SHIPPING.

PORT QF LYTTELTON. ARRIVED. March 12. —Hawea, s.s., from Northern ports. March 12. —Wanaka, s.s., from Southern ports. March 12.—Loch Cree, ship,, from London.

POST OFFICE NOTICES.

Mails at the Ashburton Post Office close as follows : For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m., 4 p. 111., and 7.30 p.m.., daily. For Chertsey at 10.20 a.m. daily. For Kakaia at 10.20 a.m., and 4 p.m. daily. For Ashburton South, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Kanjdtata, Orari, Winchester, anti Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach at 2/45 p.m. daily. For Greens!reel, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10,30 a.m. For Tcmukn, Timaru and South at 10.30 a. 111. and 3 p.m. daily.

The Evening Echo. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1878.

Sir George Grey is no ’prentice hand at the Premiership. For weal or for woe we have now a very bold and very able hand at the helm. Finding that •be could not depend on the goodwill ej'f ’the Mouse, he turns without hesita tion to the electors ol the Colony. He (Searched for no precedents to guide ■him in his proceedings. lie fears no that may he applied to his appeal .from the House to the people Thai the House should represent. He Huts not taken a course to conciliate his •enemies; he evidently ithinksgit wiser, •or more in accordance with his present feelings, to set them at defiance, and, hopeless of their love, to see what he •can do with their fears. Should he find a majority at his command when he again meets the House, he will know that he has to thank some of its members for a love of their seats, rather than for any increase in their love for him.

Under more ordinary circumstances, we should not think it dignified or politic for the Premier to spend the first months of his official existence in “ stumping” the Colony, but Sir George is no ordinary man, nor has he set his heart on any ordinary task. If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives fairly represent the views ol their constituencies, it would be useless for him to give up the luxury and pleasures of his Island home and spend a year in the Empire City, framing laws to give effect to his views on taxation, representation, land laws, and pastoral licenses, that would only be trampled under foot as soon as they reached the table of the House. If, on the other hand, his views are really supported by a misrepresented popula tion in these islands, nothing could send him back to his work so refreshed and so confident, as seeing this fact for himself, and reading it, as only an ora tor can read it. in the many faces that have applauded and will applaud his political proposals. If he represents a majority of the electors of New' Zea land, the sooner he knows and acts on that knowledge the better. If lie does not, he is now taking the right course to- find out his mistake, and to save himself future disappointment and fruitless exertion.

, Before any of his proposed great changes in our public policy can become law, there is very little doubt that a dissolution must take place, and that wc shall all be asked to give expression t 0,., our political opinions at the poll.

Only eighteen days arc now left to those who have not qualified themselves to give their “ vote and interest” to the candidate whom they may believe to most nearly represent them. Many persons will not get registered by the very defective Act of 1875, and none should trust to it, but send in their claims to be placed on the roll before the 30th day of this month. No one can regard Sir George Grey’s proposals with indifference, they may be liked or disliked, but they are no chips in passage, and if carried out would work no small revolution amongst us. At any rate, New Zealand expects every man to do his duty, and no man can do that who does not qualify himself to vote before he finds it too late.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs Friedlander Brothers yester day got into gear, and are now (Exhibit ing in front of their premises in East, t Street, one of the Allhouse patent self regulating windmills. The specialties of this mill were stated to us thus?:— Its speed is self-regulated, as an engine is regulated by its governors. It will run in a light wind ; make less noise and pump more water in a given time than any solid wheel mill, simply be cause its speed is uniform and con stant. It will run with the same speed if the pump comes detached in a storm, does not get out of order if properly oiled, and never blows down. Alto gether a machine worthy the inspection of parties interested in irrigation. The City of Sydney, as telegraphed yesterday, is in quarantine fpr small pox. The patients have been isolated, and there is every probability of the quarantine continuing. The Home Colonial Office instructs the Governor of Victoria not to go out side the law, to take a stand, and if in doubt to consult the legal authorities at his command. This is interpreted by the Premier to mean the advice of his Ministers, backed up by the opinion of the Attorney-General. The time of the Melbourne Leger was the fastest by two seconds in the records of the course.

A well-known and powerful Maori chief, Tarapipi, died at Piako on Satur day, at the age of 50. It is satisfactory to read of Maori progress in the arts of peace, and an announcement that 300 acres of wheat have been planted by a Taranaki tribe, and two thrashing machines bought by them is welcome intelligence. Kahui, one of their chiefs, desires the Europeans to be fully aware of the natives intention to resort to the peace ful occupations they followed before the war.

The Government intend to bring down their crucial measures within a fortnight after the meeting of the Assembly. They will comprise change s in the representation, of the Colony, and the incidence of taxation, and manhood suffrage. Systematic horse stealing has been carried on in Wellington district for some time, the police having discovered that the horses were shipped away as soon as brought in. A man named James Hearne fell through an oval aperture in the floor of the Theatre Royal Hotel, Wellington, on Sunday. His head struck the bed of a billiard table in the room below, and he died a few hours after the accident. He was perfectly sober. Mrs Daley, the wife of a sub-inspec tor of sheep at Nelson, cut her throat on Monday morning. She is not ex

pected to recover. The unfortunate lady had been melancholy for some time previous.

