THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 77, 30 March 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

That* was a curious piece of news that reached us .. yesterday tb the effect that tlie Emperor of. Itussia bad suddenly fallen in love with . iiis late foe; and liad proposed to heir to become his political .wife, thjii they shohl'd hfehtifeforth snare each other's joys and sorrows, and become joined together for better for worse. What have they been cutting one another's throats for for the last nine months if there existed between them that sympathy and affection which now prompt the mighty C'sifir to desire ,to bring siboutthis ptopQs&d holy uniori. Were the hijseries arid sufferings endured by the Turks in Plevna, the thousands of lives lost in the Gravitza Redoubt and in the Shipka Passwere all these needed to prove to Turks and Russians how dearly they loved oue another? Were the torrents .of blood that have been shed since the Dan Übe, wag crossed absolutely necessary to cement the friendship thafc we now are told exists between the conqueror and the conquered? With what heart would all those brave fellows whose lives have been sacrificed have fought had tliey known what was to be the result of all the courage and endurance they displayed? lieally oiie is at a loss to uuderstand the why and the wherefore of the quarrel that has been so difficult of settlement between the two. It could not have arisen out of a desire for aggrandisement on the part of Russia, because the Emperor told the world over and over again that auch a wish never existed in his breast, and we aro bound to believe him; because! although we may occasionally find adepts in fche art of humbug among colonial statesmen we should never think of looking for ifc in European potentates. And; yet jusfc a suspicion of its existence, even in the high places of the earth must cross the mind if we turn to the manifesto to the Bulgarians issued by the Autocrat of all the Russias. Ifc may be remembered that in thafc famous document he made use of the followiug words :~" With humility I pray our Lord to grant us the victory over the enemies of Christianity, and to send down His blessings upon our just cause." Has he just discovered that he then labored uuder a misapprehension— that the Turks, witb whom he uow so earnestly desires to be united, are nofc " enemies of Christianity," that his was not "a jusfc cause ; " or what is the reason of the change from hatred to love ? These are secret, perhaps, iuto which we have no right to pry. AU that is necessary for us to know is thafc the Czar and the Sultan have exchanged compliments since the fighting ceased ; that the Grand Duke Nicholas has paid a friendly ' visit to His Majesty of Turkey ; aud that the brave soldiers who were recently doing their best to slaughter one another are now, at the bidding of their respective masters, to become loving brothers. This is a queer world indeed ! If by marriage, men, instead of women, were to change their names, I don't believe that a single bachelor in Nclson who is unfortunate enough to answer to a name beginning with an "A" would remain unmarried for another month, for the penalty of bearing such a surname is too great to be borne with equanamity so long as theDistricfc Court Act remains in force in this parfc of the colony. That Act provides that the jury list shall be gone through alphabetically, beginning at the commencement each year. Now, as there are sufficient "A's" to keep the panel supplied, ifc follows that those who head the list have to do all the jury work in the civil branch of the Court. The " B's " may, perhaps, feel a little nervous towards the end of the year lest their turn should come, but the " Cs," and all wbo follow them, have reason to feel grateful to their fathers aud mothers for having provided them wifch names that- free them from a very disagreeable duty. Those who are at all likely to become involved in a lawsuit in the District Court should take especial care to keep on good terms with every man in the place, the initial letter of whose name is "A." We occasionally see some ludicrous scenes in our law courts, but we have nofc yet iu Nelsou the' equal of one thafc was enacted in Wellington a few days ago. In a certain case one of tho lawyers asked that the witnesses might be ordered to leave the Court. The counsel on the other side objected to one of his men beiug sent out, whereupon a long and tough argument followed. After this bad lasted some time, the Magistrate decided thafc all must leavs. They did so except the one on whose account the objection had been raised, who stolidly retained his seat. So the crier went up to him with an authoritative air, and said in a loud whisper " You must leave the Court." The man addressed stirred not an inch; " You must; leave the Court," repeated the official in a much louder tone. Not a move. "You must; leave the Court," roared the crier, now really angry. "Eh," said the man as he raised, his hand to his ear. Then for the first time did it dawn upon the minds of all who were present thafc this unfortunate witness who wa3 ordered oufc lest he should hear what was giveu in evidence by others was as deaf as a doorpost. Lawyers sometimes get up quarrels about* trifles, but this is the first instance to my knowledge of an argument whether a stone deaf man ought to-be moved out of hearing distance. E.