The Daily southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4610, 3 June 1872, Page 2

The Daily southern Cross.

LUCEO. NON URO. If I hnvo bi'ou oxtin«uisliQil,yot thoro rise A, thouiiind be, icons fi om the sp*rk I boro.

MONDA i", JUNE 3, 1872.

Tjie gratifying announcement made a low weeks ago of an improvement in the revenue to the extent of some £20,000 on the quarter ending the 30th March, as compared wiLh the same period of 1871, or in the proportion of .£lOO,OOO increase for the year, may be taken as a favourable indication of the state of trade throughout the colony. It is to be hoped that, the turning-point having been reached, the improvement will be continuous and sustained, so that with the growing industry of the colony, which is now indisputably established, there may be a corresponding expansion of its foreign trade in both directions. That such would be the case ere long we had no doubt whatever, and the result fully justifies the expectation formed on the subject. Some months ago we took occasion to rebuke the desponding tone of those who, despite the immense improvement in our exports, could see nothing but prospective disaster to the country iv the temporary falling-off of the imports of the colony. The great improvement in production within the last two years, and which we are happy to say is steadily on the increase, satisfied us at the time that the turning-point could not be far distant. Production, as we have frequently pointed out, the result of the application of labour and capital, is the element of success in a new country. When this point has been gained the extension and revival of trade may be calculated on for a certainty; while our foreign commercial relations for the future, instead of being a one-sided transaction as heretofore, draining the colony of its floating capital, and diminishing its circulating medium, become an established system of reciprocal interchange, beneficial alike to all concerned. This is so obviously a recognised principle of j mercantile science that it is impossible j for any one not wilfully blind to misapprehend the fact. We are now in a better position than at any previous period to become large importers of goods of various kinds, seeing that we have something to place against them on the other side. Hence the desirability of stimulating local industries of all kinds to the utmost-, especially those that have a bearing on the immediate development of the natural resources of the country. Whether it has reference to agriculture, to mining operations, or to pastoral pursuits, it is of the utmost consequence to substantial prosperity that the wealth of the soil shall be extracted, so that when our home wants are supplied the excess may be converted into an article for export, to be returned to us again in gold, or in the produce of other lands, in the shape of such things, for use or ornament, as we may stand in need of. This we conceive to be the true spirit which should animate us as colonists — to utilise our resources in a manner that shall enable us, after supplying our own wants in whatever the country is capable of producing, to export the Furplus elsewhere, and provide ourselves j from abroad with such necessaries and luxuries as we can afford to indulge in. Whatever, therefore, stands in the way of the development of our resources in this vie .v is a barrier to real prosperity, and an absolute obstruction to the extension of trade and commerce on a sound basis. Home industry should be fostered until the staple products of the country are firmly established, and the colony has become habituated to regard itself as self-supporting and independent. We are happy to believe that this is the course events are now taking. Our exports are largely on the increase, and as a natural consequence the, import trade of the colony is gradually reviving. The improved market for our products in England and America this year was a favourable circumstance for the colony, and if the partial connection with the last-named country, so beneficial already in its effects on our commercial pros- 1 pects, is only pushed to its legitimate conclusion^ as we have every reason to

hope ifc -will be, tbe result, we are satisfied, will tell yet more satisfactorily on the revenue next year. Meantime the improvement on the quarter which has closed is a cheering indication. We may observe that nearly one-half the increase reported is due to the additional importations of this province, the entire amount of the colony being £21,800, and for the province of Auckland £11, 500.

