NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 254, 5 April 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

L.O.L.—A meeting of Lodge No 3 C.T.8., will be held to-morrow evening at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Montreal street south, at 7 p.m. The Lyttelton Murder Case. —lt is intended, we understand, that this case shall be taken on Friday; if the fixing of that day will suit the convenience of his Honor the Judge. Lecture on Vocal Music.—The Rev W. J. Habens, 8.A., will deliver a lecture on vocal music this evening in the Congregational schoolroom. There will be free admission. Judge’s Secretary.—Mr Ireland, who has been acting as judge’s associate to his Honor Mr Justice Chapman, at Dunedin, has arrived to act in the same capacity to Mr Justice Williams, and will enter on his duties to-day. Amateur Performance.-— The members of the Heathcote Amateur Dramatic Club, assisted by friends from Christchurch, intend giving a performance in aid of the funds of the Heathcote Rowing Club, in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Woolston, on Wednesday evening next. The piece chosen is the tragedy of “Twice Killed.” Theatre Royal. —The performances on Saturday evening consisted of “ Our American Cousin,” with Mr Hoskins as Asa Trenchard, and Mr Collier in the part of Lord Dundreary. We cannot say that the performance pleased us, as there was a noticeable tendency to drag throughout the piece. The after piece of “Nothing to Wear” was amusing. Accommodation for Witnesses.— Though a great deal has been done in the way of rendering the Supreme Court House fit for the business to be transacted in it, and also as commodious as possible for those who are obliged to attend the sittings of the Court, we regret, however, to have to notice this morning at the Criminal Sessions the dis graceful manner —we can call it nothing else —in which the female witnesses were herded amongst the crowd of jurors, witnesses, &c, without the slightest attempt being made for their accommodation. Surely it is bad enough for respectable women to have to go through the ordeal of a public court, without being subjected to the annoyance and discomfort of being penned up for some hours in a crowd, and amid odours which are scarcely those exported by Messrs Piesse and Lubin, Lyttelton Winter Entertainments. — The first of a series of these entertainments took place at the Colonists’ Hall on Friday evening last; Mr H. Allwright, the president, occupying the chair. That gentleman, in his opening address, called upon the people of Lyttelton to assist in keeping up the entertainments. The amusements in Lyttelton were very limited, and he thought that if they agreed to amuse each other, many a pleasant evening might be made to pass swiftly away. The Colonists' Society were in a better position as regarded money matters than they had been for the last twenty-four years, and he might state that the proceeds of these entertainments would be devoted to the purchase of a piano. He hoped that before the next entertainment in a fortnight’s time, that a new piano would be in the hall. The following programme was then gone through:—Piano duet, the Misses Kenner ; song, Mr Comerford ; reading. Mr C. Ward ; song, Mr H. Allwright ; reading, Mr Phillips; song, Mr Rich ; reading, Mr Ford;song, Mr Comerford; recitation, Mr Jacobson ; piano duet, the Misses Kenner. All the items were rendered satisfactorily, and frequent applause greeted the performances. The Late Mr J. C. Watts Russell,— The funeral of the late Mr Watts Russell took place yesterday at the Riccarton Church Cemetery, and the large number attending it, representing all classes of the community, was a practical proof of the wide spread respect and esteem in which Mr Russell was held by his fellow colonists. The funeral procession, which included the carriages of his Honor the Superintendent, Sir J. Cracroft Wilson, C. 8., Mr Greason, and a large number of others, reached Riccarton Church shortly after 4 p.m. Here it was met by his Lordship the Bishop and the Rev C. Bowen. The choir of the Riccarton Church, we may state, was assisted by some members of St, Luke’s choir, the service being semi-choral. The coffin having been placed in the church, which was filled to overflowing, the Rev C. Bowen read the appointed service, and the hymn “ How short and fleeting are our days” (A. and M.) was chanted by the choir. At the close, the coffin was then borne to the grave, the pall-bearers being the Very Rev the Dean, Sir J. Cracroft Wilson, Messrs H. B. Gresson, and W. J. W. Hamilton. His Lordship the Bishop read the service at the grave most impressively.

