NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1255, 15 March 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

St. Maey’s, Meeiyale. — A lecture on “ Michael Angelo' ’ will be delivered by Dr. Ellis, at eight o’clock this evening, in St. Mary’s schoolroom, Merivale. City Council,—A special meeting of the City Council will be held this evening at seven o’clock to consider the subjects to bo laid before the Premier during his visit to Christchurch.

C itv Guards.— After parade last night the Christchurch City Guards held a meeting under the chairmanship of Captain Hawkes. The matters brought before the meeting were of a private nature. Railway Servants’ Benefit Society.— There was a meeting at eight o’clock lact night, in the old Oddfellows’ Hall, of the Railway Servants’ Mutual Benefit Society. The proceedings were not public. Diocesan Sunday School Association. —A very excellent model lesson was given by Mr ,H. T. Hill last evening in St. John’s school room, the Rev H. 0. M. Watson presiding. The children were rather younger than was expected. With great patience and really admirable skill the teacher gave a very useful and impressive lesson, one that it will be impossible for all who heard it readily to forget. An animated discussion followed, in which Revs. Cocks, Cholmondely, and Flavell, and Messrs Ford, Gee, and Murphy took part. A very hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Hill. The next meeting of the association is to be at St. Saviour’s, Sydenham, when the incumbent of St. John’s will read a paper, to be followed by discussion. The Late Mb Abeahams. —The funeral of the late Mr Abrahams took place yesterday, aud the Oddfellows testified their appreciation of his worth by mustering in good force on the occasion. The lodges represented were Loyal City of Norwich, Perseverance (Woolstoii), City of Christchurch, Benevolent, Volunteer, Kaiapoi, Leithfield, &o. The procession was formed at the late residence of the deceased, and proceeded thence to the Church of England cemetery. At the conclusion of the religious ceremony, the brethren surrounped the grave, and Prov. C.S. Jenkins read the form of funeral service used by the order, after which the brethren passed round depositing sprigs of evergreen in the grave. Orphanage Picnic. —The Orphanage children had a picnic to Rhodes’ Bay yesterday. They went in the steam launch Lyttelton, kindly lent for the purpose by Messrs Agar and Roberta. Besides the Orphanage staff, a number of friends accompanied the children and exerted themselves to the utmost to make the day a delightful one for the children, a task in which they were very successful. A number of Lyttelton friends had provided toys, &c., to be competed for, and abundance of sweets. Altogether the affair was a perfect success, and thanks are due to the kind friends who arranged and managed it so well. Oddfellows’ Fete. —A meeting of delegates from the various lodges in town in connection with the Order was held last night at the Oddfellows’ Hall to consider the advisability of having a fete, sports, &c. It was resolved that the celebration should assume the form of a procession to the Railway station on Easter Monday to meet members from country lodges who are to join in the demonstration, and to proceed to some suitable grounds near town, where they intend to have races and other sports for which good prizes will be given, and in the evening to wind up with a ball at the new hall. A great feature in connection with the above will be an art union, for which many valuable prizes will be given. The tickets will give admittance to the grounds where the sports are to be held. The most valuable prizes will be exhibited in town in the course of a few days. H.A.C.B S. —The quarterly meeting of the Christchurch Branch, No. 82, of the H. A.C.B. Society was held last night in St. Patrick’s Hall. There was' a .large muster of the brethren. The secretary reported haying received yesterday morning the sashes which had been sent for to Melbourne. The trustees reported having invested on mortgage at 8 per cent, the sum of £225. Bro. C.' Sexton was elected to the office of treasurer. A notice of motion re a brass hand in connection with the branch was discussed, and ultimately it was resolved that the sum necessary for the purchase of fourteen instruments should be appro? priated. A band committee was appointed. The Rev. Chaplain, Father M’Namara, attended the meeting, and gave the members an exhortation. Contributions amounting to £49 15s were received. After some business of a routine character the meeting closed in due form with prayer. BbEWEES’ and BOTj-LEES’ PIC-NIO. — This event took placp yesterday, the locality selected being a paddock at Sumner. Shortly after 1) a.m., the party, numbering some thirty vehicles, all gaily dressed with evergreens, Ac., mustered at the Pott Office. Mr Button s band headed the procession, which passed through the principal streets on the way to Sumner. Arrived there a number of sports were got up, races, &o. for valuable Scfng'ireuUenp. Alter a struct liiue spent ip this, lunch was announced, to wl\ich'ample justice was done. T|ie sports wfero then resumed, and were supplemented by dancing to the strains of Button’s band. The weather was all that could be detired, and those present enjoyed themselves most thoroughly. The pafty |4 WWpSi having spent a Very pleasant day. Found' Dkownbd; Shortly after six o’clock last evening a young man named Samuel Blunt, while walking along ihe river opposiip Ihe Church of England Cemetery, cbseiyed a body in' pb<* watUf, uua ropovtffd the matter to Constable (Jullon. Un its being taken out of the water it was found to be that of a young woman, who was apparently about eigfftefii) cr nineteen years of age. The deceased had been of appearance, round features, with dark hrowfi hair. Ifof dress was a yellow shaded print with hi ick spots, trimmed with black braid, and velvet buttons of the same color. She wore a white Tuscan hat witfr >fchifa untutplug*, aup piece fif pink' ribbon round' her uecih Thg body was covered with a largo grpy and while wooilep shawl- Tpepe wa? a “put of blood on the hat, and also on a handkerchief found in her pocket, Tho water was only about two feet in depth where deceased was found. The remains were removed to the Morgue, and though every effort was made by the police, up to a late hour list night no oil* CO An bo found to identify thp uniontmiate gp4.' .The'Aody lias- peon itoiued as that of Margaret O wens. The girl been in the service of Mrs McConnal, Colombo road south, d shs left her, situation Testermay morni e A ll inquest will bold todor row afternoon.

