SHIPPING.

fPORT OP LYTTELTON. I Arrived- I Yesterday. Sanlji Cruz, ketch, from Kaipara. I To-day. Hawea, a. 8.. from Wellington. Oreti, iiu., from Wellington. Sailed. Yesterday. Beautiful Star, b.s,, for Westport. Wakatipu, b.s., for Wellington and - ■ • ’ St i|ilw, for Dunedin. TELEGRAMS. WEtUNdTON, Yesterday. tfAnnyod Hawea, from the North j Kate McGregor, schooner, from Hoki anga; Te AnaUy Melbourne, via the South. Sailed—Ellerton, schooner, for New Plymouth! J' / . I--.:... The ship Margaret Galbraith, Captain PergqiysD,>ji:.arrived from London this afternoon, after an uneventful passage of 115 days. ig-tsi ;i0 Chalmers. Yesterday. , Arrived—Wollomai, from Grey mouth; Wana|:a, from the North. t—Merkaworth, steamer, for Wes-

COMMERCIAL.

no ,4; .! London Seed Trade. John Shaw and Sons, of Mark Lane, London, E.C., report through ■' their agent (Mr Leonard V 7. ‘ Blake, of Christchurch), that the mark|t during the fortnight ending No veumtvflßth, was in a very inactive con ditiOT', consequently there was but little interest to report thereon. Red clover waS (|iliet, the high prices asked for Eng lish, checked business. American was neglected, the only demand for it being on the Continent. White clover was deareV, especially for fine qualities, which, however, were' very difficult to obtain. BecoiftfEharp : frosts had not, as was an ticipated, materially increased supplies whiclj, coupled with some enquiries for fine sheds, had, tended to make holders firmeiv Alsyh® had been, the medium of business, and must also be noted death*, fine qualities being scarce and readily sold. Trefoil was quiet but firm. Timothy was somewhat cheaper, and the same, may be said of canary and hemp. Italian and perennial rye grasses were rather neglected, but there were no Alteration in values. The imports into the United Kingdom of clover and grass during the month of October were against 16,069 cwts for Oc tober, 1880.

MAIL NOTICES.

Mkil« close at the Ashburton Post Office M follows: Pol' Christchurch and North at 6.30 a. m. 10.3 m a. m., and 5 p.m., daily. Pot: Chertseyßakaia, &a, at 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. For Dunedin,Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine, at: 10 a. m. daily. For Temuka, at 6.30 a.m. and 10 a.m., daily. For Titnaru and South, at 6.30 a.m., 10 *.m., and 4.30 p.m., daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount, , Bomera, and Ashburton Gorge, on Tuesdays and Fridays, at 10.30 a. m. For Ashtonj Waterton and Longbeach, at 4.30 p.m. daily.

DAILY MEMORANDA.

AUCTION SALES. Tuesday, January 10. Mamma ‘.T .T. Ford & Go., at the Spread Eagle Hotel—Farm Stock and Imple ments. • ■ jfj i,Thursday, January 12. Mr T. Bullock, at Rakaia—Household Furniture,;&c.; 1 p.m. •Saturday, January 14. Mr T. Bullock, at the Bazaar—Horses ; 1.30 p.m. : ■ : (Tuesday, January 17. Matson, Cox and Co., at the Tinwald Tijtda—Stock. meetings, amusements, &c • Monday, January, 9. borough Council, at Borough ConncD Chambers,, at 7 o’clock. Tuesday, January 10. Horticultural Society—Monthly Meeting, Mi Harrison’s Auction Room, 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 11. Meeting re Ashburton Forks Railway, Morgan and Hibbs’ Store, Methven, 4 •jDi|ni^; Friday, January 20. Bazaar, in aid of Catholic Church Build ing Fund.-.; Ijilr.r WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1. Amateur Dramatic Club, Town Hall, 8 p.m. Country Council, at the County Council at 11 o’clock. Thursday, February 2. Wakanui Road Board —Monthly Meeting, Road Board Office, Moore street

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1882. The New Licensing Act.

TOWN EDITION. [lssued at 4.50 p.m.j

Under the new licensing laws passed during last session the present system of licensing will very shortly become_a thing of the past. Licensing commis sioners will disappear, and their place will be supplied with licensing com mittees, elected by ratepayers. Each committee will consist of five persons, who will hold a great deal of power in their hands. Brewers, wine and spirit merchants, maltsters, distillers, importers for sale of liquors, dealers in liquors, agents or auctioneers for dealers, persons interested in any public house, building, or premises as mort gagees or otherwise, who own in fee or for any less estate of any licensed house, who have been bank rupt or insolvent within four years, and have paid less than 10s in the pound, and also General and local Government officers are to be exempt from sitting on the Licensing Committees.

But while the restrictions are so stringent respecting the publican or any one in the remotest degree con nected with his calling sitting on the Licensing Committee, there is nothing whatever to prevent , the teetotallers or other persons of extreme views from being elected. Surely what is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander? Like that dealing with gaming and lotteries, we are much of opinion that the new Licensing Act, at least as ? whole, will not be found to work particularly smoothly.

The Brighton Railway Murder.

