The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1871.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 180, 1 August 1871, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1871.

Orjß report of the meeting of the shareholders ia the Perseverance Company, and some other matters of interest, are unavoidably held over until to-morrow. Masonic Hotel. — Mr. Wilkins, the new landlord of this hotel, entertained a large number of his friends at a supper last night. After the eatables had been removed, the " flowing bowl " was filled and refilled by the hospitable landlord, and the evening was spent in mu3ic and song until the clocks announced that another day had commenced.^ Scene in a Court of Law. — (Not many miles from Nelson) Cross-examining Counsel (coaxingly), "Now, tell me, little girl, didn't your mother tell you what to say in Court?" Little Girl, nine years of age, (affrightedly), "Ye-e-s Sir." Couusel (triumphantly), "Oh! she did, did she ? Now what was it you were told to say?" Little Girl (bravely), "Please Sir, she told me I was to speak the truth." Counsel resumed his seat. Mr. Edward Dobson, Seuior, late provincial Engineer of Canterbury, has been appointed Engineer of water supply by the Victorian Government. The Royal Hotel at Oeo, Taranaki, is kept by a Maori firm, Houi Pihama and Pata, and through the Wanganui papers, they announce that they offer good accommodation for man and beast. The Wellington Evening Post, referring to- the condition of Wanganui generally, says that that place now produces fifty per cent of the bankrupt, criminal and divorce cases of the whole province. The damage done to the- Hokitika and Christchnrch road by the recent floods will take, it is estimated by the West Coast Times, at least £4000 to repair. Some idea of the violence of tbe gale of wind blowing through the gorge may be formed when it ia stated that it blew one of Cobb's coaches about 50 yards over large boulders, damaging it very much. Another roach was capsized, and the police barracks were blown down. A Catholic Priest Drowned. — The Greymouth Star of Saturday contains an account of a fatal accident that occurred to the Rev. Father Colomb on tbe previous Wednesday. The deceased was attempting to cross the Nelson Creek at its junction with the Grey River when he was washed off his horse and has not been eeen since. The rev. gentlemen had been the officiating parish priest at Greymouth for over nine months, and was highly esteemed by the people generally, and much respected and revered by his congregation. ■<i Postal Promptitude. — "As an instance of how things are occasionally managed in New Zealand," says the Grey River Argus, " we may mention that the whole of the Otago portion of the Suez mail was lauded at; Greymouth, forwarded by coach to Hokitika, thence sent overland over a most difficult road— bad enough at any time, but ten times worse at present, in consequence of tbe depth of snow lying on the Pass — aud then shipped ,pn;bdard the very same steamer at Lyttelton fr6m which it had been delivered, at Greymouth. Had tbe coach broken downs/under its enormous load, over a ton we believe, there would, no doubt, have been a great outcry in consequence of our local mails being: delayed, and had such a tliiog happened, -J the contractors would certainly not have been to blame." This is not altogether inexcusable, as by the mails being forwarded overland to Canterbury, they might have caught- at steamer just starting for Dunedin, ancrc thus anticipated the arrival of the Australian boat at that port by some days, but what is to be said in favor of the manner in which the Indian mails for Nelson are treated. .They, too, are landed. at Hokitika and sent overland to Dunedin, and thence up to Nelson, where they usually arrive from a week to ten days after the steamer arrives in our. harbor. Probably, the postal authorities are of opinion* that letters, like port wine, improve by keeping. ■ "-X. '