The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1892. AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION.

The latest expedition into Central Australia has come to an abortive issue. It was the strongest and best equipped expedition that ever set forth to explore the interior of that continent, m fact at the time it was organised—by the liberality of Sir Thomas Elder, with regard only to complete provision for any discovery .that might be made or emergency -that might arise — the opinion was ex pressed, by some of those who knew a little about the difficulties of travelling m the interior, that its numbers would prove to be a source of weakness. This has unfortunately been the case. The explorers underwent horrible sufferings, and m order to avert the total collapse of the expedition, had to turn aside from a struggle across an arid expanse of sand and rock, and make for the nearest springs, where man and beast arrived "at death's door." So far as can bo gleaned from the necessarily brief report of Mr Lindsay, the leader of the expedition, no discovery of any importance has ! been made, and it appears that instead of the interior of Aus tralia being, like that of Asia, at one time of the year a sun-baked desert, while at the opposite season it haa more or less of a grassy sur face, it consists of little else than the hopeless, barren sand and rock. It was known that there were large expanses of this character of country, but that the whole region was barren and arid was not thought. It was calculated that the great endurance of the camels would enable sufficient water to be carried to see the expedi tion over such regions, but the unusual sisse of the expedition required a pro portionately large consumption of wacer, and this explanation enables us to understand how the service ex pected from the camels was m a great degree nullified, for when a stingy waterhole was lit upon it ooutd scantily supply a huge caravan. It is now plain that those who objected to the size of the expedition were m the right, and that the pioneer effort should have been left to a few trained explorers, who, backed by the endur ance of the camel and his power of going long distances without renew ing his supply of water, wouid very likely have had better luck m the undertaking. In the view, however, which lias been thus obtained of a por tion of this particular desert tract there is enough to warrant the pre vious belief that it is the part of Aus tralia of all others that has least pro mise for tne explorer. The Elder ex pedition, though unsuccessful m its first attempt, is not disbanded, and every body will hope that, reorganised on a less cumbrous footing, it may before long be successful m exploring the great north-west.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Auckland recently while one of Messrs Sharland and Company's workmen was en gaged m washing out a number of empty bottles received from Sydney, he discovered ci young carpet snake, about fifteen inches long, which had evidently found its w;>y i« to the crate m which the " empties" were packed m Sydney, and secreted itself k» one of Hie bottles. A correspondent says tint among the other importations of game and fowls there was on board the lonic a sparrow hawk, and continues —"I cannot say at present whether he is regarded as a '|welcome guest.' I remember an immigrant bringing some spairow hawks here m 1886, and if my memory serve me right he and they got a rery cold shoulder." The Napier people seem to be terribly frightened at the presence of the Inverurie m their roadstead. The papers are full of protests against her being admitted to pratique, and expressions of fear of Yellow Jack being introduced. They are generous, also, these Napier people. They one and all urge that the ship should be sent to Wel lington. We are much obliged to them (says the "Post") but if Napier will aspire to being a port, it must take the ordinary responsiblities of the position. An Oamaru paper states that the ring of the buoy that H.M.S. Ringarooma was made fast to is of colonial production, and if it had been purposely manufactured to break it could not have been made with a greater possibility of that event taking place. The weldings are simply shameful pieces of scamping, and ths iron of the ring is of the very poorest quality. We believe that the buoy and ring were made by con tract, and the ring bears evidence that the contractor intended not to lose anything m its making. Mr William McLean, the new member for Wellington, is m his forty-seventh year. He i was born at Grantmvn, Inverness, Scotland. His father was a bootmaker. He was em ployed for some time m a Lancashire cotton mill, but emigrated to New Zealand about thirty years ago, and became a gold digger m Otago, Later he went to the West Coast. Goldftelds, and twelve years ago lie settled m Wellington as auctioneer and agent. For four yeai's he has been secretary o? the Empire Loan Company, He has twice unsuccessfully contested a Parliament tary election m Wellington.

The "Catholic Times," published m Wel lington, sums up the attractions that a resident m that city can have as follows ? — "He will find that we have a water service which can always be depended upon—to give out at the moment it is most wanted, say on the occasion of a dangerous fire, or when the weather is peculiarly warm. He will find a» electric lighting service which can always be depended upon—when there is a fall and brilliant moon, He will find a system of scavenging which can be de pended upon—to make considerably more filth than it removes. He will find a system of gorse spread round the city, and which may be depended upon—sooner or later, to burn half the city down. He will find a deadly system of drainage, and an utterly farcical system of toying with the removal of house refuse, ije will discover that | speculators and jerrybuildep aw permitted , to manufacture slums which would be a j disgrace to the East end of London, ff« will travel fairly-kept roads whereon he is the only passenger, and will probably break his leg m quagmir?s m the heart of the.city/ HoM/WAY's OiSTJfEXT AND PILLS. —A frequent cause of gout ai#4 rheumatism is the inflammatory state of the bloo.(i, attended with bad digestion aud general debility, A few doses of the pills taken m time aie a?i effectual prevcutativc against gout and rheumatism. Anyone who hus an attack oi either should «i<se Holloway's Ointment also, the powerful action oi which combined with the operation ol the pills, muse infallibly I effect, a ejire, These pills act directly on the ! blood, which tfcejr purify and injproye, Having once subdued ihe' seyejity of these diseases, perseverance with the ointment, after fomenting the affected joints with warm brine, will speedily relax all st-ffness and prevent any permanent contraction. The world is ever moving on towards pc*fe#fcion, bufcseldom attains it, Constant jmprovernefet is being made m every branch of industry, hut m Baking Powders Perfection has been cached m W?" fowl's Wt J3e Mw^

