The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 451, 16 November 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16.

Want of space compels us to hold ever our leading article, letters from our Melbourne correspondent and our "Vagabond " ditto, correspondence, and othor items of interest.

The Little Akaloa School has been closed for the past few days owing to the children suffering from severe colds. Scarcely any of them have escaped the epidemic.

The Akaroa dramatic amateurs gave another performance on Saturday evening in the Oddfellows' Hall. The pieces presented were " No. 1 Round the Corner," " Brother Bill and Me," and " The Little Sentinel." The first of theso pieces is hardly suitable for a colonial stage. It turns upon the difficulties and mysteries of the pawnshop, and happily our colonial youths are almost total strangers to the whole system. What would be thought screaming jokes by an Adelphi audience fall quite flat here. The other two pieces went even better than on their Just representation. Whatever little uitches had then been noticeable had entirely disappeared. The attendance was very poor, the reason probably being that we have lately had rather an over-supply of amusements. We hope, however, that our ama. teurs will not be discouraged, but will continue to offer the public periodical entertainments. It is established now that in our midst wo possess histrionic and musical talents of no mean order, and it would be a pity to allow them to lie utterly dormant while so little opportunity for amusement presents itself.

The concluding heat for the cup in the Model Yacht Race was sailed last Saturday. Tho following wae the result —Mr Burkes Ripple 1, Mr Bruce'a Hebe 2, Mr Black's Torch 3. In the second class race Mr Burke again scored a win with Wee Ripple, Mr Ferguson's Saucy Kate taking second honors. Mr Burke has now won the cup twico, but as it has not beendorie with the same boat he still only holds it provisionally. It must be won twico by the same yacht before it becomes the property of any one. Some of our local talent, ehould exert itself now in the art of ship-building, and endeavor to wrest the trophy from Mr Burke before it i 3 too late.

Tins anniversary tea-meeting of the Congregational Church, Akaro.i, will be held this evening in the church, Jollie-st. The llov H. Williams and other gentlemoil arc expected to address the meeting.

We have received froiii a correspondent lengthy reports of a meeting of the Little Aka'oa School Committee, as well as of a public meeting held in the same locality on school matters. We must decline to insert them for two reasons— First, they are too long:. Our subscribers in Little Akaloa are not sufficiently numerous to warrant our devoting a Jarge amount of space to proceedings of a purely local nature. Our second reason is that party feeling evidently runs very high in these matters. Our correspondent is accused, rightly or wrongly, of taking an active part in the dispute raging. We do not say that this circumstance affects the accuracy of his reports, but as we cannot send a special reporter over we prefer to remain unrepresented at these meetings rather than run the risk of becoming responsible for reports whose accuracy may be challenged. It is only fair to our correspondent to state that party feeling is so strong that it is evident that none of the parties concerned can see anything except through spectacles of a particular color. i This is proved by the fact that out of six members of committee three write to say that our correspondent is perfectly correct and fair in his reports, while three others appear to endorse tho verdict of one of i their members, who styles them in the vernacular " a pack of lies." We have received an account of tho public meeting referred to from a rank outsider, which appears in our correspondence column.

Mr J. D. Gauwood informs us that he has received from Mr W. Montgomery some seeds of the wild grape of California. (Vitis Californica.) These seeds form part of a parcel forwarded to the N. Z. Government hy Mr Creighton of San Francisco. In his letter to the Colonial Secretary, Mr Creighton says :—From the locality where the accompanying seed was selected the seedling vines should he hardy, By careful selection and grafting several varieties will undouhtedly be obtained ; and you will perceive, from Mr Wetmore's admirable pamphlet and accompanying illustration, it is already cultivated upon its merits as a wine vine by a Caiifornian vigneron of a large experience. The point, however, which commeuds this vine to the world is the presumption that it is phylloxera-proof. It is found growing wild in the midst of vineyards which have been destroyed by the pest, but wholly uninjured, and experiments with wild vines of America elsewhere, demonstrate that they are too robust for the parasite to fasten upon. In some extracts from a pamphlet on the propagation of the vine by a Mr C. A. Whitmore we find the following concerning this same vine :— The vines from which the seeds were gathered exhibit remarkable fecundity, as well as luxuriance of growth. Some cover trees from 50 to 75 feet high, and produce at least 150 pounds of fruit each. It is to bo expected that when thsse vines are cultivated, and properly pruned, the fruit will improve. The seeds may easily be germinated in light sandy loam, or any soil which would be suitable for nursery purposes. The experiments made for me by Mr Mattier during the past grape season have convinced me, as well as others who are experts, that the crowning virtue of this vine is its value for making claret wines. I should not hesitate, if I had a vineyard to plant in any of our northern or central counties, to cultivate this vine for the sake of its fruit. Mr Garwood will be happy to supply a few of the seeds to any one who will tako the trouble to cultivate them and give them a fair trial. We think this vine should prove a valuable addition to our gardens and orchards.

