NELSON.

Southland Times, Issue 1684, 3 January 1873, Page 3

NELSON.

(feom our own cobbespondent.) Dec. 14, 1872. As usual, very little to chronicle. The members have returned from Wellington on the termination of the Parliamentary session, and hare made their " speeches and confessions" (not, alas ! their last) to their constituents, who duly and dutifully voted their confidence and thanks in return. Nothing of any special importance occurred at these meetings, whose main features you already have learned by telegram. The preliminary steps are now being taken towards our Railway and Gns Works, and quite a loud cry (for Nelson) is being raised in favor of an extension of the former from Fox Hill to the West Coast. This is a most important and desirable work, and would secure to this town almost the whole of the West Coast import trade, for the Melbourne steamers would naturally avoid those dangerous and delaying bars and roadsteads if they could come right on to Nelson and forward the goods by rail. No doubt sooner or later this will be achieved, but the sooner the better. We are enjoying a gloriously fine, but j sadly too dry, spring. The profusion of trees and shrubs for which this place is so remarkable, makes the balmy air quite heavy with perfume — a delicious combination of acacia, hawthorn, rose, and violet. The acacia emits a very powerful scent, strongly resembling that of orange blossoms. This adds an additional tinge of romance to the lovely scenery and skies ever serene and of the clearest and most limpid blue. Perhaps there is a trace of monotonr in this unvarying calm ' serenity — this absence of boisterous wind and tempest — this perpetual reign of dazzling sunshine and cloudless pky. j One is inclined to become weary of everlasting diamond and turquoise, and almost (not quite) to feel that an occasional (very occasional) Southland " Duster" would be a welcome excitement. Even the winter was a mere burlesque. Snow never, — gales none, — mud none. Only fine weather, now and then interrupted by brief tropical showers of warm rain. In two hours the dust is again blowing or would blow were there any wind to assist it. Still, even in such a Paradise, rain is sometimes needed, and just now, the whole country is literally roasted brown for lack thereof. I fear unleas it soon come — and at present there is not the , faintest sign of it — the crops of corn, fruit, and hops alike, will be a failure. As it is, they look miserable to a degree, save cherries, which are in abundance inconceivable to fruitless Southlanders. We are exporting them in vast quantities by every steamer. One great blessing in this and the coming hot, dry weather, is the abundant water supply which wise providence (human, I mean) has secured. There is " Water, water, every where," and plenty "to drink" too. I forget how high the pressure will throw it — nearly 100 feet I believe. An instance of the usefulness of this institution was seen lately, when a fire broke out in the very centre of the town. It occurred about midday. Of course a crowd at once assembled ; all the fire-bells united in vigorous tintinnabulation ; and the firebrigade were all instantly at their posts. All the excellent arrangements were at first neutralised by a thoroughly Nelsonian piece of carelessness. The local j hydrant had been used in watering the ! streets, and was mislaid. It took at least j 10 minutes to procure one of the others, and by this time the flames were roaring j high in the air, and threatening the whole town. When the hydrant did come, the j pent-up energy found vent too freely — for the crowd pulled the hose so hard that it " busted," and further delay resulted. However, at last all was in order, and the first jet of water happening to hit a window, blew it right in. The jet, continuing its course, next came in contact with the shingles and forced its way right through, blowing the shingles into the air in showers, and at last actually breaking one of the rafters, which was however nearly burnt through. Another jet of like power was directed from the rear, and in less than 5 minutes these two powerful torrents had completely " snuffed out" the conflagration as if it had been a mere candle. The surrounding mountains enable an unusually great pressure to be obtained here. It is a pity you could not have something of the Kind in Invercargill — doomed, I fear, sooner or later to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Spring quarterly concerts of the rival musical societies came off with great eclat — as usual, within a week of each other. The Harmonic Society gave Costa's Naaman, and the Philharmonic, Sterndale Bennett's May Queen, with thorough and gratifying success. Great credit is due to Messrs Hollo way and Walcot, the respective conductors, who spared no pains to ensure the proper production of these fine works. I may mention that the principal tenor part in ( each was taken by an amateur singer formerly well-known in Southland. Both societies are now hard at work preparing the Messiah for the Christmas concert, and they are doing it very creditably ; but it is a great pity they could not agree to combine forces on such an occasion and for such a purpose. The two societies together could furnish a chorus of nearly 100, and might give a really fine performance of Handel's masterpiece, instead of wasting their efforts in rival attempts at the same music in the same week. However, local and social jealousies of course utterly preclude the possibility of such a coalition. In Wei. lington they are wiser, and there will be a Christmas performance of the Messiah with a band and chorus of about 150, in the large Wesleyan Chapel, which will seat 1000 persons, and possesses a tolerable little organ. Outsiders are invited to assist, and Nelson will probably con tribute one or two singers — the tenor soloist at any rate. In addition to I the

two Societies' concerts and rehearsals, I there have been some very pleasant entertainments given by the All Saints' choir, under Mr Holloway's entitled " Evenings with the musical composers," consisting of biographical and critical lectures, with musical illustrations. Mendelssohn, Hadyn, Weber, Rossini, Ac, hare just been treated of with much ability by Mr Hollowav, and pleasingly illustrated by his choir. Then the Caledonian Society has given ita spring concert with immense success. The programme, though mainly consisting of, was not confined to, Scottish melodies, thus everyone found something to enjoy. Two " benefit concerts" are in preparation ; one by Mr Walcot and Mrs Scaife, the conductor and accompanist of th« Philharmonic Society, in which probably all the musical talent, amateur and professional, of Nelson, will assist, and which will be cordially supported by all. The other will be given by Mrs Palmer, an excellent professional pianiste, whose previous successful concert I noticed in a former letter. Thus we are to be, as ever, liberally supplied with music this summer as well as in the winter. The rival critiques in the Colonist and Examiner are now some thing altogether stupendous, and the most recondite treatises on musical theory are ransacked for the longest and most incomprehensible technicalities, certainly in most cases " not understanded of the people." This reminds me that the Nelson Evening Mail, a short time back, made the dearth of news an excuse for devoting about a column and a half of his weekly leader to a would-be-severe philippic on my last letter to the Southland Times. The writer was dreadfully cutting oo the iniquity and audacity of such a wretched little heathenish place as Invercargill presuming to have a " Nelson correspondent" at all, much more his daring to criticise, sometimes condemn, and even ridicule "ye manners and customs of ye natyves" of Nelson. [He gives me no credit for abstaining to add, like the midshipman, " manners nose, customs disgusting ! "] He is particularly hurt that I stated " all three papers rushed headlong into the melee" (a certain musical controversy,) and proceeds at once not only to assert but to prove that his paper did not take any part. Now how do you think he sets about this ? You will never guess. By reprinting Ma article on the occasion !!! Verily the race of genuine Paddies is not yet extinct! Never was a more delicious " bull." He is also very angry that I described Mr Stafford's celebrated " miserable wretches" speech as only " worthy of an aged female of lavatory pursuits." " For," observes the Mail with pathos, " this must mean an old washerwoman." Marvellous perspicuity ! However, the Mail is not above profiting by a friendly hint, and sioce I spoke of it as " the funny little Evening Mail," it has sported an extra sheet. Mr Luckie, the editor of the Colonist, and M.H.R. for this city, on dit, is to be the new editor of the Auckland Southern Cross, with an agreeable honorarium of £800 per annum. Give me credit for abstaining from adding, " Luckie fellow ! "