Since the Wainwright murder in 1876 there has not been a crime that has awakened such a profound sensa tion, both at home and abroad, as the murder of Mr Gold by Lefroy on the Brighton railway. Every one will recall the circumstances of the tragedy, and how, although suspicion pointed so strongly to the man who recently ex piated his offence at Newgate gaol, that man was so cool and collected, and defended himself so plausibly against the charge, that numbers were con vinced of his innocence. Whilst in gaol awaiting his trial the prisoner was just as self-possessed as before; he never lost heart, and looked for but one result of his arraignment—ac quittal. He ate and drank, we are told, chatted with his gaolers, and amused himself with penning rem inisences of life in Australia and in London. He was better acquainted with his case than his captors, and, no doubt supposed that they would find it impossible to sheet home the terrible crime with which he was charged. But with all his wonderful apparent indiffer ence he must have had his equanimity disturbed on that winter’s morning when he stood in the felon’s dock at the Maidstone Court House, face to face with the judge who was to try him, and the jury who were to be the arbi ters of his fate. The Court was crowded to suffocation we are told, but it always is on these occasions ; special trains were run from the metropolis to the assizes, a legion of reporters arrived on the scene eager to note every detail of the trial, and catch even the slightest word that should fall from the lips of the man who stood accused of the murder, whilst in the dock Lefroy maintained at first his old assurance, his old in difference ; but as the damning facts against him came out in evidence, as the chain was formed link by link con necting him with the crime, he must have felt that his fate was sealed, and that indeed it could only be a miracle that could save him. Deftly Mr Mon tagu Williams conducted the defence, plausibly he argued that the prosecution rested wholly on theory and not upon fact, and that there could be nothing inconsistent in the contention that the murder had been committed by a third person, as the prisoner had alleged, and that man, after he had murdered Gold and stunned the prisoner, had found means to effect his escape be tween Brighton and Prestcn Park. Carefully the Judge summed up, care fully the jury considered their verdict— in which they found the prisoner guilty. Even then the accused’s wonderful self-possession did not entirely forsake him. Gazing firmly at the jury, he said, in a voice that could be heard all over the court, “ Gentlemen of the jury, some day, too late, you will learn you have murdered me.” Even after this he does not seem to have aban doned all hope; he still thought a reprieve possible. But that reprieve never came, and the prisoner died con fessing his crime. The machinery of the law is so perfect at the present day, the meshes of the net surrounding the criminal so fine, that it is almost an absolute impossibility for him to escape punishment. The saying that “ murder will out ” was never better exemplified than in our own time, when the ma chinery, so to speak, for forcing it out is s' l perfect that the chance of a mis carriage of justice is reduced to almost nil.

Police Court. —This morning, before His Worship the Mayor, Mary Brown was charged with being drunk in a public place, and also with soliciting prostitution in the streets of Ashburton. His Worship sentenced the woman to seven days’ im prisonment. The Teleoraph Office. —We are asked to state that the Ashburton telegraph office will be open for ordinary work from seven till eight o’clock on Monday, Wed nesday, and Friday evenings. The Pulpit. —The Rev. D. Gordon, of Temuka, is announced to preach in the Presbyterian Church to-morrow morning and evening ; and at Ashton at 3 p. m. Horticultural Society. —The monthly meeting of the above takes place on Thurs day, January 10, at Mr Harrison’s auction room, when Mr W. T. Davison will read a paper. Lyon’s Tourists. —This company per formed to a better house last night, at the Town Hall than greeted them on their first appearance. The performance com menced with a farce and terminated with the pantomime “The Isle of Tulipatatn,” which went merrily. The troupe left for Timaru by the express this morning, en route for Dunedin. Longer ach Road District. —The elec tions for members for this Road Board, which were held on Thursday last, re sulted as follows :—For No. 1 Ward—Mr Francis Lewis ; No. 2, Mr Stephen S. Chapman ; No. 3, Mr John Grigg ; No. 4, Mr Robert H. Rhodes ; and No. 5, Mr Edward H. Dobson. No poll was re quired in any case. The Crops. —ln spite of perhaps the longest drought that has occurred in the district during the memory of the oldest inhabitant, the crops generally in the Wakanui are holding their own. True it is that there are paddocks of grain, especially oats, to be seen occasionally which have sustained almost irreparable damage, but there are, nevertheless, some magnificent pieces of wheat which any farmer would be proud of under the most favorable circumstances. The grass gene rally has suffered much more than the crops, and unless rain very soon makes its appearance feed will be exceedingly scarce, and root crops, such as mangel and carrots, even more so. Some good hay and grass seed has been safely housed. Rain coming now would be more injurious to the bulk of the grain crops than a con tinuation of the present weather, but had it come a few weeks ago the crops through out the district could not have been sur passed at any period. Early as it is the harvest may be said to have fairly set in, and the demand for really good harvest hands will he considerable within a few days.

Cas From Animal Charcoal. — A brick layer resident in the suburbs of Dunedin has perfected a machine for the manu facture. of gas out of animal carbon. The experiments .have been most successful. A patent is applied for. The cost is vastly less than from coal.

