyman to take part 
 in the ordination service. In reply to the letter noti- 
 fying him of the ordination, the clergyman, apparently 
 thinking that he was only defending his own position 
 
142 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 as a parochial minister, asserted his right to take 
 part in the service, and his determination so to do. 
 Upon this a statement of the order of proceedings 
 was forwarded to him by the Bishop's secretary, 
 and he was warned that should he persist in his 
 determination unpleasant consequences must ensue. 
 The rejoinder to this was a threat to close the door 
 of the building, and prevent the ordination. 
 
 Arrangements were therefore made, in the event 
 of such an occurrence, to hold the ordination else- 
 where, and when, on the day appointed, this un- 
 seemly course was adopted, a notice was affixed 
 to the gate of the cathedral, intimating to those who 
 had assembled for the ordination that it would be 
 held in St. Philip's Church. Thither the Bishop, 
 the clergy, and the candidates forthwith repaired, 
 followed by a large number of persons who had 
 been excluded from St. Andrew's ; and the solemn 
 service was then proceeded with by the Bishop and 
 those appointed to take part in it. 
 
 It was necessary, however, that steps should be 
 taken without delay to vindicate and uphold the 
 Bishop's authority. For this purpose the Bishop, 
 after taking legal advice and acting in strict con- 
 formity with the powers which the Letters Patent 
 conferred upon him, summoned the offending 
 clergyman to appear before himself, the Chancellor, 
 and four presbyters, to answer for his conduct. (It 
 is believed that it was intimated to him that he 
 might, if he chose, nominate two of these four 
 presbyters, and that he declined to avail himself of 
 the offer.) The clergyman thereupon applied to 
 the Supreme Court for a Prohibition to stay all 
 
TROUBLE WITH A PRESBYTER. 
 
 H3 
 
 further proceedings against him. This of course 
 prevented any decisive action being taken by the 
 Bishop until the case was heard and disposed of 
 by the Court. It shortly after came on for argu- 
 ment, and occupied four days and a half. The 
 question resolved itself into this : Whether the 
 Bishop was or was not legally authorised to pursue 
 the course he had adopted. The judgment of the 
 Court was not delivered until the nth of February, 
 1 86 1. The prohibition prayed for was granted, but 
 without costs. The Court held that the Bishop 
 was bound to act in strict conformity with the 
 provisions of the Colonial Church Act, and that 
 he could not avail himself of any powers vested 
 in him by virtue of his Letters Patent. The acting 
 Chief Justice emphatically pointed out that nothing 
 could be more fair or more consistent with equitable 
 dealing than the course proposed by the Bishop, 
 but that the only course for a bishop to pursue 
 under the Colonial Act was to call upon the accused 
 clergyman to appear before himself personally, in 
 order that, when he had heard what the clergyman 
 had to say, he might form his own judgment on the 
 case ; that the law of the colony constituted the Bishop, 
 in a case of this kind, sole judge without appeal. 
 
 Such being the decision of the Supreme Court 
 of the colony, the Bishop proceeded to act upon it. 
 The clergyman was summoned to appear before the 
 Bishop at a given time and place, to show cause why 
 his license should not be revoked. The clergyman 
 attended at the time and place named, and read a 
 statement concluding with a protest against the 
 Bishop's course of action, and a denial on his part of 
 
144 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 his jurisdiction. The case was then adjourned, and 
 the Bishop took some time to draw up his judgment 
 upon the matter. It was prepared with no ordinary- 
 care, and involved an attentive study of authorities 
 bearing upon the question, after consultation with 
 his legal advisers. 
 
 A day was then fixed for the delivery of the 
 judgment (February 28th, 1861 ), of which the clergy- 
 man was duly informed. He abstained from ap- 
 pearing, and the Bishop proceeded to deliver his 
 judicial decision, which while it gave the fullest satis- 
 faction to his friends owing to its masterly complete- 
 ness and judicial tone, astonished those who sided 
 with the clergyman by its calmness and moderation. 
 
 The license of the clergyman was revoked, but 
 another was offered to him containing a proviso by 
 which his submission in the future would be ensured 
 beyond all question. This was at first declined, but 
 better counsels prevailing, was soon after accepted. 
 It is pleasant and gratifying to add that subsequently 
 the clergyman became fully reconciled to his bishop, 
 who had never entertained the slightest animosity 
 towards him, and from that time treated the Bishop 
 with respect and confidence. 
 
 On the 1 2th of November, i860, the Bishop set 
 out on another western tour, which had been post- 
 poned some weeks by the untoward events which 
 have been related. This tour lasted five weeks, and 
 like many others was, at that hot season of the year, 
 trying and wearisome, though it presents few notable 
 incidents. Attended by his faithful servant, Morgan, 
 with a pack-horse and another for riding, the Bishop 
 performed the journey on horseback. In those days 
 
VISIT TO WESTERN DISTRICT. 1 45 
 
 the roads over the sandstone mountains, leading to 
 Bathurst, were like much worn steps, and it was 
 grievous to see their not unfrequent effects in broken- 
 down drays and other vehicles. The way was dreary 
 and the soil unproductive. Except the public-houses, 
 there were scarcely any dwellings to be seen, and 
 none at all in the adjacent country. Now the traveller 
 crosses those ranges in a luxurious railway carriage, 
 and here and there his eye rests upon white villas, 
 embosomed in trees, where Sydney merchants or 
 professional men seek repose and enjoy cool refresh- 
 ing nights. 
 
 The Bishop was at Orange on the anniversary 
 of his consecration ; and the day is thus specially 
 remembered and noted by him : — 
 
 A memorable day is this, a day of many sorrows, 
 anxieties, and deep responsibilities, in which the character 
 and current of our lives received a new direction, and in 
 which we have also received many mercies. I cannot but 
 feel that the overruling providence of God was followed, 
 and that we shall hereafter know that all has been well. In 
 the clergy and others who have taken a prominent part ; in 
 the schools, churches, the Church Society, and St. Catherine's, 
 there is much to be thankful for. And if we have some- 
 thing to try our faith and temper, we have overcome greater 
 difficulties than these; and we have need of patience, there- 
 fore of tribulation, to bring it into exercise. 
 
 During this tour he held Confirmations at nine 
 places, preached and held services at twenty, conse- 
 crated two burial-grounds, and addressed several 
 Church meetings. The distance travelled on horse- 
 back was seven hundred and forty-three miles in 
 thirty-two days, the journey being sometimes over 
 
 L 
 
146 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 unfrequented tracks, varied with incidents of which 
 the following may be taken as a specimen : — 
 
 From Carcoar I had a long, hot ride. We managed to miss 
 our way, and lost an hour in consequence. ' Nimrod ' had 
 to take his turn of carrying the pack, and as he leads badly 
 we let him loose, and drove him on before. We halted 
 under a gum-tree, where was plenty of grass and water, 
 and fortunately we had some luncheon with us. So the 
 horses enjoyed a roll and the fresh grass. I rolled up my 
 coat and made a pillow, and rested under the shadow of 
 the trunk of a tree. Morgan, I believe, did the same. 
 Meanwhile, two of our horses strayed away across the 
 range, and Nimrod, whom we had taken the precaution 
 to hobble, was jumping along after them, when Morgan 
 woke up just in time to drive them back. Had he not, it 
 might have been difficult to track the animals in time to 
 effect the journey before night closed in upon them. 
 
 While at Mudgee, a pleasing incident occurred. 
 
 A Mr. C , who is described by the Bishop as a 
 
 plain man, called upon the Bishop, and offered him a 
 donation of 500/., to be applied towards building a 
 church in the diocese in which all the seats should be 
 free. It is almost needless to say that the offer was 
 accepted. The money was soon after paid into the 
 Bishop's hands, and was subsequently appropriated 
 towards the erection of St. Luke's Church, Sussex 
 Street, Sydney, upon the condition laid down by 
 the donor, that the seats should be free and 
 unappropriated. 
 
 In accomplishing the return journey, the Bishop 
 took the road which leads from the mountain ridge 
 to the Kurrajong heights, and rested for a few days 
 in the hospitable home of James Comrie, Esq., of 
 
MR. COMRIE, OF NORTHFIELD. 1 47 
 
 Northfield. 1 Here Mrs. Barker met him, and they 
 remained until December the 20th, when they left for 
 Sydney. Before they took their departure, Mr. 
 Comrie gave a very gratifying proof of his regard 
 for the Bishop, and of his desire to help forward the 
 work of the diocese. This was done by presenting 
 him with sixteen acres of land towards an endow- 
 ment for the Church in the Kurrajong, and of 
 eleven acres for the benefit of the Clergy Daughters' 
 School. It was then thought that these portions of 
 land would have turned out more valuable than they 
 have yet proved. But the tide of settlement having 
 been drawn by the railway in another direction, over 
 the Blue Mountains, the Kurrajong has not made 
 the progress which was expected. The kindness 
 and liberality of the donor are not, however, on that 
 
 1 A friend writes : — 'There are few places to be found anywhere so 
 pleasant to rest in after a weary journey and exposure to the heat of 
 the Australian summer sun, as Northfield, and few hosts who can 
 give such a hearty Christian welcome to their friends as Mr. Comrie. 
 The situation is charming. About fifteen hundred feet above the 
 valley, upon a natural terrace, stands a one-storied house, surrounded 
 by a low verandah, but raised above the ground about four feet. It is 
 reached by a picturesque lane, leading to a white gate, through which 
 you pass into green lawns, amidst fine trees, to the entrance. The 
 soil is composed of volcanic detritus, and is of the richest. Every 
 kind of palm, and creeper, and fern, grows luxuriantly, and where 
 nature fails cultivated taste has introduced beautiful plants and rare 
 fruits. Inside, the house is small, but charming in its old-fashioned 
 comfort and elegance, while the library, literally walled with books, 
 and its occupant deep in his favourite authors, or in the latest literature 
 which has come to hand, supplies a picture unusual almost anywhere, 
 but especially in the Australian " bush," tenanted by an active, bright, 
 and energetic, but not book-loving people. From the windows there 
 is an exquisite view looking down upon the plain far beneath, where 
 the Hawkesbury winds through a fertile valley. The grounds of 
 Northfield are of considerable extent, and there are spots of great 
 beauty.' 
 
148 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 account to be less highly estimated. After visiting 
 Windsor and Parramatta, and taking the King's 
 School with Blacktown, on the way, the Bishop 
 reached Bishopscourt on December the 22nd, after 
 an absence of nearly six weeks. 
 
149 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 1861 — 1864. 
 
 Prayer Meetings — Address from Clergy — Clerical Meetings — Southern 
 Tour — Proposed New Diocese — Public Meeting at Goulburn — 
 Second Visitation of Clergy — Review of Church Progress — De- 
 parture for England — Bishop in England — Abolition of State Aid 
 — Return to the Colony, 1864 — Arrival of Bishop of Goulburn — 
 Bishop Patteson — Ordination for Bishop of Melbourne. 
 
 As the year i860 was drawing towards its close, it 
 was determined by the Bishop, after consultation 
 with some of the Sydney clergy, to mark the 
 opening of the coming year by meetings for Special 
 Prayer, on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of January. It was 
 felt to be a time when special prayer was called for, 
 and there were many who longed for such an 
 opportunity. The first of these meetings was held 
 in the Church Society's House, but it proved so 
 utterly inadequate for the accommodation of those 
 who attended, that the two which followed were held 
 in St. James' Schoolroom, which was capable of 
 holding five hundred persons. But even that was 
 far from sufficient to receive all who came. There 
 were present persons from almost every Church of 
 England congregation in the city, and of different 
 ranks and conditions in society. An observer re- 
 
150 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 marked that, 'he had never seen the Church of Eng- 
 land so strong in Sydney, and that it was not the 
 strength of outward uniformity, but of inward sym- 
 pathy and communion.' From another independent 
 source this testimony was given : — 'W e have had such 
 encouraging prayer ^meetings since the year began. 
 The Bishop and eleven of his clergy conducted the 
 services, which consisted of hymns, reading portions 
 of Scripture, and prayers, in addition to which, on 
 the second and third evenings, the Bishop gave a 
 beautiful address. Crowds came, and we met 
 several hundreds who had to leave for want of 
 room.' 
 
 There was, however, a section of Church people 
 in the diocese who were averse to such meetings, 
 and some who, it may be said, were strongly opposed 
 to them, and by whom the Bishop's action was 
 much condemned. They disapproved indeed of all 
 services other than those which were appointed by 
 the Church in the Book of Common Prayer. The 
 Bishop met this objection in one of his addresses, 
 in these words : — 
 
 It is asked, Why not meet in the church, in the 
 accustomed place of prayer ? I answer that this service is 
 in addition and supplementary to the appointed services of 
 the Church. Those services, as they occur in the ecclesias- 
 tical year or appointed for the day, are full of instruction, 
 edification, and blessing. But they do not apply to every 
 occasion in life. They do not supersede family prayer or 
 private prayer, prayer in times of difficulty and when two 
 or three have met together for seeking guidance from above, 
 neither do they supersede the necessity for special or occa- 
 sional assemblies for social prayer. Let all the services ap- 
 pointed by the Church be held in conformity with the rubric, 
 
PR A YER MEETINGS- 
 
 ' — ADDRESS FROM CLERG Y. I 5 I 
 
 let us celebrate as at this season the Festivals of the Circum- 
 cision and the Epiphany, let daily prayer be offered up in all 
 the parish churches, 'where the clergyman is not otherwise 
 reasonably hindered/ and where a congregation can be 
 gathered together, yet still in my opinion it is a privilege 
 that we as members of one family should meet and offer 
 up our prayers in the manner which is customary at the 
 assembling of our households or the meeting of our 
 friends. 
 
 The special occasion for these services is to be found in' 
 our present circumstances. It is a critical period in the 
 history of the world, of our own Church in this colony, and 
 of the colony itself. We need Divine guidance, and to 
 obtain it, we must seek it. 
 
 In the present day such a justification would 
 hardly have been needed, such meetings for social 
 prayer being not unusual in different sections of the 
 Church of England. But the Bishop was one 
 who wished to convince those who differed from him, 
 and if possible to win them over by sound reason 
 and argument. He felt, too, that it was right, as far 
 as was in his power, to remove prejudices, and to 
 allay any hostility which might have arisen from 
 erroneous views upon spiritual subjects. 
 
 During the last few months he had been the 
 subject of many attacks and misrepresentations, 
 arising out of the course which he had felt it his 
 duty to pursue in the case to which reference has 
 been made in the preceding chapter. These attacks 
 and misrepresentations induced a number of the 
 clergy to meet together, and draw up an address, 
 expressive of their sentiments of esteem and confid- 
 ence. It was signed by fifty licensed clergymen of the 
 diocese, and was presented to the Bishop in the month 
 
152 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 of March. It expressed the deep pain with which 
 those who signed it had noticed the attacks which 
 had been made upon him, and disclaimed most em- 
 phatically any participation in statements which had 
 been put forth condemnatory of his proceedings. It 
 repudiated any sympathy whatever with these attacks, 
 and the idea that the rights of the parochial clergy 
 were represented or advocated in them. It bore 
 testimony to his dignified forbearance and modera- 
 tion in dealing with the particular case, and expressed 
 a firm conviction that he ' would ever be as he had 
 been, guided by a sincere purpose to do that which 
 was alike just towards the clergy and best for 
 the interests of the diocese at large.' 
 
 At this period of his episcopate, and for some 
 years after, the Bishop was accustomed to invite the 
 clergy to Bishopscourt once a month to a clerical 
 meeting, over which he presided, not so much as 
 bishop as in the character of an elder brother 
 experienced in the ministry and desirous of giving 
 the benefit of that experience to his younger 
 brethren. At these meetings, which were greatly 
 appreciated, portions of Scripture were read and 
 discussed, and papers on special subjects chosen 
 beforehand were read and considered. One such 
 paper was read by the Bishop himself, the subject 
 being, ' The best mode of maintaining amongst 
 our people an intelligent attachment to the Church 
 of England.' 
 
 The question he felt to be one worthy of more 
 consideration than is commonly given to it, and too 
 little regarded with a view to its practical application. 
 For, as the Bishop told his brethren, 1 under the 
 
CLERICAL MEETINGS — NEW DIOCESE. I 53 
 
 common name of Protestants there are to be found 
 as worshippers in our churches those who barely 
 tolerate the Prayer Book for the sake of the sermon, 
 who know nothing and therefore care nothing for 
 the peculiar claims of the Church as a body con- 
 stituted in a primitive and apostolic form, and are 
 ready, on the slightest provocation, to withdraw from 
 this semblance of connexion with it, and unite them- 
 selves with some other religious communion.' 'The 
 remedy for this state of things,' he said, was ' to 
 present her to the people in such a manner as to 
 secure that affection and respect which are due to 
 her as a true, spiritual, and apostolic branch of the 
 Universal Church, the Body of Christ.' At the re- 
 quest of the clergy, this paper was printed for their 
 further instruction and guidance. 
 
 The very large extent of the diocese as it was 
 then constituted, rendered it necessary for the due 
 discharge of his episcopal functions that the diocesan 
 should be often absent from Sydney, on visits to the 
 west, or the south, or to the sea-coast. Thus it now 
 became needful for the Bishop to turn his attention 
 again to the southern and south-western portions 
 of it, where Confirmations had to be held, new 
 churches solemnly opened and set apart for the 
 worship of God, the foundations of others to be laid, 
 matters relating to the well-being of the Church to be 
 explained to the people, and the important question 
 of the subdivision of the diocese and the creation of a 
 new bishopric discussed, and as far as possible settled. 
 
 On the 22nd August, 1861, the Bishop took his 
 departure from Sydney, accompanied by Mrs. 
 Barker. He intended again to proceed as far as 
 
154 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Deniliquin, a long distance, but there was much 
 interesting work along the road to be done 
 for the Master, and of this he was never weary. 
 While at Goulburn, on the way, a preliminary 
 meeting was held of members of the Church, 
 at which he briefly explained his views re- 
 garding a subdivision of the diocese, and it was re- 
 solved to hold on his return another meeting of a 
 public character, when the subject could be fully 
 explained and the views which he had propounded 
 considered. In the meantime it was hoped that it 
 would receive the attention of those to whom that 
 preliminary information had been given, and of others 
 to whom it should be communicated. The matter 
 was one which had for some time been occupying his 
 attention. He felt very strongly that it was not 
 possible for him to give to the more distant districts 
 of the diocese all the attention which they ought to 
 receive, and that every year the work required was 
 increasing with the increase of population and the 
 formation of new settlements. He felt, too, that 
 frequent and lengthened absences of the chief pastor 
 from the centre of his diocese interfered very much 
 with his work and usefulness there, and that the 
 Church was thus suffering both at its heart and its 
 extremities. 
 
 After nearly three months' continuous travelling 
 the Bishop returned to Goulburn, and the proposed 
 public meeting was held to initiate measures for the 
 formation of the new bishopric. The meeting com- 
 prised most of the influential members of the Church 
 resident in the district. Speaking on that occasion 
 the Bishop told his hearers that : — 
 
MEETING AT GOULBURN. 
 
 155 
 
 The late Bishop of Sydney, even after the division of his 
 originally immense diocese, by the appointment of several 
 other colonial bishops, had looked forward to its still further 
 subdivision by the founding of an episcopate in the southern 
 districts, and his desire to see this effected must have been 
 greatly strengthened by the experiences of his last journey 
 through this portion of his see, for, just previous to his em- 
 barkation for England, Dr. Broughton had visited the south 
 and south-western districts, and had encountered no small 
 hardships and difficulties. He himself had now returned 
 from a similar tour, and by the time he reached his house in 
 Sydney, would have been for three months continually 
 travelling, and yet had not done all he could have wished 
 to do. Visitations frequent enough to render the bishop's 
 suggestions and advice of value — which, if kindly and 
 judiciously given, were always well received by the people — 
 were impossible with the present extent of the Diocese of 
 Sydney. And he saw no prospect of being able to visit 
 those parts from which he had returned more frequently. 
 He was sorry to say that in his late journey he had even 
 found one portion of his diocese that had not been visited 
 for five years. - There was no remedy for this state of things 
 but the formation of another diocese. The country, every- 
 one would admit, was large enough. The number of the 
 clergy included in it was twenty, and they were clergymen 
 
 with whom any bishop might be happy to co-operate 
 
 A new bishop would bring with him new sources of support 
 and interest, and for this reason, were there no other, the 
 appointment of one was desirable. 
 
 With regard to the endowment which ought to be 
 provided, he expressed his opinion emphatically : — 
 
 That it ought not to be less than 1000/. per annum, with 
 a residence. Of this fully 5000/. had been contributed 
 
 already During his recent journey he had 
 
 taken every opportunity of bringing the matter before 
 
156 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the members and friends of the Church, and the 
 people of Goulburn might be assured that their liberality 
 would be seconded by that of other places. The clergy 
 had taken up the matter very warmly, and there was not a 
 layman with whom he had conversed who, whatever he 
 might say about contributing, thought that the appointment 
 of a Bishop of Goulburn was either untimely or un- 
 necessary. 
 
 At this meeting resolutions were adopted 
 unanimously affirming the desirability of the step 
 proposed to be taken, fixing the minimum endow- 
 ment to be raised at 12,000/., for which subscription- 
 lists should be at once opened, upon the condition 
 that Goulburn should be the seat of the bishopric, 
 asking the co-operation of the clergy and laity in the 
 proposed diocese by forming committees in their 
 respective parishes to give effect to the previous 
 resolution, and expressing the opinion ' that the first 
 appointment of a bishop to fill the see should be 
 made at the recommendation of the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury.' From this long and toilsome journey 
 the Bishop returned to Sydney on the 29th 
 November. The distances travelled amounted 
 altogether to about two thousand miles. 
 
 For some time past the Bishop had contem- 
 plated the necessity of paying a visit to England ; 
 and the time was now approaching for carrying this 
 purpose into effect. He not only felt that, after 
 seven years of incessant and laborious work, 
 he needed the rest which he would thus obtain, 
 but that the visit might be otherwise advan- 
 tageous to himself and his diocese. There was 
 also the important matter of the subdivision 
 
VISITA TION—RE VIE W OF CHURCH PROGRESS. I 5 7 
 
 of the diocese and the creation of that of 
 Goulburn, which -he believed his presence in 
 England would enable him to help forward. His 
 personal representations also to the great Church 
 societies might probably enlist their sympathies, 
 and induce them to aid in the endowment of the 
 bishopric as they had done in other cases. 
 
 Early in the year 1862 he therefore began to 
 make his preparations for a temporary absence. In 
 the month of February he summoned the clergy in 
 the counties of Cumberland and Camden to a 
 Visitation, limiting it to these because he did 
 not wish to put those who were more distant 
 to the expense and inconvenience of a long 
 journey. Those who attended were fifty-five in 
 number. 
 
 In the Charge which he delivered upon this 
 occasion it was natural that he should review the 
 progress of the Church from his arrival to the time 
 then present. And this he was able to do with 
 much thankfulness and encouragement. 
 
 The members of the Church of England in almost every 
 district of the diocese had been actively engaged in main- 
 taining and extending the ordinances of religion. The 
 clergy had been forward in directing and encouraging their 
 labours, and had been liberally supported by the laity. 
 The number of churches and school-churches opened 
 within that period was not less than eighty-six, or at the 
 rate of one for each month in those seven years, nor were 
 there any signs of a diminution of zeal and endeavour to 
 overtake the existing wants of the diocese. It was in no 
 spirit of boasting that these statements were made, but in 
 order that the members of the Church might know what 
 had been done, and find encouragement in overcoming 
 
1^8 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 difficulties and in pursuing labours which their brethren had 
 brought to a successful issue. The Church Society had 
 been largely instrumental by the assistance it had rendered 
 to the accomplishment of these works, its grants, though 
 limited in amount, encouraging and calling forth local 
 efforts. 
 
 Amongst the various topics upon which the 
 Bishop dwelt, one of special interest to the Church 
 at large was the failure of the attempt to obtain 
 synodical action. He thus referred to it : — 
 
 I regret that the attempt to introduce synodical action 
 into this diocese has hitherto proved unsuccessful. The 
 chief difficulties have been the differences of opinion 
 amongst ourselves, the unfounded apprehensions existing 
 in the minds of some conscientious opponents of the Bill as 
 to its effects upon other denominations, and the hostility 
 with which every measure for the advantage of the Church 
 of England is regarded by the Roman Catholic authorities. 
 For differences of opinion amongst ourselves we must all 
 be prepared. These differences made themselves apparent 
 in the Conference, the principles out of which they spring 
 were fully discussed, and the decisions were carried by a 
 considerable majority in our own diocese, and unanimously 
 adopted in that of Newcastle. It was hardly to be 
 anticipated that the opposition of members of the Church 
 of England would follow the proposed measure into the 
 Legislature. 
 
 Then, after pointing out the different quarters 
 from which opposition came, he added in that spirit 
 of moderation and sound judgment which character- 
 ised his opinions : — 
 
 The great majority of the members of the Church of 
 England desired the introduction of synodical action ; it was 
 an object upon which much time and labour had been ex- 
 
DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 
 
 '59 
 
 pended ; but, if the object could only be gained at the cost 
 of increased division amongst ourselves, and by stirring up 
 strife with other communions, it was prudent to wait and 
 ascertain what were likely to be the effects of time and 
 further deliberation. 
 
 The day appointed for the departure of the 
 Bishop and Mrs. Barker was the 22nd of March. 
 Divine service was held in St. James's Church at 
 11 a.m., and an opportunity afforded to the clergy 
 and laity to unite in partaking with them of Holy 
 Communion before their embarkation. The day 
 was very unfavourable, the rain falling in heavy 
 showers, which prevented many who had intended 
 to be present from uniting in this service. Never- 
 theless, nearly all the city and suburban clergy* were 
 present, and a considerable body of the laity. After 
 the service an adjournment was made to the Church 
 Society's House, where a farewell address signed by 
 about three thousand persons was presented to the 
 Bishop, from which the following paragraph re- 
 ferring to the state of the diocese may be 
 quoted : — 
 
 We desire to express with feelings of deep thankfulness 
 to Almighty God our congratulations on the peace and 
 harmony which, under the Divine blessing, prevail, no 
 internal dissensions existing to divert our minds from the 
 one great work which lies before us, and clergy and laity 
 being united together in godly union and concord. We 
 appreciate the wise and kindly endeavours of your lordship 
 to promote this happy state of things, and we rejoice with 
 you in the success given to those endeavours. 
 
 Immediately after the presentation of the address 
 the Bishop and Mrs. Barker bade farewell to their 
 
l6o EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 numerous friends, and embarked on board the 
 steamer Northam. But many followed them down 
 the harbour as far as the Heads in a steamer hired 
 for that purpose. Southampton was reached on 
 May the 18th, and there they were welcomed by 
 many dear friends, some of whom had sadly bidden 
 them farewell at Liverpool seven years before on 
 their departure for the colony. The meeting was 
 one of great joy. 
 
 There were three objects which the Bishop had 
 specially in view in this visit to England, to which 
 he began at once to direct his attention : first, the 
 establishment of the Goulburn bishopric; secondly, to 
 awaken in the minds of English Churchmen a deeper 
 interest with regard to the Church in Australia ; and, 
 thirdly, to obtain additional clergymen for his diocese. 
 
 The first of these objects was the most pressing, 
 and called for immediate action. He therefore lost 
 no time in bringing it under the notice of the 
 authorities with whom the determination of the 
 matter would rest. These were the Secretary of 
 State for the Colonies and the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury. Before both of these he sought 
 opportunities of laying the facts of the case, and 
 the reasons which existed for the creation of the 
 new bishopric. With the then Secretary of State, 
 the Duke of Newcastle, he had several interviews, 
 in which he presented not only his own wishes, but 
 those of the members of the Church of England 
 who would be affected by the change, as they were 
 set forth in the resolutions adopted at the public 
 meeting in Goulburn, and he was enabled to show, 
 relying upon letters transmitted from the colony, 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND. 
 
 161 
 
 that the endowment would almost certainly reach 
 15,000/. The result of these interviews was that 
 the Duke agreed to - recommend that the assent 
 of the Crown should be given to the erection of 
 the see, and this recommendation was adopted by 
 the Crown accordingly. 
 
 The resolution of the Goulburn meeting, request- 
 ing that the first appointment to the bishopric might 
 be made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, also 
 received the sanction of the Duke ; and the Arch- 
 bishop was requested by him to nominate a clergy- 
 man for the office. His Grace selected and named, 
 with a strong expression of his gratification and 
 confidence, the Rev. Mesac Thomas, M.A., of 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, who had for eleven 
 years filled the office of Secretary to the Colonial 
 and Continental Church Society with much ability 
 and success. 
 
 Owing, however, to the death of the Archbishop, 
 which took place soon after, there was considerable 
 delay in the consecration of Dr. Thomas. Eight 
 months elapsed between his nomination and the 
 consecration, which took place in Canterbury 
 Cathedral on March the 25th, 1863. It is an interest- 
 ing fact that the Bishops of Sydney and Melbourne 
 were chosen by the new Archbishop (Dr. Longley), 
 to assist with the Bishop of Worcester at the 
 consecration. The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol 
 was consecrated at the same time, and the assistance 
 of a second bishop of the English bench was not 
 regarded as necessary. 
 
 During the earlier part of his stay in England 
 the Bishop of Sydney was much occupied in 
 
 M 
 
1 62 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 preaching and speaking at public meetings for 
 some of the Church societies: — for the S. P.G., 
 which had done so much for the Colony of New- 
 South Wales in the time of Bishop Broughton ; 
 for the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 
 which had rendered similar assistance more recently ; 
 and for the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 While he was thus engaged, he had many 
 opportunities of giving information respecting the 
 spiritual work which was going on in New 
 South Wales, and so of exciting interest in its 
 behalf. Through the efforts which he thus made 
 considerable sums were raised for those societies. 
 
 After he had been thus occupied for some 
 time, it was suggested by a friend that he should 
 endeavour to do something for his own diocese, in 
 which he and others were prepared to help him. 
 The suggestion came at a time when the Bishop 
 was feeling the difficulty of obtaining a supply of 
 clergymen for his diocese, and of sending them 
 out, if obtained. Thus encouraged, he drew up 
 and circulated a statement, asking for assistance. 
 He mentioned in it the sum of 7000/., which he was 
 desirous of raising, with a view to the enlargement 
 and endowment of Moore College. Although he 
 did not obtain all that he desired, Liverpool gave 
 him about 2000/., and from other sources there 
 came in response about 2000/. more, making a total 
 of 4000/. 
 
 But it was not only for the Church that he thus 
 laboured. In an address which he delivered in 
 Sydney soon after his return he told the colonists 
 that he had endeavoured to impart information 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND. 
 
 163 
 
 concerning the colony in many parts of the United 
 Kingdom, which would probably have resulted in 
 the emigration of a considerable number of worthy 
 and useful people to New South Wales had the 
 regulations of the Government been simpler and 
 more favourable. The following extract from that 
 address shows the efforts which he made : — 
 
 In thirty different places in England, Scotland, and 
 Ireland I delivered lectures upon Australia, besides sermons 
 in which the subject was mentioned, and the effect of what 
 was said may be judged of by the fact that I had frequent 
 applications for information as to the best mode of getting 
 to that delightful land where the sun is so bright, the 
 wages so good, and land to be had on such easy terms. I 
 am sorry to be obliged to add that the circuitous procedure 
 of assisted immigration seemed to throw the already 
 great distance into the region of the indefinite and impos- 
 sible. 
 
 A lively interest is taken in England in the subject of 
 emigration to these colonies. I had an early interview with 
 Miss Rye and her friends, assisted at a meeting at Mr. S. 
 Gurney's, where our friend Mr. Browne gave the ladies and 
 gentlemen assembled, under the presidency of Lord Rad- 
 stock, and with Sir E. Buxton in the company, some 
 excellent advice. I also spoke at a meeting of the National 
 Emigration Society, of which Lord Lyttleton was chair- 
 man. I also visited the Government Emigration Office 
 under its able Secretary (now Commissioner), Mr. Walcot. 
 
 There is every desire on the part of philanthropists, 
 and all readiness on the part of the Government, to assist 
 in sending out suitable persons, but, in reply to able-bodied 
 labourers, intelligent mechanics, and excellent female 
 servants, I could only say that if any one in Sydney paid 
 the required deposit for them, they would in time reach the 
 colony. It was no business of mine to speculate in such a 
 scheme, or I might have sent out numbers who would have 
 
I 64 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 formed valuable additions to the orderly and intelligent 
 portion of the community. 
 
 He was more successful in obtaining labourers 
 for the spiritual field. The average number of 
 applicants was, he said, * one a week,' but he had to 
 inform them that only the best men would be accept- 
 able. The number selected by him was eight 
 clergymen, and one student for Moore College. 
 More might have been obtained, but they did not 
 seem to him to be suited to colonial spheres of 
 labour. 
 
 The difficulty which he experienced in finding 
 suitable clergymen in England strengthened the 
 conviction which he had long entertained, that for a 
 continuous supply of pastors it was necessary to 
 look to the colony itself, and in this opinion he was 
 confirmed by the testimony of his right reverend 
 brethren of other colonial dioceses whom he met 
 in England, and by communications from others 
 with whom he had corresponded upon the subject. 
 The absence of endowments was no small dis- 
 couragement to English clergymen looking to the 
 colonies as a field of labour ; several withdrew when 
 they learnt that their incomes would be wholly 
 dependent upon the voluntary offerings of their 
 people. 
 
 Up to this period a measure of State aid had 
 been granted to the Church in the colony, and this 
 was secured by the Act which gave the colony its 
 political constitution; but a feeling had been .growing 
 in the Legislature in favour of withdrawing this sup- 
 port, and leaving all religious bodies to the voluntary 
 efforts of their members, and the time had now 
 
ABOLITION OF STATE AID. 
 
 165 
 
 arrived when it was determined to move more 
 decidedly in this direction. A Bill was introduced 
 into the Legislative Assembly by the Ministry of 
 the day, not many months after the Bishop had left 
 for England, the object of which was to prohibit 
 grants from the public treasury for the support of 
 religious worship. It proposed to make it unlawful, 
 after the passing of the Act, to pay any public 
 moneys whatsoever to any minister of religion who 
 was not then in receipt of a stipend or allowance, 
 but to continue such stipends as had been heretofore 
 granted to those who were in receipt of them so 
 long as they should continue to officiate as such 
 ministers within the colony under lawful authority. 
 The Bill met with considerable opposition, both in 
 the Assembly and without. No less than seventy- 
 eight petitions, signed by above thirteen thousand 
 persons, were presented to the Legislative Council, 
 when it reached that Chamber, against it, while 
 only nine petitions, signed by less than a thousand 
 persons, were presented in its favour. But these 
 expressions of public opinion were not regarded. 
 The Bill, after being carried in the Assembly, was 
 sent up to the Council. There it encountered much 
 greater opposition, but was ultimately carried with 
 some alteration, very strong protests being recorded 
 against it by seven influential members of the Upper 
 Chamber. It was, under these circumstances (per- 
 haps under any circumstances it would have been), 
 reserved by the Governor for Her Majesty's assent, 
 and the Bill was therefore transmitted to the Secre- 
 tary of State for the Colonies. The Bishop, being 
 at that time in England, and having fully approved 
 
1 66 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 of the resistance which had been offered to it by 
 the administrator of the diocese with the clergy 
 and laity, felt it his duty to petition Her Majesty to 
 withhold her assent until provision was made for 
 compensation to the parishes which would suffer 
 through the withdrawal of the stipends, either at 
 that time or upon the death of the incumbents. The 
 petition, however, was unavailing. Her Majesty, 
 being so advised by those in authority, assented to 
 the Act, and it thus became law. 
 
 Having left England on the 17th of December, 
 1863, the Bishop was again in his diocese in the 
 month of February, 1864, greatly refreshed in spirit 
 and invigorated in health. He was warmly wel- 
 comed by clergy and laity, and a service of thanks- 
 giving was held in St. James's Church, with a 
 celebration of Holy Communion. 
 
 In an address which he delivered soon after, he 
 gave a very interesting account of his visit, and 
 spoke of some of the advantages which he had 
 derived from it. From the Archbishops and Bishops 
 he had received all the kindness and sympathy which 
 they might be expected to show to a missionary or 
 colonial brother. 
 
 In London he was much struck with the increase of the 
 number of able men amongst the clergy, with the large con- 
 gregations which filled the churches he visited, whether in 
 Stepney or Westminster, in Hampstead or the Regent's 
 Park ; especially with the overflowing congregations in 
 St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey ; with the increase in 
 the number of churches, of mission rooms, of additional 
 missionaries and catechists, and all the machinery for 
 reclaiming districts from ignorance, ungodliness, and sin. 
 But not only was this the case in the metropolis, he found 
 
RETURN TO THE COLONY, 18G4. 167 
 
 the same spirit pervading the whole country. There was 
 much activity in the laity as well as the clergy, and a more 
 widespread recognition on the part of the wealthy members 
 of the Church that wealth brings with it duties and 
 responsibilities. 
 
 A new institution was the Church Congress, and his 
 opinion was that it was ' one which would eventually be 
 productive of much good.' He looked upon it as ' a more 
 real representation of the Church of England than Convo- 
 cation.' * It fairly and fully represented the whole body of 
 the Church, and avoided coming to any decision upon the 
 questions brought before it.' This he regarded as an 
 advantage, since in the discussion of principles and in the 
 expression of sentiments which are not to be embodied in 
 a resolution, men can afford to be more calm and dispas- 
 sionate than if some important practical resolution were to 
 be decided by vote. Thinking it one of the most important 
 of modern institutions, he used ' any influence he had with 
 his friends to induce them to attend the meetings, and to 
 give a practical turn to the discussions.' 
 
 And now that he had returned to his diocese, he 
 began forthwith to apply himself to the duties which 
 called for his special attention. One of these was 
 an ordination which he held in the middle of 
 March. The next was arranging for a lengthened 
 series of Confirmations in the city and suburban 
 parishes first, and afterwards in the country districts. 
 To these Confirmation seasons he attached the 
 greatest importance. He looked upon them as 
 supplying most precious opportunities for implanting 
 the truths and principles of the Gospel in the minds 
 of the young, and for advancing their spiritual wel- 
 fare. He therefore encouraged the clergy to make 
 the most they could of such opportunities, by 
 
1 68 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 devoting the largest amount of time they could 
 command to the instruction and guiding of the 
 candidates. And with these views, he was in the 
 habit of giving three months notice beforehand of 
 the time when the Confirmation would be held. 
 
 The arrival of the Bishop of Goulburn and Mrs. 
 Thomas and their party on the 14th of March, 1864, 
 was an event which called forth his deep thankfulness 
 to Almighty God for bringing them safely to their 
 destination, and for the prospect of increased spiritual 
 advantages to the people scattered over that large 
 territory which formed the area of the new diocese. 
 The bishop and his party met with a very kind 
 and affectionate reception from the Metropolitan and 
 Mrs. Barker, and were warmly welcomed by the 
 clergy of Sydney. A thanksgiving service for their 
 arrival was held in St. James's Church. 
 
 The Bishop of Goulburn remained in Sydney until 
 arrangements were made at Goulburn for his recep- 
 tion and installation. On the 8th of April he 
 proceeded with Mrs. Thomas to that place, accom- 
 panied by the Metropolitan, to introduce him to 
 the clergy and laity over whom he was to preside, 
 and to bespeak for him that cordial co-operation and 
 support which were essential to the success of his 
 work. And it was not a little gratifying to him to 
 hear and witness the hearty manifestations of wel- 
 come with which the new bishop was received on 
 all sides, giving good grounds for the expectation 
 that in the unity of the bishop, clergy, and laity, the 
 diocese would be strong. 
 
 But it was a season of welcome also to the 
 Metropolitan himself from the clergy and laity of the 
 
BISHOP OF GO U LB URN — BISHOP PATTESON. I 69 
 
 new diocese. They had prepared separate addresses 
 to be presented to him, but though separate, each 
 alike breathing the same sentiments of deep regard 
 and esteem, of joy to see him back in the colony, of 
 thankfulness for what he had been able to accomplish 
 for the advancement of the best interests of the 
 Church, and of regret that they were now to lose 
 the direct oversight of one 1 whose kind counsel 
 and parental rule they had been accustomed to 
 regard with affectionate deference.' And yet they 
 recognised the necessity for that separation, and 
 believed it to be essential to the Church's welfare and 
 progress. The addresses were presented to him at 
 the public meeting called specially to welcome the 
 Bishop of Goulburn. Two or three days were spent 
 by the Bishop of Sydney in Goulburn after the 
 installation, upon matters connected with the see 
 and a residence for the bishop. After this he hastened 
 to Sydney to attend to duties awaiting him there. 
 
 Upon his arrival, he found Bishop Patteson and 
 his fellow-labourer, Mr. Codrington, who had come 
 on a visit to the Australian Colonies, to lay before 
 the Church in them the state of the Melanesian 
 Mission, and to seek their aid in carrying it on. 
 With a view to gain the support of Sydney Church- 
 men, the Bishop of Sydney at once arranged for a 
 public meeting, over which the Governor, Sir John 
 Young, kindly consented to preside, to give the 
 good Bishop of Melanesia an opportunity of making 
 such representations as were likely to awaken a 
 deeper interest in the mission, and to draw out 
 warmer sympathies towards it. The meeting was 
 held on the 15th of April. After some kind words 
 
I JO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 from the Governor respecting the work, the 
 missionary bishop, in his own charming and 
 touching way, arrested the attention and won the 
 sympathy of all who heard him. Every encourage- 
 ment was given by the Bishop of Sydney in other 
 ways to the mission. Meetings were held in parochial 
 schoolrooms, and sermons were preached by Bishop 
 Patteson in many of the churches, the effects of 
 which were liberal contributions in aid of the 
 mission, specially from the Sunday Schools, and these 
 have since been sent annually for its support. 
 
 On Trinity Sunday an ordination was held by 
 the Bishop in St. Luke's Church, Liverpool, which 
 is noticed here on account of its special character. 
 The candidates, four in number, were all from the 
 Diocese of Melbourne, and the bishop of that diocese 
 being absent in England, they were ordained by the 
 Bishop of Sydney by letters dimissory from the 
 Vicar-General. Three of them were certificated 
 students of Moore College. The examination was 
 conducted entirely by the Examining Chaplain of the 
 Bishop of Melbourne, and was reported by him to 
 be most satisfactory. The candidates had been 
 previously subjected to repeated examinations in 
 Melbourne, and an exact record had been kept of the 
 results, so that it was possible to speak with some 
 precision of the advantages which they had derived 
 from a residence at the College, and from the tuition 
 there imparted. On this subject the Bishop of 
 Melbourne's Chaplain spoke most favourably, and, 
 1 acknowledged with much thankfulness the benefit 
 which had accrued to that diocese, in raising the 
 tone of the younger clergy, securing exact scholar- 
 
ORDINA TION FOR BISHOP OF MELBOURNE. I J I 
 
 ship and accurate doctrine, and giving effect, so far 
 as that could be effected by training, to their pulpit 
 and pastoral ministrations.' Independent testimony 
 such as this was valuable at a time when, in some 
 quarters, attempts were made to disparage the 
 training which was supplied by the College, as 
 tending to lower the standard of clerical efficiency. 1 
 
 1 At the time this testimony was borne, nineteen students had been 
 ordained from the College, eleven of whom were labouring in the 
 Melbourne diocese. The Rev. William Hodgson had then been 
 nearly eight years Principal. 
 
i; 2 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 1864— 1867. 
 
 Visitation of Brisbane Diocese — Free Church of England — Visit to 
 the West — Renewed Efforts for Synodical Action — Duke of 
 Newcastle's Despatch — Conferences — Final Result — Efforts to 
 complete Cathedral — Another Visit to the West — Day of 
 Humiliation and Prayer for Rain — First Meeting of Synod, 1866 — 
 Mr. CardwelFs Bill, Resolution of Synod — Meeting on Western 
 Bishopric — Visit to Western District, 1867; Public Meeting in 
 Bathurst — Session of Synod, 1867 — Arrival of Bishop of Grafton 
 and Armidale. 
 
 The Bishop now turned his thoughts to the diocese 
 of Brisbane, with a view to the official Visitation 
 which had been postponed until some progress 
 should have been made in its organization. Three 
 years and a half had now passed since the Bishop of 
 Brisbane took possession of his see, and although as 
 yet some portions only had been brought into regular 
 parochial working, it was in a position to receive 
 benefit from a Metropolitan Visitation. The month 
 of July, 1864, was fixed for the visit, and accordingly 
 on the 7th of July the Metropolitan, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Barker, reached Brisbane, where they became 
 the guests of Sir George and Lady Bowen at 
 Government House during their stay. 
 
 On Sunday, the 10th, St. John's Church, the 
 
VISITATION OF BRISBANE DIOCESE. I 73 
 
 pro-cathedral, having undergone some alterations 
 and enlargement, was reopened for Divine service, 
 the Metropolitan being the preacher. The next 
 morning his attention was drawn to the fact that 
 there were two ships in the bay — H.M.S. Salamander 
 and the Golden Grove — about to proceed to a new 
 settlement named Somerset, at Cape York, where a 
 considerable number of persons were located. It 
 appeared that no provision had been made for sup- 
 plying them with the public means of grace. He 
 was therefore anxious to do something for their 
 spiritual welfare, as well as for those who were in 
 the ships. And what he could do, he did. He paid a 
 visit to the Salamander and addressed the ship's 
 company, sailors and marines, with reference to their 
 highest interests. And he seized the opportunity of 
 sending to the persons in authority at Somerset a 
 large supply of religious and other books and tracts 
 for the use of the people at the settlement. It was 
 hoped that in this way some help would be afforded, 
 in the absence of any regular religious instruction, to 
 those who were not wholly indifferent to spiritual 
 things. As this settlement was then likely to be a 
 permanent one, the Metropolitan and the Bishop of 
 Brisbane agreed to make application to the S.P.G. 
 to provide a missionary clergyman to minister there. 
 
 The days which followed in that week were 
 occupied with matters relating to the welfare of the 
 Church and its advancement, the Visitation, and the 
 delivery of the Charge. A public meeting also was 
 held, which was presided over by His Excellency Sir 
 George Bowen, for the special purpose of presenting 
 an address from the lay members of the Church to 
 
174 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the Metropolitan, in which they accorded him a 
 cordial and respectful welcome, and expressed their 
 hope that his visit would tend to promote the unity 
 and expansion of their Church, while they took 
 occasion to express their conviction that that unity 
 and expansion would be more largely promoted by 
 associating the laity with the clergy in the manage- 
 ment of the temporalities of the Church. In reply- 
 ing to this address, the Metropolitan said upon this 
 point : — 
 
 The help and counsel of the lay members of the Church 
 are essentially necessary for the success of our endeavours 
 to promote the cause of religion and education in our 
 dioceses. The precise manner in which this co-operation 
 may be best secured is a matter of some difficulty. But for 
 myself and my right reverend brother, I can affirm that we 
 are most anxious that the laity should be joined with us in 
 the administration of the temporalities of the Church. 
 
 After an absence of about three weeks the Bishop 
 returned to Sydney, pleased upon the whole with his 
 visitation, and hoping that with the Divine blessing 
 it would have the effect of increasing the unity, and 
 thus the strength of the Church in the diocese 
 visited. He had 'formed a favourable opinion of the 
 future progress of the Colony of Queensland, and of 
 the ability which the members of the Church of 
 England resident therein possessed to place her in a 
 foremost position in that land.' 
 
 Immediately upon his return from this Visitation 
 the Bishop found himself called upon to deal with a 
 very painful matter — the conduct of one of the clergy 
 holding his license, who, during his absence, was re- 
 ported in the public prints to have ' renounced the 
 
FREE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 
 
 175 
 
 episcopal authority of the present Bishop of Sydney, 
 and to have established a free church, of which he 
 had constituted himself the minister.' An advertise- 
 ment had been inserted in the leading Sydney 
 journal announcing that on a certain day and in a 
 certain place he would state his reasons for taking 
 this step, and in the same paper there subsequently 
 appeared what purported to be a report of his address 
 on that occasion. A few days after another adver- 
 tisement was inserted in the same journal, headed, 
 1 Free Church of England,' notifying that the first 
 service would be held in the Temperance Hall on 
 Sunday evening, July 24th, at seven o'clock. To this 
 the name of the clergyman was attached. 
 
 These matters having been brought under the 
 Bishop's notice, his secretary was directed to write 
 to the clergyman and inquire of him whether the 
 advertisements were inserted by him or with his 
 sanction, and whether a statement reported in 
 another daily paper referred to him, and if so, 
 whether it was or was not true. He was required 
 to reply to this communication within a specified 
 time. A note from the clergyman was received, 
 acknowledging this communication, but no reply 
 was given to the inquiries. The Bishop's secretary 
 was therefore directed to write again, and to inform 
 him that ' in the absence of any explanation, his 
 lordship was forced to conclude that he, being a 
 licensed clergyman of his diocese, did not feel it 
 necessary, at the invitation of his Bishop, to deny 
 the very serious imputation involved in the several 
 public announcements to which his attention had 
 been directed, that imputation being that he had 
 
1/6 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 renounced the episcopal authority of the bishop 
 under whose license he had hitherto officiated ; and, 
 further, that unless the Bishop received from him, 
 on or before a specified day, an assurance that, 
 notwithstanding the statements to the contrary con- 
 tained in the several public announcements before 
 referred to, he had not renounced his episcopal 
 authority, his lordship would feel himself compelled 
 to take immediate steps for the revocation of his 
 license.' 
 
 This letter was acknowledged by the clergyman, 
 but no further notice was taken of its contents. A 
 third letter was then written by the Bishop's 
 direction formally calling upon the offender to appear 
 before the Bishop at the Registry on a certain day, 
 and at a specified time, to show cause why his license 
 should not be revoked. At the same time, he was 
 informed that if he should desire it, the Bishop 
 was willing to accept the assistance as an assessor of 
 any gentleman of the Bar (being a member of the 
 Church of England) whom the clergyman might 
 select, in which case the Bishop would ask the 
 Chancellor of the Diocese to act as another assessor. 
 
 In reply to this, two questions were asked : first, 
 ' what may be the nature of an assessor, and the 
 particular duty that he will be expected to perform ?' 
 and, second, whether, in case the clergyman should 
 adopt the course thus suggested, his lordship ' would 
 consider it compatible with the nature of the case for 
 a legal gentleman who has joined my congregation 
 to appear in my behalf ? ' The Bishop's secretary 
 was directed to answer that it would be the duty of 
 an assessor to advise the Bishop as to the decision, 
 
FREE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. IJJ 
 
 which, under the circumstances of the case, he ought 
 to pronounce, ' and that there would be no objection 
 to the clergyman having any legal assistance that he 
 might deem necessary.' 
 
 The clergyman, however, did not appear at the 
 time appointed ; and the Bishop, having taken all 
 the circumstances together with his replies into con- 
 sideration, ordered his license to be revoked, but 
 stated that he would abstain from signing the 
 instrument of revocation until three o'clock on the 
 following day ; and he directed a letter to be 
 addressed to the clergyman informing him that, 
 i taking all the circumstances into consideration, his 
 lordship had no other alternative than to revoke his 
 license,' but that the instrument of revocation would 
 not be signed until three o'clock on the next afternoon, 
 and that any application delivered at the Registry 
 before that hour would receive the Bishop's con- 
 sideration. Shortly before the expiration of the 
 time thus limited, a written communication was re- 
 ceived by the secretary, 1 begging to decline troubling 
 the Bishop by attending personally or otherwise.' 
 The instrument of revocation was thereupon signed 
 by the Bishop. 
 
 Mr. was now free to pursue the unhappy 
 
 course which he had marked out for himself. In 
 consequence of the statement which he put forth of 
 the reasons which had actuated him in repudiating 
 his connexion with the Church of England, and which 
 was at first believed by many persons, he found a 
 considerable number of supporters. A building was 
 erected for him in which to minister, and an income 
 pr jvided by the voluntary offerings of his adherents. 
 
 N 
 
178 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 For some time no notice was taken of his representa- 
 tions ; but when the Bishop was made aware 
 that they were about to be incorporated in an official 
 document, which would be registered in the 
 Supreme Court, he considered that the interests 
 of the Church demanded from him the publication 
 of a counter-statement. When this was done, 
 and the clergyman's representations were confuted 
 by letters which he had written to the Bishop, 
 the eyes of most people were opened, and their 
 sympathy was withdrawn. The ' Free Church 
 of England' began to wane, its resources diminished, 
 the venture turned out a failure, and the founder 
 sought elsewhere a sphere of action which, it is 
 generally understood, did not meet anywhere with 
 permanent success. 
 
 A Visitation of the greater part of the diocese 
 occupied the Bishop nearly three months of the 
 remaining portion of this year, 1864. It extended 
 from the second week in September to the last week 
 in November. The distance travelled was about 
 fifteen hundred miles, much of it over rough roads 
 and through sparsely peopled districts; and it is not 
 without interest to mention that one part of it was 
 infested by a gang of bushrangers, who had only a 
 short time before attacked three of the houses in 
 which the Bishop and Mrs. Barker were entertained. 
 The railway now brought travellers to the foot of 
 the Blue Mountains, but beyond that, all journeying 
 was by carriage or on horseback. The visit, how- 
 ever, was full of interest, supplying as it did varied 
 opportunities of sowing the good seed, and of 
 guiding and directing those who were engaged 
 
VISIT TO THE WEST. 
 
 179 
 
 in the work in the fields to which they had 
 been appointed. 
 
