NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2411, 27 December 1881, Page 3

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lyttbmcon Magibtbatb'b Cot/bt.—Thi § Court met yesterday, Mr J. Ollivier, R.H> S residing. A first offender was fined 5s for runkenness. A charge for having a dog unregistered, preferred against Mrs Oram, resulted in a fine of 10a being imposed. Synodsman fob Kaiapoi. —Mr J. 0. Porter has been duly eleoted a member of the Synod for the parish of Kaiapoi. Accident. —A man named Dahlgeen, who is employed by Mr Brittain, Burnham, was admitted into tho Hospital yesterday, suffering from the results of an accident oaused by •tumbling over a piece of timber. He is severely bruised, but whether it is a sprain of the ankle or a broken limb has yet to be determined. Aocidbht AT Akaboa.—Alfred Sunckcll, a son of Mr J. Sunckell, Windermere House, Akaroa, met with a painful accident on Monday morning while riding. From what we can learn, the horse ran away with him, and the girths being loose, the saddle slipped round, throwing the lad heavily to the ground, and breaking his collar bone. He also sustained some very severe outs about the head. The boy is only eleven years of age, and this is the third bone he has had broken. Cubb Boating Club.—At a meeting of the members of this club at Wearing's Knispoi Hotel, on Saturday evening, it was decided to enter the following boats and crews for the Lyttelton regatta :—Four-oared Gig Race—Cam, A. Winterbourne, 1 j R. Day, 2 ; J. Perrin, 3 ; G. Wright, stroke. Pairoared Raco—Cure, R. Day, G. Wright, stroke. Double Sonlling Raoe—A. Winterbourne, J. Perrin, stroke. The meeting then adjourned till Thursday evening. Kaiapoi Natives.—A flower show was held at the pab, St-. Stephen's, on Monday. There was a very good show, which was as successful as last year. There was keen competition for the prizs for gardens given by Hon. H. B. Gresaon. His Excellency the Governor was present, and was well received. The children sang the "National Anthem" and "Auld Lang Syne," and loud cheers were given for him. His Lordship the Primate was also present. Ghbisthas at Kaiapoi.—On Saturday evening a very grand display of decorations, transparencies and Chinese lanterns was made at Wearing's and Burnip's Hotels, as well as at the stores of Messrs Blaokwell, Eraser and Gallagher, May and Co. The brass band played some anthems shortly before midnight. The Episcopalian Church at Kaiapoi on Sunday was profusely deoorated with texts, mottos, evergreens and flowers. The Rev. D. O. Hampton officiated at each service, whioh were for the most part chorally rendered.

Catholic School Picnic.—The Catholio School children, to the number of about 600, with their friend*, proceeded by special train at 10.30 yesterday to the racecourse, where they were joined by others who oame byroad, making a total of 1400. The Hibernian band waa in attendance, and the sports were got well under way by Father O'Donnell, the various events of which were got off in rapid succession, and the youngsters seemed greatly to enjoy themselves. The town contingent returned to Ohristohuroh by the 530 train, everyone appearing well satisfied with the day's outing. Chbistmab at the Poliob Depot.—The festive season wis well honoured at the police depot. The cook and others dreeaed up the mess room and library with flowers and evergreens, and at 1 30 on Christmas, Day all sat down to a first-rate spread, the chair being filled by Sergeant Wilson. The usual loyal and patriotic toaste were duly given and responded to, Mounted Constable Crocker being very facetious in his response on behalf of the ladies. Festivities were prolonged till 5.30, when all separated in high good humour. U.A.O.D, Atheistan Lodge. One of the most successful excursions of the season took place to Pigeon Bay yesterday. The brethren of the above lodge mustered in good numbers with their friends at Lyttelton at 9.30 a.m. The numbers were bo large that many were reluctantly left behind. The Lyttelton Braes Band accompanied the party, and duripg the passages there and back enlivened the company with some very well rendered music Amusements of various descriptions were fully enjoyed by all—in fact, the whole proceedings were sufficiently gratifying as to encourage the promotion of such excursions in the future. Great credit is due to the committee of management for the manner in which the affair was carried out, and the courteous conduot of Captain Cameron added considerably to the pleasure of the day's outing. Chbibtmab at Fmtdaitok. "St. Barnabas " is the designation of the church of the pretty suburb, which, with its near neighbour of Bryndwr, is daily growing in importance and population, and will probably be oontent to be called conjointly Eendalton. Christmas appears to have been kept there with all the honors. The taak of decorating the church waa undertaken by an efficient band of workers with most successful results, simplicity with great taste being the features noticeable. The solitary Christmas text, "Unto us a child is born," in bold relief over the east window, furnished the key note to the season, whilst the flowers, in spite of the withering effeoU of the hot weather, were so judiciously bestowed as to satisfy, without satiating, the eye. On the eve of the festival a short, hearty eervioe, with carols, and an address, with "Bethlehem " as the text, given by the Rev. H. Glaßson, at 8 p.m., waa well attended. On Christmas Day the hymns and anthems, which were well rendered by the ohoir, were thoroughly enjoyed by a numerous congregation. The Bev. H. Glasaon, 8.A., was the preacher in the morning, founding his sermon on the contrasts of Christmas, bis text being taken from Ist John, 4th and sth verses ; and in the evening the Rev. C. Bawen preached from 6th Galatians, 15th verse. New seats for the ohoir of the church, arranged choir fashion, have greatly improved the look of the interior and the effect of the voices.

