The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1879.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 230, 9 October 1879, Page 2

The Ne lson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1879.

A telegram of a rather curious nature has couie under our notice. It was addressed on Thursday last, the day before the division, to Mr Pitt, by forty Nelson electors, aud ran thu3 : — " Swong feeling here now that, if Hall obtains power, Nelson may bid farewell to its railway for some time. We feel the present is a good opportunity to obtain a genuine guarantee from Government to construct the railway in return for supporting them now. Will you, if requested, obtain guarantee, and tupport Government ? Have telegraphed Premier." Then follow the forty signatures. It is somewhat strange that the " strong feeling " alluded to in the foregoing hits been so severely kept within bounds, and has never fouud expression except in this quietly got up telegram and in a letter which appeared in our contemporary last week, but so it is. and, if the feeling ever did exist at all outside the forty and one, we may be excused if we suggest that it was at least an exaggeration to apply to it the adjective "stroug." Among the sign* tures iippended are the names of some who, we really think, must have attached them without duly considering what they were doing. In the first place, what has Mr Pitt ever done that he should have been regarded as one likely to eat his own words and to cast to the winds the pledges and promises he had made only a month previously in his various addresses to the electors ? Had such a telegram been addressed to Mr Shepbard we could have understood it, but Mr Pitt is generally looked upon as a loyal man and true, aud it was unfair to him to entertain for one moment the bare suspicion that he would be fouud faithless to the trust reposed in him by the 499 who elected him as an opponent of Sir George Grey. Then, supposing—and even in the supposition we feel that we are doing Mr Pitt an injustice— that he had been weak enough to ignore his promises and to become a supporter where he had pledged himself to be an opponent, in what position would Nelson have found herself ? As a matter of fact she would have been reduced to a nullity, her two members voting in opposite directions, one for and one against the Ministry. But Mr Pitt was not to be so easily led astray, and with an equanimity and an amount of good temper that under the circumstances were surprising he quietly replied :-"i?e railway telegram just received. Have no faith in any promise if made by present Government being fulfilled. Had satisfactory iuterview several days ago with leader of Opposition re railway— ALßtßr Pitt." We have referred to the telegram of the forty as having been "quietly got up," our reason for saying so being that those who took the most active part in securing Mr Pitt's election were uot consulted with regard to the course it was proposed to pursue, and it was only by the merest accident that Mr Levestani the chairman of Mr Pitt's Committee, heard of what was being done, whereupon he at once telegraphed to that gentleman as fol lows:— "Rumored that you have been wired to support Grey. Have nothing to do with it. Committee never consulted." This did not reach Mr Pitt until he had sent the reply quoted above, but in addition to the assurance then given he telegraphed to Mr Leveatam.— " Graham and others telegraphed me yesterday. I remain staunch to election pledges." This is just the sort of reply we should have expected from Mr Pitt, and the only wonder is that there should have been found in Nelson forty men who hoped that he could be induced to be otherwise than " stauuch to his election pledges." The telegram to the Premier we have not bad an opportunity of perusing, but if it was anything like that to Mr Pitt it must have been a rare gem of its kind. The Messenger inquiry, which was adjourned yesterday in order to allow Mr Bunny, the counsel for the captain, to appear in several cases in which he was engaged in the Magistrates' Court, got uuder way again this morning, and may possibly come to an anchor finally to night. Ix the Magistrates' Court yesterday afternoon after^ our reporter left, the case of Harper v. Gill was heard, in wbich the plaintiff sought to recover £15, the value of three pigs alleged to have beea wrongfully taken by the defendant from the plaintiff's residence at Wakapuaka. It appeared that Mrs Harper had sold the pigs, but her authority to do so was denied by the plaintiff. Judgment