TOWN & COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 4920, 24 November 1876, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

Oantebbuey Waste Lands Boabd.— The Waste Lauds Board is appointed to meet at noon on Mondays and Thursdays in each week. ■, Railway Employees.— There will be a meeting of railway emphyi* ■at 8t -John’s Schoolroom to-night to consider what course they shall adopt with regard to the testimonial to be presented to Mr Rolleston.

Blast.- A very large blast was exploded at Messrs Hawkins ana Co.’s works, Officer’s Point, on Tuesday morning. Two ohambers, one containing 2000 and the other 1700 lbs of powder, were fired, with a most successful result, about 40,000 cubic yards of rook being dislodged. Baohbldbb’b Pantascopb, —Baohelder’s pantasoope of American scenery was again on view at the Oddfellows’ Hall last evening, and attracted another very large audience. The mimic battle between the Merrimao and the Monitor, as well as the concluding fairy scene, appeared to afford great satisfaction to the spectators. Lyttelton Time Bam, Towbb.— A portion of the hard labour gang of Lyttelton Gaol was despatched up to the Time Ball Tower yesterday, to commence work at walling in the ground attached to the building. After the completion of this work they will in all probability commence the enclosure of the proposed recreation grounds. The Lobonbtte.— This is the title of an ‘entr ’acte published in Melbourne for the use of the playgoer a of that city. The “Hew Idea,” a publication of the same kind, has been incorporated in the new print, but at present the change is not. much for the better, “ The Lorgnette ” is not very refreshing as a means of amusement between the acts, and it is not. particularly well printed * either. We presume, however, that the proprietors intend to make some alterations in it, as the Copy sent to this office is decidedly in " the rough.” Thbatbk Boyal.— The comedy of “Our Girls ” was repeated last' evening at the Theatre Boyal, and passed off in a very satisfactory manner. Toe afterpiece was again the amusing farce of “ H.M.S. Spitfire, in which Mr Hall was highly 'diverting as Tobias Shortcut. To-night, the occasion of the per* formanoe will be the farewell benefit of Mr and Mrs Hall, when an excellent bill will be produced. The entertainment will commence with the four-act drama of f‘Nicholas Niokleby,” in which Mr Hall will sustain the character of Newman Noggs, and Mrs Hall that of the unfortunate Smike. ' The. after* piece will be the highly, amusing sketch entitad “ The Professor,” in which Mr and Mrs H&U will appear, and the lady will sing several selections from “II Trovatore.” We hope to see a crowded house. - i Eybbtok Wbslbyan Ohtjbch.— The first anniversary tea meeting connected with this Oburoh was held on Monday evening last, in a large Marquee, and it wai numerously attended, over 200 persons being: present. Tables Were provided' by Mesdames Chilton, Davis, Beal, Martin, Miller, and the bachelors. After tea a public meeting was held in the oburoh, whioawae crowded to excess, and Mr . Isaac Wilson was voted totheohair. The annual .report was read by Mr J. MofEatt, and was considered fety satisfactory; as it showed that monetary matters were in a prosperous con* dition, and the oburoh was free from debt. The Bev W. H. Beck, Messrs Blackwell and Thompson delivered addresses, which were Interspersed with several suitable selections of music by the Eaiapoi WesleyanOhujroh Choir. At the conclusion' of the meeting the ous-. tomary votes of thanks were passed, and the kindness of Mr 0. Fair weather was mentioned in conveying the members of the choir to aud from Baiapoi.

