CHRISTCHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1162, 7 March 1874, Page 12

CHRISTCHURCH.

(from our own correspondent.) A highly- interesting presentation came off the other day at Kaiapoi. Mr C. E. Dudley, son of Dr Dudley, a very old settlor, among other acquirements, is master of the art of swimming, and, by his indomitable pluck, has succeeded on different occasions in saving several people from drowning. On the last occasion, though he had been sufferin<» from a severe attack of low fever, and could scarcely walk, the moment that he heard a boy was in the river, ho dived after him, but only succeeded in obtaining the lifeless body, .after which he himself had to be carried out of the water, and fainted away. At the inquest the jury recommended that application should be made to the lloyal Humane Society for their medal to Mr Dudley. Subscriptions in the meantime were collected, and a tea and coffee service and clock wero publicly presented to him hi recognition of his gallant conduct on so many different occasions. Mr Dudley, in acknowledging the compliment, said that he hoped teaching the children to swim would be part of the business of their public schools — as it might save him getting a wetting.

Upon the Waimakariri are some islands, which are considered by the coynoveenth as peculiarly favourable to the rearing and preservation of game. Accordingly, a party of gentlemen have formed themselves into a kind of private company to work these islands as a preserve, and have advertised for a competent gamekeeper. Colonel Packe, our chiof ranger, in connection with the Acclimatisation Society, is, I am informed, the loading mover in the project, and from all accounts those who have gone in to the affair mean business, and success seems likely to crown their endeavours.

Dr Haast sent over to the Tasmanian Museum a skeleton of the moa, and I understand that it is now in position, and is a great source of attraction. There are certain structures in this place that, if they are not shortly taken down, will take the matter into their own hands, and fall down. As an instance, a bonded warehouse in the occupation of Messrs Wood, Sliand, and Co., is in a very critical condition, and a summons has been issued against them by the authorities. It might be as well to appoint an Inspector of Buildings, as 1 could point to several very ugly cracks and most awkward displacements, caused probably by earthquakes, which ought not to remain another hour in their present state.

The brewers are up a tree. They are to comply to the letter to a bye-law prohibiting them from letting any offensive liquid matter ilow from their premises into any channels under the supervision of the City Council. They are recommended to deodorise it. The scent arising from the Ferry "Road drain on account of these gentlemen was quite a bouquet, and to use the words of a local wag, "The murmuring of the wavelets of the Ferry Iload drain is like unto the music of the spheres aadit-s-mell-odious." A great stir is being made against tho absurd plan that has been obtaining hero of only removing letters from tho various Post Office receiving-boxes, and instances are known where strangers, not knowing the custom, have put papers there which have never reached their destination, and probably never will. However, now that public attention is called to this absurd restriction, it will no doubt bo done away with.

The other night one of tho most hairbreadth escapes from a disastrous fire that I have ever hoard of occurred hero in a part of the town where, if the flames had mado any headway at all, would have caused a tremendous conflagration, and highly probably the loss of more than one life. A friend of mme — in company, I am afraid, with many hundreds in these Colonies — has contracted a habit of readiug himself to sleep, and very often ha has told mo tho signal to put the candle out, placed close to his bedside, has boon tho falling of tho book from his hand to tho floor aftor ho had dozed off. But on thia occasion

something else woke him up. The candle, fixed in a common tin bedroom candlestick, had burnt down to the socket, melted the soldering, by which the burning wick had fallen through the tube, and indeed through the candlestick itself, and set fire to the canebottomed chair, and the sound that woke up my friend was from the ffaming hole in the chair becoming so large that it no longer held the candlestick, which fell flop on the floor. He sprang out of bed, and by dint of some exertion, and more presence of mind, succeeded iv extinguishing the fire, without doing any further damage than burning nearly the whole bottom out of the chair and spoiling the candlestick. He was sleeping with a little boy five or six years old, and assured me that had the flames caught the bedclothes, he felt convinced that they would both have been burned to death. It strikes me very forcibly that ever since then he has put out the caudle before he got into bod, nnd I hope it will not only be a lesson to him, but a warning to those of your readers who have contracted the habit of reading ia bed with an unguarded candle at their bedside.

