MAIL NOTICES.

Mails close at the Ashburton Post Office, follows :

For Christchurch and North at 5.30 a. m. 10 a. m., and sp. m., daily. For Chertsey Rakaia, &c., at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. For Dunedin, Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Stahlstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine, at 10 a.m. daily. For Temuka, at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., daily. For Timaru and South, at 6 a.m., 10 4r.m., and 4.20 p.m., daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton F orks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge, on Tuesdays and Fridays, at 10.30 a m. For Ashton, Waterton and Longbeach, at 4.30 p.m. daily. For Wakanui, Elgin, and Seafield, on Tuesdays and Fridays, at G a. m. Mails arrive at the Ashburton Post Office inn- From Christchurch and Ttahaia at 10.20 a.m., 4.35 p.m., and 7.50 p.m. From Chertsey, &c. at 10.25 a.m. daily. From Dunedin and intermediate places at 5.35 p.m. daily. Fr«m Temuka and Timaru at 10.15 a.m. 5.35 p.m., and 8.15 p.m. daily. From Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 3 p.m. From Ashton, Waterton, and Long beach at 10 a.m. daily. From Wakanui, Elgin, and Seafield-on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2.30 p.m. W. St. G, Douglas, Postmaster.

DAILY MEMORANDA.

MEETINGS, AMUSEMENTS, &o. Friday, November 12. Medley Entertainment, Scafield Sclvool room, at 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 17. Amateur Dramatic Club, Town Hall, at 8 sharp. Wednesday, December 8. Local Industries ' Association, Monthly Meeting.

TRAVELLERS’ GUIDE.

Trains Leave Ashburton for Christ church and intermediate stations at 6 a.m., 10.30 a.m., and (Express) 5.48 p.m. Trains Leave Ashburton for Timaru and South, at 7 a.in., 10.36 a.m. (Ex press), and 4.50 p.m.—the latter pro ceeding no farther than Timaru. Trains Arrive at Ashburton from .Christchurch at 10.24 a.m. (Express), *4.35 p.m,, and 7.50 p.m. Trains Arrive at Ashburton from Timaru and South at 10.15 a.m., 5.34 p.m. (Express), and 8.15 p.in.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS.

All orders for insertion of advertise ments must he written legibly on the face of the advertisement. When no order is given the advertisement will be inserted until countermanded, and charged accord in<rly. ■ All notices of Births, Marriages, or Deaths must be accompanied by the sig nature of. the sender, as a guarantee oi good faith. All advertisements and business letters to be addressed The Manager; literary communications should be addressed to The Editor.

The Ashburton Guardian. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1880. “ Whoso Sheddeth Man’s Blood, by Man Shall his Blood he Shed.”

TOWN EDITION. [lssued at 5 p.m.~\ i |||-| J.IILJJJJIJ 'lULjy .J I .U-IH'J.JW-i-l JL .JtU

We are aware that there are a great many, -estimable and well-meaning people who altogether dissent from the principle laid down in the scrap of Mosaic law with which this article, is headed —who look with horror upon the taking of human life, even though that life be taken in expiation of a great crime, and in theintrests of the general safety “of society. With these good and tender-hearted" people we do not for a moment agree j bur, assuming they aic right in their contention —that to take human life is against the canons of the

Most High, and antagonistic to the spirit of Jesus Christ’s gospel-would not their endeavors be more legitimate if they directed Them towards an altera tion of the present law regarding capital punishment, instead of doing their best to secure its miscarriage at every recur rence of a death sentence. The law is for the protection ofsociety, and the an nals of crime show that a second theft is more easy than a first, and third still more so, and so on in regular progres-. sion, on the principle that practice makes perfection. Once familiar with murder, a man becomes a dangerous animals in society, and the abhorrence in which he is held only heightens the danger that exists to society from his freedom. Society demands immunity from this danger, and the law supplies that demand by capital punishment. Imprisonment for life would, we dare say, serve the same end, but that punishment, it might be said would be a deterrent of far less power than the assurance before the would-be murderer that death must be the consequence of his act. So long as the law remains as it is, so long should it be carried out in its integrity, and every endeavor to save the lite of a criminal who. has earned a liability to a hempen necklet, is but a premium offered to the crime of mur der. If every desperado, no matter how heinous his guilt, knows that, even after being tried and condemned by a jury of twelve intelligent men, he will still have the powerful advocacy of nine tenths of the clergy, who will bring, all possible pressure to bear upon those in whose hands rests the prerogative of mercy—knowing. this, we say, to .him the law will lose its greatest terror, and instead of • saving .life, those tender hearted individuals, whose souls revolt at the thought.of sacrificing the life of a wretched murderer, will be instrumen tal in removing a great safeguard of the lives of law-abiding ,men, women, and children, who would thus be. in’con-; tinual danger from the blood-thirstiness of lust-impelled villians, whether that lust be of gain or otherwise. Never of late years has a criminal been convicted of a diabolical crime, but some mis guided individuals have attempted- to shield him from , the consequences of his -act. .So; late as last week,- we had the head of the Episcopal Church in Dunedin endeavoring, by every means in his power, to gain a respite for the condemned criminal Ah Lee, con victed, after a patient and lengthy trial, of one of-the m’bst brutal and-cowardly murders ever perpetrated; and by our cablegrams on Saturday, we learn that a meeting in Melbourne on Friday night, attended’ by 6,000 persons, adopted a petition for a repreivo of the notorious Ned Kelly. . This latter movement was originated, we are told, by Mr. David Gaunson, a solicitor, and Ned Kelly’s legal adviser at the trial, but better known, perhaps, as the Larrikin of the Victorian Assembly. Now, we do not in the same breath bracket the endeavor of his Lordship the Bishop of Dunedin with that of the member for Ararat. In the case of the former, we hive a man striving for a principle which he believes to be right; in the latter we have the paid attorney trading upon the sympathies of men like his Lordship and backed up and paid—perhaps according to results — by the relatives and friends of the late Kelly gang, endeavoring to gain a re spite for a wretch who. long ago should have expiated his crimes upon the scaffold. : But, while not considering the two cases as running in parallel lines, both are levelled at the same ob ject--that of obtaining a miscarriage of justice. For if it is a miscarriage of justice for a man to escape the just punishment that follows murder, while the whole world is morally satisfied of his guilt, though the direct proof is wanting—as in the case of the convict Butler—most surely it is a grave mis carriage of JUS ice to reprieve a pro nounced vihmn like Kelly after he has been convicted in fair, patient, and im partial trial of a foul murder—whether that reprieve be obtained through the agency of a minister ■of the gospel or through the agency of an attorney well paid for his trouble. In the case of the Kyeburn murderer, Bishop Neville sought to show that it was impossible to distinguish between the blood of a sheep and the" .blood' of a woman, and, so far as we learn, bn this ground alone sought the respite of the murderer, conveniently overlooking the other damming proofs of the man’s guilt. What can be the ground on which the reprieve of Ned Kelly is sought we are at a loss to know. If it is merely a point of law, some legal quibble "that a lawyer thinks he can successfully raise, then we say that the blood of the numerous victims of Kelly outrages cry aloud for justice oh the head of the sole survivor of the (jes* perate gang, and that, as in the case ofthe other felon we have mentioned, he be promptly sent to bis doom.

