NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1053, 12 November 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sydenham: Borough Council.—A meeting of this Council will be held in the Colombo road schoolroom this evening, at seven o'clock. The Famine Fund.—The subscriptions obtained in Victoria, in aid of the Indian Famine Fund, up to the end of October, amounted to £11,500. Sporting.—The nominations for the Canterbury Derby of 1879 were made on Saturday evening. The total number is thirty-nine. A list will be found elsewhere. Exodus from the City.—The trains out on Saturday were crowded with returning holiday-makers. Several waggons containing the live stock exhibited at the show were also attached to the trains. Steeplechase.—We understand that a match has been arranged for £2OO aside between Koyalty and Moose. The conditions are 10st up over the two-mile steeplechase course. The match will come off on Friday next. The Late Storm.—ln another column are published some details of the unprecedented tloods which followed the storm of last week in the Grey and Buller Valleys. Later accounts state that in the Grey Valley numerous bridges and culverts have been jarried away, a large number of cattle and <hecp drowned, and miles of fencing destroyed. In the Buller the flood was so high that at the Lyell the river rose perpendicularly •ixty feet above its ordinary level. At Hokiika one feature of the storm was a violent lail-showor, some of the pieces o ice whioh ell measuring two inches, arid »hal£ ia leugtlj by aa mcb in breadth.

More Libel.—Another prosecution has been instituted by Mrs Emily Chapman, land lady of the Freemason's Hotel, Swanstoi street, Melbourne, against Eichard Egan Lee «id Thomas Hewitt, the proprietor and publisher of the "Citizen or Police News," on a charge of libel. The subject of the prosecution is a scurrilous article published in a recent issue of the sheet named. The Metropolitan Meeting. The official settling and payment of stakes in connection with the recent metropolitan nieetinp took place on Saturday at Eadcliffe's Hotel The following waß the amount of stakos paid to the various owners :—Messrs H. Bed wood, £795 ; G. Farmer, £715 ; G. Fraser, £616 ; F. W. Delamnin, £330 ; W. C. Webb, £l4O ; F. Brittan, £125 ; Andrews, £IOO ; C. F. Barker, £65 ; E. Eay, £25 ; Murfit, £lO ; Keith, £lO. Total amount of stakes paid, £2931. Prayers fob Parliament.—The Eev. E. Coffey seems to entertain a very poor opinion of the representatives of the people now assembled at Wellington. The " Post" reports him to have spoken as follows during the delivery of a sermon at St. Peter's Church, Wellington : " Can we help reflecting on the almost profane conduct of praying every Sunday that the Almighty would ' direct and prosper all their consultations ?' We are only justified in praying when we have done our utmost, or mean to do it. But the last question that we ask about candidates for Parliament is—Are they Christians ? Have they any religion? Nay, have they even any character ?" Gold in New Guinea. —The following are the only further particulars to hand regarding the reported discovery of gold in New Guinea. They are contained in a Cooktown telegram which appears in the " Melbourne Argus" of the 26th ult.:—" The cutter Lelia has arrived at Cairns from a cruise round the South Seas. From the Soloman Islands she went to the north-west coast of New Guinea, and having prospected there got a large quantity of curios. One man got a splendid specimen of gold-bearing quartz. The Lelia took as a passenger one of the chiefs of New Guinea, who proceeds on to Melbourne. The news of the gold-finding has created some excitement here." Eacing Sweeps.—Between £9OOO and £IO,OOO was invested in the sweeps on the Melbourne Cup which were lately drawn in Greymouth, Kumara, and Hokitika, and this in the midst of a period of local commercial depression which is being felt by merchants throughout the colony. The proportions which the mania is assuming are made the subject of comment in the columns of the local newspapers, and from the pulpits, but, notwithstanding this and the fact that the new Lotteries Act will in all probability be in force in a few days, the promoters of these speculations are indifferent. Mr Tonks, of Greymouth, announces a grand sweep on the Champion Eace, to be run in Melbourne on New Year's Day. The total amount is £2OOO, the winner of the first horse drawing £IOOO. Death from Exposure.—Mr Alexander Munro, the engineer of the Inangahua County, has died at Eeefton, after an illness of three weeks, occasioned by the exposure he had been subjected to whilst effecting the surveys, &c., for the County Council. The deceased had only a month or two before arrived from the Wellington province, in which district he had held a responsible professional position under the late Provincial Government. He was the son of John Munro, Esq., who for many years represented the Marsden (Auckland) district in the House of Representatives, and wns also a member of the first Parliament of New Zealand. The deceased was a young man of great promise, and his untimely death will be regretted by a large circle of friends in the North Island. The West Coast Road.—The serious damage done to the Christchurch and Hokitika road has already been sufficiently repaired to enable coach communication to be reestablished. The mails from the other side arrived in Christchurch at the usual hour on Saturday, Messrs Cassidy and Clarke having brought their coaches through the whole way from Hokitika to Sheffield, Though the floods have been the severest ever experienced on this lino of road, the mails have been carried through with extraordinary expedition, and the repairs to the road have so far been effected with exemplary promptitude. It should be noted, in tins connection, that it was not;, as was at iirst supposed, to Messrs Cafsidy and Clarke's coach that an accident happened through the extraordinary gale which lately prevailed. The Damage to the Railway.—lt will occupy some weeks before the water which has collected on the country on either side of the Northern railway line at Chainey's drains away. The low part in the sandhills are extensively flooded, as well as the hop garden and orchard of Mr W. Wilson. It is certain that unless steps are taken to let out the lagoons formed by the flood the stagnant water will become a nuisance, especially on the approach of hot weather. It is rumored that a proposition has been made to raise an embankment across the channel of the overflow and, connecting the sandhills, form a dam to prevent future damage to the line. This will answer that purpose, no doubt, so far as the present damaged portion is concerned; but possibly the large body of water thus dammed back will then find an outlet near Treleaven's hotel, and be assisted in finding a way into the Styx. Because the late Government decided in favor of piling the line, it is generally thought the present Government must adopt some other plan for dealing with the matter. The Clark Lectures. —On Saturday evening Mr Clark gave his companion lecture to his popular " Tower of London." He selected for his theme that venerable pile around which cling so many memories of our illustrious dead, viz., Westminster Abbey. With such a rich mine at his disposal it is scarcely to be wondered at that Mr Clark during the whole two hours of his lecture held the attention of his auditory enchained. Briefly touching upon the early history of what we may call this national monument, the lecturer proceeded to refer to the bravest and best of England's worthies who now rest within its precincts. Poets' Corner and other points of interest in the Abbey were eloquently described, the lecturer calling to his aid a serio'j of wellseleeted quotations from Shaksp©r Are and other authors, which were delivered" w ith fine elocution. 'The way iu which the/ 3 t i.j o . tations weru delivered, many of the'ju wellknown, invested them with a uqv, beauty. The whole lecture was one of tue greatest treats we have had here for manj a aVj an< j there are few who were present on Saturday evening who will forget th'a grandeur of the peroration. To-night Mr Clark will re-deliver his lecture on Thackeray, which was so successful when first given. As this is the last opportunity of hearing this celebrated lecturer we hope to see a large attendance on the occagiyfi. ■

