COMMERCIAL TELEGRAMS.

■Oamaru, March 16.

Very little business doing in grain at present. Millers refuse to give more than 45., while farmers, not satisfied with this price are hold ang back in expectation of receiving 4s. 3d. to •4s. 6d ; Oats, 3s. to 3s. 3d. ; Barley, nominal ; Flour, 1 11 10s. to £\2.; Oatmeal, IS ; Pearl Barley, 120 ; Pollard, £$ ; Bran, £4.

Wellington, March 16.

Produce prices are as follows :—Flour, £l3 ‘to los ; for colonial, £l 7 ios ; Adelaide oats, 4s 3d to 4s 6d, in ready demand ; bran Ys. 2d. scarce ; wheat, 4s. ; hams, By£ to 9'd., market overstocked ; bacon, Bd., market over stocked ■; cheese, 7d., in demand for prime samples ; potatoes, 4s. iod. to ss. iod. ; maize 3s. 3 to ss. 6d, with an upward tendency; pollaid, ■£s 15s. to £j ; butter,, iod. j i

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, Hinds, Coldstream. Rnngltata, Orari, Winchester, and Ceraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbcach at 2.45 p.m. daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10,30 a.m. For Temukn, Titnaru and South at 10.30 a. 111. and 3 p.m. daily.

The Evening Echo. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1878.

Sir George Grey’s visit to Ashburton was quite an event in our busy and prosperous, but very unpolitical town. Even our friend “ Thomas ” must feel quite satisfied that our “ wants and wishes ” were fully made known ; but the process was made as agreeable as ■possible by being carried on behind the movements of a pair of lively greys, or whilst whirling, without loss of time, on his way to the city. On the box, Mr. Saunders directed bis efforts to the Grey at his side, and to the greys in the pole, and obtained •permission for himself and Mr. Wright to continue the former process during the two hours that the express took to reach the city. The Yankee engine, notwithstanding its terrific roar, proved less speedy than some of its more •quiet contemporaries.

Considering the short time at his disposal for Ashburton, Sir George -spent quite a long time at the school, and made himself very agreeable both to teachers and scholars. The children •could say to their neighbours of Sir George as the poor field laborer said of George lll.—“Whilst you left your work to see the king, the king came to see me at my work.”

Sir George’s power to completely understand the most complicated detail seems to be neither impaired with age, nor case-hardened by the 1 number of cases that every station stopped at poured upon him. On the question of the County Fund and the Resident Magistrate, he went most carefully into all the details, and at once saw the shortest and most certain way of making himself thoroughly master of the sub jects in all their bearings. On reaching the City platform, where his arrival had not been announced, no formal reception awaitedhim, but a crowd was there, and a hearty cheer greeted him as he stepped from the train. The police had to clear a passage for him and his suite to get into a waggonette that drove them to their , hotel. The Mayor and Corporation were conspicu ously absent, and, like the fly on the ox’s horn, probably thought, that their absence would be seriously felt by Sir

George.

A NEW CHUM ON ASHBURTON WIND.

Affairs of a year ago are matters of history in an infant town like Ashbur ton, and it requires no gre'af effort bn the part of its proverbial • “ oldest in habitant” to give a vivid description of its condition beforeffhe march oficivilNa tion overtook it %ith ;; . rapid strides. The “ oldest inhabitant” is always an interesting individual, and one very naturally makes for him when in search of the entertaining in a new sphere of existence. In course of talk with the honored “ most ancient” of Ashburton, on the first night of my residence in the township, I made inquiries as to the leading events in the annals, of, the future centre of New Zealand’s great ness. He unfolded them with a glib ness, a grace, and a mastery of detail that would have done honor to the best keeper of the world’s ledger that ever earned the title of historian. With a gentle effort he carried his memory back to a time—day and date given, but his memory is better than mine— when his neighbor, Charlie, “ mopped up” (I quote) more than was good fol ium at the only then hotel, and for the night made his unconscious bed on the virgin tussocks of Ashburton, curtained only by the heavens that span its favored bounds. In rapid succession he quoted from his mental records passages on similar themes, as we jour neyed on along the street. His descrip tive had warmed to its work, and he stopped to give effect to his oratory. Just then a terrific gust of wind swept past, and stopped his eloquence. My own utterance nearly choking, I, spas modically asked if it had always blown like that in the Ashburton. Turning his back to the gusty quarter, he said : “This is nothing., , you must insure your hair, for it’s a chance like a ten acre paddock to a horse-shoe nail that every patch of it follows the dust that ‘ loads the gale.’ ” I was saddened, and bade him good night. ; Planting myself in the shelter of a street corner, I meditated. Past flew a Duchess of Devonshire or;, other hat —its ribbons and things guiding me to a conclusion as to its genus. Follow ing at a speed she was powerless to slacken came the fair owner of the adornment —a flash of beauty, and she was gone. Then a very stout man passed, at an abnormally high speed, from the corner whence the fair one had issued, while a still stouter man emerged from the opposite corner, toil ing against the blast. Both were concentrating their efforts to avoid the disaster that befel the fair one. Too much occupied each with himself to observe the advent of the other, the crisis came—and the smash.. Language which was not polite rose upon the gale, and.but for,;the : strength of that gale the scene might have developed into a further test of shock-standing. ’ They went. A woman passed with a jug in her hand. The sudden gust at my comer was too much, and the contents of the jug found a grave in the gravel— beer with ah unfulfilled mission. A lull gave me a chance to thread my dangerous way o’er the sturdy tussocks on what will in time, I daresay, become pathways, to my home. “Does it always blow like this in Ashburton,” I timidly asked my kind host. His reply was prompt and decided. “ Sometimes it don’t blow at all, but this is nothing to what it is sometimes.”

