BIRTH.

F rif.dlander. —On December ; 7th, at. Tailored street, the wife of R. Fried- , lander, of a son. 788a-262

MEMORANDA.

"ENTERTAINMENT '•To-NrpH,T. V." -:v . Qpera.C6mpan.yi at N ,the Town Hall 8, o’clock. ’ AUCTION BALE. "'j. To-Morrow. . Alfred Harrison, at the Tinwald yards, 12.30—Horses and Farm Implements.

The Ashburton Herald AND Borough and County Advertiser (With which is incorporated the “Evening Echo”). MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1879.

The obstructionist policy of the pseudo- Liberals appears in their every step with a sort of ruling-passion-strong-in-death sort of inevitablenes3. Sir George Grey is effete, but it seems impossible to teach him that his sun is set, and so, groping ill the darkness of desperation, he fires his bolts wildly and aimlessly in the hope some lucky one, shot at a venture, will tell upon his otherwise unassailable oppo nents. Until .the Hall Government show themselves less e&j?&b]e than the failures they supplanted their in office are secure ; and this the wily knight Jfflqiys full well. But he loses no opportunity to make little irritating attacks, and nasty carping speeches, resonant as usual with the bombast ojF which he is a recognised master. The Liberal party left an inheritance of financial complications to be.righted- by their successors complications which, unrectified', were sure to place the colony in bad oftor with the public creditor —and when the HftU Government took office, they at once set themselves the duty of squaring accounts. Their# fi° plea sant task. The exchequer hftd VfiVS low, and the expenditure had overlapped considerably the public income. To bring the latter abreast of the former ; —and to do-that meant the exercise of much tact and riot ft little courage—-was the work that lay timi- But no one can read the financial proposals of the Colonial Treasurer and say that he has slwwn him self destitute either of courage ,pr of tftcfc, To unravel the tangled skeins left by their predecessors, and to take up the heavy balance of promises of Liberal legislation the Grey Government had made, were the undertakings essayed by the Horn J. Hall and his party. With every promise of successfully restoring the colony’s finance to a more stable foundation, and thus savingly credit, imperilled by the pseudo-Liberals ; and ..with, the House’s hands still full of Liberal measure#, in fulfilment of the pro mises made to the country by Government when they went to the constituencies on Sir George’s appeal; the country .has every reason to he satisfied with Cihvsnir mentis doings, and to entertain brighter hopes of the future. Sir George and his followers know this, for they see it before their eyes. But they .don’t like it ; and like -wayward children they throw the most frivolous obstacles in the way of progress. While Government struggling with the difficult question of finance —and the last Government, after their gross failure ought to know bow difficult that question is—the great pro-consui, with his head full of. human race, &c., chimeras, mwt »f?pds introduce a Redistribution of Seats Bid. It was no matter to him that Government stood pledged to that question as well as to a dozen others ; it was no matter to him whether ih§ financial fabric of the colony stood or fell ■; no matter if the colony went bankrupt, and h@r Ffrift W&T& accom plished to-morrow-that Bill must be pa##e4, and‘if it be not passed and evertlung elseWri aside that it be undertaken, why, then, all men not in opposition are men in whom the truth is not, and who love not the country they are bound to serve. Sir George will “ sit till Christmas to pass this measure/’ Enthusiastic Sir George! Patriotic Sir George f Rut does it not strike the old but still gushing patriotic that there are more pressing measures fle, manding his attention and that of the House than this Bill of his. Of course it does. But then to aid these measures would be to aid the Government in power and his mission i» to obstruct them—to turn them out of office if fie pftn, failing that, to annoy by paltry tactics—pqt to help in Liberal legislation. His sole aim seems to he to annoy his unassailable op ponents with trifles ; to kill valuable time, and hinder business ; and his conduct in Opposition,.©yer"since he tendered his un gracious resignation, has been such as would characterise a man who being dis appointed in his desire for the v§im fif th? country feels that for him the country may “go hang.” Fortunately for New Zealand in her time of trial Sir George’s wings arc clipped.

Postal. —Mails (ocUydney, per Tararua, close at Auckland to-moryow (Tuesday), at 2 p.m.

Resident Magistrate’s Court. Re Ford v. Bluett—The application of Mr. O’Reilly for a rehearing in the above case was refused.

