The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 144, 17 June 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1880.

In accordance with a notice of tnoi.ion given a fortnight ago, Sir George Grey yesterday afternoou introduced his Bill to repeal the Property Tax, tho secoad reading of which, it had been decided, should take place this day week. The Premier, however, upon Sir George moving the first reading:, stated thafc the Government were prepared to treat the matter as a want of confidence motion, and, as it was better that the streagth of parties should be tested at once, ' suggested that the second reading should be moved to day. This was agreed to, and the debate will consequently commence to-nighfc. That it will be both an exciting and an interesting one there can be uo doubt, and it will probably occupy several days, as most of the members will speak on the question, an additional reason for the division not takiDg place for some days being that at present it so happens that five of the Government sup poi ters are absent from Wellington. In accordance with the usual custom the Grand Jury will be asked to-morrow if they have any presentment to make to the Court, and we trust that they will avail themselves of the opportunity to represent in strong terms the extremely. unsatisfactory and unfair treatment accorded to Nelson in the matter of the sittings of the Supreme Court. It is but twice a year that we are favored with a visit from the Judge, and ifc surely canuot be urged that his other work is so hard and so incessant as to necessitate his hurrying back to Wellington as he always does. It has occasionally happened that trials have been commenced after the hour at which the evening adjournment usually takes place, and that the Court has been Bitting up to all hours of the night, to the great inconvenience of all parties concerned, iv order to allow His Honor to hurry away by the first steamer. This is unfair to the jurymen, unfair to the members of the bar, and unfair to the prisoners in criminal cases, and the principals in civil actions, as their counsel can scarcely be expected to do full jutice to their clients if kept hard at work for such long hours. Surely the Judge's visits might be so timed that he could afford to spend a week here on each of his visits, and thus allow ample time for the business to be got through iv a more satisfactory manner than at present. The annual inspection of the adult Volunteer companies took place last night, when there was a large muster, the total number on parade being 268, distributed as follows: — Artillery, 56; City Rifles, 40; Stoko Rifles, 62; Waimea Rifles, 46; Naval Brigade, 50; Staff, 2; Band, 12. General Davidson was the inspecting officer, and after having made a searching examination of the arms and accoutrements , he presented the Rifle and Carbine Belts won at the late competition to Private Parker, Stoke Rlffes, and Gunner C. Moore, H Battery, respectively, addressing a few appropriate words to each. Lieut. Paynter of the Stoke Rifles was also called to tbe front and presented with the company's medal, which is now his property, he having won it four times at intervals. The Volunteers then marched to the paddock opposite the Police Station, where they were put through the manual exercise by Captain Webb, and a number of tactical evolutions by Captain Bunny, in all of which they acquitted themselves creditably, considering the very limited amount of room at their disposal. The several companies were then dismissed with the exception of the Artillery, who were marched back to the Drill Shed, where they underwent a course of field battery drill under the command of Lieut. West, and were afterwards complimented on their efficiency by the General. The Battalion Band waß present in full force under Bandmaster Oakey, aud played some lively tunes during the evening. There was alarge number of spectators present, and they appeared to take great interest in the proceedings. The country corps came (o town by a special train afc a quarter past seven, and returned home at half-past nine. "W." writes:— "ln the far remote or pre-historic age did New Zealand contain a population that understood the art of smeltin_c and working iron? Tbis was a question that your correspondent put to himself the other day when he was shown by Mr John Lammas, blacksmith/ of Richmond, apiece of iron that at one time no doubt, was a two inch nut either punched or tupped with a | bit or drill, but broken through the middle, of the hole. This, Mr Lammas assures me, he found in the centre of a lump of Grey coal a little over a foot square, surrounded hy a lump of rusty clay about the size of a man's fist. It is still in his possession, and may be inspected by those curious to learn its probable origin." The Waitaki election took place yesterday and resulted in the return of Mr Jones, a supporter of Sir George Grey's, and the defeat of Mr Reid, a Ministerialist. The Opposition, however, do not gain any additional strength by this election as the latemember, Mr Hisiop, was one of their party. A mekting of the Early Closing Association will be held in the room kindly lent by Mr Wymond for the purpose to morrow evening, when the hours to be fixed upon for closing business premises will be discussed. Wb have to acknowledge -the receipt from the Native Land Court office at Auckland of a pamphlet containing a collection of the most important judgments delivered in the Native Land Court and the Compensation Court. It is stated in the preface that "in delivering judgment upon titles' to Native land, it has frequently been found necessary to take a short retrospective view of the htstory of the particular tribe in question, inasmuch as Native title is founded either

upon long continued occupation from ancestral times or upon conquest. Many of these judgments will therefore be found to contain interesting records of Native history for a beriod of 200 years preceding the present timej and will qf great assistance to any one who may hereafter compile a ddnlplete history of the Maori race." On Sunday morning last we paid a visit to the Lunatic Asylum, and, on the principle of " honor to whom honor is due," we feel it to be a duty to speak in terms of high commendation of the admirable condition in Which we found both patients ahd premises. At the tithe of bur visit divine service was being held in the large haii. by Mr ±. M. Iliil, who very kindly devotes his Sunday morning jeguhirly to this purpose, accompanied by Miss Hill, ,who frJayV the hitroionium; and bbth the ser vice and ttie Singing dp^ed-r to be much enjoyed by a number of the patients, seventeen of whom attended on the day referred to. The service being over, we were taken by Mr Mills, the superintendent, over the building, which certainly has undergone vast improvements since last we saw it, having been painted and varnished from top to bottom, the whole of the work being done by the patients; In the .long corridor on the men's side, which is comfortably heated by two gas stoves, we found several of the patients laying the cloth for dinner, abd apparently in high spirits, and prepared to Crack a joke amongst themselves or with any visitors who might chance to look in upon them. On one side of the corridor, which forms the front of the building, the windows look out upon the Waimea Road and the opposite hills, on the other is a row of bedrooms, each of which contains a single bed, the clothing on which was snow white. The floors were nicely carpeted, and it is not too much to say that the rooms are in every respect far superior to many in which lodgers are stowed in some of the hotels in New Zealand. Iti the northern wing of the building are two wards with eight beds in each, where the quieter and more harmless of the patients sleep. The arrangements on the women's side of the institution .are of a precisely similar character, and the inmates of it appeared to be as contented and good humored as those of the other. It is impossible not to be struck with the excellent order that is maintained, as well as with the perfection of cleanliness that characterises every part of the building and its furniture. One of the recent inmates having been a picture frame maker, Mr Mills turned his services to account, and the result is that in the large hall, in the corridors, and in some of the bedrooms, the walls are adorned with bright and cheerful en gravings and colored pictures from the illustrated papers in neat, if not handsome, frames. The punishment cell has been completely done away witb, and is now only used as a receptacle for culinary utensils, the necessity for punishment having been to a large extent dispensed with by inducing the men to take an interest in the work going on in the house and grounds. This healthful exercise is not only good for the patients, but the result of it is to be seen iv the garden and grounds, which are all in beautiful order, the vegetables grown in the former forming a considerable saving in tbe cost of maintenance of the establishment. The building is more than full, the accommodation provided being for sixty, whereas the number of inmates at the present time is sixty-two, namely, 33 males and 29 females. Once more we must repeat our congratulations to Mr Mills on the excelleut order which prevails, owing to the flrm, but at the same time kindly, discipline which he maintains.