Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 136, 19 October 1868, Page 2

Local and General.

♦ Tea Meeting. — A tea meeting will take place in the New Church, Montreal street, to-morrow evening. Anniversary Ball. — The anniversary ball of the Prince Alfred Quadrille class will take place iv the Foresters' Hall, on Thursday next. Y-Thkatrb Kovai, — We hear that this place will be re-opened in the course of two or three weeks. The company will be composed of members at present performing at the Dunedin theatre. Christchurch will previously be visited by the Japanese troupe, recently arrived at Invercargili from Melbourne. T-Wateking the Streets. — The Borough Council have made satisfactory terms with the Government for sinking the artesian wells in Cathedral square, and work was commenced this morning. The site selected j is on the extreme western side of the square, and directly facing Worcester street. For | general convenience and advantageous position, a better certainly could not have been selected. \Q3artiiquake. — About 12.13 last night a shriek of earthquake was experienced in Christchurch. The vibration was not very violent, but it was sufficient to cause the lamps in this office to swing to and fro for a considerable time. It was distinctly felt also at Kaiapoi and Saltwater Creek, and our Kaiapoi correspondent informs us also that a second shock was experienced shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday Address. — The Rev. W. J.Habens delivered another address at the Theatre Royal, yesterday afternoon, before a numerous audience, .\fter the 100 th psalm had been sung, the rev. ceutleman read the last chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. He then delivered a somewhat logical discourse on the subject " Sowing and Reaping," ih the course of which he desired to impress upon his audience the belief, that while the physical law was fixed and constant, it was, so to speak, subsidiary to the moral law, which was absolute. If the Rev. gentleman did not sno.oGpcl in impressing his auditory with this maxim, he had at least their attention to the arguments which he imported. Kaiapoi Crick.-: r Club. — A scratch match between members of this club took place on Saturday last, in the Kaikaiuui paddock. A meeting was held immediately aterwards, when about 25 persons joined for the ensuing season. Mr J. Birch was elected president, Mr Porter vice-president, and Mr C E. Dudley hon. sec. Messrs C. Barker, J. C. Boddington, 11. Hinge, W. H. E. Pinching, E. Revel 1, and R. Wright, were elected as a managing committee. The secretary announced the receipt of a challenge from the Ellesmere Club, which it was resolved to decline for the present. It was resolved to challenge the Oxford Club to play a match within three weeks, at Messent's. Mr Harris kindly placed his paddock at the disposal of the club ; in return the club paid him the compliment of electing him an honorary membe< , and the meeting separated after passing sundry accounts, which were ordered to be paid. Heathcote Scuool.— A meeting of the ratepayers and householders in the Heathcote district was held in the schoolroom, Ferry Road, on Tuesday last, for the purpose of receiving the report of the retiring committee, and electing a fresh committee for the ensuing year. Mr J. H. Hopkins was moved to the chair. The report showed _ decided improvement in the attendance and income of the school; there waa a balance in hand of £25 odd. The committee also reported that they had purchased the piece of ground fronting the schoolhouse, so that a direct entrance to it from the road might be obtained; it would also answer as a playground for the children. *I'he meeting then elected the following committee for the ensuing year: — Dr Willis, Messrs. J. D. Bamford, Hopkins, William Langdowne, A. Silk, Bowers, Courtenay, and Brimicombe. The first meeting of the committee wiU be held at the same place, at 7 o'clock, to-mor-row evening, for the purpose of electing a chairman, and transacting other business connected with the school. Lincoln Fair. — This fair, which will be held to-morrow at the Wheatsheaf, promises to be as successful as its most sanguine promoters might desire. The entries comprise upwards of 2000 sheep and KiOhead of cattle. It is not surprising that farmers should encourage the establishment of the mode in which almost the whole of the cattle trade of England is carried on, when it is understood that the large expenses attendant upon sales by auction will be reduced to a minimum —a most important consideration to the fanner in these times. Another anticipated advantage i.s, that the fairs will be the means of giving tlie farmers and their sons an insight iuto a branch of their business from which they have hitherto been almost precluded. It is also asserted that the loss sustained by driving dairy stock and store sheep long distances to auction, will be prevented by holding periodical fairs in the various districts.

