THE BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1873.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume I, Issue 101, 20 August 1873, Page 3

THE BAY OF PLENTY TIMES.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1873.

“ The spirit of the times shall teach me speed.” KlhtJ- JOHN, ACT IV.

Mb c. O. Davis and Mr Mitchell, who have for some months been engaged on the part of the Government in endeavouring to secure native lands in the Lake District, were forcibly expelled from Ohinemutu by the resident natives on Friday last. Both gentlemen were at Maketu on Monday, and we are informed intend shortly proceeding to Auckland. It is stated that Mr Davis has been playing the game of “ fast and loose ” in late land negociations, and that the natives becoming disgusted with such conduct, ordered him to leave their kainga. It is also alleged that Mr Davis has carefully changed his politics with the occasion, at the one time reporting himself as acting solely on behalf of the General Govern” meut, and at another averring that he was working purely and simply for private land speculators. At any rate, he and Mr appear to have aroused the iuaig.-iat.ion of the and have literally had to flee from their wrath. We refrain at present from making anv comment, but we trust the Government will as speedily as possible institute a searching and rigid enquiry into the matter.

A telegram to be found elswhere states that tbe Tariff Bill, after going through the Committee and undergoing certain modifications, has passed through all the stages, and an uniform ad valorem duty is now the law of the land. The goods exempt trom duty are, we are pleased to learn, for toe moat part required in the pursuit of the industries of the colony. The ad valorem principle of customs taxation is without doubt the fairest, and we trust the new code will be satisfactory to all, or rather, for that is imposssible, to the majority of the public.

'We understand it is the intention of the town Board to have a re-valuation of the property in their district for the purposes ot the new assessment roll, and that Mr Bodeli has been requested to assist the Secretary of the Board in preparing the same. We consider Mr Bodell a most tit and proper person to appoint, but think n bad taste to employ on this occasion the who is a permanent servant ot the Board, and consequently not in such an independent position as any other person would be. It is too much .iihe the Board themselves having a voice in the matter, which, though not illegal is certainly not according to custom, and we doubt much if public opinion will be satisfied thereby. We will, however, more particularly refer to this matter on a lUture occasion.

It is reported that Te Baiki and Hakanwhi, with a party of iNgatihaua, from Waikato and Matamata, are about to take vengeance upon the Piriraka for having advised the withdrawal of the Waiharakeke block (on the Thames) from the operation of the Lands Court. The report is in all probability premature, and we give it for what it is worth.

We remind our readers that the outward Enghsh mail via Suez (and only route) leaves Melbourne on the 10th and Sydney 7r,h September. Home letters should therefore be despatched to Auckland by the Southern Cross on Saturday nest. J

The Secretary of the Mechanics’ Institute has requested us to acknowledge the receipt of a donation of 25s from Sergeant Naden, A.C., who stated when giving the same that the amount had been received by him for damage sustained in a case of assault.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday before Majors Roberts and Mair, R.M.s, two charges of drunkenness, and disorderly conduct were dealt with, the delinquents severally paying on account of the same the sum of £l34s 6d. One of the inebriates was also mulcted in a further penalty of 25s for damaging Sergeant Naden’s uniform coat. The fines were paid in each case. We omit publishing the names of the defendants “ on this occasion only,” as it was their “ first appearance” on the judicial stage.

The moon passed through her last quarter on the loth at 4,17. There will be a new moon on the 23rd at 1.9 p.m., the first quarter of which will be on the 31st at 3.24 p.m.

We are at a loss to understand the 11 why and the wherefore” of our Opotiki correspondent’s silence. No letter arrived by last mail. A petition from Alfred Faulkner has been presented to the House of Representatives, complaining of unfair allotment of land by Mr Commissioner Clarke, and praying for justice. A country settler tells us that during the late wet weather a bucket, 15 inchesfia depth, standing in his yard, was filled by rain in 18 hours,.

Mr Wo W Hl " f °' Mason.e El . j °? W evew n?- at the adopted'in ° r “' r ,o ' he *«•' to W. „p„ t to a « ‘f’h P.n Urchma ? Benda 118 the following: I tbou^ft’^h 81 * 1 cor ersamnifitudco fsi ti s evening fo Tl , hst * mDg tUe other .Sunday MarvC P- h n lloT * t Mp Maunsell, at St. fessional Wn’ ° n * iol Bab j ect of the Conwas notofSt Panr ßne,,aUV reß P eoted onhi Jkf ”, e K t 0 * .V literally i whTotEf .ftv'T/"'p* »'™u“ I the hi ‘ from ~*sr«7. r place m the D °uay or Homan roan. 'h.®£ o^^lLT“Sf°“ l ° coS e th;r.f th t e *« -« t£f Q ““ KSS ab?e fr~~* ° - aDy . pioUB friend was • •. superior learning to give them Sf.fl' «ont?. 3 io„ Suld ™ fnn«aH k o notary, and that people should not be to make to their fellow sinner (even though he be a priesO Peakes SB Th BBB Wer t tot,n fr ° m the he * rt * of penitents. The preacher then cited from the Garden of the Soul” certain passages which proved a Roman Catholic refusing, or even eu : ‘*v D J ta co “ fess to h ia priesfc ODCO a month waa bnrS TjH UDflt tQ rcCeive Christian I attention to the fact that the from f bh V 13 P ermjtfc ed a priest to demand from a wife are of such an indecent natu-e that, a 'f P risoned at- home for publishing them. Sl r?u that a womaa could be forced by threats of the most dreadful punishment to confess things to her priest which would place her entirely Whn?£ We £ fa s “Of® 80 in fact than in that of her husband. I will not dilate on the rest of the sermon « suffice it to say that ttoiTSf gl®-f* rid, « aloUßl y violent in his deaunciantes of the sister church, but will simply sa??W nf 86 f T * “ kin i~Can Mr MauaseU say that the questions he mentioned are ever put _f a P* > s lt 2 }nb except under exceptional eireum fk & f *l* ?is he actua lly bigoted enough to think r^:“® rea !f "o.good men belonging to the Romish St* ’ S u d P" estß are wolves in sheep’s clothing seeking whom they may devour ? I verily tnink tS.fi** be ! ie?e *; he8 ® things, and I have no hesita*l° 8a^ l ? g tb f fc lt BUch Bre his sentiments he should not be allowed to ventilate them in the pulpit—-that he is doing what every good man shouid avoid—tryiag to stir up that ill-feeling between Protestants and Catholics, which is so common at home, but which, I am thankful to say, is almost unknown in this colony.”

~ ■\f.°v tlSt . writes :—Will you be kind enough to publish, when convenient, the following piece ot poetry, which strikes me as eminently calculated to do good in this little Tattieton of ours

‘ They Say. They say, ’ Ah ! well suppose they do : ±sut can they prove the story true ? Suspicion may arise from naught, But malice, envy, want of thought; Why count yourseit among the they ” W ho whisper what they dare not say ? . , * w hy the tale rehearse. And help to make the matter worse ? No good can possibly accrue, From telling what may be untrue j And is it not a nobler plan To speak of all the best you can ?

hey ’ Bay if ifc he so. Why need you tell the tale of woe ? Will it the bitter wrong redress, Or make one pang of sorrow less ? Will it the erring one restore, Henceforth to go and sin no more P

4 O T! ? ej say ”—Oh ! pause and look within. See how thine heart inclines to sin ; Watch, lest in dark temptation’s hour. Thou too shouldst fall beneath its power Pity the frail, weep o’er the fall, * But speak of good or not at all.’ Bay ' Howoften we hear such expressions as They say Mrs X was seen with Mr So and So I wonder what X will think of it.’ ‘They say Mr O is not so prompt in his payments lately, and there is some swindle on the tapis,’ &c., &o. This sort of remark is often made without ‘malice aforethought,’ but may prove, and in many cases hare been, ruinous to the characters of those so carelessly spoken of. But there is another class of slanderers whose baneful tongues attack without cause people of the most spotless reputation. These scoundrels (the term is hardly strong enough) will often by a wink, or a nod, or a significant shrug of the shoulder, stain the fair fame of worthy men and women, occasioning anguish and heartburning to their victims, which years will not obliterate. The question is how to prevent this evil. I take the answer from Bishop Hare When will evil speakers refrain from evil talking ? W hen evil hearers refrain from evil hearing.’ ” .

We have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt ftom the Government Printer of the Honorable Mr Vogel s Financial Statement, and Nos. 4 and 5 Mansard*

A Lafayette lover seated himself on a barrel turned on its side while serenading his heart’s mistress. In his eestacy he rolled the barrel over, slammed his guitar against a shutter in bis efforts to regain his balance, and disappeared in the cistern. The bubbling cry of the strong swimmer m his agony brought out the entire family, including the bull-dog, in various brief and picturesque costumes, ranging all the way from a robe de nuit and curl-papers worn by the ifcnocent cause of it all, to a simple yet serviceable collar, ornamanted with spikes, worn by the ballwas fished ont of the cistern, and then the bull-dog went for him, and a more demoralized lover never took refuge in the first “ shebang” he h^il ter6 i' /> ? e d ® e ® n 8° for th e girl quite so heavily as he did, and he has smashed his guitar to pieces.—American paper, B