SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. • I ARRIVED. ' , - May 9 Ringarooma, s.s., from South. Sailed. May 9 —Ringarooma, s.s., for North. The Wodonga, from Sydney, arrived at Auck land yesterday, wilh a cargo of naval stores and coal, for iILMiS; Wolverine, Nymphe, aqd Sapphire, the latter being expected here to hold a court martial. A large schooner for the South Sea trade was launched at Auckland yesterday from the yards of Sims and Brown. The New Zealand Shipping Company’s ship Fernglen sailed from Port Chalmers,, for Lon don, yesterday, with ten passengers aijd ISI4 hales wool,"6l6o bags wheat, 7300 ounces gold, 20 tons sundries, of the value of

POST OFFICE NOTICES.

Mails at, the Ashburton Post Office close as follows :—’ 1

For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m,, 4 p.m., and 7.30 p.tn,, 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, Qrnrj, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily.

UNCLAIMED LETTERS,

The following letters are advertised at the Post Office, as having been received from places beyond the Colony, during the month of February, and remaining unclaimed on the Ist May, {B7S : Gooch, George C. Gray, George | Hayward, Win. : , - Inkster', Win. Judkins, Lucas Letters ‘originating in New Zealand arc not now advertised, but are sent to the Dead Letter Office, aftef 'having lain for two clear months.

BIRTH

Dixon.—On May 9th, at her residence, Trc vorton, Ashburton, Mrs.' Charles 'Dixon of a daughter.

The Evening Echo. THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1878. LOCAL AND GENERAL

At a meeting of the Ashburton Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society, held last night in the ante-room, of the Library Hall, an excel lent paper was reAd by Mr. A.‘o. Aitken, the President, on “ Ways and means of improving our class.” Many very valuable suggestions were made and discussed by the members with animation. It was resolved that entertainments open to the public be given monthly, the first to take place on'Wednesday, May 22nd, in the Library Hall. 1 " • ''■ !|; An impression 'seems to have obtained in the district that :the £\<x> voted by the County Council at its .last meeting for a cricket ground was taken from the county funds. 1 This, we may state, is an error, as that particular sum was the proportion of a special grant for public domains for the whole of Canterbury, so that the money could not be ; expended in any other direction than in improving the domain, and as the cricket club will not have the monopoly of any improvements, there is no question that the vpte of the Council is a wi£e 0ne... ; ,

A sad accident occurred this morning at the Railway Station, whereby Mr. John Leonard, who has, for tbe last''four 'years, been an employee on;thc Railway line,; had his shoulder dislocated, and suffered severe injuries, to his collar-bone, in fact; having tile narrowest possible escape with his .life. He had been engaged in the moving of some carriages, one of which was damaged, and had no buffers. For the moment, forgetful of the absence of buffers, and counting on the usual space be tween buffered .carriages, he had got between this damaged carriage and another, and when they came together, he was crushed in such a way as to be injured as.we have described. Mr. Leonard was taken home, where he was attended to by Dr. Trevor, and is now,doing as well as may be expected. The Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, to the number of 100 horse, have met for their annual six days’ training in Ashburton. The officers now in the town are Captain Strouts, Lieu tenant Slater and Dr. Chapman. The Christ church and Rangiora troops, to the number of forty, upwards, arrived to-day by the 2.40 train, and were met by fifteen 6f the Ashburton men. The parades are to take place daily in Mr. Hay T. Smith’s paddock, about a mile and a half to the north of the town, and if,the ( stii; caused to day by the arrival of the citizen army is any criterion of what is,probable during the embodi ment of the troop, then we are to have a lively time when the whole troop fire here'; another contingent will arrive to-morrow. The,head quarters of the troop are at Quill’s Hotel, and the horses of the strangers are to he billctted amongst the stables of our leading liverymen.

