WOOL REPORT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 861, 27 July 1867, Page 3

WOOL REPORT.

The sales commenced on the 16th May. There was a moderate attendance of buyers. 215,000 bales were catalogued •, 25,000 were withdrawn in course of the sales. The prices offered were a penny below February quotations, but were slightly improving. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) London, May 27, 1867. It is pleasant to be able to commence a letter with good news — a task that falls to my lot to-day. Once more peace is preserved to the Continent, and, as far as one can see at present, is likely to be maintained. The Conference that commenced its sittings in London on the 11th inst., quickly settled the Luxembourg qxxestion ; and both France and Prussia express themselves as fully satisfied with the result-— each declaring that it has attained its heart's desire. Henceforth Luxembourg is to be maintained in strict neutrality, and its fortress— the bone of contention — is to be razed, Prussia quietly quitting it. This happy result is peculiarly grateful to England, as all the powers at the Conference agree that it was owing to Lord Stanley's firm, course that they had been enabled to meet and settle matters. For the first time in about twenty years England has been congratulated upon her foreign policy. There is little doubt that, had the ministry of foreign affairs been in other hands, we should nave drifted into a war of vast dimensions. It was at first a matter of doubt if .the continental powers would pay any attention to Lord Stanley, as, for so long a period, England's advice and opinion had been held in low estimation m Europe — her policy having been that of talking and not doing. In the present instance our foreign minister did not hesitate, but clearly stated the opinion of England, and that with such an amount of determination as proved to the quarrelling powers that for once England would not stand quietly by should a war ensue. This sentiment was not openly expressed, but Lord Stanley was so straightforward and decided in his proposals, that no ono could help imagining that physical force was at the back of moral influence. Notwithstanding' this peacable solution of the threatened difficulty, France does not relax in her warlike preparations, and the feeling qf the population is that war with Prussia is inevitable, . and that the present treaty, is onlyuiu.positpcirifiiajgii±-ii£: the evil day. It would scarcely do for France to nave a war this year,- as she j would not then be able to make her money out of the Exhibition, nor is she as fully armed as she could wish. Once the j " Exposition " over, and the army possessed of breech-loading rifles, Europeniay rest assured that France will quickly resent any affront or injury that may be offered her, and, perchance, invent or imagine an injury for "the occasion. Little else of moment has occurred with regard to Continental matters, if we except the Candian affair, where it is reported Omer Pacha is not so likely to succeed as was at first imagined: indeed it is said that he has been defeated by the insurfents. It is certain some hard fighting as taken place, and, as usual, both sides claim the victory. If this insurrection keeps on much longer, it must drag Turkey into serious complications with Greece. Meanwhile the Sultan is going to Paris — a journey none of his predecessors have ever undertaken.

At home we have had rather a .busy month of it. The House of Commons has still kept on at the' old work of "Iloform," and is approaching the end of its task. It has had, however, to submit to the haunting of a most persistent ghost — one that for a long time resisted all the means adopted for the purpose of laying it. It took for its name " Compound householder," and every morning the papers told us how it had troubled all our politicians during the night. This "compound householder" no one ever heard of before the House went to work with " Reform," and oven now we are at a loss to fully understand what he really is, or rather was, for he is abolished. It may simply be said that a " compound householder" was a man that took a house, and agreed with his landlord that the rates were not to be paid by him (the tenant) — hence when the House had determined that " rating," not rental, should be the test for the franchise, it had to decide who should have the vote duo to every house that paid a certain amount of ratog . It was__ evident Ura-fc-if they said that only the party who possessed the receipt for the rates should vote, move than half- a million .of occupiers would be disfranchised. Tho difficulty thus presented was too tempting a one for professional agitators in and out of the House to neglect, so morning, noon, and night," we heard of little else than the " compound householder." The opponents of the Government hugged themselves with the belief that at last they had discovered the rock whoreonthe cabinet would be wrecked. Numerous were the amendments proposed to get rid of this pest, but all came short of the matter until one member made the simple proposition that the occupier only of a house should be entitled to the vote. The House having adopted this, and refused to draw the line anywhere," behold! a Keform Bill, to all intents and purposes establishing household suffrage. This is an age of wonders, but we were scarcely prepared for such a radical measure at the hands of the conservatives. That their opponents havo almost pushed them into this position is true, but the readiness with which Mr. Disraeli has accepted " the situation," leads to the belief that if he had been allowed his own way at first " Beform" would long ago have been settled. In the Upper House the order has been more for play than work, and perhaps their Lordships are wise, as they will have "'hard times" of.it when the Eeform Bill reaches them. Meanwhile they have adjourned the discussion on Earl Shaftesbury's Bill on ritualistic observances_ until they receive the roport of the commission now enquiring into such matters. The Government, though successful