The Holidays. —To-morrow being the Prince of Wales Birthday, there will be no publication of the Ashburton Guardian. Masonic. The emergency meeting advertised for to-morrow night has been postponed to the 23rd November. 1.0.G.T.— To-night the Grand Worthy Secretary of. the Order in New Zealand visits the Hawn of Peace Lodge. The Water Supply. —The workmen commenced to-day the work of raising the embankment at the reservoir. A foot of earthwork is to bo added. , . Drunk. —John Walsh forgot himself on Saturday, took too much liquor, and Con stable Daly ran him in. To-day John paid ss, of a tine and was let off. To-morrow’s CiixeitET Match. —For the cricket match to-morrow, Mr, Power, of the Koyai Hotel, to-day obtained an extension of license. There will be lunceon in the pavilion. Local Industries. —The next meeting of the Local Industries Association is to be held on Wednesday, December 8 ; postponed from the 10th instant, to avoid clashing with the holidays. Prompt. —lt is not always that we can compliment a New Zealand Government on prompt action, but wc cannot help coir gratulatim' the Borough of Ashburton on the promptitude with which Government lias paid the subsidy money recently promised bv the Colonial .Treasurer. To dav the Borough chest finds itself en richcd by the LB3O odds, which the Mayor and Cic member for the were unitedly successful in getting the Treasurer to promise, and it is certainly satisfactory to find the Government show ing such a commendable alacrity in pay ing a c'aim it recognised. It only remain nJw fur the County Council to dispose of the moiety of impounded land fund coming to the Borough with equal alacrity, and the funds that the Borough Council have been without fora lengthened period will bo all at command.

Oranges. —Owing to the .orange tree thriving well in Russell, in the North Island, the residents are going in for orange culture. Co-operative Consultations. Two £SOO consultations are advertised in this issue on the Ashburton Cup and the County Steeplechase. The Mayoralty. —The nominations of candidates for the office of Mayor of Ash burton will be received at the Town Clerk’s office up to noon of the IGth instant. Seafield. —We observe that excellent entertainment recently given in the Sea field schoolroom, by Mr. A. M'Keliar Wix’s company of local amateurs, is to be repeated on the 12th instant (Friday even ing). ■

The Post Office. —The Post Office wil be closed to-morrow in honor of the Prince of Wales’ Birthday. Mails will bo despatched north and south by the first train only. Sunday lioirs will be ob served by the Telegraph Department.

The Dunedin Suicide. the in quest on the body of Agnes Weir, who committed suicide, as reported in our last issue, the jury returned a verdict of temporarily insane, and added a rider, censuring the husband for not taking more care of the arsenic in the house, and for his abusive language towards the deceased.

Mata.— At the V.R.C. meeting on .Saturday, the New Zealand horse, Mata, succeeded in scoring a win, pulling off the Y. 11.0 Handicap, ; one mile and three quarters, boating The Pontiff and Secundns, in the rather good time of 3mins. Gfsecs. He was heavily backed by the New Zealanders now in Melbourne, and started first favorite. ; .. Amusements for tub Race Week.— On Wednesday, -November, 17, the Ama teur Dramatic' Club : are to play the “Masquerade Duel ” and: the “ Railway Belle.” The following night (the 18th), the farce will be “.Betsy Baker,” and a dance will close the evening. On Wednesday a. riding whip will be pre sented to' the winner of the Cup. The Temuka Review. —By the- train this afternoon, the Ashburton Contingent of the 0.Y.0. went down to Temuka to lake part in the review and sham fight. Some ten men and bosses from Ashburton will take part, as well as about forty of the Ashburton Rifles, who leave by the .first train to-morrow, accompanied by the band. A drill will take place to-night of the Rifles, with'a view to skirmishing practice.

Vagrancy. —The case of Patrick Buyrns, the man who last week was remanded till to-day on a charge of vagrancy, is being investigated by the Christchurch Charitable Aid Board, and the case was to-day again remanded for eight days. Buyrns left the Old Men’s Home for some reason or other, and being a cripple, and unable to work,’and friendless, he fell into the hands of the police. The Raging Club. —At. a meeting of the Racing Club held on Saturday after noon, it was decided owing to a misappre hension regarding the Farmer’s Plate, to place another, race.cni the programme for the second day, to be called the District Farmer's Plato, of 30 sovs.: Entrance 2 sovs. , open to alb district horses, which have been previously entered for the Fanner’s Plate. The misunderstanding was as to whether the plate was an open or a district race.