The opening of the Mount Somers Poab \ Office as a Saving* Bank and M-mcy Order Office is gazetted as from Febru xiy 1. , Itia reported that a number of Russian Jews have been .brought to Victoria" under objectionable conditions " to work on one of the malles blocks m the Horsham district. Sixty-three thousand people pud for ad mission to the cricket, ground at Melbourne while the match Australia v. England was being played. There were only 191 empr.y buildings m Wellington m December last. In December of the previous year tho number was 265. One hundred and seventy-five new buildings were erected during the year. The Government Geologist of Western Australia says there is every reason to believe that Kiinberley will be one of the mo3t important reefing districts m Aus tralia. It is considered very probable the New South Wales Railway Commissioners will bo able to add this year another £360,000 to the £710,000 earned money already to their credit at the Treasury. The gross value of the gold received for coinage at the Sydney Mint during last year was £2,818,001 13s 3d. The gold coin and bullion issued by the iVlelbourne Mint m 1891 was valued at £3,209,655 16s Bd. Rebuking an apprentice for dissipated conduct, the master enquired of the lad, " How long will you serve the Devil," and was met with the startling reply, " You know best, sir, I forget the exact date my indentures expire." t Ellen Wilson, a domestic servant at Brighton (Victoria) went out on Christmas Eve to post a letter. She climbed over a wall to cross a railway line, and an hour after her headless, mutilated body was found upon the rails. The following is given as a lawyer's statement of defence m the case of a borrowed tub returned . damaged—namely : First, the tub had a hole m it when borrowed ; second, it had no hole m it when returned, and third, my client never borrowed any tub at all. The Melbourne "Standard" has the following sarcastic reference to a railway mishap m Tasmania:—"A carriage of a train between Hobatt and Lannceston got derailed, and if the passengers hadn't dis mounted and signalled to the guard to stop there might have been an accident." The cable message announcing the death of the Duke of Clarence was handed m at London at 10.15 a.m., one hour after the occurrence of the event, and was delivered m the colony at 12.20 p.m., the actual time of transmission of the message being 2 hours 35 minutes.

The antimony ore deposits at the head of the Nambucea, New South Wales, are proving to be of enormous extent and rich ness. The demand for antimony has been greatly increased owing to the new uses to which it is put—one of them being as an essential m the manufacture of ingredient powder. Very heavy rain, lasting for two hours and accompanied by hail fell m the Totara and Maheno districts on Tuesday evening. Residents say it is one of tlio heaviest experienced for years, and at Totara the hailstones were exceptionally large. So far as we (" Oamaru Mail") can hear, little, if any, damage has been done. At the meeting of the Standing-Committee of the Diocese of Chriatchurch, yesterday, a j resolution was adopted sanctioning the nom ination of the Yen Archdeacon Mules as Bishop of Nelson. This is m accordance ! with the law which requires the nomination t of the Bishop of any diocese m New Zealand to be sanctioned by th-2 Standing Committees I of the several dioceses. j In Sydney telephone circles a serious ■ complication has occurred, A leading ifierchant was conversing with a friend when, all of a sudden, the wires became entangled, and he overheard a convcrsa { tion reflecting upon himself and the firm of which he was a member. He believes he recognised the voices of the interlocutors, and he has now begun an action for i slander. | At the Victorian Grand National Show • the first prize Leicester ewe of any age, with | lamb at foot, was bred by Mr John i McUrostie, of New River, Southland, and j also the third prize aged Leicester ram. j These prizes were taken m competition I with the very best imported stock and thuii* j progeny, a result on which the famed breeder jisto be congratulated. Both animals were shown by Mr Mitchell (father of Madame | Melba), for whom Mr W. A. Lyon, an old ; Soathlander, is manager. The Christchurch Po3t-office Savings Bank i returns for the past year show that during j the twelve months the amount deposited i was £360,481 18s lid, and the amount with drawn £344,192 4s lid. The total amount of credit of depositors was £'563,485 15s 2d, on which the interest amounted to £22,13S 7s. The number of accounts opened was 4183, i and the number closed 3143. The total ! number of accounts opeu on the 3lstDecem j ber was 21,195. The total number of deposits was 34,240, and of withdrawals 23,057. From the official return of the Meteorolo gical Office we quote for December : — Methven (Mr E. Chapman) total rainfallin inches, 3"72; days of rain, 13; mnximum fall, 165 inch on December 27. Wiuehmore (Mr R. W. Hart) total fall, 269 inches; days of rain, 8; maximum fall, l-43 inch on December 27. The heaviest fall m any one day throughout the colony was at Featherston on the 22nd, when the gauge showed 2*39 inches, and the 22nd was the only xainy day there for the month. Under the Factories Act, 1891, the Registrar of Births has to supply, free of charge, for the use of proprietors of factories, certificates of birth of employees, so that they may not inadvertently bring i themselves under the clauses restricting the employment of young persons under the limited age within prohibited hours ; or a statutory declaration may be made by some competent person as to the age of the person for whom it is desired to obtain a certificate of fitness for employment. At the Primitive Methodist Conference at ChTPtstchureh on Tuesday the Superannuated Ministers'^. Widows', and Orphans' Fund showed aWalue of £400. A convention was held on Monday evening when various r/iinisters gave addresseb, and the following final draft of stations was: approved of: — New Plymouth, Revs Nixon and Can-; Wellington, Ward, with Wood, Dumbell, and Deans, supernumeraries ; Auckland, J. Guy, and one to be obtained, Long, super numerary ; Auckland, Potter ; Invercargill, Sharp 5 South Invercargill, Boys; Bluff, Williams ; Tinmrii, Woodward ; Thames, Alphert; Greendaie, Clement j Christchurch, Dawson ; Ashburton, Cocker ; Manawatn, Lyon and one to be obtained ; Geraldine, Woollass ; Dunedin, Jones ; Waimate and Oamaru, Harris; Foxton, Raine; Strat ford, Clover ; Westport and Denniston, Laycock and Grundley.

