TO BLENHEIM AND BACK.

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

TO BLENHEIM AND BACK.

Being desirous of a change, I was unable to resist the temptation offered by the excursion trip by the Wallace to Picton advertised for last Friday evening, and on stepping on board I found that several others were of the same way of thinking, a goodly number being assembled on the deck. The passage to Picton via the French Pass ha 8 been so frequently described that it is unnecessary for me to enlarge upon it now. It is sufficient to say that for such a purpose no one could wish to embark in a smarter little boat than the Wallace, or to sail with a more careful or more considerate' skipper than Capt. Conway. After steaming through the Pass the engines were set at half- speed, as there was no occasion to hurry, and about six a.m.w e arrived at the Picton wharf, and while breakfast was being prepared most of us went on shore to .hwer. a- look round. The first thing 1

that struck me was the completeness of this end of the Picton and Blenheim railway, which, so! different from piirs in Nelsonj runs pnto the wharf, whence goods can, at once be transferred to the shipXhold. v One of the sfghfcs pointed . out as worthy of observation was the smart little yacht recently built here for Mr Richardson, which, it is said, is to beat any boat of the same class in New Zealand. She certainly looked very; pretty as .she lay alongside the wharfin still waiter, but T at once admit that I shall be quite willing to allow her owner tomake. the first trip in ber without having, me as a companion. But 1 daresay this is because I know nothing about yachts or yachting. By the time we had inspected this graceful little, addition to the racing boats of the .colony, the break- -' fast bell was ringing a loud peal; and none of us were deaf to its invitation. The meal over, wemade for the railway station, which is within a few yards of $ie wharf, and having secured return tickets, we took our seats in some very ' comfortable first-class carriages, where, much to my astonishment, we had to Bubmit to the barbarous practice of being locked in. None of us liked being thus cabin'd, cribbed, confined, and care was taken to let the guard ' know our opinion of the matter, which was expressed in such strong terms that he was, after a time, induced to leave the door open, thus supplying us with what we badly wanted on that hot morning — a current of air through the carriage. Regarding the construction of the .Picton and Blenheim line, it would be folly to attempt to form an opinion after just passing over it casually twice, but I may say that to those of us who had travelled on the railway lately completed in Nelson, it did not compare at all favorably with our own. Another thing that Btruck me as peculiar was that it is not fenced in, cattle being at liberty to stray over it when and where they please. In going to Blenheim we saw two or three little mobs on the rails, but they had* probably heard what Stephenson had predicted would be the fate of the " coo " if run into by a train, and consequently, as we approached, they quietly stepped on one side to allow us to pass, and then, as calmly, resumed their trespass. In traversing the bush, which extends for several miles on the other side of Picton, the railway passes within a dozen yards of two large 1 sawmills in active work. Here there are side lines of rails on which trucks laden with timber, quarterings, slabs, &c, are in readiness to be hitched on to the train when it stops, and are soon conveyed tp their destination at one end or the other of the line. This traffic is one that adds largely to the receipts. Between the bush and tbe Tua Marina is a swamp several miles in length, and the railway has to skirt round this at the foot of the hills, and, in consequence of the numberless narrow spurs that run down from tbe main range into the swamp, the curves are both sharp and of frequent, occurrence, thus precluding the possibility of anything like a fair speed being attained. My Nelson readers will more clearly comprehend rae when I tell them that while travelling over this portion of the railway there is a perpetual grinding and grating of the wheels on the rails, such as is to be heard in the Dun Mountain Bus when turning the sharp corners in our streets. The wear and tear must be something considerable. It was a relief to get out of this narrow valley into the broader and more fertile Wairau Plain, where the crops that were standing, although these were few in number, were as bountiful as the farmer could possibly desire, while the numerous stacks in the fields where harvesting was completed spoke of a magnificent season. Notably was this the case on Mr Redwood's extensive fiarm where was one very large field of wheat stubble, the stacks being dotted over it ia pairs, with room between them for the . threshing machine. In another part the grain was being threshed without going through the preliminary process of stacking. In a short time we arrived at the terminus, and here I may remark that, if we'may judge from the Marlborough and Nelson railways, it is a favorite plan with the Government to bring the lines to an abrupt termination a mile or two short of where they would, be of the greatest use. The Picton and Blenheim line has no more right to tbat title than has ours to be called the Nelson and Poxhill railway, as the Wairau terminus of the former is more than a mile from Blenheim, the intervening distance having to be completed, in cabs, of which, however, there seems to be a good supply. Once in the vicinity of Blenheim, we should soon have been reminded, if we had in the meantime forgotten the fact, that an election was going on. The cabs that ran hurriedly about were plentifully placarded with instructions to hesitating electors, telling them, to. vote for Seymour or Henderson, as the case might be. The walls, bridges, and fences were profusely adorned with intimations of a similar character. Our cab landed us in the Market Square in front of the polling place, and each individual, as he stepped frota the conveyance, was carefully scanned by the two principals and their supporters in order to see. whether or : not he was one who was known to have I a vote. Even at that early hour — between half-past nine and ten — little knots of people were collected at the street corners, and althdugh little excitement was apparent, it was evident from the serious faces to be seen that the election was being carried on in real earnest. As I was anxious to k learn how matters stood, and what

