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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 568, 13 April 1868, Page 3

Rifle Shooting at Canterbury. —The members of the Timaru Company of Volunteers recently fired for the silver cnji given by Lieutenant Seymour. The conditions were that each competitor should appear fully accoutred, and after each shot carry his rifle round a post 50 yards from the firing point, re-loading at the same time ; to fire for ten minutes at each rang ', and to make as many shots and points in time as he could, receiving no assistance, Sergeant Blake won the cup, firing 2(3 rounds ia twenty minutes. The Queensland Rush.— The latest intelligence to hand from the Queensland diggings shows that the find of gold is not capable to support a large population. Indeed, the place appears to be frighifu'ly over-rushed, and misery—even starvation —imminent, unless new ground be quickly opened up. Mr Bavan, cf Hokitika, has recently received from a friend in Sydney a letter recommending him to warn all who have not started that the Maryborough goldfield is a delusion and a snare, and tnat the local press has mistaken penny weights for ounces, and a little coarse gold for rich finds of nuggets. Mr Beavan’s correspondent concludes his letter by saying that the West Coast of New Zealand holds out far greater inducements than anything yet discovered in Queensland.

xi.it lA I.U Oi ill im! > Case Ot lOubcijt CaluC; under the notice of the magistrates at the Thames Police-court. A tailor named Stainsby and his wife left home on Christmas Day for the purpose of spending the holidays with a friend, leaving a lodger named Miller in charge of their house. During Stainsby s absence the lodger took it into his head to sell off his landlord’s furniture, and almost sucoeded in doing so, A dealer was caught in the act of removing the furnitine which he had purchased for £9 from Miller, The prisoner’s excuse for what he had done was that he was drunk when he sold what had cost his landlord £3OO for £9. Miller and his assistants in the^ robbery—the broker and his man, wore committed for trial.—English paper.

A NEW CHURCH AT BIRMINGHAM

Yesterday (says the Birmingham Gazette) the foundation stone of the new church of St. Gabriel, in Barn-street, BordesJey-street, waalaid in the presence of a large concourse ready stated, is the second that is to be erected by the aid of the Hyland fund. The Hon. and Rev. G. M. Yorke, Rural Dean, read the usual prayers appropriate to the occasion, after which the Rev. C. Evans. He id Master of King Edward’s Grammar School, performed the ceremony of ’dyingj the foundation stone, with the customary formalities. The remaining prayers were) then read by the Bishop. j The Rev. 0. Evans addressed the audience assembled. Ho congratulated the Bishop upon being permitted to witness the foundation of another church in Birmingham. It was the third church commenced in that town within the space of four months. That day his lordship was privileged to be present at the laying of the foundation stone of the church of Ist. Gabriel, and w ithin five days he had the prospect of witnessing two other such cevemomonies. Such an event as chat- would form an epoch in the church history of any town, and certainly formed an epoch in the church history of Birmingham. They had certainly much to cheer them, but in spite of all that was being done, muca still remained to be done. He was sure that the thought of how best to grapple with tha spiritual destitution of that vast town was one that was rarely, if ever, absent from his lordships mind. The Christian agencies at present at work, even if multiplied ten or twenty-fold, would not more than meet tile wants of that great town, where perhaps thousands of persons, so far ss regarded the knowledge of their duties to God their Maker and Christ their Siviour, could not discern between their right hand and their left.

The Bishop next addressed the assembly. He expressed his gratitude to Hod tor having so far prospered t:ie undertaking cfj those who are trying to do good, for he was certain there was no plan more calculated) to do good than that of building a church) in which the people might hear the pure Word of Hod preached, and receive spiritual comfort and edification to their souls He also spoke in terms of admiration ami respect of the lady to whose munificent benefaction to the town of Birmingham in aid of church buildings the building of that church bad undertaken. This was the! second church that had been commenced in the same way. The trustees of Miss Hyland’s benefaction hoped and expected that their contribu f ion would be supplemented by the contributions of other persons in the town of Birmingham, and especially by those who were connected with that district, who ought not to forget | the spiritual requirements of those by whose (exertions they had acquired their wealth. |ln conclusion, he hoped that the blessing jof God would rest upon the ceremony in i which they had that day been engaged, and that it might be brought to a successful issue.

The Benediction was then pronounced, and the proceedings terminated. At the close of the ceremony, a select company partook of an elegant luncheon, provided in the show room of Mr W. H. M. Blews, which had been beautifully decorated with a choice collection of plants and flowers. The Mayor presided, and the vice-chair was taken by Mr Blews. After luncheon, the company adjourned to the foundry connected with the manufactory, to witness the casting of five church bells, a branch of manufacture which has only lately been revived in Birmingham, through the energy and enterprise of Messrs Blews and Sous, who have now established a foundry capable of turning out at one casting, a peal of bells nine tons in weight, or* fully equal to the twelve bells of St, Martin’s, one of the finest peals in the country. Those founded yesterday were two of them for King’s Norton Church, one of which, the seventh in the peal, weighs about 15 cwt, the other, the treble, about 6 cwt. The other three were for Rock Church, near Bevvdeley, one, the tenor, about 13 cwt, the third bell 8 cwt, and the treble bell 6 cwt. The Rev. H. I. Eilacomoe, M.A., to whom we are indebted for the best modern work on campanology, and who is just about to publish a new work on the same subject, was one of those present at the founding, and expressed his high, and well-deserved, approval of the arrangements of the foundry, which, indeed, are as complete as trouble, and money, and jdetermination to excel can make them. As the molten metal flowed along the channels into the moulds, the rev. gentleman invoked a blessing on the handiwork, and on those who might hereafter hear the sound of the bells, no less than throe peals, numbering respectively five, six, and eight bells, are about to be cast by Messrs Blews for contracts entrusted to their care.