NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2142, 6 January 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

R.M. Court.— There were no cases on the police charge sheet this morning. The Shooting Case. —Oa the application of Mr Holmes, the case Regina v Gibson, wilful murder, was postponed in the Supreme Court for one week, to allow time for the preparation of the defence. A Seamen’s Stbikb. —A manifesto, addressed to seafaring men and posted on ono of the telegraph posts close to the Lyttelton Custom House, attracted some attention this morning. The purport of the document appeared to be to urge seamen not to ship under £lO per month for wages. West Coast Railway. — A deputation, introduced by Mr Robert Wilkin, waited on the Premier to-day, at noon, to urge upon him the necessity of the Government assisting in some way the promoters of the railway to the West Coast by the route reported upon by Messrs Thornton and Browne. Ex-Judge Weston, Messrs Weekes, Pavitt, Wilkin, Thornton, and Browne addressed the Premier on the subject, and he promised to lay the matter before the Cabinet and give an early answer.

Intebebtino. —The “ Inangahua Herald ” understands that a writ for £2OOO, for breach of promise, has been served on Mr J. B. Fisher, M.H.R. for the Buffer.

The Chatham Island Mubdee. —The trial of Wiremu Wharepa for the murder of his wife was commerced yesterday morning. The prisoner, a fine looking, shrewd, intelligent fellow, cross examined through the interpreter the various witnesses for the Crown. A question of law arose as to the admissability of the statement made to a Mr Sband in the lock-up at Waitangi in answer to a question from him whilst there as a coroner's juryman, as follows : —“ Why are you hero ?” The statement made by the prisoner was to the effect that he had quarrelled with his wife on the ground of unfaithfulness, and had told her to go away in peace end to her own people ; that he had offered some bales of wool for her own use, and told her that if she persisted in returning into the house he would kill her ; that she had so returned, and be had struck her with a pair of tongs and killed her. After lengthened consideration by his Honor as to the admissability of the evidence, it was decided by the Court to admit it, which was done. The prisoner made no statement, and the jury, after considering their verdict for about an hour, returned a verdict of “ Guilty,” and his Honor sentenced the prisoner to death in the usual form. Nobth Canterbury Race Committee.— A meeting of the committee was held at Roberts’ Junction Hotel, on Tuesday evening, to settle up for these races. The stakes were paid in all races except the Cup event, which involved matters that must form the subject of fuller investigation. The meeting is said to have been a somewhat stormy one, upon the result of the handicaps made for the Cup race. Both the owner of Farewell and of Randwick claim tbe stakes. - Cricket. —A match between the U. 0.0. and the Ellesmere Club was played on Mr Graham’s ground, Southbridge, and resulted in an easy win for the visiting team by an innings and six runs. The Ellesmere men had a very weak team, several of their best men being unable to attend through the harvesting. Messrs J. R. Campbell, L. Lee and Andrews played well for the home team ; Hanland, Ootterill and Castelli doing all the scoring for the U. 0.0. The scores were— Ellesmere first innings, 49; second, 62 U.C O. first innings, 117.

Acknowledgment. —The honso steward of the Christchurch Hospital begs to acknowledge the receipt with thanks of a quantity of small fruit for the patients from some ladies of Christchurch.

Boat Eace. —The challenge for a race on the Elver Avon leaned by the barmen of Christchurch having been accepted by the waiters, and -£ I staked, the former have deposited with the stakeholders £ 5, with the option of making it £ tCI or .£2O for the race. The stake, either of .£lO, or .£2O, to be covered with the stakeholder by 8 p.in. this evening. The race to take place a fortnight from date. Cricket. —The following will represent the St. Albans C.C. in their match with the Press G C. on Saturday next at 2p.m., on the ground of the latter—Messrs J. Nelson, P. Philpott, F. Kenunrd, W. Henly, W. Pee, J. ilgglestone, If. Green, T. Dnnmill, W. H. Eix, J. Cusack, F. Haddrell. _ Emergencies—C. Ford, J. Hirst. —The following will represent the Bohemian 0 C in their match with the Wool-ton C. 0., on the ground of the latter on Saturday—Messrs Free (captain), Eitchie, Fisher, Jones, Banmber, Mountfort, Balfour, Shoard, Preece, Peacock, Pogb. Jackson. — >ho following will play for the O.C.C. against the Woolstoa G-C. on the Bth and 'othinst.—Messrs Anson, Caygill, Fisher, Forsyth, Hepburn, Laurence, Marshall, Scott, Turner, Wagstaff, Washer,