*^_ Some short time ago an article from ! the Melbourne Argus went the round' 5 of the New Zealand Press exhibiting' comparative statistics of the Australian colonies in the matter of their public f indebtedness, and commenting on the responsibility resting on these several communities respectively in consequence. There is another important class of returns, however, bearing very directly upon the condition and prospects of the colonies, and which must be viewed as significant of the progress they have made, and are making at the present time. We allude more particularly to agriculture. From the latest information we have been able to glean under this head, the subjoined table may be relied upon as containing a tolerably accurate estimate for the present year of the extent of land under cultivation, and the yield of wheat in the several Australian colonies, inclusive of New Zealand:

Erom this table it will be seen that New Zealand, the youngest of the several colonies referred to (for Queensland is rather a section than an offshoot otj New South Wales), is already among the foremost with respect fco the extent of land under cultivation. And if the relative proportion of her population be taken inte account, which is only as one to two of New South "Wales, and one to three of Victoria, it will appear that her progress in agriculture has been more rapid than in the case of any other colony. In the matter of wheat-growing the Micceas of this counlry is especially remarkable. Looking at the extent of our territory and the number of our rural population, the breadth of land under wheat is greatly in advance of any of the beforenamed colonies, with the exception of South Australia alone. But the most noticeable feature in this table of comparative statistics is the superior yield of grain per acre exhibited in favour of New Zealand. While South Australia shows an average of under six bushels of wheat per acre ; Victoria, 13 bushels per acre ; New South Wales, 12 bushels per acre ; Queensland, 11 bushels per acre ; Western Australia, 14 bushels per acre ; and Tasmania, 15 bushels per acre ; New Zealand exhibits an average yield of ©ver22£ bushels per acre. This result, it must be admitted, speaks loudly for the wheat-growing capabilities of this colony. We may observe that, with the exception of South A ustralia, thia is ihe only colony out of the seven which has prodused more wheat this year than will be needed for home consumption. Everywhere the season has been below the average for grain crops : nevertheless, it is calculated we shall have nearly 600,000 bushes of wheat to export, or about one-half the quantity set down for exportation, to the account of Sauth Australia. All the other colonies, except Tasmania, will be large importers of breadstuff's this year. The progress of the pastoral interests in New Zealand for the last seven years, as compared with much older colonies, is equally remarkable. We can only now give the table of comparative statistics under this head, deferring further comment on the subject to a future opportunity :—

The great dispute in re the officers and committee of the Mechanics' Institute will not, we learn, be very easily settled. One of the officers, and those of the old committee who were not elected on Friday night, have expressed their determination not to be ousted. They contend that the election of new officers and committee-men was not made (under the rules which should guide the proceedings of the Institution! and that, until this is done, they mean to act as heretofore. The secretary is thus placed in a very difficult and invidious position. If he summonses the old committee to attend the usual monthly meeting he will offend the now committee j and if the new committee, then he will be considered as insulting the old one. The difficulty can, of course, be got over by calling another special general meeting, and posting the names of the new committee the requisite number of days for fresh election. But this will but add to the discomfiture of the defeated, as it is not likely a public meeting will stultify its previous acts. The newly-elected committee, however, contend that the proceedings on Friday night were quite legal ; that a general meeting was called by public advertisement through the newspapers the requisite number of days, and the object for which it waa called was duly posted in the lobby of the Mechanics' Institute building. They farther contend that, as the lawa were framed, approved of, and adopted at a general meeting of the subscribers, (so the same body possess the power of altering, revising, or abrogating all or any of them. Some of the legal profession say, Yes ; and other*, No. However, the publio wish must eventually settle the question. The pamphlet on the {Polynesian Slave Trade, by G. Harvey, the receipt of which we acknowledged a few days ago, contains a large amount of evidence from various sources upon the subject treated of. Extracts are given expressive of the views held by the late Bishop Patteson, Captain Palmer, ft.N., Rev. Mr. Inglis, Key. J. Q. Paton, Rev,* Thomas Neilson, Rev. Joseph Cepeland,' Rev. Dr. Geddio, Mr, March (Fijian Consul)/ and other writers well acquainted with the, question. A considerable amount of atlenr tion has evidently been attracted to the sub"' ject in England. , The V Anti-Slavery rRe-'r Re-' porter " gives numerous extracts showing the magnitude of tlbe evil, and in reviewing Mr. Harvey's pamphlet says: — "We think it is satisfactorily shown that the entire suppression of the. so-culled labour traffio is the only/ mode of removing the existing evil."' The bill introduced into, the Imperial Parliataent, and tHe strengthening of ; the . Australian fleet, will no doubt h»ye iiix6 effeot of checking the system o^ kidiapping^irhloh has hitherto been carried on, while it, will not prevent * the legitimate - utilisation of the labour of thesewlahders. „, ' • ' } ! The sum of > £118 13s. 6d. . h*s been subeoribed towards the Coromandel HotpitaL :

