NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 927, 14 June 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Late Train foe North.—There will be no late train to Kaiapoi and the North tonight. -The Member tor TniAiiu. —The South Canterbury Times understands that the Hon. E. W. Stafford will in the course of a few days be in receipt of a requisition, asking him to address the electors of the Tiniaru district "on political matters appertaining to the work of the Assembly..'/

Inquest.—The inquest on the body of Hiigh Fergusson, to hare been held to-day, was adjourned until 2 p.m. to-morrow, Dr Park, owing to a misunderstanding, having failed to hold a, post-mortem examination. Football. —The match on Cranmer Square next Saturday will be Banks v. the Club, the former wearing blue and white, the latter red and black. As there is a Past v. Present match at the College grounds same time, it ia requested that club members will put in an appearance'punctually, in order that the match may be a success.

Gaiety Tiieatee. —There was only a small attendance at the Mirror of the World last evening. However, those who were there enjoyed the views exhibited very much indeed. To-night the Mirror will be again exhibited. As the present week is the last of the stay of the Mirror here, those who have not yet seen the many beautiful pictures comprised in it should do so. Government Scholarships.—The examination of candidates in class D for the Government scholarships commenced yesterday at the Normal School. There were nine candidates in all—eight males and one female. The examination was conducted by the Kev. W. J. Habens and Mr J. Colborne-Veel. The examination will be continued to-day and to-morrow.

Wreck Remnants. —Mr W. H. Wake, residing at Ashton, informs us that towards the end of last month a quantity of wreckage was thrown up on that part of the coast during the gales then prevailing. It consisted of a portion of the bulwarks of a small vessel, cabin fittings, and boards. They appear to have belonged to an old vessel, as some o£ the timber was rotten, and other parts had been repaired. There is no clue as to what vessel they belonged.

Accident. —An accident occurred at Addington yesterday to a young man named Greorge Wells, in the employ of Mr Hopper, baker. He had been scrying a customer in Selwyn street, and while in the act of getting into the cart the horse started off. Wells' foot slipped, throwing him to the ground, and before he could clear himself the wheel had passed over his right leg. He was conveyed to the hospital, where it was found that he had fortunately escaped with a severe flesh wound.

Aet Exhibition.—The public will be pleased to hear that the Art Exhibition at the Museum Buildings will be open to-night at the moderate charge of one shilling. Professor Bickerton will again explain Eoucault's pendulum to show the rotation of the earth, and Cavendish's apparatus for weighing the earth. Besides the art galleries, the scientific room will be open, and Mr Seagcr will show his dissolving views in the Maori House. There will also be a band in attendance. A ltogether it should be a very pleasant evening to those who attend.

The G-eoegias.—There was a capital house at the Theatre last evening, when the Georgia Minstrels repeated their entertainment. The saltatory exercises of the big black four, the tambourine playing of the corner men, and Mr Charles Crusoe's lecture on the vexed question of "What shall we do with our Girls/' were the features of the evening's programme. The other items were very satisfactorily gone through, and generally the performance passed off capitally. To-night there will be an entire change, and on Saturday there will be a matinee.

Papanui Ploughing Match.—The committee met on Tuesday last at the Sawyers' Arms Hotel. All the members were present except Mr Patterson ; Mr Munro was in tha chair. An application having been received from the Forth Island for a copy of the rules, the secretary reported that he had forwarded a copy, and such other information as he thought likely to be useful. It was decided to give prizes as follows: —Champion class, three ; men's class, five ; double furrow, two; boys' class, four. Last year's rules were adopted, with some slight modifications. The committee, having accepted an offer for the right of supplying refreshments on the day of the match, instructed the secretary to write to the gentlemen nominated as judges, and then adjourned to the 26th instant.

The Goveenor. —The visit of His Excellency the Governor to Canterbury came to a close yesterday. In the morning he visited the Normal School. He was received by Mr Inglis, Chairman of the Board of Education, and Mr Montgomery. His Excellency inspected the various departments of the institution, including the training and practising portions of the school. Subsequently he paid a visit to the Gloucester street school, and also to the Hospital. A special train left Christchurch shortly after 5 p.m., conveying His Excellency, the Hons E. Eichardson and John Hall, Mr W. Montgomery and other gentlemen. The port was reached at 5.13, and shortly afterwards *the Hinemoa steamed for Wellington. We may notice that during His Excellency's stay he gave Mr Cherrill, photographer, Cashel street, a sitting, the resftlt of which is a very fine picture.

