The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1878.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 142, 13 June 1878, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1878.

The people of the Waimea, as will be seen by our report of the meeting held at Spring Grove last week, have determined on taking active steps to procure the erection of a bridge over the Wairoa river on or near the siteof the old one which was recently pulled down under instructions from the Government. The need being so great, and the money having been faithfully promised by Sir George Grey on his recent visit to Nel sou upon the solitary condition that the loan should first be floated, the deputation that it is proposed to send to Wellington should have no difficulty in inducing the Premier to redeem his promise. Subscriptions for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the deputation are to be raised in the Waimea, and every resident in the district we should imagiue, will contribue his mite without hesitation.

At the Magistrates' Court yesterday, in the case of Callan v. Martin and others, which was not concluded when we went to press, judgment, was given for the plaintiff for 17s, the amount paid iuto Court, each party to pay his own costs.— Pettit v. Thomas Harley. In this case the plaintiff sued to recover £15 damages on account of the breach of an agreement to exchange horses. Mr Bunny appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Pitt for the defendant. From the evidence it appeared that the agreement was entered into by the parties and then repudiated by Mr Harley in the midst of a considerable amount of quarrelling and confusion at the Turf Hotel on the evening of the Queen's Birthday. The evidence being somewhat conflicting the Bench decided to nonsuit the plaintiff.

At a meeting of the members of the Naval Brigade, held after parade last evening, it was decided that their annual dinner should take place on Wednesday, the 26th instant at the Nelson Hotel.

The following Local Committees hare been elected in Golden Bay :— For Takaka : Messrs Abbott, Bow, Cann, Cook, Haldanej J. Page, and W. Page. For Motupipi :' Messrs Ellis, G. C. Gilbert, Manson, Moulder P. Packard, and K. Packard.

There will be a tea and public meeting in the Baptist Church this evening, tea to be on the table at 6 - 15.

Tub Harmonic Society will give their quarterly concert at the Provincial Hall this evening. The first part will consist of sacred music, and the second of miscellaneous selections.

A meeting of persons interested in the formation of an Athletic Club, will be held at the Masouic Hotel this evening, at eight o'clock.

An action of some importance was concluded in Sydney yesterday. The New Zealand Insurance Company having a policy on the ship Oceanus had reinsured to the extent of £1500 with the South Australian Company. The ship was lost, and the South Australian refused to recognise their liability on the ground that certain information in connection with the insurance had been held back by the New Zealand Company. Two other companies in which re-insurances were |effected paid their losses without demur. The New Zealand Company therefore sued the South Australian, and a telegram was received from Sydney to-day stating that they had obtained a verdict for the amount claimed with interest and costs.

With reference to a gentleman well known in Nelson the G. E. Argus says:— The Rev. Mr Kempthorne arrired at Ahauraon Thursday last, having journeyed overland fron? Nelson. He preached his first sermon at Ahaura on Friday evening to a large congregation who had assembled to welcome their new pastor. The impressive manner in which Mr Kempthorne delivered his sermon and conducted the service, has left a very favorable impression upon his hearers. After the monthly inspection of the lown and Port Volunteers last night, at which 162 were present, the Yen Archdeacon Inorpe, the Chaplain of the Artillery Company, who is about to Jeare for

Wellington, bade farewell to the Volunteers in the following words :— " Officers and Men of the Nelson Volunteers, I am glad to avail myself of this opportunity of addressing you. I have to thank you for the \iniform courtesy and kindness that I have met with at your hands. It is but little that I have been able to do as Chaplain of one of your corps -not so much as I had promised myself. But this much I have done, I hate done my best to show you respect. Thei'c ai'e, necessarilyj a'ome who, hot Knowing the importance of your organisation, and misunderstanding your spirit, smile at your parades and your drill. You must not be surprised at this. Twenty years ago the volunteer movement iv Euglaud excited like contempt, but it has outgrown this stage, and in the words, of a great authority, Sir Garnet, Wolseleyj the volunteer force is now regarded as an important element of the national military strength. In the last returns maile to Parliament, the volunteer force of England figures as 120,000, irrespective of half a milliou who have passed through the drill, and may be depended upon to come forward in the event of an emergency. Now it is conceded, the Times tells us, that " no Genera} can affect tb deSpise the volunteers, no Minister of Waif can afford to dispense with them." They have won this position for themselves in the face of great difficulties. The satisfaction is that your organisation is for the purpose of defence, the defence of the weak against the strong, than which there cannot be a more religious duly. Within the last few months it has become apparent that the volunteers in the Colonies hold an important position. It is not too much to say that the eye 3of Europe are turned in the present critical juncture of affairs to England's Colonies; and the question is, are they prepared to defend themselves? Ido not doubt what answer will be returned. But suffer me to draw attention to one essential point of efficiency, attention to details. lam older than most of you, and yet I am daily learning the absolute necessity of ruling our lives in little things if we would attain success. Thi3 remark is eminently true of your profession. Again I thank you, and assure you that I leave your body with regret, and shall always feel a deep interest in the welfare of tito Nelson volunteers."

On our fourth page will befoundan article copied from the World, in which a serious charge is alleged to have been made againgfc the Duke of Edinburgh. This having appeared in the Wellington Post, the following letter was addressed to that paper by Commander Hewitt, R.N. .'--"Silt— Seeing an article in your paper of Saturday last, which reflects discredit on 11.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh as a Captain iv her Majesty's navy, allow me, as au officer who has served with H.11.H., to express my belief that it is most unlikely that he has done anything derogatory to his character Officers iv her Majesty's navy, though entrusted with much confidential information, were not put on oath when I last served afloat, but simply told it was confidential and not to be divulged. It is very hard that Lieut. Prince Louis, of Battanberg, cannot receive a visit from his brother, who is A.D.O. to a Russian General, without a charge being brought against his captain of infringing the rules of the service; Any one may see the action of a Whitehead's torpedo., and be shown the method of exploding it, and they won't be much the wiser. And I suppose those who delight in fiuding scandals for the Radicals, have trumped this story up out of this.— l am. Ac , J. Dudley It. Hewitt, Commander, R.N." In sparsely settled districts, where medical aid is often difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain, it is extremely desirable for families to have in the house some reliable medicinal restorative. Being widely comprehensive in its cuiative operation, perfectly pure, uudeterLrating, and recommended by the medical faculty, Udolpho Wolfk's Scuikuam Aromatic Scunapps.— Advt.