NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2664, 13 November 1871, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

♦ We desire to correct an error in our prize list of the horses at the late show. Iα class 9 Mr Holly's Lord Glasgow took the first prize. The prizes won on the Prince of Wales' birthday by the members of the Ljttelton Volunteer Artillery, and which were presented to tho battery by the tradesmen of Lyttelton, will be presented at 8.30 p.m. this evening in the Drill-shed. The presentation will be a public one. The Heathcote Parsonage Bazaar was again, opened on Saturday evening from five p.m. aud attracted a goodly number of visitors. Nearly the whole of the goods were disposed, of before the bazaar closed, and the very satisfactory amount of £500 la 9d was netted. We think the promoters must be highly pleased with the patronage they have obtained. H.M. Basilisk was open to visitors yesterday (Sunday), and a large number of persons availed themselves of the opportunity of paying the ship, which is well worth seeiug,, a visit. During the past week the crew have, been on liberty, and have paid both Port and. Christchurch several visits. Wβ are informed! that the vessel leaves Lyttelton for Wellington on Tuesday, from which place she willl proceed to Sydney. On Saturday last a man named Abbot, a servant to Mr Campbell, of Mount Grey, sustained a serious accident near Chainey's Corner, Kaiapoi. He was riding one, and leading another horse. The latter by come means started, and succeeded in getting loose. In riding to it to catch it again by the. bridle, it kicked out at Abbot's left leg with, both hind feet. Abbot managed to ride slowly to Kaiapoi, where he was attended: by Dr. Dudley. The Provincial Council is further prorogued from Nov. 17th to Nov. 24th:— The following regulation appears in the Provincial Government Gazette :—No officer shall make any communication, directly or , indirectly, to the press upon any matter affecting the department in which he serves, or the business or the officers thereof, or re-: lating to the public service, or his own official position or acts, or upon any political subject or question connected with the province, without the express permission or authority of the Provincial Secretary. The boating club at Kaiapoi are displaying some considerable amount of enterprise in preparing for the ooming regatta. Each club has sent crews into training. The Gore club's crew have several times come oat, upon the river in the Tui, and on Saturday evening in the Ku-ku ; they are a robust looking four, averaging probably 12st, with a decided show of strength on their side, and a disposition, to become masters and good managers of their boat. on its proper element. The Kaiapoi club's .ere*, are going in for a thorough training, taking a daily run of about two and a-half milesj which oan now be accomplished in about eighteen minutes. As a crew they seem de« termined to come forth when wanted, ia racing fettle. They practice in one of tho boats courteously placed at their disposal by the other club till their own is which is now in process of building. From . the lines of the new boat it will certainlypossess speed in the water. In giving tho length of it a few days ago we ought to have said it is forty-two feet. A new Soulier's ■ boat for Mr R. Wright, built by himself, bafl made its appearance on the river< The pair oars and lour oars, with one of two sail boats are in course of renovated, or have been so dealt with already in anticipation of coming events ; therefore in the next week or two wo may see the old Waimakariri alive with skiffs, gigs, or out" riggers. Anent boating, a meeting toiecido matters relating to the Kaiapoi regatta is an* nounced in our advertising columns, and there is a report current that Captain BcStf has coincided with the decision of the prin* cipal cluba in the province to have Shaw* Saville and Co.'g cup rowed for at thie regatta, which will prove satisfactory to all sensible boating men and lovers of fair play* The borough of Kaiapoi is now well pre vided for in case of fira with two band engines, both of which will be efficiently managed by the Volunteer Brigade. The second machine reached Kaiapoi on Satur , day, Efforta are still being made to procure a steamer. An inquest took place at tho Junction Hotel, Eangiora, on Saturday last, before 0. [ Dudley, Esq., coroner, and a jury, of vrbora Mr J. Johnston was chosen foreman, touching, the death of George Barrett N eugeswender, a child sis months old, which received such, injuries from fire on