The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 197, 11 August 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1876.

A. fancy ball that was to have been given in Wellington this evening was postponed on the ground that the division on the Separation question would probably fc ike place during the course of the night, and consequently the members would be unable to leave the House. Tub adjourned meeting of those interested in the purchase of Webley's Cloth Factory will be held at the Maaonic Hotel this evening. At the Police Court this morning,Jackson Bowes, an old man, was sentenced to three days' imprisonment for stealing a fish, value sixpence, from the hand-truck of W. Darby. Constable Beattie saw the prisoner take the fish and walk off with it. The favorable view of the prospects of the Richmond Hill Silver Mine, which were founded on the ore being struck in the drive, as we reported last week, have been fully confirmed by the letters to hand this morning. The vein of ore has during the interval widened from ten inches in thickness to fourteen, and two other veins, each four inches thick, have come in, so that in the aggregate there is more than double the quantity per foot of drive. The ore is not of uniform quality ; seven assavs of it have been made by M. r Masters, showing the yield in silver to range from under fifty ounces to over three hundred ounces to the ton. More exact results will be obtained by an official analysis to be made at the Colonial Laboratory. This step, gained by the work recently done at the mine, is toprove beyond question that the silver ore is to be fouud in quantity. That the vein is a very strong one may now be regarded as settled. We* understand that the Directors intend to send ten tons of the best ore to Melbourne to be dealt with at Herrenchmidt's new smelting works, Tarraville. As the Mount Eangitoto Directors have resolved on the same course, it will be interesting to note the comparative results obtained in the two cases. !Fuom a private telegram received in town we learn that a serious fire occurred in Blenheim early this morning, resulting in the complete destruction of the Bank of New Zealand, the National Bank, and M'Elwain's and Carter's stores, Ewart's Hotel also being considerably damaged. So far as we can ascertain, the following Insurance Offices are involved :— New Zealand, National, Standard, London and Liverpoo], Victoria, Norwich Union, and Imperial. The Bank of New Zealand had been insured with the South British, but, fortunately for that office, the policy was transferred to the New Zealand last week. The Bishop of Nelson paid hfs longpromised visit co "Wakefield yesterday in order to deliver his interesting lecture on The Catacombs, which was accompanied by a favor, unpromised but not unappreciated, in the shape of an accomplished choir. The Bishop I commenced his lecture by quoting Gray's Elegy, and proceeded to open up his subject, which was rendered plainer by a number of diagrams displayed on j the wall. The Bishopdale j students rendered, with the Bishop's accompaniment on the piano, "Brother thou art gone before us" and "Sleep thy last sleep," with several other appropriate pieces. Other suitable pieces were efficiently rendered by ladies who had kindly come up with the Bishop from Nelson. The Kev 0. 0. Mules, accompanied on the piano by a member of his own congregation, called back distant memories by the w jiy in which he sang the anthem, ♦Thou shalfc show me the path of life, fa. His Lordship, in the course of his remarks, well illustrated several points of the Christian faith in con- ; nexion with the early believers— their reverence of the person of Chrisfc Jesue

the Saviour, ; their, implicit belief in the historical accuracy, of his miracles, and especially that miracle of miracles his resurrection. At the close, the Eev 0. - Moon called on Messrs E. Boddington^ sen., Joshua Bird, and E. Chattock to propose, second, and support a vote of thanks to his Lordship for his most interesting and instructive lecture, and also to the ladies and gentlemen of the choir for their kind services. This was carried by acclamation and was responded to by the Bishop and the Eev 0. 0. Mules, and the happy gathering of neighbors and friends separated after singing the doxology. It was notified that the proceeds would go to the new Parsonage Fund, an account of which was read by Mr Chattock, the deputytreasurer, who showed that £100 were still required for the same, and earnestly solicited the assistance of friends.— Communicated.