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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 232, 8 October 1878, Page 2

We regret that through pressure on our space, we are compelled to: hold over the report of the R.M. Court till pur next issue.

A return cricket match between a scratch team of the Akaroa Cricket Club, chosen by Messrs F. Barker and H. B. Bridge, will be played at Robinson's Bay, on Saturday afternoon next. Messrs Bridge and Barker will .captain their respective fields.

The Government, after repeatedly stating that they meant to stick to their Beer Bill and the Companies Duty Bill, have withdrawn them both. The. Government were defeated on the Beer Bill by a majority of 30 to 28, with ten pak-s, thus making 78 members of the House - accounted for, the largest number of the Session. Who will say after this,, and the conversion of Mr Fox, that our Legislators do not take an interest, like so many of their, .constituents, in beer.

The Government steamer s.s. Stella, from Wellington, called at the Akaroa Heads last Friday morning, and landed a large quantity of timber and building materials for the construction of the lighthouse, some of the pieces of timber 'for staging and derrick Work being 40ft long x Ift on the square. , The placing of those beams in their position at a height of 200 ft above the sea in the particular locality is no easy work, and one requiring engineering skill. The Stella, after having landed her cargo, went| onto, Okain's! Bayto institute an inquiry into the loss of some moorings, and* afterwards was to proceed direct back to Wellington. Mr Black, the Engineer fyt" the works for the road and site of the lighthouse, informs us that the Durations' aie proceeding in the most satisfatory and expeditious'manuer.

From the -censusreturns taken'on the 3rd of March last, just. published, we find that the population i>f tlie ridings in Akaroa County was as follows :-r-Port Victoria, 344; Port Levy, 178 ; Pigeon Bay, 351 : Wainui, 425; Berard, 934; ;Le Bon's Bay, 290'; Raupo, 182 ; Okain's Bay, 235 ; Little River/783;" and the totals for the Road Districts as follows :—Akaroa and Wainui, 1359; Li>tle River, 783; Okain's Bay, 707; Pigeon Bay, 351; Port Levy, 178 ; Port Victoria, 344. The population of the Borough of Akaroa on the same date was 642. V

■ Mr Baker, the Chief Surveyor .for.. Canterbury remarks in his report to' tho Sur-.veyor-General, in regard to sectional sur- . veyd, that the cost, per/.acre of survey work on the Peninsula varies from' : ls ! ld to ds'dkd. One group'of 10 sections containing 2.140 acres, done by -Mr Broderick, necessitated, owing to road 'traverses, no less than 730 ; peg_ driven,', the 'position of each baing d.nly^.recorded and shown on a plan. The Chief Surveyor further on in his report' states that on revising sections, errpra .are. discovered ranging from 2 to 17 links per .mile, .and thatthe angles differ from 1 to 5£ minutes. Oh the Peninsula' 'much' graver errors occur,, errors which a comparison 'of the old and riew surveys show can be but the product of great carelessness in execution. In some instances he finds errors, of -187 links in 25 chains ; 130. links in 21 chains, and the last case brought under his notice is one in Svhich two section? rare Crown Granted as one in a rectangular" block, 2,440 by 1,850 links. The Measurementson the ground being <one,*Bide7nfthe; section right, 1850 links, and one;angle- right; the other sides measuring respectively 2,407 and"£,466 instead of 2.440 and 1,811, ,in lieu: of 1,850, the angle being 1 deg. 50 mm., 2 deg. 34 mm., and 8 mm. wrong. .We quote the above figures verbatim from the report, aiid they must be anything but consoling to the holders*of land in the Peninsula.

An extraordinary find of gold was made on Sunday morning in tho stomach of a duck tbat was being prepared for a gentleman's dinner in Akaroa. On the stomach of the bird being cleaned out, indications of tho precious metal were plainly visible,\;whiciyied*.the cook to pan off the contents, and a quantity Of-pebbles, .sand,* "and a prospect -.f about five pennyweights was discovered. Where the has been feeding is kept/a strict secret by the fortunate gourmand-: The price -..of these ducks in the iharl&t will no* doubt rise, and lead to a crudsade against them if they do not lay golden eggs. At a meeting of the Regatta Committee r on Saturday l'astf the" acCouints of |hj pUtj year 1 were audited and adopted, showing a credit balance of 0ver..£36., We.„were.pleased to see so much interest taken in as to have a full meeting, with ; his' Worship the Mayor in the chair, and | .other- influential citizens present. After some discussion with regard to the dispute between the Lyftel ton Yacht Club and the owner of the Venture,• and the decision whiclpvas come to- by 'the* qomroitlee of: enquiry appointed to hear the evidence entailed by the protest laid against the latter boat by the representatives of the .Lyttelton Yacht Club, it was decided that Messrs H. H. Fenton and H. B. Bridge be appointed toirepiteseht' the interests'of'the 1 Akaroa boating men, and.that l they'should ' endeavor to comeio- so me/amicable' Settlement of this question, which seems .ija____. 'merely a question.of yachting law, a point on which this colony is too young to decide, and which can only be settled by either the Field or the Australasian. The /ineeting- was well, attended and: showed j that this year no small interest will be taken in our Annual Regatta: A/subscription list was opened in the room and\ amounted to over £15j making a credit to the Akaroa Regatta Committee of oyer £51 to start with. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and it was arranged by the Committee appointed, whose names will appear in onr next, that matters connected with Regatta business will be fully discussed at a meeting to be held at Bruce's Hotel, on Wednesday, 9th inst.- —

We have the pleasure in stating that the citizens of Wellington have requested the honor of the company of His Worship the Mayor of Akaroa to a ball on the occasion of the opening of a railway to Wairarapa ; on the 15th,inst. From the fourteenth annual, Government report on the Telegraph Department, we learn that the line between Christchurch and Akaroa has beon overhauled and put in good repair, and that the total cost of maintenance of the Akaroa station for the, year ending 30th June last was £220 15s. The total number of private and prei3s' messages sent, up to the- same date, ,wa's: 4,941, and the number of Government messages 384. Tho total value of the messages for the year was £312 '18s 6d. ' ' A meeting of the Churchwardens '• and Vestry of St. Peter's Church was he,ld ,in the church after evensong on Friday evening last, to meet the Rev. Mr Stack, the Acting Archdeacon of the Diocese. The. members of the Vestry present sighed the necessary declaration as required by the regulations of the Synod, and after transacting some formal business, held a special meeting to elect a. nominator in place of Mr .Wagstaff, resigned_._ m „lt_.appe.arsJt_at. "during the vacancy of any of nominators passes from' the Vestry to the Standing Committee. - Under fthe circumstances the Vestry resolved; td recommend Mr Nicholls to fill Mr : Wagstaffs place. .';■';•■' / ; !