The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 287, 4 December 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1874.

Dbahaxio Ebtbbtaikmest.— Oar readers are reminded of the Cityßiilis'entertainmens to be fiven at the Oddfellows' Hall to-nightt fcm rdy new scenery has been prepared for the turleeque of ''Eobinwci Crusoe," wbich» it i 6 expected will prove to be one of the best pieces ever put on the Nelson stage. We understand that Mr Levestam bis been offered and has accepted the office 6V Inspector of Machinery for the Middle

District of New Zealand, which will necessitate his residing in Wellington. The district will include Nelson, Marlbor ough, Welling- '. ton, Taranaki, Hawke'g Bay, and Poverty Bay. There will be three other districts, for each of which an Inspector will be appointed, namely, Auckland, Canterbury, arid Otago^ ' At the forthcoming Caledonian Society's Gathering at Welington, a first prize of 20 guineas, and a second of £5 fis are offered for " Tilting at the ring," the entrance fee being £1 is. A prize is also offered fora race to be competed for by firemen in uniform. : It is reported that Sir James Fergusson has left £7000 to be invested on his behalf in the colony. A lad only ten years of age has been arrested at Oamaru on a charge of setting fire to a haystack. The foundation s'dne of the new Temperance Hall, Christchurch, will be laid, in the course of next week by the Hon. W. Pox. A publican in DuneJin has been fined for allowing billiards to be played in his house after the hour for closing, ten ,o'clpck at night. :' j * ' : 1 We learn that Lurline, Papapa, and Calumny have been placed in Mr W. C. Yuille's hands for private sale The postponed race between Harris and Delaney for £\0 a side came off on Saturday evening, when Harris -won eaßiiy, although giving Delancy four yards' start.— Post. From Southland comes a strong cry of a dearth of labor. The News states that men for the railway works are not ,to be got, nor single men for saw-mills, though wages are high; while applications for ploughmen ari<i general farm anl domestic servants are numerous. The boating procession on Saturday proved a quasi failure. Only seven or eight boats turned dot, and no interest appeared to be taken by the public. The few boats which did lake part spattered about in the water in appropriate st> le, and had a very pleasant pull, the weather being all" that could be desired. But as a spectacular effect, it : ia impossible to give rapturous praise. — fost. The London correspondent of the Post says:— The great excitement of the month has been the conversion to Kotne of the Marquis of Kipon, who has in consequence resigned the Grand Mastership of the Freemasons. The fact has been'much canvassed, . but it would not have ma ehalf the sensation :if it had not occurred in the dead season. It is not of much consequence what may be the religious opinions of one peer, more or has. As the Saturday Revief puts it, if the whole peerage went over to Home, they would simply extinguish themselves, and the Church would miss what it wants— power. The Marquis of Rlpon is nothing more than a straw on the surface, the conversion of a score of marquises would not influence the great bulk of the population. James Mulligana, says . the West Coast Times, was charged with having, on the 21st November, 1874, being then a person employing females within the meaning of "The Employment of Females Act, 1874"—employed a certain female at' dressmaking after the hour of two p m., and with cot suffering the said dressmakers to have a holiday on Saturday, the 21st November, from and after two p.m. The. defendant pleaded not guilty. Sergeant Blanc deposed that he was Inspector under " The. Employment of Females Act" He called at the defendant's business place on the evening of the 21st November, and saw a female in the defendant's employ supplying goods to customers. The defendant was present, but made no remark: The witness, who was engaged by Mr Mulligan as milliner and saleswoman, on the day in question was a milliner till two p.m., and acted as saleswoman from two p.m. till eleven p.m. Did not do any sewing after ■ two o'clock. This closed the case for the prosecution. The Magistrate. could not lose sight of the heading of the Act, which was "to provide for the Employment of Females in Workrooms and Factories." The present charge did not come within the scope u of the Act. In a new country like this it was best to Jet 'women take care of themselves, which he thought they were perfectly able to do. In employing females a man must be guided somewhat by the requirements of his trade. He must dismiss the information. The Auckland Star republishes from the Alia California the protest of the passengers by the Pacific Kailroad against the army of swindlers and robbers frequenting the railway who endeavor to get passengers by the train to engage in swindling games of cards, and if they refuse threaten them with pistols and bowie kniveq^ The railway officials giving no he,ed to the complaint, the Alta says.— lt is incredible that such outlawry could exist with impunity in this country ; and the publication of the real facts must deter all . but very courageous people from venturing overland. " When a man has been out in the world a long time," remarks the Tribune, " earning his meat and drink in any other business than that of school-keeping, it is astonishing how ignorant he soon becomes, and with what awe he listens to little girls bounding the principal countries of Europe, and stating the latitude and longitude of capital cities — perhaps spelling with ease and accuracy many of those puzzlipg words which send us to our Webster Unabridged. It is astonishing bow we shed our learning as we get older." A Curious Occobrence. — As Captain Williams, of the Bhip Merope, was at breakfast in the cabin in port the other morning, he noticed a minute spiral column of smoke rising from the swing tray suspended from end to end above the table. His first impression was that some one had carelessly laid down a lighted match upon the tray; but on inspection it appeared that the stro's rays had penetrated through the skylight of figured glass and concentrated in a glass water bottle, thereby forming a focus and igniting the tray alongaide the bottle Captain Williams then applied a piece of paper to the fpot, which quickly took fire. He stated that after breakfast was over the cabin was not used again for hours, and that the chances are, that had he not observed the smoke the cabin would have taken fire.— Csnterbury paper. A London letler to the Australasian has the following :— " The opera seasons have closed with a demonstration of the public appreciation of Mademoiselle Tietjens which surpasses everything previously recorded in operatic annals in London. 1 mentioned in one of my late letters that a remarkable revival of enthusiasm for her performances had taken place. At her benefit this exhibited itself in the shape of an audience who utterly discarded the cod and calm attitude of fashion, and overwhelmed her with applause, trying even to her accustomed nerves. For more than half an hour she answered to j recall after recall, while the walls of the theatre rang with shouts, and the boards were buried under avalanches of bouquets, which had to be carried away in clothes' baskets. A beautiful golden basket convey ed Mr Mitchell's tribute of flowers, which was a real work of art. The names of all the operas in the prima donna's repertoire were worked into the golden filligree with embossed groups <rom each. Wreathes of gold and jewels, some splendid rings, and a diamond star of great price and lustre were among the anonymous gifts which were sent from all parts of the house to the great cantratrJce Madame Patti was present, and 'applauded yehtmently, and with a delightful abandon. Her sparkling face shone with a generous delight in the well-merited triumph by one, who is sot a rival, but a sitter artist.