The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 200, 25 August 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870.

— Mining Shares. — Mr H. J. L. Augarde quotes Perseverance Shares, £2 paid, at 355. Business done this day. Penny Eeadings. — The boys of Nelson are reminded that the first of these readings, which are being got up for their especial benefit, is to take place at the Temperance Hall, this evening, when the Rev. R. J. Thorpe, and other gentlemen, have kindly consented to give their assistance. The Country. — The two or three days of spring weather that we have had lately have effected a considerable improvement ! iv the appearance of the country, the corni fields in many places looking beautifully green and giving promise of good crops. The trees too, look as though they had bid farewell to winter, particularly the willows, which are now covered with leaves, while the " silvery almond flower" is to be seen in all directions. There does not appear to be the same amount of land under cultivation as last year, except in Waimea West, where there will be more coin grown this season than has been the case for some years past. The low prices and uncertain markets for corn have no doubt influenced the farmers in their evideat intention to devote more of their ground to pastoral thau to agricultural purposes, and we trust that they may not be disappointed in their anticipations of more remunerative returns. The constant showers that have prevailed during the winter months have created sad havoc on the roaJs,whichin many places are terribly cut up, and it is now found necessary to remove the vegetation from the sides, aud to clear out the water tables between the hills and Richmond. Near the latter place are to be seen instances of the unwise economy of cartiug mud and sand on to the roads, instead of going to the expense of obtaining good metal which, however much more expensive it may be in the first instance, must ultimately prove by far the wiser and cheaper plan to pursue. Gas for Greymouth. — The Melbourne Argus of the 23rd July, says : — " Tenders have been called for in this city for the erection of gasworks in the town of Greymouth, New Zealand. It is proposed j in the first instance to erect works capable of supplying 1000 burners, at a cost of between £5000 and £6000. The buildings will be so arranged, however, as to permit of the extension necessary in a youug and thriving township. The streets have hitherto been lighed up with kerosine, and the calling for such a tender is a pregnant commentary on the advance made by a town, the site of which, some six or seven years ago, was a strip of wild and deserted sea beach." The Police at the Grey. — It will be remembered that in the late session of the Provincial Council a violent attack was made upon tlie police in the Grey district by Mr. James Wilkie. From the following paragraph taken from the Argus of Saturday last it would appear either that Mr. Wilkie was drawing largely upon his imagination when he described the state of terrorism that prevailed in that part of the Province, or that things have changed for the better since that time: — "Inspector Shallcrass, of the Nelson Police Force," says our contemporary, " arrived at the Ahaura on Monday last on a visit of ; inspection throughout the district. He ] visited Napoleon on Tuesday. It is said : that Mr. Shallcrass intends making im- ' portant alterations, and that a general and complete change in the future stations of the officers and men is about to be made. The district will lose many worthy mcD, who, from long association, have become in a manner part and parcel of it; and no . doubt they will not be allowed to depart to the new scenes of their duties, without a recognition of their past services, on the . part of the inhabitants."

The Buller Lion Rampant. — Mr. ' o' Conor, M.P.C., alias the " Buller Lion," has recently appeared in the Westport Police Court as the complainant in a case against one Maguire, for using insulting and threatening language towards his leonine majesty. The tables however appear to have been turned, and as the great O'Conor is pretty well known in Nelson, some extracts from the evidence adduced in the hearing of the case may prove amusing to our readers. It appears that a dispute having arisen between Mr. O'Conor and the defendant with reference to the prison labor, the two came to words, when an elegantly worded conversation to the following effect took place between them. Maguire in relating the circumstances says : — "O'Conor replied ' Well, by , I will have it done, and no thanks either to you or Dobson ; and you had better look out for yourselves. All your billets are very rickety, aud, if you do not minil, I might, before a fortnight, take the jackets off you. I will see thai you Government will not be so independent.' Fe also spoke of his influence in Nelson being more than that of any two members of the Executive. I replied that he might use his miserable threats and petty influence with some fools, but that I could afford to despise both, as I would the bark of a cur dog. He angrily jjsked ifi called him a cur. I said no, but I despised his attempted tyrannny as I would the bark of a cur dog. He then swore by , that he would take the velveteen jacket off me before a week. He would let me see that the Buller lion was not to be spoken to by a Government like me. I replied : I now say, O'Conor, you are a cur, and a most contemptible cur; furthermore you are a low, fouhnouthed bully, but, in my eyes, not one inch a bigger man thau you were eighteen months ago, wheu I was about kicking you dowu stairs from the Commercial Room of the Post Office Hotel, when twenty gentlemen were present to witness your ignominy. He continued his abuse, saying that my clothes were too good, that I was too well dressed, and that he would teach like me in the Government service who he was and what he could do with them. I said that he might bless the present hour that I was a Government officer, for were I not, with my one haul I would take him by the neck and duck him up and down in the Buller river ; I would teach even the Buller lion to carry a modest tail. * * O'Conor then said that he would see Dobson the next morning, and if the latter did not consent he had better look out for himself ; that he was not very well pleased with the work he had recently done at the wharf, but, by , if he dared to refuse to have Cobden-street done at once, he (O'Conor) would telegraph to Greenfield. He added that he could have anything he liked done by letting them know in Nelson ; that the there were afraid of him, and looked on him as the Buller lion, aud were iv reality afraid of him." This coucluded the evidence for the defeuce and Mr. Pitt, addressig the Court for the defendaut, said that he considered the complainant had shown extraordinary impudence in bringing such a case into Court. The Magistrate was of opinion that no case had been made out, and was inclined to believe that the complainant had been influenced by malice iv bringing the actiou. He should therefore dismiss the complaint with costs.