The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 246, 16 October 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1874.

Congregational Church. — Our readers will see by advertisement that Congregatiooalists of Nelson desiroua of forming a church are invited to communicate with Mr. B. Short, Co lege Hill. Steamer Otago. — For some reason other we have been kept in ignorance of the arrival of the Otago at the Bluff, which took place on Monday last. -The | first intimation we have received of it was conveyed by the Grey River Argus of Weduesday. from which we take the English and Australian telegrams. The Wellington, which should have arrived here from the North on Wednesday night has not yet put in an appearance, nor has anything been heard of her, owing to the line being down between Auckland and Wellington. The i probability is that she is bar bound at , the Manukau. [Since the above was in type communication with Auckland has been restored, and it is telegraphed that the Wellington left yesterday morning, and consequently she may be expected to-night.] Good Templars.— A public meeting was held in the schoolroom, Waimea West, last evening, the room being well filled. At its close a lodge was instituted, twelve persons joining the new lodge. The following officers were duly elected and installed : — W.C.T., L. Dron ; W.V.T., T. Eden; W.S„ A. Arnold; W.F.S., J. Hunter; W.T., F. R. Millard; W.C., — Eden; W.M., J.Bell; W.1.G., P. Hunter; W.R.H.S., Sister Eden; W.L.H.s., Sister Davis; Mr Harper, the Wesleyan Winister at Blenheim, is endeavouring to raise funds for the erection of a Church neir the far-famed Massacre Hill iv Marlborough. There is a scattered popula- * lion in the district who are ready to do their share towards it, but they require outside assistance as well. "It is possibly" says Mr Harper, " that some for whom Massacre. Hill has a mournful interest, may be glad of the opportunity \f assisting in this good work." Ihe Brunner Railwat, — The mistakes that, from the first, were stated by many to have been made in laying out tho Brunner Railway are now: becoming more apparent. The Orey River Argus siys :— " When the Brunner Railway will be completed, is one of those questions which noons -ncan answer. It was designed and laid out beautifully upon paper, but siucethe work was commenced it has been proved in the most unmistakable manner tbut the engineer or et.gineers had paid' little or no attention to the peculiar *-character of the ground in rainy places, or to the advice given by those who foresaw what, hns since happened, although they had no professional position. The heavy land slips that have occurred since the contractor commenced work, und especially those that have recently taken place, have necessitated and will necessitate th 4 expenditure of a very large sum df money might have been saved had even, ordinary intelligence been brought ito bear upon the engineering of Jthe line; and the result will be that the line will cost about double the estimate, and that its period of completion will be extended for an indefinite period." Mr Ernest C. Kelling had a narrow escape from drowning whilst proceeding from Westport to Reefton. His horse shied and threw him into the river, from which, however, Mr Rolling fortunately succeeded in extricating himself. The Anglican Synol of the Diocese of Dunedio has negatived the following resolution, moved by the Rev. Mr Stanford: — " That the principle of total abstinence from alcoholic liquors is not the 'vest means of checking the crying evil of intemperance, inasmuch as it is not a method suited to the needs of the

majority, and is in its nature iuupplicable to a great variety of characters and constitutions, although wholesome discipline for habitual drunkard*," and has adopted the following amendment, moved by ihe Hon Major Richardson, "That the ptinciple of total abstinence from alcoholic liquors is among the best means of checking (he crying evil of intemperance, inasmuch as it is a method suiftd to. the needs of those who are not strong enough to resist temptation from excess." . The Synod also resolved, " That it is desirable in the interests of intemperance that an Inebriate Asylum should be founded iv this province for * dipsomaoiacs,' inasmuch as it is now an ascertained fact that the inordinate desire for alcohol is a bodily as well as a mental disease, aud requires constant medical attention as well as the personal restraint of