The election, of a member of the Provincial Counoil for the district of Mangoaui, ia the place of Mr. Ball, resigned, has resulted in the return of Mr. William Maxwell, of Parueli, by a majority of 14 votes orer his opponent Mr. Hunt. On S&tnrday morning, per p. 3. ' Golden Crown,' Civil Commissioner H. T. Kemp was a passenger to Coromandel. As the natives still oppose the crossing of a certain portion of their lands by the telegraph-wire without being highly compensated for the trees felled in makiog'an opening for stretching the wire, there c»a be no doubt but the mission of Mr. jß&mp has reference , to the smoothing away of these obstacles. As he has long been connected with the Native Department, and his influence over many sections of the native population is consider* able, it is to be hoped his efforts on this occasion may be successful, and that the people of Coromandel will soon be placed in telegraphic communication with the rest of the colony. A notice appeared in our local columns on Saturday ia reference to the short measurement which it has been alleged some of the wood-dealers give in supplying their customers with fuel. The paragraph, as printed, would appear to convey a general condemnation of the fuel merchants, whereas nothing of the kind was intended. A reference to the manuscript shows that the larger portion of a paragraph was omitted which would have qualified the remarks which follow on it. By request of a person who considered himself wronged we brought the subject prominently under notice in the interests of the public. Fuel is a very costly necessary to the poorer classes, and ifc is the duty of a newspaper to draw attention to alleged frauds whenever favourable grounds are shown for such public reference. There was a large gathering in and at the front of the Insurance Company's building on Saturday. Shortland-street, too, had its little knots and coteries ; and so may bt. said of the pathway opposite the leading mining companies' offices in Queen-street. There were sharebrokers, sharejobbers, promoters of companies, shareholders, aud outsiders and hangers-on to the sharemarket. The subject of their discourse leading to ultciior transactions wasßismarcks, Green Harps, and in the matter of shares to be floated ia new companies on the rich ground and richer shores of Coromandel. Promoteis wanted to place their shares on the market in order to give them a sort of commercial value. In one or two instances, it ia stated, they would induce a speculator to take 50 or 100 shares upon some undefined but well-understood arrangement that if they didn't "jump" within a week there was to be no sale. Then the holders of thorn would hawk them about for a small advance, while promoters at the same time regretted th it they had parted with so many shares, ami wanted to buy them back at an advance. If it was hard to say why they parted with them in the first instance, it was still harder to say why they wanted them back ; for we have no telegraph between Auckland and Coromandel, and no steamer had arrived to bring any news. But the ways of those who buy and sell in goldmining companies' shares the ground of which has not even been tried are sometimes dark and unfathomable. Ib is only to the initiated that anything is known. If it be good the3e keep it to themselves and work upon it. If it be bad they relieve themselves of their scrip and thoir responsibilities with all convenient despatch. There were some dozen different kinds of scrip being placed on the market from early on Saturday morning last till late in the same afternoon. There was hardly a speculator who did not say he had done something good for himself, but we did not learn very satisfactorily at whose expense. There were buyers of "Biz at 90a., and sellers of the same at 955. There was much splitting of the difference, and numerous transfers effected with wonderful rapidity. But the moment a buyer got hold of salable scrip, the next he was a seller, and never refused an offer if it meant business and led to profit, however small. The same sort of thing was done in Green Harp. Caledonian "ex div." were in no great demand. Then towards mid -day the traders in the sharemarket had gathered themselves into a huge heap opposite the clock, and looked mysterious and puzzled. Some one had bought up 2,000 shares in a new company and wanted more, Of course, because he wanted more he could not get them. It is the way sometimes in the sharemarket elsewhere as well as here. The stock rose in value, of course. A number of would-be buyers, by great importunity, got a supply of shares, for which they gave an advance upon the quotations of half an hour back. Then by-and-by it came to pass that no person had bought 2,000 shares in the company. He was only thinking of doing so. Then the gathering broke up into small coteries, and the buyers of Borip in the company in which tho 2,000 shares {were said to have been purchased wanted to sell what they held, but there were no buyers ; and so the proceedings in the market went on, and hotelkeepers in the vicinity drove a good trade. For whether it was a flell or a buy, there were drinks ovor every transaction. • The Rev. Mr. Mcßae was ordained at Waipu on Wednesday last by tho Rev. J. Wallace, of Whangarei, Rev. D. Bruce (Auckland), and Rev. R. McKinney (Maburangi), .appointed by the Presbytery to fulfil that duty. The Rev. Mr. Mcßae will have pastoral charge of the Waipu settlement, and his knowledge of the Gaelic language specially fits him for ministering to the spiritual wants of the Presbyterians in that district. The Launceston Examiner begins an article on the present prospects of Tasmania as follows : — " Drifting, drifting, drifting ! Customs declining ; land fund gone ; debt increasing ; mad projects on foot to ' revive' the colony ; what is to be the end of it ?" Glorious free trade ! A man named Joseph Macdonald was arrested last night by Detective Jeffery on the charge of stealing, from the house of | Eliza Cook, one gold watch and gold chain, ! two gold lockets, four diamond rings, one gold brooch, three pair of gold earrings, and one gold necklet. The property has been recovered, and the accused will be brought before the Police Court this morning to answer the charge preferred against him. , Sergeant Walker, Constable O'Connor, and Warders Mooney and Bradley, who had ■charge of the nine prisoners forwarded from I Mount Eden to Dunedin, returned by the . 'Rangatira on Friday last. They skate j that the prisoners did not give them the least trouble, and readily complied with every order they received. Cyrus Haley suffered rery severely from sea-sickness the whole passage, and was quite unable to take | any of the food that was offered him. Johnson, who had been in gaol nine years, said that it was the jolliest time he had exI perienced all that time. The prisoners I Appeared quite content with their new quarters, and were in the hard-labour gangs the following day. Oar Coromandel correspondent writes :— "Mr.'Sh«ehan,<GoldfieldB Secretary, is now here on 'public business. ' I understand that the objects' of bis visit are chiefly the removal of the Government buildings to a , more central situation, and the determination, of the question of erecting a line of < tramway in the direction of Lynch's machine. Mr, Sheehan, in company with Mr. Aioken, District Engineer, visited several proposed sites for' tne Government buildings this morning. lamilbfcaware of what decision has been, come ,to upon the matter, but ununderstand that the Goldfields Secretary returns to^ Auckland to-diy to submit the remit of his inquiries to his Honor the Superintendent. It is to.be hoped that speedy action 1 will be* talsen, as great inconrenienoe is daily occasioned by the present out-of-the-way position' of the Courts and Police-office." We understand thai; Mr. Alexander Dewar has been served with a writ at the instance jolfDr. Lethbridge, for libel, 4 alleged to be contained' in a letter to » contemporary,^ 'damage* being laid. »t £&QQ,— Thames Star.

