The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit\ WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 1890. FRANCE AND DAHOMEY.

That men are but children of a larger growth is an axiomatic truth, and it is not less true that nations or aggregations of mankind exhibit all the characteristics of individual men. Indeed, when nations go to war we generally see but a reproduction-on a large scale of the episode of schoolboy life in which the big bully demands the cake which has come, into the pos session of some , fortunate, or un fortunate, little fellow, and proceeds to take and devour, by the law of might, that to which he has no manner of title by the law of right. This is especially the case when civilised nations make war upon uncivilised peoples—there is nearly always a cake in the possession of the latter which the former covets, and which is forth with annexed vi.et armis. It is there fore, generally speaking, safe to assume that while the might is on the side of the aggressor, the right is on the side of those who are attacked, But there are exceptions to every rule, and though it may be that in her present affair with the Kingdom of Dahomey, France has an eye! to a possible exten sion of her colonial empire in Africa, yet so utterly barbarous is that kingdom that. all well-wishers of humanity will hope that her arms may be entirely successful, and a more humane system of government estab lished in place of the bloodthirsty rule which now curses the land, and which is fittingly characterised as a standing outrage to humanity and civilisation. " Dahomey (writes a contemporary) is, as we all know, situated on the north west coast of Africa, not far from the mouth of the Niger. ' It has this dis tinctive character, that it may be con sidered as inhabited by an army rather than by a nation, The source of its revenue is neither agricultural nor any kind of industry, but proceeds abso lutely from a traffic in slaves. In the centre of this territory stands a town, Abomey, where the King, surrounded by his army, resides, and tyrannises over 100,000 slaves. Abomey is eight miles in circumference, and is encircled by a ditch five feet deep, from which springs up in one continu ous line, the thick row of thorny acacias, which are its only fortification. It is entered by six gates, profusely studded with human skulls, blackened by the heat of the sun. There is no stream v;ithin the city, water being obtained from ponds some distance oft"; but the ordinary beverage of the in habitants is rum ; and, in the barbaric orgiea in which they indulge, the blood of their victims is mixed with it. Their leader is simply a cruel hunter of men. At stated periods he sallies forth at the head of his army, which knows not where it is being led. He alone is aware of its destination : he alone has decided as to which tribe shall be massacred, or made captive and brought into bondage. Silently, at break of day, offensive, slumbering tribes of negroes, and slaughter cheni in hundreds as they rush, terror-stricken, out of their huts. Old people are invariably killed, in fants are trampled to death, and young men and women are made prisoner's, ai^d brutally yoked together in chains, being doomed to a life of slavery, or to become the victims of human sacrifice in' a manner too terrible to relate. Such are the principal characteristic pursuits of this ferocious leader and his bloodthirsty savages, Having completed their devastation «.nd plunder, not forgetting to set fire to ; the ill-fated villages through which they pass, this invading horde, headed by their contingent of amazons, flushed with the intoxicating effects of carnage in which they have takeu a leading pni't^-retraces its steps towards Abo mey, dragging in its train an entire tribe of helpless and unsophisticated African negroes, for the purpose of supplying the slave trade. It will easily be understood how terrible must be the apprehensions of neighboring peaceful tribes in view of this con stantly recurring danger to which they may be subject at any moment, entail ing, as it does, unlimited massacre, lasting sometimes over a period of three months. The inhabitants sacrifice to superstition and fear; and they offer up.in conciliation to imaginary enemies the physical sufferings of their victims, Surrounding these shrines, and sus pended in mid air, are hundreds of corpses, which would infallibly en gender an epidemic were it liot for the voracity of the numerous birds of prey which feed on them and soon pick the bones quite clean. They are the sani tary inspectors of Dahomey, and never has hygienic sapvice been more effi ciently performed/ Here, indeed, is a picture of one of the dansesfc of the dark places of the earth, full of the habitations of cruelty, and France will merit the thanks of the civilised world if she undertakes t>he task of setting up a humane and enlightened admini stration, where, for ages, nothing but slavery, bloodshed and superstition have been known

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The H'on J. Ballance has been laid up with la grippe but is now convalescent.

The ex Einpt'es-a Eugenic has taken to writing poetry, said to be of excellent quality.

The Shah of Persia has ordered his Am bassador in }ZQr\in to send engineers t« provide large Persian fcpwns with gas works.

It is etvid that a rich deposit ol uv3iyston| has been 4j»povered in Ohaukau, Bay <J Islands,

There is a "Cosmopolitan" Church at Bcaconsficld, Rangitikei, which J3 naod by members of all denominations.

The influx of Hindoos to Australia is in creasing ; 54 Sikhs, Pathans, and Afghans, all pedlars and hawkers, arrived at Sydney by the s.s. Nerbudda the other day.

A "surprise examination" of the tickets on the Victorian suburban railways on the Bth revealed the fact that 100 persons were travelling irregularly.

The news from New Zealand of the con version of three thousand Maoris to Mor nionism is a text for a leading .article in a lucent issue of the "Sydney Morning Rei-aW,"

Wcg : " If you ware obliged to swallow a female, whom would you prefer?" Vjjctim : '' I'll give it up." Wag: ' Why a little milk wffjt/c warm." '

The "Timaru Herald" reports that the local wheat marjiet is improving. It records the sale on Saturday of a line of Tuscan iit 39 Id,

Mr Walker addresses the electors Mount Somers on Monday evening at S o'clock.

A correspondent of the " Press " says that trout over 301b weight have been taken out of Lake Coleridge this season.

The.Czar will-not allow any German actors to play at the Russian capital after May lof this year. The French companies are continued as usual.

