MELBOURNE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5944, 4 December 1880, Page 6

MELBOURNE.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS , EXCURSION TO GIPPSLAND. [FROM OIK OWN fJORRKSrONDKNT.] Mkluoviink, November 23. Tin: Coinniissioner for Railways having very kindly sent to the New Zealand Colonists' Banquet a general invitation to join a party to Oippsland the next day, a number of New Zealanders gladly availed themselves of the opportunity thus afforded to see something of that part of the country. Amongst the number I noticed several from the Auckland province—namely, Mr. Thomas Peacock (Mayor of Auckland), Mr. L. Ehrenfried (Mayor of the Thames), Mr. A. Brodie (County Chairman, Thames), Mr. (leorge Holdsliip, Mr. Laishley, and Mr. Ireland, Auckland; Mr. Brown, and Mr. D. Stewart, Thames. Many of the gentlemen were accompanied by'their wives and lady friends. One gentleman from Wellington had an idea of combining a little business with pleasure —being on the look-out for laud—but there was nothing to tempt him in that way. The railway line for the whole distance to Sale (some 127 miles) is simply a line cut through the bush. Here and there a few clearings were visible, but there was little or no agricultural land to be seen, until the vicinity of .Sale was reached. The country is mostly dead level all the way, the hills and dales, spoken of so much in descriptions of Oippsland, lying a long way oil' to the right and left ot the railway track. The train—a "special' , — consisted of four large-sized American carriages and a locomotive of the same nationality, and the party comprised—besides representatives from all the colonies—the Austrian Strauss Hand, some sixty in number, who occasionally enlivened the way with a little music, and subsequently gave a very pretty performance the same afternoon on board a steamer which conveyed the party to the Lakes. Altogether ths trip proved a very pleasant one, and when the party returned to Melbourne next day. the three cheers given to the Austrian Hand, and three more to Mr. liagot, the well-known Secretary of the Victorian Racing Club, who organised the excursion, testitied to the enjoyment experienced by the excursionists.

THK MKAT TRADE. I sue by the Auckland files that a nusupreserving company is buing started in the Northern capital with good prospects of success. As regards quality, at a - iy rate, New Zealand should be able to take front rank in the market, and 1 .shall be disappointed if the exhibits of preserved meats in the New Zealand Court, sent from Wellington and Canterbury, do not take honours. Meatpreservers, however, will do well to keep an eye upon what is going on elsewhere, and a word or two here concerning a cargo of frozen meat which was despatched from Melbourne to London, a few days ago, may not be out of place.

Dissatisfied with the unfulfilled promises of the Orient Company to lit up one or more of theirsteaiuers with freezing apparatus, several capitalists, under the energetic leadership of Sir .las. MeCulloeh, determined to undertake the task themselves. Accordingly they procured from England the most approved apparatus (Gitl'ards'), chartered the German steamer l'rotos, and, having made the necessary alterations and fittings, placed in her frozen hold about 3000 carcases of mutton and a few of beef. Every precaution appears to have been taken, the freezing apparatus being fully tested before the meat was shipped, the carcases were enveloped in wrappers after the American fashion, and two engineers conversant with the working of tht freezing machinery were placed in charge. Altogether the'experiment bids fair to prove not only a scientific but a commercial success, and in that case, the event will have a most important iulluence on the prosperity of these colonies. Besides meat, tin; Protos also carries a large quantity of colonial fresh butter, packed in casks, and duly branded. To ensure its preservation during the voyage it will be kept at a uniform temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The result of the whole venture will doubtless be looked forward to with as much interest by Xew Zealanders as by Victorians. TRADE WITH INDIA.

A iVw days ago I attended a meetimx convene,! by Mr. Buck, the President of the Indian Commission, for the purpose of ventilating the question of an extension of our trade with British eastern, possessions. Mr. Buck visited the Melbourne Exhibition of 187"), and it was in consequence of representations made by him to his (iovcriiincut on his return to India that several merchants ami others interested in tile tea trade, were induced to i'orn: the association known as the Calcutta Tea Syndicate, the object of which was to open up an lndo-Australian trade in that article, an object which i., in :> fair way of being successfully .-u-cmnplislied. Mr. Buck, at the meeting referred to, suggested that the respective colonial (Governments, or representative bodies, such as the Chambers of Commerce, should take joint action to promote an extension of the general trade with India and the other British eastern possessions. His views seemed to meet with general approval, and it is to be hoped the question will not be allowed t<, drop without bearing fruit. Respecting Indian teas, I sampled some of the la.st cargo received from Calcutta, recently .sold at auction, and found the tea of excellent quality. It is very strong and on that account finds favour with the t«i dealers for mixing purposes. Owing to the late depression in the coffee planting business, the Ceylon people arc giving more attention to the cultivation of tea, and ai'iong the exhibits in the Ceylon Court at the Exhibition, there is a very'fine collection of samples of teas of exceptional fineness anil quality, in one or two instances, the value being stated a* high as ten shillings per THK EXHIBITION

