SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. ARRIVED. April 16—Wanaka, s.s., from North. April 16 —Taupo, s.s., from South. Sailed. April 16—Wanaka, s.s., for South. April 16—Taupo, s.s., for North.

POST OFFICE NOTICES

Mails at the Ashburton Post Office close as follows :

For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7.30 p.m., daily. For Chertsey at 10.20 a.m. daily. For Rakaia at 10.20 a.m., and 4 p.m. daily.

For Ashburton South, Winslow, I.'bids, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach at 2.45 p.m. daily. For Ternuka, Timaru and South at 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

The next outward San Francisco mail will close at Christchurch on Friday, the 26th.

The Evening Echo. TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1878.

The lecture by the Rev. W. Morley on Dr. Guthrie, as previously an nounced, was delivered at the Wesleyan Church last night to a sparse but very appreciative audience. Our regret is that a greater number of the young men of Ashburton were not present to listen to the history of a man who, by-

steady perseverance and indomitable energy, succeeded in raising himself to a position of high honor and respect,

and became one of the first orators and expositors of the day. The lec ture, carefully and judiciously com-

piled, was delivered in eloquent style, and elicited from the hearers frequent bursts of applause, thus testifying their concurrence in the opinions expressed, and their appreciation both of the reverend lecturer and his hero. At the conclusion a vote of thanks to

Mr. Morley, proposed by Mr. J. E. Buchanan, and seconded by Mr. John Orr, was carried by acclamation. • The Dawn of Peace Lodge of Good

Templars last night met in the School room —the Library Hall being required for necessary preparations for the Wes leyan Bazaar being held there to-day. After the ordinary Lodge business — initiation, etc —a lecture of a very in teresting character was delivered by a member of the Order on “ Alcohol and

and effects.” The subject was first dealt with from a medical point of view, and alcohol was shown to have no nutritious qualities to the human system, but its deleterious effects on the tissues were proved. The use of alcohol as a beverage was then con sidered from a social and general point of view, and its evils pointed out. Many racy anecdotes were told, and the personal observation of the speaker in foreign countries was brought in to vary and enliven the lecture, which was received with applause and listened to attentively. At the close,

the Lodge recorded its thanks to the brother who had given the lecture, and a committee was appointed to consider the advisability of instituting a “ British Workman Public House, without the drink,” a class of temperance agency highly spoken of by the lecturer. A very entertaining discussion also arose out of some points raised in the course of the speaker’s remarks. The Bazaar in aid of the Building Fund of the Wesleyan Church was held to-day, opening at three o’clock in the afternoon. The display of fancy goods, etc., was a goodly one, and the articles ranged in value from 2d. to £5, which were dispensed to the visitors by twelve lady attendants at the four stalls into which the fancy goods portion of the hall was divided. A refreshment stall has also been erected, where tea, coffee, cocoa, etc., can be had at 6d. per cup, or a square meal indulged in for is. Some of the very latest novelties are to be seen for sixpence, and the Art

Gallery has been extensively patronised, while a whirligig dispenses all sorts of curiosities at a shilling a turn. To-night a galvanic battery is to be brought into requisition to add to the attaactions of the Bazaar ; and it ought to be a temp tation to “ parties about to marry ” that a bride’s cake is on the list of saleables; the bride heaself is there also, and the refreshment table affords hearty conso lation for the inner man. Amongst the stock-in-trade of the “ fair ” dealers will be found a large display of silver and electro-plated goods, writing desks, ladies’ companions, etc. We r understand the services of the Ashburton Brass Band were requested, but no reply had been received by the Committee this afternoon. Music, however, is to be discoursed this evening. We con gratulate our friends on their success, and advise all our readers to go and inspect for themselves. The Bazaar will be open again to-morrow. Few persons in Auckland seem aware of the existence of hot springs in the Awaroa district of the Lower Wai kato; yet hot springs there certainly are in that place and of a very remark able character. We had an opportunity

