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Evening Star, Issue 3324, 15 October 1873, Page 2

The Canterbury Provincial Council meets on the 15th proximo. The Carautlinis opened in Christchurch last evening, to a very large house.

Captain Hutton, Provincial Geologist, has this day been appointed lecturer on geology and zoology to the Otago University. The company mania is extending. The Arrow Observer states that the celebrated Break-em-all claim, better known as the Switzers auriferous purchase, is about to be thrown into a limited company. It will be seen by our City Council report that the Corporation sections ia Dowling street, facing the railway station, have been fixed upon as the site of the proposed Town Hall, and that the Council invites competitive designs for the building—the prize design to receive Ll5O, the second LIOO, and the third LSO.

The Rev. Mr M'Kenzie deliverer! a lecture on the “ Life and Times of Oliver Cromwell,” in the hall below the First Church last evening. Our report is unavoidably held over.

Several absurd and exaggerated rumors having been circulated to-day as to the state of Mr Hoskins’s health, we find, upon inquiry, that this gentleman is progressing as favorably as can be expected. A woman named Jane Kolyahara, well known to the police and officers of the gaol, was received iu'o the gaol yesterday evening, sentenced at Lavrenco. on the Bth inst., by Mr Carew, K.M., to two months’imprisonment, with hard labor, for stealing from behind the counter of the Royal Hotel, Waitahuna, a sum of money, the of William Walker,

The cricketers of the Waikato are not in a happy mood, if we are to judee of their temper from the following advertisement, which appeared in the Waikato Time* lately : “ The United Cam’midge Scrubbers will play the Cambridge Cricket Club a match any day within three months, at Cambridge or elsewhere ; prize to be the privilege of ‘ blow ing’; said prize being at present in the hands of the sweet captain of the C.C, Club. —A. Wheelwright, Captain U.C. His Honor the Superintendent has availed himself of the vote of LSOO by the Assembly for the import of salmon ova, and has instructed the Provincial agent, Mr Auld, that a shipment must be made by one of Messrs Patrick Henderson and Co.’s vessels direct from Glasgow. Mr Frank Backhand lias expressed his willingness to undertake the supervision of the shipment, so that, with ordinary care, it may be expected to succeed. There -are unsuspected difficulties connected with the instinct of salmon to return to the rivers in which they were hatched, which have yet to be resolved, .and to our imperfect information on that subject may in some degree be attributed the doubtful success of the Tasmanian import. The arrangements of the Provincial Government in this instance may throw light on the subject. The Westland J'erjider of a recent date says“ Late last night a Mrs Tomkins, who resides at the Big Paddock, had arrived in Hokitika as far as Stafford street, opposite Murphy’s s'ore, where a most uncommon event occurred. This visit of Mrs Tomkins, who was accompanied by Mr Tomkins, w*s for the purpose of obtaining medical aid on an impending interesting occasion ; but Mrs Tomkins had cither miscalculated, or from some cause or other she was destined to get the little affair over in the public street, and without the ordinary solicitous attendance of nurse and doctor. The patient—not, we are happy to say, the worse from the extraordinary circumstances in which she was placed- was, with her infant daughter, conveyed to Mr .Spence’s house, where Dr Maunscll sanctioned the event by his postnatal attendance, and pronounced mother and child as both doing well.

The Australian Bellringers gave their third performance at the Masonic Hall last evening. There was a very large attendance, and the entertainment was as successful as those that preceded it. Instead of the repetition of this entertainment palling upon one’s ear, fresh beauties arc disclosed, owing to the masterly manner in which the various melodies are plajed by those clever performers. Mr A'erten if a host in himself; lie is undoubtedly one of the best “all round ’ men we have seen in the Colonies. Air Sykes renders good service not only as aceompanyist, but also by taking part in several duets in conjunction with the Lynch family. A change of programme is announced for to night, including imitations of the bagpipes on the handbells ; a new quartette, “ Clung Clung,” Chinese song and dance, by the Lynch family ; and Mr Verten’s song and dance, “ Walking in the Starlight ” ; the whole to conclude with the farce of “A Nervous Man.”

There was a rather lively discussion on Volunteers in the House of Representatives on September 19. The ball was opened by Mr Sheeban, who declared that the Colony did not get anything like a fair return for the money the Volunteer force cost ; that the ■system was rotten to the core, and did not even produce good rifle shots ; in fact, it was a waste of public money. The Volunteers, continued the member for Rodney, only turned out on some public occasions, but so far as discipline and military efficiency were concerned, they were not worth so much as the paper upon which their names were written. This strong denunciation brought up the Defence Minister, who stated that while sensible of certain defects in the force, he was satisfied that in many parts of the country wc had as fine a body of men in the Volunteer force as could be found in any part of Great Britain—they were not only good Volunteers, but had actually performed in past times very great service to the country. 'Jhe Colony could not afford to dispense with the service, but ho admitted that stricter examination of the officers generally was required, and greater efficiency in the force, with a reduction in the expense wanted. To these points Government would give its attention ; if it could sec that there wore any officers whose services could be dispensed with without detriment to the movement, such a reduction would be made. Colonel Kenny, who followed Mr M'Lean, said the Government should next session hi ing down a Bill to meet the wdiole question, both in regard to expense and the organisation of the Volunteer and Militia forces. He suggested the appointment of an experienced Inspector, as without thorough inspection no efficiency could be obtained, Mr Steward said he was in favor of the Prussian system, where every man was obliged to be trained to the use of arms. If the suggestions of the Sub-Committee on Defence were carried out faithfully and honestly, the Volunteer force might be made something of which the Colony ought to feel proud. To know what the Superintendent of Auckland had to say on the subject we must wait till the next number of Hansard reaches us. Wo have been requested to state that all goods consigned to Mr G. W. Binney, and destroyed by the fire at Auckland yesterday, arc fully covered by insurance.