The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 201, 26 August 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1870.

Driven to extremities by the proposed dismemberment of the County of Westland, and the new capitation allowance system, the inhabitants of Hokitika aud that portion of the county south of the Teremakau, are now through the medium of the public press, eagerly advocating tbe desirability of makiug overtures to Otago to be received within its boundaries. It is argued that, even if the entirety of the county were maintained, its income would only be sufficient to cover the departmental expeuses, nothing whatever being left for public works, but that with 375 square miles cut off, as will be the case by the annexation of the Grey district to Nelson, its circumstances will be far worse, and its pecuniary matters far more complicated than at present. " Are the people," says the West Coast Times, " prepared to submit to a farcical game of playing at Government under such circumstances? Will they be content to have a Couuty Council of six members, whose whole functions must be confined to the humbug of votinjr salaries, and payment of interest and sinking fuud out of moueys that would really never be in their possession, and yet be handed over for the purpose of so devoting them ? " From the same paper we learn that some of the Otago members had already been communicated with on the subject, aud that the reply received was that they would not be adverse to tho proposal, provided it could be shown that Otago would not incur undue liability. The Times states that this could easily be proved provided Westland matters were dealt with equitably. If this be correct and the people of Westland can hold out to Otago sufficient inducement to persuade her to look favorably upon the scheme, we have little doubt that the thing will be accomplished, or, at all events, that it will meet with little or no opposition from the present Government, who appear to be aiming at the creation of large proviuces, and, with their consent once obtained, there is nothing to prevent them, omnipotent as they are at the present moment, from carrying the matter through this session. It might indeed be questioned whether it will, iv their eyes, seem at all necessary that the sanction of Otago itself should be obtained, judging from the arbitrary and high-handed manner iv which they have dealt with the similar question of annexing the Grey district to Nelson province without even having the courtesy to consult the latter, but as Otago is a larger province aud musters a far more formidable array of votes in the Parliament, the fear of giving offence to so important a section of the House may possibly induce the Ministry, however indifferent they maybe to the justice or fairness of allowing a province to express au opinion on so important a question as the alteration of its boundaries, to pause before dealing with that province with the same want of consideration that has characterised its actions towards NelsoD. Whatever objections the Otago people may be disposed to raise against receiving with open arms the district which is humbly praying to be included within its boundaries, may possibly be renewed by the following delicate little dose of flattering so judiciously administered by the leading journal of the petitioning County: — "As to the benefits of living under Otago rule," says the West Coast Time*, "all that is necessary is to consider the public works that that Provincial Government have carried out, and are contemplating. Everything calculated to develop the resources of their province, whether mining, pastoral, agricultural, or aught else, has been done, and done promptly, and Otago stands in a better position, financially or otherwise, than aoy other province in the colony. Roads, tracks, bridges, aud public works of every kind calculated to promote settlement, open up raining districts, or facilitate communication with centres of population have been freely and ungrudgingly undertaken, and the proud place that Otago now occupies among the provinces of New Zealand is proof beyond question of the sagacity of its local rulers." ****** " The Otago people are not accustomed

to wrap their talents up in napkins, but] utilise all their resources. If they have such splendid country under their control, as we can offer them, they will speedily turn it to account, and everyone here will soon find the present depression pass away. They have the power, the means, and the inclination to do what is necessary, aud if things are properly represented they will, we doubt not, agree to the annexation." Football. — A match will be played tomorrow afternoon in the Botanical Gardens in which both the Town and College Clubs will take part, the one side being composed of those whose initial letters are to be found between A. and H. inclusive, and the other of those who come j between H. and Z. It is with much pleasure that we wel- < come back to Nelson our old fellow-towns- I mau, Dr. Irvine, who arrived in the Claud j Hamilton this morning. We are glad to j learu that there is a probability of the i Doctor's takiug up his residence amongst j us once more, aud sincerely hope that the ; probability may ere long be converted j into a certainty. Mr. and Mrs. Darrell. — We call; atteution to the highly attractive pro- 1 gramme published by these taleuted per- j formers, who arrived in the Claud Hamil- j tou this morniny, for Monday evening j uext. Not yet having witnessed their i acting we are unable to pronounce any i opinion upon it, but we are assured by the press in the various parts of the colouy that their entertainments are of a I high class order, their reading and acting beivicr such as we do not often witness in New Zealand. Penny Readings. — The first of these , readings took place at the Temperauce j Fall last night and proved eminently successful, nearly 200 boys being present. The readings were given by the Rev. R. J. Thorpe and Mr. H. D. Jackson, the musical portion of the entertainment beiug provided by the Nelson Artizans' Society, uuder the leadership of Mr. Sigley. Mr. Lowe also kindly gave his services, and was most warmly received by the boys, who, on the question being put to them, gave a most vociferous vote in favor of another entertainment of a similar description, on the following Thursday. San Francisco Mail Service. — We learn that the subsidy towards this line has beeu increased to £40,000, and that the steamers which carry the mails are to call at Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, and Lyttelton, so that it will be seeu that, j as usual, Nelson has beeu entirely ignored I in this arrangement. Possibly, it may be from her numerical weakness in the House, but, whatever the reason, it is quite clear that the same state of things obtains now that has been iv existence for j years past, namely, that in any movement professing to be for the benefit of the 'colony at large, the interests of this province are utterly and most completely overlooked. A demonstration in favor of the Government scheme of finance has lately been made in this town, but, judging from the conduct of the Ministry and the House towards the province, we shall be much surprised if we aro affected by that scheme in aDy other way than by being called upon to pay the interest, while the other provinces reap the benefits, of the enormous loaus proposed to be raised. For a few days we have been buoyed up by the hope that by some strange and unaccountable combination of circumstances the autipathy of the Government towards Nelson had been so far relaxed as to permit of her interests being considered before those of any other portion of the colony, and that one of the first of the public works to be undertaken was the constuction of a railway to Foxhill ; we learn however by private advices received from Wellington to-day that even this scheme is likely to be shelved "owing to the pressure brought to bear upon the Government by the representatives of larger and more influential provinces." The prospects of Nelson uuder the rule of the present Ministry are cheering iv the : extreme ; on the one hand, her interests are completely sacrificed to those of larger . provinces, while, on the other, she is compelled without being consulted in the ] slightest degree, to hold herself responsible , for the debts contracted by a younger and i more extravagant section of the community. We believe the day is not far distant when the people of Nelson will j bitterly rue the day in which they bound themselves over body and soul to the cunningly devised schemes of the wily Yogel.