Longbkaou Scugol, —lt is always a pleasure to notice the progress of educa tion, and in no part of Canterbury hag it taken greater strides than in Ashburton, During the past two years we can enume rate the following new school districts which the increase of population has called into existence :—Kyle and Chertsey, in Rakaia Road district; Sealield, Newlands, and Elgin in the Wakanui, with a speedy prospect of another fee mouth of the creek ; and in Longbeach, 'ffe.w/fel, and Flemington, the latter not yet having fee school opened ; and another in contempt tion at Hindhope. Ashton and Longbeaeh liave been in full swing for some three yeai'3, ih# former under Mr. W. H. Wake and the lfttj#r boi.ftg superintended by Mr. H. Collins, Ashton i§ about two miles nearer the river than fee township of Waterton, and Longbeaeh .afewj /feput the same distance on the ether s>4e of fee rising village, whilst Flemington will be at thd apex of a triangle, of which the other two form the base—all three being fa a- rich a«4 populated district. Mr. Collins (Longbeaeh) informs ns that when he took charge three years .ago, he started the school with sixteen pupils, aftd- Jie has now sixty scholars in attendant©- Some of these have so far done credit to their teacher’s labors that, having passed their examination, are now in a fair way

of beifig--promoted to the 6th The.wftole of |he school is repeated!, to he progressing; sari sfactorily.

TELEGRAPHIC.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

CABLEGRAM S. :

(Argus Special.) -/■’ London, Doc. 6.

The W.OOI tides have closed with a firm tone! The new clip attracted much attention, and a large foreign de mand is expected at the next series.

(Special to the Association.) St, Petersburg, Dec. 4.

Further particulars of the attempted massacre show that the Emperor escaped solely because the order for departure of the trains conveying the Emperor and baggage respectively, was reversed, other wise fatal consequences would have attended - the attempt. It is ascertained the explosive was fired from a house in the vicinity of the fine taken by the Emperor. The criminals escaped unidentified. The matter has caused profound sensation. Dublin, Dec. 4. The trial of the persons recently arrested commenced on the IHU Nf»V,

AUSTRALIAN.

(Special.) Melbourne, Dec. G.

A deputation of Lincolnshire farmers arrived here on bqr?}-’4 the Norfolk that intend to inspect land in New Zealand with a view to immigration.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

TO-DAY’S TELEGRAMS.

Auckland, Dec. ft

A little girl belonging to the Industrial School was carried into deep water while bathing at Motu Ilri, and was gallantly PC#,cips.d bi r Pj lad named Michael Bren. A trotting nfftitab a p competi tion was won by G, G Wynne’s Roily, Gisborne, Dec, 8

Mr. Webb, late of the “ Standard” com menced an action in the Supreme Court, Auckland, against Mr. Edegcombe, late of Tauranga, for LIOOO for an alleged lifip}. and slander at the Bay of Plenty. P ec - 8 - At the Magistrate s Court this morning, Dennis? IVRCopmick, fqr stabbing i\fr. and Mf§- Fiapnagan, was remanded for a week owing Pfi the latter being unable to attend.

A young man named Rjeht, for issuing valueless cheques, was remanded fop a SftftilAF period. It is believed 15 other charges ‘wiU be preferred against him. A boy named Heckling had a narrow escape of being shot last (Saturday ftt the Kaiwarra rifle range. He crossed the range just as a man fired a bullet, which parsed through the lad’s trousers, and piiVioiishy plough, actually made a centre. GftEpfoprH, Dec. 8. The rush to the Seventeen Jsiip continues, in spite of unfavorable weather, and miners speak well of the prospects. A very rich reef was struck (in Saturday h?. the New River tunnel at Lyell. Sluicing claims at Nelson Creek opened by the Lake Hochspctter race are yielding splendidly. It is reported cne claim for the last eight months has averaged lOOozs. per month among four men.

BRITISH & FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

LAST mmm 04BLBGRAMS,

( Reuter's 7 elegrams.) London, Dec. 4.

The Chilians defeated the Peruvians apd Rfibs/ftns at Tarapaca, and, continu ing offensive? opiFatiops, are now block ading Arica, Deo, 5.

At the wool sales to-day, 8900 bales were catalogued. The tone of the market is firm.

Crennan, the secretary to the Land League, has been arrested at Dublin for seditious language at Ballina. §t, Petersburg, Dec. 5. The Emperor arrived here to-day. Dec. 0.

Two persons have been arrested at Mos cow on suspicion of being connected with the recent attempt made on the Czar’s life. Several words previously omitted in trans mifjgjpn, show that the railroad to Moscow had been tpgnelled, and the explosion fired as the train passed over, Paris, Dec. 5.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, hairing challenged a vote of want ®f confidence on the Home policy, the Chamber of Deputies passed a vote of confidence by a large majority. The Minister Of Finap.ee lias proposed new taxes to the extent of £§,QOQ,QQQ sterling, in consequence of a deficiency.

(Argus Special.) London, Deo. 5.

A money article in the “ Times,” on the kb?w Zealand loan, questions whether the progress of the colony—forwarded so exclusively by pcrj’owed money—is g° od - . . . TT There is a severe famine 111 Upper Silesia.

{Herald Special.) London, Dec. 5.

'flip Frgpch Chamber of Deputies have passed a specif), vote of confidence in M. WaddingtoAs Government- Tjiis will relieve the uncertainty and disquietude which has for some time prevailed.

AUSTRALIAN.

