NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1660, 16 June 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Miss Amy Shebwin.— Latest San Francisco news states that Miss Amy Shorwin has recovered from a severe illness, and has been engaged by Max Strakosch to sing “Yioletta” in “ La Traviata.”

Resident Maghsteates’ Cottet. —A large number of cases were disposed of at to-day's sitting, but none were of any special interest. Woeks Committee.—A meeting of the works committee of the City Council was held this morniug. The business was of a purely routine character, and the committee will submit their report to the Council at its meeting this evening.

The Fibs in Wellington.—-As the fire that took place in Wellington on Sunday night, was one of the most extensive experienced any where in the colony for a considerable time, and as the direction taken by the lire in relation to the streets affected, was somewhat peculiar, it may bo interesting to those unacquainted with the locality to know the facts. The Imperial Opera House is situated in Manners street, on what is known as Te Aro Flat, close to the beach; the Wesleyan Church—a largo and massive building of wood—stood opposite,- Emeny’s Hotel stood at the corner of Manners and Cuba street, Pirie’s (the draper’s) being on the other corner, so that the fire, in its destructive course, crossed two streets, and then extended up Cuba street on the right hand side till it reached Nag’s Head Hotel, of which a Mr Brown is the proprietor. The most extraordinary part of it, however, as showing the strength of the fire, was the ignition of the Bank of New Zealand from a distance. Tnis was a small but well built brick and stone building, used a branch of the New Zealand bank for the Te Aro district, and was considered to occupy a very safe position. An Unmasked Imposter.—ln a case of larceny in the Resident Magistrates’ Court this morning, in which a man named Richard Smith charged another named South with robbing him of a pair of boots, some circumstances came to light interesting to the charitably disposed. The prosecutor stated that he and the accused were drinking beer together, and the latter seized an opportunity of stealing a pair of boots for which he had just given four shillings at an auction mart, and then laid them on a butcher’s block and forgot them. The prosecutor proceeded to admit that he had some rum in addition to the beer, when Mr R. D. Thomas, who was in the body of the Court, got up and said ho wished to make a statement, as ho could not stand there and hear the prosecutor’s evidence without informing the Court what ho knew of him. On Thursday last ho came to his office in Hereford street, and told him a pitiful tale of distress. He said that he, his wife, and two children were in a starving condition, that he had only just recovered from a long spell of sickness which had exhausted all his little savings, that he was a fortnight in arrears with his rent, and would bo physically unable to work for a couple of week’s more. Mr Thomas also said that up to the application of Smith, he had refused to contribute to the general funds of the working men’s commiUee of the unemployed, but in response to their circular he had expressed his willingness to assist any special deserving case of distress that might bo recommended to him by the committee. The man who was now giving his evidence, and who, by his own admission, was drinking and shouting about the town forty-eight hours after he left his (Mr Thomas’s) office had come to him recommended by the committee. Touched by his story, ho gave £1 in cash and two orders for similar amounts on Mr Lane, the butcher, and Mr Sutherland, the grocer, for meat and groceries which ha thought would have been enough to have kept Smith and his family for two or three weeks until ho was able to work. He was now horrified to find how his bounty had been misapplied, and he (Mr Thomas) did not consider he should bo acting rightl unless ho gave the matter publicity. Mr Mollish expressed his disgust at th( ingrati* tude which had been displayed by th nrosecutor in the case, and as there was mr direct evidence of any felonious intention on the part of the accused, dismissed the case with a severe and well-merited admonition to the prosecutor.

Accident. —A boy wa* thrown from a horse in Durham street about eleven o’clock this morning. He was thrown off before the horse, as it were, and made a plucky attempt to rise and geize the reins, but the horse rushed against him and threw him further into the road. Strange to say, he was not hurt in the slightest, the only injury being to his clothes, which were covered with mud. Ho followed the horse, which had galloped ahead, and did net stop till it arrived at its etableg on the North belt. Revision Court.— Mr E. J. Leo held a Bitting at the City Council Chambers this morning, for the purpose of hearing objections to the electoral roll for the Heathcote and Avon districts. No one appeared to oppose the objections (of which a list has been published), and the objections were accordingly sustained.

Theateioal. —The Darrell Dramatic Company, twenty-two in all, left for Dunedin yesterday by the steamer Ladybird. Stranded Whale. A statement has reached town that a large whale was stranded on the beach at Pawai Bay, Akaroa Heads, on Saturday last. Hinds -Rangitata Railway,— A deputation waited on the Hon. Minister for Public Works on Saturday, with reference to the Hinds-Rangitata railway. After hearing the arguments adduced by the several members of the deputation in favour of the construction of the line, Mr Macandrow promised to consult with the Engineer-in-Chiof on the matter, and communicate the result to the deputation, Escape from Fiee.— Last night, the boarding-house in High street, kept by a man named Prospero, and known as Uncle Tom's Boarding House, had a narrow escape from fire. Constable Harold, who was on duty in High street, observing smoko issuing from the premises, at once knocked and gained admission. It appears that the wife of the proprietor had gone upstairs to put her child to bed, but being called down, laid the cand'e down near the curtains, which became ignited, and the flames caught the ceiling. The fire was extinguished before much mischief was done.

