THE FARMER.

The Agricultural Commission.

' The work of the Agricultural Commis son (says the London “Spectator ) bids fair to be a n .aster affair. Authority is ulven in te-i Ovhti’. lussiou *.o any live or more ” of the Commission to call before ..them such persons as they may judge : nicessary to give evidence, and also to call -for.BXich books and documents as may give needful-information. Moreover, any five or more may report to the Queen as soon as they please their opinions on the sub jects inquired into. And these bodies of five or more are to have power to continue their inquiry without formal adjourn ments. Hence it is clear that the Com ~ mission is really to do its principal work as a number of sub-commissions, for we are told that they have already had a preliminary meeting and broken them uelves up into'smaller distinct bodies of inquiry; while Mr. 0. S. Read, M.P., and Mr. Pell, M.P., are to proceed to the United States, to enquire into the bearing of American agriculture on the depression here, and will take their depar ture at the end of next week. Further, Mr. Cross said at Bootle that there are to bo a number of Assistant-Commis sionevs to help the Commission, and to collect information from the Continent of Europe. We may expect, then, a num * ber of very divergent reports from the quinary commiss.oulets into which the larger organisation will break up; and probably no joint report from the whole Commission, or none of any substantial value, at all. We see with pleasure that the Earl of Suffolk and Colonel Kingacote, hLP., the latter of whom is a member of the Commission, warned the Kingscote Agricultural Association lately that no return to protection was possible and that all that could be expected from the labors of the Commission was a large stock of valuable information.

A Horse Poisoned by Tea,

The “Veterinary Journal” records a welWmbstantiated case of a horse-poisoned by tea. The journal characterises it as cl unparalleled in the annals of veterinary or even human toxicology. ”. A staff cook, having left some pounds of tea in a sack, a Kaffir groom filled it with com, and serving out the contents to a troop of horses, gave Sir William Reresford’s charger the bulk of the tea,' which was eaten greedily, and produced the inost startling results. The animal plunged , and kicked, and ran backwards, at inter vals galloping madly around, finally fall ing into a donga, where it lay, dancing its°head on the rocks, and was despatched by an assegai thrust through the heart. The post-mortem appearance indicated extreme cerebral congestion. The occur rence as an accident is probably unique. The phenomena exhibited were, however, characteristic of the action of caffeine— namely, cerebral excitement, with partial loss of sensibility, convulsions, and death. The sensory nerves are paralysed, without any corresponding paralysis of the motor nerves, *0 that the muscular action which proceeds from ideation and volition remains unaffected. The reversal of limb movements which produces run ning backwards in quadrupeds, tea com - mon symptom of brain disturbance, fre quently witnessed, for example, _in- The case of puppies with unclosed crania. The case is one of great interest, and may help to throw light on the action of tea, which has not been sufficiently studied, and most still be classed as unexplained.”

It is now stated that the “ potato bug,” which a year or two ago frightened our isle from its propriety, and was honoured with a special Act of Parliament, has its uses. The fresh powder of the insect yields, it is said, about one-and-a-third per cent, of pure cantharidin, which is a large product, so that it is Ukely to be used, as a cheap source of that drug- Home paper.

General Sherman and the President.

The “ Hannibal Courier ” gives the fol lowing particulars as to how the celebrated. General Sherman, the hero of the Georgia camnaign, resented an insult .offered by the “ mob to President Hayes “ The travellers arrived at the depot at 10 p.m,, and were rudely assailed by a crowd of roughs with jeers and abusive shouts. The President appeared on the platform of the car, but upon observing the charac ter of those present retired within. Gene ral Sherman then appeared, and being ' called on for a speech said ; ‘ Boys, lam General Sherman. My home is in St. Louis, and I expect to live and die in your State. This is a glorious State, rich in everything that goes to make communi ties prosperous and happy, but I tell you that as sure as there is a God in Heaven the day will come, and ere long, too, when Missouri will be peopled by ladies and gentlemen who will not insult the Presi dent of the United States when he comes within your borders. [Cries of 'Good! good !* 4 Bight! right !’] I know your State, and have travelled across xt in every conceivable direction, and I tell you that your children will be the richest in the- United States. [Cries of ‘Hayes' Hayes ! we want to see Hayes ! ] The President came out to see you, and he will hardly care to come again after the fre t jnenl he received. You must not insult the President of the States, and 1 you must not insult me, for if you do so, so help me God I’ll fight. [Cries of 4 You bet!’ 4 We know you’ll fight!’] If you will promise to bo respectful 1 will see the President, and I think he will come out and see you again. [Cries of ‘Throe cheers for General Sherman!’] Never mind, boys; cheering for me ; just treat the President respectfully when he ■comes out, and you’ll please me best.”

