NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 97, 22 September 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Canterbury Cottage Building Company.—A general meeting o£ the shareholders in this company will be held on Friday next, at Mr C. Clark s rooms, Hereford street, at noon, to receive a statement of accounts, distribute the assets, and wind np the company,

Papanui Entertainments. —The second entertainment of the series in connection with the parish of Papanui, will be held this evening, in the St Paul’s schoolroom. 1.0.0.F.M.U. The anniversary of the Loval City of Christchurch Lodge, will be celebrated on Thursday next, by a dinner. His Honor the Superintendent will preside on the occasion. Names op Educational Districts —At the weekly sitting of the Board of Education yesterday, the names of the Upper Courtenay arid Waihi Crossing districts, were changed to Kimberley and Winchester respectively. ( olleCiß Sports. —As usual, there will be a race for old boys this year at the College sports, which takes place on the College grounds. It is a 200 yards handicap, and entries for the race must be made on or before October 3rd, with Mr C. Gould at the College, or Mr A. M. Ollivier. Concert. —The concert for the benefit of Mr H. Eastwood will take place at the Oddfellows’ Hall, to-morrow evening, when, in addition to a number of our leading amateurs, Mr Chapman and Miss Ida Bonnifou will appear. The Mayor’s Official Expenses.— The resolution of which Councillor Raphael had given notice for the rescinding of the £BOO at the expiration of the present mayoral year voted for official expenses to that office, and which was to have been discussed last evening, lapsed, as by clause 142 of the Municipal Corporations Act, seven clear days notice have to be given to each councillor, by the town clerk, before any motion can be discussed, revoking or altering any previous resolution of the Council. Councillor Raphael gave notice that he will move his motion at Monday week’s sitting of the Council. Lower Heathcote Library. —A committee meeting was held on Eaturday evening at the library. Present—Messrs Mardon, Eimmons, Attwood, Richardson, Freeman and Bamford (in the chair). Minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. Mr Attwood explained that the piece of land promised by Mr Packer was given on behalf of Dr Savage, the latter gentleman having some time since signified his intention of making the district a present of a site for a library. The subscription lists show the present amount to be £llO 9s 6d. The meeting adjourned for a fortnight at the same time and lighten the work of the committee if those persons who have promised will forward their subscriptions. Theatre Royal. —The advent of the Loyal Troupe in conjunction with the dramatic company, drew a full house at the Theatre Royal last evening. In the opening part of the programme which, we may note, comprised a little of everything, the excellent farce of “ A Capital Match,” was played with spirit and vivacity throughout, the Misses Willis and May, and Messrs Hooper and Musgrave—more especially the latter—keeping the audie 1 ce in a continued roar of laughter. The second part was contributed by the Loyal Troupe, and we must confess to a feeling of disappoin ment, as from the eulogies of the papers in other parts of the colony we were prepared for something really excellent. While saying this, however, we must not omit to speak in terms of high commendation of the clever performances on the horizontal bar by Messrs Loyal and Yerletti, who executed some astonishing feats with grace and agility, Mr Turner would be more successful in his singing if he would avoid so much action, though one of his songs, sung in the alto key, “ Norah Darling,” was very well rendered. With the remembrance of Harry Kelly in the comic song selected by Mr Turner it is not suntrising that he was not successful. Mr M'Lean’s dancing was really good, both in theTarautelle and in the Barley shoe dance ; in fact, he is the bent we have had here in that line, keeping strict time even while executing the most ludicrous and difficult steps. It is, pet haps, unfortunate that so far as the trapeze performances are concerned, the troupe has followed so closely on the De Castro Family; but, nevertheless, some of the feats by Mdlle Zuila and Messrs Loyal and Verletti on the treble trapeze, were fairly executed. One of the acts was unable to be completed owing to the smallness of the • heatre. Master McLean, a little fellow of apparently some seven or eight years of age, appeared in a song, and was encored, but the only merit about the performance was the extraordinary postures in which he put himself, which certainly were very laughable and clever, A ballet of the usual inane character of ibis class of performances, in which the only redeeming feature was the clever dancing of Mr M l . Lean, and the posturing of Mr Loyal as the statue, concluded the performance. The same bill will be repeated to-night. Excursion by Train from Timaru,— The Timaru Herald of Monday says : —ln accordance with a previous intimation, a train was got in readiness on Saturday afternoon to convey the public over the Timaru and Young’s Creek portion of the Great Southern Railway, which is now nearly completed. Two o’clock was the time announced for a start, and by that hour a large number of people had assembled in the vicinity of the train, which was stationed at the end of Strathallan street. Attached to the locomotive were four passenger carriages, and behind these were some seven or eight trucks, loaded with timber and other heavy material. The shrill note of the locomotive signified “ all aboard,” and in a very few minutes every carriage and truck was full of people, several ladies occupying portions of the carriages. The train shortly afterwards began to move slowly into the cutting, and the prospect of a pleasant country excursion of a most novel character to the inhabitants of Timaru was indulged in by all. The locomotive continued to proceed at a walking pace, but as it made such a puffing and blowing oyer this, and did not seem able to increase the 8 >eed, it bt came evident that something was wrong somewhere. Euddenly .it stopped, and one of the officials ran back from tlie engine, appanrtl' to see T »’hat was the matter. Upon his '(tu a to his post the whistle announced a move again, and in a second or two the train was Hying along at a merry pace, loud shouting rending the air at the same time. Upon looking out of the carriages the shouting was at once explained. The last of the four carriages attached to the engine had been uncoupled from the trucks, con tabling about 150 people, and numbers of these were seen running through the cutting to endeavor t> catch the train, which wafast receding from their view round the numerous curves. The train crossed the