through all the turmoil of Reform, nearly came to grief through the vacillation of Mr. Walpole. Messrs. Beales & Co, haying determined to have a demonstration in Hyde Park, the Home Secretary issued a '• proclamation " declaring that it should not take place, and the majority of people, objecting to the parks being turned into a bear garden, came forward to act as special constables. Beales & Co., nothing daunted, determined to persist in holding the meeting, and all London in particular and the country in general anticipated serious troubles. The military wero gathered round the metropolis, and nearly 16000 persons 'were ready to be sworn in. At the last moment Mr. Walpole decided that he would not interfere with the meeting. You can easily imagine the disgust this vacillation caused, and into what contempt it brought the Government. It was only by the timely resignation of the Home Secretary that the Government was saved. Now, as a natural consequence, Mr. Beales and his party are triumphantly defiant, and do not lose any opportunity of crowing over the weeping ex-Home Secretary. Her Majesty has again appeared-in public with great state, the occasion being the laying of the foundation stone of the central hall of arts and sciences. The conception of such an institution in its primary form is said to be due to tire late Prince Consort, and arose from a want felt throughout England and the Continent of a central institution for the promotion of scientific knowledge as applicable to productive industry. It will be remembered that the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851 had, at its close, a large surplus, which they devoted to the purchase of an estate at South Kensington, on which, ever since, the department of. science and art has been located in the building somewhat irreverently, though not inaptly, termed " the boilers." Part of the original design of the commissioners was the central hall, the foundation stone of which was laid last Monday. The death of the Prince Consort for years stopped the project, but when revived no time was lost in raising the necessary funds, as it was found the commissioners could only appropriate £50,000 towards the building, while the total cost was estimated at £200,000. The large balance has been raised by subscription — the contributors receiving in return certain privileges in the shape of admission to the building in proportion to the amount contributed. The illustrated papers will give you drawings of the hall itself, so that I need not weary you with an attempt at a descrip-^ tion of it ; indeed I could not tell you the" style of the architecture, nor have 1 found the person who can. It is to be built of brick and terra cotta, the dome being iron with a leaden roof. When completed, it will be one of the largest amphitheatres in the world.

On the day of the ceremony, the space that is to be occupied by the building was covered by a temporary structure of wood, and seldom if ever has such an assemblage been got together in such a rude tenement. It may be said truly that it would have been a very easy task to write down the absent great ones, for they were few indeed. I must, however, mention the names of two absentees — the inevitable Sir Chas. Wentworth Dilke, Bart., and our "trusty and well-beloved " Henry Cole, C.B. It has been said that they received"a hint that it would be better for the project if their names did not appear in the transaction, as the public had grown a little tired of Dilke, Cole and Co. The whole place seemed fairly ablaze with stars, orders, and brilliant uniforms, while the dresses of the ladies shewed how effectively art can assist nature. The Queen had ajrpointed half : past eleven for the commencement of the ceremony, and . for. that purpose left. Windsor at half-past ten a.m., and all along the route from Paddington to Kensington she received such a welcome as only English people can give. .The weather, at the time of Her Majesty's leaving Windsor, promised to be real Queen's weather, but no sooner was the stone laid than the rain came down in such a pitiless manner as completely to put an end to the fete in the horticultural gardens. Looking, however, at the whole day's proceedings, they must be declared, a success.

