NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 944, 4 July 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Arrest. —W. J. Mahoney, late publisher of the “ North Canterbury Independent,” and T. Holland, late part proprietor of the “Eangiora Standard,” hare been arrested on a charge of stealing type to the value of £2O, the property of the “Independent ” Company. Sudden Death. A child aged three months, belonging to Mary Howard, Bingsland, died suddenly in its cot on Monday night. The child was seen at 10 o’clock by its mother, and apparently in good health. When she awoke at 7 o’clock yesterday morning it was dead. Timaeu Theatre. —Mr J. L. Hall, proprietor of the new theatre at Timaru, is expected to open that house on the 16th inst. The “ Herald” states that, judging from appearances, it will be one of the prettiest and most comfortable houses of its kind in the colony.

Chinese Immigration. —The Queensland Government intend to introduce a Chinese Immigration Bill, which limits one passenger to each five tons of a ship’s tonnage, and requires the master of a vessel to pay a deposit of £lO each immigrant, to be refunded after three years should the immigrant not be convicted of any crime, or does not become a charge on the colony as a pauper. Nelson Eegatta. — A gentleman in Nelson submitted to the yachting editor of the “ Field ’ ’ the dispute which arose out of the yacht race at the late Interprovincial Eegatta. In reply the editor writes “No doubt in law the Gannet would have a case against the committee if they withheld the prize ; so also would the Secret if a course was given which rendered it impossible for her to win. Under the circumstances it was best, and indeed just that the match should be re-sailed.”

Immigration. —The following is a description of the occupations of the immigrants to arrive per ship Waikato, due early next month: — Carpenters, 3 ; farm laborers, 6 ; single women—cooks, 7; general servants, 40 ; dairywomen, 16; housemaids, 12; housekeepers, 2 ; ladies-maids, 3 ; nurses, 5 ; nursemaids, 3 ; parlor maid, 1; tailoress, 1. Total female servants, 90. The nationalities are— English, 55 ; Scotch, 8; Irish, 73; Channel Islanders, 4. The Waikato brings no single men. The list can be seen at the Immigration Office. j Mount Eangitoto Silver Mine. — The : following information has been received from the Mount Eangitoto Silver Mine by a gentleman’in Dunedin :—“ Everything at the mine is progressing most satisfactorily. The contractors for the last work are pushing on well; the lower main tunnel is now in fully 350 feet. The ore met with in the upper workings maintains its high-class character—in fact, some of it is superior to any yet found. The contractors for making the road are greatly retarded in consequence of the inclemency of the weather, but it is nevertheless fully expected that uninterrupted communication will be established with the mine by the end of September at the latest. The Gi-o-vernment accepted tenders for the last section about a fortnight ago, and now the company have commenced to construct the last connecting link, so that all the roadwork may be completed together, and the company thus be enabled to make their first shipment of ore.” A Field eor the Missionary. The Eev. Father Bensfield has been on a visit to the Jackson’s Bay settlement to administer the sacraments of the Eoman Catholic religion to those who belong to that cluu’ch. He was respectfully and warmly received by the Poles at Smoothwater, and by the Hermans at Arawata; but he found few attached to the Eomish faith among the Italian settlers at Okura. Mass was celebrated there on Sunday, when among the worshippers only one Italian was numbered. This state of things is scarcely appreciated by the local correspondent of the “West Coast Times,” who thus gives expression to his opinions or feelings on the subject:—I cannot help thinking that this is a state of things much to be deplored, as the settlers referred to do not appear to attach themselves to any form of worship whatever, a condition of things, from personal observance I say it, which is very sad to contemplate. I will relate a circumstance which may appear incredible to some of your readers, but which is nevertheless a true story : —1 visited the other day an Italian family, and took notice of a nice little boy whose visage is so pretty that you might imagine that one of Correggio’s little angels had come to dwell amongst us plenum (/ratios et peritatis. 1 asked the father what was the child’s name. “ Atco ’’-Anglice—“Atheist!” Does not that speak volumes P It is evident that preaching would not be useful, but good examples would, and something will have to be done to draw out these poor benighted people from the abyss of moral misery m which they have fallen.

