NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 267, 20 April 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Jewish Church.— The Feast of the Passover commenced yesterday evening.

Theatre Royal. —There was a moderate house at the theatre last night, and Saturday evening’s performance was repeated. Bishop Redwood. —From a telegram to a gentleman residing in the town, we learn that Bishop Redwood will leave Hokitika for Christchurch on the 27th inst.

Public Holiday. —His Honor the Superintendent has proclaimed to-morrow a public holiday, in honor of the arrival of his Excellency the Governor. False Alarm. —Last evening, shortly before nine o’clock, a few strokes were given on the Lichfield street fire bell. It turned out that a boy, observing some gorse burning in the southern suburbs, had ran to the station and rung the bell, but was stopped almost immediately.

St Albans Wesleyan Church. —The anniversary of the St Albans Wesleyan Church will be celebrated to-morrow evening, commencing at half-past seven o’clock. The Rev J. Berry will deliver an address on i( Messrs Sankey and Moody and the British Revival.” Gems from oratorios will be given by the choir, assisted by several friends, Mr Searell will preside at the organ. Telegraph to Fiji.—A correspondent writes to the Cross that he learns, on reliable authority, that the Imperial Government has intimated its intention to co-operate with the Australasian Colonies in the matter of a submarine telegraph cable connecting Fiji with the projected New Zealand wire. Naval Station at Auckland —The Auckland correspondent of the j Daily Times states that it is proposed to make Auckland a permanent naval station, as the port is more centrally situated than either Melbourne or Sydney for the suppression of the slave traffic in the Pacific. Calcutta Sweeps. —Messrs J. and R. H. Campbell having announced their intention of having Calcutta sweeps drawn last night at Tattersall’s, there was a fair muster < f sporting men at the repository. Business, however, was not brisk, and we think it is partially owing to the attempt to get up sweeps at other places. If the different auctioneers would agre< amongst themselves, and each take one night for selling, the public would know where to attend, and the sweeps would be better filled. Speculation, too, would be brisker. Verbum sap.

The Visit of the Governor.— The Mayor stated at the meeting of the City Council last evening, that he had received a communication from his Honor the Superintendent, stating that his Excellency the Governor would arrive at the Christchurch Railway Station to-morrow between twelve and one o’clock. It was not intended to receive the Governor publicly in the usual acceptation of the term, but he trusted that the citizens would show their loyalty by a good display of bunting, and by cheering his Excellency on his passage through the city. The Governor would receive an address from the City Council at an undress levee to be held at noon on Thursday in the Provincial Council Chamber. In the evening of the same day a ball, at which his Excellency and Lady Normanby had signified their intention to be present, would take place in the Oddfellows’ Hall, and which his Honor the Superintendent hoped would be truly a citizens’ ball.

The Autumn Meeting.— Mr J. H. Bennett sold the usual rights—comprising publicans’ booths, confectionery stands, &c, at the forthcoming autumn meeting, at Warner’s Hotel yesterday. The publicans’ booths were first sold, numbered from l/to 4, and brought the following prices:—NqU, £5 10s per day, Mr H, C. West; No 2, £6 10s per day, Mr Priston, Borough Hotel N,o 3, £7 per day, Mr Truckle, Albion No 4, £4 per day, Mr Blythe The confectioners’ stands, of which there were two, fetched as follows: —No 1, £4 5s per day, Mr Bashford; No 2, £3 per day, Mr Fletcher. right of sports brought £7 per day, being bought by Mr Burmeister; the horse yards, £2 10s lor the two days, being bought by Mr Haydon. The right of vending the cards was purchased by Mr S. Muir, after a spirited competition, for £6O.

Action against the Mayor. Last evening, at the meeting of the City Council, the Mayor stated that he had received notice from Messrs Garrick and Cowlishaw, stating that it was their intention to proceed against him to recover £SOO, at the instance of H. M. Goodger, in an action for false imprisonment. On the motion of Cr Bishop, seconded by Cr Jones, the Council resolved unanimously—“ That this Council accepts all responsibility in the action H, M. Goodger v the Mayor, and instructs the city solicitor to take the necessary steps to defend the said action.” It will be recollected that Goodger was given into custody by the Mayor for removing a portion of the barricade erected by the Council round the cabstand in front of Cobb and Co’s office.

