Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 96, 22 April 1872, Page 4

The Melanesian Mission. — A meeting was held last evening, says the Auckland Herald of 10th inst., for the purpM'of 'bidding 'farewell to the Rev. R. H. Codrington, who is about to return "to hi' laborsiu the Metarie'sian Mission tomorrow, in the schooner Southern Cross. The Right Rev. Bishop Cow ie presided. The proceedings were commenced with singing and prayer, after which the Bishop briefly opened the meeting, and introduced the Rev. Mr. Codrington, in a few appropriate retnairks with regard to the usefulness of his past career, and the part which he was likely to take in the future in the mission work. — Mr. Codrington then came forward and delivered an excellent lecture on the labor traffic, particularly as exemplified in Queensland, where that gentleman has lately been inquiring into this . question, with much ■ earnestness. He pointed at the labor trade as an evil that was being more rapidly developed than ever. It led to an immense amount of suffering. Blacks were often decoyed from Banks' and the neighboring Islands under false pretences, Sandwich and other islanders being used to decoy them. They left their homes and families under the impression that they would be absent for two or three months, when, in reality they were away for two or three years. Great hardship, of . course, resulted to their wives and families, who, being deprived of their mainstay, often fell into disease and died, so that the population of the Islands, instead of increasing, was rapidly diminishing. From his experience among the planters in Queensland, he believed the natives were very well treated, but their contact with the whites neither Christianised nor civilised thera, and when they returned to their homes after serving their employers for two or three years, as the case might be, they were worse than ever. The lecturer spoke of the late Bishop Patteson, and paid a just tribute of praise and respect to the memory of that good man. The address was listened to very attentively throughout. After a few words from the Bishop, who stated there would be a parting service at the church at 11 o'clock this morning, when the communion would be administered, the proceedings terminated with the singing of the doxology. Parallel to the Tichborne Case. — " Even the Tichborne romance can find its parallels in history. In the year 1539 Martine Guerre, a native of Biscay, married a girl named Bertrande de Rols. Martin afterwards left the country for a space of eight years, when a person whom all recognished and welcomed as Martin Guerre returned, and settled once more in the village. Bertrande was overjoyed at her husband's return, a small family was born, and for three years all went well. A soldier, however, passing through the place, astounded the good Bertrande by informing her that the real Martin was living in Flanders. He had been a soldier, and lost a leg. Bertrande's relations espoused the idea that Martin was an impostor, but the woman, like the old Carbineer witnesses in the Tichborne case, declared that he was either Martin or the Devil. At last, however, the matter became a great law case. 150 witnesses were examined with similar results as in our own days at Westminster. Many swore that the prisoner was Martin Guerre, and others that, he was one Arnauld de Tith, a young man of bad character. Well, the man was found guilty of deception and condemned to death. An appeal was instituted. More witnesses proved that strangely enough there was scarcely any resemblance between Arnauld and Martin. One witness, an inn-keeper, swore that Arnauld had been his guest, and when intoxicated had told him how he and Martin had roved about together, and how he had thus become acquainted with every incident of Martin's life. The Parliament, however, which heard the appeal,' leaned much on the fact of the prisoner having been acknowledged by all his relations and friends for the space of three years. They were about to decide in his favor when, there appeared in court a man calling himself Martin Guerre. He had a wooden leg, and answered the description given by the soldier to Bertrande. Martin's sisters rushed forward and embraced him. The scales fell from Betrande's eyes, and she siank on heir knees imploring forgiveness for her- unwitting, fault. The two men were confronted, and even then the impostor was able to answ.r questions about Martin's life more glibly and readily thanthe real Simon pure. '„ But he was condemned to be hanged and burned,, and before his execution heconfessed his crime. Having served with Martin for many years, he had discovered all his secrets, • atid had successfully carried out the plot of perßpnt'tmg him. 7 'A'Norwicli Enoch 1 Arderi went back on the regular, prpgramn^e, and calmly but firmly insisted 0$ clothing bu. wife's' eyes in purplWand'flnelineri. „.,

Josh Billings says : It is a statistical fact that the wicked ; work, harder tew reach hell than the righteous do tew get to heaven. A Californian Jury, in a suicide case lately, found the following verdict :— " We, the jury, find that the deceased'was a fool." Pekin possesses a newspaper said to be a thousand years old. It is printed on silk. There are but seven toll-gates left in Canada, the others having been abolished by the people. Sam was 4 feet high when he was 12 years old. He is now 5 feet 10 inches high, how old is'he ? For dinner Jack ate a whole baked goose, one mince pie. and two loaves of bread — please state in figures how hungry he was. A Traveller saw an old gray-headed flea crawling over the page on which he had just registered his name. He went away alarmed, as it was, he said, the first place he was ever in where fleas looked over the hotel register to find out where your room was. A Farmer wrote as follows to a distinguished scientific agriculturalist to whom he felt under obligations for introducing a variety of swine. " Respected Sir. I went yestarday to the cattle show. I found several pigs of your species. There was a great variety of hogs, and I was astonished at not seeing you there."