NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2807, 23 March 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Farmer P. McGuire is in the field for Wakanni.

The West Coast (N. 1.) Kailway Company’s charter only awaits His Excellency’s signature to become binding, Mr Messenger a quarantined passenger ex Chimborazo, has just died in the Auckland hospital from typhoid fever, The weather proving satisfactory, Hearn and Messenger will have their Sculling race on Saturday in Wellington, The 18th May is now fixed definitely and positively for the “ assembling together ” ■of the legislative lights for the dispatch o business, A; little boy, son of Mr Monck', a -well:known resident of Sumner, was drowned yesterday afternoon while fishing in,thf 'Estuary, i

The criminal calendar in Auckland shows 27 charges against 16 persons, rape and manslaughter being the most serious offences.

The Babbit Inspector in Wellington province has imported 76 ferrets from Melbourne for breeding purposes..- . Throw iip the sponge, poor bunny I

: Judge Fenton is making enquiries as to the expediency of bolding a Native Land Court at Waikato as requested by certain natives recently.; ;

The Auckland Bench have decided that it is not contrary to law to waltz about the pavement on a bicycle. Between perambulators and bicycles, foot passengers will have a lively time of it.

The “ Australasian ‘ Sketcher ” for this month contains. some excellent pictures, particularly “ A Struggle for Mastery " which old Australian bushmen will appreciate as a gem.

A first offender appeared to-day at the R.M. Court, before His Worship the Mayor, charged, with drunkenness. His Worship dismissed the accused with a caution. There was no other business.

The police were unable to substantiate the charge ■against Mr John Green of smearing the establishment of Mr W. A. Maxwell with tar, and Sergeant Ramsay was obliged to withdraw the charge. Mr Green’s indignation can be well imagined. Jem Mace, the boxer, hhs been requested hj a number of Maoris to. visit their settlement and give them lessons in the “ noble art.” The Maoris show wonderful power of adapting themselves to and picking up European customs, and very remarkable manliness. :

At a meeting of Volunteer officers last night at Dunedin, re an Easter review, it was decided to abandon the idea of campi||g out, the material available being quite inadequate. The Volunteers will be bi'iletted in hotels throughout the city, and subscriptions will be invited, in order to make the cost to visitors as small as possible-

Messrs Bamberger and Franz,of Rangiora, the firm, who obtained a large contract to , supply flour for New Caledonia a short time ago, have received a large order for Sydney. The Government of Noumea intend stipulating that for the future a proportion of all the breadstuff supplies they order shall be New Zealand flour. An accident happened to; a goods train bn the Oxford line on Tuesday nightSomething went wrong with the gearing of the engine, which caused it to jump off the line, and tear up the permanent way. The engine-driver, stoker, and guard were thrown off, but as: the train was only going seven miles an homr they escaped without serious injury.

An important: meeting of the Wanganui Agricultural and Pastoral Association was hole! yesterday, at which the following resolutions were carried (1) “ That the Members for the district be asked to get a better definition of ‘ infected ’ as distinct from ‘scabby’ in the Sheep Act next •session (2) “ That flocks declared to be infected, but in which no scabby sheep has actually been found, should not be subjected to c .lauses 25 and 26, but that all other precautionary measures, such as quarantining, dipping, etc., should be enforced •”

