NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 33, 8 July 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lecture on Fiji. The Rev J. Waterhouse will deliver a lecture this evening at the Durham street Church on Fiji. Revising Commissioner. —Mr E. J, Lee is gazetted revising commissioner under the Canterbury Ratepayers’ Roll Revision Act. 1872. College Literary Evenings. The monthly meeting in connection with the above will be held to-morrow evening in the college library, at 8 p.m. Chamber of Commerce. — The monthly general meeting of members will be held to-morrow at 3 p.m. The committee will meet at 2.30 p.m. Avonside Entertainment. The fourth entertainment of the series will be held in the school-room, Avonside, on Friday evening next. The programme will be specially attractive, and comprise magic, music, and drama. By-laws. —ln the City Council, last Monday, Cr Lane’s motion that Dr Foster and the Provincial Solicitor, be requested to examine the bye-laws of the Council, with a view to their validity, was agreed to, Cr Jones alone dissenting. Concert at St. Patrick’s Hall.— The first of a series of monthly concerts in aid of the Catholic schools was given last evening at St. Patrick’s hall. Mr I. B. Sheath occupied the chair. The hall was densely crowded, and an excellent programme was got through in a very creditable manner.

Hope of Christchurch Lodge, 1.0.G.T. —The usual weekly session was held last evening, at Gee’s schoolroom. Four new members were initiated, and eight others proposed. The ollicers of the lodge were requested to represent the lodge at the opening of the Woolstou Hall on Thursday next. Defaulting Witnesses. Yesterday morning the sittings of the Supreme Court was delayed for at least a quarter of an hour owing to the non-appearance of the witnesses in the various cases. Every publicity was given to the fact that the Court re-assembled at ten o’clock, and witnesses would do well to remember that it is in the power of the Judge to estreat their recognizances and put them to a considerable expense. Fire. —Several cottages belonging to Mr Whitelaw narrowly escaped being burned down last evening. The fire originated in a gorse fence, on the west side of the cottages, but as the time was in the early part of the evening, thirty or forty people were soon on the spot, and they succeeded in putting out the tire, not however before some out-houses and the sub-fences w T ere destroyed. The cottages escaped with the charring of the paint. Supreme Court. —ln the Supreme Court yesterday, six cases were disposed of, three of them being the same prisoner. In the case of llcgina v Charles Ilotham Broughton (three charges), the prisoner was sentenced to three years’ penal servitude on each case, the sentences to run concurrently ; Regina v William Edward Collins Tenby, twelve months’ imprisonment; Regina v William Thompson, two years’ imprisonment. In the case of Herbert Meyer the jury returned a verdict of “ Not guilty.” The Colonial Bank, —The managing committee, who arc now actively canvassing the country districts, held a public meeting on Monday last, at the Somerset Hotel, Ashburton, when a large number of shares were subscribed for. The secretary stated, in the course of his address to the meeting, that the board of provisional directors had been strengthened by the addition of the name of Mr Joseph Clarke, son of the late Hou J. T, Clarke, of Moa Flat.

Theatre Royal. —'* Grif” attracted a good house last evening. On Thursday Miss Rosa Towers takes her benefit, when we hope to see her undoubted talent recognised by a full house.

Christchurch Artillery Volunteers. —The half yearly meeting of the battery was held last evening, in the orderlyroom, Lieut Stansell in the chair, when the election of non-commissioned officers took place, Gunners Raven and Piper being elected sergeants, and Gunners Treleaven and Winney corporals. Gunners Gapes and Burnet were elected bombardiers. The balance-sheet for last year having been duly audited, was read and received. The firing committee was re-elected for the ensuing year, with the additions of Gunners Strange and Gray. A vote of thanks was given to the secretary of the. firing committee for his services, and the meeting then separated.

The Waimakariri. —The alarm in reference to the expected flood in this river on Tuesday, caused partly by the public telegrams sent to Kaiapoi Du Monday, turned out, fortunately, to be to a great extent groundless. A telegram on Tuesday morning from the Bealey, at 9.30, posted outside the Telegraph office, stated, “ the wind was N.W., weather stormy, cloudy and showery, rivers high, but falling fast.” From Bto 10 a.m. the river, which was much discolored, rose quickly, but at II o’clock, the time of high tide, it only reached the level of a full spring tide.

Sons of Temperance.— The installation of the officers of the Perseverance Division No 4, Sons of Temperance, for the ensuing term was performed last evening, in the Temperance Hall, by the Deputy Grand Worthy Patriarch for New Zealand, Mr Exall. The following is a list of the officers installed W.P., J, Mills ; AV.A., R. Butterfield ; R.S., C. Goodsall; A.R.S., C. Bush ; E.S., I. Brent; Treasurer, R. Galloway ; 1.5., W, Williams; 0.5., J. Hcarne. The present number of members is 104. The receipts during the past quarter have been £49 5s 8d ; expenses, exclusive of benefits, £29 15s 4d ; sick benefits, £l9 ; death, £lO ; cash in hand, £l7l 11s.

