The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1887. NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1450, 7 January 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1887. NOTES.

Whether or not there is, or ever was, anything m the casting of horoscopes % from astrological data, or m the pseudoscience of palmistry, as affording a means of obtaining a glimpse into that Future which is to ordinary mortals as a sealed book, it is not to be dinied that occasionally some rather startling fulfilments have occurred of the prophecies based upon such wizard-like lore, and which look like something more than mere coincidences. One such curious incident is reported by a correspondent of the St Stephen's > Reviciu. Writing of the famous jockey whose death was recently reported, the writer says that, m 1869, Archer was walking over tbe Chelmsford course ; with his brother, when he met an old crone, a familiar of race meetings, who asked him to cross her hand with silver. He did so laughingly, and gave her his palm to examine, She looked at it for a moment, and, dropping it suddenly, remarked ; " A sudden end, young gentleman, and by your own hand !"

"Freddy," it is said, laughed consumedly at the prediction and went on his way. But the prediction was fulfilled to the letter.

It is not often that a man prefers to be considered a rogue and a vagabond, and yet one who appeared before . two of the local Justices m-day was stoutly determined to be so regarded. And yet he was not a thief nor, so far as we know, is there anything against his character. He is the poor blind man who some months ago wandered from the Old Men's Home and refused to return thereto, alleging that he was teased by the inmates — human inmates we mean, not those too numerous examples of insect life of which we have recently had occasion to write. Full enquiry was made into the complaint at the time, but no justification for it could be ascertained, but still Glenn persisted m bis refusal to return to the Home and there was nothing for it but to charge him as a person having no visible lawful means of support. Upon this charge he was sent to Lytfleton Gaol. To day his term of imprisonment having expired he came before the Court again and elected to be dealt with as a rogue and a vagabond, getting six months imprisonment with hard labor, rather than return to the Old Men's Home. At first sight it would seem that his obstinate determination not to enter the Home again is a proof of the truth of his allegation that during his previous residence of two years therein he was persecuted by some of the inmates. But we think that it will be found (hat this is not really the case, but that Glenn finds the gaol a more comfortable place because there he will get a cell to himself m every sense of the word, t.e. t devoid of any companion, either human or insect, and probably constituting a cooler apartment m this hot weather than can be found m any part of the old wooden shanty which does duty for an Old Men's Home at Ashburton. As he has no sentiment whatever about him, the name of his residence and the particular classification of himself on a police charge-sheet are matters of supreme indifference, and being unfortunately blind, his surroundings are of no consequence whatever except m so far as they affect his personal comfort. The case is, however, a very peculiar one, and probably unique of its kind.

Writers m the public press of the colony, when treating of the indebtedness of New Zealand, both public and private, often assume that m this respect the colony and its people necessarily compare unfavorably with other countries and people. The muchmortgaged of landed proprietors is indeed often instanced as being something very exceptional. But to judge from an article which recently appeared m a French newspaper — the Moniteur des Inthtts Materiels — this is very far from being the case. In the course of its observations on the severe strain which American and Indian competition has put upon European cereal growers, some remarkable figures are given of the indebtedness of cultivators. The mortgages upon agricultural properties, upon the cultivators and peasant owners m most parts of the old continent, are excessiye, and materially increase the difficulties which low prices have brought upon them, Thus, for

instance, the deUe hypothecate of Prussia was on an avernge only 65 per cent of the value of 'he land m iB6O, and is now between 80 and 90 pet cent. In certain parts of the province of Brandenburg it exceeds by 50 per cent the present value of the land. In Austria the mortgages aggregated ;£i 12,000,000 m 1858, and they are now more than Those of France were already m 1876 at the fabulous figure of 21 milliards, 111 millions of francs, or say, m round figures Half the real estate of France and two-thirds of that of Belgium, are only nominally m the possession of the ostensible proprieton while Russia also is no whit behind other countries m this respect. The foregoing is at least capable of affording i the negative satisfaction of being able to think that we are at least no worse off m the matter of debt and mortgages then are the people of other parts of the world.

Those who are fond of beautifying the surroundings of their homes, and go m for the picturesque m matters of gardening, will find a hint as to how to beautify a lawn m a novel and specially attractive manner m the following clipping from an American journal — :he New England Farmtr—" At the New York Experimental Station, there is a barrel cut down to convenient sizt?, and then set down m a hole dug m the earth upon a corner ot the lawn. The top of the barret is just level with the surface of the lawn. It has about 4in of river mud m the bottom, m which, were planted a few roots of the common white water lily, ihe barrel was then filled with spring water, and is kept full, thus forming a beautiful p-> : -">'ure pond of white lilies all throu n ., An season. In the autumn, after the weather gets cold, the barrel or tub is lifted out and carried where it is protected from freezing, and where the roots of the lilies will be kept m conditions similar to what they would be surrounded with m their natural state. Nothing can be more charming m the way of flowers on a lawn than fltiftrflall pond ot water lilies blooming daily the whole summer through. The idea is a very pretty one, and is worth making a note of by those who wish to add to the attractiveness of that most charming appanage of a cosy home, a well-kept garden.