TOWN & COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7229, 1 May 1884, Page 4

TOWN & COUNTRY.

Diphtheria at Kaiapoi.—A severe case of diphtheria is reported at Kaiapoi. The patient has been properly secluded, and every precaution is being taken to prevent a spreading of the malady. Parliament out of Session.—Mr White, M.H.R. for Sydenham, will address his constituents at' the local Oddfellows' Hall on May 7.—Mr John Holmes addressed the electors of Christchurch south last night and received a renewed vote of confidence. Pines Remitted. —Messrs Charles Hood Williams and H. B. Sorensea, who had been fined for non-attendance as special jurors, .appeared yesterday morning, and, having made satisfactory explanations, had their fines remitted by his Honor the Judge. Vital Statistics.—The deaths in Christchurch and district during April were 49, as against 70 in the same month last year, but the births were only 176 instead of 180. Marriages, however, show a great increase, the number being 60 compared with 44. Of these 39 took place in the city.

The Wairarapa's Excursion. —About ninety passengers having booked for the excursion to the South Pacific Islands, it has been definitely decided to carry out the programme as advertised. We should therefore advise "those wishing to go to make early application, as the number to be carried is limited. Presentation.—The Committee of the Lyttelton Tradesmen's Picnic, yesterday af ternoonj presented Mr Thomas Holland, their hon treasurer, with a handsome gold locket, in recognition of the manner in which he carried out his duties at the recent picnic. Mr Holland thanked those present, in a few suitable words. Chess Club:—The hon Secretary of the Canterbury Chess Club has received a proposal from Wellington that the match between the Clubs by telegraph should take place on the evenings of May 9,10, 16, and 17. A Committee meeting of the Canterbury Club has bee'n called for Friday evening next to consider the proposal. Theatre Eoyal.—Offenbach's favourite opera "LaFille du Tambour Major" was again produced at the Theatre Eoyal last evening, and to a very much better house than greeted the first performance. The opera went well throughout, and the principals were honoured by recalls at the close of each act. It will be repeated again tonight. In order to give Lyttelton residents an opportunity of witnessing the performance, a special train will leave Christchurch at 11 this evening, to take visitors back to Port.« Toting Men's Club.—A very successful entertainment was given last night at the Young Men's Club rooms. The programme consisted of two songs by Mr Grant, a violin selection, and a reading by Mr Hpgbeu, all of which were excellently rendered, and concluded with :the amusing farce, " Ici on Parle Francais," by the members of the Young Men's Club Dramatic Class, in which the Various characters were creditably sustained. It was announced at the close of the entertainment that Mr Pozzi would give a lecture on "Sericulture" next Wednesday evening. Supreme Court. —At the Supreme Court yesterday morning, before his Honor Mr Justice Johnston and a special jury of twelve, the case of Fuchs v. Union Steamship Company was taken. The case had been heard at a previous session, but a new, trial had been granted on the ground of the production of new evidence for the plaintiff. Mr Joyht appeared for the plaintiff, Mr Harper, with him Mr Nalder, appeared for the defendants. The sitting in Bankruptcy which had been fixed some time ago for yesterday, was adjourned till to-morrow, at halfpast ten in the morning. Cust Koad Board.—A special meeting of this Board was held on Monday; present —Messrs J. D. Dickinson (Chairman), Tollatt, Tipping and M'Lachlin. The Chairman reported having ordered some strychnine and phosphorus for poisoning small birds. It was resolved— " That a strip of land, half a chain wide, and about twenty chains long, be purchased from the Murphy estate for the purpose of making a drain near Bennetts;" also-•" That the Board's solicitor be instructed to at once take legal proceedings against Messrs Higgins and Morgan for obstructing the Board whilst inspecting the water course at Bennetts on March 24." This was all the business and the Board adjourned. Kaiapoi Parish Church.—A reunion of church members of the Kaiapoi parish was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Kaiapoi, on Tuesday. Tea was served at 6 p.m., the tables being presided over' by Mesdames Dudley, Eevell, Wood, Barclay, Matthews, • Soulby, Oldham, Powell, and the Misses Andrews. During the evening vocal and instrumental selections were contributed by Mesdames Brooke and Champion, Miss J. Monk, Mr Champion, and the Kaiapoi Brass Band. Mrs VereWhite presided at the piano. Addresses were delivered by the Eevs Mortimer and Vera-White ; and cards of membership for the Church Work Society wefts distributed. Considering the bad weather there was an excellent attendance.

