NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 330, 3 July 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Museum.— lt is intimated that the Museum will be closed from Monday, July sth, to Sunday, July 11th, inclusive. H.A.0.8. Society.— A special meeting of this society is convened for Thursday evening next, for the consideration of important business. Teleg RArniij. —Telegrams for the Australian Colonies or Europe will be received at the telegraph office up to ten o’clock on Tuesday morning, for transmission by the Albion. Papahui School, — The second entertainment in connection with the above school was given last evening. Considering the state of the roads and weather there was a very fair attendance. The following programme was gone through most successfully;—Overture, Mr Weber (piano), H. F. Poore (flute); reading, “ Babies,” Mr Alport; glee, “Night,” choir of the German Church (encored); song, “ Ten thousand miles away,” Mr 0. 0. 0. Duncan; overture, Mr F, Weber (piano), Mr H. F. Poore (flute); song, comic, Mr B. Morgan; reading, “ Unmarried Men,” Mr Alport; glee, choir of German Church; song, “ Widow Machree,” Mr Alport (encored); overture, Mr Weber (piano), Mr Poore (flute); song, Mr Diepenheim; glee, choir of German Church; song, “ Molly Darling,” Mr 0. C. 0. Duncan; reading, “On Love,” Mr Alport; song, “ Canadian boat song,” Mr B. Morgan ; song, “ Brave old oak,” Mr Alport ; glee, choir of German church. At the conclusion the chairman asked those present to pass a hearty vote of thanks, especially to those who had come from Christchurch, which wae heartily responded to. He announced that the next entertainment would take place on Friday fortnight, the 16th instant.)

No 5 Co. O.R.Y. Challenge Match.— Yesterday afternoon a match took place at the rifle range, Kaiapoi, between seven members of this corps; privates W. H. Perrin, John Perrin, and G. Wright having challenged any four to fire a match for a sweepstakes of 20s a side. The gauntlet was laken up by Sergeant Fraser, who chose bugler Pearce, privates G. Capil, and C. Hay man, and the match came off under favorable weather. The ranges were 300, 400, and 500 yards, large targets, five shots at each from any position. The scores made were— Privates W H. Perrin, 38; John Perrin, 23; G. Wright, 35; total, 96. Sergeant Fraser, 39; bugler Pearce, 37; privates C. Hayman, 43; and G. Capil, 32; total, 151. The latter side was therefore the winner by 55 points, the highest individual score, it will be seen, having been made by private Hayman, Lieut Perrin was present to superintend the firing.

The Fakir of Oolu.— There was a capital house last evening at the Theatre Royal, when Dr Sylvester gave his last performance but one in Christchurch. The programme was gone through successfully, the various illusions eliciting loud plaudits. This afternoon will be positively the last appearance of the Fakir, as, owing to the amount of packing, &c, to be done, it is impossible to give a performance in the evening. We take leave of Dr Sylvester with regret, as his entertainment was one of the most genuine and thoroughly enjoyable ones we have had in Christchurch, and we can only express a hope that before finally leaving the colonies he may be induced to pay us another visit, bringing with him new illusions, and there is no doubt that the Christchurch public will give him a hearty welcome, and accord him the same substantial patronage that they have done during his present visit amongst us, Signor Gagliardi and the compact and and efficient orchestra under him also deserve notice for the admirable manner in which they have discharged their duties during the season.

