NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2130, 20 January 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

... A correspondent informs us that at Washdyko, Seadown, and in the northern parts of the district the crops do not appear 0 have suffered in the slightest from the unseasonable weather and heavy rain experienced a few days ago. In many instances the paddocks seem rather to have been improved. At tlie mouth of the Eangitata, however, the crops do not present such a promising appearance as they have farther south. Some of the crops in this neighborhood are very backward as yet, while others are ripening and have a healthy yellow colour.

Professor Wallenburg whose skill as an Oculist has been so satisfactorily demonstrated in Timaru, and elsewhere, took his departure for Ashburton to-day. Before leaving, a remarkable illustration of his success was afforded us. A youth of about 1(5 or 17 years of age who had been suffering from Cataract from his infancy, was introduced to us. He stated that he .had been under the best medical and surgical skill procurable, but obtained no relief, and that his sight was so defective, that he was never sent to a school, being unable to sec “a B from a bull’s foot.” He had only been under the Professor’s treatment for two or three days, and by the use of painless applications, the film that covered his sight was; completely removed. For. £3 he had recovered that, for which no amount of money would be an equivalent to the possessor —the faculty of vision, and as a proof of this, he joyfully offered to thread a’ ■ fine needle in our presence. Without wishing in the slightest degree to disparage the : skill of other medical practitioners, we cannot help adding our opinion to that of oiu- contemporaries in other parts, that ■Processor Wallenburg has proved himself a benefactor to a class of sufferers whose . position entitles them to special sympathy, and! as a proof that his labours are not altogether selfish, we may mention that during his stay in Timaru he had over a score of poor patients receiving his treatment gratuitously.

The, career of 3M. Dcjean, the proprietor of the circus in the Champs Elysees and on the Boulevards, avlio has just died at the age of 91, is a remarkable one. He started in life as a butcher’s apprentice, and his good looks clreAY all the cooks in the neighborhood to the shop of his master, who, on retiring left him the business. Having amassed a comfortable fortune he started the Circus, kept it going for half a century, and realised very large profits. He A\-as remarkable for his Herculean strength, and for his attatchmcnt to the Napoleon family, Avhich the late Emperor requited by making M. Dejean an officer of the Legion of Honor. Of his strength stories are: told that border on the marvellous, in Avhich fiction mingles |vcry largely Avith fact. Thus it is stated that soon after starting the Circus a tiger escaped from a menagerie he Avas exhibiting, and made straight for him. Dejean quietly opened his arms, Then closed, them; .when he re-opened them the tiger fell dead at his feet; smothered in his embrace.—“ European Mail.”

The ores produced in the United Kingdom last year turned out 7020 z., of gold, valued at £2BIS; 6,881,051 tons of pig iron, worth £1(5,1-54,992; 10,10(5 tons of tin, worth £0(5*2,080 ; 3952 tons of copper, worth £271,042; 58,020 tons of lead, valued at £972,401; 5809 tons of zinc, valued at £128,025. Silver was obtained from lead to the amount of 897,4710 z., and the value of £88,29(3; from silver the amount was 27,9400 z., and the value of £6223. The thieves of the Nelson district are discriminating. Like America they have an abhorrence of paper currency. As a proof of this the Foxhill Railway Station othce was broken into on Saturday, and between £5 and £6 rin gold and silver abstracted, the notes being left.

A man, named Kelly, was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment by the Ashburton Bench yesterday for swindling his partner. The Ashburton Jockey Club, Avhich, like thei Ashburton Borough Council, is chiefly in the hands of a family clique, held its annual meeting on Saturday last. The balance-sheet is described as highly satisfactory. This, if avc mistake not, is the first statement of, accounts, satisfactory or unsatisfactory, that the Club has exhibited for some years.

Some very reniarkale atmospheric phenomena were witnessed about noon on Friday last at Elephant Hill, near Waimate. On the top of a range of hills close to Mr J. E. Parker’s homestead, several shearers saw a fierce whirlwind lift the water from a lagoon in the form of a very dense vapor, to a height of several hundred feet into the air where it was received by an enormous bank of clouds for a few seconds, and then dropped back in a confused and irregular mass, till it almost hid the top of the range, to be caught up again in a whirling spiral column. These curious movements were continued for about ten minutes, and on their cessation a 1 rilliant stream of lightning fell perpendicularly from the cloud into the flat at the base of the hills, apparently in dangerbus proximity to a shepherd who was proceeding towards the station with a flock of sheep. Heavy rain fell almost immediately afterwards, and continued at intervals throughout the afternoon. Some stables belonging to J. Hunt, Motueka, have been destroyed by tire. Watson, of Watson, Gow and Co., Glasgow, denies the assertion made by the Chairman of the Local Industry Committee Christchurch, to the effect that after seeing local stove manufactures, ho said it was no use their sending out any more of the Home make.