Accident. —A dray, heavily laden with chaff, came to grief in the vicinity of the Post Office this afternoon, and for some time was the source of a little diversion in the neighborhood. The wheel of thp wagon, while passing over the culvert re cently put down on the Wakanui road crossing, sank into the soft ground, and it was not without a great deal of trouble that the wagon was again set in motion. Journalistic. The New Zealand Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette , published in Christchurch, has been enlarged. To-day it made its appearance as an eight page journal printed on toned paper. Release of a Prisoner. John Murphy, who was sentenced fifteen months since to four years’ imprisonment for perjury, was set at liberty yesterday, on a warrant from Wellington, ordering his release from Lyttelton Gaol. Sculling Match. —A sculling match has been arranged at Auckland between Albert White and Carter, of Sydney, to row in Mercury Bay for LSO a-side, changing boats. This match arises out of the Mercury Bay regatta races, White thinking Carter won by the superiority of his boat.

Another Tussock Fire. —The fire bells rang out an alarm yesterday after noon shortly after four o’clock, and very quickly the brigade turned out, and with the engine proceeded to the scene of the fire, which was in the river bed, nearly opposite the Alford Forest brewery. It appears some mischievous urchin had set fire to the tussocks “ for fun,” and the fire spread with alarming rapidity, con suming a large quantity of grass and flax, and had it not been for the alarm given and the prompt arrival of the brigade, there is no saying where the mischief might have ended. Yery possibly the Old Men’s Home might have gone. These tussock fires are getting a great deal too common, and it is highly probable that those fires which are frequently supposed to originate through sparks from engines are, after all, more often wilfully caused by boys.

A Successful Mining Speculation.— We heard an anecdote the other day of a remarkably successful mining venture. About two years ago a Melbourne business man being on a visit to Tasmnia, was in duced to contribute LIO to assist in pros pecting for tin at Ringarooma, in that island. On returning to Melbourne he entered the payment in his cash book, and had forgotten the trans action until March last, when he was agreeably surprised at re ceiving a draft for L 137 10s, as his first dividend in the Albert Tin Mining Com pany. Never having heard of the name of the company he was astonished, but coupling it with his LIO investment of eighteen months previously, he wrote to Tasmania, and found that the draft was truly the produce of his ten talents, and that his partners had applied Ll 5 to buy ing him a share in an adjoining claim. Since then he has received regularly LI 00 a month from the two interests thus held. A Female Publican and her Son in Trouble. —At the Dunedin Supreme Court yesterday Ann Byron Schade and her son, Thomas Byron, were charged with shooting with intent at John Thomas Thornton. The evidence disclosed that prosecutor, who was working on a station near Cromwell, visited the Mount Pisa Hotel, kept by the female prisoner, on November 10th, with his cheque in his pocket. The man was drinking until midnight, and was then shown the door and shoved out of the house. But he didn’t feel inclined to go, and tried hard to get into the house again. Thereupon Mrs Schade told her son to fire a gun at him through a hole in the door made during the ejectment of the prosecutor from the house. The result was Thornton received the charge in his leg. The female prisoner pleaded in defence that the pro secutor had made improper proposals to her, and had endeavored to get in at her bedroom window. After retirement the jury found the son guilty of shooting with intent, the mother of aiding and abetting him, and a sentence of two months with hard labor was passed on each.

What a Newspaper can Do. —Wewould commend the following clipping from the Philadelphia Printer’s Circular to the at tention of our readers. The words are so true that they deserve to be written in letters of gold :—“ The columns of a news paper are the publisher’s stock-in-trade, and the parties who ask to use them for especial benefit must expect to pay the same. Every public-spirited citizen of a place should have a pride in seeing his town and surroundings improved. Every new house, every road, every new manu facturing establishment erected, every new business opened, enhances the value of property in our midst. Every reflect ing mind knows this to be true, and it should not be forgotten that the local newspaper adds much to the general wealth and prosperity of the place, as well as increases the reputation of the town abroad. It benefits all who have business in the place ; it enhances the value of property, besides being a desirable public convenience, even if not conducted in the interests of the ruling power. It increases trade, it cautions against imposition, it saves you from loss, it warns of danger, it points out different advantages, and in creases your profits. The local press is the power that moves the people ; there fore support it by advertising in it liberally, and subscribing for it.”

International Exhibition, Christ church. —Those that wish to be repre sented at the International Exhibition to be held in Christchurch in March next, should inform us of their intentions. We have been connected with all the Exhi bitions held in the colonies. At the late Adelaide Exhibition we represented sixty exhibitors, for which we received ten special gold medals, forty-nine first and one second award, three of which were New Zealand firms (D. Strange and J. T. Martin, Invercargill, and T. Sevan, Wellington). Our plan is to represent the exhibitors, transact their busines, fix their exhibits on their space, attend to the Judging of exhibits on their space, and anything necessary while the exhibi tion remains open; at the close pack and send back exhibits or sell them, or duplicates thereof if required, it is very inconvenient for exhibitors to come to the Exhibition to fix their exhi bits, which amounts to an expense, be sides the loss of time which must neces sarily be expended on them. Then, again, the exhibitors have a benefit, they have no trouble of getting space. They let us know how much is required, and we set it for them, as we have a large amount granted to us. We fix the ex hibits on a better space than if they ap plied themselves. Our terms are mode rate. We specially caution the public against giving their exhibits to so-called Exhibition agents, who go the rounds of Exhibitions and run exhibitors into debt and other difficulties. On account of our not being able to give exhibitors the exact amount of our fee, as it is impossible to do so until we know the size of exhibit, they may rely on it being most reason able. The exhibits should be addressed “Albert S. Manders and 00., Christ church Exhibition.” If exhibitors will kindly send a note stating how much space they require, no further trouble will be necessary.— Albert S. Manders and Co., British and Colonial Manufacturers, Agent. Head office—9l Little Collins street East, Melbourne; and at London— St Paul’s Buildings; Adelaide—G7 King William street; Perth, Western Australia; 6 Town Hall. A Permanent branch is now established in Hereford street, Christchurch. All letters sent to the above firm, Hereford street, will receive prompt attention, and circulars sent on enquiry. —[Advt. ] j

