NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 599, 20 May 1876, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Me Charles Bright.—This gentleman, insisted by Mr J. Yule, will give a lecture on Tuesday evening next, at the Colonists' Hall, on " Yankee Humour." His Worship the Mayor will preside on the occasion. Waltham Wesleyan Church.—Anniversary sermons will be preached in this church to-morrow ; |in the morning by the Key W. Morley, and in the evening by the Bev J. Crump. The annual tea meeting will be held on the Queen's Birthday. Hereford street Bridge.—This bridge being now completed, was yesterday opened for traffic. A lamp at one or both ends would be an improvement, as the structure has none too much light upm. it at night time. Mormonism.—Wm. McLachlan and C. C. Hurst, elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will lecture in the Temperance Hall, Gloucester street, Sunday evening next, May 21st, at half-past six o'clock. Subject—" Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon." See Isaiah, 29 c, 12 v. Seats free. Masonic. —A Board of Installed Masters wao held in the St Augustine Lodge on Thursday evening, when Bro the Eev W. Henry Cooper, D G. ChaplaiD, was installed in the chair as W.M. of the Akaroa Lodge. The ceremony was performed by the Right Worshipful Dr Donald, D.G.M., assisted by Bro Thomson, D.D.G.M., and P.M.'s Mitchell, Bird and Deamer. Inquest.—An inquest was held yesterday, before Dr Coward, coroner, at the Eastern Hotel, Cashel street, upon the body of J. C. Lea, who dropped dead on the previous day in Tuam street, as detailed in our yesterday's issue. Dr Campbell deposed that death was caused through aneurism of the aorta, and a verdict was returned accordingly. Sale op Privileges.—The sale of privileges in connection with the Grand National Steeplechase meeting, at Warner's Hotel, yesterday, attracted very little attention. The publicans' booths elicited no bids. The sports iold for £25, the horse yards for £2. 15s, confectioner's booth £1 10s, and cards £l2. For h'2 grand stand there was no bid. Mr J. Campbell was the auctioneer. CALCU'rTA BWEEPS— The following Calcutta sweeps were drawn last eveuing ar. Warner's Hotel, Mr Hawkes officiating as auctioneer. Grand National Handicap, value £so—Zetland, £1 10-;; Butche Boy, £5 10a; Auckland Eat*, £6 ; Gazsllo, £4 ; Don. Juan, £4 ; Tommy Dodd, £8 ; Mousetrap, £7 10s; Royalty, £4, Same, value of sweep £52 10s—Zjtland, £1 10s; Royalty, £5; Tommy Dodd, £10; Auckland Kate, £9; Mousetrap, £6 ; Gazelle, £3 ; Butcher Boy, £5 10s.

Football Match. —The match next! Tuesday afternoon between South Canterbury and the Ohristchurch Football Club i will be played under the Kugby Uniou rules, aud as the visiting team is reported to be an exceedingly strong one, and as they wil! have the advantage of Mr Hamrnersley (formerly captain of the English twenty) an their captain, our representatives will have to play well to avoid defeat. The Government buildings, banks, insurance offices, and all the principal merchants have agreed to clone on the day of the match. We may therefore anticipate a large number of spectators, who will no doubt take great interest in the plaj. A Qi;ick Capture.—About 7.30 a.m. yesterday morning Mr Parsons, of the Royal Hotel, Lyttelton, discerned that some smoothfingered gentleman had found his way into the bar, and abstracted therefrom about £7 in silver —the silver was in a half-pint measure, and Mr Parsons had intended to take it upstairs the night before, but had forgotten it. At 10 a.m. information waß given to the police, and at 1 p.m. sergeant major O'Grady succeeded in arresting a man named Louis* Paramor, otherwise Wright, who has been for some time cooking at the Victorian Dining Rooms. The money consisted of halfcrowns, florins, shillings, &c, the greater part of which wa9 found on the offender, who had lost no time in getting rid of a portion of it.