FIRST ANNUAL GATHERING OF THE ASHBURTON CALEDONIAN SOCIETY.

Yesterday was not so propitious as might have been wished for the first great meeting of the Caledonian Society. The programme of the day was opened at ten o’clock by a procession of the members, headed by those of their number who had donned the national garb of Scotland, who were preceded again by three strong winded pipers. The ■ procession started, in a drizzling rain, from the bridge, and traversed the whole length of East street to the ground lent by Mr. H. T. Smith for occasion—one more of the many kind nesses Mr. Smith has shown to the cause of sport in Ashburton. The leading feature of all Caledonian sports is ( of course the Highland costume, and' to those who care to be particular about'clan tartan we would mention the following! Mr. George Kidd appeared in a smart and very complete suit of Royal Stuarts, comprising a kilt of the royal tartan of heavy texture, and a gracefully hung plaid to match. His tunic was of the orthodox clansman’s cut, of invisible green, and dotted with the usual diamond buttons. His plaid was secured with a handsome shoulder buckle of silver with Gaelic in scription. engrave 1 upon its shields, while by his left side hung the genuine claymore, and from his right side a finely appointed dirk, with all fittings. His accoutrements were of a very superior class, and the “sporran,” without which no Highland dress is complete, was a laurel won at the Braemar gathering, and presented by the Queen in person to Mr. Kidd, as a first prize for Highland dancing. Mr. John Calder, who wore the Gordon tartan, looked remarkably well in his neatly fitting, and well appointed uniform. He did not af fect the claymore, but he wore a finely mounted dirk, and a “eltboin dhu,” and his breast bore many a mark of honor won in dancing contests. At a later stage of the day’s proceedings, Mr. Murray, of Dunedin, came on the ground. He was superbly dressed in the clan tartan that bears his name, and he too, wore dirk and “ skhein dhu” handsomely mounted in cairngorms, while to use bis own words, lie “ had not jacket room ” for all the trophies he had won at dancing. An other Highlander who appeared was Mr. Campbell in the tartan of his clan, loyal to cheque, and well put on. Mr. Campbell is a true picture of the Highland veteran, and we thought of many similar gatherings we had seen at Brae mar, Athole, Birnam, Dunkeld, and other places in th# Highlands pf Scotland where the kilt is not jtfcg ex ception in the crowd but the rule. The last on the list was Mr. James M‘Rae, in the kilt of tbp Black Watch or Sutherland Highlanders. Wo may mention, how ever, that the piper to the Society wore a Black Watch tunic and H’ews of the Royal Stuart. The other pipers present were Messrs. Forbes, Ross and Scott. The weather sadly marred the arrange ments of the Committee, who for two or three hours wore undecided whether to postpone the »poft§ altogether for the day* or to go on with the more easily decided competitions. The latter course tllPy ultimately decided to follow, and # lortly after 1 o’clock the day broke up into fine sunshine, and allowed a far larger propor tion of the heavy programme to be gone through than at first appeared possible. In addition to the difficulties laid upon the Committee by the upsetting of their arrangements by the weather, they bad to contend with the encroachments of an unruly crowd, who despite repeated warn ings and almost .solicitation would persist in crowding on to th® course, and round every competition that took place. The dan cing platform was rushed in this unseemly way, and as a consequence not more than forty of the many people who would have wished to see a Highland reel in character enjoyed the pleasure. We had thought better of a crowd of Ashburtonians, and it is small encouragement to the Committee to again undertake the duty of superin tending the arrangements, if they are to have their work interfered with and inter rupted in this foolish way, especially when the competitions could be so much better seen and enjoyed from a distance. The first event chosen from the pro gramme was Tossing the Cabiw—lst prize, L2;

2nd, LI. This exercise is always a- prominent feaure in Caledonian sports, and usually brings out in Scotland a large number of stalwart farmers, ploughmen, and shep herds. Yesterday, the e tries were even more numerous than we expected, and the interest taken in the contest was therefore much greater. The caber used was only a long piece of 6 % 3 timber, about 12 or 14 feet long, and not the orthodox sapling in the rough, with the thin end used for grasping, and the butt serving to give impetus. Before starting, however, the plank was some what fined down at one end with an adze, and this somewhat helped the throwing. The entries were as under, with them the order of merit after the trial had been decided.

