NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2243, 6 May 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Recovbbt.—Mr E. Simmons, who was severely hurt while attending to the engine at tbe drainage works, on the East Belt, has so far recovered that he will be able to resume work again in a few days. The Piako.-—The New Zealand Shipping 00. have received advice by oable of the arrival of the Piako from Pert Chalmers, prior to the 4th inst. All well. Lyttelton Naval Bbigade.—A concert in aid of the funds of this oorpß took place last night in the Oddfellows' Hall at Port, the music and singing being contributed by a number of ladies and gentlemen residing at Lyttelton, and by several members of the Ohristchurch Gloo Club. The entertainment was not so well patronised as it deserved, though there will be a balance of several pounds, it is expected, on the credit side, when the expenses are paid. Bboad'WAY Maekbt.—An advertisement in another column announces, that, on Saturday evening, the avenue of this market, brilliantly lighted, will be prepared for promenading, and that the Railway Band will play. Loss of A Boat.—A boat belonging to Mr J. Haydon broke adrift on Sunday last from one of his lighters, in a S.W. gale, and drifted down N.W. Bay, near Godley Head. It was hauled up on the beach by a man sent by the owner to look after it, and left there to be called for by one of the lighters. On Wednesday morning a lighter went down, but returned without it. Either someone had oalled in bofore, and helped himself to it, or the sea had broken in and swept it away. A.O.F.—The usual meeting of the members of the Court Thistle of the Forest, No. 6494, A.0.F., was held at the lodge room, St. Saviour's Schoolroom, Sydenham, on tho 3rd inst. F.C.B. Bro. O. Samuels opened the Court in duo form at 7.30 p.m. Amongst the business of the evening, n circular was received for subscriptions in aid of the Forester and Forester's Pride lifeboats, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It was moved and seconded, " That 10a 6d be voted annually from the incidental fund in aid of the above." Tho report of the distriot meeting was read, and moved and seconded to be received. The quarterly balance-sheet was brought forward and unanimously adopted. New Guinea.—Mr A. Mills delivered a lecture on Now Guinea in tho New Oddfellows' Hall last evening. His Worship the Mayor occupied the chair. There was a moderate attendance. The lecturer was listened to attentively throughout. Seeicicpltfbe.—A a speoial meeting •' the Industrial Association yesterday, Mr Fedcrli, who has been deputed by the Government to aßcortain the possibility of growing mulberry trees here, and also what are already in existence, attended and spoke at some length on the subject. His opinion appears to bo that the white mulberry could be successfully cultivated in the bays and other sholtered parts, and that the settlers should be invited to assist in the work'by planting mulberry as well as other trees. A resolution was carried asking the Government to obtain a few thousand of mulberry trees for planting out in a nursery, and afterwards distribute them amongst settlers willing to take charge of them.

Thb Pinafore Company.—The populir Lilliputian Pinafore Troupe, after a most|jucoeeoful run here, took their departure for Wellington yesterday by the s.s. Botomahana. Deep Bba Fishing. -A very wholesome looking fishing craft arrived yesterday from Hobart in the steamer Botomahana. She wub imported by Mr J. Walsh, and measures 42ft long, 10ft 6in beam, 12ft 6in depth of hold, and is ketch rigged, and carries a oontre board. She was built at Hobart fire years ago expressly for fishing work. Should her arrival here result in a more liberal supply of fish as to quantity ond price than at present exists, her advent might be taken as almost a benefit to the community. Considering the abundance of "the finny tribe" in New Zealand waters, it is rather singular that the capture and sale of them has not been considered a speculation sufficiently attractive to ongr.ge the attention of a well managed company. Lyttbi,ton Young Men's Mtjtuai, Improvement Society.—The usual weekly meeting was held on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. in the Weslejan schoolroom, tho vicepresident in the chair. There was a large attendanoe of members. Considerable discussion ensued respecting a letter from the Hev. W. B. Marten, in which he characterised the socioty sb one which ignored Christianity. The secretary was instructed to reply to the rev. gentleman denying tho allegation, and to forward him a copy of the rules of the society. The election of officers was then proceeded with, resulting as follows :—Mr 8.8. Webb, president; Mr T. L Smith, vice-president. The meeting was closed by the chairman pronouncing the Benediction. Dangers of Batxway Tbatelling.—ln reply to a letter in yesterday's 'Press' Mr F. Back writes to us as follows :—" I have just seen a letter in to-day's ' Press' abouta guard's evidence at Bangiora re cutting off waggons. I can hardly boliove that the guard gave the evidence stated. Will you kindly oontradict it. A guard has sole charge of his train when running, and when at a station the stationmaster has control. It is the duty of either to cut off any waggon ruuning hot, or which from any cause may be unsafe, and to refuse to take on a weggon which is not safe to run, from any oause whatever. Our rules oontain special provisions for dealing with articles in waggons running hot, and special provision j for maximum weight and size of load. They even go so far as to instruct guards to cut off a pn'*enger carriage if it is unsteady or defective."

