COMMERCIAL.

TBy Telegraph.] L Christchurch, Dec. 26. -r> • ot , the week has not alteration. The weather has lieenvery favorable,. and the next week . li n w iH see the cutting of barley, and / /full swing. Wheat—A few sales tobe noted at Vsa tolls. , accord ”to sample. Wheat has been wanted nrl the few odd lots coming forward have ten] picked to 4s. Oats are unchanged, and holders' are anxious to. ill at “educed rates. . Flour is selling at 19 10s to Ll 3. ..Grass seed the cutting if rve grass is proceeding, and a few for ward transactions have taken place at 2s. 9d to °.s Dairy produce ; butter, 7d. ; cheese sld to 6d. Hams and bacon are rather* scarce. In consequence of the Sual weekly sales being held on Monday instead of Wednesday, there was but little stock brought forward, and even with the short supply there was no demand, the whole sale hung one of-the dullest ever held at Addington. . Sheep—A few fat all ten sold at 1M- to Id. per lb ; fat lambs from 4s.‘to 10s. 6d., the latter price being obtained for very superior down lambs. Beef—There, has been another fall in value, best quality making about 225, medaim, 20s.

MARRIAGE.

Stevens —Bartle. —On the 25th Dec., by the Rev. W. Keall, Joseph Henry Stevens to Selina Bartle, youngest daughter of Mr. Walter Bartle, Tavis tock, Devonshire.

The Ashburton Herald AND Borough and County Advertiser (With which is incorporated the " Evening Echo"). SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1879.

Correspondence.— A letter from Mr. Joseph Hyde is unavoidably held .over until our Monday’s issue Rakaia Sports. —The usual Boxing Day Sports were held at Rakaia yesterday, and it being a' popular and populous district for such .enjoyment, a large number of the residents assembled. By noon it was calculated that fully 1200 people were on the ground. Our Reporter was injured at the close of one of the events, and our full report is not to-hand.

Telegraphic. —From and after this date we are informed that the extended hours at the undermentioned office# are suspended and the hours hitherto in for#e will be reverted to :—Auckland, Grahams town, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, AHibwton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Bluff

Temperance Dramatic Club. —We must congratulate the teetotal amateur players of Ashburton on the .success of their efforts last night. As a rule it; is seldom that amateurs can be collected together to carry through a play without a hitch, h.yt in this case we are justified in wiving the $?&lm to the Temperance Dra matic* Club. Tivt fee of “ Whitebait at Greenwich ” was put nt 1 - the stage in a manner which would have .credit to many professional actors. The tragedy of ** A Mother’s Mystery " had a good cast, the heavy “villians” in the piece being specially prominent. Mr. S. Poyntzmade a verv good feature of Sir Ambrose in this play. We would, however, recom mend the two actors who do the duel business to take a few lessons in sword exercise before having another combat.

The death af the second villain was irtie to nature, and the history of past duels. The finish of the programme was the bent we have seen in Ashburton. “ The Fairy Tableau ” exceeded the expectations of the patrons by its grandeur, and the cur tain had to be again lifted to satisfy the audience. We trust that the public will again have an opportunity of witnessing this scene,> and of judging of the capabili ties of local actors’ abilities in this line. The wind up of the play was the best part of it, there being a tableau of some seven or eight pretty faces lit; up with various colored lights, which made the several ac tresses look more like angels than we ever saw any actresses on the stage. We must compliment pur local actors and actresses on the mannei in which they have carried out their programme and hope they will give.ua a similar treat at an early date.

Entertainment. —On W ednesday night the members of the Ever Faithful and Sunbeam Juvenile Templars, entertained the inmates of the Old Men’s Home with songs, recitations, Ac,, which were highly appreciated- The following pro gramme was gone through very creditably, and our young friends deserve praise for their efforts in thus ministering to the enjoyment of the old men (—Overture, Sister A. Per main ; song and chorus, Juvenile Templars ; recitation, Bro. Fel ton ; piano duet, Sisters A. Andrews and Clark ; recitation, Sister Hepburn; dialogue, Bro. and Sister Hardley ; cornet solo, Bro, gay.agp ; recitation, Sister Lewis ; song, Sistpj? (3. Andrews ; recita tion, Bro. Ross ; piano dupt, Sist.org G]#rk and Permain ; dialogue, Bros, Corrigan and Leask ; song. Sister Permain ; recita tion, Bro. G. Hardley; song, Sister Savage recitation, Bro. Lewis; duet, Sisters A. Permain and Savage ; dialogue, Bro. and Sister Fplfpn I song, Sister Clark ; song, Bpo.. &n 4 » recitation, Bro. Leach; piano dget, A. Andrews and Permain; recitation, Bro. Corrigan ; song, Sister Quartermain; song, Bro.” Escot; song, Sister Cotten ; Temperance song arid chorus, Juvenile Templar. The 'national anthem concluded the entertainment.

