SHIPPING.

|ORT OP T.TTTELTON. ! Arrived. * Saturday. Bnfdn,'Aß., from Mahnkau and way ports. Taiaroa. 5.8.. from Auckland, via way fc-porta.- 1 ! Island Lily, brigantine, from Auckland. - Yesterday. Wakatipu, s.a., from Port Chalmers. ' Meirope, barque, from London. Sailed. < Satubbay. ‘ Cfoward, Bohooher, for Timaru. , Awaroa, schooner, for Timaru. ; Blenda, barque, for Qaeeqstw.iT n or Palmouth, for orders. . , . ; . Taiaroa, s.s., for Wellington. : ' -- - Penguin, s. a. , for Port Chalmers. ! Yesterday. Oelestia, barque, for Westport. Cleopatra, brigantine, , for Greymouth.. : ; Croydon schooner, for Waitapu.; for Laßona Bayl

COMMERCIAL.

AsHBUKiON Guardian Office, "" ' " .*" Monday Evening. ! - Alfred Harrison reports his weekly sale as 4 £oHA*j*4-Saturday, May 19th. -There was a large entry in draughts and hacks. A fair ' ItfOpoition. changed hands, bat the class gene rally was inferior. Cows sold fairly well; Pigs sold well, all lots being cleared at good prices. Fowls, 2s to 3s 4d per pair; ducks, - 4*-; geese, 9s per pair; turkeys (very fine),_ 18s per pair. Implements and harness of all kinds .Produce:-Chick wheat, 2s per "iushel; oats, is gd to 2s 3d per bushel; pota toes',' 55s per ton ; carrots, 30s per ton ; pars nips, 30s per ton ; sharps, 60s per ton ; flour, per ton. A large quantity of furniture and "sundries sold at good prices, to a large attend ance all day. Properties : A cottage and sec t-tion at Waterton sold for L4O ; town section, iHo. 576, L 152 10s. ii-,»Mr T: Bullock reports of the Horse Market <fat-the week ending Saturday May 19th:— :j(HU-hoises were yarded for this day's sale, yljhsre ,was again a very large attendance of jporintry, settlers, and more spirited bidding was evinced than for many months past; in B fact,"more horses were sold than at any sale 'Siring the last twelve months.. Out of .the' totaLentry (61), 37 were sold, at the following ' prices viz.:—Good draughts L 26 ios, L 27 10s, •E29' ios,-L3O ios; medium draughts. Ll 5, Ll 9, Lab, L2O ; do.,' aged, and in rather low condition, Ln 10s, Ll2, Ll 4, up lo Ll 5. ; a pair of plough horses L 34 the pair ; the entire horse "Chance," 25 guineas; unbroken colts : ' andfilliesLlo ss, Ll 3, L 14,; do., of rather a Bght description, L 8: Light harness horses : For this class the biddings were very languid ; however, several changed hands from L 6 to Logics., Hacks: Not very good; the same remarks apply as above. A number were sold ' from L4' 5s to L 8 105,.0f an inferior class. Ihere appeared to be no buyers for first-class hacks. Scrubbers and old horses: A few changed hands at low prices. Implements : etc':-1 offered a number of drays, ploughs, harrows, etc., under bill of sale, all of which were sold at full market values. McCormick reaper and binder, in not very good condition, fetched L2l; spring cart L 23 10s, chaffcutter, Lis 10 - Landed Properties : I offered the properties" in the estate of W. T. Norrish, and succeeded in'selling the blacksmith's shop and section atTFlemington for L 42 10s; the Water top ■property not being sold. ' ,

DAILY MEMORANDA.

AUCTION SALES Tuesday, May 22. Matson, ; Cos and 00., at the Tinwald Yards—Stock. : Fbiday, June L Matson/ Cox and Go., at Witerton 'Farm; Live and Dead Stock ; at 12 noon. Thursday, June 7. Matson, Cox and Co., at Waterton —Town Sections, Farm, Live and Dead Stock, at 11 o’clock sharp. VtOf Fbiday, June 8. e Robert Wilkin and Col, at the Tinwald Sale Tards —Surplus Stock, Farm Im-. .vplehieuts, etc. meetings. AMUSEMENTS, &c ' -fcAJj.?-' : May'22.' " Tea and Public Meeting Wesleyan Church, at 6.30 p.m. Public Meeting re storm water, at Town ■Ball, /South Rakaja, at 7.80 p m, ' Wednesday, MtY 23. Horticultural Society—Adjourned Annual »Meeting, at the Arcade Chambers, at o7iSop.m. ' ■ c .t i-y. , Monday, May 28. Borougn Council, at Borough Council TChimbers, at 7 o’clock. ■ Uppir -Ashburton Road Board District— - General election of members ; nomina vtionrMay 27th, polling day 7th day of JnnA • . . , , j. . . ' _ ■. v* Monday, June .A. ' _■ „ Ashburton Borough—Annual Licensing ■ meotingfpr Borough, June 4th. . Mif.ot* wishkEisbAY, June 6. Resident Magistrate’s Court, Ashburton— Annual Licensing, meeting for Ashbur ton district, June 6th.

MAIL NOTICES.

