The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 275, 20 November 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1868.

We learn by telegram from Welliugton that up to 3 o'clock to-day the arrival of the Panama steamer had not been signalled.

We are informed that Mr A. S. Dreyer purposes shortly resigning his seat in the Provincial Council for the Grey District.

The following Wellington telegram appeared this morning in the columns of our contemporary the Colonist: — Napier telegrams state that Mrs Wilson (the wife of Lieutenant Wilson} is still alive, and so is her son at Turanganui. She had received six bayonet wounds, but the doctor thinks she will recover. Her son James saved her life and escaped unhurt. The Sturt arrived this morning from Wanganui, with the Governor and Mr Stafford on board, She briDgs intelligence that Col. Whitmore has retreated nearer to Wangauui. Handler's and another house have been burned by the Maoris. Every post north of Wanganui, except Patea and Kai-iwi, has been abandoned by our forces. The Wereroa redoubt, ably defended by the Militia, who drove back the rebels, was ordered to be destroyed; with all it contained. It is said that Col. Haultain gave 10 minutes' notice to accomplish this. Since the Poverty Bay affair, the settlers are coming in in greater numbers. It is expected that the Front will be removed near to Wauganui in a day or two. There is universal depression in Wellington.

The Wairoa correspondent (Hawke's Bay Herald of the 10th iust.) writes as follows: — A careful search was rewarded by the discovery of the bodies of the scouting parties, all fearfully and brutally misused. Poor Karaitiaua had been tomahawked, and his heart and liver torn out and probably eaten ; he was split. open as a butcher opens a sheep. All the bodies were stripped save Anita's. Karaitiana's death had been carefully plotted and systematically brought about. He met at first (so says the native story) with friendly welcome and entertainment, and was .•ittacked by Rehana, in the whare when they were sleeping. All four were killed with the tomahawk, their heads presenting a horrible appearance. In hunting about in the plantations they captured an old couple; the women being the mother of Te Waru's wife, and the man a miserable old cripple, whose wretched existence might have beeu fairly allowed to expend itself in peace. Not so however ; his dog's luck brought him a dog's end ; the Europeans very properly protesting against so unnecessary a crime, but unavailingly; our allies dragged the old fellow away and shot him to appease the manes of their friends. Poor sacrifice and pitiable war ! The woman's name is Marara Hinekino. Her story is that Te Waru's people together wi th TeKooli's, intend at tacking Turanga, Wairoa, and Napier in succession.

One of the most prominent, if it be not the most ornamental, the new buildings in Trafalgar-street which have arisen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the various houses destroyed by • the last great fire, is the new hotel just completed for Mr T. Field at the corner of Trafalgar and Hardy-streets, on the site of the Masonic Hotel, where the fire originated. This building is of solid brick, and presents a frontage to Hardy-street of about 74 feet, and of 49 feet to Trafalgar-street, with an elevation from the causeway of 32 feet. Although the want of proper elevatiou in the building imparts to it a heavy appearance, which is extremely detrimental to tlfe general /effect, and.wrhich is rendered ill the more obvious from the superior

