The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 54, 2 March 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1872.

Stoke Farmers' Club. — The moothly meeting of members of this Club will be held, at the usual place and hour, on Monday next. The Late Fire. — An inquest was held at the Post Boy Hotel this morning on the late fire in Washington Valley, and, after some evidence had been taken, was adjourned until Wednesday next. A Smart Passage. —By far the quickest passage on record between Nelson and Wellington has just been made by the Rangitoto, which left here nt 11.30 a.m. yesterday, and arrived at Wellington, as reported by telegraph, at 8.15 p.m., thus making the run across in 8 hours 45 mins. Greymouth Races. — The sporting correspondent of the Melbourne Argus writes : — The Greymouth racing people seem to be possessed of any amount of spirit, if the programme of their annual meeting can be taken as a criterion. In a population of less than 3000 persons a sum of £689 has been raised by tbe Greymouth Jockey Club, for distribution on Monday and Tuesday, the 18th and 19th March, the principal events being the Greymouth Jockey Club Handicap of 2008ovs, a Town Plate of lOOsovs, a Goldfields' Handicap of lOOsovs, and a Hurdle Race of 75sovs. Not bad this for so small a town, and shows an innate love of the sport not often exhibited in smal communities. A Painstaking Representative. — In commenting on a speech recently delivered to his constituents by Mr. Reynolds, one of the members for Dunedin, the Grey River Argus says :• — " It is worth the reading, if tbe object only is to discover the results of the eccentricity for which the- hon. gentleman is notorious — tbe eccentricity of being ever present within the House or its precincts, from dawn to dusk, and from dusk again to dawn. In this particular, Mr. Reynolds is an eminent subject of wonder, if not exactly of envy, among his fellow-members. In or out of his proper seat, and in or out of place as his presence may be, he is there of a morning as promptly as the carpet-sweep-«r«. He is ever there, and all there, of a day.. — now on tbe floor of the House, now in the lobby, now in the library, and, if nowhere -else, in the smoking-room ; and great is his .consumption, in every perraiseible situation, of blue-books and cigarettes. What becomes of him of a night is probably less known by his landlady than by the nocturnal custodian of the Parliamentary properties. Blessed with a constitution which is superior to fatigue, he is among tbe blue-books while others are among the blankets, and he ia among

the blue-books agaiu when others seek solace in brandy and soda. If the bluebook is his bane, the inevitable cigarette is its antidote, and he survives the session with an amount of physical streugth and smoking-power which puts to shame tbe many younger and stouter members by whom he is surrounded. Thus constituted, and thus industrious, if he does not briug to the counsels of his colleagues much that is remarkable for its novelty or its origiuality, he must take away with him, in his inner consciousness, and for communication to his constituents, a great deal of information statistical and historical. Mr. Fox and Water. — Destiny follows in the tracks of some men, Mr. Fox for example. " He's very fond oi water ; He drinks it noon and nhrht, Not Reehab's son or daughter Hath therein more delight." If this was all, we could stand it ; but he has got a straDge and daugerous fashion of exorcising the water demoD. We have heard of people who are always associated with fires. One salamander in Wangauui has been burnt out no less than three liraep, each time uninsured. We find Mr. Fox bringing down on the Island of St. Thomas a flood of water which destroyed numbers of vessels and lives. He and his lady were thrown into the water out of a small boat, and nearly all who had been in the boat were drowned but themselves. Is it not straDge that the earthquake should have come at the very time when he was going ashore ? Now we have him visiting the West Coast, and lo and behold ! floods at Westport, such as was never known there before, came and swept away vast quantities of property. The evil genius is theie at the time, on his way to Greymouth, where nearly the whole of the town is carried out to sea. We can only come to the conclusion that Mr. Fox has roused tbe ire of Neptune, who raises a commotion when he sees a favorable opportunity of troubling the hon. gentleman. If Mr. Fox did not live at Marton, we might suppose that the Tutaenui there would never overflow its banks. — Wanganui Herald.