Mftjlw c]oae at the Ashburton Post Office as . For Christchurch and North at 6 a.m. 10.30'Airi. 1 , and 6 p.m., daily. For Ohertsey Rakaia, &c., at 10.30 a. m. and 5 p m, daily. For Dunedin, Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester/ andTJeraldihe, at 10 a.m. daily. For Temuka, nt 6 a.m. and 10 a.m,, daily. For Timaru and South, at 6 a.m., 10 p.m., daily. For Oreenstreet and Ashburton Forks, on'Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3.30 JJ.IQ. V' f For Mount Somers, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, at 6 am. and 4.30 p.m. ■ For Mayfield, on Tuesdays and Salur dayr, Jl at'6a.m. For Ashton, Waterton and Longbeach, at4.3op.m. daily. For Flemington, on Mondays, Wednes days, and Fridays, at 480 p. m. For Wakanui, Elgin, Seaview, Seafield, and Kyle, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at 6.30 am. Far Newlands, on Tuesdays and Fri days at 10.30 jam. - Mails arrive 'at ‘the . Ashburton Post Office— _ Frpm Christchurch and Rakaia at 10.16 am., 435 p.m., and 7.20 p.m. From Ohertsey, &c. at 10.15 a.m. and 486 p.m. daily. From Dunedin and intermediate places at 6.30 p.m. daily. 1 From Tdmuka and Timaru at 10.40 am. 6.80 p.m., and 8 p.m. daily. From Greenstreet and Ashburton Porks/, Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 10 Am. ■ From Mount Somers, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,'at4o.s a m. and 8.16 p.m. From Mayfield, on Tuesdays and Satur • days; at 10.5 a.m. FTem Ashton, Waterton, and Long beach at 10 a. m. daily. _ - _ , From Elgin, Wakanui, Seafield, and . Jtyle, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sat nrdayi; a 4 4 p.m. . _ . From Newlands, on Tuesdays and Fn days»at9l3o a.m. Fjpm Flemington on Tuesdays, Thurs-

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS.

Advertisements for The Ashburton Guardian must be sent in not later than 3 p.m , with the number of insertion, written plainly on the copy, otherwise they will be inserted until counter manded, and charged accordingly. Re place Advertisements must be supplied the day previous to that on which they are to be inserted. Special notices can be received up to 3.30 p.m., but will be charged double 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.

BIRTH.

Bell —At Ashburton, on May 21st, the wife of J. C. Bell, of a daughter.

DEATH.

Robinson —At Ashburton, May 21st, Rose, wife of G. M. Robinson, age 38 years.

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. MONDAY, MAY 21, 1883. A Defeated Candidate.

The account of the triumphant jour ney from Reefton to Greymouth of the defeated candidate for the Inangahua seat, which we published in Friday’s issue, shows that a very strong feeling has been roused on the West Coast concerning the election. We may mention here that we were in error in attributing that report to the Press Association : it was in reality a special message to a Christchurch paper, but although it is a partisan and somewhat extravagantly worded account of what took place, the main facts may be con sidered trustworthy. When we find an unsuccessful candidate receiving an enthusiastic reception such as a popu lar Governor might envy, crowds meet ing him at every stopping-place, and a County Council adjourning that they might express sympathy for his ill fortune, we naturally begin to wonder what it all means. And this wonder is increased tenfold when it is taken into account that a few short weeks ago Mr Wakefield and the majority of the West Coast electors were unknown to each other, so that we must dismiss as unlikely the idea that all this de monstration was due to the late candi date’s personal popularity. We are told, though it is not easy to see upon what data the calculation is based, that out of the seven hundred and eighty votes obtained by Mr Wakefield, seven hundred were those of miners. These figures may or may not be correct, but we presume that it can be taken for granted that the mining population did not support Mr Shaw. Miners probably have not very clear or very strong opinions upon abstract political questions, but they possess an Englishman’s love of fair play, and we have a shrewd suspicion that all this enthusiasm is the outcome of a belief that the battle between the candidates was not fought on its merits. Nor, if all we hear concerning the man ner in which the election was carried on be true, can it be said that this view of the question is not justified. It is reported, with a considerable show of reason, that Mr Shaw, who was avowedly a Ministerial nominee, came down to the constituency with lavish promises of what would be done for the district if he were elected. He appears to have said in effect; Return me to the House as your representative, and I am in a position to promise that your local wants will be attended to, but if my opponent, whom the Government will not recognise as a supporter, is elected, you may rely on very little public money being spent on the West Coast. If these were the tactics resorted to by the Ministry, we have no hesitation in declaring them unworthy, to use no stronger terra. Scarcely any com stituency would be strong enough to resist a temptation of this kind, and the wonder is that Mr Wakefield was not defeated by a far greater majority. Whether the accusation is well founded or not, it is sufficiently evident what is the opinion of the Inangahua electors on the subject, and we trust that for the credit of the Government the charge of having used what cannot be termed otherwise than undue influence to se cure the return of Mr Shaw will be controverted. So far as having obtained •a safe vote those now in power have gained a victory, but, if all that is alleged is true, the strongest supporters of the Government will condemn their

action. The colony has shown that it has confidence in the present Ministry, but thaLconfidence will be shakeb," if not shattered, should it be proved that 1 they are not above using such means as have been referred to for the purpose of obtaining the return of a candidate favorable to their views. The charge is at any rate a very serious one, and it is to be hoped that it will be as boldly met as it has been clearly formu lated.

