NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume II, Issue 171, 23 December 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

1J.A.C.8. Society.—The half-yearly meeting of the above society, for the election of officers and passing account i, will be held this evening. TELEGRAPHIC. —The steamer Tararua is expected to leave the Bluff at I I a.m. on Thursday, the 2-tth inst. Telegrams for the Aust'raliau colonies or Europe via Java cable, will he received at the telegraph office for transmission to the Bluff up till 10 o'clock am. on the 24th inst. Harmonic Society s Concert. Tl.e Christchurch Harmonic Society give their sixth concert to-night, when Haydn's Third Mass (Imperial), and Mendelssohn's •• Athnlie " will be rendered. As these works are new to Christchurch, and have been in rehearsal by nearly eighty performers for some time past, the concert will no doubt prove as attractive as successful.

PAPANUI Gift Auction.—A gift auction for the purpose of raising funds for clearing off the debt on the Papanui parsonage took place yesterday, in the schoolroom. Daring the day a large quantity of good:; was disposed of, and it was decided to continue the bazaar to-day. The balance o£ the goods remaining on hand will be sold by auction this evening, Mr John Matson acting as auctioneer.

Postal.—-Wo have been requested by the Chief Postmaster to intimate that with a view to affording increased facilities for posting newspapers, the receiving houses at Caul's, High street, Clark and Sons, corner of Montreal and Tuani streets, Kllisdon's, High street, Binstead, Cashel street, Crisbrook's, Papanui road, and ('ox's, Hereford street Kast town belt, will be altered so as to admit of newspapers being posted at them from Ist January, 1875. Cricket. —In consequence of the inclemency of the weather on the Anniversary Day, the match between the United Canterbury (J.C. and the Christchurch C.C. was postponed to Satuiday next, the 261 h inst, play to commence at 9.30 punctually. U C.C. will be represented by Messrs T. S. Baker, G. Dickenson, E. T. S. Fuller, G. H. Lee, H. H. Loughnan, W. Ncilson, A. M. Oliivicr, J. Souter, E. C. J. Stevens, A.C. Wilson, and J. Wood. The C.C.C., Messrs S. Alpc, J. Beard, J. D'Emden, C. Dixon. E. Fowler, J. Fowler, F. J. Beeder, J. S. Monck, G. M Intyre, T. S. Sweet, and G. Turner. Members are requested to be punctual. The Ashley.— During the recent flood in this river on Friday last, it i 3 to be regretted that serious damage has beeu done to the property of Mr Thos. Topping, farmer, near Saltwater Creek, and he estimates his loss at about £4OO. In addition to the farm being flooded, about five acres was encroached upon by the river, and so much as remains of his house was dragged out of the current. Mr Tipping's land was also inundated. Near the railway bridge the river has taken a straight course, filling in the old bed with shingle. The danger threatened to the Ashley school buildings is therefore at piesent a vet ted. Boating, CR.C. The race for the captain's cups came off yesterday afternoon, the course being from a point above Wright's corner to Herdson's corner. It will be remembered that in the former competition Lcwin and Bowron won easily, but on I his occasion Jones having secured the services of Gray as bow. the general opinion was that the "present holders of the cups would have to resign them for the time being. Jones and Gray rowed in the Cygnet, and had the north bank, while Lewin and Bowron rowed in the Moa. A good slait was effected, both boats keeping together to the. fellmongery, Here the Cygnet began to draw away, was never overhauled, and won easily. Is'kw Theatre.—A meeting of (he promoters of this company was held at Mr Clarke's rooms tiiis afternoon. PresentMessrs L. Walker, Bonnington, and W. 11. Williams. Mr Oliivicr attended and submitted the scheme for the enlargement of the existing Llieatre as proposed by the company he represented, It was resolved —"That provided the shareholders of the old company concurred in the resolutions submitted to I hem, the advocates of the proposed new theatre would give the scheme their best support.'* Mr Oliivicr then stated that he would convene a meeting of the shareholders of the company, and submit the whole matter to them at an early day.

VOLUNTEER .INSPECTION. The usual monthly inspection of the head-quarter's companies by the Colonel commanding the district took place lust evening at the Drillshed, when the Artillery, Engineers, City Guards, and Cadets paraded. After the inspection, the companies were put through battalion movements, when the breech loading Snider rifles were used by the Artillery for the first time. After the Engineers had returned to the parade ground, it was decided tl at those members who have not already competed for the prizes presented by Dr Frankisb. should fire on Boxing day.

Acclimatisation, —By the last. San FranCisco mail, four varieties of the best American corn have be n received, and arc ready [or distribution to members. The peculiar wheat sent from Germany lias come up well. No information baa, however, been received by the society respecting ii.

