TOWN & COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 7919, 23 July 1886, Page 4

TOWN & COUNTRY.

The League's Funds.—Another cheque in aid of the Kailway League's fund haß been generously contributed; this time by Mr W. G. Khind, the Christchurch Inspector of the Bank of NewjJouth Wales. Ipoon, in compliance with the invitation Bof His Worship the Mayor, a considerable fnumber of the principal places of business ■were closed, on the occasion of the Grand I National Steeplechase Meeting. The streets • wore a very deserted appearance. several degrees of frost. The domain was again frozen over, and in some places well in the shade the ice was quite two inches thick. A buoket left out all night with three inches of water in it yielded block of ice when inverted and emptied. The Glassblowees.—There was a very good attendance again last night at the exhibition of the glassblowers, and the lucid explanation of the various, processes given by Professor Woodroffe was listened to with the usual attention. The best prize was a Bhip under a glass shade, and a similar prize is to be given every night this week. The Ashbueton Domain.—The Ashburton domain, or, rather, that portion of it set aside for grazing purposes, has been greatly improved in the matter of fences. The old rotten post 3 and rails have been removed, and a neat and well strung wire fence substituted, with an armour of barbed wire running along the top and the centre. Neat gates have supplanted the oldfashioned and clumsy stiles by which footpassengers used to make entry and exit to the back portions of the Domain grounds. Small Bieds Nuisance. A Kaiapoi correspondent writes: —lt may be remembered that Mr J. Merrin was appointed some time back by the Eyreton Road Board to poison wheat for the Island district. Mr H. Davis, of St Helena, informs me that he recently procured some of it, and the sample was so good that a wholesale destruction of small birds has followed its distribution. Our correspondent urges a free use of poisoned grain during the present frosty weather as the best means of reducing this nuisance. Theateical.—The Bignold Dramatic Company opened their return season in Wellington on Monday night, playing "In the Banks" before a very, large audience. The Wellington season extends over two weeks. The Company will open in Christchurch on Monday, August 2, the first production being " Called Back." After a fortnight's stay, Timaru, Oamaru, Dune'din and Invercargill will be visited in succession. Liddy, the advance agent, arrives in Christchurch on Saturday next. Ambulance Lectubes.—On another page it will be .seen that the nursing, or advanced course of lectures, is arranged for, and, like the last course, the lectures will be given in the Provincial Chamber. This course of lectures is open to anyone on payment of the nominal fee of five shillings. Such persons, however, cannot sit for the examination. This privilege is reserved for those members of the Association who already hold the preliminary certificate, and who, on passing this examination, will be entitled to their second, or higher, certificate. Sistebs> of the Good Shepheed.—On the arrival of the Tarawera yesterday morning, the Bev Father Ginaty was on the wharf to receive the sisters of the Good Shepherd, who are about to take charge of the Magdalen Asylum. He accompanied the Bev Mother Superior, her assistant, and two sisters more, to St Mary's, Manchester street north, where the sisters will reside whilst the'Magdalen is .being erected at Mount Mag-, dala. In a short time the sisters, will be joined by four others of their community, who are now on their way from Europe. Police Chanses.—Constable Hayes, who for more than a year past has been in ' charge of the police station at Addington, has-been transferred to Papanui, exchanging with Constable Managan, who has been at the latter station for some seven years. Constable Hayes has been for over eijrht years employed in Christchurch aud the vicinity, and has always borne the reputation of a smart officer. Constable Flanagan saw a good deal of police service on the W es t Coast before he came to Christchurch, and is much respected as a steady and efficient officer. The Ashbueton Ibbigation Scheme.