European, and not merely a Russian, ■settlement of the Eastern question, as ■the latter would involve difficulties, the issue of which was uncertain.

Consols 95JJ ; bank and market Tates, 2 per cent; wheat still un * changed ; tallow dull; Australian and New Zealand Securities unchanged. Since the opening of the wool sales >65,100 bales have been offered, and biddings were .strong -throughout ; in ferior qualities being slightly in favour ■of buyers.

[SPECIAL TO TiIELBOURE “ ARGUS.”']

London, March 9.

A meeting of the Swiss Guard.at the Vatican demanded three months’ pay, ’the usual concession on the death of 'the Pope. A disturbance arose, but tvas quelled. By a 'colliery explosion at Kilsyth, 'Stirlingshire, Scotland, sixteen colliers 'were killed.

Australian securities are resuming their usual activity. -Consols have

arisen per cent. The wool sales proceed satisfactorily, •■and prices .remain without noticeable • alteration.

AUSTRALIAN

MAIL'STEAMER IN QUARANTINE

FOR SMALL POX.

The Pacific mail, steamer City of “Sydney was quarantined to-day, owing c to a sick seaman showing symptoms -•supposed to be those Of smallpox.

The ship Colonist is on the berth for -New Guinea, and a number of passages -are engaged. She takes provisions for

-•six months.

Potatoes, j£-f. .'Flour five shillings

Sower.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

W ELLINGTON, March 9. Tlie attempt to start a Reform As sociation has so far been a .failure. Two (.meetings were held, but at each meeting -only three other persons attended besides the reporters. The Gainsboro’s immigrants were landed to-day, and 'looked a'.superior Hot.

Two mineral discoveries are reported from l’icton, one being a bed of slate three miles from town, and the Other a 'vein of silver in the Sound.

Lawrence, March o

The crops here have suffered con siderably, especially -oats, and it is 'doubtful if, in a number of instances, •many acres of oats will be worth the trouble of harvesting. Sir George Grey, with several well iknown dignitaries, arrived here -this •afternoon. The children attending the ‘Grammar School are to meet the party •at the Railway Station. The banquet takes place in the evening, and an un fusually large attendance is expected.

Charleston, March i,t. A fearful gale raged here on Saturday might. The Catholic chapel was blown •down, and is a complete wreck. Great (damage has been done to property in (the district. Palmerston North, March ii. A fire late last night destroyed the sstables, harness-room, and out-houses ■of the Clarendon Hotel, which had a 'very narrow escape, the roof being on ■fire in several places. It was only saved by the exertions ol the local volunteers, protected by wet blankets. A large amount of property has been ■destroyed Mr M'NeaFs storehouse is not covered .by insurance, the -only risk being in the National.

Lyttelton, March n

Arrived Steamer Arawata from Nelson ; barque Pelham, from Mauri tius ; Pleiades from London.

CRICKET

The concluding match of the season, an “alphabetical ” one, was played by the mem bers of the County Cricket Club on Saturday afternoon. R. Buchanan selected the represen tatives of the first division, from A to M, S. Saunders finding players with initials from the other half of the alphabet. As soon as it was generally knwu r that Weslenra would be unable to take part in the game, littF- interest was taken in the play, as what slight bowling superiority the second division had expected to take into the field was then lost, and the bat ting talent comprised in Mr Buchanan’s team was considered to leave their opponents no chance of victory. The result-; however, was another illustration of the glorious uncertainty of cricket. The first division went first to the wickets, and though Buchanan Brothers and Mainwaring were disposed of before having an opportunity to display their usually excellent play, the innings produced the credilabe tola of 83; George Andrews obtaining 31 by nic e cricket. Pearce and Saunders were the first to bat for the second division, and before they were separated had given 'the game a much more hopeful aspect for their side, which eventually proved victorious on the first innings by 17.'runs. This concluded local cricket for the season, and we hope to see steps taken during the winter towards preparing a more suitable ground for practice, all that is necessary, we think, to enable the Ashburton players to take a leading position amidst 'Country cricketers. The following are the scores of Saturday’s play.;—

A TO M. A- Andrews, b Richardson 7 •G. Andrews, c Wright, b Saunders.,. 31 J. Buchanan, c substitute, b Saunders... " o Crisp, b Saunders 3 11. Fowler, b Saunders 16 R._ Buchanan, c Wright, b Saunders... o Hill, b Saunders o Chamberlain, b Wright o Mainwaring, b Wright o Betts, h Wright 2 J. Fowler notout 7 •Extras 17 T0ta1.... S 3 N to Z, "Saunders, VA/Andrews 39 Pierce, b J. Buchanan fe H. Wright, b R. Buchanan 2 Richardson, b J. Buchanan n Zouch, b A. Andrews 1 Seymour b R. Buchanan o Wilmer, run out j E. Wright, not'out 2 Sherry, b A. Andrews...,* 4 Smith, b-A. Andrews 0 Extras 2 s Total ioo