PIEE BeiSABE —-Last evening Superintendent Harris gave his usual annual dinner to the members of the Christchurch Fire Brigade, who mustered in force in the engine-room of the new station, Chester street. This building is now quite completed, and will be finally taken possession of on Monday next. It is a wonderful improvement on' the old stations, and a building of which the'Brigade has every reason to be proud. The engine-room is 80ft by 20ft, one corner of which will be fitted op ds an office, with moveable partition. It is intended to house two engines—one of them, a steam engine; the book and ladder apparatus, &o. Adjoining the engine-room, on the lower floor, and fronting Chester street, is the single men’s day-room, a capital .apartment -iJOftby I6ft. At the rear of this is, a conveniently fitted up kitchen, containing a large range, fink, water tap, &c. Above there are nine bedrooms, each intended for a single man. The Members of the Brigade wbo'fesideat the Station will have the advantage of living rent f«e in very comfortable lodgings.: One of the jrooms o^Btairs‘is fitted up as a tmth-room, with lavatories, &5. There; is ,ad excellent , supply of water oci the By means bf an American ram the artesian supply is lifted up from the' jgiffaund and oonveyed into fcistern* on the top or ' the building; In ; base of a fire in the, night time, there le an falarm bell which,'being pulled front the street, will at once arouse.tbe man sleeping on the upper landing, who,,-being assured of. the exUWnee of n. fire, will imtuediafely ring fcw loud alarm bell fixed in blip tower ; aboVei This tower 'rises to a height of over 60 feet from the ground, apd from the top commands fan extensive view of the city. We have only described one half of the bmlfiing so far. The', father half is'divided into three distinct dwel/ ling-houses of fourroom* each, t’wo up stairs fandtwo down, for - married men and theirwives <wd families, the men being, of coarse, members of the Brigade. The stables are immediately in the rear, and will generally be pooupied byeix horses at night time. The station is a most compact and convenient one, and will supply a want that has long beeh felt, in Christchurch. The Union Jock yesterday floated from the flagstaff of the tower, and the engine-shed, in which the dinner took place, was very tastefully decorated with flags and bannerets. The chair was occupied .by .Mr Superintendent Harris, and about 70 persons, inelnding members of the Brigade and their wives apd female .friends,; sat down, to an excellent repast, to which ample justice was done. The cloth having been, removed, the usual loyal and patriotic toast* were proposed. After one or two songs and readings, the Chairman rose and said that the members of the Brigade had subscribed together and purchased a timepiece for presentation. to. Mr MPeddriss, one of the late engineers of the Brigade. In consequence of family affairs, Mr M'Paddriss had thought it‘advisable to leave the Brigade, bat he had carried away with him (heir very bust wishes. Mr Triggt (hen presented Mr M Peddriss with a very handsome timepiece, which bore a silver plate; on which was engraved the following inscription: —Presented to Mr M’Peddriss by the members of the Ohriitohoroh Piro Brigade, Nov.,; 1876.” In making the- presentation Mr Trlggs alluded to the kind feeling that had always existed between the recipient and the brigade, and said he hoped the gift would servo to remind him of the many pleasant hours they hod passed together. Mr M'Ped* dries made a short but suitable reply, and sit down amid loud cheering. .The rest of the evening was devoted to enjoyment. Several, toasts were prbposod, bmef Among which wa** that of Mr and Mrs Harris. The evening was spent in a very pleasant manner, and the company separated about midnight.

. Da OABiuwrTbis gSUtlomanwiU lecture at Lyttelton tb-nlght. *> i ■ ' >i • LiTMABy Association.—iA meeting of the ujembet* bf the Literary Association will be held to-night. SotrtXBBIDOE AitJtrcc Bpqetß.— A meeting of perrons interested in these sports will be held at the Royal Hotel, Bifuthbridge, on Saturday evening, at half-past 7 o’clock. Qiels’ High School.— The contract for the erection of this building has been lotto Mr D. Reese for £B7OO, and he is, already making good progress with the foundations. Agbioitltdbal Labodbeeb’ Union.—Mr Henry Taylor, Honorary Commissioner *of Immigration to the National Agricultural Labourers’ Union, will shortly pay a visit to Canterbury. r

South Oanteebdby Caledonian Society. —A meeting of this Society will be held at the Club Hotel, Timaru, this evening, at 8 p.m., when business of importance will be brought forward. Boat Raob.— A private match far silver caps will be rowed on the Avon to-morrow afternoon. The rival crews are Messrs Fooks and Lanauze of the Canterbury Club, and Messrs Searell and Wilcox of the Union Club. The distance to be rowed is one mile.

The Messiah.— There was an exceedingly large attendance at the rehearsal of the " Messiah ” last night, soma 120 performers being present. The music was capitally rendered, and judging by the progress made so'for, and by the interest taken in the matter, the oratorio ought to be a g.*eat success at Christmas. After next Thursday Mr Parker will allot the solos, and then constant practice Will be the order of the day.

S. John’s Association.— The junior debating section of the above met on Thursday, Nov. 23, at 8. John’s Schoolroom for a discussion on cremation, it being opened by Mr O. F. Exall, with this motion —" That cremation is preferable to burial.” A lively discussion followed, most of those present joining in. There was a large attendance, Mr T. M. Gee in the chair. The subject was adjourned for further discussion at a future time. The next meeting of the section will be ou Tuesday next, at Mr Gee’s.

Picking Pockets.— Two women hsd their pockets picked during a sale of drapery in Mr O, T. let’s auction room yesterday, and a man who has previously been imprisoned for larceny was arrested on suspicion. One of the women lost £ll7s 6d, and the other about £2, each amount being contained in a purse. One of the purses was found on the floor of the room soon after the theft, but the other has not yet been recovered. The man arrested on suspicion will be brought up at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. His name is John Henry Fiord.

