THE NEW MEMBERS OF PARLIA MENT.

■.(From the own correspondent of the Press.) ■ Wakatipu has changed its lymphatic, i ndulgent looking Manders for a nervous sharp, featured lawyer—Mr. Finn—who <-nnes to the fore in any legal discussion, and objects to being confined to,one speech on such occasions. But his learn ing has not extended to politics, and he does not cut a very bright figure in that arena, nor does ho appear ambitious to do so.

.The junior Whitaker, who represents Waipa,.is already nearly as bald headed ■as his father. He would evidently be more in his element if lie were in Op position, as he is not a member of the .peace society. He is bright and witty, i hojjgh not often forcible. His 'voice is not gixW, and he talks so rapidly that it lakes very sharp ears to catch what he says. . He is an ultra-radical in his views. There is no love lost between him and ' f iir Georg j Grey ; but, however much .- he hates the sins, he loveT-r|he sinner Tiheehan, with whom he was a- school fellow, and in the hottest tight he will never hie him hard. The member for Inverc rgill, Mr. Bain, "is both a thinker and a talker, .but has avoided as much as possible speaking in the House. I should take him to -be by ■ no means a strong partisan, and quite Able to res faults and merits on either side of the House, and a man whose good • opinion would be valuable. In many - respects ho is a contrast, and certainly a great improvement on his predecessor. ■ ’ I think there is no new member in the House who has puzzled all who sit ' in " judgment on him so much as the hon. member for Lyttelton He keeps his hat on, and whenever he can he keeps his pipe in his mouth, and there is a sort of knowing look about him that may or may not mean much. It is evident that the selectors, or rather the rejectors for Sir George Grey’s Election Committee, did not rate him highly when neither party struck him off their list as a dangerous opponent. But lie there showed a will of his own, and a spirit above flattery and influence that no one had calculated on, and in evorv vote he gives he appears as inuch ouided by principle, and as determined to keep out of anything unjustifiable as any ■member of the'House. Ho has spoken Very little, and will, evidently have suf . .. ficiont respect for his fellow members to what he is talking about before he 'begiim One colleagues on that election committee was Mr. Ireland, who succeeds Mr. Bastings for Waikaia. If he has anything in him it is exceedingly difficult to discover it. He often rises in the House, and looks as if he were speaking, but as he sits very near the speaker he literally obeys the Standing Orders, and addresses the chair—and the chair only. Those who-sit close to him overhear a little of it; and they say that the rest of the House does not lose much. His other European Colleague who was left on that committee is Mr. M'Cauglian. He looks more like au athelete than a 'legislator, and would evidently like to take a talking member under each arm, and lodge him in the lock- up -for. maunder of the session. He has only spoken once, and I that was in committee, so that he will compensate the colony in the course of time fov the undue share of ‘ ‘ Hansard which Ins predecessor (Dr. Hodgkinson) monopo lised. He roves about from seat to seat, and in three senses I think I may say that he has no abiding place in the House. Major Harris, who has supplanted Mr. Hobbs for one of the Franklin seats, does not look at all like a military man, being short with ample circumference, and has certainly not suffered any recent military hardships or privations. He has plenty of language, with a rather whining, though notdisagreeable, voice, and his sympathies do not extend far south. He is most liable to rise to his feet during the small hours of the morning, when his friend Hamlin is snoring loudly at his left hand. The cause is said to be that Hamlin has heard all his jokes and does not care to hear thejn again. Mr. McDonald, on whose behalf so many telegrams were sent by the late Government to tlm East Coast, is not a retiring or a quiet man in a general way, but in the House he deals more in ejacula-- tioiis than speeches', and his remarks on the .-peaches of other members is not often (Sompiiusmita:;; He is by no means a slave to his Torial duties. On Sir G-lVge Grey’s left hand sits the P.G.W/T* ■ °Mr, Speight, who is not by the ‘‘Learned Blacksmith,” ‘ Talking E ogine. Driver. ” He looks about thirty-fi veyears of .age, with a pale, beardless face, that often carries an expression that- makes one feel disposed to pronounce his name w,Trout the e, .Like his patron he is a great grievance monger, and can discover a bad motive for every possible proposal or action. His words flow as if he had swallowed a dictionary, but his voice is unpleasant and his manner insolent. He keeps himself very fairly informed of what is going on, and often jogs Sir G. Grey’s very defective memory. He is by no means, such a perpetual bore as some of his inferiors in ability and equals in education. On the other side of Sir George, as Ins right hand friend,, sits the celebrated John Lundon. He looks a little over fifty, of dark complexion, with a very handsome forehead, and very unhandsome mouth. He is a man of very great natural ability, witty and shrewd, who tries tft pass himself as an innocent sim pleton.- He will rise and speak inces sajitiy, but no one but a native Irishman coiild understand half of what he says. Bo far as I can judge, his speeches are quite in the tittle-tattle strain, as I can hear a constant repetition of . the words “He says, and so says I.” His general ■ object seems to be to obstruct business at the order of his chief. There was a great in the Hoij&s when li© informed the Speaker that lie never corrected his s’iceches in “ Hansard.” * But the arch obstructor of business, sometimes by order and at other times by choice, is one of the new members for Hokitika, Mr. Seddon, whose talk during his first session will have cost the country twenty thousand pounds, without estimat in'' the members time at a high rate or tire amount of business that be has nidde impossible. XX© is fijood. tempered dig ger, and a fine specimen of the purely san«uine temperament. At one time it looked as if he would make all business imporsibffi, and have the whole House to Inins elf, but at last he came to be satisfied J with abu.it six speeches a day, and took

