NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2552, 26 May 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Australian mails via Brindisi, were delivered in London on May 23.

The flags on the shipping in the Harbor to-day, were at half-mast high, in token of respect to the memory of the late Mr E. D. Wood, who was a member of the Rocket Brigade, and whose funeral took place this afternoon, the members of the Brigade being in attendance.

A sculling match took place on Wednesday, at Grafton, on the Clarence River, between Laycock and Rush. The former led throughout the race and won by half a length. The settling-up in connection with the late N.Z.G.N. meeting took place last night at the Grosvenor Hotel, when the following amounts were paid overH. J. Lunn, £190; P. Butler, £190; F. St James, £9o T. Foster, £2B 18s ; P. H. Duncan, £53 4s. Total, £551 19s.

The Riverton correspondent of the “ Southland Times ” states that trade is still in a very bad state in this district. The only persons who are making money are the Chinese; they are steadily increasing in this neighborhood, being over 400 strong at the Round Hill diggings. A telegram from Auckland states that a party of seventeen Mormons left by the mail steamer for Utah. Amongst them was Day, late Clerk of the City Council, and T. W. Marsh, of “pure love and affection ” celebrity.

Up to the present time about £9OO has been subscribed in Christchurch and suburbs for the families of the late Revs. J. B. Richardson and J. Armitage; about £2OO has been raised in Eaiapoi, and £SO in Lyttelton. It is anticipated that the total sum subscribed in Canterbury will amount to at least £ISOO.

An amusing case was heard at the Dunedin Magistrate’s Court yesterday.. MiFish, the well-known City Councillor, sued four members of a suburban School Committee for an assault over a struggle to get possession of a minute book. He claimed £SO, having had his ribs broken and confined to house, ten days. The stories told by the witnesses varied a good deal, things evidently having been excited for a time. The Magistrate reserved decision.

Says “ iEglea ” in the “ Australasian Amongst the visitors to Sydney, so numerous of late, was one who is heart and soul Victorian, and who would not readily admit that anything better, or even as good, as Melbourne existed anywhere else. He had been some days in the sister capital, the weather was fine, the harbor gay, the streets brisk and he could find nothing to grumble at. He was becoming, consequently, much depressed. At last he was accosted by a mendicant seeking alms. Our friend’s face brightened at once. He said to the astonished suitor, <l Why, you're the man I’ve been looking for. They told me there were no beggars in "Sydney. Here’s half-a-crown.” After that he fairly enjoyed the remainder of his visit.

A writer in a Melbourne paper says : In one of the leading colonies a leading newspaper is the property of a company, registered under the Companies Statue. A •certain gentleman, whose virtues are kept isuccessfully concealed, having been returned to Parliament, the newspaper in question complimented the electors on their choice, and a clerical synod in turn complimented the newspaper upon its compliments. Out of this a discussion arose as to the propriety of both proceedings. One of the ministers jus tidied the newspaper, on the ground of its meirciful silence in ignoring all bub what was good in the hon, member criticised. “ Well ” said a bystander, “ it is certainly edifying to have travelled 16,000 miJ.es to learn that the Almighty's mercy is in the hands of a limited liability company!"

There was a clean sheet at the R.M* Court this morning. ’ ; Intoxication caused 168 violent deaths in Sydney alone daring 1880. The Education vote of the New. South Wales Parliament for this year is £525,865.’ “ Still' 1 hunting by the Customs authorities and police at Wanganui is the latest excitement. . Innocent and respectable towns people arc having their dwellings entered, and searched—no leave asked and no apologies made.

The population in the county of Patca is ascertained to be 5970. This will entitle the county to separate representation in Parliament, on the bads of the Redistribution Bill prepared last year by the Government.

The remains of a man, Edward Cole, who had been missing in Greymoutb, were found at Brunnertou in; a rather singular manner. The “ Argus” states that a man Geo. Crawford went to clear out a culvert that was choked with sludge and sand. The hole was between 5 and 6ft deep, and the culvert Ift square. When working with bis shovel he came across a piece of cloth, and immediately after found that the cul verthad bren partly choked by the body of a man. The feet were inside the culvert, which were quite stopped up by deceased’s legs. It is supposed deceased fell into the hole accidently, and that before he could extricate himself he was smothered with water and sludge.

The Tapnnul Courier, in alluding to the death of Hannah Fischer, a woman of rather loose character, says After the inquest, her husband —evidently a hardharted brute—refused to bury her, and left the corpse in the house with a family of young children. The police had to take the matter in hand, and order a pauper’s funeral. The body was consigned to the grave like that of a dog, although there are three resident ministers of the Gospel in Tapanui. “ Alas for the rarity of Chiistiah charity.”