Kaiapoi Regatta. —Entries for this regatta closed last evening, and in spite of the apathy shown in boating matters, it was expected that there would be a number of entries for each event, and plenty of excitement over the races. Some of the crews who intended to enter are said to be very evenly matched, The committee decided to enforce strictly the rule that all boats must be at the start at the advertised time or be disqualified.

Selwyn County Council. —At a meeting of the County Council of Selwyn, held today, it was decided to bring the whole of the Act into force within the County of Selwyn. The motion was carried by 5 to 1, the dissentient being Dr. Turnbull. The chairman then declared that the Counties Act was in force throughout the County of Sely wyn from the next day. The date of the next meeting of the Council was fixed for March 28th. The chairman w r as requested to attend the conference of delegates respecting the Hospital and charitable institutions to be held on March 21st. After notices of motion had been given, the Council adjourned.

Otago School of Mines.— At the ordinary meeting of the Otago University Council on Tuesday, a letter (says the Dunedin “Star”) was received from the Education Department acknowledging the receipt of the Council’s letter of 27th ult. concerning the establishment of the School of Mines, and enclosing copy of the offer of the directorship which had been made to Mr Ulrich. Mr Hislop wrote expressing the Minister’s satisfaction with the action taken, and intimating that a voucher in favor of the University for the two sums voted last session of £SOO for the services of the director, and £SOO to make good a vote of the Provincial Council (for appliances) had been passed for payment, to be applied strictly to the purposes intended by the Legislature. The Chancellor stated that he had received a letter from Mr Ulrich, from which he gathered that that gentleman would probably accept the position offered to him as Professor of Mineralogy and Metallurgy and Director of the School of Mines, but that he desired to be placed on the same footing as the other professors with reference to having a professor’s house or an allowance. It was agreed that the Chancellor should write to Mr Ulrich, and inform him that it was the desire and intention of the Council, as soon as they were able, to build houses for all the professors, and that as soon as they were completed the houses would be granted to the professors according to their seniority.