some evident trouble to give the House fewer h’s than he began with.

Next to him as a time waster comes the new member for Christchurch. I don’t think he often spoke to order, but no subject eve.r came up upon which he did not feel that he could enlighten the House. Native difficulties, legal opinions intricate accounts, political economy, the defence of the colony, the honor of the Ministry, the rights of the Crown, or higher education, were all equally familiar to him, and were all treated of in his speeches in an equally instructive way. It never seemed to occur to him that there were other members in the House who could read and write. His manner is very patronising, and as you hear him you naturally look about to see where the small boys are that he is talking to. If you add Turnbull’s name to these three last named new members, you will have the,'four members who take up'more than half the time of the House without ever adding one atom to the know ledge,* he interest, or the amusement of its mem bers, or rendering the slightest service to the colony. They are the tear men who have made it a weariness to sit in the galleries, who have made it not art honor, but a disgrace to appear in “ Hansard,” who make a six months’ Parliament ' necessary to do two months’ work, who are reducing our Legislature from the highest to the lowest place in the Australian colonies, and who may fairly be charge with half the expenses of our Parliamentary go vernment.

Tf I have left the four silent new mem bers to the last you will see it is not be cause Ido not lespect them. On the con trary, after spending so much time in heaving illle talk as I have done, I wish their number was multiplied by twenty, and lofnnot help taking my hat off to them as;l meet them in the streets. They are Messrs. Hirst, Willis, Whyte, and Mason —representing Wallace, Rangitiki, Waikato; and the Hutt. I have po doubt that they are all wise men. Who else could have sat for three months in the midst of clamor and strife and come out of it without taking or giving scratch.

Population of Africa.

We cannot hope for many years yet to have anything like accurate statistics on the population of Africa. Several regions, the population of which is certainly great, wi'l probably long escape anything like a thorough examination. There are, for example, in the regions of the Great Lakes, countries quite as thickly peopled as many of the States of Europe. Stanley tells us of countries of relatively small ex tent, and which yet ’possess millions of inhabitants. When we shall have su - ceeded in making an approximate census of all the populations, we shall probably reach a figure considerably higher than the present estimate. Some authorities ac cord to Africa not more than one hundred millions of inhabitants ; others less still. German geographers suppose that Africa contains somewhat more than 200 millions of inhabitants; the latest English publi cations estimate the population at one hundred and eighty-six millions, which for an area of 11 i million square miles gives an average of 16 inhabitants per square mile, or a specific population 11£ rimes less than iliafc, qf. ~ France. Africa, which has 57 tiraesj. the" hrea of France, has probably scarcelymore than eight times the population. The suppression of the slave trade, and the influence of European civilsation, may lead to an in crease of population, very rapid and very great. It should be observed that the approximate figure of the specific popu lation, appliedto the whole of the African continent, wilhiot give a just idea of the compact character of the population of the interior. According to Behna the negro regions are by far the most populous parts of the continent. If the populations are sparse in the desert parts, they arc very dense in other regions. Thus, in the Soudan, the population is estimated at 80 millions, or about 53 per square mile ; the town of Bida, on the Niger, lias a population of 80,000 inhabi tants. The population of East Africa is estimated at about 30 millions, and that of Equatorial Africa at 40 millions. One of the latest authorities divides the popula tion of Africa as follows among the great families into which ethnologists have divided the peoples; Negroes, 130,000,000; Hamites, 20,000,000 > Saptus, 13,000,000; Fulahs, 8,000,000; Nubians, J,500,000 ; Hottentots, 50,000. This would give a total population of 172,550,000. These figures fti'# of course only approximate, and may hff mueh modified by new and more precise information, The Bantus, for example, Byho, according to F. M. Muller, form-fit least one quarter of the population of Africa, might be found to number 50 millions. These data ws take fpom a paper by M. A. Rabaud, in the “ Bulletin of the Marseilles Geographical Society. _____________