Eyrbton Boaed of HEiiiH.—A meeting of the members of the Boad Board as a Board of Health was held on Monday. Present— All the members. A report, dated April Btb, was read from the inspector of nuisances referring to the required drainage of Sneyd'a town, and the necessity of burying a heap of decaying potatoes on a paddock near. A subsequent report was read, stating that the potatoes had been buried and the nuisance abated. A notice had been given to another resident to olean a ditch, which had not been fully complied with. The inspector reported that the fever patients in Sneyd'a town wore recovering. He recommended the Board to find out by whose action the first case of typhoid fever was sent from the Christchurch district. It was resolved to oommunicate with the Christchurch Board of Health on the matter. Accounts amounting to £9 for nursing the family in which the fever first appeared, and which had prostrated the whole household, were passed for payment. The Board then adjourned.

Philosophical Ihbtitutb of Cantbbbtjby.—An ordinary meeting of the Philosophical Institute was held at the Publio Library last evening, at which there was a small attendance of members. The chair was taken by Mr B. W. Fereday, vice-president. Messrs O. Chilton and C. W. Purnell were duly elected members of the institute. The hon. secretary reported that he had received as donations " The Meteorological Beport for I 860," Professor F. W. Hutton's " Btudics in Biology," part 1., from the Colonial Museum; and, also, a splendid collection of mounted microscopio slides of the New Zealand polyzoa, comprising sixty species, from Professor F. W. Hutton. A vole of thanks was unanimously passed to Professor Hutton for his valuable donation. Professor A. W. Bickerton read a paper on "Befrigeration," on which an interesting discussion took place. Professor F. W. Hutton exhibited a specimen of a marine spider (Desis Bobsoni), found at Little Akaloa ; and also a specimen of caterpillar larva affected by a fungus.

