NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 79, 1 September 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Board of Education.—The usual weekly meeting of the Board of Education lapsed for want of a quorum, Rakata Bridge.—This bridge will be open for ordinary traffic on and after Thursday next. The Mayoral Chain.—The third link in the Mayoral chain was presented last night to the City Council by Mr Andrew Duncan, through his Worship the Mayor. The Governor,—The J'kenmg Post understands that his Excellency Sir James Fergussou is not likely to leave this colony till about December.

Christchurch Horticultural Society.—A general meeting of the members of this society will bo held at the Clarendon Hotel, on Thursday evening next, at halfpast 7. Immigrants. —About 400 immigrants per the Cathcart and St Lawrence were landed yesterday, and we understand the s.s. Wellington is chartered to convey those bound for Tiraaru to their destination to-morrow. Heathcote Rowing Club.—A mooting of the committee of this club was held on Saturday evening last, at the Wharf Hotel when the annual report for presentation to the general meeting was drawn up and adopted. Lyttelton Borough Council.— The following is the list of those nominated for the vacant seats in the Lyttelton Borough Council :—Messrs G, Buist, W. Holmes, T. M‘Clatchic, H. Allwright, W. Burnip, W. Murray, A. Chalmers. Metropolitan Meeting. Owners of horses arc reminded that the nominations for the C.J.C. and Canterbury Cup must be lodged with the secretary of the C.J.C. before eight o’clock this evening, at Warner’s Hotel. C.Y.F.B. —The fire brigade had a wet practice last evening with their steamer, near the Market place brigade station. A goodly number were present, and the practice was satisfactory. Abolition of the Provinces.—We understand that public meetings will bo called shortly in Christchurch and elsewhere, to ascertain the state of public feeling in Canterbury with regard to the proposed change in "the form of Government. Hackney Carriage By-Laws— A copy of the Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Act, 1874, which has lately passed the Assembly and Legislative Council, and which empowers the City Council to make by-laws for the licensing and regulation of hackney carriages, was laid on the table at last night’s sitting of the Council. The Telegraph. —ln the House the other evening, in reply to a question by Mr Curtis, Mr Vogel stated that it was proposed by the Telegraph Department to extend a fourth wire to Christchurch, to lighten the work on the existing wires. It was also proposed to run a light line, by way of the present road by the Buller, to put Nelson in duect communication with the West Coast. That line would be to some extent a test line as to the value of light lines of telegraph. Burial Ground Closing.— Cremation may now “ be employed and enjoyed by all classes in the province,” for the Burial Grounds Closing Bill, which has passed both Houses of the General Assembly contains the following clause : —lt shall be lawful for any person by will or deed duly executed to direct that his or her body shall after death be disposed of by burning the same to ashes, instead of by burial in the earth : and it shall be lawful for the executor or executors of such person to carry into effect such direction : Provided that such burning shall be conducted in a manner which shall not create any public or private nuisance. Transit op Venus. —The Times of July Ist says “ The last but one of the Government expeditions for observing the Transit of Venus sailed from Plymouth for Christchurch, New Zealand, in the clipper ship Merope, on Saturday. The party consists of Major H. 8. Palmer, R.E., chief astronomer in charge ; Lieutenant L. Darwin, R.E., assistant - astronomer and photographer ; Lieutenant H. Crawford, E.N., assistantastronomer, and three non-commissioned officers of the Royal Engineers trained in the use of the photoheliograph. They take with them a large and complete equipment of huts, instruments, and stores, of the kinds described at length in an article in the Times of April 4th. The absolute longitude of Major Palmer’s station, at or near Christchurch, will be accurately determined by a long senes of observations of the moon. The siation will be connected telegraphically, for difference of longitude, with the Wellington and Hutt Observatories, with the American station at Port Bluff, and possibly with those of some resident private observers. Chronometric expeditions will also be arranged between the Christchurch station and those of America on Chatham Island and of Germany on Auckland Island. Thus, the whole group of Transit of Venus stations in that region will be brought into connection with one another and their relative longitudes be accurately ascertained. Though no change has been made in the Astronomer Royal’s