The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1885.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1545, 20 May 1885, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1885.

We are indebted to Messrs H. Matson and Jo. for the following report of today’s Addington Live Stock Market : There was only a small supply of fat sheep at to-day’s sale, and prices were unaltered except for second quality, which suffered a further decline. The sale throughout was dull, the average quotation for mutton being 2d. There was a scarcity of stores, and prices were nominal, very few being sold. There was a large entry of pigs, the bulk being light curing sorts. Prices were easier. There was a moderate supply of beef, but the trade was exceptionally dull, quotations being 16s to 18s per 1001 bs. Very little was none in store cattle. Mails for the Australian colonies,

United Kingdom, and Continent of Europe, via Melbourne, will close at the Bluff at noon on Friday. This mail is duo in London on July 13. The Chairman of the Rangitata Road Board has informed the Chairman of the Ashburton County Council that he has had the northern approach to ths Rangitata Bridge cleared. We learn that Mr D. L. Murdoch, General Manager of the Bank of Now Zealand, consequent on the sudden death of one brother and the dangerous illness of other two, necessitating some family arrangements, has obtained leave of absence to take a hurried trip to England, and should the general outlook be such as to warrant his absence, Mr Murdoch will likely be a passenger by next mail steamer.

Prince Bismarck, in the course of a

debate on the German Reichstag, replying to a taunt of the leader of the centre party, that “ everything was in full blaze between England and Germany,” said he could not do better than refer him to the very opposite view expressed in a speech delivered in the House of Commons by Mr Gladstone. The members t of parlia-

mentary groups, whose ideal could only be realised by war. ought not at any rate, carelessly and without proper ground, go and describe the relations of Germany with friendly Powers as jeopardised. The dispute with England had been settled, and he could assure them he would not have sent his son to England to pick a quarrel. The Railway Times says The great Eastern, the Great Northern, the London and North western, the Great Western, the London, Brighton, and South Coast, the Chatham, the South-eastern, the North-eastern, the Lancashire and Yorkshire, and the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, which are the ten leading lines (after setting aside the Midland and South-western for reasons already stated), haVe earned from passengers during the year an aggregate sum of L 14,844,884 -f this amount L 10,798,178 has come from the third-class alone, while the firstclass has contributed L 2,033,216, and the second L 2,013,490.

We have received from the author, Mr J. Howard Wallace, J.P., the prospectus of the “ The Early History of New Zealand. ” The work, which it is proposed to publish during the current year, is announced to contain the history of New Zealand from its first discovery by the early navigators, and occupation by the whalers, sealers, and missionaries, up to the period of its systematic colonisation by Great Britain, the moat minute details and names of those who colonised the country, and how they colonised it; an alphabetical list of the pioneer settlers of every part of New Zealand who bravely carried out the “heroic work of colonisation,” with the year in which they arrived, and, as far as it has been possible to ascertain it, the ship in which they came ; thus completing a valuable historical record, interesting not only to every resident in the colony, but to numerous families in England, the Australian colonies, and other parts, who assisted in the foundation of one of the “ brightest gems in the British Crown.”

It is, I believe, perfectly true (says “Allas” in the London World) that the wife of the General commanding on the Nile, first heard the news of the fall of Khartoum from a crossing-sweeper. Lady Wolseley, on Thursday morning, was out for her usual walk, and, crossing Grosvanor Square, was saluted by a sweeper to whom she was known, with “ Very sorry for this bad news, wy lady.” “What bad news!” ‘‘This about Khartoum being taken.” “ Absurd 1” said Lady Wolseley; “where did you hear such nonsense V‘ ■‘ It ain't nonsense ! I took a letter from a house here to Marlborough house just now, and the porter there was reading it eut of the Telegraph." Lady Wolseley returned home, and an hour later received a despatch from the War Office.

Skinny Men.—“ Wells’ Health Renewer restores health and vigor, cures dyspepsia, un potence, debility. The N.Z. Drug -Cp. General Agents. * Another unfortunate.-—Again we must draw the attention of our readers to the fact that a ,£2,424 stock of Clothing and General Drapery, in the estate of Dennis O’Connell, trading in Lyttelton and Cristchurch, now hank, nipt, was purchased by H. E. May & Co,, of the Hall, High street, for £gs4t or only a little over one-third of its value. H. E. M, and Co. are now selling it at half the marked price, which surely ought to seenre 9 speed

The usual weekly meeting of the Star of Bast Lodge, 1.0.G.T., wjll beheld at the Orange Hall this evening. A concert will be given at Lanriiton on Monday evening by the Methven Amateur Christy Minstrels.

The first rehearsal of “ Our Boys,” now in course of production by a company of Ashburton amateurs, took place last evening.

A summary of the report of the Government Life Insurance Association, to be laid before the annual meeting on Wednesday next, appears in another part of this issue.

