SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. A Kill VCD. April 28—Ilawc.i, s.s., from South. April 28—Albion, s.s., from Melbourne and North. 'Sailed. April 28—Planter, barque, for Sydney. April 29 —Albion, s.s., for South and Mel bourne. April 29 —Hawea, 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, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Otari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. The next English mail, via Suez, will close in Christchurch on the 4111 May.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

[CORRECTED TE'I eora.m.] London, April 24. Tallow—Market flat. Mutton, 39s 6d per cw't; beef, 38s per cwl.

The Evening Echo. MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1878.

• From a recent telegram we learn that 500° free immigrants tire to be imported into New Zealand this year. The tele gram also leads us to believe that Ihe whole system of free immigration,, which lias flooded our labor market with"men whom the colony cannot find work for, is again to be organised. When we say that the colony cannot give employment to the men this system has landed upon her shores, we do not mean that there is any want of work in the colony—far from it ; whilst almost untold acreage of land is still virgin, there is work to do— but under this free system of immigra tion men arc brought in who have been bred to trades in the old country which are not practised here, or only in minia ture, and, as a consequence, vast num bers of immigrants have to take to any kind of work they meet with. *- It was only a few days ago we talked to four station hands who had been—one a law clerk, one ajeomb-maker, one a rope and twine spinner, the fourth a ship carpen ter. Now, while a promiscuous crowd of artisans are annually poured into a non-manufacturing country, which can notgive them employment in thebranchs to which they have been bred, it stands to reason that the labor market must become glutted, and wages must fall, while the new-comers, or those they may succeed in ousting, must follow for a livelihood avocations at which they are bound to be amateurs. The fact that there are more skilled workmen in this country than can find opportunitv to exercise their special skill was .made manifest in the outcry of the artisans of Dunedin, who suggested to Govern ment the advisability of having such stores and stock as were required for the railway department manufactured in the colony. By the,way, judging from the want of rolling stock to "meet the demands of traffic, we should say a con siderable amount of skilled labor might be advantageously absorbed in the manu facture of railway waggons. Throughout the whole colony there is a tendency to patronise the Home or the American manufacturer in the matter of goods that can be produced on our own ground at as low a figure and of as serviceable quality as the imported article. This should not be j but while that feeling is rampant, and consumers continue to go elsewhere for the supply of their wants, Colonial manufactures must of necessity languish, and employment for skilled labor continue scarce.

It is a well-known fact that the sys tem of selection followed at Home under the administration of the last Agent-General was lax in the highest degree. We do not blame Dr. Feather ston for this : but we do blame the system he followed, whether that system was his own, or only given him to carry out, for under it the veriest blackguard unhung could secure a free passage to New Zealand, and with greater °ease than an honest man who desired faith fully to comply with the terms on which he received a free ticket. To secure

this ticket a form had to be filled up, giving particulars as to age, employ ment, last employer, etc., and signatures in attestation of these particulars had to be obtained. The honest man would put himself about to measure out every inch of the red tape; the blackguard would manufacture the required "state ments and fill in bogus signatures, never putting himself to any trouble in the matter. Ihe emigration agent’s commission was as sure for the rogue as for the honest man—hence the low class of very many of the immigrants brought out under the wing of the Go vernment. Now, _if the open-handed free ticket giving is to be resumed, it would be well for Government to con sider what class of people are actually wanted in the colony, and institute some satisfactory system of securing those only. It is evident that we have plenty of clerks, shopmen, and men bred to manufacturing. But good farm sei vants, and men useful in an agricul tural district, are undoubtedly those most likely to make homes for them selves on our waste lands, and the colony wants such ; these, then, ought to form the class from which a fresh contingent of emigrants to New Zealand ought to be drawn. If, instead, a con-- tinuation of the old system is followed, and a rush ol men come to compete for the small amount of manufacturing labor in an already overstocked market, then a gross injustice will be done to those already in the colony, and the aim of Government in importing an increase to the population will not be fulfilled. I .ct 11s hope that Sir George Grey will satisfy himself that a proper surveil lance is exercised at the Agent-General’s office over the selection of immigrants j 01 perhaps he may find his eloquence about the food of men, women, and children taxed to make fortunes for a few individuals, turned against him, and the working-men who have so loudly cheered him veering round and pointing to an influx of Government imported cheap labor to take away that food altogether.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

cstculay, the dead body of a horse belong ing; to Rev. Mr. Marten was found on the bank of the liver, near Dr. Trevors property. It was a valuable animal, and having strayed some six weeks ago, during which time it has been missing, it is supposed to have fallen over a bank and been drowned.

At a meeting of the Ashburton Cricket Club, held in the Commercial Hotel on Saturday evening, after the disposal of the financial business, the following resolution was unani mously carried '—That the thanks of the Club be tendered to Mr. Saunders for the greaj tioubic he has taken in the matter of promoting ciicket in Ashburton, and in arranging matches for the Club.

