Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 677, 25 July 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

Theatre Rotal. — " The Flowers of the Forest" and the "Area Belle were performed with considerable success on Saturday evening to a fair house. Football. — On Saturday a match came off on Latimer square between the College and the Club. After a well contested game, Mr Waugh kicked one goal for the Club. Naturalization. — The New Zealand Gazette of July 1 5 states that letters naturalization have been issued to John Bode, farmer, and Rudolph Nielson, both of the Kowai district,. Canterbury. . .. Is quest.— An inquest was held at the hospital on Saturday, before Dr Coward, on the body of Wm. Rollo, son of Mr Rollo, farmer, Lincoln, whose death was recorded in Friday's issue. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. Patents Act. — It is notified in the New Zealand Gazette of July 15, that a patent has been granted to Alfred Charles Barker, of Christchurch, in the Province of Canterbury, medical practitioner, for an invention of " Processes for the artificial production of Adipocere for commercial purposes, and for applying it as a detergent." £ Trial of Issues by Jury. — Mr Travers Tias tabled the following notice of motion on this subject in the House of Representatives: — "That, in the opinion of this House, it would conduce to the satisfactory administration of justice, if. upon all trials of Issues by Jury, the decision of a majority, representing not less than two-thirds in number of the Jury, might be delivered as the verdict of the jury." The Hokitika District Judgeship. — There has.been, it appears, a complete misunderstanding about the so-called appointment of Mr Justice Ward to the District Judgeship of Hokitika. The Wellington Independent Qf July 23, apparently on authority, says: — The fact is that Mr Ward is not now appointed District Judge, nor is the office vacant; but Mr Clarke, the present Judge, having been accused by the Westland County Council of certain misconduct, a preliminary enquiry, has taken = place, and he is suspended until the further enquiry under the Civil Service Act shall be made and until the charge is adjudicated on, Mr Ward has been sent down by the Government as locum tenens. Borrowing.— The following ia the extract from Dr Featherston's letter, read by Mr Yogel in the course of his closing speech on the Government financial policy :— " The < city ' is jubilant. Our credit stands higher —far higher— than it has ever done. I shall be deceived if our securities do riot leap up to an extraordinary extent. Now you may raise any amount you please at a low rate. Capitalists feel that the Imperial guarantee for a fresh million is ample se curity for them for any loan put upon the market on the colony's own credit. There is no longer any occasion to hawk our treasury bills through the Australian colonies. ; You have, simply to ask and receive ; but you must have no change of Ministry Capitalists tell me that they are now ready to assist the colony in any. enterprise at all feasible. All believe now in New Zealand's future." v „■ The Chatham Islands. — The following 'is from the Wellington Independent of July 23 :— From a batch of correspondence just received from Waitangi, we learn that some slight difference exists between the Maoria and ' Morions respecting land. Captain Thomas has bound both parties over to keep the peace in .£IOO, apportioning the penalty individually— one man in the sum of £5, others £2 or £3, according to their position. He has also prohibited the sale of gunpowder, and any repairs being made to firearms. Our correspondent is unfortunately so prolix in his remarks that we cannot spare him the space his letter would require. It would seem, however, that like very small and isolated communities generally there exists no end of petty squabbles at the Chatham Islands, and it is not unnatural therefore that the only representative of the law there (Captain Thomas) fails to give satisfaction to everybody, and our correspondent is among the dissatisfied class. But the grievances are very small indeed. Parliamentary Papers. — A Wellington contemporary alludes as follows to the demands of hon. members for the above : —The voracity of hon. members for the extremely instructive and entertaining literature emanating from the Government Printing office is really astonishing. Only a day or so back, Mr Reynolds, chairman of the Printing Committee brought up a resolution from that body recommending that hon. members should be supplied with five copies of each of the papers laid before the House. If this is carried into effect it will become absolutely necessary to provide separate apartments specially built to contain the printed pabulum of hon. members. This extraordinary desire for Blue Bcoks and other light literature has now assumed a new phase. On. Tuesday evening, Mr Haughton tabled a motion to the following effect : — >That a copy of Mr Justice Johnston's "Justice of the Peace," be supplied gratuitously to each member of the. Legislature, with a view, we presume, to prepare for their arduous labour as J.P's. If this motion be carried there will really be no end to the deman 's of hon. members, and the Goyernment will have no alternative but to attach a printing establishment exclusively to the Assembly for the use of hon. members, St. Michael's Church. —A large and influential meetiug of ladies, convened by circular, was held iv St. Michael's schoolroom on Wednesday last, the 20th inst., to meet a deputation from the Building Committee of the new church, and to consult with them on the steps to be taken for setting on foot a bazaar and gift auction, to be held in the course of the ensuing summer or autumn, for the benefit of the building fund. The deputation consisted ... of the Very Rev the Incumbent, and Messrs Harman, Hawkes, and 11. W. Packer. About