It was mentioned the oilier day in our Auck land telegrams that a Mr. Michael Collins had come into a legacy of ,£300,000. Commenting on this the Napier Telegraph says : —“ His claim is likely to be disputed by other members of the great Collins family, for we hear that a gentleman in Napier has received a letter from a Melbourne firm of solicitors, desiring him to make enquiries as to the heirs of Sarah Collins, who are supposed to reside in New Zealand.” A house in St. Louis was in charge of a daughter of the owner while he and his wife left home for a few days. She and a young girl occupied an upper room, while the hired man slept downstairs. One night the young lady and her companion were awakened by a noise, and discovered a burglar trying to enter one of the lower windows. They feared to scream, and did not dare go downstairs to rouse the man. A bright idea occurred to them. The father had purchased a lot of fireworks with which Jo celebrate the.coming celebration of In dependence Day, and these were stored in a room near by. The rockets arid crackers were slily taken to the window above the one where the,, burglar; was; at work, and,'.as ; rnany of them as could be lighted at once were tossed out to gether, with a report. The terrified burglar bounded off at full speed.

THE MARRIAGE TAX.

By a Twice-Laid Benedict. By the introduction of a Bill in the House of Commons a sensible member of the British Parliament means to do away with much un wholesome gossip, and prevent many design ing and vindictive spinsters from bleeding the pockets of “ faithless swains,” in return for the supposed suffering inflicted upon.-their own bleeding hearts by breach of promise of marri age. I have often wondered why our pater nal Government; ever careful for the education of its people, anxious for their temporal well being, seeking always to promote their enlight enment as a people and their advancement as a nation, and withal solicitous for their morality, never thought ol.removing all pecuniary restric tions and obstacles from the “ union of hearts,” 'so that' a would-be Benedict could lead' his bride to the altar without having to pay. a tax to Government upon his affections in the shape of a registration fed. However small may be the sum necessary to procure a license to take a wife, J fancy the principle of taking money for that license is bad. I cannot look upon it as other, than a tax —and why not levy a similar tax upon the parent of every child, or chalk it 'tip against tbe Child itself, payable at its majo rity ; and why not, likewise, make a chap lake out a license to die before lie “shufiles off this morthl coil” ?, ’\\ • ■ , \ ' \ Our venerable Premier lias probably gone past the time when thoughts of love and marri age dwell in a man’s heart, but one would have thought a" man ' like Sir George, keen to dis cover how the indn of the Past had absorbed the bread of the men of the. Future, should have overlooked the sum that has to be paid before'a man of the Present can even dream of becoming a ; legal connecting link between the Present and the Future. New Zealand, Past and IRnjse.nt, is taxed for everything it uses— not a whiff of tobacco smoke pollutes the Aus tralasian air ; not a dro;!) of beer slakes the colonial throat; not a thread covers the New Zealand ; person ; not a morsel finds its way into the stomach, Pakeha or Maori, that does not pay 101 lto the State. In view then of all this “ tax,” and considering that a man, before he takes the awful step which binds him for life to the woman of his choice by the indissoluble bond of a wedding-ring, has to pay 011 all sides, oughtnotGovcrnntcnt to let him go on to hisfate free. Friends compel him to shout, fellow-work men make him wet his wedding, before he has satisfied all the demands upon his purse made by the situation in which he has allowed his heart to place him, that purse, however ple 'thoric, is bound to'become attenuated. A host of avenues open around him to bear away his sovereigns; the cabman, proverbial of course for strict adherence to legitimate fares, is more strict, when lie knows he is. driving a bride groom; if he buys a hat, or boots, or gloves— he dare not raise his, voice against a supposed overcharge, or his'character for scurviness is sealed at once ; if a porter carries his luggage, and knows of the approaching ceremony, he will, if lie can, make capital out of that know ledge when he comes to settle for his job ; and when’, having satisfied every demand,‘bought the golden band that is to. bind bis fate “till death do them part,”' paid his license fee—his marriage tax—Ho the Government official, and heard the solemn tone of the clergyman pro nounce a blessing over him and his newly wedded wife —he finds that custom requires even that benediction to be paid for. The principle of this tax I hold is bad. A free breakfast table has been asked for; free education lias been given; we have a- free church, and are promised a free vote in the principle of manhood suffrage—could we not have also an unlaxed morality? What although the man about to enter upon the crowning happiness of his life is willing to pay and; say nothing ; what although the custom is old, and a grin comes over one’s face when the question is raised—the fact is not altered that this tax has to be paid by a father of a family born in lawful wedlock, while the father of an illegiti mate family has paid nothing to the State. We import our population from Great Britain at a considerable sum per head, and the total of money expended on free immigration is bulky. Why not Government, by the remission of the Marriage Tax, show that they favor a popula tion raised in the colony, rather than one brought over the sea. A great agitation was sometime since raised against the needless ex pense which fashion entailed upon a funeral, and even Funeral Reform Associations were set on foot—we think there is room for reform in the customs which bleed a man’s purse so terri bly when he gets married—(a bleeding many a poor man feels for years afterwards) —and Go vernment might lead the way.

