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 Chertsey at 10.20 a.m daily. For Rakaia at 10.20 a.m and 4 p.m daily. For Dunedin, Tinwald Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, an 1 Geraldine, at 10.20 a.m, daily. For Temuka. Timaru, and South at 10.20 a.m and 3 p.m daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10.30 a.m For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach, at .15 p.m. daily. For Wakanui and Seafield, on Mondays and Thursdays, 7.30 p.m. W. St. G. Douglas, , Postmaster.

A travelling Post Office having been estab lished on the Southern line of railway, letters bearing a late fee of 2d. may be posted at any station in the mail carriage attached to the express train, and they will be included in the mails made up in transit for offices on the main line and branches.

Sydney J. Dick, Chief Postmaster.

UNCLAIMED LETTERS.

The following ietteis from places beyond he colony were received at the Ashburton Post Office during the month of August, and remained unclaimed on Ist October, 1879: Allinham, J. Charles, Richard Critchley, W. S. Deacon, William Devane, Patrick Fraher, John Criffin, Morgan Maclean (or Maclear) John Kennedy, William Kissane, Michael Larkin, Andrew Morrison, James Moriarty. Michael (Quinlan. Mary Ryan, Thomas B. Sharp, Sames Valpy, John N. Vincent, J. Walker, Archibald Woodman, W. D. Young, Lewis P. McAllister; Mrs Black, Tohn Twiss, Michael W. St, G. Douglas, Postmaster. KOn the first daj of each month a list is ex hibited at each Pc *t Office in the Colony of the addresses of all letters received from places be yond the Colony that have remaind unclaimed for one month at such Post Office; and such of these letters as remain unclaimed at the end of a further period of two months are then for warded to the Dead Letter Office, to be return ,ed unopened to the countries where they origi mated. Unclaimed letters originating in the •Colony are not advertised, but at the end of it wo months are forwarded to the Dead Letter (Office, Wellington, there to be opened and re turned to the writers.

NOTICE.

.NEW POSTAL REGULATION.

luettfesrs posted within the colony having the rnames 2nd addresses of the senders printed on the addkess side of the envelopes, accompanied fey a request that the letters be returned if not claimed within a stated period, will be return ed unopened Provided, however, such letters shall have remained in the post office to which they may be addressed, at least ten days. —————— —■

COMMERCIAL.

Messrs Robert Wilkin and Co. Christ tdkmrch, report under date October 9th : At the Addington Yards on Wednesday, 3233 sheep, 489 head of cattle, and 68 pigs were yarded. There was a good attend ance of buyers, and the bidding for fat stock was animated throughout, and our prices are, —Fat crossbred ewes, shorn, 95.; fat steers, £lO 155.; fat heifers, £8 ; store steers, from £5 10s. to £6 ss. springers, from £5 to £8 17s. 6d. Sheepskins.—At our sale to-day 2056 iskins were catalogued. There was a large attendance of buyers, and biddings were keen, with the following result : Butcher s •crossbred, large, 4s to 4s lOd each; do. medium, 3s 3d to 4s; do. small and inferior, 2s 6d to 3s 3d ; do merino, large, 3s lOd to 4s 8d ; do. medium, 3s to 3s lOd ; do. small and inferior, Is 2d to 3s ; Lamb skins, 6d. each. Tallow.—There was the usual attend •ance of the trade, and prices were firm. Best clean, well-saved, to 2|d per lb ; second quality, to 2d per lb ; inferior and Cheated, to lfd per lb. Hides and calfskins unsold.

ASHBURTON RETAIL LIST.

The Ashburton Herald AND Borough and County Advertiser With which is incorporated the “ Evening Echo”). MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1879.