(Reuters Telegram.) Melbourne, Dec. G.

Til© (question whether an absolute statutory mftjofey il obtainable, has been submitted by Gnv&P m#£ii£ iff five Queen’s Counsel. A decision is PP Monday. The deputation of Lincolnshire farmers which arrived here on board the Norfolk intend to inspect the land in New Zealand with a view to immigration. Dec. 7. Sailed- fewjt jsfceamer Lusitania, fer London.

LAST NIGHT’S TELEGRAMS.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Auckland, Dec. G. _ The liahilities of Messrs. Goddefroi, in Auckland, will not exceed L20,00Q.

At a meeting of the Committee of the Auckland Working, Men’? Political As sociation it ■ v^as'decided to -support the ni’Qpp ( sqj 'of the-Wellington Local’ Indus tries 1 Association to have a New -Zealand Exhibition.. ; ‘'ft/-. ;./■:! ‘A

The remains of Mr. Coverley, recently drowned at Waiuku, have been recovered.

„■ Dec. G. . The Gold Mining, Qqmpany has declared j a dividend 0f,,,tw0 and sixpence! The; Moanatairi will, also , declare a dividend I befqre Christmas./-The■ mine had a re turn uri'Saturday of 143 k ounces of gold. 1 Alburnia shares' are unaltered. The judgment of the Resident Magis trate on Saturday in the Volunteer scrip case was for Turtle, for £3O, and costs £l4 15s,

Wellington, Dec. 6. Cliiarini’s Circus closed last night. They have had a successful season. A man named Williams, while working at a foundry, received a splinter of iron in his eye. It is believed he will lose his sight.

The mail steamer with London mails of November, left San Franoisco far Auck land on November 2t, contract date. The a.a. Australia, with November colonial mails, arrived at San Francisco on Dec. 2, two days in advance of due date. It is I eported on good authority that Rewi has declined to hold any further communication with the Government, and lias rejoiqed Tawfliaq at To Rftrifci, also that Hiroki has left Parihaka, and has been offered refuge in the King country ; he is now at Ngatimaru.

The Government have received a cable gram from the Agent-General, stating that the Bank of England, having under taken the issue of the loan, there is no flc.ubt qf its being successfully floated, ' A serious stabbing case took place last evening. Two married women, neigh bors had a dispute, during which several throats were used. On the return home of the husbands a row between the men ensued, and one, named James Flannigan, was ratfler severely stubbed ; Ineiiy-ifq afto received several bruises. Denis M‘Gormack, the other man, has been arrested. The doctor states that Flannigan and his wife are not out of danger. A young man named Ryqte was arrested last’ night for issuing a valueless cheque, A man named Connell, who was arrested at Auckland for wife desertion at Christchurch, was sent through to-day. A new marble altar for St. Mary’s Cathe dral was consecrated this morning by Bishop Redwood. A large assemblage witnessed the ceremony. Dec. 6. Dr. Earle was savagely attacked in his surgery this morning by a madman named Antonio. The man, after a conversation with the doctor, during which he applied for admission to the hospital, took the oppoitflflfty of the doctor’s back being turned to strike* lijrq qn the back of file head wfth a large' sfope. Dr. Earle was stunned for sortie considerable time, and is now suffering fton* tfie blow, Antonio made his escape.

Dunedin, Dec. G. The Dominican Convent Bazaar realised £478.

Mr. Fish has been served with copy of ft writ in connection with the attempt to bust hirn from the Mayoralty. The action is generally condemned, ancl the case will probably be defended by public subscrip tions.

The Italian and English Opera Company opened on Saturday night, with Maritana, to a crowded house.

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT,

WtihT.TNGTQN, Saturday evening. The first 20 clauses of the Property As sessment Bill were got through this morn ing at three o’clock when the House rose, leaving the knotty clause 2, to be fought over at its next sitting. Sir George Grey was insane enough to putting 11 tax qf fld. iq th§ £J on our creditors the bondholders, to which Major Atkinson replied witli great severity, and showed the proposal up in its “truly dishonest, absurd, and suicidal character. ”

The election telegrams are still kept off the table by the efforts of the Greyites, and are pretty safe to escape, for at least this session, from the exposure that has been threatening them. The Licensing Bill, the Ashburton Waterworks Bill, and the Bills of all private members, will very probably be slaughtered in the general massacre of the innocents that usually takes place at the end of the session, as members are deter mined not to stay another wqek, The necessity for their btay in Wellington is very great as the Public Works Statement is still undelivered.

REWI'S DEFECTION.