That night my slee'p was troubled, and my bed rocked as the house swayed in the wind. I dreamed of Ashburton, and had visions of. its future greatness, and beauty, and splendour; but all its glory was streaked with the dust ravages

of a terrible wind; and in a nightmare I rode upon such a bank of crisp white clouds as warns the -skipper to shorten sail. v .

Chispa,

CORRESPONDENCE

To the Editor of the Evening Echo,

Sir, —The long winter evenings are now drawing upon us, and I have ob served that Ashburton is particularly barrenof anything in the shape of re creation of a superior order wherewith to while away some of the winter hours. Is there no public-spirited gentleman in the neighborhood qualified to take-the initiative in the fonnation of a music class as the nucleus of a Choral Society ? I am sure that such an institution would be beneficial to many, and doubt less in time a concert or two would be given in aid of.,one or other of the public institutions of the town. >

This is merely a suggestion, but, trusting that, it will be f acted upon, I remain, &c., ’ ' x 1

Utile Dulci.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs. P. Cunningham and Co. yesterday passed at Christchurch a Customs entry, for cornsacks, per Inch green, amounting to 4s.—said to be the largest for one item of mer chandise ever passed there. The Rev. W. H. Horner, who for some time past has been laboring in Papanui Village and the surrounding district, under the auspices of the Can terbury Presbyterian Church Extension Association, was on Thursday inducted to the charge of the Papanui congrega tion. The ceremony was performed at a full meeting of the Christchurch Pres bytery, only one member being absent. In one instance a clergyman travelled one hundred miles to be present on the occasion. The appointment is con sidered to be a very happy and hopeful one.

The Christchurch Press points out that the public are entitled to an expla nation from Sir George Grey of the miscarriage of justice in the Proudfoot rape case, for which the Press holds his Ministry responsible. “The purity of the administration, of justice,” it says, “ is of infinite importance to the whole community, and in this instance Go vernment are implicated in a charge of tampering with it.” The body found drowned in the Avon at Christchurch has been identi fied as that of a girl named Margaret Owens, who came out in the last trip of the Rakaia. She had been in service at Waltham, and on Thursday forenoon left ihe house in her mistress’s absence. Not returning during the day nor night, information was given to the girl’s mother, and this led to her visiting the morgue, and discovering the body to be that of her daughter. For some time past the girl has shown a disincli nation to 'be observed, and had been desponding. She was last seen alive by:her, mother on Sunday, when she was present at a christening in her aunt’s house. An inquest was held to day at noon. Miss Rowling, a. governess at Akaroa, left her home on Wednesday, and as she did not return during the evening it was thought,- from expressions she had formerly used, she had committed suicide'. Search was made for her dur ing the night, but not until next morn ing was any trace of her discovered. On the way to Akaroa Heads, screams led the party to an almost inaccessible place, where she was found safe but much exhausted.

In reply to a telegram from the Government of this colony ?e importa tion of sheep into New South Wales, the Colonial Secretary of that colony writes pointing out that, unless our Government can say scab does not exist in New Zealand, any sheep therefrom would be precluded from landing except for quarantine.

Unselfish Very ! —An Irish carriage driver once made a characteristic reply. A gentleman had replied to Pat’s “ Want a carriage, sir ? ” by saying, “No, I am able to walk;” when Pat rejoined,/“.May your honor long be able'but seldom willing.”

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

TELEGRAPHIC NEIVS.

[Per Press Agency.]

[By Submarine Cable.]

GREAT FIRE AT BOLTON.

London, March 12.

At a great fire in. Bolton, Lancashire, thirty-fie people perished.

INTERPRO VINCIAL.

Wellington, March 15. A telegram has been received an nouncing that the Alhambra left Mel bourne on Wednesday with a large quantity of salmon ova, ex Chimborazo, and apparently in good condition. After a good -/many meetings, a fairly attended meeting was held, and it was resolged to establish Reform Associa tion, and a committee was appointed to arrange a programme and frame resolu tions, to be submitted to a future meet ing. March 16. The City Corporation are advertising for the purchase of ground for a new cemetery. The new Manners Street theatre will be opened on the first of next month. Stephen Massett. the elocutionist and composer, opened last night with a full house. He proceeds south after play ing three nights. Mr Butler,'"'brother-in-law oi H. H. Lusk, has been appointed Native Agent in Wairarapa, in place of Mr Maunsell, who leaves the Government service.

AUSTRALIAN.

THE CHIMBORAZO ASHORE. OUTBREAK of TYPHOID AT SYDNEY. Melbourne, March 15. The Chimborazo went ashore at Bee croft’s Head, north of Jergis Bay. The passengers were landed safely. > Sydney, March 15. The Australian Eleven will play 18 Victorians to-morrow. The weather is unfavorable. {Special to the Globe.) H. Carter & Co., of Melbourne, grain merchants, called a meeting of creditors. The liabilities are assets small. Chester is favorite for the Cup, and Reciprocate for the Leger. The Chimborazo struck on the rocks in Jervis Bay, and drifted into Jervis Bay.

Numerous deaths from typhoid have occurred near Sydney. The residents are burning the houses.

THE EVENING ECHO, SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1878.