elevation of the buildings in immediate contiguity with it, the hotel merits commendation as having been very substantially built, and for the. convenient and appropriate nature of its interior arrangements. The ground floor contains eight apartments, including two dining rooms, one 25 by 14, and the other 23 by 13-6 in. and two bars, one of which, facing Tra-falgar-street, measures 23 by 16, with kitchen and offices at the back. The upper story has 24 bed chambers, averaging 10 to 8 each, some being larger, and a billiard room, 25 by L9ft 3in, to which access is obtained by two staircases. The height of the ceilings is, on the ground floor lift 6in, and on the upper floor, 10ft, with a cellarage corresponding with the entire area of the building, of sufficient height. The plans were, we understand, drawn and designed by Mr J. Scott, but the works have been carried out under the inspection of Mr Scotland, architect, of Hardy-street. Mr Clinch had the contract for the carpenters 1 work, and Messrs Blick and Tudehope, for the masonry, aud in both instances the work has been performed conscientiously and effectively. The painting and plumbiag devolved on Mr Cooke, and is also entitled to equally favorable notice, the plastering aud painting being done by Mr Percival, and the slating by Mr Dement. We learn that the information which we received yesterday concerning a robbery of sacred vessels at the Waimea, was slightly incorrect. It appears that a man, named Williams, being in great distress, entered the parsonage house at Wakefield, with a view to taking a few things to enable him to buy some food-. Seeing a box containing some silver plate, he took from it a chalice and paten, but did not find out until afterwards that they were sacred vessels. Being afraid to take them back, lest he should be seen and charged with housebreaking, he determined to hand the stolen property to the constable at Richmond, and give himself up. This he did, and on Tuesday last he pleaded guilty to having taken them from the parsonage. He was then remanded until yesterday, when the churchwardens appeared aud identified the vessels as those which had been taken away. The prisoner was then sentenced to two months' imprisonment.

We have already stated that it was in contemplation shortly to hold a choral festival at Christ Church, in which the choirs not only of the two Anglican churches in the city, but of the district churches, would take part. We learn that the festival is fixed to take place at 4 o'clock on Tuesday next, when choral evening service will be celebrated at Christ Church, in which the choirs of Christ Church and of All Saiuts will take part, assisted by members of the churches of the Holy Trinity (Richmond), St. Barnabas (Stoke), St. Paul (Springgrove), St. John (Wakefield), and St. Michael (Wairaea West). The service will be Ebdon's in C, with Dr Clarke Whitfield's anthem ' I will lift up mine eyes.'

Mr T. Hodgson has just published a large map of New Zealand, compiled and lithographed by him for the Central Board of Education. Although the execution of this map is nearly all that can be desired, looking to the specific purpose for which it is required, it is impossible not to regret that one in which so many glaring omissions are easily discernible, should have been adopted by the Board for the use of the schools under their control. We need only remark, in illustration, that we have searched in vain for any mention of Charleston, Brighton, St. Kilda, or Motueka, upon the map, and yet it seems not unreasonable to expect that the youth of the province should be made acquainted with the geographical position of these localities.

Another case of careless driving occurred yesterday afternoon iii Hardy-street, by which the life of a little child, the son of Mr H. Paap, was nearly sacrificed. It appears that a man named Bishop was driving a baker's cart at a tolerable smart pace near Messrs]Morrison and Sclanders's, and whilst he was searching for something at the back of the cart, the child who is about three years old, was run over, but providentially escaped with hardly any injury whatever. The accident was witnessed by several persons, but the driver of the cart seems to have been in utter ignorance of what had occurred, for he had proceeded some distance up Collingwood-street, before he was brought to a sense of his delinquencies by the hue and cry of the spectators who followed him.

His relief on finding that his negligence had not been productive of serious results, may be imagined.

The civil sittings of the present Assizes will commence on Wednesday next. There are, as we have already stated, only three cases set down for hearing before special juries in each instance, viz.: — Apted v. Kynnersley, damages for assault, £1000 claimed; Stewart v. Pike, action arising out of a sheep transaction; and Watt (Wanganui) v. Max, to recover damages , for refusing acceptance of a consignment of cattle.

Our Volunteer readers have probably noticed aa alteration which has been made in the advertisement that appeared in our yesterday's issue in reference to the competition for the Provincial Government prizes, by which the size of the targets for the shooting of the adult companies on that occasion is increased from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 6 inches.

