SHIPPING.

STEAMERS LEAVE LYTTELTON AS UNDER. For Wellington —Hawea, This Day, Saturday, March 20. Passengers by 7.20 p. m train. To be followed by Waitaki, Tuesday, March 23. For" Napier, Gisborne. Tauranga and Auckland Hawea, This Day, Saturday March 20. Passengers by 7.20 p.m. train. To be followed by Rotorua, Friday, March 2G. , ; For Port Chalmers —Penguin, This Day, Saturday March 20. Passengers by 2.40 p.m. train. For Melbourne, via Bluff and Hobart Town— Tararua, Tuesday, March* 23. Passengers by 2‘40 train. To be followed by Te Anau, Tuesday, March 30. For Sydney Rotorua, on Friday, March 26. For Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau —Waitaki, Tuesday, March 23.

COMMERCIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH CORN EXCHANGE Friday, March 10. The following is the Christchurch Corn Exchange report for the week ending to day : No alteration in values has taken place during the week and the grain trade still con tinues in a very torpid state. Recent ad vices from England give the quotations of New Zealand wheat at 525. to 535. per quarter. The Continental and British yields are unprecedentedly low, but on the other hand immensely large stocks are held in America by speculators. The break-up of this ring is anticipated, which will lead to large arrivals from America. The market however appears to be steady. Wheat—Sales are being effected for good round milling quality, at 4s. per bushel, delivered in Christchurch. For exceptionally good quality, particular samples fit for seed, Id. to l-|d. per bushel over this quotation has been ob tvined. Chick wheat is not commanding the same as in preceeding weeks ; the quality, moreover, varies so much that from 2s. Cd. to 3s. 3d. may “be quoted as the value. Barley—Maintains its price. First class malting quality is by .no means plentisul, while second rate to inferior is in great abundance. For the first men tioned. as high as 4s. 2d. per bushel has been paid. Fair average quality will com mand 3s. Bd. to 3s. 9d. per bushel, while feed parcels range from 2s. 4d. to 2s. 9d. per bushel. Oats--No change is taking place in the value of this cereal, and the state of the market is precisely what it was three weeks ago. The extremely low prices ruling have stopped a large influx. Merchants are not eager to buy, while sellers are in the same mind as to selling. Quotations remain at Is. 4d. to Is. 6d. per bushel. Rye grass is still difficult to sell, and prices are nominal. Potatoes —There is a slightly better feeling in this tuber. Prices, however, are still low, with no immediate prospect of an advance. Sales are taking place at 30s. to 355. per ton, at country stations within 7 to 8 miles of Christchurch. Cheese and Butter—The former is coming to hand freely, and prices are hardly so good. This weeks quotations are 4|d. to sd. per lb. ; butter, 6-|-d. to 7d. per lb. [by telegraph.] Dunedin, March 19. Prime fat beef, 225. per lOOlbs. ; mut ton, l|d. ; wheat, 4s. to 4s. 6d. ; fowl’s wheat, 3s. to 3s. 3d. ; oats, Is. 4d. to Is. Bd. ; barley, 4s. to 4s. Gd. ; feed, 2s. 6d. to 3s. ; potatoes, L 3 to L 3 ss. ; old hay, L 4 ; new oaten hay, L 3 ss. ; chaff, L 3 10s. ; straw. L2 ; bran, L 4 ; pollard, L 5 ; Flour, large sacks, Lll to Lll 10s,; oat meal, LlO 10s. ; pearl barley, L 22 ; onions, 7s. ; new cheese, sd. to 6d ; bacon, rolled, lOd. ; hams, Is. Id. ; sides bacon, lid ; hams and bacon scarce.

MAIL NOTICES.

Mails closes at the Chief Post Offices for the following places (subject to the necessary alterations) as under : Saturday, March 20. For Otago, per Penguin. For Northern ports, per Hawea. Tuesday, Marclf-23; For Otago and Australian Colonies, per- Tararua, at 1.50 p.m. The next mail for the United Kingdom, via San Francisco, will be closed at Christ church on March * 27th, and will be due in London on May 11th. The next mail for the United Kingdqm via Brindisi, will be closed at Christ church on April 6th, and will be due in London on May 27th. SYDNEY J. DICK, Chief Postmaster.

BIRTH.

Denshire. —On March 18th, at Thetford Farm, Seafield, the wife of William B. Denshire, Esq., of a daughter. 202 c

The Ashburton Guardian. COUNTY AGRICULTURAL & SPORTING RECORDER SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1880.

The Philosophical Institute possesses a remarkably good president in Mr. Dobson, C.B. His address to his hearers at Christ church on the evening of the 18th inst., occupied some hours in delivery, and five and a quarter columns in the local “Times.” The subjects dilated on were various, and showed how versatile a genius the institute possessed in their chairman. All sorts of topics were touched upon, some of which the speaker was evidently well up in, and on others he showed that he only spoke from theory, and without that practical know ledge necessary to give an “ ex cathedra” opinion, as the President of so important and scientific a body as he addressed the other evening. His address was of so wide spread and voluminous a character that it is difficult to decide upon which subject to tackle him, for he commences with criticisims on the construction of railways, then suddenly floats into irriga tion, from that he goes into geodetic surveys, altitudes, barometic levels, road making, river conservation, sewerage,' street-tramways, Greek and Latin, Ulysses, Corfu, and gas-lighting, till onp gets bewildered at the amount of know ledge possessed by one single brain, for like Goldsmith’s schoolmaster, we are lost in awe and admiration. “ For still the wonder grew That one small head could carry all he knew.” The address is; .however, to be admired for the fearlessness with which he attacks all public works which have been carried out in a slovenly or unscientific manner, and Mr. Dobson, from his professional acquirements and extensive local know ledge, is perhaps one of the best authori ties in the colony on subjects connected with civil engineering in all its branches. He very properly condemns the alteration of the gauge of the railways in Canter bury, on the ground that the extra cost of maintenance more than absorbs the interest on the cost of construction of the wider and better line, and debars us from ever having the privilege of a high rate of speed. He is very severe on the system of road making as adopted by Road Boards in Canterbury. In another column we quote his remarks in full upon this subject, and we must say that to some extent they are deserved. _ There are roads in this county upon which the pub lic funds have been spent which are now far worse, as roads, than they were in the state Nature left them. The design of them was bad, the execution of the work execrable, the main object in view seem ing to be a desire on the part of the various Road Boards to spend their money in utterly useless works. There have been exceptions, and in some districts there are good roads to show for the money spent, but we cannot for one moment admit that the gravel banks and scoured-out ditches about some of the road districts deserve the name of raads. They are as Mr. Dobson says, “shunned by horsemen.” But we cannot endorse all his opinions on the matter of road making, he disapproves of the use of the plough and scoop to form a road, and says that it would be better to put the shingle on original surface ; there we must disagree j with him. The best roads we have are those which have been formed the width of the road, and coated with shin AB in the centre. There is then a good mer track, easy to travel, on each side om the road, and the centre shingled road foA winter use, and a good water table on each side ; whereas Mr. Dobson’s proposed road would have no proper slope for drainage, and the sides would very soon be come ruts. His argument applies to the abortions of roads which are made in some places, only half a chain wide, and with so high a crown in the centre that no teamster ever dares to trevel on them, and many miles of this sort are now solely used for the development of thistles of abnor mal growth, bidding defiance to the ap proach of man or beast, but wherever roads have been made the full width and have had a fair share of traffic on them,

