239

Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland,
8th November, 1854.

HIS Excellency the Officer administer-
ing the Government has been pleased
to appoint the undermentioned gentlemen
to be Registrars under the Act recently
passed by the General Assembly (No. 12,
Sess. 2) intituled "The Marriage Act,
1854," for the Districts set opposite their
respective names.

John B. Bennett,.. Registrar General of New Zealand.
John B. Bennett.. Registrar for District of Auckland.
Rev. T. Lanfear...... ditto. Thames.
Francis Dart Fenton ditto Kaipara.
James Reddie Clendon ditto Bay of Islands.
William Bertram White ditto Mongo ui.
Harcourt R. Aubrey ditto Hokiangn.
George Manners Mitford ditto Kawhia.
Walter Harsant ditto Rangiawhia.
Henry T. Smith ditto Tauranga.
Rev. Wm. Leonard Williams ditto Turanga or

Samuel Popham King ditto Poverty Bay.
Robert Roger Strang ditto New Plymouth.
Charles Champaigne De Vœux ditto Wellington.
Alfred Domett ditto Whanganui.
W. Mein Smith ditto Ahuriri.
John Poynter ditto Wairarapa.
Alfred C. Picard ditto Nelson.
Edward Jollie ditto Motueka.
Samuel Beswick ditto Amuri.
Alfred Barker ditto Kaiapoi.
Daniel Watkins ditto Christchurch.
William Donald ditto Akaroa.
Rev. J. F. H. Woblers ditto Lyttelton.
Robert Chapman ditto Stewart's Island.
ditto Otago.

These appointments are to take effect
from the first day of January, one thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

MARRIAGE ACT.

OFFICIATING MINISTERS FOR 1855.

The attention of the persons or person within
the colony of New Zealand in whom is vested
Ecclesiastical authority over any of the religious
bodies enumerated in Schedule D annexed to the
"Marriage Act, 1854," viz:—

The United Church of England and Ireland.
The Church of Scotland.
The Roman Catholic Church.
The Free Church of Scotland.
All Presbyterian Congregations.
The Wesleyan Methodist Society.
All Congregational Independents.
Baptists.
The Primitive Methodist Society.
The Lutheran Church.
All Hebrew Congregations.
The Society of Friends.

Also the attention of Ministers of Religion not
connected with any of these Bodies, who may de-
sire to be placed on the list of " Officiating Minis-
ters" within the meaning of this Act, is specially
called to the following extracts from the Act
aforesaid:—

Any Minister of Religion whose name shall have
been sent in to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths,
-ed Marriages, or other O ficer to be appointed by the
Governor in that behalf, by the persons or person with
the Colony in whom Ecclesiastical authority shall
for the time being be vested, or reputed to be vested, over
any of the Religious Bodies enumerated in the Sche-
dule D to this Act annexed, shall, subject to the condi-
tions hereinafter mentioned, be an Officiating Minister
within the meaning of this Act, and the name of every
such Minister of Religion shall be certified under the
hand or hands of the person or persons aforesaid, and
shall be entered and published as hereinafter provided.
Provided always, that any Minister of Religion not
connected with any of the Bodies enumerated in the
aforesaid schedule to this Act annexed, who shall pre-
sent to any Registrar a certificate signed by twenty-
four householders resident in the district for which
such Registrar shall be appointed, declaring that such
Minister is their Officiating Minister, shall be entitled
to have his name inserted in the list of Officiating
Ministers in the meaning of this Act. Provided always
that such certificate shall be attested by two Justices
of the Peace; and such attested certificate shall be sent
in to the Registrar-General or other Officer as aforesaid
anew in the month of December in every year, and no
such attested certificate presented to any Registrar by
any Minister as aforesaid, shall continue in force unless
renewed in like manner.

The several Ecclesiastical Authorities as aforesaid of
the respective Religious Bodies, shall send in to the
said Registrar General, or other Officer as aforesaid, a
correct list of such Officiating Ministers in the month
of December in every year.

It will therefore be necessary that the names of
all Officiating Ministers, duly certified, be sent in
to me before the termination of the month of De-
cember next ensuing, in order that all such names
may be entered in the list, a copy of which will
be published in January, 1855, in the New Zea-
land Government Gazette.

JOHN B. BENNETT..
Registrar-General.

Registrar-General's Office,
Auckland, October 31st, 1854.

THE NEW MARRIAGE ACT.

By the provisions of the Marriage Act recently
passed by the General Assembly of New Zealand
(No. 12, 1854), the Marriage Ordinance of 1847
(No. 7, Session 8) will cease to have any force at
the termination of the present year; and from
and after the 1st of January, 1855, no Marriage
can be legally solemnized within the Colony other-
wise than as required by the New Act, except in
cases where the persons intermarrying are both
Aboriginal Natives.

The particular enactments relating to Officiat-
ing Ministers, Registrars, &c., will, of course, re-
ceive the special attention of the persons imme-
diately concerned in their administration. But
it appears desirable that, on a subject of such
universal interest to the Colonists, there should be
published, for general information, such an out-
line of the leading provisions as may afford to
persons intending marriage, and to the public at
large, an intelligible view of the points with
which it is most necessary that they should be
made acquainted. The following summary has
been compiled with reference to this object:—

Registrar's Certificate necessary.

A principal feature of the new Law is, that in
every case of intended Marriage, it will be neces-
sary, previous to the solemnization of the Mar-
riage, to obtain a Certificate from the duly ap-
pointed Registrar of the district in which the
persons intending Marriage dwell; or if they dwell
in different districts, from the Registrar of each
district. (Clause 6.) This Certificate will not
oblige any Officiating Minister to solemnize any
Marriage, but it will be indispensable as an au-
thority for its solemnization according to law.
Any Marriage solemnized without such Certifi-
cate, both the persons knowingly and wilfully
(Clause 30); and every person solemnizing Matri-