TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1225, 21 April 1864, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Tuesday night, at the Council, was one of the "nights of old," when the discussions in that august body really warmed up the members, interested the public jammed in the gallery, and amused the outside many-headed mob. We had almost given up connecting the ;ideas of the Legislature and animation. Members are now earnest but dignified 5 the outsiders look for amusement to the Theatre or the Supreme Court; and as for the poor patient public, pilloried in the pestiferous purgatory aloft, as numerous as the "crowd of citizens" in a provincial tragedy, and tailing off in aerial perspective till darkness and Mr. Mountfort?s mouldings hide them from sight, their presence is but from the force of ten years' habit, and their tameness is shocking to see. Does the " secret service money" provide a shilling a night to a privileged dozen who become auditors (not your deputies, Mr. Thomson) for an alms, and yield themselves a prey to melancholy malaria and Mr. Mountfort, every night of session? Whatever it may have been possible to imagine till Tuesday, it is now certain that the supposition of bribery is false. More than a dozen squeezed themselves into the pigeon loft; also there were spectators behind (not to say beside and in front of) the Speaker's cliair; besides, quite two-thirds of the members were present; moreover, there was a genial glow over everything from John Ollivier down to John Hall, and from the sergeaut-at-arms up to our own reporter. The roof itself might have glowed back again to the cushions below, had it not been vowed to perpetual gloom; and even the face or the topmost being in the gallery might have been seen to shine somewhat, had the rafters been transparent. But in all earthly happiness there is a dark spot somewhere, and beams neither of sun nor fire can penetrate those of weather-board Gothic architecture. . . ~ Possibly most of the attraction arose irom ftir. Ollivier's notice on the paper to consider " a letter addressed to him as member of the Council, signed Samuel Bealey." Mr. Ollivier, though great at political conjunctions, seems slow to recognise the value of those of grammar. " A member of the Council, signed Samuel Bealey," is, we presume, a registered follower of his Honor, having the mark 0 f th e .— well, Superintendent—on lus forehead. Nothing inside or outside of our Mayor indicates this devoted adherence; and we venture to suggest reading " a letter addressed &c., &c. f and signed. As to the public, if they came for pudding, they got strong meat first, and probably liked it aftei the first taste. Mr. John Hall—the name is nothing if the Mister be omitted; and if he gets much wiser we shall have to say " The Honorable Mister John Hull" onlv that will he like dragging an empty truck by two locomotives—Mr. John Hall never spoke better or to better purpose; and the result was both intelligible and logical. Jerky of course it >yas in style, and not without a didactic flavour. ButryitW and rhetoric are wasted on figures; and it is impossible for tpost men to tell others how many beans make Ave without putting on something of a superior scltpolmastery manner. Mr John Hall must be confessed r by his colleagues to be by a long way their forcnipftmafi. He is in fact a very strong "Minister: that is, Ike is a capital executive officer, and a keen debater too. He is a great strength to the Canterbury Government, and his colleagues may acknowledge this without envy. The experience of ten or eleven years of legislative work in the colony, improving his natural powers, gives him a strength which the

Provincial Secretary may confess without shame or jealousy. There is about him a suspicion of machinery; you want work done, and it is done; you have energy in small compass, a fitness of parts, and an exactness of operation which you admire. What you want with the engine is to work and not to play with it; and only those who are continually at work with it come to feel for it any personal regard. But in the eleven years of Mr. Hall's experience he has dropped some of his asperities. On Tuesday night there was a genial light in his eye, and a repose in his attitude when off duty, which was once not to be seen. On his legs he is the old John Hall, dear to memory, rising with a perky action on his toe-tips, and sucking in inspiration for each sentence with a noisy relish, as another man would suck in an oyster. Mr. Moorhouse was equal to his best time in the speech which followed. This is a bitter session to him, and Tuesday night must have been, before it ended, one of its bitterest periods. We have no heart to enter upon that subject. Acclimatization. —We wish to draw the attention of our readers to the report of the meeting held on Tuesday last on this important subject. It will be seen that another meeting will be held on Monday evening next for the pur[)ose of inaugurating a really practical working association. Amateur Concert.—On Monday evening a concert took place at the Town Ilall, Lyttelton, for the benefit of a widow and her fatherless children, under the management of Messrs. Harry and John Merson. We are glad to say a liberal response was given to the laudable appeal made on behalf oi the widow. The hall was comfortably filled, and the entertainment was fully appreciated judging from the applause awarded to the vocalists. Mr. Hodge assisted at the pianoforte, and Mr. Carder discharged the duties of conductor.

Presbyterian Church.—A meeting of the promoters of the establishment of a second Presbyterian church in this city, was held in the Town Hall yesterday, for the purpose of inducting the Rev. George Grant to the Pastorate. Divine Service was solemnized by the Rev. William Hogg, who delivered a discourse, giving an exposition of the Presbyterian doctrine and system of ecclesiastical organization. The usual questions having been addressed to the new Minister by the Rev. Charles Frazer, he was declared formally inducted to his charge. After a short address by the Rev. William Kirton to Mr. Grant and his congregation on their respective duties to one another, the Benediction was pronounced, and the congregation separated. It was intimated at the meeting that the Rev. Charles Frazer would preach at the Town Hall on Sunday next, and that the Rev. George Grant would preach in the evening. Large Apple.—Every reader of the journals at home is familiar with the "monster gooseberry" which is such a never-failing resource for newspaper paragraphs. We have now to chronicle a monster apple which has just been left at our office. It weighs lilbs, being 14f inches in circumference. The apple, which is the product of a tree growing at Rangiora, is a variety of codling, but the fruit differs from that of the French codling, inasmuch as it comes to maturity late in the season. Princess's Theatre.—Yesterday the drama of Our Village, and the popular afterpiece of the Widow's Victim, were repeated. To-morrow is fixed for the benefit of Mr. Shiels, when Shakespeare's play of King Henry IV (first part), will be represented, Mr. Shiels taking the part of Falstaff.