(By Telegraph,)

Wellington, Deo, 8,

The “New Zealander” publishes the following : —“Major Te Wlieoro lias just received a letter from one of his principal people in the Waikato. Among other matters its contains information with re gard to the reason which led Rewi to leave his settlement at Ponui, where he pro pogpd to reside permanently among the Europeans, apd to go back to hit} o]jj settlement at Te Kuati. At" the time Manga (Rewi) left Ponui for To Kuati, several of his people who were here in Wellington were greatly alarmed, not merely because of Manga going from Ponui to Te Kuati, but the fact that in stead of going overland on horseback by tfie iife.r,d rqufe, lip went by trap through the settled district pf Wtiikafe, 1 pnet tqojc his departure by capoe from Alexandra, a frontier town, and the nearest European the King country. With this explanation a letter which we have referred to will be intelligible. The letter is as follows :

“ Te Wheoro, 2nth month (Nov.) Manga left by canoe from here for Te Ifeapi. Thig is the word spoken by Manga Qivjiis departure frojn Alexandra. A word spoken to both 'Europeans 'arid Maoris, Ho said ; “I will now ijstpn fq the words of Tawhaio, I will ®ever com sent to see the present Governor, nor will I again return to dwell amongst Euro peans. I leave it with those persons who Jj.ive abused Grey to see how they can manage ,affairs in my absence.” The word of Manga tons was f-Horupeo poroporoake. ” It is a farewell word to us and to Europeans. “ Kumi lioroporo ” i 8 a native word lor iiie last words spoken by a chief before Jie dies, of which there is one very well known instance in Manning’s “ Old Slew

felapfi.” l a ejifef is on 'Jiis dsaih bed, this luljt word is listened 'for eagerly by thy whole tribe It is supposed to prophetical of the future clesfcmy-.*e£- the people whom the , dying chief leaves be hind. t i ;-- ' V :

THE OPERA TO-NIGHT.

We remind our readers that the Opera Company will appear to-night in the ToWri .Hall. It is a ti'eat accorded for the first time to Ashburton, and we under stand that if it is successful Mr. D’Orsay Ogden intends visiting our township periodically, and giving a treat to lovers of music, from which, owing to the distance from the chief centres of population, they have hitherto been debarred. The opera to be presented to-night is a comic work of great merit, and lias been'so ap preciated in Christchurch that it was played for a month. Miss Beatrice, Mr. Florence, Miss Jenny Thorne, and Mrs. Florence have all won golden opinions in their respective parts, and those who go to see them will no doubt be amply repaid even if they have to wade through a little mud to do so. Those who have only been accustomed to the bare plaster of our very ugly stage will no doubt be delighted to hear that Mr. Ogden has brought up with him scenery specially made for the pprpoap. The dresses were also excellent, and the band and chorus are both of great interest. If, as it certainly ought Ashburton encourages the enterprise, we hear that Mr. Qcden intends giving us H. MS. Pinafore in a week or two, and we sincerely hope his enterprise, will meet with such success as wifi lead him to do so.

CRICKET.

A match was played on the Domain ground on Saturday afternoon, some of the iqerqbers aa usual turning up consider ably aftpr ted appointed time. We would again call the attention of players-selected for matches to the necessity for punctu ality, as many come a long distance, and others give their time at some sacrifice for the love of the game. It was expected from the start that the single men would win by a large majority, as the benedicts were principally made up from thq muff division of the Club, G. AiuUw-a and' Den shire being the only round men in the team- Thnlaftm'-was unlucky, as he was caught tor. 4 altar- a very abort spell at the bat. Q. Andrews put together 14 by steady play, and the rest of the game was simply a slaughter of the innocents —the total closing for 34. Bruce and Westenra bowled well throughout. The Bachelor*}, were for the most part unlucky, G, Andrew’s bowleg being very destructive, Suqh gopcj pjqyeys, a'mongst them as Westenra, Books, and Bruce had to retire without scoring, and Hodder and E. Saunders wore the only two who got into double figures. The second innings was . played in a driz zling shower, which rendered matters very disagreeable for the field, the ball being particularly difficult tq handle. The Married side tvept in a. second time ; but aftgr. a quarter of an hour’s play the rain came down too heavily to continue the game, and the stumps were drawn. One corner of the ground is now made use of by "a number of ladies for lawn ten ilia and croquet, and has become a centre of attraction for admirers of those games,, Rhe fqllQAying if} tlje scorn 11AIIRJEU, Denshire, c, Hodder b Bruce ... ... 4 Harris, b Westenra 2 G. Andrews, b Bruce ... ... ... 14 Douglas, run out, b Westenra ... 2 Curtis, b Bruce ... ... ... ... 0 Broadbelt, b Bruce ... ... ... 0 Wilkie, Ibw, b Bruce... ... ... § Crisp, b Bruce ... ... ... ~, .0 Main waring, c. 15-. Saunders, b Wes* teiira ~, o O’Reilly, b Bruce ... 0 Substitute, not out ... ... ... 5 Byes ... ... ... ••• 3 Wide ball 1 No ball - ... 1 Total ... ... 34 irpfGiti Hodder b Q. Andrews ... ... ... 15 S. Saunders, bG. Andrews ... ... 4 Westenra, b Andrews ... ... ... 0 A. Fooks, bG. Andrews ... ... 0 E. Saunders, b Harris ... ... ... 12 Grant, b Harris 2 Bruce, c Denshire, b Harris ... 0 E. Fooks, b G. Andrews ... 3 Giuney, bG. Andrews... ... ... 0 Guy, bG. Andrews ... 5 Fowler, not out... ... ... ••• 0 Byes ... ... ••• ••• 4 Wide balls 2 No ball X Tofcal ... ...... ...... 48. aO\YLI!SfG ANALYSIS.,