Temperature of the Human Body During Complete Rest in Bed.

An interesting series of observations relating to this subject has been recently described to the French Accademy by M. Boijnal, They were more than a thousand in number, extending over seven years, and were made at Nice, Millau (Aveyron), Paris, and Aix-les-Bains, on five persons, of ages varying from 12 to 66 years. Regard was had to climate, season, day, night, abstinence, digestion, age, and sex. The following are the principal results arrived at ;=~The variations of tempera ture cf the exterior »ir influence very ap preciably the heat of a person placed in an apartment, though the temperature of the latter has not varied (The action of the surrounding medium only modifies the peripheric temperature of the body.) In every season the minimum of (rectal) temperature is observed between midnight and 3 a,m. At Nice, in winter, it is rarely under 36'3 deg, 0.; in Paris sometimes 36 'OS deg, Inmimmer, after several days high temperjjgSrc, the minimum if gener ally 36-4 temperature is not so marked if one is seated reading or writing, instead of lying in bed. From 3 a.m. the temperature rises constantly till 9 a.m,, when it reaches, e.g., 36'9 deg, in Winter, and 36 9 deg. to 37 - 35 deg. in summer, In every season the maximum is generally found to occur between 2 and 4 p.m., but in summer, when the atmospheric temperature has been very high for-one or two weeks, the the maximum may be delayed till 8 p.m. In winter, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the varia tions of temperature do not exceed three or four-tenths of a degree centigrade ; in summer they may reach six-tenths. At 9

p.m. the temperature is generally 34 - 7 deg. or 36 - 9 deg. in winter and 37, deg. or 37.5 deg. in summer. From 9p. m. the temperature sinks gradually to the mini mum, but sometimes about midnight the descent is very rapid. Sleep or waking, abstinence or digestion, age or sex, do not modify the course of the temperature, provided the body be kept at perfect rest. These facts should prove useful the physician and physiologist.

Mr. Archibald Forbes On The Lash.

In the new number of the “ Nineteenth Century,”. Mr, Archibald Forbes de nounces what he calls the factious conduct of the “obstructionists, humanitarians, claptrapists, and what not, whose per sistent and unpatriotic opposition to the flogging clauses of the Army Discipline Bill has produced an Act that can have no other effect than to diminish the efficiency of the British army.” Some of the arguments of the opponents of corporal punishment ho meets with opposite instances. For instance, with reference to the contention that the con sciousness of a liability to be flogged does not act as a deterrent, Mr. Forbes re luctantly adduces his own experience : “ Twenty years ago I enlisted in a cavalry regiment. Young, full of spirits and vigour, not destitute of money, and having no experience cf discipline, it must be said that not in every respect was I a model soldier. For offences of light heartedness I was somewhat scandalously often in trouble. At length, for an escapade on the line of march from Liverpool to Sheffield, I was tried by a regimental court-martial, and underwent twenty-eight days’ imprisonment, on the moat strictly farinaceous food, in the Sheffield ‘ garrison provost. ’ Emerging from confinement with a head shorn so bare that it resembled an affable turnip, rny light-heatedness was not long in re asserting itself. Brought as a prisoner before my commanding officer, I stood at attention in the ordeily-room before him, when he asked me the question, ‘Do you know, sir, that you are now a second-class man ?’ I had not studied those niceties of military grades, and failing to see the drift of the question I simply replied ‘No, sir.’ The manner in which he pursued the subject was not wholly agreeable. ‘ Well,’ said he, ‘ you are and as such liable to be flogged ; and, by God, the next time you come before me I’ll flog you !’ I did not want any more of that topic. He never saw me again as a prisoner, and when I left the regiment it was with a good character. I simply adduce this personal example to demon strate how effectual a deterrent from military crime it is to be brought in this unpleasant manner face to face, as it were, with the lash. It has always struck me as very strange and unsatisfactory that the men who in the nature of things have the most direct knowledge of, and interest in, this matter have never been asked their opinions in respect to it. Members of of Parliament, publicists political and sentimental, humanitarians, officers of position—Mr. Gladstone referred to the views of the younger officers of the army —stump-orators, and gushers of all kinds, all express their views on it with more or less vehemence, and claim authority. But it is not these varieties of the human family, but the men in the ranks, who are liable to the infliction of the lash ; and it might not be inappropriate to ascertain their sentiments with regard to this time honoured institution. I cannot claim to be a spokesman for this new and youthful short-service army of which Lord Card well has been the creator ; but an ex perience of some duration in the ranks, before the reconstruction of the service took evil effect, may entitle me to speak with some authority in this behalf. It may be remarked that there has been no such change in the relations of soldiers to soldiers, and to the laws which govern them, as to foster the notion that any material alteration should have occurred in the sentiments of the private soldier since the ill-starred revolution in question occurred. But I will not go beyond my own personal knowledge : and I unhesita tingly aver that, when I served in the ranks, the private soldiers —my comrades —were in the mass favourable to the maintenance of flogging.” Mr. Forbes argues in support of his con clusions by narrating the following episode in connection with the advance upon XJlundi