Wednesday last as to cause deaths Martha Barrett Neugeswender, mother of the child, stated that they lived at Fernside. On the day in question, It being cold, she laid tho deceased in a bed near the fire, afterwards going out to a neighbour's house to fetch some milk. Another child two years old was left with the deceased. On her return the deceased was lying 0% tne bed with his left hand in the fire ; it* clothes were a little scorched on the left shoulder. A neighbour was sent for, as was also Dr Downes. The deceased was attended to, but died on Thursday morning. Witness thought the other child must have moved deceased towards the fire. Dr Downes stated the deceased was much burnt on the hand, and side of the neck as well as the leftside of the head, there being a mark on the crpwn of the head as if he had been agaiust the* hot bars of a fire grate ; these burns tf° u be sufficient to cause death. From what H* had observed every care was shown by* f" 6 mother to her children. The jury returned • verdict of " Aooideatal clcatli. ,, •'

"aT accident which nearly terminated { fatally occurred yesterday afternoon at Tmim V ltreet cast. A number of children were playing together, when one of them tumbled Jnto s drain, and when rescued was insensible I>r. Patrick was called in, and after gome little trouble succeeded in restoring animation. We observe that another attempt, which hope will be a successful one, is to be ' made to establish a gymnasium in Christchurch. Mr Walker, has given up his gym- '- uasiura in Auckland, and is anxious to open one here, should he receive sufficient en- " conragement. He has been teaching Lady Bowen's children calisthenics, and has testi- ■ jaonials from many of the leading citizens of Auckland. Should Mr Walker's services be ..obtained, we have no doubt but that the gymnasium would be well managed, and "be of great service in the physical training of youths of Christchurch. We understand that the Christchurch jlttscal Society intend performing Handel's .orstiereQ " The Messiah," at Christmas. All available talent—professional and amateur— .tfill be invited to co-operate. If the Odd. fellows' New Hall is ready in time, it is pro- , posed to make this the first musical performance in that building. "We trust that the performance will equal to that so acceptably provided in the Drillshed last year. If ' ail combine, a great success is to be anticipated. The conductor of the society (Mr Landergan) will have charge of the musical arrangements, and a first rehearsal will take place in Spensley's Hall, on Tuesday evening, at half-past seven o'clock. The attendance on Saturday, at Tatter■.sall's, on the occasion of the sale of blood lorses and pedigree cattle, was very large, and the biddings on the whole very spirited. The prices obtained for Mr Gould's cattle were not so good as the prices obtained on a similar occasion last year. Young Cromwell fetched £31, Rosey £10, White Rose £17, Cowslip £15 10s. The prices of the others varied from £12 to £18. Several fine bulls ■were offered, and sold at prices varying from ■£40 to £25. The imported cow Perdita, imported by Messrs Rose and M'Quade, was bought in at £170. The number-of racehorses offered was the largest which has been :fiubmitted for several years, and the biddings xiere very spirited, there being several buyers from other provinces present. For Peeress a londfide, offer of £550 was made :and refused. Lacenfeed, Expectation, Rosina :and Prima Donna, were sold at prices varying from £55 to £30. Sir Tatton was sold for £195. For horses from Webb's tables several bona fide offers were made, but the only sale effected was a promising chesnnt colt by Malton, which was purchased by Mr Robert Campbell for £ 105. The wellknown fillies Defamation and Gossip were reserved /or 400 guineas, and a bid of 350 .guineas was refused. They are likely, how- ■ erer, to be bo^g ht for tte ota g° turf • Sep.tinras, Border LaA- 1 others were sold at ".prices varying from to £18. .A moderate attendant on Saturday night Trewarded the efforts of the Excelsior Minstrels. A very attractive programme was •gone through. One of the things of the evening was the " Anvil Choru'B " from " II Trovatore" by the company. A* quartette "Banish, Oh Maiden," was exquis "tely sang \sy /Messrs Amery, Beeves, Cla. an d Herman. The ever popular " Golden* uoe Bance," by Messrs Kelly and etokeda storm of applause. Mr O'Brie." l^ 8 Salamander Sam, did one of his extraorv nay grotesque dances, and the rest of th « programme was of a very attractive nature. Hie performances terminated with