NEWS OF THE DAY.

Abhxet CpvßTr Consort.—Mr B. Coup has been declared duly elected a member-of the above Council for tie Ejreton riding.

Legai.—His Honor, Mr Justice Johnston, eat in Chamber* yesterday at 11 a.m, and disposed of several applications. The restated caves in banco ot Green (appellant) t Peter Fender (respondent), and Cunningham t Dann, stood till next banco sittings.

MumcrPAi. EtKCtros.—A request has been made to Messrs Banks, Bird, Toomer, and Briggs, to allow themselvee to be nominated as candidates to fill the vacancies in the City Council caused by the recent rocigna* two*, but they have all Alined.

The Eackhohsb Ngabo.—Mr Heywood's racer Ngaro arrived per Wanaka yesterday from the North.

liCßßSisa Court.—The adjourned cases frjm the last quarterly meeting of the Court wero dealt with yesterday. Thb Subz Mail.—The eteamer Maori, having on baard the Suez mail left Port Chalmers for Lyttelton last night. The mail will therefore be delivered in town this morning. AcKNOWMnxjsiBHT. —The Clerk to the Bench, Christohurch, acknowledges with thauke the receipt of the sum of £4 Is, from Mr Thomas Havdon, of Prebbleton. The amount was sued for by a servant of Mr Havdon, and judgment was givep for the defendant, at whose request the amount is forwarded to the O'-phonage. Railway 1 bucks. —Of the 800 trucks which the Government ordered for the iinee in this island, there aro now 300 built and running, and the other 500 will be completed and in working order by the time the next grain season comes round. The whole of the ironwork'for these trucks is imported, but all I the wood work is done in the railway workshops of the colony, or else by contract. On board the Soutbminster there is a very large quantity of all kinda of American railway machinery which has been ordered by the Colonial Government, and which is intended for the railway workshops. Thbatbioae. —Messrs Baker and Farron have been very successful in Auckland with " Struck Oil," which appears to have taken the taste of the Auckland playgoers. Mr J. Gardner, agent for Trotter and Webb's Marionettes, arrived yesterday per Wanaka, to make arrangements for their appearance in Christchurch. They open on Saturday week at the OJdfellowe , Hall. Mr G. Chaplin, after a very successful season in Auckland, left per Taiaroa yesterday. He will open a Stakspearian season here on Monday next at the Theatre Rjyal, his first appearance being in " Hamlet."

Inquest at A'shbtjrton.—An inqunst was held yesterday before Dr. Trevor, district coroner, on the body of Thomas Quinn, who was killed on Monday last by a dray pissing over him. The evidence given was to the came effect as the account published in this journal yesterday. Dr. Stewurt depored that deceased died from rupture of the sternum, and an empty dray going at considerable spaed would be sufficient to cause euch injuries. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death."

Tub Spbingfibld Coal—lt was reported to the railway authorities that the Springfield coal was equal, for generating steam, to the coal, but this would not appear to be so under certain circumstances. It seems, for instance, that on the occasion of the return of the express train from Dunedin Monday week, the* train was an hour late, which was caused through the Springfield coal in use being wet —the day being very rainy. It has now been decided to have the Springfield coal mixed with the Newcastle.

Coubtbnay AMD Tbickbtt. — Our Dunecm correspondent telegraphs the following intelligence received by the Claud Hamilton : — Courtenay t»ys in a letter which has juetbeen received in Sydney, that he would long since have come to Sydney but; for a fictitious advertisement which appeared in American papers intimating that Trickett was going to America. Courtenay will leave America next winter for Sydney, and hopes to row Trickett on the Parramatta river for £500 or £1000 asido.

1.0.0. F., M.U., Bansioba.—At a meeting of the committee appointed to manage the anniversary ■celebration proceedings, a letter was read from the Commueioner of Railways, regretting that he could not allow any concession on the price of tickets to the members of the order travelling per train to the intended picnic, owing to the great number of similar applications. In consequence of this decision it was resolved to refer the whole question to a full meeting of the lodge to be held on Monday evening. WOOI3TOW Cbiokbt CiiTTß—The annual general meeting of this club was held at the Wharf Hotel on Friday, the 13th instant, Mr F. Pavitt in the chair. The accounts showed that after paying the debts of the old club there still remained a small balance |to the credit of the club. The following gentlemen were elected officers of the club for the ensuing year :—Mr J. L. Coster, .president; Mr Andre w Duncan, vice-president; Mr F. Pavitt, capfain; Mr F. Bamford, deputycaptain ; Mr A. Dunbar, hon. ccc. and treasurer; Messrs J. W. Davis, F. L. Davis, A. Beaumont, and £. Buxton, committee; Messrs J. Bamford and F. L-. Davis, auditors.

