NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1212, 22 January 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

. The Ceicket Match.—Owing to the state of the weather, the cricket match, which was to have been resumed to-day, was again postponed until to-morrow morning at 10.30. Gazelle Expedition.—A meeting of the subscribers to the expedition of the Gazelle to the Auckland Islands will be held at Radcliffe's Hotel on Thursday next. The report of the sub committee appointed to investigate and report upon certain matters will be laid before this meeting.

Rakaia and Ashbueton Fobks Railway.—ln supplement to what has already been reported regarding the promotion of this project, it may be stated that the rumber of shares applied for previous to the recent meeting was 2000, representing a capital of £IO,OOO, and that a further number of 600 shares were applied for at the meeting. Kaiapoi Eeoatta. —In consequence of the apathy shewn generally in boating matters it is likely that the annual regatta will not be held this season. As a meeting lias shortly to be called by the sports committee, it is suggested that a public meeting in reference to the regatta should be held at the same time, of which notice will be given in a few days. The Sozdene Opeka Company.—The Soldene opera company give their first performance in Christchurch this evening. It may be mentioned that Mr l)e Lias intends carrying out the same rule as obtained with the Italian opera company as regards the stalls, which will be kept strictly select during the season. A change of programme will be made every second night, so that the public will have an opportunity of seeing the company in the whole of their repertoire. The G-aiety.—Miss Lydia Howarde's benefit last evening attracted a revy good house, despite the unfavorable weather. Tho programme was an excellent one. The first part, comprised concert selections, in which Mies Howarde, Mdlle. Navaro, and Mr Sidney appeared. Mies Howarde sang " Eid me discourse," with much effect, and Mdlle. Navaro was also very good in the song, " Oh say once more I love thee," which was so much a favorite on the occasion of the last visit of the company here. Mr Sidney's rendering of " The "Village Blacksmith" was much appreciated. Miss Ada Ward gave two readings, one from the novel of " Dombey and Son," and the other the potion scene from " Romeo and Juliet." In the former she was especially successful. She infused into it a great amount of pathos, and altogether her reading of this piece was a n-eat treat. Miss Ward was also successful 'a her Shaksperian rendering. The performmce concluded with the extravaganza " Fair Rosamond's Bower," in which Miss Howarde, vidlle. Navaro, and Mr Sidney appeared to very great advantage. The company appear obis evening at Kaiapoi, and to-morrow they proceed to Timaru, where, with Mies Ward, iliey appear for a short eewooi 4

Body Found.—A report has reached Timnru that the body of a man, Btipposed to hare been dead for :>t least two months., has been found in Peel Forest. Dynamite. Fifteen hundred pounds weh'ht of dynamite has been used in connection with the recent blasting opev.itions in the Bluff harbor, at a cost of between £:iOO and £4OO.

Indian Famine Fund.—Mr C. P. Powles, the hon. secretary to the Indian famine relief committee in Wellington, announces that the total amount received by the committee has been £2OIO lis lid. Wellington Railway.—The structure now being erected on the site of the old Railway station at Wellington is oily intended as a temporary terminus, to he used until the reclamation is carried out sufficiently to enable the line to run to the wharf. PosT-SEP CTn NAii. — ~NTr Wood, member lor Mataura, has addressed his constituents at Sylvan Bant. There were just twenty persons present, including two reporters. He disapproved of the attempted dictation of the Middle Party, and declared himself to be still a warm supporter of Sir George Grey. Our Tbamways.— The "Oiago Daily Times" learns from an Adel ude correspondent that there are now three private tramway companies constructing lines to the suburbs of that city, and that the shares are at a premium before they have even completed laying their roads. These tramway lines are in addition to a private railway of seven miles in length, which pays at the rate of .'SO per cert. New Gold Discovebt.—lt was reported in Ilokitika a few days ago that a considerable parcel of gold was disposed of to one of the banks by a party working some new ground on the "north side of the Teremakau. The exact locality was not stated, but one of the party went down to acquaint some old mates •who are working at Rangitoto. More of the locality and prospects is expected to be heard in a few days. Mk Gisbobne.— The " West Coast Times" learns that Mr Gisborne intends visiting the southern parts of the Coast in with Mr Macandrew in a month or so. Mr Gisborne, in reply to a communication from the inhabitants of Jackson's Bay, conveying resolutions passed at a recent; public meeting there, has signified his intention of giving the various matters his direct attention, when he will be accompanied by a member of the Government.

