NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 75, 27 August 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

No. 1 C.E.V.—The No. 1 Company of Engineer Volunteers will parade for inspection this evening at 7 p.m., at the drill shed. Professor Rickerton’s Lectures.— The third of the series of lectures now being delivered by Professor Bickerton, will be given this evening, in the Oddfellows’ Hall. The subject of the lecture will be “ Effects of heat upon bodies.” Transit op Venus. —As will be seen by our Australian telegrams published yesterday, the expedition sent out by Germany to observe the transit of Venus has arrived in Australia. The English expedition, which has selected Christchurch as its head quarters, left England for Lyttelton by the Merope on July 4th, so that in another month or so we may look for their arrival amongst us. Mr Chapman. —This gentleman, accompanied by Miss Ida Bonifon, will shortly give a series of magical seances at the Music Hall. The southern papers speak very highly of his abilities in the art of magic, and also of Miss Bonifon in the second sight, rendered so popular here by Mr Robert Heller during his visit.

No. 9 Company, C, R. V., Woodend. —An inspection parade of this corps took place before Colonel Packe, at the company’s drill shed, on Tuesday evening last. There was a good muster, under Captain Hinge. Having been put through a series of manual, platoon, and company drill by the newly-elected lieutenant, Mr T. May, and sergeant-major Morgan, the colonel expressed his satisfaction with the company, hoping a renewed interest would be taken in volunteering in the district. The annual meeting was announced to be held after next drill, to elect a committee and other business, with a view to arrange matters before the firing season begins. Canterbury Railways. —The traffic returns for the month of July are published in the Provincial Government Gazette. The following is a summary : —Passengers, Lyttelton and Christchurch Railway, £822 17s lid ; season tickets, £55 9s6d ; parcels, &c., £54 9s 3d ; passengers, Great Southern Railway, £669 19s Id; season tickets, £4 16s 3d ; parcels, &c., £6O 5s lOd ; passengers, Great Northern Railway, £605 2s 9d ; season tickets, £24 3s 3d; parcels, &c., £27 9s lid; freight up Lyttelton and Christchurch Railway, £1824 9s Id ; freight down Lyttelton and Christchurch Railway, £626 14s 8d ; freight up Great Southern Railway, £2lO 7s 6d ; freight down Great Southern Railway, £498 16s 5d ; freight up Great Northern Railway, £225 10s 3d ; freight down Great Northern Railway, £267 13s 2d ; storage, £lsl 8s 5d ; labour, £157 9s lid; wharfage, £452 17s lid ; totals, £6740 Is Id. The total receipts for the corresponding month of July in 1873, were £5332 16s 4d.

Hotel Company in Dunedin. The Guardian states:—The undertaking which the proposed Hotel Company in Dunedin contemplate launching promises to be of a very successful as well as extensive character. A meeting to consider the propriety of erecting in the city a first-class hotel, similar to those carried on so successfully in America and many parts of Europe, was held at Murray’s Hotel on Thursday evening. Mr B. B. Cargill presided, and there were about 20 other influential gentlemen present. Information, statistical and otherwise, showing the handsome profits which had accrued from like undertakings elsewhere, was submitted. It was suggested that, amongst other things, the plans should provide for at least 200 bedrooms. The estimated cost of the hotel, furniture, and freehold, was stated to be £35,000. Those present formed themselves into a provisional committee, and a subr committee was appointed to frame a prospectus, and report to an adjourned meeting to be held on Monday evening.

