THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 195, 18 August 1877, Page 2

THE WEEK.

To those who are present at the seene of action, the Parliamentary proceedings of the current session may possibly possess a certain amount of interest, but to us who are far away and are entirely dependent upon the daily telegrams for information of what is going ou, it appears to be one of the dullestand stupidest meetings of the Assembly that has ever taken place. It may be that there are (See Fourth Page.)

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caucaaea going on daily, that there are schemings and plottings to overthrow the "Ministry and counter moves to .defeat the Opposition, but of these under currents we know nothing, and judging by what we do know it would appear that in one respect at least Ministerialists and Oppositionists are agreed, namely, to make the present session notorious for its dulness. Without doubt there ia a strong feeling of discontent with the occupants of the Treasury Benches, and a motley crew is ready to swoop down upon and dislodge them, but that in the first place they cannot agree under what standard they are to fight, and in the next they are sans leader, sans discipline, sans organisation. A nominal leader they certainly have, but were it not for hi* former prestige, for his grey hairs, and for bis thorough earnestness and apparent sincerity, he would have been deposed long since, and one more amenable to reason would have reigned iv his stead! But he continues to hold his post, and the forces ranged under his banner' cannot bring themselves to desert one whom they hold in high respect, althoagh at the same time they hesitate to enter into the fray under the leadership of a general in whom they cannot repose full confidence, as there is no knowing into what scrapes they might be led, or what extraordinary calls might be made upon them by so eccentric an enthusiast. And so to She outside world dulness seems to reign supreme in the colonial capital. If the veteran politician, diplomatist, and tactician who now occupies the chair could be persuaded to cast off his robes, and once more stand on the floor of the Honse clad in the armour which is so much better suited to his tempermen t, a totally different state of things would soon obtain, and we should speedily hear of stirring times in Wellington, but under present circumstances we cannot hope for a change. To compare small things with great there eeems to be a similarity between the movements of the Russian forces in European Turkey and the line of conduct adopted by the New Zealand ministry. The former with great parade, show, acd bombast, crossed the Danube, and then tue Balkans, and were just about to annihilate their enemies, when suddenly they discovered that they had calculated without their host, that their foes were far stronger than they anticipated, and consequently, instead of marching on Constantinople they were compelled to turn tail and hurry back again over Che ranges, thus placing themselves in a position that to the rest of (he world savored more of humiliation and defeat than of success and glory. So with our Government.. In that wretched speech that was put into the unhappy Governor's mouth at the opening of Parliament, there were, it is true, but very few measures mentioned, but one of the few that we were told was to be introduced with a flourish of trumpets was the Native Land Court Bill. But those Turks, the Oppositionists, would have none of it; they r»Uied their forces and mustered so strong that Ministers had to partake of (hat most distasteful of dishes known as 'humble pie/ and to crave the permission of the House to withdraw their pet ineaeure. Weak and ill ad vised in introducing it they displayed still greater weakness in the lamentable attempt they made at fighting in support of it, and weakest Of all was the cry of Peccavi that arose from the lips of those who, it is now patent to all, will sacrifice anything and everything raiher than lose their seats on tue Treasury Beaches with all the advantages, pecuniary and otherwise, that pertain thereto. It is strange and yet it is not atraage how a disaster occurring in our own immediate neighborhood completely supplant* in our mindseveuts of far greater importance that are taking place at the other end of the world. Op to the middle of last week the first part of the newspaper at which the reader looked wus that usually devoted to European telegrums, in the hope of finding gome fresh and perhaps excitiug intelligeuce from the seat of war in the East. But I lieu the wires told us of a shipwreck on our coast, aud this was quickly loliowed by the news that two boats, one lull of strong and hearty men the other of wotneu and children, were missing, mid, for all we knew to the contrary, were drilling about oa the ocean, while those they contained were perhaps starving to deuth. What did we fctieu care for the opposing armies in Turkey ? The uews of a battle ia which perhaps scores of thousands had

been killed and wounded would have fallen flatly on ears so long as we were still in suspense regarding those boata and their occupants. Steamers went out io search, and Hobart Pasha and his fleet of ironclads faded into insignificance before the cruiaings of Whitwell Pasha in that well known wavebruiser the Lyttelton. And then the boats were found, but still two men were missing, and, nutil they were recovered, the movements of Melikoff, of Suleiman Bay, or of Osman Pasha were as nothing to us compared with the wanderings of poor " Jemmy Ducks " on that inhospitable island. But we have now got amongst us all of whose existence we were once in doubt, and once more we are prepared to read with interest or horror, aa the case may be, of bloody battles and cruel massacres. A queer world ia this, with its strange mixture of hopes and fears, and wishes and disappointments. I was rather proud when I read in the papers a short time ago that Nelson had reached such an advanced stage that the bell at the head Fire Brigade elation was in future to be rung by water power; that all that was required to be done was to turn a tap, and immediately there would arise such a clatter as would fill our streets with a bewildered crowd, and summon the firemen frem their customary employments to check the ravages of the devouring element. But I was a little disappointed on Thursday last when, happening as it did that I was in the neighborhood of the Station, I witnessed the effect produced by that very simple process of turning the tap. Under circumstances so serious I know that i ought not to have laughed, and yet I did laugb, and so did many others when we saw the clapper set in motion. With praiseworthy vigor it went for the side of the bell, flew back to its normal position, and returned to the charge again, registering I don't know how many strokes in a minute, but unfortunately so finely was the mechanism adjusted that clapper and bell did not meet by at least an inch, and all the poor clapper's energy and labor were completely wasted. Did you ever hail across a street a friend who, suffering from a violeut cold, had completely lost his voice, and watch his efforts to reply? By the motion of his lips you could see that he was doing all in hia power to make you hear, but not an audible sound could he utter. That was what was the matter with the bell. If the tongues of gossips that sometimes wag just as freely as did that of the bell were productive of as small results how much better we should all get on together. I should have liked to be able to pronounce the water power as applied to the firebell a success, but until the next alarm I am afraid I cannot do so. "How were you steering?" asked the lawyer. " Sou' sou' east half eaßt " replied the sailor. And then the lawyer examined the chart, and looked as though he had taken in the whole situation at a glance, and was about to shape the course of his examination accordingly. I have a suggestion to muke, based upon observations taken in Court during the last two days. It is that when the lawyer has finished questioning the sailor on matters connected with navigation, the sailor should have his turn, and put his examiner through bis facings on points of law. One course would be just as reasonable as the other, while out of the latter a good deal more fun would be obtained than is to be extracted from the enquiry now going on in the Provincial Hall. The proceeds of the entertainment, which would draw well if freely advertised, might be handed ever to the Queen Bos Relief Fund. F.