Untitled

Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1826, 18 February 1869, Page 2

Accident.—On Tuesday a man named Groves, at Stonyer's flax mill near Kaiapoi, had two fingers taken off by the machinery. A cknowledg-ment.—We are desired by the Secretary of the Kaiapoi Institute to acknowledge the reoeipt from Dr M. Morris of a present of thirty-five volumes to the library. Memorial.—We understand that a memorial to the Superintendent is being numerously signed in Lyttelton, requesting him to allow of a late train on Friday, leaving Christchurch at 11.30, so as to give the people of Port an opportunity of witnessing the sensational drama " Under the Gaslight." Benefit. —The members of the Kaiapoi dramatic society and the northern companies of volunteers are getting up a performance for the widow and children of McKenzie, who was killed by the Maoris on the West Coast. ' Lecture. —The Eev. A. Reid gave a leo l ure on "TheMillenium," in the Weeleyan Chapel, Kaiapoi, on Tuesday evening, in aid of the fund for paying off the debt on the parsonage. The lecture was listened to with much attention by a large audience, and a hearty vote of thanks was given to Mr Reid. ! Theatek Botali.—The play of " Under the Gaslight" has certainly succeeded in drawing more large houses than any piece that'has been represented in Christchttrch for a long time past. The piece is a " sensation " one in .©very sense of the •wjord, and; looking at it merely as such it cannot be denied that its author thoroughly comprehends hie work. The scenes are varied and graphic; the numerous characters well marked ; startling • situations" abound; and long as the drama is; the audiences exhibit no signs of weariness; :The acting throughout last night was very fair, but we must remark upon the excellent personation of Laura Courtland by Mies Matthews. All parts of the house were filled, and no doubt there will be an equally large assemblage to-night. Banxb' PENiireTJXA. — A correspondent writes—"On Thursday morning last, about ten minutes past ten o'clock, a smart shock of earthquake was felt throughout this; district." Our Lβ Bon's Bay correspondent writes : —"A smart shock of earthquake accompanied by I a slight rumbling sound was felt by the inhabitants of Lβ Bon's Bay oh the morning of the 11th at about half-past ten o'clock. The, oscillations continued from about ten to fifteen seconds and seem to have come from east to west." Meetings of Creditors. —A meeting of the creditors of William Hielop was held yesterday morning in the Registrar's Chambers. Debts were proved to the amount of £220 2s lid. Mr J. E. Graham was chosen trustee, and Meesrs W. Wilson and B. Ohudley were appointed supervisors. The bankrupt's liabilities are estimated at £153115s 9d ; assets, £3838 10s 4d. A meeting of the creditors of Francis Harvey was also to have been held, but for want of attendance, the Registrar adjourned it until the 24th insfc.—A ! meeting of the creditors of Alexander William I Doran will be held in the Registrar's Chambers i to-day at eleven o'clock for the proof of claims and appointment of trustee and supervssors. Cemetbbt' Chapel. —A very handsome stained glass window has recently been .-placed placed in this chapel by the Primate of New Zealand, in memory of one of his sons. The treatment is strictly mediaeval in Vested in a jewelled robe of dark purple, judiciously relieved by the introduction of other vivid colours, wearing an aureole, in which the cross is artistically introduced, and bearing on.-his hands the sacred stigmata, the Redeemer is. represented miraculously walking on the angry waves of a troubled sea, in. all the tnajesty of divinity. The design is remarkably good, and the difficulty so great in anypictorial representation of depicting water in motion, especially with such a material as glass, has teen successfully overcome, whilst the bright blue sky above brings the whole subject., into strong relief. The colours, though brilliant, are not gaudy, and there is nothing meretricious in the general effect. It is a pity that the execution of the mechanical portion of the work ie jaot equal to the pictorial. There is a certain "amount of coarseness and incompleteness in the leadwork in which the design is placed which mars the otherwise pleasing representation. A little attention to detail and finish would