A resident yesterday gave evidence before the Magistrates of misconduct on the part of an individual who was endangering the lives of his own children by furiojis driving while in a state of intoxication. If people generally would so do their part to prevent such conduct, by appearing against offenders, the community would be much benefited; ■ The inquest on the second fire at Warrow’s, Kaikoura, was concluded late yesterday. Nothing satisfactory was elicited, and the jury found that the fire was maliciously caused by soma person or persons unknown, adding the rider—“ That the Coroner communicate with the Government, requesting that the services of a detective be placed at the disposal of the district with a view to preventing these mysterious fires, two of which occurred within 48 hours.” , Sydney, advices state ■ that the' 'City Council of Sydney have given their sanitary Inspector £IOO for his services in keeping the City clean and preventing the spread of smallpox. It would be difficult to name a service more meritorious than this, and the Council have shown a very proper estimation of it by making the presentation. Judicious liberalty secures the best services hf good nfeh. ’ ; *■ ; ; A legacy inherited under curious conditions has just been handed over to the Evangelical Church kt Baden-Baden, according to the American Register. A rich spinster died some years ago bequeathing her fortune to the church, with the provision that the money should not be given up until the death of her favorite cockatoo, which she had bequeathed to her maid. Until then, the interest was to be utilised by the birds keeper. So the cockatoo was duly registered and kept under: official supervision. Last Christmas Eve it died suddenly, having survived its mistress over 20 years. , Another glorious tradition is about to disappear from the; Frenph army. Not content with suppressing the drum and the tambour•majewr, the delight of children and their bonnes, the War Minister has resolved to abolish the three cornered bat of the gendantie. Everybody knows the familiar tricorne. It is the first thing that strikes the visitor on landing on French soil, and throughout every village it is thet cynosure of the peasant’s eye, It will be a fearful blow to the poor gendarme, who l relied so much on his head-gear for the authority he impressed on humble mortals.; It is to be replaced by a helmet, A demonstration illustrating the excited state ol.publio feeling, in Irelandtookplace in the Gaiety Theatre,. Dublin recently. During the performance of "H.M.S. Pinafore,” a few persons in the audience began to hiss during the singing of the song, 11 In spite of all temptations he remains an Englishman;” the remainder of the audience, which was unssually large, rose to their’feet and cheered in a most excited way for several moments, and it was only when the song had been sung three times in sucoesoion that the ’ performance was allowed to proceed. The “ Otago Daily Times ” has the following Open-aip; religion; and municipal business appear not unlikely to clash. At last evening’s service in the Octagon the principal part of the singing was done upon the Town Hall steps, the consequence being that the swelling choruses were borne upwards into the Council Chambers where our municipal fathers sat in solemn debate, with such distinctness that his Worship despatched an emissary to close the' lower doors. Then arose a storm. Councillor Barnes got to his ’ feet in indignant protest. Thq proceedings of that body were supposed to be conducted in the broad light of day, and here they were sitting with closed- doors like a secret society. He would most certainly move that the doors be thrown open, and would wish to be, informed " what those people were doing down there.” Against such public-spirited fervour no opposition could be made. The doors were once more thrown open, ? and sacred melodies mingled with the recommendations of the Water Supply Committee.” One John Sullivan has been singing In various .parts of Ireland a. no-rent ballad, which ends with these lines : 11 But save your cash and keep the peace, and pay no rent at all; you need not fear the county jail, nor the warders, great or small.” He was arrested, charged with this deed, and from the ease with which be promised not to give further offence he appears personally to have had a very decided fear of the « county jail ” and the “ warders great or small. “It was on this promise that the magistrate agreed to let him off with sureties for six months in 50 dollars, one half being his own,' in default of which he would have to be imprisoned for a month. Getting no bail, the ballad-singer was locked up. > Of the unnumbered tragedies of common life which are taking place unnpticed every* day around us some few occasionally are forced upon the attention of the unheeding public by the revelations made at coroners’ inquests. One of the most painful of these stories was told at Holborn in the course of an inquiry over .the emaciated body o* an old Italian. The old man had fo r some years past been conducting a series of barometrical researches in a little room in Hatton Garden, maintaining himself by means of a very, small pension: from the Italian Benefit Society. Three weeks before his death he told bis landlady be bad not a single farthing in the world, Shortly afterwards he was seen “ crawling downstairs, trembling and shaking like a leaf.” He received his pension, but it was too late. As he did not appear next day, the police broke into hie room and found the old man—he was seventy years of agelying dead among his scientific instruments. His untouched pension was in his pocket.