“ On the night but one before the ad vance on Ulundi, while the force lay in laager on the right bank of the White Umfolosi, there was a discreditable scare. To what occurred elsewhere I will not advert ; but it happened that the rear rank of an outlying picquet furnished by OBe of tfla regiments of the Flying Column ! bolted into the Imager, abandoning its front rank, which stood firm with their officer. Wood quietly flogged the whole half-dozen of weak-nerved youngsters. Not quite happy between the shoulders, probably, they nevertheless went back to duty, and the next day but one they had th§ opportunity of vindicating their man liness in the ranks of their gallant regi ment as it bore its full share in the victorious combat of Ulundi. What other punishment than the lash could have been so compactly efficient in this instance ? The lads did not quite deserve to be shot. They would have been blighted for all time had they been kept ignominiously as ppisquers within the laager when their regiment w as adding to its laurels in the field of honor, VYo could spare that day no fighting men to the guard-tont, either as prisoners or custodians. But the offence could not have been passed over, for it was a very grave one. So it was dealt with sharply, swiftly, and sufficiently by a punishment that exactly met the case, and by tlie only punishment that would have done so. An officer, whose nap)a I can give, heard some men of the regiment muttering among themselves that ‘for once the general had made a mistake.’ He took the trouble to ask them in what. Why, sh’,’ was the reply, ‘ in not letting the chaps have the full fifty to which they were sentenced!’ Wood bad commuted the sentence by one half. In a campaign, believe me that the fear of the lash is the beginning of wisdom, Jt is bad enough to make efficient war as it is ; what with scruples about compelling selfish, huckstering colonials t > make some sacrifices towards contributing to their own protection { wfuit with howls at home because a casual wounded savage is not furnished with a water-bed and spliuU o{ the newest pattern ; what with the nn- i worthy disposition of Government to sub- ■ ordinate the question of military capacity to personal preelection or pre

ference ; what with the nervousness that must afflict a chief in the held hy reason of the knowledge that he is the Victim of impertinent interpellations at home, which a flaccid Ministry shrink from boldly squelching. But f>v harder would it tie to make, war—ay..-, Iv. ill say tin*. wuh our present hnmau figitt.ng ..i.o.ii:,'. it would be impossible to make ’.var • -:l *.*• course to corporal punishment were for bidden. And in iriaking this assertion I am perfectly confident I base with, me the army, from the commander-in-chief to the drummer-boy. ” ■

Eating His Words.

{From the AVw York IVorld. .)

