SYDNEY EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Volume I, Issue 59, 12 March 1842, Page 2

SYDNEY EXTRACTS.

NEW ZEALAND. J Years may roll over us before the full advantages of the New Zealand will be either felt or developed; still sufficient is already known to make us cherish the most friendly relations with our neighbours, were we actuated by no other motive than that of selfishness—hence it naturally follows, that instead of embracing every opportunity of depreciating their condition, we should be silent if we parade nothing better than gratuitous falsehoods and jaundiced reports, that can only redound to the disgrace and disadvantage of ourselves. We are glad to observe that several of our contemporaries coincide with us in these sentiments, and are endeavouring to counteract the evils, others less liberal and ungenerous have invariably used every unfair means to effect. From all the advices, oral and written, we are in possession of regarding New Zealand, it requires no seership on our part to predict that the spirit manifesting itself there, is one of unflagging energy, which by endeavouring to prop and encourage, will add but the more to our prosperity. Thousands are preparing to leave the British provinces, to settle on one or other of the eligible points of location in the New Zealand Islands amply, we are told, provided with the wherewithal of ensuring success, and turning the resources of the country to the best possible advantage. To effect this, capital and labour, the two grand essentials to a country's advancement, are pourino*

• in upon New Zealand, and should the stream be" i continuous for any great period, which is far from improbable, it is not for us to say what a favorable influence she may have upon our own Colony, upon which she must, for years to come, depend upon for stock of almost every description, besides other articles needful for her progression. It is a well-known axiom that commerce begets commerce, and that " money makes money," and as the bonds of commercial intercourse are more firmly rivetted between two countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, mutual benefits will accrue ; —in return for our exports, we shall receive flax, timber, and agricultural produce. That an extensive intercourse will spring up between the two Colonies, every day's experience puts beyond a doubt—but until that great «' annihilator of time and distance" —steam, will be applied for the purpose of carrying on the interColonial trade, we shall not attain that regular and steady communication, which is the very life spring of successful commerce.-— Sydney Free Press. MOSQUITOES. The following is from the Sydney Herald of November the 24th, and is deserving of attention by thosa who are compelled to resort to the use >~ of water casks for their daily supply :

11 At a meeting of the Debating Society, on Monday,the secretary, Mr. Rennie, previous to the debate, exhibited specimens of the eggs of the common mosquito, and described the singularly interesting mode in which they are laid by by the mother insect. The young (Larva), when hatched, can anly live in water, and hence it becomes necessary for the eggs to be laid conveniently for this purpose. Some insects, such as the dragon-flies ( Libel lulida) absurdly called horse-stingers in England, lay their eggs on the leaves of reeds, or other plants growing in water; but the mother mosquito proceeds more ingeniuusly.. She alights on any small floating body* or on the edge of water, extending her hind legs over the surface of the water, in form of a cross. In the angle formed by her legs, opposite to the evopisitor, " or egg-placer," she deposits her first egg, and to this first egg she attaches a second, a third, and so on, keeping them upright and afloat by means of her crossed legs, till she has formed a little boat-shaped cluster of eggs fromA fi ty to one hundred in number. If these eggs were under water they would not hatch, but in this form of a life-boat, which no winds, waves, nor human endeavour can sink, they soon hatch, and the young larvae drop into the water. During summer, upon every wattr-butt or vessel of water in Sydney, exposed out of doors, great numbers, of these boat-clusters of mosquito eggs may always be iound floating, while the water below swarms with the young.'- The eggs are of a darkgreyish brown colour; the boat-cluster about half the size of a grain of rice or less, and several of the clusters are often seen attached side by side. Mr. Rennie stated, that he believed i; to be possible to diminish the numbers of mosquitoes in Sydney to the extent of many millions, if every person were assiduous in skimming off the egg-clusters from the water in butts, buckets, &c, once or twice a day ; or so covering them, that the moskitoes could not lay their egjjs on the water. It would be obviously impossible to extend this to every piece of stagnant water; but even individual families might greatly diminish the numbers and the annoyence of mosquitoes by this plan of skimming off mosquitoe eggs from water near their nouses. The common mosquitoe here was stated by Mr. Rennie to be precisely like the common English gnat, (Culexpiplens,) and very different from the small American and West India mosquitoe (Culex molestus). Mag-'*' nified drawings of the eggs, larvse, &c, were shown on the board, taken from Mr. Reniiie's Insect Transformations in the "Library of entertaining Knowledge," where further details may be found of this interesting portion of Natural History.— Sydney Herald.

A Hint. —In a recently published work on the Horse, of which a Colonel Smith is editor, there is the following hint: " The ass is emphatically the poor man's horse in exery country, and if eare were taken of the breed, and well selected animals imported from Arabia, perhaps from the province of Oman, or of those of the white breed of Zobier, near Bussorah, there is no doubt that in the sandy districts of northern Australia, a very useful and handsome race might be reared, valuable to the poorer settler, and instrumental in working out the civilization of the natives. A choice breed of asses and of Arabian camels appears to be an object well worthy the attention of the local governments of Australia and New Zealand.'' Some of the finest Maltese asses have already been imported, and there are several camels in the colony. Mules are already extensively used, and notwithstanding the sneers of the ignorant we are in hopes that before long we shall see camels employed as beasts of ! in this colony. We are much pleased to find a

Writer entirely unconnecied with the colony expressing a favourable opinion of the utility of camels in this colony, which has been so often advocated here.— Sydney Herald. A Dear Kiss.—A gentleman going down by a railroad a few days since, happened to be in company and alone with a pretty young woman. After paying her a deal of attention on the jour-, ney, and being, as he thought, very well received,' he ventured, as they were passing through a long tunnel, in the dark, just before their arrival, to take a kiss. The young lady said nothing, but when the car stopped, beckoned to a policeman, and gave the gentleman in charge for the assault. He was brought before a magistrate, and fined £5 for his conduct.— Wilts Independent. Romantic Story.—Among the persons arrested with Prince Louis Napoleon at Boulogne, was one in a sailor's jacket and trousers, and i who gave the name of Boucher, and the age of 22, declaring that he was a servant of trie Prince. The capture being made known to Louis Napoleon, he informed the magistrates that the prisoner was a female, and her entreaties for her discharge were complied with. She contrived to come to Paris, hoping- to be protected by an English family, with whom she had previously lived, or else to be supported by the generosity of the Prince, The family, however, were not in Paris, and the Prince was too closely guarded /or her to have access,to him. She obtained board and lodging in the house of a woman who let out rooms, by pretending that money would be remitted to her through M. Lafitte. Time passed, and no money came, and at length some articles in the house disappeared. Suspicion naturally fell on the poor girl; her room and person were searched : an umbrella and handkerchief were found in one, and a chemise belonging to the landlady upon the other. She was denounced and committed to prison. The day before yesterday she made her appearance at the Correctional Tribunal, but denied any intention of stealing the umbrella and handkerchief, and protested that she only wore the chemise while her own, the only one she had left, was being washed. The Court dealt leniently with her; acquitted her of the theft of the two former articles, but, as the appropriation of the other was too positive, she was convicted. The penalty, however, was only three days' imprisonment.— French Paper,