CABLE NEWS

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

[per reuter’s AGENCY. I -- Monetary and Commercial. London, Jan. 5. Consols are quoted to-day at par. The total reserve in the Bank of Eng land in notes and bullion is L 9,800,000. The Bank rate of discount remains at 5 per cent., and the market rate at New Zealand securities are unchanged at the following [quotations:—Five per Cent. 10-40 Loan, 104; Five per Cent. 1889 Loan, 104; Four-and-a half per Cent. 1879-1904 Loan, Colonial breadstuffs are firm. Ade laide wheat, ex store, remains at 57s ; New Zealand ditto, 535; Adelaide flour, ex warehouse, 42 s fd ; Aus tralian tallow —best beef, 39s fid; best mutton, 44s 6d; tallow if in gpod demand.

AUSTRALIAN.

[PER REUTER’S AQENcjj'. ] The Markets. | . Sydney, Yesterday Hennessy’s brandy, case, 33s qd; bulk, quarters, 12s fid; kerosene, dia mond, per gallon, is 2d; I evoe’s, is 3d; Patna rice, per ton, Ll 5 ; Sugar Company’s No. 1 pieces, 135 ; New Zealand wheat, per bushel, 4 - yd; New Zealand oats, 2s yd; maize, per bushel, 4s 8d ; tobacco, Raven’s twiit, per lb, is 4d; candles, per lb, D.R.|j.’s y^d; R.CVs yj^d. Adelaide, Yesterday. Wheat, 4s yd to 4s 8d; town fjour, per ton, Ln ; country brands, Ll 6 to Lio ss. Freights to the United Kingdom from Adelaide, 52s fid;; do. from outports, 555. i Prorogued, i Brisbane, Yesterday. Both Houses of the Queensland- Par liament were prorogued to-day to February 21 st.

TELEGRAMS.

[per press association.] An Unexpected Destination. Auckland, To-day. A passenger from Tauranga by the steamer Wellington, was found dead in the steerage of that vessel tljis morning. Deceased came up to go the hospital. Shipping. Arrived —Borealis, from S 3 dney. Disqualification of a Jockey. Napie 1, To-day. The Racing Club has di qualified P. Murtagh for ever from riding, training, or entering any horse at nny meeting under the auspices of the Club, for mis conduct in the saddling paddock, for wrongful entry in the Maideii Plate, and receiving money to pull Angler in the Hurdles. The “ Telegraph” Threatened with | Libel. 'DuristchurcH, To-day. Mr J, W. Tniadwell, one of the candi dates at the recent electio| for Christ church South, has laid a crira nal informa tion for libel against the prop fetors of the Telegraph newspaper.

UPPER ASHBURTON ROAD BOARD

The annual meeting of the! above was held at Westerfield yesterdi y. The at tendance was but limited. The balance-sheet, showing the receipts to be L 3.767 3s 4d, and the expenditure L 4,077 7s, with an overdraft of L3|.o 3s, was read and considered. The nomination of Candida es was then proceeded with as follows : So. 1 Ward —Mr D. McLean, proposed IyMro. J. Harper, and seconded by M: W. Benni son—No. 2 Ward—Mr C. J. Barper, pro posed by Mr M. Stitt, and 1 econded by Mr A. McLeod. No. 3 W ird—Mr J. Sargeant, proposed by Mr Bi nnison, and seconded by Mr W. Fraser. No. 4 Ward —Mr M. Stitt, proposed iby Mr A. McLeod, and seconded by Mr J. Sar geant. No. 5 Ward—Mr D. Williamson, proposed by Mr W. Fraser, and seconded Mr W. Bennison. Messrs McLean, Harper, Sergeant, Stitt, aud Williamson were declared duly elected without opposition fe the respec tive wards for? which the r had been nominated. | Following the! election, the new Board met, when Mr D. McLean was elected chairman, and the proceed ngs shortly afterwards terminated. I

PROPOSED WOOLLEN FACTORY FOR ASHBURRON.

