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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 74, 3 April 1877, Page 2

Notwithstanding tlic unpropuious slate of the weather on Saturday evening last, there was a very good attendance at the Town Hall at the opening of Bakers Hibernicon. In a country iike Ireland, abounding in such romantic scenery, the painter would have ample scope for the brush : and in the panorama exhibited by Mr. Baker, all those natural beauties for which she is so famous have been admirably transferred to canvass. The weired and rugged grandeur of [he Giant's Causeway, the beautiful Cove o!i Cork, the wilds of Connemara, the pilgrimage to the Holy Well, Sackville-street, the noblest thoroughfare in Europe: Erin's pride and Europe's admiration the beautiful Lakes of Killarney, and the Devils Punchbowl must be viewed to appreciate the truly faithful and artistic manner in which thismagniiieent scenery id represented in Mr. Baker's Panorama. During (he evening, at intervals, the entertainment was diversified by most appropriate melodies. Mr. Baker possesses a uiagiiiliceiit tenor voice. His ballad, "The dear Little Hhamrock" was sung with great perfection, and, by special request, later in the evening was repeated. The programme was further supplemented by Mrs. Baker singing " Oh. Eriinny Country, ,, and !< Norah McShanc," bo 1:11 of which were given with pathos and feeling. The exhibition was repeated last night to a crowded house, and as Mr. and Mrs. Baker are likely to be detained in Akaroa, till ihe 12th April, owing to no steamer leaving in the interval, avo trust that they Avill be induced to give one of their popular concerts during their stay. The first oc this month brought fori.h its usual abundant crop of April fools, but the jokes perpetrated Avere of the most trivial character, and the A'ictims, we are pleased to say, bore their discomfiture Avith good temper, and in following ihe humour of the day nothing like iil-temper Avas manifested. On Thursday afternoon last, as Mr. Lardner avus driving a horse and dray, loaded Avith iirewood, along the Kailc road, and on ascending the hill near ihe lied House, the horse and dray by some means or other toppled over the sidling. The harness Avas immedLioly detached, and the struggling animal Avas liberated from his perilous position, apparently uninjured. The dray, however, suffered some little damage. The services held on Good Friday in St. Peter's Church Avere very fairly attended, and every effort Avas made to render the commemoration of Our SaA'iour's death as solemn as possible. The altar, lectern, and prayer desk Avere covered with black, just as is done in so many churches Avhen a funeral takes place, or Avhen an influential member of the congregation dies. The service beginning at 12 noon consisted of seven short and very impressive addresses on the " Seven Last Words " of the Redeemer, Avith an appropriate hymn, sung without any organ accompaniment between each address. In the evening the service consisted of the usual Evensong and sermon. The change from a season of penitence and mourning to one of joy and festivity was avcll marked by the decorations. The church was decorated under great difficulties on Easter Day, The workmen did not finish their Avork in the new part of the church until G p.m. The incumbent Avas not able to give any assistance in consequence of having received a severe kick from his horse during the day, and a number of those avlio promised to assist, preferred the inducement of picnics. Still, the general effect Avas very good, and those avlio did work did so with so much zeal and heartiness

that on no previous occasion, save perhaps Christnuistide, two years' since, have the decorations been more chaste and suggestive of the truths taught by the •' Queen of Festivals," for such was Easter always reckoned by the primitive Church. The services announced for the day could not be carried out in consequence of the llev. Mr. Cooper's accident, but he was able with some difficulty to take the halfpast ten and seven o'clock services. At the former there was a choral celebration, the music chosen being St. Mark's Cadences, with the Creed, arranged by Goss, and the Offertory sentences by Barnby. At the Evensong the Canticles were sung to Chant services, by Wesley, and at both services the preces and responses were plain song, adapted by Tallis. The organ was ably played by Mr. Inwood, but the choir showed evident traces of want of practice, which must have been rather discouraging to the organist, who is always so ready to give his time and trouble, for the improvement of the choir, with this exception the services of the day were hearty and devotional. We must give an account of the. new transcept .which was- opened on Easter Day in a future issue.'

We noticed from the Surveyor-General's report on th 3 Canterbury survey in last night's PreSsrttia't lie says it'will be absolutely necessary to revise the surveys of the Lake Ellesmere, Little Rangiora and Akaroa districts. He further remarks in his report that Bank's Peninsula wil especially require re-survey.

Easter Monday in Akaroa Avas observed as a close holiday by the different business people. The only attraction presented to pleasure-seekers, was the Good Templars , picnic, which was attended by upwards of 170 adults and juveniles. Sports of various kinds, were -improvised oh the ground, but the site selected was not the most favourable for the gathering. Swings, foot-races, kiss-in-the-ring,-&c., were freely indulged in, and all who took part in these pastimes, appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Mrs. Brown discharged the duties of cateress in a most admirable manner. " Have you seen the pumpkins ?" is the question we have been constantly asked the last couple of days; and, on asking "Whose pumpkins?" we were answered, " Why, Lelievre's and Feltham's, to be sure." Accordingly, we paid a visit to Mr. Daly's, where in his window was one of the gigantic vegetables referred to. This was Mr. Felthams, and it weighs 45 lbs. The other, a melon pumpkin, grown by Mr. Lelievre, is the largest we have ever seen ;it weighs 63 lbs. Both are magnificent samples of what can be grown in this district.

