A ROMANCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 176, 27 July 1874, Page 2

A ROMANCE.

The family and friends of one Pietro Venetoaai, an Italian nobleman, bave for two or three years vainly endeavored to ascertain his whereabouts. The Italian Vice Consul has been assidous in his exertions in this behalf, and has lately succeeded in tracing Venetoasi to Florida, vshero for Boniß time he is reported to have lived in obscurity, often pursuing the occupation of a ragpicker, and at other times gathering moss in the woods and disposiug of it to dealers* In this ignoble manner the main figure in quite a romance is supposed to bave concealed his existence aad managed to eke out a subsistence. It seems that Veuetossi belongs to an ancient family at Parma, and possesses large wealth in undivided estate?, which yield a revenue of 70,000 dols. to 80,000 dols. His own share of this handsome income, amounting to more than a third, has been accumulating since 1869, from which time Pietro Venetossi has been lost to his family. In 1867 this gentleman fell into a love scrape with a beautiful young girl in Milau, by the name of Ferrara, an old, rich, and historical family of Italy, The girl was scarce sixteen years of age, and the father, who still, occupies a high position in the social and religious Government of Milan, strongly resisted the approaches of Venetossi for the hand of his daughter. Both the political and personal habits of Pietro were objectiooable to the dignified Signor of the Farrara, and he insisted that Venefosai should abandon bis hopeless suit, which if for no other reason compromised his political relations. An I abduction of the young lady followed. | Pietro conveyed his beautiful victim to Paris, when the enraged father soon put the Italian police on his track. The pair then sought refuge in Briilany, but ' they were forced to fly to Lavoue, a small seaport town on the Gulf of Genoa ; even there, however, they were detected by means of a priest. Pietro next fled to Monte Chris to, a small island near Sicily, where he spest the winter of 1868-9, But, as the old adage both it, " the course of true love never did ran smooth," and before many months the father found out the last lurking place of Venetossi, who with his young charge again sought safety in Paris by taking a coaster by way of Syain and Gibraltar. The two bad been married in Paris on the first flight from Milan. Finally as Venetossi was one day taking his dinner with hia young bride and some confidential friends, his apartments were entered by two strange women, who after being announced undisguised themselves and, revealed an Italian secretary to the Milan police and a French gendarme Venetossi was arrested and in the heat of sudden anger drew a weapon and mortally wounded one of the police and ousted the other from his house. The denouement of the whole matter was that Venetossi's wife and friends urged him to escape to London, and Madame Ferrara Venetossi in her sadly beautiful girlhood, was ultimately conveyed back to . her sorrowful home. Venetossi came to the United States hoping to devise some scheme whereby his inamorata could join him in this country. la the Buminer of 1869 the young "girl died, since which nothing has been known of Pietro Venetossi. This is the substance of the story as made known to the Avoeat des Temps; '■ a French journal, and endorsed by the Italian authorities, Pietro is supposed to be in Florida New York Herald.

On a recent Sunday evening, says the local paper, a goodly number, of boarders of a certaia well known

hostelry in Oamaru were sitting round the fi.e with a few friends engaged in suitable conversation, when one prc- | posed that, as the weather was bitterly cold, a little whisky hot would be agreeable. Ail present joyfully aesected. The beli wag rung repeatedly, but not answered. Alas! it was Sunday. One venerable party then proposed sacred music, and at once started a good old long-metre tune, in which all heartily joined to the end— about fourteen verses. Another good old tune was commenced, and as the grand harmony swelled and pealed thiough the building (a wooden one), Boniface appeared, and, although he for some time struck by the Licensing Ordinance, j at iaat consented to supply the liquor,, at the same time adding, "Ghurch bells couldn't make me open the bar, but the second old tune did it." The extraordinarily wet weather Wellington is now experiencing, says the Times, has had other effects, it would. appear, besides incommoding the citizens, and rendering the highways and hy-ways of the city hardly passable. Housewives, on economy intent, complain that within the last two or three days choice beef has advanced twopence, end mutton one penny per Ib. Butter has al3o advanced threepence: per lb. within the last few davs. As for eggs, the bens seem to have held another convention, and resolved not to lay at all until the weather menda and they can do it under more comfortable circumstances than at present. The hull of the wrecked ship Surat still holds well together. The divers have not yet been able to do much woik Jately on account of the frost, and a large quantity of railway iron still remains on board. It is supposed that when the cargo is all removed it will be possible to get the ship afloat once more.