Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5170, 27 November 1884, Page 3

Local & General.

The mail which was shipped by the New Zealand Shipping Company's Kuapelm yesterday, wa3 toe largest ever taken by a direct liner. It consisted of about 8000 letters, 1100 books, and 3500 newspapers, in 22 bogs. A meeting of persons interested in the formation of a tramway through the -eastern and northern suburbs to New Brighton was held last evening, and a Committee was appointed to report on the various routes proposed, and collect all necessary information. The Opawa parish gathering and sale of work in aid of the fund for building a Sunday school takes place today, and, if the weather is favourable, will doubtless be well patronised. A multiplicity of useful articles of all kinds have been prepared by the willing hands that have been at work for some time past. The excellent band of the Lyttelton Orphanage will enliven the proceedings, and arrangements have been made for supplying tea and other refreshments on the ground. The "Unemployed Commission sat yesterday in Timaru. About 30 witnesses were -examined. The Press Association says : — "The Commission took a mass of evidence, which clearly showed that there was no real distress. There were a few men who could not find work, principally skilled artizans. The men expressed their readiness to take work wherever Government -provided it, if the wages were sufficient to allow them to send money to their families." A meeting of the Ohoka and Eyreton Jockey Club .va3 held at Mr Champion' 3 office, Kaiapoi, on Tuesday evening, Mr George BaUey, vice-President, in the chair. Several matters in connection with the races to be held on Monday next were arranged. A letter was read from the jockey, James "Walls, the rider of Psyche in the Publicans' Purse, run in November, 1883, asking that the Club should re-consider the disqualification placed upon him. After consideration, the request was declined. Sir John Hall spent some time in t<->wn yesterday visiting friends, and looking about at the place generally. He is likely to remain in New Zealand fur some two months or more, and at present contemplates making" the return journey by way of Singapore. The inhabitants of the Hororata are understood to be preparing to receive the late member for Selwyn in grand style ; addresses, carrinses, and dinner and all the rest of the indispensable accompaniments to such a -ceremony, are talked of vigorously The Addington "Workshops Band will perform the following programme, in -Cathedral square, thia evening, under the direction of Mr J. Pooley, commencing at 8 p.m. sharp, weather permitting : — Quick march, " "When Other Eyes shall Look on Thine " (E. Newton) ; quadrille, " Belgravia" (K. Smith); "Air Varie for Euphonium " (Bosisto) j valse, " Meinoria " (J. Pooley) ; overture, " Italiana in Algeria" {Eossini) ; valse, " Seirot " (Jost! Meissler) ; funeral anthem, " Vital Spark " (Pope) ; polka, "Arline" (E. Smith); march, "Koyal Lancaster" (E. Newton); finale, " God Save the Queen." The Attendants' Ball took place last evening at the Sunnyside Asylum, and passed off most successfully. Dancing began at 9 p.m. The music supplied by Messrs Hunnibell and Goodchild gave

. great satisfaction. The refreshments were all that could be desired. OmnibuEes being laid on for the occasion brought a large , contingent of visitors from town, and j altogether upwards of a hundred couples ' were present. Not a hitch occurred, and after a capital programme was gone j through all departed, well satisfied with j one of the most enjoyable re-unions given ' at Sunnyside. Mr L. A. Norman, legal manager of the Otago Central Gold Mining Company, writes : — A slight inaccuracy crept into the telegram published in the Lyttelton Times last week, occurring, probably, in transmission. The distance driven in the tunnel was given as "9ft." It should have read "19ft." The distance pierced at present (Nov. 24) is 40ft. The country, which is still blue slate, continues hard. The rock carries a lot of mineral, and is freely intersected by small veins of quartz. It is now changing, and it is expected a small leader will be struck shortly. The contractors are pushing through the work with commendable vigour and alacrity. So far, it has all been shooting ground, i.e., only capable of being brought down with the aid of powder and dynamite, the average distance driven daily being 23ft. No timber is required, beyond a set or two for the mouth. All the appliances requisite for carrying on the contract expeditiously having just been landed on the ground, the average may be increased half a foot or so. The funeral of the late Mr George Watson took place yesterday afternoon. For one cut off at such an early age the procession of mourners was very large. But, besides having endeared himself to all the cricketers of the community, who mustered in force to do the last sad honours to the memory of their friend, Mr Watson was junior master at Christ's College, and had also been connected in a similar capacity with the High School. A very large number of members belonging to the different City Clubs followed next the carriage containing the nearer friends and relatives of the deceased gentleman. A long double line of College Boys, with the masters of both schools in which he had been a teacher, as well as students of Canterbury College, of which he was a . graduate, also helped to swell the cort&ge. j The body was taken from the residence of : the deceased to the cemetery gate in a ' hearse. From thence to the mortuary • chapel the coffin, which was covered with ! flowers, was borne by four of his comrades lof the Midland Club, viz., Messrs