The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 369, 3 February 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3.

A public meeting of householders was held in (lie Gorman Ray Schoolroom on the 2(Jth January, for (ho purpose of electing a School Gmimitlee for the present year. The Chairman, Mr 11. Dawber, read the statement of receipts and expenditure for the past year, which shewed a balance of £'2 <Sd to the credit of the school. The election of members wan then proceeded with, nine persons being , duly proposed and sectnided. The follow-in;;; is j the re.iult oltln , poll : — Wμ. J -.)';■., j Wui Curry, <■. '.y-n.- , , ■■■■ CJ;.-.r.pfiil, (U«n:\: ; (tdcll. \. •!- .• ■■■ .-:: !<> Ffi'Jiiv'ycr. Mr' \V..,'- !!v v.. ■ ". : : ■: :. l ":::i-.M '■! <'■»:.•- ' mi '■■ . ' ■!•.-.■ : given t, .':■ ; : ;.■/■ ''■ : : .. ■ vices as chairman.

Wo drew attention in our last to the proposed visit of the English Opera BoufEe and Comedy Company. The programme for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings appears in our advertising columns, and should please all tastes, tho numbeis ranging " from grave to gay, from lively to severe." Concerning the male members of this troupe, our contemporary the Saturday Advertiser speaks as follows :—" There is a section of the great unemployed in Christchurch at present distinct in themselves, a little band of men and women, whose case, generally, is of a nature to recommend it to the sympathetic. I refer to a number of theatricals who are just now experiencing " hard times," not brought about by any fault of their own, and all the harder to bear on that account. They comprise some of the best talent on the colonial stage. Mr Tom Browning, an operatic singer, possessing a magnificent bass voice, is one of these. Mr Crotkers, second tenor, and a very gentlemanly fellow, is another; and Mr Fisher, late of Iliscocks, Hayman, and Co.'s employ, is also practically doing nothing, while several others less known to the public, are in the same circumstances. The firstmentioned gentlemen, whose abilities and social qualities entitle them to a better fate, have been brought to this pass by an unworthy member of their profession, whose misconduct and selfish neglect of his responsibilities caused the disruption of a company in the North which had a prosperous career before it. Retributivo justice has overtaken this person, who now suffers like the rest. An effort is being made by Mr Browning and others to form a company to travel the country districts." Mdlle. Murielle comes to us with an established reputation, earned through her exquisite rendering of Bishop's music, for which, we understand, her voice is peculiarly well adapted, being a sympathetic soprano of great compass. The Ashburtoii Guardian, speaking of her performances in that town, compares her voice to that of De Murska and Amy Sherwin, and the Press says : " Mdlle. Murielle, though here mentioned last, by no means least worthy of notice, played Diana with great success. Her acting was pleasingly quiet, and her singing excellent. Specially deserving commendation was her singing of "Tell me my Heart. , ' Altogether our readers may expect a treat of high order, and it is to bo Imped that tho company will be well supported when with us and in the neighborhood. On Thursday they propose to perform at the Head of the Bay, Friday at Little River, and Saturday at Pigeon Bay. Wo would draw special attention to tho alteration of place of performance in Akaroa, from Town Hall to Oddfellows' Hull! in the other districts we believe the respective schoolrooms have been engaged