The Postal Savings Bank. —lt has been determined to introduce into this Colony the new system of Postal Savings Banks deposits lately originated in England by the Postmaster-General, Pro fessor Fawcett. : It consists in the issue by Postal officers, of . a blank card, ruled into twelve spaces, each largo enough to hold a postage stamp. Any depositor can fill in these squares with penny postage stamps, and so soon as the card is full ho has only to present it at the Savings Bank, when the stamps will be obliterated, and the filled-up card accepted as a deposit in the usual way.' Rakaia Gorge Bridge. —A Wellington telegram says :—The following, tenders were received for the Rakaia Gorge Bridge contract: Accepted —W. H. Barker, Oamaru, L 3397. Declined —11. M‘Kenzie and Co., Dunedin. L 353 1; M‘Combe and Day,- Oamaru, L 4114 ; 11. B. Sibrey, Timaru, L 4367 ; Mercer and Low, Dunedin, L 4645, Thomas and Hill, Amberly, L 4893 ; Stock and Stenliouss, Christchurch, L 4949 ; G. Thornton, Christchurch, Loll! ; Thomas Russell, L 5195 ; Henderson and Fergus, Dunedin, L 5807. •

Military Equipment.—ln Germany a considerable proportion of the infantry carry spades. This increase to the equip ment of the soldier is not to be seen for the first time, nor is it alone carried by the Germany army. They carry one small spade to every four men, anil large spades in the proportion of 25 per cent, of the smaller ones, besides ten per cent, of pick axes. The Austrians and Russians are providing uhoir troops with spades, in the proportion of one to every two men ; and the French have adopted the principle of carrying entrenching tools, though wc are not quite certain of the proportion decided upon, The question of carrying entrench ing tools was referred to an English com mittee long ago i but wc may perhaps see a huge European war before the author ities can make up their mind upon this new but simple-question. - An Unpaid Leo. —For some time past a one-legged man might have been seen stumping about the township with a most extraordinary work of art strung across his back. This work of art was an arti ficial leg, and many a head was turned to look after the man who, instead of using bis leg to aid locomotion, carried it on his back. But there is a reason for every thing, and there was a reason for the peculiar conduct of the ouedegged man. How he lost his log real we don’t know, but wc do know that he is fond of a booze, and lie makes this artificial leg of his the means of raising the wind. He tells the good people whom he visits a plausible story like this—That he got the leg made, and paid LlO of the price ; that at the time, he entered into a bond' with the maker not to use the leg for walking until the other LlO owing were paid ; that ho is begging subscriptions towards liquidating 0 the LlO, and he produces a list of names with sums given opposite, amounting within a pound or two of the required 'amount. Kind-hearted people give shillings and half-crown ; but how ever much money is given, the one legged man never seems to get aiiy’ nearer the happy time when ho will cast aside his primitive timber toe, and put on the triumph of )e«--making art, He gets drunk, too, and into debt as well. Possibly, nobody would interfere with his little begging game if he behaved himself ; but, on Saturday, he had taken too heavy a whisky dinner, and the landlord of the boarding-house at which he puts up found him to be a nui since, so that -the one-legged man was taken away to quarters where he had to “wittlo fi'cp” at the colony’s expense.. To day he made his bpw to Mr. Nugent Wood, R.M., before whom Mr. Charles Larouche’s mode of raising the wind was described, and the one-legged Frenchman was given to understand that three days grace would hp given him in which to depart from the confines of this city, or bo* sent, leg and leggage, to gaol as a vagrant. Mr. Charles Larouohe used to trot round with an .organ-and monkey, but these aids to fortune have been lost si'dit of, and the fancy leg lias taken their place. We would advise the sympathetic to be careful in giving him their money, as this leg “ fake” of his is only a means for finding tho Frenchman “ wittles and: drink"—mostly drink, i

Sporting Notes. —Only Gufts’ and Robinson’s teams appeared on the Christ church Course this morning, and did slow work. The other teams trained on private grounds. Amulet is a hot favorite for the Welcome Stakes, at 3 to 1. Betting ,is very quiet. ' ,

CABLE NEWS.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

(Per Beider's Agency.) The Markets, &c. London,,- Nov. 5. Three per cent. Consols, wheat, ex warehouse, 51s. 6d. Five per cent. New Zealand 10-40 Loan, 101 ; Five percent. 1889 Loan, 104 ; Four and a half per cent. 1879-1904 loan, tralian leather is quoted at ll&d. The total quantity of wheat afloat for Great Britain is 1,920,000 bushels. Aquatics, Nov. 6. Laycock, the Australian oarsman, beat Riley in the sculling match for L4OO aside. Ho won easily. Tlie International Regatta commences on Nor. 18. The races will be pulled in four heats, the regatta lasting three days. There are seventeen entries for the various events. ' Irish Affairs. The channel squadron has been ordered to Ireland. The Irish Laud League appeals t 0 the people' to subscribe liberally towards a defence fund for a solicitor to enter an appearance in the Court at Dublin, to de mand details of the charges’.;'brought against the land leaguers. Democracy Uppermost. Washington, Nov. G. ■ On a trial of strengta it is found -that the Democratis possess a small majority in the Senate. : The Jesuits. Paris, Nov. 6. The execution of the decrees for the expulsion of the Jesuits from Fratlce have been completed, and their legality upheld. Dervish Pasha bix the; Persuasive. , . . Constantinople, Not. 6. Dervish Pasha, who has been despatched by the Porte with'three battalions of Turkish troops to Dulcigno, has arrived there, and is conferring with the chiefs of the Albanian league, and urging them to submit Without opposition to the cession of the town and district to Montenegro. The Battle of Mentaiia. Home, Nov. 4. General Garabaldi, who is now at Milan, unveiled to-day a monument in com memoration’of the battle of. Montana. The Greek Frontier,. Athens, Nov. G. Coumoundoiu’os, President of the. Ministry, is. asking Parliament to-day to grant credit for increased armaments, in accordance with the policy announced in the King’s speech at the opening of Par: lidment. He declared that it would be suicidal for Greece to secede from the position she had taken up in regard to the rectification of the frontier.