The Holiday#. —Thursday and Friday were fully taken advantage of by both townspeople and countiy-people, and many reunions of old friends took place. Little knots of pic-nic parties started to wards every point of the compass on Thursday, "by road and rail, but perhaps tine most attractive spot to most was the beach, where in one gully could have been counted at one time about a hundred people, while quff© a string of parties could be seen along the sea side,. Friday, of course, being the Caledonian sports day, supplied its own entertainment, and we heard more of the Northern accent in tow.b yesterday than we ever heard before—su£e proof that the meetings of the Caledonian Society pan call out at least Caledonians.

Tea Meeting at Seafield. —On Christ mas evening the annual tea meeting in Connection with the Wesleyan Church, Seaffejd was held in the school. R being the annual twU4.W a large crowd of people were picnicing at the beach aijd numbers stayed to tea. About 200 pers.Qng were entertained by the ladies who had the management of the affair, and we must certainly compliment them on the ex* peditiop- and business like way in which they went through their work, while at the same troro they in putting everyone in the best of hurooy. Qm par ticularly jolly feature' in their- manage ment might safely be taken note of by many tea meeting purveyors in the t own —the people were called in to tea when tea was ready, and it was therefore partaken ef While it was in season.. It is a very common com plaint.at meetings of this kind that the Mm has either never been hot or has taken a -wy ybort time to cool. But no fault whatever could be found with the Seafield ladies’ brew. We have pleasure in chronicling the names of th® fair dames who showed themselves so well up to their work, and are only sorry that we did riot s?are up the patronymics of the modest genthroen who kept the kettles boiling, no unimportant p>pfnf the work. The ladies who presided were Mesdames Collison, Jones, Bayli&s, Earth wicke, Lawry, Brake, and Brown, After tea a few games were enjoyed at the rear of the school, and then an open air meet ing was held, addressed by the Rev. Mi. Keall, who stated there was debt of LIOO on the Seafield Wesley## jphprch, more, however, owing to the hard times just past (let us hope) and many l'.e.- movals than to unwillingness Oi’ W jnisßness on the part of the people, but he trusted next harvest would wipe off the incubus. The Rev. Mr. Smith also spoke, as did Mr Jones, Home Mis sionary, Rakaia, M r - H odder, of Ashburton, Several hymn# W ere sung during the evening, and after a yql# pf thanks had been enthusiastically ac corded to the. ladies, who had arranged the meeting, the assemblage dispersed in time to get home before daylight had wholly gone—a very sensible arrange ment indeed- TffE Sport#.. —Thg crowd at the sports yesterday were not -very,observant <>f the barriers the Committee had set up tp Jceep them out of the way of the competitors. We fancy the (Committee \yere as niuch to blame for this as the crowd. The cards of membership admit “to all parts of the course and to the grand stand, 13 and when a roving commission like this is given, even to all individual members of so strong an Association as the Caledonian, it scarcely to be growled at when the qroivd, pannot understand apparently Torn, Dick, and BABY being admitted to the course, while Harry, D ck, and Tom are kept outside. It was in wain fo try ex planation on the .ground, but ,we h°p.e that by next year the Society wiljl have secured d prounanent right to some piece of ground, in the near vicinity of the town, and eyect a grand stand upon it, if it have not one already, so that some elevation may be available for ladies to -witness any event in which they mav take an interest, without ’feeing ground do a jolly by hob-nailed if eleyens/’ fiv sqeezed to a pancake by the loutish owner#/ thp high sizes.

New Zealand as a'Bre»£lW Country. —ln a notice of the New Zealand court at the Sydney Exhibition the “ Morning IJeraldsays :—“An examination of the the barley in the New Zealand court suggswtt.? the thought _ that that country is destined in the pro duction of beer, and further with the number and the nature of che exhibits clearly indicates that the brewing industry has obtained a prodigious de velopment in New Zealand.||

Winslow Sports. —We understand that it is the intention of the railway authori ties to run an extra train from Ashburton to Winslow on Now Year’s Day. The ordinary train at 11 a.m.'will have a large number of carriages attached, to accom modate those desirous of seeing the first and most interesting part of the r .v>- gramme, viz., the hcrse racing. Another train will leavei> Ashburton at, 12.50 for Winslow, and visitors to Winslow/that, day can return by the 2.15 ordinary train, or by a special at 5.30, and if they have a mind to see the fag end of the sport, they can remain till the 7 p.m. train.

Fatal Accident at Raicaia. —Yester- day Mr. Lake, junr., riding in the hack race at Rakaia sports, met with an accident that unfortunately proved fatal this morn ing at one o’clock. The animal was going at full speed, and losing its footing it fell, and rolled over its unfortunate rider, who was badly .hurt. His injuries were more than at first imagined, and this morning he died. The young man was only 16 years of age, a fine, promising, fellow, and his sad end has oast quite a gloom over the place, and put an end to all holiday feeling, .

TELEGRAPHIC.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

TO-DAY’S CABLEGRAMS.

