The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1876.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 149, 13 September 1876, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1876.

We are glad to say'that the old local steamer idea has not been allowed to fade utterly away, huh may.,yet ,bp,ar, fruit. The people of the district have at last realised the hollowness of harbor, improvement promises, and ■ the hopelessness, .of their fulfilment, and agree that the only way they can meet the difficulty is to have a boat adapted to the river as’it is,'-and also capable of 'carrying stock and produce to the West Coast of the Middle Island or to the other places. Wo refer ito the West Coast especially, as .latest accounts from it state that the newylvumara diggings between Greymoutli and Hokitika, are likely to maintain some two thousand miners for months, If hot years, to come. If even a third of this estimate, be correct, what with the usual mining camp-follow-ing hr tho shape of stores, &c., an excellent market is still; more improved, and -produccra here should rejoice’thereat. With a boat to take stock on board in this river and steam right away to the Coast, farmers and others would realise from twenty to fifty per cent more than they do at present. Verb. sat. sap. let us hope that the promised local steamer will no longer bo tho Flying Dutchman of the past, but a substantial reality of an early present. We wish a few New Plymouth building firms could be induced’to take up their residence hr this part of the-world, if they would .maintain the rates apparently pre vailing there. Tho Budget says that “ tenders for erecting a 4-roomcd cottage, 26 feet by 24 feet, with four foot passage and two brick .chimneys, were opened on Saturday, the tenderer to find everything except iron for roof. The lowest tender was £ 105. Others were pretty close to the same amount. ” If anything like the, same sum would put up buildings of a similar character here, the builders could have orders without stint. We remind Foresters that the usua meeting of tho Lodge will take place this evening, at the Town Hall, at half-past 7 o’clock.

We would remind our readers that a sale of first class .stock .will be held by Mr Coweni, at the Kakaramcs sale yards tomorrows . ’ .i \ . _' ‘ 5 In inference to ".it had opal hospital, and some that has been made, respecting delay on the part of the Committee in furnishing their report, we may say that answers'to 'correspondence with other hospital comidittoes have not yet been received, neither has there been any reply from the Government, relative to permission to use a portion of the Immigration, buildings,..,, Mr. Dale, as.chairman, of i the meeting, duly forwarded copies of the resolutions arrived at to Major Atkinson, but lias not yet received any response. No: doubt the existing political turmoil has been the cause of apparent neglect in this respect, hut in a few days it is probable that a favorable reply .will be to hand.,

As many of our readers arc aware, tlibfo is some splendid land in the Opako Block at the back of Kakaramea', recently ac, cpiircd by the Government. It has been suggested that this would not only fetch a higher price, but would-Bo more conducive to desirable settlement if it were sold on deferred payments,-,inasmuch ; as a really working class of purchasers would thereby be secured. This dins ■been represented to the; Government, and it ; is likely that it will Bo disposed of in the manner indicated, ‘ i! • ' ‘ '

At the parade of stallions, notified for Saturday next, under the auspices of the Patca Agricultural and Pastoral Society, some splendid stock will,,wo believe, be shown. It is clearly the interest of breeders to attend the show, whereby they can, from personal inspection, bo able to judge what horses arc best suited to their requirements.

The opening cricket match of the season will be played on Saturday next, the IGth instant, when the married people will encounter the singles. As far as can bo at present judged, the singles seem to have a tremendous deal the best of it, for though the benedicts have lots of players amongst them, they arc dangerously deficient in the bowling. Were our (impossible) money on, wo would certainly back the believers in celibacy. The teams, as at present constituted, are as follows :—Married.— Eev. Dasent, Dr Croft, Messrs Taplin, Tennout, Meredith, Cowern, Francis, G. W, Williams, Guyatt, Ehodcs, Sicoly, Keys. Single—Messrs Fraser, Jacomb, Inman, B. Dasent, C. Dasent, Baggett, Turner, Fetch, F. Hankins, Connolly) Bayly. The wickets will be pitched at 1.30 sharp.

