Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 645, 17 June 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

i Christy Minstrels.— This troupe gave a, j farewell entertainment at the Colonists' Hall last night to a very fair audience. They leave by the s.s. Rangatira for the North. The Oratorio. — The Christchurch Musical Society will perform Costa's " Eli " at the Town Hall this evening, commencing at eight o'clock. The doors will be open an hour previously, and the arrangements for seating the audience have been most carefully attended to. Registrar's Returns. — During the month of May 78 births were registered in the Christchurch district — 41 males and 37 females. Dining the corresponding month of 1869, the number of births registered was 110— 48 males and 62 females. The deaths registered during May last amounted to 17 — 7 males and 10 females. During the corresponding month of 1869, there were 12 deaths — 8 males and 4 females. The number of niarriiiges registered during ~Sla.y last was 22, tlitro having been 23 iv May, 1569.

Le Bon Bay. — On Sunday, June 12, the new Congregational Church was opened for Divine service, when two sermons were preached to a numerous congregation. On Monday, June 13, a tea meeting was held, which was followed by a public meeting, at which several addresses were given by Messrs Barnett, Morey, Speight, and others. S/Boating. — A meeting of the Union Rowlftg Club was held last night at White's Hotel, Mr Crosbie in the chair. After some routine business had been transacted, it was decided to invite a meeting of the Christchurch, Lyttelton, and Kaiapoi Boating Clubs on Tuesday next, at White's Hotel, to make arrangements for celebrating the conclusion of the season. / Chuistchorch Hospital.— ln a provincial Gazelle issued yesterday it is notified that 'his Honor the Superintendent has been pleased to appoint William Deamcr, Esq., M.D., to be honorary visiting Physician to the Hospital, in the place of James Souierville Turnbull, Esq., M.D , resigned. It is also notified that his Honor has appointed Llewellyn Powell, Esq.,M D., to be honorary Opthalmic Surgeon to the Hospital. Fruit-Growing. — A Marlborough contemporary says that a gentleman resident in the town of Blenheim has this year realised the handsome sum of £127 6s lid from fruit alone, grown on less than an acre of land. Four pear trees in this orchard, we are told, bore 85Olbs. weight of fruit. The working expenses attending the above, our informant sets down at the outside figure of £27 — leaving a clear profit of £100. Puiilic Pounds. — In a Provincial Gazelle issued yesterday, poundkeepers are informed that the proceeds of sales of impounded cattle, if not claimed by the owner of the cattle, or his agent, within thirty days after such sale, must be paid over to the Provincial Treasurer, in accordance with the terms of the 25th clause of the Trespass of Cattle Ordinance, 1869, and should be accompanied with particulars of the sale, and a description of the cattle sold. Otago University. —We learn from the Dunedin papers of June 15, that in connection with the Professorships in the Otago University there are from home 55 applications for the Professorship of Classics and 49 for that of Mathematics. The names of these applicants have been forwaraed by Mr Auld, the home agent, who has promised to send the written applications, teatimonials, &c, by the next mail. In addition to these, there are six candidates for each Chair from the Australian colonies and New Zealand provinces. Political. — At a public meeting, held recently at Waimate, Bay of Islands, Mr Carleton, Chairman of Committees in the House of Representatives, declined to give his constituents any pledge of support, or otherwise, to the Fox Ministry. He said he would be very glad if he found their measures in accordance with the views he had expressed on almost every subject, and to which he was bound. As far as he knew it, he approved of Mr M'Lean's Native policy. He considered that both the Richmond administrations — of the elder as well as the younger — had been most disastrous to the colony. He had always consistently opposed both. Christy Minstrels. — This troupe appeared at Paget's Concert Room, Leithfield, on Wednesday evening. The inclemency of the weather, together with the fact that the company had given but very short notice of their coming, accounted for there being but a limited audience. The programme was gone through in capital style. Mr Rainford's song, " Ring the Bell Watchman," and " The four jolly Smiths," being received with special favour. Mr Bent's whimsicalities were most amusing, and the " Morocco Boot Dance," cleverly performed by Mr A. Carroll, obtained well-merited applause. Theatre Royal. — Last night's attendance at the Theatre was not a large one, owing doubtless to the boisterous nature of the weather, coupled with the concert at the Town Hall on behalf of a benevolent institution. The curtain rose to Robertson's play " Ours," or camp life in the Crimea. The piece, though somewhat wearisome at in tervals, went acceptably, to judge from the applause that was bestowed upon it. " Stage Struck " was the afterpiece. The same programme will be repeated this evening, and to-morrow " East Lynne " will be presented. Playgoers will remember the admirable acting of Mrs Steele in this piece on the occasion of her first visit to Christchurch. A New Flax Machine. — The Wellington correspondent of an Otago contemporary says : — A Wellington