THE GOLD PRODUCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10044, 3 February 1896, Page 4

THE GOLD PRODUCTION.

A few days ago we gave the figures of he gold production for the last quarter of 1895, and by the publication of the details in the Gazette, we can now show how it was divided amongst the districts, Tlio Auckland division was as follows Coromandel, £35,508; Thames £12,957; Ohinemnri, £87,734; Pinko', £IGO ; Marsden, £4; borough of Thames, £10,299 ; making a total of £140,(302. Up to the 31st of December last the Auckland district had exported gold to the value of £7,316,702. The largest contributor to the yield from the West Coast was the County of Inangahua, which during the quarter exported gold to the value of £31,243, the total export of the whole district being £104,516. In Otago, by far the largest producing district was the county of Tuapeka, which yielded gold to the value of £39,024. The total from Otago was £109,588. Auckland was therefore considerably ahead of both the West Coast and Otago as a gold-producing district. We put together the totals for the two years 1895. 1894. Auckland ... £430,802 £211,974 Marlborough 10,771 10,123 Nelson ... 9,016 10,634 West Coast... 357,719 347,41.4 Otago ... 353,796 307,644 £1,1G2,1G4 £887,83? NOTES AND COMMENTS, In Saturday's impression of the Herald appeared a cable message from London elating that the doctors are using Routgen's discovery in photography, which enables pictures to be secured through opaque substances. A London correspondent of » New York paper, under date January 0, says:-"The noise of war alarms should not distract attention from the marvelloui triumph of science which is reported from Vienna, It is announced that Professor Routpen, of Wurzburg University, lias discovered a light which for purposes of photography, will penetrate wood, flesh, or most) any other organic substance. The professor has succeeded in photographing metal weights which were inclosed in a wooden case, and also has made a photograph of a mail's hand which shows only tho bones, the llesh being invisible. The correspondent says ' Ha takes a so-called crooked pipe, namely, vacuum glass pipe with an induction current going through it, and by means ol the ray 3 which the pipe emits, photograph! oil ordinary photograph plates. These rays penetrate organic matter and other opaque substances just as ordinary raya penetrate glass.' He has also succeeded in photographing hidden metals with a cloth thrown over the camera. Tho rays penetratod not only a wooden case containing metals, but the fabric in front of the negative. The professor is already using ins discovery to photograph broken limbs and bullets in human bodies." The chaplain of the Congress of tha United States is the Ret. Mr. Couden, and he has to open the session with prayer. On the last occasion ho put up the following petition " Let peace reign throughout our borders; yob may we bo quick to resent anything like an insult) to this, our nation I" This is denounced as unchristian and jingoistic by a number of newspapers. The St. Louis Post Despatch says: "The Scriptures abound in injunctions to be slow to anger, and patient under oppression and illusage. There is nowhere an intimation that it is a good and desirable thing to be quick to reient an insult. Chaplain Couden evidently belongs to that queer class of religious paradoxes,' the fighting parson o ,' who are misplaced as teachers of Christianity, and who should bo pagans, with a god of war and a god of peace to appeal to, as convenience or political advantage may suggost. There is every reason to believe that he is trying to give some colour of Christian grace to jingoism." Tho Boston Horald says of the prayer " It is in worse than bad taste, when tha circumstances under which it was delivered are borno in mind; it is repugnant to Christian sentiment; it was an incitement to the war spirit which is disgraceful in a Christian minister. Politics, rathor than piety, got this man tho place, and he, apparently, felt it a duty to repay this by putting polities into his prayer." Chaplain Couden would do hotter by having a written form, composed with care and reflection, Sir Maurice O'Rorke could furnish him with a very good model from New Zealand. Indoed, Congress had better dispense with their chaplain, and let iheir President read something which, if less jingoistic, would be more in accordanca with the spirit of Christianity, The Russian Volunteer Fleet is destined to play such a prominont part in case of hostilities in the Far East that the following particulars, derived from an absolutely trustworthy source, will be read with interest:—The Russian Volunteer Fleet is administered by a committee of delegates from the Ministries of Marine, Finance, and Commerce, together with several military and naval officers, including two generals. Their services are well remunerated, being paid by the Government, Ostensibly the object of the Volunteer Fleet is tho development of Russian commerce in the Far East. As a matter of fact it has sncceedod in no small measure, especially as regards the tea trade botween China and Russia, which it has taken ouk of English hands. The Volunteor Fleet is also used for the transport of troops, con« victs, and occasionally of free emigrants from over-populated portions of Russia. These emigrants are given considerable inducements to colonise Siberia. It is evident that for such a service vessels of from 18 to 20 knots' speed like those of the Volunteer Fleet aro not required. They were obviously built with an entirely different object. If tho Russians carry out their intention of running a local line of fasti steamers between Vladivostok and Shanghai, they would have two fleets of armod steamers in tho waters of tho Far East instantly available as either transports or fast cruisers -cruisers against which Great Britain's mercantile marine in thoso parts would bo practically defenceless The ships of the Volunteer Floot aro all of English construction. They do their builders the greatest credit). '• Thoy are fine steamers of excellent model and general handinesa, of which tho largest are capable of carrying