Sis J. Vogel on the Indian Famine.— Ur Julius Vogel, in a letter to the London ' Times,” points out how completely inadeluate anything like voluntary subscription oust be to fight against such a calamity as the Indian famine, and shows, moreover, how nibliely the Government of India had accepted the responsibility of fighting it with niblic resources. And he adds, “Ifit be indeed the case that India cannot bear the expense, it is to be expected that every part of he Empire will contribute.” The “Home s T ews,” commenting on Sir Julius’s letter, -<ayß: —“'This seems to us, we confess, the common-sense of the situation. The Imperial Q-overnment must find the money in the first instance.” The “Times,” at firstrathcr hesitating, strongly endorsed the proposal, and a cartoon in “Punch” lately represented John Bull interviewed by Lord Beaconsfield and Sir Stafford Northcote rather pooh-pooh-ing the Mansion House list, and saying, “Yes, this is very creditable so far as it goes, but it is ‘a mere drop in the ocean.’ Make it a Government matter, and I’ll back you up! ” Eailwat Advertising. —Tenders were lately invited by the Government for the purchase of the exclusive right of advertising at all the stations on the Canterbury and North Otago railways, between Amberley and Moeraki, and including the several intermediate termini, such as Oxford, Sheffield, Southbridge, and Waimate. The time for tendering closed last week, and we understand that the successful tenderer for this valuable right is Mr George Donne, the lessee of the same privilege on nine of the other lines of railway in New Zealand. Mr Donne was the initiator in this colony of the system of railway advertising which is now so generally adopted in England, America, and Australia, and, from the notices which have appeared in

J northern papers as to the manner in which his contracts with the Government and the public have been carried out, the system is likely to be as extensively favored in Canterbury as it has been elsewhere, the lessee and those to whom the space is sublet having, by the aid of painter, printer, or lithographer, made the advertisements so artistic that they are rather embellishments to the stations than otherwise. This latest lease extends over four hundi’ed miles of line, and upwards of eighty stations. Christchfech Total Abstinence Society. —The annual meeting was held in the Temperance Hall, Gloucester street, on Thursday evening, Mr J. T. Smith in the the chair. Reports from the various officers were read and adopted. The treasurer reported that after having paid all liabilities he still had a balance in hand. From the secretary’s report, it appeared that since the last quarterly meeting five public meetings had been held, that twenty-five members had been added to the Society; that it was making steady progress; that great unanimity and oneness of purpose prevailed, and that much good was expected to be accomplished during the coming year. Mr J. CaygUl, on the part of the trustees, stated that the hall property was a freehold, and that there remained a small debt of £55, which would be required to be ai’ranged for in March Fnext; that, as at present let, it was paying working expenses. Yotes of thanks were passed to retiring officers and committee for the past year. Mr J. T. Smith was elected president. Messrs J. Caygill, J. Armishaw, R. Clephane, W. T. 0. Mills, vice-presidents. Mr T. Forrest, treasurer. Mr J. Buxton, secretary. Mr J. Herriott, collector. Mr J. Armishaw, librarian. The committee elected were—Messrs C. M. Grey, G. W. Bennett, G. Fearn, J. Sherward, J. Canival, J. W. Heath, R. Butterfield J. Hepworth, W. Kent, J. Webber, F. Buckland, and S. Lodge, It was arranged that the annual tea aud public meeting be held soou.