UPPER ASHBURTON ROAD BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Board was held on Tuesday, May 7th, at the Board’s office, Westerfield. Present: Messrs. C. Reed (chairman), McLean, McColl, and Sutherland. The minutes of the last meeting were read and con firmed. The Overseer’s report for the month was read and adopted.

The tenders advertised for were then opened, and one in each case accepted.

Letters were received from Messrs. Saunders Bros., relative to the road past Mr. Walsh’s, and also anent the bridge which the Board has asked Messrs. Saunders to put across their tail-race. The clerk was requested to reply. From Messrs. Hammer and Harper, enclosing, bills receipted; in, payment : of th6‘ Board’s legal expends. ' ' iS

From County Council office, with the electoral roll for the Riding of the Up per Ashburton. From Messrs. Aiken and Smith, ask ing for the use of the gravel reserve adjoining their section. Granted sub ject to the conditions of their letter of application. From the Mount Peel Road Board, enclosing a copy of resolutions passed by the Board on the 21st March and 12th April, re repairs Rangitata traffic •bridge, protesting against the nature of such repairs. The Chairman was re quested to reply, stating that the Board concurred in everything contained in their letter, but they are afraid it is too late to move in the matter, as the Go vernment are now busy with the repairs. The overseer | was requested to call for tenders Tor forming a portion of Mac- Lean’s road up to Black’s road, and other necessary works on the same line. The clerk was requested to write to Mr. McLean asking him to. cut the gorse overhanging this portion of road pre vious to its re-formation.

The accounts were then passed, and the Board adjourned.

PANIC IN A CIRCUS.

Calais was the scene of a terrible panic in a circus lately. The building, belonging to Messrs. Prianii and Pier antoni, was constructed of wood, and capable of accommodating between 3000 and 4000 persons. On Sunday it was crowded, and towards the end of the performance, during the repre sentation of a pantomime, a band of young men rose from their seats, and someone shouted “Aufeu!” causing an immediate stampede down the in clined plane on either side of the circus serving for the entrance and exit of the second-class. The persons who first reached the bottom of the staircase in stead of making for the door by which they had entered, attempted to open an extra door reserved for cases of emergency. ' This door opened in wards ; a block immediately ensued, people jumping down from, the gallery upon those jostling below. Four fire men hearing the alarm and seeing the people rushing out, shouted “ Fire.” The watchman at the adjoining belfry rang the note of warning, • alarming the town and garrison. The infantry and artillery were soon on the spot.; Though not needed to extinguish fire, they did useful service in conveying the wounded to the Hotel de Ville. From a pile of bodies around the doors were taken nine corpses—two men, four boys, one woman, and two girls. A quarter of an hour later another boy died. On Monday morning two were found mor tally, three severely, and fourteen slightly wounded. Among the vic tims were a father and a little girl, the father struggling to save the child; both were ultimately bruised to death. In all there have been 12 deaths and 20 persons wounded.