1. Mat. Stitt, 20ft. 2£in. 2. Rhoderick M'Rae, 19ft. 3. W. B. Compton, 18ft. 9in. 3, B. Wright, T. M‘Dowall, W. Fur neau, R, CUyden, and J. Kearns. Orm Handicap Hurdle Race

—440 yards, .0 hurdles ; Ist prize L 3 ; 2nd, 395, Organ, 1; Risely, 2. Handicaps.— C Risely. 7 yards,,' T. Organ, scratch; T. M'Douall, 3 yards •; I). A. Stuart, 3 yards; Campbell, 6 yards ; S. Simpson 5 yards.. For this event only Organ, Risely, Simpson, and M‘Dowall faced the starter. Organ camp in an easy winner, though little Simpson kept him close company all >hrough to the last hurdle, where he baulked, and was out of it, Jetting Risely come in second. Running High Jump— Men and boys; Ist prize, LI ; 2nd, 10s. i M'Dowa), 4ft. 9in. ; 2, M'Farlane, 4ft/ f ju. The other competitors were Collins, Movshead, and R. Anderson. Quoits —Ist pifoe. hi ; 2nd, 10s. ’ The entries were Compton, Winter, Walsh, Simpson, Kidd, Hums, M Leod, Lindsay, and Smith. First honors were Gained by Compton, second by Burns. Standing High Jump— Mon boys j Ist prize, LI ; 2nd, 10s. ■ This event was won by Organ 1, Mors head 2, fiom three others. Handicap Flat Race, 100 yards Prize,

LI. The entries and handicaps for this race were as follow :— Organ, Stewart, Guy, and ©lighten at scratch ; M'Farlane, lyd, { Morshead and Robertson, 2yds. ; Comp ton and Risely, 3\ds. ; Gilmour, syds.;

The start was a fair one, and the race was closej-the handicap giving the difference. The result was—Gilmour, J. ; M'Farlane, 2 ; Morshead, 3. Gband Handicap Flat Races—Men, 200 yards, 300 yards, 440 yards, Ist prize, L 6 ; 2nd, L 3 ; 3rd, LI. Of these only the 200yds. heat was run, and Gilmour got first position, Simpson second, Organ third. ;The handicapping for this event was as follows

T. Organ, 200 yards, scratch ; 300 yards, scratch ; 440 yards, scratch. C. Risely, 200 yards, 3 yards ; 300 yards, 3 yards ; 440 yards, 5 yards. W. J. Robertson, 200 yards, 3 yards ; 300 yards, 3 yards ; 440 yards, 5 yards. T. M'Douall, 200 yaids, scratch; 300 yards, scratch; 440 yards, 3 yards. S. Simpson, Stewart, and Campbell each, 200 yds, scratch ; 300 yds, scratch; 440 yards, 3 yards. R. Anderson, 200 yards, 8 yards ; 300 yards, 10 yards ; 440 yards, 16 yards D. Gilmour, 200 yards, Iff yards; 300 yards, 12 yards ; 440 yards, 20 yards. Vaulting with Pole—Men ; Ist. prize, L2 ; 2nd, LI. In this competition we were glad to see one or two old faces, and to welcome some new one. To the front came our old friend Harry Fowler, of Chatmoss, who has held whatScotchmeu would call asort of ‘‘ daur ” over all coiners, for a season or two, and notwithstanding that the others showed good form, and threatened to come well up to him, he still held his ground by three inches over the next best man, Morshead, who cleared Bft. to Harry’s Bft. Sin. Johnny Hunt was in the field as usual, lithe, active, and popular as ever, and he was joined this year by as tight a little piece of vaulting form as we have seen at the pole-and-uprights for many a a day, in the person of young Hodder. He was out of practice, and not in the best physical condition possible, but his style of vaulting is remarkably good, and very graceful j and if he should think of taking a systematic turn or two against New Year’s day, we would not be surprised to see him appear to better advantage at Winslow. The prizes were apportioned thus ;—H. Fowler, 1; Moreshead, 2. Vaulting with Pole Boys under

