Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 43, 3 July 1868, Page 2

Local and General.

MAOwrititui.,— There woro no cases at the Magiatrato'fl Court Hilh morning, Diout CABKB.««l)urlng tho month of Juno, 2Ha summonses for debt woro taken out at tbo Magistrate's Court, Ohrlstchnrohi Tin: Cmutt'i'Oinmoif Pound,— ln a Provincial Gazette, published on Tuesday, it Ih notified that William Henderson bus boon appointed poundkoopor vico Churlos Allison resigned ; the appointment, to dato from July 1. iNfluiuMoi:.— A petition is being handed round in Clirlstohuroh for signature, inviting tho Australian Alliance Company to establish an agency here, and promising tho support of those whoso signatures aro atlaehod, Over ono hundred of the shopkeepers, tradesmen, and householders havo already signed Iho petition, and an aotivo canvass of thoclty will lm mado. Wo havo no doubt, from tho .strong fooling against tho combined companies, that, tbo petition will bo vory numerously signed. , LrouNsrcn Victim M-uns Association.— Tho annual meeting was hold last night at tho City Hotel, Mr Morion, presidont, occupied the chair, nud there was a lurgc atten danco of members. Thn nonrotary rend the niinunl roport, which was dismissed, a flub-oommii-tco being appointed to consider that portion rotating to tho division of subscriptions botweon the protection , and benevolent branches of tho Association, The brtlauco-sh^ot was n«#t rend, nhowing a credit balance of £19 (Is 1 Id, M'riLH, Thomkinii was elootod president j Mr Ruddcnltlau,, treasurer j Mr li, C. Tribe, secretary •, and Messrs Colter, Q, Oram, 0, If. Money, J. W. Morton, and if, Sloe,'standing committee „ j . ■*■ " i