As showing the magnitude of the grass' 1 seed trade m the new settlements m the North Island, ifc is estimated by the "Bush Advocate" that a .continuance of the present weather will mean ah increase of upwards of £1,000 to the revenue of Norsevvood alone. Mr J. Grigg, Longbeach, says lie has much pleasure m reporting that one of his expar inicnts m using lime as manure has been very satisfactory, and that was m using 23 cwl. per acre for wheat. He says at least there is an increase of ten busheis per acw, and the grub was not nearly so destructive m the limed as m the itnlimed ground. In Victoria the use of the lash is found as a deterrent, to crime, and of late m the serious robbery and burglary cases the .justices have been very severe m their 1 sentences. At Melbourne four men were sentenced 'from five to six yeara' imprison ment., with solitary confinement, and on several occasions ordered to be whipped. During the pasi few weeks most of the houses .it Zeehan have. been overrun with bush rats, a small black inoffensive looking creature, but one that is very destructive to goods. At one business establishment a few days since over eighty were killed m less than one hour, and a sufficient number escaped to give many such hours' employ ment m future. ' In commemoration of the Duke of Clarence's burial flags were flown to-day from several houses. Amongst them were Mr John Henry's Commercial Hotel, from which streamed at half-mast the flag of Ireland reversed; Mrs W. Adam's fancy goods store, from which thu Irish flag reversed and at half-mast flew; the hotel of Mrs Butler, from which the young ladies flew the purity flag, white draped with blue, sailor's mourning; and the establishments of Messrs David Thomas, Alfred Harrison, F. Ferri man and George Jameson from which the Union Jack flew all day. It was remarked that no demonstration was made by the the local Volunteer Company, either by way of church or special parade. Mrs Dickson and Mrs Moore, two of the sufferers by thePahiatua poisoning, are now sufficiently recovered to take open-air exer cise. The local paper says that a few days since a Mangahao settler was partaking of some biscuits made by his wife, and noticing they had a somewhat bittertaste, he decided on giving some, to the dog before eating any more of them. The dog was soon affected, and on giving him some more of the biscuits he went aivay into tne bush and has not been seen since, and is supposed to have died. The ingredients from which the biscuits were prepared were purchased m Woodville, and they are now m Mr Rkid's hands for analysis. Au extraordinary case of assault and robbery was investigated at the Auckland Police Court 011 January 12. The com plainant was Daniel McPhee, a commercial traveller, from Dunedin, who charged Walter Shocter, a shop assistant, with assaulting him and stealing from him a gold scarf pin. The two men had a drink together at an hotel, and accused asked plaintiff to go to his shop and then go to the races. When m the shop accused locked the front door, went out'at the back, and returned m a few minutes stripped to the waist and demanded complainant's money and watch and chain. A light ensued which was witnessed by several passers by, one of whom, hearing complainant's cries for assistance, broke open the door and stopped it. Shotter reserved his defence, and was committed for trial. Mr John Foster, of Oamaru, has invented and constructed an ingenious machine for cleaning boots, for which he purposes apply ing for a patent. The machine is so simple ia construction that the wonder is that no one has previously hit upon the idea. It would manifestly be improper to eive a . detailed description of the invention. Briefly stated, it consists of four circu'ar brushes m upright position, driven by a treadle. One of these removes the dirt, a second applies the blacking, and the remaining two are used for polishing the boots, which are he'd by the operator and passed along the brushes. The operation of boot-cleaning—an un plcdsaut job—is rendered very simple, and the machine should be a welcome addition to the convenience of hotels and large places where there are a large number of boarders, and where boot-cleaning is a long and weari some job. The machin >is a decidedly useful addition to the many labor-saving appliances introduced during recent years.--" Mail.'

IRRIGATION.

SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS,

Mr Silcock has contributed this year two items to the literature of irrigation. Five we^ks ago he shut up an eight acre paddock of clover m which stock had been 1 grazing all the season. His paddock is skirted by the Wakanui creek, from which he has the right of taking to the parldock a six inch pipe of water. At suitable in tervals he turned the water into the pad dock, and the result is that he was able to mow yesterday a crop of hay that will represent about four tons to the acre. Where the water had not been was very plainly shown by the lightness of the swathes, and where the water had been could not by any possibility be mistaken. Mr Silcock is a wellrknown enthusiast m irrigation, and when he brought yester day morning a sheaf of clover, every stem of which measured from 4ft Pin to 6ft long, and said jt represented five weeks growth of irrigated clover, h\s story was hardly believed. To-day our reporter inspected the paddock and the crop, and verified Mr Silcock's statements. Seldom indeed do we see such a paddock. The clover was lying m heavy patches everywhere, except where the water had not been, and the whole went to show that even m a showery season such as this has been irrigation Avill leave a streak of abundance m its track. Mr Silcock has leased a paddock from Mr Rollitt, ad joining the mill, and on this he has a crop of wheat. The creek runs through this paddock—that is, the creek that carries the mill race water when the mill does not require it. Once a week the water is . turned down this creek, and as the' accumulation of water is somewhat too large for thp ordinary channel to take, there is a weekly overflow. Where ths wheat was touched with this overflow the crop is enormous, —so heavy m fact that it was necessary to cut the crop with the scythe, and 70 bushels is the estimate of the irrigated wheat. The facts above sta'ed go to prove the value of irrigation, fcfr S?lcock is quite sure, by again Hooding hjg closer p^dtjqpk, of being able to reap another thirty tons from the eight acr^s before tho season is over, as he tells us that he did the same thing last year after harvest. But his wheat crop—tremendous ir. grain yield, and with straw like the ,sj;ems m a bit of bush—gives the lie at pnjje to those \y"ho say that irrigation is impracticable for wheat. • i<:

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION,

THE BAILLIESTON COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

London, January 18. It is believed that the miners who are shut m by tlie fire at Baillieston colliery, will be rescued. H.M.S. DART. H.M.S. Dart has been recommis sioned, and her crew leave for Aus tralia next month. 1 IRISH AFFAIRS. Mr John Redmond, M.P., while attending a political meeting and gathering m Dublin, was carried •shoulder high by the crowd. While Mr Perry, a property agent m Clare, was riding to church, he was shot m the thigh by three armed men, and is m a critical condition. His horse was killed outright. N.S.W. TREASURY BILLS. It is believed that all the Treasury bills issued by New South Wales will be sold.

THE INFLUENZA.

Vienna, January 18. The death is announced of the Arch duke Charles Salvator, brother of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The death w»s caused by influenza.

