Local and General.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 484, 4 March 1881, Page 2

Local and General.

Dr William Donald took his scat fin Tuesday as RM. at Lytteiton. The Clerk (o the Bench read the warrant of the appointment of Dγ Donald us li.M. on the opening of tho Court-

A rootrty journal, tlio Syriney ZiV/Z/r'/.", has dropped in i'c: it pn rty heavny. A cablegram is aa follows : —" The cr.se ><<: Robertson v. tlr?- BitMeihi wm conHnrled (.) day, nnd rnstiltoi in a verdict for the lilaiutiff (if :'.'. 1.000 nnrl costs." Neither jurins nor the public \vi!l haw any sympathy with ijapcr.s whidi n-.V-: hu (.ho nriv;:'o liicLory uf iii'.liviJaa! \

A new lodge of the lOOF, M U was opened at Barry's Bay on Tuesday last, c ceremony -was performed by Bro W. Sims, PG, who represented the P G M, nnd Bro Whitfield, PG, representing the DPGM. Bro Gulhberlet, GM, acted as PCS. Fifteen candidates, having passed the medical examination, were duly initiated, and the lodge was then formally opened, and called the "Loyal Perseverance." The lodge then proceeded to the election of officers, when the following , brothers were elected and installed : —

Bro D. LeComte, jun, NG, Bro P. David VG. and Bro K. S. Latter, sec. The two former are members of the Good Intent Lodge, Akaroa. The new lodge resolved to meet, on alternate Saturdays, the first meeting night to be Saturday, March 5. After business was over an excellent dinner was served to which between thirty and forty eat down. When the repast had been done ample justice to

Bro Whitfield proposed " Success to the new lodge," which was heartily responded to Bro DLe Comte proposed the " Visiting , Brethren," for which Bro Sims returned thanks, accompanying his remarks with some words of excollent advice to the newly-initiated members After the tables were cleared dancing commenced and was kept up with great spirit till daylight About 140 took part in the festivities Wo are informed that of those who have joined the new lodge all are young men with one exception We wish the infant institution every success

A writes in Chambers' Journal gives an incident connected with the calamitioiis failure of the City of Gasgow Bank, illustrating the remarkable vagaries of fortune. A young man had been left a legacy of £1,000, and having no immediate use for the money he paid it into the bank. In a few days he saw an advertisement about a business for sale, and entering into negotiations with the proprietor, ended by making the purchase. Singularly enough, the amount required was exactly what he had in the bank ; so closing his account he paid for the deeds and entered into possession. The outgoing tenant, having no immediate use for the money, invested it in shares in the City of Glasgow Bank. The next day the failure of the bank was announced. A change has been effected in the local agency of the Union Insurance Company. A notification appears elsewhere, intimating that Messrs Wiggins and Co hare resigned the agency, and Messrs Garwood and Co have been appointed to succeed them. The discussion of the much rexed question of opening the Christchurch PublicLibrary on Sundays came to rather an unexpected clove at the meeting of the Board of Governors on Tuesday. On the resumption of the adjourned debato the question before the Board was the Rev Mr Fraser's motion for making the hours of opening in the evening from 8 to 9, instead of, as propoaed, 7to 9. On this* being put Mr Webb moved the adjournment of the debate for three months. This was negatived by the castibg vote of the chairman, Mr Montgomery Rev MrFraseiV amendment was also negatived. Messrs Webb, Hamilton, Fereday, who, with the Primate, formed the opposition, then left the room, thus rendering the Board powerless to go Qsi, as there was no quorum they, however, returned immediately, and Mr Hamilton moved that the debate be adjourned, which wae again negatived by the casting rote of the chairman. The question as a whole waa put, viz.—" That the recommendation of the Library Committee that the Library be opened on Sundays be adopted," and was declared by the chairman to be carried en the voices. Mr Webb demanded a division, but Messrs Hamilton and Fereday leaving the room prevented any further business being done, and the proceedings closed.

A correspondent Bends us the following It is needless to say that we don't believe it :—" I paid for my dog this year. When I pay again -you tell me, just. I henceforth am an applicant for tiio position of dog registrar at each annual appointment. Or course the yarn I am now going to relate didn't occur in Akaroa. I don't want any one to be apprehended. The story is good enough for me, and tho lesson it conveys is valuable. Along cornea a policeman looking for collarless dogs Along t'other way conies a gentleman with a satchel by his side, and a big black retriever at his heels, awful like the one John Garter made a rug of. Policeman stops the gentleman and wants to know if he has a collar for that dog. • Oh, yes 1' was the ready reply, ' here it is ;' and he pulled out a quite new collar from the leather satchel. Plow many more collars he had besides I can't say. But he was a dog registrar, and the keen-eyed policeman was had. Dysenteby is very prevalent in and about Ashburton. One of its latest victims way Mr T. Black, the agricultural mannsrer on the Longbeach estate. Mr T. Black was a man in the full prime of life, having only reached his 38th year. He had been fifteen years on tho Longbeach ewli.tf, during which time he had h< , . v red for hiin-H'lf the kindly t'oeli.ig« of many friends, who hoard of his death lately with cL/ep regret.