there will be found good roads, easily kept in repair, and well dramed. Another advantage possessed by them is the impossibility nuisance arising from the spread of gtfee on the sides of roads so noticeable on the narrow formations. Altogether, Mr. Dobson’s contribution to the Institute was a most interesting one, and well worthy of reading and digesting.

Erratum. —In our last issue the report oJfe^ve 1 Mount Hutt Read Board hieeting bPJgm heading “ Mijunt Somers Road,’’ |«H||feographical inadvertence. HHBMBRshbusAon Riding. —An ad- MMBIWpfc of the County Council in ™ot|Pfralumn is of special interest, to tho'ratepayers residing between the 'branches of the Ashburton river, who hakjg to pay the special rate recently levpd by the County Council. Au ctio n aa r s Edmiston Bros, and Gundry (p'er Mr. Bullock)' held a sale at Auchindrane, Hinds, on, Thursday. The land was submitted, bu,t the biddings only reached to L 3 ss. per acre, and at that price the land was Withdrawn, and the proprietor, Mr. Gibson, bought in the bulk of the stock and implements. C.Y.C.—Lieutenant J. S. Bruce has received res mental orders from head quarters to the effect that the Ashburton and Temuka contingents will be embarked at Ashburton, with their horses, at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the 24th inst., for the Easter Review. Also the gratifying order that Trooper Scott has been promoted to the rank of sergeant, an honor Ire richly deserves. Traction Engine. —About 7 o’clock on Thursday, Mr. Henry Moffat's traction engine, with treshing machine and all ap purtenances, travelled through the town ship, on their way to the Hinds. The en gine came along the Wakanui road down East street, and was the subject of no little curiosity. It made just sufficient noise to attract attention, but it worked very smoothly, and travelled along the road at a moderate speed. An Old Hand. — At the R.M. Court yes terday, Mr; Guinness had to administer fatherly advice and judicial correction to John Cunningham, who long ago made his first bow of submission to the law of the land for having been drunk and dis orderly. On this occasion John told the old, old story of having come to town on business, and in the intervals between business devoted too much attention to beer—the disproportionate attention being too much for his head and his feet. Leniency, his Worship said, was lost on John, and bacchanalian was sent to Lyttel ton gaol for a three months’ penance. The Methven Line. —As an indica tion of the future of the Rakaia and Alford Forest Railway, we may state that ;$t ;the present time every station is blocked up with grain, stacked under tarpaulins, and it is estimated that at the rate grain is being delivered at present, at least 40 trucks per day will be necessary for a couple of months yet to compete with the delivery. As no station buildings or goods sheds are as yet erected, the farmers are compelled to adopt the very disagreeable alternative of leaving their sacks to the flimsy protection of a tar paulin ; and the railway authorities do not seem to be able to afford more than about a dozen trucks per day. Meantime a heavy S. W. gale would certainly play havoc with the wheat already awaiting shipment.

