SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. ARRIVED. April i—Queensland, barque, from New castle. April 2—Hawea, s.s., from Northern Ports. Sailed. April 2—llawea, s.s., for Southern Ports. April 2—Southern Cross, s.s., for Napier. Ihe steamer Hawea, from North, put back to Wellington last night, a block which fell from aloft having killed the mate (Stevenson). Ihe following vessels arrived at London on March 12 : —Lady Jocelyn, from Melbourne ; City of Agra, from Geelong ; Europe, from Laeepcde Islands. 1 lie Argonaut, which put back to repair damages received in collision with the Uombay, has sailed again for Wellington.

POST OFFICE NOTICES.

I he next English Mail via Suez leaves Lyt telton on Saturday next, April 6. UNCLAIMED LETTERS. The following letters are advertised at the Post Office, as having been received from places beyond the Colony, during the month of January, and remaining unclaimed on the Ist April, 1878 : Cadle, W. C. Doorman, John Durham, Robert Hearn (2) Elliott, Wm. Flanigan, Daniel 1 landasyde. John J. Mcl.oughlin, Denis Miller, T. Parsons, James (3) Smith, Robt. Letters originating in New Zealand are not now advertised, but arc sent to the Dead Letter Office, after having lain for two clear month l -'.

COMMERCIAL TELEGRAMS.

T he Customs revenues telegraphed hist night from various places throughout the colony, as having been collected in March were as under : I imam, £1485 ; Grahainstown, Y 2257, against £1539 last year; Weil n 'ton, /18,783, against/’15,56s last year; Ly I lei ton, Z'21,161.

7 degram to the .V. Z. Loon and Mercantile Agency London, March 30. Wool—Com petition is decreasing, and market is weaker, l'or medium and inferior greasy, and medi an and inferior clothing washed, the market is easier ; for supetior greasy and superior comb ing washed, firm. Scoured, market is un changed. Advices of short supplies from Australia have been received. Up to date, i 56,000 bales have been sold. The sales will close on the sth proximo. Tallow is dull of sale. Mutton 39s 6d, and beef 38s 6d per cwt. Wheat—Market firm. Californian har vest is abundant. Adelaide is worth 645, and New Zealand 52s per 49611).

The Evening Echo. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1878. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On the arrival of the 3 p.m. train from Christchurch this afternoon, a child who was a passenger with its mother, fell from the platform among the wheels of the carriages, as the train was moving forward. It was immedi ately placed under the care of Dr- Stewart, and removed to the Somerset Hotel to have its wounds attended to.

Mr. Wason, the member for Cole ridge, holds a meeting to-morrow night in the Library Hall, when his constitu ents will have the pleasure of listening to his political account of himself.

The usual monthly meeting of the Ashburton County Council will he held to-morrow.

The valuation list for the Road Board district of Ashburton is now made up, and may be seen at the office in Moore Street. Parties who may take exception to the valuation set upon their properties must send in their written objections on or before the Ist of next month.

From the report of the Secretary to the Public Library, read at the annual meeting of subscribers on Saturday evening, we learn that the reduction of the subscription from £1 to 10s. has had the effect of raising the number of subscribers from 60 to over 100, thereby materially extending the advantages of the institution, and bringing its benefits within the reach of all. The library was during the year increased by 170

volumes, bringing the total up to 850 on the shelves, and representing 500 different works. There was a proba bility of the number of volumes being increased in a few months to 1000 by a contingent of 150 more resolved in Committee to be sent for to England, and communications had been entered into with Mudie, of the celebrated Lending Library, in the hope that the best and latest works could be procured at lower rates through this establishment than if otherwise obtained. Periodicals had received the attention of the Com mittee, and a considerable sum had been expended upon them. 'Phe.se the Committee recommended should be bound in volumes, as a guard against their loss ; and efforts had been made to add to the convenience, comfort, and security of the library by the erection of cupboards and other necessaries, and by a supply of lamps. The finances of the library were yet flourishing, and that without any Government aid, but in view of the other hall buildings now in course of erection in the town, the revenue derived from the Library Hall would probably be diminished in the future, hence it would be necessary for every member to do his utmost to in crease the subscribers to at least twice the present number, and this accom plished would put the finances out of danger ; and while their efforts in this direction were successful in relieving financial pressure, a great mental and moral good would be done to those who were added to the list. The re ceipts for the year amounted to .£202 1 os. 5d , against an expenditure of £154 6s. 6d., the balance left being 3s. 1 id. The new officers were elected as follows : —Dr. Trevor, presi dent ; Mr. Ward, secretary, treasurer, and librarian; committee, Rev. Mr. Paige, Messrs. Bullock, St. Hill, Sealey, and Dr. Kesteven.