 On his return from this tour, the Bishop delivered 
 an address to a public meeting of the members of 
 the Church of England, in which he graphically- 
 described the religious progress and social improve- 
 ment which he had observed in many of the parts 
 visited, together with the wants which remained to 
 be supplied. He noticed also with pleasure in some 
 districts an increase of population and of cultivators 
 of the soil, which seemed to him likely to lead to the 
 formation of a respectable yeomanry, which had 
 hitherto been one of the great wants of the colony. 
 Throughout this visit Confirmations were held, ser- 
 mons preached, addresses given, and meetings 
 assembled, scarcely a day passing without some 
 special effort being made to advance the Master's 
 cause and to make Him more fully known. The 
 withdrawal of State aid to religion led the Bishop 
 to urge upon the people in such towns as Orange 
 and Bathurst to endeavour to provide some endow- 
 ments for their parishes, and in those towns plans 
 were adopted for the attainment of this object. 
 Similar proposals were made in other parts of the 
 diocese at the same period. 
 
 There was another and still more important 
 subject which was now occupying the Bishop's serious 
 thoughts, and which he took the opportunity of 
 suggesting for consideration, viz., the formation of a 
 bishopric for the west, of which Bathurst would be 
 the seat. The time had not yet arrived for taking 
 steps to accomplish this, but he was of opinion that 
 it might and ought to be done, and, looking at the 
 
l8o EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 wealth possessed by members of the Church in the 
 proposed area of the bishopric, it seemed to be very 
 practicable. That which had been done in the 
 south gave encouragement to such a project, and 
 showed how it could be effected. 
 
 The fruits produced by the Church Society were 
 more and more evident in this tour, in the valuable 
 support it had rendered to the clergy, in the aid it 
 had given to the erection of churches and school- 
 churches, and in the partial provision it made 
 for catechists. The Bishop said that ' he found 
 everywhere a disposition on the part of the members 
 of the Church to meet the requirements of their own 
 districts, but that in many places their ability was 
 insufficient for the purpose, and then came in the 
 Church Society, meeting the deficiency, and making 
 practicable what without it could not be effected.' A 
 survey of the districts visited during this tour showed 
 that three more clergymen and two catechists were 
 required in them. 
 
 Ever since his return from England it had been 
 the Bishop's intention, as soon as other pressing 
 duties would permit, to renew the effort to obtain 
 synodical action for his diocese. The more he had 
 considered the subject and had inquired into the 
 effects of such action in those branches of the Church 
 in which it was established, the more convinced he 
 was that it would prove beneficial to the Church in 
 Australia, and the more anxious that it should not 
 be any longer delayed. He was satisfied that it 
 would give to the different orders in the Church 
 their legitimate influence and position, that it would 
 supply the means of providing for the government of 
 
EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH SYNOD. l8l 
 
 the Church in a constitutional manner, would relieve 
 the bishop from many anxieties and unfair sus- 
 picions, and would tend to create a greater interest 
 in the affairs of the Church throughout the diocese. 
 As soon then as attention to other practical duties 
 permitted, he resolved to convene another Con- 
 ference of the clergy and representatives of the 
 laity, to confer upon the best mode of attaining this 
 important object. 
 
 His own views of the necessity of obtaining legal 
 sanction for the acts of any synod which should be 
 called into existence had been strengthened by 
 further consultations and inquiries, and by a despatch 
 which had been recently addressed by the Duke of 
 Newcastle, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to 
 the Governor of the Cape Colony, with reference to 
 the synod of Capetown, which had been summoned 
 and held without any such sanction first obtained. 
 This despatch had been made public, and, referring 
 to the judgment of the Privy Council in the case of 
 Long v. the Bishop of Capetown, it drew attention to 
 the following important points: — i. That the Church 
 of England in places where there is no Church 
 established by law, is in the same situation as any 
 other religious body, in no better, but in no worse 
 position ; and the members may adopt, as the mem- 
 bers of any other communion may adopt, rules for 
 enforcing discipline within their own body, which 
 will be binding on those who, expressly or by impli- 
 cation, have assented to them. 2. That the rules 
 passed by such an assembly are binding not on all 
 professed members of the Church over whom the 
 bishop has been appointed to preside, but on all 
 
1 82 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 those who, expressly or by implication, have assented 
 to those rules, and provided that they are not con- 
 trary to existing laws. 3. That the synod of Cape- 
 town (which was held without the assent of the 
 Crown or of the local Legislature) had passed various 
 acts and constitutions, purporting, without the consent 
 of the Crown or the local Legislature, to bind persons 
 not in any manner subject to its control, and to 
 establish courts of justice for some temporal as well 
 as spiritual matters, and, in fact, had assumed powers 
 which only the Legislature could possess ; that 
 there could be no doubt that such acts were illegal. 
 
 Having regard to these facts and to the errors 
 into which others had fallen, the Bishop held 
 strongly to the necessity for a legislative enactment, 
 which would have the effect of giving legal sanction 
 to the acts of the synod. After consultation, there- 
 fore, with the dean and others of the clergy, together 
 with some of the laity, he issued a circular on the 
 27th of December, 1864, inviting the clergy being 
 incumbents of parishes, with lay representatives of 
 the same, to meet in conference in Sydney on the 
 7th of February, 1865, to consider the expediency of 
 applying to Parliament for a Bill, based upon the 
 Act which regulated synodical organization in 
 Canada, and a copy of which was sent with the 
 circular. The lay representatives were to be elected 
 by the parishes, according to rules laid down, and 
 the Chancellor and the Registrar of the diocese were 
 to be cx-officio members. 
 
 The Conference, which was very largely attended 
 by both orders, met on the 7th February, 1865, 
 after Divine service with the celebration of the Lord's 
 
SYDNEY CONFERENCE. 
 
 183 
 
 Supper, in St. James's Church. In his opening 
 address the Bishop explained the objects of the 
 meeting, and indicated his own wishes in the fol- 
 lowing terms : — 
 
 I desire, first, that the Bill which has been printed, and 
 which will be proposed by Canon Allwood, should in sub- 
 stance be adopted by the Conference ; secondly, that an 
 influential Standing Committee should be chosen to obtain 
 the passing of the Bill through the Legislature ; and, 
 thirdly, that the Conference, at its rising, should simply 
 adjourn, and hold itself in readiness to meet again when 
 summoned by the Bishop. 
 
 The Bill was accordingly proposed by Canon 
 Allwood, but it soon appeared that it did not com- 
 mend itself to the judgment of the Conference. The 
 question was much debated, and an amendment was 
 moved by Mr. Robert Johnson, a member of the 
 Legislative Council, who had taken much interest 
 in the former Bill, that a committee be appointed 
 to frame certain ' fundamental constitutions,' based 
 upon the Bill of 1858 as amended, and that when 
 these were agreed upon by the Conference, a Bill 
 should be applied for to the Legislature, enabling 
 the synod to manage the property of the Church in 
 accordance with them. This proposition was adopted 
 by the Conference unanimously. A Committee was 
 appointed, and by it constitutions were framed, 
 which, being brought up on the 15th of March for 
 consideration by the Conference, were passed by a 
 very large majority. 
 
 A Committee was then appointed to take the 
 necessary steps for obtaining the proposed Act 
 of Parliament. A Bill was shortly afterwards 
 
184 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 introduced into the Legislative Assembly, and sub- 
 mitted in the usual manner to a Select Committee. 
 Witnesses were examined, and its adoption recom- 
 mended to the House, but before it could be dealt 
 with the Parliament was prorogued ; and thus 
 another delay was occasioned in the attainment 
 of the desired object. 
 
 Although for the present delayed, the matter 
 could not be allowed to drop, and the Conference 
 Committee was called together by the Bishop, and 
 met on the 31st of August, to consider what steps 
 should next be taken. It was clearly the duty of 
 this Committee to report its proceedings to the Con- 
 ference with their results, and the Bishop therefore 
 summoned the Conference to meet in order to receive 
 that report. 
 
 The adjourned Conference met on the 26th of 
 September, and the report was laid before it. When 
 it came to be considered, a resolution was passed to 
 carry out what then appeared to be the wish of the 
 other dioceses in the colony, viz., that the 
 Bishop of Sydney should convene a conference 
 of the bishops and clerical and lay representatives 
 of those dioceses, in order jointly to draw up a con- 
 stitution for the proposed synod. 
 
 It was not, however, until the nth of April in 
 the next year, 1866, that it was found practicable for 
 this united Conference to assemble. When it met 
 the Bishop of Sydney, as President, in his opening 
 address, explained the steps which had led to 
 his calling it together, and the business which would 
 require its attention. The result may be briefly 
 stated. After full discussion, Constitutions were 
 
CONFERENCE OF DIOCESE'S — RESULT. 18^ 
 
 agreed to suitable for all the dioceses, and it was 
 resolved to apply to the Legislature for an Act to 
 give legal effect to them. It may be sufficient to 
 mention that the desired Act was soon afterwards 
 (4th October, 1866) obtained, andsynodical action in 
 New South Wales was thus placed upon a safe basis. 1 
 
 Having thus travelled into the year 1866, it is 
 necessary to revert to an earlier date, and to mention 
 a subject of deep interest which had been steadily 
 kept in view by the Bishop from the time of his 
 arrival in the colony, viz., the completion of St. 
 Andrew's Cathedral. The parochial wants, as re- 
 garded church accommodation, had hitherto been so 
 numerous and pressing, that it seemed to him that 
 they demanded his first efforts to provide for their 
 supply, and that when this had been accomplished 
 there would be a greater probability of carrying 
 to a successful issue a work which partook of a 
 more exclusively diocesan character. 
 
 The Bishop, however, thought that the time had 
 now arrived for a large and united effort of the Church 
 to complete the cathedral. Taking counsel, therefore, 
 with the members of the Building Committee, who 
 had for so many years persevered in their work 
 amongst numerous difficulties and discouragements, 
 
 1 By the Colonial Act, 30 Victoria (a private Act), the constitutions 
 agreed to by the Conference were directed to be recorded in the 
 Supreme Court. And the Act provides that the articles and provisions 
 contained in the constitutions, and any rules made in pursuance 
 thereof, shall for all purposes relating to the property of the Church 
 within the colony be binding on the members of the Church, and 
 that all persons holding property for the use of the Church, except 
 subject to any express trust, shall hold it subject to those rules, just as 
 if the rules had been contained in a deed of trust of the property. 
 
I 86 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 he resolved to hold a public meeting, and to ask the 
 members of the Church to join in a persevering 
 effort to bring the work to a conclusion. This 
 meeting, which was largely and influentially attended, 
 was held in St. James's Schoolroom on July the 4th, 
 1865. The speeches, and especially that of the 
 Bishop, were worthy of the occasion. An en- 
 thusiastic spirit was aroused, and the sum of nearly 
 2000/. was subscribed in the room. This was soon 
 largely augmented by the efforts of those who 
 undertook the office of collectors of contributions; 
 and it deserves to be specially mentioned that a 
 resolution which, without any pre-arrangement 
 on the part of the Committee, was brought 
 forward by Mr. Justice Dowling, that the ladies 
 of the diocese should endeavour to raise 2000/. 
 for the purpose of providing an organ for 
 the cathedral, was at once warmly approved and 
 adopted, and that through the zealous efforts which 
 those ladies put forth more than the amount 
 required was provided. From that time there was 
 no further interruption of the work, which was 
 carried on successfully to its completion. 
 
 In the month of October, 1865, the western dis- 
 tricts again called for the Bishop's attention, and on 
 the 10th of that month he left Sydney, accompanied 
 by Mrs. Barker, to travel through no inconsiderable 
 portion of them. Such visits were found very help- 
 ful and encouraging by the clergy and their 
 parishioners, and often stimulated them to new and 
 greater efforts, by showing them how difficulties 
 might be overcome or removed. By this means also 
 the Bishop acquired a fuller and more accurate 
 
EFFORTS TO COMPLETE CATHEDRAL. 1 87 
 
 acquaintance with the circumstances and wants of 
 every district and parish, and was enabled to exercise 
 a wise oversight of the whole. This journey extended 
 as far as Dubbo, the route taken in going being 
 through Bathurst and in returning through Mudgee. 
 The time occupied in it was about seven weeks. 
 
 While at Bathurst, the Bishop again availed 
 himself of the opportunity of bringing before the 
 members of the Church in that district the subject 
 of a bishopric for the west. As he had done the 
 year before in Bathurst, so he did now in the 
 adjacent town of Kelso. He invited the Churchmen 
 of that parish to a meeting upon the subject, in 
 order that he might discuss it with them. At this 
 meeting two resolutions were adopted, one affirming 
 it to be desirable that the bishopric should be formed, 
 a second appointing a committee to take such steps 
 as they might find practicable for creating an endow- 
 ment for the bishopric. At this meeting one gentle- 
 man who had previously given 100/., showed his 
 increased earnestness in the cause by promising to 
 give 500/. if five others would each contribute a 
 similar amount. This effort to stimulate his fellow 
 Churchmen to a liberality worthy of the occasion, 
 though it did not succeed to the extent which the 
 proposer hoped, no doubt produced some effect. 
 
 During this tour the Bishop noticed evidences on 
 every side of a most distressing drought, and reports 
 from all parts of the colony showed that it was not 
 local but universally prevalent. This impressed upon 
 him the duty of humiliation before God on the 
 part of the colonists, and of supplication for the re- 
 moval of a visitation, the effects of which were every- 
 
1 88 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 where severely felt, and were most disastrous. Believ- 
 ing that nations as well as individuals are the subjects 
 of His providential government, and are chastened 
 for their sins, he held that by such chastisements God 
 calls them to repentance, and it was his conviction 
 that this law applied to New South Wales no less 
 than to other parts of the British Empire. Taking, 
 therefore, the course which the circumstances of the 
 case required, and without which a day of general 
 humiliation and prayer could not have been 
 secured, he wrote before the close of the year 
 to his Excellency the Governor, urging that such a 
 day might be set apart by the Executive, on 
 which the colonists might be invited to make their 
 humble supplications to Almighty God for the 
 removal of so great a calamity from the land. It is 
 gratifying to state that in accordance with this 
 request, Friday the 12th of January, 1866, was 
 proclaimed as a day on which the public offices 
 would be closed, and an opportunity given to all 
 to observe the day in the manner proposed. The 
 proclamation also ' expressed the earnest hope that 
 all classes of the community would join with rever- 
 ence and humility in this solemn appeal to the 
 Divine mercy/ 
 
 The day thus set apart by public authority was 
 largely kept throughout the colony as a day of 
 prayer and humiliation. And it may be recorded as 
 a fact, that on that day the drought began to break 
 up, rain fell in many parts of the colony where it was 
 most needed copiously and effectually, reviving the 
 grasses and herbage which seemed to have perished, 
 and producing supplies of water where for months it 
 
DAY OF HUMILIATION AND PRAYER. 
 
 189 
 
 had been unknown. In connexion with this it may 
 be also mentioned that similar events occurred some- 
 what earlier in the adjoining Colony of Victoria. 
 One of the journals of the day records that, ' the 
 fifth of January had been set apart by a proclamation 
 of the Government in Victoria as a day of public 
 humiliation on account of the continued drought 
 in that colony,' and that, ' on the same day in that 
 colony rain began to fall, as it did in New South 
 Wales on the twelfth.' 
 
 In reference to the Bishop's late visit to the 
 west, it is interesting to observe that in the address 
 which he subsequently gave at the annual meeting of 
 the Church Society in Sydney, he was enabled to 
 state that during that visit he had found much to 
 encourage him. The various works which he had 
 suggested in his visit of the previous year had been 
 carried out, a vast field for fresh exertions had been 
 opened up, and from the experiences of the past 
 goodness of God, he was led to hope that all that 
 was now in his desires would be accomplished. 
 
 The Act for giving legal effect to the constitutions 
 which had been agreed upon in conference by the 
 dioceses of the colony having been passed as already 
 stated, the Bishop lost no time in bringing it into 
 operation in his diocese. On the 26th October, 
 1866, he issued a circular to the clergy, informing 
 them of his intention to hold the first synod in the 
 first week in December, and requested them to take 
 steps for the election of lay representatives in 
 accordance with the constitutions, and to send to him 
 certificates of their election with as little delay as 
 possible after a day specified. 
 
I QO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The Synod met on the 5th of December 
 accordingly. Previous to the commencement of the 
 session, all the members were invited to join in par- 
 taking of the Holy Communion in St. James's Church, 
 at eleven o'clock. At 3 p.m. the session began, 
 prayers having been first read by the president. The 
 roll of members was then called, after which the 
 Bishop, as president, delivered his opening address. 
 
 It was a great gratification to him thus to meet 
 his first synod, after so many years of delay and 
 disappointment, and he commenced his address by 
 offering his 'congratulations to the members upon 
 their meeting for the first time, in a diocesan synod, 
 constituted in a manner satisfactory to them all.' He 
 also expressed his belief, ' that although the delay 
 had been trying and disappointing to some, this had 
 not been wholly without use.' 
 
 There were several subjects which awaited the 
 consideration of the Synod. Amongst them the 
 following may be mentioned : — whether it was 
 expedient to adopt some new arrangements regard- 
 ing the celebration of marriages, with a view to 
 prevent the members of the Church of England 
 from drifting away to other communions, it being 
 •believed that this often occurred by reason of the 
 greater facilities for marriage afforded by some of 
 the other religious bodies ; — the mode of appointing 
 clergymen to parochial cures ; — the relation of the 
 Church in the colony to the Church in England ; — 
 the appointment of a tribunal for the trial of offending 
 clergymen; — the mode in which the finances which 
 had been hitherto managed by the Church Society 
 should henceforward be dealt with ; — the framing of 
 
FIRST MEETING OF SYNOD, 1806. 
 
 I 9 I 
 
 a constitution for the cathedral, which was now 
 approaching completion. With regard to most of 
 these subjects, it was thought that they would be 
 dealt with more satisfactorily after full inquiry into 
 them had been made by select committees, and they 
 they were therefore entrusted to such committees 
 for consideration and report at the next session. 
 
 There was, however, one matter which 3id not 
 admit of any such delay. A Bill had been introduced 
 into the Imperial Parliament by Mr. Cardwell, under 
 the title of a ' Bill to remove doubts as to the effect 
 of Letters Patent granted to certain colonial bishops, 
 and to amend the law with respect to bishops in the 
 colonies,' which was regarded by many as tending 
 to lead to a severance of the colonial Church from 
 that of England, and by so doing to affect the 
 colonial Church most injuriously. The Synod was 
 therefore invited by the Chancellor of the Diocese, 
 Mr. Alexander Gordon, to express its objections to 
 the Bill in clear and unmistakable terms. The 
 resolutions proposed by him brought on an able 
 discussion of the question, which led to a much 
 clearer apprehension of the subject than had at first 
 prevailed; and at length the following resolution, 
 in lieu of those proposed, was moved by the 
 Chancellor, and carried unanimously : — 
 
 That a select committee be appointed to draw up and 
 present to the Synod for its approval a petition to Her 
 Majesty, and also to both Houses of the Imperial Parlia- 
 ment, and also to both Houses of Convocation for the 
 provinces of Canterbury and York, declaring our continued 
 adherence to the Church of our fathers as members of the 
 united Church of England and Ireland, expressing our 
 
192 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 regret at the introduction of a ' Bill to remove doubts as to 
 Letters Patent, and to amend, the laws with respect to 
 bishops and clergymen in the colonies/ having for its object 
 among other things to authorise the consecration of bishops 
 in and for the colonies in a manner contrary to the laws 
 and ordinances of our Church, and praying that no 
 legislation may be sanctioned which will in any way affect 
 the position of the Church here in its relation to the 
 Church in the United Kingdom, or weaken the connexion 
 of the Church in this colony with the Church in the United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 Certain members of Synod were then chosen to 
 form the committee, which proceeded to discharge 
 the duties entrusted to it by drawing up the 
 petitions and placing them before the Synod for its 
 approval ; they were signed by the President on 
 behalf of the Synod, and forwarded as directed. 
 
 Previous to the closing of the Synod, the Bishop 
 availed himself of the opportunity afforded by the 
 presence of a number of gentlemen from the western 
 districts of the diocese to consult with them about 
 the proposed new bishopric. It has already been 
 mentioned that he had brought the matter before 
 the members of the Church in Bathurst, Kelso, 
 Mudgee, Orange, and other places. Committees 
 had been formed in some of them to take steps for 
 providing an endowment for the see. But he now 
 felt that more active measures should be taken, 
 and that these might be promoted by consultation 
 with those whom he invitejd to meet him as being 
 specially affected by the establishment of the 
 bishopric. The meeting wfrs attended by forty or 
 fifty gentlemen, to whom tfie Bishop explained the 
 
 I 
 1 
 
WESTERN BISHOPRIC. 
 
 193 
 
 reasons which seemed to him to point to the 
 necessity for its formation ; they were briefly the 
 following : — the large extent of territory which 
 called for episcopal oversight, the great and in- 
 creasing distances to be travelled, involving' the 
 devotion of more time than he was able to give to 
 the work, the growth of population in the west 
 calling for an increased number of clergy to minister 
 to their spiritual wants, and the impossibility of that 
 supervision which was required being exercised 
 unless by a bishop resident in the west. There 
 were, too, special duties laid upon himself as 
 Metropolitan in making occasional visits to other 
 dioceses, and in taking charge of the northern 
 portion of Australia not included in the Diocese of 
 Brisbane. After taking this statement into con- 
 sideration, the meeting proceeded to found upon it 
 resolutions affirming the desirability of creating the 
 bishopric, and of adopting the necessary steps for 
 obtaining - an endowment for it. 
 
 The matter was now fairly started, and as soon 
 as other duties permitted in the following year 
 (1867) tne Bishop again proceeded to the western 
 districts, combining with his ordinary episcopal 
 duties special efforts with regard to the required 
 endowment. Leaving Sydney on the 6th of May, 
 and passing through Bathurst, he went first to more 
 distant places where he had made engagements to 
 hold Confirmations, lay foundation-stones of churches, 
 or preside over meetings for other Church purposes. 
 Having accomplished these objects, he returned to 
 Bathurst, and held a public meeting called for the 
 purpose of receiving the report of the Bathurst 
 
 o 
 
194 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Bishopric Committee, and to take such other steps 
 as might be found necessary. 
 
 This meeting was presided over by W. H. Suttor, 
 Esq., of Brucedale, one of the oldest and most 
 influential Churchmen resident in that part of the 
 colony. The Bishop was well supported by thirteen 
 of his clergy, who had drawn up and signed a 
 declaration affirming 'the need of the bishopric, 
 their determination to use their best efforts in their 
 parishes to promote the endowment, and their 
 readiness to render all canonical obedience to the 
 bishop who might be sent to preside over them.' 
 This declaration, as well as the report of the 
 Committee, was read at the meeting, after which the 
 Bishop laid the whole case before it in such a lucid 
 and forcible manner that he carried the whole 
 assembly with him. And it was observed that 
 while he was describing the condition of the 
 dwellers in the bush, and pointing out their spiritual 
 needs, ' the chairman and others in the audience were 
 deeply moved even to tears.' It was announced at 
 this meeting before its close that the sum of 1700/. 
 had been subscribed in the district of Bathurst 
 towards the endowment, raising the whole amount 
 to 4146/., which was shortly after increased to 5000/. 
 A ladies' committee was also formed to assist in 
 obtaining further contributions. 
 
 In this tour of visitation there was much which 
 encouraged the Bishop besides the efforts to provide 
 the endowment for the new bishopric. He found in 
 various quarters an extension of the means of grace. 
 In crossing the Blue Mountains he saw two 
 catechists at work, under the clergyman at Hartley, 
 
VISIT TO WESTERN DISTRICTS. 
 
 195 
 
 ministering to the navvies and their families who 
 were employed in constructing the railway. By 
 these catechists services were held all along the line, 
 and the great truths of the Gospel taught. It was 
 estimated that several thousand persons were thus, 
 directly or indirectly, benefited, and they showed 
 their appreciation of the services by erecting, at their 
 own cost, or with their own hands, two buildings to 
 be used for the double purpose of school and church, 
 in localities where they were most needed. The 
 following extract from an address descriptive of this 
 tour, which the Bishop delivered in Sydney after his 
 return, is of interest, as explaining the nature of the 
 work which was in progress : — 
 
 The whole of the week was passed in somewhat 
 notorious parts of the colony. The deep ravines at the 
 back of Mount Macquarie had enabled the bushrangers to 
 baffle the police. Almost every hut had its history. The 
 
 list of candidates for Confirmation at contained 
 
 names which have acquired unhappy fame, and I looked 
 with deep interest on some of the younger members of 
 families whose elder relations had suffered, or were 
 suffering, the penalty of the law. I looked, I say, with 
 deep interest upon them, because in them I saw the first 
 fruits of efforts made by zealous, active clergymen on 
 behalf of the population of these districts. There has not 
 been much time for this evangelical experiment, but the 
 evidences of success are already there, and I believe that if 
 we can only carry out all that is desired and designed by 
 those excellent men the success will be complete. 
 
 At No. 1 Swamp a congregation of one hundred and 
 twenty persons was assembled, many from considerable 
 distances. Twenty-seven were confirmed in the building 
 used as a church, erected by the schoolmaster of the town- 
 
196 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 ship. Great interest was excited, this being the first 
 Confirmation held there, and the first visit of a bishop to 
 the district. The site for a church was selected on a 
 suitable piece of rising ground near the principal road. 
 
 As the weather had become broken and the days were 
 short, we found it impossible to reach our intended halting 
 place that night, and striking deeper into the ranges we were 
 very hospitably entertained by one of the farmers of the 
 district. Here also I held an evening service, and con- 
 firmed a young person who had been unable to reach the 
 place where the Confirmation had been held. The week 
 was spent in similar work at Caloola, Rockley, O'Connell, 
 and Oberon. 
 
 Ascension Day was suitably observed in the fine new 
 church at O'Connell, built since my last visit there, and 
 filled with a large, attentive congregation. Twenty-two 
 young persons were confirmed upon the occasion. 
 
 The following facts were noted by the Bishop 
 in the districts visited. Eight clergymen were 
 ministering there, who all received their stipends 
 through the Church Society, six of them were 
 assisted by the Society by grants of 100/. each, to 
 make up their stipends to 300/. per annum. Four 
 catechists were also maintained. Eleven churches 
 had been built or were in building, and three school- 
 churches had been recently erected, in addition to 
 three (or four) which had existed for some years. 
 Four parsonage houses had also been built. Justly 
 then did the Bishop say : — ' it is impossible to 
 estimate the value of the social and religious ad- 
 vantages which have thus been conferred upon the 
 country.' 
 
 The second session of the Diocesan Synod, 
 which, according to its constitution, was to meet 
 annually, was now approaching, at which the sub- 
 
SESSION OF SYNOD, 1867. 
 
 197 
 
 jects which in the previous session had been en- 
 trusted to committees for their consideration and 
 report, would have to be dealt with. All of them 
 were important, and demanded from those who had 
 charge of them much care and judgment in regard 
 to the measures they might propose. To these 
 matters the Bishop felt that he, as President of the 
 Synod, ought to give his thoughtful attention, and 
 he therefore placed himself in consultation with the 
 committees, both aiding their deliberations, and dis- 
 cussing with them the proposals they had to offer. 
 
 The Synod met on August the 20th, 1867, pre- 
 ceded by the usual religious services. As soon as 
 it was duly constituted, the President delivered his 
 address, and the business commenced. The reports 
 of the several committees were brought up, and 
 taken into consideration ; and resolutions or ordi- 
 nances founded upon them were submitted to the 
 Synod. As the result, some of them were adopted, 
 some rejected, and others withdrawn for further 
 consideration. 
 
 In his opening address the Bishop alluded to the 
 petitions which had been adopted in the previous 
 session to Her Majesty and the two Houses of 
 the Imperial Parliament and to the Convocations of 
 Canterbury and York, and informed the Synod that 
 he had received some replies to the letters which ac- 
 companied them. He also stated that he had been 
 invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to attend 
 a meeting at Lambeth on the 24th of September 
 of the archbishops and bishops of the Church of 
 England and Ireland, the colonial bishops, and the 
 bishops in visible communion with the united Church 
 
198 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 of England and Ireland, for mutual counsel and 
 brotherly communion ; but that after consulting the 
 Standing Committee of the Synod he had replied 
 to his Grace that the circumstances of his own 
 diocese at the present juncture made it impossible 
 for him to absent himself without injury to the 
 interests of the Church. He further mentioned 
 that he had availed himself of the opportunity 
 allowed by the Archbishop in his letter of invitation, 
 to forward, through the Archbishop of York, 'a 
 paper drawn up by the Chancellor of the Diocese, 
 in which my views upon the subject of our relation 
 to the Church at home, and the manner in which 
 our union may be maintained, are set forth.' 
 
 The able manner in which the various subjects 
 which were brought before the Synod were discussed 
 by both the clergy and the laity, the evident desire 
 which actuated them to make the best provisions for 
 advancing the Church's welfare, the good temper 
 and business-like manner in which the proceedings 
 were carried on, were highly satisfactory to the 
 Bishop, and inspired him with confidence that the 
 advantages which he had expected from synodical 
 action would be realised, and in this opinion he was 
 confirmed by every succeeding session over which 
 he presided. 
 
 In the month of September the Bishop renewed 
 his visit to the western districts, taking this time the 
 northern side, from Mudgee to Dubbo. His object 
 was to hold Confirmations, and also to bring before 
 the members of the Church in those parts the 
 subject of the bishopric, and to enlist their sym- 
 pathies on its behalf. It was evident that there 
 
BISHOP OF GRAFTON AND ARMIDALE . 1 99 
 
 was not there the same warm feeling as to the 
 necessity for the bishopric as existed at Bathurst 
 and other places on the southern side. It was 
 therefore the more necessary that the members of 
 the Church should be instructed as to the importance 
 of what was proposed, and the increased spiritual 
 benefits which would accrue from it to themselves 
 and their families. These points the Bishop felt it 
 his duty to impress upon them. About a month 
 was occupied in this tour, during which several 
 meetings for the Endowment Fund were held. 
 
 In the month of December an extension of the 
 episcopate in another direction was accomplished by 
 the arrival on the 16th of the Right Rev. Dr. 
 Sawyer as the first bishop of Grafton and Armidale. 
 The bishop and his family were received by the 
 Metropolitan with his usual kindness and hospitality, 
 and were also cordially welcomed by the clergy and 
 laity of Sydney. 
 
200 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 1868. 
 
 Departure of Rev. W. Hodgson — Earl of Belmore's Arrival — Duke of 
 Edinburgh — Attempt upon Duke's Life — Death of Bishop of 
 Grafton and Armidale — Revival of King's School — Visitation, 
 Important Charge — Session of Synod, 1868 — Visit of Bishop 
 Selwyn — Consecration of Cathedral — Episcopal Conference — 
 Christ Church Reredos — Appendix to Visitation Charge. 
 
 Early in this year the diocese sustained a loss by 
 the departure of the Rev. William Hodgson, 
 Principal of Moore College, for England. This 
 loss was much felt by the Bishop, both on account 
 of the personal friendship which had so long sub- 
 sisted between himself and Mr. Hodgson, and the 
 valuable gifts and qualities which so admirably fitted 
 him for the office of Principal. After presiding for 
 eleven years with marked ability and success over 
 the College, his health began to feel the effects 
 of his labours, and of the too great strain which they 
 had occasioned. During those years he had educated 
 for the ministry forty-five students, thirty-nine of 
 whom were at that time licensed clergymen in 
 several of the Australian dioceses, discharging their 
 ministerial duties with advantage to the Church and 
 general acceptance to their flocks. Five others were 
 
DEPARTURE OF REV. W. HODGSOX. 201 
 
 expecting Holy Orders at the end of the year. The 
 eminent services which he had thus rendered to the 
 Church were fully recognised by the Bishop and the 
 other trustees of the College, by the Standing Com- 
 mittee of the Synod, and by the Committee of the 
 Church Society. An address was also presented to 
 him by thirty of the clergy who had been trained 
 by him at Moore College. The following testimony 
 was also borne by the Australian Churchman to 
 his valuable services : — 
 
 We have not the honour of being intimate with Mr. 
 Hodgson, and we possibly do not belong to the same school 
 of religious thought, but we may venture to say that he has 
 admirably discharged the duties of his most important 
 office, because we have formed that opinion from what wc 
 have seen and heard of the general usefulness of the many 
 colonial clergymen who have been trained by him for Holy 
 Orders. He has with great patience and tact so well pre- 
 pared his pupils for leading the devotions of their people 
 and discharging the duties of the desk and of the pulpit, 
 that we feel certain they would in these respects bear a 
 favourable comparison with the same number of clergymen 
 at home of the ordinary average. 
 
 His place was filled by the appointment of the 
 Rev. Robert Lethbridge King, B.A., of St. John's 
 College, Cambridge. 
 
 The 7th of January was marked by the arrival of 
 the Earl of Belmore, as successor to Sir John Young 
 in the government of the colony ; and the 20th by 
 the arrival of His Royal Highness the Duke of 
 Edinburgh, on a visit to the Australian colonies, in 
 command of H.M.S. Galatea. 
 
202 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The Duke of Edinburgh was received by all 
 classes of the colonists with an enthusiastic wel- 
 come, and the Church of England was not behind 
 other sections of the community in the manifestation 
 of her loyalty. This was shown first by an address 
 presented to His Royal Highness from the Bishop 
 and clergy of the Sydney diocese, then by an address 
 from the bishops, clergy, and laity of the three 
 dioceses of Sydney, Newcastle, and Goulburn, and 
 further by the presentation to him of a superbly- 
 bound Bible and Book of Common Prayer, orna- 
 mented with Australian gold, from the children 
 attending the Church of England Sunday Schools 
 in the Diocese of Sydney. This last presentation 
 was made in the Sydney Cathedral (at that time not 
 completed) by the Bishop of Sydney on behalf of the 
 children, and was declared to be 'a token of the loyal 
 attachment to the person of their beloved Queen 
 which animates the rising generation of the colony, 
 and of their sincere desire that the Word of God 
 may be the guide and comfort of your Royal High- 
 ness through all the changes of life.' 
 
 A few weeks after this, on the 12th of March, an 
 attempt was made upon the life of the Duke by a 
 man named O'Farrell, who had but recently arrived 
 in the colony. Through the good providence of 
 God, the attempt failed, the ball which was dis- 
 charged from the pistol, and aimed at the spine, 
 being diverted, and passing round the body into the 
 flesh. The Bishop was deeply moved when the sad 
 intelligence was conveyed to him at Bishopscourt, 
 and immediately made his way to Government 
 House, where the wounded Prince was lying in 
 
DUKE OF EDINBURGH IN SYDNEY. 
 
 203 
 
 great danger, to express his sympathy and offer 
 his services. 
 
 After a day or two the ball was extracted, and 
 t the Duke happily began to recover. As soon as 
 recovery was assured, the Bishop drew up a form of 
 thanksgiving, which he directed the clergy to use 
 in their churches on Sunday, the 29th of March, and 
 seven days after. By desire of His Royal Highness, 
 the Bishop took part in the service on board the 
 Galatea on that day, preaching from Gen. l. 20, 
 1 But as for you, ye thought evil against me ; 
 but God meant it unto good, as it is this day.' 
 The 28th of April was afterwards set apart by the 
 Government as * a day of thanksgiving to be 
 observed throughout the colony for the preservation 
 of His Royal Highness and for his recovery.' In 
 addition to the public thanksgiving the Duke offered 
 his personal thanksgiving ' for his recovery from a 
 dangerous wound.' 
 
 Almost immediately after these events the feelings 
 of Churchmen were painfully excited by the sudden 
 death of the newly arrived Bishop of Grafton and 
 Armidale. This sad event was occasioned by the 
 upsetting of the boat in which he was returning with 
 his son and a female servant from Divine service, 
 which he had been holding at Grafton on Sunday 
 evening, March the 15th. All three were drowned. 
 It was a very mournful occurrence, and a cause of 
 great grief to the Bishop of Sydney. 
 
 The revival of the King's School at Parramatta, 
 which had from various causes been closed for 
 several years, was a matter which at this time 
 occupied the Bishop's serious attention. Anxious 
 
204 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 to bring it about, he had taken counsel with several 
 gentlemen, some of them old scholars whom he 
 believed to be interested in the institution. As 
 early in the year as the month of February a public 
 meeting was held in Parramatta, over which he pre- 
 sided, and gave expression to his wishes upon the 
 subject. At this meeting it was resolved to be highly 
 expedient to resuscitate the School, and to take steps 
 for that end. A committee was appointed, and a 
 subscription-list opened. The Committee met on 
 the 5th of March, and heard from the Bishop the out- 
 lines of the plan he proposed for adoption. A sub- 
 committee was then appointed to consider the plan 
 and to endeavour to procure funds for carrying it 
 into effect. On the 12th of May the Sub-Committee 
 reported the scheme upon which they had agreed. 
 It included the formation of a Council for the School, 
 to consist of clergy and laity elected by the sub- 
 scribers to the fund for reopening it, the Council to 
 have the management of the funds and the selection 
 and appointment of the head master ; the School to 
 be divided into two departments, classical and 
 modern ; its general character to be distinctly Church 
 of England, but with due regard to the original 
 regulations, to the wishes of parents or guardians of 
 pupils of any other denomination ; the charges to be 
 moderate, and special privileges afforded to sons of 
 the clergy of the Church of England. 
 
 A large and influential committee was then formed 
 to take further action in the matter, and especially 
 to obtain the funds required. On July the 3rd a 
 meeting of the subscribers was held, under the presi- 
 dency of the Bishop, when the Council was elected, 
 
KING'S SCHOOL — VISITATION. 205 
 
 and further steps taken. And at the next session 
 of the Synod on August the 5th, the Bishop was able 
 to announce that there was every prospect of the 
 reopening of the school, under the head-mastership 
 of the Rev. G. F. Macarthur, who had himself been 
 one of its first pupils, a prospect which was happily 
 realised in January of the following year. 
 
 Previous to the annual session of the Synod, 
 the Bishop held his third visitation, and delivered 
 a Charge in which he dwelt upon matters with 
 which the clergy were more immediately con- 
 cerned. A period of six years had elapsed since 
 he had called them together in this way, and he 
 had particular reasons for doing so now. There 
 were, he said, some topics upon which he felt that 
 he was called thus publicly to express his convic- 
 tions, and to warn those over whom he had been 
 appointed to preside against dangers by which they 
 were surrounded. One of the points specially 
 selected for notice was the true character of the 
 office held by the Christian minister. And upon 
 this he thus expressed his views : — 
 
 It appears to me that at the present time we are 
 specially called upon to consider what is the true character 
 we bear. I say at the present time, because it is impossible 
 to deny that there are two rival theories on this subject, 
 in strong and decided opposition to each other, and thar 
 between these two claimants there is such a wide and irre- 
 concilable difference, that it is impossible for the same 
 person to hold them both as true or to make them 
 harmonise with each other. 
 
 The one endeavours to restore the Church to the position 
 it occupied before the Reformation, the other desires to 
 carry out the views and intentions of the Reformers. I do 
 
206 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 not enter into any proof of this assertion. It is a fact 
 assumed by the Bishop of London in his last Charge, and 
 largely dwelt upon and very ably and earnestly set forth 
 by my right reverend brother and friend the Bishop of 
 Carlisle. He shows that before the Reformation the 
 presbyter of the Apostles' day had become a sacrificing 
 priest and a spiritual judge. 
 
 The Church of England in her formularies, in her 
 homilies, and in the teaching of her best divines, as Jewel 
 and Hooker, knows nothing whatever of a sacrificing 
 priest or a spiritual judge. Her clergy are not priests, 
 but presbyters ; not Uptig, sacrificing priests, but elders, 
 heralds, and preachers. We read of apostles, prophets, 
 teachers, evangelists, never of priests. They are sowers, 
 builders, workmen, never spiritual judges. Fathers, guides, 
 rulers it may be, but the ground on which allegiance is 
 claimed, is that ' they have spoken unto you the Word 
 of the Lord/ They are 1 stewards of mysteries/ but, if 
 Scripture is to be its own interpreter, the mysteries are 
 certainly not the sacraments. They are the truths which 
 God has revealed — 'the mystery of the Gospel.' 
 
 And if it be said that, coupled with the authority to 
 preach the Word of God, there is added in the ordination 
 service that declaration, ' Whose sins thou dost forgive, 
 they are forgiven ; and whose sins thou dost retain, they 
 are retained/ we say with Bishop Jewel, on the power of 
 the keys, ' That the minister doth execute the authority of 
 binding and shutting as often as he shutteth up the gate 
 of the kingdom of heaven against unbelieving and stubborn 
 persons, denouncing unto them God's vengeance and ever- 
 lasting punishment, or else when he doth quite shut them 
 out of the Church by excommunication. Moreover, that 
 Christ's disciples did receive this authority, not that they 
 should hear private confessions of the people .... but to 
 the end that they should go, they should teach, they should 
 publish abroad the Gospel.' The key whereby the way 
 and entry to the kingdom of God is open to us is the 
 Gospel and the expounding of the law and Scriptures. 
 
IMPORTANT CHARGE. 
 
 207 
 
 There was another point of immense moment in 
 the present day upon which the Bishop felt it his 
 duty to speak with no less plainness, and to protest 
 with the earnestness of strong conviction and deep 
 anxiety for the maintenance of the truth — the real 
 presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. He 
 held with Hooker (Eccles. Pol., bk. v., chap. 67, 
 sect. 5, 6) that there is a real presence in the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but that it is not 
 in the consecrated elements but ' in the heart of the 
 worthy receiver of the Sacrament.' But his appeal 
 upon these subjects was to Holy Scripture ; he 
 said : — 
 
 Bring these questions to the test of Scripture, and there 
 can be no room whatever for doubt. We cannot be sacri- 
 ficing- priests, if the teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews 
 is intelligible. Since CHRIST our Lord has once for all, 
 upon the cross, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, 
 oblation, and satisfaction for the sin of man, there is no 
 other oblation to be made for sin, and nothing for us to do 
 with reference to that sacrifice but to commemorate it 
 in the Lord's Supper, and set forth its fulness and free- 
 ness, to preach the glorious Gospel of the Blessed God. 
 It is necessary to dwell on this point, inasmuch as the 
 questions which are at present agitating the Church at home 
 turn chiefly upon the character and position of the presbyter. 
 . . . . There are men who speak of offering the oblation 
 of the Holy Eucharist, and who by their dress, their 
 gestures, and all the accessories of public worship, as well 
 as in express language, proclaim that they do offer a sacri- 
 fice, and in some instances do not hesitate to speak of it as 
 ' the Mass.' Now we doubt not that such men are sincere, 
 earnest, and devoted, but we may be allowed to doubt 
 whether they are consistent clergymen of the Church of 
 England This is a painful subject, but one which 
 
2o8 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 it is impossible to pass over. I notice it chiefly for the 
 sake of observing that it is our duty to keep within the 
 limits of that usage which the general practice of the 
 Church of England has sanctioned for the last three hundred 
 years. Had this been adhered to, we should certainly 
 never have heard in the Church of England of vestments 
 and of incense, of elevation and adoration of the elements, 
 of mixing water with wine, and of that construction 
 and decoration of the Communion Table which are 
 intended to convert it into an ' altar ' — a term unknown 
 in the formularies of the Church of England. 
 
 To this Charge when published was added an 
 Appendix, in which the doctrine of the real 
 presence in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was 
 ably discussed with clear and discriminating argu- 
 ment. It will be found at the end of this chapter, 
 and will well repay a thoughtful and attentive perusal. 
 
 The annual session of the Diocesan Synod was 
 held on the following day, and was largely attended 
 by the clergy and lay representatives. Amongst the 
 topics upon which the Bishop dwelt in his address 
 as President, the Pan-Anglican Conference, which 
 had been held at Lambeth in 1867, was one which 
 called for special remark. While thankful for the 
 important declarations and solemn warnings in the 
 address of the bishops, and in the introduction to 
 the resolutions of the Conference, he saw very serious 
 objections to two of the recommendations which that 
 body had put forth. The recommendations were 
 these : — ' A provincial synod may make or authorise 
 alterations in the services of the Church, required by 
 the circumstances of the province ; ' and, ' A 
 provincial tribunal of appeal should be established 
 by the provincial synod/ The Bishop said : — 
 
SESSION OF SYNOD, 1868. 
 
 I object to any alterations being made in the services of 
 the Church except by competent authority at home. We 
 of the clergy have given our assent and consent to the 
 Book of Common Prayer, and have promised to use the 
 form in the said book prescribed in public prayer and the 
 administration of the sacraments, and none other. Our 
 own twenty-seventh constitution is entirely at variance with 
 this recommendation of the Committee of the Lambeth 
 Conference. * No rule, ordinance, or determination of any 
 diocesan or provincial synod, shall make any alteration in 
 the articles, liturgy, or formularies of the Church, except in 
 conformity with any alteration which may be made therein by 
 any competent authority of the United Church of England 
 and Ireland in the United Kingdom.' This rule is safe 
 and wise. I feel no desire whatever to accept the offered 
 liberty of making alterations in the liturgy of the Church. 
 I apprehend that the liberty might lead to license, to the 
 formation of parties, and eventually to schism. 
 
 As to the proposed Provincial Tribunal of 
 Appeal, he pointed out how it was at variance with 
 another of the constitutions of the Church in New 
 South Wales. In the eighteenth constitution it is 
 provided that, whatever mode of trying clerical 
 offences may be adopted by the synods, 1 there shall 
 be the same right of appeal as now exists from the 
 decisions of the bishop.' He held, moreover, that 
 ' it was not possible to imagine a court more fitted 
 for the purpose than the Judicial Committee of the 
 Privy Council, or more worthy of confidence. Its 
 province was on the one hand to ascertain the true 
 construction of the articles of religion and formu- 
 laries referred to in each charge, according to the 
 legal rules for the interpretation of statutes and 
 written instruments, and on the other to ascertain 
 
 p 
 
2IO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the plain grammatical meaning of the passages 
 which were charged as being contrary to or 
 inconsistent with the doctrine of the Church, ascer- 
 tained in the manner thus described.' And with 
 regard to the proposed substitute, his view was thus 
 expressed : — 
 
 It is proposed to substitute for this Court of Final 
 Appeal a voluntary spiritual tribunal, to consist only of 
 archbishops and bishops from the Church of England and 
 Ireland, the Colonial, the Scotch, and American Episcopal 
 Churches. I think that the plan thus suggested is unne- 
 cessary, and is fraught with elements of discord and 
 dissension. 
 
 Two ordinances were passed by the Synod in 
 this session, one for establishing and regulating the 
 constitution of the cathedral, the other for consti- 
 tuting a tribunal for the administration of ecclesias- 
 tical discipline in the Diocese of Sydney. The 
 former was very soon afterwards brought into opera- 
 tion, but there has happily been no occasion hitherto 
 for making use of the provisions of the latter. 
 
 The Bishop was now looking forward to the 
 completion of the cathedral, and its consecration on 
 St. Andrew's Day. With this view another meeting 
 of the subscribers and others who were interested in 
 the work was held within the edifice on August 13th, 
 the Earl of Belmore being in the chair. It appeared 
 from the Building Committee's report that subse- 
 quently to the meeting in July, 1865, upwards of 
 9500/. were subscribed in that and the following 
 year, in addition to 1400/. received from the Bishop 
 out of a portion of Moore's estate ; that 2500/. had 
 also been collected by the ladies of the diocese for 
 
VISIT OF BISHOP SELWYN. 
 
 2 I I 
 
 the Organ Fund, and 300/. subscribed by the children 
 in Church Sunday Schools for the font, making a 
 total of 13,700/. It had been found necessary, 
 however, to go beyond this amount in carrying on 
 the work, to the extent of 1200/. ; and 1300/. more 
 would be needed to finish the interior in a becoming 
 manner. A final appeal was therefore made for 
 2500/. In the full confidence that this amount would 
 be provided by the members of the Church, the 
 Building Committee had ordered the work to be 
 proceeded with according to the plans and estimates 
 of the architect, Mr. Edmund Blacket. 
 
 While this was going on, an unexpected visit 
 from Bishop Selwyn, so long known as the dis- 
 tinguished Bishop of New Zealand, and then on his 
 way to take possession of the See of Lichfield, 
 supplied an opportunity, of which the Bishop of 
 Sydney and the Committee were glad to avail them- 
 selves, to hold another meeting within the cathedral. 
 The object was to offer to him a kindly greeting, 
 and to hear from him such stirring words of counsel 
 and encouragement as he was wont to utter. The 
 meeting was held on November the 2nd, and notwith- 
 standing a heavy storm of wind and rain, there was 
 a large and influential attendance. The Bishop of 
 Melbourne, who was on a visit to the Metropolitan, 
 was also present. At the close of the meeting a 
 widow, in humble circumstances and of moderate 
 means, came forward, and handed to the Dean of 
 Sydney an envelope which, she said, contained a 
 small offering towards the completion of the work. 
 Upon examination it was found to be 200/. — -a 
 noble gift from her. 
 
212 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Looking forward to the consecration on St. 
 Andrew's Day, the Metropolitan had invited all the 
 bishops of the province to be present, and to take 
 part in the opening services. The preparations 
 were therefore carried on with all convenient speed, 
 and on the morning of St. Andrew's Day every- 
 thing was duly arranged for the event. It was one 
 to which many had long looked forward as the con- 
 summation of hopes which they had cherished amidst 
 discouragements and difficulties, as the completion 
 of a work which had been carried on for thirty-one 
 long years, languishing at times with the varying 
 fortunes of the colony, and then reviving with 
 new vigour as friends came forward with fresh 
 energy to its help ; but at length, by a general and 
 united effort, stimulated by the meetings of 1865 
 and by the strenuous advocacy of the Bishop and 
 his helpers, all difficulties had been surmounted and 
 success attained. It was a great gratification to the 
 Bishop and his fellow- workers in the cause, and 
 evoked the hearty congratulations of the bishops of 
 the province. The Church, too, was glad on that 
 day, when it assembled to consecrate to the worship 
 and service of the ever blessed Trinity the house 
 which had been erected for His glory. Of the nine 
 bishops of Australia two only were absent. The 
 Bishop of Perth was unable to leave his diocese, and 
 the Bishop of Grafton and Armidale had not yet 
 arrived from England. 
 
 The consecration service was that which is usual 
 on such occasions. The morning prayer was intoned 
 by the Rev. J. C. Corlette, Precentor, the musical 
 portions being excellently rendered by a choir of 
 
CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL. 
 
 213 
 
 eighty-five voices. The sermon was preached by 
 the Metropolitan, who took for his text the words : 
 ' Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men ' 
 (St. Matt. iv. 19). The offertory amounted to 250/. 
 The services were continued every evening during 
 the week and on the following Sunday, each of the 
 bishops preaching to overflowing congregations. 
 
 During this visit of the bishops to Sydney, the 
 Metropolitan invited them to a conference, for the 
 purpose of consulting together upon various matters 
 relating to the welfare of the Church in the province 
 as it was defined in the Letters Patent of the Bishop 
 of Sydney. The conclusions at which they arrived 
 were published, and commended to the consideration 
 of the Church in its several dioceses : they were 
 signed as follows, — F. Sydney (Metropolitan), 
 Augustus Adelaide, C. Melbourne, W. Newcastle, 
 E. W. Brisbane, M. Goulburn, C. H. Tasmania. 
 
 It is interesting to notice that the first of these 
 minutes expresses the united opinion of the bishops 
 assembled in that Conference that 'The (then) present 
 relation of the Church of England in the aforesaid 
 province (of Australia) to the Church at home is one 
 of identity of doctrine and worship, and of subjection 
 to the law of the united Church of England and 
 Ireland, so far as it is applicable to a Church not 
 established by law, and that this relation may 
 practically be best maintained by a system of 
 diocesan and provincial synods, and by a common 
 final court of appeal and by a council of reference.' It 
 was this identity, which as already seen, the Metro- 
 politan was so anxious to maintain and preserve in 
 perpetuity. 
 
2 14 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 With a view to preserve the continuity of the 
 narrative of the completion and consecration of the 
 cathedral, it has been necessary to pass over a matter 
 which was at the time the cause of much anxiety to 
 the Bishop, and the occasion of no little unpleasant- 
 ness and disquiet in the parish concerned. 
 
 In one of the Sydney churches objection was 
 taken by some of the parishioners to the erection of 
 a reredos, which was intended by a son to be a 
 memorial of his father. On the 5th November of 
 this year the Bishop received from three members 
 of the congregation a petition against the construc- 
 tion of this reredos. By the rule of the ndiocese, 
 founded upon the law and practice of the Church at 
 home, a faculty was required for such an erection, 
 but this had not been obtained or applied for. The 
 Bishop therefore forwarded the petition to the 
 churchwardens, to obtain from them any explanation 
 which they might have to offer, and asking why 
 application for a faculty had not been made. Their 
 reply was that they did not consider a faculty neces- 
 sary, as no alteration or enlargement of the building 
 was required. Upon receiving this reply the Bishop 
 requested the dean, as archdeacon, to visit the 
 church, and to report to him upon the character of 
 the proposed ornamentation, and, in concert with 
 the chancellor, to consider and report whether a 
 faculty was necessary. The report of the arch- 
 deacon described the character of the reredos, and 
 concluded thus : — ' At my request the chancellor 
 also visited the church, and inspected the work. 
 We have since conferred together, and are of opinion 
 that a faculty is required.' The churchwardens were 
 
CHRIST CHURCH REREDOS. 
 
 215 
 
 then informed that it was necessary for them to 
 apply for a faculty, and were requested to suspend 
 the execution of the work .until it had been obtained. 
 With this direction they at once complied. The 
 Bishop then invited them to meet the petitioners 
 against the reredos in his presence. The petitioners 
 were also invited. This invitation was declined by 
 the churchwardens ; and a petition signed by them- 
 selves and one hundred and seven adult seatholders 
 was presented to the Bishop, asking that the erec- 
 tion might be proceeded with. The three petitioners 
 attended, and presented a petition against the 
 erection of the reredos, signed by seventy-six mem- 
 bers of the congregrtion and parishioners. 
 
