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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 128, 4 June 1867, Page 2

On Saturday last, the Ist instant, our pheasant season commenced, and it is said that quite one hundred persons from Nelson and its immediate neighborhood , resorted to Motueka in quest of sport on that day, Few, however, of this goodly multitude, we regret to say, had reason to congratulate themselves on their achievements during the day ; the majority returning home altogether without spoil, whilst others thought themselves fortunate iu being able to exhibit one, or at most two birds, as trophies. Mr. Henry Redwood's party, as usual, - made the best figure, and bagged, we believe, six or seven brace, followed, at a respectful distance, by two or three other of our crack shots. The birds are described as being exceedingly wild and difficult of approach, and it is probable that twenty brace would cover the amount of havoc committed on the Motueka preserves on the first-day of ■, ihe season. Considerable excitement has prevailed in town during the day in consequence of a report that gold had been discovered amongst the fragments of conglomerate brought from Adele Island. This we believe to be strictly true, having inspectzed the flake of aoid, together with the fragment in wliich it was accidentally discovered, and which is said to have beeu brought from the island. Various opinions, however, are afloat upon the subject, and we shall therefore abstain frorn any further comment on the matter in our present issue. - Tbe Circus Company, who arrived by the Claud Hamilton, made their first appearance ' last night before a bumper house. Every seat was filled iu the large marque erected for their performances at the rear of Mr. Fisher's timber-yard, iu Bridge-street, and amongst the assemblage preseut we noticed several leading families of tbe city aud neighbourhood. We must confess to being somewhat disappointed as regards the numbers of the Company, when compared with the large promise set forth in the placards and advertisements which heralded their arrival, but this fact is, we are told, attributable to arrangements made subsequently to the departure of the agent from Wellington, and which necessitated the alienation of some members of the original Company. Nevertheless the performers who appeared last night, one and all, aequitted themselves very much to the satisfaction of the audience, aud certainly atoned by their individual feats and exertions generally for any disappointment which might have been experienced, as to the general strength of the Company, which is at least equal, and in some respects superior, to any troupe of similar character which has ever visited Nelson. The costumes, trappings, &c, seemed more tban usually fresh aud tasteful, and the horses evidently understood their business thoroughly, which may be predicated with certainly equal :

truth of the human performers. We are disposed to thiuk that tbe equestrian feats exhibited by the Company were hardly equal to the wonderful acrobatic achievements performed by Messrs. Carlo, Bird, and Ross, whose bodies seem to be endowed with expansive and contractile ' properties of the most extraordinary character. Mr. Bird won great applause in his triple capacity as acrobat, equestrian, and jester j Mr. Carlo's very clever performance — the bottle pyramid — and Mr. Wallace's exhibition as a plate and bason equilibrist, drew down the heartiest approbation from the spectators. A graceful act of horsemanship in which Madame Annereau and Mr. Ross took part, was also well received, and the very laughable after-piece, which concluded the performances, sent the assemblage home in the best possible spirits. The Company perform again this evening, and on every evening until Friday next, and doubtless will have no reason to regret their visit to Nelson. The return Rifle Match between the City Rifles No 1 and the Waimea West Volunteers will, we are informed, take place on the Maitai Ground on Friday. We presume that proper preparations will be made for the hospitable reception of our gallant friends from the country. The ele-tion for the representation of the Waimeas in the House of Representatives has assumed another phase. A week ago it was understood that Mr. Feodore Kelling had declined to be put in nomination for the vacant seat, being disposed to surrender his claims upon the "sweet voices" of the electors in favor of Mr. Barnicoat. Intelligence then reached us that, in compliance with a resolution passed at a meeting of the electors held afc Richmond, a deputation had waited upon Mr. Barnicoat, requesting that gentleman to become a candidate, to which he had given a conditional assent. Both Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Henry Beit were also mentioned as intending candidates, but we believe that the latter gentleman baa withdrawn definitely from the contest. From a notice which appears in our advertising columns, it would appear that Mr. Kelling has, after all, consented to come forward ; and ia the absence of more reliable information, we cau only surmise that Mr. Barnicoat has come to the conclusion not to present himself as a competitor for this honor, aud that the choice of the electors will therefore lie between Mr. Kelliug and Mr. Sheppard, both gentlemen iu every respect qualified to represent this important electorate in the Colonial Parliament. rThe members of the Fire Brigade paid /a mournful tribute of respect to the me- / mory of one of their comrades, by attending this afterrtoon at the funeral of Mr. John Barton, of Toi-toi Valley. A considerable representation of the Brigade followed the hearse, and the fire-bell continued tolling at intervals during the progress, of the mournful cortege to the Cemetery. This is,, we believe, the first death which has occurred amongst the members of the Brigade. The Foresters, of which body the deceased was also a member, .atteuded the funeral fn considerable numbers. •^LThe Grey River Argus of the 28th ult. states that the new rushes rlready reported cou tinue to attract large numbers of miners, and great activity prevailed amongst the trading community of Westport. It is stated that fully 5000 men are at preseut in and around the Buller district, but as yet the only rush that holds out any prospect of supporting a large population is the one at Waite's Pakihi, which we learn is likely to prove both rich and extensive. Great doubt existed concerning the reports of new discoveries to the northward, aud the rush in that direction has in consequence only been' a partial one. Mr. Commissioner Kynnersley had arrived at the Buller from Nelson and was busily engaged in investigating the applications for prospecting claims, and had gone up the river to make a personal examination, We are informed that an unusually large extent of business has been trausacted in Westport, and that one or two firms who, ha,d large stocks have been able to almost clear their stores at a very handsome profit. The hotels were doing a "roaring trade," beds were almost an impossibility to new comers, and meals had literally to be scrambled for. The proposition to secure the annexation of the Grey district to the Province of Nelson, in the event of the present system of administration being continued by the Canterbury Governmsnt, has been again revived, and has naturally excited

