Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4098, 9 June 1881, Page 2

Local & General.

Doa Show. — At a recent meeting of a Sub-Committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, a suggestion was made which should find favour with the owners of valuable or rare dogs. It was that,- at the next annual exhibition in the Association's grounds, a dog show should be added to the various attraotionß of the day. It is to be hoped that the Association will be able to carry out the suggestion, as there are mauy fine dogs in the country, and no doubt a display of them would form a very attractive feature both to dog fanciers and others. It will be remembered tbat some time ago au independent dog show waß held at Tattersall's, and fiat the large measure of success which attended the experiment led to the anticipation that on future occasions similar exhibitions might be hold with every prospect o£ good financial results. Mbeivaib Entebtainmbnts. — To-morrow ovening tho customary series of winter entertainments will be commenced in the Merivale schoolroom. By tho exertion-* of the incumbent, whoso efforts have been admirably supported by a number of the parishiomers, these entertainments have been made really worthy of patronage, and the programmes presented have attracted large audiences. In the season now to be commenced, we understand that the entertainmonts promise to ho of a high class, and that a large measure of support is consequently anticipated. Thb Rotomahana.— Tho sailing of tho Union Company's steamer Rotomahana, for Sydney via Auckland and East Coast ports, has been postponed until to-morrow aftornoon. Coubsino. — The second meeting of the Canterbury Club began yesterday on Mr Chapman's run, noar Rangiora. The entries were not numerous, and the ground being thickly covered with tussocks, tho sport waa not of first-claBS order. Rukawat at Kaiapoi.— Mr P. Day, carrier, of Bangiora, whilst waiting near Sims' wharf yesterday, left *s horse standing a few minutes, and the animal caused no little excitement lin Kaiapoi by bolting, with a boy in the cart, through the prinoipal streets of the town. He was stopped before he did much damage, though he collided against several obstructions. The boy was thrown out, and was considerably shaken, though, fortunately, nothing more serious happened. Ly-i__ton Naval Bbigadb.— A deputation of this Brigade waited ou Mr Allwright, M.H.R. for Lyttolton, yesterday, asking him to bring the Brigade under the notioe of the Government during the coming session, with a viow to obtaining a capitation grant. The deputation also pointed out that one of the heavy guns now lying in Lyttelton might be mounted with very little cost, as the prisoners were at present employed at Sticking Point, which is one of tho places recommended by Colonel Scratchloy as a site for a battery. Mr Allwright undertook to uso his influence in obtaining the results sought for, and promised to confer with tho romaindor of the Canterbury members on the mattor. Thb LYTTKi/rotf Tbains.— The arrangement for a passenger carriage to be attached lo the co-called 5.20 p.m. goods train from Port to Christchurch, doos not Boom to bo of any great boicfit at present, as the train is so often late. Last evening the goods train did not leavo uutil after tho 5.55 p.m. passenger train, aud a largo number of workmen, who relied on getting to thoir homos in Christchurch earlier than usual, wore compelled to wait for the ordinary passenger train. A train loaving Lyttelton regularly at about 615 p.m. would be a great convenionco to tho large number of persons who aro ongagod in tho Port during tho day, but reside in Christchurch and tlie suburbs. Ibwell Spabbow Club. -A meeting of tht abovo Club was held at tho Irwell Hotel on Monday ; mombors present — Messrs Dudley (Chairman), 11. Overton, Hodgson, T. -Prankish, Faye, Goldsmith, and Buddo. A stutou'i-ri*. ol" ivd-i'i"*!* un ' nxpc iditure was laid before the nicei me, which «h.>wo-i that (.hum t»i»rn !to-v 17 ' ■••nbi-i-s l>'!oi)gitig io the Club, *mi limi paid ciitniiK-o foes to the amount of £4 2s 6J, and that a sum of £6 had boon advanoed by Mr Overton on behalf of the Club, making a total of £9 2s 6d. From this tho Secretary hnd paid £6 8s Id for 9222 birds and cpgs, leaving a balanco in hand of £2 14s 6d, less amount duo to Secretary, £1 8s 2d. It whs resolved < hat a rato of one farthing per aero be lovici), in order to rocoup the money advancod by Mr Ovorton j also, that something should bo dono in the matter of poisoning birds during tho winter months. Tlie Chairman wbb requested to make arrangements with rogard to supplying members with poison, each member to prepare tho poisoned grain for uso on his own tand. The meeting then adjourned.

