NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2169, 7 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Fibb at Sydenham.—A fire broke out about five o’clock this morning in a fourroomed house between Fifth street and Queen street, Sydenham, belonging to Mr John Goad. The house, which was timber built, was entirely destroyed. No clue can be obtained as to the cause of fire, the house being an empty one, the late tenants having left it only on Saturday last. It was built about three years ago at a cost of £2BO, and was insured in the Sun office for the sum of £IOO. There was a mortgage of £SO on the property. A few of the railway and Christchurch brigade men were present, but their efforts to save the building were useless. Fortunately it was detached, and no other properties suffered. Lyttelton Maqisxbatb’s Cottet.—Elizabeth Arthur was charged with using obscene language on the Jackson’s road to M. Waters. The complainant said that defendant, who is addicted to drink, made a practice of accosting him on his way home and using filthy language towards him. He had complained to the police on many occasions of her conduct. Another witness stated that the defendant was a nuisance to the neighborhood, and was habitually startling the residents in her part of the town with public declamation, consisting of opprobious epithets and the most horrible profanity. It was evident, from the woman’s attitude in Court, that she was only slightly sober, and that she expected to get off by paying a fine for her misconduct, which she could readily do. Under the circumstances, the imposition of the fine was left in abeyance by the Magistrate, and the defendant remanded into custody for twentyfour hours.

Owneb Wanted.—The police want an owner for a pair of quite now tweed trousers, which were sold on Friday last under suspicious circumstances, the vendor of which is in custody on other charges. The inference is that the goods in question have been stolen from a clothing establishment. The Dbtjids. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Misletoe Lodge, No. 96, was held on Thursday, at their Hall, Oxford terrace East. Bro. D. S. Sutherland, P.A., presided. There was one member initiated, and after transacting a considerable amount of business the lodge was closed in due form at 11 p.m. New Zealand Biexh Association—The secretary of the association at Wellington has issued a circular stating that the Union Company have agreed to convey members of the association from all ports at which their steamers call to Nelson and back at single fares. Each competitor must produce to the company’s agent the usual certificate showing that ho is a member of the association, and is proceeding to Nelson to take part in the competition. As all the tents used at the camp last year were required for service in the North Island, the secretary intimates that it is desirable that teams should bring their own tents if possible. Runaway.—On Saturday morning one of the employes of Mr H. B. Lane, butcher, was driving a horse along the Stanmore road when the animal suddenly commenced kicking, and smashed in the front of the cart. The driver did his best to keep the trap in the middle cf the roadway, but on reaching Barbadoes street corner he was violently pitched from the cart. The horse then turned into Hereford street, and on reaching the auction mart of Messrs O. B. Taylor and 00., near the Bank of New Zealand, came into collision with a horse and trap belonging to Mr Watson, of the Lincoln road, the cart shafts running into the chest of Mr Watson’s horse, and causing its death. The horse is said to have been a valuable one, and is the second that Mr Watson has lost from a similar cause during the past twelvemonths. Ambbioa and the Fijis.—A telegram from New York, dated the Ist inst., appeared in the London papers on December 2nd, stating that it had been decided by the Washington Government that the first vessel of the United States Government visiting the Fiji Islands should obtain redress for the recent murder of an American citizen by the natives. The telegram goes on to make the extraordinary assertion that “ diplomatic correspondeneo shows that Great Britain does not claim authority there except so far as to protect her own subjects.” Of course there is some muddle over this affair, and another group of islands than Fiji is probably referred to.

Thk Pbesidentiai. Election. —The latest return of the number of votes cast for the candidates at the late presidential election reveals the somewhat startling fact that General Garfield has been elected by a minority of the electors. 9,192.945 persons voted, and only 4,439,719 were Republicans. Of the 4,753,226 who did not vote for General Garfield, 4 436,060 voted for General Hancock, 305,729 were “ Greenbackers,” 9644 prohibitionists, and 1793 voted the temperance ticket. In the Electoral College the Republicans have 214 votes, and the Democrats 155 ; but in the plebiscite the Republican majority over General Hancock is only 3659, out of a total vote of over eight million votes. If the French electoral law prevailed in the States a second ballot would have had to be taken, and as most of the Greenback votes would have been added to the Democratic poll, General Hancock, and not Genera Garfield, would probably have been the successor of President Hayes. These figures justify the assertion of the “ New York Herald" that the Democrats would hare carried the Union but for the treachery o Kelly, the « boss " of New York.