— The farmers interested in the Ashburton irrigation scheme have no reason to complain of want of attention to the subject on the part of their representatives at the County Council. Members representing ridings have been holding meetings in their several districts, and, the engineer being present for reference, have been explaining the details of the scheme to ratepayers. So far as the scheme has yet been discussed by the ratepayers, it has been received with favour. Memobial. —Mr A. B. Cambridge has just completed a portrait of the late Mr "Vallance, who was drowned in the wreck of the' Taiaroa. The portrait has feeen painted to the order of the members of Tattersall's Club, who were desirous of possessing some memorial of Mr Vallance. Mr Cambridge has performed his task in the most meritorious manner. Though he had nothing but a photograph to work from, he has succeeded in producing a very faithful likeness of the deceased sportsman, and one which should give the Club every satisfaction. Mr Vallance is represented at full length, standing up and leaning against a rail fence,, with a field and trees in the background. The pose is easy, natural, and characteristic, and the artist has put a .great daaLgr'wiykj^ibjiff: j*s%uSt? i '"oht : Council are ) Jabout to issue notices to the citizens, ■: feiving directions as to the arrangements!; (for the new system of disposing of dusts ■and rubbish within the City. The dust: carts are to traverse the streets on certain specified days, notice of their coming( being given by the ringing of a bell. 5 In stores, shops, warehouses, hotels, ' and offices the dust boxes are to bei placed on the kerb upon the approach of! the carts ; at all other buildings the boxes! will be removed from a distance of six feet* within the premises, where they mußt be de-j j posited. Special arrangements can be made'i i tor the removal of large quantities of i rubbish. The citizens are asked to give' every facility in carrying out the trial to remove the refuse without extra. \ payment. The new system is to begin ,dfj August 1, and is hoped to add to the coni|B fort, cleanliness, and health of the The notices conclude with the following :-Jf] "The slight service required in placing thaft ibexes for collection will be amply repaid bja; the increased comfort derived from -liness, apart from the present unsatisfacl* itory payment for the work, or burying o« Jrefuse in the back grounds of houses to thtjjßf ("danger of the health of the and his neighbours." _ »,»„.«,_ J;

Supeeme Couet.—The civil the Supreme Court will be resumed this-. morning at half-past ten o'clock. Meteobological.—On ■ Tuesday • night the temperature was appreciably low; thethermometer at this office registered five degrees below freezing point. At the Bealey yesterday morning, at 9 o'clock, with a. . clear blue sky, the temperature was twelve degrees below freezing point. The Education Board of the district of North Canterbury notify that, as the householders of thesctaool district of Stoke have failed to elect a Committee, a publio meeting of the householders of thesaid district will be held for that purpose on Tuesday, August 10, at 7 p.m., in the schoolhouse. An Oddfellows' hall will he held in the Prebbleton lown Hall on Wednesday evening, August 11. Mr W. Ctonrie .Johnston will deliver addresses on Sunday next in the Y.M.C.A. Hall, Cambridge terrace, at 3 and 7 p.m. ■ ° An extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the Moa Greek Gold Mining and QuartzCrushing Company will be held at the office of the Company, Ashley street, Hangiora, at 3 p.m. to- . day. ■ Mrs T. A. Hemes, for the Prison Gate Mission Home, begs to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt during the month of one pair of blankets, with tablecloth and towels, from Messrs and Co.; also, one pair of blankets, with towelling from Messrs Bauantyne and Co.; some men's' clothing from anonymous donors, and lib of tea yu>4 a bag of vegetables from friends. J The Master of the Armagh street Depot desires: Jto acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of a sum< fcf money from Dr Eussell, for the purpose of providing the children (inmates therein) with skipping ropes, &c, for their diversion. L Bronchial and pulmonary complaints.— " I have- . led Bonnington's preparation of Irish Moss myself jpnd in my family for many years; for bronchial and' EnlMQoary affections I have never seen its equal.— fSTS. Matthews."—[Abvr.] Hints to Pulpiteees.—Eev Dr Burtoa lately gave this hint to the theological, students in a talk at Tale :—" I tell you,, young gentlemen, a man must have a full head of steam on, and keep his whistleopen wide, or a modern congregation wilt go to sleep over one of his sermons. Timeshave changed, and a preacher cannot pray an hour and then preach an hour, and' then pray another hour, without disgusting a congregation of the present day. You must so conduct your service that an' hour spent in church will not amount toimprisonment." Village Life.—An odd account is given of a village within seven miles of Plymouth, England, with a population of nearly athousand. Newspapers are not delivered; till thirty-four hours after they are printed,, and the delivery of letters is of a very meagre kind. This obliges the inhabitants to resort to all sorts of shifts to obtain "s----bit of news." . Interesting items are- ■ scribbled on pieces of paper by those who travel from Plymouth to Tealmpton, and these are pushed under the doors of leadinginhabitants, who communicate the to their neighbours. The vicar, who receives .