Ihe Crops of 1877. —From 423 crop returns from several districts of each of the English, and from six of the Welsh counties, it is seen that the greater part of the crops have been thrashed, and may he described as of a very discouraging character. Hay alone of the crops of 1877 was above average, and all the rest-were very much below what is con sidered an culinary growth. The wheat crop appears to have been the most deficient of all, only 0 out of 409 returns representing it as over average, and no less .than 369 describing it as below. According to the tables, it was even a worse crop than that of 1875, the most deficient crqp which has 'been reported on during a period of 15 years. The barley crqp, too appears to have Ivsan the smallest of any grown within the same period. Indeed, to find a barley crop return cpiite as bad as that of 1577 we should have to go hack further than 1562, wlten the wheat crop avas on a par with that of our present returns. The oat crop, although below the average, was decidedly the best of the white straw crops -of 18,77, the showery weather of July having greatly helped its growth. The day of great bean crops appears to have gone by as far .as Great Britain is con cerned, whether because the land has become too dry from draining, or too friable from culti vation, -or because the climate has changed, we cannot -tell. At any rate, all old farmers say— and returns for many .years past have supported them—that the bean crops of former days are not grown. The pea crop, like beans, is a very uncertain one, and that of 1877 was one of the many had crops which the agriculturist has had to suffer.

Brazilian Butter.—The Medical Ex amine;- observes that there are four native modes of making butter in the Empire of Brazil. Ihe (list is by putting the milk in a common bowl, and beating it with a spoon as you would an egg. The second by pouring the milk into a bottle and shaking it until the butter appears, when it is removed by breaking off the top of the the bottle, as bottles are valueless in that part of Smith America on account of the vast number imported with foreign fruits and liquids. I lie third, where the dairy is more extensive, is performed by filling a hide with the milk, which is lustily shaken by an athletic native at each end until butter is produced. The fourth, which is considered to indicate vast progress over any of the preceding methods, and '"con sists in dragging the hide or leathern vessel filled with milk on the ground after a galloping horse, until it is supposed the butter is formed. Ihe milk is never strained, and the buU-or never washed.

ODD GOSSIP.

[By Telephone.]

1 hat we are a great people in the ? County of Ashburton is a fact that is freely stated by ourselves, and generally admitted by the rest of the Universe, and the advent ot another suckling of the fourth Estate, although only an “Echo,” is a “sign of the times.” May your shadow never be less. Kaia poi may claim to be the Liverpool of the South, but Ashburton is, or is to be, the Chicago of New Zealand ; and I have heard it stated on the best autho rity that the magnates of the county intend inviting Sir John Coode to report on the navigation of the Ash burton river. Should the great engin eer be successful in providing us with a harbor and dry docks, imagination cannot grasp our future.

Prescience is a virtue the railway authorities are not gifted with-—on the contrary, their ways incline to darkness and mystery. The Railway Station at this, township was originally laid with an idea that the country had reached its maximum development, and since the original completion (?) of the sid ings, Ac., there has been one continual •series of additions, alterations, removals, patchwopl-c, and blundering, as more accommodation was required for in creased traffic. The latest delightful instance of the “ how not to do it” principle is the blocking up of the crossing in Cox Street by the erection of a large turntable there, and the pro posed removal of engine sheds, &c., to the same locality. Surely the engineer ing talent employed on the staff was ’capable of erecting the turntable either ■north or south of the street, or of plac ing it out ot the way altogether on the other side of the line. But we must be thankful, for have we not Abolition ? - The Chief Enumerator of the Census must feel highly delighted with the sublime results obtained by his sub. in the Ashburton district. I calculate that not less than 300 inhabitants have not been returned in the district bounded by the Ashburton and Rakaia rivers, and the railway and the sea. The ingenuous youth who undertook the work evidently mistook his voca tion : he would not shine even as a runner for the Echo. The loss to this district will be great, as not only will the capitation grant on that number be lost, but, since the House of Represen tatives is about to be re-organised, and the basis of representation is to be in accordance with population, the disad vantages to this district must be,.politi cally speaking, disastrous. How is it that we in this future me tropolis of the Southern Hemisphere, cannot be dealt with upon even terms with such like obscure villages as Aka roa, Westport, Motueka, .-Wellington, Ac. 1 hey have evidently been treated to an overdose of oratory by the lion, members representing their several dis tricts. Why then should we forego the agony of listening for two, or say even four, hours to dreary figures and still drearier details of Piako Swamp and financial bog. And Echo still asks Why ?

Hero worship has its advocates, and the hero of the moment is therefore to be worshipped. It may not lie good logic hut it is good practical wisdom. As SirG. Grey is about to pass through here; we need not go to the expense of dining or wining him, nor (not to attempt an atrocious pun) of whining to him about our grievances, but he being at present the dens -ex machine. , some of our City Fathers ought to in terview him as to our special com plaints, such as the restrictions on wheel traffic on the Bridge, the ap proaches to ditto, the Cox Street cross •ing, and the want of a harbor.

