NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2393, 17 November 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The capital of the Dunedin Coffee Palace Company is £SOOO. A mysterious shower of meteoric stones has been falling at Kaiapoi. A southern paper likens the Civil Service to a rabbit warren, and calls the Ministry “ tbe rabbiters.”

We have received a copy of the “ Melbourne Bulletin ” a new journal devoted to stage gossip and sporting intelligence. Its news columns are devoted chiefly to brevities which we fear approach too nearly the sickly gasps of American newsmen to please the palates of Australian readers. One of the best items in the copy sent us is a recipe for making puddings, evidently borrowed from a domestic cookery book; the rest of the journal consists of vulgar and offensive personalities. Our opinion of the “ Melbourne Bulletin ” is that it is utterly destitute of literary merit, its attempts at wit are execrable, its gossip repugnant to good taste, that it ministers to a depraved appetite for petty scandal and idiotic tittle-tattle, and that its existence is an affront to the intelligence and respectability of Australian colonists. Such a literary abortion as the specimen submitted to us deserves an exceedingly brief reign.

There is some talk of holding a race meeting at Albury this year. Last years’ meeting was a great success. Bishop S'clwyn has completed the erection of a Church at Norfolk Island, 'P■ " The French’ yignerons at Dargaville, Kaipara, are energetically engaged in preparing vineyards. A surveyor known as “ the parson,” has been horsewhipped byseveral nymphs of the pave for sending them indecent verses. It is stated that there has been an enormous increase of half-caste children since the Armed ('onltabulary have been at Parihaka. Evidently the “ native difficulty” is in a fair way of settlement.

There was a clean shut at the K. M, Court this morning. There Jias been a marked decrease in the number of drunkards brought up before the (iourt during dhe past few weeks. The “ Wanganui Hearald” in its account of the recent races says “ the lawn was as smooth as a boozing-green.” Is this a delicate way of hinting that the company got drunk ? A Wellington correspondent says it is understood that the recommendation of the Civil Service Commission that the services of Messrs’^la mity and Gray should bo dispensed with, will be followed by the adoption of the recommendation, also privately' conveyed to Government, that Dr Lemon should be appointed permanent head of post and telegraph offices. An Auckland paper says:—Mr James I’emberton, the winner of the first prize in Abbott's £”>000 sweep on the Melbourne Cup, is a gum digger at Whangarei. He spent his last £5 in tickets, and then bartered the irhinhuj iiumher to Mr Davis of the Kamo Hotel for two drinks. Whether Mr Davis intends to stick to it has not as yet transpired.

A meeting of the South Ca terbury Caledonian Society was held last at the flrosvcnor Hotel. Present—Messrs .1. Meiklc (in the chair), D. Stuart, Pell, Maclean, Sinclair, Fraser, Ford, and Captain Mills, Mr Bruce (president) wrote apologising for his absence. The committee appointed to draw up a sports’ programme submitted the result of their labors, which was adopted. Messrs Bell and Macfarlano were appointed handicappcrs; Messrs Maclean, Evans, Cliff, I). Stuart, Bell, Meikle, McKcrrow, W. Ford, B. Stewart, .1. Bruce, T. 1!. Jones, J. Waugh, Jas. Fraser, Wildie, F. Wilson, and Captain M ills were appointed judges for general games ; and Messrs Macintosh, McLaren, A. Sinclair, Fraser, Dunn, A. Macphcrson, OThiscoll, Poff, Spillanc,li. Ferguson, J. Ferguson, and Jas. McDonald, of music, dancing, and costume. The bathing season has fairly commenced and every morning before the breakfast hour numbers of men and boys may be seen paddling about off the beach and swiming around inside the breakwater. A dip in the saltwater before breakfast is doubtless a very enjoyable thing and most refreshing this hot weather, but a word of caution to bathers may not be out of place. Only the the other day a little boy, fishing off the breakwater, was in the act of hauling up a rock cod, when something made a snap at it, as it was pulled '•>*’«*• *** watei, auit the nnirlov his fish was disfigured by a large semi-circular bite having been taken out of its side. He thereupon threw the rest of it away, disgusted. It is supposed that the cod was bitten by a shark, on the lookout for something for breakfast. But sharks arc not the only evils to be dreaded. A large devil fish or octopus, arms measuring fully four feet long, was recently captured off the breakwater, and there can be very little doubt but that open sea bathing hereabouts is not unattended with danger. People say who har e experienced it, that the sensation of having a devil fish coiled round your leg when you are swimming is anything but pleasant. Probably not.