Fire. —A destructive fire occurred last Thursday at Mr. R. Lancaster’s slaughter yards, situated on the north bank of the Ashburton river, about a mile below the township. The property consisted of a stock-yard and sheep-pens, together with a building and store which contained a very compact little boiling down plant. The whole of this was destroyed, together with seven sheep, a valuable sheep-dog, which Mr. Lancaster considered of more value than any man on his staff, and about two tons of tallow ready for ship ment. The property was insured for Ll5O, and the proprietor estimates his loss at L2OO over and above this. The origin of the fire is at present a mystery. Mr. Thomas Brankin, the nearest resi dent, found the place on fire on his arrival home, but it had too great a hold then for him to do any good. Mourning —On Thursday last inquiries were made as to the meaning of a “ blue ribbon ” that had suddenly been traced all round the Somerset Hotel. The “ ribbon ” is a blue band of several inches deep, painted on the walls midway be tween the windows and the verandah roof, and is the sailor’s sign of mourning. When the owner, captain, or other popular offi cer of a ship dies, it is customary to paint their grief line along the vessel’s side from stem to stern, and the ribbon is looked i Upon by the “ sons of the waves ” as the deepest tribute they can pay to the de ceased’s memory. Mr. R. S. Shearman, ak most of his friends know, was a sea faring man before he took to the profes sion he is now following, and he adopts the mode referred to of paying a tribute to the memory of his deceased mother, who no doubt spent many a night of of anxiety for the safety of her “ boy in blue,” when the winds their revels kept. Me. Westbrooke’s Tether Rope.— Two men named Phillip Crumb and John Miles, who, on the IGth, indulged in a joke at the expense of the Rev. Mr. Westbrooke, the outcome of an over indulgence in beer, were charged yesterday at the R.M. Court with the theft of the rope, which they had cut from the rev. gentleman’s horse's neck while it was tethered to his fence. The case was proven at the “mouth of two or three witnesses ” —men of standing and of good report—who appealed along with Mr. Westbrooke, for the Court’s leniency in prisoners’ favor. His Worship, after reading the men a lecture on the evils of drink, told them he would allow the appeal for leniency to weigh with him, and as they were not of the criminal class he would discharge them rather than send them to prison to associate with felons, but he expressed a hope that this escape from being imprisoned would be a lesson to them to guard in future against drunkenness. Templar Hall Company. The ad journed annual meeting of the share holders of this company was held on Thursday evening last in the Temlar Hall. There wsVs a very good attendance of shareholders. Mr. G. H. fSt. Hill was voted to the chair. After reading the notice calling the meeting, and the minutes of the last meeting, the Chair man said the first business would be to adopt the balance-sheet. The balance sheet for the year ending 1879, was then read and unanimously adopted. The fol lowing wore o elected directors for the ensuing year ;—Messrs. Jatties Gudsell, sG. W, Andrews, G. H. St. Hill, Thomas Bcott, J. Mac Lean Dunn, B. 0. Smith, and Thomas Smith. Messrs. Boyle and Weeks were appointed auditors for the. Aunpany. Mr. Sando moved, and Mr. seconded —“That it be a recom- HHw.ion to the newly elected directors SHfw Joiirage as much as possible those I tenants of the Hall who are likely to become permanent.” This was carried. The Chairman said the next business was to get the opinion of the shareholders present, on a certain matter, which the late 'chairman of the company (Mr. Sando) had not as yet explained satis factorily—viz., certain sums due to the company on' arrears of shares. After a very anirriSited debate, which lasted a con siderable time, it was resolved that the matter be referred to the new directors, to be decided upon at their next meeting, and for them to take immediate action in the matter. The meeting then adjourned sine die.

Induction of "Rev B. J./Westbrook. —The induction services in connection with the Rev. B. J. WesßWgok’s assump tion of the charge of the Presbyterian congregation at Rakaia, took place last Thursday at 11 o’clock in theßakaiaTown Hall, which was very well attended. The Rev. Mr. Beattie, who has acting as moderator of the Rakaia session,.preached and conducted the induction ceiemony, while the Rev. Mr. Eimslhj. addressed the pastor, and the Rev. Mr. Blake the con- : •-'rogation. The induction was celebrated by a soiree in the evening in the same building, at which 200 people sat down to well prepared tea tables, loaded with tempting things, and attended .by the ladies of j the congregation, amongst whom we observed'Mesdames Bruce, Wilkinson, Sharp, M'Phail, and Clark, andMkses Bruce, Malcolm, Shannon, and MHbJI. Tea over, the usual meeting mfflwed, which was presided over by the nBPpMn- { ducted Pastor, whom the introduced in a felicitous speec) , ’f* n ' v ' ft ichj he augured, from the unanimlt^^- 0 * the settlement, a successful future riSf*'both pastor and charge. He spoke very highly of Mi\ Westbrooke, whoso relations with himself had been of the most brotherly character. The meeting wasi then addressed by the Rev. Mr. 'West brooke himself, and also by Rev. Mr. Blake. During the evening the proceed ings were enlivened by selections of sacred music, very well rendered by the Ashburton choir, under Mr. Savage, with Mr. Stott at the harmonium, and by a piano duet played Ary tastefully by Misses Carson and Bruce, aHtjwthe sacred solo “ Consider the by Mr. Carson, and usual votes of meeting, which was attended by a large number of people ’ from the sur- ] rounding district and from Ashburton. Blackguardism. —For a considerable time complaints have been rife of drunken men, in their search for a notorious house in the outskirts of the township, mistak ing the residences of respectable towns people for the stew they wore in search of, and making disturbances when refused admission. A case of this character was heard in Court yesterday, when two men named James Patterson and William Henry were charged with disturbing the peace of a dwelling by being illegally*--on the premises of Mr. William Barrett. It came out in evidence that while hunting for a certain house called the “ lean-to,” they made a mis take, and wanted admission to Mr. Barrett’s house, under the impression that they had found the pfatep-Rlay wanted. It was late at night on St. Patr rick’s Day, and Mr. Barrett’s family had retired to rest. The disturbance caused by the row the men made had the effect of making Mrs. Barrett seriously ill, and the creators of the disturbance ivere after wards taken to the lock-up by Mr. Barrett and his neighbor, Mr. Henry Stephenson, who kindly came to his aid on hearing Mrs. Barrett’s screams. His Worship found Patterson guilty of being illegally on the premises, and sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment, letting off Henry, ivho had not been 1 proved to have been on the ground. The Magis trate said it could not be tolerited that drunken ruffians should be allowed to visit private houses in the dead of night, frightening females and causing a feeling of insecurity. The severity of the sentence will probably act as a warning against blackguardism of this kind in the,future. Beware. —Smokers may be interested to learn (a German correspondent writes) ' that the German Federal Council has resolved to permit the use of cherry leaves in the fabrication of tobacco. , The Homeless Poor. —The idea has been conceived of establishing public , warming rooms in the different quarters of Paris, where poor homeless folk trill be admitted and given a bowl of soup without any preliminary questioning. Two or three are already open. The Glasgow Bank Relief Fund.— The Mayor of Christchurch has received the report of the Central Relief Committee of the Glasgow Bank, which shows the total amount reported up to December 31st to be L 380,428, and the amount re ceived by the general treasurer, L 262,230.