At a meeting held in the Commercial Hotel on Saturday, called with a view to the or ganisation [of a football club in Ashburton for the ensuing season, it was resolved that such a Club be formed, and that the subscription for the Club’s maintenance be levied at the rate of ss. each member. After mature consideration, it was decided to adopt black and gold as the colors of the Club ; and Messrs. S. Saunders. Main waring, and M. Buchanan were elected to the offices respectively of Captain, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Presidency of the Club was conferred on Mr. Winter, and the first piactice day was tixed for next Saturday', and the first match for Saturday week. The appointment is gazetted of Mr. A. Le G. Campbell as Judge of the Assessment Court for the Ashburton District. Dr. Nedwill is also appointed surgeon to the Addington Gaol. Mr. Ilabens’ appointment as Inspector-General of Schools is officially notified. The nomination of a member of the House of Representatives for the Cheviot district will take place at Kaikoura on May Bth, and the polling on May 17th.

A fire occurred on Saturday at the Christ church Racecourse. It appears that a stack of hay, situate on a portion of the course rented by- Mr. Redwood, caught lire in some manner, and was destroyed. In attempting to put out the tue, a man in the empioy ot Mr. Redwood was severely burned, and was removed to the Hos pital.—Press.

The purpose of a reserve of twenty acres in the Ashburton district, originally made for railway and telegraph purposes, is changed undei the Land Act of last session, and "the reserve is to be used for the purposes of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Associa tion. T. w-o other reserves in the same district made for Provincial Government purposes are to be utilised, one of twenty-two acres as a re creation ground, and the other of twenty acres as a cemetery.— Press.

In acknowledging receipt of a communication from the Associated Joiners of Glasgow expres sing confidence in Mr. Gladstone and others who opposed the vote of six millions, Mr. G. Anderson, M. P., says : —“I firmly believe that unless Lord Beaconsfield can be kept in check by the force of public opinion war will come—as foolish and wicked, a war as ever even this country- has been engaged in, waged for no purpose that I can see but that to gratify the hatred of a dynasty.” A new Free Library and Art Gallery, pre sented to Southport by Mr. VV. Atkinson, and erected at a cost of fSooo, was opened recently.

Russ-a has just summoned from Finland and the Baltic provinces over three thousand men to reinforce her navy. From Poland a new levy of forty thousand men has peen ordered for the Russian army. It is said Russia’s losses in the late war w-ere three times greater than repre sented in the published official lists. At a recent lecture on “ Forgiveness for In jury,” at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, Mr Ward Beecher,,in reply to an' inquiry by one of his hearers asking if a man was justified in using force in self-defence, said :—“ Certainly, a good, sound, knocking down is sometimes the best means of doing men good you can employ. I know some men in New York, especially some of those employed on newspapers, w-ho, if they could be soundly spanked once or twice a week, would be greatly benefited.” Lady Cardigan, wife of the Eail and gallant soldier who led the charge of the Light Bri gade, at Balaclava, gives in London,' on the anniversary of the battle, a magnificent ban quet to .the survivors. Fifty remain of the “Six Hundred.” The Earl of Cardigan left her all his enormous fortune. A slender, delicate, fair woman, far more of the Parisienne than of the English matron in her type, she charms by her piquant originality. All lan guages are familiar to her, With her guitar, she accompanies a most sympathetic, though not powerful voice. A Spanish bolero, a touching Scotch ballad, a gay French chanson, and a passionate Italian cansonetta, follow in quick succession.

P rom the A/an of the World , the, very latest new paper started in London, we glean as fol lows I he Prince of Wales was strolling with his brother-in-law down Piccadilly one hot summer’s afternoon, when the latter was seized with the pangs of thirst. ‘ Let’s into Spiers and Pond’s and have a tankard of Bass, in default of the lager of my native land,’ he proposed. ‘We shall get mobbed by a loyal British crowd,’ replied H.R.H. ‘Not so,’ was the answer ; ‘ there is a way out through Jermyn-strcct; let 11s chance it.’ ‘Almost thou persuad.est me to beer, Christian,’ said the Prince.

The London correspondent of the New Zea land Wesleyan says I stayed at Hartford. I his town is remarkable for its powder and paper mills. I visited one of the latter, which belongs to W. 11. Smith, M.P., the present hirst Lord of the Admiralty, and proprietor of tlie /daily Telegraph newspaper. The manager kindly showed me the whole process, from the raw grass up to the finished paper. About 200 hands are employed in working the complex machinery. I his mill sends out every day 54 rolls of paper, and each roll contains a length equal to 3J2 miles, 197 miles of paper per diem, and all this for one newspaper ! What, then, must be the aggregate amount of journalism in this country ? Air. Smith was formerly a news boy in the great city of London, and is an ex ample of what may he accomplished by in domitable will coupled with sterling honesty and integrity.