Sydenham Amatbub Musical Society. —The above society gave their first concert of the noason for 1881 last evening, m the district school room, Colombo road, and submitted a good programme. The room was orowded, and the various items were rendered in a manner that reflected credit on the conductor (Mr Edmonds), the glees being particularly noticoable as giving evidence of oaref ul rehearsal. Mrs Edmonds' song, " The Brook," was well sung, and most favorably received, and Miss Bowler's pianoforte solo, "Souvenir de Lucrezia Borgia," bore ample evidence of musical culture. The next item, the "Chorus of Druids," from "Norma," with solo by Mr Fenfold, was marred by that gentleman's hoarseness, which detracted from the efEoot. The well worn theme, "When the Bloom is on the Bye," was not a success, which was compensated for by the following number by Miss Collins, " The faded Violet," and in response to an unmistakeable oall that lady gave "In the Gloaming," both being moot correctly interpreted. The quartette, " Five times by the Taper's light," was oonspiouons by the attention given to the light and shade with which it abounds; but the following song, " The Midshipmite," by Mr Oowdery, was marred by want of expression. The feature of the evening was Oaldicott's setting of the nursery rhyme of " Humpty Dumpty," as a humorous glee by the whole of the members, which was highly successful and desorvedly encored. The duett, " I beard a "Voice," by Mrs Edmonds and Miss Hadfield, with flute obligato by Mr Kerr, was most successful, and Misß Main muet also bo congratulated for her rendering of " Fepita." Taken altogether the society may be congratulated on a most successful concert. Oddfellowship.—Thirty-nine years ago—on Thursday, April 7th, 1842—the first Oddfellows' Lodge in New Zealand was founded in Kelson, the spot where the meeting was held being the fern-oovcred hills just above where the new State schools now stands, near the Saltwater bridgo; the number of members —nine. Gold and Bilver were scarce in those days (says the Nelson "Evening Mail "), and it was not without some difficulty and the exercise of a little self-denial on the part of the limited number of founders that the funds were forthcoming wherewith to form the capital of the new lodge. But oach gavi< what he could afford, and on the coins being counted it was found that they amounted in all to fifteen shillings. Gradually and steadily the number ol the members of the Order had gone on increasing, and year by year the funds have been accumulating, uptil now the former has reached 624 and the latter £9720 14s 6d, the odd shillings and pence juat about representing the original capital. The receipts for the year 1880 were £1403 and the disbursements £962, the latter including payments to fourteen widows and twenty-seven orphans. Of the nine men who instituted the Order iu Now Zealand but one remains, Mr C. P. Kearr.a, now living in tho Waimea. From the result of their labors we may all learn the lesson not to despise the day of small things. "All is not Gold that Glittbbs."— The " Southland News " says:—Having had frequent inquiries of late as to the New South Wales diggings, we give tho following particulars gleaned from parties who have recently returned to New Zealand, after satisfying themselves that, at least at Temora and Junce—two of the latest rushes—•' all is not gold that glitters." Our informants had previously spent some years digging in New Zealand, but had given it up for some little time, and were contenting themselves with the slower but surer way of making money by oontract work—fencing, ploughing, &c.—when seized by a fresh attack of tho gold fever, due to tho glowing accounts from Temora, and, like many had done bofore them, they sold off, went by steamer to Sydney, and pushed their way up country as soon as possible so far as Junee, a rush abont twenty miles from Tomora. The heat at this place was intense, water was very scaroe, and what little there was of it was no better than puddle. Mon were dying from want of good water, and a great many had died, and in the face of all this hardship, thfi best claim on the rush was only paying £3 per week. During the week there were at Junee about 203 mon returnod from Temora, and the accounts they gave of it were bo bad that our friends were satisfied that after all tho game was not worth tho candle; so they quickly made tracks for Bydney, where they took steamer for Southland, and arrived here some two weeks sicca, very much the wiser and, of course, somewhat poorer than when they left.

Db. Simms' Lecture.—This gentleman repeated his lecture last night at the Congregational sohoolroom. It was as amusing as ever, and full of quaint humor and fun. Thb Hospital Staff—At a meeting of the Hospital medical staff, held at 3 p.m. on the 4th inst., a resolution expressing sympathy and condolence with the relatives of the lato Dr. Campbell, their late colleague, was pcHso-i unanimously, and the secretary was requested to send a copy of it to the dootor'e rather, which waß accordingly done. We learn that Dr. Irving is to take the surgical and Dr. Moore tne medical side in the Hospital. A Smart Sinner.—This incident occurred in. a West of England town some twenty years ago. An eocentric individual of the Banting persuasion was in the habit every Sunday morning of perambulating the town at about eight a.m., preaching as he went. At length scarcely anyone troubled him by listening, so one Sunday morning ho got into a quiet street and oommenoed shouting, " Fire ! Fire ! ! Fire ! ! ! " very energetically. Dp go a dozen windows, and " Wtere, where ? " resounded on all sides. "Below for sleepy sinners," responded the holy one. Quick as lightning he had the contents of a water-jug over him, with tae advioe to " Take that and put it out." —" London Sporting Timoß." Joseph was a scoffer. Meeting an officer of the American Bible Society, he aekod—"You gave out a good many Bibles in the courso of last year ?" The officer said—" Yes." " And what do you suppose becomes of them?" They fall into hands that need them, I doubt not." "Well," said Jcacph, producing a book, " this Bible I got in a rum shop. You gave it to a sailor and he sold it for a gists oE rum." " Well," said the other, "I am glad it has fallen into your hands, Joseph. I don't know anyone who needs it more." An lowa weekly, having 350 of a circulation, feels its perfect right to begin an editorial with:—" As we advised him last week, Gladstone is shaping out a new policy."