The Dunedin Murdeh.—The remains of the murdered Dewar family were in terred in the southern cemetery on Thurs day. The procession was a large one. The inquest on the bodies was resumed the same day, and further adjourned. Several witnesses were examined, but nothing new was elicited connecting the prisoner Butler with the matter, !v .0 Peter’s Pence. —The “Italic” gives an account of Peter’s pence collections during this year. iecordiug to this state ment, France contributed 1,100,000 f. ; America, 900,000 f. ; Great Britain and Ireland, 750,000 f. ; Austria- Hungry, 700,000 f.; Italy, 600,000 f. ; Belgium, 300,000 f. ; Germany, 150,000 f. ; Holland, 60,000 f. ; and Switzerland, 30,000 f. Fever at Cawnpore.—A correspon dent from Cawnpore, writing to the “Indian Railway Service Gazette,” says the number of deaths in that station from fever have been averaging 'l5O per day. Demand for wood to supply the burning ghats has been so great that the' sipinning mills have been compelled to use coal, which is generally much dearer than wood or fuel. An Eccentric Female.—An old lady died recently in Brighton, Englahd. who though possessed of a comfortable’incbme, has lived for years in the most i: pinched and squalid way in a single room in the lowest part of the town. She used to go out every day with a basket of bread crumbs to feed the birds, but allowed her self no fire, and only food enough to keep herself alive. Earth Cables.—One of the advan tages of subterranean telegraph lines has been brought out by the recent snow storms on the Continent. In France the aerial lines round Paris broke down, and communication between the capital and provinces was seriously impeded ; but in Germany no inconvenience was felt, thanks to her admirable of earth cables.

Interim Report by the Native Com mission.—The “ Evening Post ” of Wed nesday says—We understand that Sir W. Fox and Sir F. Dillon Bell, two members of the Royal Commission on Native Affairs, have presented an ad interim report to His Excellency the Governor. The nature of this important document has not yet transpired, but it ;i is u’umored that it deals with certain matters -brought before the Commissioners, in regard to which they found no difficulty ip arriving at a prompt decision. We believe that the Commissioners state their ppinions in respect to these matters, aijd,, suggest that great benefit plight arise from giving immediate effect,to the various recommendations made' by them which would produce a markedly favorable impression on the Native mind, and have a lai’ge amount of influence for showing as it would the desire of and of Europeans gene rally to deal out swift and even-handed justice to both races alike. So far as we have been able to gather, it is thought that if instant action be taken in the direction suggested it would be likely to induce a strong reaction against the in fluence of Te Whiti, which might be very desirable just at the- present time, when the prophet’s great meeting at Pari haka is taking place. By practical proof it would be an offer of tho/good ;faith of Government, and their determination to mete out strict justice regardless of nation ality. It is - improbable that the precise nature of the Commissioners’ recommen dations will be made public for a few days, owing to the alsence from Wellington of his Excellency the Governor.

A Turkish prince, who is at present staying in London, had himself relieved, during a ramble the other day, of a pocket-book containing L 1,200. ,A,n Old Order. —The Benedictine Order is making preparations for cele brating daring the present year the 1400th anniversary of the birth of their founder. Teeth not Necessary. —An English judge recently decided that a set of false teeth were not “necessaries” for a farmer’s wife, and nonsuited a dentist who had supplied them without any express authority from the husband. Married Too Much. —An actress re cently obtained a divorce from her second husband in London on the somewhat novel ground that when she married him in 1876, her first husband, whom she had married in 1867, and who had loft her soon after, was, without her knowledge, still living. Ho also had married a second time in 1872, and did not die until 1877. Antiquarian. Some antiquities re cently discovered in the Roumanian dis trict of Prahova, near the Trifoi Moun tains. lead local arclueologists to believe it to be the site of the ancient city of Trifulum, dating from the fourth century, and established by a colony of Visigoths. . A small red stone, with a sculptured bust of Alaric L, is among the articles found there. Surgeons and the Electric Lamp.— Trouvd has invented a number of small electric lamps which can be used by the surgeon in illuminating the throat, the meuth, or eion the more internal parts of the body while performing an operation. It is now suggested that it would be pos sible to materially assist the physician in his diagnosis by means of a powerful electric light. On the assumption that the human body is only semi-opaque it is proposed to place the patient in such a position in connection with a dark screen that it is probable a powerful electric light would sufficiently illuminate his interior to enable the physician in the dark room to see so much of the workings of the principal organs as would assist him to arrive at a correct conclusion as to the nature of the case. If such a scheme is possible it would undoubtedly be of much advantage to medicine. Tobacco add Taxation. The last number of the “Imperial Statistics of Germany ” compares the taxation of the chief nations of the world in respect to tobacco. Of the countries where the sale is a Government monopoly, France last 'year stood first, the gross duty, with profits, amounting to 7s. 1-J-d. per head of the population annually, the net revenue from the article being ss. per head. In Austria the gross was ss. b^d., the net 3s. sd. ; in Hungary, thegross 3s. 3£d., the net Is. 7d. ; in Italy, the gross 3s. lid., and the net 2s. B£d. In Great Britain, the duty and licenses brought in 4s. 10|d. i per head of the population for the year, and''in the United States 4s. 4ld. In > Germany, on the other hand, where the f duty was very light, the average was no i more than 7|d. per head of the popula • tion. The new tariff which has been ipassed this year will make the next return ; for Germany much heavier.

A Primitive Nation.— The new Mexi can interoceanic railway across the Tehiu antepec Isthmus is marked out to pass through the State of Chiapas, which pro bably contains the only population in the world which possesses no iron, nor any thing in the shape of an iron industry, even of the crudest form. For the dis tance of eighty miles round Palenque, the capital, not a single blacksmith can be found, and the only articles in the shape of iron are axes and machetas, imported from the United States. Nails are un known, all the woodwork being held together by cord or the tendrils of the ;vines, and even the tortilla is prepared by grinding the maize between stones. The new railway which will run through this territory has clearly a well-defined educa tional, as well as commercial, development to undertake.

ROADMAKING.

