THE NELSON AND COBDEN RAILWAY.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 748, 10 December 1870, Page 2

THE NELSON AND COBDEN RAILWAY.

It seems probable that this long negotiated scheme, on which so much money and argument have been spent, and from which so much costlj political capital—costly to the Province has been raised, is about to suffer a Gnal collapse. "We subjoin a circular, which his Honor the Superintendent has addressed to the members of the Provincial Council, requesting their opinion on the present state of the negotiations, shown by the latest correspondence on the subject from t'\e Agent of the Province in England : Superintendent's Office, Nelson, Dec 5, 1870.

Sie^ —I have the honor to forward to you herewith, copies of correspondence received from Mr Morrison by the last English mail, and to request that you will favor the Government at your earliest convenience with replies to the following questions, in order that the Executive may be guided by the wishes of the Provincial Council on the subject:— 1. Do you consider it desirable, looking to the present unsettled state of affairs in Europe, and to the consequent uncertainty as to the early resumption of the negotiations for the construction of the Nelson and Cobden railway, to instruct Mr Morrison to suspend any . further action iu the matter for the present ? 2. Are you of opinion that the Government should in the meantime deal with the Coal-mines and with Crown land within the watersheds of the Grey and Buller Valleys, without reference to that undertaking ? I have the honor &c, Oswald Curtis, Superintendent.

[Enclosure I.] Office of the New Zealand Government Agency, London, 28th August, 1870. Sib, —In the absence of Mr Morrison, who is at present with the Hon. I. E. Featherston in Denmark, I do myself the honor to transmit herewith copy of a communication received from Mr Alexander Brogden in answer to Mr Morrison's letter (copy of which was forwarded to you on the 12th instant), requesting to be definitely informed of his intentions with regard to the Nelson and Cobden railway. I have the honor, &c, (Signed) J. Johnston. His Honor the Superintendent, Nelson, New Zealand.

[Enclosure 2] St. Petersburg, August 22, 1870. Dear Sir, —The substance of your letter of enquisy has been conveyed to me in my letters from London, and also your desire that I should reply to it, so as to enable you to communicate with the Superintendent of the Province of Nelson. As I have before informed you, the complete dislocation which war between Prance and Prussia has caused in all commercial affairs, has made it impracticable to proceed with the project for the present. The friends who had agreed to unite with me in it all coincide in these views ; and, on consideration, you will, I am sure, do so likewise. It is impossible to foresee what will be the condition of affairs when the war terminates j and, absent from home, I have no means of consulting with the other parties. We are, however, in this position, that if, and when, the proper time should arrive for renewing the affair, we have the terms already defined, and the negotiation at that time need occupy no great amount of time. Yours, faithfully, (Signed) Alex. Brooden. John Morrison, Esq., London. The circular is rather bald ; it seems to throw on the Council an executive function, without the Executive expressing any opinion on the subject. If ever the Nelson and Cobden railway, or any part of it, is to be formed, it would appear that it can only be done under the public works scheme of the General Government of the Colony.