,^~uyw»w-_Mta___M___ a a M a«_-a-»i •~T~~~~ Op_hi_io of Pabuahbht.— The third •session of the seventh Parliament of New Zealand commenced to-day. As A_A___xs Ibc_d_*st. — A moat alarming incident, but one of a character which fortunately is not of frequent nee urrence, has to he recorded amongst the day's events. It would seem almost as if some conspirators, anxious to keep themselves in practice, and having for the present no treasonable design upon Russian palaces had been suddenly transported here, and had become filled with a burning desire to take the life of the proprietor of the Palace Hotel, Gloucester street. As Mr Beatty and his guests were seated^ at luncheon today, a freaendous explosion occurred, shaking the room, and blowing a _ u-gs coai fire completely out of the grate. Thio was accompanied by a blinding flash of light. The burning coals, which were pretty liberally scattered about the legs of the luncheon party, tended to increase the alarm which was naturally felt, and for some little time, none of those present were enabled to appreciate what had happened. A subsequent examination led to the discovery of the tact, thit a bottle of brandy had been placed at the back of the grate, either for the purpose of concealment or -as a practical joke, and that this had been exploded by the heat of the fire. Under the circumstances, it is fortunate t ! >at no one was injured, and that comparati v- iv little damage was done. AcciDE.Ni*. — An accident of a serious nature hi.poened to a man named William Bosser on Tuesday while employed breaking •tones. A piece of stone flew in his eye, inflicting a serious wound. He was removed to the Christchurch Hospital, where an operation was performed, and he is now progressing very favourably. Lbctube at Bout_cbbid_b.— The Rev J. W. Cree delivered a very interesting leoture in the Town Hall, Southbridge, on Tuesday evening, on " Darkness and Terror, or England's Past and Ireland's Present." There was a fair attendance, the chair being occuE'ed by Mr W. Gabbie. At the close of the store, which was listened to with much attention, Mr Wauchop proposed a hearty Tote of thanks to the rev lecturer, which was carried unanimously. A similar compliment wae paid the Ohairman, and the proceedings terminated. Cable Capbbs. — The readers of the evening papers yesterday were probably considerably astonished to read the following telegram from Melbourne : — " Owing to a severe gale which blew here last night, a bulwark, con__ting of 1200 beam ends, erected oh the Yarra, opposite Fisherman's Bend, in connection with the river works, haa become waterlogged. A very high sea is running at the spot." The solution of the mystery will be found ly referring to our cable messages this morning. Baron Renter and the cable between them are certainly calculated to ruffle the f eelinga of the average editor. __bb. — At a quarter to one yesterdav afternoon smoke was seen issuing from the roof in the back part of the premises in London street, Lyttelton, occupied by Mr J. Robineon, bootmaker. The firebell was rung, and several of the Brigade had the hose out and laid along to tha scene of the fire in a remarkably short time. Fortunately their servicea were not required, aa some of the neighbours got on to the roof of the building, and speedily put out what fire there was. The fire was caused through the defective nature of the kitchen chimney. The building, which was a very old one, was but slightly damaged. Meeting of Da-bxmbk. — A meeting of dairymen was held at the Rotherfield Hotel last evening, to consider the proposal of the Board of Health to obtain the passing of a measure, compelling tbe licensing of dairies. .Mr Yogel occupied the chair. It was resolved that representations should be made to Government '.has the custom of taxing dairies prevailine in London and other towns in the United Kingdom had only reference to the rinderpest. It was also resolved that in the opinion of this meeting the proposed tax was not required, but thoae present were not opnd to a control being exercised over dairies n analysis of the article Bold. A Committee was appointed to carry out the object of the meeting, and the proceedings terminated. Rakgioea Litebabt Ikstittjtb. — The monthly meeting of the managing Committee of thia Institute was held on Tuesday evening, when Messrs Buckham, Cunningham, Thomson, Ellis and Boyd were the only members who put iv an appearance. A letter waa received from Mr 0. Merton, inclosing a copy of the Colonist, and expressing hopes of prosperity for the Institute in the future. Consideration of a letter from Mr Parish re price of hall, for future entertainments given hy the Oxford Oompany, was deferred pending an arrangement being made. The rent of the hall for the last entertainment was remitted. With regard to the brass band ball, the Committee expressed regret that they could not