The Press. TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1866.

City Council.—The first meeting of the City Council after the election of the new member*, was evening at the City Council chambers. There was a full attendance of (he members. On the motion of Mr. Farr, seconded by Mr. Luck, Mr. E. B. Bishop was elected chairman for the ensuing year. A vote of thanks was unanimously i passed to Mr. Luck for the efficient manner in which he had discharged the duties of chairman for the past year. Ob.vs.ks Asylum:. — A meeting of the Managing Committee of the Orphan Asylum was held yesterday afternoon in the City ; Council office. Present : Messrs. J. D. Wood, ,F. Pavitt, J. G. Hawkes, G. Gordon and Mr. j Stanley, the secretary ; Mr. Gordon in the j chair. The minntes of the last meeting hay- ' ing been read and confirmed, a letter wae read ; from J. Williams, who is employed on the West Coast road, stating he was willing to pay for three of his children 7e. a-week, if the committee would admit them. The Secretary ] was directed to make further enquiry from the Rev. Mr. Cholmondeley respecting his ability to pay the amount offered. The Secretary reported he had received from Mr. Horace Brown new subscriptions amounting to £14 9s. The report of the Ladies' Committee was read ; it stated the house was clear property, and in good order, the children healthy, and the food given them wholesome and sufficient. ■ The Secretary reported that Messrs. Cobb & Co had sent a coach and four this morning, and taken the whole establishment, thirtythree in number, down to spend the day at ! Sumner. The thanks of the committee were j ordered to be given to those gentleman for their very kind act. After some bills were i ordered to be paid, the committee adjourned. I Concebt. —A concert is announced to be given to-morrow evening at the Town Hall, in aid of the Oxford church and parsonage fund, and under the patronage of his Honor the Superintendent, and the officers of Volunteers. The programme has been published, and appears elsewhere in our columns. As will be ! seen, all the performers, both vocal and inetrul mental, are in the very first rank of the Can- ! terbury amateurs, and as wo may presume that they have not selected the worst piecee in i their respective repertoires for such an occasion, the public are justified in expecting such i a musical treat as they hare seldom the j fortune to enjoy. 1 Chbistt's Minstrels.—The Christys came J out with an exceedingly liberal programme last night, in the execution of which they were mqch assisted by the opportune re-appearance of Mr; Rayner, who is a great acquisition. The I audience were kept in high good humour I throughout as they showed by their repeated calls for an encore. Another varied and amusing bill is announced for this evening, and among other novelties the Christys will give the public the benefit of some no doubt higlily original and diverting ideas upon a topic much iin men's mouths this week, viz., going to the j races. Prince of Wales' Theatbe. — The j "Relief of Lucknow" was repeated last night, and enthusiastically received by an audienct whose warlike passions had, we presume, been j excited by the perpetual explosion of firearms, and the abundant smoke and smell of gunpowder, in which lie the chief, if not the only merits of this very noisy production. Mies -Aitken, as " Jessie Brown," sang-ner Scotch songs very nicely, and acted with admirable archness, spirit, despair, . and half-frenzied exultation, according to the successive changes in the feelings of the heroine; while' Mr. Dale gained much, applause as the lighting pareon, though he might with advantage have allowed the old fAdam to gain the mastery stfmewbat more conspicuously. But it is impossible to criticise a piece of this kind. It is nothing more than a succession of tableaux, requiring all the resources of a large theatre to give them full effect, and in a small one, especially*'where as in the present case, the scenic arrangements arc incomplete, leading to situations not contemplated by the author, and containing a dangerous amount of the ridiculous. However, the audience were very demonstrative in their expressions of applause, and 8Q we suppose the manager's object was gained, and as the piece is tp be played again to-night, we hope it will meet again with the same fortune. Acclimatisation. —Thekangaroo imported by Mr. S. Walker, has been presented to the Acclimatisation Society. It wae at the time received in a very languishing state, but has since somewhat recovered, and will no doubt prove a valuable acquisition to the stock of the society. The Banks.—All the banks, will be closed at twelve o'clock on the days of che races.