NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2879, 17 June 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

They have seen the new comet at Auckland. An elcctriclight has just been imported to Auckland, It is of 2000 candle power. Only +hrce 12 o’clock licenses have been granted in the North Christchurch district. The writ for Stunmore is returnable within 40 days. It was senf to Christchurch yesterday,

The Yen Archdeacon Harris will bo the preacher at St Mary’s Church, to-morrow evening. Traffic through the Suez Canal is yearly increasing. The saddlers of Wellington are the next people to go on strike for higher wages. Mario, the once famous tenor, husband of the no less famous Grisi, died lately at the advanced age of 74. The Relief Fund now amounts to about £llsO, and the Trustees have expended some £250. It is proposed to borrow another £3,000,000 at the rate of £1,000,000 per annum. Sixty pounds sterling is the net result of the entertainment in Wellington, in aid of our Relief Fund.

The sum of £ls 11s has been forwarded by the Star of S.C. Lodge, 1.0.G.T., in aid of the Relief Fund here, being proceeds of an entertainment.

Professor Miller is to wrestle, for £SO a side, with H. A. Slade at Dunedin, this day week. An attendant of the Whan Lunatic Asylum has been dismissed for knocking down and kicking a patient. The Picton Coal Company propose to form a Company with a capital of £60,000, in 60,000 shares of £l. It is likely to be a great success.

On the West Coast, at Slatey Greek, there is a good gold rush, A good track is wanted, as all provisions have now to come on men’s backs. Mr Macandrew’s motion for Te Whiti to be heard at the Bar of the House, has been withdrawn from the Order paper. A girl of ten years old in Manchester pawned two coats of her brother’s, bought a pair of hoots and redeemed an ulster, and with the balance treated herself to a cab-drive.

Sir William Fox recently expressed his belief that Mormonism would soon die off the face of the earth. Observation of the Mormon community, led him to the conclusion that their women were not happy. There has been- considerable rioting in the Isle of Skye, and at Wrexham in North Wales. At the former place, the disturbance arose out of a “ no rent” agitation,in the latter the colliers on strike were the disturbers.

In the District Court yesterday morning Thomas Liston, whose name was inadvertently omitted from our report, was granted an order of discharge.

Archibald Forbes, the famous war correspondent thinks the colonies safe from invasion, hut liable to he attacked by privateers in sudden swoops; and he recommends gun-boats, forts, and torpedoes to be provided. The stabbed man Monaghan,whose depositions were taken yesterday, atChristchurch, lay in a very critical state last night. He deposed that he and his assailant, after drinking, had quarrelled, but whether the injury was done-to him intentionally or not, he could not say. The “ London Times” says, in reference to the Salvation army Is there not a cause for some such movement ? Is there not a very large part of our population that existing religious organisations have failed to reach 7 The existing religious bodies are always calling out for money for the conversion of these people yet it is not money but men that are wanting.”

The “Wanganui Herald,” referring to certain sketches in the "Graphic,” of recent events at Parihaka says :—“ It will he very gratifying to Wanganui people to have their local associations thus brought before Anglo-Saxondom. The readers of the “ Graphic,” when they look on the Ruthland Stockade, will hardly suspect" that from this vantage ground the spectator will some day look on[a city a little less than London 1” The frog would swell himself tc the size of a hull!

His Honor Judge Ward is not without a humorous vein. In the District Court yesterday, a learned counsel was endeavoring to show that his client was disabled from pursuing his avocation as a railway servant for a week, through injuries received—one of the injuries being inflicted on his jaw, by which he was prevented from eating solid food, "Well,” remarked His Honor, “Ip resume eating is no part of his duty at the .Railway Station.” Counsel round the table, smiled a “ smile deferential.”

While a, gentleman was in the middle of a recitation at the Athemeum Popular Concert at Auckland the other night, a portion of the Hall fairly re-echoed with hiccoughs, which emanated at intervals of about a quarter of a minute from an individual who had evidently worshipped at the shrine of Bacchus [during the day, but who was, nevertheless, sufficiently sober to glare at some persons near him as if they were the offenders, an unfortunate young lady being the principal victim. Bach report, completely convulsed those who heard it, and the Irish recitation, although very enjoyable, was for the time, completely eclipsed. Fully a fourth of those preseat were affected by the remarkrble sounds, while the remainder appeared to be lost in wonderment at the apparently very extraordinary and unrehearsed accompaniment.