The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 47, 18 February 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1876.

T~ The cable steamers Hibernia and were to leave Schroder's Mmb&ke at midnight, and expected to •arrive #t the buoy where the cable had tbeeri <Qtifc#Jb a little before noon, and to ihave the ; j*iftQ&Q.ncompleted by 2o'clock. We .had hope^-p/l^a I**1 ** during theafteratoon of .fch.is.imyj-ag.l^ep accomplished. The soiree un.der^e jmsjyiqe? of the Nelson Cricket Club Will take ?t the Provincial Hall fcbis evening, and promises to be most jjwwsesefur. A

number of well known local amateurs have promised their assistance in the first part, which will consist of music and singing. The enjoyment of the second part will depend entirely upon the company themselves, and there can be little doubfc that one and all will make the best use of their time. A cricket match will be played to-morrow afternoon in the Botanical Gardens between the carpenters and blacksmiths of Nelson. The entertainment in aid of the funds of the City Cadet Corps last night did not prove a financial success, the Odd-Fellowo' Hall being scarcely half filled. The programme was well carried out, one or two of the songs especially being well rendered. The acrobatic feats, too, were most cleverly performed, and were received with loud applause. The conduct of some noisy young larrikins, we regret to say, was such as to interfere materially with the success of the entertainment, it being at times scarcely possible to hear what was taking place on the stage. A night in the lock-up would do some of these ill-behaved young boors a deal of good. The Artillery Band accompanied the Cadets to the Hall, and played outside prior to the commencement of the performance, for which Captain Godfrey and the officers desire to return them their best thanks. J_The West-port Times writes in a melancholy strain regarding the condition of the district. It says :— Dalneas reigning supreme, trade at a standstill, Customs duties falling off, gold revenues decreasing, it behoves men to look about them, to ask when these things will end, and how they may be more promptly remedied. It is not one j month, or two, or three, or more, of dull trade that affects Westport, but its long continuance, its ever present recurrence. As time rolls on, week in and week out, no change ensues except that visible evidences of waning trade become more glaringly real, and the visual muscles of traders become more despondingly elongated. What is the remedy, whence will it come?' After pointing out that the resources of the district have as yet been only tapped, the Times answers its own query as follows : — What "Westport needs is a more energetic inclination to work, a reduction in the number of non-pro-ducers — waiters on Providence and the forbearance of creditors — a well combined effort among those who have the means to wrest from the coal measures and the gold mines the wealth so long dreamed of and waited for, and which still lingers in the coming because the dooers are faint-hearted.