 Both parties having been in effect heard (for 
 although the churchwardens did not appear, the 
 memorial which they sent in fully stated the grounds 
 upon which they rested their case), the Bishop con- 
 sidered himself justified in proceeding to decide 
 upon the application for a faculty. 
 
 In dealing with the application he stated that 
 ' he did not regard the proposed ornamentation to 
 be illegal! He was advised that there was nothing 
 in it which could be said to be contrary to the law 
 or usage of the Church of England. This he laid 
 down emphatically, but the memorial which had 
 been addressed to him, and letters which he had 
 received, showed him that ' there was a deep and 
 widespread repugnance to the erection of the reredos.' 
 He then said : — 
 
 In such cases what is the course which wisdom and 
 charity would lead us to adopt ? If in the question at issue 
 
2l6 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a principle is involved, and it was required to abandon 
 some practice enjoined by law or hallowed by long con- 
 tinued custom, it would be a duty to resist an unreasonable 
 demand, but in this case there is no principle. The only 
 question, it appears to me, is this : Is it expedient to put 
 up the proposed reredos ? In ordinary times this might 
 have been done, but the times are not ordinary in respect 
 to the decoration of churches. Practices have been intro- 
 duced in the Church of England which belonged to the 
 Church before the Reformation rather than to the Church 
 of England as reformed. The consequence has been that 
 feelings of distrust and suspicion have been aroused, 
 detrimental to the best interests of the Church and likely 
 to lead to division and disruption. We in this diocese 
 have hitherto been free from the evils arising out of the 
 practices to which I refer, and I consider it to be unwise 
 that without necessity anything should be done calculated 
 to provoke suspicion and opposition. 
 
 The responsibility is thrown upon me of deciding 
 whether the erection of the reredos is to proceed or not. I 
 feel assured that the peace and harmony of the Church 
 
 would be endangered if I complied with the request 
 
 My judgment is that the desired faculty cannot be granted, 
 and I recommend the churchwardens to obtain such an 
 alteration of the design as may render it unobjectionable, 
 and, failing this, the work must be discontinued, and the 
 portion already commenced must be removed. 
 
 Considerable reluctance was at first shown by the 
 clergyman and the churchwardens of the church to 
 comply with these injunctions. That reluctance was, 
 however, after some time overcome, and the matter 
 was disposed of agreeably to the decision of the 
 Bishop. 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 21 J 
 
 The following is the Appendix on the Real 
 Presence published with the third visitation Charge 
 of the Bishop, and to which reference has been made 
 in a preceding page : — 
 
 The subject of the Real Presence referred to in the 
 Charge has assumed a very important position in the con- 
 troversies of the present day, and seems to require more 
 than the passing notice which has been given to it in my 
 Charge. The false notions on this subject entertained by 
 many persons threaten to bring the Church of England into 
 such a near conformity to the Romish communion, as in 
 the ideas and hopes of Romanists themselves to make that 
 union which has taken place in the case of individuals 
 possible in the case of the whole body of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 The views of certain writers in the Church of England 
 are commended in Romish periodicals as in no way differing 
 from the statements of the Council of Trent, and the subtle 
 distinctions by which it is endeavoured to dissociate 
 Tridentine from high Anglican doctrines, are described 
 as slight inaccuracies of expression, which do not essentially 
 detract from teaching which in the main is that of the 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 The term Real Presence is one which the Church of 
 England has not admitted into her formularies or authorised 
 teaching. Some of her divines have, however, used it, and 
 it is necessary in the outset to observe that there is a 
 presence of our Divine Lord in the believing reception of 
 the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which is as real in a 
 spiritual sense — i.e., by the operation of the Holy Spirit on 
 the heart of the believer — as the bread and wine are really 
 — i.e., locally and substantially — present on the table. But, 
 as it will be necessary to observe of other passages, the term 
 Real Presence, when used by some divines, has a very 
 different meaning from that which others assign to it, and 
 the meaning of an author in whose work the term occurs 
 
2l8 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 must be gathered from the observation and comparison ot 
 other portions of his writings. Nothing is easier and nothing 
 more fallacious than to cite an author as holding a certain 
 opinion on the Real Presence merely because the expression 
 is found in his works. 
 
 What then is the sense in which these words are used by 
 such writers as Dr. Pusey, Archdeacon Denison, the late 
 Bishop Hamilton, Mr. Mackonochie, Mr. Bennett, and 
 men of that school? What they mean is this. In the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the bread and wine are by 
 consecration so influenced and operated upon that there is 
 a real though spiritual presence of the body and blood of 
 Christ, so united to the bread and wine, as to form with 
 them one compound whole, and hence that the body and 
 blood of Christ are received by all the communicants, 
 whatever their state may be, so that what the communicant 
 puts into his mouth consists of two parts, one bread and 
 wine, the other the body and blood of Christ present in a 
 supernatural or superlocal manner with the bread and wine. 
 This view of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist differs 
 in no material respect from that of the Church of Rome. 
 The Church of Rome believes that, while the accidents, as 
 they are termed, the outward form and substance of bread 
 and wine remain, the elements have given place to a sub- 
 stantial presence of Christ's real body and blood after a 
 supernatural manner ; they are there on the altar under the 
 form of bread and wine. 
 
 Christ's body and blood, says Archdeacon Denison, 
 ' are really present in the Holy Eucharist under the form of 
 bread and wine,' i.e., ' present things, though present after 
 a manner ineffable, incomprehensible by man, and not 
 cognisable by the senses.' This is precisely the language 
 of Rome. 
 
 Mr. Mackonochie, addressing his flock, says : ' I believe, 
 and therefore have always taught, that the body and blood 
 of Christ are objectively' (i.e., outwardly as 'present 
 things ') ' given by the priest, objectively taken by every 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 2 1 9 
 
 communicant.' And again, * superlocally He is present 
 both in His Godhead and in His manhood — whenever and 
 wherever the sacramental conditions which He has laid down 
 are fulfilled. This presence I believe to be conferred by the 
 Word of Christ, as spoken by the priest, through the 
 operation of God the Holy Ghost, irrespective of faith or any 
 personal qualification either in the consecrator or receiver.' 
 
 Mr. Bennett is stated to hold and teach, 1 That the body 
 and blood of Christ thus really present are therein and 
 thereby given to and received by ALL, both in respect of those 
 who eat and drink worthily, and in respect of those who eat 
 and drink unworthily.' 
 
 When such doctrines are taught by high authorities in 
 the Church of England, the Romish Archbishop Manning 
 may well be credited with having said that the controversy 
 about transubstantiation had ceased, because ' so large a 
 number of the clergy of the Established Church had taken 
 out of the hands of the Catholic clergy the labour of con- 
 tending about it, they have been left to the much more 
 happy and peaceable task of reaping- the fields' 
 
 Our first inquiry with reference to this subject would 
 naturally be, what saith the Scripture ? But the question 
 may be somewhat narrowed by the inquiry, what is the 
 interpretation which the Church of England puts upon the 
 language of Scripture ? And this course may with propriety 
 be taken, since the controversy is between those who have 
 signed the same Articles and assented to the Book of 
 Common Prayer. 
 
 The only fair way of judging what is the real meaning 
 of the Church of England is to take the dogmatic state- 
 ments in the Articles, the teaching of the Catechism, the 
 language of the Communion service, the rubrics and the 
 homilies, and compare them with one another. The twenty- 
 eighth Article says, ' The Body of Christ is given, taken, 
 and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and a 
 spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the Body of 
 Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith.' The 
 
2 20 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 rubric at the end of the Communion service states that 
 there is not any corporal presence of Chris fs natural flesh 
 arid blood, because ' the natural body and blood of our 
 Saviour Christ are in heaven and not here, it being against 
 the truth of Christ's natural body to be at one time in more 
 places than one.' Again, in the third rubric after the 
 Communion of the Sick, it is said * that if a man, either by 
 reason of extremity of sickness .... do not receive the 
 Sacrament of Christ's body and blood . . . . if he do truly 
 repent him of his sins, and steadfastly believe that Jesus 
 Christ hath suffered death upon the Cross for him, and 
 shed His blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering 
 the benefits he hath thereby, and giving Him thanks there- 
 fore, he doth eat and drink the body and blood of our 
 Saviour Christ profitably to his soul's health, though he do 
 not receive the Sacrament with his mouth! In the Catechism 
 it is affirmed that ' the body and blood of Christ are verily 
 and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's 
 Supper/ 
 
 These statements when combined enable us to judge 
 fairly what is the doctrine of our Church on this subject. 
 The language of the Catechism taken alone might be 
 strained into a meaning entirely at variance with the others. 
 It might be said that our Church teaches that 'the body 
 and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and 
 received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper ' in some such 
 sense as the writers before named would put upon the 
 words, or that the body and blood were necessarily and in 
 all cases combined with the sacramental signs ; but the 
 introduction of the word ' faithful ' shows to whom and in 
 what manner the sacramental sign conveys the body and 
 blood of Christ. The mean is faith, the persons are the 
 'faithful' — i.e., such as 'duly receive' — not all baptized 
 persons, because many baptized persons are 'wicked, and eat 
 not the body of Christ in the Lord's Supper' (Article 29). 
 Many of the baptized are ' devoid of a lively faith, and 
 although they do carnally and visibly press with their 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 22 1 
 
 teeth (as St. Augustine saith), the Sacrament of the body 
 and blood of Christ, yet in no wise are they partakers of 
 Christ, but rather to their own condemnation do eat and 
 drink the Sacrament of so great a thing.' 
 
 Here then let it be observed that the presence of Christ 
 is not in the consecrated elements. A man may eat and 
 drink the body and blood of Christ, though he do not 
 receive the Sacrament with his mouth. If he is 1 faithful,' 
 if he ' repents and believes and is thankful,' he duly receives 
 the body and blood of Christ, because the mean whereby 
 the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is 
 faith. On the other hand, a man may eat the bread and 
 drink the wine in the use of the Lord's Supper, and not eat 
 the body of Christ ; he may ' eat the sign or Sacrament of 
 so great a thing ' as Christ's body, and ' in no wise be a 
 partaker of Christ? because he is ' wicked ' or 1 destitute of a 
 lively faith,' and because Christ's body is not in the 
 element of bread, but is in heaven. It follows, then, that 
 the reception of the true body and blood of Christ is not an 
 act of the body but of the soul, not of the mouth but of 
 faith. When, therefore, the Catechism says that the body 
 and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and re- 
 ceived in the Lord's Supper, — we say with Cranmer, ' Christ 
 giveth Himself that same visible and palpable flesh that 
 was for us crucified to be eaten, but all is spiritually, with 
 faith, not with mouth? — ' God workcth in His faithful, not in 
 the Sacraments? And again, ' I mean not that Christ and 
 the Holy Spirit are present in the bread and wine which 
 are only the outward and visible Sacraments, but are truly 
 (verily) and indeed present by their mighty and sanctifying 
 power, virtue, and grace in all tlieni that worthily receive the 
 , same! (Cranmer's Works, Parker Society's edition.) So 
 again, with reference to this expression in the Catechism, 
 Bishop Jewell says : — 1 The thing that is inwardly received 
 in faith and in spirit is received "verily and indeed.'" So 
 that Christ, according to the Church of England, is present 
 in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper only to the faithful, 
 
222 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 who, looking beyond the outward sign, do lift up their 
 hearts to Him in heaven in faith, that He will fulfil the 
 promises of His Word. To such by His Spirit He is 
 present, as really and truly as the Sacraments or signs of 
 His body and blood are present, but He is not in the 
 elements, or under them, or substituted for them, but only 
 in the hearts of His faithful people. 
 
 At the same time the expression in the Catechism 
 teaches that our Church does not regard the ordinance as a 
 mere commemorative sign, but that to the ' faithful ' the 
 bread and wine do become effectual signs, in the partaking 
 of which they do verily and indeed obtain communion with 
 the body and blood of Christ, and are partakers of them to 
 their souls' health. They eat the flesh and drink the blood 
 of the Son of God so as to derive the full benefit which that 
 body and blood received by faith can afford to fallen man. 
 
 The language of the Homily is not less clear. ' It is 
 well known that the meat we seek for in this supper is 
 spiritual food, the nourishment of our soul, a heavenly 
 refection, and not earthly, an invisible meat, and not 
 bodily, a ghostly substance, and not carnal, so that to think 
 without faith we may enjoy the eating and drinking thereof , 
 or that that is the fruition of it, is but to dream a gross 
 carnal feeding basely objecting and binding ourselves to 
 the elements and creatures. Whereas by the Council of the 
 Nicene we ought to lift up our minds by faith, and leaving 
 these inferior and earthly things, there seek it where the 
 sun of righteotisness ever shineth. For the unbelievers and 
 faithless cannot feed upon that precious body! Here 
 manifestly the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper is 
 only to the faithful. It is not necessarily bound to the 
 elements. We can only ' touch it with the mind, receive it 
 with the hand of the heart, and take it fully with the inward 
 man.' 
 
 The catechism of Dean Nowell is an authoritative 
 exposition of the Church's doctrine on this subject, and 
 according to Bishop Randolph may, with Jewell's Apology, 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 223 
 
 be relied on as containing the final and decided opinion of 
 our Reformers, approved of in general by the Church at 
 large. This catechism is named in the Seventy-ninth 
 Canon of 1603, 'as by public authority set forth.' There 
 are no other catechisms to which these words apply but 
 Nowell's, as Archdeacon Churton in his life of Nowell and 
 Dr. Jacobson, now Bishop of Chester, in his preface to the 
 catechism maintained. The words from which our present 
 Catechism is abridged afford a very plain testimony as to 
 the sense in which the eating of the body of Christ is to be 
 understood. 
 
 ' The body and blood of Christ, which in the Lord's 
 Supper are given to the faithful, are by them eaten and drunk 
 only in a heavenly and spiritual manner, yet, nevertheless, 
 verily, in truth, so that is, that like as the bread nourishes 
 our bodies, thus also the body of Christ nourishes our souls 
 spiritually through faith, and like as the hearts of men are 
 exhilarated by wine and their strength confirmed, so our 
 souls are refreshed and renewed by the blood of Christ 
 through faith, in which way the body and blood of Christ are 
 received in the Supper. For Christ as certainly makes 
 those who trust in Him partakers of His body and blood, 
 as they certainly know they have received the bread and 
 wine into their mouth.' ' The mode of receiving the Lord's 
 body and blood is by faith.' 
 
 And so Bishop Jewell says: — 'The body then wJiich 
 we eat is in heaven above all angels, principalities, and 
 powers. Our meat is in heaven on high, and we are here 
 below on earth. How may it be that we reach it, or taste 
 it, or eat it? By the hand of faith we reach unto Him, 
 and by the mouth of faith we receive His body! ' It is a holy 
 mystery and a heavenly action, forcing our minds up to 
 heaven, and there teaching us to eat the body of Christ 
 and drink His blood, not outwardly by the service of our 
 bodies, but inwardly and by faith and that VERILY AND 
 INDEED. The truth here standeth not in any REAL or 
 CORPORAL presence, but, as Hilary saith, in a mystery, 
 
224 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 which is in a Sacrament ; whereby outwardly and unto our 
 senses we express that thing in our bodies that must be 
 wrought inwardly in our minds.' 
 
 It is unnecessary to give further testimonies to the true 
 doctrine of the Church of England on this subject. What 
 we have brought forward is sufficient to show that the com- 
 pilers of our Liturgy, the framers of our Articles, and the 
 Defenders of our Faith, were wholly opposed to any such 
 view of the presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper as that maintained by the modern writers to 
 whom we have referred. 
 
 Of Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, and Hooper, it may be 
 said that they laid down their lives in defence of the 
 doctrines opposed to Romish and Lutheran views of the 
 Real Presence. The modern notions on this subject had 
 not then been propounded. Their arguments were princi- 
 pally directed against the Romish doctrine of transubstan- 
 tiation, but hold equally good against such views as we 
 have been considering. To regard the Reformers as 
 upholding them is most incorrect, and their words can 
 only be quoted for this purpose by using them in a sense 
 entirely different from that which the writers intend. 
 Could they have expressed themselves in the language of 
 Mr. Mackonochie, Archdeacon Denison, Dr. Pusey, Mr. 
 Bennett, and others, they had not needed to die. Rome 
 would willingly have accepted a statement that Christ's 
 body was in the bread, and would not have contended with 
 them as to the mode in which this was brought about. If 
 they had been content to say that the bread and wine were 
 changed, and had not added 1 in the use only and character, 
 not in essence or condition,' their lives might have been 
 saved. 
 
 It was a reproach which his judges cast upon Cranmer, 
 that he who had in the early part of his career defended 
 transubstantiation, ended by being a Zuinglian. The writers 
 of the Zurich letters mark the change, both in him and 
 in Ridley, as it came under their own observation from 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 
 
 225 
 
 time to time. Of Hooper's opinions, the correspondent 
 of Bullinger and Bucer, and intimate friend of Zuingle, 
 there can be no question. Bishop Jewell has been quoted 
 above. 
 
 The 'Reformatio Legum,' drawn up by Cranmer's 
 authority, the decades of Bullinger, which the clergy were 
 directed by the Upper House of Convocation to read and 
 take notes of, both speak of the bread and cup as representing 
 that body and blood which the righteous receive by faith, 
 and which the wicked do not eat. 
 
 Bishop Jeremy Taylor wrote a treatise upon The Real 
 Presence and Spiritual of Christ i?i the Blessed Sacrament. 
 He himself explains the phrase as used by him, and the 
 following passages will show how little he favours the 
 view that there is any other presence of Christ than 
 that spiritual one which is in the hearts of the 
 faithful. ' Christ is present spiritually, i.e., by effect and 
 blessing! ' In the Sacrament is given to us the true 
 substance of Christ's body or flesh, but not carnally 
 but spiritually ; that is, not to our mouths but to our 
 hearts, not to be chewed by the teeth, but to be eaten by 
 faith! 
 
 With reference to the statements that Christ's body is 
 present, but only spiritually or supernaturally, the following 
 extract from the same author is very important. It shows 
 how a phrase may be used by a Romish writer in a sense 
 entirely different from that which is ordinarily attached 
 to it, and how by this substitution of one meaning for 
 another the Reformers may be made to appear to speak 
 the language of Rome. 
 
 ' Bellarmine says that Christ's body is there truly, sub- 
 stantially, really, but not corporally, nay, you may 
 say spiritually. But he intends not with all those fine 
 words, that Christ's body is present spiritually, as the word 
 is used in Scripture, and in all common notices of usual 
 speaking, but spiritually with him signifies after the manner 
 of spirits, which besides that it is a cousening the world in 
 
 Q 
 
2 26 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the manner of expression, is also a direct folly and contra- 
 diction, that a body should be substantially present, that is 
 with the nature of a body naturally, and yet be not as a 
 body but as a spirit, with that manner of being with which 
 a spirit is distinguished from a body. By spiritually they 
 mean present after the manner of a spirit. By spiritually 
 we mean PRESENT TO OUR SPIRITS ONLY. They say that 
 Christ's body is truly present there as it was upon the 
 cross, but not after the manner of all or any body, but 
 after that manner of being as an angel is in a place. That 
 is their spiritually. But we, by the real presence of Christ, 
 do understand Christ to be present as the spirit of God is 
 present in the hearts of the faithful by blessing and grace, 
 and this is all we mean besides the tropical and figurative 
 presence! 
 
 And again he says in reference to the notion of Christ's 
 body being in the Sacrament, yet not there locally, 
 i.e., supralocally, ' I wish the words were sense, and 
 that I could tell the meaning of being in a place 
 locally, and not locally, unless a thing can be in a 
 place and not in a place, that is, so to be in that it is 
 also out! 
 
 Archbishop Wake, one of the most learned pre- 
 lates of our Church, has the following question and 
 answer : — 
 
 ' Q. Are the body and blood of Christ really distributed 
 to every communicant in this Sacrament ? 
 
 'A. No, they are not; for then every communicant 
 whether prepared or not for it would alike receive Christ's 
 body and blood there. That which is given by the priest 
 to the communicant, is as to its nature the same af ter conse- 
 cration that it was before, namely, bread and wine, only 
 altered as to its use and signification. It is bread in 
 substance, the body of Christ by signification, by repre- 
 sentation, and spiritual communication of His body and 
 blood to every faithful and worthy receiver.' And again, 
 ' It is the design of this Sacrament to exhibit and com- 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 22 J 
 
 municate to us the body and blood of Christ, not any way, 
 but in the state of His suffering, and as He was given for 
 us, and became a sacrifice for our sins.' 1 The real presence 
 is not to be sought in the elements, but in the worthy ' 
 communicants, I 
 
 We may add to these witnesses the testimony of 
 Waterland, whose works, formerly published by Bishop 
 Van Mildert, have again been brought before the world by 
 the present Bishop of London. This reprint was issued at 
 the request of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, 
 with a view of placing within the reach of candidates for 
 Holy Orders a treatise which was once considered almost as 
 the text-book of the Church of England on the subject of 
 the Eucharist. This work comes to us with the commen- 
 dation of the three chief pastors of the Church of England 
 at the present time. 
 
 The great subject of the treatise is the true nature of 
 the sacrifice said by some to be offered up in the Eucharist. 
 The author shows that there is no change in the elements 
 of bread and wine, and carefully excludes the idea of a 
 reiteration of the great sacrifice ' once for all ' offered upon 
 the cross. He neither believes that the bread is changed 
 into the body of Christ nor that the priest offers up that 
 body to God. 
 
 In one portion of the work we have the following 
 description of Harchius, a learned German, which might 
 pass for that of a modern Ritualist. 1 He asserts a spiritual 
 and miraculous change made in the elements, but not 
 destroying either their substance or their figure, a change 
 of qualities and a melioration, as it were, of the substance 
 itself by the powerful operation of the Holy Ghost, and 
 the supervening of the Logos, on account of which change 
 he talks frequently of the elements as passing into the 
 virtue of Christ's body and blood. Sometimes he calls it 
 passing into the flesh of Christ, or substance of His body; 
 but then he interprets it to mean not the personal body or 
 substance, but another very like it, or near akin to it in 
 
228 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 virtue, which he denominates a spiritual body, to distinguish 
 it from the natural and personal body.' These Archdeacon 
 Waterland terms 'the rovings of a learned gentleman,' 
 leading nevertheless to what he again and again stigmatises 
 as idolatry or ' bread worship.' In another passage he 
 quotes and confirms the well-known saying of Hooker. 
 ' What Mr. Hooker very judiciously says of the real presence 
 of Christ in the Sacrament, appears to be equally applicable 
 to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the same.' ' It is not 
 to be sought for in the Sacrament, but in the worthy receiver 
 of the Sacrament.' ' The relative holiness of the elements 
 is intelligible, as to the rest, it is all more rationally 
 accounted for by the presence of the Holy Spirit, with 
 the worthy receiver in the use of the symbols, than by 
 I know not what presence or union with the symbols 
 themselves.' 
 
 These testimonies may suffice. They might easily be 
 multiplied by quotations from expositors of the Catechism 
 and Articles, as for example from Meyer, a contemporary 
 of the Reformers, who affirms that 1 the Lord's body is com- 
 municated only in a spiritual and sacramental manner, 
 faith making Him present to the worthy receiver,' down to 
 the present Bishop of Ely, who in his exposition says : — 
 ' The doctrine of the early ages was not in favour of a 
 miraculous change in the consecrated elements, nor in 
 favour of a carnal presence of the natural body of our Lord, 
 but in favour of a real, effectual, life-giving presence of 
 Christ's spiritual body, communicated to the faith and 
 feeding the souls of His disciples.' It is impossible to mis- 
 understand such language, yet by the omission of a few 
 words, it was on one occasion attempted to show that this 
 writer supported a view which he was actually engaged in 
 refuting. 1 
 
 1 Archdeacon Denison quotes in defence of his opinions from 
 Browne on the Articles, this passage : — ' In one sense of the words we 
 may admit that every communicant eats Christ's body and drinks His 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 2 29 
 
 Of Mede, Andrews, Hooker, Taylor, Hammond, Cosin, 
 Bramhall, Usher, Pearson, Patrick, Bull, Beveridge, Wake, 
 and Waterland, the Bishop of Ely says : — ' All these have . 
 left us writings on the subject, and all have coincided 
 with but very slight diversity in the substance of their 
 belief. They have agreed, as Hooker says, that " Christ is 
 personally present, albeit, a part of Christ is corporally 
 absent," that " the fruit of the Eucharist is the participation 
 of the body and blood of Christ," but that "the real presence 
 of Christ's most blessed body and blood is not to be sought 
 for in the Sacrament, i.e., in the elements, but in the worthy 
 receiving of the Sacrament." ' 
 
 One more testimony may be added, that of Dr. Hey, 
 Norrisian Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in the latter 
 part of the last century. 
 
 4 The body of Christ is in the Lord's Supper, eaten 
 spiritually by faith.' ' The Romanist's chief argument lies 
 in the words, " This is My body," plain words, as they con- 
 tend. Archdeacon Sharp rightly replies, " Yes, they are 
 plain words, for they are a very plain figure!' Many excep- 
 tions may be taken to their being used in a literal sense. 
 It is idle to use words and by limitations to take away 
 their customary meaning. What signifies talking of a body 
 not present as to place ? That which is not present in such 
 a sense as to occupy a place is not body in human language.' 
 
 On the review of these testimonies as to the doctrine of 
 the Church of England on the subject of the presence of 
 Christ in the Holy Communion, we appear to be shut up 
 to this conclusion that our Church does not hold the 
 objective presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, does not 
 believe that the presence is in the elements at any time or 
 in any way, denies that the wicked partake of the body and 
 blood of Christ, and on the other hand declares that the 
 
 blood.' The very next words, which are not cited, are these : — 
 ' Because he eats the symbol which is called His body, and drinks th 
 symbol which is called His blood? 
 
230 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 presence is subjective, in the sense of being with our spirits, 
 is not 1 supralocal, unspeakable, miraculous, or super- 
 natural,' but according to Christ's promise spiritual by 
 the influence of the Holy Spirit upon our spirits. 
 
 Further, that as the bread is not the body in any other 
 sense than a figurative one, there is no sacrifice, no priest, 
 no altar, but 4 a remembrance ' of a sacrifice until the 
 Redeemer's return, 'the perpetual memory of His precious 
 death until His coming again.' 
 
 It is not only because of the error involved in the 
 unscriptural notion of the objective (outward) presence of 
 Christ's body in the Sacrament that we protest against it, 
 but because it is in truth the source and mainspring of that 
 departure from the faith which finds its proper expression 
 in the decrees of the Council of Trent and in the Church 
 of Rome. 
 
 The idolatry of the wafer prepares for and justifies 
 all other idolatry. The worship of the Virgin is as reason- 
 able as the worship of a piece of bread. The sacrifice 
 needs a priest ready to hear confession and to grant 
 absolution. The mass and purgatory are intimately allied : 
 the prayers for the dead there offered up are for the relief 
 or release of souls in misery. 
 
 The authority of the Church and of tradition must be 
 called in to support a notion which has no sanction from 
 the Word of God. 
 
 This notion is in truth the keystone of the Romish 
 system, which being once removed, the whole structure falls. 
 Any member of that Church who has learnt first to doubt 
 and then to disbelieve the doctrine of transubstantiation, is 
 on the path of the Reformers, and if true to his convictions 
 will inevitably forsake the Church which holds it. The 
 converse of this statement is also true. He who being by 
 profession a member of the reformed Protestant Church 
 of England has adopted the unscriptural notion of a real 
 objective presence of the body of Christ in the Sacrament, 
 has received a seed of error which, if unchecked, will bring 
 
APPENDIX TO VISITATION CHARGE. 23 1 
 
 forth the full ripe ear of Romish doctrine, to be 'reaped by' 
 Dr. Manning and his fellows. 
 
 This is the danger, that a Church whose Reformers 
 yielded up their lives unto death, rather than admit as truth 
 what they knew to be false or practice as worship what 
 they believed to be idolatry, should be led back into the 
 Egyptian bondage from which, by the goodness of GOD, it 
 had been delivered. 1 Obsta principiis ' is our sound reason 
 for the resistance we offer to this destructive error. We 
 deny not that good men may hold it, for in many men the 
 heart is better than the head, and a man may, in Coleridge's 
 words, be ' possessed by an idea ' without possessing it, 
 and admit a notion which has little or no influence upon 
 his life. But this we believe, and sad experience confirms 
 us in it, that he who has taken up the notion against which 
 we contend, has set out upon the way to Rome. As we 
 believe this, it is our duty to say it — a duty we owe to the 
 clergy over whom we are placed, and to the Church whose 
 spiritual guides we are. It is not denied, but rather 
 openly declared, that the object of an active, numerous, 
 and influential party in our Church is to bring about a 
 union with Rome. Sooner than submit to that yoke 
 many would no doubt be willing to die, and to avoid such 
 conflict, and deliver unwary souls from such a snare, and 
 to save our beloved Church from the judgments which 
 must follow such apostasy, it is necessary that we repeat 
 the warning cry of the pious Bishop Hall, recently 
 re-echoed in the Upper House of Convocation by the 
 learned Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol — 1 No peace 
 with Rome.' 
 
 In the present divided condition of our Church at 
 home, there is a disposition in some minds to sacrifice 
 scriptural truth to a false peace. We have been in no 
 haste to speak, but it seems to be necessary to warn the 
 Church of the danger that lies in this error of the real 
 objective presence. The opinions we have expressed 
 are founded upon the Word of God, and maintained by 
 
232 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the highest authorities in our Church. We are not pre- 
 pared either in our individual belief or in our spiritual 
 character to modify or surrender them. They are 
 the foundation of our hope as Christians, and they 
 are the Church's safeguard against a return to that 
 system of error from which we were delivered at the 
 Reformation. 
 
233 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 1869-1872. 
 
 Encouragements and Difficulties — Diocesan Synod, 1869 — Proposed 
 General Synod — First Provincial Synod, 1869 — Bathurst Bishopric — 
 Arrival of Second Bishop of Grafton and Armidale — St. Andrew's 
 Day at Bishopscourt — Visit to Melbourne and Tasmania, 1870 — 
 Arrival of Bishop of Bathurst, Installation — Rural Deans — Pre- 
 paration for Visit to England — Arrival in England, 1871 — Con- 
 sultation about Tribunal of Appeal — Letter to Archbishop of 
 Canterbury — Controversy arising out of Letter — Appointment of 
 Colonial Bishops — Correspondence with Lord Kimberley — 
 Questions submitted to Archbishop of Canterbury and Answer — 
 Bishop's Return to Sydney — Communication to Standing 
 Committee — Bishop's View of state of Church of England — 
 Church Congress at Nottingham. 
 
 The close of the year 1868, and the beginning of 
 the year 1869, were marked by both encouragements 
 and difficulties. The cathedral services were 
 attended by large congregations, three times every 
 Sunday and on the chief festivals. The number of 
 communicants also was considerable. At the 
 solemn midnight service, which closed the old year 
 and ushered in the new, eight or nine hundred 
 persons were present ; and on the next morning, 
 there was a congregation of about six hundred, of 
 whom one hundred and thirty received the Holy 
 Communion at the hands of the Bishop, the dean, 
 and two of the canons. The other principal churches 
 
234 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 in the city were at the same time well attended. 
 But, on the other hand, considerable difficulties were 
 felt about the supply of clergy in the diocese, when 
 by death or illness, or health impaired by the strain 
 of constant hard work, or some other cause, 
 vacancies occurred, and churches seemed likely to 
 be left without pastors. Four of the clergy were 
 leaving at this time for England, two to recruit 
 their broken health and two to remain there. An- 
 other became seriously ill and died, leaving a parish 
 without a pastor, in addition to a vacancy already 
 existing. Such were the anxieties which then (and 
 not seldom at other times) pressed upon the Bishop, 
 retarding the progress of Church work and hindering 
 its efficiency. By degrees, however, they were 
 grappled with successfully, and overcome. 
 
 It became necessary to summon the Diocesan 
 Synod in the early part of this year, in consequence 
 of a provision in the Constitutions which, directing 
 that a Provincial Synod should meet within twelve 
 months after any three dioceses in the colony had 
 met in Diocesan Synod, made it requisite that the 
 Provincial Synod should be assembled before the 
 1 2th of May. And this Synod being a body to 
 which matters of importance might be referred by 
 the Diocesan Synods, it was also desirable to give 
 to that of Sydney the opportunity of deciding 
 whether any such matters should be referred by 
 it, and for what purpose. 
 
 The Diocesan Synod accordingly met on April 
 6th. In his opening address the president drew 
 attention to the conference of the bishops which 
 had been held at Bishopscourt, and to the minutes 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1809. 
 
 which they had adopted. These were laid upon 
 the table, and the Synod was invited to consider 
 them, the Standing Committee having requested 
 the Bishop to convene the Synod in order, amongst 
 other matters, ' to consider and determine what 
 action should be taken with reference to the con- 
 clusions arrived at in the Conference.' 
 
 A reference to these minutes showed that one 
 great object which the bishops had in view in their 
 consultations, was to maintain the relation in which 
 the Church in Australia then stood to the Church 
 of England in England, and that they had resolved 
 that, in their opinion, this might be best effected by 
 a system of diocesan and provincial synods, with 
 a general synod for Australia, as the result of 
 their combined action. Some explanation of the 
 character and functions of this proposed General 
 Synod seems here to be desirable, and it may be 
 best given by quoting from the Bishop's address, 
 in which when speaking of its importance and 
 objects he said : — 
 
 The subjects to which the Standing Committee refer 
 may be regarded under two principal heads — i. The 
 formation of a general synod for the whole of Australia, 
 and in connexion with it of a tribunal of appeal. 2. The 
 appointment, consecration, and trial of bishops. 
 
 The idea of union by a representation of the whole 
 Church is surely reasonable and scriptural. It is desirable 
 that the Church in Australia should be united for the 
 maintenance not only of our own internal union, so that in 
 different dioceses different usages should not unnecessarily 
 spring up, but for the purpose of maintaining our union with 
 the Church at home. If union is strength, and the outward 
 expression of union is one of the means of preserving and 
 
236 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 strengthening the union itself, then it is obvious that we 
 should aim at bringing the churches in the dioceses of 
 Australia into a closer practical relation to one another. 
 
 At present Perth and Brisbane have as little knowledge 
 of each other as if they were in different hemispheres. We 
 all lose something by our isolation. The circumstances, 
 the experiences, the prevalent modes of thought may be 
 different in each diocese, and may advantageously be 
 brought into contact with the views entertained in others, 
 but at present the means of bringing about this inter- 
 communication do not exist I consider that in 
 
 forming a general synod we shall adopt a right principle, 
 which in the end and often in unexpected ways is beneficial 
 to the body which maintains it, but there are certain 
 practical advantages to be secured by means of a general 
 synod which cannot be obtained in any other way. 
 
 The aid of the general synod will be required in order 
 to the confirmation and consecration of newly-elected 
 bishops. In whatever way the synod of a diocese may 
 decide that a future bishop shall be chosen to fill a vacant 
 see, it will be found necessary to invoke the assistance of 
 the general synod for his confirmation and consecration. 
 If a newly-elected bishop is to be consecrated in New 
 South Wales, the consent of the other Australian bishops 
 must be previously obtained. There is no power to compel 
 them to consecrate, and if their consent is to be obtained, 
 they may very properly lay down certain conditions upon 
 which that consent will be given. 
 
 Connected with election and consecration of bishops is 
 the mode by which heresy or immorality should be tried, 
 
 and a bishop, if necessary, be deposed No single 
 
 diocese, however, could form a tribunal capable of dealing 
 with such a case. If a bishop is to be tried, bishops must 
 be of the tribunal. And for this and other reasons it is 
 expressed in the fifth conclusion of the Episcopal Con- 
 ference that ' with respect to charges against a bishop, the 
 general synod should constitute a tribunal for the trial of 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1809. 
 
 237 
 
 such charges, and should make regulations for the procedure 
 thereof.' 
 
 A third subject of great practical importance is the * 
 formation of a tribunal of appeal in matters of faith and 
 worship. It would be very undesirable to allow questions 
 of doctrine and ritual to be decided by diocesan tribunals, 
 with no other appeal than to a civil court. Our own 
 internal ordinance contemplates an appeal to another 
 tribunal. In the eighth clause it is thus stated : — 4 Provided 
 that an appeal shall lie to any higher ecclesiastical tribunal 
 of appeal, when such shall have been constituted.' 
 
 Besides this, however, further action is contemplated by 
 the formation of a council of reference in England. It is 
 conceivable that a tribunal in Australia might give a 
 decision upon some question of doctrine or ritual different 
 from one given in Canada or any other province. It is 
 uncertain whether it would be practicable to carry such a 
 question to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, 
 and if practicable it would no doubt be very expensive. It 
 is thought that if a council of reference were constituted, 
 and questions referred to it by the general synod, the 
 arrangement would tend to the union and peace of the 
 Church. 
 
 The Bishop further pointed out that, 
 
 The formation of new dioceses and provinces were also 
 matters to be regulated by a general synod ; and finally, 
 that it would become a proper medium of communication 
 with the Church at home, also with Churches in other 
 colonies, with other reformed Episcopal Churches, as for 
 example in the United States, and, if necessary, with 
 other bodies of Christians. 
 
 In order to bring the matter formally before 
 the Diocesan Synod, the Chancellor, Mr. A. Gordon, 
 submitted for its consideration a series of resolu- 
 tions, with the view of referring the whole subject 
 
238 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 to the Provincial Synod of New South Wales for 
 consideration and report. The resolutions so sub- 
 mitted were adopted by the Synod ; and when the 
 Provincial Synod met, its attention was devoted to 
 the questions involved in them, and they received 
 very ample discussion. » 
 
 It may be well to explain here that the title 
 'Provincial' which had been given to this Synod 
 was somewhat misleading, inasmuch as it implied 
 the existence of a province of New South Wales, 
 whereas no such province was formed during the 
 lifetime of the Bishop. The title was in fact given 
 for want of any other more suited to express 
 its functions, which, as prescribed by the constitu- 
 tions, were to deal with matters which might be 
 referred by one or more dioceses, but with powers 
 of decision limited to such as were referred to it for 
 decision, either by all the diocesan synods in the 
 colony, or by any one synod under a special provision 
 of the constitutions, and in a matter which concerned 
 that diocese alone. It was nevertheless within the 
 competence of this synod to discuss questions which 
 were not so referred, and to express its opinion thereon. 
 And in this way much valuable consideration has 
 often been obtained of subjects which concerned 
 the Church's welfare, while the discussions have 
 tended to bring out clearer and more correct views 
 of points on which differences of opinion prevailed. 
 
 The Provincial Synod met on May the nth. It 
 represented the three dioceses of Sydney, New- 
 castle, and Goulburn, and consisted of two houses — 
 the House of Bishops and the House of Clerical and 
 Lay Representatives. They sat and voted separately. 
 
FIRST PROVINCIAL SYNOD, 
 
 239 
 
 The matters referred to the Synod by the Diocesan 
 Synods relating to the formation of a General Synod 
 and its functions were sent down, as provided in the 
 rules of procedure, by the House of Bishops to the 
 House of Representatives in the form of four reso- 
 lutions. When these came to be discussed it was 
 soon evident that the House of Representatives 
 feared lest the action proposed by the bishops 
 might have the effect of weakening the ties which 
 bound the Church in Australia to the Mother 
 Church, and the resolutions therefore met with a 
 rather unfavourable reception. The first resolu- 
 tion, which affirmed the desirability of forming a 
 general synod, was amended by the insertion of 
 the following words by way of preface : — 
 
 Whilst this Synod expresses its strongest disapproval 
 of any legislation or other action tending in the least to 
 disunite the members of the Church of England in this 
 colony from the United Church of England and Ireland, 
 or weaken the connexion which now exists between the 
 Church in the colony and the Crown 
 
 The second resolution, which affirmed that it was 
 desirable (saving the rights of the Crown) that the 
 mode of electing colonial bishops should be decided 
 by the synod of each diocese, and the election be 
 confirmed by the bishops of the province, was by 
 amendment made to read thus : — 
 
 That it is most desirable that bishops in this province 
 should continue to be appointed by the Crown, under 
 Letters Patent, assigning to each such bishop a territorial 
 sphere of action, but that nevertheless each diocese should 
 have a voice in such appointment. 
 
 The third resolution, which affirmed the 
 
240 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 desirability of constituting a tribunal of appeal by 
 the general synod, was met by an amendment that 
 this Synod finds itself unable to concur in the 
 recommendations. And there was a similar dis- 
 agreement with respect to the fourth resolution. 
 
 These results having been communicated to the 
 House of Bishops, with a further intimation that the 
 House of Representatives had disposed of all the 
 business to which its attention had been directed, 
 the Synod was prorogued on the 19th May. 
 Previously, however, to the prorogation, the 
 Metropolitan delivered a closing address, from 
 which the following is extracted : — 
 
 The discussions in the Synod have accomplished all I 
 desired and anticipated. There has been full and increased 
 debate upon most important subjects, and by such dis- 
 cussion and conference held between the two houses 
 valuable information has been elicited, objections have 
 been removed, and the way cleared for the better under- 
 standing of our position and of our wants, and for any 
 
 further action which may hereafter be required 
 
 I am glad to find that this element (a strong conservative 
 feeling) .... is so distinctly observable in the opinions 
 and votes of the laity. This feeling has no doubt been 
 one of the causes which led the majority of the Synod 
 to decline entering upon the consideration of the tribunals 
 
 or the council of reference But as the questions 
 
 themselves will in all probability require consideration at 
 a future time, not merely for report but for determination, 
 I do not look upon the time spent upon the discussion as 
 lost, but as a part of that process which must be undergone 
 by all who are obliged to approach subjects which will 
 hereafter require settlement, but which it is not always 
 agreeable to entertain. 
 
 Happily the Bishop was one who could derive 
 
BATHURST BISHOPRIC. 
 
 241 
 
 omens of future success from circumstances which 
 seemed to others to portend failure. 
 
 Shortly after the close of the Provincial Synod 
 the Metropolitan found it necessary to pay another 
 visit to Bathurst. He had received a communication 
 from the Archbishop of Canterbury, which led him 
 to regard it as highly probable that the Rev. Samuel 
 E. Marsden, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge, a 
 grandson of the well-known colonial chaplain of that 
 name, would accept the bishopric. The Bishop was 
 therefore anxious to bring matters relating to the 
 endowment of the see to a conclusion, and to induce 
 the Church people of Bathurst to effect such im- 
 provements in their parish church as would render it 
 more fitting as a temporary cathedral. The result 
 of his visit was that the parishioners undertook to 
 enlarge the church, and 300/. was added to the 
 endowment fund. Much satisfaction was also 
 expressed by many at the prospect of the appoint- 
 ment of Mr. Marsden. He was an Australian by 
 birth, had a good knowledge of parochial work, and 
 had given evidences of administrative ability. 
 
 This year was one of general Confirmations 
 throughout the diocese, and during the earlier part 
 of the month of August the Bishop was engaged in 
 holding Confirmations in the country districts. 
 Thus he was absent from Sydney when, on the 
 13th of that month, Dr. Turner, the second Bishop 
 of Grafton and Armidale arrived, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Turner and his chaplain. Returning, however, 
 on the following day, he made arrangements for the 
 reception of the bishop in the usual manner, with a 
 service of thanksgiving in the cathedral on the 24th, 
 
 R 
 
242 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and the presentation afterwards of a congratulatory 
 address from the clergy and laity of the Sydney 
 Diocese. The address was read and presented by 
 the Bishop of Sydney, coupled with a few words of 
 kindly welcome and encouragement from himself. 
 The newly-arrived bishop was evidently much im- 
 pressed by the kindness of this recognition, and felt 
 it to be both cheering and encouraging to him as a 
 stranger. And he seemed to be specially touched 
 by, as he said, the almost fatherly expressions with 
 which he had been greeted by the Bishop of Sydney. 
 As soon as certain arrangements which were neces- 
 sary as preparatory to his installation, which was to 
 take place* at Armidale, had been completed, he pro- 
 ceeded thither with Mrs. Turner. 
 
 In a few days after the departure of Bishop Turner 
 the Bishop of Sydney resumed his Confirmation tour, 
 which led him again into the western districts. Leav- 
 ing Sydney on the 30th of August, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Barker, he spent nearly nine weeks in travelling, 
 confirming, preaching, consecrating churches or burial- 
 grounds, and performing other episcopal duties. He 
 was also engaged in making arrangements which 
 would tend to the more comfortable settlement of 
 the new bishop when he should arrive. He returned 
 to Sydney on the 1st of November. 
 
 On St. Andrew's Day this year he commenced 
 what afterwards became an annual custom — the 
 invitation of the cathedral choir, with the members 
 of the Chapter and the Precentor, to a lunch at 
 Bishopscourt, after the commemoration service in the 
 cathedral. This came to be regarded by the choir 
 as a pleasant reunion, and the Bishop, who was one 
 
VISIT TO MELBOURNE AND TASMANIA. 243 
 
 of the kindest and most thoughtful of hosts, not only 
 laid himself out to promote the happiness of his 
 guests, but endeavoured to offer them such advice 
 and encouragement as might stimulate them to 
 more efficient services. 
 
 An Ordination on the 19th December was the 
 last specially episcopal act of the year. It was an 
 ordination of seven deacons to the priesthood, of 
 whom six were students from Moore College. It 
 was the Bishop's custom to entertain the candidates 
 at Bishopscourt during the examination, which lasted 
 five days, and on the evenings of those days to con- 
 verse with them upon subjects relating to ministerial 
 or pastoral work. By this means much practical 
 information was imparted, and many hints were 
 given to guide them in difficulties which might arise. 
 On the fifth day a final address was given to them 
 by the Bishop or one of the examiners, upon such 
 topics as seemed to be most required. 
 
 The heat of the summer and the heavy labours 
 of the previous year caused the Bishop to feel the 
 need of some change and rest in a cooler region both 
 for himself and Mrs. Barker, and with this object 
 in view he resolved upon spending a few weeks in 
 Melbourne and Tasmania. They took their de- 
 parture from Sydney for Melbourne on January 
 the 19th, 1870, on a visit to the bishop of that 
 diocese. Here they remained until February the 
 7th, when they crossed over to Launceston, after 
 spending, as the Bishop designated it, ' a most 
 delightful time with their dear and valued friends, 
 the Bishop of Melbourne and Mrs. Perry.' They 
 were most cordially received at Launceston by the 
 
244 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Browne, whose guests they became, and 
 by others of the clergy. On Friday evening, the 
 i ith of February, a public meeting of the Launceston 
 Church Union was held in the Mechanics' Institute, 
 for the purpose of presenting to the Metropolitan an 
 address of welcome. After the presentation of this 
 address and his reply, he gave, by request, an 
 address upon the Church in the colonies, in which 
 he pointed out in strong terms, as he had done in 
 other places, the great responsibility which was laid 
 upon the Church of England in Australia. Upon 
 this point he spoke as follows : — 
 
 If an ample heritage and a noble name obliged the 
 nobility to bear that name free from reproach, the members 
 of the Church of England were bound to fulfil in a proper 
 manner the high and important duties devolving upon them. 
 The Church had a very noble mission to carry out in these 
 colonies, and one great want which was felt was a closer 
 union in the Church. That union could best be effected by 
 acts of consideration and kindness, and by intercessory 
 prayer. There was no doubt great difference of opinion 
 within the Church, but inside the thirty-nine Articles there 
 was great room for that divergence without leading to any 
 injurious results. 
 
 After remaining in the northern part of the 
 island until the 21st, they left for Hobart, and 
 there met with a very kind reception from the 
 Bishop and Mrs. Bromby. A full week was spent 
 with them, during which various places of interest 
 were visited, besides the grammar schools, hospitals, 
 and asylums, and much pleasant intercourse had with 
 the clergy and laity. They returned to Sydney on 
 the 1st of March, much refreshed and strengthened. 
 
ARRIVAL OF BISHOP OF BATHURST. 245 
 
 On the 1 6th March the Bishop, as Metropolitan, 
 had the pleasure of welcoming to the colony the 
 Bishop of Bathurst and Mrs. Marsden. Dr. 
 Marsden, who was born in Sydney, had left it 
 when only eight years of age, and had since had the 
 advantages of English schools and an English 
 University training. His grandfather, Samuel 
 Marsden, had been one of the earliest colonial 
 chaplains, and had taken a deep interest in the 
 C.M.S. mission to the aboriginal inhabitants of 
 New Zealand. And it was with great pleasure that 
 the Metropolitan now looked forward to the prospect 
 of handing over to the bishop so large a portion 
 of his own diocese, in the consciousness that 
 it would receive far more time and attention to its 
 spiritual oversight than it was possible for him to 
 bestow upon it. The Church in Sydney welcomed 
 him as it had done other Australian bishops on their 
 first arrival. And so did the people of Parramatta, 
 amongst whom his grandfather had so long lived and 
 laboured as a minister of Christ. 
 
 The installation having been fixed for the 5th of 
 May, Bishop Marsden left for Bathurst with the 
 Metropolitan and Mrs. Marsden on the 3rd, arriving 
 at Bathurst on the following day. He was most 
 cordially received by the people, and the installation 
 took place at the time appointed. It was followed 
 by a public meeting, at which two addresses were 
 presented — one of welcome to Bishoo Marsden, and 
 the other to the Metropolitan of farewell as bishop. 
 
 The Metropolitan returned to Sydney on the 1 2th 
 May, feeling himself more free to devote his attention 
 to such measures as might tend to the better organiza- 
 
246 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 tion of his now restricted diocese. One of those 
 measures which he had for some time contemplated 
 was the appointment of rural deans. In his address 
 to the Diocesan Synod in its session in [869, he had 
 stated that it was his intention to make such appoint- 
 ments as soon as the arrangements for the division of 
 the diocese, by the formation of that of Bathurst, 
 would permit. And in the session in this year he 
 informed the Synod that, the Diocese of Bathurst 
 having been now formed and taken possession of by 
 its bishop, he intended to carry out that determina- 
 tion. For this purpose he proposed to ask the advice 
 of the Standing Committee in framing regulations for 
 the rural deaneries, from whose operation he antici- 
 pated much benefit to the Church. One advantage 
 which he thought would be derived from them was 
 the removal of that feeling of isolation under which 
 some of the clergy laboured ; another, that opportu- 
 nities would be afforded of discussing and comparing 
 plans of action ; another, that some better organiza- 
 tion might be originated for the collection of Church 
 funds ; help also might be given to the cause of 
 religious education by the inspection and examination 
 of schools. These were the general benefits to the 
 diocese for which he hoped, from bringing this 
 institution into practical operation. 
 
 After consulting the Standing Committee and 
 obtaining the benefit of their advice, he proceeded 
 to carry his design into effect by dividing the 
 diocese into twelve deaneries, and appointing rural 
 deans to take the oversight in each. The duties 
 which he assigned to them were such as he had 
 spoken of in his synodical address, but with some 
 
RURAL DEANS. 
 
 247 
 
 additions : they are specified in the following 
 memorandum : — 
 
 1. It shall be the duty of the rural dean once in each 
 year, or at any time when requested by the bishop, to 
 examine into and report upon the condition of each church, 
 schoolhouse, and parsonage in his rural deanery r also the 
 state of any glebe, and to make inquiry concerning the 
 payment of the stipends of the clergy. 
 
 2. To provide for the inspection of the schools within 
 the rural deanery, and to report upon them, with special 
 reference to the religious instruction given in them. 
 
 3. To convene and preside over the meetings of the 
 Ruridecanal Chapter. 
 
 4. To report any matter affecting the interests of the 
 Church of which the bishop ought to be informed. 
 
 The Ruridecanal Chapter. 
 
 1. The Ruridecanal Chapter shall consist of all clergy- 
 men licensed in the diocese who are resident within a certain 
 district, and of one layman from each parish to be chosen 
 by the clergyman of the parish. 
 
 2. The objects of the Ruridecanal Chapters should be 
 the edification of the members and the extension of 
 religion within the rural deanery and throughout the 
 Church. 
 
 3. The meeting of the Ruridecanal Chapters should be 
 held once a quarter or more frequently, as the members 
 may decide, at the house of the rural dean in the first 
 instance, and subsequently at the houses of the clergy, as 
 may be arranged. 
 
 4. The meetings should always be opened with prayer, 
 and some portion of Scripture be read. 
 
 5. Afterwards the subjects of which notice has been 
 given may be discussed, and any resolutions arising out of 
 them should be recorded, and if deemed necessary, be 
 transmitted to the bishop by the rural dean. 
 
248 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 6. The Ruridecanal Chapter will from time to time take 
 into consideration the state of religion or education within 
 the rural deanery, and propose such measures for the 
 extension of the ordinances of religion or the promotion 
 of education as may seem to them expedient, and make 
 such representations to the bishop as the circumstances 
 may require. 
 
 7. The rural dean and members of the Chapter will be 
 ready to assist any of the clergy within the rural deanery 
 who may desire their aid, in forming a parochial or other 
 association for the collection and administration of Church 
 funds. 
 
 8. A special meeting of any Ruridecanal Chapter may 
 be summoned by the bishop, or the rural dean of his own 
 motion, or upon a requisition to that effect signed by three 
 members of the Chapter. 
 
 9. The rural deans, and the Dean of Sydney as arch- 
 deacon, will once a-year meet the bishop for prayer and 
 conference. 
 
 10. The members of rural deaneries and their 
 boundaries will be denned by the bishop, with the assist- 
 ance and advice of the Standing Committee of the Synod. 
 
