MAIL NOTICES.

' r Mails close at the Ashburton Post Office, as follows : *

For Christchurch and North at 6 a. m. 9. a.m., and 5 p.m., daily. For Chertsey Rakaia, &c., at 9 a. m. and 5 p.m. daily. x For Dunedin, Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Winchester, and Geraldine, at 10.15 a.m. daily. For Temuka, Timaru, arid South at 6 a.m. and 10.15 a.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 3.15 p.m. daily. For Wakanui, and Seafield, on Tues days and Fridays, at 6 a. hi. -

Mails active- at the Ashburton Post Office—, .....••

From Christchurch at 10.35 a.m., 4.55 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. daily. " ' From “Chertsey, Rakaia, &c. at 10.35 a.m. daily. : i 1 ; /*• • ' From Dunedin and intermediate places at 5.25 p.ml daily. •<. •• 5 • 1

... : Fr*m Temuka and, Timaxu at 9.25 a.m, and 5.25 p.m. daily. . From' Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, •Mount Homers, . and Ashburton Gorge on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 3 p. m.: . .From: Ashton, Waterton, and Long beach. at 10, a. m. daily; , From Wakanui and Seafield on Tues days and Fridays at 2.30 p. m. • The outward mails for the United Kingdom via San. Francisco, will close at the Ashburton Post Office, on Saturday, j the 22nd inst., at 9 a.m. > • : r y.iiUfi ; . ' W. St. G. Douglas, A •' —*• •; Postmaster. : / Mails close at the Chief Post Office, .Christchurch, for the following places: (subject to necessary alterations) as* : ttridei;:— h * ....... h t *W : : 1 Thuksdat. !May 20. : •, ‘ • FJod Northern Ports of New Zealand and: Australian Colonies, via Sydney, per Tararua. \ ... Friday, May 21. ' . . For Northern Ports of New Zealand and Australian Colonies, via Sydney, per. Tararua. .....; The next mail for the United Kingdom % via Brindisi (for correspondence specially: addressed only), will be closed at Christ church on June 3rd, and will be due in: : -London on July 24th. SYDNEY J. DICK, . ; s ■' Uhief Postmaster.

The Ashburton Herald AND Borough and County Advertiser (With which is incorporated the "Evening Echo”). THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1880. The Water Pipes.

In a cablegram which reaches . us amongst a budget of news sent to the Australian papers, but which have only this week found their way to New Zea land, by the Wakatipu, the information is conveyed that iron and steel have fallen in price in England 30 per cent. If: this statement is a fact, it is not a welcome one to the Ashburton Municipal Council, who have now on hand over'£4,ooo worth of iron pipes, of all the dimensions need ful for the laying down of : a large and and complete system of water supply. The pipes, as our readers are aware, .Verb purchased when the Borough had in view the construction of a scheme of. water supply that was to cost £15,000 ; and .but for the want of fiiuds there was sufficient enthusiasm to carry the scheme to com pletion.;. But, however enthusiastic tlie Councillors may have been on the more expensive scheme, there' intervened that terrible commercial depression, which stopped all the money supplies, knocking every idea that meant giving away cash out of people’s heads, and damping effect ually the ardor of our municipal magnates on the.,question of, the larger water scheme. Leave was obtained from the ratepayers to raise a loan of £15,000, but owing to the untoward, state of the money market, action lias not yet been taken on the floating of it, and it. is questionable now if it ever wiU be- The hard times sharpened the wits and cleared the eyes of,all who had to engage in business trans actions, and tlie pressing need for a water supply and a idrairiage system, and the absence, of funds to proyid.e these, gave