A.O.F. —A summoned meeting of the Court Star of Canterbury, No. 2309, was held in the Foresters’ Hall, Oxford Terrace, on Monday evening, for the election of officers, &c. There was a very large attendance of the brethren, and the following were elected as officers fci? the next six months : —Chief ranger, P.D.C.E. W. Ness ; sub-chief ranger, Bro. 'Samuels ; assistant secretary, Bro. Cotterill; minute secretary, P.C.R. F. Phipps ; S.W., Bro, Yogel; J.W., Bro. Mummery; 5.8., Bro. Wood ; J. 8., Bro. Brown ; medical officer, Dr. Deamer; district delegates, P.D.C.E. H. Ford and J. S. Williams. After the election a great deal of important business was transacted. The district secretary notified that a new court would be opened at Templeton. The court is in a very flourishing condition and now numbers over 400 members.

South Sea Islanders’ Arrows After the death of Commodore Goodenough, the question was raised whether the arrows used by the South Sea Islanders are poisoned or not. Dr Messer, surgeon of the Pearl, made experiments, and declared that they were not, and now Mr Halford, of Melbourne, corroborates that opinion. He states : —“ Before leaving the colonies, Dr Messer wrote to me, enclosing some of the poison he had procured subsequently to the death of the lamented Commodore, requesting me to try its effects on some of the lower animals. I have done so, and am again driven to the same opinion, viz., that the tetanus following these wounds is not due to the matter with which these arrows are smeared, as I have failed to get any bad symptoms after freely wounding two dogs and one rabbit, and inserting two different samples of the poison at intervals of three weeks. It is two months since the animals were first wounded ; no tetanus resulted, and they are now quite well. Now, as tetanus is produced both in man and dogs by similar vegetable poisons, it is not likely there can be much error in the opinions arrived at by Dr Messer and myself, viz., that the stuff with which these arrows are smeared if not in any way poisonous. Should we be believed, it may lessen in some way the terror which has hitherto seized on every one wounded by the arrows of the South Sea Islanders, and possibly avert in many cases fatal results.”

The Cattle Deoyee Elliott.— lt was lately reported that a Canterbury cattle drover named John Elliott had become insane through sufferings which he endured at a place called Starvation Pcint on the Amuri and Ahaura track, where he had been stormstayed along with some companions and a drove of cattle. It was describ ed how he had been taken to the -Greymouth lock-up, and how benevolent Canterbury friends had endeavored to ameliorate his condition. A blunder, it was suggested, had been made by taking the man to such custody, but a still further blunder seems to have been made. He was conveyed to the Hokitika Asyh.m, but the superintendent of that institution refused to admit him,“the ground of this refusal being that the medical certificate on which the committal was founded had not been signed by a legally qualified medical practitioner. He was then re-arrested by the police, and sufficient evidence of his being unsound in mind having been given, he was committed to the asylum by Mr Fitz Gerald, E.M. It is quite possible that his first committal was procured for his own good, but it would be interesting to know whether unqualified practitioners are to be permitted to assume the functions of the legally qualified with impunity.