Our Raglan, correspondent says: — "The manufacture of flax is steadily increasing and improving, and the prfces obtained having also improved, has established such confidence in our mill-owners that it i* now considered the staple product of Eaglan. The price now obtained for our flax is £25 per ton, whereas two years ago it only realised £15, a proof that great improvement has been made in the preparation of the article, and that those improvements have given an increased commercial value." We Kirn tli.it it ia intended to start a manufactory at Onehunua for the inaimfacturo of paste and liquid blacking on a lar:^e scale. Ihe new candidate for public favour is to be called the "Brilliant" blacking, and it is cci tainly deserving of the name if it invariably produces such a polish as that whioh has been shown us. The manufacturer is confident that he will be able to dim the lustre of Day and Martin's paste by placing it in contrast with a brighter polish produced at less labour and as little expense. We wish him every success in his efforts to keep the under-standings of our citizens bright, and his efforts deserve the encouragement of a liberal patronage. The Taranaki News says, "By some negligence of the female servant, some of the fringe or curtains caught fire in the dressing-room of Major Tukes residence. On being informed of it, Mrs. Tuke sent the servant for Major Tuke, and, carefully keeping the house closed, endeavoured to keep down the fire ; it had then reached the ceiling, which was in a blaze ; but by the efforts of Mis. Tuke all the burning portions were pulled down and put out by the time Major Tuke arrived. We regret to state that Mrs. Tuke has severely burned and disabled her right hand in putting out the fire ; which, no doubt, would otherwise have destroyed the building and ifcs contents." Three females charged with drunkenness, two of whom will also be charged as vagrants, will be brought before the Police Court this morning. There is a proposition now under tbo consideiation of the Melbourne City Council to borrow £280,000 for increase of market accommodation and improvement of streets. It is rumoured that a Justice of the Peace (ex officio), who occasionally occupies the magisteiial bench, deploring the criticisms which recent decisions of J. P.s have evoked, has placed himself at the disposal of the Government, and expressed his willingness to accept the appointment of second Resident Magistrate. — Thames Star. The Ohinemuri correspondent of the Thames Guardian fays :— " There was a fire last night, which, at one time, threatened to destroy the settlement at Papaturoa. Owing to the exertions of a number of Ngatiraukawa and other natives, the fire was confined to four houses. The cause is unknown. It began in Timoti's house, and then spread by way of a potato storehouse to Te llir.Vs private dwelling-houso, and also consumed his storehouse, which contained a large quantity of flour, sugar, rice, &c." The Goromandel Mail says : — "Some of the absentee landholders are beginning to see that there is likely to be a change in the law regarding the nsjht to mine on piivate lands, and are acting in accordance with this conviction. Duung the past week Coromandel has be-n visited by the agents of two of the largest owners of property on the field, and probably the right to mine will now be granted l>y these gentlemen on reasonable terms. But there arc other instances where the freeholders will not listen to reason, and will ouly permit mining on condition thai their land is purchased at a most preposterous price — at such a rate indeed that mining cannot be carried on at all, if such terms are insisted upon. For such cases as these the law should provide a simple remedy." The Oamaiu (Otago) paper of a recent date says :— " A curious reptile was brought to our office. It is stated that on splitting a block of Rtone it was found in. a small cavity within it, to which no entrance could be found from without. The creature is alive still, and will be forwarded to the New Zealand Museum, at Wellington. It is about 12 inches long and about three-eightha of an inch in