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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 201, 23 September 1878, Page 2

. Six tenders were received for the erection of a building for a Sunday School in Shel-bourne-street in connection with Christ Church. That of Mr J. Scott for £253 was accepted. The Committee are still in want of funds for the completion of the building, and assistance will be gratefully received by them. J

We understand that the tender of Mr J. Gilbertson for £313 for erecting a Court House at Motueka has been accepted. We regret to learn that Mr Patterson of Christchurch, who had been appointed to the head mastership of the Bridge-street school, has at the last moment declined to come. It appears that rather than lose his services the authorities at Christchurch decided to offer him an increase of salary, to his own advantage no donbt, but, judging from "what we have heard of him, we should say to the'great loss of Nelson.

A very large concourse of people of all denominations assembled at the Presbyterian Church last evening, when the Rev P. Calder delivered a lecture on " John Ivnox and his Life Surroundings." The rev. gentleman took his text from Hebrews, chap, xi., the last two words of the 32nd, aud first clause ot the 33rd verses:— "The prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms." From these words Mr Calder delivered an eloquent lecture. He gave an elaborate history of the life of the great Reformer, and touched upon the dangers and privations which Knox was subjected to during those troublous times of the sixteenth century. It was a flowing and richly colored lecture, and abounded in choice quotations from men and journals of the time. It had been carefully prepared, and a deal of time and hard study must have been devoted to the preparation of ifc. The peroration was a masterpiece of oratory, and the array of facts, the poetic tropes, and burning earnestness of the lecturer held his listeners enthralled for the forty-one minutes during which the lecture lasted.

The anniversary installation and investiture of office bearers iv connection with the Trafalgar Royal Arch Chapter of Freemasons will take place this evening. As there has been a good deal of talk about copper of late the following extract from the Australasian Trade Review of the 2nd nsfc,, will prpbably be interesting tp tnany of

our readers -.-Some more large sales of copper have taken place in London during the past month 1 . The first sale; cbnsistiug of 53£ tons In cakes and t$ ttins -» ingots; wds cbiki uc'tfcd tty MBs&r& Mri^s ftrid SfaakSslieMe, bt Lonubn and. Liverpool;, Tills jidppcr was di^idied into (J7 lots,, which' ...were, \h\t up w.jtnoiit reserve. The bidding opened rather slack fHr hdkeOi at ifbi «M fjaitf'-ußli.v Mvanded up to A 174 17s Cd. Cakes were sold at about £73 5s per ton. The next sale was of 300 tons of Burra Burra copper; the lowest price given was £70 10s, and the highest realised was £71 2s Gd. Next followed the sale of 330 tons of Australian cake, and <)2 of ingots. Attention was called to the fact that an analysis of the copper received .'it ihe Mi'orivitifj bl'o.wed thfj copper conteuts to be 'J9.05 per cent. There wii 3 some hesitation in bidding at first, but eventualy £G5 10s was obtained. Several lots of the " Cobar " brand were withdrawn. The ingots realised £G8 10s. The largest buyers at the sales were Birmingham manufacturers.

According to Dr Skae's report the number of lunatics in the various Asylums in the colony on the dlst December) 18^7, was 672, of whom 381 were males and 2SI females! This is an jubrcase, of §i over ttie prfeviqtia year, iv Nelson the nuuibers were, males 32, females 18. The largest number is in Dunedin, where there are 173 males and 7G

A special prize of 20s, for the lad who will produce the longest string of dead sparrows at the Northern Agricultural Show, at liangiora, is said to have been offered- by the committee appointed to draw up the special prize list.

News has been received by the Suez mail that the Colonial Investment Company of New Zealand, capital half a million, hasbeeu successfully floated in Scotland. Mr T. K. Ritchie, of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, has been appointed general-manager of the company for this Colony. " Sinbad," the sporting contributor to the Christchurch Press publishes the following extract from a letter from a correspondent ! — " The first race that ever took place in Nelson was won by George Duppn, Es<}.,.the course being in what is now the town itself, viz., round Church Hill, and finishing where the Union Bank stands. The winner rode a well-bred horse, imported by his owner from Twofold Bay. I may mention that in the same ship Mr Duppa also brought over some splendid cattle, from which many of the best animals in the Kelson province are descended. I have been a constant attendant at race meetings ever since, aud have never seen better sport than when the field comprised such animals as Zoe, Zingara, Symphony, Strop, &c. They were all good stayers and honest racers, and you never could tell which would win till the judge's decision was given, as there was seldom more than a ueck between them.