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Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14539, 17 October 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

i twonty shillings each, and from which he expected to realise a large fortune. He1 bored1 everyone with his coming wealth. He would rub his hands in great glee and say, "A pair of rabbits in three years will produce .half a milLion! Now, supposing I get only ten shillings each for them, what a fortune that would be." Unfortunately his dreams of rabbit-made wealth were soon dispelled, for he found shortly after his arrival in Nelson that his two rabbits both belonged to that sex which does not concern itself with maternal duties.

The first bridge over Saltwater creek was completed on loth October, 1842. The cost was £130 and the contractor Mr. W. Brown.

The first bridge over the Maitai was begun in April, 1843, the. contractors being Messrs. Rei^beu Bird, Hugh Young, Henry Flower, Cephas Goddard, Charles Astle, and William Jones.

\ At this time, too, was held a meeting for the purpose- of determining the best means of carrying into effect the resolutions passed at the meeting on board the "Mary Anne," having for their object the establishment of a benefit society or friendly association. The meeting was held in the open, air in -front of the "Examiner" office. A committee was formed, and shortly, after another meeting was convened to take steps to establish the Nelson Literary and Scientific Institution. . : It is ; certainly worthy of record, in the annals of the place that, on the 25th •May, ■ 1842, the first plough was put into the ground by Mr. John Kerr. Such an event was of course celebrated with -due ceremony; critical eyes followed him a.v be turned up the furrow of the acre in Hardy street adjoining the present site of the Union BankT and it was almost universally declared that the ground turned up beautifully. The first service held by the Wesleyans Avas on the 2oth June, 1842, the minister being the Rev. S. Iromide, who had been for some time a mission- j ary to the Maoris at Kapiti, Cloudy Bay, etc., and whose name is historical in connection with the Waimi massacre. On Sunday morning, 20th August, Bishop Selwyn arrived on his first visit to Nelson. He preached in tfte afternoon in the surveyor's mess-room, which was used as a temporary church. The following Sunday His Lordship preached in a large tent brought out by him, and erected on the low ground between Selwyn Place and Nile street, where the flax from the margin of the swamp had to, bo cleared for the purpose. The congregation numbered about 200.

By ;tker middle o£ September, seven months after the arrival of the first emigrant ship, 77 vessels, representing a tonnage of 12,272 tons, had entered the harbour. A road had been made along the beach from tte haven to the town, and jetties erected for the landing of goods. The population of the town was upwards of 2000; there were 250 good houses built, and 50 more in course of construction; also 230 whares or huts put up as temporary resi-, dences.