£10 10s., payable quarterly. In March, 1849, the Bishop rented the Russell Street Temperance Hall for temporary worship, and the Rev. W . Merry was nominated to officiate there. O n the 13th M a y the Bishop issued hisfirstpastoral letter. A confirmation was held at Geelong on 2nd June, when there were twenty-six recipients, chiefly adults; and on the 3rd Sunday of the month, the Bishop held an Ordination at the same place, on which occasion the Archdeacon presented Messrs. Bean and Braim for Priest's, and Mr. Bloomfield for Deacon's orders. T h e church service in the evening was read by the Reverend Mr. Braim. O n the 22nd August, a meeting of the subscribers and pew-holders of St. Peter's was held in the Diocesan G r a m m a r School. After paying all demands on the Church account, and fencing the ground, there was a balance of ,£95. T h e pulpit was proposed to be put up at a cost of between ,£70 and ,£80. T h e Trustees urged the taking of immediate steps with respect to the parsonage, and invited co-operation. A committee was appointed to collect contributions, for which a list was opened forthwith, and headed by the Bishop with ,£100 out of funds placed at his disposal from England, and ,£10 as his individual donation. Efforts had been for some time m a d e for the erection of churches at Richmond and St. Kilda, and at the former place the Rev. Joseph Docker presented for a site an acre of land, worth ,£100. T h e first annual meeting of the Diocesan Society was held at the Temperance Hall on the 12th September, 1849, when Bishop Perry gave an interesting precis of the past year's proceedings. Mr, Edward Courtney was appointed itsfirstSecretary at an annual salary of ,£150. T h e Bishop presided over a meeting at Howard's Royal Hotel, St. Kilda, on the 16th October, to concert measures for the speedy erection of a church and school-house, and ,£150 was subscribed in the room. T h e Richmond congregation pushed on with m u c h vigour, and on the 5th December, the subscribers assembled at St. Peter's Schoolroom to determine upon a plan of building prepared by Mr. James Blackburn. ,£350 had been subscribed, the Bishop was willing to lend, out of the General Church Fund, £ 1 0 0 for two years without interest, and the Rev. Mr. Docker, w h o had given the land, offered to contribute ,£100, if all w h o had subscribed doubled their subscriptions, but nothing was done in this respect. It was supposed that half the chancel in the submitted plan could be completed for ,£600, and accommodation so provided for 120 sitters. T h e only business transacted was the appointment of Messrs. D. S. Campbell, W'. Highett, Edward Bell, George James, and Henry Ghinn, as trustees. Towards the close of the year the Rev. Mr. Singleton was appointed to Kilmore, the Rev. Mr. T h o m s o n obtained leave of absence to visit V a n Diemen's Land, on account of ill-health ; and on December 23rd, Messrs. Brickwood and Merry received ordination, and Mr. Cheyne was admitted to Deacon's orders. Before Bishop Perry left England, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, agreed to sanction a grant of land as a site for an Episcopal mansion, with £ 2 0 0 0 towards the building, and a stipend of ,£500 per annum. T h e land (two acres) was granted in East Melbourne, in the course of 1849, and the money was to be paid from the sale of land belonging to the Church of England, in what was then known as the Middle District, i.e. N e w South Wales, outside the boundary of Port Phillip. But the land did not pass into the possession of the church until the April following.
An Episcopal Conference
Was held at Albury (a place remarkable for intercolonial conferences since) on the 1st February, 1850, when the Bishops of Sydney and Melbourne met at the then inconsiderable border village. They were received with kindly warmth by the residents, at both sides of the Murray, and on Sunday the 3rd, after service Dr. Broughton held a confirmation. There were two services on that memorable day, and it is doubtful if the churches of Albury have since listened to two such brilliant orations as were then preached, viz, in the morning by Bishop Broughton, and the evening by Bishop Perry. The next day, 4th, a meeting was held, with Dr. Broughton as chairman, at which business of an important nature, as concerned the Riverina neighbourhood, was disposed of. Arrangements were made for the maintenance of a minister to officiate at convenient places in both districts, the Bishop of Sydney undertaking to contribute ,£100 for one year, and ,£50 was to be raised by the settlers on each side of the H u m e