{4s(t Specials ) London, Dec. 24. News from Afghanstan states that the rebels sacked the Bazaar at Cabul. There is an incendiary fire in the city. There is continuous firing between General Roberts qmd the Afghanistans. Llie distress in Ireland is increasing. A relief fund is being subscribed in England. The Queen gave LSOQ.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

TO-DAY’S TELEGRAMS

Auckland. Dec. 27. At a meeting of the Providential Assurance Society, Major Green was elected trustee, vice Mr. M'Keown, resigned. The only accident at the races was a l#dy attempting to cross the course when the horses’ were coming put for the Cup race. She was knocked down and injured. Arrangements are being made tq |).avp the telegraph laid to Ellerslie grand stand by New Year’s Day. Wellington, Dec. 27.

The barque Bebington ran into harbor last night and was put in quarintine by the pilot. There is no commuhication from the shore yet. She lias 120 pas senger#. It is believed the sickness is serious, otherwise the pilot y/ould not send the vessel to quarantine without the Health Officer boarding. The Harbor Master and Health Officer are now leaving for the quarantine station. The Wellington Artillery intend send ing two det#tphment'S to the Easter en campment af Christchurch- The Dunedin Artillery won the Carbine Match against the Wellington Artillery by 27 points. The scores were—Dunedin, 617 ; Wellington, Dunedin, Dec. 27. "YMr. W; E- Weldon, Superintendent of th,e' -4rme.d Oppstafriilffty, ftiif} }§ con .stable,s, left for Timarii yesterday #fter noon, fo assist jn quelling the riot there. F. L. Jeffpoat, a settler of 30 years’ standing, was found at Saddle Hill on Christmas Day with his brains blown put. Deceased was subject to fits, and it is not known whether his death was accidental t qv whether, when under the influence of one of fhp?p fits, he shot himself. Mr. Henry'Tewsley, late Chairman, of the Harbor Board, died after a lingering illness yesterday afternoon. Invercargill, Dec. 27.

The town was quite deserted yesterday, nearly everybody having gone away by railway. The largest number went to Rivdrtdn wh.er# there were sports and a rifle match—Riverton y. Invercargill Rifle Volunteers,—which was won by the former by two points. Hundreds were unable to go to Riverton through defec tive arrangements re issue of tickets, arid also on account of insufficient rolling stock, p.pA there is great dissatisfaction in gpnse.qi^ice.

BRITISH & FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

LAST NIGHT'S CABLEGRAMS,

(Renter's Telegrams.) London, Dec. 23. News frofp Afghanistan states that Sherpar defences bsyic l?ee ; ii rendered im pregnable- General GpugKj with & convoy of "provisions and ammunition, reached Lulubank Pas 3. The revolted tribes nave proclamed Mala Khan Ameer of Afganis tan. The spread of pieuro-pneum.onia aiporig the cattle is creating alarm in England. P4.RIS, Dec. 23. M. Freycinei has declined the fetation of fcjhe new ministry. M. Waddingbn has been charged with its formation. Calcutta, Dec. 23. General Roberts reports ,Qi> Dec. 19 that a slight skinnish took place on Dpe. 18. The losses were trifling. London, 'Dec. 21 Three per cent, consols, 97$ ; New Zea land, 10-40 ; 5 per cent. Loan. The liquidators of the City of Glasgow Panfc notify that the balance of dividend .will ,be paid but without interest. Later news froiii th# C&pe states that Seqocoe.ni was taken prisoner, Re,coi;der of Leeds lias been ap pointed Pji^-sn.^tor. XJie Canada stumer fr.om Liverpool to Orioftns was l,ost ip a heavy tempgst, and WBV§ W persons drowned'from her. General Roberts reports he.ayy fighting on the 18th, but losses trifling Heavy flgting near Cabul, General Gough close to Lataband. He is expected to Mfiye to-day.

(Argus bpeeial.'y London, Dec. ,22,

Edison claims the discovery ot a simple f| electric household lamp, consisting or charred paper placed on a glass globe, costing a shilling. This simple machine supples 50 lamps.

AUSTRALIAN.

{Special. ) Melbournk, Dec. 24.

Sugars ~ro brisk. Ten thousand packages have been sold privately at L 39 10s to L 43.

Wheat has declined to 4s lid, prime new.

( Reuter's Telegram. ) ' . Melbourne,' Dec. 24,

There were six passengers by the Suez boat at Albany for Port Chalmers, includ ing R. Mayne. Sailed —Claud Hamilton for Sydney. Sydney, Dec. 24.

The Executive Council has decided that Williams and Bennet shall be imprisoned for life, three years in irons. The others will be hanged on Jan. 20.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

LAST NIGHT’S TELEGRAMS

Auckland, Dec. 25. A number of the unemployed have left for the Northern Giuufielcls. At some of the City Churches flower services were held. Bouquets were subse quently distributed to the hospital and other institutions.