Mb. Gillon and the Wellington " Abgtjs."—The position of the plaintiff, Mr Gillon, in a case recently tried* in the Supreme Couit, Wellington, is thus described by the "Post":—The question of Mr Gillon's rights is a somewhat complicated one. Ho has got a verdict in his favor, but, as his late co-partners decline to recognise his claim in the meantime, he will now require to move the Supreme Court for a decree founded on that verdict. Then there are further complications. As Mr Gillon's share in a local print is declared to be mortgaged to Mr M'Kirdy, Mr Gillon if called upon will require to pay off the £250 obtained from Mr M'Kirdy. Then as to the question of his share of profits—if any—which Mr Gillon may claim, there will arise the set-off of his liability towards the payment of certain legal expenses incurred on his own side in defending the libel action of Anderson v Gillon, Kent, and Waters. Altogether, the case appears to be one in which, while the lawyers •will pocket a heavy sum for costs, the prospect of the plaintiff getting the money is a worse than dubious one.

A Bohemian Ball.—There was a ball lately at the German settlement at Puhoi, in Auckland province, the peculiar features of which are thus described by the "Star":—

The party commenced at about five o'clock on the afternoon of New Year's Day, and kept up the dancing with unabated zest, as the phrase is, not until the wee sma' hours, but until the evening of the next day, and then they went home to milk their cows. Twentyfour hours' dancins more or less to_ these simple-minded bueolics was mere pastime, a sort of fillip to the labors of the next day. The orchestra at the ball consisted of a violin and a kind of bagpipes, chiefly composed of goat skin?, and bearing an unpronounceable foreign name which sounds like "go-to-bed." They are mostly Bohemians, these Puhoi settlers, not in the literary sense merely, but they come from Bohemia, and they behave like thorongh-going Bohemians. The way in which they wound up their little ball was characteristic. Some of the men and women changed Clothes and reversed their sexes in the dance, and they went home hand in hand in the evening along the shaded bush tracks, bawling snatches of Bohemian airs to the droning accompaniment of their singular bagpipes. A rambling reporter who was present at the close of the ball was informed by a grave-looking patriarch that there was no real harm in these rustic festivities, and from what he saw ho can readily believe it. They labor like oxen all the rest of the year, but when they make a gala day it is no child's play, and they use tobacco and great glasses of beer in lieu of smelling salts and champagne.

DESTRUCTION OV A DRAY-LOAD OP WoOI/. —The destruction by fire of a valuable drayload of wool on the way from an up-country station to Dunedin was lately reported. The " Cromwell Argus " gives the following particulars of the iucident, which certainly does not seem to be very creditable to the intelligence of the driver of the dray :—A carrier named E. Hood was on his way to town with a load of twenty-eight biles of wool from the station of Dalgety, Nichols and Co. On Sunday night he camped a mile or two beyond Cromwell on the Dunstan road. On making a start next morning, Hood noticed smoke riding from his loud, and on examination found that the wool w;is on fire in the middle of the pile. He proceeded to a dam close by to procure some water, but found the reservoir dry. There was nothing for it but to push on for the next water. A high wind prevailed at the time, and on coming near the residence of Mr Felton the wool broke into flame, and burned so fiercely that Hood had some trouble to get his horses clear of the wagon. Mr Felton came to the wagoner's assistance, but so strong a hold had the fire obtained that only two bales were preserved uninjured and two others slightly damaged. The balance of twenty-four bales was totally consumed, as also the wagon itself. There was no water available of sufficient quantity to be of any service, and the wool is described as having burned as though soaked with kerosene, so rapidly was the load enveloped in flame. There is no clue as to how the accident happened, but it is generally supposed to have been the result of spontaneous combustion through the wool boating. (We not learned whether the load was injured, but the loss is estimated afc'eomo fiL<Q.