To DAY is fixed for the nomination of a candidate for the office of Mayor of Akaroa for the ensuing twelve monthb. As yet we have not heard of any aspirant for the civic chair. If there are any candidates in the field they must all of them be acting as " dark horses," and keeping themselves well in the background. We hope the burgesses will bestir themselves in time, and see about securing the services of a suitable man. It is a bad sign that the position is so little sought after as not to have elicited a single announcement of candidature. The Counctl having at length decided to take over the wharves, it would be well to have a man at the helm who can carry us through the necessary negotiations successfully, and see as far as in him lies that the funds which come into the hands of tho Council are properly and judiciously expended.

A meeting of the Akaroa Regatta Committee, was held on Friday evening at Bruce's Hotel. Present:—Messrs W. 11. Tosewill (in the chair), E. S. Latter, Cotton, T. Grange, C. Brown, G. J. Black, find W. H. Wood. On the motion of Mr Grange, seconded by Mr Black, the following gentlemen were added to the commitieo—Mesers T. S. Baker, C. Barker, and the Rev. 11. Btocker. The chairman stated, that their first business was to draw up a programme. In the course of conversation it was stated that tho funds at present subscribed amounted to £46. The programme as read by Mr Wood was adopted, and ordered to bo advertised in the Christehurch papers and the Akaroa Mail. It was decided to write to the U.S.S. Company, and the Borough Council, to the former to ask for a donation, to the latter requesting tho use of the reserv3 near the wharf for that day. Messrs To&swill, Black, and Cotton, were appointed a sub-committee for the purpose of getting up an entertninsMcnt in nid of the funds, and the adjoun.ed.

Mr W. Montgomery, M.U.R., has forwarded a donation of £5 5s to the Regatta Committee. Mr Montgomery will probably pay Akaroa a vist on Dec 16, the day of regatta and exhibition. And with regard to Ihe latter we hope our readers are not forgetting that the time is drawing near, and the committee as yet are not over-burdened either with prizes or exhibits. Let all who desiro our annual exhibition not to degenerate taka the hint in time and do what in them lies to make it at least as great a success as its predecessors.

From Wanganui news reaches us of a political murder having been committed by the Wanganui natives. It appears that a man named Moffat, who lately served a term of imprisonment for gunpowder making, has been shot in the Tuhua country. Moffatt was warned not to return, as the Natives would not allow white men in their country. He would not leave, and he was then shot. Tuhua is at the head of the river, and has never yet been prospected by white men, the Natives always having been averse to tlieir presence. Moffatt, in company with a Native named Kenau, left Taupo for a journey devvn the Wanganui. The chiefs at Taumarunui held a meeting, at which it was decided that Moffatt should bo shot, and they sent out an armed party of seven men, under the leadership of a Maori named Ngatai, who is Maunaku's nephew, to carry the sentence into effect. Respecting the steps likely to be taken by the Government, the Times correspondent says :—Warrants have been issued for the arrest of the Maoris concerned in the shooting of Moffatt, and Government is giving it to be understood that the extraordinary efforts are to be made to secure their arrest, but those who know the country and the circumstances laugh at the idea. Any forcible measures would be calculated to cause fnrther trouble.