A schoolboy recently committed suicide on the Melbourne and Hobson Bay railway bv layiny himself down on the “ five-foot,'’ with his head on one of the rails, so that the next passing train completely severed it from the trunk. Though only 15 years of age, he had formed an attachment for a young lady in the neighborhood, and a letter addressed to her was found in his pocket; another, he had forwarded to her, expressed his intention of nevei more being seen alive on earth.

TUBE WELLS.

At a meeting of the Society of Engineers, held December 3rd, in the Society’s hall Vic toria-street, Westminister, Mr Thomas Cargill, C.E., president, in the chair, a paper was read by Mr Robert Sutcliff, on “ Tube Wells for large supplies and in various Strata.” This paper was supplementary to one read at the previous meeting ol the Society, on “ Tube Wells,” by Mr Le Grand, which dealt with the subject of tube wells (commonly known as Abyssinian) of small size. Air Sutclilf, in bis opening remarks, observed that in laying down plant for obtaining large supplies of water, a number of wells were coupled together by horizontal mains, so That one pumping-engine drew from many tubes. In this way, for the last eight or nine years the leading breweries at Burlon-on-Trent have obtained the bulk of their water-supplies. Messrs Allsop and Sons pump 600,000 gallons daily from 30 3-inch wells, and Messrs Bass and (Jo. 500,000 gallons from 25 tubes. Thus in one town two breweries are obtaining sufficient water fur a town of inhabitants. Although some of these Burton wells arc within a stone’s throw of the Trent, the quality, level, and temperature of the water differ from those of the river water. The town of Carmarthen, in Wales, is supplied by 'ton 2 inch tube wells. In sandy soils strainers or filters are used which prevent sand coming into the tubes. A tube-well was sunk hi a very fine sand at Chislehurst by pumping nip six barrow loads of sand, and replacing .it -.with gravel. One advantage of the gravel ‘filter is its imperishability, and if made sufliciesTllv large the velocity of the water is not sufficient to bring the grains of sand within the -area acted upon by the pump. The author observed that in rocks and other hard strata the method of sinking tube-wells was similar to that used in making artesian borings, but the mode of pumping and development of supply was entirely peculiar -to the tube-well system. Bored tube wells can be made through any stratum and to any depth that an ordinary artesian boring can reach. Ihe Lower Grounds, Birmingham, with their ornamental waters, fountains, and extensive gardens, 'derive their entire water supply from a single 5 inch well sunk to about 300 ft deep. By means of this well an annual saving of A3 OO For water rate is effected. Two tube-wells at West Thurrock yield a daily supply of 220,000 gallons from the chalk. In conclusion the author observed that it was said that the first tube-well was ?. pointed bamboo driven into the earth, and the pvunp a “nigger.” "'ho sucked the water through the .pores of tire cane. . Now, said Mr Sutcliff, factories, breweries, and towns derive from them enormous supplies, and it is possible that coupled tube-wells In the chalk may solve the problem of providing London with pure water.

THE FORTH AND THE TAY BRIDGES.

Scotland is likely, at no distant date, to possess two of the most .gigantic railway bridges in the world. In the Tay bridge she has already a structure unequalled of its kind, and active steps are now being taken to secure the con struction of the great bridge across the 1‘ orth, which has for some time past been contemplated. It is stated that the North-Eastern, the Great -Northern, and the Midland Gompanies in England, along with the North British Company in Scotland, have agreed to contribute a large proportion -of'the cost of the proposed Forth Bridge, which, it is said, will in some respects be the >pjiost stupendous piece of engineering work ever attempted, having the longest spans, at the greatest heights, above the foundations of the central piers. As regards the Tay Bridge, now almost completed, we learn that 600 tons of ballast per day are now being conveyed to -complete the t 0,-ooq tons required to make up the ground for station purposes between the 'Cale donian Railway and the Esplanade, Dundee. The work of finishing the bridge is rapidly going forward, and mineral and goods trains ran over the line in January. The directors wisely determined to test the strength .anfl security of the bridge by passing heavy merchandise traffic over it for some time before it was opened for the con veyance of passengers. The Tay Bridge is tlie largest known structure of the kind, spanning, at over 80 leaps, a deep estuary of 2)4 miles broad, and raised to an altitude suffi cient to admit of tlie paasage under it of vessels of heavy tonnage. The work has been in progress over five years, and is considered a great -triumph of engineering skill, and a feather in the cap ot the North British Railway Com pany, whose enterprise is fast stretch ing their lines over North Britain.

Smoothing Down -rnii Wrinkles.—-A man recently bought an Ayrshire cow, supposed to he four years old. Circumstances occiucd which led him to doubt the warranty, and, on examination it was proved that the wrinkles on the horns had been smoothed down, -leaving, however, evidence sufficient for an expert to declare she was seven years old. The cow cost A 35, but the man sued,"and the seller had to refund £ to and pay costs.

THE EVENING ECHO, MONDAY, MARCH rr, 1878,