The completion of the Independent Church in Lonsdale Street, West, was celebrated by a public tea meeting, which took place on Tuesday evening in the Church itself. The building is calculated to hold five hundred and fifty persons, and there must have been that number present, as every available seat was occupied.

The building is not quite completed, at least as far as architectural decorations are concerned, many additions being in contemplation as soon as the state of funds will permit them to be carried into effect. Considering the very large attendance, the manner in which the refreshments were provided, was highly creditable to those who had the management of the entertainment, and appeared to give great satisfaction to the assembled company, of whom half were ladies.

Tea having been concluded, the Rev. John Harcourt offered up an appropriate prayer, which was succeeded by a hymn, and Rev. Thomas Odell then took the chair. The reverend gentleman said that the present meeting was one which he in common with many others had looked forward to with a feeling of deep interest; he rejoiced to witness so large an assemblage, and rejoiced also that any confusion which might have ensued in the endeavour to accommodate them, was caused solely by their very numerous attendance. He did not doubt, that there were many who had witnessed the progressed of that building, who were under the impression that it had grown to maturity without any lapse of time, but to him it had appeared to lift its sides most sluggishly, and approach to its finished condition by very slow degrees.

He would now take advantage of that opportunity to express his cordial thanks to his ministerial brethren for the active part they had taken in the opening services of the church, and would express a hope, that the period was far distant when anyone would be found unwilling to assist in such a work of faith and labour of love. He would not take up the time of the meeting, but would call on one of their respected deacons, Mr. Sargood, to lay before them some account of the rise and progress of the building.

Mr. Sargood then came forward, and said that he had thought it desirable that such remarks as he might be called upon to make should be committed to paper, and he would therefore read a brief account of the origin and progress of the Church, and the congregation through whose instrumentality it had been erected. In the month of February 1850, three ministers of the Independent denomination arrived in this colony from England; one of them, the Rev. Thomas Odell having presented his testimonials from the Associated Ministers and Churches of the County in England, where he had laboured, was encouraged by the Rev. Alexander Morison, minister of the Independent Church on the Eastern Hill, and by Messrs. Thomas Smith and Robert Fulton, deacons of the same church, to endeavour to gather a congregation in the western part of the city.

At the next meeting of the church, the Rev. Mr. Morison brought the matter before the members, and suggested the propriety of some of them seeking dismission from their present connexion for the purpose of forming the nucleus of the second church. This suggestion was warmly responded to by Mr. Thomas Fulton, one of the deacons. Mr. Robert Smith then proposed, that the meeting of such as were disposed to countenance and assist the undertaking should be held, in order to ascertain their strength, and the Pastor recommended that such meeting should take place the following Friday evening, in the school-room, Western Hill, (which building was placed at their service as a temporary place of worship) and that having ascertained their strength, they should proceed to take such steps as might appear desirable to meet the wants of the locality.

All this being approved, seventeen persons assembled on the evening appointed, who having formed themselves into a provisional committee, resolved on immediate effort, and appointed a chairman, secretary and treasurer, to act pro tem. At this meeting it was resolved that divine service should be commenced the ensuing Sabbath, March 10th, and that due publicity should be given to this step by advertisement and otherwise. After the Sabbath services of the 24th March, twenty-six members of the Church of the Eastern Hill, gave in their names to the Rev. Mr. Odell, with the request that he would present them to their Pastor, the Rev. A. Morison, soliciting their dismission; this being done, they were accordingly dismissed the following Wednesday evening, dismissed, too, in love, with the prayers and benedictions of the church, the pastor solemnly placing before them the new duties and responsibilities they were taking upon themselves.

On Thursday evening, April 4th, a meeting was called in the schoolroom referred to, for the purpose of recognising the members dismissed as a separate independent church. The meeting having been opened by reading the scriptures and prayer, the Rev. Alexander Morison was called to the chair, and proceeded to deliver a suitable address to the members, taking occasion therein to refer to the manner in which they had been honourably dismissed from the chuch under his care, and expressing his recognition of them as the second Independent Church of this city.

