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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 288, 22 April 1879, Page 2

What is going to be done on the Queen's Birthday ? The time is now drawing near, aud people are beginning to ask whether any sports are to be organized, and if so, where they are to be held. It would be well if some understanding were come to shortly on the matter, or it may happen that we shall have two unsuccessful attempts at providing a day's nrnuseinent instead of one good one. Our friends at the Head of the Bay have hitherto provided a day's racing and sports on thin occasion. Are we to hear from them this time, or is Akaroa to .be left to provide amusement for the holiday-makers?

The muff cricket match which was to have been played yesterday fell through, owing to the unpropitious nature of the weather. Wβ have not heard of a day having been, as yet, fixed on for its being played.

The great telegram case has been fully ventilated, and it turns out that the " delicious story," as told by the LyUelton Times, is absolutely incorrect in its leading par* ticulars. The whole affair was a great jiunbte,,,but ColoneJk Whitmore, by the united testimony of "all-eorioerried} stands acquitted of ! the~charge conveyed in the " delicious story " of making' use of a telegram which.he knqw.was not intended for himself. \lt "appears that Iktr/Hall did telegraph io tile latter had no reason then to suppose that a mistake had occurred. This is what he himself says oa the-matteriirjrtetterytoithe vng Post telegram I opened, was clearly addressed to me, clearly intended for me, and came to me in ordinary course like, other..telegrams.. The clerical error to "which Mr Waterhouse refers occurred in another telegram altogether, which was delivered in Christchurch, and it was not I but Mr Hall who mistook the name, and ! he has clearly stated that he meant hia reply for me. I received a telegram signed by Mr Hall referring te one from me. I had never sent such a telegram. Indeed I had never sent a private telegram in my life to Mr Hafl, and have no unofficial correspondence with him; consequently I could, not regard the message otherwise than a trap and forgery. Obviously I had not the least reason to suppose Mr Waterhouse concerned at that moment. . . . The - ' solution of the matter which occured to me was, that somebody, had forged my name to such a telegram addressed to, Mr Hall, and that he had regarded me as the outgoing Minister and sent a sympathetic reply. Otherwise it might have been ajforgery, and in showing it in confidence to my colleagues and asking their advice, .1 did what I considered natural and right. ' To say that a forger can protect himself by putting 'private' on a document would be ridiculous. My colleagues concurred" in my view, but the comical side of the matter struck them more forcibly ■ than ?it did me-, and they thought it was probably meant as a joke. , ' We are rejoiced'to find the matter'so satisfactorily explained. : On a former occasion we felt it necessary tq.animadvert on the hypothetical conduct of the Colonial Secretary, supposing the •' delicious story'» (told by a Ministerial paper, by the way) to have been true. We have much pleasure therefore in recording the explanation. The impression the whole affair must now leave on the mind is, that Mr Hall has made a somewhat absurd blunder, that Mr Waterhouse has lost his temper, et voila tout.

We have received several letters asking us if we can inform the writers when the cemetery at the Head of the Bay will be available for interments. The writers allege that the land has now been purchased for a considerable time-—that a portion of it has been sold to tha Road Board, and the money for it received by the trustees, thus enabling them to proceed with any fencing or necessary work. Under these circumstances they " want to know you know " what the trustees are doing. On more than one occasion, we are informed, interments which would have taken place on the spot, if the grdurioThad been ready, have Bad to be effected at considerable inconvenience and expense at Akaroa. Perhaps the trustees will explain the reasons for tlie apparent delay,