LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3357, 11 January 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

r ♦ TnK Weather. — To-day lias been one of the hottest of the season. At noon the thermometer registered 130 degrees in the sun, and 86 degrees in the shade. When placed on a piece of white calico in the sun about mid-day the glass went up to 140 degrees. pOouENALisTic. — A newspaper made its first appearance in Lyttelton this morning under the title of the l'ort Lyttelton Herald. The proprietor is Mr William Eiley, who was well known in connection with journalism on the West Coast. City Rates. — Acting under instructions, it is the intention of the officers of the City Council to summons all owners of property on the roll whose tenants have neglected to pay before Jan. 15. Governor's Bay. — Messrs Agar and Roberts notify that their steam-launch Lyttelton will run to Governor's Bay to-morrow on the arrival of the morning and afternoon train 3 from Christchurch. r* The Australian Mix an. — Two hundred of these birds have already been distributed. Out of this number 50 were sent up North, 50 were liberated in the Riccarton bush, 50 at s Cashmere, and 50 in the gardens. Personal. — Miss Amy Sherwin, Mr and Mrs Walter Hill, and Mr Graham, were passengers by the Taupo from the North this morning. Colombo Road Wesleyan Church.— The Rev J. S. Sinalley will conduct services tomorrow morning and evening. Sale oi> Race Hohses. — Messrs Ford and Co. will sell by auction on Friday the celebrated race horses Javelin, Laertes, Merlin, and Lady of the Lake. A.O.F.— In another column will be found a report of the annual meeting of the District Court of the Ancient Order of Foresters, held on Thursday evening at the Foresters' Hall, Oxford terrace. Arrangements are being made for the presentation of a testimonial to Bro. Woodford, the founder of the Order in Now Zealand. f The Weatheb and the Aspualte. — The recent hot weather has had a marked effect upon the asphalte footpaths in some parts of: the city. For yards together the asphalte has become exceedingly soft, and here and there the tar has been sufficiently liquefied to ooze through the joints of the wood kerbing and ""flow into the channelling. The Stewart Family.— There was a yen fair house at the Odd Fellows' Hall last night I the attraction at the Tbeatre Royal notwith standing. To-night " If " will be given foi the last time in its entirety. 011 Monday th< sisters take a benefit, and on that occasioi the performance will consist of the first pan of "Rainbow Revels" and the last part oi " If." /"Tiie New Footbridge. — Nothing lias af tfyet been done to.varde the construction 0: I the long-talked-of footbridge over the rive; I by Ward's brewery, but as an instalment o: timber has boon deposited on the river bank it may bo assumed that the contractors foi the work will shortly commence operations & The sections on the opposite side of the rivci I having all been disposed of for building pur I poses, the erection of the bridge will doubt I less have the effect of bringing aboxit a rapic |change in the neighbourhood, Bowling, MATcn— Dunedin v. CnnisT church.— On next Friday a match will h played on the Christchurch Bowling Clul Green between sixteen members of the Dune din and sixteen members of the Christchurcl Clubs. As the Worcester street green is nov in splendid order some good play iB antici pated. It is hoped that a large number 0 members will be present at to-day's practice as a meeting will be held during the af ternooi to make arrangements for the reception ant entrrtainment of the visitors. f Channelling on tjie Belts.— For a lonj time past the condition of the south side of tin South town belt has been a standing griev ance, and a fruitful source of discussion be tween the City Council and the Sydenhan Borough Council. Meanwhile the resident; make periodical complaints about the nuisanc( of defective drainage and stagnant water , hoping that the day of better things may soor \eonie. On the East belt, however, the case if different, for there the concrete channelling i; now being made, and it is evident that tli< Heathcote Road Board somehow manage: tilings better than the Sydenham Borougl Council. Accidents.— Captain Law, of the barqu* W. C. Wentworth, met with a nasty accideni a few days ago on board his vessel. He was superintending the discharge of a heavy log when lie got jammed between it and the winch, and was so badly injured about the thighs that he has been compelled to keep tc his room.— The mate, Mr R. Rose, also met witl an accident on Thursday morning. Be waf down in the hold looking out a part of the cargo, when one of the logs rolled over and smashed the largo toe of his left foot, besides injuring the right foot somewhat severely Dr Xl'Donald's assistance was called in, iiric Mr Roso is now confined to his berth. Mr Vahley.