THE GLOBE. MONDAY, MAY 30, 1881.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2233, 30 May 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. MONDAY, MAY 30, 1881.

Inquest at Sunhysidb.—Ono of the inmates having died suddenly, an inquest will ( be held at 4 p.m. this day, particulars of which will appear in our issue of to-morrow. Sydenham Amateur Musical Society. —After the usual practice this evening, a meeting of the members of the Sydenham Amateur Musical Society will be held for the purpose of passing accounts, and to consider the advisablenesa of forming a string band in connection with the society. Fieb.—About half-past five o’clock this morning, as the police constable on duty was passing along Oxford terrace, near the Forester’s Hotel, he saw smoke and flames issuing from one of a block of four new brick dwelling-houses adjacent thereto, recently erected by Mr Wm. Brice, of Leamington House. The house, which is unoccupied, is the one nearest the hotel in question, but from which it is detached a considerable distance. The fire bells speedily rang an alarm, the Fire Brigade and police being quickly in attendance From its close proximity to the river, a plentiful supply of water was soon brought to bear on the burning building, and the Are was quickly quenched. The damage done was not very great, as the prompt action of the brigade confined its operations to the pantry and scullery, which will have to be reinstated. The whole block of buildings are insured in the Royal for the sum of £2OOO. There is little doubt the fire was the action of an incendiary, as at the time the alarm was given a man named John Duncan was seen leaving the premises. He was promptly arrested. It is hard to conjecture how ho gained admittance, as Mr Brice is quite certain all the doors and windows of the building were securely fastened Isst evening. The accused was brought up at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning, and remanded for one week to allow the police to investigate the case.

Sydenham Borough Council. The special meeting of the above body, to consider the resolutions passed at the public meeting on Friday evening last, and also to arrange for a deputation of tho whole Council to interview the Drainage Board, has been deferred till Wednesday next, at 7 p.m., instead of this day as previously announced.

Mode Pistol Practice. —At the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning a boy, aged about fourteen years, appeared to answer for having discharged firearms in such a place as to bo dangerous to passers-by. It appeared from the evidence that, on Wednesday last, the boy was firing with a pistol at a mark within an enclosed space in Lower High street. Mr B. J. Hale, who happened to be passing at the time, was considerably surprised to hear a bullet whiz close past his cheek. The bullet flattened itself harmlessly against an iron fence on tho other side of the road, but passed much too near to be pleasant to two other pedestrians, who were on the footpath at the time. The enquiry resulted in proving that tho boy acted in pure thoughtlessness. He had a good character, and the Bench did not think themselves called on to punish him further than by ordering him to pay the costs of the action, and toe expenses of one witness. He was then further severely reprimanded for his carelessness and allowed to go. Scholastic. —Mr H. O. Williamson having resigned tho mastership of tho Newland District School, has been appointed master of the Flemirgton District School, which is expected to open early in June. Watkbloo Ottp. Nominations for this stake, the most important of tho season, will close on Thursday next, the Ist June, with Mr Howard, the hon. sec. of the Southland Club, at Invercargill. The nomination fee is £l2 10«. Fieb Alarm at Lyttelton. —On Saturday night the Lyttelton fire-bell was rung most vigorously ,for several minutes for the benefit of an offender against the chimney bylaw. The brigade turned out, but their services were not required.

Mosgiel Woollens. —lfhas been stated on good authority that the Mosgiel Woollen Factory secured an order from a Melbourne house for about £6OOO worth of their goods, as the first result of competing at tho Melbourne International Exhibition. As Victoria is not without woollen mills, and there is a heavy protective duty, the transaction is significant, and tho advocates of protection will scarcely care to furnish an explanation.

The Nbw Masonic Hall.— The Hall, the foundation stone of which was laid on the 24th instant at Lyttelton by the D.D.G.M. Bro. the Rev. James Hill, will form, when finished, one of the most ornamental edifices in the Port. Itslength is to be 57ft. Sin,, width 32ft 4in, and height 14ft, with a circular roof. The contractor, Mr Edwin Hughes, is pushing on with the building, and will have it well forward, if not quite out of hands, by tho end of July, the contract time. It speaks well for the advancement of Masonry in Lyttelton that the Canterbury Kilwinning Lodge, which opened but five years ago, is in a position to erect a hall of this style. At the present the lodge has about sixty contributing members, and tho number is steadily increasing. Mr James Grubb is tho W.M. Lyttelton Post and Telegraph Office. —The improvements made at the Lyttelton Post and -Telegraph Office referred to a day or two since are completed, end Mr W. B. Allwright is now in full control of both tho departments. The combining of these two offices is generally regarded as a very sensible step, and the alterations which have been made in the Government building in order to render the managing of both tho departments by one official practicable have rendered the place very much more convenient for the public than was the case formerly. The whole of the upper floor of the building is now entirely unoccupied, and as there is little demand for office room in Port it will likely remain so, unless, as has been suggested, it is converted into a residence for the Postmaster.