City Council Election,—A requisition was presented to-day numerously signed, asking Mr A. J. Raphael to allow himself to be placed in nomination for one of the vacant seats in the City Council, caused by the retirement of Messrs Lane, Ick, and Gapes. Mr John Lee is also a candidate. Mr Lane does not intend to offer himself for re-election, but Messrs Gapes and Ick will do so. iNQUEsT. — An inquest was held at Spring’s Southbridge Hotel, on the 25th inst., before \V. B. ,0. Christie, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr F, D. Luckie was chosen foreman, on the body of David Holmes Bell, aged one year and ten months, who was drowned in a creek on the farm of Mr James In wood, near Southbridge, in whose employ his parents were. From the evidence of the deceased’s father and mother, it appeared that the child had not been missed for more than fifteen minutes, when, on search being made, it was discovered lying in a creek a few chains from the house in an inanimate condition. The jury having viewed the body, and in face of the evidence adduced, returned an unanimous verdict of “ Found drowned.” Southbridge School / Committee. —A meeting of the Southbridge School committee was held at Southbridge on 25th August. Present—Mr C. J. Bridge (in the chair), Messrs C, Bourn, A. Storrie; H. Paddy, and J. Andrews. The minutes of the meeting held on February 6th were read and confirmed. The Chairman having explained that the meeting was called for the purpose of passing the new additions to the schoolroom, it was unanimously resolved that the contractors—Messrs Early and Son —having completed their contract to the entire satisfaction of the committee, the work be passed. It was proposed, seconded, and carried, that the chairman be authorised to call for tenders for six desks, and forms, &c., to be made in accordance with the plans furnished by the Board of Education. The meeting then adjourned to Tuesday, 13th October. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. California Minstrels.— There was a very good house at the Theatre Royal last evening, when the California Minstrels gave another entertainment. In the first part, Mr Rockefeller’s song, “ My little one’s waiting for me,” was nicely sung, as also was Mr Mavor’s “ Beside the grave of Jenny.” In the concluding act of the first part, “Carry the news to Mary,” Mr Harry Kelly’s makeup as the aged nigger was capital, and the dancing of Mr Sutton and himself in it showed them to be adepts in “ the poetry of motion.’ In the second part, Messrs Mavor, Rockefeller, Campbell, and Amery gave a a quartette, “ The champagne song,” and the excellent manner in which the voices blended makes it a matter of regret that we have been precluded from hearing more of them. Mr Amery, who still suffers from the effects of his cold; sang “ So my courage,” from “ Maritana,” with much taste and execution. ' Mr" i! KePy’s clog dancing and the make-up songs and dances with Mr Sutton were loudly applauded. Indeed, as regards the latter, it appeared to ; be the wish of some of the audience to prolong this part of the entertainment indefinitely. A violin solo by Mr Herman, and two laughable farces, concluded the performance. The troupe play only two more nights here. To-morrow night there will- be an entire change of programme; and on Friday, the first fashionable night, the performance will be under the patronage of the Mayor. Some distinguished Natives have been expressing their chagrin at the conduct of the Resident Magistrate of Wanganui, and the bailiff, in sending two chiefs to prison for debt. The Herald says “ This is an old sore, but one of the grumblers is a powerful rangatira, who threatened to take the magistrate and the bailiff before the Government for so serious an offence as carrying out the clear provisions of the law with respect to rangatiras. The R.M. said if any pakeha asked for a warrant for the chief’s body it would also be granted, when, instead of two chiefs being in durance, there would be three. The great chief, upon hearing this, disappeared like morning dew.” A curious discovery is mentioned by the Cornwall Chronicle “ On the rough passage of the Derwent, from Melbourne, on Friday night, the stokers in conveying some coal from the bunkers to the fires met with an unwieldy lump, and broke it up to make it more convenient. Mr Kelly, chief engineer, was surprised to find that inside the mass of coal, and attached to one side where it split, was a package of bark not very far on the road to decay. The fibre seemed to be refined by its some thousands of years confinement in that dark space, and more suited for paper material than when it became imbedded there. The question we would submit to geologists is—what preserved this portion of vegetable matter from decay, and prevented it from becoming by mountainous pressure for unnumbered centuries, like the tree from which it was shed, a portion of the black diamond 7" Australian telegrams stated that the Misses Moeglin received a legacy of £30,000, and that of this sum they distributed £20,000 to charities. This amount, however, was a mistake, as the actual sum distributed by them was £2OOO. Speaking ef this noble deed, the Leader has the following : —“ A Noble Benefaction. —It seldom falls to our lot to chronicle so admirable an expression of true charity as that by which the' Misses Moeglin will henceforth be known and remembered. These ladies recently came into possession of a fortune of £30,000, and at once proceeded to distribute over £2OOO of that sum, or more than one-fifteenth of their whole wealth, amongst the charitable institutions of the colony. Donations and legacies are so rare in this tight-fisted community, and, when given, so seldom reach beyond two figures, that the sum total of the benefaction is quite a princely gift for Victoria. That such a magnificent sum has been fairly and at once given away for charitable purposes is, we believe, a unique fact in Victorian history. But the relation of the gift to the fortune enhances the deed.”