NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2379, 17 November 1881, Page 3

NEWS OF THE DAY

Madame Lottie Wilmot. — A case against ' ibis lady for using abusive and threatening language to and assaulting Mr Moon, secretary to the Papacui Town Hall, attracted a considerable attendance of the public at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. There was practically no defence. Madame Wilmot, who conducted her own case, confined herself to attempting to prove great provocation. In the criminal case, for using abusive language, she was fined Is, and for the assault, which was brought for damages in a civil suit for £SO, judgment was given for plaintiff for £5 with costs, and expenses of four witnesses £1 10s.

Good Tbiiplabish.—A new lodge of Good Templais waa instituted in the Public Library, Knightstown, on Wednesday evening laat, by ■Bro. O. M. Gray, District Deputy, assisted by Bros. H. Bennetts, J. Lang, F. E. Buokland, and the officers of the Pride of Sydenham ■Lodge. Pour members joined by clearance card, and thirteen candidates were initiated into the principles of the Order, and became members of the lodge. It was resolved—- “ That the name of the lodge be the ‘ Pride of Knightatown,’ and that the weekly meetings be held in the Library every Thursday evening.” Bro. J. T. Squires was nominated for the position of Lodge Deputy. The election and installation of the officers was then proceeded with, and the lodge declared to bednlyinstituted. Aftersomeordinaryroutine business had been transacted, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Bro. Gray and those who so successfully assisted in conducting the institution of the lodge. Knightatown being now a very populous suburb, it is anticipated that the “ Pride ” will, in a short time, be one of the moat flourishing lodges in the Christchurch district. Intercolonial Weatheb EXCHANGE.— 'Wednesday.—Light southerly winds prevail on the south coast, westerly winds with rain in Tasmania, and fine weather with northwest winds in New South Wales. Barometer —Albany (Tuesday), 29.9; Portland, 29.8; Hobart, 29.6 ; Sydney, 29 8. Lyttelton Magistrate’s Couet. —Mr Harry Allwright, J.P., presided at this Court this morning, and fined one indiscreet young man, named Louis Pranci, ss, for being found quite exhausted on Norwich Quay, overburdened with whiskey. A deserter, T. Dawson, from the ship Salamanca, was remanded until to morrow (Friday). Electoral. —We hear that a requisition is in course of signature asking Mr Wynn Williams to allow himself to be nominated as a candidate for the North Christchurch ward for election to the House of Bepresentatives. Sblwyn County Council. —The polling for the return of a member to the Selwyn County Council for Avon took place yesterday. We are only enabled to give the returns from two of the divisions, viz., Avon and Bingsland, the returns from Biccarton not having been sent in. The results are as follows : —Avon : W. Dunlop 306, J. L. Wilson 125 ; Bingsland : Dunlop 32, Wilson 43 ; Eiooarton : Dunlop 46, Wilson 3 ; Taldburst: Dunlop 33, Wilson 29. Total—For Dunlop, 417; for Wilson, 200. Majority for Dunlop, 217. There will be no verbal declaration of the poll, but the official return will be duly advertised. Ownbb Wanted. —The police want the owner of a horse and express waggon, with seats on each side, containing a lady’s shawl and two umbrellas. It was found unattended last night, about ten o’clock, at the junction of St. Asaph street and Windmill road, and is now in the possession of the police. The Water Supply Question. —The poll of citizens on the subject of the water supply will take place to-morrow at the City Council chambers.