have obviated this. The background is skilfully maneged, end the perspective has been elaborately and carefully arranged. At the base of the window h the quotation--" Ami the sea shall give up the dead that are in it." On a brass tablet affixed to the panel work below are written these words —" Edward Paul Harper, aged nineteen, lost at sea in 1563." The work was executed by an English firm, and is one of the handsomest in the chapel. ! All the windows with one exception, and we believe the vaoanfe place is engaged for a similar purpose, are now filled in with painted glass. The Case of Mb Smythies.—A petition to be presented to the General Assembly on behalf of Mr Smythies is in course of signature at.Tokomairiro. Deab Wines.—At a sale of wines belonging to a Mr Allcock, of Birmingham, some of Croft'e '40 realised fifteen and a half guineas per dozen, and there was some '34, said to be Rosig, which fetched sixteen guineas. The Roslyn Eeection.—The polling for a member to represent JEtoslyn in the House of Representatives, took place on Friday, and resulted in the return of Mr Driver, by an overwhelming majority. The numbers were— Driver, 215 ; Allan, 89 ; majority for Driver, 126. The Mont Cenis Tunnel.—A gigantic enterprise—the piercing of Mount Cenis —is also drawing near to its completion. On November 16 the total perforation on the two aides of France and Italy amounted to 9060 yards, and the length of the whole tunnel being about 12,300 yards, there now only remain to bore 3240 yards or thereabouts. The Oeeti Railway.—The "Southland Times " says—At last, after a delay of nearly two years, we have the satisfaction of laying before our readers the official proclamation which definitely eete apart 25,000 acies of land towards the completion of the Oreti Railway. It now rests with the Local Government to give effect to this grant by entering into arrangements with the contractor to proceed with the work, but at the same time care must be taken to avoid anything like a misunderstanding in the final settlement of the contract. Gold Prospecting in Tabanaki. —We take the following from the " Herald " of the 4th inst:—The prospecting parties are still hard at work in the ranges, and we believe that the indications of gold are becoming more promising the deeper they get. Several pieces of quartz have bean brought into town, which, although no gold is visible to the naked eye, have every appearance of being goldbearing; but we. have no means of testing it here. The several specimens which have been forwarded to Auckland, the analyst of the Bank of New Zealand has spoken very favorably of, saying that they contain traces of gold in them. Latterly one party have come upon sulphur, and the further they penetrate into the drive, the more difficult becomes their work from the fumes that evaporate from it. A Mistake.—The following report of a police case, heard the other day at Spring Creek, shows the style of adventure that will sometimes occur on the best-regulated new rushes:—" Eastwood v Ingram, for assault. Complainant, on oath, said —'I went to defendant's shop for a steak. I objeoted to a piece whish he cut, and he hit mc in the face with it, and gave mc a black eye. I wanted rump Bteak. I had no previous qnarrel. I said, * I'll be d- dif I take it. ,. Without another word he struck mc with the steak. I took up a pound weight and threw it at him. Ifc missed him and struck the beam. It was not a 41b weight. The mark on my face is the reeult of the blow with the steak. . His Worship said it must have been a very hard steak. Mc Brown suggested that it might be a mistake; but in any case there was one of a fatal character in the summons—the date of the alleged assault was not given. His Worship considered the objection a valid one, and dismisse4:tbe case." ■, _-,•;■;■ y v ; '' Tblegbaph to Attstbalia.—Wβ find tlie in , the " Overland China Mail" :—-., By recent Straits papers we note. an item of' news which is not without interest to residents in China. We are perhaps wrong in implying present residents. Rather let us say to future generations of residents in China. The item in question is to the,effect that H.M. surveying vessel Serpent, Captain Bullock, has proceeded to Java for the purpose of commencing the survey between that island and Australia of a practical route for telegraphic communication. We presume that the proposed line will be from the south coast of Java to. Perth, or the mouth of Swan River, a distance of little over twenfj-five degrees of latitude in an almost direct line. It is scarcely pro-' bable that this line would be seriously entertained except in connection with the projectof extension to Singapore, and thence to either Moulmain. or Galle, as, the ultimate object can only: be to place Australia in connection with EMtope. Should it be really carried out, is execution cannot fail. to give great impetus to the proposition so often made to lay down a line between Hongkong and Singapore. To have the means of direct and immediate communication with Europe would be no slight temptation, but when a similar facility would be afforded through the same cable to send messages to Australia the inducement would be doubled. London