SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON

ARRIVED,

May 29 —Arawata, s. s., from South, SAILED.

May 29 —Arawata, s.s., for North,

Auckland, Tuesday. Sailed—Taiaroa, for the South. 'l'he City of New York sailed for San Fran cisco this afternoon, taking 32 saloon and 2S steerage passengers from Australia, and 29 from New Zealand.

A message from Kaipara Heads, dated last night, says that great fears are entertained for the safety of the barque Otira, last seen six miles off the bar on Friday afternoon. The bar was fine, and there was nothing to prevent her coming in, but for some reason or other she stood to sea. The same night there came on a hard gale from the S.W., lasting Saturday. The bar has been fit to take every day since. Six other vessels have since airived, none having seen the Otira. W 1:1.1.1 no ton, Tuesday. The Rialto cleared for London with a cargo of 3531 bales wool, 948 packages wool, 73 bales skins, 161 bales flax, 1546 packages tallow, 10 packages leather, and 559 cases meats, valued at L 90,805, and 17 passengers. Bluet, Tuesday. Arrived—Swallow, from Newcastle, with a cargo of coal. She experienced a violent gale before making land, and carded away her long boom and bulwarks. One seaman was lost, the tarpaulins were torn off the hatches, and the salt water getting into the water, rendered it useless. The crew expci ienced great priva tions for the last five days through want of water.

The cargo from tne wreck of the Ann Gambles is being landed successfully.

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 Kakaia at 10.20 a.m., and 4 p.m. daily. For Chertsey at r 0.20 a.m. daily. For Ashburton South, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily.

The Evening Echo. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1878.

On the racecourse to-day the usual crowd of whcel-of-fortune men, etc., were busy gratifying public taste for gambling, and apparently did a good business, while a few bookmakers howled out their readiness to back the field against anything. if members of different religious sects can anywhere dwell together in peace and brotherly love surely it ought to be in Melbourne. At the cast end of the city, a few yards from each other, are an Anglican church, a Roman Catholic cathedral, and churches belonging to the baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and "Unitarian denominations. A latitudni arian, taking a Sunday morning’s walk, may hear melody pouring forth front all these places of worship simultaneously, and fancy that he is 011 the hill of Zion. —Nigles.

A scientific paper slates that art im portant advance has been made towards solving the problem of illumination at sea by an adaptation of what is known as the Holmes distress signal, in the form of a shot, for illuminating purposes, to be fired from mortars at ranges vary ing from 500 to 2500 yards. These signals possess the remarkable property of emitting a very powerful white light the moment they come into contact with the water, and when once ignited are absolutely inextinguishable by either wind or water, and burn with a persis tency that is almost incredible, thirty or forty minutes being an average duration. The shot containing this light is con structed so as to be buoyant upon water, and at the same time, with sufficient rigidity of form to withstand the con cussion of powder. Upon striking the water at the required range, the shot, floating up to the surface, immediately bursts into a brilliant flame with great illuminating power. Half-a-dozen of these shots fired from an ironclad or gunboat would effectually surround her with an impassable cordon of light at any required range, and by such a de vice the enemy’s movements of attack would become plainly discernible, and any attempt to break through the illu minated zone of light be at once detect ed, however dark the night.

THE ASHBURTON COUNTY STEEPLECHASE MEETING.

President—Joseph Hunt, Esq. Vice-President—Hay T. Smith, Esq,

Stewards—Messrs. T. .Bullock, Dr. Stewart, E. S. Coster, J. L. Crawley, E. Saunders, 11. T. Winter, Neil Maclean, C. C. Fooks, J. F. Mitchell, E. G. Crisp, Dr. Kesteven. Judge—J. C. Wason. Starter—J. L. Crawley. Clerk of the Course—V ; . B. Compton. Clerk of the Scales —11. J. Bristo. Ilandicapper —Neil Maclean. Honorary Secretary—James Wilkie.

Had the committee of the race meet ing specially contracted with the ghost of Admiral Fitzroy for the best racing day in the calendar of 1878, they could, not have been better suited with weather than they have been to-day. A bright sun favored the proceedings, and with out being too warm, the day was a pleasant one for an outing, consequently a large number of people took advant age of it to visit the race course. The influx of visitors had the effect, too, of filling the coffers of the committee, so that the accommodation of the grand stand was taxed to the utmost.

