THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 6, 6 January 1872, Page 2

THE WEEK.

i Walking through the streets yesterday afternoou, I was accosted by a friend with the words, "I am afraid the list of ingredients, of which your weekly dish is to be composed to-morrow, can neither be very large nor very varied." He was right, and if, after wading through this column, and arriving at the capital letter lhat closes it, the reader is disposed to find fault, I trust that he will be sufficiently charitably inclined to attribute any shortcomings rather to the lack of material than to want of skill on the part of tbe cook. The week opened cheerfully, aud Monday was quite a gala day in the town, to which there flocked from all parts of the country those who purposed laking part in the sports advertised by the Caledoniau Society, and those who came to witness them. As has been said before, the gathering was a most successful one, both with regard to the numbers who visited the ground, and the geueral character of tbe sports, which were more closely contested than on previous occasions. The only drawback was the long time lhat intervened betweeu the various 6vents, which was caused by the dilatoriuess of the competitors in entering their names. If ou future occasions a rule be made, and not ouly made but adhered to, that as soon us oue race, jump, or whatever

it may bo is concluded, the next shall immediately follow, and, if the entries are uot then made, that it shall ba erased from tho list altogether, it would, I think, havo ihe effect of doing away with the wearisome delays of which all were complaining iast, Monday. Such an arrangement would, perhaps, tend to mar the clay's sport on the first, occasion of its being brought into force, but on future days (hose who meant to take part in the games, seeing that the Committee were iu earnest, would take oare to be in time with their entries. The Raugitoto chanced to arrive here on New Year's Day with a number of excursionists from Melbourne, including several members of the Victorian bar and legislature, who had selected a tour of the Middle Island of New Zealand as the pleasantest. way of spending their Christmas vacation, aud they then had an opportunity of seeiug i Neison in her gayest, mood. One thing j there was which could nor, fail to strike J them, namely, the healthy, sturdy appearance of the children, who, iu this respect, form n. strong contrast to the youthful generation of Australia. The sitting of tbe Supreme Court, which, owing to the new regulations, followed so closely upon the last session, has resulted in a maiden assize, in tokeu of which tiie sheriff, ss is customary, presence -Judge with a pair of white kid gloves. Of civil cases there was but one, and that uninteresting to a degree. The plaintiff and one of tho defendants were brothers, the cause of the actiou was an agreement relative to the pnrchase of sheep, aod the whole amount at issue was £140. To decide this was the work of three days, and the costs must necessarily be very heavy, two lawyers having been engaged on either side. I can understand men going to law when the stakes are high ond worth playing for, but when an action must eventuate in a loss, or something very closely approaching fo jf. even to the winning side, it is difficult to conceive what the object can be in entering upon it. I suppose there is a certain amouut of excitement experienced that is pleasant while it lasts, but the subsequent receipt of your solicitor's litrlebill can scarcely be attended with any very pleasurable sensations. The Wellington Independent, I see, lias had the kindness to kill off, and bury — politically speakiug, of course — one of the members for tho Nelson province, the ! obituary notice being carefully compiled, aud giving in full the cause of his death, which is attributed to an insatiable desire to return to England. This is, of course, exceedingly thoughtful of fche journal iu question, and shows that it is keepin--* a sharp look-out for choice, highly-spiced, morsels to set before its readers, but it does not stop even here. Not content with stating as a fact that which never had occurred, and, so far as is known in Nelson, is not likely to occur, it goes ou to foretell the results of this imaginary event. Having decently buried Mr.Richardson, and placed him comfortably beneath the sod, this omnipotent newspaper immediately raisesfrom his ashes two gentlemeu who are afc once to commence contesting th« right to step into | his shoes. ' Mr. Richardson has vacated I his peat," " Mr. J. C. iii ch mond and Mr. 1 Luckie will be candidates for it." !So we are told by the great Ministerial organ, which has apparently the most intimate acquaintance with the political opinions of the people of Nelson, for it proceeds to assure u D that the contest will be a very close one, parties being very evenlybalanced iu the district alluded to. The only wonder is that this manufacturer of facts, and foreteller of events allows his prophetic flight to cease so suddenly. Why did he not go on to mention which of the two would be the successful candidate, the precise number of votes to be recorded for him, and the exact majority he is to obtain over his less fortunate rival ? The members of the Artizans Association gave'oue of their popular entertainments last night, vuhen the Oddfellows' Hall was, as is customary on such occasions, crowded to excess. Once again I feel it incumbent upon me to call the attention of those who are iu the hahifc of beinjr present at, entertainments given in the Hall to the great danger to which they would be exposed in the event of a fire breaking out, or even of the alarm being given. A rush would at once take place from both gallery and ground floor to the doors, the passage through which would immediately be choked, involving a sacrifice of life that is terrible to contemplate. Tbe remedy for this is so easy that the neglect to provide it on tho part of the Hall Committee is really culpable. The matter, however, rests entirely with the public. Let them determine not to patronise the Hall until some safe mode of egress in case of a panic be provided, and those wbo are interested in the rents accruing from the building will speedily be convinced of the advisability of spending the few shillings that would be re-