At the EcSident Magistrate’s Court at llawora, on Saturday last, four individuals, rejoicing in the names of Wayatt, Sullivan, Smith, ami Kelly, were charged with being drunk, and being convicted, were variously dealt with. In Louisa Smith v. J. Harrison 17s lid ;C. Gangall v, same A2, verdicts byhlcfault were given. In Brett v. Kelly a verdict for £4 4s Gd was given, but in same v. Clout, the plaintiff was nonsuited with costs. ■ In J. Davidson v J. P. Carey, a claim for £4 4s 2d, judgment for the amount claimed was given, and another case, Larcau A'. Bayly, was ■ adjourned; This consisted.of all the. business, and the Court adjourned.

•' Tliat there arc courts-within courts, and wilTilie- ; ail long as tlWXdgislkturc of •New "Zealand permits,.- native absurdity iu the shape of distinctive legislation, is clear. Tliat it is high time for the law to be extended alike to Maori and pakeha is certain also, though. as yet the darkskinned son of the soil only has reaped any benefit from evenhanded justice is manifest.,, A. short time ago wo gave a brief notice of a Maori robbery a larceny committed amongst themselves, whereby a loss oflsomc£sß was made. After the loss a native police chase took place,’aud the half-culprit, that is to say the person who cnly shared half the plunder, was taken by the native pursuers, and made disgorge •Ins' haul. Therc.must be no locks, bolts,’ or | bars at the : native encampment at .Waitotara, for it seems, that the thief performed •hM. work; in the ' m ost 'degage manner. He” deliberately went to the cubiculum of .a native'named Pahararnor,who woke■ up under the -intrirsion,- and, in a half-muddled state, asked “ what was the matter.” As far as the thief went nothing was the matter, and, accordingly, he hoisted, a box on his shoulder belonging to the intoxicated Poharamoa, and proceeded to dispose of it. . His filial affection 1 was strong, though his moral perceptions were weak, for, as soon as he had fairly possessed himself of the money, he repaired' to hfa paternal, to whom he communicated the information that a successful robbery had been committed. This highly parent met the erring son more than halfway, and the latter : handed over' to his progenitor the whole of the spoil. This self-sacrificing parent’s name,- by the way, was Rangaitu. A “kore.ro” was of course held on the robbery, at which , it was ; resolved to let the pakeha law slide, and’ take Maori justice; Wo fear to weary oUr readers with other particulars within our knowledge. . A meeting in favor of the proposed County system will be held in Manntahi oil; the 20th inst. Those who take an interest in this all-absorbing 'question would do well to attend.

In the R.M. Court, on Monday last, a man named Bradley was lined for not registering- his,.child withing the limits fixed -by the Act. An inebriate, who had placed bail in the hands of his captors, did not appear, and the amount was forfeited. Other entires are offering themselves for public patronage, and carry all kinds of good recommendations .■■.in themselves’ Bismark, the thoroughbred,- is to stand at Waitotara, and Veno, by Diomcdcs, will travel between Patca and Tlawcra.

The Maori cattle case is still attracting attention, but, wo arc glad to say, our reference to it last caused sumo cessation in the slaughter. Since the last telegram of 'Major Brown’s we hear the narives have magnanimously promised to kill no more stock till duly authorised by some Government agent.’' We need not add more. ; •' Mr. \V. Courtney’s opening stock sales have been unusually successful, and he, very naturally, intends to continue them, lie will bold anotlier sale on‘the 21st inst., at the Glcnavou stock yards, when somo hundred head or more will be offered.

A writer in the Wakatip Mail thus discourses on the amenities of comicillorship ; —“ They have asked me toßecomo.a councillor, and I turned over quietly in my mind what were the: duties and advantages connected with that position. In the first instance, I was expected to address them on municipal matters, and to allow myself to be cross-questioned, bully-ragged and insulted by every larrikin that considers himself a free and independent elector. If Iboromyluimiliationmoekly, and promised them everything they asked for, I should have a chance of being considered fit to represent the interest of about 50 rate® payciSj every one of whom bad different views and notions, peculiarly his own, as to my duties. I was expected to boar the honor meekly, to do my duty impartially and independently—the interpretation of which I took to be that I was to lose my lime, to sacrifice my business (if I had one), offend my friends, and most likely 49 out of the said 50 enlightened citizens. In return for this inestimable boon, I was to have the honor of sitting once a fortnight at the Council table at Queenstown, and to leave my part in the deliberations of that sage body to the tender mercies and lively imagination of the reporter. I could not sec it—and declined.”