Akiyk iNauiUNcirANnVYiTim SuriViY.— ln conscquenco of the advanced' rates now donianded by tbo Insuranco Companies, most ot tlio tradesmon of Christchurch will -be compelled materially to reduce tbo amount of their policies.- It thorof ore 'becomes tbo duty oil iho liorough Council to do all In ite power to diminlHh the risk of loss from flro, We hopo to sco tbo Council take up this question with vigour, and construct ono or two more wator tanks, In the riiost densely populated purls of iho lown. .Somo "ftutber awlatanoo might also possibly bo; granted to J tlio Fire Brlgado, In ordor to inoroaso lts'oflloionoy. VoMjNTHBii Inspkotion. — 'J'lio usual monthly Inspection of tho Christehuroh Volunteer*, will tako placo at tlio Drill Shed this ovonlng, tlio sovoral corps mustering at 7 o'clock, undor command of Major Wilson who, In tho absonco of Col. Puelce, will conduct Iho proccodlngHi If Gunnor Craigie, of tbo Lyttelton Volunteer Artillery Is In utt«ndiiiioo, tlio cliamplou modal for tlio General Govornmont prize tiring lv this province will bo presented to him, and it is oxpeoted. that tlio monoy prizes for No % district will also be distributed, Members ol! tho several corps aro desired to attond punutual to the appolntod timo, and a strong muster is desired. Piiovinoial Accounts.—-" A Provincial 'Gaxctto published on Tuesday contains a statement of, receipts and expenditure by tho Provincial Treasurer for tbo qnartor ending March 31. ln Hohedulo Aof tlio Appropriation ()rdlnanco-»Ordlnary Expenditure and Immigration Account— tho receipts woro ' £31,707 ISs 7d, and tho expenditure Xl-4,078 8s 7d, In Schedulo Jl— Land and Works General Aooount— tbo roeoipts wero £1020 Gs Id, and tho expenditure. KM,590 7«* lld. In Hchedulo C— Hallway and Harbour Works Acoount— tho rocolpts woro £110,988 18s, and tho expenditure £0283 08, In xSohcdulo D— West Canterbury Goldfields' Account— tlio rocolpts wero £0180 8s 4d, and the oxpondituro, £14,813 3s Od. With regard to this last account) it is necessary to say that the statement Includes all liabilities up to Dooombor 31, 1807. The balance against the provinoo on Dooombor 31, 1807, was £108,103 9s 7d; on Maroh 31, it was roducod to 111 „43 8»8d. Lko n/itij,— Tlio HcV, Charles Fraser delivered a leoturo lv St. Andrew's Church last ovonlng, taking for his subject " Scenes In Palestine," Illustrated by various viows. Tho chair was occupied by Mr W. 1). Cnrruthcrs. The choir having sung tho 20th Paraphrase, iho Rev. Mr, liYasor engaged lv prayer, after which ho began bis discourse Ue said that bis purposo was to givo such a sketch of the Holy Land as might bo usoful, und bu hoped Interesting, to his audience, ns rcadors of the Bible, They would naturally oxpoot that tho subject proßontcd to their notice should havo a bearing ou saored things and sacred history, Tho timo wan, and not long ago, when a vast amount oil apathy prevailed against inquiring into thoso saored associations, or oven tho f gepgraphy of tho Holy Land j and they might all havo hoard of tho story of tbo llttlo girl, who, when spoken to about tho oltlos, mountains and rivers of hor own country, answorod vory Intelligently, but when nslcod about certain , places in Judoa, sho objootod that those wero plaoos only in tbo Bible, not towns In which mou lived, or rlvors on which men piled. It Wan, thoroforo, with a vlow of removing thin feeling of apathy— lf not of al. most ututoneorn — and to givo a connected, though necessarily condensed, history of tlio places of saorod noto, that ho delivered the present leoturo. Now-a-dayn, peoplo know the geography of Palestine perhaps as woll os that Of any other laud, and he apprehonded that his audience would havo little dlflleulty in following him as ho proceeded to point out thoso plaoos of which prominent mention is mado in Scripture. Tho lecturer referred to tho " Wilderness," and to Dr. Oolonso'fl objections that it oould not havo boon abio to maintain all tho peoplo whom Bcripturo aborted had sojourned thorc, but theso objections by tho ex-blshop wero completely overthrown by tho personal observations of Dr .Stanley, who accompanied tho present Prlnco of Wales to , tho Holy Land. Tbo lecturer noxt proceeded to stato tho geographical' position of Palestine Kxcludlng Banks' Peninsula,, and taking tho rango of country from tbo Waitaki in the Houth to tbo Hurunul In the North, and from tho Ninety-mile beach on tlio Kaßt to tho mountain ranges on tlio West, Pules tlno might bo llkonod to tbo province of Canterbury, It wns something lllco 180 miloH long and (10 (in some parts 100) miles broad. It might strike ono very forcibly that a country of such small extent should have been tho soono of so many great events, but If thoy roforrod to Homo, to Greece, to I'hoonloia, to lOgypt (a long and narrow Btrlpo) to Kngland, to , Holland, to Hweden, and many other countries of historical Importance, It would bo found that groat events mid boen produced In limited sphoras.' Mrlfrusornoxt referred to tho general features of tho Holy Land, at some length, and llluitralod his allusions hy views ol' tho habits of the people, of tlio palaces or dwolllngs cut iv tlio Hide of limestone rooks, of tho character of the Arabs to the present day, of tho amphitheatre, of tho first Tyro destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, of tho placo of walling In Jerusalem at. tho prosont day, of the remains of temples, of obelisks, of Babylon, Nlnoveh, &o. Tho lecture was very comprehensibly arranged, and the utmost attention was paid to It from beginning to ond. At tho termination, Mr b'raser wild ho had intended to read out the names of tho children attondlug Sabbath, school, to whom prteos would bo distributed, but ho bad had no time at disposal to prcpnro the IM. However, he would be ready to dlstrlbnto tbo prized noxt Sabbath afternoon, With regard to tho Habbath-flohoul, be might mention that somo teachers wero required. A good allenditnco of children could bo pro. ourQd, but there woro not sullicient teachers to Instruot them, Ho hoped, however, tbat tbo number would bo augmented to its full extent, Tho benediotlon having been given, tho mooting separated.

Nrw Zealand Flax.— Tho supply of the paper-mills in Sydney and Melbourne witb New Zealand flax for conversion into printing paper, is rccolving considerable attention in Auckland. The Provincial Gazette, contains letters on tho subjeot. showing that the raw material can bo supplied at a prico which will command tbo mirkots referred to.

