NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3041, 27 December 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

“Fairplay’s" letter received. Cannot do anything unless you give information to police or send your name.—fAnvi'.] The ship Nelson from Glasgow to Port Chalmers, has brought 34 ferrets for the Government.

Thirteen acres 12 perches of land at Arowhenua hare been set aside as a cemetery extension. The Committee of the Seamen’s Rest at Port Chalmers gave a tea to the sailors in Port last night, 500 persons were present and the affair was highly successful.

A schoolmaster at Wanganui has received letters of naturalisation. He is a foreigner and his name is a formidable one: Cecil Augustus Victor Hootezzi di Cortando von Blaramberg.

The ball in connection with the Friendly Societies sports was held last night in the Barnard street hall. There was a capital band and a very large attendance, and dancing was kept up till the small hours. The steward of the Victory, from Hong Kong 1o Dunedin, dropped dead in the cabin one day during the passage. He was a colored man, a native of St. Vincent.

The Friendly Societies’ Sports were terminated last evening by a members’ 150 yards race, and a consolation race. They were won by J. Ellison and J. Cranstoun respectively. The “ Persian” lolly which was the other day reported to be sickening the children in Dunedin, proves on analysis to contain nothing poisonous. Its only fault seems to be thatit is too rich and good.

OneW, Drink water attempted his own life on Saturday in Dunedin. He used a razor, but infl-oted only a skin-deep wound. He had been drinking heavily. When he recovers he ought to adopt his own name as his motto. i James Auld and an inebriate who made his first appearance before the Bench this morning, were fined 6a for drunkenness, before, H. .LeCren, Esq. Two additional inebriates had been “run in ” by noon to-day, one of them a very old offender.

The new railway station is fast approaching completion, and the levelling,of the approaches and surrounding paths is being begun. There are many little details in the building, however, still unfinished, and it will probably be the end of next month before the station is ready to bo handed over.

Members of the Temuka No. 1 Rifle Volunteer Company, yesterday fired off for the prize, a silver service, which Captain Young has received from Christchurch and Dunedin tradesmen for presentation to the best shot in bis Company. Private Watt made the highest score, and was declared the winner.

Fears are entertained as to the safety of Thomas Carey, property man of the Jennie Lee Dramatic Company, now in Dunedin, He has not been seen since Sunday morning, and as he has appeared to suffer mentally since a fall he had in Melbourne a few weeks ago, it is feared he has committed suicide in a fit of depression.

The Interprovincial Bicycle races in Christchurch yesterday were not very sncessfal. The Friendly Societies fete, in the Show Grounds was tolerable successful 3000 persons being present, and £125 being taken at the gates. At the Heathcote races there was a large attendance. Trumpeter won the cup and flying handicap.

Another event, nearly coming under the head of tragical, has. just occurred in Auckland. Two men, J.. Johnston and E. Scoffer had a fight at North Shore. In the course of the set-to, .the former stabbed the latter in the abdomen. He then galloped off on horseback, A constable followed, and caught him at once. He got away, however, and was only re-captured with difficulty.

Information was given, to the police at Dunolly, Victoria, that a Chinaman named Lony Ghee had been assaulted by two lads named Walls and Hunter. Constable Coyne found the Chinaman on the ground in Broadway, where he had fallen through weakness. His skull was severely fractured, through the boys having pelted him with stones. He was at once removed to the Hospital, where DrsWolfeudon, Sutherland, and Pierce, after holding a consulta* tion, decided that trephining wap necessary and agreed that the operation should be performed next morning, the wounded man being then top'weak. He. however, gradually sank, and died at half-past seven. The police arrested the two boys and lodged them in the lock-up, pending an inquest. ! Mr H. S, Fish recently attacked the Dunedin High School as being not a people’s school, and Dr Macdonald, the rector of the High School very indignantly repudiated the statement. M r Fish though no match for the Doctor in rhetoric, is ra'her more than his mat h in facts, and Q.B.D, in ihe “ Star” very aptly says “ We want an Act compelling governors to spend every shilling received from endowments on scholarships, endowments to include interest on an estimated capital value for buildings. The day this is done all lault-findiug will cease. Until this is done, the High School will remain what it is and always has been, viz., a class intitution, maintained by the public for the benefit of a few of the middle class, who are moderately well off. The London “ Observer ” of June 4 relates that a fortnight ago a homewardbound ship brought from Atlantic wastes a weird picture, Pet forth in simple log-book form there was vividly presented to the eye a grey sky, an angry sea, a mighty iceberg slowly sailing southward, and on it two polar bears. The island had been cut adrift from the continent of ice in Polar seas, and was now bound on a far voyage that would probably bo concluded before the Equator was reached by the gradual melting of the moving ioe block, and the whelming of its passengers in sultry seas. Meanwhile, there they were, running wildly to and fro on the iceberg, and, the watchful mariner opined, were ravenous with hunger, since "they howled so.” The simply-drawn picture is one that must live for ever ia the eye of those who read the extract from the log-book.