the Ethiopeaa' extravaganza of " The Mis" chievious Monkey," in which Messrs. Kelly and Holly, in the principal parts, were as funny as they only know how. to be. We beg to remind our readers that to-night is the last night but one of this dieter troupe in Christchurch. On Wednesday and Thursday evening they perform in %lielton, Friday at Kaiapoi, and at Timaru (& Saturday. Shaw, Saville, and Co., of London, have shipped a handsome silver cup to be competed for at the next Wellington regatta. Bishop Patteson has bequeathed the whole of his possessions in aid of the Melanesian Mission. A cheese factory, we learn from an Otago ■contemporary, is to be attempted to be started at Milton, Otago. ■ : 'lhe Eoman Catholics in Auckland have resolred to build a new cathedral, the present one being too small. At a meeting lately held to consider the subject, it was resolved to start a subscription list, which the Bishop (Dγ Croke) headed by £100 down, promising to give the same amount every jear until the building was completed. Over 4?00 was subscribed on the spot. According to the Berlin correspondent of "tie Ke«». cays the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, in its circular, tte Germans are disposing of the instalments CttJiewar indemnity paid to them in the following manner. The instalments already Bfci<| amount to 1,500 000,000 fes, including . 325,000,000 fes, the sum allowed for the Alsatian railways. The sum actually paid is JU7s,oOO,OOOfes,which is equal t0313,000,000 thalers. Of this, 4,000,000 thalers have been Mserved to endow the generals, and a like sun to assist those members of the landwehr sod reserve whose pecuniary circumstances have suffered in the war. The Germans expelled from France will receive 2,000,000 thalers; 7,000,000 thalers are allotted to shipowners, and 20,000,000 thalers to the inhabitants of Alsace and Lorraine fe damages sustained and supplies sapplied to both French and Germans firing the war. The Tepairs of rolling stock for the Alsace-Lorraine railways take 5,000,000 thalers. These sums together maount to 42,000,000 thalers. Of the relaaining 271,000,000 thalers, 31,000,000 thalers will be appropriated in pensions for iwalidg, and the remaining 240,000,000 thalers distributed among the iudividual Prussia, or rather the late North <Jerma" n Confederacy, receives five-sixths, or 2Q0,000,000 thalers, leaving 40,000,000 thalers *o be distributed "between Bavaria. Wurtemi>nrg, Baden, an 3 the southern half of Hesse, according to the nuiaber of men supplied by j each State. ! Professor Agassiz, in acknowledging the leoeipt of the last volume of the transactions cf the New Zealand Institute said:— "Remembering the recent date of the colonisation of New Zealand, theie can be no more surprising evidence of the rapid progress of Ssodern civilisation than such a publication. #ot that the printing of a book in any part of the world is now-a-days any marked •«vent; but the volume before mc is more 'instructive, and better put together, than the proceedings of most learned societies of a img standing. I have requested my friend, -MrT. G. Carey, who takes care of Compara- > %c Zoology in Cambridge, to forward to : Jtm a series of the publications of our Eutitution ; and I would now take the < aberfey of requesting you to send mc also the %sfc and second volumes of your transacl «iiaß and proceedings. With out volumes Joa will also perceive a set for each of your jaociated societies, wbieli I beg you to for-

t the celebratio i of the Scott centenary m Dundee, the Bey. George GilfUlan made a speech ucscnouu oy the Scotsman as one of " great force." The following is the concluding portion :—Apart from that commanding power which wields all intellects, and that warm humanity which melts all hearts, it is much for the permanent influence of an author that he is identified with a great people, or even with a vast city, or even with a provincial kingdom. Thus. Homer belongs not merely to the World but to Greece —Cervantes not only to Humanity but to Spain—Shakspeare not merely to Human Nature but to England—Dickens not merely to Great Britain but to London—Wordsworth not merely to England but to the Lake country—Burns and Scott not merely to the universal kingdoms of literature and song, but to Scotland ; and so long as Scotland retains one shred of its individuality, its memorj of the past, its generous one-sidedness of attachment to its own history, to its own scenery, to its own sons and daughters, so long shall it cherish their kindred and their glorious names. When a man achieves a worlcl-wide