TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2280, 14 April 1868, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Soiree—The annual soiree of the Canterbury Alliance will take place in the 'I own Mali this evening, commencing at six o'clock. 'I he chair will afterwards be taken by the Rev. J. O'Brien Uoare. Kaiapoi Ciidrch.—The annual meeting of parishioners for the election of ofR-e-bearers for the ensuing year, and to receive the accounts of the retirini; veatry, will be held in the church on Thursday evening next. Maoisiebial.—We have been requested to

Btate that a report which appeared on Saturday, in our tri-weekly contemporary, to the effect that Dr Dudley had been appointed acting Resident Magistrate at Kaiapoi, is without foundation. Civil SEimoE.-We learn that Mr 11. If. Andrews, of H. M. Customs, Lyttelton, lias been appointed Collector at Greymouth, vice Mr Johnson, appointed to Nelson, and that Mr D. MoKellar, will fill the situation of Landing Surveyor at Lyttelton and Christchurch,

MAsiSTisnuL.-Yesterday, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Christcliurch, before W. Reeves, Esq., J.P„ William Allen was charged with an indecent assault upon a little girl named Gardiner, The evidence being inconclusive as to his guilt, the prisoner was discharged. A Child KiLLED.-Yesterday evening a child, about two years old, named John Baker, living near the first wharf on the Ferry road, wns killed by being run over by a cab. It appears that four cabs were passing the house where the child lived at nearly the same time, and the child being in the road, was run over by one of the two foremost cabs and killed on the spot. The two drivers of the leading cabs have been arrested, and a Coroner's inquiry will probably be instituted to-day on the body. Native Grass Fibre.—We have received from Lyttelton a specimen of fibre prepared from the ordinary native tussock grass. The green tissue surrounding the fibre has been removed by soaking the grass in water, and afterwards rubbing it. According to the sample before us, the fibre is fine and silky, and no doubt is capable of being worked up into many varieties of textile fabric. It would seem that we have in this despised tussock grass a material which could be converted into a graßS cloth, similar to that so largely exported from India and China, with little difficulty. _ Easter,—On Sunday last all the churches in Christcliurch were very elegantly decorated in commemoration of Eister Day. The decorations at St Michael's, St Luke's, and St John's were remarkably tasteful, flowers and evergreens being employed with great effect, and arranged in wreaths, crosses, and other desi»us, interspersed with emblazoned mottoes. Yesterday was observed as a general holiday. Picnics were organized to Hoon Hay and other picturesque spots. The roads in the vicinity of the city were traversed by almost every kind of vehicle. A coach left Cobb and Co.'s office at 10 a.m., and conveyed a great number of pleasure-seekers to Sumner, which seems to be rapidly becoming a favourite place of resort for the citizens of Christchurch. The beach presented a very animated appearance, being crowded with visitors. Mr Coker opened his gardens for various sports during the day, concluding with dancing in the evening. On both occasions the gardens were well patronized. The Rowley family gave an Easter entertainment at the Town Hall, consisting of selections, both vocal and instrumental, from the works of the best known musical authors. The Rifle Association held a successful meeting at Hillsborough. This day will also be observed as a holiday, and the Government offices, the banks, and the majority of the stores and warehouses will be closed. Yesterday being also a holiday at Kaiapoi, and holiday weather too, a large number of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood made excursions to the seaside; some of the pleasure seekers patronising the river, whilst others made the trip overland. Nearly all the stores and other places of business were closed. In the evening a tea meeting was held at the Wesleyan chapel.

