The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 196, 17 August 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1872.

! Nelson and Fox-hill Railway. — A. public meetiug of the reeidenis in ihe Wairaea is to be held in the Schoolroom, Lower Waktfield, on Monday evening next, for the purpose of passing resolutions with respect to the delay that Las taken place in the commencement of this line of railway. Sudden Death. — The news of an awfully sudden deal ii reaches us from SpriDg Grove, where Mr. T. R. Billiard, a storekeeper, who was well known in the district, dropped down dead last evening. Apparently, he was iu good health, aud made a hearty tea at the usual hour, but, a short time alter wards ho frit sick, and on going lo his bedroom exclaimed to his wife " I'm going to faiut," and almost instantaneously fell dead on the floor. He leaves a widow and several children. Ngakawhao Coalmine. — In reply to an enquiry received froin Wellington, the Provisiouul Committee appointed hi Westport for the promotion of thn Ngakawbao coalmining aud steam service scheme, forwarded the following telegram : — " Coalmine now Iv-ing worked, and capable of supplying 100 tons a day immediately, at cost to buyers of 5$ per ton. Only assistance required is to improve navigation of river. As to cost of same consult Dr Hector. Company in course of formation to procure steamer to work in conuectiou with mine, as coal in high favor. The success of enterprise depends ou improvement of river, which it is understood can be opened to vessels of ten feet draught at a comparatively small outlay." The Otago Acclimatisation Society has succeeded ia obtaining upwards of 3000 ova from the female trout which was caught by Mr W. A. Young, a few weeks ago, in the Shag River. Tee Whanganui Herald say?, "that the Otago members of Assembly are a greedy, unprincipled crew of log rollers, who care not what becomes of the rest of the colony if Otago's interests are served." The Commission op the Peace. — The Auckland Star has the following :— On what principles Justices of the Peace are selected is one of those things which "no fellah can understand." Mr. M'Caskill, the other day, shofc a Maori. For this he had a very narrow escape from the law. We were glad that he escaped; so were most people. But there will be few to say that for it ho df-served to be made a Justice of the Peace. Yet Mr M'Caskill has just been gazetted a magistrate. He has also within the past few days become insolvent. Whether *it is on account of becorain"; Insolvent or shooting the blackfellow, or for both together, that he has received her Majesty's commission we cannot tell, but the incident affords en admirable commentary on ourcons-'i'utional rule of conferring a seat on the Bench as a reward for electioneering services, The Olago Daily Times in a recent article on the industrial statistics of the colonies eays : — "lf New Zealand 19 not so far before Victoria as a gold-producing colony as she is in the production of wool,* she nevertheless has the lead. In proportion to her population, this colony stands before all others in Ihe return she obtains from her goldfields. From Victoria were exported in 1870 about loz I7<iwta of gold per head of population, whilst from New Zealand in the same year, 2oz. 3dwts per head were exported. Or, to make the comparison in the same terms as those we have already indulged in, fhe export of gold from Victoria was 1,222, 98 ounces, whilst to dave been in proportion to that of New Zealand it ought to have been 1,539,286 ounces.. The value of gold shipped from the two colonies is more nearly in proportion, because u.&rrear. deal of t!ie gold obtained in the North Island is of a low standard, being alloyed with silver.. In looking at theße figures, let it be remembered that it is to the year 1870 that they refer, during only one hnlf of which was the yield of the Thames Goldfields at all large. We have finished our comparisons, and have no further comment to make. These figures speak for themselves. If they were better known in Great Britain than they are, or than any one is trying to make them, it would be all the better for the colony. >!:»;; An Old 6fpjbndbb;— George Henry Chamberlain, whose name is a familiar one on the West Coast* iti connection with the exploits of the Burgess, Kelly, Levy and "• cently .,.' ; brbught^-Weloret; 5 h the" ;:^- JResiden t '■^agiajtrate V',:at^, Hokitika,, ; charge^ ; ' ;^tb^' ■'Co.wiwhaw^ /frriej^^ : j ■iariicl^^fj^ .'afeo'ya'jlj^ ■;, : fir,st ; ;;^itne£s^fors ,■•• ' ; sHe : . ; l'Btate^nat'^njß^nMf^^ri^;hyw'gfe4W|th-V

Chamberlain forborne- time, cooking and mindin^'his sho^ianH he described how.; Chamberlain used '-'.to/igo through a hol« 4n;,< ibe :flo6rj|bf his premises, creep under" several houses, asceud through a hole in Cowliehaw and PJaisled's floor, and return with articles which he had appropriated, replacing the loose boards 'in each case. Chamberlain, be said, then took the goods to a shop he had in Tancred-street, and disguised them by painting them. Deteclive Brown described the track which lie discovered between the premises, and articles which he found in those of Chamberlain — a daik lantern, a noddy, and an old pair of trowsers very dirty at the knees. — Prisoner was remanded, but, admitted to bail. .' The Lyltelton Times says "We are giveu to unaerstaud that the artizaua lately employed in the erection of the Ranjiiiata bridge have formed themselves into a company for the purpose of extracting gold from the Molyneux river, Clyde, 0i«£O, ou the pneumatic principle. The company comprises one ; carpenter, one '>inrksnii<h, two boiler' makers, and a ruecbauicHl engineer. They purpose Uking •all necessary material and machinery to Clyde, and there to build a suitable '?raft to curry i.ljh machinery nnd cylinders. They calculate upon being «ble to extract the wash-dirt no matter how flooded (he river may be, and as they will be able to 'shift these cylinders as the ground is worked out, t.be loss on material will be small when compared with the machines now in use on the Clyde, which yield' their otvners a handsome annual profit, although some seasons (in consequence of floods) average only two months work in the year. Mr M; M'Lennan, the engineer of the company, is at present negociating for tho engine and machinery requisite for the work, and has proceeded to Dunedin to secure a goldmining river claim on the Clyde." All save one .of Queen Victoria's ladies iu waiting are widows, her choice since Prince Albert died. They receive £800 per annum, and are widows of deceased peers. The wife of Senator Sprague, of Rhode Island, U. S., paid 18,000 dollars in gold for six and a-half yards of point lace which the Queen of England and the Empress of France had both, admired, but refused to buy as too expensive for them, ,