The Middle Island Land Claims Commission held a sitting yesterday at the Oddfellows' Hall, Akaroa. The Commissioners present were—Messrs Smith and Nairn. Mr Clarke was in attendance as clerk and interpreter. There was a considerable number of Natives present, including representatives from Temuka,! Tamutu, Little River, Port Levy, Kaiapoi, Oniiku, Wainui, and Waikouaiti. The Commission having been opened, Mr Clarke, addressing the Natives, said that owing to the illness of Mr Izard, who appears as counsel for the Natives, the sitting would be adjourned until after they had met in Christchurch and Dunediti. They would sit in the latter place on the 16th instant. Tikao tendered the thanks of the Natives present to the Commissioner for their attendance. Tawhai wished to know whether notices of the next Hitting of the Commission would be served upon all the Maoris. The Commissioners replied that they would request the li«v Mutu to send in a list of names of those interested, and notices should he served upon them. The Rev Mutu asked if those upon whom these notices were served would be compelled to attend. It was now a busy time, and such attendance might be inconvenient. The reply was to the effect that the notice was merely to give information of the intended sitting, and that those interested might attend if they thought fit. If the evidence of any persons was necessary, they would be specially summoned. After a few complimentary remarks from one Kuri, the proceedings terminated. A put lie meeting was held at the Beach Arms Hotel, Little Biver, on Saturday last, the 31st instant, to consider the Annual Peninsula Jockey Club Eaces. Present— Messrs B. Shadbolt, President of the Club (in the chair), J. Gebbie, W. Birdling, jun., F. Birdling, W. Coop, G. F; Wascoe, and Thos. Sheenan. It was decided to hold the annual races on Friday, the 12th March next. Stewards and officers were appointed, and the programme revised, which will appear in a future issue. The Committee then adjourned till Feb. 28, A correspondent of a Taranaki paper thus describes a concert given by the Carandinis at Inglewood :—" I was at the performance in question in the front seats. and the fact is that some persons did, as stated, i-iancl round about the windows, listening to the music and quietly looking in, Hie windows being low and easily Probably the}' had more music ;■; i !:<\'r MJ'ils t'Mll C.'ibll ill tlieil , ])OC.kctS > I'M-] '■'{ iiuMi , (■;■;>■- c.'in:,-hf a few stray dulcet .■<;',/.-• jY,.i]t MadaiiK , or Ml'-,< Ccrandini, I • ii . <:;>■. :|.,•••.■ v<.~r '!n;!f t !jO Wirf'ii for! . • ; -i; ■ ■ ■!i;i ii. v :'!• •!.•('!'■■!•. I j ,"ii,;,!.„■..a : .• r.v;.: •..,•••■!•<;.} Mv- wiinlows to '

be covered with paper, and the concert was stopped whilst this was done. Then a wicked boy, who will never go to heaven, was discovered with his head down close to the ground looking through a cathole' cut out of the bottom part of the coach-house doors, with which, strange to say, the building is furnished. But M. Sherwin was equal to the occasion, or thought he was, and appeared bearing a full-sized tin milk bowl, which he reared over tho hole amidst much -applause and merry laugbter. It was now thought that the wicked boy was nonplussed, but he was not. His heart was hardened, and procuring a thin stick, he put it through the hole and did a faint tamborine per. formance on the milk pan, upon which the gallant Gordon Gooch rushed upon the scene bearing what appeared to be half a sack of Dutch cheese, or old boots, or something lumpy, and, taking away the milk pans, substituted the sack of cheese. All these proceedings seemed to greatly amuse the audience within the building. And now the wicked boy seemed quite vanquished ; but who can tell the hardness of that wicked boy's heart, for before he left he defiantly pitched a small stone, about the size of a marble, on to the corrugated roof of the building, after which

he appeared no more

A fatal accident occurred at Little Akaloa on Monday, Jan. 2G. It appears that the ketch Margaret was lying in that port, and the master, Mr Butter, came ashore on the morning of that day. One man was left on board. On returning , in the evening, Butter hailed the vessel for the man to fetch the boat ashore and take him off. Receiving no response, he procured another boat and went aboard. He then discovered that both the ship's boat and the man were missing. Next morning he searched all round the bay, but could find no trace of either. He then sent information to the police, and telegraphed to the Customs in Lyttelton. It then transpired that the boat with a pair of man's boots in it had been picked up outside by the barque' Thurso. The missing man had been seen to leave the wharf at about eight o'clock on Monday evening in the ship's boat. As it was blowing hard from the south-west at the time, it is surmised that he drifted past the vessel and was unable to get back, and that he then abandoned the boat and tried to swim ashore and perished in the attempt. The name of the unfortunate man was John M'Nelly. He was a native of the North of Ireland, about 21 years of ago. He arrived in thi3 colony a short time ago in the brig Fawn, from Sydney, and had been employed on the Margaret for three weeks at the time of the accident.