NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1065, 26 November 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sydenham Boeotjgh Council.—The ordinary fortnightly meeting of this Council will be held to-night at seven o'clock. Native Visitob.—On Saturday Major Topia Turoa arrived at the Kaiapoi pah, accompanied by Mr Booth, 8.M., on a visit to the Kev. G. P. Mutu, and the principal Maoris at St. Stephen's.

Ceicket —Timabu v. Chbistchubch.— The "Herald" states that a match will be played on the ground of the Timaru Cricket Club on Friday next, between an eleven from Christchurch and a local team. The colors of the Timaru Club are light blue and white. The Waimakaeibi Fatal Accident. — \. report was spread on Saturday to the effect that the body of Miss Gulliver had been found on the New Brighton beach. This, however, was a mistake. The body had not been recovered up to yesterday afternoon. Public Meeting, Phillipstown.—ln compliance with a requisition the chairman of the Heathcote Eoad Board has called a pubic meeting of the ratepayers to be held in the Phillipstown schoolroom to-morrow'evening at half-past seven, to consider the proposed action of the Government in reference to the Canterbury land fund. Matoeal Elections. —The polling for the Mayoralty of Christchurch for 1877-8, takes place at the Council Chamber on Wednesday next. The candidates are Messrs Gapes and Thomson.—Mr Richard Nancarrow has been elected Mayor of Greymouth, without opposition, the former Mayor, Mr Frank Hamilton, having declined re-election.—Mr Richard Seddon has again been elected Mayor of Kumara.

Dunedin Impbovements.—The " Times " notices some handsome brick buildings recently erected in Princes street, opposite the Post-office, for Messrs Ross and Q-lendining, as an ornament to the city, and as vastly improving the appearance of that portion of the main street. The pile is to be called " Albert Buildings." Extensive alterations, it is also noticed, are now being made in the interior of the Post-office. The apartments formerly occupied by the telegraph officials are being altered and refitted, and there are to be public entrances to the Post-office from Water street and Liverpool street. Lake Ellesmebk Tetjst.—A meeting of the Lake Ellesmere Trust was held at Wascoe's Hotel on Tuesday last. The members of the trust present were Messrs E. C. Latter (in the chair), A. P. O'Callaghan, J. Dalglish, J. Q-ebbie, J. Bell, and Marshall. The returning officer for Leeston intimated that Mr Marshall had been returned for that district. The engineer's report was read and considered. The members of the trust expressed disappointment that it contained no reference to the one point required by the trust, viz., the feasibility of keeping open the outlet of the lakes, so as to further their action with regard to the proposed line of railway. The chairman said that the sole object of the meeting was to ascertain whether or not the lake could be drained, and to receive a report on that one question from the engineer. The engineer, who was present, paid he did not so understand his instructions, but in ten working days from now he would have a report to that effect ready. Mr O'Callaghan proposed that the trust should meet again on Thursday, December Bth, to receive the engineer's report, which was agreed to. Mr Latham, the engineer, stated that, as yet, he had made no appointment of an assistant engineer, and would inform the trust when he thought such an appointment necessary. The chairman was instructed to procure at once a boat for the use of the engineer.

Inquest.—An inquest was held on Saturday afternoon at the Hospital, before J. W. S. Coward, Esq., coroner, on the body of James Hoddinott, who met his death through being run over by a truck the previous day near the Colombo road crossing. Mr Joynt was present to watch the case on behalf of the friends of deceased, and Mr H. Slater for the railway authorities. A number of witnesses were examined, but nothing fresh was elicited beyond the particulars given in our notice of Saturday. The deceased had been shunting two covered vans at the time of the accident, the brakesman (McNeill) having gone ahead to shift the points. Hoddinott was seen in the act of falling in front of the van, but whether it was through having tripped or while riding on the buffer was not known. The ballasting of that side line was not finished, but it was considered to be safe enough for the trauic on it, and all the ooal and wood trucks going north were shunted over it. Deceased was accustomed to horses, was a steady, sober, and careful man, and there was nothing whatever in the evidence to show that blame could be attached to any one. The medical evidence showed that deceased's right ankle was fractured, and his right thigh broken and orushed. He had also been injured in the groin, and death had resulted from loss of blood and shock to the system. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence.