 Towards the end of this year the Bishop began 
 to make preparations for a second visit to England, 
 upon business connected with the welfare of the 
 Church in Australia, which he thought would be facili- 
 tated by his presence in England, and consultation 
 with those in authority there. As Metropolitan of 
 Australia, he regarded himself as charged with the 
 spiritual oversight of such portions of the territory 
 as were not included in any recognised diocese. 
 This being so, he felt himself responsible for the 
 spiritual care of those members of the Church of 
 England who were settled or settling in Queensland, 
 north of the 21st degree of latitude, that being the 
 
PROPOSED VISIT TO ENGLAND. 
 
 limit of the Diocese of Brisbane, and he had 
 already done what he could, with aid from the 
 Church Society, to provide them with the means of 
 grace. But these wants were rapidly growing with 
 the increase of numbers and their wider dispersion.- 
 And how was it possible for a bishop in Sydney to 
 exercise due oversight and direction of affairs in 
 a territory more than a thousand miles away ? All 
 the arguments which had been urged with so much 
 force regarding the far interior of the original 
 Sydney Diocese, and which had led to the formation 
 out of it of the Dioceses of Goulburn and of Bathurst, 
 applied with still greater weight to the northern parts 
 of the Queensland Colony, with which communica- 
 tion was by steamers, at that time irregular and 
 somewhat uncertain. It was clear that if the spiritual 
 wants of the Church in that portion of the 
 Australian Province were to be effectually provided 
 for, a bishop was indispensable. The population was 
 rapidly growing, and towns were rising up along the 
 coast and in the interior ; and if the ordinances of 
 public worship and the preaching of Gospel truth 
 were not provided for the people, there was no small 
 danger of their falling into practical ungodliness and 
 social demoralisation. These considerations weighed 
 heavily upon the Bishop's mind, and made him 
 anxious to secure the formation of a diocese and 
 the appointment of a bishop for that territory as 
 soon as practicable. 
 
 Another object which he had very much at heart 
 was to provide for the preservation of the Church in 
 the Australian Colonies in union with the Mother 
 Church in England. He foresaw that without some 
 
250 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 safeguards against separation it would in the future 
 be in danger of drifting away from the ground which 
 it at present occupied. 
 
 With these principal objects in view, he arranged 
 to leave the colony for a year, and took his departure 
 with Mrs. Barker on the 22nd December, 1870, for 
 Melbourne, intending to spend a few days with the 
 Bishop and Mrs. Perry before his embarkation for 
 England. He was not allowed, however, to leave 
 his diocese without a warm expression of sympathy 
 and confidence from his clergy. After a farewell ser- 
 vice in the cathedral, with an administration of Holy 
 Communion, an address was presented to him signed 
 by nearly every clergyman in the diocese, in which 
 they ' desired to testify their affectionate regard and 
 high esteem for him, their sense of his wise 
 administration of the diocese since his arrival 
 amongst them, to which they attributed the general 
 harmony and quietness which prevailed in it, and 
 their hope that his visit to England might lead to 
 such measures as would tend to strengthen the 
 bond of union by which they were attached to 
 the Mother Church.' This address was acknow- 
 ledged by the Bishop in affectionate and grateful 
 terms, and he and Mrs. Barker then bade fare- 
 well to the numerous friends who had assembled 
 to meet them. 
 
 Leaving Melbourne on the 3rd of January, 187 1 , 
 they reached England on February the 26th, and 
 almost immediately after his arrival, the Bishop 
 began to put himself in communication with those 
 whose aid was required for the carrying out of his 
 designs. With regard to the appointment of a 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND, 1871. 
 
 bishop for Northern Queensland, unexpected diffi- 
 culties arose, which led him to decide upon post- 
 poning the action he had comtemplated to a future 
 time. In order, however, to secure their help 
 when it should be needed, he made application to 
 the two venerable societies, the S. P. G. and the 
 S. P. C. K., and to the Colonial Bishoprics' Fund, 
 for grants in aid of the endowment. 
 
 To the other object he applied himself with 
 persevering assiduity. He waited upon the Secretary 
 of State for the Colonies, and the Lord Chancellor, 
 and the Bishop of London, to explain his views, 
 especially with regard to the formation of a tribunal 
 of final appeal in matters of doctrine and ritual for 
 the Church in Australia. There were, it was 
 conceived, two modes by which this might be done. 
 One was by providing an easier method of carrying 
 appeals from the Colonial Church to the Judicial 
 Committee of the Privy Council, the other by 
 providing a council of reference, as indicated in 
 the minutes of the bishops in 1868, to which 
 questions might from time to time be referred by 
 the General Synod, and any decision pronounced 
 by it should be binding upon the General and 
 Diocesan tribunals, unless a judgment at variance 
 therewith should be pronounced by some eccle- 
 siastical court in England. 
 
 As suggestive of the mode of proceeding which 
 might be adopted, two Bills had been drafted, one 
 by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Sydney, the 
 other by the Chief Justice of Victoria, copies of 
 which were laid before the high officials before 
 mentioned. But it was thought by them to be 
 
252 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 hopeless to attempt to carry any such Bills through 
 Parliament. 
 
 The alternative course of a council of reference 
 remained to be considered ; and as the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, whom it seemed most becoming to 
 consult regarding it, was on the Continent, the 
 Bishop employed the time until his return in corres- 
 pondence and consultation with legal and other 
 friends as to the best mode of procedure. He was 
 thus able to present to his Grace in his first inter- 
 view an outline of the plan which he wished to pro- 
 pose for his consideration. The Archbishop, after 
 bestowing upon it his careful attention, and suggest- 
 ing certain changes, signified his full approval of it in 
 that form. It was then submitted to the Archbishop 
 of York and the Bishop of London, and approved 
 by them, as also by Lords Hatherly and Cairns. 
 These prelates and noblemen also expressed their 
 willingness to become members of the council when 
 it should be created. The mode of calling the 
 council into existence would be by a general synod 
 of the Australian and Tasmanian Dioceses, if such 
 a synod should be held and so determine. The 
 composition of the council was to be the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and two other prelates, who were 
 members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy 
 Council for the purpose of appeals under the Act 
 3 and 4 Vict. c. 86, and who would thus be the 
 Archbishop of York and the Bishop of London, to- 
 gether with four laymen being members of the 
 Judicial Committee and designated by the Colonial 
 Church Synod. 
 
 With this result the Bishop of Sydney was well 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND, 1871. 
 
 satisfied, and so were others whom he had consulted. 
 The late Bishop of Lichfield, Dr. Selwyn, writing 
 to him as he was leaving England on his return to 
 the colony, said that 1 he thought it a most wise 
 course, and that in New Zealand they had always 
 looked forward to some tribunal of the same kind 
 but had not yet established it.' 
 
 Another matter which apeared to the Bishop to 
 be of much consequence in regard to the conserva- 
 tion of the union of the colonial with the Mother 
 Church, was the oath of canonical obedience to be 
 taken by a bishop at his consecration. He was of 
 opinion that that oath should be one of canonical 
 obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury. His 
 matured views upon this subject, and his reasons for 
 them, are set forth in a letter to the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, which was published in the Guardian 
 and Record newspapers in July, 1871. The letter 
 was as follows : — 
 
 Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, July 12th, 1871. 
 
 My Lord Archbishop, — Since my return to England, 
 my attention has been drawn to a correspondence between 
 your Grace and the Bishop of Capetown, on the subject of 
 the oath of canonical obedience to be taken by a colonial 
 bishop at the time of his consecration. 
 
 The bishop states in his first letter (October 12th, 1870) 
 that, ' he understands the Australian bishops have felt 
 quite as strongly as themselves the injury which this 
 alteration in the course hitherto pursued must inflict upon 
 the colonial Church.' 
 
 This statement is, I believe, founded upon an opinion 
 expressed by the Australian bishops in 1868. I deem it 
 right, therefore, to acquaint your Grace with my present 
 
254 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 views upon the subject, and my reasons for entertaining 
 them. 
 
 The course hitherto pursued has been that the bishops 
 of Australia, including Tasmania, took the oath of 
 canonical obedience to the Bishop of Sydney. The last 
 Australian bishop who did this was the present Bishop of 
 Tasmania, consecrated in 1864. 
 
 All these bishops were consecrated under Letters Patent 
 which expressly provided for the oaths being so taken, and 
 made each bishop subordinate to the Bishop of Sydney, 
 who by his Letters Patent was made subordinate to the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury. Whatever the legal value 
 might be of Letters Patent, they constituted a valid and 
 binding compact between the bishops and their metro- 
 politan. But when Letters Patent were withdrawn, it 
 became necessary that every care should be taken to 
 preserve unbroken the unity of the Church, and the 
 due subordination of the bishops to the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury and to their own metropolitan. 
 
 This is effected by requiring that the colonial bishop 
 shall at his consecration take the oath of canonical 
 obedience to the archbishop, and then be consecrated 
 according to the form and manner prescribed in the Book 
 of Common Prayer. He thus becomes a bishop of the 
 Church of England. 
 
 The Bishop of Capetown regards the oath taken at 
 consecration as ' the pivot ' on which the whole system of 
 a colonial diocese turns. In this I agree, and submit that 
 what a bishop is ecclesiastically made at consecration, that 
 the Church over which he presides must be. The oath 
 to the archbishop gives to the colonial bishop a status 
 which keeps him from doing acts directly or indirectly 
 contrary to the law either of doctrine or practice of the 
 Church of England, and restrains him from that free action 
 which is necessary to the founding of such Churches as the 
 Church of South Africa has become. 
 
 The next point is as to the manner in which a colonial 
 bishop, who has taken the oath of canonical obedience to 
 
LETTER TO ARCHBISHOP. 
 
 255 
 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, shall become subordinate to 
 his own metropolitan. 
 
 This is effected by an instrument in the form of a solemn 
 declaration made by the bishop after his arrival in the 
 colony, and before his installation into his see. 
 
 That relation has become a matter of contract. He 
 is admitted into the privileges and advantages of his 
 bishopric on condition that he renders such due obedience 
 to his metropolitan as a suffragan of Canterbury does to 
 the Archbishop and see of Canterbury. 
 
 The oath taken to the archbishop in nowise precludes 
 the colonial bishop from entering into an engagement 
 consistent with the observance of that oath. 
 
 All the parties are bishops of the Church of England, 
 and all alike bound by the laws of that Church, and 
 so long as they adhere to the rule and government 
 of the Church, no conflict can possibly arise between the 
 duty which the colonial bishop owes to the archbishop on 
 the one hand, and to the metropolitan on the other. It is 
 the opinion of your Grace's legal adviser (November 10th, 
 1870), that the oath to the archbishop would not for 
 practical use override the contract entered into with the 
 metropolitan of the colonial province, while such an 
 arrangement as has been proposed in his statement would 
 have this additional advantage, that the oath to the Arch- 
 bishop would be operative when the colonial bishop left the 
 province and came to England. A colonial bishop who is 
 not consecrated for a defined sphere of action is bound by 
 his oath to the archbishop, not only so long and whenever 
 he exercises his functions out of England, but does not 
 become free from the obligation of allegiance which the 
 oath imposes by resigning any particular sphere of colonial 
 action, whereas he would be free if the oath had been taken 
 only to the local metropolitan. 
 
 It is also to be observed that the report of the Joint 
 Committee of Convocation on missionary bishops contains 
 the following words : — 1 In all other cases (than those of 
 missionary bishops for places external to the Queen's 
 
256 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 dominions) unless it be ordered otherwise between the 
 archbishop and the local metropolitan, the missionary 
 bishop shall be consecrated by the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, to whom he shall pay direct canonical obedience.' 
 The Convocation, though anxious to send out missionary 
 bishops, guarded against anything being done which could 
 interfere with the unity of the colonial Church with the 
 Church of England. 
 
 Two principal reasons are given by the Bishop of Cape- 
 town for objecting to the oath of canonical obedience 
 being taken by a colonial bishop to the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury. 
 
 1. That it is destructive of discipline, and threatens ruin 
 to colonial Churches. 
 
 The engagement by which a colonial bishop places him- 
 self in subordination to his metropolitan, and which has 
 been carried out in the case of the Bishops of Grafton and 
 Armidale and Bathurst, consecrated since Letters Patent 
 were withdrawn, sufficiently meets the supposed difficulty 
 of a conflicting obligation. 
 
 In illustration, it may be observed that all subjects of 
 the Queen are bound to faithful allegiance to the crown, 
 but this does not prevent them from binding themselves 
 to faithful service to each other. 
 
 And if it be supposed that a conflict might arise, or 
 some inconvenience be occasioned, by reason of such con- 
 current jurisdiction as that of an Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury and a metropolitan over a colonial bishop, the best 
 means of preserving the Church from practical mischief is 
 to obtain the right of easy appeal to the same, or a similar, 
 tribunal at home, as that which would there determine the 
 propriety of an act done by a bishop. 
 
 2. The bishop refers to ancient canons and precedents 
 of the Church to prove that the suffragan of one province 
 cannot canonically take an oath of obedience to the metro- 
 politan of another province. 
 
 Whatever may be the force of this argument in an 
 unestablished Church which has claimed the right of 
 
LETTER TO ARCHBISHOP. 
 
 257 
 
 making its own ecclesiastical arrangements, it is evident 
 that there can be no analogy between a colonial Church 
 which claims to be one with the Church of England, and 
 that early Church from which these precedents are taken. 
 This is indeed implied in the statement that it is not easy 
 to bring the discipline of a non-established Church into 
 working harmony with an established one. 
 
 The Church of England has established and recognises 
 no other provinces than those of Canterbury and York, and 
 all bishops not within the latter are regarded as suffragans 
 of the former. This arrangement is desirable for the pur- 
 pose of uniting together the different parts of the Church. 
 It is also my opinion that the difficulty of maintaining 
 harmony of discipline in non-established and established 
 Churches, would be easily surmounted if the unity of the 
 Church of England were really desired by all its members. 
 
 I have not had an opportunity of consulting my 
 brethren in Australia on this subject. The correspondence 
 between your Grace and the Bishop of Capetown did not 
 reach me before I left my diocese, and my attention was 
 not directed to it until some time after my return to 
 England. 
 
 In the year 1868, at a meeting of Australian bishops who 
 had all been consecrated under Letters Patent, an opinion 
 was expressed that ' so long as practicable Letters Patent, 
 assigning to the bishop a territorial sphere of action, 
 should continue to be issued,' and also that, 1 under 
 existing circumstances, every bishop of a diocese within 
 that province should continue to take at his consecration 
 the oath of canonical obedience to the Lord Bishop of 
 Sydney, as his metropolitan.' 
 
 Circumstances have now changed. According to the 
 more recent practice of the Colonial Office, the Crown 
 simply gives a license to the archbishop to consecrate a 
 bishop for the colonies, without granting Letters Patent, 
 or even designating the diocese over which he is to 
 preside. 
 
 S 
 
258 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 I consider that, under these altered circumstances, it is 
 of very great importance that the oath of canonical 
 obedience should continue to be taken to the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and in this opinion I believe my Australian 
 brethren would concur. 
 
 In any event, I trust that nothing will be done to 
 change the present practice, without an opportunity being 
 afforded to the bishops and representatives of the clergy 
 and laity in Australia to express their views in a matter so 
 nearly affecting our union with the Church at home. 
 
 I have the honour to remain, my Lord Archbishop, 
 with much respect, 
 
 Your Grace's faithful and obedient servant, 
 
 F. Sydney. 
 
 It was hardly to be expected that the views ex- 
 pressed in this letter would pass without opposition : 
 nor did they. Very shortly after its publication 
 there appeared in the Guardian a letter signed ' H. 
 Badnall, Archdeacon of the Cape,' controverting the 
 Bishop's arguments, and endeavouring to show that 
 the Church of the province of South Africa had 
 adopted a more excellent way. The Guardicn 
 also criticised the Bishop of Sydney's letter. It 
 designated his proposal as a 1 square and convenient 
 theory,' 1 to meet a new state of things which h?.d 
 arisen in the Church of England out of the grow:h 
 of the colonial Empire,' one ' which her ancieit 
 constitution had never contemplated,' and ' for 
 which her authorities have had, step by step, to mace 
 such new provisions as they could.' And y±t, 
 admitting all this, the Guardian contended agaiist 
 the proposal as contrary to ancient usage. 
 
 The Bishop replied at considerable length to bcth 
 
APPOINTMENT OF COLONIAL BISHOPS. 259 
 
 his critics in a fair and dispassionate spirit, and, as it 
 seemed to many, strengthened his position by 
 additional arguments and further elucidation of his 
 ' theory.' He concluded with these words : — 1 The 
 archdeacon and I are alike anxious for the well- 
 being of that portion of the Church with which we 
 are connected, but seek this end in different ways. 
 To him and to you my way seems foolishness. I 
 am not without hope that when the organization of 
 the Church in Australia is complete, it will not be 
 found that we have been driven by a presumed 
 necessity into the formation of a communion in- 
 dependent of the Church of England, but have 
 contributed something towards the solution of the 
 question — how the Church of England may exist in 
 many parts of the world, and yet be one united 
 body.' 
 
 The controversy did not end here. But as it is 
 not intended to discuss the question, but only to 
 present to the reader the views which were enter- 
 tained by the Bishop of Sydney, it seems unnecessary 
 to pursue the subject farther. It need only be ob- 
 served that the Bishop was not at all shaken in 
 the opinions which were expressed in his letter to 
 the archbishop. 
 
 There was a third question upon which the Bishop 
 consulted the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 
 that he might carry back to the Australian bishops 
 authoritative information for their future guidance. 
 It was the mode of appointment of colonial bishops. 
 In an interview with Lord Kimberley he had been 
 requested by him to communicate in writing the 
 matters which he had brought before him. He did 
 
260 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 this in a letter dated January ioth, 1872, of 
 which the following may be taken as a correct 
 outline : — 
 
 1. Drawing attention to the fact that there was in the 
 Church with which he was connected a general desire to 
 maintain, as far as it was possible, its connexion with the 
 Church in England, he stated that while they thought it 
 desirable that the colonial synods should nominate persons 
 for the office of bishops, they wished that the Crown should 
 not only give a license to the archbishop to consecrate, but 
 also in that license designate the diocese to which the 
 bishop was to be consecrated. This was expedient for 
 reasons connected with property. 
 
 2. It was questioned whether a bishop not appointed by 
 the Crown succeeding one who by Letters Patent had been 
 constituted a corporation would be entitled to the property 
 of the see. 
 
 3. In the year 1857 a Bill had been introduced into the 
 House of Lords by the then Secretary of State for the 
 Colonies, which recognised the fact that there was a real 
 difficulty, but that Bill did not become law. 
 
 4. The difficulty had been felt and expressed in various 
 quarters, and as it had resulted from a change of action on 
 the part of the Crown, it was respectfully submitted that 
 the Crown should take some steps to relieve the Church in 
 the colonies. 
 
 5. Another independent point was the unsatisfactory 
 state of the law in reference to certain colonially-ordained 
 clergy. By an Act of Parliament (59 Geo. III. c. 6, sec. 4) it 
 was enacted that after the passing of that Act 1 no person 
 ordained to be a deacon or priest by a colonial bishop who 
 did not at the time of such ordination actually possess 
 an episcopal jurisdiction over some diocese, district, 
 or place, should be capable of at any time holding any 
 ecclesiastical preferment within Her Majesty's dominions, 
 or of being a stipendiary curate or chaplain, or of officiating 
 
APPOINTMENT OF COLONIAL BISHOPS. 26 I 
 
 as a minister of the Established Church of England and 
 Ireland.' 
 
 6. The decision of the Judicial Committee in re Bishop 
 of Natal, as to the jurisdiction of colonial bishops, some of 
 whom must be considered to possess no 'jurisdiction ' in the 
 strict sense of the term, added to the difficulty, no certain 
 dioceses having been assigned by the Crown, and the license 
 for consecration being of a perfectly general nature. 
 
 7. The result of this was to throw a grave doubt over 
 the capacity of the clergy ordained by such bishops. This 
 was felt so strongly that Mr. Cardwell in 1866 brought in 
 a Bill partly designed to meet the difficulty. In introducing 
 it he referred to the disqualifications occasioned by the Act 
 of 1812. He said: — 'The consequence in respect of the 
 clergy themselves was intolerable, and it was impossible to 
 say how far it might extend in respect of marriages and 
 other religious services, which, since the passing of the 
 statute, had been performed by these clergy. It would be 
 necessary to repeal that disqualification.' The Bill, how- 
 ever, did not pass into a law, and it seemed scarcely the 
 best suited to the necessity of the case. 
 
 8. Some suggestions were therefore respectfully offered, 
 and a draft clause was submitted for his lordship's con- 
 sideration. Its object was to interpret in an amending 
 Act the terms used in the Act 59 Geo. III. c. 60, sec. 4, 
 and to declare that they did not imply legal jurisdiction or 
 a legally-assigned diocese. 
 
 9. The Bishop asked that an early consideration might 
 be given to the subjects of his letter, that he might be able 
 to return to his diocese with a distinct understanding what 
 course Her Majesty's advisers would be prepared to adopt 
 or to recommend the Church in the colonies to pursue. 
 
 To this letter the Bishop received a reply from 
 Lord Kimberley, dated 27th January, 1872 ; it was 
 in substance as follows : — 
 
 I. His lordship had given careful consideration to these 
 
262 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 questions, which are of great importance, and have from 
 time to time, since the judgment in the Bishop of Natal's 
 case, been brought under the notice of successive Secretaries 
 of State. 
 
 2. With respect to the first question — namely, the mode 
 of appointment of colonial bishops, Lord Kimberley was 
 not prepared to recommend a departure from the course 
 which has been adopted after full consideration under the 
 advice of the law officers of the Crown. That course may 
 be summed up as follows : — Her Majesty will be advised to 
 refuse, in conformity with the judgment of the Judicial 
 Committee, to appoint a bishop in any colony possessing 
 an independent Legislature without the sanction of that 
 Legislature, but she will be advised, on the application of 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, to issue from time to time 
 such mandate as is required by law to authorise the con- 
 secration of a bishop, no diocese or sphere of action, how- 
 ever, being assigned in such mandate. 
 
 3. Colonial bishops may exercise and have exercised the 
 power of consecration without royal sanction, and it re- 
 mains for the colonial episcopate, having these facilities for 
 continuing their succession, to secure the position of their 
 successors in respect to endowments or otherwise by such 
 voluntary agreement or local legislation as they may be 
 advised is necessary and practicable. 
 
 4. With respect to the status of clergy who have been 
 ordained by colonial bishops, the Government are not at 
 present prepared to undertake legislation, but would see no 
 objection to such a change in the law as would place the 
 colonial clergy on the same footing as that on which the 
 Scotch episcopal clergy were placed by 27 and 28 Vict, 
 c. 94. 
 
 The information thus obtained from those in 
 authority was calculated to clear the way for such 
 action as the Church in the Australian colonies 
 might determine to be most expedient for its well- 
 
archbishop's answer to questions. 263 
 
 being. So long as there was uncertainty upon the 
 matters which have been mentioned, there would be. 
 doubt and hesitation as to the particular measures 
 which ought to be adopted. But the Church now 
 knew what she might and might not expect from the 
 Home authorities. And this was no small advantage 
 gained. There were, however, certain other points 
 which had from time to time been mooted, upon 
 which it was well to know what views were held in 
 the highest quarters of the Church. And with 
 regard to these the Bishop submitted six questions 
 to the Archbishop of Canterbury, which were 
 answered by his Grace after reference to the 
 Chancellor of his diocese, Sir Travers Twiss. 
 They were these : — 
 
 1. Whether the title of the United Church of England 
 and Ireland can rightfully be retained by the Church in 
 the colonies, when it has been hitherto used in Acts of 
 the Legislature and all deeds and documents. 
 
 2. If it cannot, what course ought such Churches to take 
 for changing it, and what title ought they to adopt. 
 
 3. By what laws, in the event of the Church of England 
 and the Church of Ireland altering the Prayer Book in 
 different ways, will such colonial Churches be governed. 
 
 4. Whether the bishop, clergy, and laity of a church 
 which has been endowed under the name of the United 
 
 Church of England and Ireland in , can legally 
 
 adopt another name, as has been done in South Africa, and 
 make alterations in the liturgy, &c. 
 
 5. Whether the synod or assembly of a colonial Church 
 may assume that the right to appoint a bishop is not the 
 prerogative of, or will not be exercised by, Her Majesty, and 
 on this assumption make its own regulations for filling the 
 see when it shall become vacant. 
 
264 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 6. Is the Church in the colonies to be regarded as an 
 integral part of the Church of England, or as a Church in 
 union and communion with that Church. 
 
 The following is the memorandum of the Arch- 
 bishop in answer to the Bishop of Sydney's 
 questions : — 
 
 t. It appears that the provisions of Clause 69 of the 
 Irish Church Act apply to all enactments, deeds, and other 
 documents, in which the title of the 1 United Church of 
 England and Ireland ' is used in the colonies, and thus in 
 all such enactments, deeds, and documents, the title of the 
 Church shall be read as ' The Church of England.' 
 
 2. No formal steps are required to authorise the reading 
 of the enactments, deeds, &c, in this sense. 
 
 3. The colonial Churches which are governed by the 
 laws of the United Church will hereafter be governed by the 
 laws of the Church of England. 
 
 4. On this point a question may reasonably arise of this 
 kind — Can the bishop of a Church which has been endowed 
 under the name of the Church in England and Ireland, in 
 Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, for example, 
 claim the benefits of such endowment under the name of a 
 bishop of the Church of Australia, New Zealand, or South 
 Africa ? If it were a question of pure law, the answer 
 might be in the negative ; in other words, the bishop might 
 not be able to sue successfully in a court of law under a 
 name altered without the authority of a statute. But if 
 the claim were made in a court of equity, an equitable title 
 might be established upon the plea of alinsque et idem. The 
 question about the name seems not to be of substantial 
 importance, as the name is merely a mode of description, 
 which may vary according to its relation to doctrine, 
 discipline, or to place, &c. The question of altering the 
 liturgy is a substantial one. It seems likely that the 
 bishop of any colonial Church thus endowed is bound by 
 
archbishop's answer to questions. 265 
 
 the ritual and articles of the Church of England, and that 
 if he and his clergy alter the liturgy, their title to endow- 
 ments, secured under the name of ' The United Church of 
 England and Ireland,' will be impeachable. This question 
 may be of greater importance if the endowments were made 
 when the Letters Patent of such bishops were in force, for 
 those Letters Patent were legally valid, and may have given 
 rise to a legal state of things as regards these endowments 
 which it may be difficult to continue when the Letters 
 Patent have been varied or ceased to be issued. 
 
 5. It does not appear that any good authority has been 
 produced in favour of the opinion that, when existing 
 Churches are governed by the law of the United Church, 
 they can lawfully make regulations for the election of their 
 bishops on the assumption that the Crown will not 
 nominate, the intervention of the Crown in the consecration 
 of bishops being embodied in the Prayer Book. 
 
 6. The Church in the colonies is an integral part of the 
 Church of England in the sense in which that title denotes 
 a body of Christians holding certain doctrines and main- 
 taining certain discipline in accordance with the formularies, 
 &c. On the other hand, any particular branch of the Church 
 may be said, perhaps somewhat inaccurately, to be in union 
 and communion with that Church of England of which it 
 is a part. 
 
 Addington Park, Croydon, 1st February, 1872. 
 
 The Bishop and Mrs. Barker arrived in Sydney 
 on the 19th April, 1872 ; and at four o'clock the same 
 day a large congregation assembled in the cathedral 
 to join with them in a service of thanksgiving to 
 Almighty God for their safe return. All the city 
 and suburban clergy were present, and many from the 
 country ; a goodly number also of the leading laymen 
 of the Church resident in Sydney, with their families. 
 After the service, an affectionate address of welcome 
 
266 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 from the clergy of the diocese was presented to the 
 Bishop by the dean, and acknowledged by him in 
 terms of reciprocal affection. 
 
 And now that the Bishop had returned, the 
 diocese was anxious to know what success had 
 attended his efforts in England with regard to the 
 objects which he had had in view. He therefore 
 lost no time in laying before the Standing Committee 
 of the Synod a statement of his proceedings in 
 reference to the important question of a tribunal of 
 final appeal in matters of doctrine and ritual for the 
 Church in Australia. As to the other subjects con- 
 cerning which he had conferred with the Govern- 
 ment and the Archbishop, he intimated that the results 
 of those conferences would be laid by him before 
 the Synod which he intended shortly to call together. 
 He also informed the Committee that he purposed 
 in the course of the year to invite a conference of 
 the bishops of the Australian dioceses, with repre- 
 sentatives of the clergy and laity in each, the 
 purpose for which such conference would be sum- 
 moned being to consider the expediency of forming 
 a General Synod, as suggested in the third minute 
 of the Australian bishops in their conference of 
 1868, and if that were resolved upon, then to frame 
 a constitution for the Synod. The object of this 
 general synod would be to maintain the relation of 
 the Church in the Province of Australia to the 
 Church of England in England, and amongst its 
 functions would be one to establish a tribunal or 
 council of reference to which appeals might be 
 carried, and to appoint the persons who should form 
 that council. 
 
BISHOP'S RETURN TO SYDNEY. 
 
 267 
 
 The annual meeting of the Church Society being 
 held shortly afterwards, he availed himself of the 
 opportunity to give some further account of his 
 proceedings in England. The following interesting 
 passage on the state of the Church and of society 
 there, shows the view which he formed : — 
 
 It appears to me then on the whole — looking at the 
 Church and at society — that matters are both better and 
 worse than they were some years ago. There is a vast 
 increase of wealth, there is much more poverty. Infidelity 
 is more bold and active, its opponents are fully alive to the 
 emergency and are equal to it. In the Church there is a 
 lawlessness, a disregard of order and of solemn obligations, 
 which appeared to me inexplicable, an adoption of Romish 
 phraseology and practices, an avowal of sympathy with 
 Romanism, and contempt of the Reformation, totally 
 inconsistent, as it appears to me, with an honest adherence 
 to the Church of England. At the same time, I believe 
 there never were so many good men ministering in the 
 Church, and certainly there never was a time in which 
 more activity was displayed by members of the Church. 
 The good and the evil are like two forces running upon 
 parallel lines with ever increasing velocity. The efforts 
 made for the spiritual and temporal well-being of 
 mankind are more varied and active than ever, while 
 the agencies of evil are equally numerous, and carried 
 on with a zeal worthy of a better cause. In the Church of 
 England parties are becoming more sharply defined, and 
 though Church services and congresses bring men 
 of different views together, it is impossible not to see 
 that, while good men on either side can find and 
 rejoice in some points of agreement, the differences on 
 other points are fundamental, and that the occasion may 
 arise in which it will be hardly possible for both parties to 
 remain in the same visible union. 
 
 Referring to visits which he paid to both the 
 
268 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 great universities, during which he addressed young 
 men in different colleges in Cambridge, in companies 
 of from thirty to fifty, and on two occasions upwards 
 of one hundred in each university, speaking to them 
 partly on Australia and partly for their spiritual 
 edification, he said : — 
 
 From my own observation and from the information of 
 others, I gathered that there was much ground for hope 
 from the younger members of the universities. Some of 
 the junior fellows whom I met with were men of such 
 ability and decided piety, that they cannot fail to leave 
 their impress upon their contemporaries and pupils. 
 
 The following have reference to the illness and 
 recovery of the Prince of Wales, and to the death 
 of the Rev. E. Synge, the value of whose work in 
 the diocese, some of which has been noticed in the 
 earlier pages of this memoir, the Bishop never 
 ceased to recognise as having been of the greatest 
 service to himself personally and to the Church : — 
 
 During my stay in England, the illness of the Prince 
 of Wales took place. I was in London at the time. It 
 used to be said of the Duke of Wellington that he was 
 the one man in England who filled the eye of London. It 
 might truly be said that the illness of the Prince of Wales 
 filled the heart not of London only but of the w r orld. In 
 the metropolis the interest was intense. Crowds collected 
 in the cold December nights at Marlborough House to 
 hear what the eleven o'clock telegram reported, and 
 separated in sad silence when the tidings seemed to give 
 faint hope, but broke out into a grateful cheer at the first 
 intimation of a favourable change. It was indeed a 
 wonderful time. The heart of the people was moved as 
 one man, the whole nation absorbed in one subject, but one 
 
STA TE OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY IN ENGLAND. 269 
 
 topic of conversation wherever men met, churches and 
 schoolrooms filled with praying people, the telegrams 
 sending ten thousand copies of the prayer for the Prince's 
 recovery to every part of the kingdom, whilst from India 
 and America the sympathetic response was returned that 
 everywhere the people prayed. And the prayer was heard. 
 Three times the members of the family were summoned to 
 his room to see him die, and three nights the great bell of 
 the cathedral of St. Paul was held in readiness to tell the 
 sad tidings of his death. Yet still he lived— and now with 
 mother, wife, brothers, and sister, he has gone to that 
 cathedral to render thanks to God for life restored, in 
 answer to a nation's prayers. 
 
 All private griefs were for a time swallowed up in this 
 absorbing care, yet it can never cease to be a sorrow to me 
 that one so affectionately regarded by myself, and so much 
 respected by many in this colony, should have been so 
 suddenly removed in the midst of apparent health and much 
 usefulness, as my dear friend, the Rev. Edward Synge. 
 The Church in this colony owes much to his faithful 
 service and unwearying devotion. He died in the midst of 
 his work. He had invited me to be present at the opening 
 of his church, which he had completed under difficulties that 
 would have appalled other men. He was reading the prayers 
 at an evening service, and had commenced the general 
 thanksgiving, ' Almighty God, Father of all mercies,' when 
 he fainted and fell, was carried home, and in five days had 
 died of fever and inflammation of the lungs. He was for 
 the most part of the time of his illness unconscious, but 
 once aroused himself to say, ' I am going home, are you 
 ready to come ? ' and again, 4 1 have lived two lives.' His 
 life in Australia told much upon him, his work at home 
 was not less arduous, but neither life was lived in vain. It 
 was the same work, as he observed to me, in either hemi- 
 sphere. I, who knew him first as my Sunday School 
 teacher, then my curate, lastly my missionary chaplain, 
 and always my beloved friend, may fitly bear testimony to 
 
270 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 his self-denying and devoted character, but there are those 
 also on the banks of the Lachlan and the Murrumbidgee, 
 and far away on the Darling, who will testify that the first 
 clergyman that they saw, the first preacher they heard, was 
 my trusted fellow-labourer, who has now entered into his 
 rest. 
 
 While in England, the Bishop had attended the 
 Church Congress at Nottingham, and had taken 
 part in the discussions. Upon the subject of ' Unity 
 within the Church,' he spoke thus : — 
 
 It appears to me that there are two principles which 
 lie at the bottom of all endeavours to promote unity. 
 There should be love. Without love there can be no 
 union, nor without it can there be any real expression of a 
 desire for unity. And there must be truth. Truth must 
 be the foundation upon which all endeavours to promote 
 unity rest. We are to ' speak the truth in love.' And 
 when we follow the things which make for peace, we are, 
 as the Apostle admonishes us in the Epistle to the 
 Philippians, to seek first ' truth.' 
 
 And yet it is impossible to conceal from ourselves that 
 very wide differences exist within the body of the Church 
 of England, and that those differences are upon points 
 
 which the respective parties regard as essential I 
 
 cannot myself understand how, when the law has been 
 declared, when the voice of the episcopate has been heard, 
 and when the ritual of the Church of England has within 
 the last thirty years — that is speaking within my own 
 memory — remained unchanged as regards any change 
 made by lawful authority, there should still exist on the 
 part of some such a manifest determination to resist the 
 law, not to listen to the voice of authority, and to make 
 changes (for considerable additions are sure to be regarded 
 as changes) in the mode of ministering. The question is 
 simply this, that there can be no unity without subordina- 
 
CHURCH CONGRESS AT NOTTINGHAM. 27 1 
 
 tion But while I feel this strongly, I also feel that 
 
 the discussion of this subject, and the desire which I am 
 sure it will evoke in many minds for the promotion of 
 unity amongst ourselves, ought to have some effect upon 
 our conduct, and that we shall cease to indulge in 
 personality, cease to impute motives, and, above all, give 
 credit to those from whom we differ, for being actuated by 
 the same motives which we claim for ourselves. 
 
272 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 1872-1874. 
 
 Visitation, Bishop's Charge — Diocesan Synod, 1872 — Genera 
 Conference — General Synod — Determinations passed — Con- 
 gratulatory Resolution — Review of Year's Work — Temporary Rest 
 — Church Society — Diocesan Synod, 1873 — Bishop's Remarks on 
 Athanasian Creed — Morality Association — Meeting of Rural 
 Deans, Religious Instruction, Temperance — Retreat in Country — 
 Serious Accident — Diocesan Synod, 1874 — C. E. T. Society — 
 Anxiety about Religious Condition of Masses — North Queensland 
 Bishopric — Visit to Brisbane — Agitation regarding Primary 
 Education — Public Meetings — Addresses by Bishop — Defence 
 Association — Eight Days' Mission — Review of Year 1874. 
 
 The narrative has digressed a little from the order 
 of events, but now returns to the month of July, 1872, 
 when on the 16th the Bishop again, and for the 
 fourth time, met his clergy in visitation, previous to 
 the session of the Diocesan Synod, which commenced 
 in the afternoon of the same day. The Charge 
 delivered by the Bishop was comprehensive and 
 practical, dealing with many topics connected with 
 the ministerial and pastoral duties of the clergy ; its 
 tone was spiritual, earnest, and affectionate. One of 
 the topics was Confirmation, and in connexion with 
 it he took occasion to speak of what he regarded as 
 
VISITATION, CHARGE. 
 
 273 
 
 a mistake into which there was sometimes danger 
 of falling : — 
 
 The ordinance was sometimes exposed to reproach by 
 its being regarded merely as a preliminary to the admission 
 of the catechumen to the Holy Communion. And regarded 
 in this light, young persons were taken immediately after 
 their Confirmation to the Lord's Table, and communicated 
 — too often for the only time in their lives. He considered 
 it better, in most cases, to continue the instruction, with 
 special reference to the Sacrament of the Holy Supper, for 
 a short time at least after Confirmation. In this way the 
 resolves which had been made and declared openly would 
 be more likely to be fixed in the heart, and the impressions 
 received to become permanent. 
 
 Speaking upon the Sacrament of Baptism, he 
 advised the clergy, 
 
 To take more pains to render the administration more 
 solemn, earnest, and impressive. He was aware of the 
 difficulties which existed, but he believed that some 
 improvement might be made upon the present general 
 mode of administering it, and that it would be practicable 
 to arrange a special service once a month, on Sunday after- 
 noon, and also on a weekday, of which the baptism of 
 young infants might form a part. Baptism thus celebrated, 
 and occasionally made the subject of a sermon, would 
 appeal with great force to the people as well as to those 
 more immediately concerned. 
 
 Referring also to the other Sacrament and to 
 superstitions and errors which had recently 
 gathered around it, such as the duty of communi- 
 cating fasting, and the real objective presence of the 
 Lord's body in the sacred elements, he said : — 
 
 that further observation and experience had served to 
 
 T 
 
2 74 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 impress upon him more strongly than ever the danger they 
 incur who depart from the clear, simple view of the ordin- 
 ance, which the Church affords in her Articles and 
 Homilies, and how certainly minds are perplexed and 
 troubled by such teaching as, under the profession of 
 reverence, gives to this ordinance a mysterious character 
 which in no way belongs to it. 
 
 In connexion with this subject, he thought it not 
 unnecessary to utter a warning against the use of 
 manuals of devotion in which many of the 
 observances of the Church of Rome — saint worship, 
 the worship of the Virgin, auricular confession, and 
 others — were recommended. He said, — 
 
 These practices have been received, and are daily re- 
 commended in books of devotion and serial publications 
 professing to be the united productions of ministers of our 
 Church. I fully admit that the Church of England is com- 
 prehensive in its constitution, and that the decisions of her 
 highest tribunals, and of the courts of appeal, have tended 
 to enlarge the area within which differing religious opinions 
 may be maintained, yet there must be a limit somewhere. 
 And regarding the Church, as . I am thankful to do, as 
 purified from false doctrine and reformed in practice more 
 than three hundred years ago, I shall never cease to pro- 
 test against the attempts which are being made to restore 
 the darkness which the Reformation dispelled, and in the 
 terms of my consecration promise shall ' hold myself ready 
 to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange 
 doctrines contrary to God's Word, and both privately and 
 openly to call upon and encourage others to do the same.' 
 
 The following quotation from the closing part of 
 the Charge is given, both as showing the tone of 
 the Bishop's own mind and what sort of men he 
 wished his clergy to be : — 
 
VISITATION, CHARGE. 
 
 275 
 
 In concluding this address, I cannot but feel that in the 
 uncertainties of life it may be, in the case of some of our 
 number, the last opportunity of meeting for this purpose 
 we shall be permitted to enjoy. Bear with me then, my 
 dear brethren, if I press upon your attention the necessity 
 of cultivating those habits of prayer, and of the study of 
 the Word of God, upon which our personal religion and 
 our ministerial efficiency depend. 
 
 The rule, * to have prayed well is to have studied well/ 
 is exemplified in the history of many faithful servants of 
 our Lord. Their qualifications have been gained and their 
 spiritual victories won in their closets and upon their knees. 
 It is illustrated in the Epistles of St. Paul. Observe how, 
 in the midst of his never ceasing and widespread labours, he 
 is continually in prayer for those to whom he writes, and is 
 ever bringing the remembrance of them before the Lord. 
 To observe his outward life you would say he was incessantly 
 in action, you gather from his letters that the spring and 
 source of that activity was unceasing prayer. And thus, 
 dear brethren, it will be with yourselves. What you are in 
 the closet you will be in the public ministry of the Word. 
 If your heart's desire and prayer for your people is that 
 they may be saved, that great end of the ministry will be 
 answered — you will be the means of saving some. If you 
 seek popularity, or desire only to discharge your public duties 
 with credit to yourselves, you \vi\l have your reward, but it 
 will not be the reward of your Father in heaven. Be much 
 in prayer then for yourselves and for your people. Pray 
 over your preparation for your work, and follow the seed 
 sown with earnest petitions to the Lord of the harvest, that 
 he would accept and bless your labours and your prayers. 
 
 And further, concerning the study of the Word of GOD, 
 I observe that we all need a deeper, fuller, and more 
 experimental acquaintance with that Word. Its riches are 
 unsearchable, and whatever the treasures we have found, 
 there are still depths of wisdom and knowledge to which 
 we have made no approach, and which will amply repay 
 the researches of the most diligent student. Let me add 
 
276 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 then to my other words the Saviour's own injunction, 
 * Search the Scriptures,' seeking for wisdom as for hid 
 treasure, and bringing forth out of that inexhaustible mine 
 fresh supplies for the edification and comfort of the Church. 
 We live in an age rich in biblical literature, of every kind 
 and accessible to all, and we shall find no method more 
 instructive to ourselves and to our people, than the 
 continuous exposition of portions of the Word of GOD. 
 
 When the Synod met in the afternoon, the 
 Bishop explained in his opening address the 
 matters which had occupied his time and attention 
 in England for the advancment of the Church's 
 welfare. He also intimated that it was his intention 
 to summon a General Conference of the whole 
 Church in Australia, to meet on the 15th of October; 
 and he suggested that the Synod should elect five 
 clerical and five lay representatives to that Confer- 
 ence; that the Conference when it met might resolve 
 itself into a General Synod, form a constitution, and 
 then proceed to take action upon the questions of 
 which he had spoken, and adopt such measures re- 
 garding them as it thought fit; that it was not intended, 
 however, that its determinations should be binding 
 upon any diocese, until they had been brought before 
 and formally accepted by that diocese. Such an 
 arrangement as this, he said, viz., that the conclusions 
 of the larger and more comprehensive body should be 
 subject to acceptance or rejection by the inferior bodies 
 of which it was composed, might perhaps be thought 
 anomalous, but when rightly understood it would be 
 found to be dictated by practical wisdom and common 
 sense ; that the Diocesan Synods had, in most cases, 
 been in operation for many years, framing their own 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD — GENERAL CONFERENCE. 2JJ 
 
 ordinances and canons for the dioceses which they 
 represented ; that they were not all framed upon the 
 same models, but were adapted to the special circum- 
 stances of the Church in the different colonies ; 
 and, further, that the General Synod would have no 
 coercive power over them. 
 
 The Diocesan Synod passed a resolution approv- 
 ing of the summoning of the General Conference, 
 and elected five clerical and five lay representatives, 
 limited in their powers by the condition before 
 named. A similar course was pursued in the other 
 Australian dioceses, and the Metropolitan now 
 began to see a prospect of accomplishing the objects 
 for which he had been working since the Episcopal 
 Conference in 1868. 
 
 On the 10th of October the General Conference 
 met in Sydney, attended by the bishops of ten 
 dioceses, and by representatives, lay and clerical, 
 from nine. Previous to engaging in business, the 
 members attended Divine service in the cathedral. 
 A sermon was preached by the Bishop of Adelaide on 
 the love of the brotherhood; and the Holy Communion 
 was administered by the Metropolitan, assisted by 
 the Bishops of Melbourne, Adelaide, and Newcastle. 
 
 The members of the Conference assembled in the 
 Church Society's House. Prayers were first read 
 by the Metropolitan, and the roll of representatives 
 from each diocese was called. The Metropolitan 
 then proceeded to deliver his inaugural address, in 
 which he explained the circumstances which had 
 induced him to summon the Conference, the questions 
 which would be submitted to it for consideration, and 
 the advantages which might accrue from its deter- 
 
278 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 minations. The first important question which 
 would be submitted to it was whether a General 
 Synod for the province of Australia and Tasmania 
 should be formed by the Conference, and then what 
 should be its constitutions, functions, and powers. 
 In the event of the General Synod being formed, 
 there were three subjects of primary importance 
 with which it would have to deal. 1. The appoint- 
 ment of future bishops ; 2. The trial of bishops ; 
 3. An appellate tribunal, to which appeals from a 
 diocesan tribunal could be carried. 
 
 In urging his own views upon the Conference, 
 the Metropolitan referred to the strong desire which 
 had been expressed by his predecessor, Bishop 
 Broughton, in his farewell address to the clergy 
 and laity of his diocese with regard to the colonial 
 Church. It was the hope of the late Bishop of 
 Sydney, to use his own words, 
 
 That one uniform system might be established through- 
 out all the colonial churches (uniform as to all vital and 
 essential observances), so that they might be bound 
 together in one great system of unity, and thus collectively, 
 one with another, and with the parent Church of England, 
 form one great assembly of saints engaged throughout the 
 world in spreading abroad the truth of the glorious Gospel, 
 that men might be brought to the knowledge of it, and the 
 nations be prepared for the appearing of the great God and 
 our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 He (the Metropolitan) entertained a strong hope 
 that this was the destiny reserved for the Church of 
 England by the extension of her colonial empire. 
 
 The first work of the Conference was to frame 
 rules for the conduct of its own business. This 
 
GENERAL SYNOD, 1872. 
 
 having been done, and proper officers appointed for, 
 carrying it on, a resolution was brought forward by 
 the Chancellor of the Diocese of Sydney, Mr. 
 Alexander Gordon, affirming the expediency of 
 forming a General Synod, which, after a lengthy 
 discussion, was adopted by a large majority. 
 Another resolution was then moved for appointing 
 a select committee to frame a constitution for the 
 Synod. This also was adopted, and a committee 
 appointed. The constitution, when framed, was 
 brought up with the Committee's Report, and fully 
 discussed, and, after several amendments, was 
 adopted as the constitution for the General Synod. 
 
 The next step in the proceedings was the adoption 
 of a resolution ' That this Conference do now resolve 
 itself into the General Synod of the Dioceses ot 
 Australia and Tasmania, in conformity with its con- 
 stitution which has been adopted.' The Metropolitan 
 then declared the General Synod to be duly con- 
 stituted ; and it forthwith proceeded to business. 
 
 Three subjects were now referred to Select 
 Committees, with instructions to prepare and submit 
 resolutions upon them to the Synod, i. The con- 
 stitution of an appellate tribunal ; 2. Rules for the 
 confirmation and due consecration of future bishops 
 and the election of future primates ; 3. Rules for the 
 formation of new dioceses and provinces. 
 
 Upon the first and second of these subjects, 
 Determinations, founded upon the reports brought up 
 by the Select Committees, were passed by the Synod. 
 The consideration of the third was postponed until 
 the next session. A fourth subject — the formation 
 of an Australasian Board of Missions — was brought 
 
280 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 forward by resolution, and a Determination adopted 
 constituting the Board. And with this the principal 
 business of the session was brought to a close. 
 Before its conclusion, however, the Bishop of 
 Adelaide rose to move the following resolution : — 
 1 That the members of the Synod, before the close of 
 the session, desire to congratulate the Primate on the 
 accomplishment of the object which he has so long 
 had at heart in the formation of this General Synod, 
 and of his having become the first Primate of the 
 Church in the Dioceses of Australia and Tasmania.' 
 In moving this congratulatory resolution the bishop 
 said : — 
 
 That there was one point which seemed to him to 
 deserve special notice. It was the manner in which the 
 Bishop of Sydney had presided over their proceedings, and 
 the spirit in which he had met the various propositions 
 which had come before him. Without compromising one 
 opinion which he entertained, or conceding one principle, 
 he had nevertheless considered with great candour views 
 opposed to his own, and wherever he could give his assent 
 he had done so readily and sincerely. He had also set an 
 example of Christian courtesy in discussion, which could 
 not but give a tone and character to all the synodical pro- 
 ceedings in time to come, and for which he (the Bishop of 
 Adelaide) heartily thanked him. 
 
 The resolution was seconded and supported by 
 representatives of the Dioceses of Melbourne, 
 Adelaide, and Sydney, and carried by acclamation. 
 The Metropolitan, in acknowledging this mark of 
 the Synod's confidence, 
 
 Congratulated the members upon the formation of the 
 Genera] Synod, and said that he was unable fully to express 
 
GENERAL SYNOD, 1872. 2S1 
 
 the gratification he felt at the work which had been accom- 
 plished. It had long been an object of desire, and he 
 trusted that those who came after him would reap the full 
 benefit of it. They might not be always able to maintain 
 their connexion with the Church of England, but now they 
 were prepared for whatever might befall them. He was 
 glad of the slight link retained in the Council of Reference. 
 He thanked his right reverend brethren for their cordial 
 co-operation in forming the Synod. It might not appear 
 to effect much, but he believed much had been done, and 
 done in a right spirit. He might not be permitted to 
 remain long among them, but he looked forward with 
 humble confidence to the future of the Church, and he 
 prayed that the Divine blessing in the work they did for 
 Him, might rest upon them. 
 
 These observations will carry back the thoughts 
 of the reader to the Metropolitan Charge of i860, in 
 which hopes were expressed that some such union of 
 the dioceses might be effected. The subject had 
 been under the Bishop's consideration during the 
 twelve years which had since elapsed, and had been 
 one of the designs which he had set himself to 
 accomplish. In that Charge he expressed himself 
 thus : — 'As each diocese becomes completely 
 organized, and internal arrangements for self- 
 government are carried out, it is of great importance 
 to ascertain how far and in what manner the several 
 dioceses of this province can be more closely united 
 in council and in action. Upon this subject it is my 
 purpose to confer with my right reverend brethren, 
 and to obtain from them such an expression of 
 opinion as may hereafter assist us in the practical 
 consideration of the question.' The problem which 
 had thus early presented itself to his mind had now 
 
282 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 been solved, and it was largely due to the study 
 which he had bestowed upon it, the pains which he 
 had taken in England to obtain reliable information 
 from those who could speak with authority upon 
 points which were at least dubious and unsettled, 
 and then to his wise tact, his great candour, his 
 discriminating judgment, and his conciliatory spirit, 
 that the solution was at last found. 
 
 The business of this important assembly being ter- 
 minated, the Bishop was enabled to return to matters 
 connected with his own diocese, and amongst them 
 to the Confirmations in the country districts. And 
 he now devoted to them a considerable portion of 
 the months of November and December, and to 
 other matters relating to the parishes in which they 
 were held. 
 
 This year had been one of incessant labour from 
 the day of his return from England. Shortly after 
 that return, the annual meeting of the Church Society 
 was held ; in the same month "an ordination, then a 
 visitation ; this was followed by the session of the 
 Diocesan Synod ; then Confirmations in about fifty 
 parishes ; on the 1 7th September the Provincial 
 Synod of New South Wales met, and continued in 
 session until the 24th ; this was followed by the 
 General Conference and Synod, whose sittings 
 extended over a period of eighteen days. All this, 
 added to the work involved in the general adminis- 
 tration of the diocese, called for a large amount of 
 mental and physical labour, and he now felt the 
 necessity of some temporary rest. In search of this 
 he retired with Mrs. Barker for a season to the 
 Kurrajong Heights (mentioned in a former part 
 
TEMPORARY REST. 
 
 of this memoir), and there, away from the excessive, 
 heat of the Sydney summer and from the pressing 
 calls of duty which a stay in Sydney would 
 have involved, they found in a less exhausting 
 climate that refreshing quiet which they so much 
 needed. 
 
 It must not, however, be supposed that in this 
 retirement the Bishop withdrew himself from all 
 attention to the affairs of the diocese. He was 
 within reach of the daily post, by which communi- 
 cations upon all more important matters were 
 forwarded to him, and within twelve miles of the 
 railway by which he could reach Sydney if any 
 urgent business should arise calling for his pres- 
 ence. There were duties also connected with the 
 district which he was enabled to attend to while 
 residing in it. He generally preached in some part 
 of the district once on the Sunday, and sometimes 
 twice. By personal inspection and examination he 
 satisfied himself of its wants and its resources, and 
 likewise of those of the adjoining district of the 
 Colo River, where the settlers were very insufficiently 
 provided with means of grace. One of the results 
 was that arrangements were made for the settlement 
 of a clergyman instead of a catechist in the district. 
 At the end of March, 1873, the Bishop and Mrs. 
 Barker returned to Bishopscourt. 
 