Oxford.— The Easter services at the church here were most hearty and impressive. Divine service was conducted by the Rev F. T. Opie, who preached on the morning of Easter Day from Rev. chap. 1, v. 18, and in the evening from 1 chap. 16, v. 56, on each occasion to full congregations. In the afternoon the rev gentleman conducted the first, service in the new church at West Oxford. This is a neat building with capacity for seating ninety persons, and was filled in every part. At all the services Mr Wollstein led the choir and Mrs Opie presided at the harmonium. It might be noticed that the decorations of the parish church were remarkable for the good taste displayed. Over the chancel was the text—- “ Now is Christ risen from the dead,” worked in white letters edged with gre* n leaves on a scarlet ground, with a border of fern leaves. In addition to festoons of evergreens studied with flowers, thechancel, lectern, and font were neatly decorated. On Tuesday evening a harvest thanksgiving service was held, when Rev C. Merton read prayers, and Rev P. T. Opie preached from Jer. cb. viii., v. 20, the offertory being applied to Sunday school purposes. On Thursday, the Church of England Sunday school treat was held, all the children being assembled at the parsonage at two p.m., where they were amused in various games for toys till four p.m., at which hour about 120 sat down to tea on the lawn. Subsequently nearly one hundred re ward books were presented by the incumbent, who delivered an address. The teachers and iriends, to the number of thirty, had tea together titer the scholars left.

First Clark-Christian Entertainment, —The sea having gone down, the Rev Charles Clarke was enabled to come on from Timaru by the Maori, and arrived in town this morning. As is pretty generally known, he will re-appear at the Oddfellows’ Hall tonight, when he will be assisted by Miss Christian, and as this lady achieved such distinguished success both in Dunedin and Auckland, considerable interest attaches to her first appearance in Christchurch. Hororata. —A public meeting of the electors of the Rakaia district was held on Wednesday evening in the Hororata schoolroom, for the purpose of hearing addresses from Messrs W, White and Jebson, members for the district in the Provincial Council. Mr R. Moffey was called to the chair, and called on Mr White first to address the meeting. Mr White said that he had endeavoured to serve the whole of the district, and not any particular part. The first matter that claimed his attention was the bridge over ihe Selwyn at the Bluff. He found that two bridges had been petitioned for, one at the White Cliffs, and the other at Surveyor’s Gully, but he had strenuously urged the Government that the bridge particularly required was the one at the Bluff, and aided by Mr Jebson had succeeded in getting a sum of £6500 placed on the estimates for that purpose. He further proposed to the Government to build a bridge over the Rakaia Gorge, and was promised that it should be taken into consideration. In relation to the grants-to Road Boards he thought that this district hud not received the amount it was justly entitled to. As to the opening of the Museum on Sundays, he had voted against it, and would vote so again, if the question was to come before the Council. He had also voted against the sum of £2OO as a honorarium to the chairman of the Board of Education. When he was last before the electors, he had mentioned the absurd charges for trucks on the railways, viz : one truck at 15s, if two were required, 20s, and he was happy to inform them that those charges were now altered. He thought that there had been a good deal of mismanagement in railway affairs, but perhaps not so much as was imagined, as he had heard from good authority that instead of there being a loss of £6OOO in nine months, there had on the contrary been a profit of £16,000 ; but he supposed that a little later, they would know more about this subject. He then touched on the working of the Scab Act, and contended that such means should be adopted as would result in stamping out the disease from the Province. With reference to the abolition of the provinces as foreshadowed in the resolutions passed in the House of Assembly last session, his opinion was that if something better was given in lieu of provincial government he was quite willing to accept it. Still he hardly liked the idea of being dictated to from Wellington in purely local matters. After Mr White had replied to certain questions, Mr Jebson next addressed the meeting, and said he thought that the duty of every representative was to advance the views expressed by his constituents to the utmost of his powers. He most cordially endorsed Mr White’s opinion as to the unfair manner in which the Road Board grants were brought down, viz, in one lump sum instead of in detail. He particularly urged the residents of each district to bestir themselves so as to secure 25 per cent, of the land sales returned to the district in road making and opening up the district, not only by main roads but by branch ones. After some more slight discussion on minor local subjects, Mr Fountaine proposed, Mr Digby seconded, a vote of thanks to Messrs White and Jebson for their presence there that evening, and for the very satisfactory manner in which they had carried out the views of their constituents in that part of the district, which was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.

Now that contagious diseases are abroad, every housewife should use carbolic soap for household purposes, as it is a thorough disinfectant, and recommended by the faculty.— [Advt. j

Receipt for a hot breakfast—Admire your landlady’s new bonnet. At a railway depot, on Monday evening, an eager looking man jumped from the train and clasped a waiting woman to his arms. ‘ Heavens, my wife,’ said he. 1 Mercy, my ruffles,’ said she. Which showed what both were thinking of.