The Waikato paper sajs;—“ A good storj is told of a great chief who resides not over one hundred miles from Punni.” He suffered from “ hakihnki ” aud bronchitis. A sympathising pakeha friend sent him remedies for both these complaints; some ointme t to he applied externally and a bottle of cod liver oil to be taken internally. Somehow the directions got mixed up, and the chief in . his untutored innocence reversed the order of things, eating the ointment and rubbing on the Cod Liver oil. The distinguished “ Rangatira” has since been troubled with serious misgivings as to the efficacy of pakeba “ ronga,” and has decided to let nature take its course. The Miss Tolletnache, to whom Mr Herbert Gladstone is with probability reported engaged, is a grandaughter of the late Earl of Dysart, who left her £200,000.

A strange accident recently happened to Allan Auld, of Talbraggar, Gulgong, New South Wales. He was riding after a horse that was blind of one eye, when the animal turned round on the blind side and cannoned against the one being ridden, knocking the rider against a tree and breaking his thigh. Mrs Schneider, of St. Charles (Mo.) slapped her twelve-year-old son Willie because he was naughty, and, when Mr Schneider came home to dinner he whipped Willie. Willie then went to the barn crying. When they found him an hour or two later he was hanging dead, suspended by a leather strap from a beam in the hay loft. All is not gold that glitters, even in the case of agricultural societies. Last year’s show of the Highland Society of Scotland was held at Kelso, and resulted in a loss of £ISOO. During 1880, £6OO went in providing travelling expenses, hotel bills, and dinner tickets for directors, judges, and other officials, and of £6OO voted towards experimental farming, £4OO went in salaries to the chemist and his assistants. News comes from Tonga of a boat accident, which resulted in the death of the eldest daughter of the Rev. Mr Moulton, and the narrow escape of all in the boat. While crossing from one island to another the sea became so rough that the occupants were washed clean out of the boat, by the force of the waves shipped. A Tonga crew suceeded in bringing the Rev. gentleman to land, as well as a young lady who accompanied him and his daughter, but not before he became insensible. A Tonga native, who bad charge of Miss Moulton, 14 years of age, let her slip from his back without warning, and , she was seen no more. -

During the voyage of the E.M.S.S. Poonah, which conveyed the passengers from Europe for Australia as' far as Galle, an accident occurred which served to illustrate what can be done in a wellappointed vessel in the way of saving life at sea. At half-past 8 a.m. on the 11th ult., which the steamer was tearing along at 12knot speed, one of the native crew fell overboard. The engines were speedily reversed, a boat was manned and lowered, and the drowning man rescued. Prom the time the alarm “.Man overboard” was given, until the time when the boat which put off after him was again swinging at the davits, only 16 minutes elapsed. The passengers were very much pleased with the promptness and alacrity shown on the occasion by all concerned. A police magistrate in a neighboring colony has had the pleasure of paying £SO for a piece of stupidity which can hardly be credited. This gentleman happened to be on board a goods train, which at one of the stations where the grade of the line was considerable, was stopped, being duly secured by the brake, whilst the engine was employed shunting some trucks. Not being aware of this, as was afterwards explained, he released the brake, thinking the train was stuck, and that thus he would make progress. The consequence, however, was that the guard’s van and loaded trucks ran down the incline on which they were standing and collided with some other trucks. The Minister of Railways, to whom the whole matter was reported, accepted the rather lame explanation on the understanding that the cost of the repairs should be defrayed by the amateur conductor.

One of the men employed at Cain’s Landing Service met with an accident last night while engaged with one of the Service boats, and sustained an awkward jam.

A curious robbery is reported from Melbourne. - While a bairister was engaged in Court, one of the light-fingered gentry succeeded in taking the learned' gentleman’s bag, unobserved, and getting away with it, The thief took the bag to Mr Michael, pawnbroker, and endeavored to raisemoney on it, contents included. Mr Michael makes it a practice never to lend money on briefs, even-though the fees are marked on them, and suspecting that the bag was not come by honestly, he went for a constable. The bag was returned to Mr Quinlan, just as be had informed the judge that he was “ in a dilemma,” as his briefs were missing.

The magnificent weather lately cxnerienced here almost suggests that that much-abused functionary, the clerk of the weather has got " mixed up,” and is giving ub a taste of English autumn weather in mistake for our own winter. The last winter, at Home was one of exceptional severity, and the thermometer went down so many degrees below freezing point that the unhappy “ tight little islanders ” will require an unusually hot summer to get thawed. Mr Theodore Brown, who evidently does not believe in doing things by halves, is getting up a monster £IO,OOO sweep on the Melbourne Cup, further particulars of which will bo found in another column. Mr F. J. Wilson, Architect, invites tenders for the erection of a house at Wai-iti. Further particulars in another column. Excellent fowl, and pig feed, and also bran, can be obtained at Mr Bruce’s Mills, cheap just now, a clearance being desired. We notice that Mr W. Wadlow, late of the Railway Boarding House, has taken over Mr J. Amos’ confectionery business, near the Railway Station Passengers by the early train ought to feel under an obligation to Mr Wadlow, for they can obtain a hot pie and a cup of hot coffee at bis establishment before the first train starts in the morning.