fruitfulness to necessity, the mother of in vention, in the minds of the Borough councillors, so that they were constrained to turn practical eyes to a simple scheme that had often before been spoken of, but because of its modest simplicity was ne glected, if not pooh-poohed. It was a scheme that Nature showed to be prac tical, for during one flood she sent a sup ply tearing down exactly the same course that has now been adopted by the Council as their water -supply route; For many days “ dubs ” of water lay along the side of the railway line ; and while they lay there they were not altogether useless. A fire occurred in - a cottage in Moore street, and the presence of-ope pool in the near vicinity, a .remnant of the. flood, showed* how valuable to Ashburton might become the course from the river the water filling that pool had followed to reach the depre sion in the ground it so opportunely filled ,on the occasion to -which we -refer. That pool was pumped. 'almpst ; dry by the Fire Brigade I ,'; a time, as tlie financial squeeze had not yet, [ been felt,' it was - thought that no more would ; be heard of the modest idea of bringing the water through the Domain. Now, however, that scheme has been fixed upon, and is being carried out; and a few days will see its completion. It is called.a temporary 'scheihe, to be sure ; but we feel- certaiii that it will not..bo tem porary, and will supply all Ashburton’s wants for.a long: time, notwithstanding such sneers as are occasionally thrown 1 at it. Meanwhile the pipes, costly pipes, that were procured for the more elaborate scheme, lie useless by the side. of the rail way, while the Council and the County differ as to whether the special fund set aside by the latter for a water supply for the Borough shall absorb what profit lfiay arise from the sale, or' it shall go to the funds of the struggling Municipality.’.'The Chairman of-the County, with his usual acumen, holds that the profit of the sale,, if the , sale is to, take .place, ought to go the special water fund, while the Borough Councillors believe they liaye’a right to it. And-while the question is undecided the iron market* has. fallen, and fallen considerably, But were prompt action taken to find a market in the colony, 'we believe prices would yet be ob tained that would leave a broad margin on the original" costs of the pipes,— bought as . they were, at an exceptionally advantageous' time—and yet make it worth the candle for colonial, purchasers to deal with the borough for such pipes as they require. It is to be hoped that, when a thousand,. or, perhaps two thou-i sand pounds are to be made out of the sale,"the opportunity will not be lost of .disposing of them at a profit before the market falls—and whether the special fund or the borough derive the benefit, it ought by all means be made , a point to secure the profit. While the two bodies dispute over; its disposal'the opportunity' for gaining it may slip away and the pipes’, will remain useless to the borough, useless to the county, deteriorating in value as they lie unused, while they may now be converted into money and represent a great' advance on the figure that was paid; for them. ; , \'!•

f Sir- George* Grey speaks at Invercar gill to-night. The .- Steeplechases.— Nominations for the Ashburton Steeplechases close to-night at nine o’clock, at Quill’s Hotel. ... ,The ..Refrigerator. The steamer . Cotopaxi, ,now en route to Aus tralia, is fitted with refrigerating machinery. ’ Ashburton Steeplechases.— Mr. John Lloyd Crawley has, we understand, been appointed to collect subscriptions for the Ashburton Steeplechases, to be run on the, 29ch. , !

Personal. —Mr. Watkin Williams, Q.C.,. the new Solicitor-General under Mr. Gladstone’s Government, is’ the brother of Mr. Wynn Williams, of Christ church.. — Press. ' 1 . ■ ■ • o ! The Grand National Steeplechase; —The railway arrangements for the Grand •National Steeplechase Meeting, at .Christ church, on the Queen’s Birthday, are advertised in this issue. Diphtheria; The Dunedin Times reports the cases of alleged diphtheria there to be merely a bad description of sore throat, ; attended 1 with ulceration. The outbreak is attributable to the change r able weather experienced of late. Pigeon Match. —“ Mine host,” Philipp Tisdh, of the; Spread Eagle Hotel, has made arrangements for holding a pigeon match on Queen’s Birthday, and as a wind up to the day’s sport a ball is an nounced to take place in the evening. j

' Railway Notice. —An announcement from the General Manager, Mr. Back, in another column, intimates that on Monday next, May 24th, the officer in charge of the Belfast Station will be : withdrawn, and the station in future treated only as a flag station, , , ! Fatal Gun Accident • —At Oamaru, on Sunday, a lad named Charles Haggle, aged 16, lost his life. He was out shoot ing with a companion and was in the act of putting on an overcoat when his gun Exploded and tlie ,charge ' 'entering his side he was killed on the spot.

The Railway. Depot.— The .railway offices in Dunedin having been recently the .scene of a fire, which had the .effect of temporarily dislodging the staff, the Christchurch City Council liave taken oc casion to urge upon Government the ad visableness of bringing back the staff to Christchurch, and to ask that the promise made not to remove them from Christ church should be redeemed and a great injustice to Christchurch thus rectified.

• Thl Cattle Disease.— A supplement : to the Gazette has been issued, dated May 18, containing a proclamation dividing the South Island into the Marlborough, Nel son, Canterbury, Westland, Otago, and Southland cattle districts, for the pur poses of the Diseased Cattle Act, and an, Order-in-Council of the same date'makes a special regulation' to prohibit the re moval or driving of cattle out of the-South Auckland District into any other district southward of the district. . Appointments are also made to the South- Island Cattle Boards and the Sheep Inspectors are gazette/!' Cattle Inspectors for their re spective districts. Veterinary Surgeons Mr. Thomas Michie in Wellington, and Mr. Thomas Hill in .Christchurch, are gazetted Deputy Inspectors, being hono rary appointments. Notice is also- issued directing Cattle Inspectors to keep each other informed as to cattle travelling through the districts where' pleuro-pneu monia is known to exist,

