Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5132, 14 October 1884, Page 3

Local & General.

+ Mr Howard Vincent, formerly bead of the London Dtrtoctivo Department^ is a passenger from Wellington to Lyttelton by the Waihora. Last evenin .;• the members of the East Christchurch Football Club presented Mr 1\ L. Smith witli a handsome marble clock, suitably inscribed, as a memento of an interesting ceremony in which that gentleman is to take part this week. At an adjourned general meeting of the Sotitii Canterbury Caledonian Society last niglit it was resolved to lwkl two days' sports, to have 43 events with prizes amounting to .£210 155, to close entries for handicaps on the last Saturday in December, to hold a Caledonian concert, and to insert an extra event, " sword v, bayonet."

! Major-General Scratchley has been appointed to tho High-Commissionership of New Guinea. \ At the ordinary meeting of tho Timaru Borough Council last night, following upon the closing of tho town drainage question, it was resolved to appoint .a Committee to report upon the expediency and cost of concrete side channelling in the Borough, an amendment to leave all things as before being negatived. At a special meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last night, it was resolved to take over from the Library Committee the library building with all the Committee's liabilities, and to carry on and maintain the institution, reserving to life members all the rights and privileges they enjoyed under the old rdgime. Professor Brown delivered another lecture of his Shakesperean course last evening. In spite of tho unf avourable weather, there was -a good attendance. The subject of the lecture was the art and philosophy of the play of "Henry V." The final lecture of the course will be given on Wednesday evening. A meeting of the Christchurch City Guards was held last evening, in the drill-shed, when it was definitely settled to hold their military sports on Saturday, Nov. 8. As the time is rather limited, those corps intending to compete in the bayonet teams and other events will require to go into training at once. The full programme will be advertised before the end of the week. The second reading of the West Coast Railway Bill, the measure fraught with such interest to Canterbury and Westland, was disposed of la»t night, the discubsion taking up the Avhole of the evening sitting. Mr Wakefield devoted a long speech to combating the proposals in the Bill, for which he earned a castigation from the Treasurer and the remembrance of his constituents. The second reading was, however, carried very easily by 39 votes to 12. There were 28 pairs. The only Canterbury member who voted or paired against the Bill, with the exception of Mr Wakefield, was the ex-Minister of • Lands. After the Committee of the Industrial Association had made their risitof inspection to Mr W. H. Langdown's works yesterday, a proposition was made that a telegram Bhould be despatched to Mr D.Reese, M.H.R., on the subject of the West Coast railway, as it was feared that his [support to the Bill now before Parliament was somewhat doubtful. The suggestion was unanimously approved, and the following telegram was at once forwarded to Mr Reese: — "Meeting Industrial Committee this afternoon. Full attendance. Resolved that you be requested to support West Coast Railway Bill by any route." ! The time of his Honor Mr Justice Johnston and a jury of four was occupied in the Supreme Court yesterday ■ with the case of Barclay v. Vaughan. The , parties were storekeepers at Sefton, and the alleged libel, accusing the plaintiff of conniving with a bankrupt to the detriment of creditors, was published in a letter to the bankrupt's solicitors. The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff — one shilling — expressing an opinion that the defendant ' should pay the costs. His Honor took a , note of this, and the question will be ' further discussed. The Court adjourned at 20 minutes to 6 till 10 o'clock this morning. ! Mr T. Westlake, boat-builder of Lyttelton, who has recently completed two nice boats : to the order of Messrs Cook Bros, and J. ' Walsh, has just launched a four ton, halfdecked yacht to the order of a Lyttelton , resident. The " Coquette," for that is the : name she has received, is a carvel-built cutter, constructed of kauri, 25ft 4in in J length over all, and 4ft in depth inside, } with the great beam of 7ft. Her appear- : ance is that of a comfortable, roomy, pleasure boat of great power, able to stand i up well to a strong sou-wester or a fierce j nor'-westerly gale. In her a fishing party ' to Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, or even a run to ; Akaroa might be undertaken with perfect safety. Nothing remains to be done but to step the mast and ship the ballast, j A fair number of gentlemen interested in : sporting matters attended the meeting held in Quill's hotel, Asliburton, on Friday, to , make arrangements for the summer races, j which were instituted last year. Mr j Thomas Quill presided. The following j officers were elected : — President, Mr W. C. I Walker, M.H.R. ; Vice-President, Mr | Joseph Ivess ; Judge, Mr S. Saunders ; | Treasurer, Mr A. Harrison ; Stewards, ■ Messrs Quill, Harrison, Stitt, Crisp, and I Fook3 ; Handicappers, Messrs Saunders I and Stitt ; Clerk of Course, Mr Corbett ; i Clerk of Scales, Mr A. Harrison ; Secretary, jMrG. J. Shaw ; and a Committee of twelve gentlemen. A programme was drawn up, I and Monday, Dec. 29, fixed for the date of j the meeting. It was resolved that the ' races should be confined to horses owned j by residents between the Waitaki and Selwyn rivers. Despite the wretched weather last ! night, the Theatre Royal was very well attended on the occasion of the second of Mr Twinning's popular concerts. The programme, though different in detail from that of Saturday night, was of the i same high character, and executed by the ! same artists and amateurs. The applause ; was as hearty as ever, and encores were ', frequent. The most noteworthy numbers ! were those given by Miss Lilly Mason, ! Miss Ada Sinclair, and Miss Lavinia Taylor, and Mr Rowley, most of whom were required to repeat their performances, j During the evening, Mr Gerald Dillon i came forward, and after, in the name of the management, thanking the public for their liberal patronage, announced that, j encouraged by this liberality, the inanagej ment had resolved to give other two con- ! certs of a similar character to those already I given ; the nights for these extra concerts to be Saturday and Monday next. The j announcement was received with enthusiI astic signs of approval. | Penny dinners for school children have : been instituted under the direction of the , London School Board.