NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 924, 11 June 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Akaroa Court. —It is gazetted that after this day, Monday, the 11th inst., the jurisdiction of the Resident Magistrate’s Court for the Akaroa district is extended to £IOO. The notice is “given under the hand of his Excellency,” is signed by Charles C. Bowen, and ends with the hopeful sentiment “ (tod Save the Queen.” Gaiety Theatre. —Owing to the smallness of the attendance on Saturday the afternoon exhibition of Clifford’s Mirror of the World did not take place. In the evening there was a fair attendance. The views shown comprised to a great extent the most notable sights in London, and were highly appreciated by the audience. To-night the views will comprise what Mr Clifford calls a “ Tom' Round the W orld.” The Georgia Minstrels. —This troupe, numbering sixteen, arrived per Hawea yesterday, and will give their first performance at Ihe Theatre Royal this evening. They bring with them a very good reputation us humorist.of a high order, and their opening programme appears to be of an attractive nature. They will give a season of a fortnight here, and during their stay their programmes will In varied so as to embrace the whole of their repertoire. As considerable interest has beer excited in them here, there will doubtless be a crowded housp to-night to welcome them to Christchurch,

Dogs. —Some English and Italian greyhounds and several kangaroo dogs were imported from Sydney in the brig Sea Spray. They are handsome animals of their kind. Scandinavian Service.' —Tim Key. J. S. Smalley yesterday afternoon conducted service in the Scandinavian languarge at the Durham street Wesleyan Church. Mr Scared, with his accustomed skill, accompanied the hymns upon the large organ. Not less than 120 Scandinavians were present, who seemed deeply interested in the proceedings. There were also a considerable number of visitors. The preacher explained to the visitors, before singing the last hymn, that it was a translation of the well-known “Hock of Ages,” which had already found its way into almost every language in the world. A collection was made on behalf of the Colombo road building fund.

The Art Exhibition. —The exhibition at the Museum to which reference was made in Friday’s issue, was opened free to the public on Saturday and yesterday. As might be expected, tbe crowd of visitors was very great, so much so that many of them were unable to obtain admission. This was more particularly the case on Saturday evening. It might be worth while for the committee to consider whether they cannot arrange so that the exit and entrance shall be by different doors. The two streams of people meeting on Saturday evening caused more than half the confusion. If it is practicable to do this during the remaining period for which the Exhibition will remain open, a great convenience will be afforded to the public. On Saturday evening, it may bo noticed, late trains were run on the Northern, Southbridge, and Lyttelton lines, and a large number of country visitors came in.

Football —Merivale t. North Canterbury.—The contest between these clubs took place on Saturday, on the Rangiora ground. The game commenced about half-pa M two by AY. Millton kicking off for the Alerivale club, who played one man short, the captain, H. S. St. Paul, being unable to get away from business. The ball was directly taken very close to the North Canterbury goal, and some very tough play was the result there, until Chapman obtained the ball, when it was brought into close proximity to the Merivale quarters, and a force down resulted. In the same spell another force down was obtained, though several were saved by the good play of the Merivale backs. In the second spell the visitors were more fortunate, as M. S. Smith, by a piece of good play, followed by a brilliant run, obtained a touch down. The try was entrusted to AAA Millton, who was unsuccessful, the ball passing right over the post. Shortly after a force down to the Merivale Club made their score 31- points to 1 point obtained by 'their opponents. In the third spell the ball was continually in close proximity to the Merivale goal, giving the back and half-backs any amount of work. The North Canterbury men made three force downs during this spell, thus making them 21- points; only one point behind. In the last spell the North Canterbury men seemed determined to keep the ball at the Merivale goal, and did too, but the excellent play of the Merivale forwards, of whom M. S. Smith and AY. Millton deserve special mention, stopped them from obtaining the much coveted point. They, however, succeeded in forcing the ball down once, after some tough scrimmages near the goal line. AVhen time was called the game stood thus—Merivale, 31points ; North Canterbury, 3 points; Mciivalo thus winning a very closely contested game by half-a-point. For North Canterbury, Hartlaud, Hawkes, and the Chapmans played very well forward, while Leach and Martin deserve mention for their back play. The hacks of the Merivale Club were very severely tried, and the runs of Stringer and long kicks of J. Millton were loudly applauded both by players and onlookers. The Merivale team returned to town by the 6 p.m. train, highly pleased with their victory, and the hospitality of their opponents. —The return match —North v. South of Cashel street —took place on Saturday afternoon, but the attendance of members was again very limited, owing no doubt to the contest between the Rangiora and Merivale clubs coming off on the same day. A tolerably good afternoon’s sport, however, was indulged in, the Northerners being victorious by one goal and several touch downs. St. Luke’s v. St. Matthew’s: A match was played on Saturday afternoon, in a paddock lent by Air C. R. Blakiston, between the St. Luke’s and and St. Mathew’s Sunday-schools, which resulted in a victory for the latter, they having obtained four goals and several points, while their opponents were unable to score a point. Extraordinary. The following is a simple, unaffected reproduction of the New Zealand Gazette Extraordinary , published by authority at AYellington on Monday, June 4th, in the seventy-seventh year of the nineteenth century : —“ Meeting of the General Assembly. (1.5.) Normanby, Governor. To the Legislative Councillors of the Colony of New Zealand, and the Members elected to serve in the House of Representatives of the said Colony, summoned and called to a Meeting of the General Assembly of the said Colony, at the City of Wellington, on the fifteenth day of the month June next to have been commenced and held, and to everyone of you —Greeting : A Proclamation—AVhereas the meeting of the General Assembly stands prorogued lo the fifteenth day of June next; Nevertheless, for certain causes and considerations, I have thought fit to prorogue the same to Thursday, the nineteenth day of the month of July next, so that neither you nor any of you, on the said fifteenth day of Juno next, at the City of Wellington are to be held constrained to appear, commanding and by the tenor of these presents enjoining you and each of you and all others in this behalf interested, that on Thursday, the 19th day of the month of July next, personally you be and appear, for the despatch of business, at two o’clock in the afternoon, in the Parliament Houses, situate in Molesworth street, in the city of AYellington, there to take into consideration the state and welfare of the said colony of New Zealand, and therein to do as may seem necessary. Given under the hand of his Excellency the A Lost Honorable George Augustus Constantine, Marquis of Normanby, Earl of Mulgrave, Viscount Normanby, and Baron Mulgrave of Mulgrave, all in the County of York, in the peerage of the United Kingdom; and Baron Mulgrave of New Ross, in the Count y of AVoxford, in the peerage of Ireland : a member of her Majesty’s Most Honorable Privy Council; Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George; Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over her ATajesty’s Colony of New Zealand and its dependencies, and A r ieeAdmiral of the same; and issued under the -cal of the said colony, at the Government House, at AA r ellington, this fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven. —H. A. Atkinson, God save the Queen!”