Thh Telegraph Department. —ln an article on the reorganisation of the Telegraph D apartment the “ Hawke’s Bay Herald” aaya: —“ To our thinking the department will never bo improved until it is thoroughly reorganised, and conducted on a totally different system. The present plan may be briefly summarised as a combination of extreme parsimony, gross extravagance, favoritism, and terrorism. There are ways in which large sums of money are now annually wasted, both in tno construction and transmitting departments, while the mass of the operators ore miserably nnder-paid. Telegraphy is a beautiful invention of science, but to use it properly requires long training and close application on the part of the operators. In New Zealand, however, the rule seems to be—first, to discourage the entrance of intelligent, educated youths into the department by the miserably poor salaries paid to the rank and file of the operators ; and second, if a good man should by accident bo obtained, to drive him out by mere chocso-paring, class espionage, and bullying, and to replace him by a raw youth. We are rapidly losing all our best operators, and until there is a radical change in the management of the department the exodus will continue. Everything is now done to destroy the interest of the operators in their work. They see no chance of fair promotion though they stay in the service till their hair grows grey, and it is not surprising that the result is mutilated messages and general inefiicionoy.” The South Ska Outbages.—The following letter appears in the Melbourne “ Argus”! “ Sir, —This latest news from the South Seas is so serious that it will doubtless excite more interest in the public mind than any of the numerous outrages that have lately occurred. Is it not well that wo should consider the cause of this much more than ordinary hostile aspect of the Western Pacific natives ? I have myself visited the Solomon Islands within the last few months, and have been ashore at nearly every place of importance in the Floridcs. I have also quite lately landed, together with Bishop Selwyn, upon the larger islands of the Solomon Group. There is but one opinion amongst all who have visited this part of the world as to the present state of the native mind in regard to the white man’s power. It was plainly expressed in the account yon published a short time ago of Captain Ferguson’s murder, and I myself have heard it often expressed. It is briefly this—that the white men are, to use a sandalwood English expression, ‘ all same woman,’ and that, although we often talk about men-of-war, we evidently have not got any, or the murders that are so continually taking place would be avenged. Now the natives in thus reasoning are, after all, only doing what is very natural. Thsy practically never see a war vessel. Several of the Florida Islands are visited frequently by traders and labor vessels, and yet a man-of-war is to many pf these tribes something they may have heard of often, but have never seen. At last, then, after regarding this talked-of wonder all their lives with supremo awe—for the traders do not fail to describe, as they best can, the terror of the British Navy—down comes H.M. schooner Sandfly, of 75 tons burden, and looking only half as large as an ordinary trading vessel. Can we wonder at the naturally hostile feeling of the natives getting the better of them ? Their argument doubtless is, “ This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the sovereignty of the seas shall be ours!’ I admit that the socalled ‘Exeter Hall ’feeling is very strong with a certain section of the authorities in these matters, but I know that it is really a mistaken policy, for the only lesson these people will understand is the lesson that superior force can teach. Had our men-of-war been even moderately active in their island cruises, had they merely hovered about now and again in the neighbourhood of those places, their presence would have been known everywhere, and their power felt. As it is, only a severe chastisement and considerable taking of life can now possibly bring those people to reason, or teach them what they might long since, without any bloodshed, have known —namely, that England can protect her subjects everywhere, and even in the Western Pacific can, if she wishes it, be sovereign of the seas.