The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 185, 5 August 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1880.

The distribution of the prizes awarded to .the pupils who had distinguished themselves at the Garubridge local examinations at the Weston-super-Mare centre took place in that town in June last. A long account of the proceedings appears in the local paper, and it possesses some little interest for Nelson readers from the fact that the two gentlemen who took the most prominent part in the affair had both of them occupied high positions in this town. One was Mr George Heppel, the hon. Secretary, who for some years was Principal of the Nelson College, the other Sir Edward Stafford, the first Superintendent of the Nelson Province, and for many years our representative in the Parliament of the colony, who on the occasion in question presented the prizes. Mr Heppel, after reading the report, said : — . " The proceedings of that day would be read on the other side of the world — in New Zealand, with an interest almost as great as they would be here, because it curiously enough happened that although these examinations were open to centres in every part of the British Empire, only three colonial centres had beeu formed — one in Trinidad and two in New Zealand, viz., in Wellington and Nelson. The people of these places had already shown tbeir interest in the Cambridge examinations by the sacrifice they had made to obtain them. He knew the people of New Zealand had a very keen and deep interest in the gentleman who was going to distribute the prizes that afternoon, so that the proceedings would be rend by them with considerable eargerness." The Rector of Weston super- Mare, who occupied the chair, in asking Sir Edward to present the prizes, said that " Mr Heppel had told them that the proceedings of that day would be read with almost as great interest in New Zealand as they would be here, but he had omitted to say exactly why — perhaps having taken it for granted that they being all persons of education were thoroughly versed iv the moderri history and growth of New Zealand. It might be that some of them were not aware that the gentleman who was going to present to them their prizes and certificates had held in New Zealand the responsible and honorable office of Prime Minister. If they knew as much about our colonies as they ought to know, there would have beeu no occasion for him to mention this, but unless their attention was specially directed to it they might overlook it. It did so happen that he knew a little about it, because he had the advantage of the acquaintance of Mr Pox, who, he was afraid, had not always been in friendly relations with Sir Edward, but those relations he fully believed were never olher than those which animate the rival Ministers iv our own land, namely, simply the desire of ,each one to do his very best in the way in which he thinks the best to promote the interests of his adopted country." Sir Edward Stafford, who, on rising, was received with loud cheers, made a long and

interesting speech appropriate to the occasion, m the course of which he said: — "When the Committee did him the honor to invite him to distribute the prizes, they were probably not aware that ho had for many years of his life taken part in similar gatherings on the other side of the globe. When he" first knew New Zealand, its whereabouts, and still lesß what sojrt of a country it was, was known to but very few people. Now, he thought, notwithstanding the observations of the Chairman, that the colony was pretty well known, if one might judge from the constant remarks made about it, not only in the press, but in conversation in society in the different places' in which he found himself. It might perhaps be not altogether impertinent to refer slightly to the progress that couutry had made in the last 27 years, during which it had had self-government, and been entirely without aid from outside." Sir Edward then gave a rapid sketch of the progress made by the colony since the Constitution was granted to it, and made special reference to what had been done ia the way of promoting the education both of the primary, aud higher class, and in conclusion he referred to the allusion which had been made by the Chairman to his connection with a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr, now Sir William, Fox. It was quite true, he said, that for a considerable period of their political career, lasting 23 or 24 years uninterruptedly, they respectively held the position of leader of the Government or of the Opposition as the case might be, but during the whole of that period while they were in opposition to each other in advocating those views which they thought best for the welfare of New Zealand, they never had any but the highest feelings (at least he could conscientiously say so for himself, and in his absence he thought he might say the same for Sir William Fox) of esteem and respect for each other ; and he was still more happy to be able to Bay that during the last four years they had voted and sat on the same side in the joint promotion of the measures they thought were required by the public interests, and that the old position of opposition was at an end, they having arrived at a mutual concurrence of opinion ac to what the couutry required tor its development." It is pleasant to watch old colonists comiug to the front at home, and to find that they still take an interest— aud in doing so themselves impart it to others — in the country where in the early days they had performed their share in the work of colonisation, and where, it must also be said, they had reaped their reward.