Theatre Royai,. Last evening the comedy of « The Morning Call" was played at the commencement of the performances. It was successfully acted, and repeatedly applauded. But the great attraction was the first appearance of the Tycoon Troupe of Japanese Jugglers. At the rising of the curtain, the interpreter and three ladies, all dressed in their national costume, were upon the. stage; the scenery, representing a Japanese Padoga. The entertainment was divided into two parts. The first part consisted of a most humourous lecture on the habits and customs of Japan. The lecture was given by the interpreter, who is said to he a very accomplished man, speaking, as he does, five or six languages. It was delivered in very tolerable English, with extraordinary volubility. The lecturer contrasted the manners and fashions of Japan with those of Europe, candidly expressing his opinion that the former were « No. 1." The lecture was illustrated by some dances, executed by the female members of the troupe, accompanied by a low monotonous chant, an instrument more resembling a banjo than anything else we cap compare it to being played at the same time. The second portion of the performance consisted of feats of top-spinning, contortioning, balancing, and throwing summersaults. First, for the top-spinning. This accomplishment seems elevated in their hands to a science. The tops—or rather teetotums—seem absolutely possessed of volition, and to obpy every impulse of the spinner. On top of a small can.-',, on the edge of a sharp sword, whose temper has been previously tested by cutting pieces of paper Into small fragments, on a vertical string, and on a horizontal one, do these articles run at the bidding of the juggler. The final feat was the ascent of one on a perpendicular string to the top of the proscenium. And no wonder that the jugglers are so expert, since, according to the statement of the interpreter, the performer has devoted almost a life-time in acquiring his present skill. The tricks in balancing and contortioning were also very clever, being so neatly executed, and with such apparent ease. The feat of balancing a sharp sword with the point upon the performer's head and neck alternately, was greatly _ applauded, but it was rather a trying sight for the spectator. Double summersaults were then thrown, the juggler holding one sword in his mouth, and another in his hand. The feats of archery were very skilfully done. The archer kneeling upon the stage, discharged several light reed arrows from a small bow, and extinguished the lights by this means, sometimes even turning his back upon them. The tricks of throwing and balancing a quantity of bricks excited well-merited applaue. Altogether, the entertainment was a very successful one, and one well worthy of a visit, The theatre was crowded in every part, many persons being unable to find standing room, especially in the stalls and pit. It was announced that the performances, with some variation, would be repeated this and the following evenings.

The Southern States.—'fhe prejudices of race and colour appear to be producing an alarming state of things in the Southern States of America. For Borne time an opinion has been expressed by the Now York journals that a general negro insurrection was a possible event in the South, and some reports recently received »n the subject have referred to the War Department by President Johnson, and have also formed a to|iio of discussion in the Cabinet. As n precautionary measure, it is thought the military force of the South will be increased, and the arming of negroes prevented. _ Coal Statistics.—M. Simonen has published in France some curious statistics relative to the production of coal, Hi? shows that in England the quantity of coal produced in 1852 wns 50,000,000 tons; and in 18G4, 9:1,000,000; that in Belgium, 3,500,000 tons were produced in 1845, 7,500,000 tons in 1860, and 10.000,00(1 in ISM-, and that in France the quantity proluced in 1843 was 3,700 000 tons; in 1759. 7,500,000 tons; in 1865, 11,000,000 tons. From these and other facts M. imonen concludes that in England, Belgium and France the nmount of coals produced is doubled every fifteen years, in Prussia ev ry ten years, and in the United States every five years. A Mexican vSERTANT.-The Mexican correspondent of the New York Herald tells the following:—An old servant in a well-known house in this capital, which shall be nameless, was sent by his mistress to fetch the sum of 400 dolg,of which she was in monthly receipt. Observing that the servant was away longer than usual, her suspicions were aroused, and the lady went down to the servant's room, where she found a paper left by the servant in which he stated that he bad absconded', taking the money with him, which act he did not consider a theft, as it had been well

earned by fines which he had from time to time mentally imposed upon bin mistress. He classified these (inoa and tho amount* in a bill. Though wo do not recollect all tho itema, we give those that lire the most curious. Wo may state, however, that this eccentric thief k a native of the State of Onxaea:—" Miss Peplta, Dr. For having said that ray countryman Juarez was an Indian without lioriiH, 200 dol.; for having sent me a number of timea to the street of the Areo, too dols,; for having repeatedly sent me to toast coflee in Zuleta street when it might have been done in the house, 25 dols. We cannot recollect the other items. The servant stated that he left his bed in special deposit (which, by-the-way, contained some millions of bed bugs), which he values at 20 dole., and his books in the same amount, threatening at the same time anyone who may dispose of said furniture por uqudlo de que todo se paga en elia vida.