 On the 2 1 st April he was called upon to preside at 
 the annual meeting of the Church Society, and it was 
 gratifying to him to find that there had been an 
 encouraging increase of nearly 900/. in the funds 
 received, as well as much progress made in Church 
 work in the diocese during the preceding year. A 
 
284 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 good deal of vigour had been shown in building 
 parsonages for the clergy. Several churches were 
 also in course of erection, while others were pro- 
 jected. A more enlarged interest had also been 
 manifested in the Society's operations. Forty-five 
 parishes had responded to a resolution passed by 
 the Synod, recommending that on two Sundays in 
 the year the whole of the collections in the churches 
 should be devoted to the funds of the Church Society. 
 By the adoption of this plan, the offertories for the 
 Society had amounted to 764/. more than in the 
 preceding year. But while these were encouraging 
 facts, he felt strongly that there was need of new work 
 and of largely increased funds in order to provide 
 for a larger body of clergy. And while congratulating 
 the Society upon what it had accomplished, he 
 pointed out what he regarded as a great necessity : — 
 
 The pressure upon the clergy was so severe that some- 
 thing ought to be done to relieve them. That concerned 
 the laity as much as the clergy. It appeared to him that 
 the body of clergymen in Sydney were working at the top 
 of their speed with no opportunity for rest. The only 
 remedy for this state of things was to provide more 
 clerical assistance. He was sure they must all have been 
 shocked and horrified by the crime they had lately read of 
 amongst them — crime such as had brought down the 
 wrath of God upon a tribe in Israel. These things existed 
 — notoriously existed — and it was impossible the evil 
 could be met except by the personal application of the 
 remedy by the person who brought it to those who needed 
 it. They might as well expect that the diseases in Sydney 
 could be cured through the medical gentlemen meeting and 
 delivering lectures, as to expect that the moral diseases to 
 which he had referred could be cured through the clergy- 
 
CHURCH SOCIETY, BISHOPS SPEECH. 285 
 
 men delivering sermons on a Sunday. Just as the physical 
 disease can only be reached through the physician person- 
 ally visiting and examining his patient, so he felt sure the 
 moral contagion could only be reached by the personal 
 
 application of the Word of God to the souls of men 
 
 It was necessary that every clergyman who had a certain 
 amount of work, should have the assistance — a right 
 hand as it were — of a curate to help him with the work of 
 
 his parish If there was any movement to be made 
 
 in this direction he hoped it would be a general one, and 
 if so, it could be only through the agency of the Church 
 Society. That Society had been a church building society 
 and a parsonage building society, but it was necessary that 
 it should now become an additional curates' aid society. To 
 every clergyman requiring assistance he would give 100/. 
 a-year towards the stipend of a curate, on condition 
 that the parish made up the remainder of the sum 
 required. He hoped that this idea would be brought to 
 some practical issue. 
 
 These remarks were of no small importance, 
 tending as it were to the opening of a new vein in the 
 quarry of diocesan work. They evince not only an 
 earnest desire that the clergy might have the help 
 which they so much needed, and thus be preserved 
 from breaking down under the severity of the 
 strain put upon them, but a high regard also for the 
 souls entrusted to their care and also for the 
 community at large, that, by the pervading influ- 
 ence of the Gospel of Christ, its moral and religious 
 health might be promoted. It was his firm belief 
 that all other remedial measures for this purpose 
 would be ineffectual, that the Gospel only supplies 
 the motives and the power which are needed. He 
 held that if that were fully and intelligently received, 
 it created a new life, supplied a new and noble 
 
2 86 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 object for which to live, implanted the principles of 
 righteousness, unselfishness, and love, and made ' a 
 man true and upright towards his fellows, because 
 he was, first, true and upright with his God.' 
 
 The session of the Diocesan Synod which 
 followed two days after was one of considerable 
 importance, seeing that it had to deal with the 
 determinations of the General Synod, and adopt or 
 reject them, as it might deem expedient. The 
 president was aware that objections would not im- 
 probably be taken, not only to these but to the 
 General Synod itself, by some who did not yet 
 appreciate its purpose and mode of action. He 
 therefore sought to anticipate these objections in his 
 opening address in the following observations : — 
 
 If it should still be asked what advantage is likely to 
 arise from the formation of the General Synod, it may be 
 answered that by it the members of the Church of Eng- 
 land in these colonies are brought into closer union 
 amongst themselves, and preserved in union with the 
 Church at home, and, also, that means are provided by 
 which communion may be maintained with all Christian 
 bodies with whom, in our present circumstances, this is 
 practicable. The General Synod has laid the foundation 
 of a union wider, deeper, and more comprehensive than had 
 hitherto been attained or attempted 
 
 Further, should such a state of things arise as now exists 
 in Africa, I trust that when the General Synod has been 
 fully organized and recognised no difficulty would be found 
 in providing a remedy, and that the Church in Australia 
 would, like the Church in New Zealand, refuse to receive 
 (or to retain) one as a bishop to whom lawful objection 
 could be taken. No one who contemplates the extension 
 of the Church of England at the present time, through its 
 colonial and missionary episcopate, but must feel that it 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1873. 
 
 287 
 
 is at least highly desirable that means should be taken 
 to preserve, as far as possible, the identity of the 
 Church of England throughout the world. If we admit 
 that our Church has imperfections, we may be allowed also 
 to say that we know nothing more perfect, and that its im- 
 perfections are capable of being removed, and that we may, if 
 we choose, help to remove them. But if, instead of endea- 
 vouring to promote harmonious union and forming a part 
 of one great system, we prefer to revolve in an orbit of our 
 own, there is at least danger that in the fifty-two dioceses 
 of the colonial Church there may be found both bishops 
 and people so eccentric in their movements, as in time not 
 only to leave the Church of England, as existing in her 
 government, ritual, and articles, but the Church of Christ, 
 as consisting of those who acknowledge the Word of God 
 as the rule of faith, and worship the Trinity in unity. It 
 is against a contingency of this kind that an enforced, 
 though voluntary, union with the Church of England guards 
 us. History shows us that the danger has occurred, and 
 that orthodox bodies of Christians, without such controlling 
 influences, have fallen into false doctrine, heresy, and 
 schism. 
 
 After the Bishop had concluded his address, and 
 a few formal matters had been disposed of, the 
 Chancellor of the Diocese laid upon the table authen- 
 ticated copies of the constitution of the General 
 Synod, and of the three Determinations which it had 
 passed. He then gave notice of his intention to 
 move the adoption of each of these Determinations 
 separately. 
 
 The Constitution was agreed to with only four 
 dissentients. But the Determination upon the 
 confirmation and consecration of bishops met with 
 much opposition, until in the course of discussion it 
 came to be better understood, and objections were 
 
2 88 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 removed by a clearer insight into the provisions it 
 contained. Eventually the Constitution and Deter- 
 minations were all adopted by the Synod, and 
 assented to by the president, whose assent was 
 necessary to their becoming law. 
 
 In connexion with this session of the Diocesan 
 Synod there were some topics of more general 
 interest to which the Bishop adverted in his opening 
 address, and amongst them the use of the Atha- 
 nasian Creed in the public services of the Church. 
 The passage in which he explained his own mind to 
 the Synod is well worth quoting. It was as follows : — 
 
 At home the discussions upon the Athanasian Creed are 
 likely to be continued for some time longer, and are not 
 likely, I fear, to settle the question in what form the Creed 
 should be retained or what place it should occupy in our 
 formularies. It is necessary to salvation that men rightly 
 believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ both God 
 and man. It is necessary for our salvation that we should 
 believe in and receive the Holy Spirit — the Lord and 
 giver of life. But I do not think it necessary or desirable 
 that we should appear to pronounce every one lost who 
 does not believe the doctrine of the Trinity as set forth in 
 the Creed. It may be said that the Creed makes no other 
 statement than the Scripture itself. But it appears to say 
 much more. The definition it gives of the Trinity and of 
 the Resurrection I am thankful for, but I regret that 
 apparently it places the salvation of each individual upon 
 the reception not only of the truths but of the definition of 
 those truths. 1 He must thus think of the Trinity.' I have 
 no doubt that the Church of England has the right to omit 
 the clauses of warning if disposed to do so. Such a change 
 would not affect the doctrines of the Creed or the definition 
 of terms, but would remove a stumbling-block and afford 
 relief to many both of the clergy and laity; 
 
MORALITY ASSOCIATION. 
 
 289 
 
 Public attention was at a little later period 
 attracted, by statements which appeared in the daily- 
 press, to various demoralising influences which were 
 at work in the city and suburbs of Sydney. And 
 the disclosures which were made of authenticated 
 facts awakened in thoughtful minds no small anxiety 
 on behalf of the youthful population. The subject 
 was taken up by ministers of religion and others, of 
 different denominations, and, after several con- 
 sultations, it was agreed to form an association 
 whose aim should be to endeavour to create a 
 higher standard of morality in the community, and 
 to arrest, without having recourse to coercive 
 measures, the progress of existing evils. The object 
 was one of common interest and importance, and the 
 Bishop thought it right to unite himself with those 
 who were associating for this purpose. He attended 
 some of the preliminary meetings, and when the 
 Association was formed, he was chosen to be the 
 president. The Society was inaugurated by a 
 largely-attended public meeting, at which the rules 
 were adopted, and the committee and officers 
 appointed. 
 
 One of the means for promoting the object of 
 this 1 Morality Association ' was the delivery of public 
 lectures ; and at the request of the Committee, the 
 first was given by the Bishop, the subject being, 
 ' The Connexion between National Morality and 
 National Prosperity.' The lecture, which was full 
 of facts and sound reasoning, was published 
 at the instance of the Committee, and very 
 widely circulated. The Bishop was deeply 
 interested in the work of the Association, and 
 
 u 
 
29O EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 frequently attended its committees when not 
 prevented by more pressing duties. 
 
 While the Bishop was led by his catholic spirit 
 to unite with the members of other religious de- 
 nominations in such measures as appeared to him 
 calculated to promote the well-being of the com- 
 munity at large, the affairs of his own Church and 
 diocese ever held a paramount place in his thoughts, 
 and received his unremitting attention. And 
 although the clergy found him at all times ready 
 and willing to advise them individually in any 
 difficulties which they met with in their parochial 
 work, and to encourage them in it, he was anxious to 
 make the rural deaneries still further helpful to them 
 and to the more effectual working of the diocese. 
 With a view to this and for consultation upon 
 some matters of special interest at that time, the 
 rural deans were invited to meet him at Bishops- 
 court in the month of August. One of the subjects 
 for deliberation was the religious instruction, first, in 
 Church of England schools, and then, in those 
 designated public, as being wholly supported by the 
 State, and open to all to attend without regard to 
 religious distinctions. The Bishop was solicitous 
 that in both classes of schools the religious teaching 
 should be as careful and efficient as possible, and for 
 this purpose he now sought the help and advice of 
 the rural deans in connexion with their respective 
 deaneries. The result of the meeting was the 
 adoption of certain improved arrangements with a 
 view to harmonise the religious and secular teaching, 
 and to promote friendly relations between the clergy 
 and the teachers. 
 
MEETING OF RURAL DEANS. 29 1 
 
 In the public schools there were difficulties in 
 regard to imparting religious instruction which did 
 not exist in Church schools. By the Public Education 
 Act the clergy were allowed to impart religious in- 
 struction to the children of their own denomination 
 during the first hour of the school day, or at such other 
 hour as might be agreed upon with the head teacher. 
 But it was hardly possible for the clergy with their 
 various other duties to give more than one or, at most, 
 two lessons in the week to the children of their 
 own parishes, and these were of necessity given to 
 large classes, including scholars of different grades. 
 Another scheme of instruction was therefore pro- 
 vided for this class of schools, more limited in its 
 scope, but sufficient to furnish the scholars with a 
 knowledge of the principal facts of Bible history, and 
 of the great truths which were necessary to salvation. 
 And the Bishop, both in his Synod Addresses and 
 Charges to the clergy, constantly urged upon them 
 the important duty of making use of the privilege 
 which the law secured to them of giving such in- 
 struction in the public schools as far as their ability 
 permitted. It was a privilege not enjoyed in the 
 other Australian colonies. 
 
 The temperance question was also discussed at 
 the meeting of the rural deans, and the result then 
 arrived at was, that the Bishop was requested to 
 confer with those of the clergy who had already taken 
 a warm interest in this question, and to ascer- 
 tain what further measures they would recommend 
 in order to grapple with the gigantic evil of intemper- 
 ance, which was felt by all to be working most deadly 
 mischief in the land. In the month of November 
 
292 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 those with whom the Bishop conferred had agreed 
 upon the rules and constitution of a Church of 
 England Temperance Society, to be formed under 
 the presidency of the Bishop. They were printed 
 and circulated amongst the clergy of the diocese for 
 their information, and the Society was subsequently 
 formed. 
 
 The heavy work of the year and the heat of the 
 advancing summer, again led the Bishop to seek a 
 retreat for two or three months in the country, for 
 himself and Mrs. Barker. And this year he found 
 it at Moss Vale, upon the southern line of railway, 
 near to Sutton Forest, a district about two thousand 
 feet above sea level, well known for its salubrity and 
 comparative coolness. A few days were spent here 
 in December, but various duties, and an ordination 
 with its previous week of examination and prepara- 
 tion of the candidates, brought the Bishop back to 
 Sydney on the 14th. The ordination was held on 
 the 2 1 st of December. 
 
 On the day following the ordination, as he 
 was proceeding on horseback from Bishopscourt 
 to Sydney, he met with a serious accident. He had 
 entered the city, and was quietly walking his horse 
 along one of the streets, when suddenly and without 
 the slightest warning the animal stumbled and fell, 
 throwing the Bishop violently to the ground. He 
 was severely shaken and bruised, and his arm was 
 badly cut. The place where he fell was happily close 
 to the residence of a skilful surgeon, from whom he 
 at once received professional attention. After resting 
 awhile he returned to Bishopscourt in a carriage, and 
 was obliged to refrain for a short time from any 
 
SERIOUS ACCIDENT. 
 
 293 
 
 public duties. Nor was it until some weeks had 
 passed, and he had enjoyed perfect rest in the 
 country, that he regained his former health and 
 strength. For a fortnight he was confined to the 
 house, but on the 7th January, 1874, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Barker, he left Bishopscourt for Throsby Park, 
 where they arrived early in the afternoon. Three 
 weeks were spent in this quiet retreat, which, with the 
 fine fresh air of the district, was very helpful to his 
 recovery. At the end of the month they returned 
 to Sydney, and on Sunday, February the 1st, the 
 Bishop offered public thanks in the cathedral for 
 his preservation. 
 
 He had not, however, regained his usual strength 
 when, it having for some special reasons been arranged 
 to hold the annual session at this early period of the 
 year, the Synod met on the 3rd of February. In his 
 opening address he spoke thus : — 
 
 I shall be excused if, on the present occasion, my 
 observations are confined to the subjects which fall more 
 immediately within the province of the Synod. My 
 recovery from the effects of a recent accident has not been 
 so rapid or complete as to enable me to give much con- 
 sideration to matters of more general concern. 
 
 I desire, however, in the first place, to take this public 
 opportunity of expressing my gratitude to Almighty God 
 for the preservation graciously vouchsafed to me, and for 
 permission to continue for a time longer that work to which 
 
 in His providence He has called me I could not feel 
 
 myself so near to the eternal world or lie in constrained 
 inactivity without dwelling upon the past and the 
 future. 
 
 Twenty years of my life will soon be numbered since 
 the day on which I was invited to become the Bishop of 
 
294 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 this diocese, and upon a review of that period, I gratefully 
 acknowledge the help which has been granted to the 
 Church and to myself in the works which we have jointly 
 carried out. Notwithstanding the withdrawal of State aid, 
 the ministerial wants of the diocese have been met by the 
 maintenance of the clergy and the erection of churches. 
 The large diocese of which I had the oversight has been 
 twice divided, and my brethren, the Bishops of Goulburn 
 and Bathurst, are carrying on their work in a manner to 
 call forth the admiration and gratitude of the Church, while 
 some efforts have been made on behalf of the extreme 
 north of Australia. In my own diocese, from the northern 
 boundary to the south — i.e., from the Kurrajong to 
 Ulladulla — every district has now its own clergyman and 
 church and residence. The elder parishes in the counties 
 of Cumberland and Camden are maintained in some cases 
 not without difficulty, but nothing has been abandoned, 
 while the services of clergymen have been supplied to the 
 newly-formed districts occupied by free selectors. 
 
 But while he thus spoke with gratitude and 
 thanksgiving to God of what had been already 
 accomplished, he pointed out how much yet re- 
 mained to be done, partly to place the Church 
 upon a secure and permanent basis in regard to its 
 temporal affairs, and, still more, to provide, in pro- 
 portion to its needs, for its spiritual progress and 
 well-being. The Church Society was, no doubt, in 
 a comparatively flourishing condition, but if it were 
 to be enabled to keep pace with the ever-growing 
 wants of the diocese, it must be upheld and 
 strengthened by the regularly increasing contribu- 
 tions of the laity. A proposal had been made in the 
 Committee that clergymen in the city and suburbs 
 whose parishes required the assistance of a curate 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1874. 
 
 295 
 
 should be helped by the Society with an annual grant 
 not exceeding 100/. But such a proposal could 
 hardly be entertained without the assurance of a 
 much larger income. 
 
 An ordinance for the superannuation of clergy- 
 men had been passed by the Synod in 1873, but it 
 was at present inoperative, and would necessarily 
 remain so until a fund was provided by which effect 
 could be given to its provisions. The Bishop, 
 therefore, urged the creation of such a fund to meet 
 the necessities of the case. 
 
 He dwelt also upon a more liberal remuneration 
 of the clergy, without which he feared men of 
 superior abilities and culture and position in society 
 would not be attracted into the ministry. Not, 
 however, with a view to render the clerical profession 
 an object of desire in a worldly point of view did he 
 urge this, but to remove those obstacles which the 
 too scanty means of providing for future wants pre- 
 sented to a prudent young man or his friends. A 
 partial endowment of the poorer parishes in the 
 country he also thought desirable, and a more 
 widespread interest on the part of the members of 
 the Church at large in the extension and support of 
 religion and its ordinances. 
 
 But it was the spiritual progress and well-being 
 of the Church which he chiefly regarded. This he 
 looked upon as the great end to be sought through 
 its external organization. Upon this his heart was 
 set, as the great purpose for which he was put in the 
 position he occupied. 
 
 All these topics found a place in his address to the 
 Synod upon this occasion, and it was with deepened 
 
296 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 solemnity and anxiety that he urged upon both the 
 clergy and the laity the fulfilment of their several 
 responsibilities. 
 
 There was one other topic upon which the Bishop 
 dwelt, the notice of which could not be omitted in 
 these pages without injustice to one who had been 
 the Bishop's legal adviser during a period of seven- 
 teen years, and whose large, gratuitous, and invalu- 
 able services to the diocese, especially in connexion 
 with its synodical action, are worthy of the highest 
 commendation. It was the approaching departure 
 from the colony of Mr. Alexander Gordon, to be 
 attended with his resignation of the office of 
 Chancellor of the diocese. In announcing this 
 event the Bishop said that : — 
 
 To him more than to any single individual this diocese 
 is indebted for the satisfactory basis on which our Church 
 legislation is based. Of the many admirable qualities 
 which he showed in debate many of you have been 
 witnesses, but of the unwearying efforts, the careful diligence 
 in the preparation and perfecting of our ordinances, few 
 have had the same opportunity of judging as myself, and 
 of these it is not possible to speak too highly. The time, 
 the ability, the conscientious care so freely given to the 
 interests of the Church have justly entitled him to my 
 warm and lifelong gratitude, and not to mine only. Many 
 of the clergy in this and other dioceses have had occasion to 
 consult Mr. Gordon in circumstances of difficulty, and have 
 ever found in him a wise and friendly counsellor. The 
 removal of one so justly valued is to us all a great 
 loss. 
 
 The views thus expressed by the Bishop were 
 echoed by the Synod in a motion submitted by Canon 
 Allwood, and unanimously adopted, to appoint a 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1874. 
 
 297 
 
 committee to prepare an address from the Synod,' 
 expressing its deep sense of the valuable services 
 rendered by Mr. Gordon to the diocese. The 
 address, which was couched in very warm terms of 
 regard and esteem, and signed by the president and 
 the clerical and lay members of the Synod, was pre- 
 sented to Mr. Gordon before the close of the session. 
 It may be added that a further token of esteem and 
 affection was offered to him before his departure 
 from the colony from two bishops, and a considerable 
 number of the clergy and laity of the diocese. 
 
 The formation of the Church of England 
 Temperance Society, which had been postponed in 
 consequence of the accident which befel the Bishop 
 and his subsequent absence from Sydney, was carried 
 into effect towards the end of March at a public 
 meeting in St. James's Infant Schoolroom. The 
 Society was based upon the lines of that which bears 
 the same name in England, the objects proposed 
 being identical. 
 
 The Bishop, acting under medical advice, was 
 not a total abstainer, as he had been at an earlier 
 period of his life, but he was deeply interested in 
 the temperance work, and felt strongly that it was a 
 duty to form this Society. He told the clergy in the 
 speech which he delivered as chairman of the 
 meeting that ' unless they put themselves at the 
 head of this movement they would lose the means 
 of doing a work of very great importance to the 
 community, and especially to the working classes.' 
 Many of them had been, however, already engaged 
 in the work, and were prepared to take an active 
 part in the new society. 
 
298 EPISCOPATE OE BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Early in the month of May the Bishop entered 
 upon a course of Confirmations throughout the 
 diocese, which occupied considerable portions of the 
 months of May, July, August, and September, and 
 was not wholly concluded until November. He 
 prepared for the use of the young people a small 
 manual of hymns, prayers, and meditations, to assist 
 the candidates at the time of Confirmation in 
 cultivating such thoughts and desires as befitted 
 the solemn occasion, and to deepen and fix their 
 resolves and purposes to lead a godly life. The 
 hymns were specially adapted to be sung in the 
 service, and with the prayers and meditations formed 
 a memento of the solemn dedication service. 
 
 The religious condition of large numbers of the 
 population of Sydney was at this time the subject of 
 much anxiety both to the Bishop and the clergy ; 
 and the question, 1 what could be done for the 
 spiritual improvement of the masses,' had been 
 discussed in clerical meetings, and various sugges- 
 tions offered. The more immediate outcome of the 
 consideration of the subject, was a determination to 
 hold an eight days' mission, with the sanction and 
 approval of the Bishop, in a number of the Sydney 
 parishes. The special object proposed by the mission 
 was the conversion of those who were not reached by 
 the ordinary means of grace. The season of Advent 
 was fixed upon as a suitable time for holding it, and 
 the intervening six months were. to be devoted to 
 such preparations as were likely to ensure the 
 largest measure of success. To this mission the 
 Bishop gave his fullest sympathy. 
 
 While thus anxious about the spiritual condition 
 
NORTH QUEENSLAND BISHOPRIC. 299 
 
 of the masses in Sydney, he did not forget that 
 distant territory of northern Queensland for which he 
 had been desirous to obtain the oversight of a bishop. 
 He had been led to the conclusion that for the ac- 
 complishment of this object it would be expedient 
 to separate Rockhampton from the Diocese of 
 Brisbane, and to make it the base of the proposed 
 bishopric. The Bishop of Brisbane was about to 
 resign his see, and it seemed that the change might 
 be most conveniently made when his successor was 
 appointed. 
 
 With a view to ascertaining how far this arrange- 
 ment would be acceptable to the Church people at 
 Rockhampton, he requested the Rev. Canon R. L. 
 King, early in the month of June, to undertake a 
 visit of inquiry and conference with them. Upon his 
 arrival, Canon King put himself in communication 
 with the leading members of the Church, and a public 
 meeting was held to consider the question. The 
 meeting, which was an influential one, was held on the 
 1 7th of June. The clergyman of the parish presided, 
 and in advocating the formation of the northern 
 bishopric as now suggested, said that although he 
 had no authority from the Bishop of Brisbane to give 
 this information to the meeting, yet he was aware 
 from letters which the bishop had written to himself, 
 that he gave his unequivocal sanction to the move- 
 ment. Canon King further informed the meeting that 
 the Bishop of Brisbane had promised 1000/. towards 
 the endowment of the see, the S.P.G. another 1000/., 
 and the Society for Establishing Colonial Bishoprics 
 another 1000/. Sir Charles Nicholson had promised 
 land of the value of 500/. What was now wanted 
 
300 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 was a strong and united effort on the part of those 
 who would be benefited by the appointment to pro- 
 vide the necessary funds for the endowment of the 
 see. It was then resolved by the meeting, 'that 
 steps be taken to provide a suitable endowment for 
 the proposed bishopric of Rockhampton, and that 
 the central and northern districts be asked to join in 
 the effort.' A working committee was then ap- 
 pointed to carry out the object. 
 
 The solicitude which the Bishop felt for the 
 spiritual welfare of other dioceses than his own was 
 further shown in an unofficial visit which, early in 
 the month of July, and accompanied by Mrs. Barker, 
 he paid to the Diocese of Brisbane. The bishop of 
 the diocese had left for England with the intention of 
 resigning his see, and the Metropolitan was led to 
 believe that a friendly visit from himself might be 
 useful to the Church, and encouraging to both clergy 
 and laity. He was warmly received by them on his 
 arrival, and after various ministrations in the city and 
 suburbs during a period of ten days, a public meeting 
 of members of the Church of England was held pre- 
 vious to his departure for the purpose of presenting 
 him with an address in testimony of their high ap- 
 preciation of his worth and labours. His Excellency 
 Sir George Bowen presided, and amongst other lead- 
 ing Churchmen on the platform were the Chief 
 Justice, the President of the Legislative Council, and 
 the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. 
 
 In responding to this address, after expressing 
 his gratification at the kindness and hospitality 
 which had been extended to him during his visit, 
 the Bishop spoke upon several matters relating to 
 
VISIT TO BRISBANE. 30 1 
 
 the condition and progress of the Church in that 
 colony. And with a view to encourage their efforts 
 for the advancement of their Church, he drew atten- 
 tion to the following facts, as showing what had 
 been effected already in Australia : — 
 
 Until the year 1836 there had not been a single 
 bishop of the Church of England in the southern hemi- 
 sphere, now there were ten in Australia and Tasmania, five 
 in New Zealand, and one in Melanesia. In 1836 there 
 were only twenty clergymen of the Church of England in 
 the southern hemisphere, now there were between five and 
 six hundred persons bearing a spiritual character, most 
 of whom were clergymen of that Church. 
 
 Touching also upon the progress which had been made 
 by the Church in New South Wales, he then added : — I 
 can see no reason why there should not be similar progress 
 in Queensland, when you have ample resources and a large 
 body of intelligent and attached members of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 He reminded them of their privileges in belonging to 
 that Church, and, drawing attention to her true character, 
 urged them never lightly to sever their connexion with her. 
 ' She is scriptural,' he said, ' in her form of government, 
 and in her doctrines and liturgy. She is a true branch of 
 the Church Catholic, and a Church reformed from error 
 and superstition. And being reformed she is Protestant. 
 And this is not a mere negative term, as some think. It 
 belongs to the Queen herself as sovereign of the kingdom, 
 pledged solemnly at her coronation to uphold to the 
 utmost of her power the Protestant religion of the realm.' 
 
 He returned to Sydney with Mrs. Barker on the 
 25th of July, after an absence of twenty-five days. 
 
 The public mind was at this time much agitated 
 upon the question of primary education. It was 
 
302 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 asserted by some that there were many thousands of 
 children growing up in the colony without any 
 means of education, and that this was owing to a 
 mistaken educational policy on the part of the 
 Government, and defective arrangements which de- 
 manded immediate correction. In order to bring 
 about the necessary reform, a league had been 
 formed at a public meeting in Sydney, whose funda- 
 mental principle was that education should be 
 ' national, compulsory, secular, and free.' It is hardly 
 necessary to say that the adoption of such a principle 
 by the Legislature involved the withdrawal of all 
 State aid from those schools in which Christian 
 instruction was imparted. Schools of this character 
 had hitherto been largely aided from the State funds, 
 and for nearly fifty years Church of England, 
 Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan schools 
 had been thus supported. 
 
 To this new policy which the league was endea- 
 vouring to force upon the Government and the 
 Legislature, the Bishop was utterly opposed. He 
 believed that it would be most prejudicial to the 
 colony, by abolishing that moral and religious in- 
 struction which was daily given by teachers and the 
 clergy in Church of England and other schools, 
 and which was largely helpful in training the young 
 in principles of virtue and godly living. Very 
 strong feelings were also aroused in those of the 
 clergy and laity who knew by experience the value 
 of such schools, and several large and influential 
 public meetings of Churchmen were held in Sydney 
 in their defence, as well as to expose the mistakes of 
 the * compulsory, secular, and free ' party. The 
 
AGITATION AS TO PRIMARY EDUCATION. 303 
 
 Bishop's speeches upon these occasions were very 
 able and argumentative, and displayed much careful 
 study of the whole subject. They were marked, too, 
 with great candour, good temper, and an earnest 
 desire to help in solving the difficulties which sur- 
 rounded the question, in a colony where a great 
 part of the population was so widely and sparsedly 
 scattered. At the first great meeting which was 
 held, he said that : — 
 
 He was unwilling to regard those who objected to the 
 present system as destructives, or in any other light than as 
 intending honestly to carry out the views they enunciated. 
 We, as they, are actuated by similar motives, honestly 
 desiring, but by different methods, to extend the advantages 
 of a sound secular education to every child in the colony. 
 But he claimed to have given his earnest attention to the 
 subject during the last forty years. Very early in his life 
 he was requested to become the secretary of the largest 
 educational institution of the kind out of London, the 
 Church of England School Society of Liverpool. His posi- 
 tion, as secretary, brought him into intimate relation with 
 some of the leading educationalists of England. Wilder- 
 spin, at that time a great worker in the cause, David 
 Stowe, of Glasgow, J. S. Reynolds, the founder of the 
 Home and Colonial Infant School system, and many others. 
 He was also engaged in the establishment of the Liverpool 
 Collegiate Institution, which had since educated many 
 thousands of pupils. These facts showed that he might 
 claim to have a sincere interest in the cause of primary 
 education, quite apart from the office which he now held 
 as Bishop of Sydney. 
 
 It would be impossible to convey to the reader 
 anything like an adequate idea of the speech which 
 followed this introduction without giving very large 
 
304 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 quotations from it. Suffice it to say that it was 
 regarded by those who heard it as a masterly refu- 
 tation of the arguments which had been advanced 
 on the other side, and a vigorous defence of the 
 position occupied by the schools in which he was 
 specially interested. And to show that he was really 
 anxious to meet those who were engaged in the 
 controversy in a fair and honourable spirit, he 
 concluded with the following suggestion : — 
 
 Would it not be better, if it were possible, that all who 
 are advocates for the extension and improvement of 
 education should be ready to meet in what might be 
 termed an educational conference, and that upon the basis 
 of the present Public Schools' Act we should confer to- 
 gether and ask in what respects it is capable of improve- 
 ment ? How can it be extended and enlarged, so that it 
 shall cover the whole area ? In what way can we help 
 forward the action of the Council of Education ? What 
 suggestions can we make in reference to the Municipalities' 
 Act, for instance ? How, in short, can we help forward 
 the cause of primary education ? I think it would be a 
 more Christian way of carrying out our views than by 
 endeavouring to excite public feeling in reference to the 
 elections. I shall be quite willing to meet a conference 
 upon the subject in the way I have suggested. 
 
 No notice, however, was taken of this proposal. 
 It did not suit the views of some of those who were 
 most prominent in the agitation for a system of 
 education ' compulsory, secular, and free.' They 
 had taken up a position, and they expected to win 
 the day by perpetual agitation rather than by a calm 
 review of facts and friendly discussion upon them. 
 Nor is it uncharitable to say that they knew well 
 that their assertions would have more weight in 
 
PUBLIC MEETINGS — DEFENCE ASSOCIATION. 305- 
 
 crowded meetings of the populace than in a 
 deliberative council, when they would be critically 
 examined. 
 
 The Bishop was anxious for a fair and candid 
 discussion of the subject in its different bearings, 
 and was disappointed that his suggestion met with 
 no response. He therefore took another opportunity, 
 w r hich was afforded by the annual meeting of the 
 Educational and Book Society on the 14th of Sep- 
 tember, of addressing a large and influential body 
 of Churchmen upon some points which had been 
 raised in the discussion. He pointed out, first, how 
 some statements of his own, made at a former 
 meeting, had been misunderstood by the press ; how 
 true it was that hostility to the Church of Rome and 
 the support of her schools by the State largely 
 influenced the movement which had been set on 
 foot (it was said that 1 the Protestant Denominational 
 schools served to keep those of the Roman Catholics 
 in countenance'), and how unfair it was that the 
 schools of the Church of England should suffer for 
 any defects or wrong-doing in those of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 As regarded the provision of one class of schools 
 only, and compulsory attendance at them, he said : — 
 
 I look upon it as moral and spiritual tyranny of the 
 worst kind when you say to the working man, — ' Because 
 you cannot pay for the education of your children, they 
 shall receive a secular education for which you pay 
 nothing ; but you shall not have the power of having your 
 children religiously instructed.' — That, he asserted, was 
 Mr. W. E. Forster's grand standpoint in the British Parlia- 
 ment. There were two things that he maintained : one, 
 
 X 
 
306 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 that he would never exclude the Bible from the schools ; 
 the other, that he would never deprive the poor man of 
 the right to send his child where the Bible could be 
 taught. 
 
 As it will be necessary to revert to this subject 
 again, it is sufficient to state here that a Church of 
 England Education Defence Association was formed 
 to counteract the efforts of the League, and to 
 maintain the existing law with regard to public 
 
 :ation, and that this Association had the Bishop's 
 full countenance and encouragement. 
 
 In the month of October the preparations to be 
 made for the approaching eight days' mission in the 
 season of Advent engaged his special attention, and 
 led him to address a letter to the clergy who pro- 
 posed to hold mission services in their parishes, for 
 their guidance and encouragement. From this 
 letter we learn his matured views upon the kind of 
 preparation which was required for the success of 
 such a work. And though there is nothing in them 
 differing from what may now be found elsewhere, it 
 should be remembered that the work was one in 
 which his clergy had not had much experience, and 
 that while such instructions would be of great value 
 for their own guidance, they would also be an 
 authority to which they could appeal to justify their 
 course of action. The following quotation from the 
 letter contains those instructions : — 
 
 The success of such a work depends in a great measure 
 upon the preparation which has been previously made. 
 The time is short, and much should now be done. 
 
 I. Special prayer meetings in different parts of your 
 parishes should be held. A friend of my own in England 
 
EIGHT DAYS' MISSION. 
 
 had forty prayer meeting's, consisting- of a few who met in 
 drawing-rooms and in cottages, to seek a blessing upon the 
 mission. 
 
 2. A pastoral address should be sent to every house in 
 the parish. 
 
 3. Invitations to a weekly service or to a prayer meet- 
 ing in some central place, and addresses explanatory of 
 the object of the mission, should be distributed by district 
 visitors and others specially employed for this purpose. 
 
 4. The Sunday-school teachers should be invited to 
 pray for the young. 
 
 5. At the weekly services, and at the cottage and 
 prayer meetings, the mission hymns, which are now 
 printed, should be sung. 
 
 6. The co-operation of devout and zealous persons in 
 all classes should be sought, so that in manufactories, in 
 police stations, and to cabmen, this mission effort may be 
 made known. 
 
 7. Let it be the one great thought in our minds, the 
 one great subject of our prayers, that God, even our own 
 God, may make the mission week a season of spiritual 
 blessing and a means of salvation to many souls. 
 
 The mission was commenced on Sunday, De- 
 cember the 6th. The previous Friday was observed 
 as a day of fasting and prayer in all the parishes 
 which united in the mission ; and in the evening 
 meetings were held in the churches or schoolhouses 
 for special prayer for the Divine blessing. On 
 Saturday morning there was a special service and 
 celebration of the Lord's Supper in the cathedral, 
 at which the Bishop preached upon the mission, 
 and on Monday the 14th, after the mission was 
 over, a meeting was held in a large hall in the city 
 for praise and thanksgiving. Over this meeting the 
 Bishop presided, and gave a short address, expres- 
 
3 o8 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 sive of his own deep thankfulness for the work 
 which had been carried on, and the apparent good 
 which had been effected. But he said : — 
 
 It was no part of that evening's proceedings to dwell 
 upon the particulars of the mission in the different parishes. 
 The work was of too sacred a character, and also too 
 recent, to be brought forward in such a manner as would 
 satisfy the desire for information at a public meeting. 
 The effects of the mission, he trusted, would yet appear. 
 
 There is always at such times much of blossom 
 which does not develop into actual fruit, and much 
 early fruit which withers and falls to the ground 
 under the blighting influences of the world and the 
 subtle arts of Satan. And this mission was no 
 exception to the ordinary rule. The prophetic 
 parable of the sower was again realised. But there 
 was also good fruit which withstood those evil 
 influences and came to maturity. Souls were 
 quickened from death in sin to spiritual life, and 
 souls in which that spiritual life already existed 
 were strengthened and elevated to a higher standard 
 of Christian living and more active work for the 
 Lord. 
 
 An ordination at the cathedral on St. Thomas's 
 Day of four deacons and four presbyters followed 
 the mission, some of the candidates being from the 
 Diocese of Melbourne and one from that of Goulburn. 
 
 A review of the year 1874 showed that it had 
 been one of considerable progress in church building. 
 The towers of the cathedral had been completed. 
 The Church of St. Stephen, Newtown, had been 
 opened in April, one half of the sittings being 
 
REVIEW OF YEAR 1874. 
 
 309 
 
 free and unappropriated. In the country three 
 churches of brick or stone had also been finished 
 and opened for the worship of God. Four others — 
 one of them of great beauty in its design — had been 
 commenced, and were in course of erection. One 
 church had been enlarged ; and spires had been 
 added to two other churches. 
 
 And while the material fabric had thus been 
 increased, there was reason to hope that the spiritual 
 building had been growing also. The number of 
 persons confirmed had nearly reached two thousand, 
 although there had been a general confirmation in 
 the previous year. And it was an interesting fact — 
 which was brought to light during the mission — that 
 many of the young persons who then came forward 
 to avow their determination to serve Christ had 
 received their first serious impressions at the time of 
 their confirmation. More interest also appeared to 
 be taken in the Church Society's operations. Some- 
 thing more, too, had been done for the advancement 
 of temperance, and in a general endeavour to 
 excite the various Church-workers in Sydney to 
 increased zeal and devotedness in their respective 
 departments. A large meeting, which filled the 
 Masonic Hall in the month of October to hear 
 addresses from the Bishop and others, was in this 
 respect most encouraging. 
 
3io 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 1875, 1876. 
 
 Summer Retreat at Bowenfels — Visitation — Session of Diocesan 
 Synod, 1875, Presentation Ordinance, Important Controversy — 
 Session of Provincial Synod, 1875 — Designation of Church in the 
 Colony, Uniformity Act Amendment Act — Confirmation and 
 Election of Bishops — Appointment of Bishop of Brisbane — Lay 
 Readers' Association — Important Question of Church Discipline — 
 Illness and Death of Mrs. Barker — General Sympathy with the 
 Bishop — Meeting and Resolutions of Clergy — Bishop's Sermon 
 in Cathedral. 
 
 The earlier part of the year 1875 was spent by the 
 Bishop and Mrs. Barker in the country at Bowenfels, 
 a Government township on the western line of rail- 
 way. It was ninety-seven miles from Sydney, and 
 nearly three thousand feet above the sea level. Its 
 elevation, the salubrity of the climate, and its distance 
 inland from the sea-coast, rendered it most suitable 
 as a retreat at that season of the year for those who 
 felt the enervating effects of the moist and oppressive 
 heat of Sydney. While, however, enjoying com- 
 parative rest, the Bishop found within the district 
 and around work of an episcopal character — con- 
 firmations, preaching, and arrangements with regard 
 to parochial districts, &c. He usually preached 
 twice on a Sunday, sometimes taking the whole 
 service. And in the week he made visits in various 
 
VI SIT A TION. 
 
 directions, encouraging and strengthening the hands 
 of those who in their respective spheres were engaged 
 in carrying on some work for God. After seven 
 weeks thus spent he returned to Bishopscourt, as 
 important matters required his presence in Sydney. 
 When he had given , his attention to these, the re- 
 maining portion of the month of March was spent in 
 paying a visit to the Bishop and Mrs. Thomas at 
 Goulburn, and other friends in the south. 
 
 The time fixed for holding the annual session of the 
 Diocesan Synod (20th April) was now approaching, 
 and with it the Visitation of the clergy, by which it 
 was to be preceded. The Bishop had special reasons 
 for this arrangement once in three years, which he 
 explained in his Charge. By the constitution of the 
 Synod, only those of the clergy were summoned to it 
 who were licensed to separate cures of souls, those who 
 held these cures being regarded as the proper clerical 
 representatives of their parishes. There were, how- 
 ever, many other clergymen in the diocese holding 
 the Bishop's general license, and some curates 
 assistant to the parochial incumbents by whom the 
 counsels of the Bishop would be appreciated, and to 
 whom they would be valuable, whom he could not 
 officially address in a synod where they were not 
 present. There were also topics which he felt were 
 more especially suitable in an address ad Clerum, and 
 not so suitable for the mixed assembly of clergy and 
 laity in the Synod. And a further reason was that 
 he was unwilling that any to whom he stood in the 
 relation of bishop should be excluded from uniting 
 with himself and their clerical brethren in the 
 worship which they offered upon such an occasion, 
 
312 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and from sharing in the help and sympathy which it 
 ought to supply. For these reasons he adhered to 
 the old custom of a Visitation and a Charge, believing 
 it to be advantageous to the clergy and tending to 
 edification. 
 
 On such occasions it was always his aim to en- 
 courage the clergy to cherish a high standard of 
 ministerial efficiency, both as pastors and preachers. 
 And such was the tendency of the advice given at 
 this, his fourth Visitation. One or two remarks with 
 regard to pastoral duties are capable of a wider than 
 their original application, and are here quoted : — 
 
 Pastoral visitation, like all other duties, is more easily 
 discharged the more frequently and regularly it is performed. 
 Constitutional timidity, nervousness, the feeling of unfitness, 
 may be overcome by prayerful effort where there is a con- 
 scientious conviction of the importance of this duty and a 
 desire to discharge it. It is to be feared that what is dis- 
 inclination in the first instance may in time become inability, 
 and that he who from any cause has ordinarily neglected 
 this duty may be wholly unable, in seasons of sickness or 
 sorrow, to offer any real consolation, or to guide the anxious 
 inquirer into the way of peace. 
 
 And to encourage his clergy to aim at excellence 
 m preaching, he told them that the prayerful study 
 of the Word, with such pains as one takes to acquire 
 an exact knowledge of a subject, and steady per- 
 severance in aiming at the best manner of delivery, 
 will result in an effective ministry, to which he 
 added the following glowing description of what the 
 aim of the preacher should ever be : — 
 
 In the selection and treatment of your subject, in the 
 earnest, fervid delivery of your discourse, in its loving, 
 
VI SIT A TION. 
 
 3 T 3 
 
 kindly spirit, its fidelity without harshness, its simplicity 
 without undue familiarity, its searching application, its dis- 
 criminating distinction of character, its solemnity without 
 gloom, its bright anticipations of the heavenly home, its 
 encouragements to the weary, its warnings to the im- 
 penitent, its guidance to the perplexed, its unfolding of the 
 meaning of the Word, above all, its clear, unfaltering display 
 of the love of GOD in the gift of His beloved Son, — it should 
 be manifest that your ministry is fraught with consequences 
 of eternal moment to your hearers, and that nothing but the 
 salvation of their souls can satisfy your anxious desires on 
 their behalf. 
 
 It was a time when the Bishop would be expected 
 to speak plainly upon the question of education, and 
 the claims which the Church schools had for con- 
 tinued support, and this subject was accordingly dis- 
 cussed at length. He felt that neither the character 
 of these schools, nor their real value to the com- 
 munity in the training up of good citizens, were 
 sufficiently understood, while there was a studious 
 effort on the part of those who aimed at their de- 
 struction to disparage them, contrary to facts which 
 were substantiated from the records of the Educa- 
 tional Department. He thus met some of their 
 charges : — 
 
 Many of our opponents have no experience of a daily 
 school in connexion with their congregations, and cannot 
 sympathise with us as parochial clergymen. They term 
 our schools sectarian, and accuse us of preserving and 
 intensifying religious differences. We answer to this, in the 
 first place, that the members of the Church of England 
 have a right to expect that their children shall be brought 
 up in the faith of their fathers, provided that in doing this 
 there is no interference with the rights of others. We 
 
3 H EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 decline to bring up our children in a religion which deals 
 only in generalities ; a form of religion which professes to 
 embrace only those points in which all are agreed ends in no 
 religion at all. If religious instruction is to be of any value, 
 it must be definite in its character ; and while we do not 
 teach the Church Catechism to children of other denomina- 
 tions who may attend our schools, or require that the 
 Scriptures shall be read by those whose parents object, we 
 consider that it is of importance that the Catechism, the 
 Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, with ex- 
 planations of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's 
 Supper, shall be committed to memory by the young of our 
 own communion. 
 
 As regards the accusation that by thus requiring dis- 
 tinctive teaching in our schools we encourage sectarianism 
 and party spirit, we may appeal to the fact that of the en- 
 lightened liberal and philanthropic members of the com- 
 munity, the Church of England contributes at least as large 
 a proportion as any other denomination. The character of 
 an intelligent attached member of the Church of England is 
 in no way incompatible with that of a good citizen. 
 
 The internal condition of the Church is thus 
 spoken of by the Bishop with much thankfulness : — 
 
 It has been named as one of the advantages of the 
 position of Australia upon the globe, that it is exempted 
 from the dangers and calamities of war to which Europe is 
 exposed. At present we, as a Church, enjoy a similar 
 exemption. There is no lack of variety of opinion, of 
 independence of character, and of freedom of speech ; but, 
 by the good providence of God, we have been preserved 
 from the great misfortune of an internecine war. I trust 
 that this peaceful condition may long be our privilege. 
 
 The Synod assembled at the time appointed. 
 The President's address was confined to an ex- 
 planation of the matters which would be brought 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1875. 
 
 315 
 
 before it by the Standing Committee. The principal 
 of these was a measure with reference to the mode 
 of appointing clergymen to the incumbency of 
 parishes. The ordinance which was then in 
 existence had not proved satisfactory, and it was 
 proposed to amend it. It was based upon the 
 principle that there are three parties interested in 
 the appointment of a clergyman to a parish — viz., 
 the parish, the Church generally, and the diocesan. 
 The arrangement was that a parish duly qualified 
 by providing a stipend of 300/. per annum and a 
 residence for the clergyman, might at the time of 
 electing representatives to the Synod determine 
 whether, in the event of a vacancy in the incumbency 
 during the existence of that Synod, the appointment 
 should rest entirely in the hands of the Bishop, or in 
 a Board of Nominators appointed by the Synod, or 
 in a parochial Board of Nominators elected by the 
 parish. It was now proposed by an amending 
 ordinance to abolish the Synod Board of Nominators, 
 and to form another, elected partly by the parish and 
 partly by the Synod, with one member appointed by 
 the Bishop. The object of this last provision was to 
 supply the Board with information which it could not 
 otherwise possess, and which might be necessary to 
 enable it to arrive at a right decision. 
 
 The Bishop gave it as his opinion that some 
 change was 'absolutely required,' and this was 
 probably the general opinion of the Synod. When, 
 however, the matter came to be discussed in com- 
 mittee it was evident that very divergent opinions 
 prevailed, and that the mind of the Synod was not 
 at all clear about the provisions of the amending 
 
316 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 ordinance. And the ordinance was, in consequence, 
 so seriously altered in its principles by amendments 
 that the Chancellor, with the full approval of the 
 Standing Committe, asked and obtained permission 
 to withdraw it altogether. This seemed rather dis- 
 couraging after so much time had been devoted to the 
 consideration of the subject, but the Bishop, in his 
 closing address to the Synod, stated that he was of 
 opinion that much progress had been made towards 
 the formation of a sound public opinion upon it, 
 and that the withdrawal of the ordinance would give 
 time for further consideration, and for legislating at 
 the next session in fuller harmony with the principle 
 of the measure. 
 
 It may be here mentioned that in the following 
 year another ordinance was introduced and passed 
 by the Synod, by which the appointment of clergy- 
 men to vacant cures was afterwards regulated 
 during the episcopate of Bishop Barker. Its 
 main provision is the constitution of a Board of 
 Nominators, two of them (one clerical and one lay) 
 elected by and representing the Synod, and three 
 elected by and representing the parish. These 
 five form the Board of Presentation, by whom, when 
 a parish falls vacant, a clergyman is chosen and pre- 
 sented to the bishop for his appointment. It first 
 rests with the bishop to inform the Board of the 
 vacancy, and to put it in motion as to the selection of 
 a clergyman. The time for the fulfilment of this duty 
 is limited, and the bishop has the power to decline 
 to appoint if, in his judgment, there are sufficient 
 reasons for his so doing. In that case, he informs 
 the Board, and calls upon it to make a fresh 
 
IMPORTANT CONTRO VERS Y. 3 I 7 
 
 presentation, or successive presentations, until he is 
 satisfied. This arrangement, however, applies only 
 to parishes in which there is a secured income of not 
 less than 300/. per annum with a residence for the 
 clergyman. All parishes in which the income is less 
 than 300/. or without a residence, remain in the 
 appointment of the bishop without the intervention 
 of the Board. 
 
 In connexion with this session of the Synod, it 
 may be noticed, but without entering into the matter 
 in detail, that certain questions addressed by a 
 member of the Synod to the President, and the 
 answers returned to them by him, gave rise to a con- 
 troversy which did not find its complete settlement 
 until the session of the General Synod in 1881. 
 These questions and answers had reference to the 
 action taken by the Church Assembly of the Diocese 
 of Melbourne, which had for its object the constitu- 
 tion of a Province of Victoria and the appointment 
 of its metropolitan. And the discussion to which 
 they gave rise related to the position in which the 
 Diocese of Sydney stood towards the other dioceses 
 of Australia and Tasmania, and the Bishop of 
 Sydney to the other bishops as Metropolitan of 
 Australia under his Letters Patent, and as Primate 
 by virtue of the Determination of the General Synod. 
 The controversy was initiated by the Bishop of 
 Adelaide, and the Bishop of Sydney was necessarily 
 involved in it. The official representatives of the 
 Diocese of Melbourne during the vacancy of that 
 see, and several Churchmen in the other dioceses 
 interested, also took part in the discussion. The 
 points raised embraced matters of no little lega 
 
3 1 8 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 difficulty, and were treated on all sides with much 
 learning and ability. It would, however, be im- 
 possible to do justice to the arguments employed, 
 without devoting to the subject a much larger space 
 than can be properly given to it. It may, moreover, 
 be stated that all permanent interest in the dis- 
 cussion was removed by the subsequent action of the 
 General Synod, which will hereafter be noticed in its 
 proper place. It may also be mentioned that the 
 Church Assembly of the Diocese of Melbourne in 
 October, 1875, suspended the operation of the Act 
 which had given rise to the discussion, and by so 
 doing assisted very greatly to allay the feelings of 
 opposition which had been excited. 
 
 An important event in this year's episcopate was 
 the meeting of the third Provincial Synod of the New 
 South Wales dioceses. To this Synod, as has been 
 previously pointed out, various matters were from 
 time to time referred by one or more of the dioceses 
 for consideration. And in this session one which 
 had been so referred was the proper designation of 
 the Church in the colony. By the constitutions 
 under which synodical action had been instituted, 
 it was designated, ' The United Church of England 
 and Ireland in the Colony of New South Wales.' 
 It was as members of that Church that the members 
 of the Synod were summoned and took part in the 
 deliberations. But there were many who thought 
 that title inapplicable since the disestablishment of 
 the Irish Church. A resolution was accordingly 
 submitted to the Synod, and received ample dis- 
 cussion, that the future designation ought to be 
 ' The Church of England within the Colony of New 
 
PROVINCIAL SYNOD, 1875. 
 
 319 
 
 South Wales.' An amendment was proposed to 
 omit the reference to New South Wales ; but no 
 decision was come to on the question, through there 
 not being present a sufficient number of diocesan 
 representatives to form a quorum of dioceses. 
 
 Another matter which had been referred by some 
 of the dioceses was the adoption of the Imperial 
 Act of Uniformity Amendment Act of 1872 ; but in 
 consequence of the following expression of opinion by 
 the Bishop of Sydney, as President, it was with- 
 drawn. He said : — 
 
 The Act of Uniformity Amendment Act is part of the 
 law of the Church of England. As part of the law of the 
 Church of England I consider that any clergyman may use 
 the shortened service, and any bishop may sanction the use of 
 the special or additional services, and that the Provincial 
 Synod cannot give additional authority to the introduction 
 of the Act, and certainly could not prevent any clergyman 
 from using, or any bishop from sanctioning, the services 
 authorised by the Act. 
 
 This year was marked by two circumstances 
 which deserve notice as bearing upon the appoint- 
 ment of bishops. The first was the requirement by 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury that the appointment 
 of the Bishop of Ballaarat in the Colony of Victoria 
 should receive confirmation from the bishops of 
 Australia and Tasmania before consent was given 
 for his consecration. It was intended by the Mel- 
 bourne Church Assembly that the proceedings should 
 be in conformity with the Determination of the 
 General Synod, but as the case did not come within 
 the provisions of that Determination this could not be 
 done. The requirement of the Archbishop had, 
 
320 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 however, the same effect, and the consecration did 
 not take place until the required confirmation had 
 been received. 
 
