NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2589, 8 July 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The football match Oamaru v. Timaru comes off to-morrow at 1.30 p.m., at Mr Woolcombc’s ground. It will be seen by our shipping telegrams that the ship Wellington, which left on April 17, arrived in London on July Scaring made the run Home in 78 days. Professor Simon’s Phrenological entertainment takes place to-night for the first time, and will be repeated to-morrow night at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Barnard street. The ghost, or one of them, for so many appalling stories hare been flying about of late of ghostly visitants, that there must be several, for it would be a moral impossibility for one ghost to do the work, was captured on Wednesday evening by a gentleman who was walking along Grey Road at a late hour. When nearing the top of the road he observed a light shining ahead, and happening to be ghost-proof himself he investigated. Beneath some trees was a fearful looking object composed of a broomstick and sheet, and for a head it had a monsier swede or mangold most artistically carved, and lit with a candle end. The apparition was suspended by the head from the branch of a tree, its feet, or the place where they ought to have been, nearly touching the ground. It is satisfactory to know that one ghost has at least been fou'd to be of such an unsubstantial character, but it does not say much for the good taste or good sensi of the practical jokist who contrived the thing. It was made up ingeniously enough to frighten children, and even timid grown people. A boy named Orson Brookes, aged 14, together with his horse, has been drowned in attempting to cross the Waimea river, Nelson.

The girl McKenna, who was injured by her clothes catching fire on Wednesday night, did at the Christchurch Hospital yesterday morning. Mr Dick has got himself into trouble with his friends the Good Templars. The Grand Lodge of the Order has telegraphed to him their disappointment at his expressing s. mpathy, while in Dunedin, with grocers who wish bottle licenses re-inserted in the Licensing Bill.

The committve have decided on keeping the Dunedin Exhibition open two days next week, the gross proceeds to go to the local charities.

Captain Casey, an old Auckland colonist and steamboat proprietor, died yesterday from bronchitis.

The Wellington police are still enforcing the provisions of the licensing law regarding Sunday trading, and the proprietor of the Prinec of Wales’ Hotel, Tory street, was fined £3 and costs for a breach of this Ordinance.

The Wellington Law Society yesterday brought an action against a solicitor to recover his annual subscription now due. The Magistrate held that the Society, not being a corporate body, could not recover. The Wellington “ Evening Post ” has the following :—A learned counsel was cross-examining a witness during the hearing of a civil case at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and had occasion to ask the question “ When was it that you went insolvent ?” “ Just before you went insolvent yourself, sir.” The Court tittered, and the Magistrate interfered, informing the witness that he was not placed in the box to return rude answers. The witness said he had not meant to be offensive, and apologised if be had hurt the learned counsel’s feelings. He explained that the reply he had given was meant to enable the counsel to fix the date definitely, at which another smile went round the Court.

Norah Williams a confirmed drunkard, was discovered in an Auckland police cell nearly unconscious from attempted choking with a silk handkercheif. The police took the handkerchief away, but she made a similar attempt afterwards with a garter.

A Bill, introduced by Sir George Grey t to regulate the admission of persons to practice in Courts of Law, was read a first time in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon.

The sailors from the Detached Squadron are playing up in Melbourne. There are said to be a numb.’r of them drunk all over the city, and most of them young men. At the inquest on the body of Mary Galvin, found drowned in Auckland harbor, it was stated that she had six children in and about Auckland, yet not one of them, from the oldest to the youngest, seemed to care for their mother, and could give no account of her during the last eight months, in fact, the only intelligence of her they ever got was from the police reports, which occassionally stated, “ Mary Galvin, 5s and costs.” On reading it, their remark, “ Mother is not dead yet,” would pass from lip to lip, without the least sign of filial regard or any effort to bring her back from what appeared a .hopeless course of life. The deceased had formally been in good circumstances.

A writer in a Melbourne journal states that a firm in Melbourne received from Sandhurst, as part of a remittance, on Monday last, three Bank of England £lO notes bearing date May 31, and June 11, 1831. The notes are in good condition, and do not bear the appearance of much circulation. Their history and the reason of their long disappearance from public use would doubtless be of inatarest if it could be traced and told. A young friend who “ does sums" tells me that the use of the money represented by those notes to the Bank of England counts up considerably, He says that £3O at five per cent compound interest for fifty years amounts to something over £313.

The Hero is still in quarantine at Auckland.

The Homeward Suez mails, via Brindisi, which left Melbourne on May 241 h, were delivered in London on Tuesday. An Adelaide grain merchant has stated that Victorian wheat this season is superior to their own.

The Waimate plains valuation roll shows the names of 300 persons liable to be rated.

The production of wool in California is advancing with rapid strides. In 1860 it was only 3,721,9981bs ; nowit is 46,074,054 lbs.

The Irish Land League ia America, it is said, sent £60,000 to Ireland in one week recently. Singularly enough, contributions tn the League from Ireland have fallen almost to nothing.

Levy, the cornet player, has been arrested at New York on a charge of bigamy. The complainant claims to have married Levy in England in 1860. She asks for a divorce, alimony, and the custody of two children. The Wellington correspondent of a contemporary says that the income Sir Julius Vogel derives from his connection with various public companies is far more than he could obtain in politics in the colony.

“ The fame of Taranaki has reached even to the Salt Lake.” So they say at New Plymouth, but the statement must be taken cum gram. The political sins of Taranaki must have reached even further than Salt Lake, if they are recorded in the proper place. The Khedive was present at the opening of the Katathe Canal pumps recently. They were a perfect success. These machines pump a million and a half cubic metres of water in 24 hours—sufficient to supply several canals, and irrigate 80,000 acres of land.

We are told on Maori authority that the rabbits in Wairarapa district are steadily and swiftly forcing their way north, being now found half-way through the Fortymile Bush. The havoc they will cause when they get into the Hawkea Bay open land in numbers will be of a character few can contemplate without regret.

The “ Taranaki Herald ” thus refers to Elder Sorenson’s Maori mission.—“ What a blessing it would be if he converted the whole of the natives, and persuaded them to leave for Utah. It would pay the Government to charter a vessel for them to go in, and to give a good round sum of money for their land, to start them in business in Salt Lake City.” A telegram from Wellington states that the Government have received a cable from the London Actuaries, to whom were submitted the Insurance Department accounts, stating that they find the sum of £50,000 devisible amongst the assured for the quinquennial period. This sum is closely approximate to that arrived at by Mr Knight, Actuary to the Department. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory (Dr Morgan) has written a letter in which he says of the Irish Land Bill that “ there are soma principles interwoven with it which are eonformable to common sense and to Christian teaching, and which, when fully developed, must one day become the Magna Charta of the rights and liberties of our tenant farmers.”

They must have a queer lot of members in the Legislative Council of Victoria. That body recently spent a live’y night or two in striving to blacken each others characters, and they seem to have succeeded tolerably well too, judging from the reports of the proceedings. One eveuin? the lie direct was given over a score of times, but no one was surpri-ed at this ungentlemanly conduct. The members accused each other of everything hut murder, and still no one seemed surprised.

The following is from a Melbourne contemporary: A Western Queensland squatter of humble origin, dubious antecedents, and no education, was in virtue of these qualifications (for he had no others) appointed to the magistracy. On the news reaching the Station there was much rejoicing amongst the numerous relatives and retainers. As a neighbor, who was not of the clan, approached, one of the sept rushed out with the great tidings after this fashion—- « Arrah, Mr Jones, there is law in the land now—sure our Pat’s made a J.P.” “ Then, indeed, Mr Moriarty, the next time ha mispaddocks my lambs I’ll have him up in his own court and take a sample of the article I ”