The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 1, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 110, 1 May 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 1, 1876.

We understand that Mr Greenfield has been appointed Commissioner of ' Orown Lands in the place of Mr Daniell resigned. . "Wb may state that if the writer of • the letter signed " Civis," published in our issue of Saturday last, will call at the Nelson Police Office within reasonable tirtie, every proper facility. will be aiforded him to obtain information in connection with the complaint made by him against two policemen. The entries for the Free Handicap, on the second day bf the races, show that twenty-eight horses are engaged for the meeting, and we' believe he whole number will go. to the p st. This promises larger fields than were . ever before witnessed in Nelson, and shpuld ensure excellent sport. If the weather proves fine.'the meeting must be highly successful. '. ... We would remind our readers of the sale pn, Wednesday by Mr Mabin bf Webley's Cloth Manufactory. The sale takes* place on the premises, and the present proprietors are . determined to dispose of it. After the sale of the manufactory, there will be a quantity of dyes, oils, machinery, &c, to be disposed of. We hope the property will fall into , hands who will be able tomaintain the quality of Nelson tweeds, and carry on the. business with vigor. : .An amusing misunderstanding occurred in the Supreme Court this morning. In the case of shooting with inlent it appeared that the law had been taken into his own hands by one of the witnesses, who made a prisoner qf the accused, and took him into the house. Wishing to . elicit some further evidence regarding this, the Crown Prosecutor asked a witness from Hampden " Was he tied?" To the Hampden man the word " tied " conveyed quite another meaning from that which was intended by the sage counsel, who is not usually in the. habit of using slang expressions, and' to his astonishment aud the general merriment of those in Court there came back the reply, « Well, he wasn't exactly . drunk, and he wasn't quite sober." In "Nelson as elsewhere the amusementfseeking portion ofthe community are frequently invited to attend entertainments, some of which are exceedingly good, while others are equally poor. In the former category, -And - X\l the list > ma 7 be classed lhe Marionettes," whose first appearance attracted a large audience on baturday night. The curtain rises to a

I - ,y j Christy Minstrel performance, the trou p& consisting ;of sevehi puppets about four feet nigh,.with faces -of ffre orthodox- color, presenting a strong contrast to the rosy lips -and wbiteencircled eyesL, K We have tefore us the ■stolid " Mr vi .TohnsonV ihe" eccentric " Tambourine," the lively " Bones," and the, rest of the company with their violins, banjos, and guitars. The talking, ; singing, and playing of course actually come-^oto^theVdes, but the 1 ' movements of ihe lips iri the vocal, and of the hands in the instrumental, music are, so excellently arranged and welltimed that it is difficult to believe that the sounds do not proceed from the figures on the stage. " Bones " and " Tambourine " are full of life and animation, and their antics are almost, if not quite, equal to those of human • performers in entertainments of a similar v kind, while the jokes, iind connundrums are by rio means so stale as those we are accustomed to*. hear on such occasions. The next part consists of all sorts of extraordinary and amusing performances by lay figures, which take the part of jugglers, bellringers, &c, all their movements being controlled by the most perfect mechanism. Then, after an interval of ten minutes, comes the opening transformation scene in the charming pantomime of Little Red Riding Hood, and anything more beautiful has never been presented to. a Nelson audience. The scenery is most Brilliant, and sparkles in glowing colors under the influence of the lime light. The pantomime is brimful of fun*, and the audience are kept in a roar of laughter from beginning to end. Con- - scious as we are that any attempt to describe the numberless amusing incidents, or the beauty of the three transformation scenes must end in failure, we shall content ourselves with saying that all who desire .to form any idea of the reality must attend and see for themselves, and having done so they will at once admit that our commendation of the whole performance is in no way exaggerated. The whole of the mechanical arrangements are perfect, and the rapidity with which the scenery is so frequently changed is really wonderful. "We will conclude our notice of this charming entertainment by saying that parents should embrace the opportunity of affording their children a couple of hours unceasing amusement, and others should attend if it were ohly for the "pleasure of witnessing the unfeigned delight of the little ones whose genuine shouts of laughter and expressions of admiration are in ' themselves such an entertainment as is not often placed within their reach. There were 135 male and 27 female prisoners iv Dunedin gaol the. week before last.