general plan of operations since the appearance of our article on the subject, details have been more fully worked out and all arrangements matured. The station at Alexandria will be strengthened by a private expedition, whiih Colonel Campbell, of Blythswood, co-operating with Sir George Airy, purposes taking to Thebes, Capt. OrdoBrowne, the chief of the head station, has already begun his preparations for determining the longitude of Alexandra by telegraph direct from Cornwall. At Kerguelen Island, Port Palliser has been provisionally selected as the station subsidiary to that at Christmas Harbour, the final choice being left to L’cutenant Corbet, R.N., who is to have charge of the minor station. At the Sandwich Islands, where Captain Tupmau is to be the general chief, with his station at Honolulu, there will be two satellite stations —one at Owhyhee, under Professor Forbes, and one at Atooi, under Mr R. Johnson. We have already described the ingenious model of the transit which Sir George Airy devised for the use of the observing staff in their course of training at Greenwich. Similar models have since been applied to each principal station, so that our observers will be able to practice and keep hand and eye in training for the critical observation up to the very day of the transit. For the operations with the photoheliographs, M. Janssen’s apparatus—for taking a number of small photographs of the planet and sun’s limb in very rapid succession at the critical moments of ingress or egress—has been improved and adapted by Mr Christie, first assistant at the Royal Observatory, and with such success that fifty photographs may be taken in as many seconds on different parts of the same plate, without any sensible tremour of the instrument. While Venus is crossing the sun—i.e.. between her ingress and egress, a photograph will be taken every two minutes. The albumen dry-plate process, as perfected by Captain Abney. R.E., is to be used throughout. All the British official expeditions have now left England, except that for Egypt, which is ready, and will start in October. Each chief of a party has been supplied with a most minute and admirable code of nstructions.”

Theatre Royal. —There was a very good house at the Theatre Royal last evening, on the occasion of the second performance of the Steele-Keogh company. Of the first piece, a so-called comedy entitled “ Owing and Paid,” the less said the better. It was simply a tissue of vulgarity without a single redeeming feature, and it is to be hoped, for the sake of the drama, that we shall not again see such a piece produced upon our stage. How the management can hope to secure the patronage of playgoers when they provide such entertainment (?) as this, we are at a loss to imagine; and we should not be doing our duty to the public if we did not protest, in the strongest manner possible, against the production of pieces of this class. The burlesque of “ Romulus and Remus,” which followed, has but little to recommend it, the only redeeming feature being a song, “ I am so volatile,” by Miss Ettie Martineau, and her clever dancing of the Highland fling. Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association. —A general meeting of the subscribers to the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held at Loe’s Hotel, Leeston, on Friday, August 28th. There was a numerous attendance of members, Mr Frankish, vice-president, in the chair. The minutes of the last general meeting, held on March 27th, having been read and confirmed, likewise those of the committee meeting of 10th August, the following letters were brought forward by the secretary:—From the Provincial Secretary, informing the Association that the sum of £SO had been allocated to them'from the provincial grant; from Mr Thomas H. Green, offering two guineas to bo given as a special prize, as the committee might deem best. Mr James Lewis having expressed his willingness to accept the secretaryship of the Association, his appointment was unanimously confirmed. It was proposed by Mr Bourn, and seconded by Mr Sundry, that a select committee of five be appointed to arrange the catalogue for the ensuing show. Seven gentlemen having been nominated, and a show of hands having been taken, the following were duly elected;—Messrs T. Aclaud, D. Moorhead, J. Rennie, R, Gillctt. D. Marshall. These gentlemen, with a few alterations adopted the same catalogue as that of last year. It was proposed by Mr Rennie that a select committee be formed to frame a code of rules for the guidance of the Association, Carried. A vote of thanks to the chairman then terminated the meeting. A Berlin telegram published in the home papers says that the Roman Catholic bishops of Glasgow, Hexham, and Newcastle, have applied to the Prussian Government for leave to visit the Archbishop of Cologne in his prison cell, but have been refused.