NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2584, 2 July 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Auckland Racing Club have endorsed the decision of the Dunedin Jockey Club re J. Harding and the mare Miss Domett.

The Coromandel publicans are dissatisfied with tbe local Licensing Bench. All licenses have been raised to £4O, some had been £5.

Mr Henry Palmer Of Maharangi, Auckland, is purchasing blocks of native land, with a view of forming a special settlement of Irish farmers.

The Christchurch Hunt Club have decided to hold a steeplechase meeting on the racecourse, when over £2OO will be given away in stakes. Ward and Go’s well-known brewing establishment, Christchurch, has passed into the hands of a company with a capital of £50,000. Mr Driver of Dunedin, has been offered £3OOO for his three horses.

Certain charges having been made against the Dunedin Town Clerk, the City Council yesterday decided that it was nececsary he should prosecute the person making them for libel.

It appears that the telegram forwarded yesterday to the effect that the Berry Ministry were saved by the casting vote of the speaker was not correct. From a telegram which appears elsewhere, it will be seen tint Mr Berry was in a minority of three.

We were shown to-day, by Mr Hackett, a curiosity in the egg line, a ram avis in ovum. It consisted of a couple of perfect eggs joined together in the manner of the Siomeso Twins. One of the eggs was of the ordinary size, the other being somewhat smaller. The length of the cord which connected them was about threequarters of an inch and of comparative thickness.

Most people know that it used to cost, and still costs, a man thousands of pounds to secure his election to the English House of Commons. A similarly discreditable state of things apears to be opening up in New Zealand. At least we are told that Mr Bunny stated the other day that the election expenses of himself, bis colleague, and one opponent had amounted to £I3OO, whilst the expenses of one member for Wellington had come to £BOO. Belfast was somewhat excited recently by the decision of the great unpaid of that town to send Methodists to gaol for preaching and singing in the streets. Three were prosecuted and two were convicted. One of the latter appealed ; the ether went to gaol, preferring to do his fourteen days rather than pay the forty-shilling fine. The odd thing about it was that the indictments charged them with "indecent behaviour.’’

A special summoned meeting of the Standing Commmittee of the Orange Institution was held at the office of Mr J M. Shepherd last evening. The Committee were called at 7.30 and the following brethren were present:—Messrs Pearson, (chairman) J. M. Shepherd, Hughes, Irwin, Smith, Mills, sand Goddard Jackson. Various matters in connection with the welfare of the Institution were considered and exhaustively discussed, the sitting not being closed until far into the small hours. A full report of the proceedings will be presented to the Lodge for confirmation at its next meeting on the 12th inst. White and Hearn (says a Wellington paper) the rival scullers, are attracting considerable attention just now amongst boating and sporting men. They are both in active training and fine form. The majority of the public seem to like Hearn’s style best, but the visitor has a fair share of admirers who are ready to back their opinion. The general impression is that the race will be a very evently contested one, and that whoever wins will have to work for it. White is staying at the Pier Hotel, and is paying strict attention to his diet as well as to his exercises afloat and ashore. He is a very quiet man, and is scarcely ever heard to talk on the object of his visit or his capabilities as an oarsman, but he has neverless fully made up his mind to take the championship to Auckland.

'i here are now 31 patients in the Tiraaru Hospital. During the month of June there were 22 patients admitted and 24 “ discharged,” including 17 cured, 3 relieved, and 4 deaths. Fifty-six in-patients were treated during the month and 19 outpatients.

The Artillery Band’s third Promenade Concert of the present series takes place to-night at the old Artillery Hall. The Maori is fast disappearing from the face of the land. Up to the present no complete history of the natives, with their legends, songs, 'and general characteristics, has been written. By the last mail from the North, we notice that Mr E. Champtaloup advocates that the work should be undertaken at once. Writing on the subject, the “ New Zealand Herald ” says : So far as part of the work is concerned — all that referring to the natives—it must be begun at once, or it never can be done at all. The generation of Maoris who really know the traditions and ancient religion of their race has almost entirely passed away, and within a few years much knowledge that might now be gathered will have been lost without chance of recovery. The Europeans, too, who can do the work are year by year becoming fewer. Men cannot now learn Maori as they once could. The natives have changed their idiom. When speaking to a European in their own language they never use good and genuine Maori, but make a choice of words which they have learned by experience that a European most readily follows and comprehends. When the early settlers and early missionaries came, they heard true Maori spoken, and as they would bo months and sometimes years entirely amongst the natives, hearing very little English, and seldom speaking it themselves, they became good Maori, linguists. But all this is entirely altered.”

There was a clean sheet at the E.M. Court to-day.

■The post mortem examination on the body of the newly born child found in Dunedin the other, morning by a newspaper runner when making his rounds, shows that death resulted, from exposure. A man named Robins alias Williams was arrested at Invercargill on Thursday, charged with forging an order on Mr W. Wildermoth, of the Cave Arms Hotel. Robins will probably make his: appearance before Mr Beetham on Monday next.

A law Was recently passed unanimously by both branches of the Connectcut Legislature providing that any person planting or protecting forest trees one quarter of a mile or more along any public highway may receive for ten years an annual bounty of one dollar for each quarter of a mile so planted; the forest trees to include the elm maple, tulip, ash, basswood, oak, black walnut, hickory. The elms not to be more than 60 feet apart and the others not more than 30 feet apart. Mr W. Wadlow, fruiterer and confectioner,

George street, opposite Club Hotel, is prepared to supply all sorts of delicacies in the shape of confectionery, snacks for railway travellers, &c, A private room is provided for ladies.