fame, where does the ray shine most brightly and communicate its warmest glow ? It is in the roof-tree of his birth, if that be still standing, and to the heart of his mother, if that mother be still alive. And on this principle, those names of Scotchmen which have become household words in every clime the sun's broad circle warms, while admired with intense enthusiasm in other lands, are in Scotland in their own mother's humble dwelling, cherished with a lore with which no stranger can intermeddle, and which can only upon occasions like the present be fully realised even by Scotchmen themselves, who then feel what a grand and proud thing it is to have such compatriots. And what although Scotland should dwindle in the scale of nations, and be swallowed up in the great centralising gulf-stream which threatens to erase her nationality ? There are " livers out of Britain" ; there are Caledonians "o'er the hill and far awa , "; there are mighty Scotch-sprung races in the American prairies, the Canadian forests, and the golden lands of Australia, in India and New Zealand, who shall continue to remember with pride and joy their connection not only with Scotland's hills and streams, but with Scotland's mountain-like men and riverlike literature—with her Wallace, her Bruce, her Buchanan, her Knox, her Chalmers, her Burns, and her Scott—who shall teach their children after them to reverence their I memories and to read their writings ; and whatever be the fate of Scotland, or of England cither, these magnificent kingdoms beyond the wave, to their increase, their glory, and their prosperity there shall be no end save that of the world itself ? (The rev. gentleman was frequently cheered during the delivery of his address, and concluded amid loud applause.) How the Ministry manage to keep their seats is, says the Post, a puzzle to many people who do not see what goes on behind the scenes. Mr J. C. Brown let a little light in upon the question last night when, during the debate on the railways, he recounted a short conversation which took place not long ago between him and the hon. D. Bell. He had been asking what chance there was of a railway to Tuapeka being constructed, when Mr Bell replied, after the fashion, of the well-known Irish applewoman, by asking another question, namely, "How will you vote during the session'" Mr Brown, in his inuocence, did not exactly see the relevancy of the question, and mildly insinuated as much to Mr Bell, who immediately explained " Oh, if you don't vote for the Government you won'tget your railway." It is only fair to add that Mr Bell repelled the charge with highly-wrought virtuous indignation. With reference to the wheat crops in England the circular of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency says : —The wheat crop of England in 1871, it is no longer doubted, will prove a poor one. The rains of winter injured the young plant and the late summer frosts during the blooming period have rendered it impossible that this year's crop should reach an average. There has been great delay in gathering the cereal crops owing to the scarcity of labor, and this difficulty has been enhanced from the impossibility of using reaping machines, as so much of the crop was laid and the straw twisted that it could only be cut with a sickle. The earlier gathered crop is said to i be in good dry condition, but that which was put into the rick after the rains is naturally somewhat damp. It is fortunate that although there has been so much wet e -ather the wheat has not sprouted i n the ear. An advance in the price °f wheat at a time when there is usually a fall indicates that threshin« has>' so far advanced as to afford data for a fair estimate of the yield. It is estimated that the crop this year will not be more than four-fifths' of an average one. Assuming as is generally held that an average crop produces thirty per acre, the deficiency amounts to bushels per acre, to supply which there tiust be an extra importation of two millions a half quarters. The average importation of wheat is eight millions of quarters so that OP to next harvest there will be required some ten and and a half million quarters of foreign -wheat. Other people beside the English will haveto be provided for. France, owing to the war, is really in a worse condition than we are ; and according to the journals of that country, she must import at least five million quarters. With this competition the corn growers of the world are not likely to sell at low rates. Dear bread we shall have, but how dear it is impossible to predict.