The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 84, 9 April 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1868.

To-morrow being G-ood Friday, this journal will not be published. The Right Rev. Bishop Suter, iv Ills course of sermons on questions of the day, preaches, at Christ Church, to-morrow, 011 ' Death deprived of its sting.' The Post Office will be closed tomorrow, being Good Friday. Osgood's Hotel at Wellington changed hands on Tuesday last, when a complimentary dinner was given ia the evening by the proprietor, Mr Strelitz, late of Dunedin, to a numerous circlo of friends ; the healths of the late and present proprietors/ami also of Miss Young, the late housekeeper, were drunk and duly honored, and a very pleasaut evening was spent. The return Rifle Match between the No. I City Rifles and the Waimea Company takes place on Monday next, at the Butts in Murphy-street, shooting to commence at 10 o'clock. It will be seen from an advertisement, that a tea and public meeting will take to-morrow eveuirjg, at the Baptist Chapel, Richmond. The anniversary of the Wesleyau Church at Spring Grove will also be held the same evening. The annual general meeting of the Nelson Harmonic Society takes place this evening at the Practice Room, at 7 o'clock, for the purpose of receiving the accounts of the past year, and to elect the officers for the eiisuiug year. The usual practice will take place at the termination of the meeting. It will be perceived from an advertisement iv another column th it the anniversary ot the Nelson School Society will be celebrated ou Sunday next at the Provincial Hall, when the Right Rev. Bishop Suter will deliver an address. The annual meeting will take place at the same building on Tuesday evening. The Board of Governors of Nelson College meet this afternoon at 3 o'clock to decide on the election of a successor to the present Head Master of that institution, whose resignatioa we notified some months ago. Our attention has been directed to the extraordinary vagaries displayed during the last few days by the Church Clock. To-day at 1 o'clock it struck 4, and yesterday at the same hour it struck 12, much to the chagrin of many hungry ones who were anxiously awaiting the usual sigual for dinner. The clock evidently comes under the same category as that described by Charles Dickens as ' strikiug 4, and pointing to half past 9 o'clock, meaning that it wanted precisely 20 minutes to 12, after the dissolute manner of clocks in general.' The barqne Charlotte Ann, which left London on (he '27th December was outside the Boulder Bank when we went to press. The miscreant to whom allusion was made in these columns on Tuesday last, as having been guilty at various times of iudecent exposure of his person to a large number of children in this city, was arrested this morning on his arrival from Wakefield, and has been identified as a man named Edwards. He will be brought up this afternoon at the Police Court. We are informed that the programme for the opening of the Waterworks on Thursday next is not yet completed, but the formal ceremony will, of course, take place at the Reservoir, and a luncheon will afterwards be giveu, at the Provincial Hall, to the various public bodies, at which speeches will be delivered, &c. The anniversary of the Stoke Sabbath School took place on Sunday last, when the Rev. J. Crump preached an excellent sermon in the schoolroom, to a large congregation. On Tuesday last the children assembled in the schoolroom in the afternoon, and partook of tea and other refreshments. A public tea took place afterwards, to which a large company sat down, and the tables having been cleared, the Secretary read the Report, from which it appeared that 55 children attend the school,

under the care of 13 teachers, the receipts or the past year being £9 2s. 7d M aud the expenditure £8 11s. 7gd. The children recited several pieces in a very creditable mauner, aud Messrs Campbell, Hill, and Smith having addressed the meeting, one of the best anniversaries which has been held for many years in connection with this school was brought to a conclusion. We learn by telegram that (.he steamer Star of the South left Wellington for Nelson, at 7. a.m. to-day, a gale of wind from the northwest blowing at the time. The Star of the South has on board 300 sheep for Nelson. Mr Mabin iuforins us that the individual, •whoever he may be, who broke one of. the. windows in his office ia Bridge-street, on Tuesday last, has had the grace to condone his offence by ordering it to be repaired, the glazier employed for the purpose being forbidden to divulge the name of the penitent offender. The Wellington Journal, a tri- weekly paper, is a now accessiou to the ranks of journalism. Its opinions are ultra-provin-cial, aud we understand that its editor is Mr Wakelia, formerly of the Welliugton. Advertiser, a gentleman whose long experience on the Press is well known aud appreciated. We understand that the Clifton Cricket Club boiug unable to accept during the present season the challenge forwarded by the Takaka Club, the latter club immediately challenged the Collingwood Club. This has been accepted, and the match is to take place on Monday, the 20th inst. The following notice has been published, by order of the Medical Board of New Zealand, for general information: — The attention of the medical profession is drawn to the terms of the Medical Practitioners Act, 1867, which provides that on and after the 10th April next no person except those registered under the Imperial Medical Act, or under the New Zealand Medical Practitioners Act, 1867, can legally practice medicine or surgery iv New Zealand. Medical practitioners formerly registered under Provincial Registration Acts are exempt from payment of registration fees, but are obliged to register under the Medical Practitioners Act, 1837. In order that the official register may constitute a complete list of medical practitioners in New Zealand, it is desirable that practitioners registered under the Imperial Act should have their names also placed on the New Zealand register. The Passover holidays, observed by members of the Hebrew Faith, commenced on Monday evening, the 6th inst. and will end on Tuesday evening, April 14th. The Wellington papers state that the Patent Slip Question is settled, and there is every assurance that the work will be proceeded with at once aud concluded within 12 mouths, Messrs Kennard having transferred their interest in this contract to a third party. The same party have undertaken to complete the Wanganui Bridge on terms most favorable to the province. The advantage of gettiag these two important works completed is too obvious to require comment. The yield of gold during the past month on the West Coast compares unfavorably with that of February, a deficit of 41 980zs being apparent. Considering how greatly the miners have buen unsettled by the Fenian excitement, we are surprised that the return was ho well maintained. It is stated by the Wellington papers, that Father Larkin and the other Fenian prisoners were fully committed for trial by the Resident Magistrate at Hokitika, on Saturday last. The Government steamer St. Kilda arrived at Wellington at 2 a.m. to-day, and may possibly have conveyed the prisoners to that city. The Wellington Volunteer Artillery fired on Monday for the Provincial Government Prizes; 32 was the highest score made. The Evening Post of Tuesday last says that the non-appearance from Napier of the steamer Cleopatra, the property of the Messrs Paul, is beginning to cause considerable uneasiness. She was passed by the Ahuriri on Sunday last at anchor off Cape Palliser, the current being too strong to enable a vessel of her small power to round it. She was expected to arrive at Wellington on Sunday night, but not having arrived on Tuesday last, fears are entertained of her safety; aud it is the opinion of nautical men, that in consequence of the shift of the wind to the southward on Sunday, the probability is that she has gone on shore. The delay is sufficiently serious to cause enquiry to be made into

