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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 274, 19 November 1867, Page 2

The parade preparatory to the presentation of the Keinmental Colors to the Cadet Companies will take place this afternoon, at 4 o'clock, the presentation itself taking place at the Botannical Gardens at o. The meeting of tlie General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand is announced to be held in Nelson during the week commencing on Monday, the 25th instant, on which day the inauguration sermon wili be preached at the Presb< terian Church by the Key. A.Bruce, of St. Andrew's Church, Auckland. We are informed that a public meeting under the auspices ofthe General Assembly will take place in the Provincial Hall, on Friday evening, the 29th instant, when addresses will be drlivered by members of the Assembly from distant provinces and others, and a selection of appropriate sacred music will be performed, for the execution of which several members of the Harmonic Societyhave kindly volunteered their assistance. The annual sports at the Nelson College take piai c on Thursday next, and the Head Master has issued a lar^e number of invitations to the friends aod relatives of the pupils to be present on the occasion. The programme of the sports comprises a great variety of athletic exercises, and we under-tand that the prizes are of considerable value. The Volunteer Band will probably be in atten lance, and the affair, which is always anxiously anticipated hy the collegians, is likely to pass off with more than ordin-.ry eclat. We understand that the Music-hall, which has been erected for the practice meetings of the Harmonic Society, at the foot ofthe Church- hill, will be used for the first time on Thursday evening, when what is known as an 'open night' will be given, the selection being of a miscellaneous character, and the admission open to members an.l their friends. Although we could have wished that this building had possessed more pretentious claims than it does to architectural detail, since we bold it to be the duty of every individual member of the community to contribute, as far as in him lieth, to the general beauty and fair proportions of our city; yet we believe that the funds which the Society had at its disposal for the purpose would only admit of the erection of a bnilding of the most simple and inexpensive nature. We are however rejoiced to hear that the ranks ofthe Soeiety are being largely reinforced, and we may therefore be permitted to hope that at r.o distant date it may be in a position to erect a Music-hall which shall not only be more commodious, but still more worthy, architecturally speaking, of the purpose to wliich it is to be devoted than the building which has just been completed. We find that we were in error in stating in our issue of yesterday ihat Magnii c. who was one of the lodgers at the Masonic Hotel at the time of the fire, hud been arrested on the Coroner's warrant, as he was apprehended by Sergeant Nash on a warrant issued by the Resident Magistrate. Cur readers will perceive from an announcement in our adverti.-dng columns that the Band of Hope will repeat the trial of Ur Abstinence alias Stedfast Teetotalism to-morrow (Wednesday) evening at the Temperance Hall. The success which attended the previous representation of this amusing trial wiil doubtless insure a large attendance on the present occasion. We take the following , from the Melbourne Herald of the sth instant: — Th,e question of the distributi'ii of the surplus o f the fund subscribed in this eohmy i-7 IS'ji', '.tow,ards the sufferers a:, New Plymouth, Key.' Zealand, through .he war which broke cue there in '.'he. y_-tr named, came again bcib-re his Honor. _vlr Justice .MoL-?worth-yesterday. The sum in hand amounts io over £2300, and last year Mr Justice Ivlotesworth re-

