The Early Story of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Victoria

or its presence, and notably where moral miasma was rife. EXTENSION. CHAPTER VI. The wheels of time and of the itinerancy had gone round, bringing a new Minister to the head of affairs in Melbourne in 1855. Mr. Butters had departed to Adelaide in the month of March, bearing with him flattering testimonials to his Ministerial worth, and the hearty prayers of the people for his prosperity in his new field of labour. His successor had arrived in the person of the Rev. D. J. Draper, who was every way fitted to rank beside him in shrewd sense, and careful management of men and things ; but was scarcely as effective in his pulpit services. Nevertheless, surrounded by good men, trained in a good school, habituated to the direction of Methodist affairs, which had prospered very greatly under him in South Australia, Mr. Draper wisely directed the machinery and measures of the Church, and was largely the agent of its consolidation and increase in the immediately succeeding decade of years. He had attended the first Australasian Conference, in company with his compeers and brethren, which had been held in Sydney in January of this year of grace, 1855. That had been a memorable Conference, which affected materially Victorian Methodism in the arrangemeut of stations, and in the first exercise of self-governing control and power in the newly-constituted Church. Nevertheless, as it was not held within the bounds of this colony, this reference to itmay suffice. It made the tra...