Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 58, 21 July 1868, Page 2

Local and General.

*«-*»*rtMi**w'Ji Ma ani* Mita Hall,— Mr and Mrs J, L, riall aro now on (ho Thames 'goldfleld. Thoy mado their first; appearanco In Hhortland township Homo days ago, nnd tho room in whieb thoy porformed was literally crammed, Hankuiji'tov, — Thomas Kollaway, tailor, of Lyttelton, law filed a declaration in pursuance of iho Bankruptcy Act, 1807, that ho is imablo to moot; bis oiig-igcmontfl with, his creditors, Mr Jlamford ia aolleltor for tho bankrupt, Lytti-lton Voi.u.wkmii TJavo. —Wo are glad lo nolleo Iho eonllnuod improvement; made hy Ibis band. Tboy woro prcsonfc at the adjutant's parado on 'Monday night, and played some excellent muslo • great credit; Is duo lo Mr Combes, Kaiapoi Insti'l'ii'i 1 !'., — An exhibition of dissolving vlowfl will tako jilaco at thia instltii/o f,o*morrow ovoning, Tho vlowa to bo exhibited aro of remarkable excellence,' and suporior Io anything of the kind over witnessed In Kaiapoi, Tho views will bo accompanied by nolecllonn of appropriate music. C.it.'V., No. /'.—This Company paraded last night afc tho Orderly Hoom, Charles atreet, and proceeded Ihcncoto tho Kaikaluul Hotel, whero a gonoral meeting for tho ol eetion of an Knslgii, vice Mr G. C. Black, resigned, took place, (iiptain Boswick in the chair, Tho candldafoa for thia honour wero Sergeant I'orrln and Corporal Craig, ihe •former gentleman retiring, Corjioral Craig was declared elected unanimously. LYTTULTON VOLIJNTJ*)*!' AllTJLLmiY.— Tlio usual adjutant's monlhly parado look place last ('veiling* there was a good attendauco of nioiuhei-s, After going through the batlory drill, Major Hookes addressed the corps, and read iho correspondence botweon the ofllcor In command of Iho Lyttolton Volunteer Artillery and Iho commanding ollleer of the district, respecting alleged Improper behaviour of Sergeant Alwrlgbt, Gunners Wilcox and .Jenkins • also, a letter from Colonel llaiiltolii, coinciding with (lie opinion of the commanding ofllcor of tho diatrlot — T-lliat/ tbey bo dismissed iho service, LjjA. Cool Thick.— Yesterday afternoon, a I man. evidently in the exlreinlly of poverty, and having his loft arm in a sling, was noticed loitering about In front of the Hunk ol! Now Zealand, In Colombo atreet, Ho appeared to bo walling for some one, and this was shortly 'after explained by Iho appearance of a policeman, whom he no sooner espied turning the corner than ho look up a stone and threw it deliberately through one of the Jarge glass windows, lie \ya», as a mallei* of courso, at onco taken Into custody 1 and, In reply to a question, said ho bad not Iho slightest objection'to bo sent to gaol, but rather the contrary, Such unwarranted damage to properly can only nierll one, reward, D hat 1 1 or an Old Skttlku.— Jl is our painful duly lo record the death of ono of our oldest and most respected colonists, Mr Thomas Hassul, of Kalupol, The deceased gentleman was tho oldest resident settler on tho Kaiapoi Island, having nettled thoro with five or six others in lt__2--alxtcen years ainco; whcro, until lately, ho has followed tho occupation of farming, Mr Hassal carried the first mall between Kaiapoi and Christchuroh, Ills death was by no menus unoxpcotcd,hohavlng been au/Foriiigforalong timo from dropsy, to which bo succumbed on Saturday Jasl, tbo 18th Instant, Tiio funeral took placo lo day, and was Humorously attondod by friends from Chrlfltehureh and tbo immediate neighbourhood,

l.KarßTUAiig.— Tlio following gentlemen havo boon appointed Hegistrars of births, deaths, and ■'marriages *.-— Il, Woolleombo. for Timaru j Roy, L, L. Drown, for Gcraidmo * and G, M, Hablngton. for Waimate. Mr 11. Bel field, is appointed a Deputy llegistrar for tbo Timaru district. Vor,UNTi*i"iiß.— llia Excellency has acoepted tbo services of tho St John's Cadet Corns, and Messrs Trcvatt and A. Geo aro appointed honorary Captain and Lieutenant respectively.- Tho resignations of Knslgn G. 11, IMaoJc, of No 6 company, and Ensign W. W. UcswJelc of No 7 company, are accepted. No. 7j!ompany is disbanded. or Plants.