LOOAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3212, 24 July 1878, Page 2

LOOAL AND GENERAL.

The Zealandia Minstrels. — These artists will give a concert to-morrow night in the Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfield street, in aid of the Cadet Band Fund. An attractive programme has been prepared. . Inquest. — An inquest was held yesterday, upon the body of Wm. Fairbairn, whose death resulted from injuries received by the falling ©t' some sacks of corn in Messrs King and Co.'s grain store in Cashel street. A report of the proceedings appears in . another column. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death." Ciiilbhen's Treat.— Last Thursday week Mrs. R. Fleming, of Port Levy, gave the children of tliat Bay a treat at tlie new schoolroom. About 40, including Maori children, sat down to an excellent tea, and thoroughly appreciated the kindness shown them by doing amplo justice to the good things provided. In the evening a number of capital songs were sung by Messrs Gardiner, Fleming, Field, Radcliffe, and others ; and the health of Mr and Mrs Fleming was proposed and duly honoured by all present. The day's festivities were brought to a close with a dance, which was kept up witli great spirit to an early hour the following morning. Exceeding Stiiictness. —In a matter which was brought before His Honor Mr Justice Johnston when sitting in Chambers yesterday, an application was made for letters of administration. A woman died, leaving a small sum of money in a bank under a deposit receipt in her name, and the amount would not be given up to her nearest relative without letters of administration. It did seem ridiculous, Mr Wynn Williams said, that this process should have to be gone through for a very small amount. Mr Wynn Williams further remarked it did seem absurd that no executor could touch a sixpence of an estate, and yet. that morning probate to the extent of about £?0 had to be paid upon one. The Duty of a Tbustee.— His Honor Judge Johiir-ton expressed a very decided opinion as to the duty of a Trustee in Bankruptcy at the sitting in Chambers yesterday. On an application being made for a bankrupt's order of discharge, it appeared tliat no meeting of creditors had taken place, and that the trustee had not reported to the Court on the ca?e. Mr Slater, however, explained that tlie bankrupt had made tho usual declaration of having dealt with tlie property in a bond fide way. His Honor replied tliat tho trustee should have reported on the matter ; what he felfc was that the trustee had no business to lie by. It was the duty of the trustee, a duty which he owed to the Court, when an application had been made to report either that. the bankrupt had complied, so far as he knew, or that he had not so complied, for the trustee j became a responsible officer of the Court in | winding up bankruptcy affairs. He (the learned Judge) did not like the action of a trustee lying by ; the trustee should report to the Court. Ho had no notion that peoplo should accept the trusteeship of estates, and then throw up tho thing in disgust. Trustees must know that they had a duty to the Court ; and when a man accepted the office of trustee he was bound to report to the Court. As, however, mi affidavit had been filed that tho debtor had giren up all his property, a dis-u-iurge was, in this case, granted.

Sudden Dbath.— A man named Richard 1-ongley, a labourer, fell down dead in Elizabeth street, Timaru, yesterday. The cause of death is supposed to be heart disease. Cost- op the Hospital.— lt has not been formally stated, but we have reasons for believing, that the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board are seeing their way to make considerable reductions in the Hospital, without impairing its efficiency. Theatre Royal.— Of the performance of. "Pygmalion and Galatea" at the Theatre Royal last evening, it would scarcely be possible to speak in terms of too high commendation. In connection with the production of " The School for Scandal " on the previous evening, we had occasion to remark upon tlie inequalities which were apparent in some of the characters, but last night none but a hypercritical observer could cavil with any part of the play. It was from the first apparent that tlie large audience was satisfied, and as the intensely interesting mythological story was unfolded, so did the general satisfaction grow, until it culminated in applause that was as enthusiastic as the performers coidd have desired. The Galatea of Miss Florence Colville is,. in brief, an artistic impersonation of the highest order, in which all the delicacies of light and shade may be traced. Witness the deliriously natural development of the traits of a woman's character, combined with the artless innocence which makes Chrysos exclaim, " You're , sure it's