Impbotements. — The London correspondent of the "Argus" writes:— Although scarcely a question of literature so much as art, I must mention a few important London improvements, and none more so than the opening of the new Meat Market, by which Newgate, Smithfield, and all the other horrid iniquities are for ever "abolished.; It is a really magnificent building, and not the least \ worthy feature about it ia the number of railways that run underneath it, so that special \ meat trains from every part of the kingdom can* deposit their cargo exactly beneath; the butcher's stall, or I should rather say the salesman's stall, he being .the chief official now a-daye. Westward we have come alterations in Clubland which are itforth note. The Junior Carlton have a splendid palladium building in Pall-mall nearly ready, the only objection to which, architecturally, it that it is father top-heavy; a new club, a United Seryioe»,ie now. occupying Palmerston's house in Piccadilly ; while a little further on the Junior Athenaeum is disporting itself in the late Mr Hope's magnificent mansion, the internal decorations of which yield to none in London. Then we have the two new theatres, the Globe and the Gaiety—the latter in the Strand, at the corner of Wellington street, and the former in Newcastle street, occupying what was Lyon's lan. It was opened the other night, and successfully, by anew drama by Byron; called " Cyril's Success." i Masokxo>—A ceremony of more than prdinary •mtereetj.eajs a late Melbourne paper,

took place at the Masonic-hall, Lonsdale street. For some time past it has been determined to erect a new lodge under the jurisdiction of the grand lodge of Scotland, and all preliminaries having been concluded, the neve sister lodge, under the designation of the lodge of Australasia, was erected according to ancient usage. I The RWPGH Brother Thomas Reed, assisted by his officers, performed the ceremony in an impressive manner. The VW, the PG Chaplain (Brother W H Cooper), in addition to offering up the usual solemn prayers, and I reading the appointed portions of Scripture, delivered an oration on the nature, objects, and history of Breemasonry. The RW the Provincial Grand Director of Music (Brother Caws), assisted by Brothers Towle, Johnson, Amery, Taaffe, Eastwood, Hill, Feinanglo, Martin, and Peddle, contributed' most ably to the success of the ceremony. The new lodge having been duly erected and. proclaimed, the RWM (Brother John White) and his officers were duly installed, and the PG- Lodge was closed in-form. The brethren, including the Provincial Grand Lodge, having concluded their labours, adjourned for refreshment, when the hospitality of the new lodge received recognition, and the evening was passed in the agreeable manner usually observed among masons. Pbinoe Alfbed Hospitali in Melbofbne —Mr Charles Webb is the contributor of the prize design for the Prince Alfred Hospital. It is in the Elizabethan style, tastefully but not expeasively decorated, and as it is to be of red bricks variegated wth bricks of other colors, it will present, a very pleasing appearance when the whole of it is carried out. Contrary to the plan heretofore followed in nearly all large charitable institutions in this colony, the hospital will not consist of a series of buildings all attached together, but will be in six separate parts, at a distance of about 60 ft or 80 ft from each other. The six buildings mentioned are—an administration department, which will be at the main entrance of the hospital, facing north, towards the south of which, and rather further from the frontage line, of the ground, are four others called pavilions, for the reception of patients. The sixth building, which is right to the back of the first or administration one is to be built for kitchens, laundries, out-houses, &c, and it will be covered from vievr as muoh as possible by the buildings immediately in front and at the sides of it. All the cix buildings will consist of ground and upper floors, and the principal one will be brought into prominence,by an elegant tower in its centre. The total estimated cost of the whole work is £38,664 15s; but accommodation for 240 beds would be provided, and Mr Webb makes suggestions as to the portions which should be first erected, so as to provide for 100 beds, which it is supposed will be the total needed at the time the work could be completed. Sheabing Customs.