NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 854, 20 March 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Darrells.— Mr and Mrs Darrell, having completed a very successful season at Ontnaru and Timaru, have returned to Dunedin, where they opened a farewell season last evening, Don Juan, —Th ® Nelson Mail understands that the thoroughbred horse Don Juan has been sold to Mr Fleetwood, of Wanganui, where he will be used for stud purposes next season.

Gold Discovery,—lt is reported that good gold has been struck at Waikaka, Otago. The Taj/anui Conner understand* that itjis very deep sinking, and that some Uhinamen were the prospectors. A number of Europeans have now taken up claims, and they are sanguine of striking something good,

The Shooting Season.— At a recent meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisatioi lociety, Mr Earle suggested that the Ist of \lay was too early for the commencement ol the shooting season, and it was agreed that ■the Council recommend to the Governor hat the shooting season for the North do not ■ ommence until the 24th of May, and terminate at the end of

Canterbury Co-operative Society.— A meeting of the directors will be held at the society’s offices, Cathedral square, this evening, at eight o’clock-

Election of Synodsman fob Adding ton. —The election of one Bynodsman for the Addington district will take place on Monday, 2nd April. Nominations must be sent in before 4 p.ra. on the day of election.

Calcutta Sweeps on Dunedin Faces Calcutta sweeps on the Dunedin races will bo held at Morton’s hotel this evening, at eight o'clock sharp. The first will be drawn on the Cup.

Mb H. A, Severn’s Lecture. —Mr Severn’s first of a series of scientific lectures, advertised for last evening, to be given at the Oddfellows’ Mall, was postponed until to-night, on account of the inclemency of the weather.

Black Eagle. —lt will be seen that this horse, while racing for the Goldfields Handicap at the Greymouth Races yesterday, met with an accident, He either broke or dislocated his leg when entering the straight; at ali events was sufficiently disabled to lose all chance of a place in the race.

Westport. Westport must be in a flourishing condition when the building society there has £450 at bank interest, lacking more profitable investment. The Ti/hes says, “ there seems little present demand for money.” The Bank of New •■outh Wales has just completed the erection of substantial new buildings in Palmerston street.

Supreme Court, Blenheim.— lt is expected that the Supreme Court will sit in Blenheim in May, when, the Marlborough Express understands, two Awatere rucholdertJ intend to enliven the proceedings by an interesting right of way case. All the legal talent in Marlborough and Nelson is engaged, and rumor says that Mr Travers, of Wellington, may also put in an appearance.

Acclimatisation of Hares.—The Auckland Acclimatisation Society has declined to grant an application for hares to be sent to Tauranga, because, as the chairman said, hares had become a curse to the country, as

was shown in the experience of Otago and other Southern settleis, and also of Victorian squatters. Notwithstanding this admission, the society, though declining to distribute hares themselves on that ground, yet informed Captain Norris, the applicant, that they can be obtained frcm Mr McLaughlin, the master of the Paknranga harriers. The Herald remarks that there is a sweet simplicity about this mode of avoiding a bad practice, while, at the same time, telling another how he might enjoy it, and cheer luily pointing the way. Presentation to a Customs Officer, — Some time back some citizens of Wellington wished to present an address and purse of sovereigns to Mr W, N. Grant, late chief clerk in Her Majesty’s Customs, on the occasion of his removal from Wellington to Lyttelton. Mr Grant declined acceptance on the ground that it was contrary to the legulations of the Civil Service for any officer to accept testimonials of any kind. On this becoming known Mr Grant’s friends wrote to t he Commissioner of Customs asking that Mr Grant might be allowed to accept the testimonial. The Evening Post has now much pleasure in staling that a letter has been received from tne Commissioner of , j'u ■ '-I --mlßaton had been granted. The Late Mr. Merry, M.P.— The death of James Merry, Btq, M.P, who for nearly half a contnry was a supporter of the English turf, haa been telegraphed to Melbourne. Recounting his turf experiences, the Auckland Herald says:—“He won the Derby with Thormanby and Doncaster, the latter horse having been afterwards sold for the enormous sum of £14,000. Amongst other well known horses he owned Hobbie Noble, for whom be gave £7OOO when a two-year-old. and who started first favorite for the Derby won by Daniel O’Rorke. He also owned Chanticleer, Sunbeam (winner of the st Leger), Marie Stuart, King of the Joust, Scottish Chief, Lioness (winner of the Cesarewitch), Siddington, Zambesi, &c. He

was »n entirely self-made man, and has left an enormous fortune behind him. It is said that he never lost on the year’s racing.”