The Prussian and Irish Land Systems, —The Pall Mall Gazette of Nov. 16 says : A. pamphlet by Mr Henry Dix Hutton, an Irish barrister, is being circulated in Ireland, on the Prussian and Irish land systems, in which Mr Hutton, having described the reforms effected in the former country under Stein, advocates, as a settlement of the Irish land question, and as a means of effectually pacifying the country, the institution of a "land-purchase or public loan for Ireland," in order to assist occupying tenants to purchase their farms. The plan of advancing to tenants to enable to purchase might be tried, he urges, for five years, with a total loansum not exceeding £1,000,000 per annum. "The state would assume no commercial function, nor enter into any speculative purchase, but simply facilitate the completion of transactions arising in the natural course of business in the Landed Estates Court, where lots, I as small as 100 acres are not uncommonly put up for sale. On the completion of the i purchase, it is suggested, the farm should be charged in favour of the state with a rent annuity equal to the public valuation, which, capitalised at twenty years, would yield five percent, per annum. Of this three and a half per cent, might be applied to pay interest on the loan and the expenses of management, and the residue of £1 10s per cent, would remain for redemption of principal. The period required for this purpose, placing £1 10s per cent, at compound interest, Mr Hutton estimates at thirty-five years, when the annuity would cease, and the tenant become possessed of his farm. The loan should be a first charge, and the security of the Government would improve every year as the sum borrowed was being repaid, and also from the increased value given to the farm through the improvements which the feeling of proprietorship would lead the occupier to make. The Means of Tkansit in 1867.—M. Behm, a Prussian author, has contributed to Peterman's Mitlhilungen a statistical account of the means of transport and locomotion existing in the world at the present time. Beginning with the circumnavigation of the world, the oldest company is the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. Its voyages are thus estimated :—To Bombay, 23 days from Southampton ; to Ceylon and Point de Galle, 26 days. The Messageries Imperials steamers go to the same destination . In the transatlantic routes England, Germany, and France compete. The voyage from Southampton to New York is given at 12 days, and to Panama at 19. During 1865 the voyages from Liverpool to North and Central America numbered 308. In order to make a voyage round the world by existing steam routes, M. Behm says the shortest course would be-.—From Marseilles to Alexandria, 6 days; Alexandria to Suez, 10 hours; thence to Aden, G days; from Point de Galle to Melbourne, 21 days; thence to Sydney in three days; and to Wellington in 7. Thus the traveller would find himself at the antipodes in 55 days. The bi-monthly steamers to Panama would carry him thither in 28 days. From Colon to St Thomas occupies 5 days; thence to Southampton 15; and thence to Marseilles 48 hours. Thus in 104 days, or 3| months, we might make the tour of the world. The route, via Ceylon, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, and San Fransisco is two days longer. M. Behm puts the cost of such a journey at £277 10s. The railways of the world are 80,600 miles long. Over onethird the total length is found in the United States, or about 30,000 miles; England has 13,072; Germany (Austria included), 13,000 miles; France, 8400; India, 3200; Italy,3080; Spain, 2920; Russia, 2600; Canada. 1810; Belgium, 1500; Sweden, 950; Switzerland, 730; Holland, 650. It appears that the railways of Prussia have cost just about half as much per mile as those in England. The telegraph lines existing are about three times the length of the railways. There are 85,000 metres in the United States, 45,600 in Germany, 37,000 in Russia, 30,100 in France, 26,244 in the United Kingdom, 13,000 in Italy, and 13,000 in Turkey. A metre is about 4-7ths of a mile. The submarine cables amount to about 17,000 metres. The Tomahawk.—This new adventure in the field of sarcastic literature is thus reviewed by the Spectator : —This strange little paper, of which the first volume now lies before us, is popularly supposed to owe its success to the startling effect of some attacks upon the Royal Family, attacks which, in one instance at least, seem to us to pass the broad limits assigned to pictorial caricature; but the popular view is not altogether just. Those attacks, we dare say, sold the paper; but it is not for them that educated men are likely to preserve volumes of the Tomahawk, but for a much worthier reason. The conductors of the paper, disdaining the smaller drawings ridiculing or pourtraying social life and manners which' helped to make the fortune of Punch, throw* their whole strength into a single large "cartoon," coloured after a rough but" effective fashion in a single tint; usually, when the subject is ghastly,' of a light green, For this cartoon' they have been lucky enough to secure an' artist of whom we know nothing, except that' he draws these pictures, and paints magnificent scenery for Covent Garden; but of whose future reputation, as a Juvenal of the brush, we entertain very little doubt. Not for years has one peculiarity of the national, or rather of the Teutonic character, its habit of using bitter or even ghastly humour to express a latent rage, found so adequate an exponent. Mr Tenniel can express wrath, but there has come of late years a softness, so to speak, into his gfnius, a tendency, whenever he is not depicting Fenians, to use his humour as on exponent of pity rather than of indignation, to depict Britannia with a rapier rather than with the bludgeon which is her characteristic weapon. Nobody says of his drawings, " What a brutal force there is there!" which is what nine men out of ten are inclined to say of Mr Morgan's, and the tenth would say, but that he perceives dimly the presence of something higher than mere force, of a poetic imagination, which suggests to us, who, we repeat, never saw Mr Morgan's name except on those drawings, the pri-setice of true poetic genius. It was not a mere caricaturist who drew that extraordinary picture in the is<ue of Bill November, and ordered the printer to colour it in the precise tint of the Egyptian d sert at sunrise, a tint which is darkened by the black lin s of the engraving till the brown blackness characteristic of the desert in half lights is given as if by the brush, Seated as Memnon, with steady, staiue-like, and only half-seeing eves, Napoleon.-so marvellously caricatured that the late t dignity of his face, which j s patent lo all who have Been him. Mis wholly absent from his photographs, conns f .irly out,—waits steadfastly the rising 0 f the sun of \nr An angle, with outstretched beak, long wing, » n ,j thin body-a French eagle so to speakscreams from his knee, while myriads 'of armed men thronging in e„ger supplication wait for the music, tliec'arion call, which is to come as the first My strikes on fiat immoVRhte haul. The greatest poet in Europe might be proud to have described her si.ua.on -n that weird me'apl.or. So strong is he effect of the picture, of its mere force hat labourers, to whom Memnon is as Harness, stand before (he shop fr into, grunting the admiration their superiors express in wordi Ihe Spectator concludes its notice as follows:-- l'l le conductors of the Umbohawk Should he warv in their work, for thev have a powerful engine in their hands"