The Grand Jury have thrown out the bill against Mrs. De Costa, in the Blue skin mystery business. The Suez mail will arrive in Christ church to-morrow. The Arawata is is expected at Lyttelton early in the dav.

The Canterbury Waste Land Board held a sitting yesterday, and disposed of 5205 acres 3 roods of land, realising ,£10,411 1 os. The land lay as under: Ashburton, 3064 acres; Ashley, 4r ; Akaroa, 440; Geraldine, 126, 3 roods; Selwyn, 874 ; and Waimate, 660. The Christchurch Press devotes within a few inches of eight columns to a report on the drainage of the city and suburbs by Mr W. Clark, civil engineer, the extra matter necessitating a supple ment of two pages of eight columns each with to-day’s issue. The Times publishes one page extra. The Criminal sittings of the Supreme Courts have commenced. Judge Gil lies complimented Auckland on her light calendar, and on the vigilance and efficiency of the police,"which tended to lessen crime. Judge Rich mond found a full calendar at Welling ton, but congratulated the district upon the rarity of crimes of violence in pro portion to the population. Dunedin shows a rather heavy calendar, and Christchurch one exceptionally so. At Hokitika, the work of the Court will principally be the Ryan murder case. Judge Williams, yesterday, at the Su preme Court sitting in Christchurch, in charging the Grand Jury, said the calendar was an unusually heavy one, and the mass of crime (which we sum marised in a former issue) was altoge ther out of proportion to the popula tion of the district. Such a state of affairs may be an exceptional one. His Honor hoped it was. If it was not, it was matter for the gravest considera tion in the event of a recurrence. At the sitting yesterday, true bills were brought in by the Grand Jury in the forgery cases against John Jackson (two cases), and Henry Richardson (also uttering); larceny, Ellen Fitz gerald ; larceny from a dwelling, R. W. Jones; and a similar case against a

man named Stevens; also larceny from the person, against D. M‘Kie and A. Ross ; manslaughter, J. Levitt; rape, Quam Yam and Rawiri Pape. R. W. Jones was sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment with hard labor for the theft of £"l7 from a dwelling. John Levett was found guilty, after a negative plea, of the manslaughter of Henry Thomasson in a fight at South bridge on the 7th February. He was ordered to find a recognisance of £25 to appear for judgment when called upon. The sentence of Quam Yam, the Chinese ravisher, was deferred. The Grand Jury threw out the bill against Alex. Stening for unlawfully wounding a horse.

1 wo rifles of a rather novel character have recently been made by Mr. Wm. Sumners, gunmaker, of Oldhall Street, Liverpool, to the order of a native emperor in Africa. They are on the patent repeating principle, firing eight een shots without reloading; but it is for their gorgeous ornamentation mat they are chiefiy noticeable. The stock of each is covered with tortoiseshell and mounted in gold, and the body and all round the lock are richly inlaid with gold, elaborately chased. Several sales of large estates have occurred recently in certain parts of the colony, some very extensive runs having been cut up into small sections and sold at a good figure. In Otago Mr. Henry Driver has parted with 2000 acres of the Horseshoe Bush estate, at £jii per acre. The buyer, Mr. Kitching, of Moa ldat, intends to make of it a model stud farm for shorthorn cattle and Clydesdale horses. Mr. Henry Ford has sold his Whanau leasehold property of 18,600 acres, for £'13,500. The rental is £ 200, with eleven years to run, and the pur chase price includes 12,000 mixed sheep and the station plant. T. and J. Harding have purchased his freehold at Kereru of 14,300 acres, plant, and 16,000 sheep, for The Wha nau property is thirty miles from Napier.

CORRESPONDENCE

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.

To the Editor of the Evening Echo,

Sir,—My attention has just been called to Mr. Kesteven’s letter in last Thursday’s Echo, which I had ceased to expect, and, therefore, had not looked for. I cannot return his com pliment and say that his letter is an easy one to answer; on the contrary I think it very diffi cult, first, because there are some parts of it that I cannot understand, and, secondly, be cause if there are any arguments in it they have been effectually answered already by himself. The first paragraph will illustrate what I mean as being beyond my comprehension. We aie told a discussion is not what I advocated at all. I simply asserted that, unless the mattei was put in a different light by those who knew something of the other side of the question, no vote was worth anything.” Ido not know, sir, if you can help me to under stand that sentence, or tell me what is the difference between having a question discussed and having a “matter” alternately “put in a different light by those who knew something of the otliei side of the question ” ? Perhaps Mr. Kesteven simply means that a meeting called by Sir G. Grey and his friends should have been allowed to finish up with one of the usual uncontradicted misrepresentations of Sir George’s views and intentions. I don’t think it worth v hile to say more than I have done about Sir George Grey’s position and the work he has undertaken.

