THE LAND OF THE GOLDEX FLEECE.

Hv (Ikouok AivirsTus ii.u..\

XVII.-A XKW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

"Thank Heaven!" sne-eringly muttered faNc bill wise old Tallevrand when, after .Inly 1830. he had subscribed the oath of allegiuee tn the government of Louis Philippe--" Thank Heaven i( is the thirteenth that I have taken." All things considered, there was perhaps something slightly consolatory in the fact that Ch;irles Maurice de Talleyrand l'erigord, Bishop of

Antiin, l'rineo of Beiieventum, was, at his time of life, nnd after all the things which he had seen and done, in a condition to thank Heaven for anything. Dr Johnson said in effect pretty much the stme of the long - suffering bookseller who published his dictionary. But we should be thnnkful fc r all things. The crafty Talleyrand was, after a fashion, grateful that he bad passed through so many revolutions, utwl sworn fealty to and betrayed so many dynasties, without having his head cut otT; the bookseller was glad and grateful to lie rid of the illustrious but embarrassing I lexicographer, continually in arrear with his | "copy." and as continually demanding money "on account " ; and,in degree, /o,u/o i,i!u:illn,l experience the :.ince.re,4 feeling of gratitude when I find myself at Wellington safe and sound at, th«! Antipodes, with plenty of money in my pocket, with nil that is dearest tome in the world by my side, and with ample leisure to eontempla;.' and to meditate upon the achievements of art and industry as exemplified in the e.-in-tvnls of the Ne» Zealand Inhibition. Never | mind the win'd in Cool; Strait, he! it bluster as much as it pleases. This for a wonder, is the sunnie.-t and balmiest of mornings in Wellington. Xever mind the "chock-a-block'' plethora ut the hotel*. 1 forget, now, that for many hours a houseless wanderer on the 'IV Arc ilai. disdainfully lepulsed by Boniface after Boniface, and ruefully recalling that famous, but inscrutably mysterious utterance of theory first year of (he Victorian epoch, " It's all very well, Mr Ferguson, but you can't lodge here." I Tow strangely do these unbidden memories rise, after a long lapse of years, before n« ! Who was l-'ergiisou, and where did he seek to lodge, and on what ground was he denied shelter? It were now boot less, pefhaps, at tliis distance of time, and with so many thousands ol miles between Wellington, New Zealand,and theotliee of Notes and Queries in Wellington .street, .Strand. London, to ask who Walker wm=, and why nearly 50 years ago he was distinctly connected with a certain coat, some " tin," :md the new penny post. Ciduiii ami uiiiiuuin, kc, Sec 1 shall not. descend contented to the tomb until I have solved Hie mysteries of Ferguson and Walker.

"The thirteenth oath Unit I have taken!"' Such :was the vaunt of the ancient intriguer; the rcyimrd, the fox of troublesome times, whom Lurd Ualling justly dubbed the " Politic man." Thu thirteenth. I wonder how many industrial exhibitions I have gazed upon. Perhaps for a good many reasons— among them the possibility of my not seeing any mure exhibitions at the other extremity of the globe—it might be as well to begin a"l the unit of the chapter, the Xew Zealand one. In many resueets the panorama of tlm products, the ingenuity, and the enterprise of a very juvenile country may be considered a truly remarkable on,-. Although Wellington is the i/'>j/iii of all the provincial districts of New Zealand, you must remember that it has not even yet attained its half centenary, having been founded by the New Zealand Company in IMU. Fortv-live years, and Wellin-tun now comes to the front- with a population, including the suburbs of tin: city, of some :.',!.()■>O; and in ihe list of i-.xhihilors, in a catalogue numbering • &7-1 entries, is "Ah Gee," Blenheim, with an ornamental mantelpiece. I have been to Blenheim. It is the principal town in the provincial district of Marlborough. It is approached from the port of Picton, in Wataho Bay, at the head of gueen Charlotte Sound, from which it is distant some 18 or 19 miles by railway. An hour and a-half are consumed in travelling the Is or V.) miles. l\st!mi laite should be the motto of the New Zealand railways. Blenheim has iiuny places of worship, branch banks, hotels —including a '• Criterion"—schools, benefit societies, a lit.-rary institute, and so forth; ai,d, by all accounts, it. is a very pleasantly situated, comely, peaceable, and prosperous town. For (he kindness and courtesy of the lending citizens 1 can per.scimdiy vouch. Unfortunately f only saw the country round about Blenheim through a glass-that is tu say, the window of a railway compartment—darkly. The shades of night had completely closed round Blenheim when 1 entered the town. Then 1 only remember a rapid drive in some whc.-lcl vehicle 1., some budding hitherto to me whollv unknown; the aM-c-nt of a stei-p Hight of steps, and then the