A meeting of gentlemen i nterested in the formation a company for the purpose of starting a Woollen Factory in Ashbur ton, was held yesterday at the upper room of the Town Hall. Mr Thomas Bullock was voted to the chair. Mr Millar who was present on behalf of the owner of the plant now under offer, explained the various machines of which it was composed, and stated that the number of hands required to work it would be about thirty. He stated that the machinery was of the latest and most approved kind, and had been at work for a short time in Scotland, and that the tweeds, etc., turned out byfthe mill were of the best quality. About a nine foot fall of water would be sufficient to work the mill, and this could easily be obtain able in the neighborhood of Ashburton. The reason the machinery had not been put up yet, was because it hkd only ar rived about six or seven weel :s ago, and the owner had found that it required too much capital'Tor a private individual to work successfully in New Zealand. As an instance of the faith, the present owner would have in the company, if started in Ashburton, he would take 250 shares. The Chairman said that he would like to see the Cheese and Butter Factory sa tisfactorily established before floating another company; still, the question of purchasing the plant under offer was cer tainly an important one, and he believed could be effected if the offer was extended for a short time longer. Mr Millar said that enquiries from other quarters were now being made in respect to the plant, etc., but as they had taken the initiative he would hold the offer over for ten more days. It was then resolved that those gentle men present should form themselves into a committee for the purpose of ascertain ing whether sufficient capital can be raised to secure the plant, etc., to ■ report pro gress in seven days. ! A suggestion was carrie|i that the nominal capital of the company should be not less than L 50,000, in shares of L 6 each, 20s paid up, and that LIO,OOO would enable the company to procure an efficient site, erect buildings, and purchase plant, etc., in the interim. Mr S. E. Poyntz stated that Mr E. G. Wright, M. H. R., and Mr J C. Wason, M. H.R., had promised their support to the company, and there were a number of other influential gentlemen who would take shares. It was resolved that those present make every endeavor to get the feeling of the district generally upon the movement before Friday next, and, after a vote of thanks to the chair, the meeting adjourned until that date.

TWO BIG FIRES IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Two large fires occurred in Christ church last night. Shortly after mid night the Union Bank of Australia was discovered to be on fire, and it required the utmost exertions of the Brigade to confine the fire to where it originated— the roof. At half-past one the fire was supposed to be completely quelled, but half-an-hour later the flames burst out again. Shortly after 3 o’clock, however, all danger was over. The Are is believed to have originated in the chief officer’s room upstairs, and was confined to that floor, which was divided into only two rooms. What was the cause is quite beyond conjecture. The Bank was closed at the usual time and the last to leave was Mr Wilmer, who saw every thing secure at 7 o’clock. Messrs Wilmer and Cotterill were in the private premises. The chief officer had been in his room till about 4 o’clock, and Messrs Brittan and Wright had been at work there till about half-an-hour later. The Bank is insured for Ly.ooo or LB,ooo in the Liverpool and London, the Union, and the Royal offices, but the amount of each policy could not be ascertained last night. The damage will no doubt be fully covered by the insurance.

Scarcely had the crowd assembled at the Union Bank before the alarm of anotherfire was raised, and it was known that Reese’s sawmill and timber yard were in a blaze. The mill was utterly destroyed, and also the machinery in the engine house. Mr Reese will be a very heavy loser by the catastrophe. Roughly speaking, his insurances amount to about L. 2,400 and the stock in the yard was valued at L 4,000. Added to this must be the machinery and plant, which were estimated to be worth at least a couple of thousand pounds. Amongst the property destroyed was a number of plans and specifications, it will be impossible to replace. Altogether, this fire is one of the most disastrous that has taken place in Christ church for some time. The origin of the disaster is entirely unknown.

Further Particulars.

[by telegraph.] Christchurch, To-day. Reese’s premises and stock are in sured in the New Zealand office for La,750. The estimated damage is lLooo. The insurances on the Union Bank are:—Union office, La.ooo; Imperial, Royal, and Northern, Lx,500 each; London, Liverpool and Globe, Lit,3oo ; total, L7,8q0.

A TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT.

i A naval officer writing to the Western Motning News , states that a horrible story story is current at Sfax which appears to have good foundation. An Arab shot and killed a Frenchman, and was captured and brought to drumhead court-martial. On being interrogated he confessed to having killed the Frenchman, giving as his reason that his Prophet told him that it was the proper thing to do. The commandant of the French forces retorted that it was a very wicked thing, and as there was a difference of opinion he should know which was right. The Arab was thereupon sentenced to be lashed to the corpse and buried with it, and this was done.

THE PRINCE OF WALES ON NIHILISM.

According to the London corres dent of the New York Herald, the Prince of Wales, speaking to an in timate friend recently, expressed his opinion of Russian affairs as follows : “ When I stood in the Church of St. Petersburg on the memorable day when the funeral ceremonies of the late Czar took place, I never felt so un comfortable in my life. I wondered whether the entire structure might not be blown up, and whether mines were not laid under our feet to blow us all into enternity. In St. Petersburg I first gained a clear idea of the situations m which Alexander found himself. The Czar has no less than 600 aides de-camps, whereas I and the Queen have only six between us. To begin such reform as the Nihilists wish, the Czar must first dismiss most of these, and thousands of officials besides, and every person thus dismissed from the Court would become an enemy quite as dangerous as the individual Nihilists. Even the Nihilists themselves do not know the difficulties of the Czar’s position, desirous as he is of pro moting the interests of the empire and of the people committed to his care.”

THE VULTURES OF THE TURF.

