The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 217, 12 September 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1868.

The new financial proposal of the Ministry for the purpose of closing accounts between the Colonial and Provincial Governments, by the cessation of the present payments from the Consolidated Fund, and by making the provincial debts a charge upon the colony, to which the provincial harbors would be made over, a grant in aid being made to the provincial gaols and police, involves terms which, at all events as far as Nelson is concerned, cannot but be regarded as flagrantly inconsistent with justice and equity. This proposition has called forth a very decided expression of public feeling amoDgst persons representing every shade of political opinion in this community, and no little satisfaction has been derived from the announcement that the representatives of the province had decided on offering a vigorous and determined opposition to the Government on this very fundamental questioned thus to establish once for all aud in a legitimate and constitutional manner the position, financial or otherwise, which the province really desires to hold. With a view not only to strengthen the hands of those who are charged with the conservation of the interests of this province in the colonial parliament, but also to demonstrate the unanimous feeling which prevails throughout this community in reference to this subject, it has been deemed advisable immediately to convene a public meeting of the electors of this city, and we have ' every reason to anticipate that the example set by the citizens will be followed by the electoral districts of the province, at as early a date as may be feasible. A preliminary meetiug was held last night at the Nelson Hotel, at which it was resolved that a public meeting should be summoned, to be held at the Provincial Hall, ou Monday eveuiDg next, when the following points will be discussed': — * 1, The general effect of the Government financial measures on the colony ; 2. Tbeir special bearing on the Province of Nelson ; 3. The personal relation in which Mr Stafford now stands with regard to the electors of Nelson. 4. That no organic change should take place in the constitution of the colony without first appealing to the electors.' The importance of such a demonstration is so self-evident, that we feel it would be a work of supererogation to impress on the electors of Nelson the propriety of attending on this occasion, and manifesting by their presence their sense of the injustice which the Government design to inflict upon the province, aud their firm determination to resist, by every legitimate means the realisation of so nefarious a design. Telegrams, received from Wellington point to the strong probability that the Ministry .will be defeated on the division on Mr Fox's resolutions. It seems that in consequence of the Governmeut having proposed to withdraw Athe rmed Constalary from Hawke's Bay, in opposition to the representations of a deputation from that province, Mr M'Lean and Mr Ormond, formerly staunch supporters bf the Ministry,, have joined the Opposition, and one of the Maori representatives, Tahera, will probably follow their example. It is also stated that all the Nelson members will act in concert, and these defections ,

from the Ministerial ranks would give a majority of oue to the Opposition. The House adjourned last night until Tuesday, and it is possible that in the iuterira still i further changes may take place amongst j the belligerent parties. According to the last modifications of the Government proposals the compensation to be received by this province would be £140,000, Marlborough receiving £10,000. Another noteworthy feature, strongly indicative of the precarious tenare of office by the present Ministry is the position taken by Mr Rolleston, the Superintendent of Canterbury, who bas only lately vacated the position of Under Secretary of the Native Department, but who last night spoke in opposition to the Government measures, as did also the hon. member for Colling- I wood, Mr Arthur Collins. The following, which we presume to be the copy of a telegram transmitted to Wellington to-day, has been handed to us, and is said to have been picked up in Trafalgar Street: — Nelson, Sept. 12 10. 30 a.m. To the hon. member for Hokipoki. Heavy weather here, my lovely William. Mind how you vote, or Hokipoki will put the veto on you, my lovely creature. — Old Baruett. An important sale of town property and also of land situated at Pakawau, Richmond, Waimea South, and Wairau West (Marlborough), took place this morning at the auction rooms of Mr D. Moore. The Custom House Hotel at the Port was knocked down to Messrs. Hooper and Dodson, £1050. The Greyhound Inn, in Bridge Street, was withdrawn from sale, six allotments of laud wore also withdrawn by the vendor, the bidding not coming up to the reserve price. In fact, although a large number of persons were present, the Eich mond allotment alone elicited any competition whatever. As we understand that some misapprehension has arisen with reference to an expression used in our report of the proceedings of the Diocesan Synod on Thursday last, we beg to state that by tho words ' text book,' as applied to the Bible, we meant to imply that its use as a class book, from which the children should be taught to read, spell or parse, was thought by some members of Synod to be liable to abuse. We certainly did not desire it to be implied that the ' point of debate ' referred to was a Resolution of the Synod, but simply an epxression of opinion. The Anglican Synod met yesterday, and the following resolution, having reference to religious education in this proviuce was carried, on the motion of Mr Barnicoat, the addition of the latter portion referring to Marlborough, beiug moved by Mr. Hunter Brown: — While regretting the present necessity of limiting religious instruction in the Government schools of this province within the terms imposed by the 'Education Act ' (an Act framed to meet the requirements of a thinly-peopled country, and oue in which very great diversity of religious opinion exists), this Synod concurs iu the view expressed in the report of the sub-committee now. laid on the table, that the Act in question fairly admits of a greater amount of religious instruction beiug afforded to the children attending those schools than is usually given. The Synod, therefore, is desirous that every effort should be made to secure all the advantages which the 'Education Act' is capable of conferring, and has no desire to disturb existing arrangements, or to embarrass the operation of an educational system which has been the means of conferring such great benefits on this province. That the Synod views with great dissatisfaction the entire prohibition of religious teaching in the PublioPriraary Schools in that part of the diocese lying within the Marlborough province, aud requests' those who have the care of souls in that province, to endeavour to rouse ; their people to the greatness of the existing evil, and tothe necessity of obtaining Legislative permission to teach the. Holy. Scriptures to those children attending the public schools, whose parents do not refuse their consent to their children being taught.

