TOWN & COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLII, Issue 4320, 16 December 1874, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

San' FbanoiSco Mail.—The Government steamer Xnna, hiving the mail on board, left Wellington ywttrday, at II a,m. f atod may be expected in Lyttelton by 6 o’clock this, morning.. ... ;.■.!■ ....... . ' Kaxajoi CJlub.—The- monthly meetiDgof thuclub Will be held at the usual place and hour On Monday next, when Mr.T. Hill/ M.RO.V.S.i will read a paper .on “ Puerperal/feverin cattle.” Univehsitt of New Zealand.—Persons /lishkingdegrees, must send in their i^l^ioha' of the University, Chrietohurcb. oi or before Jan. 16, accompanied by evidence in support of the application. ■ ■ -i !

Kaiafoi Wbsebkan • Chuboh. —The anniversary of tio| church will be celebrated on Ohriatmasday, by a tea-meeting in the schoolroom..: Thapsoiversary sermons will be WeeohedJWjfoiday next; by the Rev WV J. —"Raust” was repeated yesterday «finUg, hod the few little hitoMr, inddOntal to afirst representation having been |t went with; great emootbneai throughout. ' This svsning.V bill includes “ TheCrimeon Scarf,” H Cox -and, Box,” and: “ Lisohen and Friteohen,” Miss Alice May appearing as Liaohen in the last-named piece. Oohoket.—4Ta- compliAhoe with the wish of a number ,ot persons who are desirous of hearing Miss Alice May, but do> not oare ta attend l the theatre, the management have decided this evening to give a con-' cert in ' SpehsUy’s Hall, in which, as will be reference to the advertisement appearing m ahother Column, Miss May will sing three/ of her best songs. Manning's 'Cooking Ranges. —The Melbourne Argus of DOO. 8, says: A cooking. range, patented in 'New Zealand by the maker, H. D. Manning, of Christchurch, was on view yesterday in the kitchen of the New Zealand Commercial Hotel, Swanston street, where it has been fired for use. The maker has patented in New Zealand certain improvements, and has applied for a patent here. The principal advantages claimed for his range are that all dampers are dispensed with, and that 26 per cent, more people can be provided for at a cost,of 60. per oeot.-lese fuel than by a first-class Leamington, range,- that the grate can by a simple piece of mechanism be either used for heating the oven and boiling water,, or by being raised be used for an open fire, such‘as is burned In ah ordinary grate, and that no' chimneys are necessary. Mr Manning took the firstprize for this range twice at the Canterbury (New Zealand) Agricultural Show,

hml a public meeting, laßWember 11, a comIpmleot a eabsoripraised in the I *

aSPi iml THE Cmr.—The and £lO for st*esaay on the most effectual 9?mg the sanitary condition of istchuroh. J Madam* Wintwb-®Onoeet. Madame {janfeMdjßßß mufici Hail, this The "hichds to wa fanimndin anr^herTfais society rehearsed Haydns “ Imperial Mass,” yestejfday | , evening. .afldvblcourarfrirg progress wasmade. j will take plaoeoniViday—j ithp concert faking place cm tha-fcßoWtog evening.' ’ j l ,, ifiBHOW EsOAPE - Stokino.—Jdrel Cooper, residing on Oxford terrace, narrowly! ■escaped- being hurried,to death, about 6 pin.,) on Monday*' ishe !had occasion to go near the; fire, and it ia presumed that aspark flew out of j the #re on to her dresßj the mateml of whicht was mrialip.,-.She immediately afterwardswent out fitoMta yard, where (She discovered' for the.first time that her clothes wereon, fire. ‘ Assistance was called, and happily |he! flames were put out, but not before-they Had destroyed.* great portion 'of her clothing, andi soorchedonehfber arms. j

.Kaupoi ;Bo»OPGH SoHOOii.—A special meeting of .the committee ot this school was, held oh Slhhday evening last. Preseht-ilAll the j fhe ohairmap presiding, Tjihej ■*& the .appoint-! merit of , master,and, after a good dealof consideration/Mr Thomas Fee was appointed On' the understanding that:, if he did not accept, theappointmentbe offered to Mr W. B. Camfield. ' There were fourteen applications for the of second and aspatantinistresaljMrß Soulhjj" wasappointed second mistress totake charge of the infant department; and MissJ.dlookham assistant mistress in the girls' department,, subject tq the of theßoard of Education; It was resolved, that the chairman draw up and sign on behalf of the committee, a testimonial to Hr J. Matthews.