The Arawa, which arrived at Auckland, from Fiji this morning brings newsof the safety of the missing craw of the Nightingale. Particulars appear in uur telegrapio columns. The rabbit plague Is well known to be vary prevalent in Marlborough, and some idea of its extent may ba gained from a letter recently sent by a Wairau man to a Blenheim paper. He says, “I have upon more than one occasion remarked on the magnitude of the rabbit pest in Marlborough. A few evenings ago one of the largest ‘ hauls ” of rabbits I have ever heard of was made on a run which rabbits have the name of possessing a great liking for. A new sort of trap was laid for them on an extensive scale, and consisted solely of a few acres enclosed with wire netting, with small openings on one side for the rabbits to enter by. One evening these openings were closed and then the fun began. Armed with short cudgel# the men jumped into the enclosure, and in a short time no less than 750 rabbits were lying dead. If slaughtering of this kind went on very often the rabbit peat would soon fall into insignificance.” We learn from Wellington, to-day, that the Governor has granted twelve months leave of absence to the Hon W. Robinson, M.L.O. A meeting of the Committee and

Stewards of the Methven Racing Club was held at the Methven Hotel last evening. All the officers wore present, and Dir J.

Jackson occupied the chair. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been

called to consider an application received from Mr K. W. sborne to have the disqualification removedjfrom the horse Marmion. The Secretary said that Mr Osborne supported his application by stating that he had already suffered large pecuniary loss by the disqualification of the horse, and had been prevented 0 impeting in several events. After discussion, the meeting resolved nof to entertain the application. The Premier of Victoria recently asked the Government statist to furnish a statement showing the probable inciea-e in the population of Australasia during the next hundred years calculated at every ten years. Mr Hayter has made out the return asked for, and in making his calculation has allowed ths same increase as actually occurred between 1871 and 1881. According to this basis, in 30 years Australia will be a nation of ten millions ; in fifty yeats the population will be twenty millions, and in 100 years over 108 millions will people the continent and the adjacent islands. The figures as they stand in Mr Haytec’s table are impressive enongh, but there is little doubt that the rate of increase will be over-growing. At the end of 1884, the population was estimated at 3,247,365, and Mr Hayter calculates that it will increase to 4,611,258 by the end of 1894, to 6,547.986 in 1904, to 9,298,140 in 1914, to 13,203 359 in 1924, to 18,748,770 in 1934, to 26,623.253 in 1944, to 37,805,819 in 1955, to 53,683,127 in 1960, to 76,230,040 in 1974, and to 108,246,657 in 1984. Mr Service’s comment upon these figures was that they could not fail to impress on the minds of European statesmen that Australasia must be considered in dealing with the islands of the Pacific.

There has never been a proper report made on the prisons in Morocco, but the few particulars that have coma to light are of a ghastly and revolting character. Some years ago a gentleman visited a madhouse in Fez, where he saw a horrible sight. Ho saw before him, in rooms like dungeons, paved with stones, halfstarved forms, almost naked, fastened to the walls with chains, uncared for and unattended. These miserable wretches are imprisoned heraj cut off entirely and for ever from the world. In Morocco it is a rule for every man to give a tenth part of his goods to the poor. These tithes, however, are collected by the Sultan, very little of them reaching the needy. Slavery exists in Morocco without restrictions. Human beings are sold like cattle in the public markets. It is said that there are 50,000 slaves in Morocco, the supply being kept up by fresh importations from the Soudan. They are in the first place kidnapped or taken in war; the merchants purchase them in the Soudan at from L2 to L 3 each. Young and pretty girls are more valuable, being resold in Morocco at from Ll 5 to L2O each. The Rev Joseph Berry will deliver a popular lecture on America at the Oddfellows’ Hall this evening. Mr Berry’s lecture is entitled ‘'What I saw in America in 1880,” and from the synopsis of the address the reverend gentleman appears to have seen a good deal. San Francisco, the Navadas, Chicago, Niagara and many other places of interest will be described, and particulate given of life among the Mormons, farming in the West, Chicago pig-killing and other American features. 'The lecture will commence at 7‘30 The price of admission is fixed at Is, and the proceeds will bo employed in aid of the Church Building Fund.

A remarkable exemplification of the state of feeling in Canada is given by the New York Sun, of the 3rd February, in an occurrence in a church in Toronto, Canada. It says:—“ The .Rev D. J. Macdonell, at the service in St Andrew’* church yesterday morning, created a sensation by referring to the battle of

Shebaltas Wells, and relating the incidents of the charge of the Guardsmen to get water for the fighting wen of the square, who were dying of thirst. ‘ Thank God,’ said ho, ‘ that such men lived who would die for their Q leen and country and their fellow-man.' As the minister, with flashing eye, called on the God of battles to protect the British soldiers who were fighting the cause of the righteous, the organ peeled out ‘ God Save the Queen,’ and the oongrega

