SIR GEORGE GREY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 171, 27 August 1879, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Sir George Gray’s masting 1 at- the Odd. fclioiva’ Hail or. Sv.hirdny evening ws,-., one of the most remarkable over hHd jo this colony. The time annnnn-' f»>r commerieopoout of the proceedings* vm% seven o’clock, In it on hour p>rm Ansi v quite a unrobor of people had Jisrcni'bied. Long before seven the hall was densHy packed, tho people all standing, ami ont«ido there was a still larger conco.ir.se. Even ihomiago was crowUl in excess, and it is certain that move than a thousand perrons " wore wit-sirs tho building. As a. matter of cours‘% one of tho reau’ta of tlio general crush was a turmoil that ■for.a time effectively prevented Sir Goo, Grew from <ommencing Ins address. Messrs Richardson and Stevens, apparently under 'the impression tha* tho tumult was ,to .ho- regarded :vr a runmfes- ■ tiition of opposition to Sir George Grey, stepped to tins front of the stage to address the audience. Tim, however, they were not permitted to, do, their- pantomimic apnea! only serving to make confusion more confounded. At one time it. appeared to those on the stage and in the gallery as if .some serious accident must occur, for tho dense mass in the body of fisc hall began to ssry, the m >“* cent travelling to - and fro in a dia'’o"u line from end to end of the hut’ V ’g. and producing a curious ,waved iko appearance. At, another time -there was ■an enormous• pressure in the direction or the platform, and gome of the reporters doomed it advisable vacate their seats as rapidly as possible. A largo number of those who had been in the'body of the hall then rushed the stage, and apparently hopeless confusion ensued. The curtain was dropped, ami a hasty consultation held as to tho advisability of adjourning the meeting to tho Drill-shed, a course which a number of the people had already deemed likely to be adopted ; _ Between 300 and 300 people ran thither and packed them wives under the long- verandah in order i'> secure, good places. The curtain having '-con raised, Dr Turnbull mounted tho Chfiirnvin’s rabiQ. and announced that the meeting was adjourned. Tho announcement evidently created disappointment. and caused a lull in tno noise, of which Sir George look advantage to gitin the car of tho meeting. “ I have never yet run away,’' lie kTu, u and I am not going to do so now.” Gradually the ffimult subsided, and Sir Geo. Grey’s speech was listened to with eager ai ton- . tion, intermptoji only by _ tho applause which followed- some of his more telling sentences. The' real fooling of the audience was evinced by tho manner in which Dr Timibnli’s proposal of a vole of thanks and confidence was all but unanimously endorsed. For a few minulcs a groat ! deal of noise was cron fed oni Ado [jfcho i ball by a- party of the football ’.'avers i vim were desirous of golfing within the i building. The hopeles-mos? of their chance of access may be gathered from the fact th it tho enter as well as the inner ' ills of all tire windows had to support a number of people, and that, oven to tho bnth’Oßses people were Hinging with a grim determination to hear something of tho speech. After the meeting, when the result of the enormous prossn.ro within the hall could bo seen, ,x gentleman naively remarked that there would he plenty of work for tho £ piasterss.” Some f-nv nmea m glais wore also broken. —‘ LvHelton-Times.’.

it is Authoritatively announced that llio lindin.y of lli'i 'Court -'Ms ruu on Tiioiitoaant Caroy exonerates Hint from aU b’ama in connection 'vlli th 1 ,(io:> tli of Ihn Prince Imperial. Ho retains his full