NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 943, 3 July 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Soiree. —A soiree, in connection with St. John's Presbyterian Church, Lyttelton, will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall there on Thursday evening, the 12th instant. The RAILWAY. —The clause in the railway regulations respecting " passengers breakingjourney" has been rescinded, and a new one, as follows, substituted : —" Passengers holding ' Single Fare' or ' Day Return' tickets may break the journey by stopping at intermediate stations, and proceed by a subsequent train, provided the journey is accomplished on the day corresponding with the date on the ticket." Customs Revenue.—The revenue collected at Timaru during June amounted to £2075, against £1756 in the corresponding month of 1876, or an increase of £319. The Herald, however, explains that no less than £797 of the amount is made up of publicans' licenses, which have hitherto been paid elsewhere. The fact then is that instead of an increase there is in reality a decrease of £477 2s 9d, compared with 1876, and of no lest than £IOO6, compared with 1875. Of the publicans' licenses, £4lO came from houses within the borough of Timaru, £95 from the Levels Road district, £IOO from Temuka, £25 from Mount Cook, and the balance from G-eraldine and Mount Peel Road Board districts and Waimate county. In Wellington the Customs revenue during 1876-7, to the end of June, amounted to about £168,429. In the previous year, to the same date, the amount was £162,574.

Football—Leeston t Southbridge.— The first match played in the Ellesmere district, where the above two local clubs have been lately inaugurated, resulted in favour of the Southbridge team on Saturday last, when the members, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, put in an appearance at Leeston at the appointed time. The Southbridge captain, winning the choice of goals, selected the east end, and before long a touch-down was secured by his side. The free kick, however, did not prove successful. The Leeston men played very pluckily, though they were undeniably overweighted, but, owing to the smallness of the ground, touch-downs were the order of the day, and at the close of the game the scores stood—Southbridge 22 points, Leeston nil. For the Leeston, Messrs Loe, White, and Durant were conspicuous by their perseverance. For Southbridge Messrs A. Bourn, J. B. Smith, Thomas Richardson, and especially the Willis Brothers, were very energetic, and showed considerable knowledge of the game. The return match will shortly be played at Southbridge. Capture of a Seal.—On Sunday Mr J. Petersen, a fisherman at Kaiapoi, came suddenly upon a seal asleep on the sandy beach. He succeeded in killing it after a short struggle, by striking the animal several blows on its nose with a poplar stick. It was during Monday exhibited at Schmidt's Pier hotel. At full length it measures 12 feet, and 6 feet 6 inches round the thickest part of its body. The skin is covered with thick bristly hair of a dark drab color along the back and head, and white underneath, in several parts beautifully marked with drab and white spots. The savins have not determined its species, but the females of the ursine kind are usually in ash-colored skins, but the shape of its nose and the fact that it when first attacked kept up a kind of grunting or snorting noise, together with the knowledge that the bottle-nosed seal has its habitude in several of the South Pacific islands, may lead to the conclusion that it is of that species, and it is probably a male which has been driven off by the attacks of the " bashaws." It is now being exhibited at the White Hart Hotel. TnE Gaiety.—Considering the inclemency of the weather the appearance of the new candidates for public favour and the fresh pieces had the result of drawing a full house at the Gaiety last night. The opening piece was a comedy, drawn by Craven, " Our Nelly." This served to introduce us to Miss Lizzie Morgan in the title role. Miss Morgan has a pleasant, cheery way with her on the stage which at once assures her as a favourite with her audience, and though not as an actress in comedy possessed of any great amount of brilliancy, there was about her impersonation a care and finish which made it go excellently She sings well, her voice being sympathetic and full of melody, and there is a total absence of assumption which makes her performance enjoyable. The three songs sung by her in the first piece were all very nicely rendered, and though far better in burlesque than in comedy, Miss Morgan impresses one favorably, and will become a very great favorite here. Miss Laura Wiseman, as Susan, had one of those pert little parts which she plays so thoroughly well; so well indeed that one is tempted to wish she woidd give us them more often. Last night she was thoroughly successful. Miss Bessie Vivian was hardly at home as Mrs Coddleson; it is not a part which affords her scope for the display of her undoubted talents. The other lady parts were fairly filled. Mr Oily Deering made his debvt in the part of Giles Frcckleface, a rustic of the true stage type. Mr Deering is an actor of no mean ability, and, though his part last night was not one in which he is said to be at his best, he yet showed sufficient of his quality to enable one to form a very favorable opinion of him. Mr O'Brien, the last of the new faces, played Tom College fairly. He has the common failing of beginners, that of being too confidential, and confining the greater portion of the dialogue to himself, but this is a faidt which will disappear in time. He has a good stage presence, and with experience will prove an acquisition to the company. The other parts were fairly filled. The burlesque of "The Invisible Prince," one of Planche's best, followed. This introduced Miss Morgan in a line in which she is thoroughly at home. Her Prince Leander was a very good performance all through. There was a piquancy and spirit in her rendering of the part which made it go immensely with the audience. The introduced songs, particularly "Whip poor Will," Avere nicely sung, and generally as a burlesque actress she is one of the best we have had here for some time. Miss Bessy Vivian, as Abricotina, was very good, acting and singing throughout with great spirit, and Miss Alice Johns, as the Princess, was also successful, her only faidt being a hurried manner of delivering the dialogue. Miss Marie Wilton, as the fairy Gentilla, was appropriately etherial. Mr Oily Deering, as the Infante Furibond, evinced great humor, and showed that in comic parts such as this he will prove a valuable addition to Mr Hall's company. The other parts in the burlesque were fairly fdled. The scenery was very good indeed, especially one set of a lake with the mountains in the distance. The same pieces will bo repented this evening,

Colonial Manufactures. —The Dunedin ironworkers and others engaged in the manufacture of rolling stock, ship-building, &c, have drawn up a petition for presentation to to the House of representatives, praying that all rolling stock, bridges, &c, for public works be manufactured in the colony. Mr Burns, M.H.R., who made a similar motion last session, will be asked to present it, and the city members will be asked to support it. It is also expected that the workmen in other towns will take similar steps. School of Cookery.—The prospectus of a School of Cookery, proposed to be opened in Dunedin, has been issued. The projector, says the Times, intends giving a course of instruction to consist of twelve lessons, accompanied with illustrations in practical cooking, and arrangements have been made which will enable the pupils to see the various processes of cooking from first to last. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, "Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and they will be so arranged as to meet the requirements of people in different positions in life, During the progress of each lesson, the teacher will minutely describe the ingredients, their quantity, the mode of mixing, and the time occupied in the cooking, special care being taken to show that waste can be reduced to a minimum. The instructress is to commence her duties on Monday, the 9th July. Items.—Mr E. T. McDonnell, one of the landing-waiters at Dunedin, who is about leaving to occupy a similar position in the service at Christchurch, received a very handsome present from his brother officers on the eve of his departure.—The Bishop of Nelson is now in Dunedin, the guest of Bishop Neville. —A young lady about eighteen years of age named Park fell while practising at the Hokitika skating rink, and sustained a fracture of the arm.—Mr Joseph McLennah of the Hawea Flat was out cattle hunting when a bull charged Mm, and killed his horse under him, but did not hurt the rider, who got off with a few scratches. —Mr Marshall Wood, the English sculptor, was a passenger by the mail steamer Ban galore. He will spend about a month in Australia, and will return to England via America.—The pointsman Suares, who was responsible for the recent railway accident at Melbourne, has been dismissed. It is not intended to prosecute him, as the Attorney-General is of opinion there would not be the remotest chance of a conviction.