An extraordinary fish was caught in Wellington harbor the other day. It consisted of a bag about six inches long by 222y 2 inches wide at the broadest part Inside this bag, and attached to one side of the neck, was a long, round, and bony body. The head was very large, and savage in expression. The eyes were large out of all proportion to the fish, and from the snout of the strange thing depended four long and soft feelers. It was taken to Dr. Hector, who at once identified it as a species of cuttle-fish very rare in the New Zealand waters.

A COOL CALCULATION.

The Russian St. Petersburg Gazette, in an article on the losses sustained by Russia in the war, says that 'according to the last official reports the number of men who have become non-efficient in the army was about 70,000, which is about 20 per cent of the whole com batant force. This, considefirig' the length of the campaign, the writer does npt think is a very great loss, when it is i compared with that of previous wars. “In the battle of Friedland the Rus sians lost ,25,000 men; -at' Borodino,, 50,000. '. .- > y Moreover, it must* be^ recollected that.the. natural increase of population in Russia amounts in favora ble periods to 1,006,000 people of'6oth[ sexes; and even in unfavorable times, when the number of marriages and births diminishes and the mortalityqin creases, Russia is always pretty sure of obtaining at least one half of her normal! increase of population. In the year 1877 the number of male births wili be about 250,000. . . . Hence it follows that even if we lose 250,000 men in this war, we shall not draw on our capital of force as a State. France has nothing like such an increase of population, even in favorable years, and she therefore loses by war or epidemics, not her income, but part of her capital, i.e., her population diminishes. On the other hand, it is to be observed that the, loss of 70,000 men is equivalent to an expenditure of 14,000,000 roubles, that is by reckoning the value of an armed man in war at 200 roubles. In time' of peace he is only worth half as much. But what are these 14,000,000' .com-.v pared with the milliards which, are absorbed by the war ?’■ In conclusion, the writer remarks that the losses of the Russians would probably not have been' so heavy if Generals Dragomiroff, Sco- ' beloff, and Gourka had followed the tactics of Koutouzoff, Barclay de Tolly, and Mouravieff, instead of those of Suvaroft, who attached much more im portance to the bayonet than to. the rifle.

TELEGRAPHIC.

[Per Tress Agency.]

INTERPROVINCIAL

Hikurangi, Wednesday. Excepting the usual civilities ex tended to visitors, nothing was done here, yesterday. Food was presented to Sir G. Grey, Mr. Sheehan, and party. Tawhiao visited the Government party, personally seeing to their comfort., A , guard was put over them during thq night. Nothing is yet known as to the day’s proceedings. The Hauhaus are for having a war dance. None of the Ngatimaniopoto are present, which somewhat puts out the Waikatos. They say Rewi feels himself in a false position, and cannot attend the meeting in con sequence of his people having sold ' land.

2 p.m.' ) The King has been in deep consul-" tation with his chiefs all day.

Gisborne, Wednesday. This place has now a daily paper, the Herald and the Standard appearing on alternate days. The long-iooked-for litigation respect ing land titles in Poverty Bay has begun. Many writs have been issued. Mr. Chambers, of Repongaere run, and Mr. King of the sawmill on Makuri block, are among the recipients. . - i ]

Information from Native sources from , Waikato speaks strongly of the decline of Tawhiao’s influence. The old Maori mode of worship is amended, and as taught by him is becoming unpopular. He endeavored to get Te Kooti to join his faith, but the latter refused. The religion taught by Te Kooti is founded ; on a portion of the Old Testament, and is becoming more popular every day. Many pilgrimages are being made to the high priest, who prophesies his re turn to this district, his birthplace, within three years. In reply to a deputation from Natives, asking for part of the Patutahi lands to be withdrawn from sale, Mr. Sheehan telegraphed that he declined to inter fere.

THE EVENING ECHO, THURSDAY, MAY 9; IS7B,



Five shilling packets of cop. PERS to lie had at the “ Eclio” office.