much attention in Christchurch. The Press eudeavors to show that the very nature of the demands made by the inhabitants of Westland makes their fulfilment irrecoucileable with the maintenance of the existing union with Canterbury. The Grey River Argus agrees with the Press in saying that the popularity of the the Moorliouse Government is on the wane, and that tbe wish for annexation to Nelson is the result of deep-felt public dissatisfaction, asking whether it is not a great reproach to any Government that a country like Westland should, in the third year of its existence, be almost entirely roadless and bridgeless, although the prosperity of the population depends mainly on the opportunities they have of penetrating and traversing the country, aud concludes a leading article by statiDg that the whole ramifications of government in West Canterbury require reforming aud awakening to activity. The unfavorable contrast with Nelson is not confined to Government : the whole state engine downwards is lazy and rusty ; and more activity, greater promptitude, aud more intelligence are wanted in the machinery of the Government. The Wanganui Chronicle of Saturday week informs us that in the Resident Magistrate's Court, on the previous day, two natives, Rio Hitori and Porato, were charged with having been implicated iu the murder of Mr. J. D. Hewitt, at Kai Iwi, about two years ago. The prisoners were remanded pending the advice of the General Government. The report for 1866 of the Trustees of the Peabody Charity to the east end of London shows that the original gift of L 150,000 had been raised to 165,416 8s lid. by interest, rent, &c. The buildings at Spitallields and Islington continue to be fully occupied, and everything in connection with them is highly satisfactory. Four additional blocks of buildings have just been completed at Shadwell, and will afford accomodation for 400 families, or 2000 persons. Mr Peabody has handed over to the trustees a further sum of LIOO,OOO for similar purposes, but which is to remain invested until 1869. The Secretary of the Eyre Defence Fund has received a cheque for £1602 3s 9d, as the first instalment of the people of Jamaica towards the defence of Mr. Eyre. A second instalment is promised shortly. The Jamaica Committee have been endeavouring to raise funds for the prosecution, but up to the last mail leaving, it is said that not one penny has been subscribed. The principal of the Inland Revenue Laboratory reports : — " During the last two or three years large and increasing importations have been made - from the continent of an article termed glucose, which ifi a substance prepared from starch and liable, according to its saccharine value, to a duty equivalent to that imposed upon cane sugar. I am given to understand that this material, which is comparatively of little value, is extensively used to supersede sugar in the manufacture of confections, and that it also enters largely into the compositions of jams, marmalades, and fruit jellies manufactured for sale, thus affording an illustration of the manner in which the most unlikely articles may he sophisticated." The late Rev. Zeb. Twitchell was the most noted Methodist minister in Vermont for shrewd and laughable sayings in the pulpit he maintained a suitable, gravity of expression, but out of the pulpit he overflowed with mischief. Occasionally he would introduce something very queer into the sermon for the sake of arousing the flagging attention of his hearers. 1 It was he who originated the story of great mosquitoes. Seeing some of his audience were gettiug sleepy, he paused in his discourse and digressed as follows: — "Brethren, you haven't any idea of how the missionaries suffer in the new settlements on account of the mosquitoes. In some of those regions they are enormous. A great many of them will j weigh a pound, and they will get on the logs and bark when the missionaries are comin" along." By this time all ears and eyes were opened, and he proceeded with his discourse. The next day one of his hearers called him to account for telling lies in the pulpit. " There was never a mosquito that weighed a pound." "But I did not say that one would weigh a pound. I said tbat mauy of them would weigh a pound, and I think a million would." " But you said they would bark at the missionaries." "No, no, brother,. I said they would get on the Fogs and bark."

Adulteration of Coffee. — The report of the Inland Revenue states that tlie unscrupulous portion of the dealers in coffee finding that an unlawful profit could no longer be obtained by the sale of chicory, have resorted to the use of another article much better suited for the adulteration of coffee than even chicory itself, aud one which was surreptitiously used many years ago, and throngh which the success of more than one of the now called "eminent" firms in tbe coffee trade was established. The adulterant is known in the trade as "finings" but it is simply burnt sugar or caramel, and has only about one third the value of duty-paid coffee. Nothing is more easy than smoking fish. Let them be as fresh as possible. Do not delay the process one minute needlessly. Clean the fish and rub salt into them ; a little ground allspice and black peper added if the flavor is desired. Get a com-, mon wooden box or barrel, mside of which' on nails, hang the fish. Invert tbe box or barrel over some hardwood sawdust, or hardwood chips, and thrust therein a redhot poker to make them smoulder. In about an hour look at the fish. The colour will tell whether they are sufficiently smoked. The degree of requisite salting and smoking depends upon taste, or the time the fish are intended to be kept. A handsome young Yankee pedlar made ' love to a buxom in widow Pennsylvania. He accompanied hiß declaration with an allusion to two impediments to their union. Name them, said the widow. — The want of means to set up a retail store. They parted, and widow sent the pedlar ample means When they met again, the pedlar had hired and stocked his store, and the I smiling fair one begged to know the other impediment. I have another wife, cried the notion dealer. When Dr. H. and Sergeant A. were walking arm in arm, a wag said to a friend, " These two are just equal to oue highwayman." "Why?" was the response. "Because," rejoined the wag, "it is a lawyer and a doctor — your money or your life." A gentleman was promenading a street with a bright little boy by his side, when the little boy called out; "Oh, pa, there goes an editor!" "Hush, my son," said the father, "don't make sport of the poor man. God only knows what you may come to yet."