The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 284, 1 December 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1874.

Cricket.— The match between the Nelson and Motueka clubs, played yesterday at Motueka, a full report of which will appear in to-morrow's issue, was brought to a rather strange conclusion. The two last men on the Motuekft side were in, and the score had just been brought up to that made by the Nelson men, when a shout arose from the spectators in the neighborhood of the scoring lent that the game was won. Thereupon, Delaney, one of the men who was in, dropped hiß bat and ran off his ground, but to the rear of the wicket. When about a dozen or fifteen yards away, Gross stumped him, but the question arose whether, as he was behind the crease, he could be said to have been off hie ground. The umpires were unable to agree on thia point, and consequently Delaney was allowed, under protest, to return to the wicket, where the one run wanting was made off the first ball he received. We understand that it is intended to submit the case to the Australasian. City Rifles. — The members of tho Nelson City Rifle Dramatic Company intend giving an entertainment at the Old-Fellows' Hall on Friday evening next. No pains have been spared in making the necessary preparations, and ibe performance promises to be a great success. It will open with the fnrce "To Paris and hack for £5," aud will conclude with the burlesque " Robinson Crusoe," which will be put upon the ttage, we are told, "on a scale of magnificence hitherto unparalleled in Nelson." An Explanation. — Under this heading our contemporary this morning attempts to justify hiß insolent attack upon Mr Henry Adams, to wbom the Horticultural Society is mainly in* debted for the success of its late show, but seeing how weak is his case be endeavors to throw dust in the eyes of the public by a snappißh reference to the journal that took him to task for his impertinence. He opens fire thus : — '* It may not be generally known to our readers, but it is nevertheless a fact, that every evening a 'highly respectable,' though obscure, print is published in this City. As usual, this powerful organ (!) made its puny appearance on Saturday evening, und in a characteristic paragraph f*rored the mere handful of people who condescend to wade through it," &c. In order to give wider publicity to this ebullition of jealousy on the part of our esteemed cou temporary thin it could possibly obtain if confined to the columns of the Colonist, we will now republisb. it in a journal which is circulated to the extent of cousideiably over 7000 a wetk throughout the whole of New Zealand, bod has maoy subscribers both in England and Australia.' When the Colonist is in a position to say the same of itself, it may a fleet tv despise the " Evening Mail," but not until theo. Cancellation of Leases. —In > another co'uaan will be found an advertisement stating that clause 20 of the Agricultural Lease Regulations is to be strictly enforce'!, the Government, we are informed, haviug been compelled to adopt this course in consequence of the large areas of land which have been taken up, and are being held for purely speculative purposes, the condition with regard to improvements not beiog complied with. The following is the clause referred to: — "Every certificate »nd lease shall be subject to the condi none following, that is to say, that if the land be transferred without the ?aaction or authority of the Superintendent; or if planting, cultivation, or oilier permauent improvement be not coinaieuced within three months after the issue of such certificate or lease; or if one-eighth in acreage of the land be not planted, cultivated, or otherwise improved within twelve months from the date of any such cert.h'cate or lease; or if at any time during the currency of the lease, the land shall be neglected for a period of six months; or if the rent be not paid on the days appointed fur payment thereof, tbo certificate or lease may be cancelled, end the interest of il.'.' holder of the certificate, or the ltsai-e, as the case may be, absolutely forfeited; and in every cuae where such conditions shall not be ex pressed in any certificate or lease, the same shall be • implied therein respectively."