ATTEMPTED MURDER.

New "Xork. January 18. A man named Dowd, known as " Jack the Slasher," -was arrested m this city m the act of cutting a drunken man's throat.

THE UNITED STATES AND CHILI.

There is renewed friction with Chili owing to offensive criticism passed on the captain of the Yorktown.

THE CZARINA.

St. fETEKSBur.G, January 18. The Czarina has recovered.

AUSTRALIAN.

SWIMMING.

Sydney, January 19. Gormly, the amateur champion swim mer of ISFew South Wales, has lowered the world's record for 200 yards and 220 yards to 2rnin 22sec and 2rain 38& sec, respectively. POISONED. A nurse and patient m Warrabat Hospital were poisoned by some porridge, which is believed to have con i»;ned arsenic. Two others, who also partook of it., recovered.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Auckland, January 19. Ifc is stated that the Uriwera natives, who have for many years isolated them selves from the Ejropcans, have given permission for the sui-voy of 200,000 acres •of land m their territory, at ft point in land from Ruatoke m Whakatane dis trict.. • Constable W. Grpy, of the cifcy police force, has bten promoted to the rank of second class constable for his courage m saving the life of a boy who fell into the harbor i\ ccnily. Wellington, January 19. The official declaration of the poil gives Ml- McLean 3388, and Mr Bell 3245, reducing Mr McLean's majority to 143. Thirty-two votes for Mr McLean and twenty-three for Mr Bell were disallowed. One vote was found that had not been counted for Mr Bell. A Gazette issued to-night further pro rogues Parliament until March 31. In the test races to-day Bhtger won the hurdles easily, and also the long jump, with 20fb sin. MeGrirr won the 200 yards and the half mile. These two will pro bably represent Wellington along with R, Gore for the hurdles and high jump.

POLITICAL.

MINISTERS AT LAWRENCE.

(,PER PHESS ASSOCIATION.;

Dtjnedin, January 19. In his speech at Lawrence the Hon J. McKenzie dealt principally wibh the land policy. He said there was no intention to rob settlers of their holdings, nor a desire to interfere with those m possession of Crown lands. He had no doubt that large areas of land had come into posses sion of pecple m a manner that would not bear investigation if gone into, but these areas had been acquired m some shape or form under the laws m existence, and he would be the last man m the colony to re pudiate any bargain made under the law. They had a nght however, to say how the lands still left should be disposed of. The land laws m the past had not been satis factory, m proof of which he mentioned that forty-seven people were m possession of 3,000,000 acres of the best agricultural land m the colony. At the banquet the Minister for Lands spoke very briefly. The Hon It. J. Sed don, m the course of his speech, said as regarded the taxation proposals, they were sound and reasonable, and there must be finality to them. Without it disaster would follow, and the Govern ment had determined that there should be finality ; that the tax would nob be raised from 2d to 6d, as their opponents prophesied, but that it should remain at Id.

Men with Fads.

. In an article on " Men with Fads" Cassell's Saturday Journal says :—" The most unique collection of autographs probably is that which is owned by a journalist who has treasured up a number 1 of interesting mementoesof public events. Thus, when a leading orator of the day addresses a huge meeting and the news papers require verbatim reports, it is customary to send a note to the orator to ask how long he intends to speak, and the answer is scribbled: 'An hour' or 'Fifty Minutes,' as the case may be. The bulk of these notes furnish a veritable museum of good intentions which have not been fulfilled, for few public men can resist the temptation of exceeding their own selfrimposedtime allowance, Another journalist stores up menus of the. different banquets he attends, and a third presery.es the tickets of invitation also. A. well known ' penny-a-liner,' who m his time had strange and intimate connections with the unravelling cf London mysteries got together a truly horrible collection of odds and ends which derived thei' interest from their association with notorious criminal tjases, These objects possessed suqh gha's'fcly' significance that one day the ' liner,' m order to be rid of their depressing influence, for each relic had a painful story attached to its acquisition, determinedly threw them m the fire, and since tk.at tjaj; he has neve^ fndulgect »tastje'ror the morbid,''

LADIES' COLUMN.

According to the report of the liisli Ladies' Work Society, nn increased de mand exists for nightcaps, which are now being elaborately made.

The announcement of the settlement of the Cashmere question recalls the fact that the Queen receives every year an offering of the finest Cashmere shawl:;, most of which sh(3 parts with as wedding gifts. It ', was on M-irch 1(3, 1846, Lhafc the first : Viscount Hardingeand the first Maharajah of Cashmere s:giu%d a treaty at Umritsur, which contained the following clause : — '• Article X.—Maharajah Gola Sing ac knowledges the supremacy of the British. Government, and will, m token of such supremacy, present annually to the British Government one horse, tw velve perfect shawl goats of approved breed (six male and six female), and three pairs of Cash mere shawls.

Green seems to be popular, and we are likely to see many dresses of this color during the winter. There is no color more becoming to the majority of people. Ifc can be trimmed m an infinite variety of ways. Thei'O is the goli passementerie trimming, and with this a jaciefc of the same green cloth similarly trimmed looks very effective. Another idea which we have observed is the black silk passemen terie. Then the bottle green cloth, which looks well embroidered with a pattern of bl<ick beads all round the flounce of the skirt, and the plastron embroidered with black beads. Yet another very pretty fashion is the green cloth dress trimmed with Astrakhan, that ever popular fur.

The Modern Girl.—She'd great and varied knowledge, picked up at a female college, of quadratics, hydrostatics, and pneumatics very vast; she was stuffed with erudition as you stuff a leather cushion, nil theologies of the colleges, and the knowledge of the past : she had studied the old lexicons of Peruvians and Mexicans, their theology, anthropology, and geology o'er and o'er ; she knew all the forms and features of the pre-historic creatures —ichthyosaurus, plesiosaurus, megalosaurus, and many more ; she'd describe the ancient. Tuscans, and the Basques and the Etruscans, their griddles and their kettles, and the victuals that they gnawed ; she'd discuss the learned charmer, the theology of Bramah, and the scandals of the Vandals, and the sandals that they trod ; she knew all the mighty giants, and the master minds of science, all the learing that was turning m the burning mind of man ; but she could'nt prepare a dinner for a gaunt and hungry sinner ; or get up a decent supper for her poor voracious pa ; for she never was constructed on the old domestic plan. —"Lynn Union."

