Local &; General,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6315, 13 August 1888, Page 3

Local &; General,

— m Thb Direct Mail. — The R.M.S. Ruapehu arrived at Wellington lasfc evening. Pbice of Wheat. — A further rise in the price of wheat will be found recorded in oar cable news. j Peesentation. — To-morrow (Tuesday) evening, during the Church of England entertainment at Kaiapoi, hia Worship the Mayor will present the Royal Humane Society of Australia medals to Constables Nestor and Cartmill for saving life. Chbistian Coneebence. — Apublicmeet- ' ing in connection with the Christian Conference, is to be held in St Paul's Church this evening. The Chairman is the Rev J. Elmslie, and addresses will Joe delivered by Roys J. J. Lewis and ■■'■_.. Dewdney. Lbctubb to Young Men. — Owing to the unfavourable weather yesterday evening the Rev J. J. Lewis' lecture afc the St Albana Wesleyan Chnrch on the "Moral. Pitfalls of Christchurch" has been postponed. Ifc is in contemplation to deliver one of the lectures of the series in the Theatre Royal. Sudden Death.— A very sad and 6udden death took .place last evening. Mr WiUiam Hay, one of the compositors on the Lyttelton T-imes staff, was seized with a paralytic stroke about half-past five, and on being conveyed home, lingered until, eight o'clock, when he died. Mr Hay has been working in this office for five years, and previous to being engaged here, was employed in Dunedin, being one of the originators of the Duuedin Morning Herald, and also one of the oldest compositors in the Colony. He has been ailing for a number of years, and on Saturday complained of feeling unwell. He leaves a wife and family. Tke age of-thedeceased-was about forty-eight. Kaiapoi Cadets. — At the drill hall on Friday evening, after parade. Captain Alexander presented the Senior and Junior Cups won during the past year. The Senior Cup, for cadets over fifteen, was won-by Corporal Brockelbankwith thirty-six points, out of a possible Bixty. Lieutenant Webster's prize, the Junior Cup, for cadeta under fifteen, was won by Cadet Lee Oram, with thirty-four points out of a possible Bixty. After distributing the prizes, Captain Alexander said he had £15 worth of prizes, consisting of materials and money, contributed by the townspeople, to be competed for by the end of the present year, the principal condition being regularity of attendance. All irregular attendants would be crossed off the roll. Seven recruits bad been added, leaving a good attendance roll of forty-eight.

Polo om Skates. — There was a very large attendance at the Columbia Eink on Saturday afternoon, when two teams of boys, representing the College and Mr Cook's school, played a game of "Eink Polo." Very well they played it, too, displaying sfcill and agility fully equal to those of the footballers and other adults who competed in the previous contests of the kind. At the close of a hardlycontested game the College waa victorious by one goal to nil. This evening there will be a mile race at the rink between Mr A. G. Smith, who claims the championship of Christchurch, and George Fisher. Dauntless Lodge, 1.0. G.T. — Despite the unfavourable condition of the weather the members of thia Lodge and their friends mustered in full force on Friday night for their annual social reunion. Nearly two hundred were present. Refreshments had been provided on a liberal scale, due in a great measure to tho zeal displayed in the matter by the District Deputy, Bro J. J. Parker. At his request Bro J. A. Efford occupied the chair, and opened the proceedings with an able address on the advantages of such gatherings, as well as on the merits of the Order. A programme of vocal and instrumental music was then commenced, each item being well received. Among the performers were the Misses Long and Greener, Mrs Blank, Messrs Young, Marriott, Mills, Topham, Carder, Brown, and Gilmore. Tlie piece 3 being well selected and equally well rendered caused the evening to pass pleasantly. At the close Bro J. J. Parker addressed the assemblage, drawing their attention to the visit of the G.W.C.T., Bro Glover, and expressing the hope that these social gatherings would be repeated more frequently. The Land op Peaches. — A correspondent of the Gardeners' Chronicle, who has lately settled in Alachua County, which lies on comparatively high land midway between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, declares that he has seen a peach tree, the seed of which was planted in March, 1886, standing Bft high, being lin thick at the surface of the ground, and bearing fruit within thirteen months from the period of sowing. Fruit cultivation in Florida appears, notwithstanding all this abundance, to be a flourishing pursuit. The eaae is cited of a grower who, in February, 1885, set out 200 peach trees one year budded on an acre of land, and who in 1886 Eold enough fruit from them to pay for the trees and all other expenses up to that time. Pears, plums, grapes, and many other fruits appear also to take kindly to the soil and climate ; but, with the exception of the orange, no fruit seems to be grown so widely in Florida as the peach. The Disastrous Fires in Sweden. — Two terribly destructive fires have recently occurred in Sweden, in each case the destruction of a town being involved. The Melbourne Consul for Sweden and Norway, Mr H. Gundersen, says :— " Sundsvall and TJniea are two seaports situated at the Gulf of Bothnia, in one of the poorest parts of Sweden. Their inhabitants are principally engaged in sawniilling and timber export trade, but partly m rearing cattle ; the hard climate and the poor soil prevents rural occupations on a scale sufficient for supply of the necessities of life. They are a very hardy and hard-working race, but poor, being dependent on a shore summer for their work aud earnings. When winter, which lasts over six months, sets in, manual operations are perforce suspended. The country seems one vast howling wilderness, clad in snow and ice, and the labourer is glad to keep within doors, and support lifo and warmth as best he may. Work at the best of times is scarce, and wages a mere pittance, such as an Australian workman would look upon with scorn, so that it will be readily understood that the savings of the poor sufferers are utterly inadequate to enable them to subsist for any lengthened period withoutexternal aid. The last winter, although more severe than usual, had come to an end, and the hardy toilera had again renewed their summer labour gladdened by the freshness of spring, when suddenly, without warning, all their hopes were dashed to the ground, and thousands of men and women and little children were left homeless and penniless, with hunger and misery staring them in tbe face." An appeal is being made to the Australian public on behalf of the sufferers. Herr Krupp's enormous business has grown to such dimensions that his great worts at Essen are no longer able to cope with it. Thus he is about to build a new steel foundry and mecbanical workshop near Annen, in Westphalia. The mines in Manchuria, according to the report of a Chinese official, are situated in a country covered twelve feet deep with snow in winter, and infested in summer and autumn with an insect which make 3 life unbearable. Notwithstanding these little inconveniences, the Celestial Government have determined to work the . mines. A meeting to form a Chess and Draughts Club in the North part of the town is to he helu to-night at ths Glao stono Hotel. The following team will represent tho Scottish Hifles in thoir draughts matoh with the Pioneer. Bicycle Club thia (Monday) evening, at the Scottish Orderly-room, at 8 p.m. :— Lieutenant Beid, fciergeaut W. Fraser, Sergeaut A. Fraser, Corporal Caldwell, Corporal H'Kinley, Hon Meinhar J. Faith, Drummer Reid, Private ReoEo, Private Morrison, Private Cnmpholl. A meeting of Germans wilt ho held ot tha "Wellington Hotel on Saturdny utst, to arransja for holding a hall in conituemoralion of tho anniversary of tlie Battle of Sedan.