NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 786, 28 December 1876, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge. A tea and entertainment to celebrate the anniversary of the above lodge will be held at the Oddfellows’ Hall on New Year’s Day, to commence at 5 p.m. The Bink.— There was again a very good attendance at the rink last evening, when Mdlle Franzini repeated her clever performance, eliciting loud applause. Mr Taylor and Lillie gave their skating exhibition, and there was the usual general skating. Mdlle Franzini will appear again this evening. Music Hall. —Messrs Kohler and Bent repeated their entertainment last evening. The impersonations of Mr Bent, the compound musical performances of Mr Kohler, and the violincello solos of Mr Waud, all received due appreciation from the audience. They will appear again this evening. The Late Accident. —We were pleased learn on enquiry last night at the Hospital, that the little boy, James Merson, who was run over by the hand engine on the Papanui road, on Tuesday, was slightly better, and progressing more favorably than could have been expected. North Canterbury Independent and Farmers’ Chronicle. This newspaper, printed at Kaiapoi three times a week, the first number of which was issued on January 6th, issued its last number on December 23rd. ’ Land Registrar.— The Registrar-General of Lands, who for some years past has been stationed at Christchurch, is about to remove permanently to Wellington. We understand that the office of District-Registrar, which, has been hitherto left open while the Regis-trar-General undertook the control of the business of the Christchurch district, will now be filled by Mr J. Morgan, late Examiner of Titles, at Hokitika, who for some time was resident here. Christmas Services, Akaroa.— The decorations of St Peter’s Church this year were very simple, but still sufficient to mark the character of the season. The substitution of a white altar frontal and white lectern and prayer desk hangings for the purple used during Advent gave the church a bright and festal appearance The services consisted of an early celebration, and matins and choral celebration at 10.30. Choral evensong was held in the Church of the Resurrection, Head of the Bay, which was decorated with appropriate texts, and with evergreens and flowers. Lyttelton Harbor Board.— The nominations for the two seats on the Lyttelton Harbor Board, at the disposal of the Chamber of Commerce, closed yesterday at 4 p.m. The gentlemen nominated are Messrs J. Anderson, J. Inglis, and P. Cunningham, As this is in excess of the number of seats, a poll will be taken on the Ist January. Members can either vote by personally delivering their voting paper, or by sending: it in a sealed envelope to the returning 1 officer, Mr J, A. Bird, at the Chamber of Commerce. Inquest at Ashburton. —An inquest was held on Saturday last, at the Court House, Ashburton, before J. E. Trevor, Esq, coroner, on the body of James Moore. Mr D. Williamson was chosen foreman of the jury. John Corbett being sworn, deposed that as he was passing along the road, about five miles from the township, at a part of the road called the Narrows, he noticed a man’s hat on the ground. On further examination he discovered the body of a man, floating face downwards, in a hole about four feet deep which had been made in the road by the encroachment of the river. He at once gave information to the police, and the body was removed to tho town. The jury returned a verdict of “ Found drowned," with a rider to the effect that they considered the hole highly dangerous, and requested the coroner to call the attention of the Upper Ashburton Road Board to it. Sumner. —Christmas at Sumner was observed with all due rejoicing. On Christmas eve a band of carol singers paraded the township, and the effect of the music reverberating from the hills was very fine. On Christmas Day the church was filled. It had been very nicely decorated with flowers, evergreens, &c, by the ladies of the congregation, who displayed very great taste in their work. A very large number of persons visited Sumner during the day, the open ground near the hotel being covered with vehicles of all descriptions. In the evening there was a very fine display of fireworks from the cave rock, and the interior of the cave was brilliantly lighted up with various colored fires, having a very pretty effect. On Boxing Day also a number of persona visited the beach and enjoyed themselves in a variety of ways. 1.0.0. F., M.U. The usual half-yearly meeting of the Loyal Volunteer Lodge, No 5428, took place at the hall, Montreal street south, last evening, when it was requested that the district officers do take steps to form a fund for an Oddfellows’ scholarship. P.G. Allard was elected N.G, ; Bro James Macfarlane, V.G ; Bro V.Belgrave, R.8.N.G.; and other minor officers were appointed, A certificate was voted to P.G. Ward for his past services. D.P.G.M. Cameron stated that a new Lodge would be opened at Malvern if it was favorable to the District and Delegates, and as far as he could see the 1.00. F., M.U. was steadily but surely advancing, and thought if the Bros would “ do as they would be done by,” a greater number of members would be accounted for. Dr Park was elected surgeon for the ensuing twelve months, and the Lodge was then duly closedi -■

The Salmon. The young American salmon at the society’s grounds have grown remarkably within the last few weeks, and are now fit for distribution. The boxes teem with the little fellows, who are exceedingly lively, and care has to be taken when lifting off the covers, as already a large number have managed to jump out and drop into the race underneath, which is, however, enclosed with wire netting at both ends of the fish-house. About 165 of the English salmon, from the ova transhipped at Melbourne from the steamer Durham, are in the feeding boxes, and have also thriven well. It is intended to turn these out in one lot in the stream that may be decided upon. Steam Hammer at Port Chalmers.