The Empress Josephine once bought thirty-eight bonnets m one month. '* We do not know at what number her mighty husband drew the line," says a writer ; " but it is a fact that, having learned that she had indulged herself with the acquisi tion of tills number, he—when he one day went into the saloon leading to her apart ment and found m it Mile. Despaux, the milliner, with a huge pile of suspicious looking bandboxes—waH so indignant at the idea of his wife making fresh pur chases that ha flow into such a passion that everyone ran away, leaving him to decide whether he would vent his rage on poor Josephine, who was a prisoner with her feob m a foot-bath, 01; on the milliner herself. He did a little of bot!-). He was ho angry with Josepliii-e that she was speechless with terror, and he sent for Savary, his Minister of Police, and ordered him to arrest Mile. Despaux. She was !?8 vit to La Fo'rse immediately, ;vul tli: u^Li Isor fuar vl 2?«p.,L-yLi and horror of it night m prison made her ill, her fortune was probably made by this startling outbreak of imperial temper. Next day nearly everyone m Paris flocked to see liar, hear her story, and condole with her. She never could have lacked custom after this."

According to the "Optician," an in teresting case may soon come before the English coarts involving the disclosure of one of the mysteries by which the eyes | of a fashionable lady are made dazzlingly beautiful. It appears that m a well known street m the West End an estab lishment exists of which the specialty is the " beautifieatkm" of women's eyes. Thither a lady of fashion went a few days a?;o, to be "beautified" preparatory to some social gathering which she proposed Ito attend. The operator applied to the eyes a mixture of which the principal ingredient is supposed to be belladonna ; but, either on account of a mistake m the lotion, or through maladroitness m the application, the pupils of the lady's eyes became so distended that shortly after reaching the street sha became almost blind, and staggered about helpless. A friendly policemen found htr m this con dition, and, with the best intentions, proposed chat she should accompany him to the police station. The unfortunate sufferer implored him not to take her there, and by persuasion and promise of reward induced the constable to place her m a cab and convey her to her doctor. There she, m contrite tones, confessed the dire results of attempting to improve upon nature. Relief was promptly forth-1 coming, but the physician warned her strongly of her folly before sending her home. According to our optical contem porary, a prosecution is to be instituted against the proprietor of the establish ment for practising with a drug which is scheduled as a poison.

J)v Arabella Kenealy contributes: an article to the " Westminister Review" on the matrimonial chances of her sex, and the depressing effects produced on the rising male generation by the superiority of choice possessed by marriageable men, because of the fewness of the supply as compared with the largeness of the de mand. Men desirous of marrying, and able financially to face the difficulties,are, it appears, comparatively few, while the lady aspirants to this blissful state are lamentably numerous. Superfluity of choice gives males an unjust advantage, and makes them disdainful. "The very bad manners which characterise the modern youth—his familiarity, noncha lance, and slangy style-spring mainly from a sense of masculine superiority which is not all a result of personal excel lence, but altogether an outcome of numerical value." Dr Kenealy instances as pi«3f the scene which often tikes place m a ball room where the hostess has not nicely calculated her numbers, and finds herself with far more ladies than "•entle* men on her hands,' Th§ men wfh few exceptions deviate more or less from the the path of manly courtsey. They lounge m the doorways, chatting, and assuming indifferent or superior airs, expressing m various ways their consciousness of <H advantage at which they find themselves. Il unable to obtain a particular dance with one of the belles of the room, then, indeed, will they not danpe at all, and thoyjlpunge <iboufc nonchalantly m the presence of moc gtrls, whose young feet are eager to be going. All the possi bilities of masculine ungraciousness are stimulated by these circumstances, The girls, for their part, via with one another to be oharmjng, A^l their- prettiest airs #re put qn 5 their, liveliest looks assumed." Alas, instead of being appreciated, they are ungallantly received; as, a debt due. This is jv sad prospect. Unfortunately, the writer of the article offers little con solation, except patience and. that charity which, eiktyretfo »U things, i

The Home Mails.

(PEit PKKSS ASSOCIATION.)

Wellington, January 19. Re the ocean mail services the post office Inis been unable to arrange for a special intercolonial service to connect with the federal steamers at Melbourne. The ordinary intercolonial boats will con tinue to Ib used for Kuropctn mails to and from Melbourne and Sydney. Mails for t-r.ni9iiHH.siou by the Federal steamers will leave'the Bluff on the Friday follow ing the departure of the. San Francisco mini from Auckland with replies to letters received by the previous week's San Fran cisco mail from nearly every part of the colony. Adjutage will atao be taken of steamer* from Wellington and Auckland for Sydney. Mails will al ;o be despatched by direct steamers whenever there is a certainty that they will reach London as early as if sent by the Federal service. Correspondence will also bo sent weekly for the Federal steamers if specially ad dressee!. With regard to inward mails, the London Post Office will send by the Federal service correspondence posted during the first and second weeks' follow ing the departure of the San Francisco mail; the succeeding two weeks coires pondence will be forwarded by way of San Francisco, unless specially addressed to go by the Federal service, or by some other route. The public will be timely advised of the despatch of mails by the Federal service direct steamers, and also of the probable dates of arrival m the colony of mails by the Federal service.

LAND SETTLEMENT.

irKR PRESS ASSOCIATION,]

Wellington, January 19. The return of land taken up for settle- j :nent under ihe" various systems for the nine months of the financial year is :— Cash, 3615 selectors, 30,820 acres ; perpe tual lease, 5^9 selectors, 204,965 acres ; bmall areas, 6 selectors, 271 acres ; agri cultural leases, 2 selectors, 90 acres ; vil lage settlements, cash, 67 selectors, 180 acres ; ditto, deferred payment, 18 selec tors, 128 acres ; ditto, perpetual lease, 33 selectors, 561 acres'; village homesteads, 71 selectors, 1360 acres ; homesteads, 66 selectors, 790 acre? ; pastoral leases, 50 selectors, 198,226 acres ; small grazing runs, 85 .selectors, 65,370 acres.