Our supply of fish for a long time has been very precarious. But little is caught in port, and Lake Ellesmere, which used to afford a constant supply of excellent flounders, is no longer bountifiul ; and the Deep Sea Fishing Company is not a success. Trie frequency of cases of madness arising from excessive drinking are becoming quite alarming ; some showing a great inclination for murder or breaking things generally, and others appearing to have taken a predilection for wandering about in a state of nature. I attribute it all to the poisonous compounds that are allowed to be retailed under the names of brandy, rutn, gin, and whisky. However, it is a comfort to know that many people who cannot afford to purchase spirits wholesale at respectable houses are foregoing the use of them altogether, rather than trust their lives to the retnil vendors. The licensed victuallers may imagine that they are leading the public by the nose, aud that every other interest under the sun must be subser. vient to their own ; iv other words, that they are to rule the roost in perpetuity. But unless they leave off doctoring their grog they will soon find — if not that their occupation is gone, at least, that their power is so cripj^led that they will have to draw in the horns of their present overweening despotism. It is quite possible for the public fully to appreciate the force of the proverb — "jiequid nimis" — and to bring it to bear upon the question of adulteration, not only of spirits, but of beer. With re* gard to the beer, I can only say that after I had witnessed a strong dose of saltpetre put into a hogshead of colonial the other day, I did not trouble that publican to draw me any from that hogshead, howover much the contents might have been improved by the addition. t Governor Weld is now here, but his move* rnents appear to be strictly private ; and as I do not happen to have any friend behind the scenes to afford me any information on the subject, I must satisfy myself by recording the bare fact of his presence.

Somelittleexcitementhasbeencausedlately by an enquiry into certain alleged malpractices of the officials at the Addington Gaol, more especially with regard to their supplying the inmates with liquor. But after all, the charges were not substantiated ; but some facts came out which show a not very satisfactory state of things. It appears, for instance, that a workman while engaged in the gaol had frequent intercourse with the prisoners. Then again, when the doctor that attended the gaol ordered medical comforts they were obtained from the nearest public house, because there was no stock kept on the premises, and the hotel-keeper stated that the warders' children generally came for what was wanted, and brought orders from their father, and these were squared off at the end of the month ! From these facts it would appear that there is room for improvement in tlic working of the above-named establishment.

The monstrous sized eels that are to bo found in the rivers here are proverbial. But on the Heathcote is a malthouse. and, I presume, there they fatten to perfection. At all events, a woman living near the locality in question, and having a number of ducks, was surprised the other day to notice ono of them kicking up somo extraordinary capers with its legs in the air, aud its head under tho water. As it was near the side the woman reached the legs of tho duck and began pulling them, thinking that the head was entangled in weeds. But she tugged and tugged, and all to no purpose, until the no ak suddenly gave way, the head being down the gullet of a huge eel which she just caught sight of, and which sho stated to have been as thick as a man's thigh. Imagine the situation !

Historical I— Vide " Jurors' Reports and Awards, New Zealand Exhibition.' Jurors : J A. Ewen, J. Butterworth, T. C. Skinner. "So far as the Colony is concerned, tho dyein» of materials is almost entire!; confined to tho re-dyeing of Articles of Dress and Upholstery, a most useful art, for there are many kinds of material that lose their colour before tho texture is half worn. G. Hrascii, of Duuedin (Dunedin Dye Works, George stroet, opposite Royal George Hotel), exhibits a case of specimens of dyed Wools, Silks, and Feathers, aud dyed Sheepskins. The colours on the whole are very fair, and reflect considerable credit on tho Exhibitor, to whom tho Jurors recommended an Honorary Certificate should be award ad. Honorary Certificate, C 39:3 9: Gustav Hirsch, Dunodin, for Specimen of Dyeing in Silk, Feathors, &o.