NEW ZEALAND

(Per Press Asoociatiou.) The Governor. Auckland, To-day. News from 'Fiji per the Southern Cross is to the effect that Governor Gordon is making a tour of the islands in H.M-S. Danae, and will arrive in New Zealand about the ,18ch.- W. J. Hunt, who was prohibited by Sir Arthur Gor don’s proclamation from being within the Navigator Group for a period of two years, brought an action in the Supremo Court against Sir A. Gordon, at Levuka, for L 2,000 damages. The Court ruled it had not jurisdiction, as the Governor was privileged, and acts done by proclamation could not be questioned. Hunt, who is a passenger to Auckland, threatens to bring an action here. The Wesleyan Mis sionaries of Fiji presented an address to Sir A. Gordon, expressing their high ad miration of his unwearied efforts for the advancement of the native race. The Auckland Review. Gn.AH.vw !rowx,.To-day.' One hundred Volunteers loft this morn ing to take part in the Auckland review to-morrow. .A’ largo detachment loaves to-night Jewellery Robbery at Tim aru. . Ti.uauu, To-day. W. H, Osborne and J. Drayton have been remanded till Friday next for break: into the promises latterly occupied by F. A. Sims and Co., and stealing therefrom jewellery and other goods valued at L2O, the property of the National Bank. Other charges are pending, the total value of property removed being Ll3O. Timber Thefts at Waimate. David Hayes was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for stealing timber from a sawmill near Wuimate. A Hoax on the Orangemen. Forged documents, bearing the seal of the Magistrate’s Court, were served on some of tho Orangemen attending the late procession, charging them with carrying firearms, Official envelopes were used, and the matter is meeting searching hives tigation. A Swimmer Drowned. Dunedin, To-day. Frank Butler was drowned in attempt ing to swim across the Kawarau Falls. New Steamers for the Union Shipping Company. At the trial trip of the Boojum on Saturday, Mr. Mills announced that the Union Company are building a, number of new steamers. The Manipori, 285 feet long, 3G feet beam, and 25 feet depth of hold. She will be of the same power as the Roto mah ana j a twin screw, having,a carrying capacity of 300 tons, on a maxi mum draught of nine feet, and intended to trade between Hokitika, Greymouth,-. Westport, and Wanganui. A. .third steamer is intended to trade exclusively, from Westport to ports on the east coast, and so develop the coal resources at that port. She will carry 500 tons on a draught of lift. Three other steamers will be built of steel, and will somewhat re semble the Boojum. One is to tender the Waitaki at Wangarei, and trade between that port and Waipu ; another is to tender the company’s steamships at Gisborne ; and a third will be employed in tendering tho Waitaki at Tauranga, and keep up communication between that place and Qpotiki Two smaller steamers and three launches are to be in the colony by this time next year. More Stack Burning. Five stacks pf oats, belonging to Alexander Toungson, Popotunoa, were burned down on Friday. Incendiarism is suspected. They were insured in tlie Norwich Union for LI 50.

Mount Somers Road Board.

The ordmary monthly meeting of this Board was held at the. Road Board Office, Mount Somers, on Monday. November 1. Present : Messrs. A. E. Peache (chair man), I. E. Taylor, and Duncan Cameron. Correspondence was read as follows : From the Ashburton County Council, inclosing ■account', for balance due ,on Hood’s Grossing bridge, interest, &c. The Board decided to pay the balance on the construction of Hood’s Bridge—viz., Llooo—wliicb amount was not kept back at tht October meeting intentionally, but the omission was caused by a clerical error. With reference to account for interest, Ac., the Clerk was directed to apply to the Council fora full and detailed account of the amounts of the tenders for the different works, and to request that the Council will inform the Board whether half the surplus timber for Hood’s Bridge has been charged to the Mount Somers Board ; and also if the wheel-guards for the said bridge were included in Butt’s tender or not. From Air. A. Prunty’s solicitor, re questing the Board to make a.further payment for work done on Black Moun tain track, and also for work done on Rutherford’s cuttings. The Clerk was directed to reply, and to forward to Mr. Prunty’s solicitor a copy of the Board’s letter of May 6th last. From the Ashburton County Council, informing tlie .Board that Air. Donald Kellas has been appointed pouudkeeper for the Mount Somers Board for twelve months, as recommended by the Board. From Mr. J. S. Bruce, re his account for preparing plans for stable. The Clerk to see Air. Bruce upon the subject. , Air. Corsbie waited upon the Board, and- requested them te make sbmo pro tective works in Taylor’s Stream, near Yaletta coach crossing ; and also to form, &c., the road from Alford Station road to the Alford Forest, via Gough’s crossing. The Surveyor to report. , . From Mr. John Anderson, re fittings for pile engine;' From the the Union Bank of Australia, Ashburton, acknowledging .the receipt of L 122 9s. 2d. to credit of Board’s account. • Donald Forbes interviewed the Board, refills contract' on Tramway Reserve road (Alford Forest). The Board decided to release Mr. Forbes from his contract, con ditionally: upon liis forfeiting the amount of his deposit. The Surveyor’s report was read and considered. ' -‘ r : It was decided to .call for tenders for formation 97 chains Alorrow’s road ; also to re-advoitise formation, etc., on Tram way Reserve road (Alford Forest); and the maintenance of fords for twelve months. : , f--r.: ; ‘ r . : ■ ' It was resolved that the Mount Hutt Road Board be at once, written to, urging upon them the necessity of opening up a road direct from Holmes’ corner to :• the' North Ashburton bridge, instead of carry ing out.the contract already let from the above corner along,the .wife fence to the coach road, which will, be a much longer route. Tenders were opened, and one accepted, for each of the following works No. 28, Hewson’s road, Hewson and Cook, L 35; 7s. 6d ; No. 29, Cameron’s road, Ohas Shepherd, L4IG 10s. lOd.; No. ■3O, Alford Forest road, J. Patterson, L 72 10s.; No. 31, Alorris’s road, P. Shearer, L 23 10s.; North Hinds road, P. Shearer, 1,15. The paysheet, amounting to L 1355 65., havin' boon" passed for payment, the Board adjourned.