Hereford Street Baptist Chuech.—A lecture was delivered last evening by the Eev. Chas. Dalleston in the above church on “ Mr Spurgeon and his work.” The chair was taken by Eev Mr Harris, and after a hymn had been sung the chairman engaged in prayer, alter which he introduced the lecturer, who after a few introductory remarks, proceeded to speak first of Mr Spurgeon, his parentage, his early life in the country, and his introduction to city work, at the New Park street Church. Surrey Music Hall, and Metropolitan Tabernacle. He then spoke of the college and the orphanage, and referred to Mr Spurgeon as an author and at home. Mention was also made of the theological tutor, Rev. Rogers, and others connected with the college; and among the remarks, interesting anecdotes were interspersed of Mr Spurgeon in connection with the various works in which he was engaged. The lecture was illustrated with portraits of Mr Spurgeon, his wife, father, Rev Rogers, &c, also of many of the buildings with which the former gentleman’s name was associated. These had been transferred from, carte-de-visites to glass slides by Mr Heslop, photographer, of Colombo street, and were shown by the lime light and dissolving view apparatus belonging to the Canterbury Sunday School Union. This apparatus has just been sent out from England, and was very successfully manipulated by Mr H. Waters, assisted by Mr Molleth After the lecture several views and chromotrope slides were shown. A collection was made, sufficient to cover the expenses of the lecture, which was a great success, the Church being crowded in every part. The Gaiety. —The bill of the preceding evening was repeated last night at the Gaiety to a good house. Miss Lizzie Morgan, both in the comedy and in the burlesque, was successful, and has succeeded already in making herself a prime favorite with the audience. Of the other new faces, it may be said that Mr Oily Deering improves greatly upon acquaintance, and Mr O’Brien shows signs of careful study in his part of Tom College. Of the other ladies and gentlemen of the company, Jit may be said that they scarcely seem at their ease in comedy. Their line is essentially burlesque, and pieces of a somewhat lighter class than “Our Nelly.” Exception must, however, be made in favor of Miss Wiseman, who plays Susan with much success, the part being one thoroughly in her line. In the burlesque, if we except a little deficiency in the dialogue apparent now and then, which, however, will wear off as the piece has a longer run, all the parts are well filled. Miss Morgan as Don Leander sings very nicely indeed, the only drawback being that we do not hear quite enough of her. Her song “Whip poor Will ” promises to be highly popular, as it evokes loud applause from the audience. Mr Oily Deering’s Furibonde is a capital burlesque on the heavy villain of glorious melodrama, his make-up being something intensely ludicrous. It may bo remarked, by the way, that Mr O’Brien, as the first ruffian, is somewhat too gentlemanly to be effective. In fact, it strongly resembles Bottom’s impersonation of the lion in “ Pyramus and Thisbe,” inasmuch as he is a most gentle villain. However, no doubt a more lengthened acquaintance with the ruffians of burlesque will enable the gentleman referred to to C enact the bounding bandit of the blazing beacon with that amount of ferocity which one naturally expects. The other parts were well filled, and the various songs and dances went capitally. To-night the company again upped'.

The Missing Found. —The young man who hired a boat at Wellington Pier on Monday week, and who was supposed to have been lost, has turned up. It appears his destination was Pencarrow Head, and not Somes’ Island. On reaching Pencai’row, he found that the weather was too stormy for him to return safely. He therefore hauled up the boat and waited some time for the weather to moderate, but as there appeared no signs of any improvement, he started at length to walk to the Hutt, where he arrived after a long and toilsome walk, coming into Wellington subsequently by train. Sir C. Gavan Duffy on Protection. — Some time ago Sir C. G. Duffy, the new Speaker of the Victorian Assembly, stated that he had consulted Thomas Carlyle and John Bright, who had advised him to adopt a moderate protectionist policy in that colony. Incidentally he mentioned that Mr Carlyle replied to him in the broadest of broad Scotch. Mr Buchanan, a member of the Parliament of New South Wales, writes to the Sydney “ Herald ”to say—“ lam satisfied Sir Charles is mistaken. On one occasion, I sat over an hour with Mr Carlyle, and I am certain he did not use one Scotch word ; and his Scotch accent, instead of being broad, is scarcely perceptible. ... I had also many interviews with Mr John Bright, and if there is one thing that I remember more than another, touching those interviews, it is Mr Bright’s uniform and earnest upholding of the doctrines of free trade, invariably displaying the utmost intolerance of every phase of protection whether at home or abroad; and I believe, as firmly as I believe in my own existence, that when Mr Bright reads Sir Charles Duffy’s words he will read them with absolute consternation, and hasten to correct them. That Sir Charles Duffy has completely misunderstood Mr Bright I firmly believe; and I cannot but look upon the idea of making Mr Carlyle speak in the ‘broadest of broad Scotch ’ as being almost as good a joke as making Mr Bright (the most thorough freetrader alive) a protectionist.”