MR. SEYMOUR AT BLENHEIM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 17, 18 January 1876, Page 2

MR. SEYMOUR AT BLENHEIM.

As reported yesterday, Mr Seymour met with a hearty reception at Blenheim upon his return from a trip to England. In returning thanks for the manner in which his health had been drunk at the public luncheon given to him, he is reported to have said that he had enjoyed his trip amazingly, and was very much pleased with what he had seen, and he had gained some knowledge, which he hoped he would be able to use for their advantage in the future; but much as he was pleased with what he had seen he was better pleased to return to the home of his adoption. His journey had been uneventful, but very swift, and he had travelled over a great many railways. He was happy to congratulate them on the completion of the. Picton and Blenheim line, even as far as the Opawa i river. It was very much pleasanter to travel as he had done to-day than toiling in a coach over wretchedly bad roads ; he thought great credit was due to Borne people for the manner in which they had in former years maintained the communication by coaches under great difficulties. (Hear hear.) Some people thought that this line was a very indifferent one, but it was very much better than many he had travelled on between this and Europe. The line between San Francisco and New York was not ballasted, where the line ran through a cutting the stuff was thrown on between' the sleepers; if they passed ; over the soft virgin soil just such earth as was handy was used, sleepers in many places were thoroughly rotten, the spikes drawing out and sticking up two or three inches as the train passed along. He then described a portion of the line at a place called Black River, where the bank had been washed away by the raise and the ends of the sleepers were hanging over the ends of the precipice. He sat on the outer step of the oar with his feet hanging over the river, while the train orept slowly along, for fear of shaking the rails all down the bank, in fact prolonging the agony. The railways in England were of course the very acme of railway engineering, but nowhere else were they brought to the same perfection. The carriage accommodasions were excellent in America, and the French railways were passable, and in Switzerland the accommodation was very fair. From what he had seen, however, we had every reason to be satisfied with oar own. In fact he came to (his conclusion, that the more he saw the better he liked New Zealand. We talked about floods, and when one came upon us we spoke as though this wae the only place that suffered; he had not only heard but he had seen the effect of some of the floods in the South of England, not only vast quantities of property destroyed, but lives were lost. The very train which conveyed the passengers to the ship in which he left England travelled for several miles through water four feet deep. In England, although in some parts farming: was j carried on upon the most scientific principles, yet they could not grow a good potato, he had not tasted a good one till he got to Melbourne. With all the improvements in agriculture there were parts of England yet that were behind New Zealand, in fact a i century behind the age; he had seen them making hay and tossing it about with a fork of the most primitive description cut from the hedge, and mowing the grass with scythes that were only fit to lash to the chariot of Queen Boadicea. Beef steaks were 14d per Ib, and though English beef was the perfection of meat, he had never tasted a mutton chop equal to those of New Zealand. When he was crossing the Rocky Mountains, they brought him as a treat the flesh of the antelope and buffalo steaks, but he earnestly hoped he would never have to eat the like : again.