The Globe. TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1877.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 901, 15 May 1877, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1877.

The great earthquake wave of 18G8 was most carefully observed by our scientific men with some interesting results. The conclusion arrived at was that a submarine eruption took place at a considerable distance from the South American coast, as within a short time, the shock was followed by three hugh waves, which destroyed a large number of towns along the Peruvian coast. On that occasion thousands of lives were lost, and the destruction of property enormous. The town of Icpiique was completely swept away, as well as a number of ports along the coast for a distance of LOOO miles. At the town of Arica, the sea retired and then returned with tearful rapidity. Vessels in the harbor were carried for a long distance; ibovc high water mark, some witli heir bottom upwards. The same tale >f disaster and ruin was reported from ilinost every town along the American •oast, between latitude L2deg. ami 23deg. south. It was the westerly propagation of the same three waves which reached jNew Zealand some

seventeen hours afterwards, and occasioned so much excitement and alarm in these colonics. Again avc hear of another earthquake in South America, and of the destruction for the second, time of the town of Iquique. In the necessarily brief cable message we have no particulars of the disaster. We do not know whether it was followed by a wave or not, or whether the destruction of the town was the result of the earthquake alono. .But the centre of these great convlsions is generally the depths of the ocean, so that in all probability we shall hear that an earthquake has been felt all along the American coast, and that it was followed by secondary phenomena, in the shape of huge waves.

M/u. J. P. Mjllar, of Dunedin, whoever he may be, is evidently impressed with a strange sense of duty. It seems he is opposed to the introduction of a certain kind of hymn-book into the service of the Presbyterian Church, and, after having his appeals and protests disallowed by the Church Courts, and characterised as "'frivolous," he took the extraordinary step of interrupting the service of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the oilier Sunday, by taking Ins place beside the clergyman, and, when the hymn was given out, reading a protest against the use of the obnoxious hymn-book. The scene is thus described by the Guardian : —" As the clergyman, paying no attention to the interruption, continued to read the hymn, Mr. Millar, finding that his voice was no match for the sonorous and powerful tones of the practised speaker, and that it was in fact drowned, after a few sentences of his protest, quietly dropped back and allowed the minister to finish the reading of the hymn. But he had not abandoned his purpose, and was apparently gathering up Ins strength to break in before the singing. However, the precentor and choir appear to have aroused themselves to the necessities of the occasion, and ere the minister had completed the re-reading of the first two lines, when, in fact, within three words of the end, the powerful melody of the choir burst forth and filled the church, the congregation joining in the strain with heart and will. Nothing daunted, however, Mr. Millar, from his stand beside the minister, proceeded with great vehemence and force of lungs to deliver himself of his burden, and read the protest from beginning to end, every word being inaudible owing to the zest with which the people applied themselves to their new hymnbooks. Having finished reading the paper, Mr Millar threw it at the minister, who quietly warded it off with the back of his hand, and it floated down to the congregation." Our readers will not be astonished to learn that this " witness for the truth" is neither a seafholder nor a contributor to the sustentation fund of the Church in which he was guilty of brawling, " considering," the Guardian presumed, " that his very regular attendance at worship, and his guidance of congregational affairs * * * are worth more to the congregation than silver or gold."