The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1871

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 184, 5 August 1871, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1871

Stoke Farmers' Club. — Tiie monthly meeting of tliis Club will he held on Monday evening next, at the Schoolroom, Stoke, at 7 o'clock. Spring Grove Literary Institute. — We are glad to learn that Dr. Irvine proposes to repeat his lecture, recently delivered in Nelson, on "The Functions of Respiration," at Spring G«ove, ou Wednesday evening next. St. Mary's School. — It will be seen by advertisement, that ifc is proposed to hold a bazaar in aid of the fund for the enlargement of the girls' school, at St. Mary's, which is at present conducted by, two Sisters of tlie Marist convent. These schools have maintained a high character for twenty years, nnd as the teaching at them is entirely secular, their enlargement is a matter of public interest. Underground Noises. — A correspondent resiJiug in the neighborhood of Brook-street Valley writes to us asking for information with reference to the peculiar sounds that he says are to be heard almost every night in that part of the town, and which are described as being exactly similar to the rumbling that precedes an earthquake. Last night they were louder than usual, and he has therefore been induced to call attention to the fact. We have frequeutly heard of these gtrange sounds before, and shall be glad to receive and publish any information relative to them. Winter Evening Lectures. — Owing, no doubt, to the bitter cold, the lecture at the Assembly Room was not so well attended last night as some oi its predecessors, but those who were present were amply rewarded for their courage in braving the keen frosty air. Mr. Calder's remarks upon the great Scotch poet were evidently those of one who was well acquainted with his writings, and the various extracts he read, by way of illustrating his subject, were moat judiciously selected. The reverend lecturer was several times loudly applauded, and a hearty vote of thauks was accorded to him at its close. Diocesan Church Fund. — A meeting of all who are interested in the welfare of the Church of England is to be held at the Assembly Room ou Monday evening next, when addresses explanatory of the purpose, and present condition, of the diocesan church fuod will be delivered by the Revs. G. H. Johnstone, aud C. 0. Mules, aud Messrs. Birnicoat, Hunter Brown, and others, the Bishop of Nelson iu the chair. There seems to be a great difficulty, caused.no doubt by the entirely different state of affairs to which so many of them have been accustomed in the old country, in impressing upon the members of this denomination that if they wish to keep up their church in this the land of their adoption, they must, each and all of ihem, assist in furnishing the necessary funds. We hope to see a large meetiug ou Monday evening, when the financial position of the church in this diocese will be fully explained. Similar meetings have been held in the country districts, and the results, we understand, have been highly favorable, as it was ouiy necessary to explain the real state of affairs to induce many, who had not before thought the matter seriously over, to come.forward and give a helping hand. . The author of "Notes of New Zealand Travel" jo the Leader,A\a very. .copious on the subject of the Maoris, mingling truth aod nonsense iD the way usual j with people who dogmatise with subjects they are quite ignorant of. We give an extract

from one of his letters : — " Many Maoris have strongly-marked Jewish features. The face of Taipieri, the chief of the Thames district, near Auckland, and to whom the miners pay royalty, or tribute, is very Jewish in appearance, conspicuously so. Tlie Jewish element in them probably accounts for their dislike to all labor. What we understand by "industry" the Maori knows nothing about. 'Tis not iv his Uiiture and never will be. He has, however, a Corsican sense of insult, and he pursues its revenue exactly as a Corsican does. A word slightingly spoken, or the lie directly given, can 'only be wiped out in blood ; whilst the death of a man, however accidentally caused, is only to be compensated by another death, and by war of tribes, if necessary. Nothing in that way is forgotten or forgiven with the Maoris. Time, iv the way of reveuge, or any other way, is of no consequence. What is not done to-day can be done to-morrow, and iv the way of vengeance no count is kept — what has to be done will be done, some day." The Wellington Provincial Council voted £500 for the relief of the deslitute. The demands were so great that the Provincial Secretary has written to the Resident Magistrate to issue no more orders to the usunl recipients. A Terrific Hail Storm at the WaiTA ra, A fearful hailstorm passed over the Waitara on Thurs Say last, at about 10 a.m., when, we are informed, hailstones fell 'which measured fully l|in. loQg, by 1 in. across the top. They were in the shape of a pear. The storm lasted a quarter of an hour, and the ground was quite white from the quantity of hail that fell. At a Maori settlement between Raglan and Waikato, four natives who went out io fish were drowned by the upsetting of their boat. A northern paper in recording the- fact, expresses its regret that the natives generally do not take to the same employment, and thus afford a chance of some of the most troublesome of them being quietly removed. Electrical Phenomena and the Loss or the Airedale. — A paper by Mr. Dingan, telegraphist at Wanganui, was read at the last meeting of the Philosophical Society in Wellington, describing plectrical phenomena observed by him in February last, during days when Auroral displays at uight were particularly brilliant; and suggested that the loss oi the s.s. Airedale might have been caused by a deviation of her compasses, which were probably greatly affected by the electricity in the atmosphere apparent in the Auroral displays. Sir George Bowen and the Province of Auckland. — Before leaving Auckland for Wellington Sir George Bowen addressed a letter to "My dear Superintendent," expressive of the sense that Lady Bowen and himself entertained of " the constant and uniform respect, courtesy, and kindness" shown to them duriug their residence in Auckland by all classes of the community. In his communication Sir George said : — I am very happy to believe that this Province is now in a condition which, considering the numerous difficulties with which it has had to struggle, caunot he regarded as otherwise than satisfactory. The recently published statistics prove that, during the last ten years, the population has increased, in round numbers, from 37,000 to 62,000, or at the rate of 155 per cent.; while the advance in revenue, in trade, and in the other chief elements of material prosperity, hus been j scnrcely less remarkable. When it is recollected that the last ten years have been for the most part years of war and disturbance, these facts show a progress which has rarely been surpassed in other countries. Indeed, at the present day, the single Province of Auckland, though only 30 years old, already far exceeds in importance many entire colonies such as Antigua, Barbadoes, and others which have°been settled for upwards of two centuries. Teetotal Pharisees. — A writer of " Gossip," in the Hawke'sßay Telegraph, speaking of the Permissive Bill petition thnt is going the rounds of the Colony, Sft ys— " The Rechabites are going ahead. Another tent — a bud of the Rose of Sharon. There is somethiog peculiar about water. If a fellow drinks nothing but water for some years, it is astonishing how cheeky he gets. He considers himself a cut above his mates, and is thaukful he is not as other men. A teetotaller fancies he is quite equal to govern the universe, and to determine with what liquor a man shall quench his thirst. Why a reclaimed drunkard should consider that his opinion is worth more thau that of another i man, passes my. feeble understanding. By first abusing and, then condemning altogether the use of alcohol a man glaringly displays his weakness and his r folly. I wouldn't give much for thij br-ajns : o| any man that fails io ejee f that there is igood ih, r allVhiDgs, r and 'that moderation in its use alone'- is Wanting 1 to make alcohol an unmixed blessing."