The Rev. Joseph Berry, and Messrs. Foster and Grant, the Lincolnshire depu tations, visit Waikato early next week to inspect land suitable for Lincolnshire far mers.

Arrived —Inglewood, from London, with 32 passengers ; 5 bulls, 1 cow, shorthorn stock. Arrived safely.

It has rained all night and up to noon, spoiling the holidays, and will greatly affect the attendance at the races. Grahamstown, Dec. 24.

The Thames Land Association have ap plied for a block of 20,000 acres at Wairoa for the purpose of forming a settlement. Already the residents have signified their willingness to take over 10,000 acres. New Plymouth, Dec. 2G.

A meeting of Mr. Courtney’s creditors was held on Wednesday, when it was decided to accept deed of assignment as filed. The liabilities show secured creditors L30,0,9<) ; unsecured, L 11,517.

A woman named Henrietta hi‘Donald was found dead, in Waitara river yester day morning. It is supposed she walked into the river and was too intoxicated to get out. At the inquest, to-day, a ver dict of “ found drowned ” lya;* latumed. ; A map. was cut on the head with a quoit yesterday, and is not out of danger. A native chief named Pamariki, who was taken to the hospital on Monday dangerously ill, succumbed to the malady on Tuesday inorping. He vyas suffering from feyM similar to that prevalent at Parihaka, but he caught ii from the natives who visited the prophet. Napier, Dec. 24.

The Freemasons of Napier, instead of holding a banquet on St. John’s Day, will attend church on Sunday, when each member is expected to put into, the offer tory the guinea ordinarily spent on the dinner. The money is to bo devoted to the Hospital. The schooner Enterprise was to-day lighted and brought into harbor, much less damaged than was expected. The 1*30,000 to be divided amongst the Omaini natives fag the land near Rangi tiki will be distributed next month. Rust has shown itself unmistakably among the wheat cropsat Patangata, which were looking very promising. The crops on the property of Mr. J. Collins have been destroyed by it. SLijngton, Dec. 20. Wet weather completely spoiled the holiday.' An atheletic contest between Wellington and Wanganui took place, and the former won by one event, q Blenheim, Dec. 28. A horrible death by burning occurred at Para during Wednesday night. Deceased was named Thos. Gardner, one of Hornby’s mill hands. He lived in a cottage by himself, and was seen going home the worse (if liquqiy Yesterday morning it was noticed his house was burnt down, and inspection discovered his charred remains. At the inquest a verdict of “ accidental death,” was re turned.

Nelson, Dec. 26. The -■ Interprovipcial Cricket Match conunenced at 11 o’clock to-day, The weather was splendid, and there was some good cricket. Nelson went in first, and were disposed of at one o’clock for 49.

FIRST ANNUAL GATHERING OF THE ASHBURTON CALEDONIAN SOCIETY.

Yesterday was not. so propitious as might have been wished for the tirst great meeting of the Caledonian Society. The programme of the day was opened at ten o’clock by a procession of the members, headed by those of their number who had donned the national garb of Scotland, who were preceded again by three strong winded pipers. The procession started, in a amzhng rain, frpin the bridge, and traversed the whole length of Ea§t street to the ground lent by Mr. H. T. Smith for occasion—one more of the many kind nesses Mr. Smith has shown to the cause of sport in Ashburton, The leading feature of all Caledonian sports is of course the Highland costume, and to those who care to be particular about clan tartan we would mention the following : Mr. George Kidd appeared in a smart and very complete suit' of Royal Stuarts, comprising a kiln of the royal tartan of heavy texture, and a gracefully hung plaid to match..’ Hjs tunic was of the orthodox clansman’s cut, of invisible green, and dotted with the usual diamond buttons. His plaid was secured with a handsome shoulder buckle of silver with Gaelic in scription engraved upon its shields, while by his left side hung the genuine claymore, and from his right side a finely appointed (lii/k. udtli. all fittings. His accoutrements were of a very superior class, aud the “sporran,” without which no Highland dress is complete, was a laurel won at the Braemar gathering, and presented by the Queen in person to Mr. Kidd, as a first prize for Highland dancing. Mr. John Oald’er, wlio wore'the Gordon tart in ; looked remarkably well in his neatly fitting, and well appointed uniform. He did hot af fect the claymorp, b'pt he wpr.e a’’finely mounted dirk, and a S( skhpin c]hu,” ; and his breast bore many a mark of ho mu won in dancing contests. At a later stage of the day’s proceedings, Mr. Murray, oi came on the ground. He was supe&ly ; dressed in the clan tartan' that bears his name, 'and he too, wore dirk and “ skliein dliu ’■’ handsomely mounted jn cairngorms, while to Use his own words, i