ooflO troops in adioion to a crew of more than 300 men. 11l the officers hare been taken from the Lperial Navy. A British R-liamentary paper just published gives the reports by Her Majeity's represetatives abroad on bountie?, other than th?o on shipping, paid by the Slate in the :ountries in which they reside. Of the 17 States replying, 19 declare that they rant no bounties at all. The twentieth—J pan—(?i the Bamo jnswor, but adds-"What this country may do when thenew tariffs come into force it is impossvle for the present to forecast." Belgiun heads the more important of the banty paying countries with the largest list. It grants drawbacks upon the exportation o» warehousing in bond, of no fewer than eight articles, which are subject) to the payment of excise when consuuud it home. Ihese include brandy, sprits, liqueurs, beer, vinegar, acetic acid, sufar, and native tobacco. The Dutch list embraces only beer, vinegar, and sugar. In France the State fosters by this mans sugar, silk, hemp and flax. The estimated bounties to the silk trade for 189.) real) a total of over 3,000,000f., being a stoajy increase from preceding years, Germany allows drawbacks to its tobacco indutnos, as well as to sugar, salt, spirits, anil fcor, In the same country " a bounty is gi'on on '1 10 exportation of grain, in quantity not loss than 500 kilo?., in the form of Customs permits to the amount of the inpft duty which would be due on the same quality of grain if imported." The United States pays bounties alono to sugar growi and refined in its territory. ________ An important uttfanco upon British foreign policy, has jut been given by Lord Salisbury. He welcined the sympathy uid support which tlj colonies had offered ;o the mother county during the recent jrisis, and also dealt with the Armenian ind Venezuelan questons. He declared ii,.ib none of tho Powtja wished to occupy Armenia, and feared tint individual action miuhb produce disastpus results. He doubted whether the horrible cruelties had been ordered by the Sultan. He did not think Englanl and the United States need tight over tfe Monroe doctrine. The Sultan has written (5 the Queen. Ho acknowledges Her friendship, and urges that he has dene bis best to save the Armenians from masfcere and outrage. Report! as to the existenceof a secret understanding of some kind between Russia and Turkey continue to be circulated. The Pall Mall Gazotte's correipondent declares hat mysterious intrigupg is going on. '."he Russian Ambassador visits the Palace in disguise, and is in oontiiuous communication with St. Petersburg. He has quarrelled with the British Ambassalor, Sir P. Currie. The alarming rumours asto the prevalence of disorder in Johannesbirg, has caused Mr. Chamberlain to instruct the Britijh agent at Pretoria to furnish a rtport. Mr. Chamberlain expresses his coifidence that President Kruger will put an end to these exhibitious of lawlessutss, if suoh exist. Mr. Cecil Rhodes is preparing for the defence of Dr. Jamesoi and his party. President Kruger is nady to meet the Uitlanders on questions of education and municipal government, but is not prepared to promise to grant th«ra the franchise. The Opposition party in the Italian Parliament are loudly demanding that the Abyssinian war should be abandoned. They contend that i; has been conducted for private purposes, tnd in defiance of the wishes of Parliament,