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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 120, 25 May 1867, Page 2

/The anniversary of the Wesieyan Church was celebrated yesterday evening by a tea-meeting held in the School-room adjourning the Church in Hardy-street, /which was very tastefully decorated with wreaths of evergreens, and transparencies bearing appropriate mottoes. Above 200 ' persons sat down to an excellent tea, after discussing which they adjourned to the Church, where a public meeting was held, Mr. J. J. Hornby taking the chair at 7 o'clock. The building was filled in every part, and the chairman having opened the meeting with a few introductory remarks, alluded to his connection with Methodism for a period extending over 40 years. The Rev. J. Crump then apologised ior the absence of the secretary^~ who should have presented the financial report for the year, and was followed by Mr. J. Rose, who spoke at considerable length iu favor of the principle of voluntaryism ; on the universal application of the Wesieyan Methodism to all conditions of humanity ; the sanctity of places of worship; and on the power of the most humble to contribute to the work of conversion, exhorting his hearers to continue instant in prayer, and in sympathy with their ministers, and concluded with expressing his stedfast attachment to the Throne, and his aversion to Republicanism. Mr. Smith, of Stoke, echoed the loyal senti- . ments of the last speaker, and expatiated

at length upon the power and influence of pi ayer. The Rev. R.L. Vickers, in an able speech, congratulated the meeting on the prosperous state of the Wesieyan Church in Nelsou, and also on the display of taste in the school-room decorations, suggesting that these anniversary meetings might be made occasions for comparing from time to time the spiritual progress of the congregation. He repudiated the idea that secular affairs were not intimately connected with religion, and considered that the fruit of the opposite opiuion was good sense and freedom from cant. He desired unity and peace, whioh were so much insisted on — not at any price, but founded on truth, — and concluded his address with some apt and humorous "remarks, which elicited much laughter from the meeting. Mr. Wagg stated that although the gallery recently erected in the church had been paid for, still £40 was required, which he trusted would be supplied by the proceeds of that evening's meeting. The building, too, should be insured, and would probably soon require extension ; and he expressed his earnest hope that their two new miuisters, the Revs. Messrs. Crump and Vickers, who had made their first appearance at a public meeting, since their arrival here, that evening, would prove a blessing to their congregation. A collection was then made, which, together with the collection made on Sunday last, amounted, as we understand, to £19. The Rev. J. Crump then addressed the meeting, and called attention to the present state of ecclesiastical affairs at home, alluding especially to the immense progress which the Roman Catholic religion had made within the last few yeaiv, and which had enabled it to take a position in England which it had not occupied for the last three centuries. It had been the fashion to regard the Papacy as a worn-out, superannuated system, but there were now no less than 1400 Roman Catholic priests in England, with' almost innumerable churches, convents, colleges, and orphanages under their direction. He then directed attention to the Ritualistic movement, which he characterised as synonymous with superficiality, and, whilst deprecating illiberality, avowed his conviction that every effort should be made to erect churches where doctrines might be taught which would cause the downfall of both these baneful, aggressive movements. The speaker concluded by declaring himself a Methodist, pure et simple, disliking any invidious distinctions, and expressed his earnest hope that the next year would be blessed to them all. The thanks of the meeting were then unanimously given to the friends who had so tastefully decorated the School-room, and given up so much of their time and tea to the meeting, and also to the chairman for his kindness in presiding that evening ; and the National Anthem having been sung, the assemblage dispersed. We understand that no less than forty candidates sent in applications for the appointment of Office-keeper at the Provincial Buildings, which has just been given to Mr. W. Weedon. We have been informed by a friend who was behind the scenes (and who, our readers will say, cannot have the fear of Mr, Stafford's mandate before his eyes), that one of the applicants — who certainly has not numbered less than sixty summers, and who is evidently gifted with a highly imaginative and poetical temperament, — after acknowledging the disadvantage under which he laboured as a bachelor, very naively added that, should this fact prove any obstacle to his eligibility for the oflice, he would, in order to meet the require-, merits of the Government, be happy to repair his past shortcomings in the matrimonial line by entering the holy state forthwith. We are almost forced to regret, that such remarkable self-confidence was not duly appreciated by the Government, for our poetic and very accommodating friend did not obtain the appointmeut.

