Local and General

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5023, 9 June 1884, Page 3

Local and General

The master of the Armagh street Depot desires to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of a large quantity of fish from Mr Thomas Peart for the use of the inmates. On Saturday night a man was arrested while in the act of stealing an overcoat, valued at .£1 12s Gd, from the door of a draper in Cashel street. A large number of members took passage to Wellington on Saturday evening by the Union Steamship Company's Hawea, to attend Parliament. Yesterday morning, as several gentle-, men were returning from Sumner on bicycles, one of them, in trying to avoid a trap, struck a large stone and was precipitated, machine and all, over the rocks on to the beach below. As the fall was about Bft, the cyclist was lucky to escape with nothing worse than a few bruises. The Rev J. T. Hinton, of Wellington, preached at the Oxford terrace Baptist Chapel yesterday, taking for his texts — in the morning, St John, xv., 15-16; and, in the evening, Hebrews, v., 9. The . services were of a most able and impressive character. Good attendances greeted the new preacher, both morning and evening. Mr H. Corrick presided at the organ. An accident occurred to Mr Thomas Cooper, mate of the s.s. Akaroa, on Saturday morning, at Lyttelton.- Cooper had bought a bottle of carbolic acid at Forbes' store, and was taking it down to the steamer. When passing the Post-office the contents of the bottle escaped, burning him severely about the lower portion of his body and legs. He was attended to by Dr Macdonald, and will be laid up for so c time. In connection with the railway tariff, we may state that the Inglewood Flour Mills at Ohoka, producing about thirty tons a week, instead of making use of the railway siding at their door, send their flour to Christchurch by waggon, a distance of 10 miles. Another instance. The second class fare charged for a little over four miles, from Kaiapoi to Jackson's road station, is Is 6d. Who can wonder at the railways not paying ? The nomination for the Ashburton seat has been fixed for Wednesday, June 25, at the Resident Magistrate's Courthouse, Ashburton, at noon, and the poll will be taken on Wednesday, July 2. The following are the polling-places, seven in number: — The Resident Magistrate's Courthouse, Ashburton ; Road Board offices, Methven and Mount Somers ; and the schoolhouses at Alford Forest, Greenstreet, Hinds, and Lismore. 527 new names have been added to the electoral roll, which now contains 1627 electors. The second session of the Spreydon Literary and Debating Class was opened on Friday night in the Spredyon school by an entertainment, the chair being occupied by Mr Marriner. After an opening address from the Chairman, a lengthy programme, consisting of songs, duets, readings, and recitations, was gone through by a number of members and friends. The audience, which was a numerous one, thoroughly enjoyed the evening's proceedings, and expressed their appreciation by frequent and hearty applause. The meeting was brought to a close by singing the National Anthem. An entertainment, in aid of the Choir Fund of the Papanui Wesleyan Church, took place on Friday evening. The first part consisted of the service of song " Billy Bray," which was performed very creditably by the Papanui Wesleyan Church choir, under the conductorship of Mr E. A. Lock. The connective readings were given by the Rev C. H. Garland in a manner which gained the attention of the audience throughout. The second part of the entertainment comprised solos, duets, and quartettes, rendered by members of the choir, and, judging by the hearty applause, were much enjoyed. On Friday evening a conference of members of the Timaru School Committee and the principal teachers was held, on the subject of corporal punishment, which had been raised, in the leading columns of a local newspaper. No result was arrived at, but the Committee expressed themselves satisfied with the explanations of the teachers, and it was believed that the conference would lead to the correction of whatever abuses might up to this time have existed. At the same time, the Chairman of the Committee took occasion to repudiate very warmly the reported statements of the Chairman of the Education Board, in reference to the Board's delay in replying to the Committee's letters, and the want of representation on the Board, from which Timaru suffered. Mr Bruce submitted an exhaustive report, showing that the allegations made by him and hi 3 Committee were thoroughly well founded. On Saturday evening, the Theatre Royal was put to a novel use, Mr Darcy Hyland giving there the first of a series of six entertainments intended to show his skill as a horse breaker and trainer. The attendance upstairs was rather meagre, but the stage, which is now made to do duty in place of the stalls and pit, was fairly well filled by an appreciative audience. Mr Hyland was as successful as ever, and gave proof of his power to subdue vicious and unhandled colts, one of which treated the audience to a very pretty piece of bucking without in the least disconcerting the rider, whose splendid seat called forth rounds of applause. The performing ponies and the clever mare, Black j Bess, were also introduced, and repeated j the feats previously given by them at ; TattorsalTs." The proceedings were enj livened by selections played by the City ! Band. This evening, Mr Hyland again j appears at the Theatre. It is understood < that Mr Hylaud's rough - riding chalj lenge to all-comers has been accepted by jMr J. Wilson, of Christchurch. The ; amount of the' wager is .£2O a-side, and the j money is posted at Mr Stening's Britannia I Hotel. The time and place for the match ! have not been settled, but it is to be held in the open, and -each man is to ride in liis • own style. ! The Irish authorities are stated to be in ] possession of important information as to i continued plots by the Irish Invincibles, j who are working in conjunction with the ! American dynamitards. Some month ago ■ Scotland Yard detectives brought into j Dublin discovered a clandestine correspondence was being carried in between tho leading members of the Invincibles undergoing j>enal scvitude in Dublin prisons and the conspirators outside. Au investigation was held at Mountjoy Prison, and I warders were brought from Spike Island : Convict Prison. Investigations were con- < tinued, and in James Mullet's cell, eventually, some important letters j were discovered. These disclosed a 1 plot to blow up Mountjoy Prison and , the rescue of the Invincible convicts. The ; warders were to be bribed from the Skir- ! Hushing and Dynamite Funds in Rossa's ! hands, and were to convey infernal machines into the prison. In the confusion caused by the explosion the prisoners were :to escape. One of the letters contained an ; order to murder Delaney, the Invincible ' convicted of attempting to murder Judge Lawson. Delaney gave all the assistance in his power to the Government officials, j and through his information many j arrests and convictions were brought about. The plot to murder Delaney was that, as he left the prison chapel . after mass, he should be thrown over the balcony. The removal of the Invincible convicts to English prisons, as recently reported, was immediately after carried out. Delaney, however, still remains in Mountjoy Prison, for his own safety. When the , Invincibles were taken from their cells for removal to England, groans were given by ' them for the Government, and hearty cheers for the Invincibles. Immediately after a number of warders were dismissed, receiving a month's pay in lieu of notice. The Dublin Express amplifies the above startling disclosures at considerable length. The following New Zealand names appear in tho list, published in the Scotsman of April 16, of medical students at the University of Edinburgh, who have taken honours in this year's degree examinations :— F. Truby King (Tarauaki) ; F.

