The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 111, 12 May 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1870.

The debate of Tuesday evening last was, without doubt, the most important that has ever taken place in our Provincial Legislature. With one exception, which cannot be too strongly condemned, it wa£ highly creditable to the members who took part in it, and for that reason must be a matter of congratulation to the Province generally. The attack was forcible, and, on the whole, well conducted, while the defence proved successful ; and we believe, that there are few, if any, legislative bodies in New Zealand which would, in a debate of a similar nature.

have shown to such advantage as did the Nelson Provincial Council on the evening ■ in question. We should have been extremely sorry to see the vote of want of confidence carried, for we confess to being unable to eee, in any of the arguments brought forward, sufficient grounds to justify so extreme a measure, but at the same time we are perfectly willing to allow that some of the complaints were well worthy of consideration, and the present seems to be an excelleut opportunity for the Government to hold out their hand to the Opposition, and, laying aside all minor matters, to invite them to give their assistance in legislating for the welfare of the Province. The battle is over, and the present is the time for conciliation, and it would now, immediately after a victory, be a graceful act on the part of the Executive to make a step in that direction. How this is to be effected it is not for us to say, but, judging from the opinions expressed on Tuesday last, it seems to us that from the constitution of the Council, the present is a peculiarly appropriate time- for amalgamating the interests of the Eastern and Western sides of the Province. The members from the West Coast appear to be imbued with a totally different spirit to that which showed itself last session — then they were all for separation, whereas now they express themselves strongly in favor of the unity of the Province. Their demands may in some instances be unreasonable, but no doubt mutual concessions might be made which would result in creating harmony where hitherto there has been little else but discord. There are also members from this side of the raDges who have their little grievances, and there is one of these which may easily, and no , doubt will, be remedied by the Superin--1 tendent after his return from Wellington. We refer to tha generally expressed wish that he should visit and make himself acquainted with the out-districts of the Proviuce, and while we believe that many i attach an exaggerated importance to such visits, still as there appears to exist an almost universal desire to that effect, we cannot but think that such a wish should not remain uncomplied with. But it is not from the Government only that concessions are to be expected. The legislature must give some signs that it i3 willing to work in unison with the Executive. The majority of the members are, we believe, disposed to act fairly by the Government, but there are others who always give us the idea of being actuated, • we will not say by personal motives, but . simply by a desire to be in opposition, and from them very large concessions must .be looked for. A little more consideration from the Government for the representatives of the people, and a little little less disposition on the part of those representatives to look upon the Executive as a body to be bullied and baited rather than assisted, and the Government would give more satisfaction to the Council, and the Council be of vastly more service to the country.

Steamer Charles Edward. — We are indebted to Messrs. N. Edwards and Co. for the following telegram received by them this morning from the purser of the Kennedy: — "Hokitika; Rangitoto spoke Charles Edward off Spit End, with cross head and cylinder cover broken." This must have been on Tuesday evening, as the Rangitoto left here on the morning of that day, so that the unfortunate boat may > be signalled now at any moment. A Marine View. — The picture now being exhibited by Mr. Dry at the Assembly Room, is one of the most . wonderful pieces of workmanship we have ever seen, and the patience, perseverance, and skill that must have been called into : play in completing such a work are beyond conception. We regret that we have not ; sufficient space to notice it at length to-day, but we shall take an early opportunity of ' doing so, and in the meantime warmly ' recommend it to the inspection of our • readers. Testimonial to Captain Rough. — j In the shop window of Mr. H.Drew, jun., is to be seen a handsome marble clock which, it may be remembered was sub- ' scribed for by the merchants of Nelson, ■ as a testimonial to Capt. Rough, on the , occasion of his leaving Nelson two years j ago. Let into the marble below the face of the clock is a silver plate, bearing the ! following inscription :-—" Presented 'to 1 David Rough, Esq., by the merchants of 1 Nelson, New Zealand, as a token of their , appreciation of him as head of H. M,'s

Customs, at this port, as a citizen, and as a private friend, 9th May, 1868." Reading Room and Museum, Colling-wood.—-A meeting was held at Mr. Schafer's on the 22nd ult., of which the Rev. Mr. Halcombe was Chairman, to devise measures for erecting a suitable room for the Collingwood Library, which may also serve the purpose of a Reading Room, Museum, Lecture and Assembly Room, and a Committee was appointed consisting of Messrs. F. O'Sullivan, J. D. Brace, Grange, W. C. Riley and the Chairman of the meeting (Mr. O'Sullivan to act as Secretary, and Mr. Riley as Treasurer), to carry out the object of the meeting. A subscription list was opened on the spot, to which £17 was subscribed, and the Collingwood list already shows a sum of 401. Other lists have also been sent up the Country to the Diggings, and are in good hands. The importance of the above cannot be overlooked by anyone taking an interest in the progress of the Bay, and Messrs. E. Buxton & Co., and Mr. J. S. Cross have already "opened the way " for Nelson subscribers, by appending their names in handsome amounts. Steam Communication in New Zealand. — -A striking instance was furnished yesterday of the very slight regard that is displayed for the convenience of passengers by the masters or owners of our coasting steamers. There happened to be an unusually large number of passengers from Nelson who intended going iff the Phoebe, which was advertised to sail at 2 p.m. At two they were told she would not sail until three, whereat no great amount of pleasure was expressed, but when at three o'clock they were uncere.nociiously informed that she would be detained until four the next morning, some strong expressions relative to the present and future welfare of the owners of the boat were made use of by the disappointed crowd. Rumor says that a telegram received by an important personage on board the Phoebe, to the effect that another important personage was on board the Airedale and wished to meet him here, was the cause of the delay. This may be very pleasant to those who have the power of detaining steamers to suit their own convenience, but is that of the passengers to be totally ignored ?