NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 955, 17 July 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colombo Road School. —Mr Howard will give a lecture on Tennyson's "May Queen " on Thursday evening, in the Colombo road school, in aid of the Sydenham Literary Club.

Coursing License. —The "Gazette" of July 12th contains a proclamation fixing the fee payable for a license to course hares in the Canterbury provincial district during this season at os for each license. CONFERENCE OF MUNICIPALITIES. A special meeting of the City Council will be held on Monday next, to decide on questions from the Christcluirch Borough Conned to be submitted at the Wellington conference to be held in August, it is stated, in the Wellington Council Chambers.

G-as Lamps.—The City Council yesterday adopted the report of the lighting committee, recommending the erection of gas lamps at corners of streets wherever the mains have been extended by the Gas Company. It was also decided to comply with a request made to place one of the new meter lamps at the corner of Madras street and the belt.

Presentation. —A presentation of a purse of sovereigns was made yesterday to Mr Macrae, who has been for some time manager of the JBank of Australasia here, but who is now on his way to N.S.W. Mr Macrae during his stay in Christchurch has made many and warm friends, and they took this opportunity of expressing their appreciation of his many good qualities. Drapers' and Clothiers' Society.—The usual half-yearly meeting of members was held on Friday evening, at the Foresters' Hall, Mr C. M. Cray in the chair. From the reports presented by the secretary and treasurer for the previous year, the society was shown to be in a flourishing condition. Preliminary arrangements were made for holding a dinner about the 26th inst.

Road Roller. —The Mayor at yesterday's meeting, in strong terms referred to his instructions with respect to barricading not being carried out while the road roller was working, and thus accidents had occurred. The surveyor, in explanation, said he had remitted the instructions given him at the time to the overseer, but it had been found that the barricades erected were not sufficiently strong for the traffic. This had since been remedied.

Albatross. —A day or two ago some fishermen shot in Wellington harbour a very fine species of the albatross known as Diomedea courta. It is stated to be the first one of the kind ever captured in the North Island, and the second captured in the colony. Its length from bill to tail is 2ft llin, and extent from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other 7ft Sin.

Colujibarian Society.—A general meeting of members of the newly formed Coluinbarian Society was held at the Shades on Thursday last. Mr W. Gr. Walker, who was voted to the chair, briefly stated the objects contemplated in the formation of the society, which were to encourage the breeding and training of the homing bird carrier pigeon. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr Wynn Williams ; treasurer, Mr Porter ; secretary, Mr E. 11. Deacon. The rules of the society were framed and agreed to. It was proposed and carried, that the hamper for training members' birds competing for the prize presented to the society by Mr Porter, should start on or about the lith day of August next. The secretary was requested to purchase a stud book, in which would be entered the pedigrees and descriptions of all birds entered in any of the society's races. Mr Bees expressed his intention of building for and presenting to the society a hamper for training, the birds. Several other gentlemen intimated their intention of giving prizes to be flown for on day* to be hereafter named. After a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting ad journed,

The G-AiETir. —Mr Hall's burlesque company having proceeded to Timaru, the G-aiety was last night occupied by the Rose Bros These gentlemen have achieved some success in the southern portion of the colony in the species of entertainment given by the Davenport Eros. In saying this it must not be understood that they are simply imitators of the Davenports; many of their feats are better done, but the general scope of the entertainment is the same. The performance last evening commenced with some feats in legerdemain, of which little need be said, except that they were not remarkable for their dexterity or originality. The principal] part of the performance was, as a matter of of course, the cabinet and dark seance by the Rose Brothers. Prior to this commencing one of the brothers mentioned that some people claimed that the feats were performed by the aid of spiritualism, but they did nothing of the kind. They merely claimed that it was an illusion or a trick. Two gentlemen were then invited to ascend the stage to perform the tying part. One gentleman was particularly eager, but on being informed that he was only required to tie one of the brothers to a chair he declined, saying that what he wanted was to bind the two brothers together, when he would defy them to get loose. Ultimately the tying operation was most deftly and securely performed by one of the audience—how much so may be guessed from the fact that some twelve minutes elapsed before the brothers got free, and the usual musical—or rather discordant—sounds issued from the cabinet. The gentleman who had tied the knots having been complimented on his skill by one of the Messrs Rose, was then invited to enter the cabinet, and after a short interval a hat which had been on the head of the brother who was bound made its appearance on that of the other occupant of the cabinet, who also became a repository for all kinds of instruments. The trick of '•hanging the coats was also very cleverly performed, and this part of the programme terminated by Mr Rose coming out freed from the knots entirely. He was deservedly loudly applauded. After an interval of ventriloquial performance, which presented nothing very striking, the dark seance, which Professor Fay rendered tolerably familiar here, took place, and was performed with a variety of very close tests, most successfully. Altogether the part in which the Rose Brothers appeared was very good indeed. The same performance will be repeated this evening.