ALL SAINTS' CHURCH INSTITUTE.

The new building erected in close proximity to' All Saints' Church was opened publicly for the first time on Tuesday night, and the occasion was celebrated by a conversazione which was exceedingly well attended, and which passed off in the most satisfactory manner. The premier object of the building is for Sunday School purposes, and for this as well as the numerous other uses it is. intended to be devoted to, it is most admirably adapted. The building in itself is a very sightly one, and it lacks the unfinished appearance so many similar struc« tures present; the interior is even handsome, and a special advantage, and one that must "have been generally noticed whilst it was. so crowded on Tuesday, is that it is thoroughly well ventilated. At the eastern end of the room is a platform which may be used for musical purposes: or lectures, &c, and which by means of folding doors can be partitioned' off for the use of the infant classes in the Sunday school. At the opposite end of the room there is also a partition, which when required, will be useful as class-rooms, &o. The entire'length is 61 ft., width 24 ft., height 14ft. to the pitch of the roof, 25ft. in the centre; it is well lit by numerous windows during daylight; and for evening by a number of sunlight gas jets. The building < was; erected by Mr Brown, the contract price being £365 7s. Gn Tuesday night the room presented a most attractive appearance, for in addition to the fair assemblage the walls were hung with paintings, chromos, photos, &c, and there were also ;some'very tastily-' executed worked texts. Of the paintings,1 wo large and splendid water colors, by Mr Gully, "Milford Sound" and " Lake Wakatipu," attracted very considerable attention.' This gentleman also'exhibited -two'other pictures, "Walter Peak," near Lake, Wakatipu, and " Lake Wanaka." Two oil paintings by Mrs "Holmes, a Greymouth lady, repiesentingr " Tunis,'1, were shown by the Bishop, and the beauty of their execution was greatly admiredJ Mr. C. A. Ogilvie also, exhibited two or three pictures, and Mr M'Kellar Wix showed a very beautiful piece of illumination, copied by him from the original in the British Museum. On the tables in the centre of the room.Svas a great variety of curiosities, &c, amongst them were a. fine collection' o£ various specimens of gold bearing: stone from.this and the neighboring colonies, shown by Mr Jones, of the Bank of, New; South Wales, and this*gentleman also exhibited several cases containing, marble and other mineral specimens. Three cases, together with a number of photos, exhibited by,the Bishop, also attracted much attention; the specimens contained in the former were, from the Hot .Springs, Rotornahana, and were of deposits of silica principally upon vegetation, twigs, &c.< There were ,a» great; niany'other interesting specimens in this part'of the room, and the newly imported bell intended for the churc j h;waß on viewshere. ■ It&.weightjis 8 cwt., and its cost, it is jinderstoOd, is "something like £100. Atftho western end of t the room two microscopes, 'Wer tife ouifody of Dr. Boor* tod the Rev. C, O,

Mules, were the centre of much interest, and there ■were also shewn some good engravings and a fine lot of photos. During the evening the Church, "choir sang peveral glees, besides'ond or: ttyojsblos, &c., and before' separating ■ the anthem, V. ; As):pants "the Hart """was given with really good effect. In, addition to the above, short addresses were delivered by the Jen., Arolid, Thorpe, Mr, Ashcroft, the Hon. Mr Fox, -BeV'Mr Leighton; r and 'the Bishop of the Diocese, who also occupied the chair. In his re-, marks, Mr Ashcroft spoke of the assistance which had been given towards the erection of the buildings, particularly mentioning Mr Orsman's gift of some of the materials and labor, and he said it was intended to use the building as a Church Institute, &c, &c. " ... '.'■'.

