The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 143, 17 June 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1874.

Governor's Ball.-— lt will be eeen by advertisement thai the dancing tonight commences at 9 o'clock sharp. The Claud Hamilton arrived at Hokitika yesterday, and may be expected here to-night. Her telegrams will be found in another column. Resident Magistrate's Court. — At the Court yesterday, Henry Cape Williamson, who had been charged by Mrs Atkinson of the Custom Houbo Hotel with issuing a valueless cheque, and remanded for a week, was brought up again, and the case was dismissed. Yesterday's Levee.— The following are the names of the gentlemen who received invitations to the private entree yesterday. His Honor Mr Justice Richmond, the Right Rev. the Bishop of Nelson, His Honor the Superintendent, Messrs. Pitt, Shapter, and Rout, members of the Executive, the Hon. T. Renwick, M.L.C, His Worship the Mayor, Messrs Andrew, and A J. Kichmond, M.H.I, 's, Mr Broad, R M., and the Revs. T. Buddie, A. M. Garin, and P. Calder. NELBON ARTIZAKS' ASSOCIATION. — Long before tbe entertainment commenced last night the Odd-Fellows' Hall was crowded to excess, and many persons were unable to obtain admission. The whole performance went off remarkably well, the roelo-drama of Luke the Labourer being even better acted than on the previous occasion. A handsome sum was netted for the widow and family of the late Mr H, Goddard for whose benefit the entertainment was given, and the members of the Society are deserving of the greatest credit for their kind and charitable action io raising f un( j 8 for those who were suddenly aud unexpectedly deprived of the " bread-winner " of the family. The cloth factory of Messrs Webley Brothers was visited this morning by his Excellency the Governor, who was highly pleased with the neatness, order,, and general business like appearance of

tbe establishment, and greatly admired tbe machinery and the manner in which it performed its work. Few people outside the province know the extent of this factory or the amount of material that is turned out of it every year, aud we congratulate tbe proprietors on having received a visit from the Governor, who had no idee, until be saw it, that there was such an establishment io Nelson. Royal English Opera — This Company, who for some time past havo nightly been drawing crowded houses at Wellington, purpose visiting Nelson, aud commencing a season of six nights on the 29th inst. Wherever they bave been in New Zealand they have been spoken of in the most flattering manner by the press, and have performed on every occasion to larger audiences than have been attracted by uoy other company. Tbeir limited stay here, therefore, should be equally successful, for the Nelson community is essentially a music-loving one. The plan of the Hull will be on view at" Mr Stanton's tomorrow, after which date reserved seats may be secured. Drowning of Arthur Fiven.— We take the following from the Marlborough Express: — "It is our painful duty to announce the untimely death by drowning of Mr Arthur Fiven, mail contractor. He left Picton on Thursday morning, as usual, and with great difficulty reached this town, having been compelled to leave the coach nt tbe Halfway House, and ride the horses through the swamps. At about four o'clock on Thursday afternoon he set out on his return to Picton, riding oue horse, and leading two others, for the purpose of conveying the Nelson mail to Picton. It was no doubt his inter.tion to pick up the coach at the Halfway House, and take it on. Yesterday morning Mr P. Hoskins, while on his way with a trap from Picton to this town, found the body of Mr FiveD, lying beside the road on Mudford's Flat. His horse, also drowned, lay beside him. The body lay amongst the raupo, on the hill side of the ditcb, which was filled with water to a depth of five feet. The mail bag was found strapped on Mr Fiven's back. Mr Hoskins communicated with Mr C. Taylor, who, with \ Messrs K. Maclean, M'Millan, Goran, / Paul, acd A. J. Hoskins, removed the body to Topping's Railway Hotel, near Massacre Hill, and Mr Taylor at once rode through ond informed Inspector Emerson of the facts. Tbe deceased was universally respecteJ here and in Nelson, for his integrity, and his genial and kindly nature. He was a great favorite with travellers, to whom he was always courteous and. obliging. He was about thirty-four yeara of oge, and he leaves a widow and four young children to mourn his lose. The body was brought into town last evening, and a coroner's inquest will be held at Mr Busb's hotel at 11 a.m. to-day. Ab soon as the news of Mr Fiven's death was received, subscription lists wore promptly started, and upwards of £40 was collected in a few hours." The natives in the neighborhood of Waingongoro are going in for fourhorse coaches, three or four of which are now owned and driven by aboriginal Jehus, who exhibit considerable skill in the handling of their teams. A contemporary says — "In looking back over some old newspapers lately, we came across the following paragraph, quoted from the Otago Witness of tbe 21st Deoember, 1854:— 'We shall be unable to furnish our readers with a paper next week, as we have in hand some other printing that must be attended to.' " What. .would the publio say to such a notice at the present day ? Tbe following item appenrs in the Otago Daily Times of a late date, from the pen of its Auckland correspondent, whoever he may be : — "A Mrs Syme, widow of a baker, and who had been living quietly for years in a house in Parnell left by her husband, died lately, and astonished tbe world about her by her will. Her property in Parnell, with some few hundred pounds, was left fo certain of her friends children. Another will, signed with a different name, bequeathed something like £40,000 to her nephews and nieces in England, with the exception of £5,000 to a resident here. It is asserted tbat Mrs Syme, known only os a kind old lady, glad to do a charitable act to those about her, and the widow of a baker long in business in Auckland, was in reality a lady of title, and signed her second will with her true name, though what that name was I cannot exactly say. You have the story as current here. That there is in it a foundation of truth I have no doubt, but until tbe reply from England is received, it is impossible to say to what extent the will is justified by fact." v _3Egles " in the Australasian administers a cruel snub to those who are inordinately fond of displaying their uniforms on every possible occasion. He writes as follows :— " You seem fond of uniform in the colonies," said an urbane stranger with a bit of red ribbon in the button-hole of his black coat, in the crush at the Town-hall on the Queen's birthday. " Not much used to swords, I see," as some steel scabbards clanked awkwardly between the wearer's legs across the convincing ground of awkward obeisances. ■< And really I think tbe cynical stranger was right as to the weakness for masquerade. I saw one gentleman with a barrister's or university gown over a brilliant volunteer uniform and looked curiously for some further badge to indicate that be was a Crown proseoutor, or a Good Templar; or the son of a 'member of Parliament.