lie “ had not jacket room ” for all the trophies he had won at dancing. An other Highlander who appeared was Mr. Campbell in the tartan of his clan, 1 loyal to cheque, and well -put on. Mr. Campbell is a true picture of the Highland veteran, and we thought of many similar gatherings we had seerfiat Braemar, Athole, Birnam, Dunkeld, and other places in the Highlands of Scotland.where tlie kilt is not the ex ception in the crowd but the rule. The last cni the list was Mr. Tames ftPßae, in the kilt of the Black Watch or Sutherland Highlanders. We may mention, how ever, that the piper to the Society wore a Black Watch tunic and trews of the Roybal Stuart. The other pipers present were Messrs. Forbes, Ross and Scott. The weather sadly marred the arrange ments of the Committee, who for two or three hours were undecided whether to postpone tlie sports altogether for the day, or to go on with the more easily decided competitions. The latter course they ultimately decided to follow, and shortly after 1 o’clock the day broke up into fine sunshine, and allowed a far larger propor tion of the heavy programme to be gone through than at first appeared possible. In addition to the difficulties laid upon the Committee by the upsetting of their arrangements by lhe weather, they had to contend with the encroachments of an unruly crowd, who despite repeated warn ings and almost solicitation would persist in crowding on to the course, and round every competition that took place. The dan cing platform was rushed in this unseemly way, and as a consequence not more than forty n i the many people who would have wished to see a Highland reel in character enjoyed the pleasure. We had thought better of a crowd of Ashburtonians, and it is small encouragement to tlie Committee to again undertake the duty of superin tending the arrangements, if they are to have their work interfered with and inter rupted in this foolish way, especially when the competitions could be so much better seen and enjoyed from a distance. The first event chosen from the pro gramme was

Tossing the Caber—lst prize, L2; 2nd, LI.

This exercise is always a prominent feaure in Caledonian sports, and usually brings out in Scotland a large number of stalwart farmers, ploughmen, and .shep herds. Yesterday, tlie e tries were even more numerous than we expected, and the interest taken in the contest was therefore much greater. The caber used was only a long piece of 5 x 3 ,timber, about 12 or 14 feet long, and . not the orthodox sapling in the rough, with the thin end used for grasping, and the butt serving to give impetus. Before starting, however, the plank ivas some what fined down at one end with an adze, and this somewhat, helped the throwing. The entries were as under, witly them the order of merit after the trial had been decided.

1. Mat, Stitt, 20ft. 21,-in. . 2. Rhoderick M £ Rae, 19ft. - 3. W. B. Compton, 18ft. 9in

J. B. Wright, T. M‘Dowall,.W. Fur neau, R. Olay den, and J. Kearns,

Men’s Open Handicap Race —440 yards, 0 hurdles ; Ist prize L 3 ; 2nd, 395. Organ, 1 ; Risely, 2. Handicaps. —o Risely, 7 yards.; T. Organ, scratch; T. M‘Douall, 3 yards ; " f D. A. Stuart, 3 yards; Campbell, 5 yards ; Simpson 5 yards,. For this event only Organ, Risely, Simpson, and M‘Bo wall faced the starte'r. Organ came in an easy winner, though little Simpson kept him close company all through W the last hurdle, where he baulked, and was out of it, letting- Risely come in second,

Running High Jump—Men and .boys ; Ist prize, LI ; 2nd, 103. 1, .VPDowal, 4ft. 9in. ; 2, M‘Farlan.o, 4ft. 7in. The other competitors were Collins, Morshead, and. R, Anderson, ' Quoits —-Ist prize, LI;- 2nd, 10s. ! The entries were Compton, Winter, Walsh, Simpson, Kidd, Burns, M'Eeod, Lindsay, and Smith. First honors. were gained by Compton, second by Burns, Standing High Jump— Men and boys ; j Ist prize, LI ; 2nd, ,10s. • This event was won by Organ 1, Mprs- Ikad % from three utlievs. Handicap. Flat. Race, 103 yards—Prize, La,''* The entries and handicaps for this race were as ,fpllow Organ, Stewart, Guy, and Oughten at scratch ; M £ Farlane, Iyd.; Morshead iand Robertson, 2yds. ; Comp ton amb-ißisely, 3,vds. ; Gilmour, syds. ; The start was a fair one, and the race.was close, the handicap giving the difference. The result was—Gilmqiir, 1 ; MtFarlarie, 2 ; Morghga^

OfIAKD Handicap Fiav Races —Men, 200, yards, 300 yards, 440 yards, IsiTpnze, LG ; 2nd, L 3; 3rd, LI. Of tIVISo only the 200yds. heat was run, and Gilmour got first position, Simpson sreonej, Organ third. for this event was as follower.:—

T’ Organ, 200 yards, scratch ; 300 yar.ds, scratcli ; 440 yards, scratch, ’O. Kisely, 20(1” yards, 3 yards ; 3QO yards, 8 yards ; 44®j,yards, 5 yards, W. J. Robertson, 20(),, yards, 3 yards ; 300 yards, 3 yards ; 441)" yards, 5 yards. T. M'Houall, 200 yuuls, scratch; 300 yards, scratch; 440 yards, 3 yards. S. Simpson, Stewart, and Campbell each, 200 yds, scratch ; 300 yds; scratch; 440 yards, 3 yards. R. Anderson, 209 yards, S yards ; 300 yards, 10 yards ; 440 yards, 15 yards I). Gilmour, 200 yards, 10 yards ; 3QO yards, 12 yards ; 440. yards, 20 yards. " ' Vaulting with Pope—Men | Ist. prize,

