NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6369, 17 February 1886, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Pbb-Skssionai..—Mr W. C. Walker addresaed a meeting of his constituents at the Ashbnrton Town Hall last evening. A report of his epeech will appear tomorrow.

Pbop«btt Tax.—The Town Clerk has received a telegram from Mr Sperrey, the Property Tax Commusioner, to the effect thit objections against the valuations will be received if posted by the 206b. inst.

Educational Instittttb.— The anneal session of the North Canterbury Branch of the Educational Institute will open in the Normal School to-day, at 3.45 p.m. There will also be a meeting in the evening, at which the President, Professor Cook, will deliver an address. The session will continue for three days.

Daepibld.—A thunderstorm of a phenomenal character bunt over Daifield on Monday afternoon. Heavy rain and hail fell for some time, thereby causing a caseation of Harvest work for a while. The storm waa quite local, reaching only a mile or two east and irest. It came from the direction of Oxford. ,

Cabdinal Moban.—Hia Eminence Cardinal Moran, accompanied by several colonial Bishops, will arrive from Timaru this evening by the express train from Dunedin. He will be met on*the platform Dy mc Ktuiyfj tma lnttij, auttnttU Jwrw to; the Church, where addresses will be presented from the clergy, the laity, the HU..C.B.S. and the school children...' Tomorrow afternoon Hia Eminence will lay the foundation of the new Magdalen 1 Asylum on the Lincoln road. , -

Dxath ©p a Stud Hobsb.—A few days ago Mr A. Yates, Ashley, sustained a severe lose in the somewhat sudden death of Campsie lit., imported by Sir J. Cracroft Wilson in 1876 from Scotland. He was a most valuable horse in his day, and has left some very hardy and useful stock. Campeie 111. was for many years one of the draught, horses uhown on our parade, and hie death will be a considerable loss to hie last owner;

Mies Chbistian's Sxcond Concebt.-p With the exception of the Irish ballad "Kathleen Mavourn.eeOj" one of Miss Christian's most admired songs when she was last here, and Sullivan's "The Lost Chord" (which will be repeated in compliance, with a very generally expressed desire), the programme to be given at tonight's concert, in the Oddfellows' Hall, will be entirely new, as will be seen on reference to the advertisement. As on .Monday evening, the conceit will terminate in time for the late train to Lyttelton.

Temphbancb Misaiow.—Great preparations are being made for Mr Matthew Burnett's Temperance Mission in Chriatohurch. The mission will be commenced in Cathedral square at seven o'clock on Thursday evening, when a brief open-air service will be conducted. After the service a large torchlight proceeeion, in which all teetotalers are invited to take part, will march through the principal streets of the city to the Theatre Boyal, where Mr Burnett will deliver one of bis highly interesting and popular lectures.

B.M. Coubt.—At the Besident Magistrate's Court, Bangiora, yesterday, before A. H. Cunningham, H. Blackett, A. Parsons, aal W. Buss, Eaqjr, the folio wiDg civil cases were decided:—C. 'Sv Cocker v Moses Miller, M 18s 7d. Defendant stated he was living separate from his wife, by whom the debt was incurred, and hadjadvertised that he would not be responsible for her debts. Copy of advertisement put in. The Bench pointed out that the advertisement did not appear tall after JB2 Is 8d had been incurred in the present account, and gave judgment for plaintiff for that cum and costs. E. B< Good v P. Fahey, je6 8s 6d j judgment ea parie for plaintiff. N.

<4rijum'UW!oUlltteu(lajti. I. Thb Mabkst Bisxbvb.—The designs] to the City Council for the build-] !,4ngß on the Market Eeeerve were open tol iW» examination of strangers yesterday, Wβ. the rooma on the upper storey of the; wuilding in which the Council is tempo-' [xarily located. A great many citiaena, jmong them being prominent bmildera, paid a visit to the impromptu art gallery, [and close was the criticism bestowed on] tthe pictures, of which there are eleven in? gramber. The Council appears to havej elected the right one, as it received more) ittention and commendation than the otheff' en. Favorable mention may also be ma^ f the plan sent in by Mr Sngland, son ojp Iγ B. W. England, who has just returnee rom Home, where he has been studying architecture for the past four years. Mr England's plan has been placed second, sad shows considerable ability &nd skill in design. - »

TfieTSSiapoi Bifie Club was held at Fraser'e Hotel on Monday evening. There was a good attendance; Mr K. Moore, President, in the chair. It was decided to fire a match, of ten men a-aide, with the Opawa dab, on the Kaispai rang.*, on Saturday, seven shote each, 200, 300, and 600 yards; as well as fibre in the competition, for Mr G. H. Wearing's trophy. Sundry accounts were passed for payment. • J A fixed sum of 6s for half a day", for marking, was agreed upon. The Chairman and Mr Wilson (Vice-President) were re-appointed delegates to represent the club at the Eifle Association's meetings. After passing some routine business the meeting adjourned.

