Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 113, 23 September 1868, Page 2

Local and General.

V Whaling. — We hear from Akaroa that the boats of Mr Buchanan's fishery, Ikolaki, succeeded in capturing a whale on Thursday last, the 17th inst. This is the second one caught this season, the present capture being a veritable " monster of the deep," said to be the largest ever caught at Ikolaki, as it is estimated to yield from ten to twelve tuns of oil with a proportionate quantity of bone. YThb Half Holiday. — A few gentlemen interested in the promotion of a half-holiday, met at White's H otei last night to discuss the most advisable measures to be adopted. A lengthened conversation took place, and it was ultimately decided to convene a meeting of representatives of 'the various professions and trades in the city, with a view to learning the feelings of employers upon-, the matter. Beyond this, nothing was resolved upon. Lyttelton Borough Council. — A special meeting of the members of the Council took place this morning, the object being to meet the Secretary for Public Works on the matter relating to the erection of a new Resident Magistrate's Court. A long discussion ensued on the matter, but no resolution was passed. It is understood, however, that the Government will build a Resident Magistrate's Court on the ground that is now occupied by the so-named place, and the Council will offer no opposition. Lyttelton Hookand Ladder Bpugade. — The usual weekly practice was held last night, after which a committee meeting Was held. The minutes of the former meeting having been confirmed, the Captain, Mr Roper, brought forward the subject of members not atteudiug the drill. It was resolved that he be authorised to see those members who were irregular, and ascertain whether they intended to belong to the brigade or the fire police. It was decided to hold a committee meeting next Tuesday to discuss the matter more ially. \A Lit ile Jest. — In the House of Representatives, and during the debate on Mr Eox's '< no confidence motion," the folloAving is reported to have taken place : — Mr G. Graham : Would the hon. gentlemau say what crime the natives had committed ? Mr Cracroft Wilson,' C.8., said there had been a cry about meddling with the natives. HtrwS-uicrlilte to'knbw- whether4£jvJbqne of tlw*.i , '3«pejfr£rai*th/hady^ta(&v^ ■vroa^ io^-be* reg-ai'ded-- -^ i^tivj^a^^am^.)""^,!! if any of the ossious portion of Smith the troop ftir Dillon Bell -. Shame ; such a thing is not a fit subject for jest. Road Communication on the Peninsula. — A petition to the Provincial Council is now in course of signature at Akaroa and the Bays, praying that a better line of road than the present oue from Pigeon Bay to the Head of Akaroa harbour, be made. The District Surveyor, Mr R. Townsend, some time since laid out a road between the two places mentioned, which is not only a great deal shorter ! than tiie present, but is also of a far easier gradient, and could be made a cart road ; it is believed that, if made, it would enable any one to travel from Pigeon Bay to the head of Akaroa Bay in less than au hour. Anyone who has had the pleasure (?) of travel-! ling by the present track must know how great a boon a shorter and easier road will be to the inhabitants of the Peninsula, aud we hope to hear of the Government being able to put so useful a work in hand during the present summer. High School Lectures. — Last night Mr Dobson gave the second of his course of lectures on Physical Geography to the pupils of the High School, his Honor the Deputy-Superintendent occupying the chair. After reviewing briefly the leading features of the first lecture, Mr Dobson proceeded to trace the leading routes of the migrations by which the world lias been peopled from the East, shewing that they followed the lines of the rivers aud illustrating by many facts i and anecdotes the common eastern origin of nations between whose language and customs no similarity now exists. Of thcic illustrations perhaps the most ri -ni rkable, was a diagram symbolical of the Holy Trinity the use of which the lecturer .'hewed to have been common over large portion- oi the Christian world, aud by which we are onahled to identity the remains of a building iv North America supposed tn have been erected by the Novth men about the "!!h century, .similar in plan to the round churches Hi' (h. Baltic. The lecturer then pointed out the difference in character between those rivers which occupied the heights of the great continental i«as:as, awl those flowing at right angles io the mountain chains, which generally excavate deep valleys, through which they flow towanl. ihe central trough, their course h.'ing di video into the cascade portion, the torrent portion and the river portion. The lecturer then referred to various conditions of rivers >*uch m those of the plaius of Lombardy, w'nich are banked up al ove the level of the laud, and from which the water is drawn off into canals for irrigation, and of the English feus where the rivers are below the level of high water, and only discharge through sluices on the ebb tide, the surrounding country being drained by canals lying at still lower levels from which the water is pumped up by steam engines and wind sails. "\ r Dobson then described the canons or deep chasms cut by rivers across table land ; referring for examples to the canon of the Colorado in Texas, and the gullies formed by the watercourses between Lake Brunner and the western beach on this island, and contrasted this formation of country with that of South Australia, concluding an interesting lecture, by reading a portion of Henry Kingsley 's " Chapter from the History of Australasian Exploration," describing the mauuer in which the rivers rising ou the 1 estern slopes cf the Blue Mountains, lose themselves iv swamps, and giving the details of the expedition in which Sturt forces his way down the Murrumbidgee and discovered

the great Murray river, a discovery which led to the settlement of South Australia. The lecture was listened^to throughout with much attention, and the lecture was applauded at its conclusion. Meteor. — The following account of a meteor seen at Knrori, August 5, 1869, was given by Mr Baker at the recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society*— -_t about a quarter after seven o'clock on the evening of the Sth August, and while at work in the bush, observed a light very much brighter than the moon, whioh had just ri-ien aud was only two days past the full, shining brightly in a clear sky. The light tippe-ire-l to ba *\ large round bull of fire, ab mt the siz * of the moon, travelling from an e-sterl.*. direction towards the west. The ball of fir. burst, and a portion of it apparently struck the ground at about 50 to 100 yards from my house at Karori. The meteor produced a very strauge feeling upon me, but which I cannot describe. There was a rumbling noise at the time of the descent of the meteor.