NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 347, 23 July 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Found Dbownd. —A dead body was found in Lyttelton harbor this morning. Ball. —We call attention to an advertisement in this issue respecting the Oddfellows’ ball at Lyttelton. St. Yincext’s Concert Company.— This company will give an entertainment in the Colonists’ Hall, Lyttelton, this evening. Entertainment. —An entertainment in aid of the Merivale Sunday school will be given in the schoolroom, this evening, at half-past seven. Volunteer Mess Dinner.— The usual quarterly mess dinner of the officers of the headquarters corps was held last evening, at the White Hart Hotel. Captain Hawkes, president of the mess, occupied the chair. There was a good muster, and an excellent dinner was provided by Mr J. O. Sheppard.

Wheeler and De Glorion Troupe.— There was a very good house at the Theatre Royal last evening, when this clever troupe gave an entire change of programme. Miss De Courcy sang several new ballads and serio-comic songs very nicely, and Mdlle Lo-Lo, with the De Glorion Brothers, received loud plaudits for her dashing act on the flying trapeze. Mr Wheeler, in his Irish songs, and Master Bennie as a Dutchman, were both very successful, the latter particularly so in his song and dance. The sketches were even more mirth-provoking than usual, especially those of “Donnybrook Fair,” in which Mdlle Lo-Lo and Mr E. De Glorion made their dehut successfully, and 4, A Slippery Day,” which fairly convulsed the audience with laughter. To-night Master Bennie takes his benefit with a good pro gramme, and we hope to see a crowded house. During his stay he, in common with the other members of the company, has made a large circle of friends, and has been most assiduous in his endeavours to please, hence we trust to see playgoers testify their approval of his talent substantially by filling the house to-night.

New Brighton Ball. — A. coach will leave the Post-office at quarter-past seven this evening, calling at the Criterion and Foresters’ Hotels, to convey passengers to the above.

Lighting Committee. —Crs Ick, Jones, and Schmidt, members of the lighting committee of the City Council, were engaered yesterday in inspecting the new lamps being erected in various parts of the city, and examining applications made for lamps, which had been referred to them by the Council.

Fatal Accident at Greymouth — The Grey River Argus of July 19th, says;—The body of some unfortunate man, who has perished by drowning in the river Grey or one of its tributaries, was found yesterday floating down the river, by Mr R. Collins, owner of the punt at the Greymouth Gorge. On seeing the body floating down the river, Mr Collins took his boat, secured it, and brought it on shore on the Cobden side, where he had it placed in a shell and safely housed until an inquest should be held. He also gave information of the finding of the body to the Greymouth police, the officer at Cobden being absent in the discharge of some duty elsewhere; The body is tfcat of a man of about sft 6in in height, light-haired, wearing a goatee, and dressed in a Crimean shirt, moleskin trousers, and watertight boots. It had apparently been in the water for some weeks, and is supposed to be the body of a packer named Neilson, who was in the employment of Messrs Drennan Brothers, and who was drowned in the Grey on 19th June at the Blackball ford.

Inquest. —An inquest was held at Longbeach, Ashburton, on Wednesday, the 21st instant, before Mr John Grigg, acting as coroner, on the body of David Sharpe. Mr George Parkin was chosen foreman of the jury. William Tuckett stated that the deceased David Sharpe came to his shop for iron work for a gate about half-past two o’clock p.m. the day previous, and that he saw him go away for the purpose of hanging the gate. Henry Hudson said that about twenty minutes to five o’clock on the afternoon of July 20th he was standing outside the store, a man came riding down the road, and called to him that there was a man lying on the road in the paddock dead. From the description he gave me I knew it to be Sharpe. I then told Mr Draper and Wastney, and then went to the house and told Mr Joseph Grigg. After that I proceeded to where the man was lying. I found the body on the road, face downwards. I went to raise his head, and found that his neck was broken. I found his horse at the Ring paddock gate. Henry Walker stated that he was called by Mr Joseph Grigg to give a hand with C. Wastney to carry the deceased Sharpe in ; but as there wa,s a station waggon coming down, the body was brought to the station by the same. Mr John Grigg gave evidence that he saw the deceased David Sharpe ride from the station at about a quarter to three o’clock p.m. on the 20th instant, and that he had in his hand iron work for a gate and some tools. Further, that he also saw the body on the road lying with the face downwards ; the tools were about thirty feet from the body, and the horse that he was riding was at the gate, with one stirrup across the saddle. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death.”

Fiji News. —The Auckland correspondent of the Daily Times furnishes the following full details of the ravages caused by measles; —A reliable estimate places the number of deaths on the island of Yanua Leva at 18,712. A correspondent of the Fiji Times, writing from the island, says;—At the town of Dromona, Nan tea, nearly all the ablebodied men were, at the date of my visit, 2«th April, reported to be dead, and the messenger of Death was there claiming other victims daily. At the small town of Mace, Levu, two Puranga Lewas, and a son of one of them, altogether with thirty three natives, had died, including a woman, who strangled herself with a rope. In one of the native towns were forty persons dead, and pigs are eating the bodies, as there is but one mao left to bury them. At the town of Vuni Lagi, containing about seventy able-bodied men, thirty had died, and as many sick. In the small town of Yanuea fifteen men had died, including Ratu Naisi, a Bau teacher, and the measles was still prosecuting its work of death, Accounts from Mae Matae are very distressing. In some of the towns there are none left to bury the dead ; and in othpr instances the deaths were so numerous that the bodies were left in the huts, and the towns burnt to ashes. On Rabasa River, the dead bodies were thrown into the stream, which landed them along its shores, where dogs, pigs, and birds of prey had a continued feast. When all these horrors will end, and death and destruction be stayed, is beyond calculation. The Government has done little or nothing towards mitigating the calamity and relieving the poor, suffering, starving, dying natives. A quantity of native towns on this coast have been deserted and burnt. It appears that measles carried off the inhabitants so fast that those of them who had not yet caught the disease got frantic with fear, and ran away from the town, leaving the dead and dying and helplessly sick to their fate. Two or three of the latter escaped with their lives and fired the town to consume the dead and banish the pestilence. The accounts from Natava Bay are truly appalling. Mr Ross, formerly secretary to Tui Cakau, informed me that in the town of Koronaisco 120 deaths had occurred from measles, including one man who shot himself in despair. 110 natives died at Bau, in the bush, where they resorted in the hope of escaping the dreaded disease. The natives at Bau were still dying off like rotten sheep. A report from Daniels, a native teacher, confirms and supplements Ross’ account. Another report from Natava Bay states that of the teachers assembled there, in a town named Biangs, to hold the usual quarterly church meeting, twenty-six died of measles, and that the town of Naveni was deserted and burnt after 130 deaths had occurred.

Soap. —Many persons who have come to this province of late, may not know that the soap branded with a star, is of a very superior description, to most other sorts in use here. Very severe tests have proved that it is manufactured on the strictest chemical principles so as to produce an article, which whilst it possesses thorough cleansing pi-o-pertics, does not injure the finest fabrics, or affect the hands in the slightest degree. The public generally, will find it to their advantage to use this soap, as in addition to the above mentioned qualifications, it is sold at a lower price than most other kinds. A single trial will prove the foregoing facts to the satisfaction of all.—Advt,

Fire at Head of the Bay.—The Press correspondent telegraphed last night; —The Travellers’ Rest Hotel at the Head of the Bay, with the stock and fittings, was completely burnt down this morning at 3 a.m. The building is insured in the New Zealand office for £250, and the stock, &c, iu the National for £7OO. An inquiry will be held on Saturday.