There would be some point in Mr. Kest even’s assertions if the subjects on which a vote was to be taken were new, and heard on that evening for the first time, but they are older than the oldest man there. We had all heard them discussed over and over again by far more able men than would have discussed them at that meeting, and we gave an intelligent vote in favor of Sir George Grey’s proposals—how ever low Mr. Kesteven’s opinion may be of our powers in this direction.

The general hostility of the New Zealand press, and the systematic misrepresentation o, Sir George Grey’s views and intentions, made it highly important that he should, as far as his time and strength would allow, give us his own version of them ; and we went to the meeting for that purpose, not to hear the views of per sons who are not at present in a position to make their views of much importance to us. Of course Mr. Kesteven can call this “carpet bagging,” “stumping,” or anything he likes, but I don’t think such terms will have much

weight with any of us. Your correspondent asks, “What guarantee have we that Sir George’s Government is not going to follow out the same line ” as its opponents ?

I don t say that we have any absolute guaran tee. Sir George and his Government may only be aiming at some selfish end, and care nothing about the good of the country, but we have at least two strong reasons to think differently. If he does not intend to do what he says, why does he choose to announce his intentions so publicly, and before so many witnesses? and why does the highly intelligent, quick-sighted, well-informed, well-organised party, which has hitherto so ably feathered its own nest, oppose him so strenuously, and hate him so thoroughly? I am not in the secrets of the Government, and cannot answer your correspondent’s ques tion “ Why has Mr. Larnach been sent Home, at the expense of the Colony, to raise a loan, when we have an Agent-General in London ? ’ But there is certainly nothing anomalous ” in such an appointment, as no large loan has ever been raised for New Zea land without a similar representative of the Government being sent Home ; and those who remember the rather suspicious position Mr. Vogel occupied in raising the last loan, and what was saved to the Colony by not leaving the negotiation entirely to him, even when he occupied the more responsible position which Mr. Larnach is now to take up, will not think that it would have been the height of wisdom and prudence or economy either, to have left the transaction entirely in his hands. I have the utmost faith in Mr. Vogel’s ability to place this Colony before the British public in the best possible light, but those who know our Agent-General, will not think him exactly the man to be left alone with millions of money, even if it were his own.

Your correspondent is polite enough to say that “ Mr. Saunders’ figures are a mere blind,’* but as he does not dispute their correctness, I need not quarrel with any name he chooses’to. give them. He does not say whom or what they are intended to blind, and I cannot sup ply the deficiency, as I am quite unconscious, of wishing to blind anyone. I am sorry the letter contains so little on the main questions of interest to your readers, and that that little is not of a more weighty charac ter. We are gravely informed that “ the value of land mainly depends on its state of cultiva tion.” This will be somethiug quite new to our farmers. Buildings, fences, drains, roads, situation, clay, sand, gravel, peat, loam, or vegetable mould, are all unimportant compared to “its state of cultivation ” —whether, I sup pose, it has been ploughed once or twice, or whether it happened to be in wheat or barley.

Of course Mr. Kesteven has no doubt of being able to impress this astonishing fact on any valuer the Government may hereafter' employ. But if Sir George does mean to tax: improvements the same as his opponents are doing, and wish to do, what is Mr. Kesteven. finding fault with ? What is he doing differ ent to Mr. Kesteven’s friends ? Why are all these accusations brought against him? IF buildings and drains and fences make no differ ence to the value of land, then Sir G. Grey’s proposals will make no difference to the tax, and aie not worth saying another word about. In the same way, Mr. Kesteven answers his own objections to the extension of the fran chise. He concludes his remarks on that sub ject by saying, “ with a six months’ residence as an essential qualification, but very few more voters would appear on the roll.” Very well, if that be true, and as Sir George proposes twelve months residence instead of six, let us suppose there will be no more. Then what are Mr. Kesteven and his friends alarmed about ? \\ hat makes him call it “this pernicious sys tem ?” What is there to tear in a system that will put either none, or “ very few more votes on the roll ?”

If this be a correct view, what sane man would object to the extension ? Is it worth while to keep up an invidious, degrading, in sulting, distinction between the poorer and richer classes, and to hold out a constant red rag to that class which has the smallest interest in the maintenance of law and order, if, after all, it makes no practical difference in the electoral roll ?

If Mr. Kesteven believes his own statement, he ought to be a zealous advocate of a change that would give justice to all and bring danger to none. I am not half so sanguine- as he is on that subject. I do not shut my eyes to the danger of removing all property qualifications. I only think it a danger that the cause of jus tice and liberty call on us to encounter; and a danger that will compel us to educate and elevate those whom we have decided to trust. The less Mr. Kesteven says about the runs and the runholders the better it will be for his friends—far more able pens than his have been unable to give even an appearance of disinter estedness, or public spirit, or even propriety,

THE. EVENING ECHO, TU

S.DAY, APRIL 2.. 1878.