Local & General.

Edward Henry Stevens Hill and William Ban Montgomery have received appointments «a cadets in the Department of Xrada and Customs at Lyttelton. The following application for a patent has been made :— James Gray, of Dunedin, agricultural implement maker, for "Improvements in twine-binden." The monthly inspection of the Bydenham Bifles takes place to-morrow evening, and the attention of members is called to an advertisement appearing elsewhere in this issue. All the single women for service by the lonio were engaged at the Immigration Depfit, on Saturday. Applications will now be received for servants to arrive by the Waitangi and other vessels. Colonel Boberts hns palled down the meeting wbare at Paribaka, where the Waikatos have been in the habit of assembling, because they refused to go away when bidden. They stayed three nigbtß, although they only had permission to remain one. At the Lyttslton Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, Charles Brown was brought up charged with being illegally on board the steamer Akaroa at an early hour yesterday morning, Prisoter was cautioned and discharged. A crioket match was played at Sefton on Saturday between the boys of the Ashley and Sefton schools. The latter made 16 and 80, the former 19 in each innings. For the winners Baird scored 11 and 37, in excellent ■tyle for a tohool boy. Several test cases, under the volunteer regulationa, were heard at the B.M. Court, yesterday. Defendants were summoned for not attending drills, which were advertised in the newspapers and notified on parade. Fines were imposed in all oases. At the Lyttelton Beeident Magistrate's Court this morning, before J. Bonalds and H. AllwMght, J.Fb., Patrick Murphy was charged with deserting from the steamship lonic, whilst in Wellington, and received a lenteoce of four weeks' imprisonment. For the Mayoralty of the Borough of Timaru yesterday there was only one nomination, that of Mr John Jackson, the present Mayor, proposed by Mr J. H. Suiter, and seconded by Mr J. S. Gibson. Mr Jack* ion was therefore declared duly eleoted. The claim for compensation made by the Bydenham Borough Council against the Drainage Board, on acoount of damage done to the Sydenham streets, is to be settled by arbitration, and Mr F. C. Hall has been appointed arbitrator on behalf of Sydenham, The new bridge connecting the Domain Gardens with the Acclimatisation groundi hae now been completed, and is a nice, light, but sufficiently substantial, structure. It hai baan well built, of the best material, and it likely to prove a great convenience for pedeiItriana for many years to come, lost night there was an entertainment al the Young Men's Club, where several reoitationa, readings, to., were muoh enjoyed bj a fairly numerous audience. It has been determined to have a pionio of the memben of (ha Club some time next month, and the Committee have been empowered to make all the necessary arrangements.

At about half-past two on Friday afternoon a fire broke out at Drew's mill, Waiknku, and in t> very short time the building and contents were redused to aihes. The neighbours made an effort to save the Btook, but were nnable to do so on aooount of the intense heat. The mill wheel was considerably damaged, because, a« it was not going when the fire broke out, it waa found impossible to start it afterwards. The origin of the fire is doubtful, but it is supposed to have originated from some lighted matches accidentally dropped by Mr-Drew or his man while adjusting the xnaohinery. The plant was insured for £400 and the Btook for £300. The Bangiora High School Board met on Saturday tveaing last j present — Messrs A. H. Cunningham (Chairman), H. Blaokett, J. Johnston, 0. E. Tribe, and J. Fulton. A quantity of Committee work was 'in detail reported on by the Chairman, and the action taken by him in several matters was approved. A. plan for the new schoolro'om was presented, and after a few suggested alterations had been • made it was adopted. It was decided to invite tenders forthe erection of the sohoolroom at onee ; and'of ter agreeing to meet on the ground on Wednesday morning; to fix upon a site for the buildings, the Board adjourned. The state of the pavement in Manchester street, in front ot Barrett's hotel, is deserving' of the immediate » Mention of the oity authorities, as at the present time an aoordent is likely to occur at that spot jat.any moment. The holea made in the "asphalt (during the erection of the hotel, we presume) have daily increased in dimensions, 'until they have become traps for the unsuspecting pedestrian who may unfortunately ' pass on that side of the street after dark. A lady passenger by one of the trams ' ooi Saturday night was tripped np, and had a narrow escape of breaking her leg, while on the following evening a gentleman, who stepped into one of the holes, wits thrown to the ground, and sustained a nasty shaking. A aojree and concert in connection with the Prebbleton Presbyterian Churoh were beld in the Distriot . Sohoolroom on Friday evening last. The school wa» filled to its utmost capaoity. The tables were provided by Mesdames Patterson, Tjbbmpgon, Prebble, and Kissel, members of the congregation, while a Ohristmas tree presided over by Mrs Porter contributed muoh to the er joyment of the evening, as well aito the financial result of the meeting. After teathe ohair was taken by the Bev B. J. Porter, and a most attraotive programme was gone through, the ohief item being the popular cantata •' David," rendered by the members of Mr A. A. North's choral class, from Ohriatohurch. Addroises were delivered at intervals by the Bevs Cairns, Dinwiddie, and Wright (Ohuroh of England), and altogether, a most enjoyable evening was spent. After the usual votes of thanks, the meeting was brought to a close by the Benediotion. A very largely attended publio meeting was held at Greymouth lust evening, the Mayor in the ohair. A serious of resolutions to the following effeot was passed :— "That the harbour works are not being carried out with the energy their importance demands, nor in accordance with Sir J. Coode's plans, and therefore it is neoessary that they should be placed under more efficient management, in order to have them carried out as Sir J. Coode recommended ; that the extension of the railway to Nelson Creek be proceeded with, and the vote of last session expended; that better facilities for loading coal into ships be provided, instead of the primitive method now practised j also, pioviding wharfage and shed aocommodatiod." A copy of the resolutions will be forwarded to the Minister of Publio Works. All the resolutions were carried unanimously. All the leading oitizens and business people of the place were present. The " Lady of Lyons," with Miss Pomeroy in the part of Pauline, was given last night for the second time since the oompany at present ocoupying the Theatre Boyal began their representations in Christchuroh. It iB needless to say that the part of the heroine was as satisfactorily given as on the first occasion. Mr Elliott was as successful as before in the rdle of the gardener's son and General, though he certainly does himself more justice in the latter part of his career than in the first, when the artificial and high falutin 1 character of Lord Ljtton'a language had their natural effeot upon his acting. Miss Bronton played carefully as the widow Melnotte ; Miss B. Lawis looked full of self-importance and grandeur as the wealthy Madame Deichapelles, and Mr Joyce was curt and short-tempered as need be in the part of Colonel Damas. Mr Appleton put hardly enough fire into hia rather matter-of-faot portrayal of the villain Beauseant. "Borneo and Juliet" is announced for tonight. The first annual meeting of shareholders in the South Canterbury Befrigerating Company was held yesterday in Messrs M'Lean and Stewart's long room, Mr E. Blworthy, Chairman of Provisional Directors, presiding. There was a large attendance. The report of the Provisional J ireotors was received and adopted. It stated that 3250 shares had already bean applied for and allotted, that the incorporation of the Company was duly certified on Nov. 18, and that the Site Committee had considered nine offers of sections, and, supported by reports from Mr Coxon (Messrs Haslam's agent), and Messrs Laing and Meason, had reoommended the purchase of Mr B. H. Bhodes* seotion of 57 acres, at £40 per acre at Waimataitai. The eleotion of permanent Direotors resulted as follows: — Messre W. Moody, E. Elworthy, J. Page, W. Guild, H. Ford, ». Acton, B. H. Bhodes, junr., W. Grant, and M. Jonas. Messrs W. Ztesler and F. W. Cook were appointed Auditors at an .