forty ladies were present. A large-Bized photographic view of the design was exhibited. The Dean opened the proceedings, and stated ra the course of his remarks that the Building Committee had entered into a contract for the erection of the nave, aisles, transepts, arid porches of the new church, without lining, and with a temporary east end, at a cost of £1988. The cost of the rubble stone, purchased from the Cathedral Commission, was not included in this amount, and this, together with architect's commission and other expenses, would raise the required amount to about £2100. The total amount, of subscriptions up to the prer sent time somewhat exceeded £1700, of which upwards of £1200 was in hand, and the remainder might safely be expected to be realised. Hence there was at present a deficiency of about £400. This, it was hoped, would partly be made up by new | subscriptions, which would come in while the work was in progress. To raise the remaining sum, the committee had determined to seek the assistance of the ladies. Their hopes, however, went beyond this ; for, if the bazaar and gift auction proved successful, they hoped to be able to build the' chancel also, and perhaps line the whole building as well. Mr Hawkes also made some remarks on the same subject. The proposal was warmly responded to by the ladies present, and after much conversational discussion, and several promises of help, the meeting resulted in the appointment of a small committee of ladies, with power to add to their number, whose duty it should be to obtain promises of assistance, and to organise and direct the whole undertaking. The following ladies form the committee: — Mesdames Rolleston, Tancred, Mathias, Davie, Parkerson, Grigg, Boys, and Graham, under the presidency of Mrs Charles Thomson, who was unanimously requested to accept this office. -.•- ■- Malvehn Hills Coal. — In the House of Representatives, on July 22, the Hon. J. Hall said that before proceeding to the orders of the day he would desire to call the attention of hon. members to the fact that the coal in their fire place was not the ordinary imported coal, but a native article, from what was known as Hart's pit at the Malvern Hills, and hon. members could judge for themselves whether the coal was not quite equal to the imported article. He was sorry that his hon. friend the member for the Northern Division (Auckland) was not present, as if he Btill held those depreciating opinions respecting New Zealand coal he should be condemned to remain in close proximity to the fireplace, which would, he thought, soon bring him to recant. (Laughter.) He might mention that this coal had been tried for steam purposes, as against English coal, very successfully, and the consequence was that steam threshing machines anywhere in the proximity of the mines used this coal. He might also say that this coal could be obtained at the pit for 18s per ton. He trusted that hon. members would bear these facts in mind when assisting to develope the mineral resources of the colony. The Independentoi July 23rd says ; — The coal forwarded by Mr'M. B. Hart, per s.s. Taranaki from the south, was tried in the fireplaces of the House last evening, and was a complete success. For neat giving and freedom from any unpleasant smell, which is the general characteristic of New Zealand coal, the Malvern Hill coal, judging from the trial of the specimens alluded to, takes the palm. The fires yesterday in the House burnt remarkably clear, and threw out an intense heat bo much so that their immediate vicinity became somewhat inconveniently warm; and as a proof of this, we may mention that the thermometer, which is kept on the table of the House, registered a much higher temperature than had been the case before. The Hon. John Hall called the attention of the House to the very satisfactory proof of the excellence of the coal, and expressed his regret that the hon. member for the Northern Division (Mr Macffarlane) was not in his place, in which case, he thought that he would, with the practical refutation of his censure of New Zealand coal before him, be inclined to recant his opinions. We trust we may be pardoned for referring so frequently to this subject, but we would desire to point out that this is — if we may be allowed to use the term — a national subject, affecting powerfully the future weal of the colony at large, and hot only of the particular district in which it may be situate. As there does appear to be a chance of Wellington being made the port of call, it is of the highest, importance to the colony at large that so natural and so extensive a coalfield should be utilised, and instead of sending immense sums . of money out of the colony to the enrichment of other countries, that we should, out of our own ample resources, supply the coaling station at Wellington for the American .line of steamers. Perhaps it will be said.'.' Oh ! your coal is no use for steam purposes.." Now, it has been incontestably proved that the Malvern Hills coal is much superior to that of New South Wales for steam generating purposes, and further, from its very slight, production of soot, the furnaces, .do not require to be cleaned nearly so frequently as if other descriptions of coal are used. In conclusion, we venture to express a hope that the spirited proprietor of this mine may see his way clear to form a company or take some ipmed'ate step 9 for the placing of this coal within the reach pf the people ; and as the Superintendent of Canterbury has taken the matter up, we may safely assume that the Provincial Government will foster this industry byjevery means in its power. Oxfobd Rowdyism. — The Times of May 20 says: — Astonishment, mingled at first with incredulity, is the feeling with which the story that comes from Oxford has been received by the public, and especially by University men. The practical jokes of Undergraduates are sufficiently notorious, and have at times verged on sacrilege and misdemeanour, but this exceeds anything that lingers iv the memory of the oldest inhabitant. It

