The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1873.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1873, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1873.

" X VOLUNTEER EbCEPTION COMMITTEi..— A meeting of the members of this committee will be held at the Masonic Hotel this evening when a full attendance is requested. ,t:TGON.CERT.----We remind our readers of thejcpmplimentary concert to be given at jbe^ftovincial Hall this evening; to Mrs / 7-^^aleot. The well-arranged ; ; programme and thebbject-oif <the: concert : Tfihould ensure a full attendanee of -he lovers T7o^mu^'in7Nete^ 3"'a?-'-X- X ■'■ : 'Xyy: l^jj&i^.^^ ' to the value of the Grey Valley coal and \

coke, the following from a letter written by a gentleman in Melbourne toa resident of Greymouth is worthy jOffqu^ation' :-^r "I was talking to one 'p'f fihe y|entlejmlen engaged at the ne'^. j^in^ ani^e told. i me "that the GreymputH^coai was fair superior to the English for its coke; the price paid : =feF#TO=tesß r of your coal was £3 10s, the Eoglish £4 10s. They, the authorities at the Victorian Mint, pronounce it superior, ~and are astonished that there is not more sent to this market that there is." . Ngakawhau Coal Mine.— The Westport Times warmly advocates the construction of a cheap line of railway from Ngakawhau to Westport. The coal has proved to be of excellent quality, and it is believed that it exists in very large quantities. Under such circumstances it would seem that a fine opportunity here offers itself for forming a company to work the mine, which might be done on a small scale, pending the completion of the required railway, which is one of those works that the Government may be fairly called upon to undertake. There is a probability of thei Brunner mine being in full working order in the course of the next two years, but this is no reason why mines should not be opened up iu various parts of v the country wherever it can be done at a reasonable cost, and with a fair prospect of their proving payable. Coal is an article of which we need not be at all afraid of possessing too iarge a quantity. The consumption within our own shores is very considerable, but iu addition to this, an enormous trade is open to us with India and the East whenever we are disposed to take advantage of it. On the question of connecting this particular mine with a seaport, the Times says : — "The Buller river is the port on the West Coast from which alone a large trade with coal carrying crafts can be carried on, at all seasons of the year, unless indeed it were possible by a large expenditure of money to create an artificial entrance to the Ngakawhau which would make that river constantly available. But the success of any such work would be extremely problematical, and at the best but tentative — a costly experiment in fact, which aDy government not endowed with a very plethora of wealth would be rash to attempt. The railway works to be effective need not be elaborate or expensive. There absolutely exist no engineering difficulties to be overcome between the Buller and Ngakawhau rivers. The line might be carried oh nearly a dead level the entire distance of twenty miles, and in its construction a lesson might be well taken from American engineers. It has been convincingly proved that in the States wooden railways, over which trains run at the rate of twenty-five "miles per hour, and as smoothly as on the best iron rails, answer for all purposes. 1 The great fact is that many such roads only cost 5000 dollars a mile, including right of way, clearing, grading, constructing, cars, engines, depots, engine and repairing shops, warehouses, and everything complete, excepting larger bridges." Is Ms Shephaed to become a Minister ? — The following paragraph possesses some significance from the fact of its appearing in the Southern Gross, which is generally understood to be Mr Vogel's paper : — " The Hon. John Hall, the Colonial Treasurer, has resigned his office, and is about to go to England. It is stated that Mr Waterhouse, the Premier, will take his portfolio. There is a rumor that Mr Joseph Shephard, the member for Waimea, in Nelson province, will be appointed a member of the Government. This rumor was current in the lobbies near the end of the session, as, being a South Island member, and a man of considerable ability, both in financial and general affairs, he was considered the most likely man from the South Island. He was opposed to the personnel of the Fox- Vogel Ministry, as it existed, and was particularly bitter because of the efforts that were made by Mr. Fox and some others to sever the goldfields from the Nelson province, and, on the first division, he voted against the Government; but on the prospect of a reconstruction of the Ministry with Mr. Vogel and Mr. M'Lean in it, under the Premiership of Mr. Waterhouse,' he voted against Mr. Stafford. This change brought some unpopularity, but he satisfied his own constituents. Possibly some who desire office (and nearly every third man, and many a third-rate man cherishes that noble ambition) may be dissatisfied with such an appointment. But it might fairly be asked, Where" are the fit men to be found ?" There seems to be considerable uncertainty and hesitation with regard to this appointment, although at the same time there is clearly some foundation,' for the rumor that has got abroad. In the meantime Mr Shephard's position is anything tbut a pleasant one. "The Independent one of the: organs, Tdecidedly objects to his being Toffered- a portfolio, while another, the damns

According to the local papers, any one resident in Auokland who keeps a spring .part, .©yep, if^btily ?tp drive himself about 'ifi nj has to paint*i.is':' ; nanie on it and get a Jlicensb. r ' No license is required tp keep a carriage. The Inangahua Herald states that the quality of the gold produced from* the reefs in that district is very superior^ Late parcels have 1 - been disposed of at £3 18a per ounce, with tbe understanding that a further payment will be made of Is to 2s per ounce, after receiving the result of assay from Melbourne. An Accident happened to a Maori at Matapihi lately. It appears his curiosity was aroused, and with his right hand he tried to stop one of the wheels of Messrs Ellis Brothers' reaping machines when in full working order. He has only got two fingers on that hand now, and those are rather loose. Mr Hoskins, Miss Colville, and a small dramatic company are expected in Auckland, where, after so long an absence, they will be cordially welcomed. Mr Hoskins and his company, previous to playing in Auckland will fulfil a short engagement at Napier. The Presbyterian Church at the Karaka Bridge, Thames, has had a narrow escape of being destroyed by fire. A kerosine lamp fell from a bracket. The,, contents J ignited and spread along the matting. ! After some difficulty the flame was subdued, but not before doing some slight injury to the flooring. A Louisville man who had only been I acquainted with his girl two nights attempted to kiss her at the gate. In his dying deposition he told the doctors that just as he " kissed her the earth slid from under his feet and his soul went out of his mouth, while his head touched the stars." Later dispatches show that what ailed him was the old man's boot.