THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 112, 13 May 1871, Page 2

THE W E EK.

This week lias been marked by the arrival of the first English mail via San Fraucisco by the new line of boats, and the punctuality with w&ich the service was performed was a pleasing contrast to the irregularity which characterised the arrival of the boats by the last line, but whether it is going to pay the contractors. is as yet an opeD question. The passenger list of the Nevada comprised some thirty or forty names and the manifest, showed a very limited amount of cargo, consisting of a few parcels of goods consigned to the Auckland merchants. No doubt the traffic will increase and that the line will become more popular with passengers between the home country and the Australian colonies, but there is an old saying, that while the firass is growing, the horse is starving. The absurdity and use'essness of sending , these large steamers coasting down our shores has been amply proved by the telegraphic shipping record which informed us that precisely at the same hour at w^hich the Phoebe which brought Us our portion of the mail arrived Ist Wellington, the: Nevada with . the mails for the southern provinces was leaving Napier, for that port, so that it is clear that by adhering to the old system of despatching the southern, mails by way of Mauukau they woiild\ arrive at their respective destinations^ several hours: in. advance of : the American boats . which have to travel round the East : Coast. , Is, must not be supposed that the portion of, the' contract which insists upon the steamers coasting down from Auckland to Dunediti -wrfs agreed Uo without a considerable additional cost' to the colony, and people are 1 very, naturally asking why we should be put to so unnecessary an expense merely' for the sake 'of gratifying the desire of the 'inhabitants o£ Wellington, Canterbury, and Dunedin to have their harbprs i included among the ports of call, for the hew line of steamers. If any one' can point out any possible advantage to be derived from this arrangement, „ I shoiirtl 'like to be m%de acquainted with it, for the only light, in which I .anij able 1 to* view the rnatter is, : that we are paying'; Aijxer jeans, : shipo w n era ; , a; han d so'm e sum in .order, } to einable. -them .to depr^ve^our own colonial boats' of a "certain amouut of traffic. .:••'' >. 1.,-...-';! I'.1 '. ; . The news that Mr. Vogel has succeeded r fin^nducing the English money lenders .to* increase,* pur, . indebtedness, jto> the tune of £1,200,000 has. produced loud gratulations in certain ,q^ar i te,rs ?lJ a.nd very naturally •people jprhose p'uraep are, already reduced to 'the' loweßt ebb, are delighted atthe idea of-'a'^e'dy 'influx of British?' HhW the^ 1 whdle' 1 of 'this ' Wm' * will i& deyoled :-cttt like e'fcedtttio'Q^o'f public , works, a| ( fyfXf ar^cp^^.ugly documents' 1 floating'about, .known as Treasury Bills,

which require settlement, and it is well ! Itnown'v-thatith^fjo«nly jchance that New Zea!alns hasj of "payings the.iinterest on her >«;j^lreaei^t^lpaiiss i s l -^rf 4 n duTrir in g new. ones, so that it appears to me l that those who should most rejoice in Mr. Vbgel's success are the holders of some of our little I.O.U's as they can thus see some small probability of their claims being met. However, we shall, doubtless, get some of the money, and. since. we have- fairly entered into huge borrowing speculations we must hope that our legislators will do the next best thing in their power, namely, see that the funds : thus obtained are well laid out upon works that shall prove reproductive. ; A marked change has ccrae over the proceedings of the Provincial Council within the. last, two or three days. Instead of spepding their time in useless quarrels and uninteresting personal altercations,, the members have devoted themselves to ' the . real : work before , them, and" there seems' every probability of the session being brought to a close. The Executive Act of last year has, after a twelvemonths' trial, been pronounced a failure, and we-have once more reverted to the original and. far m.ore rational state of affairs. Those who supported, the late Executive Act have, on finding that it was the' wish .of .a majority of the Council that it should be. repealed, withdrawn all opposition, and tlie Estimates are now being passed with Jan alacrity that is indicative of a desire on, .the. part of the members .of all shades of 'opinion to dispose of the business before them* The various items are, where discussion is desired necessary^ fairly nnd thoroughly considered, and the Council, as well as the Province, are to be congratulated onMiieNjontrast between themanner df coi^ductingVthe proceedings in the latter part^of fchjgSksreek as compared with that- which \prevaffed during its first two days. There, are still sqme matters of considerable importance to be brought forward. . for discussion, and among them may be. named the, questions of an extended' water supply and gasworks lor the town. The • former- of these is being considered by a Select, Committee, whose report will, no doubt give rise to an animated'discussion. The latter will, it is said, be brought before this Councilabout the middle of next week in the form of a resolution affirming the desirability of at once entering upon the works. Every inquiry has been made wjlh regard to the probable demand for gas, and the. result, so far as I can lear-n,jshows that there is every prospect of the undertaking proving a remunerative one. The Hospital management, is also being considered by a Committee and the item in the Estimates under that heading has been postponed until their report is before the Council. . The prevalent idea is, and there certainly appears to be good • grounds for if, that at present the expenses connected with that institution are extravagant to; a degree. From what I can hear, there is likely to be a considerable reformation effected in this department. The late Agricultural Show has not been without -its results, as I see by advertisement that steps are being taken to form a Farmers' Club at Richmond. The more, of these institutions there are the better, if they are carried out in a right spirit, and with a view to effecting an improvement in the present system of farming. In both Waimea South and .Waimtefj there are large numbers of settlers who look to agriculture for a livelihood ; why should not they, as well as their ■ Richmond ' neighbors, establish similar institutions, each placing itself; in communication with the others, and thus enabling every farmer in the country to learo^ and profit by, the experience of his brother, agriculturists ? F. For remainder of news see fourth page.

