NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2113, 1 December 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lyttbltok Natal Brigade. — A meeting of this corps was held last evening in the Lyttelton Colonists’ Hall. Six new members were enrolled, and the proposed rules, similar to those used by the Wellington Naval Brigade, were read, and will be brought up for adoption at the next meeting. The following were appointed " committee of management: —Messrs Dransaeld, Piemont, Teague, MeLellan, Kingsford, Carpenter, Hanson, Bouse, Wilson.

Thb Matauea —The New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited, have received cable adviee from London of the arrival of their barque Mataura, all well, from the Bluff, prior to the 29th November. Inquest at the Hospital.— An inquest was held at 11 o’clock this morning, before Dr. Coward, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr 8. Stoddard was foreman, as to the death of Thomas Puller, whose body was found in the river on Thursday morning. The evidence did not disclose anything new, except that of Mr W. Boss, who stated that deceased had been in hie employ for some weeks, and had lately taken to drinking. The evidence of the House Surgeon went to show that the man was delirious on the night of the fatal occurrence. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that—“ On Monday, the 29th day of November, the said Thomas Puller, being a patient in the Christchurch Hospital, and not in a sound mind, threw himself into the Biver Avon at the bottom of the garden of the said Hospital, and was thereby drowned ; the jury further desiring to say, by way of rider, that they are of opinion that the Hospital authorities did not exercise sufficient caution in securing the said Thos. Fuller.” Thb Wood Twine Eindbb. Messrs Wood, Shand and Co., the New Zealand agents of the above, are in receipt of a telegram from Mr Blake, of, Melbourne, to the effect that Wood’s twine binder took the special prize at the Melbourne Exhibition, and first prize of the National Society, five machines competing. _ Resident Magistrate’s Court.— All the civil oases set down for hearing in thio Court to-day were postponed for a week, owing to the absence of the magistrate who was to preside, Mr Nugent Wood, who has been called away on account of a sudden death in his family.

To Whom it May Concern. —The following is from a contemporary :—A Dartmouth sophomore called on a “medio” the other day to ask his advice about a bad eye from which he was suffering. The “ medio ’ examined it, and predicted that he would lose it, but wrote a prescription for it. At this point the sophomore rolled out his glass eye, and the scene closed.

Faie Plat is a Jewel. —As our readers are aware, Cole’s Mammoth Circus is to be erected on Kivors' paddock, Manchester street South. We have been informed that a lessee of a well-known hotel in the neighborhood of the theatre has applied to the Commissioner of Police for a transfer of license to a booth he proposes to erect in the immediate vicinity of the circus. Seeing that the hotels in Manchester street have spent a certain sum in renting the paddock for circus purposes, and that the lessee in question has, nearly all the year round, the advantage of the theatre and other places of entertainment in Gloucester street and vicinity, we must say that his action in this matter seems most unfair, and we trust that the Licensing Commissioners will see it in the same light. Yital Statistics. —The following is a return of the births, marriages and deaths for Christchurch and district for the month of November :—Births, 179 ; marriages, 39 • deaths, 50, During the corresponding month last year, the numbers were :—Births, 164 j marriages, 33; deaths, 38.

West Coast Railway. —Messrs Brown and Thornton left Christchurch for Greymouth on Monday last to make the dying survey, preparatory to the construction of the railway from its extension beyond Amberley to the West Coast. Arrangements were made to have pack and saddle horses in waiting at the Waiau, and it is expected that the party will be absent from Christchurch about' six weeks. " ■ ■ > n n; • ;

Malvern Water Race. — Yesterday, in accordance with a resolution passed the recent meeting of the Selwyn County Council, several of the members of that body left town by the morning express to inspect the .progress made with the works at the race. The main race is brought from the River Kowai to Waddington, from whence it branches in two directions—viz , to Kirweo on the one hand, and to Dariield on the other. As the plan hitherto pursued of putting in concrete falls was found to be rather costly, it was determined to try a cheaper method by substituting timber for concrete—the cost of which is estimated at about £IOO a mile. With a view of testing this a trial mile has been constructed, in which there are eighty-four 6in falls. The water was let into this portion in the presence of the representatives of the Council, and the trial being considered in every way satisfactory, timber falls will be used in the branch races already mentioned. The work is expected to be completed in about throe months from date. The average fall of the country in these localities is about 35ft to the mile.