Football. —Notwithstanding the unfavorable state of the weather, the match arranged to take place between the Christchurch and Eastern Football Clubs came off on Cranmer square on Saturday afternoon. As might bo expected, the play was not so good or oven as could bo desired, the extremely slippery and partially inundated state of the ground rendering it impossible for either side to keep a firm footing in the scrimmages, or for any individual player to accomplish anything like a successful run, kick, or dribble. The Christchurch team had the advantage in weights, and this, combined with the slippery n»'»re of the ground, had a material effect throughout the game, the light weights finding it difficult to stand up and hold their own when it came to close quarters. Though some of the scrimmages were well contested, and the Eastern men at times stood their ground pretty successfully, the ball was generally in their quarters, and often dangerously near the goal line. During the match the Christchurch men had three tries, neither of which however resulted in a goal. The Eastern men were unable to score, and the game therefore resulted in favor of Christchurch with three touch-downs to their credit. It is to be hoped that a return match will he played at an early date, when, if the weather should prove favorable, and the ground is in good order doubtless the Eastern men will be able to make a very creditable stand. The match advertised to take place between a second team of the Christchurch Club and the College did not coma off, throe only of the Christchurch displaying zeal enough to brave the elements, and put in an appearance on the College ground. Akaroa Railway.— Mr P. McGrath, of Rangiora, contractor for the Amberley extension, is said to be the successful tenderer for seventeen miles of the formation of the Akaroa line. The amount of his tender was £14,704. North Road. —At present there is a very dangerous scour of the river into the road before arriving at Smith’s Courtenay Hotel. This scour threatens to undermine the roadway and ultimately do serious damage, unless the matter is attended to by the Avon Road Board.

Satuedat’b Raik. —ln spite of the heavy downpour of rain in the northern district on Saturday the rivers were not flooded. The Hurunui, Waipara, and Ashley were discolored, and there was a fair stream in the Waimakariri. The showers were very welcome to those breaking up land for cultivation. Winter Readings. —The first of these entertainments given this season in the Colonists’ Hall, Lyttelton, took place last Friday night. There was a small audience, though a very appreciative one, and the performances received a fair amount of applause. It was stated that the next reading will bo on tho 27th instant.

Seamen's Union. —The usual meeting rf the Canterbury Seamen’s Union was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall at Port on Friday night. There were very few members present, and with the exception of enrolling six new names no business of consequence was disposed of. The Union has close upon a hundred names on its roll of membership. A New Fbaud. —Mr George Attenborough, pawnbroker, of Fleet street and the Strand, has stated before the select committee of the House of Commons on Hall marking, that a new kind? of fraud had recently been discovered in connection with gold watches. He pointed out the case with which the Hall mark on a silver watch could be altered to represent the Hall mark on gold, and produced a watch which had been so altered, and which purported to be of 18 carat gold, but which was in reality nothing but a silver one skilfully gilded. He said it was easy to trace the author of these frauds, but that it generally cost £IOO to £l5O in the employment of special detectives, &c.; and he suggested that the prosecution of such cases ought not to bo left with the pawnbroker, but should bo taken up by the Goldsmiths’ Company or some public prosecutor.

“ H.M.S. Pinaeose.” —More than 150 dress circle seats have been reserved at the Theatre Royal for to-night, when Mr H. Towle’s opera class will, for tho first time, perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “ H.M.S. Pinafore.” This composition is at present being played all over England and America where it has created quite a furore, and throe managers in Australia are contending for the exclusive right of its representation south of the line. With the cost of characters Mr Towle has advertised, a fair idea of the merits of the opera may be anticipated, and the piece will bo rendered more attractive from the adjuncts of new scenery, dress, appointments, and a powerful and wellselected orchestra.

Mr P. W. Norris, the Superintendent of the Yellowstone National Park, on a recent visit to the capital gave a lecture on some of the natural curiosities of the region over which he presides and is engaged in exploring. Among these may be mentioned as the most novel a mountain of obsidian or volcanic glass, and a road made from this material. Near the foot of Beaver Lake the explorers discovered this mountain of glass, which there rises in basalt-like columns and countless huge masses many hundreds of feet high from a hissing hot spring forming the margin of the lake, thus forming a barrier where it was very desirable that a waggon road should be. as the glass barricade sloped for some 800 feet high at an angle of 45deg. to the lake, and its glistening surface was therefore impassable, there being neither Indian nor game track over it. To make the road, huge fires were made against the glass to thoroughly heat and expand it, and then by dashing cold water from the lake against the heated glass suddenly cool the latter, causing large fragments to break from the mass, which were afterwards broken up by sledges and picks (but not without severe lacerations of the hands and faces of the party), into smaller fragments, with which a waggon road one quarter of a mile long was constructed, about midway along the slope, thus making, it is believed, the only road of native glass upon the continent. On reaching the grand Canon of the Gibbon river the explorers found the eastern palisade, for abi«i two miles in length, to consist of vertical pillars, hundreds of feet high, of glistening black, yellow, mottled, or banded obsidian or volcanic glass. This obsidian has been and is still used by the Indians for making arrow heads and other weapons and tools, and the mountain has formed a vast quarry for the making of such instruments or weapons of a quality and quantity unequalled elsewhere. The lecturer gave a graphic description of “ Old Faithful, ” and other geysers of Firehole Basin, and of the Liberty Cap and other geyser cones, resembling in their grotesque forms the monuments of an extinct race. He also exhibited a number of specimens of minerals found in the park, including chalcedony, amethysts, •pals, petrified wood, lave, &c,

Kaiapoi Popular Entertainments.— The first of the series takes place this evening. Entertainment at Lyttelton. Tonight and to-morrow night Barry O’Neil is to appear in the Oddfellows’ Ball in conjunction with Bnrford and Hooper’s Comedy and Burlesque Troupe. City Council. —The usnalweekly meeting of the City Council will be held this evening, when the consideration of the resolution arrived at by the Sydenham Council as to the south town belt will be taken. Popular Amusement Association.—A meeting of the members of this association will be hold at the City Council Chambers to morrow afternoon.