Local.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 142, 1 March 1859, Page 2

Local.

THE NELSON COAL-MINING COMPANY. On Friday evening last a meeting was held at the Wakatu Hotel, of the Directors and Shareholders of this Company. • , C. Elliott, Esq., being voted to the chair, said tre meeting had been called by advertisement in that day's paper, and the shortness of the notice might account for the small attendance. Mr. Bury, the Secretary, however, being present, ' they should be happy to hear from him any-' thing he had to communicate' with regard to the operations at the mine since the last, meeting of the shareholders. ■ ■ .

Mr. M. Buby said that the funds, of the'company being exhausted in the -proceedings that [ were determined upon at the last meeting; it • was thought advisable to call the shareholders together in order to ascertain as soon as pos--sible whether they were of opinion that the works should be stopped. In their present position such must be the case, or else a further call made. The question was-before the meeting and they must decide. 'There. might be some difficulty in collecting all .the amounts due on-' shares, though many of the holders had declared - their intention of paying up' regardless of the returns. He would call upon Mr.'Wrey to give his report verbally, of the late proceedings of the mine.

Mi\ Wrey said that according to the resolu-, tions of the" last meeting they had proceeded with a shaft* at, the spot recommended, to the depth of about 8 fathoms, where; they came upon a-strata of what was believed to he mag-' nesian limestone,. which .continued forlaboiit.2 feet thick. Under the. limestone they came upon the seani of coal of which he produced a: sample; they appeared to be getting into firmer ground. If the shareholders thought proper to test the seam thoroughly, he thought that if a sura of £150 was raised for that purpose it would be found sufficient.; In afcwer to a question from Mr. Richardson, " Supposing the seatn be struck, will the roof be-sufficiently strong'to work the seam, or would it be necessary to timber it?" he replied, that he thought it Would be possible by going down 10 fathoms and drifting across to the seam; and the sum before named would embrace all the requisites for .the object. -.......■- *;.

Mr. Richardson recommended going on with the main shaft to a further depth, so that their attempts might not only give >a better knowledge of the strata,'but they might get into a more settled country, and in the event.of striking a seam it would enable them to find a roof that would not require timbering, which process would never pay to resort to.

After several suggestions, some discussion, and an examination of the share list liabilities, in consequence of the small attendance being thought unable to represent the wishes of, the body of the shareholders with regard to future proceedings, a resolution was carried to the effect that the meeting should adjourn till Tuesday, March Bth. In the interval all works to be'suspended, and that one of the points for the consideration, of the next meeting should be the desirability of making a farther call upon the shares, and that an advertisement in this day's and to-morrow's papers should appear to that effect, and also shewing a date at which all deferred payments would forfeit shares. The meeting then dissolved with a vote of thanks to their chairman. .

Proclamation.—The New Zealand Gazette of the 24tli lilt, contains a proclamation by his Excellency the Governor, constituting the province of Nelson to be a district '■-within, which a District Court shall be held, under the provisions of the District Courts Act, possessing civil and criminal jurisdiction, and it is declared that the aforesaid Court, shall be designated by the name of " The District Court of Nelson."

Dr. Hochstetter.—We are glad to hear that the arrival of tliis gentleman in Nelson may now be definitely stated as. occurring in July next, according to. letters received by his Honor the Superintendent of Nelson from the Colonial Secretary at Auckland, enclosing a copy of Dr. Hochstetter's letter to that effect

Wairau. —The Omaka Presbyterian.Church, the first church erected in the Wairau District, was opened for public worship on Sabbath, the 20th February. The attendance was large, considering the scattered and isolated condition of our general population. The building is of wood—26 feet by 16 feet—and both neat* arid'substantial and it was quite filled during the morning service. The Rev. Mr. Nicholson preached in the morning, and the Rev. Mr. Butt kindly officiated.,in the afternoon. The collection amounted to £12, —> Communicated. ■ .—:■.-

