SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. ARRIVED. March 29. —Rotorua, s.s., from Southern Ports. March 20—Star of the South, s.s., from Southern ports. Saii.ed. March 29. —Rotorua, s.s., for Northern Ports.

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, Minds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach a 1 2.45 p.m. daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10,30 a.m. For Temuka, Timaru and South at 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

The Evening Echo. FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1878.

Yesterday our telegrams informed us in one line that the ship Kurydice had capsized in die English Channel, and 400 lives had been lost. No indication whatever was given as to whether the Kurydice was a merchant ship, or an immigrant vessel, or a man-of-war— nothing to lead to any conclusion as to how the accident happened or in what part of the Channel, or if any of the unfortunates on board were saved. To day, however, the wires gave us more information, and we learn that the Kurydice was one of those reformatory ships, of which so many are now an chored at the larger river ports, and at those on the seaboard of Great Britain. These ships are a refuge for boys who have not actually been criminal, but who, from desertion or neglect by parents —by their parents’ death—by poverty necessitating all the time of their bread-winners being taken up in earning the necessaries of life, and thus depriving the children of guardianship and parental control—or from their own self-wilfulness and waywardness have risen above family discipline—are liable to drift into bad company and dan gerous habits, and so in time swell the ranks of the criminal class. It was a wise step taken .when these vessels were first instituted, and they are now bearing rich fruit, for hundreds of captains both of the Royal Navy and Mercantile Marine bear testimony to the excellent seamen, both in ability and character, the training-ship lads become. When a number of the boys have perfected themselves in the duties of a sailor as far as they can be perfected in a ship lying in port, and only now and then taking a short cruise, and have decided to adopt a seafaring life, quite a rush of captains in want of apprentices is occa sioned, for the captains give preference to well-behaved, well-trained, well-edu cated boys of the training ships over all others. From this it will be seen that those vessels have become a useful institution in the production of excel lent seamen for both branches of our marine warlike and commercial though all the lads do not necessarily take to the sea, a considerable propor tion choosing to follow such trades as can be secured for them on land. The training ships themselves are the old “ wooden walls ” of England, super seded by the more terrible ironclad craft, and of no use now against the improved war-vessels of the present day, and sent, like an old sergeant whose time for active service is past, to train those who are to fill his place and those of his time in the ranks of war. The Kurydice was one of those vessels,

and our telegram to-day informs us she was out on a cruise, and was capsized off the Isle of Wight. Only two per sons are known to have been saved, and yesterday 400 were reported lost. We shall look anxiously indeed for the details of such a dreadful calamity.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“ The Great Show” caused a huge commotion in Ashburton when it showed up this morning. It came in three spe cial trains, the first of which put in an appearance at one in the morning: and from that time till nearly midday the work of unloading and fixing up was going on. The great elephants, the camels, and the very small and exceed ingly pretty ponies afforded the small boys and the idlers of Ashburton a fund of wonderment and sightseeing, and kept them hovering about a part of the town that will not for some time be likely again to attract so many. As the day wore on crowds of people from the country rolled in—by train, on foot, on horse, and in every conceivable kind of vehicle, till at two o’clock, when the pay-clerk of the show began to sell tickets, the town showed such an ap pearance of liveliness that it resembled an old country fair. The show itself in magnitude does not belie its advertise ments —it covers four acres of ground, and the number of men and horses employed about it is something great. The following is an estimate of the “ live stock ” of the establishment : 6 elephants, 3 lions, 2 lion cubs, 4 pumahs, r bison, 1 elk, 4 leopards, 2 jaguars, 2 tigers, 2 ostriches, 2 camels, 2 baby camels, 6 dromedaries, 1 grizzly bear, 1 cage monkeys, 2 ourang-outangs, 2-horned rhinosceri, 12 ponies, 50 horses, 1 zebra, 2 sea lions, 2 fur seals, 2 silver striped hyenas, 2 spotted hyenas, 1 armadillo, 1 prairie wolf, 2 prairie dogs, 2 educated pigs, 1 den of boa constrictors, calliope, 10 baggage waggons.

