NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2920, 4 August 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sir Julios Vogel wires that he cannot leave Melbourne for a fortnight. Messrs-Watson and Taplin have gone Home to superintend the building of the new steamer for the Timaru Collier Company.

Lady Gordon and family proceed to Sydney on the 18th inst. She will there meet Sir Arthur and will return with him to England.

The Lyttelton Harbor Board and Borough Council will confer on Monday re the electric light for the town and harbor.

Members of the Lodge of Druids are requested by advertisement to meet to-morrow evening at the Old Bank Hotel, at eight o’clock. A young lad named Fry fell off a dray, which he was driving near Nelson on Wednesday, and had his chest so badly crushed that he died yesterday.

The Government has handed over a site for the proposed Sailors’ Home at Lyttelton, and the Harbor Board will immediately proceed with the erection of a building. The Auckland Harbor Board are inspecting the proposed reclamations asked for by the Sugar Refining Company, with a view to complying with the Company’s request. The consecration of the new Timatu Lodge of the Ancient Order of Druids on Tuesday, the Bth inst, will be followed by a banquet at the Ship Hotel, tickets for which are being disposed of by the Committee.

A bullock, whom somebody had named Tichborne, was recently killed in Auckland and bis carcase exhibited in a butcher’s shop. He weighed 32001b5, and measured 12ft. 6in. in length, and 10ft. 3io. round Hjo girth.

Gold has been struck by the Ross Goldmining Company at a level of 140 feet, showing an excellent prospectus. Six feet of wash have been gone through, and the bottom is not yet reached, The top wash averaged lOdwts to the load, and the bottom, 1| oca.

A man named Stratford, but who gave the name of Coleman Philips, obtained a horse on hire from Mr Earl of Blenheim and sold the same in Central Duller. He was arrested on a charge of horse-stealing, and yesterday was committed for trial at the Supreme Court. A publican in England recently served four children, each under 9 years of age, with sixpennyworth of rum, a quart of ale, a pint of cider, pipes and tobacco. The little creatures were nearly killed by them, yet the scoundrel got ofi with a fine of £l.

Mr M. W. Green has friends. One of them, evidently at Bellamy’s, said:—"He means well, but he is as soft as a carrot. Why, at the Christchurch Exhibition he said the learned pig was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen in his life, and he really believed the animal understood arithmetic and the English language. We'd a devil of a job to get him away 1" The following is a return of patients in the Timaru Hospital for the month of July, 1882 Patients under treatment at date of last return—Males, 17, females, 4 ; total, 31. Admitted during month—Males, 11, females, 2 ; total, 13. Totals treated Males, 28, females, 6; total, 31. Discharged during month—Cured ; Males, 8, females, 3 ; total, 11. Believed—Males, 2, Insurable—Males, 1. Dead—Males 1. Totals discharged—Males, 12, females, 3 ; total, 15. Remaining under treatment—Males, 16, females, 3 ; total, 19. Out patients treated during month—Males, 16, females f 15; total, 31.

The following tenders were received by the Public Works Department for the Inangahau bridge at Duller Junction, Nelson :—Accepted : —J. and M, McLean, Auckland, £6772. * Declined Oxley and Cochrane, Eeefton, £7296 ; J, G, Freeman, Nelson, £7298 ; M. O’Connor and Co., Greymouth, £7575 i W. Conyers, Dunedin, £8045 ; M. McLeod, Westport, £8278 ; T, H. Downes, Dunedin, £10,100; T. W. Parsons, Christchurch, £10,330.

Two boys, aged thirteen and fourteen respectively, were convicted yesterday at the Dunedin Police Court of robberies; in one case of (having broken into a coSee house, and in gnother of having stolen tools from a private house. There was a third boy, aged eleven, who turned Queen’s evidence. The Resident Magistrate said he scarcely knew what to do with such young criminals, and postponed his decision till Tuesday. A strange circumstance has occurred in London, It gives one a glimpse of some queer life. A blind beggar, dying, bequeathed £7O to a poor girl who used to lead him about. She obtained the money in due course, and one afternoon left it in her room while she attended the funeral of an old applowoman, a friend of hers. While she was away a thief got in and took it. He was captured and the money restored, and in a day or two £IOO was placed at his disposal by fellow thieves, for defraying the costs of his defence.

The promoters of the meeting to consider the present inequalities of the railway tariff, have been advised by Mr Postlethwaite, that Government intend to deal with the matter. The meeting advertised to be held to-morrow in Messrs R. Wilkin and Co.’s rooms, has therefore been

postpone!’. On Sunday next the Rev Ur Hallowes, minister of the Congregational Church, will conduct his farewell service here, prior to bis departure for England.

The skeleton of a man was found a few days ago in the Clutha river, but the remains were entirely beyond identification. They may be those of a man drowned at Cromwell in 1875. Sinoe then, three men have mysteriously disappeared from the same neighborhood, but it is not known whether they were drowned or not.

The interminable case of Connor v. Maukay which has been going on since 1878, has been before fhe Supreme Court at least three days* Connor the, plaintiff, was in the witess box over twenty hours, The jury gave a verdict in plaintiff’s favor. The amount involved in the present action was about £20,000. Numerous points of law were raised on which to set aside judgment, and these will be further argued. The announcement has just been made by the English judges, that in future they will not only hear the prisoner’s counsel speak, but will afterwards listen to the prisoner himself, is likely to have an important influence on f uture trials. Most of us have seen the way In which hastily instructed, but self-sufficient counsel have refused to profit by a prisoner’s knowledge of his own case, and the annoyance of the man on learning that he was not allowed to say a word for himself.' The new rule will make counsel more cautious in setting up theories of defence, and while it is not likely to damage any innocent men, a few rogues may be convicted out of their own months.

News comes from America that Jumbo has nearly killed Scott, his keeper. It seems that the elephant and his keeper were in their railway car on a siding, when the shriek of a passing engine caused Jumbo to whisk round in his case. Scott who was standing near, was jammed against the side of the cat. Fortunately, although the skin was abraded from his cheek, shoulder, hip, and leg, the keeper was not crashed lo death, and he was rescued by an assistant. According to the latest intelligence he was in the doctor’s hands in a Brooklyn hotel. The bulletins report “ that there is no serious injury, but that he is well shaken,'up as to his interior.” Since Scott’s accident Jumbo performs in cba<ns, taking the place of honor in the great parade of twenty-two elephants, twenty camels, ten giraffes, thirty-three golden chariots, and sixteen open cages of animals, with which the illustrious Barnum is delighting the public of Brooklyn.