TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3567, 24 June 1872, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

'M. Flbuhy’s Concbrm.—The first of M. Plsury’s series of concerts will bo given in the Oddfellows’ Hall this evening. firANui Ploughing Match.—Attention (iwtcd to the advertisement of the proM|innie of this match, several additional prizes having been offered. Special Train,—A special train will l«|?e Christchurch for Kniapoion Tuesday afternoon at 4.20, for the accommodation of visitors to the Wesleyan tea mooting, returning at 10.30 p.m. The Government Scholarships.—By a typographical error in Saturday’s issue, the winner of tho first sohblorship in Class 0., under 15 years of age, was mode to appear W. V. Miller instead of W. Y. Milton. Volunteer Inspection.—The monthly inspection of No. 5 Company took place on Friday evening lost. Sergeant-Major Morgan was tho inspecting officer present, in the place of Colonel Paoke, and tho inspection passed off satisfactorily. L0.0.F..M.U., Loyal City op Norwich Lodge.—The anniversary hail, which, took place in the,Colonists' Hall on Friday evening, was a complete success, about 90 persons being present. The huge hall was gaily decorated with flags and evergreens. An. excellent refreshment table was provided by Mr W. Kiddey, and dancing ywa kept up until near morning. The Northern Wesleyan Circuit.— The quarterly circuit meeting for the northern portion of theprovinco will be held at Kaiapoi to-morrow. The local preachers will assemble in the church at 10.30 a.m., and the lay members at 2.30 p.m., when the stewards will present a comprehensive review of the quarter. The usual tea and public meeting will be held in the evening, and arrangements have been made for a lata train to Christchurch. Magisterial.—At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch, ou Saturday, before 0. C. Bowen, Esq., R.M., John Fraser was charged with being illegally, on the premises of Mr Helmore, Feudal Town road, and destroying property. It appeared that defendant, who was out wild-duck shooting, went on to Mr Helmore’s lawn, and shot some geese which were lying on the bank of the river. He was fined £5, and ordered to pay 10s, the value of the geese. Serious Accident.—A few days ago Messrs Marcroffc and Ayers met with a serious accident on the Lincoln road. They were driving after dark to their farm, when three men, more or less under the influence of liquor, rode into them, upset their trap,, and threw them both violently into the road. One shaft of the vehicle was broken, but happily neither Mr Marcroft nor Mr Ayers, suffered more than a severe shaking. The latter was, however, of a severe character, and Mr Marcroft is still suffering from its effects.

Kaiapoi Mutual Improvement Association. —The usual weekly meeting of this; association took place on Friday evening last. Mr Ellis took the chair, and there werd a good; many members present. The subject under; discussion was the new Education Ordinance,! and its adaptability to the Borough of Kaiapoi. Mr E. Lock opened the debate in the affirma--tivo, and, after considerable discussion, it was: unanimously decided that it was altogether; suited to the town. One new member was! elected, and the meeting adjourned, aftertran-; sacting other formal business. | Accident.—An accident, which by the! greatest good fortune was not attended with! fatal results, occurred to Mr Charles Fairweather, at Kaiapoi, on Saturday last. He; was engaged in cutting chaff with the horse; power machine in Messrs Hutchinson & Co.’s' yard, and on going up rather quickly to one; of the horses while at work it kicked out at him and caught him on the forehead near the, left temple, but the blow glanced off and only! inflicted a flesh wound which bled pretty! freely for some time. Mr Fairweather had! the wound bandaged up, and shortly after-) wards proceeded with his work.