It is unquestionably no new thing to hear an Opposition make grave charges of incompetency and insincerity against the Government in office, and not infrequently, when the accusing Opposition change places with the accused Government, the charges, though substantiated to some ex tent, lose a good deal of the grossness, the zeal, or the bitterness of of those who made them, charged them with. Greyite organs now bring the charges on this, and caution their readers against accepting as true the cliarges now being mad e against, the Grey Government of nxal-ad ministration, and malversation of office. Though similar charges have been made previous to every change of Government, and though we allow that they have just as often failed to be substantiated to the extent the accusers hoped they would be able, we do not think there is much room left for doubt that, were a fair oppor tunity given to the Hall Ministry, an ugly category of scandalous doings might be unearthed from the departmental records of the Grey Ministry’s term of office. The history of the Grey Ministry’s doings, as apparent to outside observers, was not a creditable one, and they laid themselves open to charges that their op ponents have not been slow to hurl at them. We are perfectly satisfied there are reasonable grounds for believing that they have allowed a huge financial de ficit to accumulate, and should not be surprised to hear within the next few hours that the country will require to find a million or so of money to make the two ends meet, that the recklessness and extravagance of the very “ liberal ” Go vernment have deprived of the power of junction. We are certain that a keen head for figures, like that of Major At kinson, only wants to bend for a short time over the colony’s ledger to find out the financial situation, and the fact that the books of the colony were to fall into his hands is sufficient to account for the unwillingness of the Grey yarty to re linquish office, and their desperate anxiety, after having been shamed into abandoning the reins, to resume them at the very first opportunity. What the effect upon the colony’s credit, and the value of its property will be when Major Atkinson makes his statement of finance it is not safe to prognosticate. But the conclusions we draw fro m certain rumors now floating about Wellington are that some startling revelations will ba made during the week, that are bound to raise a feeling of uneasiness in the colony, and greatly cool down the popularity that has hitherto been enjoyed by the “ Great Liberal.”

The Suez Mails. —The Suez mails will be brought to Ashburton to-night by a special train, arriving about seven o’clock/ Town Mali Company.— We would re mind shareholders of the Town Hall Company that an imporSß#t meeting will be held to-night in the Hall at

New Telegraph Station. A telegraph station has been opened at South Rangi tata, in this county. Hitherto it has only been utilised for railway purposes, but now it has been thrown open for the use of the public. Drunk and Disorderly. —A gentle man named Kavanagh Macai’tliy, who, we need not add, is not a Frenchman, was fined 10s. to-day by His Worship the Mayor for being drunk and disorderly. Mr. Macarthy was at one time an inmate of the Old Men’s Home, but that es tablishment became too big for him, and he sought other shelter. He had been knocking down a pension he periodically receives, and knocked down too much at one time, hence his interview with His Worship. The Fowl-Stealing Case. —The charge against James Moore, of stealing fowls, will be beard before the Resident Magis trate to-morrow.

Vagrant Entires. —We hear that there are three entire horses at large in the Wakanui district. The owners of these brutes, whoever they may be, ought to be severely punished, as at this season of the year, there is no saying what amount of damage might be done by the mongrels. The same complaint was made last year.

Minister Under the Marriage Act.— The Rev. Brownlow J. Westbrooke has been gazetted an officiating minister within the meaning of the Marriage Act. Unregistered Dogs. —A correspondent desires to know how he should proceed in the matter of a stranger dog that has taken the liberty to reside on his pre mises. No amount of threatening nor make-believe stoning has any effect upon the animal, which is unregistered, and the writer does not like to be cruel. He does not wish to become the owner of the dog, nor the responsible party in any way for its registration fee ; neither does he care to render himself liable to the real owner, if the dog should have any, for damages for “appropriating the collie.” We may state for the information of our correspondent and any others who may be similarly situated that the occupier of the premises upon which an unregistered dog is found taking up liis quarters is liable for the registration fee, unless he can prove that the dog is owned and maintained by some one else. The law does not make any provision for kind heartedness, and if an unregistered animal comes hanging about a man’s place the proper course to follow is to destroy it, otherwise Sergeant Pratt or any officer may find that the dog has established a “ residential qualification” that means a fine and costs over and above the fee. In the last raid made by the police upon the owners of unregistered c'ogs, his Worship laid down the above course in one of the cases —destroy the dog at once, or become liable to fine, costs, and fee for maintain ing a nuisance under the Dog Nuisance Act.

Taxation of ICawau.— Amidst much laughter, Mr. George McLean gave notice, in the Horse of Representatives Friday afternoon, that on the next sitting day he would move that on account of the hardening effect which the exemption from all taxation produces upon the human mind, the Island of Kawau should be included within the boundaries of the county of Rodney. A Lengthy Petition. —Among the petitions presented to the House of Re presentatives was one by Mr. Seddon, signed by 3000 people, praying for the construction of a railway between Hoki tika and Greymouth. The petition was so long that, when unrolled, it stretched from the Speaker’s chair to the door at the other end of the Chamber, and as it was formed partly of blue and partly of white paper it may be inferred that the supply of the latter material was ex hausted in the district whence the signa tures were obtained.

