The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1875.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 27, 1 February 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1875.

Nelson Regatta. — A meeting of the Club will be held at the Globe Hotel to-morrow evening, when, we understand, the amounts of the respective prizeß will be decided upon, Anniversaut Fete. — Sports under the auspices of the Oddfellows' and Foresters' Societies will take place today in the Botanical Gardens, where, in the evening, there will be a display of fireworks. Gas Supply. — The greatest inconvenience was caused on Saturday night by the supply of gaa running short about 9 o'clock, just at the time when the billiard rooms were plying au active trade, and the drapers' shops required to be illuminated. The explanation of this bungle we have not yet heard, but we can assure the manager of the Gasworks that the remarks made about him I were not entirely of a complimentary I nature. About 11 o'clock the gas was ' again prooureable. San Francisco Mail.— The Mikado I with the mail arrived at Auckland at midnight, on Saturday. The Ladybird with the southern portion of the mail, left Onehunga yesterday afternoon, and may be expected here at daylight tomorrow morning, and leave again by the afternoon's tide. The Murray has been detained until to-morrow morning to carry the mail to the West Coast. Mr O'CONOE AND THE KAR4MEA — Under this heading, the following letter has been addressed to\the New Zealand Times : — Sir — Having seen your reply to the Buller News in reference to the Ksramea Immigration Settlement, I write to say that your report of Mr O'Conor's mismanagement there is quite correct. lam one of the men who accepted the terms proposed by the Government officers at Nelson, viz., fifty aores of lend, work at 6a a day, one month, and five months more at three days a week and 8s a day, the land to be chosen by lot, and time given to pay the upset price, provisions at Nelson prices, &c. Nearly all this was put to one side by Mr O'Conor on his fir3t visit. I will only mention two conditions that were broken through — they are not the only once. Instead of the land being given by lot, Mr O'Conor gave the first five lots to five men who had come out in a ship called the Adamant, and instead of 8s a day under a foreman or boss, who was to see that we all attended to the work, we^were to get the work by contract in gangs of six or eight, and to be paid by the chain. The wages per chain was to be named; but we could not object, and every man in the gaog could do just as he pleased. When we objected to this, and told Mr O'Conor that we had prioted contract papers, signed by the Government authorities at Nelson, he told us it was to him we had to look, and no one else. Seeing that faith wos broken, ajul our land so far back in the busb, about half of us thought it best to be wiee in time, and left Mr O'Conor and his cousin Jacks to theroselveß. It has been represented that the men who left were fainthearted; but it is a fact that the best and most suitable men were driven away — -and if the rest have got bettor times since, it is owing to their going, and to the exposure in the Press of the whole job. — I am, &c, James Coutts, Westport, January 22. Mr Ralph Richardson, of NelsoD, has made a second adventurous journey from Nelson toPicton in an open boat. It will be remembered that he successfully accomplished the feat once before, and althq"«h the paeeage may not be a^"y difficult or dangerouß onp, it 'Tequirea a man af some nerve to commence what appears such a perilous undertaking. — Press. We take the following from the N. Z. Times of Wednesday last :— lf we said no good thing could come out of/ Nelson we should make a mistake. In that quiet city, on the bonks of the beautifully clear Maitai, there lives a dyer, whose experience was gained in the very best establishments in Scotland — where dyeing is understood in perfection ; and there also dwells a most ingenious artist in the making up of hearthrugs, mats, Sue.., of wool, whose products were very highly admired in the Nelson Tndtißtrial Exhibition last year. The dyer is Mr. Alexander Robertson; the mat-maker Mr Cook. To-day, in the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, there will be shown some splendid specimens of their combined arts, in the forms of hearthrugs, doormats, &c. The majority of these are formed of wool, with backs of phormium tenax; but there is one hearthrug, a very remarkable specimen, which is entirely composed of New Zealand flax. Two things are specially noticeable in these products— first, the purity and the freshness of the colors (with which we must credit Mr Robertson), and next, the originality of the designs and the combination of the colors, for which Mr Cook must be praised. Altogether more original productions of the kind have never been seen in Wellington, and we can only regret that the artists who can produce such desirable fabrics are not resident amongst us. At Green Island, writes the Otago Daily Times, starlings are becoming very plentiful. The increase of these birds in the district is amazing. Large flocks sometimes take possession of the fields feeding on the larvse so abundant at this season of the year To the presence of the starlings is attributed the fact that grasshoppers are not so numerous as usual.