The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 17.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 425, 17 August 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 17.

Mr J. A. Li Clerc, of Barry's Bay, has received thb following , letter from Mr \V. Montgomery, M.H.R., regarding the proposed amended Bankruptcy Law. We consider the proposed amendment, if carried into effect, would be most as it would perhaps act as a sort of check on unprincipled debtors who desire to take tlio "benefit of the Act " in an illegitimate manner:—Wellington, 13th July, 1880. I am in receipt of your letter of the Bth instant, and think your suggestion respecting the expediency of the meetings of creditors being held in the chief town of a comity, of grcnt value. I am a member of thi! Committee appointed to recommend what alterations should be made in the present Bankruptcy Law, and at a meeting

hcKi to-day I read your letter, anil afterwards moved—" That meetings of creditors should be held in the town in whirl: the insolvent carried on his business, and if be did not carry on business in a town then the meetings to be held in the town nearest his place of residence." The Committee altered the word " meeting" to " first meeting," and then carried tho resolution unanimously. Of course, this has to be embodied in a Bill, and come before Parliament. I shall attend to this.and any other matter you or any of my constituents may bring under my notice.—l am, etc., W. Montgomery.

A FOOTBALL match was played at Robinson's Biy on the 7th inst between the French Farm and Akaroa School Clubs, resulting in a victory to the latter team. Play commenced at 1 p.m. by Akaroa kicking off, and although they played according to the Association Rules, which were greatly against them, they secured the first goal. Armstrong, Daly, Watkins, and Hemingway played remarkably well for Akaroa; and Montgomery and the captain did good service for the French Farm team.—A match will be played at the French Farm on Thursday between the Farm and Akaroa teams.

Mr Montgomery, member for Akaroa, has given notice to move the following new clause in Committee on the Fencing Bill, now under the consideration of the Legislature:—" The occupiers of adjoining lands divided by a post and rail fence t

described as number one, schedule A, shall be able (whenever one shall call upon the oth t to fence pursuant to the provisions t of the Act) to run three wires, one under ' each of the three lower rails, so as to I make the fence sheep-proof: provided * that when only one of such occupiers | shall depasture sheep upon the land ad. jacent to such fence, then such occupier ' shall bo liable to pay or bear the whole cost of running such wires ; but he may, if the other or any occupier succeeding him shall then or at any time hereafter depasture sheep upon his side of such fence, recover one-half of such cost from such other or succeeding occupier in manner I provided by this Act as to other fences." The effect of this, if passed, will be that if one of two neighbours keeps sheep,Jand the other does not, the former will have to bear the whole expense of rendering the fence sheep-proof. The followiug ingenuous advertisement appears in a southern paper :—" N. L. v. Bank of New South Wales.—l beg to intimate to the public that I have abandoned the above action after gaining my case in the District Court. Ido so because I am unable to continue tho contest against so wealthy a corporation, and leave the public to judge as between this Bank and myself. Had I only myself to consider, I should on public grounds have endeavored to sustain the Judge's ruling and Jury's verdict. (Soe daily papers, April 28, 1880.) N.B.—Although not able to fight the Bank of New South Wales, I am prepared to execute, in the best manner, all Sign-writing, Decorating, Glass Embossing, &c, &c, entrusted to me."

A coroner's enquiry into the circumstances of the late fire at the Christchurch Railway Station has 6een held. The jury, of whom Mr Edward Pavitt was foreman, breught in the following verdict: —" The opinion of the jury is that the place has been wilfully set on fire by some person or persons unknown, but there is no evidence to show by whom." The following , rider was attached —" The jury regrets that the premises were not left as they were after the fire."

A man named Murphy has been gaining an unenviable notoriety for himself lately in Christchurch. It appears that one Hodgson, a farmer, had some loan transaction with Murphy. The latter sued for a loan of L7O, with interest and expenses, though it appeared that all the money that passed was some L 25. Mr Stringer, counsel for Hodgson, used some energetic language while speaking of Murphy. Among other compliments he is reported to have said that " to call him a scoundrel was to paint tho lily." Since the civil action, Murphy has been committed to take his trial on a charge of perjury, and in his turn has instituted proceedings for perjury against Hodgson. During the hearing of this latter case some further complimentary language was used. G. L. Mellish, R.M., having been called aa a witness, Mr Stringer, asked if ho knew what was the reputation, or character of accused and Michael Murphy. Mr Stringer quoted from " Taylor on Evidence " to show that he was justified in asking witness w hat he considered the reputation of John and Michael Murphy to be, and further what credence ho would attach to their testimony. The question was objected to by Mr McConnel, but allowed by His Woi* ship. Witness, in reply, said he would not believe a word John or LTichael Murphy stated on oath. Counsel for the defence then addressed the Court, and confined himself almost exclusively to the question of credibility or otherwise of witnesses for the prosecution. He exposed the inconsistencies of their statements, and commented in strong terms regarding them. The bailiff Watts was not to be believed, and was possessed of a list ot ; accomplishments that formed the sum total of a blackguard. The two Murphys were the most notorious liars and accomplished scoundrels that ever disgraced a witness box. The Bench dismissed the case.

