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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 302, 21 December 1867, Page 2

Our readers will- be gratified to learn that our circulation yesterday reached the number of 1100 copies, which has only been exceeded on the occasion of the trials for the Maungatapu murders. •^ Our' readers generally will be glad to learn - that, on the application of Captain and Adjutant Lockett, the Board of Works, at their fortnightly meeting held yesterday, of which we are compelled to postpone the report, granted the use of Murphy-street, Toi-toi Valley, as a practice'"ground for the Volunteers, on conv jjditioQ that no objections be raised on the .part of the;occu pants of property in the neighborhood, a, contingency which we : understand is by no means probable. The ; ground is level: and, we are informed, well adapted' for /the purpose. '.'.-'..•

The ** breaking-up party,' or, as it certainly might more appropriately have been termed, the ball given yesterday evening at the College, was probably the most brilliant affair of the kind, whether we look to j the number of the guests, the admirable nature of the arrangements, or the general sense of enjoyment, ever given in Nelson. The proposal to substitute a rational and humanising amusement for the ordinary display of pyrotechnics, &c, indulged in on similar occasions, originated with the pupils, and was readily seconded by the Head-Master and Mrs Maclean, to whose generosity the success of the ball was in very great measure attributable. The general arrangements were left to a committee of five of the senior pupils, and we must do these young gentlemen the justice to say that they fulfilled their responsibilities most admirably, and with a tact and energy which would have conferred credit ou older heads. The spacious suite of apartments at the College afforded ample room for the entertainment, and upwards of 200 guests were present of all ages, aud including representatives of all our leading families, the two large schoolrooms being devoted to dancing, while the intermediate entrance-hall was used as a refreshmentroom duriug the evening, and for the accommodation of the musicians who had most kindly volunteered their valuable services on the occasion, playing with uutiring zeal throughout the night. Dancing commenced about half-past 8 o'clock in the upper schoolroom, which had been very elaborately and tastefully decorated by the pupils with ferns, natural and artificial flowers, and flags of varied hues, intermixed witb colored reflectors, the whole presenting a veryjnovel and striking coupd'ceil on entering the room, which excited very general admiration. All the members of the Volunteer Companies present wore their uniforms, which, combiued with the really brilliant and tasteful toilettes of the ladies who seemed to have determined by common consent to doall possible honor to' the occasion, presented a scene which has rarely if ever been surpassed in Nelson. The large number of dancers soon rendered it necessary to throw open the lower schoolrrom, aud in these two spacious apartments dancing was kept up with the most unflagging spirit imaginable until midnight, when the pupils of Mr Walcot's singing class assembled, and saog very creditably 'Oh! the roast beef of Old England,' harmonised for the occasion. This, we need hardly add, was the signal for supper, aud the Head Master, conducting the Countess de Lapasture, then led the way to the diving-hall, where a most elegant and abundant repast had heen prepared for the guests, upwards of 70 of whom were accommodated at once. After ample justice had been done by all to the excellent viands of every description which had been prepared for the refection of the inner man, the guests returned to the ballrooms, where dancing was resumed with eve* greater spirit than ever, and the * wee hours' were far advanced before any defalcations from the ranks of the guests told that such delightful scenes were but transitory, and had their limits, like other mundane joys. In fact daybreak was peering curiously in upon the merrj r dancers, before the good old English strains of Sir Roger de Coverly were concluded, and the gratified guests made their way to their respective homes, carrying with them pleasant memories of one of the most delightful entertainments ever given in Nelson, to which the constant and thoughtful courtesies of their youthful hosts, who did the ' honors' with the most exemplary propriety, as well as the kindness and generosity so largely displayed by the Head Master and Mrs Maclean, contributed most materially. Among the passengers from Sydney on the Ist instant, per Rakaia, for Panama, wore Mr, Mrs, and Miss Dillon Bell. Tbe concluding concert of the series by Madame Carandini and her party during their visit to this city took place yesterday evening at the Provincial-hall, for the benefit of the Misses Carandini, and we are happy to add, in the presence of by far the most numerous audience that had yet greeted them, the hall being filled in- every part, including the gallery, which had not been thrown open at the previous concerts. The concert was moreover rendered more than ordinarily brilliant by the fact that a large number of those present were among the guests invited to the ball at the College and their varied and tasteful toilettes imparted a feature to the entertainment, which, though considered derigeur elsewhere, has never,