— A simple and Ingenious method of transporting small plants, has bcon adopted by Mr I>\ V. Butler, of Southland, in forwarding to iho Acclimatisation Socioty hero Home plants of tho beautiful " Gloiehenin Cunningbami," or native umbrella fern. Tho roots were cnvolopcd in oiled calico, bound together with throo sticks protecting tlio whole of the plants, whleh arrived in safely by Fust in the shape of a brown paper parcel. Fatal Aoci»knt.—\V euro sorry lo record an accident/ which happened yesterday lo a child named Ilonry Phillips Meyer, son of Joseph Meyer, bnlhwlmnn, of Lyttelton. It appears tho child was missed, and search was mado at various houses without success. Ho was o vou tually discovered Moating in Iho well near tho house. Medical assistance was at onco procured, but Iho child bad evidently been dead somo time before ho was found by bis parents. SrLVKU TnowjoL.— Messrs Coales of Colombo street have manufactured a very elegant nnd chastely designed trowel, lo be used In laying the foundation siono of St. Mary's Church, Timaru. It is seven inches hi length, and with the exception of a small neatly turned totara handle, is composed entirely of! silver, The upper face of the blade la very beautifully engraved, having an open space In which ls the following inscription, ■< Presented by tho .Building Committeo of'tho now church ol! St, Mary's, Timaru, N.J.,, to James Field Crawford, AY, M. of tho Lodge of St, John, on Iho oeetution of his laying tho foundation etono. 22nd of July." The wholo work evinces Iho most careful manipulation and finish, although tho order was not received by Messrs Coales until Saturday -morning lost, and tho limo for executing It was consequently very limited. Tin* ittlO Clausi:. — Tbo committeo appointed to forward tho potitlon praying for tho amendment ol! this clause by substitution of. n lev JJIO have received official noiltlcatlon of Hs rejection, A copy of tho Public Potitlon Committee's report Is enclosed. It says "Thoro cannot bo a doubt but the polltiou'ls a genuine one, and that J t emanates from, lho persons whoso signalmen It bears, but In several Instances anumfi tlio signatures It violates Standing Orders of the Houso of licprfiHcntatlvos, Nos. 2155 and 202, and consequently Iho committeo cannot recommend tho Houso to entertain the prayer of the poHlloncrs as contained In tho present potitlon," Tho report is signed by J. C. Wilson, C.8., as Chairman of tho Committee, and iv a privato nolo bo recommends I hat the petition should bo amended- and returned at tbo earliest opportunity. Thi*), wo understand Is not likely to bo done, as tho gentlemen who previously exerted themselves in preparing ft, do not intend lo tako further litcps in tbo mattor, IfowNW J)«owm«i>,— ■ Shortly bofore twolvo o'clock this morning one of tho workmen employed by tho Uorough Council in clearing the river, discovered tho body of a man lying faco downwards In about four feet of water, immediately below Slovens' mil), near Iho Carlton Hotel, In formation was at onco despatched to the police, who, on arrival removed the body to the latter place, where It now lies awaiting tbe Inquest, From enquiries, wo learn that the deceased's name was Walls, and that up to Friday ho was employed at the mill above-mentioned. On that day whilst at work, his hat was blown off by iho wind, and ho was seen to follow il, which is Iho last known of him allvo,- lie did not return lo tho mill, but being often In the habit of going away for a day or two together, no Inquiry was mado for hliii. Wo understand tliat ho Ims been but a fow months in the province, aud Is a miR-rlcd man, When found, his trousers wero rolled up lo Iho knees, and Ills shirtsleeves up to Iho elbows, just as tboy were when ho was at work. Oin-iiAN Asylum,— ll Is hut 100 painfully known Unit the funds of Ibis Institution are not In so flourishing a condition as could bo desired, and any oll'ort, therefore, lo placo them on a belter fooling, must meet with the approval of tbo truly benevolent amongst us. Mr llowlcy is now engaged In making arrangements for a concert, lo bo given by himself and family in tho course of a fortnight,, and as tho proceeds aro lo bo dovoted solely to tho Orphanage, wo have no reason to doubt that the public of Clirlslehureh will respond to Iho appeal quite as nobly as thoy liavo hitherto dono. Mr Ilowley lias beeu