The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Richmond Church was performed by his Lordship the Bishop of Melbourne, at three o'clock yesterday afternoon, 20 June 1850.

His Worship was attended by the Rev. Thomas Augustus Strong, and the Rev. Samuel Edward Bloomfield, neither of whom, however, officiated in the religious services performed on the occasion, which were conducted solely by the Bishop.

His Lordship first impressively addressed the persons assembled, pointing out the lamentable destitution of public religious ordinances under which the inhabitants of Richmond who belonged to the communion of the Church of England, had so long laboured, it being notorious that many persons had frequently travelled all the way from Richmond to St. Peter's Church of Melbourne and been compelled to return, not having obtained admittance, that church being too small to accommodate even its own congregation. It formed strong ground for thankfulness that the measures deemed requisite for remedying this lamentable state of spiritual defalcation had been so successful. £350 having been contributed by the inhabitants of Richmond for the building of that church, the first stone of which he had come there that day to lay.

His Lordship bestowed a hearty tribute of praise on the Rev. Daniel Newham of St. Peter's Church, Eastern Hill for his exertions, and also acknowledged in suitable terms, the zealous efforts of the committee appointed by the inhabitants to undertake and complete the building of the church, the cost of which would be £800. The father of a clergyman in this colony, who resided in England, had contributed the munificent sum of £400 towards building this church, so that his Lordship did not anticipate much difficulty in obtaining the balance still required for its completion.

His Lordship having concluded his address, offered up a prayer appropriate to the occasion, and then repaired to the spot where the foundation stone had been prepared to be lowered down, and twice spreading the mortar on the bed on which it was to be laid, the stone was placed with precision in the position it was intended it should occupy, and his Lordship having given it several strokes with the mallet, the mechanical department of the ceremony thus terminated.

His Lordship then gave out a hymn, which all present united in singing and the imposing ceremony closed with his Lordship pronouncing the usual apostolic benediction.

His Honor Charles Joseph La Trobe and lady, and a considerable concourse of other persons of all ranks and classes were present. A scroll, bearing the following inscription, was sealed up in a bottle, and deposited in a cavity in which it is usual to preserve such relics on all similar occasions:-