NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1665, 21 June 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sydenham Wesleyan Church. The Rev. J S. Smalley will preach to-moirow morning and evening. The evening subject will be a continuation of the seiieu of special addresses to the people, and entitled, “ The Conversion of St. Paul —A Demonstration of the Divine Origin of Christianity.” Me Tribe’s Retirement—The finance and public works committee met yesterday evening to consider the question of Mr Tribe’s retirement from the position of collector to tho City Council. The determination at which the committee arrived will be submitted in the form of a recommendation to the Council at its next meeting. The Cup that Cheers, &o— I The only business done in the R.M. Court this Doming, was the imposition of pecuiary penalties on three individuals of ante-teetotal principles. Re Cooking.—Miss Fidler is at present lecturing in Nelson, and appears to neet with much sympathy from all sufferow by the present style of ordinary cooking. It is to be trusted, for tho sake of tho Nelsmiane, that her visit there will leave something behind it. In Christchurch, the cooking millenium is as far off as over, Miss Fidler notwithstanding. The Weather.—Further Particulars. —From tho north we hear today, that heavy rain fell throughout last n£ht, and a gale raged furiously throughout <he_ whole of the northern district. All tlv rivers are still flooded, and are expect'd to increase in volume during tho day. The Eyre is very high, and there is a hoa-T fresh in the north bank of tho Waimakiriri, Tho Waipara is still impassable, and rrobably will not bo safe to cross till Monday or Tuesday. Missed the Te/ih.—The Gem Burleque Company were to kave gone to Timaru today, but several members of the company missed tho train, among them being Mr J. P, Hydes, Mr Walter Hydes (pianist), and Miss Jennie Nye, Toe company will not open at Dunedin till Wednesday next. A Typical Frenchman. —Tho French are a curious people. Two army surgeons have just fought a duel in tho Bms do Vincennes. One wounded the other badly, and then fraternally dressed hia opponents wound and helped him to a carriage, Having thus proved his gallantry and humanity, ho went home and committed suicide. District Court. —Tho sitting of the District Court has keen further adjourned till Friday, tho 27th inst. Oddpbllowship.—A meeting of tho Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge of Oddfellows will „ b £ a a’SrtsX* 1 V22 £ Ell

A Nbw Phase in Bankbuftcy. —When creditors in a bankruptcy estate lose all the money that their debtors owe them, they are popularly supposed to hare suffered all that is possible. Such, however, is not always the case, as a recent case in Wellington has shown. A disciple of St. Crispin (says the “ New Zealander”) filed his schedule, and his assets proved mythical, and amounted in fact to nil. Creditors proved to the extent of £2O only, but a trustee was appointed, and all proceedings duly taken as though a thumping dividend was likely to bo declared. The trustee, however, who accepted the responsibility, found not only that he could gather no assets in, but that he had saddled himself with the costs of the bankruptcy, and had to pay the money out of his own pocket, as there was no estate to dip into. These amounted to several pounds, and it became necessary for him to call upon the creditors who had proved, to cash up at the rate of five shillings in the pound on their proved debts. The largest claim was £l2, and the happy man who preferred it not only loses that sum, but has to pay £3 in addition, to enable his debtor to get through the tangled web of the Insolvent Court. The smaller creditors have to subscribe in a similar ratio, and thus a new phase in insolvency is presented to the public and illustrates what may happen to creditors in the colony. Wild Hobsbs in New Zealand. A number of horses are running wild in the 70Mile Bush, which are often captured by the Wairarapa and Napier Maoris, and brought into town- They are described as being smaller than the average size of horses, very hardy, and plucky. An Abtful Doddee. —This is how a constable was “ had ” in a West Coast town lately. The man in blue found it necessary to summon three or four publicans for various breaches of the Licensing Act. One of the defendants was fined £3 9s in all. He swallowed his wrath, made friends with the constable, and borrowed £4 from him. Thereupon ho filed his schedule, and the confiding policeman has discovered, there being no assets in the estate, that he has had the pleasure of paying the fine inflicted on boniface besides a slight margin for drinks. Many such convictions would be ruinous. Gbnebal Gbant at Sydney. —Although Royalty w’U not honour Sydney with its presence at the coming International Exhibition, it seems likely that our Sydney neighbours will have a very respectable substitute in General Grant, the victor in the great struggle between the Federals and and the Confederates, ex-President of the United States, and by many persons looked upon as the coming man in the next Presidential election. Coming also with the prestige of his European tour, he will prove a very fair-sized “lion,” although not so large a one as a Royal Prince. The Sydney “ Echo” remarks that the public are reminded of this by the circular issued from the Foreign Office to the Governors of the colonies, announcing the General’s intention. Great is the reveranco of “ blue blood” amongst certain people in the old country, and the line is to be drawn somewhere in the colonies. There is to be no powder burnt when the General comes. Ho is to have no “ official honours,” but he should receive all

such courtesies as are proper in the case of a distinguished foreigner.” Won’t Jonathan chaw that despatch up when he reads it ? And will not the American Eagle flutter its wings and crow ? The “Echo” opines that Britishers will have some “Yankee Doodle” administered to them for this. A Bulx« in a China Shop. —The Auckland “Star” tells the following story A grim old wan lor chief, described as having four bullet marks on him, the result of skirmishing at Taranaki, volunteered to show Mr Hughes, the popular Cambridge chemist, how the war dance was performed. Anything for sport probably thought Mr Hughes; so, while tying up a prescription, he said “ Wire in old boy.” The old savage seized a feather dust brush, and went to work at the war dance, commencing operations in the centre of the shop. As the Maori artist warmed up, the chemist began to cast anxious eyes at his glass cases, and stock in trade generally, while the quiet repose of the shelves was disturbed by the unseemly jingling of botttes, which danced up and down alternately with the old chief’s muscular movements. The insurance risk not covering the destruction of stock through such an agency as a Maori war dance, the chemist found it necessary to stop the brilliant exhibition of science just as the native had got into the spirit of the dance, and to the old man’s chagrin the war dance was nipped in the bud.

