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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 163, 13 July 1868, Page 2

The English Mail via Suez arrived at tlie Bluff tins afternoon. We shall publish an extra this evening*. Tiie Hon. W. M. Arnold, formerly a member of the Cowpcr Ministry iv Sydney, and now Speaker o£ the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, is at present visiting Nelson, in the course of a tour through the various provinces of this colony. We understand that Mr Russell, of Wellington, who is now on a visit to tliis city, purposes giving an entertainment, entitled The Harp of Erin, and illustrated by specimens of Irish melody, on Thursday next at the Provincial Hall. Tiie proceeds of the entertainment will be devoted to the funds of the Nelson Hospital. In spite of the coldness of the weatheron Saturday eveuing, a numerous audience rewarded the efforts of the Star Dramatic Company, on Saturday evening, at the Odd-fellows' Hall. Both the pieces, The Momentous Question and The Spectre Bridegroom, were well received, the latter provoking the greatest merriment from the audience. This evening the Company will give a perfurnn nee in aid, we believe, of the Nelson Hospital, and the programme includes a popular drama, The Sailor of France, and the farce of A Married Rake, with dancing. ' It will be seen from ao advertisement in another column, that Mr Benjamin Crisp, ever mindful of the interests of his juvenile friends, has induced Mr Foley to admit the children of Nelson to his menagerie on Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock, at the low price of 4d. each. Mrs Robert Heir is performing in Auckland to crowded audiences at the Prince of Wales Theatre. We understand that Mrs Heir purposes giving one or two performances in Nelson, during next month, on her way from Auckland to Wellington, whence she takes her departure for San Francisco by the September Mail. A singular freak of nature may be seen in a garden at the back of Mr Levestam's premises in Collingwood-street, in the shape of an almond tree in full blossom, but, as usual, wbolly destitute of foliage. A very voluminous code of Harbor and Quarantine Regulation's for the ports of New Zealaud was published iv the Government Gazettee of the 25th ult., to come into operation on the ist of September next. They consist of laws for the regulation, of pilots and pilotage, harbors, wharves and jetties, cargo and waterman's boats, gunpowder, for preventing collisions and accidents in ports, with the signals to be used in ali New Zealand ports, and quarantine regulations. Among other important changes, it is provided that iv auy port wherein no harbor master or deputy is appointed, the duties of -this office shall devolve upou the nearest Resident Magistrate. A Health Officer is to be appointed at every port by the Superintendent, who shall also be removable by the same officer, together with a Board of Health, to consist of one or more Justices of the Peace, appointed by the Superintendent, the Health Officer, Chief Customs Officer and the Resident Magistrate, who is to be chairman, with one or more legally qualified practitioners, to be appointed by the Superintendent, if the Health Officer is not a medical practitioner. The Westport Times of the 9th instant says: — There has been from time to time a considerable difference of opinion as to the relative yield of the Nelson and the Westland goldfields, that is sold in Greymouth. In order to set the question at rest as far as possible, the Chairman of the County Council of Westland, and Mr Kynnersley, as representing the Nelson province, have issued a notice in the Greymouth paper requesting all those disposing of gold in that town, to state at the time of sale whether it was got from the Nelson province or from Westland. The Westport Times of the Bth instant reports that some new ground has again

been opened to the north of Deadman's creek, and tunnels have been applied for. There is not the slightest doubt now that a highly payable and continuous lead will be found from the Caledonian north, and some of the prospects go to prove that one of the most extensive, as well as the richest fields ou the West Coast will yet ba developed in that district. At one of the terraces already in work, ou Friday week three peuuyweigths of gold were got from a hatful of stuff, und in a dozen or two other claims the prospects, if uot quite, are nearly as rich. The Westport Times of the 30th nit. prophesies that if the local breweries are only up to the full requirements of the district as far as the capacity of production goes, the Nelsou importations of ale must rapidly fall off, for beer, in every respect equal to the best Nelson, is now produced in Westport,' and cites as an instance a sample, brewed by Mr Lendrum, oPthat town, which it slates, for color, flavor, and soundness, cannot be surpassed. Cartes, our Nelson brewers must look to their "laurels. By tbe John Perm, which arrived yesterday, we have Auckland files to the IGth instant. The gold crushed from the Caledonia Claim was retorted on Wednesday afternoon, the Bth iastant. From 9 tons of quartz crushed 223 ounces of gold .were extracted. This gives a yield of 26 ouuees to the ton. The New Zealaud Herald of the 10th instant, says that the shareholders of the El Dorado claim have several excellent gold-bearing leaders running through their ground ; and are at present turning out specimens of a remarkably rich description at a depth of ninety feet from the surface. The stone at this depth is of a blue color aud very solid. Some very good specimens have been previously got from this claim, but at the present low level, the gold is much coarser and will evidently yield well. A party of West Coast diggers had returned from Kaipara,' on the 9th instant, after a prospecting tour in tiiat district. Wheu the prospectors arrived in the neighborhood where there was the greatest likelihood of finding gold, they were turned back by the. residents, and not allowed to prosecute their enterprising endeavors as they would otherwise have done. It seems that Professor H-lford, of Melbourne, in consequence of the late tragical death of Mr Drummond, has been led to make further investigations into the working of snake poison. The SydneyMorning Herald, in referring to this fact, develops a new and peculiar theory : — A a interesting analogy is traced between the effects produced by serpent poison and cholera, and such a relation is established as leads the experimenter to consider both due to the presence of a similar animal poison. He even quotes Dr Cowan's uofciou, as though inclining to it, and seems to think that the dried poison from the multitude of snakes that die and rot on the vast plains of India may rise into the upper currents ofthe air and be carried.hither or thither, gaining access to the blood-vessels of the lungs, where there is no thick cuticle to be pierced. When we reflect that within 10 minutes, an hour, two hours, seldom more than 12 or 15 hours, hale and hearty men in Calcutta and London have been seized, cramped, collapsed, and dead, and that all have shown the same symptoms as those whioh follow snake bites, there is some reason to believe, at all events, in the similarity of the poison. As a whole, the the inquiry is one ofthe greatest interest, and we are glad that Professor Halford intends to continue it. Having made known what he has done, he will have this advantage that henceforth he will have many companions by the way. An incident occurred during the late election at Emerald Hill, Melbourne, on the 17th ult., which is certainly not suggestive of a high tone of electioneering morality in Victoria: — Towards' the close of the polling, and when it was pretty evident to the experts on both' sides that the numbers would be close, one of Mr Hoffman's scrutineers stopped by mistake a messenger of the other side, and directed him to convey a pencilled note, folded but not fastened in any way, to Mr Burtt, junior, (tho secretary of the Loyal Liberal?) at Mr Hoffmau's committee-rooms. Curiosity prompted the delivery of the note in another quarter, and its contents were found to be. as follows: — Andrew Brown and William Edward Cross, two colored men, has not* (sic) yet voted-— could not be polled,' I think, with safety.

One is in India, and the other at sea. D. H. A. to F. This precious epistle tells its own tale as to the tactics of the preseut opposition party.