-annual fee of seven guineas each. The next annual meeting of shareholders was fixed for the last Saturday in November. The question of dosing the sharelist was left to the Direotors, and votes of thanks to the Chairman, the Provisional Direotors, and the scrutineers, Messrs Zieslet and Fraser, brought the proceedings to a dose. A ourious point of law will come shortly for deciiion before the Courts in the United States. At Chicago there has lately been a beauty contest. Many ladies were entered, considerable exoitement prevailed, and, after due deliberation, the judges made their award. Their decision was net the popular one. The lady to whom they gave tbe pilm was said not to be the loveliest. Her type is antique Greek, not modern Amerioan, a straight nose being one of her prominent beauties. The subject is one of great importance in America, and Miss Arabella Johnson — known as " Beauty No. 9 " — finds herself not only very unpopular, but also very muoh deridod. She attributes this to the oonduot of the defendants in the action which she has commenced. They aro caricaturists and publishers of caricatures, and they have issued a series of portraits of " Beauty No. 9," in which they have exaggerated the feature whioh had suoh a fasoinatioo for the vulgar. Miss Johnson is represented with the proboscis of an elephant. Uhe caricatures are in all the shop windows of Chicago and on the hoardings of New York. Mies Johnson has brought her aotion in the Superior Court, and has olaimed 20,000d01s damages. It remains to be seen whether the Court will oonsider this holding up of "Beauty No. 9" to "hatred, ridicule, or contempt," as suoh a libel as may bring her case within the compensating powers of a jury. A meeting of the Woolston Town Board was held on Nov. 16 ; present — Messrs York, Coles, M'Diarmid, Tioknor, Attwood, O'Neill and J. H. Hopkins (Ohairmao). Correspondence was read from the Chairman of the Selwyn Oounoil, asking the Board to give the Counoil an indemnity against any proceeding that may be taken in handing over the balance of hotel license fees to Woolston. The Town Board resolved — "That the Olerk acknowledge the letter, and inform the Council that the Commissioners do not consider they would be justified in giving the indemnity asked for." Mr York, on behalf of the Works Committee, read a report as to work being carried on in the distriot, and stated that the roads were in very fair condition, and that the footpath to cemetery was being carried on satisfactorily. Beaolved— " That the Olerk give persons notice to dear gorse, &0., overhanging or growing on roads in the disiriot, and also give notice to owners of cattle to prevent damage to footpaths and side channels in the distriot." The Works Committee recommended that a oulvert be put in at tbe top of St John's road, and that the Clerk write to Heathoote Boad Board to contribute half cost of same. It was deoided that the Bide ohannel, Mardon's road, west side, should be concreted, provided the residents pay to the Board the sum of £6 towards cost of same. After doing other business of [a routine nature the meeting terminated.

Yesterday afternoon some mieoreant | poisoned two valuable dogsj the property of Mr Knowsley, of the Queen's Hotel. That it was an act of oetty ipite there is little doubt, as both the animals were particularly quiut and docile. Arrangements are made for ft public meeting to morrow evening of the Biohmond Blue Bibb on Band of bopo, in the Methodist Free Church, kindly lent for the oooaßion. A good programme is provided, and the meeting is expected to be a great success. The following items will be found on our fourth page:— Tale: "Bomo Sporting Beminiscences in the Life of Major BioeGurry" (oonoluded) ; Charity Sunday ; St Albang and Bydenhum Borough Councils ; The Domain Cbrdona ; Bydenham Horticultural Sooiety ; Canterbury Jockey Club ; Musings from Methven ; Sportiug ; Cable News ; Gallic Gall ; The Legal Anpects of O'Donnell's Trial ; Colonial Outfits. The legal advisers of the Sydenham Borough Oounoil have given their opinion that the rate struok thiß year in the "model Borough" is bad, and leoommend that steps should bo taken to have it quashed. A ratepayer, Mr Muffett, has kindly volunteered to take the preliminary step by objecting to the rate, so that hia objection may be disallowed, and he may appeal to the Supreme Court. The Council last night did not quite see their way to avail themselves of the offer. In oonoequenoe of the absence of Mr Whitefoord, K.M., and the non- attendance of JustioPF, the Hsual sitting of the B.M. Court at Kaiapoi was adjourned for a week. As a large number of oases were set down for hearing, in