NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 647, 15 July 1876, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lecture. — A lecture on Electricity was given at the Colonists’ Hall, on Thursday night, by Professor Bickerton. In spite of the bad weather at least one hundred were present. The lecture, which was illustrated by numerous experiment?, seemed to thoroughly delight Hie audience, who fr qu;n.A testified their pleasure by applause. Warehouse Goods Act. —This Bill, which proposes to make goods warehoused in a free store negotiable by endorsement and without delivery, was approved yesterday by the Chamber of Commerce ; the insertion cf a few words into cue clause authorising the issue of a license to warehousemen by the Commissioner of Customs at a nominal fee, being recommended. Harbor Board. —The draft Bill of the proposed Harbor Board for the poit of Lytteitou was considered yesterday by the Chamber of Commerce and approved. A sub committee of the chamber and Lyttelton Borough Council had previously met, and discussed the provisions of the draft submitted. It was decided to forward the Bill to the Hon E. Richardson, and request that gentleman and the other Canterbury membeis to aid iu carrying it through the Legis lature; Canterbury College. —The Board of Governors of the College was held at the Public Library yesterday. The following gentlemen were present:—The Primate, Veu Archdeacon Wiilock, Rev \V. J. Habeas, Dr Turnbull, Messrs J. Col borne-Veel, H. U. Webb, and Malet. On the motion of the Rev 0, Fraser, Dr Turnbull took the chair. Tiro Board weut into committee to consider certain financial matters connected with the Girls’ High School, which were not of am public interest, after which the Board ad journed. Cricket. —A meeting of iho Interprovincial Match Committee was held at Warner’. Hotel last evening. Present—Messrs Maples (in the chair), Wood, Oilivier, and Swa t. ‘.The secretary read the advertist merit convening the meeting, and also correspondence from Mr Bennett, agent for the All England Eleven, proposing fresh terms upon which the team is prepared to visit New Zealand They were as follows —£110} to be paid as a bonus by the provinces of Otago, Canter bury, Nelson, Wellington, and Auckland, and that the team have all the privileges from donations at the gates of the cricket grounds. A letter waa also read from the secretary of the Otago Match Committee, stating that they considered the proposition favorably. It was proposed by Mr Oilivier, seconded by 'Mr Sweet—“ That the terms offered by Mr J. H. Bennett, for a visit of the All England Eleven to Canterbury be accepted." This was carried,

Legal. —His Honor Mr Justice Johnston sat in Chambers at 11 a.m. yesterday. The list was a very small one. Orders were made as follows :—Be Henry Harper Hind, deceased, probate granted to widow. Be J. and J. Orothers, the usual order as to declaration of dividend, after notice. A French Judge on Divorces,—Long experience on the bench has convinced me that the vast majority of persons who sue for judicial separation were not fitted for wedded life. They never fail to urge that they were mistaken in their choice, and that if they had been joined to anybody else but the person from whom they seek to be separated, they might have been happy. This may be true in some few cases, but generally speaking there is at least one of the parties to every suit whoso temper is wholly intractable, and I do not see what would be gained by allowing this party to go and marry again, and make a second home as wretched as he or she has made the first. New Bankruptcy Bill.— The new' Bankruptcy Bill, received by the Chamber of Commerce from the hon the Minister of Justice, was discussed at yesterday’s meeting. A sub-committee appointed to consider it, had brought up a report expressing a hope that, before the Bill was further proceeded with, the whole subject'might be referred to a Select Committee of the Legislature, and trusted that the principle in the present Act of an insolvent’s affairs being substantially vested in his creditors might not be receded from. The proposed Bill enabled a debtor to make himself insolvent without the concurrence of his creditors, and reproduced the expensive and dilatory system of deeds of arrangement [for purposes which might be effectually provided for by a simple resolution of the creditors. The existing Act, with suggestions by Chambers of Commerce, was preferred by the committee to the proposed Act, and they respectfully adhered to the recommendations already sanctioned by that Chamber. If it were deemed advisable to appoint an official trustee to discharge the the duties at present vested in the Registrar, they trusted he would be paid by salary out of the consolidated revenue. A clause relating to the law of arrest was included in the report. A resolution approving of the report was carried, a copy of which is to be forwarded to the hon the Minister of Justice.

The Toronto Nation makes the following suggestion :—“ Since Mr Disraeli has taken to innovate in the matter of the royal titles we would suggest another change, of quite as sensational a character perhaps, but which has more reason in it. Let him pass an Act of Parliament declaring that all dependencies which are in the enjoyment of responsible Government cease to be dependencies, and declaring them to be included in the designation of ‘ Great Britain.’ This would give Canada and the Australian colonies de jure that equality with the United Kingdom which they already possess de facto. In like manner, so soon as any crown colony became invested with responsible Government, let it be embraced in the general designation. It is true of Canada, at least, that ‘dependency’ is a hated designation, and which it would be very graceful on the part of the Imperial authorities to dispense with. This could be done without interfering in the least with the existing machinery of Imperial administration. Lord Salisbury claimed that ‘ Empress’ exactly described the relation in which her Majesty stands to India, It may be claimed with equal force that- ‘ Queen of Great Britain ’ is a title which equally represents her Majesty’s relation to all those countries under her sway which govern themselves for themselves, subject only to Imperial considerations.”