NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2770, 8 February 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The English Cricketers left Auckland yesterday for Sydney. The Premier, Mr Hobbs, M.H.R. and the District Engineer (Mr Hales) left Auck. land yesterday for the districts north of Auckland, “to ascertain local wants.” Another scoundrel was caught in the act of criminally assaulting a little girl in the Hagley Park yesterday morning. He was collared at once by a passer-by and marched to the lock-up. His Excellency the Governor intends paying another visit to Canterbury. Major Atkinson is also about to start on a tour of the South Island, Messrs DeLautour and McDonald, M.H.R.’s, have telegraphed to Mr Moss, requesting him to add their names to the petition for an early meeting of the Assembly, which Sir Qeofge Grey presented to the Premier on Saturday. How many others will follow suit?

A large block of land was sold at Gisborne yesterday by order of the Supreme Court, in default of payment of principal and interest. It was bought in at £15,000. John Edwards, steward of the ship Waitara, was arrested at Wellington yesterday on a charge of smuggling four boxes of cigars. The “New Zealand Times” says that Wednesday’s shock was the most severe experienced for years, not excepting the quake last July. No damage, however was done, or at least reported.

One of the prisoners at Lyttelton gaol died on Monday. The deceased Daniel Hamer, who was 36 years old, was sentenced to ten years penal servitude in 1877 for larceny. He had been suffering from eonsumption for some time past. The only business brought before the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning was an application for evidence to be taken in a civil case now before the Dunedin Court in which Thompson and Strang are plaintiffs and Mrs Louis,Temnka, defendant, Mr White appeared for the latter. A stiff south-west breeze sprang up this morning and filled the sky with heavy clouds, The Clerk of the Weather ordered out the celestial artillery for big gun practice about noon, but thei r powder was damp, or something elsa wan wrong, and the affair was a comparative failure. Next, regardless the need of our people for dry weather lor harvest work, he- turned out his fire brigade for wet practice, and they threw out a heavy shower or two, that were certainly not wanted down below at present.

The mail steamer brought a number of quail and grouse for the Auckland Acclimatisation Society.

Fifty of the Union Sash and Door company’s employees who were looked out have got work, some -in the- Auckland Timber Company, and others at tue mills,. At" a meeting'of the Society of Amalgamated Engineers, resolutionswere passed expressing sympathy with.the Union Sash and Door men who were locked out and offering pecuniary assistance. Delegates of various trades have been appointed to aid them in resisting any infringement of the eight hours system.

The Wellington and Southern portion of the San Francisco mail, which'arrived;' at Auckland by the City of Sydney on Tuesday evening, was transhipped into the Wanaka which left Onehunga at 11.20 a.m. yesterday,for Wellington via Taranaki. She is expected to getaway from Taranaki early this morning, and : will arrive at Wellington about nine o’clock to-night. The steamer Penguin, which goes South, will be detained until the arrival ’of ’the Wanaka, and as soon as the mails can be transhipped she will leave ; fqr Lyttelton, The South Canterbury portion of the mail will probably reach here to-morrow. Te Wbiti and Tohn (says the “ Taranaki Herald”) do not manifest any signs of discontent with prison life. They are well cared for, bcing supplied with comforts which are not usually allowed to prisoners, and they have consequently no cause for complaint. Their Farihaka friends do not appear to visit them' very often; Te Whiti’s relations only having visited him three or four times since his imprisonment. The prisoners do not appear to be very anxious to know , what is going on at Farihaka, and indeed their indifference on this subject is quite remarkable.

A resident of Toronto has, issued the following challengesHe will wager five hundred or a thousand dollars that no man living, in a running long jump, can cover 21ft without* artificial aid on level ground j he will wagerfive hundred dr a thousand dollars that no man living can accomplish 6ft in a running high j ump on level ground ; he will wager five hundred or a thousand dollars that no man living can sling the 561 b weight 35ft on level ground ; and lastly, he will wager five hundred or a thousand dollars that no man living can go a'hundred yardd as fast with a bicycle, or on skates, as a man he will produce to go on foot, the man on bicycle, or bn skates to have a flying start. '

Fowl wheat, pig feed, &c.—Wildie Allan and Stumbles announce in another column a large sale of the above, at the Phcenix Brewery to-morrow at 12 o'clock sharp. This is an exceedingly favorable opportunity for getting in a stock cheap, as the lot has to be cleared. —[Advt.J