Railway Improvements in Otago.— We notice that early effect is to be given to 'he contemplated straightening of the sinuous line of railway between Dunedin and Port Chalmers. The work will be carried on chit fly by prison labour, and as soon as the various hard labor gangs have completed what they are about now, they will be concentrated on the more important undertaking of constructing a comparatively straight line of railway to the port. The line will be carrried on earthworks thrown across the bays from point to point, and reclaiming from the line to the shore by filling will follow. With a straight line, or nearly so, the present time of travelling will be reduced one-third at the least. We read also that by an arrangement made between the Harbor Board and the General Government District Engineer, a great improvement is to be effected in Crawford street, Dunedin. The strip of land one chain wide, and lying outside the present railway line running along Crawford street, is to be handed over to the Government, who will then remove the present line further out into the harbor. The Olutha line will then have a straight run into the Dunedip station, instead of its present zigzag course. Shops in Hotel BuiLßiN.(fs.— lt will be remembered that the question of granting a license to Urwin’s Tneatre Eojal Hotel, Wellington, was postponed by the local licensing bench, for the purpose of considering the objection made, on the ground that portions of the buildings were let as shops In intimating the decision of the Bench on Friday, Mr Crawford, the presiding Commissioner, said that at the first glance it appeared that f.he clause of the Act referring to shops in connection with hotels would prevent the Court from granting a license to this house, but interpreting the Act liberally, and putting a reasonable interpretation to the wording, the Court was of opinion that the objection regarding the existence of shops lid not apply in this case. The Court condeleted that for all practical purposes of the Act the shops formed no part of the building hi question, as there was no communicatior batween them and the hotel. Considering that licenses had been granted in this and othei aolonies, and in Europe, under similar cir lumstonces, the Bench thought the safes’ ehiug they could do would be to rule that ’he clause of the Licensing Act referring u •■.hops did not apply to this case, and there tore could he do obstacle to the granting of the license.

AGRICULTURE in Taranaki.—According to statistics published, Taranaki, in. 1877, grew 25,293 bushels of wheat, au increase of 11,806 on 1876 ; 20.754 bushels of oats, a decrease of 841 ; 1035 bushels of barley, an increase of tOS ; and 2871 tous of potatoes, an increase of 765 tons.

The English v. Australian Cricket Match. —Beyond the statement that the combined Australian cricketing team had, in their second innings, scored only 58 for six wickets, no information of the progress of this match has been received by telegraph.

ttHEEP —At the Kaiapoi Court on Monday evidence was given in a sheep case that 2000 venerable, ewer were sold at Amberley in January last at Is 6d per head.and were re-sold two days after at 3s—cent per cent. The sheep were broken mouthed, and one of the parties stated respecting 400 cross breds that “ there was hardiy a tooth amongst them.” Poor sheep 1 Is there not room for artificial dentition in such cases? A kind of pulp sheep food,for instance 1 Accident. — A young lad named Archibald Kirkwood, acting as conductor to one of the omnibuses, met with au accident yesterday at the cricket ground. While adjusting the traces of a horse, he was kicked by one of the leaders and rendered unconscious. He was at once picked up and conveyed to the Hospital, where it was found that he had fortunately escaped with a broken rib. He was soon attended to, and shortly became all right.

The Dunedin Races. —By the morning train, on Monday, a number ot Christchurch residents proceeded South, intending to take steamer at Oamaru, or to proceed overland to Dunedin, to be present at the races. Others leave to-day by the same route, and a number have already taken their departure by steamers direct. Some private telegrams from Dunedin state plainly that ‘no one can spot the. winner of the Cup at present.” Others convey the information that Templeton stands at 5 to 1 as the winner. Lightning Storms in Auckland,— Captain Best, the meteorological observer at Grahamstown, sends the following notes to Wellington respecting the late thunderstorm ;—“ I never saw such rain as then fell; it came down at times in sheets of water, and during the whole of the week it had been thundering and lightning, the lightning being principally forked. One garden near where I live was struck by it, and its course was along two rows of raspberry bushes, cutting them clean to the ground as if clipped off, then along two rows of potatoes, and burning one side of a peach tree and a pear tres in its course. The trees are st ill alive. Ic struck another garden and furrowed it up in five or six places, leaving a hole in one place two or three feet deep. I have not seen such lightning since I was last in the Straits of bunda.”

