The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 212, 8 November 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1866.

Few persons will be sorry that his Honor the Superintendent has proclaimed to-mor-row a general holiday. A large multitude will sympathise with the wish to give, for one d.ay at least, a truce to care and business, and to snatch the pleasure of a festal day. Before these Hues meet the eyes of our readers, many of them will have been engaged in preparing for the enjoyment, which a day's leisure cannot fail to secure. On the ground of loy-alty and general utility, the Superintendent has done well to invite his fellow subjects to attempt to drive dull care awaj\ As subjects of the British empire we cannot regard without interest the anniversary of the natal day of the illustrious individual who is destined to preside over the empire, on which the sun never sets. On contrasting the position and conduct of the present with the last Prince of Wales, the British people cannot fail to recognise the change that has takeu place in favor of superior morality and the diffusion of an influence calculated to promote the happiness of society. If the heir to the throne has not , distinguished himself by that high intellectuality which characterised his lamented father, he has shown himself anxious to sympathise with the people in their most pressing wants and prominent amusements. By his presence at the sports which form so large a portion of the amusements of the British people and by becoming the willing patron of all their philanthropic institutions, the prince whose birth we to-morrow commemorate.,, has gained the affections of the nation, aud placed himself in striking contrast to the modern Sardanapalus, who preceeded him as Prince of Wales, whose luxurious and inglorious career forms oue of the most melancholy pages in English history. Regarding the throue as a political institution, the British people are not irrational in their expression- -of- attachment to its . most distinguished occupants. Under the constitution of which the throne is part, the nation enjoys a greater amount of freedom than is accorded under any other form of Government. Liberty to speak and act on all proper occasions is enjoyed to a greater extent by the British subject than by the subjects of any other- kingdom in the world. Few ofthe continental states have learnt the first principles of political and civil freedom, and in America where liberty amounts to licentiousness, the despotism of the mob is frequently destructive of all individual rights. The English people in every quarter of the world know how to appreciate the great, advantages they enjoy, and without approaching their princes with that servile adulation which is peculiar to a state of serfdom, are glad to witness their happiness, rejoice to commend them in a career of usefulness, and pray they may enjoy a long and prosperous reign. And the feeling of attachment to the throne is not diminished by the consideration of the position which England at present holds among the nations. Calm amidst surrounding. agitation ; a spectator of revolutions which hurl kings from their thrones, but which do not influence its internal repose ; pursuing a career of commercial aud beneficent enterprise, whilst the continental nations are convulsed to the centre by the turmoil and horrid passions which war engenders ; the occupant of a throue so uuinfluenced by surrounding dangers, and so secure in the affections of the people, must be an object of intense interest to the millions whom she governs. But utility as well as loyalty warrants the indulgence of a. little innocent festivity tomorrow. The bow always bent loses its elasticity, and people chained- to eternal toil, become gloomy and illnatured. An occasional forgetfulness of the irritation wliich labor causes, is good for the body and minds ofthe horny hauded race, who return to 'their avocatidus with renewed energy, when their nerves have been braced by exhilarating breezes and their sympathies

tuned by. contact with the better feelings of their kind. We wish greater provision were made for public amusemeuts in the town of Nelson, but al though there are no systematised amusements for the people, we doubt notthat human ingenuity will devise means for spending to-morrow in such a way as shall iu numerous instances furnish a large stock harmless pleasure. Out of door amusements will find favor with the class who appreciate the value of strong nerves and powerful muscles, and which by furnishing a sound body insures its correlative a sound mind. Social enjoyments will be indulged in by another class, and the time will not be ill spent that enables them to cultivate friendships, reciprocate good feeling, aud combine a feeling of loyalty with one of genuine hospitality. Youth will for the moment acquire new elasticity, and age will forget its cares. The juvenile apostles of temperance will renew their pledges to abjure the intoxicating draught, and the votaries of the merry dance will exhaust the midnight hours in joyous revelry. Nature with its boundless store of charms will attract the attention of those with whom other pleasures find no favor, and they will not be at a loss for enjoyment who contemplate The warbling woodland, the resounding shore, The pomp of groves and garniture of fields, All tbat the genial ray of morning gilds, And all that echoes to the song of even ; All that the mountain's sheltering bosom shields, And all the dread magnificence of heaven. It is scarcely necessary to add that the individuals whose duty it is to produce the Nelson Evening Mail, will respond to the invitation of the Superintendent, to keep holiday to-morrow, and miugle in the throng of pleasure takers whom his Honor has so considerately encouraged to — Away with melancholy for one transient, flitting day.