NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 82, 4 September 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Railway Time Table.—ln our advertising columns will be found a corrected time table for the Canterbury Railways for the present month. Theatre Royal,—The comedy of " Behind the Curtain" was repeated last evening to a good house, considering the inclemency of the weather. To-night, ''The Stranger" will be produced. The Museum. —We understand that another valuable addition to our art collection in the Museum has just arrived by the St Lawrence, viz., a cast of the Laocoon Group, one of the finest specimens extant of Greek sculpture. Sale OF Drapery.—The bad weather we were visited with last night, has done some damage to sundry stocks of drapery belonging to firms in the town. Mr Hawkes advertises that he will sell to-morrow a large quantity of goods more or less touched by the rain. Transit of Venus.—We believe the American and French observers of the transit will pay Canterbury a visit before finally departing from the colony. The American expedition has selected Bluff Harbor, and the French the Chatham's, as their points of observation. Professor Bickerton's Lecture.— The fourth of the series of lectures by Professor Bickerton was delivered last night, in the Oddfellows' Hall, to a crowded audience. The subject of the lecture was '• Origin and distribution of solar energy," and was illustrated by numerous experiments, which were well carried out,

St Luke's Entertainment.—The usual weekly entertainmeut in connection with the parish of St Luke's took place last evening in the school-room, when notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather there was a fair attendance. A good programme of vocal and instrumental music, readings, Sec, was gone through satisfactorily. Spiritualism Explained.—Mr W. A. Chapman and Miss Ada Bonnifon were announced to appear in this entertainment at Rangiora on Tuesday evening, but only half a dozen persons attended whose money was returned to them ; at Kaiapoi on Wednesday a dozen persons assembled, and they also were disappointed. Accident in Lyttelton.—A man belonging to the Halcyon was nearly drowned yesterday. In trying to get on board from a dingy he fell into the water, two men on board the Volunteer heard him call out, they were down below at the time, they ran up and getting into the boat just succeeded in saving the man from going down the third time. It was a narrow escape. Gaol Returns. —The following was the state of her Majesty's gaols in Canterbury for the month of August. Lyttelton—For trial at the Supreme Court, 6; undergoing hard labor, 102 ; imprisonment, 6 ; debtors, 2 ; totals, 116. Trials at the Supreme Court, 1 ; tried before the magistrates, 19 ; debtors, 1 ; total, 21. Addington—Undergoing hard labor, 47; imprisonment, 8 ; total, 55. Tried before the magistrates, 32. Timaru—Undergoing hard labor 21 ; imprisonment, 1 ; total, 22 ; tried before the magistrates, 9. Cure Boating Club, Kaiapoi.—The annual meeting of this club was to have been held at Oram's Pier Hotel on Wednesday evening. There were present —Messrs Kerr (president), G. W. Wearing, Smith, G. H. Wearing, and Oram. The president read a statement of the affairs of the club, showing that it was at present indebted to him £lO 5s Bd, but there was no lien on any of the property, and, therefore, no reason why the club should not still be carried on. After some conversation, it was decided that, to secure a full attendance of members, the meeting stand adjourned for a fortnight. A Locomotive Upset.—One of the engines on the Oxford railway was capsized at the Cust on Thursday. It had taken up a number of loaded trucks, which were unloaded and the engine was shunting them down a siding, the driver intending to get past them, the engine running down one line and the trucks down another. The driver expected to get it on to the main line in time to allow the trucks to come on behind, but on reaching the points the trucks had come down with such force as to overtake the engine, and threw the latter off the line on to its side. The trucks ran the whole,length of the line to the Plough Inn, Rangiora, before they stopped. The driver and others on the engine escaped unhurt, except one man, whose arm was slightly bruised. Mr Taylor, the contractor, was on it at the time, but got clear as it fell over. Screw-jacks were obtained, and it was expected the engine would be raised on to the line before evening. Christchurch Horticultural Society.—A special general meeting of this society was held last evening, at the Clarendon Hotel ; the president of the society (Mr W. Wilson) in the chair. On the motion of Mr Chudley, seconded by Mr Reid, Mr T. R. Proctor was elected a member of the committee. The secretary stated that Mr Proctor would give a silver medal of the value of £5, with an inscription, as a prize for the best twelve varieties of roses in pots, at the rose show of the society to be held on 26th November. In the course of the evening the chairman thanked Mr Proctor for his presentation. Mr Chudley's resolution of rules, containing instructions to judges at the society's exhibitions, were read by the secretary, and were adopted. On the motion of Mr Crooks, seconded by Mr Allan, it was resolved that the rules be printed and affixed to the schedule of exhibits. Mr J. Dutton read an interesting paper on " the cultivation of hardy primulas," after which .a discussion took place, on, the merits of the primula as hardy border flowers for gardens. On the motion of Mr Chudley, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Dutton, for his paper. The secretary stated that the schedules for the nest exhibition of the society, were in the hands of the printers. Some hardy primula seedlings crossed with polyanthus, were shown by Mr Dutton ; and a very beautiful striped rosy pink camellia (Eleanor) was shown by Mr W. Wilson's gardener, grown in that gentleman's conservatory, Ferry road, which was the subject of general commendation. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.