As showing the advantage of having a good staunch horse and of looking after him well, the Rangitikei Advocate

states that a gentleman lias ridden from the Waikato country to Rangitikei on one horse, travelling a distance of about 420 miles in eight days with a goodly sized pack in front of him. The new lighthouse on LcCren’s Terrace was completed about a fort night since, but no one knows when the light apparatus, which has been stored at Lyttelton for nearly three years past, will arrive and be fixed in position. The new structure is of wood, very massively built, 30 feet high, Its ele vated position on the cliff will enable the light to be seen eighteen miles sea ward.—Timaru correspondent.

The founder of the Katikati settle ment (says the New Zealand Times), near Tauranga, Mr G. Vesey Stewart, has written from Ireland to say that he has sold the 10,000 acres he had to dis pose of at per acre, and could have disposed of 30,000. Gentlemen who would have taken 2000 have been satis fied to take 500 to 750 acres. Mr. Stewart, at the time of writing, was making arrangements with about twenty families of good farming hands, with small capital, say to and letting them have about 200 acres of land each, so as to have labor along with capital. There is every prospect of this being a prosperous settlement; and in the neighborhood of Tauranga, now that the native difficulties with re gard to land are being removed, there are signs of increased vitality every where observable.

On the passage of the Claud Hamil ton from Adelaide to Dunedin, in a gale which sprang up during the voy age, a rather alarming episode occurred. The Bengal tiger, of Messrs. Cooper and Bailey’s menagerie, confined in a cage in the main hold, by some mischance, got out of his den, and was observed walk ing round the lower deck. The keeper (Johnson) at once placed a tarpaulin over the hatchway, knowing full well that the animal could do no harm ex cept he came on deck. But all fear on that score was set at rest when he was observed to re-enter his den with a bag of bran in his mouth. The en trance to the den was at once securely closed, and his tigersliip has not since had an opportunity of airing himself in public.

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

To-Day—Before A. Le G. Campbell, Esq., R.M. DRUNKS. Patrick Doyle, drunk and disorderly, had to pay 10s. in atonement. Patrick Dunn was dismissed with an admon ition, it having been his first appearance as a drunk.

George Davidson forfeited a bail of £1 for allowing himself to get the worse of liquor. Dennis Barrett lost a similar sum for a like offence committed at Rakaia.

George Green was drunk and disorderly at Rakaia last night, at half-past ten, bui being his first offence, for which he was very peni tent, the Magistrate dismissed him with a solemn warning not again to fall into a like mistake.

Richard Kurdy, according to the landlord of the Winslow Hotel, was a man who was capa ble of much “ fun,” “ pranks,” “ frolics,” and “nonsense,” when he had a little drop, but very rowdy when he had a great deal. On the 15th March, Richard had been at the Winslow Hotel, and had done a good thing in the way -of drinking ; had been a fund of amusement to ten or a dozen men who had been working about a threshing machine, and had supplied him with liquor after the expe rienced eye of the landlord had detected signs of “ too much.” Richard was turned out, didn't like it, and made a row at the door, disturbing the good people's rest. His Wor ship fined him £l, but cautioned the landlord, Mr. Allen, against allowing bad conduct in his licensed house.

A man named Ivinley was found to be insane, and was sent to Lyttelton under a signed 'warrant. IGNORANCE OF THE LAW. James Gardiner, contractor, working on the roads within the town, in the innocence of his heart fired the grass to clear his way, taking every precaution against danger. It was no use ; he had broken the law ; stern justice must be satisfied, and he was brought before the Magistrate, who warned him against any such future bonfire, and dismissed him.

J. F. Butler’s wife was told by a policeman that she had neglected to keep a lamp burning in front of her husband’s licensed house after the darkness had rendered it necessary. She took "the hint, and promptly “fired the beacon.’* For the trick her memory played her. Mr. Butler did penance in 10s. to the public ex chequer. Alfred John Craddock was a stranger to Ashburton, and did not know that it was an offence to drive a horse and cart across the railway line between the engine shed and the station. He paid ss. for learning the fact. John Davis bought a like knowledge lor the same sum. It is a pity he cannot convey a knowledge of the railway by-laws to his inno cent mob of sheep, which would break away from the road and get on the line, but perhaps he will take more care next time, and go in for better shepherding.