The Debating Society will meet this evening in their room at the Arcade Cham bers. It is understood that a Royal Commis sion will shortly be appointed to enquire into the past management of the Dunedin Gaol, with reference to the punishment inflicted upon prisoners in that institu tion. Joseph Sloana, an old offender, against whom a prohibition order had been taken out some months age, was brought up at the Court this morning, before Mr T. Bullock, J.P., charged with being drunk and disorderly, also with resisting the police in the dicoharge of their duty. The constable had considerable difficulty in bringing accused to the lock-up, and in the course of the scuffle the uniform of the former was torn. A fine of 30s with 12s costs was inflicted, the Bench inform ing Sloane that the next time he was brought up he would be sent to prison, without the option of a flue. The half-yearly meeting of the Ashbur ton Racing Club will be held on Tues day, June sth, and in our advertising columns will be found two notices of motions there to be introduced. The in tention of Mr Quill’s motion is to reduce the training fee from LI Is for each horse to LI Is for each owner, irrespective of the number of horses trained. Dr Ross’s motion is merely an indorsement of the action of the C.J.C. in abolishing section lof racing rule 11, which provides that the top weight in a handicap shall not be less than Bst 101 b, and if the highest weight accepting be less than this it shall be raised to §st 101 b, and the other weights shall bo raised in proportion, con solation handicaps excepted. A prolific yield of oats is reported to us from the Ashburton Forks district, where, during the past week, thirteen acres of land have been threshed out, the result being 1,622 bushels of Tartarean oats, or an average of 124 bushels to the acre. The owner of the land, Mr ‘Robert Mclntyre, attributes his success to careful farming, and not to any special goodness in the soil. He has allowed the gtound to lie fallow for a period of four years and has carefully drilled the land instead of sowing broadcast. The oats were threshed by Mr Thomas Perks, of Ashburton.

Our Rakaia carrespondent writes : On Saturday evening about 5 p.ra., a gentleman riding from Leeston, on reach ing the Rakaia bridge found the gate open for traffic, and no signalman in the box. Concluding that all was safe he proceeded to cross ; when about three-quarters of the way over he saw an engine right ahead of him. However, thinking that some shunting operations were taking place in the Rakaia yard, he proceeded, and when nearly over he found it was a train coming along at a good pace about one hundred yards away. He had no time to reach the south end, and nothing re mained but to turn his horse and gallop for it. Surely now that there is com munication between the station and bridge by telephone and across the bridge, there is no reason why the public should be endangered. Had it been anyone cross ing who was unacquainted with the bridge a most serious accident would in all probability have occurred, not only to the horseman but to the train and the bridge. Our Chertsey correspondent writes : A very successful entertainment, consist ing of a soiree, concert and dance, was held in the schoolroom on Friday evening in aid of the Incidental Fund. The ladies of the district came to the front on the occasion in first-class style ; and it was generally remarked that the display on the tables was superb. The tables were furnished and superintended by Meadames Doig, Todd, Stringfellow, and Silvester, and Misses Wilkinson, Strachan, Stringfellow,'Silvester, and Doig. Valu able contributions to the feast were also sent by Mesdames Downie, Collins, Campbell, Mangham, Thomson, and Osborne. Altogether, the catering of the ladies was worthy of the highest commen dation, and could not have been ex celled in a much more important district. A special meed of thanks is due to Messrs McDonald (Chairman) and Gray (post master) for the gift of a sumptuous supply of fruit, which was highly appreciated. The concert was then proceeded with and proved an unqualified success. Among the most successful items were a piano solo by Mrs Sheppard, songs by Mrs Thomson, and Messrs Mangham, and Fowler *, readings by Miss Kate Wil kinson and Mr Todd; and a duet by Messrs Matthews and Silvester. The room was then cleared for the dance, which was speedilj graced by all the youth and beauty of the district for miles around. Mr V. Mangham officiated as M.O. in his usual urbane manner, and the music, ex cellent of its kind, was supplied by several musical residents and visitors. Special credit is due to Messrs McDonald, Doig, and Todd for their indefatigable exertions in attending to many matters of detail on the day of the meeting, which helped substantially to render the entertainment a thorough success.

By the outgoing mail nominations for 604 immigrants, equal to 516 adults, will be sent Horae. The total amount re ceived on their account is LIBO9 2s. The following is a summary of the nomina tions—Auckland, 127 souls, including 40 single men, 56 single women ; amount re ceived, L 607 17s. ” Taranaki, 14 souls, in cluding 4 single men and 4 single women ; amount received, L 45 7s 6d. Hawks’s Bay, 20 souls, including 5 single women and 5 single men ; amount received, LSB, Wellington, 81 souls, including 15 single men and 16 single women ; nationalities, 4 English, 18 Irish, 8 Scotch, 15 foreign ; amount received, L 238 7s 6d. Nelson, 5 souls; amount received, L 8 10a. West land, 5 souls, consisting of single women ; amount received, L 5. Marlborough, 12 souls, including 11 single men and I single woman ; amount received, L4O. Canter bury, 124 souls, including 24 single men and 32 single women ; amount received, L 361 7s 6d. Otago, 104 souls, including 18 single men and 30 single women ; amount received, L 271. Southland, 50 souls, including 17 single men and 13 single women ; amount received, L 193 12s 6d. Since the resumption of the immigration system nominations for 6584 souls, equivalent to 5813 adults, have been forwarded Home, and the amount received is L 183.000 15s 9d. Of these nomina tions 2573 have been for English, 2365 for Irish, 1538 for Scotch, and 173 foreign. The single men number 1429, and the single women 2264.