Ownerless Sections. —There are a good many sections in Christchurch for which owners cannot be found, and arrears of rates have accumulated upon them for some time. To collect the arrears thus owing has been a matter of impossibility, but the City Council does not mean to lose the revenue which is rightly due from the unoccupied sections. Summonses have therefore been issued in the names of the reputed owners, and serving is supposed to be accomplished by displaying the summonses on posts in the grounds in question. Judgment will, of course, go by default, and after the lapse of the necessary time will be sold by the Cor poration. The wrinkle is worth noting by the Ashburton Borough Council.

Costly Converts.— Missions to the Jews are not very paying speculations. The report of the Free Church of Scot land Mission shows that the expense of converting five Jews in a year was £5,621, or £1,124 a head, while an anxious enquirer ef the ancient faith cost the Established Church £5,000. If, therefore, the new bishop of Jerusalem has gone forth with the idea of zealous proselytising, he is likely to be grievously disappointed.—“ Whitehall Review.”

What is a “ Cockney ?”—The word is a corruption of the French word “ cocagne ” (sweetmeats) the land of cookery, an imaginary land of good living—and ap plied to the natives of the City of London, in contempt, on account of their supposed lazy, pampered, and luxurious life. The claim to the title is generally allowed to be confined to natives of the city, or as some have it, to those born within the sound of Bow Bells. A Pleasant Town to Live in.—Ac cording to Humboldt the oldest town in the world is Jakutsk, 5000 inhabitants, in Eastern Siberia. It is not only the oldest but probably, also, the coldest. The ground remains always frozen to the epth of 300 ft., except in midsummer, when it thaws three feet at the surface. The mean temperature for the year is 13 -7 deg. Fah. For ten days in August the thermometer goes as high as BSdeg. From November to February the temperature remains between 42deg. and 68deg. below zero. The river Lena remains frozen for nine months of the year. A Young lady in North Carolina re quested to he released from her marriage on the ground that when she contracted it she believed her lover “ a duck,” but has since found him to be a goose. Mixed, —An unfortunate mistake is said to have been made in a church near Rhyl (says “Brief.”) The clergyman, who intended to pray for fino weather, offered up by mistake the fervent petition sor rain. The mistake was neutralised at the evening service, when the prayer for fine weather was substituted.

TELEGRAPHIC.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

TO-DAY’ S TELKGKAMS

Wellington, Oct. 13. The charge against the natives for riot ing at Gisborne, is now proceeding. In that against Karita, a “ nolle prosequi” was entered, he having been arrested by mistake.

BRITISH & FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

LAST NIGHT'S CABLEGRAMS

[Renter's Telegrams.)

London, October 9. Three per cent consuls, 97-g. The total reserve in notes and bullion in the Bank of England is £29,312,500. The wool market is quiet but steady. The arrivals for the next auction amount to 50,000 bales. Oct. 10. Disturbances in Ireland are spreading. One regiment of cavalry and two batallions of infantry have been sent as a reinforce ment, on account of the disturbed state of the country. Count Schouvaloff has returned to his post at London. Oct. 11. The Union Bank announces a loan of £50,000, for the completion of the Christ church Cathedral. St. Petersburg, Oct. 10. A large fire occurred at Riga, which des troyed Government buildings and forty houses. The cause is unknown. Calcutta, Oct. 10. General Roberts was before Cabul on October 8. General Massey, detached to cut off the retreat, captured 78 guns.

AUSTRALIAN.

(Reuter's Telegrams.)

Sydney, Oct. 11, An immensely rich goldfield has been discovered in Queensland. Mort’s freezing process is a success. There is heavy wagering on the Cup and Derby.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

LAST NIGHT’S TELEGRAMS.

Auckland, Oct. 11.

Mdle. Duboin, the Russian pianist, gave a recital in the Choral Hall to a fair audience. At the Thames R.M. Court a case had to be adjourned in which a Maori was defendant, owing to the impossibility of serving summonses in the disturbed district. Wellington, Oct. 11. The Hon. Randall Johnstone lias de clined the nomination for the Mayoralty. The cable-repairing steamer Agnes left Sydney for Wellington yesterday, and will arrive in about seven days, when she will immediately proceed to pick up the Cooks Strait cable, of. which two wires have been carried away. The immigration officer has received GO nominations for transmission home by the outgoing mail. An oilskin found on the beach leaves no doubt that the fishermen who have been missing since Saturday have been drowned. At the public meeting last night it was resolved that an association for the pro tection of local industries should be formed in this city. New Plymouth, Oct. 11.