16 years ; Ist prize, LI ; 2nd, 10a. Five boys entered for this competition, and showed some very promising vaulting. Their names were Price, Smith, Per main, Mitch oil, and Hodder. After a long trial of skill, in which the little crowd kept gamely up to each other, Price ftnd Smith found the sticking point, the former at Oft. jin., and the latter at f)ft Uin. There was perhaps as much interest taken in this contest as in any on the ground. Porting the Stone—lolb. \ Ist prize, L2 i 2nd, LI. For”this event, another relic of old Scotland, there weru eight entries, and should have been nm« if Constable Maroney had looked better after his own interests, and not been too late m putting in an appearance. As it was he putted with the rest, and was well up, but not being in fhp list his work did not count. The bullet used for a “stone" weighed 161bs, and after all had thrown their best, the following stood out for prizes;—l, Quinliven, 34ft. Sin.; 2, Mat, fjtjtt, 38ft. gin- ; 3, W. Furneau, 32ft. 3in, The Other computers were Cameron, Wright, Roderick M‘Ru.e, 'f, M'Dowal, and Leadly, Tilting in the R^ng— Prize, L 5. Nine horsemen put in for this bout, arid after some good displays of activity and keenness of eye, the prize was carried off by Mr. John Smith, whose splendid horsemanship was much admired. He lifted si* rings with his three tries. For some time the result appeared to be between Mr. George Kidd, Mr, IVjgekle john, and Mr. Hay T. Smith, jua, MriSW— Bagpipes, Pibrochs; Ist prize, L 5 j gnd, L2 10s. Marches, and Strathspeys, lstpri.zo,Ls;2nd, L2los. For this conjtpst the four pipers on the ground entered, and for fully half-aa-hoi)r they “ Raired frae every chanter, Hurrcanes o’ Highland reels. ” In Pibrochs, Pipe Major Murdock Elder, of the 105th Glasgow Highland Regiment, carried off the first prize, being the only prize the number of entries warranted. The marches and strathspeys contest was gained by Elder 1, and Forbes 3. During the afternoon, though the dancing events were held over till to-day, Pipe-Major Elder struck up a strathspey or two, and to his strains Messrs Murray, Odder, M‘Rae, and Campbell danced with great 11 virr” several foursome reels, Mr. Campbell taking the boards as keenly as he did thirty years ago. A large number of the host eyeiit# are still to be decided, and to-day the sports will be continued, until the programme has been exhausted. Confectioners’ booths were kept on the ground by Mr. W. T. Davison and Mr. lavft'm, white Mr, M- Scott sold liquor. • The brass band played selections at suitable interval* during the day.

DISGRACEFUL OUTRAGE.

(From last night’s Globe.)

One of the most disgraceful outrages that has ev«r taken place in Canterbury occurred this morning shortly after 9.30, in Manchester street. The Protestant Alliance Friendly Society was matching in procession down Manchester street eh route for Prebbleton, where they intended to hold a picnic, when they were savagely and brutally assaulted by a number of men, who sallied forth from Barrett’s Borough Hotel, and commenced striking indiscriminately with S- bunfbgi' of pick staves. Some of the assailants came from the right-of-way close to the hotel, others dropped from the windows, and indeed the whole affair seemed to be a precon certed movement. The people in the pro cession, quite unprepared for such a savam* and by u till onslaught, broke and scattered in every direction, the assailants using their weapons right and left, and, tearing a banner from the beaters, bore it to the back of the hotel. A number of men were more or less wounded about the head, and four very seriously, viz. : Joseph Harden, severe scalp wound; Alexander Huston, contused wound on eay and f#peJ Archibald Armstrong, severe scalp wound and compound fracture of the »rm > Black, three severs puts on head; Thomas Anderson, severe scalp wounds. The four first were removed to the Hospital ; Black, after having his wounds dressed, was removed to his home, whore he was attended by his own medical adviser. Mr. Anderson, who is very severely wounded, was also taken to his own home, where he now lies,

The police have taken from the pre mises of the Borough Hotel a large num ber of pick handles, which are in use on the tramway works. It is understood that, in view of future repetitions of the fracas of this morning, the Governor has been telegraphed to to exercise his right to close the house, at least for the pre sent. The police, under Mr. Superirten dent Broham, were early on the spot, though reduced in numbers, owing to the bulk of the force having been telegraphed for to Timaru, in view of probable dis turbances there, which has since turned out to be a correct anticipation. Those who had been severely-hurt were removed to the Hospital, where, under the charge of Mr. Pridgeon, they are progressing favorably. The greatest excitement pre vails in the city, and the street opposite the Borough Hotel is crowded with people. The police up to 2p m. had made four arrests of persons alleged to have been implicated in the outrage, but it is expected that before night a number more will be made. The citizenfeeling insecure with only so small a body of police in Christchurch, were mooting during the day the advisableness of the Mayor swearing in a number of special constables, so that the public peace might be preserved. His Worship has, we believe, expressed himself as willing to at once call on the citizens to aid him and the police authorities in the preserva tion of law and order. That such a dis graceful and cowardly outrage should ever be perpetrated on an inoffensive body of citizens certainly shows the necessity for the peaceably disposed citizens to band themselves together and stamp out such a state of things as occurred this morning. His Worship the Mayor, in view of a probable affray this evening, called a meeting of the principal citizens at 3 p.m. at the City Chambers, when about 200 were sworn in as special constables.

