NELSON.

Marlborough Press, Volume I, Issue 9, 2 March 1860, Page 3

NELSON.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

We have had all sorts of hopes and fears expressed this week concerning the English mail. Predictions have been as plentiful as blackberries, and betting as common as at a race course. After all, it turns out that the Prince Alfred, in continuation of her ill-luck in leaving Auckland harbour, met with a violent gale soon after leaving Sydney ; and after losing some fifty horses, numerous sheep, and all her masts, she bore back again for Sydney; and we received the mail by the Lord Worsley, which, luckily, was at Sydney, and was soon got ready for sea. The Saunders’ Memorial has been sent to the Governor, through the Superintendent, backed by some 1070 names of good men and true; others have since come in, but too late to be forwarded to the same quarter. Mr. Saunders has resigned his seat in the Council for Waimea South, so as to give his constituents an opportunity of supplying his place in Council. It is supposed that he will be re-elected without opposition. He says, in his letter of resignation : “ Nelson Jail—l thank you for the numerous kind assurances I have received of your undiminished confidence. I respect the judgment and appreciate the kind feeling of those friends who have requested me not to resign my seat in the Council; but as it now out of my power to render you any present service, and as I have, perhaps, no right to presume that the circumstances which have led to my imprisonment may not possibly have altered the opinion entertained of me by some portion of my constituents, I cannot persuade myself that I should do right by adopting any other course than that of again placing my seat at your disposal.”

An accident of rather a serious character happened to the Tasmanian Maid, on her entrance into the harbour at Collingwood, in the night. The accident is attributed to the usual light not being exhibited when the steamer is expected. There were many passengers, including several females, aboard, whose feelings during the night, with the waves washing right over the deck, might be more easily “imagined than described.”

“ Gluck auf!” Our ancient and indefatigable miner is at it again. From gold to coal, and from chrome to copper, seems to be no trouble to this ardent seeker into the bowels of our mother earth. This time he threads his way through the seams of coal from West Wanganui to the vale of Takaka; and from the former place takes us over a coal country, trending N.N.E. to S.S.W., into the hearts of the provinces of Canterbury and Otago. As regards quantity, there is plenty —the quality is only second rate, and at present will not pay : —“ The only true test of the value of all coal is— What quantity of water will a given quantity of coal evaporate in a given time? This is an established, an unerring test. I wish I could do otherwise than express my firm and unshaken opinion that all New Zealand coal will fail under this trial.”

Intelligence has arrived from England that there is a demand for Chrome ore to any extent it can be supplied from this country. This is cheering. The General Assembly will be engaged in preparing an act to enable the Dun Mountain Copper Mining Company to “ construct and maintain a railway from the mine through certain reserves and other waste lands of the Crown, and over certain reads in Brook-s’reet valley, Brook-street, Tasman-street, Bridgestreet, and the Haven-road, to the Wharf.” We have a slight squeak from the Goldfields, after a long silence. But that signifies little now, as you have your “ own ” there, who I trust will be no laggard, and will give us the “ truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth !” with-

out any vain regrets for the past, but with the sure and certain hope of “ a golden and glorious future.” The most important feature in this communication is the account, of Imports and Exports for three years, by which it will be seen that the former have decreased year by year : Imports. N.Z. Produce. British & Foreign. £ s. £ s. 1857 . 21,125 11 . 25,791 11 ISSS . 12,460 1 . 20,020 11 1859 . 9,933 0 . 13,692 O Exports. 1857 . 13,598 ozs. . £52,722 value. 1553 . 16,968 „ . 64.751 „ 1859 . 11,000 „ . 42,625 „ The excess of exports over imports being to the amount of £45,069 Os. The value of live stock from other parts of the province, besides the neighbourhood of the gold-fields, in 1859, was: —£3084; bacon, £900; flour, £3,100. By the last mail information was received that the Metallurgy Company were only waiting to receive conformation of the promised lease of “four square miles,” in o'der to commence operations. Look out for a good market for your surplus cattle, and good fat wethers.

From the great demand for the importation of human kind in the province of Otago, some adventurous individual has exported five hundred ewes from this province to that prosperous and improving region. A great demand and high prices are the inducements.

Many old colonists who have visited the old country returned to Nelson by the Lord Worsley. Amongst them may be named your representative to the General Assembly, Mr. Weld, Sir Charles Clifford, and Mr. Trolove. The steamer Emu has left here for Auckland, where it is hoped that such a plucky little craft will find better employment than she did here. The Tasmanian Maid is therefore left without a rival in the Blind Bay business. Some land has been sold in Trafalgarstreet for£ll per foot frontage; and a new schooner has been launched on the beach. She was built by Gilbertson, who some three years since launched the Pride of the Isles. The name of the vessel is City of Nelson, tonnage 30 tons.

The Volunteer Rifle business does not progress very rapidly. The martial ardour lies in abeyance. It seems to have got into the wrong hands. Even the Conjuror’s drum and fife, which have paraded the streets so merrily, have not struck out one spark of military enthusiasm. At home, too, there are some individuals who think this is not quite the proper time for war panics, and predicted invasions; yet they do not object to the whole population being trained to arms as a rule and part of the business of life: but do not like these feverish starts, by which gallant shopmen are made rifle mad, and smart and smirking clerks talk glibly of popping off Zouaves, and impaling Turcos. A new place for divine service, according to the ritual of the Church of England, has been lately opened in Toitoi valley. This makes the third in the town. Service is performed twice daily at Christ Church and the Bishop’s chapel in the Wood : the latter is well attended every evening. Services arc likewise now given every Sunday at Wakapuaka, and Sunday-schools established. At Stoke, Richmond, Spring Grove, and Wakefield, the spiritual wants of the people are much better supplied than formerly by the Church of England ministers, in addition to the zealous efforts of the various Protestant Dissenters and Catholics.