An Australian Miracle-Worker.

(Melbourne Age.)

The reputation which Mr. Milner Stephen has earned for himself in Sydney for what in the dialect of the Spiritualists is called-healing medium ship, has made him an object of as much Curiosity as the celebrated Dr. Newton r was some years ago : n London, and we suppose we must look upon his visit to jvielbourne therefore as as: an event of .equal interest to society., lake Dr. ■Newton, Mr. Stephen works most of his cures by. the. laying on of■ hands and, like Dr. Newton, he claims that his cures are wrought by an influx of power from an invisible source. Like Dr. Newton, too, he works some of his cures in public; and the amount of public and private testimony which has been borne to them by newspaper critics, medical men, and eye-witnesses of varied sagacity, including patients who have been cured or relieved them selves, is certainly as great as that upon the strength of which we accept the reality of nine-tenths of the facts and events that are occuring about us every day. The instances in which he is said to have successfully treated such dis eases as paralysis, rheumatism, deaf ness, dumbness, and blindness are both fairly numerous and carefully attested ; and unless we can dispute the value of the attestations, there seems no help for it but to admit the success of the treatment. By this we mean that the alleged phenomena not only occurred, but that they were wrought by Mr Stephen, and that, a large per centage of them at any rate cannot be explained except in association with him. This being admitted, the ques that remains to be answered is, what can that agency be ? Mr. Stephen pro fesses to be a spiritualist, and so far as we can understand, he agrees with the spiritualists in.attributing the vis medi catrix which he possesses to the in fluence of invisible intelligence working through him, as the invisible electric current works through the wire which conducts it to'its destination. If is quite needless to say that only a spiritu alist could advance such an hypothesis for a moment, and to the man of science, it is absolutely without mean ing. There is one a priori argumen against it, which may as well be slated, namely, that if the cures were super natural they would' be permanent, whereas . we know, for a fact that some of them are only temporary. The cither alternative, then, is to suppose that when they do take place they are the manifestations of a latent powerj inherent in some or ganisms and wanting in others, which require certain conditions to bring it into activity. If we adopt this theory, we are at once relieved of the element of the mjraculous, with- which . .Mr. Stephen and his friends: would need-: lessjy embarrass the problgrp. The cures wrought by the laying on of his hands would then be no more super natural than the cures wrought by an electric bath, or a galvanic battery, or the mesmeric coma. . It is a matter of common experience that cures are worked by these agencies,- and yet they are just, as little-susceptible .of,a strictly scientific explanation as Mr. glephen’s .manipulations. Miss Hariett Marfineau ;was one of the driest and most scepti cal minds of tjie;century.q-; She was one of the very few people who have succeeded in divesting themselves of every shred of belief in the spiritual p and her autobiography, which is as in teresting . .for philosophic .purposes . as that of Mbntaigne’s, discloses a picture

of naked, unrelenting infidelity, which places her above all suspicion of sym pathy with anything not to be accounted for on purely rationalistic principles. Yet this same autobiography tells the story of her.restoration to health, after six years’ desperate illness, by means of mesmerism, and she further gives in it two cases of clairvoyance occurring within her own experience, from which the.possibilities of fraud- are carefully excluded. The only explanation she allows herself is that “ there are facts in human nature which require a good deal of humble and can did study before we can honestly claim to know the extent and character of human powers.” Since she wrote, the well-known experiments of Dr. Baird have placed beyond doubt the benefits of mesmerism as a remedial agent, though we are still as much in the dark as ever as to the nature and working of the remedy. In conclusion, the Age says “ Nobody can feel more, acutely than the scientific medical man himself the Cimmerian darkness in which he gropes his way to the cure of disease, and how brutally coarse and inadequate arc the instruments that he uses to lead the errant forces of nature along their wonted channels again—those sub.tle forces whose temporary estrangement has, in Tennyson’s language, — ’ Confused the chemic labors of the blood. Made havoc among the.tender cells, and landed the unhappy victim m jaun dice or the gout. Think of the gain to telheticism alone if we could always get a fresh supply of nerve force direct from the overstocked ganglia of the Milner Stephens of the future instead of through the sickening medium of the druggists’ herbs and minerals! The transfusion of blood from one man’s veins to another is, we believe, a medi cal fact; why not the transfusion of nerve-fluid from one set. of nerves to another ?”

Beautiful Mrs. Langtry.

An American paper thus discourses on England’s most famous beauty “ The most beautiful woman in all England is Mrs. Langtry. It is said that she is so sweet that when you look at her yoii feel caterpillars crawling up the small of your back, your heart begins to jump like a box car, a streak of lightning goes down one trousers leg and up the other, and escapes up the back of your neck, causing the hair to raise and be filled with electricity enough to light a circus tent, and that when looking at her your hand clutches nervously as though you wanted to grasp something to hold you up, and a sense of faintness comes over you, your eyes roll heavenward, your head falls helpless on your breast, your left side becomes numb, your liver quits- working, your breath comes hot and heavy, your lips turn livid and tremble, your teeth chew on iinagin-. ary toffy, and you look round imploringly f.ii’ somebody to take her away. If all this occurs to a person from looking at her,' it would bo sudden death or six months’ illness to shake hands with her. If she comes here, there is one bald-headed man going into the country, where they are not so bad. You bet ! ”

A Remarkable Trio.

