PATEA COUNTY MAIL Tuesday, Thursday, And Saturday. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1880.

Patea Mail, 2 December 1880, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL Tuesday, Thursday, And Saturday. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1880.

Patea Fife and Drum Band had a musical promenade last night. Their progress has been rapid. The native who was caught killing sheep belonging to the contractor at Pungarehu camp is named Wi Waikato. A party of natives attempted to erect another fence across the road on Sunday' morning, within view of the camp. A body of A.C’s turned out, and the natives retreated. Homeward ships,Ethelred from Lyttelton September Bth, and Otago irom Bluff harbor September 15th, have reached London. The Intercolonial Conference has adopted resolutions in favor of a Supreme Court of Appeal for the colonies, and a treaty of extradition for absconding debtors and wife deserters. The Conference meets at Sydney' about Christmas. A Conference is sitting in Melbourne, trying to arrange some basis of colonial federal agreement. It affords a safety-valve for tall talk about an Empire of Australasia. Some practical suggestions may bo evolved, but the conference is merely a dobaling-club experiment.

After much negociating and some fighting, the Turkish coast town of Did-

cigno, in Albania, is handed over to the mountain republic of Montenegro. The cession of Turkish frontier to Greece remains to bo enforced by the Powers. T1 io combined fleet is still cruising, but the Turks are not in a burry. It is the old story. Another newspaper is started in Manawatn district, Mr. A. McMinn, formerly of the Advocate, is now publishing a new daily paper at Palmerston called the Manawatu Standard. It is a large sheet for a penny, but that it can pay expenses must be very doubtful to any journalist who knows what a daily paper costs to produce it. Mr McMinn is a smart writer.

The Confession of Tnhi, the native who murdered Miss Dobie at Opunaki, will bo found in another column ; also his farewell letter. Tnhi is about 20 years old, strong, rather good-looking, but bearing a bad character. He belongs to a tribe which came from the Waikato to Taranaki. He was formerly a servant of Mr Betts, solicitor, Wanganui. Four years ago ho was imprisoned for robbing a man in a hotel at Wanganui. He is to be tried at Wellington.

Wellington Eaces commenced on Tuesday, the attendance being very small. Results were :—Spring Handicap—Lara, 1; Lone Hand, 2 ; Norseman, 3. Railway Stakes—Billingsgate, 1; Luna, 2 ; Ruination, 3. Handicap Hurdles—Shamrock, 1; Kangaroo, 2 ; Old Ireland, 3. Hutt Park Spring Handicap,—Lara, 1; Lonehand, 2 ; Norseman, 3. Magnificent race; won by a nose. The Hack Race was won by Mustang.

Gold is struck in a creek near Te A roh a. A Co-operative Store is projected at Auckland. The British Parliament is to meet January 6tli. A regiment of horse guards has been despatched to Ireland, Land League agitation increases. The prospectus of the Caswell Sound Marble, Portland Cement, and Mining Co, limited, is advertised in the Mail. The share list closes December 15th. Hanlan, the Canadian champion oarsman, was willing to row Laycock, of Australia, for £I2OO a-sido. At a meeting held at Sydney, £351 was subscribed to enable Laycock to accept the challenge. Laycock and Hanlan have agreed to row for the championship and £SOO a-side. The Eov. J. Treadwell’s lecture last evening, at the Presbyterian Church, was an interesting dissertation on the correspondence of ancient coins with Scripture narrative ; illustrated by large diagrams. The attendance was numerous. The choir sang pieces at intervals. The examination of Francis Williamson in bankruptcy took place yesterday. There is a question of the bona Jides of two deeds of settlement, one amending the other, by which the debtor conveyed the bulk of his property to his wife after marriage, and shortly before his bankruptcy, subject to a mortgage of £SOO in favor of a relative.

William Holtz had his injured legamputated below the knee on Tuesday, by Dr Keating and Dr Croft, at the Hospital. His condition was not favorable, though there seemed some chance

of his recovery. The great loss of blood through the accident at Waverley had made him very weak, and his vitality was naturally low. The poor fellow died about noon yesterday. When the fool began mortifying through stoppage of the circulation, amputation became the only remedy'. His strength proved insufficient for the ordeal.

Cricketers in the banks and public offices of Patea have challenged the Patea Club to a match next Saturday. Teams will be chosen from following,— Banks and public offices, Messrs Coutts, Hecnan, Beer, Owen, Sinclaire, Eyton, Baddoley, Baggett, Dasent, Tcnnent, Uymes, A Hunter, Forster, Harden, and Barabel. Club players, Jacomb, Fetch, F Head, Arundel, F T Horner, E C Horner, Taplin, Pringle, A Black, Kitching, Dixon, May, Drake, Shields, Cowern, Croft, and Rev. Fairclough.

Another debtor at New Plymouth has been offering to square accounts by fighting his creditors. There is a rough-and-ready bluntness about people up there which has a charm of its own. Jesse Phillips had a lire in his store, and then Jesse failed. Nothing could be more natural. Jesse met his creditors the other day, and one creditor, who perhaps never ‘‘ goes to meeting,” had the coolness to put an uncivil question to the debtor. Jesse could not tolerate impudence from a creditor, a man whom he had taken into his confidence to the extent of using his money, and thereby making a bosom friend of him. Said Jesse If you mean to insinuate that my store was not burnt down by accident, I’ll punch your nose, sir; that’s what I’ll do for you, or any other man,” The creditors were reduced to a proper frame of mind, without Jesse being compelled to bleed them in that way in addition to the other kind of bleeding. The chairman, a meek man, said Jesse was the most impudent bankrupt he had ever met, with one exception. Jesse did not reply : he was too indignant; but perhaps he settled with the chairman outside.

A short time ago, a young man in New South Wales heard that his brother had met with an accident, endangering his life. Ho rode home, a distance of 83 miles, in five hours4o minutes including stoppages. During the journey, he used three horses. Taking into consideration the time occupied in procuring fresh Horses, &c., ho must have ridden the 83 miles at the rate of 16 miles an hour,"