Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1167, 14 November 1871, Page 2

Local and General.

H.M.S. Basiiisk. — Wo are requested to •tats that the Basi'isk w'll not .'cave LyUelton untU Safcuvdaj next. Wesletan Home Missions, Lytteltox. — The arnual sermons in. ad of these missions were preached on Si ndny last, ; <i the We 3"cyan chapel. The pulp't in the mo.ning was occupied by the Rev R. Bavni, nnd iv the 1 evening by the Rev A. Reid. Collections in aid of the missions were made at the clo~e of each service. On Mtraday evening, the annual public meeting was held in the same place. The chair was occupied by 3lr W. Robinson, and the proceedings commenced with praise and prayer. Interesting addrerses on the object of the m'ssion, and i : s progress during the past year, we -c delivered by the Revds . W. Morley, P. W. Tsifct, A. Kcid, W. B. Marten, and J. T. Sbaw. The collections on i Sunday, and at the public meeting, amounted i to £18 ISs 4-d. The meeting, which was very ! successful, closed with singing and prayer. j Inquest. — An inquest was held at Mr J. Sinclair's Junction Hotel, Rangiora, on Satur- I day last, November 11, before Dr Dudley,', coroner, and a Jury, of which Mr J. Johnston was chosen foreman, on the body of George Barrett, aged six months, infant son of August and Martha Barrett 2> T eugesehniender. The mother being duly sworn, said : Tho child was six months old. I live at Fernside. On Wednesday last, November 8, the deceased being very cold, I laid him down on the bed before th.i fire. I then went to an outhouse to fetch some milk, leaving my other- child, about two 3'ears old, with tho baby. I was absent about live minutes ; when I returned I found tho deceased oil" the bed, with the loft liand in the fire. I think the child's head was against the bars. . I picked him up, rau to a neighbour's house, and sedt for a doctor. The child was dressed. The doctor came, applied remedies, and the child seemed going on very well till Thursday, when he gradually got worse, and died at 3 o'clock. I did everything I thought was necessary. James Badger Downes being sworn, deposed : lam a duly qualified medical petitioner residing in Rangiora. On Wednesday I was sent for to visit a child at Fernside. I found the deceased in the house of a neighbour. I found tho left arm very much, burnt, also the side of the neck, and the L.-ffc side of the head. I applied the usual dressings. I called the next morning and found ihe child dead. I consider that death was caused by the burns, and the great shock to the sj-sSeui. There being no evidence to show how tho deceased got into the fire, the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."" Pkofessor A&as&tz ox New Z^ala^d.- — At a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, Mr Travel's, who presided, called attention' to a series of valuable publications that had baen presented by- Professor Agassiz, and read J tho foil j wing ox tract from a letter addressed to Dr Hector, which accom- ' panied them: — I have just received the] diploma of membership of the New Zealand j Institute, which you have forwarded to me. j Please present my thanks to your learned '■ society for this distinction. 1 Live b.^en more ! delighted in receiving it thsin I can express. ■ Certainly, when remembering the recent date of the colonisation of New Zetland, there can bo no more surprising ■ ovidoneo of the rapid progress of modern civilisation than such a publication. Not that tho printing of a book iv any part of the world is now-a-tlays any marked event ; but the volume before mo is more instructive; and bettor 'put together, than the proceedings of most learned societies of a long standing. I have requested my friend, Mr T. G. Cary, who take 3 cavo of the affairs; of the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, to fo ward to you a series of the publications of our institutions ; and I would now take tho liberty of requesting you | to send me also the first and second volumes of your transactions and proceedings. With our vo;ume3 you will also receive a set for each of your associated societies, which I beg you to forward: Allow me also to request you- to send me whatevor specimens of living and fossil animals you tan spare, and to let me know what I could send you in return. I have a series of casts of Mastodon heads, of different ages, which might be interesting, and can offer any of the natural productions of North America you may wish, or at least procure them shortly, if they are not at hand. It is ray earnest desire to seouro for our. Museum as complete a representation of the living and extinct fauna of New Zealand as possible, before: the, progress of your settlement lias made it impossible to bring together complete collections of the original fauna- of your islands. I would- 'particularly value specimens of all the species described in your proceedings. . II

need scarcely add that specimens of the fishes described and figured by you -would have a special interest for me. I shall direct my assistants in the different departments of the Museum to write to members of your Institute who work in the same field, and beg you may secure for them a friendly response." Masoxic. — Recent explorations in Jerusalem, says a London newspaper, have excited great interest among the fraternity of Freemasons throughout the world, on account of the discovery of what are believed to be Masons' marks on a considerable number of immense foundation stones recently uncovered under the debris of one of the ancient temples of that city. Wesley an 1 Methodist Chuecii. — The annual assembly of the Weslcyan ministers stationed in the southern districts of New Zealand is at present holding its session in this city. The first meeting was hold in the Durham street Church, on Saturday last, when the following ministers were present : — Rev. A. Reid, Dunedin, chairman; Revs. A. R. Fitchett, Christchurch ; W. Kirk and J. Aldred, St. Albans ; R. S. Bunn, Kaiapoi ; 11. J. Gilbert, Rangiora ; W. Morley, Lyttelton ; W. Keall, Springston ; R. Bavin, jTimaru; W. B. Marten, Geraldine ; J. T.. Shaw, Hokitika ; 11. Dewsbury, Ross ; J. |A. Taylor, Greymouth ; W. Lee, Oamaru ; J. S. Smalley,*Port Chalmers; F. W. Isitt, Ualclutha ; H. Bull, Lawrence ; T. F. Reeves, Waikouaiti ; W. H. Beck, Roxburgh ; and J. S. Rishwcrth, Invercargill. The meeting having been opened with devotional exercises, proceeded to ballot for a secretaiy, when the Rev. J. Aldred was elected. The Rev. W. Lee was chosen as his assistant. The appointments forthefollowing day were read and revised, and arrangements made for the services during the coming week. The Financial Meeting was fixed for Thursday, the'lGth, at 10 a.m., and the Chairman's official sermon for Friday, the 17th, at 7 p.m., in the Durham street Church. The sitting was closed with prayer by the Rev. J. T. Shaw. On Sunday, the -12th, the Rev. A. .Reid preached in the Durham street Church, at 11 a.m., from 1 Corinthians, 1., 21, and the Rev. J. S: Smalley in the evening ? from Jeromiah ix., 23, 24. Mr Smalley also gave an address to the children of the Sunday school in the afternoon. The pulpit of the remaining churches, in the Christ- j church circuit, as also those in the Lyfctelton, St. Albans, Kaiapoi, aud Springston j circuits were supplied by the ministers attending the district meeting, and collections were made in these churches on behalf j of the Home Mission fund. The Monday session opened at 9.30 a.m. with prayer by tho Rev. J. Aldred, after which the ordinary j business of the district meeting was proceeded j with. There had been no deaths among the ministers in the. district during the year, and tho usual questions as to ministerial character, doctrine, and discipline were then asked severally concerning each minister in the district. The probationers were also engaged during the day in the preparation of examination papers on the Greek Testament and theology. The Christchui'ch Circuit requested an additional minister. A minister was also requested for the Queenstown district, and it was agreed to occupy that station as soon as possible. The stations for the ensuing year were considered, but the sheet was not concluded when the session closed at 5.30 p.m. hfw-v.:-. - t— — r— -- — i iimmmiiii wgnMiiirTWWM l I '"" r~— ■ — -