CORRESPONDENCE.

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.

MR. HARDLEY’S TUBE WELL.

To the Editor.

Sm, —We, the undersigned members of the Committee of the Ashburton Fire Brigade, hereby deny the statements made in a local embodying a letter to the editor, in the “ Herald}’ of the 22nd inst. The tube well sunk by Mr. Hardley in Have lock street is absolutely useless for fire prevention purposes, and the Brigade will only be too willing to adopt the writer’s suggestion, and have a Committee of the Borough Council to inspect it; and the Brigade will give ivery assistance to test it. They will only feel too happy if the well in dispute will supply the engine with sufficient water.—We are, &c. Geokge Babkin, James Bhadlev, F. A. Saegeant, Jame 3 Wilkie. J, M. CaMBBiWB, Ho?h Sec.

A Telephonic Exchange.

There seems no reason to doubt,” the “ PailMaJJ Gazette ” says, “ that London will shortly be supplied with a telephonic exchange, and that peo.pl© grill be able to communicate with each other by their voices ©a pajsily over a distance of some miles as if they were h> flip same room. A subscriber who has a yire, with © receiver and a transmitter in bis house signifies his wish to the central office to b,e put in communication with another subscriber. Immediately the two wires are connected, and a conversation can be carried on with out tj|o slightest difficulty. A complete exhibition of the apparatus was given the other day, and the convepisne© which the invention will be to men of business w& a made abundantly clear. Directions could be given without the slightest possibility pf firmy, and the tones of the voice were conveyed yith .complete accuracy. Many a mail who would riot b.e troubled to work or watch an ordinary telegraph apparatus, will at once make use of the telphone for the ordinary purpose of his daily business. Still more remarkable, howe* et, than the communication thus established was the experiment made with n telephone upon a meclmPfiCid type-setter. By means of speaking through thg telephone a complete series of sentences Mp }h type >“ a composing stick. The only drawback to the telephone exshang© itself appears to be that we are threatened with a bomber more wires running from house to house. These are dangerous, not so much to the householders as to passers-by ; and Although the Dean and chapter of St. Paul’s have, it spanis, made no objection to the ng© of the cathedral as a station, pome steps ought to be taken to see that the wires are securely fastened.

The Civil Lists of Europe.

In England (says the “ San Francisco Bulletin”) the ciyil Usfc has been subject to considerable vicissitudes. The first sovereign of the House of Brunswick got as much as a million a year. George TV. found no difficulty in getting through the L 900,000 a year that Parliament allowed him, which was still farther reduced for the “Sailor King.” Queen Victoria’s (is( js fixed by the statute of 1837 at L'185,000 per annum. In impecunious countries the sovereign hfts tft Put hl s coat according to his cloth. Thus, the liigsdag only allows the King of Denmark about L 55.000 a year, and the King of the Netherlands gets about the same amount. King Luis, of Portugal has L 32.000 a year to spend, while the Spanish Cortes, by* an Act of June, 187 C, made Alfonso XII. an allowance pf 7,000,000 pesetas, or L280,C00 a year—a rather hcitry drain on a country that has. nearly run dry, The Emperor William, with his excessively simple tastes and bourgeois habits, must find it impossible to get through the more than 4,000,000 thalers of his civil list, especially as he enjoys the income as well of a considerable landed property 5 whU§ the L 616,904 a year which tire Italians pay King Humbert for the luxury of poa? seauing one king over one kingdom is a good deal to take from them when we consider iheir present circumstances and how their debit and credit account stands.

SIR GEORGE’S “BASTARD ARISTO CRACY.

(From the Dunedin Morning flemld.

