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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 268, 12 November 1877, Page 2

The Argus of Saturday says :—Parliamentary work is becoming excellent fooling. The House of Representatives, by a majority, has found the Governor guilty of a breach of its privilege. We submit : although a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. Weaker reasons, to be put forward in the shape of reasons at all, were never submitted to a deliberative assembly than those embodied in the Committee's report ; Henry IV. and some bad French in 1401 as a precedent for New Zealand in 1877— what next ? But the House is the guardian of its own privilege, and there is no appeal from its decision. Be it so. Yet more remains behind. The Governor's offence consists in knowing what was under discussion in the House, and turning his knowledge to account as a reason for refusing to adopt a certain recommendation of his responsible advisers. But, it appears, these responsible advisers have been guilty of a worse breach of constitutional practice in making public what passed between them and the Governor, Cabinet business is private. Communications between the Crown and the Premier are privileged, at least until the consent of both parties is obtained to publication. Here then is the old story of the engineer being hoist with his own petard. The Government had no objection to have a sly shot at the Governor, but iii taking it they have exposed themselves to the range of a whole battery. We have hardly yet heard the last of this affair. Meanwhile, days pass on, and business is utterly neglected.

With regard to the two mares Lurllne aud Calumny, "Augur" the "Australasian's sporting correspondent who recently visited New Zealand says:— " Having inspected a beautiful foal by the Peer from the imported mare Nevada, we turned our footsteps towards the two New Zealanders, both of whom were easily distisguished by their white blazes. Lurline allowed us to get quite close to ber, but Calumny was not so friendly, and moved away at our approach, Lurline's son was lying down, but as he jumped up and ran to his mother's side, quite a bu?z of admiration escaped the visitors, for he threw all tha other foals in the shade. He is a chesnut.t with the white blaze of the Traducer family stamped upon his face, and one of his hind feet ia also white. He lias excellent shoulders, pleuty of strength over the back, the same wonderful drooping quarters as his dam, and a plentiful supply of bone. Most of those present had moved amongst stock, for more than half their lives, and they were unanimous in pronouncing this one of the grandest foals that had ever come under their observation. Calumny's colt is a bay, with a white streak like Manuka's down the face. Being some days younger than hia.chestnut relative, he suffered by comparison ia point of size, but not. in symmetry, and coming from a mare whose deeds astonished the Australians, so promising a youngster i 3 bound to have a large number of friends," New Zealanders will look forward with no small interest to the performances of these two youngsters, bred as they are by a horse wtio, in Peeress and Manuka, has left his mark in New Zealand, and their dams being our old favorites Lurline and Calumuy. The following particulars of the recent sad and sudden death of Mr Keeley, comedian, appear in the " New Zealand Times" :— A few minutes before ten o'clock as the first act of the burlesque of " AH Baba" was being performed at St. George's Hall, Mr Charles Keeley the leading comedian, who was taking his part in the piece, and playing it remarkably well, was seen, as he left the stage at the close of the first act, to stagger as if in a faiuting fit. Assistance was at once rendered, and an attempt was made to get him to swallow a little brandy and water; but be could only touch it with hia lips, and was evidently dying. He wgs removed to the lower room of rhe building, and medical aid was procured; but on the arrival of Dr Bradford, who came almost immediately life was pronounced extiuct. Mr Iveeley never spoke after leaving the stage. He leaves a wife, but, we understand, no family. Immediately af tea the melancholy occurrence, Mr Cary, the manager, announced that there would be no further performance that evening nor on the following one.

A contributor to an English horticultural magaziue writes to the Garden as follows;— " While visiting the fine old garden at Fordell near Inverkeithzng, the other day, I was delighted to see in a clump on the terrace lawn lying to the south of the old Castle, a fine specimen of New Zealand flax in flower. It has produced two spikes 9ft high, each spike being furnished with about 18 clusters of reddish-brown flowers. The leaves, which are upright, are about 5 Jft long. This plant has been growing in its present situation for about 25 years, and this is the first time it has ever shown flower; it is, too, the first plant of the kind that I ever saw in bloom iv the open the open air in Scotland.?'

A most extraordinary haul of garflsh was made by a fisherman in the Lower Harbor Port Chalmers, a few days ago. No fewer that 100 dozen were brought to town, nearly all full grown fish, * J