In Moscow city a goodly-sized book was published, which contained stinging sarcasms aimed at the venality of the officials, with many satirical and humor ous allusions to bribe-taking and other iniquities. Even the Czar himself was handled without gloves, ins acts were fearlessly denounced, and a powerful argument was adduced in behalf of the rights of his subjects. The maladminis tration of the law was set forth in strong plain language. The book at tracted general notice, 5 but this was bad for the author. ’Ho was arrested and thrown into prison:. After a short and smprnary trial his production was pronounced a libel, and he was con demned to “eat his own words” or suffer the punishment of the knout. This terrible instruriient of torture is in the shapes of a long whip or scourge, and is composed of many tough thongs of thick, hard skin plaited together, and in terwoven with strands of stout wire. The criminal is stripped, and is firmly bound to two stakes, which are sufficiently far apart to allow of the free motion of the head. The blows are laid upon the bare back, every stroke cutting like a knife, and soon the victim of the scourge is a shapeless mass of blood and flesh. One hundred blows are equivalent to a death sentence. This was the alternative for the unhappy author. The day fixed for carrying the sentence of the Court into execution arrived. A platform was erected in one of the public squares of the city. Bound hand and foot, the victim of despotic power was seated in the' centre of the platform An immense! concourse of people had gathered to witness the strange spectacle. The Imperial Provost, the magistrate, the physician and the surgeon of the Czar were in attendance. The obnoxious book had been separated from the bindings, and as an act of grace the margin had been cut off. The leaves were then rolled up, not unlike cigar lighten!. And there was a basketful. Now the meal began. Amid roars of laughter from the ignorant and degraded populace, the Provost served the author leaf by leaf with his own production, putting the rolls of paper one by one into his mouth. He slowly chewed and swallowed one third of his book when the medical gentleman concluded he had re ceived as much of the unnutricious ma terial as was compatible with safety. He was then recondueted to his cell to digest his meal. The two following days the same scene was enacted, until every leaf was swallowed, and as a matter of fact he was compelled to literally eat his own fun.

Rival Liars.

(From the Boston Transcript.)

It is no use for an eastern man to try to toll a big story when there is a western man about.

“ When I was a young man,” said Colonel 8., “we lived in Illinois. The farm had been well wooded, and the stumps wore pretty thick. But we put the coni iu among them, and managed to raise a fair crop. The next season I did my share of the ploughing. We had a ‘ sulky’ plough, and I sat in the seat and managed the horses, four as handsome bays as ever a man drew rein over. One day I found a stump right in my way, I hated to back out, so I just said a word to the team, and, if you’d believe it, they just walked that plough right through that stump as though it had been cheese.”

Not a soul expressed surprise. But Major S., who had been a quiet listener, remarked quietly ; “It's curious, but I had a similar ex perience myself once. My mother always made our clothes in those days, as well as the cloth they were made of. The old lady was awful proud of her homespun— said it was the strongest cloth in the State. One day I had just ploughed through a white oak stump in the way you speak of, colonel. But it was a little too quick for me : it came together before I was out of the way, and nipped the seat of my trousers. I felt mean, I can tell you, but I put the string on the ponies, and, if you’ll believe it, they just snaked that stump out, roots and all. Something had to give, you know,”

Passage of Storms across the North Atlantic.

From the London Times.

With the aid of a complete series of Hofftpeyer’s (daily) charts for two years (1874-5), Professor Loomis, of Yale Col lege, has lately made a careful examina tion of Atlantic storms (American Journal of Science and Art.) He finds that in one year there are on an average only eighteen different storms, which can be traced by means of those charts from the coasts of the United States across the Atlantic, pearly all these storms pursued a course north' of east, and passed, considerably to the north of Scotland. In only four cases out of 3G did the low centre cross the Paris meridian in a latitude as low as the northern boundary of England. Since the storm centres generally passed 800 miles north of London, most of them did not exhibit nine!} violence on the English coast. Professor Loomis concludes that when a centre of low pressure (below 99.5 inches) leaves the coasts of the United States, the probability that it will pass over any part of England is only one in njne ; the probability that it will give rise to a gale anywhere near the English coast is only ope in ; and the probability that it will cause a very fresh breeze is one in two, A potable point connected with Atlantic storms is their slow rate of pro gress. This is due partly to the erratic course of the centre of low area, partly to the frequent blending of two low areas int.q one, so that the eastern centre seems to be pushed backwards towards the west. Storms are also often held nearly sta tionary in position from day to day by reason of'the abundant warm vapour

rising from the Gu’f Stream, close by the cold air from the neighboring coast of North, Amenca. Thus, when American storms are predicted to appear on the European coast, and it is assumed that they will cross the ocean at the same rate as they have crossed the 'Juiced Stares, such predictions are seldom verified. About half of the thirty-six storms traced across the Atlantic in those two years seem to have originated in the region of the Kooky Mountains, and four can be distinctly traced to the Pacific coast, the others originating from regions to the east. Professor Loomis’ observations on West Indian cyclones seem to prove that those phenomena, however violent in the tropics, expand and lose much of their violence when they reach the middle latitudes, and after a few days are usually merged in some of the larger depressions which generally prevail in some part of the North Atlantic.

