The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 532, 19 August 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19.

Among a long list of presentations mado at a Love.-held on Juno 22 at St James Palace by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on behalf of the Queen, we find the following :—Uev W. 11. Cooper, Acting Chaplain to her Majesty's ForcesDover, by the Hon the Secretary of State for War. A Dover paper also refers to •the Rev gentleman as follows :—The Rev W.. Henry Cooper, Acting Chaplain to her Majesty's Forces, has joined at Dover, in the place of the Rev F. W. Agassi?., Chaplain to the Force, who has been transferred -:o Malta. Mr Cooper is a Feliow of the Royal Geographical Society, and was «vino time Chaplain to the Bishop of ■Grafton and Armidale, New South Wales.

The oeremony of conferring the degrees of the New Zealand University took place at the Provincial Council Chamber, Christ ■church, on Monday last. Mr 11. J. Tancred. Chancellor of the University, presided The Registrar having read the list of successful candidates, the diplomas were formally delivered to those who wero to receive them, by Professor Haslam. In making tho presentation to Miss Helen Connor, he remarked that she was the first lady student who had received the degree of Master of Arts from an English University. In the courbe of his speech the Chancellor referred to the last examination as being exceptionally searching. He said William Homy Herbert, a Canterbury student, had obtained the Gilchrist scholarship, though he entered for it at a weeks' notice, and without preparation, depending only on the knowledge gained during the ordinary college career. The comparatively accidental circumstanci-s was a striking proof of the good honest work that was being done. Mr Tanoerd expressed a hope that the attempt to establish a college at Auckland would be successful. He also referred to the question of Parliamentary representation, and said the University should certainly have a representative.

Till? dr- m-itic pi'lorr**irm'!*nt in "l'l of tin- fniirN of Ihc Ak--ron Ml-mry takes pin-i' lid- pvcnbt ■at tliH Oddfe.lows' 11.11. Full p rticiibirs .-ippear in our adverti.-lng columns. An c tertainuient wi 1 also take place at the Head of the Bay. The proceeds to be devoted to the purchase of an harmonium for the Church in that locality.

At Ihe recent exhibition of wool and woollen manufactures at the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, was a coil of ropo or haA'ser, weighing scwt, and 700 feet long, made entirely of human hair. It was manufactured in Japan for a Tycoon, and during the six years' of its manufacture all the spare hair of the women of a whole province was used up.

The following are the boundaries of the electoral district of Akaroa as defined by the Representation Bill : — Akaroa is bounded towards the north by the Heathcote electoral district: towards the northeast, east, and south by the sea to the mouth of Lake Ellesmere ; towards the north-west by Lake Ellesmere to the mouth of the river Halswell ; again towards the west by tbe said river to the starting point. By advices brought by the last English mail, we learn that a very strong feeling is growing in England in favour of modifying the present free trade tariff, with a view to establish reciprocity with other countries. Complaints are made that owing to tho policy of protection maintained on the Continent, the United States, and several of the most important colonies, the export trade of Great Britain is seriously injured, and her industrial supremacy threatened. In the manufacturing districts an agitation has been set on foot for tho purpose of securing reciprocity* and with this objoct a league has been formed called " The National Fair Trade League," which is receiving influential support.

From the ntiscellaniea that garnish Mr Inglis' commercial circular, published in Dunedin, we extract the following :—The low religious tone of tho secular Press, Iwe believe, is to be accounted for from so mu'di night work. It seems to be a law of Nature that man was not made to work at night, and with tho exceptions that confirm the rule, it is found that it lowers the mora' standard of man. We believe the right as well as the unselfish plan would be for all newspapers to be published in tbe evening. By this means much night work would obviated, homes made happier, and the public in the end a great deal better off religiously, morally, physically, and pecuniarily. The Press would have to educate the public to this happy state of society— but they could do it.

The Sydney correspondent of a contemporary writes as follows : —The ball given by the Mercantile Rowing Club on Thursday evening was a most enjoyable festivity. His Excellency Lord Augustus Loftus ho ored the proceedings with a short stay; about 1,500 persons were present. The decorations wore very handsome, amongst them being boats and oars, the Club's flags and other nautical symbols. Numberless fancy dresses were worn, and in most cases with perfect appropriateness. The only bar to the pleasure of the evening was caused by a gentleman—anyhow, I will call him such —who during the first portion of the evening appeared in the dress of a •' sailor,' which, at the time, was greatly admired. After supper, on dancing being renewel, much to the disgust of all present, the sailor appeared on the scene as a " footballer," his costume being composed of blue shoes and stockings, tight fitting knickerbockers, and a light silk guernsey without sleeves. On being remonstrated with by several of the gentlemen, he threatened "fight," whereupon it was found necessary to send for two policemen to actually turn him out.