Temptation. —lf there is anything that makes a man yearn to come home early at night it is the last words of his wife, who says to him, just as he starts out for the evening, “Dear, come home early, so yog citn put up ShrtWS-’* That man' agpfiW' tft §0 hftifte ear.ly, bi|t he sometimes stays opt late just to show his wife that he can resist temptation.

A shop was broken into one night ; but strange to say, nothing was carried off. The proprietor was making his boast of it, at the same time expi’essing his surprise at losing nothing. “Not at all surprising,” said his neighbor. ‘ ‘ The robbers lighted a lamp didn’t they]” “ Y?h’’ the reply.' 4‘WejD ? c'tjpjiipped the peighbor, f‘they founfl* yopr gpocls 'iijarked up so high they could pqt afford to take them. ”

The Fabmeji’h Daughteh. —lf you are courting a farmer’s daughter, don’t adopt a harrow policy. Cultivate generous spirit, and you will reap reward. She can’t help ploughing your advances if you do sow. It has spade much in such cases, and the mower liberal you are, the more she will es-team you. A little palps will sometimes result in great acres, if you are inclined to be a rake, however, you will be sent to grass.

Prevention of Corruption Bill.

Sir Georgs .Grey- the New Zealand Parliament. Such,, we presume, is the great man’s meaning and intention when we find lum introducing a “ Preven tion-’of Corruption Bill, 1879.” And we infer; too, from the introduction of such, a Bill that Sir George’s opinion of the morality of his fellow legislators is . not high. He must be satisfied in his own mind that a Bill to prevenfc.corruption in the House must be necessary, and when.a measure of that nature is brought for r ward by a member of the House, it is a very natural inference to assume that, that member has seen sufficient bribery and corruption in the Parliamentary proceedings of the colony, to warrant the . step he has taken. Sir George was for two years Premier of the colony. During that period he had ample time to find out whether the possessors of seats in the House of Representatives were at all sus ceptible to the temptations of bribery. We presume he fancies he has found out that they are so. and now, fired with his great and ever-increasing love for the human race, he proceeds to the purifica tion of the New Zealand Parliament of everything shady, every thing.bad- and un just and impure. Noble intention, to be sure. But there tire two questions that, naturally arise to one’s mind as he hears of Sir George’s very Roly-mission. Why dicl Sir George wait until he was' in Opposition and powerless to pass-such a Bill before he introduced it.?. Has Parliament, become more mercenary since he resigned the reins than it was before he did so ] Have Governments become more unscrupulous since the days of subsidised newspapers and misused telegraphs, arid electioneering Hinomoas, and political railways ? We think not; and are therefore surprised if the House is so unclean as to require the intervention of a moral, sanitary measure like the one introduced by,. Sir George Grey, that the great benefactor of the human race—whose large heart has room' for every living being, from the .prattling infant born to a life of serfdom, to the horny-handed patriarch who has spent: a 1 downtrodden, pilgrimage of woe thvougha lifetime off unrequited toil—did .not long qre this* when the ball was at, the foot, ; the power in his hand, and the needful sapient majority at his back, pass into law tho parliamentary tonic he now seeks io administer. We said Sir George has room in his large heart for everything human. .We did him an injustice. 'He has no room for the owner of a sheep rpn, In Sir George’s ■heaven the squatter- may hope in vain for I a place, for the sin of owning property >f that description—if Sir George helped him to become its possessor, rio matter— is a venal offence never to be forgiven. Another question arises. How will the Parliament of to-day feel under the insult the Bill cast upon them l If a Pre vention of Corruption Biff is. necessary in this year of mm Lord, 1879, it stands to reason* as we have already said, that Parliament must have been corrupt hereto fore. Somehow our Parliamenters do not feel very acutely under the extrava gant sayings of Sir George. The time was—when he was in the hey-day of his popularity—such a Bill would have roused the ire of every member of the House ; but now that his prestige has become effete, arid hia popularity has been scat-, tqrqd to the four winds of heaven, his - Prevention of Corruption is treated as the production of a spiteful and disappointed man who has outlived his temper and his wisdom ; and his silly measure com-' mands no more attention than would