Japanese Troupe. — Lenton and Smith's celebrated troupe, who have been performing in Sydney, arrived in the Otago, and are now performing at Invercargili. Lyttelton Benevolent Aid Society — The annual meeting of this society will be held in the Colonists' Hall to-morrow evening. His Worship the Mayor will take the chair. The Choral Society have kindly given their services, and will sing several part songs. The ' arandinis — The Melbourne Evening Star is responsible for the following : — lt is rumoured that the husband of Madame Carandini, the well-known singer, will return to l-urope by the Great Britain, to resume his title and estate in Italy, the edict of outlawry against him for the part he took in the political troubles of that country having been revoked. Next Harvest. — The Otago Daily Times of October 15 reports : — From reliable information, gleaned in the Lake district (writes our special reporter), I am in a position to say that the wheat crop for the ensuing season will be somewhere about 3..,000 bushels. i'nis i- equal to fifty per cent, more than it was hist year. 1 have heard no estimate placed upon either the oat or root crops, but both are talked about as likely to be larger than they were last season. I.TTTELTON' {Sabbath Sen or. Union. — On Friday evening the usual monthly meeting ■was held in the High School, the Rev. J. Macintosh in the chair. Mr R. England read a most interesting paper on the routine of exercises for a Sabbath School. There being no grounds for discussiou in the address, the subject was merely spoken to by all the members present. In order that a larger number of Sabbath School teachers might be induced to attend, it was agreed to alter the hour of meeting during the summer months irom 7 to 7.30 p.m. ""^nT he Telegraph. — We hear that the damage done by the gale of the ISth and IGth, was only equalled by the flood of February last. Between Christchurch and Selwyn alone, a distance of 21 miles, 43 poles were levelled to the ground. Similar damage has been experienced in patches in every direction. We are glact to observe, however, that unusual expedition has been used in making repairs, all the wires being now re-opened for business. The public are greatly indebted to Mr Bird, Inspector of Telegraphs for the Middle Island, for the early restoration of communication. -f-THE Hau haus. — A correspondent of the Nelson Evening Mail gives thu following description ot* the mode in which the Hau-haus get their information : — The way they obtain information of all that is goi-.ig on in an enemy's camp is simply by rigging up one or more spies in the form ot the ti-tr.e, whicli grows abundantly amongst the fern and toitoi ; these in the night take their stations sufficiently near the enemy to l c aide to observe all thnt is passing in ami nhiu. the camp, whilst other s.outs are wrig. ling underneath the fern and scrub just like so many rats, always careful not to disturb the tops of the lern and scrub, in order to get information from the ti-tree spy or spies, ami .'.ontinually carrying bade to the:r warriors news of all thai is proing on. If an immediate attack is in>endeil, their own party are at once informed of it; if a night or early morn attack, the sanie ; or if an atttiek is not to be made, their people are a Ivi-ed of it. New Zealand Steam Navigation Cosipany. — 'Ihe half-yea. ly rep >rt and ..aluneesheet of this company have just been issued. The value of the ship property is estimated at £".5,050, but as the directors, on the 31st August, had not decided what course should he taken respecting the s.s. Taranaki, they did not consider it advisable to alter the value of that steamer in the ship property account. The total assets me estimated at £91,810 4s lOd. 'Ihe total paid up capital, 8430 shares. at £10 per .sh tre, amounts to £84,300. The amount invested on nceount of insurance and ship property account is ■£31.50 lis Id, and the cash ii ha don the 31st August was £479 lis 6d. Ihe report and balance aheet consequently do not give such an unfavourable view of the stue of the affairs of the company as v. as anticipated, and as interested parties would like the shareholders to believe. Competent judges are persuaded that the Taranaki can be raised at a cost of not more than one-third her value. Reinforcements for Patea.