The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 441, 12 October 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12.

A supposed case of bushranging was reported to the police on Saturday evening, curiously enough while " The Kellya " was being performed 'at the Oddfellows' Hull. It appears that a party consisting of two ladies and an equal number of gentlemen wero returning homewards from an equestrian excursion. When coining down the Long Bay road they were startled by the apparition of a band of apparently ferocious ruffians, fully armed, making their way rapidly across a paddock, evidently with the intention of intercepting them. Restraining their inclination to draw rein and annihilate the miscreants on the spot, the two gentlemen, out of consideration for the feelings of their female companions, urged on their Arab steeds, and, in short, took to flight. It was not so easy, however, to get rid of the enemy, who, favored by the nature of the country, appeared and re-appeared at several points in the route. The brigands, however, being on foot, were at last distanced, and the riding party, on reaching a haven of safety, hastened to invoke thn aid of the authorities. Altogether a thrilling romance seemed to be shaping itself, 'i lie drama of "The Kellys " appeared to be about enacting in our midst; but alas for all such aspirations, the denouement turned out to be commonplace in the extreme ! It appears that two lads were coining into Akaroa to see the play. As they were a little late they were hurrying along, and being on foot they took advantage of any short cut which was open to them. Wo niuet presume that the moonlight was answerable for the ferocious appearance they presented, and tha arms with which the powerful imagination of the " ridists " supplied them. Finding that they had inspired alarm, and that the riding party were—well, running away from them, they entered into the fun, and chased them with right good will. So far the affair has caueed nothing but some laughter and good-humored chaffing, but it has its serious side. People should really be careful about running to the police with a cock and bull story. The practice is likely to have two ill-effects. In the first place, the police may be suspicious and disinclined to act in a case of real emergency ; and, secondly, if some innocent person were arrested, the informant might find himself in a disagreeable position. Tub annual parade of stud horses travelling this district was held on Saturday in Mr O'Reilly's paddocks. The number of horses shown and the attendance of the public were both considerably smaller than on previous occasions. The following horses in the thoroughbred class put in an appearance:—Mr Castle's Barney O'Hea.—This horse found many admirers, being remarkable for symmetry and elegance ; he possesses also good blood, his dam being a Ton ton mare ; his weak point is his small size : he stands only 15 hands, and is slight at that.—Mr Phillips' Diomedes, a handsome., black hor?e, and Mr Shadbolt's Eclat are too well known in the district to need any further description. A colt by the latter, 22 months old, was also shown. He is a fine upstanding animal, at present rather shambling and awkward, but promising to|develop into a very useful stamp of horse. Marmion, an importation from Australia, completed the list in this class. • This is a magnificent animal, and excited great admiration. He is a dark bay, has an excellent pedigree, and at the same time great si/c and splendid development of bone. His stock ought to turn out good weight-carrying hacks. In the class of draught horses, Mr 11. Main's Chevalier wae the only one shown. This horse was greatly admired by competent judges. He is a beautiful dark dapple bay, has plenty of substance, and is well set up. Many on the ground were of opinion that he is the best draught horse that has visited the Peninsula. After the parade Messrs Wood and Co. submitted the horse Diomedes and a number of hacks to public auction. The idea of owners and buyers, however, on the subject of values were too far apart to allow of business being done, notwithstanding the persuasive eloquence of A. I. M., and the several lots had to be passed in.

The Clara Stephenson Dramatic Company concluded their season on Saturday. On Friday evening a capital bill was gone through to a very poor house. The pieces produced on that occasion were " Lady Audley's Secret" and the "Trovatore" burlesque. On Saturday evening a play intended to represent some of the incidents connected with the Kelly gang in Victoria was placed on the boards. The piece itself is beneath criticism, and the performers themselves could hardly conceal their contempt for such a farrago of rubbish. Yet this performance was actually one of the successes of the season. It is not very creditable to the taste of the community that while emotional melodrama, sparkling comedy, and screaming burlesque, all well played,failed to draw, the exploits of some miserable scoundrels put together without any pretence of dramatic art should attract a very fair house. We regret that this deserving company were not better patronised, as their want of success will doubtless deter others from visiting us.

This escaped prisoner Hagland managed to evade pursuit in the bush between Holmes' Bay and Purau, notwithstanding the hot chase that was instituted after him. He got away to Christchurch, but there he appears to have walked straight into the lion's mouth. Yesterday morning Sergt. Willia received a telegram stating that he had been arrested. He will probably be brought down to Akaroa to-day .J

We learn that the whaling party at Ikeraki had the misfortune to lose the whale which they had captured. It appears that the creature was secured with two anchors at the opening of the little bay, but the weather was so boisterous that, in spite of this precaution.it drifted away, dragging the anchors with it. Capt. 'Malcolmson, of the Antelope, reports having passed a black mass, which turned out to be a whale, on his last trip from Lyttelton hither. It is hardly possible, however, that it can be the lpst cetacean, as it could scarcely have travelled the distance in the tiire, and the one seen by Mr Malcolmson appeared to have been dead a long time.