Carpenters’ Picnic. —A meeting took place at the Temperance Hall last evening to discuss the advisabiervess of holding a picnic on Easter Monday. Mr D. Reese presided, and gave excellent reasons why the carpenters of Christchurch should have an outing, believing that the tendency of such gatherings as the one proposed was to promote good feeling among employers and employed. Resolutions were carried approving of the committee’s action, and appointing them to carry out the details. Rhodes’ Bay was selected as the spot to proceed to ; dancing, sports, &c, forming the chid features of the picnic. Mr Buxton expressed a hope that the carpenters’ picnic would become an annual institution. Other speakers offered suggestions, and a vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. The Late Fatal Accident at Oamaru. —The circumstances under which Captain Duncan Bain, of the schooner Maid of Otago, lost his life, are thus related in the North Otago Times of Saturday:—“ From the evidence adduced at the inquest it appears that he was last seen alive about midnight. This was at the Swan Hotel, and it was evident that in proceeding thence to his vessel, which was lying at the breakwater, he missed his way and fell over the high embankment down to the railway line, a distance of some 60fc, the body, for he was probably instan* taneously killed, thence falling on the rocks below. Here it was found about half-past six o’clock a.m by the night watchman at the breakwater, Duncan Young, and mation having been sent to the police, it was removed to the Northern Hotel. It is a somewhat singular circumstanpa tfiut deceased met with an accident not far from the same spot about two years ago, on that occasion having fallen between the girders of one of the bridges on the Breakwater line, and sustaining somewhat severe injuries. Captain Bain was about forty-five years of age, and leaves a widow and family. At the inquest the following verdict was returned—--1 That the deceased Duncan Bain came to his death by falling over a cliff on his way from the town of Oamaru to the Oamaru Breakwater, where his ship was lying.’ A rider was added drawing the attention of the Harbor Board to the insecure condition of the road at this point, and requesting them to leave it no longer in its present unprotected state.”

Death of Mr Tribe, M.H.R.—The friends of Mr George Tribe, member of the House of Representatives for the Totara district, have for some time been informed of hia being so ill that at any moment his death might be expected. Their worst fears have been realised by his death occurring yesterday, at his home in Wellington, where for the last two years he had regularly resided. After leaving Canterbury, where he dwelt for several years, Mr Tribe was a resident of Westland, and by the inhabitants of the Totara district, with which he was most intimately associated, he was elected member of the House of Representatives. Me exerted himself much in the interests of his constituents, by persistently advocating the undertaking of a work upon which the prosperity of the district is greatly dependent, the Mikonui water-race and at the last election he was a second time elected, in hia absence, and with the approval of the great majority of the electors. Previous to that time, and since, he had been carrying on business in Wellington, and was successful in establishing a profitable and creditable connection. Shortly after the close of last session his health seemed to fail, and for some time he was confined to his house. He recovered sufficiently to be able to attend to his business as secretary to the Wellington Building Society, and in other capacities, but afterwards suffered a relapse, from which he never recovered. Of course, by his death a vacancy has b en caused in the membership of the House of Representatives which it will be the duty of the electors of Totara to fill before the commencement of tao emuing session,

The Lydia Hovtabde Company. —This company commenced a short season of dramatic performance in Nelson on the lot instant, and have since been playing to fair houses.

Oamaru Evening Mail —A meeting' of the shareholders in the Evening Meal newspaper company, Oamaru, is uxt y Gazette notice for the 2nd of A P ril ® fc t, f ° the purpose of confirming a resolution previously passed, authorising the directors to sell the paper and plant, and to wind up the company.

Emmett -“Mr Emmett, comedian, seems to have gained a loss by proceeding to Napier in the interval of leisure which he had a Auckland before the departure of tne mail steamer for San Francisco. The steamer which he had chartered failed to make the trip in time to catch the mail steamer, and he has entered an action to recover the amount of loss which he sustains by his consequent failure to fulfil his engagements in America. The question between him and the steamboat owners seems to be whether his charter was a special one, and whether it was broken on the part of the owners. The damages claimed are £2OOO,

The Ketch Awarua.—A recent tele gram from Riverton gave occasion for some fear that some disaster had happened to the crew of the well-known coast r Awarua during her visit to the Auckland Islands, a< her presence there was not mentioned in the report given by the Dunedin papers regarding the visit to the islands of H.M S. Sapphire. It will be seen, however, that the captain of the Sapphire has taken the earliest opportunity of informing Dr Monckton that, although he had not seen the ketch, he bad heard of her lying at Caruabyjharbor, where she had some time previously taken shelter. It is very probable that before this time D; Morckton has received confirmatory information as to her whereabouts from his representative on the islands, Mr Nelson.

The Late Fire in Dunedin— The coroner’s inquiry in reference to the burning of the Waverley House, and the death of tbe young man Daniel Barrett, resulted in an open “verdict. As the coroner remarked, there was no reason to suppose that the fire originated otherwise than accidentally, and the evidence failed to disclose even the shadow of a motive for incendiarism. The facts brought out confirmed the account of the disaster already published. Barrett was the worse of drink on the evening of the fire. He reached his lodgings some time after midnight, but whether he caused the conflagration by dropping a lighted match in the passage there was nothing positive to show. Two other lodgers occupied the same room in which he slept, but when they wakened up the room was full of smoke, and unaware of his presence, they leaped out of the window, leaving him slumbering behind.