The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 104, 1 May 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1880.

At the Police Court this morning, a man named Thomas Jones was charged before A. Greenfield, Esq., with drunkenness, and also under the Vagrant Act with begging. Under the first charge he was fined 5s and coats or in default 24 hours imprisonment, but on the second charge he wag remanded till Tuesday next. It appears that when arrested for drunkenness the man had upon him, besides 20s 7-|-d, a letter from Dr Boor to Mr Shallcrass, and also a subscription list. The letter reads as follows : — I have examined Thomas Jones (who represents that he is from Picton and requires assistance to get to New Plymouth) and I hereby certify that he is unable to work by reason of disease of the bone in the ankle joint. (Signed.) Leonard Boor." The subscription list is headed ,by a statement that the contributions are to enable Thomas Jones to proceed to New Plymouth, and a number of initials together with one or two names appear on the list, and the sums which are set opposite them, and which vary in amount from 2s to ss, amount in the aggregate to 35b, but the word paid is only written against three of the sums, so that perhapß it was whilst endeavoring to collect these amounts that he imbibed too freely. Notices regarding the annual meeting of Licensing Courts in the several districts will be found on the third page. With to-day's issue we publish a supplement, in which will be found a number of choice extracts, and a variety of intorestine reading matter, "

A public meeting in connection with the. Wesleyan Methodist Temperance Society was Jield at the Wesleyan schoolroom, Hardystreet, last evening, when there was a fair attendance, the Rev R. Bavin in the chair. Addresses were delivered by the Chairman, I and Messrs Gibson, Rose, Campbell, Snodgraas, and Pickard. At the conclusion of the meeting several of those present joined the Society. The Customs revenue collected at the Port of Nelson for the month of April amounted to £3,186 2s 6d, made t up as follows:—Spirits, £973 Os 4(3; cigars, £40 13s; tobacco, £470 8s ; wine, £86 5s 4d; beer, £45 10s 9d; tea. £153 15s 6d; coffee, £14 10s 3d; sugar, £114 7s 2d; goods by weight, £371 11a 4dj ad valorem duties, £706 9s ?d; other duties, £83 10s; other receipts, £126 Os 3d The receipts for the week ending this day were £655 15s 6d, A special meeting of the members of the City Rifles was held at the Nelson Hotel last evening. Captain Bunny was in the chair, and there was a very large muster of the company. Several matters of business affecting the welfare of the corps were attended to, after which the subject of a new uniform waa considered. The uniform as proposed will consist of black trowsers and scarlet tunic, with dark blue facings, and head gear similar to the helmets worn by the Stoke Rifles, with which corps the City Rifles are joining in the matter of uniform. It waa then formally resolved that the company should join the Stoke Rifles in procuring from England a new uniform for both, and a Committee consisting of Captain Bunny and Sergeants Gray, Crossman, Jackson, and Akersten was appointed to confer upon the matter with the Stoke men. It was then resolved that notices be sent to each member who has left the company requesting him to pay all arrears of contributions. Forty ! members then gave in their names pledging themselves to attend every drill of the company for the next six weeks, and this concluding the business the remainder of the evening was devoted to enjoyment. A number of toasts were duly honored and replied to, whilst these were interspersed with several capital songs. At the recent meeting of the Town.Committee of Education the petition received from nine of the female teachers asking permission to use their class rooms for halt an hour each morning before the commencement of ordinary duties in order that they might impart Bible knowledge was considered. Ifc was ultimately agreed, on the motion of the Rev J. Beckenham, to refuse the petition because, firstly, it would be hkely to interfere with school duties, secondly, that it would be too great a tax on the teachers and would be likely soon to fall through and thirdly, that it was contrary to the Education Act, which was strictly secular. Four tenders were received for the erection of the new school on the Haven Road at the junction of Washington Valley, and that of Mr C. W. Moore, whose price was £947, was accepted. The other tenders were W. T. Good, price £1100 10s ; W. Bethwaite, £1124 j Gorrie & Sons, £1300. Sharp & Pickering report the sale of 30ft frontage to Collingwood-street with cottage thereon for £130, and about 65ft frontage to Trafalgar-street South, at the back of the house lately occupied by Mr H Adams, for £175. As a sequel to Mrs Britten's opinion of Nelson published iv last night's Mail, a correspondent has sent us the following extract from a letter received from a gentleman in England:—" I have always had the impression conveyed to me somehow from what I have read and heard that the climate of New Zealand, and Nelson in particular . was something delicious, in fact so'delightf ul that we dwellers in our own dear foggy island could scarcely imagine all the deligiits j of a residence in your favored laud. Great, then, was my consternation to be informed by a sister-in-law of mine, a lifelong resident of Adelaide, and who professes also to a knowledge of New Zealand, Tasmania, &c , that the climate of New Zealand was simply unbearable; that its tornadoes of dust winds, its mosquitoes, and other agreeable little' shortcomings made life in Nelson and its neighborhood not worth having; that mosquitoes abound that occasionally people are literally covered with them. This is such a different picture of New Zealand to what I have always imagined that I thought I would just mention it to you to get your plain and unbiassed opinion, or information on the subject." We clip the following from an exchange: — "Despite their somnolent appellation, the Nelson folk are evidently fully awake to a sense of virtuous indignation when occasion justifies the exercise of their latent energies When the man Josephs was admitted to bail he was used after the manner of pioneer Americans, and would have been lynched but for the exertions of the police. Again when their worthy M.H.R.'s trial for perjury came oif, a disgraceful fracas occurred. Another little episode further illustrates their practical humor. A gentleman, who bad occupied a good position there for some years, received a communication requesting him to attend at a leading hotel for the purpose of receiving a presentation from the public on the eve of his departure for fresh fields and pastures new. Arrived at the hotel, he was received with due ceremony, and presented with— -a bar of soap, in recoguition, we presume, of the profusion of soft soap which had characterised his intercourse with those whom he was about to leave."