The Germans appear to have acquired a complete control over Cuban financed, so much so that the island is practically a German instead of a Spanish dependency.

A match is already being arranged for the young King. Alexander of Servia, who is not yet fourteen years old. The proposed "alliance is with a' Grand Duchess of Russia.

A Russian officer has invented a luminous projectile to be fired from a gun. It ,is claimed that it will be extremely useful for discovering the movements of the enemy in a naval contest at night.

The amount of the precious metals hoarded in India is simply enormous. It is estimated on good authority that there is now at least £130,000,000 in gold and £170,000,000 in silver hidden away in that country, and completely lost to the world '

According to a Melbourne cable, experts believe it was coal gas, ;which exploded at Collirigwood on Sunday night, and the cause is attributed to a lad throwing a cracker down a grating.

There were six rival book agents in this district on Thursday (says the Feildiug Star) all doing as well as could be expected. It is said they carefully avoided each other in the country roods after dark. The reason is only to be guessed at.

The latest novelty introduced by Parisian modistes is large blue butterflies, not imita tion, but the real full-size tropical butter fly, with its natural metallic gloss, ,3uch as are chiefly or only found in Mexico and Brazil. . \ . The Auckland " Herald " understands that Mr Vaile has received a second communica tion, through the German Cousul-General at Sydney, asking him for full particulars re-"| garding his schems for railway working. It is possible that some day we may hear that the German Emperor has ordered a trial of the system.

Unemployed are numerous in Sydney. On the night of May 14, 218 men slept in the drill-shed, Dawes Point, blankets being pro vided by the Government. On the 15th 263 applicants received the midday allowance of bread and cheese. On the 16th the drill-shed was closed to the unemployed, and no further rations distributed.

Tho results of sugar beet experiments in California are very successful. Last year 2000 acres were planted. Tlie yield was 13,500 tons, which brought on an average 20s per ton, yielding 1650 tons of sugar. In California Mr Spreckles has taken up the question and established factories of a very extensive kind. Beet evidently yields a larger return than wheat, for which £6 15s per acre is much beyond the average.

Russia is making an attempt to provide bacon for the. English agricultural laborers as well as a large quantity of their bread.' Last month the first consignment arrived in Liverpool, a mild-cured lot of a better quality than the American, though not so good as the Wiltshire or Irish. It was from the Imperial Government factory at Griaza, from which place it can be sent to England in seven days.

We (" Advocate ") learn on reliable autho rity that Sir Harry Atkinson will deliver the Budget Speech, next se&sion, but that im mediately afterwards he will resign the leadership in favour of Mr Bryce or Sir John Hall. Some of the Government supporters want Sir J, Hall, and some want Mr Bryce, but it is certain that, whoever succeeds, Sir Harry Atkinson vm t retire early in the session, as his physicians have warned him that it would mean death for him to attempt to go through with the session.

Mr Thomas Flannery, of Maercwhenua has shown the " Oamaru Mail " a curiosity in of mining. The egg, which is a good speci men, being almost intact save for a slight chipping of the shell in parts, came from tho wash-dirt of Mr Flanncry's claim, fifty feet below the surface of the ground. It is presumably that of a seabird, .as the strata at Macrewhenua have been proved beyond all doubt to be sea deposit.

Dr Fitchett, M.H.R., returns to Australia by the Orizaba, and will reach Wellington' during the early part of the coming session. The member for Dune,din Central is accom panied by his bride, he having been, married to a lady with whom he was a fellow passenger from Melbourne to Suez. Rumor says that the pair, separated at the latter port and rejoined at Naples, where they were married.

A most valuable suggestion is, contained in the following paragraph, and will be duly appreciated by tlie agriculturist and gardener. An American method-of dealing with stumps of trees too difficult to extract is as under : —ln the early winte,r bore, a hole one or two inches in diameter, according to the size of the stump, and about eight inches deep; put onp or two ounces of saltpetre in the hole, and after filling ;t with water, plug it tight. Next spring unplug and pour in a gill of kerosene oil and ignite. The stump Anil smoulder away without blazing to the extremity of the roots, leaving nothing but ashes, A London correspondent writes :—Some I observations in one of Mr Wakefield's papers i on the openings there were in New Zealand i for skilful fish-curers attracted the attention of some fairly woll-off Germans engaged in this trade. They wrote to Sir Francis Bell for further particulars, which were duly supplied, together with advice as to the best method of getting out. They leave for the colony shortly, This contingent consists of families of practical fish-curerp, who have saved money and are thrifty independent workers. A more desirable class of immi grants it would be difficult to imagine,

The maxim "One law for the rich and another for the poor," which is so generally acted upon in tho courts, civil and criminal, receives equal favor I find (says " Scrutator " in London " Truth " of April 2) in courts martial. The last quarterly return of naval courts martial contains a'record of twenty one officers tried for various offences against discipline, such as improperly leaving their ship, drunkenness, striking their superior offices, and so on. Of these twenty-one six were acquitted, and of the fifteen found guilty not one received a cla,y-'s imprisonment. Side by side with this appears tlie record of fifty-three seamen and marines tried for more or less similiar offences and sentenced among them to 694 months' imprisonment with liard labor, giving an average of thir teen months' hardlabour foi' each offence.

There was somewhat of a scene in East street yesterday afternoon. About half past four while Dr Trevor and his coach wan, Mr Alban Yapp, were coming down"/ East street in the doctor's buggy, the horse took sonje sort of fitful in its struggles got upon the footpath. He was quickly unharnessed, and attended to before any damage had been done. Of course a crowd collected about the buggy. This incident happened just in front of Bland and Humpherys' horse b.agaar. The Mount Somers tyain had just started from the station and a lad of nine or ten years old— so small a phap any how that lie had to use the bights of the sjtjvrup leathers instead of the stirrup irpns—was riding towards the Havclock street crossing, AJrs Sargent, of Aslibiu-ton Forks, was following in her buggy. Both were apparently taken up with the crowd, and took the turn towards the cross ing, evidently unaware of the nearness of the train, which was within a yard of two of the fii'St telegraph post when they entered the crossing at'l&v»t*4vG6i;., As soon as the boy saw the train he backed' and collided -..'". ■*.! ■ . « ;..-■-*■'- ->rse. He then attempted] ; ■;;,:. I . ■ : iled to get his foot out of tho Btirrup leather, and so hung for a second or two. I/ltjmately, however, he managed to get clear, and fell just clear of the rails, and so escaped with his life. A horseman, who had come \ipon the scene in time, gave the horse a cut with a whip, and 3ent him back in a l)urry into East street, Mrs Sargent, meanwhiLe, holding her imijnal hard and preventing him from going forward. The train went past without further accident, and, as all Is well that ends well, it i matter for congratulation, that nobody was hurt, the boy having Reaped without a scratch; but it was a very close shave indeed.

The Meeting at Tip- Perary.

[per press association.]

London, May 26,

The police at Tipperary had their rifles ready in case they met with resistance.

Mr O'Brien advised the meeting to disperse, in order to aroid bloodshed.

Mr Deasy, speaking af Cork', said that, instead of detectives dogging their footsteps in Australia, they, on the contrary, bad police placed at their disposal. "' ; " .' ,

Mr Dillon, speaking at Tipperary, said the Australians would feel as hamed of themselves if they submitted to a meeting being " proclaimed " in the colonies. The soldiery were con fined to their barracks. Messrs Dillon and O'Brien were banqueted in the evening.

Bauk of New Zealand.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. J

London, May 26. The "Economist" says, that, theo retically, it would prefer to see the Bank of New Zealand put in liquida tion and reconstructed, but such a course would involve additional hard ship and losses. It is desirable, there fore, to transfer the headquarters to London, and replace the local managers by new men, bound by hard and fast rules. :

Europeans Attacked by New Guinea Blacks.

SPEARED AND TOMAHAWKED.

Thursday Island, May 14.

The mainland natives have made a mur-1 derous attack on Pitt's beche-de-mer sta tion at Haggerstone Reef. The lugger Alice arrived early this morning with 1 Charlie Burstow and Dan Maynard, seri ously injured. They reported that Pitt must have been murdered, but Pitt came in a few hours afterwards sailing the lugger Annie, with a dingy in tow, having been alone since Monday, without food or sleep. Pitt states that' when on board the Island lightship on Sunday afternoon, the native creAV cleared away with the cutter, but as he had intended to anchor under a r sandy bank, he suspected nothing until Monday morning, when, the cutter being still away, he then borrowed the lightship's dingy and proceeded to the station at Haggerstone Reef, which he found deserted. When he.Kwent aboard the lugger Annie, which was anchored there, he found the cabin all besmeared with blood, and tomahawk cuts on the hatches and scuttle. Several broken stingaree spears were lying about, also human teeth, hair, and brains. Mr Pitt got the Annie underweigh single-handed, and proceeded to the Reef station, which he found deserted. He realised at once what had happened, and started for Thursday Island, which he reached this morning. Pitt concludes from the state in which he found the lugger Annie, that a kanaka named Charlie Weir, who also was asleep aboard, had been struck with the spear which he found lyinc; below, and when he put his head out of the hold he must have been struck with a tomahawk, and the body then thrown overboard. Weir's loaded revolver was found lying intact, and evidently he had had no time to defend himself. Pitb now fuels certain from what occurred on the cutter while he was asleep going to the lkhtshii-., ■ " .'■'*■■ . " ' ■' until affci ' i' . ' ■ ■ ... ': >'■ ;■. He strongly denounces the Government for not taking steps to secure the men who committed the previous murders in the same locality. The men evidently sailed the cubtor to Batavia River, which is their home. Inspector Marrett was sent to search for them.

Charles Burstow states that about three o'clock ■on Monday morning he was awakened by hearing Dan Maynard crying out. He jumped up and put his head out of the scuttle, and immediately received a shower of spears on the left side of the head. T\:.-. >!■■■ "■ '\\\ him close ±o-

gether, !", i.i.1;' 1 i:i.- ii"i ear aiid' eye. While taking them out another struck the back of his neck, which he was forced to b'roak (before be could go below again. He snatohed up a'Colfc's repeating rifle, whicli was loaded, and soon_ cleared the deck. Maynard had been asleep' on deck when he was struck by a: tomahawk across the right eye, and when he rose he fell overboard through giddiness, but his wife a native woman, jumped in and rescued him. He was then put below, and attended to as well as possible. After daylight Maynard's wife found Pitt's re volver, which the latter always carried in his belt, Burstow then concluded that Pitt was also murdered. Burstow sailed to the stations on the reef, cutting off the murderers in the cutter, who attempted to reach the station to take the gins away. Burstow took the gins aboard, when his lugger, started for Thursday Island, where he arrived this morning. The murderers could be seen- beating about all day evidently trying to get northward. Dr Salter, who is attending both Burstow and Maynard, drew the spear from the former's neck. He is not dangerously in jured, but Maynard is almost beyond recovery.

Wreck of the Ashleigh Brook.

[per vrijss association,]

(Received May 28, noon.) Capetown, May 28. The s.s. Ashleigh Brook, which left London for Rockhanipton on April 23, has been totally wrecked on Dasser Island, sixty miles north of Capetown. All hands were safely landed.

Supremo Court Christ- Church.

In this Court yesterday in the case of James Henry Roberts, false pretences (four, charges), his Honor sentenced the prisoner to three years' penal servitude on each indictment, to run concurrently ; in Regina v Mary Butler, arson, his Honor sentenced tho prisoner to six months' im prisonment with hard labor. In the case of the stone rolling in Lytteltou the jury returned a verdict of "Not guilty," and in the case of Regina v (jreorge White, alias Clifford, for horse stealing, a similar verdict was returned. In Regina vW. P. Brooke, embezzlement, the prisoner pleaded guilty to all the charges and was sentenced,to' two years' imprisonment, with hard labor. In Regina v Duncan Martin, the prisoner pleaded guilty, and sentence was deferred until this morning.

Ohejstchurcij, May 28

At the Suprenfe Court, Alexander Turner, for perjury was sentenced to nine months, and Duncan Martin, for embezzle ment to two years imprisonment.

■ The larva of the codlin moth is full of re sources, and evidently has the faculty of adapting itself to circumstances, as is shown by what Mr James Fergusson, of Cambridge, noticed the other clay. He had some bottle's of lemonade and hop beer stored in a room, in which was also a quantity of apples. Notic ing that some of the bpttles were fizzing he investigated the matter and found codlin moth grubs in some of the corks. Mr Fergus son brought down four apparently intact corks to Mr Hewitt, and oh their being cut open, in the presence of Mr Chas. Tuck, grubs were found in each of them, and in one ' instance there being two well-developed ' healthy looking grubs in a single cork. — •' New Zealand Herald."

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING.

The special annual statutory meeting of: the Ashburton Borough Council was held last night. Present—His Worship the Mayor (presiding) and Crs. William son, Brooke, Flower, Scaly, and Keir. BALANCE SHEET. [ The annual balance sheet of the Borough, and the Auditor's report were laid on the table, approved, and ordered to be printed, the Mayor having been authorised, to. attach his signature to the documents.

ORDINARY MEETING.

The usual ordinary^'meeting was then held, the same members being present.

FINANCE.

The Mayor reported the debit'balance at the bank to be £1374 8s;. The amounts received from all sources of income since last meeting had been—tßates^rlli&K), 12s ; 1890, £17 19s-;, rented of. reserves, £27 ; rent of poundj\.£3 lOs^; licenses, dogs, £4 ; sale of iron pipe's, £33 14s 2d j law. courts refund,^ £1 Is—total, £87 16s 2d. r "'-  Messrs Campbell, Guthridge, and*' Co., wrote asking for payments of the instal ment, £115, now overdue on the steam fire engine. ..•,-.- - . .. . - The account was ordered. to be paid. FIRE BRIGADE. The Fire Brigade Committer reported recommending the adoption- of the Brigade's n6w rules, with a slight addition; also, that the rules of the. Brigade be printed ; that the necessary, coal and oil for the steam fire engine be procured at once : and that a lean-to, 9 feet wide, .be erected at the back of the Fire Brigade station, with the opening to the North". West, for the purpose of properly housing the manual fire engine. The report was adopted, the Engineer, however, to report on the work required to be done to house the manual engine. RESERVES. Consideration of the Reserves Com mittee's report, the reading of which was also held over, was postponed until next meeting. ' engineers' report. The Engineers' report ran as follows :— Mr Hmison's application re Water Supp'y. —A water supply for fire preven tion cannot be brought down streets near the Hospital until the North-west Belt is formed. A supply might, however, be carried along Grigg street from the Havel ock street race to Wills street at a small cost, by laying some of the 9-inch pipes across Cameron street, and clearing out the side channels. To use the steam fire engine, however, it would be advis able to construct some sumps.— Clock

'ower. —The Works Committee, after consideration, decided that the best course to pursue would be for the Council to purchase the material necessary and em ploy day labor to carry out the work for the housing, etc., of, the Jubilee Clock. As instructed, we have accordingly put.it in train ; the brick work will,- we* expect, be commenced to-morrow. ' The rest of the report referred to the labor gang.

The Council decided 'that the water in the Domain was sufficient for the wants of the district referred to by Mr Harrison. The rest of the report was adopted; THE RAILWAY RESERVES. The Mayor said he,was shortly to have, an interview with Mr Burnett, the District Engineer, on the subject of the reserves on either side of the railway line. He had observed that on one of the corner sections a large number of iron tanks had been put down for storage. He did not know if this was the insertion of the thin end of the wedge to open up q frnnb!* thai-. t.Ti» n«»™i wi +I— &.<■ v i-- c ■■■■_. long ago. Some years ago the i" ■i;iii':ii incked up by the citizens had moved me authorities to refrain from leasing these reserves, and a portion of them had actually been planted with trees. He would like an expression of opinion on the subject from Councillors. Cr Brooke did not feel the tanks on the section in East street to be any more an eyesore to him than the coal heaps and timber piles in West street, just opposite. Cr Williamson was of opinion that any attempt—were such intended, but he could hardly think that such was intended ■after the assurances given by" the authorities—to again lease the railway reserves should be strenuously opposed' by ths Council. Four or five years ago there were a great many very high piles of coal, timber, firewood, and so forth on these reserves, which were all let from almost the railway station down to Moore street. There were even fairly large buildings on some of them, and one firm had a saw and planing mill, with steam engine and all complete, at work on the reserve, just opposite Baring Square. At one corner (Burnett street) there was a building large enough to supply office accommodation to three tenants, and had i something /hot be'efti done to stop this sort of thing there was no saying where it would have ended. Business people in town, owning costly freeholds and paying heavy rates, had to compete against the lessees of those reserves who paid only peppercorn rents and no rates at all, and naturally the' former were inclined to cry out against the injustice of the thing. Then again, citizens who were not personally interested in the matter from the point of view just mentioned took strong objection to the use of these reserves in ithe manner, described because of the danger to life and limb that was likely to result. At each of the railway crossings there was either a high pile of coal or timber^ or a building, and thereby the view of the line was obstructed,, so that persons either walking or driving across could not see whether a train was approaching or not. Some very narrow escapes occurred in consequence of this, and it was after one of these close shaves that very strong representations, were made to the authorities and the leases were cancelled, the buildings removed, and the sites ceased to be used for the accommodation of stocks of coal and building materials. Young Councillors would not, perhaps, be as welj up in; the history of, this move ment as he was, but Cr Scaly had it all at his fingers' ends, and would, no doubt, bear out what he had stated.

Or Scaly spoke at some length in sup port of what Cr Williamson had said, and strongly urged the offering of an earnest opposition to any attempt to again lease the reserves for business purposes, It would be a thousand times better to plant the whole line of reseryos from the belt to the bridge. A portion of the line of reserves had been planted, but not the whole, and had the Council not relaxed | their agitation the whole line would have been planted. The plantations would be most useful in East street in time, afford ing shelter to the bnsiness places and to passengers from the dust of the strong north-west winds that are occasionally ex ■ perienced in the summer, It would be far more to the purpose were the railway authorities to*set about opening up the streets that were now closed at the rail way line, Moore street, for instanoe, had no crossing, and the railway authorites had declined to open it because, they said, }t would interfere with their work ing of the line, He could see no reason for any street in the town being closed against traffic over the line except the one at the railway station. The speaker concluded by again urging a firm opposi tion to any attempt to lease the re serves.

Or Brooke had made the remarks he did to induce discussion, and was glad to have heard Crs Williamson and Scaly, as he had obtained new light on the subject, under the guidance of which he saw' his duty clearly t,o Ihj to .support any move* nient on tho part of the Council to opposo leasing the reserves,

In;reply to Mr Flower, Th| Mayor said that West street, owing, tothfmany sidings in it, to the;grain. stores, had not been interfered with, and the burgesses had not thought it necessary to interfere there. He thanked the Crs for their expression of opinion, which would be a guidance to him in his inter- [ } view with Mr Burnett. PAYMENTS. Accounts to the amount of £49 odd were passed for payment, and the Council adjourned.

DOMAIN BOARD.

The Council then sat as a Domain Board.

It was decided hy the Board to vjsit the Domain on Friday next at ten o'clock. The Clerk was asked to communicate with the police with the object of procur ing the attendance of a constable in the Domain on Sunday afternoons.

Permission,- with certain restrictions, wasgiven. to.Mr Tasker to run sheep in the Domain.k, j\, .

The Board then rose,

The Newfoundland Difficulty .

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Ottawa, May 26. There is a serious friction between the French and.English population in Canada; The people of Newfoundland regard the action of the French in ordering fishermen. to remove their nets as a virtual invasion of British territory, an*d"are furious at what they consider the supineness of the English Government.

. London, May 26. . Delegates from Newfoundland hare had an interviewwithLordKnutsford, who stated he was extremely anxious to satisfy the demands of the colonists to the utmost of his power. The Premier is parleying with the French Government over the fisheries dispute. The French Press is moderate in tone.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

[per press association.]

Auckland, May 27

Eighteen hunters and carriage horses, bred in the Waikato district, were shipped for the Sydney market to-day, per the Rotomahana.

Napier, May 27.

Mr C. B. Hoadley sold yesterday the estate of Royston, nine miles from Napier. The estate/, which was.the.prpperty of Mr F. Sutton, formerly M.H.R. for Hawke's Bay, consisted of 389 acres of some of the richest land on the Ahuriri Plains. It realised £23 per acre. Mr J. Rhodes was the buyer

Wellington, May 27,

Mr George Fisher writes to the " Post" that he will contest Wellington at the next election.

The Markets.

[per press ' association]

Sydney, May 27,

Wheat—Chick feed 2s 7d to 2s 9d, New Zealand 3s 6d ; oats, Is 9d to 2s ; peas, 3s 3d to 3s 9d ; potatoes, New Zealand, £3 5s ; butter, dairy made, 8d to lOcl, factory made lOd to Is ; cheese, loaf size, 4d to 5W ; bacon, New Zealand cured B|d to 9R

Melbourne. May 27

Wheat—Medium quality, 3s 8d ; prime sorts, 3s 9M. Oats—Feeding,__2s__9d

Adelaide, May 27 Wheat —Shipping parcels, 3s B£d to 3s 9d. Oats—New Zealand, 2s 9d to 3s.

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN,

[per press association.]

London, May 27. : Mr Gladstone expresses suspicion of the Tory intrigues with the Pope.

The Philatetic grand prize for the best collection of stamps was awarded to the Prince of Wales.

A "Digger" writes to the "Pall Mall Gazette " that the richest part of the Mount Morgan mine is exhausted.

The judge refused to allow Mr .TSTewr ton, solicitor, convicted of conspiracy, to be treated as a first-class misde meanant.

Constantinople, May 26. The Turkish Conversion -Loan is a success.. . . . -. .\

. '. .'.;:'"> '_ ; '[ •. -Bisrne, May ; 26 r The dispute between Germany" and Switzerland has been settled.

Berlin, May 26. An anti-Russian plot has been dis covered in this city.

The Emperor was thrown from his carriage at Potsdam yesterday, but escaped unhurt. Yon Caprivi accom-: panics him to England in the autumn!

Washington, May 27

Francis Train has completed his journey round the world:in sixty-seven and a half days. '

N.Z. FLAX FOR AMERICA.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, May 24. The Postmaster-General has received a cable message from Mr ; Tt. J. Creighton, of San Francisco, stating that a Bill, pro viding for the free entry of New Zealand flax into America, has passed the House of Representatives.

Cheap Ocean Postage.

(per press association.)

London, May 26,

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Cecil Raikes, Postmaster-General, stated that the greater the correspon dence to the colonies at the rate of 2 Jd, the greater would be the loss entailed.

It is hoped that the reduction of the ocean postage rate will come into force on June Ist, India has assented.

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIANS v YORKSHIRE.

[per press association.]

London, May 26, The first innings of the Australians closed for 87, to which Lyons contributed 20, Turner 19, Walters 23, and Blackham 14, Yorkshire made 161 in the first im^ngs, the principal scorers being Peel 39, Hawke and . Wainwright 28 each. Turner took five wickets for 49, and Ferris three for 44. In their second innings the Australians have scored 14 without the loss of a wicket, Lyons and Jones being,the batsmen. The wicket was very lively. Eighteen thousand people were present. I (Received May 28, Noon.) ' London, May 27. The second innings of the Australians closed for 125. The match was won by. Yorkshire. ;

During n storm which recently raged in Ihc C.inton of Noufchiitcl, in Switzerland, a shower of living caterpillars fell on the lulls of Cvctcts,

SOUTHLAND.

(fbow our own correspondent,)

At this time last year hundreds of ploughs were to be t-eon ac work everywhere pre paring land for wheat, but ao far. with the exception of an odd patch hero and there no ploughing has been done this Becison and the probability is that the amount of wheat put in will be very limited. The threshing mills are busy just now, and so are the farmers carting away their grain. For tho past three, months the 'Veather;tal"'l«'dh^«p(l6iidia "and not a day's work has been lost through wet weather. The country roads metalled or unmetalled.are.in good; ..condition.^and big loads are the.or^er of; the, day* ■ you may visit the grain stores- when you will and they are always full up, and at most rauVay stations, large stacks are;builtrjUp outside.' Trucks^are very, scarce, and at the wayside stations, in the absence of an official the t language, used by [f some farmers is more -forcible. than, polite. Every Sunday special trains are' son t out in all directions,, taking with.them, empty trucks, and so anxious qre ,the farmers Jm secure one or more of tliese, tlias .fch'ey r pn hearing sounds oif the whistle hurrvto/the"" station, many of them, going, straight from the communion table-Trandrwl^can Maine them ? You have l^eard no doubt of our big yields. We never had anything like it before. On some, farms thereturnismoje than a hundred bushels oats to the acre and the sample Al, but the price for some reason is much below "your quota tions, Is 2d being* the >top price at wayside stations,, and the wonder is that Mr Max Friedlander, an old grains merchant, well known to'you; who paid us'-a visit, did not buy the lot and take it with him to Canterbuty where he would get; 2s lOd'for it! However, Mr Friedlander made * a mark here. He took away a big lot of our best sheep and paid large sum* of money to our farmers for ■ ■ them ? > arid {;all the harm we wish .him is that he make heaps of money; out of *his plucky venture, and come down again as soon aa poasible. •*• !'-' ' <''■'' i - Our member, Dr Hodgkinson, gave the electors the other day the benefit of his ideas as to what should be the Govern ment of the future, but tolil: vfc Nothing new.' His "old song is a restoration to Provincialism, instead of the present; system of County Councils, and the' sale of our railways-to a company. Never before did lie; felidw^such^mcapn&ty to keep pace ■' with' the; current^ of modern thought. It is said the Doctor has some chance of being translated t&£tie Upper House—that refuge for politicians "jyho have passed their ~ctay" become incapable* of the' developmeiifciof anything new or original in the way of publi<fp_olicy. There he would, no doubt,: .find himself in congenial complanj.'^'Men'who forget nothing and learn nothing, are .usually selected for seats in the nominee Chamber. The househdiders here take but little interest in r vschopl j masters. _ During the la3t election'in some districts no more than, two householders..flttended n the meeting,* while others could boast of.^^three, but in none did they fail to elect a, full committee, and' at a small village called Drummond ah outgoing committeeman was re-elected, although he never attended a meeting for the past two years, and was absent, too, whenelected, on each occasion. Ever since Mr Edward Saundera left Southland, hunting has been at a,. stand still; the bugle has ; been hung up," and the hounds are like sheep without a shepherd. As there used.to be no Bares to speak of here, hunting was made easy. All along the line where "the drag was pulled, men went out <with axes to cut down fences and remove every obstacle out of[the way, whichlmadeLit,'alnioßt impossible For anyone to break his neck. Hares, however, are increasing fast, and if we can get the hounds out again we may have the pleasure of witnessing a real hunt after pussy, but I am afraid:the thing will die out altogether unless some one like our old friend Mr Saunders, who has some knowledge of the game,l takes the matter up. -: ■ ' 'n Invercargill, May 22nd, 1890.' ■- ?

REVIEW.

"Shavings and- Scraps"l by "nJules Joubert; Dunedin, J." Wilkie and

TluVmodest- little 1 vblume published at the equally modest price of one shilling is one off the .ibesfr shilling's 'IWorths that we have met with, for a long time. Its author,is the M« Joubert with;irhO;WJiam6 we are so familiar as that of the Manager of the recent New Zealand and SputhSeas Exhibition, and he has contrived to throw together within the compass of 230; pages an exceedingly, interesting; and readable account of the experiences of - a remark able life, during which the.authprr : has played .a prqminent part in-Ausbralia in the early ''forties '.'in. New Caledonia.-in Ceylon and in India. There is, besides, the story of much - stirring adventure, a good deal of historical informatipoi)which will be new to.most peoglo'to oe found in tins little volume, which we heartily re commend our; readers to add to their libaries. Copies-can /be,;opt«ined. of Mr H. M. Jones, stationer. x '•■

THE CABLE RATES.

[rER>»BSS AJSSC^^W/J™,

<■-- ;! May.27. The Postal' Conference 1 to-day de ceived a cable from London, signed by Sir Arthur Blythe, Sir Saul Samuel, Sir Graham i rßerryj ; and-Sir Dillon Bell, strongly urging the acceptance of Sir John Perider's 'offer for the reduced cable tariff,/which.is,.made condition ally on the South Australian Govern ment accepting 5d as the transit rate. The; AgeritsrGeneral. fvexpreSwU ihe opinion that ,the terms are the best obtainable, and urgetheir final accept ance, so that they may j^orrn the Tele graph Conference at'j^ang/f A^jmdtidn finally accepting .the; reduction carried, and thi^ inference clo#<i its sitting,, ■; " ; --, '":;;,-i ?■-,;.-: a* */■-" (Receiyed May,2Bi Noon.)j < , ■ , - -, r -: 4 , Los-pox, rMay.t 27. - The Agents^General have alfraiiged for the following Jreductions in the cable rates-r-Four shillings per word for messages sent by the,publiCtJL3s.W for those sent by Government; and Is 40d for'press messages. -~[\ I-I

IBE APHBURTON GUARDIAN, WEDNEBDAg, MAY 28, 1890.



Public Notices. j ~*~ THE MIRROR,' I A HIGH-CLASS Weekly, Social Political, Literary, and Dramatic paper, to be published every FRIDAY, price 3d, by the Centennial Printing and Publishing Company, Limited, Melbourne Place, Russell Street, Melbourne "TOW VITALITY DR CHURCHILL'S Syrup of Hypophosphite of Lime prescribed by the faculty for the cure of Consumption, Chronic Cough and General Debility. Tt contains two of the principal ingre | dients necessary for building up the Human Frame, and which are considered deficient in the above complaints, viz., Phosphorus and Lime. It cannot be too highly 'recommended for Delicat Childre Dr Churchill's Compound Syrup o HYPOPHOSPHITES Is real Brain Food, and in cases of Muscular and Nervous Exhaustion has acquired a world-wide reputation. Each bottle bears Dr Churchill's signature Price, 4fr. Prepared only by SWANN rjHEMIST WANN VjHEMIST, Pue Castiglione, Paris. WiTHOUT TEETH WITJI.TEETH THE CHRISTCHURCH DENTAL SURGERY, Corner of Cashel and High streets. Q "A/TYERS AND r\O. SURGEON DENTISTS. And at Dunedin and Westport. WE have gained the FIRST AWARD at the Dunedin. Exhibition for Artificial Dentures and Mechanical Appli " ances for the Mouth, and it is with the . greatest-confidence that, we guarantee the highest class work and perfect fit at the most moderate cost. A Single Artificial Tooth, 10s. Complete Set — Upper and Lower temporary and permanent, £10 10s. Natural, Durable, Comfortable Artificial Teeth Replaced Temporarily al most immediately after the extraction of decayed teeth or stumps without extra fee or charge. Arrangements can be made for peart or monthly payments. ADMINISTERING NITROUS OXIDE GAS several times daily for the past ten years, we fearlessly assert that extraction of teeth under its influence is perfectly painless and positively safe Fee for Administration,_ss. Artificial Teeth and Dentures made by o";her dentists repaired or remodelled at small cost. ''ours of attendance —9 a.m. to 6 p.m. WM. SPARROW TAILOR AND MEN'S, MERCER EAST STREET %■* ITCHELX V- rpURNET3 .'Jtl ITCHELjLj -,\. XURNE.LI DII^PHKSOi.OTHIKR;, ETC., EC. . HAVE very great pleasure in dir ecting the attention of their numerous friends and customers, to their very fine Stock of Winter Drapery, nov. r fully opened out. BLANKETS FLANNELS WINTER DRESSES HOSIERY and GLOVES MEN'S and BOYS' OYBIiCOATS TWEEDS SUITS SHIRTS PANTS and SOX In endless variety. PRICES will be%r comparison with any quota oivand as for QUALITY it is an undisputed fact that M. & T. keep a first-class article. MITCHELf ,£mURNEn ITCHELjj <*• 1 URNEIi KAIAPOI HOUSE, T^KCBEDfc'TBEEr. ASHBURTON,