Lyttelton Colonists’ Society.— The monthly meeting of the committee of this society was held on Thursday last. Present —Mr H. Allwright (president) Messrs Boddington, Phillips, Weyburne, Hobbs, Graham, Jacobson, Willcox, Fyfe, Nalder, H. R. Webb, Rich, and Dr Rouse, The minutes having been read and confirmed, a long discussion ensued as to the disturbance in the readingroom caused by the bad behaviour of boys, and a resolution was carried to the effect—- “ That a notice be posted in the readingroom requesting members and visitors to preserve silence while in the room.” Resolved: —“That a notice be also posted to the effect that smoking would only be allowed in the room set apart for that purpose.” Mr H. N. Nalder gave the following notice of motion —“ That in consequence of the annoyance members using the reading room suffer from boys making a great noise and disturbance there, the following alterations in rule 3 will be proposed at the next general meeting of the members of the society, viz, that rule 3 be amended as follows—that all words after the word ‘ subscription’ in the thiid line be struck out. and the following words added, ‘shall only entitle them to the use of the library.’ ” The treasurer stated that he had received during the past month, from winter readings, £9 19s 6d ; rent of hall, £1 ; subscription, £2 15s, Total, £l3 14s 6d. The chairman suggested that the fitting of the building for gas be at once proceeded with, and after some discussion, Mr Willcox moved —“That a committee, consisting of the president, vice-president, and Mr Weyburne, be formed, to make the best arrangements for the supply and fixing of gas fittings.” Seconded by Mr Nalder, and carried.

A gentleman who wedded a young lady in her teens, desires to offer a word of caution against such very early marriages. He says it is productive of an uncomfortable feeling to have your wife, no matter how amiable and lovely, going round among her schoolfellows bragging of her possession of a husband, as if he were a new doll. The colonists are asking another question —how to utilise the prodigious heaps of sawdust that accumulate all round their sawmills. They would be grateful to any one who would be able to show them a process by which their waste dust might be verted into fuel, as readily as the Duke of Sutherland converts his peat bogs into fuel for his steam engines. On a late occasion, in an article on Waste Materials in this Journal , we mentioned that sawdust had successful ly employed at Edinburgh in the manufacture of “ fire lighters”—articles for which there is an extensive household demand.

The supply of coal in the United States is enough for the whole world, which may be regarded as a comfortable prospect for posterity. And to that great coal supply must be added the reservoirs of petroleum, from which enterprising Americans—sometimes not very honestly—put fortune into their own pockets. The extent of the oil-bearing region has not yet been ascertained ; but it appears that in some places in Pennsylvania lakes or rivers of petroleum exist at a depth of about eleven hundred feet. Bore a hole deep enough, and the oil flows out of itself. Some of the wells, as they are called, flow without interruption ; others clog up, and must be swept out once a month. Among the wells in Armstrong County (Penn), there is one that pours out gas in quantities so prodigious that t' ey are reckoned as equivalent to one hundred tons of coal per week. Indeed, so powerful is the outrush of gas that it will lift the boring implement in the hole some twenty or thirty feet/ This implement, with the rope attached, weighs two thousand pounds. The colonist? on some parts of the western coast of New Zealand have to contend with a formidable enemy—namely, drifting sand, which buries their holds, and converts fertile districts into a wild and trackless desert. Nothing stops it: fence?, hedges, trees, are all alike swallowed. It was thought that the inroad might be arrested by building a fence across the sand itself; but the stream was observed to halt a few feet in front of the fence, then to pile itself slowly up, until it became higher than tho fence, when the drift recommenced, and speedily buried everything in its course. Some of the settlers are now aware that endeavours to fix the sand must begin on the edge of the sea, and communications on the means to be adopted have been“published in ,the “Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,” along with lists of plants known to be useful in preventing sand-drifts. That the drift can be staid has has been abundantly proved on our own ".oasts, on the shores of the Netherlands, and particularly in the Gulf, of Gascony, where thousands of acres of loose sand have been converted into excellent pasturage,

Judge Dunne has forwarded a reply to the communication from the Crown law officers desiring an explanation of the statements made in the local journals concerning his condition while presiding at the Maryborough County Court. He requests that the consideration of the matter may be postponed for a few days, until he has thoroughly recovered his usual state of health, when he will forward his explanation. At an Executive Council held yesterday, Judge Bowman was appointed to act in the place of Judge Dunne at the ensuing sittings of the County Court, to be held at Castlemaiue and at Maryborough.