H. Jeffeoat (Dunedin) ; W. Johnstone Will ; Arthur C. Purchas ; Lewis A. Hawke 3 (Christchurch) j Ernest Robertson and T. W. Bell. One of the clauses always found in J the articles of a trading company is a rule prohibiting a Director dealing with bis Company. Tlie Gear Meat Company, Wellington, however, had so many members of business firms on their Directorate, that they found this restriction too irksome to be borne, and a tacit agreement was come to to allow the Manager or Secretary to obtain wares wherever he chose. This, according to the New Zealand Times, has landed the Company in a nice difficulty. The Directors found it necessary to terminate the engagement of their Secretary, and he straightway issued a writ against the Chairman, restraining him from acting on the Board. The Chairman, who would have to resign, anticipated matters by vacating his seat, but it is said that nearly the whole of the other Directors are in the same position. It is now a nice question to determine the measure of guilt of the Secretary. The warlike breathings of ardent Federationists have not escaped notice at Home. The Home News seems to see nothing to tremble at in the prospect (mighty distant though we imagine) of a war between Franco and the Colonies. "Bold," it remarks, "as this policy may seem, there is no doubt it will find favour in the Australian Colonies. They would fight sooner than endure the monstrous evils France would bring upon them. Nor is there anything so preposterous in the idea. The relative strength of France and Australia is far less disproportionate than when our American Colonies differed with the Mother Country, and kept the field with great courage and constancy for many years. It is extremely improbable, moreover, that we should leave Australia alone. If we did, farewell to our Imperial prestige. The separation of Australia would be the immediate result, and when once the British Empire began to disintegrate there would be no saying where it would end. It is likely that when the determined attitude of the Colonies is more fully appreciated, renewed representations will be made to the French Government, and this time in plainer and more explicit language. On no grounds can France defend her proposed action. It is opposed to all principles of humanity, for this influx of the French criminal class into the Pacific in such great numbers would leave the native races altogether at their mercy, and convert Polynesia into one great pandemonium. It is contrary to international law. The comity of nations may be compared to that of an ordinary community, and no nation, any more than an individual, is at liberty to injure and annoy a neighbour by throwing its foul rubbish at the other's door." The son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese army, Ayskeh Kabayama, now a student at Wilbraham Academy in Massachusetts, has just been baptized and ! received into the Methodist Church.