NEWS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 85, 12 December 1874, Page 6

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

Ttosdat last, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, was observed as a day of devotion at St. Joseph's Church. With a view or affording persons who were compelled to attend to their ordinary avocations an opportunity of being present at the Holy Sacrifice, h« .Lordship the Bishop had masses celebrated at half -past six and halfpast seven a.m. ; in the evening there were Vespers and Benediction or the Blessed Sacrament. During the day the children attending the 3uvenile school attached to the Dominican Convent were regaled by the Sisters with refreshments, after which they amused themselves with a variety of games, in which'way a most enjoyable day was spenfc by the young folk. j- ht We woul(i recommend our readers to pay a visit to the premises ot Messrs Hay and Co., Octagon, next the Athenaum, where there is at present on exhibition a splendid collection of Works of Art, mostly of Colonial artists, embracing oleographs, ehromo-lithographs, engravings, and magnificently tinted lithographs. The whole of the valuable collection— numbering between three and four hundred— have been elegantly framed by Mr Hay, and will be offered to the public on tur Irnion P rin ciple. This will be the third annual drawing held by Messrs Hay and Co., and the success and satisfaction which have attended the former drawings, while being ample proof of the fairness with -which the whole arrangements were carried out, will no doubt prove aa incentive to patronage, and carry success in the coming one. After an inspection of the prizes we were struck with one fact different from affairs of a similar nature, namely, the exceedingly modest figure at which the value of each prize was catalogued, a difference the more remarkable on account of its rarity in connection with Art Unions elsewhere. It may also be urged that as most of the paintings, drawings, &0., and all of the mechanical work have been executed in the Colony, where also the proceeds realised will be expended, a claim to patronage of art may with confidence be made.

A meeting- of the Committee of St. Joseph's School Pic-Nic, waa held on Monday evening, Mr E. Carroll in the chair. Tenders were received from -the Railway Department, and Mr Elliott of Princeß street, the former for the conveyance o£ the excursionists to Green Island, and the latter for the refreshment booth, both of which were accepted. A lengthy discussion ensued with regard to the contemplated arrangements, but finally a Sub-committee was appointed to regulate the sports and draw up a programme to be submitted to a general meeting, to be held on Sunday evening. It is intended that all the children of the day and Sunday Schools attached to St. Joseph's, in addition to the members of the Juvenile Contingent, shall he invited, and no effort will be wanting on the part of the Committee to make it a genuine treat for the youngsters. A programme of the proceedings will appear in our next issue.

We notice by an exchange that the residents of Charleston, in the Province of Nelson, have for a long time past been treated to weelly concerts, which take place at the local institute every Monday evening. The price of admission is but nominal, being only sixpence, and judging from the excellent programme, which appears iv the 'Herald' weekly, the entertainments must be a source of great pleasure. Something similar was started in Melbourne some few years back, with no other object than to find healthy amusement for the people, but in the course of time so popular had they become that at the present time a very handsome sum is realised -weekly, after defraying all expenses. In a city like Dunedin where so much amateur talent is available, we wonder some such movement has not been taken in hand before now, and have no doubt that were the matter taken up, it would prove a success.

A ceicket match of an interesting character took place'on the Southern Eecreation Ground on Saturday last between teams choßen from the ' Guardian' and ' Tunes' offices. At the commencement of the game the chances of the representatives of the ' Guardian' were looked upon as exceedingly hazy, a prospect which, however, was entirely changed when their opponents were disposed of in their first innings for the small score of 31. As it had been previously arranged that if the two innings had not been completed at half -past six, when the time had arrived for drawing the stumps, the match should be decided by the first innings, public favor was transferredjfrom the ' Times' team to their opponents, who succeeded in heading the score made by 3. This unlooked-for result was entirely owing to the exceedingly loose fielding of the 'Times,' rather than to any efficient batting of the other team, and a foregone conclusion that the match could be won without an effort. A struggle was then made by the Captain of the 'Times' team to finish both innings in the allotted time, and so give another chance of pulling off a victory. In their second innings the * Times' made the respectable score of eighty, which could have been easily further extended bub for their anxiety of placing their opponents at the wickets to finish the game before time was called. The ' Guardians/ however, were prepared for the ruse, and succeeded in dallying until the stumps were drawn before the conclusion of the game, being thus entitled to claim a victory.

As an instance of the admirable arrangements in force in the Dunedin Post-office, we may mention that we, on Thursday, received a letter which had been posted in the city, and bore the Dunedin mark of November 27. Fortunately happening to meet the sender of the communication some ten days since, we were verbally informed of the intelligence which has just reached us, after the interval of a fortnight. Ix is a suggestive fact that with one solitary exception the Press of the colony have studiously avoided making mention of the late International Rifle Match between Ireland and the United States. The honorable exception was that of our evening contemporary, which in a paragraph of four lines availed itself of the opportunity of giving the result and indulging in a sneer at the Irish team. When one bears in mind the large amount of space usually devoted to the Wimbledon matches, and that the firing of the representative teams, both in the preliminary and final match, was far superior to anything ever done on the Wimbledon ground, this discreet reticence may be easily appreciated.

Wb have to acknowledge the receipt from the publishers, of " Mills, Dick & Cos. Provincial Almanac and Directory," which will be found a most valuable acquisition in' every counting-house and office. In addition to the latest postal, telegraphic, and other official changes throughout the Province, it contains a varied selection of information most necessary in the transaction of business, in the shape of important extracts from the various Acts passed during the Session,, • embracing the " Land on Deferred Payment Act," " Otago Waste Lands Act," and others of an equally important character. Two admirably executed maps of the North and Middle Islands, published by the authority of Mr Carruthers, form also an attractive feature in the Directory.

The ' New Zealand Herald* is responsible for the following : — " A wealthy quartz-miner lately fell ill, and for some weeks his life was despaired of. However, a naturally strong constitution enabled him to pull through, and he is now little or nothing the worse for the attack. One of the first things which he had to do after his recovery was to pay a rather heavy milliner's bill for his dear wife. The principal items were for a complete mourning outfit — black silk, crape, in fact everything complete for the rdle of tlie disconsolate relict. The husband cut up a little rough at first, but the wife reminded him that he always liked to see her well-dressed, and dressmakers in this country were so dilatory that if she had not given the order beforehand, there was no knowing when her weeds would have been ready. Under any circumstances, there were the clothes, and as life was, at the best uncertain, it was always handy to have them in the house." Mb Henrtc Dbiveb, U.S. Consul, received the following telegram on Wednesday night from the chief of the American party for observing the tranait of Venus at Queenstown: — "Our observations are satisfactory. We observed two contacts, and a great many measurements ; and took 193 photographs."