The first event of the day—the Ash burton County Steeplechase—was ad vertised to start at 12 o’clock, but *the usual racecourse delay was lengthened out by the difficulty of finding an en trance for the horses to the paddock whence the start was made, and, after making a gap in the fence sufficient for a passage, it was fully an hour and a half past the time advertised. The starters in the event "'were Messrs. Saunders’ b g The Rake ; Mr. Comp ton’s Faugh-a-Ballagh : Mr. Husband’s br g Raven ; and Mr. Fooks’ g g Billy- Buttons. In a preliminary spring Rake and Billy did not behave well, and when the final start was made the Rake bade defiance to his rider at the hurdle mid way between the water and the Grand Stand, and neither persuasion nor co ercion had the effect of making him attempt to clear it. Billy went gamely at anything in the shape of a leap, hut fooled about terribly on the fiat till he had been coaxed past the Grand Stand, when he went at the course in earnest, but by this time the Raven and Faugh a-Ballagh were away ahead, having it all their own way. Matters were pretty equal between them till the most diffi cult bit of diplomacy in the course had to be faced namely, the two sod fences at the cross road, followed by the stream which is in itself a rasper: the three obstacles all happen on fifty yards of ground, and when the Raven cleared the first fence his rider got shifted to the ground. The Raven up to this point was leading, but when this mishap occurred, Faugh a-Ballagh took advantage of the situation, and rode to the front, keeping his lead to the stand.

I.—ASHBURTON COUNTY STEEPLE CHASE — Handicap of 30 soys, added to a sweepstake of 2 sovs. for acceptors. Nominations 1 sov., over about 3 miles of fair hunting country. Mr. \Y. B. Compton’s e g Faugh-a- Ballagh, aged ... ... M‘Ewan 1 -Mr. C. C. Fooks’ g g Billy Buttons,

aged ... ... \Y. Hankins 2 Mr. P. Husband’s brg The Raven 5 yrs, Ilay 3 2.—ASHBURTON HUNT CUP-For Sil ver Cup, value 15 sovs., with silver mounted whip for rider, weight for age. About 2 miles. Messrs. Saunders Bros. ’ b g Barry Lyn-

don, ... ... E. Saunders 1 Mr. \Y. R. Compton's c g Faugh-a- Ballagh ... ... ... Thompson o Mr. A. Herrick’s hr g Merlin... Smith o

The pleasure that would otherwise have been enjoyed in witnessing this race was marred by a sad accident which happened to the rider of Faugh-a-Bal lagh, who in clearing a fence at half distance round was unseated, and had his arm broken. Dr. Kesteven, one of the Stewards, attended, and set the fracture. The accident had the effect of making the race an easy one for Barry Lyndon.

3—THE FARMER'S PLATE of 15 sovs. Weight forage—about ij< miles Mr. E. Corbett’s b m Maid of the Mill aged W. Hunt 1 Mr. P. Husband’s br g The Raven, 5 yrs ... ... ... Husband o Mr. E. Dcnshire’s c m Fanny, 3 yrs Smith o Messrs. Saunders Bros.’s br g Larry Doolan, 3 yrs J. Hunt o In this event Maid of the Mill got well-deserved first honors for her mile and a half's work.

THE OLDEST MAN IN THE WORLD.

A merchant of St. Louis, who recently returned from a tour of South America, has given a reporter of the Globe Dcmoaat an account of a remarkable old man he saw in the city of Tulca, Chili, whose name is Felix Rojas, and who has undoubtedly reached the age of 136 years. Rojas was born in 1740, and at an early age entered the army, holding the position of sergeant-major in a Spanish line regiment. When Carlos the Third issued the historic mandate expelling the Jesuits, Rajas took charge of two members of the order, and carried them from Linares to Santiago. He served forty-eight years in the Chilian armies, and is thoroughly conversant with the minutest details of Chilian history for the last century and a half. Up to one year ago Rojas was remarkably vigorous for one of his venerable age, though for ten years he has been carried about in a portable chair, in charge of two servants. For a year he has been failing rapidly, and now seldom leaves his house, his physicians prescribing absolute quiet as the only means of prolonging his life. Occasionally he may be seen in his chair in front of his residence, and the passers-by pay him the greatest respect. He smokes a pipe, and has used to bacco steadily for one hundred and twenty years. His eyes are quite weak now, he has never used spectacles, and is generally able to read large print. He is not a large man, being scarcely five feet five in height, and never weighed over isolbs. He is remarkably well-proportioned, his head being un usually large and fine shaped. Singular to relate, Rojas has lived to this ripe old age in defiance of many vicissitudes and habits that are universally believed to abbreviate a man’s term of life. From the age of twenty till he was seventy he was an habitual drinker, and for a long peiiod of that time such a con firmed tippler that his health was seriously affected, and it was believed that he would not survive long. For forty-six years he had not tasted intoxi cating drinks, excepting as a medicine. In T7SO he fought a bloodless duel with a brother soldier, and ten years Inter, in a similar encounter with another antagonist, he was so desper ately wounded that he was two years before he fully recovered. At one time he suffered a double fracture of his right leg by a caisson waggon running over it. He was also wounded twice while fighting in battle. He has had the yellow fever, and has been repeat edly prostrated by other malarial fevers that prevail in all parts of South America. It seems so remarkable that one should be preserved to such an ex traordinary age after passing through so many exciting adventures and accidents by field and flood. Rojas is the son of a Spanish nobleman who fled his coun try for a political offence, and settled in Chili under an assumed name. The son lived half a century before he found out the true history of his father, and upon the discovery he made a trip to Spain, and succeeded in obtaining from the Government the title and posses sion of valuable property which had been confiscated. This is the only voyage Rojas has ever made away from his native country. The venerable old man has ample means, and is surround ed by a numerous line of descendants, consisting of children, grand children, great-great, and v great-great-great grand children.

