NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2213, 21 April 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

A number of forged bank notes (says the “ Herald ”) were circulated in Dunedin on Saturday evening. The notes originally represented one pound each, but they had been altered to five and ten pound notes. The forgery was very cleverly executed, and to disarm suspicion the high numbers on the one pound notes had been reduced by obliterating the last figure. We understand that if the bad notes be held to the light the forgery becomes apparent, as the paper is much thinner where the figures have been altered.

The “ Otago Daily Times ” observes that the present expenditure on education in the Colony of New Zealand, (including school buildings, approaches half a million per annum, and that if the United Kingdom spent a proportionate amount the annual bill there would come to something like £33,000,000. It is not known what course the Crown intend to take re the other charge of murder against Butler.

Law, physics, and divinity are well supplied with female members in the United States. The lady doctors number 530, dentists, 120 ; while 63 are preachers, and 20 practise as lawyers. Some ladies adopt two or more callings at once. A lady living in St Louis notifies on her door-plate that she is an “ elocutionist, poetess, washer and ironer.”

There are many in this colony who will hear with sincere regret of the death of Mr William Evans, better known among the theatrical profession as “ The Irish King.” He died on the 23rd ult. in the Melbourne Hospital. His last engagement was with the Stray Leaves Combination, which visited New Zealand a few months ago. Regarding the “ Irish King” some very amusing anecdotes are related. One of the best is an incident which occurred in the vestibule of Watson’s Hotel, Dunedin, between two and three years ago. Late one evening Mr Evans was accosted by a stranger there, who being in a talkative and familiar humor, was.invited by the agent to have a cigar. In the course of conversation the “elevated” one, who happened to be the manager of an up-country bank, referred in most uncomplimentary,if not abusive, terms to the “ Irish King,” designating him “a perfect fraud,” “ a low scamp,” and so forth. The King’s blood eventually rose, and the banker was finally made aware of his mistake by being kicked out on the footpath. The scuffle attracted some of the cabmen that are wont to hover round that neighborhood, and to these the kicked one tearfully appealed, waving a bank-note, which he offered to anyone that would espouse his cause and strike on his behalf. “ You’ll let me earn the money,’ whispered a powerfully-built cabby to the King with a khowing wink. A short, sharp, and decisive passage-at-arms ensued between agent and cabman, a loud smack was heard, and the King retired rubbing his left optic and vowing revenge. The cabman demanded and received his reward, and a few minutes afterwards he and the agent bade good-bye over a parting nobbier, after laughing heartily over the result of their somewhat amusing adventure. The subject of free libraries is engaging the attention of various municipalities at present. It is somewhat singular that while such centres as Dunedin are only moving in this direction comparatively insignificant places have already acquired the much coveted and very desirable boon. The Thames “ Star ” says:—“ To the borough of Thames belongs the honor of being amongst the first of the colonial municipalities to adopt and carry into practice the provisions of the Public Libraries Act. The mechanics’ library now is in the hands of the borough, in good working order, well patronised by all classes of the community; and as constant additions arc being made to the list of books, wc shall shortly see the Thames in possession of one of the best libraries in the colony.” The man Win. Tate, convicted at the late criminal sittings of the District Court of indecently assaulting some little girls in the vicinity of the Government Landing Service, and sentenced by Judge Ward to a term of imprisonment and 25 lashes with the “cat,” received his Hogging rccently. The whipping was admistcrcd in the presence of the Resident Magistrate, Dr Macintyrc (gaol surgeon), Drs Hogg and Lovcgrovc, and Cotter, the head gaoler. The prisoner bore his punishment with firmness. At its termination he was removed in an exhausted condition to his cell.

The following gentlemen have been nominated for election to the scat on the Tcmuka Boad Board, rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr J. Hayhurst:—Mr Hayhurst, junr, Mr John Paterson, and Mr P. Wareing

Lieutenant-Colonel Stavoly has called a meeting of Captains of Companies in the Dunedin district to investigate the charges against the Volunteers who took part in the late review.