 The other event was the election of a bishop to 
 the vacant See of Brisbane by the bishops of Aus- 
 tralia and Tasmania, in accordance with the request 
 of the Synod of that diocese, under the authority of 
 their canon for the election of a bishop. In this case 
 also, although the Determination of the General 
 Synod did not apply, the principle of that De- 
 termination was carried out, since not merely the 
 confirmation but the appointment of the bishop was 
 the act of the episcopal body. In making the 
 announcement of these matters to the Provincial 
 Synod the Metropolitan said : — 
 
 I regard the Determination of the General Synod which 
 requires the confirmation of an appointment by the bishops 
 of the province as very important and valuable, as securing 
 the Church from the intrusion of unsuitable persons into 
 the episcopate. 
 
 The bishop who was thus appointed to the 
 Diocese of Brisbane was Dr. M. B. Hale, the Bishop 
 of Perth, Western Australia. It was necessary that, 
 before his installation into the possession of the See 
 of Brisbane, he should resign that of Perth, and this 
 he did upon his arrival in Sydney on his way to 
 Queensland. While in Sydney, a formal document 
 was prepared and signed by him, and duly attested, 
 recognising the Bishop of Sydney as his Metro- 
 politan, and resigning into his hands the see which 
 he had left. It is interesting to add that he met 
 with a hearty reception in Sydney from the Bishop, 
 
LAY READER^ ASSOCIATION. 32 I . 
 
 clergy, and laity, at a public breakfast. His installa- 
 tion took place at Brisbane on the 1 7th of December, 
 1875, in St. John's Church, under the authority of a 
 mandate from the Metropolitan. 
 
 In the last month of this year an Association of 
 Lay Readers was inaugurated by the Bishop, which 
 has since been found of great practical utility and 
 advantage. Its design was to afford help to the 
 clergy by conducting services in the country and in 
 small suburban churches or schoolrooms where the 
 clergyman could only give a service once a-month, or 
 at most once a-fortnight. By the aid of laymen the 
 services in such places were given every Sunday. 
 The lay reader was a voluntary and unpaid assistant, 
 but previous to his receiving a license from the bishop 
 he was required to be recommended by two clergymen 
 of the diocese to whom he was personally known, and 
 to pass a simple examination as to his knowledge of 
 Holy Scripture and the Book of Common Prayer. 
 Although the number of lay readers has been but 
 limited, they have annually supplied the districts in 
 which they have officiated with several hundreds of 
 services, . and thus greatly helped the work of the 
 Church. 
 
 In the administration of a colonial episcopate 
 questions sometimes arise which are viewed in very 
 different lights, owing to the altered circumstances 
 of the Church and doubts which may be entertained 
 how far the law of the Church at home applies in the 
 colony. Thus the question whether the clergy of 
 the Church of England were at liberty to preach 
 and minister in places of worship belonging to other 
 denominations had been agitated for some time in 
 
 Y 
 
322 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the public press, and appeals had been made to 
 the Bishop to decide the question for the guidance 
 of his clergy. He therefore felt called upon to speak 
 officially, and in a circular which he addressed to 
 his clergy he gave his reasons why he was unable 
 to approve of such action as was advocated. While 
 he was quite willing to give credit to those whose 
 conscientious convictions actuated them to desire 
 freer communication with members of other deno- 
 minations, he entirely disapproved of the attempt to 
 obtain such freedom by an individual clergyman 
 acting upon his own judgment, and against the 
 known sentiments of his bishop. He said, — 
 
 The rule of the diocese was, that a clergyman should 
 not preach or hold Divine service in a place of worship 
 belonging to another denomination. It was, however, 
 contended against the rule that two eminent counsel had 
 given their opinion that the law which in England pro- 
 hibited a clergyman from preaching in a Dissenting chapel 
 does not extend to the colonies. He did not consider that 
 that opinion decided the question as it arose in this diocese, 
 in support of which he referred to Lord Romilly's statement 
 that ' the Church of England in a colony consists of persons 
 who are bound by the doctrines, ordinances, rules, and 
 discipline of the Church of England/ that is, so far as they 
 are applicable to the colony. And if the law in question 
 was not binding, it was a rule applicable to the discipline 
 and government of the Church. To such a rule he con- 
 sidered a clergyman was bound by his oath of canonical 
 obedience to submit. 
 
 I would, however, appeal to the clergy, who desire this 
 intercommunion with their Nonconformist brethren, on 
 other grounds, and urge upon them this consideration, 
 that while they are seeking increased union in one direction 
 they are violating it in another. By many of their brethren 
 
QUESTION OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 323, 
 
 and by many of the laity the attempt to break down this 
 fence is regarded with disapprobation. The disapproval 
 differs in the terms of its expression. By some the attempt 
 is regarded as schismatical, by the majority as uncalled 
 for and unwise. 
 
 In his address to the Diocesan Synod in the 
 following year, the Bishop further expressed himself 
 thus : — 
 
 In December last I issued a circular to the clergy upon 
 the question of holding services or preaching in places of 
 worship belonging to other Protestant denominations, and 
 I expressed my disapproval of the practice. 
 
 To this opinion I adhere. Our parochial system may 
 have some disadvantages, but it is that which we recognise 
 and to which the clergy are engaged. At their ordination, 
 and by the terms of their license, this is implied. 
 
 When in my circular I speak of ' the rule ' of the Church 
 in this diocese, I refer to that custom or uniform practice 
 which has heretofore prevailed. My answer to one who 
 desires a change and seems to be contentious about it is, 
 ' We have no such custom, nor has the Church at home.' 
 
 I feel persuaded that neither the edification nor the 
 peace of the Church would be promoted by an interchange 
 of pulpits, and that we should lose rather than gain in these 
 respects. I consider also that our congregations are to be 
 protected. At present the subscription of the clergy and 
 the license of the bishop afford some guarantee that the 
 doctrines of the Church of England will be taught, and 
 this would be wanting if strangers might be introduced at 
 the discretion of the incumbent. 
 
 My own practice has been misapprehended. I have 
 officiated in a Presbyterian and in a Wesleyan place of 
 worship, and occasionally on Goldfields, or in the interior 
 in ' Union Churches ' as they are termed. In these 
 buildings the Church of England either had a right to hold 
 service by agreement at the time of building or permission 
 
324 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 to use them for a Church of England service had been ob- 
 tained. For the time being they were so used, and in every 
 case the service of the Church of England and not that of 
 the denomination to which the building belonged was the 
 service which was held. 
 
 Early in the month of January, 1876, the Bishop 
 and Mrs. Barker again withdrew for some weeks to 
 the western mountains, paying also, while there, a 
 short visit to the Bishop of Bathurst. The period 
 of their stay in those parts was, however, brief, and 
 they returned to Sydney on the 24th of February, as 
 important diocesan and other business there required 
 the presence of the Bishop. To this he was giving 
 himself with his characteristic diligence and stead- 
 fastness, when it pleased God to lay upon him the 
 sorest affliction which one possessing such a tender 
 and loving spirit as his could be called to bear — the 
 death, after only six days' illness, of his beloved 
 wife. 
 
 On the eighth day after they had returned from 
 the mountains, Mrs. Barker began to feel very un- 
 well, and passed a restless night. As the symptoms 
 increased towards the evening of the next day, 
 medical advice was sought, and when the doctor 
 came he pronounced the case to be one of erysipelas. 
 For a day or two she appeared to be going on 
 favourably under the treatment adopted, and the 
 Bishop was enabled to fulfil an engagement to 
 preach on Sunday morning at the cathedral. Upon 
 his return she seemed to be somewhat better, but 
 the night was one of suffering and restlessness. Still, 
 when the doctor came on Monday, he thought her 
 doing well. A second physician was called in, and 
 
ILLNESS AND DEATH OF MRS. BARKER. 325 
 
 it was not until Wednesday that the case presented 
 such alarming symptoms as to create serious doubts 
 as to her recovery. The progress of the disease be- 
 came then more rapid. On Thursday morning, the 
 9th of March, when the doctors came, they saw that 
 they could give but very faint hope of improve- 
 ment, and in the afternoon it was evident that she 
 would not survive through the night. At 10.20 that 
 evening, shortly after the Bishop had commended her 
 in prayer to God — those who had ministered to and 
 watched over her kneeling around — her breathing 
 became more and more difficult, then one con- 
 vulsive effort, the mortal strife was over, the spirit 
 fled to the bosom of Him who had redeemed her 
 with His blood. ' It was,' the Bishop wrote, 'a truly 
 peaceful end, and became her life — so quiet, so 
 Christian, so peaceful, but ever decided on the 
 Lord's side.' 
 
 Throughout those six trying days and nights her 
 mind was kept — except when wandering through 
 fever — in a calm and happy state, 'resting in the 
 Lord.' No impatience, no complaining, no disquietude 
 of spirit, but submission, trust, and confidence in His 
 promises and in His salvation. ' I am going home 
 in the best sense.' And as she thought of that 
 bright and blessed land, she named many who had 
 gone before whom she expected there to meet in 
 joy and felicity, and one who would follow her. 
 She was much also in prayer. She prayed specially 
 for * the missions ' which were about to be held at 
 Paddington and in Bathurst, and for the clergy who 
 were to take part in or were associated with them. 
 She was so anxious that they all might have an 
 
326 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 abundant blessing. Many others also were on 
 her heart, for whose salvation she was anxious, 
 of whom she made mention. Her end was thus 
 in happy consistency with the life she had led, 
 since in her youth she gave her heart to the 
 Lord. Happy in Him, loving to all, longing for 
 their salvation, and zealous for the glory of God 
 her Saviour, she was a bright example of the power 
 of Christian faith to elevate and expand the soul, 
 and to create in it foretastes of the joys to come. 
 
 As soon as the sad event was announced to the 
 public on the following morning, a deep and wide- 
 spread feeling of sorrow was felt for the loss of one 
 who, since her arrival in the colony with her husband 
 twenty-one years before, had, by her consistent 
 Christian life and conduct, proved herself so worthy 
 of the love and esteem of the Church, and to this 
 was added a feeling of genuine sympathy with the 
 Bishop in his great bereavement. Persons of all 
 ranks and conditions in the social scale gave ex- 
 pression in various ways to these feelings, and thus 
 showed their anxiety to soothe the spirit of their 
 mourning Bishop. The funeral, which took place 
 on Saturday afternoon, the nth of March, was an 
 evidence of this. A very large assemblage of 
 persons, representing all classes of citizens and 
 various religious denominations, presented them- 
 selves at Bishopscourt to pay the last tokens of 
 respect to the memory of the deceased. The funeral 
 cortege left the house at four o'clock. About fifty of 
 the clergy of the diocese, by the Bishops desire, 
 preceded the hearse, which was without plumes. The 
 coffin was of plain varnished cedar. The carriages 
 
SYMPATHY WITH THE BISHOP. 327' 
 
 of the Governor and of the Roman Catholic 
 Archbishop, Dr. Polding, formed part of the pro- 
 cession, which, as it approached St. Jude's Church, 
 was joined by the children of St. Jude's Sunday 
 School, Mrs. Barkers special class leading, and 
 also by the pupils of the Clergy Daughters' School, 
 over which she had watched with unceasing care 
 from its beginning. 
 
 On the following Tuesday a meeting of as many 
 of the clergy as could be collected at so short a 
 notice was held in the Church Society's House for 
 the purpose of expressing their sympathy with the 
 Bishop in his deep affliction. Twenty were present, 
 while many others who were unable to attend wrote 
 to express their full concurrence in the object of the 
 meeting. The chair having been taken, by request 
 of the clergy, by Canon Allwood, and prayer offered 
 by him, he explained in words of affectionate regard 
 for the Bishop, and sympathy with him in his heavy 
 trial, that they had met to consult together as 
 to the most appropriate way of testifying the kindly 
 feelings of the clergy towards their Bishop, and their 
 desire to do something, however inadequate it might 
 be, to alleviate the burden of sorrow which now 
 weighed so heavily upon him. 
 
 Two resolutions were adopted : one, that an 
 address of condolence should be presented from the 
 clergy with as little delay as possible ; another, that 
 the most suitable way of showing the respect of the 
 members of the Church of England to the memory 
 of the late Mrs. Barker would be by the completion 
 of the endowment of the Clergy Daughters' School, 
 of which she had been the foundress, and that the 
 
328 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Bishop's sanction should be asked to initiate a move- 
 ment to that end. In the event of his sanction being 
 given, a number of the clergy were named as repre- 
 sentatives of their brethren to co-operate with the 
 laity in carrying out the objects. The address, 
 which was unanimously agreed on, was as follows : — 
 
 My Dear Lord Bishop, — We, the undersigned clergy 
 of your diocese, desire, as early as possible after the bereave- 
 ment with which it has pleased God to visit you, to approach 
 you with the expression of our respectful sympathy and 
 affection. 
 
 Into the particulars of the great loss which you have 
 sustained, and your deep sorrow, we would venture to 
 intrude no further than to say we feel assured that they are 
 shared by the diocese at large. 
 
 The good part which Mrs. Barker has long taken in the 
 great work to which in the Providence of God your lordship 
 has been called, her loving interest in the welfare of the 
 whole flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you 
 overseer, her sympathy with all in their joys and sorrows, 
 and especially her fostering care of that Institution which, 
 under the blessing of God, owes its existence and its 
 success to her untiring efforts and supervision — the Clergy 
 Daughters' School — will long make her memory dear to 
 the people of this country. 
 
 That the God of all consolation may sustain you under 
 your great trial is the fervent prayer of 
 
 Your lordship's faithful ,and attached Clergy. 
 
 Such an address from the body of the clergy was 
 most acceptable to the Bishop, and very beautiful 
 was his acknowledgment of it : — 
 
 Bishopscourt, 15th March, 1876. 
 My Dear Friends, — I thank you very much for the 
 kind expression of sympathy which I have received from 
 
MEETING OF CLERGY. 
 
 329 
 
 you in the address presented to me by the Rev. Canon 
 Allwood. 
 
 My loss is very great, and the burden of care which was 
 so cheerfully shared by my beloved partner seems at times 
 to be more than I can bear. 
 
 The consideration of her unutterable joy in the presence 
 of the Lord, and your prayerful sympathy, greatly help me 
 in this time of deep affliction, and though my heart can 
 never be satisfied till the day of our reunion, my faith in 
 the true Word of promise does not fail, and I believe that 
 out of this great sorrow great blessings will arise, and that 
 for you and for me the peaceable fruits of righteousness 
 will spring forth. 
 
 I humble myself under the loving correction of a 
 heavenly Father, and desire to learn the lessons which He 
 vouchsafes to teach. 
 
 For many of you, my dear brethren, in the last days of 
 the life now closed, there went up to the Throne of Grace 
 prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. May they be 
 abundantly answered in large supplies of the spirit of 
 grace, to our increased devotion to our Master's work, and 
 to the salvation of many souls through the knowledge of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 I remain, my dear Brethren, 
 
 Faithfully and affectionately yours, 
 
 F. Sydney. 
 
 To the Rev. Canon Allwood and the Clergy signing 
 an Address to me on the occasion of my dear 
 wife's removal by death. 
 
 The proposal to testify the respect of the members 
 of the Church of England to the memory of Mrs. 
 Barker by completing the endowment of the Clergy 
 Daughters' School, which she had commenced, and 
 towards which she had succeeded in raising about 
 3000/., met with his warm approval and gratitude. 
 In a letter to Canon Allwood, who had conveyed to 
 
330 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 him the resolution of the clergy, he said, ' Nothing 
 more gratifying to me could have been suggested, 
 and I am very grateful for the proposal.' Having 
 received this sanction to their proceeding, the 
 committee of clergy appointed at the meeting 
 before mentioned, invited the laity to join them. 
 The matter was taken in hand with much warmth 
 of feeling and sympathy on their part, and the sum 
 of 2000/., which was required to raise the endow- 
 ment to the amount aimed at by Mrs. Barker, 
 viz., 5000/., was willingly contributed. Subsequent 
 additions, it is understood, have brought it up to 
 5600/. 
 
 Only those whose privilege it had been to know 
 the oneness of thought and aim and purpose which 
 subsisted between the Bishop and his wife, could 
 realise the desolation of that sorrow which he was 
 now called to bear, and how hard it must have been 
 to bear it. But how sufficient was the grace given 
 by the all sympathising Redeemer to sustain him 
 under the burden was evident from the meek and 
 submissive spirit which he manifested. On Sunday, 
 the 19th of March, with no small effort he preached 
 in the cathedral, taking for his subject the danger of 
 fainting in the day of adversity, and the remedy 
 against it. In speaking of the remedy, as to be 
 found in Christ and His promises, grasped by faith 
 and applied to the soul's special need, he spoke thus 
 with allusion to his own trial. 
 
 Let me add my testimony to the truth of that which the 
 Word of God declares. I can also say that the ( strength ' 
 thus imparted is not ' small/ it is proportioned to the day. 
 In itself the burden is heavy, but with Him as a true yoke- 
 
bishop's sermon. 
 
 33* 
 
 fellow it becomes light, not by being removed but by- 
 reason of the strength He gives enabling us to bear it. He 
 giveth power to the faint, ' and to them that have no might 
 he increaseth strength,' imparting it by means of His 
 Word, carried home to the conscience by the Holy Spirit's 
 influence in answer to prayer. 
 
 The teachings of His Word are not difficult to dis- 
 cover, what we require is the heart to apply them. We do 
 this when we place ourselves before Him as His creatures. 
 ' We are the clay, Thou art the potter.' Shall the thing 
 formed say unto Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made 
 me thus ? We place ourselves in the presence of the Judge 
 of all the earth, 4 shall He not do right ?' Shall we impugn 
 His wisdom, equity, and goodness ? Shall a living man 
 complain if His judgments inflicted in righteousness are 
 loving corrections ? Shall we forget that He is our Father, 
 who pitieth His children ? 
 
 We look back upon the love wherewith He has loved us 
 in His Son, and with the Apostle conclude that He who 
 spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will 
 
 with Him also freely give us all things We look 
 
 within and we see much that requires to be purified. Shall 
 we repine because He places us in the furnace, and sits as 
 the refiner of silver, that He may cause His own image 
 to appear ? If the Son learned obedience by the things 
 which He suffered, can we expect to be exempt from the 
 same needful discipline ? If the head must needs suffer, 
 shall not the members bear their part, and fill up that 
 which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in their flesh for 
 His body's sake, which is the Church ? 
 
 Are we to be so bowed down by the grief we feel as to 
 be unable to look up and to look around for all the sur- 
 passing consolations of God's providence and grace ? Shall 
 we be unmindful of the great blessing of a happy union 
 during so large a portion of life's way, of the fellowship in 
 aim, in work, and the entire oneness throughout a life 
 which in its later period involved much self-denial, yet 
 was so bright in the consciousness of being permitted to do 
 
332 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 something for the Lord, as to be a life of happy usefulness ? 
 Shall we not gratefully reflect upon the painless illness, the 
 peaceful end, the abundant entrance into the presence of 
 the King, and the blessed hope of an eternal union before 
 the Lord ? Shall we be unmindful of the Throne of Grace 
 to which in our time of need we have free access, and where 
 we meet with the sympathy of Him who is touched with a 
 feeling of our infirmities ? To these must be added the 
 tender kindness and deep felt sympathy of many friends, 
 the testimony so freely given to the worth of one who is 
 gone, the prayers so universally offered for him who 
 remains. These are the Lord's mercies, renewed day by 
 day, and possessing them, we gratefully acknowledge that 
 in this our day of adversity the strength which He giveth 
 is not ' small.' 
 
 My dear brethren, I invite you to the consideration of 
 this subject, with no other view than that you may enjoy 
 the happiness of such a life as I have shared, and the peace 
 of such a death as I have seen. 
 
 Thus upheld and strengthened by the grace and 
 promises of God, the Bishop was enabled to apply 
 himself to his official duties in the day of adversity 
 and sorrow, and to discharge them with his accus- 
 tomed fidelity and zeal. 
 
333 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 1876-1879. 
 
 Session of Diocesan Synod, 1876 — Visit to North Queensland— Pre- 
 parations for General Synod — General Synod, 1876 — Week of 
 Prayer — Session of Diocesan Synod, 1877 — Departure for England 
 — British Syrian Schools — Tour in Syria and Palestine — Arrival 
 in England — Appointment of Principal of Moore College — 
 Bishop of North Queensland — Marriage of Bishop of Sydney — 
 Return to Sydney — Session of Diocesan Synod, 1878 — Religious 
 Instruction in Public Schools — Provincial Synod — Arrival of 
 Bishop of North Queensland — Session of Diocesan Synod, 1879 — 
 Primary Education, Bishop's Views — Resolutions of Provincial 
 Synod, 1879 — New Public Education Act. 
 
 Three months before the occurrence of the sad 
 event mentioned in the last chapter, the Bishop had 
 notified to the clergy his intention to hold a Con- 
 firmation throughout the diocese during the year 
 1876, and he had fixed April the 24th for its com- 
 mencement. This arrangement was carefully 
 adhered to, and in accordance with his usual 
 practice, Sydney and the suburbs were taken first, 
 then the County of Cumberland, and the more 
 distant parts of the diocese later in the year. In 
 the months of April and May confirmations were 
 held in forty-one parishes, and thirteen hundred and 
 ten persons confirmed. 
 
334 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 In the month of June the annual session of 
 the Diocesan Synod was held, and several important 
 matters were dealt with, upon which with the 
 Standing Committee he had bestowed considerable 
 attention. One of these, the Presentation Ordin- 
 ance, has been already mentioned. Another was 
 an ordinance for providing pensions for super- 
 annuated clergymen. This was passed after very 
 full discussion, and having received his assent as 
 president, became a law of the diocese. Under the 
 provisions of this ordinance, a fund was commenced 
 shortly after, which has since been largely augmented 
 by the donations of the laity, and promises at no 
 distant period to be sufficient to supply subscribing 
 clergymen upon their retirement from active service 
 with pensions, varying in amount according to the 
 periods during which they have been subscribers. 
 
 The time had now arrived when the Bishop felt 
 that another and more strenuous and a final effort 
 should be made to accomplish the formation of the 
 See of North Queensland. With a view to bring 
 this about, he resolved to pay a visit to each of the 
 principal towns of that district, and by observation 
 and conference with the residents in them to ascer- 
 tain their actual condition, their spiritual wants, and 
 their wishes in regard to the bishopric. This pur- 
 pose he carried into effect in the months of July 
 and August. Leaving Sydney on July the 4th, ac- 
 companied by the Rev. Stanley Howard as his 
 chaplain, he arrived at Brisbane on the 6th, hoping 
 there to find Bishop Hale and to confer with him 
 before he proceeded to the north. The bishop 
 was, however, absent on a long journey, from which 
 
VISIT TO NORTH QUEENSLAND. 335 
 
 he was not expected to return for some time, and, 
 therefore, after a day's detention, the Bishop of 
 Sydney set out for the northern ports in one of the 
 coasting steamers. 
 
 The first place reached was Bowen, a small 
 town with about one thousand inhabitants. It is 
 described in the Bishop's journal as ' beautifully 
 situated, having a semicircular beach with fine 
 sand, the houses built upon the shore, ranges of 
 hills of various forms, distant mountains, and a fine 
 open bay.' Here he landed, and was gladly wel- 
 comed by the clergyman and his people. A notice 
 was soon circulated through the town that Divine 
 service would be celebrated that evening, and at 
 the hour notified a good congregation had as- 
 sembled. The next morning a Confirmation was 
 held, when a number of young persons, who had 
 been under careful preparation by the clergyman, 
 received the imposition of hands. In the evening a 
 second service was held, at which the Bishop again 
 preached, and after the service a public meeting, 
 at which he laid before the people his views re- 
 garding the projected bishopric. These views 
 met with hearty approval, and a committee was 
 formed to take steps towards raising the necessary 
 endowment. 
 
 After being detained by the weather for some 
 days, he proceeded on July the 17th to Ravenswood, 
 the next settlement in his route, visiting Inkerman 
 by the way. At Ravenswood he preached, conse- 
 crated the Church of England portion of the public 
 cemetery, and held a public meeting on matters of 
 local Church interest. After replying to an address 
 
336 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 of welcome which had been presented to him upon 
 his arrival, he spoke to those assembled upon several 
 matters which concerned the spiritual welfare of the 
 district. One was the necessity of having a resident 
 clergyman, but this he pointed out could not be ac- 
 complished unless due provision was made for his 
 maintenance by those to whom he ministered, sup- 
 plemented as it might be from another source. The 
 Sunday School and the home training of their 
 children were two other topics upon which he 
 dwelt, the former of which was rendered all the 
 more necessary by the purely secular system of 
 public education which existed throughout the 
 Colony of Queensland. The formation of the 
 northern diocese and the creation of an endow- 
 ment as a preliminary step were then dwelt 
 upon, and urged by those arguments which have 
 been already stated in other parts of this 
 memoir. At the close of the meeting, resolutions 
 were passed unanimously approving of the erec- 
 tion of the northern portion of Queensland into 
 a bishopric, and appointing a local committee 
 to co-operate with others in raising the endow- 
 ment. Another committee was also appointed to 
 take steps for securing a stipend for a resident 
 clergyman. 
 
 Ravenswood being left, Sunday, the 23rd of July, 
 found the Bishop at Charters Towers, where he 
 spent two days. Here and at Milchester, an ad- 
 jacent township, he preached on Sunday, and on 
 Monday held a meeting with reference to the pro- 
 posed bishopric. His proposals met with a similar 
 reception to that accorded to them in the places 
 
VISIT TO NORTH QUEENSLAND. 337 
 
 already mentioned. From Charters Towers he pro- 
 ceeded to Townsville, and remained there a week. 
 During this time he was fully occupied with various 
 matters which called for his attention. One of the 
 first was the bishopric. With reference to this, a 
 meeting was held on the day after his arrival, and 
 similar action taken to that adopted in other places. 
 A commencement was in like manner also made of 
 subscriptions towards the endowment fund. 
 
 On Saturday, the 29th of July, a site for the 
 residence of the bishop was examined, and a Con- 
 firmation held in the afternoon ; on Sunday he 
 preached in the morning, and administered the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to fifty communi- 
 cants ; and he preached again in the evening. On 
 Monday evening service was held in the church, 
 at which he again preached, and on Tuesday a com- 
 mittee meeting was held regarding the parsonage 
 land and procuring subscriptions to the bishopric 
 fund. The site for an episcopal residence was 
 also further examined, and taken into considera- 
 tion. 
 
 Through the non-arrival of the steamer from the 
 south, the Bishop was unable to leave Townsville 
 until late on Saturday evening, so that he did 
 not reach Cooktown until August the 7th. On 
 landing, he was met by a Church of England 
 deputation with an address, and conducted to the 
 Parsonage, where he and Mr. Howard remained 
 during their stay. After a visit of two or three 
 days, during which a Confirmation, and services 
 in the church, and a public meeting in reference 
 to the bishopric, were held, the Bishop left by the 
 
 z 
 
338 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 returning steamer for Sydney, having accomplised 
 the purpose of his visit and obtained much personal 
 knowledge of the people, their condition and circum- 
 stances, and having ascertained how gladly they 
 would welcome a bishop of the Church to care for 
 their spiritual interests. 
 
 Sunday, August the 13th, was spent at sea, and 
 was marked by two services on board the steamer, 
 which were attended by the steerage passengers 
 and the crew, as well as by the passengers in the 
 saloon. The Bishop preached in the morning upon 
 the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and in the after- 
 noon upon the Disciples in the storm upon the 
 Sea of Galilee. 
 
 On Wednesday the steamer reached Brisbane, 
 where the Bishop of Brisbane was waiting to take 
 the Metropolitan and Mr. Howard to Bishops - 
 bourne. The two bishops had much interesting 
 conversation upon the visitation which the Metro- 
 politan had just made of the north, and Bishop 
 Hale was quite prepared to accede to the proposed 
 division of his diocese, and to the sum of 1000/. 
 being given to the new bishopric fund. In the 
 evening the Bishop of Sydney again embarked to 
 resume his voyage, but in consequence of a thick 
 fog, the steamer was unable to proceed until the 
 next morning. The tide, however, which would 
 have carried the vessel over the bar had been lost, 
 and it became necessary to anchor at the mouth 
 of the river until the afternoon, and then adverse 
 winds made the passage so rough and tedious, that 
 it was not until four o'clock on Sunday afternoon 
 that the wharf in Sydney was reached. 
 
GENERAL SYNOD, 1876. 
 
 339 
 
 Upon landing, the Bishop had the great pleasure 
 of finding his sister-in-law, Mrs. Auriol Barker, and 
 her daughter, awaiting him. They had but a short 
 time before arrived from England by the mail 
 steamer from San Francisco. The steamer, in con 
 sequence of sickness on board, had been put into 
 quarantine, and they had been released only two 
 hours previous to the Bishop's arrival. He returned 
 with them to Bishopscourt, thankful to have their 
 society and sympathy in the great sorrow which had 
 befallen him. 
 
 Soon after his return from Queensland, the 
 Bishop began to prepare for the second session of 
 the General Synod, which, after consultation with 
 the bishops of the province, he had summoned to 
 meet in Sydney on the 3rd of October. This was a 
 year earlier than in the ordinary course it would 
 have been assembled. But there was a sufficient 
 reason for this in his contemplated departure for 
 England to attend the Pan-Anglican Conference of 
 Bishops at Lambeth in 1877, to which he had been 
 invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury. And it 
 was provided in the constitutions that, while the 
 General Synod must meet once in every five years, 
 it might meet oftener if necessary. Much of the 
 month of September was occupied with the requisite 
 preparations for this meeting, and for the conduct 
 of the business which would be then brought 
 forward. 
 
 The Synod met on the day appointed. Nine 
 bishops of the province attended the session, the 
 Bishop of Adelaide arriving on the third day. Two 
 of the provincial bishops were, however, absent, the 
 
340 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Bishop of Melbourne, who was in England, and the 
 Bishop of Perth, Western Australia. Clerical and 
 lay representatives from ten dioceses were also 
 present. Morning service was celebrated with Holy 
 Communion in the cathedral, and a sermon preached 
 by the Bishop of Newcastle, founded upon the text, 
 ' Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the 
 law of Christ.' 
 
 The Synod assembled for business in the after- 
 noon, when, after prayers and calling the roll of 
 members, the Primate delivered an opening address. 
 One of the topics to which he adverted, and upon 
 which he dwelt at some length, was the controversy 
 which, as has been already mentioned, had arisen 
 with regard to the relation which the Diocese of 
 Sydney bore to the other dioceses of Australia and 
 Tasmania, and which he himself bore to the bishops 
 of those dioceses. He did this, however, in a con- 
 ciliatory tone, and gracefully welcomed the action of 
 the Melbourne Church Assembly in suspending the 
 operation of the Act which had been the moving 
 cause of the discussion, as opening the way to a 
 solution of the ecclesiastical difficulty which had 
 arisen. And the effect of the tone of the Bishop's 
 remarks was seen in the discussion which followed, 
 and in which a similar spirit was conspicuously 
 displayed. 
 
 With reference to the proposed See of North 
 Queensland, to which he also drew the attention 
 of the Synod, he was anxious that the proposed 
 Determination upon rules for the formation of new 
 dioceses should be at once passed, in order that it 
 might be applied to the formation of the projected 
 
GENERAL SYNOD, 1876. 
 
 341 
 
 see. In urging this upon the Synod, he was able 
 to inform them that in his recent tour he had 
 ascertained the wishes of the members of the 
 Church of England in the territory which would be 
 affected by it, who had in various places promised 
 liberal help towards the endowment, that the S.P. G. 
 had made a grant of 400/. per annum, and that 
 4000/. had been promised from other sources, which 
 there was reason to believe would be still further 
 increased. His first consideration was for the resi- 
 dent members of the Church of England in the area 
 which the diocese would include, but there was also 
 a large Chinese population, amongst whom mission 
 work might be carried on, as well as amongst the 
 South Sea Islanders (called Kanakas) and the 
 Aborigines. 
 
 It was necessary that the constitution which had 
 been adopted in the first session of the Synod should 
 now be ratified, and this was the first act of the 
 present Synod before entering upon general business. 
 The Synod then applied itself to consider the De- 
 termination upon rules for the formation of new 
 dioceses, which, after full deliberation and dis- 
 cussion, was passed. Other matters engaged its 
 attention during several days, into the particulars of 
 which it is not necessary to enter. The work really 
 done may perhaps be best estimated from the follow- 
 ing observations of the Primate in closing the 
 session. He said : — 
 
 Most of our time has been passed in the discussion of 
 two important principles, which relate to our union with 
 the Church at home and with each other. My great desire 
 is for union in both directions, that we may be regarded as 
 
342 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a branch fair and fruitful of the parent stem. In this we 
 are all agreed. Our differences of opinion have reference 
 to the nature of our relation and to the best manner of its 
 being preserved. 
 
 The results of our present session are apparently less 
 than we might have hoped they would be, but they are 
 still of the highest importance. We have not done some 
 things which we should afterwards have regretted, and 
 what we have done tends to the completion of our work. 
 We have filled up the vacancies in the Committee of Appeal, 
 which will now proceed to make rules for regulating its 
 proceedings. We have reappointed the Executive Council 
 of the Board of Missions, and placed at its head a bishop 
 known for his sympathy with and his successful efforts in 
 behalf of the aborigines. We have passed a Determination 
 for the formation of other dioceses, a measure which was 
 generally needed, and have discussed the principles upon 
 which a tribunal for the trial of bishops should be formed. 
 Upon the question of the Metropolitan's relation to the 
 bishops of Australia and Tasmania, much information has 
 been given, and the calm consideration of such statements 
 as are contained in the address of the Chancellor of the 
 Diocese of Sydney (Canon Allwood), cannot fail to impress 
 the mind with the conviction that the claims of the Metro- 
 politan Diocese of Sydney are not lightly to be set aside. 
 While saying this, I do not regret that no more decided 
 action has been taken than the proposal to refer the 
 consideration of the subject to the authorities at home. 
 
 I think this session has served to justify our claim to 
 the character of a wise and judicious council. Our maxim 
 has been 1 quiela non movere! We have upon some points 
 abstained from movement, and where we have proceeded to 
 legislate, we have only done that which our constitution 
 permitted us to do, and which the necessities of the Church 
 imperatively call for. 
 
 Before the close of the last day's proceedings 
 (October 13th), an address of sympathy and con- 
 
GENERAL SYNOD, 1876. 
 
 343 
 
 dolence from the Synod was presented to the 
 Primate by the Bishop of Adelaide, the members 
 all standing. It was as follows : — 
 
 My Lord, — We cannot separate without expressing 
 not only our sense of your great kindness, courtesy, and 
 forbearance as our President, and your liberal hospitality 
 to us as individuals, but our sympathy with you in the 
 great bereavement under which God has so graciously 
 supported you. Great as is the loss of your beloved wife 
 to the wide circle of her friends and to the diocese over 
 which your lordship presides, you and they do not stand 
 alone in your sorrow, but the loss is felt in the remotest 
 parts of these colonies, to which we and others were able to 
 carry home the remembrance of her devoted piety, her un- 
 tiring benevolence, and the clear good sense, which enabled 
 her to give effect to the wishes of a sanctified and generous 
 heart. We rejoice, however, to know that your loss and 
 ours is her infinite gain, and that you are numbered 
 amongst those to whom all things, even those which seem 
 most bitter, work together for good. We pray God to have 
 you in His holy keeping for ever and ever. 
 
 Signed, on behalf of the Synod, 
 
 Augustus Adelaide. 
 
 Shortly after the prorogation of the Synod, the 
 Bishop devoted himself to the completion of the 
 annual confirmations. Between the 24th of October 
 and the 12th of December he held twenty confir- 
 mations, chiefly in the southern and coast districts. 
 An ordination followed on the 21st of December. 
 
 Unusually large congregations assembled in the 
 Sydney and suburban churches on Christmas Day 
 and New Year's Eve. It was noticed also that there 
 was an increased number of communicants, and it 
 seemed as if this year of deep sorrow to the chief 
 
344 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 pastor of the diocese had brought an increase of 
 spiritual blessing to those over whom he was placed. 
 
 The year 1877 was commenced with a week of 
 special prayer, by an arrangement which received the 
 Bishop's full approval. It was preceded by an 
 aggregate meeting from the city parishes on Satur- 
 day, the 30th December, 1876, over which he pre- 
 sided, and was intended to be preparatory to parochial 
 meetings which were to be held in the week following. 
 Special intercessory prayer for blessings which the 
 Church needed was the object, and in those parishes 
 which responded to the invitation there was a 
 gratifying attendance from evening to evening. 
 These meetings were followed by another aggregate 
 meeting on Friday, which was also largely attended. 
 
 Looking forward to his proposed departure for 
 England in the month of March, it was the Bishop's 
 desire to provide, as far as possible, against any in- 
 conveniences which might arise from his absence. 
 And with this intention he anticipated the usual 
 time for holding the session of the Diocesan Synod, 
 that the business required might be dealt with before 
 he left, and that he might have the opportunity of 
 meeting the representative body of the diocese, and 
 bidding them farewell for a season. In the address 
 with which he opened the session on the 27th of 
 February there are one or two passages which 
 appear worthy of special notice. The first has 
 reference to the training of the clergy : — 
 
 The increased number of students (at Moore College) — 
 at present fourteen — and the indisposition of the excellent 
 Principal, make it absolutely necessary that additional 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1877. 
 
 345 
 
 assistance should be provided, and I am thankful to have 
 secured the services of one so well qualified as I know the 
 Rev. George Sheppard to be, whom I have appointed Vice- 
 Principal. Three of the students are members of the Uni- 
 versity of Sydney, and I shall be glad when we are in a 
 position to require that all candidates for the ministry in 
 this diocese shall have attained a degree before proceeding 
 to Moore College. 
 
 The concluding sentence in this passage is an 
 additional testimony to others which have been 
 already given of the Bishop's strong desire to secure 
 for his diocese a body of well-cultured clergy, while 
 together with general culture he felt strongly the 
 necessity of such a course of theological and pastoral 
 training as would qualify them — so far as this could 
 be effected by human means — to become efficient 
 pastors and teachers of the Word. 
 
 The following passage occurs in a later part of 
 his address, where he is defending the Church in 
 Australia against charges which in certain quarters 
 had been made against her : — 
 
 I make no claim to be the author or prime mover in the 
 progress which the Church of England has made in Aus- 
 tralia, but I am fully persuaded that it has been as rapid 
 and as satisfactory here as in any part of the world. That 
 much remains to be done no one feels more strongly than 
 I do, but no change of policy, such as the subordination of 
 diocesan to general synods, will remedy the prevalent evils 
 nor supply existing wants. The great want is of men — 
 men of God, educated men divinely taught, mighty in the 
 Scriptures, and men of much prayer, men who love the 
 Saviour and the souls of men, men who are true, whole- 
 hearted members of the Church of England, Reformed and 
 Protestant, and faithful to the order and discipline of their 
 
346 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 Church, men of a missionary spirit, not seeking their own 
 things of earth, but the highest things of God and Christ 
 for themselves and others. 
 
 On the last day of the session it was unanimously 
 resolved by the Synod to present to the Bishop a 
 valedictory address in the prospect of his departure 
 for England, and it was intended that this address, 
 prepared by a committee, should be presented at the 
 close of the proceedings. The Bishop, however, was 
 prevented from attending on that day ; and the Dean, 
 as Commissary, was, therefore, requested to present 
 the address in the name of the Synod at the valedic- 
 tory service in the cathedral on the day of the 
 Bishop's embarkation. This service, which was held 
 on the 1 3th of March, was largely attended, and at the 
 close the Dean presented the address, as requested. 
 The Bishop then took his departure, accompanied 
 by his sister-in-law, Mrs. Auriol Barker, and her 
 daughter, bidding an affectionate farewell to large 
 numbers, who sought the opportunity of wishing him 
 Godspeed. 
 
 Instead of proceeding direct to England, he took 
 the opportunity to visit Syria and the Holy Land 
 on the way. From Port Said, therefore, he and 
 his party, having been joined by a nephew, Mr. 
 Auriol Barker, from England, proceeded by a 
 steamer to Beyrout. The next morning they were 
 off Joppa at six o'clock, and would have landed 
 had it not been represented to them that the heavy 
 swell, which was increasing, might prevent their 
 return to the ship. 
 
 On Tuesday, May 1, they reached Beyrout — 
 
DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 
 
 347 
 
 y looking very beautiful, as spread out on the rising 
 ground along the shore ; the form and colour of the 
 houses, with small patches of white, green mingled 
 amongst them, looking very lovely,' — and were met 
 and taken on shore by an English gentleman, Mr. 
 Mott, who, with his wife, resided in a handsome 
 villa, built on the summit of a hill, from which 
 there was a delightful view of the bay and of 
 Mount Lebanon. Here they were most kindly 
 and hospitably entertained during their stay. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Mott had devoted themselves to the 
 work of superintending and (in part) sustaining the 
 British Syrian Schools, which had been established 
 in i860 by Mrs. Bowen Thompson, Mrs. Mott's 
 sister, under remarkable circumstances. 
 
 There had been fearful massacres of the Christian 
 population by the Druses and Turks, which deluged 
 the Lebanon with the blood of thousands, from 
 ' seven to seventy,' as ran the watchword of those 
 fierce and merciless foes. Upwards of five thousand 
 men were slain in Syria, and the distracted widows 
 and orphans fled for refuge to Beyrout. When 
 these atrocities were reported in England, Mrs. 
 Bowen Thompson, herself a widow, whose earlier 
 married life had been spent in Antioch, where, 
 besides acquiring some knowledge of the Arabic 
 language, she had taken a warm interest in pro- 
 moting elementary schools for the oppressed females 
 of Syria, was impelled by the strongest desire to go 
 out and help them. Though in weak health, and 
 physically unfit for such an undertaking, she went 
 single-handed, believing that God had called her to 
 this work, and upon her arrival at once commenced 
 
348 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 her labours. The first thing she did was to open 
 an industrial refuge for thirty women and sixteen 
 children. In less than a week the number increased 
 to two hundred. Her object was to help them to 
 provide for their temporal wants, but while doing 
 this she purposed also to impart to them the know- 
 ledge of Him whom to know is life eternal. She 
 next established a laundry, which the English 
 admiral and the officers of the fleet encouraged and 
 helped by sending all the ships' linen to be washed 
 there. The Relief Committee supplied her with 
 needlework for the women, by ordering some 
 hundreds of wadded jackets for the mountains. 
 And thus the mission grew from day to day. And 
 such were the effects produced in a short time, that 
 even Syrian ladies of aristocratic families, touched by 
 the sympathy and energy of this Christian lady, came 
 asking for work, and entreated that their children 
 might be admitted into the schools. Fresh rooms 
 were added to the building. Stables and out- 
 buildings were fitted up for the purpose, and yet 
 they were not sufficient. There were eight schools 
 with four hundred children in Beyrout alone, in 
 which the truths of the Gospel were daily taught. 
 An infants' school was added, and the cry went up 
 for similar women's and girls' schools from different 
 towns and villages of the Lebanon. It is stated in 
 a paper published in the year 1878 by the managers 
 of the British Syrian Schools that there were then 
 thirty schools in Beyrout, Baalbec, Damascus, Tyre, 
 and the Lebanon, with about three thousand scholars, 
 many mothers' classes, and Mohammedan women's 
 Sunday Bible classes, schools for the blind, Bible 
 
BRITISH SYRIAN SCHOOLS. 
 
 349 
 
 women, Harem visitors, Scripture readers, and about 
 seventy native teachers. 
 
 The chief object which the Bishop of Sydney 
 had in going to Beyrout was to make himself 
 personally acquainted with this remarkable work, 
 and the day after his arrival he visited the schools. 
 He was deeply interested in what he saw and heard, 
 and in a letter which he wrote to Sydney, dated 
 July 26th, 1877, he gave the following account of 
 them : — 
 
 The total number of pupils is 2600, for whom there 
 are about fifty teachers. There are schools for girls, boys, 
 infants, and blind ; ragged schools for day scholars ; a Jewish 
 school ; one in the Maronite Quarter ; another for Moslem 
 girls, into which 'I was the first male visiter admitted, the 
 elder girls covering their faces. These schools are all in 
 Beyrout and the suburbs ; the others are in the country, in 
 the Lebanon, at Damascus, Baalbec, and Hasbeiejah. 
 
 These schools are a great blessing to the country. A 
 tJwroughly Christian tone pervades the teaching. They raise 
 the social condition of the women. They prepare for the 
 missionary, who finds his way to the parents through the 
 children. The American mission is strong in the country, 
 and one of the missionaries assured me that the Bowen 
 Thompson schools had been of incalculable service. That 
 work is carried on as a labour of love by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Mott and others, who devote their fortune and much 
 personal labour to the great object of winning souls to 
 CHRIST. It was a very pleasant sight to see this work, and 
 a privilege to encourage these excellent labourers. 
 
 In the same letter the Bishop thus speaks of the 
 tour made by himself and his companions in other 
 parts of Syria and Palestine : — 
 
350 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 From Beyrout we went to Zachleh, in the Lebanon, and 
 stayed with the teachers of one of the schools. In the 
 evening we had an open-air service, at which three hundred 
 adults were present, while I addressed them (through an in- 
 terpreter — one of the American missionaries) on the story 
 of the Syro-Phcenician woman. Some of them afterwards 
 appealed to me to send an English clergyman. 
 
 We went from thence to Baalbec, famous for its magni- 
 ficent remains of temples of Baal and the Sun. They are 
 of stupendous size and finely situated. Here also in the 
 evening I addressed about fifty native Christians. 
 
 We next visited Damascus, the oldest and one of the 
 most beautiful cities in the world, still retaining all its 
 Oriental characteristics, unaffected by modern innovations. 
 Here also a mission and schools are vigorously at work. I 
 preached in the Church Missionary Society's church on 
 Sunday, and was assisted by two English clergymen on 
 their travels. I also addressed a congregation of native 
 Christians in connexion with the American mission, and 
 told them something about Australia — a country of which 
 very few know anything at all. 
 
 The great Mosque of Damascus is one of the most 
 celebrated of the Mohammedan shrines. It was once the 
 Church of St. John. It contains the tomb of Saladin and 
 other Moslem heroes. We were five days at Damascus, 
 and returned to Beyrout for one day, and sailed from thence 
 to Haifa, on the south side of the Bay of Acre, and close 
 under Mount Carmel. 
 
 Here our tents and horses met us, and our Palestine 
 tour began. We went up Mount Carmel in the evening, 
 and the next day travelled along its base in the plain of 
 Acre, then ascended it again up the eastern extremity 
 where Elijah's sacrifice was offered, and crossing the plain 
 of Esdraelon, and toiling up a secluded valley, we reached 
 Nazareth. It is surrounded by hills. The inhabitants are 
 principally Moslem, some Greek and Latin Christians, 
 but no Jews. We remained over Sunday. There is a 
 
TOUR IN SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 351 
 
 Church mission here, and a beautiful church, in which I 
 preached. 
 
 The following day we went by Cana to Tiberias, by 
 way of Tabor, and thence to Samaria (Sebaste), to Nablouse 
 (Shcchem), Sychar (Jacob's Well), Bethel, and Jerusalem. 
 We remained six days in the Holy City — days full of deep 
 interest. The Dead Sea could not be visited, owing to the 
 disturbed state of the country. We had, however, a 
 beautiful view of it, and of the course of the Jordan, and of 
 the ' purple wall ' of the mountains of Moab, from Scopus, 
 one of the hills near the Mount of Olives. 
 
 We left Jerusalem for Jaffa, and slept at Ramleh by the 
 way. Many places famous in sacred story were passed by 
 us in our journey, which I cannot do more than name, e.g., 
 Endor, Nain, Shunem, Jezreel and Dothan, Mizpeh, 
 Shiloh, Ramah, and Gibeah of Saul. 
 
 The following interesting extract is taken from 
 the Bishop's journal : — 
 
 June 2nd. — About three miles from Joppa we passed 
 through the village of Beit Dejon, the Arabic for Beth 
 Dagon, the house of the Fish God of the Philistines. A 
 series of houses, villas, orchards, orangeries, and the rich 
 verdure produced by abundance of water, mark the ap- 
 proach to Joppa. The water is raised by a machine 
 worked by a mule. A cogwheel, which turns a larger one, 
 over which a rough rope made of branches carries a suc- 
 cession of buckets, and as these come to the surface they 
 empty themselves into the reservoir by which the garden 
 is supplied. 
 
 Joppa was reached at 9 a.m. We went to the 
 'Jerusalem' Hotel, kept by a German in the German 
 settlement. The Rev. Mr. Hall of the C.M.S. came to see 
 me. He and his wife are here for twelve months. He is 
 an excellent, devoted man, and has charge of schools here 
 and at Ramleh and Lydda. 
 
352 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 After settling with Hani, our dragoman, and making 
 some presents to the men, we rode to the place of em- 
 barkation. The gate of Joppa is very old, and the town 
 itself very picturesque. The only protection for boats is a 
 reef of rocks running parallel to the shore, within which 
 boats and small vessels can move up to a wharf. In bad 
 weather it is very dangerous, and many lives are lost. We 
 got safely away under Hani's charge, and soon found our- 
 selves on board Lloyd's Austrian steamer. 
 
 Thus ends our Syrian and Palestine journey, in which 
 we have had many mercies, being preserved from all evil, 
 able to carry out all our plans (except visiting the Dead 
 Sea), receiving the greatest kindness and attention every- 
 where. The reality of the places and persons of sacred 
 Scripture is, I think, one of the most interesting subjects of 
 reflection. How different is the conception one forms 
 of Carmel, Nazareth, Tiberias, and Jerusalem, while simply 
 reading of them, from the real image of the mountain, the 
 hills, the lake, and the city, when one has seen them ! 
 
 By the Austrian steamer they reached Port Said 
 on the morning of the 3rd of June. It was Sunday, 
 and a service was held at the Consulate by the 
 Bishop, assisted by the Revs. Knox-Little and 
 Murray. The next day they resumed their voyage 
 to England by the P. & O. Company's steamer 
 Sural, and arrived at Southampton on the morning 
 of Sunday, the 1 7th. Many warm friends gathered 
 round the Bishop when he reached London on the 
 2 1 st, to offer him their affectionate greetings and 
 hearty welcome. 
 
 It will be readily understood that the lively 
 interest in the British Syrian Schools which had 
 been produced by his visits to Beyrout, Damascus, 
 and other places, and his personal inspection and 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND. 
 
 353 
 
 examination of them could not cease on his arrival 
 in England. He felt deeply the importance and 
 value of the work, and was anxious not only for its 
 continuance but also for its extension. He saw how 
 helpful it would become in imparting true Gospel 
 light to Syria, and introducing pure Christianity into 
 districts where ignorance and superstition obscured 
 the true faith, or Moslem intolerance had hitherto 
 forbidden its entrance. Almost immediately after 
 his landing, he therefore began to make known to 
 his friends, and others who were willing to hear, 
 what he had seen and heard, that he might enlist 
 their sympathies and their help, and his efforts were 
 not without success. During the remainder of the 
 year also he continued to avail himself of such oppor- 
 tunities as offered of preaching, holding meetings, 
 and giving addresses on behalf of the schools. The 
 hands of those who were engaged in carrying on the 
 work were thus strengthened, and increased support 
 for it procured. It appeared to him, however, to be 
 further desirable that a Council of Reference, com- 
 posed of gentlemen of experience and influence, 
 should be initiated to assist with their advice the 
 ladies by whom the affairs of the mission were 
 managed. And towards the close of the year he 
 succeeded in procuring the establishment of such 
 a council. 
 
 But the affairs of his own diocese and of North 
 Queensland engaged his chief attention. With 
 regard to the latter, he made an early application to 
 the S. P.C. K. for assistance towards the mainten- 
 ance of the clergy who were required to labour 
 amongst the people. For his own diocese he also 
 
 A A 
 
354 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 asked for a small grant of 100/. per annum for three 
 years, towards the stipend of a clergyman to 
 act as inspector of the religious instruction in the 
 schools of the diocese, a request which was readily 
 granted. 
 
 Later in the year he again brought under the 
 notice of the S.P.G. the proposed bishopric of 
 Northern Queensland. He was now enabled to 
 state more forcibly, from his own observation, the 
 circumstances which rendered the formation of the 
 bishopric necessary, and the desire of the Church of 
 England residents to have a bishop set over them, 
 and also the amount which had been promised by 
 them and others towards the endowment. His 
 statement was received with much attention and 
 consideration. 
 
 While thus seeking assistance from the Society, 
 the Bishop was not backward in advocating its 
 claims upon the liberality of Churchmen in some of 
 the principal towns of the kingdom. The large 
 grants which the Society had made to the Diocese 
 of Sydney in times past, and to other Australian 
 dioceses, had been of the greatest service in their 
 days of feebleness, and had helped much in laying 
 the foundations of the Church in Australia. 
 
 The Lambeth or Pan-Anglican Conference 
 which had been postponed until the next year, was 
 now fixed for July the 2nd, 1878. And in the 
 month of August, the invitations to himself and the 
 other Australian bishops were sent to him as 
 Metropolitan by the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 with a request that he would forward them to the 
 several bishops in the Province of Australia. The 
 
BISHOP IN ENGLAND. 
 
 355 
 
 date now fixed for this Conference involved his 
 remaining in England longer than he had originally 
 contemplated. 
 
 His presence in England proved to be of great 
 advantage to his own diocese, in a matter which was 
 very important to its welfare. In consequence of 
 impaired health, the Principal of Moore College, the 
 Rev. R. L. King, felt it necessary to resign that 
 office which he had held for a period of ten years. 
 During that period he had devoted himself with 
 singleness of purpose and steadfastness of aim to 
 the training of the students committed to his 
 guidance, in such a manner as to render them com- 
 petent for their office, and faithful ministers of the 
 Church. And of those who had been so trained by 
 him, several had been admitted to Holy Orders, and 
 were filling the spheres to which they had been 
 appointed, with advantage to the Church and credit 
 to themselves. 
 