Mandsyilue Licensing Committkb — Nominations of candidates close to-day at noon, at the Mechanics* Institute, Woodend.

Ba»b> CtwcKßT.—The baact'of the KβCorps gaTe a remarkably good conithe lawn of the Working Men's Clubfeet nighty and, attracted by the good music and the beatiful night, a very large company assembled, and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the performance.

St. Leon's Cmcus.—The performance last sight at the Circua attracted a very large audience. The various items on the programme went excellently throughout, and the audience were liberal in their plaudits. To-night there will be a change of programme.

Malvxbh. — Keeping pace with the splendid harvest weather, farmers are rapidly getting their grain into stack, the only drawback being that the north-weat wind is rather strong, and obliges' smaller loads to be carted. If no bad weather occurs, the harvest will be nearly over here by the end of this week.

Dbtjidism.—lntending members of the new Lodge of Druids are particularly requested to roll up this evening, at eight o'cleck sharp, for the opening of the Lodge; and they are also reminded that it is the last night on which they can take advantage of the reduced rates. There is every prospect of a very successful Lodge being started, as about fifty persons have already signified their intention of joining.

I ■ Hhathcotb Valley School Committee. —The usual monthly meeting of this School Committee was held last Saturday evening. Several communications were received from the Education Board office. A requeet from the Secretary of the North Canterbury Educational Institute, re the school staff attending the meetings on the 17th inst. and two following days, was complied with. The Committee decided to vote for Messrs C. C. Bowen, W. H. WynnWilliams, and A. Saunders, to fill the vacancies on the Board of Education.

Miss Bosina Caeandiki—Wβ I are pleased to state that a complimentary concert to Mies Carandini nas been organised by some old Cbristchurch musical triends for Thursday evening, February 25th, in the Oddfellows' Hall. A programme befitting the occasion has been prepared, and will be published in a few days. Miss Carandini's friends will be pleased at having an oppsrtunity of once more hearing her in some of those charming ballads with which a few years ago she was wont to delight her audiences.

I East Malvkbn Band. — On. Saturday evening last the members of this band met in the library to discuss the matter of procuring a master, in the place of Mr Henry Maxwell, who has recently left this district*, and vacated that position. Mr Fred, Buck was elected to the responsible position. Tibe same gentleman has kindly undertaken the tuition of the Annat School band.

Sydenham Txhpsbakcb Pabtt. — A meeting of temperance workers was held last night in the Oddfellows' Hall, Sydenham, to elect representatives for the licensing election. Mr T. Cutler took tbe chair. There was a good attendance. The point on which the meeting differed from the present Committee ( Messrs Forrester, Jones, Langdown, Bankin, and- Sherlock) was the hour for closing, which they want to be ten o'clock. The present Committee is only prepared to fix that hour on the Chribtchurch Committees taking a similar course. The following gentlemen were chosen to contest the election on the line mentioned: — Messrs T. Cutler, W. J. Sudd, J. Eagle, W. W. Spenser, and T. Taylor, jun. Tnu meeting then adjourned.

' SUMMKBHTLI. SCHOOL CoMMITTIK.— At a meeting held on Monday of te ab ye Committee theie were present—Messrs A. J. Beere, Atkinson, Beattie, and Hoaegocd. The following resolution was carried unanimously—" That the members of this Committee still uphold their opinion and adhere to tkeir former decision in refusing t* grant Mr W. H. Beere an exemption certificate for his two children who are being taught by Bey. E. 11. Wyatt, for the following reaaonß—lat, they consider three JMpiMi*-*ultion a-week insufficient to eonv. ply with the wording of tie Act, as nesjg they are to he under efficient and regn ar instruction, and they are to be instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 2nd, Or fo "be examine* by Inspector or Master of any c ptiblic echool who will certify by written statement if such child or children has reached a standard of education prescribed by any regulatiene under this Act. In regard to tbe number of hours they are represented to c taught the Committee has made inquiry from a reliable source, and from what they are told, consider they are on an average taught, only about two hours each week; the .Act specifies also that they are to be taught reading, ;writiug, and arithmetic, and Mr Beere has never yet informed the Committee that they are being taught these rudiments, but merely Eays they are taught by Bey. Mr Wyatt. Mr Beere has yet failed to eatifify the Committee, as specified in the Act, that they are efficiently and regularly taught, and that such teaching consist of reading, writing, and arithmetic.'* ? f'