were tbe probable chances of the respective candidates, I made enquiries, and was told that possibly more information might be obtained from the >. gentleman who does the barber business : . in Blenheim than from anyone else.? "NoWythis barber,*. be it known, is not.^ merely an ordinary barber. He is, in* addition i both a Professor and a prominent p6litician. I don't think he liked my asking him to shave me, for he looked as though he felt that that day was big with the fate of the colony, .-'as on it a member for the Wairau was to be elected, and this idea, having firmly impressed itself on his mind, naturally led him to regard himself as a man of considerable importance, he being a member of one of the acting committees. Ib was not then surprising to me that he should show some reluctance in acceding to my modest request, but eventually he gave in gracefully, and J was soon seated in his comfortable chair with a : towel tucked under my chin. The process of lathering having fairly commenced, I ventured to ask how the election was likely to go. " There is not tbe slighest dbubt, sir, about" it,".; was the confident reply. " "We " — my Professor was a Hendersoniau— " are safe to win. We have gone several times over the roll, have divided it into three classes, Henderson, Seymour,* and Doubtful, and we can afford to give to Seymour every doubtful vote and then beat him." * The lathering was over, and the razor wwars r now in hand. Prior to his taking me by the y nose, as is the manner of barbers, I remarked tbat I understood the other side was equally confident. **I don?t doubt they are," said he, "that's just like them, they are all demonstration." (Here a terrific flourish of the razor that made my blood run cold.) ''They, Sir, are demonstrative, we are workers." (This was accompanied by a tug at my right whisker, with a View to pulling my head into position, which appeared to me to be more severe than the occasion warranted), "Yes, sir, we work" (Another tug at that unfortunate whisker. The Professor was getting excited.) "and this will be shown as we bring our men tb the poll." I sometimes do foolish things, but on. this occasion I was sufficiently discreet not to question the operator any more until the razor business was done,' and, truth to tell, I was hot sorry wheh it was over. Then I spoke once more. " Wbat majority do you , expect ?" " Well, it's difficult to say, but it will be something considerable. Of this we are certain that i unless Seymour beats us by at .least fifty in Blenheim he can't win, for the whole of the small farmers and . working men are against him." "But," j I remonstrated — I didn't mind so much now be had dropped the razor—" he has received votes of confidence at every, j meeting he has held." "Ah! yes, | that's just like tbem; it's all demonstation and blow." (Here I thought j the windows of heaven were being opened and tbe deluge was coming over | again so profusely did he. besprinkle me from the rose of 'his water and scent bottle.) " But, if you wish to know the J real state of affairs you should hear them talk in here. Here's where we get to know the real feelings of the people. -Men can speak out here more than they care to do at public meetings." " What do they want to turn Seymour out for?" I, who was thirsting for information, asked. "Ah I there you've hit it. It ißn't Seymour they're against. It's that infernal olique he's got round him." 'Twas not tbe words; 'twas not so much the tone in which he uttered tbem, but it was the fearfully vigorous ply ing ofthe towel on my newly shaven chin that warned me that the Professor was warming to his subject again, so I desisted from pushing my researches any further. X like that barber. I can bear testimony to his being an excellent hand at wielding the razor and the brush, but I have made a firm resolution tbat never again do I go to him to be shaved if there should on tbat day be an election going on in his neighborhood. I could relate some more funny electioneering episodes but I ara afraid of wearying your readers, so I must now only say that, much against our will, we were compelled to leave at half-past three, just as the excitement was reaching the climax, in order to catch the train. At eight o'clock we started from the Picton wharf, and steamed Blowly along to the Pass where at daylight Captain Conway kindly anchored for an hour and lowered a boat in order to allow thoße who were fond of fishing to enjoy a little sport, and good use did they make of their time, as was shown by the bucketsful of rock cod and other fish that were to be seen on the deck. Arriving in Neison at eleyen on Sunday morning, we all agreed that a pleasanter or more enjoyable trip could not have been wished for. F. llill Hill 111 Ml » .