 Upon the receipt of Mr. King's resignation, the 
 Bishop put himself in communication with distin- 
 guished men in the English Universities, with a view 
 to the selection of a successor to this important post. 
 And he was happy in finding before the close of 
 the year one who was recommended by Professors 
 Lightfoot and Westcott, and Dr. Corrie, Master of 
 Jesus College, all of whom bore high testimony to 
 his character and attainments. This clergyman was 
 the Rev. A. Lukyn Williams, M.A., of Jesus College, 
 Cambridge. During his undergraduate course he 
 had obtained several prizes and scholarships which 
 were open to the University, and in the year 1875 a 
 first-class in the Theological Tripos. He had also 
 
356 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 been engaged in tuition in the subjects wherein he 
 had attained so much distinction. The Bishop was 
 glad to avail himself of the services of one so highly 
 recommended, and whom upon personal acquaint- 
 ance he judged to be well suited to the position, and 
 Mr. Williams readily accepted the offer which was 
 made to him by the Bishop on the part of the 
 trustees. The appointment was made ; but Mr. 
 Williams being unable to leave England for a few 
 months, did not enter upon his duties as Principal 
 until the August term of 1878. 
 
 Early in January, 1878, the Bishop began to take 
 more active measures with regard to the North 
 Queensland bishopric. The selection of a clergy- 
 man whom the Archbishop of Canterbury would 
 approve as possessing the qualifications required for 
 such a post, engaged his anxious thoughts, and led 
 him to institute many inquiries. Amongst others 
 whose names were mentioned with approval, was 
 the Rev. George H. Stanton, M.A., vicar of Holy 
 Trinity, St. Giles-in-the-Fields, London. And the 
 high testimonies given to his zeal, energy, and 
 consistency of life, his marked ability as a pastor, 
 his Evangelical principles, and the success which had 
 followed his labours in his parish, appeared to 
 point him out as specially fitted for the work which 
 lay before a bishop in that territory. When it was 
 ascertained that he would be willing to undertake 
 the office if he was duly called to it in the Provi- 
 dence of God, his name was submitted to the Arch- 
 bishop, and after careful inquiry received his Graces 
 approval. Mr. Stanton was from this time the 
 bishop-designate of the proposed see, but much 
 
MARRIAGE — . 
 
 ■RETURN TO SYDNEY. 
 
 357 
 
 remained to be done before he could be consecrated 
 in accordance with the Determination of the General 
 Synod. His consecration took place in St. Paul's 
 Cathedral on St. John the Baptist's Day, when he 
 was presented by the Bishop of Sydney, and solemnly 
 set apart as a bishop in the Church of God, Dr. 
 Maclagan being at the same time consecrated to be 
 Bishop of Lichfield, and Dr. Roberts, Bishop of 
 Nassau. It may be here stated without entering 
 into particulars, that it was deemed expedient in 
 constituting the diocese, to include in it only that 
 portion of Queensland which was north of the 
 Diocese of Brisbane, leaving this diocese in its 
 original dimensions. 
 
 On the 22nd of January in this year, 1878, the 
 Bishop of Sydney was married to Miss Mary Jane 
 Woods, daughter of Ed ward Woods, Esq.,of45 Onslow 
 Gardens, an event upon which the diocese as well as 
 himself might be congratulated, seeing that she pos- 
 sessed those qualities which enabled her to adorn the 
 position which she was thus called to occupy. 
 
 The month of July was fully occupied with the 
 Lambeth Conference, after which the Bishop pre- 
 pared to leave England on his return to the colony, 
 embarking in the Orient Company's steamer Chim- 
 borazo on September 2nd. He and Mrs. Barker 
 reached Sydney on the 21st October, and were 
 welcomed at a special thanksgiving service in the 
 cathedral on the following morning. After this the 
 Bishop held a reception in the Church Society's 
 House, which was largely attended by the clergy 
 and laity. At this reception the following address 
 signed by nearly every one of the clergy was 
 
358 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 presented to the Bishop by the Chancellor of the 
 diocese, Canon Allwood : — 
 
 My Lord, — We, the undersigned clergymen of your 
 diocese, beg to offer our cordial welcome to your lordship 
 and Mrs. Barker, and our thankfulness to Almighty God, 
 who has spared you to return to us with an increase of 
 health, experience, and domestic happiness. It is very 
 satisfactory to us to learn that the main object which your 
 lordship had so much at heart in your visit to England 
 has been accomplished, in the establishment of the 
 bishopric of Northern Queensland, and the appointment 
 of a bishop who seems to be so well adapted to the 
 work to which he has been called. 
 
 We earnestly pray that the important deliberations at 
 which your lordship assisted with the other bishops of the 
 Anglican Communion at Lambeth, may be blessed to the 
 edification and enlargement of the Church throughout the 
 world, and in giving new life and energy to the branch of 
 it of which we are members in this land. 
 
 In welcoming your return, we take the opportunity of 
 expressing what we feel will be very satisfactory to your 
 lordship, our grateful appreciation of the zeal, courtesy, 
 and constant readiness to assist his brethren, with which 
 the Very Reverend the Vicar-General has discharged the 
 duty entrusted to him during your lordship's absence. 
 
 In the month of August, acting under instructions 
 from the Bishop, the Vicar-General had issued 
 notices to the clergy that the Bishop would hold 
 Confirmations shortly after his return. And 
 having now been brought back in safety to his 
 diocese, he began as soon as practicable to carry 
 this intention into effect. 
 
 The Diocesan Synod was also summoned to meet 
 on December the 3rd, and on that day the session 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1878. 
 
 359 
 
 began, and was in several respects one of consider- 
 able importance. First, in regard to the information 
 which the Bishop gave with reference to his visit to 
 England, he said : — 
 
 It had been full of interest to himself, and not without 
 benefit to the Church in Australia. The event of principal 
 importance in which he had taken part, was the Conference 
 of one hundred bishops of the Anglican communion, invited 
 by the Archbishop of Canterbury to meet at Lambeth. Of 
 the proceedings, and the most important questions upon 
 which they had deliberated, and the conclusions at which 
 they had arrived, he gave a deeply interesting account, and 
 very pleasant it was to hear him say that, ' the harmony of 
 the meeting was never disturbed, and the union of spirit 
 was complete.' The establishment of the twelfth Australian 
 bishopric had also been accomplished, and he announced 
 this as a cause for much thankfulness. ' It had been,' he 
 said, 'for some years an object of much solicitude, and he 
 was grateful to Almighty God for his having been enabled 
 to witness its accomplishment.' 
 
 Referring to the progress of the Sydney Diocese, 
 the Bishop pointed out, 
 
 that there had been a considerable increase in the 
 number of the clergy. The clergy list showed that during 
 the last twenty months eighteen had been added to the 
 previous number, of whom six had arrived from England, 
 eight from other dioceses, and four had been ordained for 
 the diocese. In the same period four had died, and five 
 had left the diocese. The gain to the diocese was, there- 
 fore, nine, and these at Christmas would be increased to 
 twelve, the total number being then ninety. The principal 
 churches in Sydney were now provided with curates, eight 
 in number, which would presently be increased to ten. In 
 other respects also, as in the erection of churches and 
 parsonages, Church work had been and was going forward. 
 
360 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 It was no doubt much to be desired that the 
 number of the clergy should be still further increased, 
 with a view to the more effectual administration of 
 the parishes in the city and suburbs, and the increase 
 of means of grace. And upon this point an emphatic 
 declaration was made by the Synod in this session at 
 the instance of one of its leading members. But it 
 has always been found much easier to assert this as 
 a proposition, than to give practical effect to the 
 assertion. The colonial youth have not yet been 
 attracted in any considerable number to the ministry 
 of the Word, and other suitable candidates who are 
 not colonial are comparatively few. Various causes 
 have been suggested for this, but whatever the 
 causes may be the fact is undeniable. It may, 
 however, be hoped that in the future, when the 
 claims of Christ's service shall be more fully realised, 
 and the value of souls and the privilege of being 
 engaged in leading them to salvation more highly 
 estimated, the case will be altered. Until these 
 higher motives prevail more widely, and are more 
 forcibly felt by parents and children, the various 
 attractions of other more lucrative professions, or of 
 easier modes of life, will, in all likelihood, prevent 
 any material and proportionate increase in the 
 colonial candidates for Holy Orders. 
 
 In this session the first step was taken in the 
 way of a more systematic effort to impart religious 
 instruction to the Church of England children 
 attending the public schools. It was strongly felt 
 that to do this as it ought to be done was more 
 than the clergy, singlehanded, were able to accom- 
 plish, weighted as they were with other claims upon 
 
RELIGIOUS TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 36 1 
 
 their time. And yet, as the population was in- 
 creasing and public schools multiplied, there were 
 increasing numbers in these schools growing up 
 without that special Christian teaching which they 
 ought to receive. In the conviction that some 
 further and better provision for this end was re- 
 quired, the following resolution was submitted to 
 the Synod and unanimously adopted : — 
 
 That in the opinion of this Synod the great importance 
 of imparting religious instruction to the young in public 
 schools now spread so widely throughout the diocese, 
 renders it necessary that some more effectual steps should 
 be taken for imparting such instruction at the times 
 sanctioned by the Public Schools Act. 
 
 As a sequence to this, another resolution was 
 adopted appointing a committee to consider and 
 report to the next session of the Synod the best 
 mode of giving effect to the foregoing. The Synod 
 was adjourned on the 6th of December. 
 
 The fourth Provincial Synod was summoned to 
 meet on the 10th, in accordance with the constitu- 
 tions, and at the appointed hour the Bishop of 
 Sydney and a few other members were present. 
 The Bishop took the chair, but as, after waiting for 
 half an hour as prescribed by the constitutions, a 
 quorum was not formed, he declared the Synod to 
 have lapsed, but at the same time signified his 
 intention to summon it again to meet in the month 
 of July, 1879. 
 
 During the first five months of the year 1879 
 the Bishop was occupied, as much as other duties 
 would permit, in visiting and holding Confirmations 
 
362 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 throughout the diocese. He also held two ordi- 
 nations within that period, one in Lent, the other 
 on Trinity Sunday. 
 
 On April nth he had the pleasure of welcoming 
 the Bishop of North Queensland on his way to the 
 newly-created diocese, and on the next • day the 
 Bishop of Brisbane, whose duties as President of 
 the Executive Committee of the Board of Missions 
 had brought him to Sydney. The meeting of the 
 three bishops w r as gratifying to them all, and not 
 least to him who was as yet an entire stranger to 
 the new conditions under which he was soon to 
 labour. 
 
 An opportunity was afforded in the Easter week 
 of tendering to the Bishop of North Queensland on 
 the part of the Church in Sydney an expression of 
 sympathy with him in his work, and prayers for its 
 success. A public meeting in connexion with the 
 Australian Board of Missions, largely representing 
 the laity and clergy, and presided over by the 
 Metropolitan, was held on Thursday evening in that 
 week ; and after the proper business of the meeting 
 was concluded, a resolution was proposed and unani- 
 mously adopted congratulating the Church upon the 
 appointment of the new bishop, and pledging the 
 meeting to hearty co-operation with him in any 
 missionary work which might be carried on under 
 his direction amongst the Aborigines or the Chinese 
 immigrants in his diocese. And on the day following 
 a large number of the clergy and their wives were 
 invited by the Bishop and Mrs. Barker to meet him 
 at Bishopscourt. In the course of the afternoon 
 Bishop Stanton, at the request of the Bishop of 
 
BISHOP OF NORTH QUEENSLAND. 
 
 3^3 
 
 Sydney, gave a short address to the assembled 
 company referring to the work in which he was 
 about to engage. 
 
 The Diocesan Synod met this year on June the 
 24th. From the statement made by the President, 
 it appeared that three new churches had been opened 
 in country districts and arrangements made for 
 commencing three more ; that two previously built 
 had been consecrated, which implied that the cost of 
 their erection had been fully met, as by the rule 
 which the Bishop always observed no church was 
 consecrated until it was free from debt ; that in 
 Sydney one of the churches had been enlarged, and 
 another was undergoing the same process, thus in- 
 creasing the accommodation for worshippers ; that in 
 a suburban parish a parsonage had been provided at 
 the sole cost of one noble-minded Churchman, and 
 in the country another mainly by the efforts of the 
 parishioners, but with some aid from the Church 
 Society ; that two others had been enlarged, and 
 preparations made for the commencement of two 
 more ; that the number of parishes in the diocese 
 was sixty -six, and when the parsonages in pro- 
 gress were completed there would be only four 
 parishes in which parsonages or residences for the 
 clergy were not provided ; that two new parochial 
 districts had been formed by subdivision and re- 
 arrangement of others; and that the number of the 
 clergy had slightly increased, there being now ninety- 
 two. These matters were noticed as encouraging 
 tokens of progress. 
 
 The principal business to which the attention of 
 the Synod was directed was that brought before it 
 
364 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 by the Committee on Religious Instruction in Public 
 Schools, which had been appointed in the previous 
 session to consider and report upon that subject. 
 When the report was brought up and received by 
 the Synod, the following method was taken in dealing 
 with it. Certain resolutions were framed, embodying 
 the recommendations of the Committee, which were 
 submitted seriatim to the Synod for discussion. In 
 the discussion which ensued they were fully ex- 
 amined and debated, and eventually adopted by the 
 Synod. They were in substance these. The first 
 affirmed the importance of the religious instruction 
 of Church of England children attending the State 
 public schools; that such instruction should be syste- 
 matic and regular, and that with this view a scheme 
 of religious instruction should be sanctioned and 
 authorised by the Bishop for the use of those who 
 gave the instruction. The second invited the 
 general co-operation of the clergy in the work. 
 The third was in the form of a suggestion that the 
 parishes should be asked to assist in providing pecu- 
 niary help. The fourth pointed to the sources to 
 which the clergy might look for aid in giving the 
 instruction required, partly voluntary and partly 
 salaried teachers, both male and female. The fifth 
 appointed a committee to work out the scheme. 
 The sixth recommended the holding of yearly ex- 
 aminations of the scholars to whom the instruction 
 was given, and prizes for proficiency in the subjects 
 taught. 
 
 The adoption of these resolutions by the Synod 
 was viewed by the Bishop with much satisfaction, 
 and it marked an important stage in the Church's 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1879. 
 
 365 
 
 arrangements for securing religious instruction to a 
 large number of her youthful members. The Bishop 
 had long felt and had often spoken strongly upon 
 the great importance of imparting to them such in- 
 struction, and not without effect. The clergy in some 
 parishes were doing all that they could to supply 
 the want ; but now that the Church in its Diocesan 
 Synod had given its deliberate sanction to the pro- 
 posed plans for more systematic action, he looked 
 forward with stronger hope to their being carried 
 into effect. The benefits would in time reach 
 thousands of children who at present were without 
 any instruction of a specially Christian character, 
 although books of extracts from the Bible were 
 appointed to be read in the schools by the senior 
 classes in the daily course of lessons. 
 
 There were, no doubt, some who thought that 
 the course of action thus resolved upon by the Synod, 
 and approved by the Bishop, implied indifference to 
 the schools which were under the more immediate 
 charge of the parochial clergy, but this was by no 
 means the case. And when the Provincial Synod 
 met later in the year, the Bishop took the opportunity 
 of declaring his unabated preference for such schools, 
 and his anxiety for the preservation of those which 
 were in existence. 
 
 The subject of primary education was then en- 
 gaging an unusual amount of public attention. The 
 agitation for a purely secular system was still being 
 carried on. The press was to a large extent in the 
 hands of those who were unfavourable to denomina- 
 tional schools, as maintained or assisted by the 
 State, and there was a large number of persons in 
 
366 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 the community who, from their strong aversion to 
 Romanism, strenuously advocated the withdrawal of 
 State aid from all denominational schools, because 
 they thought it wrong to extend it to those of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. This feeling had also 
 become greatly intensified by the publication of 
 certain pastoral letters by the Roman Catholic 
 Archbishop, in which, while denouncing the public 
 schools in most unmeasured terms, he put forth 
 claims on behalf of his Church which were calculated 
 to provoke the strongest opposition. In such cir- 
 cumstances as these the Bishop of Sydney felt 
 himself called upon to speak his sentiments in no 
 equivocal or hesitating language. The following 
 quotations from his opening address to the Provincial 
 Synod, which met on the 9th of September, will 
 suffice to show that there was no change on his 
 part from the views he had advocated in former 
 years. 
 
 I have always regarded, and still do regard, religious 
 education in Church of England schools as of the greatest 
 value to the child and to the State. The defects of the 
 public school system may to a certain extent be met and 
 supplied by such voluntary efforts as we are preparing to 
 make in this (Sydney) diocese. But the absence of prayer, 
 the exclusion of the Scriptures, as a book to be read and 
 explained by the teacher, and the entire separation of the 
 religious from the secular instruction, are very grave 
 omissions. In a well-conducted Church of England school 
 the proceedings commence with a hymn and prayer ; the 
 Bible is the first book read ; religious instruction is given 
 by the teacher or by the clergyman, whose influence is on 
 the side of order, reverence, and submission to authority. 
 The relative duties are enforced upon the basis of the fear 
 
PROVINCIAL SYNOD, 1879. 
 
 367 
 
 of GOD and the love of CHRIST. There are many persons 
 in this community who owe all their hopes of heaven as 
 well as their well-being in this life to the principles incul- 
 cated by the clergy in Church of England schools. Can it 
 be a matter of wonder that we are unwilling to change these 
 seminaries of sound religious knowledge for the prayerless, 
 scriptureless secular school ? .... I shall never cease to 
 oppose the abandonment of our own Church of England 
 schools, and shall always regard such an act as a misfortune 
 when inevitable, and extremely mischievous at the present 
 
 juncture The two questions of the claims of the Church 
 
 of Rome and the merits of the denominational schools are 
 quite distinct. And it appears to me that a great mistake 
 will be made if, by opposing those claims, the schools are 
 withdrawn from Government inspection and control in the 
 appointment and character of the teachers. If the present 
 agitation should eventually lead to the withdrawal of aid 
 from denominational schools, this result will follow. 
 
 Before concluding his remarks he put forth the 
 following emphatic declaration. 
 
 Education, to deserve the name, should be of the whole 
 man — body, soul, and spirit. And as I believe that we of 
 the Church of England in this colony are in a position to 
 train up good citizens, intelligent Christians, and attached 
 members of our own communion by means of our own 
 schools, I feel bound by every tie of patriotism, Christianity, 
 and Churchmanship, to maintain these schools in existence 
 and increased efficiency. 
 
 These sentiments were warmly echoed by the 
 Provincial Synod in resolutions which it adopted by 
 a majority of more than four-fifths of the members, 
 after an interesting and able discussion extending 
 over three days. The resolution which formed the 
 basis of the discussion was : — 
 
 That this Synod expresses its satisfaction with the 
 
368 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 utterances of the President on the subject of primary educa- 
 tion in Church schools, and trusts that the members of the 
 Church will support him in giving effect thereto. 
 
 It was, however, felt as the debate proceeded, 
 that something more was needed to express fully the 
 views of the large majority of the Synod, and the 
 following words were therefore added : — 
 
 And further deprecates any alteration in the Public 
 Schools Act which may injuriously affect the maintenance 
 of denominational schools, wherever practicable, or lead to 
 the withdrawal of any of the facilities for religious instruction 
 in public schools at present afforded by the Act. 
 
 A second resolution was, that a Committee be 
 appointed to give practical effect to the foregoing 
 resolution and to co-operate with the members of the 
 Church of England outside the Synod in securing 
 the maintenance of the rights of the Church in 
 respect of its schools. And a third resolution con- 
 stituted the Committee. 
 
 It was not unreasonable to hope that such an 
 expression of opinion would have had some weight 
 with the Government in framing the measures which 
 they were about to adopt for the settlement of the 
 education question, and with the Parliament in 
 dealing with the Government proposals. But neither 
 this nor any other representations which were sub- 
 sequently made by public meetings or petitions 
 availed to preserve the denominational schools 
 from being discarded by the State. A new Educa- 
 tional Bill was framed by the Colonial Secretary 
 and submitted to the Parliament, in one of the clauses 
 of which it was enacted that at the end of three years 
 
PUBLIC EDUCATION ACT. 369 
 
 after the passing of the Bill all aid to denominational 
 schools should cease. Upon this, a public meeting 
 of members of the Church of England was convened 
 to hear an address from their Bishop upon the pro- 
 posed destruction of Church of England schools, and 
 the necessity for maintaining them under the exist- 
 ing law. The meeting was large, influential, and 
 thoroughly in earnest. The Bishop delivered an 
 able and exhaustive address, at the close of which a 
 resolution was carried, with only one dissentient, 
 deprecating the withdrawal of State aid from denomi- 
 national schools, and pledging the meeting to resist 
 the measure before Parliament. A Committee was 
 also appointed, which included many influential and 
 leading citizens, to carry out the objects of the meet- 
 ing. Subsequently to this, other meetings were 
 held, and petitions from the Bishop himself, and 
 from the bishop, clergy, and laity, were presented 
 to Parliament, urging upon various grounds that 
 denominational schools should still form part of 
 the educational system of the colony. 
 
 All these efforts, however, proved unavailing to 
 stem the current which had set in against them. 
 Partly from a change of opinion in those who were 
 now the leaders of the Government, and partly, it was 
 said, from the attitude assumed and the claims set 
 up by the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the obnoxious 
 measure, after the lapse of a few months, was carried 
 through both Houses of the Legislature, and being 
 assented to by the Governor, became law. There 
 was, however, a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction 
 that so little regard had been shown to the conscien- 
 tious convictions and wishes of a very large number of 
 
 B B 
 
37o 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 the colonists who, from the efforts which they had 
 made to advance the education of the colony, felt 
 that they had some right to be considered. The 
 Bishop regarded it not merely as a loss to the Church 
 but to the community, seeing that it was, as he said, 
 ■ a loss of that moral and spiritual influence which had 
 hitherto been employed in moulding the character 
 of the rising generation.' And it was his deliberate 
 opinion, which he had expressed openly in his public 
 speeches, that it was also 'politically a serious mistake, 
 and that it would be a source of trouble and danger 
 in the future.' ' 
 
 It was, however, some consolation that the public 
 schools would not, as in the adjoining colonies, wholly 
 exclude religious teaching, and that the opportu- 
 nities which had hitherto been afforded to the clergy 
 and other religious teachers of imparting special 
 religious instruction to the children of their respective 
 communions would be still continued. This was 
 probably due in a great measure to the battle which 
 had been fought in favour of religious education, and 
 to the proofs which had been given that a purely 
 secular system was at variance with the general 
 sentiments of the colonists. 
 
37i 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 1 979-1 88 r. 
 
 Twenty-fifth Year of Episcopate— Address of Clergy— Memorial Fund 
 established — Excessive Work and Anxiety— Church and School 
 Lands — Tokens of Progress in Diocese — License refused to a 
 Clergyman — Diocesan Synod, 1880— Report on Sunday Schools — 
 Report ordered on Progress of Diocese in Twenty-five Years — 
 Raikes' Centenary — Arrival of Bishop of Newcastle — Twenty- 
 sixth Anniversary — Serious Illness, Partial Recovery — Departure 
 for England, 1 88 r — Letter to Clergy — Voyage and Arrival in 
 England — San Remo — General Synod in Sydney, 1 88 1 — Letter 
 from Members of General Synod and Bishop's Reply. 
 
 The 30th of November, 1879, marked the close of 
 the twenty-fifth year of the Bishop's episcopate. 
 Falling on Advent Sunday, it passed without any 
 special recognition of a diocesan character ; but on 
 the following day a large number of the clergy 
 assembled in the Church Society's House to present 
 to him an address of congratulation, and to express 
 the sentiments of affection and esteem with which he 
 was regarded by them and the clergy of the diocese, 
 nearly every one of whom had attached their signa- 
 tures to the address. As an historical document, it 
 is given without abbreviation ; it was as follows : — 
 
 To the Right Reverend Father in God, Frederic, 
 Lord Bishop of Sydney and Metropolitan. 
 
 Dear Lord Bishop, — We, the undersigned clergy of 
 your lordship's diocese, desire, upon the twenty-fifty anni- 
 
372 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER, 
 
 versary of your consecration to the high office which you 
 hold, to give expression to those sentiments of warm attach- 
 ment and affectionate regard which we entertain towards 
 you, and to record our deep thankfulness to the Great 
 Head of the Church for having preserved you so long to 
 preside over us. 
 
 When we look back to the condition of the diocese at 
 the time when it was entrusted to your care, and reflect 
 upon the manifold progress of the Church within it during 
 that period, and upon the efforts made by you to promote 
 its spiritual advancement, we cannot but feel how much is 
 due, under the Divine blessing, to your wisdom and energy, 
 your zeal and prudence, for the position which it now 
 occupies, and for its having surmounted so many difficulties. 
 
 By the establishment of the Church Society soon after 
 your arrival, an impulse was given to Church extension 
 which was felt to the remotest parts of your diocese, and its 
 agency ever since has been productive of the most valuable 
 results. 
 
 The creation of the Dioceses of Goulburn and Bathurst 
 by the subdivision of your own — thus following in the steps 
 of your revered predecessor, Bishop Broughton — and more 
 recently the formation of the Diocese of Northern Queens- 
 land, are important features in the work which you have 
 been instrumental in accomplishing. The necessity for 
 these bishoprics had arisen from the growth of the Church 
 under your fostering care, and the requirement of a more 
 effective oversight of the increasing number of clergy and 
 congregations located in places so remote from the centre. 
 The attainment of these great objects owes much to your 
 own personal and persevering efforts. 
 
 The introduction of synodical action, by which the laity 
 have been brought into the councils of the Church, and its 
 successful working under your lordship's wise and fatherly 
 guidance, is another important event by which your episco- 
 pate has been distinguished. 
 
 The completion and consecration of the cathedral, its 
 
ADDRESS OF CLERGY. 
 
 373 
 
 constitution having been previously determined by the 
 Diocesan Synod, the provision made for the training of 
 the clergy with a view to securing an adequate supply, 
 with other measures minor in importance, but all tending 
 to the upbuilding of the Church of which you are the chief 
 pastor, may be referred to, but upon them we do not 
 dwell. 
 
 We rejoice to know that, in grateful commemoration of 
 the benefits derived from your lordship's presidency over 
 us, a movement has been commenced for the establishment 
 of a fund to be .called, 4 The Church Buildings' Loan Fund 
 for the Diocese of Sydney.' We assure you that this fund 
 has our hearty sympathy and our best endeavours will be 
 given to render it successful. 
 
 In conclusion, we earnestly pray that the great and 
 gracious Master whom we serve in the Gospel may be 
 pleased yet more abundantly to prosper your labours for 
 the edifying of His Church, and to grant to your lordship 
 and ourselves such measures of His grace that we may be 
 ever found striving together for the advancement of truth, 
 peace, and godliness to the glory of His holy name. 
 
 We remain, dear Lord Bishop, 
 
 With strong feelings of regard and esteem, 
 
 Your faithful and affectionate servants. 
 
 The fund spoken of in the latter part of this 
 address was initiated shortly after in a meeting of 
 clergy and laity convened for that purpose in the 
 Church Society's House. At that meeting the 
 sentiments expressed in the address from the clergy, 
 were warmly reciprocated by the laity, and a reso- 
 lution was unanimously adopted, — 'That a fund, to be 
 called the Barker Church Buildings' Loan Fund, be 
 established in commemoration of the completion of 
 the twenty-fifth year of the Bishop's episcopate, and 
 the benefits conferred upon the diocese thereby.' 
 
374 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The principle of the fund was to make loans to 
 parishes for limited periods upon approved security, 
 for the purpose of aiding them in the erection of 
 Churches and other Church buildings, repayment to 
 be made by instalments, without interest, at regular 
 intervals until the whole sum borrowed had been re- 
 turned. The fund has proved to be of great value 
 to the Church. Numerous loans have been thus 
 made, and the amounts have been regularly repaid 
 as they became due without any losses incurred. 
 The peculiarity of the fund is that it is always 
 enriching others, itself undergoing no diminution. 
 Practically it gives largely, yet loses nothing by 
 giving. In September, 1887, the fund amounted to 
 9349^- 
 
 The year 1880 proved to be the last of the 
 Bishop's active service for his heavenly Master, and 
 the record of that year's service, month by month 
 and week by week, shows both the extent and 
 variety of his engagements and the untiring assiduity 
 of his labours. With the exception of a partial rest 
 of not quite three weeks in the Kurrajong with 
 Mrs. Barker in the months of January and February, 
 he appears to have taken no other relaxation 
 throughout the year, and there can scarcely be a 
 doubt that the complete breakdown of his health at 
 the close of the year was the natural consequence of 
 the too severe strain which had been put upon his 
 physical and mental powers. 
 
 In the early part of the year the Public Instruction 
 Act was still under discussion in the Legislature, and 
 he bestowed upon it much time and attention in the 
 hope of saving the Church of England schools from 
 
CHURCH AND SCHOOL LANDS. 375 
 
 extinction. With the clergy and laity who were 
 anxious for their preservation he held many meetings 
 and conferences, and was engaged in endeavours to 
 secure this end, though with how little success has 
 been already told, and it was no small discourage- 
 ment and anxiety to him when the final decision of the 
 Parliament was pronounced against the continuance 
 after the year 1883 of State aid to denominational 
 schools. It was discouraging, because of the special 
 efforts which he had made to improve the quality 
 and raise the standard of teaching in those schools 
 in the expectation of their being permanent ; and a 
 source of anxiety, because of the loss which would 
 be incurred by the young in being deprived of the 
 privileges of religious training which they had 
 hitherto enjoyed. 
 
 There was another question which, at this time, 
 was also a source of anxiety to him, and which, 
 notwithstanding all the efforts which he made, with 
 the advice of the Standing Committee of the Synod, 
 was decided in a manner which he could not 
 consider either equitable or just. It was the 
 disposal of certain lands known as the Church and 
 School Lands, from which the Church of England 
 in the colony, in common with some other religious 
 bodies, derived an annual revenue. A Bill had been 
 brought into the Legislative Assembly to declare 
 these lands waste lands of the Crown, and to appro- 
 priate the income derived from them to purposes of 
 public education. 
 
 In order to elucidate the claim of the Church to 
 a portion of the revenue derived from the leases of 
 these lands, it is necessary to state that in the year 
 
3/6 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 1826 the Crown created a Corporation in the colony, 
 with the object, as stated in the Letters Patent, of 
 making provision for the maintenance of religion 
 and the education of the youth of the colony. The 
 Corporation was for this purpose to cultivate and 
 improve such lands as were granted to it — some 
 portions of which might also be sold or leased by 
 the Corporation ; and it was annually to devote one 
 moiety of the net proceeds of the cultivation, lease, 
 or sale to the building and repairing of churches and 
 schoolhouses, and the further improvement of the 
 lands granted, and the other moiety to the support 
 of the clergy of the Church of England and the 
 support of schools and schoolmasters of that Church. 
 The Letters Patent contained a clause providing, if 
 necessary, for the dissolution of the Corporation, in 
 which case all the lands which had been granted to 
 it were to revert to the Crown, subject to existing 
 contracts, and to be disposed of in such a manner as 
 might appear to the Crown most conducive to the 
 maintenance and promotion of religion and to the 
 education of the youth of the colony. 
 
 In the year 1833 the Crown exercised its re- 
 served power and dissolved the Corporation. At 
 this time about 420,000 acres of land had been, by a 
 grant from the Crown, vested in the Corporation in 
 express terms for the purpose of making provision 
 for the promotion of religion and the education of 
 youth in the colony. It was contended that, 
 although these lands had reverted to the Crown 
 upon the dissolution of the Corporation, yet the 
 Crown held them as a trustee upon the trusts 
 mentioned in the grant ; and such was the 
 
CHURCH AND SCHOOL LANDS. 
 
 377 
 
 unanimous decision of the judges of the Supreme 
 Court in 1864, when the matter was formally 
 submitted to them for legal determination. 
 
 In the disposal of the revenues derived from 
 these lands, the Crown saw fit to distribute 
 them amongst the four principal religious bodies 
 in the colony — the Church of England, the Roman 
 Catholic Church, the Presbyterians, and the 
 Wesleyans — in proportions relative to the number 
 of their adherents. The Church of England re- 
 ceived the largest share, owing to the larger number 
 of its members ; and although at first the amount 
 was not great, the revenue was increasing, and was 
 capable, by good management, of becoming much 
 greater. 
 
 It was now, however, proposed by the Bill above 
 mentioned, to deprive the Church of England, and 
 the other religious bodies, of this inheritance. To 
 this, which he considered an unrighteous attempt, 
 the Bishop, with the Standing Committee, felt it to 
 be their duty to offer the most strenuous opposition. 
 Petitions against the Bill were presented to the 
 Legislature, and by the advice of the Standing Com- 
 mittee counsel was employed to show cause against 
 it at the Bar of the Assembly ; but no arguments, 
 however weighty or clearly stated, made any im- 
 pression upon those who had made up their minds 
 that every shred of State aid should be withdrawn 
 from religion, and this was the line of policy which 
 had been taken up by the majority in both Houses of 
 the Legislature. The Bill, therefore, passed without 
 difficulty, but as from its character it required the 
 special assent of the Crown before it could become 
 
3/3 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 law, the Bishop was advised by the Standing 
 Committee to petition that this sanction might be 
 withheld. The Bishop petitioned accordingly, but 
 the appeal was ineffectual, and the necessary 
 sanction was given. He had, however, the satis- 
 faction of having performed what he considered 
 to be his duty to the Church, and, as he had been 
 unsuccessful, the loss of this source of revenue 
 formed an additional claim upon the people for 
 their voluntary offerings towards the support and 
 extension of Christian belief and Christian worship 
 in the land. 
 
 By way of counterpoise, several marks of 
 progress in the diocese were particularly notice- 
 able at this time. One was the re-establishment 
 of the Church of England Temperance Society 
 upon a broader basis and with more encouraging 
 prospects. Such a Society had been formed in 
 1874, but it met with small success. A fresh 
 beginning was now made upon the same dual basis 
 as that of the Society in England, and within 
 a short period affiliated societies were formed in 
 eight of the city parishes ; and on May the 2nd, in 
 more than thirty churches of the diocese, the 
 objects and claims of the Society were set forth 
 by the clergy; and eight public meetings tiad also 
 been held. 
 
 There was progress also in the formation of new 
 parochial districts, three having been formed, and 
 clergymen appointed to them in the vicinity of 
 Sydney. In these, temporary churches were erected, 
 Sunday schools formed, and spiritual influences 
 brought to bear upon the people. A mission, too, to 
 
PROGRESS IN DIOCESE. 
 
 379 
 
 seamen visiting the Port of Sydney was commenced 
 — the majority of such seamen belonging, it was 
 said, to the Church of England, and preferring her 
 services. It was supposed by some that this mission 
 would interfere with another which had been in 
 existence for many years, but the shipping of the 
 port had vastly increased, and there was room 
 and need for both. The Church of England 
 Mission was one heartily welcomed by the sailors in 
 Her Majesty's navy as well as in merchantmen. 
 The establishment of it was the realisation of a 
 desire long cherished by the Bishop, and which, at 
 an earlier period, he had made some earnest efforts 
 to accomplish. 
 
 The mission also to the Chinese in Sydney and 
 its suburbs, which had been commenced in the 
 previous year, was now beginning to bear fruit. In 
 Sydney there were about a thousand Chinese resi- 
 dents, and about five hundred in the suburbs. 
 Amongst these the Chinese missionary was at work 
 daily, visiting them in their abodes, and speaking to 
 them of Christ and His Gospel. On Sunday he 
 gathered as many as could be persuaded to come to 
 hear of sin and salvation. In Sydney a congrega- 
 tion of seventy or eighty was assembled in St. 
 Andrew's Schoolhouse on Sunday evening, and also 
 at Botany in the Church of England Schoolhouse. 
 The number of hearers at both places amounted to 
 about a hundred or a hundred and twenty, and of 
 these the missionary regarded six or seven as 
 earnest inquirers. These were, subsequently, bap- 
 tized and confirmed. 
 
 A circumstance occurred about this time which 
 
380 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 formed the subject of correspondence between the 
 Bishop and a few Churchmen. It is mentioned 
 for the purpose of placing on record the principles 
 upon which the Bishop deemed it his duty to act in 
 a case of the kind in question. A clergyman, who 
 had some time before been a curate in the diocese, 
 but had left and gone to England, returned to the 
 colony, and applied to the Bishop for a license and 
 employment. The Bishop declined to give him either, 
 upon the distinct ground that he had become a mem- 
 ber of the English Church Union. A memorial was 
 then addressed to the Bishop, asking him to recon- 
 sider his decision. This the Bishop informed the 
 memorialists he was unable to do so long as the 
 clergyman continued his membership with the Eng- 
 lish Church Union. In a letter to the father of the 
 clergyman, who also had written to the Bishop, he 
 informed him that, although he was unable to grant 
 a license, he would offer no objection to his son's 
 officiating in his diocese without a license, during the 
 year which he purposed remaining in the colony. 
 In justification of his action in declining to give 
 a license, the Bishop thus expressed himself to the 
 memorialists : — 
 
 The comprehensiveness of the Church of England is as 
 dear to me as to any one, but this comprehensiveness must 
 have limits, defined by the law of the Church and by the 
 Book of Common Prayer. The English Church Union 
 appears to me to have not only exceeded those limits, but 
 to have entered upon a course of extreme lawlessness. 
 
 The prominent leaders are joining in a movement 
 which, in the language of the Archbishop of Canterbury — 
 ' seeks the restoration of the Eucharistic vestments, the use 
 
LICENSE REFUSED TO A CLERGYMAN. 38 1 
 
 of incense and lighted candles in the daytime, the offering 
 of the Holy Sacrament as a propitiatory sacrifice, and 
 the elevation of the consecrated elements for the worship 
 of the people, and, if possible, to obliterate every trace of 
 the Reformation.' 
 
 Further than this, I regard the recent action of the 
 Church Union in upholding a London clergyman in his 
 defiance of law and order as wholly unjustifiable. 
 
 The clergyman in question not only refuses to submit to 
 the decision of the High Courts of Judicature by which he 
 has been condemned, but to the sentence of his diocesan, 
 by his refusal to recognise the clergyman sent by the bishop 
 to occupy his place when suspended from his cure. This 
 lawlessness the Church Union commends and supports. 
 
 With reference to such proceedings, I unhesitatingly 
 adopt the language of the late Bishop of St. David's : — 1 1 
 think that no Churchman who does not desire the sub- 
 version of our Reformed Church, and its final absorption 
 into the Church of Rome, can too deeply distrust, or too 
 strenuously oppose, its proceedings.' 
 
 I distrust and oppose the Church Union, and consider 
 that any one who has formerly been induced to join it, 
 should show his distrust of it, and his attachment to our 
 Reformed Church, by withdrawing from it., There are not 
 wanting examples of such conduct. 
 
 It is thus evident that it was not because the 
 clergyman in question ' belonged to a school of 
 thought which the Bishop did not approve ' that he 
 refused his license, but because he was a member of 
 a religious body which the Bishop, in common with 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops of 
 the Church, regarded as dangerous and hostile to the 
 Reformed Church of England. 
 
 The Synod of the diocese met in annual session 
 on the 22nd of June, and heard from the Bishop 
 
3 82 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 what proved to be the last address he was permitted 
 to deliver to it. The matters upon which he spoke 
 were various, but chiefly related to the affairs of the 
 diocese. The new Public Instruction Act, with its 
 consequences to the Church of England schools, was 
 the first topic upon which he dwelt, and in further 
 confirmation of the light in which he regarded that 
 portion of it which withdrew public aid from those 
 schools, the following paragraph may be quoted : — 
 
 Against this measure I have never ceased to protest, 
 and my opinion of its injustice and impolicy remains 
 unchanged. And I fully believe that its injurious effects 
 upon the character of the people will be increasingly 
 manifest. The religious instruction given in numerous 
 Church of England schools will cease, by reason of the 
 abolition of the schools in country districts. The Church 
 of Rome will ultimately receive no injury from the with- 
 drawal of Parliamentary grants ; on the contrary, its schools, 
 conducted by teachers of religious character, subject to no 
 inspection or Government control, and in which no con- 
 science clause will be allowed, but where every pupil will 
 be required to learn all Roman doctrines taught therein, 
 will become more intensely sectarian than ever, and will 
 bring a vastly increased influence to bear upon the destinies 
 of the country. In this respect the effects of the Act will 
 be exactly the contrary to that intended by many of its 
 promoters, who in truth will be playing into the hands of 
 those whom they desired to injure. 
 
 Although thus expressing himself, the Bishop 
 stated that he was thankful for the privileges retained 
 by the Act in the provision made for giving special 
 religious instruction by a clergyman or other autho- 
 rised teachers during one hour of the day. Of this he 
 said: — 'It is one of the principal means whereby 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1880. 
 
 the entire secularization of the public schools may 
 be averted.' 
 
 The desire to turn the advantage thus accorded 
 to practical use led him to urge upon the lay- 
 members of the Synod their obligation to supply the 
 means for carrying into effect the scheme which had 
 been already approved and sanctioned for imparting 
 religious instruction in the schools, and upon the 
 clergy to give their time and influence to promote its 
 success. It was objected by some that it was un- 
 necessary, as the Sunday schools would supply the 
 teaching which was required. To these his reply 
 was : — 
 
 I am far from thinking that Sunday schools can 
 supply the religious instruction which is required. Great 
 numbers of scholars in the public schools are not to be 
 found in Sunday schools, and, besides that, many of the 
 teachers in Sunday schools are young and inexperienced 
 persons. 
 
 Another topic in his address was the increasing 
 demands for the supply of the means of grace by the 
 growing population in some of the suburbs, upon 
 which he grounded a claim for more general and 
 liberal support to the Church Society ; he said : — 
 
 I have repeatedly urged the claims of the Society 
 upon the sympathy and aid of all the members of the 
 Church of England. I maintain that whatever else any 
 member of the Church is supporting, he ought to support 
 this Society, and that there is no parish in which there will 
 not be found some persons willing to contribute if they are 
 asked to do so. It is not a sufficient reason for declining 
 to support this Society that the parish is actively engaged 
 in building its own church or parsonage, and thus doing, as 
 
384 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 it is said, the Society's work. The parish is enabled to do 
 this by the help of the Society, receiving much and 
 expecting more. Surely, every member of the Church 
 ought to feel that he is bound by the common rules of 
 order and consistency to submit to the regulations of the 
 body to which he belongs. 
 
 When the Synod proceeded to business an im- 
 portant resolution was brought forward by an in- 
 fluential member to the effect — ' that it was desirable 
 that the laity of the Church, with the concurrence 
 and support of the clergy, but without involving 
 them in politics, should combine for the purpose of 
 securing for the interests and opinions of Churchmen 
 that consideration which they ought to receive.' — 
 The resolution was understood to have been 
 prompted by the neglect with which petitions 
 relating to the interests of the Church had been 
 treated by the Legislature. It gave rise to an 
 able and animated debate, but when put to the vote, 
 although supported by a large preponderance of the 
 clergy, the laity were almost equally divided in 
 opinion respecting it, and it was, therefore, not 
 carried. 
 
 The question of evening communions was the 
 subject of another resolution submitted to the Synod. 
 Several of the clergy in the city and elsewhere had 
 thought fit to introduce this practice into their 
 churches, with a view to afford to many of their 
 people, who, from domestic and other causes, were 
 unable to attend at an early hour or at midday, 
 opportunities to do so when they would not be 
 otherwise hindered. The resolution asked the Synod 
 to condemn the practice as ' contrary to the ancient 
 
DIOCESAN SYNOD, 1880. 
 
 335 
 
 custom of the Church, and as a violation of the 
 rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer.' The ques- 
 tion received ample discussion, but upon its being 
 put from the chair, only two members in addition to 
 the mover and seconder were found to support it. 
 
 This being the year in which the Raikes' centenary 
 was to be celebrated, it was fitting that Sunday schools 
 should receive special consideration. A Committee 
 upon these, which had been appointed by the Synod „ 
 in the previous year, now brought up its report. 
 The recommendations which it contained were 
 discussed, and generally adopted by the Synod, in a 
 series of resolutions designed to give them practical 
 effect. By one of these the formation of a Sunday- 
 school Institute was proposed; and this, after some 
 preliminary meetings, was accomplished at a later 
 period of the year. 
 
 Before the close of the session the Standing 
 Committee was requested, by resolution of the 
 Synod, — 'to prepare and lay before it at its next 
 meeting a return showing the progress of the Church 
 in the diocese during the last twenty-five years, the 
 return to embrace, amongst other particulars, the 
 number of churches and school -churches erected, 
 the relative number of clergy ministering in the 
 diocese, the number of students who have passed 
 through Moore College, specifying the number at 
 present engaged in the Diocese of Sydney.' 1 
 
 The Bishop, in his closing address, observed 
 that this was the fullest Synod in point of numbers 
 which had been held, while the attendance of the 
 
 1 The report was presented to the Synod at its next session, and 
 will be found printed as an appendix at the end of this memoir. 
 
 C C 
 
386 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 members had been steadily maintained, showing an 
 increased interest in the work of the diocese. The 
 subjects which it had dealt with were also of great 
 practical importance. 
 
 The celebration of the centenary of Sunday 
 schools followed almost immediately after the session 
 of Synod. In this the Bishop took a warm interest, 
 and endeavoured to make it as helpful as possible to 
 the advancement of Sunday-school work. Under his 
 direction a service of commemoration was held in the 
 cathedral on Friday evening, July the 2nd, at which a 
 sermon specially addressed to Sunday-school teachers 
 was preached by one of the clergy. At this about four 
 hundred teachers were present. On Sunday after- 
 noon, July the 4th, he himself preached in the cathe- 
 dral to the senior scholars gathered from the Church 
 Sunday schools in the city, and on the Monday 
 following a conference of clergy, superintendents, 
 and Sunday-school teachers, was held in the largest 
 hall which could be obtained for the purpose, over 
 which the Bishop presided. The hall was full to 
 overflowing. Two subjects were selected for dis- 
 cussion, upon which valuable papers were read : — 
 (1), How to render our Sunday schools more 
 effective. (2), How to retain our influence over our 
 senior scholars. The first paper was read by the 
 Rev. A. L. Williams, M.A., Principal of Moore 
 College, Liverpool ; the second by Alexander Gor- 
 don, Esq., formerly Chancellor of the diocese. 
 
 The arrival on the 13th of August of Dr. 
 Pearson, the successor of Dr. Tyrrell, 1 as Bishop of 
 
 1 Dr. Tyrrell to whom, as Bishop of Newcastle, reference has been 
 frequently made in this memoir, died on the 24th of March, 1879. He 
 
BISHOP OF NEWCASTLE. 
 
 387 
 
 Newcastle, was an interesting event to the Bishop 
 of Sydney, and to the Church in the colony. 
 Bringing with him a high reputation for learning and 
 ability, and having filled with marked success an 
 important position at home, his advent was regarded 
 as a most valuable addition to the Australian episco- 
 pate, and he was warmly welcomed by the Metro- 
 politan and the Church generally. On his departure 
 
 was the first bishop of that diocese, and had for the space of thirty-one 
 years presided over it with singular ability, devotedness, and success. 
 His removal was felt to be a great loss not only by his own diocese 
 but by the Bishop of Sydney and the other bishops of Australia, and also 
 by all members of the Church who had the privilege of acquaintance 
 with him. The following extract from The Life and Labours of the 
 Right Rev. W. Tyrrell, D.D., by the Rev. R. G. Boodle, will give 
 some idea of the feelings excited by the event. The funeral was 
 arranged for the next day but one after the death, and the notice 
 was too short to enable the Bishop of Sydney, who was absent in the 
 country, to be present, but the Dean of Sydney, Mr. Alexander 
 Gordon, and other members of the Sydney Diocese, who revered the 
 bishop's memory, arrived in time to join the procession. 
 
 'On Thursday, the 26th of March, the funeral took place At 
 
 three o'clock the procession left the house on foot, and proceeded to St. 
 James's Church, about two hundred yards off, the lay members of the 
 Diocesan Synod leading, the clergy following ; then the body, followed 
 by the bishop's three nephews as chief mourners, the churchwardens, 
 and members of the Church. The coffin was borne into the chancel, 
 the clergy were ranged on each side, the bishop's chair vacant. At the 
 head of the coffin was laid his travelling Bible, and loving hands 
 added reverently their crosses and wreaths of flowers. The church 
 was filled as it had never been filled before, and outside the concourse 
 was immense from Newcastle and the Maitlands and the towns and 
 bush in all directions ; all classes, all bodies of Christians, assembled 
 to show respect to the memory of him who had been seen so 
 constantly going about his appointed work among them for thirty-one 
 years From the church the body was borne to the burial- 
 ground, half a mile distant, and laid by the side of his old faithful 
 servant, in the vault which he had himself prepared. There with the 
 tall iron-bark and gum-trees of the Australian forest standing round 
 the body of William Tyrrell, first Bishop of Newcastle, awaits His 
 coming Who is " the resurrection and the life." ' 
 
3 88 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 from Sydney to be installed, the Metropolitan 
 accompanied him, and preached the installation 
 sermon, commending him to the fullest support and 
 sympathy of his diocese. 
 
 Early in the month of October, he began his 
 annual Confirmations in Sydney and the districts 
 around, and continued them until the 26th. Owing 
 to his numerous engagements he was obliged to 
 postpone those in the country to an early part of 
 the next year. 
 
 The record of engagements during the two next 
 months shows how large an amount of constant 
 work he performed during that period without any 
 relaxation. Besides his ordinary duties he was 
 engaged in others, which were special or unusual, 
 preaching for some of the clergy who were sick or 
 for particular objects, presiding over meetings for the 
 advancement of religious education or of religious 
 instruction in public schools, making provision for 
 vacant parishes, selecting sites for new churches, or 
 opening such churches as were completed. At the 
 special request of the committee for managing the 
 Loan Fund, he spent much of what would otherwise 
 have been time for rest or relaxation in visits to 
 members of the Church in company with the secre- 
 tary to explain its objects, and to show how bene- 
 ficial it would be to the diocese. 
 
 The twenty-sixth anniversary of his consecration 
 was a day of special remembrance of the goodness 
 and mercy of God which had followed him through 
 those years. It was commemorated, as usual, in the 
 cathedral, where he preached on the first three 
 verses of Ps. cxlv. : ' I will extol Thee, my God, 
 
TWENTY-SIXTH ANNIVERSARY. 
 
 539 
 
 O king ; and I will bless Thy name for ever and 
 ever,' &c. There was a numerous congregation, 
 and a large number remained to partake of the 
 Holy Communion. 
 
 His last ordination was held on the 21st of 
 December. The previous week of examination was 
 like all similar occasions, one of anxious considera- 
 tion as to the fitness of the candidates. 
 
 On Christmas Day he preached at Waverley, on 
 Isa. ix., part of ver. 6. The next day, Sunday, 
 he preached again at the cathedral, on Gal. iv. 3, 4. 
 Monday being a holiday was a quiet day, but the 
 three days which followed were days of mental 
 labour and some anxiety. Thus far, however, 
 his health did not appear to have suffered from 
 the long strain which had been put upon it. His 
 spirit was cheerful and happy, in the consciousness 
 that he was engaged in the Lord's service, and 
 striving to build up His Church. And little did 
 any of those who were about him imagine that there 
 was so near at hand an illness which would lay him 
 prostrate, and prevent him from ever again actively 
 discharging the duties of his office. 
 
 It was late on Thursday evening when he 
 reached Bishopscourt, feeling tired and rather un- 
 well. Refreshed, however, by the night's rest, he set 
 out after breakfast on the following morning to 
 make some calls in Sydney with reference to the 
 Loan Fund, in company with the Rev. J. D. 
 Langley. A cab was engaged for the purpose, and 
 they proceeded to one of the houses at which they 
 were to call. Stepping out of the cab, the Bishop 
 found himself unable to walk, his left foot having 
 
390 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 lost its power. Mr. Langley immediately returned 
 with the Bishop to the Registry, and leaving 
 him there, he called in the medical aid of Dr. 
 James Cox, who was happily close at hand. A 
 very slight examination enabled him to pronounce 
 that the Bishop was suffering from an attack of 
 paralysis. Some medicine was administered, and 
 he was ordered to be kept quiet. Within a few 
 hours he had so far recovered the use of the leg 
 as to be able to walk across the room, and the 
 doctor advised his returning to Bishopscourt, in a 
 close carriage, under Mr. Langley's care. He saw 
 him again in the evening, when the Bishop seemed 
 to be going on well. Nor was there any change for 
 the worse until Saturday evening, when the attack 
 returned with greatly aggravated severity, and it was 
 plain that his life was in imminent danger. On 
 Sunday morning the dean received a message from 
 Mrs. Barker, informing him of the Bishop's condi- 
 tion, and requesting that prayers might be offered 
 for him in the cathedral. The intelligence soon 
 spread through the city, and filled with sorrow many 
 hearts in all classes of people. Many earnest 
 prayers were offered for his recovery, not only by 
 members of his own Church, but by Christians 
 of other communions, by whom he was highly 
 esteemed. 
 
 The days which followed were days of great 
 anxiety and suspense. That life so highly prized 
 seemed almost to tremble on the threshold of death, 
 and as the daily reports were received from the sick 
 chamber it was impossible not to feel very uncertain 
 as to the issue. 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS — PARTIAL RECOVERY. 39 1 
 
 During those anxious days his own mind was 
 kept in peace, as the following utterances, which 
 were noted down at the time, abundantly show : — 
 
 January isf, 188 1. — I know whom I have believed. — I 
 know that my Redeemer liveth. — I have no fear. 
 
