RIFLE ASSOCIATION’S MEETING.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2484, 7 March 1881, Page 3

RIFLE ASSOCIATION’S MEETING.

[By Telegraph.] Nelsox, March 7. Thirteenth Match —Wellington Ladies Cup, ranges 200, 250, 300 yards 7 shots each. The following are the prizetakers m order : _ __ , . Harding, Oamaru, 78 ; Webster, Otago, 77 ; Okey, E. R-, Taranaki, 73 ; Paynter, Stoke, 73 ; Foster, W anganui, 73; Shaw, Wellington, 72 ; Hunter, Waimea, 71 ; Cameron, Thames, 71 ; Purcell, Wanganui, 71 ; Anderson, Clutha, 70 ; Wilkinson, Dunedin, 70 ; Laird, Wanganui, 70 ; Remington, Wanganui, 70 ; Adams, Bruce, 70 ; Thomas, 69. The following also made 69 without taking any prize : —Coleman, McLeod ; Rogers, Howe, France, C. Ross, E. Pratt, Ballinger, Sergt. Taylor, Wilson, and Richardson. In the Ladies’ Cup, Armstrong (Thames), 75, takes third place, and Thomas ((Thames) gets no prize. The match North Island y. South, resulted as follows: — South Team—-Paynter, Stoke, 72 ;

Hutchinson, Dunedin, 71 ; Sutton, and Turner.Blenheim.each 71; Hall.Waimca 61 ; Griffiihs, Blenheim, 64; Harding, O.unani, 63 : Eilis, Nelson, 63 ; Linston, Westland ,48 ; Wilcneks. Otago, 64 ; total, 647. North team —Hoskins, Taranaki. 67 ; Draper, Auckland. 59 ; Burr, Wellington, 69 ; Downie, Thames. 62 ; M’Donald Merton, 66 ; Purnell, Wanganui, 63 ; Remington, Wanganui, 60 ; Dinell, Taranaki, 60 ; Sergt Ballinger Wellington, 55 ; Nutsford, Wanganui, 55 ; total, 631. Prizes will be distributed on Wednesday.

The Governor, on his way South will only make a two hours’ stay at Timaru, and will make a similar stay at Oamaru on his return journcy-

It is stated that good wages have been made on the Moeraki and Kartigi beaches by men who have worked the sand for gold. A second daily newspaper is projected at Grcymouth. It is to be called the “ WestIrnd Herald and Grey Valley Advertiser,” and will be a joint stock company affair.

A warrant was issued by the Wainmte Bench on Saturday for the arrest of a man named George Mack, on a charge of horsestealing.. Mack is a prisoner in the Dunedin goal.

The reported Maori outrage at Horn,bora has been greatly exaggerated. The statement about the hags of bone dust belonging to Messrs McLean having been thrown in the river, and other destruction caused is false. The Maoris simply attempted to prevent the destrn ction of an old burial ground.

The Free-thou ght meeting advertised for last evening did not take place, owing to the number (about 150 persons) who applied for admission. The room would not have accommodated a tithe of them, so the meeting was adjourned until next Sunday evening, when a more commodious room or hall will be secured.

The “Lyttelton Times” says;—The newspapers of this colony have, for the most part, denounced the war with the Boers as unjust. Unless the men who arc anxious to volunteer for service in the Transvaal, can show that the arguments adduced are wrong, they ought not to follow their inclinations in this matter. Love of adventure is no excuse for injustice. Patriotism does not call upon men to uphold the Empire in an unjust cause against the weaker party.

Information reached the police on Saturday evening, of the total destruction by tire of the dwelling house of Air George Luck, farmer, residing at the Waiho Flat. Mr Luck awoke about 2 o’clock a.m., and was nearly choked with the smoke that filled his bedroom. With some difficulty he arose and alarmed his family, but by this time the flames bad taken a firm hold of the premises, and completely blocked up the doorways. The family managed to effect an escape not, however,without much trouble and dancer, two of the little boys having to be droppecßout of one of the windows. The furniture, and in fact every thing, was burnt. The fire is supposed to have originated from a spark falling from the wood fire on to the cocoa-nut matting which was laid close up to the fire-place. Mr Luck estimates his loss at fully £2OO. The insurances were as follows :—On the building £295 in London and Lancashire, £l5O in the Standard; and on the furniture £IOO in the Liverpool, London and Globe.

The turret ship Cerberus, an account of whose destruction by a torpedo at Port Philip Heads has been telegraphed, was obtained by Hie Victorian Government for the protection of Hobson’s Bay about the time of the Franco-Prsusian war. She was thickly plated, and looked on the water an impregnable iron fortress. Her turrets were armed with a couple of Armstrong guns of the heaviest calibre, and worked from beneath by powerful machinery. The Cerberus was the only armour-plated monitor on Australian waters, and she was regarded by the people of Melbourne as the guardian of the Heads in case of an attempted invasion. Recently the Victorian Government have had Colonel Scratchlcy employed making the entrance to Hobson’s Bay doubly invulnerable by the employment of torpedoes, and as the unfortunate event has shown, they have "carried their defensive works to a dangerous extreme.

An officer of an infantry regiment while in action gave the command to fix bayonets ; immediately afterwards he heard an Irishman shout, “ Faix no, be jabers ! It’s the enemy we’ll be after iixin’!”

A visitor enters a French newspaper office and is greeted politely by the office-boy—“ If monsieur comes to fight a duel he will have to be kind enough to call again. All our editors are already engaged for to-day.”