The Evening Echo. SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1879.

Ashburton Herald, Volume I, Issue 238, 4 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Echo. SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1879.

R.M. Court.—Civil Cases. —Yesterday the Resident Magistrate and Mr. Campbell, J.P., disposed of the following cases: —MacCormick v. Devery.—Claim £4l 14s. 6d., for blacksmith work. Verdict for £9 2s. Bd. with costs. Rimer v. M‘Keig Bros. This was a case decided some time ago, but Mr. Neck, for Rimer held that the judgment of the Court had not" been obeyed, the books held by defendants not having been delivered up. By this conduct Mr Neck held his client had lost £9, and he would prosecute to recover that amount. His Worship reccommended both parties to come to an understanding. Lancaster v. Langford.— Plaintiff was non-suited without costs. _ Firth, Pass and Co. v. M‘Dougal.—Claim £8 3s 2d. Judgment for amount claimed with costs. M‘Keig Bros. v. Rimer.—Claim, £2O. Plaintiffs non-suited.

The PuLriT. —The Rev. Mr. Cannell, of Rangiora, will preach to-morrow, in the Wesleyan Chapel, Ashburton. Ho will conduct both services, which are in celebration of the Church’s anniversary. The Presbyterian pulpit will be occupied morning and evening by the Rev. Mr. Cree, of Leeston.

Division or the Road Board. —A petition, signed by a strong force of ratepayers in the Ashburton Road Board District, is to be presented to the Governor, to obtain his consent to a division of the district. The petitioners desire the river to be the dividing boundary, and fancy that the interests of both sides of the stream will be best served by a separation. The advertisement appears in our columns to-day.

Road Board Election.— This election takes place on Monday—the nominations at noon, and a poll .in the afternoon, should such be necessary. • •' Rangitata Road Bridge. Messrs. Wright, Grigg, and- Cameron were the members of the County Council committee who attended the meeting on Thursday to confer with Mr. Higgenson regarding the Rangitata bridge. No appearance was put in. by the. Geraldine Council as was expected, and business proceeded without them. A resolution was agreed to recommend the adoption of iron instead of wooden piles, and to request Mr. Higgenson to prepare a design for the piers and superstructure, furnishing a list of materials to be imported from Home.- Mr. Maimvaring waS instructed to ascertain the width of the breach at the bridge and its distance from the edge of the embankment. Mr. Higgenson will attend the Council meeting on Wednesday. f Seafie.ld. The Sunday scholars at Seafield were treated to a picnic in Mr. Reid’s gully at the Beach on New Year’s Day. Mr. Silcocks, the Superintendent, and a few friends, were the authors of the treat, and the company were joined by a few adult friends, amongst whom were, — in addition to Mr. and Mrs. Silcocks and family—Mr. and Mrs. BruGe and family ; Mr. Bradbury and family ; Mr. and Mrs. Jones and family; Mrs. Parsons and family ; Mrs. Hardwick and family ; Mr. Reid, Mr. Walker, Mr. and Miss Lawry, Mr. Alexander, &c. Lunch wa3 laid on the tussocks at two o’clock, and after full justice had been done to the viands, games were arranged for the little ones. These includgd such exciting romps as duckstone, rounders, and teazle, &c, and occupied the time till tea was ready. The old folks having come in from a ramble on the beach, the children had tea. The young appetites having been satisfied, the old people had their turn at cake and sandwich, for which the sea air had made them quite ready. Time was pleasantly wiled away with music Mrs. Parsons singing very sweetly “ Many happy returns ” and Mr. Reid using his violin very effectively-—till the hour came for homegoing, and then all packed up and took the road, Happy to meet, sorry to part, Happy to meet again. '

High Rents.. —Some Nelsonian has left his peaceful little city for a time, 'and crossed the Straits for a sojourn in Wellington. This is what he writes to “ The Colonist”: —“They continue there to erect buildings of stone and brick, that one cannot see without thinking back to the same place in ’47 and ’SB, and picturing the enormous loss of life and property should the earthquakes of those periods be repeated. Rents are at fabulous prices, £SOO a-year being obtained for places that in Nelson would not bring much more than a fifth of that sum. But these high rents must come to an end. They are telling as yet most seriously only upon the artisans add clerks—men whose earnings are some £3 or £4 a-week have to pay at least £1 for rent, * consequently strikes are threatened in.some trades, and where paper businesses ' are not the exception, coming grief may safely be predicted. The trouble at present is with the presumably less wealthy classes,, but it must leaven the whole.” A minister in the south of Scotland had a parishioner, we are told, who, to show her affection for her pastor; sent him every morning by the hands of her daughter a . couple of what, she wished him to understand were new-laid eggs for breakfast. The eggs on being delivered were generally warm, as if just taken from the nest; but one morning the minister’s maid, on taking the eggs from the girl, observed, “ The eggs are no warm the day, Jeannie; are they no fresh ?” “Ou ay,” said the girl, “ they’re quite fresh, but my mither couldna get the cat to.,sit on them this morning.” Absent-Mindedness. Amongst the instances of blunders ..from absent mind are the following A clergyman walking one day in the country, fell into thought. He was so accustomed to ride that when he found himself at a toll, he stopped and shouted to'the man, “Here! what’s to pay ?” “ Ray for what ?” asked the map. “For my horse,” said the clergyman. “What horse? There’s no horse,'sir!” “Bless me,” exclaimed the clergyman looking down between 5 his legs, “I thought I was on horseback !” Sydney Smith was not in general absent-minded ; but he says that once, when calling on a friend in London, and being asked by tlie servant, “Who shall I say has called?” he could not for the life of him recollect his own name, and stared in blank confusion at the man before it came back to him. The first Lord Lyttelton was very absent. It is declared, of him that when he fell into the river by the upsetting of a boat at Hagley, “ he sank twice before he recollected he could swim.” A New York paper gives the following story in illustration of the absent-mindedness of the great Jonathan Edwards. When out riding one day, a little boy very respectfully bowed and opened a gate for him. “ Whose boy are you, my little man ?” he asked. “ Noah Clark’s boy, sir,” was the answer. On the return of Edwards the same boy appeared and opened the gate for him. He thanked the little fellow, and again asked, “ Whose boy are you ?” “ Noah Clark’s, sir ; the same man’s boy I was a quarter of an hour ago, sir.”—A Book of Blunders. ”

Chinese railroad trains run but thirteen miles an hour!

Turkey may have to pay Russia a war indemnity of 310,500,000 francs.

The British Government has ordered the emancipation of all slaves on the island of Cyprus.