The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1875.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 343, 24 December 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1875.

To-morrow being Christmas Day there . will be no publication of the Mail. On Monday, being a public holiday, it will be published at 10 a.m. The Christmas decorations of tlxe various churches has kept a large number of busy hands employed during the day, and the result promises to be most picturesque and elegant. Tbe return match between the Wakefield a,nd Spring Grove Clubs will be played on the ground of the latter club on Monday next. jj. A tea meeting in connection with the Order of Good Templars will be held at the Temperance Hall on Monday evening at five o'clock. This will be followed by a public nieeting.As evangelistic service will be held in the Botanical Gardens on Sunday afternoon, when addresses will be delivered by the Revs T. Buddie, D. Dolamore, and J. Beckenham. The various butcher shops of the city were well worthy a visit last evening, as the display of Christmas meat was unusually good. Great taste was shown in the floral decorations, so that, despite the heat of the weather, the contemplation of huge mountains of fat Was not otherwise than agreeable. The beef generally was remtivkably good, a steer at Mr Barnett's, in the Wainiea road, bred by Mr Doidge at Stoke; a bullock, from Mr Ingles at Riwaka, in the shop of Mrs Bird, and two carcasses from Wanganui in the shop of Mr Eoy, were all remarkably fine simples, but a bullock bred by Mr Sparrow at.Takaka, and fattened by Mr Warren, exhibited in the shop of the latter, appeared to us the finest beef. At Mr Trask's and Mr Pratt's there was a splendid display of meat of all kinds. All the* shops had excellent veal, so that it was difficult to select the best ; nor was it less so to award the palm to lambs, which were everywhere very prime. The prettiest pigs undoubtedly were with Mrs Bird, bred by Mr Dyson, of Suburban North. Where all was excellent it is invidious to \jnake comparisons, and our visitors on Monday will certainly have no cause to think lightly of the fare provided for them in Nelson Our space will not allow us to further particularise.

The following entries for the forthcoming Kegatta were received last night: -Champion whaleboat gig race— Colonist, Taylor. Pairoared race (without outriggers)— Gem, Tayln r ' Amat eur whaleboat race — Colonist, laylor; Thistle, Simpson. First-class open sailing boats -Victoria, Freeman; Eclipse, Vaughan; Tommy Dodd, Frost; Telegraph, Lukms. ; Second-class sailing boats— Star, Katlfield; Rose! la, Ricketts; Ada, Gilbert-: son. Volunteer whaleboats — Colonist, Taylor- Thistle, Naval Brigade. Boys' race— Quickstep, Levy, Wizard, Hart; Star, Armstrong. Scullers' race— Gem, W T. Taylor Four-oared race— Auonyma, Taylor. Yacht race— Minniehaha, Cross; Star, Freeman; Lightning, Harlcy. Cadet race— Colonist, Artillery Cadets; Thistle, City Cadets. Coasters' race— Cosette, Levy. Mr T. R. Tayt.ou has just completed the building of anew four-oared batswing gig which will be launched to-morrow night, and compete at the regatta an Monday. It is the first boat of the kind built in Nelsou, and is said to be an excellent model, and of really good workmanship. *^ VAR £ CuTTS » in charge of Cocksure and Uy Fawkes, arrived here en route for Auckland in the Taupo oil Sunday last.aud left again on the day following. Both horses are engaged in the Auckland Cup, to be run on the first of January. The other horses entered from the South are Tambourini, The Chief, and Ranolf, but ifc is doubtful whether any of these will travel North. Guy, at Bst 81bs, gets the worst of. the weights, giving Blbs to Parawhenua, and 31bs to Nsaro which, we think, he will be able to do, unless the shaking he got when being shipped at Wellington comes against him. While being swung across two vessels to reach the Taupo from the wharf, the guy broke, and although his box did not reach the deck, he was thrown down in it, and sustained several scratches Cocksure, with 6st Blbs, looks promising, but the five-year-old Kingfisher, at 6st loibs, is thrown m the lightest, and Mr Walters' horse is well bred enough to win when so favored, so he should.not be despised. Korari has been left in Wellington to pick up what he can at the Waihanga meeting on "the 27th , instant, and at Wairarapa on the 30th and 31st.- On Cutts rsturning from the North he will take the colt to Canterbury to prepare him for the Dunedin Cup, for which, notwithstanding he has incurred a penalty of 51bs, making his weight Bst 6lbs, bein^ /lbs above his weight for age, he will probably be the favorite.