Meat. —Mr. R. Lancaster announces his intention of sending round his meat carts to the houses of the residents, and of selling meat at a considerable reduction for cash. We have on several occasions heard complaints that this course was not followed before by the butchers, as many cash buyers would prefer to make A choice at their own doors to going to the shop or trusting to the selection made there to order. : v *'; ' ;* ; : : . Presbyterian Church .At Wheat stone. —The Rev. •' Mr. Beattie submitted to -the Presbytery oft Chirstchurch at its last meeting plans of the proposed new church at Wheatstone, a site which has been chosen because of the central ad vantage it will give to the Waterton and Ashton residents and" to those living higher .up towards the railway,<but.nearer to Wheatstone than to Tinwald. The Presbyterial sanction was given to the plans, with one or two trifling suggested amendments. At the same meeting the Rev. H. B. Burnett, late of Ashburton, applied for the appointment of an in terim session at his charge at Halkett, which was granted. Mr. Burnett’s friends will be glad to learn that his new charge is prospering.

t The :< Froliques.” —Mr. Martin Bimon sen, who conducted ah opera company through New Zealand a few years ago, will appear at the Town Hall,' Ash burton, on Wednesday evening next, with a troupe which goes by the taking title of the “ Froliques.” Speaking of the com pany, a Dunedin paper of a late date says that “ the comedians of the company are most amusing, and introduce a lot of new ‘ business ’ in their songs, dances and farces. The most pleasing feature of the performance, however, was Mr. Simon sen’s excellent violin playing, which was listened to most attentively and drew from the audience well merited applause. Mr. Simonsen is. certainly one of the most finished instrumentalists we have had here, and it is at all times a pleasure to listen to him.”

TRAINING NOTES.

(by telegraph.) Christchurch, May 19.

At the training ground this morning, Grey Momus, and Loch Lomond per formed their best, both doing a great deal of jumping. Miss Hungerford, Black Prince, Satellite, Micky Free, and Blue Bell also did good work. Lonehand did a little walking, exercise. Agent, Lonehand and Royalty are favorites for the Handi cap and Cup.

Recess Addresses.

(by telegraph.) Auckland, May 20.

Messrs. Hamlin and Harris addressed their constituents at Pukekohe last night, when votes of confidence were passed by the meeting.

Nelson, May 19.

Mr. Adams addressed the electors last night. There , w;is a crowded meeting. He spoke strongly on railway subjects, pointing out that the deficiency in the revenue was largely expected, .and that the deficiency had nothing to do with the expenditure on public works. He then referred to the late charges made against him, which, he said, he ivas ready to meet. He said the whole of the misappre hension arose from the fact of the first case not having been reported. He said be should go to, Wellington, and then return and face the electors to give his ex planation ; and he asked them, if they wanted to strengthen his hands as their representative, to undo wliat was done at the late meeting. He was sure that if .there had been any influential citizens at the former meeting, they had taken no part in it, and he asked them to express confidence in him as their member.

A question was asked whether Mr. Adams would work cordially with the other members, and withdraw certain remarks made by him regarding Mr. Pitt. Numerous interruptions followed, and Mr. Adams was loudly called on for an answer. Ultimately, he said that the remarks he made concerning Mr. Pitt were 5 -made in the heat, of .the . moment, and ad mitted that he should not have, used them ; but he now asked them to remem ber what some of them did in the heat of moment at the meeting the other night. Dunedin, May 19.

Mr. Finn has addressed. the Arrow electors. He advocated extreme reduc tions in the. Civil Service.. : ■*; -

CABLE NEWS.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

{Per Rutters' Agency.)

The Fortune Bay Outrages—Threaten ing Attitude of America. . London, May 19.

It is announced from Washington that President Hayes, of the United States, has invited’ Congress to consider what, course of action Government should pur sue.; in-regard to the outrages - which took place some time since on American fisher men at Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, and especially in view of the refusal of the Marquis of Salisbury, as Foreign-. Secr etary in the last Administration, to accede to the demand of the Ameri can Secretary of State for com pensation from England for loss of boats and nets belonging to the fishermen. The matter in dispute between England and America is seriously occupying public attention in both countries, The Australian Cricketers.

The cricket match between the Aus tralians and Eleven of Derbyshire was re sumed to-day, when the latter, in tlieir second innings, made 125. The Austra lians played well, and won the match by eight wickets. The Scotch Lord Advocate Beaten.

The Right Hon. William Watson, Lord Advocate of Scotland, failed to obtain re election as a representative in Parliament for Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities. The Kuldaja Difficulty.

Several war vessels have been ordered to the Pacific, and have received,.instruc tions to cruise off China, owing to the Kuldaja difficulty being still unadjusted, and Russia having resolved upon the ■strict execution of the Treaty.

AUSTRALIAN.

(Reuter’s Telegrams.) Brandy.