Akaboa Cotjntx CovmciL. —A public meeting of the ratepayers of the Akaroa and Wainui'Road District was held in the Road Board office, Duvauohelle'e Bay, on Saturday, Id Adnetdef what aLps should t>o t&Loa. to inthe repnwentAtion o£ felio :B«rz-n*-<a. 2%£<a£Eisr ia the Coiaaafcy ZMt- X^oaefaia^ry,

"■"r^fpfijißifiiiiiiiiii' fcion wae the largest: in poiot o£ numbers and rateable value of any riding withm the county, and that, practically, it was at present disenfranchised, its representative being resident in another riding. After diecnesing-the question, j the meeting came to the following resolution : —"That tli» meeting unanimously request Mp><U»uvia County Council to inereate the extent of anqtnei *!,„ Berard Kiding to the taken to collect signature* -«4 jjhafc eteps be Council, having this object in view.THS GOVBBNOB'B HABBOW E3OAFB Oakabo.—With reference to the sensational etorv which epneared in a recent issue of the Wellington " Eyening Poet," narrating how his Excellency the Governor, and the distinguished paity by whom he was accompanied, were almost, getting cut into mince-meat in the Lyttelton tunnel, it may be well that the real facts should be known, The following account of the affiir ia supplied by one who was a passenger in the train going through .from Chrietchurob. to the Valley. It seeme that as he was getting out at the Valley, the station-master at that place received a telegram from the Commissioner of Bail ways, who was with the viceregal party, instructing him to shunt the Ohristchurch train on to the siding -until the " special" had passed. This the station-master did; but in order that it could be placed upon the aiding it had to advance some little distance towards the tunnel, and then return on to the sidingAfter it had done this and had come to a standstill—much to the disgust of many of the passengers—the etatkra-maeter gave the signal to Lyttelton, and the express, thus receiving official intimation that the line was clear, at once made a start, and proceeded through, to Ohristohurch without stopping. It will thus be seen that the train which) according to the fervid imagination of the " Post's " informant, was nearly causing this " dreadful collision," was on the siding some five or six minutes before the express came through this end of the tunnel at all. Wakahtti liEßßAttX.—The committee of this library met on Monday at Wakanui sohoolhouse. Present—Messrs J. S. Bruce (chairman), J. Bennett, D. Wilson, P. Innes, and W. Innes. Mr McClure was elected librarian. Jt was agreed that a general meeting of members should be held on 7th October, to elect a new committee. The chairman read the annual report as follows :—" Tour committee in making their annual report have to state as follows—that on taking office they found there were but six subscribers, and came to the conclusion that the primary cause of this was that the subscription was too much in a sparsely populated country district, and to encourage a larger number of members joining reduced the subscription to 10s. On the 15th October a meeting of all the members was held, at which your committee resigned, but were re-elected. _ At this meeting a subcommittee was appointed to obtain new books to the amount of £30, and jour committee have to inform you that they have received advice from Mudies, of London, that some fifty new books that they ordered are in the Soukar, which is now doe. Your committee postponed thia meeting as late as they could, hoping that they wonld have received the works which they had selected before it took place. Your committee had a bookcase made to receive these and the other books belonging to the library. Since the foregoing report was written, your committee have received the case of books mentioned therein; they consist of fifty-four volumes, and are all in excellent order and condition. Mr McClure has kindly consented to act as librarian. Your committee recommend that, the books in the library and bookcase be insured for £50. Your committee applied for a portion of the sum distributed under the Public Libraries Subsidies Act, 1877, and received the amount of £7 13j 2d, which was placed to credit of Jhe library account. It will be seen from the accompanying* balance-sheet that your committee have a credit remaining of £15 lie Id, and that there are not any outstanding liabilities." It was resolved that the foregoing report be adopted. Accounts amounting to £11 11s 4i were passed for payment and the meeting adjourned.

AxbbiCAN Cabs. —It is contemplated by the railway department to send orer an order by the next mail for ten Atnsrican cars. These are vastly superior to anything at present in use on the New Zealand railways. Lsctusb. —The Her. J. Mirams delivered hit lecture on " Common Proverbs " at the German Church last evening, when there was & f nir attendance.

