THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 215, 19 October 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The late Ministry receeived the name of the "Continuous Government," from the fact of there having been no radical change in it for seven years. Members of it went, and members of it came, but the Government, as such, went on as though there had been no alteration, the changes that took place being those of individuals not of the whole body. To the present one the most fitting epithet that I can think of is the " Wont-go-out Govern ment.' ; It is rather amusing to look back at the session that is now drawing to a close and to see what the Ministry that was fairly bursting with promises during the recess has accomplished. A Land Tax Bill that is jibout as unsatisfactory and half and half a sort of measure as could well be conceived has certainly been passed. So has an Electoral Bill that nobody wanted and nobody seemed to care for, one" of the main reasons for the introduction of which seems to have been the grauting to Mr Sheehan's pets— the Maoris— double the elective power granted to their white neighbors, But the particular clause which provided for this has been struck out by the Legislative Council at the request of the constituencies that it was proposed to swamp by crowding the rolls with Native names. The Government, under the guidance of Mr Sheehan, fought hard for the Maoris— or it may be for the benefits that they themselves were to derive from the Maori vote— hut they have been beaten. They were beaten in a division on the beer tax, and instead of fighting the question out they picked up the Bill and ran away with it to a pigeon hole where they poked it away out of sight; they were not beaten on the Joint Stock Companies Bill, but only because they would not risk a defeat, but bolted before the engagement, being perfectly content to lay this "main principle" in the same depository to which the other had been consigued. As 1 saw it humorously described in some paper the other day, they vowed they would staud or iall on their measures, bub upon after consideration they did not care to risk losiug their seats on tfte Tres^ury benches, so they adopted the middle course; they didn't stand, they didn't fall. They sat. The Railway Constructions Bill was the next move, and Mr Macandrew was to have a whole lot of millions to spend iv Otago. But {t leaked out that the majority of $he members were stupid enough to question th,e propriety of handing over such a pile to the Minister for Public Works, So the boastful Ministry that roared like a lion at the commencement of the session submitted with lamblike gentleness, and decided to accept the decision of their opponents as indicating a wiser course that that they had proposed to pursue. If anybody had three months ago predicted such a complete collapse of the Grey Government he would have been laughed at. Another instance of how little we kuow what a mouth or two may brim' forUi. * fe

All mcf It must have been a sorrowful wedding where sighs appear to have- been so frequent as at one recently celebrated at Melbourne, which is thus, announced in the Australasian under the head of " Marriages"; —"Ait Louhy— Au Pino.— On the 18th inst., at the Manse, West Melbourne, by the Key. J. G. Stobbs. M.A.Ah Louey, merchant, of Jericho and Melbourne, to Anuie Ah Ping daughter of William Ah Ping." lv looking over the advertisements in a newspaper the other day Angelina noticed the announcement by an importer of Yankee notions that he had ' ; moustache protectors " for sale. Now Angelina is young and pretty, and a great favorite with the other sex. Her curiosity was excited by the advertisement, and oue day she watched the shop until it was empty, and then tripped in and surprised the man behind the counter by iisking to be ahoivn a moustache protector lie looked .'it her in astonishment. iNot a sisru even of down was there on (hose pretty pouting lips. What could she want with such :in article? However, lie showed her one, but it did not come up to the ideal she had formed of a " moustache protector." " What's thai for, how ja \t used?" she asked, jt was ex-1 plained that \t was for covering the mous^ tache .when the weaver was talcing soup or drinking any liquor with froth on it. "Oh that's not what I wanted at all," she said; <<i thought"— this with a charuiiug little blush

— 'it was a protection against other people's moustache." The quick-witted shopman took iv the situation at once, aud readily replied, «•' The invention of such an article as you require, Miss, is entirely beyond the reach of even Yankee ingenuity, and h likely to remain so as long as there are faces like yours in the world." Angelina blushed more deeply, but not augrily, and left without a protector. p