The Chairman then proceeded to read five letters of dismission from churches of the same order in England, testifying to the consistent, and useful Christian character of five individuals, who were cordially welcomed and received into fellowship by the unanimous vote of the newly constituted church. At the same time a call was read by Mr. Thomas Fulton, signed by each of the thirty-one members referred to, and presented to the Rev. Thomas Odell, affectionately inviting him to take the pastoral oversight of them in the Lord. This call was accepted, and an address delivered by the newly elected pastor, after which the Rev. Mr. Morison closed the services by prayer.

In consequence of the steady increase both in the church and congregation, it was soon felt that the schoolroom was far too small for the numbers assembling, and steps were taken to procure a site on which a church might be built. Some idea of the steady increase of church members may be formed by the following statistics copied from the church books. In May, 1850, one member was added; in June, four; in July, three; in August, seven; in September, two; in October, six; in November, two; in January, 1851, four; in February, four; in March, five; in May, six; in June, three; and in July, three; and the next month it was expected that eight more would be added, bringing the number of comminicants to eighty-seven - not reckoning two who have passed away, it is trusted, to a happier world.

On the first of August last, two deacons were elected by ballot, a rule having been previously passed that no one should be considered as elected, unless the votes of a clear majority of the whole church were recorded in his favour. The choice of the people, which was well nigh unanimous, fell upon Mr. Thomas Fulton, and Mr. Frederick Jennings Sargood, who were thereupon set aside to the office by prayer. The ordinances of religion have been sustained since the commencement by the voluntary offerings of the people, and between both pastor, deacons, and people the most unbroken harmony has subsisted to the present hour.

The Rev. Mr. Odell said that he would now introduce the other esteemed deacon, Mr. Thomas Fulton, who would present the meeting with a financial statement of the affairs of the Church.

Mr. Fulton, after expressing his great gratification at seeing so numerous a company assembled before him, said Mr. Sargood had certainly delivered a very good address, but the reason was, that Mr. Odell and he had written it out between them. (Laughter.) He (Mr. Fulton) had told Mr. Odell on Friday, that he had no objection to address the meeting, and asked if any speech was prepared for him; he waited all day, but got nothing; on Saturday no speech came; he could not expect it on Sunday - it did not arrive on Monday, and now on Tuesday night, he was unprovided with a speech. He hoped, however, if he endeavoured to address them, he should be enabled to make himself understood. He really thought that the longer he lived in Port Phillip, the broader Scotch he spoke, but the reason was, he associated chiefly with Scotch-men - and Scotch was spoken in his establishment and in his office; and this advantage had resulted from the practice, that while he could understand the English, they could scarcely understand him (laughter). However, he rejoiced exceedingly in the spirit which appeared to animate the whole of that large assembly, and it was a spirit which he should like to see manifested by all church members.

When Mr. Odell returned from Sydney, he gave a look at the unfinished appearance of the interior of the church, and wished an effort to be made to get the walls plastered. Well, a meeting was accordingly convened, some had contributed five shillings, some ten, some two guineas, and soon, until at last enough was collected for the purpose: and that was only one instance of the members of the Church drawing in unity, and endeavouring to carry out the wishes of their pastor. He would now tell them something less pleasing to them, that is, they were £130 poorer than they expected; in plain English, the Church after the vestibule was completed, would cost £1,978. Of this amount they had already raised £708, and borrowed £730 more, which left them in debt to the amount of £540.

He remembered attending a meeting where, after discussing the state of the finances, the Secretary said "we are now only a thousand pounds in debt." He felt very strangely then, and it might be supposed he felt very keenly on the present occasion, when he considered that they were now in debt to the amount of twelve hundred pounds. He was happy to say that Mr. Hopkins of Hobart Town, a great friend to the Independent persuasion, has promised to contribute ten per cent on all money raised in Melbourne; and they had not only hitherto done very well, but hoped to do well that night also. They had five hundred and forty pounds to raise in order to get clear of debt exclusive of the mortgage, and he hoped to see a vigorous effort made to gather the amount together.

The Rev. Mr. Odell said, that it was rather too bad of Mr. Fulton to let the cat out of the bag as he had done, and he would now call on the Rev. William Butters, who had a resolution to propose, which he was persuaded they would feel to be of the most absorbing interest.

