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combatants were the late Mr. Michael Brennan Hart and a Mr. Woodley, one of the Monarch’s passengers. No life was lost, and there are great doubts as to what the pistols were loaded with.

The New Zealand Constitution was granted in the year 1852. For the Akaroa district two members were required for the Provincial Council. There were three candidates, the late Mr. Sefton Moorhouse, Mr. Robert H. Rhodes, and the Rev. W. Aylmer. Before the polling booth was opened, Mr. Moorhouse drew the attention of the returning officer, Mr. Watson, to the fact that if an elector intended to vote for two members, he must do so at the same time, that is, he could not first vote for one and then go out, and afterwards vote for another. This had a great effect on the election, as, owing to one of Messrs. Rhodes and Moorhouse’s supporters voting for Mr. Rhodes first, and afterwards returning to vote for Mr. Moorhouse, the latter vote was objected to by Mr. W. Aylmer’s agent, and the returning officer agreed with him. This made the number of votes between Messrs. Aylmer and Moorhouse exactly the same, and the returning officer giving his casting vote for Mr. Aylmer, he was elected in the second place, Mr. Rhodes having a majority over the others. Mr. Moorhouse petitioned the Provincial Council to upset Mr. Aylmer’s seat, and Messrs. Pollard and Calvert appeared in the case, one on either side. The result of the case was that Mr. Aylmer’s election was declared valid.

To show how primitive the people of Akaroa were in these days, and the little amount of public money that was being spent, it may be mentioned that the whole of the inhabitants, headed by the Resident Magistrate and Parson, turned out to repair the road from Bruce’s to Waeckerlie’s.

About this time a sad accident occurred. Two men (one of them the father of Mr. H. Magee) were