THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 266, 12 November 1870, Page 2

THE WEEK.

o I think if I were of a revengeful disposition, and had it in my power to choose the punishment to be inflicted on my bitterest enemy, I should condemn him to spend a public holiday in the town of Nelson ; to tramp up and down the deserted streets, the dull monotony of which is only broken at very distant intervals by the appearance of some shopkeeper, more bent on business than his neighbors, who stands yawning at his door in the very faint hope that a kind providence might direct to his door some unfortunate individual who in sheer desperation, and from utter inability to create any other break in the wretched dreariness of the day, had determined to invest some of his spare cash — if he were fortunate enough to possess so scarce an article — in the wares exposed for sale. Four hours spent in this way would either cause a man to break out in a melancholy strain of poetry such as that in which Goldsmith expressed himself on viewing a deserted village 5 or, if his disposition were such as to preclude him from taking advantage of this safety valve to his overwrought feelings, would render him a fitting inmate of a lunatic asylum. My experiences of the state of the town on Wednesday last did not extend over half the time I have mentioned, and consequently I neither became poetical nor insane, but am reduced to the milder alternative of giving vent to my grievances in plain prose. But while this state of things prevailed in the town on the occasion of that joyous festival, the scenes in the outskirts of our city were of a totally different description. The Port, the Maitai, or Brook-street Valley — go where you would in either of these directions, the eye was greeted with a perfect plethora of picnic parties and perambulators. Of these last-named conveniences for the transit of limp-legged infants, I believe, from what I saw the other day, that Nelson possesses a greater number in proportion to its size than are to be found in any other portion of Her, or any other, Majesty's dominions. Ingenious correspondents, writing from the seat of war, have endeavored to give their readers Some idea of the masses of men that were put in motion at some of the battles by detailing with painful accuracy how many hours ifc took a certain Prussian or French corps d'armee to defile from this wood or j from that ravine. Acting upon this hint 1 1 stood at a given point on a given road, and exercised nry powers of calculation in a somewhat similar manuer on Wednesday last, and finding that seven perambulators, each containing on an average two infants, passed me within ten minutes, I should have been in a position to give some idea of the numerical strength of the infantry of Nelson, if I had only possessed sufficient patience to observe for wbat length of time the stream continued to flow, but, unfortunately, I am of a restless disposition aud therefore was unable to remain long enough to compile the statistics that would have proved so interesting to my readers.

But the holiday-is over, and so I roust j proceed to business. A little excitement in connection with the approaching elections is beginning to be observable, and I hear that, tho VVaimea district aud Suburbs are being actively canvassed by Mr. Ricbardsor, who is very sanguine of beating his opponent, Mr. F. Kelling; but as some time must elapse before the race is run I shall refrain from speculating just now upon the chances of success possessed by either of the candidates. From Golden Bay we hear that Mr. Gibbs is uot disposed to. allow Mr. Collins to walk over the course, but I give the electors credit for knowing when they are well off, and I don't think they will throw over their old member for one who, although he may possibly meet their views so far as the Provincial Council is concerned, is hardly the man to represent that important district in the Parliament of the colony. Speaking of elections, reminds me of tbe races that have been taking place at Canterbury, although I hardly know what the connection is between the two, unless it be the glorious uncertainty that attends both, experience having proved that it is not always the best horse that wins. Our Nelson horses have placed to the credit of their owners some of the plums of the meeting, but have hardly been as successful as we were led to anticipate from the results of the first day's running. Why Peeress did not start for the Jockey Club Handicap, which was worth -£150, while she came to the post for the next event of only £100, is a mystery, for the solution of which we must wait until the arrival of the steamer from Canterbury. Still, the knowledge we have that some of the Christchurch money is to find its way to Nelson is satisfactory. Our Superintendent has been busily engaged in making a tour of the West Coast, and from the information we have received from thence, it appears that he is creating a far more favorable impression than might have been expected from the torrent of abuse that has constantly been poured upon him from that quarter. After all, those West Coasters are not half so black as they try to paint themselves, although one or two of their representatives in the Provincial Council strive to make us believe to the contrary, for they are evidently amenable to to reason, and all all they require is that the head of the Government should occasionally visit, and talk with, them over their little grievances. This he will doubtless do, and for the future we may expect to see more sympathy and friendly feeling than has hitherto existed between the eastern and western divisions of the Province. The consecration of the church at Stoke is certainly one of the features of the week, and the tasteful decorations of the little building, together with the excellence of the singing, which could not have been attained without constant practice, speak volumes for the interest that is taken by the congregation in the welfare of their church. I may casually mention that the very pretty and well-furnished little churches that are to be found dotted about the country districts reflect the greatest credit on the inhabitants of the various parishes. St. Peter's at Wakefield, St. Paul's at Spring Grove, St Michael's at Waimea West, St. Alban's at Appleby, St. Barnabas' at Stoke, St. Thomas' at Motueka, and the Wakapuaka Church, the name of which I do not remember just now, are buildings of which the parishioners may well be proud, while the internal arrangements are of a character that one. would hardly expect to find in country churches. There is one more subject on which I must touch, namely, the weather. In town we are hardly sufficiently alive to the necessity of an occasional downpour of rain, but I hear that in the country the long-continued drought is giving rise to gloomy anticipations among the farmeis, whose crops are thirsting for the rain that is necessary to remedy the evil effects of the Waimea wind that was blowing last week. I sincerely hope that I may be able next Saturday to state that the longed-for showers have gladdened the hearts of those who have to look to the iruits of the earth for their living.