two skeleton bridges, in front of Mr Perry’s, at a slow pace, without much vibration being perceptible, and after passing through the next cutting and over the embankment on the Waimataitai Lagoon, thccutting through the Waimataitai estate was entered. After passing through this cutting the Washdyke was soon reached, where a short halt was made. From this point, the country being vety level and straight, a good speed was got up, and in a short time Young’s Greek was reached. Awaiting the train at this place were from fifty to sixty of the residents of Temuka, whose hearty cheers were answered as heartily by those whom they had come to meet. Upon the Timaru party alighting from the train, they were invited by Mr and Mrs Arenas to drink success to the railway, an invitation which, we need not say, was accepted. Numerous bottles of champagne having been opened, and glasses filled, Mrs Arenas said that, on behalf of the residents of Temuka, she had much pleasure in congratulating the people of Timaru on the construction of the railway, and hoped that it would shortly be extended into the town of Temuka, asking the company at the same time to drink success to the line. The toast was drunk with three cheers, and the Mayor (Mr G. Cliff) on behalf of the Timaru people, nsponded to the toast. The toasts of the engineer (Mr Main waring), and the contractor (Mr Stumbles) w T ere then drunk, and duly responded to by those gentlemen. The toast of Mr and Mrs Arenas was also drunk, accompanied with three cheers, and the party shortly afterwards resumed their scats in the train, a start being effected at 4.3(5. Timaru was reached at 5.5, the journey of about ten miles thus having been completed in half-an-hour. With the exception of a jolt here and there, the train ran smoothly, and we arc informed that when the line is totally finished, there will be very little jolting perceptible. The essays which the late Mr J. S. Mill left behind him in manuscript on “ Nature,” “Theism,” and “The Utility of Religion,” will, it is announced, be published this autumn, probably in October, The Pall Mall Gazette observes :—“ We learn that the interesting person known as ‘ Sullivan, the New Zealand murderer,’ has sailed for England, whoso hospitable shores will no doubt welcome him, and whose admirable detective police will receive him, it is to be hoped, with a cordiality tempered by intelligent reserve. But as the ‘ great Australian bushranger,’ by name Gardiner, has just now been let loose, and has also declared his intention (enlightened, no doubt, by a diligent perusal of our newspapers) also to honor us with his presence, it may interest our readers, or at least those who have to traverse lonely streets in the dark nights of the ensuing winter, to learn the nature of the representation on which he is not only released but allowed to leave for England. The papers have been just laid before the Sydney Parliament, and the contents may be summed up thus: —The prisoner, Francis Clarke, alias Christie, alias Gardiner, has been three times convicted —viz., March 17, 1854. July 4, 1864, July 8,1864 —0 f horse stealing, robbery, and wounding with intent to do grevious bodily harm ; sentenced (in all) to thirty-two years’ roads, the two first to be spent in irons. In a minute, dated November 30, 1872, the late Chief Justice, Sir Alfred Stephen, stated in terms quite unmistakable, ‘ That Gardiner had most unrighteously escaped hamming, particularly because three of his subordinates were executed for crimes perpetrated under his tuition,’ In this our readers will possibly agree. But Sir Hercules Robinson has on different evidence taken another view, and declares, ‘ I have already decided to grant a conditional pardon at the termination of ten years’ imprisonment.—H. R., 7-12-72.’ The nature of the evidence is not calculated to reassure timid people. The two sisters of Gardiner declare that ‘their brother is a reformed character.’ One physician has been found who says that he has ‘ lost that peculiar ferocity which formerly characterized him.’ And of two clergymen, one believes that 1 Gardiner deeply regrets his former life,’ and another adds that ‘ Gardiner’s sisters train up their children in the fear of God.’ ” The locked-out labourers are not the only persons who find relief for their pent-up indignation by “marching.” A lady in pursuit of a runaway husband somewhere in California has lately started off on a march after him. She sternly refuses all charitable offers to dare the dangers of railway travel, and was last heard of at Truchee, having followed the railroad track all the way from Kansas city to that place. Her approach had been heralded, and the people of Truchee, anticipating the entry of this remarkable lady, had intended to give her a flattering reception with brass band, speeches, &c., but she passed through the place unexpectedly, silently gliding on without pause and without turning her head to the right or the left, the tramp of her stout walking boots alone breaking the silence of her mysterious march. Every one gazed at her with awe as they observed the resolute expression of her face, and no one dared inquire how she intended to deal with her husband when she had found him. It was evident to all that she was engaged during her grand and gloomy march in storing in her brain energetic observations ready for delivery when she has arrived at the object of her pursuit. So fearful, indeed, was her aspect, that it curdled the blood ot the spectators, and although before she arrived at Truchee, she was the object of deep sympathy, that sympathy has now been extended, if not transferred, to her misguided husband, whose fate when she reaches him no one can contemplate without a shudder. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam NaviJ gation Company have concluded an arrangement with the General Post Office, under which mails will hereafter be conveyed on shipboard through the Suez Canal. The time occupied in transit is reduced by one day ; but no alteration is made in the amount of subsidy. A clause in the agreement, which will shortly be laid on the table of the House of Commons, empowers the company to substitute Plymouth for Southampton as the port of embarkation and disembarkation for mails, passengers, and cargo. This will come into effect as soon as the necessary arrangements can be completed, and another day’s saving in the time of transit will thus be effected. The company intend that cargo for Liverpool shall be transhipped at Plymouth into screw steamers, while goods for Manchester and other northern cities and towns will probably be conveyed by the Midland Railway, which three months hence will be able to run through between Plymouth and the North by the line of railway now nearly finished,