The fact that within a few weeks three splendid new iron clipper ships came iuto Melbourne disma3ted can hardly fail to raise the question as to the suitability of iron musts for sailing vessels Many explanations have been offered for this strange series of disaster., which, it is felt, require some special explanation other than that of the ordinary casualties and perils of the ocean. It is maintained on some sides that the present disposition is to build vessels of great carrying capacity, and with an undue extent of eparriog, with the view of carrying at any risks the greatest quantity of carao at the greatest possible speed. Very likely. This, indeed, seems the end and aim of a merchant ship, and the only question is, whether this very proper object is sought by equally proper means. By others, the accidents are attributed to the " scamping " work of the builders, who in these times of dear iron use inferior metal in the ships whenever they get a chance. This would be fraud of a highly criminal nature if it could be proved, but it is very questiontionable whether there is any greater average of dishonesty among shipbuilders now than at any former time. The real point appears to be the fitness of iron for the masts of sailing ships. One authority argues that iron masts rigidly fixed in the deck must, from the nature of the metal, inevitably tend to acquire, by tho vibration caused by the rolling of the ship, something like a crystalline texture at the part near the deck. The effect of this would be that the iron would lose the tough fibrous character of wrought-iron and assume the brittle nature of cost-iron. All these, however, are matters for tbe consideration of experts. But that such consideration is urgently demanded, the recent accidents appear to show in a very unmistakable manner. — Australasian. The Bombay Gazette says that the study of Shakespeare is becoming very common among native students in India. Eggs are scarce and consequently dear, as very few fowls at this season are laying. The following suggestion by an American gentleman may therefore be eagerly received by keepers of poultry. "It has long been known to milkmen tbat wheat middlings nud bran are about the best of any feed to make a cow give milk ; why Dot the beet, then to make the hens lay e^gs? I tried it, and since then have had no trouble. My mode of preparing the feed is to mix about five parts of bran with ono of middlings. In the morning I wet up with water about four quarts of the mixture in a large tin pan, taking pa'ms to have it rather dry, though all damp. This I set in a warm, sunny spot, south of their shed, and they walk back, take a few dips, don't seem to fancy it like corn, and start off on a short hunt for something better, but always Coming round in a short time for a few more dips from the dish of brae. There is little time during the whole day but what one or more are standing by the pan and helping themselves. I am careful to mix for them just as much as they will consume during the day. At night, just before they repair to roost, I usually throw them about a pint of shelled corn, well scattered so that each one can get a few kernels. If your hens don't incline to eat this feed at first, sprinkle a little Indian meal on it. I would like all who complain of not getting eggs to try my plan, and I think they will never be sorry." A women's whisky war has been commenced in Manchester. The fair ground at Einott Mill, which during the Easter week had been given up to the annual fair, was on Sunday the scene of a very different gathering. From a temporary platform, consisting of a lorry, about a dozen working men's wives addressed an attentive crowd on • tbe evils of intemperance. The chairwoman said she had been a teetotaller twenty-seven years, and had never regretted it. Some of the speakers were members of Good Templar lodges, and were styled "sisters," and all had in one way or other, been brought over to total abstinence through the terrible examples of drunken husbands or fathers. One woman introduced herself aa :< no far away bird, but the daughter of old Joe Blank, the drunkennest man in Deanegate ;" another speaker, also locally connected, said she " had been twenty-one years drink-cursed, having for a husband tbe greatest drunkard tbat ever walked the streets of Manchester." This woman's husband, who was at one time never without an excuse to thrash her, was now a reformed character. At the close of the speeches a number of persons took the temperance pledge. Recently, tbe Scotsman mentioned that a bible bound in calf, and bearing the name of " William Sim," a Dundee man, and tbe date 1830, bad been discovered in the stomach of a codfish. This fact alone was remarkable enough, but still more extraordinary is another circumstance connected with the affair, also reported by the Scotsman. On the very same day on which .the strange discovery was made known to the public through its columns, tbe heirs of the deceased Mr Sim succeeded in obtaining a warrant in the outer House of the Court of Session (from the Lord Ordinary Mure) to uplift several hundreds of pounds belonging to tbe said William Sim, who was described in the legal proceedings as a -sailor, a native of Dundee, who had gone to sea about 1834, and had not since been heard of. There can be little doubt that the Bible thus preserved in the codfish's stomach belonged to . the lost William Sim, of Dundee. J -