Informations Have been laid against (he proprietors of the Echo for a libel on Mr J. Izett. The hearing of the case is fixed for August 23. Some persons supposed to belong to the Wellington Salvage Corps gained admission to the premises recently burned in Wellington, and carried off some valuables. The police have the matter in hand. A woman named Mrs Cole was killed lately, at Aniseed Valley, Nelson, by a fall from her horse, the horse falling on her. The jury returned a verdict of '' accidentally killed "

From Dunedin we learn that the inquest on the body of Mrs Young was concluded on Thursday, the jury returning an open verdict. Tne evidence is very strong to implicate the Chinese, but not sufficient to convict. A rider was attached recommending Government to offer a reward, as a conviction must depend on the Chinese themselves. Several Chinamen are still in custody. The inquest was very lengthy; Five Chinamen, arrested on suspicion of being implicated in the murder, have been remanded for seven days. Superintendent Wcldon is still at the scene of the murder. The Wellington Post says : —" Mr Oliver's Public Works Statement reminds us of nothing bo much as that famous essay on ' Irish Snakes,'which we now reproduce in extenso for the benefit of our readers. The essay ran as follows : ' Irish Snakes.— There are no snakes in Ireland.' Mr

Oliver's statement as to the public-works proposed to be undertaken might be summed up thus :—' No public works are 1 to be undertaken.'" : Mr Labouchere calls attention to the curious fact that Napoleon 1., Napoleon I 11., and the Prince Imperial in -succes- ■ sion wrote and left their wills on British , soil. . An absolute idler '(wails the London Figaro) ia, in fact, an impossibility, and has been ever since the day—we do not know if the fatal date is ohronicled—when the American Boss 15 Puzzle was intro- . duced to this great metropolis. Since the threatened visit of the potato bug, the States have never caused such a commotion in this country as is now being occasioned by what a contemporary feelingly calls this " Diabolical Puzzle." Spelling bees were bad enough, Heaven knows! but no one was bound to attend them ; the Plympton roller skates were sufficiently distressing, but no one was absolutely obliged to put them on ; but from this terrible 15 Puzzle there in absolutely no escape. It has with a sudden leap jumped right into our daily life, so to speak. It already permeates our existence, and the worst of it is, it is spreading right into the provinces with all the fatal fecundity of the Colorado Beetle alreadyViamed. We went to the far v.-cst, hoping to escape it; but alas! a lady in the train was " doing' it, or trying to, all the way to Somersetshire, on her lap ; and the first thing we noticed at the hotel of our choice was the hoots trying to explain the dreaded mystery to the chambermaid in the hall ; a fiendish visitor having spitefully left one of the puzzles under his pillow the pre" vious week. As to how übiquitous it is in town we need not, unfortunately, trouble to state. Eival makers are pouring the puzzles, at a needlessly cheap rate, into the market; the comic papers are writing them up ; Spnrgeon has by this time probably worked in an apt religious allusion to them in one of his sermons ; and the pantomime writers have en bloc commissioned the property masters at the various theatres for which they write to at once prepare Brobdignagian sets of members, so that at Christinas we shall find the Boss Puzzle rampant on our stage. It is not true, however, that the Government has offered a prize of £500 for the discovery o£ a fair and square solution of the " 13, 15, 14" position, though this may well be ere long. At present, however,. Mr Gladstone is busily engaged on a pamphlet showing that Homer must have known of the Boss Puzzle in his youth, and till this point is fairly before the public the other matter will have to wait.

We clip the following from the Cape Times of July 6. At the present time, when many of our fellow-colonists are apparently turning their attention to the Cape as a field for enterprise, it will probably be of interest: — That Australia should contribute towards the populating of South Africa, is a singular episode in the history of our colony. The Northumberland, which arrived in Table Bay on Wednesday last, bring 3 over 100 passengers who have come from Australia to try their fortunes at the Gape. They are mostly gold-diggers, who, finding gold-dig-ging in Australia not so remunerative to the poor man as in the days of old, have been led to come to the Cape by the news that goldfields have been discovered here. We do tint know on what representations they were induced to come to South Africa, but a passenger by the Northumberland assures us that they are of a class who make capital colonists, for they are prepared to do other work beside gold-dig-ging. We trust that this is so, for if these people were gold diggers, and nothing else, they are likely to be disappointed on their arrival. We may tell them that up to the present time the goldfields ot South Africa have not been a success. A few people have managed to live at Pilgrim's Rest, in the Transvaal, and there is a confident belief of paying goldfields existing- in this land ; but they have yet to be-discovered.