The Youthfui. Mijs t d. —A worthy dignitary of the Church of England, writes the Wellington "Argus," is in tho habit of visiting one of the public schools in To Aro, and from time to time communicating religious instruction to the children. Last week he was engaged in this labor of love, and anxious to impress upon the youthful mind that the proposed sacrifice of Isaac was meant, as tho type of a higher and greater sacrifice. But the correct idea of a type was difficult of apprehension by the children. The clergyman tried various devices, but failed to inake himself understood. Glancing round the walls of the sehoojroom his eve lighted upon a picture. Pointing to it, the following colloquy took place ':—" What is this?" "A duck." "No, not a duck," ho explained, " ouly the picture or type of a duck. Do you understand what I. have been giving now:" " Yes," from half a score of voices " Very well, understanding this, tell me whal was Isaac r"' "A duck," was the almost unanimous answer. " Oh, I am ashamed oi you, think and try again." A pause, and thci came the happy thought of the more ad vanced when one of the class shouted out in triumph-"lsaac wa» a drake." The catechwt subsided,

The Wbeck of the General Gbant.— The following short record of the latest and utile attempt to recover the gold in the ship 3-eneral Grant, lost some years ago at the Auckland Islands, appears in the " Southland \ r ews :"—The s.s. Gazelle, which left here on he 14th July last, returned to port on Monlay evening. Captain Giles reports that he aad a fine weather paesage of thirty-six hours l ience to the Aucklands, and that out of the four months they remained at the islands there was only one and a half days' fine weather, and then the sea had not gone down sufficiently to allow them to work with safety to the vessel on tha west coast, and it was simply impossible for the divers to attempt to go down. From the wreckage seen on the coast it seems probable that some vessel has been broken into fragments, any quantity of white pine timber being found strewn along the beach for a distance of fifteen miles adjacent to the cave in which the General Grant is supposed to have sunk. As the weather continued unsettled, and appearances were strongly in favor of the " sunken treasure" never being obtained, the Gazelle left for the Bluff.

A Brave Saieok.—Captain Miles, of the barque Queen of the South, records an act of bravery on the part of his second mate, Mr W. J. Rogers (son of Mr R. J. Rogers, house and estate agent, of Hobart Town), which, to use the captain's own words, "he never saw equalled for courage and presence of mind." It appears that on November Ist, when the storms which ultimately led to the wreck of the Queen of the South, commenced, a terrific sea struck the barque, sweeping the decks, breaking the wheel by which she was steered, and cutting and bruising Mr Rogers severely ; but he, without a moment's hesitation, and forgetful of his own injuries, at once rushed to the wheel, and with the broken portions of it managed to keep the vessel before the gale until assistance could be given him. Captain Miles states that had it not been for Mr Rogers's prompt action the vessel would not have been able to weather the storm at that time ; in which case the wreck of the vessel would have been a matter of far deeper regret than it is under the present circumstances, for it would have been impossible to have saved the lives of the passengers and crew.

Mission Services. —The Eev. Father Hennebery, the eminent Roman Catholic missionary from America, who, as announced last week, had commenced a fortnight's missien in Christchurch, delivered a very eloquent discourse in the Barbadoes street Catholic Church yesterday at the termination of the eleven o'clock mass. The church—as has been the case on every occasion since the mission commenced —was crowded in every part, there being at least 1700 persons present. The reverend gentleman selected as the subject of his discourse the sin of intemperance, and in a masterly and eloquent manner pictured the many evils which flesh is heir to, and which have their origin in the use of alcoholic drink. After dealing with the subject in this manner to a congregation who were in rapt attention during the entire lengthy instruction, he concluded by an urgent appeal to all present to discountenance, as far as lay in their power, the use of intoxicating beverages, calling upon the congregation, or such of them as were willing, to stand up and receive the pledge. The effect was electrical. There was no hesitation on the part of his hearers. The vast concourse of people in the church, but a moment before in rapt, silent attention, drowned the speaker's remarks by a sudden and simultaneous uprising, and there could not have been less than 1400 or 1500 persons who held up their hands and repeated after him the simple and solemn pledge of total abstinence. The rev. gentleman delivered an impressive instruction in the evening, taking "Education" as his subject. At this service nearly 200 persons took the pledge, making in all some 1600 or 1700 persons who will receive medals and cards. An impressive ceremony will take place next Sunday, when all those who have taken the temperance pledge will march in procession, wearing their medals and badges, and on that day the mission ends.