quired for cutting a doorway through the side wall. At the risk of being deemed an alarmist, I venture once more to call the attentiou of the public to a master that, unless proper precautions be taken, mav result in a fearful calamity. The San Francisco mail is, as usual, behind its time. We begin now to look forward to the telegrams that reach us by this route with all the eagerness with whicli we anticipate the publication of the monthly number of some highly sensational novel, not that we believe the stuff called news that is thus conveyed to us, but are interested and amused to find that journalists exist, even in America, who have sufficient effrontery to string together such heaps of pure fabrications, and to palm them off on tbe inhabitants of the Australian colonies as items of European news. Time may possibly teach the editors of such newspapers as the News of the Woild and other Californian journals that what we in Australia and New Zealaud look for on the arrival of the mail is reliable intelligence and not sensational lies. The weather still continues ruiuously dry. The soft shower that fell on Wednesday evening was most tantalising, very like what a teaspoonful of water would he to a man who was dying of thirst. What little good it did was very soon counteracted by the withering Waimea wind that has been blowing more or less ever since. A more disastrous season to the farmers than this has been, and is, it is scarcely possible to conceive. F. """ " — | --- . --_■.-___

A Scene of great excitement occurred J one day, recently, in the immediate vicinity of Charing Cross. The roadway in that neighborhood was undergoing repairs with a powerful steim-roller which was left stauding unattended while the driver had 2one to his dinner. Some mischievous boys getting on it to play, managed to start the huge machine, which travelled across the road near the statute of George 111., where it turned round and went over the pavement and into the premises of Mr. Thompson, Cockspur-streer, photographic colorist, breaking down the stone work under tbe window, and demolishing the window itself. Three ladies who were in front of the shop had a narrow escape; another lady was severely crushed in the crowd. A gentleman lell down in front of the engine, and was dragged away not a moment too soon. He sustained, however, a fracture of the left leg. Several other persons were also injured. The engine ictnained stationary till the driver returned from his dinner. Grasshoppers. — The following very interesting communication relative to the grasshoppers on the Wimmera bas been forwarded to the Pleasant Creek News by a correspondent: — "The grasshoppers from Drung Drung to Antwerp are numerous, aud will prove a scourge to the grass this season. At a distance of a mile or more they appear like a cloud of dust or smoke One gentleman rode several miles, thinking that, it was the smoke of a bush fire in the distance. They appear like a snow storm, filling the air to a height of lOOft. or more ; my horse refused to face them. They appear to have attacked some of the growing crops where they are still green, cutting off the stalks about, a foot from the ground. It is to be hoped that the present wet, cold weather will put a stop to their ravages. Nine months ago a swarm of them came over the country and deposited their eggs about an inch and a half below the surface in all spots of hard red soil, especially on beateu tracks or roads. This operation was performed by the insect boring into the ground with its extremity or tail, or whatever you like to term it, and depositing a large number of eggs in each hole. Wheu suddenly disturbed, they made n jump occasionally, and left a third part of their body behind in the ground. It was well known at that time that this scourge was only a few months ahead, and stock was told off to lighten the runs ou account of it. The progenitors of the present trihe ' were on tbe Edward River, New South Wales, a few years ago and have steadily made their way in this direction, at the rate of about 25 miles a year, by the way of Avoca aud Richardson."

The Stuff of which a Premier should be Made— The following piece of satire is from the Australasian) — We regret to observe that (he Chief Secretary continues to suffer from illness and debility. Mr. Duffy seems to be disqualified, both by temperament and physique, for a very active participation in the rough-and-tumble fights of political life iu this colony. To be a successful and commanding combatant, a man ought to have a forehead of brass, lungs of leather, nerves of steel, a coustitution of iron, and the hide of a rhinoceros. He should have uo feelings of his own, and should be perfectly regardless of other people's. He should have no scruples of conscience and no sensibility to shame. He should regard the public reveuuesof the colony as a fund to be manipulated — with a due regard to legal forms — for the sole object of propitiating supporters, buying over opponents, aud maintaining himself and his party in power. He should be" : ready to make use of any instrument, however "despicable, that may suit his purpose for the hour, aud to break it up aud trample on the fragments the moment it ceases to be serviceable. He should know how to fawn and " boo " like Sir Pertinax Macsycophant, and to be hard, vindictive, and remorseless like Sir Giles Overreach. He should be a self-made man, and he should " worship his maker." He should j be able to watch tbe signs of the times, For remainder of news see fow th page.

to trim his sails according to the direction of the aura popularis, and to put himself at the head of any party which happened to be in the ascendant. He should have no friendships, no sympathies, and no elevated aspirations. He should possess neither depth of view nor depth of insight. He should regard human beings as machines, and entertain a stern contempt for the higher faculties of our nature. He should consider himself the centre of the social and political system of the country in which he has attained to power and eminence, aod should act accordingly. Measured by these standards, Mr. Duffy must be pronounced to be a failure.