The main sewer in Bridge-street, with, of course, the exception of the branch drains, was completed on Friday morning at 8 a.m., as we stated on Wednesday last to be the intention of the contractor, Mr. Miles, who has also, we may add, obtained the contract for the curbing of both sides of Bridge-street, at the rate of Is. 2d. per lineal foot. The Provincial Government Gazette of Thursday last contains notifications of the election of Messrs. G. Donne aud A. S. Dreyer as representatives for the Grey District, in the Provincial Council, and also of Mr. William White as representative for the Waimea-south District. William Wildman, of Motueka, is licensed to catch pheasants for the Nelsou Acclimatisation Society, for distribution in other parts of the Province, and protection is granted toJWilliam Courtney, of Brighton, for a period of five years, in the occupation of an area of waste lauds of the Crown about two miles in length aud not exceeding ten feet in width, between St. Eilda and Brighton, for the construction of a tramway between those two places. Immediately before going to press, we received our telegram of European news by the Panama steamer Ruahiue, which arrived at Wellington, at 2 p.m. to-day. This telegram, which does not seem to contain any items of especial interest, will be published in our Monday's issue. A notable instance of " sharp practice" occurred to-day, which, moreover, refltcts much credit on our local police, for the alacrity which they displayed in the matter It seems that a man, named J. W, Carr, the steward of the barque Laughing Water, deserted from Picton last night, carrying with him a bag of clothes, belonging to the sailors, and also the ship's sextant. The police here received a telegram at 11 a.m, to-day, communicating this information stating that he had left Picton in the Taranaki ; and about 12 he was arrested, immediately on his arrival at the Wbarf by Sergeant Nash, after making a desperate effort to escape. The West Coast Times of the 13th instant says that instructions have been received at Chris t6hurch to suspend all public works in Westland, even to the repairs required on the wharf, and prophesies a stormy session on the meeting of the Provincial Council on the 7th proximo. Mr. Travers has been elected member for Heathcote in the Canterbury Provincial Council, without opposition, the other candidate, Mr. Kennaway, having retired. Dr. Selwyn, the Bishop of New Zealand, purposes leaving the colony at an early date for England, in order to take part in the meetiug of the colonial bishops which is proposed to be held during the present year at home, with a view to arrive at some arrangement on the important question at issue of the Queeu's supremacy over the Anglican Episcopate in the colonies, and other matters of interest. The Auckland papers state that pheasants are very plentiful this season, which commenced on the Ist inst. The birds seem very strong on the wing, but as yet are very easily come-at-able. There seems to be every disposition to carry out the Game Act in its integrity, so that next year birds ought to be very plentiful. The New Zealand Herald has the following : " We have pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy of our esteemed correspondent " Oxide," who sent us a brace of pheasants on Wednesday — being the first day of the season." We trust the hint will not be lost upon our sporting friends when our own season commences on the Ist June. The luspector of Schools for Wellington Province sums up his report in the following ominous words : — The number of schools in operation at the end of 1866 was 28. The number of children on the books, I believe, 1011 ; but of these 600 were under ten years of age, which circumstance accounts partly for the fact, otherwise very startling, that only 112 children are scheduled as able' to read a narrative of ordinary difficulty ; only 472 as writing copies on paper ; only 250 as competent to work a sum in the compound rules of arithmetic. But this backwardness is also in part to be accounted for by the great irregularity of attendance at school ; thus it will be seen that twothirds only of the whole number stated above are in daily attendance — that in several schools the average number of days in the whole year, on which each child has attended has not amounted to 150— that in very few has it reached 200, whilst the ordinary number of school days amounts to 240. — Wanganui Chronicle.