Wesbbyast Ohvboh,. Soitthbeook.—The in con* nectioli"with: theSundaysohoolof this church was held on Monday evening. Trays were provided and presided over by Mesdames Thompson, Bull, Graham, Hurrell, Misses Neale and' NOrton. The ohair at the public jMrtaagJßiwwi^ minister of . the; onurch. ; The , annual report, read, by Mr James Thompson, school secter tary, ghowed 92 children on the lchool boot* and 12teabhers. Tire pounds had been; est pended im prizes during the year, and tht present year would be commenced with' a balance: of'f£4 I6s 6d. : Mr D.. Graham, who had, been superintendent of the school for ten yearn, -having* on account of his 'appoint)ment on the'circuit plan, expressed his desire to .retire .from.that office, Mr Samuellmoat had been unanimously-[elected to>j fill th£ vacancy. The report, as’ read, was adopted; Mr'Lucas having addressed the meeting on' the duties and responsibilities of the teacheij, Mr W.' Salter moved a vote of thanks to the officers and teachers of the school for their services during the past year. The Rev W. J, Watkindeliveted an eloqufent address, advo-' eating secular and compulsory education ip the day school, urging.at the same time greater efficiency and'diligence in' the Sunday school to mould ahd : direct aright the youthful mind. Mr D. Graham. moved a vote of thanks, which was heartily carried, to Mr Watkin for his able and'acceptable’services on the Sunday and that evening in connection with the school anniversary. Miss Josling presided at the harmonium, and was thanked for her efficient services, as was,also Mr Head, who had come from Moefaki Downs to conduct the singing. A vote of thanks to the ladies for providing the tea brought the meeting to a close. - Canxbbbtihx Jockey Club.—A meeting; of members was htld at WaimSrVhotel, at 4 p.TOVHywteislay. ; Prwent~Mo*prsr 3J Tancred (in the chair), 0. A. Pritchard, E. Qriffith,F. Wi Delamatn, J; RennettiHustler, E, D. Tboams, Millett, Acland, Stead, 0. Netvtdirahd Dr Pi-ins. Messrs G-. Holmes and ~ Oreyktf were unanimously elected members of the club. The programme for the Autunin 'meeting up^fol 1 consideration. Mr Griffith’ brought under notice the fact thkt some dissatisfaction had been expressed oi*sldft,.ip of§i|he last daysricing the shopkeepers said that it wpuld make ho. difference to. them, there were others, who were, pf a different opinion. He would like to point ontthat eeveralinembera of theJeWi|h. pertoasion were.very. good, supporters of i the races, and the fact jrf .thejracpe coming off bn 'Saturday would' debar, them from attending. Mr Stead said he did not think that the shop* keepere were to be cohsideted in the matter at ' all. The club got little or no support fromthem.,; i'.The • merchants’.offices, banks, apd Goverhhrepi: bifficea, 'clbied 1 at 1 one o’clock in the, afternoon. ' This would,, enable all the staff jat these . estabUshmenta to get to the - races, if they desired to ‘ attend them.' Mr Acland retnarked that he did not believe the foot of the day’s, waning being on Saturday with' the takings at the gates,AMki Sibid-isaid the' ohjtoV jof the club; .was to< improve • the takings at the gates, and he believed that the foct of the last day’s; racing being on Saturday would have a tendency toinorease. the amount. No alteration was made in the dates already . The.programme for the autumn meeting was brought up and approved. The distance for .(be Great AntumnHapdiCap was altered from two mfles to a mile and a half. Sir Crabroft Wilson was elected judge for the Autumn meeting. The following, persons were elected . stewardsM ßß irs Parker, Lance, Delamain, Brabazon, Bussell, M. Studhblme, ■and Oreykei Thoday of < general entries was fixed fp* Wednesday, April 14, at 4 p.m. Mr Stead gave botioo of. the: following motion for next, general meeting:—“ln rule 7, to alter after words * from day to day ’ to * from week to week.”’ The meeting adjourned after passing a vote of thanks to the chairman.

