Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 77, 31 March 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1881.

Between niue and ten last night the Alarm bells created the excitement which is always consequent upon their ringing, and there was a rush from the houses into the streets to ascertain the cause. A bright glare in the direction of Washington Valley discovered the scene of the fire, and it soon became known that the burning building was Cleveland Cottage, occupied by Mr Eall, who isemployedin the office of the Evening Mail, and who, together with his little child, had a narrow escape from being burned to death. His wife being absent at the Theatre, Mr IFall was in charge of the baby, whom he had been trying to hush off to sleep in the front bedroom, and in doing so had himself fallen asleep. How; long he had been so he does not "know, bat he was rudely awakened by the crashing of glass and the sound of a man's voice calling out to know if there was anyone in; £he house, Jumping up he heard the roaring of the flames, and taking the child in his arms made for the bedroom door, which opened into the front sitting room, ' at the Jbaok of which was the kitchen, where the fire originated. On opening the door, however, he was driven back by the smoke and flames,' and with some difficulty he contrived, with theaksiotance of the neighbors who had iby- this time,' to make his escape xriih the infant through the bedroom window, jjlad it not been for Mr Jago giving the alarm so promptly, it is pretty certain that we should to-day have been called upon' to record loss of life as well as .of property. Scarcely any of the contents were saved, and Mr Fall loses soine £30 or £40 over and above the £100 for which his furniture was insured in the Norwich Union. Scarcely anything of the house remains, as the flames had a complete hold before the alarm was given, and although the Brigade Boon quenched them.by bringing powerful streams •of water to bear, the building, which was old «nd dry, was entirely consumed. It is supj>osgd that the fire was caused by aßhes falling, from .the grate in the back kitchen, but, this ia only speculation, and nothing is known for certain as tb the cause. It appears that the flre was seen long before the alarm was given by some people who were watching it, and thought it wbb gorse burning;, of which there has been a good deal in ibe neighborhood of the Valley lately. A temperance meeting was held in the Port Public Hall last night, Mr I. Pickard in the chair, when a handsomely bound album was presented by Mr Heyhoe, on behalf of the various Temperance bodies, to the Rev R. Bavin. On the first pages of the album was fche following address, drafted by Mr B. Aikjßn, and tastefully illuminated by Mr Eownall i— " To- the Rev. Bainsfbrd Bavin, Wesleyan Minister, Nelson. Dear and Rev. Sir,— On the eve of. your, departure irom Nelson, the 'Members of the various Temperance Societies feel it a duty incumbent upon them to take advantage <tf tip pppor-

(unity afforded of giving expression to the warm feelings of reppect and admiration they bear towards you, aud to testify to the high appreciation; they have formed of your excellence and;worth as a Christian minister, a citizen, and in. all the social relations of life. On this occasion we desire to staud purely on the Temperance platform, and to recognise the great efforts you have made to advance the cause of Temperance, the great Social Reformation of the age, by youv example, your wise counsels, your eloquent and impassioned appeals ; work which we feel must have done effective service in many, instances in stemming the evils of intemperance, and in raising a healthy tone of public opinion as to the manifold injuries done to society by the use of intoxicating liquors in the most moderate degree ; showing that they produce weakness not strength, sickness not health, death not life. Permit usj in bidding you farewell, to say that while we deplore the loss we as co-workers with you in this philanthropic cause sustain^ we nave ardent hopes that in Wellington,, or wherever you may in thfe future be called upon to labour, the same success will attend your self-dGny-. services, and that Almighty God will continue to bless and guide you as heretofore. We, are, dear Siv and Brother* yours fraternally." Th« address Was signed by the principal officers of the various Lodges, Tents, and Temperance Societies. Tfee presentation was feelingly by' Mr Bavin, who appealed earnestly to those present to, assist in promoting the great cause of Temperance. Addresses were delivered by Messrs Bond, Gibson, Heyhoe, Hill,' and the chairman, and a vote of thanks was. passed to the Wesleyan choir for their assistance in making the evening pass off so pleasautly. We understand that it is the inteution of the Wellington Amateur Dramatic Club (and Patchwork Company combined) to pay a visit to Nelson during the Easter holidays} and that they have engaged the Theatre for two nightß, Saturday the leth, and Easter Mouday the 18th April. Their programme, which has been specially arranged-, is a Very attractive oae and includes a burlesque expressly written for the' members by a local author. The Club has also secured the services of Mdlle. Murielle, a young lady very highly spoken of by the Wellington press, who will accompany them on their visit. The Club, which is quite an institution in Wellington, hns now been in existence for some considerable time, and baa for its patron Hia Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon, G.C.M.G., His Worship the Mayor of Wellington being President and }V\ H. Levin, Esq., M. H. 11 , and tieiit.