We cake the following from the Clmslchurch E»eainij Star:—" According ro a Wellington contemporary, it has been decided by the Resident Magistrate ;:>■ Marion, that a man who lets oni ;i horse on Sunday cannot recover damages if i hehorse sustains any injury. The ground of the decision is stated by the Wanganui paper to have been ihat defendant was noi bound by r contract made on Sunday. This would be comprehensible enough, however piiful the plea, if plaintili had sought to recover horse hire. But we i\<a not aware oi ;m,v law which either expressly or impliedly permits one man to injure the property or another on Sunday, although ibe former may be temporarily in cluiige o.U ki.icli person with the owner's consent, it j* hard io believe that the case had beer? correctly reported." ■ Fire Proof Timber —The ; Garden/ says —Many despise poplar a* timber, but it has one golden properly—it will not burn. Some years ago a factory at Nottingham took lire on the second Moot, and burned to the top furiously, but not. downwards ; although the Jloors lay ;■ yard thick with hot cinders and melted machinery, yet it did not'get downwards, because the lloors were of pop'ar. On Sunday two girls, pupils at an Illinois seminary, were about leaving their rooms for church, when a dispute arose as to which hud occupied the most time in dressing. The discussion waxed warm,. a bet was made, to be decided on the spot, and three other girls were called in as judges. The contestants removed their clothing, and at the call of " time " sprang to the coniesfc. For a few moments the air seemed filled with ilying bits of feminine drapery~shoes, stockings, garters, tic—and the winner was all " hooked up," and her bonnet on in seven minutes ant! thirteen seconds, the other girl coming out in less ihan half a minute behind. A contemporary says that one of the sporting fraternity who swami upon every racecourse with tables for ; 'under and over,"roulette, or "Spanishand American silver and gold," was neatly caught the other day at ;i Jittle race meeting in " Wellington Province. He was doing a iine business, much to his own satisfaction, when one of the victims happened to look under the table, and there saw a secret spring, which enabled the proprietor to suit the fortune of the game to his own advantage. In a second the table was overturned and smashed to bits, the hawk collared by the raging rii3(ic ; and a policeman called upon (lie scene. Upon the swindler's person iil i was discovered. Two brothers named Watson have been giving remarkable exhibitions of foolhardiuesii and skill in Tony Pastor's Theatre, New York. They are billed as " noted Western scouts and sharpshooters," and have the look of .I'ronliermen. They begin by displaying rides, and shooting bullets through blocks of wood Io prove that the ammunition and missiles are genuine. On bo ill sides oi: the stage, close- to the front, thick wooden pads are placed for the bullets to lodge in. At the beginning of the display of marskmanship, one man holds an apple in his lingers, and the other shoots c>. ball through it from across the stage: and the next man Avho risked his lingers becomes the shooter in repetition of the feat. Each in turn hits the bull's eye of a target tea times Avithoufc a miss, the bulls eye being just above the head of his brother who holds the apple. A potato is placed on one's head and shot off by the other, the potato being split to pieces, and the bullet entering the pad in front of which the holder stands. The feat is repeated many times, the brothers changing attitudes and holding the lilies in positions seemingly awkward enough to increase the peril. The brothers wheel quickly and shoot potatoes simultaneously oft' each other's heads. Yesterday one potato was barely grazed, but a second trial was perfectly successful. A candle was snuffed by a bullet; and as- a culmination, one held a lighted cigar in "his mouth and the other shot off the ashes, the distance being the entire width of the stage. The brothers, who profess to have acquired their skill by iong practice on the plains, use breachloading lilies, and handle them with avoiiderful quickness. The younger seems to be the best marksman —at least he fires quickest after getting his Aveapon up to aim, and rarely fails to hit. The older sometimes misses.