innocence ?" Miss Tilly Andrews gave no mean interpretation of the part of, Cynisca. From first to last she invested the part with womanly grace and dignity, the power being fittingly reserved for the curse she is led to invoke, a scene in which she wasstrikingly effective. _ Miss Marie Wilton is entitled to praise for her admirable make-up and enactment of the thankless part of Daphne, and the Myrrhine of Miss Nelly Daley was well in keeping. Of the Chrysos of Mr Hoskins we have before had occasion to speak in the warmest terms, and ■ perhaps the greatest compliment which could be paid to such an actor is to say that Galatea spoke truly when she'told him he looked so ugly, but that she liked him, because he was so funny, and made her laugh. Mr Graham gave a high class portrayal of the part of Pygmalion, showing himself to be an actor of no ordinary power, and lightly sharing in the various recalls of the evening. Altogether, the performance of "Pygmalion and Galatea" was so thoroughly pleasing a one, that its repetition during Miss Colville's season may well be hoped for. It may not be out of place to remark upon the perfect knowledge of the text, which was generally displayed. This, indeed, whon it is considered that there is a nightly change of performance, is really remarkable. " 111-treated H Trovatore" formed the afterpiece. The play for tliis evening is " The Serious Family," Mr Hoskins appearing as Aminadab Sleek, Miss Colville as Mrs Ormsby Delmain, and Miss Tilly Andrews as Mrs C. Torrens. Valuable Rabbits. — Rabbits promise to become such a nuisance at Carnarvon, Rangitikei, that the settlers there, in order to nip it in the bud, have determined to offer 2s per skin. There must be plenty of loose cash up in that region. A Disappointed Politician.— Mr Colin Mackay, who asserts he was anxious to have contested Invercargill in the Liberal interest, has complained to the Premier of the returning officer in refusing his nomination, which it seems was made too late, the candidates having begun to address those present. Mr Mackay has been informed that " the Government are advised that in any case they ought not to interfere during the progress of the election." Accident to the Woman with the leon Jaw. — During a performance at the circus at Hobart Town recently, the Tribune says the woman with the iron jaw missed her hold, and fell during one of her feats heavily to the ground. She was immediately picked up by the attendants, and was found to be suffering severely from a shock to the nervous system. Considering the height from which she fell, it was a wonder she was not killed. It -will be remembered that tliis performer was one of the attractions 'of Cooper and Bailey's circus who d'd not put in an appearance in Christchurch. /'""CONGRATULATING TIIE PREMIER. — Our Australian telegrams this morning inform us that a meeting is to be called in Sydney shortly, for the purpose of congratulating Lord Beaconsfield on the success of the European Congress. The British residents in California have, however, been before their Southern cousins. They propose to forward to the great statesman a testimonial in the form of a silver brick, highly polished, swung on silver standards supported by gold lions, all resting upon an inlaid table of Californian woods. Already a large amount of money has been subscribed, and the committee have no doubt as to the success of the movement. Alexander Forbes is president of the Committee. Land Transactions in Southland. — We naturally resist Dunedin encroachments, but at the same time we can extend a meed of admiration to Dunedin enterprise (says the Southland Times). Our neighbours are always up and doing. Only the other week Dunedin firms purchased the Woodburn estate, on the Waiau river, and the Ringway estate on Jacobs river, and as we reported yesterday, the Waicola estate, comprising one of the finest blocks of country south of the river Clutha lias fallen into the hands of Dunedin capitalists. We understand it is to be cut up into farms of suitable size for settlement. The speculation ought to prove a good one. /" The Late Bishop Selwyn. — A Birmingham paper in a review of the life of tho Bishop of Lichfield, mentions that in his last illness his mind " wandered back to his Southern life, and dwelt upon the promise of that salvation which is to be 'a light to lighten the Gentiles,' and upon the urgent need for forwarding the work of our missions. Almost his Litest words were spoken in the Maori language, to him faur'iar as English, declaring, 'It is light.' So the light came to one who had always earnestly desired it, and who had done his work abroad and at homo as an honest, upright Englishman, and a self-denying minister of distinguished wisdom, faithfulness, and zeal." Fbeehot-d Estates in Queensland. — The Brisbane Courier publishes