— The South crn Cross publishes the following letter — " Hamilton, < Ictober 3. Colonel Moule left here this morning for Auckland, having received orders to that effect by yesterday's mail from Wellington. .Sub Insp.cu.r Pitt, ut Alexandra, has been ordered to meet Colonel Moule in Au. kl.-md on Monday. Various rumours are in circulation respecting their destination, thfe officials here being very reticent on the subject, but it has leuked out that 100 men are required, and the above officer is to try and recruit that number and proceed to Patea." The following remarks ou this matter also appear in t*>e tame journal : — **• A large number of persons attended the Militia Office yesterday iv answer to numerous bills posted up in different parts of the town, for the purpose of b.ing enrolled in the Constabulary force. At 12 o'clock there were between forty and fifty applications at the Militia Office, most of whom presented themselves for examination. On making enquiries, we learn that it i.s proposed to pay the men who join four shillings per day, with a uniform, the inc. to find them.-elves. Those who enrolled th -ir names were informed that they would be sent to Wellington, and, no doubt, from thence they will be drafted on to the Patea, for tbe purpose of reinforcing the Constabulary in tha' district. We have no doubt, from the numbers who attended at the office yesterday, that the required force will be obtained in the Course of a few days. A notice was posted up outside the office in the aiternoon. to the effect that parties wishing to enrol would be sworn in at 10 o'clock this morning.

University Scholarships. — On awarding the Tasmanian scholarship to be held ia th« | University of Cambridge, the Bishop of Tasi mania, who presided, threw ont the following suggestions: — It may become a subject of inquiry, whether, if the scholars whom we send to England do not return, part at least of the same money might not be better spent in increasing the number of scholarships to to be held at Universities at Sydney or Melj bourne, from which they would be more likely to come back to ue. We may ask, whether the present system may not be made to develop not only a high classical, but a high commercial standard in all our schools ;• whether the interests of the colony would not be better promoted by giving greater encouragement to the education of some of her sons in constitutional history, geology, agricultural chemistry, mechanics, engineering, and modern languages, instead of in Greek and the hiirher mathematics. General Synod. — The fourth session of the General Synod of New Zealand was opened at Auckland on the 9th inst., when there were present the Bishops of NewZealand, Wellington, ( hiistehurch, Waiapu, Nelson, and Melanesia, and a large number of clergy aud l.dty. The Bishop of Lichfield, in his opening address, said :— " My approaching resignation of the Bishopric of New Zealand requires you to make provision for the appointment of a Primate. This title has already come into use, as being more suited to the circumstances of the * hurch in New Zealand thau the title of Metropolitan. It Itas not been thought expedient that the riishop residing at the civil metropolis <>r seat of Government should be Primate, ex officio." He concluded with the following rem.rks :—- --*' To maintain that intimate union between the mother Church and her colonial branches will be one of the chief ohjeets of my future life. It may be the will of God to bring upon us a season of trial ami perplexity. The attt-mpt has beon already made to cut olf our sister (church of Ireland from her connection with the -tate. Many think that this is but the beginning of further changes. We look without fear upon thee .approaching struggles, because we have learn -d by long expedience j ihat the Church of England lives and prospers, not by end wmenis or by connection I with the State, but by the purity of her doctrine, and by the Scriptural simplicity of het Liturgy. Iv the presence of another who has worked in this portion of the vineyard two-and-forty years, and with the memory brought fresh upon my miid of another faithful servant «ho has lately entered into his rest, after (j ity years of service, I cannot speak of the six and-twenty years of my tenure of office iv this country. But the thought of the missionary Church which had exited here a quarter of a century hefore I came into the land, reminds me to bequeath to you as a precious legacy our native pastors and the remnants of their flocks."