SPORTING.

WELLINGTON SUMMER MEETING.

(rsa niESS association.)

Wellington, January 19. It is reported that Palliser has been purchased from Mr Stead by Mr Hunger ford for 360 guineas, and will run m the latter's colors at the Wellington fcummer Meeting this week. Ruling prices for the Cup are—4 to 1 Prime Warden and Boulauger (taken ar>d offered), 11 to 2 Cruchfield and Thatne (taken-and offered), 7 to 1 Krina and Cynisca (taken and offered), 8 to 1 Whisper and Palliser, 10 to 1 Weka and Torpedo, 12 bo 1 Pearl Powder, 15 to I Crown Jewel, 20 to 1 Awarua Rose.

A SHIPPING CASE.

At the K.M. Court, Christchurch, on Tues -lay, the action Friedlander j Bros. v. New Zealand Railway Com ' missi^ner,-;, claim £47 B.s 4d, was heard. Mi- Russell for plaintiff;*, Mr Joynt for defendants. Hugo Friedlander, one of the plaintiff firm : Loaded the ship Silber horn m October, 1890, at Lyttelton with wheat for the United Kingdom for orders. The cargo amounted by bill of Jading to 26,423 sacks of wheat, thirty-five of which were signed for as m dispute. On Sept. 17, amongst other trucks sent to the ship was one marked L 345, which was sent away as containing sixty sacks of wheat, but was signed for by the ship as only containing tifiy-fivo sacks. On October 13 truck No. L 2423 was sent down to the vessel, but no receipt was given for the sixty sacks it was alleged to contain. The firm wrote to the Railway Commis sioners claiming for the sixty-five sacks, and on Nov. 10 the Commissioners wrote that they were prepared to prove de livery to the vessel, and could take no responsibility. The plain tiff firm replied, making a formal claim. On Nov. 19 the Commissioners wrote that they had no doubt that the wheat had been shipped and would turn out of the vessel all right. On November 21 plaintiffs wrote that they were willing to allow the claim to stand over, if the Commissioners would pay on the amount short delivered. The Com missioners replied that they would not pledge themselves to pay such a claim, but suggested thafc the question should stand over until the arrival of the vessel at her destination. Further correspond ence followed. Plaintiff produced various documents to prove that the output of wheat amounted to 13,419qr 4741 b. Mr Joynt made a formal objection against such evidence. The proper way of taking such evidence was by commission. The Magistrate said that he would admit the evidence for what it was worth. Witness continued that the output at Cardiff was 26,372 bags. The wheat shipped was 13,465c[r 651 b, including the sixty-five sacks. T. M. Marshall, shipping clerk to the Farmers' Co-operative Company,.said the shrinkage on the 1890 crop of wheat would be less than half per cent, T. L. Smith, shipping clerk to Btead and Cunningham, said the shrinkage on [ eleven cargoes of wheat m 1890 averaged about an ounce a.n"d a half per sack. For the defence Peter Couch, shipping clerk to the railway at Lyttelton, said that truck L 355 weighed 6 tons lOcwt lqr, and Was therefore full, as was truck L 2423, which weighed Gtons 7ewt. Each contained sixty sacks of wheat. Arthur Taylor, check clerk :...Remembered the dispute with the mate about the five sacks. Witness made twelve slings of five sacks eaoh ag shipped out of that truck. The mate made it eleven. He took a qualified receipt, "to be delivered if on board," by permission of the Railway Manager at Lyttelton. Thomas Bruce, weigh clerk, gave evidence as to the trucks being weighed by himself, and being full. John Connell, cadet, said truck No, L 2423 arrived at Lyttelton on October 13 by the 8.20 a.m. train. John Munroe, wharf porter : Tallied truck L 2423. into the Silberhorn on October 17. There were sixty sacks m the truck. An apprentice named Peter Rollson tallied them m for the ship while the mate was away fo^ 1 an hour on private business. Th,e irate re fused to give a clean reqeipt for that truck load, because the apprentice had not got th.c. number of the truck. The case Was then adjourned till Thursday next.

The Mckinley Tariff.

Mr McKinley, the author of bhe now famous McKinley tariff, recently made a somewhat remarkable speech to the members of the Home Market Club, of Boston. He made a most earnest, almost impassioned plea for protection, m the coarse of which he quoted some very startling figures, and claimed that his tariff was a pronounced success. We will quote one short portion :—" This new Tariff Law has had one anniversary, and will have a good many more. Its principle was to put a tariff upon foreign products competing with those of America, and to encourage American production, and labour, Thsre is not a line m that Bill that is not American, not a wga that h not patriotic, fto.t & P*n»s<»!>U tbi* ft. not d^ioatea

to- the American home. We hnve never had as much foreign trade m any year as during the la«t twelve months, and Europe had paid us at. the end of that time 90,000,000 dollars m gold, representing the excess they bought of us over what we bought of them. Wo never had anything but raw material under the Revenue Tariff, and that wa« never developed until it was touched by the magic hand of protection The policy ot protection must be maintained, be cause it represents »he highest civilization and the noblest destiny. I will tell you when wo can have fieefciado—whenever the nations cjf the world bring their con ditions up to ours, and whenever they pay their labour the same wages that we pay ours,'.,we ..will meet them m the neutral markets of the world, aud ii will be a case of the survival of the fittest."

A Student of Nature.

'• Thanks," said the tragedian ; " many thanks for your goud opiiiion. I always study from Nature-from JNature, sir. In my acting you see reflected Nature herself. "Try this cigar," said an admirer of Nature reverently. "Now, where did you study that expression of intense sur prise that you assume m the second act V " From Nature, sir-from Nature. To secure that expression I asked an intimate friend to lend me £5. He refused. This caused me no surprise. I tried several more. Finally I asked one who was willing to oblige me, and as he landed me the note I studied m a glass the expression of my own face. I saw there surprise, hub it was not what I wanted. It was alloyed with suspicion that the note might be a bad one. I was m despair." " Well," said the other, breathlessly. '' Then an idea struck me. I resolved upon a desperate course. I returned the £'o to my friend the next day, and on his astonished countenance I saw the expres sion I was m search of."

