The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 30, 1 February 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1876.

,' W%s it owing to ; accident or intention that the flag which usuaff^ floats proudly from the Government Buildings on all public holidays was this morning not to be seen? Did the Provincial authorities reflect that this .is the last anniversary of the " of Nelson; did they feel that their glory was departing, that this day next year they would be as nobodies, and in consequence of this did they issue orders that the flag was not to be hoisted this morning? It may be so, and, if so, who can blame them? - What individual would celebrate the anniversary of his birthday with rejoicings if he were assured that it was the last he would ever see? And so it happens that on the thirty-fourth and last anniversary of the Province the flagstaff on the Government Buildings stands up against dull leaden sky, naked^ melancholy, ■sun adorned. The eight o'clock down train this morning took eighty passengers from Nelson. The Friendly Societies fete to-day promises to pass off most successfully, as the competition, it is said, will be very kden. The Foresters mustered, in force this morning at their rooms,, and proceeded thence, headed by the Band, to the Odd Fellows' Hall,, where they were joined by the members of that Order, and, accompanied by them, marched round the town jto the Botanical Gardens. The Wheeler Troupe made their first appearance in Nelson last night to a moderately filled house, and were ; very well reoeived. Tbe delineations of character by " Master Bennie" and Mr * Ben Wheeler were remarkably good, while Miss Elsie De Couvcie" sung several ballads with much sweetness. There will be another performance.. this 1 evening, which **will be a pleasant termination to the day's holiday. The footpaths in Wanganui were laid with asphalte, and for a time made walking pleasant. But an unwise economy in spreading the material too thin, and the work of rats, has caused the surface to be broken through and large holes formed. j The Auckland correspondent of the Hawke's Bay Herald aaya that something will be heard before long of a mysterious money stealing. A person well known in Auckland had (it is alleged) a considerable amount of money sent to him by his friends, wealthy wool staplers in England. The money never reached him, and is said to have been interrupted snd appropriated by an' influential individual. The loser avers that his letters to and from his friends have been stolen and replaced by forged letters.. Some time back he got a letter published in a local paper, stating some of the circumstances, and the communication attracted much attention. The case is indeed a very remarkable one, and what is likely to make it more so is the light it may eventually throw upon the theft of Mr Brissenden's letters, for there is good reason (as plainly appears) for concluding that a third party acted in both transactions. On All Saints Day, Dean Stanley preached at Westminster Abbey. His subject was tbe life and death of Commodore Goodenough, and he took as his text the words " He being dead yet speaketh." He reviewed the career of the lute gallant officer, whose father was bead master of Westminster School, and observed that in thiß case there was no breach, no interruption. The ohild was father of the man, the man was the mould in which was oast the Christian and the martyr, and tbe death was but tbe crown and Beal of the life. The Pacifio was the scene. of bia earliest ahd lateat experiences, and in the Mediterranean;, the Baltic, and China, he was always doing his best to improve himself and those under him. His : y services among the French peasantry in the neighborhood «of Sedan daring the war of 1870 were traced, and his iast expedition, a scientific and philanthropic- one, to the Pacific Islands was recounted. The sad circumstances of bis death, and the heroic and pathetic farewell which he took of his ship's crew, were also described. In conclusion, tlie Dean called on all who heard him to learn from this example how life was absorbed in duty, and duty was transfigured into happiness, and death was swallowed up in victory. '- r . .