—A question of some importance, as to the custom of shearing, has been tried in the R.M. Court, Oaxnaru. We gather the following particulars in reference thereto from the " Times"—A man named Red path sued the Messrs Julius, of Rugged Ridges, station-holders, to recover £5 9s for shearing 728 sheep at 15s per hundred. ;Mr Allanby appeared .for the plaintiff. The defence eet up by the defendants was that when a man went into a shed to shear under such an agreement as had been made between the plaintiff and defendants, which was necessarily an imperfect one, custom, must be taken into consideration, and the contract considered (unless evidence be shown to the contrary) to be made in accordance with well-known and prevailing usage. When men were employed as shearers the usage was that they should continue until the whole of the, shearing upon the station had been completed, and at the rate at which they agreed to shear. This custom was notorious throughout the country. Several witnesses were examined in support of the alleged custom. The Magistrate, however, did not consider the; evidence given in proof of the alleged custom sufficiently conclusive to show that such custom amounted to a prevailing usage. Hej , thought that to establish a custom wh!ch; r #ould govern a large number of contracts f ittv.otrld be necessary to show not only that itr was the recognised usage in a particular district, but t&t least, that it prevailed throughout .the province. Judgment was , given for the plaintiff for the amount claimed. ; Bishop Jenkeb.—A meeting of members of the congregations of St Paul's, All Saints', and, Sfc Peter's Churches,- was held in St George's Hall 1; Duned|n,, on Feb. 12,1 the advertised, object being, "io Jenner." Admission was by ticket,"* it being advertised of whom tickets could be obtejned j and the hall was thoroughly filled, a ! large number of ladies being amongst the audience. The Hon Dγ Buchanan, M.L.A., took! the chair.: Bishop Jenner made along-speecjb, in which he endeavored to exculpate himself from the various :charges that have" been, brought against him. In reply, to the very direct question from Mr Lubecki, are ; you what is called a Ritualist?—what is meant-Fp that, general term?_ .Bishop. Jenner said: I decline being called any name, whatever.— (Some applause.) Tell mc what you mean by Ritualism. One man considers one sort-of person, a Ritualist—another, another sort. It was to be an extreme Kitualiet, in my younger days, to say " AAmen," instead of ''Amen. , , , I have told you pretty clearly what my views are—and I don't, wish to explain "them again —that nothing pan, be to,o gorgeous or beautiful, in the worship of God ; but the application of that principle must necessarily depend upon circumstances, time, and place. I claim to be judged by the principles which I have consistently carried out, and which are notorious to all the County of Kent—at least, which are thoroughly well-known in my;own parish- Those principles are mine ; they are ! not,; probably, what you would-'call, or what others in this day would call, principles of .Extreme Ritual. Bishop .Jenner complained of the decision of the General Bynoa with respect to him as being unfair, and said he did not f«rel bound to give up all hope of being Bishop of Dunedin, because of the resolution come to by the Synod. At .fche close, a vote of unanimously accorded to Dr Jenner for iis address. CixiZEir Sou>iEßS.—" Pilgarlick Patience " writes a very amusing letter to the " HawkeY Bay Herald," from which the following is an extract:—"l have the honor to belong to her Majesty's 3th Company\of the Napier Militia. I am what people here somewhat flippantly call a new chum, and liave only recently been enrolled in the abover-named .distinguished portion of her Majesty's forces. I have, unhappily formj own peace of mind, little of the dare-devil in mc, but, have ft .considerable regard for my own. personal safety* Sine UUe lachrymm. After about two, drillings, I was with the whole Napier force marched to the top of the hill, wjtb a band of mußic play.

ing. Beforo this I had been ordered to • form fours• j• j § *»U readers to judge of tbo absurdity <J K ° J o "* of this kind without a word of . CO - -planation. We were ordered tST? 01, * arras,' and now mark the next oarL "T lcler bayonets.' Yes, sir, «fix W 'shouldered arms!' Shad? Jf W •* have pity on us! Now, eir, I'm com , gtoa » troubles. Let m return to the hilS to a ? are formed in lino. « With hWs, load.' I must here remark «J2S ,T**& man waa Privato Muzzle. MuzS;?? , * , * mc in conGdence over a pint ofhJ? never fired off a piece before Of at h<! every man loaded any way he oouM °° UTII right hue ala,! the far greater V Z Q t^ 9 way but according to rule. Mu3! > obstinacy worthy a better with his rifle. point just behind X& ear. The angle was a peculiar ono Z»? * a little upwards and towards consequences of an explosion (by «« 6 improbable) would have been the hJUtT writers right ear, the abrasion of the .1 « the right lobe of the brain would ht fl t a!l - -entirely chattered, and the dexter « llj* have seen no more, and coven orohaniZ ,