THE MARKETS

(per press association.)

London, January 18. Wheat has fallen 6d per quarter. Timaru, January 19. At the second series of Wool Sales for th c season there was a very good attend ance of buyers, five new one's putting m an appearance on this occasion. Com petition was fairly active, more so than at the previous sale, and especially keen for ! all clean, light, and bright wools. Prices for crossbreds were about on a par with those ruling at last sale, while merinos were £d per lb better. In halfbreds and crossbreds the New Zealard Loan and I Mercantile Company scored top value? of the day, viz., tyd for 10 bales of the former, marked Strathallan, and 4 bales of the latter, marked '■* over A, at Bid. With the exception of one of the cata logues where the reserves were too high, and nearly half had to be parsed, almost all the wool was quitted under the ham mer, very few bales being bought m. The following were ruling rates for the sale :—Halfbreds 7d to 9d, and %l for one lot as above, three quarterbred 6id to Bd, crossbred 5d to B£d, merinos 5d to 7d, pieces 2id to 7d, and 7|d for one nice light lot. Locks lid to 4|d, scoured wools up t,ol2£d. (Received January 20, 11.20 a.m. Shinty, January 20. Wheat, chick 4s to 4s 3d, milling 4s lid to ds. Flour, citono makes £11 to £12, roller brands £12 103 to £13. Oats 2s 4d to 2s 6d. Maize 2s 2d to 2* sd. Barley, Cape, 3s. Peas, blue Prussian, 3s 6J. Bran 10A to lOid. Pollard 9id to lOd. Po atoes, local £2 ss, Warnambool £3 15s. Onions £3 10s to £4. Butter, dairy Bd, factory 9J. Cheese 3d to od. Bacon 6d to 7id. H*ms. New Zealand lOd to lid. ■ " At the wool sales competition is very active. Samples were below the average. Good medium gre»sy crossbred fetched up to 7|d ; merino to 7|d ; scoured, very in different up to Is. Mblbourxe, January 20. Wheat 4s to 4s Id. Flour, stone makes £10, roller brands £10 5s to £11. Oats, Algerian Is 8d to Is lOd, Danish 2a 3d. Maize 2s lOd. Cape barley 2s 3d. Peas 2s 4d. Bran lOid, Adelaide, January 20. Wheat 4s 4d. Flour, stone makes £10, roller brands £10 10s to £10 15s. Oats 3s 3d to 3s 4d, duty paid. Barley, Cape 3s 4d r,o 3s Bd, malting 4s sd. Bran Is H. Pollard Is id. 2

A Charity Case.

A contemporary tells the following story :—A Mr Cleal had been resident m Tauranga for twenty-fire or twenty six years, and kept a watchmaker's shop, both he and his wife being m advanced years and without family, A few months ago Mr Cleal fell into feeble health, and his wife became almost completely helpless. Mr Oleal went to Auckland for medical advice, leaving a woman to nurse Mrs CJeal. Up to this time they had lived comparatively comfortably. Soon after Mr Cleal left the nurse m charge fell ill, and Mrs Cleal was left entirely unattended, and was m such a state that she could not move, let alone sit or stand up or get about at all. Her state was so bad that the police reported the matter to the Charitable Aid Board. The Chairman of the Board, oh the matter being represented to him, agreed that the woman should have temporary aid, and that the police should look up the husband tocompel him to provide for his wife. The police failed to procure a nurse, and the woman was left destitute and uncared for until the Ladies' Benevolent Society heard of it, and two of the members of that body went to inquire into the matter. They found the unfortunate woman locked m the house by herself, lyinc; on the floor incapable of moving, and m a most shr^' ing and pitiable state. They h'^ her nursed and attended to, and incurred about £11 expenses, and the^. benevolent action was endorsed and approved by the Board. lathe meantime, lnwever, Mr deal, the husband, had died at his brother's house, Wing left a will by which he bequeathed to his brother £200, the proceeds of a life insurance policy, which was the only tangible twset m the estate outside of a few worthless odds and ends. The cottage and allotment, which are of small value, belonged to. Mrs Cleal, and, that was all she had. The Board were advised that the executors were protected by law from the payment of any debt* out of the life in surance money, or from beinp liable for the keep of the deceased's wile, the consequence being that the widow was thrown on the tender mercies of the Charitable Aid Board. At a subsequent meeting of the Board the question of pay ing the accounts came up for considera tion, and during the discussion language of unusual strength was indulged m. The Chairman of the Beard repudiated the payment of the nurse's account of £17, as the outlay was incurrsd by tho husband's orders, and argued that his estate should pay the charge, but it was pointed out that as the executors were projected by law from paying it out of the insurance tnoney, there was no husband's estate to recover it from. Tho chairman also dis puted tho item of £11 incurred by the Ladies' Benevolent Society on the ground that they had interfered with Hie Board's functions, and must take the consequence and pay the amount incurred themselves, towever, the Board did not come to any decision on the matter, as the discussion bocameso heated that members h^d to adjourn m order to allow the|v t<*

The ashburton guardian : Wednesday, January 20, 1892.