— Yours, &c., Waltbb Oootb. Australian Club, November 30th." Shocking Case oj Hydbophobia. —One of the most fearful cases of hydrophobia known amongst the faculty terminated fatally at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, on Saturday, 2nd October. It appears that at the latter end of July Mr James George Taylor, aged forty-three, a law stationer, residing at Southampton Villas, Aldham road, Wandsworth, went out for a walk with his dog. Mr Taylor changed his mind as regards taking the dog with him, and ordered it to go home, saying, " Back, go back.” The animal, instead of going away, snapped viciously at its master, and bit him rather severely. As the dog was a quiet animal, Mr Taylor took no notice of the occurrence, and the wound healed, but five days afterwards the dog died with strong symptoms of hydrophobia. The fact had such an effect on Mr Taylor that he fell into a very nervous, depressed state, in which frame of mind he remained until the 30th of list month, when he grew worse, and was ultimately admitted into Bt, Thomas’ Hospital. He was there attended to by Drs. Jones, McCormack, Pitt and other gentlemen, but, notwithstanding the care and attention he received, the patients of the same ward were at five o’clock on Saturday morning awakened by hearing fearful noises, similar to those of a dog barking. The nurses then discovered Mr Taylor foaming at the mouth, and barking and struggling in a fearful manner. Mr Lnnn and Mr Ballana, house surgeons, were immediately summoned, but, after a scene of the most terrible nature, the patient died in great agony. Aet.—A Sydney paper says :—The watercolor paintings of Mr W. H. Saworth, which were exhibited in the Garden Palace, will bo remembered by many of the visitors to the Bxhibition-as among the most pleasing of the colonial works of art in water-color. That artist has recently finished two new paintings of New Zealand subjects, which will bo considered as surpassing in excellence hie former productions. They are both landscapes, one being “ The Village of Geraldine,” and the other “ The Old Mill.” The former is situated on the Waihi River, Canterbury, and the picture of the most striking feature is the admirable management of the sunlight, which is concentrated in the middle distance. “ The Old Mill ” is situated on the River Avon, Canterbury, and it is another example of the beautiful effects in light and shade which are producable by the accurate limning of colonial scenery. In this picture, which appears somewhat the best of the two, some fine specimens of Native shrubs and trees are presented with almost life-like reality. The two paintings will form a worthy addition to the works of colonial artists. The Habeas Oobpus Act. —An American contemporary, writing of the state of affairs in Ireland, says :—“ The serious measure advocated by the “ Timep ” was last put in force in 1871. The Habeas Corpus Act was suspended in a district in Ireland, and power was granted to the Lord-Lieutenant to issue his warrant “ for the arrest and detention, without trial, of any person whom he had reason to suspect of belonging to the Ribbon Society.” The effect of that Act was magical. The district named in it became as quiet as any part of Ireland. The Act expired in 1873, but its effects continued down to a late period. The long line of secret societies covered by it extended over a period of a hundred years. Towards the end of the last century the “ Houghers,”so called from their system of proceeding by houghing cattle, extended their operations to the ham-stringing of British soldiers, by stealing behind them and severing the tendon Achilles with a heavy butcher’s knife. They were followed by the “ Terry Alts,” “ Whitoboys,” and “ Lady Clares,” and these by the Ribbonmen and Molly Maguires, the latter society changing ito locality from Roscommon to America about twenty years ago. The Ribbon Society continued to flourish in Westmeath, Meath, and King’s County until the law made a vigorous crusade against it.”

