The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 228, 24 September 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24.

A large and influential meeting lias lately been held at Southbridge to take initiatory steps for having abridge erected over the Eakaia and the Southbridge line extended to Longbeach or Tinwald, South Ashburton, In the course of the discussion several of the speakers referred to the advantages to be derived by connecting their railway with Akaroa Harbor. Mr Bluett, in proposing the first resolution, said:— " Attain, tli3 line, if extended, might be connected with the proposed Akaroallinte t and by that means they would have direct communication with the Akaroa Harbor. The country had been opened up lately to such an extent that it was absolutely necessary that they should have some other means of exporting their grain, &c, than by Lyttelton Harbor. Supposing an accident happened to the tunnel, say by an earthquake or by any other means, there would be a complete deadlock in the export trade." Mr Davis, who seconded one of the resolutions, said that nothing would benefit them more than by making the railway run along the beach, and having it connected with the Akaroa line. They -would then be able to send their produce to the port where they j wanted it to go, and, by having a direct line, the produce would be taken quicker and with less trouble and risk than by having two or three lines, which, as had already feen felt, was a great inconvenience. Mr Job Osborne went into figures to show the great necessity for another harbor, and the extension of the railway line. According to his calculations, it would take 348 days to get the grain down to Christchurch on the present line. Mr R. B. Willis said there were a great many good reasons why the line should be joined to Southbridge. In the first place the farmers up-country would have direct communication with the Akaroa Harbor ; then, again, although the Government w re spending £100,000 over the Lyttelton Harbor, if they spent twice that amount they would never make it large enough for the exportation of produce. The Akaroa Harbor had been placed by nature for the Plains, and must eventually become the great harbor of New Zealand. These sentiments appeared to meet with the approbation of the meeting.

A story of a curious freak in natural history reaches us from Okain's Bay. It appears that a lamb was left an orphan at an early age. In default of its natural sustenance, the little creature, with a sagacity beyond its years, or rather days, attached itself to a sow which was at the time nourishing some juvenile grunters. This unainiable animal, objecting to play the part of wet nurse, fell upon and killed the youthful emblem of innocence. The owner of the lamb now seeks to recover damages from the proprietor of the sow for the destruction of his lamb, while the latter threatens proceedings to recover the value of the nutriment feloniously appropriated by the lamb. Rather a nice question as it stands, and reminds one considerably of the celebrated case quoted in the law books, under the title of Bullem v.

Boatem. When playing in the Grehan Valley bush the other day, some boys in turning j over a log, disturbed a strange species of bird that had taken shelter beneath it. In its fright, the bird flew into the shirt of one of the boys, who straightway ran home, still grasping the unexpected intruder, exclaiming that a varmint " had got hold of him. The ''Varmint" turned out to be a very rare bird, of greyish plumage with webbed feet, and, from subsequent observation, evidently belonging to the class of night-birds. The appearance of the plumage, the blackcapped head, and cabalt colored legs, had every indication of its belonging to the Petrel species, but the size did not correspond with the description of that bird. We are informed that Mr Missen, whose son purchased the bird, has sent it to the Museum and, doubtless, Dr Haast will be able to to give it a " local habitation and a name." We have been shewn somewhat of a curiosity, or rather a freak of nature, in the shape of a pig's jaw with three tusks, two of which have grown next one another on the right side, and are both fully developed. Mr J.Lelievre killed the pig in the bush near his residence, and describes it as a very large one, no small difficulty being experienced in its capture, and one of the dogs being severely ripped in the encounter. Mr Lelievre intends preserving the jaw with the tusks intact, and it may fairly be regarded as a curio of no small value.

From a contemporary we cull the following account of the starting of the Waijpaioa Mail, the latest venture of Mr Joseph Ivess: — "The latest addition to the Press of the colony was christened yesterday afternoon in the presence of a number of ladies and

gentlemen. Every thing having been got ready for a start, Mr Baker, the genial host of the Empire Hotel, printed the first impression of this journal, Mr Tye, the well known and worthy knight of the hammer, acting as devil. Immediately on the birth of the new journal, Miss Tye, on whom devolved the duty of giving us a name, said ','1 have, much pleasure'in christening the paper published in the district, and .call it %M\WaipqMa Mailf and trust that this newly-born representative of the Fourth Estate will live long and have a prosperous career, and I welcome it as a power which, if properly used, will confer a great benefit upon this commnnity." Success to the Waipawa Mail was then drunk in champagne. Mr Ivess, the founder of the journal, replied in a heat speech, appropriate to the occasion, and the company separated, expressing gratification that the district was no longer without an organ of public opinion.