standpoint of :i kind of peninsula of planks, nil.li ;. sea of faces, brilliantly illumined by gas, stretching faraway from you. Then somebody n-markcl that it was Hi o'clock, mid that you had been two hours on that p-nmsula of planks. Then yon shook hands with full half-a-.-.core of worthy souls wham you never saw in your life befoiv, ami whom' in all probability, you will never see in your life again ; and tiicii you are driven, in the dark, to the railwaystation : and you caught the train for I'ict.ui; and tlu-iv. always in tin- darklife is no very dark!—you stumbled on board tile I'.Sj-v Penguin; and by midnight you are again on ihe salt sen, and on your way round the head of the .South Island" of New Zealand to Nelson, commonly known to tin: New Zealamlers as -The Garden of Eden," which, if I mistake not, is on tho eastern shore of ISlind Bay. Blind Bay with a vengeance at my time of iife; and how these old feut have stumbled over the gangway* of steamers, ami have been all. but tripped up by trams, a:id luive male uncertain leaps "out of buggies, and have hopped mid hobbled, and lagged behind, and desperately jogged to the front, in so many lauds, these many months past! lam sorry, nevertheless, that I did not behold Blenheim in the fair daylight. There 1 would have nought out Ah Gee and asked him how the deuce he came (o be making ornamental mantelpieces in New Zealand at all. Surely it was not originally his vocation. There are no ornamental mantelpieces indigenous to John Chinaman's country. He is a subtle carver, it-is true, in his own land— excellent in fashioning " chow-chows," concentrichalls, and the like; he can paint and varnish to admiration ; hi! seems to have a natural genius for market gardening and laundry work; he cooks his own native dishes cleverly, and caricatures English cooking abominably, but what call has he, in the Southern hemisphere, to be an upholsterer, to imitate the chairs and tables, the heavy sofas and chests of drawers of Europe? Can it be that the competent European workman in difficult to obtain? And again, while John Chinaman is about it in Australasia, why does' he not take to making china; the demand for crockeryware throughout Australia and New Zealand is prodigious; yet nine-tenths of tho ceramic ware in use seems to be imported from the Old Country. It is, at the same time, highly sitisfactory to mark that in the Wellington Exhibition there are many signs of a resolution on the part of New Zealand to take serious steps in the manufacture of earthenware. The Auckland j'.rick ami Tile Company send specimens of dry-pressed plain mid fancy bricks. There are bricks from Christ shui-ch, and chimney-pots from Wellington. The lllulf Harbour sends bricks and powder, Portland cement "of good quality and e<|iml to the imported article" ; and from the Newton factory, Auckland, some very prninisjiij: specimens indeed of terra eotta, ernamental pottery, fireclay, and common enrlhcnware goods. In the. very commonest of earthenware goods are latent' the foundation-, uf ihe line art and of culture. There i.-t po'.i .-ryware, also, from Svdenham. in the. pnivisiir.! of CiudM-biiry; 'pottery of W-l----linplon make, and from f'hrislrlm'rcli. There are earthenware jugs made from the native clay at Waipnkurau, JTawkes Bay: while in the line art section of the, exhibition I notice a goodly number of hand-painted ambgracefully decorative plaijiies and vases in terra-cotta and port-jlaiu—the artists being, in the majority of instances, ladies. This is all as it should be; but where am the congeners of Ah One, with

on to Til sat

their willow-pattern plates, their Mandarin Tasej, their bowls aud pots, their dragons and monsters and chimeras dire in ceramic ware ? Tl*i3 the right hand of the yellow man forgotten its cunning? The answer to the mind of the cosmopolitan student of civilisation is a somewhat melancholy one. .If these magnificent Colonies are to go on and prosper, it must hi: — according to the doctrine of those who at present bold the ivius of power- by means uf white labour alone. l'Yom the brotherhood of nations, so far as the scheme of policy extend*, the yellow man is excluded. He is "in-liiNfridus, he is ingenious ; he is willing, cheerful, and docile ; hut his industry, ingenuity, and docility have made him no more popular here than they have in California. Ah (lee, the. exhibitor of ornamental inantlepiecflS, is one nf a few exceptions. Elsewhere scattered about Australia and New Zealand, far up, even in the "hack block" and the bush, you come upon equally exceptional Chinamen, capable, clever, and honest storekeepers sometimes, and married to white women. But, as a rule, the Chinaman at the antipodes is abject, squalid, and degraded— not actively persecuted ami hauled hither and thither by the pigtail, as it is his wretched lot to be by the " hoodlums " in San Francisco ; but still an object of contempt, aversion, and suspicion.

