Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 85, 9 April 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1881.

Thirty-nine years ago last Thursday — on Thursday, tho 7th April, 1842— the first Oddfellows Lodge in New Zealand was founded in Nelson, the spot where the meeting was held being the fern covered hills just above where the new State school now stands near the Saltwater Bridge ; the number of members — nine. Gold and-silver were scarce' in those days, and it was not without some difficulty and the exercise of a little se'f-denial on the part of the limited number of founders that the funds were forthcoming wherewith to form the capital of the new Lodge., But each gave what he could afford, and on the coins being counted it was found that they amounted in all to fifteen shillings. Gradually and steadily the number of the members of the Order has, gone on increasing, and year ai'ter year tho funds have been accumulating, until now the former has reached 624 and the latter £9720 143 6d, the odd shillings and pence just about representing the original capital. The receipts for the year 1880 were £1403, and the disbursements £962, the latter including payments to fourteen widows and twenty-seven orphans. Of the nine men who instituted the Order in New Zealand, but one remains, Mr C. P. Kearns, now living in the Waimea. From the result of their labors we may all loam the lesson not to despise the day of small things. It is notified that there will be no services to-morrow in any of the Catholic churches in the district. The following special services are advertised for to-morrow :— Anniversary sermons in connection with the Sunday schools in tbe Wesleyan Church, and a children's service in tho afternoon ; a lecture on " Calvin and the times of Calvin " by the Rev. P. Calder in the Presbyterian Church ; a harvest thanksgiving service in the Congregational Church in the morning ; preaching by Mr Moyse in the chapel, Waimea West, in the afternoon, and in the North schoolroom in tbe evening ; and by Mr Dunleavy in the Gospel Hall, Wakefleld, afternoon and

The new Inspector ot Nuisances is responsible for having last night completely upset the gravity of that usually quiet and decorous body, the Council, aa well as the Town Clerk, City Surveyor, and reporters, the latter being the sole representatives of the public present on the occasion. Mr Oxley contrives to make a .very full flavored and, perhaps unintentionally, an exceedingly amusing document of his periodical report ou the nuisances that have been ierreted out by his keen nose, and if the Towu Clerk' was occasionally compelled to lay down the report he was reading and give way to a fit of laughter, wiih His Worship the Mayor and eight City Councillors acting the part of chorus, he aud they will be forgiven by even the most austere and matter-of-fact ratepayers if they will only go and peruse for themselves tho document which iast night appeared to fill the Council Chamber with laughing gns. . - Tiik property of the Wallaend Coal Company at Coiliugwood was disposed of at nuc tion to-day by Mr Mabin for ,£555, bring ,£lO5 over and abovo the mort e age. The purchaser was Mr J. A. Hurley. Monday next is to be a gala day nt Hope, where there aro to ba children'- sports i'u the afternoon, followed by & tea h-octlng*, a.ler whioh thern will bo music and singing, the wholo being brought to a cioae by a dauce. The pioc-.f d- are to be devoted to the Iced library fund. The open pood Templars' meeting held ut the T-emn'e ranee Hall last night was in -Very way a great -success, tho room being crowded in every part. Tho chair^vn.3 taken by Brother I. Pickard, and addresses were delivered by the Rev J. Beckenbani and Mr T. Scott, hnpres-iug upon the audience the advantages of total abstinence aud the curse of drunkenness. An address from Sir W-, Fox on the education of the young iu relation to temperance was read by Bro. Aitken and most attentively listened to. At the close of the programme, which was a lengthy as well as au exceedingly good one, votes of thanks i were heartily accorded to those who by singI ing, reading, reciting, or instrumental performances had helped to make the evening pass so pleasantly. At the Council meeting last night the Mayor' stated that the Ildspital Committee had been requested by the Colonial Secretary to retain the management of that institution pending legislation in the approaching session of Pariiameut, the Government finding the necessary funds. This the Committee has consented to do. The Wellington Amateur Dramatic Club intend giviug the lover/** of musii. in Nelson a real treat next week. We have been shown the programme of the sacred concert arranged for the evening of Good Friday, and can safely say that it is one that cannot fail to prove highly attractive, the more so that the ability of tbe performers is beyond all doubt. The orchestra, which is said to be remarkably good one, Bhould be sufficient in itself to induce a large n-imber of people to attend. On Saturday and Monday evenings tbe performance will commence with operatic and miustrel songs, and on each occasion will conclude with tbo musical burlesque "The "Very Witty Diggings," which will abound with local hits. The proceeds are to be devoted to Neleon charities, and this, combined with the excellence of the entertainments, should ensure our visitors a hearty reception. A report is in circulation (says the G. It Argus) that Mr O. Curtis wilt be invited at the ensuing general election to contest the seat for Westport. A Reefton telegram of Wednesday says: —Mr C. Y. O'Connor, the Government Inspecting Engineer for South Island, accompanied by Mr J. R. Browne, Engineer tor the West Coast Railway, arrived hero last night after inspecting the. proposed route through Cannibal Gorge. The previous itatehienti as to the practibility of construction and easy gradients arc entirely confirmed, The following from the Home News of the llth Februaiy throws some little light upon the recent telegram which tpoke of a disagreement} between England and Franco with regard to an Englishman's claim to an estate in Tunis :— •' One of those little international disputes in which it is unavoidable that a country whose Empire is world-wide should perpetually be involved, has just been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. This time it is France with Which England has been implicated in a diplomatic conflict, Tunis being tho scene of the controversy. Mr. Joseph Levy, a British subject resident at Gibraltar, the possessor of an estate at Eufida, claimed the right of pre-emption — which the Mussulman law conferred upon him in virtue of the accident of geographical proximity — of an estate which had been mortgaged to a French company, the Societe Marseillaise. This right the French charge d'affaires disputed, and subsequently tried to defeat by recourse to various kinds of legal quibbles and chicane. Finally, French agents forcibly expelled Mr Levy. and his representatives from the ground to which they had an indubitable legal title. At this point both the French and English Governments interfered, aud ironclads of the two nations went into Tunisian waters. But nothing serious has come of the rival demonstration, and, with the consent of the French and English Cabinets, the matter will be decided by the local tribunals." ■ 'i iijih ii ', i ' in il i ii im