Utilising} Babbits.—lt is evident from the list of exports by the ship Waimea, which lias just sailed from the Bluff, that there, has been serious mortality among the rabbits at Southland during the past season. It, is stated that by this vessel as many us 246 bale--, of rabbit skins were sent to the homo market. The number of skins in each bale is not mentioned, but no doubt the 24G bales represent a consider.;bio aggregate.

American Locomotives.—The fact of two locomotives of American manufacture b«ung among the cargo of a vessel which bid arriverl at. Port Chalmers was recently reported. The " Herald" states that they will be used on the Oarnaru and Christ church section of the Northern Trunk Railway in connection with the express (rah s which will run between Dunedin and Christchurch when tin- line will be completed, and which are expected to make the through journey in ten hours.

A Sailow SI'OBTSMAN. —A contributor to the Dunedin " Morning Herald " relates the following anecdote ;—Spending a night at that amphibious place, Port Chalmers, not long since, I waa entertained by an old East Indian skipper with a few of bis grievances against the "land shark," in whose service he then was. Out in India, when serving under other employers, he had his allowance for wine, cigars, his occasional carriage, and so forth. Having made a good run out from London to Otago, and carried a splendid freight home, be thought he was fairly entitled to charge in his disbursement b - "Steamboat fare to Christchurch and back (Canterbury races), £8; hotel bill, £2 10s—£10 10s." Oh ! this will never do, exclaimed the infuriated owner. We pay you your wages, and if you can't manage within their limits you must look out for some other employment. My nautical friend expostulated. Everybody went to the Christchurch races ; he had made a splendid run out and home, and brought them a heavy freight, and not a pound of cargo damaged. He had kept up the credit of the ship and the company, and surely they not going to quarrel with him over a paltry £lO. At last the owner's rigid features relaxed, and the item objected to was allowed, upon the express understanding that it was not (in legal jargon) to be drawn into a precedent. Another year elapsed, and my friend again reported himself to his London owner, with a goodly freight from Oiago, and his aceountof disbursements. Thereupon the following colloquy ensued : —Owner—Well, captain, how did the Christchurch races go off this year, eh ? Captain—Oh, splendidly—reminded me of Epsom and Ascot combined. Owner— Went overland, I suppose. I see no " steamboat to Christchurch" this time. Captain—Ob, it's there sure enough; but you don't see it. Mb Bees and His Constituents. —Mr Rees, member for Auckland City East, recently addressed his constituents in style characteristic of his speeches in the House. Towards the conclusion of his address he said that lie should like to speak one or two words personally to the electors of City Eas I *. He found that four or five months' absence fi'om his business meant that he must give up his practice or his position in the Assembly. To muintain both was impossible. In talking the matter over with his party he mentioned that he determined to leave Auckland for a time. By doing so he could retain a practice and his position as member, but he determined to put the question to his constituents, and ask them whether they considered it necessary for him to resign. [Cries of "No, no."] He would put the matter fairly to them. A man residing amongst them in business or practice would be better acquainted with the wants and wishes of his constituents. When he removed other interests might creep in which might make it necessary for them to find another representative. That was for them to consider. His duty was to ask those present that night, and if those present did not feel competent to reply he would ask those outside. If he found that a large majority thought they should have another representative, then he would resign. [Cries of "No,no."] He had done his duty. He told them before that he did not go to Wellington for selfish purposes. He had given no blind support, but had given an honest conscientious vote on every question which came before him. lie might have made mistakes, but to the best of his ability ho had found the right of every question, and voted accordingly. He could appeal to the members of the House, to the Press, and he now appealed to his constituents whether he had not done so ? [Cheers.] He should be pleased to remain in the House for a couple of years more, for the work which had been commenced was not yet finished.