In household furniture the Wellington .Exhibition is really very strong, and its excellence in in this department: may, in a great measure, fairly bo attributed to the variety and capacity for taking high polish of the indigenous wood's of New Zealand. Hardware manufacturers at Home would have likewise reason to be surprised at the good ([iialily of the iron and steel exhibits. Barbed wire, chafl'cutters, seedthreshers, " tree ■ stump extractors " (which might be qualified, perhaps, :is instruments of agricultural dentistry), iron gates from Karori, scrub-cutting machines and log-jacks, improved hooks for sheep-dipping, flexible steel harrows, cooking ranges, horseshoes, hydraulic mining jets, quartz-crushing and gold - saving machines, furnaces for smelting ore, pumping engines, fireclay retorts, iron windmills, galvanised ware, saw frames, woolpresses, fire - engines, tin and japanned ware, sewing-machines, nail-pullers, washingmachines, and lust, but not least, the machine exhibited by Mr Ctiusippe- Hemasconi. of Wellington, and which is calculated to perform several kinds of work at file same time — namely, band-saw work, pit-saw, oval turning, drilling, circular-saw, grhulsone work, and lathe work—either by hand, treadle, or steam power—all attest the enterprise, ingenuity, and industry of this very young community. There are exhibits, too, of artificial teeth and limbs, picture frames, embossed glass, bookbinding, clocks,'violin strings, stationery, optician's goods, and cardboard boxes. The "Triumph totalisator or automatic multiplex registering machine," exhibited by Mr Theodore Hickson, of Auckland. 1 pass by with reverential

awe. The late Mr Babbage would have comprehended |t, but it is beyond my ken. 1 have heard, indeed that something of the nature of a totalisator is used in the .Southern hemisphere for betting purposes ; but how the

totalisator can be utilised from the point of view of giving or taking odds, I know no more than I am acquainted with the mysteries of the consultations of "Adam liede." anil "Ada Mantua," who, now that the Melbourne Cup race is imminent, are tilling the country papers with advertisements offering unlimited numbers of " programmes "atl Os apiece. Whether tho "consultations" of "Adam Bede" and "Ada Mantua" are gambling lotteries of the most impudent, kind, it is not just now my business to inquire. A useful purpose may be served by wandering afresh through the Wellington Exhibition, and taking note of the ' encouragingly good exhibits in harness and saddlery, portmanteaux, belts, purses, and

manufactured goods generally, ft.pially satis-Fiu-tory — :«n«i Id a stranger, in the land, astonishing, are the carriages and wheelwright's work. I remark phaetons, buggies, hansom cabs, dogcarts, combination buggies,bicycles, and perambulators arc here which for elegance of design ami strength of Imilil, are certainly not inferior to the product, of Long Acre, Wolvorhamptou, or Coventry. In textile fabrics, clothing, and its accessories, the exhibition is certainly worthy of attentive study. The. Auak'laml Fibre Manufacturing Company show rope and cordage made, from manilla mid Kiissian hemp and New Zealand ilax, which last also furnishes capital niiil.-rial for matting. Tlir-n there an; specimens of libre made from the hark of the Native shrub, " CopriMim linealis." A grand ilispt.iv of worsted yarn and fabrics is made l.v the Kaiapoi Woollen Manufactory, and by the Mosgiel Woollen Factory Company i.V Olago. There are samples, too, from Auckland • of raw silk from worms reared and fed by the exhibitor; of lace, net, embroidery, and trimmings; of artificial flowers and feathers, wigs, and works in hair, fleecy hosiery, corsets, and surgical belts, hats of fur. wool, rabbit, and hare skin, " miners' boots for mineral waters,'1 ordinary boots and shoes, principally made, from Colonial leather, millinery, tailoring work, and Native costumes. Let there not,'like vise, be omitted mention of a "divided skirt," displayed on a life-sized lay figure- which, could she have seen it, might have raised enthususm in the, heart of a noble British viscountess. Hut [ have not heard, as yet, that the divided skirt, is likely to find favour among the belles of Ne'.v Zealand. More practxal.'perlmps. are the exhibits of alimentary product" : Hour made from South Canterbury wheats, pearl barlev from ('hristclmreh. prcs'-ed hops from Awalnir i, seeds from Jnve.rcargill, silage or compressed grass from Ohro, wheat starch from Wanganni, j Hour and milling products from Nelson, oats from Lime Hills ami Southland ; pale malt from Grovetown,' Mnrlborough, made wholly from New Zealand barley : potatoes from Blenheim ; and bran and sharps from Timaru. Then there are cracknell biscuits from Dunedin and bridecake galore: from Ashburton comes cheese, and from Wellington tinned butter —the. fieraldinc Dairy Company of Canterbury are anxious to inform you that the value of the tin cheeses which they exhibit is o'.d a pound. • The exhibits of preserved meat" and fish are naturally extremely interesting: and 1 may here parenthetically mention that during 'he lust eight months or so, among other circumstances which have occasionally rendered life more or less of a burden to me, has been the passionate desire manifested by the authorities of I know not how many meat-freezing and preserving wc r rks. both in Australia and New Zealand, thjit 1 should personally inspect their pro-