remit the rent in their case, as their funds would not admit of it. It was decided to hold tha annual meeting next Tuesday. The Committee then adjourned. Lees ton Towk Hall. — The annual general meeting of shareholders in the Leeston Town Hall Company was held on Tuesday evening last in the halL Mr G. Sandrey, Ohairman of Directors, occupied the chair. The Secretary (Mr Lc.is) read the annual report and balance-sheet, which, on the motion of Mr F. Jameson, were adopted. The election of officers was then proceeded with, as under — viz, Directors, Messrs Sandrey, Emms, Barnett, Douglas, Jeffrey, Lewis, Lochhead and Bowden ; Hon Treasurer, Mr P. Em_3 ; Hon Secretary, Mr F. Jameson ; Auditors, Mesarß Lunn and Carston . On the motion of Mr Jameson, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the outgoing officers.' Ihe meeting then adjourned. At a meeting of the Directors, held immediately afterwards, Mr George Sandrey was re-elected Ohairman. Fbofosed Chttbch Sooibtx fob TouKflMBK. — On Tuesday evening a meeting was held in the Cathedral schoolroom, for the purpose of considering the advisability of forming a society for the young members of the church. The Very Bey the Dean of Christchurch wa_ in the chair, and spoke in eulogistic terms of the movement. Tne Rev W. H. Elton read the rules of a similar society in London, which he had received from a friend there, and had proved to work well. He also proposed that the new society should be called the Church Cathedral Union, but -nothing was definitely determined on this point. A Committee ef twelve gentlemen was formed, and requested to draw up a code of rules, and to fix upon an appropriate name for the Society. The meeting then adjourned till next Tuesday, when the report of the -Committee wfll be brought up for approval and adoption. The match arranged to _9 played by the Chrißtchureh Football Ulub, on Saturday, ia the following fifteen— Messrs Pratt, Bolton, Potts. Hartland; Dobson, Martin, Williams, Boys. Lewin, Baker, li. Hawkes, A. H. Anderson, E. J. Cotterill, Helmore, and — «d__ yne, against the remainder of the Club. The fifteen will weir red and black, and tha Cl-b bine and white. Members are requested to turn up pu_ot*j__y at 2.45, to enable the game to commence sharp at 3. If any 0 f the fifteen are unable to play, they wffl oblige by letting the Seoretary know. The filgrims* Football Club match oa Saturday will be Tall v. Shurt, sft Bin being taken aa the diridii urli ne. The former to wear gold and black, the latter blue and white. Play to commence at 130 p.m. s__ -p. A Nbw Pomtioiah.— Mr G-. "Vetroy Stewart, the founder of Kati-Kati special settlement, and a man comparatively new to the Colony, will contest the Eaßt Coast constituency at the general eleotion. The following is some of what he Baid to the Tauranga electors : — '* What we require, in my humble opinion, is a strong Government ; but I fear one or two of its members are too much afraid of the opinions of persons having selfish, narrow-minded views on the general settlement of the country. I should he rejoiced to see the dash and go-ahead polioy of James Macandrew, tempered by the financial abilties of Major Atkinson, the keen foresight and legal acumen of Frederick Whitaker, and sterling honesty of John Hall. The cry of a Liberal or a Conservative Government in a new country like New Zealand is all bunkum and clap-trap, being merely used by political agitators to throw dust into the eyes of the working classes who possess, in our district at all events, such favourable opportunities for obtaining by purchase freehold estates in ■mall lots, and therefore their true interests an* bound up with the owners of property." Thb -bk_- f 80-nima Qvutiov.— The offer made by Turkey to Greece for a settlement of the frontier question, which haß been approved by the Great Powers, is generally acoepted by the European Press as a fair solntion of the difficulty. The line gives to Greece nearly all the fertile portion of Thessaly and a small portion of Epirns, but excludes Prevesa. The idea of ceding Crete is for the present held in abeyance. This proposal would give to Greece about 15,000 square kilometres, or nearly 6000 square miles, of about the most fertile soil in European Turkey. The territory marked