Suspicious Ciucuaistance.—As a Mr Johu Whiteside was walking cm last Saturday evening along the river, and when i short distance beyond Stanmorc bridge, he saw a brown paper parcel in the river, about two feet from the surface. On taking it out, he found it to contain a large stone and the body of a female infant, apparently not full grown, but in a xmy advanced stage of decomposition. Information was given to the police, and an inquest was held on Monday, at the Foresters' Hotel. In his evidence, Mr Whiteside repeated the circumstance of his finding the body as staled, and added that about ten days before, while walking near the same place, he found a brown paper parcel which contained a pair of woman's stockings having the marks of blood on them. He threw them a%vay, and thought nothing further of them at the time. The Coroner told the jury that the child had net been full grown; but as it was in such a decomposed state it would be impossible for medical examination to discover the cause of death. A verdict of " Found drowned in the river Avon" was returned.

Philosophical Institute. —A special meeting of the Institute was held last, evening at the Public Library. Present —Dr Haast (President'), the Revs J. Puller, and J. VV. fi.i.ack, Drs Puller, Turubull, and Coward, I'vofessor Bickerton, and Messrs Taucred, Johnstone, Fereday, Enys, Lewis AiSrerson, junr, and Wakefield (hon. sec.) The following papers were read—Py the Rev J. W. Stack. " Notes on the word Moa in the poetry of the New Zealanders, com piled by Sir George Grey. K.0.P." 2. " A brief sketch of the several Maori occupations of the South Island." By Professor Bickerton ; ' On n simple telegraph code by a modification of the Morse, instrument (':'• lust ated with experiments * By Dr Butter. 1. "On the genu-! ilirnantopus in New Zealand." 2. li Notice of a new species of parakeet in New Zealand." Ry Dr tlaast, 1. '• Notes on an ancient burial ground near the Moa Bone Point Cave, Sumner." '2. "On Moa hunters' encampment at Shag Point, province of Otago."

Flood in the Temukaand Opiiii.—The Herald says :—The Hood in these rivers caused by the late rain has done some damage to bridges. At the north end of the Opiiii fridge where the new sheet-piling which is now nearly completed is situated, the wafer has scoured the earth of the approach to a considerable extent. The water threatened to carry the approach away altogether during the flood, and would probably have done so, had it not been for the exertions of a gang of men who diverted the stream slightly with bags of stone and sand. it is believed that if secure protective works are not t ifected before another fresh, communication with the bridge will again be cutoff. At the Temuka river the footbridge at the Epworth ford has been damaged. Thefreplies

fur a considerable time have been cutting away the western bank, and the late Hood has carried away from ri»ht to ten feet, partly destroying the end of the bridge.

The Continental Herald says that the Marcmis tie Tuiennes, who is seventy-three years of age. accompanied by two guides and a porter, has recently made the ascent of the Wetterhorn,

The sixth edition of Dr Ranke's " History of the Popes" has just appeared, under the modified title of " The Roman Pontiffs during the last Four Hundred Years." The Swiss inhabitants of the United States are raising a subscription to erect a monument to Agassi/,. The sum required is 300,000 dols (£G0,000), of which half has already been subscribed.

A society for the protection of literary property and dramatic art has been formed in Russia. The society is to keep up relations with all the managers of theatres, and sell them the right of producing new dramas. The royalty goes into the society's funds, and the authors receive the percentage granted by the general meeting of the society.

Mark Twain says that he went to Moimondon with the idea of exterminating polygamy. " Put," lie adds, "my heart Avas wiser than my head. It warmed towards the poor, ungainly, and pathetically homely creatures ; and, as I turned to hide the generous moisture in my eyes I said 'No—the man that marries one of them has done an act of Christian charity which entitles him to the kindly applause of mankind, not their harsh censure ; and the man that marries sixty of them has done a deed of open-handed generosity that is indeed sublime.'

As Pius IX. has now entered on his eightythird year, it may be curious to show what Popes have lived beyond that age. Boniface VIII. (1294 to 1303)'; Paul ill. (1534 to 153 E); Clement X. (KJ7O to 107b'); and innocent XII, (ltiOl to 1700), at died at from eightyfour to eighty-six; Jean XII. (131 Ij to 133 !■'); and Clement XII. (1730 to 1740), at from ninety to ninety,two; while Gregory IX., nephew of Innocent 111., the most violent

adversary of Frederick 11., and who was driven frmu l!<>mo several times, lived to the ; ,.ge of 100. Hitherto in the historical period, no Pope has died between eighty six

and ninety years ol age, and the ou! t \ one thai Jived between ninety-two years coin jilctod the century.