thickness, and bears a close resemblance to a gigantic centipede ; though boiug evidently of marine habits, what would corlespond to the feet of a centipede arc arranged on each side of the body, and act as so many short oars or propellers." An excellent story is told concerning the Duke of Wellington, and Mr. London, the landscape gardener. Mr. John Claudius Loxidon wrote to ask the great duke for leave to inspect the beeches at Strathfieldsayo. His wntiug was not very legible, owing to an affection of his right hand, and it will not appear surprising, thorefoie, that the Bishop of London, Dr. C. J. Bloomh'eld, should have shortly afterwards received the following note: — "My dear lord, — I shall always be glad to see you at Scrathfieldsaye ; an(i_my servant shall show you as many pairs of\iny breeches as you choose to inspect, but wnat you want to see them for is quite beyond me.— Yours, &c, Wellington."— Notes and Queries. Tho Auslrala/tian has the following pertinent remavks on English and colonial farming :— "Even were labour abundant, unless it were also much cheaper than at any time since the discovery of gold, grass must be the basis of operations. Nor would the cheapest labour enable farmers to carry out the English plan of compensating the coil for the abstraction of its fertilising elements in the shape of grain and straw ; it is the extreme value of meat that maintains the fertility of Eugli^h farms, and those who are continually blaming the oolonial husbandman for not imitating the example of his English prototype only exhibit their incapacity to assume the r6lo of instructors. It would be no more possible to farm profitably m this country by adopting the four-course Norfolk system in its integrity, feedinsj sheep for nearly two-thirds of the year upou tuvnips and hay, than it would be to pay farm ronts in England out of beef and muttou at Australian prices. , It ig no wonder, therefore, that the brain which indited such a paragraph has also omitted to recognise the slight difference between l£d., the colonial, and 9d., the English value of mutton. The capability of the soil alono has been thought of —the climate, the conditions of labour, and the value of the produce have been wholly disregarded. The future of Victorian farming need not be gloomy, bnt State ooddling is not likeJy to improve the condition of even the smallest of occupiers. Correct information is of primary importance to that class ; they would perhaps ohtain it in time without State assistance, but their advancement towards the self-supporting stage may be greatly accelerated by means of an Agricultural Depar tmeut judiciously conducted." One of the peculiarities of female apparel has lately been turned to account by masculine ingenuity in a lea* successful manner. The recent increase of taxes and excise duties has naturally given, a violent impulse to the business of smuggling ; but as the use of hollow blocks of stone, carts with false bottoms, bladders under petticoats, &c, has all been discovered, one after the other, by the sharp eyes of the officials at the gates, Borne one has hit upon the bright idea of employing women with zinc corsets, capable of holding no less than five gallons of brandy or alcohol. The thing went on splendidly for a short time ; hut the suspicions of the detectives became excited by the sight of so many magnificent busts surmounted by scraggy necks and faces, and the brightness of the idea brought about its own downfall. What the smugglers will next imagine it is not easy to | anticipate ; but the enormous increase in all i manner of taxes and duties will assuredly give animpetus to smuggling that will give full employment to "the greatly augmented army of Octroi officials now beiag organised by M. Thiers ; while the new tax on tobacco is Already leading to much smuggling on the Spanish frontier. The uso of tobacco is so greatly on the increase in France that an " Anti-Tobaocb League" has been set up, and ifc ia working zealously against the iwe of 'a" narcotic condemned in the strongest terms by" many of the most eminent physiciahi? nud physiologists of France, "