A bright story is told of the accomplished wife—now dead—of General Hooker. When she was the admired Miss Groesbeck, of Cin cinnati, she was once at an evening party, when a fashionable young dandy was asked if he would like to be presented to her. “ Oh, yes,” said he languidly, “ trot her out ” The lady overheard the remark, and when he was presented, she adjusted her eye-glasses deliber ately, and slowly scanned his clothing from boot to collar. The survey finished, she waved her hand and carelessly- said, “ Trot him back, I have seen all there is of him. ”

Since the year 1574 the minimum height of the soldiers of the line in the Russian army has been fixed at 1.53 metres, which in English measurement is sft and a small fraction of an inch. For the Guards the minimum is 5 feet 5 inches and a trifling fraction, or 1.59 metres. I'or the cavalry of the line no recruit is accepted below 1.64 metres. These figures appear, ac cording to British notions, very low ; but it should be borne in mind that under a system of compulsory- service the object of the authorities is to exclude as tew persons as possible from the army on physical grounds. The average is, no doubt, considerably- higher than the highest we have mentioned. Still, ihere is no doubt that British troops are composed of much bigger men than Russian troops, or probably- than any other Towers.

The Argus of the 19th instant says :—“Mel bourne yesterday was waterless. The Preston reset voir ran out at 10 o’clock ; the mains were exhausted in most localities by midday, and in the afternoon the city and suburbs were abso lutely destitute, nor is there any prospect- of relief until the communication with the Van \ ean is restored. Large numbers of citizens at the first alarm stored what water they could, but thousands of houses have been unprovided for, and already distressing scenes are occurring. Water is begged for from house to house, and the fire-plugs are besieged in the hope of getting a drop from the mains. 'I he department holds out the hope that there will be water on Wed nesday morning; but this is long to wait, and much suffering must ensue in the meantime. A pump has been erected on the Yarra near Edwards boathouse, and the muddy- water thus obtained is at the public disposal; but the diffi culty is how to distribute it. The extremity which has occurred is a very greyt one.”

ELECTRIC LIGHT IN PARIS.

A correspondent sends the following concerning the electric light as in use in Paris : Somewhere about the point where the the Boulevard Montmartre merges into the Boulevard des Italiens, there is a narrow street to the right as you come from the Porte St. Denis. It was at the end of this street, a long way down, that I came to the open space in front of the '■Grand Opera. There I ‘ saw Daylight imprisoned in six large globes, each about the size of a. man’s head. It is -the-electric light! Pure, intense-,' and yet so soft that you can look at it with out the slightest pain to the eye. It is white, but with just that tinge of blue which you can see in bright new silver. As you stand in the Place de l’Opera, you can see some hundreds of gas. lights. In the presence of this electric iight they look like pieces of very dirty yellow material, each sticking in' its place, its illuminating power ending with the lines that form its shape. The place is so full of light that you may read small print two hundred yards away ftom its source. When I recover from my first amazement, I retrace my steps to seek for the narrow street down which my eyes and seen, but not per ceived this light. He it is, a long way down this street, but my curiosity is fairly roused, and I hasten towards it. It is the office of the Eigaro where one of these globes is diffusing daylight and totally extinguishing the illuminating power of all the gas within sight. I see ti well-dressed, intelligent-looking Paris ian standing by, who takes no notice of it ;■ he is evidently so accustomed to it that it attracts him not. I ask him about it, and he tells me that they have also EEclairc Electribue at the Magasin du Louvre . Good ! I am staying at the Hotel du Louvre; I hasten there at once, and I am soon on friendly terms with Monsieur le Directeur, who is quite pleased with the interest I take in this think. ‘ Would I with to go down to the engine-room and see the machinery at work ? ’ £ With pleasure, if you will have the goodness to permit me.’ Down in the engine-room I dis cover that what little of the French language I know is of no use to me. One may know enough to supply all the ordinary wants of the traveller, but when it comes to machinery and scien tific technicalities lam utterly lost. I must look for myself, and pretend to understand him. The machinery is very simple, but in order to gain some idea of it, you must go back to your early recollections of the electric bat tery— a vlass cylinder, with a piece of silk lying over it. You used to turn the cylinder, and the friction of the glass upon the silk produced the electric sparks. That is exactly, as far as I could see, the simple first principle of this wonderful achievement, with the addition of steam power to turn the cylinder, round which a number of powerful magnets are placed to convey the electric current thus generated through wires to the large white globes of very thick glass, in which is the magnesium and some other substance, the secret of which is known only to the inventor. £ What is the expense of this light?’ ‘Nothing, or nearly so, com pared with gas, after the first outlay for machinery.’ £ Then why is it not more extensively bsed ? Why is not the whole city and other cities illuminated with it ? ’ £ Ah ! there’s the rub ; the gas companies are a mighty power (I myself have shares in one), but the power of this grand discovery is greater, and as sure as we live will this light be universally adopted.’ I-have visited the 1 factory and the bureau of the Syndicate of L’Eclaire Electrique Procede Jab lochkoff, in Avenue de Villiers, on the outskirts of Paris, and I find from inquiries there that they have an agent in London. Is he asleep? or are the forces of vested interests too great for him to cope with ? Time will show. But there is the.great fact,, it is accom plished ; we can have daylight at night if we will.

THE EVENING ECHO, MONDAY, AFRIL 29, 1878.