A Bbavb ACTlON. — Particular* have been received of the death of Lieutenant Holland, of the Minotaur, who was drowned in earing the life of a sailor. It appears that during a 1 gale on the 25th ult., white the sea was running tremendously high, the ships rolling thirty degrees each way, and it wo* almost impossible to lower a boat, a man fell overboard. The engines were stopped, and Lieutenant Heyland jumped overboard with a line and swam to the man’s assistance. He succeeded in reaching him, in making the line fast to him, and the man was hauled on board and saved, but Lieutenant Heyland, exhausted by hie efforts, sank close to the ship within a foot or two of a ladder which had been lowered over the side. Mr Heyland was in hi* twenty-ninth year, and entered the service as a naval cadet in 1864. Japanese Aet. —lt is said that the Japanese were practically acquainted with the art of luminous painting nine centuries ago, thus anticipating the inventor of the supposed now phosphoreccent paint. A Japanese cyclopaedia cites an account of a wonderful picture of an ox which left the frame to graze during the day and returned at night. This picture came into the possession of an emperor of the Sung dynasty (A D. 967 998), who sought an explanation, which none of his courtiers could give. At length a Buddhist priest showed that a certain nauseous substance obtained from oysters, when ground into color material, rendered the pictures painted with the latter luminous at night and invisible through the day. The figure of the ox was painted with this phosphorescent pigment, and becoming invisible by day, the superstition arose that the animal had gone out to graze. Q-beman Winks. —There is a general impression (writes a London correspondent) that though Spanish wines are gouty, and French wines are doctored, those of Germany are pure. Thi* pleasant belief will be dispelled by the trial of the Durbaohers of Baden. These wine merchants have been in the habit of selling yearly wine equal in quantity—but let us hope not in quality—to a thirtieth part of the product of the whole Duchy. This peculiar vintage wa* produced by pouring water and spirit upon raisins, letting it stand, then clearing it, and finally mixing it with a little natural wine. When red wines were ordered, some “ mountain port ” —so called because it is of “no valley”—was added to give it color; if a darker tint was demanded, they used black elder berries. In five month* this enterprising firm purchased enough spirits of wine to furnish their customers with 600,000 gallons of this filth, and enough tartaric acid for 500,000 gallons. It seems to have had all the attractions of temperance champagne with deleteriousness added. The German beaks, not being English county magistrates, have fined and imprisoned the scoundrels. Canterbury Building Society.— The annual general meeting of the members of the above will be held to-morrow evening, at the office, Hereford stra-.t, to receive the balancesheet and report, and to elect directors.

F. B. Hall, one of the original ’49 era in California, when the rush to the gold-mines took place, died in Hoboken last month, at the age of 75. Two heavy laden broad-wheeled timber wagons on the road to Ballarat stopped in front of a hut to give the teamsters a chance of a friendly talk with a man named Brunon. After they had started on it was found that the wheels had gone over a little three-year-old child of Brunen’s, completely crushing it. A Jew and Jewess named Golda Yenkelevitoh and Mary Hirchman, charged with decoying Russian girls to Constantinople and selling them there to traders, were recently sentenced, the man to eight years’ exile, with bard labor, to Siberia, and the woman to eight months’ imprisonment. There has been a deal of bother about the 100-ton guns which are to be sent out to Malta to defend the entrance to the harbor. The vessel which takes them out cannot lie along the forts, so the guns will have to be transferred from her hold to a barge and thence to their position. Unluckily, there is no barge at Malta up to the task, so one will have to bo sent out from Woolwich expressly for the purpose. Of course she will have to be considerably altered, and it is proposed to have her towed all the way when the first gun goes out. Mr J. L. Toole has issued an announcement which indicates confidence in an everlasting run for “The Upper Crust.” Says the popular comedian, “As a little occasional change is as essential to the artist as it is welcome to the public, he will from time to time produce new pieces to precede and supplement his most successful piece de resistance with all requisite care and completeness. Mr Toole trusts this arrangement will meet with the approval of his friends and patrons, and that on seeing “The Upper Crust,” say for the twentieth time or so, they will find the novelties that accompany it lend an agreeable variety to the programme.” The latest novelty “ lending an agreeable variety to the programme” is, of course, “ The Light Fantastic,” successful in exacting roars of laughter on its first production. “ Ampbibio” still holds the boards of the Theatre Royal, Adelaide. Mr John Hall is clown.