which Beveral members of > the legal profession were engaged, the postponement proved to be of considerable publio inconvenience. The Committee of the Sydenham Institute met on Friday evening the vice-Preaidont (Mr W. Langdown) in the ohair. The Secretary reported the reoeipt of several donations of books and papers from Messrs G. Booth, Kspenett, Hadcliffe, and the Bev H. B. Cocks. The thanks of the Committee were given to the donors of the above. After several accounts were passed for payment, the meeting adjourned. The new organ just imported for 8t Luke's from the establishment of Meiers Bishop, of Marylebone, London, at a cost of over £600, is to be opened on Thursday evening, when there will be a full choral service, beginning at half -past seven. The organist, Mr Neville Barnett, will give an organ recital during the evening, and no doubt the good points of the inßtrume&t will lose nothing at his hands. At the Sydenham Borough Counoil meeting last night, two gentlemen called attention to the merits of their inventions. One of thsee was Mr Boberts, who has invented a method of deodorising sewage before it leaves the premises of householders ; the other was Mr Price, who has made a portable fire-engine, very suitable for ohecking conflagrations in their early stage. The Oounoil seemed disposed to assist, to the best of their ability, the views of the inventors. 'Death has just put an end, at the village of Bcis d'Haine, in Belgium, to the sufferings of a strange being, Louise Lateau, whose singular case has puzzled many a dootor. She was called "La StygmatieJe," the Catholics declaring that every Friday blood flowed from wounds visible on her hands, her feet, and her side, in remembrance of the Crucifixion. Thiß 'miracle" attraoted innumerable sightseers, whose contributions were sufficient to enable the practical showman to rebuild the little village ohuroh and parsonage in most luxurious style. At a meeting of the Timaru Cemetery Board yesterday afternoon it was decided to fence in the Jewish ground at a cost i not exceeding £15, in return for the conI cession by that congregation of a portion of the ground allotted to them some seven years ago. The rapid filling up of the cemetery had rendered it necessary for the Board to ask the Jewißb. community to give up a portion of their ground, which is far in exoess of their probable requirements. Thoy have given up throe plots, containing 120 grave spaces, and the fenoing is being undertaken in return for the concession. At a meeting of the Catholic Literary Sooiety held last night in the Society's rooms, Liohfield street, Dr Bake well brought forward a resolution of which he had given notioe a fortnight previously, expressing the regret with whioh the Sooiety had learned that the Sooiety'B rooms had been let by the Oousoil to a non-Catholio and politioal organisation— the Irish National' League. The resolution was opposed by Mr D. O'Sullivan, Mr B. O'Connor, Mr Nolan, and several others, and waa rejected on the voioes by almost the whole meeting. Dr Bakewell immediately afterwards resigned as a member of the Society. As the time for the contest for the Mayoral ohair draws nearer, the feeling of the partisans of the rival candidate? — Messrs Hulbert and Ayers — naturally becomes warmer. An instance of this is to be seen in a oartoon whioh is being oiroulated by the partisans of the former candidate, in whioh his opponent is represented in different "oharaoters" at various times and places, tbe general effeot not being complimentary. Bumour has it that this is to bo answered by another oartoon in which the weak points of Mr Hulbert will be dilated upon. The friends of both candidates are evidently in earnest, but it is to be hoped that good nature will prevail on both sides, and that the gall of the most ardent partisans of either will not be Buffered to flow too freely. The opening of the Northern Pacific Bailway is an event of vast importance to the commeroial world. The ceremony was performed by the President of the Company, Mr Henry Villard, at Gold Spike, in the State of Montana, on Sept. 8. The Northern Paoiflo is the third great railway aoross the American continent, and is the longest railway in the world. It spans 2500 miles of territory, and crosses 80 degrees of longitude. Starting from Lake Superior, it terminates at Puget Sound, opening for development a seotion of country comprising one - sixth of the entire area of the