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Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 136, 20 December 1873, Page 3

No arrangements whatever, so far as we can learn, have been made for the commemoration of that time honored people’s festival—Boxing Day. Bast, year the Southern Cross was chartered by Mr Bonnet, in his usual ent rprising manner, for an excursion trip to Motiti and the Mount, and a large number of the townspeople availed themselves of the opportunity thus afioidal them of a p’easant and healthful day’s recreation. What ave we going to do in the shape of amusements this year ? We hope somebody wiii take the matter up. Let us have some fun at Christmas, if it be only athletic sports for th® youngsters !

Captain Turner’s mission to the Lakes with the Honorable the Defence Minister is principally to point out the site of the branch road from Obmemutu to the main trunk line of the Tauranga and Taupo road, and afterwards to survey the same for immediate formation.

Sergeant Foster, A.C., lately stntioneJ at Whakatane. ba® been committed to take hi? tri 1 on a charge preferred against him of embezzling oats, the property of the Government. A report of the proceedings shall appear in our nest.

A correspondent writes to us :—" As such a thing scarcely ever occurs as the Luna being here during the holidays, a treat suggests itself to my mind for ihe children attending the Softools (of whatever denomination or rs-*e) in the district, » e. . tuat the Honorable D. McLean be petitioned by a committee to give the school chidr«-n an excursion for tho day either to Motiti or elsewhere, and that some arrangements be made as regards refreshments for them.”

“ Bohemian ” writes:— ** I have not for a long time until very recently paid a visit to what in former time* used to be one of the iio -e, or rather the lion of Te Papa, which no visitor was expected to go away without seeing. 1 mean the Cemetery at the Archdeacon’s Point. “ Have jou the Cemetery ?” used to be the invariable question put to st rangers, and in former days it we a a very pretty, picturesque little graveyard, kept in beautiful order so long as the Imperial troops remained —a fatigue party being told off for the express purpose. Within the neat enclosure where the Queen’s soldiers were buried, not even the humblest mound escaped attention.and where no monurae' fs were raised the graves were taste* fully ornamented with shells, while not a few decorated with head board* bore the names, ages, and mode of death of the poor remnants of mortality that lay mouldering beneath the tod. The grass was kept mown, and the walks were nicely gravelled with snow white shells. Subsequent to the departure of the troops the place tell into great neglect, and the sea made ravages beneath the cliff, causing landslips which carried away one corner of their enclosure—at one time exposing portions of more than one coffin, which tor some time projected over the beach. These were afterwards removed and re-interred in other graves, and a sea wall was built below to stay the lurther encroachments of the winds and waves But it made me rather sad the other day to see that many of the inscribed headboards were fallen down and decayed, and the inscriptions become slmo-t illegible. The grass was long and rank so a* nearly to hide the bumble graves from view 1 came to the conclusion that the sea wall would not long save the Cemetery from destruction, for that point of land must in time inevitably give way to the devastating influence of storms and tides. On enquiry I ascertained that a very eligible site for a cemetery two miles from the town had long since been reserved, and I wondered why it had not been used. That wonder still exists, when the ultimate fate of the present place of sepulture roust be palpable to the mot' cat eless observer. k Ten savage nations preserve with veneration the remains of their dead, and our apparent indifference in this matter is calculated to give them a low estimate of our character for humanity.**