The unpropitious state of the weather on Thursday last having prevented the attendance of many persons who were desirous of being present at the dedication service at Bishopdale, notice has been given that a special afternoon service will be held in the library or temporary chapel to-morrow afternoon at half-past 3 o'clock, whon the building will be rededicated. The Jewish New Year commences on the eveniug of Wednesday next, the Day of Atonement commencing on the evening of Saturday thn 26th inst. The Postmaster-General has established a learners' gallery in Wellington, for the instruction of cadets in some of the main principles of telegraphy aud the routine of office duty. The General Manager sees in tbis institution a means of lessening the causes of complaint, and we trust his sanguine expectations will be fullj n-alised. The learners' gallery is under the direction of the electrician of the department, and he is said to have been successful iu his efforts hitherto. An action is put down for trial at Christchurch on the 14th inst., out of which it is likely that a great many points of interest to the mercautile community will arise. The case to which we allude is that of Miles & Co. v. Waitt's trustees. The damages are laid at £5001), for an alleged wrongful seizure and conversion of the wool of 21,000 sheep depasturing on the Tiveotdale Station. A whale, fifty feet long, was captured at the Bluff lately by Captain Gili'o3' (of the brig Amherst) and his crew. The leviathan is expected to yield eight tuns of oil, and several hundred pouuds' worth of whalebone. A large number of applications have been received for the Rectorship of the High School, at Dunedin, rendered vacant by the appointment of the Rev. F. Simmonds to the Head Mastership of Nelson College. jViany of the candidates are now resident in the Australian colonies. A very serious case of stabbing occurred on board the ship Bengal, at Port Chalmers, on Saturday last. The name of the man who was stabbed is M'Carthy; he lies in a very precarious state; but small hopes are entertained of his recovery. On Wednesday Dight last the wreck of the Frederick, wbich for months had lain in the entrance to the port of Hokitika, was blown up by means of voltaic electricity by Mr C. E. Button. The water rose in a huge pyramid nearly 70 feet high, accompanied by fragments of timber, which were scattered far and wide, and then came a dull heavy boom, which reverberated through the still night air, causing a succession of atmospheric waves, which shook many of the hoases in town, and induced some persons to think that Hokitika had been visited by another earthquake. A rather singular circumstance took place in connection with the explosion. When the commotion, consequent on the violent disturbance of the water had subsided, an immense quantity of cigars came floating to the surface, and numbers of them were picked up by the boys on shore. It is presumed that some person was engaged iu smuggling, . and had concealed there dutiable articles on board the wreck before it was submerged. The Venerable Archdeacon M'Encroe, one af the oldest and most respected colonists of New South Wales, expired at Sydney, on Saturday, the 22nd ult., in his 74th year. The deceased clergyman was interred on the 25th, his funeral being attended by Archbishop Polding and five suffragan bishops, and by a vast concourse of clerical and lay members as well of the Roman Catholic communion as of other denominations, by whom he was universally beloved and respected. In the Legislative Assembly of Victoria Mr- Gavan Duffy has given notice that he will move tor a Select Committee to inquire into and report generally on the practice of paying or compensating members of the Legislature in all countries where the practice prevails j and with a special view of ascertaining in each case the rate of payment or compensation, the conditions or limitations (if any) under which it is made, and the form of Legislative enactment by which it has been authorised. Melbourne papers, to the 22nd ult., state that Mr M'Culloch, in making his financial statement, stated that the public finances were in a condition that involved the necessity of retrenchment in the various departments of government. His estimated balance-sheet for 1868 showed a deficiency of. £61,000, but on the whole

the account given of the finances of the colony was considered not unsatisfactory or unhopeful. The general opinion expressed was that a stimulated immigration was the great want of the colony. It is also stated that the first business entrusted to Mr Verdon, the Agent- General of Victoria at home, will be the negotiation of a J loan of £2,000,000 for the construction of % a railway to the Ovens district. ;| Several colonial journals have published I a narrative translated from La Patrie, and \ professing to be au Abyssinian version of I the last moments of Theodore. It bears I the signature of Count R. de Bisson: but | before they give implicit credence to this I romantic composition,, its readers should *$ know something of'the antecedents of its author. Its history may be gathered from -j % the Abyssinian Bluebook, from which it '5 appears that he is, in poiut of fact, a I Belgian filibuster, who has been endeavor- ? ing to carve out for himself a fortune on ; the northern frontier of Abyssinia by ,1 the formation of a military settlement ■ there. It is stated by Mr Rassam, one of the late captives, that the extraordinary expedition organised by the Count for this purpose stirred up the wrath of KingTheo- ,.,' dorus against all Europeans, makiDg him , feel jealous of their movements, and that it also proved very probably the main cause of the apprehension and imprisonment of Calptain Cameron and the missionaries. \ Whether a person with these antecedents . would be likely to have an opportunity of knowing how Theodore spent his last moments, and what the Abyssinians thought about it, is a matter on which we may be allowed to doubt. But if he had not the opportunity and yet wished to sf produce a sensation, there caa be little | doubt that he would not be restrained from i doing so by auy fastidious respect for I truth. In fact there can be little or no ; doubt that the exciting narrative which has been figuring in so many of our colonial journals is nothing more or less than a pure romance. The late Earl Dudley wound np an eloquent tribute to the virtues of a deceased Baron of the Exchequer with this pithy peroration: — 'He was a good man, an excellent man. He had the best melted butter I ever tasted iu my life.'