The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 247, 9 October 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1876.

From the Wellington papers we learn that at a preliminary meeting held there on Friday last it was unanimously resolved that the citizens of Wellington should, prior to Sir Julius Vogel's departure, have aa opportunity of publicly expressing their appreciation of the services he has rendered the colony. Of course the citizens of Wellington have a right to please themselves in the matter, and if they desire to take advantage of the opportunity that is to be afforded them, by < all means let them do so. Indeed, we rather hope the testimonial idea will be carried out, as on the occasion .of its presentation there will probably bo some speech-making, from which .we shall learn what we do hot know now, namely, what are the claims of Sir Julius to such a distinction. He was, it is true, the introducer of tbe public works policy, which so long as there was plenty of borrowed money and' the price of wool kept up, conferred on the colony a prosperity, the permanence of which has yet to be proved. Already with the decline in the price of wool symptoms of distress are observable in many parts of the colony, and that this will be increased when the spending power of the Government is brought to a close there is little room to doubt, so that it cannot yet be said that the success of the public works policy has entitled him to any large amount of public gratitude. His other great scheme, that of the abolition of Provincial institutions, he takes so little interest in that he is running away before bringing it to perfection. Indeed all he has done in this respect has been to launch his colleagues in a sea of difficulties, while he himself has seized a life-buoy and jumped overboard. Hard times for the colony are looked for by all, and at the first t sign of their approach he deserts the post, which so long |aa it was one of honor he clung to tenaciously. As soon as it promises to become one of danger he is in a hurry to be off. And for this he is to have another testimonial. We say "another," because already he has received one, not from the citizens of Wellington only, but from the public of the colony, from the Bay of Islands to the Bluff. Of what it consisted is well described by the Evening Post of Saturday, which says:—" Whatever be the issue of the present movement, Sir Julius Vogel will not leave New Zealand without a testimonial of the estimation in which the colonists generally regard him. Such a testimonal has already been given in the emphatic utterances of every journal in the colony, with but few exceptions, on the occasion of his severing his connection with public life. No present of a purse of sovereigns will outweigh that spontaneous outburst of indignant condemnation of his action by a free, indignant, and outspoken Press."