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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 164, 14 July 1868, Page 2

We owe our readers some explanation or apology for the telegram, purporting to embody the intelligence received from Europe by the Suez Mail, which was published by us as an Extra yesterday evening, and which, we need hardly add, was simply worthless, whether we regard its compilation or the news (?) which it professed to furnish. We think our readers will unanimously agree with (us thafc the perpetration by the Government of such an outrageous imposition on those proprietors of newspapers who have entered into a contract with ifc for the supply of these telegrams, and through their instrumentality ou the public generally, is most unjustifiable, even if viewed merely as a very gross infraction of a monetary contract. It is perfectly obvious th^t the telegram which we published yesterday, and which was stated to be copied from a Melbourne daily paper, is not the telegram of the intelligence received on the arrival of the Bombay c on the 6th instant, at Melbourne, but is merely a miserable rechauffe of intelligence which had already reached us in a far more intelligible shape. It seems that the uews was brought to the Bluff by the Alhambra, in advance of the steamer which is carrying the actual Mails for New Zealand via Suez, and which have arrived at an unusually early date, owing to the recent change in the postal arrangements with these colonies, which provide for the dispatch of a mail steamer every lunar instead of every calendar month. • It may be that on the arrival of the actual mail at the Bluff, we may receive the veritable telegram of the May mail, bufc even in this event, we can find no justification for the shameful imposition to which the Government has been a party on this occasion, and againsl; which we most emphatically protest. So long as the Government monopolises the transmission of the English news, it is, we contend, bound in common honesty to furnish a bona fide consideration for the large amount which it receives from the proprietors of journals who avail themselves of this very questionable privilege, and, let us add, that the attempt to palm off this barefaced imposition on the public, is by no means calculated to redound to its credit for honesty of purpose, or a desire fco serve the public interests. The second of a course of 'Lectures for the Times' was delivered on Sunday eveniug, in Trinity Presbyterian Church, by the Rev. P. Caider. The subject was the 'Mystical Christ, or the Christ of Strauss.'

After a few preliminary remarks defending the introduction of such subjects into the pulpit, the reverend lecturer proceeded to state the position assumed by Strauss, who resolves the life of Christ, as contained in the evangelical records, into a myth, the arguments upon which he lays greatest stress being fche impossibility of miracles, and the discrepancies in the Gospel narratives. A miracle was first defined to be a direct interference in a pre-existing regular order of nature, which, accordiug to the rationalistic fcheory,, is impossible, because the laws of the universe are fixed and immutable. But here ifc was shown that in nature lower laws are suspended by the action of higher laws, as, for example, when the area is lifted, the universal law of gravitation is made subject to the higher law of the will; and moral law being the highest of all, inferior laws might be suspended in order that a moral lesson might be taught. Hume's argument from experience against miracles was refuted, as has been often done, by showing fchat, unless the experience of the narrators of them be excluded, the argument goes for nothing. Space does nofc permit a longer notice of this very interesting lecture, which was characterised throughout by great beauty of style, cogency of reasoning, and aptness of illustration, and which was listened to with marked attention by a crowded and highly gratified congregation. The Westporfc Evening Star of the llth insfc., has the following with reference to the late Mr Chambers, of Manchester House, Charleston, whose decease in Nelson on Wednesday last was mentioned in our columns: — The name of Mr Chambers has been a familiar one in mining communities fcr a nnmber of years — at Queenstown, in Otago, afc Okarita, as one of the firm of Chambers and Millen, and latterly at Charleston — and wherever he has been he has earned a good name for integrity in business, kindliness of disposition, and the characteristics of a good man and citizen. The Grey River Argus of the 1 1 th inst. says that Mr John Stuart Johnston, barrister, Charleston, who is well known to resideuts of Dunedin and other towns in New Zealand, 'was arrested on Sunday last on a charge of insanity. The unfortunate gentleman, it appears, has been behaving himself very strangely of late, and hence his arrest. Within the last few days Mr Johnston has received intelligence of the death of his father, Mr William Johnston, ex-provost of Dundee, and of his uncle, J. S. Johnston, writer to the signet, Edinburgh, and this, combined with other causes ; is supposed to have had a prejudicial effect upon his mind. The Civil Sittings of the District Court at Hokitika commenced on Thursday morning, at 1 1 o'clock, before his Honor Judge Clarke. The only case as yet heard, aud which resulted in a verdict for the defendants, was Ross v. the P.N.Z. and A. R.M. Company, in which plaintiff claimed £200 damages for breach of contract. Mr Rees appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Harvey for the defendants. Mr. Rees gave notice of appeal. Messrs Holmes and Co. have unexpectedly and without any notice closed the Lyttelton and Christchureh Railway. This summary proceeding has, at these places, caused great consternation. Tho mails have been delayed, and if the obstruction continues, export trade will be altogether stopped. The effect will he completely to paralyse all commercial transactions. . The following is an extract from 7a speech made by the Archbishop of York, at a meeting held at the Hanover-spuare Rooms, London, on 18th March:— 'Unless the present excess in drink were restrained, drunkenness would continue to devour the vitals of the population. He would ask them for a moment to look at a few figures concerning the consumption of liquor in these countries. Last year 12,000,000 gallons of British spirits had been consumed, and taking it that the 700,000 children born in that year didn't consume any of that quantity — which he was afraid would nofc be realised — there was no doubt that a large section of th© community drank too much. Three-fifths of a gallon represented the quantity consumed by every man, woman, and child in the kingdom — a result which was obtained by a comparison of the aggregate quantity with the number of the population. £4,000,000 a year was paid in duty on foreign spirits, the malt-tax brought in £7,000,000 a year, and the duty on wine amounted to nearly a million and a half. In a word, £12,000,000 were

paid in duty on spirits, malt and wine, wliich meant something like Bs. a head of the whole population. . . . The evil of drunkenness did not affect only those who were addicted to it, but its influences descended from generation to generation, and exhibited themselves in a weakly offspring and a degenerating class. The Civil Service Gazette. is glad to announce that the Board of Cu..toras have rescinded the obnoxious and unjust order which they recently made to deprive writers of their pay on those departmental holidays — Christmas Day, Good Friday, and .he Queen's Birthday. A writer oa < the poetry of slang,' in the Round Table, suggests that a simpleton is called a 'spoon' and a 'muff,' because a spoon touches a lady's lips without kissing them, and a muff holds her hand without Dressing it.