City Council. —An adjourned mooting of the City Council will be held this evening, at which the report of the sanitary committee presented at last meeting will be discussed. The committee reported an offer for leasing the sanitary reserves for a period of years, and also recommended that the Board of Health should at onoe be applied to for the transference of the powers of the former to the City Council.

Aebest.— -Two boxes belonging to the lat« u “ am P belI > ODe o£ the lost passengers of the Tararua, were washed ashore, and one of them was broken open by a man named Uharles Peterson before the arrival of the police on the scene of the wreck. Peterson (asjs the “ Mataura Ensign”) was arrested by Detective Tuohy at Menzita Ferry on Tuesday.

Wheat Shipmbht.—lt will be good sews \ to our shippers of wheat to learn that the first lot of this season's crop, ex W aim ate, about 3670 sacks (Tuscan) sold for 48j per quarter; ex ship. Exi’Obt of Gold.—The Bank of New Zealand on Saturday shipped £20,000 in coin by the Mataura for London. The Peemikb.—The Hon. John Hall will address his constituents at the West Mellon schoolroom this evening. Qoese Cettbuino.— lt is every way probable that the gorse, which at one time threatened to be a nuisance, particularly in some districts where it has been allowed to spread from the hedges, will become a very important item for cattle feeding. By means of the “goree masticators,” or mills for crushing the gorse, obtainable at a cost of from £ll upwards, a very valuable food for stock may be obtained at a small cost. It is said that cattle and horses feed heartily on crushed gorse, and in flesh-forming and fatproducing properties it stands higher than cabbage, kohlrabi, mangels, swedes, carrots, or turnips. The Comet.—Regarding the comet which is now visible, Mr Arthur Beverley writes as follows in the "Dunedin Star”:—"Sir, — The comet was distinctly visible from 6 till 0 o’clock, although the sky was rather hazy. At half-past 8, its position was (approximately) ; right ascension, sh, Omin,; declination, 34dog. 14mm. S,, or Ideg. 20min, duo north from Gamma Cecil. It sets about 9.30, and rises about 4, At 6 this morning, the sty being clear, it was shining brightly in the south-east, and appeared to have travelled half a degree in a north-easterly direction that is, its right ascension is increasing and its declination diminish, ing. In appearance it resembles a hazy 2to 3 magnitude star, with a faint tail 4ieg. long, to the southward. In the telescope it shows a bright nucleus of a slightly blueish tint, surrounded by a rather bulky luminous bead, which gradually merges into the toil. It is probably approaching perihelion, and also coming nearer to the earth. If this be so, it will bo a conspicuous object in the northern hemisphere after its perihelion passage.” Theateioal. A Sydney correspondent, under date May 16fch, writes : —The Williamson season is drawing to a close, this being' announced as the last week of their tenancy of the Royal. “Pinafore.” after a run of five nights, gave place on Saturday evening to " Struck Oil.” the re appearance of Mr and Mrs Williamson as John and Lizzie Stofel, in which parts they made their Australian debut, being welcomed by a house packed from floor to ceiling. They were capitally supported in their realistic impersonations of the Dutch cobbler and his daughter, while the beautiful scenery from the brush of Mr Gordon, scenic artist of the London Comedy Company, procured him a well-deserved recall. “ Struck Oil” will occupy the boards till Saturday next, when the season will close. Mr Hoskins’ engagement at the Queen’s terminated on Friday, the 13 th instant, when he appeared for his benefit as Affable Hawk and Aminidab Sleek. The stock company have since appeared in “Never Too Late to Mend.” The Montnguo-Turner Opera Company have so far had no necessity to withdraw "Maritana” from the boards of the Gaiety, where it has been running for the last fortnight; but tonight " H Trcvatore ”isto be produced. The Mastodon Minstrels (the Georgias under another title) are playing to moderate business at the Opera House.

Presentation at Lyttelton.—On Saturday night the clerks in the goods department of the railway service met in the goods office at Lyttelton, and made a presentation to one of their brother officers, Mr George Parker. Mr Parker has been five years a tally folerk working in connection with the shipping, and is now to be transferred to Wellington. Ho has, while in Lyttelton, won the goodwill and esteem of those associated with him in the railway offices, and these feelings found expression in the mementoes handed to him on Saturday evening. The present consisted of an edition of Shakespeare’s works, a very pretty silver egg salver, and a gold pencil case. Mr J. Yule, on behalf of tbe subscribers, made the presentation, whioh was suitably acknowledged.

Revealed by a Deeam. Speaking at Adelaide the other evening (says tho “Sydney Bulletiu”), the Rev. J. Watsford related that the late Rev. Mr Waterhouse, who perished in the Tararua, had a warning of his fate in a dream, in which he saw himself and his son going down in a sinking ship ; and also mentioned that just at the time of the wreck a young woman who was dying in Melbourne suddenly exclaimed to her mother—“ Mother, yonder is Mr Waterhouse ; he is standing on the shore, beckoning to me.” The Rev. Mr Morloy also intended to sail by the Tararua, but his wife had a presentiment of evil, and prevailed on him not to go.