The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 21.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 192, 21 May 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 21.

It will be remembered that some short time ago a Miss Bowling, governess at Miss de Malmanche's school, was missing from her home, and the circumstances of the search, and subsequent finding of the young lady, will doubtless be still fresh in the minds of our readers. Owing to the mental depression from which Miss Bowling was evidently suffering, fears that she had made away with herself then prevailed, but fortunately proved groundless, and her eccentric conduct was attributed to temporary mental aberration, brought on by domestic affliction. Miss Bowling then left Akaroa to reside with her sister in Christchurch, and the accounts which have appeared in the Lyttelton Times of last week show but too plainly the sad end of the young lady, whose relatives would appear to have been reprehensibly careless, considering what had already happened, in not causing a watch to be kept upon her movements. The following are portions of the paragraphs referred to, which appeared in the above mentioned jourr.al on the 16th and 17th instant :—" Yesterday afternoon Mr Robt. Robinson, a farmer residing at Avonside, reported to the police that at half-past three o'clock his wife found upon the river bank a lady's black straw hat. On going to the spot himself he found £7 15s 6d in money, a pair of black kid gloves (quite new), and a bill, showing they had been purchased that day from Messrs Strange. There was also a piece of black ribbon and a white poekethandkerchief marked 'E. Bowling." This was at a spot opposite Cowlishaw's corner. ... He brought the articles with him to the dep6t, and Detective Walker at once proceeded to the establishment of Messrs Strange, when one of the assistants remembered that a young lady had changed a cheque for £8, drawn by Mr Hardy Johnston, and that the money found on the river bank exactly corresponded with the change given to her. Further enquiry showed that Miss Bowling had been employed at Mr Johnston's as a day-governess ; that latterly she had been noticed to be much depressed, and that fearing the effect her disposition might have on the children they discharged her on Tuesday afternoon.

. . . Miss Bowling has been staying with her sister, Mr? Hansman, of Feathers 1 Hotel, Addington, and for some time had been acting as daily governess at Mrs Hardy Johhston's. She left the hotel at half-past nine o'clock yesterday morning, saying that she was"' going to school,' and had not told her sister that she had been discharged. She had often been heard to speak of a friend of hers to whom she was engaged to be married, and who was on board the Avalanche when that ill-fated ship went down. . . At seveno'clock yesterday morning Detective Walker, assisted by two constables, resumed the search for the body of Miss Bowling, whose supposed death by drowning was reported in our last issue. They used a boat, secured by a rope stretched, across the river, and as dragging in the ordinary manner could not be carried out on account of the heavy growth of weeds, they had to adopt the slow and laborious expedient of probing every portion of the bottom. In such weather as prevailed this morning, it seemed almost impossible that the searchers could have gone on with their operations. They persevered, however, and at about half-past eleven Detective Walker touched the body with an oar, at a point nearly 60 yards from where the money was found. It was raised by the drag, the river at this spot being ten feet deep. The body of the unfortunate lady

was removed to the mofgue, there to await an inquest. We haveibeen requested to state that Miss Bowling was not discharged from her employment on Tuesday, but that notice was given b tier a month previously, her depressed state having been remarked from the firlt." ' '

In oUr shipping cjluftm appears Captain- Donovan's, report iof the accident which happened to tlip ketch XXX, on her way round from Lyttelton to Akaroa last week. It will be seei that the position of the craft was that If •: no inconsiderable peril, everything . Depending upon the staunchuess of her babies, which, fortunately,: proved'equal to the strain. Consequent on the receipt of a letter by the harbormaster from. Mr Black, at the Heads, in which fears were expressed as to the safety of the vessel, the steam launch got ready about la.m. on Friday, the 17th inst., and proceeded with a few volunteers down the harbor to render any assistance that jgrig&be possible. The night was and light, and most favorable expedition of the kind, but it was not till within a short distance of the ketch that her whereabouts was discovered. This was partly owing to a report that she was close inland, whereas she was lying well off shore between the Heads. The sea was perfectly smooth, but though a long heavy roll remained from the late S.W. gale, the little launch was equal to the occasion, and even steamed out beyond the XXX, whose captain decided to remain where he was. The spirit, however, which prompted those who went out to render assistance if it were required is worthy of commendation, and we trust will never be found wanting among us when duty calls for the preservation of life or property.

Mr J. E. March, Immigration Officer, has been down here for a few days lately on business connected with the Hospital and Immigration depot. We are given to understand that the outbuildings in connection with the former will be proceeded with without further delay, and thatthe drainage of, both buildings will be set in hand at once. The question of the taking over of these institutions by the local governing bodies will also occupy Mr March's attention while on the Peninsula.

We understand that a movement is on foot in the Bays to secure the permanent services of a Church of England minister, and from what wo have been able to gather there appears every likelihood of additional clerical aid being forthcoming. But, as the Incumbent's locum tenens, the Rev. Mr Anderson, pointed out at the recent Easter meeting, the whole matter is simply a question of money. If such a devision of the parish as that contemplated would tend, on fthe one hand, to extricate the mother church of Akaroa from the' difficulties in which it is involved, and, on the other hand to convey the ministrations of the Church of England to those of her members who are at present virtually outside her pale, it is most desirable that the movement in question should be helped forward hi every way that can be devised. ':■■

An accident happened yesterday to a man named Cashmere while working at Mr Libeau's brick yard. It appears that he was engaged in excavating clay, when a fall of earth came down upon him, breaking his right leg above the knee. Dr T. Guthrie was speedily in attendance, and the sufferer was conveyed on a stretcher to the Hospital, where he is doing as well as can be expected.

We have been requested to call attention to the date of sailing of the s.s. Taupo. She will sail for Dunedin this evening. In our advertisement tbe date of sailing has been erroneously given as the 22nd.

On Saturday morning last the ranges on the Peninsula were, for the first time this year, clad in Winter's garb, the snow lying very low down the spurs and gullies. The furious N.W. gale of Friday afternoon gradually veered round to the southward, and during the night changed to a S.W. gale of equal violence. As the wind changed to the southward the ketch XXX was able to take advantage of a favorable slant, and come up the harbor before the sou-wester set in. We notice, in the report of the proceedings of the Board of Education on the 16th inst., that Mrs Gates has been appointed sewing mistress to the GermanBay School.

I Concerning the progress of the Akaroa Railway, the Press says :—" The survey of the proposed railway line from Lincoln to Akaroa is just completed, and the plans, &c, will be hurried forward with all despatch in order that they may be ready before Parliament meets. It is now nearly two years since the Act creating the Trust was passed, . A good deal of delay in undertaking the surveys occurred, and it was not until the last four months that the work was energetically pushed forward, Mr J. RBrowne, under the superintendence of MiHardy Johnston, being in charge of it. By clause 21 the Act of 1875 will " absolutely cease and determine " on December 31st, unless other provision shall have been made by the General Assembly. It will) therefore, be necessary, in order to carry on the proposed works, for the Trust to obtain a continuing Act, and some extended powers will also be needed. With respect to the reclamation works, the final plans have not yet been decided on. These works do not affect the railway directly, but it is from them that a large portion of the funds are to be derived for carrying it