L2 ; 2nd, LI, In this competition we were glad to see one or two old faces, and to welcome some new one. To the front came our old friend Harry Fowler, of Chatmoss, vvlio has held what Scotchmen would call a sort of “daur ” over all comers, for a season or two, and notwithstanding that fhe others showed good form, aud threatened to come well lip to turn, he -still' held"pis'grbiind'by three ‘ inches''over' the next best man, Morshead, who cleared Bft. to Harry’s Bft. 3in. Johnny Hunt was in the field as usual, lithe, active, and popular as ever, and he was joined this year by as,'tight a little piece of vaulting form as we have seen at the polQ-a'nd-upri’ghts for many a a day, in tire person of young Rodder. He wag out,‘of practice, and not in the best physical condition possible, hut his style of vaulting G remarkably good, and very graceful ; and if he should think of taking a systematic turn or two against Kew Year’s day, we would not be surprised to see him appear to better advantage at Winslow. The prizes were apportioned thus :—TL Fowler, 1; Moresheacl, 2.

-—V Vaulting with Pole Boys 16 years ; Ist prize, LI ,;-2nd,.105. Five boys entered for this'-cbmpetition, and showed some very promising vaulting. Their names were-.—Price, Smith, Per uiain, Mitchell, and • Hodder.V After a long trial of skill, in which the little crowd kept gamely up to each other, Price and Smith found the stickingpoint, the former at 6ft. , arid the Hatter ,at sft llin. There was perhaps as much interest taken, in this contest as in'aiiy on the’ground. Putting ,the Stone— l6lb.; Ist ' prize, ■ L2 ; 2nd, LI. • - 4 .

For this event, another relic of. old Scotland, there were eight entries, and. should have been nine if Constable Maroney had looked better , after his own interests, and not been too late in putting" in an appearance. As it was he putted with, the rest, and was- welPup, but not ‘ j being in the list his work did not count./,-- The bullet used for a “stone” weighed IGlbs, and after all had thrown their best, the following stood out for prizes:—l, Quinliven, 34ft. Gin.; 2, * Mat. Stitt,-. 33ft. 3in.; 3, W. Furneau, 32ft. 3in. The other competitors were Cameron, Wright, Roderick M‘Rae, T. M‘Dowal, and Leadly.- - ' Tilting in the Ring —Prize, L 5. Nine horsemen put in for this bout, and after some good displays of activity and keenness of eye, the prize was, ... carried off by Mr. John Smith, whose" ' splendid horsemanship was much admired.' n He lifted six rings with his three triesiVJp For some time the result appeared to be ll between Mr. George Kidd, Mr. john, and Mr. Hay T. Smith, jun. 'I -1;. Music—Bagpipes, Pibrochs-; Ist, prizeV-A L 5; 2nd, L2 10s. Marches, and • Strathspeys, lstprize, L 5; 2nd, L2los. For this contest the four pipers on the . ground entered, and for fully half-an-hour they - .; - • ; . ,-•/ J "

“ Haired frae every chanter, • #1 . - Hurrcanea o’ Highland reels!’ In Pibrochs, Pipe Major Murdock Elder, of the 105th Glasgow Highland Regiment, : carried, off the first prize, being the! only prize the number of entries warranted.! x The marches and.strathspeys contest.was n gained by Elder 1, arid Forbes 2. During the afternoon, though the dancing events were held over till to-day j;--: Pipe-Major Elder struck up a strathspey:, * or two, and to his strains Messrs Murray,: Calder, M‘Rae, and Campbell " danced;. with great “ virr” several foursome reels, Mr. Campbell taking the boards as keenly as he did thirty years ago. ’ ... ' ! ,

TO-DAY’S SPORTS.