Constitutional Association. The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing on the 29th ult, sayß :—The New Zealand Constitutional Association, with its capital of £4OO, is not likely to be a very powerful body. Since the first meeting, one or two others have been held, but very badly attended, and it was speedily discovered that there was no unity of purpose or principle amongst the members who were willing to form the Association. -No agreement could possibly be come to as to whether any Constitutional changes were desirable, or what changes were desirable, and ultimately it was resolved to leave all such matters an entirely open question, and to adopt as the sole policy of the Association that it was desirable to have a dissolution of Parliament before any changes should be made. Behind this there is of course in the minds of most of the members an intense desire to oust Mr Vogel from office, and the resolution is looked on as a means towards that end. A form of petition has already been drawn up, and most of the members of the Opposition signed the original yesterday. The money subscribed (£SO of it was given in equal sums by two merchants in this city in no way connected with politics) is to be expended in agitating this petition throughout the colony and obtaining signatures. It is not likely to be of much use when signed, for it is extremely improbable that under any circumstances the Bill for the abolition of the North Island Provinces would become law next session, and after next session a general election will follow in due course. The question is one of great magnitude, and will involve the consideration of a great many difficult and delicate details, and is very unlikely to be finally settled in a single session, and that the session of a moribund Parliament. However, the petition, if it contains no objection to the principle of the proposed changes, and simply asks for a dissolution on general grounds, will no doubt be extensively signed in both islands, and will certainly do no harm.

Mutiny on Board the Cathcart.— By telegram from Lyttelton this aft< moon we learn that the Captain of the Cathcart has been committed for trial for shootmg on the high seas in connection with the mutiny on board that vessel. 1.0. G. T. Christchurch Excelsior LODgE— The usual weekly session of this lodge was held on Wednesday evening last. in the Temperance Hotel, when there was a full attendance of members. Five new members were initiated, and after the business of the lodge was over, a varied and attractive programme was gone through successfully. It was announced that at the next entertainment in connection with this lodge there would probably be a Christy Minstrel performance. Inquest at Woodend,—On Thursday an inquest was held at Conway's White Crane Hotel before G. L. Mellish, Esq., coroner (who acted in Dr Dudley's absence owing to illness), and a jury, of which Mr M. Thomkins was chosen foreman, touching -he death of Thomas Edlin, who died suddenly on Tuesday morning last. The depositions of Margaret Edlin, wife of deceased, Mary Diers, and Edward Howell were taken, the statements in which were to the effect that deceased, who was a middle-aged man, had been slightly suffering from a cold, but at 3.30 am. on the day of his death his wife noticed that he was seriously ill, and not able to speak, when she sent for the latter two witnesses, who were present when death took place. J. F. Fletcher, duly qualified medical practitioner, stated he had made an examination of the body, the result of which led him to conclude that death was caused by aneurism of the aorta. The jury returned a verdict " That deceased died from natural causes, to wit, disease of the heart." A gentleman, talking to a Sunday school, asked the scholars why Simon was kept in prison. One of the teachers quietly prompted a boy to say that it was for a hostage, and the youth, not quite catching the words, piped out, " He was detained for postage."