Dkstkuction ov Doos.— Numerous complaints aro being made of tbo poisoning of valuablo dogs within tho most populated portions of tho city, nnd where no danger can possibly bo apprehonded from their depredations amongst Hve or other stock, For the pant threo weeks, ut Joint a dozen favourite animals havo been destroyed in this manner, witbin ii few yards of their own homos, and none of thorn wero noted for vicious habits, but wero principally old and well tried. Howards havo boon offered for the discovery of tho guilty persons. X'LiTßiunr iNSTiTOTn.UThonnnual general meeting of members wtfs held last evening, lv the reading room, Mr R,«B, Bishop, vicepresident, occupied tlio chair, The attendance of members/was somewhat seamy. After tho minutes' of tho preTious mooting had been confirmed, tho balanco sheet nnd report were read, From tho former it ap« poarcd that tboro was a credit b'dauco of £3 9s,od, aftor mooting all liabilities, with thtr'cxcoptlon of Intorosc to shareholders. The report and bianco sheet woro adopted. The following officers w«re tho» elected t— President— His Honor tho Superintendent} vlco'prcsidont — tho Hoy Charles Frasor $ treasuror— Mr J. G. Hawkos { librarianMr 11, 11, Prins j secretary— Mr E. Donham { committee— Mcasra E. B, Bishop, 10. Preston, .T.L, Wlthuall, H, B. Alport, H. Wood, W. Jones, and L. Powell. A vote Ot thanks was given to tho retiring oflleora. •pTiiE Uauavats.— Coniidorablo disappointttmit nnd,lnconvcnlonco was oreated to-day, in consequence of tho Irofllc on tho Lyttelton and Christohuroh railway having been stopped by Messrs Holmes and Co. His Honor tbe .Suportntondent wroto to tho contractors demanding possession on the Ist August, and Messrs Holmes and Co, announco in nnswer that thoy intended at onco to cloio up tbe lino. And so mallow stand. An Executive meeting wns hold this morning, but wo nre not awaro of what transpired, or tho courso which tho Govornmont Intends taking. Tho excitement In Lyttelton, till* morning waa vory groat| numbors of persons proceeded to tbo station, bound for Christchurch, and had to roturn. Tho Timet oflico was crowded with enquirers, and a nolico posted outsido tho Post oflico was besieged with merchants and clerks waiting for letters, ond wondering how thoy would bo able to obtain them, Soon aftor twolvo o'clook, Carnoy's cart camo Into Port, loaded with possongers, and Cobb and Co. havo also put on ooaches. A Whitby Ki.orKMKNT,— A short timo ago considerable excitement prevailed among tho passengers by tho first traiu from Whitby to Malton, in conscquonco of tbo elopement of a man named Keen with a young woman, said to bo a farmor's , daughter. It seems that ho had been paoylng his addresses to two girls, both of whom appeared at tbo Whitby ; station | with ono ho wished to bo " ofT," and botweon Whitby and Grosmont Junction somo arrangement had been como to, and I the gay Lothario was freo to join tho lady of ! his ultimate choice With her ho proceeded to Mai ton station, Boforo arrival, however, tho following telegram bad beon received at Malton ;— "First train. Sco gentleman called Keen. Married man, Klopcd with lady. Tell ids friends nt Malton, Bee guard. Reply back paid for." This nows spread liko wildfire, and being tho busiest part of tho day, tho truant pair, on boing recognised, became the "observed o£ all observers." Thoy Immediately took refuge in the refresh-mont-rooms, whoro thoy wero regarded as being a nowly-marricd couplo, and much indignation was ovinccd by tho ladies behind the counter at tho impertinent intrusion of tho outsiders on tho supposed bridal pair. The lady was tho bravest of tho two by far, tho gontlomau being quito overcome. Whereover tbey appoarcd thoy wero followed by tho crowd. Thoy begged bard for a fuir start, and finally left by the London train. As soon us tbo train wna gono the following reply was sent to Whitby :— " Runaway pair aro recognised, Wouldn't soparato. Very happy. Gono forward to London. Bogged hard for start beforo telegraphing back to Whitby."

Wustkun AuftTitAMA,— The Perth Inquirer writes !— ■" Tho most valuablo mother-of-pearl Hholls aro loomed along our seaboard. Largo quantities hnYo been found, their valuo tested in the Kngllsh market, and the highest prices known obtained. They arc said to bo precisely the same description of shell, with tbo samo coloured edges nnd beautiful rainbow tint, supplied by Manilla and .Solon (on tho cast coast of Borneo), and worth £140 to £180 per ton, Stretching ovor our northern coast, wo believe that the field of these shells is all but boundless, and their quantity beyond ali estimation. Thoy aro certainly not now tbiims on thoso shores, if new to us, Tho settlers found that the natives bad long appropriated them as an articlo of dress, after their primitive fashion, just 0s Columbus ' found tho natives of tlio New World wearing virgin gold ns an orna. ment. Nor is it alono ou this particular flrctolit.ifl shell that our enterprise ne«d depend, All motbor-o'.pourl shells have a market Yaluo in Kngland, which should afford a large return, Tim smallest shells, a varied tint ami not larger than native oystcr-shuH*, If kept from huh and air and packed fueedownwarda, arc worth X3/5 to £45 por ton in Kngland, Tlio Panama sholl is of this class, and finds | a ready market at homo, 'i ben thero is [ another clnss, somewhat larger, with black \ edges, similar to thotfe found near the Houth Sea Islands, worth £*R to £30 per ton, The pcarNsholl is so much in demand, aud vow enters into so many brandies of industry throughout Kurope, that it may bo said to rank high amongst tho raw material of manufacture, and Us market value is subject to llttlo fluctuation.

