Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4864, 1 December 1883, Page 3

Local & General.

The Bangiora Hortionltural Sooiety's Spring Show will be held at the Institute Hall, Bangiora, on Friday, Deo. 7. The prizes gained at the Oourtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association's Show will be distributed at Kirwee on Deo. 4, at 7 p.m. 10,500 tons of ooai and (ther mioerals were exported from Greymouth during the month of November. 61 steamers and sailing vessels arrived. The details of a epeoial series of -mission services at the Cathedral, commencing on Monday, will be found in our advertising columns. An attractive vocal and instrumental oonoert is advertised by Mr Corriok to take plaoe in the Congregational sohoolroom on Monday evening. The births in Christohnroh and distriot for Novemher were 176, marriages 40, and deaths 42. They compare very favourably with the same month last year. To-day the entries for the Exhibition olose. This morning they oontinued to come in abundantly, but the exact number cannot be known till too late for publication in this afternoon's issue. The Oanterbury Oaledonian Society oelebrated St Andrew's Day last night by a supper in the Commercial Hotel, wheie conviviality was indulged in for several hours. A report of the proceedings will be found in another column. An entertainment was given in the Southbrook sohoolroom last evening in aid of the sohool prize fund. The whole of the programme, consisting of songs, recitations, and instrumental selections, was rendered by the sobool ohildren in a highly satisfactory manner. There was an excellent attendance. Mr 0. W. Turner (the Ohairman) and the members of the Lyttelton Harbour Board paid an offioial visit to Pigeon Bay yesterday, being taken down there on board the tng Lyttelton. The objeot of their visit was to examine the site of the new Pigeon Bay jetty. The final oonteat of the lawn tennis tournament, wbioh is being played between the members of the Lancaster Park Olub, is appointed for Saturday next at 3.80 p.m. Misß N. Beoves and Mr Vallange will contest for the honours of the tournament with Miss Gibson and Mr Short. It is intended that a presentation shall be made to the lady winner of the tennis racquet, and Lady Wilson has kindly oonsented to make the presentation. Tea will be provided for the ladies and their friendi. <_^_i Last night Mrs Beatty, of the Palaoe Hotel, proprietress of the Theatre Boyal, gave a little supper to whioh she issued invitations to the members of the Pomeroy Dramatio Company. Though many of the Oompany were too tired after their arduous season to avail themselves of the invitation, a very pleasant party assembled and enjoyed themselves well for a few hours. Among the toasts were "the Hostess," "the Dramatio Profession," and "the Press," whioh were duly honoured. In the course of the evening many eulogistic remarks were made as to the kindness and attention shown by Mrs Beatty to those memberß of the Oompany who had passed the last five weeks under her hospitable roof. ewoorc*. - " ggjjg| The behaviour ot a large number of youths who nightly assemble on the Madras street bridge for the purpose of eeling, calls for attention at the hands of the guardians of the peace. Perfeotly indifferent to those passing of either sex, these nocturnal anglers indulge in the most disgusting language, in which oaths of fearful import are largely interspersed. Probably aB a majority of those engaged jn fishing are below and under the spans of the bridge, they imagine that they can give full vent to the foulest expressions, utterly regardless of their being overheard. Another point in connection with this matter is the faot that a fatal aooident is liable to ooour at any moment. The lads— and many are ohildren of the tenderest years— swarm like a duster of bees on the supports of the bridge, within a few feet of deep water, when in the dark a clip ef the foot or hand would probably preoipitate more than one into the stream. The Oommittee of tbe Ohristchuroh Musical Sooiety has just reoeived from England a large stook of music for praotice and publio rehearsal during the ooming year. The works ordered and reoeived are " The Bride of Dunkerron" (Smart), "The Crusaders" (Gadd), Mendelssohn's 1 ' W»lpurgis Night," Schubert's "Song of Miriam," and Handel's "Theodora. " The Oommittee being determined to try and establish a really good and suffioient library, the present Bhipment includes cix dozen Boore copies of each work. Members of the Society will, therefore, be well served in that direotion. Gounod's laat great work, " Redemption," was inoluded in the order and came duly to hand, but bb the publishers retained the right of production, and consequently a heavy fee, that .fine work must remain unrehearsed by the Sooiety for some time to oome. The forthcoming publio rehe trsal of the "Messiah" promises a great sucoess. It is intended to have an out-door f&e in aid of the parish fund on a large eeale at Biccarton on Wednesday, Deo. 12, with a sale of needlework and fanoy articles of various kinds, a large portion of whioh have been sent out from England and the Continent, and are not usually to be proonred in the Colony. Among other things are specimens of Breton pottery, Beleek ware, Irish lace and bog-oak ornaments, ko. A luncheon tent will be a prominent feature, where an excellent repast will be obtainable for the modest sum of one shilling. In another tent will be sold fruit and early vegetables, with dairy and other farm produoe. There will also be a flower tent and a Christmas troe. Tea, coffee, and other refreshments will not be forgotten; and last, but not least, there will be an abundant supply of strawberries and oream. When we add to this list of attractions that the fete will be held in the beautiful grounds of Ham, whioh have been thrown open to tbe publio for the oooasion by Mr Leonard Harper, nothing more oan be wanting but -fine weather to seoure its success, and abundant enjoyment to all who take their day's outing at Biccarton on the day in question. The first of the Shaw, Savill and Albion direot liners — that smart steamer by the way which took €1 days to do the voyage— has come to signal grief. On her way oub of Auckland Harbour on Thursday night, by some unaccountable means, that has oaused the utmost astonishment in Auckland, ahe got five or six miles ont of her oourse, and landed on Tiritiri Island. The night wae fine, and there ia a lighthouse on Tiritiri, whioh "looms up large" according to the description in the telegram ; the pilot, too, had only left the vessel an hour before ahe struck, and given them the correot oourse. The emigrants, luckily, had all been transferred to the s.s. Manapouri the day before, and there was only one passenger aboard, but there is a quantity of cargo, part of which is for Lyttelton. The Captain was on the bridge at the time, but he and his offioers refuted to commit themselves by making statements abont the casualty. At latest acoooxtts the Triumph was still fast aground, but it wae hoped that, 'by lightening the forehold, the a/tor part, whioh hung over deep water would lift tho bows from the rooks. j