NEW PLOUGH INVENTION.

Mines, Metals , and Arts gives details of a “ self-lubricating plough.” " By this invention it is said that “ the friction attendant upon ploughing is withdrawn; the plough by means of a thin skin of water or oil maintained between it and the soil, slips through almost uncon sciously.” We should like to see this contrivance at work ere venturing an opinion concerning it. As described, there is a supply of lubricant applied continuously over the share and mould board, also over the coulter and the side of the plough, whereby the plough ■ns made to pass smoothly and easily through the soil without sticking or adhering. The fountain consists of perforations, or thin slit openings, be tween the mould-board and the share, I which are connected by proper tubes

with a tank of oil (or water which is just as good) to a reservoir, which may be attached to a handle or beam, or, preferably, to a tank or cask on the wheels of the plough, whence the lubri cating liquid is supplied to the tubes and oozes or passes through the slits into the share and mould-board, coulter, and side, and permitting not only sticky or waxy land to be turned over and broken up, but also the hard clay soils ol any country, in time for summer and fall ploughing. It is said further that the reservoir may contain fifty gallons of water, or a day’s supply in ploughing one and a half or two acres. There may be something in the idea, if the slits do not choke, and there is not too heavy a load of water or other lubricant.

TELEGRAPHIC.

[By Submarine Cable.]

AUSTRALIAN.

(Special to the Globe)

Melbourne, May 28.

Difficulties have arisen in the Berry party, and the popularity of the Govern ment is declining.

Sydney, May 28. It is stated that our Governor has been offered Madras or the Cape.

[Per City of New York via Auckland.]

Sydney, May 24,

A meeting of working men at the Trades’ Hall resolved to take steps to testify their appreciation of the services rendered by the late Mr. Mort to the colony and working classes. The representatives of the Borough Councils met to urge the connection of the suburbs with the city by a railroad.

The Committee of the Trade and Labor Council are making arrangements for a public meeting to agitate for the suppression of Chinese immigration. At the Australasian Wesleyan Con ference, the Rev. W, Morley, of New Zealand, was elected one of the secre taries. He moved an amendment to the committee’s report, offering class meetings as a test of membership, and substituting as the qualification of mem bership a general adhesion to the Church rules. The amendment was, however, negatived, and the class meetings were affirmed, with a provi sion that all devout persons who could not be persuaded to attend class meet ings should be invited to partake of the Sacrament, receiving quarterly commu nicants’ tickets, and to enter on the circuit book.

Melbourne, May 24,

The Government have issued a fresh proclamation, prohibiting sending stock from ports outside the Australian colo nies and New Zealand.

Mr. Byron Moore has been appointed agent of the New Zealand Government in Victoria.

Frank Smith, a solicitor, is missing. He is supposed to have gone to New Zealand. A warrant has been issued, as it is alleged some trust estates have been tampered with.

Brisbane, May 24.

A man named Michael was murdered hv the Chinese. Deceased was in charge of a flock of sheep proceeding to a station. The body was terribly muti lated. There was no provocation. Adelaide, May 24.

Mr. Severn delivered his first lecture under the auspices of the Council of Education.

Port Darwin, May 24.

Captain Robinson and his brother, of the schooner Kingston, were mur dered by the natives while fishing off Mrrbiac Island. One Chinaman and a number of divers at Jardme, Cape York, were at tacked by blacks. They were forewarned and killed seventeen blacks.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

[Per Press Agency.]

Auckland. Tuesday.

It is considered here that there is little chance of the Kingite meeting coming off at present. Several lead ing chiefs say there is no hurry, and that "there will be plenty 1 of time-tc^consider Grey’s proposals ten years hence. The chiefs seem inclined to ask for more than has been premised.

THE EVENING ECHO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1878.



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