promised that all tho neeesf-ary printing will be dono free of charge, and tiio Town Hall wjll bo placed at his disposal at the minimum charge of a guinea, Consequently Iho amount realised will In all probability bo considerable. Ho has also secured the patronage of Ids Honor tho Superintendent, Mr Montgomery, Deputy Superintendent, the Executive Council, tho Mayor of Christchurch, and Councillors, tho 'members of the Orphanage Committeo, bosldca tlio earnest co-operation of many influential citizens, Our readers will agree with us that It is high time something should bo dono to provide for tho increasing requirements of tho institution, when thoy aro told that tlicro arc no less than, 120 poor orphans,- whom it Is at present impossible to admit, and who must remain outside until tbo charily of the public pro* vldcs for their accommodation. The proposed entertainment has our heartfelt wishes for its success, nnd wo know our readers will join in tbto sentiment,

I *-I*'inK.— Wo regret to hcivr tliat a largo number of sheep belonging to his Honor Mr Justice Grcsson have been destroyed hy Arc. Tho grass caught flro (through what cause lias not yet been ascertained), and was consumed to iho extent of 000 acres, The sheep, instead of running from the approaching danger, huddled together and woro consumed. Itf-.OISTIIATIOX AND MAimiAOl* ACTS. — j Uy a New Zealand Gasette published on July I«, wo Icai-n that the districts formerly ! known as tho Timaru and Gcraldlnc, under j tho ■• Registration Act, 1858, and tbo " Marriage Act Amendment Act, 1853 "are now divided into tho Waimate, Timaru, and Gcraldhio districts, for the purposes of the Acts referred to. Tun Tiia-ibs Diggings.— Mr J. L. null has written to au ncfiuaintaucc in Chrb-t---ehuroh, rolallvo to theso digging.. In his letter ho gives a most encouraging account of tho Held j states that ho bas been on Hunt's claim, and was astonished on beholding the extreme richness of the stone. Mr Hall has been on most of tho diggings in Australia ; and after liotiiiß tills fact, ho assures his friend that the Thames diggings arc iho richest that bo bas ever visited. Another private letter contains the following: — "Tito Thames goldflcld is nearly certain to bo one of tho richest, as a quart- Held, ever discovered in tlio world. Tlicro is no exaggeration in tbo reports of (be richness of (be deposits. The Melbourne firms are sending over crushing machinery, which will be a great boon to tbo diggers, their present appliances being very indifferent. Everybody Is in high glco about the Thames, and if they continue to strike gold as (bey aro doing now, the North will completely outstrip tho South this summer.-" Si'.vdav School An.mveiisaiiy. — The anniversary tea meeting in connexion with the Methodist Church, St. Asaph street, was held in that church last evening, There was a pretty good attendance. After tea, prayers were said by tho Uov M. Uaxtor • and the Kov T. It. Fisher addressed the meeting, con* lining bin remarks principally io the benefits accruing to the rising generation from the system of Sunday School teaching. Ho did not mean to contend tliat somo improve*, ment might not bo adopted in the present method, but in (ho mid-it of all tliat lind been urged against it, no ono had suggested any belter system of imparting religious instruction to tho young. Mi* Clarkson, on behalf of tho secretary, informed tho meeting of the position in which matters stood, , On the I ilth November, 18(57, tho following wero appointed as the Sunday Sohool Committee :— Tho Hey T. I-t, Fisher, president ; Messrs Fletcher, Caygill, Otway (hon. sec), Emerson, and Clarkson. Last year, seven teacher*" attended In tho morning, and eight in the evening* and tho average attendance of scholars iv tho morning wns forty, nnd in tho evening forty-live. Now tlio lonelier- numbered twelve, and the scholars eighty-two. Tho committee decided on paying M a-ycar tw rent Into the Church fund, and had contributed ten shillings to tho Sunday School Union, and after deducting all expenses tlicro remained a balance in hand of 10s 11 id, Tho meeting was afterwards addressed by tbo llov M. Baxter, and various member** of the eongrogration. _.I...i — — — — ■-— », >i-<i»u---—__ ua.-i.iwm