of visiting them a short time ago, and were struck with the unmistakable signs of their medical properties, and the facility with which they could be opened up by a little enterprise. The first spring the traveller comes to is a deep pond, about ten or twelve feet in diameter, of bubbling, boiling water, and giving forth a great quantity of steam in the pond, the water of which is quite clear, and so hot that potatoes may be boiled in it. Round the pond are undoubted evidences of the curative powers of the water, in the shape of several holes like graves communicating with the large pond by a very small channel. These have been dug by the Maoris; and when one of them is af flicted with rheumatism he sleeps all

night in one of the holes, with his

head alone out of the water, resting on a fern pillow on the bank. We are told of one old Maori chief in the Waikato who became very rheumatic because he would grope for eels in swampy water, and was just on the point of death

through his perverseness, when some of the wise women of the tribe recom mended the spring. He was carried there, and by bathing frequently, com pletely recovered. Cortespondent of New Zealand Ha aid.

Certainly truth is stranger than fiction, at least the kind of truth one finds in the Chicago papers. According to these veracious chronicles, a young and hand some German nobleman, Carl, the Baron Von Daren, came to that city in much pecuniary distress. He had run through three fortunes, and was then compelled to stoop to manual labor. He became a coachman for a rich family on Calumet Avenue, in which was a lovely and romantic daughter. Thev loved, of course, and Carl con fided the secret of his social position to her. She quietly set some inquiries on foot, which resulted in finding that his story was perfectly true. They then waited for something to turn up, and last week it came, in the shape of a letter from Germany, informing the baron of the death of a rich aunt, and his inheritance of 300,000 thalers, say $219,000. And the end of it all is to be an elegant wedding, a trip to the old country, and, let us hope, happiness ever after.

The news ip. reference to the Kaffir outbreak has caused much alarm in England, it being assumed that matters must have reached an exciting stage to necessitate the proclamation of the Burgher Act. The Echo says:—“The outbreak of the rather inopportune lit tle Kaffir war in South Africa, which was, however, all along foreseen and in evitable, the absorption of six infantry regiments and two batteries of artillery and the cry for more regular troops for the protection of one little corner of a vast empire out of inelastic military re sources suggest the reflection again that it is about time for the Cape colonists to help themselves a little more in the matter than they have done. They must do as the colonists in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have had to do, after much pressure and plain speaking from the Colonial Office, and that is to organise and make really efficient their local means of self-de fence. It is not in the nature of Eng lishmen to leave their brethren or children in the lurch, for blood is thicker than water all the world over, and Imperial help, will be always forth coming in grave emergencies. The re sources of the colonies in South Africa are ample, however, if properly organ ised and trained, to suppress Kaffir rows; and it is a good maxim, in the relations between the mother-country and all her colonies to remember that England helps those who help them selves.”

MAGISTRATES ’ COURT.

To-Day— Before A. Le G. Campbell, Esq., R.M. Not a “drunk” was heard, not a peniten “ note,” In the law’s exchequer was buried, Not a single charge on the sheet was found ‘Gainst a culprit gaolwards hurried, ■> CIVIL CASES. The time of the Court was fully taken up with the hearing of civil cases, and the first heard was one which occu pied the Court till one o’clock. It was a claim by Miss Mary Stass against Mr. Andrew Orr for wages for twenty months, at the rate of -£2O for the first year of service, and or the second. Mary had been, according to her own evidence, engaged in Ireland to go to New Zealand as nursemaid in the Orr family, her passage to be paid, and her wages to be as above stated ° ... J with a voyage outfit in addition. Mr. Orr denied any such terms, and stated in evidence, corroborated by Mrs. Orr, that the passage money was to cover wages until their arrival in New Zealand. An engagement was made with plaintiff in Christchurch at a year, and then at the expiry of that year another for £2O a year was entered into. Against plaintiff’s wages claim a set-off of for goods sup plied from Mr. Orr’s shop was put in.