' Chbistchtjech Bboatta.—Should the weather be as favorable this afternoon aa it has been for some days past, this regatta should be a complete success. There are a fair number of entries, though the Champion Fours Bace has only excited two crawß. All the competitors are in good practice, and there are no certainties about, although of course the knowing ones have strong fancies, especially for the Fours and Pairs. For the first the Union Bowing Club, Keeteven's crew, are the favorites, and with a great show of reason, as they finished two lengths in front of Canterbury, their only opponent, at Kaiapoi. Canterbury has done good work since then, and are now rowing much better, and with immense dash and confidence, bo the public must not be surprised to see the Kaiapoi decision reversed, and the Union men con- ! tenting themselves with second place. In the Fairs. Smith and Boiton meet Fuller and Styche, the latter having the advantage of being fresh', while the former will Have had a fair day's work in the fours, win or lose. If the Canterbury men get a good rest between the races, however, this should be a grand contest, and on present form they should win by a little. In the Ladies' Plate the Union Club should have a fairly easy thing on. The Junior Fours will lie between Lyttelton and Canterbury, the former for choice; whilst the Canterbury Maidens, who are in good practice, should finish firit in their race. In the Senior Double Sculls, the Kaiapoi championa will prove too strong for the Canterbury men, but the Junior event should; ■once-more be taken by Canterbury, whose representatives, Dunnage and Macbeth,; are sculling in good form. The Lyttelton | Juniors will most likely prove victors in |the Pairs, and the Maiden Double Sculls be taken by the Union representatives, who are good heavy weights, and can bnake the stump outriggers travel. Having [thus indicated the probable winners, let us 'repeat our wish for fine weather, smooth water, and fair ladies for spectators, for that is all that is required to make a success of the Christchurch Eegatta for 1886.

Battalion Pabu>b.—A battalion parade of the Volunteers will be held this evening attheDrilUhed.

. Comckst. —The cantata, of " Belahazzar'a gfocßt" will be repeated at tie Baptist Church to-morrow evening by the Blue JBibbon Mission choir and orchestra, under MrCorrick. «A LotbliT CHAtiiBT.—A late fashion

jfeport Biys:— " Nothing can be prettier ■haa a chaplet of hop vines in blossom.** % recent medical review 8*yB:—" Nothing a better renovator of the health : tu3 ATHf»Ti/«"i Hop £ittera. They aid in all the operations of nature; toning up the stomach, assistinf the food to become properly assimilated, and promote healthy action in all the organs. The dictate* of fashion, as well as the laws of health, alike favor a right application of hops." Bead. —[AdvtJ

Mothers Enow.—How many ebildren are punished for being uncouth wilful and indifferent to instructions or reward simply because they are out of health? An intelligent lady said to a child of this kind:—"Mother don't know that ehe ehould give the little one moderate doses of American Co.'s Hop Bitters for two or three weeks, and the child would be all a parent could desire.— FAbtt.

Eri-LB Association.—A meeting of volunteers and those interested in the formation of a Kifle Aesoci&tion for this district, will be held at Warner's Hotel at 2 p m. tcwUy, .for the election of a Provisional Committee and Secretary pro tern

SociETT.—The annual general meeting of tho above will be held at Warner's Commercial Hotel to-mcrrow evening, at eight o'doct, for the reception of the annual report, and election of Council fox the year.

An Ambabsadoe at a Loss.—The curious position of the Burmese Ambassador at Paris ie described by the "Daily Telegraph," 16 observes that he has lost hie status by no fault of his own, and that, besides, he is left without a son in bis pocket because Theebaw haa emigrated from Mandalay to Einipel, in the Madras territory. The "Daily Telegraph.",]proceeds:—" This, we say, ie a most astonishing anomaly in the history of civilisation, and one not devoid of humor, ia which there is often a spice of pain. The worst of it is that Doank Mm cannot tell precisely what he is. Has he cea3ed to be an ambassador P The French Foreign Office has told him that he cannot release himself from his official character; and Lord Lyons is said to have blandly replied to his supplication that, having no official information, he could not take upon himself to say what might be the exact position of the perplexed Envoy, nor tell hie whether he should stay or go."

