THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 255, 29 October 1870, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The past week must have proved a trying one for those whose duty it is to cater for a public greedy for news, but still there are certain matters, which, if they have not furnished themes for lengthy " locals," have, at all events, «:i ven rise to a good deal of serious thought. The two most important of these are the want of a road to Wangapeka, and the deficiency of water on the Collingwood I goldfield, and it is pleasing to fiud that steps are being taken to remove both of (hese obstacles to the advancement of mining interests in this part of the Province. With regard to the first, we are told that the Government iutend to form a practicable horse track without dtlay, aud that they will lose no time in commencing a good dray road so soon as the reefs shall have been actually proved to be payabiy auriferous. This is satisfactory, and quite os much as a Government is justified in undertaking. I Tht* water supply for the Collingwood field is a more serious business, involving as it does a very large outlay. How ihe difficulty is to be got over has yet to be shown, but the matter is being taken up energetically and I do not doubt lait that it will terminate satisfactorily, for I really believe that the people of Nelson are arousing themselves from their proverbially somnoleut state, and are beginning to realise the fact that if they wish to take rank among the hading provinces of the colouy they must set to work in real downright earnest, and be no longer content to remain in a state of torpor. This is one of the results of the hard times we have lately been passing through and are still experiencing. Experieniia docet. Ido not generally prefer | the dead to the living languages, but a

circumstance connected with one of my earliest attempts at translating a Latin sentence — which curiously euough happened to be composed of the above words — has impressed it, and its moral, so indelibly upon my memory that I have ever since been firmly convinced that there are certain lessons taught us by experience which the learner can never forget. The little incident to which I refer may be told in few words. I had been lazily inclined, and not disposed to study my Latin dictionary ou the night previous to the day on which I was called upon to Anglicise the words experientia docet, and, therefore, when called upon to give their meauin'g in good old English I was somewhat at a loss. But not for Ions:, for, as a youngster, I was a believer in the good luck that doth hedge a schoolboy ; in addition to whicli I had a natural taste foi? the phonetic science, aud consequently, without the slightest hesitation, I blurted out — " It's experience as does it." The translation was forcible and I am inclined to think, not very wide of the meaning intended to be attached to it by the compiler of the intricate senteuce, but unfortunately for me it was not strictly correct nnd the first intimation I received of the error I had committed was a sudden, but severe, collision that occurred between the right hand of my tutor and my sinister ear. From that day, profiting by the lessons taught me by experience, I never" neglected to avail myself of the means placed at my disposal, iu the shape of the familiar Ainswovth, of surmounting difficulties which at that time were the most serious I had to contend with. Moral ; specially dedicated to the people of Nelson ; never forget the buffetings you have already experienced from trusting too much to chance to assist you, but learn that application and energy, well directed, will generally get you out of your troubles. I never thought I should turn storyteller and moralist, but, as poverty is said to make us acquainted with strange bedfellows, so a sterile week compels me to resort to strange devices in order to fill the column set aside for my especial use. However, I hope that my schoolboy experiences may not be looked upon as wholly irrelevant to the subjsct before us. I am glad to find that the question of insurance premiums is beginning to be agitated. Yerily, you Nelson folks must be a long-suffering people, and difficult to rouse. Since I saw the first article on this subject a few days ago, I have been making inquiries and I find that some of you are actually paying four pounds per cent — put it in big letters P. D. — for insuring your houses. And this iu a town with a magnificent water supply, and a first-rate fire-brigade ; where it has been proved time and again that it is next to impossible for anything like a serious fire to occur. Have you not yet seen that the premiums you pay are altogether out of proportion to the amount of risk run by the iusurers ? Or is it that you are so charitable, so benevolent, so utterly unselfish, that you are willing to allow the different companies to whom you are rendering tribute, to compensate themselves from your purses, who enjoy comparative immunity from tbe ravages of fire, for the losses they may sustain in towns that have not been so provident as your own ? If so, think how they must laugh in their sleeves over the refreshing verdancy of the Nelson policy holders. I hear that the oyster- men are looking forward to doing a roaring trade on this aud Monday eveniugs, the latter beiDg the " last night of the season." Somehow or other though, it is so admirably mauaged that no sooner has the time arrived when New Zealand oysters are forbidden by law to be eateu than a supply is on hand from Sydney. Have the fishmongers no confession to make on this head ? I don't ask the question with the slightest desire or expectation of receiving a verhal answer, hut rather in the hope that my search after kuowledge may meet with a similar result to that whicb attended the enquiries of the humorous talkist of the Colonist, who tells us that no sooner had he offered his services as father confessor to the brewers than he was in receipt of a fivejiallon barrel of beer brewed with pure New Zealand water — highly probable this, since the brewing took place iu the colony — and based ou sound malt and hops. Unless the oyster- men are greatly wanting in perceptive faculties, they will at once see the analogy between my cse and that of the other writer I have referred to; they will also perceive that it is not com-

plete until they have sent me a small parcel — to U39 a mercantile phrase — of those delicious bivalves, as the fish merchants call them, in. order that I may be in a position to judge for myself whether they were originally " based oh" Sydney or New Zealand. I must not conclude my letter this week without a reference to the weather, which with the exception of one night, has been everything that could be desired, but, unfortunately, on tbat one night, Thursday, I think it was, there was a severe frost which occasioned much damage, and great are the bemoauiugs to be heard on aecount of the blackened appearance presented by potato and cucumber leaves ou the next morn ins. Talking of night and morning reminds me of that great luminary tlie Government Gazette, in the last -number of which I find that the wharfinger at Westport has to keep a lamp "properly lighted from sunset to sunrise every nig'.t." Which is it I wonder that occurs at night — sunset or sunrise ?or both ? Queer place that Westport must be. F.