Exhibition os Pictures. —An exhibition of pictures and curios, on a small scale truly, but nevertheless containing some excellent works of art, has been opened in Duncan's buildings, corner of Cashel and Manchester streets, by Mr Murray Aston. The pictures, which are for sale, consist of oil paintings and water-colour drawings by several artists whose works have held an honourable position at more than one Royal Academy Exhibition in London. E. W. White and E. A. K. Marshal are, perhaps, the most noticeable among the painters in oil, their landscapes being fine examples of artistic treatment. One of the most prominent artists in water-colours is Cailyn, whose " View on the Dart" is a charming picture. Jules Lessore, A. Ponley, and other artists have contributed works of great merit to Mr Aston's collection, which also contains some very good specimens ot the styles of Messrs Gibb, senior and junior. Mention must not be omitted either ot the work of Mr Aston himself, who was a pupil of Caffyn To particularise all that is worth seeing in his room, however, would require more space than is usually allotted to a newspaper paragraph. Mote may bo made, however, of the curios, which range from moa bones and Maori stone adzes and meres to rare china old books, prints, and etchings. Altogether the collection is of no little merit, and will well repay the trouble of infection. A lneetinir of the Pliiloaonliical Institute of canterbury will fi held to th? PutUo library to-day, at 8 p.m. .„.-,, A eale of work will be held in the Girls Fondly Society's E o om, Hereford street, to-day, at 2.3 U p.m. . A meeting of the subscribers to the Amuri Doctors- Fi&d will 4 held at Waiau, on Tuesday. The service in the Cathedral tbis|evemng will be conducted by theßev Canon Stanford.

Political Gossip.—lt is said in Dunedin that three members of the Upper House tire tired of its serene atmosphere, and long for the turmoil and bustle of the other Chamber. These " Lords " are the Hons George M'Lean, Reynolds, and Oliver. Tho first-named had definitely resolved to resign, and offer himself for election in Dunedin, but, unfortunately, again fell ill, and feels himself unequal to tho task. Tho Hon Mr Reynolds is trying to gain the ear of the public, and, if his chances of election seem good, ho will resign ; of course not until after the session. Tho Hon Mr Oliver will, it it said, quit the Upper Chamber, and woo some southern constituency if his health will allow him, Mr Fish's popularity is unabated, but Mr Bracken's is waning, and so is that of Mr Green—the one with a conscience Mr Downie Stuart will contest Dunedin. It is said that Mr Stout will not be a candidate at the general election. — N.Z. Times. Caught in thk Act.—A Southern paper is responsible for tho following anecdote : —A burly sergeant of police observed a naughty little boy coming out of a certain licensed house, carrying a Maori kit, containing the usual Sunday contents. The boy was challenged and then taken back for an interview with the proprietor. "While the interview was proceeding Bome one was rapping as hard as hepo3sibly could at the Sunday entrance. " Another breaker of the law," was no doubt the thought which flashed through the mind of the sergeant, so out he marches to catch the culprit, and, horror of horrors! who should be standing there but a member of the local Licensing Committee, with Maori kit in hand. " You here I" said the sergeant. "Yes, sir," replies the representative of the people, " I am here on business." " Business!" says the sergeant. " Yes, I have come to buy some cabbages." The scene closes, but we cannot help remarking on the novelty of publicans going into the greengrocery line. "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon I" Earthquakes in England.—Until the shock last month there had been no earthquake of a disastrous nature since April, 1580, when part of St Paul's and the Temple churches in London were destroyed by a violent shock. Previous to that, there had been a series of earthquakes, all of more destructive character than any which have been recorded since. In 1089 one was felt severely in almost all parts of England, and the next in sequence was a severe shock felt chiefly in Lincolnshire, in 1142. In 1274 again the whole of England was disturbed, and the town of Glastonbury was completely destroyed, and in 1318 a still greater shock was felt. It is estimated that the total number of earthquakes recorded in Great Britain has been about 255, but nearly all have been very slight, and unaccompanied T)y serious loss of life. The last shake recorded was in March, 1871, when two slight shocks were successively felt in Yorkshire and the North-west of England generally, but no noteworthy damage resulted. In October, ■ 1868, a slight shock was also felt in the West of England and southern portion of Wales, and in 1750 London experienced a very mild one. The Dynamitakds—" It is understood," says a correspondent, " that as a result of communications which have passed within the last few days between the English, French, and Austrian Governments a provisional arrangement has been made with the object of frustrating the designs of dynamitards. So far Germany has given her adhesion to the plan, but negotiations are proceeding, and it is probable that before another wee,k has elapsed what will be tantamount to a European concert will have been established, which may produce the most important results in connection with the growth of revolutionary movements on the Continent of Europe. Heretofore the interchange of information in such matters between the Powers has been conducted through the usual diplomatic channels, necessitating much delay and useless formality. By the new plan the chiefs of police will keep each other informed direct as to the movements of suspected individuals, and it is hoped that by the aid of a perfected system of internal espionage, which these officials are now engaged in completing, effective precautions can be taken against the perpetration of political outrages. Some idea may be gained of the comprehensiveness of the new arrangement from the fact, for the accuracy of which I can vouch, that upwards of seventy carefully selected detectives from London and the surrounding districts have been brought into Scotland Yard for special instruction in connection with it."