Against this set-off the plea of ‘ infancy ’ was raised, and considerable amusement was caused in Court by the discussion of the items. Amongst these were valentines, white plumes, photographs, feathers, frilling, and sundry such items of feminine 5 vanity. These the learned counsel for plaintiff looked upon as “luxuries,” and contended for their exclusion from the bill if the set-off were allowed. After a lengthy argument and a stiff cross-examination of wit nesses, His Worship gave judgment'for defendant with costs. For defendant— Crisp. For plaintiff-—Edwards. Mr. Crisp appeared for plaintiff and

Mr. R. Branson for the defendant in the case of Gardiner and another v. Toppin, to recover the sum of £sl Bs. qd., cash deposited with de fendant’s book-keeper. Plaintiffs had been working for Mr. John Greig, and on 12th March came into Ashburton with something over the above sum. It was given for safe custody to

Toppin’s barman. On plaintiffs asking for their money after a week’s residence in the hotel, they were told their bill had been on the slate, but had been rubbed off. They got a lot of abuse, and were eventually told their money was all gone. Plaintiffs were non suited, the money not having been lodged with defendant himself. Court adjourned till Friday first.

THE LESSONS OF THE WAR

gl om tht Home Hexes)

The first and most salient lesson of the war may be assumed to be the greatly increased importance which in fantry have acquired from the possession of breechloading arms of greatly in creased range ; the next lesson is the paramount necessity for the use of the spade. The long-continued stand which the Turks opposed to the advance of Russia, the defence of the open village of Plevna, and the maintenance through out the whole war of the line of the Lom, are attributed almost entirely to

the manner in which the Turkish troops are trained to protect themselves with shelter trenches immediately they take up a position. Theoretically, the neces sity has long been admitted in the British army ; actually next to nothing has been done to accustom the troops to the use of the spade, or to teach them to look upon that instrument as scarcely second in importance even to the rifle, or to place it in their hands for instant use whenever required. Our Horse Guards is the most conservative body in the world in the worst sense of

the word conservative. They were years in adopting the new tactics of open order, although every man in the army was ready to admit that the breechloader had rendered the old movements in line or column wholly unsuited for modern warfare. We give one example only out of dozens which might be quoted, but the fact is too notorious to be questioned. For years this question of the spade has been discussed in a sort of dilettante manner, papers have been read at military insti tutions, patterns have been suggested,

and some few regulations have been made for the supply of entrenching tools to troops in a campaign. The situation, however, remains in an emi nently unsatisfactory state, and will

continue so until it is provided that every soldier has either a spade, pick, or axe ready at hand whenever he enters upon a campaign, and that he shall have received sufficient training in their use to put confidence in them, and to use them as naturally and as much as a matter of course as he does his rifle. There are two alternate schemes for managing this. The one that each company shall be followed into action by a mule or baggage pony, with its trenching tools; the other that each soldier shall carry a spade, pick, or axe. The objections to the former course are

manifold. In time of peace the main tenance of ten baggage animals to each regiment would be an expense; no accommodation for them would be found in the majority of infantry bar racks, and they would' be an item of incumbrance whenever the regiment moved its quarters. Thus in time of peace the establishment would not be kept up, the troops would not have their trenching tools at hand when they went out for peace manoeuvres or drill on a large scale, and would neither gain experience nor acquire a habit in the use of them. In war the incon venience would be scarcely less. The transports for infantry would have no

convenience for the animals, and upon arrival at the seat of war the chances are that every available animal that could be brought or purchased would be required for the Commissariat and

Ordnance Departments. Even were this difficulty got over, in the day of battle ten men would be subtracted from the fighting force, the animals might be scared and break away or be killed, and so at the critical moment the necessary tools would, not be at hand. To the other alternative—that

the men should carry their entrenching tools there is but one objection, namely, that the soldier is already over burdened, and that any addition to the weight carried is objectionable. This is a question of degree. There is no doubt that towards the end of a long march every additional pound tells up on a man in a manner which would hardly be believed even by those who

have tried it. Still the modern knap sack is much lighter and more easily borne than was the cumbrous old pat tern, and during a campaign it would be possible to lighten its contents by dispensing with some of the articles which come under the head of the “ necessaries ” of barrack life. But if

THE EVENING ECHO, TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1878,



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