LOCAL AND GENERAL.

- — . — +. . .. CttulSTitAsi TAifis.— -With:- this; issue "<we begin tho publication, as suitable Ito the season, of a number of Christmas stories which hare not r hitherto been circulated in Now Zealand. They hare been carefully .chosen from amongst tho large collection of such productions published last 5 year in England and America, and they will be continued in the S6ar during all next week. I Immigrants pee MAittuoEouan. — The ipunigrants by this ship were released from ' quarantine tlus morning. , ,-. „ ,; , , t : Boxing Da* Exbtf ßSlotfs.^TKc ; fe Akaroft. is advortised to run excursion trips round Lyttelton Harbour on Boxing Day. ; Death ok the PhinoksslAmcr— The following tolcgmtn to Her Majesty the Queen's private secretary was sent to-day from tho City Council Chambers: — "Citizens Ohristchitrch express deep sympathy with Queen death Princess Alice. Ick, Mayor." I The "Harvester Kino."-^Mp Homing lias arrived in Clmstchurch accredited to the agents fronithe~inan\ifaoturors"of the vester King *' readers and binders; to Superintend the trials of these machines at the various contests throughout Now Zealand, and also to show tlio working to purchasers. \ Railway' Promotions.— Mr John King, atatioimiaster nt Amberloy, has boon appointed auditor of railway accounts in South Canterbury. His successor has not yet been* determined on. Captain Lloyd, chief goods qlcrk at Timaru, whom it was stated was to succeed Mr King, has been appointed traffic inspector of the Oamaru district. / Drainage Board Inspection.— After meeting at; the Bond Ofilces this morning the nenibors of the Drainage Board, accompanied, by the Engineer, proceeded to visit the ftii'ious works in progress throughout tho Jfetrict. The Ferry Road drain was first risifcod, and it was determined that any spare material excavated from the drain should be used to .(111;. -in: the mouth of tTaoksonV Creek. The Board next visitod the butting aindo through Wilson's Nursery to temporarily divert the drainage from the (Ferry road. • A visit was next made to the fmiporbaut works being carried out <. in aalis:burysfci'eet,ahdtlie members iad ah opportunity of seeing the great body of water that [i» bomc pumped but; by tho centrifugal pump [at work there. Its effect was seen by the [underground water being kept snfllciently • dowri to allow of alt the cement in use properly setting throughout. The Board expressed themselves satisiiod with tho manner m which the Salisbury street and Ferry road contTacts wore boing carried out, and also those works being performed by day labour. Baker and Farron.— These well-known comedians will open at the Theatre Royal tomorrow evening, in " Conrad and Lizette," with a new company. Tub Ship MARJiBOBOtTGH. — This vessel was admitted "to pratique yesterday. The immigrants will bo released to-morrow, and the engagements will take place on Saturday, nt the Immigration Depot, Addington, commencing at half-past 10 a.m. | t GJ.OUCK3TER STBBKT SPSPBNSION BRIpOB. Gloucester street suspension bridge, which partially collapsed on tho evening of Anniversary Day, is being' 'attended to by the City Covincil . workmen, and so strengthened ns to render it perfectly safe for many years to come. Titk Co.MMissroNEß or Baiiava'ts.— Mr Conyers proceeds north to-day per s.s. Wakut-ipu to inspect the Picton, Nelson, Westport and Grey mouth lines of railway. He will return to Chrislchurch in time for tho oponing of tlte through lino to Invcrcargill. } /■ Nortuerx Railwa\'.-- -Tho works of the mew bridge at Stewart's Gully; near Kaiapoi, fare progressing very slowly, and tho bridge, which was intended to have been completed by the middle of this month, is not nowmoro than half finished. Only eleven bays of piles have been finished, and should a flood occur in the meantime, the damago to the railway fil.ne, Hnd the consequent interruption of TOo-tKc, would be very serious, as tho channel, which is gradually working up in that direction, will undoubtedly, be through the lino at Lthc first approach to a flood. Cathomc Benefit SociETr,--A, meeting of Iho iriberninn Australasian Catholic Benefit Society took place last evening, in the St. Patrick's Hnll, Barbadoes street. There wan an exceedingly large attendance, and the officers for the ensuing year were clocted, with the following result : — Presidont, Joint Joyce; Vice-President, Patrick Dompsoy; Treasurer, Patrick M'Donald 5 Guardian, D. Curton ; Warden, John Summers { Sick VisitorH, Martin Hayes and Patrick Craig 1 Medical attendant, Dj? Doyle ; Auditors, P» Donclly and James Shorry. I Kaiiavay Accident. •— When the 7.30 nasscugor train from Timaru to Christohurch ftvas approaching the Orari station yesterday 'morning, the locomotive ran off the line atv 'the point. Fortunately the train was moving slowly at the time, and no damage was done to tho carriages or passengers; On reoeiying tho telcgmm announcing the accident, Mr Jones, ,dißl.r.ict station* mastor at Timaru, got a, special train ready &nd went witli a gang of mon to Orari. The loooniotivo was soon gob on the line, and the train went on to its destination, after having been delay od two hours. It is supposed that tho points were not properly closed, but the matter will be inquired mto,. •■ .; '■:•■ -v- ; . !^ - '■■-■■'■•■ : -:r : ---\:,- -■ -