- out at the Berlin Conference for cession to Greece covered ah area of 20,000 kQome.tres, or nearly 8000 square miles. So that Turkey actually offers 75 per cent of the land the Berlin Conference desired to Bee given to Greece "If Greece," remarks the London Standard, "can content herself with this handsome gift— a gift such as no nation in history hai ever received from another and stronger people — their peace may be regarded as secured." The ultra-patriotic party among the Hellenes are not, however, satisfied. A Novel Life Buoy.— lt appears strange thab a remarkably simple kind of life-buoy, patented a few jrears ago, seems to have gone the way of many patents of less importance. It is a knitted woollen muffler of such length as to go once round the neck. Anyone can wear the article without being twitted with being over-careful of his life, aB it has all the appearance of an ordinary scarf. If the wearer has occasion to use. it as a life-saving apparatus all that is neceesary is to put a small tube, which projects from one of the ends, to the mouth and blow into it. In an instant a thin rubber bag concealed inside the scarf ■wells up and contains sufficient air to float a man easily. Being close round the neck there is no riak of it shifting and becoming a lifedeatroyer, as some of these inventions are. The tube contains a " pea" valve which is self-acting j therefore all that is required in an emergency is sufficient wind to fill the bag, which then assumes the appearance of a portly German sausage. E-BCTbigitt ik Wool. — The wool industry, says the European Mail, is an important one in these islands, and any invention which will further it is necessarily of value to manufacturing towns such aB Bradford. It is not generally known that one of the great difficulties attendant upen woolspinning by machinery is the development of great quantities of electricity in the process. The dry fibres of wool, mohair, and alpaca, in rubbing against each other or the metal part of the machines, becomes highly electrified, much in the same way aB a stick of seal-ing-wax is charged by rubbing it on the coat sleeve. The electrified yarn gets into a blowsy, or as it is termed in the trade, a " stickleback" condition, the free fibres standing out on end, and the woollen twine having a generally hirsute appearance. These rebellious fibres are apt to catch in the machine or cling to the operator's hands, and hence there are frequent breakagea of tho thread. The new method of Mr Edward Bright for diselectrifying the bobbins by confining them for a short time in a closed chamber exhausted of air by an air pump, obviates all this. -Ir Brighfs plan has already been tried euccessf ully, and is, we believe, about to be introduced on an extensive scale in Bradford. A Coffee Palace Collapse. — The Adelaide correspondent of the Melbourne Argus says : — Our coffee tavern has collapsed. The year's operations show a loss of over £500, or £10 per week, and the Directors thought it was high time to consider their position. Accordingly, they called their fellow shareholders together, and revealed the disastrous result to them. Various explanations are offered to account for the failure. Inefficient management, out of the way premises, and want of patronage by the classes for whom the institution wa9 founded, are named as the chief operating causes that have led to the existing unfortunate state of things. There can be no doubt that the ineligible site of the establishment had a great deal to do with its non-success. Philanthropic rather than buainesa ideas controlled this point, or a position in the heart of the city would have been selected. If this had been done, the tavern, despite ita managerial defects, would have been a prosperous concern, and would have yielded profits whioh would have enabled branch establishments to have been founded in other parts of the town. The present proposal is to hand the whole affair over to private individuals, and thia I fear will end for some time to come our experience of coffee palacea. A Fobgottbk Bbvebao-b. — In speaking of the duties on beer, says the Daily News, Mr Gladstone mentioned that there was a certain article called Mum which had been named in every tariff for time out of mind, and the nature of which neither he himself nor any ono in any of the revenue departments could explain. It is not the first time that mum and the Budget have been brought together. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" have made us familiar with tho conjunction, to say nothing of " Hudibraß" at a later date. That truly was not the kind of mum affected by Mr Gladstone's Budget, any more than it is the Mumm familiar to all modern diners. We confess that our only idea of what the thing called mum may be is drawn from Pope's " Dunciad," and from Scott's "Antiquary." The " Dunciad" tells us how " the clamorous orowd ia hushed with mugs of mum," and the favourite drink of Mr Jonathan Oldbuck, the hero of Scott's novel, Jb a strong ale bearing the same name. We do not mean to be dogmatic, or to offer ourselves aa authorities aa to the nature of mum, but if these reminiscences can throw any light on the obscurity which appears to surround the subject, we are happy to be able to offer so much assistance to the perplexed departments of the revenue. Thb Attempt ok the Maksiok Housi*. — The information in the handa of the City Police tends strongly to confirm the complicity of three American Irishmen, named Mooney, O'Donnell, and