Local and General.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 420, 30 July 1880, Page 2

Local and General.

f A fearful disaster appears tohnve befallen the British arms in Afghanistan.- Such particulars as,.j»re to hand will be found among.our telegraphic advices.' ;., ■ ~,,r ,-'-_ t; ,-J ■v-■ ■. ' As will be an advertisement in another column, Mr W. lories, , who has long been" a resident in this town, hns commenced business as a general storekeeper and grocer. Wβ .wish him every success in his now undertaking. , Messbs W. H. Wood & co. will hold their first cattle sale to morrow 'at Mr Shadbolt's yards Duvaucbelle's Bay. Several -lines'- of >uslful ; we understand be offered,'and we have little doubt, that the sale,will be a, .success,, as it is now'some time , since a sale Vf this description has been held. .

A somewhat 'amusing case was heard in the R.M. Court on Tuesday last Those, present on-hearing, the, charge, alluded tot road oufwould doubtless fear the existence of a "Kelly gang" iii our very midst. The " terrible ruffian," however, turned out to bo a very harmless man, residing no great distance from Akaroa, and a man well esteemed by his neighbors," whilst the " poor dear man " who had so narrowly escaped with his life was, whenicalled upon, unable to swear whether the mandate " to stand " hadheen addressed to.himself or not. Probably, he could not be sure whether it had been intended for him to stand on Mr head, his heels, or a pint of beer. One thing he was quite sure of, arid that was that he had been asked wjiether, he was a Presbyterian minister, and that the " Kelly man " had placed his hand in his breast-pocket, but on being asked he was not sure whether it had been done with the intention of producing a " bull dog," or a bottle of P.B. Altogether the whole affair appears to bo moat abmml ; the accused does nbt appear a vury likely person to ' ; take to tho roads," he being a little lnannqt much over five-feet high, so we caji ap.iir§ aYiy-o£:our'i : ea ; rlers wli6 felt alarmed |h|t |h(iir fearatarefgroundieas.'

Our attention ling- been drawn to the neglected stato in which -two poor-mother* less children residing , in the-iilunediate vicinity of Grehan, Valley are left Their father Jβ constantly awaj*, for three or four daya at a time, leaving the-poor f boy,s— one nine years old, and the other twelve— to manage for. themselves, often \vi\\\ .neither bite,-nor. atip in the""'whare. ' The : neighbours assist-them , to the , best of their. ability,but t in those hard timers every one' has enough, arfd many , have, more $han enoilgli,\to Mo ip ( make' both ends meet. Several are-commenting on the matter, and we deem-it,fully,time the proper authoritiostook'tfie'matteKin.h/md. ', , lleferring fosomo unpleasant q'uestione lately asked "in , the-HSuse, as'to two recent appointments made in'.the'Na'tive " Pepurtment, the Times' correspondent, eaye:— " A most unpleasant feeling pervaded the House to-day -when,- in answer *.to two, questions put'by*rf. B/Fisher, Government admitted that they had. appointed to the position of Native, Land Purchase; Agent a man who had been "convicted- sentenced' for stopping'a mail : coach and shooting a horse ; and had appointed' 1o the position of Native Interpreter a mnn who had been sentenced to t < six years' imprisonment for forgery. Last year a certain member of the. House was, with difficulty, restrained from asking for a return of Civil Servants known to be in positions similar to the foregoing ; and since to-day's admission it ia said that the question will be put in an ingly comprehensive form." With regard to the appointment)of ! the forger, r the Native Minister say a in extenuation that he received a letter of recommendation which accompanied his application, signed by the Judge of the Native Land 'Court, a Resident Magistrate,' one or two Justices of the Peace, and othore, supposed to be respectable persons residing in the district where Harris lived. Mr Bryce is very severe! Fancy all these official swells being only " supposed to be respectable persons!" On Tuesday at the banco sittings of'the Supreme Court in Christchurch, the appeal of O'Driacoll and others, .convicted at tho District Court, Tiinaru of talcing part -in the Boxing Day riots in that town was argued. Messrs Stout and Joynt appeared j for the appellants, and Messrs Harper and Hamerßloy for tho District Judge. His Honor Mr Justice Jolmsfcon deferred | giving Iris decision until ho had consulted . with his brother Judgus.

We are informed that a whaling station ' is about to be established at Ikernki. Mr Geo. Eobinson, of Little River, is at the head of the party, and a whaleboat and necessary gear arrived by the Taiaroa last consigned to Messrs Garwood and Co.

1 There is now on view at the offices of the Emigrants and Coldnists' Aid Corporation, at Westminster, a table-top made from .'different,. : kin4s of New Zealand, woods, yrtiicliK. was 4>ronght over to tin's "country* by N Mr ifalconitbe. We (European Mail) understand Jh&t one of the objects of the visit of this gentleman to London ii |p J enle|ivirr J ! r to of>en|uf> a trad£ vHtfi .drear Bntain-fof , the'export of some of the valuable timber of New Zealand, chiefly that used in the manufacture of furniture. Certainly there is a good opening for such a trade ; and from what we have seen of Mr Hilcomhe, he is not likely to return to the colony unsuccessful.

~A co-respondent of the Southland Times says:—ln the difficulties in the way of.trado caused by ; the* scarcity of current pom of the realm ■which prevails among us just now, we have struck out a new path for ourselves for we are a go-a-head people and are not to be kept down by the want of "filthy lucre." We do business now in rabbit skins instead cjf cash, and prices on our local Change tnay be'; quoted somewhat as follows :•—'Oate are dull at nine ot ten skins per bushel. Fresh butter finds a readymarket at nine or ten ekins jier lb. Stocks of tobacco' are very low, a few small parcels have been , placed lately at'threo skins per'sticky while Whisky is eagerly'enquired for at a similar price per nip, with a tenlency tjo rise, an offer to take all on the market at this price has been declined.' If we can only induce the Legislature to proclaim rabbit skins a legal tender we shall make our fortunes rapidly. \

In an obituary notice of .the .Father O'Reill)', who died in "Wellington oh Wednesday evening last, at the, ripe s age of 81, the Post says:—" It is almost imi. possible to express the love and esteem which Father O'Reilly inspired among the members of his flock. Of him it might; truly be said, in the words of Chaucer— This noble ensainple to his shepe he yaf ; That first he wrought and afterwards he taught. ■ t:

Christe's lore and His apostles twelve \ He taught, but first he folwed it himselve Father O'Reilly's life was indeed a living sermon to his flock. His charity was unbounded, and tlie call of sickness was nover made to him in vnirf. In fact, he gave awn) , all his means, living a most abstemious life himself, in order, that he I iniKht relieve the wants of his less fori tunate brethren, no matter to.what creeri they belonged; and there ia no doubt that his health wns greatly injured by the privations and exposure to the weather he enduredsonin's,visits ot mercy. " As an instance of his eelf -denying habite, it in recorded that lie "declined to take lip hie rosjdehce i m the parsonage erected for him in Bmilcoft street, saying it was much too grand for him, upon which the school room already,..referred rto; ;-wae fitted up as .coinfpr i tal>ly.£B passibie jfp| hip, nnd here ljis last, vjlltlielillso told of ■him that.some years ago-he was called out to a sick person ■ living at what is now known as Newtown, but which was then a howling wilderness of swamp and hills. . Unfortunately the good old priest lost his way. and next morning was found by a milkman up to his waist in a swamp, calmly telling his beads. It may also be mentioned that Father O'Reilly was an earnest and successful temperance advo-cate,-and was an author of culture and 'ability, having written various books on tho teachings of the Church and other subjects. .;■■/ j '■ .;'