NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2164, 24 February 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

Coroner Philson, of Auckland, affirms that the idea that a dead body may not be touched or removed before the arrival of the police or a coroner’s jury is a complete fallacy and has no foundation in law. A case is reported in an English paper which has a direct bearing on the question of keeping shops open on Sunday. A barber of Tunbridge Wells, named Baynton, was summoned under the Act of Charles 11., for exercising his worldly labor and his ordinary calling on the Lord’s Day, the same not being a work of necessity or charity. A police officer said that at noon on Sunday he saw four or five men in the defendant’s shop-one just shaved, and another ready for shaving. He could not say whether they paid for being shaved or not, or whether the defendant shaved them out of charity. The barber, who conducted his own case, said he was prepared to show that what he did was a -work of necessity, and very often a work of charity. On Sunday he shaved people who had no time to get shaved on Saturday, such as carters’ and brewers men. He also shaved gentlemen’s servants, waiters, and such men, who were employed all the week, and if they were not shaved on Sunday they would, perhaps, be discharged for having dirty faces, If a man came to his shop without any money he shaved him for nothing, and that was a work of charity. The magistrate dismissed the summons, saying that certain worldly callings were allowed by the Act, and there seemed something in the defendant’s arguments that this was a work of necessity, under all the circumstances, they did not see any reason for convicting him.

A somewhat extraordinary scene occurred in the Wesleyan Church, Adelaide road, last evening (says Wednesday’s “ I’ost ”). A notorious character, named Christina Wilson, who has been several times before the Resident Magistrate’s Court, attended a service which was being held in the church, and during the evening it was noticed that she appeared to be suffering Under the effects of strong emotion. At first it was thought that she was affected by the service, but subsequently it was discovered that she was under the influence of drink. She conducted herself very well, however, except during the singing, when she got out of tune and sustained the last notes in each line to an abnormal and totally uncalled-for length, greatly to the confusion of the congregation. After the service was concluded, she walked up to the astonished preacher, and shook hands with him warmly, apologising for not being well enough to play the harmonium. She further informed the rev. gentlemen that she was organist at St. Peter’s Church, that she lived at Thorudon, and had come down in the train to hear him preach. A class-meeting was announced to take place after the service, and Christina, with an obvious confusion of ideas, said she should wait till the teameeting commenced. At this moment one of the members who had left the church returned with the sad intelligence that a policeman was outside waiting to arrest Christina for theft. The unfortunate creature was then requested to leave, and immediately walked off to the police-station, amid great excitement on the part of the congregation, none of whom,, it appeared, up to that moment had known who their eccentric visitor was.

A Correspondent in the North Wi ites. Some articles a«J' appearing in th e “Wanganui Herald” purporting to be written in the year 1950, and giving an account of Maori successes over Europeans in the campaign of 1880. Many settlers strongly condemn them, as really pointing out to the natives how they may successfully attack the Constabulary and the settlements. The writer exhibits an intimate knowledge of the country, and of the resources and capabilities of both Europeans and Maoris.

The judges of grain and cereals appointed by the Commissioners of the Sydney Exhibition appended the following special note to their awards: —“ The judges arc of opinion that in grain and other cereals the followin colonies excel in their rcspeciive cereals, viz :In wheat, South Australia ; in malting barley and oats, New Zealand ; in barley Tasmania; in maize and rye, New South Wales. Leguminous plants, seeds, Ac. Duncan and Sons’ (Christchurch) seeds: All the seeds are of a very high quality, and arc the best in the New Zealand Court for general farming purposes. On experimenting, 17 per cent failed. They should rank as second. P. Cunningham and Co’s (Christchurch) seeds —four samples of peas and beans—arc first class. Of a sample of rye grass experimented on, 12 per cent failed to germinate. As a whole they should rank as third. E. H. Banks’ (Christchurch) seeds—eight samples—arc of fair quality throughout, with the exception of Persian hlue'pcas, which arc inferior to other similar exhibits, as a whole should rank fourth. J. Dransfield’s (Wellington) grass seed is the best seed in the Court, and most suitable for a fanning and pastoraPcountry. The Dunatan “ Times ” ( published it may be well ■to remind our readers, in Vincent County) has an article upon the visit of Mr llollcston and the promised visit of Mr Oliver to the interior. The following is a quotation; — “ The Honorable Mr Eollcston is an extraordinary man. v Hence we notice him. He holds several offices in the Government of the hour, the duties of which he performs in a more or less perfunctory manner. He is Minister of Lands, also of Immigration, likewise of Education, ditto of Justice, and in this quadrilateral capacity he lately visited this and the '’other interior districts of Otago. But the Honorable William Bolleston (we feel intense pleasure when writing this name in its full and glorious entirety) £is somewhat too much of a genius for us—the miserable Government forgotten people who, living in the very heart of the Middle Island, have endeavored to] make the solitary places glad, and the desert to rejoice and blossom as a rose. So also it would seem is the Hon. Richard Oliver, who, in addition to the £ duties of Minister of Public Works presume to occupy the position of Minister of Mines As Minister

of Mines, he has taken the best possible way of making himself acquainted with his duties by not visitng the localities over which his beneficent reign is popularly supposed to extend.” After sketching the journey of Mr Eolleston, the writer promises in next issue to “ continue this 1 abstract and brief chronicle ’ of the erratic proceedings of the political comet who has lately flashed through this part of Creation.”

The diamond discovery like Edison,s electric lamp, is seriously disputed. Under date Dec. 29, Maskelyne, of the Mineral Department of the British Museum, writes to the “ Times ” that, after a thorough test of the so-called crystallized forms of carbon obtained by James McLean, of St. llollox Chemical Works, who supposed that he had discovered a process'/)! making diamonds, he has no hesitation in declaring that they are not diamonds at all, but consist of compound of silex. The family of the famous Irish agitator, Parnell, appeared in Ireland about the same time that Cromwell took his troopers over there, and it has been a prominent one ever since. It was a branch of an English stock, but, like the Norman Irish, it has in the course of time become “more Irish than the Irish'.thcmsclvos.” The last Chancellor of Ireland, previous to the Union of 1800 ) was a Parnell, his father was a Sir John Parnell, and another Parnell was a wit and poet of considerable note in Dublin. Mrs Parnell, mother of the Irish agitator, is generally regarded as the leading lady operator in Wall street New York.