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Colonist, Volume VI, Issue 596, 10 July 1863, Page 2

High Gale. —For some days north-easterly gales have prevailed with considerable violence. Yesterday it blew strongly from that direction, causing a heavy sea outside the Boulder Bank. The brig Maria, coal laden, from Newcastle, dropped anchor outside early yesterday morning, and rode in the swell for some hours. The pilot boat went out, and Mr. Cross took charge of the vessel, the boat towing astern as usual. While in tms position a heavy sea struck the boat and drove it against the ship, staving it in, and loosening the painter. The brig signalled that the boat was lost, and the master of the Mina and some others on " the beach mistook the signal, supposing it to mean that she had lost her anchors, and a boat was immediately sent out with an anchor. The Maria by .this time, four p.m., had gone up the Waimea Eiver for shelter. She has since been brought into port. TnE Maitai. —In consequence of the heavy rains the river was very high at full tide yesterday, and a strong flow of water passed under the bridge at Col-lingwood-street. The excellent, yet simple, arrangements of Mr. Black ett for restricting the current have proved very effectual, and the brushwood and willow barriers along the river sides prevent the water from eating away the banks, and keep the river within proper bounds. Yottng Men's Mutua l Improvement Society.— Last Tuesday evening tlio members met at their room , in Bridge-street. There was a very good attendance. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, the election of officers for the present year was considered. D. Bough, Esq., was re-elected president, as was also Mr. R.Foster, as vice-president.. Mr. S. Costallwas elected secretary and treasurer, and the committee consist of Messrs. I. M. Hill, J. T. Johns, W. C. Nation, E. Cowles, J. A. Packer, W. Jackson, and It. Aitken. Nine new members were added to the roll, and an appeal was made to the members generally to pay subscriptions in advance. The West Coast Maoris.—Presumed Native Simplicity ! —The Braidmood Observer (.N. 8. W. paper) publishes a. long account purporting to be a true narrative of the vicissitudes experienced by a digger who had been at the Buller River diggings. There are so many evident inaccuracies contained in this narrative that we are much inclined to doubt its authenticity. When the writer speaks of having sold a ring not worth £3 to the Maoris for £15, because they " coveted it," we are disposed to be very incredulous of his other statements.* We can only say that the West Coast Maoris must be a very different sort of people to their inland brethren if they are willing to give £15 for a trampery ring. The days, of trading with the natives for beads and trinkets nave long since passed away.— Canterbury Press. [We may add, and so have the days of obtaining cheap : articles from the Maori. He knows the marketable value of any commodity, "whether to, buy- or sell as well as any other man, and he is now wide awake to take prices " all the same as white man.'' - Certainly it is not at the Bailer that they, are likely to pay very high prices, or prices much beyond .ordinary colonial value. If you want to go across'the Buller to- look more closely at the pleasant prospect you descry, Jack Maori will a? soon offer to row, or paddle you over for 3 °\] ' •. '- . ', :: - Tim new Commander-in-Chief. —The following notice of Major General Dupuis appears in the New Zealand Advertiser .—"The new Coimnandcr-in-Chief of Her Majesty's Forces in New Zealand is an old and distinguished artillery'officer. In 1836-7-8 he served on the North, coast of Spainin co-operation - with the Spanish army, and w*w in, the field actions of the 10th, lSlh, nth, aM 16th March", and the action of Hernani on the 14th May, 1837, besides many other minor affairs. Served the Eastern campaign of 185455, including the battles of the Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermann, siege and fall of Sebastopol (Medal and clasps, C.B.,"Commander of the Legion of Honor, Sardinian' medal, and third class of the Medjidee). Commanded the Royal Artillery in .India from October 1857, to February 1859, and wn,s' present at the action of Pandoo Naddee, 26th November, operations of the 27th, 28th,. and,- 29th November before Cawnpore, and battle-thec. <vt tie 6fch December, 1857. Twice mentioned in Despatches—medal arfd clasps. The Major-General was on the-continent when the offer of the command was made to him, tiut had returned to London previous to the despatch of the March mail." Discovery of a Solvent toe Katjri Ghrjc.—We observe an article in the Melbourne Age on the. manufacture of essential oils, from which it appears that a Mr. Bosisto, of Victoria, has been for two or three years engaged in making experiments on the subject of manufacturing essential oils from the native woods and plants of the colony. These experiments have resulted in the discovery of some excellent oils,* among which we notice a very valuable one, produced from the blue gum tree. Its main worth, as regards this colony, lies in the fact that it is* the .only oil yet discovered that is able to that valuable product of New Zealand, Kauri gum, which is dug but of the ground in pieces of a pound weight and upwards, and is- believed to be the product of gigantic trees, now extinct, and belonging to a former geological epoch. Hitherto the gum has resisted1 the action of all solvents which are at the command of commerce; and only by reducing it by an expensive process has it been used in America to a small extont. The essential oil of the blue gum dissolves the Kauri gum freely, and converts it into a varnish of the most translucent and elastic character, admirably suited for the varnishing of maps, paintings, &c. The best kinds of .varnish for these purposes are manufactured in England and America from mastic gum, which costs 16s. per fb., and the process of manufacture is an exceedingly dangerous one. With blue gum oil this danger is avoided; and. as Kauri gum, which as one of the most beautiful of all gums, can be purchased at about 2£d. per ft., there is no doubt that against it the mastic gum will stand no chance in the market, should the varnish made from the former stand the test of age as well as it has stood the test of first comparison. We' think that much credit is due to Mr. Bosisto for his praiseworthy, efforts in producing',such a valuable article; and'also for his generosity in announcing that he does not intend to monopolise the manufacture, .but. to. allow other persons to enter into it on payment of a moderate license fee for the use of his patent right. He has sent samples .of the.different oils he has produced to England, in order to ascertain whether a paying price can be obtained for them in the home market. . Mr. Bosisto has also-leased a piece of land and erected a five-horse boiler for the production of his oils. ,It is to., be hoped his enterprise will meet with merited success, as it will open an entirely new branch of commerce, not only in the oils- of Australia, but in the gums of New Zealand also.