The recent attempt by O'Connor to coerce the Queen to an amnesty of the Fenian prisoners, by preaentipg a worthless old pistol at her head, is the fifth outrage of this sort of which Victoria has been the victim since she ascended the throne. Assassins do not always choose tyrants as the objects of their vindictivcncss ; neither has Victoria ever given occasion, or the shadow of excuse, for the insults she has received and the attempts which, have been made upon her life. A milder or more harmless sovereign never wore a crow. The evils of the British monarchy are rather inherent in the system th m the result of personal characteristics. The .first attack upon the Queen's life was that by the public-house boy Oxford, on June 10, IS4O. She had then been about three years on the throne. The Queen and Prince Albert were leaving Buckingham Palace by aside-gate for their afternoon's drive, in a low phaeton, drawn by four horses, with outriders, when the boy, who stood a little apart from the crowd which had gathered to see the royal people, fired directly at them. The Queen, either in fright or to show that she was not hurt, rose from her seat ; but the Prince, perceiving a pistol still levelled at the carriage, pulled her clown again. A second shot was fired before Oxford could be seized ; and it appears that the Prince heard both shots whiz by his head. Oxford was about seventeen, the same age as O'Connor's, the latest assailant, and, curiously enough, O'Connor's attack was on nearly the same spot as Ox* ford's. The latter was found to be clearly a lunatic, and was disposed of by being sent to an asylum accordingly. About two years later, Victoria was returning from her afternoon drive, and had reached Constitution Hill (near by St. James's Park;, when atie was shot at by a fellow named Fiancis, who seems to have had no excuse excepting desperate poverty. The Queen showed great coolness on this occasion, and the same evening appeared in the royal box at the opera. Francis was sentenced to death ; but, at the Queen's own instance, bis sentence was commuted to life transportation. The example of Francis [ appears to have attracted a hump-backed boy named Bean, who, within a month, com- ! mitted a similar assault. The Queen was driving through St. James's Park on her way to the chapel at St. James's Palace, when | this lad was observed to point a pistol toward her head. Happily the pistol did not go off, and, beforo he could be seized, he disappeared in the crowd. For pome time tho search for him, despite his deformity, was ineffectual ; meanwhile, some twenty or thirty humpbacked boys were arrested on suspicion. He was finally taken, but not until the excitement caused by his attempt had passed away. The most insulting of all assaults upon her Majesty was in the late spring of 1830. She had been paying a visit to her uncle, the Duko of Cambridge, in Park Lane, who was ill, and soon after died. As her carriage turned into Piccadilly, a ruffian named Pate rushed up to it and struck the Queen several severe blows across tho face with a stout cane, crushing in her bonnet and leaving an indentation on her cheeks. The Queen's children were with her, and Pate seemed about to attack them when he was seized. The royal lady displayed on this occasion remarkable courage, ordered the carriage to proceed, and drove quietly to the palace. The police with difficulty saved Pate from the fury of the populace, who manifested a disposition to apply lynch law on the spot. He was tried, and, the dofence of insanity failing, he wa3 transported for sevpn year 3. The result of the assault of 1842 was a Parliamentary statute, which provided proper penalties for such cases ; and this Act has been applied to the subsequent offenders. — San Francisco Newsletter, The number of persons employed in the textile industry in the United Kingdom is 973,000. While Switzerlaud spends £417,814 a year out of her small revenues on education, she spends only £399,811 on her army, although this consists of a regular force and reserve of more than a hundred thousand fighting men, and on emergency two hundred thousand more could take the field. Every male S « itzer is, in fact, trained as a soldier, and military education is a regular part of the school course. This is in the true spirit °f * free people, jealous and proud of their freedooi. Their aim is not to produce soldiers, Wfc citizens capable of fighting ; just, as in the civil education, the object is rather to rear the general mass of the youth of the nation into healthy, intelligent, and virtuous men and women, than to beget a high standard of individual culture "We want," as a Swiss professor told Mr. Dirou, " good men, not great men. In our system, what you call great men can have no part •, they would disturb us, perhaps destroy us, If a Ccesar should arise among us, we might hate to kill him."