must go forth to the world that the most brutal and senseless act of Vandalism that has disgraced our time has been committed by members of the great Foundation of Christ Church, young men belonging to the higher classes of England, brought up in the midst of the moat refined civilization, and receiving the moat costly education that the country can provide. The account of the matter iis that on the night of Tuesday in last week the library of Christ Church was entered, and several busts, together with a marble statue of Venus, of great value,, carried out by certain Undergraduates. In the course of the night a pile was made of faggots and mats, the sculptures were put upon it, the whole set on fire, and the works of art totally destroyed. There has been as yet no official statement concerning the outrage and its perpetrators, but of course the facts are tolerably well known in Undergraduate circles. The report is that two distinct sets of men were engaged in the business. The one took the statues out of the library and stuck them, up about Peckwater (one of the principal Quadrangles) as a joke. The other set found them in Feckwater, took them down, made the bonfire, and destroyed them. Between the two sets the House has lost a fine bust of the late Dean Gaisford, by Woolner, and other works of the greatest value. .Truth is stranger than fiction, even on a subject which has so much exercised the invention of novelists as University life. Certainly no writer would ever venture to describe the "fast man" of a college as wilfully destroying the choicest works of art which it possesses. Even the imaginative author of Formosa] might shrink from such a stretch of the licence of fiction as conveying something too monstrous to be accepted by a gallery of cockneys. Hopefdx. — The Pall Mall Gazette says : — The approach of warm weather has brought out from their winter quarters the floating baths of the Seine, and the Parisians will in a few days be enabled to enjoy a privilege almost entirely denied to us Londoners — viz., a safe, decent swim in fairly clean water, protected alike from the eyes of the public and from the practical jokes of roughs and bargees. The fact that it ia only for about 100 years that our neighbours have been in the enjoyment of their well-organised baths inspires us with a hope that before the end of the present century we may see something similar on the salmon-producing Thames. In 1762 there were only five floating baths on the Seine at Paris. Writing a little before that date, a French author says : — " The only baths here are certain points on the river, where every one can go, and by paying a trifling sum obtain towels and other necessaries. England and the Capk Colony. — The following despatch from Lord Granville to the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, relates to the establishment of responsible Government in that colony. It is dated! April 7 :— I have to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 17, of February 3; enclosing a memorial from persons residing in the eastern province of the Cape of Good Hope, who are desirous that military protec T tion may be continued to them at the expense of this country. The grounds of their request are that some 5000 settlers were sent out to that province 50 years ago ; that the colony, which already pays more than it can afford for its police and other defensive force, is unable to give that effectual protection which is necessary for the development of the resources of the district and the security of the inhabitants ; that the Colonial Legislature does not regulate the policy of government in regard ■to the natives, for the consequences of which, therefore, the Home Government are responsible ; and that British Kaffraria has recently been added to the colony. They allege various other considerations to show that the continuance of military protection is required by the interest of this country, and add that they cheerfully acknowledge their obligation to contribute to the common defence. On the first of these reasons I have to observe that the introduction of 5000 settlers was, in fact, not a diminution, but an increase of the defensive power of the colony, and that any claim to further advantages which the colony or the immigrants'representatives might found on this benefit as against the Imperial Government has been far more than satisfied by the defence of the colony for the last 50 years. On the second point, I do not doubt that the effectual protection of life and property is essential to the progress of the colony. I observe, however, that the memorialists estimate the white population at 200,000, and the cost pf defence, including police, at £100,000, which, if the whole were paid by persons of European origin, would only amount to lOs.a. head, and declare this sum