The Geraldine County Council met yesterday, the chief object of the meeting bein" the discussion of the question; as to where the future meetings of/the Council should be held,' a strong movement being on foot to have, the meetings .held in Timaru, Owing, however, -to the fact that seven clear days’ notice is required of a motion to rescind a former resolution, the question could not yesterday be discussed, the opponents of ■ the suggested change "faisiflg:^heTd6ftM^aSTtdT , days’ notice had been given.

Some delay was caused at the E.M. Court this’morning,'during the hearing of the civil business. On the case Burgess and Manchester v. Green coming on, Mr Hamersley called a witness named Henry llceve, employed in the railway department, and who had been subpoenaed to appear, to produce his books. This the Clerk positively refused to do without the sanction of the general manager. His Worship: “Do you mean to say. that public business is to be stopped in this way, until the manager’s consent is obtained?” Witness: “I do, your Worship.” His Worship : “Well all I can say is that the arrangement seems to meto bea very peculiar one.” As the production of the books was necessary to the case, and as the witness was deaf to all suggestions with regard to producing them “without'the consent of the General .Manager,” the Court adjourned for lunch, and on the afternoon sitting commencing, neither party to the suit putting in an appearance,. Mr Hamersley suggested that a compromise must have been arranged in the interval, and his Worship thereupon adjourned the Court until Friday.

The “Otago Daily Times” is not very sanguine that any great results will ensue from the appointment of the Commision on Native Affairs. Our contemporary fears “ that Sir William Fox will 'be unable to forget party feelings; and in his eagerness to prove the policy of the late Government wrong he may'allow his zeal to outdistance his discretion. Sir Dillon Bell cannot be charged with the same tendencies, but he is vacilliating, and on that account may be overridden by the superior force and determination of his colleague. He will however at least, try to preserve a calm and judicial spirit, and it is possible that, as is often the case with a team of horses of different tempers they may fun well together.” It is hard on Sir William and Sir Francis to class them with brutes that have tails and manes simply because'they have'titular appendages.

Presbyterianism in Dunedin is rapidly degenerating. The young identities are abandoning the earnest, simple, and unobtrusive ways of their forefathers, and the church stands in danger of being converted into a barrel organ. At Knox Church, on Sunday last, the vote of the congregation was : taken on the, expdiency of erecting an organ. Only between two or three years ago an old orthodox adherent of Presbyterianism, whose conservative notions preventing him , from investing in pewrents created a sensation one Sunday by protesting against the . introduction of hymns and walked indignantly out of St. Andrews. What will this old gentlemen and others say to this far more dangerous innovation ? Will he not regard the destruction of that quaint weird discord euphoniously called psalmody [in the Presbyterian Church, as something approaching sacrilige and blasphemy ? Unbounded generosity ! On the strength of its waterworks loan of £IOO,OOO ; its street loan of the £IOO,OOO ; and numerous loans in the immediate future, Wellington has subscribed £l5O in aid of the Irish Distress Fund. This will be an imperceptible drop in the bucket.

Tenders are to be invited at once for the construction of a traffic bridge over the Clutha river at Balclutha, in place of the one which was washed away by the heavy floods about two years ago.

Colonel Hcratchley having completed his festive tour in Wellington left that city yesterday afternoon accompanied by Captain Johnson, Secretary of the Marine Department, for the purpose of reporting on the defences for the harbors of Lyttelton Port Chalmers, and the Bluff.

Messrs Wood and Smith have determined to offer the whole of their summer stock of drapery at a great reduction for one month. Their price list will be issued with to-mor-row’s Times.

; Lovers of good beer should lose no time in paying a visit to the Clarendon Hotel, where Mr Edwards has now on draught some Tasmanian ale of exceptionally fine quality. The proof of the pudding ;is in the eating, and, during the hot weather, especially, no better drink can be found than this “ Cascade ale ” which, possessing a capital flavour, is as clear as sherry, and as mild as lemonade.— [Anvx.]