The Rev. Mr. Butters said he was in a worse plight than either of the two previous speakers. Mr. Sargood had his speech written out for him, and Mr. Fulton had proved that he was by no means unprepared; besides the topic on which he was about to speak was one on which he did not feel thoroughly at home. The matter, however, had been introduced by Mr. Fulton, and he felt that it would not be necessary to occupy much of their time. He met Mr. Odell the other day in the street, who allowed him to tear off a small scrap of paper from the back of a letter, on which was written "The undesirableness of a large, long, standing debt." He had then said to Mr. Odell that he should be most happy to be present at the approaching tea meeting, and for himself, and on the part of the whole Wesleyan Church, to salute them in the Lord and wish them good luck; but as to the motto, he really was at a loss what to say. There certainly was this much in the words, that they conveyed a truth which no one would attempt to controvert; or if any person present thought that a "long, large, standing debt" was really desirable, he would be glad to hear his or her reasons for such an opinion. If, however, there were any parties present, who were of such a way of thinking, he would venture to predict one thing and that was, they never had any thing to do with the matter.

A debt of twelve hundred pounds was then certainly a heavy one, but though large and long he would not call it standing, for he supposed it was to be reduced that night to - how much? Perhaps, however, Mr. Odell might prefer to have it swept off at once. The interest on the mortgage money, amounted to £120, and what an amount of good might be accomplished with such a sum! He begrudged interest because there was nothing to show for the money; he did not mean for a moment to say that it wrong to pay interest, but he would much rather so the money spent in extending their own work. He had been given to understand, that he was to be seconded by a gentleman who had his speech already prepared, and he was positively sure that when part of it was heard, it would be received with thunders of applause. The members of the church were aware that a debt was to be wiped off, that they had the work to do, and therefore the sooner it was done the better; a vigorous effort should be made to sweep the whole of the balance, and he would in all earnestness, and all sobriety, recommend them to put their shoulders to the wheel, in order to accomplish it.

He was sorry that the subject of money matters had been entrusted to him for the purpose of being brought before the meeting, but he certainly did not like the idea of the home of God being hampered with a debt: the interest of that debt must necessarily be paid, and if any adverse circumstances should arise, they would be less able to meet them. Besides, they would not be enabled to spend certain sums in the distribution of tracts, or carry on their schools with that vigour and efficiency which was requisite, while they had a heavy debt pressing on them. He hoped a vigorous effort would be made to reduce this debt, so that it would not either be "long" or "large." He would therefore, in all confidence, submit to the meeting the resolution or the sentiment "that a large, long, standing, debt was most undesirable:" he certainly thought that such was the opinion of all present, and trusted that they were prepared to show it in a substantial manner.

The Rev. Mr. Odell, then called on Mr. R. Smith, whom he thanked for the good feeling and unbounded liberality, and kind manner in which he had undertaken the reception and payment of all monies connected with the church.

Mr. R. Smith: The Book of Proverbs said, "Let another man praise thee, and not thine own lips:" and this saying was most commonly applied to those who were in the habit of praising themselves. He, however, would take the present opportunity of awarding the highest praise to those who had the management of that tea party. If there had been any mistakes committed in the arrangements, such mistakes were to be attributed to their want of experience, and not to their want of thoughtfulness; but in his opinion, it was wonderful how so many should be so well accommodated, and so well supplied.

Mr. Fulton had found fault with Mr. Odell for providing a speech for one gentleman, but he (Mr. Smith) thought that praise was also due to them for having brought on the real business of the evening at such an early stage of the proceedings. He had attended several meetings, where it appeared to be the fashion to put business where ladies put their business when they write letters: namely, in a postscript. Such, however, was not the case on the present occasion. With reference to the debt of five hundred and forty pounds, he must say that large as the meeting was, even those who rejoiced in the name of practical men would wonder where the money was to come from. Mr. Hopkins had promised his ten per cent, and as the sum of £720 had been already raised, that gentleman's contribution might be put down as £70. Seventy pounds, and various other items of which he was in possession, subtracted from £720, would reduce the sum to £400. He was desired to say that a friend offered to contribute one of these four hundreds - but he would not use term friend as it was a mere figure of speech. He would say at once that Mr. R. Fulton had offered to contribute £100. This then would leave £300 to be paid.