to be. "a strain on the finances of the colony greater than it can bear." But this is scarcely a good reason for shifting all further expenses on (lie inhabitants of Great Britain, who already pay 15s a head for their own defence, independently of police, and whose condition js such that, in the judgment pf the memorialists, large classes of Englishmen will better themselves by proceeding to the Cape. On the third point I have already informed you that the Honie Government, far from being desirous of retaining its present control over the internal or external affairs of the colony, is only de-irous - that the Government, whether 'responsible* or not, should be effective. " Aba I must add that the memorialists' account of the present, state of the native population, and the 'absence of any material native difficulties, sufficiently show that whatever objections may exist in an Imperial point of view, to the past policy of the British Government (including the acquisition of British Kaffraria), the Cape Colony at least has no right to complain of it. I do not think it necessary to enter on those arguments which relate to the interests of this country; but I must observe, in conclusion, that, although the memorialists cheerfully acknowledge their obligation to

contribute to the common defence, the occasion for withdrawing the troops was, in fact, the omission of the Colonial Legislature either to accept a proposal to that effect made by Lord Carnarvon, or to make any other proposal of their own; and, although Her Majesty's Government are not now prepared to make any such agreement as that contemplated by Lord Carnarvon, they have so deferred the withdrawal of the troops as to give the colony ample time to supply their place, and they intend for the present, at least, to leave a regiment in the colony. A Ride Through Ybdo.— The Fortnight'y Review, for May contains a very able and interesting description of Japanese life and manners, entitled " A Bide through Yedo." The author, Mr Mitford, has chosen the season of the Japanese new year, and gives us a detailed account of the various amuse* ments of the people, ending with a resume of the different styles of dramatic representations current in Yedo. Perhaps, however, the pleasantest part of Mr Mitford's essay ia a short description of a view of the city from a neighbouring hill : — "Now for a fine panoramic view over the city and bay from Mount Atago. A giddy flight of steps caUed the Otoko-Zaka, or Men's Steps, leads up the hill, which, however, may be mounted by an easier and winding flight called the OnnaZaka, or Women's Steps, and when we reach the top, somewhat short of wind if we are out of training, a grand sight bursts upon us. At our feet is the graceful curve of the bay, studded with the now dismantled forts upon which the Shogun's Government spent millions in the vain hope of terrifying the western barbarian from approaching the Land of the Gods, and with ships of war and steamers of foreign build, but bearing the Japanese flag, side by side with heavy native junks and swift fisher craft. Built right down'to the water's edge, the vast expanse of the city ia an unfailing source of wonder to the stranger. As far as the eye can reach, except on one side, where- the view is bounded by the castle, the countless dwellings of men stretch away into space in monotonous straight lines of gray roofs, only broken here and there by the heavy eaves of some temple, and by the high black wooden watch-towers which are used during the fires which from time to time consume a square! mile or so of the town. These fires and then frequent earthquakes account for the fact! that in the whole of Yedo, giant city as it is,! there are scarcely a score of large or ancient! buildings to be seen. So far as architecture 1 is concerned, it is the most featureless place! in the world ; its charm lies in its gardens! and trees, for in the heart of the city are! to be found here and there apots which! seem to have been transported by an! enchanter's wand from some fair conn ! try scene, where the dark firs and pines! are relieved by the bright green of the! bamboo, and camelias and laurels are mixedH with the fern tree, the sago palm, and the fruitless plantain. Some writers have asserted that the population of Yedo amounts to three millions, but I cannot believe that at the outride it can be set down at more than half that number. The bouses are small and insignificant, and only the shops as a rule have an upper storey; besides this, the great spaces taken up by the Yashiki (which, for want of a, better word, we must translate ' palaces') of the nobles, most of which contain large drill grounds, must be taken into consideration; and these, again, during the absence of! the lord: are uninhabited, save by a few men! who remain in charge. It is dangerous to! guess at figures, and I do not know that any accurate census has ever beßn taken; no Japanese wbdm I have questioned upon the subject has been able to do more than put his head on one side\and look perplexed, saying, ' There must \be a great number of people.' " \ A Belgian Passion-Pi-at.