Michael Lynch, of Oweo-streefc, Grahamstown, has filed a declaration of insolvency. The christening, of the New Zealand Quartz-crushing battery, Green Harp Claim, will he celebrated on Wednesday next, by a public luncheon. The Coromandel Tunnel Goldraining Company will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, 10th instant, at Sbortland-streot. The regular monthly meeting of Lodge Am, 348, 1.C., will be held this evening, at the Masonic Hotel, Princes-street. Tho Tambaroora Goldmining Company have made a call of sixpence per ecrip, payable on or before the 13th inst. The legal manager of the Driving Creek Goldmining Company calls a meeting of shareholders at the Waverley Hotel, for tomorrow, at 3 p.m. The first four lectures on Chemistry and History, in connection with the Auckland College and Grammar School mil be open to the public free of charge. An extraordinary meeting of the shareholders of the Golconda Goldmining Company is announced to be held in the public room of the New Zealand Insurance Company on the 28th June, to increase the capital of the company. Thomas Kelly, of tho Suffolk Hotel, has filed his schedule.

Victoria .. Yew South Wales]. . South Australia . . Queensland .. .. Western Australia Tasmania . . . . New Zealand Horses. Cattle. 107,220 721,090 337,697 2,195,096 83,744 130,832 83,358 1,070,030 22,174 45,213 22,679 101,459 81,028 486,592 Sheep. 10,761,887 16,303,585 4,400.650 8,103,818 608,892 1,349,776 9,700,629

Undor cnl- Under tivaMon. Wheat. Acres. Acres. South Australia .1,108,450 002,600 Victoiia .. ..1,192,250 300,000 Now South Wales 510,000 152,050 Queensland .. 55,000 3,700 Western Auitralia 63.500 30,000 Taimania.. . 352,250 58,500 New Zealand ..1,107,003 108,00) Yield Btuhels in per Biuheli. Acto. 3,967,160 6 : 3,900,000 13 1,812,000 12 40,000 11 420,400 14 877,000 15 2,435,00) 22J