The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1355. LOSS OF THE STEAMER NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 258, 30 October 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1355. LOSS OF THE STEAMER NELSON.

The official enquiry into the loss of this steamer, which took place at the Courthouse, before the Resident Magistrate, J. Sharp, Esq., aud the 'Nautical Assessor, Captain Clouston, the Collector of Customs conducting the inquiry, was brought to a conclusion yesterday afternoon. At 11 o'clock this morning the Resident Magistrate delivered the following decision: —

The steamer Nelson was accidentally lost in consequence of a sea striking the vessel whilst crossiug West Wanganui bar and carrying overboard a large hawser which fouled the starboard paddle wheel and stopped the engines; that at the same time aud whilst the vessel was necessarily anchored to clear the hawser from the wheel, a large quautity of water was shipped, which flooded the engine room, and prevented steam beiug kept up and so left the vessel uumauageabie ; that her anchor would not hold when let go, and that she drifted on to the rocks and became a total wreck; further, that I consider the master and crew appear to have done all that they could to save the vessel.

The Nautical Assessor signified his eutire concurrence iu the above judgment. The Resideut Magistrate gave it as his opinion that steamers, when uot engaged iu towing, should have all their hawsers coiled below, as he believed this was not the first instance in which steam vessels had been lost through their warps becoming entangled with the screw or paddle.

We learn that the statement with reference to the leasing of the Brunner .Coalmine, which we had from what we deemed to be ex cellent authority, was somewhat premature. The Government has been in correspondence with Mr Morgan, the secretary and manager of the former company, who is now in Melbourne, with reference to his application for the lease, aud terms have been submitted to him, but nothing definite has been as yet concluded, and therefore we need hardly add that no lease of the mine has been granted by the Government.

We understand that a man named M'Coy, a lunatic confined at the Asylum, made his escape yesterday afternoon from the institution, and an unsuccessful search was at once made for him. Fortunately, however Sergeant Nash happened to be passiug the Oddfellows-hall about half-past 7 o'clock, and espied M ; Coy walking on the road. He at once claimed him as his prisoner, and after rather a severe struggle, which attracted a considerable concourse of spectators, conveyed the unfortunate man in safety to the Asylum.

We are happy to find that strenuous efforts are being made with a view to resuscitate the annual Regatta, with its attendant sports. On Monday evening last a meeting by the members. of the Nelson Regatta Club was held at the Custom House Hotel, Mr J. S. Cross, the Commodore, being in the chair, at which it was resolved that a regatta should take place thi3 season, at which the Challenge Cup, of the value of. £65, will be offered for competition, with other prizes. Subscrip-

tion lists will be opened shortly, and we hope that the exertions which the Regatta Club are now makiug to revive one of outmost pleasant local festivals will meet with a liberal response from the public, so that Ihey may be enabled to put forth _ programme for the regatta worthy of its former prestige, aud calculated to induce spirited competition for the various prizes.

The body of Mr Arthur Kiusey, who was supposed to have been drowned iu the Wairau River, has beeu found by Mr Smith, the manager of Birchhiil Station. After a search of three hours, the body of the unfortunate young man was found lying part iu the water aud part out, the face being partly under water, with no marks of violence ou his person, the inside of his coat sleeves being covered with horsehair, as though he had been grasping the horse. An inquest Avas held ou the body at Manuka Island ou the 20lh inst. before S. Robinson Esq., J.P., and a jury, wheu a verdict was returned of drowned while attempting to cross the Wairau River.

The Leader describes in flattering terms a watercolor painting by our accomplished townsman, Mr Gully, nov/ being exhibited in Melbourne, and poui-traying Blind Bay. with the entrance to Nelson, which, although not so important as some of Mr Gully's productions which had been seen iu Melbourne previously, 'has enough in it to prove that it came from a master's hands.'

M. aud Madam Simonsen, the clever artistes who visited Nelson last summer, are announced to have arrived in San Fraucisco, from Australia, via Panama, at the la! ter eud of May last.

