A WINTER DAYBREAK IN NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1898, 19 June 1890, Page 33

A WINTER DAYBREAK IN NEW ZEALAND.

From the dark gorge where burns the morning star I hear the glacier river rattling on, And sweeping o'er hla ice-ploughed shingle bar, While wood owls shout in sombre unison ; And the pale Southern dancers glide and go, And blaok swans' air trumpets wildly, sweetly blow The Cook crows In the misty winter morn ! Then must I rise and fling the curtain by. All dark ! but for a strip of Aery sky Behind the ragged mountains, peaked and torn, Showing each altar rock and snow-olad horn. One planet, glitteriug in the twllignt cold Poißed like a golden hawk above the peaks. And now again the wild nor'-wester spenks, And bends the shuddering cypress to his fold ; And every easement, every timber creaks, While yet the skylarks sing so loud and bold The wooded hills are dark ; the white cascade Bhakes with gay laughter all the tilent shadowy glade. Now from the Bhuttered east a silvery bar Shines through the mitt and shows the mild daystar j The storm-wrapped hills start otifc and fade again, And rosy vapours skirt the pastoral plain. The garden paths with hoary rime are wet, And sweetly breathes the winter violet. The jonquil half unsheaves its ivory cup, With clouds of gold-eyed daisies waking up. Pleasant it is to turn aud see the fire Dance on the henrth as he would never tire. The home-baked loaf, the Indian bean's perfume, Kill with their homely cheer the paneled room. Oome, crnzy storm 1 And thou, wild glittering hail, Bave o'er the roof, and wield your icy flail I Shout in our ears, and tako your madcap way I I laugh at storms ; for Eoderiok comes to-day I — Annb Glbnny Wtlson, in the Spectator.

— One-third of the total of the importation of tin-plate to the United States, 200,000,0001b, is manufactured into cans for preserving food products of the United States. These 200,000,0001b, upon which a duty of lc a pound is paid, are manufactured into 600,000,000 cans. Maryland is said to be the largest producer of canned goods in the world.