There was about six hundred persons present, but it was not to be expected that everyone could contribute ten shillings, which would at once liquidate the claim. There were many minors in the room, and a considerable number of ladies whom he did not suppose had any separate maintenance. Nevertheless some might subscribe ten pounds, others five, others one, and so on, down to five shillings. It was no reason why this should not be done, to say that there then would be nothing else to be done. This was a mistake, for they shortly would require the erection of a Parsonage House and Schools. They all knew the power of sympathy, and this anxiety about such matters as were now before them, was one of the methods of provoking each other to good works. Let it be done, then, with all deliberation; and as he had thought it possible that many might not have come prepared to contribute on the spot, he had taken the precaution of putting two blank cheque books into his pocket, for the convenience of those who would wish to write a draft.

The Rev. Mr. Odell said that, without lessening the influence which the two last speakers had produced, they would now proceed to make a collection for the purpose of liquidating the debt of the building. Several gentlemen then volunteered their services and carried round the collection plates, and in about ten minutes, the sum of sixty-two pounds was collected.

Mr. Fulton here rose and said, he was now about to let another cat out of the bag. He had promised that, if the sum collected amounted to fifty pounds, he would add one hundred to it, and he therefore had great pleasure in doing so. If, therefore, they had not wiped out the whole of the debt, they had, at least, done something towards it. He would also mention that no money was derived from seat rents, but that every church member was expected to follow the Apostolic precept of giving as God had prospered him; if they would attend to that, they would soon get rid of the debt, and he hoped at the next meeting to see it entirely expunged.

The Rev. Mr. Odell felt very thankful that money matters were over for the present. He had heard so much lately on the subject of pounds, shillings and pence, that he was quite wearied with it, and trusted he should have nothing to do with finance matters for some time to come.

The Rev. Mr. Morison said it was most gratifying to him, that the statement connected with the origin and progress of the new church had been laid before the meeting; not that he had any vain feeling on the subject, but misapprehensions might have arisen calculated to tell unfavourably on certain individuals. He had heard it rumoured, and those rumours were any thing but pleasant, that the Rev. A. Morison was always anxious to shove off to Van Diemen's Land, any independent minister arriving in these colonies, because he was afraid of opposition. It was satisfactory, however, that he stood approved; and while he had nothing to boast of himself, he was at the same time heartily thankful that another church of the Independent denomination was now established in Melbourne. The reverend gentleman then proceeded to deliver a discourse on the following theme - "Union among churches is pleasing to the Saviour."

At the conclusion of Mr. Morison's address, the Rev. Andrew Mitchell Ramsay was called on, to lecture on the words - "Union among churches is profitable to believers." The Reverend Gentleman, said he had not attended for any other purpose than to give an expression of his sympathy by his personal presence - he did not feel enabled to say much on the present occasion, and therefore trusted the meeting would excuse him.

The Rev. William Jarrett then came forward, and delivered an address on the words, "Union among churches is necessary for the extensive spread of the common faith."

At the conclusion of Mr. Jarrett's address, the Rev. Mr. Odell desired to repeat his expression of satisfaction at witnessing so large an assemblage; he desired also to thank them for the cordiality they had shown to his ministerial brethren, and to express his thanks to those who had been subscribers that evening. References had been made to the amount of success, with which he had been favoured: and while he rejoiced that success had attended his labours, he ascribed it to God alone, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit," saith the Lord of Hosts.

It was also a matter of extreme gratification to him, that whilst his labours had been blessed, the Lord had also smiled on other churches of their common Saviour. Mr. Ramsay's church had been recently established, and also that of Mr. Jarrett, and they were both flourishing in the most encouraging manner. One Church of the Wesleyan denomination had been completed in Collingwood, and another in Collins Street much enlarged, and he rejoiced to hear that every seat was filled in the church of the Rev. Irving Hetherington. This was a matter of the highest satisfaction, and they might depend upon it, that so far as they laboured unitedly, prayerfully, and in a firm dependence on the Divine blessing, so long would their labours prosper; for God hath said, "The word that is gone out from my mouth shall not return to me void, but shall prosper in that whereunto I sent it."

He had forgotten to mention that he had that evening received a letter from the Rev. Robert Buchanan Scott, expressing his sorrow that ill health had prevented his presence among them. He would only now mention, that while he attributed the success which had attended him to God's effectual power, he felt that very much was also to be attributed to the earnestness, unity, and prayers of the people among whom Divine Providence had cast his lot.

A hymn was then sung, after which a benediction pronounced by the Rev. Mr. Odell, and the meeting broke up at half-past ten o'clock.