Mr. Dobson, President of the Philo sophical Institute, delivered the presi dential address at the opening of the In stitute, Christchurch, on Thursday even ing. In the course of a valuable disserta tion on ‘‘The Progress of Applied Science in Canterbury,” he made the following re marks on the roads and roadmaking of the province. The general scope of his address was a history of the scientific un dertakiggs of the province, with a running comment on each : Turning from railways to ordinary cart roads, it is gratifying to observe how effi ciently the country has been opened up during the last few years, the mileage of metalled roads and the number of import ant bridges constructed under the manage ment of the Road Boards being very con siderable. A caution may here not be out of place with regard to the system ordi narily pursued of road-making on the plains. First, the ground is ploughed over, breaking up the natural crust and leaving the surface both rough and loose. Next, this loose stuff is dragged with scoops and harrows from the sides to the centre, leaving on each side an irregular water-table ; and, lastly, round shingle is carted on to the crown of +ho road and spread on a portion of the width thus “formed,” as the process is ironically called. The subsequent history of these roads is well known. Teamsters, and horsemen shun the new metal (which soon becomes covered with a luxuriant growth of thistles), and travel on the un metalled sides of the new formation. In a short time the light soil is blown by the summer wind, and scoured by the winter’s rains until the water tables become deep and dangerous ruts, and the road sides are worn into hollows and it becomes necessary to reform and re-metal the whole .road in order to make it passable. The final result is no doubt satisfactory, but the intermediate processes are costly to the ratepayers and harassing to tra vellers. It would be much better in the majority of cases to dispense with the farming process altogether, simply paring down lumps and filling up hollows and pig-rootings with stuff to be obtained from water-tables cut at the fencing line, and to form the slight crown required to throw off the water with the first coat of metal. On this system the natural crust remains unbroken, there is a better foun dation for the metal, and as the whole width of the road is open for traffic, the metal when worked upon is less cut up, and lasts far longer without repair. I may here revert to a subject to which I re peatedly called the attention of the Go vernment whilst I held the office of Pro vincial Engineer, viz., the importance of having all roads through hilly country carefully graded by men who have had, a special training for this work, which is that of the civil engineer, not of the land surveyor. It would be difficult to over estimate the difficulty, expense, and annoyance which has arisen, notably in Bank’s Peninsula, but also in many ether .places, from the road reserves having been laid off without the regard to even the possibility of road construction within their limits, and looking to the probable extension of settlement amongst the net work of vallies lying between the foot-hills and the spurs of the great Alpine chain, it is desirable that a satisfactory system of reading these districts should be initi ated at an early date, before access to the land in the rear is blocked by the purchase of the points which are the key to th® possession of the back country.

TELEGRAPHIC.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. < (Reuters.) j «'London, March 17. i Five per cent. New Zealand 10.40 loan, 102 i. ; new five per cent, loan, 108. ( Diamonds to the value of L 50,000 have i been stolen from the Cape mailbags. March 18. The Ministry are sending complete edu cational exhibits to Melbourne, and also a delegate to study the school sjptem. PAMjMMjffCl} I?. M. Freycinet, the Fre™|P|jemier, de clares his intention of ehfSHnJg the anti- Jesuit laws. St. Petersburg, Mavch 18- Russia ceases to hold diplomatic rela tions with Turkey Unless the assassin of Count Oomeroff '(receives a sentence of death. San Francisco, March 17. Dennis Kearney, labor agitator, has been sentenced to six months’ imprison ment and a fine of a lOOOdols. AUSTRALIAN. I {Ranter's). Melbourne, March IS. Mr. David Syjpe, proprietor of the Melbourne “ Age,” has instituted an action against the proprietors of the Mel bourne “ Punch” for libel. Damages are laid at L 5,000. A meeting has been held here at which it was resolved to form a company for the purpose of exporting every description of food under the freezing process. An in fluential committee has been formed. A telegram has been received from the Mauritius, dated March 9, which states that suitable sugars are scarce. Arrived —Rotorua, from New Zealand, and steamship Durham from Plymouth. She sailed on Jan. 26. Sydney, March 18. The following further Exhibition awards are announced ; Biscuits : Griffiths, Wellington ; Grant, Thames ; Renton, Dunedin—all second prizes. Confection ery : Mr. Griffiths, Wellington, first; Mr. Watters, Auckland, second. Chicory, Trent Bros., Christchurch, first. Groats, Mr. Magill, Otago, South. The steamer Chandergore has arrived here, after landing a party at New Ire land. It is understood that two steamer's, with 1,000 adventurers, will follow shortly from Rome and Barcelona. The original projectors of the expedition state it is intended to appropriate N orth West ern Australia. Wakatipu, yesterday, for Wellington. INTERPROVI^gIAL. AttoklmßL March 19. Information has beehrefceived in Auck land from New Caledonia fflr the loss of the schooner Asba in the hurricane of the 27th ult. The crew and time-expired laborer's were lost. The Orakei Native Parliament has opened. Paul presided, and made a long speech. The most important topics not already telegraphed to be discussed are— the stoppage of subsidies to chiefs ; free passes, food, and medicines ; a demand for exemption from Road Board taxation ; and six members instead of four in Par liament. The speechmaking is postponed till to-morrow. . The attendance is in ferior to last year’s. At the Presbyterian Assembly a report was read from the Maori Missions Com mittee. The labors of the missionary in the Turakina, Parewhenua, Aurohari, and other districts, have been attended with considerable success. The location of missionaries at Cambridge and Wanganui up-river districts is recommended. The report expressed surprise that the church ! had done so little in this way. John Simmonds, late of the Gipsy, i schooner, fell at midnight over the wharf, i but was rescued from drowning by Con stable Igoe. ; Ghahamstown, March 18. Over 150 Volunteers and friends at tended the ball given to the carbine champion last night. The Hon. Mr. Rol leston, who arrived at 10 o’clock, was in vited to the ball, and danced all night. The Mayor welcomed Mr. Rolleston, who replied in a neat’ speech. To-day the Minister has visited the hospital and the public school, receiving deputations in the afternoon, and leaving for the Upper Thames to-morrow.