Highlanders have a habit, when talking their English, such as it is, of interjecting the personal pronoun “ ho” where not required, such as “The king he, has come,” instead of “ The king has come.” Often, in consequence, a sentence or an expression is rendered sufficiently ludicrous, as the sequel will show. A gentleman says ho has had the pleasure of listening to a clever man, the Eev. Mr (let his locality be a secret), and lie recently began his discourse thus : —“ My friends you will find the subject of discourse thi a afternoon in the First Epistle General of the Apostle Petciy fifth chapter and eight verse, in the words, ‘ The devil he gocth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.’ .Now my friends, with your leave, we will divide the subject of our text to-day into-four heads. Firstly, we shall endeavor to ascertain Who the devil he was. Secondly, we shall inquire into his geographical position, namely, Where the devil he, was, Where the devil he was going. Thirdl/T—and this of a personal character —Who the devil he was seeking. And.' fourthly ; and lastly, we shall endeavor to solve a question which has never been solved yet, What the devil he was roaring .about,”

“Atticus” says.—“ The newest thing in tho way of swindles was told to me this week. A man placed the sum of £IOO for a year as a fixed deposit in a Melbourne bank in which he had likewise -a running • account. After a little while he received permission to overdraw his account on the security of his deposit to the amount of £BO, which he at' Once proceeded to avail himself of. He’next went to a money lender, and on the depositrcceipt succeeded in raising the loan of another £BO, making a clear gain of £6O by the transaction, with which he cleared out to Melbourne. The money lender.is the victim in the matter, as bankers have a general lion over the moneys and securities of; their customers in their hands. My informant was emphatic in condemnation of the swindle. It was ingenious, ho acknowledged, but m’can. A man witlrsufili ah idea as that ought to have made a fortune out of it. Starting with'£l,ooo in one bank, he could speedily have'turned it into £4.690, which he could have' deposited in another, and so on till he had exhausted all the banks in Melbourne, increasing bis capital at each op oration. And the worst of it is, he says, that through the thing becoming known no man with rn'Ofc exalted views will now bo able to work it/ A Regret in which the money lenders will hardly shttre,Gordon, the passenger by the Alhambra who cither fell or jumped'. ovcrbblft'd on the passage between Wellington' and Lyttelton, last trip, was,formerly di,sponger to Dr Dormott at Hokitika. It was feared by his friends that he .might commit somte’ rasl i act. He retired as visual at night and,Ins bunk was found empty in the morning. In his pockets were £ll 7s 6id in cash.It is probable that with the passion for imitation so frequently developed in suicides, he was influenced in. his choice of death, by the accounts of Bass’s disappearance from the s.s. Taranaki betweentho same ports.

The absurdity of some of the marriage and oilier notices, that from lime to time appear iirnewspapers of the present day, when the'presumed glories of relatives arc paraded to shed lustre on any ceremonial of the kind, is thus happily hit off by ‘‘ HCgles" That witer, in a late copy of the Australasian, says :■ —“ Since I read the obituary notice of. Lady Pentwbeazlo, who “ painted in water colours, was first cousin to Lady Jones, and of such are the kingdom of Heaven.” 1 haven’t met anything more redolent of the snob-arrant than the following in a N.S.W. country journal, the names only being changed : Married.—AM’Smash—Ochono. —At Rathmacknee Church, Co. Wexl’ort, by the father of the bride, assisted by her brother-in-law, the Rev. Ribton M’Grackcm, Samuel M’Smash, Esq, of Mount Kearney, Co. DoyTijto Georgina Laura Chassio (Georgia)] fifth daughter of the Rev. E. E. Ochoiib; M.A., Rector and Vicar of Rathmackhce, i ’ niejee of Colonel the Hon. Dck. J. Ochono, M.L.C., of Kirwechoiise, Christchurch, N.Z., grand-daughter of the late J. Ochonc, Esq., Captain Commandant of,-the Enniscorthy Yeoman Infantry, and great-grand-dalighter of the late Annesloy Uc Blazes, Esq., J.P.; of Whitehall, Co. Wicklow, and sister to R. R. Ochono, Esq., of Jorildorio.” There is but one thing more wo want to * ° ■ know. Who was the lady’s groat-great-giand-mothcr ? Assured of that, a man might die happy.”

