LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 228, 15 January 1877, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We observe that a Special Mission Service is t» be held in .St. Luke's Church tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, at 7 o'clock. The occasion is a visit of the Rev. J. JR. Solwyn. who is to he the fmtttre heart of the Meta.nesian Mission. ' Mr. Sclwyn is a son outfit: present eminent Bishop of Lichfield, who was f*>r nearly 30 years Bishop of New Zealand and Metropolitan. A special interest surrounds the Melanestan Mission, on ae„ count of the valuable lives already lairt down in its cause. The first Bishop— Bishop Faterson-—became a martyr to the work which he hart taken front the hands of the pioneer Bishop Selwyn. Mr. J. Sclwyn is 'greatly distinguished in having been nominated as successor to Bishop Paterson. Messrs. Kohter and Bent played to a toterahty hell house on Saturday night, the entertainment, with the exception of some slight changes in the programme!', being the same as before. At the conclusion Mr. Bent announced that they would take a benefit on Tuesday night, when they would have the assistance of several local amateurs*, the performance to f.e under the patronage ot the Volunteers. The monthly inspection of the Volunteers took place on Friday evening last. In the absence of Major Steward, Captain Smnptcr took vomrnanrt. and put them through some battalion movements, at the conclusion of which Cadet-Sergeant Hardy was presented with the silver medal for rifle shooting given by Captain Morton. Some other prizes were given, and the men dismissed. On Saturday Mr. Wand, one of the Kohler and Bent Company, canght a young shark about '2it. long while fishing from the Breakwater. The presence of these brutes in the immediate vicinity of the shore is thns clearly proved, and will serve to put bathers on their guard. Some people take a fiendish delight in making themselves as obnoxious as possible to their fellow creatures. An instance of this eccrtrred on the cricket ground last Saturday. A certain gentleman found himself, although he belonged to both the Damans and Tradesmen's Clubs, debarred from playing on cither side. Bat, as he had come there for cricket, cricket he was determined to have. To this end he pitched a wicket about ten yards from where the scorer and several others were sitting down ; having then procured a friend to bowl to him, he proceeded to play the following sort of game:—On a ball coming near him, he would deliberately turn round with his back to the bowler and his face towards the scorer's party, and try to hit the ball into their midst. Had any of the balls hit any

of those sitting down, the consequences might have been very serious ; but luckily for them the cricket of the objectionable individual was not as good as his intentions, and thus no damage was clone. The match on Saturday terminated in a victory for the O.C.C. by 17 runs, it being decided by the first innings. The O.C.C. scored 57, to which Messrs. Edwards, Sumpter, and Balmer contributed 17,14, and 11 respectively. The Tradesmen got 40, Messrs, M'Kay and Aitken making half that score between them, the former 11, and the latter 9. We understand a return match will be played next Saturday. Mr. William Dochcrty, late of Hokitika, and now of Jackson's Bay, writes to Captain Tnrnbull (says the Olapo Dn'dy Times) to say that while travelling along the coast to Cascade Point, he came across the wreck of what seems to have been a full-rigged ship. Ffe saw two of her lower masts, dressed at the ends to step into a keelson. He also saw snsne of her spars, which he thinks were top-masts or top-gallant masts, but they were much thinned down by the action of the surf, and the beach for a considerable length is strewed with the fragments of the wrack. The ill-fated ship lias evidently been built of cedar. The vessel must have been wrecked off the point, because no wreckage is found anywhere within four miles north of it. Very large portions must be sanded up, for her destruction evidently happened many years ago. *• When one see*." says Mr. Pocherty, " the wreck of a ship on the sea shore under such circumst nues, one feels deeply curious to know something more about her, and hence he draws the attention of Captain Turnbull to the matter. A Wellington telegram to the Bruce lUniJl states that the Armed Constabulary and Police Forces throughout the Colony are to be amalgamated so far as to enable the Government to use the police of both islands with the Constabulary in case of emergency. By this arrangement, the Government can reduce the Constabulary by 13 officers and 200 men, and this reduction is being made as rapidly as possible, while the (pteatiou of the administration of this combined force, and the appointment of officers, is still under the consideration of the Government. On Friday, the question raised by a petition from the Oamaru Presbytery with reference to the introduction of instrumental music in the services of the Church was discussed at great length in the Synod, the whole sitting being taken up with it. The division (says the Gnnr'liun) was of a most able character, ami, considering the wide divergence of opinion and the warmth of the debate, the arguments were, for the most part, urged with great moderation. At eleven o'clock the votes were taken, and a motion in favor of permissive power being given to the churches of introducing instrumental music as an aid to psalmody was carried by a large majority.