The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 177, 29 July 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1870.

Mining Shares. — Mr. H. J. L. Augarde quotes Perseverance shares, 30s. paid, at par. Business done this day. Bankruptcy Court. — OwiDg to the continued absence of Judge Richmond the sittings in Bankruptcy, which should have taken place to-day, were postponed until the -sth August. Steadier Phoebe. — As many persons are interested in the movements of this steamer, we may state that a telegram has been received in Nelson to the effect that she will not sail from Wellington until to-morrow evening. Annexation Commission. — Mr. W. C. Hodgson who has lately been on the Coast enquiring into the question of the annexation of the Grey and Teremakau to Nelson, returned by the Murray this morning, after a stormy passage of 48 hours, and has, we understand, handed in his report already to the Acting-Superin-dent. Trial Trip or the Charles Edward. — Messrs. N. Edwards and Co.'s paddle steamer Charles Edward got off the cradle last night's tide, aud came alongside the Albion Wharf. Since her unfortunate breakdown off Charleston, every effort has been made to get her repairs effected as speedily and thoroughly as possible. All portions of her machinery which were considered at nil doubtful have been recast and renewed in Melbourne. Her hull has received a thorough overhaul, and within and without the good ship has been cleaned, painted, grained, and decorated. Shortly before twelve this morning she left the wharf for the purpose of making a trial trip in the Bay, in order to test the efficiency of her engines. Everything worked with ihe greatest smoothness and regularity. Captain Holmes then took her upon the measured mile to try her speed, and the result was most gratifying . The distance was accomplished in five minutes and fifty-four seconds, giving a speed of ten and-a-half knots per hour. She is advertised to resume her old trade immediately, under the able charge of Captain Thomas Holmes, and will doubtless sustain the reputation she has so long enjoyed for speed aud comfort. Harmonic Society's Concert. — The Nelson Harmonic Society gave their second concert of the season last evening, and on the whole we think they may be congratulated upon the result. Our Nelson climate, usually so salubrious^ was last night attacked in a strangely miscellaneous manner, and the' consequences were awkwardly visible, or rather audible, upon the various stringed instruments, the violins almost jumped out of the hands of the players with .the recoil of breaking strings, and it was only by passing the sound ones up one by one to the leader that the instruments were enabled to hold their place until the end of the first part of the concert. But worst of all, aud owing to the same cause, the Piano Forte usually the cheval de bataille, or piece de resistance of the Harmonic Society also struck work, and became dumb for nearly one half of the treble register. On no former occasion has the accomplished lady, who presides over that instrument been obliged to contend against such difficulties, and never before did she display such command even of a refractory instrument, and we might almost add (bearing in mind the conduct of the violins) such steadiness under fire. Under these heavy disabilities it was fortunate for the Harmonic Society that they were met last night, as they always are, by a friendly and sympathizing audience, and we repeat that on the whole the concert was a success. The first part was devoted entirely to the rendering of Mozart's Twelfth Mass which, although it has been given by the society to the Nelson public on a former occasion, was last night, owing to the addition of a creditable little orchestra, so performed as to enable those who heard it to form a more correct idea of the author's meaning. The ever popular Kyrie in G-, was shorn of more than half its length through fear, we suppose, of creating weariness from the extreme length of the mass. The same operation was performed upon the Cum Sancto Spiritu, the Benedictus, and the Agnus Dei, and no doubt for the same reason. The choruses were all taken up with a fair amount of precision, and were as effective as a want of balance between the different classes of voices would allow,