some interesting statistics as to the formation of large estates in Queensland. It says : — " Thero are in Queensland 43 estates containing 1,390,080 acres. The owners of these properties arc the holders of areas over 10,000 acres. The list begins with Mr Wienholt, and the trustees of W. Kent, junior, holding 93,764., and it ends with Mr W. Young, who owns a modest patch of 10,127 acres. Next after these come the areas of 5000 and 10,000 acres. Mr E. Wienholt, lucky man, also heads this list with 9905, and Mr M. S. M'Dougall ends it with 5129 acres. The holders of areas over 1280 acres are most numerous of the three classes, numbering all 87. Mr Henry Blake comes first with 4977 and Mr E. Tuffnell last with 1280 acreß. Adding the three classes together we find that already, in this Colony, there arc 166 freehold estates, comprising a total area of 1,868,812 acres, about one-tenth of the whole area of Scotland — mountains, glens, valleys, and all the Islands of the coast being reckoned in." A Telegastrograph. — Does anybody in Cliristchurch know what a telegastrograph is? We rather fancy not, and so the following may enlighten our readers a little. According to the Melbourne journals, the telegastrograph is a machine by which, through the aid of electro currents, the flavour of any food or liquor can be transmitted by wire to' any distance, and the sensation of eating or drinking conveyed, by merely placing the end of the wire botween the teeth. The essence of the condiments is extracted by the process ; so that one bottle of sherry, flavoured with half a wineglass of bitters being conveyed along the wire, the alcoholic essence was received by thirty-six persons, each of whom held a communicating wire between their teeth, and ' each felt the sensntion of consuming a whole ! bootlo of wine ! This at onco introduces us ' to a new era in gastronomy. Henceforth, remarks one enthusiastic writer, the telegastrograpli will become a fixture in hotel ' kitchens, and a fellow can sit and order his j lunch from his favourite cuisine without ! leaving his place of business, tho telegastro- j graphic order having been previously con- j vcyed by the telephone. The only unpleasant- '

nesß that we can see about it— if you dine « lev telegastrograph at an hotel— is the uncertainty as to who may liave had the wire in his teeth just before you. Marking Time.— They have got a timegun in Nelson, which is fired every Saturday at 1-5 o clock. A week or so ago when it gave its usual boom, tlie end of a settler's houee,. nght in the line of fire, was immediately rapped by a stone weighing a pound and & half or two pouuds— an ugly tiling to get a, clout with. The stone when picked up wa* quito warm and smelt of powder. The Nelson. Mail says an affair of this kind wants inquiry*Fatal Accident at Nelson. — A very shocking accident occurred as tbe players in the football match, Wellington v. Nelson, were driving from the ground. A boy about aix years of age tried to run across the road immediately behind the four-hoive drag, but the poor little fellow wcs knocked and ruh.over by a cab which was dose up. Both wheels passed across his loins, and the horse in another cab was stopped just as the wheel had rested on one of the boy's legs. He wasquite insensible when picked up, and died late in the evening. Very soon after the accident happened a. doctor was in attendance, but there was no possibility of saving the child s life. ViGOitous Writing. — « For Heaven's sake," exclaims the Sydney Evening Netos r "let us call a spade a spade, and when a member of Parliament is fined for being drunk, and remanded to j^rison for medical treatment, don't let us indulge in maudlin remarks about ' the hon gentleman's illness rendering it likely that he will resign hi__ seat.' If some poor Billy Smith is brought before magistrates and fined, the fact is recorded without any reference to the poor fellow's feelings ; and when Mr William Teece, member for Goulburn, disgraces liimself, the Assembly, and the Colony, it is right thafc everyone should kuow. *it. How can we expect the standard of character and manners in the Assembly to be raised except by the electors being, informed of the deeds of then* chosen representatives. Mr Teece was fined the other day for drunkenness, and subsequently was arrested for the same misdemeanour in a church at Paramatta, and was remanded to gaol for medical treatment, This worthy member of Parliament now says that he is quite well,. and does- not intend to resign. For his own sake,, and that of his excellent family, we trust he will resign, and endeavour in the future to justify the high hopes that were once formed of him. Perhaps the good people of Goulburn will not take the same view that he does of his- c recent illneßß,* but will demand his resignation in* no uncertain terms."