-dol. Pearce VicePresiiientßt It numbers amongst its acting members some of the best musical and dramatic talent in the Empire City, and their performances have been most successful in every seise of the word, some substantia Bums having been handed over to those charities for which the Club has given its services. A strong feature fn tb.lß society is its excellent orchestra, under the leadership of Mr Chaa. Hill, a brother of Mr E. J. Hill of this town. In paying this visit the members are chiefly "on pleasure bent," combined with a laudable deaire to do their best for the amusement and entertainment of their patrons, aud we have no doubt that they will meet with a hearty reception from the public of Nelson during their visit A cricket match played in the Botanical Reserve yesterday, between the Carters and Cabmen, resulted in the former being the wiuners by 3 a runs, the scores being : — Carters : G4 and 74, and Cabmeu : 47 and 53. " Nemesis " was performed by the Lydia Howard Company at the Theatre last night, and the acting throughout was exceedingly good, notwithstanding the dispiriting effect that must have beeu produced by so limited an audience as was present. A MEETiNa of Volunteer ofllcers and others was held last night, Major Pitt iv the chair, to discuss the proposal for the Easter encampment. It was Btated that eleven tents had been placed at the disposal of the Commtitee> for which a vote of thanks wag passed to those who had offered them, and that these, together with the huts at Brightwater, the use of which had been granted by the Rifle Association, would be sufficient to provide sleeping accommodation for the local Volunteers. As there was Borne doubt about tents being provided for the 'Wellington Volunteers, it was uncertain whether they would be able to come over, and therefore it wa3 impossible to guarantee a specified r number to the cate^br. A battalion drill will be held next Monday evening; after which it will be ascertained hW many Nelson Volunteers will be prepared to take part in the encampment, and as by that timo it will be known whether or not the Wellington men <Sii come, tenders for catering will be advertised for after that day to be received up to the following Thursday. The hope was expressed that employers would, as far as lay iv their ppwerj grant pe,rmiesioh to those in their service to.r'ernam in camp on Saturday, as wellafc oh Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday. Some admirers. of the pictures of New Zealand wild flowers and berries painted by Miss E. C. Harris of Nelson, and sent by her to the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibitions, at both of which they were awarded the first order of merit, have determined upon disposing of them on the Art Union principle. There are 800 tickets at 2s 6d each and there will be nineteen prizes in all. Some of the tickets have been sent here f torn Melbourne and are to be obtained from Mr 11. D. Jackson or Mr Stanton. The pictures are highly spoken of by competent judges and the prize winners will be fortunate in securing such works of art at so low a figure. In his speech at Ashburton the other day the Governor is reported to have said: There was one thing be should like to say a few words about, and that was the native difficulty, reference to which and his past career had been made by the chairman. Whatever experience he had gained in Native matters was heartily at the service of his constitutional advisers, but the line they might lay down must be followed. He was the more anxious to make this thoroughly plain, because some misapprehension appeared to exist in consequence of what might be called the despotic power he had exercised iv another Colony. Here, under a different constitution, he did not exercise such authority ; he did not in any way control the Native policy. No one could fully realise what the responsibilities of a wholly despotic representative were, and the great relief it was to him to think, that these were not now on his shoulders. A traveller from Reef ton reports that the place wears a busy and prosperous air. All the mines are in full swing, some of them working three shifts of ' men, so that no one who chooses to work ia out of employment, and everyone has a little money. The " pubs " ere doing a good business,— G. 2?. Argus.