A stonemason residing in New Ply mouth has been engaged by the natives at Parihaka to build an oven for the purpose of baking bread to be supplied to the visitors who attend monthly meetings there.

Evans, who was committed for trial for shooting his wife when intoxicated, was admitted to bail to-day.

How to Make Bread. —Peel and boil 51b. of potatoes, strain and mash them, add one quart of cold water, strain through a calender ; add to the potatoes a pint of yeast, place in a large tin bucket or dish, stir in sufficient flour to make a thick batter, cover with a cloth, place by the fire ; do not fill the vessel more than half full ; when it has risen sufficiently put 151 b. of flour in a dish or trough, pour in the leaven, mix with tepid water and thoroughly knead; keep it warm; in about two hours it will be risen; make into loaves about 21b.. place in tins, set, rise half an hour, put in the oven, bake one hour ; set the leaven at night, it will be fit to mix in the morning. To Make Yeast. —In a saucepan con taining two (juarts of water, put one large handful of hops, one large potato ; boil an hour, strain and allow to stand till about the warmth of freshly-milked milk ; put one cup of sugar and one of flour-batter ; in 24 hours it will be fit for use. In win ter place in a warm place, near the fire ; in the summer it is not necessary to do so. A Lost Planet. —Among the dis covered asteroids, now numbering nearly 200, a few have already been lost, and not a few might well be spared. There is one, however, remarks Mr R. A. Proctor of the “ Newcastle Daily Chronicle,” which astronomers would regret to lose, viz., Hilda, which travels in a much wider orbit than any of the others. This planet could give more exact information respecting the mass of Jupiter than any other member of the solar system, coming much more fully at certain times under his influence. Unfortunately, Hilda has been searched for in vain at its first re turn to opposition, and astronomers begin to fear that the planet is, for the time being, lost.

Holloway’s Pills, —Let the Sick tkae heed.—The stomach is the commissariat of the physical system. It furnishes the material sus tenance of every organ. If disordered, the whole body languishes ; but however severely it may be affected, its tone and vigor may always be restored by a course of these irresis tible Pills ; biliousness, indigestion, liver com plaints, and other disorders of the stomach can easily be cured by the use of Holloway’s Pills. Thousands attest this assertion, and no sufferer who has ever tried them will deny their su preme efficacy, I n every case pf stomach dis ease, from the mildest case of dispepsia to the disorder of both liver and stomach, from the nausea of the free liver to the vomiting accom panying ulcerated stomachs, these Pills imme diately relieve, and by perseverance effectually cure.—Advt.

CRIME IN AMERICA.