St. John’s Presbyterian Church. — The Rev James Hill arrived by the Ilawea yesterday, and was received by the elders and members o: the finance committee of St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Lyttelton, many of the members of the church being also present. A meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery will be Held at St. John’s Church on Thursday evening next for the purpose of inducting the reverend gentleman into his charge.

Fata I, Accident. — A fatal accident occurred in Wellington on Friday morning to a settler named Johnson, whose body was discovered at a later period lying at the bottom of a gully near Belmont Hill. It appears that on Thursday evening he left the Waterloo Hotel in his cart at about six o’clock, and the only explanation of the accident would seem to be that by some means the horse and cart fell over the side of the hill, for they were found at the bottom also. The deceased was formerly a soldier in the 99th Regiment, subsequently exchanging into the 65th, while the latter regiment was in New Zealand. He obtained his discharge in Wellington, and was appointed one of the warders of the "Wellington G-aol under Mr Rend, which office he held until about seven years ago, when he resigned and went to live on a piece of land he had purchased in the neighbourhood of Belmont. Since that time he had gained a livelihood by selling firewood and produce.

The Duties of a Bailiff. —The case Colin Campbell v John Tcmperley, wherein the plaintiff, as agent for the Bank of New Zealand, made application for inquiry into the conduct of defendant as court bailiff, was heard at Eeefton on Monday last. The case arose out of seizure of property in the case Bank of New Zealand v Louis Davies, the defendant being charged with misconduct in the execution of his duty. The Court ruled that the complaint was warranted by the facta disclosed, and that the plaintiff was guilty of rudeness and impropriety of speech, but the plaintiff was admonished that he had labored under a misconception as to the privileges of a judgment creditor, and that it was surely competent to offer the bailiff an explanation which would have led to a peaceful understanding. In conclusion the Magistrate said, “ I am glad to bo able to state that there is not a shadow of suspicion cast upon the bailiff’s integrity, and the examination which has been made will so far be satisfactory to him. I cannot however pass over his impropriety of speech towards complainant, and he must therefore pay the sum of £1 as a fine, and the costs of this enquiry (if required).” Artesian Wells. — In the great American desert of Colorado, which until recently was believed to be even more irreclaimable than the deserts of Africa or Asia, water of the finest quality has been found within a very short distance of the parched surface. Some of the engineers connected with the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad, anxious to procure supplies of water at reasonable distances all along the line, and requiring one somewhere in the Colorado Valley, caused borings to be made to see if there was a water bearing stratum underneath the surface. At one place, at a depth of only ninety feet beneath the parched sandy surface, a spring of pure fresh water was struck. The water Hows from the mouth of the bore in a steady stream, which has been flowing continually ever since the spring was discovered. This supply will not only be sufficient for the purposes required, but will help to reclaim a portion of the desert around the spring. The desert in some places is 200 ft below the level of the sea, and if by any means vegetation is restored to the district and the growth of trees encouraged, it is quite possible that the desert might in time become a lake, as it evidently has been in some former ago of the world’s history.