The sports were continued to-day at - the grounds in use by the Society, - muL tlie-weather being in every, way favorabfey a large crowd was attracted to the course. ] It will be remembered that .-only a fewy" and these the least attractive,, of the ■- events were pulled off yesterday, *sathat', there was left for- to-day quite- a good sports meeting in itself. 1 ' ' The course was remarkably we-TI kept* and scarcely any difficulty was-experienced ■ ■ by the- Ground Stewards, hi keeping the crowd within bounds. The Committee- . men were as energetic as they were the jd previous dayy and their efforts seemed toJH 'day to carry luck with them, everything M going well, and everybody being in the best qf humor. One Mile Groves, 150yds. ‘ ... Lix-HAI Organ, scratch . .... y ... ;,2 M-Farlane, 200yds. ... ... 0 ’ H Organ was handicapped clean out ■of this race, and although-, he riiade a plucky spurt in the last rourid/ he could not pull f up the distance given to Groves*, who ran ) a game race throughout', winning easily, j M £ Faplariia never had a showy and gswejupjfp on the third round;. * ■ He has a good L and ought to improve.as he ages,- A' ’ vfi WRESTLING. ’ •' f"y John Flaher ... ... ... 1 vj Charles Bourke TALL' ' - x i : .- 2’ ; - The last struggle ivas a rqqyal, the" first A throw was given a nq-faU,.-b.Ut the second.- ■hold was a- bf; science’ atidL; muscle, - Rqurke, by fa,r thte lighte r *Wk^ ; ? c\f fhe, two, showed - grand ■ piay,- -hut Fisher’s strength told pi the . end, aiid hri , f cpincluded the qvqrit by a throw. • ‘'' ' Boy’s Running High Leap.—l, Price, '' 3ft. lOin. , Macfarlane came up well on the win-* ner, and all jumped well. The* entries were Gaukrodger, Eacott, Leitoh, Maclauchlin, Perriiain, Louis, Price, Jameson, and Macfarlane. ■ 300 s Ya.rp.S( Handicap. ! . B. Giintaur, IS.yprek j-L* Organ, scratch • Simpson ... ... ... '3 : .'YL* The handicap was a good one, as all the A men finished in a bunch,, the second third men being so close that it cult to distinguish whq breasted tape first. Organ fouled a flag apd >y.as : banlked ;,: otherwise he would first, . . , ‘j . j ' '; ; .

laisif Jig—Men $ Ist prize, L 3 ; 2nd, 30a. * Immense, interest centred in.this event, and eight entered for the competition,; Mr. Y| Con O’Boyle fingering the flute neatly, and ■] J giving high satisfaction. The first to 4 take the platform was Mr. Michael Lough-, lan, a Kerry man, who beat the boards in 1 graceful and chaste style, and in first rateifl time. We . should set him down as honest, straightforward dancer, whpJrriew T" what he. was about, and what a jig was like. Then came T. Gleesoh (from County Limerick) got up perfectly for the part]he had to play V- Aitfi .ft .fall supply pf the green, M and wearing proper eorduroys-nf just the proper length. He went to hi* work like a business, and.had only .dong $ step or two when he took the. fancy, and elicited the RPifihtiseydrPhe ’ ring. Mr, A,. a Dublin Oduhty tr boy, took up the ‘strain left by Mr.sgriee-' " sun. He, too, was “ dressed ” for ‘ the : jig, and. his get .up. was verypeatjptff Qfe not a bit move Qiaking thhh I hi'S v '' i pntter- J ing. T 'pheiYfdHmV’eS our ‘Mr/ "*'d Cullen, h very graceful danced as most ? "6f : A Ashburton know, and he did'pot : ghpiy any disadvantage amongst the ' day 's coin- K petitors. Mr.- T. Sullivan was “ his succeS sor on the platform—active and energetic, ; : and wiih all an Irishman’s fire and spirit. Then follpwpd the brothers Fitz- ’ gerald, qyiet, nea,t, and unostentatious • who won mgefi favor of both the. judge* •’ and the crpwd. Mr, Murray, an Abef- • deen man, was the last, but though he danced well lie did not fulfil all the. coj) T i. ditions of his entry, and lfe , was ; - qualified. The judges' had a difficult' > task to perform in making .their selectiorivl' aid after due' deliberation they 'awarded' ~ the prizes to Gleeson and G ‘ an extra one going to Williams. pf-]

I§i|fi • * ‘ : ‘ '■ * T 7 ’ ••-• • ... j* \ $■ FSatukday, December 27; 1 8 7q. f

. THk HERALD



New. Advertisements. -XIi RANTED— WASHING by the day VV *or at .home. Apply office of this paper. Address—A. B.C. JUST ARRIVED.. paper bags, paper bags. CONFECTIONERS, Fruiterers, 8 ]. Grocers, Drapers, Seedsmen, Ac., cau he supplied with Paper Bags, all sizes, and Printed or Plain. WEEKS AND DIXON, General Printers, East r treet North. E o B 18 8 0. HE PRE'SS ALMANAC And Diary i Ai.nu xjlmj . . ten he obtained from the undersigned. Price —One Shilling. WEEKS AND ! DIXON, • Herald Office, Near Railway StatiorL mEACHERS can obtain the MULTI-. 1 PLICATION TABLES, - printed on summed paper, in any quantity at the Herald Office, East street, near the Railway Station. ' JF you want a CHEAP SUIT OF CLOTHES go to G. J. F. LUBLOW, TAIL OR IN G DEPOT. Triangle, Ashburton, Between Post Office and Baldwin’s / • Central Hotel. G. J. F. Lublow, importing liis own goods, is enabled thereby to make as Cheap a Suit of Clothes as any tailor in New Zealand, and a First-class FIT is Guaranteed. Terms —Strictly Cash. 5 per cent. Discount off all Orders Paid , IN ADVANCE. , ■ 813 a Note Forms, in Books X -° f 25, unstamped, for sale at the Herald Office. Price 2s. 6d. each. LONGBEACH ROAD DISTRICT. SEPARATE TENDERS are hereby 5 invited for — The re-shingling of 122 chains of. the road between Winslow and Wil- Jowby. The Formation of 24 chains of Foot paths at Tinwald. The Clearing Out and Formation of ! 1 some ditches on the Lowcliff-hut road. And for undertaking the duties of POUNDKEEPER at the new Pound, Flemington. Specifications can be seen at tlie Road oard Office, on Lorgbeach road, where mders will he received up till 2 o’clock in on SATURDAY, the old ANUARy; 1880. W. CUTHBERT, Surveyor. Lon gbeach road) 27th December, 1879. 0!8—862a