Melbourne, May 19.\ . The sale of brandy. , previously reported was on account of New Zealand. \. ) Payment of Members of Parliament) May 20. ; In the Legislative Assembly last night, a motion in favor of the payment of-mem bers was carried on a division by 42 to 28. Messrs Duffy and .Gillies, both members of the Ministry, voted in favor of the motion. Chairman of Committees. Mr. Cooper has been elected Chairman of Committees. ' *_ j. -g. The Reform Bill. y Mr Service introduces his Reform Bill to-night. - v : ' - An Unhealthy Sign. The Argus , in discussing the present state of political affairs, admits that Mr. Service must experience great difficulty in carrying on the Government with the present Assembly, owing to the defections from his party. Betting. ; y , - | ? Adelaide,. May .19. Betting on the Birthday Cup—3 to 1 against Savanaka; 4to 1 against Lord Harry. A Revengeful Brother. Brisbane, May 20. At the Supreme Court, on a verdict being given against Livanwick, barrister, and a member of the Assembly, which is tantamount to an implication of profes- : sional malpractices, Griffiths, the plain tiffs counsel, complained of the menacing attitude of Livanwick’s brother towards plaintiff. The Judge ordered the arrest i of the brother, who was found carrying a ; revolver and sheath knife.' He was sen-: fenced to imprisonment during the plea- i sure of the Court. The Judge, in passing ■ sentence, regretted he was unable to make it imprisonment for twenty years.

NEW ZEALAND.

Volunteer Review.

Auckland, May 20.

There is to be a grand Volunteer j review here on Queen’s Birthday. Several; county corps have promised to be present. ■ It will be a preliminary affair to a grand: review which is to take place on the Prince of Wales’ Birthday, when corps from the Thames, Waikato, Whangarei, and other, parts will be present. ' A; The Railway Commission. The Railway Commission held a formal sitting to-day, in consequence of Hamlin and Harris urging the construction of a branch line of railway to Pulcekohe and, Waiuku. Pleuro Pneumonia. Auckland, May 19. District Cattle Inspector Lewis and Naden, veterinary surgeon, inspectors for Otahuhu, Panmure, and Mangere Dis tricts, state that no further symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia have been perceived, and they are satisfied the disease is not spread ing. Gorse, the Wanganuiilnspector, is leaving the Waikato for Wanganui. . The Pokeno Railway Robbery. , The police are in pursuit of the man suspected of robbing the Pokeno railway station. . , • The Railway Commission, The Hinemoa has arrived, with the : Railway Commissioners. Gold. Prospecting for gold is going on at the Ngaruawahia drive.. At 20 feet, it is re-: ported a. few small specimens were found. The Divorce Court. Wellington, May 20. In the Divorce Court, the case of Knight v. Knight, of Nelson, was heard. His Honor, the Chief Justice, in giving judgment, said that Mrs. Knight had es tablished her case by proving incestuous adultery, and . although her conduct had not altogether redounded to her credit, the Court would grant a decree nisi. At the Divorce Court, decrees msi were granted in the cases of Harris v. Harris, Wanganui, and Denby v. Denby and Gilbert, Auckland'. ' Wellington, May 20. At . the Divorce Court, in the case of Munro v. Munro .and Clarke, an applica tion for decree nisi was granted. A Warning to Property Holders. Summonses: are being issued property owners for non payment of the Land Tax. y. Education Timaru, May 19. The South Canterbury Ed ucation Board has voted LlO to the new schools for the purpose of tree planting, and smaller sums to other schools. Coal and Railway, Charges. Complaints are being made about the great reduction in railway charges lately made for the conveyance of coal from Lyttelton, enabling importers from New-, castle to under-sell dealers in colonial coal from southern mines, who have to pay full rates for carriage. Dunedin, May-19. I The Tipperary Company at Arrow have crushed 417 ounces of gold from 550 tons stone. At the Tokomairiro District Court, Isabella Hamlyn was acquitted on the charge of concealment of birth. On Petrie’s farm, Maungatua, the whole season’s crops were destroyed by fire! There was no insurance. Land Sale. Dunedin, May 20. At the sale of the lease of runs to-day, run 109, 10,400 acres, in the Waihemo District, was sold at L2OO, to A. D. Bell, who also bought 109 b; 6,100 acres, for L2lO. The upset price of the latter was LIOO. All the other runs offered fetched the upset price.

An Interesting Letter.