The shareholders in the Maoukau nlaitn, at the Thames, have just had four thousand sterling divided amongst them as dividend. A combination of twelve energetic buaineeß men of Charleston has been formed, with the object of getting the back country thoroughly prospected. At Adelaide, George Dawson, a well connected bushmao, made a bet that he would be dead in twenty-four hours, and he died within twelve hours from bronchitis Mr Tonks of Grey mouth announces a £1500 Derby Sweep on the Sydney Tattersall's Club Cup, to be run for at R*odwick, New South Walea, on New Year's Day. Governor Musgrave haa Bet an example in the direction of cheap funerals, at Adelaide. He took the dead body of his little child to the cemetery in his own carringe, and dispensed with the solemn mockery of hearses, mutes, &c. Four of the Armed Constabulary were nearly poisoned at the White Cliffs, Taranaki, the other day. They went to a surgery for a cooling draughr, and tartar emetic was given them in a mistake for cream of tartar. They afterwards recovered, although two of them were at one time nearly dead. The New I'ork Commercial intimates that many of the recent failures in that city are fictitious, and reported by business firms themselves with the design of buying up their own paper at a discount. Referring to Mr O'Conor's denial that there was any understanding that auy portion of the advance of £50,000 to the Province of Nelson was to be applied to the completion of the main road between Rpefton and Greymouth, the Jnangahua Herald remarks: — Now we take it that any representations made to (he Colonial Government, in order to obtain the loan, could scarcely have (ailed to have made prominent reference to tho Inan^ahua; and we feel assured that it must have been contemplated by the Public Works Minister that the money advanced would be expended in such a manner as would eecure to the people of the Province the greatest gooJ for the greatest number. It is admitted that the advance obtained will be insufficient to carry out the task of completing road communication from Nelson to Westport and Greymouth ; and we think therefore that we may fairly claim that the money should be expended in such a manner as to secure the greatest immediate benefit. In stating to the Colonial Government thut it was intended to (oonect Nelson with Greymouth, the Provincial Secretary, or Superintendent, or whoever it might bp, could mean nothing more cor lesa than tho construction of the twelve miles of road between the Little Grey and Squaretown, that being tho only work solely connected with the condition in respect to Greymoutb. This road could be constructed for £800, being lees than one-sixth of the loan and would confer more substantial benefit to a large number of people than the entire road between the Lyell and Nelson. We maintain that the interests of the Province are not being beat consulted in neglecting this important work, and it might be desirable to point this out to the Colonial Government, who we take it are at least as competent to exercise a supervision over the Provincial Government in respect to the disbursements of many thousands of pounds, as the latter is to control the two or three hundred pounds nominally placed at the disposal of the Board. If making representations to head-quarters would result in our obtaining early communication with the seaboard, the inhabitants who are greatly intereeted will greatly fail in their duty if they neglect any step that might lead (o its attainment." The manufacture of vaults and safes for the preservation of valuables, and also those whose profession it is to enter them for the purpose of plunder, continue to develope a vast amount of ingenuity. Almost as soon as we have the triumphant announcement of absolute security as the result of some combiuation or construction, we find that the device has been successfully evaded. All the arrangements of chilled iron and other modes of protection seem to be of no value against the efforts of experienced "cracksmen," aud attention now appears to be directed towards the addition of defensive weapons that shall maim or otherwise injure the intruder. One of the most recent devicea of this kind consists in what is called the Chemical Armour for Bank Vaults, which is so adjusted that should the interior of the safe be penetrated by violence, sundry glass vials filled with sulphuric acid are necessarily broken and their contents discharged into powdered carbonate of lime, resulting in the instantaneous production of carbonic acid gas enough to asphyxiate a regiment. What mode of defence will be adopted by the opposite side, should this device be carried out to any extent, remains to be seen. Another funeral reformer has turned up. Hutana Tara, of Waipiro Bay, East Coast, complains that several natives have died on the East Coast from the effects of drinking. He condemns the practice of supplying the compauy with spirits at funeral parties; very many, he says, only attend such parties to " wail for drink, not to wail for the dead." He himself is in the habit of attending these wailing death parties, but not for the purpose of obtaining drink; he is a teetotaller,"

and never touches wine excepting only at the Bacrameut of our Lord's supper He however, admits that he has a weakness for "steamed kumaras," which are generally plentiful at the death feast, 11 but then," he sayp, " they do not ccst money as spirits do." There were about 50 persons injured by the wild Texan steers yesterday, Bays an American contemporary, during the raid through the streets. The herd was being driven (0 Buffalo, and the drivers were careless, allowing the animals to Bcatter in the lower parts of the city. Many persons were badly hurt internally, and others were disfigured for life, while not a few will probably die. The shouts of men and boys maddened them, and caused them to rush in every direction, attacking everyone they could reach. Indescribable excitement in the street. Pistols, swords, and knive.% were brought out, but the holders of the weapons seemed paraljzed, they not knowing what to do first. The police appeared to be as demoralised as the citizens. The bulls dashed down streets, tossing, goring, aud trampling everyone in the way, and into store windows, anywhere to escape the excited crowds surrounding and following them. Pistols were fired carelessly, or so badly aimed that several persons were injured by shots. Several bulls at length escaped to the river, and jumped off the wharves and were drowned.

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