Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 716, 8 September 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

. «♦ L.V.A. — The Colonel's inspection will take place to morrow evening, in the Drilt- ■ Shed. In the afternoon the members will ■muster, and proceed, at 3 o'clock, to Battery • Point for shot and shell practice. We understand the band of the Orphanage have been -attached to the Corps, and that they will accompany the members to-morrow afternoon. Lectdhe. — Mr H. R. Webb will deliver a lecture in the Colonists' Hall to-morrow evening. The subject is a very interesting and instructive one, namely, " Common Things," illustrated with experiments. Members of the institute and their families will be admitted free, and we have no doubt there jfrill be a good attendance. ~t> Customs Seizure. — Tho Customs authorities having seized the cutter Zealandia, on which the illicit still was found, she will be sold, being confiscated to the Crown. Teleghaph Charges on Sunday — The telegraphic rates on Sundays are now double the rates charged on week days, both for ordinary and press telegrams. A notification to that effect appears in the New Zealand Gazette of Aug. 26. The change came - into operation on Sept. 1. 4 f££; The Recent Earthquake.— A Lke correspondent writes as follows to a Timaru contemporary: — "A severe shock of earthquake was felt up here last Wednesday evening, about six o'clock. It lasted fifteen seconds. The sbock was more severe than the shock last year. The direction about south-west to north east." Bankruptcy. — Meetings of Creditors took place yesterday, at the Supreme Court Chambers, before Mr Davis, Deputy Registrar. Re Frederick Langston Newnhatn (in person) — No creditors attending, the meeting was adjourned to that day week ; assets, £129 14s ; liabilities stated at .£270 10s Bd. Re Thomas Sommerville (Mr Slater, solicitor) — No creditors attending, the meeting was adjourned to that day week ; the assets were £373 Ms 5d : liabilities, £390 16s 6d. Re Thomas Luffy — No creditors attending, the <^fp.fe was dfcl.-ired vested in the Provisional Trustee ; the assets were stated at £189 5s ; liabilities at £360 13s lOd.

Masonic.— j-fcjie Rev $ro,jto%f.H. Cooper •attended Lodge 609' %G;^h%bi^feaipgta^ was appointed Chaplain of theiLoJge. •Mr Heller's -^NTE^TiiMM«STS. — Mr Heller will re-iippearVt^nigKt!Jin£i!i9 ! aCanterbury Music Hill;. Cath'eSisi -'Square^ which has been in every way carefully and appropriately fitted up. Every possible arrangement, conducive to the comfort of visitors has been made both internally and externally. Comfortable chairs have been provided for reserve 1 ticket holders, and all seats on the ground floor havebeen raised to the rear, in order to afford an uninterrupted view of the stage, which has been fitted up in a most complete manner. The approaches to the building have all been shingled, and additional lights have been provided for both in the hall and over the entrance door. The programme to be presented this evening is entirely new, attractive, and varied, and those who. do not take an opportunity of attending the entertainments will, we feel sure, regret it, Mr Heller is by far the best pianist that has visited Christchurch, and his conjuring is exceedingly clever. Last night a large number went to the Town Hall from ignorance of the entertainment being Hosfrponed. — By the schooner j Swordfi'ih, which arrived at Port Chalmers on Sunday evening last, from Hobart Town, another shipment of trout ova has been brought over under the care of Mr Clifford, the manager of the Otago Acclimatisation Society. The importation .consists of 1000 brown trout ova, 100 sea or salmon trout ova, 18 English" perch, and a quantity of water weeds and water snails. Noticing the arrival of the above, an Otago contemporary says :— With regard to the salmon trout, we may mention that this fish, although migratory in its nature, like the true Balmon (salmo salar), will arrive at perfection and breed without visiting the sea. We believe that Tasmania can take credit for, having established this fact, as some time ago the Salmon Commissioners of that colony determine to retain a number of salmon trout in oneof the ponds at New Norfolk, and the experiment proved a successful one, as last year they bred-tXhese were fish hatched from ova introdulefl into Tasmania by the Lincolnshire in tile beginning of 1*66. Returning to the shipment of ova brought by the Swordfish, we may state that Mr Clifford brought them up last night (Sept. 4) to the hatching boxes which have been prepared for their reception at the Opoho Creek. The apparatus is of a different character to that used upon previous occasions. Instead of .the ova being deposited upon a gravel bed, they are placed iv grooves formed by glass rods set in wooden frames which fit into the boxes an inch or two above the gravel. The fish when hatched drop between glass rods on to the bed. By this means each ovum is kept separate, and the per-centage of loss which usually occurs from dead ova coming into contact with living ones will be avoided. The system is somewhat similar to that in use at the Imperial fi3h breeding establishment at Huningue. We trust that the present shipment will prove as great a success as the two previous shipments of trout ova already obtained by the Society from Tasmania. It certainly will not be for want of care if such is not the case. In its next issue, Sept. 6, the same paper says : — The cases containing the trout ova were opened by Mr Clifford at an early hour yesterday morning, and the ova were at once deposited in the hatching boxes. It is gratifying to learn that, upon examination, the eggs all showe 1 signs of vitality, the 'eyes of the fish being clearly seen. The acclimatisation Society may fairly be congratulated upon the successful result of their third importation of trout ova from I'ssmania. The per-centage of fish hatched out upon the previous occasions greatly exceeded that usually obtained in similar experiments by the principal European fish breeding • establishments — a circumstance which is due no doubt to the unceasing attention which Mr Clifford has given to the ova during the hatching process.