Never did the ready-money book maker, so-called, flourish more exten sively, and never were his surroundings —ialways bad —so repulsive as at the present time. The ex-pugilist, the thief of every degree, the very scum of ths populace, are drawn to our race courses by the ready money betting, on which they thrive, and which they find an easy mode of getting a good living without doing hard work. The start in life as a ticket-snatcher—for so the stealer of betting-tickets is now known—leads on, until he bets upon his own account as a welsher, and, by a lucky coup, he is enabled to make a show of payment, when he becomes the ready-money bookmaker, and a made man. It is a well known fact that one of the most prominent of these gentry, who now bets to hundreds of pounds, was, until a comparatively recent date, in the habit of holding levees of ticket-snatchers of an evening aftjer the day’s racing, to receive the winning tickets that had been stolen, making the thieves an allowance out of th'j: plunder. It was no unusual thing at to see a dozen or more oflthese fellows waiting at the door of thliir employer to negotiate for the tickets that had been stolen during the day. Profitable in those times, the business receiving no check, it has now grown to enormous proportions, and the ready-money man apes respecta bility, and generally has a carriage and a pair of horses to convey him to and from the racecourse.— World.

AN AWFUL PICTURE.

A revolting discovery Was made at Leeds some weeks ago. The people occupying houses around a dwelling at Briggate had for some days noticed an overpowering odor, which threatened, if not abated to spread fever. The sanitary authorities made the necessary investigation, and soon discovered, its cause. In an attic they found an elderly man in a state of delirium tremens, and totally unconscious of his surroundings. The room containea not a particle of food or furniture ; but huddled up in one corner was the dead body of the drunkard’s wife. At the inquest it was learned that the deceased, had been confined a week previous, and her husband had failed to pay the necessary attention to the poor woman, who died two days after in the presence of her seven-year old daughter. The occurrence has caused considerable comment in the London papers.

A CURIOUS BIGAMY CASE.

A bigamy case presenting some very complicated and peculiar features came before the City Police Court at Hobart lately. A man named Hadin was charged with having in June, 1878, married one Elizabeth Otick while his wife, Mary Ann Matilda Smith, whom, he had married in April, 1876, was yet alive. It appeared that the woman Smith, at the time of her marriage with Hadin, was married to a man named Mitchell, who had deserted her; and who, for all that is known of him, may be yet alive. It is contrary to the law that in such a case the legal wife of the offender should give evidence against him, and the question now arises— which of these two women is Hadin’s wife? If the woman Smith was thfe wife of Mitchell, supposing him to be alive, and there is no evidence that he is not, she cannot be the legal wife of Hadin, and therefore the second woman, Otick, must be his legal wife. If, on, the other hand, Mitchell is dead, and!, there is no evidence to show that he is alive, the woman Smith is Hadin’s legal wife. As a consequence, the Bench did not know how to proceed,, as in either case they might possibly’ take evidence illegally, and under these circumstances the Police Magistrate said they would adjourn the hearing with the double object of, if possible, obtaining more information as to the bearings of the case, and to consult with the law officers in the matter. Hadin was admitted to bail in his own recognisances of LSO. — Mercury,

MURDER WILL OUT.

Two murderers have just been exe cuted at Teneriffe. The gairotting machine, when applied to the throats of the victims as they stood on a high platform before the crowd, operated in a most unequal manner upon the two men. The one who was first done to death before the eyes of his comrade, suffered torments for several seconds, whereas the other, when h»s turn came, perished almost immediately. It is difficult, however, to feel much syrtf pathy with either of these ruffians, con sidering the special baseness of their, crime, and the strong presumption f which there was for a long time that', they would escape punishment' altogether. The circumstances of the murder are very peculiar, and illustrate’ in a striking way the old maxim con-i cerning the detection of miuderers,' A young Englishman had been living ; on the island for some years on terms, of intimate friendship with the twor Spaniards now executed. He had con-, fided to them the fact of his having re-‘. ceived a large sum of money, and they ' found an easy opportunity while walking near a cemetery to throw chalk-dust in his eyes and kill him with their daggers. They then took his keys and made themselves the possessors of his money, after which they returned and picking up his dead body cast it ; hastily into an old tomb that had not been used for years. Nothing more was heard of the affair till, a few days afterwards, a funeral party arriving at. the cemetery was compelled to wait; some time for a necessary document to; bury their dead. While wandering about the place, one of these persons, noticed that the old vault had lately 1 been disturbnd. The murderers had broken the stone covering of the tomb in hurriedly replacing it, and thus a: discovery of the whole affair was most unexpectedly brought about. :