A Lighthoubh ik THE Clouds.—During the passage of the Lyttelton Harbor Board's steam tug Lyttelton to Timaru the other day a rather remarkable eight was witnessed. After losing eight of the lighthouse at Akaroa, at 11.15 p.m., the steamer (towing at the time the ship City of Cashmere) was travelling at about six knots per hour. Somewhere near daybreak (3 a.m.) the engineer of the steamer oalled the attention of Captain Clark, the master, to an unusual sight overhead. There, plainly in a passing cloud was to be seen a reflection of the Akaroa light. They watohed the phenomenon critically for some time, and found that every ten seconds a flash appeared in the clouds. Suoh a circumstance is doubtless attributable to the extreme dryness of the atmosphere following upon the recent nor'west weather. A number of the masters of vessels during the past few days have remarked how particularly clear the air at sea haa been; how far distant they could see certain prominent landmarks on the coast, and it was remarked on board the Lyttelton that the Peninsula, then seventy- six miles distant, was plainly visible when the vessel left Timaru. Fibk neab Eybbton—A somewhat serious fire occurred on the recreation reserve on Monday through a young smoker dropping his lighted match among the tussocks. Before it was noticed about a yard square was on fire, and the flames spread with rapidity toward) the tents on the racecourse, but were stopped in that direction by persons beating it out with wet bags. It then spread over about fifty acres of the reserve, destroying in addition to the feed a large extent of fencing and plantation. It also threatened to spread into the crops of Messrs MoHugh and Winter, as well as into a paddock belonging to Mr Ward, where it would have done great damage among sheep. A few volunteers, headed br Mr Q-. Bailey, including Messrs Waiting, Vincent, Clothier, Moore, Pearson, Kelcher, Lissaman, Moody, Taylor, White, Chilton, Giles, and a member of the Fourth Estate, who showed that he could be as active with his arms as with hia pencil, managed to drive the fire towards one corner, and then extinguish it. The'greatest losers will be the Eyreton Domain Board and their lessee, Mr MoHugh. The temper of steel, it is generally held, is due to the chemical union of the iron with the carbon. At low temperatures this union seems to take plaoe only in a slight degree, and hence in soft stoel we have the carbon keeping aloof from the iron ; but as the temperature is raised the combination is more jwfect, until, in the case of grey or glass

hard steel we have really a kind of artificial diamond alloyed with iron. In all cases sudden cooling islneoessary to fix the combination, . „ . „ Grass Fired by a Meteorite.—A fireball was seen to fall at Bpringfield, 111., about ten o'clook on the night of September 21st. « resembled in appearanoe an electric light, and it fell with a rushing sound like that of a skyrocket. The dry grass was set on fire where it struck, and the grass burned to a wooden side-walk connecting with fenoes and wooden buildings, before the fire could be extinguished with water. , Among the remarkable operations performed in Germany reoently by eminent surgeons, those in whioh the stomach or the abdomen had to be opened, have been at once the most dangerous and the most successful. After the achievements of Dr Bilroth, of Vienna, in the removal of cancers from the stomach, comes now Dr Sohinzanger, a Professor in the University of Frieburg, with two cases in whioh obstructions in the entrails had to be removed. In one case, that of a woman, a section of the intestines had to bo out out and the severed ends sewed together. In both instances speedy reoovery followed. An anecdote given by a reviewer runs afl follows :—Once a certain king, on witnessing Rossi's interpretation of Othello, was so much impressed by it that he called him to his box after the performance. " How is it,' he asked, " that you manage not to hurt Desdemona when you grasp her by the neck so furiously ? The cries she uttered seemed to be very natural." " Sire," was Bossi s reply, "the artists who perform with me sacrifice everything to their roles. Perhaps I do sometimes strangle Desdemona a little too much. I am not sure, for she never permits herself to complain." A very handsome donkey played an important part on the first night of " The Foundlings" at Sadler's Wells. He was introduced in the third act, and was so tickled by the novelty of the situation that he laid down, stared at the audience, and then, turning on his back, kicked up his heels with evident delight, the voices of the actors being drowned in the uproarious laughter of the spectators, which continued until the animal was put on his legs again and led from the scene.