The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 33, 7 February 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1872.

His Honor the Superintendent was a passenger by the Kennedy last night for the West Coast, where he purposes spending three or four weeks.

Harmonic Society's Conckrt. — The quarterly concert of this Society is advertised to take place to-morrow evening, and will consist of miscellaneous selections. Tickets may be obtained from the Secretary to-morrow afternoon, at the Society's room.

Church or England Sunday Schools. — Much disappointment was caused to the children attending these schools hy the rain that fell this afternoon, and which put a stop to their annual picnic. The arrangements that have been rendered necessary by the unfavorable state of the weather will be found in our advertising columns.

Excelsior Minstrells. — A good many attended the Oddfellows' Hall last night, when this troupe of minstrels gave their second performance. The singing and acting were quite as good as on the previous occasion, and the dancing of Messrs. Collins and Carroll, which is evidently the most popular feature of the entertainment, was received with loud applause. An entirely new programme is advertised for this evening, comprising, among other novelties, " Shimmerhorn's Boy."

Excursion Trip. — A remarkably cheap trip is advertised by the N. Z. Company, who will convey passengers by the steamer Phoebe, which leaves here on Tuesday, to Canterbuiy and back for fifty shillings, or to Dunedin and back for £3, The great intercolonial rowing match to take place at Christchurch, combined with the smallness of the fare, will probably tempt many persons to make the trip. Messrs. M'Meckan & Blackwood's boat, the Coorong, was also to have been laid on for an excursion trip, but the idea has been abandoned, and she will run at the ordinary fares.

The Ballarat left Napier for Xiondon on the 24th insf., with a cargo, including 2,997 bales of wool, valued at £77,000,

The Members of the Charleston Fire Brigade have lately substituted for the firebell a Bixty-gallon pot, but according to the descriptions in the ioual paper, the experiment has been an amusing failure.

Trotting Match. — We learn from the Clyde papers, a horse named Tommy, owned by Mr. John Mellor, was trotted over a distauce of eight measured miles — from Blacks to Drybread — in 26 minutes 40 seconds, or at the rate of a mile in 3 minutes 21 seconds.

The Melbourne Leader, of the 13th inst., apologises for a delay in its publicacaused by want of water for the boilers, and consequent stoppage of the machinery, caused by the failure of the supply from the Van Yean waterworks.

A Lady in Raglan-street, Ballarat, upon killing a fowl for the Christmas dinner, was astonished to find its gizzard full of small topazes, the stones being some white and some green. Our Acclimatization Society should import a few fowls of this breed.

As a proof of the variation of climates to which we are subject in New Zealand, we may state that on Tuesday week the thermometer at Kaikoura stood at 123 at 8 a.m.; while at 5 p.m. it stood atj6s only. At 5 a.m. on another morning in the same week, the thermometer stood at 49 only. — Express.

The Government have succeeded in effecting an amalgamation of offices and a reduction of expenditure in Westland. Mr. Harvey, Crown Prosecutor and County Solicitor of Westland, has been appointed District Judge of the Westland judicial district, and also Examiner of Titles under the Land Transfer Act. We believe that, for the offices of Judge and Examiner combined, Mr. Harvey's salary does not exceed £600 per annum. — Independent.

A curious accident and one that might have been attended with fatal consequences occured lately at Warepa, Otago, A little girl, ten years of age, playing on a stack of straw with some others of her own age, in stopping down, ran a crochet needle which she was carrying loosely in her pocket, into her stomach. Dr. Smith, wbo was in prompt attendance, put the sufferer under the influence of chloroform, and extracted the needle. The child is progressing favorably.

We (Express J "noticed a beautiful aerolite which fell in the centre of the Wairaii Plain onThursday evening. When it first showed, it had the appearance of a thin streak of light descending rapidly, and when neariug the earth it burst into a

broad flare, of a rhomboid shape and bluish white color, lasting about three seconds." This same meteor was stated by a resident at Stoke to have been seen to fall on the racecourse ; and by one eyewitness in Nelson, just over Collingwoodstreet; and by another, in the harbor.