tion, who ware greatly moved, joined in singing the old hymn. Before singing the second verse Mr Macdonell asked .the congregation to nae the words ‘ tricks ’ instead of ‘ knavish tricks,* to express their contempt for the misguided men who were sacrificing Uvea and property by dynamite.” This, says the editor, may give some idea of the ardent devotion that fills the breasts of our colonists in the ho.vr.9f England’s trial, and forms a happy augury for a united confederated Empire in the future. ® All your own fault if you remain sick or out ! of health, when you canj get Hop Bitters made by American Co. Read. ' I.foj. 1,0 ways PiL'is. — Nervous Debility. — No part qf the human machine requires more watching than the nervous system—upon it hangs health and lije itself. These pills are the best regulators and strengtheners of the nerves, and the safest general purifier,;, Nausea, headache, giddiness, numbness, and mental apathy yield to them. They dispatch m'a summary manner those distressing dyspeptic symptoms, stomachic pains, fulness at the pit of the stomach, abdominal distension, and overcome both capricious and confined bowels—the commomy accompanying sigps of defective or deranged nervous power; flollqway’s Pills are particularly recommended to persons of studious and sedentary habits, who gradually sink into a nervous and debilitated state, unless some such restorative be occa signally takea.—

The Ashburton Guards were drilled at Mr T. H. Zouch’s grain store last evening, by Color-Sergeant Hayes. There was a large at tea dance of members, ?nd the different exercises were executed in a manner that elicited commendation from several Volunteer officers present. We learn from a private source that there is every probability of the services of the Corps being accepted by the Defence Department.'

A practice of the Western Fire Brigade will be held at the usual hour this evening. Three girls absconded from the Burnham Industrial School last nights It is supposed that they have gone in the direction of Ashley One of them was leading a criminal life in Christchurch previous to her committal to Burnham.

Amongst those who visited the Austrian corvette Saida at Auckland last Tuesday, says the New Zealand Herald, were the chiefs Patara te Tuhi, Honana te Maioha, and Te Hira te Eawau (the latter a nephew of Paora Tuhaere), The native chiefs were vary cordially received by the Austrian officers, who took them over the ship, explained the working of the guns, machinery, etc , and invited them to dinner. As a mark of respect to the Emperor of Austria, the chiefs presented the captain and officers with a mere paraoa or whalebone mere, a paiaka or spear adorned with carving and feathers, and a slab of greenstone, and in return they were presented with a rifle, a doublebarrelled gun, a dagger, and a sword of old f attorn, also a baton. . The visitors were then brought ashore in the steamlaunch. Two of the chiefs who visited the Saida are Waikatos, and have some knowledge of Austria and the Imperial family. The warship Navara was here in the early times, and several _ Waikato chiefs, including Wirema Toitoi, went to Austria in her, and resided soma time at Vienna. The Archduke Maximiilian, who met so tragic a fate in Mexico, was very attentive to them daring their stay in the capital of Austria, and presented them with a printing press and plant, which was subsequently taken to Waikato, and used in printing the Eingite newspaper, Te Hokioi, A meeting of the Mount Holt Road Board was held at Methven to-day. A report of the proceedings has reached us too late for insertion in this issue.

A story is told of a certain young subaltern of a certain Highland regiment, who had the honor of receiving an invitation to dine with Her Majesty not long ago. He was a braw Scotch laddie, and unused to Court life. Dinner was progressing favorably, but the courteous remarks of her Majesty to the different guests did not lead to much general conversation, so that an occasional pause ensued. In the midst of one of these, when there was a temporary silence in the room, the voice of our Scotch friend arose, and gave forth this powerful remark—“ I fancy, now, we shall have settled weather,” whereupon her Majesty, scarcely repressing a smile, graciously replied, “ We may hope so.” The young gentleman was afterwards informed that on such occasions he must, in future, only speak when spoken to, it not being considered etiquette to initiate a conversation at Her Majesty’s table. Anecdotes of Gordon seem to be flooding the English papers lately. This is the latest. Professor Ryder, who read French with Gordon when that hero was in command of the fort at Gravesend, relates that one day an ex-officer of the Chinese Legion presented himself at the Fort House and asked to see the General. On his card being given to Gordon he threw it from him in disgust, and his anger was so great that for a few seconds he was speechless. When he was somewhat calmer, he expressed his feelings in the following words :—“ Tell that man to enter if ho wishes me to blow out his brains.” This would seem violent, but when it was known that the officer in question had deserted his colors and joined the rebels against whom Gordon was fighting in China, the righteous indignation of the General can bo understood. The servant, who knew his master, repeated the message word for word, and the officer took his leave as quickly as possible. - v Parents do not use vile drugs or nostrums in your families, but use pure Hop Bitters, made only by American Co. See and read, “ German Syrup.”--No other medicine_ n the world was ever given such a test of its curative qualities as Boschee’s German Syrup, In three years two million four hundred thousand small bottles of this medicine were distributed Jree of charge by Druggists in the United States of America to those afflicted with Consumption, Asthma, Croup, severe Coughs. Pneumonia and other diseases of the hhroat and lungs, giving the afflicted undeniable proof that German Syrup will cure them. The result has been that Druggists in every town and village in civilised countries are recommending it to their customers. Go to your Druggist and ask what they know about it. Sample Bottles 6d. Regular size 3s. 6d. Three OSes wil relieve any case.—f Anv-r,]