Mr Macandrew is still hopeful of the restoration of provincial institutions—not as New Zealand knew them before, but of a kind more adapted to the circum stances of the colony. He said, at a Dunedin banquet, that public opinion would force such a restoration from Parliament.

The libel case against George Jones came on at Dunedin yesterday. There were two pleas given the first of not guilty, and the second pleading justifi cation, and alleging Mr. Whitaker’s dealings as agent for himself and others in obtaining Native lands and Waste lands of the Crown by fraudulent means, to the injury of the public. A demurrer was raised to the latter plea, and the point was discussed all after noon. His Honor reserved judgment until to-day. Our telegrams inform us that His Honor allowed the demurrer to-day, and adjourned the case k till to-morrow, to allow defendant time to plead over.

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of ihc Evening Echo,

Sir, —I have read with pleasure your first issue of the Echo, and must con gratulate you on the efficient manner in which you have brought it out. The leading article is cleverly and honestly written, the general matter is free from coarse expression, and the paper has been published without those typo graphical errors and blotches which are most annoying to the reader. I shall be happy to give you an advertisement, and hope to continue a constant sub scriber. Wishing you every success in what I consider a public boon, I remain, &c., Progress.

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

To-Day—Before A. Le G. Campbell, Esq., R.M. DRUNKS. George Webster, for this fault, was fined 1 os, with the alternative of twenty four hours’ imprisonment, with hard labor. Patrick Doyle and George Armitage were discharged with a caution. AGGRAVAT ED CAS ES. John A. Cowburn, against whom previous convictions were registered, was brought up charged by the land lord of the Railway Hotel, Winslow, with using language most obscene and indecent. Witnesses having abundantly confirmed the testimony of the land lord, His Worship sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment, with hard labor, pointing out, at the same time that if brought up again, the fullest penalty would be enforced. John Jarvois was charged with resist ing the police, using obscene language, and being drunk and disorderly on Sunday last. Two constables had car ried him to the lock-up. His Honor ordered him to pay £2, and the cost of damage' done to the constables’ uni form, or in default to go eight days to prison.

Boys are much better than they used to be. We observed one yesterday out on the back piazza singing, “ There is rest for the weary,” while his mother was weeding the onion bed.

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL,

THE JONES LIBEL CASE.

Wellington, March 12,

The San Francisco mail is due at Auckland to-morrow.

Dunedin, March 12

Re Jones libel case, the Judge al lowed the demurrer, and adjourned the 'case to allow defendant time to plead over.

Lyttelton, March 12,

The barque Loch Cree arrived to day, after a passage of eighty-two days, from London. She brings 16 passen gers, and 15 Government immigrants. All well.

Persons qualified to vote for the elec tion of members of the House of Rep resentatives, but whose names do not appear-on the electoral roll, will do well to remember that they must regis ter during the present month in order to have their names on the next roll. Although there is not manhood suff rage here at present, yet the franchise is within the reach of almost every adult male in the country. Every lodger occupying a separate room, for which he pays Tiq a year, can register, and there must be a considerable num ber who come under this category. Every man possessing the necessary qualification who has not yet had his name placed on the electoral roll should do so immediately. There seems much probability of a dissolution of Parlia ment taking place within the next twelve months, and in such an event as many as possible should record their votes. All who do not register this month will have to wait another year belore they have their names registered.

A happy father, in answer to one of the numerous and interesting inquiries on the census paper, after puzzling through the bewildering instructions hitended for his guidance, laid down his pen in despair and pondered. “ What is your name ? ” “ State the number of inmates,” “ their age last birthday,” the latter especially agree able to a married man who hesitates between the ire of his wife on her age being published and the penalty attached by law in case of refusal to furnish the required information. “ State usual occupation, this, in the line immedi ately opposite the baby’s calling, ex cited a smile. Seizing the pen, he dashed down—“ Crying.” A Connecticut preacher says that a good congregation will praise the music, the choir, the ventilation, and the civ ilities of the usher, but as to the ser mon, “ Well, I dunno.”

The latest exploit of the telephone at the New' York office is the successful playing of a game of chess by gentle men several miles separated. T he Dangers of Travelling by Land.—M. Gartiaux has published in Paris some curious statistics on the dangers of travelling by land. He says that in the old diligence days a man had one chance of being killed in 300,000 trips, and one chance of being injured in 3 0 , ,00 °- On the railway, between 1835 and 1855 there was one chance of being killed in 2,000,000 journeys, and one chance of being in jured in 500,000. From 1855 t 0 1875 one chance of being killed in making 6,000,000 journeys, and one chance of being injured in 600,000. Now the chances of being killed are as one jo 45) 000 > 000 > and of being injured one to

THE EVENING ECHO, TUESDAY, MARCH 12, IS7B,