On Friday, the 22nd instant, a tea meeting took place at the Presbyterian Church, Smythesdale. A considerable anxiety was felt during the previous week as to the management and the result of the enterprise, the time of notice being very short and the meeting being the first of the kind of the Presbyterians in this place. Everything, however, turned out beyond the most sanguine expectations, a multitude of people collected together, and the tables had to be spread over and over again before the business of eating and drinking had been gone through, it being very lucky that there was plenty of eatables ready.

The Rev. John Gow took the chair, and in doing so said that he felt it quite a novelty, never before having been in a tea meeting. They had met that day to drink of the beverage that did not inebriate, and then they were going to hear discourse of pleasant music by the choir. In mentioning the choir he would give his thanks publicly to Mr. Tennant, his coadjutor; it was said that the Presbyterians were a carping sort of people. It was true they have had their disputes about state aid, ordination of ministers, &c., but they all agreed that the scriptures were given by spiritual inspiration. For more than fifty years disagreement existed amongst them, but now he was glad to say that they were gradually coalescing. In a meeting of the Presbytery lately held it was pleasant to notice the altered aspect of affairs, and the unanimity that prevailed. If members of any other church - Church of England, Wesleyan, Baptist, &c., were there, he could not see because one of the children was called Robert in a family, that that deprived him of being one of the family, as he thought that the other denominations were of the same army - they were all Christians. His ministerial brethren were more used than he to such meetings.

The choir then sang 133rd Psalm.

The Rev. Thomas Hastie (Buninyong) said that from an expression of their worthy Chairman, he, the speaker, understood that meeting to be the first of the kind in the place, and being so, he thought they knew well how to manage the like. He heard the word carping used in reference to the Scotch; it may be true, because they would not take everything. It was said that they, the Scotch, were behind the time, but in theology he knew they were far ahead of other people, in fact, they were "very gued at the uptak." (Laughter.)

A Scotch audience was not so easily pleased as others were. Other people would remember certain remarks of a discourse, but the Scotch may be illustrated in the Scotch servant girl when asked the heads of the sermon, she replied that the heads she did not know; but she was quite sure of the "Such" of the discourse.

The Scotch were of an argumentative mind. Of all his subjects he had one capital one, that of erecting another church. Theirs was far too small, and the sooner they went about it the better. At Buninyong some eighteen months ago they had such a meeting as that they had that evening, and now any one that passed their township might notice a fine church erected there, and now it was nearly out of debt; they had a duty to perform as Christians, and as Presbyterians, which they could not avoid, mention had been made of the present union of the various Presbyterians, it was already bearing fruit, not only in their own church, but also it had a great effect on others as well. An union was in a far advanced state of completion in Nova Scotia, Canada, &c., and it was well on throughout the whole world. In the British army there were many names by which the regiments were known, - Coldstream Guards, Scotch Grey's, &c.; but after all, it was only one army, though some regiments had born a better character by their conduct and bravery than others.

At the present time a great crisis was going on in the world. If they looked at China, there was the patriot army - Christians who, the first thing they do on conquering a place, was the breaking of idols: the images of the heathen as well as those of the Popish religion. Missionaries had been in the midst of the rebels, - their prime minister had been five years in a Christian college; they were very favorable to the Scripture, and had the Bible amongst them. Their number is over forty millions. France, Sweden, and Norway were fast changing. In Italy rapid changes were going on. Bible colporteurs were distributing the Scriptures through the length and breadth of the land. At home, revivals were going on, and spreading and changing the face of the land. He trusted that higher benefits would accrue from their meeting that evening to all those connected with their social enjoyment.

Choir - 52nd chapter of Isaiah.

The Rev. William Henderson (Ballarat) then addressed the meeting. He said the worthy chairman had intimated that his brother ministers would make up for whatever he was short, being more in the habit of conducting such meetings; but he thought he had enough to do to speak for himself. He had not what is vulgarly called the "gift of the gab" at tea meetings. He suggested that they would have a barrel organ set to a certain number of set speeches, which then would do away with the part allotted to him. (Laughter.)