Waimakaeiri Haeboe Boaed. —The adjourned meeting of this Board was held at the Kaiapoi Borough Council Chamber on Wednesday evening. Present—Messrs Ellen, Wearing, Beharrell, Pasliby, Parnham, and Coup (chairman). Accounts amounting to £1 17s 2d were passed. The consideration of the tenders received for dredging was proceeded with. Messrs Monk and Clark attended and explained that in their offer to do the work for £6OO, the Board to take the plant at two-thirds its cost, the dredging apparatus was estimated to cost £350. It was to be worked either by hand or steam power with fifteen or thirty buckets. They estimated that six men would take out 200 tons of mud in a day. On the motion of Mr Ellen, seconded by Mr Parnham, the Board went into committee and a lengthy discussion followed. On the Board resuming, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Ellen, seconded by Mr Pashby—“ That the tenders sent in are too high.” Mr Wearing’s model dredge, which he stated could be built for £SOO, was inspected, and it was decided, on the motion of Mr Pashby, seconded by Mr Beharrell—“That a specification be drawn out for a dredge on the model submitted by Mr Wearing, and that tenders be invited for the same.” Mr Wearing moved, Mr Ellen seconded—- “ That the Board advertise for the purchase of an 8 h.p. stationary steam engine.” Carried. It was then resolved that Mr Wearing be requested to superintend the building of the plant and working same. The Board then adjourned. Middleton Siding.— For some time past the residents at Middleton have labored under very great inconvenience owing to the fact that from having no siding all the goods they have for carriage have to be brought from town by means of carts. They have, therefore, addressed the following petition to Mr W. Conyers, the Commissioner of Railways, asking that a siding may be made at Middleton :—“To W. Conyers, Esq., Commissioner of Railways: Sir, —We, the undersigned residents in the neighborhood of Middleton, have the honor to petition you for a public siding at that place. We would respectfully draw your attention to the loss of traffic which the railway sustains on account of the total want of any accommodation at Middleton for receiving goods which would otherwise be forwarded by rail from Christchurch. At present all coals, timber, building materials, and stores of all kinds have to be carted from Christchurch, a distance of four miles, and thus the railway is rendered quite useless for anything except passenger traffic. We would respectfully point out that if facilities were afforded for the conveyance of goods by the railway, there would soon be a large tratlic developed both in goods and passengers. The locality is such a healthy one, and so well adapted for building purposes, that the number of residents who would travel daily into Christchurch by railway would be largely increased if the ordinary facilities of a railway station were provided. We would specially draw your attention to the desirability of running more frequent passenger trains into Christchurch. We would respectfully suggest that the trains at present running from Lyttelton might be allowed to run as far as Middleton aud back again into Christchurch without any material increase of tho cost of gunning, or without any further alteration of the present time-table. We arc convinced that if this simple convenience were afforded, the passenger traffic that would bo developed would in a very short time prove highly remunerative to the railway.” The petition bears the signatures of Miss Lohse, Messrs G. Packe, L. Harper, C. C. Bowen, J. Deans, C. J. Foster, G. P. Williams, T. J. Shand, and a number of other gentlemen. The petition will lie for signature at the office of Packe Bros., Hereford street, New Zealand Insurance Company’s Buildings, until tomorrow,

Mr Macandeew on his Position, -The following are portions of the speech delivered by Mr Macandrew at the recent banquet in Dunedin, to which reference was made in our telegrams. We extract from the “ Herald’s ” report:—“My colleagues and myself have boon called upon to administer, and to carry into practical effect, a new system of government, which many of us at least did our utmost to prevent coming into operation, That, I takp it, is a somewhat peculiar situation 'of affairs. Gentlemen, I feel perfectly convinced that, had the people of New Zealand been fully alive to their own interest, they would never have parted with one iota of the local self-government which they possessed—[applause]—and of rights and privileges which have been in fact squeezed opt of the people of Qtiigq, .ffi the fade fif anff in spite of thfi almost 'unanimous desire of (he body 'of the people. However, I supose it is, no use now our crying over spilt milk, and probably, in the meantime, we bad bolter just make the most of (bp situation which ha* bapu forced vipcyi qs. I youfess that I am pot' without hope, gentlemen, that, there is now a public opinion being, engendered throughout New Zealand, which 4 trust may yet compel tffe Parliament to restore to the people those privileges oir which they hayc been deprived, and tfi restore those provincial institutions of which they had been deprived - not, probably, exactly gs they were, but instffqliops greatly improved and more adapted to‘the altered circumstances of the country. I coqlyss that, for my own part, if apy one had told pie eight months ago, when I addressed you on a similar occasion, that I should have been, now a Minister of the Crown, I should have thought him fit for a straight jacket. For my part, gentlemen, nothing but the most absolute force of circumstaiues has raised me into that position, and I shall not bo sorry if the next revolution of the political whyel sends mo bgck to my cab cage gaidun. .put boweve •in (he so long as I occupy th,e position, X am deter-, mined to give myself heart and soul to the performance of its duties, and I am determined to do that, not iu a provincial spirit, but in a colonial spirit,”

Race Consultations.—-The prosecution against Mr A. Cameron of Dunedin, for holding “ race consultations,” known elsewhere as “sweeps,” “soirees,” &c., failed on the ground that defendant was not shown to have been beneficially interested.

Canterbury Engineers.—The Canterbury Engineers held a meeting last evening in the orderly room. There was a good attendance of members. Tho balance sheet for the year was read, showing a balance to the credit of the company of £B2. Warner was elected treasurer in place of Lieutenant Anderson, and after a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting separated. The Hikurangi Meeting.—We give the telegram re the difficulty in connection with the contemplated native meeting at Hikurangi, as received. It is slightly vague as to the Hauhau modes of jwst mortem conversion, applied to cattle, but we must leave our readers to conjecture the precise nature of the process. It seems, however, that these conversions have created a serious impediment to the hoped-for triumph of the Ministry.