Holloway’s Pills.—Health or Wealth.— No sane person would hesitate an instant in the choice between these two conditions. Now is the season to secure the former either by restoring or confirming it. These Pills ex pel all impurities from the system which fogs, foul vapours, and variable temperatures in gender during winter ; this medicine also acts most wholesomely upon the skin by disgorging the liver of its accumulated bile, and bjr ex citing the kidneys to more energetic a:tion ; increases the appetite for food and strengthens the digestive process. The stomach and liver, which most disorders originate, are fully under the control of these regenerative Pills, which act very kindly yet most efficiently on the tenderest bowels.—[Advt.]

COLONIAL ENTERPRISE.

-' The Otago Daily Times, of a recent date, contains an interesting account of the new building of Messrs Reid and Gray, in Dunedin, from which we take the follow ing extracts : —lt is now 10 years since the well-known firm of Reid and Gray com menced business in Princes street south as manufacturers of agricultural ma chinery ; and from that date their busi ness has steadily increased, till at the present time the firm employs upwards of 230 hands. Since that time, too, the buildings have been gradually expended, until now, with a recently-erected sub stantial three-storey building, they pre sent quite an imposing appearance, and occupy a considerable block of land be tween Princes and Crawford streets at the south end of the town Our steps were first directed to the ground floor of the new building, which is used exclusively for carpenters’ work. Here a new engine has been erected for diiving the wood-work ing machinery alone, ropes manufactured of the best Manilla hemp being used in stead of the conventional leather belts for conveying the power to the different machines in operation. The ropes, which have been adopted in the M sgiel and Kaikorai Woollen Factories, and various other establishments in Dunedin, are found to be a great improvement on the old plan, working much more smoothly and lasting considerably* longer than belts, while at the same time they are not so costly. One of the most 'interesting machines on this floor is what is known as *he double-shaping machine —used for shaping dray felloes, bent shafts, or curved work of any d« cription. This is work which used to be done by hand, and was in many cases a very laborious pro cess ; but now by means of the two head cutters, whicli make 4,000 revolutions in a minute, the most difficult job can be turned off in about a minute. We passed a band-saw, a planing machine (which planes three sides of a block at one opera tion), a combined morticing and boring machine, and a combined planer and cir cular saw, all doing their work in first class style. In the farther end of the building is a machine which is kept con tinually turning dray-wheel spokes and swingletrees. This requires very little at tention from the workman who has charge of it. He simply fixes a r-ugh, unsawn piece of wood in a horizontal position, shifts a belt on to the driving pulley, and in the very short space of three minutes a nicely-finished dray spoke is the result — an operation which used to be performed by hand with the old-fashioned tools in about three-quarters of an hour. Among i other machines on this floor we noticed

an emery grinder, with centrifugal pump, by which the exact quantity of water needed ie poured on the surface of the stone. In all, four of these stones are kept going in the works, and the average time it takes to wear one away is about a month. We noticed one of the jointed pulverising disc-wheel harrows, which are now coming greatly into favor with colonial farmers. These harrows are only a recent inven-

tion, and three or four years ago they were scarcely heard of in New Zealand ; yet during the last two seasons Messrs. Reid and Gray manufactured 300, and this season they expect to turn out 200, Some of the harrows have combined with them machines for sowing grain, and more particularly grass seeds. Leaving the showroom, we were escorted through the moulding-room, where the scene is a very busy one, some thirty hands being at present employed there. Several improve ments have recently been effected in this department, and the work is now greatly facilitated by the adoption of machines tor making many of the moulds, which were hitherto only made by hand. Cast malleable iron is largely utilised in the manufacture of the different machines, the process being completed by means of the annealing furnace, where the castings are kept night and day for about a week in a red-hot condition. In the same room where this furnace is located, two large travelling cranes will shortly be erected, one capable of lifting two tons, and the other one ton weight. They will be used for shifting the moulds to the furnace, and lifting patterns and mould ing boxes. In the blacksmith’s shop a large number of men are busily at work, some of them engaged at piecework. Here there are no fewer than four steam hammers, of from to lOcwt. each. One of them has j ust been replaced after a life of four years—a rather short exist ence —on account of its being misused a good deal for the purpose of cutting bar iron. A number of the men were busy with the double-furrow ploughs, for the manufacture of which the firm have ’now obtained a more than colo nial reputation. Some of the processes are very interesting, the ease with which the flat steel plates for the mould-boards are bent into shape by a 10-ton hydraulic press being marvellous. Last season 760 double furrows, 60 swing, and 40 three-furrow ploughs were manu factured. These are sent all over the colony, and the double-furrows go even to the sister colonies, where they first came under the notice of farmers through the Melbourne Exhibition, the jurors speaking in very complimentary terms of their finish and construction, and awarding them the gold medal for ploughs. Already the firm have manu factured and sold upwards of 6,000. The prices for double-furrow ploughs range from Ll sto LlB. Amongst other ma chines made by the Arm may be men tioned their well-known back-delivery reaper, a model of durability and sim plicity, of which 200 are made every year, and the common chaffcutter and horse-, power driving gear, of which, during the year, about 150 of each are manufactured. Other well-known and equally serviceable implements to the farmer are manufac tured in abundance, such as subsoilers, combined subsoiler and plough, Cam bridge rollers, chain and zigzag harrows, broadcast sowers, etc. Such is a brief outline of the works at present under taken by Messrs Reid and Gray, the de tails being, on account of the limited space at our disposal, necessarily meagre. Al ready branches have been established in Invercargill, Oamaru, Timaru, Ashburton, Christchurch, and Auckland, and a branch will shortly be opened ,at Napier. The firm have been awarded prizes at nearly every show in the province, and they have besides 100 silver medals and numerous exhibition certificates in their possession, the Melbourne and two other gold medals and a bronze medal gained at the Sydney Exhibition.

