NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 117, 15 October 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Port Victoria District.—Mr Potts was re-elected for Port Victoria on Saturday last, without opposition. H.R.C.—The members of the Heathcote Rowing Club intend opening the season on the Heathcote with a procession of boats and scratch races. The date has not yet been fixed, but it will probably be Saturday week, and accommodation will be provided for the visiting boats which are expected.

Concert. —The concert in aid of the funds now being raised for the peal of bells at the German Church, will take place at the Oddfellows’ Hall this evening. In addition to glees, part-songs, &c., a new cantata, “ The Building of the Ship,” will be performed on the occasion.

Orang-eism —A Royal Arch Purple Chapter in connection with No 1 L.O.L, will be held this evening in the hall, Lyttelton, when a number of visiting brethren from sister lodges, including the Grand Lodge officers, have made arrangements to be present.

The Orphanage. —The repairs and additions to the Orphanage, at Lyttelton, are proceeding satisfactorily. The two tanks are finished, and one has about 4ft of water in it. It is impossible to give a clear account of the improvements as yet, but we may state that the contractors appear to be carrying out their work extremely well.

Blood Stock.— The two horses that arrived by the Natal Queen on Sunday, 11th instant, a e still on board. Wo hear that some hitch has occurred, as no certificate of health was procured in Tasmania, nobody there knowing that such a thing was required. The inspector, Mr Hill, was down, but could not authorise their being landed. The delay is injuring the horses, encumbering the barque, and doing good to no one. It is to be hoped that some arrangement will be made.

Canterbury Archery Club.— The opening of the season took place yesterday. In spite of the weather the shooting was good. The Ladies’ Champion Belt was won by Mrs Holt, with a score of 149, The prize for the highest score at long ends was also won by Mrs Holt. The prize for the highest score at the short end was taken by Miss Marshman, and the prize for the best gold, open to the whole field, by Mrs Cowlishaw. Mr Oondell won the prize for the highest gross score for gentlemen. The attendance was good. Ship Gutenberg, from Hamburg.— Thefollowing is a listof the trades and occupations of the emigrants by the above ship, now daily expected. Farm laborers, 38; general laborers./!?; smiths. 2; joiner,!; locksmiths. 8; machine makers, 2 ; watchmaker, 1 ; cooper, 1; mechanic, 1; painters, 2; tailors, 2. Single women—General servants, 11. Summary—Married adults, 42; single male adults, 59; single female adults, 11; children, 20; total, 132; equal to 122 statute adults.

Kanibri Lake Water Race.— From the reports of the engineer and manager of works, it appears that this undertaking is rapidly progressing towards completion. About thirty men are employed on the last sections of the work, and by the end of the present mouth it is expected some seven miles will be actually completed. Several parties are prospecting, and claims are being taken up along the line of the race. On its completion, it is stated that there is every probability that the people of Hokitika will make arrangements to have the town supplied with water from this source. 1.0.G.T., Christchurch Excelsior Lodge. —The usual weekly session of the above lodge was held last evening in Gee’s Schoolroom, Manchester street, when there was a large attendance of members. Three new members were initiated. It was decided to forward an illuminated address to Hon Bro Wm. Fox, prior to his departure for England, expressive of the appreciation of his services in connection with Good Templarism in New Zealand. It was announced that at the next session there would be a public entertainment at 8.15 p.m. This lodge is steadily increasing in numerical strength, and bids fair ere long to be the strongest lodge in Christchurch.

Mrs Hill’s Benefit. —We remind our readers that Mrs Hill takes her benefit tomorrow evening, at the Theatre Royal. A piece new to Christchurch, “ The Hew Magdalen,” dramatised from Wilkie Collins’ novel of that name, will be produced, besides other novelties. But apart from the attractions offered in this way, Mrs Hill has such claims upon the kindly remembrances of playgoers that she is bound to receive a full house. As an actress she has always taken high rank in her profession, added to which in private life she has made herself respected and esteemed by all who have met her. Therefore it is with confidence that we bespeak a full house for her on Friday night, as thereby affording an opportunity to the playgoing public to testify to the high esteem and respect for her talents in which she is held.

Fine Arts —By the last mail the agents in Christchurch of the Royal Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland, received intimation that a prize, “ Ben Donech by Lochgoilhead,” had fallen to Mr T. S. Duncan, Crown Prosecutor, at the recent annual drawing of the association.

Fire Brigade Concert.— A meeting of the committee to carry out this entertainment took place last night, at which it w r as resolved that Mr Packard should attend to those on the platform; that Mr Sowden take the money at the doors; and that Messrs Durbridge, Owen, and Warne collect the tickets. A letter was read from Mr D. Craig, of Christchurch, stating that the insurance association would do all in their power to further the views of the Lyttelton fire brigade. It was arranged that the Lyttelton brigade should meet those from Christchurch at the railway station, and also that the orphanage band should be in attendance, and play them up to the hall. A letter was read from the Secretary for Public Works kindly consenting to let a special train be run on Thursday evening at any time the brigade wished.