Sir George Grey has, so far, failed to abolish the “ bastard aristocracy ” against which he ranted so furiously about a year ago. In his celebrated Thames speech he said that the grant of the title or style of ‘ ‘ honorable ” to our retired judges was one of the burning questions that would have to be dealt with by the country. But the country has refused to give it the very least consideration. It has received Sir George Grey’s proposals both on this, subject and on the subject of an elective Governor with what is called silent con tempt. It appears to be perfectly satisfied with the Governors appointed by the Crown, and it certainly has no wish to deprive the Judges of their honorary distinction when they happen to retire from the bench. To call the permission to retain such an uninvidious, and (for the purposes of justice) almost necessary title, the creation of an aristocracy, is simply absurd. The Judgesof the Supreme Court possess the title ex officio, and few will deny that the dispensers of justice ought, in the inferest of the public, to be held in the highest respect, and protected as far as possible in the popular regard from that familiarity which is said to breed contempt. But if they are allowed to retire after a certain term of service, and before they are completely worn ou' with their arduous duties, it is surely not only fit and proper, but also highly expe dient, that they should carry the outward mark of respect they had enjoyed into the retirement which they have so well merited. There is no more venerable character than that of a judge, and it is plain that the deprivation of his simple and honorable title when bo returns to the condition of a private citizen would tend to lessen the veneration with which that character ought to bo regarded. Such a so-called aristocracy, moreover, as that which Sir George Grey tried—but without effect —to render contemptible by the base epithet he applied to it, would have a very wholesome effect on our colonial society. In a young democratic country there is little or nothing to look up to —little or nothing at least that deserves to be looked up to. But men, as Mi. Carlyle says, will worship. If tl)oy c|o not find worthy objects of their reverence, they will bestow it on objects that are unworthy, and the tendency in all our colonies, and, for that matter, all over the world, is to worship mere vulgar wealth.

Hydrophobia Cured by Force of Will.

The following interesting particulars of thp influence of the mind on the body are fiirnished in a late issue of the ,f Cornhill Magazine” : —“ Andrew Cross, the elec trician, had been bitten severely by a cat, which on the same day (lied from hydro* phobia, He soerns resolutely to have dis missed from his mind any fears which must naturally have been suggested by these circumstances. Had he yielded to them, as most men would, he might not improbably have succumbed within a few days or weeks to an attack of mind created hydrophobia—so to describe the fatal ailment which ere now has been known to kill persons who had been bitten by animals perfectly free from rabies. Three months passed, du ing which Cross enjoyed his usual health. At the end of that time, however, he felt one morning a severe pain in his arm, accompanied by a severe thirst. He oallgd for water, but ' at'the insiaift,’ he say§,' .‘that' f was about' to raise the tumbler to ipy Hps, a strong spasm shot across my throat j immediately sh? ttn*- rlbW copvlcthm bam© t° iny nirn'T thati was about to fall a victim to hydrophobia, the conssquence of the bite that I had re ceiveu fro nl the cat. The agony of rniud I endured for one liouf ? B indescribable j the contemplation of such a horrible death death from 1 hydropli.obia—-was almost in supportable ; the torments of hell jtsglf could not have surpassed what I suffered. The pain, which had first commenced in my hand, passed up to the elbow, and front thence to the shoulder, threatening to ex tend- t felt alj. human aid was useless, and J believed that J ?n u St cliel A| length I began to reflect upon my e<m dition. I said to myself, ‘ Bithei' I must die or I shall not; if I do, it will only be a similar fato which many have suffered, and many more must suffer, and I must begr it like a man ; if, on the other hand, there i§ apy hope pf my life, my only chance is ni summoning : up my utmost resolution, the attack, and exerting every eftbpt of my mind,’ Ac* cordingiy, feeling that physical as well as mental exertion was necessary, 1 took my gun, shouldred it, and went out for the purpose of shooting, my arm aching the while intolerably. I met with no sport, buff walked flie whple afternoon, exert ing at ©very step I wept a strong mental effort against the disease, When I re turned to the house d was decidedly better ; I was able to eat some dinner, and drank water as usual. The next morning ray aching pain had gone down to my elbow, the following it went down tp my wrist, and the third day left me altogether. I nmbtjoned the circum stance to Dr. Hmglake, and he ggid he certainly considered I had had an attack of hydrophobia, which would possibly have proved fatal had I not struggled against it by a strong effort of mind.”

fSATURPAyV December if, >§?s..

4

THE -ASHBURTON GUARDIAN



■ A SXOBBISH INSPEC TOR. —So obnoxious has t’is inspector of sleepers in the Manawa*u made himse'f (says the “ Advocate ”) by unneces*a.y stringency in compelling ahherence to trfling detai's, that an imner of those whrtende e 1 for the contracts adverti-ed by the Public Works Department made an express stipulation that the sleepers , were not to be passed by this official. THEPt-siNfiDtFFicin.TY.— The "Taranaki !lerali”of Fr day last gives currency to tie following 3—" We were shown a private lettei *v> o Hawera this mornings wherein the writer iavs-'The Major wired to me just now to tic effect thvt a move would be made im ihed r.tv’v i * *ne settlement of the Plains, and t.iat they would not wait for the report of the Commission before doing anything.