A SPEEDY BURIAL.

Reference was made in our tele graphic columns the other day to an event which happened on the last voyage of the Manapouri from New Zealand to Hobart, when one of the passengers died and was buried at sea within a few hours’ steaming of Hobart. “The Hobart Mercuty states that much as tonishment and indignation was ex pressed at this hasty burial. The name of the passenger was John McKay, by trade a compositor, who joined the Manapouri at Lyttelton as a steerage passenger to Hobart. He had been drinking heavily for some time, and the cessation of drinking resulted in McKay going into delirium tremens. On Sunday, the day after the vessel took her departure from the Bluff, he broke out. Captain Logan told off a man to keepastrict look-out upon McKay, as it was thought that he might at any moment make an attempt to jump over board in his delirium. At length he

found necessary' to put a straight jacket upon him. As night came on he grew worse kn’d worse, and becom ing very weak the straight-jacket was removed. .He kept on sinking, and it sas /patent that- the man was dying. Death took place about half an hoift after . nftdnigkt-' -on Tuesday,' - with in three hours^ ; ot Tasmania. The death was’ Reported by the officer of. theJUMddwlb, Captain --Logan,-- who replied that. he : would bury the body when he- came on watch at 4 o’clock. When that event occurred the steamer was in sight of Cape Pillar. Captain Logan states that the corpse was then ■ becoming black rapidly, and was causing a very offensive smell. The body was committed to the deep about mid way between the Pillar and Cape Raoul, the Church of England burial service for persons dying at sea having been read by Captain Logan. Upon arrival Captain Logan reported the death to the Police Department, as well as that of an infant which was buried almost simultaneously with McKay at the request of its parents, who were passengers to Melbourne, and regis tered the two deaths as by law required. But there was one thing he did not do, and which may yet have to be explained t)y him to the port authorities. In making his official report of the passage to Captain Riddle, the harbormaster for this port, no mention whatever was made of the two deaths which occurred on the trip, and which, it would seem, is demanded by a section of the Quaran-: tine Act, In the column bearing the, head ‘ Remarks ’ Captain Logan wrote: in * Nil.’ With the exception just re ferred to it seems that Captain Logan did all he was required to by the strict! letter of the law of the land. Amongst, McKay’s property were several * letters from his mother, bearing the postmark of Wick, Scotland, the latest date being March, 1882. Deceased, who was about 35 years old, is believed to have been a single man, as his mother in her letters made no reference to a wife or children. Just before joining the Mana ! ppuri at Lyttelton the deceased was seen to take his farewell of a female friend who had accompanied him to to the ship.” The Marine Board at Hobart have since exonerated: Captain Logan from blame in the affair.

A NORTH ISLAND TOUR.

J. H. K. Nicholls, geologist and gold prospector, specbl correspondent to tjjje New Zealand Herald , has published a report of his recent tours from Tau ranga through the Tutu Country and other territory of the ’interior of the North Island. He also ascended the Tongariro and Ruapehu. His route covers an immense extent of ground, extending from the Whangaehu , river and ‘its tributaries to the Manganui a-te-Ao river, the country about which is almost a blank; in our best maps; and thence to Alexandra. He was 1 accompanied by J. Turner, native in terpreter. Mr Nicholls is an experi enced traveller, and possesses the knowledge requisite to enable him to describe the geolog'cal features of the country, and to give an opinion on its agricultural arid pastoral capabilities. He is also an experienced gold pros pector. On. his journey he was posy sessed of'instruments'for determining the altitudes. The ascent o! Tongariro was made unknown.to. the natives. On the volcano of Tongariro the ther mometer was izdeg below zero, while on the Ruapehu it marked, 6deg beldw zero. The summit of Ruapehu was covered with a crown of . ice, and the members of the expedition cut their footsteps as if they were traversing the peaks and glaciers of the Alps;' • ! ' The following are the most impor tant portions of Mr Nicholls’s report: — Crossed the Rangipo Plains to examine the geological features of the Kairaan awa ranges, and found : the rocks to be of primary formation, with quartz simi lar to those found at the Thames, in dicative of auriferous deposits. I be lieve that an extensive goldfield exists in the Kaimanawa range. Passed wes terly again across an extensive scoria desert to examine; the sources, of the Waikato and Whangaehu rivers. Both . flow from the eastern side of the Rua pehu, near the same point, I found the latter rising in an extensive ice cave, at an altitude of 1,100 feet. There is a great flow of water of the color of milk, strongly impregnated with alum and iron. Discovered a fine waterfall up this river, and enormous ravines, with beds of solid lava 300 feet thick. Thence passed, through fine open country to Kariou, near the southern end ot Kaimanawa range. Started westerly, with two horses, across the Murimotu plains to the valley of the Wanganui. Entered a dense forest, and found two lakes near the head of the waters of the Mangawhero river, flowing southerly from the western side of Ruapehu. Continued through the forest for thirty miles to the River Manganui-a-te-Ao. The country is very mountainous and broken, with innumerable boggy creeks, and travel ling was very difficult. I was days on the journey. I found a fine valley at the Manganui-a-te-Ao, with extensive settlements; We were received with suspicion by the Hauhaus, but afterwards were well treated. I next took a S.E. course through the Tuhua bush, and had to cross the Manganui-a-t-Ao ten times at different points, besides • other streams, which were mostly flood ed. We gained the open country at Waimarino, S.W, of Ruapehu, after travelling fifty miles of forest on foot, as since leaving Murimotu the horses suffered greatly through the scarcity of food, and difficulty of travel ling. Passed over high mountains, swamp, boggy creeks, and rivers strewn with enormous boulders. Passed through the Waimariro plains, a splen did tract of country, to Ngatiokoruapua, and were hospitably entertained by the Wanganui chief, Pehi Turoa. Re mained with him two days, and crossed to the Okorakura plains, north of the Tongariro, and traced the source of the Wanganui river, and found it rising on north-west side of Tongariro, at an .elevation of 3,700 ft. Ascended the north side of Tongariro to 500 ft, and found a small active crater and exten sive boiling springs, throwing up brown mud and black and blue streams of water, possessing great medicinal pro perties. Left this place on the 9th : May. Tongariro and Ruapehu were deeply covered with snow, and floods were setting in. Took a northerly 1