Mr.Edv/ard Scott writes to the London Athcnceum respecting a newly-discovered letter, which he thinks may throw some light on Milton’s separation from his first wife. Among the correspondence and papers of Sir Edward Nicholas, Secre tary of State to Charles I. and Charles 11., which I had the pleasure of cataloguing for Messrs. Puttick and- Simpson last winter, I came across a letter of apparently little importance or interest at first sight,

bub which I inclince to believe muy throw a perfectly new and very strong light on an occurrence in Milton’s life which,v front his time to the present ha 3 hover been satisfactorily explained. I allude to' the true cause of his divorce from his-first wife, Mary Powell, daughter of Richard Powell, of Forest Hi 11,,, near Oxford. Before I give, however, a cbpy of the letter, I must mention a few facts about the public events at the time of this iriar i riage, in order to explain my surmises in relation to it. In (.November, 1652, oc curred the capture of Brentford by Cwarles I and his retreat soon after to Oxford, where he spent the year 1643. During the spring /of 1643, Milton left London, went to Forest Hill, and married Mary Powell, the daughter of an ardent Royalist. In: the second volume of Professor Masson’s admirable “ Life of Milton,” is a very full account of this wedding, and he .points but how strange it was that the poet, “the anti-episcopal pamphleteer, and altogether one of the most marked of extreme Par-; liamentarians put of Parliament,” should venture so near the Royalist head quarters. It was a mystery, but not so great a mystery as the cause of his sudden divorce of, his Royalist wife within three months after his marriage. The real motive for this has never been guessed, and Professor Masson points out in his third volume that Milton’s nephew, Phil lips, must be wrong ill the story he gives us of it, that the poet sent back for'his bride after Michaelmas, 1633, because he ; knew for a certainty that the tract on “Divorce” was out on August ; l, v 1643, and after its publication it is impossible; to believe that he could have made any overtures whatever for her ; return. * More than that, her mother dis- • tinctly affirmed, only a few days later, that her husband ‘ ‘ turned away his wifeffiere tofore for a long space upon some other occasion. ” What was the that led to such extraordinary conduct on the : part of a bridegroom of two months’ stand-; mg? I believe, it to have beeri the fact that “the Philistines' ploughed with his lieifer,” in other words, that the Royalists of Oxford gained information of the move ments of their enemies through the’ brothers ’of Mary Powell, then students at: Christ Church, and that the brothers gained information through their sister Mary, and that their sister Mary, betrayed her. husband’s honor and , forfeited her husband’s love by using'her newly-won position to- retail to her family all she heard and saw around her in her Puritan household. , I now proceed to. give - a; copy of this letter as I found it : “ May it please your . honor to re-, member that - upon his .'late MajestieV; Return to Oxon after Brainford Fight, - I did .present His Majesty 501 iin Gould, which he was pleased to deliver to i: y.our hands. And likewise’ that I did often send Intelligence to your' Honor at Oxon by the hands of Mr. • Richard Powell, now Bencher of the Tem ' pie. I doe .most humbly request your; Honour’s 1 favour to Certify that the afore-! said perticulars, or what, elee your Hon our shall think fitt touching my Loyalty.; I have peticioned his Majesty for the re~j version of a Waiter’s Place at the Custom; House, and your Honour’s Certificates on my behalf may greatly advantage me; therein. For which and all other your; great Favours both to my mother, and my-j self, I shall ever remayne, Your Honour’s must humble, and_4 obedient Servaunt.i William Garret, May 29th, 1667, Mr. : Powell lived at Forest Hill, neare Oxon.”; This letter is not addressed to anyone, but I have since found an original draft of an answer to it in the hand of the Secretary Nichols,, in which he certifies to the writer’s particular diligence and faithful-: ness in the late troubles to do his Majesty of blessed memory service, not only by supplying ' his Majesty according to his ability, but by giving frequent’ arid good intelligence through my hand whilst his Majesty was at. Oxford of .the Rebells movements and other matters. ” I ought to remark that the postscript of Garret’s letter, “Mr. Powell lived at Forest Hill, neare Oxon,” is in another hand—that, I believe, of Sir Joseph Williamson.

THE STORY-TELLER.

ITHE TWO LANDLOEDS. j (From the Agricultural Gazette.) One of the most, dilapidated estates in the southern counties, ; thirty years ago, was that of Mr. Bleauclerc Chisel, of Compton. It was impossible to pass through Compton without observing the signs of a sad impoverishment. The poverty of the great proprietor must be always felt as a misfortune in a country parish, and it was a still greater calamity thirty years ago than it can be, now.h, • When, by accident or bad management,’ capital passed: away from a great estate thirty years ago, the bulk of the popula tion were at once plunged into poverty and its attendant evils. The unemployed laborers, instead of migrating, as.. they would do at the present time, were cast upon society under conditions which soon changed them —for a time, at least—from Honest and industrious men into ill-con ditioned wolves and jackals. And such was the change that fell on Compton. It should be a happy thought for Christ mas time when all hearts are warmed by a more than, common sentiment >of. bene : volence —that when in this changing life affairs are at the worst, as the - affairs of agriculturalists must be at the present time, they often begin to mend. They did so suddenly at-Compton, whose sun of prosperity, ten years or more eclipsed, broke from behind the obscuring shadow unexpectedly, almost in an instant. :