“A tale Told by an idiot full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. ” Sir-George Grey insults the people of New Zealand by this Bill. A nation is only governed as it deserves to be. If, tlimi, New Zealand is governed by a Parliament of rogues and self-seekers, New Zealand is a colony of rogues and self-seekers, forthq members of the House are the chosen of the people. But we deny that suoh a cliaracter can be given either to the people or its Parliament, and we do not suppose Sir George will care to have himself classed amongst the legisla-, tors of New Zealand who require an Act of Parliament to keep them honest. The Bill, we have no doubt, is, one .of those stabs the hero of last, year’s stumping tour is so fond of giving to those . who oppose l\im, and an implied insult to a House that does not appreciate him. That House has not yet—Sir George’s opinion notwith standing—stooped to the indignity of’ appointing him its Father copfqss.or—and are fully aware that, but for the disap pointment Sir George, and- his party suffered.' in thfi 'Auckland members’ defection, they \\;oukl never have been insulted by th,e framing of the Prevention of Oqrrupton Bill, 1879.

“ Mattie,” they call her. The other morning she complained, to her mamma that her “button shoes were hurting,”, and mamma thought that relief might come from changing right to left.. « Why Mattie, you’ve put t.h‘AH on the wrong feet.” Pipped; and just ready to cry, she made answer, “ What’ll I do, mamma? They’re all the feet I’ve got. ” Wash a baby up clean and dress him up real pretty, and he will resist all advances with the most superlative cross; ness ; but let him eat treacle apd ginger bread and play round the coal-scuttle, for half , ail hour, and ’he will nestle his dear dirty little face close. up/'to, yp,ur clean shirt-bosonp and b,e just the" loy-ipgest, cunningest little.pascal ip pH the world.

One day in spring Sir Walter Scott strolled forth with Lady Scott to enjoy a walk around Abbotsford. In their wan derings they passed a field where a number of:ewes were enduring the frolics of their lambs. ‘‘Ah,” exclaimed Sir Walter, ‘‘ ’its no wonder that poets, from the earliest ages, have made the lamb, the emblem of and innocence,” A 1 They are, indeed, delightful animals,” returned her ladyship ; “especially with mint sauce.” Receipt ppit a La.d.yA D^ess.- your earrings he attention, 'encircled by the pearls of refinement; the diamonds of your necklace be truth, and the chain, of Christianity ; your bosom-pin be Charity, ornamented with pearls of gentleness ; your finger rings be affection, set round with diamonds of industry ; your girdle be simplicity, with tassels qf good Lmpa.K let your thicker garb be virtile, arid'your drapery politeness; let your shoes be wisdom, secured by buckles of per severane. ”

CORRESPONDENCE.

-- ■ A , ; .... ,r\,{. ; j. .-.Tppq. - W E do ript; hold ourselves ■.responsible 'for the ..opinions expressed'hy our’ -correspondents.

WIRE WORMS.

To ■’The "Editor. Siik,—l noticed in ypur paper, that some friend advised you to 'place two or three sea gulls in your garden, to catch wire ' worms. No doubt-they would do. good, hut I think such advice is scarcely worth mentioning. Having also suffered in cab bages and French beans from wire Worms, I venture to say if soot or quick lime is-' placed around the plants, you will find the phintsavenot mole3tedariy riiofe this season ’ by worms. But to avoid worms another-' year, strew a good, layer of. qpi.ck-lime.' ail. 1 . over the garden in the coming winter,'an'd-R dig in in early spring. It will kill the:.-,.-., worms and other, insects that /are'foufid/iri' 7 a vegetable garden. This remedy is very common in the Old Country ; it is'a. good ; J manure, it purifies the ground, potatoes ■turn out very bright and clean.' T have b placed lime around niy own., vegetables: where the havoc has been : 'vefy great, • and I can say the results -are very satisfactory. ; —lain tfcc., . . i ■■ • ' A Poor Worm. : Dec. 4th, 1879. v d

MR. STOUT AND THE PROPERTY TAX.

• . .TO THB-EDITOR. Sir—Mr. Robert Stout’s letter to the “Otago Daily Times,” on the Property Tax, has appeared iii ; a number ; of papers, and doubtless will in due -course find its way into your columns. May I be per mitted to make a fojv remarks: ;' .r d- .<.