A man named Flynn was arrested at Invercargill yesterday on a charge of fraudulent bankruptcy, having it is alleged, concealed some £9O odd from his creditors.

At the Police Court this morning two first offenders were fined os each for drunkenness. A man was also brought up on suspccion of being of unsound mind, and was remanded, for medical examination, until Friday. As one of the consequences of the totalisator betting men are becoming amphibous, and taking to the water. The Auckland “ Herald” of April 1-1 has the following:— An interesting swimming match took place yesterday afternoon at the Breakwater Baths. The competitors were Mr Belcher, the well known bookmaker, and Mr G. McEwcn. The stakes were £lO a-side. Mr M. Gallagher was stakeholder and starter. As there was a good deal of money in the way of bets on the event, the contest was witnessed by a large crowd. The distance was 100 yards, and the match was won easily by McEwcn. Mr Thurston, Colonial Secretary of Fiji, in speaking in Melbourne lately of the progress of the Fijis, said that the total value of the trade had increased from £198,201 in 1870 to £329,173 in 1878. The imports from British possessions had increased during the same period from £91,111 to £133,079. The port of Suva had rapidly advanced. The imports in 1870 were £3,313 and its exports £5,100. In 1878 they were respectively £17,121 and £15,379. In 1879 tire total Fijian exports amounted to £230,000. Julia Paul, the woman who murdered her child in the Oamaru Gaol, has been declared insane, and was forwarded to-day to the Lunatic Asylum, Dunedin The following incident (remarks the “Auckland Herald”) shows the necessity of the Government retaining skilled and experienced operators in the Telegraph Department, instead of allowing them to be weeded out by the superior attractions and prizes offered for their acceptance in mercantile life: —An Auckland firm sent a cablegram to London, which was mutilated in transmission between Auckland and Wellington, and, by a strange coincidence, the reply contained a word not in the code, which, on further investigation, was found to be owing to a mistake which had again occurred between Wellington and Auckland. Of course both messages were useless, the expenditure entailed thrown away, and the respective firms deprived of the profit anticipated by their speculation.

This morning, about 8 o’clock, the work men employed by the Harbor hoard, caught sight of a large seal, about 10 feet long, swimming about some little distance off the end of the breakwater. A boat was soon procured, and several of the hands started in pursuit. The seal proved too wide-awake for the would-be captors, however, and succeeded in giving them the slip.

The Rev. John Hobbs, of Nasoby, Otago, has a tenderness of a peculiar kind for hotcross buns. The local paper the “ .Mount Ida Chronicle,” says :— 1 “ Hot-cross-buns ” are three words which one would think would hardly make a good subject for a sermon. Yet the Rev. John Hobbs made them the corner stone of his sermon last Sunday. The rev. gentleman waxed very warm in his discourse, and said the practice was a “most horrible one ’ —“ it was an insult to Almighty God. The idea of a person irreligiously eating a lot of buns with a cross on them made him almost shudder.”

The Rev. Lorenzo Moore, in a lettc replying to an article against him in the New Zealand “Churchman,” says;—“ln that article I am branded by yon as a rebel and a fire-brand, and, under the cover of a French word, my conduct is marked as being scandalous. What is the cause of these and other insulting expressions? Simply this—that I have set on foot a plain mirUualistic Church of England service, the irregularity of which is admitted, but the step fully justified by the state of things here.”