CHAPTER I. The turn of fortune ■ in the. case of Compton came, as we have said, suddenly. At'-the end of a July day in 1849, - an un known gentleman, passing through the village, pulled up before one of the two village inns, which is called, as you may read upon the .signboard, “ Dew Drop Inn”—a name ; derived, perhaps, from the hospitable invocation, “ do drop in”—and the stranger,, observing the comfortable appearance of the house, and desiring to refresh liis horse, gave the reins to his groom and dropped in accordingly. The other inn, existing now no longer as an inn, and then called “ The Bull,!’ was kept by a Mrs. Thomback, an indus trious, respectable woman, prickly in temper as in name. Considering the low ebb of affairs at Compton, the amount of patron age extended to the Bull by the laboring, people of the parish was surprising. At that particular time, on the stranger’s visit, the active employment afforded by

the hay harvest may explain by mystery or method Mrs. Thornback’s thirsty ,customers could possibly afford, or hope to pay, the long scores they were running. rip“ And if we look into the Bull Inn kitchen, while the stranger at the Dew Drop is enjoying his eggs and bacon, and preparing to remain the night, the : conversation of the laborers wilL perhaps throw further light on the same subject.

Two candles, placed on the rough, oaken table, for lighting pipes, the moon arid some remaining day-light struggled with the tobacco clouds in Mrs. Thorn back’s kitchen. Cups were circulating, pipes were being puffed, the evening was advancing, and all the --laborers j as a rule; talked together, except when some marked men gained the general-’ear by tile- spell of his eloquence and fame.. ; ., Such,a,mfiri’.was William Root. Up spake William RooL .x alxTI- tell 1 you-what ; !s: ’and then he : put his . pipe in his mouth again and .went' on smoking.C.! There waisia general\stir. I .The man of,, ideas is. always welcome ,in .any company, it' ‘is felt, was aboqt to introduce some new topic, of cqn r versatiori',’ ' the previous'■' subject' having been disposed qf. . . “is. Hark'lb Bill,” - said’one." “ BilFs’gdiiig to speak,”, said another., “ Hear. Bill,” cried ariotbieri’ •* lux*

Mr. Root accordingly , scratched his ear with his short black pijpe, .arid sjioke as follows in a slow voice, : withTiishead on one side. - ‘ “I never know’d but < one -man as threshed clean in all my born days. ” ' 0 Sere' - anothfer (laborer spokb,-^ “ Threshed clean, - ’ 1 did un ? Poor devil!”', . j,. ■ , “ Yes,’” said Root. “ Poor devil h He- were boys, twenty year ago.” - - • * “ Of course he were, poor devil !” was echoed round the room! Mike was another man of magic, who was always , listened .to .with attention. “ I’ll tell'you what “ know for';4 facfcl” said Mike. “ I know’d a man ai-worked in a barn, and did not thresh clean. ” “Hear, hear!” shouted the laborers. “ Healths all round, Y?e,’ve heard T of; that man before. Mike.”

Mike’s story was on old one, which the company had heard inany times, and still they (cheered (the; conclusion as a novelty. . “ No, my lads,” continued Mike, “he did not thresh clean : and more than that, he always kept a pig ; and strange to say, my lads, this pig of his’n, every three months, got fat enough to bust himself. ” The company waited for the catas trephe pots in hand.—“ Then he bought another one, Mike, eh ?” Mike puffed three or four more puffs, and then continued : —“Yes, he bought another one every three months, and fatted four a year up to the bustin’ point; and one he eat.and three he;,spld.,”- r , “ Hooray !” cried the company: “ And how much did he Spend for barley meal, Mike ?”

“ Not a penny.” : ItTwas a sblemn thing, lads, how he fatted them four pigs.” “ Done by magic, Mike, eh?” , “It certainly.looked uncommon like it. This*was all he “id.,; Every - ’night (when he got homb -ffie pulled ’ off his boots' ’and shook ’em over the pig’s head ; and then there used to be a crunchin’, just for all the world like a hog crokin’ up peas or what not. T .. “ What sort o’ shoes 'did ’un wear, Mike? “ Uncommon roomy, ones,” said Mike. This was-ihe catastrophe, and the men roared over the simple story as if it was the best joke they had ever heard. Your agricultural laborer is*- 4 genial fellow, fond of society, and therefore, speaking more particularly of pothouse parishes like he sought amuse ment at his only club-room—the village inn. '

The cost of an extravagant amusement cannot be defended, but in the case of a farm, laborer, it was much less than might have been ; supposed, - : ;andu your highly educated gentleman, with his well filled mind, often spends as much in a few hours, at a club in’ Pall Mall, as all Mrs. Thornback’s customers expended in a week. There were. extenuating circum stances for the folly of trie laborers, seeing that Compton, up till twenty years ago, had been, for a country place, a pen of misery.