the sufferer." Madame Arabella Goddard was to leave Melbourne on the 6th instant for Dunedin. On Monday, the sth instant, at the Auckland Police Court, no less than twelve persons pleaded guilty to the charge of drunkenness, and were punished by fine or imprisonment. The Southern Cross thus notices the loss of a vessel once well known in ihese^ waters, the c.c. Ruahine : — The Royal Mail Company's steamer /LifFey, Captain Donu<*, from Southampton to Buenos Ayref, was totally wrecked at St Ignaeis, Uruguay, iv August last. Passengers, crew, mails, and specie caved. This steamship was well known in New Zealand as the Panama Company's steamer Ruahine, and was purchased and newly named by the Royal Mail Company wheu the Panama and New Zealand Company dissolved. A storekeeper of St. Bathan's— Mr William Pyle — says a local journal, has lately been over-bidding the banks for gold. He has betn puyiug £3 100 6d to £3 16s per ounce, or a shilling higher than the price paid by the banks. The consequence was that the greater purt of the gold of the district passed into his hands. He has now gone to Melbourne with his gold to see how much it will produce at the branch of the Royal Mint there. Mr J. Adam, Emigration Agent in England for Otago, told the youug ladies a cheering story, when lecturing recently in the Town Hall at Dornoch, in Scotland. He said that " marriageable girls, and even old maids, had evidently a good prospect in New Zealand. During the last ten years 20,000 girls had been married, and at that moment the Colony required the introduction of 50,000 girls to make the female equal to the male population." The expenses incurred in the trial of the Claimant, alias Orton, alias Castro, alias Tichborne, were not greater than might have been anticipated. A return to the House of Commons, obtained by Mr W. H. Smith, has been printed : — The probable cost is staled at £55,315 17s Id, of which £49,815 17s Id had been paid up to the 11th ultimo, and on the 11th of May instant £5500 remained unpaid. In 1872-3, £1146 16s 6d, and in 1873-4 counsel'a fees were £22,495 18s 4d. The jury were paid £3780, and the shorthand writers £3493 3s. The other expenses were witnesses, agents, &c, and, law stationers and printing. Of lhar sum to be paid £4000 is for tho Australian and Chili witnesses. / Mr Robert Glen, of the Junction Hotel, Upper Taieri, says the Bruce Herald, \\&a in his possession a draught horse, aged tweutj-five or twenty-six years, which we observed in the hirrows the other day, still able to do his share at the plough also, although Mr Glen 1b about to pension him off, for the remainder of his life. The hoist) in 1851 commenced wotk in carting to the Victorian diggings, and had v similar honor at the first of the , Otago rush in 1861. / The Christchurch City Council, with/ only one diasenMent, has resolved to discontinue at the end of the present year the allowance of £300 a year madu to the Mayor for official expenses. Very grave doubts are entertained as to whether Mr Yogel will return to New Zealand, aud more than one influenzal journal has considered the, chances are against the Premier coming' back to this colony. Without doubt, the overtures repor/ed to have been made to Mr Stafford to take over the administration of the Government during the absence of Mr Yogel gave rise, in the first instance, to the. belief that the Premier would prefer remaining in England, and since his departure it has been stated (hat he has disposed of much of his proper. y. If (his last report he true, the belief in Mr Vogel's, intention to leave the colony will be strengthened. — Napier Telegraph. Of the Ashantee gold country. Sir John Glover, in an address before the Royal Geographical Society, sard ; — i. " The men had great difficulty as they proceeded on their march to prevent themselves frpm falling down the gold. pits, which thickly studded each side/ of the narrow pathway along which they were k advancing. The natives sunk the pits to a certain extent and then abandoned them; they had no idea of working in subterranean galleries. At Akrdpong the mountainous country commenced. The mountains are entirely composed of quartz and granite, and the streams along the line of route were everywhere dammed up for the purpose of washing gold. He was certain if the country were' explored by geologists, it would be found to beY extremely rich im gold, but where the ' richest . auriferous regions were, had yet to be discovered." '