her safety. — Since writing the above, we learn fronf the Wellington Journal of Wednesday, that. the Cleopatra was wrecked at the White JJock, Pafliser Bay, on Sanday last. Cuptaio Palmer, who arrived in Wellingtoa at 8.30 on Tuesday night, was 01/liged to beach her, when soon after sh« parked asunder. We are happy to add th.it no lives were lost. We hear she was insured for £1500. The Hawko's Bay Herald, of the 31st ult., slates that the brothers Sweeney have returned from their prospecting trip in that proviuce. They have been absent nearly four months, during which they have caivl'uliy prospected the various rivers and water courses they came across. Almost everywhere they found 'specs,' but have failed to discover anything at all likely to be a payable jrold-field. A Melbourne telegram, uuder date of the 27th ult. says that the police have been very active in their inquiries respecting the alleged existence of a Feuiau organisation in that colony, and it appears t.'sai some strange and startiinocircumstances have beeu brought to light. It has transpired amongst other things that a Mr Stewart, who is said to have been atoue time connected with the Dublin Nation, and it is asserted, in the capacity of sub-editor, stated to a party in November last, that the Prince would travel safely through all the colonies except New South Wales, and that he would be finished at Sydney. O'Farrell may not nevertheless have bsen prompted to attempt the assassination of the Prince by auy parties in Victoria. The Ly ttelton Times states that his Honor ilv Justice Gresson has been summoaed to Auckland to attend the Cabinet Council, which has to decide finally upon the fate of Swale. It would appear that Governor Boweuhas adopted the practice usually cairied out on these occasious in Australia, where the judges are all located iv one centre. Here, it is obvious that very great iuconvenienco must be caused by the adoption of such a system. We cannot conceive why the judge's written, should not be as satisfactory as his oral opiuion. A sentimental editor says, 'It is comforting to know that one eye watches fondly for our coining, and looks brighter when we come.' A cotemporary is grieved to learn that his ' brother of the quill has a wife with one eye.' A meeting was to be held at Blenheim on Tuesday afternoon, for the purpose of considering the desirability of introducing the Drainage Act, and the area to be brought under the operation of the same, with a view of repairing (or more propei ly obviating,) the inj nry caused by the overflow of the Wairau into the Opawa river. It is the opinion of many of the settlers about Spring Creek, that the best mode of meeting the difficulty would be to cut a wide drain or canal about 4 feet below the ordinary flood height, tapping the Opawa near Mrs W. Robinson's farm, and runuing across the plain to a position ou the Wairau river, on the northern side of the Bush, a distance of about 1| miles, and into which persons holding lands along its course might drain them. At a ball and supper which took place at Melbourne on Saint Patrick's Day, Mr Gavao Duffy proposed the toast of ' The restored health of the Prince Alfred,' and delivered an eloquent speech, iv which he trusted that all Irishmen would not be condemned because O'Farrell was born there, any more than Englishmen ought not to be condemned because three wouldbe assassins of tin Queen were Englishmen. During this century, he said, there had been no political assassination in Ireland, which few countries could boast of. A Welsh clergyman applied to his diocesan for a living. The Bishop promised him one ; but as ho was taking leave, he expressed a hope that his lordship would not send him into the interior of the priucipality, as his wife could not speak Welsh. 'Tour wife, sir ?* said the bishop, ' what has your wife to do with it ? She does not preach, does she?' — 'No, my lord,' said the parson, ' but she lectures.' The correspondent of a London paper says: — A curious fact has fallen within my knowledge recently regarding the supply of coal. Strange as it may sound, there seemed every probabilty not long ago that we might become importers, as well as exporters, of that necessary of life. There are iv Westphalia certain collieries, worked by English skill ; and when the market price rose some time ago to an unexpected point, calculations of the cost of transit were made, resulting in the conclusion

that another advance of Is 6d per ton ■would have made it possible to deliver Westpbalian coal of the first quality at a small profit on the banks of the Thames. The following extraordinary statement is given by the Paris correspondent of the Brussels Nord : — ' Searches have been made by order of the Prefect of Police in a certain quarter of the Faubourg dv Temple, ■which have led to the seizure of correspondence of, the most interesting description between the English Feniaus. Amongst it were discovered plans of fresh outrages to be carried out in England — one' of which is the destruction of the fleet — and the names of the most important correspondents of the Fenian movement in London. The discovery has been kept quite secret, but the precious documents have been forwarded by the Police of Paris as a New Year's gift to the Government of Great Britain.