«SBSMS_BS___S___— _BH_a— ______SSSHMi— ■fl___-___R_-S-__BH_-_S___-A Mitrailleuse Experiment, r— There is some idea of forming mitrailleuse camel batteries in 1 India. The gun is to be mounted on and fired from the camel's back, . the .latter kneeling at .the. , word '"actroh." At present* this idea is ho. even in an experimental 'stage : but in all prob'a'bility such trials will be made. jThis reminds" the Gflobe of an amusing 7*ory connecteiL with the Ordnance Select "Oommittee_f - It. was at one time proposed to fire mountain guns off the backs qf mules that carried them. It was urged ihat this would obviate th-. necessity' of 'dismounting the gun ; f rom the mule's backiandimounting it on its ow,n; carriage ; .a mountain battery could thus come intq,, action in far less time, This prop^sAl<\vas warmly, taken bp by' the committee, who' fo.th with proceeeded to test its i feasibility. A mule or donkey ] waß^ procured, ; - and : a small gun strapped firmly to a cradle resting "oh** the packßadd.e, so that the inuzzle of the Weapon over the donkey's tail. The animal, so the. story goes,, was ; . then led into the marshes at WoGiwicbj accompanied- by I .y ; cbt_^T_iiti;.e i a'n ! (_ ! 4< big wigs," who were attracte"d]by such a novel experi--laCaC l^ e bu.tf'thejgj-n was loaded, n tbe ! donkey turned wit*h his tail towards -hd^eWthetf tnound, and the usual preparations were made for firing by means pf> a^ lanyardi anjd (friction tube; hereupon, however, one of the committee remarked that this mode of firing might

, possibly derange the aim <: 8y the jerk on pulling the lanyard. A discussion, followed^ and it was finally arrabged to ( fire the gun by a pieee of Slpw .ftiatch' tied to the vent. This was 'accordingly done, and the match duly ignited. Hitherto the donkey Mp<L4aken a sleepy interest in the procee'dings, but somehow the phizzing of th* match on his back caused him. first to fjjjJp»P his ears.jtheu , to. lay them bacJ^JSufinally to begin , to turn round, -^fm cpmmittee was thunderstruck, aud " skedaJdled "in all directions^ the secretary thtftw himself flat on his face, V There was a_ioraeot of agonising suspense, then — bang— the shot went riochetting away in one direction, while the wretched donkey turi-**-. a complete •somersault in the other. . A Quaker's Advice to his, Son on his Wedding Day. — " When thee went a courting, I told thee to keep thy eyes j wide open; now that thee is married, I tell theo to keep them half shut." The Wit deservedly won his bet, who' in company, wheu every one was bragging of his tall relations, wagered that he himself had a brother 12 feet high. He said he had two half brothers, each measuring 6 feet. Poetry is the flour of literature; prose is the corn, potatoes and meat; .satire is the the aqua-fortis; wit is the spice and pepper; love-letters are the honey and sugar; and letters containing remittances are the plums'. "Apropos -of .he. effects of a- diet of horse-flesh," says a Parisian correspondent of an evening contemporary, "excuse is being found for the National Guards who Eonaway at Creteil, on the plea that they had lately been fed exclusively off racehorses." ' " . , Feeling a patient's pulse by telegraph, is the latest achievement. The sick man was in Washington and the physician in New York. The beats of the pulse were

transmitted by a doctor with one hand on the patient's jvrist, and the other on the telegraph key. An, advertisement was sent to the office, of a western newspaper, in which occurred the name of a book — " The Christians Dream ; No Cross, no Groyvn " The blundering compositor made""' it read — " The Christian's Dream ; no Cows,, no Cream." Neither Heart nor Brains. — Among the jeu d'esprit of the day is the story that Judge Nelson and General Butler fought a duel afc the Congressional graveyard; that Butler was shot through the heart, that Nelson was shot through tbe brains, and that both walked back to the Capitol uninjured. .