lA Foundsy.—Amongst. the many advance's that Nelson is. making in general utility and commercial progress, we are shortly to boast of having a foundry attached to the other conveni-' ences that are rapidly springing up around us. This will prove of essential service to those who have hitherto had to send to Auckland or Wei-, liugton for their castings and other matters connected with this branch. We trust the projector will find it a successful undertaking. Concert.—We have heard that on Thursday evening next, Mr. and Mrs. Augarde intend giving a concert at the Freemasons' Hall, assisted by Mr. Bonnington; the HanovariLih Band will also be put in requisition at this entertainment. Not having received a programme, 'we cannot dwell upon the details' of the performance, but hope that the generally 7 acknowledged talent of ..the performers wilt be confirmed and patronised by a large audience. TnßATfiicALS.^By the Prince Alfred yesterday we received a fresh importation of ladies and gentlemen connected 'with this branch of the public amusement, and are thus enabled," in connection with other temptations/ to hold out a promise to our many visitors at thisfestive season of a continuation' of varied and1 high-class amusements. The names are Mr. and Mrs. Jones, late conductor of the Auckland theatre ; Mr. R. B. Walcot, of the same ;/and: Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, the latter being so well known here as to make comment unnecessary. Of Mr. Jones, we hear much that should awake our curiosity ; aud Mr. Walcot also deserves "bonoiable mention/ The troupe will be assisted by local talent that lias before won flattering encomiums. An effort will- be made to place an acceptable entertainment before the public at the Odd Fellows' Hall this evening, and we have no douLt the present season ofenjoyment will procure a large arid deserving patronage. " ■

Acoident in PELOUU3 RivER.---Three menarrived overland from: the .Pelorus on Saturday night last, bringing particulars of the loss ?of the

cutter Kate in the Peiorus Eiver. It appears that the" Kate left Nelson on Friday week last, and arrived at the Peiorus on Saturday. She there nearly all her cargo, and got underway next morning; when about 10 miles up the Peiorus Biver, a sudden squall capsized andsunk her, precipitating the three men on board '.'at the time into the water. A. Olsten, the master, swam ashore, as did also L. Stone ; the other, J. Marsden,. was picked up by Mr. Ogg's boat, who found him clinging to a dingy ; bo that "providentially no lives were lost. The depth of water where she sunk is about 29 fathoms." We are sorry to record the severe loss of A. Olsten, to whom the Kate belonged; also that of L. Stone, who had money on board for trading purposes; he has lost about .£45 in cash^a watch, fowling piece, &c. The sufferers speak in high terms, of the kindness they experienced from Mr. Ogg, who took them to his house, assisted them with clothing, and did all hi his power to help them, sending them in his l)paV2o miles up, to forward their way to town. Subscription lists have been opened to mitigate the-losses, of these persons, and we strongly recommend the : case as worthy the charitable assistance of all.

. Cbicket.—The match between Motueka and Iliwaka, announced for Friday last, did not come off, in consequence of the illness of some of the players. It has therefore been postponed until Friday next, the 4th March.

