Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XII, Issue 720, 1 October 1859, Page 3

Colonial.

■iNEIiSON,

"':'■' [From a Oorrospondent.] * ■■■ ■ ■■'" 'Cv'-'i^r^spM^assb/'. There has..been-so little stirring during,th« past month, that I had almost .resolved; to,postpone my communication until, next,;monthj'but : on second thoughts I considered -it. \vouli perhaps behest that I should narrate .what,little .intelbgenco there is, specially as the iorthcoimng lecture pf 'Dr. Hoohstetter will, I trust, supply," good news and plenty of it." ' . ;.., :..-/■ ..';.; „':.:/. .'.■■■•.

The .birthday, of thp,Kince:C^nsort,. Friday the 56th August,4Bs9vis ,destined'.,t() bo. ever famous in the aini.nls.o^elson.ajJitheday 'on which were kid the foundation.stonesiol:' t the ;ne\v Government J3uildings uiid of jthe./Nelson.,lnstitute. The,day was observed.jista.puWiC;^holiday—the > Freemasons jmd Odd\.Fel)oiws,,werein. full,fig., and made a goodly show in.the procession, headed. b£ a band of music;;-the.; rear otl.the !; prpce3Sßion,bein^ brought up .by Jsa&^Superintendent sand Provincial.Council, tlie .bishop, clergy,, merchants, .&c. The sun shone with:j^ usual;,brightness,7-the.ishops and offices were .all, closed,—and the, footpaths were crowded with numbers of, the fair sex, who,* in. till, the, glory of .sHkvand.,.the .utmost fashionable, amplitude of crinoline, seemed, to,enjoy their part.of the ceremony^ :«.«., looking .on. His Honor the Superintendent laid the foundation stone of. the. Government Bmldings,-'and addressed the assembled multitude on. the benefits and advantages, ofJocalself-govern-nifiii t. The foundation stone .of tlie new. Institute was laid.by.Dr.;Hochstetter,-whose address on the occasion was so -very;appropriate, that I cannot resist sending;you.the,following extract.from it: — "I have accepted the.honorable,invitation of;the members of the Nelson (Institute,; to lay the foundation stone of. a. handsome edifice dedicated to the noble .purpose of advancing art, and science, and. •owing its creation; ;to the praiseworthy efforts of the members of that institution, among whom I am proud to sayi that I, have, now,a place. We see, gentlemen, in the; work .before us the evidence of .a remarkable epoch in.the development of this,pro-, vince.so full of hope,for the. future. The first diffi-, -culties and .struggles are j now .ended. ; The ,roof under which the family shelters itself from,, the elements has been constructed...... Field and meadow have been won from the, wilderness,. and ample provision has .been made for all the.first and.material necessities of existence, And. now, when the fruits of the earth have: been cultivated with success, and the wilderness, has been made to blossom, it is a. praiseworthy: and noble idea of the enterprising men who have comehere .to. the utmost ends of the earth, so. far removed from their,fatherland, to found, for.themselyes a ,new home; itis, Lsay, . a tiling (ullof honor-and credit to them, to,find,that they arenow -about to -the blossoms and fruits of the highest civilisation. Our object today, gentlemen;,is, to.lay?the..foundation stone of a building which shallfgive shelter to the treasures of literature, and m, which ;shall.be,piaced collections of objects from every department of the kingdom of .Nature, which shall be at once the means of assisting the. researchesof those, scientific persons you have at present among you, and whom you will.yet,have ;.an'd which shall throw additional light upon the,yetVimperfectly known natural pro--duots;of this; island, and.offer instruction and information to ,ajl ;whp are -desirous of. studying, the--works of nature.";

Having.aliuded to this gentleman, I may as well state that Dr. Hochstetter remains with us a month, longer 'than wa3 at first.,anticipated; that he is still pursuing his,researches,; and that he will give us the result of .his investigations in a lecture hefore he leaves., , A, public dinner was given him the other day in the Masonic Hotel, and was one of the grandest affair.} that. has ever taken place in Kelson. But, to the of some pre-. sent,iDr, Hochstetter.did not.anticipate his lecture by giving any opinion respecting our gold, coal, or copper; although x in; proposing "Success to the Proviuce ; of; ; Nelson".,he made use of the following flattering,words i—'X. express with : great pleasure my'conviction that the province of Nelson, favored by an excellent "climate, rich. in' a variety of the most useful and valuable minerals, colonized and inhabited ,by ; ehterprisin;;, and' intelligent settlers,■ has a great and JtQpefal (future." Not the least gem of .the^evening'was the .speech of Mr. Haast (a Prussian gentleman sent-oat by his government to select.- locations for, German emigrants), who in proposing "the healtb-.bf the.ladies, passedin general review the .'fair \ sex from Eye'to ;Queeii Elizabath, not forgetting ■Lo.t's wife \ eh.passant. The speech abounded with witty'points and naive allusions that created shouts of laughter. A building, society has. been established in Nelson, and gives!promise of "being exceedingly.successful. The attempt .to form a rifle corps has been less happy. A public meeting for the purpose was called by the Superintendent (in ; answer to a requisition), but as none of therExecutive took the trouble to give their attendance nothing-was done, and the anticipated glory of our would-be martial heroes is postponed for an indefinite time. The erection of the new Government wharf is being rapidly'proceeded with. . Elaer's dog and monkey exhibition has met with much success here. Mr. John Roclifort, thasurveyor, has started on another expedition ■to the West Coast—this time ; by water—arid we hope shortly to hear tidings from him. .-..'.'■ : .'■'.

The gold: company has commenced operating in Golden <jriilly, and employs 'a ■number'of workmen. , P.S. The little steamer. Emeu has just arrived from Sydney under canvas. She is to be employed in the Motueka trade.