Heathcote Winter Entertainments.— ; The next entertainment of the series is ap-; pointed to take place on Friday week, when! the programme will be solely made up withi feats of .legerdemain by a very expert; amateur professor of the art. During the evening, the eups won by the boys’ crew of; the Heathcote Rowing club—the crew which' carried all the first prizes during the past; season—mil be presented. The entertain-; ment to follow the one on Friday week will! comprise the excellent farce, “ Domestic! Quarrels ” and some miscellaneous items, in; which Mr Spensley’s band will take part. . Boys School Rangioba.—On Thursday' last, June 20, the Rev Canon Dudley held his annual examination in scriptural history, catechism, &c., for the boys attending this! school. After the examination, the Rev In-: oumbent expressed his satisfaction with the; progress and general intelligence evinced by; the pupils, and as an encouragement towards: further exertions awarded the prizes as follows : —First class: Ist prize, Fred W. Bean; 2nd, John Cromie ; commended, James Rule.' Second class ; Ist prize, Morris Cohen ; 2nd, John Cromie; commended, John Wilson.: Third class : Ist prize, Henry J. MTntosh ; 2nd, Alexander Cromie ; commended, Fredk.’ . Hunnibell. Fourth class : Ist prize, Walter Biel; 2nd, John Dalziel. Maiden City Loyal Change Lodge.—! The above lodge held their monthly meeting: on Thursday evening, the 20th instant, in. their lodge-room, Sumner road, Lyttelton.The worshipful master opened the lodge in due form with prayer, and the reading of the 55th Psalm. The business of the evening was then proceeded with, when two candidates were duly initiated. The lodge was closed in peace and harmony, and the brethren sat down to 'refreshments, when the following loyal toasts were given and res-' ponded to by the brethren: —The charter! toast, the glorious memory of King William' III.; the Queen and all the members of the Royal family; the Earl of Enniskillen, grand master of Great Britain and Ireland; William Johnston, Esq., M.P., of Ballykilbeg ; their newly initiated brethren ; their sister lodges, &c. The meeting terminated with singing a: a few loyal and patriotic songs, and after spending a pleasant evening the brethren' Separated. Coen and Mercantile Exchange.—A meeting of the Working Committee was held at Mr Walton’s offices, at 11 a.m., on Satur-' day. Present—The Hon. Colonel Brett (in the chair), and Messrs Bluett, Gould, Lane, Hart, Peacock, Coates, O’Callaghan, Wilson, Saunders, and Smith. The chairman explained that the Provincial .Council had passed a resolution with regard to the £SOO, and the object of the present meeting was to form a joint stock company. Mr Walton (hon. see.) read the prospectus. Mr Hart moved that the capital of the company be £IO,OOO. In reply to a question, Mr mlaon said the directors of the Town Hall valued the old and new Town Hall and freehold sites at £SOOO. Mr Bluett seconded the motion pro forma. Mr O’Callaghan moved, as an amendment, that the capital be £4OOO. Mr Lane seconded the amendment, which was carried. Mr Lane moved that the number of shares should be 2000, of £2 each. Mr Smith seconded the motion pro forma. Mr Bluett moved, as an amendment, that there should be 4000 shares of £1 each. Mr Wilson seconded the amendment, which was agreed to. The Bank of New Zealand was appointed as bankers to the company. Mr Lane moved that Messrs Garrick and Cowlishaw be appointed 'solicitors. Mr Hart moved, as an amendment, that Messrs Duncan and Jameson be appointed solicitors to the company. Mr Wilson seconded the amendment. The amendment was negatived by 6to 4. It was resolved that the association should be called “ The Corn and Mercantile Exchange Association.” The prospectus was then considered and approved. On the motion of Mr Lane, seconded by Mr Bluett, it was resolved to accept Mr Peacock’s site at the comer of Lichfield and Manchester streets. It was explained that the ground rent of this site would be about £l6O a-ycar; that 94 yours of the lease are yet to run; that the site includes the store occupied by Messrs P. Cunningham and Op., which is let for £2OO a-year; that taking this sum into consideration and allowing for Interest on the capital expended at the rote of 8 per cent, per annum, the amount which the association would have to pay annually would be about £4O. Nearly 800 shares were taken up on the spot.

Lyttelton Cemetery.—The Lord Bishop of Christchurch will cqpsscrato tho cemetery this afternoon at w . Mitch Banks |md Mak ohonts v. Cluijrwas played on Cranu||f ‘ squirt or Paturday last. 1 J«wquftrrio captajffl of the former and Main wailpg iiptiflij of |m latter bsjsod fbr choifld of |p[ i thc lattcrwon, qnd qhoso the soutti goal! G. Mqthias Kicked |he only goal, amt that was for the hibks; aid morehanta’ sidi.' Owing to icy faw on the grqflna, the collegians were picked’ln on both aides.

Sudden Death.—Another strikinginstonco of the uncertainty of human life occurred at Woodend on named George ■ Holtby, an old resident in the Northern district,! was sitting in the taprbdm ,qf .the.. White. Owie, Hotel, in .company..with, two or throe others, when he was observed to cease taking part in tho conversation then going on, ana lay his head down upon tho table. Those thought he had, g°Pe f°. sleep, and they shook him in a few miflutea, afterwards, arid told him to go to bed.. As ho did not answer tho call, one of them, a than, named Bailoy, round tho table to assist hiifc to hod, buh when ho laid hold of -hub h* : was perfectly horror-stricken to, observe that the man Was dedd. The landlord, Mr Ball, was immediately.called into the room, and after looking upon the sad spoctable prcscnted to him in the person of the deceased, whd, a few minutes before, appeared in good health, he requested Mr J, F. Netftlcton, who hod called in a few minutes before, on his way down from the Waikato Steam wool Works, to proceed to Kaiapoi with oil possible speed and report the matter to tho jpblice and Dr Trevor. The request'was complied with, and Sergeant Pratt instantly proceeded to Woodend, and took charge of the body. The deceased was an elderly man, about 65 years of age, and has for some time past been in the employment of Mr Palmer, former, Woodend. Tho cause of death is not at present known, but the deceased had been drinking rather freely during the day before his death, and possibly that may have had something to do with his sudden demise. An inquest will be held on the body at the White Crane Hotel, Woodend, to-morrow, at 11 a.m., before Dr Dudley, Coroner, and a jury.