In tbe -window of the shop of Mr J. Herman, watchmaker and jeweller, High street, may bo seen iome specimens of gold-beating quarts brought down last night* from the Premier Prospering Company's ground, the exaot looality of which is not disolosed, except so far ae.that it is within the Provincial district of Oanterbury. In ono of the specimens there is visible something more than a speck of gold, and in the others the indications are very promising. The reef from whioh they are brought is six feet wide, and must be conaidered as a probable good thing for the shareholders, and for Oanterbury. A meeting of the Hororata Bace Oommittee was held at the Hororata Hotel on Thursday, Nov. 29; present— Messrs Gray, Ward, Osbourn, J. Napier, Jones, T. Napier, Derrett, Higgins, Weastell, Oliver, Carleton, and Bollitt. In the absence of the Ohairman (Mr Fountaine), Mr Bollitt was voted to the ohair. Mr Weastell proposed, and Mr Gray seoonded — " That the oharge for admission to the raoeoourse for all people over sixteen yeara old be one shilling, and all under that age free ; horses, one shilling ; racehorses entered for races free," which was carried without disoussion. Meiers Hobbs and Goodwin offered to work totalisators at the races, giving the Olub 5 per cent clear of expanses, whioh was aooepted. Tenders were opened for purohasing right of obarging at gate, when that of Meiers Hobbs and Goodwin was acoepted at £10 ; and, for supplying musio at ball, Mr Bamsay'*, of Kirwee, was acoepted. lhe publioan's booth was let to Mr T. Napier, Hororata Hotel, at £10. The tender of Messrs Water and Son to supply refreshment booth at raoes was deolined, and fresh tenders were ordered to be oalled for. Mr J. Napier proposed, and Mr Gray seconded — "That the Seoretary write to the Bailway Oompany, praying them to grant single fares from Ohristchuroh, Springfield, and all intermediate stations to Coalgate on raoe day." Oarried unanimously. Mr Higgins proposed, and Mr Ward seconded— " Tbat the Oommittee take legal proceedings against any per* son who enters the ground on race day without paying." Agreed to. It was agreed that all nominations, inoluding Oup and Trot, be in by Deo. 14, A correspondent sends to the Melbourne Telegraph an account of an extraordinary occurrence which took plaoe at Bandridge recently. A shark, about 6Jf t in length, was seen olose to the pier, in shallow water. Two men, under the influence of drink, went out in a small boat to try to oapture it. lhe shark got nnder the boat, and the men, in trying to strike it with an iron bar, capsized themselves and the boat on top of the shark. One of the men struck out for the shore as fast as he could. The other, named Samuel Jaokson, made for the shark and seized it in his arms. Immediately the shark knocked him down with a blow of its tail. Jackson pursued him in the water, and oaught him again by the body. The shark threw him down four times in the water. On the fourth fall a man went to his assistance, and between them they succeeded in oarrying the live shark to the shore in their arms. A Parisian journal a short time ago reoorded a very olever bit of matchmaking exeouted in brilliant style last winter by a well-known New York woman. Her eldest daughter, it seems, had Bailed from New York with some friends for a tour in Europe, and, after " doing " the Oontinent, had returned to the French capital for several months of rest and pleasuring. Attractive and clever, she had many suitors, some more, somo Icbb desirable. She could not marry them all, so she adroitly reduced the number to two— the best of tbe lot, of course. Thin she wrote home to her mother, explaining the exaot situation of affairs, adding that they weie both so handsome, agreeable, well oonnected, and rioh that she could not decide between them, and olosed with the question " What shall I do ?" Ten days later ahe reoeived a cable despatoh from her mother : " I sail to-morrow ; hold both until I come " The next transatlantic steamer brought Mra Blank with her aeoond daughter just turned eighteen and fresh from sohool. On her arrival the old lady at once took the helm of affairs and steered so deftly through the dangerous waters that in a few weeks she reaohed port with all ooloura flying. To drop metaphor, Bhe attended the wedding of her two daughters at the Amerioan Chapel on the same morning. After due examination she had decided that neither of the nioe fellows should go out of the family. A murder and supposed outrage has been committed at the township of Panmure, 16 miles from Warrnambbol, Viotoria. The viotim is a girl 10 years of age, named Margaret Nolan, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer, living about a mile and a half out of the village. The girl was sent into the township with butter at 3 o'clock on Nov. 17, and tben went further on to what is termed the old township oyer the river. From this plaoe she was seen returning, and as Bhe wao passing up the road going in the direction of her home at about 4 o'olook, she was walking beside a man on horsebaok, who has been identified as James Morgau, a farmer at Lake Warrnambool, At 8 o'olook in the evening, finding that the girl had not returned, her parents became uneasy, and the alarm being giveß, the whole township turned out in a search, which was kept up all night. At _ o'olock on Sunday morning the party, headed by the father of the ohild, discovered her dead body lying amongst some tall ferns about half a mile from the township. It waß lying on its back with the arms extended, the clothes disarranged, and a fearful wound in the neok. In her left hand tho ohild grasped some feme, and all around her wore evidences of a desperate struggle. Morgan was arrested, and blaok trackers sent for to follow up important traces whioh have been found.