Loe.u. yoverintig bodicn hewavo ! A man who bvnke. liis K7; by fallhif,' into nn un-p.-puirfct! <lr;iu> ;it P.'iilitirist, New Fnuth "WaJi.i.s, has i'ot £700 damsgee Ul3 Council.

As a sample of the present favorite "retrenchment" policy, we clip the following from an evening contemporary : —Tho sash lines of the window of the ladies' waiting room attached to an upcountry station not 50 miles from Christchurch have been out of repair for some considerable time, and on a hot day the window is propped up by a book, which, during the last four years, has been growing thinner and thinner by the people constantly tearing phsets out, until soon it will be unable to bear tho weight, and then perhaps the sash line will be repair d. There seems nothing interesting in this item, but when the title of the said book given it possesses unusual interest. If it was one of " Ouida'e " novels some people might pay it was the best use it could be put to, but when the Holy Bible it, turned to Buch account, well, to say tho least, it does not look well.

An American newspaper man, speaking of the qualifications of an editor, says :— " I never yet saw a strictly educated man who was fit for an editor. They are too learned and profound. A profound newspaper would die in a week. Two thingy are certainly and equally fatal to a newspaper, ignorance and profundity. But [ think of the two it can stand ignorance the better, for there are a great many people who are ignorant, and very few who are profound." This last statement, though startling is no doubt true, and a melancholy truth it is.

FnoM the Libert// we clip the following : —Poor Councillor Lambert has " shut up " over Foster and his Coffee Palace doings, and impecunious bachelors are to be allowed to obtain their meals on Sundays as well as on other days. His skin can't be much thicker than a penny piece after all. Who'd have thought it ?

Says a Northern exchange:—The Auckland, W>eddy News reports that John Cornelius, one of the "noble six hundred," dropped dead the other day as he was running home to escape the rain. Where do all these heros of the past spring from ? About one hundred and sixty-seven escaped death in that most brilliant though stupid charge at Balaclava. From American authority we learn that some twentyone thousand fivo hundred and nineteen of these survivors joined the Northern army during the civil war in the States. Seven or eight hundred volunteered for service in the French army in 1870, whilst a great many may be supposed to have remained in the British service. The mortality among these latter lias Ween somewhat greater than the average rate of other men in the service, yet still they number legions, if we are to credit nil reports. How these men have multiplied in twentysix years is a wonder to all. Wli.it a pity Sir Julius could not have got hold of a number for New Zealand. It would have saved money to the colony in the matter of immigration. Poor fellows, had they known they wnro to have been shot ; strangled, drowned, imported, exported, and otherwise used as they have been since they would not have been so keen to congratulate each otliT on their escape on that ever memorable 25th Oct, 1854.

A sitting of the Licensing Court should have been held on Tuesday last. At the appointed hour, however, only one of the commissioners (Mr A. C. Knight) and the Resident Magistrate had put in an appearance. The couU was adjourned till two o'clock, but there was still no quorum in attendance. The Chairman then adjourned the sitting till the Bth inst.

The German Bay School Committee met on Tuesday evening last to consider applications for the post of master for the side school. A large number of applications was received, and the Committee ha.} Koine difficulty in making a selection After due consideration it was agreed to recommend Mr Thomas Giles, of Hamilton, Otago, to the Education Board for the appointment. It was decided to invite tenders for defining the sclioo and the committee adjounmed. A ludicrous misconception took place lately in the Isle of Man. At a Deemster's Court in Ramsay, a Jew was about to be sworn to give evidence. As Jews are always sworn on the Old Testament, and not the new, the Deemster re quested the constable in attendance to fetch an old one. After a while that worthy returned, and handed to the witness an ancient-looking dilapid; tid book which on being examined proved to be a New Testament. The Deemster's attention being called to it, ha asked the constable why he had not brought an Old Testament, to which the innocent reply was : " Please your Honor, it was the oldest one I could find." Infancy has its privileges. A woman was arrested in Hungary for receiving stolen goods. She was by birtli a Jewess but six months previous to hor detection liad boon baptized into the lonian Catholic Church. When put upon her trial shrpleaded that she was an infant, and conk! not, tlwrolioro, be held answerable for what shn had done—the date of birth it: Hungary running according to the; date of baptism. Afl-L-r serious cogitation the tribunal declared (hi defence a good one, and that she. a woman of 40, was legally but six months old, with a score of years before her which she might turn to ui-.-Jiouest I account with impunity.