Referring to the above subject, the New York correspondent of the “ Australasian” says : Next to politics, what engages the pub lie mind most at present is the “ Epidemic of Crime,” as it is rather fancifully called. If it were really in the air, and the germs of murder, swindling and robbery were scattered by the wind, the result could hardly be more startling or extensive. Within the past mouth, no less than 20 murders have been committed in the City of New York and its vicinity, and some of them have been of a most outrageous character. Four were reported on the morning of the 4th of July. One of these was worth noting. An old man residing with his brother in a theological seminary occupying extensive grounds near the cen tre of the city, went out about 11 p.m. to see that no intruders were on the grounds. Two hours later he was found shot through the heart. The police, with their average acuteness, immediately started the theory that he had committed suicide. There was not a particle of evidence to sustain the notion. The dead man was of a cheerful temperament, in easy circum stances, the head of a family, and himself of perfectly regular habits and of pure life. But so wedded to their invention were the detectives, that no adequate investigation was had, and the coroner’s jury was allowed to bring in the amazing verdict that Seymour came to his death with a pistol shot, fired accidentally by some un known. This jewel of “ Ci'owner’s ’quest ” law ends all enquiry, though there was strong reason to believe, from the evidence given, that the old man was shot by a man with a woman in a dark corner of the grounds. New York is not alone by any means in its remarkable harvest of crime. Nearly every large city of the Union, especially in the ordinarily quiet States of the east, is engrossed in some extraordin ary trial for murder or other serious of fence. Boston is engaged with the case of a white-haired church officer, exposed suddenly in a long series of forged en dorsements of his own paper. The most striking feature in his case is the frantic efforts that are being made by his highly respectable friends to save him from punishment, by paying the forged paper. In Kentucky, the sensation is the trial of a lawyer of high standing at the bar for having deliberately killed a judge who had given judgment against him in a foreclosure suit. This gentleman, a Colonel Burford, seems to have been a model of the old fashioned southern chivalry. He is a man of honorable character in his ordinary dealings, but of ungovernable temper. Hearing that his brother had sold out the half of a farm which the two owned jointly, he sent word to the purchaser that he should be shot on sight if he undertook to enter upon the property. Then he sought his brother, and warned him that he was about to kill him. The brother who was armed, threw away his pistol, and folding his arms, faced the angry man, who fired three shots at him. He was so excited, however, that none of the shots hit. Three days after he severely wounded a friend of his brother’s who re proached him for his cowardly assault. When his sister’s farm was sold under foreclosure—the suit led to the present trial—he garrosined the house against the sheriff, and successfully resisted a siege of three days, which was finally raised on account of a new trial being ordered. When the new trial ended adversely, he “ loaded his gun,” in his own language, “ slung on his game bag and started out to hunt judges. ” He failed to find two, but the third he came up with, and killed on sight, the wretched victim beiug en tirely defenceless and off his guard. When arrested he caressed his shotgun, and re marked, “ She went as clear as a bell then added, kissing the barrel, “ I’ve had a good deal of sport with you, but I reckon this will be the last. You have brought down noble game to-day.” Being told that the judge he had shot was dead, he exclaimed, ‘‘ By , I thought he could not get away with that load.” This brute was defended on the plea of insanity, and though the evidence was of the flim siest character, he was sentenced only to imprisonment for life—a sentence from which he will not be long in escaping.

SYDNEY COFFEE PALACE.

The following description of the Coffee Palace a movement that is rapidly spreading and gaining strength—is from the .Sydney “ Town and Country.” The Palace was opened on the Otli inst: — The “Palace” comprises the whole of the premises, No. 393, and the upper floors of Nos. 395 and 397, George street. The ground floor area is 20ft x 70ft, and upstairs each of the floors have three times that amount of space. In the base ment, which, like the ground floor, has an area of 20ft x 70ft, are a series of culinary conveniences of the most complete order, including a Pullinger range, and grill of Brobdignagian proportions, steam boiler, bain-marie, hot plate oven, and steam carving table. The ground floor apart ment is highly decorated with gilding and mirrors, and furnished with coffee urns, and marble tables on bronze bases. The bar, although intended to be devoid of in toxicating beverages, will be resplendent with glassware and colored fluids and crystals. The first floor is divided into two magnificent dining-saloons. One of these is for ladies, for whom a separate entrance and stairway from George street is provided; the other is for gentlemen. Off the ladies’ dining saloon is a spacious and elegantly-furnished retiring room, connected with which is a lavatory and other conveniences. There is also a steam carving table on this floor, as on the base ment. Visitors to the hotel will be enabled to read the principal journalistic literature of the world in a cheerful read ing-room, while they recline in morocco covered arm-chairs. On the floor above is a saloon in which are two billiard tables, by Alcock, one of them being the hand some blackwood one made specially for Cook, the champion, to play his matches in Sydney on. On this floor also is a com fortable smoking room, lavatory, baths, and fourteen bedrooms. On the third floor there are thirty-six bedrooms, replete with every convenience. The comfort of lodgers seems to have been studied to the fullest extent, and the “ Palace” will offer a comfortable residence to those whose pretensions are moderate. The tariff, it is said, has been framed on a reasonable basis.

Ax Aberdeen baby is said to have in herited the eyes and nose of his father, but the cheek of his uncle, who is an insurance agent.

Rust in Wheat.