Ppbsbxtbbxan Ohxjbches op Lincoln and Pbebbleion.—A meeting of the congregations of the Lincoln and Prebbleton Presbyterian Churches was held in the Lincoln Ohuroh on Wednesday evening, Nor. 22, the Be* Mr Oree, Moderator, presiding. He stated that the object of the meeting was to choose a minister to fill the vacancy in these churches. It was proposed by Mr 0. M'Pherson, and seconded by Mr W. Tod—“ That the Kev Joshua Mlntosh be selected.” This, on being put to the meeting, was carried unanimously. It was also resolved that Messrs W. Tod, Shaw, and B. Cook form a deputation to attend the meeting of Presbytery in support of this call, the Bev Mr Gree kindly promising to get meeting of Presbytery at as early a date as possible.

Obiokkt.—An Eleven of the H. 0.0.0. will play next Saturday against the College. The names of the Eleven representing the former Club will be published ou Saturday; other members' of the U. 0.0.0. will engage in net pnraotioe.—On Thursday/ an eleven of the M. 0.0.0. were to have visited Leeston. The day was particularly rainy, but nine men were found who braved the, storm rather than disappoint the Leeston people, and consequently the match was played after all. The ground 'and rain together prevented any long scoring, the M.O 0.0. getting but 41, and the L. 0.0. 38 in the first innings. The latter began a second, but when four wickets hod fallen for 13 the game was discontinued.—The Midland Club will play the Bleven v Twenty-two match on Saturday. The following are the teams The Bleven—Messrs Alps, Ashby, D’Bmden, Dixon, Fowler, Fuller, M'lotyre, Monck, Palmer, Sampson, Sweet, and Watson. The Twenty-two-Messrs Ataok, Bell, Chapman, Fairhurat, Frith, Gray, J. T. Hill, W. Horner,‘J. Horner, Hislop, Hobbs, Murray, Poore; Boeder, St. Paul, H. S. Smith, M. 8. Smith, Taylor, G. Turner, G. A. Turner, A- 0. Watson, B. Williams, White and Ej ton. Play will commence at 2.30 p.m. sharp, -

; The Museum.— The new additions to the Museum fcre progressing satisfactorily towards completion. Ail the internal work is in a forward state, and the end of next month will most probably see the building finally handed over by the oontraetor. The main hall is considerably further advanced than any other part, and the visitor can now see its fine proportions to advantage. The hall is 90ft x 45ft, with a gallery 12ft wide at a height of 16ft Sin from the ground floor, the whole being Righted, in addition to windows, by a skylight, the panes in which are arranged in a conical form, with Coloured centres, thereby producing an exceedingly pretty effect. The Woodwork in the hall is very massive and well designed. Men are now engaged varnishing it, and beyond this thereis not much work remain ■ ing to be done. The statuary room, which is 60ft k 30ft, is alsO nearly finished. Communication is now being ppened up between the new and pld buildings, and the main staircase, from Which access will be gained to all the upper floors,except the gallery in the . old building, js in process of construction. When the new additions are taken over from 'the contractor and stocked with specimens; Christchurch twill possess a museum of which not only Canterbury, .but the whole Colony, will have just cause to be proud. Some who h*ve.noted the great dimensions of the main . halt/ and the number.of additional rooms that will require stocking, have expressed a doubt as to anything like a iuffioient number of specimensbeing available, but thanks to the courtesy of the, museum officials/ an opportunity watf pSorded as of ascertaining how absurd such a doubt is. There is an im* indnsb number’of. valuable specimens shut up in drawers and other receptacles awaiting an opportunity fbr display. Irf all parts of the present buddings these are to be found;; and we shall scarcely be committing a breach of' faith in particularising some of them. In t|e. room to the left of the present entrance there are cupboards under the show oases orammed With fossils and other interesting', specimen*,, and under the show oases in the main ball Of' the old building there are innumerable drawers full of birds, insects, and shells of the molt Eeautiful kinds. la one of the store rooms here are a great number of mammals ready to be placed in the building, among which may be Mentioned a zebra, a griszly bear, and several aptelopes.. There U also a whole pile of oasis* containing an endless variety of skins and skeleton! of mammals,birds, and large reptiles/ Bach case is labelled, and we observed that ohe Contained the akin of an elephant, another the skins of two giraffes, and others the skins of elks, blsons, hears, &0., &o. In an adjoining room there was a second pile of oases, In which, as shown by the labels, were numerous skeletons, including those of the rhinoceros, giraffes, camels, and many other interesting animals. In a thud store-room a vast number of smaller specimens are collected. These comprise Bgyption, Etruscan, and Boman antiquities, ethnological objects, shells, minerals, and an endless variety of other jthingi. Besides these, a number of portfolios full of engravings and a large collection of dried plants were also passed in review, and there were many other specimens which, daring a somewhat hurried tour of the rooms, could not well be remembered. Suffice it to say that the quantity and variety of the specimens which have not yet seen light in the Mnsenm cannot fail to imprest whoever may have the privilege of inspection with the fact that a vast amount of space will be required to them. Seeing also that there >are numerous other hues of apeoimens now on the way from various parts of the world/ : there will be noreaton to fear but that the whole of the Unseam buildings will be thoroughly stocked,-and that the space at disposal will be 1 inadequate rather than too great. Under these circumstances, the opening of the new portions of the Museum will be looked forward to with great interest.