He might say, with an old Scotch woman, when speaking of the young ones of the present day dressing their hair three or four times a day, she found it very hard work to do it once in three months. (Laughter.)

He might say he was just the same; he liked the tea, but did not like the speaking, he would like to leave that to somebody else. He was much in favor of such meetings; they were very good to wear away the ministerial starch which existed, with many. It appeared that a great gulf existed between the minister and his flock, and the more of such meetings the more intercourse would be between both parties, and feel that they belonged one to another, the minister to live in the heart of his people. Religion was not a thing for Sunday only. Such a one would be of more harm than good. There were also a class of people who had too much of religion - the Pharisees, and even in our own times the same existed. What was wanted was religion for all times and places.

He could not do less than congratulate them on such a turn-out at Smythe's, or Brown's. Whatever they called it, he was certain that to the chairman was due much of their success; he (the chairman) was one of the oldest ministers in the colony, and from what he (Mr. Henderson) had seen, the Sabbath before and that evening, they would have no trouble in enlarging that building, or in building a new church. He could beg as well as any one, but that evening it appeared that they were not going in that line.

Of the present feeling amongst Christians, dissensions were ceasing, and he could say that from other ministers than his own sect he had received the hand of friendship. The union amongst the Presbyterians was not only doing good to themselves but to others, seeing they were getting over difficulties by their union they induced others to follow. He thought that people generally had their sectarianism drowned in the sea on their voyage out. Sectarianism was much like an old miller near Glasgow, who had but one tune to every metre, one day a peculiar metre - 136, or some other Psalm was given out; the old miller tried at several tunes until at last Jenny, his old wife stood up, - "Hoot mun kang ye ken it aint yer ain tune." (Laughter.)

Why should they be tied down to a certain routine? He belonged to the Ballarat Rifle Brigade, (great laughter) and he assured them he was not the worse for rising to drill at six o'clock in the morning, and why should they be not ready to take arms in any fray that may come. The Presbyterians had more ordained ministers than even the Episcopalian, although the Scotch were but a fifth of the number in the colony, the Episcopalian had had their services where they could not obtain the services of an ordained clergyman. The Wesleyans had their lay preachers all over the world; but there was something in the skull of the Scotchman that thought. It required the hand of the presbytery, college education, &c., in a minister; they must get a good article. It was true they could not get number enough to satisfy the requirements, but having kind friends at home, it was expected that shortly they would be in a position to do so.

Some of the old wives at home were great critics. He was much more afraid of them than what was termed the educated. They knew the Shorter Catechism, and were great in theology, and very hard on young preachers. He remembered a story of two poor Highlanders going to Glasgow. They were church-going folk, and went into the first one they saw, which was an Episcopalian. They stood in the aisle, and seemed quite dumbfounded, seeing the parson in his white gown and the man playing the organ. A lady seeing them so, beckoned them to a pew, but the foremost replied aloud, "Na, no, tak Dugald, he is far better dancer than me."

Of the oceans of tea and mountains of cake and buns that had been consumed that day, it put him in mind of a story of a country farmer who took his daughter to the seaside. When he took her there the tide was in, but in three weeks when he went to fetch her home, the sea was out. The farmer, seeing the water much lower, said in astonishment, "De'r me, Eli has drunk well."

He concluded by expressing a hope that God would strengthen the hands of their ministers in the good work that was there for him to do. He was quite sure they were well able to have a new church and to maintain a minister.

The choir then sang the 100th Psalm.

The Chairman returned thanks to the ladies for the great exertions they had made, which contributed very materially to their enjoyment that evening. It was a very novel position for him, and he felt very peculiarly. He had depended entirely on the faithfulness of the female sex from four till he was seventeen years old, and afterwards always found them faithful, meek, and affectionate; but somehow or other he was still a bachelor. (Laughter.)

He would again express his thanks to the choir, and particularly to Mr. Tennant, who had been their precentor for upwards of two years, and that gratuitously. He hoped they would be able shortly to show him their appreciation of his services in a substantial manner. Collections having been made, and the choir singing "I will sing unto the Lord," "The Prodigal Son," and the 100th Psalm, the meeting was closed with the usual formalities.