Waetham Public Library.—The first annual meeting of subscribers to the Waltham Public Library was held on Tuesday evening last; the president, Mr Win. Langdown, in the chair. The secretary, Mr J. R. Andrew, read the report, which showed that the library was progressing favorably, and that 490 vols, have been circulated during the year, and 225 newspapers circulated for the same period. A large number of books have been added, and a number more daily expected, besides which various English newspapers arrive by each mail. The balance-sheet showed that the receipts had been £42 lis 7d, and the expenditure £34 19s 10s, leaving a balance of £7 lis 9d. The following gentlemen were then elected a committee :—Messrs Andrew, Whitelaw, Reece, Thomas, Scott, Henderson, Pratt, Munns, and Langdown. Mr W. Langdown was elected as president, Mr J. R. Andrew as lion, secretary, Mr J. Whitelaw as treasurer, and Messrs McConnal and Lawrie as auditors. A vote of thanks to the president terminated the proceedings. Substitute toe Gunpowder.—A preparation has lately been invented which is intended to supersede gunpowder. It consists of paper impregnated with chemicals, amongst which are chlorate, nitrate, prussiate, and chromate of potash. Powdered charcoal and starch are also used, and the substance is rolled in the form of a cartridge of the necessary size. The manufacture is said to be without danger. The powder only explodes on being set fire to, leaves no greasy residue in the guns, makes less smoke, produces les3 recoil, and can bear damp better than gunpowder. If all this is capable of substantiation, the new compound shoidd prove a valuable addition to our list of explosives. Tha inventor hopes to produce it at a cheaper rate than gunpowder.

Eailway Servants' Benefit Society The usual monthly meeting of the above society will be held this evening in the Old Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfield street, at eight o'clock, to consider business of importance. Parliamentary Questions.— An answer was lately given to some questions asked in the British House of Commons winch the junior members of the New Zealand Parliament, and some of the seniors, would do well to remember. Sir G-. Campbell placed on the notice paper a series of questions, among which were the following :—" Whether the article, ' Amnesty for Individuals implicated in the recent events at Philippopolis/ means that the perpetrators of the atrocities in that part of the country are to be pardoned." And whether "Mr Baker, an English colonel, to whom has been confided the scheme for the future protection by a gendarmerie of the people of the Christian Provinces, is the same person who was removed from her Majesty's army in consequence of liis conviction in a criminal Court under well-known circumstances ?" The latter part of the question was not put. In replying, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said —I have risen to answer the question, or rather to take notice of it, instead of my hon. friend the Under-Secretary of State, because it is one of a class to which I think the attention of the House may well be directed. The practice of putting qiiestions to Ministers in this House is one of very great public utility, and it is one which I am sure the House is always desirous to encourage within reasonable limits. If questions are put for the purpose of eliciting information the Government will always be found ready to give such frank, and full, and, I hope, courteous, answers as they are able to do. But I must say that questions of this character, of which we have had more than one example in the present session, are such as may lead to very great inconvenience. [Hear, hear.] They are made, not the vehicles for asking for information, biit for conveying in an indirect form attacks or imputations on the Q-overnment, without direct debate or discussion. Steam Eoad Eollers. —A mistake was made a few days ago by the Nelson Mail in attributing to this paper a paragraph which appeared in a Dunedin contemporary, and which was rather condemnatory of the steam road roller in use in that city. There we read the road roller has given satisfaction, but, judging by the following paragraph in the Guardian, such is not the case in Dunedin : " Among the daily announcements in the Christchurch papers is the work performed during the previous day by the road roller. If the Dunedin Press followed the same example the report would read something like this : Yesterday morning Inspector Barnes, being in charge of the steam roller, paraded Castle street; commencing its work about 6 a.m., awakening the inhabitants along its route, and disturbmg'the rest'of the sick and the maimed in the Hospital, at the rear of which it ran up and down several times, as if to assure the inmates it was in their neighborhood. The side of the road over which it passed was more effectually cut up than if a dozen loaded bullock drays had done the work, while the metal on the centre was destroyed in a very workmanlike manner. At the upper end of the street the engine was scientifically guided into a hole from which, when our reporter left the scene, sixteen Corporation street hands and four hired horses were endeavoring to extricate it. The inspector calculated to be at work again in twenty-four hours, when another street would be traversed, and the metal upon that would be equally as efficiently ground down. We may add that the inspector has discovered a new use to which to put the roller. After the street scrapers have brought the mud and slush from the centre of the road in beautiful layers alongside the footpaths, the steam roller is sent over them with a view to their more even distribution, the inspector wisely believing that pedestrians prefer to wade in three inches of mud across the road rather than step into a foot of it from the footpath. This is a wise discretion, for which he deserves promotion, if not increased pay."