The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 467, 14 January 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14.

Wk trust that we nioy have fine wenther for the water polo contest to-morrow, Two'v.o entries have been receired, and a alosQ game is anticipated.

Tub Horticultural Society have determined to expend tho sum of ii4o for the erection of a suitable monument on the gravu of their Jato Secretary, Mr Greenaway. The obelisk will be of white marble upon a plinth of im'.ivo stone.

Tiiu Jlev A. P. O'Gallnghan, Chairman of the pubJ'c meeting lately held at Linuohi, i;-is received the following tele;;iuui from tlio Premier regarding the Little liiv-.-r Uailway :— '■ The Minister for PuNk- Work" lias given directions for '.living mils up to ei'lit miles, and for pUchmg tho Lake embankment, which y.'i!l abserb tiii; root ( >f thd vote set apart by Parjinmunt for die fciiilc Hi , , or line."

Messhs \V. 11, Wood & Co. will sell by public auction to-morrow a quantity of useful household furniture af residence. Jollie street. At. the same time and ptnee two sect'ons of lan 1 i i Aylmerton will also be offered.

Here is an old friend in a new dress. Tho writer h ref«.riiiu r to tho Exhibition now being hold in Me bo un : —Mu : c J ml Art seem to altract tlie larger portion of tho visitors to the International Exhibition. who are generally found thickest in the picture galleries, or around the pianoforte recitals. One of our acquaintances, who belongs to the nouveau rlche community, and his f.iruilj*, have made such astonishing progress in their Art culture by the works exhibited here, that they are gwing to innke the grand tour of Europe to complete the process; and during their stay at Rome or Florence, materfamilias ingenuously informs me, she intends having her portrait painted by one of the old masters. This is progress w : th a vengeance! A Wellington telegram says:—lt is now ascertained that G°orge North left by the San Francisco steamer, taking with him the £4000 subscribed for his sweep on the Wellington Cup, and some bun dreds on account of another sweep on tho Canterbury Cup. He had privately managed to dispose of most of his property hero. A meeting of his creditors to-day resolred to take legal advice regarding the position of affairs. This defection of the stakeholder of one of the largest sweeps in the Colony will no doubt have the effect of causing subscribers to scrutinize very closely the position of those to whom they entrust their money, and yet this man North had an excellent reputation, and had conducted several sweeps on former occasions with perfect fairness and success.

Under date Wellington, Dec. 11, we learn that the sentence of death passed on Wi Whaiepa, the Chatham Island murderer, has been commuted to imprisonment for life.

On Monday last, the Hon J. Bryce forwarded his resignation as a Minister to tho Premier. It is understood he has done this in consequence of the Cabinet declining to accept his advice that immediate active measures should be adopted in regard to Pnrihabi and Te Whiti. He parts with his colleagues on perfectly friendly terms. Their reason for refusing to adopting policy is that they are pledged to Parliament to endeavor to carry out the report of the West Coast Commission before trying any other measures. Ili.s resignation was received by tho Premier at a late hour in the evening. In consequence of the resignation of Mr Bryce, Mr Rolleston temporarily assumes charge of "the Native and Defence Department.

Tlirc Rev. Father Pezant, who died recently at Mr C. Redwood's residence, IJiverlands, Marlliorough, was one of the pioneer iiiissionaries of the colony, having been in New Zealand upwards of forty years. From the Marlborongh Express we learn that on 11th July, 1840. he landed at Kororareka, in the North Island, from the French warship L'Aube. and since that date many are the places where ho has carried t c good teachings and consolations of religion, and many are the friends he has won for himself by his cheerful and kind disposition. Shortly after his arrival in t';e colony, he accompanied Bishop Pompaliier to Akaroa, then a French settlement. Afterwards he attended the distiicts of Tauranga and Ilotorua for four months, and spent three years amongst the Natives of Waikato. It may be mentioned that in the opinion of the most competent judges Father Pezant was deemed to be one of the best Maori scholars in New Zealand. The reverend gentleman performed his missionary duties for some time in Auckland and Wellington. He had the charge of Taranaki for nine months, and after wards of Otaki for about six months, but the place of his predilection, where he spent seventeen of the happiest years of ilia life, was Wanganui. During that time, or at least for nine years, he had to visit New Plymouth several times a year on foot. His last eleven years were passed in the Provincial District of Marlborough where he died.

Says tlie " Loafer in the Street " :—To slightly parody the words of a great philosopher, " Some men are born to beer, some by their own exertions achieve beer, while-others have beer thrust upon them , ' Of tho latter class were the judges appointed to allot tli 3 prizes for the a!e exhibits at the Melbourne Exhibition. According to the paragraph quoted by you from the Melbourne Herald, these gentlemen sat in ft room where the samples were brought to them in glasses. After rejecting the samples deemed unworthy of a place, those passed were again gone through (tho italics are mine. Delicious !) and the process was again gone through (the italics are again mine. lOxquisite !) until tho final selection was made. Some idea of the work (labor of love I should havo worded if) may be gathered from the fact that something like 150 (ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY) samples, in mam/ of (he classes, had to bo adj'idir-ated iipmi. ( What a throw in for the judges ! What a j time! Each judges mint h:-.vo fancied him- J bcIC a beer cask for Ih<.: time being. Such j experiences fall to the lot of few.

A man was lately charged before tl c Clirislchnrcli B»nch with crossing tho railway line immediately in front of a train. The case tormiiint-'d as follows:— The Bench considered the ease a very grave one indeed, and indicted a fine of £5, wilh coals. 2s. Accuse! would furthei be ordered !o pay in to the cabman. Mr Joynt : And nothing for the l.iwyer? The Bench had overlooked this. They would redure (ho line to £4, and order payment of solicitor's fee, 21m. Kapai! the lawyer

The Patea Mali has the following grim little story to tell abont Tuhi's trial : — "Among the multitude present in court to-day might be seen six Wellington hangmen, each willing to tender his services in so laudable a service. These some time ago (unknown to each other) tendered for tho hanging of a criminal at Picton. It would be a subject for Hogarth to view the ghastly smile which played on each of their countenances when certain points of evidence were powerfully sheeted home to the culprit."