NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 958, 21 July 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

SUMNER. —The next entertainment at Sumner takes place on Monday next.

Christian Church. The Christian Church will meet in the Foresters' Hall tomorrow evening.

Inspection Parade.—The usual monthly inspection parade of the head-quarter corps ■.vill take place on Tuesday, the 2-lth, at 7.30 p.m. United Mktiiodist Free Church.—The foundation stone of the new church will be laid ou Thursday next, at three o'clock, by he Rev. S. Alacfarlane.

City Council. —A special meeting of the City Council will bo held on Monday next on business having reference to the Conference of Municipal Delegates. St. Andbew's Church. To-morrow evening the Rev. Charles Fraser will deliver a lecture in St. Andrew's Church ou "Recent Speculations on the Booke of Moses."

Benefit Concert.—A conccrb in aid of MY John Bigg, who was Jhurt on the Breakwater, will be given in the Oddfellows' Hall, hyitclfon, on Tuesday next.

Missionary Meeting.—A missionary meeting will beheld at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church on Monday evening, wben an address will be delivered and some dissolving views exhibited.

Evangelistic Services. —The Young Men'? Christian Association will hold evangelistic services in the G-aiety Theatre to-morrow evening, at eight o'clock. We are requested to state that the hymn books ordered from Melbourne for these services have just been received.

Lyttklton Harbor Board. —The usual meeting of this Board should have been held at the Board offices, Lyttelton, yesterday afternoon, but, there being no quorum, an adjournment took place till Friday next, at 3 p.m., at the same place. The Circus. —Mr Barlow's company appeared last night at the Rink, when there was a very good house, considering the unpleasant weather. The various acts in the circle were gone through excellently, eliciting loud applause from the audience. For to-night a very good programme has been arranged. Clearing the Waimakariri.—A petition is being sent round for signature in Kaiapoi the prayer of which is to respectfully request the Borough Council to render every assistance in its power (pecuniary and otherwise) to the Harbor Board in improving the navigation of the river with the least possible delay.

Freak of Nature.—Mr Chudley, seedsman, Colombo street, has on view in his shop a very remarkable natural curiosity. It is a gorse branch from which is growing a large bushy plant of some kind. It grows right out from the stem, and is not in any way attached to it by artificial means. It is well worth inspection. City Improvements.—During the past few days a number of men have been engaged trenching the slope of the river bank in front of the Supreme Court, with a view to its being laid down in grass and planted. When this is done it will not only be an ornament to the city, but also a very pleasant walk on summer evenings. Merivale.—An entertainment took place last night in the schoolroom, Merivale, and was in all respects a great success. The attendance was large, and an exceedingly good and varied programme was submitted, consisting of three excellent readings, musical selections by a band, duets, ani several songs, all very nicely rendered. The entertainment was brought to a close by the singing of the National Anthem. Bridge over the Avon. —A petition to the City Council is in course of signature, asking that a bridge may be placed over the Avon at the East Belt near Ward's Brewery. The want of a bridge at this point has long been felt by the residents in the neighbourhood, and in view of the large increase of population in Bingsland and New Brighton, we hope the prayer of the petition will be acceded to.

A Nkedkd Improvement.—lt is gratifying to be able to record that the City Council have at last formed a side walk on the Armagh street bridge. The foot traffic over this bridge to the Government offices, law courts, &c, is very great, and during the winter months the floor of the bridge has been almost impassable from mud. The improvement referred to will, therefore, be much appreciated by those whose business leads them in this direction.

Supreme Court. —The civil sittings of the Court were resumed this morniug. The case of Gee v. Illoore was adjourned from the preceding day in order to see whether counsel could agree to submit the case to arbitration. On reassembling this morning, Mr Garrick announced that his client wished the case to go to the jury. His Honor ex pressed regret that this should be so, as the jury could not possibly arrive at a satisfactory decision on a case such as this, and to proceed was therefore to waste the time of the public and the Court. However, as r the counsel for the defendant was determined to proceed, he had no alternative. Mr Joynt, after commenting strongly on the great waste of time induced by this proceeding, went on with his case, and it was being heard when we went to press.

New Zealand Oranges.—There is now on view, at the shop of Mr Chudley, some very fine oranges and lemons grown in the open air by the Rev Mr Warren, of Onehunga, Auckland. The fruit is well grown and of good size, and shows what can be done in the matter of the growth of oranges, &c, under even unfavorable circumstances. There is a very large breadth of land in the province of Auckland suitable for the planting of orange and lemon trees, and as our supply is now altogether dependent on Sydney and Fiji it might be well to consider the starting of plantations in the North Island.

Chrtstchurch Volunteer Engineers. —A general meeting of the corps was held last evening at the orderly room after the parade, Lieut. Anderson, commanding, in the chair. There was a good muster of members. After some preliminary business had been disposed of, Mr Allison D. Smith was elected to the vacancy of sub-lieutenant. After considerable discussion the following resolutions were agreed to —"That the officer commanding the company write to the officer commanding the district, requesting him to ask the Government to supply the corps with materials for field operations, and an instructor for the same. Also respectfully pointing out that the Artillery and Naval Brigade Companies in New Zealand arc supplied witli instructions for their several operations." " That every member attend three drills during the month —inclusive of inspection drill —or the following fines will be enforced : —Sappers, Is ; noncommissioned officers, Is 6d ; commissioned officers, 25." " That the money accruing from fines shall be shot for in two classes by the whole company." Rents in Wellington.—Referring to the influx of members of Parliament and their households, the Wellington correspondent of the Hawke's Bay " Herald " quotes the following as a fact illustrating some of its effects: —A gentleman offers to let his house for the session to any member of Parliament for the nominal rent of 25 guineas a week. At present, no member has offered to pay this small rent of £ll2 per month. The bare fact that such prices are asked is a guod indication of the value of smaller houses.

Tjib Colonial Pbize Firing.—The Marlborough " Express " is informed on what it describes as the best authority, that, notwithstanding the paragraph published to the effect Unit the next Colonial Frizo Firing would be held in the Lake District, Otago, it is alreadj settled that the next event will be held on the Wairau Plain. It is not aware whether Tun Marina or the Vernon range will be the exact site

The Late Oamaru Fire.—The result of! an inquiry into the burning of a wooden house ut the north boundary of Oamaru was I hat the jury returned a verdict that the house had be en burnt, wilfully by some person unknown. Since then the owner, William Collins, has been arrested, and remanded on the charge of incendiarism.

The Lake Ohau Murder.—lt is stated that, from communications received by the head of the police in Dunedin, the New South Wales authorities seem certain that they have got hull of the right man, and from the detailed description given of him in the police records, upon which they acted, they are not likely to be under any mistake. It will be remembered, however, that the Wellington police were equally certain, without sufficient cause, that they had secured the person wanted. New Zealand Illustrated.—" New Zealand, Graphic and Descriptive" is the title of a work published by Messrs Sampson, Low, and Co., of London, in conjunction with a Wellington firm. It is thus noticed in the last number of the "Home News:" — The work consists of nearly thirty chromo-litho-graphs, numerous lithographs, and woodcuts, representing some of the finest scenery of NewjjZealand. They are taken from drawings by Mr C. D. Barraud. The letter-press, by W. T. L. Travers, is not only descriptive of the several drawings, but also includes in places a few facts connected with the history of the colony. On the whole it is a book colonists would do well to purchase, as a pleasant record of places where they have spent some of their happiest hours.