Three of the most remarkable men of the century are now on exhibition in -Lon don at the Loyal Aquarium—the giant Chang, a tea merchant of Pekin ; Bru stad, a tall Norwegian ; and Che-man, described as “ the smallest man in the world.” Chang is the largest giant in ex : istenco, stands" Bft. 2in., and is highly educated, speaking five different lan guages, including English, which ho speaks very well, but with the well-known sing-song of the Chinaman. He is Bft. high without his boots ; he measures GOin. round the chest, weighs 20 stone, has a span of eight feet with his' outstretched arms, and signs his name without an effort upon a signpost 10ft Gin. high. Chang is 33 years .of age, and it is about, fifteen years since he was in England. After five years’ residence in the Celestial Empire he returned to Europe for the Paris Exhibi tion, and has since visited Vienna (where the Emporer gave him a ring, which he proudly exhibits, marked with the Imper ial eagles and initials of Francis Joseph), Berlin and Hamburg. Since his last resi dence in this country Chang has grown six inches. He has a benevolent face, a courtly manner, and wears a richly-em broidered dress worked for him by his sister, who is, like the rest of his family, of only ordinary stature. Next to Chang, and next by no long interval, stands Brustad, about 7ft. 9in. high, very muscu lar, very broad back, having as great a girth as Chang, and a wider span in pro portion to his height. He has a low fore head, but speaks English fairly well. Brustad has also a ring which he greatly delights in exhibiting. He presented it to himself out of the profits, it is supposed, gained by. being shown. It is oz. weight, and a penny goes through it easi To grasp his mighty hand in greeting is like shaking hands with an oak tree. His weight is 28 stone—greater than Chang’s, for his bones arc more massive.. His age is 35. Che-man, the dwarf, gives his age at 42, sings a Chinese elegy, describes himself with much fluency and variety, and, as his height is only 25 inches, ap pears to be what he is described, the smallest man in the world. It is common for exhibited dwarfs to be over three feet high. Sir Geoffrey Hudson, the dwarf, whom readers of Sir Walter Scott will best remember, measured 3ft. 9in. when he had.attained his full stature.

A Melancholy Marriage.

On the 32nd or July a melanoholy mar riage ceremony was celebrated in the principal gaol of Madrid. Some days pre viously a young man named Alvarez Oliva and his mistress, with whom he had lived for several years, were tided for murder by the criminal tribunal in the Palacio de Justiz, and, having been proved guilty, were sentenced, the former to death by the garotte, the latter to ten years’ imprisonment with hard labor. Shortly after their condemnation they ■ craved permission of the authorities to be united in matrimony ere the dread sen tence of the law should he carried into effect, in order that their only child, a little girl five years old, should be.legiti mised. Their petition was granted, and the gaol chaplain pronounced the ■blessing of the Church upon their- union on the morning of the day appointed for Alvarez’s execution. Having duly ex changed rings and pronounced vows of mutual fidelity “till death should part them,” they took an eternal and affecting' leave of one another, after whjch the bride was removed to the scene of her future punishment, and the bridegroom was - conducted to the condemned cell, where, having confessed his sins and received absolution, he was pinioned and conveyed to the scafibld. ; [ A few minutes later he had ceased to live.

A Knotty Point.

- . Attention has lately been directed (re marks an English Paper) to the case of a Dublin house painter, who was remanded last month ;at the southern division Police Court on a charge of causing the death of his wife by refusing to permit the amputa tion of her, arm. Mary O’Keefe, it seems, was admitted to Mercer’s Hospital on 28th May suffering from severe burns on the arm. The surgeons at, the hospital decided that the only way to save her life

was to amputate her arm. She consented to the operation, but her husband refused to permit it to take place. As the sur geons held that they would be liable to an action if anything happened to the patient aftbr an operation had been performed without her husband’s consent, they re fused to operate, and the woman died. The coroner’s jury were of opinion that the woman’s life might have been saved if the operation had been performed. The objection of the husband is attributed to his invincible reluctance to be burdened with a one-armed wife. When the hus band has thus a direct and obvious inter est in the death of his wife, it can hardly be deemed an undue assertion of woman’s rights to ask that her lord and master shall no longer be able to veto operations necessary to preserve her life.

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1880.



Special Advertisements. THE BEST VALUE FOB READY MONEY IS THE MEN’S) CLOTHING (AND BOYS’) MANUFACTURED BY THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY, which can be purchased at their Retail Branches, now established all over New Zealand. The Garments are thoroughly shrunk. The Fit and Style are perfect. The Workmanship is equal to bespoke. The Trimmings are of superior quality and strength. . The Tweeds are of the very best descrip tion. The Stock is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The tall, short, lean, and stout can be equally well fitted. The Goods'are all marked in plain figures. The system of business is to exchange every article that does not give satis faction. And,-in addition to all these advantages, you can purchase A SINGLE GARMENT AT THE WHOLESALE PRICE. s/Zsr Mercery, Hats, Shirts, Ties, Scarfs, Bags, Portmanteaus, Rugs, and Blankets at Wholesale Prices. THOUSANDS OF DISCERNING CUSTOMERS Testify that the New Zealand Clothing Factory’s Garments are the Very Best Value for Ready Money. Ashburton Branch : EA ST STIEE T . WM SPARROW, 910 c Manager. FO R S A L E. One Second-hand Doable Demy Tape Printing MACHINE, in thorough working order, with rollers, moulds, &c., complete. This machine has been replaced by a Double Royal Wharfedale, which necessitates removal of the Double Demy Machine formerly used for printing the “Herald” and “ Guardian,” for hand or steam power. Can bo seen and all par ticulars obtained at our office. For a Country Ollice this Machine suits admirably, as it can easily bo turned by hand, for which we have fitted a bv whcel and handle. METHYEN AGENCY. MORGAN and HfBBS, General Store keepers, Mothven, are authorised agents for the Ashburton Guardian. “Subscribers will please get their papers from the agents in future. Orders en trusted to them will receive prompt attention.