I Puui.vg tlio month of F'jiirtniy 130 births, 35 marriages and 51 doafhs. were registered in the oily mid district o£ i Clinsttiau'ch.

A performance in aid of the benevolent fund of the Christchurch Mutual I.M.P.S. took place at the Royal on Friday evening. The programme was of a miscellaneous character, comprising an opening address, Byron's comedy " Weak Woman," and an olio in which professional and amateur talent took part. Signor Carmini Morley, who has.been engaged for some timo past in teaching operatic music in Duuedin> was tendered a complimentary benefit on Wednesday last, prior to his farewell bow to that city. Signor Morley comes to Cbristchurch, where his high talents will doubtless receive due appreciation.

Miss Joeophine Deakin is announced to appear at the Royal, Melbourne, in opera bouffe.

Any day in the harbor you can ccc smart young girls sculling young men aboutjiintil their pompadours " run " with the exertion. Yet, if you ask anyone of those charming young creatures to blacklead the family grate she would brain yon with a flat-iron.—Wellington paper.

Three pounds havo'.boen forwaded to tlio Colonial Treasurer at Hokitika by a person signing himself " Catholic." The sum is said, in the accompaning memorandum, to be for public money sometime

owing. Under date Wellington March 1, the Press correspondent telegraphs as follows: —His Excellency the Governor was unable to settle the arrangements about his Southern tour until to-day, when he decided to pay a brief visit to Canterbury Otago, and Southland, making a short stay in Christchurch, Dunedin,andlnvcrcargill, but not attempting any extended travels in the interior of the country. The presentplan is to start by the Hinomoa about Wednesday or Thursday week for Lyltelton, proceeding thence by train to Christc!".;rch, where, after a few days' sojourn, he will leave by train for Dunedin, making a brief halt in the passage at Tirnaru and Oamaru. From Dunedin he will go by rail to Invercargill, and, possibly, Lake Wakatipu, then back overland to Dunedin, Christchurch, and Lyttelton ; thence by the Hinemoa to Wellington. He is expected to be absent a little over a fortnight from Wellington. It is not yet definitely settled who is to bo the Minister in attendance, but most likely it will be Mr Dick, Colonial Secretary.

A Queensland paper says :—" We have on several occasions lately drawn attention to the advisability of opening up a trade between Central Queensland and New Zealand. The latter would gladly rake from us our sugar, instead of importing it from the Mauritius, while we on our part could obtain in return very much of that produce wo now procure second hand from the South."

Till! remanded case of Robert Littlecot, di'scrifii'd as using the alias of Alfred Jones came on for hearing in the Resident Magistrate's Court, Christchurch, on Tuesday. The defendant, it may be remembered, was charged last, week with the larceny of a ring of the value of 30s, the property of F. K. Palmer. The theft was alleged to have taken place in a lodging-house in which both the prosecutor and the prisoner had for a time resided. The accused was recently arrestod in Wellington, whence he was brought over last week to Christclm: oh by Detective Benjamin, and obtained the remand which had been granted to enable him to produce witnesses to show that, as he was an inmate of the Akaroa Hospital at the very time ho was said to have committed the robbery now charged against him, he was therefore innocent. On Tuesday two witnesses of a reliable character (the Rev Mr Anderson and Mr T. Dixon) attended, and one of these produced the hospital books in support of the statement made by the accused, who was therefore exonerated and the case against him dis mis; eel. LitUeeot then urged that aa the case was one of great hardship, lie should be allowed his expenses. The Bench considered the accused had been hardly dealt with, and said that an order would be made, if he chose, for the paymeßt of the expenses ot his deportation to Wellington.

Colonel Gordon, who has been on a tour of the whole West of Ireland, wiites that the condition of the people is more severe than that of any other people in the world. A gulf of antipathy exists between thorn and the landlords. Citing as a precedent the measures taken to abolish slavery in West India, ho proposed that Government should buy out all the landlords west of the Shannon at a cost of eighty millions of pounds, of which

great part will be repaid by tenants, and the cancer will be cured. He also proposes that the lands thus acquired be administered by a Land Commission, supplemented by an Emigration Commission.

Tur Kyneton Observer mentions ft case of grossly brutal treatment t6 a woman by

her husband, which is rumoured as likely to be brought before the Police Court of a neighbouring town. A husband i.s alleged to have dragged his wife with a rope around her neck about a quarter of a ruile across a paddock with the intention of hanging her on the first tree he came to. Fortunately some neighbors interposod, nnd prevented the tragedy being carried out.

