The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1878.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 188, 6 August 1878, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1878.

" The speech contained hardly one original idea, but was applauded at the close," This is what the special reporter of the Auckland Star, an out and out supporter of the Ministry, telegraphs regarding Mr Seymour George's speech in moving the address in reply. The Hokitika people elected Mr George solely because he was the nephew of his uncle, and the House of Representatives applauded his utterances apparently for the same reason. What other could there be for expressing approbation of a speech that contained " hardly one original idea ? " There was the hardest frost in Nelson last night that has been known for some time. The thermometer this morning was found to have registered as low as 27 degi A correspondent, writing from Wellington, saya :—" Political affairs are calm in the extreme. There are strong hopes of a short session, but no man knows." Telegraphic communication with Europe is temporarily suspended, the Port Darwin line being down north of the Charlotte Waters. On the last occasion of a break in the communication it was found to have been caused by the natives having taken the wires off the insulators in two or three places and so allowed them to droop on to the ground. An important resolution, to be moved by Mr Curtis, in connection with the constitution of the legislative Council will be found in our telegraphic column. This is, probably, the immediate outcome of the Honorable John Martin's elevation to the Upper House, although Mr Curtis has for a long time entertained strong opinions in favor of some such change as that advocated in his notice of motion. We are requested to call attention to an error which appeared in the Town Clerk's advertisement regarding the appointment of Trafalgar street north as a public market, it being stated that a charge would be made for admission. This is a miatake, as admission will be free. A concentrated essence of all the vilest stinks that ever entered into the nose of man was manufactured at the gasworks last night, and wafted thence through the pipes into the rooms and offices of all those who were unfortunate enough to be dependent upon that source for light. Such a head-ache-producing abomination was probably never concocted before. The price of the article is fourteen and twopence per 1000 feet. A team from the Naval Brigade proceeded to Stoke yesterday in a four-wheeled conveyance for the purpose of firing a match with the Stoke Rifles. The weather was not at all conducive to good shooting, consequently only average scores were made. The match resulted in favor of the local men, who beat the Blue Jackets by 47 points. Turtles are being imported into Auckland now by the mail steamers from Honolulu. We have to acknowledge the receipt from London of a pamphlet containing the full text of the address recently delivered by Sir Julius Vogel at the Royal Colonial Institute on " New Zealand and the South Sea Islands and their relation to the Empire." We have already published extracts from the address, which appeared in a briefer form in The Colonies. Thh question of connecting the east and went coasts of this island by a railway has recently been agitated by the Hokitika people. In commenting upon it the G. R. Agrus says :— " We cannot now avoid an invitation to the constituency of Hokitika to compare the practical letter of Mr FitzGerald on this question with the wretched puerile exhibition made in the J House by the member whom they elected (Mr Seymour George.) Here there is a large and important question at issue, and the representative of one portion of the population interested knows nothing whatever about it, and probably about anything else. He siti in the House simply with a label round his neck, marked 'Hokitika.' It is a sad Btate of things, and we fancy our neighbors will find it out before long."