South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2191, 27 March 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY .

The Arethusa Dramatic Company gave their concluding entertainment at the Theatre Royal, on Thursday evening last, when the “ Merchant of Venice ” was presented, Mr Chas. Burford sustaining the part of Shylock, and Mrs Walter Hill that of Portia ; both artistes acquitted themselves creditably. The remainder of the cast was fairly filled. The Company appear this evening, at the Academy of Music, Christchurch, in “ Formosa.” Professor Hughes will deliver his lecture on “ Thomas Moore ” at the Oddfellows’ Hall, on Tuesday evening next. The lee turc will be interspersed with some of the poet’s beautiful Irish melodies ; and Mr Morgan, a Welsh harpist, will also contribute to the evening’s amusement.

Thirty debtors obtained their discharge at Christchurch on Wednesday. The official statement of the South Australian wheat statistics show that the total acreage is 1,458,01)0, producing 14,200,904 bushels. The average yield is 9 bushels 471bs per acre for the past season. The magnificent sum of £5 is offered for the best essay on “ The development of Constitutional Liberty in England,” contributed by persons under 25, who have passed the junior or senior Civil Service examination. Those who are eligible as candidates will probably reflect that the same money may be won half-a-dozen times over in a few minutes at an athletic festival. But feet, we presume, are more important than brains.

A meeting of the Timaru Athletic Club was held on Thursday evening, at the Club Hotel. A letter was read from Mr Rhodes, granting the use of the old Show Grounds for a sports meeting on the Queen’s Birthday. A vote of thanks were accorded to Mr Rhodes for the permission. Nothing definite is yet settled with regard to the Club’s application for a lease of the Ground. A committee was appointed to draw up a programme for the sports meeting, and the affair promises to be most successful. After a very rough journey, and having been storm-bound in the North, the Premier and Mr Bryce returned to Wellington on Thursday. The Native Minister is unwell.

It is rarely that an accident occurs through a hoarse bolting, but an instance of the kind took place at Kumara yesterday. The hearse was returning from a funeral, when the kingbolt came out, the horses bolted, and four children, together with the driver, were seriously injured. Not a bad story is related of the adventures on Good Friday of two Volunteer olliccrs from Christchurch, who travelled South for the purpose of taking part in a review on their own account in a certain country village not a hundred miles from Timaru. The gallant officers, who shall be nameless, secured a railway carriage all to themselves, and, with the view of preventing intrusion, jffaced their naked sabres across the doors. The train, however, was crowded, and first-class carriages being in request, the son of an M.H.R., a well-known Christchurch merchant, accompanied by his good lady resented the unkind cut by pushing the steel aside. Inside the compartment, the intruders found themselves enveloped in clouds, not of gunpowder smoke, but the fumes of execrable tobacco. The lady appealed to the gallantry of our warriors while the gentleman mildy remonstrated, hut strange though it may seem, these noble defenders, though travelling as “ dead-heads,” appeared to be “ highly charged and primed,” and when spoken to they exploded in language neither polite nor decorous. The guard was appealed to, but his interference only produced renewed insolence and strong language. In the meantime the train drew up at Rakaia station, and shortly afterwards the spectacle of two smoke-begrimed soldiers with drooping underlips marching off under the escort of a policeman rather amused and astonished the natives.

The patience of our citizen soldiers was severely tried yesterday morning. The train from the South, which had travelled all night, was due at Timaru at 4 a.m., and by break of day the Timaru contingent for Christchurch assembled on the railway platform. The morning was cold, and, as time rolled past in weariful watching and waiting, our noble defenders grew impapatient. Growls loud and deep ensued, and then a preliminary attack was made on the refreshment-rooms. From 4 till 0.30, when the train put in an appearance, there was a moderate slaughter of “Long John,” “Dunville,” and other choice spirits, but when the Dunedin and Oamaru contingents joined the ranks, the massacre of stimulants, from coffee upwards, was something to be remembered. Teeth rattled, cups rose high in the air, and tumblers glittered in the early rays of the rising sun. There was no time for toasts, but the subdued sound of sandwich mastication, and the gurgling of hot liquids over thirsty palates excelled any exhibition that has probably ever been presented in a pet menagerie. The travellers from (South seemed to have suffered terribly during their long, dark, tedious journey, and it was stated that the members of the Dunedin Naval. Brigade, who appeared on the platform bareheaded and terribly jaded-looking, had swallowed their caps on the way.

Frank A. Moor, the unlucky convict, who was killed at Wellington by a fall of earth would have been pardoned because of his exemplary conduct in a few days had he lived.

Fears arc entertained respecting the schooner (Sovereign of the Seas, which left New Caledonia, for Auckland three weeks ago, with 25 Communists on board.

A few days ago Mr G. Edmonds, a master mariner at Wellington obtained about a pennyweight of gold from the gizzard of a duck which he purchased at auction. The duck hailed from Parsons and Maxton’s poultry-breeding establishment at Bridgewater, Nelson, and Mr Parsons is now shepherding his ducks with a tin dish and shovel in the hope of discovering a new gold field.