O'Callaghan, Davey, Hill, and Washer. Mr Watson had been Captain of the Club for two seasons. The Eervice at the grave side was impressively read by the Rev F. A. Hare, Divinity Master at Christ's College. A public meeting in connection with the Kowai Pass Annual Sports was h§ld at Davies' Junction Hotel, Springfield, on Nov. 24. Mr James Cunningham presided. The balance-sheet for the previous year was then read, showing a credit of £2 5s Bd. Mr Davies stated that he had a sum of £7 Is 2d, balance from last picnic, to hand over to the Sports Committee, the money having been voted to this purpose at a previous public meeting. Resolved — " That Mr M'Millan, M.H.E., be requested to allow himself to be nominated as Patron." The following Committee were then elected : — Judges, Messrs Cunningham and Upton ; Starters, Messrs Eobinson and Parker ; Treasurer, Mr Williamson ; Committee, Messrs Davies, Redfern, Fraser, Bryden, O'Sharinessy, Rutherford, Parker, Morley, Kobelt, Borthwick, and Shanks. The generous offer made by Mi 1 Eedfern of his paddock for the sports (the usual ground not being available), was accepted with thanks. Mr E. J. Shanks was re-appointed Secretary. A meeting of the Cust Literary Institute Committee was held on Tuesday evening ; present— Messrs Biggins (President), Wyatt, Alexander, Cromie, Tipping, and Hassall, Hon Secretary. The statement of accounts presented showed the balance in hand t© be .£ll 5s lid, liabilities to .£3l 6s. The accounts of Messrs Early, M'Donald, and Crothers were passed for payment. A circular was received from the Government, forwarding application form for subsidy to libraries. Mr Head waited on the Committee, on behalf of the Cust Musical Society, a newly-formed institution, offering a guinea per annum for the use of the hall occasionally for practices. The Committee, recognising the advantages to the community of such a Society, decided to accept the offer. A communication was received from the Rev Mr Rowse, on behalf of the Wesleyan Church, asking for a reduction of the amount charged for the use of the hall by the Wesleyan body. On the motion of Mr Tipping, seconded by Mr Alexander, it was agreed that for the future the charges to the Wesleyans be £6 per annum. An application for the use of ,- the hall was made on behalf of the Salva- : tion Army. Proposed by Mr Meredith, ! seconded by Mr Cromie, and carried — 1 " That if the Army are willing to take the ' hall for a period of three months that the '■ charge be 5s per night ; but for an occasional meeting the usual amount be charged." It was determined that in order to supplement the funds of the Library, a Committee, consisting of Messrs Higgins, Alexander, Hassall, and the Rev Mr Wyatt be appointed to make the necessary arrangements for the purpose of getting up an entertainment. On the motion ot Mr Hassall, it vras decided to spend £o in the purchase of new books, Messrs Higgins, Wyatt, Meredith, and the mover to select them. In the early part of his ministry, Spurgeon was asked to preach in a neighbouring village, and when he came on the Sunday morning, Mr Brown, the pastor, said, " I did not know you were such a boy, or I would not have asked you to preach for me." ."Well," he said, " I can go back." " But," said Mr Brown, "the people have come from all parts in all kinds of vehicles," and then he put his hands under his coat-tails, and asked what the world was coming to when the boys who had not, got rid of the taste of their mother's milk went about preaching. However, he did preach, and Mr Brown posted himself on the pulpit stairs. Spurgeon read a lesson from the Proverbs, and on coming to the passage, " Grey hairs are a crown of 'glory to a man," he said he doubted that, for he knew a man with a grey head who could hardly be civil. But the passage went on to say :— " If it be found in the way of righteousness," and that, he said, was a different thing. When he came down from the pulpit Mr Brown said to him : " Bles3 your heart, I have been thirty years a minister, and I was never better pleased with a sermon ; but you are the sauciest dog that eve/ barked in a pulpit," and they were always good friends afterwards. An American named Goleson gave expression, a day or two since, to such strong expressions of disgust for France and the French that a couple of police marched him off to a police station, where he explained that he was the inventor of a new substance made of cement and old paper, and so hard that it is susceptible of being turned in a lathe, like wood, which it closely resembles. He had submitted specimens of his invention to all the principal cabinetmakers of the Saint Antoine quarter, but not one of them could be induced to take it up, believing it to be a hoax. Hence the anger to which he had given expression, and which had procured him the attentions of the police. Asked why he had not worked his patent in America, the irate Baltimorian replied that his countrymen were not sufficiently appreciative of artistic furniture, especially of 3uch as the ck-rer Parisian workmen could produce out of his new material. This implied comj plinient to the skill of the Parisian artisan i having mollified the sentiments of the j Commissary of Police, he was dismissed i with the advice to be less expensively angry ,in future peregrinations through the j streets of the capital. * j As an instance of the thoroughness with : which musketry practice is taught in the I German army may be mentioned a device • which has recently been introduced with j good results. The better to accustom the men to the interferences with sight in a battle, clouds of smoke are produced by | burning furze and wet grass, or by other means, between the marksman and his aim.