Coleman, in the recent attempt to blow up the Mansion House, and there is good reason to believe that the outrage is the outcome of a Fenian plot and conspiracy to injure public buildings in the metropolis. There is also every ground for supposing that the three men in question, and others -with them, have been scared out of the country, and have evaded justice for the time. Two of the suspected persons have been traced across the Channel, and may by thia time have escaped to the United States ; but, at all events, some City detectives have left London for the place where they are conjectured to be, and, though the Extradition Treaty will be of no avail in the matter, it is believed that the friendly authorities will not place legal difficulties in the way of their arrest. A third man is believed to have started for New York from London by the Anchor Line steamer Australia. A man exaotly answering his peculiar description, and lame like him, took an emigrant's berth in that vessel, but the oity police were not apprised of the fact till the ship had sailed, and all that could be dene was to endeavour to intercept the Australia at the Lizard. _ Tuga were sent out with that view, but the night was dark, and the ship was not sighted. Another attempt will be made to board the steamer before she arrives in American waters. Rbfobm it Altogbthbb.— The following has some bearing on the report in the last batch of news by the San JVancisco mail of the imprisonment of a Russian Grand Duke for life : — N-ws is published by the Cologne Gazette to the effect that the Grand Duke Nicholaa Constantinovich, eldest son of the Grand Duke Constantino, one of the brothers of the late Emperor, has been arrested near Moscow and conveyed to his father's castle, near St Petersburg. The ground of this step would seem to be that the Grand Duke Nicholas is suspected of being concerned in political intrigues in favour of hia father. For several years before the death of Alexander 11. it was no secret in Russian Bociety that the present Czar highly disapproved of his uncles Constantino and Nicholas, and that his feelings toward them, which he took no paina to disguise, had led on more than one occasion to serious disagreement between him and his Imperial father. The Grand Duke Constantino, besides having laid himself open to the suspicion that he sympathised with the revolutionary movement, had been deeply implicated in some of the colossal jobs for which the Rmisian Admiralty, during the last reign, acquired an unsavoury reputation. The Grand Duke Nicholas, also, waa so seriously compromised by the revelations elicited respecting the trafio in army contracts, and other matters, by the Imperial Commission appointed to investigate the accounts of the 1877 campaign, that his nephew, under whose presidency that Commission performed its disagreeable duties, broke off all personal intercourse with him, and refused, even at the late Czar's request, to invite Nicolai Nicolaievich to his house. It would now appear to bo the reigning Emperor's intention not only to deprive tho Grand Dukes of their respective high offioes, in favour of his own brothers, but to banish them^ from his realms; at least that is the inference drawn in Bt Petersburg from the announcement which has recently found its way into the columns of the inspired Russian Press, to the effect that these Imperial Princes " contemplate taking up their permanent abode in foroign countries." By thus courageously initiating reforms in an upward, as well as in a downward direction, the now Czar bids fair to allaj popular discontent and win the confidence ol his subjects.

j Consumption o* Tobacco ik Fbahoh.-— lt J appears from a report recently issued that the consumption of tobacco in Prance ia steadily increasing. In 1815, when the population was reckoned at 29,500,000; the amount consumed was 8,931,403 kilogrammes, or 807 grammes per head; and in 1876, when the population was estimated at 36,643,087, the consumption increased to 31,188,848 kilogrammes, or 851 grammes per head. The amount consumed in the different departments varies very much. Snuff-taking is practised the most in Oise, Seine, Inferieure, Kure, Eure-et-Loir, at the maximum rates of 375 grammes per head ; and the least in the departments of Doibs, Pyrenees Orientales, Nord, Haut-Bhin, and Haute Savoie, where the average is but 100 grammes. In smoking*, however, there is rather a reverse order of things. Ten departments only consume tobacco above the average, while 70 are actually below it. If all France smoked the same quantity as do the people of Nord, Hant-Bhin, and Pas-dc-Calais, tho consumption of the whole country would be 73,286,174 kilogrammes, instead of 31,000,000 ; and vice versa it would be only 6,265,968 kilogrammes if calculated according to the average of Lozere, whioh is only at the rate of 171 grammes per head.