* “Truth” on the Zulu Wab.-—The following novel and amusing origin of the Zulu s war is from “ Truth” : —“ In a row, cherche z ( la femme. Oetewayo loved Arabella, the barmaid of a missionary who sold brandy at hie store. Oetewayo’s intentions were honour- * able and he wished to marry Arabella. Nor > was that maiden loth to exchange the bar for , a savage palace. But Oetewayo’s respected parents objected to the match, and the mis- * sionary was afraid that if he consented to the * marriage his licence to sell liquor would bo i taken away. On coming to the throne, Oete- ■ wayo banished the missionary, and showed 'iffiSself by imeans a frisnd to rum-selling missionaries. ''Sir Bartie Frere, however, favours these gentry. Thus, thanks to Arai bella, and to a missionory wanting to make money by the sale of spirits, wo are landed in in the Zulu war.” Scholarships Examinations.—ln the highest class of scholarships, that is for candidate* under fourteen, Wm. Craddock, of the East Christchurch district, obtained first prize. Ellen Pitcaithley, of Lyttelton, was first amongst the candidates under thirteen. Robert Speight, of Tai Tapu, gained the highest marks in the class limited to pupils under twelve, and John Smith, of West Christchurch, was the first of the candidates under eleven. Normal School Entertainments.—The annual entertainment in connection with the Normal School is fixed this year for the 9th and 10th July. They will take place in the Oddfellows’ Hall, where those taking part in them will have the advantage of scenery, &0., far more than in the drill hall, where they were given previously. The first performance will be an invitation one, when “ She Stoops to Conquer ” will be played. On the second evening, which will be open to the public, “ All that Glitters is not Gold ” will bo given. The manner in which the performances of last year were got up warrants the opinion that they will bo well worth seeing. Suddin Death,—A prisoner named Chas. Brown, who was on Monday last sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for vagrancy, was foimd dead in his bed in Addington gaol yeiteriay morning. An inquest will be held upon the body at two o’clock to-day. St. John’s Entertainment,—Owing to the inclemency of the weather last evening tho entertainment in aid of the choir fund of SA. John’s was postponed until Friday next. Tickets already taken are available for this or any of the entertainments of the series. The Rialto Collision.—Yesterday afternoon the Court of Inquiry finished taking evidence respecting the recent collision between the Lyttelton Harbor Board’s steam barge Sumner and the British barque Rialto. The greater part of the testimony was published yesterday, and that taken yesterday afternoon will be found elsewhere. The decision in the case ha* not yet been made known. A special meeting of the members of the Harbor Board was held yesterday afternoon, at which a committee was appointed to report upon the matter. Benevolent Society.—ln response to am invitation from the Bishop a number of clergymen and laymen met at the College Library yesterday afternoon to consider the best means of coping with the present distress, After a good deal of discussion it was agreed that it was desirable te form a benevolent aid society, and an opinion was expressed that tbo subsidy now paid to the Charitable Aid Boa»d should be handed over as a subsidy to such society when formed, the society to deal with a’J existing cases of distress, so as to obviate the necessity for a second body. A sub-committee ™ aj appointed to confer with ministers and le-fling laymen of other denominations in order u prepare a scheme to be laid before a public n^rng. Eakaia and Ashbueton Eobks Railway,—The greater part of the rA n T B11( j 1 fastenings to bo used in connection w the Rakaia and Ashburton Pork* Railway, >rr i Te( j by the barque Oakhurst, specially char by the New Zealand Shipping Company , n account of Messrs J. and A. Anderson, of toL * Canterbury Foundry, who are the contractors 1 for the work in question. The barque was chartered for the conveyance of the rails from Workington, where they were manufactured. The arrival of this shipment will greatly facilitate the prosecution of the contract, the only hindrance now being the want ‘ of a locomotive. That want will scion be re- < lioved, as two locomotives left New York for the firm by the barque Mabel, which is now about due. \

Banoiora Young Men's Christian As* sociation. —The next lecture in aid of this association will be given by Bor. J- Elmslie, on “ The Warfare of Science and Religion,” en Thursday, instead of on July Ist as intended. The Baldwins. —Professor S. S. and Mrs Clara Baldwin, who have been so successful in the South in their mysterious entertainment, open a short season this evening at the Theatre Royal. The programme t« be submitted comprises a number of items which are wonderfully clever, particularly Mrs Baldwin’s clairvoyant seance. In Dunedin the Baldwin a ason was a very successful one, and they are also spoken of iu the highest terms by the American and Australian papers.