Grand Total 4. 343 Flowee Show. —It is hardly necessary to remind the public of the Horticultural Show, to-morrow,, as these floral displays are always liberally patronised by the Nelson settlers. .:. Yankee Notions—A number of real novelties are now being disposed of by an American company at J. S. Jones's store, in Trafalgar-street. Waimba County Council.—This Council will hold its next meeting on Wednesday next. Nelson Institute .—The annual meeting of this Institute is fixed for this evening. ! I.O.G.T.—At the Union,of Nelson Degree Temple last night, the Second Degree was conferred on seven members.—This evening two prominent members of the Marine Lodge will take their farewell on leaving for Canterbury.-r-At the last meeting of the Hope of Nelson Juvenile Temple, six'new members were elected. ■■*■■'■. ! •■"■■ , > , Mb. Benjamin .Hale, carpenter, dropped down dead in the street at Blenheim, on Monday; > As a party of Naval Cadets were coming from Paeroa to Grahamstown, on February 24, in a cutter a young man sprang overboard, and was drowned. Me Alfbed Saundbbs is oue of sixteen persona nominated for the North Canterbury Education Board. ~x , . . Ix is understood that the. Hon. James Macandrew will shortly assume the portfolio ©f Minister for Public Works, and that the Hon. Mr Wilson will be appointed Attorney-General. The wife of the Hon. John Johnston, of Wellington, died on February 23rd, aged 64 years.—Another old Wellington settler, Mr Duncan Nevin, (died'"on February 22nd. . ', Thibst fob Nbws.—By means of pigeons, Mr Wood, of Akaroa, obtains the latest cablegrams one hour after the Ohristohurch morning papers are published. A movement is being made to form a gas company at Beefton, Inangahua. A cbushing at Keefton #f 450 tons of quartz from the Welcome Company's mine, yielded 1,432 ounces of gold—over three ounces to the ton. ' . " Some blundering idiot has pub that pen where I oan't find it," growled Old Asperity the other day, as he rooted about the desk. " Ah, urn, yes; I thought so," he continued iv a lower key, as he hauled the article from behind his ear. It is understood that a new morning penny daily paper is shortly to be started in Wellington. It is to be called The New Zealandcr. The name is not new, as The New Zealander, an Auokland journal, was in past years published, owned, and edited by the late Mr John Williamson, once Superintends of Auckland; ', ./■ •'.';■ A bot| aged nine years, the Bon of Mr Norman Nash, of Foxtoi), met with his death on February 19th, undor peculiar and painful oiroumstances. The lad was leading his father's horse, when some* thing frightened the animal, and it started off. The tether-rope caught round the poor boy's legs, and he was dragged round the paddock, through a fence, and over logs and stumps for some distance. When picked up he was quite dead. His.neck was broken, one foot was torn from the leg, and his shoulder was severely bruised and crushed. At an inquest held on Wednesday a verdict of accidental death was returned. — Post. A little girl was recently lost in the bush at Cartertoo (Wellington). After wandering about for two days and nights ehe emerged close to the place at which she entered. Heavt Wheat Chops.—The cropi of wheat in tbe Kaiapoi Island.district are threshing out better than anticipated. A large crop on Mr K. Coup's farm, estimated at a 50-busbel crop, has turned out a trifle ver 60 bushels per acre, The paddock in whioh the reaper trial was held is expected to produce a like crop, the oats of Mir Parnham, next to it, having yielded ; 72 bushels. He has also a crop of champion wheat* which will probably noc yield less than 70 bushels per acre. A few beads of the latter, on One of which there are 56 grains of wheat, may be seen at our publishing office. — Canterbury Press. Singular Accident.—A singular acoident oocurred at Onertsey. As the Christ church train was approaching the station, a dray with two horses was standing in front of the hotel, one horse being in the shafts and the otherjeading. The dray was heavily laden with machinery. On the approach of the train the shaft horse took fright and jumped clean on to the back of the other, knocking him down, and at the same time turning the'cart right over. The machinery was smashed to pieces, and after the cart and. harness had been cleared away, it was found that the back of the front horse was broken. The poor animal was quiokly put out of pain. The other horse was not injured beyond being grazed about the legs through kicking violently. The horses and machinery were thj property of Mr F. B. Pasimore.—Canterbury Press, February 23. ■ The assessment for Christchurch this year is about £170,000. Seven years ago it did not reach half that ' amount. A Desperate Shooting affray occurred in the principal street in Sydney on February 16. A man .'named. George Baldwin attempted to murder Ohailei Stratford for taking'his wi c away. Baldwin fired ' four shots, but missed. A scuffle then ensued. "Baldwin was subsequently arrested. Wb learn from a late Melbourne paper, that two lads named Robert and William Hutohins, have lost their lives by going down the shaft of a well which was charged with foul air, on the Drysdale station, Warnambool. William was going down the shaft, when he gave a cry and let go the r<>pe> Robert followed to ascertain, what had befel his brother, but as he did not return assistance was procured,'and when the shaft was clear, the two boys were found at the bottom quite dead. ' An Admonition to the Public —There are impostures on the market purporting to be the same as, equal or superior to a celebrated medioinal beverage of standing and excellence. These nostrums are compounded of unreotified spirits, hignwines ; and pernioious drugs. Of course they:'are hurtful in; the last degree. The artiole of which'they are would-be rivals or imitations is Udolpho Wolfe's Schiedam Abomatio Schnapps.— ddvt. '~;„,,,„ The Sydney Morning Merald criticises unfavorably Marcus Clarke's School History of Australia, as ooataining many miMtatenaeuU t,nd otb»r defeoU.

Bible .Matoh--Stokr ». 0itx RiFMSJ-r-The return match, fired on Tuesdayj between nine men from either Company, resulted, as shown below, in favor of dtoke. Target*—200 yards, 6ft. by 2ft.; 8io. bull's eye. 400 and 500 yards, 6ft. by 6ft.; 2ft. bull's eye. Thfi following are the scores:— . stoke mixes. 200yds400ydB 500yds Total Sergeant Bradley ,... 17, i 15 17 49 Private J. Best ... 16 .15 14 45 Sergeant Doidge ...' 13 : 16 15 44 Private Paiker ... 15* 15 13 43 „ Kenning ... 15 14 13 42 „ Doidge ... 15 14 11 42 „ Sutton ... 12 15 11 38 '.Corporal Cresswell ... 13 16 8 37 Average for odd man 42 —— Grand Total ... 381 CITY BIPLBS. Sergeant Whitwell ... 16 16 15 47 Corporal Burns ... 17 17 13 47 Private J..Etching ... 13 16 15 44 „ H. Batchelor... 16 13 12 41 -.■\.»i Jackson ... 13 15 11 39 Corporal Gray 16 16 7 39 Private Bartlett ... 15 16 6 37 Sergeant Kitohing ... 12 9 8 29 Captain Bunny ... ' 10 6 3 19 '