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT

ASHBURTON— Tuesday, Dec. 30

(Before Mr. F. Guinness, R. M.) POLICE CASES. BREACH OF RAILWAY RECKTLATIOS3.

Police v. Harper.—The defendant was charged with crossing the Great South Railway line at a place otherwise than an authorised crossing. Patrick M £ Teague, ganger of plate layers, gave evidence. On the 12Ui inst. accused had led a horse across the line, between Kermode street and the bridge, and he had no right to cross the line at that place. By accused—The only damage done was knocking the embankment down. Fredk. Berry, platelayer, corroborated the former witness’s statement.

The defendant, on being sworn, said ho had been in the habit of tethering his horse on the west side of the line, and leading it across at Moore street, which he understood to be a legal crossing, and acknowledged that he bad since seen a notice cautioning trespasaei’s. The Magistrate inflicted a nominal fine of ss. and costs, cautioning defendant that

he was liable to a penalty of LlO for such an offence. A CASE POSTPONED. A case of Little v. Power was postponed for a fortnight to allow of service of sum mons EURIOUS DRIVING. Police v. Groves—Mr Harris for de fendant. Accused pleaded “ Not Guilty ” on a charge of a charge of furious driving in East street.

Thomas Quill deponed that on the 11th instant he saw defendant’s horse and trap going along East street fit a furious pace, and thought tne horse was running away. Defendant pulled up the horse about 30 yards past the hotel, and turned him round and commenced whipping him severely. When he came to my right-of way he still continued whipping. The horse was going at full speed wnilsfc de fendant was beating him. The pace was a dangerous one.

Geoi’ge Parkin, builder, deponed that he saw defendant driving the hoi se at a furious pace, and it was evidently beyond the control of the driver. He concluded at the time the horse had bolted, defendant tried to turn into the right-of-way, but could not pull him up until ho got 30 yai’ds past the hotel. As soon as he turned he whipped the horse and came into the right-of-way at a gallop. Mr. Quill, cross-examined by Mr. Harris —The lionse was going so fast when he passed me in East street that the driver could not stop him. He commenced whip ping as soon as he got the horse stopped, and the horse then went at a pace of 12 or 13 miles an hour, and went round to the back of the buildings. There is a dis tance of chains from my right-of-way to Peters’Street, and the horse was stopped at that street.

George Parkin, re-examined—l know the horse has been in,the habit of bolting. When he pulled up he was about three chains past the right-of-way, and he whipped him back at a gallop all the way. For the defence,

John Groves stated that about noon on the 11th the horse took fright at the hoardings near Hodder’s and bolted, and I pulled him up by Peters’ Street, and I trotted back to the right-of-way at about six miles an hour. I did not flog him. I went to the back door to deliver the bread, but was stopped by Mr. Quill from doing so. Cross-examined by Sergeant Pratt— Mr. Quill asked me to pull up in the right of-way. His Worship considered the charge proved, and would fine accused 20s and costs. CIVIL CASES. Saunders Bros. v. Jas. Logan—Claim L 54 18s. Mr. Purnell for defendant. S. Saunders, sworn—At the time this debt was contracted William and Edward Saunders were the members of the firm, and it now consists of Edward and Samuel Saunders. After argument, a nonsuit was granted with costs 21s. ADJOURNED CASE. Worner v. Pender.—John Worner, son of plaintiff proved the delivery of goods. Judgment for amount and costs. DISPUTED WAGES, Parkinson v. Little—Claim L 8 15s. Mr. Purnell for defendant. L 3 Is. 2d. paid into Court. Mrs. Little deponed that she had found the summons in a letter among the bottles in the bar of the hotel. She opened it that night and gave the summons to her husband next morning. To the Bench—lt may have been pos sible for my husband to have put the letter among the bottles. Plaintiff sworn—l object to the set-off as it is nearly all for drinks served over the bar, and I plead the Tippling Act. I acknowledge tobacco and other items charged cash, boots, &c. By Mr. Purnell—l kept a record of goods supplied to me, but have lost it. I was leading a horse for defendant, and lodging in the house at the time. I think my pleading the Act is a dirty action. I swear I never promised to pay for the score when we came to settle up. Did not neglect the horse I was leading. Little dismissed me for alleged neglect. When I left I did not make and claim. I would then have paid for the drinks. F. Welsman, sworn, gave evidence as to his experience with blood horses. Was a cook at Little’s, but was discharged from the hotel. For the defence, Win. Little produced his books, and de

ponecl that the drinks wore -supplied to plaintiff and the cook. Plaintiff lived in the house all the time, and was dismissed because h-Csometimcs sapped too long in Ashburton with the horse.