WAKANUI ROAD BOARD. TENDERS are invited for the following works No. 14, Seaside road, Walcanvi, Cutting; No. 15, Outfall Drain, between A iison and Fitzgerald s property, WakanuL plans and speciScationa can bo seen at the Board’s Office, and tenders addressed tb the Chairman will be received till 10 a.m. on WEDNESDAY, January 7th, 1839," accompanied with a deposit-equal to 5 per ceisT on the value of the works. FOOKS & SON, 320—-364 a Surveyors to the Board, WAKANfJI ROAD BOARD. nrfISNDERS are Invited for RENTING ' for oue year GRAVEL RESERVE, 143.3, situate,near Mr. J. Jamieson’s, Beach road. Tenders addressed to the Chair man will he received till 10 a.m, on ’WEDNESDAY, January 7th, 1880. By order BOOKS & SON, 3i&— SG3a Surveyors to the Board. mENDERS are invited for the purchase I > of Four Acres Standing Crop of O ATS at Tinwald. ' A Tenders to be sent to Poyntz & Co. by ■er 31st, 1879. hv.'cst or any tender not necessarily ra. , 855:1 T T'-T. A. Four-roomed COTTAGE | ' ;i tl'l j MvHrcot. Apply to J. Olsen, mear the Foundry. 545



New Advertisements. mHE BRETHREN of the ORANGE X INSTITUTION are: requested to MEET at the Lodge Room at 7 p.m. THIS EVENING. 324—865 a SAM.IB. NELSON. JL Y A LAYING FOUNDATION STONE. SOMERSET MASONIC HALL In Connection with SOMERSET LODGE, 1811, E.C., ASHBURTON. . ,/. ALL BRETHREN are requested to meet in Full Masonic Dress, at the Somerset Lodge Room, at 1 p.m., on TUESDAY, 3.oth Inst., and march from there to the site of New Masonic Hall to witness the laying of the Foundation Stono, Installation of Officers at 5 p.m. Banquet at Town Hdll at 7.30 p.m. HENRY ZANDER. 300—8Gla \ Hon. Secretary. The united masonic choir will meet for Practice THIS EVEN ING, at 7.30, at the usual place. H. J. WEEKS, 322—8G6a Organist, ™ NOTICE. pj TRAYED on my 1 and at Tin wald, Brown P) Horse, saddle marked, 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 Tin wald, 6th Dec., 1879. __ 783 a TX7ANTED known, E. A. GARNETT YV has a large Christmas Stock of FANCY GOODS, ,at prices to meet the times. 854 a



IHSW ZEALAND BAIL WAYS. FABBS—OHBISTMAS HOLIDAYS. RDINARY Single Fare Tickets from * any station to any station issued on SATURDAY, \2oth DECEMBER, Ws, and foilwing days up to SATURDAY, Crd JANUARY, 1830, inclusive, mil be available for the return journey any day up to, and including .MONDAY, sth JANUARY. WM. COJTStRRS, Commissioner of Railways, Commissioner’s Office, Christchurch, Dec. 13, 1879. 840 a WANTED, a Respectable MAN to drive a Baker’s Cart, Apply E. Taylor, Saunders’ Buildings, 868 a ANTED IMMEDIATELY APRRENTICES for Dressmaking and Ladies' Jacket making. Apply to T. R. HODDER & COMPANY. 801 TEMPERANCE DRAMATIC CLUB. A MEETING of MEMBERS U by convened at. the Templar Hall, for MONDAY evening, Dec. 29th, at 6 p.m. sharp. Business : To settle account® in late entertainment &C ‘ S. E. POYNTZ, 870 a Hon. Sec, TTTESLEYAN CHURCH, Cameron VV street.—Divine Service will be conducted in the above Church To-morrow Morning and Evening by the Rev. J. Taylor, of Springston. 868 a PRIMITIVE METHODIST CIIURCH Wills Street. Divine Service will be conducted in the above Church to morrow morning and evening by the Rev. A. J. Smith. 869 a