A Children's IxKiiiMAiir.—The author of" A. Night in a W-jrkhouse," Mr Greenwood, the amateur casual, has published a novel, in which, us might ho expected, Home sharp dolincationa of life occur. Here is a photographic: picture of the children's inflrmnry in a workhouse. " Hanged against the lime-washed wall on each Hide was a row of tiny bedsteads of the old-fashioned 'scissor' pattern, raised not more than eighteen incites from the ground, and eacli one furnished with a thin mattress of straw, and what possibly was at one time a white sheet and blanket. The hedsteadfl were ranged side by Bide and close together, each with a number painted white on a black board, and hung on a nail at the bed-head, along with a scrap of paper, on which were seuwled the doctor's directions as to the diet and physicking of the bed's sick occupint. Every child was attired in the regulation blue-check bedgown, and grey calico night-cap; and there they were higgledy-piggledy, all with dirty faces and hair unkempt, the very ill lying with their pinched features and their big baby eyes listlessly staring; the merely poorly neither in nor out of bed, wailing and whining, to the disturbance of their helpless neighbours, or, in cases when they were old enough, doing vicious battle with the convalescent, biting and scratching and hair-pulling and squalling like little savages," A Colonial Paper.—The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing on April 3, has the following remarks upon a projected newspaper:—The Ministerial party having no organ in Wellington, efforts are being made to get up a paper by means of shares, to start prior to the meeting of Assembly. The circular which is being handed round for the consideration of intending shareholders, is marked " strictly private and confidential," and I am not, therefore, at liberty to mention details. I may, however, say, that its promoters aim at making it a "Colonial" paper, proposing to ignore purely local questions. This is a mistake. The time has not arrived for such a paper. Local questions must for a long while, in every province, afford the chief topics of interest, and to the ordinary class of readers no paper will be acceptable that soars only in the abstract, and does not condescend to the question which is locally of paramount importance. Articles (for instance) on the iniquities of Provincial or Central Governments in the abstract would be flat in the extreme to the majority of readers; while articles on the corruptions which exist in the Council or Government business immediately under their nose, would be read with interest. The defunct N. Z. Times started with similar notions of becoming a colon'al paper, but it lasted only a few weeks, and any other, on the same model, would be equally short-lived. A New Continbnt.—The discovery of a " new continent" will probably prove attractive to president Johnson. The season has been a very open one all about the Arctic Circle, and some American Pacific whalers, pushing farther and farther northwards in the open water, have come as high at 73£ degrees of N. latitude. Here they sighted a perfectly unknown line of coast, with lofty mountains in the interior, and near the sea a lowlaudundercUffor'concau"of green country. The discoverers cruised for fifteen days along the rim of this strange Arctic world without perceiving any break in its continuity. They did not land, and therefore we are unable to say whether or not Mr Lowe's Hyperboreans —who live behind the north wind—are not really in possession, exercising the right of citizenship in a manner to reconcile even the right honourable gentleman to household or wigwam suffrage. Here is a chance for Mr Seward, whose earth-hunger of late has been so remarkable. Let him send an expedition, and annex this chilly continent. It is as good as his new acquisition of Alaska, and a great deal more promising than the unlucky little Bt. Thomas. December and ihb Napoleon Dinasty. —The month of December is remarkable for events interesting to the Napoleon family. Sixty-three years have elapsed since Napoleon I. was crowned in the Cathedral of Notre Dame by Pius VII. On the first of December [lßo7] Jerome Bonaparte was proclaimed King of Westphalia. On the second of the same month [lßos] was fought the battle of Austerlitz. On the fourth [lßoß] Napoleon entered Madrid. On the tenth [ 1848] Citizen Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was elected President of the French republic. On the twelfth ["1790] General Bonaparte was named First Consul, On the fifteenth [lß4o] the remains of Napoleon arrived in Paris. On the sixteenth [lßo9] took place the divorce of Napoleon from Josephine. On the eighteenth [lßl2] Napoleon returned to Paris after the disastrous campaign of Russia. On the twenty-third [lßo6] Napoleon defeated the Russians at Garnovo. On the evening of the twenty-fourth [lßoo], the infernal machine exploded as the First Consul was going to the opera, On the twenty-sixth [1777], Marie Julie, the wife of Joseph Bonaparte, was born. It was on the fifth of December, 1792, that the National Convention decreed the penalty of death against all who exported grain from the territory of the republic. And the butchery of Napoleon lll.'s coup d'eldt occurred in December.