While in tlie neighbourhood of the " Boilers," I may as well tell you of a little trouble the "department" has lately got into. Seized with an idea that an art library would be a good thing, Mr. Cole, C.8., set about forming an art catalogue, consisting not only of those books South Kensington possessed, but of those it wanted. In order to make his wants known he entered into a contract with the " Times " to publish his catalogue piecemeal in the shape of an advertisement. The proprietors of that patriotic journal agreed to insert it at £11 a column, their usual charge being £20 for that space. This liberal offer had the proviso attached to it that" the said catalogue should only appear in the advertisement sheet, or outside of the journal. It is no rash assertion to say that it was a dear bargain, for as you must well know, by experience, the " outside " of the " Times " (with the exception of the births, deaths and marriages) seldom finds its way abroad, where, most of all, it was desirable people should read it, and help Cole, C.8., to obtain the books he wanted. The -whole affair was to cost £5,000, but the House of Commons was so opposed to it that only some £132 of this amount has been thrown away, and the publication for the present is stopped. 1867 has had its Derby, and a remarkable one it was. Though not run actually in a snowstorm, tho race of the year was run in tho interval of a succession of storms, and the great prize fell to an outsider. A few days" before the races com-■mciK>o€W-4ii^adiolo betting fraternity were thrown into confusion by -thn — sudden-break-down of the Sate, one of the first favourites. At one of Ms morning 1 gallops ho broke a blood-vessel, and by the most competent judges his chances of winning the Derby were considered to be extinguished, but ho rallied sufficiently- to take part in the race. The morning broke as finely as could be desired, and both road and rail teemed with thousands bent upon a day's pleasure (viz., a day's dust and toil they would charge dearly for were they " engaged" to do it) on the wonderfid Downs of Epsom. Tho pleasure-seek-ing thousands were destined to encounter all tho glorious uncertainties of the English climate, as before mid-day they had to encounter a storm of mixed snow, hail, and rain — such only as is experienced in England. The first two races were run, for the most part> in the midst of this storm, or, rather, successions thereof, but, just as the event came off, the sullen sky cleared, and for the few minutes required to decide the fate of many thousands of pounds, a cessation of rain took place. Of the 30 horses which came to the starting post, few attracted less attention than tho eventual winner, and 30 to 1 was easily obtainable, indeed it is said as much as 100 to 1 was got an hour before the race. After lwlf-an-hour spent in falso starts, the competitors were got away, and for a minute everything seemed very doubtful, but Vauban and Marksman, the two first favourites, making good running, the prize, seomod to lay between them till the. appearance of Hermit, which, after a close race, passed Vauban, collared Marksman, and by a vigorous effort of his jockey, just

as they came to the: winning; posk; S°^9o^f the front. : . - "•■■'...'. •'•;■'-;-. ,:'>v:>-V^'^ Who shall describe i tlie I>pwns w <a- ■ i manner that will have aboiit. it somie- %'.. thing ncwf>. The only thing that was to .. ; be seen for the most part' of the .day twasan array, of umbrellas -that would have; charmed the hearts of a hundred Sang- ;; sters had they been present. . Of the re- : turn home it is only tteceSsary to tell you that the joyous parties of the morn- ; ' ing came back wet, draggle-tailed and quarrelsome; the last new thing in bonnets was under a shawl, and showiest "turn out" would have cbnW, ;. pared most unfavourably with a woe-be-. ; gone broken-down night cab. But if the Derby proved a surprise with its winner at 100 to 1, no less did the Oaks prove a sad , blow to many. For days before the race it had been looked np'on as a " certainty for Achievement, and. so. high in favour was this mare that the odds were laid on her. A small field of only 8 came to the starting, post, and up to nearly the finish of the race Achievement was in front, when, suddenly, Hippia took the lead, and won by & length. The jockey on Hippia was the rider of Hermit in the Derby, and finds himself a richer man by £10,000 than he was seven days ago, his employers and friends making him splendid presents ; indeed the owner of "Hermit" gave him £5000. So has passed away the Epsom meeting of 1867, one that must always be regarded as remarkable 1 . • The great race between Chambers and Kelley on the Tyne, resulted in an easy victory for the Thames '.mau. It is said that this will be the last appearance of Chambers as a competitor' for aquatic honours, and it is certainly time that he retired. .. Few scullers have rowed so many races and worked so hard or so honestly as the great 'Jfyneside champion. 'I am sorry to say that a sad accident occurred at the termination of the race, through the giving way of a rail on one. of the landing stages, by wlyck numbers of the spectators were precipitated into the water, and 7 unfortunately, three lost their lives. We have been threatened with a curious, but very unpleasant catastrophe-r---viz., being left without clothes, for the tailors of London, determined, to keep "in • the fashion, suddenly struck for an ad- '.'_ vance of wages. ' It appears that these men can earn from 30s. to 40s > per ; week, and, last year, desiring an advance, on their then rates, they threatened, a strike, and the masters gave way. Emboldened by this success, they demanded a still further rise this year— this the masters could not accede to, so the men struck. Their places are said to be rapidly filling up, so that the present strike is likely to be a very unsuccessful one. . . Meanwhile the question as to intimida- . tion has been before the judges. The case" . submitted was that of the men in a builder's employ threatening him with a strike if he did not at once dismiss a "nonunion " man that was in his establishment. The threat was couched in very strong terms, and the judges held that the magistrates had done quite ' right in punishing the writers of the letters, as they wore clearly meant to intimidate the masters. .

