Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5022, 7 June 1884, Page 3

Local & General.

The following are the vital statistics for .Ashburton for May : — Births, 33 ; marxiages, 8 ; deaths, 5. ' The meetir.y of the Ashburton County Council yest^/day lapsed for want of a quorum of members present at the statutory hour. The following are the Ashburton Hospital returns for May : — Patients at the beginning of the month, 9 ; admitted, 7 ; discharged, 3 ; remaining, 13. The Committee of the Canterbury Agri cultural and Pastoral Association yesterday decided to present a douceur of 80 guineas to their energetic Secretary, Mr JBI. Murphy, as a return for the services xendered. by him in preparing the " N.Z. Shorthorn Herd Book." At a meeting of the Public Library . Committee, held yesterday afternoon, resolutions were passed expressing regret At the attitude assumed by the Board of Governors with respect to the Public library, and declaring the desirability of an Act of Parliament, dividing the endowment between the three institutions concerned, and making a change in the management of the Library. The railway whistle sounded an alarm at a quarter to 7 last evening, and -the chemical engine, with the Superintendent, went out. Nothing, however, could be seen of any fire, and it is supposed turning rubbish (quickly extinguished) -was the cause of the reflection. There was a fire in the direction of Cashmere on Thursday evening. Superintendent Turton ■went part of the way, but, finding it to be evidently some miles out of town, he did not persevere. This evening Mr Darcy Hyland appears at the Theatre Royal, whither j he has transferred his operations from Tattersall's. He guarantees to entirely subdue, in view of the audience, a number of unbroken colts, one of which (the property of Mr Prank Egan) is possessed of a : more than ordinary amount of viciousnesa. The exhibition promises to be of remarkable interest, and doubtless will be largely patronised. Mr Gerald L. Dillon occupies the position of business manager. Yesterday afternoon a little boy named Gifford, about ten years old, was run over in Lyttelton by a greengrocer's «art, the property of W. Cook. The j accident occurred close to the Borough School, to which the boy was going. He was crossing the road, when the cart, ' ■which was in charge of a lad, knocked him • xlown, the wheel running right across his . tody. The boy was taken to Dr Macdonald's surgery, where it was found that though there were no bones broken the little fellow was considerably bruised. It is hoped that ihe accident will not prove a very serious one. j The Eoyal Hotel, Woodend, which -was rendered famous by the action of 4be Mandeville and Eangiora Licensing Committee last year, is again in danger of "being closed. At the annual meeting of the Committee held yesterday, the Revs Gossett and Hudson and Mr T. Wilson , objected to the license being renewed on the ground that the house was not required in the neighbourhood. They levelled their objections against this particular house because the Committee last year agreed upon its being the most suitable one of the two in the place to close. Mr M'Connell, -who appeared for the licensee, applied for ] an adjournment, which the Committee ; granted. I A New York reporter a short time ago interviewed Mr James M'Henry, a. trusted friend and adherent of the exlEmperor of France. Some of the details published are interesting and new. Soon after Napoleon'B surrender and Eugenie's flight, they were united again in England. The Prince Imperial, who had been sent to Belgium, joined them, and they at once .set about repairing their shattered fortunes. Napoleon called on Mr M'Henry in London, asking help to raise a loan of JLtiQ^QQi) to relieve his immediate necessities. He hoped to get the money from eight persons, of whom Mr M'Henry was one. The latter subscribed £ 10,000, which -was afterwards fully and promptly repaid. He hud no doubt but the .remainder would sas easily liu Hecured. Bat it was not j hia ■different friends, one and all, giving good •excuses i'or withholding their aid. Napoleon's cousin, the Duke of Hamilton, for instance, offered him Hamilton Palace fox a time, but nothing anore. Napoleon then accepted the ute of the esstftte at Cbiselhurst, at the hands of a friend, and here ho went, newer to leave. JUHihe stories. of his famous wc.ealth, from properties in London and New York, were tffitruq, and until^a settlement was effected frith the French (Government he was dependent upon his friends for the sueans of support. " I often visited him at Chiselhurst,-" said Mr M'Hienry, " and there he set <m foot plans te regain the French throne. There was no deep feeling against Inn in France, and it was easy to prepare the army for his reception." He vrtus to land at Boulogne, and iproceed thence £o Paris, and papers are inow in existence -which, if publishecl,would famish conclusive proof of the correctness of this statement. Emperor's ambition was to re-enter J*arig mounted on horseback at the ftead of his armies? This his physicians forbade, saying his health would not jpermjfc it, and, that his entry wight be made an he wished, he ordered the ssr °ical operation which terminated his life. He died as ha had lived, with hja mind and Jjeart in France.

The engineer, Mr O. Peez, and the contractors, Messrs Scott Brothers, for the new bridge to be erected at Kaiapoi, took the levels, and arranged for the position of the structure on Friday afternoon, and it is anticipated that work will be commenced hero in a day or so. Last night, St John's schoolroom was crowded on the occasion of the first of a series of entertainments, to be given for the purpose of obtaining funds with which to pay off the debt, amounting to about J9O, due on the schoolroom. The programme consisted of a concert and the farce of " Cool as a Cucumber." In the concert, a large chorus, under the bitton of Mr H. W. Cambridge, sang very successfully Mozart's "To Konie's Immortal Leader," Barnby's " Sweet and Low/' and Wagner's "The Bridal March." Aquartette of vocalists gave Benedict's " The Wreath" with much taste; Miss Broadbelt sang Sullivan's "The Chorister," the Misses Eowley the duet "Invitation," Mr G. Merton, Fesea's "The Wanderer"; and Miss E. Rowley, Hutchison's "Ehren on the Rhine," in which the ladies especially acquitted themselves admirably ; and the Misses and Master Wynn-Williams executed a " sonatina" of Henry Farmer's I for violin, 'cello, and piano, which showed what considerable progress the young musicians are making. Iu the farce, the cast was as follows : — Plumper, Mr W. G. Brittan ; Barkins, senr., Mr C. W. Flint; Frederick Barkins, Mr R. Puflett ; Jessie Honiton, Mrs T. Garrard ; and Wiggins, Miss L. Mackett. The various roles were remarkably well taken, the ladies and Mr Brittan deserving great praise for the self-possession they displayed. Mrs Garrard saug with much sweetness an introduced Bong. The success of last night may be taken as an assurance that the efforts of the clever amateurs who helped to achieve it will meet with continued recognition.