Claims Phoviicial Go-twsmrkt.-It is wag—tod by advertisement elsewhere that all Claim* against the Provincial Government may'bi sent in before Deo. 23, so thst they may be settled before the end of the year. Sudden Death. —A. man named Cowan M'Oourt, a reeident of the Pspaftni road, died suddenly at noon He bad lately been drinking heavily. An inquest will be held to-day at the Oarlton Hotel.

. Get Youe Dinner Before you Give it. —“Aegis#" tells the following amusing story in the Aiutralatiani— The venerable aphorism of the late lamented Mrs Glasse bos its application even in this advanced and enlightened age. A number of Melbourne gentlemen connected with the trade of Bivcrma conceived the happy thought of asking Sir Hercules Bobimon to dine with them whiltt on his visit to Victoria. His Excellency promptly accepted. And then came the difficulty. These hospitable fellows discovered literally that they bad reckoned without their host. For not a caterer in Melbourne would not undertake to provide an extensive dinner in Melbourne during the race week. Not a cook nor a waiter wat disengaged. And they say that the impulsive dinner-givers have had to explain to His Excellency that they hare no dinner to give him 1

Difficulties with Africa.— Commodore Sir William Hewitt has been visiting the Niger, to inflict chastisement upon some tribes who have been attacking the merchant steamers that now ply on that river. Until lately, native vessels, were employed in the carrying trade on the Niger, but since the steamers have taken it up these have lost thsir vocation, hence the rage of their owners and others oonoemed. Several native towns were shelled and attacked, and whilst the loss of our force was inconsiderable, amounting only to one marine killed/and a sub-lieutenant and eight men wounded, thq, enemy suffered to a large extent. The commodore has probably by this time returned -to Wbydah, where his pretence is greatly required, the King of Dahomey having shown no desire to give in, but having replied to our proclamation of a blockade by a counter-one, in which he forbids any of his subjects to trade with ns. The King has still in confinement the 23 Frenchmen and Portuguese whom he-seized upon on our instituting the blockade, and these he threatens with instant death the moment we land our forces. This of course has complicated matters, and it is understood that the French Government is in communication with our Foreign office on the subject. The Lands Department of New South Wales. —In 1859, states the Sydney Morning Herald, the whole business connected with the lands of New South Wales was managed by six persons. Now the Minister has a staff of 1087 officers under his control. In 1862, when the year the Land Acts of 1861 came into operation, the officer* surveyed and dealt with 352,375 acres; last year they surveyed and dealt with no leu than 3,038j855 acres, and even that large area will be exceeded by the ana surveyed and dealt with daring the' present year. In 1860, the total amount of money received from-land sold by auction was £155,316; last year, the total area sold by auction was 1,135,274 acres, which brought in a total income of £1,169,078. Rapid as that growth was, the growth of the present year has been still more astonishing, for, up to the end of Sept. laat, the department,had received £1,151,312 for lands sold by auction. .With regard to the conditional purchases in 1862, the first year the Land Act came into operation, 4489 persona “ conditionally purchased'’ 350,260 acres; in 1872, 8278 persons conditionally purchased 712F48 acres; and in 1875, 14,517 persons conditionally purchased 1,714,824 acres. The selections this year are folly equal to if not larger than they were during last year;