The Ecclesiastical Scjiew.—The Belgian bishops have resolved to exclude from the sacraments teachers who remain in the communal schools under their new basis, and one of the latter has already been refused marriage in church.



A Centenary. —Arrangeraentsare being rajuJo fop flelpbrafing t]je centenary of the Lite iter. Dr, Chalmers, which occurs in March next, in Edinburgh. Various sug gestions as to the shape which the celebra tion should take have been made, such as the erection of a memorial church, the founding of Chalmers bursaries and some charitable institution. The movement promises to be a most successful one. A New Application.—A correspondent of a scientific contemporary claims to have discovered a new application for magnetic electricity, by which the mind of a patient has acquired the power of apparently re leasing itself of the trammels of matter, and of transporting itself to places distant from thp body, which remains in a condi tion of repose, resembling the effect pro duced by ansesthetics. Whilst under this electric influence (the manner of which is not disclosed) the mind can be directed to any spot or scene, and is susceptible of the same impressions, and conditions as would be experienced in the person and patient himself. Scenes thus visited and im pressions thus received arc not only quite accurate, but the patient when released from the electric influence, is said to retain a perfect remembrance of information so acquired.



Business Notices. RAKAIA ANNOUNCEMENT. G. A. VINCENT, PRACTICAL PAINTER, GLAZIER,, PAPE RHANGER, &c., Near Bank ' New Zealand, RAKAIA, BEGS to announce that he has com m enced Business in Rakaia, and all orders entrusted to him will receive prompt attention. ■ 294 PROMISSORY Note Forms, in Books of 25, unstamped, for sale .at the. Herald Office. Price 25., 6d. each.' . .. . - Q HAR LE S REI D, ASHBURTON SHOEING FQRGE, Comer of East and Dodson streets. A large' and varied experience in the 1 manufacture and repair of Agricultural , Implements and Machinery, warrants I R. in guaranteeing sound and satis- \ factory material and workmanship. Horses safely and scientifically shod' on the spot. 252 DIARIES ! DIARIES ! ! DIARIES ! p. yyE have just received a splendid assortment of LETTS’ DIARIES for 1830, an inspection of whichfjs invited.. , OFFICE DIARIES, POCKET DIARIES, SCRIBBLING DIARIES, DIARIES of every description WEEKS & DI3C ON , “ Herald ” and “ Guardian ” Offices, Near the Railway Station. JUST ARRIVED. PAPER BAGS, PAPER BAGS. r( ONFECT lONERS, Fruiterers, i Grocers, Drapers, Seedsmen, Ac., can be supplied with Paper Bags, all sizes, and Printed or Plain. WEEKS AND DIXON, General Prudes, East rtreet North. IF'OIRI.SSO. rpHE PRESS ALMANAC And Diary Can bo obtained from the undersigned. Price—One Shilling. WEEKS AND DIXON, : Herald Office, Near Railway' Station. JOHN 4 NDER SO N, ’ CANTERmHiY FOUNDRY, GHRISTCHUROHj gol§ Agent for the M‘SHERRY GRAIN DRILLS, Will have on sale for next season " assortment of these machines, varying from 10 to 17 hoes. Hoes, spring and peg, six to seven inches apart, Reapers and Binders by M‘oormick and Wood. Wire and:extras for same. All kinds of plough fittings, shares, Ac., lißPt 911 hand or cast at short notice. gtaijdapds H-©»millstpqes, grindstones", Hqur dressing silk, leather and indiafuliber belting and hose, reaper sections, machine o Is, held gates, horse shoes and nails, rivets, bolts, nuts, plate 1 and bar iron, stool, and every requisite for smiths’ work, all kinds of engine and boiler mountings, boiler and gas lubes, so., • ■ ' " Machinery of .e.verjr description made qn the most'modern principles and.dqsign. Estimates and drawings furnished oh application. Indents to Great Britain or America executed on favourable terms. Sole agent for Aveling and Porter, Rochester, England. G and 8-h.p. Trac tion Engines by them on sale. Sole agent fop Joim Wallace and Go., of London and Dundee, manufactures of Rolled Joists, Ac. Sizes, prices, and cata logues on application. 312 Ball programme cards in very neat styles, with . Pencils and Ribbons, printed at the Herald Office, East-street, near Railway Station. Drawing paper, aii sizes, just opened at ' WEEKS AND DIXON, East street. JF you want a CHEAP SUIT OF CLOTHES go to g. j. f. lublow, TAILORING DEPOT. Triangle, Ashburton, Between Post Office and Baldwin’s Central Hotel. G. J. F. Lublow, importing his own goods, is enabled thereby to make as Cheap a Suit of Clothes as any tailor ih New Zealand, and a First-class FIT is Guaranteed. Terms—Strictly Cash. 5 per cent. Discount off all Orders Paid IN ADVANCE, Bl3a