As inns were not then closed at any particular hour by law, pothouse revellers were accustomed to retire when they found themselves fuddled up to concert pitch, according to the custom of the time. That time'of night approached at the Bull,: and , conversation had become.almost an inces- ' sant roar of voices.

“ What’s the use !” asked several laborers,! “ what’s the use of : wages; /when everything’s so dear, you can’t buy nothing with ’em Avhen you’ve got ’em !” ‘4,What’s the use'; seeing- Pbeef and , mutton a-going along ,the road to market when you,can’t buy a bitof meat f’v . fr

■j : A laborer here claimed, ;a hearing, and a partial silence was restored;Awhile -he spoke. .

“ I’ll tell you what, he said f “ just look hrire; now.” Herd thc ‘orator stretched; out his: mug 'arid> desired Mrs. Thornback to fill it. 4 “ See, now,” he continued, “what a land we live in.

Look at the weather for the time off year; we have fine, hay-making,, and, .according to all appearance, we are - just goin (r to begin harvest; ” Here he receiveddiismuo- >' of beer and drank “ Healths round.” “ Just look at Old England, my friend's ; just look at the;sights there, is to seey my friends. ” At this point of his odd dis course a near neighbor ~, shouted " out, “ Stop a bit,” which seemed to scatter his ideas. Shaking his head* he stretched out his mug, dropped it on the floor, and then subsiding into .himself be fell asleep. rkH The slow voice of ,a man of . authority was here heaffdr Us “ The%iesti6h i£* * smd William -Booc-—and here .he..paused and thumped the table, .7 if* The question is the rate of wages. Now, look here : what I say upon that point is this—if the farmers can t afford a pound a week it’s a pity.” ... So say I,” cried a day man, raising ins right arm, and preparing to strike the table, ia ; ■ >,' -

Stop a bit, shouted another day man, the same who had shouted “ Stop a bit ” before, and he too raised his right arm. There was here a general cry off “ Stop a bit. and the whole of the company raised their right arms. “This conversation was brought up, ' began pne.of the .company,— . : brought. it up ?” . asked “■ Stop-a bit, fiercely...,-What say yoiu to a, song, gentlemen 1 said a meek man in the corner. Every flat here "thumped the

Thursday, May 20, 1880.]

THE ASHBURTON HERALD



NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. ' ; All orders for insertion of advertise ments must be written legibly on the face of the advertisement. When no order is given the advertisement will be inserted until countermanded, and charged accord ingly; i. : All/, notices ,of Births, Marriages, or ‘ Deaths must be accompanied by the sig nature of the sender, as a guarantee of good faith. All advertisements and business letters ,’to'be : addressed? The Manager ; literary communications should be addressed to The/Editor. ■ ./ • -



Miscellaneous Ys'M BOROUGH OF ASHBURTON. ELECTION OF AUDITORS. , TN pursuance of The Municipal; Corpora- X .tions Act, 1876, and The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876, I hereby give notice,that an Election of Two Per , son/s to serve as Auditors for the ensuing year will be held at the Borough Council Office,, on TUESDAY,. the .first day of June next. .. Nominations, in the form prescribed by the second Schedule of the last mentioned Act, will be. received at the Town Clerk’s Office, up till Noon on Tuesday, the 25th •day of May. •. • . :p: ; £p_\ • CHARLES BRADDELL, Officer. Borough Council Offices,- ? Ashburton, 15th May, 1880. fvv ■ f 466c-867g ACT, 1873, AND LICENS ES, ING ACT 1873 AMENDMENT ‘ ACT, 1874. . - WTOTICE is hereby given that, in pur .l~\ suance of | the above Acts, a Quarterly Meeting of the Licensing Commissioners of the Districts of Ash burton, Rakaia, ’and Mount Somers, will ..'belheld on TUESDAY, the Ist day of June, 1880, at the hour of 12 noon, in ~thef Resident : s Court, Ashbur tony for th,es>urpose considering appli cations under the said Acts. . j C..sCAYENDISH HURRELL, : • Clerk, Licensing Court, fesident Magistrate’s Court, "Ashburton, 28th April, 1880. 393 * NOTICE. T . RATING ACT, 1870. TTtTHEREAS at a sitting of the Assess- Y.Y, ment Court for the Road District of Longbeach, held this 17th day of April, at Longbeach, before me, P. Guinness, 'Judge of the said Court, it was proved that no Valuation List had been prepared as required by the said Act. Now, there fore, under the provisions of clause 28 of the said Act, I order that a Valuation List [be made ; and I hereby appoint William John Cutiibert to be the Valuer for the said District; and Ido further fix Tues day,the Ist day of June next, the day for the completion and' inspection of such list ; and that the last day for delivering objections thereto shall, be Tuesday, the 15th day of June. The Court will sit at 10 o’clock in the forenoon on MONDAY, the 21st day of June next, for the purpose of hearing and determining all objections to the Valuation List of the said District. "FRANK GUINNESS, „ Judge. :, ;-TC. CAVENDISH HURRELL, 378 c . .. . Clerk. IT is only a Penny, is to be got every* ■ where, in Town, along the Railway line, and of tb Country Agents. TTIORMS PRINTED “To Let ” and fv » For Sale ’’—can be obtained at the Herald Office. '[ , 1 • ' VIS7"ANTED: Known, the “Ashburton VV ; Herald” circulates throughout the IBrbviijcial District of , Canterbury. ;. . j