Native Troubles.—The Wairoa correspondent of the Napier “ Daily Telegraph ” eaya .—There is an uneasy feeling gaining ground amongst the few loyal Natives in this district at the rapid manner in which Te Kooti’s new religion is spreading. Peace and goodwill to all men, and especially to women, aro said to be the leading features in this new form of worship. This is supposed to be merely superficial. There is something underneath that may mean a repetition of what has been done at Poverty Bay and MoVako. In these days of retrenchment it must not be forgotten that it was by reducing the Chatham Island guard to half-a-dozen men that the prisoners were able to escape. The A.G. in this district number about ten strong, and burring these ton rifles and a few shot-guns, there is not another firearm in the place.

Incapable on a Train.—On Wednesday Alfred Parker was fined from the Euapoi Bench by Mr Beiwick, 8.M., 40s, or in default four days’ imprisonment, for being incapable in a train. Accused had heen given in custody at Kaiapoi by the traffic manager. The guard stated that accused fell oB one of the carriages at the Styx. A.O.F.—Court Thistle of the Forest held their quarterly summoned meeting at St. Saviour's School, Sydenham, on Tuesday. There was a large attendance of members, when the following officers wore duly elected for the ensuing, term: —0.8., Bro. Williamson ; 5.0. R., Bro. Gunn; treasurer, Bro. Rico; secretary, Bro, Lure; A.S., Bro. Smith ; J.W., Bro. Haig ; 5.8., Bro. Tacon ; J. 8., Bro, Jack ; medical officer, Dr. Irvine ; Press reporter, Bra, Lask. Four members wore duly initiated into the Court. The receipts of the evening wore £26 6s 9d Street Obstructions, —Some months ago wo called the attention of the police to a nuisance that existed in Gloucester street, in the shape of a number of low characters who frequent the sidewalks, to the manifest inconvenience of the public. At the time an effort was made, and some of the causes removed, but now that they are again at large it bids fair to bo worse than ever. It "would be well, if another example were mode of at least seme of those who have no respect for either themselves or others.

Hbathootb Swimming Races.-— These races came off at Woolston on the morning of December 27th. The first event, a Handicap Swimming Race, distance 200 yards, produced a splendid contest between C. D. Shirreffl (scratch), Oookslcy (15yds), and J.W. Davis (scratch), the three named being within two feet of each other at tho finish, which was in tho order given ; 0. Morris (20yds) also started. A Boys’ Handicap, distance 100 yards, was won by MoHarg (10yds), who swam in really good style. Messrs, A. Dunbar and F. Pavitt were the handieappers. Ktangelioal Alliance Meetings. —The meeting last night was held in tho Baptist Church, Oxford terrace, and was very largely attended, the church being well filled. The Rev. O. Dallaston presided, and tho Rev. W. H. Horner, of Papanui, gavo the address, the subject ot which was “ Prayer for the Church of Christ.” Several ministers and others took part in the service. This evening the meeting will be held in the Wesleyan Church, Durham street, and the address will be delivered by the Rev. S. Slooombe.

Theatre Royal. —Professor and Madame Haeelmayer gave a change of programme last night at the Theatre Royal. The principal item on the programme was the spark illumination through colored tubes, which had a very pretty effect. The various illusions were well executed, receiving duo appreciation at the hands of the audience. On Saturday a matinee performance will be given. Masonic. —There was a very large gathering of the craft last night at the Canterbury Masonic Hall, on the occasion of the installation of the W.M. elect and officers of the St. Augustine Lodge 609, E.O. The ceremony was performed by the R.W. Dep. District G.M. Bro. H. Thomson, assisted by Bro. PM. W. Dcamor. The following officers wore installed for the ensuing year, viz. : Bro. O.P. Hulbert, W.M.; Hobday, 1.P.M.; G. Douglas, S.W.; 0. B. Taylor, J.W.; Chaplin, Bro. Bov. Herbert East; F. J. Smith, P.M., treasurer ; Keith Wilson, secretary ; T. W. Stringer, S.D. ; S. Papprill, J.D,; J. Smith, P.M., director of ceremonies; 0. D. Morris, I.G. j and Toms, tyler. After the close of the ceremony the brethren adjourned to the St. Augustine Hall, where a very excellent spread was provided by Bro. Messenger. The usual loyal and Masonic toasts were given, and most heartily responded to. Aquatic. —On Saturdayl afternoon next, the Junior Pair-oared races, in connection with the Union Rowing Club, for prizes presented by the committee of the club are to be rowed. The following are the crews that take part:—First heat—T. A. Button, Q. A. Ataok vF. Fuller, E. H. Woiedgo. Second heat —R. Blanchard, W. A. Stycbe v J. R. Johnstone. J. Shackleton. Third heat—C. Bowley, H. Duncan r Q. Wright, J. Thomson. Railway Band. —The following is the programme to be performed by this band in Cathedral square this evening : Quick March, “ Fight for the Standard,” Round; Fantasia, “ Lucia,” Donizetti; Lancers, “ Fantastical,” H. Round; Quick March, “ Avelin,” J'. Dodworth ; Contest "False, “Fairy Revels,” H. Round; Fantasia, “Storm and Sunshine,” H. Round ; Polka {cornet solo), “ The Rattler,” H. Round; Valse (by request), " True Love,” H. Bound ; Schottische, “Fida,” E. Marie; Galop, “ Czarewitch,” J. A. Gifford; “ Mational Anthem.