-1 ferred the matter to the Master, with directions to ask if there were any parties left to whom the mo.icy could be .distributed. ' The Mas f er, it appears, has received claims from all manner of ' persons since then — some claiming for loss of a son, some of a brother, others of horses or bullocks, and others for losses which occurred long after 1850; and oue lady modestly applied for otnp.ensHtion for the loss of her husband, who was 1 killed, although she had tince solaced herself by taking another. The Master hud .reported that he did not consider any of the, applicants were entitle Ito a sbare of the fund, which was subscribed for cases of immediate pressing necessity? and he recommended that the money should be given to three Melbourne charities. The case was originally instituted in the Courts by the Attorney-General for the ( 'rown, and Mr Lorimer, a trustee, for the subscribers; both of whom j agreed with the report and tlie' Master's suggestion; but tlie claimants objected, aud were yesterday represented by counsel. liis Honor reserved his judgment on the case. !V»»The Westport Times states that on Friday last au extraordinary attempt at suicide was made by a female, who formerly kept the Me'bourne Club . Hotel iv Dunedin, and w <s well-known by tho name ot Nancy Dawson, but whose real name is Charlotte Dawson, in a small detached hut opposite the Court-house reserve, where she had been living for some time past. Piercing cries were heard to proceed from this building; and the woman was found stretched upon the floor, with her head partially propped up against a bunk at one side, and with a horrible gash in the throat, from which the blood was pouring in streams. In her hand was a 'small ivor) -handled dinner, or desert knife, covered with blood, with which she appeared lo liave inflicted the injury upon herself. A man, with his dress dbordere.i and without his boots, was kneeling upon her body, and apparent ly attempting to retrain her from further 'mischief. The constable immediately tjectid him, perceiving him to be either in a state of drunkenness or excitement, which untitle t him from being of any effectual assistance. Dr iiruen was immediately sent for, and took instant measures to close the wound, the woman declaring that she would not be prevented from destroying herself,, and endeavoring to effect her trightful purpose by clutching at her throat with her fingers, and trying to tear the wound opeu stiil further. It was at length, by the perse'ver ng efforts ofthe skilled operator, and witli the aid ol two or three men, why were obliged to use the most strenuous efforts to hold her down, sewn up and bandaged. The . wound is a very serious one, but, by the accident of its having been inflicted hy a comparatively blunt instrument, was not necessarily a fatal one, although it lias escaped severing the carotid artery by the merest chance. The immediate cause ot this determined attempt at selfdestruction was probably intoxication, as she had been suffering shortly before from delirium tremens. The history of this unfortunate woman, as lar as itis known, is a romantic and melancholy one, for she claimed for her progenitor no less a. personage than George IV, and her education and manners certainly warranted the assumption. It is stated authoritatively that fresh Volunteer Regulations will shortly be issued from the Defence Office. In accordance M-ith these, the regulation uniform for Volunteers will be — Cavalry: :• car let serge Garibaldi jacket, or juniper, pitterns to be decided by the several militia officers; Bedford cord pants and Napoleon boots, or blue cloth trousers with two stripes of silver or white cloth with white space; blue cloth forage cap, without peak, red cloth band with silver lace. Anidery: Blue Garibaldi or juniper, with scarlet braid; blue c'oth trousers, with bilver or white cloth stripe; forage capo! blue cloth -with a peak and a baud of silver iacr or white cloth. Rifle Volunteers: Scarlet serge Garibaldi jacket, or jumper, the same as ihe cavalry, with any colored braid; blue trousers with red stripe quarter of an inch in width; blue cloth forage cap French peak, and encircled will a colored band one , and three quarter inches wide, bearing the initial number of the corps. Naval Volunteers: Same uniform as her Majesty's navy, with the substitution of silver for gold lace. The adoption of this uniform will be compulsory upon all volunteer corps. The Sydney Morning Herald bf the sth instant says that it has been proposed in more than one quarter to transfer the American terminus of our trans-Pacific line of steamers from Panama to San Francisco. It is contended that this would form nn equally good, if not a better, route for mails to Europe, aud would make a still better connection with the United States. The Californians are naturally in favor of this idea, as they are anxious to make their port the great maritime rendezvous on the east shore ofthe Pacific. But though a Hue of steamers may connect Syduey with San Francisco, it is not so clear that they will supersede the connection with Panama. For both postal and passenger services, Panama has some advantages which the other route cau never present. It is a great centre of traffic to which converging lines come from all quarters of the world. A passenger landed at Panama cau take ship pretty directly to nearly ewry part ofthe civilized globe. He can »o southwards to Valparaiso, or northwards to California. He can go to the northern and eastern coasts of South America, to the West ludies, to Mexico, to the Southern States, of the Great Republic, to the Eastern States and Canada, to England, to France, aiid even to the Mediterranean. Nothing can ever ■ take away from Panama this advantage ; k,:i.l r.iin Biuitary condition of the Isthmus ic* capable of such indehnite'iinpro'vemeut, that the risks' of fever may be practically annihilated. '

A story is told by a, London correspondent of Lord Chief Justice Oockburu. His lordship was expressing himself \evy strongly the other day against the unnecessary horrors committed in Jamaica, when an officer of the army who was present remarked, in a ' haw-haw' tone, -Do you think so ? you should have seen what our fellows did in ludia ; ' and then the gallant gentleman wen ton to describe some ca'sesin which he hud participated, in the blowing of men from guns, not for any offence, but simply to produce terror. The judge heard him out, and then, lookiug the speaker quietly iv the face, exclaimed, ' did you ? Then you are guilty of murder; and by Heaven, if you were brought before me, I'd do roy best to hang you ; ' and, seeing the officer looking aghast, the Chief Justice added, : I would indeed.'