Upon the Rust in Wheat question, Mr. M'Elwin, near Adelaide, sends the follow ing to Mr. Coates, secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society for South Aus tralia :—lt must be evident to all who have attentively read the many very interesting practical letters which have appeared in the public journals during the past month, on the question of red rust in wheat, that a great deal of useful and valuable information has been elicited, and so much has been gathered, that in my opinion we are now upon the eve of a practical solution of the difficulty. It will be remembered that when the matter was first brought before the committee of the society, Mr. C. Sabine there stated that he had sown two patches of wheat : one he dressed wtth a strong salt brine and dried with hot lime, and the other had.no dressing ; and that at harvest the undressed portion was smothered with red rust, while the portion dressed was quite free from rust, and was a good crop. I herewith append a letter I received from that gentleman on the subject, which is interesting as showing his unshaken con fidence in the above remedy. The letter by a “Constant Reader” also deserves special notice. It is quite true, as he says, that we had no red rust in the early days of the Colony for many years, and this may be owing to the almost universal use of salt brine as a steep for the seed. Would it not be wise to go back to the use of salt instead of bluestone 1 I am surprised to see so many different opinions as to the nature of red rust. The late researches of Tulasne and Be Barry set this matter at rest. They have discovered that the genera Uredo (U. Fcetida), smut in wheat, and others, have no distinct existence, but are preparatory forms of Puccinia (P. graminis), rust in wheat, and other genera. Placed under the microscope its structure can be readily detected as decidedly a fungus. The following is the letter Mr. Sabine re ferred to:—“The more letters and articles I read on the above subject (red rust), the more am I convinced after all that my remedy—old seed, salt-dressing, lime-drying—will be found eventually the cheap and safe specific, not absolutely everywhere and always, but as a rule.”

Another South Australian contributor on the same subject (rust) says : —ln reading over the various suggestions relative to rust in wheat, from a covering of sea sand of 200 tons per acre to a dressing of lime or salt, I am prompted to give the result of a few trials made on the Lois-Weedon system. In order to carry out this I ploughed and harrowed the land. I then drew furrows with the plough three feet apart and sowed ,Gslbs (one bushel) seed per acre. When tlxe crop was well up I ploughed the open spaces as near to the growing plants as possible. The straw grew strong and rank, as might have been expected ; the crop of wheat (clean wheat and no oats) was 33 bushels per acre. I have again tried the same plan with similar results. I tried it again, putting the rows 18 inches apart, but did not get more than 22 bushels per aci'e, as the rows were too near to put the plough between. But even with that drawback it afforded room for ventilation. But, sir, I don’t go in for attempting to grow wheat or rape without feeding the soil. I make use of guano and bonedust, and invariably find it pay. I now recommend as a means of preventing red rust, to feed off the grow ing wheat and then follow with the scarifier, by taking oft' the shares and putting on small pointed shares, then follow with the roller. My rape sown with bonedust is looking well, and I have no doubt that the crop of grain next year will show the benefit. And lam sanguine enough to hope that by alternating grain and green crops 1 shall escape red rust.

Dr Slade, the Spiritualist, a Woman.

About three years ago one of the most famous leaders in the spiritualistic ranks was Slade, the medium and lecturer. He was very daring in his exploits, and became notorious throughout the country for his audacity, and the number of per sons whom he drew under his influence. He made a considerable amount of money in America ; and in the latter part of 1876 he went to England, where he continued his career as a medium, and for some time was a rival of Home, the lucky medium who married a rich woman, whom he had taught to believe in spirits. Finally Slade was arrested, and was tried in Lon don ou the 29th January, 1877, for fraudu lently obtaining money by means of the unlawful power he obtained from his occupation as a medium. It was charged that as spiritualism Avas not a belief sanctioned by law, it was a delusion and a fraud, and that its use to extort money from the credulous A\ r as against public policy. The trial brought up the question as to whether spiritnalism was a fraud or not, and the cases, which became the talk of the day, gave Slade a Avorld wide repu tation. He A\ r as found guilty of fraudu lent practices and sentenced to three months’ hard labor, but his sentence Avas afterwards quashed on some technical ground. Slade came to Australia, and then returned to San Francisco. A feAV days after the steamship arrived a conver sation Avas overheard between the ship doctor and an intimate friend of his, in Avhich the startling statement Avas made by the medical, man that Slade, the medium, Avas a Avoman, and Avas as per fectly developed as any other of her sex. The physician gave the folloxving account of the manner in Avhich he made the discovery. The gentleman avliq oc cupied the state-room with Slade Avas a man avcll knoAvn in Pittsburg, Pa., where he has many friends. He Avas not an admirer of Slade or his doctrines, and did not have much conver sation with him (or rather her). One day Avhen in mid-ocean Slade Avas stricken down Avith something like paralysis Avhen in his state-room. The other occupant of the room came in, and finding Slade ill and probably unconscious, began to re move his clothing and rub his (her) sides and chest to bring back the circulation of the blood. It Avas then that the dis covery of Slade’s sex Avas made. When Slade recovered sufficiently to talk, she begged that the gentleman would not expose her. He said that he Avould not do so publicly, if she would acknoAvledge the truth to the physician of the steamer. Slade at last consented, and told the doctor all about it. He made an examin ation, Avhich proved beyond doubt that she a a' as a perfectly developed Avoman. One of the queerest parts of the story is that Slade Avears a heaA r y moustache. She said that she had always aa- anted to be