Wellington, March 18. The Railway Commission leaves for In vercargill to-morrow. They proceed by rail from Christchurch, and after taking evidence, and inspecting the lines in Southland, they travel northwards. A telegram received from Foxton this morning states that the Hastwell and Macara’s coach, on the journey from Foxton to Wellington, and when it had reached the road between the Manawatu river and the beach, was suddenly stopped by a party of natives, who refused to allow it to proceed until the coach and horses should be paid, and also sixpence for each passenger. The amount was paid under protest, and the coach pro ceeded on. It is understood the matter has been brought under the notice of Government Christchurch. March 18. A serious accident occurred yesterday afternoon at Austin, Kirk, and Go’s, brick and pottery works. W. Smith, builder of the new 130 feet shaft, was earning down the chimney, knocking out the struts which were let into the brickwork at intervals when building. When about thirty feet from the ground, the strut on which his feet were renting gave way, precipitating him to the bottom of the shaft. Two doctors were speedily in attendance, who found the sufferer severely cut and bruised, and his left wrist broken. It is not yet known whether he is internally injured. The Native Land Court finished busi ness at Akaroa yesterday, and adjourned to Southland to open there on March 24th. Timaru, March 19. Sixteen men have been arrested on a charge of riot and assault, in connection with a fight for possession of a mob of sheep, which occurred at Pighunting Creek yesterday. Warrants are out for several others. Eleven are now being criminally prosecuted. The sheep in dis pute belonged to Meek and Scott, of Oamaru, any! were sold to one M‘Leigh by Scott, and subsequently seized by direc tion of Meek, who believed the sale to be fraudulent. The fight for possession took place between M'Leish and his men, and Meek’s representative, who has also re ceived authority to retain the sheep, pending the decision of the Supreme Court re the partnership property. The prosecuting counsel asks that the eleven men, including M'Leish, should be com mitted for trjql. Oamaru, March 18. Mr. Mathew Grant’s hundred acre paddock of wheat at Totara, is threshing out over seventy buslifels to the acre of wheat—a fine sample. There are several other heavy yieldMHrthe same district. March 19. Fifteen cases {SHppTdown for hearing at the criminal of the Supreme A fire broke out at Gorman and John ston’s store, South Dunedin. It is sup posed to have been caused by the ex plosion of a kerosene lamp. There was no water at hand, and an adjoining cottage as well as the store were allowed to burn themselves out. Naisman’s large hotel and hall were in great danger. The in surance on Naisman’s hall is L6OO in the New Zealand office ; on Barclay’s three roomed cottage, owned by Naisman, L2lO, in the Norwich Union; Johnston and Gorman’s premises, L3Ol, in the Colonial

The inquest on the murdered Dewar family was continued to-day. Several wit nesses were examined, and the inquiry was adjourned till Tuesday. Nothing was elicited directly connecting the prisoner Butler with the crime. It was proved that ho purchased provisions and left Dunedin shortly after the murder, that he changed his clothes, and cut off his mous tache before reaching Blueskin. The residence of Mr. Halliwell, Cork place, was entered last night. Some money was stolen and the building fired. Mrs. Halliwell was the only inmate. The fire was discovered by some boys who suc ceeded in putting it out. A’ four-roomed cottage was burned down in North-east Valley yesterday. It was insured in the Standard for Ll5O, and in the South British for LIOO. On the Peninsula, two stacks of hay destroyed were insured.

BURNED TO DEATH ON HORSE BACK.

(New York Sun.) Adam Roche, a fifteen-year-old son of Frederick Roche, a blacksmith at the Continental shaft in Scranton city, was burned to death on the afternoon of Dec. 14, on the road between Scranton and Taylorville. He was employed around the blacksmith shop as an asssistant. Some of the live-stock at the mines be came sick, and young Roche was sent to Taylorville to procure some vitrol. He went on horseback. He purchased a bottle containing a pint and started back, bringing two mules along. Half way between Taylorville and the mine the cork came out of the bottle, and the jolt ing caused the vitrol to spatter into his coat pocket. Then 'it slowly worked through his pantaloons and went stream ing along his limbs. The first touch of the vitrol caused the lad to shout with pain, and the last contents of the bottle were spilled into his clothing. His cries of agony spurred the horses into a run, ancTthe suffering boy endeavored to throw the bottle from his pocket. This action burned his hands severely, and he clasped them to his face, which added greatly to his agony. He lost control of Ins horse, and just at the foot of a steep declivity in the road, he was hurled violently into a ditch, where he lay writhing in anguish. He recovered sufficiently to tie the mules to a tree. The horse went back to the mines, and the boy’s father and several others set* out to find the lad. When he vas discovered he was dead. The oil had eaten into iris limbs, and he presented a frightful spectacle. His hands were badly blistered, his cheeks burned, and the vitrol had sunk to the bones of his legs. The boy had torn away nearly all of his clothing except what had been saturated with oil. A large -wound in his head showed that he had been thrown for ward from the horse. He had crawled to a tree at the hillside, and his appearance showed that he had suffered the greatest agony.

AN AUSTRALIAN PIONEER.

