Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1881

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 256, 27 October 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1881

There was c r.siderable excitement in «cwn to-day when it became known by means of an Extra which we published at one o clock that the warrant calling out the Volunteers for actual service bad been Mgned by the Governor*, and the fiinemoa wculd be here to-morrow morning to take tbe then to Opunake. We understand from Major Pitt that he expects to take about 170 men with him, namely, 45 Artillery, 30 City Rifles, 40 Stoke Rifles, and 40 n aimea Rifles, which number will be probably increased by some 30 or 40 in the event of the services of the Naval Brigade being accepted in tine. The Hinemoa will not leave, we understand, undl the evening, and arrangements have been made for a special train to brioj; io the country Volunteers and those of their friends who may wish to see them off. ;From bar correspondent's telegram it wiil be seen that tbe Wellington men were subjected to a medical examination before starting, and we presume that, the same precaution will be taken here <is is would be very unwise to burden the force with men who are likely to knock up on the march-. A meeting of tho town Volunteers will be held this evening. A cORitESPOXDEj-T telegraphs to us from Opunake thia aft.rn^on :— The Hinemoa landed 79 Wellington Naval Volunteers this morning, and leaves at 11 p.m. for the Nelson men, arriving here on Saturday morning A! I is quiet. Sixty-one A.C.'a march for Pungart- hu to-morrow. We understand that the coach road, which has been in the course of construction for some time past between here and the Lyell, is cow complete, and that in consequence comparatively easy communication ia now open to Lyell, Reefton, Westport, and Greymouth, and thence to Hokitika and Christchurch. Tbis should, if properly turned to account, be attended with very considerable advantage both to Nelson and tbe Lyell and laangahoa goldfields, between wbich places commercial relations of no little importance will probably be opened up now tbat a good dray road exists. As a preliminary to this, however, it is nece ssary that there should be more frequent postal communication, and we bope to see at least a weekly mail established and that the subsidy offered will be sufficient to induce thoroughly good coaches to be hid on, running regular stages and performing the journey in the shortest pcssible time. Wben once the lioe is open aud its existence becomes^ generally known the passenger traffic will in all probability increase to such an extent as to justify the reduction of the subsidy, wbich, however, must at first be Fuflhiently large to prove attractive to coach proprietors. In a paragraph which we publisfcei a few days ago meEtion was made of the large prcfits receivrd from the Moonta mine near Adelaide. We may add that Mr Clark, who wa3 on a visit here from Melbourne tbe other day in connection with the proposed purchase of the copper mine in Aniseed Valley, stated that what he saw there reminded him of the Moonta mine more than any other lode that he had seen in any part of the world. The race wbich came off on tbe Rabbit Island yesterday afiernoon between Mr Blower's horse Doncaster and Mr Bolton's mare Half Caste was but a poor affair. The latter was to give her opponent a stone, but she carried three pounds more than this, and from the start never had a show. The afternoon's sport was made up by seme excellent baok races, in one of which Robert Bright, who was riding one of the horses, wns thrown and received some rather severe injuries. Me M. L. Marks, at one time a resident in Nelson, is a candidato for the Hutt district, Mr Marks was formerly a member of the South Australian Assembly. The N.Z. Times ?aja (hat the services of the Marlborough Volunteers will not be required as they muster only abcut twenty men. Dh Hector is of opinion that the fissures near West Wanganui, which are ascribed by those who have seen them to volcanic action, will probably prove to he due to landslips, fle does not think that any eruption of a volcanic nature has taken place, but than the disturbas'ce is due to the generation of combustible gases in the deposits of bituminous shale and iron pyrites, which are known to be extensive in the the locality, and which have taken fire spontaneously. The N.Z. Times hears that the Wellirgton Navals will at once b? placed in tbe post of honor ; there will be no feather-bed soldiering, but they will bo sent ioto the busb, where their comfort will depend a great deal on their ability to be contented and bappy under all sorts of untoward circumstances. Our Wellington men, we know, will come out right, " right ac rain," to use a familiar phrase, and will come back with all the honor and glory obtainable- under exceptional circumstances. The Emerald boys are envious of their good luck, and d-arly wish they had tbe cbance of a brush with the Te Whitians. Referring to the Collingwood district in connection with the alleged volcanic eruption at West Wanganui, the NZ. Times saya :— " The holders of the Golden Ridge have been making excellent dividends for some yeara past— woiking, in fact, on the quiet, and saying no^him* ; and there is one possibility which will follow the eruption now taking place— the nature of the low-level deposits will be fully revealed. It is a fact tbat evidences of many metala can be fouod in the Collingwocd district, and in close juxtaposition. Mr Byrnes assures us that, withiu a radius of 100 feet he found on one occasion gold, silver, lead, copper, and zinc, blende, and that' although the indications gave no payable prospect, it is quite within the bounds of probability that at lower depthß than have yet been tested all these metals will be found

in productive ores. There is yery little doubt that kerosene shale will also be fonnd m payable quantities iv the Collingwood district. Prospectors who have traversed the entire country tbere, which we may note is very broken, and only yet to a slight extent explored, have mentioned that here and there they have cr me across pools of an oily liquid, altogether different from the stagnant liquids standing in other hollows and crevices. It would be well if the Government Geological staff reported on the present eruption, which is either caused by most unexpected volcanic action, or is a heavy explosion of gas breaking out from the coal seams which very closely underlie the surface of the soil.