MIITBW Wateß'BACE.— The second contract of tint work was started on Wednesday. Bazaar fob Bingsiasd Wesietak •COTBCH^-This bw«ar wm brought to a close »f ten o'clock last night, after a very fair amount of business had been done. The goods which remain unsold will be offered for the same purpose on some future day, of which due notice will be given. Rehearsal of the Messiah. — A long and careful rehearsal of the " Messiah " took place last night at the Provincial Coxincil 'Chamber, in which a platform for the Tocalista has been erected at the Speaker's - end. There was a large attendance, and the rehearsal on the whole ww satisfactory. The concert will take place on Monday night. IsqtTE3T. — An inquest was held at the Hogpital yesterday, before Dr Coward, the District Coroner, npon the body of a little boy named George Frew, whose death resulted from an accident, the particulars of which have already appeared in our columns. The evidence showed that the child was kicked by 9, horse with such force that his skull was fractured, and the jury, after hearing Dr Bell Hay's report of the injuries, returned a verdict of accidental death.

Supposed Case of Drowning. — Intelligence was received at the Police Depot, jesterday, from the constable stationed at the Bealey. that on last Friday a man left the <Cass with the intention of going to Mount White Station. The man, who had two dogs with him, was warned that he could not cross the river, bnfc he persisted in going, although he did not know the way. Subsequently search was made for him, and footsteps were traced to a point 18 miles from the Bealey but no other sign of the missing man has been discovered. .

Ttnvr.RAycE Lectcrbb.— Steps are being taken by the Executive of the Grand Lodge, 1.0. G.T., to secure the service? of a lecturer who may efficiently represent their aims and objects, and with' this purpose in view it is intended to raise a special lecture fund, in aid of which large sums have already been promised. It is not improbable that the lecturer will be Dr F. R. Lees, F.S.A.. an •eminent authority upon scientific question?, especially as bearing upon total abstinence. Dr Lees has been recommended to take a trip to 2few Zealand on account of hi« failing health, and it is anticipated that by the •voyage he may be sufficiently benefited to enable him to lecture in the principal cities and towns in New Zealand.

I Property is the Mabkxi:. — At the Com/mercial Salerooms yesterday, Mr C. F. / Barker submitted for sale by auction the / leasehold of Mr A. G. Rowland's building ' sections in Hereford street, «ituate between the warehouse of Messrs Lightband, Allan and Co., and the offices of 'the Drainage "" Board. Not a single bid was elicited, and Mr Barker could only intimate that the sections, tie reserve upon which is £& 10s per foot frontage, would remain in the market for {private treaty. The lease is for 29 years, ?ouildings to the value of £500 to bo erected within five years ; and there is a condition that after ten year* there shall be a certain advance in the rental, a second advance being required at the end of 20 years. A quarteracre section in Gloucester street east, mar -the North belt, was withdrawn at £200, a -section in the same locality having but recently realised £365.

