Ch_taTCHtracH Draughts Club.—This Club is still well to the fore, and the interest taken in its welfare by draughts players generally is increasing. On Thurs day evening next, the Lyttelton Club will try their strength across the board with their city rivals, when a close finish is expected. To facilitate matters, a full attendance of members ib requested for to night, when the team to meet the Lyttelton Club will be selected.
Sm___e Court.—The Court during yesterday was engaged with the trial (before his Honor _r Justice Denniston and a jury of twelve) of the case of Ward and Co. v Burgess, in which the plaintiff sought to recover certain sums of money alleged to have been paid and lost by plaintiffs, owing to defendant not carrying out an agreement entered into by him for leasing the City Hotel for ten years. The case was only partly heard, and will be re sumed to-day at 10.30 a.m. Tha Maiii.Sh_.vic_.—A word of prai3e is due to the Union Company in despatch ing the English mail from the North for Southern stations. Since 4 p.m. on Satur day the s.s. Wanaka has been constantly steaming, and has not stopped, with the exception of a short delay at Taranaki and 45min at Wellington, and, nptwith standing the fact that the Wairarapa was leaving Wellington yesterday after noon, the Wanaka was despatched without any delay. Consequently merchants and others now have plenty of time to answer their correspondence by the outgoing direct mail on Thursday from Wellington.