The returns of the Registrar of Births, etc., for the quarter ending September 30 are as follow :—Births, 50 ; deaths, 6 ; marriage certificates issued, 1. It will be seen that tho population is increasing at a great rate, while the small number of marriages forms an index of a considerable falling off in prosperity.

In another column will lie found the bulk of a letter which appears in the Lyttelton Times under the heading " How a penny stamp cost fifty pounds." We re-publish it, as we believe that a great amount of ignorance and . carelessness exists on the subject. We have reason to know that unstamped orders are frequently given and accepted. It is as well for all parties concerned to remember that all such documents are absolutely null and void. We have omitted a portion of the letter in which the writer quotes various sections and sub-sections of the Act and Amending Acts—of course, there are any number of these. The broad fact remains that the Supreme Court has decided that an order must be stamped at the time it is made, and that this defect cannot be rectified afterwards, even on payment of a penalty. Let it also be borne in mind that the question of amount does not come in. An order for 10s is just as liable to the stamp as one for £100.

Business in the IUI. Court has been very slack for the past fortnight. Probably the absence of the police in pursuit of our local Jack Sheppard has had something to do with the absence of cases. One unimportant civil case occupied the attention of the Bench on Friday. One Cashmere sued E. Leprou for Bs, balance alleged to be due to him for labor. The only peculiarity in the case was that plaintiff objected to a part of defendant's account on the ground that Le had only charged him 27« for a cord of firewood, whereas the price should have been 325. We do not often hear such an objection raised, and it would be quite refreshing to sollers in general to have their bills sent back for correction in a similar manner. Judgment was given for defendant with costs. Yesterday a first offender who had been sacrificing to Bacchus rather freely on Saturday, was dismissed with a paternal admonition

With the best intentions, but in a moment of weakness, the conductors of the Saturday Advertiser offered a prize for the best conundrum on a subject given. The subject was "The Retrenchment Policy of the Hall Government." The melancholy result must be told in the words of that journal, which says:— '• After careful examination of the conundrums sent in to our office in competition for our prize, the committee to whom the task of selection was allotted have given the first place to the conundrum bearing the motto,' Dimi Spiro, spero.' The author is Mr Robert Brown, of Woodside, West Taieii. A large number of conundrums have been sent in from all parts of New Zealand—from Auckland to the Bluff. A glance at those which we publish will' give our readers some faint idea of the wretchedness of the unpublished ones. We sincerely trust that more talent in the funny line will be developed in our epitaph competition than lias been displayed in the conundrum business :—Q. Why will the Retrenchment Policy of the present Government prove abortive ?—A. Because the scheme is not ' sterling,' although it bears the ' Hall ' mark. The Ministry, through a ' Grey ' mist (missed) having lost its ' Ballance,' things look very ' Dick "-y, leaving a good opening for the Opposition to play o Roland for an ' Oliver.'—' Dum Spiro, Spero.' " We instructed our funny man to examine tiie remainder of these .published jokes (?), and the consequence is th«\t he is laid up with a severe attack of melancholia, from which even Hooper's XXXX. has failed to rouse him. We can hardly wonder at it, for among the scraps into which in his frenzy he tore the journal we find the following :— ,I Q. Why: is Mr Hall assisting New Zealand in her present crisis like a conjuror drinking porter out of an empty bottle ?—A. Because he can support her (sup porter) and do it without. Stout (stout)." —" Sic vos non vobis." Q. " Why is the Hall Government like an idiot?—A. Because it has shown no brains in its Retrenchment Policy."—" Ex Animo." " Ha, ha," laughed our F.M. in a tragic manner; " why is 'Ex Animo' not like an idiot ? Because he is one—out and out."

A Grker named Antonio was arrested last evening on a charge of wilfully destroying fishing nets belonging to Louis Stewart, fisherman, of Akaroa.

By advertisement elsewhere it will be seen that a meeting of the Model Yacht Club is convened for Friday evening next at the Oddfellows' Hall to arrange for a regatta on November 9.

The trial of Ah Lee and Lee Guy for the murder of Mrs Young at Kyeburn was continued at the Supremo Court on Friday. The case for the Crown was concluded, and Mr McDermott spoke forcibly and eloquently for an hour and a half in defence. The Judge ruled against the admissability of the statement of Ah Lee implicating Lee Guy, but said that he would admit it, and leave it for the full Court to decide whether he was right or not. Under the circumstances tie Crown Prosecutor declined to put in the statement as evidence. The Court adjourned till Saturday. It will be seen,by our telegraphic advices that Lee Guj has been acquitted, and Ah Lee convicted and sentenced t > death.