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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 38, 14 February 1871, Page 2

Charx/eston Races. —As several of our readers may have b»*en interested iu a dispute that arose at the Charleston, races, and was referred to the Australasian for decision, we quote the opinion of that journal as given on the 4th iu.st : — "(1). There is uo cooditiou in the Packers'

Purse to make it the sumo as a Hack race ■ambit' Gipsy had fairly packed previous to the rucc, she is entitled to the stakes, (2). The fact of Q-iicksilver paying up, imi not. starting for a race at the meeting does not qualify her to run for the Consolation S lakes which is clearly slated for iu-aten horses at the meeting. She ought to have started to entitle her to run."

A few days ago, tbe " oldest inhabitant" of Okarito wa-tf" buried, having been found dead in his* bed on the preceding day. Ibis is. o*ly the third natural death which ha;*, occurred since the settlement of the Jiytrict. The mail via Thames to Taurau'ga d/*as been the subj.-cr. of many telegrams. Arrangement has at last been made whereby the natives allow it to go through, but not from the Post office or in the regular mailbags. They appear wonderfully sensitive as to anything looking like the most faint leeognition of the Queeu's authority. From the first, this mail was only carried as a parcel iu the pockets or saddle-hags of the carrier, the Post-office authorities being forced to consult Maori prejudices in this respect. The only change now is that the Maoris suspected the Post-office was connected with it, but even have been talked into the belief that it contained nothing but, private telegrams and parcels. Such, says a correspondent, are the dodges necessary to carry tho Queen's mails through tribes living almost within gunshot of 10,000 people at the Thames. Poison in the Glass. — A fortnight ago, a resident iti Sydney purchased a.rum puncheon, and, in order that it might be effectively cleansed, he caused the head of the cask to be taken out. Inside the vessel he found about two bucketsful of tobacco, raisins, and pineapple. The publican bad probably reduced the strength of the rum by a copious admixture of water, aud then sought to restore the intoxicating properties of the diluted spirit by an infusion of tobacco, while the raisins and pineapple were added to give it tbe luscious flavor of "fine old West India rum," And in this way the public are being poisoned by wholesale. A m-i'ignatu ingenuity is perpetually being exercised t<> devise means of extorting an extra profit, from dram drinkers and brandy bibbers. The agencies resorted to are simply murderous. They are so in a double sense. They destroy both body and mind. They send some of their victims to the cemetery, and others they consign to the madhouse. Our poisoners are move to b • dreaded than the cunning toxieoiogists of the middle ages, for men und women knew their deadly enemies, ■md suspected the perfume in tbe glove or tlie powder in the goblet. But, now-a-days, a stranger may hand an envenomed draught across the counter, and politely smiling, thank you for the coin which he receives in exchange. You imagine you arn drinking a wholesome beverage, übf-Tea*-) in reality it may be " doctored" witii oil of vi 'vol, oii of" turpentine, sulphuric aci 1, quassia, cocuius indicus, tobacco juice, or cherry laurel water. And this goes ou from day to day with absolute impunity. For of what use are the,..enactments against adulterations, when the giving effect to them is entrusted to tbe police ? They would do their duty to the public it they could ; but for the detection of adulterated articles of food and drink, you require the services of scientific experts — of men whose educated palates would qualify them to decide that a substance was sophisticated in the first instance, and whose analytic skill would enable them fo determine the nature and the amount of the deleterious ingredients, in the second. If the inspector of distilleries were authorised to take this subject in hand, he would speedily astonish consumers and coufound adulterators.