The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 309, 31 December 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1874.

Caledonian Society's Gathering. —Since the formation of this Society, some four years opo, theße meetings have year by year become more and more popular, and on each occasion the attendance has been larger than on that wbich preceded it. From what we can learn, to-morrow's gathering is likely to prove the most successful that has yet been beld. A larger sum of money is offered os prizes, and the consequence is thai the competitors for the vaiious events will be more numerous, and, in addition to ihe other attractions, the three lads whose feats on the trapeze were so applauded last year have been engaged to perform at intervals during the day. The Artillery Band will be on the ground, a- d all wbo take an interest in athletic sports ara looking forward to a really ple-i6ant and interesting meeting. Wesleyan Sunday School. — The annual festival in connection with this school will be celebrated to-morrow, wben the customary pic-nic will be held in tbe grounds of Mr Daniell, in Brook-street. In the afternoon tea will be provided for adults as well as for children. Waimea Soutii Institute. — Tbe anniversary of this Institute will be celebrated to-morrow. During the afternoon there will be sports of various descriptions, to be followed by a tea party, and in the evening a ball will be given in the Lower Wakefield schoolroom. Cricket.— -The return match between the Motueka and Nelson Cluls will take place on Saturday next, at Victory Square. A reduced admission fee of sixpence will be charged. Tbe names of the Nelson eleven are — Cross, Wix, Hole, Barnett, Speed, Shaw, Halliday, Jennings, Coles, Barnicoat, and Powell. The game will begin at 930 sharp, and will be a one-day match. Reefton. — A telegram received from Reefton states tbat at tbe Hospital Fete held there on Monday and Tuesday, there were 1000 persons present on the first day, and 800 on the second. The total receipts were £470. The first number of the "New Zealand Songster " has been forwarded to us by the publisher, Mr Joseph Braithwaite, of Dunedin. It contains a large collection of the popular songs of the day, and will probably be frequently 'coked upon as a pleasant visitor by a camp fire. We bave to acknowledge the receipt from the publishers, of the Colonist Almanac for 1875. It appears to contain a variety of useful information. The Post learns by a telegram from Wanganui that Lyell, the absconding bank agent, was brought into that town last evening at five o'clock. He at once was taken before the Resident Magistrate, nnd remanded to Marton. The case will be tried on the 30tii iust. The accused bos been admitted to bail, himself in £1000, with two sureties of £1000 each. The Palmer River, — The following telegram appears in the RockhamptQTt Bulletin-. — «• Cooktowo, via Cardwell. Friday, November 27: — The steamers Florence Irving and Victoria leave bere to-dny. There is uot much gold news from the Palmer. The new rush is good, but there is no water available for washing. The dirt is consequently being stacked, awaiting tbe rains. The news from the Little Palmer is good, several new rushes having occurred, and men still flocking there. The weather bere (Cooktown) is very oppressive, tbe thermometor ranging at from 90Jeg. to 95deg. in ibe shade. The te!«graph construction party have commenced work, and the tome bas been cleared /or live miles from town. The posts are being erected. Business is quiet, and the markets are well stocked for present requirements. There are plenty of sheep here now to lpstfor three months. A Melbourne firm has undertaken to put up three crushing machines on the Palmer, and all the arrangements are already made. The Cooktown papers

