The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1869. CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SYNAGOGUE.

The handsome little synagogue lately erected in Trafalgar- square was consecrated yesterday afternoon in the presence of a crowded congregation, comprising not only the members of the Jewish persuasion resident in Nelson, but also a large nuraher of persons of various other denominations, the gentlemen being seated in the body of the building and the ladies occupying the gallery. At three o'clock, the hour appointed for the service to commence, the choir, the lady members of which were dressed in white, with long veils of the same color, having taken their places near the harmonium, the officiating minister from the portico chanted in Hebrew (in which language the whole service was conducted) the canticle "Open unto me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them and praise the Lord." The doors were then opened, and the reader, holding in his handsjthe "Kolls of the Law" encased in a handsome damask covering and surmounted with clusters of tiny bells, entered the building accompanied by the officers of the congregation, and, standing under a canopy which was held aloft by four boys, intoned the following versicles: — " How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob ! thy tabernacles, O Israel. "0 Lord! I have ever loved the habitation of Thy house, and the dwelling-placs of thy glory. "We will come into Thy tabernacles, and worship at Thy footstool." At the end of these verses the procession walked towards the Ark at the western end of the building, the reader and choristers singing as follows: — " Blessed be he who cometh in the name of the Lord ; we bless you from the house of the Lord. . "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with praise. "Come, let us worship and bow down; let us bend the knee before the Lord our Maker. "Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with exulting song." The procession then walked round the synagogue seven times, one of the Psalms •of David being chanted during each circuit. This portion of the ceremony being concluded the ode " O Lord our God with ardent love" was effectively sung, after whish a prayer for the Queen and Eoyal family was read. The " Rolls" were then, placed in the Ark, and those who had taken part in the procession returned to their seats, the reader chanting the 29th Psalm. The afternoon service having been said an eloquent sermon was preached by Mr. D. M. Isaacs, the officiating minister, from the text, " How goodly are thy tents, 0 Jacob, thy tabernacles, 0 Israel. Through thy abundant benevolence am I come into thy house, and in reverence of thee will I ! bow down towards thy holiness." The 150 th Psalm was then sung with great spirit, and thus terminated a service which was most impressive, although we confess that to members of Christian denominations, whe are accustomed to uncover their heads on entering their places of worship, the wearing of their hats by the male portion of the congregation presented a strange appearance, which tended to deprive the ceremony to some extent of that air of solemnity which should exist in a building dedicated to the worship of God. Such however is-, the custom among the Jews, and we merely mention the fact without. the;slightest intention or wish to question *its propriety. 1 We trust we shall not be overstepping our limits if we venture to express our

admiration, which was shared by all present, of the magnificent soprano voice possessed by Miss Davis, who led the singing with so much taste and feeling; but our report would be incomplete did we omit to make special mention of what was so marked and so pleasing a feature in the day's proceedings. The "Rolls of the Law," of which mention has been made, consist of a loug strip of parchment wound round two wooden rollers, and on which is beautifully written in Hebrew the whole of the five books of Moses. The Synagogue has been erected at a cost of £500, of which £400 have already been paid, and the balance was yesterday reduced by £loss.,theamountof thecollection made after the service. The leading features of the building are Roman ; its length is 36 feet, width 21 feet, and height of sidewalls, 22 feet. The ground floor, independent of the staircase and vestry, measures 26 feet by 20 feet ; vestry, 7 feet by 7 feet. The gallery contains four rows of seats. The front entrance has a porch with columns and enriched capitals in somewhat of a composite or ornamental style. Two windows, one on each side of the porch, with columns and capitals, as above, are in the front elevation. The side elevation has four windows of the same size and style, and they all have circular tops. There are also two win- ! dows with circular tops in the western elevation. On the ground floor there are two rows of seats, with a reading-desk in the centre. The Ark is of the composite or ornamental style, with large and Ismail columns and enriched capitals, and is approached by well-firaished steps and ornamental baluster railings on each side. Immediately above the ark is a tablet on which are inscribed in Hebrew characters the ten commandments, over which in the same characters are the words "Knoweth before whom thou standest." The entire building reflects great credit upon Mr. Scotland, the architect, and the whole of the Hebrew congregation in Nelson, who must have subscribed most liberally towards erectiug a place of worship of which they may well be proud.

Winter Evening- Lectures. — "We need scarcely remind our readers that Judge Eichmond is to deliver his lecture on "the modern aspect of natural theology" at the Provincial Hall this evening. Resident Magistrate's Court. — William Spencer, William Burns, John Munro, and William Hansen, charged, with being drunk and disorderly, were fined 10s. each and costs. Steamer Keitnedy. — We learn that this favorite little steamer arrived at Sydney on the 20th instant, after & favorable passage of eight days. Bachelder's Diorama. — Between 600 and 700 children attended this exhibition on Saturday afternoon last and were, as might hage been expected, highly delighted with what they saw. At the conclusion of the performance they, at the request of Mr. Crisp, gave three hearty cheers for the proprietors, when Mr. Thompson, the lecturer, came on to the stage, aad stated that he had never seen a better behaved audience of children in all his travels, and that he considered them to.be a credit to Nelson. The Privilege Question.— lt will be seen from a report of the parliamentary proceedings published in another column that the Government were only saved from defeat on Mr. Curtis' resolution on Major Brown's case by ifljjfr small majority I of one. It would appear from this that Mr. Fox's Government -does not retain the confidence of the large majority of members by whose votes he succeeded in turning Mr. Stafford out of office. Three quartz reefs have been opened in Stewart's Island. Sixty men are at work, but little gold is getting. Gold has been discovered in the ranges near Timaru. The extent of ground is limited, but will pay for sluicing. A prospecting claim has been taken up, and an application lodged for the Government reward. . : The publication of the Echo newspaper has been suspended, until a motion, calling upon Mr Driver to proceed with the prosecution of the action for Libel against Mr. Henningham, is disposed of. A petition, calling upon Mr Yogel to resign his seat in the General Assembly, has been adopted by a public meeting at Lawrence.