course to the head of the waters of the Kuiata river, flowing out of Ttihua into lake Taupo. Thence to open country to the shore of Lake Taupo, near- Karangahape. The scenery of this part of the Lake is very grand, bays and perpendicular cliffs rising hundreds of feet from the water. Then north westerly to the head of Warhaha. Camped at Ponotepikapa and met Tehehu with a large number of natives holding a tangi. We were entertained by the natives, and left the following day for Kahakahora and -a small settle* ment near Nurakea range, south-east of Titraupenga, a large mountain about 6,000 ft high, east of Rangitotb ranges. Thence across Tetihio plains to the head waters of the Mangakawa river, and followed the course of the Man gate ' river through the Kahngnroa plains, and found a fine stream flowing northerly from Tetraupenga. In two days had crossed sixty miles over un dulating plains, extending north to the Waipapa mountains, and marked on the map as covered by dense bush. Throughout the journey through the King Country found the maps very much out. Crossed thp Rangitoto Ranges, and then took a southerly course to Mangakango, near Mount Rangitoto, to attend a large meeting of tribes. Met Te Kooti there with a number of followers. Remained there two days, and followed up the Waipa Valley to Whatiwhatihoe, reaching Alexandra on Friday. The following are generally the features of the country passed through Forfy miles north of Lake Taupo, pumice plains; easterly of the lake, pumice plains; south;.of the lake, on the Rangipo Valley, pumice* but sheep country; south of Ruapehu desert, soil light, alluvial, and well grassed; westerly from Ruapehu through the Valley of the Wanganui as far as Taranaki, country mountainous arid broken, covered with dense forests ex* tending north through Tuhua. to Titi raupenga and Rangitoto ranges; open pumice plains north, of; Ruapehu, and Tongariro, also'along the western side of Lake Taupo, likewise, north westerly and north of Titiraupenga, open pumice plains of great # extent * north-westerly of Rangitoto Range open undulating plains of good alluvial soil, extending to the Waipa Valley and ranges bounding the west coast country south of Titiraupenga and Rangitoto Range's are mostly broken and densely timbered. The best route for a rail way is northward from the town of Wanganui by the western base of Rua pehu across the Waimarino Plains through an open portion, of Tuaha round the south end of the Rangitoto Ranges; and up the valley of the Waipa.' There is an alternative route .to, this ■ from the Waimarino Plains by the plains of the western shore of the | Taupo and northward through open country to Cambridge. There are no engineering difficulties of any impof ance. I believe the Taranaki route is more difficult by reason of the broken and densely-wooded country south Of the Mokau. I found natives during the journey friendly but adverse to Europeans travelling through the epuri- ' try, especially surveyors arid prospec tors. There is a strong feeling in favor of Tawhiao among all the tribes. I experienced much bad weather during the journey and great variations of temperature. The distance travelled since leaving Tauranga is over 400 miles. • . £

OBITUARY.

Death of Major Withers [by TELEGRAPH. 1 Auckland, To-day. Major Withers, officer-in-charge of the ‘ Volunteers, died on Saturday, aged'76 of bronchitis. The deceased arrived at the Bay of Islands in 1847, with his - regiment, the 65th, being then - color- ’ sergeant and pay-sergeant. He was soon afterwards ordered to Auckland, and pro moted to the rank of sergeant-major, and he then received a commission as quarter master. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain, and served as quartermaster during the Waikato cam paign in the Transport Corps service,: eventually retiring with the rank of cap- , , tain, receiving a captain’s pension ; and he then went to reside at Napier. When ; the West Coast disturbance broke out,. Major Withers formed a Volunteer com pany in Napier, and took part in the work of quelling the rebellion, and he was a prominent figure throughout that cam paign, the Government rewarding his l services by appointing* him officer com manding the Hawke’s Bay district, and '■ subsequently, when Major Gordon re tired, he was appointed inspecting officer for the colony and, in 1876, was appointed to take charge of the Auckland district. He leaves a grown-up family.

CABLE NEWS.

