The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, APRIL 1.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 282, 1 April 1879, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, APRIL 1.

The Akaroa Wainui Road Board held its usual fortnightly, meeting at the offices, Head of the Bay, yesterday. -All the members were present with the exception of the Chairman, Mr F. W. Willianis> and this place was occupied by Mr C. M'Donald. A - large amount of important business was transacted, and several deputations of ratepayers, had interviews with the Board. Tenders for a number of were accepted, and 'others ordered' to tbe called for. The Board did not adjourn till nearly eight o'clock, which precludes the possibility of our reporting the meeting fully this issue. Our next issue will contain a full report of the matters that engaged the attention of the Board.

Elsewhere will be found the latest telegrams relative to the incipient Native disturbance at Waimate Plains. It will be seen that in an article which appeared in our last issue, we have by no means exaggerated the gravity of the crisis. The N -.tives appear to look upon their overt act of driving off the surveyors as a de" claration of war, and have retired to their fastnesses to prepare for it.

'We would remind our readers of the Presbyterian annual social gatherings which take place—This evening at Le Bon's Bay, to-morrow at. the Town Hall Akaroa, and on Thursday at Pigeon Bay. Particulars appear elsewhere.

The following telegram has been forwarded by his Worship the Mayor of Christchurch to the various Borough and County Councils in the Middle Island: Will -he glad if you ( MW co-operate with the Christchurch s3ity Council in urging the Governmentr to have the next sitting, of Parliament held at Christchurch in obedience a resolution .of. the House 'ast session. The extra expense will small, and every facility will be given by the people of Christchurch. Please reply ? early. -C/T. I<?k, Mayor." - / .

We clip the following from the - Lyttelton Times' report of the proceedings of the Supreme Court In Banco on Thursday last ? at Christchurch :—Re Crown Debts Ac.t, 1866, and re T. B. Chad wick—Mr Harper applied for a rule nisi calling upon the Attorney-General to show jcause in re T. B. Ghadwick, why judgment should not be declared to be satisfied under section 5 of the Crown Debts Act, 1877. He read an affidavit stating the facts. His Honor had no doubt that the Attorney-General would allow the rule to be made absolute. Rule granted, returnable at the first sittings In Banco after the Supreme Court sessions:

A 1 melancholy excitement occurred in Akaroa on Sunday last by the news that Mr William Black, residing at the I .cads, had been found dead on the road between the town and Mr C. Haylock's station. On enquiry, the report turned out to be too true. The deceased gentleman has been engaged in superintending the works of the Akaroa i Lighthouse since their commencement. On Thursday last he was in Akaroa on business, and started for home on horseback about four o'clock on that day. He was never again seen alive. Mrs Newton and one of her sons were on their way over to Mr Haylock's, when they came across his body lying across the track, and showing signs of having been dead some two or three days. His saddle had previously been found about a milo on the Akaroa side of the spot whore the body was lying.. Mr C. Haylock, on being informed of the circumstance, came into Akaroa and gave information to the police. Sergeant Willis, accompanied by a number of volunteers at once started for the spot, and the body was carried down as far as the Maori Kainga, to which place a dray had been dispatched to meet the party, by which it was brought into Akai'oa and deposited in the morgue attached to the Hospital. An inquest was held yes terday, a report of which appears elsewhere. Of course the exact circumstances of the unfortunate gentleman's death will never be known, but it is conjectured that he got off his horse and took off the saddle, probably on account of the bridle breaking ; that he then attempted to walk home, and, becoming exhausted, fell asleep, and that the exposure to cold combined with the posture in which he was lying caused suffocation, which, according to the medical evidence, caused his death. His horse arrived at Mr Haylock's on Friday afternoon, but as it bad neither saddle nor bridle on, it was supposed that the animal had got away from Akaroaj and therefore no alarm was experienced, it being naturally considered that Mr Black bad been, deterred from starting by the severity of the;weather. Mr Black leaves a/widow and children to mourn his loss,; ahd a melancholy circumstance connected with the affair"jia that Mrs Black was oh her way to Akaroa to join her husband when the catastrophe took place which bas left her a widawv ' J The grain carried by the Christcburch, Dunedin, and Invercargill, railway for the eight weeks ending March 8, shows an <increase over the quantity carried during the same period last year by 6170 The total of grain carried for the eight weeks this year has reached 27,168 tons. Although this mayjappear large, and a gauge as to the- carrying capabilities of our railways, it is insignificant as compared with Victorian railway facilities, as it is recorded that for the first two weeks in this year 26,834-tons of grain and flour were carried over the -.Victorian lines to Melbourne. The result is palpable, that in Victoria in two weeks" the railways do- as much : work in the grain line as is done by the New Zealand railways in eight weeks. This 1 clearly illustrates the fact that our carrying system by the "New Zealand railways is defective. An emergency meeting of the Akaroa Masonic Lodge is convened for this evening at the usual place. Important business is to be brought forward, and a full attendance is requested. In another column will be found an address from Mr E. C. Latter, resigning his seat as a membiroFtlie County Council for the Riding of Wainui. There is no doubt be severely felt in the Council, and the electors may find a difficulty in procuring an equally efficient representative. As the,nomina» tien to fill :fhe vacancy takes place, this day week, it is time £or~ both electors and candidates to bestir themselves.- Rumors usual on'such-occasions have' been flying aboutj but >we knotv of no -oner having definitely announced himself as a candidate asyety ;,,;? " , ;''-'*"■''') i-.l ■ 1:..U;. : . ■> .-... The new Oddfellow's Hall, Akaroa, will be opened on Thursday next with the appropriate ceremonies. Members of the order will assemble at two o'clock, and the opening, to which the; public are in>* vited, takes place at three. The ceremp*nes will be concluded with"»a ball in fthg'eyen- !

The time for receiving tenders for the erection of offices for the County Council has been extended till the 24th inst., and the Couricii A has to allow sixteen/weeks instead for the completion! of thib' appeared thoifght/ the latter Jimit too slwrLlor'tlle one Render fy is to be hoped $bat qpifliifipns there will It will be remembered that some time ago the Government accepted tenders fo r the erection, of a- Court-house,in Akaroa Owing to some delay,.however,; in obtain! ing possession of the site, the work could not be proceeded with, and the tender lapsed. In another column appears an advertisement from the Public Works Office, again inviting tenders for the erection of the building. Plans, &c, may be ..seen at the Court-house, and tenders will be received up to the 12th inst. We may f therefore, hope to see this most necessary addition to our public buildings soon com-: pleted. Owing to the extreme severity of the weather . last Friday, the Rev. Father Donovan was unable to make his usual monthly visit to Akaroa. We are informed, J however, that he is expected to arrive tomorrow, and the usual services will take place at the church next Sunday. The Little River annual steeplechasesare to come off on the ground near Olphert's hotel on Friday next. . A very fair day's sport may be anticipated. We observe that the next criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in Christchurch take place on the 7th inst. The calendar, contains nothing unusual, and this time has not been contributed to by the Peninsula. Our new Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, arrived in Wellington late oh Wednesday night last, and made his official landing at half-past ten on the following morning. The usual turn-out of Friendly Societies and Volunteers was made, and altogether His Excellency appears to have had a very cordial reception awarded him, though the New Zealander complains of mismanagement on the part of the reception committee.