A Phenomenon. —A special correspondent of the “ Waikato Mail,” recording the wonders of Te Aroha, says :—“ Not above ten feet from where the gratuitous soda water offers itself is an opening in which is seen water of a deep black colour that rises and falls with the tide, although the sea is thirty miles distant. It sinks about three feet, and at high tide overflows the edges. Whether its depth had ever been tested our informant does not know. The stench attached to it is simply abominable ; and as an illustration of how bad it is, our informant said that it was even a degree worse than that evolved from the end of the Queen street wharf, Auckland, at its highest perfection.” Kelly Intimidation. —According to the Ballarat “ Star,” “Mr David Mortimer, brother-in-law of Mr Ournow, and one of the captives at Jones’s Glenrowan Hotel, prior to the destruction of the Kelly gang, has been compelled by prudential reasons to leave Glenrowan and take up his residence in Ballarat, where he now is. The sympathisers with the outlaws made constant threats, of which he became informed, of shooting him and burning his mother out of her selection. It will be remembered that Mortimer furnished the music on a concertina to which the outlaws danced on the night prior to the affray.” Lower Hbathcotr Raobs. —The name of Orange Peel (7et) was omitted from the published weights for the Lower Heathcote Cup. Wo are also informed that Levant was not nominated for the District Hurdle Race. Theatre Royal. —“ Oushla Machree” was repeated last night at the Theatre Royal. To-night, Mr Riggs will take his benefit, when a most attractive bill will be presented, comprising “ The Yankee Farmer” and “ Back from the Zulus.” Mr Riggs is an actor of high talent, and deserves the support of playgoers. It is to be hoped that there will be a bumper house on the occasion. CONOBRT AT THE ODDFELLOWS’ HALL.—A concert in aid of the prize fund of the East Christchurch School was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall last evening, and proved highly successful as to the attendance as well as the performance. A capital programme had been arranged, under the able conduct of Mr Laudergan, a number of lady and gentlemen amateurs well known in musical circles giving their services, and the result was a treat not often surpassed by entertainments of the kind. The Railway Rand lent their aid, and were of material assistance in making the concert successful. The proceeds of the entertainment should form a substantial addition to the prize fund. Masonic. —At a convocation of the Canterbury Kilwinning Royal Arch Chapter, No. 136, held last night, M.E. Comp. 8. P. Craig, P.Z., was presented with a very handsome P.Z. jewel, manufactured by Comp. Sandstein, as a mark of the esteem in which he is held by the Companions of the Chapter. The presentation was made by M.E.Z. Comp. Smith, who spoke in terms of high eulogium of the many qualities possessed by P.Z. Craig and the hearty good wishes of the Chapter for his future welfare. P.Z. Craig responded in a few well-chosen words. This evening the officers elect of the Robert Burns Lodge, 604 S.C., will be installed by Bro. the Rev. James Hill. Oxford Cement. —Messrs Lambert, architect, and Walkden, city surveyor, have reported upon a trial of two dozen 1 Jin. cubes of the cement made from Oxford chalk, and tests of the same in comparison with the imported cement. The first teat was by weight, the next with water mixed eight days, and the last in resisting pressure. While the locally made cement did not set so quickly as that imported, they report very favorably upon it. They could not look on the tests as a fair trial owing to the small quantities used, while no doubt the English cement had the advantage in being carefully made in proper pronortions and in appliances specially adapted for its manufacture. They had no doubt, however, that the Oxford cement could bo made in such a way as to take its proper place as a material for building as well as other purposes for which cement is largely used.

A Relic. —Another relic of the Spanish Armada has been recently secured at Slains by the efforts of Mr David Ritchie and the salmon fishermen. It is a large gun raised up out of the place where one of the ships be'onging to the Armada was wrecked, and, strange to say, though it has been in the place for upwards of 290 years, yet it seems as good as ever. The length of the gun is Bft., the diameter at the touch-hole 13in., and the diameter of the bore at muzzle 4in. It appears to be loaded, partly with nails. One of these is in a complete state, well made, and arrow-shaped. A slight rubbing with a piece of cloth make it shine, which leads to the supposition that it is made of hammered iron. Several guns from the same place have been raised and presented to the Queen, and another is in the possession of Lord Abercorn. Illegal Marriage. —A laborer residing at a village in Durham had an ailing wife. Going home one morning from work he said—“ Noo, Meg. is thoo ony better the day?” Meg—- “ Noa, lad, aa divvent think aa is. Aa believe aa’a gannin te dee.” Tom—“ Wey, aa’e sure it’ll be a pity if thoo dees, and leeves me wiv them two kids.” Meg—“ Wad thoo marry agyen, Tom, if aa wes away ?” Tom—“ Wey, aa divvent knao. Mebbe aa wad if aa gat a chance. But wad thoo marry agyen, Mag, if aa deed ?” Meg—“ Wey, aye! Aa’s sure aa wad. Who wad thoo like to see me marry, Tom —“ Aa divvent care whe ; thoo can marry the devil if thoo likes !” Meg— 11 Noa, Tom, thoo knaa’s its not law to marry yor deed man’s brother.” —“ Newcastle Chronicle.” A Useful Apparatus. — A Dresden lawyer, named Senkiroh, is reported to have solved the very difficult problem of inventing a “ control apparatus,” as he calls it, which will make it impossible for cabdrivers to cheat their employers. The apparatus was recently fixed to a numbar of Dresden droschken, which were driven all day about the streets, and returned home at night with a most exact register of the business done during the day. The apparatus is said to record how many single “ fares,’’and how many double or more “fares ” have used the cab, how far they have travelled, what hour and minute of the day and night each person has entered or loft the cab, whether each person or party has hired the cab “ by tour or by time,” and how long and at what period of the day the cab has stood empty. Madame Lotti Wilmot — A lecture will be delivered at the Colonists’ Hall, Lyttelton, on Friday next, by Madame Lotti Wilmct on the subject of “ Forbidden Fruit.” Harmonic Society. —The first concert of the season by the above society will take place at St. John’s Schoolroom this evening, when Mendelssohn’s oratorio of “St. Paul” will be performed. Mr Landergan will conduct, and the solos will bo taken by the Misses Rowley and Messrs Izard, Nicboils, and Euncie.

“ She (whispering) “ Hush! Take it, darling! Your own heart will teach you to find out its use.” He—“ Kind, thoughtful girl! Any dainty is welcome in camp, and She—“ Not a word ; papa is waking. Good by.” And she was gone. And when he found she had given him a oat in the basket, he waxed wroth, for, alas ! his heart did not teach him that when in camp ho should hide a billet under'its collar and let it loose, whereupon Tom would make his way straight back to bis mistress—all as they do in Holland, where the oat if the lovers’ poutman.