LATEST FROM EUROPE

[rbutbr’s xblegrams—copyright.] Monetary and Commercial. London, May 19. Consols remain at and New Zealand securities at yesterday’s quota tions, The total quantity of wheat afloat tor Great Britain is 3,240,000 quarters, being a decrease of 150,000 quarters as compared with last week. Adelaide wheat, ex store, remains at 50s, and New Zealand ditto 45s to 48s. Adelaide flour, ex warehouse, remains at 345. Australian tallow has further declined is per cwt; best beet is now quoted at 41s, and best mutton at 435. Brandy—Hennessy’s, 12s 6d ; Mar tell’s, 12s per gallon. The Wool Sales. At the wool sales to-day the bidding was steady, but the demand was not ' active. The catalogue comprised 11,300 bales, [Received May 21, 12.45 p.m.]] London, May 19. At the wool sales to-day 10,900 bales were catalogued, giving a total of 39ii00 catalogued since the opening of the series. The tone of the sale was firm. The F. and 0. Company. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company have declared a dividend of per cent, for the past half-year. The Comte do Chambord, Paris, May 19. Various conflicting reports have been published here regarding the alleged ; death of the Comte de Chambord, No official announcement has yet been,; made. Trouble in Znluland. Capetown, May 19. Confirmatory intelligence has been received here regarding affairs in Zulu-, land, aqd the statement that an-attack was on Sunday last made by Cetewayo upon Ohan, one of the Zulu chiefs who

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, MONDAY, MAY 21, 1883.



T>£)BINSON AND TOWNSHBND • ARB CASH BUYERS OF BARLEY' I GRASS SEED -> *' Agents for A. Moore & Co, :: ' ROBINSON.ANT)~TOWNSHBND, >^ K -. , - Havelock street. 229



Wanted WANTED— A General SERVANT. A middle-aged person preferred. For address, apply “ Guardian ” Office. 1126 WANTED Known— Green & Co. have the Largest and Cheapest Stock of Boots and Shoes in Ashburton. J. G. Gfeen & Co., Liecester Boot Warehouse, N.B.—Don’t forget the Corner Shop in East and Burnett Streets. 1169 WANTED Known That Messrs. Green & Co. have Removed into the Corner Shop, lately occupied by G. J. Martin, Butcher. , 1170 TA7ANTED KNOWN - . —Special direct v V consignment Table Cutlery, Spoons and Forks, astonishingly low from Little Dust Fan. TF7ANTED KNOWN—Bankrupt Es- W tate W. H. Eonayne, Stationery and Fancy Goods, very superior class, awfully cheap. —Little Dust Pan, Satur day . WANTED KNOWN— Hates and Co. have a lot of EMPTY OASES for sale. Arcade Shops. au!2 \KT ANTED KNOWN—That Robert W Elston, Burnett street, Ashbur ton, having procured the newest appara tus, is prepared to Sweep Chimneys at yery low rales. Any orders left at the Town Hall will receive prompt attention. Terms cash. 760° Special Advertisements. JEL M. Jones’ COUNT BOOKS. NEW VOLUMES— Boys’ Own Annual Girls’ Own Annual Chatterbox Child’s Companion Infants’ Magazine, &c., &c. POETS— VAR" OJS Authors ; Sir Walter Scott’s Works, new edition, complete. TOYS ! TOYS !! TOYS !!! GREAT VARIETY—in Wood, Tin, China, an 4 ; Indiarubber. GOOD BUSINESS Envelopes. SIX SHILLINGS PER THOUSAND CASH. A, Bargain. Good Second-hand PIANETT 3, £2O. FANCY GOODS” FANCY GOODS ! A NICE SELECTION of the above now in stock. jftsa- ALL the above Goods are offered at the LOWEST Possible Prices for CASH. A LIBERAL DISCOUNT allowed to schools on parcels of Toys, Books, etc. SECOND-HAND Pianos, In good order, £ls, £2O, 10s, 25. H. M. JONES, BURNETT ST. & BARING SQUARE. 13d



P O R T I N G. I hftre just received my season’s stock of of every description, and respectfully invite an inspection. Double Breech-loaders from L 5 ss. Double and Single Muzzle-loaders at all prices. Decoy Ducks. ■ Duck Calls. Game Bags. Cartridge Belts and Bags. Field Glasses. Loading Machines, etc., etc. New Season’s POWDER, Curtis and Harvey’s, and Pigou, Wilkes and Lawrence’s —very best quality. ' Newcastle Chilled Shot, all sizes. ' Cartridges, Cartridge Cases, Wads, . And every shooting requisite, i Being the largest importer of Guns and and Ammunition in New Zealand, and Cvery Gun being made to my own order, intending purchasers cannot do better than communicate with me. Guns 630 THOS. G. ROWLEY, Gunsmith, Timaru.