Meat-pbbseeting. —A hint to meat-pre-servers is contained in the following letter from the Rev. H. Collis, of Maidstone, which appeared in tine Times of April 13 : —“Asa! clergyman with a parish Chiefly inhabited by; working people, will you allow me to say that, the chief objection to the preserved meat from! Australia is, it is overcooked! If any method! could be devised of bringing the meat over to this country underdone, it would soon become! with all classes acceptable." Gum Leaves.—The introduction of the Eucalyptus globulus into France and Algeria where it thrives as freely as it does m Australia, has led the French chemists to experimentalise upon its leaves, from which they have obtained an essential oil, yielding on distillation an extremely fluid and almost, colourless liquid, possessing an odour closely resembling that of camphor. This, when dis-; tilled at a heat of between 170 deg. and 178 deg,, is found, to be an immediate pure principle, distinct by its properties and by its composition from any known chemical species. M. Cloez, by whom these experiments have been conducted, has bestowed upon the liquid the name of £ucalyptol,-and it is represented by the formula C 24, H 20,02. Chemically, it is the homologue of camphor. Therapeutically, it is said to possess considerable value. It is but little soluble in water, but is completely dissolved by alcohol; and this solution, much diluted, is found to possess the odour of the rose. Evidently, the foliage of our despised gum trees possesses virtues of which most people have never suspected the existence. Interesting.—An interesting acheeplogical discovery is reported in a recent number of the San Franciscoßulletin:—“ Various stone implements, evidently of human manufacture, have recently been found in San Mateo county imbedded in rock of a formation far anterior to the period usually assigned as the time of the origin of man. These relics of a former age are strongly confirmatory of the theory of some modern scientists, that the human! race existed pn earth many thousands of years prior to the period indicated in the; Mosaic account of the creation. Several of these interesting specimens of man’s early handiwork have been brought to the city,! and on close examination they prove beyond a doubt to be artificial, beating still the: marks of the tools used in their construction though the use which they were intended to subserve is not so clear. Some of them look like sinkers for fish lines, some like arrow: heads, and some resemble instruments] for cutting purposes. To prevent the destruction that would attend the operations of mere curiosity hunters it is deemed best not to indicate the exact locality until men of sceintific attainments have had an opportunity to examine the rock in which the remains are imbedded. It is'also affirmed that the implements are found in proximity to the remains of animals of extinct species.” The Late Bishop Patteson.—As a proof of the world-widc.feeling of sympathy held with respect to the fate of the late Bishop: Patteson, it may be stated that a portrait of that gentleman, with memoir, appears in the JXlustreret Tidende, (the Illustrated News of Copenhagen.) The portrait is considered by those who knew the late bishop to be by far! the best that has yet appeared. Professor Max Midler has addressed a long letter to the. Times on the subject of the proposed memo-! rial to Bishop Patteson. In the course of the' letter he says : —“ As we look back into the distant, past, when there was as yet no Rome, no Athens, when Germany had not yet been discovered, when Britain was but a fabulous island, nay, when the soil of Europe had not yet been trodden by the harbingers of the Aiyan race, may we not look forward, too, into the distant future, when those Black Islands of the Pacific shall have been changed into bright and happy isles, with busy harbours, villages, and. towns ? In that distant future, depend upon it, the name' of Patteson will live in every cottage, in every school and church at Melanesia, not as the name of a fabulous saint or martyr, but as the never-to-be-. forgotten name of a good, a brave, God-; fearing, and God-loving man. His bones will' not work childish miracles, but his spirit will work signs and wonders by revealing even; among the lowest of Melanesian savages the! indelible Godlike stamp of human nature, and; by upholding among future generations a true faith in God. To have carried but one smalll stone to the cairn which is to commemorate this great and holy life should be a satisfaction to all who knew Patteson, a duty to all who have heard the name of the first Bishop: of Melanesia.” A Railway Innovation.—While the question of broad and narrow gauge railways and of street tramways is occupying a good deal of attention, a remarkable innovation in both is being carried into effect in France, where the Council General of the Department of Yonne has authorised the construction of a railway upon the system invented by and bearing the name of M. Larmanjat. This differs from all its predecessors in respect that it only requires a single rail, and that a very i light on*, and is applicable to veiy steep gradients and to equally abrupt curves. With an engine weighing only five tons, the inventor is enabled to obtain the same adhesion as .is arrived at on the ordinary lines of railroad with one of 40 tons, and can ascend an incline of 1 in 20 with a load of 15 tons exclusive of the weight of the locomotive. The latter, it should be explained, has four wheels, two of which—the directing wheels—run on the rad, and the other two—the motive wheels—on an: ordinary metalled rood, parallel with the single rail. By a very simple mechanical contrivance, the whole weight of the engine ean be thrown either upon the directing or th* motive wheels, according to circumstances; > the minimum of adherence being obtained in the former and the maximum m the latter case. As the directing wheels are mounted on a pivot, the train can pass round a curve with so limited a radius os to admit of its turning into a street at right angles with that from which it has issued. According to the report of M. Belgrand, the engineer, who was consulted by the Council-General of Tonne before it authorised' the adoption of the system of M. Larmanjat, that system "is the only one which permits the use of locomotives of alight weight upon a railway with steeg gradients and sharp curves.”