resident, Mr Isaac Plimmer, has applied for a patent for a new flax-dressing machine, regarding which the most hopeful anticipations are entertained. Its principle is, I believe, that of receiving the leaves lengthways, instead of endways, as in all the present machines. The rollers, also, are plain instead of fluted. It is said that cleaning the fibre and pressing it lengthways instead of endways is much more effective, and that the pressure of the rollers absolutely presses out all the juice in such a way that washing in fresh water carries it away and leaves a perfectly clean fibre. It is said that the machine has been invented in conBequence of microscopic examination of the structure of the flax leaf and fibre. Concert. — Last night the Odd-Fellows of Chriatchurch gave marked testimony of the estimate placed upon the Widow and Orphans' Institution connected with the Order. The Town Hall was literally crammed to the doors, the attraction being a concert in aid of this benevolent fund. A lengthy programme had been prepared, which was divided into three parts. The first and third were devoted to vocal and instrumental music, and the second to negro minstrelsy, by the Templeton Christys. Messrs Poore (flute), Biinz (violin), Coombes (cornet), Spensley (bass viol), and Zinckgraf (piano), played the overtures to " Don Giovanni " and " Fra Diavolo," with all the effect that could be expected from such a small band, the former piece being decidedly i

the steadier of the two. Mr Biinz played a clarionet solo, " Songs without Words " (Mendelssohn), and a violin solo, by Mayseder, with his wonted execution and clearness of tone, earning a full measure of applause. Mr Coombes, with selections from " Somnambula" on the cornet, was also equally successful. Of the vocal items during the evening, we must give a preference to Miss Rowley's " Tell me my Heart," and " The Dove Song " (Sullivan). The first was artistically given, and the latter, sung for the first time in Canterbury, was almost equally effective. It is a very pretty song, but would perhaps have shown to a little better advantage with a stronger voice. The concerted pieces by Mr and the Misses Kowley, "My pretty Page " (duett), « L'Addio (trio), and " Let us gather bright Flowers " (duett), were generally very good, but there was a marked unsteadiness of the tenor in the trio. Mr Long, with " The Village Blacksmith," had a song which suited his voice, and he gave it with considerable effect. Mr Rowley's " For Ever," pleased us somewhat more, and deserved a good round of applause. The minstrels were rather deficient in voices and also in instruments, concertinas answering the purpose of conventional violins and bass. A plantation dance by Mr Mason was encored. TheClkbqt and Education. — Theßishop of Peterborough (Dr Magee) recently opened the newly- restored chapel of St. John and St. James (belonging to the President and scholars of Magdalen College, Oxford), at Brackley. At the luncheon, which was presided over by Lord Ellesmere, the Bishop, in response to the toast of his health, said he hoped the union between religion and learning would be a lasting one. Those who talked of divorcing the Church of the nation from the learning of the nation, those who grew impatient of the clergy of the nation having anything to do with education, and said it was time it should be taken out of their hands and placed in the hands of the laity, seemed to him to make a curious mistake with regard to the English clergy. The noisy spouter on platforms who entertained a profound contempt for the English clergy — a contempt which was not bred by any remarkable familiarity with them — represented them as a sort of monastic, sullen, ignorant creature, who had too long had the control of the mind of the nation, and who was to give I way to the persons go remarkably intelligent and enlightened as those who did them the honour of abusing them. But those persons forget that the clergy were not a monastic order nor an ignorant order. The English clergy were for the most part highly educated gentlemen — men who had held their own with the best and leading minds of the laity of the day. It was the great strength and glory of the Church, and he trusted that it would long remain so, that she had a body of clergy who were liberal men, because they were cultivated, accomplished gentlemen and scholars. While it would be an evil thing for the Church that this divorce should arise between the Church and education the evil would be, he thought, far worse for the laity. If they ever succeeded in estranging the clergy from education they would not only have a demoralized and degraded clergy, but a demoralized and degraded laity. It deeply concerned the laity that the clergy should be cloßely associated both with science and religion. Might it long continue, as in our Universities hitherto, that not only learned men should be trained to be religious, but that religious men should be taught learning and science. On Board the Wonga Wonga. — A correspondent of the Otago Daily Times gives the following description of his experiences on board the Wonga Wonga during her first trip to Honolulu :— Amongst my three mates who occupied the same cabin that I did, there was one gentleman in particular who, I was told, would prove a great acquisition. I was congratulated, indeed, by some of my Auckland friends when starting, on my good luck in having been thrown in auch close companionship with this jolly good fellow. And