The Southern Cross combats tire idea that the success which attended the efforts of the recruiting officer for the Armed Constabulary Force, on his late visit to Auckland, was an evidence of the value of the Thames Goldfield, and says that it is not, after all, much to say that 120 men were found willing to give up the uncertain proceeds of gold-mining for the certain 5s a day offered by Government. The surprise, iv fact, is rather a pleasant one, as showing either that few good men are out of work at the Thames, or that the recruiting sergeant of the Colonial Government has, been more particular in his choice than has hitherto been the case. The Cross continues: — The Constabulary will be of a very costly institution, and it is but fair that if we are to have them at all we should have them very good indeed. It is a good thing, with this view, that we have got men of some experience; because the work of training need not be so long nor so irksome as it would be with raw recruits. But even with these, much training will be needed. It must never be said again that our colonial forces stood helplessly in a body to be shot down by the natives, when there were trees on all sides for cover, and our men had weapons infinitely superior to those of the eßeray. But without training it will be said again, we fear, and therefore we trust that the first object of the military authorities will be to train the new Constabulary thoroughly, to make the men familiar with their own duties, and to make them know their weapons perfectly before attempting to march them against the enemy. The number of volumes in the national libraries of Spain is 1,168,595, spread over the capital and the provinces; the library of Madrid alone contains 300,000, that of the central university 300,000, of Barcelona 136,000, and of Salamanca 55,000. There are similar institutions, not only on the continent, but in the Balearic and Canary Isles, that of Pal ma and Majorca contains 35,000 volumes, and that of Mahon nearly 11,000. As to the archives, the entire history of the country, of its customs, and political life may be said to be represented in them; there are 70,278 packets of papers in the old palace of Simancas, 35,000 at Alcala de Henares, 34.000 in the archives of the Crown of Aragon, and 97,000 in the national historical record office. At Valentia, Corunna, and Majorca there exists an immense number of papers, manuscript volumes, aceountbooks and parchments, preserved with care, and which shows the interest Spain has never ceased to take in written monuments and serious studies. — Times. Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir John Herschel, and Sir Henry James, have consented to act as trustees of a fund which has been set on foot for the purpose of carrying out a survey of the peninsula of Mount Sinai, with a view to determine the line of march of the Israelites and the true Mountain of the Law. Various instances have been cited to prove how lazy a man might be and live ; but it remains for a Michigander to cap the climax. One hot day duriug the heated term of last summer, one Mr Jones, of Jackson County was observed to throw himself on the grass, under the. ; spread ing branches of a large tree, and to^ exclaim; emphatically to himself, ' There, breathe if you want to — Ishan't ! ' The way in whiclr offences is punished in England at times is very surprising. Here is an instance: — A short time since, a man was taken before a magistrate for horsewhipping his wife naked, -six weeks after marriage, until she was covered with

Ted wales from her neck to her heels, giving her two black eyes, and nearly choking her to death, for no cause but some stupid .jealousy. He was fined 40s. On the same day a man was brought up for beating -a cow, and sentenced to 21 days' imprisonment.

Several years ago, one of the principal 'thoroughfares of London was regularly patrolled by a beggar who asked alms of no other pasßers-by except old -ladies. To these he addressed himself thus: 'Oh! :young lady ! have pity on a poor beggar^' He was singularly successful in his appeals. In reply to an inquiry he ex;plained his success thus: 'You see, sir, my pi an pleases all the ladies. Some of 'em believe me, and are pleased by the compliment. Others see its all a sham; and they are tickled by the joke ; so you ■ see I get something from all of 'em.' Did anybody ever hear a gushing young •lady tell what she -thought about anything extraordinary? Well, that's nothing to what they write. We have analysed -a short Story, written by one, and find that •splendid occur 3 64 times ; beautiful, 77 ; delightful, 61; nice, 611 ; delicious, 205; 'lovely, 63. Of course she wa3 writing -about courtship.

A distinguished Southern lady, who is ■the wife of a prominent and extreme residing in one of the Northern States, while engaged in plucking the grey hairs from her husband's moustache, *was asked by him, * What are you doing, my dear?' 'Only carrying out your own .policy, sir — exterminating the whites for benefit of the blacks.' was the witty -reply.