NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2626, 20 August 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

In Chambers in the Supreme Court, Christchurch, yesterday, before His Honor Judge Johnston, Mr Harper applied in the case of the Queen, on the relation of Walcot, against Howell, for a rule calling upon defendant to show by what right he has acted and still acts as a member of the Education Board, South Canterbury District. The rule was granted. Mr Mosely has resigned the editorship of the “ Liberty ” and Mr Augustus Muuyard is to take his place. The latter is a West Coast man, and stands over six feet high. More fun is expected. Mr A. T. Dunning, of Dunedin, has offered Mr Beatty £20,000 for Christchurch Theatre Koyal and Palace Hotel adjoining. Mr Beatty wants £25,000. The “ Waimate Times ” says : —Highly satisfactory news have been brought to town by two men, who have been prospecting for some time in this district. They claim to have discovered, say within 20 miles of Waimate (it is inexpedient at present to give any chic to the exact, locality), a large area of very rich alluvial ground, and also extensive deposits of auriferous cement of very payable character. They have lodged a claim for the reward, and are taking steps to protect themselves by the obtaining of a prospector’s lease. When this has been done all particulars will be made known to the public.

The Outrara correspondent of the “Otago Daily Times” writes : —“ I understand that the ploughmen of the Taieri purpose getting up a ploughing team in order to issue a challenge to all the other counties. In all probability the match will not come off, if the challenge is accepted, till next season, as this season is too far advanced.”

Wars and rumors of wars. Last an-injur?d young gentleman proceeded 16 inflict bodily Jchastisement'Oi} a supposed Timam.corrcspondent of the Christchurch “ Liberty. ” The fight was fast and furious, and the “ I ibcrty” man, much to the regret of all right-minded persons, got the best of the scrimmage. It is said that this Tiraaru resident of the Christchurch Society journal, has been taking boxing lessons, of late. He is evidently better able to defend himself than the men at headquarters.

Mr Soudry, notorious from his connection with the Greer tragedy in the Melbourne Opera-house, was, on his anival in-Paris, dismissed from the Govcrnmcnt service on account of his adventure.

In a speech delivered by him at Cashel, Archbishop Croke said :—“ We were badly clad, we were unable to educate ou r children, we were herded with the swine in our own houses ; their houses were the worst ever tolerated in a civiiised land, I have been among the Maoris of New Zealand—savages as they are called—and they have houses better than many of our fellow-countrymen have.”

“ /Egles,” in the “ Australasian," has the following : —A stock and station agent (whom I don't want to ruin by giving his name) tells me of this undoubted fact ;—A station property changed hands for the sum of £150,000. In taking delivery of the stores a question arose about the value of two boxes of soap. One box emptied was placed on the scales so as to ascertain the tare, but the buyer objected. •• Come,” he said, “ that tare won’t do. Let us have the other box emptied and weighed:! see it has got hardwood ends I”

Lord Rnvensworth recently opened the session of the Institution of Naval Architects in England, and congratulated his audL nee on the fact that there could be

no mistake as to the advance made by the shipbuilding interest of Great Britain, lie stated that the value of the vessels built last year was £7,000,000.

The amount received by the Irish Land League up to the departure of the Suez mail, was altogether £BO,OOO, of which one half still remains unexpended. The '• Tablet ” states that it forwarded to the address of the treasurer of the Irish National Land League, Paris, by last Saturday’s mail, the sum of £l7B 10s 3d, of which £ll3 was subscribed at Southbridge, Leeston, and Lincoln, £25 9s at Arrow, and the balance at Dunedin.

Referring to the death of of Mr Charles Dillon, the tragedian, the “ European Mail ” says :—“ It appears that, while tilling a three nights’ engagement in Hawick, he suddenly dropped down dead in the High street of that town on the morning of June 21. He acted the part of Othello on the previous evening in the Exchange hall."—According to the “ European Mail," Mr Dampier, with Mr Dampier, and his daughters Lilly and Rose, were to Toave for South Africa (Cape Town) and Australia on July 0, per the s.s. Lusitania, from Plymouth.

The Christchurch correspondent of a contemporary sent the follow regarding the late fracas at the "Liberty” office : Great excitement prevails, and a delighted street audience surrounds the printing office. The proprietors are resetting the paper. The intruders have been bailed out. An Invercargill contingent hare wired that they would be here to-morrow on pugilistic business. Public' feeling is so strong against the “ Liberty” that a subscription is being started to defray any fine or costs. *

The Rev Dr Ellis (Anglican) of Sydney characterises most clergymen of the present age as a time serving and lazy lot, who, instead of going into the “ highways and byways” to tiy and influence those gone astray to good prefer to study themselves by visiting only the rich, and what is cojonially termed " the upper ten.”

The Wellington “ Post” says ; —lt is perfectly monstrous that 25 per cent of the Taranaki land ffund, including the confiscated land for the acquirement of which the whole colony has paid so heavily out of loan, should be handed over to the New Plymouth Haibor Board to be uselessly cast into the sea. It is high time that an end was put by Parliament to this piece of folly and extravagance.

A child named Williams, residing at Narracoorte, South Australia, picked up a box which had contained strychnine. He filled it up with water of which he afterwards drank, and died in a few hours. “TEgles” writes A Victorian travelling in the United States is much taken with the manners and customs of the great nation and with its institutions. Not a little of the prevalent type of American humor is due to the absolute truths of statements made—the candour of the acknowlengement wearing a comical aspect of absurdity. As, for instance, this intimation upon the publicatian of a journal, the issue of which had been suspended for some time : —“ This paper was stopped twelve months ago from want of funds—it is now again- published for the same reason I”

Siddcley and Company, of Sydney, received a telegram stating that Money Wigram has successfully floated a company, with a capital of £1,000,000, and that the Australian trade is about to be resumed by steamships to be fitted with refrigerating appliances. The Norfolk will act as the pioneer of th« new line. A Bachelors’ ball is announced to be held at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Geraldine, on September 29 next. The public are hereby informed that the Cheap Sale of Drapery, &c., at J. Strachan’s closei positively on the 23rd instant, when the premises will be closed for stocktaking, so as the business can be handed over to Messrs Park & Anderson on Sept. l.ln order to facilitate stocktaking, remnants of all kinds will be disposed of extra cheap. Those who hold receipts of purchases of less than £5 are reminded to have them made up to that sum in order to get a ticket for the Gift Art Union to be drawn on 22nd instant, prizes of which are now on view. —[Adyt.]