— The passionplay is a well-known institution in Spaip, Bavaria, and the Tyrol, bu^it may be new to many of our readers that it H^to be found in full vigour much nearer homeV^s-near, in fact, as Laeken, the little village ai?j*cent to Brussels, where there is a Royal palace. A correspondent sends us the following account of a scene he lately witnessed there:-Ss "Laeken, well known as the summer "residence of his BelgiaD Majesty, is a populous and thriving village, distant about a league from the capital, and conspicuous by its big, ambitious, and somewhat cumbrous churph now in course of completion. It was under the shadow of this building that our modern miracle-players a fortnight ago set up theii 1 theatre,' their special raison d'etre being, the kermesse, fair, or patron saint's festival of the village. The exterior of this * tbeatre,'*a canvas and lath erection of imposing size, attracted all passers-by by a flaring duplicate advertisement of " La Passion de N.S. Jesus Christ," backed by paintings in a popular style of art, representing scenes from the Gospel history intermingled with sensational depictions of clowns, harlequins, columbines, conjurors, accomplishing miracles more marvellous than those of Egypt, and dogs, ascending skywards in a shower of. fireworks. Tuesday, the 3rd insfc., being announced afl the last night of the performance, we resolved to go and see with our own eyes what this Btrange thing might signify. At 8 o'clock infl 'the evening (the: hour fixed for' the ! com jH mencement of the drama) the booth presented^ the appearance that might have been pre-M Burned from the place and the performersM deduction being made of the • sacred' eleJj ment. The exterior stage, lighted by flarijogfl oil lamps, was ornamented by the familiaqj dramatis persona, a couple of dancing girls &UH pink legs and once white tarlatan; afarceur^M or clown, of tender age (a piteous spectacle lj| in velvet and spangles, and a -sable son ■Jo^B Afric with his ungainly nether limbs thrusts into a pair of top boots with scarlet leathers™ —all shouting, jesting, pirouetting, gesticu-M lating to the tune, or out of tune, of &n| orchestra of small numerical strength buqß enormous energy, and all labouring wlthjW might and main to win the patronage and theH pence of the gaping, grinning ruaticsH outside. Oa entering we found ourselveaß

representing the aristocracy of the audience, being, in fact, the sole occupiers of the front seats (at 50 centimes) ; the back seats (at 25 centimes) were furnished with a company respectable as to appearance but somewhat scanty as to numbers (the previous representations having probably exhausted the supply of pleasure-seekers;, and consisted of fewer of the country people prpper— -for the Flemiah peasant is thrifty anil' chary of lavishing his centimes on any pleasure less exalted than faro— than, of the village burghere and shopkeepers, the majority being women. I suppose it was on account of this discouraging audience that the number of sacred tableaux was cut down from 12 to six, - compensation being offered in the shape of a few prefatory tricks of jugglery, exercises on the trapeze, and acrobatic feat?, the whole enlivened by the jokes and grimaces of the clownling, and the animated blaring and squeaking of three French horns and a bass viol. The curtain being then dropped, or rather drawn, the musicians abruptly changed their key from lively to lugubrious, and in a few minutes the curtailed drama was begun and carried through in a rapid succession of tableaux, including the Betrayal, the Crowning with Thorns, the Bearing of the Cross, the Crucifixion, the Descent from. the Cross, and the Resurrection. The company being evidently limited, the same actors reappeared who had made their debut in the previous scenes, and in the central figure we undoubtedly recognised the most distinguished of the ' acrobats. The (unrhymed) dialogue consisted chiefly of Gospel shreds tacked together somewhat at haphazard; but occasionally both the text and accuracy of the sacred narrative were set aside, as in the betrayal scene, where the actor, personating Christ, demanding of Judas his motive for the crime, was answered with great pertneas by the latter, « Mais pour de l'argent, pour de l'argent on fait tout' — a sentiment which appeared to excite a sympathetic thrill in the audience. There was, of course, no attempt at appropriateness of scenic decoration, and nothing could exceed the grotesque absurdity of the costumes. In the Descent from the Cross, ■the dialogue was dropped, and the little/arcewr, whose services/aul de mieux had been called into requisition as manager, and who still retained his spangled suit, stepped forward, ' «nd, the whole scene being illuminated by a •ed light, addressed the audience, informing them that the tableau ' which it was their good fortune to behold ' was an accurate copy from" Rubens' celebrated picture, and winding up with the exclamation, * Allons, messieurs, encourageons cea artistes.' Whereupon, suiting the action to the words, a 'hearty and unhesitating shower of claps immediately followed. In the last scene, in ■which a sheet was bo disposed as to repre* sent the interior of a sepulchre, the Christ rising with uplifted arms uttered the words, •Je suiß celui que vit et gui ne meurt pas, car j'etais mort, et maintenant je monte vers .rnpn Pere.? The curtain was then drawn and 'the same voice was immediately heard from behind and announcing, ' Messieurs et Mesnaames, nous allons maintenant contihuer la representation par le travail extraordinaire des chiens dresses, et le tout sera terming par one pantomime.' During tins inconceivable 'performance we attentively watched the spectators, and we observed that neither on their faces nor in their, demeanour did they show a trace of surprise, uneasiness, or disapproval, still less of unseemly merriment; they preserved throughout a decorous gravity, a sort of stolid, semi-devout complacency, as of the lookers on at a religious procession ushering in the revelries of kermesse or carnival."