riox.LO way’s Pir.i.s. —Let the Sick take heed. —The stomach is the commissariat of the physical system. It furnishes the material sus tenance of every organ. If disordered, the whole body languishes; but however severely it may be affected, its. tone. 4ntl, vigor may always be restored by a course ofthese irresisT tible Pills; biliousness, indigestion, liver-com plaints, and other disorders of the stomach can easily he cured by the use of Holloway’s Pills. Thousands.attest tliis assertion, and no sufferer who' has ever died them . will dpny .fhejr su preme efficacy. In every case of stomach dis ease, from the mildest case of dispepsia to the disorder of both diver and stomach, frortv the nausea of tljg free Typr to the, vomiting accom panying ulcerated stomachs, these Pills inline-. diately relieve, and by perseverance effectually qjrg.—ApVT. ■



Board and Residence. Board and lodging, 17s. per week, at S. Corrigan's, Tinwald. 446 Wanted- TED, a NURSE GIRL. Apply VV to Mrs. Macßean Stewart, Moore street. 471 WANTED TO RENT, for a year or two, a six or seven roomed HOUSE in Ashburton. Apply, Poyntz ACo. 473 ANTED KNOWN, —That GEO. F. HENRY, Sawders’ Build ings, Bast Street, Ashburton, is the ONLY PHOTOGRAPHER in New Zealand who is supplying the Public with Re-touched PICTURES, Finished Off in the Best and Latest Fashionable Styles, at TEN SHILLINGS per Dozen. 470 WANTED KNOWN. SOMERSET' LIVERY AND BAIT STABLES. JW. M‘RAE bogs to inform the . public that he has taken the above Stab 1 os from Mr. Bossenberg, and is. making extensive repairs. Buggies and saddle horses on hire. Lowest prices and best attention. ■: ■■ :■ . ' 903 c—2B6 g Consultations. A SHBURTON CO-OPERATIVE CON ii SULTATIONS. No. I. On the Ashburton Cup Handi cap (open). No. 2. On the County Steeplechase (for District horses only). Each consultation is for £SOO, and the Fee to the administrators of the estate for advice is £1 for each record. The judgment on the Gup,will be argued and decided at 8 p.m. on Nov. 16th. . The judgment on the Steeplechase will be argued and decided at 8 p.m. on Nov. 17 th. Letters of advice can be obtained from the Agents in all parts of the colony, QUILL «& WILKIE, Consulting advocates for the 477 Co- operative: Association.. Meetings. LOCAL INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION. THE Usual Monthly Meeting of the above to be held on Wednesday, 10th inst,, is POSTPONED to Wednes day, December Bth, in consequence of the holidays. STEPHEN E. POYNTZ, 479 Hon. Sec. Amusements. PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT. TOWN HALL. RACE NIGHT, WEDNESDAY, Nov. 17, mHE AMATEUR DRAMATIC I, SOCIETY will produce that splen did Melodrama THE MASQUERADE DUEL, And the laughable Faroe of TH E RAI LW A Y BEL LE, A splendid Riding Whip will be pre sented to the winner of the Ashburton Gup on this night. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18th, Change of Programme with that screaming Farce of BETSY BAKER, On this evening a DANCE will follow at the conclusion of the performance. Fidl particulars in handbills. - 478 Entertaiiiineiit. A MEDLEY ENTERTAINMENT WILL BE GIVEN At the SEAFIELD SCHOOLROOM, ON FRIDAY, the 12th Instant, At Eight, p.m. Admission—-Two Shillings. 475 A. McKELLAR WIX. Borough Council Gazette. ASHBURTON BOROUGH COUNCIL. ANNUAL ELECTION OF MAYOR. “ Municipal Corporations Act, 1876,” and the ‘ ‘ Regulation of Local Elections Act. 1876.” I HEREBY GIVE NOTICE, That the ANNUAL ELECTION of MAYOR, under the first-mentioned Act, will be held at the BOROUGH COUNCIL CHAMBER, on WEDNESDAY,, the 24th day of November instant! ! Nominations of Candidates (which, must be made in the manner provided iii Clause 11 of the second-mentioned Act) will be received at the Town Clerk’s Office, till 12 o’clock Noon, on Tuesday, the,l6th day of November instant. Forms of Nomination may be obtained at the Borough Council Office ; and a Deposit of £lO must be left with each Nomination Paper. Dated this Bth day of November, 1880. CHARLES BRADDELL, 476 Returning Officer. For Sale. Poyntz & Go. HAYK FOR SALE, on advantageous and easy terms of payment, the following TOWN AND SUBURBAN PROPERTIES : A good five-roomed House, on quarter acre of land, within three or four chains of the East Town Belt. A compact four-roomed House, with one acre of land, well fenced. Three quarters of an acre laid down as a paddock. A nice four-roomed House on half acre of land near the Gas Works, well finished throughout. Town Sections;'742, 743. 465, 466, 407. Town Section 711 upon which is erected a capital four-roomed House fitted with every convenience. . A twd-roomed House, with outbuild ings, on a quarter aero, well fenced and planted, on N.E. Bolt.;, MONEY" for investment, on approved security, in sums of £SO and upwards, at current rates.



