NOTES FROM NELSON.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume I, Issue 16, 18 March 1890, Page 2

NOTES FROM NELSON.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) ,j ■ Rain. ■ At last the long looked for and expected rain has come. Last night a few heavy showers fell, but to-day,, though the clouds hung round .the city, no further rain descended. Those people who happened to be outside yesterday evening enjoyed a pleasure quite novel in Nelson—the feeling drops of rain pattering on them. How much a really good downpour is wanted here cannot be imagined by an outsider, but is only too well known by residents of the town. Everything is parched up, and it is said that the present is the driest season within the recollection of the oldest settlers. Scarcely a green blade of grass is to be seen anywhere, and as a natural.result of this the milkmen, having to find other and more expensive food than- grass for their cows, have found it necessary to raise the price of milk. Not only this for the the market gardeners, who look to making a few shillings a yfeek out of their vegetables, are now prohibited from using the tap water for irrigation purposes on account of our small supply. Easter Vacation.

Although Easter is yet some distance off, the business peo de are already commencing to make i Tangements as to holidays. It has oeen customary here to close for four days, viz.—from Good Friday to Easter Monday, both days inclusive, and it is generally understood by the tradespeople that the old rule will hold this year also. The city will have rather a deserted appearance this time as our volunteers are to hold camp in Wellington, and besides this there are always numerous shooting parties who proceed to Wangamoa and Rai Valleys after pigeons. Last year the camp was held at Richmond, and as this place is a distance of only seven miles from Nelson it was very convenient for the men to come in, a great many availing themselves of the facilities offered, such as cheap trains and coaches, of getting to and fro. Thursday night preceeding Good Friday will be a “ Saturday night ” in town, and the late train, which is to run as on Saturdays, will afford the country people the usual opportunity of coming in. In connection with the Wellington camp the Government have sent Major Webb, the district adjutant, over to that city to see to certain preliminaries in connection with it. If, as I hear is to be the case, the camp is going tp be conducted in more of a military fashion than is usually the case at such meetings there may perhaps be some good in it; but if, on the other hand, it is to be a similar affair to the late Auckland one, then I say it is high time that a stop is put to all these picnics. - ; Breach of Promise.

Last Saturday the court was crowded to excess, people crowding and pushing one another in their eagerness to get sitting room. The reason of all this excitement was the hearing of the case Mills v. Hyams —a breach of promise marriage case. There was practically no defence tp this action and it was merely a case fpr the jury to estimate the amount of damages. The plaintiff was pf‘ opinion that £505 would not be too much tp claim, hut the jury, taking a more lenient view, gave a verdict for £l5O damages—the price of a broken heart J Nelson, March 14,1890.