except in the case of the operatic perform- j ances by the Lyster Company, been universally followed at evening concerts in this city. At the commencement of the evening Mr Sherwin appeared and ten- • dered an apology for Miss Fannie Cai'andini, who was stil{ suffering from the severe cold which impeded her efforts on Wednesday evening, but which however did uot prevent her from sustaining her part iv the programme, and with such success that her ballad The Murmur of the Shell, receiveda most enthusiastic demand for its repetition, which however the young lady very properly declined. A like honor was accorded to Madame Carandiui and Mr Sherwin in John Parry's buffo duet, Anticipations of Switzerland. Macl'arren's very pretty duet Two Merry Gipsies, suug in their wonted style of excellence by Misses Carandini, was likewise encored, aud the audience were rewarded, for the last time, by the delightful performance— for the arch looks of the young ladies form no inconsiderable feature in its execution — of Balfe's duet 'I kuow a maiden.' The Irish ballad, Norah Mullanc, composed for Miss R. Carandini by a Victorian friend, and exquisitely sung by her, was also encored, and Miss Dolby's favorite song, 'Pretty Swiss,' with its characteristic refrain, was given in response. Wallace's lovely duet from Maritana, ' Sainted Mother,' for Madame and Miss Carandini, was substituted for Fioravanti's Singing Lesson, and the audience probably gained by the exchange, for it is difficult to conceive anything more delicious than this duet, or we may add, than its execution last night. The laughing chorus, 'Merry Gipsies,' enabled the party to take their leave of their Nelson friends uuder the most cheerful guise, though many must have felt a genuine regret in listening for the last time to the straius of these delightful and very accomplished vocalists. Mr Sherwin, at the conclusion of the concert, after making his acknowledgments for the warm reception which the party had met with during their stay in Nelson, stated that tliey would, in all probability, revisit us iv about two months' time for a few days' visit, on their return from Auckland, whither they proceed, after giving two or three concerts in Wei-, lington, for which place they left early tbis morning by the Phcebe. The distribution of prizes to the pupils of the Bishop's school took place yesterday afternoon, when the Right Rev. Bishop Suter delivered a very able address to the pupils on the advantages of education, and its progress and prospects in this community, aud after distributing the prizes to the meritorious pupils, invited the whole school to take tea at his Lordship's residence at the port, whither they were ail conveyed in a large omnibus yesterday evening. ; Six. Nelson horses left this morning by the Phoebe for Lyttelton, in order to compete for the Champion Race, which comes off on the 16th proximo, at Christchurch. Mr H. . Redwood sends Ake-ake and Blackboy, and Mr H. H. Stafford Magenta, Nebula, Omen, and a three-year-old filly of considerable promise, sister to Omen. The following is the 334 th clause of the Municipal Corporations Act, alluded to by his Honor the Superintendent in his late speech at the Pro-vincial-hall: — After providing that a functionary known as a Fire Inspector shall be appointed, it says: — 'All damage occasioned by any fire inspector or any fire brigade, or members thereof, or any other person acting under the orders of any fire inspector in the due execution of their duties under this Act, shall be deemed to be damage by fire, within the meaning of any policy of insurance against fire.' The Taranaki Herald, December 7, says that the sale of the land in the township of the Waitara (or Raleigh) were put up to auction on Saturday last at the Land-office, and 108 were disposed of out of the 196 put up. The whole sum realised was 1709/ l-2s 6d, but of this 1292Z 10s was paid in Government scrip, leaving a balance of only 417Z 2s 6d cash receipts. The highest figure which any section fetched was 42/ 10s. The attendance at the sale was good, but, as iar as we are aware,' there was not one outside purchaser present. Previous to the sale Mr F. Carrington protested against the sala and threatened to proceed against purchasers. 'The Superintendent replied that the Government considered that their title to the land was good, that the purchasers would shortly he in possession of crown grants, and that the Government (not the buyers) would of course be the party responsible for the validity of their title. [This is the land which Governor Gore Browne was unfortunately induced to purchase, by an undue ' pressure from, without,' and which involved New Zealand in a seven years' war, at a cost of several millions of money and the lives of many thousands of men.] The Southern Cross of the 7th says:— We have very gratifying indications of the onward march of civilisation amongst the Queen and King Maoris, when we find it recorded in our Upper Thames correspondent's letter that the services of land surveyors are in demand, in order that Crown titles may be procured, and which,, it would appear, are esteemed at their full value.

'''""■■■■■■■■■■■■■■^■■■■■■■■■■■"^^^'^^■'"'^■MM""^^""^'*"^ l^*'*^^ The Ngatihaua tribe have expended, within the past year, close upon .£'2ooo in the payment of surveyors for this work; and some of the most violent Kingites are now on the point of having their lands surveyed. It i also stated that they are now disposed [.to lease, but not to sell their lands. Our correspondent reports that grim death has been busy of late amongst the Maori residents in that district, and the resources of the natives have been stretched to the uttermost extent to provide the requisite extensive supplies of provisions to meet the wants of the large assemblages expected to take part in the tangis. As the natives may be said in some measure to have reduced themselves to such extremities by their perverseness in keeping their lands closed against gold prospecting, it is to be hoped that the comparative affluence of the Lower Thames native land owners will have its effect in inducing Te Hira and his followers to withdraw their absurd objections to the Upper Thames being thoroughly prospected and worked to the' advantage of both races, if found auriferous.J Among the many pleasing and picturesque sights along the shores of Lake Superior the eye of the tourist lingers at La Pointe. An old Jesnit mission church is still standing amidstother marks of the early settlers. In the adjacent burial-ground may be <-een a tombstone with the following inscription — ' This stone was erected to the memory of , who was shot as a mark of esteem by hiss surviving relatives.' When is soup most likely to run out of a saucepan ? — When there's a leek in it. ■Holloway's Ointment and Pills. — High and low, old and young, rich and poor, have availed themselves of Holloway's remedies, and have in gratitude testified to the success which has followed the employment of them. Few maladies can befai mankind which do not admit of alleviation, relief, or cure, by these healing, soothing, and purifying preparations. The action of Ointment and Pills is wholesome in the highest degree, and never can be harmful in either external or internal ailments. Holloway's remedies cure sores, ulcers, sprains, bruises, diptheria, chest complaints, digestive disarrangements, and bilious disorders. In influenza, bronchitis, hoarseness, coughs, shortness of breath, and palpitation of the heart, this Ointment should be well rubbed upon the throat and chest every night and morning. 3960