TtJENiKG thh Gulf Stebam—A scheme for turning, c? rather, deflecting, the Gulf Stream, which for the present, however, is likely to exist on paper only, has been originated by Mr John C. Goodridge, an inventor and engineer well known in New York. It has for its object changing the temperature of the Atlantic States by obtaining more of the benefit of the Gnu Stream. Mr Goodridge assumes .that the reason that those Btates do not get the benefit of it now is that they have between them and it a polar current, coming; down along the coast of Labrador, through the Straits of Belle Isle, and forming the cold western wall of the Golf Stream. The existence of this current is well established, and, in fact, is one of the facts on which the official sailing directions, both in the United States and England are' based. What Mr Goodridge proposes is that it should be stopped in the Straits of Belle Isle by a dam at a point where it is about ten miles wide and 150 ft deep. The dam, he says, could be built with the adjacent rocks, and the cost would not exceed 40,000,000d01e. The effect of this would be, he calculates, to change the temperature of the coast from Cape Hatteras to Newfoundland. Nova Scotia would: have a climate as mild as Cape May, and Block Island and Cape Cod would become winter watering places. Moreover, the St. Lawrence would tezome open to navigation throughout the year. Mr Goodridge aleo thinks, though not with much positmness, that the deflection of the Arctic current might turn the Gulf Stream further southward, and thus cut off enough heat from the British Isles to give them the climate of Labrador; and then, giving the reins to his fancy, he sees the Queen abandoning her icy kingdom, and taking refuga a3 Empress in India.

:Thh Pbkcish Effect of the Extension of thb Fbanchibs.—lt is now (save the "Pali Mall Budget") at length possible to state the precise effect -quantitatively, aa the mathematicians say—of the extension of the franchise. The common idea has been that it would add two millions of new ret ere, but this was mere guess work. The actual numbers are now for the first time tabulated in the " Guide to the New House of Commons," which was issued as a "Pall Mall Gazette" Extra last week, and they show that the current guess was very much below the mark. The number of registered electors in. the United Kingdom was in 1880 3,038,726; it iB now 5,711,920—an increase, it will be seen, much nearer three millions than two. This interesting fact ia another instance of the advantage that it so often is; in politics'that i the thickness of 4ihe other end of a wedge is not always visible at the time. Mr G oschen and others were, tehribly nervous, as it waa, at the prospect of adding tyro million i-new- t& th& rolls; they might ;have caugkt their death liad thej- tl»e number would be three'millions.' Even now, however, aft?r all cur talk of the New Democracy, weare' by no means 'the nioat democratic country' in Europe. The extension of the franchise has .only raised us from the fifth to the fourth. place in this respect. The percentage of electors to, population is in Fiance 26.8/ in Switzerland 22.5, in Germany 20.09, and in England 16.3. We have now beaten Denmark, where-the percentage is 16.46; The-other European countries are nowhere.

Thh Tbsts fob Colob BLnrDHJtsa—lf it be the case/ says a Home, paper, thai; the engine-drivers and signalmen whose color sense is being tested are juked to distinguish by gaslight between the virions nuances of a fancy wool shop, it i< clear that the teeten, however keen may be their sense of color, are deficient in the more important quality ot'common seiue. Bail way servants are fortunately never called upon to distinguish between mauve and magenta, between -olive green and peacock blue. Such tests might be useful 2 applied to would-be art-critics; but there is yet no entrance examination into that enviable guild, for whioh color-blind-ness seems to be rather a qualification than otherwise.' Shocking as it may; be to the testhetie sensibilities of South Kensington, railway servants have, or should have, to deal with a very simple scheme of crude colors—the cruder the tetter. A dark room, asmall gas jet, and some two or three slips «>f colored glass,should be all the paraphernalia required for testing their color sense. So long as they do not fall into the error of the Scotch professor of last century who put on one red stocking and.one blue,-and went on his way never doubling that they were a pair, we need not and ought not to require any more of them. Why should an engine-driver be able to give its exact name to every shade on the palette of Boasetti? - ■■■:.. ~;' './■; :/ / : ■ ;..'..- '. -■■]