United States. This is the only distriot containing fertile land in the pnited States whioh has been without facilities for bringing its product* into the great markets of the Atlantio and Paoifio seaboards. The working of the enterprise has been a chequered one. Although the charter for the construction of the line was obtained in 1864, owing to various vioiasitudeg, involving the ruin of numbers of speculator?, the work was not substantially taken in hand until 1879. At its completion it starts with a bonded debt of 40,000,000d018, but the concessions of land it possesses are so valuable that this oharge will be wiped off in a few years. The Fiji Times in a reoent article calls attention to the immense utility of the ooooanut as food rations, and the valuable qualities whioh it has for sustaining nutrition. The following instance is given in the case of a vessel that once left San Francisco with 400 passengers for Sydney, and whioh, in consequence of running short of stores, had to put in at Sarasa, where a large quantity of eocoanuts were obtained. During the remainder of the passage very heavy weather was enoountered, in whioh the vessel became waterlogged, and only reached Sydney after a perilous journey of 80 days, during whioh time all the provisions ran short, and men', women and children were fed' only upon coooanuts, being at laßt reduced to one per diem for each adult. Notwithstanding the diet, not a life was loßt, and not a single case of sickness oocurred, all the passengers landing in a healthy and wellnourished condition. In another instance, two men drifted in a whale boat on to Quails Ishnd, where they remained for seven years before they were taken off. They had no food beyond a chance flying fish and cocoanuts, and yet when resoued were in excellent condition, and had gained in weight. A contemporary obterveß : — Mr Bider, the embryologiet of the American Fish Commission, has finally solved the problem of the onlture of oysters from artificially impregnated eggs, and at the Government station at Stookton, Maryland, there are many millions of young oysters three-quarters of an inoh in diameter, whioh have been hatched from eggs artificially impregnated 46 days before. This fact is of great importance to ojster onlturists throughout the world, as from a single oyster several millions of eggs can be obtained by the planting of the artificially reared Bpat. Thus oysters may be produced in praotioally unlimited quantities in any sheltered estuary in temperate olimates, and localities in which oysters do not grow can with great ease be stooked by seed transplanted in bulk while very small. It may be added that oysters were artificially impregnated in America by Dr Brooks, of Baltimore, in 1879, but the difficulty hitherto naet with in hatching them haa been to prevent

the young oysters from oioiping and being lost immediately after they are hatched, »iooe the spat pass through the meshes of most finely-woven fabrios, such as flannel. Bussia has reoently taken a deoided step in furtherance of her designs on the Balkan Frovinoes. Sinoe Bulgaria was severed from the Turkish Empire by the Berlin Treaty, Russian intrigues have kept it in a perpetual slate of unrest. Prince Alexander thought to end his troubles by abolishing the Constitution, but be only succeeded in supplying the emissaries of the Czar with a potent means ot increasing their influence in the provinoe. The country has, in faot, been governed mainly by the military advisers, Generals Sobeleff and Kaulbars, whom the Czar insisted on placing by the side of its nominal Sovereign. Prinoe Alexander has now endeavoured to rid himself of these troublesome counsellors, but they, acting on instructions from the Russian JSnvoy, M. Jonin, refused to resign their portfolios. The Prinoe, seeing resistance usulobs, has agreed to the Buaaian demand that he should summon the National Assembly, and it is quite possible that the Russian coup d'etat will eventuate in his abdication. Two candidates for the throne, Prince Earageorgevio, and Prinoe Waldemar, the youngest son of tho Danish King, am said to be already in the field. But the newlj -aroused interest in the Bulgarian question evinoed by Austria and Germany, threatens to put an effeotual check on Bussian encroachments. It is even hinted that the Allied Powers will seize Bulgaria as a pretext for quarrelling with Busßia, in the hope of reducing her influence in the Balkan Peninsula.