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

In the obituary notice of the well known Sandhurst auctioneer, Mr W. P. Neal, published in the Independent, re ference is made to a fortune of 1,350,000 having many years ago been bequeathed to the Queen by Mr Neal’s great uncle, John Camden Neild. Quite a romance, though not a very pleasant one, attaches to this now i his torical fact, for, extraordinary as it seems, such an event did actually oc cur. In a small work of reference, en titled “ Unclaimed money,” published by Mr Edward Preston, of London, an agent for the recovery of property 1 for absent heirs, this paragraph appears : “ A remarkable windfall for Royalty was John Camden Neild’s bequest to Queen Victoria. The eccentric in dividual who made this bequest is re ported to have been a noted miser. Whether Her Majesty accepted the legacy is'uncertain ; newspaper reports do not agree on this point. The next of kin were advertised for, however; so this looks as if Her Majesty fol lowed the good example of King George 11., and set apart a portion of the windfall for the miser’s relatives, should any be found.” But it appears that Her Gracious Majesty set apart very little, for Neal, speaking to a friend some time ago, said that on ap peal his mother was granted an annuity of only LIOO from the estate. The miser, as he is called, was a prominent speculator on the London Stock Ex change, and there amassed his great fortune. The first news that Mr Neal. received of the bequest to the Queen was about four years after he landed in this colony, when he read it in the Illustrated London News. He did not know until quite recently that the heirs had ever been advertised for, but about three months ago the paragraph from Mr Preston’s book, as given above, having been brought under bis notice, he said it was news to him, and thereppon wrote to that gentleman directing him to How ever, he did r., :.v. .. <■ ;..i. .1 jeply.

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1882.



Late Advertisements. o O G lliereby beg to apologise to Mr WIL- LfitfiTfiIGHARDSON BOYLE, Deputy Returning Officer at the Rakaia Wakanui Election, for using insulting language towards him at the Tinwald Saleyards on l&drtfday last, and 1 regret having ustd impressions in the heat of the moment N. WELSH. P •Etß-SB YTERI AN CHURCH. '(RS.'V. 1 D. Gordon, of Temuka, will -in the above Church TO MORROW Morning and Evening, and ati Ashton at 3 o’clock in the Afternoon. 'ANTED IMMEDIATELY—First cIass Shoeing and General IJOTHL None other need apply, ivmr, Railway Forge, Rakaia. 'U : . » r m w. p ■IiANOS,, ORGANS, MUSIC, Em, AND to eoa.iKj ■ -i-[ Instruments of every kind from to 100 on DEFERRED bo-!S'..-o-l -payments. OPENING V )ft N«W' Premises A y, DECEMBER 7th, : i' s ? *lli3fcatED Street, near Orr & Go’s. J. WEEKS, V:u ' ('Aobht job, 0. Begg and Co), l y ' L ’: l MUSIC SELLER.



Wanted. T'TT'ANTED Certificated MASTER V\ Ifot the .Lismore Government School. Applications, accompanied with testimonials,- will be received by. the undersigned until TUESDAY, the 10th January, 1882. ARCHD. M'OOLL, Chairman of Committee. Rangitata Station, Cracroft. 507 d WANTED —An assistant BLACK SMITH. Apply to John Geigg, Longbeach. 504 d WANTED —A good general SERVANT. Wages £34 per annum. Apply, Miss Calugan, Tancred street, Ashbur ton. 455 d WANTED. —Two Gentlemen require Comfortable BOARD and RESI DENCE where no other boarders are kept, within a few minutes walk Of the centre of the town.' Apply, stating terms, before the 9th, to “8.8.8.,” Box 42, Post Office, Ashburton. WANTED— TENDERS for STOCK ING and FORKING 250 acres of GRAIN. Tenders to be sent in before the 12th instant, addressed, ROBERT ANDERSON, 523 d Flemmington. WANTED— TENDERS for HAR VESTING 350 Acres (more or less) of Oats and Wheat ; also, 50-Acres Grass. Apply to E. H. Dobson, Low cliffe. 500 d WANTED Shearers, Harvesters, and the public generally to know that Ready Money Richards leaves Ash burton Jan. 15th. 474 d WANTED KNOWN—If you want to Grow a splendid crop of Turnips, Purchase some of Mayo’s Bonedust. —Address F. Mayo, Hamstead Mills. 255 d WAS TED KNOWN. —SPRING AND SUMMER MILLINERY. MISS VERRALL is how Showing her First Display of Spring Millinery. Co lombo street (opposite Cookham House.) 827 c ANTED KNOWN—That Robert Elston, Burnett street, Ashburton,, having procured the Newest Apparatus, is prepared to SWEEP CHIMNEYS at very low rates. Any orders left at the Town Hall will receive prompt attention. ... 760 c WANTED KNOWN—Every doscrip . tion of Plain and Fancy Pointing executed on the shortest notice, at the Guadian Office, next Matson, Cox, an d Co.’s, West street.



Special Advertisements. MR L. H. WILKINS is authorised to CANVASS and COLLECT AC COUNTS on behalf of The Ashburton Guardian. The best value for ready MONEY IS THE MEN’S AND BOYS’ CLOTHING MANUFACTURED BY THE NEW ZEALAND Clothing Eactory, Which can be purchased at their Retail Branches all over New Zealand. A SINGLE GARMENT AT THE WHOLESALE PRICE. Thousands of discerning customers testify that the New Zealand Clothing Factory’s Garments are the very best for ready money. Ashburton Branch : East Street. W. SPARROW, 692 c Branch Manager.



