Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 129, 31 May 1880, Page 2

The arrival of the San Francisco mail at Auckland has not been telegraphed up to the time of our going to press.

Mr Mills, the keeper of the Lunatic Ayslum, desires to acknowledge with thanks the receipt from Mr Joseph Macfcay of £3 towards tbe AS/lum recreation fund.

The annual Licensing Court will be held at tho Court House at noon to-morrow.

We understand that it has been decided to alter the date of the public holiday for the Volunteer pme shooting from the 11th to the 18th of June, the reason being that the former day is that fixed for the opening of the Supreme Court, a circumstance that had been overlooked at the time.

A sale of work. and social gathering in aid of the Congregational Church fund will be held at the Masonic Hall to-morrow commencing at 2.30 p.m. A number of^ curiosities and works of art that have been kindly lent by friends will be on view, and musical selections, including performances on the handbells, will help to make the evening pass pleasantly away.

Mr Macartney advertises that he is in a position to supply the patent fountain llaborr r saving washing machines, full directions for using, which may be obtained with' the machine, which' is of the simplest character possible, and yet has proved perfectly-suc-cessful wherever it has been tried. Large numbers of them have been imported into the South, where they are in considerable demand. .

There was another large attendance at the pauorama of America, Australia, and New Zealand on Saturday night, when a large number of very handsome prizes were distributed among the audience, who, in addition to. 'the liberal treatment they experienced in this respect, were much interested in the views, and vastly amused by M. Chalet, the clever ventriloquist. There will be another entertainment this evening.

The body of the unfortunate man John Kruse, (who was a resident in Waimea East and not at Brightwater as stated the other day) whose death by drowning in the Waimea river wa3 reported on Friday last, was found yesterday about a mile and a half below where he entered the river, and was taken to Mercer's hotel at Appleby, where an inquest was to be held this afternoon. We understand that the deceased has left a wife and young family almost entirely unprovided for, and that a few of the residents in the district have undertaken to collect subscriptions to aid them in their hour of need. Mr Canning has kindly consented to act ns Treasurer, and by him or at the various hotels aud by the other collectors the smallest contribution will be thankfully received.

A rather exaggerated, but none the less amusing, skit upon the Railway Commission and its chairman appeared in last Wednesday's Lyttelton Times in the form of a parody on " .John Gilpin," and will be found on our fourth page to-day. Our readers will, no doubt, derive as much amusement from a perusal of it as will Mr Curtis when it comes under his notice.

The return football match between the Town and College Clubs was played on Saturday afternoon, when the College was for the second time victorious by a " try " to nothing. The "try" was again got by W. Trolove, who performed marvels of play. Clouston, Clarke, Flint, and Richmond played well for the town. Besides Trolovej Bidwill, Glasgow, Hunter Brown, M'Hardy, Peat, Seymour, and Thompson all distinguished themselves for the College. Messrs Keep and Barnicoat acted as and proved themselves fully equal to their difficult task. There will be good practice matches every Saturday during the next two months, a3 the Nelson team are preparing to meet Wellington, and the College boys are just going into hard play for the Blenheim match.

Yesterday being the Sunday within the octave of Corpus Christi, it was celebrated by the congregation of St. Mary's by a solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament. This old Catholic custom is still observed in the Continent with great pomp, and has always been kept up in some parts of England. The scene, a3 the procession moved up Manuka-street from the Convent grounds to the Church, was very striking. Some hundred or so of young girls wearing the white and blue habits of different religious confraternities, and preceded byj about 40 acolytes in scarlet cassocks and white surplices, walked in two lines, a wide space being left between for the banner bearers. Following the young ladies came the Lady Superior and Sisters of St. Mary's Convent, and between them twelve little children in pink and white, and carrying baskets of flowers, which they strewed in the path. Then came the Hibernian Society in full regalia, and beneath a white silk canopy which was supported by members of the Society appeared the Rev. Father Garin, wearing a beautiful cope of cloth and carrying in his hands the silver monstrance containing the Eucharist. The members of the congregation followed in pairs, the ladies leading the way. Upon nearing the Church the English Catholic Hymn "Faith of our Fathers living still " was impressively sung, and, widely as onlookers might differ from those taking part in the procession, no one could doubt but that to them it was an occasion of great solemnity. At the conclusion of the special services, which will last until to-morrow evening, there will, we are informed, be a closing procession by torchlight.

Erom an Auckland telegram we learn that a curious argument was used at a meeting of the Waste Lands Board against developing the gum digging industry to too great an extent. Among the correspondence laid before the Board was a letter from a Mr Maginnis, asking the Board to assist him in utilising a machine he had invented for finding kauri gum. Mr Tonks who, we presume, is a Councillor, and, after his speech on that occasion, ought to be an M.H.R , objected on the ground that he was apprehensive that the invention would have a demoralising effect upon gum diggers. At present they only made a "rise" at rare intervals, and when such an event did occur they invariably went in tor a lengthened spree, but if this machine was to assist them, half of them would be in their graves in a few weeks. Startled by so subtle an argument the Board decided to defer the consideration of the proposal until a future day. The Post of Friday says : — A rumor was afloat in the lobbies this afternoon that a direct no-confidence motion was to be tabled immediately by the Opposition, with a view of testing the relative strength of parlies at once. Another report ia that the first aggressive movement of the Opposition will take the shape of an amendment on the Address in Reply. Nothing will be definitely known, however, until more members arrive.