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Ask for Ninian Hyslop, and Co.,'a Imperial new seasons Pure Ceylon and Jadiau Tea§. Special prJQQ^, —(-^-dyt,)



The best medicine known is SANDER and SONS' EUCALYPTI EXTRACT. Test its eminent powerful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc,—the relief is instantaneous, Thousands give the most gratifying testi mony. His Majesty the King of Italy, and medical syndicates all over the globe are its patrons, head the official reports thataccoir pany each bottle. Mosler, M.D., Professor University, Grief swald, reports : — The Eucalypti Extract proved magnificently such cessful m very severe contusions, bruises, spiains, wounds, scaldings, broken ribs, and limbs.' {" Medical Journal," Nov., 1881).' In diseases of the kidneys, either active con gestion or suppression, (urcemia) or albumi nuria, dropsy, lithargy, nothing will equal m its action Eucalypti Extract. Doses, five to six drops. Mosler, M.D., Professor, University, Grieswald, reports :■ —Diphthe- ria. Tonsils continually coherent presenting ulcers with white exudants. Cured m four teen days. Surgical Clinic of Prof. M'lntyre, College of Physicians and Surgeons, St. Louis —Scirrhus of Breast—Excision Euca lypti Extract employed. No swelling, heat, or discoloration. Cured m fourteen days. --Advt 4



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STOCK TAKING. BEDUCTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE ... llf ALL DEPARTMENTS. In^spectionlnvited. NEW ZEALAND Clothing: Factory* IW. H. WEBBER, Manager. PUBLIC NOTICE. j THE Office of the Ashburton Publishing Company, Limited, WILL BE CLOSED daily from 12.30 ko 1.30 p.m. for dinner hour, m compliance with the Factories' Act. ASHBURTON PUBLISHING CO. " Ki:atin<!?s Powbkr" destroys Bngs, Flea?, Motlu, I'eetlea, and all other insects whth-t quite linrmleßS, to domestic a»i«'als. In extenniiiatitig Beetles the success .of this po viler is oxtr'aWliriary. It is perfectly cleui m application- tt&a the article yon Ottroha^e b " Kkaxisms's/' as ijuijtations are oKiyus and inf-fteetual. Said i» Tiua 4 fid, }■ aiid 2u'Si;-M*, by all a\^ml&%



I\TOTHINGwiII Cool y f>u ao quickly and -*-^ invigorate the system so much as Ice Cream. —H.G. Flowbk, Confectioner, East Street. __ £ WANTED Known*—Great Bargains m Ladies' Cashmere Hose, Under dosing, Pinafores, &c. Come and see them. Handsome Xmas presents now giving away*—-H.- C» Seoers, Melford House. ■ __ WANTED KNOWN, a special lot of Hearth Rugs at Is lid, 2s 6d and 2s lid ; worth about doable. W. H. Colijkk. mOWELS 6d, Gloves 6d, Umbrellas Is JL lid, Jackets 4s lid. Hats 4d, Stays Is lid, Norfolk Bodices Is 6d, Trimmed Hats Is lid. English samples of Ladies^ and Childrens' Underclothing Half-price. Andrew Orr's Sale. 1 107 WAN TKD Known. —At * 'The Corner' now selling Ladie.%' French Shor s. 5s lid. See them.—W. H. Colmeb, ■\TTANTED Known—A Beautiful Line *r of French Dress Goods, double width. Is lOjd ; original value, 4s. —H. 0. Segeks, Melford House. WANTGD Known.—l have a large stock of Tin and Ironware Goods to select from. Register Grates, Stoves, Portable Boilers, Spouting and Ridging kept m stock.—J. W. Harmvey, East . treet. , 6J202 WANTED Known—That you will make no mistake for quality and variety m English and Colonial Boots, and his highly reputed make by calling at J. Momon's. During coming holidays dis count for Cash. Repairs done at once. A staff of men always kept acd best material and workmanship guaranteed. SHEEP SHEARS. Having secured a Stock of the celebrated 8~.8.A., and as there are very few m the Colony, Shearers are requested to call early.— Robert Ai^orn, Saunders' Buildings. BOOTS, Boots.—lnfants Boots 9d, six Dozen Ladies' Elastic Side Boots, 5s 9d, Genta' Boots 8s 6d, Mens' Blucher Boots 5a 6d, Stanley Shoes Is lid— Ahdrkw Orr's Sale. 1 10 ALL Wool Colonial Tweed Suits to measure; fit and workmanship guaranteed; from 50s cash. Koberi AiiCORN, Ashburton Clothing Marl, Saunders* Buildings. \\f ANTED Known—For iirst-cla.ss *;V Drapary and Millinery go to Melford House ; cheapest shop m town. (See windows.) Beautiful Xmas presents being given away.—H. C. Skgers. rpO Meet the Times.—l am aupplying J. Galvanised Iron Tanks from 30s upwards, warranted for twenty years, Force pumps, deep well cylinders of all dessriptions. Inspection invited.— J. W. Harplky, Eas street. 6J201 WANTED Known.- -H. Baikstdw has opened those premises m', East street nexb.J. Orr and Co., as a Furniture Warehouse. Latest designs m Vienna Chairs, and Iron Bedsteads on view. Having a good stock of well seasoned figured Rimu and Kauri, he is prepared to take orders for Furniture to any design. Inspection invited. 11+61



Wanted. CASH Advertisemeim under tlra headiug not exceeding SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses maybe left at this Office. WANTED, Mnart Boy. Must be good milker and able to look. after horses. Apply J. It. Bkowb, Lowdiifo, Hinds. 1J127 "OHOTOS of Pictures m Art Gallery, J~ Dunedin Exhibition by De Maus. ' OUsi Mirrors for Painting ; Winsor and Newton's Colors ; Opalines ; Marine and Floral Studies for Painting.—H. M. ' Jones. ' ' \ 'XJ%T ANTED, for Hacktliorne, a Groom. ;^^^-:^««rbo;'''abte''to"-milk-:'i^Apply jii6-i E. Cookhon, Ashburton. 1 122 ""IX7 ANTED, a good General S«rv:mt, VV and a yjung girl as nmso. Apply Mrs H. C. Sectors. 1 124 'TV? ANTED, a Boy for the Shop. VV Apply Melford House. 1 125 LOST, oh Tuesday, between the {bath ing place m the Domain and the Oddfellows' Hall, a Pair of Spectacles. Finder please return to this office. 1 126 mHIRTY Pieces Dress Goods at 6cl; 60 J- Pieces French Cashmere at Is 6d, ■worth 3s 6d ; 1006 Yards French Tweed, double width, at Is 9d, worth 3s 9d. All Dress Goods greatly reduced.— Andrew Orr's Cheap Sale. 1 106