Coroner’s Inquest.— An inquest was held yesterday before Dr Coward, coroner, on view of the body of a male infant, the son of Aubrey William Martin, of St Asaph street. From the evidence it appeared that the father, who terras himself a Christian Israelite, had been in the habit of circumcising his male children eight days after birth, an operation which he had hitherto successfully performed. In pursuance of the tenets which he held, the father, about 11,30 a.ra. on the 18th instant, proceeded to circumcise deceased, who cried and struggled very much and became very pale. Dr Nedwill was sent for but the child was dead before his arrival. Dr Nedwill. who made a po&t mortem examination of the body, attributed death to the shock to the system and loss of blood consequent on the operation. The jury returned a verdict of *' Accidental death,” but expressed an opinion that the father was greatly to blame for having circumcised the child without having obtained medical aid, and at their request the coroner cautioned Martin on the subject. Martin promised that in future he would obtain medical assistance.

Avonside. —The contest for the election of a synodsman to represent the parish of Avonside in the Diocesan Synod resulted in an equal number of votes being recorded for each of the candidates—Messrs H. Slater and W. P. Cowlishaw. The returning officer, Mr C. Cuff, gave his casting vote in favor of Mr Cowlishaw.

Revenue op Otago. —The revenue of the province of Otago for the year ending March 31st, is published in the Dunedin papers. The receipts were as follows : Grown lands, £290,940; gold revenue, £46,418 ; harbor and jetty dues, £10,063 ; tolls, £13,889 ; dog and goat tax, £2235 ; licenses, £3605; education, £5888; repayments, £1765; interest, 0; railways, £57,917 ; reclaimed land, &c, £10,854 ; Incidental receipts, £14,938 ; General Government repayments, £47,917. Total, £503,974. The expenditure was £544.735. As on March 31st, 1874, there was a credit balance of £ 101,379, and as during the financial year just ended there has been an excess of expenditure over receipts of about £41,000, the credit balance on this year’s transactions will be a little over £60,000. Snakes in New Zealand. —We take the following paragraph, -with reference to the existence of snakes in New Zealand, from the Bay of Plenty Times : —Captain Bluett, A.C., informs us that as some of his men were sawing timber at Oruatewehi, a place about two miles from Fort Galatea, they discovered a snake between three and four feet in length, holding on to a weta (native spider). The natives, who have an intense hatred and dread of snakes, unfortunately chopped it up there and then into mince meat. Fortunately, Sergeant Hall, of the A.C., who was in charge of the sawing party, saw the snake before its destruction, so that there can be no doubt as to the authenticity of the statement. We understand that this description of snake is occassionally to be met with up North, but believe it is the first seen in the Bay of Plenty.

Canterbury Rifle Association.—A meeting of the council of the Canterbury Rifle Association was held last evening at Warner’s Hotel. Present—Messrs Hesketh, Allison, S. Manning, Stokes, Gain (honsee.). Mr Allison was voted to the chair. The object of the meeting was to examine and pass the accounts connected with the last Easter meeting, which having been done, left a balance of seven shillings and eightpence to the credit of the association. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Hesketh, seconded by Mr Manning— li That the medals accompanying Mr Blake’s Challenge Cup be of the same value as those of the previous years.” The treasurer and secretary were requested to make arrangements for the public presentation of the prizes. The secretary was instructed to call a general meeting of the members on the evening fixed for the presentation of the prizes, to receive the resignation of the council, and to consider the advisability of winding up the association. The meeting then terminated.