All Saints’ Onußcir, Sumner —A public meeting of the property holders and residents of Sumner was held in the schoolroom on Tuesday evening, for the purpose of taking action to raise funds for the enlargement of the church. There was a fair attendance of those interested, the Very Rev. Archdeacon ■Wilson in the chair. The rev. Chairman gave a resume of the present church accommodation, and forcibly urged the necessity that existed for the extension of the building, to meet the rapidly increasing requirements, especially for visitors, who resorted so largely to the only immediately available seaside residence. Very handsome subscriptions have been offered in aid of this object, and he (the chairman) trusted it would be cordially responded to by all interested in the welfare of the Church. A general discussion ensued, in which Messrs W. H. Lane, Twentyman, and others took part. The following resolution was proposed and carried unanimously : —“That a building committee shall be formed for the purpose of obtaining subscriptions towards the enlargement of the church at Sumner, consisting of the Incumbent and vestry, the Yen. Archdeacon Wilson, Messrs H. B. Johnstone, W. H. Lane, Twentyman, Pepperill, Wm. Jones, with power to add to their number.” Mr W. 3?. Hubbard, architect, was in attendance, and provided the meeting with a sketch plan and approximate cost of alterations. The plan met with general approval. A vote of thanks to the very rev. the chairman closed the meeting. A Saeb Timepiece. —A native prince of Upper India is said to possess, and jealously guard as the rarest treasure of his luxurious palace, the most astonishing thing ever hoard of in the way of a timepiece. In front of the clock’s disc is a gong, swung upon polos, and near it a pile of artificial human limbs. The pile is made up of the full number of parts of twelve perfect bodies, but all lie heaped up together in seeming confusion. Whenever the hands of the clock indicate the hour of one, out from the pile crawl just the number of parts needed to form the frame of one man, part joining itself to part, with quick metallic click ; and when completed, the figure springs up, strikes one blow that sends the sounds pealing through every room and corridor of that stately palace. This done, he returns to the pile, and falls to pieces again. When two o’clock comes, the two men arise and do likewise ; and so through all the hours, the number of figures being the same as the number of the hour, till at noon and midnight the entire heap spring up, and, marching to the gong, strike one after another each his blow, and then fall to pieces. Affairs in New Zealand. —“ Anglo-Aus-tralian,” in the “ European Mail,” concludes an article upon affairs in this colony as follows :—“ Possibly more real trouble may come to New Zealand by reason of her political squabbles than from any disturbance among the Natives, and it is well, perhaps, in the interests of progress that Mr Ormond’s motion was defeated by a majority of four in favor of the Government. This shows that the state of parties is numerically close, and that but for the adhesion of two or three doubtful votes, either New Zealand would have been thrown into the turmoil of a general election, or Sir George Greycrotchets and all—would have succeeded to ho Premiership. As everyone knows, Sir George has done the State good service in his day, but though plucky, orotchetty, and enthusiastic, it is no offence to him to say that his views are getting a little wild and Utopian, especially anent provincialism ; and that if ho would retire upon his laurels and leave the field to younger and moro practical men he would confer a boon upon the colony which it would be impossible to over-estimate.”

~ ~ “ ' i jifrg Hart’i x Gaiety Theatre.— Mr am* hQUBO at the entertainment drew a fairly good . , p Tfl . Gaiety last night, when the bill ox - Jt fully, 3 ceding evening was repeated sucot, ' They appear again to-morrow evening. 1 Death op an ex Colonist. —The Auditori Generalship of Trinidad has become vacant i by the death of Mr Bernhard Henry Reinecker, who expired at Port of Spain, in that island, last month, at the age of forty-four ' years. The late Mr Rsinookcr was educated ’ at Gonville and Oaius College, Cambridge, • where he took his Bachelor’s degree. Many years ago he emigrated to Canterbury, in New Zealand, and became a Justice of the Peace in that colony. In February, 1875, ho was appointed auditor of the Gold Coast colony, and about two years ago was transferred to Trinidad, in succession to Mr E. J. Eagles.— Home paper. Failure op New Ruqbv. —According to the latest intelligence from the little colony of cultured Englishmen established by Mr Tom Hughes in Tennessee, there seems little chance of its survival. All will regret this failure, for the idea wh'oh lay at the back of the schema—that of providing young English gentlemen with an honorable career of a now sort—was thoroughly praiseworthy. Wo (“ Mail ”) trust, however, that “ Tom Brown ” will not give up the good work ; his school are not wont to be discouraged by a single disappointment, or even by several. Although the new Rugby has proved a delusion and a snare, there are other spots in the world where the

