NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2882, 21 June 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Professor Denton is drawing great houses in Auckland. Professor Sw allow undertook to set aside £6O per annum for Ms creditors. The weather has been rainy and boister-; ous in all parts during tlic last 24 hours. Cato’s Old English Fayre ig now open at the premises next the Theatre Royal. Tenders are invited for the extension of the Theatre Royal; also, for certain work at the Public School. The medical examination of steamers at the Bluff, rendered advisable by the recent: small-pox scare, has ceased; In Dunedin also it is proposed to form a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. . , Messrs Green and Sounness have bought 1500 acres of land, near Gore, from the N.Z. Agricultural Company. William Christian, of Norfolk Island the descendant of William Christian of Bounty ” fame, is reported to be dead. The son of the Dean of Melbourne, the Rev. W. Macartney, is delivering lectures before the Y.M.C.A. in Auckland, Mr J. Oxley (of Oxley and Co., Auckland) was seriously hurt by falling off his horse on to a heap of road metal, in the dark. The licensed victuallers of Christchurch are strongly in favour of MrWeston’s amendment to the " Licensing Act;” The business of the Bank of New Zealand will be conducted on the opposite side of the ])lain Road while the repairs arc going on. The Mace-lVliller troupe ..are drawing good houses in Dunedin. They are going to drop anchor there, where they will open a gymnasium. Sir George Strachan, the popular Governor of Tasmania, will probably succeed Sir Arthur Gordon ig New Zealand. An American paper says “ The man who don’t believe in vaccination would be glad to argue the point with visitors. His address is, * Smallpox Hospital, Philadelphia.’ ” One of the hauling ropes of the cage used for crossing the Teremakau, broke yesterday, Two persons were in the cage but they were pulled on to the bank. The landlord of the Coffee Tavern, Cumberland street, Dunedin, gets up a fortnightly entertainment, the proceedings at which are most pleasing and orderly. A good example. The Railway Department have fallen foul of the Invercargill Harbor Board, in relation to the foreshore. The proposals of the Railway completely shut out the Board from a harbor frontage. Messrs Joubert and Twopenny propose to establish an International Exhibition-in Calcutta when the Christchurch one has been closed. It will be a much more complicated and risky, undertaking than the present, one.

The crew of the cutter Deveren hold her against all comers till paid their wages by the charter party. The District judge supported them, holding that they had A lien on the vessel tilbthey were .paid their wages. The inquest on Henry Foreman, who threatened his wife and shot himself at Auckland,resulted in a verdict to the effectthat ho had shot himself in a fit of temporary insanity, induced by jealousy and measles. Somebody at Home with a statistical mania, has made the following calculation: —The average man speaks 52 volumes of 600 octavo pages per. annum, and the average woman brings out 520 volumes of talk of similar size. The woman has ton times as much to say as the man. What will the ladies say to that 1 The Mechanics’ Institute Committee intend borrowing something like £3OOO for building a Hall. They also intend adding regularly to their supply of books, and taking steps to popularise'the Institute. It is as well they should understand that it is not popular but is universally regarded as exclusive According to a statement in the Christchurch “ Star ” experiments arc to be made • with secondary batteries, in- the direction of using electricity as an economic force. The dam in the Avon is mentioned as a probable source of power. Mr Cowlishaw had nn mauvais quant (I'heurr, at St. Albans. One “free and independent ” challenged him to a few rounds, and others gave their tongues free play. One motion only was carried, viz.;—“Three groans for Cowlishaw.” Most people imagined the Bt. Albans people were a specially pious lot,

The vital statistics of the towns of the . colony for the month of May are: ---Births, 447; deaths,lso. .r Of the deaths, 86 were I males, 64 females. i : : . , Herr Ferdinand Beidt has just died at Vienna, -And few -such noble livesihave been passed by the sons of men. fie was married, but childless, and he adopted as many as a thousand orphans, keeping, educating, and starting them in life. r ,It is believed’ the rope of the fire esc&pe, which broke on Saturday night, in George street, Dunedin,’ very nearly causing death 1 or serious injuries’to a man and two boys, was cut by a knife. £IOO reward is offered for the detection of the scoundrel. If caught, he ought to be hanged on the ’ nearest lamp post. A special telegram from San Francisco states that the mail steamer Australia has on board 4100 centals of wheat and 12,000 of flour for Sydney. Two sailing vessels have cleared. with 87,000 centals for Sydney, and one vessel for Adelaide with 41,900 centals. The price of wheat at San Francisco is Idol 57 cents.

The great Spofforth visited Christ Church, South Yana, one Sunday, and was the innocent cause of alarm to some of the worshippers. He was making his way down the aisle when a young cricketing enthuisiast recognised Jhim, and exclaimed in a audible whisper, * Tnere’s the demon,’ Glances of horror were thrown in every direction, and several of the unco guid dived beneath the seats for their hats. Confidence returned to the timid ones when the organist played “ God Save the Queen” in congratulation of Her Majesty’s recent providential escape from assassination. This is the first time Spoil, has been taken for his Satanic Majesty in propria persona.