The magistrates who heard the recent charge of assault on the editor of a certain notorious paper in Christchurch were : — Messrs J. Ollivier, R. Wcstenra, J .E. Parker and J. Campbell, J.s P. The following is the decision as reported, and anything more utterly inconsistent than the preliminary lecture and the penalty inflicted we have never mot with. The Bench having retired for a short time, on their return Mr Ollivier said they had come to a unanimous conclusion in this case. There had undoubtedly been a violent assault committed, and the evidence showed that it had not the same excuse that many acts of violence of the kind had. It had not been done in the heat of passion, but rather after deliberate intention. He

was sorry to see a young man in the position of Mr Miles brought there under such a charge, and he hoped the result would be a lesson to him in future to restrain his passions, and seek redress where, if he had a good case, he was sure to get it. As to the paragraph which was the cause of the assault, it was a most vile and disgusting production. He was sorry to see that the newspaper which contained it could find a standing in Christchurch. [Applause.] These young men were quietly amusing themselves in their own way, when some scoundrel steps in, and intruding on their privacy, published what was an atrocious libel, by which tho injury done was more than could be estimated. The defendant would be fined one shilling. [Loud applause.]

A ooRREsroNDicNT informs ns as a noteworthy fact that at ihe R ilway Meeting in Little River, no member of the Road Board put in an appearance. The South Canterbury Times has been purchased from Mr Robert Stansell by Mr E. G. Kerr, who has for several years past been agent for the Lyttelton Times in Timaru and surrounding districts.

A contractor in the Highlands was waited upon by a deputntion of his workto make "no a pit of difference in the wages, butshusta wee shynge in the time for paying." On questioning the deputies be found that they wanted to be paid weekly instead of fortnightly, but they also wanted the fortnight's wages weekly. " Why, my lads," exclaimed the astonished employer, "you are demanding exactly double wages 1" " Hoots, no, sir! ' replied one of them. " It's shush as more as less than the same wages, put she must shust pay us twice as faster as evermore.'

In another column appear notifications of the last sweeps or consultations to be drawn before the Lotteries Act becomes law. Messrs Slapleton and Fleming announce a novelty consultation on the different events to be decided at the Metropolitan meeting which takes place in Christchurch next November. The total amount of the sweep is £4,000, and each ticket has a chance of six prizes. Mr Thioden Brown of Auckland, has a still larger affair on hand on the Melbourne Cup, in which the amount subscribed will amount to £10,000, the fortunate drawer of the first horse stands to win £3000. Both sweeps will be drawn before the end of October next, as the new law is expected to come into force at the beginning of November. A death has taken place in our midst during the past week which will cast a gloom over a wide circle of relatives and friends. We allude to that of Mr John Thomas, of Wainui. In the full possession of youth and health, with an exceptionally fine constitution, a few short weeks ago he would probably have been selected as one of the very best lives on the Peninsula. A neglected cold led to rheumatic fever, and probably the young man's superabundant vital energy caused him to underestimate the serious nature of the attack. In any case, spite of all that medical skill and attentive nursing could do, he succumbed to the foe whom we must all sooner or later encounter, and passed away at the early age of twenty-four. Besides a father, mother, sisters, and brothers, the deceased leaves a young wife and two children to deplore their loss.

A new departure in railway obstruction is thus recorded by the Southland Times : —•' The Bluff train was brought to a walk the other morning by an unusual inspector of permanent way in the shape of a large seal, which had found its way out of the harbor, and was laying across the line a little below Greenhills. Being seen in time the engine was slowed, but the slippery customer showed no ictentiou to move, but rather to show fight. The cowcatcher being no respector of persons, nor seals, shoved the obstructionist unceremoniously aside. The opportunity was too good to be lost, and the passengers leapt from the carriages with zeal to seal the fate of the seal by its capture. A rope was got and a running noose made, but the contour of these amphibia is not such as to permit of anything better than a slippery hitch being made about their waists, so the seal floundered to the harbor and is still free, and may be '• blowing ' to its mates, if he has any, of its encounter with that most progressive animal of the age—the iron horse."

" Frank Fudge " in the Saturday Advertiser thus amusingly refers to a certain embroglio which lately happened in Christchurch :—A new comic opera, entitled " The Bruisers of Timaru," is about to be placed on the boards by Mr Cary, when the "Pirates of Penzance" is played out. The following extract will give my readers some idea of the worK : — Scene : A " Society " Paper Office. Ed.— When a fellows' not engaged in his employment, The Staff— His employment. Fd.— Or gathering in his scandal and his crams, The Staff— And his crams. Ed. His capacity for innocent enjoyment, The Staff— 'Cent enjoyment. Ed.—ls sometimes spoilt by pugilistic shams, The Staff— 'Listic shams. Ed.—All sense of kind'y feelings we must smother, The Staff— Wa must smother. Ed.—When stabbing in the dark is to be done, The Staff— To be done^ Ed.—Ah, take one consideration with another, Tho Staff— With another. Ed. —The Editors lot is not a happy one, When stabbing in the dark is to be done The Editor's lot is not a happy one. (Chorus of Bruisers, without, in the distance) A rollicking band of Bruisers we, We've come to Chrisichurch for a spree, And we will take the Liberty To make this office gory. Ed.—Hnsh, hush, I hear them in the Square approaching ; Just tell them, boy, that I'm gone out a-poaching. (Bruisers enter, singing chorus). We've come, you see, from • imaru, So don't go out, we're wanting you We mean to thrash you black and blue, And smash your uppei stoiy. (The Bruisers commence business. Splinters of skulls and showers of blood fly about in all directions.) Grand Tableau.