Seventy six years ago last Friday a cer tain ship sailed out out of Port Philip Heads to seek, across Bass’s Straits, some where on the banks of the Derwent, a spot to which might be transferred the penal settlement which she had been sent out to form on our shores. He keel was the third that furrowed our waters. We can be hardly sufficiently thankful that it left no trace. The Ocean was the name of the transport which brought hither this cargo of “ rattlesnakes,” together with some few artisans and settlers. She had been es corted by a line of battle ship called the Calcutta, on board which was the official staff of the expedition. But it was war time, and so soon as the captain of the frigate had seen Governor Collins and his “settlement” fairly landed at Port Nepean, he sailed away on his business, and subsequently, after having made a stout fight of it with the enemy, was cap tured, and passed a few years more or less agreeably in a French prison. When Cochrane blew the Calcutta into the air with the tricolor flying at her peak, in the Basque Roads affair, no doubt Captain Woodroof partook of an extra glass of grog at the naval mess established at Verdun for he was a true tar of the old school, and, it is satisfactory to know, ended his days in “Greenwich tier.” Meantime the settlement on the Tootga vook Sand hills did not go on at all well. Collins sighed for an island all to himself. Governor King, at Sydney—a practised pen and ink man—with the little Lady Nelson for a postman, could at any time “ come senior officer ” over him. So ho, with many economic twinges, again chartered the Ocean to carry him to Van Dieman’s Land, and on Jan. 30, 1804, de parted from this “ uninhabitable ” coun try, and finally founded Hobart Town, where he rests, after life’s fitful fever, in the chancel of a church which old Tas manians assert was called St. David’s after him. Among the adventurous settlers who accompained Governor Col lins to the future scene of his kind-hearted labors was the widow of a naval officer, and her family of four daughters and a son. Her husband, a captain in the navy, had been killed in the expedition to Egypt. There were thousands of such suffering women under the dreadful war cloud in which old England was at this time enveloped. Lord Hobart, the then Secretary for the colonies, advised Mrs. Hobbs to emigrate, and so it came about that the little family were among our first colonists who quitted our shores 76 years ago, and the lash of whom was on Friday, on the very anniversay, laid in his grave in the St. Kilda cemetery. A life so un pretentious as that of Mr. James Hobbs might claim to avoid public notice, but that in his 88 years he has seen, if not exactly the birth, at any rate the growth of the seven great colonies of Australia. He was born at Saltash, in Cornwall, and at 10 years of age was pu<- into the ser vice, whore, as they say, he was reared “between two guns.” After his mother and sisters had settled at Hobart Town, he joined his Majesty’s ship Buffalo at Sydney in 1804, and when that ship de parted for England with Governor King in 1806, he was drafted with the gunner, the boatswain, the carpenter, and nine seamen . into the Purpoise, Captain Porteous, of which John Oxley, after wards Surveyor General of New South Wales, was the first lieutenant. The curious reader will find some interesting particulars of the tyrannical conduct of “ Bounty Bligh,” the Governor at r Sydney, in the “ Chronicle of Port Philip,” by Mr. H. G. Gurner, which that gentleman gathered from Mr. Hobbs. The stories that might be told are far beyond our present limits. A man who has seen and spoken with Australian Governors by the dozen, who remembers the time when His Excellency, asking a guest to dinner, requested him at the same time to bring his loaf of bread with him, would have many odd tales to tell. Throughout his long life Mr. Hobbs preserved a character of great energy and staunch integrity. For some years he was in the Customs de partment of this colony, when he retired with a pension of L 137 10s. in 1854. He was married to a daughter of Mr. Joseph Hone, the master of the Supreme Court of Hobart Town (brother of the cele brated William Hone), by whom he had a family of 12 children. To them and to his numerous friends it must be a satis faction to know the good name he has left behind, and his death may serve to remind his fellow-colonists that there is now living but one other person who was present at the famous attempted settle ment in 1803. The portrait and some further particulars respecting Mr. Hobbs may be found in the curious volume, “Early Historical Records of Port

Phillip,” which was recently published by the Victorian Government. —“Argus,” Feb. 2. _______

THE QUEEN’S NAME.

At a dinner in London, the conversa tion lapsed, as it sometimes will lapse with the best of hosts, into questions hardly distinguishable from conundrums. A cele brated historian was present, and I put a question to him which I know has puzzled a great many people at different times : “ What is the surname of the Roral Family 1” “Guelph, of course. is the usual answer, and it was torian’s. I ventured to suggest that, although the Royal Family are Guelpha by descent, her Majesty’s marriage with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg must have the effect which a marriage of a lady has in all other cases, and that the surname of the present house must' be the Prince Consort's. “ But what is the surname of the Prince Consort’s family I” Simple, but staggering. No one knew. All guessed, and all were w r i oag. I happened to have looked up the subject a few months ago, so I knew that the name was “ Wettin,” Of course, no one had heard it before. Every one smiled at the horrible idea of the Guelphs being reduced to Wettins ! Ihe point was referred to Theodore Martin. “You are quite right,” said the graceful biographer of the Prince Consort, “Wettin is the family name of the House of Saxony, to whom the dominion of Saxony came in the year 1420. The King of Saxony and the minor Princes of the house are, therefore, all Wettins ; or, in German, Wettiner.”

A STRANGE STORY.

The Geneva correspondent of the “ Times ” writes under date December 17th :—“ On the last day of November the body of a man who had evidently died a violent- death was found in the Sillerthal, canton Thurgau. The body was identified as that of a man named Baumeler, a saw yer by trade, and a native of Lucerne. The local papers announced his death, and his friends -were invited to accompany the funeral procession to the grave. His kinsfolk put on mourning for him, and the deceased having been a Roman Catholic, was buried in the cemetery of Bischoffzell by a priest of that persuasion. The even ing after the interment, as a number of peasants and neighbors were making merry in the village inn of Bischoffzell, who should walk in but the man who, as all supposed, had been laid quietly under the ground the day before ! Baumeler, who said he had been away on a journey, then heard the story of his death and burial, which seemed greatly to amuse him. From the inn he went to the presbytery and thanked the priest for the eloquent funeral oration the latter had pronounced over his grave. He then called on the Amtmann, and expressed his gratitude to that functionary for the trouble he had taken on his behalf. Baumeler has still another account to settle. It appears that he does not enjoy an altogether spotless reputation, and after his supposed death a journal of the neighborhood made some unpleasant reflections on his character. Baumeler, it is said, intends to proceed against this too impulsive paper for libel. As for the buried man, no information is as yet forthcoming, and the theory of the mur der is again revived. ”

CLEVER JUGGLING.

The tricks of M. Hermann, the Vien nese conjuror, are amusing the idle part of Paris. M Hermann, unlike the “mediums ” who perform tricks and call them miracles, does miracles and calls them tricks. M. Jules Claretie is responaUA for the ac curacy of the folio was engaged in the oifficLW task of amusing that monarch “ who lives the life of a wounded rabbit in a hole ” —the Sultan. The scene was a boat moored in the Bosphorus. “ Will you oblige me,” said Hermann to the Grand Vizier, “by throwing your watch overboard?” The Vizier looked doubtful, but the Sultan nodded, and the watch sank glittering through the sea. “ Now,” said Hermann, “will some one kindly give me a fishing rod ?” A was brought, a line and a hook, which the conjurer baited before the eyes of the Pidishah, as a Pushtoo contemporary calls the Sultan. Hesoonhad a nibble, struck, and after and exciting in terval had a fine fish in the landing net. Hermann opened the fish, and took out the Vizier’s watch, still keeping capital time. Hermann can juggle as well for the wily Muscovite as the gallant Turk. While amusing the leisure of the Autocrat of all the Russians he broke a iarge and magnificent mirror. The superstitious potentate winced, for to break a mirror is unlucky, and a curtain was thrown ever the glass. Hermann w T ent on with his tricks for a while, then suddenly ex claimed, “ I forgot the glass ; look at it!” The curtain was removed, and there was the mirror, whole and unharmed.

