NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1302, 22 May 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Tbamway Company.—The Canterbury Tramway Company are about to commence operations, and as a preliminary require 400,0C0 feet of iron bark or totara timber. CIIBISTOHUBCH ENGINEEB VOLUNTEEBS.— The Engineers will parade for company drill at the drill-shed on Thursday evening, when fines for non-attendance will be enforced. Hagley Oak Leap Cbicket Club.—The members of the H.O.L.C.C. are requested to attend a meeting to be held to-morrow evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, Montreal street south.

Drainage Boaed. —Mr 0. R. Blakiston was the only candidate nominated to-day for the seat on the Drainage Board, in the room of the late Mr T. D. Jones, and was accordingly declared duly elected. The Kaiapoi Native Meeting.—The meeting of Maoris at St. Stephen's, Kaiapoi, was to have begun to-day at 2 p.m., when an address was to be presented to Mr Taiaroa, M.H.R., and the Maori chief. The Maoris from all parts of the Island have been assembling during the past few days, in order to be present. Rangioba Municipality. —Mr 0. G. Chapman has been appointed the clerk and returning officer to conduct the business of this municipality, and preside at the election of mayor and councillors. A meeting was held last evening at Roberts' Club Hotel to consider what candidates should be nominated for the Council and other preliminary business connected therewith. Anothee Peoposed Hotel. Another hotel is shortly to be added to those already in Christchurch, provided of course that the licensing commissioners are agreeable. The proposed site is the corner of Barbadoes and Armagh streets. The application for a license will be opposed by some of the residents in the neighborhood, and a petition on the subject has been signed. Coach Accident. —A very serious accident occurred yesterday to the coach from Palmerston to Moeraki. Mr Nichols, of Dalgety, Nichols, and Co., was killed instantaneously. Another, named Maitland, was not expected to live through the night, and six others, including the driver, were injured. Particulars, as far as known, appear in another column.

The Defence Question. —In reply to a telegram from the Bluff Harbour Board, urging the necessity for taking steps to fortify that port, the Government telegraphed that the claims of the Bluff to protection would not be overlooked in any general scheme for the protection of the ports of the colony, but that until war was actually declared they did not feel justified in incurring any expense in the matter of fortifications. It was aIBO added that for obvious reasons it would, under any circumstances, be inadvisable to make public the means of protection decided on.

Bridges in Westiand.—Tenders are invited by the District Engineer for bridges, with approaches, over the Grey, Ahaura, Teremakau, and Hokitika Rivers. These works will be in the Q-rey and Westland counties, and all will lie on the main road through the district. For want of these budges there have been, m round numbers, scores of lives lost sinse Westland was first settled, and the progress of the district has been delayed to an extent which it would be impossible to calculate. It may be hoped, for the sake of our West Coast neighbours, that these works are not amongst those which will be delayed in accordance with the notification of the Government published in yesterday's issue.

Univbesitt of New Zealand. —The reports of the examiners on the junior scholarship papers have now been received. The following candidates have been successful —Margaret L. F. Edger, Auckland ; B. M. Connal and C. Chilton, Christchurch; A. Montgomery and A. Purdie, Dunedin. There were thirty candidates. Connal was educated at Christ's College Grammar School, Chilton at West Cbristchurch School. Both will place their names on the books of the University as students of Canterbury College where they are now attending lectures. Miss Edger who gains a scholarship is younger sister, of Miss Kate Edger, of the Girls' High School.

The Abbow Keeps.—The Arrowtown correspondent of the " Cromwell Argus" writes : —The result of the first crushing from the G-ladstone claim has proved to be highly satisfactory, both to shareholders here and those at a distance. Three hundred and four ounces of gold from eighty tons of stone is a proof to the veriest croaker that untold wealth is locked ud in the mountains in the Twelve-Mile district, and in this instance particularly shows that without capital, in the shape of machinery, this result would not have been arrived at for many years. The Tipperary stone is now being operated upon by the public battery. The tunnel is driven in over 100 ft., the stone in the face is 3ft. 6in. wide, and a leader is coming in on the right of about Ift. Gin.; this will make the renowned Tipperary claim contain more stone than any reef in this district at present working. The Ladye Eayre is looking well, and the reef was struck at about 80ft. from the surface. Capital prospects are being washed. Good gold has been traced in the General Havelock (new line of reef) under John Williams' hut, in Sawyer's Creek, Twelve-Mile. Victoeia and New Guinea. —A scheme is afoot in Melbourne for the annexation of New Guinea to Victoria. The promoters call themselves the New Guinea Colonisation League, and at a recent meeting a report was brought up which set forth the desirability of compensating Victoria for the smallness of her territory, as compared with the other colonies, by endowing her with New Guinea and the islands of Australasia, from Fiji to the Dutch Settlements. The report was ordered to be printed. It is intended to prepare a requisition for public signature, to be presented to Mr Berry, requesting him to annex these islands to Great Britain, making them dependencies of this colony. A company is then to be started, with a capital of not less than £SO,OCD, to undertake their colonisation. No doubt Mr Berry will, upon receipt of this requisition, call the Assembly together, pass a declaratory resolution, and adjourn for a fortnight. With the aid of these two powerful weapons all difficulties should be overcome. The " Argus " is informed upon trustworthy authority that the heaii of the masses is already being thoroughly stirred on tbiß question.

Spontaneous Explosion of Toitgitbnbd Glass.—ln the " Bohemia," Professor Ricard, of Trchewan, tells the following tale :—" A child's drinking glass was bought one day at Saaz for about seventy kreutzers, and for six months it sustained its character of unbreakable glass. But about nine o'clock one evening in the sixth month it was used in drinking eau sucree, and was then placed, with a silver spoon in it, upon a large oaken table. Suddenly I heard from my room a violent explosion like a" pistol shot, and a metallic sound. I ran in, and saw the whole floor strewn with needles and splinters of glass scattered 'thinly and widely, and not only upon the floor, but the bed, the table, the washstand, the carpet, and the clothes hung up were covered with these shreds. I looked every where for the cause of this explosion, and at last remarked that the child's drinking cup was gone. The empty glass kad exploded—without apparent cause, without the approach of a light, and having a spoon in it — with such extraordinary force that the whole household was frightened. I relate this story, therefore, not only for tho information of chemists and natural philosophers, but also of those families who believe that in this so-called unbreakable glass they possess remarkable and unspoilable playthings or useful household goods, to show them when bucli an explosion occurs it may cause not only fright but mischief." To the foregoing the editor of the " Polytechnichen Notizblatts " adds that such explosions of toughened glass, often without any apparent cause, have been pretty frequent of late, and appear to be on the increase—a circumstance likely to prevent people from using toughened glass until the cause of this evil property has been discovered and removed by a change in the process of manufacture. The explosion is, doubtless, caused by some change in the extreme tension of the fibres of the toughened glass, and it is probable that if the tension were removed the glass would no longer be tough.