In reply to a New Zealand correspondent, the sporting editor of the Australasian says : — "Eight miles have never been fairly walked in one hour. Westhall did seven mile 3 and a half in 58min. 2o3ec. Stockwell, of Camberwell, is now the best and fairest walker in England. Iv a match with Davidson, February 14tb, 1870, he walked one miie in 6m. 505., two miles in 14m. 145., three miles in 21m. 335., four miles in 29m. 135., five miles in 36m. 515., sis miles in 44m. 59i. These are the fastest times ever fairly walked.

On Tuesday evening last, a half-witted fellow, earned Thomas Gaffney, while in a state of semi-intoxication, attempted to swim across the Ahaura river, near the old township. He was carried c'own the stream for a considerable distance and finally caught on a snag in the middle of the river, upon which he managed to perch himself, after a hard struggle. Having divested himself of his clothes, he again essayed the task,

but only to find himself on another snag lower down the river. Having by this lime become sufficiently sensible to realise his dangerous situation, he cooeyed lustily for assistance, when the ferryman went and brought him ashore.

The Napier Telegraph reports that a prisoner of the name of Browne was detected on Friday last secreting some rags beneath one of the tanks of the gaol ; by the side of the tank some greased paper had been placed in one of the air-holes of the gaol. These air-holes are formed by cutting a square piece of the weatherboard out, the paper was consequently hidden between the weatherboard and the inside lining of the gaol. Information was given to the gaol authorities by another prisouer of the name of Symonds, that an attempt to bum the gaol was contemplated; Browne was therefore watched, and on going to remove the rags from the tank was seized.

The Picton Railway. —It is now understood that the main cause of delay in the progress of the works is the scarcity of laborers, owing to the harvest and olher operations. We had an opportunity yesterday of inspecting the barrow which has been made in Otago for the anticipated occasion. It is made of polished matai, with brass tire on the wheel, and a brass plate on the front, bearing the following inscription : — " Presented fo Sir George Fergusson Bowen, G.C.M.G., Governor of New Zealand, on the occasion of his turning the first sod of the Picton and Blenheim Railway, 1872." We have no doubt whatever as to the early commencement of the work. — Express,

Bush Fires at Wairarai>a. — The Mercury says : — We regret to have to record one of the most devastating fires that have taken place in the Wairarapa for many years. On Sunday last some feds set fire to a piece of felled bush situated in Hooker's line, about half-a-mile from Carterton, and it burnt slowly all that day and night, gradually creeping towards the main road. On Monday, the wind getting up brought the fire into the heart of lhe township, wo regret to say, to the utler ruin of many of the small farmers, who have after the toil of years, managed to create comfortable homesteads. (Here follows a list of fifteen houses, shops, or outbuildings that have been destroyed by tbe fire). In addition to the above there has been a large quantity of fencing destroyed, while the amount of grass over which the fire ran, will cause many of the settlers to be put to very serions inconvenience to provide food for the stock during the ensuing winter.

Otago. — A correspondent of the Grey River Argus writes : — " The drought still continues, though the heat has not been quite so great for two or three days back. The bush fires had gone down considerably, and the settlers in the neighborhood had begun to breathe freely, when a stiff, sou-westerly breeze set in, increasing ia strength to a gale. This had the effect of fanning the flames into strength once more, and great damage has been tbe result. In the neighborhood of Port Chalmers, some whole sections have been swept of everything that would burn, houses, barn?, fences, and crops, and the lives of the occupiers only saved with difficulty. On Pine Hill, the fire still burnß, slowly creeping up to the top of the hill, and down, the other side. Only heavy rain will put a stop to the progress of the fire.