Bankruptcy/.— T. B. Bain, lato Magistrate's Clerk, and John Brook, of Spring's Track, farmer, havo filed declarations ia accordance with tho Bankruptcy Act, 1867, that they are unablo to meet their engagements with their creditors. Mr Slater Is solicitor for the first-named, and Mr Wynn Williams, for tbe latter bankrupt. Lroil— His Honor Mr Justice Gre-ason sat in tho Court Chambers at 1 1 o'clock I thii morning. Twentyman nnd Another v. '-. j Berliner— On last Chamber day, a motion was made by Mr CowlUhaw to review tho Registrar's taxation, in order tbat the cost of tbo writ of arrest might bo included ia tho coata of tho cause. The application was re- V stated by Mr Wynn Williams,, who contended i j that the cost of the capias could not be made costs of the cause, as it was clearly a collateral proceeding. Ills Honor aow gavo judgment that tho costs ot tho writ of or*, rest, being collateral, could not bo mado costs of tho cause. The taxing master had nrrived at a right conclusion, and tho motion must therefore bo refused, with, costs,— Lcaoh v. Dudley nnd Others— This was an adjourned application by Mr Slater for a rule uin to dismiss tbe action for want of prosecu- i tion. Tho cose was further adjourned for a month, on tho application of Mr Wynn Williams, nothing atid oa to costs.— lU James Adams, deceased— Mr Harper's appli* cation for administration t» curator was adjourned. He John Dilloway, deceased j on tho application of Mr J. S. Williams, probate was granted to tiio widow, leave being reserved to tho two other executors named in V Vie will, — r«owtber v, Birmingham —Mr Wynn Williams, on behalf of Mr DOyly, i applied for n rule nisi to show causa why the action ahould not bo dismissed witbout costs. Ills Honor granted tbo rule.— Rhodes and others v, Koblnson— This caso came on for argument on demurrer. Mr n«rper In support, and Mr Garrick contra. His Ilouor deferred judgment. ANOTHER MTSTEttY IN LONDON, — A tragedy which for a timo seemed as alarming ao tho disappearance of Mr Spoke, bas : recently given rise to much embarrassment X in the neighbourhood of Victoria-park. Somo V unfinished houses there had been boarded up \ sinco Christmas. About a fortnight ago the builder's carman, having been sent thero bj . j his master, discovered tho body of a man in j an advanced stage of decomposition. The 1 appearance of tlio deceased indicated that he j belonged to the better class of society, but j different portions of his dress bore tbe diverse - names of Heasman and Harnett. In tho cupboard where his body was discovered was a phial which had evidently contained lauda- •, num, but bis person 1 bore apparent marks of -* violence, and near him lay an old boot and | coat, supposed to havo belonged to his mar> i dercrs, As there were no indications of a J struggle about tbo place, it became evident * that, if the unfortunate man bad met with \ foul play, his enemies must havo contrived to j carry his corpse through the streets to its j placo of concealment. That view of the j case created for some days considerable \ alarm, Fortunately, however, investigation proved that self-murder was tbe only crime committed. An examination of the contents of tho stomach shewed that the poor man f had died from tho effects of poison, and the ; appearances which seemed to Indicate violence t were proved to bo the ordinary results ot decomposition. But the moat marvellous \ part of tho ghastly story is the remarkable ! contest respecting tho identity of tha ! doeemed. There were no fewer than : threo claimants. First, Dr Kills, ot ; St Luke's Asylum, claimed tbe body as that of a patient; a Mr* Banks dedared that it was that of her husband, who bad been missing for three montbs j and a third person produced a photograph which had a striking likeness to the deceased. Of ' these threo claimants, thero is now no donbt that the first was right ; though Mrs Banks, beforo seeing the corpse, deposed to a peculiar scar, a counterpart of which was actually found on the right forefinger, But the evtdenco adduced by Dr Kills was irresistible. He swore that deceased was a patient named Heasman, who bad been under his care for about two years, and who, on the Ist February last, escaped from tbo asylum, taking somo clothes of bis own and some belong- "■ ing to a fellow-patient named Harnett, Near tho dead was found a Star\ of January 31st; and a carponter, *^ mimed Price, swore that about the date in f question ho had noticed the deceased sitting on a heap of gravel near tho bouse where the body was found. On that occasion, Heasman talked incoherently about religious matters, and Price bad no doubt as to his identity. Mrs Heasman, who loses a pension of £100 n-ycar by her husband's death, also identified the corpse as his. This case, like the disappearance of Mr Speke, brings to light a knowledge of the great number of persons who in London nre continually vanishing mysteriously from tho sight of their friends, Besides tbo three, claimants of Heasman'corpno nlrendy referred to, many other persons came to view it, hoping to rccogniso in it tbo lineaments of some lost ono, *■'" * 1 1 ■ i . in.—.