EXTRAORDINARY DISPUTE.

♦ — His Holiness lately was induced to per mit the sale of thirty-three porcelain plates, most of them broken, which lay in a press in the ponfcificiai villa, at Castel Gandollo, near Albano. A dealer in an tiquities, named Giacomini, employed a person named Sabatucci to go to the Vatican and represent to the Pope that • the plates in question were not sufficient to form a collection. They were in danger L of further d image, and it would be better ’ to accept for them 22,000 francs. Leo XIII. consented in a weak moment to this proposal, and Cardinal Kina con signed the plates to Giacomini and his partner, who paid 22,000 francs to the Vatican and 3,000 francs to the go between who had managed the affair. The next day Giacomini sold the plates to the Duke della Verdura, a senator of the Kingdom of Italy, and in another day or two Giacomini offered the Duke 50,000 francs if he would re-sell the plates. Cas tellani, another dealer in antiquities, offered a large sum, and when disap pointed, began to talk of the violation of the statute, which forbids the sale of national property. The Italian Govern ment now stepped in and claimed the pro perty as belonging to the State. By the law of G uarantees the Vatican palace and the villa of Castel Gandolfo, with the col lections of art and antiquities therein, are formally declared to be national property and inalienable. Consequently the Pope had no right to sell the plates, and all parties concerned in the transaction were liable to prosecution for stealing public property. The plates were seized by the Questura, and the legal tribunals must de cide to whom they are to be given, for safe custody in some museum. The Pope offers to buy them back, paying all charges, and to preserve them to the Vatican. But this affair has dispelled all doubts concerning the efficiency of the law of guarantees. The Pope has never consented to that law, nor received a penny of the dotation it assigns him. But 1 he feels now that the law cannot be evaded in that part of it which virtually appro priates for the benefit of the Italian King dom the Vatican and pontifical palaces, and the furniture and art treasures therein contained. The plates themselves were once used at the table of the Pontiffs and might be again used for serving the table of Leo XIII., yetdhey jfrethe pro perty of the Italian 'ManjnHv and to King Humbert’s law to w Vatican officials, belongs to dia- <. “ pose of the papal dinner .serviciWnd define its artistic value. It is admitted by popes and councils that the very vessels of the altar may be sold to provide for the wants of the poor. But the Pope, if poor, can not sell his cracked dishes to replenish his treasury. ' .

“THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1880.



MOUNT SOMERS ROAD BOARD. TAKE NOTICE that the VALUA TION LIST for the year 1880, as amended, is now OPEN for inspection at the Road Board Office, Mount Somers. All objections thereto must be left at the Road Board Office, Mount Somers, on or before the Third day of April, 1880, addressed to the Assessment Court; and a copy of every such objection must be left at the Mount Somers Road Board Office, not less than Seven days before the next sitting of the said Court. C. J. WENTWORTH COOKSON, Junk. Clerk to the Mount Somers Road Board. Mount Somers, March 13th, 1880. 614 g NOTICE TO FARMERS. fjpHE undersigned will be prepared to treat with farmers and others in Ashbur ton, every Wednesday and Saturday, for the PURCHASE of GRAIN, or SHIP MENT on ACCOUNT of GROWERS. JOSEPH CLARK. February 28, 1880. 550g* TO FARMERS. jrpHE undersigned are CASH BUYERS of WHEAT, or will make LIBERAL ADVANCES on shipments to London on growers’ account. MILES, HASSAL, & CO., Christchurch ; MILES, ARCHER, & CO., 566 g Timaru. NEW TAILORING ESTABLISH MENT. CRAIGHEAD & Co., MERCHANT TAILORS, HAVE opened those premises situated in Tancred street adjoining Messrs. Orr and Co ’» General Store. A SPLENDID ASSORTMENT OF TWEEDS, FANCY GOODS, &c., &c., JUST ARRIVED. Mr. Craighead’s experience as Head Cvtter in connection with First Class Tailoring Establishments in Edinburgh and San Francisco has extended over a period of ten years, and from the immense success which has always attended his •fforta to please, he is prepared to guarantee a perfect fit in every case. TANCRED STREET, (Next Orr and Ox’s. CRAIGHEAD & CO. 982 a WANTED KNOWN, that Envelopes and Notepaper can be obtained wholesale or retail, at unusually low rates at the “ Herald ” Office, East-street North.



MESSRS. H. MATSON AND CO., AUCTIONEERS, &0., Hold fortnightly stock SALES at Ashburton and Tinwald. Next sale at the TINWALD YARDS, on TUESDAY, March 30, 1880. SPECIAL ENTRY. 1000 MERINO EWES. 427G* C. PERCY COX, Agent, Ashburton. THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTOR^ ■"AS started about five years ago. The proprietors at first in tended to manufacture for the Trade only, but, owing to the persistent op position of importers and Shop keepers who could make a better profit on the imported article, they were compelled in self defence to open Branches for the sale of their goods direct to the public. In this they but followed the example of some of the largest manufacturers at home, and the Public, by purchasing at the undermentioned Branches, will SAVE THE PROFIT OF MIDDLEMEN, AND OBTAIN A SUPERIOR ARTICLE. BRANCHES. Invercargill Christchurch Wellington Dunedin Ashburton Auckland Oamaru Nelson New Plymouth Timaru Wanganui Napier A SINGLE GARMENT AT WHOLESALE PRICE W. SPARROW, Manager, Ashburton Branch, 588g* New Zealand Clothing Factory.