Co:m^,pmrkntt

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sir, —I perceive, in your number of January 25th, you have indulged in a dissertation upon the question of "Absenteeism." After a few preliminary observations, you proceed to remark—-" We have on two or three occasions had to deplore the evil effects that have been produced by a sudden and severe drain upnn our resources, aiid for sometime past our merchants and shopkeepers have undoubtedly felt the enervating effects of this operation." Now, this assertion of yours is easier made than proved. Before a public writer propounds a proposition, he should be quite certain that his premises are correct from which he draws his deductions. In the instance of yours now before me, you have not, as it strikes me, followed that course. You next observe that " absenteeism is as serious a mischief as can well befall a new settled country, and in our case has been productive of private reverses that have been ascribed to any cause but the right one." Here I perfectly agree with you, and by no one more than by yourself. You next observe that v the mischief is becoming more palpable every clay, and such periodical returns of the evil, although not to he avoided, will be constantly throwing us back into the position that we have been so long struggling to rise superior to." Here I would observe that I caunot discover the grounds upon "which you reason to the conclusion—namely, that the province is suffering from the sudden and severe drain upon its resources. Had you said that the state of things you deplore arose from the almost universal extravagance of the great bulk of the community, your conclusions would have been more correct. You seem not to have been aware of the fact—or, if so, to have overlooked it—that, with a very trifling exception, a very large portion of the available agricultural, as well as pastoral lands iv the province of Nelson was, first purchased with the ■capital of absentees, and thus represented so much fixed capital which could not again be withdrawn; consequently, your sevei'e drain upon the resources of the province cannot have arisen from that source. That the land has now to a considerable extent changed hands from the original absentee pui'chasers is very true, for a valuable consideration, either paid down at the time of transfer, or to be paid at stated periods, as may be agreed upon ; and it will be admitted, I believe, that a great proportion of the agricultural, as well as the pastoral lands come under the latter condition—namely, field upon credit or borrowed capital, to be repaid out of the profits derivable upon its occupation or other resources. Now in this transfer I cannot see that there has been any drain upon the resources of the colony; but notwithstanding the improvidence of very many of the occupiers of our agricultural lands, I can perceive a vast addition to our resources in the increased value of every description of property in the province as compared with the original amount of purchase money, looking at . the case in this the common-sense view of the matter. The fallacy of the latter part of the paragraph becomes self evident, namely, that the transfer of the laud from A to B will bo -constantly throwing us back into the position we have been long struggling to rise superior to. We must fii*3t of all have accomplished our -object before we can be said to be thrown back again. The position that we have been so long struggling to rise superior to, has been that of trading wpon borroived capital, and until we have redeemed our holdings out of the hand% of the mortgagees, we shall never rise superior to our first position ; and that desired effect can only be accomplished by a yearly appropriation of a portion of the profits arising from the employment of that borrowed capital. It must be evident; jf what I have here advanced be correct, that if the great Bulk of the industrious population of this province will expend the whole of their profits upon perishable commodities, for their personal gratification, thereby rendering any reduction of their liabilities impossible, so long will the province be subject to those alternations so loudly oornplained of. In order to make my statement more clear. I will state Shortly that the whole produce of any country is thus apportioned:—

Ist. In replacing the capital expended in the cultivation of the soil, or the expenses of production, in the case of manufactures.

2nd. In payment of rent or interest of money where .working on borrowed capital.

3rd. Profit for use and risk of capital, including insurance.

4th. Wages,

Let any man reason the matter as he wili, to this conclusion he must come at last. Well then, it is evident that it is only after these requisitions are satisfied outof what may remain that the occupier can look for the means of meeting his engagements, together with such portion of No. 4 as lie may have retained as a remuneration for his personal labor and skill. Now, supposing the occupier Las no other resources wherewith to meet his periodical payments than the one above stated, it is- evident, unless he confines his personal expenditure with very few occasional exceptions to the consumption of the first necessaries of life, he'never can. rise above his first position,', but may be suddenly overwhelmed by any of the numerous casualties which all pursuits are liable to, and which no human foresight can altogether guard against. You next acknowledge the perfect

right of every individual who • may. have been fortunate • enough (honestly) to possess himself of a large portion of our floating capital to apply it in any way he may choose. In this one admission you knock from under you the whole ground of your previous complaints; arid as regards shop keepers and merchants, if they are so very ignorant of the most ordinary rules by which all trading and commercial transactions ought to be governed, they must, like all who will embark their capital in speculations, take the consequences; and if they are so shortsighted as not to see that in a community which is yearly expending a portion of its capital as well as income in perishable commodities such periodical reverses as they complain of must occur in proportion as that capital is exhausted, then all I can say is, they are not men of business, and had better retire from business and go to school. In conclusion, I would observe in reference to the effects of the remittance of rents of land to absentee proprietors, if they expend or consume the whole within the year, it matters not in .a pecuniary or financial point of view to the country making the payment in money or produce, whether it is expended or consumed in Nelson or Constantinople. As you have mixed up the moral influence which absenteeism may exercise as contra distinguished to its financial effects, I. will on a future occasion offer a few remarks upon that part of the subject- ;

Yours &c, SENEX ALBUS.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sir, —The Editor of the Nelson Examiner professes to have a dread of religious controversy, 1 yet he has of late plunged deeply into it. But what I object to is. that, after having allowed a controversy to take place, he does not let it end fairly; on the contrary, he cuts it through in the midflle by refusing to print any more on the subject, as is now the case with me. Therefore, having through your kindness answered one charge of the Examinei-'s, I solicit a second time the same favor, knowing the uselessness of applying to him again.