Tenders T TENDERS. Wanted, Tenders for Erection of COTTAGE (Labor only) ■; ■: in Peter street.—Plana and specifications: to be seen at HATES’ Yards, East street, - / Ashburton. 481 TENDERS are invited for the EREC TION of a three (3) roomed HOUSE on the Alford Forest road. Tenders due on FRIDAY, 12th. inat. . Plans and specifications may be seen at the office of the undersigned* to whom Tenders are to be addressed. ' ■ 472 POYNTZ & CO. TENDER S. nnENDERS are invited for ERECTING Jl about 300 Chains of SOD FENCE, near the Township of Westerfield. , : For particulars, apply to MR. OLIVER, ■ ‘ " ■Manager, 467 Westerfield. " v. mmmM r. RESERVES TO LET. TENDERS, are invited, for the .LEASE, for fourteen years, of RESERVE" No 2012, containing, 1,500 , acres, - and situated near Coldstream, Rarigifcata.' Alternative tenders will - bo. .received, either for the Reserve as a whole, dr in Three Blocks of 500 acres each. Conditions of Lease may be obtained.on application to Mr. H. H. Pitman, Govern ment Buildings, Christchurch, either by letter or personally, on any Saturday.; -t - Tenders, addressed to,the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Christchurch,': will ;be received up to Monday, the 22nd of No vember next. JOHN MARSHMAN, Commissioner "of Crowh Landsl ' ■ : Christchurch, October.2lst, 1880. , ~v r 38p UPPER ASHBURTON ROAD BOARD. TENDERS are invited for the RE PAIRS and MAINTENANCE., of . all the Roads in this district for a terni ofl three years ; each ward to be tendered for, separately. ; Written tenders, endorsed, are to be sent in, addressed to the Chairman, not later ■ than noon of'MONDAY, the 29th day of l . November. : ' The Clerk will be at the office every'" Thursday 1 of each week, 1 from : .mne :: td. J ’ twelve o’clock a.m., to give - the general conditions and specifications of the work. , ROBT.' D.. PULLAB, V: ■ f ii 1 Clerk and Surveyor to the Board. Rotidßoard Office, G>/. Westerfield, Oct. 27, 18801 G O’ ’.-408. i • 11 Public Notices TO-NIGHT! TO-NlGhfe Fresh Pastry, Cakes, Etc;, ■ kt'-Aitken’-si .•: Open to- Aitkbn," Pastrycook; morrow morning. Saunders’ Buildings. 480, EHOTOGRAPHY. —Geo. F. Henry, . in order to suit the convenience of the Public, intends keeping his studio Open TO-MORROW—Prince / of ,Wales’ ■ ) Birthday. " J l AN APOLOGY. :CHARLES NEATE, Chemist* B iEGS : to apologise : to. innumerable c: •- • ! Customers for the", inconvenience 1 caused them while REMOVING TO NEW PREMISES, : NEXT '.•■■■ ", ■ >;T •: f.. Mr. Bullock’s Auction Rooms, I ■. 169 EAST STREET. i LL DEBTS due to Ashburton J\ Herald and Guardian business must be Paid to Mr. S. E. Porarz, on behalf of the Assignees, at the, Guardian Office, East street, Ashburton, and his receipt alone will be a sufficient discharge. S. SAUNDERS, For Self and Co-Assignees. ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL. -TVTOTICE IS; HEREBY GIVEN - that 1 J3| the County Council Offices will be CLOSED for BUSINESS all day on the 9th and 16th insfc.-, and on 17th aha 18th iast., from 12 o’clock noon. By order," :I " F. MAIN WARING, 'I / : !.'■,; Clerk. Ashburton, November sth, 1830. 462 ASHBURTON AGRICULTURAL AND i PASTORAL ASSOCIATION. HE ANNUAL S HOW STOCK, PRODUCE, IMPLEMENTS, &c., WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, 16th. NOVE MBE R; v i it-i Entries must be made with the. Secretary lot later than Tuesday, 9th November. Members will oblige, by ; forwarding heir Subscriptions at an early date. GEORGE JAMESON, 126 , ’ , Secretary.! - ASHBURTON , ■ r GBICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. ASSOCIATION. : PRIVATE PRIZE LIST. W. Montgomery and,. Co, (Limited), £3. ; 3s. —F6r the best dry Draught' Mare.’ L. E. Corsbie, £3. —Forthe best Yearling Colt or Filly by Tribune ; £2—For - ’ the second best ditto. • .j-c-IJ H. Matson and Co., £3 3s.—For the best Yearling Draught Colt. .. . ■ ■ ■ John Carter, £3 3s.—For the’ best " Year-" - ling Colt rtr Filly by Dexter; ; £3 —For the best foal by Dexter; -—■’ ! -r Hodder aiid Co. , dress value £1 lsY;(in"- : addition ,to the Association’s Prize) —For the best Fresh Butter. R. Wilkin and Co., £3 3s.—rFor xthe bgst Yearling Draught Filly. W. Anderson, a Ladies’ Bridle ; (in addi-> Jjy tidn'.to the Association’s Prize)—For; the best Ladies’Hack; New Zealand Losn and Viercantile Agency; ~ Company, silver cup, value £4 ,tr , For the largest prize-taker in long woolled sheep. Friedlander Bros., -£3 3a. -—For, the best ■ ; Carriers’ Spring Dray.made’ in the., . County i ■ ..... _ Sealey Bros., £1 Is.—For the best Three • 41b Loaves of Bread, made from Ashvj.vi burton Flour. w , . ~, M- Stitt, £2 2s, (in addition l to the-Asaoci--, /i ation’s Prize). —For the best. High Jump. . . , f Orr and Co;, £1 Is, —For the best collee-.):i: tion- of Vegetables • grown hy ~ah ji; Amateur. P, Cunningham and Co., £3 3s.—For the;,— best collection of Farm Seeds.. R. W. Shearman, £2 2s.—For the best . s round of Cured Corned Beef ; Is. for the second best, if there are" at’ { least three exhibit's ; and 10s.. 6d.’ for. - the third best,-if there are ffive-ex- r hibits ; the round not fa 201 b nor over 50lb weight,-and to be : -« i ; .fixed at a price per lb to be mentioned; at the time of entry. v : The. jadgesf.to's ; take into consideration quality of beef • < and form-of rounds.. GEORGE JAhlESON'jj ,ru -455 . , w ASTE PAPER for Sale, 3d. .peril* at the GbARDiAN Office,’ >'t r: