MAIL NOTICE.

Mails for Australian Colonies, and also for the United Kingdom and Continent of Kurope (specially • addressed per Orient steamer only), per express (to connect with Tc Anau at Port Chalmers), close at Ash burlon on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 12.30 p.m.

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1891. FALSE PROPHETS.

For years there has been occasion for grave complaint of the conduct of many connected with New Zealand, some of whom had made fortunes m the colony, m continuously decrying the country. Its debt, its earthquakes, its floods, its droughts, and, of course, its Government, all come m for the most pessimistic criticism. Nowhere has this course of action been more strongly reprobated than m; the columns of the Conservative press; but now the fit has come upon them to use all the power at their command m the same direction. Unfortunately our Australian neighbours and our friends at Home cannot appreciate the value of these sources of information, or know the small estimation m which they are held m their own limited sphere. Anyone reading the letters j of New Zealand correspondents m some of the Australian papers, must often wonder at the marvellovs mis representations that are written arid printed as the story of our lives from day to day. Somehow these effusions are accepted as trustworthy, especially m Victoria, a colony that has never manifested any good will towards New Zealand, and the deprecatory, if not defamatory, opinions regarding this colony are given wider currency and an air of authority by being repeated m articles on New Zealand m the lead ing columns of Australian and English journals. These articles m turn are held up to us as the public opinion of Australia and England, by the very journals and writers who first dissemi nated the slanders upon us. The Christchurch ''Press," for instance, quotes with approval an article m the Melbourne " Argus," which begins by referring to the land of this colony as " the property that has been ruined from volcanic eruptions and floods," a description that at once stamps the writer as one who knows nothing about New Zealand, and whose opinions about her Government are not worth having. He goes on to say that uin order to meet the wants of the ' most distressful' Government of the colo nies, the Customs duties have been raised as far as possible." ' Our Christ church contemporary earlier m his article says thatlookin&r att.hestatistical position of the colony an English critic, " such as ' The Times,' would be fully justified-in taking a favorable View of the prospects of the colony." Why, it may well be asked, should an Austra lian critic not do so? Our statistical position is no worse to-day than it was three months, six months or a year ago, and it can only be the stuff that is written and disseminated under the in fluence of political gall that has given our enemies occasion against us. The Melbourne writer might more truth fully have applied his criticisms to his own colony. The Victorian Treasurer is m a far more distressful position than | that of our " most distressful " Govern ment ; and if our Customs duties have been raised as far as possible Victoria has by far exceeded the possible. The source of inspiration of the " Argus " article is plainly shown by the solicitous interest he affects for the wellfare of the "small holders of land," who, he writes, "will have to borrow that they may find the means of working." Con i sidering that the policy of the Govern ment is regarded by their opponents m Parliament as being too favorable to the small farmer—though some of the Opposition organs have endeavored to demonstrate, the contrary—we must conclude that the " Argus " is singularly badly informed on New Zealand poli tics, and it would have better become our Christchurch contemporary to have corrected the errors than to have en dorsed them as it has done.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The cross of the Qhristehureh Oathedral spire was fixed m position yggtprday. The Taranaki (f Herald?! completed its thirty-ninth birthday on August 4. When the paper was first published the population of the whole colony was only 20,000. Three boys were fined Is each, and 15s costs, for snowballing p. Chinaman at Naseby. About fourteen lads Jwere engaged m the affair, and the Chinaman was rather severely cut about the face. An old appV woman known fts "Kitty" has just died m London at the age .of 104, She kept a little stand near Sfc James Hall, where she often sold caiidy to Lord Nelson, and apples to P«tt and fox. The Borough Council elections will take place on September 10. The retiring councillors are Messrs Flower, Keir, and Williamson, and nominations, of candidates to succeed them must be made by Septem ber 3. I Mr Croy's letter last week, about the non clearing of certain water races at Ashton, should have read that he was surprised that a certain farmer m that (Jisi-rjcf "did not figure"' along with the two gentlemen, north of the Ashburton, m the enforcement of the regulations by the County Council. A large brig rigged steamer, arranged to pass under the bridges of the Manchester canal, was launched on the Tyne m June, for the Auglo Australian Steam Navigation Company. The steamer was named the Port Albert and will carry 5500 tons dead weight. A sister ship to be called the Port Chalmers js on the stocks. Auckland t'ruit-grpwers are laying them selves out for increasing the export of fruit to California next season. They are satisfied that with cooling chambers m the mail steamers the shipments can be made more successfully, and with a greater profit, than i to London. Some of them who have tried 1 the Honolulu market state that they were very well satisfied with the venture, and that the only problem now to be solved is keeping the apples m an even temparature during the voyage m ordei to ensure {success. The third officer of the Manapouci, Mi Thomas Wood, who was m charge at the time of the appearance of the so-called sea serpent, says that what was seen was a fight , between a thrasher and a. whale, He had j often seen such sights before. The thrasher would rear up about ten feet out of the water and come down on the whale's back, while the swordfish (which is a companion of the thrasher) pierced the whale from beneath. The whale m this instance could [ be seen spouting blood,

Captain Edwin telegraphed yesterday as follows:—"North to west and South-west heavy gale soon, with heavy rain—glass fall." Rev. A. Chodow&ki, Minister of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation tele graphed to Sir George Grey on Saturday as follows :—" Accept my sincere thanks for your kind expression of .sympathy m memorialising the Cz,ir with .regard to the persecutions of the Jews m Russia." Some interesting statistics m connection with the Roman Cill>olic community'"hi the colonies have been published on the official authority of the Propaganda m Rome. It is stated that m Australia there are 007,880 Catholics, 134S churches, 590 priests, 707 schools, and 38 charitable institutions. In New Zealand, Tasmania, and the South Sea Islands there are 170,300 Catholics, 651 churches, 243 priests, 314 schools, and 18 charitable institutions. ' The nor'-wester that has been blowing m I the back country for the last two or three days had the effect of melting the snow to a considerable extent on the ranges, and as a consequence, with the rainwater of Friday, | the river, this morning was m what, m these | times, brie might almofet call flood. A large j stream was flowing,"arid the Wakanui Creek and the Domain races were well filled. It was intended to immediately commence work m Establishing a connection with the north and south branches of the Ashburton, but the freshet has rendered this unnecessary for the time being. . There was a sharp shock of earthquake at Wellington last Wednesday evening about a quarter past nine. The theatre;was pretty full, and the ladies screamed and attempted to rush from their seats till stern shouts from the men niad.e them sit still. In the House of Representatives Mr Buckland was speak ing and barely allowed himself to,be inter rupted by the swaying of the bii|f(|pg un^er one of the severest shocks felt i^ the Empire City for many years. The foo|ness was quite m keeping with Mr Bucklai&l'a sobri quet. On account of the way he roars he has been nicknamed "Tongariro." ■ Last ilight Professor Mason had the largest attendance he has yet been honored with m the Oddfellow HalL The professors subject was "the Blood and its Functions," and this he treated lucidly and m great detail, delivering a most interesting and instructive lecture, and illustrating his remarks by excellent diagrams. At intervals m his lecture songs were sung m his amusing style by Mr Morris, a comic singer with about as large a repertoire of songs as we have seen m the scrip of any individual artiste. To-night the Professor lectures on "the Blood m Health and Disease," and on Friday he gives what- has been said to be his best lecture—viz., "Love, Courtship, and Marriage." By a Wellington telegram we learn that applications at the average rate of twenty a flay a.-c being received by Mr Tregear, officer m charge of the Government Indus trial Bureau. On Saturday eleven applica tions were received, whilst on Monday thirty-three by telegram or letter applied for work. The majority of these men date their applications from Oimaru, Waimate and their vicinities. The whole of them are bush fellers, and are easily provided with work. Applications continue to reach the Bureau from various parts of the colony from per sons who are described as'"handy men," who are averse to leaving towns. - As there is no demand, unfortunately, for such it is useless for them to apply to the Government bureau. The curiosities of the pension list comprise few cases more remarkable than that to which Dr Clark has called attention m the English House of Commons. About two years ago the honourable member and Mr J. VV. Phillips, as directors of a South African Mining Company, advertised for a manager at a salary of £2000 per annum, and from amongst numerous applicants for the post, selected a gentleman who was employed under the Home Office as Assistant Inspector of Mines at £400 per annum. He resigued his official engage ment ; but notwithstanding the fact that he is now earning five times his former salary, his name appears on the list of servants pen sioned on account of "ill-health and defec tive eyesight," The Chancellor of the Exchequer has undertaken to make <». searching examination into the case, A few days ago we published a telegram regarding some mysterious noises a? of heavy explosions which were heard at Hamilton, Waikato, and which were supposed by the residents to have been caused by another eruption m the Hot Lake district. An ex planation has been made which fully accounts for the strange noises heard. The''Auck land Star" says that early on Saturday morning the Natives on a Native settlement some miles from Hamilton starteJ a sort of " wake" over one of the chiefs who had died the previous night, and not content with firing off guns they exploded large quantities of dynamite which they had m store. The dynamite was exploded at intervals, and the loud report made would, m the early morning hours, be heard for miles. This puts a rather different face on the "eruption" theory.

A somewhat unique specimen of a postcard was on view at the German Exhibition m London. It is a threepenny, now absolete, English postcard, .which was sent rpund the world iv 107 days, m remembrance'of the Post-office Jubilee. The card was posted at the Jubilee Conversazione at South Kensington Museum on July 2, 1890, and bears, apart from the large special J übilee staaip, whjch was only use'j'Qn that occasion, the following date impressions :—Qibraltar, July 8 ; Port Said, July 16 ; Suez, July 17 ; Aden, July 24 ; Sea Post Office, July 29 ; Calcutta, August 9 ; Hongkong, August 28 ; Shanghai, September 4; Shanghai, September 5 ; Yokohama, September 11 ; San Francisco, September, 30 ; San Francisco, registered 9 a.m., October ],'; Montreal, Canada, October 7 ; London, Q.S., October 16 ; London, E.C., October }7j Kentish T-own, October =17, 1890,

Referring to the fatal facility with which people can be got to sign "petitions, the editor of the New York Journal of Commerce tells a capital story, and vouches for its truth. Forty years ago, he says, a gentleman made a bet that he could get 100 prominent churchmen to sign a petition- to have the Bishop of Aew York hanged." He got a lqng petition drawn up, beginning with the words, ■" Whereas the best interests of the Protestant Episcopal Ghurch," &c, and going on, after a long preamble, to demand that jbhe bishop should be suspended by thg neck, The'netijtigu was engrossed m proper style and sent around' by a canvasser, who tojd »)p lfe& about it, simply representing it as a petition to the ecclesi astical authorities m a matter that would deeply affeut the welfare of the church. Once a few well-known names had been got. at the head of the list, the bet was sooa won : and the audacious petitioner said he could have got signatures by the thousand if he hi\d ke^t on Ipfjg enough,

Certainly the Most Effective MEDIOINE m the world is SANDER and SONS EUCALYPTI EXTRACT. Test its ominen'. powerful effects m Coughs, Colds, Influenzat etc. ; the relief is instantaneous. Thousands gave the most gratifying testimony. Read this '. certificate :—" 24th April, 1885 — Messrs Sander and Sons, —It is with the greatest of pleasure that. I testify to the excellence 1 of your Eucalypti Extract. Having had inflammation of the bone of the leg, which came on after a severe attack of low fevfii?,, I was attended by jCjr J. Boyd, who had made stren^oijs efforts tp save my leg, but without success.. He found it necessary to amputate my limb. Having hoard m the meantime of the wonderful cures worked by the Eucalypti Extract, I obtained a bottle, and the extract !im not been applied more than an hour when I began to feel greatly relieved. After applying the extract every four hcursfor nine or ten daye it was out of all danger. I would persuade al wlifl may be effected with any such disease to give the Eucalypti Extract a trial, and I am convinced that they ivill find it £he mtjst wonderful qi inedicines.—Yonis, gtc, E. J. Gukxow, \Vattle street, Sand. ---hiw'st,—(Ady-0 5

THE LAND TAX.

Ever since the Ministerial proposals I for the reform of the system of taxa tion were formulated the Opposition press has endeavored by its usual unscrupulous distortion of facts and figures to get the farmers to believe that they were .to be the victims of oppressive burdens, that they would be taxed to three or four times their previous amount, that they were to be sacrificed for the benefit of the business meirof the towns, and, m short, that it would be impossible for them to exist under the Liberal taxation system. The figures concocted m support of these allegations have been swallowed by that class to which the very name of Liberalism is as a red | rag to a mad bull, and by Chambers of j Commerce, many of the Agricultural i and Pastoral .Associations, the mis named "Farmers'" Co-operative As sociation, and some other institutions. These bodies, though composed of, or at anyrate ruled by, capitalists and large Landowners, have not scrupled to speak m the name of the whole community, and have carried resolu tions based upon the figures of i their own journalistic guides, which J have been duly published and for | warded to the Government or to sympathising Parliamentary represen tatives. Parliamentary opponents to I the measure have been less bold. In the House both sides are heard ; out of it people, by reading only the news papers that pander to their prejudices, and not taking the trouble to enquire into the subject for themselves, see only one side, and are misled accord ingly. The statement that the pro posed taxation would press unduly upon* the small farmers was certainly made m the House, by Mr Wilson (of Palmerston) find possibly by others, but prompt contradiction came from those gentlemen's own side of the House. In fact so utterly untenable was the statement, that the Opposition at once rushed into the opposite line of criticism, and declared that :the small farmers were unduly favored— that the Bill would relieve them from taxation altogether. The definition of small farms is not given by any of these critics. We will take, by way of example, a farm of 100 acres, worth with improvements £2000, of which the- improvements and stock would probably • be: worth one-half of that amount. The Opposition newspapers say this man would be taxed £8 6s 8d annually. The fact is he would have his £1000 exemption for improve ments, and then £500 exemption on the land value, leaving £500 on which to pay the tax—namely, £2 Is 8d ; arid if there were a mortgage of £500 or more on the land he would pay nothing. Under the Property tax he would pay •£6 0s if free, and £4 3s 4d if mort gaged to the extent of £500. These talented and honest critics simply left the exemptions out of their calcula tions. We are sure that the intelli gent and f.iir-dealing members of the Opposition will not thank their press supporters for such pleadings. We may go further and quote the case of farmer owning a farm which was taxed for Property tax purposes at £5000. There are very few farms of this,' extent on which stock and im provements do not amount to nearly or quite one-half the total value, and Land tax would consequently be paid on £2000, amounting to £8 6s Bd, as against £23 -8s 9cl which the Oppo sition jonrnals say the tax would amount to, and £18 15s which would be paid under the Property tax. As the properties of 78,000 of the 84,000 landowners m the colony are valued at £2000 or less, it may be judged what right the public bodies that we have mentioned have to speak for the general body of farmers, and of what value their criticism i*?. These critics are also quite at sea as to the amount of taxation that will fall upon the owners of "big estates" —whom /we may; suppose to be the 272 owners of land value £20,000 and upwards. The £3000 exemptiori has certainly been taken into account, but no allowance lias been made for stock, and it is thus made to appear that the owners would have to pay more than' double the amount that wiU actually be demanded from them. The principle of gradua tion has been strenuously opposed, but has been affirmed by "a large majority m the House m obedience to the voice of the country. It. is an experiment, and must be very carefully tried. If: found wanting, the application of the> principle will be modified, and we do nqt think I?$W Zealand will lose a single settler or desirable capitalist through its incidence. Of this w;e are" certain—-no farmers need pay any heed to the dismal croaking and wild tirades! which the Conservative press is indulging m, ostensibly on their behalf but really for no other purpose than; tq discredit the Government, When the farmers get thefr ta^-papeps. they will see the difference betvyeen the new and the old systems, and meantime they will not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by the specious arguments of a section of the Opposition press. ;

The Weather.

ALFORD STATION. Th.c fqllqwing is the Meteorological report for the week ending" August 23, 1891:— '

110110 way's. Ointsibst and Pills. I'hose who, have given these remedies a fair trial freely admit \\\%t they inherently possess every property suitable for healing and removing eruptions, liberations, piles, abscesses, sores, bad legs, gathered breasts, and all disorders of the glandular system. When carefully rubbed m the Ointment relaxes the swollen muscles, diminishes inflammation, assuages pain, and even alleviates dangerous maladies which may have lasted for mqnths, or eyen years. Hollowqy's excellent preparations are efjfectiye sjngly, resistlesg m co.mbin.ation and have been recommended by grateful patients to be resorted to as alternatives when all other means forregaining health have failed.- Then action is temperate, not violent pr reducing.

True ecqnonjy, Tp purchase Countess Tea for two shillings. $W from any'ex cess of

TO ZEEHAN AND BACK

INTERVIEW WITH MR S. ••V HARDLEY.

: S Our had an interview !;|testerc(£^#ftn^Mr Samuel Hardley, of PAshb.u||^*i, who |ms just returned from a trip:|Hpne sil^pfirtihe? at Zeehan, inTas bjanift?' Mr Hardley lias had a large ex perience of dialing life, botJi m (lie West S Coast of New Zealand and elsewhere, and his eye is very. keen for the chances and ;opportunities that offor themselves to a man of experience when a new "rush" is announced to open up new country. So soon as fhe silver rush to Zeehan began to be spoken about, lvlr Hard'Jcy hunted up information. Then, when the new discovery began t> bulk largely m the public eye, and shares m claims were offered even m the Ashburfcon market, he thought Zeeha*? and Dundas were of suffi cient importance to warrant him paying a visit to the country to investigate for | himself. From this visit he has returned, I and m recording his experience, for tho sake of condensation we give it m con nected narrative m preference to question and answer. ; HOW TO GET THERE. The first subject of conversation was the question how to get to the scene of operations, and Mr Hard ley told a very lively story of his experience. As every one knoirs there is no difficulty m getting to Hobart. That journey is made every day so to speak ; but Zeehan is : not Hobart, and not everybody on thte side knows where it is. Its exact location, and the way to get to it, is m a very hazy i page m the mental geography of even Tasmanians themselves who have never " dared the dangers of the Wc*y ;" and the the page is still more hazy when the Van Diemonian has been for some years away from the island garden. Arrived at Hobart, which Mr Hardley did on the 28th of July, Mr Hardley found that the next steamer sailing for the port on the west coast affording the most direct com munication with Zeehan was a little cockleshell of a thing called the Nubeena, of a hundred tons burthen or so. In this he took passage, her destination being Trial Harbor. After getting out into the bay, Mr Hardley had time to look round and see what his fellow passengers were like. A SWEET EXPERIENCE, His description ot them would supply an excellent chapter m a digging life novel. There was no classification amoogst them, so far as the usual steam boat distinctions were concerned. All paid the one uniform price for passage, and shared m common such accommoda tion as the boat afforded. .No aristocratic passenger could obtain, however much he might seek, " rh'e seclusion that the cabin grants." In the crowd were men like Mr Hardley himself, respectable men on a mission similar to his own. There were hard working miners on their way to look for the employment for which they Were fitted. There Avere tradesmen of every class whose labor was likely to find a market on the silver fields or the town ships that have spi urig tip m their vicinity. There were moneyed men seeking a field j for speculative investment. But—there was a mixed multitude of the veriest; tag rag and bob tail—men whom Sir John Falstaff v/ould have .been ashamed to march through Coventry with, and whom a Canterbury detective would have talc eh a great interest m indeed, were he to see them land m Iyttelton, Mr Hardley put down his portmanteau m the spot of ship apportioned to him, and placed his:" hard hitter" hat upon it, he meanwhile don^ ning a soft cap for greater comfort. He left his berth for a few. moments, and re turned to find that his '"pot-ii" had dis appeared He " got the office "from a; neighbor, and noting upon it followed up the trail, and found his hat adorning the head of a brawny Irishman, wi'h veiy many inched of whisky m him. Mr Hardley remonstrated about the liberty taken with his golgotha, and received m addition to a hearty round of curses, i, blow on the mouth that sent him rolling on the floor. A row followed, and the hat thief, stripped to the pelt, invited the best man, or any man, m the ship to fight him, Meanwhile Mr Hardley had been taken charge of by the steward and put out of harm's way. The hat thief took charge of the ship for a time until a man about his own ■si«c got tired of the disturb: anco and determined to bell the cat with him. Seizing the disturber by the neck and an arm he hurled him with more force than ceremony ur. del" the table, and kept him squirming there helpless. When Pat found himself mastered, and no timely assistance coming from his friends, he be came as quiet as .he had previously been rowdy. TRIAL HARBOUR, A breakdown with the engine delayed the steamer for six hours, and after this difficulty had been got over, stress of weather prevented an entrance to Trial Harbor, and the captain at once made for Macquarie Harbor, and succeeded easily m getting m there. The '■ reason why, with. Macquarie Harbor so easy of access and Trial Harbor so difficult, the latter is chosen as the place of landing is this. There is only a distance of nine miles between Zeehan and Trial Harbor with a dray line m full service to it; while to Mdcquarie Harbor a railway journey of twenty-one miles has to be made, and after that nine miles of the most rugged .country imaginable hasto-b^ traversed, ' ; STRAHAN. Mr Hardley reached the town of Stra han after -dark. Strahan is tin. 1 Uwn at Macquarie Harbor, and the harbor itself; is variously styled Strahan Harbor and; Macquaire Harbor, thus ; causing some; confusion, but the |atter Js the proper name of it. Mr Hardly being anxious to make at once . for Zeehan, had no time just then to look round,? and had to reserve this for his return. He found'it a promising little town with a fine climate, and m a §tate as regards land muph like what he found Ashburton when he came to it m 1878 —a rush on for sections, and fabulous prices on recorJ as having been paid for them. He left A\ith the first train m the morn ing for a place known at Little Heiaty. T^E RAILWAY, : This is jjhe present terminus of the rail way of which so much has heen lieard, and which the contracter for making it—Mr Reynolds—is making a good thing out of; This 'cute gentleman is running the line as far as it goes on his own account, charging 7s Gd a head for a passage. He keeps a standing advertisement" m th 4 papers "men wanted," charges applicant? their fare to interview him, and employ! only likely men. As he is the only earner and lfeeps a store the men have to supply themselves with toois from his store at J;heir own expense, and have t6 go into his debt for necessaries, until they have worked for a while at the tramway he is constructing m continuation of the line. So soon as the men have worked off Lheir indebtedness he discharges them to make room for other victims. It is therefore not to his interest to complete the line, and a supple-backed Tasmanian Government seems to be powerless to put a stop to this sort of thing and make him go on with the railway construction. LITTLE HENTV—COST qi? ORE TRANSIT. At Little Henty, nine miles from town, smelting furnaces are' pro jected, - arid the material for building them were lying on the spot when Mr Hardley arrived, but work had not commenced, although he has learned since that a beginning has been made. I At Little Hen,ty the passengers to jgeehan [ have to send on their luggage by pack | horse and take the road themselves on j foot. Mf Hardly says he has. covered,'

many miles of road m New Zealand m! the early " rushes, '-'■. aftd-/yilhahous { roads they were; ■ but he never ye<- travelled over worse country than that which separates little Henfcy from Zee hni. Many timeß the travellers had to «o on their hands and, knees owing to the st.ccj)noss of the inclines, and the rugged ness of their faces, and the Slough of Dosnond of mud. five and a half miles from Z?e!ian the party he belonged to readied tho Big Ht-nLy river. Since Mr Hudlcy was there a tramway has been finished from this point to Zeehan, and this will greatly facilitate the transit of ureto Sbrahan. Th's tramway is intended to connect wifchthe railway, which is pro posed to run from Big Henty to theSfcrahan line, dnd'.whcn the complete lino of com munication htis been made the silver ore will be trammed to Big Henty, thence t) Strahan for shipment m the Macquarie Harbor. The delay m making this con nection by tramway and rail has had the effect of virtually stopping for the time all remunerative work at the mines ; bub meanwhile shipments have been made from Trial Harbour. This is a costly proceeding, as the ore costs £5 per ton fcnnsit to Trial Harbour, whence ifc is taken to Scrahaii for transhipment to Hobart, thence"again to Sydney or Mel bourne, whence most of it has been sent to the Old Country. Some also has been sent to Adelaide for smelting. Those shipments have mostly been experimental ones, but so much handling means im mense cost, and to pay, the ore would re quire to be all silver. LIVING AT ZEEHAN —FAMILIAR FACES. \ The journey from Big Henty to Zeehan is m ide on foot, over slill the same kind of rugged country, and on the way one poor woman was jolted from the back of a packhorse'against an old stump, break ing two of her ribs m the fall and re quiring to be taken to Zeehan on a litter. He found Zeehan to be a long, straggling ! sort of a place, but making already great pretensions to civilisation. He counted four; churches and or.c Masonic Hall, and met a large number of old New Zealand West Coast people. Nor were faces familiar to Ash burton wanting. He had not been more than a few minutes m the place before he was hailed by a former bank manager of Ashburton—a Mr Quinlan —who is keeping a store at Zee han, but complained of not doing so well as he expected, prices to sell retail not be'ng m proportion to prices to*buy. wholesale, besides the general, cost. Mr Hardley had an eye to business and looked round for an opening, but on find ing out prices he Would be likely to re ceive for his kind of work, he did not see his way to settle. Wages ran from Us,a day for miners ; railway la borers, Bs"a' day ; carpenters and other skilled workmen 10s So 12s a day; while provisions were— meat 8d per lb ; bread Is per 4 lb loaf; potatoes, 3d per lb; butter Is Bd, and other things m proportion—not by any means a tempting prospect to a man who can earn his tucker m Canterbury. ACCOMMODATION. ; The recent bank failures had caused great trouble. Business was much interfered with and there were hundreds of men out of work m consequence. Then, of course, owing to the as yet quite primitive mode of living, the want of houses and accom modation generally, and the exceedingly wet climate, the discomfort and incpn venience attending life at Zeehan are very great. There were ten hotels m Zeehan. j when Mr Hardley was there—large hotels, too —but the accommodation was quite insufficient for the demand. Ten neirir ones were m course of erection, one of which was to contain no less than 120 bedroom's; The charge for a night's ao« commndation was Is 6J, but then you had to share that bed with a partner, and on a single bedstead" there was not too much room for a man of anything like the military standard of development. THE SILVER MELD—THE " ZKALANDIA."

So far as the silver field is concerned, it is of vast extent and unusual richness, The claims are blocked out: in eighty-acre sections, and the prospects from all are more or less good, showing a fair percent age of silver to lead, and Mr Hardley think," that the lead, which is everywhere abundant, wiU ultimately pay work ing expenses itself, As yet, only one mine -r the Silver Queen—-has paid a dividend, and that in spite of 1 all the difficulties and tremendous cost of transit of ore from the mine to sea. In consequence of the difficulty of getting up the pumping gear and other heavy machinery required, many of the Com panies have shut down for the time, not for want of capital, but simply because of this difficulty. The Zealandia mine, in which so many Ashburton people are inf terested, is about nine miles from Zee han, in extraordinarily rough country, but on a site, which, according to prac tical miners and experts, i« very rich in ore, richer than even the most promising country round about Zeehan. There is a township called Dundas, about; two and a half miles from the Zealandia claim, which is gradually rising in importance. All the tract of argentiferous country on which the Zealandia claim is situated has been thoroughly prospected , and tried| arid people on''the'spot are perfectly satisfied with the promise. Mr Hardley thinks the Zealand ia shareholders have every reason, as far as can be seen, to be satisfied with their investment, and that when the country is in fair working order and the railway system completed, there will he a good return for their money. l?or must they be disheartened by the disquieting rumors they hear of nothing being done. Something has been done. 1 All the necessary bush felling has been accomplished—no slight matter in itself -^ and the men were preparing to start the sinking of a shaft when Mr, Hartley left. ; THE M IHOLM TROUBLK. - Bst the whole trouble, as has been said, is the delay with tlie railway, the contractor for which seems to be beyond the.power of Government, and completely outside of its control. ON THlj BACK TRACK. Mr Hardley returned fey the dray line to Trial Harbour. The road was doited here and there with stuck up drays, and blacksmiths and wheelwrights were driv ing a splendid trade. Where there was no corduroy road, the way was a sea of mud, very dangerous indeed ; and if by any chance the vehicle happened to get off the corduroy road, the bottom was Such that every ounce of loading had to be taken off the dray, to allow of the latter, being "jacked" back to the track. At Trial Harbor, steair.ei is oaken back to Strahan, and while waiting for the boat Mr Hardley had an opportunity of learn ing what like a. place for health Zeehan was. In the'hotel in w.hich he slept the next room contained two typhoid patients waiting for a passage to Strahan for medical care, one of them being delirious/ and there were plenty other suoh patients in other hotels. From Trial Harbor to Strahan along the coast was the next stage, thence to Hobart, and so home. As a proof of how the value of land has risen in the townships, Mr Hardley in stances the case of one man who bought a section for £10, and in a few weeks sold it for £600. Of the climate of Strahan Mr Hardley speaks very highly, but of Zeehan and Dundas, it is a ckse of "the rain it raineth every day," hence cramps, rheumatism, and fever.

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN.

Irlin I'IVESS ASSOCIATION,J

THE BANK OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

. Londox, August 21. Ihere has been a sharp decline iti the stock of the. Bank -of South Aus tralia, which is clue to sales by several nervous holders, who we-"c alarmed at the recent Melbourne failures.. The directors of the ba:,k have issued a circular in which they state that the position of the institution is not affected, and that they are ignorant of anything to justify the depreciation in the value of the scock. They also assert that the earnings of the past half-year have been fully maintained. "THE TIMES" ON NEW ZEA-

LAND

" The Times " lias published a review ol the position of New Zealand, four columns'in length, in which a most favorable, view is taken of. the prospects of the colony. The authorship is attri buted to Sir Julius Vogel.

OCEAN PENNY POST. I

Mr Henniker Heaton asserts that England is on tfie eve of establishing an ocean 1 penny post, the Postmaster- General having at last been induced to recommend it to the Cabinet.

LOAN MATTERS.

. It is believed that the rumored-secret issue of a £1,500,000 loan by theSNew South Wales Government, was chiefly the result of intrigue and jobbery by unscrupulous financial agents. Port ay Prince, August 22. The Government are endeavoring to raise a loan of 9,000,000 dollars.

GOLD.

London, August 23. The " Statist" estimates that the de mand for gold for., the United States will absorb £25,000,000, and that the Banks of England, France, and Im perial Germany, hold in reserve £118,000,000.

UNSOUND BANKS.

The il Economist" urges that financial companies, similar to the small banks which have recently failed in Hobarfc, Melbourne, and Sydney, should be prevented by law from in curring liabilities in excess o£ their uncalled capital, and that depositors should be protected in the event of liquidation. It regrets that risky con cerns like theee should be allowed to pose in public as banks.

THE COST; OP STRIKES.

It is estimated that the carpenters have lost £500,000 in wages by strikes.

BRITAIN AND CFTOAv

In con sequence, of the insult offered to Admiral; Long at Hongkong last year, the Admiralty have refused to permit Imperial officers to occupy positions in the Chinese navy.

MISSIONARY CRUELTY.

Miss Clark road a paper on " The Aborigines of Western Australia," at a meeting of the British Association, in which she declared that the Roman Catholic mission authorities at New Noreia had failed to redeem their promise to refute the charge of cruelty brought against their officials. ;

THE CHILIAN WAR. *

"The Times" demands that .311. enquiry should be held into the actipn of the captain of H.M.S. Espiegle 'in conveying treasure for President Balmaceda tn Monte Video.

Valparaiso, August 24. Fifteen thousand men have marched out to meet the insurgents. The wires are all cut and the inhabitants of the town are fleeing.

PORTUGUESE FINANCES, g;;

Tho Telegraph authorities . /at Lisbon refused to forward a despatch to the "Times" about the financial state of Portugal.

ANOTHER VISITOB. I!

It is reported that King Humbert of Ttaly will visit England in the spring, and the vessel in which he will make the voyage will be escorted by several Italian warships.

VISIT OF THE FRENCH FLEET.

The Mayor of Portsmouth entertained the officers of the French fleet at a banquet, and proceedings Were marked with great enthusiasm.

AWFUL CATASTROPHE.

New Fork, August 22. The explosion of a boiler caused the collapse of a five story building m this city. The ground floor was occupied by a restaurant keeper and cigar | factory, and printing works were situ ated m the upper stories, A large j number of people were buried m the I ruins, which caught fire shortly after the collapse. Some sixty persons were either killed by falling timbers or burnt to death, amongthenumber beingseveral who were lunching m the restaurant when the accident occurred. Some o! the unfortunates were slowly roasted to death before the eyes of the rescuers. New York, August 23. The building which was reported to be blown up on Saturday was a hive of business, and it is feared that one hundred people have perished. One man was roasted to death. Three children who were playing on the pave ment were buried, but their Voices were heard, and the firemen worked like madmen. A boy called out, " Please save my little sister ; she's all bloody," In the end the efforts of the rescuers were successful and all three were saved. It is now said that the cause of the catastrophe is doubtful.

THE TURKISH MINISTRY.

Constantinople, August 22. Osinan Pasha, the hero of Plevna, has been appointed Minister of War.

COLONIAL PRODUCTS.

Paris, August 22. Arrangements are being made to hold an Exhibition m Paris next year for the purpose of comparing the "pro ducts of the French colonies with those from the colonies of other nations.

AUSTRALIAN.

THE BUNCOORA.

Melbourne, August 24c. The British India Company's steamer, Buncoora, which went ashore near Cape Otway about six weeks ago, has been floated off and towed iuto Port Philips.

THIS ASHBURTOJS GUARDIAN, TUESDAY. AUGUST 9ft 1891



Date.

j Shade, i

tow. High 32- SS •SG' 55 -- 43" 37' 47 --- 42 --35. 44 --! 25' 54/

High in Sun.

State' of Weather

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1

Monday ... Tuesday ... Wednesday Thursday... Friday Saturday ... Sunday ...\

112 --1- 1-2-03: 70: 60' 102' I*2-

Fine, Calm

Overcast

Raiu S.W.: Overcast  Fine, Calm



The Best Remedy fob Indiokstiok— Norton's Camomile Pills are confident^ recommended as a simple remedy for Indigestion, which is the cause of nearly all the diseases to whicu we are subjects Norton's I'ij.ls, with justice called the 'Natural Strengthener of the Human. Stomach," act as a powerful tonic and gentle perient, are mild m their operation, and afe uudpr any circumstances. Sold m bottles, at Is l£d, 2s 9d, Us, by all medicine vendors throughout the world'



Keatixg's Cough -ozkngjzs cupos (jough Asthma, Bronchitis. Medical t-.stimon states that no other medicine is so effectual m the cure of these dangerous maladies One Lozenge alone gives ease, one or two at bedtjitne iinsuaus rest. Fu; relieving difficulty p lore&thing they are inyalijable. They con tain no ouium nor any violent drag. ' So,Jd by all Chemists, m tins, Is l|d awcf 2s 9id each



Teas free from any excess of astringency South British Tea Company's pure blends All store eepers. Countess 2s, Duchess 2s 4d, Princess 2s Bd, Empress 3s, These Teas are free from » y «cess of astringent^!



v M i •^ tO 03 50 *73t0 •• • ■' ' ffl '. " <$ •••••• g g .■ g; •« Isi^ '■§ E 5 ' d imii s § i ■ "rt . 'SiJgSiSia S W i O W EH |eg U'S'Bs's'3 Ob Cm /V.TI H 8 , »as a » '/J "S !=« £ »^™l ■ t- QJO t-. O >"!/2 CO CO rH x H W © .at £ t a 2 "cc H $ jj o S §• ASHBURTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.! ANNUAL ELECTION FOR COUNCILLORS. IN Pursuance of the " Municipal Cor' ■porations Act, 1886," and "The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876," I hereby give notice that the ANNUAL ELECTION for THREE j COUNCILLORS m place of Council, lors 11. G. Flower, James Keir, and Donald Williamson who ict'ie by rotation, but who are eligible for re-election will be held on THURSDAY, the 10th day of September next at the Borough Council Chambers, Baring Square West, Ash' burton. Nominations will be received at the Town Clerk's Office till 12 o'clock noon, on THURSDAY, the 3rd day of Septem ber next. OH AS. E. FOOKS, Returning Officer. Borough Council Offices, Ashtmvtuw, August 3&, Wl 8J153



Wanted. WANTED Known. — Blankets and ' Flannels great bargains at Andrew Orr s. ■;";■>■ WANTED Known.—Great Clearing Sale at "The Corner" of "Drapery^ Clothing, alicl Boots.—W. H. Collier. WANTED to Sell Eij-ht-roomed House and three sections m Burnett Street. Apply M. Eo jnby, on the premises. 8 148 WANTED Known."—Mbs Weymouth Roberts has opened the Shop m the Triangle, Wakanui Road (lately occupied by Mrs Pearson) a>) Fruite"rer and Confectioner. 8 150 WAN'IED, every man m tne district to order a ■ Kaiapoi or Roslyti Tweed Suit. Also, Boys' Suit* and Gents' Overcoats m great variety.—Andrew Orr. ICE Cream off ;Cona;h drops on. Un* doubfcedly fhe best. H. G. Flower, Confectioner East Street, W~~ ANTED KNOWN.—F have for Sale all kirds Seed and Feed Oats, Oaten Sheaf and 'Straw 'Chaff, at lowest current rates.—J. Heseltine, Ashburton and Tinwaid. 8| 118 \\rANTED Know a.—Having com \'^ pleted the alteration of premises we are opening, with a genuine cheap sale. Come and see. H. C. Segers, Melford House, WANTED Known.—Call and secure bargains of, Winter Drapery at the Great Sale at W. H. Collier's, "The Corner." _^ WANTfIU Known—A Melford House Sale will be a genuine Cheap one, it will be to your advantage to call early.—H. C. Segers, Melford House. Ij EXTENSION of Premises. Cheap Dj Sale now on at the opening of new Shop. Come and judge for yourselves. H. C. Segers. IT'INEST Cod Liver Oil. Chest and JD Lung Protectors. Chilblain lini ments. Brooke, Chemist, Ashburton. /^i LORIOUS News.—Just purchased'a \JT Dunediti Warehouseman's Stock of 90 Piece 3 French Cashmeres and Merinos at less than half price. Will to sold during the cheap sale at Is 10|d ; regular price 3s 9d. —Andrew Orr. WANTED Known—Girls' Boots 2s llcl, Ladies' French Shoes 3s 3 Id, Gents' Shoes 5s 6d; at Andrew Okr's Cheap Safe. 6 214 WANTED Known.—That for quality, assortment, and price see Andrew Orr's large stock of Millinery, Clothing, and Boots. No presents, no bribes, but good value,— Andrew Orr. LL Wool Colonial Tweed Suits to measure; fit and workmanship guaranteed ; from 52s 6d cash. Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Marl, Saunders' Buildings. ROSLYN, Mosgiel, Kaiapoi, and Ash burton Tweed Suits made to [my order from selected patterns. Long and narrow and short and wide as well as ordinary sizes from 40s cash. Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mart; Saunders' Buildings. TO Meet the Times. —I am supplying Galvanised Iron Tanks from 30, upwards, warranted for twenty years, Force pumps, deep well cylinders of all descriptions, Inspection invited.— J. W. Hardley, Eas street. o|2ol WANTED Known. —I have a large stock of Tin and Ironware Goods to select from. Register Grates, Stoves, Portable Boilers, Spouting and Ridging kept m stock.—J. \V. Hardley, East «treet. 6J202 ANTED Known—H. Dudley will sink Deep Wells and supply Cylinder Pumps and Piping, and guaran tee water to surface at 3s 6d per foot. — H. Dudley, Moore Street. 6§54 / >HEAP READING for all Classes —;i ' J Hundreds of Back Numbers of Monthly and Quarterly Periodicals at Half Price. Several volume* of Standard, Works at Cost Price to reduce our Large Stock. Photo and Scrap Albums, Photo Frames —L. F. Andrewes & C 0.,: Stationers' Hall.



WANTED Known.—J. Nicholas (late with J. Moison) Bootmaker, h»s opened m shop late T. Chambers, East street. All orders for Boots and Shoes, or repairs, will be promptly executed at moderate charges. A trial solicited. 7 165 WILLIAM n ARDNER, ILLIAM V.TARDNER, GRAHAMS ROAD, T I N W A L D. —HAS FOR SALE— fOKEST & FJEMIir TREES IN GREAT VARIETY. PLANTING DONE AS USUAL. Also >n Hand Ctioice Cabbage FliiiitM Now ready for Planting Out. THE^ANISARD ~~~~ i "Fire Sc M.arlne liisurnn^e Company OF NEW ZEALAND With Unumited Liability of Shareholders. CAPITAL—£I,OOO,OOO— STERLING. "T7IIRE and Marine Risks accepted on I* all descriptions of Property »nd j Merchandise; also Crop, Stack, and j Machine Risks at lowest Ralea of j Premium. : Fidelity ©f Persons Holding Situa Etions of Trust Guaranteed* ARCHIBALD SCOTT, Manager for Canterbury. ROBERT ALCORN, Agent, 114 Saundere' Buildings, Ash burton.- Trees. Trees. THE undersigned h»3 much pleasure m offering a large stock of the follow ing trees, plants, etc., which are now ready for planting:—Apples are all twice grafted on blight proof stocks and guaranteed to keep clear of the woolly aphis blight on roots. Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches, Pears, Plums and Quinces of all leading varities ; Goose berries and Currants ; Grape-Vines of the best varieties, Pinus Insignis, 1 and 2 year old, Larch 1, 2, and 3-year-old, Pinus Laricis, Abies White Spruce, Norway Spruce,, Meuziesii; also 100,000 Macrocarpa 1 year, a grand line; and 30,000 2 years transplanted, the best m the district. Come and see for yourselves. All kinds of ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Roses, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Jas mines, Honeysuckles, Araucaria Im bricata, etc. Also the newest and leading varieties m Chrysanthemums. N.B. Orders may be left with Mr W. C. Davis or Mr R. Alcorn, East street. All ordeis by post shall receive my prompt! attention. Catalogues on applicationl JAMES PORTER, Clifton Nursery, Allfinton Ashburton, f~~" THE ASHBURTON^ . FURNITURE WAREHOUSE OF PICKFORD t m\U In Tancred Street IS replete with Superior Furniture m the newest designs, made from well seasoned New Zealand and imported Timbers. Carpets, Mattings, Floor Cloths, Linoleums, Rugs, and Door Mats. of superior quality and great variety m stock. FURNITURE made to order m any design, and warranted to give satisfaction. A good select:on of Cretonnes, Tapes tries, and Leathers for Upholstering. Suites, Chairs, Couches, &c, always on hand. BEDSTEADS AND BEDDING. Buyers, please call andinspect our Large and Choice Stocks. Venetian Blinds made and repaired with promptitude. 6|Bl C[GAR~DfV*AN AND FANCY GOODS EMPORIUM. rXARRY FRIEDLANDER has re-. I 1 ceived a large consignment of New Goods m all Departments, and while, thanking both old and ntur patrons for the hearty Kupporc accorded to him since ecommencing Business, would Lake this opportunity to Every kind of Tobacco known to users the weed of the very best quality pro curable m the American Markets. A full Stock of Pipes to suit every taste, and an abundant supply of Smokers' Requisites. CIGARS of the very best Brands ; also CIGARETTES of every description, in cluding the latest "Temple Bar." la Practised m our Saloon as an Art, and Ladies and Gentlemen will find that the taste and skill of an ab Professor are at heir service. Examination of our samples of Hair^ ork will bear out this statement. Licensed to Sell STAMPS. SALONS DU OOTFFC/RE EAST STREET j John Gr. liestelLj IHAVE FOR SALE AT THfi LOWEST CURRENT RATES, All Station and Farm Requisites, of the BEST QUALITY. TJED CLOVER, COW GRASS, Jit, VLSIKE, RYE GRASS, COCKS-! FOOT, RAPE, ABERDEEN, DEVONSHIRE STONE, and SWEDE TURNIP SEED, MUSTARD SEED, &c, &c. DERWENT AND KIDNEY SEED and TABLE POTATOES. CAPS BARLEY, SEED OATS, and WHEAT. BONE DUST and SUPERPHOS PHATE of LIME. /^ORN SACKS, Full Weights. VfTOOL PACKS, Full Size. "IT7 OOL PACKS, Three-quarter Size QEWING TWINE. f AM PREPARED TO SUPPLY X all the ABOVE MENTIONED ARTICLES IN QUANTITIES TO SUIT PURCHASERS on LIBERAL TERMS. Inspected Invited | Jolm G. Bestell OFFlCE—Arcade. ) jum.,,,*™