NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XX, Issue 2303, 18 December 1872, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

» . ■ The first examination of the Lyttelton Borough Schools will take place on Thursday next, when the chairman of the Board, W < Montgomery, Esq., will distribute the prizes.

The election of a person to serve as Mayor for the Borough of Ljttelton takes place this day at noon at tbe Council Chamber.

In additioh to tbe entries published by us in our issue of yesterday for tbe Leithfield races, we are requested to state that Mr Oram's Bismark is entered for the Seiton stakes. Signatures are being obtained to a petition to be presented to his Excellency the Governor for a commutation of the sentence of ten years passed on the boy Alexander Walter M'Kenzie. A special meeting of the sub-committee of .the Flax Association, to meet Dj.Hector.and consult relative to the proposed exhibition of flax machinery, will be held this afternoon -at-their rooms.

The annual chow of the Ellesmere Farmers' Club takas place to-morrow at Leeston, and from the schedule of- prizes offered, and the known capabilities of the district, there is every probability of a successful show.

It has been decided that the anniversary tea meeting in connection, with the Kaiapoi Wesleyan Chapel shall take place on Thursday, the 2Cth, at which there is expected to be a large gathering of the members of that denomination. In anticipation of the Kaiapoi regatta, we have to call the attention of the Government to the necessity for increased platform accommodation at the Kaiapoi station. The present short platform should be lengthened considerably to obviate the necessity of moving the train when passengers are alighting. To-day the annual meeting of the Kaiapoi Borough Council for the election of Mayor will be held.' If the Council decide to follow the rule they have hitherto adopted in electing the senior Councillor to the office, it will be Councillor Oram's turn for election. We hear that some of the members have requested Mr B. G. Kerr to consent to re-elec-tion, but he has given no decided answer.

A meeting of the Kowai Race Committee was held on Saturday last, the 14th instant, at Redfern's Hotel, Kowai Pass. It was decided that the annual meeting should take place on the 7th of March. We undeistand that in consequence of the liberal support afforded to the committee the added money for the different events will be considerably more than last year.

Mr Charles Clark held a sale of sections in the township of Malvern yesterday at Mr Aikman's salerooms. There was a very good attendance, and the bidding was spirited, a fact which may be ascertained, when we say that upwards of fifty acres, comprising a frontagejof 3080 feet were disposed of at the rate of 2s 5d per foot frontage. The balance of sections now remaining will be shortly put up to auction.

A goodly number of persons visited the exhibition yesterday. At present not all the exhibits are in their places, therefore it is impossible to give any detailed notice. We omitted yesterday in our general summary of the contents to notice a very excellently got up font- of grey, stone from Bir J. C. Wilson's quarry, exhibited by Mr Sherriff, and intended as a present by him to the church of his native village, Hadfield, Glossop, Derbyshire, which is within the see of the Bishop of Lichfield, late Primate of New Zealand. We also omitted to notice a splendid sample of lemons, grown in the open air by Mr A. Ludlam, at the Hutt, Wellington, which from their size and aroma attracted much attention. We may also note that the ornamental wood top to the font exibited by Mr Sheriff was manufactured by Mr Fielder.

There will be a special* meeting of the City Council at noon to-day for the purpose of electing a Mayor for the ensuing year in the room of H. Sawtell, Esq. who retires. Councillor E. B. Bishop is the Mayor elect, and will give an inaugural dinner at the Clarendon hotel this evening at which his Excellency the Governor and his Honor the Superintendent are expected to be present. Apropos of the retirement of Mr Sawtell from the mayoralty, we may mention that it is the intention of the City Council to present him with a token of their esteem and respect for the worthy manner in which he hae discharged the onerous duties devolving upon him in the shape of a handsome epergne which has been furnished by Messrs Coatee and Co. The gift, we may say, is an exceedingly pretty specimen of goldsmith's handicraft. It consists of a fluted column of silver springing fiom a vase composed of three winged horses, the top of the column supporting a glass dish, while from the column in a horizontal direction, spring three branches, the end of which is formed of ram's heads conneoted by chains with each other and supporting two finely engraved glass dishes suitable either for fruit or flowers. The whole gift is in excellent taste, and accompanying it is an illuminated address, prepared by Mr Goodman, whose Ikill in this matter is well known. We feel sure we only echo the sentiments of the citizens as a whole when we say that during his term of office, Mr Sawtell has labored iridefatigably and zealously for the good of the ratepayers, and that he has filled the office alike with honor to himself and credit to the city.

The following sketch of Horace Greeley's career is given in " Men of the Times:"— " Horace Greeley was born at Amherst, New Hampshire, in the United States, Feb. 3rd, 1811. About 1825—his parents having removed to Vermont—Horace, who had always been a lover of books, obtained employment as an apprentice in a printing office, and in August, 1831, ; arrived at New York, where he secured occasional work as a journeyman printer in various offices. In 1834, in partnership with Messrs apd Gibbett, he started the "New Yorker," a weekly literary journal, which, after several years' trial, proving unprofitable, was abandoned, and in 1841 he commenced the-publication of the "New York Tribune," which has been very successful. In 1848, Mr Greeley was chosen to fill a vacancy in the Thirtieth Congress, and served through the short term preceding General Taylor's inauguration. In 1851, he visited Europe, and was chosen chairman of one of the juries of the Great Exhibition, and afterwards published an account of his travels. He is the author of a collection of addresses, essays, &c, published under the title of 'Hints toward Reforms, , and of ' A History of the Struggle for Slavery Extension or Restriction in the United States, from 1786 to 1856'— published in 1556. In 1859 he visited California, by way of Kansas and Utah, and delivered addresses in the principal towns through which he paesed. He advocated the cause of the Union during the Civil War, and wrote 'The American Conflict, , published in 1864 and 1867."

A dramatic and musied entertainment took place last Monday eveiing in St. Patrick's hall, Barbadoes street smth. r There was an excellent attendance — between, seven and eight hundred persons being present. Mr Barrett's dramatic adaptation of Sir Walter PcottVlvanhoe" was repeated, and performed with greater success than on the previous occasion. A miscellaaeous concert opeued the performance, as falows ; —Duet (piano), the Misses Donnelly ; song, •' Never lose a friend," Mr W. Anthony (encored) ; ballad, " Nightingale's trill " (encored), Mrs Barry ; song, "' Bonnie hills o: Scotland." Miss Donnelly ; comio sonjr. Mr Paget : pianoforte solo, " Tancredi.' , Miss Katty Donnelly ; song, '\irish emigrant," Miss Donnelly. The..pianoforte was presided over by. Miss Donnelly. The whole of the iteni3 on the programme were exceedingly well rendered, and deservedly earned the plaudits of Hie large and appreciative audience.