We clip the following from an English exchange. As regards its prognostications we trust that as this colony was, at the lime the rhyme was written, not added to the possessions of the mother country, Aye may be exempt from everything therein foretold, excepting that in the last but two and last lines. It is sorneAvhat peculiar that the present year should have commenced with so many disastrous floods both north and south of us:—Christmas day fell last year on a Monday. It fell also in 1865, and on that occasion the following Avas unearthed from, it Avas stated, theHarleian MSS., No. 2,252, folio 153 4:— " If Christmas day on Monday be, " A greater Avinter that year you'll see " And full of Avinds both load and shrill. " But in summer, truth to tell, " High winds shall there be, and strong, " Full of tempests lasting long ; " While battles they shall multiply, " And great plenty of beasts shall die. " They shall be born that day, I Aveen, " They shall be strong each one and keen; " He shall be found that stealeth aught; " Tho' thou be sick, thou diest not." The year 1866 Avas the year of the AustroPrussian War, a year of disastrous gales, and a year of cattle plague. Again in 1871, Chrisinas day, fell on a Monday. The twelvemonth following that day saw us with cattle plague in the north and some great storms; but as to " battles " avu must go back a few months in 1871 for the capitulation of Paris, and the conflict with the Commune. We have now a Monday Christinas for the third time within a dozen years. Afoot-race of a someAvhat novel character (says the Wallaroo Times, N.S.W.) took place at Green's Plains on the 16th February between Messrs Charlton, jun., and T. Nugent. The distance fixed upon Avas 100 yards, Mr. Nugent to carry a saddle and the heaviest man in the locality, and to have 50 yard's start. Mr. W. V. Browni being possessed of the greatest quantity of "adipose tissue," Avas selected for the jockey, and the Aveight-carrier by one yard. The Guardian of Monday says : —" A race for ten miles between a horseman and a locomotive is something rather unusual # The passengers by the afternoon train from Port Chalmers yesterday had the pleasure of Avitnessing such an event. As the train left the Port Chalmers Pier, a rider, well mounted on a highly-mettled steed, was seen dashing through the township. As Dunedin was approached, the frequent stoppages enabled him to. redeem lost ground, and also to give his horse an occasional spell. As was reached, the utmost interest in the result of the race began to be manifested by the passengers, many of them encouraging the rider in his self-imposed task. Crossing Pelichet Bay he was alongside the train, and as the tickets had to be collected at the station there, he must have reached the city some minutes before the train's arrival." In vieAv of possible hostilities in Europe, Aye may state that the strength of the British army isasfellows : —Two regiments of the Life Guards, one regiment of Horse Guards, seven regiments of Dragoon Guards, three regiments of Dragoons, nVe regiments of Lancers, 13 of Hussars, 200 batteries of Artillery, 42 companies of Engineers, 7 battalions of Foot Guards, and 141 battalions of Infantry, besides two West India regiments and the Malta Fencible Artillery, and also the old Military Train, Avho, as Light Cavalry, did good service in the Maori Avar. Of the Cavalry, four regiments are Irish, one Scotch, and the remainder English. Of the Foot Guards, one regiment is Scotch —viz., the Scots Fusiliers. Of the Infantry, seven regiments are Irish, 16 Scotch, 3 Welsh, 1 Canadian, 9 Indian, and the remainder English. The British Militia numbers 120,000 men, the Yeomanry Cavalry 120,000, the Army lleserve 30,000, and the Volunteers, 265,000. Inclusive of Militia, Volunteers, &c, the British forces may number 520,000 bayonets. Lord Elcho estimates the number of men— British, Foreign, and Colonial, Eegular and Auxiliary—serving under the British flag at 800,000. Carlington, a county of Durham, Avith some twenty-eight thousand of inhabi. tants : period—the nineteenth century dramatis personal —a male and female (we cannot call them man and woman,) a little boy of seven years old, and a kettle of boiling Avater. It is hardly credible that a father and mother could behave to their child in the manner that Patrick and Catherine Flanery are reported to have done. After beating the boy till his screams alarmed the neighbourhood, the mother deliberately held his head with one hand, Avhile Avith the other she poured scalding Avater 0A T er the face and shoulders. For this inhuman outrage a sentence of six months' imprisonment with hard labour Avas passed on the pair of fiends, with a further six months unless sureties were provided to keep the peace. In the next column of the same paper a woman is sentenced to tAvelve months' imprisonment with hard labour for the fearful crime of begging ; a man is confined for five months in gaol awaiting trial, and sentenced to six months' further, with hard labour, for writing a letter in a moment of irritation ; and for stealing a greatcoat, the thief, against whom a former conviction was proved, Avas sentenced to penal servitude for seven years, and supervision for seven more. Verily it is a worse crime to beg, to steal, or to write a • threatening letter, than to parboil a harmless child ; at least it appears to be so in the eyes of the law and its administrators. —Cambrian, December 29.

A curious document was found a few days since on the Thnaru Beach, near the Timaru Landing and Shipping Company's office, in the shape of a charge sheet of the convict station at Eingal, in Tasmania, of the year 1845, wherein three convicts named Henry Smith, George Flaxton, and Thomas Davis were charged with disobeying orders, jit is signed u \Vm. Franks, Visiting Magistrate," and is still clean and fresh, although S3 years old. At the Lakes in Gipps' Land. Victoria a few weeks ago, an island suddenly made its appearance, which is one hundred yards long, fifteen broad, stands sis feet above the water, and has about twelve feet of water all round it. It has the appearance of having been suddenly forced up from below, with no vegetation on it whatever. The strange phenomenon has surprised the inhabitants considerably. An English magazine says:—Scattered about the earth there are supposed to be 10,000,000 or 11,000,000 Jews alive. Thousands of these persons are rich, some of them own colossal fortunes. Rothschild could buy up the fee simple of Palestine. Goldsmid might rebuild the temple of Herod. Moniefier has money enough to cast a golden statue of King Soloman. But of these wealthy Hebredes not one is willing io go back.