The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 10.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 503, 10 May 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 10.

This business done at the 11.M. Court on Friday consisted only of the hearing of one unimportant civil case.

The crack racehorse Grand Flaneur broke down very badly in one of his forelegs the Saturday before the Sydney races, and will race no more, lie has been purchased by Mr Androw Town for stud purposes at the high figure of £5000.

Wk would remind Licensed Victuallers that the Licensing meeting to be heid on the 7th June next is th.c annual one, when all holders of licenses must apply for renewals. These applicatictis must be bdgod twenty-one days before tho sitting of the Court, consequently Tuesday next the 17th inst, is the last (lay on which they can be nceived. FiiOM a circular issued by the Union Company, we learn that communication with Melbourne, notwithstanding tho loss of the s.s. T.iraru 1, will be kept up by the Union Company's steamers as per time table. The Hero will leave Melbourne about Thursday, May 12, in place of the Tararua, coming via Bluff, Lyttelton, and Wellington, and whence via Grcymoutli and Hok'tika to Newcastle and Melbourne. The All>ion will take up tho running from Port Chahncrs, and proceed north to Auckland, as arranged for the, Tararua in M.iy time table. The Albion is being put into first-class order, so that the company is not likely to experience any interruption of the regular running in consequence of the loss of tho Tanirua ; but should any hitch occur, they can at any time withdraw the Hero from her special route and place her on the main line. Mr James Mills has cabled Ilnnie to have the M-'ini-pori completed with the utmost dispatch, and hopes arc entertained that hho will arrive hu-re early in November.

Fancy constructing a railway for £1090

per mile—less than the cost of a macadamised road. Yet that, remarks the Sydney Mail, is the amount per mile of a tender lor 32 miles of a railway in Queensland. We want some of these Queensland contractors in New Zealand.

A okmtlemax called at a newspaper office in Christclmrcli lately. lie asked for tlie editor, as lie said lie wanted to "go" for him. He was informed tliat the " fighting editor " was not in at present, l.ut if he called back in about half-an-h'Hir lie would bo accommodated. He did call hack and was introduced to the fiHitino- editor, but I do not think he will wish a second interview. His ey.s arc closed, but not in peace. It is fully expected that lie will continue in mourning for some time, A MEicraa of the Little Rivrer District School Committee was hold in the schoolroom on Wednesday evening, the 4th inst. Present —Messrs Coop (Chairman). Greenland, Reynolds, Joblin, Walters and Olphert. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The following , correspondence was read, viz., — Letters from Board of Education,dated April 10, 13 and 19, as to payment of £22 0 Gd for levelling a new school ground. From same, as to error in let;er of the 19th April, and stating that £18 17s G.I had been paid into the bank to the credit of the committee. From same, dated 21st April, stating that the sum of, £1G 4s 7d for salaries had been paid into the bank to the credit of the committee. From Mr Peryman, thanking the committeee for its vote in his favor, etc. A list of bookb required for the uso of the school was read. The Chairman stated that an order had been forwarded on the Bth inst., to Messrs Cierar and Whitcombe. The Chairman reported having received the sum of £1 5s from Mr \Wtropp on book account. An account from Messrs W. White find Co. for £1 17s 3d was brought forward, and referred back for a statement of particulars The following accounts were brought forward, viz., S. Giles, levelling school-ground £4 14s, S. Smith do £5 25,. G. W. Westropp, books and stationery £3 15s. The following resolutions were passed viz., That the Secretary write to various stationers for a list of prices for school books, otc. That the Education Board bo applied to for the cost of Natural History Tablets. That leavo of absence be granted to Mr Westropp for Friday the Gth inst.

That Mr Westropp's account £;3 15s bo paid when the committee is in funds. That the accounts of Smith and Giles be passed for payment, and cheques handed to them when advice is received tli.it tho money is paid into the bank. That the Chairman be requested to write to the Education Board, asking it to grant a sum oi £ — for the erection of a picket fence in front of the school, and for a dividing fence between the boys and girls, and for a further sum of £12 for shingling in front of the school and completing levelling of site, and as Mr Allan wants (he of the site of tho old school, the Board be requested to erect tho Master's house as early as possible. That the Chairman bo requested to apply to tho Akaroa County Council for a grant of trees for planting on the new school site. The Chairman was authorised to have two cords of iirewood carted down to the present school. The meeting then terminated.