A Maori (remarks a Wellington contemporary) has recently made a novel application to the House of!' Representatives. It seems a grand war canoe .had been taken from Ids ancestors at the time of the war. The canoe was kept in Auckland for some time, and there repaired at some considerable expense at the cost of some gentlemen, and at a regatta the canoo was exhibited. It was then handed over to another Maori for safe keeping, but subsequently the warrior from whom it was taken had it offered to him. His dignity, however, would not allow him to accept the canoe alone ; but he expressed willingness to take it back if a lump sum accompanied it as compensation, and a pension of some few pounds* a year was granted to smother the disagreeable feelings it presence would give rise to. As the Government declined to do more than promise he should have the canoo if he sent for it, he petitioned Parliament, and the Native Attains Committee has just recommended the Government to bo a little more liberal, and return the canoo to the place from which it was taken.

Tno following was received by a Balclutlia contractor from one of bis men the other day. The writer evidently has got the bump of originalit} 7 (if such there be) fully developed :— li The world, the flesh, and the devil wage war with the righteous ; and money, which is the root of all evil, has to bo acquired in order to stop the black flood from entering the larder. Can some of the dull trash he parted with ? as it will be necessary to visit some one or other of the stores this evening. Please give bearer the few -shillings coming to me and oblige.”

People drink prctly freely in Auckland judging from the report of Air Police-In-spector Broham for last year. During the .year, 1504 persons were arrested for drunkenness ; and for vagrancy, mostly proceeding, for the saiiic source, 321 ; lunacy 83 ; for assaulting the police, almost in every instance from the same cause, 27 ; for petty larceny and other cases, 793. So that it may safely be said that out of the 2717 convictions at the Police and Supremo Courts, 1908 proceed more or less from the abuse of intoxicating drinks. Here is food.for Good Templars to mchiliso upon.

iA pair of hoots made from a human skin is now being exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. The boots arc the production of an ingenious New York tanner who has converted the skin of a dead laborer into a fairly solid leather. During the first French Revolution it is said that a tannery was established at Mondou, near Paris, for utilising the skins of the victims of: the guillotine. .The Auckland 'mar l says:—-The arrest of Mr C. E. Haughton on an abominable charge, has produced a painful feeling in’ Auckland as well as at Wellington. It may not bo generally known that the' accused was, not many years ago, a wellknown raining agent at the Thames, being then a member of the firm of .Broad, Haughton, and Iveddel. There have been many strange rumours as to his early career, and these gain fresh currency by the startling events of the last few days.--Going back to’the time before he'assumed his high position as Under-Secretary for immigration, Mr Haughton was a'member' o£ the Assembly, and at one period occupied the confidential post of Government whip.” He is very well connected, and passed through an English University with high honor. Afterwards he held the pbsition, we believe, of Chaplain in the Navy, and the circumstances connected with his severance from Her Majesty’s service, have formed the subject'of many rumours. The shock which the present scandal, has given to; Wellington society may lie well imagined. - The accused lias moved in the very elite of society, and the efforts of -friends to-got him out of the way and hush matte rs upi must have been very strong. We cannot avoid noticing the integrity with which the authorities hja v e disregarded all these attempts do hinder the course of justice, and have- done their duty unflinchingly.