By Plaintiff—The horse b-. 3 travelled 50 miles a day, and is equal to it. I can prove that, you nsalectod the horse. I told, you you were loafing on me. I have. cautioned you about your treatment <f the horse.

Jlr. Purnell qi oted from the Tippling Act, to show that it did not apply to guests lodging in a licensed house. His Worship considered that a lodger or a servant could procure drinks, and that the Act under such circumstances would not apply. Judgment would there fore be for plaintiff for amount paid into Court without costs. OVERDUE KATES. Ashburton Borough Council v. Hodgson —Claim L2 for rates. Mr. Crisp for plaintiff. Mr. Harris for defendant Mr. Harris took several technical ob jections to the. summons, and a nonsuit was granted on the ground that the de scription in the bill, attached to the sum mons was insufficient.

Uniforms for Station Masters.

A correspondent in the “ Press ” writes pointing out the difficulty travellers meet when on.the railway in finding, out the station masters alonjjithe line, seeing that these ollicers have no uniform. The station-master is the most .important offi cer at the railway station, and often a pas senger requires to speak to him while en route. At intermediate stations not too much time is allowed for the transaction of business with the station-master, how ever important it may be, but is is usually sufficient for anything a traveller may re quire if a portion of it were not neces sarily lost in searching for the officer—not because he is out of the way or, absent from his post (that is not a charge to be frequently brought against any of these officers), but simply because he wears no distinguishing mark by which a traveller may single him out at a critical time from the common crowd of men who, wear the clothing of civilians. This is not the first complaint of the kind we have heard, and it is certainly worth the authorities’ con sideration. We have often seen' ladies with children put to great trouble and much anxiety caused to them,. through not being able to distinguish the station master from the crowds on the platforms, and but for aid rendered by fellow pas sengers, who were , untrarnelled with young children, much inconvenience would have resulted. -

4

tHE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

[Thursday, January .■.i,.;.TSsb,



New Hotel. —Mr. J. F. Butler’s new hotel, being now completed, will be opened to-morrow. We gave a full description of the house a few v eeks ago, and it is only necessary to state that no expense has been spared in completing all the internal and external fittings in a most elaborate manner. Bath rooms, electric bells, and all modern improvements have been pro vided in a manner to suit the most fasti dious. The house will be known as “ Butler’s Family Hotel, ” Police for Txmarit. —The railway station yesterday morning presented quite a military appearance ; for, independent of our customary blue-coated protectors of the peace, a contingent of 50 of the Armed. Constabulary passed through by the 10145 train on route for Timaru, to keep law and order there today. We imagine that the .arrival and parade of these, in addi tion to the force already there, will .halve a deterrent effect on anyattempt at rowdyism. It was found unnecessary to detain any of this force in Christchurch, the police there having been augmented by contingents from various country districts. . • Stone Throwing. —On Tuesday, as Mr, Bowen, a commercial traveller, was riding on the main road near the Spread; Eagle, a man picked up a few of the many boulders with which that road is metalled, and opened fire on the rider, who, after dodging several of the missiles, w'as glad to avail himself of his horse’s speed and escape. The police are inquiring for the assailant.



Arkelt. —Sergeant Pratt made' cap tive oh Tuesday, at Rakaia, a young man named Michael O’Leary, supposed to be one of the ringleaders of the riot-in Christchurch on Boxing Day. The Ser geant captured him in one of the tents, occupied by the workmen on the Rakaia ami Alford Forest railway, and brought Ins prisoner on to Ashburton last night, and forwarded him to Christchurch yester day m jrning. '



Business Notices. OPPOSITION THE SOUL OF TRADE. REDUCTION IN FARES. (T\ H. BREWER, in thanking the public Jl , of Ashburton, Longbeach, and Water ton, for their liberal supportin the past, begs to announce to his numerous customers and friends, that he intends running his Coach DAILY as usual; and he now in tends making considerable Reductions in the Fares. T. H. B. relies on the support of his hitherto numerous patrons to enable him to carry out the above motto. T. H. BREWER, Proprietor. 333 DIARIES ! DIARIES ! ! DIARIES ! ! have just received a splendid assortment of LETTS’ DIARIES for 1880, an inspection of which is invited. OFFICE DIARIES, POCKET DIARIES, SCRIBBLING DIARIES, DIARIES OF every description WEEKS & DIXON, “ Herald ” and “ Guardian ” Offices, Near the Railway Station. ARCHERY MATERIAL.—Bows from Ji l. ss. each. Airows from ss. doz. H j M. JONES, Stationer, Baring Square. C CHRISTMAS CARDS—Tops and Pro / sent?. H, M. JONES, Stationer Baring Square.