Mr. .Robert Stout.; the ex-legal adviser ? H of the . defunct Grey '-administration,' has certaifily worked out to a correct .issue;’-' the. four sums respecting the. taxes the hard working settler, the struggling city tradesman, the.- manufacturer, and .the .merchant would have, to pay, i\nder the .. proposal made by/ the present Colonial Treasurer for a Property. Tax. Orie can ;• scarcely imagine a lawyer,, above all- other/.:-, professional gentlemen, - making ’such." a. creditable exposition of 'knowledge - of : . figures. Mr. Stout certainly understate s*:.-? working out suppo-dtioflal suiris. - -He puts .-> the cage and brings out- the; resultsriwith great aptitude. It is a “pity the present? ;• Colonial Treasurer has not a riian of/the ex-Crown law adviser’s? wonderful calibre; A sitting in opposition, for I feel certain, out of a multitude of such heads—-some good - might naturally be > expected to follow. There are, no doubt, many-p’ersona to .be found whose pockets; will suffer to. an ex tent in proportion to. their means,, as is sd- . masterly ,' propo.unded by 'this ..learnetl'.,;. gentleman of the law. But I must cer tainly; take exception to the ’’style qf ithe • | letter I have referred to.' There is a cer tain. amount of;.“dirt ;throwingf, wlfifit Mr. Stout-says in effect, the Conservative Government, a3.lie terms it, has taxed the hard working pioneer settler most -out rageously—in- . fact, done J soirietliing : one might be led to- designate as entirely ' reprehensible. He. has ’used as a coin- v_." parison one imaginary instance . where?. . tax payer has been “got at” to the tune of Lll 55.- : extra, arid in another L something like L 33 6s. 8d;, and in another Y something like LG36' Bs. , minus L 5 4s. 2d. In the latter case-the merchant’s position would yearly be worse LSB 2s. 6d. in - .taxes.. Under the Grey and Stout adrriinis- - , trative policy the merchants in question would have to pay.only L 5 45..2<3L; while underj the iniquitous Hall Government he would, with stock,'&c., valu’edat L 12,500, be spoiled to file extent of LSB 2s. 6d. extra. Truly, Mr. Stout* the ex-Crown law.adviser, ,’tis a curious world-! \ 7 Now, what are' thefacts ?Government alter Government atteinpted to carry cai the management of New Zealand—Mr- .

Stout, of course, ■' having a finger/ in,tlia pie—until a state of affairs is arrived at which is appalling in The extreme/ Money’ has; been : borrowed, and in ■works of a non-productive: kind, fintil it takes in round numbers’ ,Id million pounds sterling annually to: pay the /in terest on our public debt; Or/ to go mbre into detail, and work out the “ rul-e of

three ” sum which never prevaricate* in the answer-Hor the ground work of my sum I propose to take the papulation of New. Zealand, man, woman, and child, it 423,465, with an annual interest of/’say, - LI,500,000.: The out-come of -thisyis— ' that every head is fixed for interest alone at the rate of LS 10s. lOcl. Our estimated ”* expenditure is put. at L4 J Ol3,0 1 78, ,or L 9 J§a. Bd. per head. This ia the state tfie/so. called “ Liberal” people’s Govern- " irient have from time to time financed .the country into, ' ' .-h J ' • ‘■y-: '

The following comparisons will show : ' the utter mess the amateur politicians: have steered the country into. Of Mr.; Stout will scarcely have the hardibOiddt v to say he was not for a time ' one of the 1 able conductors-of the New Zealand form ■ of Government. It is'tA bp. hoped we. 'v shall hear less of tfefe actions of' those (I mean the present Ministry) who ran out j of power 'Sin George Grey arid his fol lowers.- This-is the statement . *'

t Total 2,133,506 13,189,427’ 6 4 "" 6 ; New Zealand 423,465 4,013,078 9 15 AS 1 The first six named colonies, with a ; V total population of 2,133,596, have a : ;i ------public debt • of L 44,898,200 while oqy : liberally-governed New Zealand, with. ' a population of 423,465, or than one fifth lias a public debt; x incurred and to be asked for, Amounting to L 27,112,304. ; For the sake of convenience aay L 27,000,000. I have to go back to thia , branch of my education— as I wish to show the number of p@oplg should have,' in comp*U'\i% A ness with thq other- §hc colofiieff, *■ ha«sd; / uym pqpidattqn, X tjii'nk Mr. .Sfcoutuwiltf agree with mb that the''followingwill'bring 15 ' it out:—As L44,898,-200 f :'2,133i595?: f 4-r- J L 27,000,000 : 1,283,000. It is-- clear,,— then, to place us in the same pbaitidrilasA'f . the six colonies,„ouw populationsliould.bg §_ 1,283,000, or about thpae people where there is now one. It 'therefore a fact the handful of people'in New Zealand are aping this —one mart has State obligations to three times the extent of our neighbors, JL This is th« correct solution of At the same time it is quite possible thafcv ,• the immaculate late member for Du^ediiir-'A

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Andrew Harris Western 13rues P i' 3 Sg'g' 'gg Total Balk m •« r 5 M m r Rons. w ss s 3 Maidens. Musa w Co Wickets. O « M VO Widea. i 8 i 0 No Balls.



Name of Colony.' ■Estimated n „ . *1 j Population f ev ™, * for 1878, f P r iS.78.. N. S. Wales : Victoria S. Australia Queensland Tasmania W. Australia A'c’ .4 $. Q. 677,979 4,983/864 76 =" 869,046 4,504,413 5 3 § •' • 243.253 1,592,635 6 4 4 , 206,797 1,559, ut -7 16 9 Q ; 108,525 - 386,060 : 3 ii r a V, r ; 28,002 ' ly'-v'S-:.