Wanted. I Cash Advcitisenunts wutjr thijs heading, no exceeding 16 words, ONE BIIILLIA G Ad dresses may be lejt at this Offiw; WANTED,— Two Boarders in private family. Terms,, 15s per week. Apply "A.C.," Mail Office. "DINE BRANCHES (for firewood) 6s _1_ a load on the ground or 7s 6d dK.vfi pd —H SiOKBSj \\/ AJN'JLI j&nown.—A special pur-i V V chase of choice Ladies' Hats at a desperate price.—W. H. - Collier. 4t130 QTQP THAT COUGH! By using' Kj- Flower's Cough Drops. Guarantee efficacious. Can only be obtained at H G. Flower's, Confectioner, East Street. ' 3 191 WANTED every man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweeds.—Robert Alcorn,.' Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saunder's Buildings] ANTED KNOWN—The •" Strong Wear " Boot is the best for Men, Ladies, and Children. —W. H. Collier, 'The Corner." ANTED KNOWN.—The Cheapest House in Ashburton to buy Drapery, Millinery, Clothing, Boots, etc., is H. C. Segers, Melford House. ANTED Known — One hundred and fifty Ladies' and Children's Ulsters bought a great bargain (good qualities), now selling very cheap —H. C. Segers. Melford House. rpHE Patent Candle Extinguisher can J_ be Set to Extinguish at any time required ; it will save insurance premiums your house and your life, price Is ; Sole Agent for Ashburton.—R. Alcorn, Saunders' Buildings ANTED Known— The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods ,in Ashburton, is at W. F. Hannaford's, Burnett Street. A large stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired with dcs patch f.«g^^-juiwmww—iMiiiii "<l»a»M—————^M Fubli o~ Notices] ~~ MR S. B. SEYMOUR' BURGEON-DENTISI WILL VISIT ASHBURTON ON THURSDAY, 29th MAY, 1890. And may be consulted at Mr Cambridge, Chemist, until 4 p.m. 5 17 1/ ""VTOTICE—AII persons found Trespas _l_\| sing in pursuit of game or other wise on the Riversdale Estate on and after this date will be prosecuted. J. R. WILLIAMS. Riversdale, 24th May. ' 5 17f THE UNDERSIGNED having secured a large block of Good Bush Land a 1 Alford Forest, are now prepared tc supply Farmers, Contractors and other! with any quantity of fencing materials viz: Heart Posts, Heait Stakes, Sheep yard .Rails, Straining Posts, and als( Firewood. Delivery can be had at a vorj convenient place, or Orders may be sen by rail from Sprinsburn Railway Station GREEN BROS., 5|173 Springburn Post Office, f^\ HARLES ~O RAD DELI Licensed Landbroker and Valuator ndcr '' The Land Transfer Act, 1885 ESTATE, HOUSE, LAND, AND GENERAL COMMISSION AGENT Office—Burnett Street, Next to " Mail' Office. NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. OWING to the curlier hour at which il is now necessary^to^gft. fco AJ J» vsfc "FIRST EDITION "of the •' Guardian,' must be delivered .it the Office not Litei than 2 p.m. REPLACE Advertisements cannot be guaranteed insertion, unless sent in on the day previous to that on which they are intended to appear. i MPO 11TANT "XT OTI CE Important i_N otice MESSRS HALLENSrEINBROS & CO, Proprietors of the NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY AT ASHBURTON Invercargill, Gore, Milton, Oamaru, Timaru, Dunedin, Christchurch, Hoki tika, Greymouth, Reefton, Westport, Nelson, Wellington, Napier, Hastings, Waipawa, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hawera, New Plymouth, Thames and Auckland, Have arranged to FLOAT THEIR BUSINESS INTO A COMPANY, be registered un^er " The Companies Act 1882. _, It is a part of the arrangement that STOCKS shall be REDUCED by £50,000 before the 15th of June next To effect this the Managers of the vari ous Branches throughout the colony have been instructed, in addition to marking out the Goods at Low Prices, to allow 5 pur cent on all cash sales amounting to £1 and upwards. This excellent .opportunity of buying goods should not be overlooked, especi ally as it is a well-known fact Lh.it the Manufactures of the New Zealand Cloth ing Factory are Superior to Anything in the Market. The sale at the Ashburton Branch is under the management of Mr W. H Webber. %r>y ■■■.■: ,7<;;^, . JOHN "fc/T OISON OH N JLYL OIS O N HAS NOW REMOVED to the TOWN HALL BUILDINGS, nd having had considerable Alterations made, the premises are now Complete for is business. STOCK is large and season- j able and for sji'o at his usual Low Rates. ggP Repaid Promptly Attended To JOHN 1 MOISOX ASHBURTON COAL & FIREWOOD DEPOT. O Q X> EA N, ±\j v, Dean, OAL "& FIREWOOD MERCHANT I OATS BEAN CHAFF i ETC EIC. • '



The price blcoal, bituminous, was never so high in England as now. "It has advanqedfroni,6o tfj 100 per cent within _ a year. There ia now to. be seen in the shop window of Messrs J: 3ealy and ;Cb.^fiast^street,..a coUection^f'apples'shoS^gsdtaje of the sorts grown at the nurseries, Rivet-bank, that will repay < inspection .by: anyone wior contem plates planting ji^FJjere are upwards' of fifty 'different' kinds" shown, all valuable, long keeprngaorta. For size, color, and general excellence tiiey are by far * the finest that have, been.shown in, Anhburton thisseason.-^(A(lvt:) ;';' r et ':°k'| | , Holloway's'Ph-ls—The stomach and it , troubles cause more : discomfort arid bring more uhhappiness.than ia commonly"*up* posed. The thousand illi that settle there maybe preventedor dislodge'd-by the judici ous use of these-purifying pillfljiwhich_act as . ■ a sure, gentle anti-acidraperient,;Wijthout annoying the : nerves of "the 'susceptible or . irritating the most delicate organization. Holloway'sfPills will, .bestoi^ comfort and confer relief on every headache^ dyspcptfc, J[ and sickly sufferer, whose torturedmUkennn .a a burden to himself "and a bugbear to hhi friends. These pills have: long" been 1 theT popular remedy for a weak stomach, for a '!i«'>r.lp-n;l J""r. «"■ a paralysed digcation, \i iiii !i i ;cl I uiiiio.il difficulty to their regU* Batiny, puvifying, and touic (juaUtieo»