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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 307, 12 September 1874, Page 2

The Christchurch Public Library has 500 subscribers, and 800 volumes in circulation. The Port Chalmers people are not satisfied with the stand their representative, Mr Macandrew, took ik re the abolition resolutions. Tbe minority of the inhabitants are reported to be prepared to go farther than Mr Vogel's present bill, and advocate the doing away with tho Southern Provinces altogether. —Herald. During the last month, 18,696 persons travelled by the Otago railway line; and 7,763 tons of goocls were carried during tbat time. An enterprising firm at Oaraaru (Otago) who have a large and wellconducted meat preserving .works at that town, have turned their attention to the supply of plum pudding for the gold-fields. It appears tbat a very great deal of fine suet is obtained at these works, and it is thought that it can be turned to account in the manufacture of puddings, to be tinned and cooked, ouly requiring ten minutes boiling over the camp fire to give off the full aroma of the Christmas plum pudding. The experiment made has turned out a complete success. According to the Gincinatti Gazette, the use of opium as a stimulant is becoming pretty general throughout the United States. Women appear to be more addicted to it than men, and it prevails to a larger extent among the richer and better educated classes than among tbe poor. The Custom* house returns show that the quantity of opium imported into the country (reaching now nearly 250,0001bs annually) is ten times more than it was thirty years ago, and it is the opinion of physicians and druggists that not more tban one-third of the quantity is used for medical purposes. The Clyde correspondent of the Dunedin Guardian relates the following instance of the " peculiar " ways of tbe Heathen Chinee : —"An incident, so amusing as to be worth plucking from oblivion, came lately under my notice in my .amblings. A Chinaman employed a shoemaker to repair one of bis boots, and went the other evening to claim and pay for it. He tendered a note, and tbe shoemaker, in extracting his hand from his trousers pocket, in the search for change, accidentally drew forth a £1 note, which dropped on the floor, to all appearances unobserved by the shoemaker. ' John' thought this a chance too good to be lost, and quietly clapped his foot on the recumbent note, all the while slyly watched by the shcemaker. John's next move was to let fall the boot, which be had held in bis hand, on the floor, close to the cached note, when he at once stooped, aod with ooe adroit sweep of his hand recovered the boot and the note at the same instant, and then 'made tracks.' The bootmaker allowed him to get just beyond the threshold, when he called him back, and said to him calmly, 'John, I want that note,' to which John replied, with the utmost ooiveie and without betraying tbe least symptom of excitement while returning the money, 'You see me? — ail —a—right! So long,' and departed, feeling only, if he felt at all, that to his clumsiness must be attributed the failure of bis laudable effort to make an honest penny." Mr Coppin declares that he only finds two active principles at work in the Victorian Assembly—one is, " the desire to obtain office;" the other, "the determination to keep it." This arises, he thinks, from the fact that vanity and ambition lead all hon members to imagine that nature created them out of tbat particularly fine clay of which Cabinet Ministers are made. This is a great mietake, and one which leads to endless complications and vexations delays, as we have learnt to our sorrow.