Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5049, 9 July 1884, Page 3

Local & General.

Sir William Jervois has taken a lease of Elmwood, the residence of the late Mr E.H. Rhodes, for a term of fifteen months. He will not, however, take up his abode there immediately. A correspondent informs us that a friend ■ in the cooking department of Trinity College, Cambridge, speaks very highly of New Zealand mutton, and states that it is used at the College by the ton. The railway horn sounded an alarm of fire at 8.45 o'clock last night. The chemical engine was driven to the Gasworks road ; but it was found that the occasion of the alarm was nothing more serious than a gorse hedge near Mr Langdown's residence. The .improvement manifested in Monday night's performance of the drama, "Under the Gaslight," at the Theatre Royal, was maintained last evening, when the piece went capitally throughout. There was a fairly good attendance, and the audience were most vociferous in their manifestations of approval. The piece will be repeated to-night. At a meeting of the Directors of the Moa Creek Gold mining and Quartz Crushing Company, Limited, held at Rangiora yesterday afternoon, Mr W. Nicholls was appointed Managing Director, and Mr D. C. M'Donald Secretary to the Company. A Committee was elected to allot shares, and other preliminary business done, after which the meeting adjourned. The usual monthly meeting of the Prebbleton Temperance Society was held on Monday evening. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Eev A. C. Wright, and addresses were delivered by Messrs T. F. Smith and H. Bennetts of Christchurch. It is stated that since the commencement of this Temperance movement more than twothirds of the old residents about Prebbleton have taken the pledge. A new double manual organ has just been erected in St Mark's Church, Opawa, and a special service will be held to-morrow evening to celebrate its opening. The Rev J. Chaffers- Welsh will preach on the occasion, and the offerings will be given to the Church enlargement fund. At the conclusion of the service a recital on tho organ will be given by Mr A. R. Kelsey. The Rev C. Worboys gave his monthly lecture in St Asaph street Church, last night, taking for his subject his visit to Italy and Malta. Mr John Caygill occupied the chair. The lectux'e contained a description of the chief centres of attraction, and the social, religious, and political characteristics of the people. Mr A. Corrick's*" Miremont" orchestra played selections in excellent style. The large number of persons attending these lectures proves this effort at popular entertainment to be quite a success. A Committee meeting of the Sydenhani Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society was held in Lawrence's Hotel, Sydenhani, on Monday evening last. There was a large attendance of members, and Mr J. J. Parker occupied the chair. It was proposed and carried unanimously that a Cat Show be held on the second day of the exhibition, and the elapses were allotted. It was decided to close the entries in the poultry, pigeon and canary classes on Saturday, August 2, at 6 p.m. The Art Union Committee reported the distribution of tickets, the sale of which appears to be very satisfactory, owing, no doubt to the value of the first prize: The usual compliment was passed to the Chairman, and the meeting adjourned. Our Spfingston correspondent writes : — A number of burglaries have been committed here lately. The first and most impudent wa& the robbery at the Springston Hotel of ,£260, which was abstracted from a bedroom downstairs between 9.15 and 9.45 p.m., when the house was open and people about. No clue has as yet been obtained to the perpetrators. Then came a robbery from a hut on Mr F. Murray's farm. It contained about .£lO, but, no doubt being disturbed, tho thief or thieves only got 27s 6d. Agiiin, on Friday last, when Mr and Mrs Thomas Pannett were in town, a safe was stolen from his house. It was chained to the floor upstairs, and was evidently thrown out of the window and then carried away. Luckily, its contents were only deeds. A meeting of the Opawa Rifle Club was held in the Opawa schoolroom on Monday. There was a very good attendance. Mr E. Jenkins was voted to the chair, and after the reply fro^i Government re rifles liad been read, it was resolved to adopt the Kaiapoi rules with \ slight alterations where necessary. Twentyfour names were given in, and Mr E. I Jenkins was unanimously elected captain, an honour which he duly acknowledged. Mr 11. R. Peel was elected Treasurer and Secretary, after which, the meeting went into Committee, when it was unanimously resolved to ask Mr J. L. Coster to become President. Several gentlemen wei*e proposed as vice-President, alter which a Committee was appointed to obtain a range and look after other matters. The members of the Atholstan Lodge, No. 112, U.A.0.D., held their usual halfyearly meeting at the Royal George Hotel, on Monday evening last, when there was a large attendance of members, A.D. Bro J. Rantin presiding. After the usual routine had been gone through, the following officers were duly elected and installed for the ensuing term": — A.D., Bro Dr M'Bcan Stewart; V.A.D., 8r0 W. Dixon ; Secretary, P.A. Bro H. E. Rowe ; Treasurer, Bro G. Collier • A.D.B.'s, Bros W. E. Barnett and F. James ; V.A.D.B.'s, Bros E. Edwards and G. Athea; 1.G., Bro W. Freeman; 0.G., Bro A. Cook ; M.S., P.A. Bro S. Thomas ; Surgeon, Dr MB Stewart. A very hearty vote of thanks was then passed to D.P. Bro Bailey for the manner in which he had , installed the various officers, and for his able address. It was also resolved to prej sent P.A. Bro H. E. Rowe with a handI soinely framed diploma and Past Arch collar. A hearty vote of thanks was also

passed to P.D.P. Bro D. Sutherland and retiring officers. The Lodge was then closed in due form by the newly-elected A.D.

passed to P.D.P. Bro D. Sutherland and i retiring officers. The Lodge was then < closed in due form by the newly-elected < A.D. < The Court Star of Canterbury, A.0.F., i held its quarterly summoned meeting on ] Monday evening, at the Foresters' Hall, i The attendance of members was unusually < large. Visiting members were introduced i from Court Thistle of the Forest, Court Pride of Richmond, also from Dunedin and England. The Woodwards reported the sick members all doing well. The election of officers was proceeded with, and resulted in the election of the following: — C.R., Bro Beer; S.C.R. Bro A. C. Elliott; S.W., Bro G. Wade (re-elected) ; J.W., Bro J. Gapes, junr; 5.8., Bro J. Gent; J. 8., Bro W. Burke; Hallkeeper, Bro G. Wade; Committee, Bros W. Buckley, Watts, Sears, Crooks, J. Gapes, junr, C. Samuels ; District Delegates, Bros Watts, J. Gapes, junr, \ W. B. Hobbs. The Medical Officers, Drs ] Deamer, Guthrie, and Thomas, were all re-elected. The report of the Medical i Committee was adopted. After transact- s ing some other business, the C.R. closed i the Court in the usual way. The receipts ] of the evening amounted to .£lB5 8s 6d. i The Chief of Police at Berlin has issued i a proclamation in which he strongly warns 1 people against eating any sort of raw pig- i meat. The proclamation further points i out that only by perfectly cooking joints of 1 pork and all articles made with pork can < the destruction of trichina be insured. At Berlin a private Company has been formed, the object being to promote the development of the German colonies in agricultural and commercial matters. A philanthropist wishes to benefit the poor by teaching them to eat their bread and butter with the butter side down. He says that the sense of taste is most acute on the tongue, and that a very small amount of butter will satisfy if put in the obviously right spot.