taken for a man, and had shaved her faee daily when very young. She had kept up the practice until she had a very long heavy moustache, of which she. was very proud, and which she took great care of. She could, she said, have had a beard and whiskers had she dressed them. The physician, it may be mentioned, is a man avlio is well known in San Francisco, and stands well among his professional breth ren. After the story had been overheard, the person who heard it asked Slade’s room-mate if it was true, and he said every word of it was correct. In corro boration of this story, the experience of a well-known young Pittsburger, who now holds an important Government office abroad, may be related. He had been reading ‘ ‘ Footsteps on the borders of another world,” and other spiritualistic works, and was a partial convert to spiritualism. He went to New York for the purpose of seeing Slade, just before Slade started for England. What took place at the interview was never fully bnown, but enough was said by the young gentleman to show that Slade had said or done something which was not to her credit, and which partially exposed her sex. .

Neutralising a Prater. —An unfortu nate mistake is said to have been made in a church near Rhyl recently (says Brief). The clergyman, who intended to pray for fine weather, offered up by mistake the fervent petition for rain. The mistake was neutralised at the evening service, when the prayer for fine weather was sub stituted.

A Ghostly Vandal.— A sidgular claim for the recovery of 30,000 fr. has been brought against a priest in the neighbor hood of Madrid by the heir of a connois seur whom he had attended in his last moments. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant refused to absolve the dying man until he had burned two valuable paintings, by Reubens, as he objected to them from a moral point of view, and that this act of vandalism had injured the estate to the extent mentioned. The Court has not, as yet, given its judgment in the case. She Can Stand it. —United States railway porters have earned an excellent reputation for their skill in destroying passengers’ luggage. They have now and. then, however, to encounter difficulties which are insurmountable. A Detroit paper of a recent date says :—“ Saturday morning there came over the Great Western road, on its way West, a trunk which made the hair of the baggage smashers stand right up. It was 34inches long. 3 feet wide, and was made of solid boiler iron, one-eightli of an inch thick. The handles were of iron, riveted on with great bolts, and the lid was fastened down with an immense padlock. On one end of the trunk was painted the words, ‘ She can stand it!” and on the other— ‘ More coming. ’ ” The railway men groaned aloud as they walked around “that trunk” and twisted it from every angle, and two omnibus men, who thought the owner was going to step over to them, made tracks out of the depot. An Old Yarn. —A Scotch pedlar, with out the remotest intention on his part of getting into a quarrel or fight with any man, had put up (with his pack) for the night at a country ale-house on the borders of Wales, where, as the fates would have it, he found in the kitchen of the inn a motley assemblage of not the most desirable companions, and among the rest a Welshman, whose aim from the very first seemed to be to get into hot water with poor Sawney. The latter, sagaciously appreciating the true character of his tormenter, and determined to get rid of him in the quietest way possible, told him that he “ did not want to fight.” This only excited to a still higher pitch the bravado of the Welshman, and he told the Scotchman “he would make him fight.” “ Well,” said Sawney, “if I must fight, let me say my prayers first,” which the Welshman conceding, the Scotchman fell upon his knees and implored his Maker to pardon him for the “twa men he had already killed, and for the one that was aboot to dee. ” The Scotchman slowly rose from his knees, but the Welshman had made tracks.

Reclamation. Miss Rye, a noble Englishwoman, has just made her thirty second voyage across the Atlantic Avith a cargo of “ Avastrels,” or street waifs—girls collected from the highways of London. These girls are taken to Canada and placed in highly respectable families, and in almost every instance have obtained comfortable homes and led virtuous lives. The work has been carried on for about ten years.