Inxeeesxing to Sheep Faemees.—The ‘Wa.Wmrapa-Standard isaysTwo thousand wethers weir sold last week for £2000.' 'This price must certainly proTf satisfactory to the sheep farmers, whatever, it may do to the batchers and consumers. It shows the neC&rityj of breeding those Sheep that will produce not only the best wool, but the most mutton.: Bat we also learn that those which will produce the most of the one will also Eroduoe most of the other. The pure-bred linooln rams, the property of a large jhejepfarmer down the TnUsy. hayis produced econreddeecee nTeraging 121ba each, which ie . a greater weight, we understand, than bee been evOT,:atwmed for roourod fleeces, unless in exoeptionalcases. OHimnnTEl.— The Bay of Plenty Tiines of Nor. 28, says : There is every indication, so far sis the public are in a position to judge; of the Obinemuricountry being thrown open to Europeans at an early date. Things look mere hke it now. than ever before, although the opening of this block has for Some years, so to speak, been daily expected. The Obinemun block proper, commences about two and a half miles from E&tikati, at a place called and is distant, consequently, about 87 miles from here by the Thames and Katikati road. There is some excellent farm tod in that portion of the block known as the Waimata Plains, which is bound some day to be thickly stndded with farms. The immediate benefit Tauranga will derive from the opening of Ohinemuri, will, in our opinion, be confined to the foot that the completion of the Thames road is sure to be a natural sequence. We say the immediate benefits, because we confess to thinking that the prihoipal necessaries of life would, in the event of a large population locating itself on the block, be drawn, not from Tauranga, but from Qrahamstown up the Thames river, as being cheapest and quickest mode of transport. However, the very fact of the Thames road being carried through will be an Incalculable benefit to and will enable our ■farmers and cattle dealers to drive their stock to theThatnes market, where, We understand, competition would' be most acceptable;- Weare anxiously awaiting the announcement of the opening of Ohinemuri as being a matter of gnat moment to the Say of Plenty generally.

The Mont Obnis THNNKiMp afpeJt that the inhabjj|kitß of are IpulK troubled with the |M(||: Oenis tunnel imC l|m inHpM! french a*4; Italian members nfltir fmriSrff**l, of Ed-« gineers appointed jthb dracks, which hare been Alible - stated that the tunnel'is and is constructed on sonnd'Winciples, but that the fissures, seem to bo lattributable to the too great pressure of the mountain masses this as a rather dubious report, and-, observing that a great firm of carriers in Turin has airßsdy.,3Rnonnced that 4t keeps horses and waggons in readiness .to-forward goods, as of. yore, when" the tuhnel falls in, our content- 1 pprwy- wdrisps those travellers to Italy who loro their lives to choose [another route. !