We have had another railway exposure in the case of the London and Brighton company. For a long time this line has been looked upon as one of the most successful in the kingdom ; but, being seized ■with a mania for " extensions," its capital and; debts have risen to an enormous sum. Nor has all been- conducted very fairly, for the directors, desirous of defeating the lines before the committees of the House ' of Commons, raised fictitious companies — making their own clerks the chief shareholders, and eventually ."selling^ or attempting to sell the lrdeS ib'/tlie Brighton • company. In the midst '6f v all the ruin and-, trouble these.^sttccessjye ' " breakdowns " have caused,' the companies are seeking to combine with each other -instead of competing, and the public are already being made to feel this step by an. increase in fares: It is proposed to have a federation of all the companies, forming a sort of railway parliament for their government. " .

Balmy (?) May has arrived, and we are experiencing such weatlier as we might more reasonably look for in the month of January. Cold easterly winds, rain, snow and hail, are what we have chiefly had, with a few May days intervening ; hence no one can wonder at the heavy death roll each week presents us with. . Tho past month has witnessed the death. " of three of our great men.' Alison," the historian, is no more ; Clarkson Stanfield is dead ; and, on Saturday, the death of Baily the sculptor was announced. ( All these were men of note in their particular departments. The decease of the last two creates vacancies in that rigidly exclusive body, the Royal Academy, and hence we hear numerous names mentioned . as their successors. The Exhibition of the Academy opened as usual on the first Monday .in May. The pictures exhibited are very numerous, and there certainly are more remarkable pictures this year than we have had lat<terly. " , The Fenian trials are rapidly .coming to a close, and several of the leaders have been sentenced to death. The Government, at first, seemed determined to carry out the sentence h> the case of Burke, his execution being fixed for next Wednesday. A very strong feeling, however, is being expressed" on all hands against the hanging of this man, and it seems probable that he will have his sentence commuted. It is doubtless a fact that if he is executed he will be looked upon as a niartyr, but if ho is simply sent to hew stones and draw .water at Portland for tho rest of his life, he will soon be forgotten. The only object in hanging him would of course be the frightening of the Fenians, and perhaps the prospect .of a long life of hard labourwill prove a better deterrent than the vopcrations of Mr. Calcraft. The Princess Mary of Teck gave birth to a princess on Saturday night — one more addition to our already numerous Eoyal Highnesses. The Princess and child are doing well. . . If the news from Mexico may be relied on, Maximilian is finally overthrown, and is missing. The whole country is in a complete state of anarchy, and now the Americans are talking oi interfering on "moral" grounds. Just as I am closing my letter, comes the news that the Eenians nave again appeared in force ; but, strangely enough, we are told that they attacked a military force with bludgeons and staves, atMichclstown. A desperate fight is said to . have ensued, and the military to have . been driven off the field. The telegram, curiously enough, closes with the words," "Fuller details are wanting." I should . think so indeed ; at all events we are>aot ■ much alarmed here about it. .