The "Evening Post."—We have forgotten to notice the revival of our contemporary, which disappeared for a short period from the walks of evening journalism. The brief rest seems to have agreed with our contemporary's constitution, as it appears not only in a renovated and decidedly improved outward dress, but shows marked signs of increased vigour and strength. Previous to the period above mentioned the Evening Post confined its writing principally to theatrical notices, now it steps boldly out upon the arena of politics and sometimes lays about it in a remarkably trenchant style for so small a combatant. Port Victoria.—At a meeting of the Road Board for this district on the 18th instant, Mr. Dennis presented the ratepayers' roll for the district, which was approved by the board. From the roll it appears there are 43 ratepayers, 1091 acres of improved land 6220 acres of unimproved land, assessed at the annual value of £4208 10s; thus a rate of Is in the pound would produce a sum of £210 to be applied to the improvement and keeping the roads in repair in this district.

A Weekly Paper for Timaru.—A prospectus, published in our advertising columns, announces the intention of commencing a'l imaru newspaper. The views embodied in the prospectus are broad, not to say ambitious; but we have no doubt that in a place growing daily into importance, like Timaru, sufficient support will speedily be found to justify the proprietors in the step they are about to take. Burnham Church, River Selwyn.—On Sunday last this church, which is situate about twenty miles from Christchurch, near the Selwyn, was opened for divine service, a large congregation from that neighborhood attending. Tiie Key. H. W. Harper, curate of the district, officiated. The church contains about ninety sittings; it has little or no ornament, but is really well proportioned, and ot massive construction. The chancel is formed by an apsidal termination of the roof at the east end in five angles It is especially worthy of notice as being the first church built in the parochial district of Y\ aimakarm, which as been until the last year or so a mere pastoral wilderness; but it is now being rapidly occupied by freehold farms. Messrs. Rastnck and Sons are the builders, from designs furnished by Mr Harper, under Mr. Marley's superintendence. A great debt of gratitude is owing from the neighborhood to Richard Bethell, Esq., who not only gave the section on which the church stands, but contributed largely to the fund, and has taken on himself nearly all the trouble connected with the buildings. , Obstructing the Railway.—lt will be seen xrom our police report that two lads have been chaiged with the above offence, and a mitigated fine imposed upon one of them. There is no doubt that had not the driver of the engine observed the danger a serious accident must have occurred. It is fortunate that the magistrates have the power of dealing with these cases under the Highway Act, as it is believed that no action could have beeij taken under the by-laws of the railway. As the Bench intimated their miention of visiting any future offender with the severest punishment in their power, it is to be hoped this determination Will act as a salutary warning, and prevent the repetition of an offence so detrimental to the safety of the public. 1 Pig Hunting at Akaroa. —A correspondent sends us the following description of a boar hunt at Akaroa An old boar having been banished from his own society in early life from a propensity to interfere with the rights of his elders, had taken up his anchorite residence in as wild and rugged a guily as can well be conceived, his whereabouts could not be discovered, but he was too often found poaching on moon-light nights on the preserves of his neighbors, when the furiou9 battles between him and the sultan of the seraglio in the neighbourhood, disturbed the slumbers of the inhabitants of the station ; on tiie day on which this hunt occurred, the owner of the place and one of his men were engaged on a distant part of the run, having but a single dog with them, which tracked the boar to his haunt, and two or three powerful dogs were then fetched from the house, but as the retreat was strongly fortified by nature by masses of rock well interlaced with supplejack, it was impossible to approach him with any hope of catching him by the rear. He knew the value of his position and held it bravely, throwing the dogs one after another into the high bushes around luii), occasionally making a rush at the hunters, who were compelled to take to the trees. On one occasion the boar attempted to leap upon one as he was ascending the tree. In the early part of the fight one of the hunters succeeded in plunging his hunting knife deeply into the side of the infuriated animal, which compelled him to retreat; in doing so the handle of the knife was separated by coming in contact with a tree. He now began to entertain a doubt as to the security o£ his fortification, and attempted to ge away by running up a very steep hill, but finding his enemies still inconvenient he again descended and took up a position on the edge of a precipice, where the fight was renewed; on Ins attempt to throw off one of the dogs he either missed his footing, or Heenan like, thought to crush his foe by throwing his enormous carcass upon him; if the latter had been his intention, it was nearly crowned with success, as they both fell heavily to the bottom, his adversary underneath; he made it final retreat to the rocks and bushes, but his enemies now finding their powers diminish—one of the dogs having to all appearance received his death-wound—sent to an adjoining station for the loan of a gun, or some other weapon to briag the matter to a conclusion. A harpoon only could be got, but so thick was his hide that even with a; powerful arm no vital part could be reached. The fight had now been carried on without interruption for nearly eight hours All this whits 3 lie jiad been losing blood, yet he seemed far from being subdqed. The two hunters, who had been perched on trees, dropped to the ground at a given sjgnal, seized the legs of lie animal, and succeeded in dispatching him,