BAHQIOBA HOBTICtTLTT/RAL SOCIETY.— The members of t.hia society hive decided to hold two shows of plants, *fla?rere, fruit, and vegetables, during the season, the fir-t on December sth, and the second on 6'h. The attention of intending exhibitors should be bestowed on the new prize echedul", which ii such as might well induce all horticulturists to take »n interest in the show.

Ckickbt Mebtikg. — A well attended meeting was held last evening at Sydenham to considor the desirability of forming a club in the dijlrict. After the ordinary routine of business usual at such meetings, the following offioere-were elected :—Captain, C. Wagstaff; vice-captain, J. Rowe; treasurer, G. H. Mason; secretary, A. Webber. The club will open next Saturday, play commencing at 2 p.m. sharp. Theatbb BorAif.—"East Lynne " was revived last night with Miss Tilly Andrews in the dual character of Lady Isabel and Madame Vine. The cast was in some respects modified since the lost representation of the piece, and not advantageously, Mr Jerratnes sustaining the character of Mr Levieon, formerly played by Mr Hoekine. Mr J. if. Graham credifably sustained the character of Archibald Carlyle. Tonight "Struck Oil" will be produced. Victobian Items.—The following further itf mc of Victorian news were received by the City of New York,-which arrived from S.vduey at Auckland yesterday :—The Victorian loan of five millions included one million for the purchase of the Hobson's Bay railway; two hundred thousand for parliamentary buildings and new liw courts; two hundred thousand for State schools ; two and half millions for new railways. The last general election cost £9400 and the census £12,400.

A New Lock-TTP.—The railway offici-ih are of ten annoyed just as a train is about to start by the arrival of drunken and disorderly men, who at suoh times give considerable trouble, as they cannot always be at once removed to a safe retreat. Such a retreat has now, however, been constructed on tbe platform, - near the engine shed, and drunken rowdies who in future obstruct the platform at such times will be placed in this strong apartment until after the departure of the train, when they will be removed te the police-station for further treatment. CANTBBBtTET PIQBON FITINO CjLtJB.—A meeting of several gentlemen interested in the formation of a club to encourage the training and flying of the homing pigeon, was at the Shades last evening. Mr Porter was voted to the chair. The following resolutions were carried:—(l.) That in the opinion of this meeting it is necessary to form a club for the purpose of encouraging the training and flying of the homing pigeon. (2) That the name of the club ba " Tho Canterbury Pigeon Flying Club." (3.) That a special meeting be held on the 24th inst. to revise and adopt the rules of the club. It is confidently expected from the great interest