 January 2nd. — Whether we live, we live unto the Lord, 
 or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. — Pray for faith, 
 patience, joy. 
 
 Thinking of the forerunner, where He is His servants 
 will follow, because He is the forerunner. 
 
 I know my own weakness, my need, my sin, but I know 
 that I have committed my soul to Christ, and though I may 
 not have ecstatic feeling, yet I have peace and quiet confi- 
 dence. And I pray that I may have more bright realisation 
 of the bright world to which we go, and then we shall know 
 even as we are known. 
 
 January $t/i. — 'A day's march nearer home.' — I seemed 
 very near home. 
 
 It pleased God to spare His servant a little 
 longer, and by His blessing upon the skill and 
 attention of his medical attendants, more cheering 
 reports were soon heard. And in the course of a 
 few weeks recovery had so far set in as to warrant 
 the recommendation of a voyage to Europe, with a 
 view to his more complete restoration. 
 
 Arrangements were made accordingly. On the 
 10th of March, 1 88 1, the Bishop and Mrs. Barker 
 left Sydney in the mail steamer Brindisi, accom- 
 panied by Mrs. Arundel Barker, and the Rev. J. D. 
 Langley acting as his chaplain. Although it was 
 intended that his embarkation should be perfectly 
 private, a large number of the laity and clergy 
 assembled on board the steamer to bid him farewell, 
 
392 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 and to express their sympathy and affection for him. 
 The Bishop of Goulburn and Mrs. Thomas also 
 were there, having come to town for the same pur- 
 pose. And the assemblage would have been very 
 largely increased had it not been generally under- 
 stood that it was undesirable to submit their beloved 
 Bishop to the excitement and pain of taking public 
 leave of his flock. 
 
 In prospect of his departure, he addressed the 
 following circular to the clergy, a copy of which was 
 sent to each : — 
 
 Bishopscourt, March 7th, 188 1. 
 
 My Dear Brother, — As I am unable to meet the 
 clergy collectively, I write to assure you of my deep interest 
 in your welfare, and that of your people committed to 
 your charge. On the recommendation of my medical ad- 
 visers, I am about to proceed to Europe, hoping, by the 
 blessing of Almighty God, to regain such a measure of 
 health and strength as to enable me, in the course of twelve 
 months, to resume my work amongst you. Much as I 
 regret this temporary separation, I feel that I have no 
 alternative. In the providence of God I have been brought 
 very low, and I feel bound to take those measures which 
 have been so strongly urged upon me. My dear friend and 
 brother, the Dean of Sydney will, as heretofore, supply my 
 place with his wonted wisdom and kindness. I trust that 
 the various works of usefulness in which the clergy are 
 engaged will be carried on by them in the spirit of their 
 Divine Master, who has taught us to work 1 while it is day, 
 seeing that the night cometh in which no man can work.' 
 Especially I commend to your prayerful interest the 
 cause of the Church Society, and above all things I pray 
 that you may be successful in winning souls to the know- 
 ledge, love, and happy service of our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. To Him I commend yourself, your family, 
 
DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND, 1881. 
 
 393 
 
 and your people, asking you particularly to convey to them 
 the assurance of my remembrance and gratitude for the 
 prayers offered up, and the sympathy expressed in my late 
 illness, with the prayer that, in the day of His appearing, 
 we may all rejoice together in the consciousness that we 
 shall be for ever with the Lord. 
 I remain, my dear brother, 
 
 Your affectionate friend and bishop, 
 
 F. Sydney. 
 
 During the voyage to Galle, which was reached 
 on April the 3rd, the Bishop continued to improve 
 in health, but between Galle and Aden the heat 
 became intense, and he suffered for some days 
 severely. Attempts were made to mitigate the 
 heat, and through the kindness of a fellow passenger, 
 Mr. S. H. Pearce, of Rand wick, near Sydney, who 
 gave up his cooler cabin to him, this was effected. 
 By this means and the assiduous attention of the 
 medical officer of the ship, serious consequences 
 were averted. After the 10th he again began to 
 improve, and continued to do so until his arrival in 
 England. 
 
 After a brief stay in London, the Bishop pro- 
 ceeded with Mrs. Barker to Ambleside, a district 
 associated with many pleasant reminiscences of earlier 
 days. They also spent a short time at Buxton, and 
 while there the Bishop greatly enjoyed a visit to the 
 old family home at Baslow, so full of the deepest 
 interest and of loving memories of the past. The 
 months of August and September were afterwards 
 passed at Braemar, N.B., amidst a very pleasant 
 gathering of relatives and friends, and from the pure 
 and invigorating air of that place he derived great 
 
394 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 benefit. On the expiration of two months they 
 returned to Westmoreland, making a short visit to 
 Mrs. Clay, his sister-in-law, at Miller's Bridge, 
 whence they proceeded to London for medical con- 
 sultation with Dr. Wilson Fox. He was w r ell satis- 
 fied with the general improvement which he found 
 in the Bishop's health, but forbade his wintering in 
 England, and recommended the South of France as 
 a congenial climate until the English winter was 
 over. Acting upon this advice, the Bishop and Mrs. 
 Barker proceeded first to Cannes, and thence to San 
 Remo, where they continued for three months. 
 
 It was about this time that the Bishop received 
 with much satisfaction accounts of the proceedings 
 of the General Synod, which met in Sydney on the 
 ioth of October, 1881, under the presidency — in the 
 absence of the Bishops of Sydney and Adelaide — of 
 the next senior bishop of the dioceses in Australia 
 and Tasmania, the Bishop of Brisbane. It will be 
 sufficient to notice those proceedings, with however 
 one exception, only so far as they relate to the com- 
 pletion of that system of Church organization which 
 the Bishop throughout his episcopate had laboured 
 so earnestly to establish. 
 
 When the General Synod met, a Select Com- 
 mittee was appointed, on the motion of Mr. Alexander 
 Gordon, one of the representatives of the Diocese of 
 Sydney, seconded by the Bishop of Melbourne, to pre- 
 pare and submit to the Synod rules for the formation 
 of provinces, of provincial synods in those provinces, 
 and for regulating the position and status inter se of 
 provincial metropolitans. This Committee, which 
 consisted of the Bishops of Melbourne, Newcastle, 
 
GENERAL SYNOD IN SYDNEY, 1881. 395 
 
 Goulburn, Bathurst, Perth, and Brisbane, together 
 with four clerical and three lay representatives, 
 brought up a report upon the subject so referred to 
 it. A Determination founded upon that report was 
 then submitted to the Synod, and was by it most fully 
 and carefully discussed, and was finally passed with 
 amendments which were the result of the discussion. 
 
 Under the rules embodied in this Determination 
 it was provided that without prejudice and subject 
 to the position and rights of the present Bishop of 
 Sydney, the Bishop of Sydney for the time being 
 should, for the purposes of the rules, be held to be the 
 Primate of the dioceses constituting the General 
 Synod ; and that, when the See of Sydney should 
 next become vacant, the dioceses within the Colony 
 of New South Wales should be treated as formed 
 into the Province of New South Wales, the Bishop 
 of Sydney being Metropolitan thereof. Rules were 
 also laid down for the appointment of future bishops 
 of Sydney, giving to the bishops of the Province of 
 New South Wales and to the bishops of Australia 
 and Tasmania a certain voice in the appointment. 
 The rules further prescribed the manner of forming 
 provinces generally, and of electing metropolitans 
 of those provinces, and also the mode of consti- 
 tuting provincial synods as consequent upon the 
 formation of provinces. 
 
 It will be readily understood that these various 
 matters were not settled without the expression of 
 diverse and conflicting opinions, but the members 
 of the Synod, under the guidance of the bishops, and 
 notably of the Bishop of Melbourne, became im- 
 pressed with a serious and earnest desire to bring to 
 
396 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 a satisfactory conclusion the important work with 
 which they were assembled to deal, and they acted 
 accordingly. There was another Determination of 
 no little importance passed by the Synod, viz., ' Rules 
 for the trial of bishops for certain offences.' 
 
 It is interesting, as connected with the subject of 
 this memoir, to mention that upon the proposal of 
 the President, which was ' received with acclamation,' 
 the following letter was sent to the Bishops of Sydney 
 and of Adelaide respectively : — 
 
 To the Right Reverend Frederic, Lord Bishop of Sydney 
 and Primate of the General Synod of the Dioceses in 
 Australia and Tasmania, And the Right Reverend 
 Augustus, Lord Bishop of Adelaide, Senior Bishop, — 
 Greeting : — 
 
 We, the bishops of Australia and Tasmania, and the 
 clerical and lay representatives of the Church in the 
 said dioceses now in Synod assembled, feel that we cannot 
 separate without making known to your lordships how 
 constantly we have in our minds the recollection of your 
 presence with us at our former meetings, and how deeply we 
 regret your absence upon this occasion. 
 
 We wish to tell you how sincerely we sympathise with 
 you in the endurance of those infirmities and sufferings 
 which your Heavenly Father has permitted to come upon 
 you with advancing years, but which, as we cannot doubt, 
 are accompanied with those heavenly consolations which 
 are never withheld from those who seek them. 
 
 We feel assured that He whom you have served so long 
 and so well will never leave you nor forsake you. And 
 we pray that His Holy Spirit may dwell with you and 
 comfort you ever more and more unto your lives' end. 
 
 Signed by the authority and on behalf of the members 
 of the General Synod aforesaid. 
 
 Matthew B. Hale (Bishop), 
 
 October I2t/i, 1881. President. 
 
LETTER TO BISHOP — REPLY. 
 
 397 
 
 This letter reached the Bishop of Sydney at San 
 Remo, and elicited the following reply, which shows 
 both how much he was affected by this kind remem- 
 brance of him by the Synod, and how completely 
 satisfied he was with the result of those deliberations 
 in which, though long anticipated, he had not, in the 
 providence of God, been permitted to take an active 
 part. 
 
 To the Members of the General Synod of the 
 Dioceses of Australia and Tasmania. 
 
 San Remo, Italy, \6th December, 1881. 
 My Dear Brethren, 
 
 I have received from the President a copy of 
 the very kind resolution passed at the recent session in 
 Sydney, conveying your sympathy with my dear brother 
 of Adelaide and myself in the cause of our absence from 
 the important gathering for the third time of the General 
 Synod at Sydney. 
 
 It was a solace to my heart to receive so touching an 
 expression of your loving remembrance, and to feel that I 
 was to some extent permitted to bear a part in your counsels 
 and deliberations. 
 
 I can with truth assure you that the conclusions at which 
 you arrived have my cordial approval, and I venture to 
 think that in the all wise overruling of Divine Providence, 
 my absence tended to bring those conclusions to a more 
 speedy and satisfactory issue. 
 
 As regards myself, I am thankful to say that my health 
 is gradually but surely returning. Under advice I spend 
 this winter in the south of Europe, in the hope that with the 
 blessing of God I may be restored to my diocese in the 
 course of next year. 
 
 I cannot close without congratulating you upon the 
 success which crowned the labours of the recent session, nor 
 without tendering my hearty thanks to all who in the spirit 
 
398 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 of love, and wisdom, and of a sound mind contributed to 
 bring about so happy a conclusion. 
 
 Believe me to remain, my dear brethren, 
 With grateful remembrance, 
 
 Faithfully and affectionately yours, 
 
 F. Sydney. 
 
 A copy of this letter was sent to every member 
 of the General Synod by the Executive Committee, 
 by whom it was received. 
 
399 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 1882. 
 
 Second attack of Paralysis — Last Illness and Death — Burial at 
 Baslow— Address of Bishop Perry — Testimony of Sydney Morning 
 Herald — Service in Cathedral — Resolutions of Sydney and other 
 Synods — Concluding Remarks. 
 
 At the time of writing the letter mentioned at the 
 close of the last chapter, the Bishop had regained 
 his strength to a very considerable extent, and he 
 then and for several subsequent weeks felt so 
 much better that he entertained sanguine expecta- 
 tions of being able to return to his diocese within 
 k a short period. This was undoubtedly his strong 
 desire — he was much attached to the colony and felt 
 a warm interest in its progress. He loved also still 
 more his own work in it, and the diocese committed 
 to his care. But it was not so ordered by his Lord. 
 
 On the 9th of March, 1882, the Bishop was again 
 seized with paralysis, which in a few weeks proved 
 fatal. That morning he arose as usual, and went to 
 his bath, which he had only just taken when the 
 attack came on, his left side becoming entirely power- 
 less, and his speech very much affected. His recovery 
 from the first attack, which he had in Sydney fifteen 
 months before, led his friends to entertain the hope 
 that he would once more be restored to them, though 
 
400 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 not to active work. Day after day, however, passed 
 away, and still there were no signs of returning power 
 to the limbs. He suffered greatly from weariness ; 
 but his patience, gentleness, and submission to the 
 will of God will never be forgotten by those who 
 had the privilege of ministering to him. The 
 account of what followed is taken from a short 
 narrative of his last illness which was written at the 
 time by one who witnessed it from day to day. 
 
 Bishop and Mrs. Perry were staying in the hotel 
 on the 9th of March, the day of the seizure, and on 
 the 1 2th, by the earnest desire of the Bishop of 
 Sydney, Bishop Perry was allowed to see him, and 
 he offered up a prayer at his bedside, by which he 
 was greatly comforted. Once more only he was 
 permitted to see his much loved friends before their 
 departure for England on the 24th of March. 
 
 On the 1 6th the Bishop seemed to be aware of 
 the serious nature of his illness. He said, - I think 
 this shows that I must not go back to Australia. I am 
 perfectly composed. I am on the Rock — the Rock 
 of Ages. As I have had a second attack, there is no 
 reason why I should not have a third. Ebenezer. 
 " It is good that a man should both hope and quietly 
 wait ! " ' 
 
 The 17th of March was his birthday. The pre- 
 vious night he had been very restless, and he asked 
 for a verse of the hymn — 
 
 ' At even ere the sun was set,' 
 to be repeated, mentioning the line — 
 
 ' Oh, with what joy they went away !' 
 He evidently felt that his end was not far off, 
 
LAST ILLNESS. 
 
 and this was the testimony which he wished to 
 leave behind, — ' I die in the faith of the Lord 
 Jesus.' A further medical opinion was deemed 
 desirable, and on Saturday, the 18th, Dr. West of 
 Nice came over to consult with Dr. Freeman of San 
 Remo. The Bishop expressed pleasure in having 
 his advice, and Dr. West entirely concurred in Dr. 
 Freeman's treatment of the case. 
 
 On Sunday, the 19th, the Bishop suffered much 
 from pain and weariness. He said, — 1 I commit 
 myself and you, and all who are dear to me, to 
 our reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. All well — 
 whatever happens.' 
 
 Dr. West had ordered that a personal attendant 
 should be procured, and accordingly one, Felix 
 Castagnola, was sent from London. The devoted 
 service rendered by him was of the greatest comfort 
 to the Bishop. And here testimony must be borne 
 to the kind and unvarying attention of the servants 
 at the hotel, who, in the midst of their busy life, were 
 always ready to relieve the weariness of the Bishop 
 by moving him into a fresh position. 
 
 On the 27th he spoke of Sydney in terms of great 
 affection, and requested that the following might be 
 written to the Dean : — 1 I shall never see it again. I 
 had no greater desire on earth than to go back and 
 do a little more for the Lord, who has done so much 
 for me. God will supply their need. The Lord 
 Almighty bless them all. That is my message.' 
 
 At another time, speaking of Australia, he said : — 
 ' My love to all the friends. My peace is like a 
 river. I die in the faith of the Lord Jesus.' Then, 
 as if speaking to himself, he said : — ' Sleep of death ? 
 
 D D 
 
402 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 I have no fear of death — to be with my blessed 
 Lord, through His most precious blood.' 
 
 On Saturday, April ist, he looked very ill, and on 
 Sunday Dr. Freeman brought to see him Dr. Roberts, 
 who was travelling through San Remo. The name 
 reminded him of his own kind friend and doctor in 
 Sydney. Dr. Roberts saw him again on Monday, 
 and gave the sorrowful opinion that recovery was 
 impossible, the strength being greatly exhausted by 
 severe attacks of coughing. 
 
 He entertained great regard for his kind friend, 
 Dr. Freeman, who was unwearying in his attention, 
 and for whose skilful care the Bishop had been most 
 thankful throughout the illness. On Wednesday, 
 the 5th, arrangements were made for him to receive 
 the Holy Communion from the hands of the Rev. 
 William Browne (a young clergyman who had been 
 with him for some time at San Remo and formerly 
 in Sydney). The Bishop said : — ' Dr. Freeman, 
 stay.' His friend was glad to have the privilege of 
 joining the little circle around the couch. Although 
 in great weakness, the Bishop was enabled to enjoy 
 the service, and at its conclusion he raised his hand 
 and pronounced the Benediction himself. On that 
 day he expressed a wish to be buried at Baslow, 
 close to his father and his beloved brother Auriol. 
 
 At four o'clock on the morning of the 6th of April 
 a change came over him. Dr. Freeman was sent for, 
 but human aid was of no avail. The breathing was 
 distressing, and nourishment could no longer be 
 taken. At length, to the great comfort of his wife, 
 he called her by name, and listened with the greatest 
 eagerness as she read to him the Scripture, speaking 
 
DEATH OF BISHOP. 
 
 403 
 
 of the * many mansions,' and the passage, ' Who shall 
 separate us from the love of Christ ?' &c, Rom. 
 viii. 35, &c. The 23rd and the 121st Psalms were 
 also repeated, and then the following verse from one 
 of his favourite hymns : — 
 
 When on the other side thy feet 
 Shall rest midst thousand welcomes sweet, 
 One well-known voice thy heart shall greet — 
 Tis I, be not afraid ! 
 
 The last verse which was read to him was : — 
 ' The lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
 feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains 
 of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from 
 their eyes.' His last audible word was, ' Ebenezer.' 
 The beloved one soon after fell asleep in Jesus — the 
 faithful servant entered into his rest. 
 
 In accordance with the desire which the Bishop 
 had expressed, arrangements were made for his burial 
 in his native village of Baslow. But it was thought 
 fit that the honoured remains should not be removed 
 from San Remo without some religious observance, at 
 which his many friends there would have an oppor- 
 tunity of showing the respect and affection which they 
 entertained towards him. It was, therefore, determined 
 to hold a service in the English church on the after- 
 noon of Easter Day. Accordingly at five o'clock on 
 that day the body, enclosed in a coffin of polished 
 olive-wood, bearing on a brass plate the inscription — 
 
 Frederic Barker, D.D., 
 
 Bishop of Sydney, 
 Born 17th March, 1808, 
 Died 6th April, 1882, 
 
404 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 was met at the church porch by the Revs. G. L. 
 Fenton, British Chaplain, William Browne, and R. 
 H. Borrisdaile, and carried into the chancel, where it 
 was deposited, covered with a black velvet pall and 
 lovely wreaths of flowers. The funeral service was 
 read as far as the end of the appointed lesson, after 
 which was sung the Easter hymn, commencing : — 
 1 On the resurrection morn.' 
 The coffin rested in the church that night, and at 
 an early hour on the following morning was removed 
 for conveyance to England. On the following 
 Thursday, Felix, his faithful attendant, arrived in 
 charge of it at Bakewell, the nearest railway-station 
 to Baslow. Through the kindness of Archdeacon 
 Balston, vicar of Bakewell, it was received into the 
 Vicarage, and was allowed to remain there until the 
 morning of the funeral, the 18th of April, when it was 
 taken, preparatory to the interment, to the Vicarage 
 at Baslow, in which he was born. At three o'clock 
 in the afternoon the church was filled with friends 
 from various parts, and parishioners of that and the 
 surrounding parishes, while numbers had to remain 
 outside for want of room. The coffin was borne into 
 the church by eight men who had personally known 
 the Bishop. The first part of the service was read 
 by the Rev. Charles Baber (of Sydney) and the Rev. 
 H. A. Barker, nephew of the Bishop (lately of 
 Sydney). The hymn, 
 
 ' Peace, perfect peace,' 
 was then sung, after which the Lesson was read by 
 the Vicar. The hymn, 
 
 ' On the resurrection morn,' 
 
BURIAL AT BASLOW. 
 
 405 
 
 followed, and at the close a short and impressive 
 address was given by Bishop Perry, in which he 
 bore the following testimony to his dear and valued 
 friend : — 
 
 To those who had come from various parts to express 
 their affection for the departed, it was needless to expatiate 
 on his excellence of character. They had all had, more or 
 less, opportunities of observing his steadfastness of faith, his 
 Christian consistency of life, his devotedness to the service 
 of the Divine Master, his diligence in the fulfilment of his 
 onerous and important duties, his zeal for the maintenance 
 of the truth, his courage in acting upon his principles, his 
 remarkable gentleness, combined with resolute firmness, 
 and his extreme kindness and consideration for all with 
 whom he was in any way brought into communication. 
 Some of these had also known his wisdom as a ruler in the 
 Church, and his power both in preaching and speaking — 
 especially of adapting himself to any particular occasion. 
 For himself he might say that he'had never known anyone 
 more worthy of being universally esteemed and loved. The 
 more intimately any of them had known him the more 
 deeply would they feel the loss to themselves occasioned by 
 his removal. 
 
 The remaining portion of the service (at the 
 grave) was divided between Bishop Perry and the 
 Archdeacon of Derby. 
 
 Thus in that ancient churchyard with which he 
 had been familiar from his childhood, amidst the 
 graves of many generations, by the side of the church 
 in which he had been baptized, and his faith as a 
 Christian youth had been nourished and sustained, 
 and where he had delighted to worship — where also, 
 as the Christian pastor, he had for a short time 
 ministered to a flock which he loved — his body was 
 
406 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 laid to rest, to await the glorious resurrection at the 
 coming of the Lord. And there it now slumbers 
 ' till He come.' 
 
 Turf of the shaded churchyard, 
 
 Warder of the clay, 
 Watch the toilworn sleeper 
 
 Till the awaking day. 
 
 Watch the well-loved sleeper, 
 Guard that placid form ; 
 
 Fold around it gently, 
 Shield it from alarm. 
 
 Clasp it kindly, fondly, 
 To cherish, not destroy ; 
 
 Clasp it as a mother 
 Clasps her nestling joy. 
 
 Guard the precious treasure, 
 
 Ever faithful tomb ! 
 Keep it all unruffled, 
 
 Till the Master come ! 
 
 The sad intelligence of the Bishop's death was 
 immediately announced in Sydney by telegrams in 
 the daily press, and was received with profound 
 sorrow by the colony generally. It was spoken of 
 on all sides as a great public loss, not only by those 
 of his own Church but by the secular papers and 
 those of the various religious bodies. No less than 
 thirteen distinct and independent testimonies to this 
 effect were published at the time, representative of 
 the feelings and judgments of the Protestant portion 
 of the community. But it will suffice to quote here 
 that of the leading daily newspaper, the Sydney 
 
'SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. ' 
 
 407 
 
 Morning Herald, which contained the following 
 editorial notice of the Bishop's death : — 
 
 Throughout his long tenure of office in this colony, 
 Bishop Barker's career was marked by a most active and 
 energetic performance of every episcopal duty in the 
 Church committed to his charge, and by his valuable and 
 hearty co-operation with other denominations of Evan- 
 gelical Christianity, in whatever might reasonably be 
 expected to conduce to the religious and social improve- 
 ment of the people at large. Belonging to what has 
 been commonly known as the Evangelical school, and a 
 very staunch upholder of Orthodox Protestantism, he was 
 at the same time firmly attached to the ecclesiastical polity 
 
 of the Church of England His spotless integrity of 
 
 life, unswerving devotion to duty, distinguished abilities, 
 and uniform courtesy of manners, always commanded 
 respect, not only from members of his own communion, 
 but also from those belonging to other denominations, who 
 might not personally or collectively concur in opinions 
 which in the life and labours of the late Bishop were so 
 admirably illustrated and upheld. The singleness of pur- 
 pose, judgment, temper, and self-abnegation with which he 
 initiated and carried into practical effect synodical action in 
 his diocese, commanded the approval and admiration even 
 of his opponents. All who knew Dr. Barker, whether 
 belonging to his own denomination or not, will feel that in 
 his death the colony has lost one who, in his exalted 
 position, from his ability, earnestness, and true Christian 
 charity, together with courtesy and consideration towards 
 all with whom he came in contact, had made himself 
 universally beloved, and who will be long remembered as 
 one of the most prominent men of his day, and one who 
 has contributed in no small degree to the moral and social 
 welfare of this community. 
 
 Besides the telegrams which appeared in the 
 
408 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 daily journals, others were sent to the Dean of 
 Sydney, who was acting as Vicar-General of the 
 diocese, in one of which he was informed that the 
 funeral of the lamented Bishop would take place at 
 Baslow on the day above mentioned. Upon this 
 being laid before the Cathedral Chapter, it was 
 resolved to hold in the cathedral on the same day 
 a public service in harmony with that which would 
 be held at Baslow, the Dean being requested to 
 deliver an appropriate address. 
 
 The proposed service was held accordingly. It 
 consisted of the opening sentences in the Office for 
 the Burial of the Dead, which were read by the 
 Dean, as he, together with the Archdeacon of Cum- 
 berland, the Chancellor of the diocese, and canons, 
 walked from the Bishop's vestry to their seats ; 
 Psalms xxxix. and xc. were chanted by the choir; 
 and the lesson, from i Cor. xv., was read by 
 the Archdeacon. The anthem, ' Blessed are the 
 departed,' was then sung by the choir, after which 
 the Dean delivered an address, in which a brief 
 sketch was given of the late Bishop's life and 
 character, and the work which had been accom- 
 plished by him during his episcopate. After the 
 address, the versicles, the Lord's Prayer, and two 
 collects from the Burial Service, were read by 
 Canon Allwood, the Chancellor ; and the Dean pro- 
 nounced the Benediction. 
 
 The congregation which assembled in the cathe- 
 dral was one of the largest ever seen within its 
 walls, all the aisles and vacant spaces being occupied 
 by persons standing, while the seats were crowded 
 with many more than the usual occupants. When 
 
RESOLUTIONS OF SYNODS, ETC. 409 
 
 the service was ended, the crowd of mourners slowly 
 and sadly retired. 
 
 The Resolutions which were passed by several of 
 the Australian Synods at their first meetings subse- 
 quent to the Bishop's death are of interest, as 
 showing how deep and universal was the feeling of 
 the loss which the Church had sustained. 
 
 The Diocese of Sydney, 9th May, 1882 : — 
 
 That the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney having 
 learned with unfeigned sorrow that it has pleased Almighty 
 God, in His Divine Providence, to take to Himself the 
 revered and beloved Bishop of this diocese, desire to place 
 upon record a brief but heartfelt declaration of their sense 
 of the greatness of the loss thus sustained. The eminent 
 personal qualities which fitted the late Bishop for his high 
 office, his long experience of the capabilities and necessities 
 of the Church in this land — experience extending over more 
 than a quarter of a century — the wisdom, the urbanity, and 
 the courtesy with which he took his part in the deliberations 
 of the Synod, even when views differing from his own were 
 advocated ; the prudence and forethought with which he 
 watched the progress of events ; the unwearied energy 
 and genuine liberality with which he laboured to promote 
 the interests of the Church committed to his care, and 
 above all the unaffected piety and desire for the glory of 
 his Divine Master, which was plainly the mainspring of his 
 whole conduct ; all this endeared him to those who had the 
 privilege of working with him for the welfare of the Church 
 in this diocese, and for the extension of the kingdom of the 
 Redeemer ; and his memory will ever be cherished with 
 affection and respect, as well as with gratitude to the 
 Great Head of the Church Who permitted him for so 
 lengthened a period to discharge the duties of that exalted 
 office to which he had been appointed. 
 
4IO EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 The Diocese of Grafton and Armidale, 14th 
 May, 1882 :— 
 
 That the Synod, while humbly bowing to the will of 
 the great Head of the Church, cannot refrain from the 
 expression of its deep sorrow for the great loss sus- 
 tained by the Church in Australia by the death of the late 
 Right Reverend the Bishop of Sydney, Metropolitan and 
 Primate of Australia. 
 
 The Synod desires to place on record its high apprecia- 
 tion of the late Bishop's eminent services to the Church 
 during his lengthened episcopate, and its admiration of the 
 many exalted virtues which adorned his character. 
 
 The Synod would at the same time offer its respectful 
 sympathy and condolence to the widow and family of the 
 late Bishop, and commend them to the grace of the God of 
 all consolation in Christ Jesus. 
 
 The Diocese of Newcastle, May, 1882 : — 
 
 That this diocese hereby records its deep sense of the 
 loss sustained by the Church in the death of the late 
 revered Metropolitan and Primate, the Right Reverend 
 Frederic Barker, D.D., Bishop of Sydney, and of the 
 earnestness, ability, and indefatigable perseverance with 
 which he discharged, and the piety, courtesy, and loving 
 kindness with which he adorned, the high and important 
 office to which, by the grace of God, he had been called. 
 
 The Diocese of Goulburn, 12th August, 
 1882 :— 
 
 That this Synod desires to express its deep sense of the 
 very serious loss which the Church throughout Australia 
 and Tasmania has sustained through the removal by death 
 of its chief pastor, the late Bishop of Sydney and Metro- 
 politan, and to record its profound conviction that for 
 genuine piety, sound wisdom, administrative ability, calm 
 
RESOLUTIONS OF SYNODS, ETC. 41 I 
 
 dignity, and large-hearted liberality, combined with other 
 virtues befitting his high office and position, few bishops 
 could have been found more eminently suited to occupy 
 the see now vacant by his decease. This Synod further 
 desires to convey through its President to Mrs. Barker, who 
 in his last days so ably seconded him in his labours, the 
 expression of its deep sympathy with her in her sad 
 bereavement. 
 
 The Diocese of Ballaarat, 13th December, 
 1883:— 
 
 That this Assembly in the name and on behalf of the 
 Church in the Diocese of Ballaarat desires to record its high 
 estimate of the public and private character of the late 
 Primate of Australia, the Right Reverend Dr. Barker, 
 Bishop of Sydney ; and of the great and important services 
 which he rendered to the Church in the colonies during a 
 memorable episcopate of twenty-five years ; and also of its 
 profound sense of the loss which it has sustained by his 
 lamented death ; and that the Right Reverend the Presi- 
 dent be requested to convey to Mrs. Barker the assurance 
 of our respect and sympathy and Christian regard. 
 
 The House of Representatives of the Provincial 
 Synod of New South Wales, 14th October, 1884: — 
 
 That this House of Diocesan Representatives desires at 
 its first meeting since the lamented decease of the late 
 Metropolitan, the Right Rev. Frederic Barker, D.D., to 
 express its deep sense of his high Christian character, his 
 self-denying devotedness to the labours of his episcopal 
 office, the wisdom, dignity, and kindliness with which he 
 presided over this Synod, and the valuable and important 
 services rendered by him to the Church of England in 
 this colony. 
 
 Similar testimonies were recorded by other dio- 
 
412 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 ceses and by Bishops of the province in letters of 
 sympathy and condolence with Mrs. Barker. 
 
 The Bishop of Bathurst wrote : — 1 It is generally 
 felt that the Church has sustained an immense loss. 
 His great work is becoming more and more recog- 
 nised All classes and all sections of the 
 
 Church seem to vie with each other to do him 
 honour.' 
 
 The Bishop of North Queensland wrote : — ' The 
 Diocesan Council of this diocese desire to express 
 their sincere condolence, and to record their deep 
 sense of grateful obligation for the energy which 
 brought our dear Metropolitan here, and led to 
 the foundation of this diocese. Our dear Bishop 
 did a noble, splendid work, and has gone to 
 receive his reward. Our blessed Master saw 
 his work was done, and therefore called him 
 home.' 
 
 The Dean of Melbourne wrote as follows to 
 Mrs. Barker: — 'A Church Congress was held in 
 Melbourne some time ago, and at a separate meeting, 
 attended by almost all the members of the Congress, 
 I was requested to convey to you the assurance of 
 the high respect entertained by all the Churches of 
 Australia and Tasmania for their late beloved 
 Primate, and their sympathy with the loss you have 
 yourself sustained in the bereavement under which 
 the Church is still suffering.' 
 
 The latest and not the least impressive testimony 
 is that given by the General Synod which, on its 
 first meeting (26th of October, 1886) after the death 
 of the Bishop, before proceeding to business, on the 
 motion of the Bishop of Goulburn, seconded by the 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 413 
 
 Bishop of Ballaarat, passed unanimously the following 
 resolution : — 
 
 That this Synod desires to record the high estimation 
 in which they, with the whole Church throughout Australia 
 and Tasmania, hold the revered memory of the late Right 
 Reverend Frederic Barker, D.D., Lord Bishop of Sydney, 
 Metropolitan and Primate of the General Synod, who, in 
 the providence of God, was called to his high position at 
 an important period in the history of the Church in Aus- 
 tralia, and who left behind him such clear traces of sound 
 wisdom, administrative ability, conspicuous piety, calm 
 dignity, and Christian courtesy in presiding over our de- 
 liberations, with other genuine virtues which eminently 
 qualified him for the responsible duties of his exalted 
 station in the Church of God. 
 
 These testimonies are amply sufficient to show 
 the esteem and affection with which the Bishop was 
 regarded by those who, widely differing in shades of 
 thought and opinion, had observed and marked his 
 course of action for many years in his diocese and in 
 the Province of Australia. To these it would be 
 superfluous to add any thing. But there were some 
 features which helped to form his character and 
 direct his life which may be very properly noted as 
 a conclusion to this memoir. 
 
 One of these was, a deep sense of his responsi- 
 bility : responsibility to God for the welfare of the 
 Church committed to his care. He realised this as a 
 governing motive which influenced his actions from 
 day to day. He felt conscious that he had been placed, 
 by the providence of God, in the position he occupied 
 to feed and tend the Church of God, and to build it 
 up in truth, unity, and holiness, to extend its borders 
 and to enlarge its influence for good. It was a keen 
 
41 4 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 sense of this responsibility which actuated him in the 
 various efforts which mark his episcopate, to main- 
 tain the truth of the Gospel in its integrity, to draw 
 together the different parts of the Church in 
 Australia in godly union and concord, and to pro- 
 vide for the maintenance of that unity, as far as 
 human arrangements can provide for it, in all time 
 to come. And in the daily exercise of his office it 
 was to be seen, preserving him on the one hand 
 from seeking to please men and obtain favour with 
 the world, and, on the other, from acting towards any 
 with whom he had to deal with injustice or unfairness. 
 On one occasion, when pressed by a deputation to 
 do what he conscientiously believed would not be 
 for the good of the diocese, after giving his reasons 
 for declining to accede to their request, he closed 
 the interview with these words, ' Gentlemen, I 
 can resign my office, but I cannot give up my con- 
 science.' 
 
 Another feature which marked his character was, 
 anxiety for the salvation of souls. Those whose 
 privilege it was to know him with any degree of 
 intimacy were best able to testify to this. They 
 became cognisant of the deeper feelings of his heart, 
 and observed that this was one of them, and that it 
 manifested itself in various ways. He regarded the 
 salvation of souls as the chief object at which the 
 Christian minister should aim both publicly and in 
 private intercourse with his people, and as the end 
 for which the Church itself existed in the world. 
 And his own personal solicitude to bring men to 
 salvation was conspicuous alike in his public preach- 
 ing, in his charges to the clergy, and in his addresses 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 415 
 
 to the young people whom he confirmed. He 
 pleaded with men as one who felt and realised the 
 preciousness of their souls, and the imminent peril 
 they were in until they were brought into a state of 
 reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ. 
 And nothing could well exceed the tender pathos and 
 fatherly solicitude with which he entreated the young 
 people who had been confirmed to surrender them- 
 selves wholly to the service of Christ, and make their 
 compact with Him a reality, before they were en- 
 snared with the fascinations of the world, or beguiled 
 by the arts of the great deceiver. It was a saying 
 of his, more than once repeated, that he ' would not 
 put forth his hand to Church works, however interest- 
 ing or beautiful, if he could not regard them as 
 tending to the salvation of souls.' 
 
 Another important characteristic in him was, his 
 habitual personal communion with God. He was 
 not one who could be satisfied with acts of devotion, 
 however solemn or outwardly reverent or regularly 
 practised. With him prayer was the conscious com- 
 munion of his spirit with a personal God, to whom 
 he looked up as his Father in Jesus Christ, and to 
 whom he took all his wants and cares, all his plans 
 and purposes, all the work he carried on officially or 
 privately. The habit of such prayer seems to have 
 been formed in his youth, to have grown with his 
 years, and to have gathered still greater strength as 
 larger needs arose and more wisdom and grace were 
 required. And may we not trace to this habit of 
 devotion much of that calm, quiet, and restful spirit 
 which was so observable in him ? His was, no 
 doubt, a well-disciplined and well-regulated mind. 
 
416 
 
 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 But something more than this was required to 
 meet the trials which not unfrequently tended to 
 ruffle and disquiet it for a while. It was the 
 habitual referring of all to God in prayer and 
 committing them to Him, which gave the repose 
 and strength to bear them calmly and patiently. 
 And to this may also be attributed much of the 
 success which followed many of his efforts. Those 
 efforts were not put forth in his own strength, or in 
 reliance upon his own wisdom or skill, they were 
 first ' sanctified by prayer,' and the invocation of the 
 blessing of God upon them for His glory ; and for 
 that blessing he prayed continually, 'beginning, 
 continuing, and ending them in Him.' And 
 then, if disappointment came, he was not unduly 
 cast down ; or if success attended them, he recog- 
 nised in that success the hand of God and answered 
 prayer. 
 
 Combined with this habit of personal communion 
 with God was, his fidelity to the Word of God. The 
 rule of the Apostle with regard to a bishop was 
 exemplified in him : ' holding fast the faithful Word 
 as he hath been taught.' It was the 'law of his life,' 
 the 1 man of his counsel ' (as he often called it), 1 the 
 light of his path,' the storehouse filled with spiritual 
 treasures, out of which, for himself and for others, 
 he brought forth things new and old. The view 
 which he took of that Word was that it was a 
 divinely inspired record of events which had taken 
 place under God's providential government of the 
 world in relation to man's salvation, and he read 
 in it the gradual but sure unfolding of the wondrous 
 plan which the eternal mind had ordained for that 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 417 
 
 end. His mind was deeply imbued with its princi- 
 ples and truths. He had so studied them as to make 
 them thoroughly his own, and having realised their 
 fitness and sufficiency to meet the needs of his own 
 soul, he was not moved by any novelties of modern 
 interpretation, or by the attacks of the ' higher 
 criticism.' There was, therefore, no uncertainty in 
 his teaching ; no reserve nor qualifying of truths to 
 make them more palatable to the unhumbled sinner 
 or to the inconsistent professor. He preached all 
 the great truths of the Bible in their simplicity, 
 fulness, and Divine certainty, as he found them 
 there, and as they are set forth in the Articles and 
 Creed, expounded in the Homilies, and illustrated 
 in our unrivalled Liturgy. His sermons were dis- 
 tinguished by clearness of exposition, lucid illustra- 
 tion, persuasive argument, and fulness of instruction. 
 ' Speaking the truth in love,' ' warning every man, 
 and teaching every man ' in all wisdom, that, as 
 the Apostle said, ' we may present every man perfect 
 in Christ Jesus.' 
 
 Further, his was a particularly loving spirit. 
 Naturally affectionate and tender in his disposition, 
 he had acquired, through the operation of Divine 
 grace, a more than ordinary degree of that Christian 
 love which is the distinguishing mark of a true child 
 of God. And under its influence he loved all those 
 in whom he saw the reflection of the Saviour's image, 
 of whatever name or nation they might be. From 
 some, perhaps, upon some points he seriously differed ; 
 from others he might be ecclesiastically separated ; 
 but if they showed that they had the mind of Christ 
 they were part of the holy brotherhood who are to 
 
 E E 
 
41 8 EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BARKER. 
 
 be loved for Christ's sake. This loving spirit was 
 visible in him in domestic and social intercourse, in 
 kindly consideration for those- who were in want or 
 need, in relief of their necessities, in tender concern 
 for those who were in distress, in sympathy for those 
 who were called to suffer or to mourn. And many 
 were they who knew by experience the practical 
 sympathy which was extended to them in their dis- 
 tress in the most judicious and effectual manner. 
 The young, too, felt the kindly influence of the same 
 spirit as he moved amongst them. He entered 
 into their thoughts and feelings, took an interest in 
 their innocent pleasures and enjoyments, and tried 
 to make them happy, always endeavouring at the 
 same time to graft upon their minds some useful 
 lesson, or some good principle, some Christian senti- 
 ment, or some path of usefulness at home or abroad. 
 
 There was one other feature in the Bishop's 
 character upon which a few words may be said — 
 the steadfast perseverance with which he pursued 
 whatever he had satisfied himself would be for the 
 good of the Church. This was displayed in all the 
 important works which he undertook during his 
 episcopate. In the formation and working of the 
 Church Society ; in the introduction of synodical 
 action ; in the divisions of his diocese and the 
 formation of new sees ; in the establishment of 
 Moore College for the training of the clergy ; and 
 in the formation of the General Synod. After he 
 had fully examined the grounds for action, and 
 satisfied himself that the thing proposed was right 
 and good and practicable, he went forward. If 
 difficulties arose, and he was .baffled for a time, he 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 419 
 
 knew that they were there to be overcome. If one 
 course of action was found not to be the best for 
 adoption, he would try another, provided that it 
 involved no sacrifice of principle and commended 
 itself to his judgment as reasonable and right. And 
 in this way he succeeded, endeavouring to draw 
 together as many as possible in working out the 
 problem to a successful issue. 
 
 This firmness and tenacity of purpose with which 
 he was endowed was one of those principles which 
 carried him onward, step by step, and by the blessing 
 of God enabled him to accomplish much in which 
 without it he would have failed. It was the spirit 
 which was so conspicuous in the great Master Him- 
 self during His earthly course. It was the spirit of 
 the great Apostle to the Gentiles. And it has 
 animated and upheld many a missionary in the trials 
 and difficulties which have beset him in his field of 
 labour, and enabled him, by the grace of God, to 
 work on to the end. 
 
 But the Master did not need the services of His 
 devoted servant any longer in the Church below. 
 The work which He had appointed for him was 
 finished. And He, therefore, called him to a higher 
 service and a more perfect and sinless fellowship 
 with Himself in the Church above. The results of 
 his labours here are known but in part. But they 
 will be known in the day of the great gathering from 
 all lands and all ages of the hosts of the Lord, when 
 many, no doubt, will prove his joy and crown of re- 
 joicing in the presence of the Lord Jesus. 
 
421 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 . Report on Progress of the Diocese 
 
 By Sub-Committee appointed by the Standing Committee 
 of the Synod to report upon the following Resolution, 
 viz : — 
 
 ' That the Standing Committee be requested to prepare and 
 lay before the Synod at its next session a return showing the 
 progress of the Church within the diocese during the last twenty- 
 five years, and that such return embrace, with such other 
 particulars as the Standing Committee deem fit, the following: — 
 
 The number of churches and school-chapels erected 
 
 The accommodation thereby afforded. 
 
 The relative number of clergy ministering in the diocese. 
 
 The number of students who have passed through Moore 
 College, specifying the number who are now engaged in this 
 diocese.' 
 
 Your Committee has found considerable difficulty in 
 collecting the materials necessary to show the full progress 
 of the Church during the last twenty-five years. Such 
 difficulty arises partly from the large area over which the 
 work has been spread, partly from the fact that much of 
 the work has been unrecorded, or, if recorded, the records 
 are not available, although the fruits are visible in 
 parochial organizations and in the increased interest in 
 Church work in the various parishes, and partly from the 
 
 E E 2 
 
422 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 separation of the southern portion of the diocese into that 
 of Goulburn in the year 1863, and that of the western 
 portion into the Diocese of Bathurst in 1869. 
 
 Your Committee has, however, collected and tabulated 
 much important information which shows, to a great extent, 
 the nature and character of the work which has been 
 accomplished. 
 
 Provision for Public Worship. 
 The number of churches and school-churches in which 
 Divine service is held, built during the twenty-five years 
 extending from 1855 to 1880, is 236, affording accommoda- 
 tion to upwards of 30,000 persons. They may be classified 
 as follows : — 
 
 Churches. 
 
 The present number is 67 
 
 There were transferred to the Diocese of 
 
 Goulburn at its formation 22 
 
 To the Diocese of Bathurst at its formation 10 
 
 99 
 
 The number in 1855 was 48 
 
 Showing the increase in churches 51 
 
 School-churches, or Buildings used for the double 
 purpose of School and Church. 1 
 
 The number now licensed for Divine service is 118 
 Handed over to the Diocese of Goulburn ... 74 
 
 Bathurst ... 50 : 
 
 Making a total of 242 
 
 In 1855 the total number was 57 
 
 Showing an increase of buildings 185 
 
 1 Subsequent to the period embraced in the return, the following 
 new CHURCHES have been built :— Seven Hills ; Nowra; Shoalhaven. 
 One at Wallerawang is in course of erection. 
 
 School-churches : — St. Saviour's, Redfern ; Enmore ; McDonald 
 Town ; Summer HilL 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 423 
 
 Parsonage Houses. 
 
 Of these there were in the diocese in 1855 twenty-two. 
 Thirty have since been built, making a total of fifty-two. 
 
 SCHOOLHOUSES NOT USED AS CHURCHES. 
 
 Of these the number erected within the period named 
 in the resolution is thirty. In Sydney, ten ; in the suburbs, 
 thirteen ; in country places, seven. It is estimated that the 
 cost of these buildings was not less than 24,000/. 
 
 The Cathedral. 
 
 On account of its superior importance, the Committee 
 deems it right to make mention of this by itself. Com- 
 menced in the year 1837, its progress had often been im- 
 peded by difficulties and want of sufficient funds. A few 
 zealous and liberal Churchmen, nevertheless, did what they 
 could to carry it onward, from one stage to another. It 
 stands, however, recorded, that in 1855 tne walls were not 
 ready to receive the roof. In 1857 a public meeting was 
 held within the roofless walls, with a view to awaken a new 
 and more enlarged interest in its progress, and a stimulus 
 was then given to fresh effort. From that time the advance 
 was more steady, and, by several special efforts — public 
 meetings and appeals to Churchmen throughout the 
 diocese — sufficient means were obtained to complete the 
 building for consecration on St Andrew's Day, 1868. By 
 another special effort at a later period the Building Com- 
 mittee were encouraged to complete the western towers, 
 though a debt of about 1200/. still remains upon them. 
 The sums expended upon the work within the period from 
 1855 to 1875 amount in all to 42,900/. 
 
 The Episcopal Residence. 
 
 Amongst the Church buildings which have been erected, 
 your Committee may also make mention of one which 
 will prove of great value to the diocese in future years as it 
 
424 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 has been during the past — the residence of the Bishop at 
 Bishopscourt, the cost of which was 7000/. The present 
 bishop of the see was himself a large contributor. 
 
 Relative Number of the Clergy. 
 
 In the year 1855 the number of the clergy in the 
 Diocese of Sydney was fifty-four. Upon the division of 
 the diocese and the formation of that of Goulburn in 1864, 
 fourteen were transferred to that diocese. When that of 
 Bathurst was formed, and the bishop took possession of his 
 see in 1870, sixteen more were transferred to that diocese. 
 The number in the Diocese of Sydney at the end of 1880 
 was ninety-seven. The increase in the number in the 
 twenty-five years has, therefore, been seventy-three. 
 
 Moore College. 
 
 With a view to the training of young men for the 
 ministry, Moore College was opened in 1856, and a sum 
 of 5000/. has been expended in the erection of the necessary 
 buildings. This was collected by the Bishop from friends 
 in England and the colony, aided by his own liberal 
 donations. The College affords accommodation for 
 thirteen students, and has a commodious chapel attached. 
 The Principal's residence is the house bequeathed by the 
 founder. 
 
 The number of students who have passed through the 
 College and entered in Holy Orders is 138. Of these 
 
 There are now ministering in the Diocese of 
 
 Sydney 39 
 
 In the dioceses of Australia, Tasmania, and 
 
 New Zealand 83 
 
 In other parts of the world 9 
 
 Deceased 7 
 
 Total 138 
 
 The Church Society. 
 The Society was established in 1856 for the purpose of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 425 
 
 uniting the members of the Church in a combined effort to 
 extend the ordinances of the Church and the blessings of 
 the Gospel to places destitute of them. And it has been 
 largely influential for these ends, as its reports show. It 
 has been the direct means of raising and disbursing for 
 Church extension since its establishment to last year not 
 less than 70,000/., and indirectly of inducing the members 
 of the Church to contribute for stipends of clergymen and 
 catechists and Church buildings not less than 162,000/., 
 besides stimulating by its grants the raising for local 
 objects large amounts which it is impossible to reduce to 
 figures. 
 
 The Endowment Fund. 
 
 In connexion with the Church Society this fund, which 
 is managed by a committee appointed by the Church 
 Society, should be mentioned. It was originated in the 
 year 1 86 1 by the late Mr. Justice Wise, and on the 31st 
 of December, 1880, it amounted to 3380/. It has been 
 very helpful to parishes by loans, upon due security being 
 given for the repayment of principal and interest. 
 
 Synodical Action. 
 
 After many years of deliberation and various confer- 
 ences, synodical action was inaugurated in 1866, and since 
 that time the Diocesan Synod has been held annually, the 
 Provincial triennially ; and if the utility of these synods 
 be asked for, the ordinances which have been passed, and 
 the practical measures which have been adopted by our 
 own Diocesan Synod, will furnish the answer. Your 
 Committee would, however, draw especial attention to the 
 institution of the Clergy Widows' and Orphans' Fund and 
 the Superannuation Fund, the former of which now amounts 
 to very nearly 10,000/., and the latter to about 4000/. 
 
 Both these funds have, by the action of the Synod, 
 been created and placed upon a firm basis for further 
 development. 
 
426 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The effect of this Church organization has been also to 
 create and keep alive a more general interest in Church 
 matters on the part of both clergy and laity, not only in 
 the subjects brought before the Synod, but in the parishes 
 throughout the diocese. 
 
 The General Synod of the dioceses in Australia and 
 Tasmania may be further mentioned as having originated 
 with this diocese. 
 
 The Clergy Daughters' School. 
 
 Your Committee is of opinion that this report should 
 embrace some notice of the institution of the School 
 founded by the Bishop and Mrs. Barker for the education 
 of the daughters of the clergy. It was commenced in the 
 year 1858. The present School building cost 3000/. The 
 accommodation provided is for sixteen borders. The School 
 is endowed with 5617/. gs. yd. The number of pupils edu- 
 cated in St. Catherine's since its commencement is 130. 
 They are admitted from all the Australian dioceses. 
 
 The King's School. 
 
 Another important work has been the reinstitution of 
 the King's School at Parramatta. The School having been 
 for some time in abeyance, in 1869 steps were taken for its 
 revival, and the Rev. George F. Macarthur was induced by 
 the Bishop to undertake its management. The necessary 
 funds were provided by the Bishop and other friends, and 
 it has been ever since instrumental in imparting to a large 
 number of pupils a liberal education based upon Church of 
 England principles. 
 
 Support of the Clergy. 
 
 During the period with which this report deals, State 
 aid to the stipends of the clergy has been gradually 
 diminishing by the lamented deaths of those who were 
 recipients of it, the amount lost to the Diocese of Sydney 
 from 1863 (when the ' Grants for Public Worship Pro- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 hibition Act' came into force) to 1880 amounting to 
 3850/., but the financial loss has been made up by paro- 
 chial efforts, aided by the funds of the Church Society. 
 In some of the parishes where State aid has been lost, the 
 incomes of the clergy have been augmented by these 
 private efforts. 
 
 Income of the Diocese. 
 
 So far as can be ascertained from the statistical returns 
 which are presented annually to the Synod, the yearly 
 income of the diocese may be taken at about 55,000/. The 
 information asked for has, however, never been fully and 
 accurately supplied, and it is not improbable that the sum 
 may be somewhat larger than that now given. 
 
 Church Buildings' Loan Fund. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1879, steps were taken to 
 form a Church Buildings' Loan Fund, with a view to assist 
 parishes in the erection of churches and other Church build- 
 ings, by loans without interest, to be repaid at stated periods 
 as agreed upon. The fund at its initiation was coupled with 
 the name of the present Bishop, in grateful commemora- 
 tion of his twenty-five years' episcopate among us. The fund 
 has been increased since its inception to the sum of 7600/. 
 
 Such are some of the chief points which mark the out- 
 ward progress of the Church in this diocese during the last 
 quarter of a century. They are, however, but the outward 
 signs and manifestations of its progress. 
 
 Your Committee hopes and believes that, together with 
 these, there has been also an inward spiritual growth of 
 corresponding magnitude, without which that which is 
 external would be of little value. 
 
 {Signed) WILLIAM M. COWPER, » 
 
 HULTON S. King, ! Sub- Committee. 
 Alex. Stuart, ) 
 
428 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Postscript to Report on Progress of Church. 
 
 St. Paul's College. 
 
 Although the movement in respect to founding this 
 College began in 1852, yet inasmuch as the building was 
 only commenced in 1856, a record of the Church progress 
 of the last twenty-five years would be incomplete without 
 including it. About 15,000/. was raised by Churchmen for 
 the building, and a similar amount given by the Govern- 
 ment, which also contributes 500/. a-year for the Warden's 
 stipend. The advantages held out in its constitution are 
 great, and it is to be regretted that they have not been 
 more largely availed of. The buildings are unfinished, but 
 a sum of about 4500/. remains in the treasury, only waiting 
 a similar amount being subscribed by Churchmen, which 
 would do much to extend this valuable institution. 
 
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