ke-p.-. up its popularity, the ordinary daily number of visitors being usualh about fiOOO ; the largest number yet recorded was on the Price of Wales birthday, the total admissions on that occasion being -Jl,:tOli. The total number admitted from the opening to the •JOth instant amounted to lil.Vttli, mcludin" !12,'.)17 "dead-heads," officials, exhibitor., 0 attendants, &c.

The. New Zealand Court continues to be well attended by visitors, and the book which lays open for the insertion of the names and Melbourne addresses of visitors froir that colony has so manv pages already rilled .is to render the skimming through even a formidable task. A New "Zealander with an hour to dispose of has but to look in at the Court to lie sure of meeting acquaintances or friends who Vill occupy all hi.-, spare- time. The P.otomahana, which left last week, carried oil"a very large number of visitors : and the Te Anau. leaving to-day, has yjine .sixty passengers more than she has berthing accommodation for. and a number i.if our Auckland friends arc taking tl.eir departure overland to return to their homes

via Sydney : but there are always fresh batches arriving pur rail or steamer. A otui.! show of Mowers, phuiK fruit . • iairy. ami gardi.-n produce, bri:i<; tin- first <<i a .-i-Hcs of i.'ur. was held in the Kxhiliilii.i, on Kriday and Saturday last. The display of ilowers was magnificent, and the Horticultural Show was .-.aid to be the finest seen ill .Melbourne. Tin- most perfect collection of plant* «-.»., :-!iown by Mr. Cuilfoyle, of the P.:>t;.nii, I iardrns. ' Melbourne, "and Mr. Waiter Hill. Director of the Botanic i;:in:i-n> it I'.rislianu, ulso' contrilmteil a :■■■:■■ coll.jctii.n of economic plants. Some choice a vim tmonts of fruit were exhibited by tiie Coiiiniissioiii-rs for New South Wales ant! liouth Australia, these being afterwards .ioid to the •.■eneral public. Neither the bau.ii nor cheuse t-xhibite.l stiuck me as being remarkably good, the cheese comparing unfavourably with that of Canterbury. Amongst the miscellaneous dairy products' 1 uoti.M-d «,, samples of condensed mill; of I.mil i:;:uiiifaetuiv. the oxhiliitor of which was good enough to Mipply visitors ilesinms of tcstiii" it-. i|iiality with'cups of tea or collec, ami the opinion of the taste]-* seemed to be a favourable one. The industry i» new here, liaviug only iieen (|iiite recently started, ami is one which might with advantage be taken up in New Zealand.

(JAIKTHOS. Tin- hut weather approaching there was (j.iiU- ;i rush of balls last week, ruin'iiding 'one of the skuightei- of the innoeent-s which takes place at the close of a parliamentary session, only in this instance the "innocents" were the slayers and //■* ttutrn* the slaughtered. The premier ball, given by the Melbourne Club, was niusicianed by the Austrian Strauss band, but for dancing purposes—far better music could have been obtained for :i fraction of the fee (.L'-TiO) paid to the foreigners—the time of the waltzes being simply execrable. A capital ball was given by the French warship Finisterre, followed by another on board 11.M.8. Wolverene.'and several others took plaee on shore : and on Saturday evening one young lady assured me she had been to a ball every

night that week, and seemed to have lived J entirely on trifle and champagne. (Memo. : She was then playing with small quantities of the same wholesome articles of diet, and appeared none the worse for her exertions.)

There has been nothing excitingly new in the way of theatrical amusements, with the exception of the of the Novelty Theatre by a French Company, and that was more decidedly new than exciting. Mde. Andree, the principal performer, is in every way a fine actress, but the company was too feeble in point of numbers and talent to accord her adequate support, and she returns to Paris by the next steamer. The experiment of playing pieces in a foreign language has not proved successful in Melbourne, and is not likely to be repeated. The Novelty Theatre is a transformation of the old Polytechnic Hall in Upper Bourke-street, the transformer being Mr. Aarons, who three or four years ago built the Academy of Music, in the same street, and h;is been made a very elegant place of entertainment.

Miss J'omeroy, at the Theatre Royal, is a success. She played Juliet for a week, and is now enacting Rosalind, in " As You Like It,"a character which appears to suit her even better than Juliet. The veteran Hoskins has been engaged to support her in these Shakesperian pieces.