— The interest in Mr Valley's meetings grows rapidly. Last evening ttu Gaiety Theatre was crowded to the doors tr hear this woll-known Evangelist. The subject chosen-- 11 Cau I kuow cortainly that ] am saved" — was deeply interesting, * and the rapt, attention of tho audience testified to the preacher's power in dealing with Scripture testimony. Striking illustrations, calm thoughtful utterances, marked the address throughout, and gave promise that the services in the Theatre Royal on Sunday will be largely attended. Tho meetings are to bo held at % .l iv tho afternoon and at 7.30 in the evening. Wo understand that many have expressed themselves anxious that Mr Vurley should be requested to make a longer stay in Cltristchurch than he at first intended. CINDKBS FHOM RAILWAY ENGINES.— Travellers by the express from Dmicdin should be cautious about standing on tho platforms of carriages, particularly when Llie train is going in a direct line or up-hill. The hot cinders from the engines seem to fly straight behind when tho train travels fast, or in the direction of the- wind, and the result to unwary travellers is sometimes unpleasant. A gcntleniun who travelled by the express on bYiday, was disagreeably made aware of what .3 stilted above by finding a cinder in his neck some distance below the collar of his coat. The cinder was hot and mado a distinct mark. Afterwards, on examining his clothes, ho found thut another cinder, which must have been iucaudcßCOnt, had lodged under the collar of his coat and burned a hole. This particular instance should serve as a warning to passengers who want to get fresh air to keep on the look-out. ( Mn A J. White's New Buildings. The foundation stone of Mr A. J. White's now buildings in Tuam street was laid on Wednesday afternoon with the ceremony usually observed on such important occasions. Master White officiated on the occasion, and after the stono had been duly laid, made a ne.it little speech to I hose present, thanking them in his father's name, and inviting them to supper in honour of the event. A largo number of toasts wore proposed and honoured in tho customary fashion. Among them were — "The Host and Hostess" proposed and seconded by Mr Cole, the healths of all the leading members of Mr White's old establishment, together with Master White, bhe architect, Mr Simpson, and Mr Harrison, the contractor. Mr White addressed (lie inq/loycs, pointing out tho number of years ,hey liad been with him, hoping they would be able to pull together as they had done up :o the present time, and thanking them for ;heir kindness to bia son. The meeting then jcrminated.

Unia wjfro Bathing.— Five boys are likely jL g ifl°^ Üble , for ba^ing yesterday in tue old bathing place in the Domain encIo&XIYG, /l T w» ?*£ W BA THBE.-Tlie temperature l'C Fah T? r terday ' at noon ' *» »!,« « g V? « • T - he Leat was excessive everyI.O.G.T.— The Dauntless Lodge of Good Templars, at the close of its customary session last evening, held one of the seriea of entertainments instituted some time since. There was a fair attendance of visitors, by whom the programme which had been provided npappeared to be thoroughly appreciated. Supreme Coitkt.— His Honor Mr Justice Johnston sat in Chambers and in banco yesterday. The next banco sittings will be' on Friday, Jan 24. On Monday the civil sittings will begin, the jury on that day being a common one. On Tuesday and Wednesday special jury cases will be taken. tis stated that one civil caße, in which the Attorney-G-eneral is engaged, will occupy probably a week. f The Goods Sheds. — Owing to the large /quantities of general cargo now coming to (hand, the Customs found it necessary to stop ' the discharge of all genoral cargo yesterday, owing to the sheds, &c, in Clmstchureh. >eing overcrowded with goods. The stoppage, it was stated, will also extend over to-day, much to the annoyance of those connected with the vessels, and the consignees of goods Wiot yet landed. Mb Graham's Benefit. — Mr Graham announces that his farewell performance wili take place at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday evening. The principal item in the programme is a two-act piece entitled " Love's Young Dream," written by himself, in which Mr Graham will be assisted by Miss Tilly Andrews and several amateurs. An act of "Hamlet" and other items also find a place on the bill. Mr Graham's popularity is great in this town, -where lie has spent most of his dramatic career in New Zealand, and despite the other attractions of next week we hope to find that his merits have not altogether been overlooked by the community, and will not go unrecognised. r Interesting Test or Timber.