Statistics.—Mr J. W. Taylor, who has been engaged for many years in collecting the statistics of gold and silver raining for the United States Government, has recently sent in a very interesting report on the subject. Mr Taylor states that there are indications that the large excess in the production of gold over that of silver, which since 1848 has reversed the former relations of those metals, is likely to be less marked in future. In California, notwithstanding the skilful application of hydraulic power and other improved machinery, the production of gold by placer-mining has diminished from sixty millions of dollars in 1853 to twenty millions in 1866. The following, according to Mr Taylor, was the total production of the precious metals last year :

Return op Working Men to ParmamN?'~\,spe,cial general meeting of the Working Men's Association was held on Oct. 8 at the Bell Inp, Old Bailey, Mr George Potter m the chair, on the nihject of the 1 arliamentary representation of labour. The chairman said that the great question of labour and capital would havet) be discussal and legislated upon in Parliament, and therefore it was of importance to the working classes that they should hurt representatives in the House of Commons capible of treating tat subject in a practical manner, and affording that information to the House which would aid it in coming to H satisfactory conclusion. Several gentlemra, members of arnament and others, had expressed to him their desire to seo some able and intelligent working men in the House »f (Emmons, and their willingness to help in the return of such men. The committee of the association had prepared a seneslof resolutions on tl, e subject to form the groundwork of the movement These resolutions would be submitted to that nieeung for approval, and if adopted, he ojumttee would be prepare I to work out the details, and submit the whole programme to a future meeting. The secretary then read the resolo,ons, which were afterwards aToptei and which recommended th • immediate eL bl ' s 'T"of a fund, to be raised byp,bi subser.ption.to be devoted men,where required,of ih, iitlmaK expenses attendant upon.he t,W approved working-cl™ enndidu an ° empowered the committee to ope,, ' pc ; m d mnnications with all trades C n, ™i «KipentiTe udetieß. and ot^JißSl 8 replies be generally favour^eto JL able nrogrimme for the moTement.

Country. Gold. 1 Silver. - —. 1 !. Understates Mexico <fc South Amerta British America Australia Siberia Elsewhere Totals dol. dol. , 60,000,000 20,000,000 i 6,000,000 35,000,000 . 6,000,000 600,000 . 60,000,000 1,000,000 15,000,001) 1,600,000 . 5,000,000 2,000,000 . 150,000,000 60,000,000