Sefton Ploughing Match. —This match it has been decided shall be held on Tuesday, the 21st inst. A meeting of the committee was held at Baldwin’s Royal Hotel, Leithticld, on Saturday evening, at which it was resolved that the match be held in Mr James Ashworth’s paddock, on the terrace road, between Saltwater Creek and Leithficld. The rules of last year were adopted; The classes will be open to all comers except to men who have won a first prize at Christchurch champion matches. The hon secretary was instructed to dispose of the right of selling refreshments on the ground, by auction at Leithfield on Monday next, and to invite tenders for the annual dinner, to be held at Leithfield immediately after the match. The next meeting was fixed to be held at Collier’s City Hotel, on Wednesday, 15 th.

Immigration. The “ New Zealand Times” says : —From a return now before us we see that in the quarter ending 31st March last, twenty-five vessels were despatched from England by the Agent-General for New Zealand. These ships had on board passengers numbering 9298. Of these 7367 J were Biitish, and 191 i foreigners. There were 2101 single men, 971 single females, and 3265 adults named in the colony. Of the 9298, the largest share was for Canterbury, the contingent for that province numbering 3288. Otago followed with 2738 : Wellington next, with 1469 ; then Auckland, with 1301 ; and last, Hawke’s Bay, with 602. A companion return shows that from the 30th of August of last year, to the 31st of March last past, the emigrants comprised 9313 persons of English birth, 1783 Scottish, 2567 Irish, 66 Welsh, 269 Germans, 137 Danes, 3 Swedes, 18 Norwegians, and 502 natives of other countries.

Good Templars. —The weekly session of the Excelsior Lodge, 1.0.G.T., was held at Woolston on Monday evening. The General Deputy Grand Worthy Chief Templar, Mr Exall, was present and congratulated the Lodge upon its progress. At the conclusion of the sitting of the subordinate Lodge, a degree session was held, at which, at the request of the Lodge Deputy, the General Deputy presided and conferred the degree of “ Charity ” upon five members. On Thursday (to-morrow) evening it is intended to celebrate the opening of the Temperance Hall, lately erected at Woolston, by a soiree and public meeting, at which addresses will be delivered by several well-known friends of the temperance cause. The addresses will be interspersed with selections of vocal and instrumental music. Coaches will run to and from the city for the conveyance of visitors. On Monday evening next the hall will be dedicated to the purposes of Good Templarism by Mr Plxall, as representative in Canterbury of the Provisional Grand Worthy Chief Templar.

St John’s Entertainment. —The entertainment at St John’s schoolroom last evening was a success in every sense, the reduced price of admission resulting in a crowded room, and an increased heartiness in the rendering of the programme. Mr F. H. Wilson occupied the chair. The following programme was disposed of : —Pianoforte duet, fantasia, “ Norma” (S. Smith), Mrs Gridley and Mr Searell; song, “Softly ye night winds,” Miss Maggie Wright; duet, Hearts and homes,” Mrs Watson and Mr Stephens ; song, “ Charge of the Light Brigade,” Mr J. Anthony ; reading, “How our Vicar Won the Vicarage,” Mr Inglis : song, “ The music of her voice,” Miss Stringer; glee, “ When the day is o’er,” Mrs Denham, and Messrs Walcot, Stephens and Feld wick ; song, “The old, old songs,” Mr Feldwick ; song, “Never more,” Mrs Gridley; duet, “A word at parting,” Mrs Denham and Mr Walcot (encored) ; song, “ When I beheld the anchor weighed,” Mr Stephens ; reading, “ Willie’s grave,” Mr E. M. Johnson ; song, “ Thro’ the wood,” Mrs Denham ; song, “ Bessie,” Mr AValcot. The Rev Mr Watson, in proposing a vote of thanks to those ladies and gentlemen who had contributed to the evening’s pleasure, referred to the success, in the increased attendance that evening, which had al tended the action of the committee in reducing the price of admission. It was the desire of those gentlemen rather to afford enjoyment to a large number of persons than to make money, though it would not displease them if a margin resulted, to be devoted to parochial purposes. The entertainments would commence each evening at half-past seven, so that they might be terminated at an early hour. The “National Anthem” was then sung, all j resent joining in.

The meanest man on record is a Vermonter who refuses to pay his first wife the money which he borrowed from from her to buy an Indiana divorce and cover the expense of the wedding tour with another lady.

The Government of the United States is having prepared at the Philadelphia Mint to be added to the list of public medals, a medal commemorative of the late Professor Agassiz, and his devotion to and achievements in science.

“ It is a waste of valor for us to do battle,” said a lame ostrich to a negro who had suddenly come upon her in the desert ; " let us cast lots to see who shall be considered the visitor, and then go about our business.” To this proposition the negro readily assented. They cast lot; the negro cast lots of stones, and the ostrich cast lot of feathers. Then the former went about his business, which consisted in skinning the bird. A formidable rival to cremation has appeared in the form of a project for petrifaction, suggested by an eminent Italian medico. By this means, instead of ornamenting |our chimney-pieces with the urns containing the ashes of our forefathers, we are to embellish our staircases, conservatories, and gardens with our dearest friends, turned to stone in the attitude we liked them best in life, Apropos of cremation, the Cambridge University Union has adopted a motion in its favor by 101 to 42 votes, while in the United States a case of cremation has actually occurred. The “ crematee ” was George Opdyke, son of Dr Francis Opdyke, a native of Heidelberg. The body, which produced “a quart of whitish grey ashes,” was burnt in a chimney of “ peculiar construction,” which had been constructed in pere Opdyke’s house, and the ashes, placed in an urn, now ornament his study mantelpiece. There is one other little fact, however, the experiment cost £2,000.