— The Daily Times says :—“ The erection, so long delayed, of the steam hammer in con nection with the Port Chalmers Graving Dock workshops, is at last in a fair way of accomplishment. One of the crowning acts of the late Provincial Government, was to turn over the workshops and all the appliances connected therewith to the railway department, and, the transfer completed, instructions were issued to prepare plans for erecting the steam hammer, and a building to cover it. During the last two or three weeks, workmen have been engaged in laying a foundation for the hammer, and have pre pared one on which the anvil is to rest. It was sunk 20ft to the solid rock, and then built up with concrete. We hope to see the hammer in working order in the course of three or four months. It will be a great acquisition to the resources of the port.” Inquest at Rangitata.— An inquest was held ou Tuesday last at Houth Rangitata Railway Station, before B. Woolcombe, Esq, coroner, on the body of John Booker, a carter in the employ of Mr Granger, Racgitata Island; Mr W. Hearn was elected foreman of the jury. The evidence went to show that the deceased on Saturday last safely crossed the south branch of the river with a dray, the river being then in heavy flood ; he then started on his return home. A man who was crossing the railway bridge observed a dray washing down the river some distance below, and on his arrival at the railway station he reported the circumstance, which led to a search being made, and on Sunday morning the body was discovered about half a mile below the bridge, much bruised about the head. The horse was found dead, and the dray broken to pieces, From footmarks on the river bank, it was evident that the man had got out of the river, and was probably drowned in an attempt to save the horse, which was found with the harness undone, and released from the dray, The jury considered that great negligence had been shown by the person who saw the dray floating down the river in not giving the alarm at the huts at the end of the bridge, where there were several men living, with a reliable river horse. The jury returned a verdict, “ That the deceased John Booker was accidentally drowned,” and appended a rider, “ That the coroner be requested to urge the Government- to re establish the ferry, and to convert the railway bridge into a traffic bridge, in order to prevent further loss of life.” Acclimatisation Society. —The ordinary monthly meeting of the council of the Acclimatisation Society was held yesterday afternoon, at the Gardens. Present—Sir Oracroft Wilson (president), Messrs Johnstone, Marshman, Farr (hon sec), Jameson (hon treasurer), and Dr Nedwill. A telegram in reply to one referring to Captain Ferris’s application for £SO bonus was received from the Auckland Acclimatisation, saying that the £l5O sent to them had been expended in packing and conveying the ova to the steamer and other expenses in connection therewith. They had also paid £74 in full discharge of freight and honorarium to the captains, and requested that no more money should be paid to those officers on account of honorarium, &c, as their charges throughout had been most exorbitant. A copy of a letter from the secretary to the Auckland Society to Captain Ferris, with reference to payment of money by them on this account, was also read, bearing out the contents of the telegram. The president reported that, after receiving the telegram and copy of the letter read, the sub-committee appointed had considered it unnecessary to wait upon Captain Ferris, as intended, and had also decided to defer the matter of prairie hens until the arrival of another San Francisco steamer. After some remarks as to the disposal of the society’s credit balance at the bank, Mr Jameson said he knew a building society that would give 7 per cent for the money, at one month’s call. On the motion of Mr Jameson, seconded by Mr Johnstone, it was resolved to deposit £SOO, at 7 per cent interest. The curator reported that the young salmon, numbering between 76,000 and 85,000, were now in a sufficiently advanced state to be turned out. A conversation followed as to which would be the best course for establishing the salmon throughout the province—to sell them, in quantities of 600, to private individuals, at a low figure, who would see them properly cared for—to ask for subscriptions in those portions of the district where it was desired they should be distributed, or that the’society should undertake their general distribution. After further remarks, it was determined that as the subject was an important one, it would be as well to postpone its farther consideration for a special meeting, to be held at the Gardens on Saturday next, at three o’clock. Mr Johnstone gave notice of motion for next general meeting—” That the number of the council be reduced from nineteen to nine.” The Council then adjourned. The Torchlight Procession, Dunedin, —The members of the City Fire Brigade, augmented by the visiting teams from Ballarat and Hokitika, gave a grand torchlight procession on Saturday evening, says the Guardian. At nine o’clock they assembled at the station, where their apparatus, waggons, and. torches were in readiness. They were accompanied by the Artillery Band and Drum and Fife Band, who played a selection of appropriate pieces aa the processionists paraded the streets. The display was necessarily a very brilliant one. The firemen in their scarlet uniforms, bearing their torches, marched in single file, while the engine and hose-reels, decorated profusely with flags and surmounted with torch-bearers, formed conspicuous links in the luminous cavalcade. When the procession started the crowd assembled in the open space around the Cargill Monument could not have been less than from 7000 to 8000. Although not by any means the most brilliant affair of the kind which the City Brigade has produced, the effect was singularly grand and imposing. The glare cf the colored lights on the walls of the buildings, as the procession marched through . Princes street, Mound the Octagon and

down George street, afforded a particularly fine spectacle. There was a display of skyrockets and fireworks, but the success of this portion of the programme was marred to some extent by the conduct of a number of mischievous little boys, who persisted in directing their dangerous playthings at the walls and crowded windows of hotels, shops, and even private houses. In connection with future processions of the kind, steps should be taken to have this practice discontinued. The members having paraded the principal streets, wound up their exhibition in the usual loyal manner.