The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, MARCH 19.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 382, 19 March 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, MARCH 19.

Through an accident to the machinery of the s.H. Waitaki at Wellington harbor, she has been delayed, and did not arrive Ix'ro at her usual time last night. She is •peeled, however, this evening at about ('clock. The Caraudini Company are by bur, anil were consequently :,.-. ■<' :••) fulfil their engagement here as .. v< iti«':d. Thoy will, however, give a . .'■ orn a nee to-nigh*, and it is quite likely '.i;y may, ehoul I sufficient inducement be <_»'; -iod them, bo prevailed upon to give lutber one on Saturday night.

For some time past a number of gentlemen in Cliristdiureh have been interesting themselves in the formation of a volunteer naval brigade, such as exist in Auckland, Dunedin, and Wellington. Tie names of persons desirous of joining have been taken, and a memorial lias been prepared for presentation to the Defence Minister, setting forth the wish of a number of citizens on the subject; and the steps already taken to ensure success.

We learn that Mr Stephens, mate of the Wakatipu. met with an accident whilst engaged in unloading the vessel. The injuries sustained by him are so severe that there is little hope of his recovery. Both thighs have been broken, and his back injured to such an extent that his extremities have become paralysed. No particulars have as yet been received as to the manner in which the accident happened. From last night's Lyttelton Times we learn that ho is much improved, and the paralysis is gradually leaving,

The Hon. Richard Oliver (says the 41 South Canterbury Times ") has an unceremonious way of dealing with flunkeyism in connection with his department. The train that conveyed him from Timaru the other day had his Excellency and suit, Mr Conyers, and the railway staff belonging to the Commissioner's office at Christchurch—all travelling south. On arriving at Timaru station Mr Oliver found the solitary first-class carriage devoted to the public crowded to suffocation, while three long carriages marked " reserved " were comparatively empty. " Who are these reserved carriages for ?" asked the minister going up to the first in the row. " The Commissioner's staff," replied the officer addressed. " Just remove the label, please then," retorted the political head, adding, "the staff will have to compress themselves into a couple of carriages." The '' reserved " ticket was removed, the staff and their paraphernalia were bundled into the carriages ahead, and the Minister and the public travelled south in company.

The sitting of the Middle Island Native Land Purchases Commission lasted for five days. Much evidence was received, and a large number of natives were in attendance the whole time. What is to be the result we cannot say, but we hear they are likely to be fairly dealt with. We were occasionally amused by the persistent way Mr Izard had of hearing aa much evidence as possible, and not sparing either himself or the Commission, who might possibly have been satisfied with less. He summed up at the conclusion with a splendid address from native view of the matter. During the session over fifty Maoris dined every day at tho Criterion Hotel, special arrangements having been made for them. The Native tribes resident at the Kianga gavj a farewell treat on Wednesday to their friends who were here on a visit. Over 100 of them assembled and the provisions were galore. A number of the Maoris went away yesterday, and the rest are going to-day. The Commissioners leave by the steamer to-night.

The examination of the pupil teachers began on Tuesday morning at the Normal School, Christchurch. Seventy-one girls and thirty-one boys were examined in arithmetic, spelling and history. The examination will be resumed this morning at 10 o'clock.

Last Tuesday, Thomas Read, late librarian of the Timaru Mechanics' Institute, was arrested by Detective Kirby, on a charge of embezzling £150 in October, 1877, while acting as assistant secretary for the Warrnambool Building Society. In reply to the charge, accused said he was wrong in the head at the time the offence was said to have been committed. The arrest was very cleverly made.

Mr S. Franck, wlio notities that lie holds a patent for the use of the totalisatur in this colony, is at present staying at the Commercial Hotel, Christchurch, where he hue ono of the machines on exhibition. The mode of working this instrument is so thoroughly known to all, that it is needless to enter into any explanation regarding it, but it is an exceedingly clover piece of mechanism, and when "locked" by the constituted authority after each sweep is closed, could not, it would appear, be tampered with by any outsider. The circular prospectus with explanation distributed to ths patrons of the totalisator, says that payment will be made one hour after the " decision of the race." This would imply that payment of the sweep would follow stakes, but occasions might arise when a previous intimation that the first horse past the post did not necessarily win, would save a good deal of unpleasantness.