A New Quartz Crusher. — We have been shown drawings of a new quartz crushingand amalgamator, patented by Mr. A. D. M'Tavish, of the Thames, and which is said to be gradually coming into use in that district. The machine is not very cay to describe, but some idea may be given of it by saying tbat it is comprised, of two cylinders bolted together and restiug on friction rollers at an angle of about 30 degrees; in each of these cylinders is a large hollow iron ball which by being filled with shot or quicksilver, cau be raised to any weight up to half-a-ton. At the lower end of the smaller cylinder is a copper scoop leading ou to the shaking tables. Passing through this scoop, aud fastened on to the bottom of the lower jcyliuder, with the other end connected with the motive power, is a spindle, by j which the whole thing is turned I round. The machine is fed through j'au aperture at the top end of the upper | cylinder, through which a stream of i water is constantly running, aud after the stone has been crushed sufficiently fine to ;be carried off by the water it is washed j into the lower cylinder through an aperture made for the purpose. Here it [receives a second pounding and then i passes through the copper scoop on to the i tables where whatever gold may have ' escaped is retained by the blanketed I tables. The amalgam that is formal can i only be got out by stopping the machine j aud unlocking a smali door which is made for the purpose in the cylinders. The machine is easily worked, two-horse I power beiug sufficient for all purposes, | and it is said to do its work well, a trial having beeu lately made at the Tararu, Battery at the Thames, through which 30 tons of stone had been put and 2ozs of j gold extracted therefrom; the tailings were then passed through the newmachine and 15 ozs. of gold obtained. The price of it is £200 and that of the stone breaker attached to it, and which is required to break the quartz, £100, and it is stated that it is capable of crushing one ton per hour. Some time early on Mouday morning, a forcible entrance was made iuto the Club, Larabton Quay — as is supposed through a window — and a cashbox, containing between fifty aud sixty pounds in money, abstracted. The thief seems to have been well acquainted with the premises. — Post. Ddnedin. — The unemployed presented themselves in a body at the Government I Buildings on Monday, and a deputation I iv formed the Deputy Superintendent that they had examined the works offered by the Government, and found that they would not give " tucker,' and re fuse, l to take it. They were informed that Government would take no further action (in the matter, when the unemployed g-tve three groans for the Secretary for Land and Works. A Government Gazette, issued on Saturday, contaius the following tnnouncement: — " The ljorda Commissioners of the Admiralty, have notified that Mr. C. Stewart, Acting Sub-Lieutenant, and Mr. H. E. Thompson, Midshipman, have deserted from H.M. ship Nymphe at Bombay, and are supposed to be in some part of the Australian Colonies or New Zjalaud ; aud, at the request ot their Icdships, all persons are warned against harboring, concealing, or ewployiug the above-named persons." Complimentary. — The cat-and-ilog spirit that exists between the Provinces of Auckland aud Wellington is well illustrated by the following extract from <>ne of the Northern Proviuce papers : — ''At one of the ragged school meetings in Auckland, a little boy was asked if he knew where liars went, to which he answered — * Yes ; to the priest to confess, or to Wellington to write for the papers.' " Capt. MTntire, United States Consul at this port, informs us that a vessel of the American North Pacific Squadron — the Resaca, Commander Lewis — may shortly be expected at Wellington. The Resaca is a screw steamer, 900 tons, O. M., and carries 8 guna. The object of her visit is not stated, neither is the probable length oi her stay, but it is likely that her commander may have been instructed by the U.S. Government to take a look at the different New Zealand aud Australian I ports, with the view of reporting on them, !iu anticipation of the extensive steam | traffic between them and California, which may now be confidently expected to accrue.— Wellington Post.