£-180 a year, has long been practically past active work, and was not par- ' ticularly active when he had health and strength. Services are conducted in a- ' fashion on Sunday mornings and afternoons, yet they are of such a kind that few beyond the vicar's household attend. Thevicar knows so little of his parishioners - that quite recently he directed that some clothing should be sent from a charity to a man whom he had buried four years ago. London Paupebism.—Census of metro- \ politan paupers, exclusive of lunatics in asylums and'vagrants, taken on the last day of the weeks named hereunder (enumerated inhabitants in 1881, 8,815,000) : Second week of May, 1886—Indoor, 53,272 j. ,*•' outdoor, 37,191;; total, 90,463. (excludingr patients in the fever and amall-pox hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board - T the number x>t these patients on the last day of the week was returned as 260). Second week of May, 1885—Indoor, 52,802 ? outdoor, 34,299; total, 87,101. . Second week of May, 1884—Indoor, 53,10?); ontdoor, 34,651; total, 87,700. Second'week of May, 1883—Indoor, 51,020; outdoor, 37,850; total, 89,470. Vagrants relieved in the metropolis on the last ,day of thesecond week of May, 1886—441 men, x women, 10 children under 16 j total, 624. — Times. Jt Died in Despaie.—The Port Augustas Sk Dispatch says.—" In December, 1884, a* #** man named George King left Tennant's- " Creek for Corella Downs (N.T.) with three , . horses and a black boy named Bob. Bobreturned to Tennant's Creek reporting thatthey had failed tofind water on the journey and had separated, and that King had told him to go and look for water, adding that if he could not find any he would shoothimself. The boy found water after a while, and returned to King, whom hefound dead, and believed to have shothimself. No less than three police partieshave been sent out at various times toBearch for the remains, but have been foiled by drought. News has now been received, however, that a Native having reported coming across the track of a shod horse which from the locality was believed to be King's, Mr M'Coush,of the Buchanan Downs Station, and a telegraph officer from Tennant's Creek, formed a search party and discovered the remains of King, which were identified by his saddle and the spurshe . was wearing. There were no bulletmarks on the body, and the discoverers came to the conclusion that King had died of thirst. The remains were buried where found, about 50 miles from Corella Downs Station." "Greek Politics. Says a writer in Truth: —l have a great liking for the Greeks, and I have always hoped that their kingdom will eventually include all. Thessaly, Epirus, Albania, all the islandsof the Levant, and th at portion of Bounieliawhich ethnologically belongs to them. They are, however, far too intelligent not to perceive that they have been acting foolishly of late. There is a time and a season for everything, and they have been wasting their money and resources at the wrong moment. Their fault seems to have originated in their having selected for their Prime Minister one of' the most blatant humbugs that ever palmed himself on a. nation as astatesman: He has rendered his country , . ridiculous in the face of Europe by hisbluster, his mendacity, and his folly. Fortunately, he is now succeeded by M. Tricoupis, who is by far the ablest of Greek statesmen. It is sincerely to be hoped that the Greeks will give him a united support, and that anyone who ever suggeststhat the destinies of the country shall again be entrusted to M. Delyannis will be consigned to the nearest lunatic establish- . ment. The Tbanscaspian Eailwat.—A correspondent writing from Askabad to the Russki Viedomost (Russian Gazette) says ? —" The construction of the Transcaspian i 'Bailway is progressing rapidly toward* SJMnpletion. The embankment is nearly all Sjeway to Merv, and the rails are already Bid down to Kaakhee, a point about thirtyIrsts distant from the future station of r [ooshek, so that everything is ready for Sening 560 versts of line. The carriage E material and the means for its transport ife both on an extensive scale, and it is- , oped that circulation will be possible up to • w [erv from June 1. At the present moment jgreat activity is being shown in the Smstruction of the bridge over the river ftendghen, which work has been partially welayed through the peculiarly unfavourable nature of the ground forming the bedof the river, in consequence of which it has. been necessary to sink into it.five rows of cast-iron piles, each pile being 63ft in length. At Askabad itself, the future of the Transcaspian railway System, the buildings in connection with ifche railway are rapidly rising. They are--1,11 very elegant structures, and the station. •itself will be after a design by the Acade-. mician TJrlaub, and not unworthy of any town in European Kussia."