taken by members and the general public in the several pigeon flying matches which have been held, that the newly formed club will be successful. - Nbw Amsbican EwguteSi—The six new American engines ordered by the Government in January last, have arrived at Port Chalmers in the ship Southrnineter, from New York. Tbe vessel, aftor discharging a quantity of cargo at Port Chalmers, will come on to Lyttelton and there dischargn the engines, which, like other cargo of a similar character, are at the bottom of the vessel. They are intended principally" for the Christchurch section of the railway, but will be used for the express trains between here and Dunedin. The firm to whom the order was sent have certainly lost no time in executing it, for the letter.did not leave New Zeal&nd until the 3rd of January, and would take at least a month to reach its destination. ' Then the voyage from New York to this country would take another three months. So that the time actually employed in constructing tho engines—for they have be9n made expressly for this colony— has been, but very short. The American engines " Lincoln " and "Washington" are giving great satisfaction to the ■ railway authorities, and are considered- infinitely superior to the English locomotives for the light description of railways in this country. They are wonderfully equable in their rates of speed, and may be depended upon almost to a second. With tho exception of the first return trip from Dunedin, they have not varied a minute from the time of JUMPIV&I, ft&d in a joiurney or nearly 2SO miles, ie tit great desvl. to cay- -A, £ nrfcfae*? advanffilwlfillfi'lii instance, half a dozen ITairlie Biz-wheel couple-bogie engines were ordered from England for the Dunedin section of the line eleven months ago, and have not yet arrived. It need hardly be said that with the large traffic that now passes over the line, these locomotives-are ?ery urgently needed-in fact, the whole line from Amberley to Invercargill is very short of engine power, particularly on the Dunodin section. The American engines referred to are expected to arrive in Christin about a' fortnight, and will, in all Muiric^^~lSSßV?&-ILj orta£ sbt after- , is an extract from a letter a3n"feßrow-^^ l Under-Secretary for Crown Lands to £E«r Lawrence Borough Council: —" It was found impossible to accede to the various applications from municipalities throughout the coluny for the maximum endowment of 2000 acre's allowed by (he law, and a general principle of reducing the applications had to be carried out. Preference of selection was not, however, shown in favor of any particular borough, but all have been treated as nearly as possible upon the same terms." Nbvv Zba'iand's Raiwat Power. — Speaking of the originators of the railway construction polioy in New Zealand, the " New Zealander" says:—" It seeim to be forgotten now that in 1867 Colonel Whitmore it the Legislative Council, and Mr M'Neill in the House of Bepresentatives, moved and carried the following resolution :—' That a respectful address be presented to his Excellency the Governor requesting him to be pleased to issue a Royal Commission to enquire into the subject of railway communication throughout the colony, and more especially to determine which, are the most advantageous lines for trunk railways, with a view to the reservation from sale of a portion of the Crown lands adjacent to such lines ; and also to enquire whether in all Acts hereafter "to be passed by the Legislature provision ought not to be made for securing one uniform gauge throughout the colony, and what that guage should be.' "It also seems to be forgotten that years before the date named by our contemporary Auckland was busy constructing a railway to Drury, which, if we remember rightly,waa nearlj»completed round the domain, and most of the way to Newmarket, and which certainly absorbed a lot of money. The D'Ubvih.b Isiakd Tjoppbb—The following opinion (says the " Poat") has been given by Mr W- Bowe, M H.R, mining surveyor, as to the copper found at D'Urville Island: —"The copper has been traced from one end of tbe island to the other, and what small amount of work" had been done gives reason for tho belief that when the ground is properly tested a permanent and extensive lode will be found. One shaft has been sunk to a depth of 40ft., which I went down and found a lode at the bottom of the shaft, about 2tt. in thickness, carrying well defined walls, and the ore at this depth wae rich, being worth, in my opinion, fully £15 per ton. From the general appearance of the mine the present company should have every reason to expect a successful issue for their outlay, and should success not be achieved, the fault in my opinion, will be from some mismanagement alone, the mine offering such facilities for working and shipping the ore. To put the character of the ore on a certain foundation, and to dispel any doubts as to its value, which may be entertained, I should recommend that 100 tons be got out as speedily as possible, and sent to Newcastle for test purposes.— W. Rowe, . Wellington, 11th September, 1878."

College Lecttjees.—The next of theaeriea of. lectures by Professor Bicker.ion on " Electricity and Magnetism" will be delivered this evening at the College Lecture Theatre. Woolstqjs.— l he entertainment in aid of the Lower Heathcote Library funds will take pace at the Oddfellows , Hall, Woolston. on Thursday next, the 19th in<«t. The committee intend' to endeavor during the summer to raise funds by subscriptions and entertainments for the purpose of erecting an additional room to the library. A good programme has been provided for the occasion, including vocal and instrumental mueio and a humourous reading.

St. Michaki/s Children's Festival.— The children's festival will take pluco in the schoolroom to morrow evening , - It promises to be a groat success,. aud a mon>tar Christmas tree which is now >>cinq loaded with toys, will doubtless form a g.eat feature of the eutertiinment.'

Kangloka BoiiouaH Schooi.. —The committee of this school have do icleil to give !»n ontertainmont in aid of the prize fund ou Friday evening. Li-iTEtTON Colonists' SocriiTT. — The concert which was to be hell in the ! yttelton Colo ista' i tall on Thursday next, i* unavoidably postponed toThnrsiiiy, October 10th. Cricket Clttb .Mestinos. —The annual general meeting of the U.C.0.0. will behold this eve-ing , at Kalcliffe's Hotel, at eight o'clock, when the accounts of the club for the past .-cos'Hi will be preseiite.l, officers elected for tho ensuing saason, auil some amendments in tho rules will be brought forward. The finmi'd. mooting of the Wuirarapa Cricket Club will be he;d in the Harewood road achoohroom to-morrow evening. Farmers' ('lob —A. meeting of the Conrtenay Farmers' Club will take place on Saturday next, -when Mr Toss will will read a paper on " The Rotation of "