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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 240, 9 October 1880, Page 2

The Coffee Palace (Sydney) receipts for the fitst eleven months amounted to £22,000 sterling. A French gentleman who tried to fast for 30 days, abstaining from drink as well, died on the 21st July, no amount of medical skill being adequate to restore his wasted vitality, A lady of the Sultan's harem who took refuge in the British Embassy at Constantinople and was subsequently surrendered, hue been strangled as an accomplice in a palace conspiracy. Sir Henry Parkes, the Premier of New South Wales, has agreed, conditionally on the other colonies concurring, to a conference at Melbourne, to conaiderjChineie immigration, with a view to joint action for its repression. An Adelaide telegram says : —The Government reiideut telegraphs the arrival, i» the Northern Territory, of sixty-six Europeans, utterly inexperienced in digging, and therefore useless and likely to become a burden on the Government. Later, he telegraphs that a steamer bag arrived with 506 Chinese, and that three more are laid on at Hong Kong. He says no more Europeans ought to'conio with such an influx of Chinese. Competition with them is hopeless. The Europeans just arrived seem afraid to go up country, and ask for return passages. The Lyttelton Times under the beading " Royalty " makes* tbe following announcement:—At 11 o'clock this morning, weather permitting, the President of the Bee-keepers' Association will transfer our latest arrival — the Ligurian Queen —to a more fitting home than that in which the voyage from Sao Francisco haß been made. All Her Majesy's subjects who may be in good health will be permitted to accompany her into her new abode; and those of the general public who may desire to be " presented " are invited to attend in the Acclimatisation Society's Gardens at tbe hour named. A number of station bands in the Wairarapi, intent on mischief, issued invitations to their employers and wives to favor them with their company at a ball to be given in a large shed on a certain station. On the day appointed a large quantity of battle-axe cordial was conveyed into camp, and when the lords and ladies arrived, the men were, to a considerable extent, elevated out of their proper sphere. The visitors began to arrive at the shed, but no music had been provided to accompany the light fantastic, and the first thing to vary the monotony of the proceedings was a fight hetween two stalwart specimens of humanity. This was the signal for the ladies to retire, which they did with all due speed, and a grand rush was then made for the balance of tbe brandy rehaining. ; The San Francisco correspondent of the Auckland Herald writes :—No end of marriages in rich society are coming off, and Mißß Jennie Flood, I believe, will be the first to lead off with Ulysses Grant, jun. By the way, this young gentleman has made for himself .quite a name as a financier. His luck has been so unfailing, owing to bis practical aud business-like proclivities,'that he has made himself a nice little fortune of 200,000 dollars, which, with Mias Jennie's two and a half millions, will keep tbe pot boiling for the two poor youDg things, who add up 56 years between them. Then papa Flood has bought a nice little home for them East, which cost him for the bare walls 100,000 dollars—thus they will be flooded with happiness. Another banker, Lloyd Tevis, who would not give a poor man a dollar to save his boul from purgatory, is building two houses for his two daughters, to cost Bsreral hundred thousand dollars. I tell you this is a fine place for'sona-in-law. Young men on the marry, I advise you to come over. The eminent Norwegian viollniit, Ole Bornemanti Bull, whose death was recorded in our mail summary, bad a chequered and somewhat romantic history. From his earliest years he evinced a strong infatuation for music, but met with the greatest difficulties in his course. Id 1824 he went to Cassel to study the violin with Spohr, but met with such a cold reception that he turned to the study of the law at the University of Cottingen. Subsequently be found hi« way to Paris, where he was reduced to such misery that he flung himself into tbe Seine, but was rescued and aided by a lady of rank, who recognised in him the likeness of a deceased son. Through her assistance, he was enabled to appear publicly as a violinist, and rapidly amassed a large fortuuo. In 1852 he purchased 120,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, where he Attempted to found a Norwegian colony. He lost his fortune in the effort, and after a brief but unsuccessful trial as a theatrical manager in New Tork he returned to Europe, and gave concerts with his old success. He returned to America in 1399 with a comfortable fortune, married a German lady at Winconiin in 1870, and resided there until tti« time oJliisaefttl4,

On a conspicuous archway of the Victoria! Exhibition is written, " Victoria welcomes all i nations." And yet the anti Chinese agitation still goes on. 1 It is to be feared (says a contemporary} • that the hotel accommodation of Melbourne I will be inadequate for the large influx oi j visitors who may be expected to arrive t during the holding of the Exhibition. The j majority of hotel proprietors are not making ( any special preparations for the reception of : visitors from Europe and neighbouring colJ 6nie«J. The great racing carnival, which , tonally takes place at Fiemington in jfroyernber, and the Christmas and New Year holiday festivities each year, bring many ! thousands of country residents to the me- ' tropolis. In past seasons the hotel accomo- ! dation of Melbourne has been found to be no more than about equal to this ordinary demand. With the additional attraction of the Exhibition, which will be open during the whole of the usual holiday season, it is not unreasonable to assume that visitors will be more" numerous this year than on any previous occassion, but the hotel proprietors are not bestirring themselves to provide for this contingency. Most of the visitors from the neighbouring Colonies, who arrive during the Melbourne Cup excitement, will in all probability have no choice but to accept accommodation at either second-class hotels or private lodging houses. The number of private lodging-houses within an easy distance of the Exhibition buildings has been largely augmented during the last few weeks. Visitors connected with the Exhibition, and those who propose to make an extended stay in Victoria, are largely availing themselves of the extensive private lodging-house accommodation which is at command. With regard to hotels, it is highly satisfactory to learn that no advance on the ordinary scale of charges is contemplated during the present season and in fact in one or two instances slight concessions are made. Visitors, therefore, stand in no danger, at least at present, of having to suffer the imposition of paying exorbitant hotel bills. In the case of private lodging-house-keepers, however, it is probable that their charges will be slightly raised, in consequence of the extraordinary demand likely to be made upon the resources of their establishments.