■ses of preparing frozen mutton and tinned

;ats, generally for (he Mom,- market. Thus inethiug of the feeling i,:f,i,i,lnm ji>k:t ,-c,un-nn-

a, I'm comes over ine when 1 find myself con

tinted in the Wellington Exhibit inn by the iJ>w cm>* of the New Zealand l-Yc-zen'Meat ll Storage Company of Auckland, of the '.•llington Jie.it-presesving and Kefngcrat- !■• Company, and of the Clear 3leat-pre-mng anil Freezing Company of New Zea--11, whose 1,M1,,l is likewise at Wellingti. The Gear Company show frozen me.it, 'Hied beef in tierces, "bacon, smoked prosions, game, preserved meats, and lish ill soups in tins. The Hear Company are i!. only the largest shippers of animal odure from Wellington, bur have. ;\]-i> an lensive retail butchering business in the I;,-itself. The (ierinan and French Governents are largely supplied wiihpreservc.il meat ■ tin* company. Large quantities of soup id bouilli are also shipped to France and aI v for domestic consumption, and the (iear iiipany gained a silver medal at the Ant- ■:•]) Exhibition of ISS.j. Hitherto all the iking ha, been In round cases; bti: the nnidable competition of the American meat i-erving linns, who <i-e pyramidal cans, has Ito (he employment of (he hist-i'amed spes by rim Gear Company. The pyramid us pack closely without 10.-s () f * lm <V. and e thus obviou.siy preferred for campaigning .1 poses. I inn told that, when meat-freezing s came into practice in New Zealand, the ■ir Company did what moM of the other ■'■zing companies still do-they froze stock iccounV of I he growers: and the sheep went London for sale on the growers1 account l s system, however, proved not altogether i sfiictory to the growers. Tallow" Ml, i 1 became irregular in price, and (he rivers Ilinched at file cnnlingcncy of fir meat iirriving in a bad condition at J ne, or meeting a poor market. Thus, in the. idlington district the growers h:\ve done very 01 by selling their .stock directly to the coniny; "anil, in'spite of the low prices of tallow (' wool, they are now getting considerably ) ■(■ per head of their stock than was formerly t unable. That which is now needed to put ■; frozen meat, trade on a secure and percent ba-is is an assured market in England, .-epenee halfpenny or sixpence a pound for men mutton in the Central Meat Market, nthfield, would make the New Z-.-al.ind sheep>\ver.; and freezing companies happv. The ief dillicult v with which they have to contend present is" the distribution of the meat at ime. Hitherto it has been found imicticable to dispense wiih the agency of ■ meat salesmen in London; and the New aland shippers dolefully complain that they

e no security against' New Zealand meat lg sold to the Home public, as English meat ;he exorbitant rates now ruling in the Home ■hot.

As regards preserved fish, to judge from the contents of the Wellington Exhibition, New Zealand could send Home mullet, smoked schnappcr, salt and fresh herrings; nor while she was about it should she have any difficulty in exporting immense quantities of oysters, frozen or preserved. A brisk demand at Home for New Zealand fish might serve perhaps to stimulate the energy of the New Zealand fishermen, who ill present scarcely seem lo he the most industrious of mankind. And again, the impetus given to the fisheries might conduce to the organisation of suitable fish markets, and even of retail fishmongers1 shops in the towns of New Zealand. You do certainly get much more fish in'Maoriland than you do in Australia; lmt, with the exception of oysters, llounders, and the so-called whitebait, the ordinary supply of fish is scarcely adequate to the demand.

—Wherever 3lr Gladstone landed in Norway, he was always received with respect and attention and with uncovered heads. '.Much interest was displayed in catching a sight of the stately figure, so well known from photographs; but that reality exceeded imagination. " Seldom,if ever," one journal remarks, " has it been our fortune to behold such a no.ble and energetic countenance-."

-By the Perton c.iso,.ju*i. decided by Justice Chitiy, the English Crown emues into ii " windfall "'of .Cl'OO.Wd. A. parliamentary return is annually issued as to thce '•' < 'rmvn windfalls," th(! latest of which shows that during the pa,t year a sum of .£(>I,O!!:S 17s 5d was received by 'Treasurer Solicitor, as the Crown's nominee in respect of the estates of persons dying intestate without known.next of kin. This sum, added to the balance in hand at the commencement of the year (iXlfiVi Ms Id), makes tlja grand total of &X&AW Us <td.