Tuio roront horso-v/lnpping caso at X in.[>oi IiAK been settled out of (he Conrt, MHcli U) tijo rcgr«t<if a larg-e section of <!io Kaiiipcilios. wlio (iori't mind l«j*ln>"-;' atnufif-.d nl otlior poojilfi'.s ex""" -.

The Dairy-farmers' Association is not going to sleep. Communications are in progress with the New Zealand Shipping Company through Mr Westenra, with a view to ascertaining what facilities the company can offer for the shipment of cheese in a manner to give it a fair chance of reaching . Home in good condition. All farmers who have not yet joined should lose no time in forwarding their names to the secretary, and members would also do well to decide upon what quantity of produce they will have ready for shipment at an early date.

At the Dunedin City Court, Mr Watt R.M., convicted Henry Goater of playing tho three-enrd trick at the races, but, to give the defendant a chance of appealing, admitted him to bail, to come up for sentence in a month.

At the annual meeting of the Auckland Scripture Association, the report showed that only th/eo ministers in the City of Auckland had responded to the • association's requent and visited the public schools to impart religious instructions. Out in the country only three public schools bad been regua'arly visited by clegymen.

The Akaroa School Committee held its usual monthly meeting Inst Tuesday evening. The members of Committee present were:—Rev 11. Stacker (Chairman), Messrs Westenra, Sims, Kissel, and McGregor. Tho Chairman laid a circluar from the Board before the meeting referring to teaching of music, from which it appeared that unless the master had a certificate of competency to teach the same, and also that they taught by note, the Board would make no allowance for instruction in music. The matter was left in the hands of the chairman to arrange. The sub-committee appointed at the previous meeting brought up their report in reference to tlie High School question. It appeared thnt the question was purely one of being able to procure a sufficient number of pupils to cover the extra charges. After the consideration of the whole matter, it was deemed inadvisable to proceed further in the matter at present, and the sub-com-mittee were accordingly discharged. The Chairman was directed to forward to the Board an estimate for a fence to enclose the closets and wood shed in the ground?. The question of putting in force the com pulsory clauses of "The Eduction Act 1877," wnß then taken up, and it was unanimously agreed, after diwuisinn. that the compulsory clauses ba at nnre put in force, and that the Ohaininn gire the necessary notices to paronra as required by the Act, and that, in the event of noncompliance, tho parents or guardians be at once summoned. Accounts for cleaning and incidental charges were presented for payment. The haUnco of £14 odd in hand by tho late Committee at the audit end of last year was subject to liabilities of over £10, and the Chairman was directed to pny the accounts rendered an far as the funds in bank will allow. The Committee thea adjourned.

We understand that Mr W D. AVilkins is about to leave Akaroa, having accepted an appointment as engineer to the Sumner railway.

At a late hour this (Thnrsday) morning the news reached 113 (Lyttelton Times) of the death of Sir J. Cracroft Wilson, of Cashmere. Th* veteran knight \vnn in his 74th year, and his death must be con sidered sudden, as he wae able to appear in public so late as Monday.

Another race between the Dream and Avalanche came off on Wednesday. At the etart there was a good breeze, which, however, did not last more than three parts of the course. The Dream from the commencement of the race worked to windward of Mr Baker's boat, and passed the Wainui buoy four minutes ahead, the Red-house buoy 5 minutes, Akaroa jetty 15 minutes, and won at the buoj off Tckau Bay by about 25 minutes.

A most successful gathering under the au«pic«s of the Presbyterian congregation was held last evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, for the purpose of bidding farewell to the Rev W. Douglas Shortly before seven o'clock tea commenced The tables were laid in a most tasteful manner under the superintendence of Mrs Frown, and a most elegant and bountiful repnst was pro. vided, to which about 200 sat down The attendance was eminently a representative one, persons being present from all parts of the Peninsula Wainuijiowever, sent an exceptionally strong contingeßt The Rev Mr Homer, of Papanui, was present Mr Douglas apologised for the absence of the Rev J Elmslie. who had also been expected The Rev H Stocker and Dr Guthr'e also occupied seats upon the platform An excellent musical programme was well ren dered by a number of ladies and gentlemen The late hour at which the entertainment concluded and a press of matter prevents our noticing the affair at greater length in this issue A fall report will, however, appear in our next

~ MrW. J. TJiidd, agent for the Govern■rao'nt Life Insurance Office has returned to Alcaroa, and may he seen by those interested at Bruce's Hotel. Mr Rudd during the past three weeks has been making a thorough canvas of the Peninsula accompanied by Dr Cole, and we arc happy (o say has been eminently successful, having ''taken" as many as nine lives a day. We should recommend any one deeirioiia of insuring (which ougrht to include every one who is as yet to consult Mr Eudd '<■'•• '■<■■■ •■■". -i.v, as his stay in our phue •'•; . , '}' liiuite:!.