<VjMSIVU.C Business Notices. FRUIT, CONFECTIONERY; Air/itt ; • • ■ .. • ' ' ' rtf NOW OPEN. * ; ' F. FURN ESR ~; v BEGS to inform the public of.Aish burton that he has just opened,p. new sTooK ; ,;.,i'. ; ; :^; OF • ■ ■■■ -•■,, ■! FRUIT AND CONFEO^WEIKY - ) IN THE . . SHOP NEXT TO , HODHER &; &<). ’S, • Saunders’ ’ Nowv B^ikUpg#< v ■«, EAST. STREET, -ASHBURTM?.. Oranges, >.&!i Lemons, • • :&t\. Apples, c.j . Dates, . i-/ , Nuts, ■ .... ; Almonds, ’ . Confectionery, &c., &c., ,678 a SEALY BROS;, ’" NURSERYMEN AND^Ej|ns£|N, })EG to thank theirfrieilds and the > public of support accorded them* dating past live years, and to intimate thafr'thfey^ have opened; ! new business premises in- EaalT'Street near the Bank of Now they will be, prepared to J^rioal iural and Garden Seeds, bf/every.descrip tion. ; . . ./ SEALY BROS., V"; N U KSERYME N ANX)' S EgUSMEN, EAST STREET.; ,; ; L The facilities we possess . for ■ testing the quality of all Seeds offered by us. and our desire to extend this branch of our buax ness, will bp a sufficient guw%BfeßSswt all Seeds offered by us will be such as will give the utmost satisfaction. SEALY BROS.; THE ASHBURTON; NURSERY, BEACH ROAD, MOORE STREET. 306 a PUBLIC notice. ;; TRADESMEN and others -who.intend using |l|g AehhurtQn;Gaa.o(9i|ipany's Gas should give their orders at 'once have their premises fitted /with Gaa Fittings, to ensure no delay wh?R thaQaa is brought into the town. , -..; J. C. DOLMAN, v LICENSED GA. S F IT;T : E R, Plumber, Locksmith, Whitesmith, Bell hanger, Zinc and Tin-plate Worker, Hot and Cold Water TANCRED STREET, ~~ ASHBURTON. ■: N.B.—Artesian Wells sunk and Pumps fitted and repaired ; 0. G. Guttering fixed at Curre’it Rates. ■ 1 G >•-■ > Electric Bells supplied dnd fitted. Orders punctually attended to? in town and country. 812 w: T. DAVISON, ; f Greengrocer & fruiterer, Has on Sale— Goad Oranges Lemons . • Dates ; " Rhubarb, in any quantity , Cocoanuts Good Potatoes Onions Cahhagea...... . Turnips Garden Seeds r ' Thyme and Sago . All kinds of Herbs Orders delivered in any part of Ashburton. | WHOLE SALE AND RET AIL , ; (>■ EXT To’ fowler’s, grocer), TANCRED STREET, ASHBURTON. _■ ; 663» TEACHERS can obtain the MULTIr ' PLICATION TABLES, -printed on gummed paper, in any quantity at the Herald Office, East street, near the Railway Station. ■ CHRISTMAS CARDS—Tops and Pro sents. H M. JONES, Stationer, Baring Square. WANTED KNOWN, the season for transplanting is at hand, and we can supply, many thousands Cabbage. Cauliflower, Broccoli, Savoy, Brussel Sprouts, Celery, and other. Plants, for winter supply. 745 a SEALY BROS. V, B. mHE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN I (County Agricultural and Sporting Recorder) is a GAZETTE for all Notice# under The Debtors and Creditors Acts. October 6, 1879. w ANTED KNOWN—That the cheapo est and neatest CARDS may b# had at ■•he “ GUARDIAN OFFICE.” THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN. ADVERTISEMENTS received for the GUARDIAN up to' 9 p.m. at the scale charges, afterwards. at double rate# Rr insertion over the leader FARMERS. —Do not neglect to Read the Agricultural Papers appearing in the “Ashburton Guardian.” WASTE PAPER for Sale, 3d. per lb. at the Herald Office. Apply early. 5W