was given for the defendant with costs £2 7s. " H M.S. Pinafork " was repeated at the Theatre Royal last night, when the members of the Company, having recovered from the effects of their sea trip, were in far better voice than on the previous night. This was especially noticeable in Miss Leaf, the sweetness of whose voice was displayed to far greater advantage last night than on Tuesday. For to-night there is a most liberal bill of fare, including, as it does " The Sorcerer " and " Trial by Jury," the latter or which was so successfully given here by a company of local amateurs about twelve months ago. As " The Sorcerer " has never been represented here it may not be out of place to indicate briefly the plot, which i 3by no means complicated. A philanthropic {,'a.xrdsmao, Alexis Pointdextre, who is betrothed to Alioe Sanpazure, anxious that as many as possible may be equally happy with himself procures from a sorcerer John Wellington Weils, most matter of fact cognomen for a man of mystery, a philtre which he dispenses to the people of tlie neighboring village. The result is a general application from all the unmarried lv k to the village parson, Ijr Daly, for his services, hut as the philtre lias caused each to fall in love with the first individual of the opposite sex met with after its exhibition, a •ijeciley of most queerly assoited coupl'cs ruaulisami jt'un ensues. The rot of the drum ilia persoi.'w are Sir Mijrmaduke father of Alexis, a notary; Mrs Partlett and her daughter Constance, the former a matt, r of fact old lady, whose calling i-; thit of a (;tn^ opener, and the latter an aspirant for the love or' i\m parson. There is also last but certainly not least, La ly Sannazure' mother of Aline. The sorcerer is "by no n»e:ins a necromancer of the Middle Ages, but one of the most approved type of the modern (lays having a firm f.iiih iv the merit 3of advertising and keeping up a respectable lt ;^earuuce The hiumc of the opera is sparkling au^ ," r etty, and the scenery and dresses are very good. Cll Saturday Mari!::na will be represented, and on AiouJay Giiofte Girofju, and on both nights a special train will give residents in the Waimeas an opportunity of being present. The liev Father Mihoney will hold diviue service at St. Francis' Church, Molueka, on Sunday next. There will be Mass at II a.m., and Vespers at (i p m. A loxdo.n telegram to the I'oit, dated October 6, says :— " One of the British columns is now within fifteen miles ofCabul. An engagement of a decisive nature is expected to take place immediately."' The Loudon correspondent of the Put gives a little more fully than did our tele gram ye^ierday, the comments of the Times ou Sir George Grey's defeat. He says:- --'• The 7 unes, commenting upon the news of the defeat of the Grey Ministry, received here by cable message, expres?es*the opinion that Sir George Grey's downfall is a matter for hearty congratulation. It reviews his Parliamentary career at length, and comes to the conclusion tliat hi.s policy waa uot only prejudicial to the interests of the colony,

and calculated to hamper its progress, but had absolutely brought the Government of iNew Zealand into contempt." The Foil of last night says :— The movements of the late Government party-or rather the Opposition, as they must now be called-are carefully shrouded in mystery, but it is understood that there has been much anxious discussion as to the programme to be adopted. Most of the older members were m favor of tabling a no-confidence motion immediately after Mr Hall's announcement of the formation of a new Ministry, such motion to be moved by Mr Macandrew, as leader of the party. It is further reported that in the event of the result being successful, Mr Macandrew would form a Ministry composed thus :— Premier, Mr Macandrew; Treasurer, Mr Eillance; Aative Minister, Mr Sueehan ; Colonial Secretary, ColonelWhitmore; Public Works, Mr Gisborne ; Mines, Mr Pyke ; Lands and Immigration, Mr Montgomery. Rumor says, however, that there proved to be an unexpected division of opinion in the camp, most of the new members being in favor of giving the Hall Ministry a fair trial, so far at least as to see what measures they would bring down, before moving a no-confidence vote. ( Again it is whispered that Sir George Grey s alleged resignation of the leadership was a mere rme, and that the Knight of ivawau now insists on being allowed to fulfil his mission in the interests of the whole human race and especially posterity. So that it will be seen there are complications in abuudance