experiment might have succeeded. The main causes of failure appear to have been poverty of soil and unwholosomoness of climate. Surely the British Empire contains plenty of still untilled land where those drawbacks, at all events, do not exist. Let Mr Hughes next try Australia or New Zealand. Mysterious Explosion.— A few days ago, when the troops at the Regent’s Park Barracks had all retired for the night, a loud explosion was heard near the officers’ quarters. The explosion is said to have resembled the firing of a rifle. It was heard all over the building, and immediately an officer of the guard was called. Search was made in the direction from which the sound proceeded, close to the officers’ quarters to the rear of the barracks, but nothing explaining the nature of the explosion could be dicovored. The Regent’s Canal runs close to the outside barrack wall, where the report was distinctly heard, and it is doubtful whether the explosion occurred inside or outside the wall. On the explosion being reported, the guard was doubled at every point of egress and ingress, and every precaution taken for the safety of the barracks. The “Home News” reports that no further attempt has been made on the building, and no explanation of the cause of the explosion is yet forthcoming.

Begibtbbinq the Speed of a Vessel by Electricity. —Day by day persevering students and experimenters are deducing and revealing new facts in connection with the subtle and wondrous force known as electricity, whilst more practical men are adapting its powers to useful purposes. Among the more recent applications of its peculiar characteristics to valuable use is that of attaching an electrical apparatus to a ship’s log. and making it register with extreme accuracy the speed at which the ship is moving through the water. This ingenious arrangement owes its existence to the inventive genius and skill of Mr Kelway, of Portsmouth. The inventor has affixed to the lower part of the box containing an ordinary service log another box which encloses his own electrical apparatus. Into this last named box the mile spindle of the log is continued, and this is fitted with a cam wheel. The box is also divided into two parts by a vertical partition, through which passes a horizontal lever, or rod, insulated from the body of the apparatus, and turning upon a fixed centre. As the cam wheel revolves in passing through the water, its projections press down the lever whereby the electrical current is completed, and the distance travelled is recorded by means of a battery on board the ship acting through the electric coble, by which the log is towed. The index dial may be placed in the captain’s cabin, on dock, or, indeed, in any part of the ship. In trials lately made near Portsmouth every quarter of a knot indicated by the dial was checked by actual measurement, and found to be absolutely correct.

Struggle with an Oubano-Outano The 11 European Mail” record* a remarkable struggle which took place at the Boyal Aquarium the other night between a negro named Dock Perry, a keeper of the wild animals in that establishment, and the ourang-outang, familiarly known as “The Wild Man of the Woods.” It appears that the animal in question, having been purchased by the proprietor of a menagerie in Paris, it became necessary to take it from its cage in order to send it to its place of destination. The negro Perry entered the cage (which has three compartments) with a cane in his hand, and having opened one of the slides, which usually admits the keeper, attempted to drive the ourang-outang out into the ooge. The ourang-outang, however, showed fight, and closed with the man, clasping his great arms, which are twice the length of those of a man, around the negro. The keeper, who is a stalwart fellow, grappled with his opponent around the neck, and,in the sight of a number of spectators, a most exciting wrestling struggle took place. After about five minutes the ourang-outang was overpowered ond driven into the cage intended for him, and was shortly afterwards dispatched from the Aquarium to his destination. The negro was bitten in the left hand during the struggle.

Acknowledgment.—The House Steward of Christchurch Hospital begs to acknowledge the receipt with thanks of a quantity of fruit, flowers, and cakes for the patients from Mesdamea Aynsley and Banks. Cathedral Bell Ringers.—A meeting of the above will bo held at nine o’clock this evening to elect a master bell ringer.