Miscellaneous TO LET. COTTAGE, Svifclx lialf- acre Garden, East Belt.. : ‘;v Apply, ' 441 c ORE. & CO. CHRISTMAS Number Young Ladies’ i Journal, London Journal, Family Herald, Family Reader, Boys’ Standard, &c. Just arrived. H. M.' Jones, Sta tioiier, Baring Square. : \ EOSTX- TEN., YOUNG : ; PIGS, jusi weaned. . Anyone giving R. Lan caster their whereabouts will be re warded. i' Anyone detaining the same after this, notice .will.be prosecuted.. .. 451 c CHOOL Requisites and Artist I'd vte O rials. IT. M. JONES, Static rer, •Bariiig >Sci uare. - ' ; M 'ANTED iTNOWN—That 0. Haw kins, The Tinwald Bootmaker, has REMOVED to premises,’ Opposite the Tinwald Post Office, where he is still open to Sell; first-class Boots and; Shoes at /hip usual Cheap Rates. All kinds of Boots Made and Repaired. . ■ t Sosg — 4l7c CHINIQUY’S LECTURES.—Just Ar rived, New Edition : H. M. Jones, aring Square. .... ... > , / \FFICE and Pocket Diaries for ISBO H. M. Jones, - Stationer, Baring Square. AlO, 1 rate of interest. Ashburton. TO LEND, in. sums to suit borrowers,,at lowest F. P. O’Reilly, Solicitor, . .... - 424c-835g WANTED,, at once, a > HOUSEMAID, for a Country Hotel. A pply sharp, Herald Registry. WANTED, a General SERVANT. Apply at once to Guardian office or to Mrs. ,-M‘Kellar Wix, St. Leonards, Sea field. ■ ' , ’47oc-865g ASHBURTON LIBRARY. ALL PERSONS having BOOKS in; their possession belonging to the above Library are requested to RETURN them immediately. ' H. C. JACOBSON, 481 c Hon. Sec. ASHBURTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. MEETING of MEMBERS will be held at Mr. Anstee’s, on TUES DAY, May 25th, at. 8 p.m. . ..... ; Business, —Discussion on Mr. Mayo’s paper; Subject—/‘.Window- Gardens and to receive Report of Sub-commitee appointed to draw up Prize Schedule. fi STEPHEN E. POYNTZ, 4Boc Hon. Sec. ANTED—TENDERS for CROP PING 25 acres, adjoining Chertsey Railway Station. Tenders close FRIDAY, May 28th. Specifications on application 179 c JAS. BORTHWICK. .OOK OUT FOR LANCASTER’S CART. FOR CASH. ON AND AFTER MONDAY NEXT-- ' BEEF ... ... 2d, 3d, and 4d, per lbi LEGS MUTTON 3d -" ' Vh’ •„ : FORE-QUARIERS MUTTON Ifd ; HAVING" secured the Principal lines of. Fat ; Stock in the, Ashburton listrict, from John- Grigg, Esq.,- and lhalmers Bros., there can be no doubt of he excellent quality of ; the meat supplied. ALL KINDS OF SMALL GOODS DE LIVERED AS PER ORDER. THE TRADE SUPPLIED AT 20s. .. PER IOOLBS. •• : VI ‘ 482 c R. LANCASTER. COMFORTABLE BOARD and RESI DENCEj or Two good Rooms in a Private HouSe, can be had by applying in the first instance at Mr. Savage’s Fruit Shop, East street. 483 c WANTED TRADESMEN’S or other Books or Writing to do by contract or otherwise as evening employment. For particulars of competency and experience t address “Nib,” Post Office. ~ 484 c