In a paper read before the Philosophical Institute Professor Bickerton thus refers lo the late export shipments of cheese and butter:—l was told that it wan mentioned in a paper that tho recent cheese and butter shipment was made under 1113' instructions. But ni} T connection with the experiment was a very simple one. It was proposed to keep the chamber cool by passing ordinary air through it. I explained that this conH not possibly reduce the temperature below that of the air of tho tropics, and suggested that artificial means of producing cold must bo used in addition to ventilation, mentioning tho methods spoken of above, but the ship started in a few days so there was no thus to make machinery and not much time for experiment. I suggested that, if the experiment must be thus hurried that whenever the temperature of the air was such as to render ventilation useless it was probable freezing mixtures would be the best to try this time ; especially as from experiments I luid made I could not recommend cooling - by evaporation. This I believe was done. Mr J. Anderson made some expeiiments in his boiler room, and found a small quantity of freezing- mixture sufficient to keep an experimental chamber 15 degrees below the temperature of tho sir of the room. I cannot say lam sanguine as to the success of tho experiment. The varying ripeness of the cheese, and the difference of quality found in butter, even in Christchiiieh, would, I fear, prevent a great success, even were the confessedly perfunctory arrangements for cooling found t-j be siillicient. I believe with Mr Bowron, that tho factory system, or somo other moans of guaranteeing uniformity, is an indispensable feature of any successful scheme of making Europe the market for the butter and cheese of Canterbury. I may add that I personally know' nothing of the time or tho temperature at which butter and cheese will keep sweet ; but ip they will keep good at 03 deg. F., I do not : believe it would be a diillcult matter to keep (l>» .iir in a good non-conducting : chamber from ri-ing above th;;t. temperature during an orJmarv vovi'.'r-. , .

Thi<; ''Pirates of Penzanee," a comic opera of the •' Pinafore " order and which las had immense success elsewhere, is to bo introduced to the public of New Zealand. Mr R. W. Cary is the proprietor of the copyright for New Zealand. Snooks went home the other night afflicted with double vision. He sat for some time with his sleepy gaze riveted on Mrs Snooks, and then complacently remarked :—" Well, I hope t'holler'f you two gals don't look 'nough alike to be twins." . Tins evening the Borough Council holds a special meeting, as prescribed by the Act for the purpose of considering the annual balance sheet and statements. After tho special meeting the ordinary fortnigluly meeting will he held. At the latter the battle of tho lamps is to be fought. We understand that considerable '' lobbying" has taken place on this subject, but leaders on either side are very reticent as to their chances of success. In any case the division is expected to be a close one.

From the Gazette we learn that Parliament is further prorogued till two o'clock in the afternoon of June 9. It will then no doubt meet for the despatch of business, though this is somewhat earlier than the date which was expected in wellinformed circles. The Premier has not spoken yet. He is expected to do so about tho end of tho month, and we presume our member may bo expected to address his constituents about tho same time.

The Taupo sank in 38 fathoms of: water near Mayer Island, and has taken the result o£ two years' expenditure of capital and energy with her. On Friday, when j she left Tauranga in tow of the s.s. Staffa at 1.40 p.m., high hopes were entertained, says thcNew Zealand Herald, that by the evening of the next day she would have made a triumphal entry into Auckland harbor, that all fears would have been set at rest, and tint perseverance would have received its rewerd. But it was fated to be otherwise. The following is the description of the final catastrophe : —Tlio Taupo was abandoned at 8.20, but did not sink until 9.40. This was an appalling sight, and made the blood of the spectators run cold. Men who have spent a lifetime on the sen sa} r they wish never to witness such a sight again. She went down stern lirst. She began settling down aft. very slowly, increasing gradually, and finally rapidly, until she stood right on end, and 40ft. above water, and the keel was plainly visible. Then there was a frightful screaming of w-iml through the ventilators and hatches, and crashing of timber, aa if tl c decks were bioiking up. The bursting of the boilers, extinguishment of fires, and escape of steam also added to the ghastliness of tin , occasion. When bolt upright, she remained stationary for a moment, rose, then sank, never to float again. When going down there was heard a most unearthly pound, like a shriek, which struck terror into the hearts of those who hoard it. It has been aptly compared to the roar of a dying whale. Some consternation existed on board the Wellington at this time. A cry was raised, "The ship is sinking," and Indies awakened thereby rush ud on deck in great trepidation, thinking that the Wellington was meant. She lloated stfely a short distance from the whirlpool created by the disappearance of the Taupr.