Colombo Roao Schools'— The diatribu•lion of prizes at the Colombo road district . schools is to take place at half-nast 3 o'clock this afternoon, when it is anticipated that' there will be a large gatheringof the parents and friends of the children. The members of -the Committee are much pleased with the manner in which the school is maintaining its . efficiency, and increasing in numbers, the average attendance during the past quarter having been about GiQ. This evening an , entertainment is to be given at the school in aid of the prize fund, and for this a capital programme has been prepared. It includes a cumber of humorous and other songs, to be contributed by amateurs connected with the school or resident in the district, part song 3, instrumental duets, recitations, a ShakY gjrean dialogue, and ajfarce, entitled, " The aunted House." Some of the school children will also contribute one or two part, •onga, TfIKiXKE RovAr.. — There was a good attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening, although it was by no means commensurate with die extraordinary talent displayed by " the only Leon," for whose benefit a special programme was submitted. As on previous occasions, Leon astonished the audience by the fidelity of his impersonations, and his efforts 'were must warmly acknowledged. The programme comprised an admirable selection of eongs, &«., one of the best items of the oven* ing being the quartette "Come where my lore lies dreaming." The most effective songs were those contributed by Messrs C. S. Fredericks and Beaumont Bead. Japanese Tommy again convulsed the audience by bis appearance as a primn donna, and M* William Courtright contributed a highly amusing sketch. The programme concluded with " Galatea," a burlesque of the story of (Pygmalion and Galatea, in which many of the humorous portions of the well-known comedy are re-produced. Sonic singing was introduced, the principal item being " See how it sparkles." The Minstrels appear to-night for the last time, but they will probably play a night or two on their way back. AGTUCVLTXUAt. AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION. — A special committee meeting was held yesterday, in connection with the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, to 'make arrangements respecting the ram and ewe fair. This it was resolved should be held on the grounds of the Association on Thursday, March 6, entries to be received tip to four o'clock on Saturday, Feb. 26. The conditions «f the fair are to be in accordance with the -report of a sub-committee, approved by the general committee on July 25 last. The ■secretary was instructed to prepare ballot tickets as agreed upon, to be used for determining the order in which entries arc to be placed in the catalogues, and a sub-cominittce will meet at the secretary's office on Tuesday, Feb. 35, for the purpose of conducting the •ballot. The sab-committee appointed to arrange for the trial of reapers and binders also met yesterday and prepared a report. The trial is to take place during the month of January, on a. day to £c hereafter named, in -some paddwk near ; Christehurch, but the locality has not- yet bfen decided upon. Seven -judges have been appointed, including five practical farmers and two engineers, and the conditions of the trial are to be duly advertised. The prize offered is C 25, and the entries are to close on Jan. i. Mr John 'Grigg has offered a prize of £5 for the best ■hand binding, should there be any competition. This committee also considered the rules for conducting the sales after the ; annual show, and prepared a report thereon. Tnß East Esj>.— The gradual change which is being made on the eastern side of •the city is now becoming very marked, and here and .there buildings of considerable importance are being put up. At the comer of | Hereford street and the East Bell a very large building is being erected for Mr Price, • to replace the structure known as the Eastern store. It is of two storeys, and comprises 14 room". Three of these, forming a considerable portion of the frontages, arc to be used for business purposes, the largest, having a clear space of 30 by 20 feet, will be a general store, and the adjoining one, 20 by It feet, as a chemist's shop, behind which will be an admirably-arranged consulting room, 13 by 13 feet The remaining portions of the building will be used as a private residence. There will also be a detached building, constructed to as" to bo thoroughly rat proof, for .storage purposes. The shop windows of the fullest extent possible, and arc divided into .circular-heided sections, with intermediate pillars of neat design. The whole of the anterior fittings, which are now being rapidly proceeded with, are of a superior kind, and •the introduction of innumerable small pillars . for the support of the shelving help to give an ornamentarappearance to the interior. The-de- . «igns for the building, which will add not a little sto the general appearance of the East belt, were prepared by Mr Lambert, and the contractors Jire Messrs Kaye and Wood. On the opposite ride of the Belt all the streets arc being carefully attended to by the Heathcote Road Board, and concrete channelling is rapidly replacing the highly objectionable ditches which formerly were poisoning the atmos-

BoAitiv op Education.— The Board of Education for North Canterbury met yesterday. Among the business transacted was the provisional allocation of the district's chare of the vote for school buildings, <&c., 'receivable during the coming year. A list of the localities which are to have some of the money spent upon them appears in the report. Hereford street Baptist. Citobch. — A tea meeting in connection with this chnrch was held last evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfield street. Although the day had been very fine, a short time before the time of the meeting the weather was very unpropitious, which interfered with the attendance materially, about 350 people, however, braved the storm and sat down to an excellent tea, which was provided entirely at the expense of a member of the congregation. The tables were very prettily decorated with, flowers and plants/ As soon as tea was over, a public meeting was held; the chair was taken by ' the pastor of the church, who, after reading a letter of apology from the Rev W. Morley, stated his regret for the cause of the absence of the Rev J. Elmslie from severe domestic affliction, and a resolution of condolence was subsequently passed by the meeting. The Chairman said he felt very grateful for the generous conduct of the gentlemen who had agreed to bear the expense of the tea, and trusted the friends present would do what they could to help to raise a fund to enable the new church to be built on the site already obtained close to Madras bridge. The meeting was also addressed by the Revs S. Macfarlane, Edwd. Walker, T. Hogson. andW. H. Keast, and an offer was made by a gentleman at the meet* ing to pay for another tea on condition that 1000 tickets were sold. In the course of the? evening a collection was made, which with promises and the proceeds of the sale of tickets for the tea, amounted to the sum of £220. The service of song was conducted by Mr A. Corrick, who presided at the American organ, and a choir formed from members of the church, assisted by a few friends, and «, very successful meeting was brought to a alosc by the Rev J. W. Smyth pronouncing the Benediction. . • ; .