TOWN AND COUNTRY NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 967, 15 February 1862, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY NEWS.

We have been desired to remind our renders that Wednesday and .Thursday next arc the days fixed for a Fancy Bazaar at the Town Hall, Lyttclton, for the purpose of paying off the outstanding1 dobt incurred for the building- of the church. The town of Lyttol.tori, though latterly eclipsed by its sister of Christchurch, Ay ill. always excite the interest, and deserve the assistance of the older settlers of the Province, if merely for the sake of old associations. Before Christehurch was thought of, Lytteltori occupipdiho position of the .first"town in the Province. It will be remembered" that the original church" was

intended ultimately for v Cathedral, but turned out a failure, from tlio shrinking of the timber, and had to be pulled .down, being no longer safe. When the ' new structure was commenced, all idea of Lyttclton I being the proper .site for a cathedral church had long been given up, and it was decided to erect a parish church of moderate pretensions. After considerable discussion it was agreed to build one of stone, in the hope that sufficient funds would be forthcoming to meet the neccssai-y outlay. This hope has not been realised, and a debt of some £500 remains to be cleared off. The ladies of Lyttelton and the neighbourhood have undertaken to wipe off this stigma by means of a Bazaar, and it is hoped that the public generally will come forward and liberally assist their generous efforts. For months past, hundreds of nimble fingers have been plying the busy needle in this worthy cause ; and there is little doubt that on Wednesday and Thursday next there will be an ample displaj of articles to suit the various tastes of every class of purchaser. We hear that, in addition to the variety of Icnick-knaeks and ornamental work of every kind usually displayed on these occasions, the stalls will be amply furnished with articles calculated to attract the attention of those who have an old-fashioned matter-of-fact habit of wishing to get value for their money. Articles of clothing suitable for all ages will be very plentiful, got up in firstrate style by the fair fingers of Lyttelton ladies, and will of course be thrown away for an old song, as such things always are at Bazaars. We trust that the fair proprietors will have the pleasure of displaying tlieir goods, and exercising their insinuating arts on numberless purchasers from the Plains. The Bazaar ■will open to the public at 12 o'clock each day, and ample preparations have been made tojsupply refreshments of the usiial kind. The Postmaster at Lyttelton has requested us to call the attention of persons intending to tender for the conveyance of the mail from Kaiapoi -to the llurunui to an alteration in the advertisement, by which it will be seen that persons tendering are requested to state the amount for which they would carry the mail weekly. During the week Christchurch may be said to have held a carnival. On Monday the friends of the Jockey Club dined together in the Town Hall, to the number of nearly 90. J. T. Cookson, Esq., presided. Toasts and songs went merrily round until a late hour. The cuisine had been entrusted to Mr. Birdsey, of the British, "who, considering the short time he had to provide for so large a gathering, succeeded most admirably. On Tuesday night the tradesmen's ball came off at the Market Hall, and Avas a decided success. On. Wednesday and Thursday Mr. and Mrs. B. N. Jones, assisted by several amateurs, performed several farces to overflowing audiences. And as a wind up the Jockey Club gave a ball on Thursday night in the Town Hall, which was honoured by the presence of about 150 ladies and gentlemen, constituting one of the gayest and happiest parties known to our community. The supper, wines, and liquors were spoken of as pcilfection, and added another laurel to the brow of the popular chef Mr. Birdsey. We are sorry to hear that Mr. William Thomson sustained a fracture of the collar-bone from falling out of his carriage on Wednesday evening when returning from the races. From, a somewhat similar accident, on Thursday, a respectable aged female had one of her legs broken. In our report of the Canterbury productions sent home to the International Exhibition, we omitted to say that the exhibitor of the handsome fleece of Merino wool of three years' growth, lately dispatched by the ship Chrysolite, was W. C. Beswick, Esq., of Kaiapoi. " :