really for a little time it did seem as if I had been lucky. My mate was very agreeable ; well read, fall of anecdote, witty, and with a considerable insight into character withal. But his size was something to contemplate. He was like Falstaff in many things, but he excelled him in as many. In the flesh he weighed at least twenty stone, and in the imbibing line I have never met his equal. His absorbing capacity could only be represented by the algebraic x, for it was an unknown quantity. In the way of smoking, too, he was an adept, as you may fancy when I tell you that one day to my own knowledge he got through twenty cigars. Now the cabin in which this genial gentleman, my two companions, and myself were all stowed away, measured some eight feet every way, and you can fancy to some extent the foul reeking atmosphere of the place. I say to some extent, and I use the words advisedly, for nothing short of actual experience could give you more than a very faint idea of the reality. By day that cabin was stifling and oppressive ; by night it was foul, filthy, and fearful. I stood it for two nights, but I could stand it no longer. The third night my companions too were driven forth. Our mutual friend the stout gentleman had gone in stronger than usual, having that day polished off an entire bottle of brandy, besides sundry nips not worth mentioning. An attack of apoplexy or something of that sort not unnaturally followed. Thenceforward my companions and myself became vagabonds, without a place to rest our heads upon. Once, and once only for many a day thereafter, did I venture to put my head inside my cabin door, and there, breathing stentoriously, lay the stout gentleman, monstrum horrendum informe- ing ens. The odour which met me on that occasion I shall never forget. You might perhaps meet something of the same kind at a boiling down establishment, but 1 have never experienced the same feeling of nausea that I did then. During the remainder of the voyage I slept wherever I could find

a sptire place to lie on. Once or twice 1 managed to get on the cuddy table, but as others were driven forth from their suffocating cabins, the cuddy table, became a prize not easily obtainable. Then I took to the seats, but these were rather narrow, besides being claimed by the stewards as their peculiar privileges. As a rule, it rained nearly every night, so that sleeping on deck was out of the question. The saloon at last became the principal sleeping place of the cabin passengers, and at night presented the appearance of an hospital, filled with wounded soldiers. From the want of sleep and other privations, I sickened, losing whatever little strength and energy and stamina I ever possessed. The Will of Auguste Comte. — A curious action has just been brought to a close at Paris concerning the will of the great Positivist, Auguste Comte. At his death Comte lef D a voluminous will, the execution of which he committed to thirteen trustees, under the direction of M. Laffltte. The substance of the document has reference solely to the publication of certain works written by M. Comte in support of the Positive philosophy ; and the author's widow objected to their publication, on the ground that their effect would be to overthrow the system they are intended to strengthen, and to destroy the authority of its founder. Madame Comte is a woman of high intelligence, and for a long time shared her husband's labours and studies. In 1842, however, they separated, though they still kept up a correspondence and interchange of ideas. Shortly after the separation the philosopher made the acquaintance of a Madame Clotilde de Vaux, also a person of considerable ability, who was married to a convict. Her painful position appears to have awakened the philosopher's sympathy, for a most intimate connexion was established between them. Comte bestowed upon her the name of " Sainte Clotilde," and was in the habit of submitting to her all his schemes for the development and improvement of the human race. She died soon afterwards, however, leaving a deep impression upon the minds of Comte and his disciples; so much so, that even now her portrait faces that of the philosopher on the walls of the room in the Rue de Monsieur le Prince, where his followers are in the habit of assembling. It must not be forgotten that shortly after his marriage M. Comte was attacked by mental disease, and placed under the care of M. Esquirol, whose treatment and attention he so much abuaed in his correspondence. What Madame Comte wanted to prove was, that in the latter part of his life M. Comte was insane, and that in consequence bis will should not be carried out. She demanded the return of all the MSS. which remained after her husband's death, basing her claims on the fact that many statements in them were defamatory to herself. There was, moreover, a sealed packet containing the revelation of some mystery regarding herself, to the publication of which she greatly objected. The Court, after four days' sitting, came to the conclusion that the claims of the philosopher's widow were unfounded as regards the works and reputation of the deceased, but that they were just concerning all things relating to herself. They returned a verdict according to which all the wishes of the deceased are to be executed, and his M.S. published, on condition that all passages in them detrimental to Madame Comte are omitted, and that the sealed packet containing the mystery is given I up to her or her advocate.