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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 82, 8 April 1871, Page 2

To The Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. Respected Friend, Under the head Correspondence, in your issue of April 6, you have published a letter signed " Vox," whose object iv writing is stated to be to rescue the name of ay" great man." This, of course, he has a right to do, though not at the expense of the character of another great man. Your correspondent says, '* it may be easy and safe to vilify the dead, but it is nevertheless cowardly aud despicable." If this is true may we not wonder that "Vox" did not refrain from vilifying Stephen Grellet, by saying that he was an " apostate priest," and that he made "false" and "malicious" statements. Lest your readers may he misled with regard to the character of S. Grellet, I refer them to the Sunday at Home for the year 1866, the editor of which testifies to his sterling character in a series of articles. The Sunday at Home places his name along with the names of Fenelon, Pascal, Calvin, Oberlin, and Howard. I will not make quotations, but I contradict the statement relative to his having been a priest. I have a pamphlet published by Jackson, Holford, and Hodder, London, giving a sketch of Stephen Grellet's life, and if " Vox " will accept the loan of it I will lend it him with pleasure. I am much obliged by your insertion of this, and am respectfully I. M. Hill. [At Mr. Hill's earnest request we have inserted the above letter, as he is merely anxious that justice shall be done to the character of Stephen Grellet, and has carefully avoided alluding to the main points out of which has arisen the correspondence that now closes. Ed. N.E.M.~\ To the Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. Sik —lhad a forced idle time iv Motueka Valley to-day, and attended the place of meeting of the Motueka Valley Road

Board, for the purpose of reporting the proceedings for the Mail. The Board decided by a majority not to admit reporters, and so I cannot send you the account I should have liked to have done, as the proceedings of this Board are assuming a very important aspect and will have much to do with the prosperity or otherwise of Nelson. Mr. Stanley, chairman, resigned his seat at the Board at this meeting, in consequence of a decision of the Board, as I understand, to accept the district pure and simple as handed over to them and defined by the Government, and to administer the £3000 placed at their disposal. The short cut to Buller down the Hope, is attracting a large share of attention just now, and the Board will have much to do with hindering or forwarding the matter. A petition, lam told, signed by over 100 persons, has been sent to the Superintendent, praying for the opening of this track. Even in its present rough mate, traffic is gradually increasing, and a resident in Motupiko Valley told me that as many as a dozen diggers in a week were passing through it between the Buller and Motupipi. There have also been a good many horsemen through, the more se*Sou3 obstacle having been removed and fftg^ bad places mended by the GovernmeW, An important improvement that is nowrm progress, will avoid two crossings of the Hope Kiver, thus obviating the possibility of travellers being detained by floods, as for years past has frequently been the case. This route is particularly adapted for a cart road, and brings the produce of the farmers of Motueka aud tributary valleys within two or three days reach of the diggings. The flour mill just completed in Motueka Valley will enable the settlers in the district to find a ready market for their wheat at the Buller. The saving of distance will be belter understood by the following : — Loud en's to Roundell .... 30 miles. Roundell to Matakitaki ... 44 „ Present distance via Roundell . 74 „ Loudens to Newport's ... 7 „ Newport's to Matakitaki ... 42 „ W 49 » Thus saving ... 25 „ There is every reason to believe that a further saving of 4 miles may still be made on this line. I often wish the Government, the Council, the Road Boards, the press, aud the people, would be for once filled with the colonising spirit, and make one supreme effort to open up the country with a cart road down the Buller tobegia with. j The Province is not so far gone to the I bad yet, but that this might be done, if all would sink minor objects to achieve this great one, and so forward and achieve the smaller ones in the end, by bringing about the prosperity for which we are all so auxious. Yours, &c, James Groye. Foxhill, April 3, 1871.