At the Dunedin instruct Court on Thursday, the case of Maurice iondut, v. the New Zealand Insurance Company, a claim for £2OO on a policy of insurance, again came before His Honor Judge Harvey and a jury of four. It will be recollected that the case was heard some time ago, but the proceedings were complicated through the judge ruling that the plaintifl had no legal right to recover, and the jury defiantly returning a verdict for the plaintiff. On this occasion the judge directed the jury to find a verdict for the defendant the plaintiff having failed to prove his case, but the jury again returned a verdict for plaintiff. Another new trial has been applied for. Three hundred of the Dunedin unemployed have commenced work at Mullocky Gully, Otago Central railway. Other members of the unemployed arc en route ,

A gentleman connected with the Press, who has just arrived from Tasmania, informs us that business in the Australian Colonics at present is as “ dull as ditchwater,” and that a remarkable fact is the general belief in each colony that the prevailing depression is chiclly confined to itself.

It is understood that the Laud Tax will be levied up to the Juno 30 when the Property Tax will come into operation. During the past day or two a large quantity of shells and shellfish have been washed ashore on the beach by the heavy surf. Yesterday near the breakwater a large quantity of beautiful shells were gathered by the collectors of curios, while mussels were obtained in bagfuls. It may be mentioned as a fact not generally known that may of the ordinary looking pebbles on the beach are regularly transmitted to Great Britain, where, after passing through the hands of the lapidary and jeweller they arc made to contribute to the personal graces of the reigning beauties.

Mr Stevens’ horses, which were impounded on the Waimatc Plains by the natives, have been released.

The mid-day express train from the South was crammed with passengers to-day on arrival in Timaru en route for Christchurch. Amongst the holiday-makers were a number of volunteers and members of the Dunedin Naval Brigade on their way to take part in the Easter review to be held on Monday.

It will hardly he believed by the friends of the parties implicated, that some of the Dunedin Volunteers could be guilty of such meanness as commit petty larceny on their way to take part in the Christchurch Volunteer Review, yesterday. Such, howeverr, was the case. On their way up they stopped at Ashburton, and during the few minutes that they were detained there, they ran across the street to Mr Furness lolly and fruit shop, and filled their pockets’ with everything they could lay their ;|hands on. Mr Furness was lying ill in bed and unable to leave his room, and Mrs Furness as may be easily supposed was powerless to stop these dishonest rascals from walking off with the things. Fully £8 of goods were removed, including lollies, fruit, tobacco, Ac., not in mere handfulls but by the box and tin. The depredators ran off when there was nothing left to plunder, and re-entered their train laughing at what they had done It is certainly something to be proud of to have robbed a defenceless woman of all her little stock of goods, and it is to be hoped that the authorities will sec that she is no loser by the dishonesty of these gallant defenders of their country.

George Macintyre, remanded at the Southbridge Court on Thursday for fourteen days on a charge of brutally assaulting his wife, whoso life is still in imminent danger, escaped from the Southbridge lockup about eight o’clock on the same even ing. Constable Hale placing rather too much confidence in his prisoner after giving him his supper, left the door open the whole length of the chain, and sufficient to allow him to undo the latch with his lingers. The cage was discovered to be empty not long after the escape, but up to four o’clock on the following day no clue had been discovered as to his hiding place, although search had been made by the police in every direction. The appearance of the runaway is so striking, being of gigantic stature, broad features, and dark conn plexion, that he is not likely to be at large for any length of time.

In reply to “ (Sportsman ” who asks whether shooting will be allowed in the Waimatc bush on Monday, we may state that the season for shooting commences on that day, being a couple of days earlier this year than usual.

On Thursday a passenger by the s.s. Taiarua from Australia named Graham or Graves was arrested at the White Hart Hotel, Christchurch, on a charge of stealing £2BO in Victoria. A description of Graves had been wired to the police. An inquest was held at the Christchurch Hospital on Thursday on the body of Elizabeth Gilpin, a child of three years, who had her left arm cut off by the wheel of a train on March 8. The deceased with her mother was getting out of the train at Burnham station when the child fell, with the result mentioned. Dr Prins and the house sursurgeon declared the cause of death to be diarrhoea, but the jury attributed it to the accident, and eventually a compromise was arrived at by the jury finding “ That the child died from diarrhoea aggravated by injuries received on the railway line.”

The author of Slcsinger’s Rheumatic Balsam, has just paid us a visit. He informs us that the idea that his preparations arc only useful for enabling the lame and crippled to finish their earthly course without the aid of sticks, crutches, or cork legs, is a popular fallacy. His balsam is not only infallible in case of rheumatism, however, chronic, hut it has a saving virtue for the joints of athletes, who by a liberal application while undergoing training may ensure their chances of success, in connection with either walking matches or fiat races.