The following notice to Justices of the Peace appears in the G-azette of Saturday last: — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, Oct. 5. — Justices of the Peace resident within each district now constituted, or hereaftei to be constituted, under The Petty Sessions Act 1860, are referred to the 7th section of that Act, and requested to agree among themselves as to the most convenient time and place within their district for the meeting required under the Act, in order that the Government may, upon being informed thereof, issue the necessary proclamations.

Telegrams from Napier received at Wellington on Monday last state that no attack has yet been made on Wairoa. The women of the military settlement at Clyde bravely declined leaving by the steamer. LSome of tho settlers' houses have been destroyed in the abandoned districts.

,It has always been a moot point amongst farmers whether sound wheat could be grown from the seed of plauts affected by red rust. That the thing is possible appears to be proved by the success of the following experiment related by the South Australian Register: — Mr J. B. Talbot, of Peachey-belt, secretary to the Smithfield Farmer's Club, brought to our office a bundle of wheat plants, the produce of rusty wheat sown in May last. The seed, which was the smallest and rustiest that could be procured, was sown as an experiment for the purpose of testing Mr Secular's theory as to the cause of the rust disease. The plant is strong and healthy, and shows no trace of rust, and it is looked upon by him as a confirmation of the theory of red rust being caused by an excess of nutrition.

The Circular of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company for the last Panama Mail repeats that the opening of the August series of wool sales showed a decline of Id. to l|d. per lb. The succeeding sales have siuce established a further depreciation of considerable importance, and current rates for all descriptions of Australian and New Zealand wool may now be stated generally as ranging from 2d. to 3d. per lb. under the closing quotations of the May- June series, while ill-conditioned and defective kinds, the supply of which was never more abundant, are hardly marketable even on the terms. The circular remarks that in the matter of washing and classing a great deal yet remains to be done. Many of the clips of so called washed wool are in reality hardly more than half washed, others again are packed with a total disregard of the combing or clothing properties of the wool, besides showing an indiscriminate mixture cf old ewe and wether with the hoggett and younger fleeces, which it is most desirable should be separately classed. Up to the Ist of September, 89,927 bales, out of a total of 226,127 bales, have been catalogued, and of this amount 13,200 bales have been withdrawn. As showing that the recent fall in the

price of wool was due rather to bad dressing than to excessive supply, we quote the following passage from Messrs Southey and Son's circular, received by the Suez mail: — There was a moderate attendance of home and foreign buyers ; a large proportion of the catalogue consisted of illconditioned aud otherwise defective wool, the prices for which can hardly be quoted less thau "a peuny per pound under the closing rates of last sales. Better descriptions, though lower, did not show so marked a decliue.

' Under the Verandah' in the Australasian of the 17th iust. says:-^-I wonder if the British Government will show as much resentment for the death of the poor fellows who fell in that last Maori fi^ht as it did for King Theodore's well-fed captives? If it were cheap at £5,000,000 for the British arms to be covered with glory in Abyssiuia, what sum would represent the value of a real New Zealand conquest? I venture the opinion that the taking of Magdala was but child's play as compared with New Zealand bush fighting!, The preparations for Abyssinian victory were like employing an elephant's foot to crush a spider. Suppose they sent out a Napier to New Zealand by way of experiment.

The Wanganui Herald accounts for the uncomplimentary reception accorded to the Defence Minister on his last visit to Wanganui, by enumerating a long catalogue of grievances against Colonel Haultain, which are thus summed up:— *-He confirmed the repulse of Te Ruaruru by abandoning the country from Waihi and Manawapou; he violated every principle of national policy by repudiating thd claims of compensation, and he disgusted the majority of the men at the Front by ill-advised language, causing them to take advautage of leaving the force at the end of the term for which they' enlisted ; and then to make all comfortable, he went down to Wellington aud so smoothed tilings over that one would have thought Titokowaru had surrendered. To have ruined by such a course one of the finest districts in New Zealand was sufficient to elicit what took place and more. There is another action of his which is worse than any ; he disbanded 74 of No. 5 division of the Armed Constabulary for what is called mutiuy. They had become disorgatrsed to a certain extent in consequence of the death of their leader, and his body being left on the field; but it only required a little tact and firrnuess to put all right, and bring the men to reason. Instead of this, up comes an order to disband 75 of the best men we have at a time we can ill-afford to spare a man.