NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 872, 11 April 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

St John’s Presbyterian Curium, Lyttelton. —A congregational meeting i.advertised to be held in the church on Thursday evening, at 7.30 o’clock, to sign acall to the Rev James Hill. Railway Servants’ Benefit Society.— The usual monthly meeting of this Society will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Lichfield street, oh Thursday evening, at eight o’clock,

Major Gordon. —lt is stated in the Wellington Argus that Major Gordon, -whose report as Inspector made sucli a stir in volunteer matters through the colony a few years ago, is about to proceed to Turkey to seek active service there, his services as commanding officer in Auckland having been dispensed with. Little Dan. —Mr Hugh Gourlcy lias purchased the racehorse Little Dan from Mr Drake for £IOO. Little Dan was imported from Tasmania by Mr Curran, and was the winner of the Maiden Plate at the late March meeting at the Pur bury. Nuggets. —An eleven ounce nugget has been unearthed in a claim near No Town, on the West Coast. It is alleged to have been got near the locality in which a Maori found a lift y-nine rmice nugget live or six years ago. Ho worth’s Hibernica. —The lines of this company happen to have fallen in pleasant places in Hokitika. The theatre is one of the largest in the colony, and on the first two nights of their entertainment the dress circle was almost inconveniently crowded, and the lower part of the house filled to overflowing. Crime in Wellington.— Mr Justice Richmond, in His charge to the Grand Jury, at the opening of the criminal sessions in Wellington, said lie must congratulate them, as representing the district of the city of Wellington, on the lightness of the calendar, which did not contain charges of any atrocious crime, and there was not a single charge of offence against the person. The Waikaka Rush. — A Lawrence telegram to the Dunedin Star reports :—“ The latest intelligence from the Waikaka rush does not warrant any large number of miners going there. The diggings are surrounded by freeholders, and there is very little water available. The lead is only proved for a short distance, and is most likely only a patch similar to other workings in the vicinity. Invention. Captain Thomson, harbor master at the Bluff, whose inventive talent has been exercised at various times in producing handy apparatus connected with his profession as a seaman, has lately applied himself to the construction of an improved washing machine, and has succeeded in completing the design of one of these highly useful articles of household economy, which is said to eclipse all the machines now in existence. Colonial-made Locomotives. —The first trial of the new Wellington-made locomotive took place last week at Brunnerton, where it moved with case six loaded trucks, and subsequently brought down to Greymouth three loaded trucks, the pressure being 30lbs to the square inch. The pressure up to which the boiler can be worked is OOlbs to the square inch. The “ Possum,” by which name the new engine is called, although rough in finish and somewhat ungainly in appearance, is described as quite equal to the w ork that will be required of it. Kumara Statistics. —At a public meeting held in Kumara, Mr 11. Cuming, in order to show' that they were not too young to bo formed into a municipality, cited some statistics of the probable revenue of the borough. The rateable value of the property of the town of Kumara was £8862, as shown by the rate roll. There were forty-five publicans’ licenses, which at £3O each give £1350 ; and eighty-five business licenses which at £5 give £125. The dog tax would realise £SO, the R.M. Court fines, &c., £SO, and the Government subsidy of £ for £ of the rates w'ould give £143 12s Id. The total revenue of the borough w'ould therefore be at least £2762 Is. Upside Down.— Under the heading “Upside Down,” that lively print the LyelL Argus, thus apologises for one of its shortcomings in the art of printing : —“ Those of our subscribers who got last w'eek’s ‘ printed upside down ’ will, wo trust, excuse us when we tell them that, being short handed, a lady volunteered to do the printing. She said she could turn a mangle or a sewing machine, and it was darned odd to her if she coulnd’t run a printing machine. The ‘ De’il ’ and her went at it, and between the two they run the Argus upside down. The woman consoled the editor by remarking, “ Never mind, old chap; they will only say, ‘ The printer’s tight again.’ Who wouldn’t be a printer ?” Oyster Dredging.— The cutter Margaret Scollay, Captain Scooncs, has returned to Nelson from an oyster cruise, after an absence of a fortnight. She first, proceeded to the | Croixcllcs, and after three days’ dredging | there without obtaining anything, the vessel j proceeded across to Separation Point, and i every nook and corner from there to the | Sandspit was dredged, but w ith the same luck las before. The Margaret Scollay then came I along near the coast to Adele Island, where ■ the dredges were once more dropped, and j with better luck, for in two hauls over six | dozen were obtained. From thence to the Moutere Bluffs nothing but mussels and mud were obtained. Captain Scooncs reports the ground very hard in Massacre Bay, and innumerable beds of mussels there, some of them running for miles out to sea. The captain is confident there are plenty of oysters in Blind Bay, but on account of their being packed closely together they arc impregnable, and nothing but a powerful dredge will lift them. The Gaiety.— This place of amusement continues rapidly to grow in favour with the play-going community, as evidenced by the increased attendance each evening. The company now performing at the Gaiety, notwithstanding that several of them arc new to their business, are well worth seeing, and will in time, under the able tuition of Mr Hall, become really good burlesque artistes. Indeed there is very little now to overcome, except perhaps a tendency to hurry, on the part of some of the members, and a failure to emphasise the proper words in the text, thereby destroying the numerous witty and humorous points with which “Ixion” abounds. Tho burlesque was much better performed last evening, and the singing and dancing gave every satisfaction to the audience; who were very prolific in their applause. In “My Turn Next,” which went capitally, Mr Hall was a host in himself, and kept the house in a continual roar of laughter. The same bill will be presented this evening. M e understand that several well-known burlesque artistes have been engaged, and negotiations arc still pending with others.