Chkistchurch Artillery.—At a meeting of the committee on Thursday evening, final arrangements were made for taking the photographs to form the picture intended for presentation by the battery to tbeir late sergeant-major, Mr Roberts, who has removed to Rangiora. Mr Gaul, of Colombo street, has been commissioned to execute the photograph, which will include about forty members of the battery and the staff officers. The design approved of will represent two detachments, with their guns at the order of loading, the s f aff and reserve men standing between the two guns. This will form the centre picture, in each corner a picture will represent the guns "dismounted" and at the "order of march," the remaining space will be filled up by cabinet size photo's of each member of the battery, the whole to be colored and enclosed in gilt frame 4ft by 3ft. Advantage haabeentakenoftheholidayonthe Queen's birthday to get the men altogether, and the parade will be called for an early hour, so as not to prevent any one from attending the races on that day. After the parade the company will meet for luncheon at Hill's British Hotel, Cxford terrace. Rangitata Bridge.—At the last meeting of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, the engineer reported that great damage has been done to this bridge by the receut floods. On the north bank the stone abutment has been carried away. Inside the abutment the bank was carried away a chain, and above the bridge nearly a chain and a half of solid ground has gone, and probably the strongest stream in the river is running where the abutments stood. The only course now open, says the engineer, is to lengthen the bridge, and he recommends that a length of 320 feet be added, aud that it should be built of square iron bark piles. He further reported that the thirty feet Gpan at the 'end was now overhanging the river, and immediate steps would require to be taken to secure it from being lost. The Board resolved to forward the report of the engineer to the Provincial Government with a recommendation that the necessary works be proceeded with at once.

Oxford Fire Relief Committee—A meeting was held on Wednesday night. The Rev Mr Opie reported that the relief committee had given assistance to five families, at a cost of £ls ss, and had given orders for further relief ; also, that the deputation had waited upon the Government as .agreed, and his Honor had recommended that a full statement of the losses and probable requirements should be furnished. It was resolved that particulars of losses, and statistics of probable number of unemployed, be compiled by Mr Wilkie, report to be furnished to the committee on Tuesday next, aud that on that day the committee proceed to allot the funds at their disposal, the relief in all cases to be in the form of goods or building materials. The treasurer reported that the funds in hand amounted to £177 56 6d. Votes of thanks to the relief committee and the deputation closed the proceedings.

A few days ago a Norwich man bought a chest of tea in Providence, and on opening it found a stone inside weighing nearly 11 pounds. He remarked that the weighs of Providence are very mysterious. John Sands, an old newspaper correspondent, is well educated, but has a poor knowledge of the mechanical part of printing, and one clay, while editing the Trenton (N.J.) Sentinel, he hurried into the composing room with a "proof" in hand, aud ; pointing out several "turned letters " to the comps, he exclaimed, in good faith : " You must be more careful in 'distribution,' for some of you have been throwing your letters in the cases upside down." An Indian chief once went to the office of the American Commissioner, at Chicago, to whom he introduced himself as a very good Indian, a great friend to the Americans, and concluded by asking for a glass of whiskey. The Commissioner gravely told him that they never gave whiskey to good Indians, who never wished for such things—that it was only used by bad Indians. "Then," replied the Indian, quickly, "me one infernal rascal !" In sheep, New South Wales stands first with twenty-two million eight hundred and seventy-two thousand eight hundretl and eighty-two; New Zealand following with eleven million six hundred and seventy-four thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and Victoria close behind with eleven million two hundred andtwenty-ono thousand and sixtysix. " I suppose there are plenty of saw-mills over in your State," said a Chicago man to a party from M ichigan the other night. "Wall, I shud say there wuz," replied the Michigauder, " Why, sir, Michigan is getting so dern full of saw-mills that you can hardly meet a man over there with more'n two ringers on a hand." And sticking up a paw on which dwelt a lone digit as proof of his assertion, he quietly continued: "I've shook hands with am myself." We gather from a correspondent in the African Times that the common sunflower is being extensively cultivated on the Cape Coast as an absorber of malaria and a preventive of fever. Remarkable instances ai e given of families whose houses were adjacent to beds of sunflowers escaping from epidemic" 1 fevers. The plant during its growth absorbs a vast quantity of impure gases,

Two or three new books of some interest are announced for early publication. Mr G. O Trevelyan'a "Life and Letters of Lord Macßulay" is to be ready at the end of the month. Lord Amberley's book is to appear complete next month. The new book by the author of " Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is to appear on the Ist April, and is to be called "The Hunting or the Snark." An account of a journey on foot through Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Mr Arthur J. Evans, illustrated by the writer's own sketches, is in the press ; Sir Thomas Erskine May is preparing for publication a history of Democracy in Europe ; and Vols 111. and IV. of Blanchard Jerrold's "Life of Napo leon III." are to appear during the present year.