Uew Advertisements. Ar k OG Liver-colored Retriever followed J. Leeson to Ashburton Forks from township. Owner can obtain him at Re veil’s blscksnQth, paying expenses;, ’■ A ’ ’ ' *; ~7 89 a yrZfNIOR Clerk advertised for. Box 12, /$) Ashburton, is tilled. ■ _ 786a-2oQ F ALL E N IT K: -HENRI _ , jV i (Of Cathedral Square, Christ church,) M SURGEON- AND . MECHANICAL DENTIST, 1 May he consulted at Quill’s Ashburton Hotel, Ashburton, from Dec. 8 to 13, in all cases appertaining to the profession of Dentistry. : 787 a WANTED— A MAN for three hours e very . Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, from 4to 7 a.m. Apply— WEEKS & DIXON. ASHBURTON CALEDONIAN SOCIETY. k GENERAL MEETING of members \ will be held fit Quill's Commercial Intel on A TUESDAY EVENING, 9th i nst., at 8 o’clock. Business—Most Im portant. A full attendance desirable. J. E. HYDE HARRIS, 790 a Secretary. WANTED —A Respectable YOUTH for the Grocery Business. Apply immediately "to T. R.' HODDER & COMPANY. 795 a MOUNT SOMERS ROAD BOARD. A PPLICATIONS for appointment as Clerk and Overseer are invited from competent persons. Salary, £250 per annum and house, to include horse al lowance. .To be,addressed to the man, Mount Somers, on or before NOON, JANUARY Bth, 1880., . 796a—263 OWN HALL. MONDAY, DEC. Bth. T O P E;• R A . . Mr R. HOfs,ay Ogden has the honor to present tlih folio vying company of artistes who will appear in Julius Eichberg’s now celebrated opera, in 2 acts, entitled THE DOCTOR OF ALCANTARA. Miss Beatrice . Mr. Chas. Florence Mrs. Chas. Florence Mr. J. W. Marshall Miss Jenny Thorne Mr. M. D. Alexander Miss Morgan- Mr. F. W. Fisher Miss Andrews Mr. J. H. Edmonds Miss Williams Mr. B. Cahill Musical Director . Mr. H. F. Towle Leader of Orchestra Pro. H. Hughes



FULL AND EFFICIENT CHORUS. With new, elegant, and appropriate scenery from Mr. Ogden’s Theatre, Christ church. 784 a WESLEYAN CHURCH. PRACTICE on TUESDAY and SATURDAY - EVENINGS, at 7.30 o’clock, in the Church, Cameron street,; for the Anniversary.- Members of. the Choir and friends invited to attend. H. J. WEEKS, 785 a ■ ... , - Organist. WESLEYAN - CHURCH. SERVICES in connection with the Second Anniversary of the above Church, will be conducted by the Rev. W. BAUMBER, of Christchurch, On SUNDAY, DEC. 14. Collections in aid of the Building Fund Oa TUESDAY'" following,. : a TEA will be held in the Church, after which a Public Meeting will take place, addressed by. Ministers and other friends. Music by the Choir. Tea at G o’clock. Tickets, 2s. each. 755 a •\T7ANTED. —The ..-Herald tells your V f Wants in 20 words, for l/~. LOST, on Saturday, a Scythe Sharpen ing STONE. The owner would be glad if the Finder would leave same at. the Herald Office. . T . / 765 a WANTED KNOWN, the season for transplanting is at hand, and we can supply, many thousands Cabbage, Caidiflower, Broccoli, Savoy, Brussel. Sprouts, Celery, and-other Plants, for winter supply. - ' -745 a SEALY BROS. SHEARERS WANTED. SHEARING will commence at Winch more on the 10th DECEMBER. Ap pply to '7BOa —258 M. -STITT. NOTICE. ‘ '’ "i - STRAYED on my land at Tinwald, Bro wn Horse, saddle max-ked, and branded No. 2on near Shoulder. If not claimed and expenses paid within one, month from this date, will be sold. Apply— •• ’ D. M‘LEOD, Near Tinwald. Dec., 1879. 783 a



NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS. TENDERS FOR BOOK STALLS. SEPARATE Written Tenders will be received at this office, addressed to the undersigned, up to noon of WEDNES DAY, 10th December, for the LEASE of BOOKSTALLS at the Lyttelton, Christ church, Ashburton, and Rangiora Railway Stations for One Year. Tenders to be accompanied by a marked cheque for £5. Specifications and conditions can be seen at this office, and at the Lyttelton, Christ church, Ashburton, and Rangiora Railway tender will not \ons. ie highest or auy necessarily be accepted. - • v FREDK. BACK;./ ' General Manager. General Manager’s Office, Christchurch, Dec. 2, 1879. 770 a T7IULL of Reading Matter is the Herald Jj Every Evening,