J-F YOU WANT GOOD AND STRONG FURNITURE, CHEAP FURNITURE AND BED DING MANUFACTORY, EAST STREET SOUTH, ASHBURTON. yE&Y article Sold at Christchurch Prices and guaranteed bes. of •uaterial and workmanship. FUNERALS CHEAPLY & COMPLETELY FURNISHED Milner & Thompson Ashburton, H. JM, JONES, Agent. PIPE ORGANS.—Especially suitable for Churches. Far superior to any Reed Organ near the price for richness and purity of tone, volume of sound, and durability of onstruction. Price —Ll2O. REED ORGANS.—By Smith and Co., Mason and'Hmlin, Wood and Co., Esby and Co., New England Company, and Clough and Warner—from Ll2 12s. PlANOS.—Brinsmead and Sons, Broadwood, Collard and Oollard, Erard, Pleyel and others. Dresden Model, and German and French manufacturers, with all latest improvements. DEFERRED PAYMENTS v.. Wholesale and Retail. ol GO TO DAVIS'S al



Special Advertisements. THE NEW ZEALAND Clothing Factory HAVE spared no effort to place before the public a MOST COMPLETE ASSORTMENT OP NEW WINTER MANUFACTURES Comprising all the latest styles in MEN’S & BOY’S CLOTHING Manufactured from the best qualities and newest Designs in COLONIAL, SCOTCH, BRITISH, AND CONTINENTAL TWEEDS. The large and increased trade has en abled the Proprietary to offer their cus tomers still further advantages than hitherto, and THIS SEASON’S GOODS, upon inspection, will be found CHEAPER THAN EVER. A SINGLE GARMENT AT WHOLESALE PRICE. SHIRTS, HATS, HOSIERY, and every requisite at Wholesale Prices. Nineteen Branches now open in New Zealand. Agents for the Unrivalled WERTHEIM SEWING MACHINES Ashburton Branch : EAST STREET. H PEC IA L NOTICE. TO THE INHABITANTS OF ASH BURTON AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. Gr. E. West and Co., MUSIC AND PIANOFORTE WAREHOUSEMEN, Princes street, Dunedin Have great pleasure in announcing that it is their intention to cater for the Music loving population of Ashburton in such a manier as has never before been at tempted. Messrs G. R. West & Co, are the Largest Direct Importers of PIANOS, ORGANS, HARMONIUMS, BRASS, WIND, AND STRINGED INSTRUMENTS In the Colony, and a large and varied stock of the above can always be found. Mr G. R. West, being at present in England, is shipping direct to Dunedin all the latest novelties in MUSIC ! MUSIC ! ! MUSIC I! ! And the firm respectfully solicit a call from their friends, teachers, and the public in general to inspect their magnifi cent stock of Music, personally selected. •VlEW WORK J_\| PATH OF LIFE : or, Aims and Aids to Success and Happiness,” illus trated with Steel Engravings, in differ ent bindings. Also, a beautiful selection of EASTER CARDS. Anrrbwes Bros. , Booksellers and Stationers, East street South, Ashburton. 77



JAM IN 763 CASH PURCHASER or BRIGHT MILLING Oats, AN S' QUANTITY. ALBERT ROBERTS, West street.



Coro Sacks, lowestonarket rates. J AM A CASH PUR CHASER, AT HIGHEST MARKET RATES, of WHEAT OATS GRASS SEED BARLEY Farmers wishing to SHIP ON OWN AC COUNT can get information as to Cost, Freight, etc., by applying to JOSEPH CLARK, 267 Ashburton & Tinwald. Corn Sacks, lowest market rates.



Money ! Money! ! The equitable investment COMPANY OF NSW ZEALAND, limited, are prepared, through their agent, J. 0. Dun'jan, East street, to LEND MONEY on Ashburton approved free hold or leasehold property, repayable by either monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly instalments, or for a fixed period. The Company are also open to DIS COUNT BILLS. 883 J. 0. DUNCAN, Agent, East street.



Roberts, Paxton & Co. CHRISTCHURCH PURCHASER OF - WHEAT BEANS BARLEY) PEAS OATS COCKSFOOT AND RYE GRASS SEED. They supply farmers with the best quality LARGE CORNSACKS, at the Lowest Market Rates, AND WILL MAKE LIBERAL CASH ADVANCES against grain placed in their hands for shipment to London or elsewhere. ROBERTS, PAXTON & CO., 137, Manchester street, Christchurch Or their Agent,— ALBERT ROBERTS, 278, Ashburton. STATIONERY OF EVERY DE SCRIPTION. Account Books Ink- -fiom small to largest jars School Books—School Committees sup plied at lowest rates Latest Novelties in all kinds of Fancy Goods, Toys, &o. V All the Home Journals, Magazines, and 1 Papers by every mail. Subscribers wanted for any Magazine or Paper published. Andrewes Bros., BOOKSELLERS, STATIONERS, &0., East street South Ashburton. n!6



Special Advertisements. , AN D F The UNDERSIGNED have received instructions from the Owner to SELL BY PRIVATE TREATY, All that COMPACT BLOCK OF LAND on the Acton Station ESTATE, SOUTH RAKAIA, Being SECTIONS 31767, 31758, and 31759, Containing 1099 ACRES. The block has been SPECIALLY SELECTED by the Proprietor, and is thoroughly adapted for farming purposes, the adjoin ing sections having this season grown some of the HEAVIEST CROPS ON THE PLAINS. Only a small instalment on the pur chase is required to be paid, the balance to remain on mortgage at 6£ per cent, for a term of years as may bo agreed on. We have also FOR SALE an Improved Farm Containing 1026 ACRES. Situated close to Ealing Rilway Station, and well watered. For further particulars apply to. THE NEW ZEALAND GRAIN AGENCY AND MERCANTILE COM PANY, LIMITED. ' Christchurch or Ashburton. 13au ANTED KNOWN. That BONEDUST, specially prepared for drilling with carrots, mangolds, etc., can be obtained from the undersigned. F. MAYO, Hampstead Bone Mills.