Ethnological,— A curious set of people (says[the, PdU Mall Qc&ette) has been lately disoovered by Oaptain!WV O. Manning in ai village in North-Western New Mexico, just south of the border line between that territoryqmj Colorado, and of , whom a description .is. jr|ven in the Benter News, a' Colorado paper. A 1 strong wall surrounds the village, Which contains houses sufficient to accommodate AOOO people. The population has; however, dwinoledto about 1800. The language and some Of the customs of the inhabitants correspond to the language and customs of the Ohinjese. The-women are of the true Celestial type, they dress themselves and their; hatrin Chinese fashion. Their religion ft - described ■os “ barbarously magqiflcent.” Montezuma is their.'deity. His' coming is looked Tor at sunrise each day. Immor- . wify,ik, part of. their creed. The priests have heavily embroidered robes, used for ' iiummibered years.' " The ceremonies of worship sire formal and pompous. The morality of the people is unimpeachable. They keep a record of events by means- of tying peculiar _ knots in long cords. Their Government is-a' -Conservative Republic. Power is vested in -a council of 13 caciques; six of them are selected for life. Old men are generally chosen, in order that their terms of office may not be inordinately long. The remaining seven are selected from time to time. One of them is the executive chief; another is a sort- of vice-president. There is a war chief and a ; chief of police. These seven caciques are Usually young men. They serve but a few months. Saif rage is universal, and civilisation is “quite far advanced.” Woman, as might be expected under these circumstances, is held in the highest possible respect and veneration. Nothing is too good for her, and her only tastes are those of housekeeping. This Isolated community has maintained .its traditions unbroken for at least three and a half centuries; and it is, in fact, a paradise for women and priests. Wbst Ahstbalia.— The correspondent of the Melhoume Argus says ;—West Australia is emerging from her chrysalis, and showing signs of life at last. The first sod of her first public railway was tamed last month, and her first goldimihing company is about to be established. Out courageous explorer Forrest has solved the problem as to the possibility of communication between the Murchison, River in latitude;27deg. and South [Australia; and Tenders are called for the construction of a coast line of telegraph to Boola Bay, following the line of Forrest's march in 1870, and uniting at~Edcla with' the line to he constructed by South Australia, so- that we shall at last have daily communication with the rest of the world. To these unmistakeable signs of the times may be added the introduction of the first sugar mill into the colony, and the successful acclimatisation of trout. Mr Padbuiy, M.L.G., - Some time ago commenced a sugar plantation at Yatheroo, and he has now, at large expense, imported from England, a sugar mill of the most improved description, which will, it is hoped, be the precursor of many others. Mr Wanliss, of Ballarat, has been good enough to forward to West Australia some trout spawn, and the young fish were produced in September, and are rapidly growing. It is very fortunate that the first attempt made at pisciculture!, acclimatisation has thus succeeded,) and encourages the hope that many other- fish- may in future be naturalised. In the Straits, in India,'-tod in China there aife many fruits, flowers, and vegetables which, speaking from tay own knowledge of them, might with siipcen. apid advantage be easily introduced hprev * ■ Remaekablb Pedestrian Feat, —A remarkable pedestrian feat has, according to the Fhidnza,oi Alektodriai Keen lafiplT Jjjsrfprm# by an Italian, named Giuseppe Ricci, who certainly seems to have taken rather a long' Constitutional. Having come-' some months -ago from Alexandria - to . Constantinople in search of employment, but being unsuccessful in his object, Ricci resolved to return to Alexandria. A” difficulty, however, arose jit the very commencement of his journey, owiiig to the- fact of his having ho money-t-a serious drawback to a bond fide traveller for, notwithstanding the “ wretched impotence of gold,” it is nnoom--1 iiobly difficult to travel comfortably without it. Ricci at first tried to work-his passage back in a steamer or ship, but failing also m this endeavour he set his face resolutely southwards, and determined to work or beg his way tp Egypt. He accordingly started off with a light heart and a thin pair of breeches, and after marching for 158 days across the peninsula of Asia Minor, and .along the coasts of Syria and Palestine he arrived in’ safety at .Alexandria,'where, by - latest accounts, he was enjoying the repose he was justly entitled to after his fatiguing walk. It. is somewhat remarkable that in these days of muscular Christianity : and railway casualties we never hear of sportsmen walking from London to the Highlands of Scotland or even of beads of families,accompanied by thtir offspring, journeying on foot to the sea coast places where they pass their autumn holidays. , Probably mqny persona are deterred from this natural mode of travelling by the absence .of convenient hotel accommodation; but this difficulty might be 1 overcome by means .'of • tents or caravans, and even a night's lodging under a hedge or hay-stack would often be far leu unwholesome and uncomfortable than the lodgings by the “ cruel crawling sea ’’ that are provided for the discomfort of holidaymakers.