T AT I O N E R Y. LEDGERS JOURNALS CASH BOOKS DAY BOOKS LETTER, INVOICE, and MEMO RANDUM BOOKS, in various sizes and bindings ENVELOPES, 6s 6d per 1,000, cash NOTE PAPER, Five Quires for Is, and upwards ACCOUNT BOOKS made to order TOYS and FANCY GOODS in great variety. H. M. Jones, EAST STREET AND BARING SQUARE. 293 d



£JIS LORDSHIP’S LARDER. THE ONLY ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WORLD WHERE A GRILLED CHOP OR STEAK, AND A GLASS OF BASS’ ENGLISH ALE, Can be obtained FOR ONE SHILLING. THE BEST MENU TO CHOOSE FROM IN CHRISTCHUBCH. Unequalled Accommodation for Ladies. Dinners, Banquets, Ball Suppers, Wedding Breakfasts, and Picnics pro vided for, in the very best possible style. W, H. MESSENGER, 360 d Purveyor. John Meech, PRACTICAL CABINETMAKER, UPHOLSTERER, &c., BURNETT STREET, Opposite the Mail Office. Easy Chairs, Couches, English and American Chairs, Single and Double Iron and Wood Bedsteads. All kinds of Carpeting, Matting, and Oilcloth. A large assortment of Repps and Cretonnes at lowest prices. Suites of Furniture from Ll 3 and upwards. All kinds of furniture re-covered and repaired at the very lowest prices. All work guaranteed and completed at the shortest notice. Furniture exchanged, and highest prices given for second-hand Furniture. Note the address—Cheapest House in Ashburton, opposite Mail Office, Burnett street



W .Twine Binder, CD'S WITH CANVAS ELEVATOR. These justly celebrated Machines may be seen at work at the Farms of the fol lowing, besides those of others in the dis trict:— Mr Andrew Dawson, Wakanui. Mr Martin Griffin, Dromore. Mr George Coe, Wakanui. Mr William Aitken, Willowby. Mr James Skilling, Wakanui. Mr S. M'Clymont, Mount Somers. Mr Edward Jones, Wakanui. In every case they are giving entire s&-i tisfaction. A few more remain unsold, for which early application, is necessary.. POYNTZ & CO. m xzj cs General Agents, Ashburton. 524 d



Ohristinas Presents AND NEW YEAII’S GIFTS. JUST 1 Received, a Choice Assortment of Christmas and New Year Cards, Dolls, Humming Tops, and Shell Goods in great variety. Letts’ Diaries for 1882 ; Family Reader (div. 42); Boys’ Standard (new series) ; Latest Novelties in Pipes. F. CLARK, , l Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Montgomery’s Buildings. 319 d G L E A E I N G SALE. W. Gavin, DRAPER, EA.ST STREET, ASHBURTON, Respectfully announces that he has commenced a Sale of SUMMER GOODS, at prices that, he trusts, will effect a speedy clearance. Summer Goods at a sacrifice. BARGAINS ! Come and see W. GAVIN, DRAPER, East street, Ashburton. 632 d



O. Carstens & Co:, (Late Weston’s), PROSPECT BUILDINGS, Tobacconist, fancy goods, AND STATIONERY. Meerschaum Pipes, G.B.D. Pipes Nailrod, Twist, and Vanity Pair Tobacco A nice assortment of Accordions,. Con certinas, Flutes, Violins, Mouth Or 'ana, and Toys of every description, direct from Home. Haircutting, Shaving and Shampooing. EAST STREET ASHBURTON. 257a* THE undersigned will be prepaied, during the coming season, to supply the following articles at the lowest rates: — REAPERS and BINDERS EXTRAS for DO. BINDING WIRE CORN SACKS TURNIP and RAPE SEEDS PLOUGH SHARES And all kinds of Agricultural Imple ments. FREDK. PAVITT,



Corn Merchant, &c., Ashburton. Agent for John Anderson, Canterbury Foundry, Christchurch; Geo. Booth and Sons, importers of Agricultural Imple ments, Christchurch; and Agent for the United Insurance Company. 150 d CHEAP BOOTS. CHEAP BOOTS. The Undersigned wishes to draw the attention of the public to his well-selected stock of BOOTS AND SHOES, which he is disposing of at a ridiculously low price for cash. All orders entrusted to him executed by the beat of tradesmen on the premises. Repairs promptly attended to. Note the Address —C. HAWKINS, East street, Ashburton ; and Tinwald. 998 c EAY IN G ASHBURTON. Will on Saturday, December 3, commence A GREAT CLEARING SALE Of their new and well-selected Stock of GENERAL DRAPERY, And to effect a speedy clearance will, in addition to the already very low prices, offer, as an extra inducement, a DISCOUNT OF TEN PER CENT. The Shop To Let. The Fixtures, Fit- tings, &c., For Sale. NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. All orders for insertion of advertise ments must be written legibly on the face of the advertisement. When no order is given the advertisement will be inserted until countermanded, and charged accord ingly. All notices of Births, Marriages, or Deaths must be accompanied by the sig nature of the sender, as a guarantee of good faith. All advertisements and business letters to be addressed The Manager ; literary communications should be addressed to The Editor. GIVING UP BUSINESS. EVERETT BROS.



“ It’s difficult enough to pick out a ’winkle with a pin,” said an unsuccessful sporting prophet as he sat at his tea, “ but it’s nothing to picking out a winner.” — Punch.