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Kumara Times, Issue 1124, 6 May 1880, Page 4

There is one difficulty in connection with the sale of lands on deferred payments which (says the New Zealand Herald) appears to be common to all the colonies—namely, that a body of Crown tenants ultimately acquire a certain amount of political power which they are not slow to exercise in their special behalf, and that after owing the purchase money of the land for a certain period, there is no valid reason why they should not be called upon to pay it. In Victoria the state tenants now owe the Crown 1,250,000, and have just forwarded to the Governor a document narrating six reasons why they should not dub up, In New South Wales matters are going pretty much in the same fashion, and in Otago the deferred-payment settlers of Ghaltan, Otama, Tapanui, and other disare preparing petitions to the Assembly against the forfeiture of their land for non-payment as prescribed by the Act. Mr Oliver has been appealed to, bnt he emphatically told them that he would not interfere with the law.

In connection with the announcement that Prince Leopold is to be created Duke of Albany, the following particulars, extracted from Chambers’ Encyclopedia, will be interesting ;—“A Scottish Council, held at Scone in June, 1839, conferred the title of Duke of Aibany on the brother of Ring Robert 111., then acting as regent of the kingdom. This title, being forfeited in the son of the first holder, was afterwards conmired on Alexander, second son of Ring James II , in the person of whose son, John it became extinct in 1536. Subsequently it was conferred in succession on Henry Lord Darnley, on Charles I in infancy, on James 11. in infancy, and (as a British title) on Frederick, second son of (taorge .111. The unfortunate Prince Charles Stuart in bis latter yeaif assumed the appellation of Count Albany as an inceqptto title.