Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 490, 23 December 1869, Page 2

Local and General.

♦ Supreme Court Offices. — No business will be transacted at these offices until the 3rd of January next, when they will be reopened at 10 a.m. Bankruptcy. — A meeting of creditors m re Thomas Mackay was to have been Held yesterday, bat the proceedings lapsed in/Cofr-'; sequence of the non-attendance of the bankrupt. The Glassblowees. — A slight improvement was perceptible in the attendance last night. On Monday, the children of the Orphan Asylum will be specially entertained, and each one will be presented with a prize. The Cibcub. — There was a good attendance last night, and the performance passed off with its wonted success. To-night His Honor the Superintendent will confer his patronage, a special bill being accordingly offered. S^Crtcket.— A single wicket match was ptityed in Cranmer square this morning, between J. Ellis (Times Eleven), and G. Fisher {Press Eleven), each bowler doing his own fi -lding. The former won easily, scoring 25 in his firsWnnings, against 18 by Fisher in two inningaj S/ The Advantage of Advertising — Under fire above head, the Wairarapa Mercury (Wellington) publishes the following elegant puff on itself: — Two orders for timber, amounting in the aggregate to upwards of fifty thousand feet, were sent last week to a mill in this district, solely because his name was keptibefore the public in our advertising columns.^ CanteKihjry Sunday School Union. — The annual services of the Union will be held on Sunday next, Dec. 26. There will be a prayer meeting in the Durham street Wesleyan schoolroom at 7 o'clock in the morning; in the afternoon, at 2.30, the Rev. W. J. Habens will address the children from the several schools in the Wesleyan Church, Durham street ; and in the evening, at 6.30, the same gentleman will preach to the Sunday school teachers in the Congregational Church, Manchester street. The Messiah. — A large and highly appreciative audience assembled on Dec. 22 in the Town Hall to hear the oratorio of the Messiah performed by the members of the Christchurch Musical Society. The early hour at which the doors were opened enabled the audience to take their seats without the slightest inconvenience, and, although the hall was well filled, all were seated in perfect comfort and order, thanks to the exertions of Mr Ollivier and his staff. Of the performance we may fairly say that it was as successful aB could be desired. Of course the first performance of such an elaborate, and in some parts difficult work, could not be expected to be absolutely perfect. Here and there inequalities and deficiencies were noticeable, but on the whole the performers deserved great credit for the efficient way ia which they went through their somewhat trying task. Several of the solos were really well rendered, and there was nothing in any of them that could offend the most fastidious taste. The choruses as a rule were given with a vigour and precision which mark the labour that must have been devored to the work, both by the conductor and the singers.

New Zealand Flax. — The Argus publishes an extract from a private letter from England, in which the writer states that some New Zealand flax imported into thai country, and dressed by machinery there, has realized £108 per ton. It is not stated whether the flax which has brought so high a price was exported to England in its green state, or whether it was dressed prior to exportation and re-dressed on its arrival in England. Bankruptcy. — Meetings of creditors were to have been held yesterday at the Supreme Court Chambers, before Mr Richard Davis, in the estate of William Cox, but no creditors attending it was adjourned for seren days at the same time and place. In re David Wright— No creditors attending, the estate was declared vested in the Provisional Trustee, pursuant to Section 6 of the Bankruptcy Act Amendment Act, 1868 ; the assets are stated at £134 10s; liabilities at £154 15s 7d. In re Henry Charles WestNo creditors attending, the estate was declared vested in the Provisional Trustee ; tbe liabilities are stated at £315 17s fid, and the assets at £247 2s. Popular Amusements. — The following gentlemen, members of the committee, met yesterday, for the purpose of passing thff accounts in connection with the rural spovu on the 16th instant:— His Worship /the Mayor, G. Gordon, secretary; Messrs J. Anderson, C. Cuff, R. P. Crosbie, M. B. Hart, W. M. Mitchell, J. A. Bird; the Mayor presided. In reference to a letter from Mr Piper, in connection with the velocipede race, the committee decided they could not entertain the request. A statement of the accounts was submitted by the secretary as follows: — Receipts collected by Mr Williams, £73; Mr Gordon, £9; received for entries, £10 6s; for Grand Stand, £13 13s lOd; tents, £3 10s: total, £109 9s lod. Expenditure, as per accounts: —Prizes, £43 10s; erecting stand and timber, £15 3s 8d; pole and horizontal bar, &c, £6 6s 6d; band expenses, £11; advertising and printing, £7 8s 7d; incidental expenses, including refreshments, £12 10s; total, £95 1 8s 9d; balance in hands of treasurer, £13 Us Id. The assets the secretary estimated to be of the value of £10. Mr Gordon and Mr Mitchell were appointed to purchase a pewter and engrave it for Mr Neal, winner of the horizontal bar prize. It was moved by Mr Mitchell, seconded by Mr Hart, " That the thanks of the committee be given to Mr W. Williams, Inspector Penderand the Police, and Mr. Hall, who acted as secretary, for the valuable services rendered by them." A vote of thanks to the Mayor terminated the meeting. The Taipo Reefs. — The Hokitika paper has received the following in reference to the Taipo reefs from a reliable correspondent: — Little has been done to the proving of these reefs as yet, the major portion of the ground being applied for in leases, consequently the ground is remaining idle pending the result of their application. The only parties who have been at work are the prospectors, the Alpha Co's claim, known as Smart and party, and TrenneryandCo. The prospectors have now brought down to the Lampiough half-a---ton of stone out of one of their leaders to be crushed, the result of wMch wlitl tie known vat a few days. They have also commenced ■to sink a shaft for the main reef. The Alpha Company have been sinking on some of their leaders, and having found very good samples of stone in which the gold is discernible, they have brought down specimens, and I believe that a meeting of the company will be called immediately to determine on either sinking a shaft, or driving at once a main tunnel. Their claim is situated on the most solid portion of the hill, and in the two shafts already started they have been obliged to use powder directly after breaking the surface. Trennery and Co. have been driving from the face on the Kelly's Creek side with very good looking stone, but are obliged to knock off work until a track of some kind is made either by Government or private enterprise to get timber on to the ground. A good track, made at once, will be required to effectually work these reefs. Some good samples of the Alpha Company's stone have also been brought into town.