but this latter is a difficulty which is to be met with in all voluntary vocal associations. The Qui tollis, the slightly florid but beautiful Et Incarnatus the Agnus Dei and JBenedictus, were, apart from the choruses, faithfully and artistically rendered by the conductor of the Society assisted by a first and second treble, and bass voice,each well known and appreciated The second parts of these concerts, coming as they generally do, after a scientifically arranged first part, strike us as exhibiting a want of design, and seem to be as it were a mass of contributions thrown together in a heterogeneous manner. However, be this as it may, there were many lovely selections, but their effect was greatly marred by the condition of the piano. To a musical artiste nothing cau be more jarring than to be accompanied by an instrument which will only speak at fitful intervals, and any one with a soul for music must have sympathized with the conductor and his accompanyist, while with his wonted sweetness and. taste he sang Hatton's Ballad " Good bye Sweetheart.'' The same remarks apply with more force to the Duett Tina Sera d Amove, which was the means of iutroduciug to us a light aud cultivated soprano^ and (a novelty in Nelson) a male accompanyist. With an evident perception of the art of accompanying 1 , for it is an art, this gentleman executed his part with tenderness and feeling, and safely tided over the difficulties in the way of the two soprani, and enabled them so to execute their task as to draw forth a rapturous encore to which they kindly acceded. A septette for male voices followed, but was not so happily chosen as many that the same gentlemen have often sung before. A song for a high soprano by Williams, called the Ferry boat, was given with ease and feeling by a young lady, not a member of the society but who kindly gave her services on this occasion. The Solo and Duett "The Sailor sighs," was, we think, the most effective thing of the evening, aud it was certainly with unmixed feelings of pleasure that we listened to it throughout, and to the well merited encore which it elicited. The Ballad "Clothed in light" was unfortunately placed, as the gentleman (a former member of the Society) who sang it had only just completed the arduous task of taking part in the foregoing duett and encore, nevertheless he sang it well, and with a force and expression worth of imitation. The concert was, on the whole, so highly satisfactory a specimen of what cao be done by the Society under their able conductor, that we have no doubt it wili be the means of inducing many more of our musical amateurs to join the rauks, and, we trust, a large number of the general public to render their assistance by placing their names on the list of subscribers. The Ltell Reefs. — Messrs. Zala and Co., the proprietors of the- "Alpine Quartz Reef" at the Lyell, appear to be setting to work in earnest, for we. see by the West-port Times that they are advertising for tenders for bringing in a water race of two miles, nine chains in length, and also for the erection of 41 chains of shoots. The. Woxga. Woitga. — The command of the large steamship Wonga Wonga, now running from Sydney to Honolulu, has been given to Captain John Steuart, of Melbourne. Captain "Steuart is well known as having long held command of the s.s. iAldinga, aud there is no doubt that he will be equally popular in his new charge. — Argus, 18 th July. The R.M.S.S. Geelong-, in command of Captain R. T. Dundas, with the Australian and New Zealand mails, for transmission to England and the East, left Melbourne at 2 p.m. yesterday for Point de Galle. She cleared out from this port with 102,986 ounces of gold, £21,537 in specie, and a small general cargo. Her passenger list was not very lengthy, but amongst the notables leaving Melbourne by her were the Rev. William Taylor, of California celebrity, aud the blind preacher, Mr. Wallace, who accompanies Mr. Taylor on his tour. The mails were in charge of Commander Stackhouse, R.N.— Argus, 18th July. A Cotton Cosipany has been formed iv Auckland with a capital of £10,000, the whole of the shares haviug been taken up already. About 15,000 acres of land have been pui*chased at Nandy Bay, on the South-west point of Viti Levu, on which a ginning plant was at the time of the purchase, aud a small portion is in cultivation.

! Mr. John McLeod of Auckland has invented a plan by which to dress the flax leaf without injuring the fibre, as is commonly the case, and has succeeded in bringing it to perfection. The process of dressing and bleaching may be shortened by two weeks in three, and a sample, white, fine, and strong, free from acid and green coloring may be produced ready for the market within one week of the cutting of the leaf. Mr. McLeod will take out a patent for his invention. A Body, or the remains of one, have been, found near Shortland, but so far advanced in decomposition that recognition was next to impossible. Sergeant Lloyd,, of the Armed Constabulary, stated that his informantjdescribed it as being "all to pieces," and that the garments which once clothed it were rotteu. The remains were lying upon a blanket, as if the unfortunato fellow, whoever he may have been, had laid himself down and died, first however divesting himself of a part of his clothing, his boots and socks being found hanging on a bush close by. No suspicion of foul play is entertained by the police. Extracts Fkom Hansakd. — We take the following from the speech of the Hon» Mr. Sawell, a member of the Executive, on the conduct of the Imperial Government : — "I am going to speak very plainly on this matter and I shall venture to give my individual opinion not speaking as a member of the Government. I think that the wise and safe thing for this Colony to do is to prepare for faciug the question of independence. ***** Aud if there are some dangers and some difficulties ia this case, there also appear to be some counterbalancing advantages. There is, in my opinion, the great advantage of comparative immunity from danger in the case of a foreign war. There is the advantage of greater freedom as regards our commerce. But besides that, as au independent country, we should hold a position, of higher dignity relatively to the outside I world, and I think it would evoke a spirit of patriotism amongst ourselves. We should assume a position of manhood, as ifc were, with its great responsibilities and its higher aims. But lam bound to say, that if the dangers and difficulties were greater than they are, and the advantages less, I would rather face them at once than allow matters to drift oa until some accidental circumstance — perhaps the occurence of a foreign war and possible abandonment in time of danger— would rupture the tie between U3. Then we should pavfc in anger ; now the Imperial Government invites us to depart. God forbid that we should take any such step of ourselves. lam not proposing for one moment that we should set up the bauner of independence in defiance ol the mother country, but the Imperial Government has invited us to consider the question of separatioa —has told us that if we wish for it she will concede it ; and, speaking as an individual, I should, under existing circumstances, prefer assuming the risks and responsibilities — tho privileges and immunities — of a free state, to continuing in our present precarious position of semidependence. An Agricultural Angle — A wheat corner. Is it true that Casser one evening afe mess said to a brother officer, as he passed the port, " The rubicund is passed?"