In the Examiner of the 12th instant-, "Phil. Biblon" maintains again, and obstinately, that in the decree of the French Prefect it, was the question of Sacy's Bible, which in his first letter he calls a Roman Catholic version, and in order to draw better the attention of his readers, he wrole it in italics. Now, in his second letter he did not call it a Roman Catholic version, but even wont so far as to admit with me that there was never any Catholic version of the Bible forbidden in France. Witness his words —"For I never said it had." Compare his two letters of January 26th and February 12th. He calls me sceptical, and speaks of my inability to deny the fact. What does he mean ? Does he mean that I caunot answer his reasons ? I confess I cannot, because hitherto he has brought nothing forward to substantiate his gratuitous assertions. Is it not curious that he should make gratuitous assertions, and call upon me to substantiate the contrary ? Is it a fair way of argument ? Suppose even that I could nob substantiate the contrary, it would not prove his assertions to be just; for there is a great difference between having no document on hand and his having said right. I consider him undoubtedly bound to prove what he has advanced. I could pardon Phil. Biblon for his contradiction and his unfair way of argument, bill how cau I pardon his having imputed to me what I never said ? My letter to him must have been very sound, since he could only answer it by changing my expressions and contorting their meaning. I said, " where there is a contradiction ;" he makes me say, " wherever there is a difference of opinion." I consider there is a great difference between the words contradiction and difference of opinion. Again : when I said. " where the right of private judgment exists, there also will exist divisions and infinite subdivisions ;" he accuses me of saying, " private judgment is to be found on one side, and the Holy Grhosfc on the other." If this last absurdity is to be lodged somewhere, it certainly is not at my door. So much for the fairness of Phil. Biblon.

He said, " if called for, I have sufficient proof of it to satisfy any impartial enquirer." Let me call on him, through your columns, to give his long-withheld proofs, that we may see if they will stand my only one—l mean the decree of the French Prefect, taken from the Univers of September 11th uifc., and which gave rise to these discussions. It runs thns:—

Le Mans, September 6th, 1858,

Gentlemen, —I was asked if the dispositions of the circular of July 80th last, concerning the colpovtage of the productions of Dissenters, were to be applied to all colporteurs indiscriminately. I am desirous to answer that the negative is certain. On this subject the wording of the official circular from the Ministry leaves no room for doubt. The superior administration does not intend putting any stop to spreading doctrines of any sect whatever through the way of colportage. Translations of the Bible, and many other Protestant books, have been registered in the official books that form the law for watching colportage.

After attentive examination by the permanent commission, it has been decided that such productions must be moral before everything, and not trespass the reasonable limits of a religions controversy. It has been admitted that they were not of a nature to irritate the minds or revive passions of past times. The care is devolved upon me to (cstampiller) let them pass without any difficulty, provided they are conformable to the special instructions couched in the official catalogues. What the administration wishes is, to prevent foreign societies having large means at their disposal, and sending into our country agents with missions for producing agitation. Such is the tiling that pre- occupied the minds of the Prefects, and makes them enquire minutely into the origin and antecedents of the individuals who apply for the visa, or license, of col porting. It is in this sense, Gentlemen, that 3'ou are to understand and apply the ininstructions I gave you, on the date of July 80th last.

(Signed) The Prefect of the Sarthe,

Leon Ciieveeau.

Now, it only remains for me to ask Phil. Biblon how he fouud in thi3 decree that it was a question of a Catholic Bible—viz., Sacy's? If he has better authorities, let him bring them forward, and I am ready to submit to them.

I remain, Sir, yours, &0.,' FIAT LUX,

[We give insertion to the above because it would appear that certain quotations have been made, perverting the exact meaning of some of our correspondent's .remarks elsewhere. This simple justice, we should think, would be accorded, on application, by the journal that put forth the communication containing the asserted perversions; but with respect to desiring further proofs on the part of our correspondent's opponent through these columns, we must remind them that we ignore religious controversy. —Ed. Colonist.']

. His Eoyal Highness the Commander-in-Chief has issued an order expressive of his disapprobation of a recent verdict of a court-martial, which exonerated an officer for having benn guilty of ungentleraanly conduct, &c. The circumstances of the case having been a real practical joke—drunkenness and disorderly conduct at an hotel. His Eoyal Highness appears resolved to effect a thorough and efficient reform,