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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 171, 19 July 1879, Page 2

Mr Florence, the leading tenor of the English Opera Company* has been distinguishing himself in Wellington. The Opera was " H.M.S. Pinafore, 1 ' and tbe house was packed from floor to ceiling, and this is what the Post has to say about Mr Florence :— A more scandalous performance we n«>vfer had the misfortune to witness. He either never knew or had utterly forgotten his part, and for other reasons also ought not to have been allowed to appear at all. Such notes or words as he did manage to bring forth might just as well have been omitted, both being incomprehensible, owing to the thickness of bis voice and the indistinctness of his utterances, while during most of his time he either wandered aimlessly about the stage, indulging in uncouth and meaningless gesticulations, or else stood with folded arms grinning vacantly before him The audience bore it patiently for a time, in compassion for the other performers, but before long the general indignation could not be repressed, and a perfect storm of hisses burst forth from all parts of the house, on which the tenor impudently returned thanks. The first act closed hurriedly, amid tremendous uproar, and many of the audience left at once. The first half of the second act went capitally, but directly Mr Florence came on again he instantly upset everything, and pnt all the others out. The consequence was that the public indignation again broke forth, and reached such a pitch that the performance was brought to an abrupt termination for fear of an actual riot, and the curtain hastily dropped to an accompaniment of hisses, hootings, groans, and yells such as never has been heard in that Theatre before. The following London telegrams appeared in the Post:— The depressed state of agriculture throughout the country has beeu seriously occupying the attention of the Government. A debate on the subject took took place in the House of Commous when it was pointed out that large numbers of fanners throughout the Country wete carrying on business at a heavy 1033, and that owing to the competition of America and other causes, it was absolutely impossible under the existing state of affairs for them to make a fair living. The House decided to appoint a Minister for Agriculture to inquire into the causes of the present depression, and to take all possible steps with a view of providing a remedy. — There has been an extraordinary prevalence of wet weather this summer. Floods have occurred in various parts of the country, and cereal crops have suffered severely. By direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury prayers for fine weather are being offered in all the churches.— Cape Town news received via telegraph from Madeira to the 24th inst., states that the Court of Enquiry summoned to investigate the circumstances connected with the death of the Prince Imperial, and his alleged desertion by Captain Carey when he was surrounded by the Zulus, has terminated its sittings. The Court censured Captain Carey for his conduct.— A general advance upon tbe enemy has taken place by the British Forces under the command of Lord Chelmsford. — Angry scenes have taken place in the House of Commous during the debate on the Government " Discipline Bill." Yielding to the determined staud taken up by the Irish members, supported by some of the Extreme Radicals among tbe English members, the Government ultimately consented to tbe insertion of a clause by whicn flogging in the army is virtually abolished During the excited discussions that took place on the subject, several of the Radicals repudiated Lord Hartington as being the leader of their party. The effect has been to create a deal of division and disorganisation among the Liberal forces, which lately had been growing in strength and compactness. The Countess of Waldegrave is dead. Mr Seymour George has given notice of his intention to ask the Colonial Treasurer the following interesting questions:—" (1) The total estimated value of land in the colony, as valued by the land-tax valuer under ' The Land Tax Act, 1878 ; ' (2) the total estimated value of land in the colony taxable under the Act ; (3) the number of persons who hold land in the colony, and are taxable under the Act, and the total amount of tax payable by them ; (4) the number of persons who hold land in the colony, but are exempted from the land tax, under the exemption clause of the said Act ? " We have not "heard anything of Te Whit for some days, but he still appears to be at bis old games, as will be seen by the following telegram to the Wanganui Herald, dated New Plymouth, July 14 :— About 200 natives passed through the town this morning on their way to the Parihaka meeting. It is looked forward to as one of very great importance, for the matter connected with the ploughing is to be settled. The following are Te Whiti's views on the subject, as stated to one of the natives who visited him : — " The ploughing has been a great success. The pin has been used to some purpose, and the Governnent has been initiated into advancing me another step towards my final destination ; but before all these they shall lay hands on you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers (Government), for my name's sake. All the prisoners should be sent to Wellington, to complete and make plain the scripture text. But that is a small matter. The next step will be a more difficult one aud they (the Maoris) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled." The next meeting will decide this point. The present idea is that the " pin " will be applied again to bring this about, whether in the shape of ploughing or otherwise still lies in the womb of time. That some Maoris are to die by the edge of the sword as the next scene in the drama seems at present to be looked forward to. Numbers are of no consequence, from 1 to 1000 being immolated. Mr Joubert, of Sydney, says that he could have bought in Paris for £28,000 an iron building which would cover seven acres of ground, and similar to the Exhibition building, in which the New South Wales Court was placed. William Dawson is the name of a poor Quaker shoemaker in Spiceland, Indiana, who is an excellent astronomer, who has made his own telescope, and for twenty years has furnished the Smithsonian Institution with valuable observations It is easy to work with a bright prospect of great reward immediately before one's eyes. But the world is not so constituted as to admit of this as a general thing. Large diamonds do not lay scattered around promiscuously on the face of the earth where anyone may stretch forth his hand and pick them up. They have to be delved for— not only iv the dark but in the majority of cases in uncertainty. The Sandwich Island Government have arranged with the well-known English house of Janion and Co. to bring to the islands I °;°M I ™ mi 8» nt «*«"n Madeira. Twoahipa with 550 are on th« way.

Abrocie colossal statute of Dr Livingstone with a bible in one hand and cap in the other, has been received in Glasgow. The cost of the statute was £2000.

"What "asked Mr Steele, "is meant by •his native air ? ' " The intelligent boy promptly replied, "The 'air of his own 'cad." Experimental philosophy is illustrated when a man tries to borrow money from a friend, natural philosophy when a friend refused.

A Vacaville parson lost 106 manuscript sermons in a fire recently, and his long suffering flock gratefully raised his salary immediately.

The Mayor of a country town, conceiving that the word clause was in the plural nUtnber, wotlld often talk of a claw in an Act of Parliament.

■ "It iz the little bits ov things that fret and worry us," says Josh Bill ingaj " we kan dodge an elephant, but we kant a fly."