Local and General.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 434, 17 September 1880, Page 2

Local and General.

Am important land sale is to be held by Messrs W. II Wood and Co. to-niorruw. Tiie auctioneers will off' r a hove and allotment of land situated in (he *cry centre of Akaroa, and which is oempieri by Miss Ilooman, and known as Beach House. Three other, building allotments being part of the same section, will also ho submitted. As the terms are exceedingly liberal,, tho auctioneers..should h:i.ve no difficulty in quitting the property. Those in search of a compact farm may also be suited, as the equity of redemption of Mr Wooilill.s property will be offered for sale nt the same time and place.

This attention of our readers is oal'cd (o the public meeting to be held to-morrow in the Criterion Hotel to consider tho step taken by the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board in appointing Mr Herbert lie we r to act as ranger for the district.

OcJR attention has been called to the dangerous state of the Le Bon's Road owing, to a large tree lying, right across it near Mr Dauber's property. This tree was blown down during the late gale and we think it quite time the Road Board took steps to have the obstruction removed,

Tjie Hand of Friendship Lodge of Oddfellows gave their . Anniversary ball at the schoolroom at Okain's Bay on Wednesday evening last. The ball was well attended, and thanks to the able and energetic efforts of Mr Mason as M.C. and the other gentlemen who foitned tho Committee a niost enjoyable evening was spent. Refreshments were provided on a most liberal scale and great taste had heen displayed in decorating the room.

This total oxpenso incurred by the representation of New Zealand at the Sydney Exhibition was £5191 lGs Gd.

Sir Wilmaji Fox has given notice (bat early next session he will move that it is highly inexpedient that intoxicating liquors should be nold or> tho premises of tin: House, and that the attention of the: House Committee bo directed to the subject with a view to its immediate abolition.

"Tin.: Intelligent Vagrant " (J. M. IVr. rier) now edits the Central Australian, published at Fort Bomice, in Nc\r Synth Wales.

Mr B. L. Farjeon is the editor of a now weekly journal-to be published in London under the title of Saturday Afternoon.

The libel action f-'yme v. Melbourne Punch has been amicably settled.

Buunand has befen appointed to the editorship of London Punch, vacant by the death of Tom Taylor.

The late Postmaster-General, Mr Fieher —it matters not ifthe. designation be incorrect—suggested ere his departure from Wellington that a medallion should be struck commemorative of the Into session. His idea was to have the member for Geraldine holding a dog for the central figure, the Colonial Secretary ran his right hand braying drags in a mortar, and the member for Mount Ida-on" tho' other side' drawing tei-th. The Dng.Rcgistration, the' Pharmacy, and Dentists Bills being thus depicted as the result of the action of *he Assembly in the year 1880. There are no rabbits in Canterbury, and only a few Maoris, which may account for his ignoring the Rabl-it and Maori Nuisar.ce' Bills. Those persons who are handy with their pencil are requested to furnish designs to the member for Heatlicote at Chrjstehurch, who will have ; the medallion; struck and sold at a cheap rate, the proceed* of the sale being devoted to ; a rprize essay on "The Mysteries of Taranaki Finance."

"Tom Pepper" writes as follows in the Printers"Register :—All my readers, I presume, have heard of " Murphy, the great money-lender of Christchurcli." As he has lately been figuring at the Resident Magistrate's Court there, perliapa the following yarn told mo by an oil friend may be — for Murphy's sake ! Murphy is a great card plriye'r (I won't say sharper, as tho terrors of libel rise up betpre me), and one-daygof ji " laiiib " ion a tidy sum. ■•The," lamb" was ehngiined at his discomfiture, so he determined to be v even " with his lucky rival on -'the first' favorable opportunity. A well known sharper of Duriediw was paying.a " professional visit " to the City of the Plains, and was introduced *to tMnrphy, wlio managed to engage his new acquaintance in the mysteries of. a game of euchre., Murphy knew how to cheat hand over list, so did his opponent, and the faster Murphy swindled the quicker did the Dunedinice trump his tricks. Cheque after cheque Murphy wgned in liquidation of his losses, till at last ho had issued paper to the value of ,£9O. odd. Suddenly Mr Murphy discovered lie hnd a headache, and left the room. He went straight to the Bank to stop tlie (heq - ies he had issued, hut he dUcovorod that — all of them had been presented and cashed. Mtirpli}'. went back to tho scene of hi losses, swearing and cursing like a trooper, and soon learnt that his rival knew of his swindling propensities, k> he had had an assistant who picked up tho cheques off the Hour a* Jicy wore dropped by his worthy confrere, and were instantly cashed. Murphy got insole;.! and overhearing (like the co'.vanl ho is), so he lead a souvenir given 11•":si in the shape of a darned good K-ioiitili'* thiMshinjr, which quickly cooled M.irphy'« valor.

The coroner's inqiics , : on the victims of tins hito riilwi.y accident on Ilia Itimntaka has been concluded. One of tlie witnesses made .1 statement to the effect that lie had hoard some one any something about the driver nnd stoker being the for liquor. The statement proved to be utterly unfounded, and to whom it was attributed, repudiated having 'made it. The foreman .of the jury (Mr Bunny) spoke very strongly on this recantation, censiiiing the Coroner for taking hearsay statements such as.Q linn's. Tlic coroner (Dγ rfpratt) upheld his conduct on the ground that it was batter to have such statements brought up and contradicted, . and he would always pursue the same course while 113 was Coroner. Bravo Dr Spratt! Verily the race of Jjstice Shallows is in no danger of becoming extinct in New Zealand. '' Masters, it is proved already that you are little better than false knaves, and it will go near to be thought so shortly.". We quote the verdict of the juiy, which, it will be seen, completely exonerates the officers in question. "The verdict of the jury is that, after full consideration of the evidence brought before them, the deaths of Ida Pharazyn and Francis John Nicholas were purely accidental' and caused by the carriage being blown off the line down the embankment on the llimutakn, incline, and in the opinion of the jury no blame is attached to any 0110. Rider 1. That in the opinion of the jury the Government should take immediate action by the construction of wind-sheds, or other protective work?, to prevent as far as possible the recurrence of similar accidents on the dangerous parts of the incline, and that direct telegraph communication be at once established between the Summit and Kaitoki. 2. That the gravest censure be passed on the witness Qiiinn for the statement he made, without an}' corroborative evidence, that the driver and stoker were in possession of a bottle of brandy bofore the accident ; that they Avvie new hands*, and that the carriages Trere not properly coupled, especially as the evidence shows that the driver and the stoker were oerfvctlj isober, and instead of being new hauiie they bad been ftngnged working these engines on the incline for (be last IS month;?, and that on the occurrence of (hu accident tho railway authorities and their employees rendered every possible assistance in their power ; and the jury are of opinion, from the evidence adduced, that the management of the line is most efficient."