The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1867.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 185, 9 August 1867, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1867.

Our contemporary the Colonist, with characteristic audacity of assertion, alluded this morning to a letter which appeared in our issue of Wednesday last, from "An English Churchman," with reference to the doctrine held by the Church of Englaud on the Eucharistic Sacrifice, ' ; as a Roman Catholic opinion on that subject." We therefore take this opportunity of stating that the letter referred to was written by an Anglican clergymau of the diocese, whose opinion on the matter at issue, supported by quotations from the standard works of Bishops of his Communion, will probably be held to be more authoritative than that of a Scotch Calvinist, whose ignorance of the whole subject is sufficiently displayed by his reference to the " Protestant Church of England and her sister Church of Scotland, as by law established," the Church of England being, as a fact, never once styled in any of her formularies a "Protestant"' Church (such a statement being historically untrue), save in one especial instance, — in the Coronation Service, where the word "Protestant" is used in a purely political "sense, and the Church of Scotland, "as by law established," being Presbyterian pure et simple. What possible object a Roman Catholic could hope to subserve by defending the doctrines of the Anglican Church we are totally at a loss to conceive; and we believe that such an insinuation could only originate in the morbid brain of a Whalley or in that of the Editor of the Colonist. A correspondent, referring to a letter which appeared in our columns yesterday from Mr Johnston, master of the ketch Harriett, describing the late fatal accident at Motueka, cites, in proof of the humanity aud courageous conduct displayed by him under similar circumstances to those narrated in his latter, that he has, on two several occasions, and at considerable personal risk, been instrumental by jumping off the wharf at Motueka, in rescuing two persons whose lives were iv imminent jeopardy. The Government Gazette of the 31st ultimo, notifies the appointmeut of John Wallis Barnicoat, C. Hunter Brown, and D. Rough, Esqs., Justices of the Peace, as Visiting Justices of the Nelson Lunatic Asylum; of Mr William Weeden, as Inspector of Hackney Carriages, vice MiHenry Cloustou, resigned. The Gazette also publishes the rules adopted by the Trustees of the Nelson Public Cemetery, as approved by the Superintendent aud Executive Council, also certificates by the Resident Magistrate, that the following gentlemen, Messrs Joseph Giles and John Steele Park, have qualified themselves under the Act as Medical Practioners; with a proclamation declaring the Pelorus road from the Heringa bridge to Dwyer's accommodation-house, to be under the provisions of the Bridle Roads Protection

Act, 1860, and a notification to the effect that certain by-laws and regulations made in accordance with the provisions of the 28th Section of the Nelson Scab Act, 1865, will come into operation on and afccr the Ist September next, and annulling the by-laws and regulations now iv force. Yesterday's Gazette is eutirely devoted to the publication of the official report of the Inspector of Public Schools, with the returns of numbers and attendance, for the half-year ending December, 18 >6, and the general account of the Central Board of Education, to June 30th, 1367. The conceit given by the Nelson Harmonic Society last night at the Provincial Hall was an unquestionable success, both as regarded the attendance and the performance itself. The first part of the programme consisted of selections from the following Oratorios — The Creation, Israel in Egypt, St. Paul, and Samson, concluding with the Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah. Our space will not permit us to criticise these selections seriatim, but we may state, as a rule, that the choruses were given carefully and creditably, the general effect however being much impaired by the thinness of the basses, who did not muster so strongly as usual. Mendelssohn's chorus " How lovely are the messengers," ia particular, was rendered with commendable delicacy, and the various airs, "Now vanish" for the tenor, and ''The marvellous work" for the soprauo, from The Creation, and the air for the tenor "Great Dagou" from Samsou, were each given very satisfactorily. We observed with no small regret that so inconsiderable a number of the assemblage preseutcomplied with the timehonored custom, of universal acceptance, of standing during the performance of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, a mark of respect invariably shown in deference to the peculiar solemnity of the words. The second portion of the programme consisted of a miscellaneous selection of secular compositions, representing, with the exception of operatic music, specimens of most of the modem schools, if indeed Lord Morniugton's delicious madrigal "As it fell upon a day" (which, by the way, though very well sung, should have been taken much faster), can come under that category. Brinley Richard's pretty elaborate song, Warbliugs at Eve, enabled us to renew our acquaintance with a lady amateur, no long time ago a very successful member of the Society, and whose reappearance in the orchestra was welcomed with unmistakeable pleasure by the audience. Her execution of this difficult song — which almost impresses one with the idea that it had been origiually written as a pianoforte morceau de concert, so florid is it in character both as regards the voice part and the accompaniment — left little to be desired, and the audience unanimously insisted upon its repetition, with which the lady goodnaturedly complied. No small curiosity had been excited -by the announcement that another young lady gifted with vocal powers of no ordiuary character, a resident at Wellington, and now on a visit in this city, had kindly promised to take a part iv the concert* The anticipations which had been formed were more than realised by the exhibition of a voice of great power and compass, aided by a considerable amount of that enviable self-possession, the lack of which so often militates against the success of amateur vocalists, whilst the audience bore testimony to their appreciation not only of the good nature which prompted compliance withthewish.es of the committee, but also of the vocal powers which were thus called forth. Kucken's song, The Maid of Judah, was well calculated to display the fine resources of this lady's voice, which only needs that careful study atad practice, without which no musiciaa

can hope to succeed, to render it one of the most magnificent and expressive contralto voices to which, we have ever listened. A most hearty encore was responded to with oue of Claribel's deservedly popular songs, Maggie's Secret, in which we thought the lady even more successful, and evidently nothing but the fear of trespassing too far on good nature precluded the audience from seeking further gratific ition. Mr Walcot, the Conductor of the Society, was never better heard than in Blumenthal's exquisitely beautiful song, The Message, for he was in excellent voice, and threw a large amount of expression into his delivery of the music, which he sang with the greatest taste and feeling. We cannot wonder at the furore which the singing of this composition, by the great tenor Sims Reeves has created at Lome; for, interpreted as it was last night as regards both the vocalist and the accompany ist (and the latter has no slight difficulties to contend with, difficulties which were surmounted with consummate taste and skill) we cannot but regard this song as one of the most exquisite specimens of musical composition which has appeared for many years past. We must dismiss the other items of the programme more summarily. Mendelssohn's Turkish. Driukiug Song in eight parts, was most admirably and wellnigh faultlessly sung, and was fully entitled to all the honor which could be paid to it. By the by, is there not something inconsistent in the title of this song? We fancied that Mohammed had forbidden to his followers the use of wine. A pretty duet by Brinley Richards, sung in very pleasing stj'le by two lady members of the Society, and Balfe's " Riflemen, form," with cornet accompaniments, given, in spite of the miserably unvocal character of the words, with great spirit, and encored; and a new ami fine bass song, The Last Watch by Macfarren, fairly sung by the Secretary of the Society, deserve more detailed criticism than our space will allow us to give them. We must not, however, conclude without expressing our conviction that the success of the concert was largely and mainly attributable to the able and unwearied efforts of theconductor,aud to the truly musician-like accompaniments of the lady who presided, with such marked effect as regards the general performance of the music, dunng the greater part of the evening at the pianoforte, and we may justly conclude our notice by saying that the Concert of last night may fitly be regarded as commencing a new and promising era in the existeuce of the society.