Fatal Accident at Nelson —We take the following particulars of the recent fatal accident at Nelson from the Colonist :—A number of workmen were engaged cutting down the hill at the rear ef Mr Jones’s produce store, Haven road. Some of them were were on top of the hill, and three others named Day, Thomas Edward Kelly, and James Downes, were underneath. The face of the hill was nearly perpendicular, but where the three men whose names we (have mentioned were at work there was a hollow cut out. They were making this hollow larger when Day, who was farthest in, heard a rattling noise as if some of the earth was falling. He immediately dropped his pick, and, running out, saw what was coming. He called out to the other men, warning them of their danger, but before they could get away about fifty tons of earth fell and completely buried Downes and Kelly. It is believed that the latter would have escaped if a dray had not stood in the way. None of the other men were hurt. All hands were immediately set to work to excavate the bodies of Downs and Kelly, but they worked with pick and shovel for about three-quarters of an hour before they could find any trace of their unfortunate comrades. At length a large boulder was seen protruding from the heap of earth, and under this boulder, which weighed nearly two tons, the two men lay—dead. Kelly was got out first. His head and body were horribly mangled, and no one could have recognised his features. Downes was also shortly afterwards exhumed, and although he was not so badly bruised as Kelly, yet his injuries were of a frightful nature. Downes was about sixty years of age, and leaves a widow and seven children; Kelly, who arrived in the ship Ocean Mail a few months ago, was twenty-nine years old, and leaves a widow and four young children. Both men must have been killed instantaneously, Shortly after the removal of the bodies to the hotel, the men were mustered, as it was thought probable that others might be buried, but all answered to their names except the two whose bodies had been recovered.

The Auckland Islands.— The following letter addressed to the Superintendent of Otago is published in the Dunedin papers:— “HisHonorthe Superintendent,Dunedin. Sir, —I have the honor to forward to your Honor’s address some of the grasses and plants from the Auckland Islands, with the view of having them placed under the care of the Curator of the Dunedin public gardens. These are only a few of the varieties brought by Mr M‘lvor, many having withered from want of sufficient earth-balls, moisture, and length of voyage. The Auckland Islands are clothed from base to summit with the kinds of grasses and plants now sent to the Dunedin gardens. There are in these islands at least half-a-dozen of the finest sheep and cattle runs in the colony, and easily subdivided, owing to the configuration of the country. Captain Becks, chief of the German Transit of Venus party, informed me that the climate was veiy mild, and the sea around the islands several degrees warmer. Some of the grasses are the same as those of the western islands of Scotland, viz, Mull, Skye, Islay, Colonsay, Stornoway, &c. Fishermen from the aoovenamed islands would b e the men to form settlements on the seaboard of the Aucklanda. Such was the interest felt by Captain Becks and party in the botany and geology of these islands that, after refitting their ship at the Bluff, they returned to explore them thoroughly ; and your Honor will see from the enclosed newspaper that they are likely to be there till the end of this month. I hope the desire of drawing attention to the importance of colonising these valuable islands will be accepted as an apology for thus troubling your Honor.—l have, jjk Duncan M'Arthur, Invercargill, Iwq April, 1875,”

Canterbury E ailways. The Gazette of April 19th contains a return of the traffic on the Canterbury railways for the five weeks ending March 4tb. The following is a summary—Passengers: Lyttelton and Christchurch railway, £1092 5s 2d ; season tickets, £127 16s; parcels, &c, £llß 6s 8d ; passengers—Great Southern railway, £1797 8s 3d ; season tickets, £SB Os lid ; parcels, 3s 2d ; passengers —Great Northern railway, £B6O 18s lid ; season tickets, £62 12s 6d ; parcels, &c, £34 15s 7d ; passengers—Rolleston and Malvern railway, £199 4s lOd ; parcels and season tickets, £l2 19s 9d ; passengers—Rangiora and Oxford railway, £l2l 13s 9d ; parcels and season tickets £ll 14s 3d. Freight up Lyttelton and Christchurch railway, £2855 Os lid ; freight down, £1516 19s 8d ; freight up—Great Southern railway, £1348 15s Id; freight down, £1353 6s 1 Id; freight up—Great Northern rail way, £626 Is 9d ; freight down, £4lB 11s 4d ; freight up- Rolleston and Malvern railway, £143 3s 6d ; freight down, £122 3s 6d ; freight up—Rangiora and Oxford railway, £l4O 7s 5d ; freight down, £37 2s 2d. Storage—£362 16s 6d ; labor, £345 15s 7d ; wharfage £849 10s 7d; totals, £14,771 14s sd. During the corresponding period in 1874 (but four weeks only) the receipts were £8660 15s 6d.

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.l

“Your face is your fortune,” said a forward young man to a handsome, but poor girl. “Your cheek ought to make yours,” was her retort.