1 1 The Albert Memorial has been seen in I many strange guises, but its presentjappearj ance is, perhaps, the most remarkable. The j lower bas-reliefs have been clothed in tarpaulina, and the majority of the figures round the base of the monument have been smeared with whitewash or paint. The j Memorial i 3 in ouch bad condition that one • can hardly believe it has been erected for j little more than twelve years. The faded ' gilt figure of Prince Albert has been • laughed at by thousands of foreigners, and it is high time that a little of the gaudincss and a few of the imitation jewels of the Memorial were removed. There is a proposal on foot to place a glass covering of immense size over the whole concern. Going over Niagara Falls is a feat that appears to have irresistible attraction to adventurous spirits, although the advantage to be gained by its performance is perhaps barely worth the risk and discomfort involved by the proceeding. A novel experiment in this direction is about to be tried. Mr Oliver Wormald, a fresco-painter of Buffalo, has announced his intention of going over the Falls in a " rubber ball," for a purse of lOOOdol, as soon as the necessary arrangements are completed. The ball is to be 15ft in diameter, and is to be made of rubber sin thick, covered with closely braided tarred rope, to prevent any injury to the ball in the not improbable event of its striking the r^cks. Mr Wormald expects that the ball will receive sufficient momentum while in the rapids to hurl it far out into the river, ■where he will, if his expectations are realised, be picked up by a email boat which will be waiting for him/ Compressed air is to be injected into the ball, which will be hermetically sealed, and Mr Wormald says he can live in it for 10 minutes if necessary. He is fully prepared to undergo a considerable amount of inconvenience while confined in the ball; but looks forward, nevertheless, with pleasure to the attempt he is about to make ; nor cau any dissuasion on the part of his friends induce him to relinquish the project. Mr Wormald is about 35 years old, and was born in London. It is considered probable he will die at Niagara. In connection with German colonising schemes in South Africa, the Cape Argus recently published information, the truth of which it represented to be "beyond doubt," to the effect that "a German plot was being concocted in Pretoria, in the Transvaal, having for its object the acquisition of a portion of Zululand, including St Lucia Bay, taking in about 30 miles of the coast-line, the right to two rivers, and a certain amount of contiguous territory. The prime mover is a Dr Hsevernick, of Pretoria, who stayed some time in Newcastle after the Boer war. A draft treaty has been drawn up for submission to Dinizulu, provided Dr Haeveraick can induce the Boer . authorities to consent to the negotiation being entered into. The treaty provides for the land to be made over in the first instance to Dr Haevernick himself, with an expressed right to hand it over to the German Imperial Government. One of the objects stated in this document is the importation of goods at reasonable prices, for the use of the inhabitants of the new Republic and of the Zulu people. The consideration to be offered is left blank at present, as it is the subject of the negotiation; but we are informed that cash in large amounts is not wanting, and the supplying of a defensive force is hinted at. A number of influential men are doing their best to push this scheme through, but others, we hear, have' strongly urged upon the Boer leaders the advisability of declining to sanction it in any way." : v The. French papers seem to have been ■ mightily pleased with the autumn ' manoeuvres of General Leinal's army •orps. One of them indulges in. the following exultant language : — " The com- : bat has no longer the lagging and unde- ; cisive character of previous years. The j troops engaged in a dashing manner ; one j perceives in them a desire to get at the ' enemy, to terminate the action by that ' encounter with the bayonet which the ! disciples of Souvaroff have restored to its ! place of honour. The supports are promptly 1 thrown into the firing line ; the reserves j come into line with closed ranks. A rapid j fire, and to the cry of ' Forward ! ' the 1 whole mass precipitates itself on the posit ion to be carried. The old Gallic vigour, repressed for 14 years, re-appears, and the spectator experiences the agreeable imp ression caused by a tonic drink." In j another passage we are told that General ; Lemal, like Napoleon^ likes to gain : battles with legs, and is not economic al of that money. According to our ' contemporary, General Lemal himself was ! so well satisfied with the manoeuvres that | at their close, being overwhelmed with ! congratulations, he yielded suddenly to the ; general intoxication, and exclaimed, "I | had good reason to rely upon the vigour of !my foot soldiers. The French infantry is I still the best in the world." Upon this : the United Service Gazette remarks :— " He might have remembered that General Foy, speaking of the British infantry, made a | similar remark about the latter, and ex- | pressed his satisfaction that there was so ' few of them. The Germans, also, fourteen j years ago proved that their foot soldiera : possess some sterling qualities. Compari- | sons are odious ; but without indulging in | them we can honestly state that the French • infantry is excellent, that it is composed of : capital marchers, and that its old dash has j of late years been supplemented by in- , creased discipline and steadiness of firing. Germany possesses a formidable army, but in the next contest with France she will ! find that she has to deal with foeinen well worthy of her steel." The Sydney Express of Nov. 15 says :— Charles Phillips, better known as "Charley," has long created a sensation near Launceston, allowing snakes to bite him and then applying his alleged perfect antidote. Mr Morton, curator of the Eoyal Society's : Museum, accompanied by the Superintendent of Police, reporters and others, went accordingly to interview Charley. A day or two previously a very large diamond snake had been caught and placed in the Council Clerk's office. When in the ac!; of capturing him Charley had been bitten on the hand but he used the antidote with success. He had said he should like the Council Clerk to see him bitten again that he might prove the value of his discovery. On the arrival of the party from Hobart, some entered the Council yard, but a good many climbed the fence to get a safe position. The snake-box being produced, Charley said he wanted £5 down before he handled the snake. The police and other officials said no bribe would be offered him to induce him to have the test made on his own person. A couple of rabbits had been provided, and, should the antidote prove a success on them, no doubt the discoverer would be amply .rewarded. After some further parley, Charley opened the box. j Peering at the snake, 3ft Sin long, coiled i up at the bottom, he cried out " Isn't he a fine fellow ?" and putting in his hand very carelessly, he drew his snakeship out. He played for some minutes with the reptile, which was very lively, on the ground, holding it as carelessly as a child would a doll. Presently Charley squeezed his tail, and, quick as lightning, the snake whipped round, fastening his fang 3 on. the little finger of Charley's left hand. Not the least flurried, he took the snake off with his right band, and replaced it in the box. Then he applied a bottle of "antidote" to the wound. On examining it, a gentleman found two distinct punatures, a little more than a quarter of an inch apart, with blood flowing pretty freely. Charley says his cure is made from herbs, and he has tried it successfully on cats. His finger and the back of his hand swelled a little, but he felt no pain, and lie says he is ready to be bitten on any part of the body by any snake in Tasmania. Charley is nothing the worse for his experiment, and the snake has been killed by Dr Agnew and the virus glands found intact, proving that it had not been tampered with. Another test is to be made shortly. The Prefect of the Seine means to establish Siemens furnaces in several of the cemeteries in Paris, and proposes to cremate all persons whose remains are not claimed by their friends. A telegram from Nicosia, Sicily, announces the outbreak of a fire in a sulphur mine near that place, in which 29 miners perished.

: On Monday evening the West Oxford Methodist Church was comfortably filled with an attentive audience, the occasion being the delivery of a lecture by the Rev C. Worboys on " A man'B a man for a' j that." The chair was occupied by Mr ; A. D. Hassall, and several solos were nicely ! rendered by the Misse3 White and Wor- ' boys. The lecture, which was of a 1 humorous and interesting character, was well received, the speaker being frequently applauded. On the motion of Mr White, a hearty vote of thanks was jjassed to Mr Worboys, the Chairman, and the singers. No man of refinement uses inferior perfumery for the simple reason tViut no woman of refinement would tolerate him if be did. Iv this country the toilet outfit of a gentleman is considered incomplete without a bottle of Murray and Lanman's Florida Water. — [Awvt.]