Appropriate Names. —There are in the United States five Unitarian ministers, and their names are as folloAVs : Coles, Sparks, Tongs, Anvil, and BelloAvs. There are five generals in the Russian army whose names are as follows : Cut menosoff, PulmenosofF, SaAvmenosoff, Blowmenosoff, and Nosbegon. There is a squatter living in the Wagga Wagga dis tinct named Ram, and a farmer named Barnes ; I also knoAv a parish clerk named Pope, a blacksmith named Toole, and a bushman named Bear. At Parramatta there fives a fruiterer named Pye. A Moist Remark. —Americans manage to invent odd expressions. The other day a young American lady was at a London ball. Dancing heated her. “I feel a little deAvy,” she said to her partner, as she wiped perspiration from her broivs. A Sick Sinner. —A shreAvd merchant, Avho once in a Avhile gave his conscience a severe twist, lay sick. Alarmed at his situation, he sent for a clergyman, Avho seems to have laid doAvn the hxw in pretty strong language. The sick man moved uneasily, but at last said to his spiritual adviser : “ Parson, you are pretty hard on a poor felloAV, but I guess you are about right, after all. I have thought it all over, and made up my mind that if I get Avell I avIII live principally honest. ” The Avord “principally” Avas probably inten ded to cover any special contingency that might occur, and is a very convenient adverb. Hollo aa’ay’s Pills.—The Grand Secret. —With the A'ariable temperature of this country, ill health Avill creep in unless the blood from time to time be purified and noxious matters be expelled from the body. In this the public may be its own physician. Holloway’s Pills may be purchased at a trifling cost; instruc tions for taking them will be furnished Avith the Pills, and a little attention, with fetv in structions, will enable persons to keep them selves in health under very trying circumstances. These Pills act as alteratives, tonics, and ape tients. Holloway’s medicine should be ready for instant administration Avhen the slightest symptom gives warning of approaching indis position. —Advt.

MdSfUV, OCTOBBtt *379.3

THE ASHBURTON HERALD,



s. d. s. d. XS inter, inferior to best i? lb I I to 1 0 iErw* t? dozen I 0 to 0 0 (Chaear, prime quality, y lb o 8 to 0 10 (Bacon, prime smoked, v lb O 9 to 0 10 Mams is® cloth, lb I 0 to 0 0 (Flour in bags, ioolb 14 6 to 0 0 iQatmeaL 251b 6 0 to 0 4 (Lard, - 0 9 to 0 0



“THE ASHBURTON HERALD,” PUBLISHED EVERT EVENING. Price—ONE PENNY. ADVERTISERS are reminded that the « Evening Herald ” commands the largest circulation in the Borough and Suburbs daily, and the prices for adver tisements are very reasonable. Casual Advertisements —2s. per inch, eash. Want*—2o words for Is. Quarterly Advertisements, as per ar rangement. £ ANTELOPES, NOTEPAPER, EN i TELOPES, NOTEPAPER.—The cheapest ever offered in Ashburton, at the Hem,® Office, Wholesale Stationery Depot, Saunders’ Buildings. WANTED KNOWN—That the cheap est and neatest CARDS may b<J had at -he “GUARDIAN OFFICE.” ASHBURTON BOROUGH COUNCIL NOTICE TO RATEPAYERS. -VT.OTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all the Rates now due and remain mo- unpaid on the 13th October next, will foe*SUED FOR without further notice. J3v order, CHAS. BRADDELL, Town Clerk. jyhhuiiian, 29th Sept., 1876. 507a—13



Clothing Establishment. ASSIGNMENT OF THE ESTATE OF MESSRS. AITKEN, PASCOE & CO., CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS, TO Me. J. H. Morrison, 1 Manager Mosgiel Woolen | Factor y> L Trustees. AND Mr. John Ross, Of Sargood, Sons & Ewing J THE above large Clothing Manufac turing Firm having had to succumb to these hard times, and assign their estate, we have been induced by the Trustees to purchase the whole of their large Manufactured Stock at a Very Heavy Reduction, and have resolved to sell the same again in our Branches direct to the public at prices at which we could not legitimately sell our own Goods. In fact (without exaggeration) during the next few weeks we are in a position to offer NEW GOODS IN MEN’S AND BOYS’ ATTIRE, Of Colonial Manufacture, at from ONE THIRD TO ONE HALF THEIR USUAL COST. HALLENSTEIN BROS., New Zealand Clothing Factory. The assigned Stock will be for Sale in •ur Ashburton Branch from and on SATURDAY NEXT, 28th JUNE. New Zealand Clothing Factory. 12a Special Notice. TO PRINTERS. WANTED —A Smart Hand, to make up the “Ashburton Herald” and “Ashburton Guardian”; also employ ment for two Steady COMPOSITORS. Apply— WEEKS & DIXON.