— A very interesting trial of the relative strength of various timbers took place at Mr James Bruce' s mills yesterday, the result being that kauri was found to be the strongest of. all the pines to be had in the Colony. Mr Thomas Eoberts, C.8., and Engineer' to the Levels Road Board, was present, and carefully took notes regarding the tests ; and the consequence is that ho has decided to use kauri in preference to Oregon beams for bridge work, the former being stronger and possessing more lasting qualities than the latter, besides being superior in other ways. Mr Bruce is collecting different specimens of pines and other descriptions of timbers, and intends, at an early date, having a complete test made in the presence of several engineers and architects practising in South Canterbury, when the full results will be made public. — Timaru Herald. An Important Consignment. —Mr Henry Dunsford, who is well known to many of our readers as the Surveyor to the Canter- „ bury Marine Underwriters' Association, has had consigned to him, per the Hurumii, a first instalment of cast steel hydraulic ship jacks, manufactured by Tange, of London. Mr Dunsfbrd's main object in importing these jacks is to utilise them in cases where stranded vessels have to be raised on to blocks. All the working parts of- these hydraulic jacks are to be made of cast steel, and by the simple motion of a small lever handle working the force pump, a weight of 50 tons can easily be raised by each jack. Notwithstanding the power of the appliance, it is so compact as to occupy, when packed for transit, a space of only four cubic feet. *"" The discharge of the Hurunui's cargo is looked for daily, and wo understand that Mr Dunsford intends in tho first instance to send the jacks through to Christcliuroh, where in all probability they will be on view for a short time. Mechanical Ingenuity. — Mr Herbert J. Cunnington, a mechanic employed in the fitting shop, Canterbury railways, has recently completed an admirable specimen of mechanical ingenuity. This j§ a working, model 9? fl portable engine of the ino§u approved construction, such as is used in connection with threshing machines, sawmills, &c. The model is the outcome mainly of his employment during the winter evenings. I^j is seven inches long, and five inches high, ana^ includes about 430 separate of metal, \ in addition to the woouwoii of tue damage' portion. The whole has been made by hand, ■ with the assistance of a small band lathe, ' which in turn was constructed by Mr Cunuingtou. Even to the most minute detail the model is a porfect and highly finished reproduction, and the injection pump, adjustable safety valve, water gauge fittings, governors and throttle valve may be specially referred to. A small circular saw bench has been added, and this evening the model will b( exhibited at work in the window of Mr J, M. Thompson's sewing machine depot, Colombo street. The CiißisTcnußCn Artiixert at Nelson Meeting. — At a committee meeting of the Christ church Battery, hold at tho orderly room on Wednesday evening last, Lieutenant Strange in the chair, tho following resolutions were agreed to: — Proposed by Lieutenant Stansell, and seconded by Sergeant Cooper — " That three members represent the Battery at the New Zealand Rifle Association's meeting at Nelson, and that their passage fare by steamer be paid by the Battery." Moved by Sergeant Mapp, and seconded by Quartcr-lnaster-Sergeant Fox — " That the representatives be selected by three competitions at 200, 300, -WO, aud 500 yards, seven shots at each range. Proposed by SergeantMajor Raven, and seconded by Gunner Booth — " That competitors for representatives must Djake an average of 70 points at each competition to qualify, and that the three highest aggregate scorers bo the representatives." The competitions will bo conducted under the general Government rules, and tho first competition wili take place on Wednesday next at two p.m., the Battery providing ammunition. It was mentioned at the meeting that Mr M'Callum had promised to present a medal to the highest aggregate scorer at the competitions. The Chairman mentioned that the arrival of the thirty now uniforms ordered, had been advised per ship Kent at Melbourne, and they might now be expecleil hero daily. The Amateur Opeha.— There was a very large attendance at tho repetition of "Martha" last night at tho Theatre Royal by Mr Towle's amateur company. As might have been expected tho second performance was an improvement on the first, tho result being greater smoothness in tho general arrangoments. Mr Towle -was in much better voice, and did fuller justice in consequence to the music of his part. The merit of th« performance was greatly enhanced by liis artistic singing in tho favourite tenor song " None so rare," in tho solo in tho nocinrnesxb the end of tho first act, and in tfia several items of concerted music where the tenor ib so prominent a part. Signora Venosta sang splendidly again, and the other principals all showed to gveatev advantage than on their fir-fc appearance. Tho orcliest.ru, under the leadership of Mr Biinz, whose graceful violin playing was very remarkable, a»aiu played beautifully, though it must be said that here and there the brass instrument b were too boisterous— a fault which a little care will eaail remedy. The chorus was quite up to its established standard, and looked well m its costumes, which were maJo under the supervision of Mrs J. M. Thompson. Oti Monday an operatic concert will be given. Miss Amy Sherwin and Signora Vemwta bnng the attractions, supported by Mr Towlo and his amateurs. The music comprises tho last act of " Maritaua/' tho grand seslette and the mad scene from " Lucia," aud the fourth act from " Trovatorc." There will also be a. naval ballet;, arranged by Signor Bor. oni, the music by Monsieur Carron.