The Palmer River Rush. — A very crowded meeting of intending passengers to the Endeavour river was held last evening at the Borough Hotel, Mr J. C. Stott in the chair. Mr W. Mcllroy, owner of the barque Especulador, was present, and stated to the meeting that the Commissioner of Customs had informed him at the last moment that that vessel’s ’tween decks were not high enough to conform with the provisions of the Passenger Act, He (Mr Mcllroy) would, however, guarantee to forward those already booked for that vessel by first steamer to Dunedin free of expense, and place them on board the clipper barque Comet, which vessel would be leaving Port Chalmers for the Endeavour river early next week. Several persons in the meeting asked Mr Mcllroy various questions, which were answered to general satisfaction, and the meeting broke up with three cheers for that gentleman.

There is at least one lady who is supremely happy. Her rival belle at a party last week got her hair entangled with the button of a gentleman’s coat, and she was soon baldheaded. ‘* Poor dear,” said the Dean-street lady, “how I pity you 1 Take this haudker chief and tie it round your head ; you may take cold.”

Upwards of 800 miners and their families are reported to have left Cornwall since our last for New Zealand, Australia, America, and the north of England. They are the best and most skilful men who are leaving the county, and their chief complaint is that by the system adopted in working Cornish mines they are prevented from earning more than the idle and unskilful.

The way in which John Stuart Mill proposed to the lady who eventually became his wife is said to have been as follows :—“ I wish I had your head, Mr Mill,” remarked the lady, on the occasion when that gentleman had solved for her a knotty point. “And I wished I had your heart,” replied Mr Mill. “Well,” said the lady, “since your head and my heart agree so well, I am willing that we should go into partnership. ” And such was the result.

The retort of a little boy to an attorney in a police court not long ago created some amusement. The lad, being a witness, was questioned concerning a certain cheap novel alleged to have been stolen. “ What was the picture on the cover?” asked the attorney. “ Two Indians,” was the reply. “What were the Indians doing?” “ I didn’t ask ’em,” answered the boy. The attorney suddenly discovered that he had no further use for the young witness. Science, that true assistant of labor (says the Southern Cross) promises to provide a simple remedy which, while giving ample time for the workmen to get beyond the reach of danger whilst bush falling, also greatly lessens the labour, substituting therefore, an almost instantaneous process of bringing down large trees. This process is the application of gun cotton compressed into discs. These discs are placed round the tree in a continuous band, the edge of each disc touching that of the discs adjacent. This band is exploded or detonated by means of a stroke from a spring hammer so arranged as to permit of all persons concerned reaching a safe distance before the detonation is effected. The Engineer, who recounts the experiments by this system of gun cotton discs, says that “ a band of these discs was placed around the trunk of a very large tree at Upnor, and detonated,” the result being that the tree “ was severed instantaneously as though felled by one blow from an axe.” This is the true agent for felling the giants of our forests. It is simple, easily handled, requires on y due care and attention, and delicate manipulation, just as does a steam engine. It is, moreover, certain and speedy, and would greatly lighten the labor, as well as prevent much of the present too prevalent danger to life and limb which the exiting mode of forest work produces. The rapidity of the action of these compressed discs of gun-cotton by detonation may be understood when it is stated that by experiment it has been ascertained that the detonation proceeds with a velocity—that is, that on one disc being detonated, it communicates with those adjacent with a swiftness inferior only to that of electricity or light—at the rate of 20,000 feet, or nearly four miles per second, which for all practical purposes may be reckoned an instantaneous process. In a lady's letter from Paris, published in the Australasian, the writer says : —“ The extravagant price of articles of dress seems to be on the increase ; and the luxuriousness of underclothing in particular has, I suppose, never reached such a height since the historic days of Anne of Austria’s cambric chemises. The lingerie shops are really marvellous to behold, and next to Mr Worth’s ‘ateliers’ (which I have not seen), and Madame Fevrol’s bonnet paradise (which I have), are better worth inspection than any of the booths in this vanity fair. Such embroidery, such lace, such insertion, such patterns ! White petticoats worked in colored thread, in wreaths of pansies, May blossom, and forget-me-not, which it is impossible to believe are not the finest flowerpainting; dressing-gowns embroidered in roses, with just-alighting butterflies which one dreads to hurt • fichus, whose material entirely disappears under the fairy like needlework which loads them. These are only trifles among the treasures of such placer. If it be ever permissible to mention such articles of attire as ladies’ drawers, it must surely be when they are composed of white foulard, with deep frills of Valenciennes lace, mingled with loops o' white satin ribbon, like those with which we used

to trim our babies’ caps in the sober old times when babies wote caps and looked so cosy in them. And then the corsets I White and pink satin are the most favored; and as the hand-breadth belt has gone out, and is succeeded by the more substantial longwaisted < orset, of which the honest English name is stays, that article of attire has again become imposing. They are worn high, covered with exquisite embroidery in thick silk, and trimmed with rich lace. Plain stockings are no longer to be seen. Even those unhappy persons who ace condemned by a hard destiny to wear cotton or thread must have them open-worked. The correct thing is white, black, or grey silk,, richly worked, for all costumes, and for evening dress clocked en coulenr .”