How Nxagasa Aikost Bait Dey.—On March 29, 1848, a remarkable phenomenon occurred, The preceding winter had been intensely cold, and the ids formed on Lake Erie was unusually thick. In the warm days of early spring, the mass of ice was loosened around the shores of the lake and detached from them. Daring the forenoon of the day named, a stiff easterly wind moved it up the lake. A little before sunset, (be wind chopped suddenly ronnd and blew a gale from the west. This brought the vast ice back again with snob tremendous force that it filled in the neck of the lake and its outlet so as to form a very effective dam, that , caused a remarkable diminution in the outflow of the water. Of oburse it needed but little time for the Falls to drain off the water below this dam. The consequence was, that on the morning of the following day the river was nearly half gone. The American Channel bad dwindled to a deep and narrow creek. The British Channel seemed to have been smitten with a quick consumption, and to be fast passing a>way. For up from the head of Goat Island and oat into tbs. Canadian. Bapids, and from the foot of Goat Island ont beyond the Old Tower to the deep channel of the Horseshoe fall, the water was gone. The rocks were bare, black, and forbidding. The roar of Niagara had subsided to a moan. This extraordinary syncope of the waters lasted all the day, and night closed over the strange scene. But during the night the dam gave sway, and the next morning the river was restored in all its strength, beauty, and majesty.

Thb Man who Wbiieb wxih thb Soissobs —Tho man who has to do thb work of selecting new# fora paper from other journals is the butt of many o joke j Max Adelergoe# so far as to say that he edits his sheet with a pair of predatory shears and a, diihoneat pastepot. But others know what an arduous task is his, despite the sneers and sarcasms that are oontinusdly levelled at him, witness the following opinion from one whose dictum bears much rfeigbt :-rSomC people estimate the ability of the newspaper and the talent of the editor by the quantity of original matter. It is comparatively an cosy matter for a frothy writer to ppur out .daily a.column of Words—words opM* any And' ill' subjects. His idsks may flow In one weak, washy, everlasting flood, .and [the commands of his language-may enable him 1 "to string thpm together- like bunohe* of onions, and yet his paper may yet 15c'd meagre and poor oonoelmThdced, the mere writing part Of. editing a,paper is but a small portion of the Work'. The bare, the 1 tMuemployed in selecting, is far more important, and the tact of a good editor is better shown by his selections than anything else, and that, we know, is half the battle. But, as wo hare, said, an editor Ought'to be estimated, and his labour understood and-appreolated by the general conduct of his paper, its tohe,ite uniform Consistent Course, its aims, its management, its dignity, and its propriety. To preserve these qs they should be preserved is enough to occupy fully the time and attention of any man. If to all these, the general supervision of the newspaper Cttabliihmeat,whieh some pditors have to encounter, the wonder is that they find timeto vrriteat all.

China.— The Sydney Morning Herald of Oct, 30 :—W# have file! of Hoag Kong pajpere, per ataamer Oxu, to Dot. 8. Theyoontain Very little newa of jntereat. . Some further particular* are giren of the oloae of the negotiation* between Li Hung Chug and Sir Thoma* Wade at Chefoo, with aome particular* of the settlemeat. The Ohineae Idolater haa, it it aaid, acceded to all the demand* of Sir Thom at Wade.' lohang, Wenchow, Wuhu, and Pakhoi are to b? opened at porta of trade, and the privilege of landing and shipping merohandite ud pattengera at nx plaoe along the Yangtiac ia secured to foreign eteamen. - The right of narigation on the upper Yangttao by ateamera at far aa Ohung-Kag ia alto provided for, Mtd Britiah oontolar officiate will be stationed at both Chung-ldng and Yunnan. An indemnity covering compensation to the family,of Mr Margaiy, and other measure# more directly oonoerning the aatiafaotion due tp the Britiah Government for the murder itself and the attack on Colonel Browne’* party, ara aeoured. The Labia and other tore* have, it it believed* been diaoutaed, and tome arrangement* in regard to them made, bat nothing farther seeme to be poritively known oathie eubject. Some dieeatiefaotion haa been expmaed. that nothing ha* been done towarde onening up, further, the ■ Weat Hirer. The .Wodeung Hallway,. ia ' atiU: a topped, and ho explanation of ! tae i .Oataae, haa yet been afforded by the Britiah Minuter. The auperatition* excitement of the (< paper* men,” inoubua, and *o on haa broken oat

with considerable violence at Bhangs * Slaoard haring been issued by the liters- t 'ooohow threatening to destroy the halite turns of a native and his followers if h« .iu the site of an old temple to foreigners 1° j also to destroy any homes that^the’ktt" 1 might erect on the same. The Chinese autS ties hare been induced by the enpr „“,-' remonstrances of H.B.M. Ooneul at the nf to offer a reward for the deteotion S Brians who hare thus violated the treatt tatters are much quieter now in Anhw* where soma savage attacks were recently mail on Christians. Both the priests about .C! fate anxiety was felt after the Ningkwo «« were are quite safe, and the Viceroy 0 f Nankmg has issued a satisfactory proclamation of the affair. It has been resolved to erect a monumental crow to the memorv nt nl late Mr Margary at Shanghai. y