The following notice will give an idea of the system under which roads are constructed in Utah :—" Oflice of road supervisor for District No. 17, Salt Lake City, November 17th, 1879. Mr W.J. Silver. —In accordance with section 4of an act entitled "An act providing for a poll tax for road purposes, approved January lGth, 1802," you are herebj* notified to appear at my residence, 17 Ward, £ block, south Capt. Hopper's, with a shovel, on the 21st day of November, prepared to perform two days' labor, as required by said section. —Gkokge MoitKia, road supervisor for said district. P.S.—lf not complied with 3 dollars will be collected by law in lieu of said labor."

We ■mderstand that a new evening paper, to be called The Echo, is to be

issued on Sfitur.lay. This new venture is to bo published at the modest price of one half-penr;)'. We wish it evsry success.

We would remind the Catholic portion of our subscribers that services wiLl be held in their church on Sunday next, being Palm Sunday, instead of on the last Sunday in the month as is usual, the Priest not being able to leave Lyttelton on that day. Palm Sunday, otherwise Passion Sunday, is the Sunday nest before Easter, observed as the anniversary of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem amidst the strewing of palm branches. It is called Passion Sunday, as being the, commencement of the week during which the crucifixion took place. The Roman Catholics have processions on thie day, each person carrying what is called a palm-branch, but as palms do not grow in England, sprigs of fir or yew are substituted, Or willow, if the season is advanced enough to have produced thereon the velvet-looking buds which some persons suppose to be real palm. Ritualistic observances in the Church of England have increased the demand for these so-called palms so much, that the market for them *at Covent Garden, which had previously languished has consideaably revived of late years.

By advertisement elsewhere, it will be seen that the Union Company have determined to run an Easter excursion to this port from Christchurch. The s.s. Wellington will leave Lyttelton late on Thursday next, so as to give those engaged in business as much time as possible to clear up all those little odds and ends, which being duly attended to on the eve of a holiday go so far to create that contented mind, without which a holiday is no holiday at all. Although the Company would have done better by being earlier in the field with their announcement, we trust that the excursion may yet prove a success by the inhabitants of this district making the best use of the shoit time at their disposal to bring it under j the notice of their absent friends. The return steamer, on the following Tuesday, is timed to arrive early at Lyttelton, for the special convenience of business men. The cheap fare, combined, we will hope, with moderate charges on the part of our worthy bonifaces, will, we trust, be sufficient to make this excursion an annual .event; for, if once established as such, we are confident the dwellers on the Plains will, in time, come to look upon an Easier outing at Akaroa as an indispensable constitutional to set them up before going into winter quarters. From the'/Vm we learn that an inebriate retreat established in Adelaide a year or two ago has not been an unmixed success. The receipts of last year were £800 less than the expenditure, and although a certain number of drunkards had been kept sober for a limited period, the return under the head of decided cures is very meagre. The steamer Waitaki, which left Wellington on Wednesday for the South at 1.30 a.m., came to anchor when halfway down the harbor, the condenser opposite the high pressure crank having burst. The repairs will not be completed in time to allow of her going South to-night. We learn that a valuable cow belonging to Mr John Le Clerc, butcher, at Barry's Bay, was found by him in his paddock on Tuesday last, with a reaping hook deeply sunk into its shoulder. The instrument was extracted, and as it was thought to have the appearance of having been a case of malicious injury, Sergeant Willis was informed of the matter at once and he proceeded immediately to the spot, but all enquiries failed to trace the act to any one, and it has since been considered probable that the aninial may have fallen on the tool, and so caused the injury. It is, for every one's sake, to be hoped that such is the real case, as it would be unbearable to think we could possibly have any one capable of such cowardice and cruelty as to be capable of such a deed, living in our midst. We are happy to be able to add that the animal is recovering from the effects fast, and not likely to be long the worse for it.