NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2592, 12 July 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

In another column will be found “ The Travellers’ Railway Guide ” corrected for use by the official time-table issued yesterday. It was stated at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that there were 36 men at present employed at stone-breaking, 25 of whom were married with 51 children, and 11 single. All the men reside in or near Timaiu.

At Dunedin yesterday, the jury returned a verdict for plaintiff in the libel action, Seaborn v. “ Bruce Herald,” damages, £2O The police are unable to find out anything about the body found on the Port hills, and a verdict of death from exposure was returned.

Hearn, who defeated White so easily on Saturday last, for the Sculling Championship of New Zealand, has not been allowed to rest long on his laurels. Negotiations are now going on for a sculling match between Hearn and Messenger, an Australian oarsman.

Professor Simon has taken Temuka on his way North, and proposes to stop there three days before proceeding on his journey to Christchurch. A fire occurred last evening at Elloughton Grange, the property of Mr T. W. Hall, near Timaru. Three valuable horses were burnt. The premises were uninsured and the estimated loss amounts to £3OO. The origin of the fire is unknown. There is a general impression that the Gaming and Lotteries Bill, now before Parliament, aims at the annihilation of the totalisator. This is not exactly the case. Racing Clubs are to be empowered to grant permission for these instruments to be used on the course, but outside the boundary of the course they will not be permitted. The steamer Bowen, which arrived at Auckland from Hong Kong, on Sunday night, has been quarantined. She has a clean bill of health, and as the Health Officer thinks she has been long enough at sea to devclpe the disease, he has recommended that the steamer be released from quarantine. There was no disease in Hong Kong when the Bowen left. At last night’s meeting of the Boro :gh Council an account was submitted by Mr John Jackson for medical attendance by Dr Macintyre, for injuries received at Bruces Mills, while he was acting as Fire Inspector. The Mayor, Councillor Greenup, and one or two others protested against the claim being met by the Council, not on account of any personal feeling in the matter, but simply because they feared they said to establish a precedent, which might involve the Council in the expenditure of large sums of money. Councillor Gibson thought that if they refused to pay the money it would be a standing disgrace to the Council. The matter was postponed after a lively discussion until the Council could ascertain what is the ordinary usage in such cases.

The Hawke’s Bay “ Herald ” of a recent date says : —The sea now breaking on the beach is attributed to the shocks of eartkquakes which have lately been experienced Some sensitive persoes assert that there were no fewer than s„vcn shocks yesterday. The famous Joe Kitchen, once celebrated as a pugilist, is now an inmate of the Melbourne hospital, suffering from the effects of a sunstroke received some time ago in Queensland. The following is the Lord’s Prayer as it appears in the revised New Testament:— “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And bring us not into tempation, but deliver us from the evil o/ui.”

The report that a large nugget had been found at \Vakamarina is denied. The Nelson “ Colonist ” warns diggers that the new ground at these diggings is of small extent, and little is now being done on account of the cold and and wet.

It is interesting, as showing the value of the cattle composing the vast herds that roam over the prairies of the,far west in America, to note that a herd of cattle belonging to Mr J. C. Jones, Colorado, numbering 30,000 head, has just been sold to Messrs Towers, Gudgell, and Smart, for about £2 10s a head.

The Georgetown “ Inquirer ” relates the following horrible anecdote. A party of sailors found a corpse on the beach. They took it to the bar of an hotel, and propped it up in the corner. They then called the landlord, and said the gentleman had invited them to have a drink. They had their drink and departed. The corpse not “ hantying up ” the landlord became enraged struck it, when it fell down with a thud. The landlord was terrified thinking he had committed murder, and at last remarked that he did it in self defence, for the man drew his knife on him before he struck him.

The London police are using every effort to penetrate the mystery of the murder on the Brighton railway line, but up to the present time without success. This terrible affair is causing a strong sensation, and the passenger traffic is falling off in consequence. The facts of the ease are that a man was found most brutally murdered in the tunnel, evidently for the purpose of robbery, as all the jewellery and valuables that he was known to have had about his person were missing. The most extraordinary part about the whole affair is that while going through the tunnel the carriages hitherto have not been lighted.

It seems to have been the law with employers of Pacific Island laborers in Australia to take them for a certain period, at the expiration of which they are sent back again, or are allowed £5 each if they elect to remain in the country. Several employers have been brought up lately, and fined for breaches of the Act in refusing to give the Islanders the stipulated amount j on their consenting to remain. Notices of appeal have been given on the ground that the Act has been repealed, the Bench, on the contrary holding that under any circumstances the defendants were bound to provide return passages, and that the agreements were made under the old Act.

Mr Ira Payne, the celebrated pistol shot, has made a match in England of a most peculiar nature, staking £IOO that he shoots one hundred grapes consecutively from the hand of a lady, each grape to be held by its natural stem. A Mr G. W. Moore stakes £IOO that the feat is not performed. The distance selected is eight paces, and the weapon to be used a pistol. Prince Bismarck is supposed to have won a diplomatic victory by arousing Italy against France, and that Berlin has worked for this.

At the Hospital Ball recently given in Wellington, a number of young gentlemen induced some female servants, who were in attendance on their mistresses, to enter the ball-room and take part in the dancing. These young “ swells" have been called on by the committee to pay for their partners.

It still blows occasionally on the Eimutaka. The “ Now Zealand Times” of Saturday says : —The wind was very severe on Friday on the Rimutaka incline, and blew in terrific guests. As an instance of its power, the “ Wairarapa Daily” mentions that the wind struck the end of a load of limber on a truck, attached to the 8 a.m. train, with such force as to break the ends of the boards short off to the chain which secured them to the truck. The train suffered no injury beyond this. There is a nice little quarrel between the Napier Acclimatisation Society and the Rabbit Trustees. The Trustees determined to introduce weasels, despite the protest of the Press, At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society it was decided to offer a reward of £1 for every weasel killed. One member proposed that £IOOO be offered for each trustee trapped, but that was rejected as too expensive.

Messrs E. Wilkin and Co., Strathallan street, now supply bottled ale and stout, and have also been appointed sole agents in New Zealand for the celebrated O.K. whiskey. The third meeting of the South Canterbury Coursing Club will be held on July 20. The date for receiving nominations is extended until Tuesday July 19, and the draw will take place on the same date.

“ The Scotch Covenanters” a Service of Song, will be performed by the choir of the Trinity Presbyterian Church, on Thursday evening next, in the Church, Barnard Street.