Thomas Bradford and Charles Smithell had been using stage carriages without the necessary license. They had both sent to Christchurch for the required documents, but their messen gers had been wanting in intelligence or in honesty, and the slips of law were not forth coming. They were allowed a week to try

again. Several civil cases are crowded out

POPULATION OF VICTORIA.

The estimated population of Victoria, according to the statistics of Mr. Hay ter, published in the Gazette , was on December 31, 1877, 860,804, namely, 467,753 males and 393,051 females. The increase during the year was 20,504, namely, 11,290 males and 9214 females. • The births in 1877 numbered 26,043, or fewer than in any year since 1869. The deaths numbered 12,792, or less than in 1876 (13,561), or than in 1875 (x 5.257), but more than in any other year since the first settlement of the colony. The arrivals by sea numbered 41,196, or more than any other year since ISSS ; and the departures by sea numbered 33.943, or more than in any other year since 1863. The increase of population exceeded that in 1876 by 3,476, and was also in excess of that in any year of the previous decenniad except IS6O, 1869, IS7O, and 1871. The increase by excess of births over deaths was 13,251, which was slightly above that in 1877, but was below that in any other year of the previous decan mad.

The increase by excess of arrivals over departures by sea was 7,253, which was equalled in 1868, and exceeded in iB6O, 1870, and 1771, but in no other year of the previous decenniad. The figures of births and deaths during 1877, and consequently those of population, will probably be slightly altered when the returns of the deputy registrars are finally ex. mined.

WASHINGTON’S IDEAS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

When .Washington was called to the Presidency in 1789, there were no regularly organized parties, and there was no room for patronage in a partisan sense, and nothing could exceed the justice of the rules by which he was guided. Called to the Executive chair, even against his wishes, he said he would go to it under no pre-engage ment of any kind or nature whatever, but would hold himself absolutely at liberty to act, while in office, with sole reference to justice and the public good. So much depended on wisdom and impartiality in this m: tter, that in case of injudicious or unpopular mea sures, with regard to appointments, the government itself would be in the ut most danger of being utterly subverted. “ My political conduct,” he said, “in making nominations, must be exceed ingly circumspect.” Again : “I do not intend to be swayed in the disposal of places by motives arising from the ties ot friendship or blood.” All this time, it is not to be supposed that there was nobody to present his “ claims.” Even before his first inau guration, Washington was greatly an noyed by applications for such appoint ments, land invariably represented to such persons the delicacy of his situa tion, and the impropriety of bringing such matters before him. He appre hended what afterwards proved true, that there would be a hundred compe titors for every office of any import ance; but for a long time lie would give no decisive answer to the applica tions of any candidates whatever, and would only nominate such persons as in his judgment were best qualified to discharge the duties of the departments to which they were appointed. As between an intimate friend and a deter mined opponent, he gave a lucrative office that both had applied for, to the latter, with the following explanation “My friend I receive with cordial welcome. He is welcome to my house, and welcome to my heart; but with all his good qualities, he is not a man of business. His opponent, with all his politics so hostile to me, is a man of business. My private feelings have nothing to do with the case. I.am not George Washington, but President of the United States. As George Wash ington, I would do this man any kind ness in my power. As President of the United States, I can do nothing.”— Scribner for January.

Smart Bovs.—-The Bruce Herald tells the following story :—“ A couple of sportsmen out shag shooting on the Molyneux recently shot a splendid specimen of these voracious birds, which was brought home to be stuffed. However, something prevented this being done, and it was thrown into the back yard. Its size attracted the atten tion of three youths, whose colonial in genuity enabled them to drive but dishonest bargain. The bird was taken away, its head cut off, and then with the decapitated prize in their pos session, the boys proceeded to a pastry cook’s shop. The proprietor was asked what he would give for a good black duck. ‘ Pies and coffee for each of you,’ was the reply. The bargain was concluded, and the exchange made. We can’t say how the proprietor enjoyed his portion of the barter, but the boys say the pies were good. As Jane Chatterlev says, ‘ Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be other- wise.* ” Mdlle. Tietjens, is said, was a great favorite in Dublin, where she always sang in the Cathedral. So much did the people love her that they would cry after her, and hang on to her garments. After a wearisome evening in opera, she would be often serenaded, and stepping out on the balcony, she would sing Irish ballads to the impulsive crowd with a good nature as sweet as her voice.

THE EVENING ECHO, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1878.