Business Notices. BUTCHERS, BAKERS, GENERAL. STOREKEEPERS, GRAIN AND SEED MERCHANTS, NORTON FARM, SEAFIELD. ' JONES AND CO., Norton Farm, - field, return thanks to their patrons' for the hearty- support accorded to, them since Norton Farm was opened as a Butchery* Bakery, and General Store, and solicit a continuance of past favors, assuring customers that their interest will always have first consideration at the hands of the advertisers.; ■ • Jones and Co. beg to inform their friends and the public in the Seafield, -land neighboring • districts, that their jßread Meat, and Store Carts travel the following routes on the days given below : i Seafield to Kyle, and Acton—Wednes days. ■ - Seafield to Wakanui Homestead, "Waka nui School, and Greek; back by Christie’s Road — Thursdays. . ; • ; :: ’ Seafield to North Seafield, Charing Cross; Dundas, Cambridge, returning by Pioneer Road—Fridays. -"p; In view of the Harvest, orders'for at tendance of the- Cart majr.be leftVa'fc the Store, Norton Farm, Seafield ; Wakanui School, with Mr. Ginney;; -with vMr. Lambie, at Kyle ; and with Mr, Brown, Clontarf blacksmith. •. r JONES AND CO-, NORTON"’ FARM, Seafield. Butchers, Bakers, General :• Store* • keepers, Grain and Seed Merchants. ‘ ARG E N TIS I v FOR THE ASHBURTON HERALD : GUARDIAN. 679 a ROYAL MAIL COACH. ASHBURTON TO LONGBEACH. < Great Reductions in Fares. * NEW ARRANGEMENTS, JANUARY Ist, 1880.' G| EORGE WILLCOCKS begs respect f fully to announce that he will com mence running the Royal Mail Coach, from January Ist, 1880, - between Ash burton, ! Tinwald, Wheatstone, Ashton, , Waterton, ; and Longbeach, carrying Pas sengers and Parcels at considerably .re duced rates. Having engaged an experi enced coachman, ;.thoroughly acquainted with the district, Abe public can rely on all orders for parcels receiving careful and prompt attention. ; Passengers will be . carried at prices within the means of everyone, and ■by so doing the proprietor'..trysts to receive a larger amount of patronage from theJTown and Country. ~**.£ -S'"' Booking Offices— Quill’s Commercial Hotel, for Parcels, at the “Guardi^ “ Herald ” Office, Ashburton ; afid Post Office, Longbeach. 826 a GEORGE WILCOGKS. CENTRAL TEMPERANCE HOTEL, Baring Square ; ~(Near Town Hall). RE-OPENING of the above commo dious and centrally situated Pri vate and Commercial Hotel. T. BROADBELT, PROPRIETOR, N Is prepared to give Superior Accommoda tion to Boarders and the Travelling Public REASONABLE TERMS. Weekly Board and Lodging . ... Weekly Board ... v ... ... £1 14s. MEALS AT ALL HOURS., Dinner on; Saturday.. from 11.30. Beds (single), Is. 6d. Private Room for Ladies. . 153—624 a 0. I. C. THE VICTORIAN LIVERY AND BAIT STABLES A R E OP B.N E D, TANCRED STREET,; ASHBURTON, Next St. Stephen’s Church, S. ST EE L BEGS to announce to the .public that he has taken the above Stables (late Bell’s Western Repository), which have been thoroughly renovated, and can now afford extensive accommodation for fanners and travellers. Good attendance guaranteed,' and mode rate charges. Saddle Horses and carriages oh hire. 11. c. 174 THE ASHE URI ON GUARDIAN in the Country are particularly requested to . communicate ..I ; with the Publishers if their papers are not properly addressed. The number of Sub» scribers has increased so rapidly that un less great care is taken in giving orders as to address and how to be sent, the paper* may be left at the wrong place. All orders will receive bur prompt attention, WEEKS AND DJXON, Proprietors. Octoberl3,l'B79. " • , .