The N.Z. “ Times ” of Monday last says: —A somewhat singular scene was witnessed in the Grand Jury Room of the Supreme Court a few days ago. A meeting of creditors was being held, and the chairman and trustee was himself a bankrupt, whose affairs has lately excited intense dissatisfaction in certain circles on the ground that among his liabilities was a large sum of money which he had received as trustee of a number of estates. As reporters entered the room they were challenged one by one by this individual, and informed that the proceedings were “ private.” This is not so much a matter of surprise; the wonder is that an uncertified bankrupt of such notoriety should be administering the estate, and acting as chairman and trustee. A man named William Hayward Smith adopted a peculiar method of attempting to frighten his wife (from whom he was separated) at Napier the other day. The man got very drunk, and went and sat down outside his wife’s gate. He told one of his children to go and fetch his wife, whom he said he wanted to see very particularly. On her arrival he took out a paper 'from his pocket containing powder and swallowed it, telling her he had taken poison. She at once sent for the police, who took him to the lock-up. The matter-of-fact police oll'icer in charge, however, refused to send for a doctor until he saw the poison begin to “ work.” This consummation was never reached, and the prisoner was brought in a repentant state before the Resident Magistrate the next morning, and lined for drunkenness. Under the head of “ Unfulfilled Promises ” the “ Northern Advocate” says : “ On dit that Sir George Grey is collecting information regarding the unfulfilled promises of the present Government, with a view of showing the House that the Government got in on promises which they had no intention of carrying out. Sir George will make capital out of the fact of the Property Tax not being levied, and it is rumored the cost of assessing the property and collecting the tax will be so great, that the Government will make this a pretext for not bringing it into operation, until the land tax is abolished, and the wealthy relieved of their fair share of the burdens of the country. The friends of Sir George Grey believe that he has the material with which to make out a nasty case against the ‘ Financial’ Ministry. The Liberal Party complain that the Government have done little for Auckland, in the matter of Public Works ; have made no adequate recompense for the support of the 1 four ’ ; have not fulfilled the promises made at the time of the secession. We can answer for the veracity of the last clause, as we have seen memoranda which, if published.. would be sufficient to damn any Ministry. We yet hope to see the Hall Government come out with clean hands.” We take the following from Monday’s “ Post”; —A curious incident took place on board the steamer Arawata on Saturday afternoon, about two hours before she left for the north. On the starboard side of the fore-hatch two racehorses had been placed in boxes on deck. These were respectively Hilarious, a well-known 2-ycar old, andEversley an equally well-known steeplechaser. Roth were cn route for the Auckland races. During the afternoon the hatch covering was taken off for the purpose of allowing goods to be stowed. M hile this was going on something appears to have startled the steeplechaser, who suddenly made a desperate spring right out of his box, and to the consternation of the spectators and the persons in charge of him went head-long down the hatchway. Fortunately the covering was closed over the lower hold, and the horse only fell a distance of about 10 feet. He landed on his side. After scrambling about the animal succeeded in regaining his feet. His box was then lowered, and he was got into it and raised to his former position care being taken this time to prevent any similar escapade on the part of the old “ Timbertopper.” Curiously enough, so far as could be ascertained, the horse sustained no in jury whatever from this extraordinary accident. We have heard of Chandler’s famous leap, but this is the first time we have heard of a horse jumping out of a close box, and taking a header down a ship’s hold. Ihe Auckland jumps, stiff as they arc, will surely prove mere child’s play to such a horse. Hearing that among the contemplated blessings in store for the people, school fees arc about to be imposed at an early date, an enterprising Timaru photographer resolved the other day to “ secure the shadow ere the substance fades,” and this morning the children of the public school, with their teachers to the number of about 500, were arranged in front of the buildings, and had their portraits struck off. The negative ob. tained was a good one, and it will be handed down to posterity as a sample of Timaru enterprise in its infancy.

Mr Jones, Lyttelton Harbor Board diver,

resumed his examination of the sca-bottom to-day. Tue work is likely to occupy some days.

Two inebriates were arrested in town this afternoon. They will be dealt wfthat the Police Conit in the morning. Between 50 and GO men have applied at Mr Green’s offices to engage passage for the Cape, since bis advertisement appeared announcing the sailing of a vessel direct for that part of the world. A large proportion of the would-be ovyttycurs arc working men who have saved a little money, which they have determined to take elsewhere rather than brave another winter in New Zealand while the present depression lasts.