point with justifiable pride to 4ji__ Customs returns of their port, which show tbat during ihe niue months en<ling the 30ih September, over 78,000 ounces of gold* were exported from Cooktown, the declared total value being £314,000. A capital race Came off on Saturday betweea tbe well-known yacht Red Jacket and the new fisherman's boat Garibaldi. The course was from rfi the Lion Foundry, round fhe Pinnacle Rock, and back again. There waa a stiff breeze and a heavy sea on outsid", which made it rather rough for the boats. The Garibaldi on this occasion beat her rival both before and on the wind, ultimately coming in the winner by about a milo ond a half. The match was for £25 a Bide, but now each side freely offers to back their own boat at £100 to £150 a aide, so another good match may be looked for,— Post. A half-share of Roche's coal lease at Waimangaroa, province of Nelson, is reported by the Buller News as haviog been sold for £350. A young Australian pianiste, Mies Alice Sydney Burvette, has made a successful professional tour through France, and is now in Paris. The value of Und near Auckland as a fruit-growing country may be inferred from the fact that in that city there are about one hundred shops for the sale of fruit. The following extract from a letter irom Panama describes the gallant conduct of two midshipmen of the Tenedos, screw-sloop : — v Two of our midshipmen, Bourke and Henderson, were standing at one of the ports watching three sharks trying to grab at a meat tin floating by, when all of a sudden Bourke heard the cry, ' A man overboard,' and say a man in the water apparently paralyzed with fear, and sinking out, J Help, I can't swim. 5 Bourke threw off his cap aud jumped in. He had hardly gone five yards, when he heard a splash behind him, and saw Henderson was in too. They struck out, and soon got up to the man, just in time, ao he saya; they hauled him up, and got him in aa soon as possible. Captain Ray sent for Bourke and Henderson, and spoke very kindly to chain, as did the Admiral after an inspection on the foUowing day. Messrs Neilson and Brisseuden, we hear through a private source, says the Taranaki Fews, succeeded last week in purchasing, from a section of the Ngapuhi, resident to the north oi Hokianga, above 45,000 acres of good land. The price paid averages about j one shilling and sixpence per ac*re. ' Notwithstanding the movement that has been successfully made for retaining the Rev Charles Clarke in Me!- i bourne, letters received by the Wonga (says the New Zealand Herald) state that the rev gentleman wiil start for a brief tour in New Zealand immediately after Christmas. Ha has added to the laurels he had previously won as a lecturer, adds our contemporary, by delivering a discourse on the " Tower of London." One enthusiastic critic describes the lecture as "an elaboratelywrought picture, equalling if not surpassing in vivid incident and soul inspiring effect any previous effort of the lecturer, and well calculated to enhance the reputation he hns achieved as the premier elocutionist of Australia." i The body of Lady Dilke, who died five weeks ago in Loudon, has been , burnt at Dresden. The ceremony was I performed in the furnace recently invented for burial purposes by Herr Siemens, and the relatives of the deceased lady permitting strangers to be present, a large number of scientific men attended the experiment. When the company had complied with Herr Stemeu's request to offer up a mental prayer, the coffin waa placed in tha chamber of the furnace; six minutes later the coffin burst; five minutes more and the flesh began to melt away; ten minutes more and the skeleton was laid bare; another ten minutes and tha bones began to crumble. Seventy-five minutes after the introduction of the coffin into the furnace all that remained of Lady Dilke and the coffin was six pounds of dust, placed in an urn. The j brother-in-law of the deceased was i present. A private telegram from Sydney, dated the 15th December, received by tbe Alhambra, mentions that Mr and Mrs Hoakins (Miss Florence ColviUe) were then terminating a splendid enengagement in that city. The Samoan merchants have arranged to establish a line of packets of from tweuty to thirty tons, to trade between Samoa and Fiji. Louis Myers, tobacconist at the Thames, haa been drowned iv a waterhole at Levuka, while bathing. He leaves a wife and five children at the Thames. Victoria has resolved to make a present to New Zealand of the notorious offender who was lately arrested there. It is possible, however, that it may not be fouud easy to send Sullivan hither. " Auicuß " writes in the Melbourne Leader: — '* A curious point arises out of ihe decision of the Melbourne Magistrates to send Sullivan lo New ZeahTnd. Js any ship bound to take him, the more especially as the captain would be liable to a ponalty for so doing, according to the New Zealand law? It was decided some years ago in England that a ship is a common carrier; but some of the judges dissented, and I ehould suppose that an owner would rather run the risk of an action at law than Bee.all his passengers leave the ship." We do

not eupposo that any oue among the masters who sail steamers in the New Zealand trade, either from Melbourne or Sydney, will entertain such a passenger willingly; or that he would fare well if deported in any of the sailing craft that come down here. We do not think that Sullivan himself would feel very comfortable or confident in the prospect of being landed at Hokitika or Greymoutb, or even in quiet Nelsoo. Nor will he be much more welcome in Wellington or Port Chalmers. None of the provinces will have htm — even as an inmate of a prison — -if they can throw the responsibility from them. The case is an embarrassing one — a "a white elephant" of a most undesirable and repulsive kind.— N Z. Times. A correspondent writes from Wedderburn : — " Sullivan, since his arrival at Wedderburn, has been boasting hew WBll he has got on since be wbb let off in New Zealand. According to bis account he did not do so badly while under the pat roc age of the New Zealand authorities, having acted as gaol barber, and earning his 10s per day, and drew as much at a time as £50. fie says he baa been to England and France, and made quite a tour in the former country." (For remainder of News see. fourth page.)