Australasian Wesleyan Conference. — The following ministers were to represent New Zealand at the Australasian Wesleyan Conference, which was opened at Melbourne on the 18th ult. :— Revs. J.

Buller and C. W. Rigg, Northern District (Auckland) ; Revs T. Buddie and J. W. Watkin, Middle District (Wellington, Nelson, &c.,) •, and Revs A. Reid, VV. Morley, P. Barm, and Mr. Fitchett, Southern District (the Middle Island, Nelson excepted). The Cooferencp, it was expected, would be attended by 140 ministers, being representatives from all parts of Australasia. The chief business concerning New Zealand to be treated of in the Conference would be the consideration of an application to grant separation to the Church in New Zealand, and to allow it to have its own Conference and system of Church Government. We understand that lhe New Zealand representatives were hopeful of having this application granted either at this year's sitting of the Conference, or at that of next year. Tall Talk. — A Marlborough contemporary who had a quarrel with another journal in that province writes as follows : "Not the least unpleasant of a journalist's duties is that of denoucing the false facts and empty sophisms of a hireling contemporary. The operation is something akin to beating a door-mat, and it not unfrequently happens that, when some of the dust settles upon the operator, persons whose mental vision cannot penetrate below the surface, are easily led to believe that he is as foul as the mat he has beaten. But there is the glorious consolation of knowing tbat such dust will not stick ; and though disjointed quotations, distorted facts and paltry insinuations, are hurled at us by unprincipled opponents, tbat they will melt like snow flakes before the sunT of truth; and that the animus with which these things are done defeats its own ends, and, like vaulting ambition, "o'erleaps itself and falls on t'other side." ■•Animus" o'erleaping itself and falling on t'other side must form a strange sight. What's the charge for entrance at the place where such acrobatic feats are performed ? The Deniliquin Chronicle reports the death of Thomas Hams, a bushman, last week, on Willurah run : — " On Sunday week he left Conargo with a companion for that place. When within four and a-half miles of their destination, thought they had missed their road, became coufused, and then separating to search for water, one was ultimately found dead under a tree, and the other picked up on the fourth clay still wandering. The journals to hand report several other cases of a like nature as occurring in different parts of these colonies during the present excessively hot weather." The following paragraph is from the San Francisco Bulletin of December 8 : -"In 1841 the following advertisement appeared in the New Orleans Picayune : — ' Five Dollars Reward. — Ran away from the subscribers on the 23rd of November last, the negro boy Oscar Dunn, an apprentice to the plastering trade. He is of a griffe color, between 20 and 21 years of age, and about sft lOin or sft llin high. All persons are cautioned not to harbor said boy, under penalty of the law. Wilson and Paterson, corner St. John and Common streets.' That ' negro boy Oscar Dunn' was late Lieut.- Governor of Louisiana, and died a few days since." The Pall Mall Gazette considers that " French journalists are improving in their English. For awhile they were content to make occasional allusion to English topics of interest, modifying the spelling of our language more or less according to their notions of what was proper. But now they feel stronger, and we have the Figaro giving the Siecle a much-needed lesson in good English. ' The Times,' remarks the former of these two organs, 'recently published a letter from an English barrister, relating that a British steamer plying between Malta and Constantinople had shipped six handsome female slaves sent from Tripoli for a dandy of Stamboul, and paid 6,256 f apiece.' The barrister concluded by asking for an investigation ; * but here,' adds the Figaro, ' comes the comic part of the business. The letter was signed * A Barniter ' (un avocat), and the Siecle has bravely published it as coming from a gentleman named 'A. Barniter.' The

Figaro is quite right (o make sport of its contemporary for not knowing that ' barniter' is the English of avocat.'" The Wellington Independent relates the following instance of restitution of stolen property : — " The person whose cupidity betrayed him into the hardly pardonable offence of removing three of the Bibles kept in stock at the Resident Magistrate's Court for swearing purposes has profited by a perusal of their contents, and replaced them." For remainder of news see fourth page.